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Tuesday,
June 18, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Never say no to talks Sweeping victory Cause for concern |
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Six months after December 13
Sleeping beauties!
How to avoid water disputes
Pacemakers improve quality of life Men too starve themselves Mother-child interface in Tihar
Jailed for threatening Sikh couple
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Never say no to talks There is a perceptible easing of tension on the Indo-Pak border. However, the situation is still far from normal. A lot of work remains to be done, promises to be fulfilled. And the onus is primarily on Pakistan to at last get serious about the commitments it has made to the global community for ending the terrorist training camps and network on its soil. Union Home Minister L. K. Advani was evidently referring to these unfulfilled promises that President Pervez Musharraf has made ever since the USA cobbled together a global coalition against all forms of terrorism anywhere in the world. Mr Advani may find some takers for his stand on talks with Pakistan. However, as a senior member of the NDA Mr Advani should have refrained from taking a categorical position while replying to questions from the Press during his visit to Ahmedabad. The USA woke up to the devastation that terrorism can cause after the September 11 attack on its symbols of economic and military power. However, India had always shown patience, often defying the popular mood in the country, while responding to the acts of provocation from across the border. The spirit of accommodation is the real strength of the country’s diplomatic initiatives. The world may inevitably side with Pakistan for reasons that have nothing to with the tension between the two countries. However, when it comes to the crux it has always respected India’s position. Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee have all given primacy to solving bilateral disputes through dialogue. Indira Gandhi could have twisted the arms of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, for India held nearly one lakh Pakistani soldiers as prisoners of war, during he Shimla Summit and secured from him a “final settlement” to the Kashmir dispute. But such a settlement would have sowed seeds of everlasting bitterness between the two countries, whose people share the same history and much the same values. The Shimla Agreement is a testimony to India’s commitment to solving even the most contentious issue through the process of dialogue. Mr Vajpayee revived that same spirit not once but thrice. He did it for the first time by travelling to Lahore by bus, as an expression of the country’s resolve to strengthen people-to-people contact. The Lahore process that he initiated with Mr Nawaz Sharif was meant to revive the political process for normalising relations between the two countries. However, General Musharraf, like his military predecessors, does not want peace with India, for that would undermine the army’s political role in Pakistan. Mr Vajpayee showed rare courage by inviting him to Agra. What happened thereafter is too well known to bear repetition. Mr Advani”s Ahmedabad statement somehow does not fit into the known diplomatic position that India has taken for settling disputes with Pakistan. Instead of rejecting dialogue with Pakistan, the better option would be to suggest a step-by-step process for easing tension in the region. The monster that Pakistan has created cannot be destroyed overnight. What India should suggest is a joint mechanism for dismantling the terrorist training infrastructure. Once that hurdle is crossed it can move on to other issues that have bedevilled relations between the two countries. |
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Sweeping victory French President Jacques Chirac could not have asked for more from the electorate. They have convincingly overturned the left-wing majority in the National Assembly in Sunday’s elections. As a result, his centre-right coalition, Union for the Presidential Majority (UMP), has trounced the left and sent the far-right back to the political margins. The landslide win brings to an end the five years of uneasy “cohabitation” Mr Chirac has endured with a left-wing Prime Minister. The supporters of the President now have a clear five-year run in which they have a free rein to implement their programme unimpeded and fulfil the promise of modernising the country. The President’s allies today dominate not only the National Assembly but also hold sway in the Senate, in the regional governments and the Constitutional Council. The chain that started after Mr Chirac’s victory last month is now complete. The President is once again all powerful and the government will do his bidding. The Socialists have received a drubbing. The only saving grace for them is that they have not been wiped out from the electoral arena as they were in 1993. The best they can hope for is putting up a spirited opposition and wait for 2007. The rejection of the left is in keeping with the winds of change blowing in the whole of Europe. Denmark, the Netherlands and Ireland have all shifted to the right. President Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin have their tasks cut out. They have to fulfil their pre-election promises to fight crime, cut back the state bureaucracy and free up the economy. The first-round presidential triumph of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen has shown that growing concerns about crime and immigration cannot be left for populists to exploit. During his four-week campaign, 53-year-old Raffarin, Senator from Poitou, came across with just the right mix of modesty and determination to convince the voters that he meant to act and act fast. He is expected to unveil his new initiatives on crime and economy soon enough. France is to enter its long summer break in a few days and it is a tradition there that no one takes politics too seriously during that period. But after that his much-vaunted promises to reform and modernise will be put to acid test. This is not going to be an easy task for the new government, because it will have to confront some of France’s myriad social interests which are well entrenched there. |
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Cause for concern The two-day siege by the inmates of Gopalganj jail in Bihar following the death of one of their fellow prisoners should put the authorities to shame. True, what the inmates had done amounted to taking the law into their own hands and hence cannot be endorsed. Nonetheless, what else could the unfortunate prisoners do when their repeated pleas for better treatment for the aged, basic amenities and medical facilities were met with a deafening response by the government? It is a pity that congestion continues to be the main problem of Bihar’s jails. How can the prison authorities hope to provide basic amenities when the strength of the inmates is almost 10 times the capacity? It is said that though Gopalganj jail can accommodate 60 prisoners, it has now over 650 of them. Packing jails with prisoners is not only a gross violation of human rights but also goes against the instructions of the Supreme Court. The official excuse of paucity of funds does not stand the test of scrutiny because the issue in question is one of life and death of the prisoners. The Gopalganj incident once again brings to the fore the issue of prison reforms. Apparently, the state government did not learn any lesson from the earlier incident in Chhapra’s divisional jail in March last. In this incident, six prisoners were killed and over 40 people, including a superintendent of police, were injured. In view of the recurrence of such incidents with sickening regularity, the government should address the issue with a sense of urgency. Part of the problem could be resolved if the issue of undertrials languishing in the jails for years together is examined. The question of releasing inmates aged over 70 years — a demand made by the Gopalganj prisoners and subsequently accepted by the government — is one of them. The other is the pressing need to construct more buildings to ease congestion in the present jails. The larger problem of congestion and overcrowding can be tackled if an action plan is drawn to bring down the heavy backlog of cases within a specific timeframe. In this context, the lawyers need to extend their wholehearted cooperation to the government. There is no point in seeking frequent adjournment of the hearings on flimsy grounds. This will contribute to further delay and be a drain on the exchequer in the form of the expenditure incurred on the prisoners during their incarceration. The jail and the police manuals, which are very old and anachronistic, should also be amended suitably in tune with the changing times and requirements. |
Six months after December 13 The world owes thanks to all persons, organisations, countries, which have persuaded India and Pakistan to start pulling back as these lines are written. But India still needs to be watchful. The content of its policy is firm and clear. But the context in which it has to be implemented is still foggy. This is because terrorism has links with the Pakistan Army, as confirmed by the British Foreign Minister, Mr Jack Straw, in the House of Commons, and the continuing ambivalence shown towards this issue by the American Departments of State and Defence in the past few days. President Musharraf said on May 30 that it would be Pakistan’s “utmost endeavour to avoid conflict”. On June 1 he said on the CNN that a nuclear war with India could be ruled out. On June 6 he said he would never “initiate” war with India. Mr Richard Armitage, of the American State Department, patted him on the back for saying all that and promised that he would seek the same assurances from New Delhi. But what General Musharraf said completely mispresents the situation, and the response by Mr Armitage shows the willingness to be misled. The question is not, and has never been for the past 35 years, whether Pakistan would initiate a war with India. Since 1965, and even more since 1971, it has been clear to Pakistan what “war” with India can mean. That also became clear to General Musharraf himself when he misled his own Prime Minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif, into the Kargil adventure. The real question is, and has always been since the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13 last year, what should India do if, firstly, General Musharraf is unable or unwilling to stop terrorist activities against India from territories controlled by Pakistan; and secondly, should Pakistan’s threat of a nuclear reaction deter India from doing all that it needs to do to stop such activities. Since long before 13.12 (December 13) India’s policy quite clearly has been, first, to cooperate with any country which claims it can persuade or pressure Pakistan into stopping terrorism against India. Second, if Pakistan takes steps to control infiltration of terrorists across the Line of Control, India will respond with appropriate steps, as Prime Minister Vajpayee announced at Almaty on June 4. Third, if such efforts fail and Indian security is put at serious risk, then India must do all it needs to end the risk, undeterred by threats of a nuclear response by Pakistan. Fourth, while protecting itself India must stick to its commitment not to be the first to use a nuclear weapon. Fifth, in the event of a nuclear response by Pakistan to India’s conventional efforts, India must respond in kind, undeterred by possible international reactions. In the past six months, India has added four further dimensions to this policy. First, India has taken several steps of a non-military nature to make it clear not only to Pakistan but to all interested countries that India will no longer keep turning the other cheek. Second, at the military level, it has mobilised its forces massively around Pakistan. Third, it has announced its willingness to scale down or reverse these measures if, but only if, Pakistan effectively curbs its terrorism against India, hands over to India those 20 persons whose names India gave Pakistan a few months ago, or atleast hands those among them who are of Indian origin, are known to be residing in Pakistan, and are guilty of terrorism against India. Fourth, India has promised a suitably calibrated response, in good faith, to any signs that Pakistan is at least trying to curb jehadi attacks on India. It is difficult to see where in all this President Musharraf saw the need to assure Mr Armitage that Pakistan would not “initiate” war against India, or Mr Armitage saw the need to promise Pakistan that he would get the same assurances from India. Nevertheless, when Mr Armitage said President Musharraf had promised to put a permanent end to infiltrators across the LoC, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh publicly responded the next day and said that “if” the promise was “converted on the ground into action … India will reciprocate in a manner that is befitting.” India also took note of the claim Mr Armitage brought from Pakistan that the infiltration had gone down, although America’s own assessment until a few days earlier had been different. Mr Colin Powell had said on May 31 that though President Musharraf was saying that infiltration would be ended, “ we can still see evidence that it is continuing.” On June I he went further on the BBC. He said “I have seen indications that instructions have been given” in Pakistan “to cease this kind of activity. I think it is too early to say that it has stopped. And when, and if, it does stop it must also stop permanently.” And he added that India must also be able to see that it had stopped, but “we did not see the kind of cessation that we were expecting based on what President Musharraf said in his January 12 speech.” America firmed this view further on June 7 when the spokesman of the State Department said Pakistan must end “infiltration across the LoC on a permanent basis. And when that becomes evident, we look to the Indians to reciprocate.” However, “the Indians” were more ready to reciprocate than that. It is not known what evidence India had of that “kind of cessation”, apart from assurances received through American sources, before New Delhi announced the first de-escalatory steps on June 10, while the official Indian position till as recently as June 8 was that implementation of the promises made by Pakistan “will be carefully assessed, whereafter … India will respond appropriately and positively”. It is not known what implementation was effected by Pakistan between the two dates. But one comment is in order. If India already had the information on which it based these steps, then it would have been more graceful and more conducive to better relations with Pakistan to announce them as India’s response to that information, and to announce them directly to Pakistan. As seen above, assurances brought by America are sometimes coloured by inappropriate perceptions. India has not had much joy out of America on the other issue either, that of the list of persons wanted by India. For some months after 13.12 America kept conveying messages that it was working with Pakistan on that list. US Ambassador Blackwill’s refrain in his comments in Delhi was “We are working on it.” Pakistan’s on the other hand was that there was no question of handing over any Pakistani citizens and they did not have any of the non-Pakistani’s named on the list. The stalemate was completed by the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mr Abdul Sattar, on June 9 when he said before that if there could be any extradition there had to be an extradition treaty. Negotiating one can take as long as either party wishes to prolong the process. But it is quite wrong to fault India’s policy or its implementation on any of the three or four counts on which they have been criticised. Such shortcomings as there are in India’s handling of this crisis lie in the wider domain of national capabilities and performance, whether in the societal, security or other domains, plus the consequences of a clash between India’s interests and those of countries which have a greater capacity to protect their stakes in any situation, or have a short-term geostrategic advantage in a particular situation. These are not imbalances which a country’s foreign or security policy can rectify on its own. The question has been raised whether all the diplomatic traffic between India, Pakistan, and some of the major Western countries in recent months hasn’t derailed India’s 30-year-old stand that Kashmir is a purely bilateral issue, to be resolved between India and Pakistan alone and without the intervention of a third country or other mediators. This is not so. In the days when bilateralism became the cornerstone of India’s policy on the Kashmir issue, terrorism was not the threat that it first became to India’s security and has since become to the security of many countries. It would have been ridiculous for India not to join hands with countries which are equally interested in fighting the scourge. But in joining with them India has in no way either invited or allowed them to mediate in the issue of the future political status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Colin Powell affirmed this unambiguously on May 31. If their participation in India’s own fight against terrorism or India’s participation in their fight further sanctifies the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir then this only strengthens the stand India took jointly with Pakistan in signing the Simla Agreement, which forbids the use of force or the threat to use it to change the Line in any way. It is possible that with or without the support of some other countries, Pakistan will misread this as mediation. But India will be well enough able to deal with that , if and when it needs to. The Government of India and the Foreign Ministry in particular can be criticised, as they have been above, for being too readily responsive to gestures by Pakistan, whether genuine or not. But each of the responses India has made so far can be reversed at no great cost if Pakistan goes back on its assurances, whether given directly to India or through other countries. In fact, at less cost than before because during the past few weeks many countries have held Pakistan guilty of terrorism and duplicity. This had not been the case either before September 11 or December 12, and since then nothing has prevented India from taking any measures which, in its overall judgement, would be in this country’s interests. |
Sleeping beauties! During a recent debate in the Lok Sabha on the report of the Administrative Reforms Commission, a member humorously asked if the government was considering sanctioning its employees a “sleeping allowance” on the lines of the “stagnation increment” and according to agency reports, the reply from the treasury benches was “drowned” in laughter.” I have been talking to a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Personnel who appeared to have taken the matter very seriously. “It’s no laughing matter,” he said grimly, “in recent years, the problem of government employees losing out on their regular 22 hours of sleep has assumed alarming proportions and that has naturally demoralised them and you’ll agree, a demoralised bureaucracy can’t be expected to effectively implement development schemes to benefit the common man.” “That’s true,” I agreed, “but in view of the parlous resources position, is there a justification for a sleeping allowance?” “Look,” snapped the Deputy Secretary irritably (and it was obvious that he was losing out on his sleep), “you haven’t quite grasped the magnitude of the problem and let me cite a few instances.” “As you know, government offices now open at 11 in the morning and naturally our employees have to get up as early as 10.30 a.m. to be in their offices by 11 sharp. Just imagine the amount of sleep they’re losing by having to get up at an unearthly hour of 10.30 in the morning!” “Terrible,” I said. “The lot of government employees is unenviable,” said the Deputy Secretary, “I’ve here a representation from the All-India confederation of Pen-Pushers and Case Workers and it says, inter alia, that its members’ nerves are shot to pieces, what with incessant chatter of their colleagues in adjoining cabins and the clutter of coffee and tea cups and lunch plates in the staff canteens and as a result, they have had to reduce their afternoon siesta from three hours to just two hours and 49 minutes. Just take a measure of the amount of sleep they’re losing in the bargain!” “Atrocious”, I said, “I’m surprised that public administration in the country hasn’t collapsed, what with government employees losing out on their sleep right, left and centre.” “You’ve seen only the tip of the iceberg,” said the Deputy Secretary,” Because of austerity measures and general belt-tightening, our staff canteens have been forced to buy inferior quality tea leaves and our employees have no alternative but to drink thin, watery tea and as a result, they stay awake during working hours and losing out on their sleep in the bargain!” “I’m sorry I questioned the wisdom of sanctioning government employees a sleeping allowance,” I apologised “I can see now that no one deserves it more, but one last question. The Reserve Bank, in a recent report has said that 2001-02 was a ‘sleeping year’ for the country’s economy. Is there any possibility of the Indian economy getting a sleeping allowance?” “No possibility whatever” said the Deputy Secretary, “the country’s economy sleeping is none of our concern.” “So I thought,” I said. |
How to avoid water disputes A
water dispute relating to “warabandi” (the system for use/sharing of water available in the common water courses), resulted in death of five farmers on May 29 at Madhu Khera in Muktsar district. The print media attributed the killing to a “long-standing dispute” over the warabandi or taking turns for the use of irrigation water. The village falls in the Lambi constituency of Mr Parkash Singh Badal. Investigations carried out by the print media reveal that the reason behind the dispute was “reportedly faulty construction” of the Wann Minor offtaking from the Sirhind feeder. There was no “proper outlet” installed. According to another report, it was an illegal outlet which led to the “killings”. Sources say that the complaint regarding the illegal outlet has been made sometime earlier but the Irrigation Department did not initiate any action. The legislative powers provide that any “alteration to a sanctioned outlet” is a criminal offence and the Divisional Canal Officer has to file an FIR without delay. A new outlet can be installed only after “H-Form” is sanctioned by the Superintending Engineer concerned. The facts of the case need to be brought to the notice of the public as to how an “illegal outlet” came to be installed and why no action was initiated by the Irrigation Department. Even “temporary shoots” or the pipe outlets installed in the initial-stage of the new channel have to be installed after approval of the S.E. and the behaviour of the water regime is studied and alterations are made. For the temporary shoots or outlets “warabandi” has to be worked out by the Divisional Canal Officer and strictly enforced. Sometime earlier the IPRI (Amritsar) in collaboration with the HRL (Hydraulic Research Ltd.) of the U.K. carried out a study and found that there were ‘serious violations’ of sanctioned warabandi. It is provided that a farmer will not sell his warabandi turn i.e. sale of water is not permitted. But it was found that “the warabandi in force” was a modified warabandi commonly called “Bhai-Chara Warabandi” which was far different from the sanctioned warabandi. The rate commonly charged was Rs 100 per hour for one cusec water flow. It was decided to line water courses in the S.W. districts under the Phase I Project of the Remodelling of ‘distributaries/minors’ and the water-courses lining. First it was decided that the farmers would have to pay for the lining of the water-courses. A number of research studies were carried out to determine the extent of the lining to be carried out. A research study of Ms Chancellor of HRL found that it was not possible to “justify the lining of a watercourse on cost: benefit ratio”. However, it was a measure deemed necessary and so it was decided to find out how much length of a water course need be lined. Mr S.P. Malhotra of the Haryana Minor Irrigation Corpn found it would be “cost-effective” to line 70% of the watercourse length and it would “save 90% seepage losses”. But Mr B.S. Nat of the same organisation found that it would be better to line the whole length of the watercourse and the reason given was in the first three hours, in the case of a unlined watercourse, saturation of the water occurs and there after the seepage losses are negligible. Mr Nat argued that our watercourses provide for warabandi turn of less than three hours for a farmer, so while paying a share for the lining he would be getting a limited benefit. But while the academic discussions were going on, it was decided not to charge the farmers for lining of watercourses, so the whole situation changed and the World Bank decided to line watercourses right up to the “field nakka”. But no provision was made for O&M of the lined watercourse and they came to be neglected. There were reports from the field that many watercourse had collapsed and water was not reaching the tail-end farmers. A “high level committee”, under the chairmanship of Mr R.S. Gill was formed. They toured extensively and found that the lined watercourses were in ‘very bad shape’ due to neglect of the O&M aspect of the watercourses. A detailed study of watercourses around the warabandi cycle was carried out by the IPRI (Amritsar) and the HRL (Wallingford) and it was found that on account of lack of proper O&M the farmer felt that were better off during unlined days as they could maintain the unlined watercourses and the calculated results supported the contention of the farmers. In order to avoid such tragic incidents which took place at Madhu Khera, the mechanism available under the Northern India Canal Act and the Warabandi Act need to be activated and the cell headed by the Divisional Canal Officer should be made responsible for taking immediate notice of the “violations” of the warabandi and powers for taking police action should restored to the Divisional Canal Officer as existed during British rule. The recommendations of the Gill Committee need to be translated into action at an early date. The maxim goes that: “if you cannot maintain a structure, why build it.” |
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Pacemakers improve quality of life Though pacemakers have long been credited to giving heart patients a new lease of life, but now, a new kind of pacemaker is said to be capable of improving heart failure patients’ quality of life, reports the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found the device could help those with moderate to severe heart failure, and those who have a specific additional heart condition. Responsible for more hospitalised patients than all forms of cancer combined, heart failure leads to shortness of breath, low energy and mobility problems. According to the study, cardiac resynchronisation (CR) therapy could improve the condition of many people with moderate-to-severe heart failure. Those treated fared better than those patients who only received medication, and had a reduced risk of being admitted to hospital, or of seeing their condition worsen. Electrical impulses are delivered to both sides of the heart to co-ordinate the contractions of the heart’s ventricles and improve its efficiency to increase blood flow to the body. The pacemaker is placed under the skin in the chest and has three electrodes connecting it to the right atrium and a second to the right ventricle — like a normal pacemaker. The MIRACLE study (Multicenter InSync Randomised Clinical Evaluation) looked at data for 453 patients at 45 centres across America, comparing people who had been given the pacemaker to those who had not. It looked at how far people could walk in six minutes, assessed their quality of life, such as whether they were able to look after themselves and how many times they had to be admitted to hospital. After six months, 67 per cent of patients with the device were considered improved compared to 39 per cent of those who were not. Those on the therapy were able to exercise more, and had 50 per cent fewer hospital admissions and spent 77 per cent fewer days in hospital related to their heart failure. Researchers say in addition to helping patients moderately to severely affected, it could also help those who have ventricular dysynchrony, a condition which occurs when there is a time delay between the beating of the heart’s two lower chambers, or ventricles. Dr Cliff Bucknall, consultant cardiologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital, London, said, “This is very exciting. What it’s done is to demonstrate that there is a significant improvement in well-being in what is a very difficult group of patients to help.”
ANI Men too starve themselves Aneroxia and bulimia hit headlines after Princess Diana’s secret afflictions were made public. Now, researchers suggest that they may no longer be ailments associated with women, reports the Health Scout journal. It has now come to light that everyday about one million men either starve themselves or binge-eat before sticking their fingers down their throat to force themselves to throw up. They all suffer from anorexia or bulimia nervosa, the same eating disorders that plagued princess Diana and millions of women, worldwide. Generally associated with weight-obsessed teenaged girls, it wasn’t known to be affecting men as most men deny they have a problem, and are too embarrassed to get help. Those who do seek therapy are turned off by the predominantly female make-up of support groups, which are a big part of eating-disorder treatment programmes. Says Chris Athas, Vice-President of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), “It’s about machismo, many men are reluctant to come forward, and when they do they are simply ashamed to have an illness of this type.” Many men who develop anorexia are fighting demons from their past, unlike women who covet bodies like those of stick-thin magazine models and thus diet fanatically. Men who suffer are most likely to have been once overweight and taunted by their peers, says Athas. With words like “fatso” and “porky” resounding in their memories, these men adopt self-destructive behaviours. Athletes also face an increased risk of anorexia, says Laurie Mintz, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Missouri. “People who compete in an aesthetic or weight-dependent sport like gymnastics, running, rowing or dancing are more vulnerable,” she adds. And the Gay population is not far behind. “The vast majority of research points to male homosexuality is a risk factor,” says Mintz. “There is more pressure to be thin, and there is more focus on appearance in the homosexual community than in the heterosexual community.” According to ANAD, about 86 per cent of both men and women say their eating disorders began during their teenage years. However, only 50 per cent of them report being cured. Dieticians, laboring under the same misconception that anorexia is a women’s disease, often miss the cues in their male patients, he adds.
ANI
Mother-child interface in Tihar It’s a muggy June afternoon, and the courtyard in section 6A, the women’s section of Tihar jail, is agog with excited conversation between some 40 children and their mothers. Sheela, one of the inmates is flooding her 12-year-old daughter with questions. In limited time, she has to find out as much as possible about how her daughter is doing. The occasion is the quarterly mother-child meeting organised at the jail with the help of NGOs. The first such mother-child meeting took place in July 2000, with the NGO Community Aid and Sponsorship Programme (CASP), that had already been working with the children of Tihar jail inmates, arranging the interface. The meetings offer children over the age of six to meet their mothers at regular intervals, as only children in the 0-6 age group can live with their mothers in the jail premises. It was a puppet show put up by the children for their mothers earlier that year which gave the idea of having regular meeting between the women inmates and their children.
PTI |
Jailed for threatening Sikh couple A
US citizen has been sentenced to a 45-day jail term for threatening a Sikh couple in California following the September 11 air attacks. According to the report lodged by the couple, the man was carrying a baseball bat and threatened them with a choice — either to leave the country or face dire consequences. The local authorities said Jason Fulkerson (31) confronted Mr Gurcharan Singh and his wife when they were selling ice cream from a truck near Fulkerson’s southern California home on September 14. A senior district official said the man first approached the couple and asked them to leave the country. “When they didn’t, he returned carrying a baseball bat and threatened them”. Fulkerson, who later apologised for the act, was placed on two years’ probation period and asked to complete 100 hours of community service.
ANI Professionals seek blind dates Career paths have been plotted, exotic holidays are there for the taking, they can afford the car of their dreams and all the designer clothes they desire. But for many young professionals, something’s missing — and they’re turning to dating agencies to find the partner who will listen to the career worries, share the holidays and admire the smart clothes and the fast car. “They (dating agencies) have certainly taken off in the last two years — in a specific section of the population which is the single professional in their 30s,’’ said Lynda Davies, Chairman of the Association of British Introduction Agencies. Many new dating agency customers are young women who, armed with a better education than their predecessors 20 years ago, have invaded professions previously seen as the province of men. ‘’Young women have the trappings (of success)...as they get into their 30s suddenly they realise there is something missing...a partner,’’ Davies said. ‘’They then make a very conscious decision to do something about it.’’ Dating agencies were once sniggered at as the last resort of those too diffident, dull or undesirable to find a partner in the normal course of their social life. But now widely used by lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, scientists and bankers, most agencies aim to give their matchmaking an image of clinical professionalism. In many ways dating agencies fill a role played by family elders in the arranged marriages that still take place in many societies around the world. Growing affluence, independence and more equality between the sexes eroded the influence of the traditional matchmakers and as the 20th century advanced, love matches became the
norm. Reuters |
The hours favourable for meditation are related to the inspirations and expirations of the universe, which is comparable to a human body. The day is divided into two parts; the first, the night which is yin (feminine) and the second, the day which is yang (masculine)..... The two most beneficial moments for contemplation are at the time of the inspiration of new energies, namely, at the moment when the night air begins to warm up, just before sunrise, and in the evening, at the moment of sunset, when the air of the day begins to cool off by contact with the night. The hours of day in which the energies are yin and those in which the energies are yang (are): from 3 am to 5 am Yang from 5 am to 7 am Yin From 7 am to 9 am Yang from 9 am to 11 am Yin from 11 am to 1 pm Yang from 1 p.m to 3 p.m Yin from 3 pm to 5 pm Yang from 5 p.m to 7 pm Yin From 7 pm to 9 pm Yang from 9 pm to 11 pm Yin from 11 pm to 1 am, Yang from 1 am to 3 am Yin From Daniel Odier, Nirvana Tao, part II.8.
*** Language does not develop the fact. The word does not coincide with living movement. He who accepts the word loses himself. He who stagnates in the world strays. —Entering Without A Door.
*** Human beings get accustomed and circumscribed to their intellect. They find it difficult to come out of the shell of their own making. —Swami Mohan Das Vairagi, Self Realisatio
*** The silence is good and without the Name of the Lord, whatever one utters is dirt. —Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Var Malar M 1, page 1288
*** If one has to face defeat by his utterance, it is good to observe silence. —Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Var Majh M 1, page 149. *** The complaint of the plaintiff does not reach the Lord through cries, but justice is obtained in silence. —Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Asa M
5.
*** Wisdom without love for Rama is as devoid of beauty as a boat without a helmsman. —Shri Ramacharitamanasa, Ayodhya Kanda. |
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