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Friday,
August 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Break the
impasse Elements of Roop Kanwar |
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Hari Jaisingh
The
tyranny of women’s fashion
Islamic
radicalism in South East Asia
Amita Malik
Mental
aerobics to keep the brain active
Walking
cell phones please urbanites
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Break the impasse THE brazen manner in which the Opposition has been stalling the proceedings in Parliament for the past five days over the allotment of petrol pumps, kerosene and cooking gas agencies is most unfortunate. This is, however, not to say that the NDA government is free from blame. What is appalling is the criminal waste of time and money, even though the ongoing session has a heavy agenda of business to handle. Several important Bills will have to be passed by members in the current session, but they do not seem to be bothered about the primary need to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament. According to an estimate, while Parliament costs the national exchequer Rs 17,677 every single minute it fails to conduct its business, the loss of a full day costs a whopping Rs 79.55 lakh. Whose money is our representatives so blatantly draining out day in and day out? Sadly, disruption of parliamentary proceedings has become a routine for our members to record their sense of anger and protest over any issue. In this context, no political party can be absolved of the blame. The Opposition members are as guilty of holding Parliament to ransom today as their colleagues in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies, when they were in the Opposition earlier. In a parliamentary democracy like ours, it is but natural for members across the political spectrum to have differing views on issues. However, instead of taking issues to the street, it would only be proper if they resolve their differences in the legitimate forum of Parliament through debate and discussion. The government and the Opposition have stuck to their respective positions on the issue. While the former maintains that there is no question of Petroleum Minister Ram Naik’s resignation as the Prime Minister has already scrapped the allotment of petrol pumps right from 2000, the Congress, the principal Opposition party in both Houses of Parliament, is firm on its demand for Mr Naik’s exit as also a probe by a sitting Supreme Court Judge into the entire controversy. Rigidity on either side will not pay and it would only make matters worse. There is a need to break the impasse as early as possible. On the face of it, the onus of restoring the orderly functioning of Parliament seems to lie more on the Treasury Benches than on the Opposition. The government should try to convince the Opposition of how it plans to make the allotment procedure transparent and cleanse the system of the evil of political patronage which has been institutionalised by successive governments. Mr Ram Naik’s weak defence of the present system of allotment through the Dealer Selection Boards (DSBs) is unconvincing and does not stand the test of scrutiny. As reports in the last few days reveal, the DSBs are not above board notwithstanding the presence of retired judges in them. Almost all of them have toed the party — or the Minister’s — line and consequently failed to lend impartiality and objectivity to the selection process. The Government’s decision to auction petrol and LPG dealerships hereafter is seen as an effective move towards ensuring greater transparency in the matter. But the question is whether it will really serve the intended purpose because auctioning too is not free from drawbacks. If money reportedly went to the hands of middlemen and DSB members in the earlier method, it is feared that in the auctioning oil companies will derive the maximum benefit. The whole issue needs a careful examination and close scrutiny. The need of the hour is to break the stranglehold of political patronage and ensure a fair and transparent system of allotment. |
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Elements of Roop Kanwar THE incident of sati reported from a village in Panna in Madhya Pradesh is a slur on the face of civil society. Kuttu Bai, the 65-year-old woman who was made to end her life by frenzied spectators on the pyre of her husband, need not have died had social and religious organisations taken the task of spreading the light of knowledge to the ignorant masses seriously. India boasts of having a fairly large number of non-government organisations. Some of them enjoy the patronage of various UN forums. But most exist on paper only for drawing official and overseas grants and aid. It is significant that even after the Roop Kanwar episode in the nineties not a single social organisation deemed it fit to pay exclusive attention to the task of rooting out the remains of an evil practice from among the superstition-driven people. Raja Ram Mohan Roy had to fight a bitter battle with orthodox elements for having the practice of sati officially banned. And yet, a country that has made impressive strides in the fields of science and technology has not been able to make the simple and ignorant people in certain pockets of the country give up the evil practice of forcing women to end their lives on the pyre of their husbands. There was nationwide expression of shock and rage when the story of the gory death of Roop Kanwar was reported from Deorala in Rajasthan. A myopic government promptly introduced anti-sati laws, forgetting that the law that deals with acts of murder was sufficient for dealing with the criminal aspect of the problem. Social organisations made polite noises. And the final blow was delivered by the lower court that acquitted all the 39 accused in the Roop Kanwar sati case. The mass frenzy and jubilation that was seen outside the court room should have alerted the political leadership and social organisation that the demon of sati was alive and kicking in the hearts of the ignorant people of the country. Instead of enacting a fresh law for dealing with sati, the Central and state governments should have encouraged the creation of institutions that could explain to the people in simple and kind words why making women commit sati was evil and an anti-God act. Nothing of the sort was done. The embers of blind faith were again blown into a raging fire by the local population for making a hapless Kuttu Bai another victim of blind faith. The place where Roop Kanwar committed sati has become a place of pilgrimage. And the fear of arousing religious sentiments and losing electoral support has made the entire political class ignore the deification of the victim of ignorance. The Panna episode too has given birth to similar sentiments. It remains to be seen how Chief Minister Digvijay Singh deals with the obnoxious fallout of the evil custom. His government cannot escape responsibility for the ghastly death of Kuttu Bai, who used to live with her son while her estranged husband lived with another son separately. The district administration had got wind of the villagers’ decision to encourage, rather force her, to commit sati. The administration thought the presence of two baton-wielding policemen would be enough to deter the people from forcing Kuttu Bai on to the pyre of her husband. The 1,000-strong crowd chased away the policemen and cheered the victim to her death. By doing so they invited global condemnation of the act and ridicule of the country that continues to conceal barbaric customs like sati and honour killing in its bosom. |
A matter of justice & fair play IN today’s complex socio-economic and political setting, the people expect justice not only to be done but also seen to be done. This is certainly an ideal proposition. But amidst the aberrations and confusing rules and regulations, one man’s justice can be another man’s nightmare. In the infamous Punjab Public Service Commission recruitment scam, several questions remain unanswered. This is mainly because it is not a straight-line scandal. There are wheels within wheels and more often than not it becomes difficult to know which wheel of the scam has rotated at whose behest and for whose benefit. The wheel continues to rotate, though for different purposes and for different reasons and designs. There are too many players around, each pursuing his own agenda or interest either to help the process of investigation or confuse the real issues. We have taken a position on certain crucial aspects of the recruitment scam—the efforts of the Intelligence Wing till the key officials manning it were thrown out with a purpose and the cover-up operation of the Vigilance Bureau. In a letter dated July 20, 2002, addressed to Punjab Governor J. F. R. Jacob, the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court stated that the “Punjab Government’s order dated June 27, 2002, abruptly transferring out from the Intelligence Department, Mr A.P. Bhatnagar, and certain other key officers working under him, has hampered the probe”. What can be a better tell-tale commentary on the working of the persons and the system on the most crucial matters that have a bearing on the credibility and transparency of the government’s functioning as a whole? I must say this was very much part of the cover-up exercise I have often talked about. As for the overall progress of the investigation, the less said the better. Looking at things critically, one gets the impression that the Vigilance Bureau has been indulging in shadow-boxing rather than chasing the real players in the scam. We look at the matter with an open mind, without malice or prejudice. But the pattern of the investigation has several facets which do not generate confidence about the way matters have been handled. Why, for instance, pick on teachers— and that too highly selectively—while looking the other way with regard to the main operators? Nobody would dispute that they are the weakest link in the whole setting. Is there a method in this madness? A plausible explanation is yet to come. Equally disturbing is the “punishment” already meted out to those who probably were never part of the “give and take” mechanism. While action against the big sharks and operators is yet to get going in a meaningful and effective way, several innocent persons who have got through on merit have been made to suffer. “We are on the street for no fault of ours,” screams one such young person over the phone. There are candidates who have cleared the civil services and the IAS mains. Of the 872 MBBS doctors recruited, there has been no evidence so far of their having bribed their way. The operating principle in this regard has to be change of money or other unfair practices. We understand the plight of innocent souls who probably have got through the selection process the hard way and on merit. Whatever be the provisions in the law, there should not be a single case of miscarriage of justice. This in itself poses a big challenge to the executive as well as the judiciary. We have to find the right answer to tackle this problem. Justice, after all, recognises the principle of fairplay and fairness. Both administrative and judicial systems have to be fair and seen to be so. This is part of natural justice we all believe in. Our hearts go out to those innocent youngsters who have suffered for the others’ misdeeds. We believe that every case has to be examined judiciously and carefully and decided on merit. Somewhere down the line a Lakshman rekha has to be drawn to differentiate between those who have made their way to the plum positions through the dubious route and those who have got in on the basis of their performance and merit. The former’s case has to be critically examined, and the latter need to remain unharmed. We cannot and must not tar the face of everyone with the same black brush. In today’s trying times we expect the ruling establishment to think of “Vikramaditya’s throne”. Those at the helm of affairs have to conduct themselves by the example of the legendary king who ruled and acted wisely and justly. And this exactly is the crying need of the hour at this critical juncture. The nakedness of most rulers, whether self-inflicted or induced, cannot be a matter of controversy. It is foolhardy to hide the truth. Everything depends on how closely the executive and the judiciary follow the Vikramaditya creed of justice and fairplay in conducting the PPSC scam and related matters. This indeed is the test case of all-pervading corruption in the system operating in free India. The whole purpose of exposing the PPSC job-for-money scam is to fight against corruption flowing from the chair of power and its collaborators, and cleanse the system which thrives on illegal and unethical practices and manipulative tactics of those in authority with the help of touts and sub-touts. Mercifully, the Punjab government has deferred its decision to promulgate an ordinance, depriving hundreds of youngsters of their jobs at one go. Still, the basic problem of the failure to distinguish between right and wrong, between the honest and the dishonest and between the operator and the victim very much remains. If and as the ordinance move is revived, the imperative of transcending this inability and grasping this distinction will also surface. We are sharing these thoughts so that we are able to differentiate between white and black as clearly as day from night! In his momentous work, “The Age of Reason”, Thomas Paine (1737-1809) has said that the greatest tyranny in the world is to tie the future generation to a set of dogmas and beliefs. The philosopher of the American revolution is very much right. But in today’s setting dogmas and beliefs apart, I consider that tying youngsters to an unfair system and wrong decisions ought to be seen as part of the tyranny syndrome of the 21st century. Lord Buddha once told his principal disciple Ananda: “Be yee lamps unto yourselves.” He did not tie them to dogmas or the tyranny of a wrong system, but left them free to be guided by the “lamp” within them. More than anything else, I would sincerely like the persons occupying key positions in public life to be guided by the “lamp” within and refrain from inflicting injustice on others. There is more to life than making lakhs and crores of rupees at the cost of the youngsters’ future and the public system that has to be clean and fair and has seen to be so. I hope what I have said is enough to prick the conscience of the powers that be who have resorted to manipulative tactics and dirty means and have thereby misused their power and positions for their own good or for the benefit of their patrons. It is never too late to correct the wrong course and set things right for the good of society. What is necessary for this is enlightened vigilance for the public good. In this context it is worth remembering the following words of wisdom. “Where the subjects are watchful a prince is entirely dependent on them for his status. Where the subjects are overtaken by sleepy indifference, there is every possibility that the prince will cease to function as a protector and become an oppressor instead. They who are not wide awake have no right to blame their prince....” I am happy to note that the people these days are watchful and assertive. I am impressed by the way they have responded to The Tribune campaign against the PPSC scam and for a cleaner public life. |
The tyranny of women’s fashion PICTURE this. A woman goes to visit a sick aunt in a hospital ward. She’s wearing a fashionable long skirt-like white kameez, a long salwar that almost touches the floor, and a chunni to match. As she climbs the hospital stairs to the first floor, where her aunt’s ward is, her kameez sweeps the stairs, as does one end of the chunni. She reaches her aunt’s bed, and bends down to speak to the ailing old lady. As she does so, she is completely unaware that the longer end of her unevenly worn chunni has dipped into the metal pan by the side of the bed. The pan is filled with bloody cotton swabs, stale vomit and other waste. A moment later, she swings her chunni, which was slipping off her shoulder, and thwacks the attendant of the patient of the next bed full in the face with the filthy end. The poor guy races wildly to the bathroom to wash off the mess. No, I haven’t made this up. I actually witnessed this revolting incident last year. It is quite common to see women dragging loose, difficult-to-manage clothes over floors and streets, and in dirtier public places spattered with pan-spit, bird droppings, and worse. I’ve seen chunni coiled into the greasy wheel-hubs of rickshaws, long kameezes and saris hanging out from under car doors, or ripped on jutting furniture nails. Besides imperiling their own health and dignity, these women unwittingly carry the filth into their homes, transmitting the microbes and pollutants to their children and other loved ones through caresses and cooking. It is a well-known fact that fashions evolve in the homes of the very rich, where pampered, showpiece women rarely do any work with their own hands, and seldom stroll in public places. They can afford to wear loose, flowing dresses without fear of unknowingly collecting dirt. In fact, these novel clothes are meant to assert their upper class status. The madness begins when the fashions trickle down to the middle classes. (I’ve noticed that most women from the lower classes are, thankfully, not to be bothered with such pointless things as fashion, and stick to their regular no-nonsense clothes). Middle class women, usually very active, need practical and sensible clothes. Of course, they do not have to be unfashionable, but impractical and potentially hazardous styles need not be blindly copied en masse. A synthesis of agreeable fashion and sound sense is needed. Indian men have long been emancipated from unworkable modes of dress, with most of them guiltlessly wearing easy to manage shirts and trousers, or similar-sized kurta-pajamas. (Some even go to bed in Bermudas!) This does not mean that westernstyle dress should be preferred, of course, though simple, utilitarian, workday shirts and trousers do have their advantages. But chunnis, kameezes and salwars do not have to be absurdly long or billowing in our public urban environments, which, let’s face it, generally lack hygiene and cleanliness. The same goes for the length of saris, which often tend to reduce the municipal sweeper’s workload. (The Maharashtrian working woman’s style of wearing the sari, popularised by the irrepressible Maratha noblewoman Ahilya Bai Holkar, is undoubtedly the most liberating. But, sadly, it has over the years acquired too strong lower-class connotations to qualify for popular fashion). But going against the tide of trends and fashions is not at all easy, I guess, In most cultures, women are conditioned to watch, and comment upon, each other’s clothes and appearance. There is this dread of appearing to be outmoded and behind the times. I sometimes feel that our feminists and women’s liberationists have a duty to come forward and hold special classes for darzis, boutique owners, and soap-opera makers. As these are the people who propagate fashion trends, nudging them to bring a dose of good sense into the fashions of traditional clothes for women might have a desirable effect. I don’t see any other way of emancipating the middle-class Indian woman from the tyranny of unrealistic fashion. |
Islamic radicalism in South East Asia THERE are about 250 million Muslims in South East Asia. Do they want to take the route of jehad to promote Islamic causes or are they in favour of democratic solutions? Of the 10 members of ASEAN, three (Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei) are Muslim. They have Muslim majorities. Six are Buddhist (Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia). And one state— the Philippines — is Christian. It has a sizeable Muslim population. But all are mixed societies with significant ethnic and religious diversities. They have a problem: they do not know how to live in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural societies. In this, they are not different from India. It was from India that Islam was introduced into South East Asia. Arab Islam came later. Indian Islam, milder and liberal, spread in the Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms of the South, which were in decline. Arab Islam, dogmatic and harsher, was introduced in the northern regions by Arab traders and missionaries. Today the northern region, which has come under the influence of fundamentalist forces, wants to break away from the South and form a purer Islamic society. Perhaps a Taliban state. There are also pan-Islamic forces, which want to unite all Muslims in the region under one Islamic banner. My main interest here is to examine whether jehadism will prevail in South East Asia. Or, are there powerful checks against these fundamental forces? The first check comes from the multi-ethnic and multi-religious nature of South East Asian societies. It prevents the pursuit of mono-culturalism. Secondly, all states are linked to the economic association ASEAN. It has already brought about a certain measure of integration of their economies. It will be difficult to disrupt it. Thirdly, under the Chinese initiative, an effort is being made to create a free trade area in the entire region. In short, Muslims will have to find their salvation within the existing framework. It will be difficult for them to go outside this framework without causing immense damage to themselves. And in a free trade area, they will be a small minority. And yet, unless the existing grievances are attended to, it will be difficult to resist the appeal of fundamentalism and jehadism. ASEAN must address these problems. Islamic insurgency in the Philippines is directed against the Christian majority. It began during the colonial days. With the resettlement of Christians in Muslim areas, redistribution of land in favour of Christians, economic exploitation of Muslims and cultural discrimination, the grievances of Muslims multiplied. But Christians suffered from these very same disadvantages in Indonesia. For example, in East Timor, where with the support of the West, the Timorese fought a successful freedom struggle. But the analogy cannot be stretched too far. However, East Timor has set a bad example and precedent. The Muslim insurgency in Mindanao (South Philippines) began in 1971, led by the Moro National Liberation Front. In 1996, it appeared that the two communities had come to an understanding. But this was not acceptable to the Muslim radicals. The Moro Movement split into two, the radical wing forming the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, with a huge cadre. And there is the fundamental group led by Abu Sayyaf, which calls upon Muslims to wage a “holy war” against the Christians. It is committed to a theocratic state. The Bush administration has sent American soldiers to the Philippines to train the Filipinos in counter-insurgency. This has made the Muslims bitter, for let us not forget that it was America which helped the creation of an independent East Timor, a Christian state, at the expense of Muslim Indonesia. I mention the Philippines in such detail, for if the Muslim radicals are able to create a breakaway state, this will adversely affect the future unity of the region and the multi-ethnic and multi-religious character of South East Asia. The civil war in Indonesia is a far more serious affair. The revolt of the Aceh Muslims against Jakarta began with economic grievances. Today it is a fight of extremist Islam against moderate Islam. And if the extremists succeed in creating a theocratic state in the North, it will have serious repercussions in the rest of ASEAN, especially in Malaysia, which is 45 per cent non-Muslim. The point I want to make is this: militant Islam will completely disrupt the region and prevent cooperation among the people there for a long time to come. The economic crisis of 1997-99 was an occasion for a clean-up. But this was not effected. In fact, S.E. Asia is a far more unstable place today than ever before. Indonesia is becoming ungovernable. Malaysia has been under the patriarchy of Mhathir Mohammed for 21 years. There is no guarantee of a smooth transition. Thailand has failed to generate a clean leadership. In the Philippines, it is still a personality-based politics. Before 1997, South East Asia got a lion’s share of the foreign direct investment going to the developing world. Today they are mostly going to China. The recent arrest of some terrorists in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines having links with Bin Laden and Al-Quaida has created new fears of Islamic terrorism. ASEAN has adopted a broad anti-terrorism pact, with the USA pledging total support. The document makes no provision for deployment of American troops, but this is a matter for individual countries. Militant Islam is not going to win this war. It will lose. And with that it will bring to ruin many Islamic countries. And others too. In this the principal casualty will be the moderate Islam of the Java Islands. American involvement in anti-terrorism has naturally worried many people. It is feared that this will bring America back into South East Asia in force. This is precisely what China is afraid of. In advocating a free trade regime of two billion people, China’s main idea is to submerge all contradictions in the area within this vast sea of apparent unity. But India has a different view of this. It wants to combat both Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism as also the hegemony of China. India thus welcomes an increased presence of America in the region. It is against this US threat that Pan-Islamic groups like Jammah Islamiah of Malaysia has been advocating a confederation of all Islamic states in the region, including Mindanao. Its ire for the present is directed against Christians. The Muslim radicals have bombed churches and attacked Christians. They have also attacked the US embassies and business houses. But soon they will turn against the Chinese, the most prosperous community, and the Indian community in Malaysia. Already, there had been a number of skirmishes between Indians and Malay extremists. Needless to say, the situation is growing worse. ASEAN was set up with great expectations. All that can be reversed unless we halt the march of the Islamic extremists. |
Horror at midnight WITH
the power situation as it is all over India, and certainly so in the Capital, where this column is based, many viewers spend sleepless nights when something has to be done to save oneself from misery. One looks desperately for diversion or sleep after midnight. One first tries DD, to send one to sleep. The comparatively new Prasar Bharti channel, one finds, chooses the late and early hours for programmes by and for children. And also elaborate programmes on medical care, although not much on the common malady of insomnia. And also learned programmes on legal problems. In any case, the papers do not carry DD’s programmes after midnight which, on DD’s national channel, means the news in English at midnight, with an assortment of new readers who have terrific accents and a succession of mistakes and I beg your pardons to go with them. Since papers do not list programmes on DD after midnight perhaps because its terrestrial transmitter then closes down. DD’s advice is to pick up its satellite channel on another frequency, which is the business of the cable operator. So then one turns after midnight to the Indian language satellite channels. Here one finds mostly pornographic vignettes, till dawn particularly on the South Indian channels which would make Sushma Swaraj blanch and which this columnist watches in wonder for professional reasons. Wonder at how they got past the censors if at all and what makes one wonder even more is that highly respected actor-directors such as Kamal Hassan and Sashikant take part in the goings on, which are as follows. First boy meets girl (and some of the boys are well past 40 and showing it) in the wide open paces. Mostly very long shots of them running along rebankments by the sea or rivers and for the time being they are only chasing each other. Then closer shots which show that the girls are very pretty and some of them are obviously trained Bharata Natyam dancers because they move with such grace while the actor performs crude acrobatics, mostly pelvic thrusts and pushing and shoving against the girl’s body. Then even closer and closer shots as they lie upon each other by turns, then suggestive movements which are then blacked out very briefly to return with lips touching each other. Then cavorting into a bedroom, preferably with an elderly lady or couple or a very small mischievous boy as voyeurs licking their lips and rolling their eyes in enjoyment. I need hardly tell you what they do in bed, with cuts to trees, flowers and the rest in case you have missed the point. Then sighs, coy smiles from the girl and smug head-shaking by the man to convey how much they enjoyed every moment. I have mentioned all this in detail in support of Vivek (Goldie) Anand’s point, that it would be better to have blue films legitimised and shown on payment to adults in properly designated cinemas instead of pretending that censorship is working perfectly when anybody in India can view such blatant pornography on the small screen after midnight. Since the Hindi channels are catching up, Sushma Swaraj should give some thought to this instead of chasing Fashion TV, as our own Fashion Week showed much, the same kind of semi-nudity and
see-throughs just last week on every Indian channel. I might also mention that the Central Government has not dared ban such pornographic programmes on the South Indian channels because they are mostly owned by political parties, some being allies. So let us stop being righteous and hypocritical about it and shed this high moral tone. Time and again Indian audiences have shown maturity, whether it was Bandit Queen or Dipa Mehta’s Fire. She showed her film to women from a chawl in Mumbai. They took it in their stride, lesbianism and all, and commented: “Hamara Ihan Bhi Asi Hoti Hai”. Incidentally, whenever I have been abroad, I have noticed that the little cinemas showing blue films have long queues of Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis outside for tickets. The locals can see anything they want on their own screens and don’t need to queue. As for the foreign channels, they really go to town on sex and horrible violence after midnight. Brutal killings, sadistic sexual violence on women, bizarre fantasies with ghastly monsters with revolting bodies and faces terrifying mankind. I often wonder how anybody can go to sleep after such an assault on their senses, as if to prove that life has nothing pleasant or cheerful to offer. As another popular event, the Commonwealth Games at Manchester offered several instances of how not to cover such events. DD led the pack, seating its commentators in a claustrophobic studio in Delhi when the games had professional commentators of their own. Ms
Baruah, in particular, was always making mistakes about names and facts at every step while Charu Sharma was so much in love with his own voice that he did not permit us to see the victory run and the presentation ceremony of the Indian hockey team’s
triumph over England. This was cut off when he went into a long summary of the day’s events and then shut shop abruptly. They did show the presentation long after midnight. Then the next day they showed only the bronze medal presentation to the New Zealand girls and then signed off. The arrival of the victorious teams in Delhi was chaotic, the spontaneous delight of the crowds overcoming the late arrivals, the security mania and the obsession of interviewers with Uma Bharati and Suresh Kalmadi at the expense of the athletes. When the winners eventually emerged around 2 am., Star News carried on doggedly with the repeat of the 10 pm., bulletin, so whatever commentator Sujata was able to get was kept in cold storage till the next morning. Zee also got the first interview with golden goal scorer Mamta and her parents fresh from the village, and also caught the crowd scenes till the last. But I give full marks to Kiran Deep of Aaj Tak who stayed on bravely when everyone else had given up and got good interview with most of the winners, including one with Mamta Kharab and boxer Mohd. Ali Qamar, although I wish she had spent less time on Uma Bharati and other officials and more with other athletes who passed by while her questions and answers with the officials dragged on. Anyway
Shabash, Kiran. |
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Mental aerobics to keep the brain active IF those moments — when you cannot remember why you opened the refrigerator door or where you left your keys — are becoming more frequent, mental aerobics and a healthy brain diet may help. Just as bodies require more maintenance with the passing years, so do brains, which scientists now know show signs of ageing as early as the 20s and 30s. “Brain ageing starts at a very young age, younger than any of us had imagined and these processes continue gradually over the years,” said Gary Small, the director of the Centre on Ageing at the University of California, Los Angeles. The process may be speeded up a bit by a genetic risk and pushed even faster by unhealthy lifestyle choices. “Genetics is only about a third of what predicts brain ageing. the other two-thirds has to do with our environment and lifestyle choices that we make,” said Small. “Alzheimer’s disease, or vascular dementia, is the end result of this process of brain ageing.” An estimated 12 million people around the globe suffer from Alzheimer’s. By 2050 the number of sufferers could hit 45 million. Scientists can now spot early signs of the illness in the brains of people long before symptoms develop and drug companies are ploughing millions into the search for a cure. But Small believes, that just like heart disease and cancer, people can take preventive measures to keep their brains healthy and alert to stave off the ravages of the disease. In his book, The memory Bible, the 51-year-old neuroscientist lists what he refers to as the 10 commandments for keeping the brain young. They include training memory, building skills, minimising stress, mental aerobics, brain food and a healthy lifestyle. Commandment number 10 sums it all up —do not forget the first nine. It’s a game plan for keeping brain cells sparking and neural networks in tip-top shape. Simple memory tests give an indication of what you are up against and tools such as look, snap and connect are designed to make sure that important names and dates are never forgotten. To get the brain working better he advises people to begin with simple warm-up exercises and workouts for both the left and right side of the brain. “Mental aerobics could be anything from doing crossword puzzles and writing with your left hand if you are right handed or learning a language. It could be anything that is fun that people enjoy doing,” said Small. He also recommends physical exercise, a low-fat diet and eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, avocados, walnuts and brazil nuts, and fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants including prunes, raisins, blueberries, broccoli, beets and onions in addition to reducing stress.
Reuters |
Walking cell phones please urbanites FORGOT
your cell phone at home? Or is your battery running low? The solution to your problem may be in downtown La Paz. Cellular providers like Viva, Telecel and Entel have hired a small army of 20-somethings to wander the streets and act as moving phone booths. Dressed in fluorescent yellow or green vests emblazoned with slogans like “Calling is easy,” they carry cellular phones attached to their waists by chains about three feet (one metre) long. When a customer approaches, they dial the number and the client can talk for as long as they please. At about 14 U.S. cents a minute, calls on these phones are often cheaper than the calling plans telecommunications firms offer to long-term customers. The system is so popular that the mobile cell phones are now more ubiquitous in La Paz than stationary public phones. Clients say they like the convenience. The walking phones also offer jobs in one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, where unemployment is 12 percent and rising.
Reuters Corpse depots for dead pets Shanghai’s animal crematorium plans to set up city centre corpse depots to encourage animal lovers to stop dumping their dead pets in public parks, rubbish bins and streams, state media said on Wednesday. The city, one of China’s wealthiest and most crowded, has seen a rise in pet ownership over the past few decades as incomes swell. People keep cats or dogs in small flats and walk them in crammed parks or narrow streets. But Shanghai residents are resorting to burying dead pets in front of their apartment blocks or tossing them in local waterways for lack of another place to dispose of them, the official Shanghai Daily newspaper quoted city sanitation director Fang Yi as saying.
Reuters |
Mr C.F. Andrews, interviewed by Reuter prior to his departure to India, stated that he was returning to India fully satisfied with the progress made during the last six months in gaining popular consent to the Indian Agreement among both Europeans and Indians. He said that the Union Government was determined to carry out the settlement in the letter and in the spirit. The Government of India’s goodwill was manifested in the appointment of Mr Sastri as its first Ambassador to the Union. |
Despite numerous efforts the senses defy control. Senses are absorbed in the mind controlled through devotion to the holy preceptor and his teachings. Mind is subdued by the Master’s teachings and contemplation of the Name of God. — Sri Guru Granth Sahib *** Who repeats the Lord’s Name with each morsel, Though replete, gains the merit of a fast. Glory be to Him, the centre of all pilgrimage and holy deeds! Who repeats the Lord’s Name while engaged in wordly duties, Remains ever in a blissful state of Divine communion. Who remembers the Lord while treading life’s path, Obtains at each step the fruit of holy offerings. While indulging in pleasures or spurning them, Who repeats the Name of the Lord Is not stained by actions thus performed. Know then, one absorbed in the Lord’s Name, O Tuka, Has truly attained liberation while living. — Sant Tuka Ram, Gatha
*** The boat of Truth I occupied, With the True Master at the helm. With ease I was ferried across The deadly ocean of the world. Mira in her joyful ecstacy Sings the glory of the benign Lord. — Mira Bai, “Payo ji mein to Nam ratan dhan payo” *** There is nothing wrong in repeating God’s Name. But we must know the named i.e. God in order to attain the primary goal of life as also to experience bliss. — Baba Hardev Singh, Gems of Truth *** To indulge in disputation is to lodse sense — such is not the way to wisdom. By wisdom is the Lord served; By wisdom is attained honour; By wisdom are books interpreted; By wisdom is dispensed charity; Saith Nanak, There is one sole path of wisdom, to God, all else is Satan’s prompting. — Sri Guru Granth Sahib |
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