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Wednesday,
June 27, 2001, Chandigarh, India 
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ISI’s
destabilising activities Corruption
on the tracks |
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Goldmine
as dustheap
Significance
of Speakers’ conference
A temple
for Amitabh Bachchan
Water-dispute:
a historical perspective
Tough
guys too get baby blues
Play it
safe & cover-up
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ISI’s destabilising activities AN unsuccessful attempt on the life of Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Omar Abdullah and Monday evening's blast at the Jammu railway station, injuring at least 37 persons, most of them Amarnath yatris, besides many other incidents of ISI-inspired violence, make one believe that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's talk of peace with India is not backed by his sincere efforts to create a congenial atmosphere for the coming parleys between him and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. There is also no let-up in the ISI-inspired
economic destabilisation activities. A recent joint operation by the Delhi and Rajasthan police led to the seizure of 500-rupee counterfeit currency notes worth Rs 28.5 lakh. Intelligence reports have it that these fake currency notes, printed at Quetta, Karachi and Rawalpindi, were pumped into India mostly through the Nepal border. Such 1000-rupee and 100-rupee notes are also in circulation and it is difficult to distinguish between counterfeit and genuine notes without the use of ultraviolet lights. Of course, the ISI (Inter Services Intelligence Directorate) is a very powerful Pakistani institution implementing its dirty plans in India and certain other countries, but it is under the control of the army. If General Musharraf, who still holds the post of Chief of the Army Staff, is serious about contributing to the dawn of an era of peace and good neighbourly relations in the subcontinent, as he has been claiming after the finalisation of his India visit, he must rein in the ISI. No one is going to believe that the ISI bosses will ignore the all-powerful General's wishes. And most of the militant outfits operating in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India draw their sustenance from the Pakistani intelligence network, with some of them being under its payroll. If he so desires, at least the militant outfits having the direct patronage of the ISI will find it difficult to continue their activities, their loud claims notwithstanding. Some time ago when the ruling General declared that the "jehadis" would not be allowed to collect funds from the public openly (these organisations also indulge in sectarian killings), the move unnerved these blood-thirsty people. Thus President Musharraf must shun the policy of having an olive branch in one hand and a gun in the other. This is, however, not to say that India's security agencies should depend on Pakistani moves with regard to containing cross-border terrorism. In fact, in view of the coming Amarnath yatra and the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit meeting, there is need for further tightening up of the security arrangements not only in Delhi and Agra----the venue of the parleys---- but also in vulnerable areas in Jammu and Kashmir like bus stands, railway stations, airports and cinema halls. It is learnt that the security agencies have been specifically briefed to keep extreme vigil to prevent any militant outfit from taking advantage of the atmosphere generated today. One hopes they will be one up over the saboteurs and hired killers. |
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Corruption on the tracks THE much-hyped import of luxury coaches from Germany for the Delhi-Lucknow-Delhi Swarna Shatabdi may turn out to be a Rs 125 crore scam. The new train had barely completed one month when it was withdrawn from service on June 25. Why? Because at least on four occasions the coupling gave way in spite of the use of state-of-the-art technology in the manufacture of the coaches by German experts. Four incidents of de-coupling in a fortnight would have seen the heads of the top brass roll in a private enterprise. On one occasion the engine itself got delinked from the rest of the train and travelled quite a distance before the driver realised what had happened. The passengers should count themselves lucky that the incidents of de-coupling did not result in major accidents. However, had the Swarna Shatabdi met with a mishap because of factors for which the senior officers of the over-staffed Railway Board are responsible the mandatory enquiry by the commissioner of railway safety would have found the source of mischief elsewhere. The sequence of events which resulted in the ill-starred birth of the Swarna Shatabdi makes the entire deal look suspicious. Those entrusted with the job of testing the quality of the rail coaches, for which they flew club class to Germany at the expense of the tax payer, have a lot to explain. The shameless railway officials, instead of identifying the culprits responsible for what may turn out to be yet another scam, have sent yet another team to Germany for studying the problem with the coupling. Believe it or not, officials from the accounts and finance departments are part of the team which is expected to solve the technical problems with the coupling after spending time in Germany! The Railway Board is evidently following a policy of keeping everyone in good humour, particularly those who sanction the money for foreign trips and those who examine the travel expenses bills. In their scheme of things passenger safety and judicious utilisation of public funds for improving services deserve only lip service. The “imported coaches” of the Swarna Shatabdi were withdrawn from service not because of any concern for the safety of the passengers, but because of the Kadalundi bridge tragedy. The railway authorities slept over the recommendations of experts for replacing the over century-old bridge and more than 50 passengers had to pay the price for the act of negligence with their lives. Railway Minister Nitish Kumar recently discussed with his officers the problem of over-staffing at the senior level in the Indian Railway. Did he also rap them on the knuckles for the acts of corruption and inefficiency which resulted in the Swarna Shatabdi being withdrawn from service a few weeks after being flagged off by the Railway Minister himself? |
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Goldmine as dustheap ANY talk of the real value of public sector enterprises (PSEs) provokes a derisive smirk. In popular mind these units are synonymous with loss-making leviathans. And even the share market agrees. That is why the findings of a survey by an economic daily come as a pleasant surprise, if not an eye-opener. The total revenue of all the 49 PSEs listed at the Bombay Stock Exchange comes to a whopping Rs 3,57,000 crore. Then they have reserves of over Rs 1,00,000 crore. What is equally important is that the real cash cows like IDBI, UTI, LIC and ICICI are not in this blue chip list. Nor are the nationalised banks. Their collective asset must be much more than the combined value of the listed companies. But strangely the market capitalisation – that is, their aggregate worth calculated purely on their ruling share price – of these companies is a mere Rs 95,000 crore. This kind of undervaluation by the stock market is not confined to PSEs alone. The market capitalisation of several old economy companies is far below the book value, which, in turn, is normally well below the real worth. Information technology units are the only exception and their share prices flared beyond even the limits of “irrational exuberance”. Even after the recent slowdown and falling export of software and profits, their stocks are still overvalued. This myopia, as a newspaper comments, is only to be expected since stock markets does not go by today’s reality but by tomorrow’s expectations. The latest finding has a lesson for the government. It is sitting pretty on a goldmine which, if carefully and imaginatively organised, can free it from the crippling debt burden. But the chances are that it will mess up the whole thing and hurt itself irreparably. Internal wranglings and clever-by-half moves by some Union Ministers have already destroyed the real value of such glittering enterprises as Air-India, Indian Airlines and VSNL. Not long ago there was a queue at the disinvestment counter; today there are only stragglers who are wondering whether it is safe to invest. True, there are some hugely successful and profit-making units which cannot be sold because they clearly fall in the category of strategic enterprises. ONGC, IOC and GAIL are some of these. But the idea is to retain, and even refurbish, the image and profitability of the “navaratnas” so that they keep the shares of the listed companies in limelight and in demand. |
Significance of Speakers’ conference INTERESTINGLY, the agenda for the Speakers’ conference in Chandigarh on June 28 and 29 has on its top a discussion on “the need to evolve a code of conduct for legislators and steps to contain frequent adjournment of legislatures on account of interruptions/disturbances”. No over-emphasis is necessary on the relevance and importance of the topic, particularly in the context of what happened to the 2001 Budget session of Parliament, which was originally scheduled to have 41 sittings but ended up with only 16. History was created with forced day-to-day basis adjournments for weeks and then passing the budget of billions without any discussion. This was unprecedented not because in the past there were no frequent adjournments, not because there was no wild slogan shouting, not because there were no allegations of corruption or other misdeeds against those in power, not because there was no demand for the resignation of the government, but because the power and privilege of Parliament of discussing critically before according parliamentary approval to the financial proposals of the government, involving major policies and asking for large funds was brazenly compromised and the executive allowed criticism-free passage. The rules, conventions and practices as to how members should conduct themselves inside as well as outside the House being already there in the book, the debate really has to concentrate on obedience by members and enforcement by the Speakers so that the legislatures are allowed to work unhindered by frivolous interruptions and grossly collective disorderly behaviour of members, especially when they are deliberate, pre-planned and the result of conscious and loudly pronounced decisions of political parties. The malaise of non-functioning of legislatures as exemplified by Parliament and state legislatures is indeed a matter of grave concern, for it affects the very foundations of democracy and the credibility of democratic institutions as the custodian and guardian of the trust of the people, particularly of the weak and the poor and as the alter of their sovereignty. The Constitution has provided an elaborate institutional arrangement for governance, and having stood the test of time, it surely cannot be faulted for the ills which are an undiluted product of unscrupulous politicians whose crop has had phenomenal growth in the post-Independence era, more in the last few decades. The responsibility for orderly and efficient functioning of legislatures largely lies with the government, the Opposition, the presiding officers, leaders of political parties and individual members. The Constitution is the supreme guide as to the role of all these players, and lays down boundary lines for them. Rules of the House and the established conventions provide detailed procedures and methods for its working. While the government has to be responsive, the Opposition is to be responsible. Political parties are free to pursue their agenda, and those in opposition have every right to avail themselves of every opportunity to dislodge those in power and take over the reins, but within the recognised constitutional and legislative ambit. They have to keep national interest above party politics and are not to do anything to jeopardise or tend to jeopardise the system and damage the credibility of institutions. Most of the presiding officers, legislators and secretaries, having widely travelled abroad at public expense, would readily vouch that nowhere in the world have the proceedings of Parliament ever been stalled in the manner as done here. Members are to contribute to the committees and other connected forums according to their initiatives and resources, of course within their party discipline and rules of the House. Thus, if the legislatures do not function for any reason, individual members do lose a lot in being denied the opportunity to contribute and the House of the benefit of a meaningful debate. It is of very minor importance that political parties indulging in these tactics may gain some short-term mileage that too illusory, and the government gains as the ministers and the administration do not have to face scrutiny and criticism. In any case, the people of the country are the biggest loser and they have every cause to feel betrayed. It is no denying the fact that there is considerable scope for reforms in the working of parliamentary institutions and procedures to make them efficient and effective. However, the existing rules give adequate scope and opportunity to raise discussions, including allegations for acts of omission and commission of those entrusted with governance. There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for stalling the proceedings of the House. In any case, stalling the proceedings is no substitute for an informed debate. It is a pity that past deliberations for better behaviour of legislators and orderly legislatures though always concluded with a note of optimism and recommendation, these failed to deliver the desired goods and remained on paper. Without recalling discussions earlier than September, 1992, when a specially convened conference of presiding officers, party leaders and whips, parliamentary affairs minister and senior parliamentarians after two-day deliberations in New Delhi unanimously adopted a resolution that legislators shall observe rules and maintain decorum in the House, and suspension of Question Hour shall not ordinarily be demanded, it suggested that political parties should evolve a code of conduct for their legislators and ensure their observance. It further suggested that the Central and state governments should ensure longer sessions of Parliament and state legislatures to make these forums more relevant for meaningful discussion on policies and programmes and ventilation of problems of the people. It also urged that the political parties, the governments, the media and all others concerned should help create a climate conducive to the healthy growth of the parliamentary system in the country. The special session of the Lok Sabha convened in 1997 to mark the golden jubilee of the country’s Independence at its concluding sitting on September 1 unanimously adopted a resolution stating inter alia that “the prestige of Parliament be preserved and enhanced, also by conscious and dignified conformity to the entire regime of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Houses and Directions of the Presiding Officers relating to orderly conduct of business, more especially by maintaining the inviolability of Question Hour, refraining from transgressing into the official areas of the House, or from any shouting of slogans, and invariably desisting from any efforts at interruptions or interference with the address of the President of the Republic.” The same year the Rajya Sabha constituted an ethics committee to oversee the conduct of members and examine specific cases of their unethical conduct. The Lok Sabha has also followed suit. Notwithstanding these exercises, the disease has further grown making the legislatures less and less relevant. If the trend remains unabated, it would make them redundant except as a forum for farcical theatrics merely to provide formal legitimacy to executive fiats and a source of employment to self-seeking greedy politicians involving as they do a heavy drain on the public exchequer without serving any genuine public purpose. With this dismal background of total non-implementation of earlier resolves inhibiting rank hypocrisy, if not despicable betrayal of the public trust, the Conference of Speakers has to address the subject calling for honest soul-searching and deep reflection to find ways to bring back the functioning of legislatures conforming to their assigned role and responsibility. The Speakers need to remind themselves that as the first servant of the House they occupy a very high position of power and authority and as such owe a greater share of responsibility to maintain the prestige and dignity of the House and ensure an orderly functioning. Once they accept the office of the Speaker, whatever the preambular circumstances and reasons, narrow party considerations or otherwise have to be subordinated and the urge for hopping to ministerial berth is to be shed forever and even risking their position and privileges. Only personal integrity and character provide moral authority and enhances the prestige and dignity of office. That precisely is the position obtaining and scrupulously followed in the British House of Commons, often referred to as the Mother of Parliaments. It presents an extremely tragic spectacle when Speakers themselves indulge in or face controversies; even allegations of corruption and other wrong deeds are freely aired inside as well as outside the House. Yet they continue in office. In order that the Speakers are able to exercise their authority — legal as well as moral — in the discharge of their responsibilities, it is imperative that they are above controversies. In admitting notices of motions, questions, resolutions, etc, they should apply the rules objectively with the minimum use of discretion wherever available and that too invariably in favour of giving opportunity to the House to discuss the matter. Disallowance of notices are often a cause for disorder in the House. One of the main causes leading to disorder in the legislatures is the levelling of allegations of corruption and other acts of commission and omission contrary to laws, rules and the laid down norms. While it has become a fashion to make allegations on the floor against ministers, members and even outsiders with or without basis, it has also become a fashion to ignore them in the first instance. While the legislatures are the appropriate forums to raise such matters, the laid down procedure needs to be followed so that legislatures are not misused for making baseless allegations. Enormous damage has been caused to our polity due to the interpretation (or misinterpretation) of the ill-conceived and defective anti-defection law by the presiding officers in whom the power to decide defection cases vests. The Speakers Conference must bring sufficient pressure on the Government of India to repeal this bad law to be substituted by a provision in the Constitution that any member changing the party on which originally returned should resign and suffer disability to accept the position of any public office for a period of at least two years. Until the law is repealed, the presiding officers must invariably refer the cases to the Privileges Committee of the House and decide according to its recommendations. This will save the presiding officers of the charge of partisanship or behaving arbitrarily. Similarly, the Speakers would do well in substituting their absolute powers in administrative matters of the legislature secretariat with an institutional arrangement of a House commission comprising leaders of parties by asking the government to bring forward legislation as contemplated in Article 98 and 187 of the Constitution and found in Britain and several other Commonwealth countries. This step will insulate Speakers against charges of arbitrariness and misuse of powers so far absolute and unbridled under the protective umbrella of the otherwise healthy concept of independence of legislature secretariats. The conference also needs to give a re-look at procedural reforms to allow maximum opportunities to members to raise matters and encourage their participation without fetters like the nod of the government as a precondition. To save the government from “embarrassment” or even “negative vote” in the House is surely not the concern of presiding officers. Let the governments take care of themselves. If they are incapable of doing so, they have no right to remain in power. Crutches provided by presiding officers to fragile governments might afford temporary artificial stability, but in fact weaken the system itself. The other important area for reforms is restructuring of the committee system. Instead of having proliferated committees straining the time of members and also resources of the legislature secretariats and the government, it would promote qualitative participation of members bringing along cohesiveness, efficiency and economy and avoid considerable waste. To keep the work of committees beyond the gaze of the media and the public may be flattering to the archaic concept, but certainly denies people the right to know about the working of the committees and also the benefit of due publicity. Opening the committees to the media has the obvious benefit of strengthening them, focusing on their positive work. Similarly, in the matter of codification of privileges, a dialogue between the media and Parliament and state legislatures is overdue in view of the principles of transparency and accountability of parliamentary institutions to the ultimate sovereign — the people. These are some of the suggestions which, hopefully, will receive the consideration of the Speakers’ conference. The deliberations, instead of beating once again the oft-beaten track and parroting the old song, need to adopt a new approach to deal with the problem effectively. Otherwise it will turn out to be yet another jamboree throwing not so insignificant taxpayers’ money down the drain and leaving the poor people with the usual conclusion ,“who cares!” The writer is a former Secretary-General, Lok Sabha. |
A temple for Amitabh Bachchan FROM a demi-god to god Indian screen superstar Amitabh Bachchan is making the
transcendence. To the deeply religious, this might seem a sacrilege, but 59-year-old Bachchan, whose celluloid image of an angry young man has inspired an enduring cult, will now be worshipped in a temple to be built in Kolkata in his honour by his die-hard fans. Smitten fans of Bachchan, who has been hailed as “the superstar of the millennium,” are arranging to worship him on July 5 on “Gurupurnima” day, an auspicious occasion for Hindus, and are also preparing to build a permanent temple in his honour at Dum Dum, near here. It will be a temple with a difference, promises the Amitabh Bachchan Fans’ Association (ABFA), which is spearheading the move. A devotee wishing to pray at the temple would first have to recite dialogues from some of his famous films. And, instead of religious hymns, Bachchan’s dialogues from his films would be chanted during prayer sessions. The July 5 “puja” (worship) of the screen hero will mark the beginning of a four-month-long Amitabh “Utsav (festival)” to be organised by the different chapters of the ABFA across the country. At the end of the puja, poor people of the area would be fed in a community feast sponsored by the club.
IANS
Oranges, vegetables protect heart Eating more oranges and vegetables reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and hypertension and may even protect the heart against them, nutrition and medical researchers said on Monday. Speaking at an annual meeting of food scientists sponsored by the Institute of Food Technologists, Dr. Frank Speizer of Harvard Medical School said research had consistently shown that increased intake of citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables — which include cabbage, broccoli and turnips — was “associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.” Citing a study of 75,000 female nurses and 38,000 male health professionals, Speizer said eating more fruit was also associated with reduced risk of high blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. There is some evidence that nutrients found in orange juice — specifically potassium, folic acid and vitamin C — may protect against cardiovascular disease. Steven Nagy, a research scientist at Florida’s state Department of Citrus, said orange juice’s ingredients had anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory properties as well as protecting against blood clots and the buildup of plaque in arteries. “Citrus is a powerhouse of cardio-protective substances,” he said. Elzbieta Kurowska of KGK Synergize Inc. said an earlier clinical trial conducted while she was at the University of Western Ontario showed that drinking three eight-ounce (0.24-litre) glasses of orange juice a day increased the “good cholesterol” HDL by 21 per cent and reduced the ratio of “bad cholesterol” LDL to HDL by 16 per cent. “HDL has been shown to be protective against heart disease and, apart from regular heavy exercise, we have not known of an easy, universally available way to increase it,” she said. In the Ontario study, the positive changes in cholesterol persisted for five weeks after the treatment period ended.
Reuters |
Water-dispute: a historical perspective THE river water dispute between Punjab and Haryana can be viewed from “historical aspects” by narrating various events relating the dispute as they happened. During the mid-fifties a message was received from our negotiating team in Washington which was engaged in the Indus water dispute between India and Pakistan under the aegis of the World Bank that India is likely to get full use of the three eastern Punjab rivers and they wanted “possible distribution” of the water to the extent of 15.82 MAF which would become available when released by Pakistan. A team of irrigation engineers located in the head office was deputed to work out the distribution. At that time the Irrigation Minister happened to be Ch Rizak Ram hailing from the traditional Haryana region and the CM was Sardar Partap Singh Kairon. The team worked out a “fair distribution” which holds uptil now. Broadly it was decided to allocate 8.0 MAF to Rajasthan, 0.65 MAF to J&K and 0.237 MAF to Delhi for meeting the “drinking water demand”. The balance water available for distribution was around 7.2 MAF and distribution was done on a fair and equitable basis and it was approved by Ch Rizak Ram and Sardar Kairon. According to the accepted distribution, the amount of water that fell to the areas which went over to Haryana after reorganisation on 1.11.1966 was around 0.9 MAF and this water had to become available at the Nangal pond level if it were to flow by gravity to the Haryana areas and not by “lift schemes”. As the Sutlej water had already been allocated so it was decided to get expert advice. Mr A.N. Khosla was approached and he suggested building a link of 0.9 MAF for the transfer of the Beas waters into the Sutlej basin above the Bhakra Dam. In a subsequent letter he asked Punjab to determine the optimum capacity of the link after carrying out the water-power studies so that the cost benefit ratio could be “maximised”. The water study fixed the capacity of the link at 3.82 MAF and the distribution of the Beas water that would become available was: * Releases made for Harike: 1.375 MAF * Releases made in the interest of power: 0.154 MAF * Releases made for Delhi water supply: 0.237 MAF That left 1.73 MAF of water out of which the Haryana areas were to receive 0.9 MAF and the rest for use from the Ropar headworks for the Sirhind canal command areas, as the traditional PEPSU areas had very low water allowance and needed improvement. The Punjab Irrigation Department went on with the preparation of projects and executing the same till 1.11.1966 when Punjab was reorganised and Haryana was born with some areas going over to Himachal Pradesh. The newly created state of Haryana was not satisfied with the previous allocation of 0.9 MAF and wanted around 3.5 MAF i.e. the entire volume of the Beas that would become available after construction of the BS link. The period that followed is full of the moves and counter-moves and pending in the apex court and before a tribunal so cannot be discussed here. Rajiv-Longowal accord It was decided that the farmers of Punjab would not get water received with the operation of the SYL, as they happened to receive on 1.7.1985. An assessment made showed that on the designated date, the Punjab farmers happened to receive 4.752 MAF and those in Haryana 1.62 MAF. These waters were over and above the pre-partition use. The share of Haryana was carried through the existing canal system of the Bhakra main line (BML) and the Narwana branch (NB). The Reorganisation Act provides that the Beas-Sutlej water would be shared in the ratio of 60:40 between Punjab and Haryana. Haryana tried to include the Ravi waters in the waters to be “shared” under the Act on the plea that due to construction of the Madhopur-Beas link the Ravi waters became available at Harike so formed part of the ‘pool’ to be shared. Punjab check-mated the move and asked for inclusion of the waters of the Yamuna which fell to the share of erstwhile Punjab and later on to Haryana being a successor state. As per the Irrigation Commission Report of 1972, the total run-off for the Yamuna in an average year was 8.37 MAF and under the 1954 agreement between Punjab and U.P., Punjab was to receive two third of the total flow at Tajewala and the balance one third to U.P. This makes available a volume of 5.58 MAF to erstwhile Punjab. Considering the total flow of 6.44 MAF in the Ravi, taking away the share of J&K of 0.65 MAF leaves a flow of 5.79 MAF which is quite comparable with the volume of 5.58 MAF from the Yamuna. In conclusion it may be stated that the basic principle for equitable distribution of water resources between the two states should be that of “free flow” and “stored waters” of the four perennial rivers (Yamuna, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi) and should be divided to provide equitable distribution in respect of “water allowance” and “intensity of irrigation” on the basis of the overall “cultivable area” in the two states taking into account the soil characteristics in the various zones, underground water resources (considering its quality) and average rainfall in the two states. Let us work out such distribution instead of taking the recourses we have taken. |
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Tough guys too get baby blues EATING
strange foods and weeping for no obvious reason is expected of pregnant women and new mothers. Study after study has shown their hormones to be all over the place. But none has looked at the effect of parenthood on the interested third party - the first-time father. Until now. New research suggests men suffer dramatic hormone changes after the birth of their first child, turning the toughest unreconstructed man into a big softie. The study measured the changes in a group of Canadian men attending pre- and post-natal classes. Samples that were taken from their saliva showed a decrease in testosterone and cortisol levels and, crucially, higher estradiol concentrations, a hormone more commonly found in women and associated with maternal behaviour. Estradiol, a hormone which makes women broody, would influence a man in a similar way, said Dr Malcolm Carruthers, of the Goldcrest Clinic in London, where he treats men suffering from the male menopause. `It would quieten him down and allow a more nourishing atmosphere. ‘Just as in women, where a hormone produced by breastfeeding inhibits ovulation, these hormone changes in a man would be a powerful contraception by reducing libido. ‘These findings are interesting because it is generally assumed that new fathers who suffer aches and pains after the birth are
depressed at the change in their partners’ affections, but it could simply be that the surge of testosterone that nature designed to get a man up and out of the cave and start hunting in the morning is simply not there.’ The research could explain the behaviour of celebrity dads like footballer David Beckham and film director Guy Ritchie who ditched their tough guy images to appear in public with teddy-bear-hatted offspring proudly strapped around their manly chests in Gucci baby slings. It was difficult for The Observer to find a new father prepared to go on record to describe his diminished sex drive, but of the handful contacted all reported what one described as `turning into a big wuss’. For 28-year-old James, the effect of the birth of his daughter Sophie on his emotions was startling. ‘She was not planned, so the whole pregnancy was spent with us coming to terms with how a baby was going to affect our lives and, I’ll be honest, I was really still in two minds. ‘Then this bundle turns up and I find myself not caring about that. ‘One big thing for me was all my mates telling me I’d never have sex again. I was laughing it off but secretly thinking ``Oh, my God, how can I broach the subject of a Caesarean!’’ There is no way I can tell them I’m not that bothered all of a sudden, and I’m extremely glad to hear about the Canadian research because now I can blame it all on my hormones - although I am still not bringing it up with my non-child rearing friends.’ But while men digest the implication of the findings that they are as vulnerable to the ebb and flow of hormones as women, a spokesman for the National Childbirth Trust said it was far from news to her. The research `would certainly bear out anecdotal evidence on new first-time dads’, she said. ‘And it would support our calls for better provisions for fathers, although we are pleased to welcome the new initiative from the Government to provide better facilities for dads at NHS hospitals so that they can be actively encouraged to attend the births of their children.’ One of the authors of the study, which appears in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, is Katherine Wynne-Edwards of the Department of Biology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. ‘These results confirm and expand on the results of the only previous study, suggesting that men’s hormones change as they become fathers,’ she said. She added that the findings that showed the hormone estradiol could be detected in a larger proportion of samples from dads than from the control subjects was especially ground-breaking. Although the reason that estradiol increased in men was not understood, Wynne-Edwards said it could be as a result of increased exposure to the hormone from their female partners. More research may be required to measure the full psychological impact, because though estradiol has long been identified as an important hormonal component of maternal behaviour in mammals, no animal research has shown changes in its levels in male mammals. Thus the human male could well prove to be unique. But then women knew that already. By arrangement with The Observer, London |
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Play it safe & cover-up THERE are many ways to offend your colleagues as summer arrives in the northern hemisphere, but sartorial sins rank way up there. We all know what we’re talking about. VPLs (visible panty-lines), dodgy shorts, puerile T-shirt slogans, flip-flops and hairy legs. See-through tops revealing amorphous grey bras, or worse still, no bra at all. . . a collection of unfortunate fashion decisions encouraged by rising temperatures. Office wear has become so flimsy as staff strip for summer that some US firms based in Britain have instituted a dress code governing the coyly named “foundation garments’” -
i.e.: wear some (sturdy) underwear or else. “Dressing down can be a real problem,” warns Matt Dean, head of employment law training at Simmons & Simmons in the UK. “Managers are trying to create the right working environment, and people turning up scantily dressed can ruin that.” And if you don’t like what your colleague isn’t wearing, don’t wade in there and tell them, warns Dean. “It’s a high-risk situation for a male manager, say, to tell a female junior what she’s wearing is inappropriate. The conversation could so easily be misconstrued.” Much better, he advises, to have a quiet word in the ear of a personnel officer, who can tactfully sort the matter. Don’t ignore complaints, he says - if someone’s offended, there’s probably a valid reason.
The Observer |
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Calcutta Attorney
convicted
Calcutta The Magistrate dealt with him leniently and sentenced till the rising of the court and also fined him Rs 250 or in default to suffer 3 months' rigorous imprisonment. |
***** Divide into three your time for sitting in meditation. ***** Take three meditation themes or positive qualities which follow on from each other, such as stillness-silence-power, and lightness-peace-contentment. ***** Take up each theme separately, creating thoughts that will lead you into the experience of each quality. Make sure that you have achieved an experience of the first quality before moving into the third. In this way you can gently lead yourself into deeper experiences in meditation, as well as enjoying a variety of positive feelings and qualities. ***** Practice the habit of saying “Past is past”. Keep facing forward. If something negative happens, do not feel guilty about it. Simply have the determined thought to conquer it. Re-channel the energy that usually goes into guilt or regret into positive thought and will power, so that the soul says: “Yes I am making efforts to change and improve myself”. — From Practical Meditation, a publication of Brahma Kumaris ***** As water does not adhere to a lotus leaf, so evil deeds do not adhere to the man who knows this. — Chhandogya Upanishad, IV, 14.3 |
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