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Wednesday,
August 29, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Ayodhya takes
centre-stage NDA’s re-entry made free AIIMS strike |
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Campaign against discrimination
An evening in Blue
Heaven
Can Tehri Dam withstand a quake?
Nagpur votes address to Pt Malaviya
Problem of finding Ph.D principals
Brain surgery by robot gives hope
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Ayodhya takes centre-stage FEW
leaders in the Sangh Parivar have the ability to rake up a controversy without inviting criticism. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is one of them. However, even the most astute politician occasionally gets caught on the wrong foot. This is what seems to have happened when Mr Vajpayee visited Lucknow over the weekend ostensibly for remaining in touch with his adopted constituency. But the not-so-hidden agenda was to put the Bharatiya Janata Party in battle mode for the assembly elections. During a Press conference a reporter's question gave him the opportunity to mention the Ayodhya dispute without appearing to have violated the "dharma" of coalition politics. He said that the dispute would be settled through negotiations before March, 2002, the deadline set by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad for starting the construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site. It is doubtful whether Ayodhya still has the political potential to win elections for the BJP. But its potential to raise the communal temperature in the country was never in doubt. Not surprisingly the entire Opposition in the Lok Sabha, as also the "secular" partners of the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance, criticised the Prime Minister for having made a statement on an important national issue at a Press conference when Parliament was in session. Mr Vajpayee's defence of the reference to Ayodhya during his Lucknow visit was as unconvincing as his explanation of why he had described the Ramjanmabhoomi movement as an expression of the "national sentiment". He reiterated in Parliament that behind-the-scene negotiations were indeed on between interested parties, but refused to take the House into confidence as far as the details of the discussions were concerned. However, his statement in Lucknow and in Parliament have raised more questions than it has answered. He can be faulted on several counts. It is strange that he was not willing to share the details of ayodhya-related negotiations with the House of which he is the leader. A related question which he may not be in a position to answer is in the context of the case relating to the ownership of the land on which the Babri Masjid was constructed. The case is being heard by a Bench of the Allahabad High Court. Has the court been informed about the "laudable" effort to make the parties to the dispute accept a negotiated settlement? To say that even the judiciary cannot be taken into confidence because of the "sensitive nature" of the dispute would only complicate matters. It is expected to give its verdict on the basis of the facts presented before it. Why should the fact of the out--of-court settlement effort be held back from it? Who will buy the argument that neither the judiciary nor Parliament are entitled to know the details of the so-called negotiations for the settlement of the Ayodhya dispute before March next year? Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, senior vice-president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, and other equally respected Muslim leaders have been quoted as having said that they were not involved in the "secret negotiations". Their denial has given a new dimension to the controversy started by Mr Vajpayee during his visit to Lucknow. Will he care to take the nation into confidence about the true nature of the negotiations? |
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NDA’s re-entry made free COALITION politics is good enough to win elections and come to power. But it suffers from a built-in handicap— absence
of policy cohesion, whimsical conduct of petty leaders and ineffective implementation. Even Morarji Desai, a strong-willed and no-nonsense leader, could not keep the Janata Party, essentially an unwieldy collection of anti-Congress forces, together. Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in comparison, is a mild leader, reluctant to assert his authority. He is also conscious of retaining his majority in the Lok Sabha, lest the withdrawal of support by one party (the AIADMK) should send the government into wilderness. This is his basic concept of coalition dharma. And it was on full display on Monday when the NDA readmitted the Trinamool Congress and the PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi of Tamil Nadu) into its fold. The first has nine MPs and the second just five. As of now the alliance government is not critically dependent on their support, as the events of the past six months prove. Still it is better to play safe. With their re-entering the NDA and with the National Conference of the Kashmir valley deciding to stay with the pack, 275 MPs back the government, two more than a simple majority. This marshalling of all available support is to be seen in the light of the reaction of the Telugu Desam Party to various government policies. It has been critical of most of them and its protest decibel level is rising. The party did not do as well as it expected in the local bodies election in Andhra Pradesh and some senior party leaders attribute this to the anti-BJP sentiments among the voters. The TDP has 29 MPs and if it were to withdraw its outside endorsement, the government will be precariously placed. And without the support of the Trinamool Congress and the PMK, it will totter and collapse. And hence the alacrity with which the re-entry was cleared at the behest of the Prime Minister. He had allowed the PMK to attend an earlier NDA meeting and had a few days earlier invited all the Mamata’s MPs to a dinner. That is why the objections voiced by several members were curtly brushed aside. The two parties have one thing in common. They left the NDA on the eve of Assembly elections and caused considerable damage to the alliance. The local units of the NDA are opposed to their readmission. But these are minor issues before taking out an insurance against the repetition of the 1999 debacle. |
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AIIMS strike THE Delhi High Court was apparently moved by the plight of hapless patients undergoing untold suffering due to the week-old strike in the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, when it gave a direction to the hospital to resolve the issue within 36 hours, by invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act if need be. Well, the missive has worked and the strike has ended. The displeasure of the court over the standoff between the junior doctors and other employees of the hospital was understandable, but the problem is so complex and long simmering that this may not be the happy ending everyone is looking for. It might be just a façade of an agreement while a confrontation continues to simmer below the surface, beyond the constant gaze of the court. This will only compound the misery of the patients. It is unfortunate that strikes have become so common in this premier institute. Medical services were similarly paralysed on August 10 also, following an altercation between certain doctors and Class C and D members of the all-powerful Karamchari Union. The matter came to a head last week when a few employees assaulted a doctor so badly that he suffered a fracture. Whether or not there is any truth in the allegation that the employees enjoy the patronage of the management, it is a fact that they have been given a long rope and near anarchy prevails there. An earlier High Court ruling prohibits the holding of any demonstration, dharna or rally within 500 metres of the institute premises. But the employees have held at least two such demonstrations in the recent past without any action being taken against them. Such murky goings-on, commonplace in various government departments, should in no way be allowed to infect a prestigious hospital. After all, the medical services available at AIIMS are a lifeline for the thousands of patients who frequent it with great hope. Nearly 200 operations are conducted there every day, which cannot be conducted during agitations, putting the lives of serious patients to a great risk. A long-term solution has to be found. That can come about only if the authorities steel themselves to taking some no-nonsense measures. Misbehaviour by employees is only one of the many problems. A report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General paints a gloomy picture of a gradual erosion of values and work culture. There is apathy all around. Patients have to wait for a long period, between two and a half months and three years, for surgery. Medical research and teaching too have suffered. Corrective measures must be employed before AIIMS reaches the terminal stage. |
Campaign against discrimination AFTER heated deliberations, it has been finalised that the caste question will indeed be raised forcefully at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance to be held at Durban (South Africa) from August 31 to September 7. Private organisations will do what official agencies won’t. Certain spin-offs are preordained. Deliberations will internationalise the issue like never before. If all goes well, casteism will come to be recognised as a synonym for racism in the eyes of the world, much to the embarrassment of India and the delight of its detractors. And yes, considerable foreign funds will flow into certain NGOs. But as far as ameliorating the lot of the downtrodden — who have survived on the edge of existence for centuries because of the millstone of caste system around their neck — is concerned, no progress is likely. Whatever the other failings of the Indian government may be, let it be conceded that it does not apply caste discrimination as a state policy, as apartheid was prevalent in South Africa. Discrimination occurs because of the hypocrisy of certain Janus-faced leaders in their individual capacity, social peculiarities and some harsh social realities which no government or international conference can undo. At times, the champions of a caste-free society themselves deepen the fissures, just as an indulgent mother anxious to ensure that her ailing son is quickly nursed back to health ends up giving him so much medicine that his condition worsens. In the post-Mandal era, every caste and sub-caste has an association of its own. Ironically, the people who castigate the caste system demand — and get — ministerial berths on the basis of their caste or community, thereby strengthening the evil system. Nobody can hope to get elected to a responsible position until he wins over the support of his own kinsmen. The result is that we have a plethora of leaders who represent their own community and not a constituency. All their policies are aimed at appeasing their own men. When action was planned against some milkmen selling urea-laced poisonous milk, a former Union Minister rose to their defence that the action amounted to persecution of a particular “class”. Such mindless support only alienates others and aggravates the caste divide. There is no denying the fact that in 54 years of independence the country has not done much to break the shackles of the people belonging to the so-called lower castes. But then, nothing much has been done for the poorest of the poor belonging to other castes either. If successive governments have been ineffectual, they have been that way to the entire poor community. To accuse them of targeting low-caste people would fly in the face of the sorry state of the have-nots belonging to other castes. In fact, grinding poverty provides sustenance to the caste system. When India got independence from the British, it had no industry worth the name. Nor was there enough money to exploit its natural resources. The only untapped resource that it had in abundance was manpower. It was unskilled or at best semi-skilled but it was still possible to generate enough employment for all. Two things were required. One, identification of items which had demand overseas that could be handmade in India with low technology. And, two, active help to the private sector so that a million small units could bloom employing tens of millions of people. Instead, we closed our doors to the big bad world, opting for heavy industry and mega projects. These were glamorous no doubt, and could be cited as a proof of the country’s success story. But these had a long gestation period, were capital intensive and needed trained people. Since these were in the public sector, these were used as some kind of employment exchanges. Modernisation was considered a dirty word. A steel mill in India used three times as many employees as in Korea or China to produce the same volume of steel. The result was that many units turned sick. A few continued to provide steady employment to some lucky ones, but the teeming millions remained in extreme poverty, constantly searching for some work to do, and two square meals. The poor belonging to all castes suffered. The government failed them all. It has taken us half a century to realise our mistakes and find to our dismay that we have been cast aside by the world. Today, go to any country and you will find that China has a monopoly of toy and inexpensive electronics industry. Garments that you pick up in any store will have the made in Lanka or Thailand label. Even the lowly Pakistan has done well. India despite its size is nowhere in the race. All labour-intensive products could have been the monopoly of India but that was not to be. Feeble efforts to make amends are being made now, but it is an uphill task. The irony is that the worst sufferers are the people from the lower strata who were sought to be protected by keeping them insulated from “foreign domination”. To do something for them, the government had only one panacea: government jobs. Intentions were noble but nobody cared to assess the consequences of reservation. Prized jobs were cornered by a select few. A few families enjoyed the benefits generation after generation, while their brethren continued to suffer. It was hoped that those who had suffered humiliation at the hands of upper castes would use their new-found status as a shield to protect their kinsmen. Instead, they became equally big oppressors themselves. Today, some of the worst atrocities on people belonging to the Scheduled Castes are committed by those who are from OBCs. I know of a village where people belonging to a particular Scheduled Caste which is considered the lowest of the lowly can take water from a well in the Brahmin mohalla but dare not go anywhere near the well of another SC caste, which is a notch above them in social standing! This is not to suggest that members of the upper castes have mended their way. Far from it. The point is that stratification of society is now worse and even those who were being persecuted not too long ago have themselves joined the persecuting brigade. All this because prosperity has not been spread uniformly. Reservation as a tool of empowerment has not been very effective. But because of narrow vested interests, nobody calls for a reappraisal, let alone advocate doing away with it. Side-effects of this have been more pronounced than relief. One, it has spawned ghetto mentality among those who have been given various economic benefits without the privilege of social integration. Two, it has led to the emergence of a creamy layer which refuses to step aside and let the rest of the people come up. Three, it has generated disillusionment among the upper-caste people who happen to be as poor, if not poorer, than their low-caste brethren and yet cannot get a job or admission in a professional college despite scoring higher marks. Class tension that this denial has caused should not be wished away because it is standing in the way of genuine eradication of the pernicious caste system. And, most important, merit has been given a go-by in this two-channel mechanism. The state thinks that it has done its duty by granting admission to a SC boy in a medical college even if he has not scored pass marks. Nobody has cared to see his mental trauma when he has to rub shoulders with boys who have scored thrice as much. Many drop out. Those who do hang on end up as nervous wrecks. Instead of brining about a genuine change in society, we are content with changing labels. Old caste names were done away with soon after independence. “Harijan” was considered to be a respectable word till Mayawati came on the scene and fumed against it. Now Dalit is in vogue. A few years from now, some will revolt against it also. The real problem is not with the label but with the wretched condition of a group of people. Their condition will automatically improve with the eradication of poverty in general. If this job is done on a selective basis, dissension is bound to build up. Unfortunately, most leaders have only lollipops to offer. They show their concern for a particular caste in a strange fashion. They will either unveil the statue of a prominent member of that community in some city or will declare a holiday on his birth anniversary. At best they will advocate its inclusion in the reservation pool or an increase in its already existing share. We do not have to look westwards to get rid of such aberrations. The solution has to be found indigenously because the caste system is peculiar to India. Some erudite social scientists have gone to ridiculous lengths to equate it with racism (“the Brahminical order holds the white cow as sacred but not the black buffalo”) but such hair-splitting will not help the victims of the varna divide in any way. Nor can age-old prejudices be removed by official diktats or reverse discrimination. Honest and painstaking work has to be done on both sides of the divide to win over the confidence of all sections of society. That long-haul effort can be better made in the heartland of India than in the smoke-filled conference halls of South Africa. |
An evening in Blue
Heaven THE young hostesses on the Thai Airways plane were as bewitching as I had always known them to be. But the first person to greet me at the Bangkok airport turned out to be a pimp. He gave me the card of one of Bangkok’s massage parlours and offered that he could come and pick me up from the Hayat Rama Hotel, where I was to stay, any day, any time, convenient to me. How did he come to know that I was to stay at Hayat Rama? Did he have any links with the World Health Organisation in Bangkok? I won’t know that. But I was on a WHO assignment as a delegate from India to participate in a WHO workshop on sex education for adolescents. He pestered me quite a bit but then decided that I was not his cup of tea and moved over to some other passenger. In my room in the hotel, after I had washed my face, I saw a small but prominent placard standing aloft on the writing desk. Welcome to Hayat Rama, it announced, walk into Blue Heaven on the third floor for a free treat. Having nothing else to do, I decided that I should avail myself of that free treat. The Thais are known for their generosity and hospitality. A devastatingly beautiful young girl greeted me at the Blue Heaven. She conducted me to an unoccupied table and there, another angel from heaven descended and handed me a menu card listing the names of drinks. “Choose any you like,” said she, “it is on the house.” At first I thought that I should take Black Label with which I was familiar, but then under the influence of some sudden impulse, I opted for vodka. Slowly, leisurely, looking all round for any acquaintance, I sipped the drink. Hardly had I finished the peg when the angel came again with her familiar tray and vodka bottle and another sparkingly clean cutglass tumbler. “On the house, Sir,” she said, almost teasingly, as she poured vodka for me in that tumbler. I sipped that, too, a bit more slowly, a bit more leisurely, than the first one. But just as I finished that, the girl came again with her tray, vodka bottle and another glass tumbler. Vodka is a strong drink. At best, I can take two pegs of it in one sitting. I declined the girl’s third offer. “In that case, sir,” said she, “you will have to pay for the first two pegs. Free treat means a minimum of four pegs. Less than that, you have to pay.” I don’t remember how many dollars I had to shell out for my free treat. But every time I see some appealing advertisement in some paper offering something free, like an electric oven, if we buy something more expensive like a car, I start rolling my tongue on my lips. |
Can Tehri Dam withstand a quake? HERE'S news that will send tremors up your spine. The Gujarat earthquake that struck this January may be a mere shiver compared to what lies in store for the subcontinent, haunted by the possibility of quakes of greater intensity in the entire Himalayan arc. According to a report in Newsweek, “The Gujarat quake distracts attention from the region where the greatest loss of life should be expected, a region which stretches from Kashmir in the West to Bhutan in the East. The danger zone compasses the capitals of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan and several other cities with populations in excess of a million.” Claiming that several dams, including the massive Tehri Dam in Uttar Pradesh, have not been built to withstand earthquakes, it said: “If the Tehri Dam broke, it could kill 10 million people. In all 50 million people are at risk.” The magazine quoted geologist Roger Bilham, from the University of Colorado, as saying, “If one of the largest earthquakes occurred in Delhi with a population of 13 million, the fatality count may be unprecedented. It could be 10 per cent of the population.” The report says the Himalayan arc is the site of the greatest continental collision on earth, where the Indian tectonic plate is ramming northward against Eurasia. Its progress is low, about two cm per year but energy has been building up over the centuries. “Eventually, the rock must fracture, allowing the Indian plate to lurch northward beneath the Himalayas,” it says. Stating that the rupture, or massive earthquake, is overdue, Bilham says the faultline running along the whole length of the Himalayas is set to crack. “But it won’t go all at once. Based on a re-examination of the region’s seismic history over the past 300 years and on new GPS (global positioning system) satellite data, it is estimated that it would take at least seven massive earthquakes, each affecting a 200 to 300 km strip of the faultline, to permit the entire plate boundary to slip. “Not only would these quakes be more powerful than the Bhuj disaster, they would occur in more densely populated areas,” he said. The report says the programme for earthquake-resistant housing has lagged behind in Gujarat. “National building codes for the region were put in place a decade ago, but the government has not made them mandatory even after Bhuj. Those few buildings in Bhuj that were designed and built in line with the new codes survived unscathed, even though the epicentre was just 60 km away. But architects and builders tend to ignore the codes,” Bilham says. “The codes have been in existence for many years. But private companies, as opposed to government organisations, do not follow them,” says Vallaichamy Thiruvengadam, head of building engineering at the school of planning and
Architecture. PTI Happy marriage ‘good for health’ Middle-aged men who live alone are at greater risk of illness and death than their married counterparts. Research for the Office For National Statistics, England, shows that single men who are 45 and older have a 23 per cent increased risk of death. Family campaigners say this is proof that permanent relationships are good for health. Those who were married and then divorced are at a 30 per cent increased risk of death within the first 10 years of divorce. The risk of death decreases with remarriage and the length of time since bereavement and divorce. Doctor Adrian Rogers says: “A permanent relationship with one person in which you get on and enjoy it is good for you. On that basis a happy marriage is definitely good.”
Agency |
Nagpur votes address to Pt Malaviya AT a meeting of the Municipal Committee held this morning Mr Neogi, President of the Committee presiding, Mr Dhube’s (Vice-President) resolution for voting an address to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on his proposed visit to Nagpur on the 11th instant was carried by a majority of seven votes, 16 members voting for and nine against it. It was strenuously opposed by some members on political and religious grounds. |
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Problem of finding Ph.D principals PUNJAB colleges — government, aided or unaided — are in a piquant situation over the appointment of principals due to the norms prescribed by the UGC. There are not enough teachers who hold a Ph.D degree to become eligible for appointment as principals. Consequently, the state government, the universities, the affected colleges and the teachers are in a quandary over the norms. Despite representations, the UGC refuses to relent and the Human Resource Development Ministry, refuses to respond. It is, therefore, not surprising that today most of the colleges have non-Ph.D principals or only ‘’officiating’’ principals. The worst affected are the unaided and rural colleges. Those teachers who have the requisite qualifications and experience and are gainfully employed in aided colleges cannot be expected to go as principals to such colleges as are either unaided or rural. To them economic and emotional considerations matter. In respect of such colleges, a suggestion has been sent to the UGC by Principal Jagdish Singh of Amritsar. His suggestion is the UGC should relax the condition of Ph.D for unaided and rural colleges. Instead a lecturer with 15 years experience with M.Phil be considered eligible for appointment as principal. This may be done subject to the condition the incumbent would complete the doctorate within five years of appointment. Such a principal would be denied the benefit of increment after three years of service if at least 50 per cent of the work related to Ph.D is not completed with the guide certifying that collection of data etc is complete, written work would be completed and the thesis submitted to the university concerned within a year, i.e. in four years. Another suggestion made by Principal Jagdish Singh is that the UGC should start administration management colleges where one year intensive training of principalship be imparted. Experience showed several teachers on becoming principals failed in administrative work depending heavily on the clerical and office staff, thereby impairing the smooth functioning of the colleges. Ph.D holders are available mostly in certain disciplines, like music, Sanskrit, Hindi, a regional language, philosophy etc, but rarely in English and sciences. This means principalship will essentially be restricted to such teachers
alone. The minimum age to be eligible to become principal should be fixed at 45 years, he adds. The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union, PCCTU, has been seized of this matter for quite some time. There is an anomaly in the age of retirement. In the government colleges it is 58 years. In the private colleges, aided or unaided, it is 60 years. Several teachers retiring from government colleges get an opportunity to become principals in private colleges. But the UGC norms come in the way. The Panjab University, Vice-Chancellor, Dr K N Pathak, constituted a committee of Senators (Dr A C Vaid, Mr Charanjit Chawla, Mr Tarsem Bahia and the two DPI, Punjab and Chandigarh) in October 1999. Dr Pathak chaired the committee which recommended that ‘’four-year relaxation (in respect of Ph.D degree) will be provided to the teachers with 20 years to 25 years experience”. It was also resolved that ‘’55 per cent marks shall not be made mandatory for principals, lecturers and other existing incumbents. This condition will remain at the entry level for fresh appointments only’’. The Panjab University Senate and Syndicate accepted these recommendations. Mr Charanjit Chawla says that the State Council for Higher Education having representatives of the three universities, also relaxed the condition of Ph.D in respect of the existing incumbents with 20 years to 25 years experience “on obligatory eligibility qualification of Ph.D for principal for four years and appointment of teachers with experience of 25 years and good academic record’’. This decision, taken on April 15, 2001, has not been conveyed to the Punjab colleges, the government or the UGC. ‘’There has been no follow-up action as such’’, admitted the DPI Colleges, Mr Gulzar Singh. The Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Mr Bhagat Singh, is seized of the matter. But is helpless in the face of the UGC and HRD Ministry stance. He promised action. Mr Chawla says the Council is the highest body of the government. If its decisions are to remain buried in files, what use are such councils? Several teachers feel it is ‘’unfair’’ to impose the additional qualification of Ph.D on the existing incumbents. Both Punjab and Haryana have allowed the appointment of principals without the Ph.D qualification in their respective government colleges, simply because of unavailability of Ph.D teachers in science and social studies in their states. Why discrimination against private colleges? In Punjab at least, 25 non-Ph.D. principals are ‘’officiating’’. They are non-Ph.D. They were appointed after the UGC notifications on the subject.. Their appointment, however, was made on the basis of a resolution passed by the Senate and the Syndicate of Panjab University. The resolution says that the seniormost teacher will act as an “officiating’’ principal with all financial powers till a permanent appointment is made through a regular selection committee as per the UGC and university norms. Interestingly, out of 70 colleges in semi-urban, rural and kandi area in Punjab, 20 have ‘’officiating’’ principals. |
Brain surgery by robot gives hope A robot that can perform microsurgery on the brain could make Parkinson’s disease almost routinely treatable and inoperable brain tumours a thing of the past. The PathFinder neurosurgery robot, to be launched soon, operates so accurately that its developers claim it will do complex brain operations under local anaesthetic, with patients discharged from hospital the next day with no more than a plaster on their head. The robot is guided by extremely high resolution brain scans, allowing it to work to an accuracy of a fraction of a millimetre, making it possible to operate close to vital parts of the brain. In contrast, neurosurgeons operating by hand have an accuracy of only a couple of millimetres and have to avoid various operations in case they cause permanent and possibly fatal damage. The PathFinder, produced by Armstrong Healthcare, operates through a hole in the skull 3mm across. The robot head needs a path through the brain only 1mm wide. ‘We can operate deep inside the brain with sub-millimetre accuracy,’ said Dr Patrick Finlay, chairman of the company based in High Wycombe, west of London. Neurosurgeons often have to take off the top of the skull to gain access, and there are whole regions of the brain they are unable to operate on. The PathFinder, which costs about US $ 200,000 and has been approved for use by the UK Medical Devices Agency, will be given its first public demonstration in London next Wednesday, before starting clinical trials at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham in the English Midlands. Surgeons will still be needed to instruct the robot and for their knowledge of how the brain works. Tests suggest PathFinder will be able to remove a tumour in about half an hour. More complex operations can take several hours but, unlike a human surgeon, the robot doesn’t get tired. With little damage to the skull and the brain, patients will be able to leave hospital within 24 hours, saving huge amounts in accommodation costs. One of the main applications will be in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. An electrode delivering a current to precisely the right part of the brain can stop the debilitating tremors caused by the disease. However, surgeons hardly ever perform the operation because, if they place the electrode a mere 2mm off target, it can cause permanent paralysis. ‘This robot will make the treatment of Parkinson’s disease almost routine,’ said Finlay. Each year in the UK there are about 1,500 brain tumours neurosurgeons decide are inoperable because they are too close to vital parts of the brain. The PathFinder will be able to cut out most of these. It can also be used to treat cancer by placing tiny radioactive pellets inside a tumour to kill it. Blood clots in the brain could be removed. Researchers are also interested in using the robot to inject stem cells very accurately into the brain to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Brain scanners have become far more accurate in recent years, but until now surgeons have been unable to make use of the improved detail. One of the key problems in using robots has been enabling them to understand which part of the image on the scan relates to which part of the brain in front of them. Previously surgeons have tried to get round this problem by drilling a metal ‘stereotactic’ frame into the skull to give the robot reference points. In contrast, the PathFinder has a tiny camera attached to enable it to see where it is operating. Neurosurgery is the most sophisticated application yet of medical robots, which have been used in more basic operations such as hip replacements, where great accuracy is needed to ensure the new joint works well. The Observer |
Let us be victorious. Let us be prosperous. Let us be Truthful. Let us be energetic. Let us be learned. Let our soul shine. Let our sacrifice (Yajna) be fruitful. Let our progeny progress. Let us have brave soldiers. Rise up, O all-pervading God, rise Thou up; with strength and splendour rise on me. Let me who hates me be my thrall; Let me not be a thrall to him. Manifold are Thy great deeds... O God, set me in happiness in loftiest position. O God, the violent physical disturbances wrought by matter in this world, in the atmosphere and primary subtle elements subduce... Grant us happiness. O God, Thou art eternal in the region of emancipation and on earth. Thou possessest the power of urging the world, and making us tide over untoldest sufferings. — The Atharva Veda, Book XVI, Hymn VIII.1; Book XII, Hymn 1:6,8,12,26 * * * The positive always defeats the negative; Courage overcomes fear, Patience overcomes anger and irritability, Love overcomes hatred. * * * The beauty of all things lies in you ability to appreciate them. * * * We are shaped and fashioned by what we love- See what happens when you love God. * * * The most powerful instrument that mankind possesses is thought power. * * * We have forgotten that we are souls and have developed the false concept of ourselves as being merely bodies and in so doing we immediately limit ourselves to all that is physical. — From Purity, February 1988 |
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