New Delhi, November 21
The mad, mad, mad marriage season begins in the Capital on Wednesday with 20,000 weddings scheduled for the next few days - and with them endless traffic snarls, deafening fireworks, booming loudspeakers and baraat processions galore.

“Roughly 20,000 couples will tie the knot between November 21 and December 3. Around 5,000 couples tied the nuptial knot on Wednesday, the day when god Vishnu and goddess Tulsi got married,” said Lakshman Prasad, a priest.

“The most auspicious day comes once a year. For instance, this is a perfect day for ‘mangliks’ to tie the nuptial knot,” Prasad told IANS.

Prasad says that the period not considered auspicious for weddings will begin after December 3. The auspicious phase for wedding will start only from January 19.

Though Prasad puts the number of weddings at 20,000, some say that the figure could be as high as 25,000.

While couples tie the knot, thousands of Delhiites find themselves in a bind - caught in fearsome traffic jams leading to the few venues that allow weddings.

However, the traffic police claim they are tightening the noose this time.

“Around 250 traffic policemen will be deputed to regulate vehicular movement on roads during the peaks hours i.e.., 8.30 pm to 1.00 am, when around 50,000 vehicles will try to reach some marriage venues. At the same time, commercial vehicles also start plying,” said deputy commissioner of police (traffic) R.K. Pandey.

“We have already briefed traffic inspectors about the marriage season and are making the necessary arrangements. We have also held meetings with the owners of banquet halls and farmhouses regarding the parking menace that creates traffic woes every year,” Pandey told IANS.

Organisers have been asked to provide private security guards, who would help with the parking, he added.

The police is also requesting people to follow the directions and adhere to traffic rules. “We request everyone to pool cars, if they are going to the same venue. This will help them and our officials in clearing traffic snarls.”

The woes don’t end with the traffic.

With so many marriages around the same time, the demand for priests, hotel rooms, banquet halls, caterers, beauty parlours and florists has hit a high and suppliers are running short.

The Capital has only 746 parks, 200 MCD community halls, 46 DDA parks, 50 DDA community halls, 58 farmhouses, 14 NDMC ‘baraat ghars’ and 20 NDMC parks.

“Last year, people were left in the lurch, after the Supreme Court’s sudden order of shutting down banquet halls operating in residential areas. This time, they have booked the venues in advance, arranging theme marriages, tent and catering services,” said Bhuvnesh Sharma, manager at Sethi Caterers. — IANS

New Delhi, November 21
As many as 13 labourers have been extricated from the debris of a building that collapsed in the Anand Parbat area of West Delhi yesterday.

However, there are reports of some labourers still being trapped in the debris. According to the police sources, the rescue operation is still on. The building collapsed while the labourers were building a pillar right in the centre of the building.

The site of construction is being disputed by two brothers, JK Jain and Kishan Jain. Both the brothers were present at the site when the accident happened and the labourers got trapped inside.

A case has been registered against the brothers who own the two -storied building. 

New Delhi, November 21
Some were dressed in black burqa, some in shimmering salwar-kameez, still others in crisp cotton saris. They come from different states and are burdened by innumerable problems, but one issue binds the group of Muslim women - literacy.

The 5,000-odd women of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) work for the uplift of Indian Muslim women across the country and believe that education is the one tool that will empower them. Around 350 members of the BMMA were in the Capital last week for the first annual convention.

Khatun Sheikh of Mumbai has been a part of the BMMA since its inception in January this year. She said that being able to read and write is the greatest tool that a woman can have to fight all odds.

“I had dropped out of school after Class 7. Soon after, I got married, had kids and went on to lead a normal married life. Nearly, 20 years after that, this year, I gave my Class 12 exam with my daughter. Trust me, I feel overjoyed and empowered. After the long gap, I think my knowledge had started rusting. But, now, I can go out confidently, read, do my signature and more importantly, not be taken for a ride,” she told IANS.

Sheikh, who works with Muskan, an NGO is working avidly to encourage parents of the Muslim community to send their daughters to schools.

Another member, Niyaz Bibi, 50, of Ahmedabad, said that she had spent sleepless nights, after her home was burnt in the 2002 riots. But, nothing deterred her spirit to continue fighting the legal cases to make the culprits pay. “It has been a long struggle. People threatened me, discouraged me... but I have never given up. I don’t know what fear is and I will continue to fight until the culprits are brought to book,” she said, the grey streaks of her hair shining in the November sun.

“I, however, regret that I am not literate. If I were, I would have achieved much more and probably the case would have met with a successful end a long time back,” she said.

She says that the condition of Muslim women in her state is pathetic. “No matter what happens, it’s the women who always suffer. And, to top that, they are not even literate. They cannot voice their thoughts. — IANS

New Delhi, November 21
The resident welfare associations (RWAs) of South Delhi colonies and the HCBS corridor reacted angrily over the statements of London transport commissioner Peter Hendy today. They alleged that he was ‘conned’ by the Delhi government to speak for the project.

“A man of such experience and stature should not have poked his nose into a matter as contentious as the HCBS,” said Wing Commander J.S. Chadda of the East of Kailash RWA Federation.

The RWA members have pointed out that while Peter Hendy is effusive in his praise for the project and drew parallels with the London experience, he let the cat out of the bag by admitting that they have no concretised lane segregation in London. “If that is that case, how is he qualified to comment?” asked B.K. Singh of Pushp Vihar.

Harvinder Singh of Lajpat Nager RWA and D.B. Sood of Kailash Colony RWA have also registered their protest and have pointed it out as an ‘intrusion’ into the matter between the state and its citizens.

Meanwhile, the People’s Action has sought time with the British High Commissioner to lead a delegation of the united residents joint action (URJA) members to lodge a formal protest to what they said amounted to ‘interference’. “We have faxed a request to high commissioner Richard Stagg, after speaking with his office,” said Atul Goyal of URJA Central.

Sanjay Kaul, president, People’s Action has also sent a letter to Richard Stagg outlining the transgressions of Peter Hendy. Kaul said that Hendy sounded like an English schoolmaster, waving his finger at Delhiites telling them what’s good for them. 

New Delhi, November 21
The government’s plan to build a hotel in each Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) depot is likely to fail, as no decision was taken at a high-level meeting held today in the Capital.

It was realised that opening a hotel in each DTC depot was not practical, as depots were not spacious enough to park all the buses and to carry out their repair work.

The DTC has written a letter to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to allot land to enlarge six depots.

The idea to build a hotel was mooted to provide accommodation to visitors during the Commonwealth games - 2010, as there are not sufficient rooms in the existing hotels.

Earlier, transport minister Haroon Yusuf had said that buses would be parked in the basement and hotels would be constructed on the ground floor.

He was criticised, as parking buses in basement might be dangerous, as pollution emanates from the vehicles.

According to sources in the Delhi tourism and travel development corporation, it was a good project that would help the DTC to earn revenue and cover up its financial losses.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, transport minister Haroon Yusuf and senior officers of the transport department attended the meeting.

New Delhi, November 21
It was a memorable moment for all those at Amity University who had the opportunity to hear Master Del Pe, a renowned management guru on Tuesday.

Master Del Pe deliberated on the transformational leadership, its importance in modern age and requisites of a leader to bring about transformation in a person .He also shared age old yogic techniques to release pent up stress, anger, resentment and anxiety in order to rejuvenate and re- energise oneself.

Stressing the importance of human capital for the success of any organization, Master Del Pe citied a survey by the World Bank ,according to which ,world class organizations grow rapidly because of three factors- physical , technical and human. Out of which physical aspect contributes 22%, technical 24% and human capital 64%. Human capital plays a very vital role in any organization and contributes maximum to its growth.

Elaborating on the concept of transformation, he said that transformation is converting mediocre or lower consciousness into higher consciousness; adversary into an advocate and loser into a winner. It is about ascending quality enhancement. Transformation can be from within (mental and emotional) as well as without (physical).Both types of transformation are important because a person should have active intelligence which can generate good ideas and should be capable enough to execute those ideas (physical transformation). Most people have good ideas but they are not able to translate them into action and that is where leaders differ from transformers. Ideas, conveyed with energy and enthusiasm have deeper impact on people. Transformers are those people who not only lead but change the way people think.

Doling out tips to fight escalating attrition rate in the corporate, the speaker said that employees in the organization should be impregnated with the same vision and there should be strong culture and leadership within the organization. If the heart of the employee is inspired , the organization can easily retain the talent.

He shared with the audience the “Trinity” of transformational leadership where “ Brahma” stands for creative intelligence of  a leader ,“ Vishnu” stands for nurture and love aspect of a leader, his ability to lead people with love and “ Mahesh” stands for his ability to execute ideas.

He further stated that for a leader it is very important that people should listen to him which is possible only when people are shown that they are being taken care of. In order to execute ideas and transform people, a leader should have positive image, magnetic energy, charisma, mind and ability to learn.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Master Del Pe said, “Start by being the change you want.” If a leader wants people to follow him, he should set an example for them to follow; people should look up to him in any adverse circumstances. He should be a role model for them.

Expressing his gratitude to Master Del Pe, Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan,founder president, Amity University. announced the establishment of “Master Del Pe Centrefor transformational leadership” and proposed Master Del Pe as the “Chair Professor” of the Centre.

Master Pe is a respected master of wisdom, leadership, martial arts and human energy science. He has been traveling all over the world conveying the magic of Asian wisdom and training top corporate world leaders, politicians and chief of states. He has authored several books including “Inner Powers to Maximize Your Performance”, “From Success to Fulfillment and Hidden Dangers of Meditation and Yoga” and “How to Play with Your Sacred Fires Safely”. 

New Delhi, November 21
The vice-chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Prof K. K. Aggarwal, has been elected as the vice-president of the South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC) for the year 2008-09 and is the president-elect for 2009-10.

Established in 1978, the SEARCC is a confederation of non-political and non-profit making computer/IT professional societies in the South East Asia region. Today, the member countries of the SEARCC include Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.

The SEARCC recognises and accepts the fundamental differences that may exist among its member countries in regard to the strategy, national goals and technological advances as well as the use of technology. The SEARCC neither interferes in the internal affairs of its members nor it attempts to enforce any norms and goals for its members, rather it operates by consensus and subscribes to the concept of regionalism and mutual support.

Prof Aggarwal, who is also the current president of the Computer Society of India, is widely recognised for his extensive work in the field of electronics & computer engineering. He has published over 300 papers in national and international journals and has delivered lectures at universities in India and abroad. Prof Aggarwal has been the sectional president of IT section in Indian Science Congress Association, chairman of DOEACC (a society, fully owned by the ministry of communication and information technology, government of India), and also the president of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers.

Aggarwal was conferred the ‘Rajkumar Varshney Award’ in Systems Theory for the year 2006 by the Systems Society of India as an acknowledgment of his excellent contributions towards reliability analysis of engineering systems.

As the vice-president of the SEARCC, Aggarwal will be able to contribute significantly towards the systematic development and growth of information technology, computer science engineering and technology and IT education in this region, and in creation of a knowledge-based society.

Due to his efforts, the next annual conference of SEARCC will be held in India in 2008.

Noida,November 21
For patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) routine household work makes them breathless .Many cannot even change clothes or wash themselves without help. This disease affects more than 13 million Indians. It is a condition that is the fourth leading cause of death, worldwide and threatens to be among the first three diseases to claim the maximum number of lives by 2020.

Dr Deepak Talwar, Director, Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases ,said this in a special lecture delivered on the world COPD last week.

COPD is a term used to describe serious respiratory conditions in which the airways get narrowed and blocked with secretions. Over a period of time the lung tissue gets permanently damaged. The patient suffers from bouts of coughing. Even a little movement makes the persons breathless. COPD imposes a heavy burden in terms of lost productivity, repeated hospitalizations and worsening quality of life

Medicines are available that can lessen this agony and reduce dependence on family members. Coupled with rehabilitation (which includes advise on nutrition and exercise) medicines reduce patient’s breathlessness, makes it possible for a person with COPD to be able to continue to earn a living and participate in his favourite activities.

According to an American study, 28 per cent of those with COPD have difficulty in breathing even when sitting or lying still, 32 per cent pant while talking, 44 per cent get short of breath while washing or dressing, 46 per cent find it difficult to do even light housework while as many as 72 per cent are breathless after they climb up just one flight of stairs. For more than 30 per cent of patients it becomes impossible to continue working

Smoking is the main cause of COPD. However, a study conducted by the Chest Research Foundation (CRF) involving more than 12,000 slum dwellers in Pune revealed that over 50 per cent non-smokers had COPD. This underlines the role of indoor and outdoor pollution in causing and aggravating COPD. The use of fuels like kerosene, wood and biomass in ill-ventilated kitchens has been identified as a major factor for this disease, Dr Talwar stressed.

There are medicines available now that help the COPD patient lead a normal productive life. According to Dr. Talwar, it is important to diagnose COPD early. This can be done through a test called spirometry which, unfortunately, is grossly underused in India. Even in urban areas and not many doctors are trained to interpret spirometre readings correctly 

Ghaziabad,November21
A first year B Tech student of Lord Krishna Institute of Engineering, Antika Jindal died after falling from the third floor of her college hostel in posh Ghaziabad colony, Raj Nagar yesterday. A note found in her room said that she was taking the extreme step for having failed the expectations of her family.

But her parents said Antika had been done with. They named her room mates Divya and Rashmi Ojha and chairman of the institute as accused in their complaint to the Kavi Nagar police.

Antika, 17, was living in Room No.11 of a girls hostel in Raj Nagar with her room mates. Antika’s father, Ajay Jindal is a chemist in Ferozabad while her mother Rashmi Jindal is a lecturer. They both maintained that their daughter was a brilliant student but was having differences with her room- mates. They alleged that there were signs of strangulations on Ankita’s neck

Hostel maid Tara is said to have seen Antika’s body lying in a pool of blood at 6.30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Dr Preeti Mittal of the Engineering Institute however strongly refuted that there was a foul play in the death of Antika or involvement of any body from the institute in her death. SSP Deepak Rattan said they would conduct investigations since the parents of the deceased want the murder angle to be investigated. A hand writing expert could also be consulted to examine Antika’s suicide note.

New Delhi, November 21
One Vijay Kumar Gupta was held with 5 kgs of charas worth Rs 50 lakh in the international market from the Janak Puri area here.

An information was received that Kumar, who sold narcotics at his general store in JJ colony, Dwarka, would come to the Janakpuri area to deliver a consignment on Monday.