|
|
|
|
Drudgery driving women to suicide
Parents demand fee hike rollback
Poll Funda
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Prof Vaid : Four IIT questions had flaws
Villagers want leopard declared man-eater
|
|
Drudgery driving women to suicide
Dehradun, April 23 In the Ghansali block of Tehri, five married women committed suicide. In most cases, with husbands working outside the state they felt condemned to a lonely existence. Deprived of facilities and means to lead a purposeful life, they decided on ending their lives. Even as the government gropes in the dark, unable to understand the plight of women by coming up with an appropriate strategy, the once strong social bonds in the villages seem to be breaking. The drudgery surrounding the hill women has been well- documented by social organisations and research scholars have suggested several remedial measures in order to lessen the ordeal of women. In most instances, the causes related to suicides go unreported, mainly due to poor preliminary investigations by the police. What is worrisome is that the number of suicide cases among women continue to rise; in 2007 the number was 63 among women in the age group of 15-29 and 35 among women aged between 30-44. In 2006, the total number of suicide cases among women in the age group of 15-29 went up to 77, with 25 women hanging themselves. In the age group of 30-44, as many as 55 suicide cases were reported, 18 due to hanging. In most cases, poison was used as a means to end life. “In a conservative society like ours, the response to suicides have been ambivalent -- in some cases suicide was a symbol of protest, a means to attract the attention of rulers callous and apathetic to the demands of the powerless. “In most cases there may not be a history of mental illness,” said Dr JS Bisht, psychiatrist, Doon Hospital. The police claims that in most suicide cases the reasons are domestic squabbles and harassment by in-laws. A study of the condition of women in Kaussauni village by a social group claims that in most households, 90 per cent of men take to drinking while women are forced to bear the burden of running the house. In Uttarakhand, the main agriculture force comprises women. In the absence of men, they take up back- breaking tasks of ploughing and tilling the fields that provides them some income. They barely subsist on meagre earnings. Social activists point out that women in the countryside bear the brunt of economic reforms, almost carrying out 70 per cent of work in the fields (according to one study conducted by Shri Bhuwneshwari Mahila Ashram, an NGO based in Anganisain) while their husbands move to distant towns in search of work. “Left in the company of in-laws, they are bound to be clashes, women too have dreams and aspirations and resent being left back. “The harsh lives that these women lead has so far not caught the attention of policy-makers. Women’s plight has remained invisible. Taking one’s life is not easy and years of apathy at times becomes unbearable,” said Geeta Gairola, director, State Project Mahila Samakhya. In her study, Anita Dighe, director, distance education, Himgiri Nabh Vishwavidyalya, points out that due to patriarchal customs and traditions, hill women have limited options. Their basic needs are ignored and there is no outlet to vent out their frustration. Their day begins early, fetching water from a nearby source, then going to the forest for fodder.” Suicides by young rural women is a pointer towards the alienated lives that they are forced to lead. They have limited means to assert themselves. “One may be tempted to say that there is nothing going for these young women. During our interaction with family members where such incidents have occurred, it came to light that even a small tiff, say with a sister-in-law, could trigger such extreme behaviour,” said Raj Rawat, chairman, Women’s Commission. This also suggests how little appreciation rural women have for their lives. “Unable to handle daily hardships, the uncaring attitude of husbands and in-laws often drive the women to take such a drastic step,” explained
|
|
Parents demand fee hike rollback
Dehradun, April 23 Terming the hike as unjustified, the parents insisted upon meeting the principal when the school opened this morning. The management called the police, but good sense prevailed as the principal, Sister Gracy, finally relented and met the agitating parents after making them wait for more than two hours. Since for the past many days’ parents were demanding a solution through negotiations, the principal agreed for an extended meeting with them to sort out the problem amicably. She assured them that a date and time would be intimated to all the parents. A circular would be sent to them through their wards on Tuesday. Vice-president of the Parents’ Organisation D Kumar said increasing the fee by as much as 40 per cent from this session was totally unjustified. It has put the parents under severe financial burden, especially those who have two or three wards studying in the school. “Last year also, the hike was as much as 20 per cent,” he said. Another parent Shekhar Mamgain claimed that the school had sought Rs 2,000 as development charges in 2006. He showed a copy of the school circular, which clearly mentioned that the charges were meant only for two years. However, the principal expressed ignorance about such a circular and its availability in the records when the parents showed her a copy of it. Even if any such circular was issued, she argued that it did not amount to commitment. She justified the charges on the grounds that the collected funds are meant for providing facilities to their wards. Meanwhile, District Magistrate Amit Singh Negi called upon the management to sort out the problem.
|
|
Poll Funda
Dehradun, April 23
BBA student Getesh Kumar who is enthusiastic about the coming elections has a suggestion. “All contestants should have at least passed the Class XII exams and they should be made to undergo an aptitude test as is done by all of us before we take up a career of our choice.” Ishan, a mass communication student says election as a powerful tool in the hands of the citizen to elect those their representatives in the government. He feels political parties should cut down spending on posters and rallies. “Such spending is futile because people will vote for the party they feel is right, irrespective of propaganda. Mobilising the youth for rallies by paying for their petrol and providing them food and other allurements is not going to help the parties increase their vote bank,” he says. Vinayak, a law student, is against political parties employing celebrities for attracting crowds. “These celebrities should be banned from election campaigns. Although they manage to pull crowds , they hardly ever talk sense,” Puneet, who studies hotel management, said: “Young senior leaders should make way for the young to bring dynamism into politics. Beyond a certain age, politics should be banned from contesting elections.”
|
|
Prof Vaid : Four IIT questions had flaws
Dehradun, April 23 He said one question seeks finding of enthalpy of combustion, but it is devoid of required inputs. “This question, which is part of paper 2 of Chemistry, asks the applicant to find enthalpy of combustion while not disclosing the molecular formulae that are required to find out a solution,” claims Vaid, who confirms his point through facts provided in the book “Physical Chemistry” written by Gordon M Barrow and published by Tata McGraw Hill. Even various solutions put up by coaching centres on the internet provide different answers to the question, with only one pointing out that the aforesaid question had “deficit of inputs”. Another question in section 2 of Paper 1 calls for deciding on diastereomers with the help of structural formula, which again is not possible as diastereomers can only be calculated through configuration of the compound and not on the basis of structural formulae. A question of cross-linking regarding “S” and “P” orbitals is again devoid of specification. Dr Vaid has sought publication of the solutions to these questions and suggested a meeting of eminent teachers to decide on marking. Dr AK Nigam demanded bonus marks for all applicants. He said it must be ensured that such mistakes were not repeated . Former Head of Department, Chemistry, DAV (PG) College, Dr SS Sawhney said such complacency in setting up of IIT entrance examination papers was certainly uncalled for and reveals the callous approach towards higher education.
|
|
Villagers want leopard declared man-eater
Dehradun, April 23 Sunil, son of Bachan Singh, was playing on the roof of his house at Ringalgarh when he was attacked by a leopard which took him away to the forest. The villagers on hearing the screams somehow managed to pull the boy from the leopard but shortly after the rescue, he succumbed to his injuries. Jaunpur block has been facing attacks by this wild animal for quite some time. Meanwhile, forest officials have dispatched a team to Tehri to locate the leopard.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Fed up with life’s drudgery, an increasing number of rural hill women are committing suicide in Uttarakhand. There have been six cases of suicide by women in Tehri Garhwal district alone this year. Most were in the age group of 20-30.
In the Ghansali block of Tehri, five married women committed suicide. In most cases, with husbands working outside the state they felt condemned to a lonely existence.
