Citizen News Service (CNS)

'Hunger and Poverty home to India'

2009-07-19T18:56:00.004+05:30

'Hunger and Poverty home to India'
Anjali Singh

LUCKNOW: Though this is her fifth visit to the Lucknow, state capital of Uttar Pradesh, Kristin Kjaeret, Director FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN) Norway, an international human rights organisation campaigning for right to feed oneself, maintains that things have not changed even now.

In a candid interview to Citizen News Service (CNS), she rues the lack of strong political will in India to help people get their rights to live a life of dignity sans discrimination, poverty and starvation.

You have submitted a report on the Right to Adequate food to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), in your estimation how is food security going to be in India?
India has had to face a lot of criticism recently from the international communities for not being able to provide people their fundamental right to food. Predictably these communities are now also asking for awareness raising campaigns to highlight not only the right of a person to feed themselves but also the schemes which the Indian government has put in place to allow people to do that. The right to food security for all must be publicised well only then the situation will improve in the India.

What according to you causes the problems of food shortfalls. Is it due to crop failure or of inefficient public distribution system?
Well a case that came to the Supreme Court in 2005 and urged the court to order a food census is a fitting example of what causes food shortfalls in India. When carried out, the census revealed that over 60 million tons of grain was stored in the government godowns but due to lack of efficient distribution systems and effective implementation of government lead schemes the grain did not reach the people causing thousands to starve. So I believe that if the distribution system in the country is freed of discrimination and corruption India can provide people food security very well.

Would you say its the rural economy as a whole which needs to be given attention?

Frankly I have not studied in depth the rural set up of India so to comment on setting up an alternative rural economy would not be right. But I feel everyone is trying to function in the existing system to the best of their ability so setting up a shadow economical system for rural area would not be a good idea. There are already many schemes put in place for the rural sector, if awareness of these schemes can be improved things will change for the better.

You have said that corruption, discrimination and poor implementation of the schemes to provide people their right to food are the reasons behind the violations of human rights in India. How can this be prevented?
Its a challenge, and we are in touch with some Indian parliamentarians who are working on the issues and doing a good job to improve the distribution system. Secondly we are also encouraging them to enact food laws and suggest its implementation with the help other members in your parliament. But as I said a strong political will is necessary for these changes to work.

What are the three important actions the Indian government needs to take to fulfill its commitments to CESCR?
There has to be a strong political will to ensure there are no violations of people's rights and the government should stress upon legislation against the violations and complaint must be redressed immediately. But most importantly the effective and early implementation of the schemes for food security must be focused upon.

If India fails to fulfill its commitments as a signatory, is it liable for legal action?
Let me put it this way, soon hopefully the UN will be formally adopting a policy of Optional Protocol of CESCR. Through this the ratification of states will be given a legal nature which will enable people to be brought directly to the UN committee and make a statement if their case come up for hearing. The committee has already made it clear that all the programmes for human rights being introduced by Indian government must be implemented and if it is not and the cases it hears proves as much, it will want to know why. FIAN committees in different states in India will be mediated for the people.

There is the issue of genetically modified foods and corporatisation of agriculture which has been strongly opposed by civil society groups. What is FIAN doing to prevent this trend?
GMOs is a widely debated issue worldwide and there are many organisations in USA already opposing it, so FIAN does not feel the need to take up the case of an issue that is already being fitfully addressed. But we are not in favour of GMOs, and we can intervene only if cases of violations of food security arise due to GMOs. Individual cases if complaints are made and if brought to us will be taken up. But we don't lead campaigns against GMOs as a policy.

You met the govt officials of the handicap department in UP to urge them to create jobs for for the physically and visually challenged, what was the response of the officials?
Well (smiles) they have promised to create 1500 jobs this year for the handicapped as as per a law passed in 1995, 3% government jobs had to be reserved for the handicapped. But that has not been implemented yet. The two training centres set up in UP to train people to be fit for the jobs provided to them by the government are now full as, since two years the students have not moved out due to lack of employment generation. But as per our discussions with the officials at the handicap welfare department they have initiated the process of creating jobs for the physically and visually handicapped. So lets hope for the best.

[Photo Caption: Kristin Kjaeret, Director FIAN, Norway]
Anjali Singh
(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS) and also the Director of Saaksham Foundation. Email: anjali@citizen-news.org)

Spread love, not infection...

2009-07-18T14:06:00.002+05:30

Spread love, not infection...
Alka Pande

"Say Yes to Condom – No to HIV"
"A Rupee saves a life"
"Stay Negative Love Condom"
"Love yourself, Love your partner, Love Condom"

With these catchy slogans, a health organisation distributed condoms to people in New Delhi, much to the irritation of political outfits like Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, who along with their political activities in India, also play the role of moral police in the country.

Recently, its activists damaged a condom vending machine and forced the State AIDS Control Society to remove the machine placed in a park, in one of the northern states of the country.

However, this did not deter those who are dedicated to educate the public of the ways to safeguard themselves from this deadly virus.

The message that was disseminated with the condoms was - "Say yes to condom, no to HIV’", "Stay Negative – Love Condom" and so on. More so, an attention-grabbing image of a semi-nude male with the words "Stay Negative" tattooed on his upper back is already there on the streets of the capital catching attention of the passersby.

It was AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) which distributed the AHF-LOVE-Condoms. The AHF works with communities for HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing programme and is now focusing on urban population by trying to motivate it to visit the site www.freehivtest.net and find out where to get the blood test done quickly, conveniently and free of cost.

Senior Global Policy Director of AHF (USA), Ms Terri Ford, who is presently on a mission to India, is advocating this worldwide free distribution of AHF-LOVE brand condoms. "It is a new beginning to restore the condom's critical place at the front-line of effective Global AIDS Prevention and Control. If a rupee can save a life, there is no reason why free condoms should not be distributed", She argues.

Why are Condoms So Important for Global HIV and STD Control?

If global AIDS control has defined an absolute reduction in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, condoms can be give a large share of credit for successfully achieving that goal.

Treatment has played a crucial role in bringing hope to millions and in motivating masses of people to get tested. The huge success of the last World AIDS Day – One Million Test Campaign – during which men, women and children lined up across the globe to be tested – demonstrates that people want to know their status.

The simple formula for global AIDS control involves -

* Identifying those who are still undiagnosed and linking them to treatment, which will render them less infectious.

* Promoting use of condom - the known and tested method for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV.

* Ensuring that the Positives protect their partners by using condom.

* Breaking the chain of infection by getting more and more people tested to know their HIV status.

The AHF has tied up with HLL Lifecare Limited for this LOVE- Condom campaign. "A key component of the campaign is the website www.getfreecondoms.org , which contains crucial information about HIV transmission, prevention and treatment, including facts about condom use. The site also incorporates an extensive 'myth v/s reality' section that frankly addresses false beliefs about HIV infection, which often prevent some individuals to go for testing,’’ the medical expert Dr Nochiketa Mohanty says.

This campaign is aimed to bring public-private partnership to facilitate access to free condoms and is expected to complement the ongoing social marketing and free distribution of condoms promoted by Government of India.

The HLL representative claims that the goal of LOVE Condom Campaign is to scale-up global support for condom usage by distributing ten million high-quality World Health Organisation (WHO) approved condoms free of charge to any individual, non-governmental or government agency, which makes a commitment to support the campaign's aim of achieving hundred per cent access to free condoms worldwide.

To achieve 'Global AIDS Control' an aggressive inclusion of condoms as a safety measure is essential. The experts claim that the ABC model focusing on Abstinence-Be faithful-Condoms, which proved to be a success in countries such as Uganda, loses its strength without including C (Call for) condoms. The time has come to bring Condoms from the back to the forefront and evolve a new model of ABC (Abstinence-Be faithful-Call for) Condoms.

Alka Pande
(The author is a senior Journalist)

Mayawati’s Idolization and quest for Dalit Emancipation

2009-07-18T09:55:00.003+05:30

Mayawati’s Idolization and quest for Dalit Emancipation
SR Darapuri

During the Assembly elections 2007, the people of Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) India and especially the Dalits voted Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to absolute majority. They expected that this time with a stable government she will be able to take U.P. out of the quagmire of underdevelopment and backwardness. They also hoped that now she will work out a development agenda for the State as well as for the Dalits and implement it faithfully. During her previous three stints as Chief Minister she took the plea that due to her dependence on other parties for support she could not act independently. As such she needed a government with majority to give her a free hand in running her government. But even this time Mayawati did not come up to the people’s expectations. Neither she neither worked out development agenda nor stopped wasting public money on installing statues, creating memorials and making parks.

If judged from the point of view of development, at present U.P. is the one of the most backward states of India. As per 2001 Census Repot it has the largest population (16.16 crores) which stands as 16.16 % of total population of India. According to development parameters the total literacy rate of U.P. is 56.30 % (Male 68.8 and Female 42.2 %) whereas at the national level it is 68.84 % (Male 75.26 and 53.67 %). The sex ratio of U.P. stands at 898 whereas the national ratio is 933. According to available statistics the per capita income in U.P. during 2005-06 was Rs. 13,316 which is the lowest in the country excepting Bihar (Rs. 7875) whereas at the national level it is Rs. 25,716. During this period the per capita power production and consumption in U.P. was 113 and 167 K.W.Hour as compared with 563 and 372 K.W.Hour at the national level.

From the Public Health angle the birth rate, death rate and child mortality rate for U.P. were 30.4, 8.7 and 73 respectively whereas the national rates were 23.8, 7.6 and 58 respectively. As per the findings of NFHS-III, 2005-06 the infant mortality (number of infant deaths per thousand live births in the last five years) rate at national level is 57 whereas for U.P. it is 73. In India, 46 per scent children under three yeas of age are underweight whereas in U.P. it is 47 percent. Almost 38 % children (under three years age) are stunted (too short for their age). In U.P. their percentage is 46. Almost 79 % of children (6-35 months) and 56 % of women in India are anemic. In U.P. the figures are 85 and 51 percent respectively. From the employment angle during 2001 in U.P. only 23.78 % of total workers were Main Workers and 66 % were engaged as Agriculture Labourers. At present 32 % of U.P. population is living below poverty line against the national average of 27.5 percent.

From the above details it is clear that from the development point of view U.P. is one of the most backward states of India. In such a situation, not only Mayawati but every government is expected to utilize all the resources of the State for the development of the people. But it has not happened for last many years. According to Sudha Pai “There is evidence that the conditions of the poorer sections in U.P. which include the major chunk of the Dalits have become worse during the 1990s. The National Human Development Report (NHDR) has pointed out the poor conditions of life in comparison with many other states. The State’s position in terms of Human Development Index was 29th in 1981 and has fallen to 31 out of 32 states (NHDR 2001:140-41). Similarly the Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure registered a fall in the State between 1993-94 and 1999-2000; that this is due to a drastic reduction in the consumption expenditure on food between two periods clearly suggest deterioration in the standard of living. This down slide took place when the B.S.P. supported by B.J.P. was in power in U.P. for the most part (National Herald, Lucknow May 1, 2002). Despite the fact that the BSP. had formed a government twice during the 1990s and was again in power with the support of the Bhartiya Janta Party, the conditions of Dalits have not improved according to the draft proposals of the Tenth Five Year Plan (Jha, 28 December, The Times of India, New Delhi-2002). The BSP did not put forward any policies for improving the socioeconomic conditions of the subaltern sections of the Dalits. The emphasis has been on political empowerment only.”

It is well known that Mayawati did not take up any development agenda during all her tenures of Chief Minister ship. During the elections BSP never came out with an election manifesto. This was done purposely. Because declaration of an agenda being about the responsibility of implementing it and failure to do so invites public wrath. Mr. Kanshi Ram, the mentor of Mayawati, attracted Dalits by promising to fulfill the incomplete mission of Dr. Ambedkar but cleverly he never defined it in writing. “First capture political power and then any work” was the promise given by BSP. In the beginning, Dalits were instigated against higher castes by raising emotional and non-material issues but later on all sorts of unprincipled and opportunistic alliances were made to get political power. All the principles of Ambedkarism were thrown to winds and dalits were exploited emotionally in the name of caste. Personal ambitions were pursued in place of Dalit issues. This unprincipled, non developmental and corrupt politics has resulted in poverty, unemployment and backwardness of the people of U.P. and the Dalits at large.

Now it will be pertinent to see on what items the budget money was spent during this period. It has been found that major part of budget was spent on non-development projects. It is noticeable that 90 % of Cultural Department and about 40 % of Public Works Department budget was spent on parks, memorials and statues. What ever money was spent on welfare programmes, a major apart of it was eaten away by corruption. As such the poor were deprived of any benefit there of. The main cause of it has been the personal greed and corruption of Mayawati which may land her in jail in the near future. She has spent a major portion of state budget on installing statues, making parks and creating memorials. Along with the statues of Dr. Ambedkar and some other Dalit icons she has installed her own statues along with her mentor Kanshi Ram. She seems to have taken inspiration from North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Ill. She has made history by installing her own statues as a living person. According to available information she has spent more than 3,000 crores of Rupees on statutes and parks. These statues and memorials are so grand and costly which can put any king or queen to shame. According to one German scholar Maren Schempp, “Mayawati is building her own Rome.” Another scholar has labeled it as a criminal waste of public money.

Now Mayawati is ruling the State for the fourth time and she proclaims to be the savior of Dalits. In the face of this claim it will be proper to see what she has done to for the upliftment of Dalits of U.P. According to 2001 Census Report the population of Dalits in U.P. is 3.51 crores which is 21.2 % of State population and is the largest in whole of India. Ordinarily it is expected that in a state where a Dalit Chief Minister has occupied the chair for the fourth time, the Dalits of that state might have benefited much from her rule. But the ground reality is totally to the contrary. At present U.P. dalits are the most backward in whole of India leaving aside the Dalits of Orissa and Bihar. According to 2001 Census Report the Male- Female sex ratio of U.P. dalits is 900 whereas the national average of Dalits is 936. Similarly the literacy rate of U.P. Dalits is 46.3 % (Male 60.3 and Female 30.5 Percent) against the national average of 54.7 percent (Male 66.6 and Female 41.9 %). According to above Census report out of 1.33 crore children between the age of group 5-14 yeas only 58.3 lacs ( 56.4 % ) were going to school.

According to above census Report among total workers U.P. has got 42.5 % dalits working as Agriculture Labourers against the national average of 45.6 %. The percentage of U.P. dalits below poverty line is about 50 %. In U.P. Work Participation Rate of Dalits is 34.7 % which is lower than the national average. Being a dominantly agriculture based society land is an important source of production. In U.P. the number and size of land holdings with dalits is very small but land reforms have not been given proper priority in the State. What ever land was given to the landless, most of it is under illegal possession of higher castes and Mayawati cannot afford to annoy them as they form an important part of her Sarvjan (all included) followers.

On account of feudal social set up caste discrimination and practice of untouchability are the main factors behind atrocities against Dalits in U.P. Their number is highest in whole of India. A decrease in atrocities and prompt action against the offenders is the general expectation from Mayawati but the reality is totally otherwise. During 2001 Mayawati in order to keep her crime figures low issued a written order suspending the use of Scheduled Cases and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities ) Act but was forced to withdraw the same in 2003. This had a very adverse effect on dalits. The atrocities continued to be perpetrated but their cases were not being registered by police. Besides this, the practice of untouchability is quite prevalent in midday meals in Primary Schools, Anganwari Centres and government hospitals but very little action is taken at government level. Thus Dalits continue to suffer under Mayawati’s rule. They have not experienced any empowerment material or otherwise.

“The statues serve as a source of inspiration for dalits” is the argument put forward by Mayawati for justifying her idolization. But this argument is quite contrary to the philosophy of Dalit icons. Let us see what Dr. Ambedkar said in a letter published in Bombay Chronicle in 1916. Following the death, in 1915, of Pherozeshah Merwnjee Mehta, one of the founders of Indian National Congress, and of Gopal Krishana Gokhle, another Congress leader and founder of Servants of India society, Ambedkar notes: “The memorial for Gokhle is to take the form of establishing branches of Servants of India Society at various places, while that of Sir P.M. Mehta is to stand in the form of a statue before the Bombay Municipal Office.” While appreciating the memorial for Gokhle, Ambedkar records his dismay over a statue for Mehta being “very trivial and unbecoming.” He is “at pains to understand why this memorial cannot be in a form that will be “of permanent use to posterity.”. He suggests that the memorial should be a public library named after Mehta. Drawing from his experience at “one of the biggest universities in the U.S., Ambedkar laments how we have not yet “realized the value of the library as an institution in the growth and advancement of society.”

Later, Dr. Ambedkar acted on these principles when he had the opportunity. He was driven by the belief that education was the greatest weapon for advancement. He founded “People’s Education Society” in 1944; three branches of Siddharth College beginning 1946; and Milind Mahavidhyalya in 1950. With a view to benefit the maximum number of students he established colleges in Bombay and Marathwar which is the most backward area in Maharashtra.

It is true that statues serve as source of inspiration but this role is very limited. The lasting inspiration comes by following their ideals and propagating their philosophy. But Mayawati has done hardly any thing in this direction. If the money spent on statues had been spent in establishing educational institutions in the name of dalit icons, it would have brought a qualitative change in the society.

From the brief above discussion it transpires that the emancipation of dalits can be achieved not by installation of statues but by working out a Dalit development agenda and implementing it honestly. In stead of spending crores on the statues, establishing educational institutions, hospital, libraries and useful institutions in the name of Dalit icons will be a true honour and memorial to them.

SR Darapuri, is a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer (former Inspector General (IG) of Police), Vice-President of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), UP, and also represents the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and Lok Rajniti Manch (People's Politics Front). Email: srdarapuri@yahoo.co.in

Men against violence-1: Learn masculinity from Mahatma Gandhi?

2009-07-18T08:56:00.004+05:30

Men against violence-1
Learn masculinity from Mahatma Gandhi?
Nasiruddin Haider Khan

DHAKA: "Women have raised their voices against gender-based violence. They have fought for policies and laws. But now it is high time that women's movement should engage men. There are enormous challenges to counter violence against women. Without involving men, it is not possible to prevent gender based violence."

This is James Lang. A strong advocate of engaging men for prevention of domestic violence. He is leading “Partners for Prevention,” a joint programme on working with boys and men to prevent gender based violence initiated by four United Nations organizations namely the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV).

Recently during a South Asian regional consultation in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I got the opportunity to throw few questions to him. I was one of the participants of this consultation on Engaging men and boys for gender equality and violence prevention.

"Gender relations involve both men and women. Generally this relationship is unequal. Structural dynamics are also against women. This inequality leads to gender based violence", he summarizes the issue in these words.

On the other hand, Satish Singh of Men's Action for Stopping Violence Against Women (MASVAW), a network working with men in Uttar Pradesh, India puts it like this; "if men are part of the problem then they have to be part of the solution too. They are the ones who determine masculine social values and laws. "

However both James and Satish quickly add, violence is not natural to boys and men. They learn this behavior during their lifetime. It is part of their socialization processes. Therefore, according to James, "a non-violent masculinity image can be promoted as an alternative to the macho man image. So, it is very necessary to work with men for an alternative idea of masculinity." Satish elaborates, "if all the men of world are not perpetrator of violence, then rest of the men also can become non-violent."

"This is necessary for peaceful, harmonious and caring relationship. There is an urgent need to see men not only as a perpetrator but also as a human being", James points out. Whereas Satish opines, "violence also affects men. Therefore they have to learn how to respect human rights of others."

This movement for engaging men for gender equality and violence prevention has lot of expectation from South Asia. As James points out, "in this region you will find several examples of alternate masculinity that are non-violent. They are the people who pour love and affection. They are sensitive to the women and children.... and who will be the best example other than Mahatma Gandhi?"

"Was Gandhi not a man", asks James. He elaborates on his idea, "all religions advocate for peace and caring relationships. Why not people see the Buddhist monk of Bhutan? There are people like political leaders, film stars, sports persons, who are men of caring and non-violence. They talk about love, affection and peace. Why not we look at masculinity from this angle? They are indeed a positive example of masculinity."

Because, according to James, "whether it is Hollywood or Bollywood, their films depict a male hero with muscle power and gun fights with another male to get the girl. These male hero with chiseled body and armed with weapons create the image of "real man". This image gets ingrained in the boys. They imitate and try to replicate this image in real life."

"But can anybody get the love of a girl by violent means?" James threw the question.

No.. not at all... What he gives and gets is violence and only violence.

South Asian countries will work together
South Asian countries will work together to engage men for gender equality and violence prevention. Their special focus will be on boys. Not only that, effort will be made to put forward the concept of alternative masculinity. These have been decided in a consultation in Dhaka, Bangladesh last month. This consultation is organised under the banner of "Partners for Rrevention", which is an umbrella programme jointly initiated by UNFPA, UNDP, UNIFEM, UNV. Among the participants were representatives of different networks, civil society organizations, teachers, journalists of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and UN organizations.

Nasiruddin Haider Khan
[The author is a senior Hindi journalist based in Lucknow and a noted researcher on gender issues. His website is Gender Jihad (www.genderjihad.in) and he can be reached at nasiruddinhk@gmail.com ]

North Indian village boy shared J8 summit experience

2009-07-16T12:33:00.004+05:30

North Indian village boy shared J8 summit experience
Alka Pande

- Education till class twelfth should be compulsory for each child in India.

- Each village in the country should have not only primary schools but also higher secondary schools.

- Teachers should teach with affection and support so that students do not feel scared of them in putting up their queries.

These are the suggestion which fourteen year old Narendra Kumar put forward in the J8 Summit in recently concluded in Rome. As the acronym suggests, J8 is the junior version of G8, in which children prepare a proposal of what they expect from their respective governments. Narendra was one of the three young boys who had been chosen to represent India at the J8 summit in Rome. The other two boys were from Tamil Nadu (south) and Orissa (north east). After coming back from the summit, Narendra shared his once in a life-time experience with the media persons and elaborated upon some of his suggestions at the summit.

A student of class eleventh, Narendra belongs to a remote village in the most populous north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The village Grampure Gosai, located in Rae Bareli – the parliamentary constituency of UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Chairperson and All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi – has no electricity. Narendra and boys and girls like him have always studied in the dim light of kerosene lamps.

The selection of Narendra for this prestigious event dates back to November 2008 when UNICEF held a Children’s Assembly in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The village children held a mock assembly in the real hall of Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly, in which Narendra was unanimously chosen to act like Speaker. His talent was spotted by a state-based voluntary organisation Lokmitra – working for right of all children to free education with quality and equality.

Both, UNICEF and Lokmitra polished the inherent talent of Narendra to take it to a level enabling him to represent this most backward northern state of India. Since Narendra could neither understand nor speak fluent English, a Lokmitra representative accompanied him to Rome and assisted him as an interpreter.

What makes Narendra’s achievement worth mentioning is his humble background. His father is a labourer in the village earning measly daily wages. The village has no electricity and no other facility like clean drinking water or medical and health services.

Coming from a family of 12 members, Narendra has four brothers and five sisters, of which six siblings are older to him. Incidentally, Narendra is the first one in his family to have reached and cleared class eleventh and most probably he is the first one in the village to have visited another country. A follower of Sonia Gandhi, Narendra wants to become a teacher because he feels that education is an essential tool for empowerment.

Alka Pande
(The author is a senior Journalist)

Of tribes and times

2009-07-10T22:56:00.003+05:30

Of tribes and times
Bindu Gurtoo, CNS

Sikkim, that tiny outcrop in the eastern Himalayas, is a little jewel that makes an interesting contribution to the bewildering cultural and ethnic diversity of India. On the face of it, Sikkim has always seemed an idyllic, lost- in- the clouds abode of beatific Buddhist monks and smiling inscrutable mongoloid people. Despite the impression of an ethereal placidity, Sikkim’s history, especially in the last six centuries has been quite eventful. Migrations from Tibet, wars with Bhutan in the east and with Nepal in the west, the Gorkha incursions, parley with the British… Sikkim’s past is as checkered as that of any other region in the subcontinent (barring of course, the North West!).

The ethnic cocktail of Sikkim is a mix of the Lepchas, the Bhutias, the Limboos, the Tamangs, the Nepalese and a host of plains people. The original dwellers of Sikkim are supposed to be the Lepchas who ventured into Sikkim from either Assam or Burma or from Tibet in some distant past. Lepchas practice the Bon faith, an animistic shamanistic religion. It probably flowered in Central Asia at the dawn of human civilization and flourished in the subcontinent from eastern Afghanistan to Sikkim and beyond. Bon faith as practiced in Tibet influenced Buddhism and was transformed by it in return. The only Bon monastery I have seen in Sikkim is the one in Kewzing. There is one near Solan in Himachal Pradesh too, but that is of recent origin.
According to the Lephcas or the Rong as they call themselves, they are the children of Kanchendzonga, the third highest peak of the world. The Lepchas call it king-tzum-song –bu meaning, the highest over the head. The bon faith is a primordial religion, a throwback to a time when man had a reverential attitude to nature and had not yet learnt to dam the rivers and blast the hills. Perhaps, we could take lessons in co-existence with nature from the mountain worshipping and river loving Lepchas.

Intriguingly, the hunting Lepchas are bigger built and show fewer mongoloid features as compared to the farming ones. The Lepchas I am told, are happy amiable people. Why not, after all, their God is called RUM! There is a well guarded Lepcha village near Rang Rang. Here, the Teesta winds down from the chilly environs of Chungthang towards the pleasantly lush cardamom hills of Mangan. Approachable by a foot bridge, the Lepcha village is spread over the mountainside and is off limits to all but the Lepcha residents. I should know. My son tried. Driven by the insatiable curiosity of a ten year old for all things forbidden, he had skittered down the hill, crossed the foot bridge and was turned back firmly by the police guarding the entrance of the village.

It was at Rang Rang, more than five centuries ago, that the Lepchas and the Bhutias signed a brotherhood pact that was sealed in blood. It allowed the Buddhist Bhutias of Tibet to settle down in “Denzong”, as they called Sikkim. The Bhutias honored the pact by proliferating and gaining a demographic upper hand. The Buddhist sects that came with the Bhutias set up colourfully frescoed gomphas and monasteries all over the region: From the remote Lachen in the north to Tashi Ding and Pemayangtse in the west to Rumtek in the east and Ralang in the south. Finally, by establishing the Chogyal dynasty, the Bhutias fulfilled the prophesy of guru Padmasamabhava, the eighth century founder of Tantric Mahayana in Tibet, of a Buddhist kingdom in Sikkim.

Sikkim has provided a safe haven for Tibetans since centuries. Hence, it was only natural that following the Chinese annexation, a sizeable chunk of the Tibetan exodus into India should have parked itself in Sikkim. Racial, cultural and religious continuity helped assimilation. Yet, not without a measure of censure though. An old monk at Lachen Gompha, himself a true blue Bhutia, lamented the growing trend of Bhutia-Tibetan marriages. It was ironic, considering that the Bhutias themselves, just a few centuries ago, were Tibetan migrants.

The other, much de-glamorized segments of Sikkim’s population are the Limboos and the Tamangs. Originally from Nepal, they did not receive tribal status during colonial rule and were relegated to the being mere commoners. History however, has a way of twisting the destinies of ethnic groups. The growing demand for cheap labour brought in the hard working Nepalese into the under populated Sikkim. The Nepalese were sturdy, and willing to work far more for far less than either the Bhutias or the Lepchas.on an evening, when you walk down the M.G Road in Gangtok that has been prettified with petunias and orchids, your ears will be filled with Nepali and your eyes will scan in vain for a glimpse of the bakhu clad Bhutias. The multi- ethnic crowd that throngs the Gangtok bazaar in fake jimmy choos walks to the beat of Bollywood. Today, the immigrant Bhutias like the indigenous Lepchas before them, have become a minority in Sikkim. The protected Lepcha village across the Teesta at Rang Rang and the Bhutia heritage village up north in Lachen, preserve slivers of tribal history that is being washed away in the swirl of modern demography.

Bindu Gurtoo, CNS

(The author is a member of Citizen News Service (CNS) Writers' Bureau. Email: bindugurtoo@gmail.com, website: www.citizen-news.org)

Rohini Episode-Lessons For The Police and Society

2009-07-10T20:04:00.004+05:30

Rohini Episode-Lessons For The Police and Society

Rohini Singh is still waiting for justice to be done after being brutally physically abused by the police constable Subhas Mishra, who entered and ransacked her home and also misbehaved with her two minor daughters, all because she was asking for protection against the harassment and domestic violence she was being subjected to by her husband.

"Even after the Director General of Police (DGP) saheb has intervened I am still being threatened and pressurised to take back my case against the constable. My husband who is in jail has sent a message through my son who went to meet there that they are asking him to sign a affidavit in jail saying that the injury on my leg is an old wound inflicted by him and not Constable Subash Mishra. I fear for the life and protection of both my children and myself and don't know who to approach for support now. There has been a First Information Report (FIR) lodged in my name against the offenders but till date I have not been given the copy of the FIR despite my asking for it several times. It is my right to know what sections have been put and what statement has been recorded in my name. I am also in need of financial relief to support my children and I request the government to help me get it through the courts, " says Rohini breaking down.

But she was not alone who spoke to the media fraternity press at Panel Discussion on "The Rohini Episode-Lessons for Police and Society" organised by UNICEF and Media Nest in collaboration with Saaksham Foundation, a organisation working to address violations of Child, women and Human Rights. The discussion was organised at the UP Press Club.

Dr Richa Rastogi, also spoke about the police harassment she was being subjected to owing to dowry harassment by her husband who along with the police has been tormenting her since 2007. "Every time I went to the police they refused to help me I even approached the women's commission but nothing was done."

"Repeated attempt were made on my life by feeding me poison in my food and pushing me in front of the truck yet when I went to the police for help they harassed me instead. When I got married my parents spend over 25 lakhs on my wedding but even that is not enough, they are still demanding money and my life is in danger. But wherever I have approached for help even the DGP office I have received no support as my husband's uncle who is under secretary in the UP government calls up the 'thanas' and officials I approach and pulls rank."

Professor (Dr) Roop Rekha Verma, former Vice Chancellor of Lucknow University and a noted social activist who has been spearheading Rohini's case through 'Saajhi Duniya' an organisation addressing women's rights, said,"Rohini's is not the first case in which we are seeing such indifference of the police. In every case that we take up it's the same story. It is a shame that living in a democracy we still have to face such atrocities and human rights violations at the hands of the law enforcers. But if we want to approach the judiciary its the same story, long drawn dates and cumbersome paperwork makes it almost impossible to get justice immediately for the victims."

She also questioned the attitude of the police while filing an FIR in such cases,"It's our right to get a copy of the FIR we file but in Rohini's case we have still not received the copy of the second FIR. We don't even know what has been stated in the FIR and what sections have been put. On the other hand we had also asked the police to investigate who filed the first FIR in which the accused were shown as unknown persons, as Rohini has never said the offenders were unknown. In fact her signatures were forged on the FIR which is a crime itself. But the police has still not furnished that information to us."

Dr Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and President, People's Union for Human Rights (PUHR), said, "This is a systematic problem. Corruption is rife in the police department and the fact that they can be pressurised to work under influence is common. The male dominated patriarchal society we live in also sets the stage for the weak, dalits and minorities rights to be violated. Its a colonial mindset the British have left behind and cannot be rectified. But what can be changed is the attitude of the police, the 'policia bhasha' that they use with expletives can be discouraged and their attitude made more humane. Every victim that goes to a thana today is subjected to abusive language and brutal torture, this should be condoned at all. We don't need a executive council or any legal initiative to change this. The top level cops should bring about this change and if they don't they should not be excused for it. The world is changing today when human rights is a huge issue internationally but in UP we refuse to address it."

G ShreeDevi, Secretary UP State Legal Services Authority (UPSLSA), who was also among the panelist, made people aware on what their legal rights are in case of such violations. She also offered to take up the case of Rohini Singh and help her get the financial aid for judicial intervention. "The problem is that people are not aware of their legal rights. In Rohini's case she should have filed her case under Domestic Violence act. This would have helped her get judicial custody of her children and also the financial relief she wants. The UP State Legal Services Authority wants NGOs to collaborate with us so that we can inform people about the provisions we have made to help them get justice in such issues."

Anjali Singh, Director Saaksham Foundation, said, "In every case of child rights, women rights and human rights the first violations occur at the police level who refuse to go by the system put in place to help these victims. Thus there is a urgent need to develop a pressure group to stand by these victims to help them get justice immediately and bring the offenders even if they are in the police to book. Its a shame that in a survey done by National Human Rights Commission in 2008 out of 94,559 cases of human rights violations from all over India, UP Police was heading the list of offenders with 55216 cases filed against them. It is shameful."

Augustine Veliath, Communication Specialist, UNICEF Lucknow, said,"From our end UNICEF is ready to develop NGO networking list which can be provided to UPSLSA to help educate as many people as possible about their legal rights to protect them selves against human rights violations."

The vote of thanks was given by Subir Roy, Senior Photo Journalist and member Media Nest, he said,"Media Nest's aim is to help people address such issues so that they can seek justice in the cases which are not being addressed fitfully. That's why we have set up this forum and raise such issues every fortnight through Media for Children's Hour."

Ban Racism and not the Burqa

2009-07-10T11:37:00.012+05:30

Ban Racism and not the Burqa
Bindu Gurtoo

So the French president has gone and done it. In the first presidential address in the French Parliament since 1848, the esteemed President talked about… the Burqa! By declaring, quite theatrically in the parliament that there was no place for the burqa in France, Mr. Sarkozy has undone the goodwill that President Obama so painstakingly earned for the West in Cairo last month. Not only that, by making a fatwa like declaration, he has given the Islamic hardliners another opportunity to raise the bogey of western cultural imperialism. Well, what else can one expect from a man who seems to have little clue on how to deal with global recession, or to tackle the rising unemployment in his country or even to get his countrymen and women to put in an honest day’s labour without going on a strike. Bombastic statements such as these confirm the long held belief of the coloured world that liberty is the white man’s concubine who uses her exclusively for his pleasure.

Pray, Mr. Sarkozy, how is burqa a garment of exclusion while the catholic nun’s habit is not? Granted that the burqa condemns the wearer to a claustrophobic formlessness, but, what about the two piece bikini designed by a man for the voyeuristic pleasure of the male gaze? How can a culture which connives in forcing teenagers to attain impossible thinness and applauds bizarre garments as high fashion, or sit in judgment over others’ attires? Come on Mr Sarkozy, tell us, as instruments of debasement and oppression, how are decadence, racism, substance abuse, bulimia, porn and pedophilia any less than the burqa? If, by banning the burqa you are trying to rescue Muslim damsels in distress, then may we suggest a more worthy alternative? How about giving the Muslims in your country genuine equal opportunities that are not sabotaged by racial snobbery?

While you rush to ban the burqa the way you banned the turban, why not ban a few other things such as tobacco, liquor and skinny fashion which have debased and destroyed a great many of your people? But we know you are not going to do that, Mr. Sarkozy for these are valued as expressions of the haute French culture. And one does not desecrate one’s culture by rudely hiving off bits, does one? We suspect Mr. Sarkozy that you have learnt your lessons in governance from the redoubtable Robespierre whose guillotine had once worked overtime in the name of democracy.

Perhaps Mr. Sarkozy, it is time you stepped out of the Muslim woman’s wardrobe and directed your attention to some real issues such as climate change, recession and the future of the European Union. Or do we conclude that it is because you are incapable of pondering over these problems that you take refuge in her cupboard? Do come away from her closet, President and let the Muslim woman decide for herself what she would like to wear. Ah! You are only trying to lend a helping hand, aren’t you? Please desist! For history shows us that the helping hand often ends up slapping the helper. As the president of the nation that pioneered popular uprising, you ought to know that revolutions have to germinate in native soil and can never be successfully grafted. Instead, place your trust in the Muslims to decide on the destiny of their cultures for themselves.

Perhaps, Mr. Sarkozy, the time has come for France to follow the example from across the Atlantic of her once good friend and partner- in- revolutions and elect colored leaders? Though it may seem a daunting task for a man of your intellect, but think Mr. Sarkozy, think!

Bindu Gurtoo, CNS

(The author is a member of Citizen News Service (CNS) Writers' Bureau. Email: bindugurtoo@gmail.com, website: www.citizen-news.org)

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The next health tsunami: Non-communicable diseases

2009-07-08T20:56:00.003+05:30

The next health tsunami: Non-communicable diseases

GENEVA: The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and the World Heart Federation (WHF) called today on the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to take immediate action to avert the fastest growing threat by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to global health.

NCDs which include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease, cause 60% of all deaths globally and 80% of these are in low- and middle-income countries. WHO projects that globally NCD deaths will increase by 17% over the next 10 years. The greatest increase will be seen in the African region (27%) and the Eastern Mediterranean region (25%). The highest absolute number of deaths will occur in the W. Pacific and S.E. Asia regions.

The global call, issued by the three organizations at the meeting of the UN ECOSOC in Geneva, demands five essential actions:

1. Call for an ‘MDG Plus’ containing NCD progress indicators in the 2010 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) review

2. Support the availability of essential medicines for people living with NCDs

3. Support a UN General Assembly Special Session on NCDs

4. Support the immediate and substantial increase of funding for NCDs

5. Integrate NCD prevention into national health systems and the global development agenda

The UN MDGs state that health is critical to the economic, political and social development of all countries, yet they contain no goals or targets for NCDs, which are the largest threat to health systems.

Public health experts are expecting ECOSOC leaders to show the way in confronting this health crisis faced by millions. The emerging epidemic of NCDs is threatening to overwhelm healthcare systems worldwide unless action is taken.

“This tsunami didn’t arise yesterday; it evolved over time and is getting worse. We need a revolution to change the trajectory if we are serious,” stated Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Health, Guyana at this morning’s WHO Ministerial breakfast meeting. The World Economic Forum’s 2009 Global Risks report supports this with evidence that the incidence of chronic disease is rising across both the developed and developing world. Medical advances and awareness can reduce the risk severity but chronic non-communicable diseases are still the main cause of death worldwide.

Evidence shows that up to 80% of NCDs can be prevented by addressing risk factors like unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use and those that are non-preventable can be treated inexpensively with essential medicines. While medicines such as aspirin, penicillin, insulin and morphine have been on the Essential Medicines List for years, they still remain beyond the reach of many.

The three NGOs request that the final declaration of the ECOSOC High Level Segment include a call for NCD indicators to be included in the 2010 review of the MDGs to form an ‘MDG Plus’, as this fast emerging global threat has not, to date, been addressed.

The three organizations together represent 730 member organizations in over 170 countries and vast networks of health care professionals, patient, and civil society organizations. They have joined forces to create a powerful voice for change and urge ECOSOC to take action in the face of the NCD epidemic.

Even after a month, tobacco pictorial warnings not as per law

2009-07-03T17:47:00.002+05:30

Even after a month, tobacco pictorial warnings not as per law

The pictorial warnings on ALL tobacco products should have come into force since 31 May 2009, as per the Government of India notification (3 May 2009). But even after more than a month of the legally binding deadline, very few tobacco products are showing pictorial warnings on their packets in Lucknow city.

Representatives from the civil society organizations today on 3 July 2009 toured the city to conduct a SOCIAL AUDIT on to what extent which tobacco products are displaying the pictorial warnings. A factsheet card in Hindi language for pictorial warnings on tobacco products which was earlier released by Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, Head of Surgery Department, Chhattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU) at the UP Press Club in Lucknow on 29 May 2009, was also distributed to the people. Professor (Dr) Rama Kant is also a World Health Organization (WHO) Director General’s International Awardee for the year 2005 on tobacco control.

The team conducting the social audit reviewed whether tobacco products in 50 tobacco retail shops randomly selected in Lucknow were selling tobacco products with pictorial warnings, whether these warnings occupy 40% of the front side of the pack, whether the warning is in the same language as that of other text printed on the pack, whether the warning reads in the same direction as other text printed on the pack, among other points.

Some of the findings of the people’s social audit include:
- Even though more than a month has passed by, very few tobacco products are displaying pictorial warnings.
- Only some brands of gutkha and beedies are printing the pictorial warnings, although mostly not as per the norms laid out by the notification of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
- Most cigarettes, local and foreign made, are not displaying the pictorial warnings yet, barring very few exceptions
- The pictorial warning is not covering 40% of the front side of the tobacco pack – mostly there is a WHITE area that covers 40% and in that white area, a small portion is the official and legally binding pictorial warning. Mostly 10-30% of the front side of the pack is covered by the warning only, if at all.

- On one of the brands of Beedi, the warning is very small, and also reads in the REVERSE direction (opposite direction to other text printed on the pack)
- Only one brand of cigarette (in the entire social audit) was found to have 40% area dedicated to the pictorial warning, and warning conforming to the norms laid out by the government’s notification

“India ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international public health treaty of the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2004 and is a Party to the convention. According to FCTC, the deadline for India to implement pictorial health warning was February 27, 2008. Even one month after the pictorial warnings became mandatory in India (on 31 May 2009), still so many tobacco products in India do not carry any pictorial health warnings and those that do carry, are not enforcing it strictly as per the norms laid out by the Health Ministry. Also FCTC recommends 30 % as minimum size of display of pictorial health warnings i.e. 30% front and 30% back, which India has again not complied with” said WHO Awardee (2005) Prof (Dr) Rama Kant.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the world. According to the World Health Organization, each year 5.4 million lives are lost all over the world because of tobacco use. Out of these 9 lakh deaths occur in India alone. 2500 Indians lose their lives each day because of tobacco use. India has the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world and 90% of all oral cancers are tobacco related and 40% of all cancers in India are due to tobacco use.

Wah! Shaad Wah! - An interface with 'Best Poet of the Year'

2009-07-01T12:35:00.004+05:30

Wah! Shaad Wah! - An interface with 'Best Poet of the Year'
Anjali Singh

Lucknow: Think Lucknow and the mention to the city of nawabs will be incomplete sans mention of Khushbir Singh Shaad, Lucknow’s very own local shayar (poet).

Known for his six book s on poetry complete with brilliant thought provoking muse penned both in Hindi and Urdu, Shaad has also penned verses for Bollywood movies like Dhokha made by none another than the radical film maker Mahesh Bhatt. Needless to say his words have moved hearts.

It’s little wonder that a poet with immense talent to connect with the audience was recently decorated with the coveted Literary Award For the Best Poet Of the Year 2008 given to him in April this year. Presented by a well known US based literary Organisation called Anjumane-e-taragui-e-urdu in North America, the award ceremony gave Khusbhir Singh Shaad the perfect timing to release his sixth book Jahan Tak Zindagi.

Needless to say he not only wowed the audience with his muse packed with powerful emotions and sufiana (spiritual) touch but once again he put Lucknow on the world’s literary map.

In an interview to Anjali Singh of Citizen News Service (CNS) post his return from the US, Shaad talks of his global fan following and what inspires him to pen such powerfully charged verses that gets everyone who reads it to respond in awe.

You have been named the Best Poet of The Year 2008, how does that make you feel?

Very honored. It has touched my heart to see so much love and affection from my readers.

You are one of the most popular shayars(poet) who has a global fan following, why do you feel that people living abroad identify so much with your muse?

Meri lavazon mein shayad unko watan ki khushboo aati hai (they can perhaps feel the spirit of their country in my verses) that’s why I think l my fans internationally feel for my work. You see living away from their country their only connection to it is through art creative expressions that reach them from here. They come to all the mushayaras(poetic evenings) to get a feel of their country irrespective of their caste or creed. I am very touched to see how they respond when I recite the shers(couplets).

You write in both Hindi and Urdu, does your audience understand the poetry?

Yes. The spirit of the shers I write has Urdu in it. Urdu jaan hai shayari ki (the essence of poetry is in the Urdu language) so anyone who loves shero shayari will surely acquaint them selves with a smattering of Urdu. And most of my readers in Pakistan, UK, USA, Middle East and Norway speak Hindi and Urdu both.

So if a person does not know Urdu they will not be able to understand shers?

No, they will be able to understand shers but the depth that the sher conveys will remain hidden from them. I too learnt Urdu at the age of 40 when my guru Wali Asi Saheb who was a very revered poet in Lucknow advised me to do so me when I published my first book Jaane Kab yeh Mausam Badle in 1992 . He said at a felicitation ceremony organized for the release that without knowing Urdu every poet is incomplete in his poetic expressions. He then made me promise that I would learn Urdu in one year and my next book will be penned in that language. I promised him I would comply and requested Sultan Khan sahib, a retired Information officer in the Uttar Pradesh state Govt to teach me Urdu. On learning the language I understood what Wali Asi Saheb meant about the essence of shayari can only be expressed in Urdu. In fact learning Urdu also gave me an idea how to say shers in the correct meter prior to that I had no clue how to measure the right meter.

How did you become a shayar (poet) was anyone in your family also as creative?

(Laughs) Oh no. My family was not into shero shayari at all, the nearest they came to creativity was my fathers’s pet name ‘Dilgeer’ which means a melancholic soul. But since the age of 14 I used to love listening to poetry as I was sentimental. I would spend hours just walking on the roof of my home. Then when I bought a book on poetry by Hind Pocket books my interest in penning what I used to think developed. That’s how I began writing. Then I became a shagird (student) of Wali Asi Saheb and the sky was the limit for me.

Despite being so popular you are not known to attend many mushayaras in India and never go to any in Lucknow either. Why so?

Well to be honest, I don’t believe a true shayar should attend mushayaras today as these functions have denigrated to a level which is not befitting a poets stature. Kabir the well known sufi poet was born with the talent of saying shers but he never attended a single mushayara, he was just committed to his art and truly expressed his emotions. Today people cash in on emotions, the couplets poets recite now have no relevance in modern times. Naturally these shers are said for effect not coming from the heart. Shayari should reflect contemporary society but most poets don’t know how to pen such muse and border on vulgarity. I most certainly would not want to be a part of such a gathering, so I just avoid attending some functions. Those who know my work read my books and understand what I write about.

It can’t be all that bad?

Well it is. To give you a small example, when a sher is said clapping is taboo and it is an insult to the spirit of the shayari being read, it is against poetic etiquette. But these days in every poetry session the poets themselves encourage the audience to clap for them after every sher. So nowadays the so called creative fabric are not even aware what is the proper behavior while saying a sher. So what can you expect from them when it comes to creativity.

Whom do you consider your biggest critic?

Myself. Arz kiya hai, "Mujhse Badkar Kaun hai dushman mera mere siwa. Hai mumkin meri hi zaat le doobe muhje" (There is no greater enemy of mine than myself, its possible I may destroy myself one day). What I mean to say is that a poet should live in the moment. Lamho mein jeena seekh lena chaiye (they should learn to live in the moment) only them they will be able to evolve on a daily basis. I set a benchmark for myself and I am brutally honest when I critique my own work. If I don’t do that the subjects I write on come back to haunt me, kyunki kirdar shero mein apna haq mangte hain muhjse (the characters in my poetry ask for justice for themselves to be treated and written about honestly).

You have a unique style of expressing your emotions through poetry, full of pain and melancholy. Why so?

Kiya Zindagi ne pehle har tarah se mustradd mujhko. Phir Uske baad bakshi mere hone ki sanat mujko (Life rejected me in every way before it gave me the honor that was due to be). So I guess I learnt a lot from life and the different aspects that I lived through which then finds expression in my poetry.

What about your family, what is their opinion to your shayari? Your daughter Asmit is known to call you a khazana(treasure).

(Smiles) Yes her various links on the net have shers I have penned. But I am deeply indebted to my wife and daughter for the support they have shown me. Has it not been for them I would have never reached the place I have through my work. The best I can describe what my family mean to me is through two shers I penned for them, “Meri Khatir Jisne Duniya Bhar Ki Khushiyan Chod Di, sochtha hoon usko kya mila mere siwa” (I often think she who has turned away all the world’s happiness what has she got expect me in return.) “Kabhi dekhi nahin koi shikayat uski ankho mein. Who meri Bebasi aur Bekasi shayad samajhtha tha” (I have never seen any complaints in their eyes ever, maybe they understand my helplessness.)

All we can say is Wah! Shaad Saheb Wah!

Anjali Singh
(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS) and also the Director of Saaksham Foundation. Email: anjali@citizen-news.org)

Published in
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A New Hope Of Life For Our Ailing Education System

2009-06-29T10:36:00.002+05:30

A New Hope Of Life For Our Ailing Education System
- Shobha Shukla

It is heartening to note that the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), under the able guidance of Sri. Kapil Sibal, wishes to overhaul the education system in the country. It envisages replacing marks with grades (already been done by some Boards), having a ‘one nation -one board principle (an excellent idea), and bringing a tough law to prevent, prohibit and punish educational malpractices (very laudable, indeed).

So the air is seeded with well intentioned reform clouds getting ready to burst upon our sick education system. Whether they will infuse the much needed new life to it, or drown it, is what we need to ponder on. Very often, the erudite reformers take a blinkered view of the scenario, while sitting in their ivory towers. So it is important to initiate a nation wide debate on this issue, inviting not only heads of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and higher institutes of learning, but persons at the grass roots’ level too, that is the teachers and parents and students from different strata of society, who will be the direct beneficiaries or losers in the process of revamp. A mere scrapping of the class X board exam or introducing the grade system would mean poor cosmetic changes, without addressing the more vital problems.

Reforms need to begin at the lowest rung of ladder, viz. the primary level. It is at this stage that the child needs to be free from stress and the monster that a teacher/school is made out to be. With an increasing number of women joining the work force, the utility of play schools cannot be denied. But unfortunately, despite their mushrooming number, they are in the unorganized sector, with hardly any standards of quality control. The Honourable Minister would do well to strike at the grass roots, so that play schools do not become a mere extension of the ‘learning by rote’ system. It is here (and later in the primary classes) that the child can be introduced to environment protection, good hygiene habits, healthy food habits and communing with nature, in a very subtle manner, without the use of the written word. This becomes all the more important as parents find less quality time to spend with their kids. Corporate houses and government offices would do well to have such a ‘home away from home’ on their premises. This is one of the best ways to discharge their social accountability duties.

The primary level stage is the next one which is again largely into private hands. Education, for them, is big business, at least in the urban areas. Almost every other house in any locality has a board proclaiming to offer the best facilities (through English Medium) to a four year old child in the form of ‘computer education’, general knowledge etc. Very few boast of any sort of a play field. People, from even the lower middle class families, send their children to these schools, where they virtually learn nothing, by way of the three ‘R’s, even on reaching class V.

The situation could be slightly better in the missionary and public schools, the latter charging hefty fees. Computer is the buzzword these days. Parents do not seem to be interested in letting their child enjoy a carefree and happy childhood. Instead they want them to be store houses of crammed facts and figures. It is at the primary level that we can inculcate good moral and social values in the child as also a love and respect for nature and fellow human beings. Some schools score very high on this, but they are few and far between. One of my relative’s daughter studies in class three in a reputed Parsi school of Mumbai . At this young age she sees to it that there is no wastage of water/electricity in her house and that garbage is reutilized as far as possible. She is totally against junk food and aerated drinks. And she has effortlessly imbibed all these values from her school, which have now become part of her psyche. At this tender age, it is easy to mould the young characters as they look up to their teachers and try their best to emulate them. If they are made environmentally conscience at this stage, there will be no need to ‘Study’ Environmental Education as a subject in higher classes (so many of us are up in arms against this additional burden of having to memorize another subject with no tangible benefits). And please, let us not replace the play ground with the computer lab. The irreparable harms of this are already there for all of us to see.

Surely till class V there should be no exams. This is the time to arouse the curiosity and hone the natural talents of the child. Interests in fine arts like music, dance, painting (so very important and so much neglected) will help to ignite their imagination, encourage their creativity, and groom them for a well balanced personality. There is much more (and better) to life at this stage than being adept at handling the computer and reciting dialogues from television programmes of the cartoon network. Reading (apart from textbooks) is another habit which has taken a backstage, thanks to the absurd notion that ‘any activity which doesn’t fetch high marks is a waste of time.’ The intangible benefits of a love for reading are far too many and stand by us life long.

With the number of obese children on the rise, it is also important to emphasize on healthy eating habits and physical exercises and a love for nature. And I can say with certainty that all this is very much possible, if we have the will to do so.

Of course, we need specialized educators at the primary level to ensure a proper and balanced development of the child. It should be mandatory for schools to have play fields, airy class rooms with not more than 30 children to a teacher, compulsory yoga, and music and painting activities under competent teachers. The number of schools following these practices is abysmally small. If all schools follow these basic stipulations then parents would not seek specialized coaching of their child, from private tutors, to succeed at the interview for admission to nursery class in a school of their choice. It may seem grotesquely absurd, but such tuitions are immensely popular in urban areas.

The menace of ‘coaching institutes’ is another area, which needs immediate attention. If it is stopped, the students will be able to manage their time better and be de stressed. Gone are the days when taking private tuitions was a sign of the student’s incompetence. There is big money in coaching these days and nowadays it seems to be a matter of prestige, rather than necessity, to join one. Parents feel it is part of their parental duty to send their ward for private tuitions, right from Class I to Class XII, whether there is actual need of it or not. Obviously the child will be stressed due to paucity of time, having to manage ‘two study shifts’.

Several of my class 12 students admitted that they joined some coaching centre more out of peer/parental pressure. But once the heavy fees were paid they kept on wasting their time without improving their education levels at all. Incidentally, most of such students fare poorly at their Board Exams and also fail to qualify for a good professional institute. They would do much better if left to themselves, provided their teachers in school are sincere. Some state governments have tried, (but failed), to uproot this menace in the past. But the education/coaching mafia has such strong tentacles that nothing short of a strong diktat can deter them. This is one field where the HRD ministry needs to do some thing drastic.

At the middle school and secondary/higher secondary level again, it is a good idea to have a uniform pattern of education throughout the country, with some lee way given for regional modifications. But there should be just one examining body/board for the class XII level examinations. It will not make much of a difference if the class X board examination is scrapped, or the marks are replaced by a grade point system. The gradation in marking will and must remain. It is only the allotted marks that are changed to grades and some examining bodies are doing it already. But it does not make much sense to make the class X board examination optional. Either it should be there or not there. Else it will create more traumatic discrimination in the students.

What is more important is to revamp the examination system. At present it seems to be more of a farcical comedy than a serious exercise. There is an absurd emphasis, right from school authorities, to parents and students to get high marks. So much so that the latter are encouraged to cheat and score well by hook or by crook. The undeserving students stand to gain, at every step of the process. These days the teacher is always held responsible /accountable for good results, but rarely for the good conduct of her pupils. Many school managements encourage students to cheat, (particularly in the practical examinations), use unfair means and score high marks. Students obviously are no longer ashamed to cheat. They feel rather proud at having hoodwinked the authorities. There are numerous cases where parents have withdrawn their child from a particular school (after Class X) as the management did not guarantee to her full marks in Class XII Practical examinations. They preferred to send their ward to one which delivered these goods. So much for the moral character of the so called ‘character builders’.

But my contention is – why have such a system which encourage one to cheat and get away with it with impunity.

At present, every Board is trying to outdo the other by way of giving high marks (by diluting the marking scheme), and not by way of imparting quality education. We have students getting 100% marks in subjects like English, Hindi and Economics. Yet their knowledge of the subject is abysmally poor. The system of conducting practical exams in the Science subjects is fraught with aberrations and needs to be seriously revamped.

Exams should not be an ordeal, but make students capable of tackling pressures of life, without getting affected psychologically. Stress is an over hyped and fashionable word these days. The media has contributed to this stress factor in a big way, by making much ado about nothing. It is ridiculous to see students being interviewed before and after taking the Board Exams. It is pathetically amusing to see parents (particularly fathers) discussing the entire question paper with their ward as soon as she/he comes out of the examination hall. What is worse is the anguish and discomfort writ large on the face of the child at this ‘childish’ behaviour of the parent. I have witnessed such scenes very often during the course of my invigilation duties for Class XII examinations. It is such irresponsible behavorial attitudes which increase the stress levels of the students and not the actual exams

Some stress is necessary for all of us. Human beings are generally said to perform better under stress. Too much of dilution will make life insipid and unpalatable, in the same way as over stress will crush it completely. It is more important to impart life skills to our students. We should neither molly coddle nor suppress them. They have to be made competent enough to face the challenges of life; not to be deterred by failures; to accept success with grace and not brashness. They should not feel happy in walking with the crutches of their parents’ power/position. Rather they have to learn to earn their place in society by rightful means.

All this cannot be achieved without the cooperation of the teachers. There needs to be more accountability and better compensation in the teaching profession. It is only the government schools which implement fully any pay scale revisions for teachers. Yet they are notorious for under performance. Private schools (including missionary schools) maintain better standards, but their teachers are grossly underpaid, especially those teaching the higher classes. They always cite paucity of funds as a major problem. The HRD Ministry would do a yeoman’s service if it applies the ‘equal pay for equal work’ policy and makes a sincere effort to remove these discriminatory anomalies. Of course, higher financial benefits will have to be matched with better performances on part of the teacher community. They will also have to utilize their expertise and energy for teaching in class and not in coaching centres.

It is true that achieving this (or even some part of it) involves getting across many hurdles—political as well as logistic. Already there are loud voices of disagreement coming from some states. But instead of being carried away by populist measures, the ‘powers that be’ should don their thinking caps to figure out how to make it happen. A sensible education policy is in the interest of the students, parents and teachers-- in fact the entire nation.

Shobha Shukla

(The author is the Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS) and also teaches Physics at India's prestigious Loreto Convent. Email: shobha@citizen-news.org, website: www.citizen-news.org)

Drug users demand dignity, participation and evidence based policies

2009-06-26T17:22:00.003+05:30

June 26: International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Drug users demand dignity, participation and evidence based policies

On the international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, drug users gathered outside Shastri Bhavan (New Delhi, India), to reject “sham” programmes for addiction and demand meaningful involvement in policies. Protesting torture and cruelty in de-addiction centres, drug users called upon the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to “clean up” drug treatment and introduce evidence based services in consultation with persons who use drugs.

In his message on June 26th last year, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had called on Member States to ensure access to health and social services for people struggling with addiction and that no one is stigmatized or discriminated against because of their dependence on drugs. This message seems to have been forgotten. We are here to remind various agencies of their responsibility towards persons who are dependent on drugs” said R.K Raju, President of the Drug User Forum and convenor of the protest.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), drug dependence is a chronic medical condition that requires multi-disciplinary and comprehensive services. Drug treatment in India , is however, provided by some agencies utilizing unproven, outmoded and unscientific modalities. “Opioid dependent patients must have the benefit of Methadone and Buprenorphine, medicines that are on WHO’s list of essential drugs. It is time to promote and ensure wider access to drug substitution therapy, which reduces HIV and other blood borne infections related to injecting, lessens illicit drug use and improves health” recommends Dr. M. Suresh Kumar, a Chennai based psychiatrist who has been treating drug dependence for over twenty years. Presently, services for drug dependence are offered through:

* Government hospitals that provide inpatient and outpatient care, mostly detoxification. Barring premier centres like the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS in New Delhi , most of the government clinics do not offer opiate substitution.

* NGOs, who receive grants from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to run de-addiction centres that house addicts for 15 to 20 days. NGOs impart awareness and counseling but do not always follow clinical methods to treat addiction.

* Private centres that operate without registration or government approval. Such centres charge anything between Rs 3,000 to 7,000, from addicts’ or their families. There is no professional assistance; instead inmates are ‘punished’ for addiction. No government department monitors these clinics, which violate norms with impunity.

Of the above, the third category is the most dangerous. Recollecting horrific memories of his stay at a private de-addiction centre in Delhi , Anil said -“Forty of us were locked up in a dingy basement. One boy fell sick with cholera because of the dirty water we were made to drink. The owner allowed us to eat only 3 thin rotis a day, if some one asked for more, he was tied up and thrashed. Our heads were shaved off. We were treated like animals…worse than animals...”

“Many drug users have died in these centres, because of physical torture and/or lack of timely medical attention” complained Tripti Tandon of the Lawyers Collective, an NGO that advocates for rights of people dependent on drugs. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act tasks the government with setting up treatment facilities, but this responsibility has largely been ignored. “Schemes of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment are not binding on private centres. There is an urgent need to regulate treatment and protect the health and safety of drug users” urged Tandon.

Another grouse was the non-involvement of drug users in policies that affect them. “Community participation is essential for widening the reach of programmes. The Ministry has ignored us far too long. This must change.” – demanded Raju, flagging the banner of nothing about us, without us. Earlier in the day, more than 40 international groups and experts worldwide issued a call to action that presses governments to adopt a humane approach to drug policy and enact measures based on scientific and medical research.

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Prop Up The Failing Health Of Women

2009-06-26T12:27:00.002+05:30

Prop Up The Failing Health Of Women
Sarika Tripathi, MPH

Despite launching new maternal health policies regularly, the Uttar Pradesh government has failed to combat malnutrition in its female population. In November 2008, a novel scheme called ‘Saloni Swasth Kishori Yojna’ was launched with great fanfare. It aimed to break the cycle of malnutrition among women, but seems to have failed just within six months of its inception.

Under this scheme a health check- up of adolescent girls, in eight schools of each block, was to be conducted once every six months. Besides, it had the provision of weekly Iron Folic Acid supplementation and half yearly distribution of de worming tablets. But, due to an inefficient health system and lack of will in its implementation, even half of the set targets in the first phase could not be met. This has been revealed in the report of the state Health Department. The main reasons for this could be the lack of any formal training in the personnel involved with the scheme, and also the absence of proper monitoring. The second phase of the scheme was to be launched in April/ May of this year, but due to some reasons it has not begun as yet.

The scheme is of special importance for a state like Uttar Pradesh, where maternal mortality rates and anemia prevalence are very high. The health of adolescent girls is of prime importance, as malnourishment in this age becomes one of the major causes of complicated pregnancies in later years. This leads to a vicious cycle in which the health of women suffers from generation to generation. It is this target group which, with proper intervention, can break the cycle of malnutrition and anemia among women.

It has been seen that women having low haemoglobin levels are at a high risk of losing their life at the time of child birth. Any mild bleeding during delivery can endanger the mother’s life. Even if she survives, successive pregnancies deteriorate her condition still more. Anemic women often give birth to malnourished babies, putting a question mark on child survival. Low birth weight babies, premature deliveries, intra uterine deaths are some of the consequences of anemia in pregnant women. Even if the child comes to this world despite these adversities, it is likely to suffer from various physical and mental disabilities, the degree of which may vary from mild to severe. Later on this child is likely to transfer the heritage of ill health to her progeny. So, if preventive and corrective steps are taken at the early stage of development, this vicious cycle of malnutrition can be broken, as only a healthy mother can give birth to a healthy baby, thus contributing to a healthy society.

Rigorous efforts, on the part of the government, are required to learn a lesson from the failure of the first phase of its laudable scheme. Instead of launching another scheme with the same objective, it would be better to re-launch the same scheme but this time with double enthusiasm, better planning and effective implementation.

Sarika Tripathi, MPH

The author is a Correspondent of Citizen News Service (CNS), who did her post-graduation in Public Health Management from Lucknow University in India. She can be contacted at sarikasarika_49@rediffmail.com

Jabalpur High Court begins hearing on issues related to Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar canal

2009-06-26T12:20:00.006+05:30

Jabalpur High Court begins hearing on issues related to Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar canal

ISSUES NOTICES TO MOEF, GOMP, NVDA & NCA TO SATISFY IT ON PRE-EXCAVATION COMMAND AREA, REHABILITATION AND GRAM SABHA CONSULTATION PROCESSES

In a significant development in the long-drawn struggle of lakhs of farmers and adivasis whose lands are regularly acquired for the canals across the country without adequate rehabilitation and prior consultation, the Jabalpur High Court, by issuing notices to various central and state authorities, in a way, recognized, that the cause of 'canal-affected' also needs to be pursued further and tested on constitutional, environmental and rehabilitation planks.

The issue is indeed one of great 'urgency', since the fertile black cotton soil lands of farmers and the landless; thier source of livelihood is being acquired overnight for the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar canals by side-stepping the legally binding consent-consultation process of the Gram Sabhas and imposing 'urgency clause' to acquire lands, denying even the right to raise objections.

While on the one hand the struggle of the reservoir-affected by these two large dams is still on for fair and just rehabilitation, the canal work is going on at break neck speed not just violating all environmental pre-conditions and without complying with the rehabilitation policy and due legal process, but also without finishing the command area and rehabilitation plans and tasks
which had to be completed by 1994!

It is also to be noted that those whose lands are acquired for the canals are many times more than those affected by the reservoir and yet all those who are losing more than 25% of the land are neither recognized as even 'project affected' nor is the benefit of the rehabilitation policy of giving 5 acres of cultivable, irrigable land extended to them, even as the 300 feet wide main
canal and numerous branch canals and minor canals are being built without the mandatory and pre-conditional command area plans in place, let alone execution.

With the huge pits dug and broken roads unattended, the construction of canals is surely to create havoc this monsoon. The manner in which with excavation work is progressing is also against the spirit of the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy, 2007 which is to promote development with minimal to nil displacement and there is a need to explore and pursue such alternatives.

The lands of small and marginal farmers and adivasis is being acquired by fraud, force and allurement of meagre monetary compensation overnight and many of these are infact irrigated lands that are already affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project. Placing these facts and basic violations before the Hon'ble High Court, Advocate Raghavendra and Medha Patkar, pleading for the petitioners stressed that no land alienation can go on in the scheduled adivasi areas, without the free, prior, informed consultation and consent of the concerned Gram Sabhas and that the M.P. PESA cannot be different from or in violation of the Central PESA Act.

Issuing notices to the Union Environment Ministry, Narmada Control Authority, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Narmada Valley Development Authority and the District Collectors of Badwani and Dhar Districts, the Bench of Chief Justice A.K. Patnaik and P.K. Jaiswal sought reply from the Respondents regarding the status of Gram Sabha consultation and the preparedness and implementation of the command area and rehabilitation plans. The matter has been posted to the 30th of June for the next hearing.

Mohan Patidar, Kamla Yadav, Ramsingbhai, Gendiyabai, Medha Patkar

Jabalpur High Court: Corruption in rehabilitation

2009-06-25T12:22:00.004+05:30

Jabalpur High Court: Corruption in rehabilitation

High Court strongly reacts to prolonged inaction by Narmada Control Authority and government of Madhya Pradesh (GoMP) in containing corruption Directs Govt. to provide detailed data on all eligible Project Affected Families (PAF) excluded from list of declared by 22nd July, 2009 The public interest litigation (PIL) on rampant and continuing corruption and irregularities in rehabilitation of the Sardar Sarovar Project affected persons went yet another step ahead today with NBA filing its detailed rejoinder to the reply affidavits filed by the Narmada Control Authority, NVDA and Government of Madhya Pradesh.

The hearing today was pursuant to the hearing on the 19th of June, when the Court had agreed to hear the parties in detail on the various aspects of corruption. NBA had filed detailed rejoinders on the 19th and again today stating, with specific examples of individuals and villages how corruption is continuing unchecked and not just senior officials, but even the Counsels and the Court are, in a way, mislead by suppressing the facts and even forging documents! Medha Patkar, arguing for the petitioners began by strongly contesting the position of the Respondents who had filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court specifically praying to set aside the Order of the High Court dated 21-08-2008, through which the Justice Jha Commission was constituted and instead, while arguing stated that they were not against the Commission, but only wanted the Interim Order of the High Court of 24th, April regarding disbursal of livelihood grants to be stayed.

The Respondents, stating that the Supreme Court is 'seized' of the matter tried to convey that High Court may give a 'final hearing' in the matter. However the petitioners showed that the Supreme Court Order dated 10th March 2008 clearly stated that the Court is aware of the ongoing PIL in the High Court and when the Court-appointed Jha Commission Report is awaited and a series of I.As on serious allegations and complaints of corruption not yet responded, the case would continue. It was also argued on behalf of the petitioners that despite repeatedly providing information and complaints to the Narmada Control Authority and the Central Ministries, no action was taken, expect sending letters to the state government and clearing the dam height without actually fulfilling its monitoring mandate as power the Narmada Tribunal Award and Supreme Court Judgements.

Responding to the petitioner's complaint that the NVDA has till date, almost one year after seeking information under RTI, not yet provided the list of all PAFs who have been declared ineligible, whereas this is a matter concerning the issues of life, liberty and livelihoods of the PAFs and must be provided within 48 hours, the Bench comprising Chief Justice Shri A.K. Patnaik and Justice Shri P,K. Jiaswal directed that detailed lists of all the PAFs must be provided by the State by the next date of hearing. In the interim, the Court had also required the NBA to provide a sample list of eligible PAFs who were denied lawful rehabilitation entitlements as per law and policy, Contending that the issue of corruption in Sardar Sarovar is so huge that it may be beyond the bounds of the Registrar (Vigilance) to investigate, the Court favoured independent investigation into all these matters, and stated that it is their constitutional prerogative to intervene when the state authorities fail to act as per law.

The Court has also observed that the haste which the Government is showing with all the development projects should be reflected at least in half by seriously taking the environmental compliance measures and rehabilitation of the project affected persons. The petitioners had once again conveyed through concrete data how corruption is resulting in violation of the right to life and right to rehabilitation of thousands of PAFs. Senior Counsel Mr. Bhargav represented the GoMP / NVDA and Mr. Naqvi argued for the NCA. The next of hearing has been posted to 22-07-2009.

Shrikanth, Kamla Yadav, Medha Patkar

In The Lap Of Ancient Civilization

2009-06-19T11:33:00.005+05:30

In The Lap Of Ancient Civilization

I am just back from Egypt -- a land of thousand contradictions, where ancient traditions and modern technologies live together. Our journey through Cairo , Aswan , Luxor and Hurgadha proved to be a mixture of discovery and pleasure. Time got into reverse and the senses reeled under inexplicable influences. It was difficult not to be overwhelmed.

Our first stop was Cairo . Incidentally we arrived there on 4th of June, the same day when the President of the U.S.A. also landed. I had read somewhere that ‘if you have not seen Cairo , you have not seen the world.’ Cairo is situated on the east bank of the River Nile, which the Egyptians call the mother of the world. I remember our history books referring to Egypt as the ‘Gift of the Nile ’.

We were put up at Hotel Pyramid Park in Giza , which is perhaps the second largest town in Egypt . So we were already close to one of the wonders of the world -- the famous pyramids. Most of the sign boards in Cairo were in Arabic and so it was difficult to recognize any building on its own. I found the words ‘kahira’ and ‘misr’ written at some places ( urdu equivalents of Cairo and Egypt ). What really struck the eyes was the mud and earth coloured exteriors of most of the buildings and houses. Many houses seemed to be incomplete (though one could see air conditioners fitted in the windows). Our guide informed us that people often resort to this to avoid paying taxes to the government, which they have to, once the house is completed.

The Pyramids of Giza

The Arabic word for pyramid is ‘ahramat’, which means group of tombs. The bright sunny morning of 5th June found our group in front of three massive stone structures, built on a rocky desert plateau, close to the Nile and near the then capital city of Memphis. They once housed the remains of the fourth dynasty kings Khufu (Chiopse to the Greeks), Khafre (Chephren), and Menkaure, who ruled through 2589 to 2506 B.C. This was also the peak time of prosperity of the old kingdom of Egypt .

The pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu has a base covering 9 acres and was originally 146 metres high, until it was robbed of its outer casing and capstone, decreasing its height by 9 meters. More than 2 million limestone pieces were used to construct it. Surely, to build such a gigantic structure the ancient Egyptians must have had access to some modern technology (which perhaps now lies buried deep in the sands).

The second pyramid is of Pharaoh Khafre (Chephren), the son of Khufu. It is 3 metres less in height, perhaps in deference to the elder king. The 3rd of the trio of this ‘pyramid plateau’ is of the grandson Khopho (Menkaure), which is incomplete as the king died before he could complete its construction.. There are three other smaller pyramids of the wives of these three Pharaohs.

The Sphinx

Coming face to face with the Sphinx was a moment I had always dreamt of. And now here it was in front of the pyramid of Khafre, presiding and guarding over the Giza nechropolis. Carved from a single piece of stone, it has a lion’s body with a man’s head ( presumably that of Khafre).

Unfortunately the pyramids were plundered long ago of their belongings and bodies, by tomb robbers. Pyramid building also stopped as the power/prosperity of the pharaohs weakened. Yet these marvelous structures represent more than mere tombs. The mysteries surrounding their symbolism, design and the mathematical precision with which they were built will continue to inspire passionate debates.

The Egyptian Museum

How could we leave Cairo without taking a peek at the treasure trove of artifacts (no replicas, mind you) in The Egyptian Museum, located in Tahrir Square . It was impossible to see the entire museum (consisting of more than 100 halls), keeping in mind the time constraints of a tourist, who wishes to see so much in so little a time. So we confined ourselves to the section of jewellery and the hieroglyphic paintings of ancient Egypt . And none could miss the dazzling collection of more than 3000 antiques found intact in the tomb of the famous Boy King Tutankhamun (who died at the young age of 19 years after ruling for 9 years). His tomb was discovered in 1922 in the valley of kings at Luxor , by Howard Carter. Carter believed that although the tomb was robbed twice after the funeral of Tutankhamun, yet it remains the only tomb where at least the burial chamber was untouched, perhaps because it was built under the tomb of Pharaoh Rameses V. In the tomb, Carter found four gilded shrines nested inside each other. The innermost shrine covered a stone sarcophagus, which hid three more coffins. The innermost of these, made of 110 kg of pure gold, housed the mummy of the king. His spectacular crown of gold weighed 11 kilograms. There are exquisite jewellery pieces in pure gold. Most of his other belongings like his bed, his throne (with a foot stool on which are carved his enemies faces) with the statues of his wife and himself, his carriage etc. are made of gilded sycamore wood. Everything, including the vivid colours of the paintings, are so well preserved that they seem to be marvelously new.

The smallest statue in the museum was that of King Khofu, who was supposed to be very ugly. An embalming table still had drops of blood preserved on it.

Photography is prohibited inside the museum for lesser mortals like us.

Temple of Philae

We took the night train from Cairo to Aswan , which is famous for its great dam (111 meters) high, built on Lake Nasser , the largest man made lake at 6000 square km. Our next stop was the Temple of Philae , which is dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis, wife of Osiris and mother of the falcon god Horus. These three characters dominate the ancient Egyptian culture and religion. Its construction was started by Ptolemy II in Greco- Egyptian style, and continued by Roman emperors. The temple was originally built on the island of Philae (hence its name) on the Nile . But it was totally submerged when the high dam was completed in 1960. So the temple was completely dismantled and reassembled on its present location on Aglika island, 550 m away, over a period of 10 years.

Cruise on the river Nile

Another dream come true! We boarded the ship Adonis at Aswan , for a three night leisurely and luxurious cruise on the mother of all rivers. We stopped at the temple of Kom (group) Ombo (gold), meaning lots of gold. In ancient times Kom Ombo stood on an important crossroad on the caravan route from Nubia to the gold mines in the eastern desert. The temple, dating from 200 B.C., was built during the Plotemaic era. The temple is unique in the sense that it is a double temple – the right side of it is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, and the left side honours Haroeris, a form of the falcon headed god Horus. It was built basically to propitiate the crocodiles, which infested this bank of the river. Our guide Ahmed told us that the temple housed 5 mummies of crocodiles (nowhere else have animals been mummified), which had been removed to the British Museum just a few days ago. The outer hypostyle Hall of the temple has 15 columns topped with lotus capitals and the bases bear the papyrus symbol. The walls of the temple are full of carvings and hieroglyphic paintings. One wall has the etchings of medical tools of that era (but still in use in today’s times). Of great significance are two carvings of women in labour, delivering a baby, in the sitting posture. Gynaecologists, please note!

Next morning, we watched in awe as our ship approached and slid past the Esna Lock into lower waters.

Valley of Kings

Next day we disembarked at Luxor to visit the royal necropolis on the western bank, with the mountain of Thebes providing a natural pyramid background. Tombs of 62 kings are located here. We took mini trams to reach the walkways of the three tombs of Ramases I, IV and IX, which we visited. The deepest tomb is of Ramases II, which is 185m into the mountain, another engineering marvel. The walls of the tombs are decorated with coloured paintings, in natural earth tones of blue, rust, yellow and black. Our guide told us that the walls were polished, painted and then covered with egg white, to preserve the paintings. Here again we were not allowed to click our cameras.

But the star attraction was the mummy of Tutankhamun, which is the only mummy still preserved in his tomb, which is the smallest tomb in the valley, as the king died very young. The blackened mummy had the face and the feet uncovered and each contour was clearly visible, the third toe finger of the left foot slightly broken/damaged. The rest of the body was covered with a gauze like sheet.

Temple of Del El Bahri built by Queen Hatshepsut (foremost of noble ladies)

After visiting an alabaster factory we found ourselves in front of the temple built by queen Hatshesput. A very tall structure, it took 20 years to complete and 10,000 workers are said to have died during its construction. The queen was the 5th pharaoh of the 18th dynasty and ruled for 22 years from 1479 to 1458 B.C. She was a prolific builder, commissioning several projects throughout Egypt . She built this temple around 1450 B.C. to commemorate her achievements and to serve as a funerary temple for her; as well as a sanctuary for god Amon Re. It consists of three elegant colonnaded terraces set against the high cliff. We accessed the second terrace by a ramp having 51 steps.

The Karnak Temples

This is the largest temple complex, spread over 700 acres and built and enlarged over a period of 1300 years. Although ruined partially, it is still an impressive site dedicated to gods Amon Ra, Mut and Khonsu.

The main hall has 134 columns, each 75 m high. The last façade/pylon was built in 335 B.C. but could not be completed due to attack by Alexander the Great.

Queen Hatshesput built two huge obelisks (symbolS of eternity and of the house of Amon Ra) here, one of them being 97 feet high. Rameses II added generously to the splendour of the temples. In several paintings etched on the walls, he is shown with the gods (and not shown making an offering to the gods). The entrance is adorned by two statues of him.

The complex also has a sacred lake which was purportedly dug by Isis to save humankind. Near the lake is a huge stone scarab – the Egyptian god of luck and magic.

The heat was mind boggling, but so were the carvings and paintings on the temple walls.

Hurgadha

This was the last stop on our itinerary. On the way from Luxor to this famous beach resort, we passed through mud brick houses, as our bus ran over mountain and desert roads. At Safaga, I had the first glimpse of the pristine blue of the Red Sea (so called because of its red coral reefs).

Hurgadha is a modern city, about 55 years old. Tourism is its mainstay and it boasts of more than 300 hotels and an international airport. The quaint structures of this place reminded me of Arabian Nights’ Tales. We stayed at the Sonesta Pharaoh Beach Resort.

The experience at the beach was nothing short of exhilarating, as we floated, swam, walked, and snorkeled in the deep blue waters of the Red Sea .

Miscellaneous

In between, our very hectic schedule we found time to ramble through the Khalili Bazaars at Cairo and Luxor; saw how papyrus paper was made from the stems of the plant, which is sacred to Egypt, may be because of its pyramidical crossection; inhaled the aromas of wild, sensuos scents at a perfumery; enjoyed the exuberance of the famous Nubian Tanoura dance; lunched at the Indian restaurant Massala at Hotel Karvin in Cairo (run by an Indian Kaval Nain Oberoi and his beautiful Egyptian wife).

This was no mean feat when seven of us teachers had 50 energetic and ebullient Loreto Convent students to look after on their first international educational tour. Apart from getting a peep into the most famous and ancient civilization, this trip taught them the important lesson of conserving water. We had to buy water all through our journey at Rs.40 (or more) a bottle. No hotel/eatery in Egypt serves free water with meals. And no roadside restaurant allows free usage of its washrooms – one has to pay Rs.8 per person.

By the grace of God, we returned to Lucknow after 9 dreamy days, tired but refreshed.

Shobha Shukla

(The author is the Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS) and also teaches Physics at India's prestigious Loreto Convent. Email: shobha@citizen-news.org, website: www.citizen-news.org)

Reminiscences of Egypt - A Travalogue -

2009-06-15T16:15:00.007+05:30

Reminiscences of Egypt
- A Travalogue -

Aha! To be in the land of the Pharaohs and of Cleopatras; to breathe deep the air of ancient civilization ; to marvel at the pristine blue of the Red Sea; to let the senses reel under the inexplicable experience of a cruise on the Mother of All Rivers.

My stay in Egypt was a mixture of discovery and pleasure. It was difficult not to be overwhelmed. The sheer mathematical precision and design of the Pyramids at Giza at once awed and humbled me. Did the Kings really ascend to the after life to find a place amongst the gods? Or were the elaborate preparations (started by them in their lifetime on earth) for the journey to the next world, all in vain? These and other questions will remain unanswered forever.

Pharaoh Khofu, who built the biggest tomb for himself, also has the dubious distinction of being represented by his smallest sized statue at Cairo Museum , as he was supposed to be very ugly and not liked by his people. This is just one of the many contradictions I came across. As I drank deep of the air over the River Nile, I was denied the basic human right of free drinkable water. No hotel (big or small) across Egypt provides free drinking water. A one litre bottle of water costs 5 Egyptian pounds (approx. Rs.40) or more. Petrol is much cheaper at 2 pounds a litre (Rs.16). But the body cannot survive on petrol. So buying water was one of my major expenses.

The dazzling display of artifacts at the Egyptian Museum was overpowered by the tell tale signs of abject poverty spilling around me. Outside an alabaster factory, a worker gave me a piece of polished limestone (with a figurine etched on it), in return for a pen. He said he had three school going children. This he did with other tourists also.

Although Cairo , Luxor , Aswan , Hurgadha, still retain an old world charm and have very few high rise buildings, they are all very high on smoke. Despite signing and ratifying the global tobacco treaty (formally known as the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control - WHO FCTC), the Egyptian government seems to have done nothing to curb the menace of tobacco. Of course there were ‘no smoking’ signs everywhere, with people puffing away merrily under those signs. At the entrance to Karnak Temples, I clicked a policeman smoking close to a ‘No Smoking’ sign. He really got angry at me and said that I was not allowed to photograph a police man. When I pointed to the ‘no smoking sign’ he just walked away.

Different types of tobacco in very attractive packing are sold everywhere. I found it impossible to walk even a few steps in the market and other places, without encountering cigarette smoke. Another very common sight was that of a hookah smoker.

Inside the Ramses Perfumes Palace , the air was thick with the fragrances of flower perfumes. A delicate touch of the pure essence oil of lotus, narcissus, jasmine, lilac, golden water, behind the ear or on the hair assured a fragrance lasting for several days. Blends, going by exotic names like ‘secret of the desert’, ‘thousand and one nights’, ‘omar el sherif’, ‘papyrus flower’ and ‘queen Cleopatra’ arouse the sensuous in you. Then there is kohl to beautify the eyes and incense to perfume the apartment.

Papyrus painting is to Egypt , what ‘chikankaari’ ( a special form of hand embroidery) is to Lucknow . It was wonderful to watch the making of papyrus paper from the stem of the plant. And the beautiful paintings of Egyptian gods and goddesses and floral designs executed with finesse, similar to our own madhubani paintings. I found a lot of similarity between them.

The trip to Egypt can never be complete if one has not savoured the delights of bargaining in a typical Egyptian bazaar (like the khan khalili market at Cairo). Haggling indeed is an art form in Egypt . It is perhaps expected and, from the local point of view, encouraged as a way of communication and human contact. Being an Indian, I enjoyed it immensely. The shopkeepers have a habit of touching you, praising your beautiful face and hair, cajoling you to buy their goods with all the vile trickery at their command. Once they knew that I was an Indian, they even took the name of some bollywood movies and expressed their admiration of Amitabh Bachhan and Shahrukh Khan. I had been warned by my guide not to fall in their trap, but I did. I bought a pair of ear rings for 60 pounds, which were quoted at 250 pounds. When the bargain was finally struck, the old shopkeeper said to me, ‘God Bless You’. ‘For what?’ I wondered. Perhaps, for allowing him to cheat me.

Of course, how could I leave Egypt without buying a cartouche, the oval shaped good luck charm. It has symbols of eternity, love and protection etched on it. One can also get one’s name etched in hieroglyphic script on it. It is generally worn as a pendant or as earrings.

My senses are still spinning like the Tanoura Dance, the Egyptian version of the Sufi whirling dervish dance, performed mainly at Sufi festivals. It was awesome to see the male dancer spinning non stop for nearly half an hour, juggling with 5 tambours; twisting and turning as his multicoloured long skirt created the illusion of a human kaleidoscope.

In the words of Jalaluddin Rumi, ‘There must be a purpose, a cause for existence, and inside the cause, a true human being.' So be it.

Shobha Shukla

(The author is the Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS) and also teaches Physics at India's prestigious Loreto Convent. Email: shobha@citizen-news.org, website: www.citizen-news.org)

Work On Ganga Expressway Project Continues Despite High Court Ban

2009-06-12T20:30:00.003+05:30

Work On Ganga Expressway Project Continues Despite High Court Ban
[To read this in Hindi language , click here ]

The hasty manner, in which the Uttar Pradesh government had granted environmental clearance to the Ganga Express Way Project, prompted the High Court to quash the environment clearance granted to the project thereby imposing a ban on its implementation on 29th May, 2009, till further notice.

Serious aspersions are been cast against the haphazard working of the government, on this important issue. Neither the project report nor the `environment impact assessment' report was made available during the August 2007 public hearings. On top of this, the `state environment impact assessment authority' and the state level appraisal committee took just one day to take the major decision of granting permission to the project.

A press conference was addressed on 12 June 2009 by noted water rights activists Rajendra Singh (Magsaysay Awardee 2001) and Dr Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay awardee 2002 and National Convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)).

Leading frontline veteran activist of Narmada Bachao Andolan Arundhati Dhuru was also present adding value to the dialogue on this issue.

Professor U.K.Choudhury of the department of Civil Engineering of B.H.U. has expressed the fear that on its completion, the project is likely to increase the possibility of floods, rather than control them. Apart from this, the emissions from the vehicles plying on the expressway would add to the pollution of the Ganges river (the amount of oxygen dissolved in its waters would decrease and the bio oxygen demand would increase). The ground water level will also be affected.

The acquisition of 27,000 hectares of land, required for the project, will affect the agriculture of the region and impact the livelihood of the farmers. It will also create serious displacement problems for them.

During his tour of Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh districts, Rajendra Singh, the famous `water man', found that the process of land acquisition continues unabated, despite the ban by the High Court.

We demand an immediate stop to all the work related to this project, till the U.P. State Government obtains proper environmental clearances from different agencies and also the clearance from the Central Government.

Shobha Shukla

(The author is the Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS) and also teaches Physics at India's prestigious Loreto Convent. Email: shobha@citizen-news.org, website: www.citizen-news.org)

Rahmani-30: A school of hope

2009-06-12T11:08:00.003+05:30

Rahmani-30: A school of hope
Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net

The Muslims of North India for historical reasons have not had very friendly relations with the local police. I was in Patna visiting Rahmani-30 when Abhayanand, Additional Director General of Police makes a visit in his official car. Rahmani-30 is set up on the pattern of Bihar Super-30 which is a successful experiment to pick and train 30 students from poor economic background and prepare them for entrance exam of famous Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Abhyanand waits while group of twenty odd Muslim students finish their afternoon prayers (Asr). These students have recently appeared for the class tenth exams and selected to Rahmani-30 after an entrance test and an interview. Entrance test was held in Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal – clearly a sign of increasing popularity of the institution that is barely a year old.

A year ago, Maulana Wali Rahmani, Sajjada Nasheen of Khanqah Rahmaniya, Munger and Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board requested Abhayanand to help him set up Rahmani-30. Abhayanand was associated with Super-30 and readily agreed to the idea. The dearth of good quality students led them to start another batch of students who had just finished their tenth. So that they can be given quality education for two years and that way more students can be ready for the tough entrance exams of IITs (IIT-JEE).

I was visiting the institution just three days before the results of IIT-JEE were to be announced. No one could have imagined that all ten students would have qualified for India’s premier engineering institutions. At that time there were about twenty-five students who had arrived there from different districts of Bihar. A few students were from adjoining states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. These are the two years batch of Rahmani-30 that is preparing for IIT-JEE of 2011.

Abhayanand, who goes by only one name, arrived unannounced and a class was organized just after the Asr prayer. He went over some Physics problems for about 45 minutes. Students came out to see him off and he offered some words to inspire his young and eager students. Talks again turned to Physics and he continued the instructions on the back of his official car. This was a rare and a welcome sight to see police officers contributing towards the future of young Muslim students.

ADGP Abhayanand told me that he enjoys teaching and is now associated with five such experiments. Most of the students of these five institutions qualified for IIT. For economically and educationally backward state of Bihar this is very good news. And more than news, it is a hope that now even poor but meritorious students can achieve success with a bit of help. In Bihar, Rahmani-30 has given a new direction to Muslim students anxiously waiting for announcements of entrance exams and results.

Successful students of this year’s exam have already indicated that they will teach their juniors and once finished with their education will work for the benefit of the community. It costs Rs. 80,000 per year for each student’s expenses. Students are given free board, lodge and instructions. All expenses are met by Rahmani Foundation.

Rahmani-30 is a beacon of hope for Bihari Muslims not only because of the help it provides to meritorious students but also because a new generation of Muslims is taking up interest in the community affairs. Though Abhayanand and Wali Rahmani are the public face of Rahmani-30, volunteer team behind this institution consists of young Muslims in their 30s. These have jobs but volunteer their time to make sure that wheel of this coaching keeps turning. They make decisions for the day to day running to organizing exams.

With the successful result of this year’s IIT-JEE, Rahmani-30 and people associated with it have proved that they mean business and that with focused and sustained effort nothing is impossible.

Rahamani-30(Unit of Rahmani Foundation, Munger)
Address: Maulana Azad College of Business Management Campus,
Anisabad, Patna-2
Bihar
Contact: mdwalirahmani@gmail.com
Website: http://twocircles.net/rahmani30.html

Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net

World now in early days of 2009 influenza pandemic

2009-06-12T01:12:00.001+05:30

World now in early days of 2009 influenza pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on 11 June 2009 that 'swine' flu (or influenza caused by H1N1 virus) is a pandemic.

"On the basis of available evidence, and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6" said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO in a press statement issued on 11 June 2009. "The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic" further said Dr Chan.

"We are in the earliest days of the pandemic. The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch. No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning. The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness. We have a head start. This places us in a strong position. But it also creates a demand for advice and reassurance in the midst of limited data and considerable scientific uncertainty" cautioned Dr Chan.

The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries.

This is only part of the picture. With few exceptions, countries with large numbers of cases are those with good surveillance and testing procedures in place.

Spread in several countries can no longer be traced to clearly-defined chains of human-to-human transmission. Further spread is considered inevitable.

"Thanks to close monitoring, thorough investigations, and frank reporting from countries, we have some early snapshots depicting spread of the virus and the range of illness it can cause" said Dr Chan.

"We know, too, that this early, patchy picture can change very quickly. The virus writes the rules and this one, like all influenza viruses, can change the rules, without rhyme or reason, at any time.

Globally, we have good reason to believe that this pandemic, at least in its early days, will be of moderate severity. As we know from experience, severity can vary, depending on many factors, from one country to another" said Dr Chan.

On present evidence, the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a rapid and full recovery, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.

Worldwide, the number of deaths is small. "Each and every one of these deaths is tragic, and we have to brace ourselves to see more. However, we do not expect to see a sudden and dramatic jump in the number of severe or fatal infections" said Dr Chan.

The H1N1 virus preferentially infects younger people. In nearly all areas with large and sustained outbreaks, the majority of cases have occurred in people under the age of 25 years.

In some of these countries, around 2% of cases have developed severe illness, often with very rapid progression to life-threatening pneumonia.

Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years.

This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people.

Many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. "Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity" said Dr Chan.

At the same time, it is important to note that around one third to half of the severe and fatal infections are occurring in previously healthy young and middle-aged people.

"Without question, pregnant women are at increased risk of complications. This heightened risk takes on added importance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger age groups" added Dr Chan.

"Finally, and perhaps of greatest concern, we do not know how this virus will behave under conditions typically found in the developing world. To date, the vast majority of cases have been detected and investigated in comparatively well-off countries" cautioned Dr Chan.

"Let me underscore two of many reasons for this concern. First, more than 99% of maternal deaths, which are a marker of poor quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, occurs in the developing world. Second, around 85% of the burden of chronic diseases is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries" said Dr Chan.

Although the pandemic appears to have moderate severity in comparatively well-off countries, it is prudent to anticipate a bleaker picture as the virus spreads to areas with limited resources, poor health care, and a high prevalence of underlying medical problems.

"A characteristic feature of pandemics is their rapid spread to all parts of the world. In the previous century, this spread has typically taken around 6 to 9 months, even during times when most international travel was by ship or rail" said Dr Chan.

Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection, according to Dr Chan's statement to the press.

Guidance on specific protective and precautionary measures has been sent to ministries of health in all countries. Countries with no or only a few cases should remain vigilant.

Countries with widespread transmission should focus on the appropriate management of patients. The testing and investigation of patients should be limited, as such measures are resource intensive and can very quickly strain capacities.

"WHO has been in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers. I understand that production of vaccines for seasonal influenza will be completed soon, and that full capacity will be available to ensure the largest possible supply of pandemic vaccine in the months to come. Pending the availability of vaccines, several non-pharmaceutical interventions can confer some protection" said Dr Chan.

WHO continues to recommend no restrictions on travel and no border closures as per Dr Chan's statement.

Influenza pandemics, whether moderate or severe, are remarkable events because of the almost universal susceptibility of the world’s population to infection.

"We are all in this together, and we will all get through this, together" said Dr Chan.

- Bobby Ramakant

Council of folly - MCI

2009-06-11T11:46:00.001+05:30

Council of folly - MCI

Ketan Desai is in news again. This time for the huge capitation fee sting operation by the Times of India in two of the Tamil Nadu based Medical colleges. Interestingly, it has been found that in addition to being the President of the Medical Council of India, he was also in the board of both these disgraced institutions.

Going in the past, we come to know that in May 2001, the Delhi high court had asked the then MCI president Ketan Desai to step down on the ground that his term as council member was already over and elections were approaching. Desai's continuance in the office was challenged on the ground of holding two memberships - one of the council and other of the University of Gujarat . As per MCI rules, he can not continue as president while holding two positions. When it could not get complied with for certain reasons, this head of the urology department of the prestigious B J medical college, Ahmedabad was again removed as the president on charges of corruption by the Delhi High Court in November 2001. This was generally welcomed by the medical community.

At that time, Dr Arun Bal, secretary of Forum for Medical Ethics, welcomed the HC verdict and said it was long overdue. "Everybody knew he was corrupt, but no doctors or doctors' associations came forward to demand that he step down. What is worse is that the Indian Medical Association has made him their national president despite the fact that he was under a cloud for a long time." He had also asked the election procedure for MCI to be changed.
An Income tax raid on the residence of Dr Desai was also conducted in 2000 where he had reported Rs five crore as undisclosed income and gifts of Rs 65 lakh. The Delhi High Court in addition to removal had also directed the CBI to initiate prosecution proceedings against him for his involvement in corrupt practices as the division bench of Justice Arun Kumar and Justice R C Chopra had found Dr Desai guilty of misusing his official position and observed that the apex body for doctors was a den of corruption.

In another case, a division bench of the Uttaranchal High Court comprising Chief Justice A A Desai and M C Jain had already passed an order restraining Dr Desai from participating in the functioning of the MCI on a petition filed by Dr Suresh Upadhyaya alleging that Dr Desai had accepted donations for affiliation of medical colleges and recognising medical degrees as also in admitting and passing medical students.

The Supreme Court had stayed further proceedings in the writ petition before the Uttaranchal High Court on a petition filed by the Centre seeking transfer of the proceedings from the Uttaranchal High Court to the Delhi High Court as a similar petition was pending before the Delhi High Court and it would be appropriate that both the petitions were hired and disposed off by the Delhi High Court to avoid conflicting verdicts.

In a recent article titled “Is Ketan Desai king of capitation fee?” by the TOI (8 Jun 2009) it says- “He has had a vice-like grip over the Medical Council of India (MCI) for almost 20 years now.”
There are an estimated 2,500 countrywide ‘management quota’ seats available in MBBS colleges, where despite an explicit Supreme Court ban on capitation fee, a rate on the upper side of Rs 20 lakh per seat is being sought making it a staggering Rs 500 crore annually. This business is completely in the hands of Dr Desai. The TOI Article shows the influence of Dr Desai through various examples of how ministers and Prime ministers have been lying in queue to have a meeting with him. After 2001, he controlled the MCI through his nominees till he returned as chairman in March 2009, after winning a prolonged legal battle. The Article shows how people like former state health minister Ashok Bhatt and former Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss tried to curtail and regulate his and MCI’s powers but failed miserably.

Dr Sunil K Pandya from Mumbai and. Dr Samiran Nundy of Delhi, who are waging a long-battle for enforcement of medical ethics wrote an Article “Dr Ketan Desai and the Medical Council of India: Lessons to be learnt” where they said- “As is common knowledge, elections to our national and state-level medical councils are fought with just one aim: to enrich oneself personally. Expenditure of huge sums; a total lack of scruples; political connections; a compulsive desire to grab power by any means, both fair and foul and finally, ruthless pursuit of the goal of personal enrichment are absolute necessities.” He estimated the expense on the election of Presidentship to be around one crore rupee at that time, which must have gone by many times now.

They had wished that- “The workings of these councils must be totally transparent both to members of the medical profession and to the public at large.” and that- “Honest, dedicated and sincere doctors must be encouraged to stand as candidates to these councils.”

One hopes things actually start moving the way people like Dr Pandya and Dr Arun wish. Till that time, it is the day of the Desai.

Dr Nutan Thakur
(The author is the Editor of Nutan Sattah Pravah, based in Lucknow)

Judiciary in Questioning?

2009-06-11T11:37:00.002+05:30

Judiciary in Questioning?

Justice Mehtab Singh Gill is a honoured Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In 2002 when the infamous Punjab Public Service Commission Recruitment scam came into limelight and the Punjab Vigilance Bureau caught hold of stacks of money, going into crores from the Banks lockers of Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu alias Ravi Sidhu, a former journalist and the then Chairman of the PPSC, of the many startling facts that came out in the open was that Justice Gill was also a beneficiary of the free-job boom where one of his relatives was wrongly provided job in Punjab civil service. He was not alone. There were also Justice Amarbir Singh Gill and M L Singhal to give him company.

These sad news had pained the then Chief Justice of the High Court, B L Saharya so much that he had got a detailed and discreet in-house enqiuiry conducted. While his enquiry proved the complicity of the above three Judges, it also showed him that Justice Mehtab Singh had the habit of "flaunting his official position" and "tendency to interfere in matters of local administration" and much more seriously "in judicial matters too." He sent a detailed report regarding the three Judges to the then Chief Justice of India, B N Kirpal.

The result was that J Amarbir Singh was asked to proceed on leave as he had only a few days of service left, while J Mehtab Singh got a reprimand and J Singhal was absolved. Thus, there was hardly any substantial action against any of the Judges.

Again, when the Forest Hill case came in light in Punjab, names of a few Judges of the High Court came to have taken favour from the owner of the Hill Reorts which was totally illegal and had been constructed by giving a sidekick to all kinds of rules and regulations. Yet, while action was taken against a few administrative and forest officers, the Judges got completely scot-free.
When Rs. 15 lakh got delivered at the doorsteps of Justice Nirmal Kaur which supposedly was for another High Court Judge Justice Nirmal Yadav, much hue and cry was made. The case finally got transferred to the CBI. As per the reports published by the HT (07/06/2009) , while the CBI sent a report to the Union government to grant prosecution sanction against the High court Judge, having enough evidence against her, the Union government has turned down the request saying that the evidence was insufficient. For all that it seems the case will also peter down and will eventuallu=y meet its end. Thus Justice Nirmal Yadav will remain safely ensconced on her chair of Justice.

Now, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has come up with taped conversations in which names of a few High Court Judges has popped up in some highly objectionable contexts on a regular basis. The phone tapping confirms existence of all kinds of malpractices in the lower and higher judiciary in Punjab which would have been sufficient enough to indict and charge-0sheet any other person than a mighty Judge of a High Court. J Mehtab Singh `s name features here once again.

Ironically the matter has already got the notice of the Chief Justice of India. All that is recommended as an action-taking attempt is to transfer Justice Mehtab Singh. That is way back in Mid 2008. The transfer file gets struck in the Law ministry and J Mehtab Singh still remains the Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The purpose of describing these incidents is not to single out a few persons. The purpose is to show the real situation of the Judiciary today and how much revamping and cleansing it needs. It is a fact that Judiciary today is under attack. But much of the discredit for this must vest with the Judiciary itself. In all these cases and in many other cases like the PF scam case of Ghaziabad or the Justice Sen case of the Calcutta High Court where J Sen refused to oblige the suggestions of even the CJI, a signal is going around that the Supreme Court is proving highly ineffective in dealing with the corruption cases of the High court Judges. It is being seen that each one of those Judges against whom there are ample proof of corrupt practices are firmly placed in their seats and no punitive/ legal or even administrative action is being taken against them. This is a dangerous sign and is the most damning for higher judiciary in India.

Judiciary hinges completely on trust and once this trust gets eroded, all the public influence the higher judiciary has, will get completely eliminated. The Supreme Court, being the custodian of Judicial system in India will have to realize that the time has come when out of Judicial protections and privileges on one side and public perception and trust on the other, it would be better if it chose the later one.

Otherwise, it might be too late.

Dr Nutan Thakur
(The author is the Editor of Nutan Satta Pravah, and based in Lucknow)

Chhattisgarh government ignores Supreme Court, still supporting killings!

2009-06-10T16:50:00.003+05:30

Chhattisgarh government ignores Supreme Court, still supporting killings!

CHHATTISGARH GOVERNMENT IGNORES SUPREME COURT, STILL SUPPORTING KILLINGS, DRIVING PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES

In October 2008, the Government of Chhattisgarh assured the Supreme Court that it would rehabilitate all villagers who had been affected and displaced by Salwa Judum and Naxalite violence. Till date nothing has been done. Instead, the government continues to encourage and support killings, rapes and the destruction of people's homes and villages.

• The Supreme Court's orders to register cases for the atrocities committed in the area, as well as to engage in rehabilitation, have been totally ignored. The Chhattisgarh government has not rehabilitated a single village in the seven months since the rehabilitation order was passed.

• On May 17, 2009, the offices of the only organisation that has attempted any rehabilitation at all – Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, run by the Gandhian Himanshu Kumar – were demolished by over 500 policemen with a few hours' notice.

• Mr. Kumar has since been warned by the SP of Dantewada that the government intends to implement a “Sri Lanka model” in the area and that he should leave the district if he values his life.

• A fact finding team of the People's Union for Civil Liberties that visited the area in the wake of the demolition, including senior journalists and well known human rights lawyers and activists, found that the demolition was clearly unwarranted and intended to penalise the organisation for its opposition to Salwa Judum and its efforts in rehabilitating villagers. The interim report of the fact finding team is being released at this press conference.

• Meanwhile, the Salwa Judum continues to engage in rapes, killings and arson, such as the attack on the villages of Biayampalli and Badepalli on April 25, 2009 when 10 and over 20 houses were burnt respectively, the looting of residents of village Gorkha on 23 february 2009, and the burning of grain stores of village Chinger on March 9 2009. Most recently, in June, village Kamaram was attacked.

• Even though the Government has admitted in the Supreme Court that the Salwa Judum is an armed organisation that has burnt houses and destroyed property, it continues its support for this illegal militia. The Chhattisgarh government has till date not made a single statement dissociating itself from the Salwa Judum, nor have the police taken any action against its members or leaders.

The Chhattisgarh government continues to engage in open, brazen and unconstitutional attacks on the rights of lakhs of innocent men, women and children.

Himanshu Kumar from Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, Dantewada, Sumit Chakravarthy, Veteran Journalist and Editor Mainstream, Arundhati Roy, the booker prize-winner and social activist and Prof. Nandini Sundar, University of Delhi, addressed the media representatives. An open letter to the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh protesting these atrocities is also being released at this press conference. Simultaneously, an open letter to the CPI (Maoist) is being released, asking them to desist from acts of abduction and killing, and anything, which could interfere with the process of peaceful return and rehabilitation of villagers.

A fact-finding report conducted in October 2008 by a group of independent women professionals detailing cases of rape is also being circulated, as background information. Let the new UPA Government which says it believes in widespread participation by women take note of what it is helping to support in Chhattisgarh.

Defense Forces take on the corporate battlefields!

2009-06-10T11:20:00.006+05:30

Defense Forces take on the corporate battlefields!
Anjali Singh

Lucknow: The men in the forces sporting blues, greens and whites certainly have an enviable lifestyle. The respect comes with the job as does the adventure peppered with an aura of safeguarding the country’s frontiers. To top it all there’s always the glamour of donning a uniform as well.

Sounds good? Sure does. As for anyone an opportunity for making a livelihood in the defense services would seem like landing a dream job. But are the army, air force or navy officers who are already in the job happy with the picture perfect profession they have?

No way! They say. Not surprising either what with most ruing unequal pay scales, rigorous work routines which keep them away from their families and last but not the least slow professional growth. While that may sound quite dreary, the good news is the officers in the forces have now found a way out.

Most are opting out of the services and moving into the private sector to earn a living so that they can maintain a standard of lifestyle they have wanted but have not been able to achieve in the defense forces.

And predictably institutions like XLRI Jamshedpur and the other major B school all over the country like IIM A,B,C,I and L and MDI Gurgaon have become their hot favorites to realize those aspirations.

Says Capt Shakti Tahlan who recently retired from the Army’s short service commission and is pursuing a six months Executive Management Programme at XLRI Jamshedpur, “I knew my caliber was way above what the army was utilizing me for so the frustration of not doing enough was really getting to me. So when I got a chance to leave and join a course for resettlement I jumped at it. Currently I am pursuing a six months course in HR Management at XLRI Jamshedpur and post my course will be placed in a private company with a good salary. It’s just ideal for me.”

A fact that is seconded by Group Capt KS Malimath, who moved out of the Indian Air force after 22 years of service and is currently training at XLRI Jamshedpur as well, “To put it bluntly people are moving out of the defense services to explore greener pastures. Govt organization are no more what they were 20 years back. The armed forces have been degraded by external agents like IAS clan and internally everyone is finding themselves in a rut which is taking away professionalism from the service. Making matters worse is that being in the defense forces provides only promotions which does not exemplify professionalism as compared to private job offers which better professional growth.”

While a period of transition is indeed stressful, specially so when it is related to our professional field. Defense officers don’t feel the heat that much switching careers thanks to the management colleges they are entering to hone their skills required to excel in the private arena.

As explains Capt Tribhuvan Singh Mankotia a short service commissioned officer with over six years experience with the JAG Wing(Judge Advocate General Branch) a legal branch of the India Army, “I left the army as the respect and repute of an Army Officer has gone down drastically in the recent years. I am a Third Generation Officer and have seen the services change a lot from what the Army was 15 years back. On the other hand job satisfaction is not there, one is restricted in the work they do and the freedom and ideas that can be implemented are curtailed as well. Lot of ego problems and trying to constantly change yourself as per whim’s and fancies of your commanding officer are also the reasons why I feel most of us have left the Army.”

But does he feel defense officers will get all that was missing in army from a private job?

“Of course,” says Capt Mankotia, “The sky is the limit once you walk out of the forces. There are large numbers of MNCs which are ready to select an Army officer based on the training and the discipline which makes us stand apart from the ordinary. But I feel that we also have more scope for job satisfaction in a private job because here the performance/results speak for the efforts put in. Whereas in defense services its more of a ACR based report which assesses our caliber, one may not have done anything or their knowledge about the profession may be zero but in the end what really counts is the ACR. If the commanding officer is happy nothing else is required. Moreover in defence like any other govt job a person knows that nobody can stop his salary and time scale promotions. So majority do not work nor contribute towards the growth of the organization.”

Also adds Flt Lt N S V Shalini, from Indian Air Force’s Technical Branch who opted out of the services after 8 yrs and is training at a management institute to hone her skills to be able to fit into the corporate world, “Though in the current scenario, working outside of Armed Forces seems less lucrative, in the long run it offers better pay. Also, opportunity for growth is more the prospect of being in your choice of residence seems better. A wide variety of jobs available in the market depending upon the experience of the Armed Forces Officer make the prospect of leaving the forces trouble-free. We also have the added advantage of being able to adapt and handle any job profile which removes any restriction of jobs for Armed Forces personnel. When the job is technical-oriented, those who are qualified and trained on that technology and software will be able to fit well into such job profiles.”

But ask her if after being trained to handle combat techniques can defense personnel handle private jobs which need more of people management, pat comes her reply, “It is but natural for ex-Armed Forces Officers to adapt to civilian jobs. Combat techniques involve a huge investment of your physical and mental capabilities and require intense and constant training and updating of skills. In civilian jobs, requirements are not as intense since you hardly face combat-like situations. In addition to that we spend six months to a year in management institutions like IIMs etc learning how to fit into a corporate world.”

While the ex-armed forces officers are confident enough, those with experience of having tested the corporate scenario prefer to remain skeptical.

Says Amit Jaiswal, an advocate who has worked closely with defense officers to solve their legal issues related to their employment, “Pursuing a career in the army most certainly limits the scope of growth in terms of the job scenario. Then there is always the stringent Army Act that most succumb to as well which further develops an superiority complex and a dictatorial attitude and mindset in an officer which prevents them from fitting into the proverbial diplomatic temperament a manager in a private firm needs to have. So they eventually end up running their own security firm or take on the responsibility of administration in education field. ”

Not so says Col PK Bose(retd), who is currently working with a private company dealing with finance security,ATM Management and high value cash management, “Having led two battalions of the Infantry man management, planning security and movement of highly vulnerable equipment and troops was part of my job. So it’s but natural that I take to a similar work profile post retirement. Though I did not take up any management training when I retired I feel the young officers doing so today will only add to their skills and enhance their chances of getting a job in the private sector.”

But are such officers cut out for working in a private arena after being trained for combat tactics?

Avers Bose, “Army officers are given skills that are very varied and which are inculcated in him during his training in the defense academies. So they are well equipped to handle manpower, maintain equipments, managing finance in terms of high security cash and salary and funds. The added plus is their people’s management skills given the fact that they handle troops made up of recruits from different parts of the country make them ideal to fit into the corporate world. So in my opinion a defense officer is the best choice private companies have to pick up as part of their staff and with most now training in management skills as well the package they have will be the best in the industry.”

Well coming straight from the horses mouth there is no doubt that the sky is the limit for those who wish quit wearing fatigues and take on a civilian role. Any takers head honchos?

Photo captions:
Pix1: A different kind of training. Ex-defense officers attending a management lecture at XLRI Jamshedpur.
Pix2: Honing those management skills catching up on the corporate techniques after these officers have perfected their combat skills.
Pix3: Class of 2009, the Defense Officers Batch undergoing management training at XLRI Jamshedpur.

Anjali Singh
(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS) and also the Director of Saaksham Foundation. Email: anjali@citizen-news.org)

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