ISSUES AND CONCERNS

This is the reproduction of the SCROLL OF HONOUR (Sanmaana Patra) by the Govt. Composite High School, Angaragundi, Bykampadi, Mangalore. This was given to J.Shriyan for his involvement in the school, which according to the school, greatly helped all its 10th Std. students (33) pass, by securing 100% for the first time.

Friends So the monsoon is here, some time plenty, some times scanty. It is giving a kind of signal, monsoon may not be normal this season. No wonder Meteorological Deptt has reportedly remarked that it has reversed the forecast for the season from 99% to 96% of normal rainfall. It is a matter of concern especially, the increasing pressure on demand for water both from increasing population and increasing industrial and infrastructural need. Recently a team of those involved in farming and agriculture had gone to Israel on a study tour and to take part in an exhibition. They have learnt, despite Israel not being a water abundant country, it has managed its water resources very well. According to these visitors, who have returned to India, despite this water constraint, their production per acre is higher and they feel there is enough to learn from Israel. It is true our officialdom will do well to take note of this and take some long term steps to manage this increasingly decr...

Andhra Pradesh: Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, the ambitious son of Y S R Reddy, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, is becoming a bit of hot potato for the Congress leadership. It could as well be a case of chicken coming back home to roost. When father Reddy was alive, not only father but also the son were allowed free hand by the Congress high command, ostensibly because it was serving the party interest. But when he died and son staked his claim for CMs gaddi, he was only doing what was Congress culture, the "Father to Son" politics. Now in their wisdom, may be even very right, the party denied the prodigal son, his claim to the gaddi. But he has come back to haunt them. He is young and has the advantage of money power, earned rightly or wrongly, he was a ‘bit of Sanjay Gandhi’ and had developed youth coterie during his father’s reign, which had helped him in his Loksabha victory earlier. Clearly his shenanigans were not welcome in the corridors of the high com...

Democracy! My Foot Machendranath, is an old student of our college in Mumbai. Every time he gets wild, he would blurt “You, my left foot”, indignance writ large on his face. So whenever you have something, to convey of displeasure, “its like Machendra’s left foot”. In the college this was in vogue for quite sometime. Then of course, relentlessness of life takes all tolls. This too was forgotten. Years having passed, we have no idea whatever has happened to our Machendranath. Of course Machendranath or no Machendranath, ‘my foot’ as a harsh remark to indicate outright rejection has come to stay and is prevalent in the routine discourse among homosapiens the world over. We Indians, claim ourselves to be the largest democracy in the world. But frankly what constitutes democracy anyway? Word democracy comes from words-demo and cracy. Demo meaning people and cracy meaning rule or governance. So it is rule by people. Thus, it is regularly quoted as, democracy is a form ...

We Will Rise……… ……When we believe in ourselves. Thomas Alva Edison. The inventor of the light bulb, was told by his teacher that he was not smart enough to learn anything. ……When our driving force is to leave a legacy for future generation. Vincent Van Gogh, sold only one painting during his lifetime. But his paintings now adorn the walls of the biggest museums the world over. ……When we move forward despite facing numerous rejections. J K Rowling. Her manuscripts were rejected by twelve publishers before the hugely successful Harry Potter franchise. ……When we don’t let things that are out of our control defeat us. Sunil Mittal, was out of business over night due to a govt. policy change. But now he is worth over 9 billion US $. ……When we think outside the box. Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse and Disney World creator. He was fired by a newspaper editor for lacking great ideas saying mouse has no potential. Went bankrupt many times. ……When we believe in ourselves. Dhirubha...

Musical pacifier for premature babies New Delhi: Many premature babies enter the world with a mountain of challenges. Even after they overcome any life threatening issues, they face ongoing, and typically unpleasant, medical procedures, long hospital stays and increased chances of chronic health issues throughout their lives. To help address one of their biggest problems – learning how to suck and feed – Florida State University has announced the availability of the Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL) device to hospitals around the world. The innovative PAL device, which uses musical lullabies to help infants quickly learn the muscle movements needed to suck, and ultimately feed, is being sold through a partnership with Powers Device Technologies Inc. Research studies have shown that PAL can reduce the length of a premature infant’s hospital stay by an average of five days. “Unlike full-term infants, very premature babies come into the world lacking the neurologic ability to c...

38 years on, KEM refuses to give up on Aruna As soon as the morning staff assumed duty at the busy KEM hospital, they cut a cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’. KEM hospital’s former staff nurse Aruna Shanbaug had turned 64. When she was made to taste a bit of cream from her birthday cake, her pursed lips broke out into a faint hint of smile. A huge colourful greeting card was later brought to Shanbaug’s bedside, on which there were scribbled good wishes. Aruna is paralysed. She’s been this way ever since she was raped. Thirty-eight years ago, Shanbaug who was then working as a staff nurse in the hospital, was brutally assaulted on the neck with a dog chain by a ward boy over a scuffle that had ensued between them the previous day. The entire night after the assault occurred she lay bleeding in the basement of the old hospital building. She had suffered a grievous brain injury. Birthdays are meant to end on a happy note. Sadly enough, Shanbaug’s birthdays have always been clouded ...

When society loses its sense of shame! The release of A Raja, the erstwhile telecom minister accused of corruption on bail and the related news, revealed the depth to which we have descended. He was given a hero’s welcome befitting someone who won an Olympic gold and in the evening of his release, the report suggests that there was gala party with lots of fanfare at his house where hundreds participated. Couple of years before, when the Chairman of Indian Bank was arrested and taken to jail he waved to the crowd as if he is a freedom fighter taken in by the Britishers. Kalmadi has his posters all over Pune and other accused in several scams are given coverage on television and in print media as if they are icons including their eating habits/reading habits etc. There has been an explosion of modernism or, to quote a TV anchor, “the sublime assertion of modern thinking” in the last few years. One was the celebration by homosexuals after the Delhi High Court ruled that homosexuali...

Techie thieves Nagpur: As power distribution companies intensify their drive against power theft, pilferers are adopting the latest technology to outsmart them. Spanco Vigilance officials detected power theft at a hotel on Central Avenue. The device used to tamper with the meter shocked officials, as it was highly sophisticated and even veterans said they had never come across anything like this. The power pilferage was found at Shivraj Hotel, which had two meters in the name of Jagdish Gupta. The total theft assessment was Rs 7.87 lakh. Spanco officials suspected power theft because power consumption at the hotel had reduced suddenly two years ago. The most shocking aspect of the device is that it does not leave any evidence of theft. Several cases of power theft using remote controlled devices have come to light of late, but to use the remote you have to install a sensor in the electricity meter by tampering with it. The earlier electrostatic meters could be manipulated even wi...

Man spits on Putin’s portrait - Jailed Moscow: A man in Russia has been sentenced for 15 days in prison for spitting on President Vladimir Putin’s portrait, RIA Novosti reported. Dmitry Karuyev, an opposition activist who is a member of the Other Russia movement, was detained as he staged one-man protest outside the offices of the ruling United Russia party in Cheboksary city on the eve of Putin’s May 7 inauguration for a third term. Police said Karuyev’s actions could have triggered disorder. “He did indeed spit on it, but it was just his way of expressing his views,” Karuyev’s lawyer Alexei Glukhov said. “You cannot punish people for that.” ‘Kidney stone belt’ - Bore wells to blame? Mumbai : Areas adjoining Latur, Ahmedpur, Kej, Kalamb and Ambajogai in Marathwada are fast becoming the “kidney stone belt” region, a leading urologist has said. “There has been a drastic increase in kidney stone patients from these areas, specially during the last month, “Latur-based urologist Dr ...