Archives October 2012

It is said that these days, more people die of accidents on the roads than of any diseases. Some of the accidents on the roads take place because of mechanical failure of vehicles. But in most cases the fault lies with human beings who drive these vehicles. A person can make some error while-taking a turn or passing through a crossing and that results in accident of some magnitude, minor or major. Such instances are not many. Most often the cause of an accident is rash driving oil the part of the driver of one vehicle or the drivers of both the vehicles that collide. Rash driving some time may not cause an accident by collision. The driver may lose control over the brakes and the vehicle may just slipway downwards and capsize or it may hit a tree, pole or a stationary vehicle or wall or it may Passover more...

Each one of us is born unique. There are no two persons who are exactly alike. Yet, despite our unique individuality, we constantly become slaves to whatever that is currently in fashion. As a result, even though we are different, we strive to dress alike, use the same slangs, eat the same food and share the same hobbies. So much so, that many times even our thought and behaviour patterns are also governed by the ruling fashion-rage. Then in the midst of such mental slavery, if d bright individual strikes out on his own in another direction, then others see him admire him and then join him. It becomes fashionable to be like him. His individuality gives birth to another fashion statement. Before the emergence of 'rock and roll' in the fifties, it was fashionable to listen to melodious music and to dance the rhumba. It was the 'in' thing more...

Despite being the largest Democracy in the World, the Indian Press has never been accorded a free status. A survey of civil and political liberties carried out by Freedom House listed the Indian press as being "partly free". What is of concern here is that it figured even below countries like Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Comoros, Ecuador and El Salvador. Ever since, the time of   Hickey, the administration has recognized the potential of the Indian Press to be severely anti-establishment. To check the growth of the Indian press without seeming overtly restrictive, the British Government enacted several legislation that were successful in restricting the Indian Press. This restriction has carried on to the present times. A major reason to doubt India's freedom of the press stems from the times of the Emergency when constitutional safeguards meant to protect freedom of speech and expression were set aside. Even today the Official more...

The Commonwealth Games 2010 brought laurels to the country and especially brought Punjab and Haryana to limelight as seven girls from Haryana and three girls from Punjab bagged medals. Ironically, these two states are also majorly in news for the skewed sex ratio as Haryana reports the dismal figure of 830 female children and Punjab 846 against per 1000 male child, according to the 2011 census, In 2011, when our country is eloquent in citing that the status of women is equal to men, these figures tell a different story, Equality of rights becomes secondary, when primarily females are not even allowed to enter this world. The evil of Female Foeticide is deeply entrenched in our society, and pervades all classes and castes of the society, A family does not think twice before killing a girl-child, though they would ceremoniously pray to goddess Lakshmi. Kali and Durga four times a more...

There is no doubt that now India has turned from a food deficit state into a food surplus state. India has a strong industrial base. India has large resources of foreign exchange. India is the largest producer of milk in the world. In spite of this, the poor people's lot is miserable. The fact is that most of the national wealth is Just in a few hands. The real prosperity has gone only to the industrial and business rich at the top who get loans of crores of rupees from banks and forget to repay the capital as well as the interest. A vast population of India still sleeps on the pavements. The poor have to go without food even. There is no proper arrangement for drinking water, sewerage, healthcare, education, employment and housing for the poor. A number of schemes in various fields have, no doubt, been started. But more...

The social evils and superstitions that dominated the society over the centuries made social reforms imperative for the development of the society and the masses. In the 19th century, the newly educated increasingly revolted against the rigid social conventions and outdated customs. They could no longer tolerate irrational and de-humanizing social practices. Moreover, the backward features of Indian society, such as the caste system or inequality of the sexes had religious sanctions in the past. Therefore, it was necessary to reform religious practices as well. The condition of women was pathetic. The various religions practised in India as well as the personal laws based on them consigned women to a status inferior to that of men. Polygamy, Purdah system, Sati, ban on widow remarriage, no education for female child, female infanticide and child marriage were some of the evils that had a strong grip over the society. It thus became more...

In the matter of population, India is the second largest country in the world. In this respect, she is next only to China, but she has a much smaller land mass as compared to China.  India's population crossed the mark of one billion in July, 2002 At the time of Independence, it was only about 35 Years. It means in just about 58 years, it has trebled itself and that after all the various efforts put in at central, .State and local levels through various means.  India has one of the most liberal laws on abortion in the world. But this has resulted in another malady and that is the menace of female foeticide which is the result of easy availability of scanning machines in all cities and towns and which has brought the female ratio in certain States like Punjab and Haryana to an alarmingly low level.  In spite more...

Romaine Rolland, a French scholar, once quoted "If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!" India, the land of spirituality and philosophy considers religion as an integral part of its tradition- The worship of various religions and its rituals play a significant role in every aspect of human life in the country. India is the birthplace of two great religions of the world, namely, Hinduism and Buddhism. India is also home to the followers of one of the oldest religions of the world, Zoroastrianism, and ancient religions like Jainism and Sikhism are also widely practised here. Followers of Islam, Christianity, Bahaism and Judaism exist throughout the world and also form a part of the population of the secular India. Hinduism is the more...

The evening air is cool but I am feeling warm enough. I have no work to do. I am alone at home waiting for the phone to ring. Today, expect to see an old friend after years. Will I recognize him? What if he fails to recognize me? After a long wait the phone rings. Yes, he is the one. He tells me to get ready. We are going out to dinner. I feel strange. Outside, the rain has stopped. It's a good sign. I have half an hour to myself. Then I am supposed to stand at the door. Hurriedly, I put on my best clothes. I look at my -watch. Five minutes left. Doesn't matter I can stand. I lock the front door and wait. Right on time a car stops. A well dressed old man steps out of the driver's door. I peep inside the car. There more...

India has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has managed to preserve its established traditions throughout history. By absorbing customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants, Indian culture, evolved with confluence of several regional cultures, which witnessed cultural influences from other countries, and consequently also influenced the culture of several other regions. Indian culture is strongly influenced by various religions and their respective folk idioms and art. While the classical influence is still evident in rural Indian culture, the urban India is now widely influenced by qlobal popular culture. India is usually divided into five major cultural divisions-—each with their own styles. Some consider there is more pronounced difference between the cultures of South India and North East India, whereas East and West Indian cultures portray a mingling of Northern and Southern influences with their own peculiar forms. The idea that human culture can be defined at more...