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So sometimes you want to get a nose job, fix that crooked, funny looking nose that you have, that’s, perhaps, even a bit off center. And then you for the nose job and end up looking like a mutant, a cast from the X-men in their full bloom. Not a pretty picture, eh?

That’s how Delhi has been looking like since a few months now.

Every bit of the good old earth (and everything along) has been recklessly dug up. So much so that foot paths no longer exist, and in some cases, nor does half the road. All of this somehow results in the drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians, all travelling on the same road. And seconds later, that road being dug up! Talk about unity.

All of this done in the name of beautification of Delhi. Quite honestly, it doesn’t look very beautiful. Maybe the end result will be nice. But a good many of us may choke to death by inhaling an insane amount of dust by then.

It’s upsetting to see the tax money going all into a hole (literally!). I just hope this place actually turns into a world class city some day.

SEARCHING FEMINISM

“One is not born, but becomes, a woman. “-    Simone De Beauvior(The Second Sex)

One of the most enigmatic words of our time is “Feminism”. It is a word, a signifier that seems to denote a lot to different people. I have observed that a while it signifies emancipation or liberty to one set, it I a derogatory word for another. For some it means male bashing, while for others it is symbolic of equality.

So, what is feminism? The most common definition of it declares that it is the radical notion that women are people. A feminist could be a male or a female. A feminist is someone who believes in equality of both the sexes but also accepts the inherent biological differences. I say “biological” because there is a basic difference in the biology and anatomy of a man’s & a woman’s. If you ignore this, then you blind & foolish & most definitely not a true feminist! A man is physically stronger & a woman’s body is designed to tolerate the pains of childbirth.

Celebrate the difference, not demean it.

To be a feminist you don’t have to hate men. Both men & women are people. They are, philosophically speaking, two halves one of Whole. No one is better or worse than the other. They are equal, but different.

I think that within all these years, the term “feminism” has almost become a folklore. People have come up with so many versions of it without even grasping its concept. They comment on it, judge it without even knowing what it is really about. It is even used derogatorily. I think when a woman says she hates men or that men are evil animals or worse etc etc, she is not a feminist but a direct opposite if a misogynist. She is a misandrist.

Feminism is not a political thought, nor is it a sociological one. It is a psychological state. No form of liberty (national or individual) exists if the mind is not free of petty boundaries that society has imposed on us.

Nature has assigned division of labour beautifully to both the sexes; it would be hideous to make it biased towards only one. Gender discrimination has taken its toll on both the sexes. Men are also victimized into being the compulsory provider to the family, the problem fixer and all that. The question that one may as is that then why is there no such thing as “Masulinism”. The answer is simple: that out of the two sexes it is the female whose oppression is tangible and overt. Now people are slowly starting to do away with the stringent codes of how to be a man or a woman. Men now sport pink colour and long hair. Women… have gone miles. But there’s still light years to go.

The question of a women’s quota in India is distinct from any other nation because the Constitution of India has already provided for quotas for the ‘Scheduled Castes’ (SCs) formerly untouchable castes in the Hindu community and the ‘Scheduled Tribes’ (STs). It has provisions for similar measures for the socially and educationally backward classes now termed as the ‘Other Backward Classes’ (OBCs). These quotas are for admissions to educational institutions, public sector employment and political representation. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments provided for 33% quotas for women’s representation in the local self-government institutions.

These Amendments were implemented in 1993. They were enacted without any pressure or persistent demand from women or any other section. Prior to these Amendments the State of Karnataka had introduced 25% women’s quota in Panchayat Raj Institutions.1 First elections after the implementation of quotas were held in 1987 (Jain 1996). Later, State of Maharashtra passed a law providing for 30% reservation of seats for women in rural as well as urban local self-government institutions. It is curious that, in spite of over 1,000,000 elected  women representatives flooding the local governments; the women’s movement in India was totally silent over this issue till 1996. The smooth passage of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments encouraged all major national political parties to commit themselves to extending 33% women’s quota to state legislatures and Parliament. The 81st Constitutional Amendment Bill, popularly known as the Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB), was introduced in the Parliament in 1996 to that effect. The women’s movement had no role in bringing about this Bill. It did offer some inputs in the Committee hearings but it became vocal and visible on this issue only after its first debacle in XI Lok Sabha.2 Even then, this visibility was in the form of demonstrations and sit-ins in front of  the Parliament and not by way of proactive intervention in the electoral process by supporting women candidates or recruiting movement’s spokespersons in elective roles on various levels.

Women’s Reservation Bill:

1. As nearly as may be one-third of all seats in Lok Sabha and State Legislative  Assemblies shall be reserved for women.

2. Reservation shall apply in case of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) as well.

3. Seats to be reserved in rotation will be determined by draw of lots in such a way that a seat shall be reserved only once in three consecutive general elections.

Main Drawbacks of the Women Reservation Bill:

1. Rotational reservation of one-third seats is the most serious flaw in the Bill. The pre-election nursing of a Lok Sabha or State Assembly constituency involves a very heavy investment on the part of the political parties and individual aspirants. Rotational reservation of one-third of  the seats exclusively for women would lead to a grave uncertainty for sitting male MPs  eroding their meticulously developed political base and leaving them no scope to pursue  politics as a life-long mission or career.

2. This is harmful for the political career of an individual politician as well as for the process of the development of national level leaders with towering personalities. This would dwarf the popularly elected political leadership and strengthen the bureaucracy.

3. The Bill also ignores an important recommendation of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the 81st Amendment Bill about extending reservation to Rajya Sabha1 and Legislative Councils that was incorporated in the Clause 21 of its Report.

4. The Bill turns women’s quota into a zero sum game where women would get seats only if male MPs were removed from one third of the constituencies.

Passing the Bill in its present form would mean a political suicide for the sitting male Members of Parliament but in spite of all its drawbacks many women’s organizations are treating it as non-negotiable and are refusing to consider alternate proposals. A proposal emphasizing nomination of 33% women candidates instead of reserving the constituencies for women is being advocated by a senior feminist activist scholar Madhu Kishwar (Narayan and Kishwar: 2000) and a proposal for converting 50% constituencies into dual-member constituencies is being advocated by Rami Chhabra (Chhabra 2000). But the former has grave drawbacks and the latter is more expensive than the July 2003 proposal of dual-member constituencies discussed below.

Proposal for Dual-member Constituencies:

On 15th July 2003, Manohar Joshi, then Speaker of Lok Sabha convened a four-party3 meeting to discuss a proposal of dual-member constituencies. Afterwards, on 19th July 2003 at the National Executive meeting at Raipur the BJP passed a resolution to that effect and called upon the government to bring a Constitutional Amendment, to convert one-third of the Lok Sabha constituencies into dual-member constituencies4. The highlights of this proposal are:

1. Current 543 Lok Sabha constituencies would be grouped into three lots of 181 each. In each election, one of these lots would be converted into dual-member constituencies, each electing two Members of Parliament – a male and a female.

2. This would increase the number of elected Lok Sabha members5 to 724 (362 + 181 + 181) from 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.

3. The dual-membership would rotate after each election to the next lot of 181 constituencies.

4. The proposal would also apply to State Assemblies and to SC and ST constituencies.

Do we all really know that the 2010 Men’s Hockey World Cup is to be held in India, taking place over two weeks from Feb 28 to March 13, 2010 at New Delhi’s Dhyan Chand National Stadium?

Well, to some extent answer in the mass will be a  “ No ”. So, what led to explain offsetting feature of non awareness?? Is it that other games are attracting more or it is loosing its power to attract people towards the game?

I think the answer to this can be explained in both but not exogenously of one another, infact can be sought that both factors are contributing in loosing its value….that is just one side of countrymen. Now consider the authorities and media that also blow the wind in haphazard manner that actually lead us no where…..
India’s hosting of the event was put in doubt, however, when the FIH reviewed the progress of the Indian Hockey Federation’s “Promoting Indian Hockey” program and India’s preparation for the championship, and warned that “satisfactory progress had not been made in either area”. India [We]was warned that it could lose the right to host the World Cup unless satisfactory progress was made. Although it was confirmed on July 18, 2008 that International Hockey Federation formally awarded the hosting rights to India, if we consider on part of India , the sensitisation among the people is lacking. Cricket set off not only other sports but our National Sport,  Field Hockey as well….which is actually not desirable.
So lack of concern is not only limited to one but to all. For eg. people in India can talk for more than an hour about cricket but can’t even talk about other sports including hockey for even half an hour. Whereas, if we consider the authorities, everyone is showing their concerns about the COMMON Wealth Games and undergoing a big change for that…but not even a sigle enthusiastically mention about the upcoming     Men’s Hockey World Cup……is that a way of getting in to extremes of one and forget about rest a justifiable?

Men’s Hockey World Cup 2010,New  Delhi , Shedule

Pool A: Germany, Netherlands, Korea, New Zealand, Canada, Argentina

Pool B: Australia, Spain, England, Pakistan, India, South Africa

Sunday February 28:

16:35 Pool B South Africa vs Spain

18:35 B Australia vs England

20:35 B India vs Pakistan

Monday March 1:

16:35 A New Zealand vs Canada

18:35 A Germany vs Korea

20:35 A Netherlands vs Argentina

Tuesday March 2:

16:35 B South Africa vs England

18:35 B Pakistan vs Spain

20:35 B India vs Australia

Wednesday March 3:

16:35 A Canada vs Germany

18:35 A Argentina vs Korea

20:35 A New Zealand vs Netherlands

Thursday March 4:

16:35 B South Africa vs Australia

18:35 B England vs Pakistan

20:35 B India vs Spain

Friday March 5:

16:35 A Korea vs New Zealand

18:35 A Netherlands vs Canada

20:35 A Germany vs Argentina

Saturday March 6:

16:35 B Australia vs Spain

18:35 B South Africa vs Pakistan

20:35 B India vs England

Sunday March 7:

16:35 A Korea vs Canada

18:35 A New Zealand vs Argentina

20:35 A Germany vs Netherlands

Monday March 8:

16:35 B Spain vs England

18:35 B Australia vs Pakistan

20:35 B India vs South Africa

Tuesday March 9:

16:35 A Germany vs New Zealand

18:35 A Netherlands vs Korea

20:35 A Canada vs Argentina

Wednesday March 10: Rest Day.

Thursday March 11:

15:35 Classification.11-12 6th Pool A vs 6th Pool B

18:05 Semi-final 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B

20:35 Semi-final 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A

Friday March 12:

15:35 Clas. 9-10 5th Pool A vs 5th Pool B

18:05 Clas. 7-8 4th Pool A vs 4th Pool B

20:35 Clas. 5-6 3rd Pool A vs 3rd Pool B.

Saturday March 13:

15:35 Bronze medal match

18:05 Final

Well, journey starts with a beautiful introduction of convention (one year in advance) everywhere, mainly in India… which can easily tempt anyone. Everyone gets so curious about conventions and start looking for the future perspective with the intention of getting the maximum benefits from the minimum possible efforts. Thus, everyone starts following the rules and start attending meetings. Over there, everyone finds an interesting, a somewhat educated class accumulation …as it’s a movement for the students and are expected to run by the students only…students start taking up every type of task; from cleaning to everything with authority and responsibility which is actually good for each one. In every meeting they will make you more curious and energizing as convention comes near and near. Now every student is filled with excitement and joy…starts packing up for convention…….and ….here they reach for their destination………….
NDRS/ ODRS……………
Confused?????????????
New Delhi Railway Station / Old Delhi Railway Station
Where a first time visitor can actually destroy his/her imagination regarding railway station, at the very same moment…..one more surprise is waiting for everyone…..
NUMBER OF PEOPLE GOING FOR CONVENTION ARE MUCH MORE THAN RESERVED ONE
The population that goes for the convention includes school students, teachers, college students, some families, members of Spic Macay and many more. So, the lesson of sacrifice starts from here itself. As train moves on, u start making friends if don’t have them already. Everyone starts passing time in their own way…and the train journey is generally seen at least for one day. Where station by state more people get added from other Spic Macay chapters and, therefore, more and more people get added as the journey moves on. So the situation is one where a person doesn’t know anyone save a few handful people and so has to talk to everyone… whoever passes by (not, strictly whoever, the members) just to actually know everyone and what they are up to in terms further hope of nourishing and extracting more and more knowledge about this convention and Spic Macay as well. So, their trust obviously gets established one against the other…so….the problem is solved now that you are not alone. Well, what is now left is the journey…as train passes by stations at night, as the people will be sleeping at night, including all the boys and girls. So the question of security obviously comes in. One wonders that it must be already taken care of by Spic Macay members only??????….??????????….
Well, the answer is this: As it is generally seen, the train is ordinary one. So the actions of the outsiders can’t be controlled by them. Anyone can enter and it is empirically supported by incidents as well. So, the one question I would like to raise to the readers only………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
So, what is the point in avoiding same question again and again….
Well, finally you are at your final destination, i.e., the convention venue. Here one more surprise can be waiting for the privileged one in the form of no arrangement being made before you reach there….so you learn one more good lesson that the way of simplicity is cleaning your stay place after reaching there even before settling your luggage. I think we can consider this as something normal and then let just move our story further…Finally we are at the convention, beginning with introduction and interaction. Everyone has to choose some kind of intensive and has to attend them during these days under the great artists in the respective fields. So, here the people’s interaction increases and they get to know more about each other. Here we can find every type of people. Some are focused just on the intensives and events , some are attending this for the first time , some are there just for fun and finally, some that can come under all the above and do something else as well…Can anyone guess?????????
It is all above our imagination, very different from the point of view of the convention and this should not be complementary but actually it is…the lesson of sacrifice just can’t be introduced in every aspect of our life…there are some things which should not be sacrificed…but…
Is this the base we actually take for permission from parents for the convention??? Are the parents informed after that????…….
That will remain a question for those who have never been there…but knowledge for those who have already been there……the way things move complementary with the convention…..
Have even the authorities who do posses knowledge regarding the same taken some informed/uninformed action????…..
If yes, then why do the same things happen again and again???
I would just like to conclude my words with this that there are some things that can’t be said….can’t be mentioned in public, much in the same way I can’t over here…..but does this mean no action against that and let the things way as it is????????

The day before, Delhi police declared how efficiently they had worked for last one year & their hard work is one of the major factors behind the dipping Crime graph* Only according to Delhi police* in National capital. They called up a huge press conference were all media people gathered to collect the data & stats made public by Delhi Police* Do we need stats & data to analyze crime in Delhi ?*.

Now lets go to Mumbai. On the New Year eve, Mumbai police officials were dancing with criminals,Don’t you think it’s a clear  sigh of nexus between criminals and police…

¿¿ You know how efficient & hardworking our police & Intelligence is ??

In bollywood style, three Pakistani nationals involved in abetment of terrorism in the country escaped from the custody of the police. Abdul Razzak, Mohammed Sadiq and Rafaqat Ali were to be deported to Pakistan after they had served their sentences in connection with terror acts in J&K and Delhi.

Now again the age old blame game has started between the security agencies and no one is ready to accept that they themselves made a mistake.

In my personal opinion, there can be many possibilities behind this incident, it may be possible that the ISI have very deep roots into the Indian internal security system and they were waiting for the right time so that they can make these three active again in anti India activities. It may be possible that we will hear a news that these three were shot dead in an hours long cross fire.

Whatever may be the reason we don’t want to go into that , what our question is : are we secure ?

Are we capable of making our nation secure??

If yes, then why we always have such security lapses every now and then ??

If no, then ………………………………………………

Now i am sure that,  BJP headed by Nitin Gadkari accepted moral defeat as the Party leadership in its frustration over continuous defeats in assembly and general elections has taken a shameful *not for them* decision to support Shibu Soren in Jharkhand.

Shibu Soren performed little better then saffron party but no one can deny the fact that Guru ji is one of the most corrupt & controversial leader in post colonial India, we all know on 28 November 2006, Soren was found guilty of murder in the twelve year old case of the kidnapping and murder of his former personal secretary Shashinath Jha.

He created history by becoming the first chief minister to lose the assembly seat in elections, immediately after serving as the chief minister. The Delhi high court bench also noted that he was also being tried in a number of other cases, including the case of mass murder in Jharkhand.

Now my question is, it’s the party with difference o a party that can do anything to gain power even having political differences? It’s a matter of shame for new national president and for those who make hue and cry on the name of ideology and principles ……..

Congress did well and as we all know congress will become a major party in Cow belt within few years. Continues success of Congress (I) in assembly and general elections shows that it’s the party that posses workers at grass root level & they have the caliber and potential to lead the country , a country where people lives of all religion and caste we need people who make us Unite we don’t want anyone who make people divide and so that they can rule.
In my opinion BJP is completely Lost.

Today in discovery came to know about a technique by which we can propagate number of trees by limited sources  , Trees, trees and trees can save us from Global warming , on the name of which we wasted  millions of dollars in 2009United Nations Climate Change Conference held at Copenhagen.

Well artificial and encapsulated seeds are the somatic embryos covered with a protective gel. Gel in encapsulated seeds acts as seeds coat and artificial endosperm provides nutrient.

Embryos coated with sodium alginate and nutrients solution are dipped in calcium chloride solution, Calcium ions induce rapid cross linking of sodium alginate to produce small beads, each containing encapsulated embryos. Encapsulated seeds can be maintained in a viable state till they are planted.

Test of the growth vigor of beads by planting in soil or soil amended with pesticides, out of the other chemicals tested , a polyethylene oxide(Polyox WSR-N75) has good encapsulated property. Polyox coated embryos kept in dry condition and then allowed for germination at suitable conditions. Recently, production  of encapsulated seeds by encapsulation of somatic embryos in Eucalyptus species has been reported .

West Indies spin bowler Sulieman Benn has been suspended for two ODIs after an on field argument with Australian Players.
Sulieman had a heated argument with two Australian players, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson. It reportedly started when Sulieman collided with Johnson while the batsman was trying to steal a run ; later on, the Australian players started arguing with Benn after the final delivery of that over . Even the Australian player pointed his bat towards Benn and they tried to get physical with him , but the match referee was partial while taking the action on this issue and he overlooked the act of the White Aussies and made Benn liable for the whole incident as he is banned for the two ODI matches and all the Aussies suffered a nominal fine.
This whole incident clearly shows that racial discrimination is still prevalent in so called developed societies of the West. Now, my question is that why the cricket board of India , Sri Lanka , West Indies & Pakistan are not taking this issue to the ICC, as the video footage clearly indicated that the White Aussies were behind the whole incident.
I condemn the Decision of the match referee and I would like BCCI to take this issue seriously and lodge a written protest to ICC .

NANDA DEVI RAJ JAT

Nandadevi Raj Jat is an important religious event of Garhwal region of Uttrakhand It involves a long trekking for taking the area’s reigning deity – Goddess Nanda to her divine destination of Gaungati peak which is believed to be the abode of her consort, Lord Shiva. The Raj Jat is taken up every 12 years, after elaborate preparations by the descendants of the royal priests now living at village Nauti and royal class of Kunwars living in Kansuwar. The purpose of the 280 kms. long arduous trek undertaken by thousands of devotees is to escort the Goddess to her in-laws place. The Jat resembles the postnuptial rite of ceremonially seeing off a daughter as she leaves for her husband’s home with all her personal effects and dowry.

AN ANCIENT TRADITION

The event starts off on an interesting note when priests and patrons associated with this ancient tradition assemble and put their heads together to draw a time schedule for the retinue to reach the scheduled spots on the itinerary on specific auspicious dates. The objective is to reach Home Kund on Nandastmi, falling sometime around August-September and Kulsari on the succeeding new moon for performing special rituals related to worshipping of the Goddess.

GENESIS OF THE TRADITION

Nanda Raj Jat is an ancient tradition, which has been in vogue in the region for a long time. The genesis of Nanda worship is wrapped in mystery. However, most scholars agree that its genesis dates back to the 9th century or even before. According to the folk songs sung at Nauti during this Jat, King Shalipal of Chandpur Garhi is said to have laid the foundation of this tradition. He directed his royal priests to worship the Goddess according to his instructions.

After performing special worship of the other Goddesses-Bhumial Devi (Goddess Earth), Utrai Devi and Archna Devi and Archna Devi – all popular deities of the region, he preserved a meticulous record of the yatra programme to escort Goddess Nanda to her in-law’s place after every 12 years. He entrusted his royal priests residing at Nauti the responsibility to execute the Jat with the help of royal patronage and local people. The king also authorized his younger brother settled in the nearby village of Kansava to represent the royal house in this Yatra and help the priest perform all rites and rituals connected with this event.

REVERENCE AND PURITY

Since then, the tradition of the Jat has continued to this day. After every 12 years, it originates from Nauti after elaborate rituals. The image of the Goddess and offering are taken in a procession, accompanied by bare footed devotees. The followers observe self-control, partaking of food prepared according to prescribed religious instructions only and participate in fervent rendition of devotional songs and dances. The entourage halts at night. People from villages on the way turn up in large numbers, have darshan and make offering to the deity. Many people join the group and remain with it till the yatra concludes. The accompanying group of devotees swells with every passing day. Night halts are made at specific villages on the itinerary where all necessary arrangements for the boarding and lodging of the retinue are made by the villagers. Special poojas and rituals are performed at every halt. Groups from far and near join the procession with their own idols and umbrellas. Prominent among such are the groups from Kurud near Ghat, Lata near Tapovan and Almora in Kumaon. Some 300 idols and decorated umbrellas assemble at Waan. It is a tradition in this village to keep all houses in readiness for use by the yatris. The doors are kept unlocked on the day the Jat arrives here.

The Jat concludes on the 22nd day (Nandastami) at Home Kund, about one km from the foot hills of Nanda-Trisuli peak. Before reaching the final destination, the Jat has to cross the crucial Jyunva gali/Rupkund cliff which is difficult to negotiate.

The priests and devotees at Home Kund offer special prayers and rituals and load their offering on the four horned ram. The Goddess is decorated in special bridal make up and is given a tearful farewell. It is a pathetic scene with all the devotees in tears, as if they are bidding farewell to their own daughter, leaving her in-laws home to meet her husband. The image of Goddess is left there. The four horned ram proceeds towards Kailash (Trishuli peak), the abode of Lord Shiva on its own. The peak is a part of Nanda Parvat which is the highest mountain of the Chamoli district and is widely revered by one and all. Women of the area believe that the mist around the Nanda Kot peak is the smoke coming out of the kitchen of Goddess Nanda. So overwhelming is their feeling for the Goddess that they become incredibly sentimental and break into tears while singing the songs associates with their revered Goddess whom they regard as a pampered daughter of their own.

THE POLULARITY

Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati both have been associated with Himalaya which is believed to be the abode of Gods. Shiva is believed to reside at Mount Kailash while Parvati (Shail Putri) is mythologically regarded as the daughter of the hills. Parvati is also known as Nanda in Garhwal & Kumaon area and the highest peak of the district has been identified with the name of reigning deity of the area.

The popularity of the Goddess can be gauged from the fact that Nanda temples are dotted all over prominent places in Garhwal and Kumaon. Some of the ancient Nanda temples are located at Nauti Chandpur, Kurur, Devrada, Kulsari, Navdkesri, Lohajang, Shila Samudra, Nandakot Vaidini, Srinagar, Sink, Devikhet, Nandprayag, Gopeshwar, Helang, Lat, Niti and Badrinath. Similarly, prominent Nanda temples in Kumaon region include the temples located at Nainital, Almora, Baijnath, Shuwbhgash, Munsyari, Doonagiri, Jageshwar, Bageshwar and Ranikhet. These and the wide spread tradition of Nanda Jat in these areas are adequate evidence that the Nanda Jat celebrations are a symbol of cultural unity of the Uttarakhand area.