Esther Preethi and the true meaning of education

http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/esther-preethi-and-the-true-meaning-of-education/

Esther Preethi and the true meaning of education

K. JAVEED NAYEEM writes: The week that has gone by had a mixed bag of events that have left me with mixed feelings, both happy and sad.

The news that really stirred my soul and elevated it to an unusually lofty level of happiness was about the Sri VenkateswaraUniversity in Andhra Pradesh postponing its engineering examinations by a full week to let the students of one engineering college collect donations to save the life of one of its students —Esther Preethi, the daughter of a poor taxi driver from Madanapalli in Chittoor District, now doing her final year engineering at NBKR Institute of Technology in Nellore.

She reportedly developed liver failure for which she was advised a liver transplant costing almost Rs 50 lakh.

Her father was crestfallen as this amount was far beyond his means and even what he could hope to garner from sources open to him. That was when his daughter’s college-mates decided to do their bit by collecting donations from the public to pay for Preethi’s surgery.

Since the need for surgery was very urgent, as it usually is in such cases, about 540 students of final year engineering rushed to the director of the college, V. Vijayakumar Reddy, with a request to allow them to go out and collect donations by skipping classes.

Touched by the students’ resolve, the college management, too, offered financial assistance and allowed the students to spare no efforts to save Preethi’s life.

Forming about 30 groups, the students went around Nellore town and nearby villages and started collecting donations. Since their examinations too were just round the corner the students again pleaded with their college management to speak to the Vice-Chancellor to postpone the exams on humanitarian grounds.

In perhaps an act of unprecedented magnanimity, the Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) responded to their request and postponed the first semester examinations of its final year, which had to begin on November 14, to give time to the students to help save their ailing friend.

“This could be the first time that a University has rescheduled examinations to allow students to collect funds for a noble cause,” Reddy said after SVU Vice-Chancellor W. Rajendra issued a notification acceding to the students’ request.

My joy is naturally very great because this is the true meaning and spirit of any real education. There is no point in simply quoting rules and applying them mechanically as is usually done all around us when a more humanitarian approach would do much good in a delicate situation.

When the powers vested in us permit us to be kind rather than curt, it is important to take the former approach. I salute all those who did their bit to save Preethi’s budding life and wish her a speedy recovery.

(K. Javeed Nayeem is a practising physician who writes a weekly column in Star of Mysore, where this piece originally appeared)

Real Heros

http://realheroes.com/

very interesting persons. Real salute to them !!!

Jan Lokpal Bill - salient features

A look at the salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill:

1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up

2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.

3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.

4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.

5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.

6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.

7. But won't the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won't be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.

8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.

9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.

10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.


Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/what-is-the-jan-lokpal-bill-why-its-important-96600&cp

Working in Mumbai, helping in Konkan

Taken from GoodnesIndia website: http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Magazine/story/mandal-pawar/

Here are some exceprts:

Here's an example of how the meek might inherit India. Here too, is an insight into what really makes India tick, keeping hope alive amidst unrelieved chaos and selfishness. A small bunch of office clerks, typists and receptionists in Mumbai have found themselves a mission. During working hours they were viewed as rulers of ossified interiors of government offices. After work, they seemed to have no relevance.
A chance offered itself 15 years ago to shrug off their ghost like existence in the big city. They grabbed it to become people who matter, instead of people seen —if at all— as hurdles. Every year they visit the Konkan coast bearing goods and support for hundreds of schools. The rest of the year, they work to plan for that visit.
They are babus transformed into guardian angels of Ratnagiri's poor school-children. They run the Lanja Rajapur Sanghameshwar Taluka Utkarsha Mandal - 'Association for Uplift of Lanja, Rajapur and Sangameshwar Counties'.
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Good News - Just In A Day !

Supreme Court of India has once again passed a judgement which making women and people interested in gender issues happier. It was a case of insurance compensation to a housewife. SC has ruled that compensation can not be lowered simply because she was a house wife and not earning. This great relief to hundreds of thousands of women who sacrifice, compromise or even totally let go of their professional careers and ability to earn for the sake of their children and families. Though they are doing greater valued work, they mostly end being weighed lower because they don't earn and so dont own money. Things often get worse as women get older and market value of their abilities start diminishing.

Though I dont know details of this judgement, it looks a great step forward !

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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (a political psty shrtformed MaNaSe) is known for its agenda for the local marathi folks in Mumbai and Maharashtra. MaNaSe is also known for its rowdy methods. So when I read the news "MaNaSe stops shooting of a BigB film', my first reactions was, "Oh No! one more case of sic political vandalism". But as I read the news I was in for pleasant surprise. They had searched and found that many workers in the shooting were foreign national not on working visa. So they went to police, filed a complaint and the police then went and legally stopped the work. Kudos to legitimate activism !

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Indian rivers are routinely polluted very much. Around the cities pollutants are mostly of individual human nature. When a person dies and cremeted, it is tradition to immerse his ash into a river. This is one cause of polluting of river. Maratha Mahasangh of Kolhpaur and adjoining towns came together and pledged to immerse only handful of ash into river and spread the rest in fields. Though I dislike cast based organization, this act must be complimented! It may also not have any significant impact on reducing pollution in that river, but its definitely a step into making people own up for pollution and involve them into improving actions.

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'Rahul Gandhi uses RTI to get information on some actions of Mayawati government' This is a BIG complement to RTI (Right To Information Act) that a political bigwig is using RTI. I also notice a spurt in corruption cases against politicians and beurocrats. Such cases can built up only on the basis of internal information and data, which would have been almost impossible to get before RTI times. Now ALL govermnet, semi-government, public data, information, records, sanctioning is easily avialble to anybody and everybody with simple RTI Application.

Thannk you Anna Hazare, Shailesh gandhi, Arvind kejriwal and many others who have worked very hard to get a powerful RTI Act in place and have contiued the work to get people educated and empoweed with RTI !

'Goddess English' for dalits

A temple dedicated to 'Goddess English' is coming up and mind you its not in an English county but in a nondescript village in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri district with an aim of encouraging the local Dalits to learn the language.


The temple, a single storey structure covered with black granite, would have an over-three-feet-tall idol of 'Dalit Goddess English" installed on a pedestal in the shape of a computer holding a pen, a copy of the Indian Constitution and donning a gown and a hat.

The temple in Banka village, whose construction began in April this year with the help of funds collected from well-wishers, was set to be inaugurated on 25th October to coincide with the birth anniversary of Lord Macaulay, whose attempts at Dalit empowerment are appreciated by the community.

But because of some problems, it will now be inaugurated in November, Chandra Bhan Prasad, the brain behind the temple, said.

The idol has been inspired by the Statue of Liberty and the computer screen would have a dharma chakra (a Buddhist symbol).

"When it was being debated as to what should be the national language of India after independence, Dr Ambedkar was the only national leader who vociferously batted for English while all the others were against it.

And on Wednesday we see the imbalances caused in the society because of English as those who do not know it are left behind," he said.

Prasad said that the temple is being built to popularise English among Dalits, who form a sizeable number in not just the village but also in the area, so that they can move ahead in their lives.

"This temple would help encourage them to learn the language which has become essential for one's growth as in 20 years' time, no decent job would be available without English knowledge," Prasad said.

"In future, the temple would become the focus of Dalits with most of their rituals like the ones relating to births and weddings revolving around it," he said.

The site for the temple is the Dalit-run Nalanda Public Shiksha Niketan.

The temple would be run by a trust, Prasad said.

"To give a touch of modernity, the engravings of symbols and formulae of physics, chemistry, mathematics and English sayings would adorn the walls.

Efforts are also being made to build the staircase of the temple in the form of a computer keyboard," he said.

The locals have also composed a song which would be played everyday during prayers, Prasad said.

----taken from ddinews.com

Community Radio Station in Harayana

Considered as one of the backward regions in Haryana, Mewat is all set to get its first community radio station that will focus on women empowerment, education and development in the district.


A Delhi-based NGO, SMART, working in the district since last eight years will launch the station in the second week of October which will have a reach of around 20 kms and will cover 50 to 60 per cent of the total villages in Mewat.

"Women have a low status in Mewat society. They are married when they are just kids and do not have a space in the development here. We will make them aware of their rights through our radio," says Archna Kapoor, General Secretary of SMART.

"We will aim to make women ready and bring them in panchayats so that they can assert their rights and get equal share as men in all spheres," she says.

The testing of the radio station is already underway since 1st September and a team of professionals is training the locals in reporting and producing the radio programmes.

"Local volunteers are coming out to learn the new experience. Villagers get thrilled on hearing their voice on radio sets. We are mobilizing the community," says Kapoor.

Mewat was carved out as the 20th district by Haryana government in 2005. People here are mainly dependent on the agriculture and the region is under-developed despite being close to New Delhi and Gurgaon.

"The main reason for Mewat's backwardness is that the information of welfare and developmental schemes does not reach the people. We will tell people about those schemes and act as a bridge between people and the administration," says Kapoor.

With the tag line 'Teri Baat Meri Baat, Suno Radio Mewat', the community radio aims to start a dialogue in the otherwise conservative society in the district. We want the people to get up and make their voice heard to the administration, says Kapoor.

Apart from women empowerment, education and development will also be the focus of the programmes made by the radio.

"We have to start an overall change. Literacy is as low as 29 per cent in females and 44 per cent in men on Mewat. There are problems of water, sanitation also," says Kapoor.

The NGO plans to apply for a booster once the radio station goes on the air and aims to cover all the 512 villages in the district.

an improvement by government and it is highlighted in newspaper

In many Indian cities public buses have seats reserved for women. Many a times it is seen that this is only for notices, but never actually followed. Women are standing while their 'reserved' seats are occupied by men, many a times young and strong. This was the case in Pimpri-Chinchwad, a satellite city of Pune.

A local vernacular daily followed this case and reported facts. It was brought to the notice of officials of the transport service as also to municipal corporators and officials. They agreed that rules are not followed and assured to improve the situation. Training and rules' guidelines were given to all bus drivers, conductors, ticket checkers etc. The newspaper reviwed the situation and noted that there was improvement but not enough. Matter was again taken up with the bus service and they carried out internal improvements with more vigour. Another check after a few weeks and to the surprise of everybody that the seats were actually used only for and by women. It was also observed at PMC starting point that passangers enter in queue and if these reserved seats are vacant even after rest of the bus is full, then women still standing in queue waiting for the next bus are asked to come in ahead and occupy these vacant seats. Kudos to everybody involved in this exercise - the newspaper and its staff, officials of the transport service and of municipal coporations.

I feel that the newspaper deserves special accolade for highlighting the actual improvement. In today media full of negativities, such an act must be appreciated.

My thanks to everybody involved.

People coming together to get food grain due to them

http://www.indiatogether.org/2010/sep/rbs-pds.htm

Read the content of the link above. People in a village in Karanataka came together to demand amount of food grain due to them and followed it up to ensure that they actually get that

Organs of a baby donated after death

Kishore Kumar, a government officer in Andhra Pradesh, with his wife (Hymavathi) and family, has made a history in humane world. The couple had suffer pain of very unfortunate death of their baby girl just in four days after her birth. A NGO, Mohan Foundation, was contacted. And eventually heart valves and eyes were donated. These would be very useful in cases where children are born with birth defects.

My compassionate salute (namaskar) to these parents. May baby's soul be more blessed with this divine act of her parents.

Taxi Drvier Pledges His Taxi to Help Passanger

Mr. Taras was taking a passenger in his taxi from Pune to Mumbai. On the way the passenger started feeling very uncomfortable. Mr Taras sensed that something might be seriously of concern. By the time the passanger handed over his mobile phone to Mr Taras. Passenger's sister was talking and she requested Mr Taras for help. So he took the passenger to a doctor who felt that it was a heart attack and passenger needed to be admitted to a hospital immediately. Hospital would not admit without receiveing a heft advance payment. Neither Mr Taras nor the passeneger had much money on them. Assurances were of no use. So finally Mr Taras offered to give his car keys as pledging his own taxi.

This is a rare and noble gesture of a taxi driver and a human being. This needs to be applauded when we have been reading so many news about passenger being looted or raped. Thank you Mr Taras

Novel Way for Remembrance

On occassion of birth anniversary of great Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, students from a college found a novel way for remembarance and for paying homage. The group studied non-stop of 18 hours.

Water Distribution

Location: Nashik, India

One hot sunny afternoon Mr. Punjabi had his car broke down in the middle of the road. He was exhausted by the time he pushed towards side of the road. A policeman on duty saw him and bought him a bottle of water. Mr. Punjabi realised later that there would be many who would thirsty for water but can not afford buy bottled water.

He was one person who did not stop at empathy and symapthy. He went ahead and bought a three wheeler vehicle which can carry a water tank in it. He also employed two people. Now every hot afternoon his tempo crawls through the city offering drinking water free for anybody who wants it. As soon as the tank gets emptied its filled up again and distribution restarts.

Show of love, where hate was expected

India does it again. Indian diversity evident in full brightness! Godhra in Gujarat, the very place of cause of one of the worst Hindu-Muslim riots in the history, post-partition. This very place recently wonderful mixing of the two religions so commonly seen all over India. The same two religions which fight each other as arch enemies also love each other as siblings.
This year the Muslim festival of Eid-E-Milad and Hindu festival of Holi were one after the other. Hindus and Muslims in Godhra greeted each other on those occassions. At Dakor near Godhra, Muslim organizations had open centres to distribute water and drinks to devotees in the Shri Krushna procession.

The very day also marked the eighth anniversary of the ghastly Godhra rail-carnage. Muslims had organised a social marriage ceremony. Many Hindus not only attended the function but also participated as parents of girls known to them. They did this for nearly 34 girls. Gifts worth nearly hundred thousand rupees were also distributed by Hindu brothern.

Thank you folks, you have blessed the country by your act !

Award for couple working for AIDS affected children in rural India

Mr Santosh Pawar and Ms Ujjwalaa Pawar, a couple working in Sangmner (north of Pune), Maharashtra, India, has received award for their social work. These two are founders of an NGO named as Self-Motivated Social Developement. In 1999, they have started a hostel near Sangamner for AIDS affected children.

This award is being confered annually for last 9 years to persons doing work in the field of AIDS prevention and support to AIDS affected people.

Girl drop-out rates drops in Bihar, India

Fortunately, not the entire ASER report is gloom and doom. One of the brighter moments in it is the fact that in Bihar, the state considered a basket case on most counts, the dropout rate for girls in the 11-14 age group has reduced from 17.6 per cent in 2006 to 6 per cent in 2009. So Bihar must be doing something right. In fact, one of the striking sights in Bihar today is of girls on bicycles, given by the government if they clear Standard VIII, going to the nearest high school.

The desire to ensure that children get a good education runs deep in most Indian families. Parents will sacrifice and save to invest in their children's future. Even poor families, including the homeless with no secure shelter, find a way of sending their children to school. The increase in the enrolment rate in India - 96 per cent of children between the ages of 6-14 are enrolled in school, government and private - is proof of that.

What urgently needs to be tackled is the quality of education, basic facilities like toilets and running water, and transport, particularly for girls. Even this will not suffice unless there is a notable change in the status accorded teachers who ultimately decide whether and what children learn. Instead of the inordinate amount of attention that continues to be paid to institutes of higher learning, or private institutions that promise to prepare rich children for studies abroad, something much more simple and basic can and needs to be done to educate India and Indians

Sunlight Is The Best Disifectant

http://epw.in/epw/uploads/articles/14391.pdf

This is an article in Economic and Political Weekly on declaration of assets by SC and HC judges. A Delhi HC Signle Judge order allowing for such declaration was challenged by SC secretariat. A full bench of Delhi HC, headed by Justice A P Shah, upheld the earlier order.

60 people battle giants

Sixty people, each from different profession, have come together in Mumbai to battle mobile giants against illegal installations of mobile towers. They came from all walks of life, from across Maharashtra, and met up for the first time in a public meeting at Mumbai's Shivaji Park. They exchanged notes, bonded, and vowed to work together. Each of the 60 people gathered under the Mobile Tower Grievance Forum had their own story to tell. They told stories of their battle against illegal installation of mobile towers, of money power, and of cancer, brain tumour, skin rashes and insomnia caused by the towers erected atop apartment buildings. The narrations cemented the group and the meeting culminated in an action plan that included selecting a 10-doctor team to document the impact of radiation from towers on people’s health.


The law is clear in this:
before installing mobile towers near residential areas, companies have to get a no-objection certificate from the residents’ cooperative society and permission from the municipal corporation and the pollution control board. There should be a gap of 36 metres from human habitation, the law stipulated.

Indian supreme court directs govt to grant land to farmers displaced by dams

Good gracious God, in India things do move, albeit very verrry slowly. Soon it may be time that due compensation for project affected people becomes a norm. Soon Indians can proudly say that we dont build our development on sacrificial lambs, viz. project affecties!

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Madhya Pradesh govt to identify the farmers whose 75 per cent or more land were acquired for carrying out of excavation and construction of canal work for Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects.


A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan favoured the proposal for granting land-for-land by identifying the project-affected families of farmers.

The Bench accepted the plea of Madhya Pradesh government that it would need two weeks to identify such farmers and posted the matter for further hearing on 13th February.

The apex court had on 18th December last refused to stay the Madhya Pradesh High Court order restraining the state government from further acquisition of land and carrying out of excavation and construction of canal work for Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects.

The High Court had passed the order on the petiiton filed by Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar.

Unofficial city bus time table put up by a citizen

Pune (india) is a city traditionally famous for its erratic city bus service. Nobody is certain when a bus will come at any stop. Nobody is sure what all routes pass through any particular stop. Even the website of the bus service does not give its time table, it only says 'site under construction'.

Then a concerned citizen of Pune, Mr. Vijay Patil, got to task. He collected all the time table bits and pieces from sources of the bus service, depots, staff etc and collated complete time table. He has put this Pune PMPML Bus Service Time table on the web for anybody to see. Of course this is to be taken as reference only as he has not got this information through official routes neither would he may know fast if any changes are made.

Here is the website address for this time table :
http://ptransit.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/rgen/html/en-index.html

But it is a wonderful effort, for sure.