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)

for philanthropists

http://www.loksatta.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=467%3A2012-09-28-22-07-13&layout=blog&Itemid=465

here is a list of NGOs that marathi Loksatta had publushed for ten consecutive days. they had published their work with other relevant details

Tanjore Marathi तंजोर (तंजावर) मराठी

It is interesting how a language changes its colour shade when it travels across regions. South Indian Maharashtrian Association SIMA in Hyderabad comprises the descendants from these families, who speak Marathi dotted with Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu words. Today there is a write-up on them in The Hindu:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article3458921.ece?homepage=true

Tanjore / Tanjavur (तंजोर / तंजावर) Marathi has following entries in Wikipedia.org:
in Marathi :-
http://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A0%E0%A5%80

and in English :-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanjavur_Marathi_dialect

Accountaibility in custody

State of Maharashtra, India has recently introduced a regulation proposing compensation to next of kins in case of custodial deaths. Rs.1 lakh (100,000) in cases when CID says that death is due to negligence or torture. And Rs1.5 when CID confirms that death is due to torture in custody. As I see it, the amount is not important but that the government is accepting responsibility of irresponsibly brutal actions by its officers and willing to compensate, in a way, for those. I hope this trend evolves into making officers, and government in turn, into more responsible and accountable institutions for the people.

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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