UN Millennium Development Goals

...Why arent more people talking about these?? Especially in countries like ours...all governments whether at the centre or the states should be measured against these...

In September 2000, at the Millenium Summit of the UN, 189 leaders of their respective countries came together and adopted a set of 8 goals to make Earth a more welcoming place for the future generations...Of the 8 goals, 7 are time bound and measurable and the 8th is an ideal goal for our society.

The goals are -

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The targets under this are -
• Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than one U.S. dollar a day.
• Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.


2. Achieve universal primary education. The targets under this are -
• Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.
• Increased enrollment must be accompanied by efforts to ensure that all children remain in school and receive a high-quality education.


3. Promote gender equality and empower women. The target under this is -
• Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015.


4. Reduce child mortality. The target under this is -
• Reduce the mortality rate among children under five by two thirds.


5. Improve maternal health. The target under this is -
• Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.


6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. The targets under this are -
• Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV AIDS.
• Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.


7. Ensure environmental sustainability. The targets under this are -
• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.
• Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
• Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020.


8. Develop a global partnership for development. The targets under this are -
• Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction—nationally and internationally.
• Address the least developed countries’ special needs. This includes tariff-and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
• Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.
• Deal comprehensively with developing countries' debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term.
• In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth.
• In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
• In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies - especially information and communications technologies.
  
  

कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

नन्ही चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढती दीवारों पर, सौ बार फिसलती है
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना ना अखरता है
आख़िर उसकी महनत बेकार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

डूबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा जा कर खाली हाथ लौटकर आता है
मिलते नही सहज ही मोती गहरे पानी में ,
बढ़ता दुगना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में
मुठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती ,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नही होती

असफलता एक चुनौती है, इसे स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गई, देखो और सुधार करो
जब तक न सफल हो, नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम,
संघर्ष का मैदान छोड़कर मत भागो तुम
कुछ किए बिना ही जय जय कार नहीं होती,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

I heard this poem in school once and then in a movie...finally found it on the net. It is by Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. Sad really that I know so little about our own literature - sadder still that I had to use http://www.google.com/transliterate/indicto get the spellings right!!

This will look all messed up in Firefox, you will need to install a plugin to see devanagari script properly in Firefox - one more tick against Firefox.

Going on a different tangent, I would really like to see more content in Indian languages with their English translation on the net.

Apocalypse Now

Sitting in a cafe, I was about to type in a few keywords in google, when I saw the drop down list of previous searches - and now I am blogging about that instead of the search I was planning to do.

They were a mixed bag - inquisitive, sleazy but mostly innocent and hilarious. I guess some day a search engine would be able to answer the question "What job I should apply?" but until then sample some of these keywords -

• american bank career fresher
• Beach owners
• benetton & colman, toi
• celine dion contact number
• chief editor of newspaper Times of India
• editor in chief of Time os India (some one really wanted to know)
• friend.finder.com
• google :)
• How to own beach
• IS JB INSTITUTE OF ENGG A REPUTED COLLEGE?
• POSITION OF JB INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY ALL OVER INDIA
• RANK OF JB INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY ALL OVER INDIA
• sony ericsson 700i hands free cost
• Times of India
• What job I should apply?

60 yrs and counting...part II

Well I thought I will break the post...

I saw "Gandhi my Father" last night...but this is not about the movie - though in a line the movie is good. What this post is about the few grainy scenes near the end of our PM making that historic speech. The speech that a lot of people know about without having ever bothered to read it - Jawahar lal Nehru's speech made in the Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's Independence.

I once asked a few friends about the speech. Three of them gave me this WTF kind of look...asking me what is wrong with me...:), two others said it is the greatest piece of oratory everrrrr...and when I asked them if they have read the speech they said they hadn't. Some others were at least aware that the lines they hear the most often are all part of just the first paragraph. Its a long speech so I wont copy it here, those who want to read can do so here - Tryst with destiny .

When you read it, it makes you realize the job our first PM left us. The dream he outlined for the country that he and millions others together envisioned. I thought I wouldn't put it here but I can never put it better than this...

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially... It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity."
...
...
...
"The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?"
...
...
...
"And so we have to labour and to work, and to work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart"
...
...
...
"The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour?... to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman."

"We have hard work ahead. There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be...And to India, our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service."

I think it is not difficult to judge how far we have come and how far we need to go. Is it??

JAI HIND.

60 yrs and counting...

India as we know it will turn 60 soon...pretty young considering so many people who were there when we gained independence are still around. What an occasion that must have been - especially for those who were closely associated with the movement. But it was a time of mourning as well for most of the people in Punjab and Bengal - people who were caught up in the sectarian violence; people who were uprooted from the place they called home. It seems our country has been perennially caught in the middle...happiness accompanied with sorrow.

I am today reminded of the book "Freedom at Midnight" - filled with little stories of ordinary people amidst the main plot of India's independence. The story I remember the most is that of two brothers - Yakoub Khan and Younis - both part of the then undivided Indian army. Yakoub, the elder one decided like so many other Muslims that his future was in Pakistan. He broke the news to his family. The mother was left shocked. She couldn't imagine moving away from a place where they had lived for at least 200 years. The younger brother too had decided what he wanted - he was going to stay. The arguments were futile though, Yakoub had made up his mind - he was sure that once all the things had settled, it would be easy to move between his two homes...he left the next morning, with his family and his two Hindu servants biding goodbye to him. He promised to visit soon - but that's not what was in store.
A few months later, Yakoub Khan was leading a battalion of the Pakistan Army on a slope in snow bound Kashmir, going on an offensive against a position held by men, who a few months earlier had been his mates. One of these men was a Muslim, unaware that his elder brother was the one he was trying to thwart. The battle that ensued was fierce and then they met - one mortally wounded. Younis rushed to his elder brother and broke down. Yakoub consoled him, saying that they both did what they should have and asked Younis to tell their mom not to think bad of him...

Was it worth it??

Sometimes

The simplest way to say I am around...but I noticed these for the first time today...

"Sometimes I know, sometimes I rise
Sometimes I fall, sometimes I don't
Sometimes I cringe, sometimes I live
Sometimes I walk, sometimes I kneel
Sometimes I speak of nothing at all
Sometimes I reach to myself, dear god"

Sometimes by Pearl Jam from the album No Code (but I am not writing any these days...sorry bad joke)

...am feeling bluesy today...Clapton anyone??

"If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie; cocaine."

Cocaine is a powerful psycho-stimulant. It induces a sense of exhilaration in the user primarily by blocking the re-uptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the mid-brain.

Dopamine is commonly associated with the pleasure system of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate a person pro actively to perform certain activities.

I knew it was a pointless post...but I still need more dopamine!

Done and over with

It was a strange impulse that made me call up the bookstore and book the book a day before its release. Some how I wanted to join all the many (millions as it turned out) people who were going to open a book at the same time (roughly anyways). I mean more than the desire to read the book it was the desire to be part of that massive gang. I guess that's what the people marketing the book wanted too...but I would like to believe that I didn't fall for the marketing bit (coz I would have read the book later anyways)...but it doesn't matter now.
So I rushed from office straight to the store, and with minutes left booked my copy. I was told that the store is opening at 7 in the morning to accommodate the people who had pre-booked. Of course I wasn't going to get up that early on a Saturday :). So I reached at around 11, took my copy...I was interviewed in the process, which was funny, and i was off to McDonald's to munch on something while I scanned the first few pages...and then it started happening - first the table in front of me, a foreigner walks in with the book; then the table to my right got occupied, then a table further up...as excited people started opening their copies. A couple of them looked at me and smiled in acknowledgment.The cacophony of "I wish I could read the end right now..." and "you just wait....this is going to happen...", etc filled the air. The excitement was contagious...really. Then I came home and bought some junk to keep me going when I felt hungry. I started reading and it was all over by Sunday morning...

And in the end the book wasn't bad either. I had started reading the books when the 5th one came out and I was so bugged to find that I ll have to wait 5 years to finish the story. In fact I chided my friend who initiated me into this for initiating me too soon :). But I am surprised that I waited and reread the books in the meantime...lol...anyways I am not getting into the merits of the book or how much of it has been inspired by "The lord of the Rings", I just know that I enjoyed reading all 7 of them and that for some of my friends, this is the only book that they have ever read.

Oh yes, most of my gut feelings came true - though I would have really preferred if Fred hadn't died. And of course I won the race.

My Predictions...

Everyone is making them, thought I will also join the fun :)

1. The big question...will he or wont he die? I think he will.
2. He is the 7th Horcrux.
3. Snape is on the good side.
4. Snape will die helping Harry.
5. Hagrid might also die in the final battle.
   
6. R.A.B is Regulus Black.
7. One of the Weasleys...probably Molly will die.
8. Bellatrix will die.
9. Voldermort of course will die.

Never mind the love angles.

And I am going to start reading in a few hours time...coz I have a race to win ;)

India Burning....

I am no fan of this government, but reading the same kind of news (Bomb blast here, riots there) is beginning to get on my nerves. The PM, good guy he might be, is a puppet in the hands of "Madam" and his cabinet is filled with by and large half-wit, good for nothing ministers...lets take a look at them...

Please note that this is entirely my opinion. Dont complain abt lack of facts. Entirely my opinion and probably biased opinion.

Rating

5 - default rating/average performance
>5 - obviously good
<5 - obviously bad
Pranab Mukherjee - Minister of External Affairs : Vision less External policy under this government...not sure how much he is responsible for it but that's what it is. The only thing to show for is the Nuclear deal...and that is yet to materialize in a manner that won't be considered detrimental to our nuclear power aspirations.

5/10

Arjun Singh - Minister of Human Resource Development : Continues the great work started by his look a like VP Singh. He has made the task of destroying whatever little is left of our homogeneity in to an art form.

0/10

Sharad Pawar - Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution : The only thing on his mind is BCCI and ICC presidentship...not the suicides of farmers.

2/10

Lalu Prasad Yadav - Minister of Railways : Whether it is coz of him or Nitish Kumar before him or simply the effort of the officials, Indian Railway is making money. I just hope it translates into better travel experience, cleaner stations. I can give him the benefit of the doubt.

6/10

Shivraj V. Patil - Minister of Home Affairs : He has made a mockery of the post of Home Minister. I think he epitomizes incompetence. Never has the internal security of our country looked so shabby...Naxals are stronger than ever, NE is still unstable...Kashmir is more unstable than a few yrs back...well I can go on and on...

0/10

Abdul Rehman Antulay - Minister of Minority Affairs : Hmm cant comment on him...so he gets the default rating.

5/10

Sushilkumar Shinde - Minister of Power : No major policy change with regards to the power sector. I think more effort and vision is required considering the power crisis that hangs on our head all the time.

4/10

Ram Vilas Paswan - Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Minister of Steel : Well he isn't happy with the portfolio he has and his agenda is different anyways...

4/10

S. Jaipal Reddy - Minister of Urban Development : Again someone who is not focused on the job at hand.

4/10

Sis Ram Ola - Minister of Mines: no idea.

5/10

P. Chidambaram - Minister of Finance: Tied by the 'Left', his heart is still in the right place...lol..

8/10

Mahavir Prasad - Minister of Small Scale Industries and Minister of Agro & Rural Industries: Umm....

5/10

P.R. Kyndiah - Minister of Tribal Affairs and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region : Is no news good news? NE ain't developing...

5/10

T.R. Baalu - Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways : NDA government had put a lot of focus on roads near the end of their tenure...that has definitely declined.

4.5/10

Shankersinh Vaghela - Minister of Textiles : He wants the Gujrat CM seat...

5/10

Vayalar Ravi - Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs : He has done a decent job so far... but then the ministry isn't much of a ministry.

5/10

Kamal Nath - Minister of Commerce & Industry : Well our exports are booming...we continue our rigid stand at WTO...

7/10

Hansraj Bhardwaj - Minister of Law & Justice : No change...status quo zindabad. Our judiciary really needs an overhaul...

3/10

Sontosh Mohan Dev - Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises : No comments

5/10

Prof. Saif-ud-din Soz - Minister of Water Resources : He wants to go back to Kashmir I think...this is also an area that needs a lot of work...

4/10

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh - Minister of Rural Development : ?

5/10

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi - Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Information & Broadcasting : I&B is in a mess. I think he prefers football...lol...

3.5/10

Mani Shankar Aiyar - Minister of Panchayati Raj.and Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports : Loud mouth!! We don't need Asiad huh? Minister of Sports saying that...imagine...wasnt great with the petroleum portfolio either...

3/10

Meira Kumar - Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment : "I am a minister, I am a minister! Yay...do I have to work?? Huh?"

3.5/10

Murli Deora - Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas : Above average I think...

5.5/10

Ambika Soni - Minister of Tourism & Culture : "I have a press conference to attend...tourists can wait at the airport"

3/10

A. Raja - Minister of Communications & Information Technology : Mr Maran was better...sadly sacrificed for personal reasons...I don't know abt Mr. Raja.

7/10 for mr. Maran.

Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss - Minister of Health & Family Welfare : "How dare he...I own AIIMS" Polio is still around and increasing again...:(

4/10

Kapil Sibal - Minister of Science & Technology and Minister of Ocean Development : Loud mouth...but doing an OK job I think.

6/10

Prem Chand Gupta - Minister of Company Affairs : Huh?

5/10

Then there are some others with an independent charge....

Oscar Fernandes - Minister of State of the Ministry of Labour and Employment : Nothing to report...

5/10

Renuka Chowdhury - Minister of State of the Ministry of Women & Child Development : Loud mouth...she has such a great opportunity to make a difference...nothin has happened...

4/10

Subodh Kant Sahai - Minister of State of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries : No comments.

5/10

Vilas Muttemwar - Minister of State of the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources : I really would like to know how he is doing...

5/10

Kumari Selja - Minister of State of the Ministry of Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation : Sounds like a no show...but I am not sure...so...

5/10

Praful Patel - Minister of State of the Ministry of Civil Aviation : He comes across as trying hard...but I think he has little to show for his efforts.

4.5/10

G.K.Vasan - Minister of State of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation : What kind of ministry is this?

5/10

This is still a work in progress...if anyone else wanna rate them...please be my guest...

The heat is on...

...literally as a friend would say it!!! This is the warmest weather I have experienced in a while...I don't know the stats but it certainly seems that the weather pattern has become more unpredictable than before...is it a cyclical thing or is it related to global warming is constantly under debate the world over...

But certainly people are getting worried. An interesting thing has been happening lately...cities in Europe have been dimming the lights to spread awareness on global warming. US has obviously been oblivious to such things and it wouldn't even be noticed in countries like India...(it would just be another power outage).

Anyways the whole point of this build up is to present 2 cents of my concern.

• http://www.breathingearth.net/ - simulates the carbon dioxide emissions across the globe
• http://www.ecofoot.org/ - learn how much of the earth's resources you are consuming covetously. Hey I got a 1.8 so I am just about ok...

What really caught my attention on Breathing Earth was not so much the CO2 emissions (my apologies to all those that are offended) but the fact that a kid is born every 1.8 seconds (the sun keeps beating like a heart...) in India...faster than anywhere else in the world...

If there are any other such educating sites...please do let me know...

What went wrong?

To all those who watched the game yesterday...my sympathies!!

There is little denying that our team strived really hard yesterday, they gave it their all...Sri Lanka were just too good...
We are out of the world cup...not because we lost to Sri Lanka, but coz we lost to Bangladesh. Everyone is analyzing what went wrong, and here are my two cents as well...

The biggest problem on the day of the game against Bangladesh - the team was nervous. I am sure that Dravid and Greg knew this, yet it was decided that we will project confidence on the outside.
Two major risks were taken and they both backfired. First, in spite of the nervousness in the team, we decided to bat first on a pitch that was going to seam a bit initially. Its one thing to project confidence, it is another to feel it. Any person who has played a bit of sports will tell you this. I remember once when I was playing a District level Table tennis tournament...my first round match was declared as the show case match to be played before the Chief Guest. All my confidence evaporated in no time and I was so tentative I lost a game that I probably should have won, In fact I lost quite badly. Multiply the scenario by a million times and you get what happened to team India. On top of that risk, you not only played a batsman out of form, you actually sent him to open the innings - a huge risk. The move turned out to be a disaster with him getting out early. To make matters worse you send in a novice to bat at 3. Yes these are occasions where people can raise their hands and perform well, but it didn't work out that way. The team never recovered after that...the pressure just mounted on, and unfortunately apart from Sehwag there is no player in our side who ignores pressure while batting. The bowlers were expected to do magic, but there was going to be no magic that day...

We should have gone into the first game with the safest team, had we managed a win then we could have experimented in the game against Bermuda. As it turned out, we just couldn't find that flexibility as we were always running behind...

All sorts of drama will happen now...get rid of Greg, sack Rahul - drop Sachin, Harbhajan...the entire team. I say go ahead and do it and I also say that I can bet that all but a few of these will be back in the side in no time - there is simply no one as good as them. I can go on and on...but here no two people think alike about cricket, so I ll just brood for a few days and then start hoping for better days...

The great Indian Pratfall!!

So we lost to Bangladesh in our World Cup opener! Well there was only one team that deserved to win yesterday and that was Bangladesh. They played with flair and confidence, while the Indian team was so jittery it seemed that they were on the field for the first time.

Probably the toss made a difference, but that still doesn't explain how you can lose 5 wickets for almost nothing...
So what happens now?? I think the Indian team is likely to follow Pakistan home. Maybe the two boards should quickly organize a bilateral series...they can play between themselves and feel good, thats what the hockey teams of the two countries do anyways...there will be some "so called" fans in both the countries that will go nuts and make the defeat an excuse to take out their frustrations by burning effigies and shouting slogans against the players....

The others like me will pray...I can almost imagine all the marketing mgrs, of all the Indian companies sponsoring the WC, making rounds of all the holy places seeking blessings for the team when they take on Sri Lanka (prayers are more reliable than our team). Even the Sri Lankans will be asking why India had to mess up things for them also! If the Indian team does a Champions Trophy, I won't be surprised if people lose all interest in the event - the audience might end up being lesser than what was for the football WC last year. Now that would be something...

Democracy - The Institutions

The last time I wrote on this (long long time ago, I can still remember...:) Democracy - A Note) I closed by saying that active citizenship is what is required for a democracy to become real.
To be effective and active, a citizen should have the knowledge of the fundamental institutions that are presented as the pillars of democracy. Of course it is impractical to expect people to have academic knowledge of these institutions; instead a practical knowledge of the role of each institution should suffice. Although a strict set of institutions is hard to define, the following general characteristics should ideally be established –

• Elected Representatives - Control of government by members of a parliament or assembly etc. elected by citizens.
• Free, fair and frequent elections - with minimal coercion and fraud.
• Freedom of Expression - All citizens should have the right to express themselves on matters political as well others without fear of reprimand from the existing government.
• Access to alternate sources of information - All citizens must have the opportunity to form opinions using data available from multiple sources (as opposed to the "official" sources), so this clearly refers to the freedom of press.
• Autonomous associations - All citizens should have the right to form associations based on interests.
• Inclusive citizenship - All citizens of the country should be bound by the same set of rules and guidelines
• Independence of the judiciary - The judiciary should be accessible to all and more importantly must be separate from the government.
• Impartial civil service - The civil service should be autonomous and not partial towards the government of the day.

Now let us re-examine the institutions with respect to our motherland.

• Elected Representatives - Clearly we have this institution well and running. But the main problem for India is the fact that we have come to a stage where nearly 2 million people are represented by a single person in the Parliament, an average that makes it impossible for a citizen to really make his/her voice heard (all the more reason for him/her to become an active citizen). UK on the other hand has 646 members in the House of Commons making a people/member average of around 100,000 (that is 2o times less than ours). Well one solution could be to raise the total number of seats (will require an amendment as the max perceived strength is 552 according to the constitution). Well it is hard to make things work with 200 odd that do show up in the first place :)
• Free, fair and frequent elections - We definitely do have frequent elections, the other 2 conditions are on dodgy grounds...but I would like to believe that it's not yet a disease. I don't have any data to make an opinion otherwise anyways...
• Freedom of Expression - It is there and it is not there. All depends on what you are trying to say. Books are banned regularly, gag orders are issued too. As for the freedom of press, India was ranked 120 out of 167 by reporters sans frontiers (www.rsf.org) though it does add - "Countries such as the Philippines (111th), India (120th) and Indonesia (117th) figure in the bottom half of the index despite having free and lively independent media, since killings and physical attacks on journalists, along with outdated laws, still prevent a full flowering of the press. Violence against the media in India rarely comes from the authorities but from political activists and in Kashmir from armed groups."
• Access to alternate sources of information - Well again it's there and not there. RTI was brought in to correct this but it has not yet reached the common people (wonder why the government is the least active in spreading the word about it).
• Autonomous associations - The party system thrives here, a little too much perhaps (sigh).
• Inclusive citizenship - This is a problem issue (imho) as it has been the root cause for some of the most deep crevices in our society. Take the special treatment for minorities (separate laws) or the issue of reservation. Both good on paper but deadly in the hands of our "great leaders" and "intellectuals" alike.
• Independence of the judiciary - Overactive at times but definitely and unabashedly independent. So independent that there seems to be no way to cure all the decay that is prevalent (lawyer strikes, long holidays, pending cases, just to name a few).
• Impartial civil service - this has hardly ever existed, some how the bureaucracy has never found its feet.

So how do we ensure that a citizen is active or forced to be active? Umm, next section maybe...

What has been happening...Nothing

It is not like I haven't thought of writing something...but some how I never end up typing anything. But today I came across something so nostalgic I just had to post it (even if it might end up as just a picture post...)

The picture on the left or above ( courtesy http://www.duelinganalogs.com/) is a salute to one of the oldest cheat codes in the gaming industry - associated with one of the most popular console games ever, Contra (developed by the Japanese game developer Konami).

For those not aware, the sequence as depicted in the cartoon is the famous up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A-Start sequence that resulted in you starting the game with 30 spare lives.

The code proved so popular that developers incorporated it into more than 100 video games, each providing a unique cheat. Ah the good old console days...

This place needs a shake up!!!

Almost 4 months since I actually pressed the "Publish Post" button...probably three since I last visited this page...hmm. Nope I haven't really got bored of this yet. Or have I?

Time will tell...

Vande Mataram - II

I had ended the last post by concluding that the National Anthem and the National Song were supposed to treated with equal respect. In fact to most people at the time of independence, Vande Mataram was a greater tribute to the nation. Then why the controversy around it?

For that let’s trace the song’s history –
The song is written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in what has been described as a highly Sanskritized form of the Bengali language. The song first appeared in his book Anandamatha, published in 1882; it was actually written six years earlier in 1876.
The song has five stanzas.

Vande maataram
sujalaam suphalaam malayaja shiitalaam
Sasyashyaamalaam maataram ||

Shubhrajyotsnaa pulakitayaaminiim
pullakusumita drumadala shobhiniim
suhaasiniim sumadhura bhaashhiniim
sukhadaam varadaam maataram ||

Koti koti kantha kalakalaninaada karaale
koti koti bhujai.rdhR^itakharakaravaale
abalaa keno maa eto bale
bahubaladhaariniim namaami taariniim
ripudalavaariniim maataram ||

Tumi vidyaa tumi dharma
tumi hR^idi tumi marma
tvam hi praanaaH shariire

Baahute tumi maa shakti
hR^idaye tumi maa bhakti
tomaara i pratimaa gaDi
mandire mandire ||

Tvam hi durgaa dashapraharanadhaarinii
kamalaa kamaladala vihaarinii
vaanii vidyaadaayinii namaami tvaam

namaami kamalaam amalaam atulaam
Sujalaam suphalaam maataram ||

Shyaamalaam saralaam susmitaam bhuushhitaam
Dharaniim bharaniim maataram |

.....and the translation by Shree Aurobindo -

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine In our temples is but thine

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Lovilest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!

It is obvious from the translation that the later stanzas of the song depicts the motherland as a goddess...a notion that the followers of a number of religions are uncomfortable with. Also a cause of concern was the novel itself...Anandmath - in which the chief protaganist, Bhavananda, plans an armed rising against the Muslims of Bengal.

These are the reasons often cited as to why concerns were raised by the Muslim community even before independence against Vande Mataram.

In 1937 the Congress under the presidentship of Nehru, took cognizance of the concerns raise and made a statement seeking separation of the song from the novel. Noting its usage over the years the statement said -

"Thethe use of the first two stanzas of the song spread to other provinces and a certain national significance began to attach to them. The rest of the song was very seldom used, and is even now known by few persons. These two stanzas described in tender language the beauty of (the) motherland and the abundance of her gifts. There was absolutely nothing in them to which objection could be from the religious or any other point of view..."

"...The Committee recognizes the validity of the objection raised by Muslim friends to certain parts of the song. While the Committee have taken note of such objection insofar as it has intrinsic value, the Committee wish to point out that the modern evolution of the use of the song as part of National life is of infinitely greater importance than its setting in a historical novel before the national movement had taken shape."

Of course a statement like this makes no difference in India. Most people in the past and even now continue to get swayed by the religious authorities. But the point is that even then it was recognized that the first two stanzas do not carry any religious connotations and are actually a beautiful depiction of the nation.

The Supreme Court has ruled that singing of the national anthem is not necessary as long as no disrespect is shown towards it. What is valid for the national anthem is obviously valid for the national song, so clearly no one can force anyone to sing it but Vande Mataram has been proclaimed as our national song and therefore no community can disown it. There in lies the current problem. Ignorance has fostered fear among the Muslim community that they are being forced to sing it because the song is Hindu in nature. Fatwas have been repeatedly issued asking muslim parents not to allow their children to sing the song, democracy has been cited to state that the individual has the right to choose whether to sing the song or not...(in that case maybe we should have the right to follow/not follow any law in this country...this we do anyways :)) parties like BJP have repeatedly tried to get mileage out of the issue and have projected the choice of not singing as anti national.

Obviously both attitudes are wrong...what is required is for each and everyone to understand the meaning of the song and I doubt if there will be any confusion after that. So lets go and get to know our national song better!!

Vande Mataram

The virulent and shabby debate, no strike that coz it’s not a debate...it is actually just hocus pocus, over our national song is just another reflection of the shambles our leadership is in. I mean there are people dying in the floods, farmers are committing suicide…and the parliament is getting stalled over this? Who cares about national symbols when there is nothing to eat?

But all this has made me curious…to find out more about our national song, to understand its lyrics (which I am guilty of not knowing completely) and its history. Also over the last few years I have come across more and more people saying that “Vande Mataram” should have been selected as our national anthem instead of “Jana Gana Mana”. So I will start with that.

"The question of having a national anthem tune, to be played by orchestras and bands became an urgent one for us immediately after 15th August 1947. It was as important as that of having a national flag. The 'Jana Gana Mana' tune, slightly varied, had been adopted as a national anthem by the Indian National Army in South-East Asia, and had subsequently attained a degree of popularity in India also... I wrote to all the provincial Governors and asked their views about our adopting 'Jana Gana Mana' or any other song as the national anthem. I asked them to consult their Premiers before replying... Every one of these Governors, except one (the Governor of the Central Provinces), signified their approval of 'Jana Gana Mana'. Thereupon the Cabinet considered the matter and came to the decision that provisionally 'Jana Gana Mana' should be used as the tune for the national anthem, till such time as the Constituent Assembly came to a final decision. Instructions were issued accordingly to the provincial governments...

''It is unfortunate that some kind of argument has arisen as between 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jana Gana Mana'. 'Vande Mataram' is obviously and indisputably the premier national song of India, with a great historical tradition, and intimately connected with our struggle for freedom. That position it is bound to retain and no other song can displace it. It represents the position and poignancy of that struggle, but perhaps not so much the culmination of it. In regard to the national anthem tune, it was felt that the tune was more important than the words... It seemed therefore that while 'Vande Mataram' should continue to be the national song par excellence in India, the national anthem tune should be that of 'Jana Gana Mana', the wording of 'Jana Gana Mana' to be suitably altered to fit in with the existing circumstances.
The question has to be considered by the Constituent Assembly, and it is open to that Assembly to decide as it chooses. It may decide on a completely new song or tune, if such is available."

- Prime Minister Nehru to the Constituent Assembly (Legislative) on August 25, 1948

I was surprised when I came across this note because I used to think that the popularity of “Vande Mataram” was greatly exaggerated, but it seems that is not the case. And will anyone explain to me what Panditji meant by "...tune wass more important than words"??????

It seemed that the issue didn’t get resolved so easily and the final word on it was made by the President of the Constituent Assembly, Rajendra Prasad, on January 24, 1950. He said:

“There is one matter which has been pending for discussion, namely, the question of the national anthem. At one time it was thought that the matter might be brought up before the House, and a decision taken by the House by way of a resolution. But it has been felt that, instead of taking a formal decision by means of a resolution, it is better if I make a statement with regard to the national anthem. Accordingly, I make this statement... The composition consisting of the words and music known as 'Jana Gana Mana' is the national anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorize as occasion arises; and the song 'Vande Mataram', which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. (Applause) I hope that will satisfy the Members.”

So the two songs were supposed to have equal status. Now on to why the Muslims are uncomfortable with the song and the probable reason the song didn’t end up being our national anthem. Maybe in the next post....

It has been a while...

...Since I last did some blog hopping...or blog posting...or even visit my own blog...needless to say I have been busy as hell...But I am still around...:)

Terrible Times...

India is going through some low times off late. First there was the failure of the Agni missile, then the very next day the GSLV went down - the satellite and the effort of all the people who worked on it blown to bits.
But the worst disaster by far was obviously what happened in Mumbai. How pissed off do you need to be to decide to blow off the people around you?? I mean really......beyond the limited capabilities of my tiny brain (big head small brain) this is.

At least the mistake of 93 was not repeated...at least the city didn't go nuts...but I wonder if it is a case of showing greater tolerance or just the numbness, the indifference. I don't know what to do except shake my head...

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Came across an article that suggested a brilliant resolution to the school dropout problem. It suggested that grading for certain sections of the society should be discontinued in the subjects of Math and Science...I would have fallen off my chair laughing if the report had been talking about some other country but sadly it wasn't. The proposal apparently has been mooted by our own Minorities Commission. Well this is such a tempting issue for a long long rant...but I sadly I don't have the time...

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Now on to the blog ban...there is nothing new in governments seeking a ban on certain sites...but it would have been better if the government had done so in a more transparent manner...maybe then the ISPs would not have been too eager to impress the authorities by blocking the entire domain. I don't think the ban will last very long...but for the time being at least India has joined the group of nations actively indulging in internet censorship....China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Ethiopia being the other major nations...
What was more annoying was the reaction of the media to it...polls were carried out...and people who can't differentiate blog from blob decided to vote that banning the blog was a good thing.

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Saw a show on Star World the other day…Rockstar Supernova…a bunch of has beens trying to form a rock band…the participants were just as 'interesting'…It was like watching American Idol With Eyeliner AND Tattoos :) The annoying bit was watching a lady literally massacring ‘Lithium’. But then at the end she started running around and jumping around like a mad man or woman……and it was annoying no more…;)

World Cup - Update 8

So the Saga has come to an end...a month of celebration has been brought to a close. It was good while it lasted and I am already looking forward to the next edition in S.Africa...

Italy has been crowned the winners for the 4th time. They were probably the best side in the championships...they scored goals and didn't conceed any, so I guess a worthy winner.

So a look at the last 2 games of the World Cup:-

July 8

1. Germany vs Portugal (3-1): Germans had more to play for and they played well. Portugal seemed dejected and as hard as they tried, they were never menacing enough. A second half charge led Germany to victory and to a third place finish at the 2006 World Cup.

July 9

1. Italy vs France (6-4 on Penalties): Italians were definitely better in the first half even though they went a goal down but all the other sessions clearly belonged to France who really impressed me. But in a Final that went the full distance for only the second time, it was the Italian side that held its nerve to be crowned the World Cahmpions. No point talking abt the Head Butt by Zidane on Materazzi, other than saying it was quite shocking and a sad way for a brilliant career to end.

So who won all the prizes?

GOLDEN SHOE AWARD WINNER - Miroslav Klose
Gillette Best Young Player award - Lukas Podolski (rightly so, Messi hardly played)
Yashin Award for the Best Goal Keeper - Gianluigi Buffon
Golden Ball - Zinedine Zidane (Fabio Cannavaro had to settle for the Silver Ball)
FIFA Fair Play Trophy - Shared by Brazil and Spain
Most Entertaining Side - Portugal (I preferred Germany)

The player who disappointed me the most - Ronaldinho (maybe too much football was to blame)
The player who impressed me the most - Lukas Podolski