The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) moved yet another milestone forward in its effort to establish a centre at Murshidabad in West Bengal. The Water Resource Ministry, Government of India has transferred 288.74 acres of land to the Aligarh Muslim University out of the Farakka Barrage land in Jungipura division. The General Manager of Farakka Barrage Project, Mr. Kashinda Yadav was authorized by the Water Resource Ministry to sign the land transfer papers on behalf of the Ministry. Prof. V. K. Abdul Jaleel, Registrar of Aligarh Muslim University received the land transfer documents on behalf of the Aligarh Muslim University. The SDM of Jungipura, Mr. Vinay Sikpar has been appointed the Nodal Officerby the State Government of West Bengal to facilitate and supervise the land transfer to AMU.
The Finance Officer of Aligarh Muslim University, Mrs. Yasmin Jalal, Prof. N. A. K. Durrani, Media Advisor and Prof. M. M. Ashhar, OSD, Murshidabad Centre and other officials of Jungipura division and Farakka Barrage Project were present on the occasion. The prominent citizens of the area including Mr. Shahjahan Biswas and Mr. Haroon Rasheed were also a part of the historic event that bears promises for an educational transformation of the development deficit Muslim concentrated area of West Bengal.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Faculty of Unani Medicine is organizing an International Conference
The Dean, Faculty of Unani Medicine, Aligarh Muslim
University and Chairman, Organizing Committee, UNICON-2010, Prof. Tajuddin
said that the Faculty of Unani Medicine is organizing an International
Conference on Integrative Medicine and the first SAARC Conference on Unani
Medicine from December 2-4, 2010. The main objective of the Conference is to
showcase the International, continental, regional and local competence in
the field and to promote globally the Unani and Integrative Medicine for the
fortification of the absolute health of the mankind.
Prof. Tajuddin said that “We are getting overwhelming responses for
UNICON2010, at present we have registered delegates from Germany, England,
Thailand, Columbia, Jordan, Iran, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and
Bangladesh, including the awesome responses from the National academic
masses”. He said that considering the holy month of Ramadan and the demand
of national and international scholars interested in participating in the
conference, the last date for registration and abstract submission has been
extended for 15 days. For minutiae log on to http://www.unicon2010.com**
The Organizing Secretary of the Conference, Prof. Afaq expressed confidence
that the first ever zealous Global Academic Event in Unani Medicine will be
a grand success".
University and Chairman, Organizing Committee, UNICON-2010, Prof. Tajuddin
said that the Faculty of Unani Medicine is organizing an International
Conference on Integrative Medicine and the first SAARC Conference on Unani
Medicine from December 2-4, 2010. The main objective of the Conference is to
showcase the International, continental, regional and local competence in
the field and to promote globally the Unani and Integrative Medicine for the
fortification of the absolute health of the mankind.
Prof. Tajuddin said that “We are getting overwhelming responses for
UNICON2010, at present we have registered delegates from Germany, England,
Thailand, Columbia, Jordan, Iran, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and
Bangladesh, including the awesome responses from the National academic
masses”. He said that considering the holy month of Ramadan and the demand
of national and international scholars interested in participating in the
conference, the last date for registration and abstract submission has been
extended for 15 days. For minutiae log on to http://www.unicon2010.com**
The Organizing Secretary of the Conference, Prof. Afaq expressed confidence
that the first ever zealous Global Academic Event in Unani Medicine will be
a grand success".
No AI flights for Haj this year, Saudi carriers win bids battle
For the first time ever, Air India may not operate any flights for the Haj this year — it will only be the nodal agency for flights.
While an MoU is yet to be signed between the ministries of Civil Aviation and External Affairs, three Saudi airlines, including Saudi Arabian Airlines and NAS Air, have been selected by a process of "competitive bidding".
Haj is the pilgrimage which adult, able and Muslims who can afford it deem as their duty. It involves a journey to Mecca and some other places in Saudi Arabia, and is held on the eve of Eid-ul-Zuha. The flights are likely to start on October 10.
A top Air India official said, "While Air India will be the nodal agency for the over one lakh Indian Haj pilgrims expected to fly to Mecca, due to capacity constraints we are not likely to fly ourselves at all. We will coordinate and do whatever else is required, but we won't run the service ourselves."
Sources said that Air India did make an attempt, but was outbid by the three Saudi Arabian airlines. The national carrier now has only a very slim chance of flying from Goa and Mangalore, two of the 19 embarkation points for pilgrims last year.
Officials said Air India now has only three operational jumbos — down from the 11 last year — two of which are kept for VIP flights. "Even the A-310s used for Haj flights are fewer this year," said an official.
Last year, Air India and two Saudi Airlines operated Haj flights between October 20, 2009 and January 1, 2010.
Saudi Arabia decides the number of pilgrims from each country, and is likely to allow 20,000 more Indians this year. According to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, some 160,000 Indians are expected to undertake the Haj this year.
Dr S Shakir Husain, CEO of the Mumbai-based Haj Committee, declined to comment on the likely absence of Air India during this Haj. "The Ministry of External Affairs will take a decision, we don't know anything about this," Husain said.
Sources in the Ministry said they were waiting for a political decision on the nature of the MoU on the "sensitive issue".
Competitive bidding will substantially reduce the Haj subsidy. The subsidy has been a sore point over the years: Muslim religious leaders have described it as "un-Islamic" and not a subsidy at all, while those on the other side have decried the "undue largesse" offered to the "pampered minority".
In its reply to an RTI application filed by Mumbai-based activist Attar Azeemi on June 22, 2007, Air India said: "Air India does not have the capacity to operate Haj flights. Therefore, aircraft are leased by AI for carriage of Haj pilgrims."
It added, "There is no benefit to the government of India (in giving) AI and Indian (Airlines) monopoly in operating Haj flights. Allowing private airlines to operate on Haj flights may result in reduction in fares and reduction in burden of subsidy to the government."
However, Muslim leaders like S Q R Ilyas, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, have argued that the money flows directly to Air India and not to Muslim pilgrims.
Others feel the money should be diverted to schools and the education of the poor. "Muslims don't need this subsidy. The Haj Committee should be allowed to tender and charter flights to take Hajis back and forth. We don't want Air India to be the sole carrier. We don't get a single free ticket. Air India takes the money from the Centre," said a former Haj Committee member
While an MoU is yet to be signed between the ministries of Civil Aviation and External Affairs, three Saudi airlines, including Saudi Arabian Airlines and NAS Air, have been selected by a process of "competitive bidding".
Haj is the pilgrimage which adult, able and Muslims who can afford it deem as their duty. It involves a journey to Mecca and some other places in Saudi Arabia, and is held on the eve of Eid-ul-Zuha. The flights are likely to start on October 10.
A top Air India official said, "While Air India will be the nodal agency for the over one lakh Indian Haj pilgrims expected to fly to Mecca, due to capacity constraints we are not likely to fly ourselves at all. We will coordinate and do whatever else is required, but we won't run the service ourselves."
Sources said that Air India did make an attempt, but was outbid by the three Saudi Arabian airlines. The national carrier now has only a very slim chance of flying from Goa and Mangalore, two of the 19 embarkation points for pilgrims last year.
Officials said Air India now has only three operational jumbos — down from the 11 last year — two of which are kept for VIP flights. "Even the A-310s used for Haj flights are fewer this year," said an official.
Last year, Air India and two Saudi Airlines operated Haj flights between October 20, 2009 and January 1, 2010.
Saudi Arabia decides the number of pilgrims from each country, and is likely to allow 20,000 more Indians this year. According to External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, some 160,000 Indians are expected to undertake the Haj this year.
Dr S Shakir Husain, CEO of the Mumbai-based Haj Committee, declined to comment on the likely absence of Air India during this Haj. "The Ministry of External Affairs will take a decision, we don't know anything about this," Husain said.
Sources in the Ministry said they were waiting for a political decision on the nature of the MoU on the "sensitive issue".
Competitive bidding will substantially reduce the Haj subsidy. The subsidy has been a sore point over the years: Muslim religious leaders have described it as "un-Islamic" and not a subsidy at all, while those on the other side have decried the "undue largesse" offered to the "pampered minority".
In its reply to an RTI application filed by Mumbai-based activist Attar Azeemi on June 22, 2007, Air India said: "Air India does not have the capacity to operate Haj flights. Therefore, aircraft are leased by AI for carriage of Haj pilgrims."
It added, "There is no benefit to the government of India (in giving) AI and Indian (Airlines) monopoly in operating Haj flights. Allowing private airlines to operate on Haj flights may result in reduction in fares and reduction in burden of subsidy to the government."
However, Muslim leaders like S Q R Ilyas, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, have argued that the money flows directly to Air India and not to Muslim pilgrims.
Others feel the money should be diverted to schools and the education of the poor. "Muslims don't need this subsidy. The Haj Committee should be allowed to tender and charter flights to take Hajis back and forth. We don't want Air India to be the sole carrier. We don't get a single free ticket. Air India takes the money from the Centre," said a former Haj Committee member
What Junior isn't telling you....
Children in Indian metros are reaching out to school counsellors to make sense of their increasingly complicated, increasingly lonely lives. A nine-year-old is no longer too young to have a problem — or even know what a problem is.
The sullen and forlorn third grader at Sri Kumaran's Children's Home in a Bangalore suburb was having frequent weeping bouts at school. The child told the school counsellor that she rarely got to see her overworked mother, who had a frantic career at a call centre. The mother then quit her job but turned resentful and bitter towards the child.
Welcome to the harsh realities of student life in a middle-class school in urban India. To help cope with the
new dynamic of society and the complexities of modern-day childhood, even regular Indian schools have child counsellors.
At the Gundecha Education Academy in Mumbai's Kandivali suburbs, counsellor Ekta Dharia recounts the case of a bright eight-year-old, who aced her class but steadfastly refused to mingle with her peers. After much drawing out, Dharia discovered that the girl was not shy, it was far more complicated. The girl's parents were divorced, and her newly single mother was struggling to provide them with a comfortable living. The child started blaming herself, felt she was a burden on her mother and retreated into a shell.There was a time, not too long ago, when a couch and a therapist used to be the staple of sappy American soap operas. But in recent years, confidential counsellor-therapists are becoming increasingly commonplace in middle-class Indian schools. Raking together their experiences is like shining a light on a shifting, rapidly westernising middle-class India. It is a glimpse into how childhood in Bangalore or Mumbai is slowly becoming as complex as it is in Boston or Miami.New Delhi's Shri Ram School offers counselling services to its students and goes a step beyond. There are workshops on cyber-bullying and drug abuse. Counsellor Gloria Burrett says interventions are critical because of multi-fold factors like peer pressure and family problems. Schools are having to step up and step in."Families are growing smaller, divorces are getting bitter and kids are traumatised when parents don't see eye to eye on child-rearing," says Deepa Sridhar, principal of the Bangalore-based Kumaran's, on the changing order in a country where marriages and family relationships used to be considered sacrosanct.At Kumaran's, post the summer-break, academic sessions have begun only a couple of months ago and counsellor Maullika Sharma says she is amazed at the steady stream of eight- or nine-year-olds coming in to seek confidential counselling sessions. "One assumes that these kids are too young to have a problem or even know what a problem is," says Sharma.A whole cohort of children is growing up at a time when childhood is shrinking and exposure to the wide world and adult problems is escalating, says Radhika Lobo, principal of another middle-class Bangalore school called New Horizon. "Childhood is become distilled into fewer years and young kids are coping with a lot."
In contrast, their parents graduated from school without ever having access to the sounding board and confidant that the school counsellor is. At best, schools had part-time 'career counsellors', those know-it-alls who advised tenth graders on the wisdom, for instance, of choosing sciences over humanities in college or vice versa.
"Schools and parents are more understanding that children have their own specific problems that need to be dealt with sensitively", says Dharia of Gundecha Academy of Mumbai. A nine-year-old student in Delhi's Shri Ram School faced bullying and had receded into a shell. He was suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; but teachers, unfamiliar with the condition, found him difficult and were dismissive of his mother's concerns. "I had given up hope," his mother says.
Counsellor Burrett met the boy in the basketball court, and got him talking about his problems. She then approached the teachers, told them about the disorder and how to deal with it, and then made the boy part of a social skills group where a few children would interact with each other and discuss issues that bothered them. "My son was very awkward. He still is but he is improving," his mother says. "In India, there is not much awareness about this learning disorder and I am happy the counsellor intervened and acted as a bridge."
Counsellors say nine- and ten-year-olds come up with innocuous-sounding problems like, "I cannot concentrate in class" or "I cannot study at home". At Pune's Dastur group of schools, counsellor Vaishali Billimoria says real issues surface after much probing in repeated sessions. Among the problems she frequently encounters — self-image concerns with even pre-teen kids participating in 'beauty contests', cyber-bullying and hostility between parents.
Symbiosis Primary School in the same city appointed counsellors two years ago and found that domestic circumstances had a direct impact on its students' performance and grades. "More than students, there is a need to counsel parents," says school principal Leena Chaudhari. The counsellor often draws parents into the sessions as well.
The school's counsellor Sheetal Karkare says many students are brought in with issues of abusive language and behaviour. "It all boils down to lack of attention from parents," she says. The child is often left alone at home and the parents make up for it by giving in to the child's every want. "The easy life at home makes it difficult for the child to face the world and its challenges," she says.
Though the government mandates that schools appoint qualified counselllors, very few actually do, says Dr Avdesh Sharma, consultant psychiatrist at New Delhi's Parivartan Centre of Mental Health. "For a population of 1.2 billion, we only have 3,500 psychiatrists registered with India's professional body," says Sharma. Having therapists in every school is essential, but not every school has them.
Counsellors cite emotional alienation from parents among the top causes of children's problems. There are other manifestations that counsellors see — in the form of prickly issues like eating disorders and, increasingly in teenagers, sexual promiscuity.
So, schools like the reputed Kumaran's in Bangalore or Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kolkata could be a microcosm of urban middle-class India, its students grappling with changing family structures alongside newer hazards.
About 15 kilometres from the manicured lawns of La Martiniere school in Kolkata (recently infamous for the suicide of teenager Rouvanjit Rawla after allegedly being caned at school), stands the modest building of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School at Salt Lake. About a year ago, this school too would have been in the news for all the wrong reasons but for the intervention of its student counsellor.
The classmates of a quiet teenage student in the school complained that she had stolen their money and valuables. When the grievance was investigated, it came to light that the girl was actually the victim — of blackmail. The girl had befriended a few youths on a social networking site. They invited her over, took pictures of her and then threatened to post the revealing pictures on the site if she did not pay them. "The girl was suicidal when she came to me," said counsellor Shovana Mukherji. The matter has since been sorted out and the girl is a well-adjusted, responsible student today.
A scared and nervous pre-teen came to Kumaran's Sharma last year to discuss her parents' ongoing acrimonious divorce. Over the next dozen sessions, as proceedings unfolded in the court, the girl gradually opened up about her abusive father and her anxieties.
"What do I do if the court insists I spend time with my father?" she asked.
"My mother works so hard but what if we don't have enough money?" she worried.
The confidential sessions were the girl's safe haven, buffeting her against the acrimonious relationship between her parents.
Counsellors say they never take any child's concern lightly. "I cannot stop the divorce or the animosity but I can prepare the child to deal with it," Sharma says.
There are many different layers to students' problems in an urban environment where parents are working in a globalised world, according to counsellors at Kumaran's. Children are despondent that both parents work late, are incessantly on their phones even when at home in the evenings, and barely spare time even during weekends.
Since competition in every sphere from pre-school admissions to college seats and jobs is so fierce, pushy parents over-schedule activities while demanding that the children excel in every sphere.
"There are children who jump off a horse and into the swimming pool for their next lesson," says Sridhar, who describes that stress inevitably catches up with the child.
It is normal for very young children to be restless but a hyper-active nine-year-old at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kolkata raised counsellor Mukherji's antennae. The boy could not sit still for a minute and teachers were exasperated. When she took on his case, Mukherji found the reason. "His parents would not even give him an hour of 'own time'. He was shepherded from tuition classes to swimming to tennis..." said Mukherji.
On the other hand, the percentage of children left to their own devices at home after school hours has risen sharply, the school says.
The pressure of belonging, whether in a group in class or some "inner circle", has acquired new dimensions with children texting each other on cellphones after school or meeting on weekends to hang out.
"There are many newer ways of groupism and bullying, what with cellphones, Twitter and Facebook," says Sumana Moudgal, a counsellor, who recently moved from Kumaran's to a school in Atlanta in the United States.
Neo-materialism in families brings about its own set of challenges for children at school, says Sridhar. "More has become the new minimum," she says, adding that showy affluence is beginning to impact children.
For schools like Kumaran's, rooted in middle-class values, the most challenging of all is how to deal with situations that transpire beyond the school's boundaries and hours and invariably creep back into the classroom.
Last year, a student was the victim of a vicious Facebook rumour campaign. The school has a stated policy banning the use of cellphones, and has firewalled Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and other websites on school computers. Parents often land at the school's doors looking for justice and safeguards in cases of cyber-bullying. They ask that the school ban after-school student activities such as logging on to Facebook, sleepovers and late-night partying.
"It is heartbreaking to spell out to parents that I am not in charge of what happens to their kids after 4 in the afternoon," says Sridhar
The sullen and forlorn third grader at Sri Kumaran's Children's Home in a Bangalore suburb was having frequent weeping bouts at school. The child told the school counsellor that she rarely got to see her overworked mother, who had a frantic career at a call centre. The mother then quit her job but turned resentful and bitter towards the child.
Welcome to the harsh realities of student life in a middle-class school in urban India. To help cope with the
new dynamic of society and the complexities of modern-day childhood, even regular Indian schools have child counsellors.
At the Gundecha Education Academy in Mumbai's Kandivali suburbs, counsellor Ekta Dharia recounts the case of a bright eight-year-old, who aced her class but steadfastly refused to mingle with her peers. After much drawing out, Dharia discovered that the girl was not shy, it was far more complicated. The girl's parents were divorced, and her newly single mother was struggling to provide them with a comfortable living. The child started blaming herself, felt she was a burden on her mother and retreated into a shell.There was a time, not too long ago, when a couch and a therapist used to be the staple of sappy American soap operas. But in recent years, confidential counsellor-therapists are becoming increasingly commonplace in middle-class Indian schools. Raking together their experiences is like shining a light on a shifting, rapidly westernising middle-class India. It is a glimpse into how childhood in Bangalore or Mumbai is slowly becoming as complex as it is in Boston or Miami.New Delhi's Shri Ram School offers counselling services to its students and goes a step beyond. There are workshops on cyber-bullying and drug abuse. Counsellor Gloria Burrett says interventions are critical because of multi-fold factors like peer pressure and family problems. Schools are having to step up and step in."Families are growing smaller, divorces are getting bitter and kids are traumatised when parents don't see eye to eye on child-rearing," says Deepa Sridhar, principal of the Bangalore-based Kumaran's, on the changing order in a country where marriages and family relationships used to be considered sacrosanct.At Kumaran's, post the summer-break, academic sessions have begun only a couple of months ago and counsellor Maullika Sharma says she is amazed at the steady stream of eight- or nine-year-olds coming in to seek confidential counselling sessions. "One assumes that these kids are too young to have a problem or even know what a problem is," says Sharma.A whole cohort of children is growing up at a time when childhood is shrinking and exposure to the wide world and adult problems is escalating, says Radhika Lobo, principal of another middle-class Bangalore school called New Horizon. "Childhood is become distilled into fewer years and young kids are coping with a lot."
In contrast, their parents graduated from school without ever having access to the sounding board and confidant that the school counsellor is. At best, schools had part-time 'career counsellors', those know-it-alls who advised tenth graders on the wisdom, for instance, of choosing sciences over humanities in college or vice versa.
"Schools and parents are more understanding that children have their own specific problems that need to be dealt with sensitively", says Dharia of Gundecha Academy of Mumbai. A nine-year-old student in Delhi's Shri Ram School faced bullying and had receded into a shell. He was suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; but teachers, unfamiliar with the condition, found him difficult and were dismissive of his mother's concerns. "I had given up hope," his mother says.
Counsellor Burrett met the boy in the basketball court, and got him talking about his problems. She then approached the teachers, told them about the disorder and how to deal with it, and then made the boy part of a social skills group where a few children would interact with each other and discuss issues that bothered them. "My son was very awkward. He still is but he is improving," his mother says. "In India, there is not much awareness about this learning disorder and I am happy the counsellor intervened and acted as a bridge."
Counsellors say nine- and ten-year-olds come up with innocuous-sounding problems like, "I cannot concentrate in class" or "I cannot study at home". At Pune's Dastur group of schools, counsellor Vaishali Billimoria says real issues surface after much probing in repeated sessions. Among the problems she frequently encounters — self-image concerns with even pre-teen kids participating in 'beauty contests', cyber-bullying and hostility between parents.
Symbiosis Primary School in the same city appointed counsellors two years ago and found that domestic circumstances had a direct impact on its students' performance and grades. "More than students, there is a need to counsel parents," says school principal Leena Chaudhari. The counsellor often draws parents into the sessions as well.
The school's counsellor Sheetal Karkare says many students are brought in with issues of abusive language and behaviour. "It all boils down to lack of attention from parents," she says. The child is often left alone at home and the parents make up for it by giving in to the child's every want. "The easy life at home makes it difficult for the child to face the world and its challenges," she says.
Though the government mandates that schools appoint qualified counselllors, very few actually do, says Dr Avdesh Sharma, consultant psychiatrist at New Delhi's Parivartan Centre of Mental Health. "For a population of 1.2 billion, we only have 3,500 psychiatrists registered with India's professional body," says Sharma. Having therapists in every school is essential, but not every school has them.
Counsellors cite emotional alienation from parents among the top causes of children's problems. There are other manifestations that counsellors see — in the form of prickly issues like eating disorders and, increasingly in teenagers, sexual promiscuity.
So, schools like the reputed Kumaran's in Bangalore or Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kolkata could be a microcosm of urban middle-class India, its students grappling with changing family structures alongside newer hazards.
About 15 kilometres from the manicured lawns of La Martiniere school in Kolkata (recently infamous for the suicide of teenager Rouvanjit Rawla after allegedly being caned at school), stands the modest building of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School at Salt Lake. About a year ago, this school too would have been in the news for all the wrong reasons but for the intervention of its student counsellor.
The classmates of a quiet teenage student in the school complained that she had stolen their money and valuables. When the grievance was investigated, it came to light that the girl was actually the victim — of blackmail. The girl had befriended a few youths on a social networking site. They invited her over, took pictures of her and then threatened to post the revealing pictures on the site if she did not pay them. "The girl was suicidal when she came to me," said counsellor Shovana Mukherji. The matter has since been sorted out and the girl is a well-adjusted, responsible student today.
A scared and nervous pre-teen came to Kumaran's Sharma last year to discuss her parents' ongoing acrimonious divorce. Over the next dozen sessions, as proceedings unfolded in the court, the girl gradually opened up about her abusive father and her anxieties.
"What do I do if the court insists I spend time with my father?" she asked.
"My mother works so hard but what if we don't have enough money?" she worried.
The confidential sessions were the girl's safe haven, buffeting her against the acrimonious relationship between her parents.
Counsellors say they never take any child's concern lightly. "I cannot stop the divorce or the animosity but I can prepare the child to deal with it," Sharma says.
There are many different layers to students' problems in an urban environment where parents are working in a globalised world, according to counsellors at Kumaran's. Children are despondent that both parents work late, are incessantly on their phones even when at home in the evenings, and barely spare time even during weekends.
Since competition in every sphere from pre-school admissions to college seats and jobs is so fierce, pushy parents over-schedule activities while demanding that the children excel in every sphere.
"There are children who jump off a horse and into the swimming pool for their next lesson," says Sridhar, who describes that stress inevitably catches up with the child.
It is normal for very young children to be restless but a hyper-active nine-year-old at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kolkata raised counsellor Mukherji's antennae. The boy could not sit still for a minute and teachers were exasperated. When she took on his case, Mukherji found the reason. "His parents would not even give him an hour of 'own time'. He was shepherded from tuition classes to swimming to tennis..." said Mukherji.
On the other hand, the percentage of children left to their own devices at home after school hours has risen sharply, the school says.
The pressure of belonging, whether in a group in class or some "inner circle", has acquired new dimensions with children texting each other on cellphones after school or meeting on weekends to hang out.
"There are many newer ways of groupism and bullying, what with cellphones, Twitter and Facebook," says Sumana Moudgal, a counsellor, who recently moved from Kumaran's to a school in Atlanta in the United States.
Neo-materialism in families brings about its own set of challenges for children at school, says Sridhar. "More has become the new minimum," she says, adding that showy affluence is beginning to impact children.
For schools like Kumaran's, rooted in middle-class values, the most challenging of all is how to deal with situations that transpire beyond the school's boundaries and hours and invariably creep back into the classroom.
Last year, a student was the victim of a vicious Facebook rumour campaign. The school has a stated policy banning the use of cellphones, and has firewalled Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and other websites on school computers. Parents often land at the school's doors looking for justice and safeguards in cases of cyber-bullying. They ask that the school ban after-school student activities such as logging on to Facebook, sleepovers and late-night partying.
"It is heartbreaking to spell out to parents that I am not in charge of what happens to their kids after 4 in the afternoon," says Sridhar
More than troops, Chinese projects in PoK worry India
While India has independently confirmed that the presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit and Baltistan is a bit exaggerated in terms of numbers, the real concern here is on the number of projects and works China has undertaken in those areas and in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). And the footprint is only growing larger.At last count, South Block had noticed at least 17 confirmed projects in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan.
These constitute more than half the Chinese projects in areas under Pakistan's control, making it a cause of major concern because of the disputed status of the areas. At present, according to government inputs, 122 Chinese companies are active in Pakistan, and most of them are also involved in projects in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan areas.China, sources said, has suddenly increased its involvement in almost every key sector, and has virtually taken upon itself the responsibility of building basic infrastructure in these areas. The list of projects range from providing mobile connectivity services to building power projects, highways and rail links.
Karakoram Highway upgradation: The China Road and Bridge Corporation has taken up this project and will give preferential credit of $327 million through its Exim Bank in what is a $491-million project. Two other MoUs on double-laning of the Karakoram Highway as well as widening of the Jaglot-Skardu road have also been signed.
Pakistan-China rail link: This is a 750 km-long rail link between Havelian and the Khunjerab Pass along the Karakoram Highway. While feasibility studies are on for this project, Pakistan and China have agreed to establish a joint venture between Pakistan Railways and Dongfang Electric Corporation to initially run only freight trains on this route.
Jhelum Bridge: Pakistan has awarded a Rs 1.2 billion contract to a Chinese state company for constructing a major bridge on River Jhelum at Dhangali in Mirpur District.
Five bailey bridges on Gilgit-Skardu Road: Xinjiang Road and Bridge Construction Company of China is replacing five existing bailey bridges on the 167-km long, strategically important Gilgit-Skardu road.
Mining: A Chinese company called MCC Resources Development Company Ltd has been allowed to start a mineral exploration exercise in these areas. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has given a reconnaissance licence to the company. Pakistan Surpass Mining Company, which is subsidiary of China's Xinjiang Surpass Mining Company Ltd, has submitted a $6 million investment proposal for mining in those areas. It plans to set up a hydropower station and Molybdenum processing plant in Chupurshan Valley.
Sust Dry Port: A joint venture named Pak-China Sust Port Company is managing the Sust dry port, 200 km from Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway. Opened four years ago, the Chinese side is the principal stakeholder in the JV.
Mobile communication links: China Mobile is providing mobile services in PoK and certain areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. The company has major plans to set up more towers and expand coverage.
Diamer-Bhasha Dam: China is said to have agreed to finance this $11.3-billion 4500-MW project. Also, it has agreed to provide the services of the China Three Gorges Project Corporation for the construction of the dam. Sinihydro has show interest in the development of the project.
Magla dam raising project: A joint venture comprising China International Water and Electric Corporation and some Pakistan companies have almost completed this project. Once operational, the average annual water availability for irrigation will increase by near 3 million acre feet.
Neelum-Jhelum hydro-power project: China Gezhouba Water and Power Corporation, which was part of the Three Gorges project, has formed a consortium and taken up this 969 MW project too in Muzaffarabad district. Keen on completing this project before the Kishengaga project on the Indian side, Pakistan has obtained a commitment from the consortium that the work will be finished in eight years. Meanwhile, it has raised objections and gone for arbitration with India on the Kishenganga project under Indus Waters Treaty provisions.
Besides these, China has taken up at least four other hydropower projects in these areas-Bhunji project in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kohala project (1100 MW), Naltar project and then smaller projects in places like Phendar, Harpo and Yurlbo.
Already, China has provided a soft loan of $300 million to Pakistan for reconstruction and rehabilitation works in the areas as follow-up on relief for the earthquake. Following the recent floods, it has taken up the task to get the Karakoram Highway back on track. Many of its military personnel are there for relief work and it has so far given aid of $9 million which is likely to increase
These constitute more than half the Chinese projects in areas under Pakistan's control, making it a cause of major concern because of the disputed status of the areas. At present, according to government inputs, 122 Chinese companies are active in Pakistan, and most of them are also involved in projects in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan areas.China, sources said, has suddenly increased its involvement in almost every key sector, and has virtually taken upon itself the responsibility of building basic infrastructure in these areas. The list of projects range from providing mobile connectivity services to building power projects, highways and rail links.
Karakoram Highway upgradation: The China Road and Bridge Corporation has taken up this project and will give preferential credit of $327 million through its Exim Bank in what is a $491-million project. Two other MoUs on double-laning of the Karakoram Highway as well as widening of the Jaglot-Skardu road have also been signed.
Pakistan-China rail link: This is a 750 km-long rail link between Havelian and the Khunjerab Pass along the Karakoram Highway. While feasibility studies are on for this project, Pakistan and China have agreed to establish a joint venture between Pakistan Railways and Dongfang Electric Corporation to initially run only freight trains on this route.
Jhelum Bridge: Pakistan has awarded a Rs 1.2 billion contract to a Chinese state company for constructing a major bridge on River Jhelum at Dhangali in Mirpur District.
Five bailey bridges on Gilgit-Skardu Road: Xinjiang Road and Bridge Construction Company of China is replacing five existing bailey bridges on the 167-km long, strategically important Gilgit-Skardu road.
Mining: A Chinese company called MCC Resources Development Company Ltd has been allowed to start a mineral exploration exercise in these areas. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has given a reconnaissance licence to the company. Pakistan Surpass Mining Company, which is subsidiary of China's Xinjiang Surpass Mining Company Ltd, has submitted a $6 million investment proposal for mining in those areas. It plans to set up a hydropower station and Molybdenum processing plant in Chupurshan Valley.
Sust Dry Port: A joint venture named Pak-China Sust Port Company is managing the Sust dry port, 200 km from Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway. Opened four years ago, the Chinese side is the principal stakeholder in the JV.
Mobile communication links: China Mobile is providing mobile services in PoK and certain areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. The company has major plans to set up more towers and expand coverage.
Diamer-Bhasha Dam: China is said to have agreed to finance this $11.3-billion 4500-MW project. Also, it has agreed to provide the services of the China Three Gorges Project Corporation for the construction of the dam. Sinihydro has show interest in the development of the project.
Magla dam raising project: A joint venture comprising China International Water and Electric Corporation and some Pakistan companies have almost completed this project. Once operational, the average annual water availability for irrigation will increase by near 3 million acre feet.
Neelum-Jhelum hydro-power project: China Gezhouba Water and Power Corporation, which was part of the Three Gorges project, has formed a consortium and taken up this 969 MW project too in Muzaffarabad district. Keen on completing this project before the Kishengaga project on the Indian side, Pakistan has obtained a commitment from the consortium that the work will be finished in eight years. Meanwhile, it has raised objections and gone for arbitration with India on the Kishenganga project under Indus Waters Treaty provisions.
Besides these, China has taken up at least four other hydropower projects in these areas-Bhunji project in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kohala project (1100 MW), Naltar project and then smaller projects in places like Phendar, Harpo and Yurlbo.
Already, China has provided a soft loan of $300 million to Pakistan for reconstruction and rehabilitation works in the areas as follow-up on relief for the earthquake. Following the recent floods, it has taken up the task to get the Karakoram Highway back on track. Many of its military personnel are there for relief work and it has so far given aid of $9 million which is likely to increase
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Does India Really Need More Smaller States?
The recent demand of the Maharashtra State Congress to make Belgaum and 865 villages of Karnataka into a Union territory, until the apex court delivers its final verdict in Maharashtra–Karnataka border dispute, makes me wonder whether there is really a need for smaller states in India or if it’s just a political gimmick.
In the past we have suffered huge losses which ran into crores because of demands for separate states. For example, during the Telangana protests, businesses in the state, especially the IT sector lost crores of rupees, with some MNCs also considering shutting shop.
But it is the common people who suffer the most, as a friend of mine, who hails from Hyderabad, once quipped that during the Telangana protests he missed an important family event as he felt that he would be forced to stay out of Hyderabad if the rebellion took an ugly turn.
The political patronage to these protests is all but obvious, as most of these protesters are hired by political parties, often for a meager amount. Kashmir protests is a perfect example where protesters are paid Rs 100- 300 daily to pelt stones at security forces.
Some of these parties are more vocal in their demands for a separate state. For example – the demand for Harit Pradesh by Ajit Singh to be carved out from UP, Telangana by TRS to be carved out from AP and Gorkhaland by GJM to be carved out from West Bengal and many more.
Due to the unending political unrest, even whipping passions by going on a fast-unto-death for the creation of an independent Telangana state, Home Minister P Chidambaram assured TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao that the centre would look into the demand.
States formed in the last decade:-
Chhattisgarh: Formed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing sixteen Chhattisgarhi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000.
Uttarakhand: Formed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh on November 9, 2000.
Jharkhand: Formed by the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000 by dividing 5 districts of Bihar on November 15, 2000.
Further states in demand:-
-Saurashtra in Gujarat.
-Coorg in Karnataka.
-Bundelkhand, comprising districts like Banda, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Sagar of UP and MP.
-Bhojpur comprising areas of eastern UP, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
-Harit Pradesh or Kisan Pradesh consisting several districts of western Uttar Pradesh.
-Mithilanchal or Mithila state comprising territories in Bihar.
-Greater Cooch Behar comprising districts of West Bengal and Assam.
-Vidarbha in Maharashtra.
Political parties, who ask for a separate state, point to cultural and regional differences as a major reason behind their demand. But we all know that such demands have vested interest. The point is that the three states that have been created have further gone into chaos and now have become a hotbed for illegal activities, and some even a safe haven for the Naxals.
Don’t we have bigger problem to deal with; if you and I can understand this then why not our political leadership? Isn’t it more important that our leaders work together to solve problems like price rise, Naxalism and the terror threat the nation is under?
POST DOC POSITIONS FOR WOMEN @ UGC
PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK
http://www.ugc.ac.in/notices/advertisementpostdoc_Women_200911.pdf
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http://www.ugc.ac.in/notices/advertisementpostdoc_Women_200911.pdf
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