Sunday, August 26, 2007

India's fearless 'untouchable' paper


By Amarnath Tewary
Dumka, Jharkhand (for BBC)

But the sixty-something Dalit from Dumka in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has published a newspaper every week without fail for the past 21 years, highlighting discrimination against the poor and local corruption.

Mr Rajak's four-page, handwritten Hindi-news Din Dalit is photocopied 100 times and sold to subscribers or pasted onto Dumka's main traffic lights, bus stands and roads.

Din Dalit is not just another small town news sheet - the newspaper is registered with India's Registrar of Newspapers, thanks to the efforts of India's first Dalit President, KR Narayanan, after Mr Rajak wrote to him.

Since its first edition in October 1986, Din Dalit has made a difference to the lives of local people, even helping a resident to secure social security from the authorities after his plight was reported in the paper.

'I was hurt'

Mr Rajak says he decided to bring out the newspaper after he was humiliated by local authorities when he took some people to meet them to help enlist them in a government social security scheme.

"I was very hurt. I approached the local media to highlight the incident but they did not show any interest. So I decided to go ahead and bring out my own newspaper," he says.

Over the years, Din Dalit has run stories on diverse subjects like a local scam in the distribution of specially-made cycles for disabled people, and bungling in a government housing scheme and kerosene oil distribution for the poor.

After washing clothes through the week for a living, Mr Rajak concentrates on bringing out the paper by selecting the news, deciding on the editorial page content and headlining the articles on Sundays.

The paper now even boasts a reporter - 45-year-old Ravi Shanker Gupta, who works in a grocery and goes out to collect news when he gets a work break.

On Monday morning, the editor and his intrepid reporter publish 100 copies of Din Dalit - 50 are bought by regular readers, and some are pasted on the walls. Some 25 copies go to government departments.

Mr Rajak says he spends 300 to 350 rupees (about $8) producing the paper.

His wife is less than impressed with his efforts. "He just wastes his time and money every week. I have no idea what he gets by bringing out the paper," says Lakshmi Devi.

But others in Dumka think highly of Mr Rajak's paper.

Ashok Khatri, a disabled man, says he received a 2,000 rupee social security grant from the government, only after Din Dalit wrote about him.

'War against corruption'

Rickshaw puller Dhrub Rai says Din Dalit serves a critical social purpose.
"Rajak has simply waged a war against corruption and social evils here," he says.
Mr Rajak's four sons also support their father's unstinting efforts.
"We feel proud when we see people reading and discussing the issues raised in the paper," says eldest son, Raj Shanker Rajak.
And local English-language journalist Brajesh Verma concedes that Din Dalit serves an important purpose.
"It has its own dedicated readership who wait for it every week," he says.
Din Dalit has also begun commenting on larger national issues. A recent piece by Mr Rajak stressed the need to turn the Line of Control - the de facto border separating the disputed region of Kashmir - into a "line of peace".
He has also written a drama on the Kashmir problem and sent it to a state-run television channel to make a serial out of it. He is still waiting for a response.

Mr Rajak's achievement is considerable when you consider the fact that India's 180 million Dalits still remain largely neglected by the authorities.
Officially, caste discrimination was outlawed when India gained independence in 1947.

But Dalits are still often expected to do the most menial jobs. In many villages, they are also prevented from drinking water from wells used by high-caste Hindus.





Friday, August 24, 2007

FLAG CODE OF INDIA for Schools


SECTION II (of flag code of India)

2.3 The National Flag may be hoisted in educational institutions (schools, colleges, sports camps, scout camps, etc.) to inspire respect for the Flag. A model set of instructions for guidance is given below -
(i) The School will assemble in open square formation with pupils forming the three sides and the Flag-staff at the centre of the fourth side. The Headmaster, the pupil leader and the person unfurling the Flag (if other than the Headmaster) will stand three paces behind the Flag-staff.

(ii) The pupils will fall according to classes and in squads of ten (or other number according to strength). These squads will be arranged one behind the other. The pupil leader of the class will stand to the right of the first row of his class and the form master will stand three paces behind the last row of his class, towards the middle. The classes will be arranged along the square in the order of seniority with the seniormost class at the right end.

(iii) The distance between each row should be at least one pace (30 inches); and the space between Form and Form should be the same.

(iv) When each Form or Class is ready, the Class leader will step forward and salute the selected school pupil leader. As soon as all the Forms are ready, the school pupil leader will step up to the Headmaster and salute him. The Headmaster will return the salute. Then, the Flag will be unfurled. The School pupil leader may assist.

(v) The School pupil leader in charge of the parade (or assembly) will call the parade to attention, just before the unfurling, and he will call them to the salute when the Flag flies out. The parade will keep at the salute for a brief interval, and then on the command “order”, the parade will come to the attention position.

(vi) The Flag Salutation will be followed by the National Anthem. The parade will be kept at the attention during this part of the function.

(vii) On all occasions when the pledge is taken, the pledge will follow the National Anthem. When taking the pledge the Assembly will stand to attention and the Headmaster will administer the pledge ceremoniously and the Assembly will repeat it after him.

(viii) In pledging allegiance to the National Flag, the practice to be adopted in Schools is as follows:-

Standing with folded hands, all repeat together the following pledge:

“I pledge allegiance to the National Flag and to the Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic for which it stands.”

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT


The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has expanded the definition of corporal punishment which will now cover any form of adverse treatment. NCPCR has recommended parents to fearlessly file FIR against the schools if children complaints about any kind of abuse.

The directive issued by NCPCR chief Shanta Sinha about corporal punishment involves, "rapping on the knuckles, running on the school ground, kneeling down for hours, standing up for long hours, sitting like a chair, beaten with a scale (ruler), pinched and slapped, child sexual abuse, torture, locking up children alone in classrooms, electric shock and all other acts leading to insult, humiliation, physical and mental injury, and even death".

A teacher can be jailed for calling a child "idiot" or "stupid" or "mindless", "asking the students to write that they will not repeat their mistakes in class" or "slapping a child."

It is seen that many students tend to commit suicide when their teachers say them something or scold them in front of their classmates as they feel humiliated and insulted.

The NCPCR has recommended that all the schools should have a complaint box for submitting in their grievances and problems which will be discussed on the Parents and Teachers (PTA) Meeting.

The new directive has also stated that all the schools including hostels, shelter homes should have a forum where children can express their views. It is felt that sometimes students are silent and they do not respond to the violence against them due to fear.

Friday, August 17, 2007

MINISTER RESIGNS


BHUBANESWAR: Orissa's School and Mass Education Minister Bishnu Charan Das resigned on Friday after allegations that he directed the officials of his department to increase the marks of his son in the high school certificate exams held this year.

Das denied the charge and attributed his son's increased marks to a possible computer error. However, he was facing protests from opposition parties and various student organisations across the state for the last few days.

He submitted his resignation in the afternoon to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariat here. "I have resigned on moral grounds," he said.

The resignation has been accepted, an official of the chief minister's office said.

Trouble started for Das after Debendra Chandra Mishra, a top official of the Board of Secondary Education Orissa, got a phone call from an unknown person in the first week of this month. The caller alleged that marks of several students whose parents and relatives were in top government jobs were manipulated. As an example, he gave the roll number of a student.

After investigation, officials found that the number belonged to Bijoy Shankar Das, the minister's son.

In the mark sheet, Bijoy was awarded 89 in Oriya in place of 39, 80 in English against 50, 60 in Mathematics paper-II in place of 40, 50 in Science instead of 40 and in Social Science paper II, it was 54 instead of 45.

Patnaik had earlier deputed the state's chief secretary to probe into the allegation. But he has not submitted his report yet.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

NOKIA FAULTY BATTERIES-ALERT AVERT DANGER


NOKIA FAULTY BATTERIES
Dear Nokia Customer,

This is a product advisory for the Nokia-branded BL-5C battery manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Co. Ltd. of Japan between December 2005 and November 2006. This product advisory does not apply to any other Nokia battery.

Nokia has identified that in very rare cases the affected batteries could potentially experience over heating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge. Nokia is working closely with relevant local authorities to investigate this situation.

Nokia has several suppliers for BL-5C batteries that have collectively produced more than 300 million BL-5C batteries. This advisory applies only to the 46 million batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006. There have been approximately 100 incidents of over heating reported globally. No serious injuries or property damage have been reported.

Consumers with a BL-5C battery subject to this advisory should note that all of the approximately 100 incidents have occurred while charging the battery. According to Nokia's knowledge this issue does not affect any other use of the mobile device. Concerned consumers may want to monitor a mobile device while charging that contains a BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory.

While the occurrence in the BL-5C batteries produced by Matsushita in the time-period specified is very rare, for consumers wishing to do so, Nokia and Matsushita offer to replace any BL-5C battery subject to this product advisory.

The BL-5C batteries which are subject to the product advisory were used with the following Nokia models or separately as accessories:


Nokia 1100, Nokia 1100c, Nokia 1101, Nokia 1108, Nokia 1110, Nokia 1112, Nokia 1255, Nokia 1315, Nokia 1600, Nokia 2112, Nokia 2118, Nokia 2255, Nokia 2272, Nokia 2275, Nokia 2300, Nokia 2300c, Nokia 2310, Nokia 2355, Nokia 2600, Nokia 2610, Nokia 2610b, Nokia 2626, Nokia 3100, Nokia 3105, Nokia 3120, Nokia 3125, Nokia 6030, Nokia 6085, Nokia 6086, Nokia 6108, Nokia 6175i, Nokia 6178i, Nokia 6230, Nokia 6230i, Nokia 6270, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6631, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 6682, Nokia 6820, Nokia 6822, Nokia 7610, Nokia N70, Nokia N71, Nokia N72, Nokia N91, Nokia E50, Nokia E60


“Nokia” and “BL-5C” are printed on the front of the battery. On the back of the battery, the Nokia mark appears at the top, and the battery identification number (consisting of 26 characters) is found at the bottom.


IT IS URGENT
CLICK HERE TO CHECK.AT NOKIA SITE.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

FIRST TEACHER IN TO SPACE


CAPE CANAVERAL: NASA's space shuttle Endeavour blasted off on Wednesday sending the first teacher into space 21 years after the Challenger explosion tragically ended the dream of another pioneering teacher. Teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan, 55, has become the star of the second shuttle mission to the International Space Station this year, which has otherwise been marked by embarrassing stories of drunken and love-crazed astronauts. Her chance to fly into space finally came with Endeavour's launch at 6:36 pm (2236 GMT) on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

The booster rockets separated about two minutes after the shuttle lifted off, and Endeavour was hurtling toward space at a speed of 15,000 miles per hour (24,000 kilometers per hour), a NASA official said.

"Class is in session," a NASA spokesman said after the external fuel tank separated from the shuttle and the Endeavour entered its preliminary orbit less than nine minutes into the flight.

First Lady Laura Bush, a former teacher herself, called Morgan on Tuesday to offer congratulations from "one school teacher to another."

Morgan had trained alongside fellow teacher Christa McAuliffe in the 1980s as a backup for the Challenger shuttle mission. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had hoped that sending a teacher into space would fire the imaginations of millions and keep up support for its shuttle program. But on January 28, 1986, Challenger exploded and broke up 73 seconds after blastoff, killing all seven aboard, and delaying for two decades Morgan's own aspirations to join the elite astronaut corps. "Christa was, is, and always will be our 'Teacher in Space,' our first teacher to fly" in a shuttle, Morgan said in an interview released by NASA.

"She truly knew what this was all about -- not just bringing the world to her classroom, but also helping ... to show the world what teachers do," she said.

After the Challenger disaster Morgan went back to teaching, and then rejoined the astronaut corps in 1998.

Once in space she will operate robotic arms on the ISS and the shuttle to unload and install new equipment and supplies on the space station.

Endeavour is taking seven astronauts, including a Canadian, on an 11-day mission to continue the expansion of the ISS, an orbiting laboratory that NASA considers a key part of its space exploration ambitions.

The mission will carry a truss section about the size of a small car to extend the space station to a length of 108 meters (354 feet), about the size of a football pitch.

The astronauts will also replace a defective gyroscope, one of four keeping the space station on an even keel, and install an exterior stowage platform. Astronauts will venture out of the ISS on three spacewalks to complete assembly and repair tasks. NASA could prolong the mission by three days to include a fourth space walk, to prepare for installation of a boom that will allow crews to inspect for potential damage to the shuttle's heat shield. NASA has been leery of damage to shuttle heat shields since February 2003, when a broken thermal tile led to the disintegration of shuttle Columbia on re-entry, killing all seven aboard and putting the shuttle program on hold for two-and-a-half years.

NASA finally resumed ISS construction missions last year after conducting two missions aimed at improving safety, but the space agency has been hit by earthly scandals ever since.

Earlier this year, astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested and charged with attempting to kidnap a woman dating another married astronaut. She has since been fired from NASA.

The incident prompted NASA to set up an internal panel to review astronauts' health. The panel recently issued a report saying astronauts had been allowed to fly into space while drunk, sparking worry in Congress about NASA management.

The space agency avoided yet another black eye with this mission, by repairing in time for lift-off a computer that had been sabotaged while in the care of a NASA contractor.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

THE MIDDLE PATH


The FEAR is the basis of all our Religions,it can be our blind faith in the rituals or the faith which we believe in.God should be love..then Satan/Evil is hate..this is the logic.If you fear God then naturally Evil is your Love.So why should we be God fearing ,we should be God loving people,but our words..yes words (God fearing) show that we are into loving the evil not the God.You may argue that this fear is out of respect.

The world is based on the theory of contradiction,that is, everything of the opposite exists..If Everest than Marina trench/Deep exists, as Day and Night,Women and Men..But at the same time Plains,Dawn/Dusk,Eunuch also exists i.e. the middle one.. Neither this nor that!Buddha preached Middle path,it is the truth ,the ultimate "neither this nor that".Everything in moderation is good for us..Otherwise it is Mania or Phobia.If you believe in Paranormal be moderate.Neither accept it nor condemn it,it is the sign of educated person.

An old widow from my place told me that she visited heaven when she was four years old and was seriously ill ..unbelievable..I didn't believed this rubbish then,But now I know that it was her O.B.E(Out of Body Experience ) or the Near Death Experience(N.D.E).

Monday, August 6, 2007

SANJAY DUTT-THE LEARNER


This is an excerpt from the Book Maximum City written by Sukentu Mehta,based on sanjay Dutts recollection of his stay in jail in the mid-1990s

"Sanjay made friends with the natural world. Through the tiny air vent, four sparrows would come into his cell every evening and Sanjay would put his massive hand out with crumbs in it. He was starved for touch and they would let him touch them so he would caress the little birds. He made friends with the ants, too, that came out of the sewage pipe. Amazing things, these ants. There is some kind of language between them. If one is going the wrong way, another ant will tell him. He would lie flat on the floor and watch them for hours on end as they struggled with their crumbs"of food, carrying it over the sew­er line".

Now read the Reuters Report on Ants.

Melbourne: The movement of ants could help solve traffic jams and crowd congestion, Australian scientists say,and the findings could be used in future town planning systems.Australian AssociatedPress reported on Thursday that professor Graham Currie and associate professor Martin Burd,from Melbourne'sMonash University,had concluded that the teamwork of ants was far superior to the individual approach of humans.'Ants do tend to work in a communal way with the wider good associated with what they're trying to do and that tends to add some order about how they approach problems,"Currie said.Humans could learn from ants about how to deal with traffic congestion and exiting large venues after concerts or sporting events, he said. Currie said ants moved in an orderly fashion, and never seemed to panic, even when there was danger or congestion.'Ants will organise their freeways' so that ants bearing loads are in the middle of the freeway all going one direction,and the ants that are unladen are on both sides of the middle row. "In human crowds there is a tendency to follow the individual in front of you and that creates lots of snakes within crowds...and that breaks down the crowd flow,making it move slower." REUTER

A little bit of scientistgiri will remove the boredom from us.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

LEARNING TO THINK


"God ,why don't you help me !"- this is a common frown of many,but God symbolize compassion,love,patience etc., then why he don't look in to our troubles? Did we ever realized ,what God has given us.

Now read this story...Once a teacher asked a student to name all the seven wonders of the world.The child was not able to answer this question.Then the teacher asked to think and answer the question.The girl started telling"The Seven wonders of the world are...our eyes which can see,the ears which can hear,nose which can smell things,tongue having taste buds,hands which can work hard, legs having the ability to run,mind which enjoys everything in life, all these are the seven wonders of the world."The teacher was unable to accept this answer as wrong.The pyramid or the Great Wall of china is not above these wonders-thought the teacher.

When we are going to understand this? We never allow the child to create a new answer for an unknown question.Our system of education kills creativity.Walt Disney got the remark of not having Creative thinking when he was in school.We keep safely and appreciate the gifts,greeting cards given by our beloved ones and cherish the memories,but forget to appreciate the gift of God ,who gave a lot to us.Let us learn to love our life and our gifts.Thank daily God(Nature ,if you are not a believer) for the uncountable bliss showered on us.Common be serious!


Friday, August 3, 2007

SUCCESS MANTRA




According to leadership guru, Paul J. Myer, an imbalance in any one area
of your life can cause disharmony in all the others.

A story you may have read goes like this ... Three men were cutting stone in a quarry. A stranger approached one of them and asked him what he was doing. The man answered irritably, "Cah't you see, I am cutting stone." The stranger went up to the next guy and asked him the same question to which he got the reply, "I am earning a living." Finally, he went to the third man, who answered proudly "I am building a cathedral." It is not difficult to imagine the varying degrees of satisfaction the three men felt for their respective jobs.Here are ten practical tips you can follow that will help you climb the success ladder.


1.Believe that you can make a difference
2.Spell out your definition of success
3.Strike a balance
4.Create a supportive setting
5.Focus on your strengths
6.Work productively
7.Work flexibly
8.Work on a "Time release career"
9.Visualise and affirm your success
10.Keep your interests alive

Thursday, August 2, 2007

NEURO- LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING(NLP)


NLP explores the relationship between how we think (neuro), how we communicate both verbally and non-verbally (linguistic) and our patterns of behaviour and emotion (programmes).
It is both an epistemology(theory of method or grounds of knowledge), in that it studies how we know what we know and a methodology for creating practical descriptions of how we function as human beings. The purpose of NLP is to study, describe and transfer models of human excellence. (Modelling).
There are a number of descriptions of what is NLP. The founders of NLP Dr. John Grinder and Richard Bandler defined NLP as the study of the structure of subjective experience (Dilts et al; 1980). Judith DeLozier and John Grinder (1987) define NLP as "an accelerated learning strategy for the detection and utilization of patterns in the world". We think of NLP as a field that explores the patterns of organisation of effective human intuition (Collingwood & Collingwood; 2001). Through modelling an expert's intuitive application of their skill, we can as Neuro-Linguistic Programmers, have those patterns of organisation for ourselves and / or make them available to others. Modelling is the core function of NLP, learning to model (self and others) the core activity of NLP practitioner and NLP master practitioner certification trainings.
For practical purposes, learning NLP thoroughly will sharpen your observation and listening ability and enable you to identify patterns in people's behaviour and language so you can respond to the subtext of their communication. This will enable you to communicate more effectively and cut through distractions. At the same time, your own thinking will benefit from these skills as you learn to identify the direction you want to take in conversation and action. These benefits only happen with live training and practice. If you settle for a short "practitioner" course, the chances are you will be given a sheaf of scripts which limit your ability to use the material in real life.


This is one among the simple explanation I got from a website for NLP.Iam very eager to learn NLP to be used in teaching-learning process,but who will teach me? I can't learn everything through self-study materials.Different people learn through different ways! I think this is all about NLP! Anyway..now you can search about NLP in the Web.If you find someone here in Sikkim or nearby let me know.Thanks.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S FAMOUS LETTER




A letter written by Abraham Lincoln to the Headmaster of a school in which his son was studying. It contains an advice, which is still relevant today for executives, workers, teachers, parents and students.
A WORD TO TEACHERS
"He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just and are not true. But teach him if you can, the wonder of books.. but also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hillside.
In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fall than to cheat.....
Teach to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him he is wrong.
Teach him to be gentle with gentlepeople and tough with the tough.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone getting on the bandwagon...
Teach him to listen to all men; but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through.
Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad... Teach him there is no shame in tears.
Teach him to scoff at cynics and to be beware of too much sweetness.. Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to highest bidders, but never to put a price on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob.. and stand and fight if thinks he is right.
Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient.. Let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will have faith in humankind.
This is a big order, but see what you can do. . He is such a fine little fellow my son!
- Abraham Lincoln"