Wednesday 27 April 2011

On Henchard Of THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE

Grossly misunderstood 
full of failing very human 
without God's Blessings
a wretched being
auctioned his wife and infant daughter to a captain
all for some Rum!
remorse came about 
he shunned drinks !!
Immersed himself in work 
and went on to become the 
Mayor of Casterbridge.
Several years later with the 
sudden return of beautiful daughter and wife
started his downhill journey .
The first nail in his coffin
the Scotish youth flamboyant and modern 
who was an instant hit with all !
Daughter Elizabeth Jane secretly admired him 
Henchard himself was won over by him 
made him his manager to which he did full justice!
Soon he felt threatened by his popularity,
A series of misunderstandings 
he parted ways !
His wife died 
breaking his heart 
through a letter disclosing 
his daughter was the captain's !
A surge of hatred for Elizabeth Jane 
consumes him .
His solace his friend Lucetta comes to town 
much to his dismay falls in love and betrothed his arch rival !
However he had the satisfaction 
of a silent glee of being in possession of her amorous letters ,
good enough to make her life miserable !
Farfrae's success made a jealous Henchard 
In a last bid to succeed 
he went to soothsayer .
Based on his predictions
he invested wrongly
and lost it all 
and  rum once again he embraced!
Find Out Ye...
What happened to his daughter,Farfrae 
and his  own hapless person ?
Read the incredibly poignant novel 
with the flavour of the colourful sights and sounds 
of the country side by Thomas Hardy! 





Sunday 24 April 2011

DOCTORS NOT GIVING ENOUGH TIME SAYS,W.H.O


Going through the Times of India yesterday I came across a WHO report that
on an average ,doctors in developing countries spend less than 60 seconds
in prescribing medicines and explaining the regimen to their patients.
How true I thought to myself .In India you wait for hours for your turn to come
and when you actually come face to face with a doctor and even before you start explaining your malady he starts scribbling the illegible prescription and if you ask him twice he gives you that piteous… hey ! nincompoop look, pointedly looking at his watch
 and you dare not ask him a third time if you still have a doubt with the fear that he might actually harm you psychologically with a statement that well this is all he can do and you could go andfurther experiment with another doctor or hospital .
Hence your long wait comes to an abrupt end and you walk out of the cubicle less wiser  nursing a discontent of inadequate information ,after meeting the  doctor who with his supercilious know –it-all air ,has made no dent in your psyche about curing you… leaves you high and dry both in terms of  half baked knowledge he has conferred on you with medical terms and steep bill
 of the medicines prescribed and some tests to be done. All information deferred till future date he has asked you to revert back to him.
By the time you reach home you are a bundle of nerves trying to figure out when to take what of the umpteen medicines prescribed. So you dial the doctor’s number with trepidation and are relieved to find it
is engaged ,just when you think of disconnecting it a crisp businesslike voice of his answers ….and you stutter out your introduction trying to be helpful and save his time and he patiently… read impatiently… unravels the
mystery of administering the drugs …. Helplessly you listen forcing your brain to switch on to the photographic memory mode! Suddenly you hear  the closing question anything else and you reply to a hung phone !
 Actually India is  all about numbers  and the doctors who have become renowned for their Midas touch are a overworked lot
and for them wasting time with one patient is wasting money!
On the other hand the patients sometimes feel cheated in terms of time ,faith ,money .. yet try to be their humble best...
 paying obeisance to these demi-Gods lest they mess up their cases!


Friday 22 April 2011

PULITZER 2011 FOR Dr SIDDHARTH MUKHERJEE


Brilliant and articulate Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee has won the Pulitzer for his non-fiction book on the biography of cancer.
Sharing the joyous news with his parents,he explained to his mother in Delhi on the phone at, 1a.m in the morning that Pulitzer  was like
the Nobel prize of literature!!!
Author William Dalrylmple ,who had met Siddharth at the Jaipur Lit Fest in January ,  had remarked that the book was fantastic! and Indian non –fiction had arrived !!

Sibeshwar and Chandana Mukherjee the proud  parents here in Delhi are in the midst of the media attention triggered by their son’s book…The Emperor of All Maladies :A Biography of Cancer.
They are equally proud of their Chinese –American daughter -in-law Sara Sze who is a McArthur winning artist .He has two daughters aged five and one. He is an alumnus of St.Columbus School New Delhi,Stanford University and Harvard Medical School.He is also a
classical singer and an artist.
Dr. Mukherjee joins a growing band of Indian-origin physicians who seem have a way with words
Among them,Abraham Verghese ,who began his writing career in the late 1980’s with My Own Country:A Doctor’s Story . which centred on AIDS in the US,
Atul Gawande,author of The Checklist Manifesto and ofcourse Deepak Chopra ,the new age spiritual guru.
Indeed! we all are proud of you Sid!

Monday 18 April 2011

MUDRAS IN YOGA ------ PATTERNS WITH FINGERS !


F.A.S.E.W.
 Learn the abbreviation of the elements for the 5 fingers!
F)   FIRE denoted by the ball of the THUMB
A)  AIR denoted  by the ball of the INDEX FINGER.
S)   SKY denoted by the ball of the MIDDLE FINGER.
E)   EARTH  denoted by the ball of the RING FINGER.
W)  WATER  denoted by the ball of the LITTLE FINGER.

When a finger comes in contact with the THUMB an electromagnetic effect is created.
In Yoga, Mudras are used in conjucation with Pranayama(yogic breathing exercise)generally
While sitting in the Padam asana .
One must sit in the lotus position and focus on the healing.
The mudras have to be performed with both hands at the same time .
Start with 10 minutes at a time and increase upto 3/4th of an hour for best results.
Fingers should remain comfortable during the procedure and should not be held stiffly or tight.
 Gyan Mudra e.g. is the joining of the thumb and index finger,while other fingers remain upright.
Advantages of the  the gyan mudra are…..
Mental peace,Concentration , sharp memory
Gyan mudra  allays...
Depression, mental disorders,stress,drowsiness….
Apan Vayu Mudra e.g.normalises blood pressure,strengthens the Heart.
Go on the Google search and find out amazing facts about this science!
If you want to get wonderful results  mudras should be learnt under instructions of
Yog Mudra experts or manuels (books)
Well!
This is what I call  health in your  HANDS!!


Wednesday 13 April 2011

THE HAPPENING SIDE OF SMALL-TOWN INDIA


Reading today’s daily The Times of India I came across this on page 19.
In May 2010 Ernst and Young (E&Y)released a report titled “The new market shearers :Tapping the potential for emerging markets”For the purpose of the report India was divided into four categories …..Top 6 Metros,
22 Key Urban Towns (KUT’s)or tier II towns ,39 Rest of Urban India Towns (ROUI) or Tier  III towns and Rural India.
The towns and cities were classified on the basis of population ,affluence level, and growth potential.
It was found that between 2006 and 2008,the growth in the number of Malls in the KUT was twice as that in the Metros .Sales of refrigerators and washing machines were almost double the rate in the metros.
The E&Y study ‘s insight into consumer behaviour points out that many in Tier II and Tier III towns have dumped their squirrel- like stashing mentality for spending .Brand consciousness is an all-time high .Those who have “arrived” want to announce it with with a luxury car, a designer wedding or a dream  holiday.
It is no surprise ,therefore that the industry is putting it’s money where the moolah is!More advertising expenditure by the companies is directed towards KUT’S and ROUI .All to strike them all with the tsunami of desires. Be it seized by the shoe fetish or luxury cars or even beauty treatment or the innumerable spa’s
There has been a homogenisation of young people with dressing up the same  way ,use the same gadgets, watch the same programmes …. Eat the same …Mc Donald's I am loving it!Only the small town guys have a hunger to prove themselves more!
Within Tier II Tier III towns there are hierarchies of population,economics and mentalities.Though they are in different stages of development , in different moments of history ,most are united by a common desire for the good life…I ‘m loving it…!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday 12 April 2011

MODEL FARMS FOR SALT MANUFACTURING.

Going through the Business Standard came across this interesting piece of information......
...The Indian salt industry is embarking on a modernisation exercise to increase salt yield and improve quality. 
Salt making in India has remained  a labour -intensive industry,with nearly 95 percent of salt producers being in the unorganised sector ,accounting for  about 40% of India's total salt output.Only 5% are organised players ,and produce the remaining 60%
Salt production is vulnerable to climatic uncertainties .Excess rain causes dilution of salt  panes ,leading to delays in harvests Also ,the manual nature of industry affects product quality.
In order to address these issues I.S.M.A (The Indian Salt Manufacturers ' Association proposes to establish model salt farms in all major salt growing states like Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh ,Gujrat and  Karnataka .
These Model Farms will have different salt making techniques,harvesting methods and washery mechanisms for demonstration  purposes.
Rajasthan has a potential to explore subsoil brine which has a high sodium sulphate  content .But it gets crystallised along with salt which makes it unsuitable for both edible purposes as well as the  alkali industry .Hence there is a need to develop  an economically viable technique to produce high grade sub soil salt for retail and industrial consumers .
Also to explore subterranean sources of saline water to increase productivity per acre.
It also suggested that salt testing laboratories be modernised  and  their services be provided to the industry for a fee. 

Thursday 7 April 2011

SEPTUAGENARIAN KISSAN BABURAO HAZARE.


Well the media is full of this great man’s effort to fight corruption!
He is affectionately called Anna .He has undertaken a fast- unto death.
This is his Satyagrah’  to force the establishment to enact a stringent
law to tackle corruption .The enactment  of the Jan Lokpal bill.
Now what is the Lokpal Bill?
It will be a 3 member body with a chairperson who is /was a chief justice
Or a Supreme Court judge and 2 members who are or have been high court
judges or Chief Justice  .
This basic idea has been borrowed from the office the Ombudsman in other
countries  .It provides for filing complaints ,of corruption against P.M,other
ministers and Member of Parliament with the ombudsman.
Anyone except a public servant can file a complaint and the Lokpal
 has to complete the enquiry in 6 months .The bill has a long history of 42 years.
It was first presented during the 4th Loksabha in 1968.
It was reviewed in 1971, 1977,1985,1989,1996,1998,2001,2005 and 2008.
In September 2004 P.M. Manmohan Singh said that the Congress led U.P.A.
(United Progressive Alliance)Government would enact the Bill. But strong lobbies
 blocked it.
The reason behind the confrontation between the govt. and civil society is the
toothless draft of the Lokpal Bill prepared by the Law ministry .The social activists
do not want any more pussyfooting! They are not happy about (GoM) group of ministers
on corruption too!
Anna has demanded the government constitute a joint committee comprising
 government officials and civilians to frame a fresh Lokpal Bill to tackle corruption realistically.
The activists and supporters  are demanding independent Lokpal at the Centre and
 Lokayukts  at the state level to tackle corruption.
Hazare is hopeful about his crusade because of the mass youth participation .He has termed it as
‘our second war of independence’.
I for one, though staunchly against corruption, would never like to support Anna Hazare’s Lokpal,
for the simple reason that once again it’ll be just a battle between the lawyers and we the common
man will be left high and dry . All this I feel is in the ream of fantasy !We consumers cannot get
redressal for corrupt practices by the producers and now this!
What I feel at this point of time the R.T.I.(Right to Information )should be given more teeth. (looks
like I have been visiting the dentist with my vocab toothless ,more teeth!)Jokes apart!
I believe if R.T.I.is strengthened and is made widely known to the masses ….I am sure people will
start fearing to adopt corrupt practices  at any level.  It’ll definitely be a step  forward towards eradicating
corruption  .Kudos to Aruna Roy!  (Anna has been a support in her fight to R.T.I. )

Monday 4 April 2011

WHAT IS ECONOMICS?

Economics is often regarded as the queen of all social sciences. 
The science of economics was born with the publication of Adam Smith's 'An Enquiry into the Nature and Causes of Wealth of Nations 'in the year 1776.He is the father of economics....
Marshall said that economics was the study of mankind in the ordinary business of life.....".His was the welfare definition .Find out for yourself
The word Economics was derived from two Greek words OIKOU(a house) and NOMOS(to manage)
Thus the word economics was used to mean home management with limited funds available in the most economical manner. 
Lionel Robbins defined it as "Economics is the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means that have alternative uses. " 
Paul A.Samuelson gave the growth definition ,which has been widely accepted.
The subject matter of economics is studied under two broad branches -MICROECONOMICS and MACROECONOMICS.
Ragnar Frisch  coined these terms for the first time in 1933.

Sunday 3 April 2011

A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF HEALING----DANCE!

With the goodness of movement and rhythm dance therapy adds as a catalyst to improve the physiological and psychological health of a human being .
We humans are caught in an ugly rut of controlling our emotions .This hampers  our physical and psychological well being.It is therefore necessary to break away from the shackles that tread towards negativity.And what better way to do than shake a leg!
Shake off your inhibitions  ,choreograph  your dance steps with shaking ,rotating, swinging. spot walking , your..... eyes ,neck,arms ,hands, legs and feet ....left to right and vice versa ....up and down and vice versa ....
So! All Ye! dance away your health and mental troubles !Unshackle yourself!
Believe me you will be a new Happy  you !

Saturday 2 April 2011

Utterances !

...Sometimes the most effective motivation is just to say Thank you!


...To escape criticism --- do nothing,---say nothing,---be nothing!


...The golden rule for all presentations is to imagine that you are in the audience!


...Creativity is a slippery subject - as the saying has it - there is nothing  new under the sun!


...Routine provides freedom .If we have to plan every action we take life would be complicated!
                                            
...Fail to plan... Plan to fail!

Friday 1 April 2011

TIGER TIGER BURNING BRIGHT....

William Blake in his poem wrote...
"Did he who made the lamb make thee...
....What immortal hand or eye 
Dare  frame thy fearful symmetry....."
The stripped predator  is back from the brink !
Front page news a couple of days ago of the 2010  tiger census of India ! A thing to rejoice by the environmentalists and also the tigers themselves if they could report!But what about man who are growing in alarming numbers and have spilled out into their region by clearing their habitat?
The monitoring exercise was carried out between December 2009 and Dec.2010
There were three phases involved in their estimation.
1.Field data collected at the beat-level by trained personnel using a standardised protocol.
2.Was the analysis of habitat status of tiger forests using satellite data .
3rd phase dealt with camera trapping .
Now what is camera trapping?Find out!
Camera trapping ,promoted by tiger experts like K Ullas Karnath has become  the primary mode of identifying individual animals .In 2010 census 550 individual tigers were captured and identified using their unique stripe patterns .
In the Sunderbans ,the census took place for the first time,five tigers were tagged with Iridium satellite collars and camera trappings was carried out in an area of 250sq km.
In the entire monitoring exercise ,800 camera traps were used,covering an area of 10,500sq km .
Based on the tiger numbers recorded in sampled sites an estimate was made for other tiger -occupied landcsapes. 
Additional information also was taken into account 
such as
a)tiger signs
b)prey availability
c)habitat conditions
d)human disturbance
The final estimates provide a comprehensive and a statistically robust result......Said Y.V. Jhala from the Wildlife Institution of India.
Total estimated tigers       1,706 in 2010
        ,,    ,,           ,, was     1,411 in 2006.
Number up by..............     295
Percentage increase           16%
Decline in tiger habitats }
across the country          }20,000sq.km
Tiger tiger burning bright 
In the forest of the night....
The endangered specie 
The national animal of the nation!