Meet Nikhil Eldurkar, a cycling enthusiast who's pedaled his passion to new heights.
A software engineer by profession Nikhil cycles 17 km from his house in Jayanagar to his office in Marathhalli, and that too in the thick of Bangalore traffic.
That's not all, Nikhil along with fellow IT professional Rohan Kini, have started a website called bumsonthesaddle.com to bring about a cycling revolution in the city.
"This is for the sake of the environment, because in the long run, if your environment is good, it's easier to keep fit. I think by starting this we can bring together people with common ideas and thoughts and promote cycling," says he.
With more than 10 persons leaving their automobiles for these cycles within three months of the website's launch, the idea seems to be catching on.
And Nikhil believes cycling is not only the best way to reduce environmental pollution but also controls traffic jams.
Bangaloreans though have mixed reactions about this initiative. Some say that cycles are too slow and hamper the movement of traffic. Others insist that they would cycle if there were separate lanes provided for them. Still others think that it is a great way to reduce traffic jams in the city.
HG Wells once said that when I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race. And when you see what Rohan and Nikhil have accomplished, one tends to agree with that.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Govt in a fix over Ram Setu, withdraws affidavit
In a damage control exercise, the Centre on Friday withdrew from the Supreme Court its two affidavits, including the controversial one filed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) claiming there was no historical or scientific evidence to establish existence of Lord Ram and Rama Setu as a man-made bridge.
The Centre's action came in the wake of controversy sparked by the ASI affidavit on Thursday that forced the Government to backtrack on the issue.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balkrishnan, which allowed the Centre to withdraw the affidavits, said that the August 31 interim order putting on hold the construction in Rama Setu area will continue.
The Court in its interim order had allowed the dredging activity.
The government said it will examine the entire issue relating to the Sethusamudram project and sought three month's time from the court.
The Court posted the matter for hearing in the first week of January 2008.
The government said it wanted to resolve the matter in a "constructive and mutually acceptable manner".
"I have taken instructions from the Government at the highest level," Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam told the Bench which included Justice R V Raveendran.
He said there was no intention to cast aspersion on religious faith or to divide the society.
Meanwhile, UPA partner DMK says ASI is right. “We fully agree with the ASI stand on Ram Setu. It is a natural structure. We are only looking at the economic point of it. It should not become a religious issue and DMK’s stand on religion is known to all,” DMK leader TKS Elangovan said.
The Opposition has been quick to seize upon the issue. BJP leader Narendra Modi fired his first salvo against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi over the Ram Setu issue saying, “Ram was born here. He wasn't born in Italy. We don't need any certificate from the Congress on Ram.”
The Centre's action came in the wake of controversy sparked by the ASI affidavit on Thursday that forced the Government to backtrack on the issue.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balkrishnan, which allowed the Centre to withdraw the affidavits, said that the August 31 interim order putting on hold the construction in Rama Setu area will continue.
The Court in its interim order had allowed the dredging activity.
The government said it will examine the entire issue relating to the Sethusamudram project and sought three month's time from the court.
The Court posted the matter for hearing in the first week of January 2008.
The government said it wanted to resolve the matter in a "constructive and mutually acceptable manner".
"I have taken instructions from the Government at the highest level," Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam told the Bench which included Justice R V Raveendran.
He said there was no intention to cast aspersion on religious faith or to divide the society.
Meanwhile, UPA partner DMK says ASI is right. “We fully agree with the ASI stand on Ram Setu. It is a natural structure. We are only looking at the economic point of it. It should not become a religious issue and DMK’s stand on religion is known to all,” DMK leader TKS Elangovan said.
The Opposition has been quick to seize upon the issue. BJP leader Narendra Modi fired his first salvo against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi over the Ram Setu issue saying, “Ram was born here. He wasn't born in Italy. We don't need any certificate from the Congress on Ram.”
League versus League: Can ICL survive?
Before 1986, the big battles of Indian football among sides like East Bengal, Mohammadan Sporting and Mohun Bagan used to be the rage. At Delhi’s Ambedkar stadium - invariably full to the brim with spectators screaming at the top of their voices - even some below par football and average set of footballers from this holy trinity always threatened to acquire the aura reserved only for international stars.
That was till the World Cup featuring iconic Maradona, and over 50 live matches, was telecast in the summer of 86.
The quality of football took the whole generation of impressionable age by the storm. The attendance at domestic matches, in most parts of India, suddenly plummeted. They had seen real football!
One can expect similar thing when the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s brainchild Indian Premier League (and Champions League) take on the Indian Cricket League.
With top international stars and club teams vying with each other to be a part of the IPL, on paper, Zee’s Indian Cricket League stands no chance.
Surely, in Glenn McGrath versus Dinesh Mongia, or Ricky Ponting versus Rohan Gavaskar, the battle for the eyeball is always going to be one-sided. It will be naïve to expect anything else. While ICL may still attract some viewership due to local interest and DTH platform, it will be more or less a loss-making venture, and Subhash Chandra is a businessman who is as much interested in profit, as in cricket.
Saving ICL
After the latest development, only one route remains for the ICL. And that is to challenge the authority of ICC, not just the BCCI. It will desperately need to launch a different set of national teams, united by an apex international body along the lines of ICC. The latest development may have left it with no other alternative.
Nothing motivates people like watching their national teams in action, and domestic cricket is simply no good. Check out the attendance at Ranji matches even involving teams like Mumbai, Punjab, Delhi and Karnataka, and compare that with an ODI between India and Kenya! So ICL simply can’t survive without spreading the movement beyond India. If they do not expand, they will perish
That was till the World Cup featuring iconic Maradona, and over 50 live matches, was telecast in the summer of 86.
The quality of football took the whole generation of impressionable age by the storm. The attendance at domestic matches, in most parts of India, suddenly plummeted. They had seen real football!
One can expect similar thing when the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s brainchild Indian Premier League (and Champions League) take on the Indian Cricket League.
With top international stars and club teams vying with each other to be a part of the IPL, on paper, Zee’s Indian Cricket League stands no chance.
Surely, in Glenn McGrath versus Dinesh Mongia, or Ricky Ponting versus Rohan Gavaskar, the battle for the eyeball is always going to be one-sided. It will be naïve to expect anything else. While ICL may still attract some viewership due to local interest and DTH platform, it will be more or less a loss-making venture, and Subhash Chandra is a businessman who is as much interested in profit, as in cricket.
Saving ICL
After the latest development, only one route remains for the ICL. And that is to challenge the authority of ICC, not just the BCCI. It will desperately need to launch a different set of national teams, united by an apex international body along the lines of ICC. The latest development may have left it with no other alternative.
Nothing motivates people like watching their national teams in action, and domestic cricket is simply no good. Check out the attendance at Ranji matches even involving teams like Mumbai, Punjab, Delhi and Karnataka, and compare that with an ODI between India and Kenya! So ICL simply can’t survive without spreading the movement beyond India. If they do not expand, they will perish
Indian doc develops enzyme that can destroy HIV
Dr Indrani Sarkar has has every reason to be excited. Her PhD thesis, which started in 2002 at the Max Planck Institute in Dresden, Germany, has thrown open the doors for developing enzymes that can destroy the dreaded Human Immuno-deficiency Virus or HIV within infected cells permanently.
Indrani and a team of scientists have developed an enzyme called Tre. Tre is a custom enzyme capable of detecting, recognising and destroying HIV, much like a pair of molecular scissors.
"In laymans terms, it's an engineered enzyme which recognises sequences in the HIV genome that is duplicated, integrated virus and by the process of recombination, it cuts out the virus from the genome," says she.
The biggest challenge with treating HIV today is that the virus becomes dormant and often develops resistance to HIV drugs.
The only way then to cure HIV is to get rid of the virus completely and Tre, the enzyme that Indrani constructed after a year and its 126 "cycles of mutation" totally deplete HIV in the human genome in three months in laboratory conditions.
It's a beautiful approach, but like any other drug, this one too will take a few years to reach clinics — anywhere between five and 20 years actually. A lot of research has to be done because since one is working with a novel enzyme, one has to engineer the enzyme," says she.
According to the latest statistics given out by UNAIDS and WHO, there are close to 39.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world and though it will be a while before an imminent cure is likely, Dr Indrani Sarkar's findings certainly hold out hope for the millions who are battling the disease across the globe.
Indrani and a team of scientists have developed an enzyme called Tre. Tre is a custom enzyme capable of detecting, recognising and destroying HIV, much like a pair of molecular scissors.
"In laymans terms, it's an engineered enzyme which recognises sequences in the HIV genome that is duplicated, integrated virus and by the process of recombination, it cuts out the virus from the genome," says she.
The biggest challenge with treating HIV today is that the virus becomes dormant and often develops resistance to HIV drugs.
The only way then to cure HIV is to get rid of the virus completely and Tre, the enzyme that Indrani constructed after a year and its 126 "cycles of mutation" totally deplete HIV in the human genome in three months in laboratory conditions.
It's a beautiful approach, but like any other drug, this one too will take a few years to reach clinics — anywhere between five and 20 years actually. A lot of research has to be done because since one is working with a novel enzyme, one has to engineer the enzyme," says she.
According to the latest statistics given out by UNAIDS and WHO, there are close to 39.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world and though it will be a while before an imminent cure is likely, Dr Indrani Sarkar's findings certainly hold out hope for the millions who are battling the disease across the globe.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Face The Nation: Myth, legends and non-issues
Did Lord Ram exist and did he build a bridge to Sri Lanka or not? The Government says Lord Ram and his bridge are a myth.
Traffic was held up across several North Indian cities on Wednesday as the VHP protested against the planned Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project in Tamil Nadu.
The Sangh Parivar says this project will destroy the sacred `Ramar Setu' or mythological bridge apparently built by Lord Ram and his vanar sena. However, there were no protests in any of the southern states.
But the government said there is no historical evidence that Lord Ram existed or that he built the Ram Setu. Pure blasphemy responds the Sangh Parivar. Ram existed and he built the Ram Setu with his vanar sena.
Building the Sethusamudram shipping canal project on the Tamil Nadu coast is nothing short of an insult to the Hindu faith. Today, the VHP held protests against the Sethusamudram shipping project across north Indian cities, from Chandigarh to Indore - traffic was brought to a halt.
The Centre on Monday asserted in the Supreme Court that Adam's Bridge 'Ramar Sethu' was not man made but a natural formation comprising a chain of seven shoals between India and Sri Lanka and is approximately 30 km long.
On August 31, the court restrained the Centre from causing any damage to 'Ramar Sethu' and asked it to file its reply to Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's petition.
The Centre said his assertion that the respondents were drilling holes at the alleged 'Ramar Sethu' for planting explosives with a view to demolishing the structure was "entirely false and completely misleading.
In a substantial part of Adam's Bridge, the activity pertaining to the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project is dredging of sand from the natural seabed to increase the depth by a few metres
The said activity cannot under any circumstance and by any stretch of imagination be construed as an act of demolishing of the entire Adam's Bridge.
Should issues like Ram Setu affect Government policy?
Senior journalist Saeed Naqvi, AR Venkatachalapathy Professor of History, Madras Institute of Development Studies and B P Singhal, Former MP, BJP debated the issue on Face The Nation with Sagarika Ghose.
The initial result of the poll suggested that 78 per cent of the people said yes issues like Ram Setu do affect Government policy while only 22 per cent people denied saying no.
In the name of religion
Project like Sethusamudram and Ship Canal project will be an innumerous economic and industrial boost to Tamil Nadu, why should BJP hold that up in the name of religion? Does it bother the party that no one in Tamil Nadu is supporting the struggle?
Strongly arguing the fact that the project will boost economic growth, Singhal said, “Who said that it is going to have innumerous economic benefit? It’s only from the west coast to east coast. And it does not bother us if anybody supporting us or not in Tamil Nadu because Tamil Nadu is headed by a chief minister who does not believe in any God or religious faith.”
What was the need of the Government to go to the court and declare that Ram is a myth or Ram Setu is a myth? Ram, whatever the historical prove may be, is also a focus of public faith.
Advocating the Government’s move, Natarajan said, “The fact of the matter is it was the NDA the BJP prime minister and government that first cleared this project with the same alignment. I think it’s the height of political hypocrisy for Singhal’s party to now question it just because the UPA Government is in power.”
When there is a shrine, which is accepted as a sacred monument by some sections of the community, should development efforts protect those monuments?
Naqvi said, “In a country like India we should not hurt any body’s faith. If somebody’s faith is involved I don’t think we should but between faith and blind belief there is a difference.”
Faith, blind belief or reality
Strongly reacting to Naqvi’s statement, Singhal said, “What is andhaviswas (blind belief). A viswas is viswas. We believe that there was Ram and there is Ram even today in everybody’s heart. The first chief of the ASI named this Ram Setu as Ramar Setu in 1788. In 1804 it was named as Adam's Bridge.”
Is it time that historians actually establish whether this is in fact something built by a character Ram of Ramayan or whether it is in fact the natural formation which is not man made.
“There is a fundamental confusion about faith in a God and in believing that certain structures have been built by a God. It’s impossible to argue with faith. There was no such response from the south during this VHP action and it shows that the faith is not shared across this country. So this is a new tradition that this Hinduvta forces are trying to create,” Venkatachalapathy said.
Ram Setu another Babri Masjid?
BJP is trying to gain milestone out of this issue. It is trying to divide South in the name of Ram. Is Ram Setu becoming another Babri Masjid?
“I hope the BJP know what they are playing with. In south India the entire Dravida movement came an unfortunate anti-Rama platform. BJP is creating divide in the South,” Naqvi answered.
There is national security at risk with this project, there is economic risk, there is environmental risk, why doesn’t BJP make these arguments why it is making religious argument?
Singhal replied, “Apart from scientific and security angle it has religious angle too.”
When the Government comes out and says this is a myth, there is no archeological evidence and there is no scientific proof, don’t you think that a Government must be little more sensitive to the faith and worship of people.
Clarifying what the Government is trying to say about the Setu, Naqvi said, “The Government has not said that the Ram does not exist, they didn’t say that Ram is not part of mythology or they did not say that Ram is not part of our culture but they said there is no archeological evidence to say that there was any Setu.”
Is Ram still a potent force in South?
In Tamil Nadu Ram has great importance as a literary figure because of the great Tamil epic. But there is hardly any temple for Ram in Tamil Nadu. There is a general belief that worshiping Ram will only bring sorrow and bad luck, Venkatachalapathy said.
When development works are embarked upon is it not part of the government to take in to consideration the feelings of the people and re-assure them that whatever they hold sacred will not be damaged or the Government will try to preserve.
Natarajan said, ”I have absolutely no doubt at all that the Government will take into consideration the genuine feelings of the people who are genuinely affected. Certainly that does not apply to the BJP or demonstrations, which was a flop show.”
Traffic was held up across several North Indian cities on Wednesday as the VHP protested against the planned Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project in Tamil Nadu.
The Sangh Parivar says this project will destroy the sacred `Ramar Setu' or mythological bridge apparently built by Lord Ram and his vanar sena. However, there were no protests in any of the southern states.
But the government said there is no historical evidence that Lord Ram existed or that he built the Ram Setu. Pure blasphemy responds the Sangh Parivar. Ram existed and he built the Ram Setu with his vanar sena.
Building the Sethusamudram shipping canal project on the Tamil Nadu coast is nothing short of an insult to the Hindu faith. Today, the VHP held protests against the Sethusamudram shipping project across north Indian cities, from Chandigarh to Indore - traffic was brought to a halt.
The Centre on Monday asserted in the Supreme Court that Adam's Bridge 'Ramar Sethu' was not man made but a natural formation comprising a chain of seven shoals between India and Sri Lanka and is approximately 30 km long.
On August 31, the court restrained the Centre from causing any damage to 'Ramar Sethu' and asked it to file its reply to Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's petition.
The Centre said his assertion that the respondents were drilling holes at the alleged 'Ramar Sethu' for planting explosives with a view to demolishing the structure was "entirely false and completely misleading.
In a substantial part of Adam's Bridge, the activity pertaining to the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project is dredging of sand from the natural seabed to increase the depth by a few metres
The said activity cannot under any circumstance and by any stretch of imagination be construed as an act of demolishing of the entire Adam's Bridge.
Should issues like Ram Setu affect Government policy?
Senior journalist Saeed Naqvi, AR Venkatachalapathy Professor of History, Madras Institute of Development Studies and B P Singhal, Former MP, BJP debated the issue on Face The Nation with Sagarika Ghose.
The initial result of the poll suggested that 78 per cent of the people said yes issues like Ram Setu do affect Government policy while only 22 per cent people denied saying no.
In the name of religion
Project like Sethusamudram and Ship Canal project will be an innumerous economic and industrial boost to Tamil Nadu, why should BJP hold that up in the name of religion? Does it bother the party that no one in Tamil Nadu is supporting the struggle?
Strongly arguing the fact that the project will boost economic growth, Singhal said, “Who said that it is going to have innumerous economic benefit? It’s only from the west coast to east coast. And it does not bother us if anybody supporting us or not in Tamil Nadu because Tamil Nadu is headed by a chief minister who does not believe in any God or religious faith.”
What was the need of the Government to go to the court and declare that Ram is a myth or Ram Setu is a myth? Ram, whatever the historical prove may be, is also a focus of public faith.
Advocating the Government’s move, Natarajan said, “The fact of the matter is it was the NDA the BJP prime minister and government that first cleared this project with the same alignment. I think it’s the height of political hypocrisy for Singhal’s party to now question it just because the UPA Government is in power.”
When there is a shrine, which is accepted as a sacred monument by some sections of the community, should development efforts protect those monuments?
Naqvi said, “In a country like India we should not hurt any body’s faith. If somebody’s faith is involved I don’t think we should but between faith and blind belief there is a difference.”
Faith, blind belief or reality
Strongly reacting to Naqvi’s statement, Singhal said, “What is andhaviswas (blind belief). A viswas is viswas. We believe that there was Ram and there is Ram even today in everybody’s heart. The first chief of the ASI named this Ram Setu as Ramar Setu in 1788. In 1804 it was named as Adam's Bridge.”
Is it time that historians actually establish whether this is in fact something built by a character Ram of Ramayan or whether it is in fact the natural formation which is not man made.
“There is a fundamental confusion about faith in a God and in believing that certain structures have been built by a God. It’s impossible to argue with faith. There was no such response from the south during this VHP action and it shows that the faith is not shared across this country. So this is a new tradition that this Hinduvta forces are trying to create,” Venkatachalapathy said.
Ram Setu another Babri Masjid?
BJP is trying to gain milestone out of this issue. It is trying to divide South in the name of Ram. Is Ram Setu becoming another Babri Masjid?
“I hope the BJP know what they are playing with. In south India the entire Dravida movement came an unfortunate anti-Rama platform. BJP is creating divide in the South,” Naqvi answered.
There is national security at risk with this project, there is economic risk, there is environmental risk, why doesn’t BJP make these arguments why it is making religious argument?
Singhal replied, “Apart from scientific and security angle it has religious angle too.”
When the Government comes out and says this is a myth, there is no archeological evidence and there is no scientific proof, don’t you think that a Government must be little more sensitive to the faith and worship of people.
Clarifying what the Government is trying to say about the Setu, Naqvi said, “The Government has not said that the Ram does not exist, they didn’t say that Ram is not part of mythology or they did not say that Ram is not part of our culture but they said there is no archeological evidence to say that there was any Setu.”
Is Ram still a potent force in South?
In Tamil Nadu Ram has great importance as a literary figure because of the great Tamil epic. But there is hardly any temple for Ram in Tamil Nadu. There is a general belief that worshiping Ram will only bring sorrow and bad luck, Venkatachalapathy said.
When development works are embarked upon is it not part of the government to take in to consideration the feelings of the people and re-assure them that whatever they hold sacred will not be damaged or the Government will try to preserve.
Natarajan said, ”I have absolutely no doubt at all that the Government will take into consideration the genuine feelings of the people who are genuinely affected. Certainly that does not apply to the BJP or demonstrations, which was a flop show.”
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
'ISI agent' arrested in Hyderabad
A suspected ISI agent was arrested on Tuesday by SIT probing the August 25 twin blasts. Police arrested Mohd Sohail, 21, a resident of Saleem Nagar in Malakpet, at RTC crossroads. He was reportedly found in possession of 'jehadi' literature. Sohail was reportedly in contact with HuJI leader Shahed alias 'Bilal', the prime accused in the several blast cases in the city. Sohail also reportedly went to Mumbai a week ago to discuss future operations in the city, sources said. "Sohail was planning to execute some more blasts in the city," a senior police officer said. Sohail reportedly confessed to police that they were planning to extend their operations outside India, particularly in Asia. Police officials claimed that Sohail confessed that he was having links with ISI activists. He was produced before court and sent to judicial remand. Police also filed a petition for his custody.
'Cracks' appear in flyover panel
The seriousness of the government in probing into the collapse of the scaffoldings at the under-construction flyover at Punjagutta last Sunday is evidenced by the fact that the officer named to head the probe is yet to submit his report on an incident that took place in June this year. K Siva Reddy, engineer-in-chief, roads and buildings department, is the officer heading the five-member experts' committee that was asked to submit its report on the Punjagutta collapse by the coming Friday. However, till Tuesday night, none of the members had visited the mishap site. Siva Reddy, who is away in New Delhi, told TOI that he and his team would visit the flyover site on Wednesday. In fact, Siva Reddy was named as the inquiry officer to examine the Muslim Jung parallel bridge in Old City in which some cracks had developed in the third week of June. Inauguration of the bridge which was to be opened for public in July was put on hold because of the cracks. According to sources, Siva Reddy was directed to investigate the matter in August this year. "However, till date, no report is forthcoming. On the contrary, seven engineers who had been suspended for the cracks that appeared in the Muslim Jung Bridge have since been reinstated," an official told TOI. Interestingly, Mahesh Tandon, who is one of the consultants for the Punjagutta flyover and is alleged to have failed to conduct checks at the flyover site, was a member of the technical committee that was appointed before Siva Reddy to probe the cracks in the Muslim Jung Bridge. Sources said the seven engineers were reinstated in their jobs due to pressure from some quarters. Of these, five belong to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation while two are on deputation. After the Punjagutta collapse, the government had suspended three GHMC engineers. If the Muslim Jung bridge incident is any indication, then both the appointment of experts' committee as well as suspension of the engineers will also end up as a mere eyewash.
Will consider India's request for Dawood's extradition: Bhutto
Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto has said she will certainly look into India's request for extradition of Mumbai serial blasts accused Dawood Ibrahim, who is believed to be in Karachi. "We will certainly look into the request by the Indian government," she said in an interview. Bhutto was asked whether she would grant the extradition of Dawood if she is elected to power. "If he is living in Karachi, it is very wrong ... I do not want Pakistan should get a bad name and be seen as a country that harbours criminals from all parts of the world, including India," she said. Bhutto, who has been living in self-imposed exile in London, said that the militants Pakistan "nurtured" during the Afghan war against the Soviet Union had returned to haunt them. "Groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba have unleashed suicide bombings in Pakistan," she said adding that it was time "Pakistan put its internal house into order". Backing the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan, Bhutto said the process "is setting a new pace, setting a new agenda and a new goal." The two-time premier said Kashmir was a core issue between the two countries but not the one that should be allowed to derail the Indo-Pak relationship or the dialogue.
Thailand denies top LTTE rebel's arrest
Thai police said on Wednesday that there was no truth to reports triggered by an allegation on a Sri Lankan government website that a top Tamil Tiger leader had been arrested in Bangkok. "I've checked with related police bureaux -- the Immigration Police, the Metropolitan Police and the Special Branch. There has been no report of a Tiger rebel arrested in Bangkok," national police spokesman Lieutenant-General Ronnarong Youngyuen said. "If we'd arrested him, we would have made good publicity out of it," Ronnarong told reporters. The Sri Lankan Defence Ministry site said: "Reliable sources from Thailand reveal that LTTE's chief for cross border terrorist activities, Kumaran Padmanadan, alias "KP" has been arrested in Bangkok". KP was described as finance chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels. Ronnarong said Thai police did hand over three Tamil Tigers to Sri Lanka last month after the rebels served jail terms for arms smuggling following their arrest dour years ago.
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Govt says Ram Setu a myth; BJP up in arms
The BJP on Wednesday accused the Congress-led UPA government of "blasphemy" by telling the Supreme Court that there was no historical evidence to establish the existence of Ram Setu in the epic Ramayana.
"This is sheer blasphemy," senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra said reacting to an affidavit filed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) rejecting the claim of the existence of the Ram Setu or Adam's bridge in the area where the Sethusamudram project was under construction.
"It's an insult to the Hindu faith. We also wonder why Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi have been going for the Dussehra festival if their government does not believe in Lord Ram's existence," he said.
The BJP and other constituents of the Sangh Parivar are opposing the Sethusamudram project saying it would damage an undersea bridge believed to be built by Lord Ram.
“Today, the government in its affidavit says there is no evidence to prove the bridge was built by Lord Rama or that Lord Ram ever existed. This is an attack on Hindu sentiments, a ferocious one,” Malhotra said.
"This is sheer blasphemy," senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra said reacting to an affidavit filed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) rejecting the claim of the existence of the Ram Setu or Adam's bridge in the area where the Sethusamudram project was under construction.
"It's an insult to the Hindu faith. We also wonder why Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi have been going for the Dussehra festival if their government does not believe in Lord Ram's existence," he said.
The BJP and other constituents of the Sangh Parivar are opposing the Sethusamudram project saying it would damage an undersea bridge believed to be built by Lord Ram.
“Today, the government in its affidavit says there is no evidence to prove the bridge was built by Lord Rama or that Lord Ram ever existed. This is an attack on Hindu sentiments, a ferocious one,” Malhotra said.
Ram Setu, a historical monument?
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists blocked rail and road traffic and clashed with police in many parts of the country on Wednesday morning, protesting the proposal for a navigational sea route between India and Sri Lanka that could damage Ram Setu.
The three-hour road blockade to protest the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project threw traffic off gear in many parts of Mumbai, Delhi, north and north-west India. Schools were also closed in Indore in anticipation of violence.
But barring the arrest of 46 VHP supporters in Puducherry, there was hardly any protest across South India. However, BJP Leader ID Swami warned the UPA of dire consequences if they ignored these protests.
“This agitation is a warning to the UPA, if the Government doesn’t listen the results will be dangerous,” Swami said.
The Opposition says that project is not political but "Hindus are opposed to the demolition of Ram Setu.”
Earlier, General Secretary of VHP Orissa unit Gouri Prashad Rath had said that it was a mistake on part of the erstwhile NDA government to sanction the Sethusamudram project as it cannot be completed without demolishing the ancient Ram Setu.
The “sacred Setu” should not be touched as it is associated with sentiments of Hindus, he had said.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists blocked rail and road traffic and clashed with police in many parts of the country on Wednesday morning, protesting the proposal for a navigational sea route between India and Sri Lanka that could damage Ram Setu.
The three-hour road blockade to protest the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal project threw traffic off gear in many parts of Mumbai, Delhi, north and north-west India. Schools were also closed in Indore in anticipation of violence.
But barring the arrest of 46 VHP supporters in Puducherry, there was hardly any protest across South India. However, BJP Leader ID Swami warned the UPA of dire consequences if they ignored these protests.
“This agitation is a warning to the UPA, if the Government doesn’t listen the results will be dangerous,” Swami said.
The Opposition says that project is not political but "Hindus are opposed to the demolition of Ram Setu.”
Earlier, General Secretary of VHP Orissa unit Gouri Prashad Rath had said that it was a mistake on part of the erstwhile NDA government to sanction the Sethusamudram project as it cannot be completed without demolishing the ancient Ram Setu.
The “sacred Setu” should not be touched as it is associated with sentiments of Hindus, he had said.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Who holds the Indian flag in the Kashmir valley?
Last week, the nation celebrated the 60th anniversary of India's freedom. Indians all over the globe attended Independence Day celebrations, be it the flag hoisting ceremony at Lal Qila, or the Indian Mela in London [Images] or India Day celebrations in Boston or the Independence Day parades in state capitals all around the country.
Indian television channels also celebrated by airing the shows focused on India's journey over the last 60 years. Some shows focused on 'what is going right for the country' whereas some focused on 'what has gone wrong and what could we do to right the wrongs.'
Once again, we pledged to do whatever it takes to make our nation strong, united and self-sufficient. We remembered and honoured our fallen soldiers. We honoured our best and encouraged our 'better ones' to be the best. We were upbeat. We were positive. We believed in our strengths and pledged to remain focused on our goals. We reflected upon the 'past' and talked about the 'future.'
But sadly, we forgot the 'present.'
While the nation was celebrating the freedom, there were many amongst us who could not do the same. For these unfortunate ones, freedom means much more than hoisting the national pride -- the tricolour. For them, freedom means freedom from fear, freedom from persecution, freedom from governmental apathy, freedom from unemployment, and above all freedom from the shackles of pseudo-democracy.
Yes, my friends, I am talking about 7,000 odd Kashmiri Hindus who are still in the Kashmir valley. These faceless and voiceless human beings stayed put in the valley because that is where their home is. These unfortunate souls decided to weather the terrorism because they cannot leave the place where their heart is. One might argue that why they didn't leave the valley like other 400,000+ folks of their community.
But then one might also want to argue that why should they leave their place of abode. Why should they leave the lands that their forefathers had tilled? Why should they? They are patriotic souls who believed in the tricolour and the nationhood of India. They believed in the Indian Constitution that is supposed to guarantee them the security, dignity, honour and freedom of expression.
They are brave souls who decided to weather any and every storm they might have to face. But their bravery does not mean that we, the rest of the nation, leave them alone at the mercy of hegemonic behaviour of the majority community in the valley and indifferent and apathetic state and central government.
You might argue that there are more pressing issues that India faces and needs to tackle than care for these 7,000 odd Kashmiri Hindus' fundamental rights and I would not dispute that. But I would strongly argue back that while their numbers might look small, the strategic consequences of losing them would result in losing Kashmir altogether.
It is these 7,000 odd human beings who are still keeping the Indian tricolour alive in the valley.
Isn't it shameful that while we were hoisting flags all over the globe, the only tricolours that were hoisted in the valley were hoisted by ministers at official ceremonies? No one would dare to hoist the Indian tricolour openly at any other place.
If you visit the valley today, you will not see a single tricolour flying at any place. It is only these 7,000 human beings who, while living in ground zero, still 'unconditionally' believe in the Indian Constitution and its sovereignty. If we lose them, we lose Kashmir. And if we lose Kashmir, that would be the beginning of the end of one Indian Nation.
If we lose Kashmir, that would be the beginning of the Balkanisation of India. After losing Kashmir, it would be just a matter of time before we start losing other limbs of our nation.
So please decide which issue is more important for India's future as a nation.
My dear friends, can we afford to ignore these 7,000 brave souls and leave them at the mercy of terrorists? Can we afford to lose Kashmir and then see India gradually disintegrate? No. We cannot and should not.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] in his address to the nation, from the ramparts of the Lal Qila, talked about his vision of a new caring India -- 'An India in which the weak and downtrodden are empowered, the disabled find support, the destitute find succour and every individual is touched by the hand of progress and development... An India in which every citizen can live a life of dignity, self-respect, decency and hope; where every citizen feels proud to say -- I am Indian!'
Mr Prime Minister, these 7,000 Kashmiri Hindu souls already feel proud to be Indian but they are not living the life of dignity, self-respect, decency and hope. They are being subjected to perpetual humiliation at the hands of the majority community. Would you please stand up and take notice? Would you please direct your Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to take stock of their situation and provide relief and rehabilitation to them?
Would you please guarantee these minority citizens their fundamental rights? Would you, please?
Talking about industrialisation, agrarian change and the resultant displacement of rural masses, Dr Singh said, 'I agree that it is the responsibility of government to ensure that displacement does not lead to impoverishment; that those who lose land do not lose livelihoods; and, that those who have lost employment get better opportunities. We are, therefore, giving final shape to a National Policy for Rehabilitation and Resettlement for all those displaced by major projects.'
What about the people who are displaced due to the prevailing scourge of global terrorism? What about a National Policy for Rehabilitation and Resettlement for all those displaced by Islamic terrorism perpetrating in the state of Jammu & Kashmir? What about such a policy, Mr Prime Minister?
It is time that the Prime Minister's Office stops organising farcical round table conferences and working groups that do not produce any results. Those have been a total waste of time. It is a facade that the PMO creates to divert the attention and drag its feet.
It is about time that the PMO gets serious about Kashmir and implements initiatives and policies that protect the fundamental rights of its Kashmiri Hindu citizens in Jammu & Kashmir. It should seriously, with sincerity of purpose, look into the political, economic and social demands of these citizens who are the last bastion of hope within the valley.
These Kashmiri Hindus, refugees within their own state, need representation in the legislative bodies of the state so that their issues are properly represented in the corridors of power. It is first time since 1947 that there is no representation of Kashmiri Hindus in the state cabinet. Don't they deserve representation? Since these Kashmiri Hindus have lost their primary source of livelihood, they need to be provided with soft industrial loans and employment packages. They need proper secure environs where they can breathe freely without the fear of gun.
It should not come to a pass where these very Indian citizens, who day in and day out breath their Indian identity with pride, lose their last bit of hope from the Indian government and end up taking extreme measures.
I am afraid to say that if it did come to that, then those extreme measures will have serious long-term adverse consequences for the nation of India.
So, Mr Prime Minister: Are you listening? Would you take the lead, please?
HAPPY 60th to all the readers!
Looking forward to even happier 70th!
6 ways to find the PERFECT job
Every professional dreams of landing that perfect job where the roles and responsibilities are in alignment with an individual's career aspirations and interests.
By starting early, planning intelligently, and making good use of your broad-based skills, especially those related to research, analysis and communication, it shouldn't be too hard to meet the challenges of choosing a career and be successful in the job search process.
Here are some tips on how to go about the process:
Do some research
During the job hunt, the first thing you want to do is research a particular industry to get an idea as to what type of job search will be most effective. Targeting your efforts and job search approach is an important first step for all job seekers.
For instance, if the retail industry interests you, you should arm yourself with information like what skills and education are required for a job in the industry and how employers like to receive resumes and applications will give you an edge in your search. This kind of information can be obtained from the career section of any company's website or by observing the recruitment advertisements in the daily newspapers.
Prepare a professional resume and cover letter
Be honest but present your accomplishments in the most positive way in your resume. Do highlight your most recent accomplishments and qualifications that you may have gained. Make sure that the key skills that prospective employers are seeking are clearly highlighted.
If you don't have any experience in the prospective field that does not mean that you don't have the skills to do the job. Avoid redundant details like hobbies and personal interests unless they are directly linked to the job applied for.
Most employers prefer to receive resumes either by fax or email. Customise your resume along with a clear cover letter, outlining your interest in the field and that particular company. It is always worth mentioning in your cover letter that you would like the opportunity to come down for a one-on-one interaction. Meeting in person is a very effective way to ensure that you are remembered, and thus improves your chances of being hired.
Keep your eyes and ears open
Closely follow both the advertised and unadvertised job postings. Keep an eye on job supplements like Times Ascent, Power Jobs etc and employment journals and websites like Naukri.com, Timesjobs.com. Monster.com etc. Explore the unadvertised job market as well.
Keep searching jobs through friends and contacts before they are posted. Tap into the alumni of your institution who may be working in leading organisations.
Remember, your network determines your net-worth, so talk to as many people as possible who are in the jobs that you would like to be in, as these discussions often lead to valuable job leads and contacts.
Work with a recruiter or job consultant
Using a specialised recruiter can ease the pressure and help you target your efforts to only the best opportunities. Recruitment consultants would often be willing to help you for a fee.
Give your consultant as much information as possible like your background, experience and career aspirations. Are you interested in a large or a small company, are you open to relocation etc. A skilled consultant can help you find a good job faster and also open doors to new opportunities.
Consider project work or internships
In any career, the best way to establish yourself is to gain some experience. Seek out training, do some project-based work and find a company that will be interested in that project. Most employers will respect your efforts, and you'll also gain confidence in your abilities.
Apply for an internship in the same way you would apply for a job, send a cover letter and resume and clearly mention that you are looking at an internship.
Blow your own horn
You also need to learn the art of self-promotion. Start writing for various trade magazines/ websites etc and mention that in your resume. Join clubs and take an active interest in a variety of activities. More often than not, it's the active and visible professionals who get the maximum opportunities from prospective employers.
If you have worked on some interesting projects in your career, put a small portfolio together. Treat every project as a portfolio piece and use it to showcase your knowledge and exposure.
Research, knowledge, skills and a focused job search approach will increase your success rate and give you a headstart in your career. Best of luck for finding that 'perfect job'!
6 ways to be a great boss
If you can't stand your boss and dislike your job because of it, you are just a small part of a large community who feels the same. But what if you have recently moved into the role of a teamleader, boss or people manager yourself?
While the 'perfect boss' is a utopian concept, here is a quick checklist that will save you the heartburn of dealing with attrition and unhappy employees.
Always meet your people with a great smile
A smile can make a lot of difference. Always be cheerful and energetic and spread the attitude within your team or organisation. It drives great results. A smile and a warm handshake can wear off the stress that most employees go through, not to mention that it adds to your desirability factor at work. Also, smiling is contagious, and most people will find it easy to forgive you even if you happen to be a bit demanding on occasions.
Catch people doing things right
People make mistakes and sometimes they can repeat them, sometimes doing irreparable damage. But, have patience and let them grow. When they do things right, find them out and tell them it's a valuable contribution thay have made. Every interaction with your colleagues in the office is either a deposit or a withdrawal. As important as the Big Picture is, it will mean little if the boss shows little value for his team members' performance on a regular basis.
Appreciate generously
There is nothing more encouraging than appreciation for the smallest of difference one makes. For eg, when you enter the office after struggling hard with the traffic jam and the office looks clean or different, appreciate the person behind the effort and make him/ her "feel" how important the effort is to the organisation. Send your team emails, create a section where people can give compliments, etc. Positive feedback helps in building long-lasting habits. If you take certain positive behaviour for granted, you will be wasting time in reinforcing them later.
Be ready to say "I am sorry'"
If you erupt in a meeting, criticise a colleague's work or make ill-timed comments that you regret, how do you bounce back? Apologise immediately to the targeted person and to everyone around. Don't offer a long justification about the work pressure or a possible misunderstanding like most bosses do. Just say "I should not have reacted that way" and "I am sorry". This will show that you are professional and reflects positively on your character. It takes years to build up a reputation, and only seconds to destroy it. No matter what, don't snap or your people will think of you as a 'reactive boss'.
Help people prepare their goals and create a checklist
Be clear in communicating the desired goals from an individual in a team or the team as a whole. You should know your people, their strengths and opportunity areas. Team your people in a way where everyone learns and compliments each other's strengths.
A good manager not only coaches an employee to develop a skill but also helps in conditioning it as a behavior. In simple words, become a mentor, ie, a wise and trusted counselor/ teacher/ trainer, who can act as a catalyst for growth and nurture potential and talent. Building teams is not a one-time effort but an everyday process. Good managers involve, engage and inspire their teams on a daily basis.
Stay sharp
Read industry publications, reports and magazines and be aware of market trends. Your knowledge will reflect when you communicate with your team and they will look to you for advice and information. They will also talk positively about you with other members of the team. There is nothing better than third party publicity as it establishes you as a thought leader within your team.
Happy Birthday India!
A rickshaw puller coasts past a commemorative banner at the Red Fort, New Delhi, ahead of special celebrations for India's 60 years of Independence.
Is this Aamir's look in Ghajini?
Aamir Khan has always been secretive about his movies, and his looks in upcoming films. But this time, he may not be as lucky!
Reader Anu mailed us a picture of the actor, taken when the star was in Bangalore for the shooting of his new film (which is as yet unnamed), a remake of the Tamil hit Ghajini.
Apparently, this is Aamir's look in the film.
He also has a bald look in this film, a first for him.
The film will be directed by 33-year-old A R Murugadoss, who has quite a few Tamil hits to his credit.
5 ways your money can make you rich
Most of us believe that income and wealth are the same; we often loosely say that somebody is rich because s/he has an income of so much per year. That isn't strictly true. 'Rich' is about wealth, and income may have nothing to do with it.
For instance, if you have a high income but spend it all, you might have a high-spending lifestyle, but clearly your wealth won't grow.
Instead, you grow rich by making your money work harder and smarter for you.
First, count your money
Do you know how much money you have? I mean, really know; not vague ideas and notions but know how much you have, more or less on your fingertip?
Hopeful entrepreneurs approaching venture capitalists for funds to fuel their business dreams are advised to get their "elevator pitch" down pat. This means that they ought to be able to "sell" their business proposition within the 2 or 3 minutes that a typical elevator ride takes. To make a convincing elevator pitch, it's obvious you must know the pitch known as well as the back of your hand.
Similarly, before you can set your money to make more money for you, you must first know how much you have - and in what form. Sounds like common sense, right? But, do you really know?
Most of us don't. If you do, well, you are an important step ahead.
Activate lazy money
To take just one example, how much money is lying fallow in your bank savings account, for example? Earning the lowest of interest rates going? And, why? Chances are it's a result of simple inertia.
Anything more than a few months of your monthly expenses lying in savings accounts is lazy money. Repositioning any excess money even into a no-brainer such as bank FDs will smartly perk up your returns.
Moving up the ladder of higher returns
Having activated lazy money, you are then ready to tackle the adrenalin-rush question: How to get higher returns from your money?
Instead of bank FDs, for example, you could opt for equally safe but higher return options, such as post office savings schemes, saving certificates, and government securities and or fixed maturity plans of mutual funds.
The real leap in your quest for higher returns, however, comes from a move into the world of "risky" investments: equity and property, to name two popular avenues.
Typically, such a leap to equity would at least double your returns, say from 7 per cent to 19 per cent per year. (The Indian stock market returned about 19 per cent per year in price appreciation plus dividends when smoothed over the last 12-15 years.) Not impressed?
Well consider this: Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million) invested at 7 per cent will grow to less than Rs 20 lakh (Rs 2 million) in 10 years.
The same modest Rs 10 lakh invested at 19 per cent morphs into an unbelievably larger Rs 55 lakh (Rs 5.5 million)-plus - almost triple the amount from "safe" investments.
Sure, equity and property investments come with some risks that bank FDs, savings scheme, etc. don't.
But there are ways to keep such risks within your comfort zone. What is important to understand is that the road to making more money with your money passes, inevitably, through investing in higher earning avenues, typically, shares and equity mutual funds and property.
Tax smarts
In squaring the circle of higher returns, you also need to grasp some simple tax-smarts.
The big-bucks tax break currently available is from investing in shares or equity mutual funds, and holding these for at least 12 months. Any gains you make after selling them after 12 months qualifies as long term capital gains and are completely tax free.
This is perfect because the big returns from equity in any case come from price appreciation over a period of 3 to 5 years. When you hold shares for such a period, you don't have to pay any tax at all, irrespective of your capital gains, whether it's a few lakh or a few crore!
While investment in property isn't quite as tax-efficient but significant tax breaks are available for buying a residential house, for example.
Review, review, review
Finally, once a year, review all the first four steps, and do so year after year. You would be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Simple enough, no? But, then, simplicity is the inherent beauty of all fundamental principles.
Mother Teresa's legacy lives on
Almost ten years after she died, Mother Teresa and her nuns continue to draw the world's leaders and their families to their humble home in Kolkata.
On August 23, Akie Abe, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's [Images] wife, visited Mother Teresa's home. She spent time with the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, the worldwide Roman Catholic order founded by Mother Teresa.
The prime minister's wife also visited Shishu Bhavan, a home for abandoned children, also run by the Missionaries of Charity.
A congregation spread over 133 countries, the Missionaries of Charity have 4,500 nuns dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor. The nuns of the order are expected to follow a vow providing wholehearted and free service to the poor.
Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In recognition of her work, the Indian government accorded her a State funeral after her death 10 years ago on September 5. She was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 1980.
A Rs 300-cr golden temple in TN
A 31-year old 'godman' has built a Rs300-crore 'golden temple' at Sripuram near Vellore in Tamil Nadu.
The temple, situated in scenic landscape on 100 acres of land, has been made with 1.5 tonne of pure gold. Hundreds of craftsmen and artisans took six years to build the temple.
The temple was conceived and designed by Sri Narayani Amma, fondly called as 'Sakthi Amma' (powerful mother) by his devotees.
"It is meant to be a marvel in gold, but it is a temple that offers wisdom to people who visit the place," he told mediapersons.
The godman, who heads the Sri Narayani Peedam, instituted near Vellore in 1992, said he built the temple, in which Goddess Mahalashmi is the main deity, out of unconditional love.
"If Shahjahan built Taj Mahal, it is out of love for Mumtaz. If Amma (referring to himself) builts Sripuram, it is out of unconditional love for mankind. That is for one, this is for everyone," he said.
With his devotees spread across the globe and his foundation registered in the United States, Canada [Images] and the United Kingdom, funds kept flowing in for the project launched in 2001.
More than 800 craftsmen, including those working for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, worked day and night for six years to make the godman's dream realise.
About 1.5 tonne of gold was purchased for the project through Minerals and Metal Trading Corporation in Chennai after getting clearance from the Reserve Bank of India [Get Quote], he said.
The lighting is arranged in such a way that the temple glitters even during night. With intricate carvings and sculptures, the entire structure, except the walking space, has been plated with gold.
It has a rajagopuram, resembling the Tirupati temple, with 36 pillars around. Even the central chandelier is made of gold.
Explaining the concept behind Sripuram, he said, "A mother administers sugar-coated pill to the child to heal. It's physical ailment. Likewise, I am offering this golden temple to people to impart wisdom. This golden temple is just a tool to attract the world's attention."
People can reach the temple only through a star-shaped pathway, laid to a distance of 1.5 km. On either side of the pathway, the messages of 'Amma' and quotes from Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran will be displayed.
Though the people's focus will be on the temple in gold, when they leave they cannot go without taking some messages and gaining some wisdom, he said.
"Some may ask why a golden temple for the mankind and why not a hospital? But in Sripuram, we bring about a change in people through messages like the nobleness of human birth and the need to serve the humanity. This will motivate them to built lakhs of hospitals across the globe," he said.
The Narayani Peedam has a school, hospital and college on its own. It has also been carrying out charitable activities in Vellore and nearby districts to the tune of Rs 50 crore.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Srisailam
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The temple at Srisailam is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is considered as one of his twelve Jyotirlingas. Srisailam, also known as Sriparvata is situated in the Rishabgiri Hills on the Southern banks of the river Krishna in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Mention of Srisailam as Sriparvata has been made in the immortal epic of the Hindus - the "Mahabharata".Climate: (deg C)-Summer- 38 Deg.C. 30 Deg.C. Winter- 26 Deg.C. 20 Deg.C., Rainfall: seasonal, Best Season: September to February.
Places Of Interest:
Damsite, Hatekeswaram, Pathalaganga, Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Sakshi Ganapathi Sikharam.
Excursions:
Alampur- 27 kms, Dindi Reservoir- 64 kms, Kurnool- 180 kms, Nagarjunasagar- 180 kms, Papanasam- 2 kms, Sangameswar- 18 kms.
Reach -
By Air: Nearest airport is at Hyderabad- 232 kms linked with Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Madras, Nagpur, Vishakapatnam.
By Rail: Nearest railhead is Markapur Road. Other railheads are Nandyal, Kurnool and Hyderabad- 232 kms.
By Road: Atmakur- 113 kms, Anantapur-?325 kms, Bangalore- 538 kms, Bombay- 971 kms, Calcutta- 1491 kms, Delhi- 1685 kms, Dornal- 49 kms, Hyderabad- 232 kms, Kurnool- 180 kms, Madras- 568 kms, Nagarjunasagar- 180 kms, Nandyal- 158 kms, Tirupati- 436 kms, Vijayawada- 248 kms, Visakhapatnam- 614 kms.
Nagarjunasagar
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Nagarjunasagar - the tallest and biggest masonry dam in the world accross the river Krishna, is about 150 kms, away from the metropolitan city of Hyderabad. It creates the third largest man-made lake in the world. Nearby Nagarjunakonda is known for its extensive ruins of Buddhist Stupas, Viharas and a university that flourished under Acharya Nagarjuna, the great Buddhist savant, scholar and philosopher who migrated to Nagarjunakonda from Amaravati to spread the message of the Buddha.
Interestingly excavations conducted here have also revealed Brahmanical temples, which reveal the friendship that existed here centuries ago between the two faiths. Now though the actual site of the excavations have been flooded with the waters of the migty river, the relies of the ruins have been reconstructed and kept in an Island Museum, the largest of its kind in the world and are in an excellent state of preservation-thanks to the efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India. Today Nagarjunakonda along with Nagarjunasagar attracts many tourists from South East Asian Countries and also from all over India.
Altitude: 244 meters, Area:39 sq. kms., Climate: (deg C) Summer- Max 39.4, Min 20, Winter- Max 22, Min 13.8., Rainfall: 89 cms., Best Season: July to March.
Places Of Interest:
Nagarjunasagar:
Left Canal (Lal Bahadur Canal), Model Dam, Pylon, Right Bank Tunnel (Jawahar Tunnel), View Point.
Nargarjunakonda:
Archaeological Museum, Mahastupa, Bodhisri Chaitya, Simhala Vihara, Mahisaka Vihara, Brahusutiya, Vihara, Ashwamedha and Royal Bath.
Excursions:
Ethipothala Waterfalls. A Very good picnic spot with deep valleys and cave temples.
Reach - By Air: Nearest airport- Hyderabad.
By Rail: Macherla- 27 kms.
By Road: Hyderabad- 149 kms, Amravati- 179 kms, Bangalore- 619 kms, Bombay- 888 kms, Calcutta- 1422 kms, Delhi- 1602 kms, Guntur- 145 kms, Kurnool- 261 kms, Macherla- 27 kms, Madras- 546 kms, Tirupati- 493 kms, Vijayawada- 177 kms, Vishakhapatnam- 543 kms.
historical sites
Charminar, the edifice of four minarets, is the legendary masterpiece of the Qutb Shahis. The awesome rectangular structure was built upon four grand arches by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the end of the plague.
The plan is a square, each side 20 meters long, while the four arches are 11 meters wide and rise 20 meters from the plinth. The four storied minarets rise 20 meters from the roof of the massive monument and measures 24 meters from the plinth. The western section of the roof contains a mosque with 45 prayer spaces with a large open space in front to accommodate more for Friday prayers. To the east of this space is a veranda with a large open arch in the centre, flanked by smaller ones both side.
Founded originally by the Kakatiyas in the 13th century, the existing structure was expanded by the Qutb Shahi kings into a massive fort of granite with walls and ramparts extending some 7kms in circumference. The fortress city within the walls was famous for the diamond trade and the Koh-i-noor diamond is said to have come from here.
This is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad and lies 100 yards south-west of Charminar. The name is derived from the Grand Mosque at Mecca on which it is patterned. The hall is 67 meters by 54 meters and 23 meters high. The roof is supported by 15 arches, five on each of the three sides. The western side is blocked by a high wall to provide the Mehrab. At each end are two huge octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite each topped by an arched gallery that is crowned by a dome. The mosque is one of the largest in India and can accommodate ten thousand people at a time.
The tombs erected in the memory of the departed kings of Golconda are truly magnificent monuments that have stood the test of time and the vagaries of nature. They stand a kilometre north of Golconda fort's Banjara Darwaza.
Built by one of the Paigh nobles Sir Vicar ul Umra, and later bought by the Nizam, the Falaknuma Palace (meaning "Mirror in the Sky") is 5km south of the Charminar. This palace was designed by an Italian architect and houses some rare treasures collected by the Nizam.
the nizam's
The seven rulers of the Asif Jahi Dynastry
In 1724 Nizam-ul-Mulk Asif Jah I founded the Asif Jahi Dynasty and seven generations of the family ruled the Deccan for 224 years up to 1948. During this period several buildings of archaeological and public importance were built. Notable among them are: Purani Haveli, Chow Mahalla Palace, Osmania University, Jubilee Hall, Assembly Building, Asifia Library, Osmania Hospital, High Court, and all the buildings in the Public Garden.
| I | Nizam-ul-Mulk | 1724 - 1748 |
| II | Nizam Ali Khan | 1762 - 1803 |
| III | Sikander Jah | 1803 - 1829 |
| IV | Nasir-ud-Dowla | 1829 - 1857 |
| V | Afzal-ud-Dowla | 1857 - 1869 |
| VI | Mahboob Ali Pahsa | 1869 - 1911 |
| VII | Mir Osman Ali Khan | 1911 - 1948 |
The origins of the Asif Jahi dynasty can be traced to Chin Qalich Khan who was the grandfather of the first Nizam and the commander of the Mughal army during Aurangzeb’s reign. Chin Qalich Khan led the attack of the Mughal army into the Deccan under his Emperor’s ambitious plans of expanding the Mughal empire. During Aurangzeb’s last siege of Golconda in 1687,
Chin Qalich Khan was wounded. He died in Atapur village near Himayath Sagar. Chin Qalich Khan’s son, Nawab Ghaziuddin Khan, married the daughter of Sadullah Khan, Prime Minister of Aurangzeb. A son was born, and the Emperor named him Mir Qumaruddin. At the age of six, Mir Qumaruddin accompanied his father to the Mughal court. Aurangzeb awarded him a mansab, and said to his father, "The star of destiny shines on the forehead of your son". Mir Qumaruddin displayed considerable skill as a warrior and at the age of nineteen, the Emperor bestowed on him the title "Chin Fateh Khan". At 26, he was appointed Commander in Chief and Viceroy, first at Bijapur, then Malwa and later of the Deccan.
Subsequently, the Mughal empire declined. There was much confusion after the death of Aurangzeb, and Mir Qumaruddin established his position as Viceroy Farukh Siar who was the Mughal Emperor for a brief tenure conferred on Mir Qumaruddin the title Fateh Jung. He thus became the first Nizam. A subsequent Emperor, Muhammad Shah bestowed on him the title Asif Jah. The dynasty of the Nizam's of Hyderabad thus came to be known as the Asif Jahi Dynasty.
Unrest and claims to the throne continued after the death of Aurangzeb, and amidst the general confusion, Asif Jah had little difficulty in asserting his independence from the weak occupants of the Delhi throne. At that time, Asif Jah was the Sudedar of Malwa. However, his independence was the cause of much jealousy, and the Delhi court secretly instructed Mubrez Khan, the Subedar of the Deccan, to oppose him. A battle was fought at Shakar-Khelda in the district of Berer in 1724, where Mubrez Khan was defeated and killed. This battle established Asif Jah's supremacy in the Deccan. After gaining independence, Asif Jah came to be known as Nizam-ul-Mulk. He first set up his capital at Auragabad but later moved to Hyderabad, which became the capital of the Asif Jahi dynasty.
Nizam-ul-Mulk's greatest achievement was the foundation of the Hyderabad Dominion. He attained his object by waging a struggle against the Marhattas and by the policy of non-involvement in the rivalry for power between the British and the French. His policy has been justified by later events as Hyderabad state survived right through the period of British rule up to the time of Indian independence.
Asif Jah ruled wisely and established an independent state in the Deccan. He was one of the ablest statesmen. However, his death at Burhanpur on 21st May 1748 at the age of 78, was followed by a struggle for the throne. By this time, foreign powers were spreading their tentacles. Asif Jah's second son Nasir Jung was supported by the British whereas Muzafar Jung, grandson of Asif Jah, was supported by the French. Nasir Jung succeeded; but after a brief rule he was slain in 1750 in an encounter with the French troops at Arcot. Thereupon, Muzafar Jung ascended the throne. In the following year he was murdered and his son Salabath Jung was put on the throne. In 1762 Salabeth Jung was dethroned by his brother Nizam Ali Khan, and confined at Bidar where he died in 1793.
Hence, Nasir Jung, Muzafar Jung and Salabath Jung, who were contestants for the sovereignty of the Deccan in the short span of thirteen years between the death of Asif Jah and accession of Nizam Ali Khan, have not been historically recognised as reigning Nizams. If they had been, Nizam Ali Khan would have been known as the fifth Nizam and not the second.
Nizam Ali Khan ascended the throne in 1763 and he ruled Hyderabad for almost forty years. This was one of the eventful periods in the history of India. Foremost among competitors for supremacy in the Deccan were the Marhattas and it was during this period that the famous French adventurer Monsieur Raymond was employed by Nizam Ali Khan.
Nizam Ali Khan died in August 1803 at the age of 72 years after a long and strenuous reign.
The succession of Sikandar Jah as Nizam was undisputed and he appointed Mir Alam as his Prime Minister. With the accession to the throne by Sikander Jah and end of war with the Marhattas, there commenced an entirely new era for Hyderabad. Unfortunately in 1808 the able Minister Mir Alam died and it was he who was responsible for maintaining good relations wit the British. In 1809, Mir Alam’s son Munir-ul-Mulk was appointed as Minister.
Sikander Jah died in May 1829 at the age of 62 after reigning for almost 26 years. Secunderbad was named after him. Sikander Jah was succeeded by his eldest son Nasir-ud-Dowla. It was during his reign that Salar Jung was appointed as the Minister in 1853. Salar Jung guided the affairs of the Deccan with great wisdom and introduced several reforms to improve the finances of the Dominion.
On 17 May 1857 Nasir-ud-Daula died and his son Afzal-ud-Daula became the fifth Nizam. This was the first time the first war of Indian Independence was fought in the North and there was general disorder in the Deccan.
After a reign of twelve years, Afzal-ud-Daula expired on 26 February 1869 at the young age of forty three years, leaving behind the infant prince Mir Mahboob Ali Khan who was hardly three years old.
Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, who was born on 18 August 1866, was the only son of Afzal-ud-Dowla. He was installed on the masnad by the British Resident and Sir Salar Jung, who also acted as the co-regent. Salar Jung died in 1883 and a provisional council, consisting of five members, with Mahboob Ali Khan as president and Mir Laiq Ali Khan, son of Salar Jung, as secretary was appointed for administrative purposes.
Special attention was paid to the education of Mahboob Ali Khan. With the concurrence of Salar Jung, Capt. John Clerk was appointed as his tutor. However, the personality of Salar Jung had a great influence on his life. Brought up under the guidance of this great statesman, Mahboob Ali Khan grew in his later years to be one of the greatest rulers of his time. He was a respected and dignified personality and was popularly know as ‘Mahboob Ali Pasha’. He died on Tuesday 31 August 1911.
Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh and the last Nizam of Hyderabad ruled for 37 years (1911 - 1948). His dominion was lager than England and Scotland put together, with an area of 86,000 Sq. miles.
The seventh Nizam led a very simple life, yet he was one of the richest men in the world. He donated generously to every cause in India as well as abroad irrespective of caste and religion. If it was the Muslim theological school at Deoband which received financial help, it was also the privilege of the Benaras Hindu University. His list of donations included Rabindranth Tagore’s Shantiniketan and several other institutions including hospitals, schools, for famine relief, etc. The golden temple in Amritsar also enjoyed an annual donation.
The Nizam’s rule saw the growth of Hyderabad economically and culturally. Electricity, railways, roads and airways developed. Huge reservoirs and irrigation projects such as the Tungabhadra, and Nizamsagar were completed. The early work on Nagarjunasagar was undertaken. The Osmania University, Colleges and Schools were founded throughout the state. Nearly all the public buildings currently in such as the Osmania General Hospital, High Court, Central State Library, Assembly Hall, Jubilee Hall and other buildings in the Public Garden were built during Osman Ali Khan’s reign.
Soon after India gained independence in 1947, all princely states were invited to join the Republic. Nizam VII was reluctant to do so; but in 1948, after the Police Action, his state was merged into the Indian Union. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam, died on Friday 24 February 1967. It was the end of the princely era.
introduction to hyderabad
The capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad is the fifth largest city in India with an ancient civilisation and culture. Attached to the city is its twin , Secunderbad, which is part of Hyderabad. The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderbad are separated by the Husain Sagar, an artificial lake constructed during the time of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali in 1562 A.D.
The city is nearly 400 years old and is noted for its natural beauty, mosques and minarets, bazaars and bridges, hills and lakes. It is perched on the top of the Deccan Plateau, 1776ft., above sea level, and sprawls over an area of 100 Sq. miles.
A multitude of influences have shaped the character of the city. Its palaces and buildings, houses and tenements, gardens and streets have a history and an architectural individuality of their own, which makes Hyderabad a city of enchantment.
Hyderabad was founded on the River Musi five miles east of Golconda, in 1591-92 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. In the 16th century the city grew spontaneously to accommodate the surplus population of Golconda, which was the capital of the Qutb Shahi rulers. Many buildings sprang up along the River Musi. Gradually the city grew.
The Qutb Shahi dynasty founded the Kingdom of Golconda, one of the five kingdoms that emerged after the break up of the Bahamani Kingdom. The Qutb Shahis ruled the Deccan for almost 171 years. All the seven rulers were patrons of learning and were great builders. They contributed to the growth and development of Indo-Persian and Indo-Islamic literature and culture in Hyderabad. During the Qutb Shahi reign Golconda became one of the leading markets in the world of diamonds, pearls, steel for arms, and also printed fabric.
The glory of the Golconda kingdom ended in 1687, after a valiant struggle. Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal ruler, captured Golconda after a siege that lasted eight months. Abul Hasan Tana Shah, the last king of Golconda, was imprisoned at Daulatabad, where he died after twelve years in captivity.
With the conquest of the Deccan and the South, Aurangzeb succeeded in expanding the Mughal Empire to cover the entire sub-continent. However, after his death in 1707, the Empire rapidly declined.
At that time , the Deccan was administered by a Subedar or viceroy of the Mughal Emperor. Mir Quamaruddin, the Governor of the Deccan, who bore the title of Nizam-ul-Mulk Feroze Jung Asif Jah, declared his independence from Mughal rule in 1724. He thus became the first Nizam and the founder of the Asif Jahi dynasty.
Asif Jah I continued to maintain Aruangabad, which had been founded by the Mughal rulers as the capital of his new state. In 1769, Nizam Ali Khan Asif Jah II, shifted the capital to Hyderabad. The seven Nizam's of the Asif Jahi dynasty ruled the Deccan for nearly 224 years, right up to 1948.
During the Asif Jahi period, Persian, Urdu, Telgu and Marathi developed simultaneously. The highest official positions were given to deserving persons irrespective of their religion. Persian was the official language up to 1893 and then Urdu up to 1948.
When the British and the French spread their hold over the country, the Nizam soon won their friendship without bequeathing his power. The title "Faithful. Ally of the British Government" was bestowed on Nizam VII. The British stationed a Resident at Hyderabad, but the state continued to be ruled by the Nizam.
The rule of the seven Nizam's saw the growth of Hyderabad both culturally and economically. Huge reservoirs, like the Nizam Sagar, Tungabadra, Osman Sagar, Himayath Sagar, and others were built. Survey work on Nagarjuna Sagar had also begun during this time.
Hyderabad, under the Nizam's, was the largest princely state in India. Area wise it was as big as England and Scotland put together. The State had its own currency, mint, railways, and postal system. There was no income tax.
Soon after India gained independence, Hyderabad State merged with the Union of India. On November 1, 1956 the map of India was redrawn into linguistic states, and Hyderabad became the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
Look at Hyderabad's best tourist attractions
Telugu star Chiranjeevi turns 52
Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, fondly called Chiru, turns 52 on Wednesday.
Chiranjeevi, who reigns over the Telugu film industry, holds the record for some of the biggest box office collections ever. Infact way back in 1992, his film Gharana Mogudu raked in over a crore at the box office, something unheard of then.
But there’s more to the superstar. He is one of the highest paid actors in India and has been felicitated with the Padmabhushan amongst other awards.
Fans of the versatile actor have given him the demi-God status.
“I like his acting and dance,” says one of his fans.
Another fan adds, “He is a megastar. I like his acting and his dance.”
Chiranjeevi also moved beyond the realm of the silver screen and set up blood and eye donation banks which helped him build a mass appeal, so much so, that the latest demand is not just about delivering a new super hit, but to contest the 2009 Assembly elections.
Though the mega star has taken a non-committal stand on the political front, if the grapevine is to be believed, he might just follow actor-turned-politician NTR's footsteps.
Chiranjeevi’s fans don't need a special reason to celebrate. And an occasion like his birthday can't be passed without pomp and fare. So as the megastar turns 52, his fans have planned a huge ceremony at the Gachi Bowli stadium. And the fact that Chiranjeevi is on a vacation to the United States and won't be present for the festivities isn't a dampener.
Nokia on damage control mode in India
The world's largest handset manufacturer and one of the most trusted brands in India - Nokia is finding the right tune to control its battery recall crisis. The Finnish phone maker is going on a massive damage controlling in India.
The score so far is 26. That's how many handsets Nokia has successfully launched in India this year alone. Another 14 are in the pipeline before the year ends. After all, India is Nokia is the third largest handset market globally. But the battery recall controversy may have spoil those grand plans. So, Nokia is taking no chances.
"ICA pointed out that a warranty of batteries is only 6months in India, from that point of view, some people argue we shouldn’t have issued this advisory, but we disagree, anything concerning consumers, consumer has the right to know" says D Shivakumar, MD & VP - Mobile Phones, Nokia India.
And so, last week Nokia consumers across the world got to know that Nokia has recalled 4.6 crore BL-5C batteries used in a range of its handsets. In India alone, it has to recall close to 1.5 lakh batteries! And so it launched a damage control campaign using channels like advertisement, SMS and an online helpdesk. And its even roped in its dealers manage the crisis.
"We helped customers type SMS, fill forms online and basically help them check for faulty batteries. We have been guiding customers about the recall and explaining the procedure to them," adds Rakesh Tivrekar, Nokia Priority Dealer.
All that to retain its 67 per cent share in the Indian handset market. A product recall has traditionally been a logistical nightmare for all companies - but Nokia is confident that it may be out of the crisis sooner than expected. Company officials tell us that all the defected batteries in India will be replaced by early next week.
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