April | 2011 | Blind to Bounds

Open up your mind and your potential reaches infinity…

Archive for April, 2011

The Known Universe

The Known Universe takes viewers from the Himalayas through our atmosphere and the inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang. Every star, planet, and quasar seen in the film is possible because of the world’s most complete four-dimensional map of the universe, the Digital Universe Atlas that is maintained and updated by astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History.

Director: Carter Emmart
Curator: Ben R. Oppenheimer
Producer: Michael Hoffman
Executive Producer: Ro Kinzler
Co-Executive Producer: Martin Brauen
Manager, Digital Universe Atlas: Brian Abbott
Music: Suke Cerulo

Category:

Film, General, Science

INDIA: UNPRECEDENTED SUPPORT TO A CIVIL UPRISING (part 2)

Following India…..Part 2

THE FIGHT FOR REAL DEMOCRACY AND TRANSPARENCY

On April 5th. a Gandhian activist known as Anna Hazare started a ‘fast unto death’ to exert pressure on the Indian government to enact a strong anti-corruption act as in the Jan Lokpal Bill..

As Indians rise in protest and rally around Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption, the swelling resolve to birth a movement that would usher in real democracy with transparency and accountability as hallmarks is slowly assuming unprecedented levels.

This is a tide of popular discontent against the venal politician-bureaucrat-corporate nexus that has not only fattened itself on public money but has also perpetuated a system that carefully looks after the interests of the privileged and the powerful, often denying just basic rights to the majority.

The civil movement is seeing unprecedented level of support by the Indians all over the world.

Support has been pouring from Indians across the globe in support of Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption started at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi April 5

I paste her some of the support pledges from the news from today( April 8, 2011):

• The Communist Party of India (CPI) in Kerala today extended its support to social activist Anna Hazare on his movement against growing corruption in the country.

• Indians in Los Angeles are organizing a day-long fast Saturday in support of Indian social activist Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption in India. 45 cities in the US, 40 cities in India and 8 other countries globally joined the movement.

• Film actor Aamir Khan’s letter in support of Hazare written to prime minister Manmohan Singh is being widely circulated on the Internet.

• Self-exiled artist MF Husain has drawn a cartoon extending support to Anna Hazare saying what the anti-corruption crusader is spearheading is “another revolution”.

“I am thrilled that the younger generation has taken up the cause to crush corruption in India and I wish them great success,” Husain, now a citizen of Qatar, said.

• While Madhur Bhandarkar, Vivek Agnihotri and Anupam Kher have already made efforts to meet Hazare personally at Jantar Mantar.

• Sonakshi Sinha: It’s usually ONE person that makes a difference. Mahatma Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa. Kudos to Anna Hazare! We’re with you.

• Naseeruddin Shah : We have started accepting corruption as a way of life. We don’t think twice or feel bad about handing over Rs. 50 to a traffic cop or Rs. 50 crore to a neta . We don’t hitch as we think ‘ yeh toh chalta hai, yeh toh hota hai’ . But it happens because we let it happen and it will never stop till we don’t stop it.
“What Anna Hazare is doing will definitely bring about a positive change in the way the system works. The need of the hour is for the youth of this country to awaken and fight against corruption. Only that and nothing else can help India become a corruption free nation. “

• Hrithik Roshan: I support Anna Hazare. It’s TIME to make a CHANGE!

• Bipasha Basu: The biggest drawback of our country is the existence of corruption right from the grass root level right to the top!

• More than 50 employee unions from Pune and social organisations, along with citizens’ groups, extended their support to Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption agitation on Thursday.

• Sacked Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi on Friday urged fans to carry flags and placards to IPL matches to express support to fasting Gandhian Anna Hazare.

• Support for Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign is growing in Punjab and Haryana where hundreds of activists, students, doctors, lawyers and teachers have rallied behind him.( Panjab University, PGIMER.,People’s Party of Punjab). Two lawyers of Punjab and Haryana High Court, V.S. Makkar and Gaurav Goyal, are on an indefinite hunger strike in Chandigarh.

Twitter

The microblogging site has people sharing their 140-characters on Hazare, where the hashtag #hazare not only lists a whole bunch of tweets, but also shows updates as comments and thoughts are tweeted. Twitter is also the forum of choice for celebrities and the intelligentsia to share their two cents.
Anna Hazare is the top trend of India in Twitter, and is followed by lokpal, Mera Neta Chor Hai, Corruption, and Jantar Mantar. Incidentally, IPL is also among the top trends of today.

A look at few tweets:

AzmiShabana: Anna Hazare embodies hope of a nation dat corruption can b rooted out Lokpal bill 1st drafted in 1972.arm yrself with information n join

Riteish Deshmukh: Am shooting in Hong Kong, the voice of Anna is heard all over the world- I support ANNA HAJARE – and his campaign – More power to him

Shashi Tharoor: Sorry, have been focused onKerala campaign. Huge respect for AnnaHazare. Unconditionally support consensual national action agnst corruption

Anand Mahindra: This is a movement whose heart&voice cannot be ignored “@sundarsez: If only industry captains can voice their support for Anna Hazare”

Lalit Modi: All fans attending IPL matches should carry flags and placards in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill. This will ensure the message reaches all.

Facebook

There are several pages and communities on Hazare; with both the number of pages, and people who are getting involved increasing every hour. There are 146,855 members in the ‘India Against Corruption’ community. The number of likes has exceeded 100,000; and these are mostly people who have joined in over the last couple of days.

Every Wall on the Facebook is likely to have at least a few comments on Hazare. These wall posts are in turn fuelling debate and discussions. While the overall mood seems to be in support of Hazare, there are the skeptics and quite a few discussions seem polarized between the sheer idealist and the mere nasty. There are also events (both virtual and otherwise) scheduled and shared using Facebook, like ‘Light a Candle in support of Anna Hazare, get ready for Jail Bharo.’
A quick look at some random comments from Facebook Walls (names have been removed). These posts are often not in English, as you will see, but in local languages written using the English script.

User A: Whatever Anna Hazare is doing is utter bullshit. What is the point of doing so? Most of the folks who have been supporting Anna, will vote for the same old corrupt politicians against whom the old man is fighting. You can’t make much difference by supporting Anna except making some superficially-intellectual and style statement (wearing that cap)

User B: emon ‘purush’ haazar-e non, 120 koTite ‘ek’ !! (Hazare is not one in a thousand, but one in 120 crore)

User C: I am ready to support Sachin Tendulkar for Bharat Ratna if the “god” and the men in blue come out and support the demand for early enactment of the Jan Lokpal Bill…

User D: Unreal scenes in India — “Gali Gali mein shor hai, mera neta chor hai”. Chetan Bhagat’s blog is actually pretty good. (Apologies to my non-Indian friends here, but this is regarding a massive anti-corruption protest in India).

BOTTOM LINE: New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar venue has become the Tahrir Square and Tiananmen Square ready to shake the world again with another Revolution.

(Courtesy Biztech: Sudarshana Bannerjee).

Category:

India, International, Politics

INDIA: MOVEMENT FOR REAL DEMOCRACY AND TRANSPARENCY PART 1

FOLLOWING INDIA…….PART 1

INTRODUCTION TO LOK PAL BILL AND ITS CONTROVERSY

India regularly ranks among the most corrupt nations in the world. India holds 87th place in Transparency International’s list of the most corrupt nations. Everyday, the headlines scream about senior government officials or legislators being caught with their fingers in yet another corrupt pie. But hardly anyone ever gets punished.

Man Mohan Singh government, under massive pressure due to corruption charges,and to gain some of its lost ground, half heartedly agreed to think over the introduction of LOKPAL BILL in the parliament.

Scams of Common Wealth games and Adarsh Housing Society proved as a limit to the forbearance of Indian public to corruption. And the civil society as well as the general janta came out in hordes to give unprecedented support to Anna Hazare’s fight for a movement against corruption.

What is Lokpal Bill:

The LokPal Bill provides that any one except a public servant can file a complaint of corruption against the Ministers, members of Parliament and the high government officials. And that the inquiry and redressal against the complaint has to be completed within six months.
The basic idea of the Lok Pal is borrowed from the office of ombudsman, which has played an effective role in checking corruption and wrong-doing in Scandinavian and other nations. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Burkina Faso and the United Kingdom are some of the countries which have the office of an Ombudsman.

The Lokpal means a forum where the citizen can send a complaint against a public official, which would then be inquired into and the citizen would be provided some redressal. The office of the Lokpal is the Indian version of the office of an Ombudsman, who is appointed to inquire into these complaints made by citizens against public officials.

History:
It is a 42 year long journey for the LokPal Bill. Eight times in the history of this republic, governments tried to get the Lokpal Bill enacted. But no government – from Indira Gandhi to that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Manmohan Singh – could succeed in installing an all powerful ombudsman to probe graft cases against the high and the mighty in the country

What is the controversy :

Civil rights activists, including Anna Hazare( a 71 year old Gandhian), Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, termed the draft legislation as weak and demanded that fifty per cent of the members in the committee drafting the bill should be from the public. They proposed a draft Lok Pal Bill by the name of Jan Lokpal.

The Jan Lokpal Bill or the Citizen’s Ombudsman Bill, a draft anti-corruption bill, would create a Jan Lokpal, or an independent body (like the Election Commission) which would have the power to prosecute politicans and bureaucrats without government permission.

Jan Lokpal ( by Anna Hazare& co) will have powers to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. While Lokpal ( originally drafted by the govt) would have no power to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. It could only probe complaints forwarded by Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairman.
They insist that the high offices of the Prime Minister and the judiciary should also come under the compass of the Lok Pal Bill.

Diverging Opinions:

There are diverging views on issues such as the inclusion of the office of the Prime Minister, ministers and Members of Parliament, inclusion of judges, and powers of the Lokpal. Some experts contend that all public officials should be accountable while others feel that the autonomy and privilege of Parliament require the Prime Minister, ministers, and Members of Parliament to be accountable only to Parliament.

Now the whole controversy has taken the shape of a National Movement of unprecedented proportions, as Anna Hazare announced ‘a fast unto death’ at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on April 5, 2011.
The prime minister, bowing under the pressure from the support to this mass movement, formed a sub-committee of the Group of Ministers to discuss the issue with these activists. However, initially, these two groups were unable to reach an agreement on the provisions of the Lok Pal Bill.
This led to Anna Hazare go for a hunger strike in early April, but just in few days the government accepted his demands.

There are three major points in the murmur of criticism against this civil uprising:

First, the cause is just but the method is undemocratic and, some have suggested, fascist. These civil society leaders are not elected and thus have no locus standi to demand change.
Second, if we allow such pressure groups, instead of established institutions and channels, to dictate terms to government, there would be anarchy.
And third, a mere law will not be able to curb corruption.

Now it is for the readers to form their opinion and decide if this is justified or not.

UPDATE ADDED ON JULY 5, 2011:

On July 4, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made the announcement at an All Party Meeting, ” “We are also committed to bringing the bill before Parliament in the coming monsoon session. ……”

Not all is over. There shall be debate in the parliament to bring consensus on the tricky parts of the bill which include: bringing the Prime Minister’s Office and higher judiciary under the ambit of Lokpal. And also to include bringing the conduct of Members of Parliament (MPs) inside the House, CBI’s anti-corruption wing and lower bureaucracy across the country under the Lokpal.

After all a journey of 42 years, 8 failed attempts at getting it passed in the Parliament, display of ‘People’s Power by tens of thousands and civil society members coming out on streets and 60 million tweets has led to this day where LokPal Bill can see light at the end of the tunnel.

And hence a great leap towards ‘real’ and ‘transparent’ democracy.

(WHY have I posted this to you? We in Pakistan love to follow Indian Soaps, Bollywood buzz, IPL, Indian sarees, fashion trends etc etc . Now it is time to follow their political movements too and learn some good lessons too).

Category:

India, Pakistan, Politics, Uncategorized

Main Tenu Pher Milangi~ by Amrita Pritam, recitation by Gulzar

Main Tenu Fir Milaan Gi
Kithey? Kis Tarah? Pata Nai
Shayad Terey Takhayul Di Chinag Ban Ke
Terey Canvas Tey Utraan Gi
Ya Khowrey Terey Canvas Dey Utey
Ikk Rahasmayi Lakeer Ban Ke
Khamosh Tenu Tak Di Rawaan Gi

I will meet you yet again
How and where? I know not.
Perhaps I will become a
figment of your imagination
and maybe, spreading myself
in a mysterious line
on your canvas,
I will keep gazing at you.

Yaa Khowrey Sooraj Di Loo Ban Ke
Terey Rangaan Wich Ghulaan Gi
Yaa Rangaan Diyan Bahwaan Wich Baith Ke
Terey Canvas Nuu Walaan Gi
Pata Nai Kiss Tarah? Kithey?
Par Tenu Zaroor Milaan Gi

Perhaps I will become a ray
of sunshine, to be
embraced by your colours.
I will paint myself on your canvas
I know not how and where –
but I will meet you for sure.

Yaa Khowrey Ikk Chashma Bani Howaan Gi
Tey Jeevan Jharneyaan Da Paani Udd-da
Main Paani Diyaan Boondaan
Terey Pindey Tey Malaan Gi
Tey Ikk Thandak Jahi Ban Ke
Teri Chaati Dey Naal Lagaan Gi
Main Hor Kujh Nai Jaandi
Par Aena Jaandi
Ke Waqt Jo Vii Karey Ga
Aey Janam Mairey Naal Turey Ga

Maybe I will turn into a spring,
and rub the foaming
drops of water on your body,
and rest my coolness on
your burning chest.
I know nothing else
but that this life
will walk along with me.

Aey Jism Mukda Hai
Tay Sab Kujh Muk Jaanda
Par Chaityaan Dey Dhaagey
Kaainaati Kana Dey Hundey
Main Onhaan Kana Nuu Chunaan Gi
Dhaageyaan Nuu Walaan Gi
Tey Tenu Main Fair Milaan Gi…

When the body perishes,
all perishes;
but the threads of memory
are woven with enduring specks.
I will pick these particles,
weave the threads,
and I will meet you yet again.

~ Poetry in Punjabi by Amrita Pritam
~Translation in English by Nirupama Dutt

Category:

AmanKiAsha, CULTURE, Hindi Poetry, India, Love, Poetry, Women

Tagged with:

KYA ISI LIYE ?

Ye mera dil
Dhoni dhoni kyon
dharak raha hai
Uske batting dekhne ko
phir ek nazar
kyon tarap raha hai.

Kya aan thee
kya baan thee
kya uske khel
ki shaan thee
uske balley mein
kya jan thee

Sri Lanka ko tou
jaise tore diya
Match ka rukh
hee more diya
Miandad ko bhi
peeche chore diya

Kya uske chaukey
toofani they
Aur chakke kya
aasmani they
Dhoni ney tou
dhoon diya
Murali ki bowling
ko bhoon diya

Phir akhri ball ko
jo diya ghuma key
Rakh diya fans ko
bhi youn hilla key
Aur India ko Cup
sey diya mila key
Kya hansaa woh
Phir khil khila key.

Kya modest woh
Insaan tha
Captain tou nahin
Bhagwan tha
Apni team ki woh
Shaan tha
World Cup Final ki
bhi to Jaan tha.

Jab jab woh scene
Nazron mein ayega
Dil mein ek leher
Si utha de jayega
Ankhon mein chamak
Bhi jaga jayega
Dil ki dharkan ko
Tez kar jayega
Yaadon ke phool
Bikhair jayega.

Kya isi liye
Hee mera dil
Dhoni dhoni
Dharak raha hai?

Category:

Cricket, India, MY POETRY

If you will pay Peanuts, all you will get is Monkeys.

When I entered medical school way back two and a half decades ago, there was a ripple of sensation that ran through my entire clan. In minutes one could notice the change in the attitudes when suddenly people started taking this bubbly school girl seriously. Some skeptics even came up to ask if the admission was actually for ‘doctory’ or some other para-med course in the prestigious Lady Harding Medical College, New Delhi.

The day came when I finally arrived for the first day of our med school. The group of lucky 90 were huddled into an auditorium for the introductory lecture. The place was an antiquated auditorium which looked more like a Colloseum with walls and seats made of seasoned dark teak-wood. The college had its foundation stone laid in March 17, 1914 and the venue spoke volumes of the time it was built.

The Hippocratic Oath was read out to us, and then the principal of the school gave us a short but touching speech. From what I faintly remember she began with …..
“I congratulate you all…. In our community doctors are considered ‘next to God’. I wish that you keep this key fact in the back of your mind all your life, from today onwards. Yes we are all human beings, we also have our aims and aspirations, but our patients have far more expectations from us than from anyone else. You may not find it so pleasant now, but my advice would be that your mannerism, your thoughts, your words, your dress up and the body language—and in summary your whole life, should reflect the respect and dignity that this noble profession is so worthy of…..”

My experience in practice all these years stands testimony to the respect and love that one gets from one’s patients. They come to us for healing but they heal us too, in return, with the trust with which they put their lives in our hands.

And it is not just the few inquiries into the medical history, or the physical examination or the prescription of few drugs which heals the patient. But trusting the patient’s problems as real ( even if you may find them very trivial or exaggerated), paying proper attention to their concerns, adequate eye contact and pleasant body language act as invisible factors which do wonders in creating a healthy doctor-patient relationship.

As was said centuries ago, it holds true even till date…
“‘Medicine is not merely a science but an art.The character of the physician may act more powerfully upon a patient than the drugs employed.” Philipus Aroleus Paracelsus

After all this grandiose image of this noble profession in the back of my mind, my heart bleeds and winces in pain when I see in my day today life, with what indignation and disrespect the general public has for the image of doctors.

Calling them butchers, killers, criminals….

Gosh! I always lived in an illusion that politicians were the most maligned of all the people. But today I stand with the revelation that doctors are even considered worse.

Irrespective of the current situation (of strike by young doctors in Punjab,Pakistan), the whole scenario pushes my head to think of why has this situation been reached?

There are black sheep in every profession and such have crept in our profession too. It does not limit to the doctors only in our land but all over the world where there are people who consider medicine less of a noble profession and more of a lucrative business. But then so has become the medical education. Nowadays, on the footsteps of the expense it takes to study medicine in the West, the private colleges have cropped up in the subcontinent, which charge hefty fees to make a doctor ( in parallel to the govt. medical colleges which have now become a minority).

The exorbitant costs have made the education ’purchasable’ and now it is not just the ‘worthy’ but the ‘affording’ too who enter these private medical schools.

Many leave for greener pasture in the West or the Middle East where they are well paid and well respected. Those who stay behind either by destiny or by their freewill, need to earn a decent amount to at least make their ends meet.

The irony is that once they pass out, irrespective of graduating from the private or govt colleges, they are paid the lowest of possible wages in lieu of their hard work in the past, present or future.

This has dissuaded the bright youngsters especially the boys from the medical profession , opting for anything else instead. And those enamored who do enter, regret later. The smarter ones branch out into pharmaceutical industry, hospital administration, civil services etc to make their lives easy and better, financially.

Irony still, when these youngsters who now come out to ask for their dues, get mauled physically and psychologically by the authorities as well as the general public. And they give them all kinds of moral lessons by reminding them of their noble profession or Hippocrates Oath.

And of the age-old rhetorics of ‘work for humanity not money’, ‘you work for others, not yourself’, ‘keep killing for greed’ to doctors.

Is this not moral policing too? And every ‘enlightened seems to have become a Mullah against the doctors today !!!

True the doctors need to be doctors even beyond their working hours, but if the youngsters who aspire to lead decent lives do not get enough to even feed their families, how can you expect them to do their duties with full heart and soul. Like all of us they are human beings too, not angels.

It was really painful to hear that the situation has become so desperate that even some emergency work was also closed down. On talking to a young soon-to- be- doctor, Atif Ali from Services Inst. of Medical Sciences, for staying HUMAN, he replied:

“its hard to stay human in a jungle. . . :-)….”
“I am sorry , but i personally believe that we shd be tagged as human mechanic n our job shd b just fixing their prblms . . . .nt getting emotional or flattered by dis term maseeha. . . !

Down vid maseehai of such nation 4 vich i hv to burn my nights stdying, work on holidays, be on d frnt line in disaster , get abused n beaten by patient attndnts n even aftr all that. . Have to look up towards ma parents to send money 4 ma expnses instead ov being support to em.”

Unfortunately when this desperate situation arises, how can one expect them to be the ‘next to Gods’ for the patients?

Ultimately, with or without the support of the people, I hope and pray that they get most of their justified demands met.

I am afraid that if the doctors are not given their due, less and less will smart minds be willing to enter this field or willing to stay in our country.

I have no qualms in saying that if you will pay peanuts, all you will get is monkeys.

Category:

Health, Pakistan, Social Issues

Chonani Dar Nazar Nazaar-e-Gaaran~ Amir Khusro~ sung by Shobha Mudgul & Mahsa Vahdat

Shobha Mudgal sings verses of Khusraw beautifully in Farsi and Urdu and is accompanied by Mahsa Vahdat who partly sings in the style of the throat singers from Iran. Of the many magical pieces of music created at the Khusrau Festival.

Chonani dar Nazar Nazar e garan
Ke Raunaq Ishq mi Mahpaar gaaran

Ishq hai Jiss Maqam mein, Koi Dusra Nahi
Main Bhi Tere siva nahi, Tu Bhi Mere siva nahi

Tu dar Khab-e Khush-o-Man bi tu har shab
Shomaram ta Sahar Sayyar gaaran

Mast nahi, Talab nahi
Raah nahi, Rehnuma nahi
Ishq hai, Khud hi Mudwaa
Ishq mein Mudwaa nahi

Alam e mein wo ghum se door, Mehab hai dil tere Huzoor
Ranj nahi, Khushi nahi, Dard nahi, Dawa nahi
Ravi gar Aisa Badakhana e vu
Ke koi Qissa e Awaar Garan

Chonani dar Nazar nazar e garan
Ke Raunaq Ishq mi Mahpaar garan

Shab e dil o Nazar Zaheen, Shab e Zabaan e Ishq hai
Lafz nahi, Bayaan nahi, sood nahi, Sada nahi

Dil-e Diwaana-e Khusrau ni Koneest
Che Goyam bar Pari Rukhsargaan ra

Chonani dar Nazar nazar e garan
Ke Raunaq Ishq mi Mahpaar garan

Dil-e Diwaana-e Khusrau..

Category:

Amir Kusro, India, Music, Pakistan, Poetry, Uncategorized, URDU POETRY

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Blind to Bounds

Open up your mind and your potential reaches infinity…

Archive for April, 2011

The Known Universe

INDIA: UNPRECEDENTED SUPPORT TO A CIVIL UPRISING (part 2)

INDIA: MOVEMENT FOR REAL DEMOCRACY AND TRANSPARENCY PART 1

Main Tenu Pher Milangi~ by Amrita Pritam, recitation by Gulzar

KYA ISI LIYE ?

Chonani Dar Nazar Nazaar-e-Gaaran~ Amir Khusro~ sung by Shobha Mudgul & Mahsa Vahdat

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