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India To Get Its First Transgender Sub-Inspector Of Police, Thanks To Madras High Court…

November 7, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

We weren’t done applauding the remarkable decision taken by West Bengal government that directed Kolkata police to include Hijras in the Civic Police Volunteer Force (CPVC), and now comes another good news that says India is set to get its first transgender sub-inspector of Police.

The news comes from Tamil Nadu, a state hailed for forming the first transgenders welfare board, which is said to be the first not only in India but probably in the world.

Following a historic decision made by Madras High Court, K. Prithika Yashini is soon to become India’s first transgender sub-inspector of Police.

Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TMUSRB) to appoint K. Prithika Yashini as a sub-inspector, as she is deemed perfectly entitled for the job.

Prithika was born and brought up as Pradeep Kumar. But her journey, unsurprisingly, wasn’t easy. She had to fight a long legal fight to get things going her way.

In the first go, her application was rejected due to the absence of ‘third gender category’ in the state police recruitment board.

Image Source: Facebook

She moved the High Court. As a consequence of this, she was allowed to appear for written, physical and endurance test, and also viva-voce. While she cleared all her rounds perfectly, in a 100-metre dash, she missed out by 1 second. But, she was testified to be an SI.

According to The Hindu, Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana of the First Bench made the board realize their failure at not adding the ‘third gender category’ despite the Supreme Court’s direction.

Excited by things turning out in her favour, Prithika who also hopes to become India’s first transgender IPS Officer told NDTV, “I’m excited. It’s a new beginning for the entire transgender community,”

India has seen some significant feats this year in relevance to recognizing the talent sidelining other factors. Manabi Bandyopadhyay (India’s first transgender college principal) and Akkai Padmashali (First transgender recipient of Rajyotsava award) are a couple of notable examples.

Let’s hope more path-breaking decisions like these that give importance to talent over prejudices, are taken often. Let’s hope, people who don’t easily get socially accepted because of their choices that don’t exactly conform to social norms, get to live their dreams.

After all, it is dreams, aspirations and goals we are talking about- things that don’t have any genders or castes or religions.

Sources: NDTV , The Hindu

Cover Image Source

Ananta Sharma in http://www.storypick.com

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What Monsoon Waters Are Leaving Behind In Korea is Simply Beautiful….

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

We often downplay just how drastically the weather can affect our state of mind, but some studies suggest that our moods change with the seasons. This could explain why it’s just as hard to imagine being lethargic and irritable on a warm, sunny day as it is to imagine being upbeat and productive when the sky opens up with heavy rain and thunder.

Just ask the people of Seoul, South Korea. Right now, they’re facing the worst part of the year: monsoon season. Needless to say, they know a thing or two about letting the weather get them down. That’s whyPantone — a leading color technology and design firm — decided to team up with creators from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to turn the bustling city’s damp, dreary streets into exuberant works of art.

These creative minds teamed up to bring Seoul and its many residents back to life during monsoon season.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

After all, it’d be hard not to smile while swimming with beautiful sea creatures on the way to work and school.

Instead of washing these creations away, however, heavy rainfall activates them!

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

So how exactly does that work?

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Each piece is created with hydrochromatic pigments. They’re applied like regular paints, but they become invisible once they dry. The only thing that can bring them back to life is water.

As is the case in many major cities, life in Seoul revolves around the nearby river.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

That’s why artists decided to incorporate marine life into these whimsical images in a way that captures the importance of the Han River to life in Seoul, while still shining a spotlight on the city’s famously vibrant culture.

That's why artists decided to incorporate marine life into these whimsical images in a way that captures the importance of the Han River to life in Seoul, while still shining a spotlight on the city's famously vibrant culture.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

(via My Modern Met)

It’s tempting to let rain put a literal damper on your day, but it’s important to find beauty at every turn. That being said, it’s probably much easier to do that when talented creators cover your city’s streets with stunning images of whales, fish, and sea turtles. We wish the people of Seoul luck as they endure the final stages of monsoon season, and we hope that this awesome art is helping them get by!

Source….www.viralnova.com

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One of India’s largest drugmakers is crashing after the FDA revealed it ‘significantly violated’ US regulations….

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

— Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, India’s second-largest drugmaker, has received a “warning letter” from US regulators over inadequate quality controls at three manufacturing plants producing drugs for cancer and other diseases.

The warning is the latest in a string of incidents that have hurt the industry’s reputation and slowed its growth in the world’s largest drug market, where India supplies more than 40% of the generic and over-the-counter medicines.

Dr Reddy’s said the FDA warning meant it would not receive US approvals for drugs made at the plants until it fixed the problems, a blow for business at a company that relies on the US for a majority of its sales.

REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade

Chairman of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Satish Reddy, at a news conference in Mumbai on August 5.

The affected plants account for more than 10% of the company’s sales.

Dr Reddy’s said a production halt may not be required, but the news caught investors by surprise, sending shares to their lowest level in four months.

“We are probably looking at flat to declining earnings in FY 2017, while earlier we were expecting growth,” said analyst Nimish Mehta, founder of Research Delta Advisors.

Analysts warned the move by the US Food and Drug Administration would hit US sales for at least the next two years, as the launch of key products may be delayed.

“There is no indication in the warning letter that we need to stop manufacturing, but we will be examining the contents and deciding our strategy,” Dr Reddy’s CFO Saumen Chakraborty told the Indian television news channel ET Now.

The FDA inspected the company’s Srikakulam, Miryalaguda, and Duvvada drug-manufacturing sites in November, January, and February, and it almost immediately issued initial notices asking the group to rectify some problems.

But the company was unable to fix the issues to the satisfaction of the FDA, and it was hit with a warning letter. Such letters are issued by the agency when it finds a manufacturer has “significantly violated” its regulations.

“We had absolutely no idea it could escalate to this level,” Siddhanth Khandekar of ICICI Securities said.

Data records

Dr Reddy’s said the agency’s concerns with the plants related to quality-control procedures and how data was recorded. It did not provide details.

The FDA has already banned plants of other Indian firms, such as Wockhardt Ltd and Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, a unit of the country’s largest drugmaker Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, after finding faulty, fudged, or incomplete data records in recent years.

Both companies have been unable to get their plants cleared by the agency, more than two years after the bans.

But analysts say the FDA considers data integrity issues to be the most serious, typically requiring at least two years to be remedied to its satisfaction.

Dr Reddy’s CEO G V Prasad said the group was revamping its quality systems as a result.

The FDA has increased the number of inspections of foreign plants supplying to the US over the past year, exposing quality-control issues at several Indian drugmakers. India plants of multinational drugmakers, such as Novartis and Mylan, have also come under fire.

Industry executives say they have been improving their manufacturing and systems, but sanctions continue.

Dr Reddy’s makes drug ingredients at the Srikakulam and Miryalaguda plants, and cancer medicines at the Duvvada plant.

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Anand Basu and Clarence Fernandez)

Source….

Zeba Siddiqui, Reuters ….. http://www.businessinsider.com
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Message for the Day….” Contentment, Humility and Detachment Keep You on the path of Truth” …

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Some profess that since this is Kali yuga, falsehood alone can succeed. No! In spite of all appearances, honesty is still the best policy. One lie must be couched by a hundred others; whereas uttering truth is the easiest, simplest and safest. Be what you profess to be; speak what you intend to do; utter what you have experienced; no more, no less. It is a hard job to maintain a false stand, while it is always safe to be straight and honest. Do not take the first false step and then be led, on and on, to perdition. Truth is one’s real nature and when you are yourself, there comes a great flood of joy welling up within you. When you deny and deceive yourself, shame darkens your mind and breeds fear. You take the path of falsehood because of the Rajasikpassions of lust, greed, hate and pride. Contentment, humility and detachment – these keep you on the path of Truth.

Earthquake-Resistant Houses? These Residents of Uttarakhand Had Cracked It 900 Years Ago! ….

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Despite being located in an earthquake-prone region, residents of Uttarkashi do not hesitate in constructing multi-storey houses. These elaborate buildings in Rajgarhi area of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand are perfect examples of splendid architecture as well as earthquake-resistant engineering.

Called Koti Banal, these buildings have been named after a village in the district and have successfully survived many minor and major earthquakes in the past ten centuries.

Even the extremely disastrous earthquakes, in recent times the 1991 and the 1999 ones that killed thousands of people and caused immense damage to property including many concrete structures in the state, could not move these buildings. One such building in Guna has been standing tall for more than 728 years now.

Koti Banal style came into existence about 900 years ago and is hailed as one of the finest specimens of architecture as well as of earthquake-resistant design. The houses are built using locally available materials like stone-filled solid platforms and there is an extensive use of wood, which offer special advantages over other materials during earthquakes.

The height of these houses is usually 7 to 12 metres above the base. The traditional houses usually have five storeys. Some of the key features of these houses include a simple layout of the structure; construction on an elaborate, solid and raised platform; incorporation of wooden beams all through the height of the building at regular intervals; small openings and shear walls.

Extensive use of locally available wood was made in these homes since wood is an elasto-plastic material with the ability to absorb the brunt of an earthquake.

The sole objective behind the construction of these houses was safety and not much attention was paid to the comfort of the inhabitants. This reason has led to many such dwellings being abandoned in recent times.

People have also started destroying these structures in order to use the building material for the construction of new and modern houses. Lack of awareness is further causing the slow death of these traditional houses which represent a strong cultural heritage.

Photos and inputs from : Dr. Piyoosh Rautela and Girish Chandra Joshi. Check out their full report on these extra ordinary structures.

Watch the video that explains more about the technique – –

Featured image: www.worldfpa.org]

source….Shreya Pareek

http://www.the betterindia.com

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Sai Bakery: A Mother’s Sweet Gift to Her Autistic Son and His Differently Abled Friends….

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Visit Sai Bakery in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, and you will find more than just the wonderful aroma of freshly baked goods wafting out of it. You’ll sense the pride with which it is run and the confidence and self-esteem it provides to many of its employees who are adults with special needs.

Pista muffins, mango blondies, cheese wraps, and wheat bread are just some of the mouth-watering treats being produced at this neighbourhood initiative that gives adults with special needs an opportunity to harness their skills, socialise with each other and the community at large, and feel like they are productive members of society.

When we talk about people with special needs, there are many organizations that provide early intervention and cater to the needs of learning-disabled children. But what happens after these children are grown adults?

This is where Sai Bakery comes into the picture. It is not just a regular bakery but it’s a place where adults with learning disabilities can come, work, learn, and spend a respectable and productive day.

Sai Bakery employs adults with developmental disabilities (cerebal palsy, mental retardation, autism and multiple disabilities). Each special person’s skills are assessed and the jobs distributed accordingly. Training is provided in the areas of baking and packaging and marketing.

“As a child with special needs grows, his or her family too is growing old. The parents have less stamina to take care of the growing child/adult. There are very few organisations that are working with adults with special needs,” says Sumithra Prasad, founder of Sai Bakery.

The idea about starting a bakery came from Sumithra’s son Srinivasan who has Asperger’s syndrome. After he finished Class 12, he just went to Sumithra and said, “I want to bake. I want to start a bakery. I will get my friends and we’ll do it together.”

Sumithra welcomed her son’s idea and enthusiasm to do something. She helped him get some training to learn the basics of running a bakery. And, in September 2013, Sai Bakery opened its doors.

Sai Bakery, which works with the support of the DORAI (Development Opportunities Resources Access Insight) Foundation, not only engages adults in baking but also provides them access to various activities like music, yoga, terrace gardening, etc. The products from the bakery are also delivered to corporate events in bulk.

“We are not a regular bakery. We make products when we get orders and deliver them fresh. Our aim is not to earn profits but to empower and give a sense of respect and individuality to these adults who have been often ignored even by their own families,” says Sumithra.

Sumithra has personally witnessed the impact on some of the lives of these adults with special needs working at the bakery.

Earlier, Shameena would not even go to the toilet alone; she was always accompanied by her mother. Today, she travels all by herself from her house to the bakery everyday, an incredible and positive achievement. She has taken over the packing of pastries in their boxes.

Once a shy boy, Anand would barely speak to anyone. But today, he sings and dances with his friends from the bakery. Similarly, there is Srinivasan who has become good at mixing and blending the dough.

Though a monthly stipend is given to these adults for coming to the bakery, it is the emotional and psychological support they get that matters.

“Many times, even families don’t take these adults seriously. Someone once said about their disabled daughter, ‘What will happen even if we teach her? She is not going to work anyway.’ This attitude needs to be changed. Respect and individuality are very important,” says Sumithra.

Sumithra adds that the attitude of parents towards their own children with disabilities has been the biggest challenge she has had to overcome. Sometimes, the families are not even ready to pay for the transport of their children, even though all the other facilities at Sai Bakery are free.

But thanks to Sumithra’s determination, she has been able to create ripples of change in the lives of many such adults. She has also inspired four to five similar bakery initiatives in different parts of the country.

In the future, Sumithra wants to reach out to more people who are willing to start similar initiatives and enable more people with learning disabilities to become empowered. Even if there are three people with disabilities who need help, she says, Sai Bakery will help them set up the entire system.

Here is a heart-touching video on the unique bakery produced by The Better India Talkies:

To order tasty treats from the bakery or to know more about their work, contact Sumithra Prasad at – doraifoundation@gmail.com and check out their Facebook page.

Source…..Shreya Pareek… http://www.the betterindia.com

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At the age of 11, this ” chota masterji” Teaches Kids from Slum…

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

“His clothes were tattered, and we wanted to help him with some money to buy new clothes, but he denied our charity.

“After we persisted, the boy asked us for books for his education, which we bought for him from a nearby shop. Inspired by a boy of his age, Anand’s life changed.”

Today Anand Kumar Mishra, a Class 6 student is educating and empowering hundreds of slum kids in and around Lucknow.

A story worth sharing!

At an age when most of his classmates spend their time watching cartoons, playing video games, and preparing for exams, 11-year-old Anand Krishna Mishra is busy teaching underprivileged kids.

Currently studying in Class 6 in Lucknow, this ‘chhota masterji’ has reached out to children from slums and over 125 villages around the city and organised his ‘Bal Choupals’.

His Bal Choupals started in the year 2012, when Anand had the opportunity to spend time with a few children living in a slum.

He was sharing with them all that he learnt at school.

Soon this initiative took the shape of a gathering, where he started educating these children.

Taking an hour out of his daily schedule and sharing his bit is just one side of the coin, but it was his vision and sheer consistency which has today started taking shape as a larger-than-life movement.

Today, he teaches mathematics, computers and English to these children, and has inspired over 700 children to get enrolled in schools.

In the process of teaching poor children, Anand gets the opportunity to dig deeper into their lives, and takes help from his parents to make their families aware of the need to educate their children.

Anand’s parents Anoop and Rina Mishra are both employed in the UP police and are supportive of the mission Anand has taken up.

The popularity they garnered also helped them organise sessions on environmental awareness, where people come together and organise afforestation drives.

How did it all start?

Anoop tells us, “When Anand was in class 4, we had visited Maharashtra during his holidays and saw a kid sitting in a corner and studying.

“Every time the prayers started in the temple, he ran inside and led the singing group.

“After the prayers ended, he went back to his place under the dim lights and continued with his reading.

“His clothes were tattered, and we wanted to help him with some money to buy new clothes, but he denied our charity.

“After we persisted, the boy asked us for books for his education, which we bought for him from a nearby shop. Inspired by a boy of his age, Anand’s life changed.”

After coming back from the trip, Anand’s parents took him to villages around Lucknow.

They saw many kids who are devoid of education and spending their time doing household chores or working as child labourers.

They were able to convince some kids to study with Anand.

Gradually with time, these kids started bringing their friends along. Bal Choupal was formed.

Method of teaching

Anand studies in City Montessori School in Lucknow. After coming back from his school every day, he takes some time to rest in the afternoon.

At five in the evening, he goes for his Bal Choupal.

When asked about his methods of teaching, Anand says, “I try to teach my friends in a friendly manner. Sharing interesting stories and organising games for them are some of the ways to make learning fun.

“I try to make sure that they don’t get bored. Some of these kids don’t like the way they are taught in school just because it is boring. This is also the reason some, even after being enrolled, don’t go to school regularly.”

The learning imparted by Anand in his Bal Choupal is not just restricted to books. He gives them lessons on morality too.

Anand says, “The sessions at Bal Choupal begin with singing ‘Hum Honge Kaamyaab’ (We shall overcome) and ends with singing the National Anthem. I believe that this helps my friends become aware of their social and national responsibilities and they grow up to become responsible citizens of our country.”

Plans to start a library

Anand has received many awards for the work he has been doing, including Satyapath Bal Ratan award and Seva Ratna award.

With help from local people, Anand has been trying to start local libraries at different places in and around the city.

He has been successful in starting a few libraries in nearby villages.

Anand is trying to get help from other privileged and educated children to join the cause and help the students of Bal Choupal.

Anand teaches 100 kids daily who come to his gathering from their villages and slums.

His efforts suffer during exams, but his friends pitch in for help.

Anand is proud that his friends never disappoint him and their Bal Choupal continues to grow.

This year, during Teachers Day, Anand and his parents have started a ‘Chalo Padho Abhiyan’ where they are inviting the educated members of the society to support the education of at least one child.

Along similar lines, they have also started a programme ‘Chalo Bahan, School Chalo’ (Come sister, let’s go to school) which is specifically for girls from poor families.

The programme has been launched on the event of Navratri.

This little boy smiles with confidence when he says that with small steps like these, India will soon become an educated and prosperous country.

Photographs: Bal Choupal/Facebook

Source….Sourav Roy in http://www.rediff.com

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Two guys wearing jetpacks fly alongside an Airbus A380….!!!

November 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

We’ve already seen ex-fighter pilot Yves Rossy — a.k.a. Jetman — fly his jet-propelled wing in formation with another pilot, and we’ve seen him whizz around Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

His latest stunt, however, again performed with parachuter Vince Reffet, is perhaps the most impressive so far. The two pilots fly their jetpacks in formation with an Emirates-owned Airbus A380.

In the stunt, once again available in 4K resolution, the pilots whir incredibly close to the airplane as it flies above the Dubai skyline. The airplane’s size — the A380 is the world’s largest passenger airliner, some 238 feet long — gives a great sense of scale, showing how incredibly small the pilots’ jetpacks really are.

Filming the video was no easy feat either; every little detail had to be carefully planned, with a team of videographers recording the stunt from another, smaller plane. Check out the “making of” video below.

Source…… STAN SCHROEDER…..www.mashable.com

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” Get Ready to Face a Revolution in Financial Market …”

November 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

COMING SOON : REVOLUTION IN FINANCIAL MARKET

If you want to watch the presentation by Mr. Nandan Nilkeni kindly go to the following link https://t.co/Y3VBCCHCyG and get the digital experience.

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A REVOLUTION

IN FINANCIAL MARKET

WHICH NEVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND!

-NANDAN NILKENI

Recently, Mr. Nandan Nilkeni, a founder team member of Infosys and generator of the concept of Aadhar made one presentation of the

impact this Aadhar linked cell phone will create and revolutionize the market in general and finance market in particular in India / world is a worth watching clip. I think the presentation of those 30 minutes will make you spell bound and speechless. How the technology is going to change the way we live in this world since the decades…. Major highlights of the presentation are as under.

1. There will be a massive disruption in financial services on back of technology revolution.

2. The telecom revolution has changed the desktop based environment to mobile interned based environment.

3. “WhatsApp movement” is the concept to understand this revolution because today 30 billion messages in a day are passed through WhatsApp in the world surpassing the SMS by large margin. This WhatsApp movement like revolution is going to take place in the world of finance making the concept of traditional banking and lending to go away.

4. We are moving from cash based society to cashless and digital society very very fast. Today India has more 900 million mobile users (More than 90 crores) which is a record in itself. The Aadhar when linked with the mobile set with IRIS authentication on will change the world we live in.

5. Today electronic clearing service NEFT-RTGS and IMPS have overtaken traditional payment system. With these 900 million mobile users, a mega trend is underway, which we are unable to apprehend. To put it in simple words, every mobile user will be an ATM.

6. When IRIS authentication (Biometric authentication linked with Aadhar server) will be on, the 900 million mobile users will be able to have online kyc, online authentication, online payment and online receipt on the basis of Unified Payment Interface (UPI). Smart phone will replace all type of debit and credit cards and Paytm like system will be fully operational. Physical cash to digital cash and digital cash to physical cash convertibility will be a game changer. Digital wallet and digital locker will revolutionize the security system. Enabling pear to pear payment system will do away many intermediaries and will be reimagining the infrastructure we have at present.

7. The whole process will lead to explosion of innovation, death of many businesses and birth of new ventures and business. India will become data scare to data rich country in five years in both, on consumer and business side. Credit process and credit appraisal will become obsolete and online loan payment will become possible. Think of 900 million people coming on one platform and remain connected!!! Almost all functions of the bank, government and taxation department will be done by Aadhar linked phones. This is even more important in the sense that IRIS authentication on cell phone is available only in India, no one has this system in the world!!!

8. Friends, this is not far away because the IRIS authentication on cell phone is practically started and will become a mass reality soon. So prepare yourself to live in the digitalized India with absolute transparency, no paper work, no bureaucratic intervention, no tax terrorism and much much more.

If you want to watch the presentation by Mr. Nandan Nilkeni kindly go to the following link https://t.co/Y3VBCCHCyG and get the digital experience.

Source….Input from a friend of mine

Natarajan

Laughter ….The Best medicine …!!!

November 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

An engineering student attended a medical exam by mistake. See his answers… the last one is ROFL

1. Antibody – One who hates his body .

2. Artery – Study of Fine Paintings .

3. Bacteria – Back door of a Cafeteria .

4. Coma – Punctuation

6. Genes – Blue Denim.

7. Labour Pain – Hurt at Work .

8. Liposuction – A French Kiss .

9. Ultrasound – Radical Sound .

10. Cardiology – Advanced Study of Playing Cards …..

11. dyspepsia : difficulty in drinking Pepsi.

12.Chicken Pox- A dish

13.CT Scan: Test for identifying person’s city

14.Radiology- the study of how Radio works

15.parotitis : inflammation of parrot

16. Urology: the study of European people

Source….input from a friend of mine

Natarajan