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environment
Super Villages of India…
Once in my college hostel lift, I bumped into a fellow hostel-mate who was wearing a T-shirt that showed a village couple dressed in traditional Rajasthani attire and sporting farming tools in their hands. While I complemented her on that T-shirt, her reaction hurt me a little. She said it depressed her that people are making money by selling T-shirts showing backward side of India.
I could not retort to her then, but I guess this list will make her and others who think less of our beautiful countrysides, understand that if anything at all, we should feel proud of living in a country with such amazing villages that are doing exponentially well for themselves and for India at large. Indian villages are deeply rooted in their traditions and some are dangerously blinded by them, agreed. But then that does not mean we should overlook the ones that are flourishing at a faster pace than some of the most famous of Indian metro cities.
So here goes.
Kasol- The Mini Israel of Himachal Pradesh
The scenic beauty, pristine hills, pleasant climate, and low habitation are the reasons why it is becoming one of the favourite destinations for backpackers. And the increasing number of tourists has finally led to the installation of an ATM machine in the village.
-The village is flooded with bars, internet cafes, and guest houses. But regardless, the beautiful scenery of the village remains intact and breathtaking.
-It witnesses a large firangi crowd consisting mostly of Israelites and owing to this fact, it is also informally referred to as the mini Israel of Himachal Pradesh.
Hiware Bazar (Maharashtra)- Possibly the richest village in India!
-Hiware Bazar has transformed its sad history into a successful present under the able guidance of Popatrao Baguji Pawar, who came to power as the sarpanch (village head) of the village in 1989.
-The village was hit by a severe drought in 1972 because of which villagers had started to shift out from Hiware Bazar to other neighbouring areas. But when Pawar came to power, the village started to experience good changes like ban on addictive substances, and encouragement of rainwater harvesting and cattle farming.
-It is thanks to this good transformation, the per capita income of the village increased from Rs 840 in 1995 to about Rs 30,000 in 2012, and this development has now resulted in as many as 60 millionaires in the village.
Punsari (Gujarat)- A village with all the essential modern facilities
All the people of the village are provided with a 24 hour Wi-Fi facility.
-Schools are equipped with CCTV cameras and digital technology is used to impart education.
-The villagers are given accidental cover of Rs 1,00,000 and medi-claim cover of up to Rs 25,000.
-A 20-litre can of clean drinking water can be availed for just Rs 4!
-The impressive model of the village has also been appreciated by the delegates of Nairobi who are planning to replicate and implement the model design of Punsari in the villages of Kenya.
Mawlynnong Village (Meghalaya)- Asia’s cleanest!
-The waste matter in the village is dumped in dustbins that are made of bamboos. The waste is then thrown into a pit, and finally ends up being used as manure.
-Plastic bags and smoking- strictly banned.
-People who litter around are fined. Those who cut trees are also fined (although that is a rare sighting here).
-The Khasi society in the village follows the matrilineal system whereby, property and wealth are transferred from the mother to the youngest of her daughters, who is also entitled to keep mother’s surname. Also, it is not an unusual thing to see women running shops here while their men tend farms.
-Literacy rate- 100%
Chappar (Haryana)- Birth of girl child is celebrated with sweets here
-It is an extremely happy change considering the fact that Chappar is located in Haryana, the Indian state notorious for having the lowest girl ratio.
-After many years of facing suppression, the women of the village have stopped hiding their faces in long ghoonghats (veils).
-And yes, the sarpanch here is a woman known by the name Neelam. 
Ziro- Included in India’s tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Pine trees decorate the hills in this region and mountain rice cultivation is rampant across the entire town.
-It is home to Sidheshwar Nath Temple. The linga in this temple, which was discovered by a wood-cutter named Prem Subba in the year 2004, is a whopping 25 ft in length and 22 ft in width. It is one of the many key attractions of this beautiful town.
-Ziro is home to the interesting people of Apatani tribe, who unlike most other tribes are non-nomadic. The old women belonging to the tribe can be seen sporting facial tattoos and extraordinarily big sized nose plugs. And their this kind of get up has a back story dating back to pre-modern times.
-It is believed that decades ago women from Apatani tribe were considered most beautiful in all of Arunachal Pradesh. So beautiful that apparently men from other tribes had started to steal the Apatani women. And so the women took refuge in tattoos and big nose plugs, which made them less attractive. Today however, this custom is not practiced.
Dharnai (Bihar)- It is Solar powered!
-With the efforts of Greenpeace India, a 100 KW solar-based micro grid was installed in the village, which now provides 24 hour electricity to homes and commercial operations.
-Having survived as many as 30 years of dark nights, Dharnai is now India’s first fully solar powered village.
Tarkarli (Maharashtra)- Has the state’s only scuba diving training centre
Tarkali is increasingly becoming popular as a picturesque beach destination. The sea water is so pristine that on some clear days, one can easily see up to depths of 20 ft in the waters.
-Dolphins are a usual sighting here.
-Ramnavmi Utsav is famously celebrated in Mahaparusha temple of the village each year.
-The village has the state’s only scuba diving training centre!
There is a lot of beauty in our own home. It is about time we notice and appreciate it.
Source…. Ananta Sharma in http://www.storypick.com
Natarajan
” Story of Look Alikes…” Interesting !!!
Image Courtesy: Screengrab taken from YouTube video uploaded by Twin Strangers
Some two months ago, a video of a woman meeting her doppelgangerfor the first time went viral all over the internet. Niamh Geaney from Dublin found her almost-twin Karen Branigan on Facebook and posted a video of their meeting on YouTube which has been viewed more than seven million times. Now, Niamh has found a second lookalike, this time in Italy.
A popular belief says every individual has seven doppelgangers around the world. Niamh and her friends Harry English and Terence Manzanga took up the challenge to find each of their lookalikes.
Looks like Niamh is winning this challenge hands down, now that she’s found Luisa in the port-town of Genoa in the Italian Riviera.
Before meeting her ‘twin,’ Niamh met with Luisa’s friends and family, one of whom told her they both had the same “presence.”
The aura, it’s very similar; I can feel it,” said friend Andrea, whose words brought tears to Niamh’s eyes. She got more emotional meeting Luisa’s mother, who actually mistook Niamh for her daughter from afar.
So what do you think happened when the doppelgangers came face-to-face? Watch the video to find out.
Source…www.ndtv.com and http://www.you tube.com
Natarajan
” Ouch….Little Girl Hit by a Salute of Soldier …”
Image courtesy: Screengrabs from video tweeted by @ruthmosalski
LONDON: A six-year-old British girl chosen to give a posy to Queen Elizabeth II got more than she bargained for when a soldier standing next to her knocked off her hat during a salute.
Maisie Gregory had donned a traditional Welsh costume for her meeting with the royal in Cardiff on Thursday, and presented the flowers and made a curtesy without a hitch.
But as the queen moved away, the soldier next to Maisie lifted his arm into a salute and knocked off her bonnet, prompting the girl to run to her mother standing behind.
The soldier immediately turned around and apologised to Maisie and her mother, according to the WalesOnline website.
Joanne Gregory, who is married to a soldier, replied that her daughter was fine but overcome with tiredness.
Source…www.ndtv.com
” FaceBook அடிமைகளா நாம் எல்லோரும் …” ?
உழைப்பு யாருடையது, செல்வம் யாருடையது… என்பது ஆந்திராவின் மக்கள் கவிஞரான செரபண்ட ராஜுவின் கவிதை வரி.
இந்த ஆவேச வரிகள் உழைக்கும் மக்களுக்காக எழுதப்பட்டவை. ஃபேஸ்புக் தொடர்பாக அமெரிக்கரான மைக்கேல் ரோசன்பிளம் என்பவர் எழுதியுள்ள இணைய பத்தியை படிக்கும்போது இந்த வரிகள் தான் நினைவுக்கு வருகின்றன. உழைப்பாளிகளுக்கான செரபண்ட ராஜுவின் தார்மீக கோபம் போல, ரோசன்பிளம் இணையவாசிகளின் சார்பில், உள்ளடக்கம் யாருடையது, செல்வம் யாருடையது? என கேட்டு இந்தப் பத்தியை எழுதியிருக்கிறார்.
ஹஃபிங்டன் போஸ்ட் இணைய இதழில் ஃபேஸ்புக்கை தொழிற்சங்கமயமாக்குவோம் (Let’s Unionize Facebook) எனும் தலைப்பில் எழுதியுள்ள இந்தப் பத்தியில், அவர் நாமெல்லாம் ஃபேஸ்புக் அடிமைகளா? என்று கேள்வி எழுப்புகிறார். ஃபேஸ்புக்குக்கு மட்டும் அல்ல, டிவிட்டர் அடிமைகள், இன்ஸ்டாகிராம் அடிமைகள் என்றும் குறிப்பிடுகிறார். இந்த இணைய சேவைகளுக்காக நாம் ஓயாமல் உள்ளடக்கத்தை உருவாக்கி கொடுத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறோம் என்றும் அவர் குறைப்பட்டுக்கொள்கிறார்.
இந்தக் கருத்துக்கு அவர் வந்து நிற்கும் விதம்தான் கவனத்துக்கு உரியது. வரலாற்றின் இடைப்பட்ட காலமான 15-ம் நூற்றாண்டில் நிலமே பெரும் செல்வமாக கருதப்பட்டதாகவும், பெரும் நிலப்பரப்பை கொண்ட பிரபுக்களிடம் பலரும் அடிமைகளாக வேலை பார்த்தனர் என்றும் குறிப்பிடுகிறார்
சைபர்வெளி அடிமைகள்
காலம் மாறியிருக்கிறதே தவிர வரலாறு மாறவில்லை. இன்று நிலம் என்பது சைபர்வெளியாகி இருக்கிறது, அதில் நாமெல்லாம் அடிமைகளாக இருக்கிறோம், அமேசானின் ஜெப் பெசோசும், ஃபேஸ்புக்கின் ஜக்கர்பெர்கும் இணைய பிரபுக்களாக நமது உள்ளடக்கத்தைக் கொண்டு செல்வம் சேர்த்துக்கொண்டிருப்பதாகவும் அவர் குறிப்பிடுகிறார்.
ஃபேஸ்புக்கின் 100 சதவீத உள்ளடக்கம் நம்முடையது அல்லவா என கேட்கும், இதை இலவசமாக செய்து கொண்டிருக்கும் முட்டாள்கள் அல்லவா நாம் என்றும் கேட்கிறார். இதை அவர் சொல்லும் விதம் இன்னும் துடிப்பாக இருக்கிறது. தினமும் நாம் எந்த ஊதியமும் பெறாமல், ஜக்கர்பர்கின் இணைய நிலத்தில் குடியிருக்கும் உரிமைக்காக அவருக்காக உள்ளடக்கத்தை உருவாக்கி கொண்டிருக்கிறோம் என்றும் அவர் சுட்டிக்காட்டுகிறார். ஜக்கர்பர்கின் 33 பில்லியன் டாலர் செல்வமும் நாம் சேர்த்து கொடுத்தது என்கிறார்.
இதன் பிறகு அவர் சொல்லும் விஷயம் என்ன தெரியும? 20-ம் நூற்றாண்டில் இங்கிலாந்து மற்றும் அமெரிக்காவில் உள்ள தொழிலாளர்கள் தங்களிடம் உழைப்பு எனும் சக்தி இருப்பதை உணர்ந்து கொண்டு அதன் ஆற்றலை உணர்த்த தொழிற்சங்கம் அமைத்துக்கொண்டது போல, ஃபேஸ்புக் பயனாளிகள் தொழிற்சங்கம் அமைக்கலாகாதா? என்றும் ரோசன்பிளம் கேள்வி எழுப்புகிறார்.
ஃபேஸ்புக்குக்காக உழைப்பு!
நிச்சயம் புதுவிதமான சிந்தனை தான். அதற்காக ஃபேஸ்புக்குக்கு எதிராக நாம் கொடி பிடித்துப் போராட வேண்டும் என்று அர்த்தமில்லை. ஆனால், நிச்சயம் நமது ஃபேஸ்புக் பழக்கம் பற்றி யோசித்தாக வேண்டும். ஃபேஸ்புக்கை இலவச சேவையாக கருதி மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் பயன்படுத்திக்கொண்டிருக்கிறோம். ஆனால் நமது உள்ளடக்கத்தை வைத்து ஃபேஸ்புக் விளம்பர வருவாயை அள்ளிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது என்பதை மறந்து விடுகிறோம். நம்மை அறியாமல் நாம் ஃபேஸ்புக் போன்ற தளங்களுக்காக அடிமைகள் போல உள்ளடக்கத்தை உருவாக்கி கொண்டிருக்கிறோம்.
இந்தக் கருத்து உங்களுக்கு ஏற்புடையதாக இல்லாமல் இருக்கலாம். சமூக வலைப்பின்னலாக அது ஏற்படுத்தி தரும் பலன்களை வைத்து நீங்கள் வாதிடலாம். உண்மைதான், ஃபேஸ்புக் இணைய யுகத்தில் நட்புக்கும், தகவல் பரிமாற்றத்துக்கும் இன்னும் பல பயன்களுக்கும் வித்திட்டிருக்கிறது. மறுப்பதற்கில்லை. பல நேரங்களில் ஃபேஸ்புக் போன்ற சேவைகள் சமூக ஊடகங்களாக செயல்படுகின்றன. எகிப்திலும் வளைகுடா நாடுகளிலும் மலர்ந்த சமூகப் புரட்சியில் ஃபேஸ்புக்குக்கும் அதன் சமூக சகாக்களுக்கும் முக்கிய பங்கிருக்கிறது. சமூக ஊடகங்களில் பயன்பாட்டுக்கு இன்னும் நிறைய உதாரணங்கள் இருக்கின்றன.
ஃபேஸ்புக் பயன்பாடு
ஃபேஸ்புக்கை நாம் எப்படிப் பயன்படுத்தப் பழகியிருக்கிறோம் என்பதுதான் பிரச்னை. சமூக வலைப்பின்னலாக ஃபேஸ்புக்கின் ஆதார பலம் நண்பர்கள், நண்பர்களின் நண்பர்கள், அவர்களின் நண்பர்கள் என நட்பு வளையத்தை விரியச்செய்வதுதான். இந்த நட்பு வளையத்தில் எதைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்கிறோம் என்பதும், எதற்காக பகிர்ந்து கொள்கிறோம் என்பது முக்கியமானது இல்லையா?
எல்லாவற்றையும் நிலைத்தகவலாக பகிர்ந்து கொள்வது இயல்பாக இருக்கிறது. வீட்டு விஷேசத்தில் எடுத்த புகைப்படங்களையும், சுற்றுலா பயணத்தில் எடுத்த புகைப்படங்களையும் எந்த யோசனையும் இல்லாமல் ஃபேஸ்புக்கில் பகிர்கிறோம். அதனால் என்ன வந்துவிடப்போகிறது?
ஆனால், உங்கள் தனிப்பட்ட பயணம் பற்றிய புகைப்படம், நண்பர்களின் நண்பர்களுக்கு எந்த விதத்தில் அவசியமானது என்று யோசித்துப்பாருங்கள்? உங்கள் மகனுடனோ, மகளுடனோ இருக்கும் புகைப்படம் நிலைத்தகவலாக வெளியிடுவது எதற்காக? அவற்றுக்கு காரணம் இல்லாமல் கிடைக்கும் லைக்குகளை விட்டுத்தள்ளுங்கள்.
புகைப்படங்களை நண்பர்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வது இயல்பானது தான். வீட்டுக்கு வரும் நண்பர்களிடமும் உறவினர்களிடமும் புகைப்பட ஆல்பத்தை காண்பித்து மகிழ்வது வழக்கமானது தான். ஆனால் நன்றாக யோசித்துப்பாருங்கள், எல்லோரிடமும் நீங்கள் இவ்வாறு செய்வதில்லை. அதற்கு ஒரு பரஸ்பர நெருக்கம் தேவை. வரவேற்பறையில் பேசிக்கொண்டிருக்கும் எல்லா நண்பர்களுக்கும் நீங்கள் புகைப்பட ஆல்பத்தை காட்ட விரும்ப மாட்டீர்கள். அதற்கான நெருக்கமும் இணக்கமும் இல்லாத நிலையில் அந்த நண்பரும் கூட அதை விரும்பமாட்டார். இதெல்லாம் எழுதப்படாத சமூக விதிகள். இயல்பாக எல்லோரும் அனுசரித்து நடப்பவை.
தனியுரிமை கவலை
ஆனால் ஃபேஸ்புக்கில் சொந்த ஊர் பயண புகைப்படங்களை பகிர்ந்து கொள்வது எந்தவகையான வெளிப்பாடு? ஊர் மாறியிருக்கிறது, விவசாயம் மங்கிவிட்டது போன்ற பொதுவான எண்ணங்களை பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளலாம். கிராமத்து மண்வாசத்தையும் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளலாம். ஆனால் தனிப்பட்ட குடும்பக் காட்சிகளை சித்தரிக்கும் புகைப்படங்களை பகிர்வது எதனால்? உங்கள் பிள்ளைகளின் புகைப்படங்களும் குடும்பத்தின் புகைப்படங்களும் தேவையில்லாமல் இணையத்தில் எல்லா இடங்களிலும் இறைந்து கிடப்பது நல்லதல்ல.
வேலைக்கு ஆள் எடுக்கும் நிறுவனங்கள், விண்ணப்பித்தவர்கள் பற்றி தகவல்கள் சேகரிக்க சமூக வலைப்பின்னல் பக்கங்களை அலசிக்கொண்டிருக்கின்றன என்பது உங்களுக்குத் தெரியுமா? விண்ணப்பத்தில் குறிப்பிடும் தகவல்களை எல்லாம் விட ஒருவரைப் பற்றிய சித்திரத்தை அவரது சமூக வலைப்பின்னல் பதிவுகள் உணர்த்தி விடுவதாக கருதப்படுவதும் உங்களுக்குத் தெரியுமா? இன்சூரன்ஸ் நிறுவனங்கள் ஃபேஸ்புக் பதிவுகளை ஆதாரமாகக் கொண்டு செயல்படுவதாக கூறப்படுவதை அறிந்திருக்கிறீர்களா?
நேற்று நீங்கள் ஃபேஸ்புக்கில் எந்தச் சிந்தனையும் இல்லாமல் பகிர்ந்து கொண்ட தகவலும் புகைப்படமும் என்றேனும் ஒரு நாள் உங்களுக்கு வில்லங்கமாக முடியும் வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது என்பதும் தெரியுமா?
ஜார்ஜ் ஆர்வெல் சித்தரித்த கண்காணிப்பு யுகம் போல நாளை யாரேனும், ஃபேஸ்புக்கில் நீங்கள் விரோதமான கருத்தை சொல்லியிருந்தீர்களே என்று கேட்கக்கூடிய நிலை வரலாம். இது கற்பனை தான். ஆனால் நிகழாது என்று சொல்வதற்கில்லை.
என்ன செய்யலாம் ?
அதற்காக ஃபேஸ்புக் பயன்பாடே தவறு என்று பொருள் அல்ல. அது உங்கள் விருப்பம்; உரிமையும் கூட. ஃபேஸ்புக்கைப் பயன்படுத்துங்கள், ஆனால் எதற்காக பயன்படுத்துகிறோம் என யோசிக்கவும் செய்யுங்கள். லைக்குகளுக்கும், கமெண்ட்ஸுக்கும் ஆசைபட்டு நீங்கள் பொதுவில் பகிர விரும்பாத எதையும் இணையத்தில் ஆவணப்படுத்தாதீர்கள். இணையத்தில் வெளியிட்ட எதையும் நீங்கள் திரும்ப பெற முடியாது? உங்கள் பக்கத்தில் டெலிட் செய்தாலும் அதற்கு முன்பாகவே அதன் நகல் இணையத்தில் பல இடங்களில் பதிவாகி இருக்கும்.
எனவே, எதையும் பகிரும் முன், இது சமூக வெளிக்கு ஏற்றதா என யோசியுங்கள்.
கருத்துகள் என்றால் வலைப்பதிவாக எழுத முடியுமா என முயன்று பாருங்கள். புகைப்படங்கள் என்றால் இமெயில் மூலம் தேர்ந்தெடுத்த நண்பர்களுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளலாமா என யோசியுங்கள்.
மறக்காமல் ஃபேஸ்புக்கின் தனியுரிமை அமைப்புக்கு (பிரைவசி செட்டிங்) சென்று பாருங்கள். எந்த வகை தகவல்கள் யாருக்கானவை என தீர்மானியுங்கள். தனியுரிமையில் இறுதி அதிகாரம் ஃபேஸ்புக்கிடமே இருக்கிறது என்றாலும் கொடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ள உரிமையையாவது பயன்படுத்திக்கொள்ளுங்கள்.
இது ஃபேஸ்புக்கைச் சரியாக பயன்படுத்த வைக்கும்.
விக்கி வாழ்க!
வலைப்பதிவு யுகம் முடிந்து ஃபேஸ்புக் யுகம் துவங்கியிருப்பதாக கருதப்படும் நிலையில், பலரும் வலைப்பதிவுக்கு முழுக்கு போட்டு ஃபேஸ்புக் படைப்பாளிகளாக மாறுகிறார்கள் என்று சொல்லப்படும் காலத்தில் இந்த எதிர்கருத்து ஆச்சர்யத்தை அளிக்கலாம். ஆனால் இணையத்தில் தனியுரிமையின் அவசியத்தையும் அதன் அலட்சியத்தால் ஏற்படக்கூடிய பாதிப்புகளையும் மெல்ல உணரத் துவங்கியிருக்கிறோம் என்பதையும் மறந்துவிடக்கூடாது.
எல்லாவற்றையும் பகிரும் போக்கு பற்றிய கேள்விகளை எழுப்புவதுதான் இந்தப் பதிவின் நோக்கம்.
இன்னொரு முக்கிய விஷயம், சமூக ஊடக் பயன்பாட்டில் ஒருவர் தனக்கான சரியான வலைப்பின்னலைக் கண்டுகொள்வதும் முக்கியம். கல்லூரி மாணவர்களுக்கும், பணியிடத்தில் இருப்பவர்களுக்கும் ஃபேஸ்புக் பயன்பாடு கேளிக்கையைத் தரலாம். ஆனால் தொழில்முறை நபர்களுக்கான லிங்க்டுஇன் சமூக வலைப்பின்னல் தங்களுக்கு இன்னும் பொருத்தமாக இருக்காதா? என யோசிக்க வேண்டும்.
இவ்வளவு ஏன் விக்கிபீடியா கூட சமூக வலைப்பின்னல் ரகத்தைச் சேர்ந்ததுதான் தெரியுமா? ஓயாமல் நிலைத்தகவல் பதிவு செய்வதற்கு நடுவே விக்கிபீடியாவிலும் நல்ல தகவல்களைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளலாமே!
ஃபேஸ்புக் தொடர்பான மைக்கேல் ரோசன்பிளம்’ கட்டுரை: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-rosenblum/lets-unionize-facebook_b_7526822.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in
குறிப்பு: ஃபேஸ்புக் தொடர்பான சிந்தனைகளில் ஓபன் சோர்ஸ் முன்னோடியான ரிச்சர்ட் ஸ்டால்மன் கருத்துகள் முக்கியமானவை. ஃபேஸ்புக் பயன்பாட்டுக்கு எதிராக அவர் எழுதிய கட்டுரை எழுப்பும் கேள்விகள் சிந்தனைக்குரியவை; https://stallman.org/facebook.html
source….சைபர்சிம்மன் in http://www.dinamani.com
Natarajan
Nek Chand…Creator of Rock Garden …
Five things you must know about Rock Garden’s creator Nek Chand
Nek Chand hailed from Shakargarh region (now in Pakistan) of Gurdaspur district. HT Photo
Nek Chand, the creator of the Rock Garden, died aged 90 at Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). He breathed his last at 12.11am on Friday…..12 June 2015.
He is known across the world for creating the iconic Rock Garden that is twenty five acres of several thousand sculptures made of recycled material set in large mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and deep gorges, combining a series of interlinking waterfalls.
Here are few things that you must know about this artistic wonder and its brilliant creator:
1.The creator belonged to Shakargarh region (now in Pakistan) of Gurdaspur district.
2.In the early 1960s, Chand began to clear a little patch in a forest near Sukhna Lake to make himself a small garden. He set stones around the little clearing and before long sculpted a few figures recycled from discarded and recyclable materials he found at hand.
3.A road inspector by day, he worked at night for fear of being discovered by the authorities but when he was found out, they decided to give him a salary and a workforce of 50 labourers to help him fulfil his dream.
4.The garden was inaugurated as a public space in 1976, bringing him immediate recognition.
5.The Rock Garden is now acknowledged as one of the modern wonders of the world and receives over 5,000 visitors each day.
Source….www.hindustantimes.com
Natarajan
A Desperate Thirst…
Reuters photographer Soe Zeya Tun captures the plight of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants who were rescued off Myanmar’s southern coast last week from a boat carrying 734 people through these moving images.
Months have gone with little water and food for them. Everyone was dirty and had likely washed little while at sea. And then the sky opened up…
A group of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants from a boat carrying 734 people were rescued off Myanmar’s southern coast last week. Those on board had been at sea for more than two months, at the end with little food or water.
The men in this photo were part of a group of 400 crammed into a warehouse by Myanmar police. They had arrived the day before, but while the women, children and some men had already been moved, these men were left behind.
Just moments before this shot, the sky opened up and the monsoon rains started coming down. The men were jostling with each other for space to catch water in their bottles and plates, recalls photographer Soe Zeya Tun.
There was no sign of the United Nations refugee agency or foreign aid agencies.
“I could see just how meaningful it was for them to suddenly have a chance to drink and clean themselves with whatever small amount of water they could capture. Every drop was precious,” says Tun.
The men were later loaded into buses and trucks and driven to a camp where international aid agencies were waiting. The migrants reach for bags of food as they sit at the back of a truck while being sent to Mee Tike temporary refugee camp located near the Bangladesh border fence, at Kanyin Chaung jetty outside Maungdaw township, northern Rakhine state, Myanmar on June 4.
A migrant, who was found at sea on a boat, sits on a bus as she is moved to Taung Pyo.
A Myanmar military officer gestures from a boat packed with migrants off Leik Island in the Andaman Sea, May 31.
Photographs: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters
Source….www.rediff.com
Natarajan
Meet Pratibha Krishnaiah Who works in a Village now After Leaving a Lucrative Career
India is witnessing a radical transformation where highly qualified youngsters are giving up cushy jobs to make a difference in the lives of poor people in rural areas.
Manu A B/Rediff.com tracks the success stories of some of the remarkable people who are working in remote villages to change the profile of rural India.
Pratibha Krishnaiah quit a lucrative career to help rural women in Uttarakhand.
It has been a paradigm shift for Pratibha Krishnaiah, who till last year was cozily placed, working as a software engineer in a multinational firm in Bangalore.
But these days she takes a grinding two-hour trek to reach her work place that is nestled in the Uttarakhand valley and has been trying to bring about a positive change amongst the rural women folk spread across three villages.
Pratibha Krishnaiah has been guiding women from Khetikhan, Tapni Pal and Dhat villages on how to be productive and earn money, without having to leave their families to distant towns to eke out a living.
Pratibha trains women on knitting new products
Pratibha says life in the mountains has taught her a lot and made her own life more worthwhile. Earlier even waking up early was so difficult. Now she easily gets up by 4.30 everyday and starts the day with yoga and jogging. Walking uphill to interact with the women in the villages is not difficult anymore. “Personally, I have never felt so much happiness in my life. Living here been a great experience,” she says.
“It is really good to live with minimal income. I don’t have to worry about tax cuts neither do I have to think about good investment proposals. Money is not the most important thing in life. Though my job profile was good, I felt burnt out. I wanted to be close to nature and work dedicatedly in the villages and the SBI’s fellowship looked liked a magical opportunity. My parents thought it was a ridiculous idea to give up a good job but I convinced them to pursue my dream,” says Pratibha who is at peace now.
People in the village depend mostly on agriculture and it is a big gamble because weather plays a crucial role here. After months of hard work, when the crop is ready to be harvested, untimely rains just damage the yield which leads to huge losses. So it was important to find an alternate and steady income.
Cut off from the mainstream, the innocent villagers have little idea about the value of their products or their own capabilities. Empowering women, honing their inherent skills and finding a market for their unique products is now Pratibha’s mission.
After working for 7 years in Thomson Reuters, Pratibha realised that she needed to do something more meaningful in life. She was looking out for options to work in the rural sector when she came to know about the SBI Youth for India fellowship, which offers a 13-month stint to bring about positive changes in villages.
People in the village too thought she was crazy to give up a good city life to work in the harsh terrain that too in bad weather conditions, at a time when most youngsters in their villages were migrating to cities for better prospects.
Pratibha was captivated by the beauty and serenity of the place. But the initial days were grueling for a city-bred person like her.
“The first week was really tough. I was not used to such cold weather. I even thought I may not be able to survive there. But slowly I got acclimatised and settled well. The spirit of people is amazing and despite such tough conditions they go out to work and stay happy with meagre incomes. I realized that if you get satisfaction and peace from your work, that’s the best reward,” says Pratibha.
Once during heavy rains, the village did not have electricity for a week. Phone networks were down and they were literally cut off from the outside world. “For me it was a first experience but for the people here, it’s a way of life. They have no complaints,” says Pratibha.
Considering the harsh conditions, it was necessary to find an alternate source of income.Pratibha found that the women were good at knitting. These women are so good at multitasking that they will be knitting even while walking to the market carrying a big load on their head, she observed.
So she mobilised a group of 25 women to develop their skills in knitting and taught them crochet work. She provided them with elegant designs and helped them make small woollen products which have a good demand in cities.
She also trained them to make things like mufflers, shawls, small shoes, socks, hair clips and hair bands which can be made in lesser time. Pratibha then held an exhibition of these products at Bangalore and it was well received.
There is a good market for such products…If there is regular supply it would generate additional income for these women, says, Prathiba.
Though they are good at knitting and crochet work, they can’t give up working as labourers because it does not give them a steady income. So unfortunately these women are either toiling in the fields or working as labourers.
Partibha believes that there is so much scope for entrepreneurship here. It is a hard struggle for women who work as labourers for just Rs 20-30 a day. Most of them drop out from school or study till tenth as the government offers them Rs 50,000 for their marriage expenses if they study till tenth grade.
Pratibha plans to establish a market for their products in cities so that they have a steady income. She also has plans to set up a small scale industry, which can be run by these enterprising women.
Women on an average spent about 20 hours across a period of 1-2 weeks to knit a sweater which they sell for just Rs 250. I have now trained them to make clips which takes just 15 minutes to make and can be easily sold for Rs 15 a pair. A muffler which takes lesser time to stitch can be sold for Rs 300, so it saves them a lot of work and time,” says Pratibha.
NGOs like BAIF are a great support to the people here. Many of them have taken initiatives of creating self help groups for doing knitting work but it can be expanded on a large scale if all the women work together. They can make a better income with a collective effort, believes Prathibha.
The villagers are very simple people, not at all ambitious and most of them are ignorant about their own potential. They need a constant backing and support to get them out of the drudgery to better lives,” says Pratibha who wishes to continue supporting them even after the fellowship is over after 6 months.
Agriculture being a labour intensive job, people spend so much of time in the fields yet it ends up giving negligible returns at times. The village needs to have co-operative societies and government assistance to regulate buying and selling of agricultural produce. Most of the farmers go to the nearby town to sell their products at throwaway prices and later small shops from this village buy it from those traders, who sell it at much higher prices. So ironically people in the village end up paying more for their own produce.
“I live with an old couple here – Madhavanand and Bhagyalakhsmi. Both of them are above 70 years. I have seen the kind of hardships they go through to get the farming done. This year their entire barley cultivation has yielded nothing as rains wreaked havoc. I really wish to bring an end to such suffering. If they have an alternate means of liveliehood or have better marketing for their agricultural products, these hard working people can lead better lives,” explains Pratibha.
Most families make just Rs 2,000-3000 a month. Some months they just don’t earn anything.
Organic farming is also good practice here. Unfortunately, even farmers like Mahesh Chander who has been a crusader of organic farming is yet to get a certification for his farm. He has even made organic pesticides with medicinal plants. There is no support from the government to support such dedicated people,” says Prathibha who wants to focus on organic farming as well in future.
Pratibha also plans to starts an organic farm, go back to natural ways of farming and set up model farms. She believes that these are just small steps. But if more people come forward to help in rural development, we can really help people and build a sustainable economy.
If you wish to help Pratibha, you can mail her pratikrish@gmail.com
If you wish to join the movement to bring about a change in rural India or would like to contribute in any way, you can send a mail to shuvajit@youthforindia.org
Source…www.rediff.com
Natarajan
Message For the Day…” Who is to be Called Human…” ?
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Humans are full of love. Their hearts are springs of mercy. They are endowed with true speech. Peace is the characteristic of the human mind; it is its innate quality. There is no need to go anywhere else in search of peace. Just as gold and silver lie hidden under the earth, and pearl and coral under the sea, peace and joy lie hidden in the activities of the mind. Desirous of acquiring these hidden treasures, if one dives and turns mental activities inward, one becomes full of love. Only one who has so filled oneself with love and who lives in the light of that love can be called human. Those devoid of love are demons, monsters and subhumans. That holy quality of love will not waver in its presence; it will be ever present, without change. It is one and indivisible. Those saturated with love are incapable of spite, selfishness, injustice, wrong, and misconduct.
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Singapore…. From Swampy Land Mass to Most Livable City in the World …!!!
The Legendary Toilets of Singapore
Over the years the city of Singapore has been described by many as one of the cleanest on Earth with roads and toilets being “clean enough to eat off“, which is perhaps to be expected from a city where it’s illegal not to flush a public toilet.
The reason why toilets in Singapore are so insanely clean can be traced back to the work of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first and arguably most popular prime minister. Kuan Yew rose to power in 1959 and continued to serve as Singapore’s leader for 31 years until he decided to step down in 1990. When Singapore became an independent nation in 1965, Kuan Yew is noted as being instrumental to the the small city-state being able to so quickly transform itself from being a “poor port from the bottom rungs of the third world” to being one of the most profitable and prosperous economies on the planet.
Kuan Yew accomplished this through a series of reforms aimed at making the country an overall nicer place to live including:
- Enacting legislation to make prosecuting corrupt officials easier as well as “relentlessly pursuing” corruption wherever he encountered it.
- Paying civil servants decent wages to ensure the jobs would be tempting to Singapore’s best and brightest and giving them bonuses based on how well the Singapore’s economy does on a yearly basis.
- Inviting foreign corporations to set up shop in his country to create reliable employment for his citizens and foster international relations.
- Establishing the Housing and Development Board to help house residents without homes into newly built apartments. Further, unlike most nation’s public housing, Singapore’s is quite nice, places people actually want to live.
- Drafting legislation to plant tress and clean up the cities waterways and rivers which were notably filthy. Kuan Yew was so serious about making Singapore cleaner, he famously promised that if his dream wasn’t a reality by 1986 and he was still in charge, that he’d personally hunt down whomever was responsible for the failure and shoot them. Because he wasn’t playing around.
- Creating the Water Planning Unit, which was tasked with helping the country become less dependent on water from Malaysia, which was threatening to cut off their water supply after Singapore gained independence. This initiative, like so many others he enacted, was a
- resounding success, with Time magazine later calling Singapore “the global paragon of water conservation.” In fact, their system is so efficient that they even can, and do, process non-potable waste-water into high-purity drinking water.
- Imposing stiff taxes on car ownership and enacting the Clean Air Act as well as creating the Anti-Pollution Unit, to help keep Singapore’s air pollution levels at an acceptable, healthy level.
By far Kuan Yew’s most infamous policies though were his incredibly strict rules in regards to public cleanliness, most if not all of which carry hefty fines if you’re caught breaking them. For example, not flushing a public toilet is considered a crime in Singapore and if you’re caught flouting it, you will be given an on the spot fine of about 150 dollars, more if you’re a repeat offender. Likewise, littering carries an equally heavy fine of about 300 dollars or more, depending on the size of the item. Smaller items like candy wrappers usually incur a lesser fine, whilst things like soda cans can net you a trip to court and even a caning if you’re caught.
- Kuan Yew’s biggest bugbear, however, was chewing gum; he hated it with such a passion that since the 1990s, gum has been outright banned in the country. This was later (partially) repealed in 2004 and gum is now okay to be brought into the country in small quantities and dentists are allowed to prescribe it for certain medical conditions.
While this may seem a tad extreme, Kuan Yew’s annoyance with gum chewing wasn’t without precedent. You see, prior to the ban in 1992, the government was spending upwards of 150,000 dollars a year to clean it up and vandals were using it to disrupt the sensors on the country’s newly built subway trains, stopping their doors from shutting and in the process causing huge delays. After the ban, cases of such gum littering plummeted and the associated costs of cleaning it up dropped to negligible levels.
If you’re wondering how exactly Singapore enforces these dozens of laws, it’s mostly accomplished using hundreds of undercover police officers who have the power to issue on the spot fines to anyone seen flouting them. Officers are known to check toilets after they’ve been used and even install security cameras if they receive multiple complaints on a particular toilet, to catch offenders in the act.
- Perhaps our favourite Singapore cleanliness fact is that many of Singapore’s elevators have “Urine Detection Devices” which will lock the doors of an elevator and summon the police to your location to arrest you if it detects that you’re relieving yourself in one.
All of this may seem excessive, but the results really speak for themselves; today, Singapore is largely considered one of the world’s leading economies and the city itself is one of the most industrious, safe, clean, nicest to live and richest on Earth. In fact, Singapore is currently enjoying 16 consecutive years on the top spot of the “world’s most livable cities“, and is also generally considered the world’s best city for businesses. Not bad for a place that was up until about 50 years ago or so described as a “swampy land mass“.
Source…www.today i foundout.com
Natarajan
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