leadership

Malala Yousafzai Missed out on Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 For being too Young ….

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Malala Yousufzai missed out on peace prize in 2013 for being too young, Nobel Institute admits
Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai awarded the Nobel peace prize for 2014.
LONDON: The Norwegian Nobel Institute has admitted for the first time ever, that the global figurehead for a girl’s right to an education — Malala Yousafzai missed out on the Nobel peace prize in 2013 for being too young.She however won the world’s most coveted prize on Friday. This still makes her the youngest Nobel laureate ever at the age of 17.

So far, 47 Nobel prizes have gone to women between 1901 and 2014. Malala became the 16th woman being awarded the Nobel peace prize which also includes Mother Teresa from India.

Director of the Nobel Institute in Oslo Geir Lundestad told TOI in an exclusive interview “It is a tremendous responsibility to win the Nobel prize. And when you give it to someone too young or too unknown, it changes their life forever. We throw them out to the world stage overnight. We felt the same about Malala last year and thought it was too early for her to receive the prize”.

READ ALSO: Malala: Idol to the world, outcast at home

The Nobel committee was also wary whether Malala would be able to handle the pressure that comes from global fame and expectation after winning the Nobel prize.

“However, Malala has performed very well over the past year as a global ambassador for education and we felt it was time to give her the prize,” Lundestad told TOI.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee had awarded the prize in 2013 to the International Chemical Weapons watchdog that is destroying poison gas stockpiles in Syria, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

READ ALSO: Full list of Nobel peace prize winners

Malala was however very gracious in defeat even though she was the favourite to win. She said OPCW deserved to win the prize and said on Twitter “congratulate the OPCW and thank it for its wonderful work for humanity”.

Later when asked on missing the prize, she said “I think that it’s really an early age. But there’s always later. I would feel proud, when I would work for education, when I would have done something, when I would be feeling confident to tell people, Yes, I have built that school; I have done that teachers’ training, I have sent that (many) children to school. Then if I get the Nobel peace prize, I will be saying, Yeah, I deserve it, somehow”.One of the events that caught the Nobel committee’s eye was the confidence with which Malala addressed the UN.

She told the elite gathering on her 16th birthday that books and pens scare extremists. Malala has been credited with bringing the issue of women’s education to global attention. A quarter of young women around the world have not completed primary school.

Malala in 2013 also won the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2013. Yousafzai was a student from the town of Mingora in Swat District, Pakistan, known for her women’s rights activism in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban regime has banned girls from attending school.

She gave her first public speech in September 2008, entitled “How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to an education?”

When all girls schools under Taliban control were closed in January 2009, she started a blog for BBC Urdu under the pseudonym of Gul Makai, a folklore heroine. The blog brought fame to Malala and her fight. Threats to her family followed as soon as her identity was revealed, leading up to an assassination attempt in October 2012, when she was shot in the head and neck by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus.Malala has gained global recognition as a human rights fighter militating for the right to female education, freedom and self-determination.

She then said that a country’s strength should not be measured by its army but by the number of educated people in it.

Making a passionate plea for more education, Malala said “We are all here together united to help these children, to speak for them, to take action. These children do not want an I phone, an X-box, a Playstation or chocolates. They just want a book and a pen”.

Malala recently went silent for 24 hours to show solidarity with children whose voices are silenced.
BOTTOM LINE::::: KINDLY CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK AND READ MY EARLIER BLOG ON MALALA YOUSAFZAI  … BLOG dated  11 october 2013..
https://natarajank.com/2013/10/11/16-year-old-malala-yousafzai-leave-jon-stewart-speechless/
 Natarajan
SOURCE:::: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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India”s Kailash Satyarthi Shares Nobel Prize for Peace with Pakistan’s Malala Yousufzai !!!

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All about Kailash Satyarthi, India’s Peace Nobel winner

Indian child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Pakistani

teenager Malala Yousufzai who stood up to the Taliban and survived a near-fatal shooting.

 

NEW DELHI: Possibly India’s best known face against child labour, Kailash Satyarthi shares this year’s Nobel Peace Prize with Pakistani child rights activist Malala. He and his organisation, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) – the Save Childhood Movement, have single-handedly brought to centre-stage the debate on child rights in India.

“Child slavery is a crime against humanity. Humanity itself is at stake here. A lot of work still remains but I will see the end of child labor in my lifetime,” Satyarthi told The Associated Press at his office in New Delhi. “If any child is a child slave in any part of the world, it is a blot on humanity. It is a disgrace.”

The Nobel committee said: ‘Satyarthi, 60, has maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, “focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain.’

Here’s all that you need to know about Kailash Satyarthi:

#1 A human rights activist, Kailash Satyarthi has been at the forefront of a movement in India to end child slavery and exploitative child labour since 1980. Satyarthi has helped free children from slave-labor conditions and advocated for reforms, as director of the South Asia Coalition on Child Servitude and leader of Bachpan Bachao Andolan. In 1994, he founded a group now known as Goodweave, which certifies child-labor-free rugs and provides assistance to rescued and at-risk children.

#2 Kailash Satyarthi has headed various forms of peaceful protests and demonstrations, focusing on the exploitation of children for financial gain.

#3 In 1980, Kailash Satyarthi gave up his job as an electrical engineer to begin the crusade to end exploitation of children in India. As a grassroots activist, he rescued of over 78,500 children who were employed as child labours and developed a successful model for their education and rehabilitation.

#4 He was instrumental in making the problem of child labour in India as a human rights issue. He has established that child labor is responsible for the perpetuation of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, population explosion and many other social evils.

#5 Satyarthi has also played an important role in linking the fight against child labor with the efforts for achieving ‘Education for All’.

#6 The Nobel Laureate is a member of a high level group formed by UNESCO on Education for all comprising of select Presidents, Prime Ministers and UN Agency Heads.

#7 Kailash Satyarthi has survived numerous attacks on his life during his crusade to end child labour, the most recent being the attack on him and his colleagues while rescuing child slaves from garment sweatshops in Delhi on 17 March 2011.

#8 In 2004 while rescuing children from a local circus mafia, Kailash Satyarthi and his colleagues were brutally attacked. Despite of these attacks and his office being ransacked a number of times his commitment for the cause has been unwavering.

#9 Satyarthi has been honoured by the Former US President Bill Clinton in Washington for featuring in Kerry Kennedy’s Book ‘Speak Truth to Power’, where his life and work featured among the top 50 human rights defenders in the world.

#10 Wikipedia states that Satyarthi has been the subject of a number of documentaries, television series, talk shows, advocacy and awareness films.

He has also won many international awards, including:

·       2014: Nobel Peace Prize, shared with Malala Yousafzai

·       2009: Defenders of Democracy Award (US)

·       2008: Alfonso Comin International Award (Spain)

·       2007: Medal of the Italian Senate (2007)

·       2007: recognized in the list of “Heroes Acting to End Modern Day Slavery” by the US State Department[3]

·       2006: Freedom Award (US)

·       2002: Wallenberg Medal, awarded by the University of Michigan[4]

·       1999: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Award (Germany)[5]

·       1995: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (US)[6]

·       1985: The Trumpeter Award (US)

·       1984: The Aachener International Peace Award (Germany)

 

In his first reaction after the Nobel prize committee in Oslo announced Satyarthi and Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai as the joint winners of this year’s Peace Nobel, the 60-year-old head of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan thanked the committee for recognising the plight of millions of children and said the award will help bring global focus on the issue.

What did Kailash Satyarthi say after winning the Nobel Peace prize?

“I am thankful to the Nobel committee for recognising the plight of millions of children who are suffering in this modern age. It is a huge honour for me,” said Satyarthi, who became the second Indian to win the award after Mother Teresa who won it in 1979.

Satyarthi, who is an avid follower of Gandhian philosophy, however, said he would have been happier if the award had gone to the Father of the Nation.

“I was born after the death of Mahatma Gandhi. If the prize had gone to Mahatma Gandhi before me, I would have been more honoured. I am really honoured. This award is for all the citizens of the country,” he said.

Satyarthi, whose organisation has been in the forefront of rescuing children from forced labour and trafficking, said he was happy that the issue has received global attention.

“This is not about simply poverty and rights of children. It is more than that. The fight has to continue. We are happy that the issue has been recognised globally now. I will continue my work,” he said.

The Bachpan Bachao Andolan, established in 1983, is credited with freeing over 80,000 child labourers across India. “We are very humbly fighting for child rights and the award has put more responsibility on me to work towards welfare of children. This is a major issue in India as well as in many other countries,” he said.

A former electrical engineer, Satyarthi has been involved in various global campaigns against exploitation of children which include Global March Against Child Labour, the International Center on Child Labor and Education and the Global Campaign for Education.

Source::::yahoo india.com and Indiatoday .intoday.in

Why Blue LEDs are Worth a Nobel Prize ….

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Blue light-emitting diodes help create the glowing screens of mobile phones, computers and TVs and promises to revolutionise the way the world lights its homes and offices.

Shivanand Kanavi reports on the importance of these little lights that won the Nobel Prize this year.

White and blue light emitting diodes used as Christmas decorations in Tokyo. Photograph: Toru Hanai/Reuters

That bluish-white light glowing from the screens of most new televisions, smartphones, laptops and tablet computers?

It comes from light-emitting diodes, better known as LEDs. Many businesses light their work spaces with LEDs. More and more, LEDs light up outdoor street signs and traffic lights.

Some homeowners have begun turning to this new form of lighting to illuminate their rooms. And most cars and trucks now use these same LEDs in their tail lights.

Three scientists have now won the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics for developing the technology that has made this lighting possible.

On Tuesday, October 7, three Japan-born scientists — Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura — won the Nobel Prize in physics for the invention of blue light-emitting diodes — a new energy-efficient and environmentally friendly light source.

According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the committee that bestows the honour, which includes a prize money of 8 million kronor (Rs 6.8 crore/Rs 68 million), when Nakamura, Akasaki and Amono ‘produced bright blue light beams from their semiconductors in the early 1990s, they triggered a fundamental transformation of lighting technology.’

Explaining further, the committee said, ‘The LED lamp holds great promise for increasing the quality of life for over 1.5 billion people around the world who lack access to electricity grids.’

The question now that arises is can semiconductor chips, which have revolutionised the way we live, give us light? The answer today is, it can.

Such chips for lighting are not made of silicon, which is used in electronics but more complex semiconductors, made of alloys of gallium, indium, arsenic, nitrogen, aluminum, phosphorous.

It has been known since the turn of the century that some semiconductors emit light when a current is passed through them. However, it has taken almost a hundred years for technology to do it efficiently and inexpensively.

The discovery and perfection of direct conversion of electricity into light has also led to the reverse that is the development of more efficient solar panels to convert light into electricity.

The first bright LEDs to be invented were emitting red, then orange and yellow light. However, attempts at producing green and blue LEDs were not very successful till a Japanese scientist Shuji Nakamura invented a bright blue LED and later white LED in the mid-1990s.

Nakamura’s work brightened up the whole field and intense activity ensued leading to fast growth. He worked hard with very little funding and repeated disillusionment for several years to come up with blue LEDs.

The company he worked for at that time, Nichia is today one of the world leaders in blue and white LEDs and lasers. A few years ago, he moved out of Nichia and today, is a faculty member at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

LEDs for lighting purposes have many advantages. They convert electricity much more efficiently into light than say incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lamps. In fact, 90 per cent of energy in incandescent bulbs is wasted as heat.

LEDs also last much longer — up to 1,00,000 hours — that is more than 12 years of continuous operation. Whereas in the case of incandescent lamps, they last for 1,000 hours while fluorescent lamps last for 10,000 hours.

LEDs also consume less electricity, which is why batteries in a LED flashlight, for example, seem to go on forever. These make LEDs ideal if you are in a remote area on your own, camping or even in times of natural disaster.

However, LEDs do, like with all technology, have some flaws and weaknesses.

One the brightness of LEDs — that is measured in Lumens per Watt of electrical power — is still nowhere near the standard required for high brightness lighting. Secondly, the products are still expensive and lastly, the light is extremely bright in one direction hence, a LED light directed towards your work bench or a flashlight works well but if you try to light up your room with it then you end up using too many LEDs.

Image, Below: Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura, this year’s Nobel Prize winners for Physics.

ALSO READ:  Trio win Nobel for invention of blue LEDs

Shivanand Kanavi  in redii.com

Natarajan

” My Name Is Prof. Sandeep Desai…Pl join me In my Mission …”

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Why this Professor begs on Mumbai trains

MUMBAI:  52-year-old Professor Sandeep Desai is a familiar face on Mumbai’s local trains. He goes around begging on the crowded local trains to raise funds for running English medium schools for underprivileged children in rural Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Desai has been doing this for more than two years and has raised more than 50 lakh rupees that is used to run four schools. And the fifth school in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra is set to open next month. All this has been done because of the commuters who donate generously every time Professor Desai boards their compartment.

Raunak Mehta, a commuter on the Western Railway tells NDTV: “He has several news paper cut-outs about himself which he carries around with him. I have been travelling in this train for two years now and I see him every day, if he wasn’t genuine he wouldn’t come here every day. There are a lot of young children in India who are unable to receive education. Iif these children are getting support and are being educated because we made a small donation, then we are very grateful.”

Professor Desai says, “We are not organised as of now, but soon we will have the right people because people are now themselves taking interest in what we want to do in the future and volunteering to come up. We are not only going to have volunteers, we are also going to have some employees who will be demarcated for certain responsibilities and every year we plan to start one more school.”

Meanwhile, for the five hundred students who benefit from Professor Desai’s endeavour, it is a life changing opportunity. In Umarkhed taluka of the far-flung Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, which is in the Vidarbha region known for farmers’ suicides children spend four hours in school everyday learning, free of cost. Dhiraj Dongare, an Auto-Driver, who makes around Rs. 100 a day, says “I used to save money every day to ensure my kids get education. I never imagined I would be able to send them to an English medium school.  Professor Desai has made it possible for us to send our kids to an English medium school. He is like a god for us.”

Professor Desai however continues with his mission ever evening cajoling commuters with his talks on the trains. He says his job has just begun and there is a long road ahead. He begins his talk with these lines: “Good Afternoon to everybody, “Donating for education is the ultimate form of charity”. My name is professor Sandeep Desai, I am the founder trustee of Shlok Public Trust, in rural areas we operate English medium schools. I invite all of you’ll to join my mission.”

Professor Desai adds that he has been able to do this not only because of the generosity of commuters, but also the support from railway staff. As we reach our destination and board the train we hear him share yet another message with his fellow commuters, “If you give a man food, you only feed him for a day. If you give him education, you feed him for a lifetime.”

And as his box starts filling up with donation, Professor Desai smiles at us and says, “What is amazing is the number of people who want to do something but don’t know how to do it. And many of them are here on these local trains. I am hoping all of them will join me.”

Source::::ndtv.com

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NASA Invites Public to send their Names into Space !!!

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Over 2.8 lakh people from around the world, including 21,729 Indians, have so far submitted their names to be inscribed on a NASA microchip that will eventually fly to Mars.

NASA is giving people a chance to shoot their names up into space on the first Orion mission, scheduled to for launch on December 4, and then eventually to the Red Planet.

http://mars.nasa.gov/layout/embed/image/485snm/

Currently, 2,80,429 people have submitted their names to fly into space.

The highest number of names submitted to NASA so far from a single country – a total of 1,13,121 – comes from the USA while the third-largest submission of names is from India, with 21,729 space enthusiasts from the nation giving their names.

Other countries with high participation include UK (22,491 names), Philippines (9,869 names) and Canada (7,760 names). Currently, only 1,828 names have been submitted from China and 1,620 from Pakistan.

The collected names will be included on a microchip the size of a dime. The first trip will be on board NASA’s initial test flight for the new Orion spacecraft. It is set for a 4.5-hour mission in orbit around Earth.

“After returning to Earth, the names will fly on future NASA exploration flights and missions to Mars. With each flight, selected individuals will accrue more miles as members of a global space-faring society,” NASA said.

To sign up, users have to go to NASA’s name-collecting site, fill out some basic information, and submit. The site then generates a digital “boarding pass.”

The deadline for getting your name on Orion’s inaugural flight is October 31.

SOURCE::::: THE HINDU.COM

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Keywords: NASA, Orion

Image of the Day… Crater in Planet Mercury …

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One of the sharpest images ever obtained of Mercury

This unnamed crater is only 1.5 kilometers / 0.93 miles wide. It’s made more visible by the deep shadows cast on a Mercury afternoon.

Very closeup look at planet Mercury. Image obtained on August 3, 2014, via NASA / JHU / APL MESSENGER spacecraft.

Here is one of sharpest images ever obtained of the sun’s innermost planet, Mercury. It’s a small crater within a 3.75-kilometer / 2.33-mile-wide area within the Hokusai Quadrangle in Mercury’s Northern Hemisphere.

What you see here is seen an unnamed crater only 1.5 kilometers / 0.93 miles wide in the hermean [Mercury] afternoon. The surrounding terrain and the crater profiles appear quite smooth, owing to many millions of years of thermal changes between the hermean day and night as well as micrometeoroids, ‘gardening’ the regolith.

The smallest craters and degraded ghost craters seen in this image are only 20 meters / 65 feet wide.

The bright streak within the crater is a cosmic ray strike on the MDIS NAC CCD.

On September 12, 2014. the MESSENGER spacecraft periherm – its closest point to Mercury – was successfully raised from: 24.3 kilometers / 15.1 miles to 94 kilometers / 58.4 miles, extending the mission further.

Periherm will be raised again on October 24, 2014 and once more on January 21, 2015, when the fuel on board MESSENGER is expected to be depleted.

MESSENGER is expected to impact Mercury on the weekend of March 28-29, 2015.

Source::::   in earth sky news

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World”s Shortest A 380 Route….Between Dubai and Kuwait !!!

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Photo: © Tommy Beattie | Dreamstime.com

Emirates now offers the world’s shortest Airbus A380 service. The Gulf carrier upgraded the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft that previously operated flights EK857 and EK858 between Dubai International Airport and Kuwait International Airport to superjumbo aircraft. Lasting one hour and 45 minutes in duration, the flight is the shortest A380 service globally. Emirates offers the route five times daily with both Boeing and Airbus aircraft. The carrier’s double-decker aircraft features 17 private suites in first class and 76 flat-bed seats in business class. Kuwait became the second destination in the Middle East to be served by Emirates’ A380, joining Riyadh International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

You may also like:

Emirates Business Class

Emirates Launches Private Jet Service

 

SOURCE::: news.com.au

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தமிழகம் மறந்த தலைவர் பக்தவத்சலம் ….

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பக்தவத்சலம் பிறந்த நாள்: 09.10.1897

மிகவும் தவறாகப் புரிந்துகொள்ளப்பட்ட தலைவர்களுள் பக்தவத்சலமும் ஒருவர்.

தமிழகத்தின் முன்னாள் முதல்வர் எம். பக்தவத்சலம் பிறந்தது புரட்டாசி உத்திரட்டாதியில். 90 ஆண்டுகள் வாழ்ந்தவரோடு இறுதி 13 ஆண்டுகள் எனக்குப் பழக்கமுண்டு. அது எனக்கு மீண்டும் ஒரு பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் படித்தது போலாயிற்று. அன்றைய தலைவர்களோடு இன்றைய தலைவர்களை வைத்துப் பார்த்தால், பகல் சுருங்கி இரவு கவிந்ததாகத் தெரியும்.

பக்தவத்சலம் தமிழ், ஆங்கிலம் இரு மொழிகளிலுமே நல்ல புலமையையும் தத்துவத்தில் ஆழ்ந்த ஈடுபாட்டை யும் கொண்டிருந்தார். “எனது தமிழாசிரியர் உ. வே. சாமிநாத ஐயர். ஆங்கில ஆசிரியர் ஹென்றி ஸ்டோன். சர்வபள்ளி ராதாகிருஷ்ணன் எனது தர்க்கப் பேராசிரியர்” என்பார்.

மிகவும் தவறாகப் புரிந்துகொள்ளப்பட்டவர்

முன்னாள் மத்திய அமைச்சர் ஓ.வி. அளகேசன் 1978-ல் பக்தவத்சலத்துக்குப் பிறந்த நாள் வாழ்த்துச் செய்தி ஒன்று அனுப்பியிருந்தார். அந்தச் செய்தியில், “பொதுவாழ்விலும் இருந்துகொண்டு தூய்மையாகவும் இருக்க முடியும் என்னும் உண்மையை வாழ்ந்து காட்டுபவர் பக்தவத்சலம்” என்று சொல்லியிருந்தார் அளகேசன்.

சென்னை ராஜாஜி மண்டபத்தில் 1987 மார்ச் 13-ம் நாள் பக்தவத்சலத்துக்கு நினைவுக் கூட்டம் நடந்தது. கூட்டத்தில் பேசும்போது, “மிகவும் தவறாகப் புரிந்து கொள்ளப்பட்ட மனிதர். ஆனால், விமர்சனம் அவரை வருத்தாது” என்றார் கேரளத்தின் முன்னாள் ஆளுநர் பா. ராமச்சந்திரன். பக்தவத்சலத்தின் ஒட்டுமொத்த அரசியல் வாழ்க்கையையும் சுருக்கமாகச் சொல்லிவிடக் கூடிய இரு குறிப்புகளாக இவற்றைச் சொல்லலாம்.

சட்டமன்றத்தில் எப்படி நடந்துகொள்வது என்பதற்கு பக்தவத்சலம்தான் இலக்கணம். எதிராளிகளின் மனம் புண்படாமல் தனது கருத்தைச் சொல்வதில் பக்தவத்சலம் வல்லவர் என்றும் சொல்வார்கள். கேள்வி களுக்குச் சட்டமன்றத்தில் ராஜாஜி பதில் சொல்ல இயலாத சூழ்நிலை ஏற்பட்டால், பதில் சொல்லும்படி தன்னைத்தான் அவர் தூண்டுவார் என்று சொல்லி, ராஜாஜி தன்மேல் வைத்த நம்பிக்கையைக் குறித்து பக்தவத்சலம் பெருமைப்பட்டுக்கொள்வார்.

மாற்றுக் கட்சியானாலும் நண்பர்தான்

அந்நாட்களில் பக்தவத்சலத்தின் பிறந்த நாளன்று காலையிலேயே வீட்டுக்கு வந்து, அவருக்கு நேரில் வாழ்த்து சொல்பவர்கள் பட்டியல் கட்சி எல்லைகளுக்கு அப்பாற்பட்டது. அந்தப் பட்டியலில் முக்கியமானவர் திமுக தலைவர் கருணாநிதி. அப்படி வருபவரை அங்கு கூடியிருக்கும் பக்தவத்சலத்தின் நண்பர்கள் சற்று நேரம் உரையாற்றச் சொல்லி அவர் பேசுவதை ஆர்வமாகக் கேட்பார்கள். சொந்த ஊரிலிருந்த தனது பூர்வீக வீட்டை ஒரு நூலகமாக மாற்ற கருணாநிதி முடிவெடுத்தபோது, அதைத் திறந்துவைக்க அவர் அழைத்ததும் பக்தவத் சலத்தைத்தான். பக்தவத்சலம் சந்தோஷமாகச் சென்று திறந்துவைத்தார். பக்தவத்சலத்தின் கடைசிக் காலத்தில், மதுரையில் கருணாநிதியின் பிறந்த நாள் விழாவுக்கு அழைத்தார் பி.டி.ராஜன். “இந்தத் தள்ளாத வயதில், உடல் நலமும் சரியில்லாத நிலையில், மதுரைக்குச் செல்ல வேண்டாம்” என்று எவ்வளவோ கூறினார்கள் பக்தவத்சலத்தின் உடனிருந்தோர். எதையும் பொருட்படுத்தாமல், இந்தி எதிர்ப்புப் போராட்டத்தின்போது தனக்குச் சிம்ம சொப்பனமாக இருந்தவரின் பிறந்த நாள் விழாவுக்கு காரிலேயே சென்று, விழாவில் உரையாற்றிவிட்டுத் திரும்பினார் பக்தவத்சலம்.

ஐந்து லட்சம் கொடுத்தால் கல்லூரி

ஐந்து லட்சம் கொடுத்தால் கொடுப்பவர் பெயரால் கல்லூரி ஆரம்பிக்கப்படும் என்று பக்தவத்சலம் காலத் தில் ஒரு திட்டம் இருந்தது. பெரியார் பார்த்தார், “இது நல்ல திட்டம். ஆனால், பணத்துக்கு நான் எங்கே போவேன்? திருச்சியில் எனக்கு இருக்கும் நிலத்தைத் தருகிறேன். ஒரு கல்லூரி தொடங்குங்கள்” என்று கொடுத்தார். அப்படிப் பிறந்த கல்லூரிதான் திருச்சி ஈ.வெ.ரா. அரசுக் கலைக் கல்லூரி.

தன்னிடம் வரும் எந்தக் கோப்பிலும், அதற்கான முடிவைத் தானே எடுத்து, குறிப்பு அனுப்புவது பக்தவத்சலத்தின் வழக்கம். “ஐரோப்பிய ஐ.சி.எஸ். அதிகாரிகள் நிறைய பேர் என்னிடம் பணியாற்றியிருக் கிறார்கள்; ஆனால், நான் ஒருபோதும் என்ன செய்யலாம் என்கிற முடிவை அவர்களிடம் கேட்டதில்லை” என்று பக்தவத்சலம் ஒருமுறை என்னிடம் கூறினார். கக்கனும் அப்படித்தான். “கக்கனிடமிருந்து ஏதேனும் வந்தால் நாங்கள் என்ன செய்ய வேண்டும் என்று தெளிவாகக் குறிப்பிட்டிருக்கும்; எங்களுக்குச் சங்கடம் ஏதும் இருக்காது” என்று முன்னாள் தலைமைச் செயலர் கார்த்திகேயன் சொல்வதுண்டு. ‘பரிசீலித்துப் பார்வைக்கு வைக்கவும்’ என்று மட்டுமே அமைச்சர்கள் குறித்து வைப்பதைத்தானே பின்னாட்களில் பார்க்கிறோம்?

பக்தி பழமைவாதியாக்கிவிடவில்லை

இறைப்பற்றாளர் பக்தவத்சலம். ஆனாலும், பக்தியை எங்கே நிறுத்திவைக்க வேண்டும் என்பதை நாம் அவரிடமிருந்து கற்றுக்கொள்ள வேண்டும். இந்திய அரசு கடுமையான பொருளாதார நெருக்கடியில் சிக்கிய நாட்களில், “கோயிலில் இருக்கும் தங்கக் குடங்களை நாட்டுக்குத் தரக் கூடாதா?” என்று கேட்டவர் அவர். கோயில்களுக்கு நிலச்சொத்து ஒத்துவராது. குத்தகை, பண்ணைச் சாகுபடியெல்லாம் பார்த்தாகிவிட்டது. பலனில்லை. காணி நிலத்துக்கு பாரதியார் ஏங்கவில்லையா? ஆண்டவனுக்கே நிவேதனம் என்ப தெல்லாம் அகம்பாவம். எனவே, நான்கு லட்சம் ஏக்கர் கோயில் நிலத்தை வைத்திருப்பவர்களிடமே விற்று முதலீடு செய்து, வட்டிப் பணத்தில் கோயில் களைப் பராமரிக்கலாம் என்பது 1976-ல் அவரது திட்டம். அதற்கு எழுந்த எதிர்ப்புக்கு, மயிலாப்பூர் அகாடமி கூட்டத்தில் பதில் சொன்னார், “நானேதான் நில உச்சவரம்புச் சட்டத்திலிருந்து கோயில்களுக்கு விலக்களித்தேன். நானேதான் கோயில்களுக்கு நிலச் சொத்து சரிவராது என்றும் சொல்கிறேன்.”

துணியின் இழைகளைப் பிரிக்கலாமா?

இந்திய ஓர்மையில் தளராத நம்பிக்கையுள்ளவர் பக்தவத்சலம். இனவழி அரசியலைக் குறிப்பிட்டு “வடக்கத்தியர் எல்லோரும் ஆரியர்களா? அல்லது பிராமணர்கள் அல்லாத எல்லோரும் திராவிடர்களா? இனங்களும் பண்பாடுகளும் மதங்களும் சாதி களும்கூட கலந்து, நெருக்கி நெய்த துணியாக இந்தியா உருவாகியுள்ளது. இதன் இழைகளைப் பிரித்துக் குலைக்க வேண்டாம்” என்றார். “புஷ்கரம், பிருந்தாவனத்தில் உள்ள கோயில்களும் வழிபாடும் காஞ்சிபுரத்தில் உள்ளதுபோல் இருக்கும். ராஜஸ்தானில் நம்மைப் போன்றே பொங்கல் கொண்டாடுவார்கள். முற்கால வரலாற்றில் இந்தப் பிரிவுகள் இருந்திருக்கலாம். பின்னர் எல்லாம் ஒன்றாகிப்போனதும் வரலாறுதானே?” இப்படியெல்லாம் இந்திய ஒற்றுமையை விளக்குவார்.

நான் தனியாக நின்றேன்

காங்கிரஸ் வழியிலான அவரது மொழிக் கொள்கை, 1965-ல் நடந்த இந்தி எதிர்ப்புப் போராட்டத்தை அவர் கையாண்ட விதம், இவை இரண்டையும் குறைகூறுவார்கள். 1965 முதலாகவே மாறிவந்த அரசியல் சூழலை பக்தவத்சலம் கவனமாகப் புரிந்து கொள்ளவில்லை என்றும் சொல்வார்கள். இந்த விமர் சனங்களுக்கு அவர் பதில் என்னவாக இருந்திருக்கும்?

1950 முதல் 15 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு இந்தியோடு ஆங்கிலமும் தொடர்வதை அரசியல் சாசனம் உறுதி செய்தது. அந்த ஏற்பாடு தற்போது காலவரையின்றி நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. தமிழகத்திலேயே இருப்பவர்கள் இந்தியில் ஒரு அட்சரம்கூடக் கற்க வேண்டிய கட்டாயம் இல்லை. தமிழகத்தின் இருமொழிக் கொள்கை என்பது மூன்றாவதாக ஒரு மொழியையும் கற்கக் கூடாது என்பதல்ல. 1937-ல் நடந்ததைப் பார்த்திருந்ததால் இங்கே இந்திக்கு மாணவரிடையே ஒரு ஒவ்வாமை இருப்பது தெரிந்தது. எனவே, விரும்பினால் அந்த மொழியைக் கற்கலாம் என்பதாக மட்டுமே இருந்தது. எதற்கும் வழுக்கலாகப் பதில் சொல்லி அறியாத பக்தவத்சலத்தின் பதில் இதுவேதான்.

தன் கட்சிக்காரர்களே குறை சொல்வதைப் பற்றிக் கேட்டால், “இந்தி எதிர்ப்புப் போராட்டம் நடந்தபோது இவர்கள் என்ன செய்தார்கள்? சூழ்நிலையை நான் சந்திக்க வேண்டியிருந்தது. நான் தனியாக நின்றேன்” என்பார். சரியா, தவறா என்பதெல்லாம் வரலாற்றுப் பொருளாக விவாதிக்கப்படும். ஆனால், இவர் கட்சியைக் கைவிட மறுத்தார், கட்சி இவரைக் கை விட்டது என்றுதான் எனக்குத் தோன்றியது.

– தங்க. ஜெயராமன்,  in The Hindu…Tamil

ஆங்கிலப் பேராசிரியர், மொழிபெயர்ப்பாளர்,

தொடர்புக்கு: profjayaraman@gmail.com

Natarajan

10 Clean Cities That Make India Proud !!!

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Chandigarh has emerged as the cleanest city in India as per a study conducted by the ministry of urban development.

 

Dancers perform during the Republic Day celebrations in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh January 26, 2011. India celebrated its 62nd Republic Day on Wednesday.Ajay Verma/Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationwide ‘Clean India campaign’ or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is very well received by the masses and celebrities alike.

Be it celebrities like actor Aamir Khan, BSF Jawans or the aam junta – most have joined hands to make this mission a success by 2019. However, according to data available with the Ministry of Urban Development, there are ten cities which are very clean and these are:

Chandigarh

State: Chandigarh

The city has emerged as the cleanest city in India as per a study conducted by the ministry of urban development.

In order to keep its ranking and reputation as the greenest and cleanest city in India, the administration of Chandigarh along with The Energy and Resources Institute to working towards environment-friendly including use of natural construction material and lower energy consumption.

Chandigarh is also on the way to become the country’s first solar city by 2016.

Image: Temple tank in Shravanabelagola. Photograph: Courtesy, Dinesh Kannambadi/Wikimedia Commons

Mysore

State:Karnataka

In 2008, a citizen group in Mysore started a movement called Let’s do it! campaign to clean up not only the city but the entire country.

The response to this campaign has been huge. The youth in the city are spreading awareness on what each one of them can do individually and collectively to keep Mysore clean.

Image: Vehicles move over a bridge built over the river Tapi at Surat, in Gujarat. Photographs: Amit Dave/Reuters

Surat

State: Gujarat

The diamond city of Gujarat follows high standard of cleanliness at public places. The civic authority in the city is very strict about cleanliness on roads and public places.

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the cleanliness drive for Swacch Bharat Mission from Valmiki Basti, in New Delhi. Photograph: PIB photos

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)

State: Delhi

NDMC has intensified its cleaning operations after the launch of Swach Bharat campaign. Volunteers have even identified highly populated belts where they can spread their cleanliness drive.

NMDC is also keen to clean the backlanes of crowded colonies.

Image: Sports enthusiasts exercising on a clean road in New Delhi. Photograph: Reuters

Delhi Cantt

State: Delhi

Delhi is also considered a clean city due to the presence of various citizen forums that are actively involved in various cleanliness drives across the city.

Image: Mukkombu, a famous tourist spot in Tiruchirappalli. Photograph: Courtesy, Tiruchirappalli Tourism

Tiruchirappalli

State: Tamil Nadu

Tiruchirappalli is a city with amazing tourist spots. The citizens surely know how to keep their city clean. Tourists who have visited the city will tell you about clean habits that each one in the city follows.

 

Image:XLRI, Jamshedpur. Photograph: Rediff archives

Jamshedpur

State: Jharkhand

Jamshedpur adheres to a high standard on sanitation and cleanliness.

The steel city is totally sanitised and citizens here believe that healthy living is utmost important and for this purpose they must adapt to cleaner habits.

Image: Mangalore Town Hall. Photograph: Courtesy, Premkudva/Wikimedia Commons

Mangalore

State: Karnataka

In Mangalore, the popular Nirmala Nagara Yojana is a very effective scheme to implement cleanliness in the city.

Volunteers of this scheme arranges for collection of garbage in a segregated manner from every household, the garbage so collected is later classified into different categories which can be used as a landfill material or used for making compost.

Image: Bandstand, Rajkot. Photograph: Courtesy, Jadia Gaurand/Wikimedia Commons.

Rajkot

State: Gujarat

Rajkot is the fastest growing city in the country. The city’s civic body, resident forums are actively involved in keeping the city clean.

Kanpur

State: Uttar Pradesh

Kanpur is the biggest city in Uttar Pradesh with high industrial growth rate.

The city was not so clean few year ago, but currently, the city had made it to the list of clean cities in the country.

The credit for maintaining cleanliness goes to the local authorities and citizens who follow strict civic rules.

SOURCE:::: Rediff.com

Natarajan

Image of the day…. Image sent by MANGALYAAN on 7 Oct 2014 !!!

Natarajan1 Comment

India’s maiden spacecraft to Mars—Mangalyaan—has send another image of the Red Planet, captured by the camera on board.

“Another full disc image of Mars, taken by the Mars Color Camera, from an altitude of 66,543 km. Dark region towards south of the cloud formation is Elysium – the second largest volcanic province on Mars,” the facebook page of Isro Mars Orbiter said on Tuesday.

The spacecraft had beamed its first photos of Mars’ crater-marked surface a day after India successfully put the probe into the red planet’s orbit.

Just after that Isro had uploaded the regional dust storm activities over northern hemisphere of Mars – captured by Mars Color Camera.The image was taken from an altitude of 74500 km from the surface of Mars.

India joined an exclusive global club of deep space explorers on September 24 when the indigenously-made spacecraft successfully slipped into the orbit around Mars after a 10-month journey on a relatively shoe-string budget.

Source:::: http://www.hindustantimes.com

Natarajan