While addressing a series of Anti-Tobacco awareness program toheads of schools and other institutions in Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai, one question which was repeatedly thrown at me was, “Why don’t we ban Tobacco?” I was wondering why people ask this question to me and not to the elected Member of Parliament. They can’t as most of the so called MPs are either busy looting the country or supporting the corporate which in turn gang rape the nation. Also almost all of us elect our MPs based on Caste, Religion or what freebies he/she may offer to his constituency. What do you expect such an MP to deliver?
Breathing is inherent to our existence and we all have right to live; this is challenged by smokers as they pollute the air and forcefully make us secondary smokers. Second hand smokers are as vulnerable to lung related cancer as smokers are. Also smokers are a victim of this menace. Smoking is mostly by chance rather than a voluntary option. They are unable to come out of this evil. They need our help. Each one of us can contribute towards creating awareness and pressurizing our politicians to make Anti-tobacco friendly laws. Companies like BAT, Japan Tobacco, Philip Morris will continue to sell tobacco products as long as demand is there. After all they are merchants; they will sell anything which fetches money.
Our movie makers should be influenced as our population sure does have significant influence of cinema. Our policy makers can be brought to our line of thinking when we vote for those who support anti-tobacco policies. Civil society can get together and bring a revolution in this. It takes a matter of minutes to lose our right but it takes several lives to retain those rights.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Media Violence
The great Greek Philosopher and mathematician Plato once complained about the effects of plays on youth. Since time immemorial the effect of plays, dramas and cinema cannot be completely ruled out inducing violence into the youth’s mind. A cinema without violence is a complete” NO” in the west as well as in the east. Till the late 60s there was no one suspecting the media for the violence in the society. Only after television became popular, “Social Learning Theory” developed by Albert Bandura got its root and the public along with the psychologists understood the link between Violence in the society and the Media.
Consumption of violent media and aggressive behavior has causal relationship. Though it has its own limitations and criticism, it’s evident in several experiments that at least the kids, children and the adults alike at least experiment in real life what they see in a video game or a movie. They may inherit that depending on the result of the experiment.
Across the world, there are no standardized, reliable and valid measures of aggression and media violence exposure. Still the US and European countries have come up with some standards which may be used as a bench mark across the world. Motion picture rating system is widely used across the developed world. In our country, in the name of censor board, more and more porn and blood is blatantly exhibited across the country. Unlike the west, our movies are rated merely by a group of old men, who neither understand human psychology nor the society. If you are close to a political party, your ticket to the Censor Board is assured.
Organizations that create and sell video games spend millions of dollars to defuse the negative publicity for their industry. It is quite normal for all those who make money to safeguard ones industry so that they their profits do not dip. It is the government which should take cognizant of the facts and regulate the contents in the graphics, video games, movies T.V., shows etc.
All over the world, since 1950s the rise in violence in the media is very well noted by the researchers. Though there are challenges to establish the correlation between media violence and rise in crime in the society. Also statistics say that only 13% of the TV shows are non-violent crimes, the rest 87% are violent crimes. This contrasts with the real-world crime data where it’s vice versa.
Though there are several theories and explanations surrounding the violence in media, one cannot disagree the influence media can bring in the society especially the violent section of the society.
Consumption of violent media and aggressive behavior has causal relationship. Though it has its own limitations and criticism, it’s evident in several experiments that at least the kids, children and the adults alike at least experiment in real life what they see in a video game or a movie. They may inherit that depending on the result of the experiment.
Across the world, there are no standardized, reliable and valid measures of aggression and media violence exposure. Still the US and European countries have come up with some standards which may be used as a bench mark across the world. Motion picture rating system is widely used across the developed world. In our country, in the name of censor board, more and more porn and blood is blatantly exhibited across the country. Unlike the west, our movies are rated merely by a group of old men, who neither understand human psychology nor the society. If you are close to a political party, your ticket to the Censor Board is assured.
Organizations that create and sell video games spend millions of dollars to defuse the negative publicity for their industry. It is quite normal for all those who make money to safeguard ones industry so that they their profits do not dip. It is the government which should take cognizant of the facts and regulate the contents in the graphics, video games, movies T.V., shows etc.
All over the world, since 1950s the rise in violence in the media is very well noted by the researchers. Though there are challenges to establish the correlation between media violence and rise in crime in the society. Also statistics say that only 13% of the TV shows are non-violent crimes, the rest 87% are violent crimes. This contrasts with the real-world crime data where it’s vice versa.
Though there are several theories and explanations surrounding the violence in media, one cannot disagree the influence media can bring in the society especially the violent section of the society.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Divorce
Divorce is the judicial termination of a Marriage. In a country where marriage is sacred, judicial separation is gaining grounds. With the development in culture, education, human rights and exposure to the outside world, more Indian women use divorce as a mechanism to break free from the clutches of marriage. When compared to the western counterparts divorce rate is significantly low in India. Though it is told that Software professionals in India resort to divorce more than other professionals. As in typical India scenario there is no data available to justify this claim from divorce lawyers. My visits to family courts have been affirmative to this claim. Also I have heard stories of men being tortured mentally and physically by women. Still it is very rare.
Mostly people below 35 years of age resort to divorce. In India most men and women try their best to live together and take divorce as a final call. In many cases, women were forced to live with the unbearable husband because the families want the marriage to survive. To top it up, most Indian women don’t have a job to support themselves or their husband’s family may want them to do the domestic chores though she may be highly qualified.
Divorce in India is a long legal procedure, whose period of prosecution takes at least six months. The divorce procedure varies from the marriage acts of one personal law to another. All Hindus including Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains can seek divorce under Hindu Marriage Act. Whereas communities like Parsi, Christians, Muslims, have their own laws related to divorce. For example, Christians divorce laws are regulated by the Indian Divorce Act, 1869, and that of a Parsi by Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936. Inter community marriages are governed by Special Marriage Act, 1956.
A divorce can be mutually agreeing or based on the grounds for divorce. NRIs have different procedures.
The following are the grounds for divorce in India mentioned under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
Adultery,Cruelty, Desertion,Conversion, Mental Disorder, Leprosy
Venereal Disease – If one of the spouses is suffering from a serious disease that is easily communicable, a divorce can be filed by the other spouse. The sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS are accounted to be venereal diseases.
Renunciation – A spouse is entitled to file for a divorce if the other renounces all worldly affairs by embracing a religious order.
Not Heard Alive – If a person is not seen or heard alive by those who are expected to be ‘naturally heard’ of the person for a continuous period of seven years, the person is presumed to be dead. The other spouse should need to file a divorce if he/she is interested in remarriage.
No Resumption of Co-habitation – It becomes a ground for divorce if the couple fails to resume their co-habitation after the court has passed a decree of separation.
The following are the grounds for divorce in India on which a petition can be filed only by the wife.
• If the husband has indulged in rape, bestiality and sodomy.
• If the marriage is solemnized before the Hindu Marriage Act and the husband has again married another woman in spite of the first wife being alive, the first wife can seek for a divorce.
• A girl is entitled to file for a divorce if she was married before the age of fifteen and renounces the marriage before she attains eighteen years of age.
• If there is no co-habitation for one year and the husband neglects the judgment of maintenance awarded to the wife by the court, the wife can contest for a divorce.
In similar lines, Indian Divorce Act, 1869, Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936 and the amendment of the same in 1988 have ground rules required for divorce.
Recently the High court of Bombay has held that the six-month cooling-off period for a couple who file a joint petition for divorce cannot be insisted on by the family court if the couple has already been living separately for a year and their contested divorce plea has been pending in court for over six months. “Parties who settle their dispute are not required to be penalised for doing so,’’ said Justice Roshan Dalvi.
Sikhs have been demanding a separate Act for registration of marriages solemnised under Sikh traditions. At present, Sikh marriages are registered either under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act. Sikhs contend that their marriage rituals are different from that of Hindus.
At present, Sikhs are governed by the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 which the draft bill seeks to replace. The demand for a separate marriage Act stems from the need to register marriages solemnised under their religious ceremony Anand Karaj.
The Cabinet on Thursday cleared amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act, allowing the provision of "irretrievable breakdown of marriage'' to be included as ground for divorce. This new ground may help thousands of pending or prolonged divorces a sigh of relief. Religious fanatics may claim divorce as an evil spreading in the society but considering that marriage in essence is a contract between two individuals of sound mind and capable of reason, termination of marriage is well within the ambit of the sacred solemn vow!
Readers shall pose their questions as comments!
Mostly people below 35 years of age resort to divorce. In India most men and women try their best to live together and take divorce as a final call. In many cases, women were forced to live with the unbearable husband because the families want the marriage to survive. To top it up, most Indian women don’t have a job to support themselves or their husband’s family may want them to do the domestic chores though she may be highly qualified.
Divorce in India is a long legal procedure, whose period of prosecution takes at least six months. The divorce procedure varies from the marriage acts of one personal law to another. All Hindus including Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains can seek divorce under Hindu Marriage Act. Whereas communities like Parsi, Christians, Muslims, have their own laws related to divorce. For example, Christians divorce laws are regulated by the Indian Divorce Act, 1869, and that of a Parsi by Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936. Inter community marriages are governed by Special Marriage Act, 1956.
A divorce can be mutually agreeing or based on the grounds for divorce. NRIs have different procedures.
The following are the grounds for divorce in India mentioned under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.
Adultery,Cruelty, Desertion,Conversion, Mental Disorder, Leprosy
Venereal Disease – If one of the spouses is suffering from a serious disease that is easily communicable, a divorce can be filed by the other spouse. The sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS are accounted to be venereal diseases.
Renunciation – A spouse is entitled to file for a divorce if the other renounces all worldly affairs by embracing a religious order.
Not Heard Alive – If a person is not seen or heard alive by those who are expected to be ‘naturally heard’ of the person for a continuous period of seven years, the person is presumed to be dead. The other spouse should need to file a divorce if he/she is interested in remarriage.
No Resumption of Co-habitation – It becomes a ground for divorce if the couple fails to resume their co-habitation after the court has passed a decree of separation.
The following are the grounds for divorce in India on which a petition can be filed only by the wife.
• If the husband has indulged in rape, bestiality and sodomy.
• If the marriage is solemnized before the Hindu Marriage Act and the husband has again married another woman in spite of the first wife being alive, the first wife can seek for a divorce.
• A girl is entitled to file for a divorce if she was married before the age of fifteen and renounces the marriage before she attains eighteen years of age.
• If there is no co-habitation for one year and the husband neglects the judgment of maintenance awarded to the wife by the court, the wife can contest for a divorce.
In similar lines, Indian Divorce Act, 1869, Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936 and the amendment of the same in 1988 have ground rules required for divorce.
Recently the High court of Bombay has held that the six-month cooling-off period for a couple who file a joint petition for divorce cannot be insisted on by the family court if the couple has already been living separately for a year and their contested divorce plea has been pending in court for over six months. “Parties who settle their dispute are not required to be penalised for doing so,’’ said Justice Roshan Dalvi.
Sikhs have been demanding a separate Act for registration of marriages solemnised under Sikh traditions. At present, Sikh marriages are registered either under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act. Sikhs contend that their marriage rituals are different from that of Hindus.
At present, Sikhs are governed by the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 which the draft bill seeks to replace. The demand for a separate marriage Act stems from the need to register marriages solemnised under their religious ceremony Anand Karaj.
The Cabinet on Thursday cleared amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act, allowing the provision of "irretrievable breakdown of marriage'' to be included as ground for divorce. This new ground may help thousands of pending or prolonged divorces a sigh of relief. Religious fanatics may claim divorce as an evil spreading in the society but considering that marriage in essence is a contract between two individuals of sound mind and capable of reason, termination of marriage is well within the ambit of the sacred solemn vow!
Readers shall pose their questions as comments!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Auto & Accessories Expo - 2010, Chennai.
No doubt Saturdays and Sundays are for the lighter part of our lives and to rejuvenate ourselves to bang the office on Monday. Watching the engineering marvels, be it aircrafts, cars, motor bikes takes us to the world of excitement. With all that in mind I visited the “Auto & Accessories Expo” held at Auto & Accessories Expo - YMCA Grounds, Royapettah, Chennai.. As the hall mark of every auto expo “Harley Davidson” was the Lion among the bikes attracting both the sex equally. I was awed by the comments made by the fairer sex on this bike. Cool dude……… women do love bikes!! The thunderous noise arising from the Blue macho is still ringing in the ears. Interestingly in the year 2007, India agreed to swap importing this bike for the exotic Indian mangoes. The price range is 4 Lakhs to 14 Lakhs. Who said India is a poor country??
Mercedes Benz C & E class were in display. Good part is the promoters allowed us to get into the vehicle and feel it. Its like hugging the softest Iranian carpet, both in comfort and pride. Price starts from 32 Lakhs. Its the German Engineering and their flawless design which makes this beauty a head turner!
The royal looking Cadillac Escalade with a Dubai registration standing tall at the entrance can never miss any body’s eyes. The massive machine is a beast in its segment.
Maruthi had displayed the Ritz, SX4, Swift, Astar and other vehicles are in display.
There is considerable number of used cars from “T S Mahalingam & Sons” as well.
On the scooters, both Mahindra and Honda had stalls. Mahindra’s Flyte, Rodeo and Duro were in display. Mahindra has taken over Kynetic and has done some ergonomic and design changes to suit the current needs. Though there are concerns regarding the low number of service stations, it may take time to prove unlike Honda. From the Honda side Activa, Aviator, Dio etc., were in display.
Interestingly there were couple of stores which offered interesting and novel car and bike accessories. Though the Expo size is too small when compared to the other Expos across the world, its worth watching these stuff!
The Expo is open for the public between 10am and 7pm.
Mercedes Benz C & E class were in display. Good part is the promoters allowed us to get into the vehicle and feel it. Its like hugging the softest Iranian carpet, both in comfort and pride. Price starts from 32 Lakhs. Its the German Engineering and their flawless design which makes this beauty a head turner!
The royal looking Cadillac Escalade with a Dubai registration standing tall at the entrance can never miss any body’s eyes. The massive machine is a beast in its segment.
Maruthi had displayed the Ritz, SX4, Swift, Astar and other vehicles are in display.
There is considerable number of used cars from “T S Mahalingam & Sons” as well.
On the scooters, both Mahindra and Honda had stalls. Mahindra’s Flyte, Rodeo and Duro were in display. Mahindra has taken over Kynetic and has done some ergonomic and design changes to suit the current needs. Though there are concerns regarding the low number of service stations, it may take time to prove unlike Honda. From the Honda side Activa, Aviator, Dio etc., were in display.
Interestingly there were couple of stores which offered interesting and novel car and bike accessories. Though the Expo size is too small when compared to the other Expos across the world, its worth watching these stuff!
The Expo is open for the public between 10am and 7pm.
Chennai Marathon - 2010
The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought), which took place in August or September, 490 BC. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming “Νενικήκαμεν” (Nenikékamen, ‘We have won.’) before collapsing and dying. The marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres (26 miles and 385 yards), that is usually run as a road race.
With this historic back ground running behind my mind, Supervalu Project Manager Murali invited me to join the Chennai Marathon 2010. The word Marathon brought butterflies in me as I can never imagine running a 42.195 KM. Murali gave me a peace mind stating that we are participating in the 5Km Corporate Run. Now I could relax!
Woke up at 4am Sunday morning and reached the Marina Beach. My first impression was; Wow! Chennai’s spirit is here!! From kids to elders, one could find people from all walks of life and all parts of the Tamil Nadu state were there. For me, standing in the middle of the beach road in itself was a joy to hold. Otherwise who will allow me to run free in this VIP road.
Supervalu team associates had a festive time, I should say. Around 30 associates participated. Each posing against one another for photographs and yelling with joy. One could witness the joy and josh bubbling out. This team seem to be a crowd puller!! Their DGM Samir went on for a half marathon. He is a regular runner and seem to be a fitness freak.
The Sports authority of Tamil Nadu had organized it in a nice manner with NCC, Police and Medical fraternity giving the supporting hand. So, how was my run? I rather walked and occasionally ran. Still I completed my 5Km run. Good right??
Kenya’s Augustine Ronoh claimed the top honours clocking 2 hours 14 minutes and 5 seconds.
Thanks to Murali and SPORTS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF TAMIL NADU for giving this opportunity to run and get awed by the spirit of humanity!!
Sure, I’m going to be participating in much more events of this nature!
With this historic back ground running behind my mind, Supervalu Project Manager Murali invited me to join the Chennai Marathon 2010. The word Marathon brought butterflies in me as I can never imagine running a 42.195 KM. Murali gave me a peace mind stating that we are participating in the 5Km Corporate Run. Now I could relax!
Woke up at 4am Sunday morning and reached the Marina Beach. My first impression was; Wow! Chennai’s spirit is here!! From kids to elders, one could find people from all walks of life and all parts of the Tamil Nadu state were there. For me, standing in the middle of the beach road in itself was a joy to hold. Otherwise who will allow me to run free in this VIP road.
Supervalu team associates had a festive time, I should say. Around 30 associates participated. Each posing against one another for photographs and yelling with joy. One could witness the joy and josh bubbling out. This team seem to be a crowd puller!! Their DGM Samir went on for a half marathon. He is a regular runner and seem to be a fitness freak.
The Sports authority of Tamil Nadu had organized it in a nice manner with NCC, Police and Medical fraternity giving the supporting hand. So, how was my run? I rather walked and occasionally ran. Still I completed my 5Km run. Good right??
Kenya’s Augustine Ronoh claimed the top honours clocking 2 hours 14 minutes and 5 seconds.
Thanks to Murali and SPORTS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF TAMIL NADU for giving this opportunity to run and get awed by the spirit of humanity!!
Sure, I’m going to be participating in much more events of this nature!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Thirunelveli
A lunch conversation in the office prompted me to ink this article. The question from my colleague was, “How people from Thirunelveli District are very brilliant, hard working and occupying very high position in government and private sector?” This was a surprise for me as I had known my district only for the wrong reasons. To top it up I’m neither Intelligent nor occupying any high position!! Having born and brought up in this district during my formative days, I have witnessed, Racism (Casteism), religious fanaticism, abject poverty, Music, Literature, Festivals, Kabbadi, Silambaattam, world class sculptures, Falls, largest temples, Tiger Reserve, World class Educational institutions etc.,
It is a mixed feeling! I don’t know whether I should feel proud or ashamed for having born in this district. Thirunevli is most civilized on one side and the most barbaric on the other. The food and festivals on one side makes this place a heaven but unemployment and racism gives it a low score. My music classes with Mani Bhagwathar in the serene atmosphere are still a nostalgic feeling. Coconut palms and paddy fields surround the house while the quite Thamiraparani flows on the west. Tambura and harmonium giving the right scale, I fondly sang “Vilayaada Ithu Neerama” on lord Murugan! On the other side, because we as students were educating the peasants in the nearby village, we were warned not to bath at the other side of Thamiraparani where mostly the land lords and racists lived. Untouchability was evidenced.
The Iron Age settlements in and around the district tells us how historic this place is and how Tamil Language and Shivaism developed in this area. Nellaiappar and Kaanthimathi amman temple in this historic town is a beauty to adore. Muthu Swamy Dixithar’s Sri Kanthimathim in “Hemavathi” Pann pays tribute to this temple deity. For all those “Falls Lovers” Thirunelveli has the “Kuttraalam” falls which is thoroughly appreciated across the country. Lush green Paddy fields in and around the perennial Thamaraparani river is a treat to the eyes. I need not even metion the Thirunelveli Halwa which is the Queen of Sweets!
Apart from Hinduism, Christianity and Islam have a considerable presence for several centuries in this district. One beauty about Christians and Muslims from these areas is that except for the change in name of the God they live and flourish as every other Thirunelveli Tamil is. Culturally there is hardly any differentiator unlike the city based folks.
This district also has the fame of housing all the four types of land as per Tamil grammar. Kurinchi, Mullai, Neythal and Paalai. Tamil Language has its rich heritage in this district, with foreigners like Caldwell, Fr. Beschi, Bartholomaeus, Miron, Julian, Hilko to name a few, devoted their life time studying and the contributing towards the classical language.
Historically, no foreign ruler reached this part of the country. Even the Mughals could not reach Thiruneveli which is in the extreme south. It is the British during 1800 took control over this area as a foreign government. Prior to that Nayaks(Telugu) ruled this part of the country. Along with the British came world class educational institutions and their governance. Palayamcottai which is in the other side of Thamiraparani is fondly called as “The Oxford of Southern India” with its numerous schools and colleges. After a troubled rule by the Nayaks, the natives had a relatively calm environment during the British rule. During the Nayaks rule, Tamil language and literature took a back seat. Till then Thirunelveli was the epitome of Tamil literature and culture with very less outside influence. As a matter of policy British never interfered in the local customs and religion. (I confirmed this with the Thirukurungudi Temple priest who has met the British during his childhood days). This encouraged casteism and it thrived thoroughly in this area. British never wanted to bring social reforms as their vested interest was to make quick money rather than to see any progress in the colonial country. One could see violence around caste and creed still happening in this district. This is highly deplorable.
Due to the official negligence since the Indian Independence Thirunelveli is one of the back ward districts as per the “India Development Indicators”. There is no airport; no port, no manufacturing plants apart from agriculture. As majority of the district lies in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats, the local peasants are at the mercy of the monsoon. To escape the cruelty of unemployment and caste oppression, many have migrated to cities. That is one reason we may find a lot of Thirunelveli Tamils in the slums of Mumbai and in the shops of Chennai. To escape poverty and give a decent life for their children Thirunelveli Tamils have gone places and established themselves in various fields. Even those who live in that district are gradually selling off their land to Malayalis from the neighboring state. Malayalam Actress Radha and Ambhika have acres of land between Eruvadi and Thirukurungudi both come under the Thirunelveli District just to name a few.
May be my colleague refers to those who escaped poverty and reached the cities and work hard and looks intelligent for her!! Those left there in the villages are still facing government negligence and racist oppression in one form or the other. This story may look familiar for most districts across Asia.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Let us preserve it!
For a person living in a hot country, cool breeze, cool water and every thing cool is simply fresh. Trees play a vital role in beating the heat. This may be contrary for a person living in the western hemisphere. For the cold weather one might not need a tree to rest under and sooth the heat waves. Still I was surprised by the sheer number of trees and the awareness people have for trees in the northern hemisphere. Forests are very well protected and even collecting fire-wood is near impossible in most western countries.
The high ways in US and Europe mostly have fences on either side of the road. No one is allowed to park their vehicle and venture into the near by woods. This is quite contrary to what you will see in India, where any one can park their vehicle, clean them in the water bodies, venture into the woods near by; dump the waste and whatever one can do.
During my visit to a Tsunami hit village, the fishermen around the coast were not aware of climatic changes affecting and changing their lives. The changing coast line, the tidal waves hitting them hard, lost landscape, lesser fish are all “God's act” in their opinion. It is really difficult to help them understand that there is so much man has done which is affecting them.
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