Voice of the Voiceless

IIT and Suicide

2011-09-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

Every year at least half a dozen students in the IITs ended their lives. IIT Council has decided to constitute a Task Force to study the issue of increasing suicides and recommend appropriate measures to prevent such cases. The Task Force shall be headed by an eminent person and include representatives of parents, teachers, alumni, professional counselors and will submit its report in four months. The panel may be headed by the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science, Bangalore and comprise five or six mental health experts.

This hangama over the death of half a dozen students every year is in a land where two million U-5 kids perish annually due to malnutrition. TB swallows each year half a million. A few may chide me for comparing suicides with natural deaths. These are not natural deaths but state assisted killings. Let us consider another suicide issue. Since 1995, a quarter million farmers ended their lives due to rural economic stress. Every hour two food providers terminate their lives. That is nearly three thousand times the suicide deaths in IITs. Recent 11 deaths in Delhi shook the entire creamy layer. None cared to look at this farm suicide for one decade. Only after the 'India Shining' brigade was stopped from 'Feeling Good', the UPA appointed a commission to study the issue and suggest remedial measures. Six years passed after this committee gave its recommendations. But the suicides continue unabated. No question of any task force. Why this monumental apathy from the 'informed' society?

IIT Kanpur and Rajasthan Chairman Anandakrishnan gives the answer: “IIT students are valuable assets to the nation. Only the cream of the society joins the IITs and they have a very good opportunity of becoming leaders in the society”. Poor farmers don’t have the ghost of a chance to enter any IIT to get salvation.

Singara Chennai

2011-09-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Monsoon season is round the corner. It will be busy time for Chennai Corporation officials leasing out maintenance and de-silting of Super-Ultra-filthy Storm water drains on the road margins of Chennai, so that people can weather the rain without flooded roads and nullahs. But, it will nevertheless be flooded on account of shoddy maintenance work and lack of any visible, scientific solid waste management system on the ground. You see, we are an almost arrived superpower with a great growth story of consistently 9% per annum & now and then touching 10%,against a depressing global recession. And as an arriving superpower, we have technology only for moon missions, Atomic bombs, Nuclear tipped Missiles & 4-laned Golden Quadrilaterals..

Not for maintaining storm water drains and building walking platforms.
The video at the bottom will give you a glimpse of how we provide the much touted Urban Amenities in Chennai, say for example, the storm water maintenance - through high exploitation of migrant labourers. The Corporation gives out the Contract. The Contractor (invariably a Binami of a councilor/s) subcontracts the work to another, again. The nepotism in such deals is as filthy as the storm water drains & public toilets of Chennai. The subcontractor gets migrant families from western districts like Salem/Darmapuri or from the Telangana region to de-silt the filthy drains. Of late, Bihari & UP migrants have increased the competition for such jobs. Coolie is paid by metre desilted. The more metre they desilt per day, the better. This is the motivation for entire families to 'plunge' themselves into the desilting work.
But, most of the 'dirty' money is invariably earned back by the Government, thanks to Government peddled liquor shops. How else, our Government can distribute laptops and sheep? And give subsidized plots to the IAS, MLAs, Filmy association people, etc & hectares to the SEZ? These ignorant migrants don't understand how they support the household economy of the IAS, the business class & finance the Government's welfare schemes too.
Husband, wife, brother, brother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, grandpa with kids around undertake to desilting without any safety protection. Broken brandy & beer bottles dumped after drinking episodes (or rather drinking epidemic) in Tasmac liquor shops, all types of plastic waste, raw chicken waste from butchers' shops, rotting wastes dumped by roadside eat-outs, construction rubbish, sewerage illegally let out by establishments & houses and of course silt are to be removed.
Cockroaches, variety of other insects, rodents gives them great company. They outdo the so-called dangerous reality shows on TV. Children of the families will play dangerously on the platform as traffic whizzes past .Watching their elders scoop out filth provide some amusement to the children.

The amusement is not only to their Children, of course to the people driving, walking past.Or are these migrant families, a necessary evil, some kind of an annoying nuisance to tolerate before the much bigger nuisance, monsoon sets in?
http://www.paadam.in/videos.php

Anna's fast a threat to Democracy

2011-08-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

If corruption erodes Democracy, Anna’s fast equally undermines the Democratic values and institutions that behold the basic values of Democracy. He is now the voice of the middle class, who are economically stronger and uphold the rigid caste system which is dead against equality and thus against Democracy.

In a Democratic nation, legislations are passed by the Parliament as a law making body. If Anna’s fast can pressurize the Parliamentarians to accept a “Bill” which is hand crafted by him and his team, the very essence of democracy is defeated. Also the Indian middle class has vested interest in this legislation as they are the primary beneficiaries of the Government Services.

The same middle class never bothered to fight for the marginalized, deprived, caste wise subjugated Indian brotherhood. This fast is a clear cut plot to undermine our democratic institutions and to benefit the very few middle class which is a BIG market for the western powers.

Patent for an enablement

2011-02-07T21:35:00.001-08:00

Ford, a Michigan based auto major in America was started with a motive “inexpensive cars for the masses”. Being a family controlled company for over 100 years; this company is rather successful when compared to many of its rivals which started a hundred years ago. When American car manufactures started manufacturing motor cars in 1900s, they got patent license from ‘Association of Licensed Automotive Manufacturers’ (ALAM) which was owned by a patent Attorney named George B. Selden. Despite never having gone into production with a working model of an automobile ALAM got patent licensing rights to build cars and enjoyed the royalty.

Henry Ford refused to pay royalties to ALAM and started manufacturing cars. George took Ford to the court on the account of patent infringement. The patent war lasted for 8 years creating 14,000 pages of court documents. Finally George won the case in the trial court. This was the headlines in most news papers of that time. Encouraged by Thomas A Edison, Henry went for an appeal. George’s patent was over turned just a year before it could expire. The appeals court used the “Enablement” principle to decide the matter along with Non-obviousness.

Enablement means, providing sufficient and detailed information about the invention so that any appropriately trained person is able to make it. It goes without saying that the inventor must make the invention. There can be no patent granted merely for the concept or idea. It has to be operational. In this case, George was given patent for an improvement to Brayton Engine and he never manufactured a car based on his own patented invention. By the time the court overturned the patent, George had made several thousand dollars out of the patent.

Can God be taxed?

2011-02-03T23:14:00.000-08:00

For all those who believe in GOD this is a tough and unpleasant question. In the first place why would one want to tax the GOD who created the Tax officials? The court thinks the other way.

Now let us look at the legal position of a “Hindu Idol” as for Hindus the Idols are symbolic representation of the GOD himself. The Privy Council considered the idol as a juristic person but it is a junior who constantly needs a guardian to act on its behalf. The will of the idol must be respected pertaining to its location. In the Yogendra Nath Naskar V. Commissioner of Income Tax, the Supreme Court of India held that the Hindu idol is a juristic entity capable of holding property and of being taxed through ‘Shebaits’ who are entrusted with the possession and management of its property.

A Hindu deity falls within the meaning of the word individual under the Income Tax Act, 1922 and can be a person in law, but so far as the deity stands as the representative and symbal of the particular purpose which is indicated by the donor, it can figure as a legal person and in that capacity alone the dedicated property vests in it. There is no principle why a deity should not be taxed if it is allowed in law to own property.

So now let us see whether a Mosque, Church, Synagogue, Gurudwara, is a juristic person or not. As per the privy council, they are not. They are not legal persons because, they do not have rights or duties as natural persons. However the Privy council left the question open whether such religious places could for any purpose be regarded as a juristic person.

Smokers are victims not criminals

2010-12-13T08:03:00.001-08:00

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.

Media Violence

2010-08-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

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.

Divorce

2010-06-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

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!

Auto & Accessories Expo - 2010, Chennai.

2010-02-22T18:51:00.000-08:00

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.

Chennai Marathon - 2010

2010-02-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

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!

Thirunelveli

2010-02-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

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.

Let us preserve it!

2010-01-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

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.

The lack of awareness on “Tree conservation” is cancerous to our civil society as we have created a polluted and UN-inhabitable world for our future generation. Every parent wants to give the best to their wards. Even if they did not have access to a lot of things during their childhood days, they strive hard to give the best possible for their kids. In contrast, Parents give the worst of climatic disaster to their kids. Lack of awareness is the key here. Adults today do not understand the importance of climatic change and the impact its going to have on every one.

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.

The real estate market has driven the trees completely out of our cities. Every rule is floated by the builders and there is no space for green in apartment complexes. They are merely concrete jungles with hardly any green around. Government can do a lot in encouraging green space in cities with tighter norms. When corruption is wide visible in every table of government offices, the builders are forced to shell out money in every table and hence compromise on building quality, green space and building lay-out plan.

Preserving green must be a collective effort. Public and government must co-operate with each other. In todays world no one can shrivel his responsibility towards improving the green space around us. Even if a country fails to improve the green space it will be a disaster for the entire humanity. We have just one planet and we have to preserve it like never before.

Patent for Thirupathi Laddu; Unbelievable!!

2009-09-18T12:14:00.001-07:00

It was surprising and unbelievable for the IPR community members like me to hear the news that Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams, a trust that administers the Venkateswara Temple in the Tirumala hills has been awarded geographical copyright that bars others from naming or marketing the sweet preparation under the same name. All the products like Darjeeling tea, Nilgri tea, Champagne etc, has been protected by the GI simply because the special character the geography influences distinguishes the food products from others. The soil, the climate, the altitude, water etc, plays a vital role in deciding the GI.

All the ingredients which go into the Laddu are sourced from all parts of the country and are not just sourced from Thirupathi, the land of “Seven Hills”. No special geographic character of Thirupathi influences the Laddu. Even if Chappathi, Puliyotharai or Vadai is served as a prasadam in Thirupathi, sure they would have been as popular as “Laddu”

Today if millions love the "Thirupathi Laddu" it is not for the taste, sweetness or the aroma. Purely for the divinity it carries. It is sacred and invaluable for the believers. So what is the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams achieved by patenting is nothing but comercializing the laddu which othewise is holy for millions. Does the trust have the right to make the laddu a commodity. This patent says "Yes!"

Hence the GI is primarily because of the clout enjoyed by the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams rather than any special geographical influences. As a saying goes in Tamil "Saami Varam Koduthaalum Poosaari Vidamaataaru", the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams has grown over and above the Lord himself.

The only Victory that counts is the one over yourself

2009-08-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

The legendary coach Charles Riley uttered these words to ever famous Jesse Owens, who broke Hitler’s theory of Aryan Supremacy. Jesse Owens, grandson of a slave imported to US for the benefit of the white man, disproved the racists that merit eliminates everything and anything. Owens won an unprecedented four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4X100m relay and long jump. His stunning achievement came when the New world (US) was reeling under the racist discrimination and India fighting for the rights of the untouchables.
69 years have passed since and much has changed in the United States. An Afro-American has been selected as a President whereas India is still to find a PM from the socially deprived Dalit Community. Parts of India are still reeling under racist discrimination in the name of caste. Both India and US were colonies of Britain and faced discrimination by the crown. One country rose to be the “world super power” and the other to be “poorest of the poor”.
Today whether the Afro Americans or the backward castes in India lack is nothing but the will to win over oneself. The burgeoning middle class in India does not seem to understand that there is so much of poverty and discrimination in their streets but have to compete for whatever is available to grab.
Owens humiliation under the Americans was much worse than what Hitler did to him. Though he created history in the Olympics, he was neither appreciated nor invited to the White House by the then US president Franklin D Roosevelt or Harry S Truman. The worst came when he was asked to use the freight elevator to attend his own reception at the Waldorf-Astoria. On the other hand one lakh Germans cheered him and sought his autograph. He was also allowed to stay in the same hotels as any other white man.

May his light shine forever as a symbol
for all who run for the freedom of sport,
for the spirit of humanity,
for the memory of Jesse Owens. – Charles Ghigna.

Stop Selling MS Word in U.S.

2009-08-15T04:29:00.000-07:00

This is what US District Judge Leonard Davis told Microsoft on 11th August 2008. In his two page judgment the judge says “Defendant Microsoft Corporation (“Microsoft”) is found to have unlawfully infringed U.S. Patent No. 5,787,449 (the “‘449 patent”). Defendant Microsoft is found to haveinfringed the ‘449 patent willfully.Damages, post verdict damages, enhanced damages is worth $277,241,092 and $21,102 per day thereafter until the date of this Final Judgment”. iei, the owner of U.S. Patent No. 5,787,449 is very happy about the out come.

This is a significant judgment having in mind the millions of users all over the world. This could affect Microsoft’s applications like word, excel and powerpoint. The fight is not over as there is another 60 days for Microsoft to appeal the judgment.

Microsoft is obviously unhappy about the judgment and wants to fight the case.
Microsoft spokesperson Kevin Kutz says that “the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid. We will appeal the verdict."XML is part of the open consortium. i4i in its patent petition says, “The invention does not use embedded metacoding to differentiate the content of the document but rather, the metacodes of the document are separated from the content and held in distinct storage in a structure called a metacode map,
whereas document content is held in a mapped content area”

If this order should be applied to other applications and parties who are using it, for sure this will have a wider range of application. So what about ODF? Though the open document format (ODF) and custom approach yield the same result, ODF method is different hence it is not affected by this judgment. The XML form came into existence primarily because of the monopoly the software companies had over the older binary file formats. They were their proprietary.

Amgen, Merck and Bayer use XML to drug label data. Interestingly US patent office also uses iei’s XML. Ironically microsoft got a patent through Patent # 7,571,169 for word processors who use XML format. The judgment affects
this patent.

Let us wait and watch the appeal for the final outcome. Industry players
feel that Microsoft may win the legal battle but time will answer for sure.

சுடலை மாடன்

2009-08-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

The lone deity Sudalai Maadan standing tall beneath a Palm tree is a
common scene in and around the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
He is the guardian and protector for the farmers and peasants
cutting across caste, creed and status. Every village has a
Sudalai Madan temple and sometimes more than one, though without any building around him.

Sudalai Maadan hates a building around him. He stands with his
younger brother all alone in the woods. He is offered Kodai(Festival)
every year during the month of Aadi (July-August).
Depending on the popularity of the Sudalai, the number of animal offering can
vary. Near Vijayanarayanam, as a boy I have seen hundreds of Goats, pigs
chicken, cocks etc., slaughtered to appease the Sudalai. The Chaamiyaadi soaks the banana in the bubbling blood and eats it just like that. One should have guts to watch that! Watching this as a small boy I did not get sleep for several days along with the fever. Thanks to my elder brother who took me with him. Too much of violence seems to be occupying these festivals but that was how the life was in those days. Little primitive though!

Sudalai Maadan enjoys a two days festival with grand Kaniyaan Koothu. Men draped in saris dance to the drum beat in a very unique style. Drums are accompanied with age old Kombu, Parai, Melam etc., My mom says that the Kaniyaan is not an Eunuch but a perfect male who works in the farms during the monsoon and does these stuff during the festival alone. He has a tough task as well. He has to observe some rituals for months and prepare for the festival. His blood is dropped in 21 banana leaves for the Chaamiyaadi to lick them before his dance.

The best part is his journey to the Graveyard where he has to pick up some bones and display it to the crowd on his return. I have heard among the crowd a disbelief on the credibility of the Chaamiyaadi if he fails to bring some buried remnants from the graveyard. He also offers solution to the mass’s
problems and give them hope. He acts as an astrologer. His attire is the best. A
black shorts kind of waist cloth rolls till the knees and has several bells hung around the waist and legs. With a torch in the hand his looks invite fear and reverence. Chinnathaayi movie in Tamil language has done a decent job in portraying Sudalai character.

Post the graveyard visit starts entertainment for the young men and elderly by the Karakaattakari and Kattiyakaaran. Karakaattakaari is a woman who balances a decorated pot on the head and dances for the fast beat. Kattiyakaaran is the modern day compere. With a sexy make-up and sexually
inviting gestures the Karakaattakaari receives rupee notes pinned on her jacket by even the old and young alike. The Kattiyakaaran, delivers double meaning
dialogues to kick-up the men's mind.

Due to the conversion of Dravidians to Brahminical Hinduism and Christianity, Sudalaimadan is not attractive to many southern Tamils as he used to be. Moreover Sudalai madan in most places was a family diety rather than a village one. Along with the families Sudalai's fortune also comes down in many cases. Above all the Real Estate hype has forced the locals to desecrate the Sudalai, Ooiykaatu Sami, Isaki etc., Still I could see some temples conducting the festival on an yearly basis with some foreign aid or those migrated to cities coming back to cherish their nostalgia on their birth places.

Software Engineer

2009-06-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

I always end up with an argument with Cab Drivers, Canteen folks and other support functions which cater to the needs of the IT and BPO personnel whenever I have an encounter with them, it always starts like this. " These IT & BPO guys increased the home rent, land price, food cost etc.," This is the standard complain most people make.
How far this is true? A brief introspection will help us . 10 years back, government jobs were the only option and there was unemployment everywhere. (Now its doubled!!)Today due to the reach of education even to the remote villages and the dilution of the caste system, more Indians are educated and available in the job market. Coupled with the advancement in Information Technology, more Indians were able to work across geographies without much difficulty. If not IT,most of these Indians would have landed up in the Arabian desert.
Again, the benefit of IT was reaped by the middle class and above and not those who were poor and cannot afford the costly fees of an Engineering degree. Also, actual money thrown to get an engineering degree might not always get an IT job. One must also understand that there is a huge number of under-employed people in the IT field. In this field you will find a mechanical engineer, civil engineer, Chemical engineer writing codes for a supermarkek, bank, cosmetic products etc., May look funny!!
Well coming to the earlier point, who actually got the benefit of IT revolution in India, it is everyone. More than the IT & ITES folks it is the support functions which benefited the most. With a minimum education; Brokers, Realtors, Cab owners, Caterers, Gardeners, House keepers,Hoteliers got a very good business opportunity and today it is a multi million dollar industry. Thats what NASSCOM says.
For the Software folks its a raw deal. Living away from home, having little money to lead the life of the developed world, uncertain future and job insecurity threatens the very existence of the IT world. Mostly Indians living through an "on-site opportunity" live the life of a pauper not because they are paid low but they want to save more to buy a house in India and end up paying lesser home loan.
Amidst all the struggle, why is that Indians did not rally behind the IT professionals during the recession? Pretty simple, IT world did not care for the society. Plugging the ipod and traveling in a cab or a bus and ending up in an air conditioned office and return home to discuss the share market and real estate the IT folks lost touch with the society around. Though there is some improvement pertaining to their participation in social matters, it is still not a significant one.

It was heartening to see the IT world rallying for the Eelam Tamil cause in Chennai. There are also some groups within their organizations supporting social activities.

Indian IT community does not have an union. It is a great factor for the corporates but having in mind that there are no stringent labour laws around rights of the software community. They are vulnareable for exploitation which is already underway.

Bio-medical Waste Management

2009-04-05T01:43:00.000-07:00

The recent hand book from "Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project" has come up with a guideline for disposing medical waste in line with some of the best practices around the world. As usual its implementation and government monitoring is not in line with international expectations. Most health care organizations do not have any of these procedures implemented in their premises. Thats what India is! Lets us see what the “Hand Book” says. As per Bio-Medical Waste(Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, “ It shall be the duty of every occupier of an institution generating bio-medical waste to take all steps to ensure that such waste is handled without any adverse effect to human health and the environment.
While a quick survey around the hospitals in our cities will tell us where we stand with respect
to the compliance of Hospital-waste management.
Even those hospitals where the rich throng with their money, a proper disposal management is not evidenced. This is my inference after visiting four hospitals in Chennai city. Blood loathed cotton, needles, broken bottles were lying in the open area very adjacent to these hospitals.
Our hospitals more than curing are creating more menace to the public health. Who will bell the cat??

National Health Bill 2009

2009-03-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

Hailing from a hamlet which neither had a proper road nor any hospital, I was a witness of several deaths due to lack of infrastructure and medical facilities. The worst is the refusal by the hospitals to attend any emergency patient due to lack of money, police issues etc., . The medical fraternity was happy to see a fellow human being die rather than not using their costly gadgets. After all human life is the cheapest commodity in India. I only wish this kind of arrongance from the so-called learned doctors will come to an end with the proposed bill to boost patients' rights.

If only this piece of legistation gets approved, every patient has the right to question "over billing", denying medical records or referring the patient else where without any reasons. Thanks to "Jan Swasthya Abhiyan" (People Health Movement)for the long standing war for patient rights.
This piece of legislation will regulate the Public and private healthcare systems.

Till now the term "Patient's Right" was interpreted through other case laws and court judgements. After the "National Health Bill 2009" Patient Rights including emergency care could be very well understood. The bill will also make it madatory for the hospitals to have grievance mechanism to address patient complaints.
As the Indian Healthcare system is near the crisis point, its imperative that the law makers pass the bill as early as possible.

The proposed bill has some vital rights spelled out for the patients.
1. No one shall be denied emergency treatment due to inability to pay fees or need for police clearance.
2. Patient have the right to know name of doctor and nurse treating them.
3. Patient have the right to get a summary of their condition or to seek a second opinion.

Hope this bill brings cheers to the millions of patients across India and the law is follow in letter and spirit.

Poem by Niem”ller

2008-12-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Terrorists and the world

2008-12-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Whenever there is a terrorist strike, the whole world wakes up and calls to banish the terrorists using all the available means. Some even goes to the extent of creating imaginary actions against the terrorists. Also wherever there is a terrorist attack either Saudi Arabian Citizens or Pakistani citizens are named without any hesitation. Statistics also proves that these two countries are exporting terrorists across the globe. More than 75% of the terrorists operating in Iraq and Afghanistan are from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The ordinary citizens are not to be blamed as these terrorists were created and funded by the state machinery simply to stick on to power infinitely. Religious zealots also play a key role. Quoting religious texts and history, many young folks are indoctrinated into violence. Most of these terrorist infested nations are still harboring dictatorship. Bad governance added with poor economic situation forces many towards a lucrative terrorist role. It’s a quick way of making money in the name of a “Cause.” Burning problems like Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan help the terrorists groups to indoctrinate and recruit more and more. The young and educated mobs are lured for ideology using these failed states.

The western world has utilized the terrorists and Muslim dictators at its convenience. The English and Americans in particular have never ceased an opportunity to hold hands with the terrorists if it benefited them. Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Afghanistan and Pakistan were continuously misused by the western powers for their self interest in the region. These Asian countries never wanted to give better governance and civil rights for its people but were busy working out the order from US and EU.

The recent Mumbai attack has thrown light on the new face of terrorism in India. There may be several reasons and outside influence on this attack but what is important for India is to assess the internal issues burning in the main land.

State sponsored genocide in Gujarat and Orissa has created mistrust among Indians. The media gave more coverage to the Mumbai terrorist attack than the state sponsored mass killings in the Right wing ruled Gujarat and Orissa. The media is biased and a profit making organization. It only bothers those who can afford to buy its advertisement products, which are middle class Indians. Non residing Indian organizations in the US & UK have been found to be sponsoring Hindu terrorism & human rights violation in India. U S & UK must take morale responsibility in banning such Hindu organizations in its soil by showing the world that it is not biased towards Muslims. This form of terrorism is extremely dangerous for India as a country to stay united. Unless and until the Indian leadership guarantees equality, safety and security for its citizens, such terrorist activities will go unabated. India has to do more on the home front rather than only taking action across the border. The solution equally lies within its own borders.

Tamil Politics

2008-11-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

One of the worst and the most notorious politics in the world is run by the Tamils in the main land. While the Island Tamil brethren is shedding blood to regain his self respect and basic human rights, the main land senior politicians are working hard to ensure that their children and grand children are amazing wealth for generations. There is no botheration for the state dwellers whether its electricity, civil supplies or agriculture. As long as Tamils are least bothered about better governance, no politician will guarantee them their welfare. After all people get what they deserve and leaders are not exceptions. Unless and until the Tamil mentality improves, they are never going to get a better political system and good governance.

The Tamil Nadu chief minister is extremely busy confronting his grand children and other family members. So he hardly has time for the state affairs. Meanwhile the opposition leader as usual is busy giving offerings to religious establishments and resting in hilly terrains. The alternatives are either alcohol addicts or filmy folks who would like to take politics as a viable option to multiply their fortunes.
Above all almost all the political party has a TV channel to keep the Tamil folks in complete addiction of “Soaps” “Tamil cinema, songs and vulgar dance programmes”

We for sure cannot expect such people to ensure civil liberty and better governance. Unless and otherwise the Tamils awake and rise against such atrocities against them as well as understand that they are used as a pawn by the politicians, for sure Tamils will live in Slavery of a different kind.

Fancy dress competition

2008-11-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

It was in the cold Margazhi(December), my self and my sister were busy spinning the coconut leaves under the shade of the neem tree. The pleasant weather and fragrance from the jasmine flowers were filling the air. The All India Radio, Thirunelveli was broadcasting the famous Kaanada based song Alaipayuthey. I was busy with my work and looked preoccupied. My sister could not understand why I was so deep in my thoughts and my spinning has turned very slow. She looked at my face and asked me why I’m looking so monotonous.

I did not answer her immediately. I was soaked in my thoughts and I could not answer any one. Now and then my target of spinning 15 leaves before lunch was horrifying me. I was scared about the punishment from mom. My sister was concerned and took the long coconut leaf and hit me gently. I looked at her as though rising from a deep sleep. Again she asked me why I am looking worried. I told her about the “Fancy dress competition” and how my class teacher is particular about me joining the chosen few in the class. I was not interested in the competition as it will cost for the costume and damn sure mom will not allow me to participate. Most of my sixth standard class mates were rich and I’m sure their parents are going to shell out a fortune for their wards. I’m not going to stand a chance in the competition.My sister joined my worries now. She was seriously thinking to help me in one way or the other. Meanwhile couple of friends joined us in the morning work and we all started discussing the topic. Finally one personality was chosen and I was to dress like that iconic figure. The costume has to be simple and we can’t afford to buy anything new. With whatever we have, we have to manage the show.

The D day came and we assembled in the green room. Our costume was very simple; A towel with a blue lining at the border to cover my head and a white sari with the blue border. With a thin frame and a round face I was standing in the row of competitors. My name was called and I was in the stage. The neon lamps throwing their 1000 volt light on my face, I was saying these words “The hunger for Love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread” - Mother Theresa. I scrolled down the stairs fearing the slipping sari, wondering how my mom wears this long piece of plain cloth. At the age of 11, uttering the words of Mother Theresa inspired me all through my life and motivated my thoughts and prayers towards those who are less privileged and those who are in want of love. Mother Theresa is always an iconic figure in my life and Yes! I stood first in the Fancy dress competition.