The Sunshine Within You

It was interesting to watch the politicians discussing the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill in the Upper House. Leaders from different political parties express their views and after a healthy debate the bill was passed, which is unusual and a big achievement nowadays in the Indian Parliament. What's In The Bill? Juvenile age is reduced from 18 to 16 and they will be tried under the law for committing serious and heinous crimes like an adult. But if a juvenile is found guilty of an allegation, followed by the enquiry, he/she will not directly be sent to jail. The Juvenile Justice Board has experts and psychologists, who will first decide whether the crime committed has been “child-like” or was it committed in an “adult frame of mind”. If a court decides them to be sent to an adult jail, they will still have the power to appeal. But after having been convicted, they will be sent to a borstal until they are 21 years old, after which there will be a rev

Nevertheless, it  is not an innovative concept but taken from a very similar program in Beijing, t he Delhi government's odd-even formula, to bring air pollution under control, deserves a warm welcome. Judging by the success of this formula in Beijing, it should not be discouraged from implementing in Delhi but should be given a chance. Because without experimenting something new, we cannot come to a conclusion. And yes, it is far better to do an experiment than living in a gas chamber, breathing poison every second. Some are mocking this formula especially because it is proposed by Arvind Kejriwal's Delhi government. If it was proposed by Modi's government, most of us would have been partially or completely satisfied with the formula. Of course, it is because of the difference between attitude, track records and, the credibility of these two leaders. But instead of focusing on whose formula is it, we should focus on what the bloody formula is. The formula is very

I went to Kolkata with my friends in holidays. We went there via railways, I still remember the great journey from New Delhi to Howrah through Rajdhani Express. We were three friends who agreed to visit Kolkata after a fierce debate. We want to travel to a city we have never been to. But this doesn't mean us to go to a lonely island. We preferred the city that must be well connected with the rest other parts of India and with good roads to drive on because we didn't want our body to be shaken by jerky roads while travelling the city. Kolkata was an ideal choice for us to enjoy our holidays. While reaching the Howrah junction, first we kept noticing the size of the station, the number of platforms and the number of people. I at once said this is too big! All my friends agreed. We also noticed the design and cleanliness of Howrah Junction. It is very much common to the Grand Central station of New York. While we were enjoying the beauty of Howrah junction, one of my friend br

Chennai: It's raining! What a pleasant weather! It's tea-pakoda or at least idli-sambhar time! Perhaps this was the reaction of people of Chennai when they are unaware of the devastation that this rain is going to cause. But soon there was waterlogging everywhere in the city and water level in the river rose above the danger mark. The whole city is endangered with the risk of floods. The pleasant weather is no longer enjoyed by anyone. Everyone is just praying to the god to stop the rain. But the rain didn't stop and now water is overflowing with water bodies towards the city. A Man shouted in the Tamil language which means " bhaago paani aa raha hai ". It created a situation of panic among the people. People inside their homes could hear the loud splash of water and other people's voices. They came out of their house to check what's going on and found the water is coming towards their house or has already entered. People above the ground floor looks c

A healthy living environment depends on adequate sanitation. Having and using toilets is the first step towards it. In this digital age, still, 2.4 billion people are devoid of using this basic necessity. People have to defecate in the open which is a very immense problem both for the human dignity and the environment. From this practice, inequalities between different social groups are starkly evident. Without sanitation systems, human waste enters groundwater and surface water that allows the growth of certain disease-causing bacteria and worms. Faeces deposited through open defecation contaminate the land. Children playing with the infected mud end up taking that into their mouth that can give rise to diarrhoea and other diseases. Diarrhoea is, in fact, the second leading cause of deaths in children under age 5 in developing countries, primarily due to poor hygiene and sanitation. While there is an importance of toilet for everyone but women and girls need it the most. It is a

The attempt of some so-called liberals to malign Modi's image has been successful when the British Media asked the Indian prime minister about the rising intolerance in India because of which some writers, film-makers and scientists have returned their award. These award-wapsi  events may have brought publicity to some people but this has really created a hype that India is increasingly becoming intolerant. By selectively picking up issues about a particular religion is not going to help anyone. At the end of the day, the truth will be out, embarrassing the award-returnee gang which is more a publicity stunt than a way of protest. Politicians don't give awards to anyone but academy on behalf of the government give that. This cannot be returned to the government and returning the award means disrespecting the academy. They could have written articles, make a documentary film on the topic that, they think, needs some attention. India has always been tolerant of all these thin

Wherever there is Ravana  (the evil force), there must be a Rama (the divine force) to destroy the Ravana to overcome the influence of such evil forces and prevent to spread further. Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu and a king of  Ayodhya , is referred as the perfect or ideal man popularly known as " Maryada Purushottama" . He was the eldest of the four sons of  Dasaratha, king of  Ayodhya , born to demolish the terror of  Ravana  who overpowered the  devas  and ruling the earth, the heaven and the netherworld, seeming almost invincible. Rama life's journey was to comply with the path of dharma  despite harsh tests and obstacles and pains of life. While staying with sage Vishwamitra in his ashram to learn astras , sastras (divine weapons) and way of life, Rama has initiated the work he was incarnated for i.e., to kill Rakshasha who had been harassing and terrorizing sages. Sage Vishwamitra takes Rama to the Sita's swayamvara (a wedding ceremony) in whic

Ravana has a very important place in Indian mythology.  Although he was a villain of Ramayana , he is worshipped either alone or with the Shiva-lingam (the symbol of Lord Shiva whom Ravana was a great devotee of) he had established in the past (as Temple claims) in many parts of India and some other Nations of Southeast Asia including Sri Lanka. Ravana himself is an ideology. He is an epitome of self-obsessed and greedy being full of nepotism who lost himself in the lust for power. Ravana was an exemplary scholar who mastered the Vedas, the holy books, and the arts and ways of Kshatriyas  (the warriors). He performed an intense penance to Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe, that lasted several years as a result of which he was provided with a boon. Ravana asked for immortality, which Brahma refused to give, but gave him a celestial nectar of immortality stored under his navel saying that he could not be defeated for as long as it lasted. He also asked for absolute impervio

Virender Sehwag came as a nightmare for any bowlers, regardless of his pace, spin or looks. The madness of the bowler after taking his wicket could be easily seen on the field. It was a kind of mixed reaction of happiness and spewing out the frustration built by Sehwag. But the dignity of this champion, I presume, is not preserved in the way he retired. The BCCI should have given him a match in which his retirement should be officially announced. We can say that he has taken a right decision because a player of such class can't play Ranji and IPL all his life, well nobody can play even international cricket all his life. He as a youngster played and entertained us to the fullest. Sehwag had represented India in 104 test matches and 251 in ODI with the top score of 319 and 219 respectively. He holds multiple records including the highest score made by an Indian in test cricket, 319 against South Africa, which was also the fastest triple century in the history of International

It was the first time when a young boy Mukesh Pandey from Bihar voted for the 2015 Bihar assembly election. He was very excited to exercise his right to vote so, in the beginning, he decided to listen to every politician and go through the manifesto of the different political parties. After weeks of doing so, he got frustrated and said: "What the hell our politicians are doing! They've no new things to say. Instead of talking how they're going to develop Bihar, they are accusing each other of making Bihar an underdeveloped state. Their campaign is nothing but wastage of public money. Those who invest more will loot more after coming to power. Such campaign can't be possible with hard earned money and is happening with black money. Black people (not racial one) makes black money by different black means like extortion, mafia, kidnapping, etc. So there is no chance of honest people fighting the election. The thing that surprised me most is the behaviour of our (Hon&#

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was his name, like his 'big name' he leaves behind a very big legacy which cannot be forgotten. He was an example for the underprivileged children that just by will-Power and determination you can reach the top post. The thing matter is "your dream" and how much you work to achieve your dream. If you have a legitimate dream and at night you are not enjoying a sound sleep because you want to achieve that dream as soon as possible, then nothing can stop you from achieving your dream. In his words: "Dream is not that you see in the sleep, but it is something that does not allow you to sleep."  There was nothing negative about him. Everything he said or done had a positive impact to such extent that he was elected as 11th President of India unusually by the BJP and Congress together. The awards he got from Government of India includes —  Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990, Bharat Ratna in 1997 and Veer Sa

The BJD MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda did what BJP MPs should have done. It appears as a double standard of PM Modi that he appeal to the Nation to give up their LPG gas subsidy but his own MPs enjoy food subsidy in the Parliament canteen like "the Mutton Biriyani" at just Rs 20. A total of Rs 60 Crore is given to the Parliament canteen which Jay Panda proposes to be withdrawn which is a very responsible move by him in spite of sitting in the opposition. The question is not whether MPs deserve a subsidized meal or not. They are using various other subsidies besides the food in the Parliament. The question is how can the government appeal to the people to say no to their LPG subsidy when their MPs uses such bizarre and unnecessary subsidy and privileges? The British have left but their relics of colonial-mindset still remain in the country. The read beacons for the "Netas" and "Babus" make them feel like they are kings and that is why they forget that

The monsoon session of the Parliament begins today on July 21, 2015. The prime minister Narendra Modi reached out to the opposition parties yesterday and request them to let Parliament function without obstruction. He also ensured them that there will be a debate on all issues of national interest. Either the PM is daydreaming that opposition will allow the Parliament proceedings without any din or just being diplomatic. How can he expect that? The BJP, when in opposition, had rarely let Parliament function smoothly. Senior leaders of BJP said that it is legitimate to disrupt Parliament proceedings by the opposition. And at a time when three ministers of BJP is under the scanner, it is the golden opportunity for the opposition parties. None other than foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj along with Rajasthan CM Vashundhra Raje and her son Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Singh or BJP's Robert Vadra are involved in a serious breach of propriety by helping a fugitive Lalit Modi in a foreign country

We are quite aware with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan of "minimum government-maximum governance". It is one of the agenda of Modi during his campaign in 2014 general election. The place where this needs to be implemented the most is government elementary schools with slight modification as "minimum teachers-maximum teachings". Without any doubt, the government school teachers are the biggest cheaters and a burden on the economy. The salary of the government teachers is much higher than the private sector teachers (In UP, the difference is 20 times). But rather than working harder and better, the government teachers are often seen "missing in action". Karthik Muralidharan's 2014 study estimates an absence rate of 23.6 percent. When they are present, they spend much of their time in non-teaching activities or teaching with little professional competence, and exercise little effort. Some teachers don't even see for six months but d

The recent Manipur ambush resulted in the cold-blooded murder of 20 Indian Army personnel, boiled the blood of Nation. This certainly made PM Narendra Modi quite angry but despite that, he carried out his visit to Bangladesh. Involving in Diplomacy at that time must be very difficult for him. But he did that with ease and also used that platform to remind Pakistan the history that how they have treated Bangladesh in the past and how India despite defeating them had not occupied the land but let it be a new state known as Bangladesh today. I leave the Bangladesh part for another day. The cross-border operation by the Indian Army to finish off the terrorists, who killed our soldiers for no reason, is quite rare. MoD (Ministry of Defence) and MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) along with Myanmar government cooperated in this operation. The operation was a must to show the strength of Indian Army and set up an example that if anyone dares to touch our Men will face similar consequences

Dear Mr Prime Minister Congratulations on the successful one-year completion of your government. I know it is not enough to change a big country like India with 1.25 billion people that's too with a very remarkable diversity based on religion, culture, caste, language, etc. But, you know, in the era of increasing globalization, all people want is an immediate result. That is why the 5 days Test-Cricket are now reduced to 20-20 matches and sometimes 20-20 match looks very lengthy. But you are yourself giving your one-year report card to the people and that may be your adaptation to their demand. I thought you'll introspect your one year's success and failure. Failures are a part of our lives and we cannot ignore it. So your government has some failures too although it was successful overall and which deserves an applaud. But you seem to be obsessed with your some policies, foreign diplomacy and cosmetic changes in some institutions. Just saying that "we are the gov

Both Ramesh and Suresh decided to go to a postpaid sweets & snacks shop which is running well so that they can eat and escape from there without paying for it. Part 1:   The Story of Ramesh and Suresh [ Suresh still looking nervous but Ramesh is very confident ] "Are you sure, we won't get caught?" asked Suresh "Oh! Absolutely not, you just relax" said Ramesh locking his bicycle. [ Both entered the shop ] "Look at the facial expression of that man, if we get caught he will beat our bum till it becomes red-hot," said Suresh in a faint voice. "He is the staff, not the owner...It seems that last night his wife had beaten him too much" Ramesh jeered at him. "Give us four samosas in two different plates...and don't forget the chutney " Ramesh said to that staff. The staff gave him a weird look but then gave him his order. * Both Ramesh and Suresh decided to eat that outside the shop, not too far, the shopkeepe

The Sunshine Within You - Rays of Hope India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and fisheries accounted for 13.7% of the GDP. We have achieved the status of world's largest producer of many fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, major spices, jute, millets and castor oil seed. Also, India is the second largest producer of wheat and rice, the world's major food staples and the world's second or third largest producer of several dry fruits, pulses, eggs, sugarcane and numerous vegetables. It seems that our agriculture sector is booming and we should boast about it. These are statistics as a whole. But when we look our agriculture at an individual level, we find a different story. The condition of Indian farmers are so miserable that they are forced to suicide. The reasons for suicide is not only restricted to crop failure but there are multiple reasons such as habits like drinking and gambling, Family problems with spouse,

Dear Mr Rahul Gandhi, First, welcome back from your two months of secret absence. God knows where you have gone to?  Unlike other politicians, your life is full of thrills. Perhaps you have gone for Tapasya and returned with some powers gained by it as told in Hindu mythology. You were unable to lead the 150 years old party but now it seems you can. Hopefully, you will use your powers for the mankind with skill and don't make it poison as your mom told. You speak well especially Hindi language which when your mom speaks appears that she is forced to make speech in Hindi. You can communicate with people better than her. Now you also learnt how to make jibes, it's a good sign of your becoming a contemporary politician because your opponent is the master in these things in front of whom you are still a beginner. Sir, please understand politics is not a part-time profession. You are a dynast so we know you but if you were a normal part-time politician, People and Media would

When the new party formed as an outcome of India Against Corruption movement, named as Aam Aadmi  Party, we felt quite romantic about it. It was formed with a promise of getting India rid of corruption. There were a lot of expectations from it. People thought ultimately there will be a party which will hear common man instead of big corporates and industrialists. So, people have trusted a man called Arvind Kejriwal not once, but twice! During the 2015 Delhi assembly election, The AAP in its manifesto gave several hawabaazi like providing free water, free WiFi, cutting the electricity Bill to half, opening more schools, colleges and hospitals. From aam aadmi , aam aurat to aam bacche  there was something for everyone. All this was to lure voters. And, seriously all these promises were no less than winning a jackpot. So, they have voted AAP. Without hesitation, I can say that the people of Delhi have trusted a wrong man. The so-called aam aadmi  can't believe that a person o

Remember your School days, we used to take a pledge every morning that India is my country and all Indians are my Brothers and Sisters...and so on. All of us knows that this is based on idealism and the purpose is to create a bond between men and women so that they will respect each other. And exactly this is taught by Indian culture (which some are maligning), like when we ask someone for a favour or just for starting a conversation we say Bhaisahab  and Behenji . This is the implementation of same childhood pledge. Can this kind of mindset lead to rape? Of course not. We are not in a rapist country and rape is not in our culture as BBC is telling the world from its documentary. Rape is a brutal act of violence which is a very serious offence like murder, Drugs trafficking, etc. These crimes happen all over the world and is not confined to one place or the other. Yes, somewhere there is our fault as well. We have not created a fear among rapist but even if we do that rape will

It was a hot Sunday afternoon in which two friends Ramesh and Suresh of seventh Grade were roaming on the outskirts of Kolkata City on a bicycle... "It's quite hot today, what do you think?" asked Ramesh wiping sweat from the face with his shirt and riding his bicycle. "Yes, It's parching! I think we should take some rest and have some snacks and colas" said Suresh sitting in the back seat. "Of course! How much money you have brought with you?" asked Ramesh "I haven't brought any money(abusing). I thought you're going to bring it as you've invited me for this crap. I was better off resting at my home." said Suresh (losing his temperament) "Calm down! Why are you getting upset? We're enjoying, aren't we?" asked Ramesh "I'm not enjoying at all," said Suresh [Silence] "Today I'll show you the art of enjoying food without money," said Ramesh "What? I didn't unders

First, a disclosure: I am a Hindu and have full faith in Hinduism but to show my faith I don't stoop to blaspheme other religions and troll using foul and filthy language on social media like some sick people who consider themselves as the biggest follower of Hinduism but actually insults it. I boast of Indian secularism and our constitution has a very important place for it as we know there is a huge cultural, linguistic and religious diversity exists in India. Since Independence, we never had a muscular secularism in which minorities have to live in fear. Anyone can practice any religion of his/her choice. But the present scenario in India is somewhat disturbing. Some nominal Hindu groups are making full efforts to make India as a Hindu Nation . Our prime minister does not speak to these issues and stick to his development agenda while opposition parties which call themselves as secular (probably because of vote-banks) demand an answer directly from PM and disrupt the parli