A very bad news for all Indians. A recent study has found that we Indians are most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS among all population groups of the world. The study, which was the biggest even gene mapping exercise of the Indian people, has discovered that a protective gene marker against HIV-1 is almost absent among the Indian people. This explains the high vulnerability that we are cursed with.
The study also shows that the south Indians are at a greater risk in comparison to their north Indian brothers.
It is now time for us to see whether the Indian government takes any step to address this situation. At least the government can arrange for some suggestions and advices by experts, about how we can take some precautionary measures.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
One Of The Rarest Of Rare Phobias – The Fear Of Buttons
It was one of the weirdest news that I have come across in my entire life (and that is certainly not a small time, as I am already 30 something). The said news is about a British girl who is suffering from one of the strangest (and weirdest) phobias that are found in this world – the fear of buttons.
The news says that the girl, Gillian Linkins “can't even stand in the same room as friends and family, who wear them. The sight of buttons sends her into panic attacks. She realised her phobia at the age of seven, when she refused to put on her school blouse.”
The news also quotes the girl saying “I have always been fearful of buttons, especially when they are grouped together……… For me touching a button would be like touching a cockroach. It feels dirty, nasty and wrong. When I was younger my brother used to tease me by opening my mum's button tin. I hide in my bedroom until he put them away”.
No wonder that Gillian’s boyfriend Nate Dorrington always wears clothes with zips.
The phobia, named Koumpounophobia, reportedly affects one in 75,000 people.
The world is really such a queer place. So many strange and peculiar things are happening here, half of which are unknown to us.
However, the news is certainly not funny. It is definitely not a good news that a young girl has become a victim of such an odd phobia, which is seriously hampering her social life. Let us pray to God that she gets rid of this peculiar phobia soon, and starts enjoying a perfectly normal life.
Gillian, all our wishes are with you. You just need to be a bit mentally tough, and self-confident. You must overcome this baseless phobia, and we know that you will certainly be successful in doing so. Good Luck!
The news says that the girl, Gillian Linkins “can't even stand in the same room as friends and family, who wear them. The sight of buttons sends her into panic attacks. She realised her phobia at the age of seven, when she refused to put on her school blouse.”
The news also quotes the girl saying “I have always been fearful of buttons, especially when they are grouped together……… For me touching a button would be like touching a cockroach. It feels dirty, nasty and wrong. When I was younger my brother used to tease me by opening my mum's button tin. I hide in my bedroom until he put them away”.
No wonder that Gillian’s boyfriend Nate Dorrington always wears clothes with zips.
The phobia, named Koumpounophobia, reportedly affects one in 75,000 people.
The world is really such a queer place. So many strange and peculiar things are happening here, half of which are unknown to us.
However, the news is certainly not funny. It is definitely not a good news that a young girl has become a victim of such an odd phobia, which is seriously hampering her social life. Let us pray to God that she gets rid of this peculiar phobia soon, and starts enjoying a perfectly normal life.
Gillian, all our wishes are with you. You just need to be a bit mentally tough, and self-confident. You must overcome this baseless phobia, and we know that you will certainly be successful in doing so. Good Luck!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Is Nepal’s 240 Years Old Monarchy On The Verge Of Abolition?
This is probably the toughest time that the Nepal’s monarchy is facing in its 240 years of history. King Gyanendra has been told in clear terms by the Maoists – who have swept the recent general election in the country – to spontaneously leave the Narayanhiti Palace (the royal palace of Nepal) and espouse the life of a commoner, enabling the Maoists to go for a smooth abolition of the monarchy. The ultra-leftists have also threatened that in case the embattled King does not quit himself, then he will have to face a forceful eviction.
On the other hand, the King has reportedly refused to quit the palace – the abode of his ancestors – and go for an exile.
It is really an unpredictable political development, with both the sides being seemingly stubborn about their respective decisions. However, in all probability, the King will certainly have to bow down before the Maoists, in case the latter stick to their decision.
But I have a humble question. Is it at all necessary to abolish the monarchy and send Gyanandra for exile? After all, he will no more enjoy the power, influence and command that he and his ancestors used to have, with even the popularly elected governments being forced to pay huge importance to their views, ego, whims, etc. It is quite clear that now the popularly elected government (read the Maoists) will call the shots in every respect, with the King being just a powerless and mute spectator.
Therefore, under such circumstances, what is the use of going for the complete abolition of the monarchy? After all, the Nepal King has always been regarded as a national icon, regarded by various Nepalese citizens as a quintessential part of the Nepalese nationality and culture (like what the British monarchy is for the UK). I will like to humbly remind Mr Prachanda that now he and his followers have grabbed the power, they should now focus on core administrative and policy issues, instead of wasting their valuable time in trying to inflict the extreme humiliation on the King.
On the other hand, the King has reportedly refused to quit the palace – the abode of his ancestors – and go for an exile.
It is really an unpredictable political development, with both the sides being seemingly stubborn about their respective decisions. However, in all probability, the King will certainly have to bow down before the Maoists, in case the latter stick to their decision.
But I have a humble question. Is it at all necessary to abolish the monarchy and send Gyanandra for exile? After all, he will no more enjoy the power, influence and command that he and his ancestors used to have, with even the popularly elected governments being forced to pay huge importance to their views, ego, whims, etc. It is quite clear that now the popularly elected government (read the Maoists) will call the shots in every respect, with the King being just a powerless and mute spectator.
Therefore, under such circumstances, what is the use of going for the complete abolition of the monarchy? After all, the Nepal King has always been regarded as a national icon, regarded by various Nepalese citizens as a quintessential part of the Nepalese nationality and culture (like what the British monarchy is for the UK). I will like to humbly remind Mr Prachanda that now he and his followers have grabbed the power, they should now focus on core administrative and policy issues, instead of wasting their valuable time in trying to inflict the extreme humiliation on the King.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A Wall That Divides The Upper Caste and Lower Caste Indians, Literally
Other day I was watching NDTV, India’s premier English news channel and my most favourite one, when I came across this news that left me speechless.
The news was about a wall constructed in the Dare village in the Satara district of the western Indian state of Maharashtra. So what is so special about the wall? Well, it was constructed by the upper caste villagers to restrict the Dalits or lower caste villagers from accessing the community hall. The news showed how tremendously the village Dalits were upset with the matter, strongly demanding the removal of the wall.
We Indians try to gauge the country’s development by looking only at the metro cities (and sometimes at not-so-small-towns). But we hardly take interest in the dismal development rates in rural India, with several villages still deprived of basic facilities like electricity and drinking water. And what is worse is that many of these villages have not even had “social developments”, with age-old taboos, prejudices and biases still enjoying a deep-rooted existence. The government may need some time to achieve adequate physical and economical developments of the Indian villages. But how long does it need to achieve a concrete social development for the rural society, by getting the latter rid of all those nonsensical age-old practices?
The news was about a wall constructed in the Dare village in the Satara district of the western Indian state of Maharashtra. So what is so special about the wall? Well, it was constructed by the upper caste villagers to restrict the Dalits or lower caste villagers from accessing the community hall. The news showed how tremendously the village Dalits were upset with the matter, strongly demanding the removal of the wall.
We Indians try to gauge the country’s development by looking only at the metro cities (and sometimes at not-so-small-towns). But we hardly take interest in the dismal development rates in rural India, with several villages still deprived of basic facilities like electricity and drinking water. And what is worse is that many of these villages have not even had “social developments”, with age-old taboos, prejudices and biases still enjoying a deep-rooted existence. The government may need some time to achieve adequate physical and economical developments of the Indian villages. But how long does it need to achieve a concrete social development for the rural society, by getting the latter rid of all those nonsensical age-old practices?
Monday, April 14, 2008
India Loses Air Force Pilot To Road Rage
An Indian Air Force pilot, who definitely had dreamt of sacrificing his life in a glorious way in the midst of a battle, had to lose his life as a result of shocking road rage, when he was fatally stabbed by a lawyer during an argument over a petty issue, parking of cars. The gruesome incident took place in the picturesque town of Kasauli, near Chandigarh in north India.
Flt Lt Anubhav Roy - a Sukhoi pilot posted at Ambala Air Force station – had a row with Kasauli lawyer Hari Dass Tanwar, who was apparently drunk. The young officer had objected to the way Hari Dass Tanwar had parked his car. This led to two rounds of arguments, eventually leaving Anubhav stabbed by the lawyer with a kitchen knife. The injury was serious, and the young officer breathed his last before enough efforts could be made to save his life.
Apart from extremely sad, the incident is terribly scary as well. Road rage has already turned into a serious problem, especially in north India. And this incident shows how alarming the problem is. If such things continue, then what is the security of our lives?
What left me terribly shocked is that in this incident the culprit was an educated lawyer, and not a street hooligan (or something like that). With a so-called “educated gentleman” behaving in this manner, it is very natural to have this feeling that something is seriously wrong with our society.
Flt Lt Anubhav Roy - a Sukhoi pilot posted at Ambala Air Force station – had a row with Kasauli lawyer Hari Dass Tanwar, who was apparently drunk. The young officer had objected to the way Hari Dass Tanwar had parked his car. This led to two rounds of arguments, eventually leaving Anubhav stabbed by the lawyer with a kitchen knife. The injury was serious, and the young officer breathed his last before enough efforts could be made to save his life.
Apart from extremely sad, the incident is terribly scary as well. Road rage has already turned into a serious problem, especially in north India. And this incident shows how alarming the problem is. If such things continue, then what is the security of our lives?
What left me terribly shocked is that in this incident the culprit was an educated lawyer, and not a street hooligan (or something like that). With a so-called “educated gentleman” behaving in this manner, it is very natural to have this feeling that something is seriously wrong with our society.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Yousaf Raza Gillani sworn in as Pakistan Prime Minister
As a part of a clearly stop-gap arrangement, Mr. Yousaf Raza Gillani of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – the party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - was sworn in as Pakistan’s 25th Prime Minister.
An alumnus of the Government College of Lahore (Pakistan), Gillani comes from a family with rich political heritage. His father Alamdar Hussain Gillani was a signatory to the Pakistan Resolution, the 1940 document on the basis of which Pakistan was created out of India. His grandfather Ghulam Mustafa Shah Gillani served as an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly), while his great grandfather Raja Bakhsh Gillani served as a Mayor of Multan in undivided India (i.e. India before its partition in 1947).
It is quite evident that Mr Gillani will be in his position for just few days, before “loyally” vacating the chair for some “big fish” (like Mr. Asif Ali Zardari). However, let us all wish him good luck and a great time. We sincerely hope that he will be successful in driving his country towards a bright future, provided he gets enough time to do the same.
An alumnus of the Government College of Lahore (Pakistan), Gillani comes from a family with rich political heritage. His father Alamdar Hussain Gillani was a signatory to the Pakistan Resolution, the 1940 document on the basis of which Pakistan was created out of India. His grandfather Ghulam Mustafa Shah Gillani served as an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly), while his great grandfather Raja Bakhsh Gillani served as a Mayor of Multan in undivided India (i.e. India before its partition in 1947).
It is quite evident that Mr Gillani will be in his position for just few days, before “loyally” vacating the chair for some “big fish” (like Mr. Asif Ali Zardari). However, let us all wish him good luck and a great time. We sincerely hope that he will be successful in driving his country towards a bright future, provided he gets enough time to do the same.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Democratization Process In Bhutan
The tiny and picturesque Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan witnessed the beginning of democratization process with the holding of first parliamentary elections in the country.
It was a momentous event in the history of the country, which has been under absolute monarchy for more than a century.
While celebrating the event, the democracy enthusiasts of the world must not forget to appreciate the King of Bhutan for his role in this matter. It may sound very strange, but actually it was the King himself who had pressed for initiating the democratization process through holding of parliamentary election. Given the huge popularity he has, the King could have easily avoided any such democratization process if he had any such wishes. But as an intelligent and sagacious person, he found it wise to behave like a “modern king” by showing spontaneous regards for the principles of democracy.
If the King’s next door neighbour, King Gyanendra of Nepal showed the same sagacity and prudence, then today he would have very much remained in his throne with full honour, instead of going through the terribly humiliating phase that he is going through right now.
It was a momentous event in the history of the country, which has been under absolute monarchy for more than a century.
While celebrating the event, the democracy enthusiasts of the world must not forget to appreciate the King of Bhutan for his role in this matter. It may sound very strange, but actually it was the King himself who had pressed for initiating the democratization process through holding of parliamentary election. Given the huge popularity he has, the King could have easily avoided any such democratization process if he had any such wishes. But as an intelligent and sagacious person, he found it wise to behave like a “modern king” by showing spontaneous regards for the principles of democracy.
If the King’s next door neighbour, King Gyanendra of Nepal showed the same sagacity and prudence, then today he would have very much remained in his throne with full honour, instead of going through the terribly humiliating phase that he is going through right now.
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