Miscellaneous news and discussion - 2

[Pandyan]

Sluts of India try to be clever.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle5702370.ece

[Guest]

Dear Sir/Madam,

Dare to raise your voice for the inevitable socio-political change in Pakistan, to empower the Pakistani, the country belongs to.

Since the creation of Pakistan the Pakistani people are left at distant from the corridor of power so that the ruling elite can do what they wanted to do in favors of their interest, leaving the Pakistani people at the mercy of circumstances. As this policy is denial of right of Pakistani people to rule their country according to their aspiration and desire to built this country, which can provide equal opportunity to all without any discrimination for the establishment of welfare society. Only the society base on tolerance, equality and justice can be the real guarantee for the prosperous and strong Pakistan there for your intention is invited to the crucial movement which could be the point of distraction or disaster.

We have already lost the major part of Pakistan in 1971 simply to save the centralized sole power to exploit this country by the ruling elite they let the country break in part then allowing the masses to rule this country democratically. In the present circumstances we are again dragging our sovereignty at stake for the external interest in the name of national interest, instead of our interest i.e. the interest of Pakistani people at large.

Mr.Musharaf is not a problem nor the restoration of chief justice will make any difference but it is the prevailing socio-political system destroying the institution and victimizing the patriotic people like Dr.Qadeer khan, who provide strong sense of security to the nation and the government humiliate him for the pleasure of others. At the same time Oppressed nationality also exploited and deprived from their due right and resources The current system ,where in transparency and accountability can not be established, is responsible for all this mess need to be change for prosperity of Pakistani, otherwise exploitation and injustice will continue to exist in one form or the other. Pakistani are deprived from their right to rule this country since last 60 years.

The only way out of these crucial circumstances is to empower the common Pakistani at grass route level i.e. the change of system. This change is inevitable for the prosperous Pakistan . Along with basic guarantees for the creation of welfare state, where in public representative and institution shall be answerable and accountable to the masses.




Kindly see web site….www.idp.org.pk

kindly acknowledge with your comments.


Ilyas khan Baloch
Organizer Islamic Democratic Party

[HareKrishna]

SOFIA. Commemorating the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 the U.S. became a public holiday in several villages located in the Rodopi Mountains in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian parliament said on Monday Iane Ianev, chairman of the party Order, Law and Justice, cited by novine.

Ianev said that at least 15 villages in the Rodopi Mountains and try to convert citizens to radical Islam, by teaching it in schools and by other methods. National Security
Bulgaria (DANS) has recently arrested a village mayor and a professor of religion who promote radical Islam.

http://translate.google.com/translate_t#

[HareKrishna]

http://resourcebasedliving.blogspot.com/20...-deception.html
The Obama Deception is not about Left or Right: it's about a One World Government. The international banks plan to loot the people of the United States and turn them into slaves on a Global Plantation.

[Capt M Kumar]

<!--emo&:argue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Secondly, there were many organisations that took up the difficult task of making a direct intervention, by putting up candidates. The boldest and best known of these initiatives was that of the Lok Satta party in Andhra Pradesh. Led by former bureaucrat Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, the energy, the organisational seriousness and public transparency of this party has set an example for future attempts at alternative politics.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/04/stories/...401200.htm

[Guest]

The night rider
Residents in Delhi’s high-security Lutyen’s zone have been intrigued by the sight of a man moving around on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, escorted by Delhi Police vehicles. It now transpires that the motorcyclist is Priyanka Vadra’s husband, Robert Vadra. The Harley seems to be his preferred mode of transport these days, much to the horror of security personnel. It has also been noticed that one of the security personnel stands guard near the bike when it is parked in familiar parts of the city.

[Guest]

Manmohan's Nostradamus
Contrary to popular belief that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was worried about getting a fractured mandate, if insiders in 7 Race Course Road are to be believed the Prime Minister was brimming with confidence.

Two days before the election results he was told by a Lucknow-based faith healer, Vimal Singh that he would get an overwhelming number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections and that he would not need the support of the Left parties to run his government.

Obviously the Prime Minister had reasons to trust his faith healer given the fact he had earlier predicted in 2007 that the Prime Minister would survive the Trust Vote, and that his arch rival L.K. Advani would never become the Prime Minister, so full marks to PM's Nostradamus.

[ramana]

The guy could be an intel plant. In WWII the Brits used to use such astrologers to plant unfavoralbe stories as Hitler beleived in astrology. The source is the book "Man called Intrepid" by William Stephenson.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Mamata to assume office in Kolkata</b>

Kolkata/New Delhi: In an unusual step, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to assume charge of her office at the Eastern Railway headquarters in Kolkata on Tuesday instead of Rail Bhavan in the national capital. saying she has to stand by the people of cyclone-hit West Bengal.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Nautanki Part -II

[Capt M Kumar]

The rapid pace at which the pillars and pilasters are taking shape is impressive, leading some to question why UP’s chief minister — or India’s ministers in general — cannot take similar control over infrastructure — roads, power, water, schools, hospitals — that the developing economy is in critical need of. “I do not say that her monuments and statues do not have aesthetic appeal,” says Lucknow mayor Dinesh Sharma somewhat uncertainly, “but Lucknow cannot be turned into a city of statues,” especially when it has “few amenities for its people”. Yet, Mayawati’s many statues both across Lucknow and in Noida are currently more like shrouds, positioned in alcoves and on pedestals but completed swathed in layers of plastic sheets, no doubt to be unveiled with due pomp and ceremony at some date in the future when her fantasy projects are complete.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/new...lusions/360195/

[Guest]

India, Britain discuss mutual recognition of medical degrees
During his recent visit to UK, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss has pressed for mutual recognition of medical degrees, sources in health ministry said.
---
The Minister had earlier announced unilateral recognition of medical degrees awarded by countries like Australia, UK, New Zealand and the USA.

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>HC seeks info on hate website</b>

July 2nd, 2009
By Our Correspondent


Hyderabad
July 1: The AP High Court on Wednesday took serious note of a US-based website that is allegedly spreading a hate campaign against the Congress leaders including the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. The court asked the counsel for the home department to inform the action initiated by the cyber crime authorities on a complaint lodged by Mr Immaneni Rama Rao, an advocate.

A division bench while dealing with a petition challenging the inaction of cyber crime authorities issued notices to the Centre and the state governments asking them to explain their stand. The court asked the advocate to serve notices personally to the central IT secretary, its computer emergency response team, principal secretary of the home department and assistant commissioner of police, cyber crime wing.

The petitioner told the court that he was a member of Scribd, a social publishing network in the US. He said he came across certain articles in the network which offended the sentiments of the citizens by spreading hate messages against several leaders. All the articles contain bad things about Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Mr Rahul Gandhi and Union ministers Mr P. Chidambaram, Mr Pranab Mukherjee and the Chief Minister and Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, he added.

Mr Rama Rao said he complained about the content to the company and it replied saying public figures cannot be afforded protection against libel and slander. The bench asked the respondents to file their replies within two weeks.

<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>They still call me Ma</b>
pioneer.com
I met former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje immediately after interviewing Maharani Gayatri Devi. When I mentioned my impression of the stately princess of yesteryear, Vasundhara, royalty in her own right, remarked, ‘I hope I don’t live to be 85, but if I do, may it be the way she lives.’ There cannot be a more apt comment to describe the energy that the former queen of Jaipur, the stunningly beautiful Gayatri Devi, encapsulated. It was not easy breaking her reserve though. As I entered her Lilypool home, adjacent to Jaipur’s fabled Rambagh Palace at the appointed hour, she was aghast to see a photographer accompanying me. No way would she allow the interiors of her regal residence to be defiled by the clicks of such an instrument, she firmly declared. Then she announced she thought I was merely paying a courtesy call and an interview was out of the question. Exasperated, I finally tried the last weapon in my arsenal — Bengali. She glowed. And most of the interview that followed was conducted in her father tongue that’s luckily my mother tongue. She relented sufficiently to allow our shaken photographer a few shots at the doorway as she breezed away to attend one of her umpteen daily public engagements. Maharani Gayatri Devi was not just a celebrated beauty; she was a celebration of life itself. The Pioneer Editor-in-Chief Chandan Mitra recounts the interview of 2004.

Your mother belonged to the Baroda royal family, your father to Cooch Behar in West Bengal, you married into Jaipur’s ruling family. Where do you think you belong?

I have never thought of it this way. But having first come to Jaipur at the age of 14, when my brother was studying at Mayo College, and then, having got married here at 19, the bulk of my life has been spent in and around this city. It was a beautiful city then: Wide boulevards intersecting at rectangles, neatly spaced houses, always freshly painted. There was hardly much traffic and whatever was there, was rather disciplined. All houses were pink and the Amber Palace was resplendent. HH (His Highness —referring to her late husband Maharaja Jai Singh) was passionate about houses, schools and hospitals. But he insisted on symmetry. Much as I opposed Pt Nehru’s politics, he understood aesthetics. Once, when I was an Opposition MP, they were demolishing a part of the old city’s wall. I wrote to Panditji and he got it stopped immediately. Even Indira had some taste. But now see what has happened to Jaipur! It’s totally unruly, all building styles have merged, traffic is chaotic, there’s so much pollution.

The worst part is nobody listens. They don’t even think something wrong is happening. Of course, Jaipur is not the only place that’s getting vandalised. Lutyens’ Delhi was a beautiful Delhi. Look what they have done to it! You must have been to London. There they have retained the symmetry. Even today you can’t build a house that does not conform to the overall architectural style that is laid down. Who cares for Jaipur any more? I try, but it’s a fruitless battle.

Your family handed over the Rambagh Palace to the Taj Group. Similarly, other palaces in Rajasthan have been made into hotels. Is it a good thing?

Well, at least they are being maintained decently by the hotel chains. After we lost our privy purses and privileges, there was no way we could afford the cost of looking after these magnificent buildings. But the hotel people are doing a good job; Rambagh, I think, hasn’t changed since we handed it over. Similarly, I can say Umaid Bhavan and Laxmi Vilas in Udaipur are pretty well maintained. But some heritage frescoes are getting ruined. I wish they would do something about preserving them.

How often do you go to Cooch Behar? What’s the feeling you get on reaching the town you grew up in?

I keep going back. They still call me Ma there. The elderly ones remember me as Rajkumari. Each time I go, they say, “Come back Rajkumari, come back to us.” Hundreds of people gather outside the palace to wish me. Last time I visited many villages in the interior areas. Crowds of up to 50,000 gathered and I had to address them. There is a Shiv Mandir in Cooch Behar that we patronise. I have to go back from time to time to perform family responsibilities. I still look after a lot of poor people in Cooch Behar. From my earnings, I have earmarked money for such charities.

You were an active politician and won three consecutive Lok Sabha elections. What made you give up?

Once the Swatantra Party fell apart following Rajaji’s (Chakraverti Rajagopalachari) death, I lost whatever interest I had in politics. Actually, I was never a politician as such; being MP enabled me to serve my people. But political standards have been declining steadily. I can’t work with today’s politicians.

<b>But you won even in 1971 when Indira Gandhi swept the election and most Opposition stalwarts lost...

Yes, she tried everything to stop me from winning. Would you believe it, they systematically deleted the names of most Rajputs from the voters’ list? When I went surveying on polling day, people came to me in tears saying their names had been struck off the rolls. HH was no more by then; I felt so angry and helpless but couldn’t do anything. Officers said there were orders from Delhi to do this. But still I won, although with a reduced majority. You may have heard, I hold the Guinness Book Record for winning with the biggest majority in a parliamentary poll in 1962, when Panditji was in power.

You even had a stand-off with Jawaharlal Nehru in Parliament, I read in your memoirs. What was it over?

I disagreed with Nehru’s politics totally. He knew no economics. He was obsessed with the public sector and discouraged the private sector, except for some favourites like the Birlas. I used to be quite agitated about these policies. Rajaji’s thinking influenced me because he was fundamentally opposed to the licence-permit raj that Nehru had created. It was Rajaji who brought me into politics and persuaded me to contest the Lok Sabha election from Jaipur. It was during my first term as MP that the China War happened. We lost badly because Nehru’s military and diplomatic policies were as big a failure as his economic policy.

It was during the Parliament debate on our debacle in the China War that this so-called stand-off happened. A few days earlier, the Swatantra Party leader, Prof NG Ranga, had said at a meeting of party MPs that Opposition newcomers never seemed to realise the importance of backing up senior leaders in the House while backbench Congress MPs always did that. That comment stuck in my mind. So when Prof Ranga was making a speech critical of the Government, Panditji interjected saying, “The Professor professes to know more than he does.” Congress backbenchers laughed loudly, making this comment seem wittier than it was. Somehow, I got up automatically and said, “If you knew anything about anything we would not be in this mess today.” Opposition MPs made me repeat the remark because Panditji claimed he had not heard it and the Speaker had ruled it was irrelevant. When I said it a second time, all he said was he would not bandy words with a lady! I got both bouquets and brickbats for that comment. In retrospect, I am not sorry about what I said but wish I had put it in more parliamentary language.

On the subject of your political experiences, you went to jail during the Emergency. What was it like?

You know, I wasn’t arrested immediately unlike the others. But I believed if she (Indira Gandhi) didn’t send me to jail, it would be a slur on me. I didn’t have to wait too long. I was taken to jail with Bubbles (Bhawani Singh) and spent a good five months at Tihar before I was released for an operation. Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia was with me. Looking back, it was a great experience although while I was there it seemed like eternity. The jail staff was very friendly and almost apologetic about having to keep me in confinement. But we had a wonderful time actual1y; there was a great deal of bonding between prisoners of the Emergency. I remember, after dinner every night, we would hear slogans being raised from the male wards. One of them I recall distinctly. It went something like this: Desh ki billi/ Chhodo Dilli, Jaao Italy/ Hotel Chalao. (Bursts into long giggles). Don’t ask me why Italy and why hotel chalao. They would raise the slogan and we in the female ward would join the chorus.

Then, I remember, Holi arrived. I invited Rajmata to join some of us to celebrate. We made a cloth doll that was supposed to resemble Indira Gandhi. We set it on fire as Holika the night before Holi. She (Indira Gandhi) made the mistake of calling elections. But by then, politics had also undergone a dramatic change. The Swatantra Party had collapsed and the Jana Sangh came up in Opposition politics. I was quite at a loss in the changed environment. That’s why I refused to contest the election in 1977 although there was so much anger against the Congress that time. I have never had the urge to get back into politics after that.</b>

Do you feel you did a good job as MP for three terms?

No, I don’t think I did anything much. I wish they had something like the MPLADS (MP Local Area Development Scheme) those days. I would have really spent the money on good causes to help the people. I remember some time in 1966 or 1967, India was reeling under drought and I had travelled to the villages with HH. At one place, he got down from the car to ask a local trader how much he was selling wheat for. The man told him Rs 18 (per maund) and HH asked how much he bought it for. The petrified trader replied, honestly, that he got it for Rs 10. HH ordered he must sell it at Rs 10 and that the Government would subsidise so that he made a fair profit too.

After that encounter, I opened my own fair price shop at Baran, a place that was reeling under drought and people were hungry. I brought food from outside and saw to it that ordinary people got grain at a reasonable price. I think that was one big contribution I made as MP. I also remember fighting for a large number of issues at the Zila Parishad. But it was impossible to win in most cases. In Parliament itself, I don’t think I did very much except speak on occasion. While I would not claim to have done a lot, I did contribute in my own way.

Do you still keep in touch with your erstwhile voters?

They don’t let me forget it. So, I still have to look into their problems because they come here with their complaints. I can’t turn them out, can I? You see, the days when I became MP, they believed in me as part of the raj family. Those days there was no tension between raja and praja. We trusted one another naturally; we looked after one another. They had faith in us and we nurtured them. I was born a princess and came here from outside. But they called me Ma, they elected me MP three times. What more could I want? But things have changed.

You are remarkably fit for your age and very active as well. What keeps you occupied these days?

Oh, lots of things. I have my schools. I attend prize distribution and other such functions. I also coordinate school administration activities. People come to me for admission; I attend to them. The royalties I get from my book I channelise into helping the poor in Cooch Behar and Jaipur. I have my horses that race and I have to tend to them here in Jaipur. As I told you, an MP’s responsibilities don’t get over after ceasing to be MP. So I visit my past voters from time to time. Then I travel regularly to Mumbai and Kolkata. Recently, I was invited for the centenary of the Calcutta Club. I had to go; after all, my grandfather was its first president! Now with this Arisia diamond (she was its brand ambassador) range, more work has piled up.

What do you like doing in your spare time? Listen to music, watch movies?

Oh! I have done all that and I don’t do anything like that now.

You don’t like watching TV or movies?

No, no. Once in a while, if the kids get something home, may be.

Okay, honestly, tell me what’s the last movie you watched...

What was that? I think it was called something like Kal Ho Na Ho...

(She breaks off to board her Accent and drives away) <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Gayatri Devi passes away, India loses its icon of beauty</b>
pioneer.com
Lokpal Sethi | Jaipur
Known for her stunning beauty worldwide, Rajmata Gayatri Devi, the Maharani of former Jaipur royal family, died on Wednesday in a hospital here where she was admitted a week ago for treatment of stomach infection and respiratory problem.

The 90-year-old Rajmata was recovering well, but on Tuesday she again developed respiratory problem, and the end came in the afternoon on Wednesday.

A princess of the former Cooch Behar royal family, Gayatri Devi married Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II in 1939. They had a son, Jagat Singh, who died in 1997. She is survived by her two grand children, Rajkumari Lalitya Kumari and Dev Raj Singh.

Born on May 23, 1919 as Princess Ayesha of Cooch Behar, she was the third Maharani of Jaipur from 1939 to 1970 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Her father, Prince Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar, was the younger brother of the Yuvraj. Her mother was Princess Indira Raje of Baroda, an extremely beautiful princess and a legendary socialite.

Early in Gayatri Devi’s life, her uncle’s death led to her father ascending the throne. Gayatri Devi studied at Santiniketan and later in Lausanne, Switzerland, then studied secretarial skills in London School of Secretaries.

Celebrated for her classical beauty and who became something of a fashion icon in the 1960s, Gayatri Devi was a particularly avid equestrienne. It is a tragic irony that Gayatri Devi passed away just a day after actress Leela Naidu died in Mumbai after a prolonged illness. The fashion magazine Vogue had named Gayatri Devi as one of the 10 most beautiful women in the world along with Leela Naidu.

Gayatri Devi picked up a stomach infection in London, where she spent the summer every year, and was admitted to King Edward Hospital in the first week of this month. During her stay in London she celebrated her 90th birthday on May 23.

While being treated for her infection in London, she wished to be taken to Jaipur. After arriving here she was admitted to Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital and, according to Dr SC Kalla, had begun responding to the treatment.

According to a family member, her grandson, Devraj Singh, and granddaughter, Lalitya Kumari, who live in Bangkok with their mother after she divorced Jagat Singh, are expected to arrive here by Thursday morning for the funeral.

The last rites will be conducted on Thursday afternoon. The Rajasthan Government has decided to accord the Rajmata a state funeral.

A co-founder of Swatantra Party, Gayatri Devi entered active politics in 1962 and was elected to the Lok Sabha thrice. She spent five months in jail during Mrs Indira Gandhi’s Emergency and after that she quit politics.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[dhu]

[url="http://m.timesofindia.com/PDATOI/articleshow/5590563.cms"]Chidambaram no to return of Sikhs from PoK fuels anger in Punjab[/url]

CHANDIGARH/VALTOHA: Union home minister P Chidambram’s categorical no to including Sikhs in the ‘welcome-back’ call extended to Kashmiri youth who had gone over to PoK, has come as a rude shock for Punjab, where people are slamming the government’s stand as ‘‘discriminatory and unjust’’.



Soon after PC’s offer to PoK youths, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, in an exclusive interview with the TOI, had asked the minister to make the same offer to Sikh youths on February 13. On Thursday, Chidambram’s party colleague and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said he ‘‘did not agree with the (PC’s) decision’’.



‘‘There has to be some logic to it. When we are extending this offer to those who are still resorting to violence (in J&K), then why can’t we call back those who have shunned arms years ago and returned to the mainstream,’’ said Amarinder, who had, during his chief minister’s tenure, carried back a list of 50-odd such youths from Canada for having their names cleared from the High Commission, after taking clearance from Indian authorities. He also took up the matter with External Affairs ministry later.



BJP MP from Amritsar, Navjot Sidhu called the decision ‘‘a shocking violation of Indian constitution where Union government was indulging in discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and creed. Anybody, who violates the constitution should be made to face action,’’ Sidhu told The Times of India on phone from Indore.



Even as criticism is pouring in from Sikh leaders cutting across party lines, human rights lawyer Navkiran Singh has decided to file a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging PC’s decision on the ground that ‘‘all the citizens are equal in the eyes of India’s constitution but the Union government is discriminating against Sikhs while appeasing Muslim community.’’



Meanwhile, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, known to be a moderate face among radical Sikh leaders during militancy, also finally joined the chorus and declared PC’s decision as ‘‘unfortunate’’. Talking to TOI, Badal said, ‘‘I am sorry to hear the statement of the home minister, because the policy should be the same for all Indian nationals.’’ He added that he would take up the issue with Chidambram during latters visit to Amritsar on February 20. “All we want is that the Sikh youth who had to leave the country under some kind of duress, repression or implication in false cases, should be considered for a similar opportunity.”



SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, who had asked black-listed Sikh youths to approach the Akal Takht with their details about six months back, said his office had received over 100 such names, where people have been denied the chance visit their home country, even though they have no criminal cases against them. ‘‘The entire community was angry about Operation Bluestar and many of them held public protests. Why should this be held against them,’’ asked Makkar, who said he would be writing to the PM for a review of this decision.



The state battled militancy for over one and a half decades, though, normalcy returned to the state in the mid-90s, many Sikhs were put on an ‘adverse list’, commonly known as ‘black list’, and have not been allowed to return to India all these years.



Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, described the home minister’s statement on Wednesday as a ‘gross injustice with Sikhs’.

[Arun_S]

[url="http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=I+love+India,+but+she+doesnt+need+me:+MF+Husain&artid=LqQPDQ%7C0kAQ=&SectionID=lMx/b5mt1kU=&MainSectionID=lMx/b5mt1kU=&SEO=Hussain&SectionName=tm2kh5uDhixGlQvAG42A/07OVZOOEmts"]‘M F Hussain denigrated Indian culture’ [/url]

01 Mar 2010 10:26:50 AM



THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bharatiya Vichara Kendra director P. Parameswaran has criticised painter M.F. Hussain for consistently denigrating Indian culture.



In a press release issued on Sunday in the background of the news that Hussain had accepted Qatar nationality, Parameswaran said that in the name of artistic freedom Hussain had painted Hindu gods and goddesses and even Bharat Matha in a manner, which deeply hurt the sentiments and sensibilities of patriotic Indians.



That M.F. Hussain has accepted Qatar nationality is good news, good for him and good for India.



He got what he desired and lost what he hardly deserved, the statement said.



He had to leave India because of the intense anger of his misusing artistic freedom. Now, he is free to utilise his newly-won nationality to make full commercial benefit of his negative artistic talents while staying abroad, the statement said. A number of human right activists are raising a hue and cry against the denial of M.F. Hussain’s fundamental right to live in India. Their argument is that he has done only what has already been in vogue in India a long time back.



In many Hindu temples, figures have been painted in an obscene manner. But it must be remembered that great Indian patriots like Swami Vivekananda have openly condemned such paintings and described such paintings as degenerate and not representing true Indian art. Nobody now admires them and no artist reproduces such paintings except Hussain, the statement said. It was against such paintings that the great Indian artists Raja Ravi Varma produced hundreds of portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses and won worldwide acclaim, the statement said. It was an act of sheer arrogance on the part of the Kerala Government that it recently decided to honour M.F. Hussain by giving him Raja Ravi Varma award.



It is another matter that they could not succeed in this nefarious attempt due to public protest and judicial intervention, the statement said.



The “righteous indignation!’’ of the human rights activists in the case of Hussain is to be seen in comparison to to their silent acquiescence of the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama half-a- century-old exile in India. Hussain had to leave India for denigrating Indian culture, whereas Dalai Lama was forced to leave Tibet in order to protect and practise the millennium-old tradition and culture of Tibet.



[color="#0000ff"]It will indeed be interesting to watch if Hussain utilises his freedom as a Qatar national to produce paintings of Islamic symbols in the manner in which he has been painting Hindu icons and symbols. That would also show how genuine is his secularism and the independence of his vociferous supporters in India, he said.[/color]

[Arun_S]

Psy-op survey that is not scientific to seed and create a self image to serves their pay-master's interest.



[url="http://www.hindustantimes.com/Kalam-Ratan-Tata-India-s-most-trusted-Mayawati-least/H1-Article1-514441.aspx"]Abdul Kalam, Ratan Tata are India's most trusted: Survey[/url]

New Delhi, March 02, 2010 First Published: 19:15 IST(2/3/2010)



Former president APJ Abdul Kalam and industrialist Ratan Tata top the list of 100 most trusted Indians [color="#0000ff"]while artist MF Husain is at 91 [/color][color="#0000ff"]and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is at the very bottom[/color], according to a survey by the Reader's Digest.



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ranked seventh, one place below chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand, Sachin Tendulkar is at number eight and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen at 10th place along with Wipro chairman Azim Premji and Indian Space Research Organisation M Madhavan Nair.



Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is ranked 29th in the survey published in the March edition of Reader's Digest that hit the stands Tuesday.



Others in the top 10 list of India's most trusted Indians are former police officer Kiran Bedi (3rd), Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy (4th), music composer AR Rahman (5th) and cartoonist RK Laxman (9th).



Among [color="#0000ff"]India's most trusted professions, teachers are at the top,[/color] followed rather surprisingly by firefighters and farmers follow at number three.



[color="#0000ff"]Scientists and members of the armed forces share fourth position[/color], with doctors at sixth, pilots at seventh, pilots at seventh, surgeons at eighth, nurses at ninth and engineers at 10th.



[color="#0000ff"]At the bottom end of the scale of 40 most trusted professions are religious leaders (35)[/color], lawyers (36), police officers (37), government officials (38), realtors (39) and politicians (40).



“The survey was conducted online by market research firm Digital Edge that sent out 5,000 invitations, with 761 people responding by the cutoff date,” Digest editor Mohan Sivanandan told IANS on the phone from Mumbai.



“The survey covered 30 cities, with two-thirds of the respondents being under 35, possessing a bachelor's degree and three-fourth's male,” he added.



Given this, Sivanandan has added a caveat in his editorial in the Digest.



“[color="#0000ff"]Although we cannot claim this survey to be absolutely scientific,[/color] you’ll agree with me that the overall results mirror public perceptions fairly accurately. Equally interesting are the views and explanations from experts. On a personal note, I don’t have cause to rejoice, because journalists are ranked 30th among 40 professions, just below plumbers,” the editorial says.



Thus, the survey has more than its share of surprises, with cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ranked at 42nd, way below shooter Abhinav Bindra (25th), while tennis star Sania Mirza is at 81st.



The respondents gave a massive thumbs down to politicians and sports administrators.



Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani is at 94, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee at 96, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar at 97, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat at 98 and former railway minister Lalu Prasad at 99.



Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi is just one notch above Advani.



Bollywood and the small screen have their share of places with actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan at 14 and 18 respectively, with TV comic Jaspal Bhatti at 43, scriptwriter Javed Akhtar at 46, Shah Rukh Khan at 53, Sushmita Sen at 64, Rajnikanth at 67, Kamal Haasan at 71, director Anurag Kashyap at 78, Malayalam actor Mohanlal at 80, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at 82 and TV serial producer Ekta Kapoor at 95.



Among the other surprises in the list, President Pratibha Patil is ranked way below at 67, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia at 41, Home Minister P. Chidambaram at 50, novelist Khushwant Singh at 51 and environmentalist R.K. Pachauri at 61 along with TV anchor Rajdeep Sardesai.



Congress president Sonia Gandhi is at 72, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at 73, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor at 84, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Arun Jaitley at 86, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at 87 and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at 89.

[Guest]

[size="6"]Pramod Mahajan's brother Pravin dies[/size]









Pravin Mahajan, accused of killing his brother and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan, passed away on Wednesday afternoon, sources in Jupiter Hospital in Thane said.



Doctors, who treated him, told media persons that Pravin died of sepsis and multi organ failure at 5:40pm.



According to doctors, the brain haemorrhage (diagnosed in December) triggered an infection in his body, which rapidly started affecting his organs.



They said that Pravin's condition deteriorated in the last 48 hours with his vital organs ceasing to function.



Pravin had been admitted to the hospital in December after suffering brain haemorrhage. He eventually slipped into coma and was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit.



Pravin, who was serving his life imprisonment, is survived by his wife and two children -- Kapil and Vaishali -- both of whom are college students.



Pravin, 50, who was out on furlough (special leave), was admitted to the Jupiter hospital in December last year following bleeding in the brain. Since then, he had been in coma and never recovered, said Dr B D Pathak of Jupiter hospital.



On April 22, 2006, Pravin drove to the Worli residence of elder brother and prominent BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.



After a brief and tense conversation, Pravin, who was carrying a licensed revolver, shot Pramod and then went to police station where he surrendered.



On December 18, 2007, he was convicted by a sessions court and sentenced to life imprisonment.



In November last year, he was released on furlough. Just when the 14-day leave was about to expire, he complained of headache and blood pressure and was taken on December 11 night to Jupiter hospital in Thane.





Though he was in ICU over the past three months, his condition improved in the last 10 days and was taken off the ventilator. On Tuesday night, however, his condition worsened, hospital sources added.

[Guest]

[size="6"]Courts will take 320 years to clear backlog cases: Justice Rao[/size]

HYDERABAD: Indian judiciary would take 320 years to clear the backlog of 31.28 million cases pending in various courts including High courts in the country, Andhra Pradesh High Court judge Justice V V Rao said.



"If one considers the total pendency of cases in the Indian judicial system, every judge in the country will have an average load of about 2,147 cases," Justice Rao said, while delivering the keynote address on E-Governance in Judiciary.



India has 14,576 judges as against the sanctioned strength of 17,641 including 630 High Court Judges. This works out to a ratio of 10.5 judges per million population, Justice Rao said.



The Apex court in 2002 had suggested 50 judges per million population, he said.



If the norm of 50 judicial officers per million becomes reality by 2030 when the country's population would be 1.5 to 1.7 billion, the number of judges would go upto 1.25 lakh dealing with 300 million case.



A recent study indicated that the number of new cases has direct relationship with increasing literacy rate and awareness, he said.



Citing example of Kerala, a high literacy state, he said with awareness, 28 new cases per 1000 population per annum have been added, whereas, Bihar with relatively low literacy rate the figure stands at just three, he said.



He opined that the use of Information and Communication Technologies in judiciary helps judicial administration in speedy disposal of cases by providing access to legal and judicial database to judges.





http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india...651782.cms

[Guest]

This is amazing to see. People young and old, people of all strips joining this party on an anti islamic platform. It's great to see young people whether in India or the UK take a stand against further islamization and destruction of their traditions and culture. Perhaps many of these people realize that once muslims become majority and institute sharia laws, they will not have the freedoms they have now.Imagine not being able to drink alcahol, or go out dancing or to a music concert, women can't wear mini skirts, men can't shave beards, and so on. Because something will offend the muslims and or islam.





Long live dutch MP Geert Wilders!