YES!!! HE CAN.....OR CAN HE???

Reading a lot of other blogs now has made me come back to my dear old blog. Its nice to write and publish. Slowly and quite steadily I am giving up the habit of writing in my dairy. Blogging is taking over. I keep wondering, is it because of the medium or is there some other reason?

The day the announcement came that Barack Obama has been conferred with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, I just gaped unbelievingly at the newspaper. It seemed so sudden and out of place. My novice notion of a person eligible for a Nobel Peace Prize had been a person who had done some substantial work for peace process in the world. US President and peace process? Doesn’t seem to go together somehow, or does it? So I did a little reading on the world opinion and here is what people have to say.

Most people that I have read up are criticizing this selection. Some say it is too early to award him when he hasn’t been in the post of the President for even a year. Just the promises of his election campaign does not make his words come true nor does it make him a prime peace-keeper. Many cynical pieces can be found on the net as reactions. The most interesting of them, as I observed, was that just a couple of days after the announcement of the prize, the US sent thousands of troops to Afghanistan to fight against Taliban. So much for the peace process! According to Washington Post a total of 34,000 troops have been sent since Obama took office in January. Some say it is a wrong moment to confer the award to him. He isn’t making any progress with the peace process around the world at the moment but surely has the potential to do so. In the Middle East, the Palestinians have now declared that their hopes in the new US President have "evaporated" while the Israeli Foreign Minister has openly stated that he doesn't believe peace is feasible. In Iran too amenable relationship has been stopped over the confrontation of Tehran’s nuclear plans. In Afghanistan, an example is already cited above.

US, being a super-power is always poking its nose in everyone’s matter. It believes it has the right to settle issues remotely related to it. Of course, now everyone has agreed more or less that this is the way America is surging on its super-power tag, but sometimes it becomes to much even for a critic. Obama is no less an American in taking this “super power” dream of US forward. But all interference is always in the name of PEACE. With his declaring that he is going to donate the prize money to charity, it just goes to show how “considerate” a person he is, doesn’t it?

As for us, the beares of this peace process, we can just sit and sing…YES HE CAN or may be better still…CAN HE???

Paradoxical India

During the 16^th century, the Mughals termed India as a “Golden bird” not only because it had the riches but because it had the human resources too. The mystic country has been exploited by many over centuries. Mughals, British all had laid their hands in this “Golden Bird” and exploited it too. While the former became part of the customs and lifestyle, the latter tried to change the same to their style. Through these periods of accession, India learnt and gained many things. The diversity that we so commonly speak about today is nothing but a legacy of this heritage. It should also be remembered that India as a country is an amalgamation of many former regions like the the Rajputana, Punjab, Hyderabad, Bengal, Oudh and many more such small regions that were ruled by various dynasties since time immemorial. Only after the british came to India and with theor subsequent conquer of all these small territories did the amalgamation came together. This union of various regions have led to people of different culture, religion, race come together and live in the same political embodiment.

India is till today made of people who are tied down to their culture yet battling to make a mark on the modern world. As the common cliché goes, “India is a land of paradox”. At the same time, India is an ancient civilization and a young Republic, there is stark poverty and undulating richness in the same street, there is health in one house while the neighbour is filled with illness. If one part of the country is progressing extensively in technology, the other part is still battling a quiet fight with bullocks and plough. India is an agricultural country yet today it is known for its Information Technology. The statement the “the rich gets richer here, the poor poorer” cannot be more true as it is in India. India boasts of many richest people in the world yet at the same time hesitantly admits that 42% of the population falls below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day. If we have the best human resources who gladly settle in the Silicon Valley, we also have about 40% illiterate in the country. This is India for the world. Yet it does not stop to attract people from everywhere for various reasons.

India has been making technological advancements like never before. Today, the country has a huge hub for science and health. Many significant inventions and innovations are coming out of the country’s larder and the world is taking note of all this. Very recently, India climbed a few steps in international recognition and standing when the international journal Science affirmed that images from India’s first moon mission Chandrayaan-I confirm that our only constellation has water in it. The fact that even after many missions to the moon by Russia and US, it was through an Indian satellite that particles of water was found in moon has a lot of signification for the country. India spent an estimate of Rs. 386 crore (US$ 80 million). It is a lot of money that has been spent on a mission to the outer world. Though the mission had to be called off within a year of its launch (its target was a two year revolving around the moon), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) now claims that the mission was 95% successful. Already plans for another moon mission is underway and it expected to be launched within 2013 with a projected cost of Rs. 425 crore (US$ 90 million). This only shows that a lot is being invested in this but the question that necessarily arises is whether this investment is required or not.

It is no mystery to anyone that India is still a developing country and there are many areas that need immediate attention. The health care is one such area where immediate attention is needed. As already known India is a young nation with the average age of people being below 40 years. However, India contributes to 5.6 million child death rates in a year due to malnutrition. According to UNDP Human Development Report (1997), 88% of pregnant women (age 15-49) was found to be suffering from anemia. Only one-third of Indians have access to proper sanitation. India right now is waging under the threat of Swine Flu like the rest of the world, yet no one takes notice of the fact that 700,000 Indians die each year from diarrhoea. Though the situation is improving, it remains concentrated in the urban areas where most of the specialized treatment takes place. In the rural areas, the minimum health-care facility doesn’t reach.

According to the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the UNDP, education is one basic requirement of development. However, in India, as already mentioned more than 40% are illiterate. The condition is such that even after the laucnch of schemes like the Sarva Shikya Abhiyan, the penetration of education does not seem to reach the grassroot. Even at the higher level, the Quota system and privatization of education has made the situation into more of a profitable business rather than a human development index.

In light of all these realities, the fact that India spends so much on a moon mission is sometimes unbelievable and laughable. If looked in perspective, it can be seen that India has now completely come out of its non-aligned stand and is actually fighting for a place among the “Big Nations”. Even though finding water, for example, was a big technological advancement, the question that looms over again is whether that is the requirement of the day or nor? Why cant a country like US send missions to the moon where their people are not battling for the basic requirements of life and their isn’t any abject poverty. India, at this moment need to improve the living conditions of its people rather than finding life in other planets. The debate that US is using this eagerness of India to get into the mainstream of “Big Nations” for its capitalistic goals will ever remain with having some truth in it. (it is to be noted here that though images of water on moon was found through an Indian mission, the device that recored it was a NASA product).

India needs to come out of its dual nature and face the realities of the day instead of building fantasies of the other world. It needs to solve the problem of its people first and than that of the world. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director of Tata Group, called India the “land of paradox-a country that likes to do the most obvious thing after exhausting every possible alternative.” It seems the time is showing us just that. India

It’s the time for examinations!!!

For a Mass Communication student, the best time probably during the course is the exams! Atleast, that’s my idea. I just relish these few days where others are studying, crying, squealing and going to unknown levels of frustrations and I get to sit relaxed and watch them all go by. Well, actually the course comprises of such practical work that exams seem nothing. Not that we don’t study, we do but lesser than others do. It’s all practical based.

The past week has been just great. Recently I have taken it as a habit to observe people. It’s so fascinating to do so. You get to see so many aspects of life just by seeing and observing people, you may get to learn many things. Just as I am writing this, I can catch glimpses of the girls from the other hostels running in frenzy to reach their examination halls. Probably they are getting late. Some are even running with open books in their hands. As if they can run and read at the same time! Well maybe they can! While some others are walking with a calm in their gait, looks like the silence before the big storm. My roommate just left too with a smile on her face. It’s so nice to see people going off with a smile. She hopefully is happy that today is the last day of this “torture”. Well this is an hour before the exams so the last minute emotions are what I am catching

In the evenings, sitting on the verandah and again observing the girls is another time of immense pleasure. Some then are busy eating (like filling up as much as they can before starting the battle of studying once again),some are over the phone (now I do want to know who do they talk to because that will make another interesting observation) while the rest do what girls like best. Yes, gossiping. Cummon, even during these trying days, you can’t take the real element of girls, their fodder, their survival instincts- gossiping! It makes what we are!

Staying at a girls’ hostels surrounded by another couple of similar hostels, another interesting observation I made is the boys coming up right to the gates of our hostels to get the notes. It’s so typically boys to do that, isn’t it? I mean cant they gather their own notes?? Do they need to come to the girls hostels?? Umm…..interesting.

During meals, well, I won’t repeat myself again. The girls mix studies with gossips so easily as if it’s one and the same thing.

As the others run for their exams, let me get back to the depressing mode of studying! Well, I too have exams, can’t forget that even though “its practical based”!!!