Discover Life

Design Development for Automobiles: Develop Corner-Lights on Cars for Safe Night-Driving At Turnings under Poor Visibility

2012-02-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

© Harish Jharia

Driving cars in India is a real troublesome job because of the bad condition of roads, crowded traffic, inadequate street lighting and poor traffic sense among drivers and pedestrians. It becomes dangerous and even fatal when we need to drive in pitch dark nights in a congested locality and turn the car at 90 degree angles.

Deficiency in the Present Design:

On turnings at right or left in pitch-dark nights we need to almost stop the car at the turnings because our headlights illuminate the road straight in the front. We are not able to see the road, beyond the turning, where we are about to turn. There are possibilities of some pedestrian walking on the dark road. There might also be a bicycle rider or a rickshaw moving on the dark road. There might be anything beyond our imagination and something against which you may bang your car if you keep driving carelessly.

Design Development Suggestion:

I think we should have some additional corner lights at both the right and left front corners in addition to the present headlights. Corner-lights may have specifications approximately as suggested in the following points, subject to suitability to the overall design of the automobile:

The corner-lights may be installed as parts of the headlights or be installed separately at the outer sides of the headlights or right under them.
The corner-lights may also be installed in place of the fog-lights, replacing them.
The axis of the corner-lights may be kept somewhere between 15 to 30 degrees outwards from that of the respective headlights.
The luminosity of corner-lights should be sufficient to illuminate about 25 feet in the direction of its axis.
The reflector of corner-lights may be designed in order to achieve its requirements
The corner-lights are also required to be at the ‘low beam’ angle
In standing position and during straight driving the corner-lights will remain switched-off.
While turning the vehicle at right or left, the respective corner-light may be operated with the help of the side-indicator lever.
The particular corner-light will be turned-on when the side-indicator lever is turned towards that side.
Eventually, the side-indicator and the respective corner-light will glow together.

Alternate designs already in vogue:

Xenon Adaptive Headlight

An alternate system called Adaptive headlights is already being used on some specific models of super-luxury cars like BMW and Audi. Nevertheless, their technology is too advanced for Indian cars manufacturers to adapt and exorbitantly expensive for the customers to afford.

Click here:

How Adaptive Headlights Work:

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Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh diagnosed malignant tumor near lung: Gone to US for treatment of this curable ailment

2012-02-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

'Discover Life' wishes Yuvraj... "Get Well Soon..."

Based on a Times of India report

- Harish Jharia

Yuvraj had earlier been detected with a tumor between his left lung and heart, which has since been diagnosed as malignant. Yuvraj has been in the US since January 26, 2012, for chemotherapy at Cancer Research Institute, Boston on the malignant Tumor.

Going by the line of treatment he is receiving, doctors here in India said that Yuvraj is likely suffering from a rare condition called lung seminoma, in which chances of recovery are more than 95%. This condition has no relations to excessive smoking or alcoholism.

Family sources said Yuvi, who has made many comebacks into the Team India, is determined to overcome the disease and make a comeback again. They said the chemo sessions had begun and he is showing the side effects of this treatment. "He is showing common after-effects of the treatment like loss of appetite and nausea. He is anxious but also keen to fight the ailment," a family source said.

Sources said BCCI would bear the expenses for Yuvraj's treatment in the US and his IPL franchisee, Sahara India, would release $1.8 million that the player would have received had played in the IPL this year.

Nevertheless, the family considers all these matters as secondary issues at the moment. Before leaving for the US, Yuvraj's mother Shabnam Singh had told the press that, "For me, the health of my son is more important than his career in cricket at this stage."

His father Yograj Singh said with prides that, "Yuvi is a 'sher' and all I can say is that he will make a comeback".

Medical Marvels: Comeback Heroes

Cancer is a disease that does not discriminate among the fit, the unfit, the skilled or the average. Yet, in sports there are some who have returned completely cured after treatments or surgery to and excelled in their field:

Eric Abidal: The Barcelona left-back was diagnosed with liver tumor. He underwent immediate surgery. Just two-and-a-half months after undergoing a three-hour operation, the Frenchman recovered fully.
Simon O' Donnell: Simon O' Donnell was celebrating Australia's first cricket World Cup win when he was diagnosed as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He staged a remarkable recovery to return to the Australian one-day team.
Dave Callahan: The South African cricketer's best moment of his international career came right after he recovered from testicular cancer.

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The Leafless Colorful beautiful Bush ‘Ker’: Desert Shrub Capparis Decidua

2012-02-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

© Harish Jharia

The term desert always fascinated me since my childhood days, when I read and heard stories from the Arabian Nights series. I really wanted to visit a desert and see it all by myself. I specifically wanted to see the sand dunes, the storms, the lifeless endless uneven earth’s surface and an oasis situated somewhere at a far off distance with water bodies, green foliage and date palms.

I visited the desert in Rajasthan, India many times. I had been to the Thar Desert in 1993 on an official visit. Thereafter, a part of my family shifted to Jodhpur about 3 years back and now I make frequent trips to this place. Nevertheless, when I went to the real desert and saw the environment and the people living in that unpopulated and arid world, all those fascinations vanished. I was simply disillusioned when I saw the hard life of the people in the desert, their sun burnt skin and the rampant poverty they lived in.

In this article, I am not going to discuss the problems faced by the desert people. I am writing this article to share information about a wonderful desert tree called Ker. It is a thick green bush that attracted my attention. It can rather be called a tree or a shrub because some of them are about 15 feet tall. Whereas, most of them spread over huge area of sand in 5 to 6 feet high heaps of green foliage.

It is called a Ker or Kair shrub that has no leaves on it. It is simply a huge bunch of thin branches with triangular thorns. It produces a green berry like fruit called Ker or Kair that is used for cooking curries. Ker or Kair is a thorny bush (capparis decidua) found in the arid region of Rajastnan, India. Ker bush is a small moderate sized evergreen thorny tree. It has brilliant light bluish-green slender branches armed with conical thorns. Looking at this beautiful green tree with no leaves on it is a real wonderful experience. Growth of brilliant green colored foliage (bunches of thin branches) in a desert land is a natural miracle.

‘Ker Sangri’ is one of the greatest dishes in the menu of Rajasthani cuisine when Ker is cooked along with another desert vegetable called Sangri beans. This is a simple piquant and tangy vegetable preparation but it is cooked in all the hotels and restaurants with extra pride. Ker and sangri are not exotic vegetables, but are wild berries and beans that grow independently and abundantly in the vast desert areas specifically in Western Rajasthan that is Jaisalmer and Barmer.

It is believed that that ker and sangri were discovered ages ago by Rajasthani villagers during times of a great famine when all other scarce natural vegetation had died and vanished away. Nevertheless, ker (small, radish berries) and sangri (longish beans) flourished abundantly even during the famine.

Attracted with the green and pinkish shining berries on brilliant green branches, delighted by their abundant availability, the villagers collected them and carried to their homes. In times of famine there was no water for cooking. Therefore, the villagers dried the berries and cooked them in vegetable oil along with chilies and other spices.

The famine stricken people of the desert found something wonderful to eat with their bajra (millet) rotis (breads) and survive.

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Editor's Page: Some of the Visitors to ‘Discover Life Site in Alphabetical Order in January 2012

2012-01-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

© Harish Jharia

Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Ambala, Haryana, India
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Auckland, New Zealand
Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India
Baku, Baki, Azerbaijan
Baltimore, United States
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand
Barcelona, Cataluna, Spain
Barrie, Ontario, United States
Bern, Switzerland
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, India
Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, India
Birkenhead, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Bixby, Oklahoma, United States
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium
Buffalo, New York, United States
Burlington, Ontario, United Kingdom
Caen, Basse-Normandie, France
Calgary, Alberta, United States
Calicut, Kerala, India
Camden Wyoming, Delaware, United States
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela
Center, Texas, United States
Chandigarh, India
Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
Chicalim, Goa, India
Chon Buri Thailand
Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, United States
Constantine, Algeria
Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Cuttack, Orissa, India
Dallas, Texas, United States
Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal, India
Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, India
Dhaka, Bangla Desh
Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India
Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
Durgapur, West Bengal, India
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Florence, Toscana, Italy
Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India
Ghlin, Hainaut, Belgium
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Greenville, South Carolina, United States
Groningen, Netherlands
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Hanoi, Dac Lac, Vienam
Hayward, California, United States
Hemel Hempstead, Hertford, United Kingdom
Hubli, Karnataka, India
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Istanbul, Turkey
Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Jakarta, Indonesia
Jakarta, Jakarta Raya, Indonesia
Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
Jelgava, Jelgavas, Latvia
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Junagadh, Gujarat, India
Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Kathmandu, Nepal
Kaunas, Kauno Apskritis, Lithuania
Kissimmee, Florida, United States
Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Kota, Rajasthan, India
Kuliyapitiya, Sri Lanka
La Jolla, United States
Lamba, Rajasthan, India
Laoag City, Philippines
Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States
Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
Liverpool, United Kingdom
London, Ontario, Canada
Loveland, Ohio, United States
Manila, Philippines
Maros, Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia
Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Miami, Florida, United States
Mohali, Maharashtra, India
Mönchengladbach, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Mormugao, Goa, India
Morsang-sur-orge, Bretagne, France
Moscow, Moscow City, Russia
Mountain View, California, United States
Mumbai, India
Murphysboro, Illinois, United States
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Negombo, Sri Lanka
Newark, Delaware, United States
Nokesville, Virginia, United States
Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom
Orange, New Jersey, United States
Ordu, Turkey
Orlando, Florida, United States
Oxford, North Carolina, United States
Palisades Park, New Jersey, United States
Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Patiala, Punjab, India
Penang, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Peshawar, Pakistan
Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada
Pijnacker, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Pölten, Steiermark, Austria
Pondicherry, India
Port Jefferson Station, New York, United States
Port Louis, Mauritius
Priboj, Republika Srpska, Serbia
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Quezon City, Philippines
Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Richmond, Virginia, United States
Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia
Rogers, Arkansas, United States
Sacramento, California, United States
Saint Pierre, Moka, Mauritius
Sangrur, Punjab, India
Seattle, United States
Selam, Tamil Nadu, India
Serravalle, Italy
Singapore, Singapore
Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India
Split, Splitsko-Dalmatinska, Croatia
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States
Strasbourg, Alsace, France
Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan
Sunnyvale, California, United States
Surat, Gujarat, India
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Suva, Central, Fiji
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Taipei, Tai-pei, Taiwan
Tbilisi, Dushetis Raioni, Georgia
Tetovo, Macedonia
The Dalles, Oregon, United States
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Tokyo, Japan
Tonawanda, New York, United States
Toulouse, France
Trenton, New Jersey, United States
Ujjain, Madhya, India
Unknown, Asia Pacific
Unknown, Jamaica
Unknown, Nepal
Unknown, Senegal
Unknown, Trinidad and Tobago
Vale De Cambra, Aveiro, Portugal
Vega Alta, Puerto Rico
Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, India
Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Zagreb, Grad Zagreb, Croatia
Zenica, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Anna Hazare’s Struggle for Lokpal: Should the Gram Sabhas Be Made More Powerful than the Lok Sabha?

2012-01-28T01:19:00.000-08:00

© Harish Jharia

I am an ardent supporter of Anna Hazare’s struggle against corruption and black money. I also support wholeheartedly the countrywide movement for establishing the Lokpal authority for keeping vigilant eye on the people in the legislature, bureaucracy and the judiciary in order to control corruption in all the levels of governance. I am also of the opinion that the voters should have rights to recall the elected representative if he / she do not discharge duties allotted to him / her or earns disproportionate wealth out of corrupt practices and bribes. I support Anna Hazare’s proposal of including an additional option on the ballot papers for the voters to ‘vote for none’ amongst the candidates enlisted on the ballot papers.

In spite of my unconditional support to Anna Hazare’s movements I have certain doubts about his demands in respect of the ‘Gram Sabha’. These doubts have become even more complicated when I came to know that he has declared to go for an equally strong movement for seeking substantially more powers for the gram sabha as compared to the ‘Lok Sabha’.

He has also demanded a ‘Referendum Commission’ on the lines of the election commission.

Let us discuss about the constitutional powers proposed by Anna Hazare for the gram sabha vis-à-vis the Lok Sabha. We all know about the Lok Sabha; its position and powers in order to run the governments in the country. Nevertheless, we do not know much about the gram sabha that has been proposed to be made much more powerful than the Lok Sabha.

The general body meeting of gram sabha in progress

Gram Sabha:

I did not know anything about this body called ‘Gram Sabha’ until Anna Hazare mentioned its name repeatedly during his Lokpal Bill movement. I would like to share the information that I could extract from various sites and what all I could understand about the Gram Sabha. Let me enlist the information point wise as follows:

There are Gram Panchayats constituted out of elected representatives of any village. These are the ‘Governing Bodies’ of the villages’ self-governing bodies that look after implementation of plans and other policies of the state government and the central government.
The Gram Sabha is constituted out of the voters of that village who elect the Panchayat representatives for forming the Gram Panchayat body.
Gram Sabha can be termed as the ‘General Body’ of the village panchayat. Meetings of the gram sabha general body are assembled at regular intervals and the jobs done by the gram panchayat and money spent by them are reviewed and evaluated.
There might be some special powers privileges of the gram sabha for sanctioning of funds, approval of budget and other administrative decisions that are disposed-off in these general body meetings.

In view of the above it is evident that gram sabhas are exclusively meant for the affairs of the specific villages and they have no jurisdiction beyond the territories of the village panchayats. As such how the powers of the gram sabhas can be compared with that of the Lok Sabha. This comparison is just irrelevant and I do not believe that Anna Hazare might have said like that.

Land Acquisition:

Anna Hazare might have mentioned about implemented of land acquisition drives conducted by the state governments or the union government without the consent of the relevant gram panchayat or the owners of the agricultural land.

He might have demanded the right of consent for the gram sabha in case of any land acquisition is implemented in their villages by the governments. He might have said that in case of acquisition of the rural land of the villages the gram sabhas should have the right and powers of accepting or rejecting the proposal for acquisition of village land, either private or public, for the implementation of development projects launched by the state governments or the union government.

He might have said that for land acquisition the gram sabha should have the powers to release the village land for implementation of the projects sanctioned by the central government. That does not mean that Anna Hazare is demanding more powers for Gram Sabha than that of the Lok Sabha.

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Discover Life Wishes: Happy Republic Day 2012

2012-01-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

Discover Life Wishes:
Happy Republic Day 2012...

India got independence from British rule
and a new sovereign nation India was born on 15 August 1947
within three years of its independence
the newly independent India enforced its constitution
and became a truly sovereign state on 26th January 1950

Today is the 63rd Republic day of India
It is the most important national festival for us Indians
it’s a day when we should go for serious resolutions
swearing to do something worthwhile
something different from the monotonous deeds
as politicians and celebrities did
for more than six decades

eradicating poverty
providing food to everyone
ensuring safety to daughters
promising security to mothers
extending supports to fathers
justice to helpless victims
guarding our territories
eliminating terrorists
removing corruption
safeguarding the public money

and showing the bright beams of light
and fresh breeze of new environment
a new real independent India
a new real savarin republic
to the ever exploited people of India

Swearing to do something worthwhile

- Harish Jharia

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How the ‘Indian Joint Family’ System Emerged and Eventually Broke Down: A Different Perspective

2012-01-24T03:20:00.000-08:00

© Harish Jharia

Somewhere between 17th and 18th century the joint family system predominantly became a part of the Indian family life. It flourished even in the 19th century and continued for decades even after independence of India from the British rule.

I think the institution of joint family might have established for the first time, out of compulsion of security and safety of the frequently migrating families from one kingdom to the other. Such frequent migrations were taking place during the continued wars between native rajas, Muslim invaders, and the British forces after the downfall of Mughals.

Huge crowds of people had to migrate from the invaded areas to the nearest safe places. Or else, continued staying back depending on their militant capabilities, strength and wealth to defend them and safeguarding the chastity of their women folk. These states of uncertainty and insecurity in public life forced the members of the affected families to keep themselves integrated together. Bigger families with a dozen plus members were considered much safer than the smaller families of 2 or 3 members.

The crowds of migrating families were attacked by dacoits and other professional looters like Pindaries. Pindaries were believed to have been engaged by native kings for supplying food, other requirements and logistics to their armies; whereas, their main profession was looting travelers, their homes and even whole villages that were not protected by any kingdom. They were believed to have indirect protection from the native rulers and were suspected of sharing booties of loots with some small rulers, Malguzars and Jagirdars.

There was almost no social security, in those days, because of unchecked plundering and looting of families and homes. Resultantly, people used to construct big houses enclosed from all the sides with a courtyard in the center and rooms around it. Each couple of parents had 5 to 12 children and members of three to four generations used to live together in a house. Most of the houses used to have members as many as 20 to 40. The adult males were well trained in martial arts and fighting with all sorts of weapons including firearms in order to combat with looters, dacoits and other invaders.

Pindari Horseman: Courtesy Wikipedia Website

The fear of insecurity was at its climax until the permanent establishment of the British Raj. The law and order situation improved when the British government imposed strict laws and enforced them forcefully. Around the end of 1816, Lord Hastings was assigned the task by the British Empire to exterminate and eliminate the professional looters Pindaris. As per the details available on Wikipedia Website, a huge army of more than 120,000 men and 300 artillery cannons was deputed under his command.

Hastings fought the Pindari war for a year from January 1818 until the beginning of 1819. It is reported that at the end of the Pindari War, the Pindari chiefs surrendered to the British forces and their activities of theft, looting and plundering were completely stopped.

The system of joint family continued to survive even after Indian independence until around Nineteen Fifties to Nineteen Seventies. The main reason behind the continuance was inadequate social securities in the rural areas where the law enforcement regime of the Indian government was ineffective. The Malguzars, Jagirdars, small kings like Rao Sahebs and Ex Maharajas were running their proxy governments and the Indian police forces had no direct control over these royal and semi-royal families.

Nevertheless, the joint family system started breaking down in the urban areas where there was no control of these ex royals and the social security was much better. We wrongly thought that the mentality and attitude of the new generation had changed and the love, affection and compassion in the youngsters had vanished. Nevertheless the reason was different. It was the requirement of the day for the youngsters to venture out for earning their livelihood. At the same time there was no compulsion of being together all the time to fight with any intruder.

In olden days, we followed the system of joint families because of the requirement at that time. Today, we have developed the new system of satellite families and a nucleus family with the parents keeping themselves equally attached to their youngsters. Nevertheless, we will have to be extremely careful against any chances of our parents landing in Old Age Homes.

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Disclaimer: This article is written based on my personal observations and on the information collected from the media. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on athletic or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
- Harish Jharia
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eNovel: Script of Stone: Episode- 12

2012-01-19T00:08:00.000-08:00

© Harish Jharia

Exclusively written for “Discover Life”

उपन्यास: पत्थर की इबारत © एपीसोड- 12

© हरीश झारिया

पिछले भाग की अंतिम पंक्तियाँ… Episode-11:

भुने शिकार के दौनों ओर बैठ्ने के लिए आठ चौकोर पत्थर, जिन्हें टिपटी पुकारा जाता था, रखे हुए थे ताकि सामूहिक भोज्य पदार्थ के निकट बैठकर सुविधा पूर्वक भोजन किया जा सके। शिकार के अलाव से उतारते ही परिवारजन अधिक प्रतीक्षा किए बिना भोजन करने के लिए उतावले होने लगे। कोदू ने भूरा की पीठ थपथापाकर भोजन में शामिल होने का संकेत किया और टिपटियों पर जाकर बैठ गए। कोदू, परमा और भूरा को बैठते ही गरम शिकार की आँच चेहरे पर अनुभव होने लगी, जबकि बिन्नी पहले ही उस ताप से बचने के लिए परमा के पीछे उसके गले में बाहें डालकर झूल गई थी।

नौनी ने उन्हें शिकायत भरी नज़रों से देखा जैसे कहना चाह रही हो कि “थोड़ी भी प्रतीक्षा नहीं हो पाई?” फ़िर उसने मुँह बिचकाते हुए रोटी की टोकरी कोदू के नज़दीक रख दी और पुनः कमर पर एक हाथ रख कर बड़ी-बड़ी बिरौनियाँ झपकती हुई शिकार के तैयार होने की राह देखने लगी।

और आगे…

देर तक अलाव की तेज़ आँच के ऊपर भुनते रहे साबुत शिकार में भीतर तक इतना ताप इकट्ठा हो जाता था कि उसे सीधे-सीधे काटकर खाना संभव नहीं हुआ करता था। अलाव से उतारने के बाद भी शिकार की सतह से तेज़ आँच उठती रहती थी। शिकार को भीतर तक पकाने के प्रयोजन से उस पर आगे से पीछे तक लबाई में गहरे चीरे लगाए जाते थे। जिनके रास्ते अलाव की आँच भीतर तक प्रवेश कर सके। पकने की अंतिम स्तिथि पर पहुँचते-पहुँचते व्यंजन की सतह गहरे कत्थई रंग की हो जाया करती थी और चीरे गहरे लाल रंग के ही हो पाया करते थे।

व्यंजन पर सही रंग आने पर नौनी ने बाँस में छिदे शिकार को अलाव से उतार कर दौनों ओर खूंटियों के सहारे से लटका दिया था। फ़िर बारी थी बघार लगाने की। उसने पहले ही अलाव की आग में एक मिट्टी की सँकरे मुँह की डबुलिया (लुटिया) जंगली तिल के तेल से आधा भर कर अलाव के अंगारों पर गरम होने के लिए रख दी थी। उसने एक सख्त हरी लता डबुलिया की गर्दन के गिर्द लपेट कर एक हाथ से मज़बूती से पकड़ रखी थी और तेल से धुआँ निकलने की प्रतीक्षा कर रही थी। जैसे ही तेल से धुआँ निकलना आरंभ हुआ वैसे ही नौनी ने दूसरे हाथ से मुट्ठी भर कूटी हुई लाल मिर्च डबुलिया में डाल दी।

खौलते हुए तेल में मिर्च के पड़ते ही डबुलिया के मुँह से आग का भभूका निकला और ज्वालाएं उठने लगीं। परिवारजन बघार की तीखी गंध और मिर्च कि चरपराहट से खाँसने लगे और शीघ्र ही अपने स्थान से उठ कर दूर खड़े हो गए। नौनी बघार की डबुलिया हाथ में पकड़े हुए ही शिकार के नज़दीक आकर तैयार खड़ी हो गई। साथ ही परमा भी एक क्षण में शिकार में छिदे बाँस के एक छोर पर खूंटी के पास जा खड़ा हुआ। उसने बाँस के छोर पर कसे हुए मूठ को पकड़कर शिकार को स्थिर स्थिति में थामकर रखा। नौनी ने तुरंत ही व्यंजन के ऊपरी चीरे में खौलते तेल का बघार लगा दिया। परमा ने शिकार को घुमाकर दूसरे चीरे को ऊपर की दिशा की ओर किया और उसकी माई ने दूसरा बघार उस चीरे में लगा दिया। इसी प्रकार पूरे व्यंजन के सभी चीरों पर नौनी ने बघार देने के पश्चात बचा हुआ गरम तेल चौतरफ़ा व्यंजन पर बिखेर दिया। परमा शिकार में छिदे बाँस को लगातार धीमी और संयत गति में घुमाता रहा ताकि बघार का तेल व्यंजन से नीचे ना टपक पाए और पूरा का पूरा उसके भीतर समा जाए।

पूरा वातावरण स्वादिष्ट भोजन की सुगंध से भर गया। परिजनों के मुँह में पानी भर आया और उनकी भूख भड़क उठी। उनसब के बीच, एक भूरा ही था जो परिवार से बाहर का था। वह विस्मयपूर्ण दृष्टि से कोदूबीर के परिवार की उत्कृष्ट पाककला का अद्भुत नज़ारा देख रहा था। उसने अभी तक अपने घर में शिकार के बेतरतीब टुकड़ों को अलाव के अंगारों पर पका-अधपका भूनते हुए ही देखा था, जिन्हें वह अपने माता-पिता के साथ बैठकर बेमन से चबा कर निगल जाया करता था। वह नौनी काकी की ओर टकटकी लगाए देख रहा था जो एक तेज़ छुरी की सहायता से, सफ़ाई के साथ शिकार के चीरों के बीच से, चौकोर और तिकोने टुकड़े काट-काट कर सभी को देती जा रही थी।

काकी ने जैसे ही व्यंजन का एक खुशबूदार टुकड़ा भूरा की ओर बढ़ाया वैसे ही उसने उसे उसके हाथ से लपक लिया और बड़े-बड़े कौर खाने लगा। सभी परिजनों ने शिकार के साथ बाजरे की मोटी-मोटी, सोंधी खुशबू छोड़ती हुई नमकीन रोटियाँ पेटभरकर खाईं और झिरिया पर जाकर खूब पानी पिया।

दूसरे पहर का सूरज ठीक सरपर आ चुका था। पेड़ों की छायाएँ उनके नीचे सिमट आईँ थीं। कबीले में जैसे-जैसे सुबह की हलचल और भोजन तैयार करने की लंबी और कठिन प्रक्रिया समाप्त होती जा रही थी वैसे-वैसे दोपहर की शांति चारों ओर पसरती जा रही थी।

झिरिया पर कोदू पानी पीकर खड़ा हुआ और “ओई… हाँ…” की आवाज़ के साथ लम्बी डकार ली। फ़िर वह आकर घर की दीवार से टिककर एक पैर फ़ैलाकर बैठ गया। दूसरे पैर का घुटना ऊपर उठाए हुए उसने आधा मोड़ा और अपना हाथ उस घुटने के ऊपर टिकाकर आगे की ओर लंबा फ़ैला दिया। दूसरे हाथ की हथेली उसने मिट्टी से बनाए गए समतल फ़र्श पर टिका दी और अपने लंबे-लंबे नाखूनों से हल्के-हल्के कुरेदने लगा।

कोदू की यह विशिष्ट मुद्रा उसके प्रशासनिक रुख को दर्शाती थी। नौनी ने रसोई की परछी की सफ़ाई करते हुए आँखों के कोरों से कोदू का यह रूप देख लिया और समझ गई कि अब वह परमा और भूरा को बुलाएगा और उन्हें अगले दो पहरों में किए जाने वाले कार्यों के आदेश सुनाएगा। भूरा और परमा झिरिया से पानी पीकर वापस आरहे थे और बिन्नी धूप में अपनी आँखें मिचमिचाते हुए परमा दद्दा का हाथ दौनों हाथों से अपने शरीर से चिपटाकर पंजों पर हल्के-हल्के उछलते हुए उसके साथ चली आ रही थी।

जैसे ही बिन्नी की दृष्टि कोदूबीर पर पड़ी, उसे समय की नज़ाकत समझते देर नहीं लगी। उसने एकाएक भाई का हाथ छोड़ा और भागकर माँ के पास पहुंचकर उसका हाथ बटाने का अभिनय करने लगी। परमा भी अविलब सतर्क हो गया और तेज़ी के साथ अपने पिता के सामने जाकर खड़ा हो गया। भूरा पुनः अपनी पुरानी भयभीत मुद्रा में कोदूबीर के सामने परमा की आड़ लेकर अपने शरीर में होने वाले कंपन पर नियंत्रण करते हुए कबीले के सरदार के बाद दूसरे सर्वाधिक शक्ति सम्पन्न पदाधिकारी के आदेश की प्रतीक्षा करने लगा।

अगले ही क्षण कोदू की गंभीर गरजदार आवाज़ ने परमा और भूरा को सतर्क कर दिया। वह बोला-
“काए रे भूरा… तोहे अपने करम पै कछू पछतावा तो हो रहो हूहै… अब बारी है तोरी सजा की… जौन तोहे मिरगाबीर ने सुनाई है…”
और कोदू ने अपने आदेशों, सावधानियों और चेतावनियों को विस्तार पूर्वक भूरा और परमा को समझाना आरभ किया। परमा को भूरा की सज़ा का पर्यवेक्षण करने का उत्तरदायित्व सौंपा गया था, इसलिए भूरा के साथ-साथ परमा भी अपने पिता के आदेशों को ध्यानपूर्वक सुनता जा रहा था।

दूसरे पहर का सूरज ठीक सर पर आ चुका था और दौनों नवयुवक तेज़ धूप में खड़े हुए परमा की घोषणाओं को ध्यान पूर्वक सुन रहे थे। आदेशों की घोषणा के दौरान परमा अपने स्थान पर स्थिर खड़ा हुआ था और भूरा रह रह कर अपने शरीर का भार एक पैर से दूसरे पैर पर बदलता जा रहा था। उसका सफ़ेद चेहरा लाल सुर्ख हो गया था और उसके कंधे, वक्ष और बाहें पर भी ललामी फ़ैलती जा रही थी। सूर्य की तेज़ रौशनी में उसे चकाचौंध लग रही थी और वह बड़ी मुश्किल से आँखें मिचमिचा कर कोदू की ओर देख पा रहा था।

कोदू ने हिरन के स्वास्थ्यलाभ के लिए दो पखवाड़े और भूरा के व्यायाम और प्रशिक्षण के लिए चार पखवाड़े का समय तय किया। दैनिक कार्यक्रम के अनुसार भूरा को परमा के साथ, सूर्योदय से पूर्व ही नज़दीक की करियाटेकरी पहाड़ी की तलहटी तक दौड़कर जाना था। तलहटी से करियाटेकरी की चोटी तक और वहाँ से फ़िर तलहटी तक दौनों को तेज़ रफ़्तार से चढ़ना और उतरना था। इस प्रकार उन्हें दस चक्कर लगाने थे। फ़िर पहाड़ी से बहते हुए झरने से बनी निर्मल मीठे जल से भरी हुई करियाझीर नामक झील से पानी पीकर और कुछ विश्राम करने के पश्चात उन्हें युद्धकला का प्रशिक्षण आरंभ करने का निर्देश प्राप्त हुआ था। यह प्रशिक्षण उन्हें दूसरे पहर के समाप्त होने के कुछ ही पहले तक जारी रखना था ताकि भोजन काल तक वे कबीले में अपने-अपने घर वापस पहुँच सकें।

कोदू के आदेशानुसार करियाझीर से लौटकर, भूरा को घायल हिरन की सेवा-सुश्रुषा में लग जाना था। मृग शावक के इलाज और देख-भाल में जो कार्य शामिल थे वह थे उसे उठाकर नदी तक लेजाकर पानी पिलाना, नहलाना और उसके घाव की सफ़ाई करना्। इसके पश्चात भूरा को उसे उठा कर वापस परमा के घर तक लाना था और घाव पर जड़ी-बूटी का लेप कर उसके खाने के लिए ताज़ी मुलायम दूब और झाड़ियों की पत्तियाँ डालनी थीं। इतना काम समाप्त होने के बाद भूरा अपनी व्यक्तिगत दिनचर्या का पालन करने के लिए स्वतंत्र था।

कोदू के निर्देशों को भूरा और परमा ध्यान पूर्वक सुनते रहे। काम बड़ी मेह्नत का था और समय की पाबंदी के साथ-साथ सख्त अनुशासन की बातें सुन कर भी दौनों नवजवानों के चेहरों पर एक शिकन तक नहीं आ रही थी। इसका पहला कारण था कबीले की उच्चकोटि की कानून व्यवस्था और दूसरा कारण था करियाटेकरी का खूबसूरत इलाका जहाँ इन्हें अगले चार पखवाड़ों तक रोज़ आधा दिन बिताना था। दौनों के मन में भीतर ही भीतर खुशी भी हो रही थी कि अगले चार पखवाड़े उन्हें कबीले के सबसे मनमोहक और रमणीक वातावरण में बिताने थे।

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Synonims: तिल= sesame, अद्भुत= amazing; नज़ाकत= sensitivity; भभूका= blast; चकाचौंध= dazzle, glare; प्रशिक्षण= training; घोषणाओं= announcements; दूब= couch grass; करियाझीर= black lake, name of the lake / lagoon; पखवाड़ों= fortnights; पाबंदी= restrictions; अनुशासन= discipline; करियाटेकरी= black hill, name of the hill; डबुलिया (लुटिया)= small earthen pot for heating cooking oil; पर्यवेक्षण= supervision; अड़िया= crude gate made of a wood log placed horizontally on two supports; खदेड़= drive away; माँसपेशियाँ= muscles; खरौंच= scratch; प्रत्यंचा= bow string; कुल्हाड़ी= axe; मूठ= long wooden handle; घुटनों= knees; हूबहू= identical; मृगछौने= calf of a deer; अड़ियों= crude wooden gate; प्रयोजन= purpose; गतिविधियाँ= activities; तमाशा= stunt; किशोरावस्था= adolescence; झुंडों= herd; सरफूंद= french knot; अंगोछे= scarf; हँसिया= sickle; बिरौनियों= eye leshes; बयार= breeze; मलगा= wooden log; झिरिया= cascade, fountain; अंजुली= handful; डकार= burp; शल्यक्रिया= surgery; जड़ी-बूटियों= hurbs; अपराधबोध= guilt; बाड़ों= गाय-बकरी fence; मलगा= wood log; कल्ला= मिट्टी का तवा, terracotta griddle, terracotta hotplate; मूड़= सर, head; अलाव= bonfire; खूटों= baton; मूड़= head; नियंत्रण= Control; सूरज= the sun; आँच= heat; शिकायत= complaint; शिकार= prey, hunt
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शेष अगले अंक में क्रमशः
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Links to Pages of “Patthar Kii Ibaarat”: Opening Page: Preface: Introduction: Episode-1: Episode-2: Episode-3: Episode-4: Episode-5: Episode-6: Episode-7: Episode-8: Episode-9: Episode-10: : Episode-11: Episode-12:
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अगला एपीसोड शीघ्र ही आ रहा है...
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Caution:
This creative work has been originally written by the author Harish Jharia who is the sole owner of the text and this intellectual property. This has been published on the personal Blog “Discover Life” of Harish Jharia at the URL: http://harishjhariasblog.blogspot.com/. No hyperlink to this novel “Patthar ki Ibaarat” (Script of Stone) has been provided nor any permission granted to any person, organization or site whomsoever, by the writer and owner of the copyright of this novel that is Harish Jharia. This novel has been published on the blog “Discover Life” for the visitors to this blog for their healthy reading and intellectual entertainment. The novel in whole, in part or as extracts should not be copied and or reproduced neither on internet, nor written on CDs nor printed on books, magazines newspapers and or in any media.
- Harish Jharia
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Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction and all the characters, story, incidents, culture, social life, evolution, developments etc are all imaginary. This article / Story / fiction is written based on my personal observations and imagination. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. Names of people, societies, communities and description of faiths, beliefs, incidents are imaginary and fictitious. They have neither any relevance to the prevailing entities and traditions nor have any similarities with ongoing lifestyles, political ideologies and legal doctrines. The contents of this creative work have not been written with any intention to criticize, condemn or oppose anything what-so-ever present in reality in any country in the world. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on scientific, geographical, political, civic, social or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
- Harish Jharia
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24 दिसम्बर 2011 से 19-जनवरी-2012
शब्द- 1620

The Manglik Syndrome in Hindu Marriages: Mangal Dosha and Its Effect on Marriage and Married Life As Claimed By Indian Astrology

2012-01-09T02:23:00.000-08:00

Question: Is it a crime or sin if you are born a 'Manglik' or 'Mangali'...?
Answer: Definitely no... you are absolutely a normal human being.

© Harish Jharia

The most dreaded situation in the life of Hindu parents arises when their daughter is pronounced as ‘Manglik’. This declaration made by an astrologer or a pundit is nothing less than a death sentence for the parents as well as for the poor daughter herself. There are many unmarried Hindu women present in our society who have to remain spinsters, throughout their lives, for the simple reason that they are Mangliks. In other cases Manglik women have to marry grooms who are not compatible to them.

My aim for writing this article is to tell my Hindu brethren to shed off the fear of ‘Manglik dosha’ syndrome because studies and statistics say that nothing will happen if you are one of the so called Mangliks. I do not find any valid reasons for us Hindus to postpone; avoid or cancel marriages of our sons and daughters just because they happen to be pronounced as Manglik by Indian astrologers, pundits or pujaries (priests).

I tried to understand as to what exactly the Manglic constellation is which can influence the lives of humans on the earth and make their marriages unsuccessful, failures or can even kill either of the bride or the groom.

Here are the outcome of my study…

What is the effect of Mangal (Mars) on marriages as claimed by Indian astrology?

In spite of being billions of miles away from us, Indian astrology believes that the planet Mangal (Mars) has direct effect on us in India that can spoil our married life and might even kill one of the married brides or grooms? They say that Mars represents anger in North India whereas Mangal is known as ‘Kuja’ that means ‘burning coal’ in south India that depicts its aggressive temperament. I do not understand as to how a celestial body can have feelings, emotions or temperament?

How Mangal (Mars) adversely affect prospective brides and grooms as claimed by Indian astrology:

As per Indian Astrology Mangalik Dosha appears in the birth chart of the bride or the groom that is made based on the time, date, year and the position of the birthplace on earth in terms of Longitudes and latitudes.

What are Birth charts / horoscopes / Janma Patrikas / Kundalies:

The Circular Birthchart

Birth charts (horoscope / Janma Patrika / Kundali) are drawn in square shapes. These charts are divided into 12 cells (houses). Each of these houses represents positions of planets at 30 degrees apart, vis-à-vis the Sun, making the total of 12 x 30 =360 degrees. It is apparently believed to be depending on the movement of the planets around the Sun through 360 degrees.

The South Indian Birth Chart:

Look at the following birth chart that is drawn by South Indian astrologers. This chart has 12 houses, numbered in clockwise direction, in which the positions of planets are recorded vis-à-vis that of the sun. Look at the geometrical formation of houses that has 4 houses made along each side of the square all at the periphery of the square.

The North Indian Birth Chart:

Look at the following birth chart that is followed by North Indian astrologers. This chart has 12 houses, numbered in anticlockwise direction, in which the positions of planets are recorded vis-à-vis that of the sun. Look at the geometrical formation of houses that has 4 houses made in a centrally located square and 8 triangular houses made around the same.

What formation of Birth Chart shows Mangalik Dosha?

According to Hindu astrology, an individual will be called Manglik if planet mars is shown in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th and 12th house of his or her birth chart. The worst type of Manglik dosha is considered when Mangal shows up in the 7th house.

Planet Mangal / Mars is shown in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th and 12th house in Mangalik Dosha Horoscope. Mangal needs to be in any one of these 5 houses for branding you as a Manglik or Mangali

Nevertheless, no statistics are available proving that such constellations are really harmful or deadly for the affected individuals. No one or no any authority has ever conducted any survey of Mangalik people marrying against the astrologer’s advices and any ill effect of the same including death after their marriages.

No other schools of thoughts among astrologers of other religions in India or those across the world believe in this theory. Some schools of thoughts believe that almost more than 65% people in the world can be tagged as ‘Manglik’ if their horoscopes are made on this theory.

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Disclaimer:
This article / Story / fiction is written based on my personal observations. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. Names of people, societies, communities and description of faiths, beliefs, incidents are imaginary and fictitious. They have neither any relevance to the prevailing entities and traditions nor have any similarities with ongoing lifestyles, political ideologies and legal doctrines. The contents of this creative work have not been written with any intention to criticize, condemn or oppose anything what-so-ever present in reality in any country in the world. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on scientific, geographical, political, civic or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in.
- Harish Jharia
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Discover Life: Some of the Visitors to ‘Discover Life Site ‘in Alphabetical Order Since: 1 December 2011

2012-01-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Adelade, Australia
Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India
Anand, India
Anderslöv, Skane Lan, Sweden
Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Arlington, Texas, United States
Avenel, New Jersey, United States
Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Berlin, Germany
Bloomington, United States
Brampton, Canada
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Brampton, Ontario, United Kingdom
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Copenhagen, Denmark
Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Doncaster, United Kingdom
Edison, New Jersey, United States
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States
Groningen, Netherlands
Harrow, United Kingdom
Islamabad, Pakistan
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Jiddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Khairpur, Pakistan
Leeds, United Kingdom
Meridian, United States
Montreal, Canada
Morristown, New Jersey, United States
North Bergen, New Jersey, United States
North Bergen, United States
Norway
Oberkirch, Switzerland
Palakkad, Kerala, India
Peshawar, North-West Frontier, Pakistan
Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Rawalpindi, Punjab, India
Rhenen, Utrecht, Netherlands
Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Shantiniketan, India
Sialkot, Pakistan
Staten Island, New York, United States
Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan
Surat, Gujarat, India
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Taipei, Tai-pei, Taiwan
The Dalles, Oregon, United States
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Vancouver, Canada
Volgograd, Russia
Yigo, Guam (Asia Pacific Island)
York, Ontario, United States

Links to information provided for some uncommon names of places....

Discover Life Site Welcomes each one of the visitors including those frequent users that have not recorded on this page...

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Who Has Won Bigg Boss Season-5: Discover Life’s Yesterday’s 2nd Highest Scorer Juhi Parmar Wins on The Grand Finale Day: 7 January 2012

2012-01-07T10:55:00.000-08:00

The Winner of Bigg Boss Season- 5 is Juhi Parmar

As per our recurring Total between 2 January 2012… and 6 January 2012 Amar Upadhyay was leading the list with 34 points against Juhi Parmar with 30 points yesterday. Following is the scorecard as it was yesterday.

1. Amar Upadhyay- 34
2. Juhi Parmar- 30
3. Mahek Chahel- 29
4. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 20
5. Akashdeep Saigal- 19

We have not evaluated the performance of the housemates today on the day of grand finale. We are happy that one of our top scorers has won the show.

Discover Life Site congratulates Juhi Parmar for this grand achievement. We wish all the very best for her and her family.

We also thank the visitors to Discover Life from across the world who were constantly following the progress of Bigg Boss Season- 5 on our daily scorecards posted on Discover Life Site.

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Note: The above 5 contestants will be awarded deserving points out of 10 pointes daily, based on their performance on the particular day. The performance of the housemates will be evaluated by the Editors of Discover Life Site at their own discretion. These daily points will be added on recurring basis until 7 January. The points will be updated every day and the grand total will be declared on 7 January 2012.

Disclaimer: This evaluation has nothing to do with the makers of Bigg Boss or their official web site. The above evaluation would be an indication as to how the common TV viewer might be feeling about the contestants, their behavior and their language used on the reality show.
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Who Is Going To Win Bigg Boss Season-5: Discover Life’s Daily Scorecard of the 5 Finalists: Date: 6 January 2012

2012-01-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

Grand Finale: 7 January 2012

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Today’s Date: 6 January 2012 (Day- 5 of 6)
Time: 11:45 PM

Today’s Scoreboard:

1. Amar Upadhyay- 9
2. Mahek Chahel- 8
3. Juhi Parmar- 7
4. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 4
5. Akashdeep Saigal- 4

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Today's Top Scorer: Amar Upadhyay- 34

Recurring Total: wef 2 January 2012

1. Amar Upadhyay- 34
2. Juhi Parmar- 30
3. Mahek Chahel- 29
4. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 20
5. Akashdeep Saigal- 19

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Note: The above 5 contestants will be awarded deserving points out of 10 pointes daily, based on their performance on the particular day. The performance of the housemates will be evaluated by the Editors of Discover Life Site at their own discretion. These daily points will be added on recurring basis until 7 January. The points will be updated every day and the grand total will be declared on 7 January 2012.

Disclaimer: This evaluation has nothing to do with the makers of Bigg Boss or their official web site. The above evaluation would be an indication as to how the common TV viewer might be feeling about the contestants, their behavior and their language used on the reality show.
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Who Is Going To Win Bigg Boss Season-5: Discover Life’s Daily Scorecard of the 5 Finalists: Date: 5 January 2012

2012-01-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Date: 5 January 2012 (Day- 4 of 6)
Time: 11:37 PM

Today’s Scoreboard:

1. Amar Upadhyay- 8
2. Juhi Parmar- 7
3. Mahek Chahel- 6
4. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 5
5. Akashdeep Saigal- 3

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Today's Top Scorer: Amar Upadhyay- 25

Recurring Total: wef 2 January 2012

1. Amar Upadhyay- 25
2. Juhi Parmar- 23
3. Mahek Chahel- 21
4. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 16
5. Akashdeep Saigal- 15

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Note: The above 5 contestants will be awarded deserving points out of 10 pointes daily, based on their performance on the particular day. The performance of the housemates will be evaluated by the Editors of Discover Life Site at their own discretion. These daily points will be added on recurring basis until 7 January. The points will be updated every day and the grand total will be declared on 7 January 2012.

Disclaimer: This evaluation has nothing to do with the makers of Bigg Boss or their official web site. The above evaluation would be an indication as to how the common TV viewer might be feeling about the contestants, their behavior and their language used on the reality show.
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Who Is Going To Win Bigg Boss Season-5: Discover Life’s Daily Scorecard of the 5 Finalists? Date: 4 January 2012

2012-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Date: 4 January 2012 (Day- 3 of 6)
Time: 11:37 PM

Today’s Scorecard:

1. Juhi Parmar- 7
2. Amar Upadhyay- 6
3. Mahek Chahel- 5
4. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 3
5. Akashdeep Saigal- 2

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Today's Top Scorer: Amar Upadhyay- 17

Recurring Total: wef 2 January 2012

1. Amar Upadhyay- 17
2. Juhi Parmar- 16
3. Mahek Chahel- 15
4. Akashdeep Saigal- 12
5. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 11

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Note: The above 5 contestants will be awarded deserving points out of 10 pointes daily, based on their performance on the particular day. The performance of the housemates will be evaluated by the Editors of Discover Life Site at their own discretion. These daily points will be added on recurring basis until 7 January. The points will be updated every day and the grand total will be declared on 7 January 2012.

Disclaimer: This evaluation has nothing to do with the makers of Bigg Boss or their official web site. The above evaluation would be an indication as to how the common TV viewer might be feeling about the contestants, their behavior and their language used on the reality show.
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Who Is Going To Win Bigg Boss Season-5: Discover Life’s Daily Scorecard of the 5 Finalists? Date: 3 January 2012

2012-01-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

Today’s Scorecard:

Date: 3 January 2012 (Day- 2 of 6)
Time: 11:44 PM

1. Akashdeep Saigal- 6
2. Amar Upadhyay- 5
3. Juhi Parmar- 4
4. Mahek Chahel- 3
5. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 2

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Today's Top Scorer: Amar Upadhyay- 11

Recurring Total wef 2 January 2012

Date: 3 January 2012 (Day- 2 of 6)
Time: 11:44 PM

1. Amar Upadhyay- 11
2. Mahek Chahel- 10
3. Akashdeep Saigal- 10
4. Juhi Parmar- 9
5. Siddharth Bharadwaj- 8

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Note: The above 5 contestants will be awarded deserving points out of 10 pointes daily, based on their performance on the particular day. The performance of the housemates will be evaluated by the Editors of Discover Life Site at their own discretion. These daily points will be added on recurring basis until 7 January. The points will be updated every day and the grand total will be declared on 7 January 2012.

Disclaimer: This evaluation has nothing to do with the makers of Bigg Boss or their official web site. The above evaluation would be an indication as to how the common TV viewer might be feeling about the contestants, their behavior and their language used on the reality show.
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TV Reality Show Review: Who Is Going To Win Bigg Boss Season-5: Discover Life’s Daily Scorecard of the 5 Finalists: 7 January 2012

2012-01-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today's Top Scorer: Mahek Chahel- 7

Grand Finale: 7 January 2012

Today’s Scorecard:

Date: 2 January 2012 (Day- 1 of 6)
Time: 11:44 PM

Mahek Chahel- 7
Amar Upadhyay- 6
Siddharth Bharadwaj- 6
Juhi Parmar- 5
Akashdeep Saigal- 4

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Recurring Total scores wef 2 January 2012

Recurring Total Scorecard:

Date: 2 January 2012 (Day- 1 of 6)
Time: 11:44 PM

Mahek Chahel- 7
Amar Upadhyay- 6
Siddharth Bharadwaj- 6
Juhi Parmar- 5
Akashdeep Saigal- 4

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Note: The above 5 contestants will be awarded deserving points out of 10 pointes daily, based on their performance on the particular day. The performance of the housemates will be evaluated by the Editors of Discover Life Site at their own discretion. These daily points will be added on recurring basis until 7 January. The points will be updated every day and the grand total will be declared on 7 January 2012.

Disclaimer: This evaluation has nothing to do with the makers of Bigg Boss or their official web site. The above evaluation would be an indication as to how the common TV viewer might be feeling about the contestants, their behavior and their language used on the reality show.
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Editor's Page: Alphabetical list of some places from where Visitors arrived on Discover Life Site in the last one month

2012-01-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

1. Aachen, Germany 2. Abbottabad, Pakistan 3. Ahmadabad, India 4. Ajmer, Rajasthan, India 5. Allahabad, India 6. Alphen, Netherlands 7. Ambala, India 8. Amravati, Maharashtra, India 9. Amritsar, India 10. Ashburn, Virginia, United States 11. Avenel, New Jersey, United States 12. Badulla, Uva, Sri Lanka 13. Bangalore, Karnataka, India 14. Bareli, India 15. Basildon, United Kingdom 16. Basildon, United States 17. Beaverton, Oregon, Unied States 18. Berlin, Germany 19. Bhilai, Chhattisgarh, India 20. Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India 21. Bhiwani, Haryana, India 22. Bhopal, India 23. Bhubaneshvar, India 24. Blackburn, Blackburn With Darwen, United Kingdom 25. Bokaro, Jharkhand, India 26. Bondy, Ile-De-France, France 27. Bossier City, United States 28. Bratislava, Slovakia 29. Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States 30. Bristol, United Kingdom 31. Bronx, New York, United States 32. Brunei, Darussalam 33. Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium 34. Calcutta, West Bengal, India 35. Calicut, India 36. Carrington, United Kingdom 37. Casoria, Italy 38. Central District, Hong Kong 39. Cerritos, California, United States 40. Chandigarh, India 41. Chengannur, Kerala, India 42. Chicago, Illinois, United States 43. Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 44. Congomah, Mauritius 45. Congomah, Pamplemousses, Mauritius 46. Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States 47. Coventry, United Kingdom 48. Cuttack, Orissa, India 49. Deggandorf, Germany 50. Dehradun, India 51. Delhi, India 52. Dhamtari, India 53. Dubai, United Arab Emirates 54. Durgapur, India 55. Eastcote, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom 56. Edison, United States 57. El Cajon, United States 58. Erfurt, Thüringen, Germany 59. Etobicoke, Canada 60. Everberg, Belgium 61. Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan 62. Falls Church, Virginia, United States 63. Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States 64. Funabashi, Chiba, Japan 65. Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States 66. Gangtok, Sikkim, India 67. Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India 68. Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 69. Groningen, Netherlands 70. Gurgaon, Haryana, India 71. Guwahati, Assam, India 72. Gwalior, India 73. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 74. Haora, West Bengal, India 75. Harrow, United Kingdom 76. Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands 77. Holliston, United States 78. Houston, Texas, United States 79. Huddersfield, Kirklees, United Kingdom 80. Huddinge, Stockholms Lan, Sweden 81. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India 82. Hyderabad, Sindh,Pakistan 83. Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India 84. Ipoh, Malaysia 85. Irvine, California, United States 86. Islamabad, Pakistan 87. Istanbul, Turkey 88. Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India 89. Jalandhar, India 90. Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India 91. Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India 92. Jersey City, United States 93. Jülich, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany 94. Kabul, Kabol, Afghanistan 95. Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan 96. Kashipur, India 97. Kharagpur, West Bengal, India 98. Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India 99. Konzell, Bayern, Germany 100.Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia 101. Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India 102. Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan 103. Laoag, Philippines 104. Latur, India 105. Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands 106. Liverpool, United Kingdom 107. Liversedge, United Kingdom 108. London, London, City Of, United Kingdom 109. Los Angeles, United States 110. Los Gatos, United States 111. Ludhiana, Punjab, India 112. Madgaon, India 113. Makati, Philippines 114. Manama, Al Manamah, Bahrain 115. Mangaluru, Karnataka, India 116. Manila, Philippines 117. Mar Del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina 118. Markham, Ontario, Canada 119. Melbourne, Australia 120. Miami, Florida, United States 121. Milan, Lombardia, Itali 122. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States 123. Monterry, Mexico 124. Montreal, Canada 125. Moradabad, India 126. Mountain View, California, United States 127. Multan, Pakistan 128. Mumbai, India 129. Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 130. Muscat, Oman 131. Nadinah, Ash Sharqiyah, Saudi Arabia 132. Nagar, India 133. Nagpur, Maharashtra, India 134. Naperville, Illinois, United States 135. Nassau, Bahamasvacoas, Mauritius 136. Newport Beach, California, United States 137. North Brunswick, New Jersey, United States 138. Okara, Punjab, Pakistan 139. Omaha, Nebraska, United States 140. Panipat, India 141. Paris, Ile-De-France, France 142. Partur, India 143. Pathanamthitta, India 144. Patiala, Punjab, India 145. Patna, Bihar, India 146. Perth, Western Australia, Australia 147. Peshawar, Pakistan 148. Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 149. Peterborough, United Kingdom 150. Phuntsholing, Chhukha, Bhutan 151. Piscataway, New Jersey, United States 152. Pleasanton, California, United States 153. Port Louis, Mauritius 154. Pune, Maharashtra, India 155. Puri, Orissa, India 156. Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan 157. Quetta, Pakistan 158. Raipur, India 159. Rawalpindi, Pakistan 160. Raymond Terrace, New South Wales, Australia 161. Reading, Pennsylvania, United States 162. Redwood City, United States 163. Richardson, Texas, United States 164. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 165. Romford, Havering, United Kingdom 166. Sacramento, California, United States 167. Sagar, India 168. Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan 169. Salt Lake City, Utah, United States 170. Sambalpur, Orissa, India 171. San Jose, California, Untied States 172. Sandy, Utah, United States 173. Sanford, United States 174. Santa Ana, California, United States 175. Santa Barbara, California, United States 176. Sargodha, Pakistan 177. Seattle, Washington, United States 178. Secaucus, New Jersey, United States 179. Sezana, Bohinj, Slovenia 180. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 181. Shiliguri, West Bengal, India 182. Shimla, India 183. Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan 184. Singapore, Singapore 185. Sivkashi, India 186. Slavonski Brod, Brodsko-Posavska, Croatia 187. Solon, Himachal Pradesh, India 188. South River, New Jersey, United States 189. Srinagar, Jammu And Kashmir, India 190. Stockton, United States 191. Strawberry Hill, Windsor And Maidenhead, United Kingdom 192. Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan 193. Sunnyvale, California, United States 194. Surat, Gujrat, India 195. Suva, Central, Fiji 196. Tempe, Arizona, United States 197. Thana, Maharashtra, India 198. Thanjavur, India 199. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India 200.Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India 201. Toronto, Ontario, Canada 202.Trnava, Slovakia 203.Tukums, Latvia 204.Udaipur, India 205.Ujjain, India 206.Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, India 207. Unidentified, Island At West Of Africa 208.Union City, California, United States 209.Urfa, Sanliurfa, Turkey 210. Vacoas, Plaines Wilhems, Mauritius 211. Vadodara, India 212. Vallejo, California, United States 213. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India 214. Vicenza, Veneto, Italy 215. Vigan, Philippines 216. Vijayawada, India 217. Vinkovci, Vukovarsko-Srijemska, Croatia 218. Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India 219. Westhoughton, Bolton, United Kingdom 220.Windsor, Canada 221. Winnipeg, Manitoba, United Kingdom 222. Yuba City, California, United States

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Bigg boss season- 5: Amar Upadhyaay’s position shoots up posing threats to the winning chances for Juhi Parmar after SL’s allegations and his apologies

2012-01-02T00:29:00.000-08:00

Amar Upadhyay

© Harish Jharia

The most crucial situation in any competition reaches when its semifinal results are out and the finalists are left behind to make their last efforts for winning the race. Similar situation has arrived in the Bigg Boss Season- 5, after the Canada born, American model SL left the house after final elimination round.

Nevertheless, the excitement and the aggression are completely missing in the final stage of the reality show. All the contenders are looking so very calm and quiet and obviously taking every step very – very carefully. The Bigg Boss house has suddenly become silent, subdued and calm. The reason might be the unexpected departure of SL and the failure of a suspected conspiracy of eliminating the 2nd most strong contender Amar Upadhyay.

Before the elimination round all the 6 housemates, 3 men (Amar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Saigal, Siddharth Bharadwaj) and 3 women (Juhi Parmar, Mahek Chahel, SL) were nominated. There was a pre semifinal critical situation in the Bigg Boss house and all the housemates were under intense anxiety behaving in peculiar frustrated manners.

In such a critical situation, the possibility of some conspiracy cooking up against the 2nd most probable contender for the title, Amar Upadhyay, could not be denied. Indications of such a plot were faintly visible in the anchor’s forum, when SL blamed Amar of kissing his hand while performing a dancing task. At the same time Juhi also blamed him of being too close to her while dancing.

Juhi Parmar

The accusations against Amar looked funny and extremely weak in the Bigg Boss house where almost all the limits of decency are crossed and filthiest abuses hurled. Even the anchor Sanjay Dutt looked unconvinced with the blame-game and resorted to cross questioning with SL and Juhi who in turn could not give justifications to their complaints.

Amar looked innocent in the anchors’ forum where he got the well expected benefit of doubt and was left unpunished. Sanjay Dutt reluctantly gave his own example that “had he been in that situation, he would have said sorry to SL”. Amar wasted no time and said sorry to SL.

This episode gave a strong boost-up to the winning chances for Amar Upadhyay and he emerged as a potential threat for Juhi Parmar who was until then considered almost the sure winner of the Bigg Boss Season- 5.

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Indian Politicians do not want Lokpal (Ombudsman): They rejected Anti-Corruption Lokpal Bill 9 Times in Last 42 Years?

2012-01-01T04:33:00.000-08:00

RJD Member of Parliament tearing Lokpal Bill

- Harish Jharia

The Lokpal Bill has been pending for the last 42 years in the Indian Parliament. Although. It was first passed in the Lok Sabha in 1969 but subsequently rejected in the upper house, Rajya Sabha. This drama of reintroduction and rejection of Lokpal Bill in the houses of Indian Parliament has been played and replayed as many as nine times. Nevertheless, it could not get-through in the upper house of Parliament.

These replays were staged in in the upper house of the Indian Parliament, Rajya Sabha, in the years 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2008. Thanks to the pro-corruption lobbies of Indian politicians the Indian version of Ombudsman, ‘Lokpal’ continues to be pending for adoption into law for the last 42 years.

The latest efforts to raise the demand for Lokpal Bill were made by the famous social activist Anna Hazare, in association with the Civil Society, spearheading the ‘India against Corruption’ movement across the country. Anna Hazare had to go on repeated attempts of fast unto death for motivating the Indian government to draft a Lokpal bill and get it passed in the parliament, eventually making it a law. The movement initiated by Anna Hazare and his team turned into a national movement and the people of the entire country came out in open, demanding for the Lokpal bill.

The Indian government obviously scared of the unprecedented movement spreading fast, across the length and breadth of the country, finally agreed reluctantly for a joint drafting committee for the proposed Lokpal bill. They nominated 5 members from the government and took 5 members of the civil society. The exercise of drafting the bill also started after the government published official notification authenticating the joint drafting committee.

The members from the government in the drafting committee kept a non-cooperative attitude throughout the drafting process. It resulted in emergence of two separate bills, one drafted by the government side and the other by the civil society. These bills were submitted to the parliamentary standing committee for recommendation and further submission to the parliament.

Eventually, a Lokpal bill was finalized by the government and tabled in the Lok Sabha for approval. It was evident from the draft of the bill that some of the clauses in the bill were deliberately inserted to make it unacceptable for some the opposition members and specifically to the Members of Parliament, who wanted a strong Lokpal to bring the corrupt politicians and civil servants to books.

The conditions that are adversely affecting the authority of the Lokpal and are covered in those clauses were as follows:

The Highest investigating authority, for crimes and corruption, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), will continue to be under the administrative control of the central / federal government. (that means the CBI will be reporting to the bosses against whom they need to investigate corruption charges)
The Lokpal will have no authority to investigate the financial crimes and corruption charges, cases and the culprits viz ministers, bureaucrats and other dignitaries.
The central / federal government will have more powers as compared to civil society in appointment of the Lokpal and the Lokpal body.
The central / federal government will have powers to appoint Lokayukt (a version of Lokpal for the Indian states)

The diplomatic and legal experts have deliberately induced these conditions in the Lokpal Bill so that many of the members of parliament would oppose the bill and the same could be rejected in voting.

If fact some of the politicians irrespective of party affiliations are not in favor of Lokpal because, they or their partners are involved, either directly or indirectly, in huge financial scams and corruption charges. Many of them are multi-millionaire and possess properties worth Rupees 50, 100 or more Crores.

Frustrated members of parliament delivered aggressive statements, indulged in indecent exchanges of un-parliamentary comments and even went to the extent of tearing a copy of the proposed Lokpal bill into pieces and throwing away the same in the well of the house.

It is reported in the press that the RJD Member of Parliament is reported to have snatched the parliamentary official papers from the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs who was delivering his speech, before tearing them off.

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Discover Life Wishes Happy New Year: 2012

2011-12-31T07:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year: 2012

The New Year 2012 has finally arrived knocking at our doors…

Let us welcome the bright beam of glittering future, name fame and fortune…

We wish all the very best to you and your family…

Harish Jharia

31 December 2011

New Delhi, India

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Indian Government Borrowing Rs 40000 Crore from the Market:

2011-12-30T23:53:00.000-08:00

India today cartoon “India Zero Tolerance for Corruption”

Indian Government Borrowing Rs 40000 Crore from the Market:

- Harish Jharia

Indian government pronounced on Friday that it will borrow Rs 40,000 crore extra from the market, a move impelled by sluggish tax revenues and rising spending obligations. This is the second additional borrowing announced by the government for the current financial year as public finances have been under pressure.

For common men a simple question arises in their mind that what in fact the government is really doing with the financial management of this country. We think that it is a shameful situation for such a big country that it has to borrow loans from the business houses for its survival.

It is even more shameful for the government who has Indian blocked black money worth Rs 79500 Lakh Crore dumped in Swiss Banks + Rs 176000 Crore eaten away by corrupt politicians in 2G scam + 8000 Crore gulped by Commonwealth Games Officials.

We are borrowing 40 thousand Crore only… Just see the following amount of Indian money that has either been dumped in Switzerland or eaten away by corrupt Indian bigwig(s) right under the nose of the Law Makers and Law Enforcement Authorities…

The details goes as follows:

Black Money Of Indian Bigwigs In Swiss Banks:

$ 1500 billion
= $ 1500 lakh crore
= Rs 79500 lakh crore
= Rs 79500000000000000 (quite difficult to count or write)

Money Embezzled In 2g Scam By Indian Telecom Minister A Raja And Company:

Rs 1.76 lakh crore
= Rs 1,76,000 crore
= Rs 1760000000000 (quite difficult to count or write)

Misappropriation Of Money In Commonwealth Games By Suresh Kalmadi And Company:

Rs 8000 crore
= Rs 80000000000 (not so easy to count or write)

Note: I might have committed mistakes while writing the figures, calculating and putting zeros. If so would someone correct those errors... Thanks...

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India needs an ombudsman for tackling Corruption And Black Money In High Places: Lokpal vis-à-vis CBI

2011-12-29T09:01:00.000-08:00

Anna Hazare

© Harish Jharia

What is the meaning of Lokpal?

The concept of Lokpal has been derived from the globally known entity of ‘ombudsman’ that stands for an intermediary body who works between the people and the government for dealing with cases of corruption. Ombudsmen are also appointed separately in different departments of any government for attending to the grievances and corruption charges reported by the people of that country.

For example, in the USA the Ombudsman International takes complaints regarding public officials and/or public corruption by civil servants. In that regard, they contract a private investigator to investigate the complaint themselves. Should the complaint be found to be true, they will forward the complaint and fact-finding data to the Attorney General and /or other law enforcement agencies.

The history of demand for the Lokpal:

The Indian version of ombudsman is proposed to be ‘The Lokpal’, for which Anna Hazare and his civil society activists have initiated a nationwide stir and forced the reluctant Indian government to initiate process of passing the Lokpal bill in both the houses of parliament of India and make it a law. Not only the politicians in the ruling party Congress were reluctant, even most of the Members of Parliament from other parties were also reluctant for supporting this bill.

The demand for the institution of Indian ombudsman Lokpal was raised by Indian people 40 years back. Since then different drafts of Lokpal bills were tabled in the Indian parliament for dozens of times. But, the Lokpal bill never crossed the acid tests through both the houses of Indian Parliament. The Indian politicians as Members of Parliaments (MPs) did not let it happen.

Now the similar situation has arisen and the controversial government’s draft of Lokpal bill has been passed by the lower house Lok Sabha. Subsequently, it is the turn of the upper house of the Indian parliament Rajya Sabaha to pass the same in the process of making it a law? The people of India are keeping their fingers crossed awaiting the outcome of the verdict of the highest house of power in India.

Lokpal vis-à-vis CBI:

The Indian government’s version of Lokpal bill has a major and serious difference from that of the one drafted by the civil society, headed by the anticorruption crusader Anna Hazare. That is the position of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) vis-à-vis the Lokpal. The government wants the most powerful investigation authority CBI to be under the control and administration of the Indian government.

On the other hand, the civil society headed by Anna Hazare wants that the CBI should be a part of the Lokpal for investigating cases of corruption and fighting the cases against the culprits in the courts of law. Apparently, the CBI is proposed to report to the Lokpal only for the cases of corruption and black money. The Lokpal itself is also proposed to deal with only financial crimes committed at all the levels of governance.

It is better known to the Indian Members of Parliament as to why don’t they want the CBI to function under the administrative control the Lokpal.

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Crazy Ideas: Congress MP Rajeev Shukla Speaks In the Upper House Rajya Sabha In Support Of Lokpal Bill

2011-12-29T06:32:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh

While speaking in support of the Indian government’s version of Lokpal Bill, the congress Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Rajeev Shukla said that he did not personally supported inclusion of the Prime Minister to be brought under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal. He continued by saying that it was the Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh, who himself volunteered to bring him under the ambit of Lokpal.

I, as a common man do not understand as to why the incumbent Prime Minister would volunteer himself for the Lokpal Bill that is going to become a law. The Prime Minister has not talked about himself; he has rather talked about the position / office of the Prime Minister that should not have immunity against the jurisdiction of the Lokpal.

- Harish Jharia

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Editor's Page: Minorities Are Vote-Banks for Politicians... In 50s We Never Knew That the People Living In a Colony in Narsinghpur Were Muslims

2011-12-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

- Harish Jharia

सभी धर्मावलंबी एक ही नस्ल और समाज से उत्पन्न हुए हैं

मुझे अपने बचपन (1955 के आस-पास) की एक बात हमेशा याद आती है जब हमें यह पता ही नहीं होता था कि नरसिंह्पुर का एक पूरा का पूरा मोहल्ला मुसलमानों का था। उस मोहल्ले के बारे में हम तो यही समझते थे कि सारे सब्ज़ी बेचने वाले एक ही जगह में रहते थे। वहाँ के बच्चों के साथ बारिश के दिनों में हम सींगरी नदी के पुल के ऊपर से बाढ़ के उफ़नते हुए मटमैले पानी में छलाँग लगाते थे।

सुना ज़रूर था कि नरसिंह्पुर में मुसलमान भी रहते थे जो सुबह-सवेरे मस्जिद के ऊपर से अज़ान लगाया करते थे। लोग कहते थे कि मुहर्रम के दिनों में नेज़ा लेकर जुलूस में मुसलमान निकला करते थे। पर यह समझ में नहीं आता था कि उन जुलूसों में हम लोग क्यों जाकर इत्र चढाया करते थे और अपने सर पर मोरपंख के गुच्छों का स्पर्ष करवा कर दुआएं लेते थे। यह तो हमें स्वाभाविक ही लगता था जब करबला में होने वाली कव्वालियों में रात-रात भर हमारे परिवार के लोग बैठे रहा करते थे।

नज़दीक ही सदर में ‘सेवा चाचा’ रहते थे जो हमारे स्कूल का घंटा अपनी विशेष स्टाइल में बजाते थे जिसकी आवाज़ हमारे घर तक सुनाई पड़ती थी। सेवा चाचा के चेहरे पर फ़ैले हुए प्रेम और करुणा के भाव मुझे आज भी जस-के-तस याद हैं। मैने सेवा चाचा को नरसिंह्पुर में हुए एक महायज्ञ की यज्ञवेदी की परिक्रमा करते हुए देखा था।

मुझे नहीं मालूम था कि रूई धुनकने वाले परिवार के मुखिया सेवा चाचा मुसलमान थे और मेरी जन्मभूमि में फल-सब्ज़ी का कारोबार करने वाले परिवारों के बच्चे मुझसे अलग समाज के हुआ करते थे। यह तो मुझे तब पता चला जब 1965 के आस-पास दस साल बाद मैं नरसिंहपुर पहुंचा। तब पूरा का पूरा माहौल बदल चुका था। सेवा चाचा का परिवार अलग सा नज़र आने लगा था और मेरे साथ सींगरी नदी में छलाँग लगाने वाले बच्चे बड़े हो चुके थे और अजनबी से नज़र आने लगे थे।

बड़ी सी खाई पैदा हो गई थी लोगों के बीच में। हिंदू पहले ही नीची और ऊँची जातियों में बँटे हुए थे। समय के साथ-साथ मुसलमान और ईसाई भी दूर-दूर हो गए। हर समाज अलग-थलग हो गया। राजनीतिबाज़ चुनाव जीतने के लिए भारतीय समाज को टुकड़ो-टुकड़ो में तोड़ते गए यहाँ तक कि उन्होंने हिंदुओं, जैनियों, बौद्धों और सिक्खों को भी अलग-थलग कर दिया।

देश और सरकार चलाने के लिये यह सब बिलकुल ज़रूरी नहीं था। चुनाव जीतने के और भी तरीके निकाले जा सकते थे। वैसे भी भारतीय संविधान के अनुसार देशवासियों को धर्म, जाति और नस्ल के आधार पर बाँटना गलत है।

आज हम सभी भारतीयों को राजनीतिबाज़ों की “फ़ूट डालो और राज करो” (divide and rule) नीति से सावधान रहना ज़रूरी है और देश वासियों में आपसी बैर भी नहीं पैदा होने देना चाहिए। चुनाव पास आ रहे हैं। हम सभी को वोट देते समय यह याद रखना चाहिए कि भारतीय समाज को आपस में बाँट्ने वाले राजनीतिबाज़ों को सही सबक दिया जाय्।

भारत भूमि पर पैदा हुए सभी धर्मावलंबी एक ही नस्ल और समाज से उत्पन्न हुए हैं और उनके पूर्वज अलग-अलग नहीं हो सकते। अगर हमें देश में व्याप्त धर्म के नाम पर हो रही असमानता को दूर करना है तो उसका एक ही रास्ता है कि बटवारा करने वाले राजनीतिबाज़ों के स्थान पर ऐसे लोगों को सरकार में लाया जाए जो हिंदुस्तानियों को धर्म के नाम पर ना बाँटें और एक संगठित भारतीय समाज का निर्माण करें।

यह याद रखना जितना ज़रूरी हिंदुओं के लिए है उतना ही आवश्यक मुसलमानों, ईसाइयों और अन्य धर्मावलंबियों के लिए भी है क्योंकि, राजनीति के अखाड़े में हर मज़हब की आवाम अकेली पड़ जाती है और खेल खेलने वाले हमें पछाड़ देते हैं।

हम हज़ारों सालों से गुलाम रहे हैं; आज़ादी के बाद भी स्वतन्त्र नहीं हुए और आगे भी प्रजातंत्र के प्रत्यक्ष दर्शन होने की उम्मीद हमें नज़र नहीं आ रही है।

हरीश झारिया,

26 December 2011

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Terrorism and Instability: The artistic and poetic people of Pakistan deserve a better peaceful and democratic life

2011-12-25T03:46:00.000-08:00

- Harish Jharia

Sometimes it hurts somewhere inside that the land of Iqbal, Faiz, Noorjehan, Mehdi Hasan and Ghulam Ali who spread the philosophy of love compassion and brotherhood in the Indian subcontinent, has been dominated by terror, instability and stagnation. In spite of being a foreigner, I feel great concern for the innocent beautiful people of my neighboring country Pakistan, who have to live under threats of terrorists’ attacks and even face frequent changes in the governance between military rules and short-lived democratic governments at the national level.

Indo-Pak Singer Noorjehaa

The life of the common Pakistani people may easily be imagined if the plights of many national leaders and military rulers are considered, who resorted to go in exiles in foreign countries for securing their lives. Getting political asylum and going in exile in a foreign country is somehow possible for the elite powerful people and the global corporate business chiefs. The common people like Shopkeepers, Clarks, Doctors, Engineers, rickshaw pullers, artisans and laborers etc will have to stay back in their country and face the ever changing political, social and civic conditions in their country.

Asif Ali Zardari

Some American experts have predicted that Pakistani President Zardari might go in exile in the ongoing conflict between the civilian government and the powerful Army. They also say that if this happens it would only be a follow-up of the time-tested Pakistani tradition of dignitaries seeking political asylums in some friendly countries. Nevertheless, in most of the cases, the friendly countries voluntarily come forward, on their own with bouquets and formal invitations on behalf of their national governments.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto would have been the first dignitary to go on exile when in 1978 he was declared guilty by a Pakistani court. It was reported that Libyan ruler Gaddafi sent an offer of political asylum for Bhutto. However, the Libyan proposal was turned down by the then head of the Pakistan government, Gen Zia-ul-Haq and Bhutto had to undergo the punishment awarded by the court.

Bhutto’s sons kept rushing between Pakistan and some western countries and were finally assassinated. Shahnawaz Bhutto was found dead in a hotel in Nice, France in 1985 and Murtaza Bhutto died in a police encounter in Karachi when his elder sister Benazir Bhutto was the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Benazir Bhutto

Before becoming the Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto went into exile, in 1984, after 4 year house arrest / imprisonment. Benazir went into exile again in 1999 when Gen Parvez Musharraf took over the reigns as the new Army ruler. She continued in exile until 2007 when she came back to Pakistan for contesting the general election again and was eventually killed in an election campaign rally.

Nawaz Sharif

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif went on 10 year exile under the rule of Gen Parvez Musharraf. Eventually, Musharraf who himself banished two Pakistani Prime Ministers had to set-off on an indefinite exile to a western country.

Gen Parvez Musharraf

These have been the stories of forced exiles of Pakistani ruling dignitaries when their lives were under threats. Then, what might be the ongoing stories of the common people in Pakistan… the lives of whom are hardly safe as that of those dignitaries?

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Note: Bases on a press report by Shobhan Saxena in Times of India Dated: 25 December 2011.
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