INSIGHT
Issue-1
June-2016
Quarterly
Compiled and Editer- Ms. Payal Kapoor
Transcribed and Printed by Mitra Jyothi
in colobration with Radio Udaan
Subscription- Rupees 100 Yearly
::::::
MITRA JYOTHI
Braille Press
CA Site No, P-22, 31st Main, 18th Cross,
HSR Layout, Sector-1, (Behind NIFT College),
Bangalore- 560102.
Phone: 080-22587623/ 25
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mitrajyothi.org :::::::::::: Contents
1. From the Editor
2. About Mitra Jyothi
3. About Radio Udaan
4. Helen Keller the unbeaten resilience of the human spirit -Compiled from articles on the web 5. Theatre craft: blind actors, behind curtains --Shireen Iraani 6. How to crack it! What You should Read for the UPSC Examination --Prof. Shyam M Sayanekar 7. Balanagendran- A story of determined effort and success --Balanagendran
8. Aisi biwi na mile dubara --Sudhir R Shenoy 9. Love transcends disability- Aditya Tiwari, the youngest single man to adopt a child --POULOMI DAS Business Insider India 10. The legal corner- Laws governing divorce --Kanchan Pamnani 11. Shopping with and without eyesight --Sushmeetha B. Bubna 12. A trip to Trimbhakeshwara --Swati Saxena 13. Banking and Taxation- Ways to invest your money --Sameer Latey 14. NVDA- The game changer --Bhavya Shah 15. Foods you can eat and still burn calories --Compiled from health articles on the web 16. Handy kitchen tips --Compiled from articles on the web 17. Indian films and the box office- Films on the margins --Shubham Rane 18. Poetry- Expression in verse --Papa, the almighty by Rajesh Asudani 19. Recipes- Summer Coolers
Veg recipes of India-Blog --by Dassana Amib
::::::::::::
From the Editor
The release of this magazine “Insight” coincides with the 136th birth anniversary of Helen Keller. We dedicate this edition to her zest for life. Despite the absence of three of her most vital senses, Helen chose to celebrate every small step she took towards making the world her playground.
It gives me great pleasure to present to you the first edition of “Insight”.
When the idea of publishing a magazine in Braille was initiated by Mitra Jyothi (a Not for profit organization working with the visually challenged in Bangalore) and Radio Udaan (an internet based radio station managed and run by the blind), there was an evident sense of anticipation. There exist a few publications in Braille already, but this one was going to be different in many ways. Many among us have asked why we chose to publish a magazine in Braille instead of cost- effective and easily circulated electronic formats.
We believe Braille is a medium that has a reach wider and farther in its own way. Just like reading print has a relevance that will never be replaced, so is Braille in the lives of many visually challenged Braille lovers. Our motivation was to encourage blind readers to keep in touch with the script that had initiated them into the world of reading.
I was asked to take on the charge of gathering forces and resources to make this thought a reality. When we started working on the theme of the magazine, we thought we had a ready plan. Well, we did have a plan; but like most things in life, there is a process of evolution that changes the whole composition of things.
My love of reading magazines fuelled my thought process, suggestions from others in the community were sought; ideas proposed and scrapped; and we were finally on our way!
The distinction of “Insight” is the content itself. The majority of articles are authored by other visually challenged friends. The endeavour has been to create a space for free expression of thoughts in a conducive environment where English skills wouldn’t be a constraint. There exists in each of us a closet writer or poet. Some of us have the opportunity or bravado to write for public consumption, while a lot of us shy away from public scrutiny. Through this publication we hope to encourage and motivate all who do have a thought, to get their fingers moving on their keyboard keys and send them our way. We look forward to receiving many such contributions for future editions.
We have attempted to write about varied subjects. We hope there is something for everyone here. Subjects ranging from technology to travel; food to entertainment; legal and finance advise; shopping and health tips… we have them all. Expressions of the poetic and prose kind are also right there to be enjoyed.
We have gathered some interesting information from articles on the web and shared them with all of you here as well. We celebrate the success stories of the tenacious achievers and advise of revered teachers. This is a palate of many shades and colours. The journey has been an exhilarating one for me. From gathering articles to reading through them and getting them print ready; I’ve loved every minute of it. I would like to take a moment to thank both the organizations for giving me this opportunity and to my friend Shireen Irani for being a more than able guide and companion. The effort was doubly interesting having her to share it with.
Most importantly, I thank all who have taken time out of their day to sit and pen down articles for us. Those are what make Insight what it is. This edition is a beginning for all of us. We invite our readers to share their thoughts on how it turned out and look forward to your ideas, suggestions and everything you’d like to share.
You can write to us at: [email protected]
Happy reading!
--Payal Kapoor
A hotelier by trade and education, Payal is a voracious reader and enjoys conversations. Writing content for various media is a recent addition to her repertoire. A cooking enthusiast, travel and the outdoors call to her.
::::::::::::
About Mitra Jyothi
Mitra Jyothi is a registered trust (under Indian Trust Act) located at Bangalore in the State of Karnataka and has been working for people with disability in general and visually impaired in particular for the past 26 years (started in 1990). It is run under the able guidance of Ms. Madhu Singhal (National Awarded) who has accomplished many milestones not only in India but also abroad despite her own disability. Mitra Jyothi’s Mission is to assist visually impaired individuals lead independent and dignified lives through Education, Training, Counselling, Communication & Technology so as to integrate them into mainstream families and society at large. The organization and its founder have received many awards and accolades over the years for the exemplary service they have been providing. ::::::
Mitra Jyothi’s Program Highlights: --The Computer Training Center: imparts Computer usage skills to the visually impaired. It opens up the world of Computers and the Internet to people with visual disabilities. This hands- on training happens with the help of screen reading software like NVDA. More than 900 individuals have so far been trained under this program since its inception. --Educational Resource Centre: provides accessible educational and general reading material to people with visual disability. It could be in any of the need based formats such as e-Text, Human Voice, Braille Prints, Large Print or other options. The “Talking Book Library” and the “Braille Transcription Centre” are run under the Educational Resource Centre. The Braille Transcription centre also prints pictures & diagrams in tactile. Tactile Pictures are images that use raised surfaces so that a visually impaired person can feel them. They are used as teaching aids to help children with visual disability learn about the form of various objects from fruits, vegetables, basic objects, animals to more complex maps and paintings. --Audio Magazine publication: Mitra Jyothi’s publishes two monthly audio magazines in Kannada namely ‘Sanchaya’ and ‘Spardha Shrunkala’. Sanchaya provides useful information on a variety of topics, including current affairs, health and IT. ‘Spardha Shrunkhala’ guides students on competitive examinations. Thousands of copies of Sanchaya and Spardha Shrunkala have been distributed to Mitra Jyothi’s library members and hundreds of students have benefitted from it.
--Independent Living Skills (ILS) Program: The ILS Program is the most fundamental hands-on program at Mitra Jyothi that enables persons with visual disability to initiate self reliance and instil in their minds the confidence needed to do so. Basic home management skills from identification of grains and spices to cooking safely with fire, personality development, personal grooming, mobility training, reproductive health and sex education, basic craft work like sewing and basket making that help them in their day to day lives as well as enables them to take up employment with small scale industries are some of the primary needs addressed by this program.
--Job Placement Cell: In 15 years since its inception in 1999, the cell has provided job placement assistance to more than a 1000 people with visual disability. Providing the necessary grooming, soft skill training, resume preparation and logistical support are some of the holistic readiness and support provided by this cell to the visually impaired. The cell achieved major success in finding job opportunities in the IT sector as well as other government and private sectors. --Center for Empowerment of Women with Disabilities (CEWD): Supported by the Hans Foundation, Mitra Jyothi has set up the "Centre for Empowerment of Women with Disabilities". CEWD is a safe and secure accommodation for working women with disabilities. It is a full- fledged hostel facility available for working/studying women with physical or visual disabilities in Electronic City, Bangalore. The centre caters to the special needs of people with disability. For more details regarding any of our programs or to enrol to any of our programs please contact Mitra Jyothi. The contact details are provided in the first page of this magazine. ::::::::::::
Radio Udaan
Radio Udaan is an online radio station that completely managed by persons with visual challenges. The coverage of Radio Udaan is over a 100 countries and it adds on more than 20,000 listeners every month. It is designed with a purpose of serving listeners by providing information coupled with entertainment through radio programmes by radio jockeys of Radio Udaan. Various programs are webcast and the listeners are sure to receive an audio treat as it encompasses programmes on a variety of subjects from community updates to world news programs, from yoga to music programs the spread is vast and wide. The shows are in English, Hindi or they are bilingual. Radio Udaan stands as the voice of the disabled and conscience of the society. At Radio Udaan every aspect of online broadcasting be it Web designing, Web Hosting or Radio Jockeying is by people with visual disabilities.
Radio Udaan firmly believes in “If you think you can, or you can’t, you are right”. Some of the major objectives of Radio Udaan are;
--To provide opportunity to those who are not recognized by the common mass-media
--Be the caterer of information and awareness to the disabled (Visually Impaired)
--To create a more inclusive and accessible environment for all
--Be the pioneer of change and development in the education, employment, entrepreneurship and matrimony of the disabled
--To shoulder justice and rights of the disabled
--To reach out to the masses (disabled/ non-disabled) and help both of them to understand each other thereby building healthy communities and societies
--Be the propagator of ‘Rights-based approach’ rather than ‘Need-based approach’
--Be the watchdog of human rights and the civil society organization for and of the disabled
--To reach out to governments (State and Central) and propagate the necessity of inclusive education and the need for paradigm shift in the system of education currently prevalent in India
To know more about Radio Udaan and its association with Mitra Jyothi await the next edition of Insight... stay tuned!
::::::::::::
Helen Keller- The unbeaten resilience of the human spirit.
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, to Arthur Keller, a former Confederate army officer and newspaper publisher, and his wife Kate. As a baby of 19 months, a brief illness, possibly scarlet fever, left Helen unable to see, hear or speak. A bright child, Helen was also wilful and spoilt since her parents knew little of what to do with her, upon Alexander Graham Bell’s suggestion they contacted the Perkins Institute for the blind; and subsequently met with Anne Sullivan who was instrumental in Helen Keller becoming who we know her as today. Helen’s life was enriched by her experiences and curiosity to learn new things. From being a resistant student, throwing tantrums at every new instruction, she went on to becoming a public speaker and author, championing causes impacting lives of persons with disability.
We have heard of Anne Sullivan’s famed method of teaching by spelling out words on Keller’s hand. Initially, the finger spelling meant nothing to Keller. However, a breakthrough occurred one day when Sullivan held one of Keller’s hands under water from a pump and spelled out “w- a-t-e-r” on Keller’s palm. A whole new language was born for Helen at that moment. Her tryst with experiential learning had only just begun.
Keller went on to learn how to read, write and speak. With Sullivan’s assistance, Keller attended Radcliffe College and graduated with honours in 1904. She was also a fundraiser for the American Foundation for the Blind. An advocate for racial and sexual equality, she left her mark on the world by helping to alter perceptions about the disabled.
Here mention must be made of her unbeaten spirit and never-ending thirst for new experiences. At seventy-two, already admired far and wide for her extraordinary story of unhinging disability from destiny, Keller meets the Grand Dame of modern dance, Martha Graham. Graham, impressed by her “gracious embrace of life” befriends Helen and initiates her into another new world.
During her frequent visit to Graham’s dance studio, she seems to focus on the dancers’ feet, and can somehow tell the direction in which they are moving. Martha Graham is intrigued. ‘She could not see the dance but was able to allow its vibrations to leave the floor and enter her body.
On one of her visits, Helen says, ‘Martha, what is jumping? I don’t understand.’
Graham is touched by this simple question. She asks a member of her company, Merce Cunningham, to stand at the barre. She approaches him from behind, says,
‘Merce, be very careful, I’m putting Helen’s hands on your body,’ and places Helen Keller’s hands on his waist.
Cunningham cannot see Keller, but feels her two hands around his waist, ‘like bird wings, so soft’. Everyone in the studio stands quite still, focusing on what is happening. Cunningham jumps in the air while Keller’s hands rise up with his body. ‘Her hands rose and fell as Merce did,’ recalls Martha Graham, in extreme old age. ‘Her expression changed from curiosity to one of joy. You could see the enthusiasm rise in her face as she threw her arms in the air.’
Cunningham continues to perform small leaps, with very straight legs. He suddenly feels Keller’s fingers, still touching his waist, begin to move slightly, ‘as though fluttering’. For the first time in her life, she is experiencing dance. ‘Oh, how wonderful! How like thought! How like the mind it is!’ she exclaims when he stops. To talk of Helen Keller is to witness a true triumph of the human spirit! Compiled from an article on History.com and excerpts of an article “Oh, how wonderful! How like the mind it is!” A stirring encounter at the pinnacle of the human spirit.
BY MARIA POPOVA on Brainpickings.org
::::::::::::
Theatre craft: blind actors, behind curtains.
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages."
--William Shakespeare.
As I sit down to write this, I can’t help but recall these lines that fit the situation perfectly; lines, by this immortal playwright, who left behind such a vast legacy of literary gems. And remembering Shakespeare, further made me reflect on: the exact role, and function of drama, and theatre, in today’s technology-driven world:
Is this art, of live performances, with a live audience, diminishing in popularity? With so much abundant entertainment at our disposal at the click of a button from the comforts of our homes?
As actors, would we choose to be in such spotlight when we can hide behind cameras that give us a hundred opportunities for re-takes until we’re satisfied with our performance?
Theatre, on the other hand, leaves us bare and exposed and in the moment. As soon as the curtains open, there are no re-takes, no second chances. Just each 1 of us, taking the stage, and playing our parts, before a live audience, that will judge us as characters, giving us just that One chance, for us to create an impression.
Incidentally, such is the case with Life too, isn’t it? Just the 1 chance to give it your best shot. To look your best, each new moment, so that we can create an impression on people. There is always some1 watching and judging us: our families at home, inquisitive neighbours, co-passengers while we travel. Whether we are studying or working; there are eyes of colleagues, teachers, friends and strangers. Pares and pairs of eyes, constantly scrutinizing and judging us, and building us in their minds: characters with strengths, weaknesses, habits and peculiarities.
And so, we try to do certain things To ensure we’re rated well by our audience. But more importantly, there are things we make sure we Don’t do, that might make us look odd, or unacceptable. These are things we do in darkness: behind the curtains so to speak. When we are sure we have no audience: like digging our noses, and scratching in all sorts of places. Like letting ourselves loose, and freeing ourselves of all the disciplinary constraints of being in the limelight all day.
But how do we know we’re being watched? Because we do the watching too. Taking in all that transpires around us. judging and building our own versions of characters and people, based on what we see of them, picking up tips from them, that might help us look more appealing and pleasant.
Now what happens with people who have never ever seen?
Children who have never known or experienced visual scrutiny? Individuals who don’t realize, that they’re being constantly watched, because they themselves have never experienced “learning by seeing”?
Individuals who deserve as much social acceptance, as anybody else, but who in fact face twice the isolation: A, because they’re blind, and B, because they show socially inappropriate behaviour?
Of course, not all blind children face this predicament; a lot of us have the good fortune of being taught social etiquette either at home, or at school. But not every1 is privileged in that regard. Social grooming is a bit lower on the priority list, particularly when, even satisfying basic needs is a daily challenge. Exactly such, was the story of the children of the Soordaas Netraheen Pathshala, when AntarDrishti came to their rescue.
AntarDrishti is an Agra based NGO working actively for the blind, and particularly to create awareness about eye care. Using varied media and online resources,, they take their messages far and wide. Workshops and eye donation camps form an integral part of their tireless efforts.
The original plan was to organize a theatre-workshop for these children, which would ultimately culminate into a public show, where blind children could experience the thrill of on-stage acting. Upon meeting the children face-to-face however, it was realized that what the children needed to learn, to begin with, was not to do with presentation on-stage, but off it, in the real, non-fictional portrayal, of them. What they really needed, was training in basic social skills, personality development, and self-representation, skills that would help them create a niche for themselves. So, Antar Drishti immediately knew what to do: they combined the 2 objectives, and using the elements of theatre, introduced the children to the real world. The world where 1 must stand still and upright, without swaying from side-to-side, or scratching, or picking. The real world, with real-time performances, that will help them build and develop their own characters, strong, confident, and most importantly, socially acceptable.
As part of the dual-purpose workshop, the children were made to reflect and work on their own personalities, by way of telling stories, and participating in team-based games that helped them enhance their personal awareness, alongside social skills, leadership qualities, and effective communication.
Antar Drishti has organized 2 such workshops thus far, and both have been extremely rewarding, enabling these children to build themselves as influential characters, both off-stage and on it.
It was an illuminating experience for Antar Drishti too, it had never struck them how much they take their sight for granted, and how different their worlds could be, without visual feedback. Most importantly, combining both goals into a single learning experience, was 1 of their most gratifying and productive endeavours, and they hope to continue spreading this valuable insight.
So there I have the answer to the question I had asked in the beginning, thanks to AntarDrishti:
The role of theatre then, is to inculcate discipline. Self-restraint. And to give us just the 1 chance, to always live in the moment, and deliver our best performance on stage, such that we linger in the minds of our audiences for the longest time. And in the case of these children, mastering theatre-crafts helped them achieve this, even off-stage. In the play, that Shakespeare calls ‘life’.
--Shireen Iraani
A pianist and linguist, Shireen is on the way to completing her PhD from the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.-Dale Carnegie”
::::::::::::
How to crack it! What you should read for the UPSC Examination
Those preparing for UPSC should please remember that although the UPSC Examination has a prescribed syllabus, it serves only as a broad outline. But actually anything and everything under the sun can form a part of your examination. The nature of questions being asked in UPSC Exams keeps changing. Earlier the questions were based upon facts, but now they are more or less based upon clarity of the concepts. If you want to prepare for the UPSC Exams, you have to do a lot of reading. Taking into account the increasing demand for these examinations, a lot of material is generated, but you have to be cautious while using it, because a great deal of such material is irrelevant and incorrect.
To begin with, you should read all the books of NCERT from standard five to standard twelve. This will create a solid foundation. A lot of magazines published both by the Government as well as by private agencies are available in the market. You should read the India Year Book, the Yojana Magazine, the Manorama, Kurukshetra, Employment news, Pratiyogita Darpan, Competition Success review (CSR), Competition Master, Civil Service Chronicle, Civil Service Wizard, etc. Further, huge manuals are published every year by different agencies like Unique, Spectrum, Tata McGraw Hill, Sultan Chand etc. Different study circles bring out their study material. For example, the Brilliant Tutorials, the Hyderabad Study Circle material etc. You can use the IGNOU material as well. Daily newspapers (like The Hindu), are a must. Further, for the optional subjects, separate manuals are also published by different agencies. For Example, for Indian Polity, M. Laxmikant’s book published by Tata McGraw Hill, for Indian Economy Ramesh Singh’s book, for Indian History Krishna Reddy’s book etc. are available. One should also read Introduction to the Constitution of India by Durgadas Basu and India’s struggle for Freedom by Bipin Chandra.
But along with what you read, equally is important how you read. Instead of reading ten different books on one subject, you should read a good book ten times. After having all this material, what and how you note down things is of utmost importance. You should prepare maximum tables of different things, so that you should be able to immediately find out the necessary things. One single person cannot collect and read all this material or remember everything. Therefore, group study and group discussion is highly advisable. Online test series are also available, one can try those as well. Only hard work, full concentration, frequent revisions, planned study and better strategy can help you in arriving on shore!
Professor Shyam M Sayanekar.
A man of many talents, Professor Sayanekar has used his years as a teacher, author and researcher to successfully guide other visually challenged persons to achieve their goals. His love for history has given us many noteworthy publications written by him. Living a full and accomplished life, he travels and enjoys music whenever time allows.
::::::::::::
Balanagendran- A story of determined effort and success
I take this moment to thank each and everyone who have chosen to read this. Without further ado, I’d like to say that you are not going to read any motivational address or inspirational portrayal, but a simple travelogue of a Visually Challenged guy named Balanagendran from Chennai. --About Me
I was born in Chennai on 26th April 1989; the second child to Mr. Devadoss the then Major in Indian Army and Mrs. Sungari Devadoss a home maker. As soon as they heard of my birth, the entire locality in my neighbourhood went into a stunning sorrow as the Doctor announced that a Blind Baby was born. Years went on my Father acquired premature retirement from the Indian Army and began to work as a security guard at United India Insurance Company Limited where he met a Visually Challenged Telephone operator who was the 1 to direct me to Little Flower Convent here after (LFC) Higher Secondary School for the Blind Chennai.
LFC laid the foundation of today’s Balanagendran. When I was 6 years old, the then science teacher named Katherine was the one who sowed the Seed of IAS, without knowing that one day her seed would grow into a giant Tree. LFC has taught me that I have a life, importantly I have a life with a purpose. LFC has completely redrawn my picture among my relatives and surroundings. Those who thought, “oh poor Blind boy”, have begun to look at me with unquestionable surprise as I was the first kid to top the class every year in my family.
In April 1999, LFC bid me farewell, and S.T. Louis here after (Louis) Higher Secondary School for the Blind Chennai welcomed me, but with tonnes and tonnes of ups and downs. Louis has been a new experience to me as I was about to face new competitions, and, more importantly, I was about to commit the gravest of crimes. From standard 6 to 10, Louis has been my protectorate, polishing my positives and conversely beating my negatives Black and Blue. For example, when I was in the 7th standard, I had signed my own progress card instead of my Father. The news spread like a terrible disease across the institute. Of course this is just a sample of the mischief I got up to.
After knowing that I’ve signed instead of him, my Father spoke to me personally and said, “if you don’t know how to commit mistakes without being caught, never dream of doing it”. that phrase still acts as a guide. Now I can proudly say, “I may not be a good guy, but I am honest” because of my Father’s words.
2005 was a golden year for my parents because their child broke the first glass ceiling by topping the school in 10th Standard board exam. as both of them were from a large family in size, this was the first time that a child had passed the 10th standard in the family’s history, which put them on cloud nine. That was the turning point when my parents and family began to believe me saying that I will become an IAS officer one day.
While talking about my 10th, I’d like to introduce another selfless personality named Mrs. Gayathri Balaji, the then science teacher who turned me around completely. Till than I wanted to do Bachelors in English followed by Civil Services. But this teacher fuelled me to pursue any other different stream such as commerce. For that, she herself travelled with me for 20 odd days to get me admitted in a sighted school. Searching for schools has been a soar experience. After surpassing 10 to 15 schools where rejection was the only response because I am blind, at last the doors of Shri Rama Krishna Mission (Main) here after (RKM) Higher Secondary School Chennai, opened for me.
This is where the same Telephone operator of my Father’s office played another important role by introducing me to JAWS and the Computer, and suggested that I join the English medium. Yes, from my 1st Standard to the 10th, I studied in the Tamil Medium. In RKM, there were 2 groups of Commerce in the medium of English such as Commerce with Business Maths and Commerce with Computer Science. Without knowing the hardships in store, I’ve opted for Commerce with Business Maths and thus got dismal results.
You can imagine how hard it is for a guy who topped 10th standard in school to digest that his name is in the failures list in the 11th standard. Fortunately the government has introduced re- exams, and hence I’ve passed 11th without wasting one whole year. While looking at those years from here, laughter is the lone option. I was memorizing the concepts and terms without understanding them because they were in English!
LFC and Louis has given me quality education, RKM taught me what life is. RKM has opened my path of socialization as well as teenage experiences. At present I have more sighted friends than my Blind counterparts thanks to RKM and its life lessons. My schooling finally came to an end with splendour for my parents who proudly said to everyone that “our Son will be going to college”.
Loyola. Oh my goodness how fortunate I am to step into such an institution where I heard the words “visually challenged” instead of Blind for the first time in my life. As per my professors, I was the first visually challenged to do commerce in Loyola’s 82years of History. Loyola threw me to another level. From a poor English speaker to an orator cum writer. Loyola owns substantial credit for it all. My Bachelors of Commerce has been the most valuable juncture of my life. Apart from learning, Loyola turned me around a full 360 degrees. The year 2009-10 was the golden year of my career as I was the first visually challenged to contest in the students union elections and went on to win by defeating a sighted candidate for the post of Cultural Secretary. Loyola gave me a lot of firsts.
After finishing graduation, the opportunity to pursue what I’ve been dreaming for 15 years became larger. ManidhaNaeyam IAS IPS Academy Chennai founded by the current Chennai Mayor and social activist Mr. Saidai Durai Sami welcomed me with expectations and appreciations. The institute has been a sanctuary for me to pursue persistently for 5 years in a row. Every teaching and nonteaching staff believed in me. Finally on May 10th 2016, their believe turned into reality when they found my name among those who finally made it!
From a middleclass family, pursuing Civil Services has been possible only because of ManidhaNaeyam IAS Academy and their “free coaching for all” policy, which eventually made my journey from the less developed North Chennai to Indian Bureaucracy, possible. Throughout this immaculate journey comprising stunning successes and terrible failures, my friends stood by me with utter grit and determination and told me numerous times, “buddy, if you don’t do it, no one will do it”. When I began to study the R.S. Agarwal aptitude Book in E format, my friend Alex Melwyn came forward and did something I had never even dreamed of. Every day, he typed 10 to 20 questions and sent them to me via Email, and told me to solve all of them. The next day, he sent the solutions with proper corrections in my answers coupled with the next set of questions. That’s why I have won, but actually, my friends are the winners. There are countless events where my friends played a pivotal role in shaping me.
If you want to be successful, you need 3 things: Good parents who suffered a lot to make me what I am today. They are the one who believe me more than I believe in myself, good family that stood with me in my ups and downs, good teachers who worked hard to make my dream come true and good friends who celebrate as their victory. Really this is their victory. I may have won, but the winners are my parents, teachers and my beloved friends. I dedicate this victory to all my visually challenged friends and elders.
“it doesn’t matter what we have, but it really matters what we do with what we have”.
Thanks a lot for all your encouragement. You can reach me @ [email protected] Balanagendran: having cleared his UPSC this year.
::::::::::::
Aisi Biwi Na Mile Dubara!
The author refers to himself as the cockroach/ roach, because like the cockroach, he is a survivor as well; and has the capacity to withstand calamities of the worst kind.
The cockroach tries to ingratiate himself to his Biwi on the eve of their Silver Wedding Anniversary… I could tell, from the searing sensation on my face and the sweat drenching my rumpled clothes, that it was a hot, humid day. The small, run-down temple was crowded, obviously since a festival was going on. There was cacophony all around, as people, decked in their finery, attempted to exchange pleasantries and converse over the din of the “chendamelam” (traditional percussion band) that was going on in the background.
Everyone seemed to know each other, as happens in the intimate confines of the small Konkani community. That is, except for me. As I delicately tried to negotiate my way to the main Nada of the temple, no one greeted me. On my part, I was too pre-occupied, trying to avoid collisions with the milling crowds or stumbling over the unpredictably placed steps in the yard, to make out anyone that I knew. Not that I wished to meet anyone, of course. Navigating with the little vision I had left, my only wish was to offer my prayers and disappear quickly from the scene, without making a spectacle of myself. Already, I was regretting the decision to visit the temple. I intensely disliked crowds, as they made me feel insecure and self-conscious at the same time. May be I was being paranoid, but, I could distinctly feel the many pairs of curious, amused and often, taunting eyes watching my clumsy gait. I cursed myself each time I bumped into an irate lady, stepped on someone’s extended toes or walked into one of the poles holding up the pandal. No, it was not just my paranoia; people had indeed started noticing my awkward navigation, as I heard a woman calling out to her toddler to get out of my way, followed by a titter from the amused buddies seated around her.
In my desperate attempt to slink away from the ridicule, I did not notice where I was headed, until too late, I found myself right at the centre of the main court-yard, where a grand “Sheeveli” was in progress. With caparisoned elephants, the frenzied beating of the drums and the usual bunch of colourfully attired hangers-on, it must have been a beautiful sight to behold. Lost on me, though. The biological compass in my brain alerted me suddenly that I must have been, horror of horrors, very much in the lime-light, something utterly reprehensible to my roachian disposition. But, like the bunny caught in the glare of the headlamps, I had no idea whether to scamper to make myself invisible. Knowing my progress further was now out of question, I hastily turned around and started retracing my steps, the desire to be in communion with the being replaced now with a more existential one, of somehow crawling back urgently into the safety of my dark, comfy crevice. In my agitation, the few coins I was carrying in my palm, as an offering to the deity, slipped out and fell on to the paved floor with metallic tinkling sounds that were soon drowned in the crescendo the band was now building to. I heard some people shouting, obviously to draw my attention to the slip-up. But, I knew better than to try and retrieve the fallen coins, for my futile antics of groping around on the floor would have merely amused the audience further.
In my haste to disappear, I literally shuffled my way into a mass of humanity. Fortunately, it seemed to be a male crowd and so I pushed and shoved my way through, even as I heard people ranting and swearing at me. Finally, I had waded my way through the crowd, and was in a quieter corner of the campus. Some privacy at last, I told myself, blissfully unaware of what lay ahead. I continued my shuffling gait till I reached what appeared to be a low platform of sorts. The exertions of the past half hour had drained me, emotionally more so than physically, and I thought I would sit down and rest for a while. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, a young female was, apparently, sitting in an adjacent spot, and I heard an older lady, obviously her chaperone, exclaiming indignantly at my audacity in sitting next to her nubile daughter!! With my morality now questioned, I wished the Earth would open up and swallow me then and there, saving me from the overwhelming disgrace.
Scrambling to my feet, I was off again, desperately yearning to be out of this hurtful place. My meanderings finally brought me to the road. Not a single auto rickshaw was in sight, unfortunately. After a while, I could hear the sound of one approaching. It stopped a little far away from me, possibly disgorging its passengers. I started to make my way in the general direction of the vehicle, in my amoebic feet-dragging style. However, just as I reached it, I discovered to my chagrin that a family had beaten me to it and was about to board. As I stood there feeling disappointed, I heard the wife whispering to her husband.
She was trying to persuade him to let me get the ride, since I was so obviously blind, alone and helpless. The husband, unmoved by her compassion, snapped at her stating that blind people had better remain at home and not makes a nuisance of themselves to the public. As his harsh words sunk into me, the auto started to move and I felt scalding tears streaming down my cheeks.
The shame of it all, the pain of rejection, the lack of empathy, the loneliness in the midst of the crowd and the helplessness of the mobility-challenged– it was a heady cocktail of the emotive kind. The rage against Fate, against God, against society, against life, for landing me in this harrowing time and space, was overwhelming. So was the feeling of impotence and the deep self-loathing I felt for myself. Ultimately, the inner cauldron had boiled over, overcoming even the natural adult inhibition of being seen crying in public.
It was the tears that woke me up from that nightmare. Yes, the tears were real, even though the traumatic events were, I realized thankfully, mere figments of the mindscape. I was still shaky from the life-like quality of that nightmare. Instinctively, I moved my hand and felt for my dear wife. She was sleeping peacefully by my side. Her hand moved, in an unconscious yet immediate response, and, held mine in a familiar gesture of love and support. The mere fact of her presence by my side was like an instant balm for my agitated mind. Her involuntary gesture seemed to silently symbolize a total acceptance of my handicapped body, mutilated mind and broken spirit. Gradually, the tears stopped as my distraught nerves were soothed.
As I lay awake reliving the vivid dream over and over again, I was struck by how the feelings of panic, shame and rejection progressively seemed to recede in the reality check of wakefulness. Curious now, I asked myself why this was so. I had indeed heard such real-life stories of horrifying societal indifference, nay, and callousness from my numerous blind friends. It was a situation that could happen to any blind person, including me, any day in the future. And yet, paradoxically, here I was, not excessively worried about the dream turning into reality! Obviously, it was my million dollar Biwi that had made all the difference to my diminished felt threat perception. The nightmare would not happen to me in real life, my brain had automatically reasoned, since my Biwi is always around. Yes, she is always around, almost on a 24 x 7basis, now that we working the same company too. Touchwood.
She drives me uncomplainingly to wherever I fancy, always ensures I navigate safely through the most chaotic of places, guides me subtly so that I don’t feel clumsy or self-conscious and never lets me feel lonely in any crowd. Because of her, I never have to endure the jibes and ridicule of the sighted society around me. And, if ever she has felt ashamed or self-conscious herself, guiding a sightless hubby around, surely getting the odd looks, she has never let it show.
Unfortunately, few of my blind friends have the luxury of having a trust-worthy, always on- demand, resourceful and loyal sighted companion for life. And, when that companion also happens to be as lovely and charming as my million dollar biwi, even someone as cowering and risk-averse as the cockroach can, methinks, be forgiven if he discounts the horrors of a disabled existence to an extent!
Drifting back to sleep, my last thoughts were of infinite gratitude to my Divine Mother who had planned it all out for this measly pest. Giving me a life partner who believes, like the famed Indian “Naris” of the myths, that her place was by her husband’s side, even when the guy himself has insufferable vanity, a warped sense of humour and specializes in practicing pestering professionally. Could it be that love is indeed blind as they say ? or, is it merely that biwi’s universal love for all creatures of the animal kingdom, big and small, extending itself to encompass the (shudder) creepy wall crawler also?
Tomorrow, May 13, 2015, when we celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary, what does the cockroach intend to gift to his million dollar biwi for her love, care, patience and dedication for all these years ?
Not a mere diamond necklace. Nor that latest, expensive sedan released just the other day. Now, I can see you mulling, may be, it is a well-appointed villain scenic Munnar! After all, she deserves all these and much more, by the roach’s own admission.
Sorry to inform you guys, it is none of the above. These are your very common wedding anniversary gifts that any guy with a fat wallet can buy for his wife. The cockroach is much more imaginative and romantic. Not for him the beaten path of sordid anniversary gifts… Then, of course, there is also the little inconvenience of the cockroach being perpetually broke.
The cockroach sincerely believes that money can neither buy love, nor material gifts adequately compensate for divine, unconditional love. The gift has, therefore, to transcend the merely material and elevate the soul to the higher realm in its concept and execution. Eureka! Yes, that is it. When the day breaks on the eastern horizon tomorrow, the cockroach shall rise and anoint his dear Biwi with the honorific “Biwi Ratna”. In his best sales pitch, the roach shall strive to convince her that this is the highest civilian honour for serving biwis, and, solemnly handover a (slightly jaded) trophy (picked up in the local flea market) and a citation (this story). She will also be conveyed the glad news that she will figure prominently in the roach’s colourful and eventful autobiography, thus immortalising her like the legendary Gandhari, Savitri et al of Hindu mythology.
She will also be entitled to all the royalty coming in from the publication of this epic auto-bio, which is a work in progress that all the reputed publishers have been jostling to get at. Finally, but not in the least insignificant, she will be conveyed the ennobling resolve of the roach to make her his royal consort in the next seven avatars too, as symbolised by the “Saptapadi” (Seven steps around the sacrificial fire) of the Vedic wedding we underwent 25years back.
Elevating, of course. Impressive, eh? Touching, no? Very original too… Hope the Biwi appreciates it as much.
PS: Dunno when the Biwi might finally blow her top and reach for the deadly armaments of the kitchen kind. In case you don’t see me around this time tomorrow, do call the emergency rooms in the neighbourhood hospitals.
Sudhir R Shenoy
An Associate General Manager with an IT firm, Sudhir has used his talent with words both professionally and as a means of personal expression. His humour and sarcasm-laced wit is distinctive in his writings. He talks of existential issues using himself as the protagonist in his tales which mostly revolve around events in his own life.
::::::::::::
Love transcends disability
Meet Aditya Tiwari, the youngest single man in India to adopt a child. Despite India putting up a progressive face when it comes to certain issues, it's an unfortunate reality that adoption still remains a tricky subject with many in the country. Regardless, once in a while it so happens that you come across stories of people that bring a smile to your face. And, Aditya Tiwari, a Pune-based software engineer is one such instance. Single and just 28 years old, Tiwari became the youngest single parent in India when he adopted a child with special needs. Back in 2014, Tiwari, 26, was distributing sweets on the occasion of his father's birthday at an orphanage of the Missionaries of Charity in Indore when he first spotted Binney. Binney had made the orphanage his home after being abandoned by his parents from Bhopal because he had a hole in his heart and suffered from Down's syndrome. "There were a lot of kids at the orphanage when I was distributing a few things there; however Binney caught my eye because he was lying on a cat away from all the revelry. When I went to play with him, he held my finger and wouldn't let go. I instantly felt affection at that moment, however truth be told I didn't think of adopting him then." Tiwari explains. The exact moment when he decided he would adopt Binney came barely a month later when he revisited the orphanage and found out that while many other children had been adopted, no family was willing to take Binney as their own. Suddenly, Tiwari knew Binney would be his son. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. As expected, there were several roadblocks in store for him. Initially, his parents objected to the idea. It took them quite a while to warm up to the idea of their unmarried son adopting a child with special needs. Then there were the orphanage authorities who told him that they could not let a single man adopt a kid as The Missionaries of Charity were against single-parent adoptions. Having made up his mind, Tiwari was not one to give up. For the next few months, he kept revisiting the orphanage in order to convince the sisters about his intentions. He also went ahead and contacted the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD) and even sent over 100 emails to Maneka Gandhi. The move paid off as the ministry wrote back to him informing that in India, the legal age for an unmarried man to adopt a child is 30 years. But, Tiwari was unwilling to wait for 4 more years. He thus complained to the Prime Minister's Office, wrote to some members of Parliament and human rights activists asking that the age-limit be amended so he could adopt the boy at the earliest. He even met the boy's biological parents to understand why they deserted and was shocked to learn that they were financially capable of handing Binney, but abandoned him because they feared being an embarrassment to the society due to his condition. Hearing that, Tiwari was even more resolved to father Binney. He once again petitioned the PMO and WCD. What happened next was one of the turning points in Tiwari's life. Sometime in August 2015, the laws of adoption were amended and the age limit for single men to adopt children was reduced to 25. (Government officials claim that Tiwari's case was a crucial catalyst.)Understandably, Tiwari was elated when he heard of the change and a team of government officials got to work to conduct a detailed background check on him. And, finally on December 2015, after struggling for 15 months, Tiwari received a mail that instructed him to take Binney home in the first week of January. Binney who is now approximately two years old has been christened as Avinsh Tiwari by his father. Tiwari understands that due to Down's syndrome, his son's mental growth will be slow as compared to other children, but he is determined to not give up Unlike his biological parents, "I have consulted quite a few doctors and they've advised me that it would be better for Binney if he is around children more. There happens to be a day care in my office building and I intend to keep him there when I'm at work," says Tiwari, who also gets adoption leave for 150 days from work. Aditya is an example that a man doesn't have to be married to be a loving father. POULOMI DAS-Business Insider India
"The Greatest Gift you can give someone is your time because when you are giving someone your time, You are giving them a portion of your life that you will never get back."
::::::::::::
The Legal corner- Laws governing divorce
In our Legal corner we asked Advocate and Solicitor Kanchan Pamnani to share with us the laws and situations that allow a married couple to seek dissolution of their marriage. Here, researched by Ruchika Menghani are details. We call upon our readers to write to us with questions arising out of the information shared in the article below at: [email protected]
Marriages are made in heaven they say but when marriages turn into hell, you need to be ready to exit after all conciliation, mediation and counselling fails. India being a secular country with many religions only complicates the matter. So until we get a uniform civil code we have to check which law is applicable to us depending upon our religion. The list below is written only to give you a first peek into the world of divorce. You definitely need to see a lawyer specializing in Family law before you embark on D journey.
::::::
--THE HINDU MARRIAGE ACT (1955) enacted by the Parliament, applies to Hindus by religion in any of its forms and Hindus within the extended meaning i.e. Buddhist, Jains or Sikhs, and in fact, applies to all such persons domiciled in the country who are not Muslims, Christians, Parsis or Jews, unless it is proved that such persons are not governed by the Act under any custom or usage. The Act applies to Hindus outside the territory of India only if such a Hindu is domiciled in the territory of India.
Section 13 prescribes the following grounds under which either party to the marriage can call for its dissolution by filing a petition for divorce on the ground that the other party-
1. has after the solemnisation of the marriage, had voluntary sexual inter course with any person other than his or her spouse; or
2. has, after the solemnization of the marriage, treated the petitioner with cruelty-this cruelty is mental or physical; or
3. has deserted the petitioner for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the petition; or,
4. has ceased to be a Hindu by conversion to another religion; or
5. has been incurably of unsound mind, or has been suffering continuously or intermittently from a mental disorder of such a kind and to such an extent that the petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with the respondent. 6. has been suffering from a virulent and incurable form of leprosy. 7. has been suffering from venereal disease in a communicable form; or. 8. has renounced the world by entering any religious order; or 9. has not been heard of as being alive for a period of seven years or more by those persons who would naturally have heard of it, had that party been alive. Either party to a marriage may also present a petition for the dissolution of the marriage by a decree of divorce on the grounds- 1. that there has been no resumption of cohabitation between the parties to the marriage for a period of one year or upwards after judicial separation; or, 2. that there has been no restitution of conjugal rights for one year or upwards after the passing of a decree for restitution of conjugal rights. A wife may also present a petition for the dissolution of her marriage by a decree of divorce on the grounds- --In the case of any marriage solemnized before the commencement of this Act, that the husband had married again before such a commencement or that any other wife of the husband married before such a commencement was alive at the time of the solemnization of the marriage of the petitioner. PROVIDED that in either case the other wife is alive at the time of the presentation of the petition; or --That the husband has, after the marriage, been guilty of rape, sodomy or bestiality; or. A decree or order, as the case may be, has been passed against the husband awarding maintenance to the wife notwithstanding that she was living apart and that since the passing of such a decree or order, cohabitation between the parties has not been resumed for one year or upwards;
--That her marriage was solemnized before she attained the age of fifteen years and she has repudiated the marriage after attaining that age but before attaining the age of eighteen years. Marriage can be dissolved by mutual consent by the parties. ::::::
--THE SPECIAL MARRIAGE ACT: The Special Marriage Act (1954) was enacted by the Parliament to provide a special form of marriage for the people of India and all Indian nationals in foreign countries, irrespective of the religion or faith followed by either party. Any person, irrespective of religion Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, or Jews can also perform marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. This Act is not applicable to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It extends to intending spouses who are both Indian nationals living abroad.
In addition to the grounds mentioned in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955a petition for divorce may be presented to the court by either of the parties on the ground that the respondent:
1) is undergoing a sentence, of imprisonment for seven years or more for an offence under the Indian Penal Code.
A wife may also present a petition for the dissolution of her marriage by a decree of divorce on the grounds:
1) that the husband has, since the solemnization of the marriage, been guilty of rape, sodomy or bestiality; or 2) A decree or order, as the case may be, has been passed against the husband awarding maintenance to the wife notwithstanding that she was living apart and that since the passing of such a decree or order, cohabitation between the parties has not been resumed for one year or upwards.
::::::
--The INDIAN DIVORCE ACT (1959):
The Indian Divorce Act is applicable to the Christians. The grounds for divorce overlap with the previous two Acts. In addition, marriage shall be dissolved if the respondent:
1) has ceased to be a Christian by conversion to another religion;
2) has wilfully refused to consummate the marriage and the marriage has not therefore been consummated;
3) has failed to comply with a decree for restitution of conjugal rights for a period of two years or upwards after the passing of the decree against the respondent.
--Muslims
Generally, both the parties to the marriage contract have an option for divorce, but the husbands right in this respect is much greater than that of the wife. The husband can dissolve the marriage at his will. A divorce can also take place by mutual agreement. But the wife cannot divorce herself from her husband without his consent. Marriage may also be dissolved by judicial decree under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act, 1939.
--WOMANS RIGHT TO DIVORCE UNDER THE DISSOLUTION OF MUSLIM MARRIAGE ACT (1939)
A Muslim woman may file for divorce on the following grounds-
1. That the whereabouts of the husband have not been known for a period of 4 years 2. That the husband has neglected or has failed to provide for her maintenance for a period of two years. 3. That the husband has been sentenced to imprisonment for a period of seven years or upwards. 4. That the husband has failed to fulfil his marital obligation for a period of three years. 5. That the husband has been insane for two years or is suffering from leprosy or a virulent form of venereal disease. 6. That the husband was impotent at the time of marriage and continues to be so. 7. The women, having being given in marriage by her father or other guardian before she attained the age of 15 years, repudiated the marriage before attaining the age of 18. 8. Treats her with cruelty which is that he habitually assaults her or makes her life miserable; or associates with women of evil repute or leads an infamous life, or attempts to force her to lead an immoral life, or disposes of her property or prevents her exercising her legal rights over it, or obstructs her in the observance of her religious profession or practice, or if he has more wives than one, does not treat her equitably in accordance with the injunctions of the Quran.
As can be seen, the statute law has laid out specific grounds, however judges of the Courts have also developed precedents and the entire law on divorce has been evolving over the years.
Kanchan Pamnani is a lawyer and solicitor who has the onus of having swung many an important judgement in the favour of persons with disability. A social person, she chooses to meet with friends and travel whenever her schedule allows.
::::::::::::
Shopping Experience with and without eyesight
Shopping and Women are synonymous with each other. Most women enjoy both shopping and window shopping. I enjoy shopping too. For me shopping is not just buying stuff. It has more to do with relaxing me; unwinding and distressing; networking, building new rapport and much more. With vision, shopping was always fun and enjoyment. As soon as I thought of shopping, I immediately picked my bag, hopped into an auto-rickshaw and reached the desired shop. Glanced at the variety, picked up whatever caught my eye and my shopping was through. After losing most of my eyesight, I thought “Can I shop anymore?” I then accepted whatever my family members shopped & bought for me. Many a times I went along with my Mother to pick up clothes and other stuff. She used to explain the design and colour combination to me, and I started exploring the embroidery and fabric by touch. This new way of shopping was also good for me.
Soon there were instances when I needed to buy some stuff and none of my family members were free to come along with me. This got me thinking, “Can one who’s blind shop on her own? & how can one be independent in this important aspect of life?”I started observing my visually impaired friends. A few never thought of shopping. A few couldn’t accept wearing or using stuff without seeing on their own. One of them (late Blind) said “Why should I wear clothes of someone else’s choice? Why should I see the world from someone else’s eyes?” For me it was ok that someone shopped on my behalf. But I was still looking for a solution to shop independently. One of my friends in an informal conversation mentioned about the ways she manages shopping. I understood that with a few work around one can surely shop. To try out the same I started with small & simple shopping. The work around was to trust people, ask help when required, ask the shopkeeper or the salesman/ girl to help me decide. They suggested what looks smarter and good for me, and I bought the same.
Many times the products purchased by me were very flashy in colour. my mother used to then explain the mistakes to me. I took this opportunity as another chance to shop and correct myself, and moreover improve my asking skills. Learnt to ask specific questions like “what’s the colour?” “Which colours would it match with?” “is it sober to gel with my personality?” I also relied more on my sense of touch to feel the shapes, size, design etc. Slowly with practice, I developed the knack of shopping.
Today I not only purchase things for my own use but also purchase for my mother, sister and to gift my friends or relatives.
--A few points that help me while shopping are:
1. Being clear about what to shop & from where. For Example if I have to buy outfits or dresses, I will go to a shop which has a huge collection. Similarly to buy my footwear, I will visit a shop where sales executives will be able to describe and understand my explanation.
2. Selecting the time of shopping. Means visiting the desired shop at a time which is less crowded, so I can get little personal attention from the shopkeeper or sales executives.
3. Asking specific questions such as the colour, looks, brand, post sale support available, warranty or guarantee, etc. Is this item a fast selling product etc.
4. Trusting the person suggesting a product. For example while purchasing a cosmetic product, I asked the sales girl to suggest which one looks more elegant, and if she had to buy, which one would she select. This trust on the executive always helped me to buy proper stuff. On a few occasions the executive even told me not to buy the article as it is not proper.
5. With prior permission, touching the product, trying to feel its shape, design, size, aesthetics and trying to visualize it.
6. being very descriptive and simple in explaining the requirement.
7. Being polite, calm & sensitive about the person escorting or helping me in shopping. For example, many times the staff in the stores are not very educated or descriptive or unable to explain a particular product. In such situations I seek support from other nearby shoppers.
8. Above all, being confident and believing in myself, this helps me a lot. Even today shopping for me is fun, relaxing & recharging! Sushmeetha B. Bubna
A social entrepreneur, Sushmeetha has many feathers in her cap. Founding the NGO Voice Vision, she has helped shape many lives. Using integrated programmes she has mentored and instilled confidence and dignity in many persons with disability. Initiating scholarships and awards for deserving visually challenged persons, she is a leader in her own right.
::::::::::::
A trip to Trimbhakeshwara
Nicky, Nicky... get up beta. It's already 3:12, we are late. The cab will come any time. I woke up from the deep slumber, unrecovered from the previous day’s tiring schedule, all excited for our planned trip. We were going to visit the place of Lord Shiva- Tryambakeshwar, Sai Baba’s abode- Shirdi and the place of God most of us are scared of- Shani Signapur. We were going to cover all the three places in one day- quite a packed schedule. We had to go from the distant Neyveli a small town near Chennai. to visit these places really left us with no choice but to cover all of it in one day that we had in hand because of paucity of leave at our disposal.
Just to give an idea, Trimbhakeshwara- one of the Jyothirlingas near Nasik, is 250 km from Shirdi, while Shani Signapur is another 75 KMs from Shirdi. As it was a long trip, I will cover Trimbhakeshwara in this post and rest of it in next one. We took a short break at Mumbai. Next morning, after everyone got ready amidst all the morning drama, we started from Mumbai at 5:30 AM, though I think we should have started around 4:30 AM to avoid all the rush at Trimbhakeshwara that we encountered.
The journey to the home of Lord Shiva was filled with excitement. We captured a lot of scenic beauty on the way. As we started early in the morning, we did not eat anything and requested the driver to stop at some place where we could grab some breakfast for ourselves. But the driver was a strange fellow; he did not pay any heed to our request continuing the journey with breaks at places where we couldn't find anything to satiate our hunger. We were getting agitated with his behaviour, but thankfully, my mamaji and one of our friends kept the environment lighter with their spontaneous jokes!
Finally we reached Trimbhakeshwara at 10:00 AM, where our cab was immediately surrounded by the local guides who promised to show the entire place to us. I got all excited with this as hiring a guide meant they would tell us all the local tales prevalent at the place! So I asked my mother to hire one and to my surprise, she immediately agreed!
The guide accompanied us in the cab up to the Kund - the place which is considered to be the origin of the river Godavari - the Ganga of the south. He started telling his stories and the balloon of excitement burst. His mouth was stinking - a foul smell of alcohol was all around. We couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. The smell was so overwhelming that it was difficult to stand anywhere near him and he was repeating the same thing again and again. After 15 minutes of inhaling the foul smell of his mouth, my friends and I got a chance to run away and put an end to breathlessness that we had in his company! After returning back home, I surfed the internet and found the same story available on Wikipedia which we were listening to with rapt attention despite suffering the bad odour! I request my readers not to get excited about the guides at Trimbhakeshwara temple, as I did at a heavy price! Reading the Wikipedia page is sufficient to know what the guides will tell you! If you still decide to hire a guide for yourself, don't forget to bargain. They can reduce the price even by 70% of the originally quoted price!
Next, after leaving our chappals in the cab, we went inside the temple premises where contrary to our previous experience, a long queue was daunting us in the face! The waiting area was quite clean and comfortable with fans, benches and one could find vendors all over selling water and eatables. There were also enthusiastic children ready to imprint beautiful colourful "Trishul" on your forehead. I got one imprinted and so did most of us in the group.
Many visitors were in a hurry to quickly navigate the lines and tried to move ahead of others in any way. It meant people were even walking on the benches to move forward. I realized today people are in a mad rush to beat the time. We were equally strong headed of not allowing anyone to go ahead of us. So their efforts became fruitless as people behind us also got attentive of those intruders.
After three hours of standing in the queue, we were finally at the gate of the shrine (from here it again took half an hour of standing in queue to reach the shrine). My friend bought Prasad to make offering to the God. Flowers and coconut were taken from him at the entrance itself and were dumped in a vessel as if it were again going to the shopkeepers for resale. Only Prasad was allowed in the shrine premises. When the statue was a few meters away, we saw there was another entrance, called V.I.P. entrance from where people were directly allowed inside at the rate of Rs. 200 per person without the need for them to stand in long Queues. So if you are ready to shell out some money, the queue will not deter you from visiting this beautiful and serene place. The so called VIPs also tried pushing us behind in order to reach the statue in minimum possible time. But we became even more stubborn! After all the pushing and pulling, I was finally face to face with the God. But what is it? The lady behind immediately started pulling me away! Why? Because given the quantum of visitors, it was not possible to see the God even for a few seconds! However my friend who had the Prasad got the chance to stand there for a couple of minutes. I concluded that if someone wants a couple of minutes to stand in the shrine to admire the beauty in order to justify the efforts involved, and then take the Prasad with you. It will be of immense worth.
Amidst all this we completely forgot about our hunger! After the Darshan was over, another Agni pariksha” was waiting for us, but first we decided to have lunch.
Time for Agni Pariksha now! We left our chappals in the cab and due to the scorching heat the roads were too hot to walk. But we had no option but to run on the roads and find our cab. Thus I advice the visitors not to leave their shoes in the cab, but to take advantage of the locker facility inside the premises.
With this our journey to Trimbhakeshwara came to an end- a journey filled with excitement and joy. Will share other stories in the next edition, till then Happy Reading!
Swati Saxena
A badminton enthusiast, party lover, travel maniac, HR professional. After graduating from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, worked for a BPO firm in Noida and recently moved to Neyveli to begin her career with Neyveli Lignite Corporation - a government of India organization.
“If you can't convince them, confuse them.”
Our financial advisor Sameer Latey has explained how best we can manage our savings and make wise investments to save on taxes. There will be subsequent articles on this topic in future editions. We invite our readers to share with us any questions that arise out of this article.
::::::::::::
Banking & Taxation:
In the following article, we will first learn about a method of earning higher interest on the balances in our savings bank accounts. In the second part, we will learn about some of the popular tax-saving investments.
--Part I - Sweep-in, sweep-out Option:
The “Sweep-in, sweep-out” facility is an additional facility offered by most banks to their savings account-holders. Some banks call this facility as the “Auto sweep” or “Flexi deposit” option. This facility adds the high interest of a fixed deposit to the ease of a savings bank account.
--How it works:
Under this facility, a minimum balance has to be maintained in the savings bank account at all times. The amount of minimum balance to be maintained may be fixed by the account-holder or by the bank. Any amount in excess of this minimum balance is transferred to a fixed deposit. This process of transfer to a fixed deposit is known as “Sweep-out”.
Some banks perform this “Sweep-out” activity once each week while other banks do it once each month. The period for which the fixed deposit is made is usually one year (366 days) but may vary from bank to bank. When the account-holder issues a cheque or withdraws money, where the amount exceeds the amount remaining in the savings account, the fixed deposit is broken & an amount equal to the shortfall is transferred to the savings bank account. This action of breaking the fixed deposit & transferring the amount to the savings account is known as “Sweep- in”. The “Sweep-in” activity is performed immediately upon receipt of the cheque for clearing or upon receipt of the withdrawal request.
When the bank breaks the fixed deposit to perform the “Sweep-in” activity, it transfers only the amount required to meet the cheque or withdrawal request. The balance amount of the fixed deposit continues to remain as a fixed deposit. Some banks perform the “Sweep-in” activity in multiples of Rs. 10,000/- (Rupees Ten Thousand) but other banks transfer only the required amount. In cases where multiple “Sweep-out” fixed deposits have been created, the fixed deposit created last is the first to be broken to meet the “Sweep-in” requirement.
The terms & conditions under which the “Sweep-in, sweep-out” facility is offered vary from bank to bank. Some banks do not offer this facility to account-holders who hold salary accounts or other accounts which do not require a minimum balance to be maintained (zero-balance accounts). Some banks allow the account-holder to decide the amount to be swept into a fixed deposit. Some other banks allow the account-holder to decide the period for which the fixed deposit should be created. Readers should check the terms/ conditions of this facility with their respective bankers before deciding whether or not to take this facility.
--Part II - TAX-saving investments:
Taxes are an unavoidable part of daily life in our country. They form a major portion of the income earned by the government, income which is used to provide certain basic facilities to citizens.
Individuals who have a taxable income more than Rs. 2,50,000/- (Rupees Two Lakhs & Fifty Thousand) during the year starting on 1st April 2016 have to pay income-tax as per the existing tax-slabs. While these taxes do pinch the bank balance of a taxpayer, the government also provides certain provisions for making investments to save tax. The amounts invested in these tax-saving investments are reduced (deducted) from the taxable income, lowering the amount paid as income-tax.
The types of investments allowed & the maximum amount allowed as deduction from taxable income depend upon various factors. In this article, we will learn about some tax-saving investments allowed for salaried taxpayers.
Sections 80C to 80CCG & 80D of the Income-tax Act list out various investments which are allowed as deductions & also the maximum amount allowed as a deduction under each investment. In addition, section 80U allows for additional deduction for blind & other disabled persons. In this article, we will cover the tax-saving investments allowed under section 80C. The remaining sections will be covered in future issues. --Tax-saving investments allowed under section 80C:
Section 80C provides several options for a taxpayer to invest to save tax. The maximum investment allowed as a deduction under this section (for all investments taken together) is Rs. 1,50,000/- (Rupees One Lakh & Fifty Thousand). We will now discuss some of the most popular tax-saving investments allowed under section 80C. For a complete list of investments allowed under this section, kindly refer http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/pages/acts/income-tax-act.aspx
1. Provident Fund (PF): Provident Fund (PF) is the most widely-used investment option for claiming deduction under section 80C. It is a compulsory investment in case of salaried employees. 12% of the person’s basic salary (including dearness allowance) is invested as his/ her PF contribution & an equal amount is invested by the employer. Only the employee’s contribution is eligible for deduction under section 80C.
The employee can choose to invest additional amount in PF by selecting the Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) option. The amount selected by him/ her as VPF contribution will be deducted from salary & deposited in the person’s PF account. The amount invested in VPF is allowed as a deduction under section 80C. But unlike PF, the employer is not required to make a equal contribution under VPF.
2. Public Provident Fund (PPF): Another popular tax-saving investment is the Public Provident Fund (PPF). A person can open a PPF account with any nationalised or private bank branch offering this facility. A person can have only one PPF account in his name at any time.
The minimum & maximum amounts which can be deposited each year in a PPF account are Rs. 500/- (Rupees Five Hundred) & Rs.1,50,000/- (Rupees One Lakh & Fifty Thousand) respectively. The account-holder can make up to 12 deposits in his/ her PPF account each year. The amount deposited in each deposit or in each year can increase or decrease as per the account-holder’s wishes subject to the minimum & maximum amounts allowed.
The initial maturity period of a PPF account is 15 years & it can be renewed for further periods of 5 years at a time. The interest earned on the PPF account & the entire amount received at the time of account closure are both tax-free. The interest rate on PPF accounts is announced on a quarterly basis & is linked to the interest rate on Government securities. The interest rate of the April- June 2016 quarter is 8.10%
3. Repayment of Housing Loan Principal: Many of us have taken home loans from banks / housing finance companies to purchase homes for ourselves & our family members. These loans are repaid through monthly EMI’s which are paid for 15-20 years. Each monthly EMI payment consists of two parts- interest & principal. The principal portion of the monthly EMI is allowed as a deduction under section 80C. The stamp duties & registration charges paid at the time of purchasing the house are also allowed as a deduction in the year in which the charges are paid. In case of pre-payment of the home loan, the principal portion of the amount prepaid is allowed as a deduction.
The interest paid as part of the monthly EMI is not allowed as a deduction under section 80C but allowed as a deduction under section 24. The maximum amount of home loan interest allowed as a deduction under section 24 for a self-occupied home is Rs.2,00,000/- (Rupees Two Lakhs).
4. Insurance premiums paid: Payment of life insurance premium is allowed as a deduction under section 80C. The life insurance policy can be taken in the name of the tax-payer, his/ her spouse & children.
Payment of Medi-claim (Medical insurance) premium is not allowed as a deduction under section 80C but allowed under section 80D (we will discuss section 80D in a future article).
5. Payment of children’s fees: Amounts paid towards children’s school/ college fees are allowed as a deduction under section 80C. This deduction is allowed for a maximum of 2 children & only for tuition or term fees. Fees paid for coaching classes are not allowed as a deduction.
6. Purchase of Mutual Funds: Investments in certain mutual funds are allowed as a deduction under section 80C. The mutual funds should have been approved by the Income-tax department for the investments in them to be allowed as deductions. We have more on this topic coming in our next edition. So, keep reading… Sameer Latey is a Chartered Accountant by education and experience. His areas of expertise include accounts, finance, taxation and MIS. An active runner, voracious reader and great friend, he makes the best of what life has to offer.
::::::::::::
NVDA-The game changer
Charles Dickens once popularly quoted- “Men are only so good as their technical developments allows them to be.” In the year of 1940, this may have been considered a hyperbole, but today, it is no more figurative, but realistically literal. The intensity of this truth magnifies when the context of application switches to the differently-abled, more specifically, the visually impaired.
Assistive technology empowers those with vision loss to bridge the gap of their visual disability and compete productively at par with their sighted peers. It has opened doors to acquire information to entertainment, education to employment, and everything in between. Teaching learning aids, hardware recording devices, independent mobility tools, computer access solutions, all are its resultant boons.
Although accessibility, at a physical, social and digital level, and quality of assistive aids are only increasing for the good, availability and affordability to these resources itself remains a matter of dubiousness and uncertainties. High costs of pricey assistive gadgets and commercial screen readers make them out of reach for many-those struggling to earn a livelihood in developing countries and regions, those who are unable to receive funding of many thousands of rupees for an essential necessity, those who are deprived of opportunities and consequently cannot unleash their full potential.
Is it right for visually impaired people across the globe to suffer and remain seemingly incapable due to inevitable financial constraints? This was the question that a blind Australian computer programmer, named Michael Curran, asked himself, and his lifelong friend, James Them. These two youths founded a brainchild, which would later become an indispensable part of tens of thousands of blind and vision impaired folks globally, known as NVDA AKA Non Visual Desktop Access, a free and open source, and most importantly community driven screen reader for Microsoft Windows.
NVDA reads aloud the text on screen in synthetic speech or renders it in Braille on refreshable Braille display, and updates and notifies the visually challenged about ongoing on screen elements and activities, allowing them to fully interpret, analyse and utilize the power of computing.
However, a myth and misconception floats around among rehabilitation professionals or those working in the AT sector deeming NVDA as a hobbyist project, suitable only for casual and home environments, and not serious professional ones. This may have been the case a few years ago, but no longer is – NVDA is used by corporate employees, at workplaces and at other important settings efficiently and fruitfully. NVDA is used by school, college and university students to read textbooks, take notes, complete assignments, and create presentations, research information, so much that certain South African universities even circulate copies of NVDA on pen drives.
NVDA is versatile and extensible, with many add-ons and plug-ins available to maximize and extend its flexible functionality. It not only supports basic tasks like web browsing and word processing, but many folks rely upon it for somewhat complex to extremely convoluted tasks such as audio engineering, database management, science, mathematics and engineering, radio broadcasting and what not.
Being open source in nature, we can contribute to the NVDA project in a variety of ways- code, monetary donations and grants, localizations and translations etc. Dedicated community developers assist in programmatically enhancing and refining NVDA voluntarily, such as groups and teams in India too, prominently NVDA teams in India, Japan etc. Other community volunteers proficient in their respective mother tongues freely translate NVDA interface and documentation into their regional language for their linguistic community’s native benefit. Moreover, individual donations from us users and corporate grants from companies such as Mozilla, Google, Adobe and others is what fuels NVDA to keep growing, proliferating, in usefulness and resourcefulness.
In simpler terms, NVDA’s utility could be demonstrated by some of its fundamental uses- NVDA can enable you to read and write in your choice of melodious dialect, it can allow you to be as well informed educationally, politically, and just generally as your peers, it permits you to socialize virtually with faraway friends and family, you can serenely peruse the information ocean of the Internet using NVDA, be technically savvy and financially independent, and also just capable of appreciating the wonders of science and technology, all this and further at no additional cost of expensive assistive technologies, alike your sighted counterparts.
Personally speaking though, apart from NVDA’s customizability and adaptability, what I most like about NVDA is the major role I, as any other end user of NVDA, can play in shaping this vital companion of mine. NVDA is influenced and regulated completely by user feedback, and the direction it takes is always what is in the larger interest of its user base. We can connect, communicate, correspond with and create the NVDA community, the force that ignites the work NV Access, the Australian organisation of the two gentlemen Mick and Jamie do daily.
Computer literacy, in this increasingly digitized era, is all the more crucial to be a skill set incorporated into the blind and visually impaired. Therefore, earnest endeavours like NVDA require your usage, your trust, your motivation and your participation to continue serving our population as it has been doing now for a decade. Yes, the project conceived and initiated in the April of 2006, is witnessing its tenth anniversary currently, with notable celebratory events being organized such as NVDA users and developers conferences, on a global scale, and local ones too such as NVDACons being witnessed for Japan, Korea, USA, Asia etc.
Now, it is your discretion, which will decide the future of NVDA; will you join this rapidly emerging technology and its bandwagon? Will you spread this cause across to others who need it? Will you make sure that the tiny role you can play in this movement is dutifully discharged? Because only you can help NVDA achieve its goal and motto-equal access at no additional cost.
--Bhavya Shah
A ninth grade student, Bhavya is a technology enthusiast and a computer science aspirant. Reading classics and novels, playing the guitar and flute and singing is what he does when not at the computer. A passionate competitor, quizzing, debating, elocution, MUNing form his other interests.
:::::::::::: Foods you can eat and still burn calories…
Each time you lift that fork to put something in your mouth, there is always a thought of what that morsel is going to do to your body. Will that make me fat? How many calories was that meal? Endless questions.
What if I told you there were foods that actually burned fat? Surprised? Well, don’t be!
It’s true: Certain foods have a very high thermogenic effect, so you literally scorch calories as you chew. There are foods that are nutrient and compound rich. Feed yourself these and watch your metabolic fire light up.
The regime is fairly simple: make your food fibre rich, pile your plate with those beautiful veggies.
Aim to drink at least two litres of water each day.
The next time your hand goes towards that bag of crisps/chips, replace them with nuts to snack on.
To speed up your metabolism, avoid eating carbs; eat foods rich in fat instead.
How does this happen? Foods that are rich in fibre and proteins have the ability to speed up your metabolism naturally. A “Fat burning” state is thus achieved by simply avoiding carbs and eating foods rich in fats.
Burning that fat, speeding up your metabolism has a direct link to your shedding those extra pounds.
--Let us take a look at some fat burning foods, and why you should be eating them.
1. Lean organic meats: you burn more calories digesting proteins rather than carbs. Chicken and turkey are clean healthy sources of lean meats.
2. Milk: Calcium encourages your body to burn fat.
3. Soy: contains protein and amino acids. A great muscle-building,, fat-burning bean.
4. Fish: Opt for healthy, fatty fish like Tuna and Salmon. These speed up the metabolism and trigger a feeling of fullness.
5. Green Tea: the active ingredient catechin and the benefits of caffeine have proven to speed up your metabolism for at least two hours after consumption. 6. Green leafy vegetables: Opt for dark leafy greens, such as spinach and broccoli that are fibre rich. Another good food is Kale which is low in calories, zero fat and high in fibre which keeps you feeling full for longer.
7. Cinnamon: This wonderful spice has much more to it than just its flavour. In its ability to prevent excessive storage of fat in the body; it boosts metabolism as well.
8. Grapefruit: A glass of grapefruit juice a day can help you burn body fat, increase metabolism and reduce appetite. Added to rich vitamins and minerals it has quinine that helps in cramping of muscles.
9. Eggs: this excellent source of protein is also rich in amino acids like milk. It has all the vitamins and minerals to kick start your day and give your metabolism that boost.
10. Chillies and hot peppers: yes, eat chillies and watch the heat not only clear your sinuses but also give your metabolism the jump start. These help in de-appetizing and boosting energy for almost up to three hours; encouraging weight loss.
11 Lentils: Fibre rich, these not only keep you full between n meals, but also keep your sugar levels from spiking. Rich in iron, they have the essential minerals to boost your metabolism.
12 Bananas: The starch found in this fruit turns into fatty acids in the gut. this then minimalizes fats after a meal. It also contains many different vitamins, and the fibre in Bananas is "gelling fiber" which helps your digestion.
13 Quinoa: This grain has a low glycemic index (GI). This ensures your sugar levels in the body remain balanced. Also rich in dietary fibres and proteins, it keeps you full in between meals.
14 Nuts: Cashew nuts have one of the lowest fat content, but are high in iron and copper, which helps the energy production. Nuts contain healthy fat, and will reduce carvings. Other nuts such as almonds are also a great source of protein, which helps to build muscle and keep the metabolism going. Stick to a handful a day.
15 Tomatoes: this pretty red fruit is a wonderful source to burn fat with as well. These reduce inflammation and water retention in the body; thus regulating metabolism.
After this list, you definitely don’t need to go any farther than your grocery store to shed those extra calories! In a short while, that ride would begin and end at your own refrigerator and kitchen.
::::::::::::
Compiled from various health articles on the web
“It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up-Mohammed Ali” --Handy kitchen tips
How to retain the freshness in your vegetables,
Here are a few handy tips to ensure your vegetables and fruits don’t lose their original qualities and nutrients. Some are commonly used methods, but it doesn’t hurt having them for keepsake too, does it?
1. Leafy vegetables can be stored to retain freshness by wrapping them in aluminium foil, paper boxes or in a zip lock bag in which a paper towel is kept before refrigeration. The paper towel absorbs the excess moisture keeping the leaves fresh. However, delicately flavoured leaves like coriander and mint (dhaniya and pudina patta) tend to lose their fragrance and flavour in 3-4 days, however well they are preserved.
2. To prevent ripe bananas from blackening, wrap them in a plastic bag before refrigeration his will prolong the shelf life of bananas especially during summers when they go over-ripe very quickly.
3. Fresh green peas are a seasonal vegetable. To ensure you enjoy them all year round, boil water with soda-bi-crab (meetha soda powder), and add the peas. Bring it to one boil (you can hear the water boiling), take them off of the fire and drain all the water. Dry it with a towel and place them in zip lock plastic bags or air tight containers and freeze.
4. To ensure lemons remain fresh for a long time, place them in a container of water before refrigeration. They can also be placed in a container with salt in it.
5. When you have chopped vegetables and need to preserve them, they can be stored in water in the refrigerator. However, this cannot be done if you want to keep it for a long time. To keep it stored for a long time, place the vegetables in zip lock plastic bags or airtight containers with a dry paper towel in it. As mentioned earlier, the paper helps absorb any excess moisture thus helping in retaining freshness of the vegetables.
Compiled from various articles on the web,
::::::::::::
Indian Films Which Were Spectacular With Their Content But Couldn't Get Respect At the Box Office.
The Indian Film Industry is the richest industry after Hollywood which produces numerous films each year. Many of them win hearts of the masses whereas some of them go unnoticed despite good content and technical work. In today's scenario, unfortunately a Film's success is completely based on its performance at the Box Office. While many films shatter all previous records; there are those that deserve great rewards at the Box Office but get shot down instead. --Following are few films which won the hearts of critics but unfortunately failed at the Box Office.
1. Phantom
After delivering the massive blockbuster 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' Director Kabir Khan delivered this action thriller which is based on a secret mission to wipe out terrorism. The film sticks with its theme without any melodrama. Its plot is full of imaginative events without fiction. It reflects the feelings of Indians avenging the Mumbai attack of 26/11. Despite strong content, this film couldn't rule the box Office. However it received huge acclaim from critics in India.
2. Manjhi - The Mountain Man
A biopic which is based on lesser known hero 'Dashrath Manjhi who spent 22 years breaking through the mountain to make a road to facilitate movement from one village to another; thus giving a new lease of life to the people in the area. Ketan Mehta directed this film and Nawaazuddin Siddiqui portrayed the title role. Instead of a regular love story and masala, this film brought the lesser known story of a poor labourer who determines to break that mountain when he loses his wife in transit to a neighbouring village through that mountain. Nawazuddin perfectly mirrored Manjhi's character. However, the film severely struggled at the Box Office. Unfortunately, it also faced piracy which largely affected its business.
3. Drishyam
A drama thriller directed by Nishikant Kamat. Ajay Devgan plays the lead character. Its story is about a man who can go to any extent in order to protect his family. The Film doesn't have regular action scenes where a protagonist is kicking the antagonist in fury. The Film goes steady and it makes you curious about the climax. However the film struggled at the Box Office and finally became a moderate hit.
4. Nenokkadine (Telugu)
Well, Tollywood (Telugu film Industry) is no exception to the box office rule. Some films deserve a grand response at the Box Office but become a debacle there instead.
Most of you are familiar with the regular genre of telugu films..It has tales of a hero and villain; and fights between them. Through all this, the hero also enjoys his love life with the heroine. However this film is a complete exception and different from the regular genre of masala thrillers. This psychological thriller is directed by Sukumaar who is known for putting new concepts in Telugu film industry. This film stars Superstar Mahesh Babu who portrays the character of a famous rock star who is suffering from Schizophrenia. He comes across an incident where he sees his parents killed by two goons. This incident affects his mind and this further causes him to hallucinate about the presence of those goons around him. Later it becomes very complicated for him to differentiate between his hallucination and the actual presence of his parents’ killers. This film is considered the bravest experiment in Tollywood since themes like this were not seen before. The plot of the film is very tricky and in the 2nd half beats any conventional prediction of what is to happen next. This film receives praises from critics for its Hollywood-like cinematography. Talking of its performance at the Box Office, unfortunately it did below average business as people couldn't understand the new and tricky plot. However, it saw an impressive response at the overseas Box Office.
5. Sarbjit
This film is based on a real life incident about Sarabjit Singh, an Indian national who was convicted for terrorism and spying in Pakistan by its court. The Story revolves around his sister Dalbir Kaur’s struggle to exonerate her brother from this false allegation. However, after being proven innocent, and granted bail, he gets badly injured in an attack by another inmate there. It is directed by Omang Kumar who earlier directed the biopic Mary Kom which starred Priyanka Chopra. In his second directorial venture, Randeep Hooda is portraying the character of Sarbjit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan his playing the role of his sister. Richa Chadda is playing the character of Sarbjit's wife. This film released recently and despite having a spectacular plot , the film is not doing as well as expected at the Box Office.
There are many more films facing this predicament. Critics rating are the only thing which works irrespective of audience's response. However, Box Office success has become a crucial yardstick measuring success in the competitive world of cinema.
Let's hope the audiences respect and appreciate films worthy of viewing in theatre rather than opting for pirated versions of the same. This increases box office presence; in turn generating revenue the film richly deserves.
--Shubham Rane
A second year degree student, Shubham has all the zest and enthusiasm of youth. Along with his college curriculum, he enjoys cinema, sports, music and works at staying fit.
“Is it possible to be totally partial?”
::::::::::::
Poetry-expressions in verse
--Papa, the almighty
This poem is based on a true unfortunate incident, in which a little boy was locked up in a class- room during the holidays, with number 1 realising. The boy was found dead when the class-room was reopened after the holidays.
She says it is touching What I narrated last evening:
“Doors were opened after five days holiday
Stench greeted the peon, they say,
Like that of a dead rat.
No, no, it was a human on a mat
Nay, a dead-sleeping child
Left not in the wild
But in a classroom of a boarding school
Negligently shutting the doors
When all had left
But he.
Five days were holy
Like five minutes in Lord’s Prayer and fasting they flew
But for poor innocent soul
Too young to learn intricacies of faith
Like five waterless, foodless ages,
No, not five complete,
But perhaps three, or four-and-a-half! Maybe,
Vain had he not sat, waiting for the inevitable
But inscribed the learned walls with his cute little cursive hand,
“Save me, papa, save me please!”
Inscriptions, far greater than Asoka’s bloody repentances,
She says it is touching,
What I narrated last evening,
But, touching was it not, for Papa, the almighty?! NO-NO, Perhaps not,
Maybe you are Holy Father god,
For feverish schizophrenic imaginings at least,
But, no, you cannot be my papa the dear
Who would have saved me, were he near.
Rajesh Asudani
With a post-graduation in English, Law and Psychology, Rajesh works as assistant general manager in Reserve bank of India. His rational thinking fosters a scientific approach to life. A gold medallist throughout his academic career, his achievements are exemplary.
::::::::::::
Summer Coolers- Recipes
When we go to print, it will still be summer in many parts of the country. Hence, we decided to gather a few easy to prepare cooling drinks using commonly available ingredients. These can be used all year round too. These recipes have been taken from Dassana Amit’s blog Veg recipes of India.
--cold coffee with ice cream serves: 3 ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml): list of 7 items a. 1.5 tablespoons instant coffee b. ¼ cup water, 62.5 ml c. 4 tbsp sugar or as required d. cups milk, 625 ml e. 1 or 2 vanilla ice cream scoops for the milkshake f. 3 to 6 vanilla ice cream scoops for topping g. 4 to 5 ice cubes --How to make the recipe: list of 13 items
1. in a small bowl, take 1.5 tbsp instant coffee.
2. add ¼ cup warm or slightly hot water. mix very well with a spoon.
3. now pour this mixture in a blender jar.
4. add 4 tbsp sugar. you can add sugar as per your taste.
5. blend for a minute or till the coffee solution becomes frothy and the colour lightens a bit.
6. now add 4 to 5 ice cubes.
7. add 1 or 2 vanilla ice cream scoops.
8. pour 2.5 cups chilled milk.
9. blend once more till everything is mixed well and you get a nice froth on top.
10. pour in glasses.
11. keep some space on top for the ice cream scoops.
12. now place 1 or 2 ice cream scoops.
13. serve cold coffee with ice cream immediately.
::::::
--Lemonade or Nimbupani recipe
Author: Payal Kapoor
This is one of the most popular drinks. Easy to make and refreshing and delicious to taste. While we make this drink fresh most often, the recipe here will tell you how to make a concentrate that can be bottled and stored in the refrigerator or outside.
--Ingredients
1. 1 Cup lemon juice
2. 1 Cup water
3. 2.5 Cups sugar
4. ¼ Tspn salt --How to make this recipe
1. Squeeze as many lemons as it takes to fill one cup of juice.
2. Measure out the water and sugar separately and keep ready.
3. Mix the 2.5 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water and put it up to heat on the gas stove.
4. Keep stirring constantly so the sugar doesn’t settle at the bottom and burn. Add the ¼ tspn of salt.
5. Soon you will feel the sugar has melted and your spoon is moving freely in the water.
6. Allow the sugar syrup to thicken a little on a high flame, and then turn the flame to medium- low, stirring constantly.
7. In about 10-15 minutes, the syrup will thicken to a single string consistency. (take a little syrup on the spoon, be careful when touching it; it will be very hot. Touch your forefinger to the syrup in the spoon and touch it to your thumb. Now when you separate your fingers, it will form a single thread like consistency.)
8. This means your sugar syrup is ready.
9. Take the syrup off of the fire and wait for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice to the sugar syrup and mix well. Allow it to cool.
10. Your lemonade concentrate is ready to store.
11. Pour it carefully, using a funnel/ cone, into a completely dried bottle. This is necessary since any moisture when storing it can cause the juice to spoil and fungus to form.
12. Now each time you want to make you a cool glass of lemonade, just pour a little into a glass; add as much water as you need and mix well.
13. You could add crushed ice, soda, black salt, salt and pepper, mint or nothing at all to make it ready to drink.
14. This concentrate can be stored outside the refrigerator as well in a totally dry environment.
“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.-Mohammed Ali” ::::::::::::