Love Jihad: Are We Prepared From Our Side To Fight? by M C Behera

(Professor of Tribal Studies, Formerly Dean, School of Cultural Studies; Former Director Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies; Former Director, Center for Distance Education) Of youth problems like unemployment, drug addiction, falling in violence and insurgency, love jihad has emerged as a serious concern. It has diverse implications such as religious, political, social and gender dynamics. Its religious implication suggests that the phenomenon is allegedly an organised Islamic conspiracy by Muslim men in targeting non- Muslim, particularly Hindu women in India and thereby converting them to Islam. The incident is believed to be, as is reported by Sunny Hundal in the Guardian on 3rd July 2012, a conspiracy of the Muslims in the 1990s to convert Sikh girls into Islam on the background of historic conflicts between the Sikh and the Muslim. It all began at least from 1990s when, as Sunny Hundal writes, ‘an anonymous leaflet (suspected to be by Hizbu ut-Tahrir followers) urged Muslim men to seduce Sikh girls and convert them to Islam’. The practice is rampant in Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and in other few places targeting Hindu girls. One of the methods of seducing girls is to feign love and promise marriage. On occasions, it is found that the Muslim man takes Hindu name. In Assam, several cases have been reported where a Muslim man in Hindu name feigns love or promises job and elopes with the girl. A few girls have been rescued also. In our tradition, marriage is not an event between two persons; it is a bonding between two families and their relatives. The involvement of two families helps to resolve any future marital discord. Why do girls prefer to run away or marry a few- day known individuals without knowing his background or about his society and family details? Why do girls not share their choice to their parents? Why do they break away from traditional marriage practices? Assuming that the man has come with a purpose of converting a girl, and has many tricks to lure her, the question arises why does the girl become easily gullible? Why does she believe in a man unknown to her till a few days or months ago? Why does she feel family, family values, society, etc. something unknown while with the man? Has something gone wrong with parents or family? It is not the girl who takes solace in the company or words of others. We also see boys falling victim to drugs. Drug addiction is as harmful as a girl falling victim to love jihad. Without reference to political or religious explanation let us try to understand in a secular way. Political or religious causes are external dynamics. Is there any drawback in our society or with parents that leads to a girl to be a victim of love jihad and a boy to become a drug addict? We can explain it invoking crisis theory. A person becomes more vulnerable at the time of crisis and it is easy to trap him/her by vested interests. The crisis has several manifestations. In a crisis like neglect, torture, discrimination, frustration, subjugation, deprivation one becomes vulnerable to any promise of redemption. This crisis theory is useful to understand why Hindu girls in India fall victim to love jihad. The crisis is a push factor, and conspiracy to lure the girl is a pull factor. The push factor arises where a girl feels subordinated, insecure and stands alienated. Incidents of rape and murder in a few states are being reported. The girl’s friendship across the caste is condemned. Often it leads to violence between two families and castes in some states. Obviously, the girl is confined to a restricted space in society. A girl falling victim to love jihad suggests that she does not have strong bonding to the values held by family and community. She may be having a desire, which she thinks, given the conditions, cannot be fulfilled. A suppressed desire is the foundation of a frustrated life. Moreover, she may not have liberty like bothers to express her desire or aspirations. It gets outlet when someone, with whom she may meet at one or another plea or secretly gives wing to her desire. Somewhere we are to blame. How much time do we devote to our children so that they develop a sense of belonging to our values? How much time do we spend with them? What values do we inculcate in them? How many times do we try to understand them and their problems, wishes and aspiration and try to address them? Have we given them the liberty to become free and frank with us and share their wale and woes? By saying so I do not mean to demean the parents and families who are above the allegations I have outlined. It is not rare to find children growing up with the values of housemaids, TV and mobile culture, or cultural alienation in residential schools. The result is a value crisis and confusion and falling victim to love jihad or drug addiction, for in them the sense of alienation and feeling of isolation guide their action. We are only responsible for the crisis in children. It is time to rethink our role and responsibility as parents and realise that our children need our presence, not presents. The family, the community should be so organised that children develop a strong sense of belonging to the values we adhere to before leaving home. They will build up their future on the foundation of these values. Internal strength built up with values, love and care will certainly minimise or negate the external pull of love jihad. Being blind to our shortcomings and placing blame on others would magnify the problem than solving it. Out attitude towards girls and parental roles should change in order that they do not fall victim to what we do not want.

Advantage India M C Behera: Recent global shift provides context for India to turn it to its advantage and restore Pakistan and China occupied territories. The USA which was in favour of Pakistan in 1971 is now India’s ally. Certainly, the USA cannot be relied upon for a long time like time-tested friend Russia. Present relation of the US with China and the attraction of India’s expanding market have drawn the US nearer to India. In case any war with China India holds a strategic position. The philosophy of the US, that enemy’s enemy is friend, cannot be ignored. The equation may change any time and it may find Pakistan useful. In that case, a friend’s enemy will become the enemy. The remark of President Trump in the case of non-compliance of his request to supply hydroxychloroquine is well known. Then the US applies ‘use and throw’ formula. It is, therefore, time for India to bend the situation in its favour. Recently friendship tie is growing stronger with other countries like Australia and Japan. Israel is India’s strategic friend. The UK, France, and German are not our adversaries. The world has a negative opinion about Pakistan and China due to Pakistan’s role in terrorism and China’s expansionist policy, human rights violation and irresponsible role in COVID-19 situation. Hong Kong and Taiwan including several Southeast countries are victims of China’s policy and they look at India. For India, the iron is hot as China has instigated trouble in Ladhak challenging our sovereignty. It uses Pakistan and has occupied India’s land for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (EOEC) in POK. Further, China Occupied Kashmir (COK), i.e. Aksai Chin since 1962 and China’s unjustified claim over Arunachal Pradesh have remained unresolved. The time is in India’s favour to retake its territories and resolve territorial disputes for future peace and regional stability. For regional leadership, it should support Tibet’s cause and rectify our past mistake of recognising China’s claim over it. A free Tibet is of India’s interest. It will solve the problem of Aksai Chin. China cannot claim Arunachal Pradesh considering it as a part of South Tibet. Similarly, the Chinese threat through Nepal, which is now a new trend in India’s relationship with Nepal and China will not be possible. The tiny country Bhutan will not suffer from the bullying of China. Retaking POK will also resolve most of our problems created by Pakistan and China will not use land in POK. It is now advantaged India to put the bridle on Pakistan and China. Opportunity may not come the way it has come now. As William Arthur Ward says, ‘Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.’ It is the right time to strike the iron as it is hot. (The writer M. C. Behera is Professor at Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies and Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh can be contacted email:[email protected]; (M): 9436252229)

The Kalki by Prof. M. C. Behera

Arunachal Pradesh: Before I got the opportunity to enrich my knowledge on our cultural tradition (Indian tradition) through the reading of books I had already gained background knowledge of it. Later by reading books I simply organised my knowledge logically, comprehensively, sequentially and refined my understanding. The background knowledge was acquired from an informal process of socialisation at home, in the village, through interaction with peer groups and kinspersons, by observing and participating in events and through interaction with people in the society at large; and the territorial extent of my society then was a social space of around 10 -11 villages. I along with my friends had the freedom of attending drama, yatra (village theatre) and other cultural events with permission from parents. I had the opportunity of listing to grand maa tales that not only entertained me during bedtime but developed a sense of emotional attachment for elders, sowed the seed of imagination, helped in growing the idea that I am one among many others- human, animals, plant, etc. in the world; thus acquainted with diversity and imbibed the essence of human values. It is clear by now that I was born in a village and grew up in the village ambience. In my village and in surrounding villages almost all the annual festivals were organised even during that time. Needless to say, I watched Durga Puja, Basanti Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Raas, Makar Sankranti, Dol Yatra, Siva Ratri, Lakshmi Puja, Ratha Yatra since my childhood. In schools, we used to celebrate Ganesh Puja and Saraswati Puja with enthusiasm. At home in every Samkranti havan is instituted. In Kartik month akhanda puran path (uninterrupted reading of epics like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagabat, etc.) was a regular feature till the death of my father in 1981. I used to participate in all the religious institutions with the purification of the body by bath and wearing new clothes and with devotion, though its intensity than was an eyewash. Another point which I would like to mention is that I learnt very little about our cultural heritage from the school curriculum, which in fact had included stories, songs, etc. Largely informal socialisation and my subsequent reading due to my interest in the subject helped me to know what I know today about our culture. Alas! today informal socialisation is celebrated in the absence of parents; with housemaids when both parents are working and with electronic media even in the presence of parents. Children learn about pizza, McDonald, kinder joy, Mickey Mouse, Barbie and beauty tips, and nurture the glory of sense gratification; but not learn or show interest in our cultural heritage and to live in it. This is another story and I am afraid I am diverting the centrality of my focus to peripheral tips. Coming back to my point I would like to submit that I learnt about ten incarnations (avatars) during my informal socialisation. As I grew up, particularly after VIIth standard when I read about Darwin’s theory of evolution, I doubted the idea of incarnations, but at the level of sub-consciousness, I used to feel a conflict between reasoning and faith. I did not get any answer to address the conflict till Xth standard when I read a small booklet, I do not remember its name at present, where ten incarnations were explained in the light of the evolution of life and civilisation. Matshya avatar was presented as the symbol of origin of first life in the form of a fish. Then life shifted to an intermediate zone of water and land – in the form of amphibian- represented by Kurma/ Kacchyap (tortoise) avatar, followed by the shifting of life to land and evolved to animal forms as represented by Varah (Boar) avatar. The fourth incarnation is Nrisingha (human-lion form) marked by evolution from animals towards homosapien. Thereafter life took a different line of evolution withVaman avatar, representing nomadic life as symbolised by leaf-made umbrella used by Vaman. From this stage, a human civilisation evolved through old stone age symbolised by the weapon axe of Parashuram, new stone age of hunting- gathering stage symbolised by bow and arrow used by Rama, and pastoral and agricultural stage during Krishna and Balaram. The weapon of Balaram is a plough and Krisna is popular as a cowherd. The ninth incarnation is Buddha, meaning knowledge. Buddha discarded all the dogmas, emphasised on cause and effect logic, a scientific approach to knowledge and taught Vipassana, the mechanism of looking inward. His middle path is a negation to extremes of indulgence and austerities, i.e. a path that suggests not going for too much material quest or too much for its discarding. The spirituality was embodied in Vipassana guiding the material necessity of individual and society. The last incarnation in the Hindu belief system is the Kalki, representing Kali Yuga and symbolising destruction. It is the age with the dominant idea around material supremacy with appealing to sense gratifications from outer objects. It draws our attention away from the inward movement towards self-realisation- a permanent state of reality and divine happiness to impermanence, shelter on outer means of short-lived demonic happiness, misery and self-denigration. We are unfortunately on the threshold of knowledge and destruction. The Kalki, the tenth incarnation epitomises the stage of destruction. What does it mean? Is it complete annihilation of humanity and human civilisation? Is it complete destruction of the planet Earth? I am not sure as to the nature and extent of the destruction. Its answer can be sought from past indications. Let me ask two questions and try to answer them with reference to the past to understand the notion of destruction. However, a few clarifications are in order. It should be made clear that the phenomena of creation and destruction are an ongoing process of the reality; it happens at every moment, now and then, with regard to an individual, structure of an individual, community, nation and universe encompassing both biotic and abiotic world, and in temporal and spatial dimensions. The process occurs in the one-millionth part of a second, in hours, days or over years and centuries. It happens in our cells, in the family, society, in the context of a nation and world. Both actions can happen simultaneously like transformation in a cell or atom or may take many years like natural birth and death of a member in the family. Birth and death of different persons may happen at the same time or at an interval of different members in the family. Characterising destruction in relation to creation let me return to the questions. The questions are 1. Why did great civilisations, occidental civilisations like Greece, Athens, Egypt decline (destroyed)? 2. Why do oriental civilisations like China and India are the oldest living civilisations?. In other words, why did oriental civilisations did not decline over the years? Decline here means destruction. By decline or destruction of civilisation I do not mean complete annihilation of people and civilisation, but drawing on past experience related to Greece, Athens, etc. I would like to present the meaning of destruction/decline as a sort of decline in value, progress, achievements, etc. As we know Greek civilisation declined but not its people. Returning to the Kalki avatar, it is an epitome of the destruction of civilisation with a perceptible consequence on a large scale. This deduction is made on the basis of the fact that the civilisation is bigger and more spread across countries than earlier Greece or other country-specific civilisations. In our contemporary time, civilisation displays a cross- country third space on the plane of material supremacy. Let us see what the essence is at the core of oriental and earlier occidental civilisations. It is a well-known fact that in Athens a weak boy child was put to death as they valued physical strength as the standard of their national character. The ideological basis of these civilisations was built upon the principle of accumulation and possession of material wealth. Individual, individual achievements and individuality were celebrated over the sense of belonging to the community. Contrarily, oriental civilisation has been maintaining a balance between spiritual and material aspects of life which in recent years have been imbalanced in favour of material desire. Seers and philosophers did not preach the ideology of accumulation, possession and selfishness. We were taught our commitment to the precept ofvasudhaib kutumbakam (universal kinship), ethics of sharing-live and let live, the merit of self- sacrifice for the cause of family/community/nation, to the ideology of minimisation of wants. We were expected to believe in the notion of ‘community of being’ and follow the ideology of a symbiotic relationship with nature. Watering by spirituality through its components of values, ethics, feelings for humanity, ideological commitment and of the likes prevented the crashing of our civilisation under the burden of martial supremacy. But alas! we live in a time where material life is glorified over the spiritual quest. Inorganic food takes precedence over organic ones though we know its effect. Junk and fast food are inalienable in our food basket, though it does not boost up immunity. We have been reduced from producers to consumers of wasteful things. We consume less than we gather, thereby and leading to stockpiling of wastes of valuable materials. The sustainability is at stack due to wasteful consumerism. The human was different from animals because he/she can think. Now a few think for others and others have almost stopped thinking on the face of visible attractions of T.V., smartphone, cinema, and other media along with a host of readymade means. It is not out of context to state that even as students we apply all sort cut means including cheap and erroneous notes available in the market without reading standard books. In the face of electronic media, reading habit is hard to be found among students. The thinking element through self-study is replaced by dependence on tuition and practice of parrot learning. Our interactive space has shifted from larger social and territorial space to electronic and drawing room/bedroom confinements. We celebrate the ideology of accumulation, possession, selfish interest, and individualisation over the practice of sharing and sense of community feeling. Strangely, we invent gadgets that keep out rooms cool but increases global warming. Violence, hatred, jealousy, frustration, depression, suspicion, revengeful mind and much such negativity have occupied our mind space. We have been practically reduced to skeletons without lifeblood, the spiritual meaning to life. The skeleton cracks and dismantles bereft of lifeblood. The Kalki epitomises material supremacy over spiritual essence. But how long material supremacy will rule over without the base of spiritual strength? It has to go today or tomorrow; the balance between spiritual and material needs will be restored with the destruction of imbalance favouring material indulgence. The Kalki will usurp new era over the destruction of material supremacy for which it stands. COVID-19 has pressed a restart button and perhaps a signal to mend our habits of wasteful consumption, mass production, individualism, maximisation tendency and the like. (The writer M. C. Behera is Professor at Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies and Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh can be contacted email:[email protected]; (M): 9436252229)

Biofortified Carrot Variety Transforming Lives Of Farmers New Delhi: Madhuban Gajar- a biofortified carrot variety with high β-carotene and iron content developed by Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya, a farmer scientist from Junagadh district, Gujarat is benefitting more than 150 local farmers in the area.

It is being planted in an area of over 200 hectares in Junagadh, and the average yield, which is 40-50 t/ha, has become the main source of income for the local farmers. The variety is being cultivated in more than 1000 hectares of land in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and in UP for the past three years. The Madhuvan Gajar is a highly nutritious carrot variety developed through the selection method with higher β-carotene content (277.75 mg/kg) and iron content (276.7 mg/kg) dry basis and is used for various value-added products like carrot chips, juices, and pickles. Among all the varieties tested, beta-carotene and iron content were found to be superior. National Innovation Foundation (NIF) – India, an autonomous institute, under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India conducted validation trials for this variety at Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (RARI), Jaipur, between 2016 and 2017. In the trials, it was found that Madhuban Gajar carrot variety possesses a significantly higher root yield (74.2 t/ha) and plant biomass (275 gm per plant) as compared to check variety. The on-farm trials of the variety were conducted over 25 hectares of land by NIF in different states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Haryana, Punjab and West Bengal which involved more than 100 farmers where the performance of the variety (Madhuvan Gajar) was found to be appreciable in term of yield and its other properties. During 1943, Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya found that a local carrot variety which was profoundly used for fodder to improve the quality of milk. He selectively cultivated this variety and sold this carrot in the market at a good price. Since then, he, along with family, is working for the conservation and development of this cultivars. The production and marketing of seeds of the variety are taken care of by his son Arvindbhai and the average sale is about 100 quintals per annum. Around30 local seeds suppliers are involved for the seed marketing of the variety throughout the country, and the production of seeds are being under taken out by Vallabhhai himself with a group of some local farmers. During the early years of the development of this variety, Vallabhhai selected the best plants for seed production and grew them in a small area for domestic consumption as well as for marketing. Later on, demand for this carrot grew, and he started cultivation on a large scale during the 1950’s. He also started distributing the seeds to other farmers in his village and adjoining areas in the 1970s. During 1985, he started selling the seeds on a large scale. The average yield of Maduvan Gajar is 40 – 50 t/ha and had been cultivated in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan successfully. Vallabhai Vasrambhai Marvaniyawas conferred with a National Award by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi during Festival of Innovation (FOIN) – 2017. He was conferred with Padma Shri in the year 2019 for his extraordinary work.

िरपोर्ट्स कहती हैं करेंसी नोट स्वास्थय के िलए हैं घातक # क्या करेंसी नोट बीमािरयां फैलाते हैं – कैट ने पूछा जेटली से

हर व्यक्ित करेंसी नोट के रूप में अपने साथ बीमािरयां लेकर चलता है – यह सोचना भी डरावना है िकन्तु मीिडया में प्रकािशत िविभन्न शोध िरपोर्ट यही कहती हैं की करेंसी नोट के जिरये बीमािरयां फैलती हैं ! स्वास्थय से सम्बंिधत इस गंभीर मुद्दे पर कॉन्फ़ेडरेशन ऑफ़ आल इंिडया ट्रेडर्स (कैट) ने आज केंद्रीय िवत्त मंत्री श्री अरुण जेटली को एक पत्र भेजकर िविभन्न शोध िरपोर्ट का हवाला देते हुए आग्रह िकया है की इस िवषय पर एक िवस्तृत्त जांच करा कर सही तस्वीर सामने ले जाए और लोगों को करेंसी नोट के जिरये होने वाली िबमािरयों से बचाने के िलए कारगर उपाय िकये जाएँ ! कैट ने पत्र की प्रित केंद्रीय स्वास्थ्य मंत्री श्री जे.पी.नड्डा एवं केंद्रीय िवज्ञानं एवं प्रोधोिगकी मंत्री डॉ. हर्षवर्धन को भी भेजकर इस मामले में उनके दखल का आग्रह िकया है ! श्री जेटली को भेजे अपने पत्र में कैट ने िविभन्न शोध िरपोर्ट के िजक्र करते हुए ख़ास तौर पर कॉउन्िसल ऑफ़ साइंिटिफक एंड इंडस्ट्िरयल रीसर्च के अंतर्गत काम करने वाले संस्थान इंस्िटट्यूट ऑफ़ गेनोिमक्स एंड इंटीग्रेिटव बायोलॉजी ने अपने एक शोध में करेंसी नोटों में 78 प्रकार के बैक्टीिरया पाए हैं जो बीमािरयां फैलाते हैं हालािकं यह एक नोट में नहीं है ! अिधकांश नोटों में पेट खराब होना, टी.बी.और अल्सर जैसी अन्य बीमािरयां फैलाने के लक्षण िमले हैं ! शोध में कहा गया है की करेंसी नोटों के द्वारा बीमािरया फैलने का खतरा सदा बना रहता है! इसी प्रकार जर्नल ऑफ़ करंट माइक्रोबायोलॉजी एंड एप्लाइड साइंस ने वर्ष 2016 में अपने एक शोध जो उन्होंने ितरुनवेली मेिडकल कॉलेज , तिमलनाडु में िकया था में पाया की 120 करेंसी नोट िजन पर शोध िकया गया था में से 86 .4 प्रितशत नोट अनेक प्रकार की बीमािरयां फैलाने से ग्रस्त थे ! यह नोट डॉक्टर, बैंक, स्थानीय बाज़ार, कसाई, िवद्यार्थी एंड गृहिणयों से िलए गए थे ! डॉक्टर्स से भी िलए गए नोटों में बीमारी फैलाने के लक्षण थे ! इन नोटों में मूत्र सम्बन्धी, सॉंस लेने में परेशानी, सेप्िटसीिमया, स्िकन इन्फेक्शन मेननजाइिटस आिद बीमारी फैलाने के कीटाणु शािमल थे ! कैट के राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री बी.सी.भरितया एवं राष्ट्रीय महामंत्री श्री प्रवीन खंडेलवाल ने अफ़सोस व्यक्त करते हुए कहा की लगतार प्रितवर्ष इस प्रकार की िरपोर्ट मेिडकल एवं साइंिटिफक जर्नल एवं अन्य स्थानों पर प्रकािशत होती रही हैं िकन्तु िकसी ने भी कभी भी लोगों के स्वास्थ्य से सम्बंिधत इस गंभीर िवषय पर कोई ध्यान ही नहीं िदया और न ही कोई व्यापक शोध करने की कोिशश ही की ! श्री भरितया एवं श्री खंडेलवाल ने कहा की देश में व्यापारी वर्ग करेंसी नोट का इस्तेमाल सबसे ज्यादा करता है क्योंिक अंितम उपभोक्ता से उसका सीधा संपर्क होता है और यिद यह शोध िरपोर्ट सत्य हैं तो यह व्यापािरयों के स्वास्थ्य के िलए सबसे घातक है हालािकं हर उस व्यक्ित के स्वास्थ्य को प्रभिवत करेगा जो करेंसी नोट का लेन-दें करता है ! शोध िरपोर्ट के मुतािबक पेपर करेंसी हजारों प्रकार के कीटाणुओं के संपर्क में आती है चाहे वो िकसी की ऊँगली हो, वेटर के कपडे हों, वेंिडंग मशीन हो या गद्दों के नीचे रखे गए नोट हो ! करेंसी हजारों लोगों के हाथों से होकर गुजरती है और उसमे गंभीर िबमािरयों से ग्रस्त लोग भी शािमल हैं ! हमारे देश में नोट िगनते समय थूक लगाकर िगनने का भी िरवाज़ है जो एक व्यक्ित के कीटाणु अन्य व्यक्ितयों तक ले जा सकता है जो की स्वास्थ्य की दृष्िट से बेहद खतरनाक है ! उन्होंने कहा की न केवल सरकार बल्िक मेिडकल कॉउन्िसल ऑफ़ इंिडया तथा इंिडयन मेिडकल एस्सोिसएशन को भी इस मामले को गंभीरता से लेकर इस पर शोध कर सत्यता तक पहुंचना चािहए क्योंिक यह मुद्दा सीधा लोगों के स्वास्थ्य से जुड़ा है ! श्री भरितया एवं श्री खंडेलवाल ने कहा की हर व्यक्ित अपने नोट पर्स में नहीं रखता, कुछ लोग जेबों में रखते हैं िजसमें पहले से ही संक्रमण फैलाने वाली चीज़ें रहती हैं या िफर बड़ी संख्यां में लोग सीधे अपने अंत: वस्त्र में करेंसी रखते हैं ! क्योंिक एक नोट अनेक हाथों से होकर गुजरता है इसिलए यह जानना असंभव है की नोट कहा से आये और िकतने स्वास्थ्य को हािन पहुंचाने वाले नहीं है ! यह एक गंभीर िवषय है और सरकार एवं अन्य सम्बंिधत लोग इस पर तुरंत ध्यान देकर जरूरी कदम उठाएंगे !

Patience And Perseverance Are Secrets To Success: Simon Patience and perseverance are the secrets to success, said environmentalist social worker and Padma Shri award recipient Simon Oraon, an Indian environmentalist and social worker.

Oraon is popularly known as the ‘waterman of ’, who has worked for massive afforestation in the State. Addressing the gathering of students of Deepansh at DPS in Bokaro Simon apprised the students of his achievements and how he achieved his goal by taking the loan and digging 60-70 wells and a pond in his village. Simon also elaborated how single-handedly, he converted a village which was draught affected, completely deprived of vegetables into a bounty of vegetables which now sends vegetables to neighbouring villages as well. He urged the children to always seek permission and guidance from parents and teachers at home and school respectively. Simon asked the children whom they considered as ‘God’, some of them replied parents while some guru but Simon opined that they were all secondary and that ‘God’ resides within us. Appreciating his efforts Dr. Hemlata S Mohan the Director and Principal of DPS, Bokaro said, Simon is known for his immense contributions to society including efforts of construction of irrigation reservoirs, environmental projects including mass tree plantation and digging of wells and ponds in the Bero Block near Ranchi. “For which Simon has been awarded by the Government of India, the one of the highest civilian honour, the Padma Shree, in 2016,” she added. “We require a number of such personalities who can bring a difference in the society and urged the students that every child can make a difference in this world if he or she can take small steps to conserve water,” added Mohan.

‘Parents Must Spend Quality Time With Their Children’ : Dr. Hemlata Parents must spend quality time with their wards, it is important for the parents to understand the feelings of their children for their inclusive growth and development, said Dr Hemlata S Mohan, the Director and Principal of DPS Bokaro.

She said parents should not pressurize their wards to do things as per their aspirations. “They should spend time with their wards and regularly check the school almanac for updates from the school,” urged Dr Hemlata. She was addressing to an inception programme organised for the parents of the new entrants (Nursery) at DPS Primary Wing on Saturday. The programme was meant to provide information to the parents about the basic fundamentals of the school. They were given the idea about the education system prevailing in the school inclusive of the rules and regulations to be followed. Dr. Hemlata said that the main objective of the school is overall development of the students by providing holistic education. She said it is important for the parents to understand the feelings of their children for their development. “Respect and Responsibilities are the two main aspects of the school philosophy,” she added. DPS, Bokaro has the reputation of being the Best school of the country which she said is because of the efforts of dedicated teachers, hard work of the students and positive contributions from the parents, she said. She remarked that the school promotes the concept of ‘Vasudev Kutumbakam’ and opined that environment protection is an important concern and the school takes special care to aware the students about it. She said that to sensitize children for rural requirement the school takes the students to nearby villages under the project- ‘Chaloan Goan Ki Ore’ as well. P Shailaja Jayakumar, Headmistress of the school said that the combined effort of the teachers and the parents help in the overall development of the children. “Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If we want more love and peace in the world we need to create more love and peace in our hearts”, she added. During the programme, Supervisor Abha Sharma and Sunita Bhardwaj along with the parents were also present.

‘Navratra’ A Time To Deep Mourns For An Ancient Tribe There are temples of demon king Ravana in Vidisha (MP), Kolar (Karnataka), Kanpur (UP), Kangra (HP) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan) where people still worship ‘Ravana’ instead of ‘Ram’.

Amidst traditional fervour and fanfare the Navratra— a festival of victory of good over evil celebrated across the India and abroad (UAE and Bangladesh), a time to deep mourns for an ancient ethnic tribe. The ancient tribal group, ‘Asur’— who built Indus Valley Civilization and were the one who first made iron in the world, keeps themselves deep mourning during the period of Navratra or Durga Puja. Believing in the mythology of the demon-killing (Mahishasur) by the Goddess Durga, Asur people used to lock themselves inside their homes from sunrise to sunset during Navratra. Asurs’ are said to be the descendant of Mahishasur (a demon king) and do not worship any God. They believe that all Gods and Goddesses illegally joined hands and killed Mahishasur. “We (Asur people) used to block or close the windows and other openings of our homes with woods to keep away the sunlight during Navratra, said Raju Asur (62) a resident of Sakhuapani at Netarhat plateau in Jharkhand. “Everything which is essentials is done only after the sunset during this period”, he added. According to the mythology, Mahishasur was the most powerful man at Swarga and Prithvi. “The God knew that human would stop worshipping them if the Mahishasur survived for long. So they (God) joined hands and killed him dishonestly”, said Summit Asur a resident of Asur Line in Majherdabri tea estate in Alipurduar at WB. “We hate the Gods and Goddesses as our forefathers stopped to worshipping them, now we are strictly following them since past, said Sabeena Asur of Amtipani. “We have also learned from our forefathers that Gods will never do well to anybody, they only want to get worshipped”, she added. But few Asurs residing in the urban areas are worried as their children refused to follow their beliefs. We are worried as children are losing our culture, said Milan Asur, a Jharkhand Government employee posted at Gumla. Though, we do not have any documentary evidence as our knowledge, culture and beliefs are not documented yet. Verbally we used to pass our knowledge to the next generation, said Punam Asur. We only worship our ‘ancestors’ or ‘nature’ by offering them rice beer (haria) and chicken on a holy day. Singbonga is our chief deity while the others are Dharati Mata, Duari, Patdaraha and Turi Husid, said Tupnu Asur. “We celebrate Sarhul, Karma, Dhanbuni, Kadelta, Rajj karma, Dasahara Karam, Khalihani Puja, GoraiyaPuja including others and sacrifices goat, chicks, ducks and eggs at the time of worship to please our deities”, he added. Presently Asur belongs to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), residing in the pat area of Netarhat plateau, Gumla, Latehar, Lohardaga and in Jharkhand and Alipurduar in North Bengal (Alipurduar— a sub-divisional municipal city of Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal). Similarly, demon Ravana whose effigy is traditionally burnt down on Dussehra, is worshipped with all devotion and reverence in some parts of Utter Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and in Rajasthan; there is a tradition to worship Ravana on Dusshera. There are temples of demon king Ravana in Vidisha (MP), Kolar (Karnataka), Kanpur (UP), Kangra (HP) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan) where people still worship ‘Ravana’ instead of ‘Ram’.

Karma, Bakrid Celebrated With Fervour

With traditional fervour and devotion, thousands of devotees took part in the ‘Bakrid’ (Eid- ul-Azha) and ‘Karma’ celebrations in the twin cities Dhanbad-Bokaro on Saturday. Amidst intensive security, no untoward incidents were reported during the celebrations. The tribals across the Coal and Steel City of Dhanbad-Bokaro celebrated ‘Karma’ festival, with traditional fanfare and gaiety. Karma is one of the most popular festivals celebrated by the Oraon, Baiga, Binjhwari and Majhwar , Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Since the entire economy of the tribals dependent on land, water and forest, trees that sustain the environment must be worshiped, said Laxmi a tribal girl residing at Bokaro. On this day we (tribals) go in the forest to collect fruits and flowers, and worship Karma Devi, a goddess who is represented with a branch of Karam tree”, she added. The branches of the tree are worshiped and their blessings soughed as per the mythology of Karam Devi, she is the goddess of wealth and children, said Maiyan another devotee. Actually the word ‘Karma’ is derived from the name of a tree Karam; the branch of the Karam tree is carried by the dancers and is passed among them with singing and dancing during, she said. During celebration branch of Karam tree is first washed with milk and then rice beer (Handia) and later raised in the middle of the dancing area, said Anand Mahato. Tribals used to dance for the whole night in a bid to admire the ‘Karam’ Goddess; with planting a trees ritual starts on this eve while dancers (worshipers) form a circle and dance with their arms around each other dancer’s waists, Mahato said. The branches are garlanded by worshipers on the next day. Karma Dance is also one of the oldest dances performed by many ethnic groups of the country. Meanwhile, Muslims thronged the mosques to offered special Eid prayers. Men, women, and children dressed in their new attire arrived to offer the special prayers on this eve. The special prayer session was conducted at several mosques in Dhanbad and Bokaro. Addressing to the gathering the religious heads asked for peace and also of the relevance of sharing and support to each other. After the prayers, the sacrificial meat was distributed among them. Ahead of festivities, security was enhanced at every nook across the twin cities to nab the unsocial elements found in involved in any mischievous actions. Police also embarked upon conducting checking of two and four wheeler’s with the help of metal detectors in duo cities. Blue Whale Challenge The horrifyingly dangerous game has been linked to at least 130 teen deaths across Russia and police in the UK have now started warning parents about the challenge.

Maneka Gandhi Asks Centre To Remove ‘Blue Whale’ Suicide Game From Social Media The Blue Whale game or Blue Whale Challenge is believed to be a suicide game wherein a group of administrators or a certain curator gives a participant a task to complete daily — for a period of 50 days — the final of which is the participant committing suicide. Participants are expected to share photos of the challenges/tasks completed by them. These daily tasks start off easy — such as listening to certain genres of music, waking up at odd hours, watching a horror movie, among others, and then slowly escalate to carving out shapes on one’s skin, self-mutilation and eventually suicide. There is still uncertainty over how a participant plays the game. While some say the user has to install some app on their smart phone, others say it’s via social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook where the administrators get in touch with the participant after those interested throw out postings on social media asking for a “curator”. A number of different hashtags— #bluewhalechallenge, #curatorfindme, #i_am_whale — act as signals for the anonymous curators.

It must be noted, however, that there still is no confirmation of the existence of the game, and suicides linked to it are from personal accounts of families/friends of those deceased who claim they have seen their loved ones performing tasks. While reports of suicides linked to the game have surfaced across the globe, authorities claim that the origin appears to be in Russia, which has reportedly seen about 130 related deaths and at least two arrests. Schools as well as police officials in Europe and America have begun issuing advisories to parents urging them to be vigilant and to keep an eye out on what their children are sharing on their social media accounts. Indian boy becomes latest victim of Blue Whale suicide game An Indian teenager has supposedly committed suicide after playing the online Blue Whale game that goads young people into killing themselves. Ankan Dey, 14, from the town of Anandpur, West Bengal State, India, was found suffocated by a plastic bag in his bathroom. He was discovered by his family who grew suspicious when he did not come out after his bath.

Ankan’s friends told police he had been playing the Blue Whale game online. The worrying craze sees teenagers pressured into completing 50 self-destructive challenges – the final being committing suicide. Ankan was reported to be in Class 10 at a local school in West Midnapore district’s Anandpur town. A spokesperson from his school said: ‘The boy was very restless, and admitted in front of his parents that he was into Blue Whale online gaming. ‘He also told that his friends in school told him about the game.’ Gopinath Dey, Ankan’s father, told local media: ‘He returned from school on Saturday and sat in front of the computer. ‘When his mother, Sampa, called him for lunch, he said he will first have bath. ‘When he did not emerge from the bathroom for quite some time, we broke open the door and found him lying on the floor motionless. ‘We rushed him to the hospital where he was declared dead.’ Police are investigating the claims that Ankan was playing the worrying game. Last month, another teenage boy, Manpreet Sahans, committed suicide after jumping off a building in Mumbai. He reportedly jumped after playing the Blue Whale game. The game originated in Russia and has seen more than 130 teenagers die. In the game an online social media group encourages people to take part in increasingly dangerous and harmful dares that culminate in an instruction to kill themselves. A group administrator assigns daily ‘tasks’ to members, which they have to complete for 50 days. The ‘tasks’ include self-harming and watching horror films, gradually getting more extreme as the game goes on. One of the tasks was reportedly for the player to carve a large blue whale design into their own skin. On the 50th day, the manipulators behind the game reportedly instruct the youngsters to commit suicide. CT- Internet