Column

Of ‘Bada Talab’, the city’s signature

EVERY Bhopalite will agree with Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Mr. Vishwas Kailash Sarang that the Upper Lake -- Bada Talab -- is a Nature’s gift to the city. Its size is certainly a matter of pride for every Bhopalite. But more importantly, the Bada Talab has become an integral part of the city’s personality. In other words, Bada Talab is the city’s signature -- by which the city is known and talked about everywhere in the country. So important Bada Talab is to the city’s psyche that nobody can ..

Of an inexplicable apathy: Some troubling questions !!!

THE story of Ganesh immersion in Nagpur has changed altogether. Lakes are being spared from the immersion. Instead, innumerable small tanks come up everywhere to accommodate small idols every year. The civic administration, the Police as well as countless voluntary organisations stand together to ensure that the lakes are not invaded by over-enthusiastic devotees to immerse their Ganesh idols into actual lake waters. This is, of course, the most welcome development. For, when the lakes are kept free ..

Polls, Gambits & Gambles

THIS is the season of political gambits and gambles in India. Delhi has witnessed a loaded move by the Aam Aadmi Party, Jammu & Kashmir has opened a door for political parties to test their strength, Haryana is caught in the typical phase of political rebellions, and Maharashtra is treading an iffy zone with parties still gauging the public mood. Since the Lok Sabha poll results in June, election dynamics in the country have assumed an altogether intriguing layer, baring all the confusions and contradictio..

Of mortality and immortality

Amrutam chaiva mrutyuscha dwayam dehe pratishthitam/ Mohadyutpatye mrutyuh satyenotpadyute amrutam// (Immortality and death both reside in the body/ Death comes from temptation and immortality from the truth//)..

Bouncing Of Cheque

IN THE Judgement of the case –Geeta Devi v. UCO Bank, delivered on September 4, 2024 Justice Rakesh Kainthla has held at the Himachal Pradesh High Court that, in the case of bouncing of cheque the complaint in the case cannot be quashed on the grounds that the cheque was issued without consideration and conditions for its presentation were not satisfied. It was submitted that the accused had deposited the amounts which were not endorsed by the Bank. The notice to the accused is bad as it was issued ..

Appeal to parents: III Please protect yourchildren fromoverwhelming rot

BY NOW, no doubt is left behind about what kind of invasion is taking place of the mental space of our youngsters. Every kind of negativism is being fed into their impressionable minds -- resulting into some terribly shocking ideas germinating in their heads and taking roots and growing menacingly. Naturally, our youngsters are popping up ideas and behaviours that shock anybody out of wits. This is making it compulsory for the larger society to start devising ways and means to counter the dirty narrative ..

Running fashionably late

“Ma’am, even though the pooja will be over by 1 pm, you and Sir please come at 1.30 pm for the Prasad.” Jaya was explicit in her instructions, while inviting me and my better half for Prasad at her home. The reason for ‘half an hour after the culmination of the pooja’ was, “You always arrive ten minutes before the appointed time,” which was followed by an emoticon that signified ‘embarrassment’. What I could read between the lines was that ‘my reaching at the appointed hour is many a time a source ..

WHITHER SPORTING CULTURE - III

THESE two statements actually highlight two ends of the country’s sports continuum -- in the sense, there is a national leader who understands the philosophy of sports; and the larger Indian society can now boast of one man at the top who is considered the best symbolism of national sports aspirations. In other words, the country has a man at the top as the best motivator for sportspersons in different conditions -- normal or parathletes, and that man realises what kind of mental make-up the people ..

OROPOLITICS

T HE world often talks about the Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world. Some even question the need for India to deploy her troops in the most challenging terrain. Some even suggest a ‘solution’ that the Siachen Glacier should be converted into a ‘Peace Park’. However, not many realise that the need for occupying the mad heights was forced upon India. Had India not acted in time, Pakistan would have secured a perch by way of scoring a brownie point in what is today known as ‘Oropolitics’. ..

Of the question of fine culture

ARE we -- the Nagpurians -- the people of a fine culture, or more precisely, a fine civic culture ? This question haunts not just the loosefooter but also everybody with a good sense of public conduct -- in Nagpur. And there are countless dimensions to this haunting question -- of the sense of personal responsibility towards others in the society, of the sense of dignity of one’s own and of others, of the importance of smoothness and polish in collective conduct ...! In almost every social conversation ..

CALLING IC-814

ANATIONAL debate is raging in the middle of the controversy and commentaries surrounding the web series ‘IC814: The Kandahar Hijack’, opening up a disturbing chapter in India’s security mechanisms. The web series has come with its faults and some illogical “artistic liberties” but at the same time it has redirected focus on the Indian response to the hijack drama played out in 1999. The hijacking of IC 814 flight from Kathmandu to Kandahar and the way the sordid saga was handled by the security and ..

The Road not taken...!

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.” If, going by the wisdom of Robert Frost’s famous lines, you do choose to take the road less travelled, make sure you are in woods and not in the concrete jungle called a city. For, in the city there are no roads less travelled these days. But in case you do manage to find one, don’t take it. If you do, it may make all the difference, but in the sense far, far different from what Frost ..

ABSENCE FROM DUTY

THROUGH the judgement of the case – The Deputy Commissioner of Police Wireless Division, Mumbai v. Shri Sanjay Govind Parab, delivered on September 6, 2024, Justice Atul S. Chandurkar and Justice Rajesh S. Patil, at the Bombay High Court have held that the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal has committed a grave error in holding the respondent –employee Police Head Constable Sanjay Govind Parab entitled to pay and allowances for the period of his unauthorised absence by treating his order of transfer, ..

Please protect your children from overwhelming rot

THANK you dear readers of ‘Loud Thinking’ for a positive and profuse response to the last week’s edition under the same title. Thank you very much for showing a fair understanding of what could be happening to our youngsters if we did not pay attention to blocking the silent invasion on their innocent and unsuspecting personalities. The response raises the hope that together all of us can save our children from undue and un called for and immoral influences that seek sly entries into their mindsets ..

A Glimpse Into Factual Success Mantras Of Business

On May 21, 2024 a resolution was passed during an Extraordinary General Meeting where the shareholders approved the voluntary liquidation and dissolution of a Company. For me it was a moment of heavy disappointment, several emotions ran through my mind and I went into a stage of deep reflection. I felt thus as I was the one who was key in the company’s revival in 2002, after taking on the job as General Manager of the distressed company in mid-2000, and subsequently moved out of the company in Dec ..

Whither Sporting Culture - II

l Paris, September 4 (PTI): World champion Sachin Sarjerao Khilari clinched a Silver in Men’s Shot-Out F46 event with an Asian record distance of 16.32 meters as the country’s track-and-field athletes continued their unprecedented medal-winning run in the Paralympic Games here on Wednesday. Khilaris’ Silver is the 11th Medal from the para-athletes in the ongoing Games and takes India’s overall Medal tally to 21, including three Golds. l Paris, September 5 (PTI): Harvinder Singh became the first Indian ..

THE ENDGAME?

“LEFT Wing Extremism will be completely eliminated in the country before March 2016.” This confident statement of Union Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah definitely comes as an assurance to the people of the country, especially to those affected due to Left Wing Extremism (LWE), popularly referred to as Naxalism or Maoism. Though this looks like a definite endgame for the Maoist terrorists, a pertinent question keeps haunting the informed minds -- what about the urban spread of the LWE in various deceptive ..

Why target only hospitals?

THIS is a very valid issue -- as anybody would agree -- “Why target only hospitals?”. This issue came up as regards the urban mess in Nagpur’s Dhantoli area -- which was once upon a time known for its serenity and civic orderliness. Today, however, Dhantoli is becoming infamous for exactly the opposite reasons. And the general impression is that the sudden rise in the number of hospitals and nursing homes in Dhantoli area is the main reason for the urban mess -- resulting in traffic congestion or ..

Before It’s Too Late

A TIGHT corner is a sure inventor of whataboutery. It is the final indicator of reversal in fortunes which usually ends up in braggartism and is invariably followed by hubris. Whatever is happening in West Bengal in wake of the barbaric killing of a young, innocent medical practitioner at the RG Kar Hospital reflects the last stage of arrogance that the ruling dispensation is brazenly employing to muzzle a just fight. After attempts of dirty cover-up, threats are being doled out from the office of ..

INDO-US DEFENCE TIES

“India and the US look forward to work together and benefit from each other’s experience.” -Shri Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister S HRI Rajnath Singh, the Defence Minister visited the US from August 22 to 26, 2024. The visit proved to be significant and pathbreaking in more ways than one. In a quiet and dignified manner, as is the working style of the Hon’ble Defence Minister, the visit achieved a lot for India without much optics. No doubt the officials of the Defence Ministry who had accompanied ..

Of the invisible watcher

“A man insists with a sage that he be given ‘self-realisation’. The sage has no problem. He says, ‘Of course, you will attain self-realisation’. Then he hands over to the man a little sparrow and says, ‘Kill this sparrow at a place where there is no one watching you’. The man feels confident of finding such a place, goes there, and is about to wring the sparrow’s neck to kill the bird. But then he realises, in effect, that if not anybody else, he himself is watching the act of killing the bird. ..

French Possessions

WITH the sole exception of the fifty people on Pitcairn Island, the United Kingdom (once known as the British Empire) liquidated its holdings in the Pacific Ocean long ago. France, by contrast, has a half million citizens in the Pacific (and another two million living in other bits of its former empire on islands in all the world’s major oceans). This gives rise to much performative outrage in post-colonial countries that need grievances to bring pressure on the world’s richest countries. That’s only ..

TRANSFERRING PROBE

By ADV. R. S. AGRAWAL :HC has pointed out that the circumstances in the case have persuaded the Court to exercise inherent powers to bring the credibility and confidence in the investigating agency for reaching to the truth ultimately and to guard t..

Appeal to parents: I Please protect yourchildren from overwhelming rot

By Vijay Phanshikar : THE current realities that we appear to be missing to notice have triggered this appeal. A major part of these realities refers to our young generation. Hence this appeal -- to parents of children in the age-bracket of 18-..

Lost in translation

“Hi, can you give me a kilo of minced meat?” I asked the butcher. My son-in-law loves goat mutton, and in the USA, where he is currently stationed, goat mutton is a rare commodity. So whenever I go to Chicago, the first thing that we do - my son-in-law and I - is travel 25 miles to shop for goat mutton, so that he can have his fill, till my next visit. But that’s not the hard part - as I realised during my last visit. The real challenge is communicating in ‘English’. Yes, you read that right. I mean ..

Unrest In Balochistan

  By Lt General MK Das,PVSM, SM**,VSM (Retd) :  The unrest in Balochistan is a tale of serious neglect by Pakistan Government, since it became part of Pakistan in 1948. Now China is also intricately involved in the region, courtesy CP..

Whither Sporting Culture - I

New Delhi, August 29 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid homage to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand and said, his Government was committed to supporting sports and ensuring that more youth were able to play and shine. ‘It is an occasion to compliment all those passionate about sports and those who have played for India,’ the Prime Minister said in a tweet. l New Delhi, August 29 (PTI): Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was joined by hockey legend Zafar Iqbal in paying tributes to Major ..

GREY ZONE STRATEGY

 By KARTIK LOKHANDE :  People firmly rooted in commitment to the cause of India will never fall prey to attempts of the adversaries to create social, political, ideological, cultural, educational, economic, and belief dysphoria. They will never ..

Of so so so many complaints !!!

SO, THE Union Minister received as many as 840 complaints about the Nagpur Improvements Trust (NIT) and the Nagpur Metropolitan Regional Developmental Authority (NMRDA) -- at his ‘Janata Darbar’. And a few days earlier, people had thronged around him to present to him as many as 1,500 complaints about the civic issues such as bad roads and water-logging in the city, at the first ‘Janata Darbar’. The people’s throngs were so thick and sticky that the security formed a cordon around the Union Minister ..

Weight & See

“CHUTKI bhar sindoor ki keemat tum kya jaano, Dev Babu,” was what kept running through my mind when discussion at the coffeetable centered around Vinesh Phogat’s 100 gms debacle. While the group debated hotly the Phogat case - some talking in favour, others not so favourably, my thoughts raced to the countless times when a matter of grams may have meant, in my case anyway, the difference between life and death. The pesky grams, that one might think of to be totally insignificant, canmake - or break ..

I-Day musings

THE trigger is obvious -- Independence Day -- to indulge in a free-wheeling thinking on the meaning of Independence for common people. So, the ‘I-Day musings’, so to say. Of course, the word ‘Independence’ -- or ‘Freedom’ -- has multiple nuances, as highlighted by poets and writers of all shades of different ideologies. But, among the most important of these nuances is one of a sense of well-being under self-rule. And an important dimension of well-being is good basic standards of living. This ..

Of the obviousbenefits of goodand wide reading

l My daughter is always with some or the other book. She as if ‘eats’ books. My son, barely 12 years in age, also does the same. And he loves picking up fat books and takes pride in finishing those. - The mother of a college-going daughter and a school-going son. EVEN in these days when elders generally complain that children do not like reading books, such examples do emerge from the larger society to make us sense a ray of hope. For, reading books has always been treated as an important input for ..

A soulmate

FINDING a soulmate is like finding a missing part of your soul to make it complete in a true sense. A soulmate is someone with whom you can have a deep emotional and spiritual connection. Their companionship makes you feel safe, comfortable and wholesome. A soulmate is much more than just being your romantic partner, as you have built up the well-founded sentimental and spiritual bond with the one. A soulmate is an absolute blessing who arrives as the emotionally secured partner in your life. The ..

End of an era

In the passing of Ms. Yamini Krishnamurthy, Indian classical dance has lost one of its luminaries. Yamini Krishnamurthy was an eminent figure in Indian classical dance, celebrated for her expertise in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. She captivated audiences with her expressive ‘abhinaya’ and intricate footwork. Her performances had been marked by a deep understanding of rhythm, grace, and a strong connection to the spiritual essence of Indian classical dance. She gave performances worldwide, earning ..

TECH DANGERS

HEAVY use of digital technology in schools, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent long lockdown, is taking a big toll on children’s mental health as well as cognitive abilities. Assessment data collected from all over the world has suggested a negative link between excessive use of technology and student performance. Yet, the indifference towards possession of smartphones with school children continues as the data shows. Less than one in four countries have banned smartphone use ..

Global Warming & Rains

THE past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. The findings, by Chinese researchers and the UK Met Office, were published overnight in the journal Science. They provide the first systematic observational evidence that climate change is making global rainfall patterns more volatile. Climate models had predicted this variability would worsen under climate ..

Of saving our childrenfrom the monstercalled mobile phone

“We should save our children from the mobile monster. If we fail to do this, we may be leaving our little ones on a road to sure disaster”. EVEN as she said this, the voice of the Principal of a well-known school cracked in exasperation. “I have seen the actual ill-effects of mobile-addiction on my students for years. I have enlisted my teachers’ support in a silent campaign against mobile-addiction. I am happy to state that our campaign is bearing good results”, she added. The loud-thinker understood ..

FLAWED WOKE-ISM

 ALREADY facing flak for s e v e r a l organisational issues, the Paris Olympics exploded with a furious row over gender eligibility rules after Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds in the women’s ..

Landslides: Be prepared

In a heart wrenching landslide at Wayanad (Karela), at least 123 people lost their lives, 128 were injured and the death toll is likely to surge with hundreds trapped under the debris. My thought goes out to the bereaved family in this miserable hour. But this natural cataclysm could be dodged but couldn’t. People must know that in 2011 Gadgil committee had recommended that this venerable areas are prone to landslide sooner or later. Unfortunately, it was taken lightly due to which hundreds of people ..

MANU MAGIC

HISTORIC is the only word that b e s t d e s c r i b e s the feat of Ms. Manu Bhaker, of winning two medals in one Olympics. It is a matter of pride that she is the first Indian player to achieve the honour. The athlete, who has won medals in 10m air pistol events, has a calm strength and composed personality. This composure is what distinguishes from others a sportsperson pursuing excellence. The pursuit of excellence goes beyond a flash of brilliance. A flash may fade soon, but the pursuit of excellence ..

NASA’S DART MISSION

NASA smacked a spacecraft into an asteroid – and learned details about its 12-million-year history. The DART mission not only tested our ability to protect ourselves from future asteroid impacts, but also enlightened us on the formation and evolution of rubble pile and binary asteroids near Earth...

Kamala Harris: a tough challenge for Trump

DONALD Trump was facing an easy ride to the White House when he was matched against Joe Biden. Now he has to face off against Kamala Harris things look very different. Trump has good reason to be scared. He might even lose, again, although it is quite likely he will claim he won, against all the evidence. But he knows now he is in a race. US presidential elections are usually consequential, even if those consequences are often surprising. After all, it was not the non-WASP US golden boy JFK who ended ..

fully justified

THE demand of some Members of Parliament in favour of strict action against the badly managed coaching classes -- for aspirants of the all-India competitive examinations, is fully justified. The management of a famous coaching class in New Delhi allowed the library of the institution to be run in basement of the building. That was where some students lost lives due to sudden flooding. ..

Kudos to Bhaker

Indian shooting sensation, Haryana’s Manu Bhaker made history by winning the bronze medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol final at the Paris Olympics. This is India’s first medal at the Games and a significant achievement for the young sharpshooter. With this historic medal, Bhaker has joined an elite group of Indian athletes who have brought glory to the country on the world’s biggest sporting stage. Kudos to Bhaker for her record creating performance and hope in future her many shooting performances ..

Gaza Deaths: Who Cares?

THE Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip since last October’s Hamas attacks on Israeli settlements will reach 40,000 people in the next week or so. (It’s back up around 50-100 civilian dead per day.) Around 1,200 Israelis were killed in the October attacks, so nobody can say that Israel’s response was unprovoked. However, it has been hugely disproportionate, and in many Western cities there are weekly protest marches against the carnage in the Gaza Strip. However, there have been virtually none ..

Dynamic kamala

MRS. Kamala Harris, Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, no doubt, is a dynamic personality. That she managed to convince the overall leadership of the party to make President Mr. Joe Biden to step aside and make way for her to come in as the party’s official nomination, cannot be described as an act of just politics. In other words, this development should be considered as rather a coup than political smartness...

Of the rare free will

However, this is easier said than achieved -- or lived. For, independent will is a Divine gift that we all possess, so to say. Yet, very few of us realise that we truly have such a gift from the Divine. In the mundaneness of living, in the vagaries of dailiness of life, we become victims of so much of petty things and thoughts that we lose the track of the Divine and its gifts. So, when a Charlotte Brontë speaks of being truly free human being with an independent will, she underlines in paradox that ..

Of the anxious youth staring blankly into uncertain future

THIS statement by the legendary entrepreneur Elon Musk sums up most issues that confront the young people of today. In most interactions with young people -- say in their teens and twenties -- the realisation emerges all on its own that good numbers of young people actually have no idea about what they wished to do in life or wish to be in life. Another impression from such interactions is that the young people carry in their heads and hearts certain blankness with which they stare at an uncertain ..

KARGIL WAR

  Salute the brave hearts who sacrificed their lives Leaving behind small children, old parents, young siblings and caring wives For love of motherland, in battle zone they thrive The Kargil war was difficult and complicated, akin to a beehive..

Why not ask questions to public figures about why they cannot manage the city well?

“Sir, Nagpur appears to be under a constant siege of flood and filth, fearful of various kinds of infections. I returned from London just yesterday, and got out of the house today morning for my appointments -- and found that the city of ours offered a terrible contrast to the place where I had been. That is so clean, though far more crowded, with no fear of infections assailing people. Why have we turned our city into such a filthy place?” This description, this comparison, this question from a friend ..