Author Topic: Share Informative Articles Here - सूचनाप्रद लेख  (Read 88219 times)

एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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Re: SHARE ANY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE WITH MEMBERS HERE.
« Reply #80 on: January 11, 2008, 01:32:00 PM »

Suchira Ji Worth to read.

Very good.

“You should dare to dream, define what you stand for,
never lose your zest and curiosity, always strive for
excellence, build self confidence, learn to work in
teams, take care of yourself, preserve, have a broader
social vision and finally never let success go to your
head,” Premji said.

The Wipro chairman was delivering the convocation
address at the 38 the convocation of the Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras.

Following is the entire text of the convocation
address made by Premji:

I am privileged to be with you here today and to share
this significant moment of your life.

The convocation marks the culmination of all the
endless nights you worked through, all the anxieties
you have gone through facing one examination after
another and all the preparation you have put in, not
only to enter this prestigious institution but also to
graduate from it successfully. It is no mean
achievement.

Only a handful of the most talented people in the
world have shared this success with you. Let me just
say that I am very proud of each and every one of you.

I am a little wary about giving you advice- because
advice is one thing young people all over the world do
not like receiving. I cannot fault you for that.

The world does look very different when it is seen
with your eyes. You are filled with enthusiasm and are
straining at the leash to get on with life.

And the world is very different from what it was when
I was at your age. Never before has the role of
technology been so pervasive and so central. The
Internet has breached all physical borders and
connected the world together like no other force has
done before.

For the first time, opportunities for creating wealth
in India are at par with the best in world. There is
no need for you to sacrifice the joy of remaining in
your own country any more.

All opportunities are accompanied by their own
challenges. I thought I would share with you a few of
the lessons I have learnt in my own life, while
loading the transformation at Wipro, from a small
company three and a half decades back into a global
corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange. I
hope you find them useful.

Lesson # 1: Dare to dream
When I entered Wipro at the age of 21, it was a sudden
and unexpected event. I had no warning of what lay
ahead of me and I was caught completely unprepared.
All I had with me was a dream.

A dream of building a great Organisation. It
compensated for my inexperience and I guess, also
prevented me from being overwhelmed by the enormity of
the task before me.

What I am happy is that we never stopped dreaming.
Even when we achieved a position of leadership in
every business we operated in India. We now have a
dream of becoming one of the top 10 global it service
companies.

Many people wonder whether having unrealistic dreams
is foolish. My reply to that is dreams by themselves
can never be realistic or safe. If they were, they
would not be dreams. I do agree that one must have
strategies to execute dreams. And, of course, one must
slog to transform dreams into reality. But dreams come
first.

What saddens me most is to see young, bright people
getting completely disillusioned by a few initial
setbacks and slowly turning cynical and some of them
want to migrate to America in the hope this is the
solution.

It requires courage to keep dreaming. And that is when
dreams are most needed- not when everything is going
right, but when just about everything is going wrong.

Lesson # 2: Define what you stand for
While success is important, it can become enduring
only if it is built on a strong foundation of Values.
Define what you stand for as early as possible and do
not compromise with it for any reason. Nobody can
enjoy the fruits of success if you have to argue with
your own conscience.

In Wipro, we defined our Beliefs long before it became
a fashion to do so. It not only helped us in becoming
more resilient to stand up to crises we faced along
the way, but it also helped us in attracting the right
kind of people.

Eventually, we realised that our values made eminent
business sense. Values help in clarifying what
everyone should do or not do in any business
situation. It saves enormous time and effort because
each issue does not have to be individually debated at
length.

But remember that values are meaningful only if you
practice them. People may listen to what you say but
they will believe what you do. Values are a matter of
trust. They must be reflected in each one of your
actions. Trust takes a long time to build but can be
lost quickly by just one inconsistent act.

Lesson #3: Never lose your zest and curiosity
All the available knowledge in the world is
accelerating at a phenomenal rate. The whole world’s
codified knowledge base (all documented information in
library books and electronic files) doubled every 30
years in the early 20th century.

By the 1970s, the world’s knowledge base doubled every
seven years. Information researchers predict that by
the year 2010, the world’s codified knowledge will
double every 11 hours.

Remaining on top of what you need to know will become
one of the greatest challenges for you.

The natural zest and curiosity for learning is one of
the greatest drivers for keeping updated on knowledge.
A child’s curiosity is insatiable because every new
object is a thing of wonder and mystery. The same zest
is needed to keep learning new things.

I personally spend at least ten hours every week on
reading. If I do not do that, I find myself quickly
outdated.

Lesson # 4: Always strive for excellence
There is a tremendous difference between being good
and being excellent in whatever you do. In the world
of tomorrow, just being good is not good enough.

One of the greatest advantages of globalisation is
that it has brought in completely different standards.
Being the best in the country is not enough; one has
to be the best in the world. Excellence is a moving
target. One has to constantly raise the bar.

In the knowledge-based industries, India has the
unique advantage of being a quality leader. just like
japan was able to win in the overseas market with its
quality leadership in automobile manufacturing, india
has been able to do the same in information
technology.

At Wipro, we treat quality as the #1 priority. This
enabled us not only to become the world’s first SEI
CMM Level 5 software services company in the world but
also a leader in Six Sigma approach to quality in
India.

However, even today I am dissatisfied with several
things which we are not doing right in the area of
customer satisfaction.

Doing something excellently has its own intrinsic joy,
which I think is the greatest benefit of Quality.

Lesson # 5: Build self-confidence
Self-confidence comes from a positive attitude even in
adverse situations. Self-confident people assume
responsibility for their mistakes and share credit
with their team members.

They are able to distinguish between what is in their
control and what is not. They do not waste their
energies on events that are outside their control and
hence they can take setbacks in their stride.

Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without
your consent.

Lesson # 6: Learn to work in teams

The challenges ahead are so complex that no individual
will be able to face them alone. While most of our
education is focused in individual strength, teaming
with others is equally important. You cannot fire a
missile from a canoe. Unless you build a strong
network of people with complimentary skills, you will
be restricted by your own limitations.

Globalisation has brought in people of different
origin, different upbringing and different cultures
together. Ability to become an integral part of a
cross-cultural team will be a must for your success.

Lesson # 7 Take care of yourself
The stress that a young person faces today while
beginning his or her career is the same as the last
generation faced at the time of retirement.

I have myself found that my job has become enormously
more complex over the last two or three years. Along
with mutual alertness, physical fitness will also
assume a great importance in your life.

You must develop your own mechanism for dealing with
stress. I have found that a daily jog for me, goes a
long way in releasing the pressure and building up
energy. You will need lots of energy to deal with the
challenges.

Unless you take care of yourself there is no way you
can take care of others.

Lesson # 8: Persevere
Finally, no matter what you decide to do in your life,
you must persevere. Keep at it and you will succeed,
no matter how hopeless it seems at times. In the last
three and half decades, we have gone through many
difficult times. But we have found that if we remain
true to what we believe in, we can surmount every
difficulty that comes in the way.

I remember reading this very touching story on
perseverance.

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking
about her little brother. All she knew was that he was
very sick and they had no money left. They were moving
to a smaller house because they could not afford to
stay in the present house after paying the doctor’s
bills. Only a very costly surgery could save him now
and there was no one to loan them the money.

When she heard daddy say to her tearful mother with
whispered desperation, ‘Only a miracle can save him
now’, the child went to her bedroom and pulled a glass
jar from its hiding place in the closet.

She poured all the change out on the floor and counted
it carefully.

Clutching the precious jar tightly, she slipped out
the back door and made her way six blocks to the local
drug Store. She took a quarter from her jar and placed
it on the glass counter.

“And what do you want?” asked the pharmacist. “It’s
for my little brother,” the girl answered back. “He’s
really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.”

“I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.

“His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing
inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can
save him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don’t sell miracles here, child. I’m sorry,” the
pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little girl.

“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t
enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how
much it costs.”

In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped
down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a
miracle does you brother need?”

“I don’t know,” she replied with her eyes welling up.
“He’s really sick and mommy says he needs an
operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have
brought my savings”.

“How much do you have?” asked the man. “One dollar and
eleven cents, but I can try and get some more”, she
answered barely audibly.

“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar
and eleven cents — the exact price of a miracle for
little brothers.”

He took her money in one hand and held her hand with
the other. He said, “Take me to where you live. I want
to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see
if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a
surgeon, specialising in neuro-surgery. The operation
was completed without charge and it wasn’t long before
Andrew was home again and doing well.

“That surgery,” her mom whispered, “was a real
miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?”

The little girl smiled. She knew exactly how much the
miracle cost … one dollar and eleven cents … plus
the faith of a little child.

Perseverance can make miracles happen.

Lesson # 9: Have a broader social vision
For decades we have been waiting for some one who will
help us in ‘priming the pump’ of the economy.

The government was the logical choice for doing it,
but it was strapped for resources. Other countries
were willing to give us loans and aids but there was a
limit to this.

In the millennium of the mind, knowledge-based
industries like Information Technology are in a unique
position to earn wealth from outside. While earning is
important, we must have mechanisms by which we use it
for the larger good of our society.

Through the Azim Premji Foundation, we have targeted
over the next 12 months to enrol over a million
children, who are out of school due to economic or
social reasons.

I personally believe that the greatest gift one can
give to others is the gift of education. We who have
been so fortunate to receive this gift know how
valuable it is.

Lesson # 10: Never let success go to your head
No matter what we achieve, it is important to remember
that we owe this success to many factors and people
outside us. This will not only help us in keeping our
sense of modesty and humility intact but also help us
to retain our sense of proportion and balance.

The moment we allow success to build a feeling or
arrogance, we become vulnerable to making bad
judgements.

Let me illustrate this with another story:

A lady in faded dress and her husband, dressed in a
threadbare suit, walked in without an appointment into
the office of the president of the most prestigious
educational institution in America.

The secretary frowned at them and said, “He will be
busy all day.”

“We will wait,” said the couple quietly.

The secretary ignored them for hours hoping they will
go away. But they did not. Finally, the secretary
decided to disturb the president, hoping they will go
way quickly once they meet him.

The president took one look at the faded dresses and
glared sternly at them. The lady said, “Our son
studied here and he was very happy. A year ago, he was
killed in an accident. My husband and I would like to
erect a memorial for him on the campus.”

The president was not touched. He was shocked. “Madam,
we cannot put up a statue for every student of ours
who died. This place would look like a cemetery.”

“Oh, no,” the lady explained quickly, “we don’t want
to erect a statue. We thought we would give a building
to you.”

“A building?” exclaimed the president, looking at
their worn out clothes. “Do you have any idea how much
a building costs? Our buildings cost close to ten
million dollars!”

The lady was silent. The president was pleased and
thought this would get rid of them.

The lady looked at her husband. “If that is what it
costs to start a university, why don’t we start our
own?” Her husband nodded.

Mr and Mrs Leland Stanford walked away, travelling to
Palo Alto, California, where they established the
university as a memorial to their son, bearing their
name - the Stanford University.

The story goes that this is how Stanford University
began.

I wish you every success in your career and your
future life.

एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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Re: SHARE ANY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE WITH MEMBERS HERE.
« Reply #82 on: January 12, 2008, 01:21:13 PM »
Hello All

 

For Your Kind Information

 

Please
Be Extremely Careful
especially if using internet mail 

This information arrived this morning direct from both Microsoft and Norton.
Please send it to everybody you know who has access to the Internet.
You may receive an apparently harmless email with a Power Point presentation

'Life is beautiful.'
If you receive it DO NOT OPEN THE FILE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES , and delete it immediately.
If you open this file, a message will appear on your screen saying: 'It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful.'
Subsequently you will LOSE EVERYTHING IN YOUR PC and the person who sent it to you will gain access to your name, e-mail and password.
This is a new virus which started to circulate on Saturday afternoon.
AOL has already confirmed the severity, and the antivirus software's are not capable of destroying it.
The virus has been created by a hacker who calls himself 'life owner.'

PLEASE SEND A COPY OF THIS EMAIL TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS and ask them to PASS IT ON IMMEDIATELY

 

 


एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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चजई कुमाउनीगढ़वाली राजभाषा कैसे बने?
कुछ जागरूक नागारिकोँ ने कुमाउनी तथा गढ़वाली को उत्तराखंड की राजभाषा के रुप मैं प्रतिस्थापित करने की मांग की. कभी कभार इस विषय मैं बहस चलती रहती है,परन्तु सच तो यह है कि कुमाउनी तथा गढ़वाली भाषा है ही नहीं. yah bolee की श्रेणी मैं आती हैं. Or bolee हर पांच सात किलोमीटर मैं बदल जाती हैं हालांकि मोटे तौर पर उसका स्वरूप वही रहता है. भाषा का दर्जा प्राप्त करने कि लिए लिपि का होना आवश्यक है. इस समय यह देवनागरी मैं लिखी जाती है. कुमाउनी अति सम्रद्ध हैं. इसका साहित्य परिपूर्ण है. अब तो कुमाउनी तथा गढ़वाली मैं CD कैसेट व फिल्मोंभरमार है. दोनों अति भावपूर्ण बोलियाँ हैं, इनका भावार्थ समझने के लिए बहुत कुछ समझना व समझाना होगा. जैसे कोई बुजुर्ग किसी चंचल बाला को भावातिरेक हो, प्यार स्वरूप उलाहना देते हुई खर्युनी कहता है और वह लाडली अल्हर बालिका मंद मुस्कान लिए मुदित मन से इठलाती हुई चपल चितवन से निहारते हुई खेतों की और सरपट भाग जाती है. दुर्गन्ध को ही लें. कपरे जलने की दुर्गन्ध को हन्त्रीं, मिट्टी से आती गंध को मतें कहते है. इसी प्रकार गुवैन, किह्नाएँ, कुकैं, सनाएँ, भैसें आदि कहा जाता है. अन्य भाषाओँ मैं इतने विभिन्न प्रकार के शब्द नहीं पाए जाते. अंग्रेजी मैं जो लिखा जाता है वैसा पढ़ नहिउन जाता. जैसे बी उ टी बुत है तो पी उ टी पुट होता है. मात्र २६ अक्षरों हनी के बाबजूद इसकी उच्चारण शैली पूर्ण विकसित है. इस कारन अंगरेजी पूरे संसार की मान्य भाषा है. कुमाउनी को भाषा का स्थान देने के लिए देवनागिरी लिपि के लुप्त प्रे सब्दोँ का पुनः समावेश करना होगा, जैसे हलन्त, दीर्घ, विशार्ग, चन्द्रबिन्दु आदि का प्रयोअग करना होगा. संस्कृत सब भासोँ कि जननी है. संस्कृत से मदद लेकर देवनागरी को कुमाउनी लिखने योग्य बनाना होगा. इसका मानकीकरण कर, उच्चारण शैली विकसित करनी होगी तथा इसका सब्द्कोस बनाना होगा. इसका मानकीकरण कर उच्चारण शैली विकसित करनी होगी बिना व्याकरण के भाषा नहीं बन सकती, अतः इसका व्याकरण भी विकसित करमा होगा. अतः मैं समझता हूँ कि सबसे अवश्कीय है, स्याम को कुमाउनी या परेड कहने-कहलाने मैं गौरवान्वित महसूस करमा तथा कुमाउनी या गढ़वाली बोलने की पहल करना. इस प्रकार की सामूहिक पायल ही कुमाउनीतथा गढ़वालिऊ को भाषा के रुप मैं प्रतिस्थापित कर पायेगी. भाषा बनने के पशात हे कुमाउनी तथा गढ़वाली को राजभाषा का स्थान प्राप्त हो सक्गा. इस यथार्थ को जल्दी समझना हे ठीक होगा.


http://dnbarola.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post.html

एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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ताल में निवास करने वाले शिव रूपी तालेश्वर की आज रात होगी पूजाJan 15, 01:59 am

झूलाघाट (पिथौरागढ़)। भारत नेपाल सीमा पर स्थित तालेश्वर नामक स्थान पर सोमवार की रात को विशेष मेला लगेगा। श्रद्धालु ताल में निवास करने वाले शिव की पूजा करेगे। प्रात: चार बजे ताल में पत्तों में दीपक रखकर प्रवाहित किये जायेंगे। जिससे कुछ देर तक काली नदी का नजारा बदल जायेगा।

भारत नेपाल सीमा पर झूलाघाट कस्बे से लगभग सात किमी दूरी पर स्थित तालेश्वर स्थानीय स्तर पर बेहद पवित्र माना जाता है। पौष माह की अंतिम रात्रि को यहां पर विशाल धार्मिक मेला लगता है। इस स्थान का नाम तालेश्वर पड़ने का कारण यहां पर शिव के ताल में निवास करना बताया जाता है। यूं तो यहां प्रतिदिन भारी संख्या में श्रद्धालु पहुंचते है परन्तु उत्तरायणी की पहली रात यहां के लिये विशेष होती है। तालेश्वर में मंदिर में पूजा नहीं होकर ताल में पूजा होती है। प्रसिद्ध ध्वज नामक चोटी से निकलने वाला एक नाला कई किमी के बाद बड़े नाले के रूप में यहां पर काली नदी में मिलता है। काली नदी में मिलने से पूर्व लगभग पचास मीटर दूर नाले में एक अद्भुत ताल है मान्यताओं के अनुसार इस ताल में शिव का निवास है। जिसके चलते तालेश्वर नामक स्थान पर मंदिर नहीं है।

भारत और नेपाल दोनो देशों की स्थानीय जनता उत्तरायणी की पूर्व संध्या पर यहां पहुंचती है। रात भर यहां मनौतियों के लिये पूजा अर्चना की जाती है। जिसके लिये तल्ला बगड़, झूलाघाट, पीपली, गर्खा, अस्कोट, सेल सल्ला, खर्कदेश, मड़मानले, नया देश, सौन पट्टी सहित नेपाल के लोग यहां पहुंचने शुरू हो चुके है। रात भर भजन कीर्तन और मनौती के लिये अराधना के बाद रात्रि के अंतिम प्रहर पर यहां दीपों का प्रकाश अपनी अनौखी छठा बिखेरेगा। ब्राह्म मुर्हूत में श्रद्धालु पत्तों में दीप जलाकर ताल में छोड़ेगे। असंख्य दीप ताल से होते हुए काली नदी में तैरते है। यह दृश्य अपने आप में एक अलौकिक दृश्य रहता है। काली नदी में कई किमी दूर तक प्रात: के धुंधलके में दीप बहते नजर आते है।

हेम पन्त

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Re: SHARE ANY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE WITH MEMBERS HERE.
« Reply #85 on: January 15, 2008, 10:40:18 AM »
Jai ho Taleshwar Mahadev ki..... Is mandir mein jaane ka saubhagya mujhe bhi prapt hua hai.... Kaali nadi jo Nepal-India ka border banati hai...usme India ki side par hai ye Taal... Jiske prati us poore ilaake ke logo ki bahut jyada shraddha hai.... Log kai KMs Paidal chalkar yahaan pauchte hain..Taleshwar baba aap sab logo ka bhala karein..

एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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Bred: protein-rich corn as good as milk - developed uttarakhand scientist
« Reply #86 on: January 22, 2008, 04:41:11 PM »
New Delhi - A variety of corn with extra protein developed by scientists in Uttarakhand may be the first of a series of designer crops that India plans to develop without genetic modification involving alien genes. 
Scientists at the Vivekananda Paravtiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan in Almora last week announced that a variety of corn they had produced through a combination of modern biology and traditional breeding had a protein quality that approached that of milk.

Standard corn, maize, is the third-largest cereal crop grown in India, but is deficient in lysine and tryptophan, two key amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. Now, the Vivekananda scientists have created a hybrid with 30 per cent higher lysine and 40 per cent higher tryptophan than in ordinary maize.

This was achieved through marker-assisted breeding, a technique in which scientists painstakingly screen segments of the genome in genetically distinct varieties of corn to find the right combination of two corn varieties to cross.

“This technique does not involve insertion of a gene from any other organism into the crops. So, it won’t draw any concerns about environment or health,” said Pawan Agrawal, a scientist at the biotechnology division of the institute.

The high-protein corn was created by repeated breeding experiments aimed at inserting traits of a variety called QPM, discovered in the 1960s by an international maize research institute in Mexico, into an indigenous variety called Vivek 9.

The increase in the levels of these amino acids makes the protein in this corn approach the quality of milk protein, Agrawal said. The yield of this variety is about 10 per cent higher than that of its indigenous parent.

The marker-assisted breeding technique also speeded up the creation of a new variety. Traditional breeding would have taken about 10 years, while the genetic screening methodology made the feat possible in about three years, Agrawal said.

“This is significant. Although we have already commercialised a few varieties of high-protein corn, this work combines QPM with an attractive variety,” said Samar Bahadur Singh at the Directorate of Maize Research in Delhi.

The Centre’s department of biotechnology will launch a programme to create more such designer crops with beneficial agricultural traits, without genetic engineering, said biotechnology secretary M.K. Bhan. “We’ll use the transgenic route when there is no other route, otherwise we’ll proceed with marker-assisted breeding wherever possible.”

A panel of experts has been asked to draw up a list of crops of interest, Bhan said. Among the candidate crops are rice, wheat, chickpea, oil seeds, uradbean and mungbean, said R.R. Sinha, adviser in the biotechnology department.

In genetic modification involving alien genes, crops are given new properties through the insertion of genes from other species - either bacteria or from other plants.

http://www.checkbiotech.org/green_News_Genetics.aspx?infoId=16732
 

एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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काकेश की कतरनें.(Kakesh’s KudKud)
« Reply #87 on: January 23, 2008, 05:21:47 PM »
काकेश की कतरनें.(Kakesh’s KudKud)
मेरी भावना का आईना आपके लिये…(Mirror of My feelings


आमा और जंबू का धुंगार..

पूरा पढ़ने के लिये यहाँ क्लिक करें...

http://kakesh.com/?p=287

एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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Re: SHARE ANY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE WITH MEMBERS HERE.
« Reply #88 on: February 02, 2008, 11:05:13 AM »
Flip side of growth

When Infrastructure Can Lead To Impoverishment

By Bharat Jhunjhunwala

The Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has said that the 11th Plan aims “not only at faster economic growth but also inclusive growth so that fruits of development reach the aam aadmi”. The Plan has placed special emphasis on infrastructure ~ both urban and rural. “Many people think of infrastructure as relevant only for economic growth; (but) it is also relevant for inclusiveness,” he said in an interview.
It is heartening that he is concerned about inclusiveness. But we have been hearing the same for the last 200 years. Even the British proclaimed that development of the telephone, telegraph and railway network was essential for economic development. Yet India’s share in world income fell from 21 per cent at the beginning of British rule to two per cent at the end.
A similar trend is noticeable since independence. In recent years our villages have been given access to mobile phones, cable TV, diesel pumps and bus services. Yet the exodus to the cities continues unabated. The rural youth are eking out a livelihood by washing dishes in dhabas and cleaning trucks. Indeed, the development of infrastructure runs parallel to impoverishment.

Where the problem lies

The problem lies in the nature or direction of infrastructure. The road to the village can be used by the doctor to come for a visit; or it can be used to reach the sugarcane to the city. The electricity supply line can be used to reach power generated in nuclear power station to the village; or it can be used to supply power generated from rural windmills to the city. The direction in which the infrastructure is used determines who gains and who loses.
Sweet water from the Indira Gandhi canal has reached my ancestral village Malsisar in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district through pipelines. An all-weather road has been constructed. It is used to transport the local produce to the markets. Guar (a plant grown as a vegetable and for gum used in the food and paper industries) is cultivated in the area and reached to the processing factories. The water pipeline and the road have had a reverse impact though both are in the “infrastructure”. The pipeline reaches water to the village while the road extracts resources from the village.
Dadua village in Tehri district of Uttarakhand is facing a shortage of drinking water. Women trek many kilometres with pots on their heads to the nearest spring. The village is situated three kilometres above the banks of the Alaknanda river. The locals have demanded that drinking water be pumped from the river as being done in nearby Bagwan town. The proposal must be gathering dust in government files.
On the other hand, the government is going ahead with a dam on the same river. Section 17 of the Land Acquisition Act, which was promulgated for such eventualities as a war, is being invoked to acquire land forcibly from unwilling farmers. The dam is likely to have a negative impact on the environment. Temperatures will decline, agricultural yield will suffer, mosquitoes will proliferate increasing the risk of malaria, poisonous methane gas will be emitted from the reservoir and river water will have less oxygen.
The dam is a curse for the local people, but will provide power to run air-conditioners of officers sitting at Dehra Dun. The pumping station to supply water to Dadua and the dam to supply power to Dehra Dun are both part of the infrastructure. But one is a relief while the other will go against the interests of the aam aadmi.
The British had laid the telephone and telegraph network. This enabled traders in Manchester to know the price of cotton in India and to place orders accordingly. The major objective of the railways was to transport cotton from Maharashtra and indigo from Bihar to England.
Our farmers received a lower price for these exports as trade was controlled by the British traders and sea transport was expensive. As a result, India was impoverished while England prospered thanks to the development of India’s infrastructure.
Examples are available in the other direction as well. For the past decade, the Internet facility has been available in Gurgaon and Mysore. The BPO industry is booming. Indian companies are demanding and getting substantial prices for their services. This has led to the flow of global wealth to India.
Infrastructure can be compared to the child’s sea-saw. Two children can play equally happily. But if one is too heavy then he sits pretty and lifts the other higher. The latter urges the “big bully” to bring him down. The sea-saw signifies for the bully and curse for the little boy. Infrastructure offers a similar analogy. It connects the village and the city, India and England and Gurgaon and New York. But who gains and who loses depends upon who is stronger in the bargaining process. Thus the all-weather road at Malsisar, the hydropower dam on the Alaknanda and the rail lines laid by the British led to impoverishment. On the other hand, water supply pipeline at Malsisar and Dadua and Internet lines at Gurgaon have led to development.
Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia have consistently laid stress on infrastructure without raising the issue of prices and bargaining power. They have never spoken of the need to raise the prices of rural produce and lowering the prices of urban products so that the lives of the rural populace can be improved. By maintaining a studied silence on this critical issue, they unwittingly ensure the impoverishment of the rural people. the poor and the aam aadmi. 

Bargaining power

The building of infrastructure should be preceded by economic policies that strengthen the bargaining power of the aam aadmi against the urban sector. For example, high import tax can be imposed on cheap cloth being produced on automatic looms in China. This will lead to a higher price of cloth, revive the handlooms and empower the rural artisans to demand a higher price for their produce. In that scenario, a road in Malsisar will see more doctors travelling to the village and less trucks reaching rural resources to the city. Or, higher import tax can be imposed on cheap wheat being imported from Australia and America. This will strengthen the rural farmer against the urban consumer.
Such policies should precede development of rural infrastructure. Little wonder why Gandhiji demanded financial autonomy under British rule. He wanted India to have the freedom to make economic policies that would increase the price of Indian goods and lower the price of British goods. It is a sad commentary on India’s leaders that they have no place for such policies.

The writer is former Professor of Economics, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

एम.एस. मेहता /M S Mehta 9910532720

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'Cancer curing' cow urine available in India
« Reply #89 on: February 07, 2008, 10:40:07 AM »
'Cancer curing' cow urine available in India
By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi
Last Updated: 2:33am GMT 07/02/2008



India’s northern Uttarakhand state has launched a programme to buy 5000 litres of cow urine daily for use in an ancient system of herbal medicines and cosmetics known as Ayurveda.

   
The urine 'has the potential to fight disease'
State animal husbandry minister Trivendra Rawat said his department would begin collecting the urine for Rs 5 (0.064 pence) per litre from next month through a network of 1900 specially created milk cooperatives.

Officials said they would have 26 species of mountain cows as their urine had a 'richer' herbal residue content compared to what was available from the plains, with unique ingredients capable even of curing diseases like cancer.

“Cow urine had the same potential as allopathic medicines to fight disease,” Ayurvedic chemist Rakesh Bahuguna said.

The provincial government also plans on setting up a Cow Science and Technology Institute to research the medicinal values of cow urine and cow dung.

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And eventually it plans on creating a state-wide network by which cattle owners can interact directly with buyers who make a range of Ayurvedic pills and potions that claim to cure liver ailments, diabetes, asthma and hemorrhoids.

Ayurvedic products like Sanjivani Ark - a transparent urine-based potion - are marketed as treatment for cancer in addition to face creams, shampoos, memory pills and even aphrodisiacs, all of which are becoming popular in India as alternative, non-chemical commodities.

Several Spa and weight loss treatments are also increasingly being marketed as Ayurvedic remedies.

And while many Indian scientists and doctors believe in the efficacy of some Ayurvedic medicines, few agree that there is proof of cow urine enhancing their impact.

They also warn against blind faith in its curative powers.

“Supposedly successful experiments in no way vindicate the use of cow urine as a bio-enhancer,” Dr Ish Pal Singh Ghai said.

Deeper study needs to be carried out before we can even begin to consider its potential utility, he warned.
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/06/wcow106.xml

 

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