INDIA FROM INDEPENDENCE

Schedule of polling across India For 2009 Lok Sabha election

2009-04-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

POLLING FOR PHASE 1

Thursday April 16

Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Jammu & Kashmir

Kerala Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram

Nagaland Orissa Uttar Pradesh Chhattisgarh Jharkhand

Andaman & Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Lakshadweep

POLLING FOR PHASE 2

Thursday April 23

Andhra Pradesh Assam Bihar Goa Jammu & Kashmir

Karnataka Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Orissa

Tripura Uttar Pradesh Jharkhand

POLLING FOR PHASE 3

Thursday April 30

Bihar Gujarat Jammu & Kashmir Karnataka Madhya Pradesh Daman & Diu

Maharashtra Sikkim Uttar Pradesh West Bengal Dadra & Nagar Haveli

POLLING FOR PHASE 4

Thursday April 07

Bihar Haryana Jammu & Kashmir Punjab Rajasthan

Uttar Pradesh West Bengal NCT of Delhi

POLLING FOR PHASE 5

Thursday April 13

Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Punjab Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh

West Bengal Uttarakhand Pondicherry

Election Basics: Dictionary of Governance

AERO
The Election Commission of India appoints one or more Assistant Electoral Registration Officers to assist the Electoral Registration Officer in the performance of his functions in the matter of preparation/revision of electoral rolls.

AFSO
The Assistant Food and Supplies officer is the head of the block and functions under the control of the District Food & Supplies Officer as well as the District Food & Supplies Controller.

Age proof
You are required to show proof of age the first time you register to vote. You have to produce any of the following documents as proof:

* Passport
* Birth certificate
* State board exam certificate
* Driving license

Amendment
Changes in the Constitution can be implemented through amendments. Article 368 of the Constitution provides that amendments to the Constitution can take place in three ways.

They are:
* By simple majority of the Parliament: Amendments in this category can be made by a simple majority of members present and voting, before sending them for the Presidents assent.
* By special majority of the Parliament: Amendments can be made in this category by a two-third majority of the total number of members present and voting, which should not be less than half of the total membership of the house.
* By special majority of the Parliament and ratification by at least half of the state legislatures by special majority. After this, it is sent to the President for his assent. Anything which you want to amend under Article 368 requires this kind of majority to be proved.

Article
Articles in the constitution of India will be referred to specific provisions one by one.

Assembly Constituency
A geographical area represented by a member of the Legislative Assembly. Each Parliamentary constituency is made up of an integral number of assembly constituencies.

Election Basics: Voting myths
1.I can vote only from my place of birth/permanent residence
2.I do not have sufficient proof of residence to register as a voter
3.Voter id card is essential for voting
4.Registering to vote is a very cumbersome process
5.The only 2 kinds of elections are parliamentry and assembly elections

1.I can vote only from my place of birth/permanent residence
Not true! You can register to vote from any place in India so long as you're an eligible voter i.e.

* You're an Indian citizen.
* You're 18 years of age or older.
* You've been an ordinary resident, which means that you've been staying at your current address for at least 6 months (not 5 years, another myth!).
* You're not registered elsewhere.

2. I do not have sufficient proof of residence to register as a voter
Are you sure? Most voters, who think they lack necessary documents, actually do have them. Did you know that the house lease agreement, mobile or landline bills or your driver's license are all accepted types of address proof documents? Moreover, this document is required only for the BLO (Booth Level Officer) to come and verify your residence status. It is therefore not essential for the address proof document to directly have your name, but needs to only have the address of the place where you are staying. You can use address proof document on the name of your parents, relatives, friends etc. with whom you are staying.

Students, who are eligible voters, can register even from their hostels by submitting the Student Declaration Form signed by their college dean/principal/registrar along with the voter registration form.

3. Voter id card is essential for voting
This is one of the most common voting myths! Though voter identification is required by most states during voting, Voter ID card is not the only form of identification that is accepted. The Election Commission of India accepts most of the common documents as identity proof such as PAN card, driving license, ration card, student's ID card, passport etc. In any case, it's a good idea to get your Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) since the Election Commission may make it mandatory in the future.

What is essential for voting however is that your name should be mentioned in the latest voters list of your constituency. How do you get to know that now? Simple, use our online voter search engine.

4. Registering to vote is a very cumbersome process
We would have agreed with you, but not anymore! Now you can easily register to vote on this website with the following steps:

* Fill out the online voter registration form on the Jaago Re! website (www.jaagore.com). It's easy and takes only 3 minutes!
* Take a printout of PDF form (4 pages) generated after you complete your online registration. Take the printout of the main voter registration form (2 pages) in back-to-back format and fill in other details (eg. name of family members already registered), if applicable
* Sign and submit this Form along with necessary address proof and identity proof document, at the office of your local Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). You will find this address and its location on your city map which you can see on the first page of the PDF form generated online. DO NOT forget to ask the receipt for your application.
* Confirm your form submission with Jaago Re! by messaging *"vote confirm" to 56767 from your mobile number, as registered under your profile.

Once your address verification is completed by a government official (BLO), your name will be included in the next revision of voter lists for your city. We will track and confirm your status of voter registration by email and SMS, as soon as your city voter lists get revised!

5. The only 2 kinds of elections are parliamentry and assembly elections
As a registered voter you can vote in more than 2 elections! Besides Parliamentary and Assembly elections, you can also vote in your Local Body Elections or Municipal Elections (as called in cities).

India has a 3 tier federal structure with governments at the union, state and local levels. In cities, the Municipal Corporation is your Local Body or Local Government, and you can vote in Municipal Elections once every 5 years to elect your Corporator or Councilor. They in turn elect the municipal council and the mayor, who take all major decisions affecting your city.

To learn more about how your city's governance works, please visit your respective CITY page on this website. In villages, the Gram Panchayat functions as the Local Government with elections once every 5 years.

Additionally, if you are residing at Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra or Uttar Pradesh and belong either to Teacher's Constituency or Graduate Constituency, you are also eligible to vote for Legislative Council elections, to elect your MLC.

Election Basics: Who does what
Ever wondered what are the different types of government and their fu nctions? Let's re-learn our basics.

To begin with, the Legislation of the government has the power to mak e laws upon a specific subject. And these powers are separated in India by means of three lis t's - the union list, the state list and the concurrent list. These powers are then divided o r rather shared between the central government, the parliament and the state government. The state government is also known as the state legislature (bet you didn't know that).
1. Functions of union government
2. Functions of state government
3. Importance of local government
4. What does local government do?
5. Type of local governments
6. Functions of urban local governments
7. Functions of village local governments

1. Functions of union government

* The subjects in this list includes subjects of national importance like defense, foreign affairs, atomic energy, banking, post, telegraph, custom duties, inter- state and national highways, railroads and taxation of income.

2. Functions of state government

* The state list contains 66 subjects of state importance on which the state governments can make laws.
* These subjects include police, local governments, trade, commerce and agriculture. In times of national and state emergency, the power to make laws on these subjects is transferred to the Parliament.
* The concurrent list contains 47 subjects on which both the Parliament and the state legislatures can make laws. It includes criminal and civil procedure, marriage and divorce, education, economic planning, labor welfare, social security and trade unions.
* However, in case of a conflict between a law made by the central government and a law made by the state legislatures, the law made by the central government will obviously prevail.
* The local governments allow further decentralization or distribution of power and allow people to participate in the functioning of the Government.

3. Importance of local government

* India is a vast country. It is not efficient to go to the Union or State government for every decision or issue. Therefore in addition to Union and State we have local governments that are closer to the people.
* The government at the Centre of the State may not understand the local problems. The local people.s leader best represent the people in the city or in the village.
* The residents of a city are better acquainted with and have easier access to their local representatives; this makes the leader more accountable.
* It is more economical to have decisions made locally to suit the local needs and conditions.
* In a sense, when you decentralize power you also decentralize corruption.

4. What does local government do?

* Local governments are institutions of self government.
* They have political, functional and economic power for good governance.
* They provide basic services and infrastructure that are indispensable to our well being.

5. Type of local governments

* The rural governments are Village Panchayats.
* The Urban local governments are either Municipal councils or Municipal Corporation.

6. Functions of urban local governments

* Water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes
* Public health, sanitation and solid waste management
* Fire services
* Public amenities including streetlights, parking lots and bus stops
* Urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens and playgrounds
* Roads and bridges
* Slum improvement, urban poverty alleviation
* Maintenance of burial grounds
* Registration of births and deaths
* Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries
* Urban planning including town planning
* Regulation of land use and construction of buildings

7. Functions of village local governments

* Look after street lights, construction and repair work of the roads in the villages and also the village markets, fairs, festivals and celebrations.
* Keep a record of birth, deaths and marriages in the village.
* Look after public health and hygiene by providing facilities for sanitation and drinking water.
* Provide for education.
* Implement development schemes for agriculture and animal husbandry.

As urban citizens, we sometimes fail to recognize the crucial role the government plays in providing us a better quality of life. Compared to union or state elections, the local elections have the least voter turnout.

2008-07-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

About KANNADA Language

KANNADA is the third oldest language of India . ( After . . Sanskrit & Tamil )

KANNADA is as old as 2000 years.

KANNADA is 99.99% perfect - logically and scientifically.

KANNADA as got 7 Gnana Peetha Awards . Look at other languages . . . Hindi -- 6, Telugu - 2, Malay alam - 3, Tamil - 2 ( Second one during 2005 )
Shri VINOBA BHAVE called KANNADA script as QUEEN OF WORLD SCRIPTS
- " Vishwa LipigaLa RaaNi - KANNADA

So called International language -- English do es not have its own

Script. English is written in " ROMAN "

So called National Language -- Hindi do es not have its own script.

Hindi is written in " Deva nagari "

Though Tamil has a script, logically it is imperfect -- as common
letters are used for many pronunciations.

KANNADA is as old as 2000 years. You can write what you speak and you can read what you write.

When " Kaviraja Maarga was written .. . ." kaaveriyinda ,
gOdaavarivaregirpa ... " by Amogha Varsha Nripathumga, English was in
cradle & Hindi was not born at all.

KANNADA is the only indian language for wh ich a foreigner(Kittal) wrote a dictionary( Shabda Kosha)
Ragale Saahithya can be seen only in KANNADA which is of a rare and different kind of literature.

Number of literature awards KUVEMPU got, was highest among any
Indian author s .

http://in.f86.mail.yahoo.com/ym/in/ShowLetter?box=Inbox&MsgId=4844_9767464_84432_3414_14615_0_6739_48008_1548646057&bodyPart=4&YY=6808&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b&Idx=3Chandassu (shatpadis) out pared all other languages
So Let us have PRIDE in using KANNADA

Be proud of being a KANNADIGA
Forward this to all your friends and let them also be PROUD to be KANNADIGAS ..

" SIRIGANNADAM GELGE "

KANNADA is no ordinary Language.

FACTS TO MAKE EVERY Indian PROUD

2008-07-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

FACTS TO MAKE EVERY Indian PROUD

Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard (hp) ?

A. Rajiv Gupta

Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?

A. Vinod Dahm

Q. Who is the third richest man on the world?

A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is Azim Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6 th position now.

Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?

A. Sabeer Bhatia

Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?

A. Arun Netravalli

Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?

A. Sanjay Tejwrika

Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart?

A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar.

Q. We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America , even faring better than the whites and the natives.

There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,
38% of doctors in USA are Indians.

12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.

34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.

28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are! Indians.

Some of the following facts may be known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA .

1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.

2. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.

3. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4 th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.

5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.

6. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.

7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word 'Navigation' is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.

8. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now known as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6 th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.

9. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11 th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10 53.

10.. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.

11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.

12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

13. Chess was invented in India .

14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones.. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .

15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley ( Indus Valley Civilisation).

16. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.

Quotes about India .

"We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made."
Albert Einstein.

" India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition."
Mark Twain.

" If there is one place on the face of earth where all dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India."
French scholar Romain Rolland.

" India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border."
Hu Shih (former Chinese ambassador to USA )

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS.
BUT, if we don't see even a glimpse of that great India in the India that we see today, it clearly means that we are not working up to our potential; and that if we do, we could once again be an evershining and inspiring country setting a bright path for rest of the world to follow.
I hope you enjoyed it and work towards the welfare of INDIA .

Please forward this to all known INDIANS................

Great Tourist Places of INDIA

2008-06-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

"THE SYMBOL OF LOVE" THE GREAT TAJ MAHAL"....

"THE PALACE OF JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN"

"THE MYSORE PALACE, KARNATAKA"

Greatest India

2008-06-02T02:17:00.000-07:00

Lavasa, is India’s largest Hill Station.

Lavasa is located in the western mountain ranges of India, Lavasa is very near to the two major metropolises, Mumbai and Pune.

Lavasa is part of 25,000 acres of land declared as "Hill Station", with an extensive Master Plan covering half that area, it is built around the 20 kms long Warasgaon Lake.There are five access routes to Lavasa, one of which is enhanced and developed. This is the Chandni Chowk- Pune road to Lavasa which offers a similar quality drive as one experiences on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

This road makes Lavasa approximately an hour's (around 65 kms) drive from Pune and almost 3.5 hours away from Mumbai (around 200 kms).

Lavasa offers a vibrant, self-contained world which is part of 25,000* acres of land declared as Hill Station with an extensive Master Plan covering half that area. The rest of the region is left untouched to preserve the natural beauty.

Cradled in the heart of mystic Sahyadri mountain range, Lavasa is well connected to both Pune and Mumbai.

Envisioned as a complete Hill Station offering a balanced life in harmony with nature, Lavasa is an aspirational destination for lifestyle seekers.

Based on the principles of New Urbanism, the Master Plan of Lavasa has been developed by internationally renowned design consultant HOK, USA.

A far escape from the noise and chaos of the big cities, Lavasa is a complete world in itself.

The lakeside homes enveloped inside the natural surroundings of the mountains are replete with all the modern amenities. Workplace cocooned in the pristine valley, yet connected globally gives people an opportunity to explore a whole new work culture.

A hub for world-class educational institutions, hospitality and training centers, it's an arena for the mind where learning is a way of life.

A refreshing climate with vast open spaces provides innumerable recreation and leisure activities like golf, trekking, rappelling…to satiate the adventurer in you.

Hotels in Lavasa

South City Mall

Eastern India’s largest mall, set up at an estimated investment of Rs 650 crore, was thrown open to the public here on 2008.

Spread over one million sq ft on Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata, South City Mall will house 134 retailers over five levels.

They include brands such as Pantaloons, Shopper’s Stop, Marks & Spencer, Wills Lifestyle, Lacoste, Wrangler Levis, Raymond, Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Lladro, Swarosvki, Hidesign, etc.

South City Mall will also house Kolkata’s first six-screen multiplex that would operate under the Fame Cinemas umbrella. It will also have the largest Spencer’s Hypermart in Kolkata that would be spread over 72,000 sq ft. The food court area covers 75,000 sq ft and provides both fine dining and fast food options.

Check out their Official Website : South City Mall.

Victoria Memorial Hall

The Victoria Memorial Hall was opened in 1921. It is also a museum where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India and develop a pride in their past especially in relation to the history of Calcutta . Lord Curzon conceived it. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Calcutta, India, under the Department of Culture, Government of India.

The cost of Smoking per Year by a Smoker...

2008-06-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

The cost of…..
Smoking

You know Tobacco is a killer and how hard it is to quit. The average smoker dies an average 10 years sooner than his fresh lunged friends. Not convincing? How about money? Here’s what one year of smoking can cost you.

Research says the average adult’s inhales 7,300 sticks a year.
You’ll need 365 packs of smokes.
You’ll pay Rs 29,200.

Research says Tobacco yellows teeth and restricts blood flow to the gums, causing eventual tooth loss.
You’ll need tooth whitening.
You’ll pay Rs 1,200.

Research says lighting up incites heartburn and peptic ulcers. It can also damage the liver and may cause gallstones.
You’ll need antacids and a trip to the gastroenterologist.
You’ll pay Rs 1,580

Research says smokers are four times likelier to go blind from age-related macular degeneration.
You’ll need lutein supplements for your eyes.
You’ll pay Rs 760.

Research says puffers have a higher risk of skin cancer.
You’ll need visits to a dermatologist or even a surgery.
You’ll pay Rs 42,500.

Research says men with high BP who smoke a pack a day are 60 per cent more likely than non-smokers to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
You’ll need some little blue pills for the bedroom.
You’ll pay Rs 450.

TOTAL: Rs 75,690

ARE WE INDIANS POOR!!!!!!!! READ THIS

2008-05-16T01:06:00.000-07:00

INDIANS ARE POOR ?????????????????????

but INDIA IS NOT A POOR COUNTRY -
says ONE OF THE SWISS BANK DIRECTOR.

He says that 108 LAKH CRORES INDIAN MONEY DEPOSITED IN SWISS BANK.

THE SAME MONEY CAN BE USED FOR TAXLESS BUDGET FOR 30YEARS...

AND ALSO CAN GIVE JOBS TO ALL INDIANS,

AND ALSO CAN GIVE FREE EDUCATION TO ALL INDIANS....

THINK, HOW OUR MONEY BLOCKED BY POLITICIANS??????

WE HAVE FULL RIGHTS AGAINST POLITICIANS....

KALAM'S SPEECH ABOUT INDIA'S PRESENT STATUS

2008-05-09T03:33:00.000-07:00

The President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam 's Speech in Hyderabad . *
Why is the media here so negative?

Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our
achievements?
We are such a great nation.
We have so many amazing success
stories but we refuse to acknowledge them.
Why? We are the first in milk production.

We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.

We are the second largest producer of wheat.

We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The
Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so
NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign
things? We want foreign T. Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign
technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that
self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this
lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal
in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India .
For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India
is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation. Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is
yours.
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a
face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International
best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in
the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay
$5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim
Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking
lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or
a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity... In Singapore you
don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during
Ramadan, in Dubai . YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered
in Jeddah . YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange
in London at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD
calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph
(88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop,
'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son.
Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell
anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and NewZealand.
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ?
Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system, in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and
cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an
involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the
same here in India ?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay , Mr.Tinaikar , had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said. 'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the
authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan . Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms
but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to
the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of ? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far
away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is
mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great
deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing J. F.
Kennedy 's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA
AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'
Lets do what India needs from us. Thank you, Dr. Abdul Kalaam

HERE IS SOME OF THE FACT OF INDIA'S PRESENT STATUS....

READ THIS......

WHY WHY INDIA IS NOT YET DEVELOPED???????

THOUGH POPULATION IS 100 CRORE???????

B'COZ

7.9CRORE ARE RETIRED PEOPLES

30 CRORE ARE IN STATE GOVT. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

17 CRORE ARE IN CENTRAL GOVT..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOTH DONT WORK

1.1 CRORE ARE IT PROFESSIONALS..!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY DONT WORK FOR INDIA..?????

25 CRORE IN SCHOOL, BUILDING THEIR FUTURES...........

2 CRORE UNDER 5 YEARS,,

DONT KNOW WAT DO U MEAN BY COUNTRY..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15 CRORE ARE UNEMPLOYED..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WILLING TO WORK TO LIVE FOR THEMSELVES,
NOT THINKING ABOUT THE COUNTRY At ALL........

1.2 CRORE U CAN FIND ANYTIME IN HOSPITALS,

FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND STATISTICS SAYS

79,99,997 PEOPLE ARE IN JAIL,
NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE COUNTRY,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REMAINING TWO ARE YOU AND ME..............

U ARE BUSY IN READING MY BLOG..............

AND HOW CAN I HANDLE INDIA ALONE.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE HELP ME IN TAKING CARE OF MY COUNTRY, OUR COUNTRY.....

Muslim couple, a Hindu daughter and a wedding

2008-04-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's a Hindu-Muslim story with perhaps few parallels. On Friday, a Muslim couple solemnised the marriage of their daughter Babita, born to Hindu parents, as per Hindu rituals in the Naini area here.

A purohit solemnised the marriage, the couple made seven rounds of the holy fire to solemnise their union, and to uphold the sanctity of the marriage, Ghulam Mohammad and Rashida Begum requested Dhyanchandra Kuswaha and his wife to perform the Kanya Daan. Being Muslims, they could not do it themselves.

It was another turn in a story that began 14 years ago, when Ghulam Mohammad and Rashida Begum adopted Babita. They had only two sons and desire for a daughter prompted them to adopt her. Her father Chander Yadav had died in 1994, and soon after, her mother Drupathi Devi also fell ill. Before Drupathi died, Ghulam and his wife adopted Babita and assured her of treating her as their own child.

By all accounts, they kept their promise and Babita was as pampered by them as their sons.

A few months ago, Rashida asked her husband to search for a suitable groom for Babita. However, they were in a dilemma - should Babita be married to a Muslim, or a Hindu? Finally, they decided that they would respect Babita's faith and look for a Hindu boy for her.

The search for a groom wasn't easy though. Wherever Ghulam, a contractor by profession, went, he had to face uneasy questions. Few Hindus appreciated the idea of associating their family with a girl was brought up in a Muslim family. Finally, Ganga Prasad Yadav, a resident of Barauli village, agreed to marry his son Babloo Yadav with Babita.

Ghulam's family then carefully ensured that all proper Hindu rituals were observed at the wedding. There was an engagement, and marriage cards were distributed carrying a picture of Lord Ganesha. Ghulam was mentioned as Babita's father in the card.

Over 2,000 people were invited to the wedding, which was solemnised in Ghulam's own house, not a rented hall or a hotel. Everyone in his family participated enthusiastically.

When Ghulam and his wife performed the vidai, even his neighbours turned couldn't stop their tears. Ghulam saw Babita off with all the necessary household items, like any Hindu father does for his daughter.

However, Ghulam doesn't think that what he and his wife did was anything extraordinary. "It was the marriage of my daughter," he said, "and I did what every father has been doing since ages."

Information on Politics of India

2008-04-28T04:01:00.000-07:00

Political parties in India

The Indian political parties are categorized into two main types. National level parties and state level parties. National parties are political parties which, participate in different elections all over India. For example, Indian National Congress, Bhartiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and some other parties. State parties or regional parties are political parties which, participate in different elections but only within one state. For example Shiv Sena participates only in Maharashtra, Telegu Desam in Andra Pradesh, Akali Dal in Punjab, Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and there are other such state parties. There are some small communist parties who participate only within one state. Some states have more than one state party. For example in Tamil Nadu another important state party is All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK). Because of these long party names many party names are abbreviated to their initials.

Some the political parties have their origin from before India's independence, for example, Indian National Congress, Forward Bloc, Akali Dal, National Conference and some other parties. Some of these parties were either social or political organization before India's independence and they became political parties after India's independence. But many of the present parties were established after India's independence. Members, who split from larger parties, established some of these parties. For example in the 1960s, Lok Dal was established by people who split from the Indian National Congress. Communist Party of India (Marxist) was established after the split in Communist Party of India and there are other such examples.

In Indian politics, there are political parties in which one person pulls all the strings. This feature existed even before India's independence, when Mahatma Gandhi was the father figure of the Indian National Congress until his death in 1948 even though he resigned from the Congress in 1933. Indira Gandhi for some period was in complete control of her party. Her party was also named, Congress (Indira). Shiv Sena is dominated by Bal Thakarey. Even when the Shiv Sena won the state elections in Maharashtra, Bal Thakarey handled the establishment of the state government but did not appoint himself as the Chief Minister but appointed someone else for this post.

Some of these parties, like the Shiv Sena in which one person pulls all the strings, have their stronghold in the public not because of their leader but because of party ideology. While other parties are completely dependable on the respect the leader of the party has in the public. One such party is Samata Party and its leader is George Fernandes. Another such party was Lok Shakti and its leader was Ramakrishna Hegde.

Many of the large national parties have a pre-election agreement with smaller parties on joint candidates in some constituencies. This candidate belongs to one of the parties and the other party supports this candidate. This is done to prevent a possibility of parties, with common national agenda or common state agenda, nominate their own different candidates causing the splitting of the votes of their wing and so losing the constituency to the rival wing.

In Indian politics there are also many independent candidates. These candidates participate in election constituencies independently without the support of any party. In very few cases the larger parties also support independent candidates.

Another feature unique to Indian politics is the high number of film actors who join the Indian politics. The Indian cinema produces films in different languages. The largest and the most popular film industry is the Hindi language film industry. Many national parties recruit Hindi movie actors in their parties. While many state parties with state chauvinism attract local film industry actors in their parties. These actors do not only appear along side with the party politicians to attract the mob towards the politicians gatherings, but they even participate as candidates in elections. Some of the state parties in south India were established by former movie actors.

India in Olympics

2008-04-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

India first participated in Olympics in 1900 in Paris. The country was represented by Norman Pritchard, an Anglo Indian who was holidaying in Paris during that time. He bagged two silver medals in 200m. dash and 200m hurdles. Then after a gap of 20 years India again participated with two athletes in 1920 Antwerp Olympics and with eight members in 1924 Paris Olympics.

But the more organised, official representation by India, was made in 1928 Amsterdam, with the formation of Indian Olympic Association in 1927. Dorabji Tata was the first president and Dr A C Northern of Young Men's Christian Association, Madras was the secretary. That year, Indian Hockey team participated in their first Olympic hockey event and won the gold medal under the captaincy of Jaipal Singh. For the next 6 successive Olympics spanning 28 years from 1928-1956, Indians retained their gold medal for the hockey event. Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand played a major role in Indian victory in the first three successive wins. It was definitely the golden era of Indian Hockey in Olympics, during which India played 24 matches and won all 24, scored 178 goals (at an average of 7.43 goals per match) and conceded only 7 goals. India again won two more gold medals in Olympic hockey in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

In athletics, six Indians and the 4x400 women's relay team have reached the finals of their events in Olympics. They are Norman Pritchard in 1900 (two silvers in sprint and hurdles), Henry Rebello in 1948 London (Triple Jump), Milkha Singh 1960 Rome ( fourth place in 400 metres), Gurbachan Singh Randhawa 1964 Tokyo (fifth place in 100 m hurdles), Sriram singh 1976 Montreal ( seventh in 800m), P.T Usha in 1984 Los Angeles ( fourth in 400m hurdles) who unfortunately lost her bronze by 1/100th of a second and the 4 member squad of the 400m. women's relay P.T.Usha, M.D.Valsamma, Vandana Rao, Shiny Abraham reached seventh place, the same year.

Apart from Hockey and a few fine performances in athletics, India's record in the Olympics paints a dismal picture, for a country having a population of over a billion people. Apart from the 8 gold medals, one silver medal and two bronzes in Hockey, two silver medals in athletics, India has won bronzes for wrestling ( Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki), shooting ( Dr Karni Singh 1964 Tokyo), tennis ( Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta) and weightlifting ( Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney).

India, population 1.1 billion, still chasing the elusive gold

Anju Bobby George to carry tricolour at Olympics

KARNAM MALLESWARI
Weightlifter

Indian weightlifter from Andhra Pradesh. She became the First Indian woman ever to win an Olympic medal. She won bronze in 69kg category at Sydney Olympics 2000. She has also won gold in Istanbul World Championship (1994) and Asian Championships (54-kg category) at Pusan, Korea (1995). In World Weightlifting Championship at Guangzhou (China) on November 19, 1995 Malleswari set a new world record by winning three golds in 54-kg category. She was awarded 'Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award' in 1994-95.

LEANDER PEAS
Lawn Tennis Player

Leander Paes, India's Tennis pride, was born in Goa on June 17,1973 and brought up in Kolkata. Born into a family of sportsmen; His father, Vece was a member of the Indian field hockey team which won a bronze medal in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and mother, Jennifer a member of the basketball team; Leander began playing tennis at the age of 5.

He captured the 1990 Wimbledon Junior title and was ranked as the No.1 junior player in the world at one time. Since then he has been representing India at various international events winning matches bringing glory to the country. He is also a member of the Davis Cup squad since 1990, compiling a 32-19 career record (21-12 in singles). In 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the Tennis event and made India proud with this individual medal won after a long gap of 44 years. The last individual medal being the wrestling medal won by K.D Jadhav in1952 Helsinki Olympics.

He teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi to form the Indian doubles team and the duo in 1999, showed their class by winning the French Open and Wimbledon and entering the finals of the two other Grand Slam Tournaments; the Australian and US Opens. But the dream team separated soon after, due to mutual misunderstanding. They came together again in time for the Sydney Olympics and started regaining their lost prestige at the end of 2000, winning the Men's Double title in Japan Open 2000 followed by Worlds Doubles Championship in Bangalore, Verizon Atlanta Challenge, US Clay court Championship in Houston and at Roland Garros defeating the Czech pair of Petr Pala and Pavel Vizner, ranked no. 2 in the world.

1900 Paris, France

Winner / Player/ Team

Event

Medal /Achievement

Athletics

Norman Pritchard

*

200 m. sprint
*

200 m hurdles
*

110 m hurdles

*

Silver Medal
*

Silver Medal
*

5th place

1920 Antwerp, Belgium

Chugle

Athletics -marathon

*

19th place

1928 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Hockey team under Captain Jaipal Singh till semifinals and under Vice captain Eric Pinniger in the finals. The team included Dhyan Chand who scored three goals in the last four minutes of the finals to sweep the Indian team to victory.

Hockey

Gold Medal by beating Holland 3 - 0 (India's first ever Olympic gold medal and victory in a world tournament)

Athletics

*

Mervyn Sutton
*

M C Dhawan

*

110m hurdles
*

triple jump

*

Reached semifinals
*

Cleared 44 feet and 9 ¾ inches

Hockey team under Captain Lal Shah Bokhari. Dhyan Chand (12) and Roop Singh (13) scored the maximum goals during the two games played against Japan (11-1) and USA (24-1).

Hockey

Gold Medal by beating USA 24-1- the first biggest

1936 Berlin, Germany

Hockey team under Captain Dhyan Chand. It was to be Dhyan Chand's last Olympic games

Hockey

Gold Medal by beating Germany 8-1 in the finals held on August 15 1936.

Zawweik from Burma

Weight lifting (India's debut)

15th place 75-kg class

1948 London, G. Britain

Hockey team under Captain Kishan Lal

Hockey

Gold Medal by beating Britain 4-0 in the finals (India's first gold medal as a free country).

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav.

Wrestling

6th place in (freestyle/flyweight)

Henry Rebello

Athletics- Triple Jump

He made a new national mark of 50 feet and two inches, but could not participate in finals due to injury.

1952 Helsinki, Finland

Hockey team under Captain Kunwar Digvijay Singh Babu. Balbir Singh scored the maximum goals -9 out of the total goals scored in the three games played.

Hockey

Gold Medal by beating Holland 6-1 in the finals

Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav

Wrestling

Bronze medal-bantamweight freestyle

1956 Melbourne, Autralia

Hockey team under captain Balbir Singh. Udham Singh scored a total of 15 goals, the highest tally by an Indian at an Olympics till that date

Hockey

Gold Medal beating Pakistan 1-0 in the finals ( India's sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal, a record for any country in any team sport in the Olympics

D Rajagopal

Weight lifting

10th place in plus 90-kg class

1960 Rome, Italy

Milkha Singh

Athletics - 400m sprint

4th place, missed a medal by one-tenth of a second despite a time faster than the then world record

L K Das

Weight lifting

12th place in the 60-kg section.

Hockey team under captain Leslie Claudius

Hockey

Silver Medal, Pakistan beat India 0-1 in the final.

1964 Tokyo, Japan

Hockey team under Captain Charanjit Singh. Shankar Lakshman, Indian goalkeeper who saved India from defeat was justifiably awarded 'Man of the match'.

Hockey

Gold Medal in a narrow win beating Pakistan 1-0 in the finals

Dr Karni Singh the erstwhile Maharaja of Bikaner

Shooting

Bronze medal

Gurbachan Singh Randhawa

Athletics 110m hurdles

Fifth place

M L Ghosh
L K Das

Weight lifting

14th place - 56kg class
13th place - 60kg event

1968 Mexico city, Mexico

Hockey team under Captains Prithipal & Gurbux Singh

Hockey

Bronze Medal with Pakistan winning the gold and Australia the silver medal.

1972 Munich, W. Germany

Hockey team under Captain Harmeek Singh

Hockey

Bronze Medal with Germany winning the gold and Pakistan the silver medal

Anil Mondal

Weight lifting

Placed 12th in the 52-kg category

1976 Montreal, Canada

Sriram Singh

Athletics- 800m final

Seventh place

1980 Moscow, USSR

Hockey team under Captain Vasudevan Bhaskaran

Hockey

Gold Medal after 16 years by winning over Spain 4-3 in the finals

1984 Los Angeles , USA

P.T Usha

Athletics- 400m hurdles

Lost the bronze medal by 1/100th of a second

P.T.Usha, M.D.Valsamma, Vandana Rao, Shiny Abraham

Athletics- 4 X 400 m Women's relay

7th place

Mahendran

Weight Lifting

10th in the 52-kg class

1992 Barcelona, Spain

Deepankar Bhattacharya

Badminton

Made it to the second round lost to top seeded Chinese player in the second round.

Adhishekar

Weight Lifting

Placed 12th in the 52-kg event

Leander Paes and Ramesh

Tennis

Reached the quarterfinals of the doubles narrowly missing the bronze

1996 Atlanta, USA

Leander Paes

Tennis

Bronze medal

2000 Sydney, Australia

Karnam Malleswari

Weight Lifting

Bronze Medal in 69kg category

Tight security as torch arrives in New Delhi

2008-04-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

From New Delhi 2pm Thursday morning

The Olympic torch arrived at New Delhi airport early on Thursday amid heavy security because of fears members of the world's largest community of exiled Tibetans may disrupt its passage through the Indian capital.

The torch, which is en route to China for the Summer Games in Beijing, was carried off a plane by Suresh Kalmadi, the chief of the Indian Olympic Association.

It was then taken along a route lined with hundreds of police to spend the rest of the night in a luxury hotel.

Police detained about two dozen Tibetan protesters along the route and in front of the hotel. Many were dragged into police vans as they shouted anti-China slogans.

The torch has been beset by protests through Europe and the Americas, mostly over a Chinese crackdown in Tibet. In some places, protesters tried to snuff out the flame and organisers extinguished or hid the torch to keep it safe.

Fearing similar protests, India trimmed the route to a third of the original 9 km distance, restricting it to a high-security stretch used for the annual Republic Day parade in the Indian capital.

Organisers have so far not even said what time on Thursday the New Delhi leg of the relay will begin.

Thousands of police and paramilitary officers will line the route, which passes close to the nation's parliament and the offices of federal ministers.

India has been caught in a swirl of protests by Tibetan exiles since last month's unrest in Tibet. Despite the Dalai Lama's support for the Beijing Games, the protesters have vowed to disrupt the flame's journey in New Delhi.

Tibetans plan to hold a parallel torch relay on Thursday to protest Chinese action and demand Tibet's independence.

The Dalai Lama, based in the northern Indian hills, has urged Tibetans to desist from disrupting the torch relay, but protests have continued.

India had to assure China of adequate security for the torch after the Chinese foreign minister called his Indian counterpart this month.

A total of 70 torch-bearers, including 45 current and former athletes, will carry the torch.

The torch was in neighbouring Pakistan on Wednesday.

2008-04-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

Sourav Ganguly plays a shot during his innings of 87 against the South Africans

Dale Steyn and Graeme Smith argue with the umpire after Steyn had an altercation with Yuvraj Singh.

A ball gets big on Sourav Ganguly.

Dale Steyn celebrates after removing Virender Sehwag out leg before on the second day of the third and final Test.

Ishant Sharma fells Hashim Amla with a yorker.

Hashim Amla looks back at his stumps after he was bowled by Ishant Sharma.

Sourav Ganguly lies on the ground after being struck on the head by Hashim Amla.

2008-04-14T03:21:00.000-07:00

India leveling the series with Proteas and maintaining their no.2 posn in ICC rankings

2008-04-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

Kumble would have ensured shorter match: Dhoni

After the eight-wicket win over South Africa in the third Test, India’s stand-in skipper for the game MS Dhoni said that the Proteas were perhaps lucky not to have faced Anil Kumble on the crumbling pitch at the Green Park stadium here.

"I think if Anil had played, the match would not have even lasted three days. It is not easy to replace a man like him. But all credit to the bowlers; even without him they bowled exceptionally well. And even in the dressing room the atmosphere was always cool," said Dhoni who registered the series-levelling win in his first match as the Test captain.

On the experience of leading the side in the longer version of the game, Dhoni said: "In Tests, you get time to think. I was lucky in the sense that I got a pitch like this in my first game as skipper. It was easier here compared to captaining the side on a flat track. There it is much difficult to get breakthroughs."

But Dhoni did not agree that the three-day win after the drubbing in as many days they had suffered in the last Test in Ahmedabad was revenge on the visitors.

"You just want to enjoy the win. You don’t take it as revenge. In cricket, you win some, you lose some," said Dhoni.

The wicketkeeper-batsman gave full credit to his team for putting up a stellar performance.

"Everybody did their job. We batted really well in the first innings. That was crucial because what actually makes a difference in the end is what you did in the first innings. On a difficult pitch we batted positively.

"Sourav (Ganguly) was brilliant and in the end the last wicket partnership was decisive because that was a morale-breaker partnership for South Africa," he said.

So, how much credit should be given to the bowlers and how much to the disintegrating pitch?

"The pitch was obviously turning square and the bounce was also uneven. But even then you have to bowl in the right areas and we did that," said Dhoni.

Dhoni disagreed with the fact this kind of a pitch was unfair for South Africa who it seemed had the series firmly in their grasp.

"Everywhere you go, the pitch does something; in Australia it bounces, in England it swings, in New Zealand there is seam movement, so in India there is spin and uneven bounce. These wickets are definitely better than the dead tracks, which produce no result," said Dhoni.

India has come a long way since Independence

2008-03-07T03:05:00.000-08:00

Fifty-five years after Jawaharlal Nehru's Tryst with Destiny speech welcoming free India, is there much to crow about? The answer, despite the pessimists, is a resounding Yes, there is. And we have to be proud of India's achievements. There is nothing much to be pleased about population growth which was about 350 million around 1947 and is now over a billion. But life expectancy was around 29 years at the time of independence but is now closer to 65.

In the 1950s we were not growing enough food to feed 400 million people and were looking desperately for aid, especially from the United States. Presently we are a good surplus state and can export wheat. The Green Revolution did wonders but hardly anyone thinks of it. Just about a decade ago we are desperately in need of foreign exchange and and had to mortgage our gold reserves.

Today our reserves are close to $ 60 billion and rising. For years India's rate of growth was less than 3 per cent and some of our own intellectuals were describing it derisively as the Hindu Rate of Growth. India today has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $ 2,375 billion and is considered the fourth largest economy in the world.

The GDP of all the SAARC member states amounts together to about a fourth of India's. The biggest tribute came from the staid 'Economist' (June 29) which said that the average GDP growth rate of 5.4 per cent over the past five years, has been "among the world's fastest". And consider what Jairam Ramesh, an economist in his own right has been saying. Writing in a national paper, Ramesh noted that despite all that has been said about India's many troubles, the rupee has not collapsed, there has been no capital flight, stock markets have not plunged, credit ratings have not deteriorated and there has been no repeat of the 1990-1991 financial crisis. On the contrary, even as The Economist conceded, last year saw a record inflow of foreign direct investment. The fourth quarter of 2001 saw GDP grow by a scorching 6.4 per cent and even if, because of late monsoon rains, there may be a sharp fall in food production, there is no need to worry since we have a whopping 50 million plus stock of foodgrains.

In any event, unlike in previous drought years, the economy is now in such solid shape that the government does not have to panic over deficit rainfall. It is likely, of course, that rural incomes will fall, but the national economy is, unlike in the fifties, today dominated by services which account for nearly 50 per cent of the GDP. And services, like IT, Banking and Finance, media and entertainment and a host of others, continue to grow at a breathtaking pace, despite the global slowdown.

The Infotec Sector, in fact, is showing decided signs of a revival. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has predicted a 22 per cent growth in IT service exports this year and a 65 year cent growth in the IT-enabled services sector.

The best tribute to Indian software was recently paid by Thomas L. Friedman, writing in The New York Times. He wrote: "Thanks to the Internet and satellites, India has been able to connect its millions of educated, English-speaking, low-wage, tech-savvy young people to the world's largest corporations. They live in India, but they design and run the software and systems that now support the world's biggest companies, earning India an unprecedented $ 60 billion in foreign reserves - which doubled in just three years. But this has made the world more dependent on India and India on the world than ever before. If you lose your luggage on British Airways, the technies who track it down are in India. If your Dell Computer has a problem, the techniewho walks you through it is in Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley. Ernst & Young may be doing your company's tax returns here in India with Indian accountants. Indian software giants like Wipro, Infosys and MindTree now manage back-room operations - accounting, inventory management, billing, payrolls for global firms like Nortel Networks, Reebok, Sony, American Express, HSBC and GE Capital. GE's highest research centre outside the US is in Banglaore, with 1,700 Indian engineers and scientists. The brain chip for every Nokia cellphone is designed in Bangalore..."

What bigger tribute to Indian science and scientists can one get? India's professional standing army of 1.1 million is the second largest in the world after China's - and it is completely apolitical. India is on the top of the world in missilery and nuclear development.

Our Indian Institutes of Managements (IIMs) are some of the best in the world. IIM, Ahmedabad is the toughest Management School in the world to get into, ahead even of Harvard Business School, Colombia University, Spain's Instituto de Empressa and France's Insead.

It may sound un-related, but the dabbawalas in Bombay deliver nearly 1.5 lakh lunch boxes (dabbas) to Mumbai's citizens and it is said that their Efficiency Rating is 99.999999 or one error in six million transactions as rated by the American Business Weekly, Forbes Global. And think of this: The Rural Water Supply Programme in India has used more than 30 lakh Mark II pumps made in India and presently exported to Africa and Latin America. There are over 30,000 Indian doctors in the United States - indeed Indian doctors practically run the American medical field!

In the realm of milk production India has the world's largest milk production at over 78 million tonnes a year ensuring the livelihood of almost 11 million farmers in 96,000 village level societies across the country. Nowhere in the world has there been a man of the calibre of V. Kurien. These things would have been considered impossible in 1947 when India, burdened with an enormous inferiority complex, looked to the West for everything, whether in science, technology or engineering. Does anyone truly realise that Indian railways are about the biggest is the world? They run over one lakh (1,00,000) kms. and are serviced by 7,000 stations and over 11,000 freight and passenger trains a day carrying over a million passengers every 24 hours?

Then again, India with its 13 million bicycle production a year is second only to China. And to think that around 1947 India had to import bicycles and, for that matter, even safety pins? Sure, in cities the roads are dirty; everywhere one sees discarded plastic bags strewn at road corners.

But, according to one estimate India recycles 60 per cent of its plastic waste. The figure for Japan is 12 per cent; for China, 10.

According to India Today the Indian postal system is the largest in the world and works with fabulous efficiency, despite the multiplicity of languages and low literacy. Mail your letter addressed to someone in a Himachal Pradesh village at the street corner letter box in Mumbai but be assured that the letter would be unerringly delivered to the right address in a week's time. Who says Indians are inefficient? In 1947 India was known abroad for its poverty, snake charmers, fakirs lying on beds of iron nails, cows wandering in city streets etc. etc. India was considered an exotic land and nothing more. There were hardly any Indians living in the United States or, for that matter, in the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia. Today Indians constitute the highest income ethnic group in the United States. Indian businessmen are noted for their acumen, especially in the software field. Indian Americans constitute almost a third of the NASA workforce. Indian teachers are valued in American universities, colleges and schools. Indian doctors have established a veritable name for themselves. And it is difficult to believe that a 29-year old Indian has been appointed Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services. Only two years ago he had been appointed President of the University of Louisiana System, one of the largest public university systems in the United States with nearly 100,000 students and a $ 450 million annual budget. His name is Piyush 'Bobby' Jindal and he is now the highest ranking Indian American in a federal government post. At the age of 26 he was Executive Director of a bi-partisan presidential commission charged with reforming Medicare, America's largest insurance system for nearly 40 million people. India has come a long way since 1947 though it may be argued that it still has a long way to go in practically all fields of endeavour right in India itself. Millions still live below the poverty line, literacy is still low by western standards, hundreds of villages hardly have any drinking water and health care is less than minimum. But that should not detract us from the successes which are stupendous.

There is hardly anything that India cannot indigenously build. Ships planes, cars, vehicles of all kinds and now missiles are all built in India with Indian labour and expertise.

A younger generation will take all these for granted but it is only an older generation that has seen India cower under western dominance that can appreciate the great changes that have come over Indian society.

On the strength of what India has achieved in the last half a century one can confidentially assert that within the next quarter century India will be a force to reckon with and will be counted among the first three or four most powerful nations in the world. That is not only a dream and a hope but something that will be seen as a reality. Then indeed can any Indian say with truth and pride: 'Mera Bharat mahan'.

INDIA FROM INDEPENDENCE

2008-03-03T03:23:00.000-08:00

Independence Day
is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate its independence from the British Raj or British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. The day is a [[national holiday in India]]. It is celebrated all over the country through flag-hoisting ceremony and distribution of sweets. The main celebration takes place in New Delhi, where the Prime Minister of India hoists the National Flag at the Delhi Fort|Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of his government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development. The Prime Minister also pays his tribute to leaders of the Indian independence movement|freedom struggle.

Road to independence
On 3 June 1947, Viscount Lord [[Louis Mountbatten]], the last British Governor-General of India, announced the Partition of India partitioning of the British Indian Empire into India and Pakistan, under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act 1947. At the stroke of midnight, on 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation. This was preceded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's famous speech titled "Tryst with destiny".
At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again.
Prime Minister Nehru and Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel invited Lord Mountbatten to continue as Governor General of India. He was replaced in June 1948 by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari. Patel took on the responsibility of Political integration of India|unifying 565 princely states, steering efforts by his “iron fist in a velvet glove” policies, exemplified by the use of military force to integrate Junagadh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Hyderabad state into India.
J&K became a part of India when Pakistan laid siege and the then king Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with India to save J&K from Pakistan. India responded on behalf of J&K by sending in its armed forces to counteract the Pakistani attack. Later PM Nehru went to UN and a cease fire was declared. Pakistan has not withdrawn its military forces from the occupied Kashmir, and the territory termed as POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) has ever since been a cause of contention between India and Pakistan.
The Constituent Assembly completed the work of drafting the constitution on 26 November 1949;
on 26 January 1950 the '''Republic of India''' was officially proclaimed. The Constituent Assembly elected Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India, taking over from Governor General Rajgopalachari. Subsequently, a free and sovereign India absorbed two other territories: Goa liberated from Portuguese control in 1961 and Pondicherry which the French ceded in 1954 ). In 1952, India held its first general elections, with a voter turnout exceeding 62%; in practice, this made India the world's largest democratic country in the history of the modern and ancient world.

Partition of India
It was one of the worst movements of people in recent history after that of the Jews in the World War II. A nation was dismembered. On August 15, 1947 – India kept her ‘tryst with destiny’. Midnight bore her the precious gift of freedom. Following an announcement on August 17, 1947 Pakistan became the other independent state.
Gandhi, the father of the nation, did not join in the celebrations that followed. He was elsewhere working in riot torn areas, praying for peace. For him independence was tinged with sadness and disappointment. He was ready to withdraw from active politics.
Accusations of siding with the Muslims and giving Pakistan away too easily, dogged Gandhi since the day the state of Pakistan was declared. On January 30, 1948, a Hindu fundamentalist called Nathu Ram Godse shot the Mahatma. India lost the man who, alongwith so many others, had taught it to dream of independence, and to throw a bridge between that dream and reality. and on August 15, 1947, Indians had walked across that bridge.

Celebrations

Prime Minister of India hoists the Indian flag on the ramparts of the this historial site, Delhi Fort Red Fort, Delhi, On August 15th.
15th August is a National holiday of India. In the capital New Delhi most of the Government Offices are lit up. Flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural programs take place in all the state capitals. In the cities around the country the Flag Hoisting Ceremony is done by politicians belonging to that constituency. In various private organisations the Flag Hoisting Ceremony is carried out by a Senior officer of that organisation. Schools and colleges around the country organise flag hoisting ceremony and various cultural activities within their respective premises. Families and friends get together for lunch or dinner, or for an outing. Housing colonies, cultural centres, clubs and societies hold entertainment programmes and competitions, usually based on the freedom theme.

Programmes On TV
Television Channels, especially the national network, Doordarshan provide a live coverage on the occasion and radio channels give the live commentary for the general masses. Various channels treat their audience with patriotic films and songs on this day. Cultural programmes featuring classical music and dance performances by various artists are organized at several places.

INDIA since independence

India was a British colony. It earned its independence from the British on 15/08/1947. Day before that Pakistan which was created as a result of partition of British India was established and flanked on two sides of India: West Pakistan which is called today Pakistan, and east Pakistan, now an independent state called Bangladesh. After its independence, the political leaders of India adopted the liberal democratic system for the country.
Since its independence, India has transformed a lot. When India attained independence in 1947, its population was around 400 million people. Now there are billion people in India. India is the largest democracy in the world. It has the biggest number of people with franchise rights and the largest number of political parties, which take part in election campaign.
Before its independence, India was never a single country but a bunch of different entities. Many predicted that India, because of diversities in its cultures, religion, languages, castes, manners, local histories, nationalities and identities, would not survive as a single democratic country, but would break up into smaller countries.
Since independence, India had many political problems. During independence the most burning issues were the riots between the Hindus and Muslims while the Sikhs were siding with Hindus. Another issue was convincing the Princely states not to declare independence or join Pakistan but to join the Indian Union. India also had a few wars with its neighbors on border issues.
India also has many internal problems. Different communities with different identities - regional, language, caste, religion - demanded different rights for their communities. Some communities demanded more autonomy for their cultures within the Indian states. Others demanded autonomous states within the Indian Union, while the others demanded to be independent from India.
With all its problems India survives as a single state with democratic character.