Women Officers in Defence to get Permanent Commission

Women Officers in Indian Defence Forces


Service Women Officers - Total officers
Army------945--------------35,377
Airforce--739--------------10,563
Navy------236---------------7,336

August 5 2008

The armed forces agreed in principle to give women officers permanent commission

Definition of Poor People - Europe

I just came across an article in Economic Times of 9 February 2008.

The article was written by Yuri Medvedev. It presents some highlights from a report by Alexel Shevyakov, director of the Social and Economic Population Studies Institute to the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The article mentions that in Europe the powerty indicator is a relative one based on average per capita income of the country.

The poor include people whose incomes are less than 60% of the average per capita income in the country.

Such a definition forces the government and social organizations to think of distribution also along with growth.

Some more information of relative definition of poverty

Research into present-day poverty adopts countless different approaches, many of which fail to do justice to its complexity. Such is the case, for example, with the "basic necessities" approach used to define poverty in the US, where households are considered poor if their income does not cover the minimum expenditure required to satisfy a number of basic needs. Some other income-based approaches are relativistic: the dividing line is drawn somewhere between 50% and 60% of the average income for a given country. In addition, there are definitions used by politicians, subjectivist approaches reflecting public opinion, and approaches based on investigating how people manage to survive without basic goods and services.

http://mondediplo.com/1999/09/06poverty

Gandhi's Trusteeship Concept - Followers

For a brief on philosophy please visit
http://kvssnrao-pss.blogspot.com/2008/05/gandhis-philosophy-on-trusteeship.html



Aditya Birla Group, believes in the trusteeship concept of management.

1 September 2007

The exhibition is an initiative of Aditya Birla Group, which believes in the trusteeship concept of management. Since the trusteeship concept was the concept of Gandhi, Aditya Birla Group has taken up this initiative says Bharat Parekh of Aditya Birla Group.

A multimedia digital exhibition titled 'Eternal Gandhi' was rolled off in February last. In the exhibition a touch of the installation by a visitor gives him feel of life, message and the time of Gandhi. Explaining the concept the Project director Ranjit Makkauni said the project explores modern art, design and interactive technology as a medium of cultural continuity, reviving the values by which India obtained freedom. It also redefined those values in order to animate modern products and design. It has in all 50 installations each presenting an aspect of Gandhi and his era. From Mohandas to Mahatma is the timeline browser which tells us pictorially about the important events in the life of Gandhi. One has to just slide a piece of cardboard to see the timeline in digital form. In praise of Gandhi, dolls representing world leaders allow a visitor to playback quotes on the contribution of Gandhi. The Vaishnav hands installation allows a visitor to explore the meanings and interpretations of the Vaishnavjan to hymn. The moment one touches E-prison one sees scenes of Gandhi's life in prison through three interactive prison rods. There is an installation of Ashram which tells ashram's story. The moment one touches a part of ashram a fact about Gandhi's ashram emerges on screen. The global Gandhi installation is an anthropomorphic computer; it can listen, see, speak with and understand its environment and you within its range. Here it expounds the global Gandhi, Gandhi as seen by contemporary histories and academics in relation to current day values and the needs of the people

http://www.gujaratindia.com/Media/newsdetail.aspx?News_id=877

Jamanalal Bajaj

Jamanalal dedicated much of his wealth to the poor. He felt this inherited wealth was a sacred trust to be used for the benefit of the people. This was in line with the trusteeship concept proposed by Gandhi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamnalal_Bajaj

A book

Gandhi's Trusteeship : Concept and Relevance
Kapoor, A.
ISBN: 81-7100-496-2
1993 120 pp
Deep and Deep Publications

Tata's role in trusteeship
The Asian Age — March 12, 2005

What, exactly, does trusteeship mean?
"Under it, all wealth is a social trust and every individual the employer, the engineer or even the ordinary mistry — is a trustee, entitled to its proper utilisation for the common good. True to the ideals of its founder, the House of Tata always promoted the concept," said Jayaprakash Narayan.

Jamsetji Tata, driven by visions of a vibrant, industrialised India, set the pace with the right idea that patchwork philanthropy — giving clothes to some and food to others — was not the right approach for a robust future. It was with this in mind that he launched the JN Tata Endowment Scheme for higher education in 1892, which supported future administrators, scientists, doctors, lawyers and engineers.

By 1924, over a third of Indian officials in the Indian Civil Service were Tata scholars. This roster also includes illustrious names like scientist Dr Raja Ramanna and former President K.R. Narayanan. The sons of the founder proved worthy torchbearers of concern for the community. The Tata Group is unique among Indian industrial groups, in that 63 per cent of the capital of the present firm, Tata Sons Limited, is held by Tata philanthropic trusts, endowed by Sir Dorabji Tata and Sir Ratan Tata, the two sons of Jamsetji Tata.

Sir Dorabji left behind most of his personal wealth, including substantial shareholdings in Tata Sons, Indian Hotels and allied companies, his landed property and his wife's jewellery to the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, registered a few months before his death. The trust is best known for promoting six pioneering institutions of national importance.

Sir Ratan Tata, who supported Mahatma Gandhi and Gopal Krishna Gokhale with funds, left directives in his will for his wealth to be used for basic and advanced education, primary and preventive health, rural livelihood and communities, art and culture ad public initiatives. The trust named after him was established in 1918. The fund prioritises projects based in rural India and those that involve the advancement of women and children.

http://www.tata.com/tata_sons/media/20050312_trusteeship.htm

Communitarianism

A good article
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/communitarianism/

Gandhi's Philosophy On Trusteeship

I adhere to my doctrine of trusteeship in spite of the ridicule that has been poured upon it. It is true that it is difficult to reach. So is non-violence. But we made up our minds in 1920 to negotiate that steep ascent. We have found it worth the effort.


Non-violent Way

By the non-violent method, we seek not to destroy the capitalist, we seek to destroy capitalism. We invite the capitalist to regard himself as a trustee for those on whom he depends for the making, the retention and the increase of his capital. Nor need the worker wait for his conversion. If capital is power, so is work. Either is dependent on the other. Immediately the worker realizes his strength, he is din a position to become a co-sharer with the capitalist instead of remaining his slave.

In a family, when the father slaps his delinquent child, the latter does not think of retaliating. He obeys his father not because of the deterrent effect of the slap but because of the offended love which he senses behind it. That, in my opinion, is an epitome of the way in which society is or should be governed. What is true of the family must be true of society which is but a larger family.



The Theory

Supposing I have come by a fair amount of wealth—either by way of legacy, or by means of trade and industry—I must know that all that wealth does not belong to me; what belongs to me is the right to an honourable livelihood, no better than that enjoyed by millions of others. The rest of my wealth belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community.

I enunciated this theory when the socialist theory was placed before the country in respect to the possessions held by zamindars and ruling chiefs. They would do away with these privileged classes. I want them to outgrow their greed and sense of possession, and to come down in spite of their wealth to the level of those who earn their bread by labour. The labourer has to realize that the wealthy man is less owner of his wealth than the labourer is owner of his own, viz., the power to work.


In Practice

The question how many can be real trustees according to this definition is beside the point. If the theory is true, it is immaterial whether many live up to it or only one man lives up to it. The question is of conviction. If you accept the principle of ahimsa, you have to strive to live up to it, no matter whether you succeed or fail. There is nothing in this theory which can be said to be beyond the grasp of intellect, though you may say it is difficult of practice. (H, 3-6-1939, p. 145)

No Make-shift

My theory of ‘trusteeship’ is no make-shift, certainly no camouflage. I am confident that it will survive all other theories. It has the sanction of philosophy and religion behind it. That possessors of wealth have not acted up to the theory does not prove its falsity; it proves the weakness of the wealthy. No other theory is compatible with non-violence. In the non-violent method wrong-doer compasses his own end, if he does not undo the wrong. For, either through non-violent non-co-operation he is made to see the error, or he finds himself completely isolated.


Acquisition of Health

Those who own money now, are asked to behave like trustees holding their riches on behalf of the poor. You may say that trusteeship is a legal fiction. But if people meditate over it constantly and try to act up to it, then life on earth would be governed far more by love than it is at present. Absolute trusteeship is an abstraction like Euclid’s definition of a point, and is equally unattainable. But if we strive for it, we shall be able to go further in realizing state of equality on earth than by any other method.


Can rich act live like poor?

It is true that generally the rich spend more on themselves than they need. But this can be avoided. Jamnalalji spent far less on himself than men of his own economic status and even than many middle-class men. I have come across innumerable rich persons who are stingy on themselves. For some it is a part of their nature to spend next to nothing on themselves, and they do not think that they acquire merit in so doing.


Immediate source:
http://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/gandhiphilosophy/philosophy_trusteeship.htm

Social Responsibility of Scientists

Article

The Social Responsibility of Scientists: The Scientific Impact Statement
By Charles Walter and Edward P. Richards,

17 IEEE Engineering In Medicine And Biology Magazine #6, 94-95 (1998).

http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/IEEE/ieee30.htm


Important points made in the paper

The Scientific Impact Statement

The authors elaborate on a "Societal Research Impact Statement" (SRIS), analogous to the environmental impact statement that developers must file explaining how their project will affect the local environment.


Patent applications provide some precedent for the SRIS. A patent application must give a complete revelation of the subject matter disclosed. This is in keeping with the scientific tradition that a publication reporting scientific results should enable another scientist competent in the field to reproduce what has been reported by others and thereby confirm or bring into question the previous results.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has determined that a full revelation of a discovery should contain certain elements. These include (1) background material, (2) a detailed disclosure with a brief abstract thereof, (3) a brief summary of the invention, and (4) at least one claim.

1) Background and Context of Work
The background material in a patent application includes a statement identifying the technical field of the invention and a description of the related art. Likewise, a research paper should contain a statement identifying the technical area of research and a description in plain language of how the work reported compliments or contrasts with the existing work in the field.

2) Abstract of Results
The abstract in a patent application is a brief narrative of the disclosure as a whole in a single paragraph of 250 words or less. A research paper should also contain a short abstract in plain language describing the nature of the scientific results of the study.

3) Summary of Issues, Impact and Generalizability
The summary in a patent application is directed toward the invention itself. It may point out advantages of the invention and/or how it solves problems previously existent in the prior art. It should also set forth the nature and gist of an invention. A research paper likewise should contain a summary identifying the significance of the work reported, how it relates to societal issues affected by the results, how these results impact these issues, and the extent to which the work can be generalized.

4) Claims and Limitations
Patent claims identify the precise metes and bounds of an invention. A research paper should also contain a precise statement identifying the limitations on the conclusions drawn from the results, the practical significance of these limitations in terms related to the societal issues in the Summary, recommendations for future research, and any caveats limiting the application of the results, including applications to other studies.

We propose that these elements be included in original scientific research papers prior to peer review. This SRIS should be short (usually 500 words or less), in plain language, and key-word indexed. If desired by the author, the initial draft could be developed with the assistance of appropriate university resources. Final drafts should be developed along with the rest of the research paper by the author in cooperation with the journal editors and the individuals providing peer review.

In some cases there are issues that should be addressed in accessing the potential impact of the study that are not properly part of the scientific article. For example, a study on the effects of silicone on the immune system would be relevant to the question of whether silicone breast implants cause disease. An assessment of whether and the study affects the conclusion that silicone in breast implants does not cause systemic disease would be important.

"Daubert Impact Statements"

Generally, for research papers touching on issues important to expert testimony in recent litigation, we suggest that journals publish expanded impact statements addressing the question, "What is the 'Daubert value' of the study?". This is an important question whenever a study deals with issues that are subject to litigation, such as silicone breast implants, ELF, toxicity of pharmaceuticals, or other situations where there is a large class of persons that may claim injury by the substance in question.

These expanded statements, which might be called "Daubert Impact Statements" (DIS), should include (1) a brief summary of important litigation issues which might be affected by the results, (2) the impact of the research on these issues, and (3) recommendations for whether the information in the research paper should be used by the courts, and, if so, how. The DIS should be written by individuals expert in the litigation area who are also conversant with the underlying science. Some journals already do this to a limited extent, but it is usually in the form of an editorial separate from the article.

Information of the type described above for the SRIS is required for a patent application. The content of scientific articles is governed by custom and the peer-review policies of the scientific journals. The SRIS should become a journal requirement.

The DIS should be included for all research papers touching on issues important to expert testimony in recent litigation. The SRIS should be considered part of the article and should be subjected to the same peer review process as the scientific content of the article. The DIS should also be subject to review by competent authorities.

These peer reviews should determine whether the impact statements address the respective issues described above. The peer reviews should assure that these items are addressed both correctly and in plain language suitable for non-scientists.

As described above, the SRIS and DIS should be published with the article in the body of the journal, and the authors of the scientific article should themselves contribute to the statements. This would link them more clearly to the primary study, with the objective of being a formal supplement to the article that could be used to provide background if the article is used as evidence in court. This could reduce the ability of lawyers to take the findings of studies out of context and use them to support arguments that are either not addressed by the articles or are refuted by the articles.

Conclusions
The growing gulf between scientists and the general public is a threat to the support for science. In a larger sense, it is a threat to rational discussion of scientific issues in public debate and policy making. Scientists ultimately bear the responsibility for helping the public to understand scientific issues. This can be done in many ways, but all require that scientists communicate their findings in clear, understandable ways, including working with journalists to educate them so that they can appreciate the significance of the scientific enterprise.

Malaysian Minister on Individual Social Responsibility

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Minister calls for individual social responsibility to keep Kuching clean

A State minister yesterday called for the introduction of what he termed as "individual social responsibility" (ISR) to engage people from all walks of life to keep the city clean and scenic.

Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Michael Manyin reckoned that such concept needed to be promoted in every city dweller rather than emphasizing too much on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which the government proposed more than two years ago. "Individuals have social responsibilities also, not only the corporate sector. If we all say this is not my job, that is not my job, there is no way we can make the city beautiful. It is the responsibility of each and everyone of us who lives in the city to make the place clean, green and beautiful. This is not the sole responsibility of the local councils and the government", he stressed.

Manyin made the remarks when officiating at the Tree-planting Day jointly organized by Kuching South City Council (MBKS), KTS Trading Sdn Bhd and Andreas STIHL AG Co Germany in conjunction with the 40th KTS-STIHL partnership anniversary at Muara Tabuan here when more than 400 trees were planted.

http://www.mbks.gov.my/pressdetails.asp?mode=187

Individual Social Responsibility

From a post by Suresh Govindarajan in http://www.siv-g.org/joomla/content/view/155/29/

there is a need for a strong commitment from every individual to contribute to the society. This commitment is what I would call as Individual Social Responsibility (ISR), like the CSR. I am very keen to popularize the idea of Individual Social Responsibility (ISR). Why should we pass on the responsibility to the corporate entities which most of the time throw money like the coconut to Lord Ganesha? More than that what is needed is the commitment by the individuals through ISR. When it happens, it will be through millions of people and the impact will be unimaginable even if the contribution is minimal.

Now, what could be the first commitment one can make under ISR? A very simple one! One need not throw money (pick up the coconut). It must be the commitment of demonstrating one’s integrity and honesty in every walks of life and being not very selfish! This is something which is absolutely in one’s hand and one need not look out on external materiallistic things on which we do not have any control. There cannot be a greater commitment and contribution to the society by an individual than this little one as Individual Social Responsibility! Once this basic commitment is fulfilled, then, perhaps an individual can think of higher commitments and then go on to the commitment of corporate social responsibility. If the ISR becomes a way of life, then perhaps, there would be hardly any need for CSR, because by fulfilling the commitments of ISR, every part of the society, including the corporate would have made a strong foundation on which the whole society operate in a much better way.

After all, it is said “give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you!” Perhaps, the commitment through ISR is the best way to demonstrate our basic character (like integrity, honesty and so on) to the society, if not the best in us, which in turn will come back to us from the society in the best way!

Social Responsibility - Individuals

Individual Responsibility and Civil Involvement with Others


Definition
Individual responsibility and civil involvement with others are traits that grow with the opportunities to share mutual tasks in a democracy. These tasks should be accomplished in a orderly fashion for the welfare of the group. The work should encompass personal independence and individual rights while accommodating the responsibility necessary to maintain group orderliness.
Checklist of Observable Behaviors

___ 1. Reliability

___ 2. Trust (competency, commonality, propriety, intent)

___ 3. Self-control

___ 4. Sensitivity to group needs and group problems

___ 5. Promoting the best interests of the group (accountability) (key
words: comprise and accountability)

___ 6. Consciously and voluntarily following all procedures adopted
by the group (key words: following group procedures)

___ 7. Positive participation

___ 8. Patience

___ 9. Cooperative learning techniques

___ 10. A behavior appropriate to the situation


___ 11. Sense of community within a classroom or a school, or
fostering stronger ties for the student with the community
beyond the school; community service and involvement

___ 12. Civil non-participation when appropriate (against your
beliefs)

___ 13. Contributing one’s own identity and uniqueness to the
group process
Reference

Good, C. V. (1973). Dictionary of education. New York: McGraw Hill.

General Example

Several key areas of learning can help educators focus on encouraging a sense of social responsibility and civil engagement: cooperative learning techniques, nonviolent management or resolution of conflict, multicultural education, environmental education, global education, the creation of a sense of community within a classroom or a school, and fostering stronger ties for the student with the community beyond the school (La Farge, 1992, p. 348).

A teacher might use a specific person as an example who could illustrate individual responsibility and civil involvement with others. A good example of these skills is Mahatma Gandhi, who was the personification of responsibility. Starting from the fact that he was one of the few men in history to fight simultaneously on moral, religious, political, social, economic, and cultural fronts, the teacher might focus on the idea of responsibility.

As a moralist, Gandhi was preoccupied with personal integrity and individual responsibility. He had great difficulty in coming to terms with the need for collective discipline and the moral compromises required by membership of the state. Gandhi claimed that every citizen was responsible for his actions and that responsibility was in no way diminished by what others did or did not do.

However, in his opinion it was wrong to say that what an isolated individual did had no wider consequences. For Gandhi it was the citizen’s sense of moral responsibility for his own actions that ultimately determined the character of the state. Men were responsible for one another, and if one of them turned delinquent, the rest could not disown their equal responsibility for his behavior. Even as a wrongdoer must search his conscience, the others must probe theirs.

The slow and painful task of cultivating and consolidating the sense of humanity, and thereby laying the foundations of a truly moral community, was an essentially collective responsibility. In Gandhi’s view the citizen is responsible for the actions of his government. The citizen is a party to its actions and partly responsible for their consequences. A citizen cannot hide behind the façade of collective responsibility, for it is composed of and does not replace individual responsibility (Parekh, 1989).
Classroom Example

The teacher can involve high school students in activities in which they can play the teacher role. For instance, the students may create hands-on science activities. By demonstrating them to younger students, the high school students show individual responsibility in their work because they are playing the teacher role. This activity provides opportunities for civil involvement with others through engaging the younger students in the hands-on activities.
References

La Farge, P. (1992). Teaching social responsibility in the schools. In S. Staub & P. Green (Eds.), Psychology and social responsibility: Facing global challenges (p. 348). New York: New York University Press.

McLaughlin, J. (1999). Ocean Exhibits [Video]. INTIME: Integrating New Technologies Into the Methods of Education. [On-line]. Available: http://www.intime.uni.edu

Parekh, B. C. (1989). Gandhi’s political philosophy. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

http://fp.uni.edu/model/democracy/indi.html

Articles on Political Parties

Multiparty system in Russia

http://www.prof.msu.ru/persons/kulik/political_parties.htm

Social Responsibility - Articles

Social Responsibility and Accountability: Summary
by Manfred Davidmann


Contents
Social Responsibility and Accountability

Social Responsibility of Those Who Govern, Direct, Lead or Manage

Countering Antisocial Behaviour

Social Benefits and Costs

Worldwide

http://www.solhaam.org/teachings/sclacc.html



A Code of Social Responsibility as a Social Contract

Keith Rankin

Social Responsibility Conference

Massey University, Albany Campus; 12-15 February 1998.

http://keithrankin.co.nz/krnkn_SocResp.html

Social Responsibility - People

On the basis of this analysis, the MLPC has adopted the slogan For Us, Accountability Begins at Home. At its centre is the recognition that when society is being held back and every avenue to solving its problems is obstructed, the working class and people take up their own social responsibility to change the situation.http://www.cpcml.ca/Tmld2006/D36142.htm


September 27, 2006 - No. 142

Inquiry Into Canada's System of Government

Conception of Accountability in the
Federal Accountability Act
- Sandra L. Smith, National Leader, Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada -

Social Responsibility - Meeting of Asian Political Parties

36. We believe governments should nurture political cultures that enable citizens to exercise civic and social responsibility to realize their potential to lead meaningful lives. And for this purpose, we see our own role as that of bringing our governments and citizens together in partnership.



1st ICAPP: Conference Declaration
Part of
Asian Declaration 2000

Manila, Philippines

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ASIAN POLITICAL PARTIES

17-20 September 2000

http://www.idcpc.org.cn/icapp3/2004-06/23/content_2369370.htm

Social Responsibility - Bon Menzies - Australia

Though Whitlamite nostalgia can be a poor guide for contemporary public policy, it is at least understandable that Labor’s true believers remember those years fondly. But when they start indulging in Menzies nostalgia something very odd is going on. In his first speech to Parliament after becoming leader, Kevin Rudd said:

…this modern Liberal Party, is that it is not the Liberal Party of old. If you go back and read what Bob Menzies had to say about social responsibility and social justice, there is no way that Bob Menzies would fit into the world view that we are now being offered. You see, the member for Kooyong recently delivered a speech on Bob Menzies?Ĵ legacy within the Liberal Party on these questions of social responsibility. It is quite clear when you read that clearly that there has been an ocean of change between that Liberal Party and what it stood for, despite our criticisms of it and our disagreements with it at the time, and the market fundamentalism which has overtaken the current Liberal Party.

It’s another example of the strange meme that recontructs the conservative Robert Menzies as some kind of left-leaning social democrat. In a fiscal fact-checking exercise sadly lacking among those making this claim about Menzies, today I visited the economics library at Melbourne University to see just how the Menzies government’s spending levels compared with that of John Howard’s government.

http://andrewnorton.info/2006/12/some-whitlamite-nostalgia-of-my-own/

Some interesting posts on political parties

http://mensch-sein.de/emanzipationhumanum.de/english/politparties.html


http://andrewnorton.info/2006/12/some-whitlamite-nostalgia-of-my-own/

India Today's 60 Greatest Indians of 20th Century - Issue 21 April 2008

List of the 60 greatest Indians

Amartya Sen — Global Indian
Mulk Raj Anand — Free radical
Amrita Sher-Gill — Brush with beauty
Munshi Premchand — Pen drive writer
C.N. Annadurai — Letter and spirit
Jawaharlal Nehru — The architect
Baba Amte — Man of action
P.C. Mahalanobis — The plan man
Bal Gangadhar Tilak — Street fighter
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke — First showman
B.C. Roy — Bengal tiger
Ravi Shankar — Sultan of string
Begum Akhtar — Queen of melody
Prakash Padukone — Feather touch
Bhagat Singh — The patriot
R.K. Narayan — Tale spinner
S.S. Bhatnagar — The catalyst
Raj Kapoor — Dynasty’s child
Bhimsen Joshi — Song and trance
Raja Ravi Varma — Royal touch
Bimal Roy — Romantic realist
Raja Ram Mohan Roy — The modernist
Bismillah Khan — The enchanter
Raja Ramanna — The energiser
B.R. Ambedkar — Eternal fighter
Rajendra Prasad — Son of the soil
C.V. Raman — Bright spark
S. Ramanujan — Perfect equation
Dhirubhai Ambani — Guru of growth
Ramnath Goenka — The kingmaker
Dhyan Chand — Sorcerer’s score
Rukmini Devi Arundale — Poetry in motion
E.M.S. Namboodiripad — The pragmatist
Sarojini Naidu — Civil crusader
Homi Bhabha — Nuclear maharaja
S. Radhakrishnan — Guiding light
Indira Gandhi — Triumph of will
Sachin Tendulkar — Beyond the boundary
J.C. Bose — Ahead of the curve
Sam Manekshaw — Warrior king
Jayaprakash Narayan — Lead factor
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — Iron in his soul
J.R.D. Tata — Steel in his spine
Satyajit Ray — Universal eye
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — The visionary
Subhas Chandra Bose — Supreme soldier
Lata Mangeshkar — Voice of India
S. Tripathi Nirala — Freedom’s verse
Ram Manohar Lohia — The provocateur
Rabindranath Tagore — At home in the world
M.S. Subbulakshmi — Endless echo
Viswanathan Anand — Lightning kid
M.S. Swaminathan — Roots of change
Verghese Kurien — White knight
Mahatma Gandhi — To Bapu, with love
A.B. Vajpayee — Renaissance man
Milkha Singh — Fast and gentle
Vikram Sarabhai — Master mind
Mother Teresa — Mission possible
Zubin Mehta — Baron of baton

http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/60-greatest-indians-132.html

According to me the notable omissions are religious leaders and founders and developers of RSS.

Mentioning Lohia, Anndurai and not mentioning RSS founder is totally irrational. Even Kanshiram should have made this list.

I invite readers to give their comments

Orkut Discussion - Are we alienating good Indian Muslims?

http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=370&tid=2588956125128056109some posts in the topic

Jordan raven

som of us think theyr terrorists
som of us think theyr mobs
most of us illtreat them
but theyre really goou if u know them well
disciplined god fearing
generous
ive experienced it

ανιηαѕн

Jordan raven
I don't think if there exists any problem at personal level.


My post on 17th March 2008
Narayana Rao
We are friendly with muslims
We do not ill treat muslims we know. About people with whom we do not come in contact there is no question of ill treating them.

The individual level relations and group level problems are independent in India. I have many friends all along for many years as classmates and colleagues in jobs. We never had a problem so far.

Still there are problems in society. Let us not generalise that we ill treat muslims and that is why there are problems. We do not illtreat them as individuals or as families when we are interacting with them. 11:27 am (7 minutes ago) Aminur Rashid
I fully agree with you

Ek moderator hee duusre moderator kaa dukh samajh sakta hai 11:27 am (6 minutes ago) Aminur Rashid
Let us not generalise that we ill treat muslims

I think thread starter was talking about IC370 in particular and not the real society in general. 11:29 am (5 minutes ago) Liberated Camel™
u guys r deviating from the TOPIC & taking the debate to IM orkut community......

We consider IM as official Orkut IM community for that being the largest and the most active so whatever happens there does affect our opinion. 11:29 am (4 minutes ago) delete Narayana Rao
Thank you
Mr. Aminur Rashid

I hope the discussion will take up from here by bringing this view also into consideration 11:30 am (4 minutes ago) Aminur Rashid
We consider IM as official Orkut IM community for that being the largest and the most active so whatever happens there does affect our opinion.

True. Given that if Orkut is to be believed, IC370 and IM community are the two Indian communities that should be taken as a general public opinion. 11:32 am (2 minutes ago) shivam
@ aminur

well i m not in favour of a debate in this thread......... because debates r futile..... it only creates bitterness.


i m more interested in discussion...... by discussion i mean knowing more about the other side......... 11:34 am (0 minutes ago) MиГир
ATTENTION ATTENTION


THIS HAS BEEN REALLY A GOOD DEBATE AFTER MANY LONG YEARS ..I SEE PPL FRM BOTH SIDESS RAISING A FEW GOOD POINTS . LET US NOT RUIN IT ..

In response to a blog post - Bourgeois Bureaucracy

http://astrangethingcalledlife.blogspot.com/2008/03/bourgeois-bureaucracy.html

In the above blog the following issue is brought up.


If the officials are responsible for every failure then they must also be the ones behind every success of the government... How come the credit of success is always given to the ministers while every failure is the result of an erring official???
How can officials be blamed for govt policies???

The policies are drafted by the cabinet, the officials are responsible only for implementing them... As such the failure of the policies must be seen as lack of foresight on the part of the govt; the only blame that can be leveled against the officials is in the delay of implementing the plans... But then bureaucratic red-tape is a well accepted drawback inherent in such system...



My response to the post in an orkut community discussion is:
http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=7753845&tid=2586633211450203329



The post of politicians and bureaucrats is interesting and important.

Bureaucrats are judged by politicians and politicians are judged by people.

Definitely we should have system whereby some bureaucrats are recognized for their exemplary service. Such bureaucrats may be identified by multiple sections of the society, media, politicians, NGOs, and people in general. There can be a committee MPs and MLAs at state level who receive nominations from various people and organizations and declare some awards that recognize bureaucrats. There is no doubt that many of them are doing a fair days work or more than a fairdays work.

When politicians criticize them public there may be some truth in it. And also politicians are trying to deflect the blame from them. But we are there to make our judgments and many sitting MPs, MLAs and ministers are losing elections because of our judgment.

I like the issue raised by you and I am including your post and my reply in this community in my blog on political and social philosophy.

I request to think more into the issue and collect opinion of others also on the issue.

Interest of Youth in Army and Politics

Orkut topic
http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=370&tid=2588941956088267428

тєяє bαρ kα bαρ
youth of india not intrested in Army and politics
9:04 pm 15.3.2008

youth of india have lost intrest in joining either Indian army or Indian politics
they rather prefer MNC's having a good salary

where indian army is facing marketing problem India politics is so much defamed that no one wants to join this field


My opinion posted
Narayana Rao
Defence - pay them more
10.31 pm 15.3.2008

At some points some professions become attractive and unattractive professions have to be made more attractive.

If private sector is rolling in profits and paying its employees fat salaries, well tax them and pay more salaries to defence officers. Wealth has to be shared in some logical manner.

It is not lack of interest in politics but going up in politics is tough job and probably only new parties now offer chance to new people. All old parties already have dynasties in each and every constituency in the country. Young persons from nonpolitical families have to come up through parties like BSP. Tough road ahead - tough people are required. It is not every body's job unlike that of private corporate sector/public sector or government job.

Do we need ethics and morals?

Hindustan Times carried a lead editorial on 6.3.2008 with the caption "Courting Denigration".

The editorial says Shiv Sena has a worthy rival in Namita Panda, Orissa state Women's Commission chairperson.

She is disturbed by the fact that incidents of rape, unwed motherhood and trafficking of girls have increased in the state.

Ms Panda's antics bring to mind similar missions undertaken by in the past by a chairperson of the National Women's Commission (NCW). So worried was this repository of Indian samskara ...

Human relationships, unless they are abusive in nature, do not fall within the jurisdiction of women's commissions. They should stick to their role as the custodians of women's rights, not of women's morals.

----------------

Comments

Do we need ethics and morals in the society? If they re needed who has to protect them and strengthen them?

Is Hindustan Times right in ridiculing Ms. Panda?

Fighting exploitation as an ideology

Communist movement has taken fighting exploitation as an ideology. Once in power, they did face problems in various countries. Even in India they are facing problem. No doubt communists need to develop better ways to run public sector organizations and also to make strong and wealthy people of society more humble and humane. They need incorporate ideas propounded by various religious saints and also Mahatma Gandhi who appealed to rich to consider themselves as trustees of public property.

But we want organizations committed to fight exploitation.

While answering a question about the primary education in India (education upto 10 year olds) in the upper house on Nov 26th , the Minister for Human Resource Development Dr.G.P.Pilania gave these facts.

1. National University of Education Planning and Administration has developed an index called Education Development Index which depends on access,infrastructure,teacher related indicators and elementary education outcome.

2. With this index the statewise (or union territory) figure are as follows

State / UT EDI Rank
Kerala 0.708 1
Delhi 0.707 2
Tamil Nadu 0.701 3
Pondicherry 0.7 4
Chandigarh 0.69 5
Karnataka 0.674 6
Himachal Pradesh 0.668 7
Andhra Pradesh 0.654 8
Mizoram 0.65 9
Lakshadweep 0.65 10
Sikkim 0.635 11
Maharashtra 0.635 12
Gujarat 0.63 13
Punjab 0.608 14
Uttaranchal 0.605 15
Jammu & Kashmir 0.597 16
Daman & Diu 0.592 17
Goa 0.586 18
Rajasthan 0.583 19
A & N Islands 0.566 20
Manipur 0.564 21
Chhattisgarh 0.559 22
Haryana 0.556 23
Dadra & Nagar Haveli 0.538 24
Tripura 0.535 25
Meghalaya 0.534 26
Nagaland 0.533 27
Orissa 0.512 28
Madhya Pradesh 0.512 29
Assam 0.49 30
Uttar Pradesh 0.482 31
West Bengal 0.467 32
Arunachal Pradesh 0.458 33
Jharkhand 0.435 34
Bihar 0.327 35