Cut-out or traffic cop? Take a close look on killer highway

REALLY FAKE (THEY DON’T TAKE HAFTAS): They may look like traffic cops, but are they real? The traffic police on Thursday placed cutouts of its personnel, complete with speed gun, on the Eastern Express highway near the killer Godrej Junction at Vikhroli to scare overspeeding motorists

Dayanand Gawas can now be at two places at the same time. And it is not a development in human cloning which has made this remarkable feat possible. The traffic police have placed cutouts of Gawas (48), their senior inspector (Prosecution) on the Eastern Express Highway that has been witnessing major accidents due to overspeeding and skidding. The traffic department with its 2,400 uniformed force finds it difficult to be present at signals at all times. It has, instead, come up with the novel idea of placing cut-outs of uniformed officers holding speed guns on the highway. The cut-outs, say traffic officials, will act as a deterrent to motorists who will mistake the dummies for actual cops and reduce the speed of their vehicles. So while his cut-out was busy controlling speeding motorists on the highway on Thursday, Gawas was at his desk in the traffic police headquarters. The officer seemed amused at the idea but added that it is part of his duty. “If my cut-outs can make motorists reduce speed, then I will be only too happy to be seen on every road,’’ says Gawas. Gawas learnt about the cut-out plan when he was called by his superiors a week ago to pose before the camera with a speed gun. Clad in his khaki uniform, the officer was clicked extensively by freelance photographer Ashish Ved. Gawas frequently conducts special drives against speeding motorists on the Eastern Express Highway. “The fact that I will be at two places at the same time is just sinking in,’’ says Gawas. “My family rarely uses the Eastern Express Highway, but I am waiting to see their reaction whenever they do,’’ says Gawas, who adds that he is happy to have a twin brother at least on a cut-out. Ved, who has done cut-outs for films, corporates and advertisements, says it is the first time that he has made one for a social cause. “When a motorist breaks the rules, he first looks out for a cop. The cutouts will at least put an element of doubt in the drivers’ minds. Even if the driver follows the signal wondering whether the cut-out is a real cop or a dummy, it will have served its purpose,’’ said Ved. Made out of sun board—a type of acrylic sheet— the cut-outs are placed on aluminium stands which will not be visible to motorists. To ensure that the cut-outs do not fall off due to the breeze on the highway, boulders will be placed behind them, which will also not be visible.

Sweeping gesture

Salman Khan gifted Rs 1 lakh to a BMC sweeper who was heartbroken on being eliminated from 10 Ka Dum

Salman Khan has displaying his generous nature again. During a 10 Ka Dum (Sony) episode which was shot last week, he gave away Rs 1 lakh to a sweeper, from his own pocket. The BMC sweeper from Akola, who participated in the reality show, was heartbroken after he was eliminated. Sallu noticed how upset he was and after hearing about his financial problems, asked his driver to get Rs 1 lakh for him.

An eyewitness says, "The sweeper was very excited about being on the show, but his face fell after he was eliminated. Salman approached him and asked him what was wrong."

The sweeper poured out all his financial troubles to Sallu who heard him out. The eyewitness adds, "I saw the sweeper telling Salman that earns Rs 3,500 per month, and is finally left with only Rs 1,000 since he is repaying a loan in installments of Rs 2,500 every month." Salman told him not to worry. He called his driver and asked him to get Rs 1 lakh.

The driver arrived with the money within an hour. The sweeper could not believe his eyes when Salman handed over the huge amount of money to him.

The eyewitness says, "He touched Salman's feet in gratitude."

Power puff helps smokers quit

E-cigarettes, launched recently, simulate the effect of a nicotine high minus the health hazard

CHENNAI: Antony Michael, a bank employee who has been addicted to smoking for the last 10 years, says he is now confident of kicking the habit. The number of cigarettes he smokes a day has come down from 10 to one. S Saravanan, a doctor, claims he has been able to quit smoking in just three days. C Kumar, a Delhi-based businessman who has smoked 80 cigarettes a day for the last 20 years, says he has cut down on the number.

The key to these smokers’ weaning process is the e-cigarette, or electronic cigarette, launched recently by a Chennai-based company, which gives smokers the same satisfaction as a cigarette, but without the danger of tobacco and cancercausing chemicals. Those who have tried it say it has made a big difference to their efforts to quit smoking. “I don’t know how genuine the product is, but it is helping me,” admits Michael.

Explaining how the e-cigarette works, Saravanan says, “If a traditional cigarette contains 22 mg of nicotine, an e-cigarette cartridge which you smoke in the initial days, contains 16 mgs of diluted liquid nicotine which comes down to 10, five and finally zero in a phased-out manner.”Saravanan, who smoked 30 cigarettes a day for the last six years, says he now feels content with 10-odd drags from his e-cigarette.

However, there are others who are not so happy with e-cigarettes. M Janarthanan, a businessman, says he tried an e-cigarette but it did not help him much. “It gave me a slight headache,” he says. “If a hardcore smoker is really willing to quit smoking, this e-cigarette will help him do it in 90 days,” claims Sunil Kumar, proprietor of SPK Marketing Service, the company that launched the product. “E-cigarettes helped me quit smoking in less than three months. I had to buy them abroad as they were not available in India then,” he says.

WHAT IS AN E-CIGARETTE? It is a non-flammable gadget which converts diluted liquid nicotine in cartridges into harmless vapour through its atomising chamber. Smokers get the nicotine hit they need, minus the health hazard. It uses a high-tech silicon chip, air flow sensor, integrated circuits, high frequency ultrasonic generator, rechargeable lithium batteries and other micro-electronic components.

Businessworld : Number one Indian business portal with incisive analysis and surveys - Billionaire Gallery

Businessworld : Number one Indian business portal with incisive analysis and surveys - Billionaire Gallery

Consumer courts’ scope to be widened

SMALL investors, who often suffer on account of delays in getting their grievances redressed, may cheer. The scope of consumer courts, that are known for providing faster justice on issues touching the life of normal citizens, are set to be expanded to provide small investors easier redressal to their grievances.

The new Companies Bill, which is likely to be placed before Parliament this monsoon session, will call for strengthening consumer courts towards that end. The idea is to provide investors faster justice without spending much on legal expenses, which is quite unlikely if one approaches the courts. Investor protection in India is overseen by market regulator Sebi and the ministry of corporate affairs.

Officials in the ministry of corporate affairs say that consumer courts are legally eligible to look into investment-related cases, but they need to have a specialised set up for such technical matters.

The government also proposes to bring more clarity on the jurisdiction of such courts in matters of investors’ grievances. The steps under consideration include capacity-building and giving specialised training to officers handling such cases, the officials say. It will also bring more clarity in certain grey areas in the Consumer Protection Act.

Earlier this year, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had made it clear that bourses were “service providers” and would have to compensate investors if brokers default.

The officials feel that legislative changes would ensure that investors could seek redressal at the lowest tier of consumer-justice delivery system, rather than approaching the highest fora. Consumer courts in the country work in three strata–at the district level, state level and at the national level.

With the increasing number of investors’ grievances, one of the objectives of the new company law bill is to provide timely and simplified institutional structure for dispute resolution so that investors are not compelled to resort to costly legal proceedings.

Souvik Sanyal NEW DELHI souvik.sany

SEX BY BUTTONS

Ahmedabad schoolkids fall prey to raunchy video games, shell out big bucks at cyber cafes for Playboy, Seven Sins, Private Dancer.Raunchy video games are a big hit with the city’s school kids, who are spending hours playing them in cyber cafes.

The games, some of which are titled Playboy The Mansion, Seven Sins, Bible Black, Private Dancer, Jeena, Singles Flirt Up Your Life and Lula, allow the players to kiss, fondle and undress virtual models and finally make love to them.

The games are designed to play on youngsters’ imaginations. While one of the games shows a player as a high-flying media baron making love to pretty models, the other has a player working at a garment store and seducing his female customers.

Available all over the city in shops selling compact discs and digital video discs (DVDs), these pirated CDs and DVDs cost not more than Rs 150 while originals come at steep Rs 1,500.

According to the owner of one such shop, school vacations were the best time for business. “We were flooded with kids asking for naughty video games during the

Myths-o-pause

Menopause is a misunderstood biological change in women. Here’s debunking the most common myths around it


MYTH
When in menopause, women are no longer interested in sex.

FACT
There’s no connection whatsoever between a woman’s libido and the estrogen levels in her body and hence; menopause can’t be cited as the reason why a woman is interested (or not interested) in sex. In a research conducted, almost 50 per cent of women reported on change in their interest towards sex. So, if your nights continue to be ‘action oriented’, even while your partner is in menopause, don’t be surprised.

MYTH
Menopause causes weight gain.

FACT
A woman’s weight gain can be attributed to a number of reasons. However, there’s no connection between her waist size and the fact that she is in menopause. A general study conducted showed that while some women gained weight while they were in menopause, there were also some who lost weight. And there were also some whose weight didn’t fluctuate at all.

MYTH
Her mood swings were unbearable during pre-menopausal stage. Now, it will only get worse.

FACT
You are wrong. Just because she was hysterical before the menopause phase came in doesn’t hint that she will get even more unbearable. It’s a well established fact that for many women, menopause can be accompanied with a comparatively calmer emotional phase. Factors that affect her emotional and physical well-being are her past and present dietary habits, possible alcohol misuse, issues with self-esteem and upbringing, childbearing history and health of other women in her family.

MYTH
Menopause always occurs by the time the woman turns 50.

FACT
Stop making generalised assumptions like these. Fifty is not the only age during which a woman goes through menopause. Going by the statistics, one in every hundred women goes through menopause even before she turns 40. The average age span for menopause is 45 to 55. Not to forget, in some cases, a surgery (like hysterectomy) can lead to early menopause, also known as artificial menopause. There are many other factors that can lead to an early menopause.

MYTH
Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) or any other form of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can cure menopause.

FACT
You cure a disease or a disorder and not something that’s a natural body process. It’s a phase that all women go through inevitably and it’s a part of the body cycle, not something unusual that can be avoided or done away with. Also, the hormone levels are not the same in every woman. Different women have different hormone requirements. While some may need estrogen, some may also need testosterone. Moreover, the hormone levels change throughout the menopause phase and hence, the hormone requirement also differs accordingly. Moreover, there have been many instances when hormonal replacement therapies have no effect whatsoever.

M-banking gets RBI okay

RBI’s Draft Guidelines Favour SMS-Based Small-Ticket Payments Up To Rs 1,500
Our Bureau MUMBAI


MOBILE phone owners in the future will be allowed to transfer funds from their accounts to other mobile phone owners across networks and service providers. This is what the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) draft operating guidelines for mobile payments aim to achieve.

As per the draft, even those with the most basic mobile phones may be able to pay for transactions through their mobile in the future. RBI has permitted the use of SMS-based mobile payments for small transactions up to Rs 1,500 in its draft.

The central bank has mandated that SMS be used for small-ticket payments up to Rs 1,500, thus making it possible for even the most basic mobile phone to be used for m-banking. It has also asked banks to make their mobile-banking services available across all phone networks. Further, RBI has said that the long-term goal of the mobile-payment framework in India would be to enable funds transfer from and account in one bank to any other account in any bank on a real time basis, irrespective of the mobile network the customer has subscribed to.

Banks have evinced considerable interest in the m-payments space over the past couple of years and the top players have already rolled them out. However, most of these are restricted to certain mobile-service providers or to high-end users with GPRS-enabled instruments. The central bank’s move of making the m-payments space operator-agnostic is being perceived by many as an attempt to broadbase the service.

Meanwhile, payments service providers have applauded RBI for its proactive stance on the issue. “It is a very positive step from the regulators, which shows its support for the initiative. The regulator has clearly spelt out the roles of each of the players, with enough scope for flexibility,” said mChek CEO Sanjay Swamy. Paymate founder and managing director Ajay Adiseshann said, “The guidelines come at the right time for the industry. Also, the fact that small-ticket payments will be encouraged is a positive.”

The central bank has suggested that banks issue a separate mobile-PIN which will be completely different from the internet banking passwords. It has also suggested that the possibilities of dual-factor authentication and one-time passwords be looked into. However, there is some concern over the SMS channel being used for payments, since it is often unreliable and prone to tampering.

The guidelines also recommend that banks do not compromise on their knowyour-customer and anti-money laundering guidelines. It has also been recommended that banks explicitly state the risks to customers and also get them to sign a contract before the service is adopted. This is a move which m-payments service providers feel will act as a deterrent to rapid adoption of the service. Banks that have already started offering mobile banking services to their customers have also been given three months to comply.

FLOPPERS

This is true give one example in the whole worl were a Topper in any Exams 10th, 12th ,IAS or IPS etc have doen soem great work or discovery.

All new discovery and achivements are doen by people who are not topppers and not good in studies for e.g Albert einsten, Thomas alwa edisson, Sachin tendulkar, Michael Jackson,Dhirubhai Ambani and may more

Degree is of no use these people are just muggers and not knowledgable person. one should stop having cermony in their honour. What is their contrbution towards society or country. they mug up and fly away to US and UK.

Below mention article is proof of my words above.

Mirror gave six Class XII toppers a simple GK test. Most of them didn’t even come close to getting a first-class

Don't dismiss them as unintelligent. They are simply examples that highlight how urgently we need to end our mugging-up culture.
Mumbai Mirror gave a simple General Knowledge test to our HSC toppers (three from the State Board, two from CBSE and one from ISC) and found out that they are anything but all-rounders. Five of them have got marks in their exams in excess of 90%, but most of them will falter if you ask them who's the President of India, what is an SEZ, who heads the BCCI, and they also aren't sure about the name of the accused in the Parliament attack case whose sentencing has created a controversy.
The questions we posed to them were based on common knowledge that any educated citizen should have. But most of them got less than 50% marks in our test. The overall HSC topper, Priyanka Shah, who had got 96.59% in the Board exams, in fact got 36% marks in the GK test, and one of the CBSE toppers got just 27%.
But, again, it's not the students but the system that's at fault. In fact, all the students took the test sportingly, and almost all of them agreed at the end of the test that it was time they improved their GK.
Their acknowledgement is reason enough for those who feel dejected or depressed at getting poor or 'inadequate' marks in Board exams to look up. There's definitely more to life than SSC and HSC scores.

Priyanka Jain
OVERALL MUMBAI HSC TOPPER
96.59%
MIRROR GK TEST
36.36%


Nirav Shah
ARTS TOPPER
87.33%
MIRROR GK TEST
68.10%


Ayesha Ansari
SCIENCE TOPPER
95.67%
MIRROR GK TEST
40.90%


Nikita Sisaudia
CBSE COMMERCE TOPPER
95.4%
MIRROR GK TEST
50%


Shravya Kotaru
CBSE SCIENCE TOPPER
95.4%
MIRROR GK TEST
27.20%


Akshay
ISC COMMERCE TOPPER
97.75%
MIRROR GK TEST
86.09%

Anticipatory bail law most abused: SC

New Delhi: The pre-arrest bail provision in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), inserted to save the innocent from harassment at the hands of the police, is the most abused, the Supreme Court said on Monday.

Its anguish stemmed from the fact that a discretionary power vested with the high courts and sessions courts was being repeatedly invoked by persons accused of heinous offences,defeating the very intent of the relief-giving provision. Exasperated by the large number of prearrest bail petitions flooding high courts and even the SC, a bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and P P Naolekar said, “Now, rapists, triple murder accused and the most corrupt have started seeking anticipatory bail, making the provision one of the most abused sections of the CrPC.’’ Surrender first, then seek bail, rules SC

New Delhi: Lamenting the misuse of the pre-arrest bail provision of the CrPC, a twojudge bench of the Supreme Court on Monday passed a standard order in all anticipatory bail petitions—let the accused surrender before the trial court and then seek bail. However, it also asked the trial court to hear the bail petition on the day it was filed before it.

Section 438 of the CrPC says, “When any person has reason to believe that he may be arrested on accusation of having committed a non-bailable offence, he may apply to the high court or the court of session, and that court may direct that in the event of such arrest, he shall be released on bail.’’

The section mandates that all pre-arrest bails will have at least three conditions—the accused should cooperate in the investigation, not tamper with evidence or influence witnesses and not leave the country without the court’s permission.

The Law Commission, in its 203rd report to the law ministry, had dealt with the practicality of an amendment to the pre-arrest bail provision under the CrPC (Amendment) Act, 2005, which had made it mandatory for the person seeking pre-arrest bail to be present in court during the final hearing of his application, opining against the provision.

However, CJI K G Balakrishnan had lamented that prearrest bail petitions were flooding high courts because the CrPC gave concurrent jurisdiction to HCs and sessions courts. He said, “As the court of sessions has the power to deal with sessions cases resulting in the imposition of the death sentence or imprisonment for life, there is no reason why such a court cannot be considered adequate to deal with applications for grant of anticipatory bail. We, therefore, recommend that Section 438 of the CrPC be suitably amended restricting the power of granting anticipatory bail to the court of sessions.’’

Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN

Show answersheet, CIC tells school

Also Allows Failed Class IX Student To See Answerbooks Of His Classmates

New Delhi: In a first-of-its-kind order, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked a Delhi school to disclose the answersheets of a Class IX student, who had failed in his annual exams this year.

In response to an RTI application, the CIC also ordered the school to disclose the answersheets of all his classmates for inspection. Moreover, since the school was late in replying to the RTI plea, an order to impose penalty was also given. Information Commissioner O P Kejrewal said, “We instructed the school to show the boy his answersheets and also show him the answersheets of his classmates. If he wanted photocopies of his answersheets, then the needful has to be done. But yes, he would not have access to the photocopies of the answersheets of his classmates.’’

“We did this according to the Act and to maintain transparency,’’ Kejrewal said. Mohsin, a student of Class IX of Government Boys Senior Secondary School in east Delhi’s Dilshad Garden had failed in three of the six subjects. In the examination that happened in the first week of March and whose results were out on March 31, Mohsin failed in English, mathematics and social sciences. “It was unbelievable that he failed in his class promotion examinations. My nephew had said he has done well. He was not even given his report card,’’ said Arif, the student’s uncle. On April 1, Mohsin filed an RTI application requesting the school to disclose the marks obtained by him in all the six subjects. “In his application, he had requested the school to show him all his answersheets and also that of his classmates,’’ said Arif. Mohsin had also sought details of the teachers who had carried out the correction of the answersheets.

“I also wanted to know that even if I failed, why was I denied a report card,’’ said Mohsin. Other information sought by the applicant included the pass percentage of Class IX and the rules for granting grace marks along with details of students who were given the same this time. The school did not give any details. After one month, it finally agreed to the request after the student approached the CIC.

Pvt SSC exams introduced for ’09

From next year, those who are not in school can appear for the SSC board exam privately. Candidates will have to enrol themselves at the Vashi office of the state board for secondary education.

Candidates should have studied at least till Class IV and should be at least 14 years of age as of July 31, 2008. They should not be in school from June 30, 2008 onwards.

Students who wish to appear must buy Form 17 from the state board office at Vashi. Forms will be available from June 10 to August 5 from 10 am to 3 pm. They will also be available at designated schools from June 25 to August 5.

Students must submit completed forms by July 10, along with a fee of Rs 500. Forms submitted from July 10 to July 21 will have to be accompanied by a fee of Rs 600. Forms submitted from July 21 to August 5 will have to be accompanied by a Rs 20-per-day fine in addition to the Rs 600. TNN

MORE DIPLOMA COURSES, MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES

With The Demand For Professionals Strong As Ever, The Number Of Seats Across The State Goes Up Every Year By 15%

It no longer comes as a surprise that the holder of a diploma from the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute can get job offers from top-notch engineering companies with an annual pay packet ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.

Diploma holders in almost every stream of engineering are being scooped up by companies. In fact, last year, according to D N Shingade, secretary of the Maharashtra State Board for Technical Education (MSBTE), not one engineering diploma graduate remained unemployed. “Industry comes to campuses and is ready to offer great salaries to our graduates,’’ he added.

Little wonder, then, that the intake for diploma courses goes up each
year by almost 15%. The current number of available seats for diploma courses in engineering is nearly the same as the number of seats available for degree courses across the state. There are 49,620 engineering diploma seats and 56,881 engineering degree seats in Maharashtra.

More students are realising that Class XII doesn’t lead to just one road—the degree programme. A host of diploma and certificate courses offered by various polytechnics and colleges across the state offers careers with great job opportunities. In all,
colleges affiliated to the MSBTE have a total intake of 80,000 seats, of which 20,000 seats fall in the Mumbai division. Keeping with the times, the technical board has introduced several new courses (see box).

What has come as a boon is the lateral-entry system to engineering degree courses. Ten seats in every engineering degree college are set aside for students with a diploma certificate in the field. “There is no reservation for these 10 seats. Entry is on merit alone and students get admission to the second year of the degree course,’’ said an MSBTE official. This means that after completing a three-year diploma, a student can get into the second year of a degree course. Besides this, students who have not cleared their HSC, can opt for courses that give admission on the basis of SSC scores (see ‘Careers sans degrees’).

The State Board of Vocational Education also offers short-term courses that can be taken by people who have not cleared even the SSC. Courses include photography, foodprocessing and desktop-publishing.

New diploma courses introduced by the state board for technical education
Computer hardware and networking Geoinformatics (advanced diploma) Embedded systems (advanced) Clinical research (advances) Automobile mechatronics (advanced) Energy management (advanced)

Note: Advanced courses will require a previous diploma or degree

THE DIPLOMA OPTION
After HSC (and in many cases SSC), you can pursue a diploma in several fields and directly take a job on completing the course

Information on diploma, certificate and vocational courses can be got from the State Directorate of Technical Education, State Vocational Education Board or the Maharashtra State Board for Technical Education, and from autonomous institutes

Many diplomas allow the holders to later pursue degree courses in that field

There are 108 private and 15 government/aided institutions that offer diploma, advanced diploma and certificate courses in Mumbai. Another 80 colleges in the city offer vocational courses

PROMINENT INSTITUTES
There are five government polytechnics in Bandra, Thane, Sion, Raigad and Fort Aided institutes include: KJ Somaiya Polytechnic | Fr Agnel Institute of Technology | Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute | Sasmira’s Institute of Manmade Textiles

Unaided institutes include:
Bombay Institute of Technology | Academy of Architecture | Shah and Anchor Kutchhi Polytechnic | Terana Polytechnic | Mumbai Education Trust’s Institute Of Pharmacy | Rizvi College of Hotel Management and Catering Technology

COURSES THAT CAN BE PURSUED AFTER HSC
Duration of study: 3 years (Engineering diplomas)
Automobile engineering | Computer engineering | Civil engineering | Chemical engineering | Civil and environmental engineering | Civil and rural engineering | Construction engineering | Civil engineering | Electrical Engineering | Electronics engineering | Electronics and communication engineering | Electronics and video engineering | Electronics engineering | Mechanical engineering | Mechanical engineering | Petrochemical engineering | Plant engineering | Production engineering | Polymer and plastic engineering | Plastic engineering | Mine engineering | Metallurgical engineering Computer technology | Construction technology | Chemical technology | Food technology | Foundry technology | Fabrication technology | Garment technology | Information technology | Knitting technology | Leather goods and footwear technology | Leather technology | Medical laboratory technology | Metallurgy and material technology | Man-made textile technology | Packaging technology | Printing technology Digital electronics | Electronics and tele-communication | Electronics | Instrumentation | Instrumentation and Control | Industrial Electronics | Medical electronics

Duration of study: 2 years
Fire service engineering | Dental technology | Maritime catering & hotel management | Digital photography & digital graphics

Duration of study: 1 year, 6 months
Hemodialysis technician | Operation theatre technician | Hotel operation
Duration of study: 1 year

Hardware & networking

COURSES THAT CAN BE PURSUED AFTER SSC
Duration: 3 years
Interior designing & decoration | Diploma in fashion and textile designing

Duration of study: 2 years
Interior Designing and decoration | 3D Animation & graphics | Information technology certificate | Dress designing & manufacturing | Stenography & secretarial practice

STATE BOARD VOCATIONAL COURSES
Duration of study: 2 years
Physiotherapy
Duration of study: 1 year Photography | Basic food processing technology | Garment manufacturing and fashion designing | Yoga, naturopathy | Gems identification and diamond grading
Duration of study: 6 months
Agro farm management | Electrical assembling and TV tech | Desktop publishing | Computer accounting and office automation | IT | Webpage designing | Autocad | Multimedia and animation | Call centre management

TIMES NEWS NETWORK :

Protest, but peacefully

Bombay High Court says trade unions have right to apply pressure on managements to accede to their demands; can demonstrate within 500 metres of the office or factory, including inside the premises

Trade unions got a major shot in the arm with the Bombay High Court recently ruling they have every right to demonstrate within a radius of 500 metres of the office or factory, including inside the premises, ‘so long as it does not prove to be unlawful, torturous or violent’. It said demonstrations and dharnas are legitimate weapons of unions to achieve their demands.

“It is the legitimate right of trade unions to apply pressure on the management to accede to their demands. Employers cannot stop loyal workers from carrying out peaceful and nonviolent agitations and demonstrations in support of their trade disputes with the management,” justice J H Bhatia ruled on a suit filed by insurance giant The New India Assurance Company Limited (TNIACL) against eight trade unions.

The court said, “It is difficult to understand if trade unions or their workers are to make any demonstration against the management, how that can be done if they are prevented from being carried out within a radius of 500 metres from the office of the employer?”

CASE BACKGROUND
The New India Assurance Company Ltd had transferred two female employees on June 1, 2005. The transfer orders were opposed by trade unions.

According to complaint to the police, the company alleged that its managing director and chairman were man-handled and loyal employees obstructed from entering the office premises and carrying out their duties. “Even policy holders, customers and other intermediaries were obstructed and threatened with physical harm,” it alleged.

The company moved court to restrain the trade unions from agitating or demonstrating within 500 metres of the company.

THE DEFENCE
The unions denied all the allegations. “The so-called agitation undertaken by the employees, who happen to be members of the defendants (the trade unions), were only in the nature of trade union activities and were permissible under provisions of The Trade Unions Act, 1926. No suit or other legal proceedings is maintainable in any civil court against registered trade unions or their office-bearers or their members under the provisions of the Trade Unions Act,” the defence argued.

THE COURT RULING
The court gave its ruling. “Reading carefully the plaint, it would indicate that the management was bent upon crushing trade unions’ activities and their legitimate agitation by filing the suit and obtaining a court order against the defendants and their members,” observed justice Bhatia.

“The management cannot suppress demonstrations or agitations or take away the immunity provided to trade unions, their office-bearers and members.

“Demonstrations and dharnas, when peaceful, have now come to be accepted as falling within the permissible sphere of agitation by labour. They may cause inconvenience to the management but they are weapons, as a strike is, in the armoury of the labour to pressurise the management to accede to their demands.

“Any concerted movement by workmen to achieve their objectives is certainly permissible, even inside the industrial establishment within the working hours, so long it does not prove to be unlawful, torturous or violent.”

UNION LEADER SAYS
The HC ruling has come as a breather for poor labourers because holding an agitation was their right until trade unions became weak over the past few years while capitalists established their hegemony

— Milind Ranade, general secretary, Waste Collectors and Transporters’ Union

CORPORATES FAVOUR GUEST HOMES TO HOTELS…

Corporate homes in and around the city have been getting quite popular as it makes economic sense to fully furnished flats for use by touring executives and guests for corporate and MNCs. While the options outside Mumbai are wide open, the options within Mumbai dry out. With rising hotel rates within the city, the corporate world is looking at more economical options providing equally good facilities and ambiance.

In such a scenario, the corporate world would be happy if they can find a serene place for international visitors and executives with a promise that the huge expenses saved by them would bring the benefits for the company for owning the places without having the bother to maintain them.

Fortunately, the world of ROYAL PALMS provides this most viable and desirable option within Mumbai city and within a few minutes from the airports, highways and the Central Business District. ROYAL PALMS thus presents a meaningful way to save on enormous expenses and show the way to own an unlimited peace and tranquility with extra space for visitors and guests without burdening the economics.

ROYAL PALMS is nestled in an expanse of 240 acres of sheer greenery bestowed by nature so close to the conveniences and yet so far away from the concrete jungles of Mumbai. A breath of fresh air further adds to the exemplary sets of residences with lifestyle amenities one has cherished for long.

ROYAL PALMS provides you a unique world with unrestricted perspectives. For a global lifestyle and a personal space to be proud of, there is nothing to compare to the aptly titled PICCADILLY V at the ROYAL PALMS. PICCADILLY V has been thoughtfully designed with optimal use of space resulting in a world class and fully serviced studio apartment.

Speaking about PICCADILLY V, Dilawar Nensey, Jt Managing Director, Royal Palms India said,"PICCADILLY V has an elegant combo of form and functionality and a reflection of ultimate satisfaction with luxury and natural abundance right around the guests. It could be neatly classified as tiny penthouses complete with professional management and impeccable maintenance.

PICCADILLY V is also an intelligent and genuine investment option for the corporate world with an appreciation that is likely to create history due to the superb natural surroundings.

PICCADILLY V is backed by a unique concept of blending pristine green environment, super luxury lifestyle amenities, proximity and affordability. The project is brought to you by the Royal Palms group, headed by Mr. Amir Nensey.

The unpolluted sylvan surroundings of the Royal Palms Estate has facilities for a golf course, health spa, country club, recreation club, lakes, manmade beach, hospital, swimming pool, restaurants, cafeteria, shopping village, entertainment centre, 3-Star, 4-Star and 5-Star hotels, offices and IT parks.

An ownership at PICCADILLY V provides facilities such as access to Golf Course, lake for boating and evening walks, manmade beach to spend time with friends and families, cricket Academy, spa, health club, water slides for children, a wave pool to enjoy, exclusive Shopping Mart for all needs and Restaurants, Cafeterias as well as bar for satisfying taste-buds.

"Travelling for 4-6 months in a year, one gets tired by the forced politeness from the hotels. Condos present a different world with immaculate facilities" These words of a frequent world trotter speak volumes for the need for such Guest homes.

PICCADILLY V comes from ROYAL PALMS for the corporate world looking for the magic of nature as well as a worthy economic convenience. PICCADILLY V will pamper guests like no one else. With a price range of Rs. 23.5 Lakh to Rs. 30 Lakhs, Piccadilly Condos offer is probably the last chance to buy weekend homes within Mumbai. PICCADILLY V CONDOS… Unique solutions for corporate benefits…

Setting PAN limits in insurance, MF investments

AHEAD of this year’s budget, insurance regulator Irda’s views were sought on a proposal to make permanent account number (PAN) mandatory for insurance investments .

Besides oversight, financial regulators are mandated to develop the market. Irda seemed to have taken that mandate seriously: It didn’t favour the PAN move. The rationale was, this would dampen the enthusiasm of insurance distributors — mainly agents — on whom the industry leans heavily. Irda worried that a diktat on PAN could put off potential investors.

Indeed, insurance penetration in India is low. Measured in terms of premium collections, the penetration is close to 4.1% of GDP in life and 0.6% of the GDP in non-life. This is way below the figures in the UK and Japan.

According to the industry, distributors already comply with rigorous norms. The insurance industry is apprehensive about getting bogged down in more paperwork if PAN is made mandatory.

Irda also felt that insurers were obtaining PAN from clients whenever the premiums paid or sum assured breached a certain threshold. These are internal benchmarks set by insurers who conduct a due diligence. The aim is to find if a policyholder has the ability to pay his premium.

Indian insurers, eyeing huge rural opportunities, argue that compulsory PAN could dampen rural sales. Getting farmers to buy policies could be a challenge as many of them may not have a PAN card.

Perhaps Irda’s case was not strong enough. The government went ahead and announced in the budget that PAN would be mandatory for all financial market transactions, subject to certain thresholds. The limits will be imposed in consultation with Irda.

The mutual fund industry too, raised a hue and cry over the move to make PAN mandatory for MF investments. Fund houses argued that it could impact investments in MFs, and instead, money may be go to unit-linked insurance plans (Ulips) offered by insurance companies.

But the government did not budge and made PAN mandatory for investments in MFs. No threshold was set for MFs. Similarly, transactions in the securities market are also covered.

Over the past few few years, PAN has evolved from being just an identification number of income tax purposes. It has virtually become a citizen’s identification number, though the last word on this is not out yet. Besides an individual, banks, credit card companies and other agencies are now required to quote PAN of their clients in select financial transactions. The data is then matched with the tax-returns of the individual to see if he is short-paying or evading taxes. In short, PAN is handy to establish an audit trail in financial transactions.

So, there is no case for excluding investors buying Ulips from quoting PAN. Ulips are popular savings instruments as they offer protection in terms of life cover and flexibility in investments to the policyholder. The investments are similar to a mutual fund, though insurers say that a one-to-one comparison may not be correct.

A threshold if at all may be justified for insurance products other than Ulips — mainly pure life cover. But the bulk of the products being peddled by the industry are Ulips and firms here say that they are no different from other markets. So, if at all a threshold is justified, what ought to be the threshold for other insurance products?

Perhaps a good benchmark could be the limit set for insurance companies reporting transactions under the anti-money laundering legislation.

Here, micro insurance policies with an aggregate annual premium of up to Rs 10,000 (from all policies) are exempt. The limits could be reviewed periodically when with rising incomes the ceiling could be raised.

hema.ramakrishnan@timesgroup.com

ARE YOU BUSY?

…even if you are not, there are ways to show that you are. Creating an impression of a hardworking professional is an essential office skill. Tips to master the art



Sometimes hardworking professionals lose it to hardly working employees; reason being the inability to know the art of ‘perception management’, which can easily tag them as ‘AB’ (read always busy) professionals or ‘CD’ (read carefree demons)! “In today’s fast paced world, it’s trendy to be busy,” avers Seema Hingorany, a leading psychotherapist, “Professionals try to look busy and preoccupied to set a positive impression. This kind of behaviour can be related to one’s inner need to boost selfconfidence and measure up to other’s achievements.”
It is human to feel important and impress those who matter, be it your boss or your love interest at work. Pretending to be busy at work is indeed an art. Here are some pointers to show the world that you are a ‘busy bee’:

• Never walk around without
a document in your hand:
People with a file or documents in their hands appear active and industrious, and if you don’t have one, you are obviously “heading to the canteen”. How about visiting the canteen with files and documents to heighten the effect? Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home at night to create a false impression that you never switch off your ‘office’ mode.

• Send e-mails at weird timings: People will appreciate your concern for work if you send e-mails at odd timings like 4 am or 11pm. Also, if you call/email others for office work on public holidays, they will be all praise for your ‘sincere’ efforts. Use phrases like, ‘work comes first’, ‘work is important’, ‘I can’t sit idle on holidays’ and ‘I like to work with a relaxed mind’ to justify your efforts.

• Messy desk: Remember this thumb rule - only the top management can get away with a clean desk. A messy desk is an aid if you want to look busy
forever. Ringing phone/s, papers and files all around you indicate that you are neck deep in work. “I am known for a messy desk at work and my colleagues from different departments are very concerned about my work load,” Harsh Ved, a bank employee, winks.

• Skip lunch but let others notice it: “Lunch time is the best time to let others know that you are buried with work,” quips Deepti S, a software professional, “The best time to act busy is when other team members are planning to go out for lunch. Say that work comes first and other things can wait. Not only people will talk about your commitment to work, you will be more noticeable when others are not around.” Go for lunch at 4pm or 5pm and let the world know that when you are working, you tend to even forget about feeding yourself.

• Use computer to your advantage: Whenever you use a computer, it looks like ‘work’ to the casual observer. You can send/receive personal emails,
chat with friends, calculate your shopping expenditure and generally have fun without doing anything remotely related to work. While using a computer, open a number of files or websites and make sure you make sufficient use of the alt + tab keys to switch files and pretend to be doing too many things at a time.

• Be known for leaving office late: Many people prefer to leave office late to avoid traffic, use office gym, make personal phone calls or use computer/ internet facility to socialise. Leave office late especially if the boss is still around. As they say, ‘first impression is the last impression’. If you can impress your boss with your idea of sitting in office till late, you will never hear him telling you to give more time to work. To make effective use of those extra hours you are dedicating to ‘work’, you can read books and magazines that you always wanted to read but never had the time, or track down your
school mates on social networking sites.

• Actions speak louder than words: Sigh loudly when there are many people around making an impression that you are under extreme pressure. To heighten the effect, stretch your body and do some light exercise to show that long hours of work make your joints stiff. Always try to look impatient and annoyed. A frown on your face can help you tag yourself as a thoughtful and intellectual individual. Are you game?

Ekta Sharma Bhatnagar
ekta.sharma@timesgroup.com

Fuelling inflation

Tranporters will increase freight rates by 20 per cent following the Rs 3 hike in diesel; the cascading effect on prices of food, milk and other essentials will be immediate

At a time when the city was beginning to settle scores with inflation by cutting its spending, the mother of all price hikes has made her presence felt after the government increased the rates of fuel on Wednesday.

Grain merchants expect a “close to 10 per cent hike” in the prices of food grains, agro produces and other essential commodities within a week following the Central Government’s decision to increase the price of petrol by Rs 5 a litre and that of diesel by Rs 3 a litre.

“All food produce and essential commodities will see an average hike of 10 per cent, depending upon the places where the produces are sourced from,” Sharad Maru, President, Navi Mumbai-based Grain, Rice, Oilseeds Merchant’s Association (GROMA), said.

The problem is food and essential goods, which have already seen a price jump in recent months owing to the soaring inflation barometer, will now increase further, as fuel constitutes 50-60 per cent of total transportation costs.

Transporters operating in the city have already announced a 20 per cent hike on freight rates with effect from midnight following the Central Government’s decision.

“We are increasing our freight rates by 20 per cent with immediate effect,” said Malkit Singh Bal, General Secretary, Bombay Good’s Transport Association.

The cascading effect of fuel hike will be felt as the entire supply chain of food and essential goods will be impacted – right from farmers bringing their produce to the mandi and then getting the same transported to distributing centres like Mumbai, and finally reaching the retailer.

With this decision, freight rates for a 9-metrictonne load from Delhi to Mumbai will be Rs 25,200 from Wednesday night, up from Rs 21,000. Hyderabad to Mumbai will be Rs 13,200, up from Rs 11,000. Chennai to Mumbai will touch Rs 26,400, up from Rs 22,000 and the rates between Bangalore and the city will hover around Rs 21,600, up from Rs 18,000, transporters said.

“The hike will be passed on to our customers immediately unlike retail clients who are likely to feel the pinch over the next one or two months,” said Vineet Agarwal, Executive Director, Transport Corporation of India.

BUMPS AHEAD FOR AUTO COS

While auto firms are expected to face a backlash in sales due to concerns over increased fuel prices, it now emerges that they will also have incur more expenditure on the transportation front.

According Jatinder Singh Rekhi, Director, Maharashtra Truck Owner’s Association (MTOA), the hike in fuel prices always has a proportional increase in operating costs, which includes transportation of tyres and spare parts too.

In fact, transporters have already started talking to auto companies to check on the freight rates for transportation of spare parts.

One of the associations spoke to Tata Motors in Pune on Wednesday to take a revised estimate of the spare parts delivery.

“Even they have indicated that a price hike is imminent,” said an informed source. The association is meeting them Friday to fix up on the final rates.

NIRMAL MENON -TNN

Seem as you are or be as you seem

ONCE upon a time, a man riding home on his camel decided to stop at a mosque to offer thanks to the Almighty for a good day at the market. He bustled in with his prayer mat, leaving his camel outside. When he came out of worship he found the camel gone!

So upset was the merchant at the loss of the beast that he began raving and ranting at the skies, blaming God for what he alleged was complete breach of trust. A passing Sufi master, who overheard the racket, remarked: “Trust God by all means, but don’t forget to tie up your camel!”

The moral of this is also reflected in Murphy’s Law, which says: “If something can go wrong, it will.” Nor should you believe that faith alone without action will carry you through life. Naiveté isn’t an acceptable excuse in the impersonal game of life. One has to take basic steps just as a matter of robust common sense; if you leave a jar of honey open, by morning it may be full of ants. Belief alone won’t change basic ‘facts of living’, today or tomorrow.

The master in the story is supposed to be Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, whose tomb we recently visited in Konya in South-Central Turkey. Before getting into the main mausoleum, we must look out for the big Nisan tasi or April Bowl near the entrance. This was used to collect April rainwater which was thought to be so sacred and efficaciously healthy that it was collected and the tip of the Maulana’s turban was dipped into the bowl before the water could be offered to those in need of healing.

The quilt on the grave radiates austerity despite the gold brocade and filigree. A massive, jadecoloured turban is at the head of the monument. Two framed inscriptions reflect the master’s philosophy. One offers redemption to humanity in Persian: “Come, come who or whatever you are/ Should you be an unbeliever, or pagan still come/Ours is not a lodge of despair/ With hundred repentances unheeded you may be, still come.”

The other, in Turkish, simply praises authenticity: “Either seem as you are or be as you seem.” Modern psychologists would endorse that. The search for authenticity is a cornerstone of mental health.

Thus, acting in accordance with your core self — what the Bhagavad Gita would call Svabhava or Svadharma— which modern psychology would dub self-determination — is believed to be one of the three basic needs, along with a sense of relatedness and competence. One achieves it with total surrender among the Sufis.

WHITE CLOTH RITUAL: ‘TESTING TIME FOR ALL CHHARA BRIDES

Newly-weds have to consummate their marriage on piece of cloth for elders to decide whether girl is a virgin

AHMEDABAD: While various cultures around the world prize virgin brides, few are more fervent in their pursuit than the Chhara community.

The community has its own method of virginity test and let us assure you, it’s not at all fullproof but the innocent girls stand to suffer, as Lajo did after her marriage to Kundan (names changed).

Like all females in the community, Lajo had to prove her virginity the Chhara way. As per the community tradition, the newly-weds consummate their marriage on a large piece of white cloth. The following day, female members of the groom’s family and the community heads examine the cloth. If it is stained with blood, all is well.

In Lajo’s case, no bloodstains were found on the cloth, following which she and her husband were given another nine days to prove her virginity. Even after the stipulated period, Lajo couldn’t prove her virginity and she became an object of ridicule within the Chhara community. Her husband promptly divorced her in front of the panchayat.

However, upon intervention from Lajo’s family and village elders, it was decided to get Lajo and her now ex-husband medically examined. The sexologist’s report said it was Lajo’s husband, who had a penetration problem.

Now that Chharas are giving more importance to education, it is surprising that the community still believes in such obsolete traditions, said Manoj Tamanche, community leader, who is also a senior advocate, “Our community has a tradition of verifying the bride’s virginity after newly weds consummate their marriage. After the first night, the newly weds have to appear before the panchayat and their families and give a proof, which is a bloodstained cloth. The blood stains confirm that the girl was a virgin before her marriage.”

To inform everyone of their daughter’s virtue, the bride’s parents then visit their relatives and community members.

However, the height of this joy may be matched by the depth of the despair experienced when a young bride returns an unstained cloth. If there is reason to suspect she was not a virgin, an investigation unfolds. If, in the end, everyone agrees that she is not ‘pure’, the consequences will depend on the intensity of the humiliation felt by her husband, her husband’s family and her family. It is common for a groom to ‘send back’ his bride — which happened in Lajo’s case. If he continues with the marriage, he may punish his wife (sometimes violently) for a long time. The girl’s family may disown her.

Another community leader, Deepak Indrekar, said the girl’s family is honoured if her virginity is proved.

VIJAY ZALA

One of the most expensive inmates of the jail-

The main accused in the stamp paper scam is proving to be an expensive inmate for jail authorities


Abdul Karim Laadsaab Telgi, 47, has spent eight years in jail ever since he was booked in the multi-crore stamp paper scam.

In the course of his imprisonment, his health has deteriorated; he is HIV-positive and a diabetic. He also has high blood pressure.

In view of his condition, for nearly four years Telgi has been attending hearings of the court cases via video-conferencing from Yerwada Jail.

However, despite a tie-up with MTNL and BSNL which provided him with the service for Rs 6 per minute, the bill, his advocate Milind Dattatray Pawar said, was not paid by the jail authorities.

This has led to the suspension of the services since the past five months.

To find a way out of this predicament, Telgi went on a 15-day hunger strike. However, jail authorities say this is the usual tactic adopted by him to emotionally blackmail them.

While the jail authorities said he would spend about 7-8 hours at a stretch attending to a hearing, they refused to comment on the exact outstanding figures they have to pay the telephone company.

Now, Telgi has to travel to Bangalore to personally attend the hearing of five cases that are pending in teh city.

On Saturday, he travelled to Bangalore by the Udyan Express with Zplus security which comprises a first class officer with 15 to 20 constables. This kind of security is only reserved for VIPs.

The entire team occupied a first class AC compartment, in which the fare for each seat was Rs 800. Telgi has, in fact, been one of the most expensive inmates of the jail. His failing health demands that he takes 32 pills daily, which itself cost Rs 350 a day.

In addition, it costs the jail around Rs 1,500 a day for his specialised diet. Roughly, over the past eight years the figure amounts to Rs 43,80,000 (cost of diet and medicines).

Seek encryption code from others too, RIM to DoT

Says Nokia, Motorola, Microsoft & Seven Networks Also Flouting Norms



IN YETanother twist to the ongoing BlackBerry saga, RIM, the Canadian company that makes these smartphones, has told the Department of Telecom (DoT) that there are four other mobile email solutions in India that use ‘comparable encryption levels’. RIM has pointed out that the DoT was targeting it, even as similar solutions were being offered by other handset majors in India including Nokia and Motorola and also by software players Microsoft and Seven Networks. “Thus, focusing on BlackBerry alone will not solve any security concerns over encryption,” RIM said in a presentation to the DoT.

RIM has been under fire from India’s home ministry, which has demanded that the Canadian company provide encryption solutions — either by providing the ‘master key’ or by setting up servers in India so that security agencies here can monitor e-mails and data sent between Black-Berry users. The DoT has also warned RIM that service providers (telcos) here would be asked to discontinue BlackBerry services unless the company provides monitoring solutions.

“In addition to BlackBerry, four other mobile e-mail solutions in market in India use comparable encryption levels — Windows Mobile ActiveSync, Nokia Intellisync, Motorola Good and Seven Networks,” RIM said, while adding: “Furthermore, several other technologies widely used in India use strong encryption to secure communications over the internet. Just a few examples include — Web browser, WAO 2.0 mobile browser software, IIPSec VPN, PGP and SMIME. All these technologies are widely available and used throughout India. Functionally, all of these solutions use encryption similar to BlackBerry. Thus, focusing on BlackBerry alone will not solve any security concerns over encryption.”

While data on RIM network flows with the 256-Advanced Encryption Standard, DoT wants the company to reduce this to a 40-bit encryption, a level that can be intercepted by security agencies. (Encryption means converting data and e-mails into algorithmic codes that travel through the network and later get decoded into the original form. Globally, the 128-bit standard is followed for all online transactions.)

RIM has warned the government of resorting to any move to reduce the encryption levels. “Encryption with key lengths of 128 bits or longer protects business communications and online transactions from hackers, thieves and other wrongdoers. If escrowed keys ever fall into wrong hands, individual businesses and consumers would be driven away from using the internet for private, commercial and confidential communications. A similar result would follow from the dumbing down of encryption to levels that fail to offer protection,” RIM presentation added.

Additionally, RIM has also pointed out that the Indian IT and ITeS industries were ‘robust users of strong encryption as was the government of India’. It has also said that strong encryption was the key to securing communications between clients and customers located in India and around the world and added that as per Nasscom, these companies already accounted for over 5% of the country’s GDP and contributed over $40 billion in exports. “The industry’s growth is propelled by high degree of trust that global companies place in Indian IT and ITeS companies,” RIM added.

India has over 114,000 BlackBerry customers among five operators—Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Idea Cellular, BPL and Reliance Communications.

Joji Thomas Philip NEW DELHI
joji.philip@timesgroup.com

Now,Get Ready To Pay CONGESTION TAX

Faced with an ever increasing inflow of private vehicles into the island city, the state government now plans to impose some kind of tax on private vehicles entering the city

AFTER initial flip-flops, the Maharashtra government has finally indicated that it is mulling over a proposal to impose congestion tax on private vehicles coming into the island city.

“The traffic situation in the city is worsening with each passing day. One of the measures, the government is considering, is to curb the traffic flow into the city by imposing some kind of tax on private vehicle owners,” said state’s special secretary for Mumbai projects Sanjay Ubale, while talking to ET.

He, however, also admitted that the public transportation system in Mumbai is in a bad shape, and a lot needs to be done.

“We are exploring every possible option to develop mass transport systems in the city. We have cleared the Metro. The Union railway ministry thinks Mumbai offers a good chance to develop an elevated rail corridor — we are ready for that. Some others have suggested options like magnetic train. Mumbai’s traffic needs to be streamlined in every possible way,” Mr Ubale, the face of the state’s high-profile Mumbai Makeover dream, said.

“I’m confident that the average Mumbaikar’s dream of enjoying Metro ride will be fulfilled by June 2010. With metro running, the pressure on the existing system will be lightened significantly,” he said. As the nodal officer for all Mumbai-related infrastructure projects, he acknowledged the fact that the state will have to create credible alternative transport options before taking steps to dissuade people from using private vehicles.

“Society needs to be educated on vehicular pollution and other environmental issues. But first we will have to give them an alternative,” he said. “We are seriously considering imposing a congestion tax on the lines of London,” Mr Ubale said. According to official records, on any given working day, nearly 12.20 lakh vehicles ply on the city’s roads. Of these, 5.8 lakh are twowheelers followed by 3.6 lakh cars along with public transport vehicles like 1 lakh autorickshaws and 57,000 taxies and more than 5,000 private buses or contract carriages. This means for every kilometre of road length in Mumbai, there are around 600 vehicles running on it.

Among other measures planned include restricting the entry of heavy vehicles into the city. “To implement this, we will need to build truck and inter-state bus terminus. Plans are afoot to create this at a place earmarked in an eastern suburb of Wadala,” he said.

As of now nearly 77,000 goods vehicles such as trucks, trailers, station wagons enter the city every day. “These many vehicles will not enter city roads once the Wadala terminus is ready,” he said. Mr Ubale feels that these issues need to be handled with utmost priority if Mumbai wants to raise its stature internationally.

Girish Kuber MUMBAI
girish.kuber@timesgroup.com

Priest and Politicians : The Age - Old Conspiracy vs. The Age-Old New Man

“On the earth there are no boundaries, but politicians need boundaries. Religiousness has no boundaries, but priests need them. Religiousness is neither Christian nor Hindu nor Mohammedan, but then what will the priests do? They will be out of a job, completely out of a job, and millions of people depend on these boundaries. Their whole business is to go on insisting: ‘Only Christianity is the right religion; only Hinduism is the right religion. Unless you are a Christian there is no hope for you.’ And the same is the claim of all the other religions. Everybody is trying to pull you into his fold because numbers create power.
Society, up to now, has existed in deep hatred -- hatred for other countries, hatred for other religions, hatred for other-colored people, hatred in every possible way. So the love quality has to be destroyed, and we start destroying the qualities of love from the very childhood. We start teaching the child: ‘You are a Hindu, Mohammedan, Christian -- hate others.’ But we don't say it directly, it is a very indirect maneuver. We start making every child ambitious, and ambition means you cannot love; ambition is anti-love. Ambition needs fight, ambition needs struggle, ambition needs you to use others as a means.

Love is a totally different perspective. Love says respect the other as an end unto himself or herself; never use the other as a means. Nobody is a means for you, everybody is an end. But then ambition will flop, and our whole educational system depends on ambitiousness, our politics depends on ambition, our religions depend on ambition. Politics is the religion of this world and religion is the politics of the other world; that's the only difference between the two. And the politician and the priest have been in a deep conspiracy for centuries. They have divided everything up amongst themselves: ‘You will rule here, we will rule there; you will rule before death, we will rule after death -- fifty-fifty!’ But both have to do one thing: destroy any potential for love.”

OSHO
Come, Come, Yet Again Come, Chapter 7, Question 2

It appears political and religious domination is coming yet again to another ugly peak. Having been active during the sixties and seventies’ liberation movement, I used to think that with so many people enjoying better education, having the ability to learn about actions and events across the globe, the freedom to meditate and to pursue higher consciousness, priests and politicians would lose their sickly grip on the greater populace. Instead I see a trend in many countries to return to orthodox religion, with enforced rules and regulations to keep the flock at bay. Just recently the Vatican came up with a list of ‘new deadly sins’ and the Muslim clergy in several countries are doing their best to clamp down on the hard-earned freedom of the female species. The issue of having to wear headscarves which has been widely discussed particularly in Europe, is just one of the outer signs of the rekindled oppression.

Another curious affair is the fact Pope Benedict XVI decided to visit the USA and the UNO Headquarters just now during the election campaigns, shaking hands with politicians, religious leaders and teachers, with a bogus smile on his face. Needless to say he included saying some prayers at Ground Zero for what it’s worth. This man was the Archbishop of Munich before he was promoted and I still remember how much he condemned Osho and His people in Germany at that time. But does he condemn Bush for waging a horrendous war on Iraq? Of course not. His is of a similar mind set as Pope Pius XII who supported Hitler and the Nazis.

“These priests go on preaching to every child a certain kind of mind that keeps the society running -- or stuck. The politicians are in a deep conspiracy with the priests. The politicians are full of lust for power, and if they want power, they want blessings from the priests, because the priests have a spiritual hold over humanity. And if a politician goes and touches the feet of a priest, the followers of the priest are going to vote for the politician. There is a conspiracy: the politician goes on praising the priest, his religion, his ideology, and the priests go on blessing the politician and his ideology. And between these two powerful groups the whole society is crushed, sucked.”

OSHO
Beyond Psychology, Chapter 26, Question 1

Also in the news these days is the latest voting circus in the USA. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are vying for the post of the Democratic presidential candidate and are spending millions of Dollars in campaign expenses. As at end of March 2008, Clinton raised so far almost 190 million dollars, and Obama more than 230 million. Add to that the almost 80 million dollars McCain raised, that makes it half a billion US$ dollars that are being used to brainwash the American population into electing one of those three as the next president. And there are some predictions that the final two nominees will need to raise another 500 million each to compete. Now that makes the enormous sum of one-and-a-half billion dollars.

Seeing that we are facing a global food crisis and that several genocides are taking place in Tibet, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, and Kenya, to name just a few, this money could serve a much better purpose than election gatherings and pasting the mugs of those three campaigners on TV, billboards, and newspaper advertisements. In my opinion, a person should be elected as president because of his/her intelligence, former conduct and abilities, their humanitarian and social standing, about which people should be able to inform themselves about with much ado. There is no need for those brainwashing campaigns that are presently infesting every media, with lies and false promises abounding. None of the candidates are able to make promises about their future in the White House because the future cannot be foretold or even imagined. Whatever they say are clever lies in their pursuit of power, pulling the wool over people’s eyes.

In every TV broadcast of the campaign speeches you can see people in the background hanging onto every word of the candidate as if he/she is speaking the one and only truth! Nodding their heads like sheep in unison, they feel exhilarated about every word their candidate utters, even though for example video footage proved that Hillary Clinton was blatantly lying when she said she and her daughter had dodged bullets when they embarked from a plane on a visit to Bosnia. This should have put the end to her campaign but somehow her aides made the matter disappear in a sinkhole. She also embellished her views about Rwanda, China and North Ireland but the public forgets conveniently quickly. How can you trust such a person to become the president?

It is a dirty war that is being fought between politicians everywhere. Although the American constitution clearly separates church and state, in this political campaign religion was dragged into the race when ABC News discovered racially and politically charged sermons by Obama’s family priest Jeremiah Wright and gleefully broadcast them in an attempt to discredit Obama. One wonders of course who was really behind that particular smear campaign.

As Fred Siegel of ‘The Australian’ put it so succinct on May 5, 2008: “Political campaigning necessarily produces a wide gap between words and deeds. This is the price of bringing together a broad coalition with disparate interests. All effective politicians are at times authentically insincere or sincerely inauthentic. Exaggeration, embellishment, overstatement, doubletalk, deception and lies presented as metaphorical truths are the order of the day…

But so far, the wild discrepancy between Obama's words and his deeds, and between his enormous ambitions and his minimal accomplishments, doesn't seem to have fazed his core supporters, who apparently suffer from a severe case of cognitive dissonance. Like cultists who rededicate themselves when the cult's prophecies have been falsified, his fans redouble their delusions in the face of his obvious hypocrisy.”

I am neither for nor against any of the candidates. None of them knows ‘how to be a president’, each one of them pretends that they do but then nobody ever did. Why does anybody want to become the president? To help their fellow citizens get a better life? Hardly. It is out of lust for power and greed which ultimately only leads to manipulation, corruption, and sooner or later to another conflict and war. It is all one big business venture.

Osho has spoken so much about his vision of the new man who must evolve now. About the new man who will be nobody’s puppet, who will think intelligently for him/herself, who will be loving and caring and aware. A new man who will act consciously and responsibly towards the entire planet. Only with this new man emerging now among us will this planet have a chance to survive:

“That's why I am condemned all over the world, criticized, because the whole of human history has been a history of war, violence. The whole human past has been ugly, inhuman, uncivilized, primitive, animalistic. And all the societies that have existed up to now have tried to kill love and the very possibility of love in you, because only if love is killed can you then be reduced to a machine -- a machine which can kill, a machine which can function efficiently without creating any problems, a machine which will be obedient, a machine which will not rebel against any kind of slavery, oppression, exploitation. The priests, the politicians, all have wanted you to be machines, not men, and for centuries they have been in power because you were ready to be reduced to machines.

The only phenomenon that can bring you back to your real nature, that can revive you again into humanity, into human beings, is love.”

OSHO
The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha Vol. 5, Chapter 10, Question 2

Ma Anand Bhagawati