The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 01/08/2015

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TGS LIFE

For the love of music

MUMBAI

Why was Yakub Memon hanged?

P2

CITY

The man who made India love its President P4

Their deceased kin continue to live on Family members who have donated organs of their deceased loved ones are comforted by the fact that they will live, albeit in another form, in another body. It is also a big solace to them that their departed kin has bestowed the gift of life on someone who would have otherwise forfeited their life for the want of a vital organ. This is the story of the few who have gone through the intense emotional turmoil that organ donation entails See Spotlight, p08 & 09

Sepoy Ganesh Sarvade donated his mother Lalita’s organs

Vilas Dhamale at his residence in Thane

Ganpat Lole’s family in Sangavi Sandas

Payal Kukreja’s sister Pooja and mother Bhavna at their residence in Pimpri

MUMBAI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

“Banking is the most vulnerable sector with respect to cyber crime and we need to ensure remedies for that. We’re trying to create cashless society using IT but we have to ensure it doesn’t become `cash less’ due to cyber crimes.” — Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister

The man who made India love its President P4

Your Nike may be fake P5

Why was Yakub Memon hanged?

TIMELINE March, 1993: Entire Memon family, barring Tiger Memon flee from the country between March 3 and 11 March 12, 1993: A series of bombs explode at 13 locations across Mumbai, killing 257 people and injuring 713. Tiger Memon waits till the day the bombs explode and escapes the same day

Yakub Abdul Razak Memon, a key conspirator in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts was hanged to death on Thursday morning after the Supreme Court confirmed his death sentence. A comprehensive review of the entire saga

YAKUB MEMON Yakub was charged with various offences under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and the Explosives Act, 1884, along with the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.

• Yakub was principally charged with hatching the conspiracy of executing a terror attack, then

Nov 4, 1993: Primary chargesheet of over 10,000 pages filed Aug 5, 1994: Yakub Memon arrested from Old Delhi. He claims he surrendered couple of weeks ago in Kathmandu. Intelligence officers who coordinated the operation say he was caught while in Nepal and headed back to Pakistan.

April 10, 1995: 26 accused discharged by TADA court Apr-Jun, 1995: Charges framed against other accused June 30, 1995: Two accused Mohammed Jameel and Usman Jhankanan turn approvers Oct 14, 1995: Sanjay Dutt granted bail by Supreme Court Oct 2000: Examination of 684 prosecution witnesses ends Feb 20, 2003: Trial ends. Court reserves judgement

Members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) protest against Yakub Memon’s death sentence, in New Delhi on Monday

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abetting, advising, helping in commission of the terrorist attack with an intention to create fear.

He was also accused of arranging finances and managing the disbursement of that money through an international fi rm for committing the terrorist activity.

Further, Yakub was also booked for making arrangements for the co-conspirators and accused in this case to undergo weapons training in Pakistan and for having made arrangement for their lodging and boarding. Another charge against him was that he procured vehicles, prepared them for the blast and then even planted them at different locations and thus acting towards commission of a terror attack.

Yakub was also accused of being in possession of hand grenades, detonators which were the part of the consignment of arms, ammunitions and explosives smuggled into the country by Tiger Memon and his associates for committing the terrorist acts.

Prosecution pressed charges against him for requesting other accused to store suitcases containing arms and ammunitions, hand grenades which were part of consignment smuggled into India by the absconding accused Tiger Memon and other co-conspirators.

Another case against Yakub was that he helped Tiger Memon in executing the blasts by assisting him in getting premises, concealed, aided and abetting for smuggling

arms, ammunitions and explosives into the country to conduct the terror attack and with an intent, to endanger lives and damage property.

CONVICTION AND PUNISHMENT The designated court of Judge PD Kode found Yakub guilty on several counts and sentenced him to death, as well as rigorous imprisonment for life, 10 years, 14 years along with a fine under various sections of TADA for several offences. He was further sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years with a fine of Rs 50,000 under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.

PTI

Tight police security outside the Central Jail where 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon was lodged, in Nagpur on Wednesday

SC UPHOLDS TADA COURT VERDICT Yakub moved SC to challenge the TADA Court order. The bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice Dr B S Chauhan at SC said that they were satisfied with the way the designated court that conducted the trial. SC found Yakub guilty for the offence of conspiracy for eventually committing terror attacks. SC said, “In the present case, the conspiracy might have been started in Dubai but ultimately it was executed in India and even in the conspiratorial meetings at Dubai, the matter was discussed with respect to India and amongst Indian citizens. Further, as far as the accused (Yakub) is concerned, the fact that he was constantly present at Al-Hussaini building, where the major part of the plans have been made and executed, is established,” the 790-page SC order.

SC found that he was actively involved in the planning. “Evidence shows as to how he was dealing with the so called men of Tiger, managing the ill gotten money of Tiger, booking tickets and actively working for confi rming them for the conspirators.”

Further, SC said, “There is enough evidence of meeting with co-accused and his actively working in furtherance of the conspiracy. The present accused need not be present at each and every meeting for being held to be a part of the conspiracy.”

The judges reiterated, “Our legal system has always emphasised that the sentence shall reflect the relative significance of the accused role. Yakub

is the younger brother of Tiger Memon, who is one of the masterminds behind the blasts. Yakub was in a position of authority, particularly, had played a significant role in the context of the blasts which is important while determining the sentence,” the judges said. The judges added that it is amply clear from the confessions of other accused in the case that Yakub had a dominating position as compared to other accused in the matter. The judges explained that the other accused were instructed by Tiger Memon to stay in touch with Yakub during his absence, explains that Yakub assumed the role of Tiger Memon in India during his absence.

“As an outcome, Tiger Memon gave the commands to Yakub, who in turn had passed them to other accused thereby signifying the trusted position that he has obtained from Tiger Memon - apart from being just a younger brother; Moreover, Yakub’s role was limited not only to the extent of correspondence between the masterminds and all other accused but he was also entrusted with task of handling the explosive bags and for their safe keeping, which is again revealed in the confessional statements of various co-accused persons; Furthermore, he was actively involved in hawala transactions for the purpose of facilitating the blasts on 12th March 1993; Besides, he acquired tickets both for Dubai and Pakistan for transporting the appellants to the respective places for the purpose of training and coaching them in envisaging their participation for the blasts in Bombay, hence, both owe an equivalent responsibility for the blasts,” the judges noted.

SC called both Tiger and Yakub ‘The architects of the blasts, without whom the plan would have never seen the daylight’.

The bench said, “From this conduct, it is not hyperbole to state that, he was one of the ‘driving spirit’ behind the plan of the 1993 blasts, whereas the other appellants played a far lesser role and thus a lesser contribution to the crimes resulting from this plan.”

The bench said that there is a significant difference in the role played

by Yakub and the others involved in the blasts. “If we say it in a metaphoric style, Yakub and all the absconding

Sep 12, 2006: Court acquits three other members of Memon family, including brother Suleiman. Four members of the family found guilty. Of all the accused, 12 awarded death penalty and 20 life sentences

Yakub’s brothers Suleiman (L) and Usman (R)

due to lack of evidence.

Yakub’s wife Rahin Memon was also arrested and faced charges of aiding and abetting terror acts, but was acquitted in September 2006 due to lack of evidence.

Suleiman Memon, Yaub’s brother, was arrested with other members of the Memon family in 1994 and was accused of aiding and abetting terror acts. He was granted bail after few years of his arrest and ultimately acquitted for lack of evidence.

Suleiman’s wife Rubina Memon was, however, was convicted by the TADA court and sentenced to life imprisonment as a Maruti van used in the bomb blasts was registered in her name. This van was found abandoned at Worli and Ak-56 rifles and hand grenades found in it.

Another brother Essa Memon was also arrested along with other members of Memon family. He was diagnosed

March 21, 2013: SC upholds death sentence of Yakub Memon May 21, 2014: President rejects Memon’s mercy petition June 2, 2014: SC stays Yakub Memon’s execution July 21, 2015: Supreme Court turns down Memon’s mercy plea July 23: Memon moves SC seeking a stay on his execution scheduled for July 30, 2015 Jul 28: Two judges’ SC bench split over Yakub’s plea. Case referred to a larger bench July 29, 2015: The larger bench of SC dismisses Memon’s curative plea July 29, 2015: President too turns down Memon’s request for staying the execution July 30, 2015: Hours before the execution, a three judge bench of SC rules that enough opportunities had been given to Memon and that he would be executed as per schedule Yakub was hanged at Nagpur jail at around 6:30am, the day he turned 54

Police personnel stand guard outside Yakub Memon’s house in Mumbai on Thursday

accused were the archers whereas rest of the appellants were the arrows in their hands.”

The judges said that though Yakub played no direct role in parking of the explosives fi lled vehicle in different localities but had it not been for the planning of the blasts, to which even Yakub was a party too, the explosives and ammunition required for the execution wouldn’t have entered into our country.

The judges said, “These principal perpetrators targeted the meek souls who were underprivileged and easily impressible to accomplish their ulterior motive. It is also a proved fact that the Memon’s family members including Yakub have fled the country anticipating detention for their illegal acts.”

The judges noted these as the Aggravating Circumstances that led to his conviction: • A-1 was one of the brains behind the hatching of larger conspiracy for the Bombay Bomb Blasts in 1993.

• The dominant position and significant role played by A- 1 is a factor that may aggravate his

MEMON FAMILY IN COURT Several family members of the Memon family were acquitted during the 1993 serial blast trial. The family lived in Al-Husseini building near the historic Durgah of Makhdoom Shah Baba in Mahim, Central Mumbai.

Yakub’s father Abdul Razak Memon was an avid cricket buff and himself a player in the Mumbai league. He was popularly known as ‘Tiger’, after former national captain Nawab of Pataudi, and was keen that his son Mushtaq become a cricketer when he grows up. The senior Memon was arrested after he returned from abroad along with other members of the family in 1994. He fell sick in jail and was granted bail after few years. He died in 2001 at the age of 73.

Yakub’s mother Hanifa Memon was booked for abetment. She too was released on bail after being lodged in jail for few years. Eventually, the TADA court acquitted her

July 27, 2007: A special court sentences Yakub Memon to death

PTI

The whole country sprang into a debate about Yakub’s death sentence, some supporting it and some against it. While Yakub’s hanging became a topic of debate at every nook and corner of the country, an unpublished piece of B Raman, who coordinated Yakub’s arrest, created further doubt about how 1993 mastermind Tiger Memon’s brother was apprehended and subsequently let down. Raman, who headed the Pakistan Desk at Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), wrote a piece in 2007, which has now been published by rediff.com. “In July 1994, some weeks before my retirement, he was informally picked up in Kathmandu, with the help of the Nepal police, driven across Nepal to a town in Indian territory, flown to Delhi by an aircraft of the Aviation Research Centre and formally arrested in Old Delhi by the investigating authorities and taken into custody for interrogation. The entire operation was coordinated by me,” stated Raman’s piece. Raman stated that Yakub “cooperated with the investigating agencies and assisted them by persuading some other members of the Memon family to flee from the protection of the ISI in Karachi to Dubai and surrender to the Indian authorities”.

Many believe that given the circumstances in which he was picked up, and that he convinced other members of Memon family to stand trial in India, Yakub should not have been given the death sentence.

However, the 790 pages Supreme Court of India judgement of March 2013 spells out very clearly the offences Yakub was held for, the charges which he was facing, clinching evidence against him and the subsequent punishment as per the Penal laws.

The SC was hearing an appeal fi led

by Yakub against the death sentence awarded to him by designated TADA Court.

The SC observed that Yakub played a direct and pivotal role in execution of the blasts which claimed 257 lives and injured 713.

Apr 1993: Sanjay Dutt arrested

PTI

BY BAPU DEEDWANIA @bapudeedwania

with a tumour and had sought acquittal on grounds of illhealth. However, the TADA court convicted him. He is serving life sentence in Aurangabad Jail.

Yusuf Memon, Yakub’s brother was also among those arrested. He was convicted by TADA court and is now serving life sentence in Aurangabad prison.

Yakub’s brother Mushtaq Memon alias Tiger was allegedly a smuggler and represented the illegal business of Dawood Ibrahim in India. He fled to Dubai a day prior to the blasts and from there moved to Pakistan where he is believed to be hiding along with Dawood. He is one of India’s most wanted criminals.

Ayub Memon, the eldest son of Abdul Razak and Hanifa, is absconding and believed to be staying with Tiger in Pakistan.

punishment.

The “vulnerability of the victims” and “the depravity of the crimes” constitute additional aggravating circumstances.

• Crime of terrorism is in itself an aggravating circumstance as it carries a “special stigmatization” due to the deliberate form of inhuman treatment it represents and the severity of the pain and suffering infl icted.

• He was part of the deliberate choosing of localities like Century Bazaar, Zaveri Bazaar, Katha Bazaar, Stock Exchange Building etc. where there was more prospect of public gathering. The manner of its execution and its design would put it at the level of extreme atrocity and cruelty.

However, the court did not consider the circumstances presented by the defence that would have reduced Yakub’s punishment.

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WHY DEATH? SC confirmed death sentence for Yakub and explained that a commanding position and a crime of ‘utmost gravity’ ordinarily merit the extreme penalty.

“This is the special reason, which warrants death penalty to the accused.

Having taking into account and weighed the totality of Yakub’s culpability and all the particular circumstances of the case, we concur with the decision of the Designated Court and confirm the sentence of capital punishment to Yakub.”

The judges said that it is important to differentiate the degree of punishment given to Yakub and 10 others who also had been awarded death sentence by lower court. They said, “We contemplate that the ends of justice would be served if the death sentence of these ten appellants be commuted to imprisonment for life.” bapudeedwania@gmail.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

Rahul Gandhi backs FTII students, assures them of raising the issue in Parliament

rAHUL RAUT

RaGa visit sparks political friction

By Gitesh Shelke @gitesh_shelke

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) sparked off friction between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC) on Law College Road, in front the institute premises.

The FTII students have been on an indefinite strike over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as institute chairman. The strike entered its 50th day on Friday.

Rahul Gandhi has voiced his support for the students’ protest.

The FTII students had written him a letter, asking him to intervene in the matter. During his interaction with the students, Gandhi said that the central government and RSS are undermining the institution’s stature by promoting mediocrity. He questioned why the film school issue disturbing the government’s peace of mind. “It (government) wants to promote its ideas and will brand the protesting students as ‘antinationals,” he said.

He claimed that the RSS and its ideologues were systematically promoting mediocre people. They are hell bent on undermining the educational institutions’ stature.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi listens to what an FTII student has to say

Admission test • Barring the rumours regarding another zero year, the FTII administration has announced the date for its admission test for the academic year 2015-2016. The admission tests are to be held on August 23.

• “We never wanted the admission procedure to get affected. So, we welcome the decision regarding the August 23rd entrance exam,” said Ranjit Nayar, a final year student representative.

Apart from the education system, this is also happening in bureaucratic and judicial systems, he said.

“The RSS wants to promote its ideas. They will call you (students) anti-national, anti-Hindu. They are scared of you. That is the nature of a bully,” he said.

Gandhi promised the students that he will raise their demands in Parliament. He said that he will oppose any stance or move of the government to privatise FTII. If the government does take such a stance, he will participate in the agitation of the students on the FTII campus. He

Students and parents • In a discussion held at Mumbai, many parents have backed their wards’ protest. Manini, mother of Kushal Nerukar, said, “When my son wanted to join FTII, it wasn’t a layman’s decision. He worked hard for it, went the extra mile for it because he wanted to be here. When he told us he was on a strike, we were shocked. It took time for us to get used to the idea, but once we did, we saw how right he was to fight to better something he has worked hard for.”

• Parents spoke about spending sleepless nights since the notice of rustication was issued. They expressed shock at the government calling the students Naxalites. Another parent talking about their wards being called anti-Hindu, said, “We have raised our kids to be Indian first and not Hindus or Muslims.”

urged the government to respect the freedom of speech and expression.

He urged the government to open a dialogue with the students over the Chauhan issue.

Rahul Gandhi arrived at the FTII around noon and spent over two hours with the students in the institute hall. He also watched a film called Girni directed by Umesh Kulkarni, a FTII alumni.

Before Gandhi’s arrival, BJP and Patit Pavan Sanghatana (PPS) workers raised slogans against Rahul Gandhi and the students. They were carrying black flags as a sign of protest.

At the same time, Congress workers gathered in front of the FTII gates and shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tight security was maintained by the city police to avoid any untoward incident on the road or on the campus. Traffic was diverted but owing to the protests by the political party workers, vehicular movement was disrupted. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

Hazardous Malshej

The deaths of two friends due to a rockslide on the road going to Malshej Ghat has inspired launch of the ‘Safe Malshej’ group proposal includes hi-tech radio monitoring system that can detect soil movement and predict landslides.

Vallabh and Vedant, who died in an accident at Malshej Ghat

BY GARGI VERMA @missgverma Vallabh Kshetramade (17) and Vedant Naik (17) of Mumbai succumbed to injuries they sustained when loose rocks fell on them on the way to Malshej Ghat on June 14, 2015. This tragedy made their friends think of the hazards on this stretch.

Five of their friends have formed ‘Safe Malshej’. One of the teenager’s father is the guardian of the group.

Group leader Vivek Patil said, “Many accidents take place on this road and authorities have not put in place effective safety measures. There are no alternative roads and even though tenders have been floated, no actual work on netting or even road expansion has started.”

The activities of the group include drafting letters to stakeholders and collecting signatures for a petition to be sent to the state government.

“We are using social networking sites like Change.org and Facebook

to increase awareness. We want support from other organisations towards this serious cause,” Vivek said.

KILLER STRETCH Malshej Ghat is prone to landslides and rockfalls.

Heavy and tourist vehicles pass through the road that is only 7 metres wide at some places with no dividers or railings even at sharp turns. Tenders have been floated for iron nets over the rocks and even road widening, but nothing has happened on the ground. Even the closest hospital is 45 km away. Vivek said, “When our friends met with the accident, the ambulance took an hour to reach the spot.”

SAFE MALSHEJ The group has suggested several alternatives to make the route safer. These include construction of a tunnel and checks on over speeding. Moreover, the students of Amruta College, Vishakhapatnam, have designed grass with very close-knit roots that help keep boulders and soil close to mother rock. Their

Experts speak Rajeev Goyal, Safe Road Foundation said, “In the rain, the Sahyadri Range, basalts give rise to brickred laterites, which are productive under a forest cover, but readily stripped into a sterile varkas when devoid of vegetative cover.

With accidents on the rise in this section, efforts must be made to provide timely medical assistance and chalk out plan for an alternate road.” gargi.verma@ goldensparrow.com

PUNE

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

“Merely removing Mohan Dhere from the post of tree officer and then reinstating him to his parent body -the state government’s forest department -is not a sufficient punishment.”

— Qaneez Sukhrani, Secretary, Nagrik Chetna Manch

The man who made India love its President The former President, eminent scientist, inspirational writer and Missile Man will be remembered for his humility, simplicity and grace TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly His story of rising from humble beginnings as the son of a poor ferry owner to becoming the ‘Missile Man’ will inspire the world for years to come. But what really made Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam the People’s President is not just restricted to his achievements in the field of space technology but the humility and childlike energy which made him connect

with the common man.

One of the biggest wishes of the renowned rocket scientist, who served as the nation’s 11th President, was to be remembered as a teacher. And when the 83-year-old passed away following a massive cardiac arrest on the evening of July 27 while delivering a lecture at IIM, Shillong, it was more like his wish was rightfully granted.

THE RISING STAR Born in a very poor Muslim family

File photo of former president APJ Abdul Kalam with US President George W Bush and his wife Laura Bush in New Delhi in 2006

in Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), APJ Abdul Kalam was the youngest amongst his siblings of four brothers and a sister. His father owned a ferry that took Hindu pilgrims back and forth between Rameswaram and the now-extinct Dhanushkodi. And mother Ashiamma was a housewife.

To help the ends meet, Kalam used to distribute newspapers after school during his childhood. He was an average student but his teachers described him as very bright and hardworking with a strong desire to learn.

MISSILE MAN IN THE MAKING After specialising in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute of Technology, Dr Kalam made significant contribution as the project director at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop India’s fi rst indigenous satellite launch vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980 and made India an exclusive member of Space Club.

After working for two decades at ISRO and mastering launch vehicle technologies, Dr Kalam took up the responsibility of developing indigenous guided missiles at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as the chief executive of integrated guided missile

THEIR MOMENTS IN THE LIFE OF KALAM As the nation mourns the loss of a great teacher and visionary, we speak to people from all walks of life who share their memories of spending some unforgettable moments – long and short - during his many visits to Pune.

Lila Poonawalla, Chairperson, Lila Poonawalla Foundation My association with Dr Kalam began long before he even became the President of India. We were working on Vision 2020 initiative and I was handling the food and agricultural division. During my stint of six years working with him, I have always found him to be a very enthusiastic person, open to ideas and encouraging everyone to do better. His humble nature was even apparent from the food that he used to eat — always idli and sambar. There were a very few occasions when he even had a dosa.

He always asked me to focus on the

task at hand and not worry about the result. He was against all communal beliefs and never associated himself to one particular religion. He knew about my foundation and encouraged me to go beyond just the Pune region and even helped me in procuring funds.

After he retired as the President in 2007, he came to Pune as a chief guest for one of my functions and would happily interact with everyone for hours without having any air about his stature. I had recently met Dr Kalam and invited him for the 20th year function of my foundation and he promised to be a part of it. But his sudden demise came as a shock.

Sangeeta Shroff, Associate Professor, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics We were celebrating the platinum jubilee of our institute in 2005 and

was someone who was ever inspiring, always giving, soft-hearted and softspoken. He continues to stand for all this, even today.

who could have been a better chief guest than Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who was also the President of the nation at that time. Being the registrar of the institute then, I got an opportunity of a lifetime to be his host and share the stage with him. His speech to our students made us feel that though he wasn’t married, the entire student community were his children. The extent to which he could motivate made us believe that India will soon be at par with the most developed nations. It was a red letter day for the students who got their degree from the ‘Missile Man’ himself. It was a privilege to share some time with him and we are saddened with his sudden death.

Dr R A Mashelkar, National Research Professor, National Chemical Laboratory While the media has titled Kalam Saab as the ‘Missile Man’, I would like to however, split the two words.

For me the missile in his title stands for all his space technology achievements. Had it not been for him the foundation of space technology would not have been laid. He played a very important role in the Indo-US nuclear deal which was the backbone for India’s technological freedom.

The man, on the other hand, would stand for humility, compassion and honesty that Dr Kalam stood for. He

Chaitraly Deshmukh, Visiting Faculty, Symbiosis Law School It was in January 2015 when I was at RK Laxman’s house to pay our respects to the legendary cartoonist.

Dr APJ Kalam walked in and met Laxman’s wife, I was standing beside him and listening to his words of comforts. Many people were asking

for the famous scientist’s autograph.

One of the fellow reporters was wondering what exclusive story can come out the former President’s visit to the city. I suggested her to give Dr Kalam a pen and paper and ask him to write a few things about Laxman, which she did and Dr Kalam obliged. Later, Dr Kalam asked me which newspaper I worked for. I was elated when he signed on my notepad and wrote my name in it with blessings and also gave me many valuable suggestions on what role should a journalist play in moulding the system in the right direction. He patted my back and after knowing my

development programme (IGMDP).

He was the Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development from July 1992 to December 1999. During this period, he led the weaponisation of strategic missile systems and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which made India a nuclear weapon state.

As an eminent scientist and Chairman of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), he led the country with

the help of 500 experts to arrive at Technology Vision 2020 giving a road map for transforming India into a developed nation.

HIS LITERARY PURSUITS Four of Dr Kalam’s books — ‘Wings of Fire’, ‘India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium’, ‘My Journey’ and ‘Ignited Minds - Unleashing the power within India’ — have become household names in India and among the Indian nationals abroad. These books have been translated in many Indian languages.

People take part in a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to the former President APJ Abdul Kalam in Moradabad on Monday night

qualification suggested that I should get into teaching and do my bit for society. I have never seen God but I believe He blesses us in disguise. Dr Kalam is an angel and his books have boosted my confidence.

and complete commitment to what he was doing at the current moment.

Vouched for by all who worked with him, he never forgot anything and always pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved.

Neelu Singh, Photographer I met Dr Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan at an event. My father had been his associate for over a decade but this was my fi rst meeting with Dr Kalam. With such a star-struck crowd around him, each eager to shake hands with the President, I wasn’t expecting much more than a nod or a smile. As my father introduced us, Dr Kalam gave me the warmest smile, held my hand and said, “Your father is a great scientist and a great person. You must be such a proud daughter.” He then went on to list my father’s achievements, speaking with such earnestness and pride, I could only look at him fascinated. Amazed at his memory of my dad’s projects and at the pride he displayed of his associate’s achievements. After about two minutes, he excused himself and

Komal Ghindani, Senior System Engineer, Infosys

went on to greet the next person, talking with them with the same degree of attention and engagement he had shown me. That, for me, was the greatness of the man. An absolute

‘A leader must have a vision, and a passion to realise that vision. He must travel on unexplored paths and succeed with integrity. He must have courage to take decisions’. These were amongst the many takeaways from the session held at IIM Indore on Creative Leadership long back in 2008 by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. I believe his reallife examples and deeds inspired the youth to a great extent. His message to everyone was that ‘it’s you who has to evolve and shape your life’ and I have been trying to follow the path in whichever way I can.

Ajinkya Pandit, PhD student, National Chemical Laboratory It was during a science project competition that I got a chance to meet Dr Kalam. There was a certain confusion regarding the place where the winners were supposed to be positioned. And before the situation could be resolved, Kalam Sir walked in. He approached us and asked me and my team what our project was about. He listened intently with a smile on his face while I explained it to him. The interaction was brief but

THE INSPIRATION He became the 11th President of India on July 25, 2002 He envisioned transforming India into a developed nation by 2020 He loved playing the Veena and had deep interest in Carnatic music Was a bachelor and remained a vegetarian all his life Dr Kalam was one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions. He was awarded the coveted civilian awards - Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997). He was a recipient of several other awards and Fellow of many professional institutions.

Considered as the People’s President, Kalam became the 11th head of the state and occupied the post between 2002 and 2007 during the NDA Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but lack of consensus denied him a second term in office as he didn’t belong to the political spectrum. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com he congratulated each one of us and walked towards the next project. His enthusiasm and eagerness to answer everyone’s questions left me in awe.

Nikhat Shaikh, Computer Science Student, Abeda Inamdar Senior College It was during one of the seminars, as I waited for Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to come on stage, I was nervous beyond doubt. I knew that I was just going to listen to him and not interact with him personally but the sheer thought of being in the same room with him was thrilling. Every word he said was inspirational, every thought and idea he put forth was so simple and yet so intelligent. There was nothing about Dr Kalam that I did not like. He was extremely soft-spoken and fi lled with compassion when he spoke of a better

India. I am extremely glad that I got the chance to be in the same room with him.

Ruchi Bhutada, Student, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts While Dr Kalam addressed us at the Jaipur Literature Fest this year, I was

in awe of his humility. While being interviewed, he kept thinking that he was talking too much about himself and kept diverting the conversation to other things. This was a true sign of modesty and being down to earth. He made us promise to be better human beings in the hope that it would make the country a better place to live in.

Back then, I knew I was going to keep the promise and today I am sure of it more than ever.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

Scientists edit human immune cells P11

‘We are asked to make puris’

Teachers of St Mira’s School accuse mgmt of non-payment of salary, over-work and favouritism towards Sindhi teachers

Teachers of St Mira’s School regularly meet at a garden near the school fearing the management’s action if they gather on the school campus

teachers since 2012. Consequently, we have been loaded with extra work and responsibilities,” said Madhuri. Instead of the official 37 hours over five days week, they are being made to work 40 hours by the school management.

Science teacher Nanda Buchade is in her 50s. She wonders whether she has been appointed as teacher or a cook.

“Three times in a year, on the occasions of JP Vaswani’s birthday, and founder Sadhu Vaswani’s birth and death anniversaries, all the teachers are made to make puris. And how many hours we have to make puris depends on the numbers of guests who gather for the events,” Nanda said.

She said that making puris is no problem but teachers should not be forced to do jobs other than teaching. “The teachers should participate voluntarily for the mission’s functions, but they

should not be impelled,” she said.

Alka Shrivastava, 55, has been assigned Aadhar card related work.

“I teach seven classes daily and after that I have to do Aadhar linkage work.

It’s exhausting and adversely affects my health as I am diabetic. When I explained my problem to the school management, they told me to produce a medical certificate stating that I was unfit for doing my teaching and Aadhar card duties,” she said.

The teachers claim that the school management favours teachers who are Sindhis. They say that the school authorities issue memos over trivial matters. “After we apprised the Education Department of our problems, the school management held a closed door meeting, and then forced us to give write apologies for complaining against the school authorities,” said Yogita Adsul.

allegations denied Gulshan Gidwani, the Director of the Mira Education Board, has denied all the allegations made by the teachers against the school management. “All the allegations made against the school and mission are false, and have been made out of some vested interests,” she said.

The state government has not given its approval to fill up the vacant teachers’ posts, she said.

“As per state government stipulations, teachers are to work for 45 hours per week. But we have reduced that number to 37, so as not to overburden our teachers.

Since we are still awaiting the state government’s nod to fill up the vacant teachers’ posts, the teachers have to share the extra workload,” Gidwani said.

She flatly denied the charge of teachers being forced to do work other than teaching. “Our mission’s motto revolves around social service. Every school strives to provide value based education to its students, and the teachers should be actively involved,” Gidwani said. She said it was just a co-incidence that teachers who had complained against the school management were given Aadhar linkage duties by the district administration. Gidwani denied any closed door meeting, and said that it was a regular meeting for the teachers to voice their problems. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

by Gitesh Shelke @gitesh_shelke

ees. All of them hail from Jharkhand and had migrated to the city a few years ago.

The police said that Rashid Shaikh had rented a basement space in the Qazi Complex in Raviwar Peth. They were supplying the T-shirts and other clothing to shops in the city, claiming the goods to be Nike originals, police said.

The duplicate clothing was packed in gunny sacks and plastic bags. Each track suit, T-shirt and jacket bore the Nike logo and trademark. Nike is a leading multinational sportswear brand.

Crime Branch officials said that the suspects have been in this spurious business for the last four years or so.

They got the garments manufactured by companies in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Mumbai. The suspects allegedly sold the counterfeit clothing as genuine, making large profits thereof.

Crime Branch officials had raided a shop on MG Road in Camp a couple of months ago, from where counterfeit sports shoes of different multinational brands were seized. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

The city Crime Branch officials raided a godown near Tamboli mosque in Raviwar Peth on Tuesday evening, and seized spurious track suits, jackets and T-shirts with a Nike logo, worth Rs 30 lakh.

A police team comprising of Senior Police Inspector Sushma Chavan and Assistant Police Inspector Sunil Gawali raided the godown and seized 1391 track suits, with a market price of Rs 1799 each, 391 T-shirts worth Rs 1199 each, and 26 jackets worth Rs 1199 each.

Mahesh Vishnu Kamble (31), a resident of Range Hills, who works as Copyright Field Officer, had lodged a complaint in this regard with the Faraskhana police station.

The police have booked three suspects identified as Rashid Rafiq Shaikh (23), Farooq Kamruddin Sayyad (22) and Sahil Kareem Imtiaz Ansari (24), all residents Raviwar Peth. According to the police, Rashid Shaikh owns the shop and godown, while other two are his employ-

Mahesh Vishnu Kamble (31), a resident of Range Hills, who works as Copyright Field Officer, had lodged a complaint in this regard with the Faraskhana police station

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As many as 100 city schools do not have a ground or space for the parking of school buses, autorickshaws and vans which ferry students to and from the school, while others have parking areas inside their campus. Buses or vans are not allowed entry to many school premises. There are 100 schools with gates that open directly on city roads. Students of these schools are the most vulnerable.

A detailed report by the city traffic police in 2010 states that there are 292 schools which have parking facilities on campus, but many of them do not allow entry to buses, autos or vans.

The traffic police had appealed to all the schools to sort out such problems.

Responding to the Pune traffic police appeal, representatives of as many as 380 schools attended the meeting to discuss traffic issues in the vicinity of city schools. The issues range from the risk to students from vehicles while crossing the roads, traffic jams, parking issues, autorickshaw/van issues etc. The traffic police have suggested solutions to resolve the issues.

Speaking to TGS, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sarang Awad said that “It is very difficult to find alternatives for schools with gates on roads, but schools that have space or a ground on their premises should allow entry to buses, vans or autorickshaws, to drop and pick up the school children for safety reasons,” he said.

Some parents drop their wards to the schools in private vehicles. They reach the school gates about 15 to 30 minutes before school hours, and these vehicles when parked on roads cause traffic jams, Awad said.

“We have requested schools having open spaces to allow the vehicles inside the school premises when they come to drop or pick up the children,” he said, adding that it will lower the risk of accidents.

The police have offered to train their class IV employees in regulating the flow of traffic for the safety of the children, and to train students in traffic culture through Road Safety Patrol (RSP). “We are also prepared to train Physical Training (PT) teachers in RSP,” he said. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Counterfeit branded clothing worth Rs 30 lakhs seized from a godown in the heart of the city

RAHUL

Police suggest means to avert traffic hazards at schools

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Preeti Sharma arrived in Pune from Nagpur in 2011. She was filled with hope and expectations that her appointment as a teacher at the reputed St Mira’s School would bring along ample opportunity for the advancement of her career. Imagine her distress and disillusionment now, when she has not been paid her salary for ten months. Hoping for a redressal of her woes, she approached the school authorities, but to her dismay they just offered her one excuse or another, leaving the issue of her unpaid dues unanswered.

Preeti, 32, is not the only teacher to be mistreated thus. Thirteen others have alleged mental harassment and unfair practices by the Maharashtra State Board affiliated St. Mira’s School authorities.

The girl’s school located in Camp is run by the Sadhu Vaswani Mission. These aggrieved teachers had taken their cases to the Education Department of the Zilla Parishad but to no avail. As a last resort, they have now written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, informing him of their grievances.

“I was made a permanent full time teacher in October 2014, after three years of service. But I have not been paid my monthly salary from October 2014 to May 2015,” said Preeti who teaches Hindi to the students of standards V to X. Madhuri Dabhade, 44, is a maths teacher who has worked at St Mira’s for eight years. She said that four teachers’ posts have been vacant for a couple of years. “The school has a quota of 29 teachers, but there are only 25

The teachers claimed that the school management has deterred them from voicing their grievances to spiritual leader and head of the Sadhu Vaswani mission, JP Vaswani.

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BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka

Country needs good economists: Rajan

THRILL OF

“The water supply department should address water supply-related problems in the city within a month. The department has been asked to replace old pipelines with new ones.”

— Shakuntala Dharade, Mayor, Pimpri Chinchwad

PUNE

Not just strumming a guitar

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

It is imperative for the media to focus on the #PublicHealth problem in India, as it is a ticking time bomb — Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, MD, Biocon Ltd

Terror threat: US cautions its global citizens

Hinjewadi needs up-to-date infrastructure

P 13

P 15

SARAL project is not Students failed for protesting? so straight forward

BY Gargi Verma @missgverma

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka The state Education and Sports department’s ambitious Systematic Administrative Reforms for Achieving Learning by Students (SARAL) project, pertaining to maintaining a database of school students, is proving to be an ordeal for those concerned. The project, which was inaugurated by state Education Minister Vinod Tawde at Pune in July, will keep out bogus students, and the database will be available online, which will make it handy to implement schemes for students. Teachers, however, claim that the complicated format makes filling up the forms extremely time consuming. Most students are unaware about the details of their grandparents, and many of them do not have birth certificates.

Ornellas High School teacher Daniel Das said, “We have more than 2000 students in our school. We have been caught up in this tedious work ever since we distributed the forms to students last week. He says that the form includes 40 questions but most students are unable to furnish all the details asked for.

“We are responsible for providing information about our students. But the form elicits information not just about parents and siblings, but even their grandparents. Students unable to furnish all the information leave the question unanswered and then it becomes our duty to call the parents and get the details, which is time consuming,” Das said.

Marcus Patole of Don Bosco School said that uploading the information on the Education Department’s website is

rAHUL RAUT

Teachers claim the complicated format makes filling up forms extremely time consuming

really difficult.

“Most of the time department’s website is slow and we face difficulties in uploading the data of our students,” Patole said. “Though the scheme will be useful in the long term, filling up the forms by the students before August 15 will be difficult. The deadline should be extended as we have more than 2000 students and the students will take time to fill up the lengthy forms,” Patole said.

Government school teachers are dealing with an entirely different issue in regard to the forms. The students generally are from financially weaker sections and since most of the parents are not highly educated, they are unable to help in filling up the form. “Then it becomes our responsibility to ensure that our students fill up the forms correctly,” said Archana Gaikwad, a teacher of Guru Nanak High School.

Deputy Director for Education, Pune division, Ramchandra Jadhav said that while teachers may have to put in extra efforts and spend time, the form filling process will save time in the future. “It may be tedious, but

it will save them time in the future.

Once the database is ready, all studentrelated information will be available to teachers, parents and to the entire administrative system of school education department at a single click on the portal of the state government’s School Education and Sport’s department,” Jadhav said. The online compilation of information will also be of use in weeding out bogus students.

SARAL scheme The state School Education department has joined hands with the National Informatics Center (NIC), Pune to develop the database of students, teachers and non-teaching staff. The database will include all the details about students such as date of birth, religion etc. After the forms are filled up by the students, teachers will have to upload the database on the website of the Education Department, which will be made available at a click when needed. The department has set a deadline of August 15 to feed the data across the state. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

City to get its own Orange Army

Practical examinations in school and colleges used to be the easiest of the lot.

The only way one could fail in practical exams was either by not turning up for the exam or by performing poorly in the hands-on-test. But engineering colleges in Pune seem to have devised a third way of failing practical papers.

Apparently, the college management nursing a vendetta against students is also another reason to fail in practical exams.

Govind is a final year student of the Jayawant Sawant Prashikshan Mandal College of Engineering. He was shocked when he received his third semester results a few days ago.

He had failed the semester, along with at least 20 other batchmates, as they had failed to clear the practical and oral tests.

“We are supposed to run our programmes in the tests and if the programmes run, we are supposed to get at least 25 marks out of 50. Even though my programme ran perfectly, I got only 20 marks, which is failing,” he said. Prathamesh of the same batch, is a good student, but even he has failed the oral and practical exams.

Are these students being failed purposely? All the students have suddenly been given an ATKT (Allowed To Keep Term, the equivalent of a fail grade. They all had been at the forefront of a protest launched a year ago against the additional stationery fee being charged.

Govind said, “The college used to charge Rs 8000 for a year’s stationery.

The stationery they provided was hardly worth Rs 500. So we protested, asking them to reduce the charge.

They retaliated and the fee was cut to a bare minimum.”

Though the college management decided to back off, they have not

rAHUL RAUT

Engineering college penalises protesters by failing them in exams, allege students

Manipulating marks in practicals seem to have become an easy way for Jayawant Sawant Prashikshan Mandal College of Engineering to put an end to protests

forgotten the issue. Govind said, “Our parents were told that our actions had landed us in the mess and we are being failed as a ‘lesson’. The teachers, however, promised that if we do not protest or raise issues outside the college, they will give us better marks next time.”

While most students are too worried to raise further questions, some are bothered that the ATKT will affect their placement prospects.

A student who didn’t wish to be named, said, “I was a batch topper, but I failed in oral this time. Now I can’t sit for the placement drive I wanted to. Teachers are supportive, but I don’t think they’ll be able to help.”

The students are unsure of what to do. “Our families back home are worried that this fight for justice will land us without our degrees,” said Govind, adding, “The management

told our parents that if we stop all protests and co-operate, we will get our degrees, otherwise they will not pass us.”

The practical tests seem to have become an easy way to stop students’ protests.

However, Dr Vasant Bugade, Director of Jayawant Sawant Prashikshan Mandal College of Engineering has refuted all the students’ alleagations as being completely baseless.

“There’s nothing like this. You’ve been misinformed. These matters don’t come under the purview of the management. Externals come for the exams and whatever marks they give, the students get. This is a very wrong accusation and a false one too. The management has no interference in this,” he said. gargi.verma@goldensparrow.com

Pooling in for Nepal’s homeless

Hope For the Children Foundation, in collaboration with five Pune restaurants, is raising funds to rehabilitate Nepal quake victims

FC Pune City is planning to build a large fan base and working towards the overall development of football in the city TGS News Network @TGSWeekly A large fan base and loyal fans have been a key ingredient in a football club’s success and development. Be it English giants Manchester United or Spain’s Barcelona, their massive fan bases have resulted in their marketing clout.

The Kochi and Kolkata football clubs in India enjoy resounding support from their fans. That is why the Rajesh Wadhawan Group and Hrithik Roshan co-owned football club, FC Pune City, which features in annual Indian Super League, have embarked on the endeavour to build a fan base of their own.

The club’s chief executive officer Gaurav Modwel said, “It’s not going to happen automatically, but we must make well-directed efforts towards that. We are reaching out to our fans and making use of their feedback.”

Modwel believes that the city will have its Orange Army very soon, which is sure to inspire and encourage the players. In its bid to involve football enthusiasts, the club has decided to

launch an official merchandise retail store in the heart of the city.

“We are the first football club in India to start such a retail store. This store opposite Fergusson College will also serve as a base for our fanoriented activities,” Modwel said.

Providing facilities The Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex in Balewadi is home ground for FC Pune City. However, the stadia is not well connected to other parts of the city, and the football enthusiasts always encounter commuting issues. To resolve this problem, the club has decided to arrange special buses on match days.

“We are even talking to autorickshaw organisations and cab drivers, so that not a single spectator is stranded outside the stadium after a match,” said Modwel.

The club is also working on involving fans in club activities by reserving stands for them, allowing them easier access to the players.

Development of sport The club is not just concentrating on building a fan base, but also working to develop the city as a football destination.

“This task is challenging and it will take a few years, but we have already started working on it,” said Modwel.

The club is developing an international level ground near Hinjewadi, which in future can be the home pitch for the club. The club is also planning to start their own academy to scout and nurture talent from the city. So far club has targeted 200 kids from different schools and their under-12 and under-14 teams are training under qualified coaches.

“Our aim is to get together all football enthusiasts in the city to raise the standard of sport in the city. We have tied up with Pune District Football Association and are also in talks with all local clubs, corporate teams and school teams,” Modwel said.

Gigs have been organised at several joints across the city to raise funds to build 100 houses in Kathmandu

By Salonee Mistry @Sal0412 A little over three months since the Nepal earthquake, there are still scores of those affected who are striving to get their lives back on track. Along with the large numbers of those who paid for the disaster with their very lives, a countless number of people were rendered homeless as their homes collapsed due to the massive earthquake.

The Hope For the Children Foundation (HFCF), in association with MCKS Pranic Healing Nepal Trust, are aiming to provide much needed succour to the homeless, by raising funds to enable them to build houses.

Their target is to build a hundred houses around Kathmandu.

The HFCF members have devised a novel way for benevolent Punekars to contribute to the Nepal victims’ cause. Five popular restaurants, namely Euriska, Malaka Spice, Tertulia, Darios and The Little Door, in and around Koregaon Park are collaborating

with HCFC to raise funds. The proprietors of these restaurants will donate a part of the revenue from the sales of their signature dishes towards the Nepalis’ cause.

Engagement Consultant at Malaka Spice, Deepa Athale said, “Living in an urban surrounding, we are often disconnected from so many issues. Partnering HCFC is a way not only for us to contribute to a tragedy that shook the world, but also to allow our customers to do so. Ten per cent of the revenue

generated from two of our top-selling dishes is being re-directed towards this initiative,” said.

Euriska is organising ‘Gig-A-Bite’ to raise funds. The rock band ‘Big Bang Blues’ from New Delhi performed at the event last month, and blues act Kanchan Daniel and the Beards from Mumbai set the Euriska stage alight this week. The act for next month’s gig has not been finalised. All of the entry charge of Rs 200 per head, goes to the Nepal relief effort.

Euriska event co-ordinator Vishal Gore said, “We are extremely happy and excited to be part of this. Most times, we may be willing to contribute, but we do not know how. This in fact has proved to be a simple and fun way.”

Founder and Managing Trustee of HCFC, Caroline Audoir de Valter said, “HCFC was set up nine years ago with the intention to help people in need. This is a small effort on our part and we wish we could do more for the Nepal victims.” salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

“This is the second consecutive profitable quarter and I am proud of what we have achieved. But there is still a long way to go. I am confident that the best is still ahead of us.”

— Ajay Singh, Chairman, SpiceJet

“Our emerging markets have maintained their strong momentum as customer demand for 4G and data takes off.”

— Vittorio Colao, Group Chief Executive, Vodafone

Learn road discipline from this young traffic patrol

Nearly 30-35 students aged 11-19 years participate in managing traffic at Paud Road and Anand Nagar in Kothrud during the peak hours between 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays EDUCATING KIDS

BY SALONEE MISTRY @Sal0412 A 11-year-old managing traffic at Paud Road and Anand Nagar in Kothrud during the peak hours between 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays should drive home the message on safe driving. Meet Harsh Bhadkamkar, a VI standard student of Jnana Prabodhini, who is part of a young group of 30-35 students that spent their two hours on busy streets to ensure smooth traffic flow.

As volunteers of Pune-based NGO nLiten, they stand at the two junctions wearing neon, orange and green coats doing their best to stop riders, drivers and motorists from breaking traffic rules.

They stand at zebra crossings as soon as the signal turns red and make sure that every single car and bike is behind the white line. Having undergone Road Safety Patrol (RSP) training from Pune Traffic Police, these students between 11 and 19 years manage seven signals at the two junctions.

Apart from these regular four hours a week, the children never hesitate to spend some more time on the roads when needed. “It was only last week that the signals at Anand Nagar junction were not working. I only had to make a few calls and around 10-12 student volunteers were at spot within 30 minutes and managing the traffic chaos,” said Sandeep Bhadkamkar (50), a resident of Kothrud and founder of nLiten.

FACING THE ANGER Very often people do not like being told what to do and some drivers and riders fall in that category. These young traffic wardens often find themselves on the receiving end of impatient riders. They are been yelled and abused at simply for

Eleven-year-old Harsh Bhadkamkar is the youngest member of nLiten that manages traffic at Paud Road and Anand Nagar

demanding that the rules be followed.

“Many people don’t care about these kids and jump signal, posing threat of serious injury to the latter who have stepped in front of vehicles to stop it. These kids must be applauded and praised for their time and effort not abused,” said Sandeep.

NO HELP FROM THE AUTHORITIES NGO founder claims that the Kothrud Police are yet to take action on the many complaints filed by nLiten against errant drivers. Undeterred by these hindrances, children continue to manage traffic. “We have got permission from Pune Traffic Police to be on the streets, but there is no help or support from them. We had suggested that a traffic police officer be on duty at either of the two junctions when the children are around so that any kind of chaos or misdemeanours could be handled. Barring an instance or two in

the past seven months, there has been no help from the authorities,” Sandeep said.

“Our only expectation from traffic police are to be present on scene to stop drivers from misbehaving with our children. They have however turned a deaf ear to our requests. When there is a problem, cops of Kothrud Police Station patrolling the area arrive on the scene within minutes and are more helpful than the traffic department,” he said.

THE BENEFICIARIES Pedestrians are the main beneficiaries of the young traffic soldiers’ act of humanity.

“Crossing the street become almost impossible when drivers do not bother to halt their vehicles even when signal is red. These kids are doing a great job and I hope that more children become a part of this initiative,” said Kalpana Utagad (68), a pedestrian living in the area. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

WHILE ON THE STREETS “Being on the road is not easy. Drivers abuse, yell and sometimes even attempt at driving over you. If there was some amount of help from the traffic department in terms of governance, our work will be made a lot easier. The one or two times that the police were on duty in the area they only created more chaos. Whenever there has been a problem and we have reported it to the traffic police, they have turned up maybe four out of 10 times and the rest we manage on our own. The least we can hope for is a little more help as we aim at making the roads safer.”

-Mohit Patil (19), volunteer at nLigten “Sometimes when the drivers break rules and we try to stop them they do not listen to us. They back-answer, they shout and are extremely averse to our intentions.

It is even more disappointing when the educated argue

knowing that they are wrong. If there is an authority figure that of a traffic policeman, present the reaction might be different. They might even think twice before breaking the signal or entering a one way.”

- Nikita Shah (18), 2nd year biotech student, Savitribai Phule Pune University “Even if jumping in front of the cars to stop them when they break the rules is risky, it has its own perks.

So many pedestrians acknowledge us for the work that we do and it feels so good. They sometimes even give us chocolates to show us how much they appreciate what we are doing. When I joined the NGO I started off by working with the Raddi campaign but this work is different and actually more interesting.”

- Harsh Bhadkamkar (11), VI standard student

Singer par excellence Tribute to Shamshad Begum

BY AC TULI Shamshad Begum, who passed away at the ripe old age of 94, was one of our earliest playback singers. When in the 2009 list of the Padma Bhushan award winners, film music buffs of the present generation found playback singer Shamshad Begum’s name, they were somewhat surprised, because for them Shamshad Begum was an almost unknown entity.

However, most of her ardent admirers in the Indian sub-continent felt that even if this recognition of her talent had come to her a little too late in her life, she indeed deserved it richly.

Born in Amritsar in 1919, Shamshad Begum, right from her childhood days, had an innate talent for singing, which she in her youth wanted to display by becoming a radio singer. Her conservative family, however, was totally against her singing on the radio.

But somehow one of her uncles prevailed upon her father Miyan Hussain

President Pratibha Patil presents the Padma Bhushan award to Shamshad Begum on March 31, 2009

Baksh, and succeeded in persuading him to give his permission to his daughter to sing on the radio. So, when she was around 12, her uncle took her to Xenophon Music Company in Lahore for audition with their music composer Ghulam Haider. Shamshad sang there a Bahadur Shah Zafar ghazal. Ghulam was impressed with the young girl’s voice.

Thus, she sang many songs in the 30s under contract with that company.

Shamshad first sang for a film under Ghulam Haider’s music direction. But it was only when she came to sing under Ghulam Haider for Pancholi’s first

Hindi film ‘Khazanchi’ (1941) that she became overnight a top singing star.

In 1943, when music director Ghulam Haider shifted to Bombay, he brought Shamshad Begum along as part of his team. Her first assignment in Bombay was for the Mehboob Khan film ‘Taqdeer’ (1943), in which Nargis made her debut as heroine.

Very soon her melodious voice fascinated other music directors of Bollywood. The late 40s and the 50s was the most prolific period of her life as a playback singer. Apart from Naushad, other music directors under whom Shamshad sang memorable songs were Khemchand Prakash, C Ramchandra, Anil Biswas, SD Burman, Ghulam Mohammad, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Hansraj Behl, Bulo C Rani and OP Nayyar. The last song that she sang along with Lata Mangeshkar under Naushad’s music direction was the famous qawwali, “Eri mehfil kismet aazma kar hum bhi dekhen ge…’’, of ‘Mughal-e- Azam’ (1960).

Such indeed is the magic of her voice that even the present generation loves jigging to the rhythm of her songs.

PTI Feature

PUNE

NGO nLiten was launched seven years ago to provide education to the needy. Registered three years ago, it later diversified into the field of traffic control and environment protection. nLigten is currently teaching Maths, Science, English and Marathi to 150 students of sixth grade at Maharashtra Mandal School, Tilak Road, for an hour every Saturday. The NGO hopes to build a system wherein students learn to think and apply what they have learnt as opposed to mugging up the content. nLigten is also working at implementing the Pune compost plan in housing societies, along with tree plantation drives near Shankarrao More Vidyalaya And Junior College in Kothrud.

They are also involved in managing wet waste to create compost and aim to implement the idea of terrace gardens to encourage using kitchen waste.

THE RADDI CAMPAIGN Raddi campaign among donations is the NGO’s way of raising funds.

They collect old newspapers and books from Kothrud and nearby areas. nLiten raised Rs 10,02,000 last year from the campaign. They also have a pool of individual sponsors.

Don’t lose your loved ones to thalassemia

Thalassemia Society of Pune’s mission is to increase awareness on thalassemia and prevention TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

doctors and social workers.

The main aim of the committee is to increase awareness on thalassemia and prevention. It also makes the treatment financially manageable by helping in subsidising the cost of medicines and tests. The society manages to raise funds through donations and entertainment programmes.

The society has tied up with various corporates like Fiat, TATA Technologies and Infosys who run regular blood donation drives. TSP collected closed to 5,000 units of blood in 2014.

Naina Doshi (60) has not yet got over the loss of her 12-year-old son to thalassemia 13 years ago. Running a courier company ‘Tej’, the resident of Budhwar Peth is a committee member of Thalassemia Society of Pune (TSP) and never fails to help those suffering from the ailment.

“It has definitely not been an easy journey. I became a member of TSP after my son was detected with the disease,” said Naina. Her entire family Naina Doshi GOVT AID has been helping out in The government has made any way possible for years blood free to all thalassemia now. Naina’s elder daughter who is in patients across the country. TSP wants the United States has been running the government to make the tests that awareness campaigns and programmes detect thalassemia compulsory for over there as well. Her younger expecting mothers so that they can daughter and husband are a part of get help with their problems as early as Thalassemia Pune chapter. possible.

THE PUNE CHAPTER There are close to 1,000 registered thalassemia members in Pune, including some from nearby districts of Solapur, Satara, Jalgaon and Parbhani. Even though the awareness about the illness has increased since 1981, the numbers of patients have not decreased. The 15-member TSP panel consists of patients, their parents,

THE AILMENT Thalassaemia is a blood disorder that can cause anaemia and other health problems. The main cause of this illness is a problem with the genetic mutation in your genes or by the missing of key genes. Patients should strictly follow treatment plan and test schedules to improve their life span. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

PUNE

AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

PICS BY RAHUL RAUT AND PRASHANT NARVEKAR

Their deceased kin continue to live on

y mother is still alive.

She is will live forever.

After her death my mother has been able to do what I haven’t been able to so far.

She has saved three lives so far,” said Ganesh, Lalita Sarvade’s son. The 45-yearold resident of Osmanabad met with an accident and was declared brain dead earlier this week. After Ganesh decided to donate her organs, doctors at the Armed Forces Medical College and Command Hospital swung into action and managed to give a new lease of life to three patients – one in Pune and two in Delhi.

Ganesh is posted as a sepoy in Punjab with the Punjab Regiment, while his family members live in Osmanabad. Recalling the accident, the 25-yearold said that his maternal uncle and his mother were

Family members who have donated organs of their deceased loved ones are comforted by the fact that they will live, albeit in another form, in another body. It is also a big solace to them that their departed kin has bestowed the gift of life on someone who would have otherwise forfeited their life for the want of a vital organ. This is the story of the few who have gone through the intense emotional turmoil that organ donation entails

BY GITESH SHELKE AND GARGIVERMA @missgverma @gitesh_shelke Earlier this week, armed forces created history. With the help of city police and the traffic cops, armed forces transported organs from a patient who had been declared brain dead in Pune to two recipients in Delhi.

They used one of their aircrafts to ship a kidney and a liver to Delhi.

It all started with Lalita Sarvade’s son Ganesh taking the decision of donating his mother’s organs.

The 45-year-old housewife had suffered a head injury in a road accident on July 18 and was admitted to Armed Forces Medical College and Command Hospital (Southern Command), Pune. On July 26, she was declared brain dead by an authorised panel of doctors, after which her son decided to donate her organs.

As soon as the decision was conveyed, a team of surgeons at the hospital swung into action. Cops at Wanowrie police too chipped in. Since the donation needed a lot of legal paperwork, the cops acted swiftly and ensured that all legal formalities were completed without any delay. Next, the surgeons at the Command Hospital retrieved the organs. Simultaneously, traffic police in Pune were alerted that some of the organs would be transported to the Airport.

The traffic cops created a green corridor from Wanowrie, where the Command Hospital is located, to the Airport. The vehicle carrying the organs reached the Airport in eight minutes.

Once at the Airport, the armed forces deployed one of their aircrafts which took off from Pune at 11.20 pm and reached Delhi at 40 minutes past mid night.

The organs, which included a liver and a kidney, were to be transplanted in two patients already admitted at the Army Hospital (R and R) in New

Vilas Dhamale, 54

T

Delhi. The liver was meant for an ex-serviceman and the kidney was to go to son of a serving Sergeant in IAF. According to an official release, the two patients at Delhi were in urgent need of transplants and in last stages of liver and kidney diseases.

Offi cials revealed that both the transplants were successful.

Meanwhile, back in Pune, an autopsy on the body of Lalita Sarvade was conducted at AFMC at 4.30 am on Monday. Her mortal remains were then transported to her home for last rites.

Sarvade’s other kidney was shared with the local Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre and allocated to Pune Hospital, which transplanted it on a patient here. Both corneas have also been harvested and kept in the Eye Bank, awaiting transplantation. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com gargi.verma@goldensparrow.com

en years ago, Vilas Dhamale was told that both his kidneys had failed. His wife was ready to donate one of her kidneys but she wasn’t a perfect match and doctors advised the couple not to go ahead with the transplant. For the next seven and a half years, Dhamale underwent dialysis, twice a week. Over the years he read up a lot on organ transplants and even registered himself with several medical institutes as a recipient. Thus began his journey to promote the idea of organ transplant.

Vilas (53) and his wife Manjiri (48) spend hours every day counselling patients in need of organs, telling them how to get on recipient lists in various hospitals, helping them with procedures, and even hosting some of them at their house in Thane. Not stopping at simply helping them, they do not spare an opportunity to mingle with citizens to convince them to donate their organs. Their son Vijay, who is studying in Australia, and daughter Tanmayee, a pharmacy student, also go all out to spread the word about organ transplant.

Over the last ten years, Vilas has written several letters to ministers and policy makers about making organ transplant mandatory. He has voluminous records of his meetings with some of the ministers. “My sole aim is to ensure that not a single person dies for want of organs. Even if eye donation was made mandatory for a day, there won’t be a single visually impaired person left in the country,” said Vilas, who finally received a kidney in March 2013.

He explains that his journey has just begun and he won’t stop at anything to promote organ transplants.

“I believe I have been gifted a second life and I must dedicate it to promoting the cause,” quips Vilas, who originally hails from Pune. Vilas travels to several cities across the country to convince citizens to donate their organs. So far he has got around 92,782 people to pledge their organs. He has helped over three dozen patients get organs, the most recent one being a 13-year-old resident of Phursungi, Pune. “I was addressing a public gathering in Pune when I was told about Nikita. She was admitted to Noble Hospital since both her kidneys had failed. Her father was an alcoholic and died a few years ago. Her mother is a maid and is barely able to make ends meet. My fi rst priority was to get her on the recipient list and shift her to Mumbai, where her chances of getting a kidney would increase. Plus she was in dire need of financial support,” said Vilas. The 54-year-old got Nikita to his house for a few days. These days Nikita is on the verge of receiving a kidney and admitted to a private hospital in Vikhroli, Mumbai.

“Her family is too poor to afford the transplant. So I have ensured that she gets funds from a state scheme and some other donations.

After a lot of counselling, her mother has agreed to give her a kidney,” he said.

His dream of making organ transplant mandatory is taking shape, with an MLA from Daund putting forth a proposal before the Assembly to discuss the subject in the forthcoming session.

Lalita Sarvade, 45 M

travelling on a motorcycle.

“The pallu of my mother’s sari got caught in the rear wheel of the motorcycle and they both fell down. My mother sustained serious internal head injuries,” he said.

The family members called up Ganesh, who rushed to Osmanabad.

“By the time I reached the village, she had been shifted to a private hospital in Solapur. Seeing no improvement in her condition, I decided to take her to the Command Hospital in Pune two days later,” he said.

After being shifted to the Command Hospital on July 21, Lalita was kept under observation. Five days later, the doctors proclaimed that she was brain dead. I was shocked, and I was not sure what to

Ganpat Lole, 53 A

India’s organ donation rate is dismal

E

ven as political and public opinion coupled with technical advancements have helped many countries shift their view and promote organ donation, India’s rate is poor as compared to other countries. India stands 0.16/ million when the world ranks as 35/million According to Sunil Shroff, Managing Trustee of Mohan Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that focuses on organ donation, 2,00,000 people need a new kidney every year and 1,00,000 need a new liver in India but only 2-3 per cent demand for new organs is met.

Experts cite finding a donor match is difficult and the challenge is compounded by bureaucratic hurdles and lack of awareness.

Two components of transplantation legislation – presumed consent and allocation priority – are thought to increase the donor population by decreasing the ease of opting out and giving registered donors priority among the pool of individuals in need of an organ transplant.

According to UN, implementation of these components is believed to have yielded beneficial effects in Israel and Singapore and Chile include these components and amended its Organ Donor Act in 2013 to increase donor figure.

European countries have some form of presumed consent (opt-out) system, with Spain, Austria and Belgium having high donor rates. In the United Kingdom organ donation is voluntary.

Explicit opt-out laws have long been among the major interventions used to increase the pool of potential donors in countries such as Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. Other factors include potential donor availability, transplantation infrastructure, health care spending and public attitudes, as well as familial consent and donor registries.

According to US-based NGO Association of Organ Procurement Organisation (AOPO), medical schools and teaching hospitals are recognising the impact of end-of-life discussions to increase as the ‘conversion rate’—the percentage of patients eligible to be organ donors who actually end up donating organs.

2013: 10 CADAVER DONATION Organs

Total

Used in Pune

Sent to Mumbai

Not used/ retrieved

Kidney

20

15

3

2

Liver

6

4

2

4

Organs

Total

Used in Pune

Sent/Received from Mumbai

Not used/ retrieved

Kidney

16

13

-

3

Liver

7

8

1

1

2014: 8 CADAVER DONATION

2015: 5 DONORS (TILL 31ST JULY) Organs

Total

Used in Pune

Sent/Received from Mumbai

Not used/ retrieved

Kidney

10

10

-

-

Liver

4

4

-

-

round 60 km outside Pune, in the middle of nowhere, is a small village named Sangavi Sandas, with hardly a dozen houses. Of these, the one with the most expansive veranda belongs to Prabhakar Lole, younger brother of Ganpat Lole. Ganpat met with an accident in the wee hours a year ago, when he was returning from his field with his daughter. While his daughter sustained minor brain injuries and some serious leg injuries, he succumbed to his brain stem injury five days later in the city. “My uncle, my brother and brothersin-law had no idea what a brain stem injury was,” said Shailaja, 23, Ganpat’s youngest daughter. Shailaja was with her father when the accident happened and was in hospital for nearly a month.

“They only understood that my father was dead, but his death could help people.

So when the medical social worker asked if they could take my father’s organs, my uncle agreed,” said Shailaja. The decision, however, was not disclosed to the rest of the family till the body was cremated. “It is not easy for us villagers to understand anything other than the rituals. However, here was a chance to save other lives, even though my brother had died. We donated his eyes, kidney and liver. It didn’t deform

him anyway, and we are told it benefitted five needy people,” said Prabhakar.

The family doesn’t wish to know about the recipients. “For us, he is gone, and that is the truth. He saved lives even while dying, he fulfi lled his purpose of being born as a human,” said Prabhakar. Shailaja, who was staring at the wall all this while, added, “I believe if every brain dead patient’s organs are donated, people won’t die of organ failure at least.”

Payal Kukreja, 22 I can’t believe someone as chirpy is not alive anymore,” said Payal’s elder sister Pooja’s (24). Nine months ago, Payal left for her coaching classes and never returned. On the way to her coaching classes early morning, she met with an accident with a mini trailer and five days later was declared brain dead. “Her brain stem broke on the spot. So technically, she died right then. But I like to think that she still lives on,” said Pooja. Their mother, Bhavna Kukreja was the one who suggested that they donate Payal’s organs. “As soon as the doctors told me that there was little or no chance of her recovery, I thought why not utilise her vital organs,” says Bhavna, who at that time knew only about eye donation.

The fi rst barrier was at home. “I couldn’t accept the fact that she wasn’t alive. It wasn’t till all tests were done in my presence and that they explained how the ventilator works, that I understood that she was dead. But even then the idea of giving away her organs was daunting.

My uncle helped by explaining how many lives could be saved instead of what we would waste by burning,” Pooja says.

However, the hospital’s inability in organ harvesting made them reconsider their decision. Pooja said, “After we found out that nothing could be done to save her, we decided to move her to another hospital for organ harvesting. However, a day after we had

shifted Payal, the doctors told us that they did not have the necessary techniques to harvest her organs. At that point I was struck down by grief and only wanted to take my baby sister home.” However, Ruby Hall Clinic’s organ

harvesting team soon took over. Pooja said, “They explained that her kidney, liver and eyes would be used. I even wanted to give away her heart, but it wasn’t possible to transfer it to the donor due to time constraints. Bhavna added, “We even gave her skin. I wanted them to utilise everything possible. My daughter had died and gone away, but if others could be saved, what’s wrong?”

Pooja, a school teacher, has only one regret, “I recently got to know that even the lungs can be salvaged. I wish we could have donated them too.” Her mother who has been harried by the neighbours, says, “I want everyone to know that I donated my daughter’s organs, didn’t sell them. I donated her body parts so that she can live on, in a different form it may be.”

Both of them are supporters of organ donation. “We ask everyone we know to consider organ donation. Even though Payal was taken away from us before her time, at least she fulfi lled a purpose in life,” said Pooja.

They haven’t been able to influence people to donate organs yet, but that does not deter them from spreading the word. Two of their relatives recently succumbed to brain injuries but their families decided against organ donation. Her mother, however, is still optimistic, “I think Payal would have been proud of us, of what we did. After all, she still lives on in another’s body, as someone else’s child.”

do next,” he added.

At this time, a team of doctors convinced the family members, especially Ganesh, to offer her organs for donation. “I decided that she should live and gave a nod to donate her organs. I am not very educated but I have a holistic approach to life,” said Ganesh.

The family stays in Umarga in Osmanabad district. Ganesh’s father, Chandrakant, was a clerk with the revenue department offi ce at Umarga.

Chandrakant passed away three years ago.

Ganesh has three sisters, all married, and two younger brothers, one of them still pursuing his schooling at the village. Lalita was a housewife.

“I joined the army six years ago,” Ganesh said, adding that the family’s fi nancial condition improved after he joined the armed services.

“At fi rst, I was unable to decide whether to donate or not donate my mother’s organs. Then I thought about the patients in dire need of organ transplants, who would die if they did not get the organs. Th is was explained to me by the doctors,” he said.

“Despite being a sepoy I am yet to save lives, but my mother has already saved lives. I am proud and she is amar now,” he concluded.

Aarti Gokhale, ZTCC Central Co-ordinator “I don’t think lack of awareness is an issue today’s world. We can’t really be sure what moves them and what doesn’t.

Relatives need to be told how organs of their loved ones can be used to save so many lives. A bit of persuasive conversation will surely help all the hospitals around the city.

Th is year, the rate has gone down with regards to the kind of awareness and the hospitals around. There is only one case of organ donation per month in Pune. But people in general have become more accepting towards the idea of organ donation.”

Surekha Joshi, Medical Social Worker, Ruby Hall Clinic “It’s not a regular thing for people to donate their own and their loved ones’ bodies and organs. I personally think that some level of awareness needs to be spread amongst various communities. While patients’ relatives cite everything from sentimental to religious reasons, very few can be talked into it. We try and talk to people and hope that they agree.

The rate, however, has decreased. While in 2013, we had seven cases, 2014 had only four and 2015 till now has only seen two.”

TECH

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

The name Yahoo was created by Johnathan Swift for his book Gulliver’s Travels (1726) – which explained a yahoo to be a really ugly person.

- http://www.thefactsite.com/

Japan: Back to the past to move ahead

Pune needs efficient public transport

P 13

P 15

Virus targeting banking, personal info prowling Indian cyberspace Cyber security sleuths have alerted Indian Internet users about the destructive phishing attacks by a virus which could compromise personal email and bankingrelated data.

The virus, identified as ‘Golroted’, belongs to the deadly ‘Trojan’ category of computer viruses which is characterised by its smart capability of masking its original content and looking like genuine.

“It has been reported that variants of a new malware family, dubbed as Golroted, having spyware functionalities are spreading. These malware typically spread through spear phishing mails having attachments as zipped archives or Microsoft Office document exploits or via removable drives,” the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) said in a latest advisory to domestic Internet users.

The CERT-In is the nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing and to fortify security-related defences of the Indian Internet domain.

The agency said once the virus infects a system successfully, it is capable of stealing Personal Identifiable Information (PII) from the affected machine that includes computer name, local date or time, Internet Protocol address, installed security software, among other private and sensitive system details.

The virus is notorious for undertaking specific attacks with regard to banking and financial transactions, ultimately leading to loss of funds kept in the bank account.

“Golroted is reported as targeting banking sites, online payment sites, email accounts, social networking sites among others. The stolen information is ex-fi ltrated to a pre-configured File Transfer Protocol server/web panels or to email addresses as attachments,” it said.

The agency said at least two aliases or pseudo-identities of the said virus have

been detected till now.

“The spyware is capable to log key strokes, capture screen shots, scrap web browsers for saved passwords, browsing history etc,” it said.

Some suggested counter-measures: Do not allow administrative access to systems, with the exception of special administrative accounts for administrators, do not download or open attachment in emails received from untrusted sources or unexpectedly received from trusted users, do not visit untrusted websites and enable fi rewall at gateway or desktop level.

Install and scan anti-malware engines and keep them up-to-date.

Do not follow unsolicited web links or attachments in email messages, limit or eliminate the use of shared or group accounts, turn off fi le sharing if not needed and disable “save credentials” feature. PTI

HACKERS TAKE A PAGE (LITERALLY) FROM JANE AUSTEN It would be a shock, a terrible shock, to Elinor Dashwood and the other characters in “Sense and Sensibility,” to see this happening.

Unbeknownst to her or author Jane Austen, it seems that hackers from the 21st century are appropriating text from the 19th century classic novel to spread malicious software.

Researchers from Cisco Security said in a report released today that literary passages are becoming a new way to hide malicious code that allow hackers unlawful entry into computers and networks.

“Adding passages of classic text to an exploit kit landing page is a more effective obfuscation technique than the traditional approach of using random

text,” said researchers in their mid-year security report.

“The use of text from more contemporary works such as magazines and blogs is another effective strategy.

Antivirus and other security solutions are more likely to categorise the webpage as legitimate after ‘reading’ such text.”

Cisco researchers said encountering references to Austen characters on a webpage “may be perplexing but not a cause for immediate concern.”

Jason Brvenik, a Cisco engineer, said it remains a mystery about who is behind the literary hacking or why that novel was chosen over others.

“It is a seemingly random selection but it always from that book,” he told AFP.

Still, the technique opens the door for dastardly exploits from computer hackers, according to Cisco.

Hackers can deliver a variety of malicious “payloads” through these tools, according to Cisco, including “ransomware,” a growing technique that locks a user’s fi les unless a ransom is paid.

The researchers said this is just one example about how hackers are innovating to find ways around computer protection.

“Hackers, being unencumbered, have the upper hand in agility, innovation and brazenness,” Brvenik said.

“We see this time and again, whether it is nation-state actors, malware, exploit kits or ransomware.”

AFP

Google bids adieu Facebook eyes 4.5 bn to its social network users with Internet.org

BY SEEMA HAKHU KACHRU Google is bidding adieu to Google Plus, an awkwardly named social network that the American search engine had launched four years ago hoping it would become a serious rival to Facebook.

Google has spent the last several months chopping up Google Plus’s most useful pieces and making them separate services as it moves away from making Google Plus the central hub for all Google-related activity.

On Monday, the company announced its most drastic step for breaking up Google Plus.

Google has announced more sweeping changes for Google Plus over the next few months as it?restructures network?into two distinctly separate

products: streams and photos.

Previously, many tasks within Google products (such as, say, commenting on a YouTube video) required a Google Plus profi le, but that won’t be the case moving forward.

“People have told us that accessing all of their Google stuff with one account makes life a whole lot easier,” Bradley Horow itz , Google’s vice president of photos and sharing, wrote in a company blog.

Google now says that in the coming months, you’ll only need to create a Google account to do things such as creating a YouTube channel, communicating with contacts and other key functionalities.

Google also announced it’s adding a new feature to the social network called Google Plus Collections, which lets users share and read posts.

PTI

Facebook is also targeting new telecommunications partners in hopes of connecting more people to the Web A year after Facebook introduced Internet.org, the company is making it easier for any mobile operator to sign up to offer free Internet access to basic online services and hopes to add more than 4.5 billion users.

Facebook’s project to spread Internet access to the developing world isn’t just getting older - it’s also targeting new telecommunications partners in hopes of connecting more people to the Web. Internet.org was fi rst launched in Africa, but has since expanded and is now available in 17 countries including countries with very large populations like India

- spanning three continents, but only worked with select operators.

Facebook is now attempting to woo more mobile operators to join the programme, announcing a dedicated portal through which operators can sign up.

It’s also courting them with statistics - like the fact that “Internet.org brings new users onto mobile networks on average over 50 per cent faster after launching free basic services, and more than half... are paying for data and accessing the Internet within the fi rst 30 days” - suggesting that Internet.org can not only change people’s lives, but

improve operators’ bottom lines. To help woo those fi rms, Internet.org is arguing that it represents more than a tool to get the disconnected online: It’s also good for the carriers’ bottom lines.

In a recent blog, Internet. org cites various figures designed to get network operators seeing dollar signs - or perhaps more accurately, pesos, francs and rupees - in a possible partnership with Mark Zuckerberg’s initiative.

Internet.org brings new users on to mobile networks on average over 50 per cent faster after launching free basic services, and more than half of the people who come online through Internet.org are paying for data.

PTI

China’s e-shops created over 10 million jobs

BY KJM VARMA Over 10 million jobs have been created in 2014 by online shops in China, with over half of them run by enterprising college students, a media report said today.

Nearly 60 per cent of online shops operated by individuals rather than enterprises are run by either college students or college graduates, the People’s Daily reported, citing a report by the China Association of Employment Promotion (CAEP).

Specifically, 22.9 per cent are run by college students or graduates with employees, while 36.8 per cent are run by students or graduates without staff.

Over 10 million jobs have been created in 2014 by online shops in China, with over half of them run by enterprising college students, a media report said

On aggregate, by the end of 2014, China’s online shops had created 10 million jobs, with 6.18 million run by college students or graduates, the newspaper cited the CAEP report as saying.

The Chinese government has been encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly targeting college students.

On the other hand, the large number of graduates each year strains the employment market in the world’s second largest economy. The number of college graduates that registered start-up businesses with industry and commerce authorities in 2014 reached nearly 480,000, up 33 per cent from the previous year.

PTI

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ENVIRONMENT “The government has accorded high priority to issue of malnutrition and is implementing several schemes of different ministries through state governments.”

— Maneka Gandhi, Women and Child Development Minister

Genome editing technique used to precisely modify a key type of human immune cell

Since T cells are a critical part of immune system, scientists have been looking into their genomes for years

Until recently, editing human T cells with CRISPR/Cas9 has been inefficient, with only a relatively small percentage of cells being successfully modified.

While scientists have had some success in switching off genes by inserting or deleting random sequences, they have not yet been able to use CRISPR/Cas9 to paste in (or “knock in”) specific new sequences to correct mutations in T cells.

A team led by fi rst authors Kathrin Schumann, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Alexander Marson, a

Good prospects for summer crops

More than 50 per cent of the sowing of summer crops has been completed so far in this kharif season Prospects of summer crops like rice, pulses and oilseeds are “good” in most parts of the country, barring some interior parts of the Indian states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, IMD chief said on Tuesday.

More than 50 per cent of the sowing of summer crops has been completed so far in this kharif season and farmers have taken up pulses, oilseeds and coarse cereals in a big way, as per the latest data of the Agriculture Ministry.

Sowing of kharif crops begins with the onset of southwest monsoon from June. So far, there has been 4 per cent deficit rains in the country, while in July alone the rainfall deficiency was about 17 per cent, as per the Met Department.

“The situation is not good in central Maharashtra, Marathwada, Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh, some districts of Telangana and north interior Karnataka. These areas have

received lower rains and there are concerns about crop prospect,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Laxman Singh Rathore told PTI. The situation in northern India is good barring some parts in Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, he said adding that however, “the crop situation in rest of the country is good.”

Echoing similar views, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) Deputy Director General (Crops) J S Sandhu said, “There is over 50 per cent rainfall shortage in some regions in these four states. Th is is acute deficit and obviously there will be some impact on pulses, coarse cereals and cotton.”

Otherwise, the sowing operation in other parts of the country is in full swing. More than 50 per cent of kharif sowing has been completed so far.

Area under pulses, oilseeds and coarse cereals has increased significantly this kharif season. PTI

AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

“Th The estimated new mouth cancer cases in India for 2013, the number was 1,08,076. Mouth cancer has high Age Adjusted Rate in Indian cancer registries for both males and females and was among the highest in the world.”

— Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for Health

Scientists edit human immune cells Scientists have used a popular genome editing technique to precisely modify a key type of human immune cell that protects the body against a wide range of diseases, from diabetes to AIDS to cancer.

Researchers at the University of California - San Francisco used the genome-editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas9 to precisely modify human T cells.

They were able to disable a protein on the T-cell surface called CXCR4, which can be exploited by HIV when the virus infects T cells and causes AIDS. The team also successfully shut down PD-1, a protein that has attracted intense interest in the burgeoning field of cancer immunotherapy, as scientists have shown that using drugs to block PD-1 coaxes T cells to attack tumours.

The CRISPR/Cas9 system makes it possible to easily and inexpensively edit genetic information in virtually any organism.

Cas9, an enzyme in the CRISPR system that makes cuts in DNA and allows new genetic sequences to be inserted, has generally been introduced into cells using viruses or circular bits of DNA called plasmids.

Then, in a separate step, a genetic construct known as single-guide RNA, which steers Cas9 to the specific spots in DNA where cuts are desired, is also placed into the cells.

H EALTH

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UCSF Sandler Fellow, and Steven Lin, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of University of California, Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna, cracked these problems by streamlining the delivery of Cas9 and single-guide RNA to cells.

In lab dishes, the group assembled Cas9 ribonucleoproteins, or RNPs, which combine the Cas9 protein with single-guide RNA. They then used a method known as electroporation, in which cells are briefly exposed to an electrical field that makes their membranes more permeable, to quickly deliver these RNPs to the interior of the cells.

With these innovations, the researchers successfully edited CXCR4 and PD-1, even knocking in new sequences to replace specific genetic “letters” in these proteins.

The group was then able to sort the cells using markers expressed on the cell surface, to help pull out successfully edited cells for research, and eventually for therapeutic use.

Marson stressed that, while recent reports of CRISPR/Cas9 editing of human embryos have stirred up controversy, T cells are created anew in each individual, so modifications would not be passed on to future generations.

The study was published in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

PTI

Facebook helps discover new plant species A huge carnivorous plant has become the first plant species to be “discovered on Facebook” after a photo posted by an amateur researcher in Brazil was spotted by scientists on the social networking site.

The plant, which can grow up to one-and-a-half metres in length, was identified by scientists as a new species, and has since been named ‘drosera magnifica’, or magnificent sundew.

Amateur researcher Reginaldo Vasconcelos first photographed the sundew plant in a forest on a mountain top in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, in 2013, and posted it on his Facebook page.

Experts identified the plant as a new species, describing it as the second-largest carnivorous plant in the Americas, ‘The Telegraph’ reported.

“It is the first plant that was discovered on Facebook.

It is the largest sundew in the Americas, and the second-largest carnivorous plant in the Americas,” said Andreas Fleischmann from the Botanical State Collection of Munich, and co-author of a research paper on the plant.

The plant has a Medusa-like tangle of sticky, carnivorous leaves that can grow up to 24cm in length and ensnare insects the size of a dragonfly.

The scientists were surprised that the large and eye-catching plant species had remained undiscovered for so long, because the mountain on which it was found was easily accessible.

However, the species, which is only found on a single mountain peak, is already considered “critically endangered”.

Internet-based image databases have become an “important tool” for plant enthusiasts and botanists to share their interest and knowledge, according to the researchers.

In the majority of cases, photos taken by amateurs are mostly useful in terms of providing location data that would lead to further fieldwork by experts, researchers said.

The discovery of the magnificent sundew, however, is “the first plant species to be recorded as being discovered through photographs on a social network,” the researchers said in the study published in the journal Phytotaxa.

PTI

Smartphone ‘cuddling’ for 74 per cent Indians!

As many as 74 per cent Indians have slept holding their smartphones while 41 per cent have used their devices in the washroom, a seven-country survey of over 7,000 people about cell phone habits has found.

Overall, 60 per cent of those surveyed said they slept holding their handsets with the highest percentages in India (74 per cent) and China (70 per cent).

About 57 per cent people surveyed

by Motorola said they took their smartphone into the toilet, with 41 per cent participants from India admitting using the device in their washroom.

About 17 per cent smartphone users said they used their phones while showering, and more than half - 54 per cent - said the cell phone would be one of the first things they would save in the event of a fire.

About 22 per cent Indians in the survey said they have used their smartphones in the shower and as many as 68 per cent said they would save the device first in case of a fire.

Only 39 per cent users said they were “happy” with their smartphone, and 79 per cent felt bothered when their devices interrupted them during an important meeting or at a public place. As many as 44 per cent Indians said they were “happy” with their devices while 88 per cent said their phones interrupted them at the inopportune moments.

One in five people would be more willing to give up seeing their significant other (15 per cent), showering (18 per cent), or sleeping (19 per cent) than having to go without their smartphone for a weekend. Around 40 per cent of participants, including 61 per cent Indians, ask their smartphones things they wouldn’t ask their best friend. PTI

Malaria vaccine gets regulatory nod The vaccine, named Mosquirix, was given the green light

by London-based European Medicines Agency

BY HS RAO AND SHREERUPA MITRA-JHA The world’s fi rst malaria vaccine has cleared one of the final hurdles as it received a positive scientific opinion from European regulators and now awaits approval from the WHO before it could be administered within the next few years across Africa.

The vaccine, named Mosquirix, was given the green light by Londonbased European Medicines Agency after more than 30 years of research, detailed in 230,000 pages of data.

The vaccine will be examined by the WHO which will give its recommendation in November this year, and if approved, could be administered to children across Africa within the next few years.

“Th is is the fi rst time ever that a malaria vaccine has got to the point of being reviewed by a regulatory authority.

So this is a big step forward and we welcome the positive opinion given by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Th is is an opinion and not a regulatory approval,” said Gregory Hartl, WHO’s spokesperson for Avian Influenza and other epidemic diseases.

“What happens next is that the assessment from EMA will be reviewed by WHO in October and we will look at the vaccine from the point of view of public health,” Hartl said in

Geneva.

The WHO said the vaccine will be reviewed for feasibility in field situations in developing countries, its affordability and its cost effectiveness.

“It’s massively significant,” said Allan Pamba, vice president for pharmaceuticals in East Africa for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which has spent more than USD 356 million to date on finding a vaccine.

Researchers and pharmaceutical companies have been trying to develop malaria vaccines for decades. Some vaccines which had been developed in the past failed in their phase three trials.

“It is a big development but it’s not finished yet and certainly our work starts now,” said Hartl.

Malaria kills around 600,000 people a year worldwide, most of them children under five in sub-Saharan Africa.

The clinical trials of the vaccine were conducted across 11 research centres in seven African countries in partnership with GSK and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

The clinical trials, however, show a lower level of protection than other routine immunisation programs and the level of protection wears off to 36 per cent effectiveness after four years.

All these elements will be considered before global health body gives its final nod.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

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WB invites UK to ‘ride its growth story’ P 14

“We will not be the first to strike, but if we are hit, we will give a befitting reply. We want peace with Pakistan, but not at the cost of national honour.”

— Rajnath Singh, Home Minister

Women rights cases cross 9,700 mark

Uttar Pradesh has seen the highest number of cases so far this financial year at 6,110

Cases include domestic violence, dowry harassment, property dispute, rape etc

concerned authorities.

Other actions taken by the government include enforcement and implementation of laws and programme for the protection of women such as Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and women helplines, she added.

With regard to violation of child rights, Gandhi said 2,270 cases have been reported by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights till June 30 this fiscal.

“The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has reported 2,404, 3,281, 3,340 and

Govt to set up 36 one-stop centres to help women

Illegal dance bars thrive in Kolkata Kolkata: Rising number of illegal dance bars in the city and its outskirts are playing a pivotal role in pushing women from West Bengal and other states into bar dancing and eventually into organised flesh trade, a senior police official said.

A senior Kolkata Police officer said illegal dance bars have increased in number over the past four to five years due to a nexus between land sharks and promoters.

“Promoters are getting land at cheaper rates from syndicate land sharks on which they construct buildings with rooms for bars. Once a bar is set up, the promoters have to pay these syndicates part of the profit and cut money from clients who pay for spending intimate moments with the bar girls,” the officer said.

The girls who double up as crooners are also given a share of the profit.

Asked about the girls in the racket, he said they perform as singers-cum-dancers and the bars have gained customers only after they started performing dance numbers.

“The girls are actually duped into this

2,270 cases of violation of child rights in 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 (till June 30), respectively,” the Minister said.

Gandhi said the government would set up 36 ‘one-stop’ help centres for helping women who are victims of any form of violence.

The government would look how they function and within three months would take a decision on having 660 such centres, she added.

Noting that many laws have been passed to ensure the welfare of women and children, she said that states should look at having at least 33 per cent women in police force and there should be more sensitisation among police.

PTI

profession. They are first lured with jobs in dance troupes,” the officer said.

“Possibly a well-coordinated gang is behind the functioning of the illegal dance bars. Our probe has revealed that dancing is controlled by the promoting syndicates,” said another officer of the force’s detective department.

The proliferation of illegal dance bars came to light during recent police raids in and around the city to bust prostitution rackets after complaints by locals.

“We started checking licences and we found that of a number of the bars had expired,” the officer said.

During checks, the Kolkata Police found over ten bars in the central part of the city and its neighbourhood flouting all excise norms.

Bar owners are taking advantage of the cryptic language of Bengal Places of Public Amusement Act (Section 5) which states that action could be taken and the crooners’ licence revoked for any indecency of dress, dance or gesture, said another senior Kolkata Police officer.

PTI

Bar owners are taking advantage of cryptic language of the Act

Vol-II* lssue No.: 07 Editor: Yogesh Sadhwani (Responsible for the selection of news under the PRB Act, 1867) Printed and Published by: Shrikant Honnavarkar on behalf of Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. CIN:U22200PN2014PTC151382 and printed at PRI – Media Services Private Limited CIN: U22222MH2012PTC232006 at Plot No. EL-201, TTC Industrial Area, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai.

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Bengaluru: CBI has assured that all cases including the Vyapam scam being probed by it would be investigated ‘with right spirit’ and with efforts to do so expeditiously.

“I can assure you that all cases which come our way, they will be investigated with right spirit, right endeavor and with utmost sincerity and seriousness, and we try to do it expeditiously as well,” CBI Director Anil Kumar Sinha told reporters here.

He was replying to a query on the mysterious deaths connected to Vyapam admission and recruitment scandal in Madhya Pradesh, investigation of which was handed over to CBI by the Supreme Court recently.

Sinha, however, said it would be too early to comment on the scam since the CBI had taken up the case recently.

“It is too early to say anything on that because we have just taken up the case. We are investigating and, we are going to be investigating those cases,” he stated. Sinha said he maintained a policy of not bringing into the public domain information connected to investigations.

“I also have the policy that during the currency of the investigation I don’t talk about the investigation because there are certain things that need not be brought into the public domain and I would like to follow that,” he said.

Nevertheless, the cases would be investigated with right spirit, endeavour, and with utmost sincerity, he said.

On matters of capacity building and optimisation of CBI resources, Sinha said the premier investigating agency had signed MoUs with Analyst Bangalore and National Law School Bangalore.

PTI

CARA simplifies adoption rules

New Delhi: Union Women and Child Development Ministry has notified revised guidelines for governing adoption of children issued by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) that would replace the 2011 Adoption Guidelines.

“The revised guidelines have been framed keeping in mind the issues and challenges faced by CARA, Adoption Agencies and Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) and are intended to provide for more effective regulation for adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children and would bring more transparency and efficiency in the adoption system,” an official statement from the ministry said.

With the new guidelines, it would become possible for PAPs to track the status of their application making the entire system more user friendly.

Accordingly, Central Adoption Resource Information Guidance System (CARINGS), as an e-governance measure created for the purpose of facilitating adoption of children, has been revamped.

“CARINGS will facilitate the adoption of maximum number of

adoptable children and ensure a smoother adoption process by curbing undue delays,” the statement said.

CARINGS will contain a centralised data bank of adoptable children and PAPs. Clear cut timelines for domestic and inter-country adoption have been laid down to ensure early deinstitutionalization of such children.

“All District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) will be connected online to CARINGS. They will be responsible for making newspaper publications of abandoned children and the expenditure, if required, could be incurred under Integrated Child Protection Units Fund.

One DCPU member will also be part of the Adoption Committee,” it said.

The features of the guidelines governing adoption of Children include option for PAPs to select an adoption agency of their choice for conducting Home Study Report (HSR) and preferred State. According to the new guidelines, The HSR of PAPs can be prepared by State Adoption Resource Agency/DCPU empanelled social worker, Seniority of PAPs would be maintained from the date of registration.

PTI

Marital status census data of STs released New Delhi: A total of 4,67,00,848 out of 10,45,45,716 Scheduled Tribes population are married, according to the Census data on marital status of ST population released recently.

The married constitutes 44.7 per cent of the total STs population.

Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India has published the 2011 Census data on the Marital Status of Scheduled Tribes persons for all States and Union Territories by age and sex, number of women, ever married women

by present age, parity and total children ever born by sex, number of surviving children and total surviving children by sex, number of births last year by sex and birth order etc.

According to the 2011 Census data on marital status of ST population released, percentage of widowed is 4.6 per cent and separated is 0.4 per cent.

The percentage of divorced constitute 0.2 per cent. In comparison to 2001 Census, the percentage of widowed, divorced, separated has increased in most

Voting made compulsory in Guj Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government issued a notification making voting compulsory for people of the state during elections to local self governing bodies.

Incidentally, the bill was introduced when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat.

The notification would mean that people have to compulsorily vote from now onwards during elections held for municipal corporations, municipalities, and all village panchayats.

The Act has also made provisions to penalise those who fail to vote.

However, the notification issued has not specified what punishment would be meted out to voters who fail to exercise their franchise.

The notification was issued by the Gujarat State Urban Development and Urban Housing Department. The Gujarat state government also issued another notification making voting compulsory for elected representatives of local bodies, who would face disqualification if they do not vote.

“We have issued notifications regarding the compulsory voting provision. Through these notifications, we are now making it compulsory for both citizens as well as elected representatives to cast their votes in local body elections,” Gujarat Health Minister and government spokesperson

Nitin Patel said.

“Later, we plan to announce what punishment would be meted out for people who fail to vote during local body elections. The Gujarat state government will announce rules regarding the degree and mode of punishment in the days to come,” Patel said.

In November 2014, Gujarat Governor OP Kohli had given his approval to the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009, which has a controversial provision to penalise citizens who fail to cast their votes in local body polls.

As per the new Act, registered voters who do not cast their vote and fail to produce any valid reason, are liable for punishment.

With this notification issued by the Gujarat state government, the Act has come into effect.

Large scale local body polls for 253 municipalities, 208 taluka panchayats, 26 district panchayats and six municipal corporations are to be held in October this year.

Since the Assembly is not in session and local body polls are approaching, the Gujarat state government sought the Governor’s nod to issue an ordinance to implement the compulsory voting rule for elected representatives for the forthcoming local body polls.

PTI

of the age groups.

More than half of the marriages have taken place in the age group of 20-24 years. The percentage of marriage taken place in the above age group is 57.2 per cent. The data also shows that for 72 per cent of the STs female, the marriage age is above 18 years.

Total numbers of ever married women has increased among all the ages.

It increased remarkably in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, West Bengal and Assam, an official release said. PTI

paying respect PTI

NEW DELHI: More than 9,700 cases of atrocities against women, including domestic violence and rape, have been registered since April 1 this year, with Uttar Pradesh seeing the highest number of such cases, the government said.

These many cases have been registered with the National Commission for Women so far this financial year.

Giving details in the Lok Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said that the various reasons for violation of women rights include “domestic violence, outraging the modesty of women, dowry harassment, property dispute, rape”.

As per the state and union territory-wise data, Uttar Pradesh has seen the highest number of women rights violation cases so far this financial year at 6,110, followed

by Delhi (1,179), Haryana (504), Rajasthan (447) and Bihar (256).

Together, in the last three financial years and so far this fiscal, the total number of such cases in Uttar Pradesh stood at 44,328.

“The National Commission for Women has registered 16,584, 22,422, 32,118 and 9,786 cases of violation of rights of women in 201213, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 (till date), respectively,” Gandhi said during Question Hour.

According to the Minister, action taken by the Commission include forwarding the complaints to

Will probe all cases including Vyapam with right spirit: CBI

The Tricolour at President House flies half-mast to mourn former President APJ Abdul Kalam’s demise, at President House in New Delhi on Tuesday

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

Congestion, pollution darken Pune skyline P 15

PUNE

“The rise in the number of foreign terrorist fighters is a manifestation of the growing spread of violent extremism, which demands urgent international attention. Our response must always be based on human rights and the rule of law.”

— Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

Terror threat: US cautions its global citizens Advisory issued by America mentions extremist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba posing a major threat in India

BY Lalit K Jha Washington: The US has issued a worldwide travel caution for its citizens, including in India, in the wake of increased threat coming in particular from the expanding global presence of the Islamic State.

In its advisory, the US has mentioned that terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba poses a major threat in India.

In August 2014, the US and regional partners commenced military action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated terrorist organisation in Syria and Iraq, an official statement said.

“In response to the airstrikes, ISIL called on supporters to attack foreigners wherever they are. Authorities believe there is an increased likelihood of reprisal attacks against the US, Western and coalition partner interests throughout the world, especially in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Asia,” the State Department said.

India, it said, continues to experience terrorist and insurgent activities which may affect US citizens directly or indirectly. Anti-Western terrorist groups active in India include

President Barack Obama speaks during a multilateral meeting on South Sudan and counterterrorism issues with Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, the African Union and Uganda in Addis Ababa on Monday

Islamist extremist groups such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-i-Islami, Harakat ulMujahidin, Indian Mujahideen, Jaishe-Mohammed, and Lashkar-e Taiba, the statement said.

Past attacks have targeted public places, including some frequented by Westerners, such as luxury and other

hotels, trains, train stations, markets, cinemas, mosques, and restaurants in large urban areas.

Attacks have taken place during the busy evening hours in markets and other crowded places, but could occur at any time, it said. The US government, it said, continues to receive information

that terrorist groups in South Asia may also be planning attacks in the region, possibly against US government facilities, its citizens, or interests.

The presence of al-Qaeda, Taliban elements, Lashkar-e-Taiba, indigenous sectarian groups, and other terror organisations, many of which are on the US government’s list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organisations, pose a potential danger to US citizens in the region, the State Department said.

Terrorists and their sympathisers have demonstrated their willingness and ability to attack locations where US citizens or Westerners are known to congregate or visit, the State Department said.

According to the State Department, the presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups poses a danger to US citizens throughout Pakistan. Across the country, terrorist attacks frequently occur against civilian, government, and foreign targets, it said.

Attacks have included armed assaults on heavily guarded sites, including Pakistani military installations and airports.

The Pakistan government maintains heightened security measures, particularly in the major cities. Terrorists and criminal groups regularly resort to kidnapping for ransom, it said.

Sikh groom thrown from drugged horse

AP/PTI

history rewind

Agincourt: People fight during a re-enactment of the Battle of Agincourt, in Agincourt, northern France on Saturday (July 25, 2015). The French are hosting a re-enactment of the clash with England this weekend. More than 800 people in Medieval garb are gathering at the site to commemorate the battle, which was a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War

Toronto: A Sikh groom’s wedding plans went horribly off-track when the horse he was riding, allegedly fed on marijuana, became spooked and threw the man off its back outside a Surrey temple in British Columbia.

In a video of the incident posted on Youtube, the horse seems uncomfortable the moment the groom climbs on him and circles around its handler several times with the groom on its back.

The horse eventually bolted from its handler and tossed the groom off its back.

The groom, who has not been named, lost his turban in the fall but escaped unhurt and was able to remount the horse and ride to the wedding ceremony.

The horse’s owner however claimed that she has always been perfect. A second video of the incident has emerged on Youtube, where a passerby is seen feeding the horse which he claimed was weed.

PTI

Man abets neighbour feed her mother faeces

By Gurdip Singh Singapore: A 39-year-old Indianorigin Singaporean was arrested for helping his next-door neighbour feed her aged mother human faeces and urine, days after the video of the incident went viral.

The incident of Darwinder Singh abetting his neighbour Siti Nur Redha Khamis, 25, in feeding her mother Kamisah Burel, 58, with human faeces and

urine, was filmed and the video went viral. Singh was arrested and charged in court. Singh has been remanded by the police for a week in order to conduct raids and help with investigations into other possible offences, which a police prosecutor said could have taken place over a long time.

Addressing the court, Singh said he had told Khamis to feed her mother the faeces only once, but that she had done it every day.

He maintained that Khamis had been out of work for eight months, and that he had tried to support her.

“I pawned my jewellery. I sold my handphone and laptop for her. She’s accused me of a lot of things,” he said.

He added that his mother, Asha, had nobody to depend on but him, and that they both had medical conditions.

Singh had earlier furnished local media with photos that he claimed to have secretly snapped of the alleged abuse.

The photos seemed to show Kamisah being beaten with brooms, having her hair pulled, and stepped on.

The alleged abuse made waves online after another neighbour, Mohammad Juani, 25, posted a video on Facebook of Burel being slapped outside her flat by Khamis. If convicted, Singh faces up to seven years in jail, a fine, caning, or any combination of the above.

PTI

Social media is marriage killer in China Ministry show the world’s most populous country has been witnessing a continuous rise in divorce since 2002

BY KJM Varma Beijing: China’s burgeoning social media is turning out to be a leading cause behind break up of marriages, pushing the divorce rates up, according to a new report.

A report by the Ministry of Civil Affairs found 3.637 million couples divorced in 2014, up by 3.9 per cent from the previous year.

Statistics from the ministry show the world’s most populous country has

been witnessing a continuous rise in divorce since 2002.

Su, a white collar worker from Shanghai, was stunned and furious after discovering her husband’s secret romances online.

“I found he had viewed dating websites after looking through the search history on his computer,” she said.

Exploring further, she discovered her husband had been in touch with several ‘girlfriends’ on different social networks.

China’s social media platform Weibo, a Twitter like service is accessed by over 668 million, mainly on their mobile phones besides various Internet platforms, making it the world’s biggest social media network.

Yu Kun, a Beijing-based psychologist, said among all the

extramarital affairs of his young clients, about half of them were initiated through the Internet. But experts agree that social media generally only affects relationships that were already strained.

In some cases, social networking apps such as WeChat and Momo, which facilitate socialising with strangers, can be a tool in dismantling an already fragile marriage, Chen Yiyun, an expert from the marriage and family research institute under the All-China Women’s Federation, said.

Social media is never the root cause of divorce, Han Junmei, a commentator on “Incompatibility undermines marriages and social networks just increases the possibility of breaking up,” she wrote.

Social media is not the only factor behind the rising divorce rate. The

younger generation’s attitude toward marriage has also changed.

“In the past, people were more conservative and saw it as a shame to get divorced,” marriage consultant Shu Xin said.

“Nowadays, people care more about the quality of marriage and are more willing to break the social norms for the sake of happiness,” said Shu. Social mobility also takes part of the blame.

“The rising divorce rate is closely related to the flow of labour from rural to urban areas,” said Liu Ning, researcher with Party School of CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee.

Many migrant workers who suffer from long-term separation with their partners are susceptible to extramarital affairs, he said.

PTI

ISIS preparing to attack India

The ISIS is preparing to attack India to provoke an Armageddon-like confrontation with the US, according to an internal recruitment document of the feared group which also seeks to unite the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban into a single army of terror.

An investigative story published by the USA Today and reported by American Media Institute refers to a 32page Urdu document obtained from a Pakistani citizen with connections inside the Pakistani Taliban.

“The document warns that ‘preparations’ for an attack in India are underway and predicts that an attack will provoke an apocalyptic confrontation with America,” the report said.

“Even if the US tries to attack with all its allies, which undoubtedly it will, the ummah (Muslims) will be united, resulting in the final battle,” it added.

The document, according to the report, was independently translated into English by a Harvard scholar and verified by several serving and retired intelligence official.

Bruce Riedel, a retired CIA official and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, said striking in

India would magnify the ISIS’ stature and threaten the stability of the region.

“Attacking in India is the Holy Grail of South Asian jihadists,” he was quoted as saying.

The undated document is titled ‘A Brief History of the Islamic State Caliphate, The Caliphate According to the Prophet’.

It seeks to unite dozens of factions of the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban into a single army of terror, the daily said.

“It includes a never-before-seen history of the Islamic State, details chilling future battle plans, urges al-Qaeda to join the group and says the Islamic State’s leader should be recognised as the sole ruler of the world’s 1 billion Muslims under a religious empire called a ‘caliphate’,” it said.

The document was reviewed by three US intelligence officials, who said they believe the document is authentic based on its unique markings and the fact that language used to describe leaders, the writing style and religious wording match other documents from the ISIS, USA Today added.

PTI

Japan: Back to the past to move ahead Ultra nationalists contend that pacifist Constitution constrains Japan from having a full-fledged military

By Pallab Bhattacharya Defying walkouts and protests by the opposition and a large section of the population, the right wing government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had pushed a set of security bills in parliament last week that will see Japan move away from its pacifist Constitution imposed by the United States after the Second World War. It could also see Japanese troops fighting abroad for the first time since World War. The approval by the lower House of Japanese parliament (Diet) marks a victory not only for Abe but also for other ultra nationalists who have argued that Japan needed to break free from the shackles of the 70-year-old US-imposed constitution citing the security situation around Japan, a clear reference to China and North Korea.

The ultra nationalists contend that the pacifist Constitution constrains Japan from having a fullyfledged military that will protect its citizens, allies and friends even if there is no direct to threat to Japan’s own security or its people.

“The security situation surrounding Japan is increasingly severe. These bills are necessary to protect Japanese people’s lives and prevent a war before it breaks out,” Abe told the media after the parliamentary vote.

The bills will allow, among other things, Japan’s military to take part in non-United Nations peacekeeping missions. Abe, however, failed to secure enough support to amend the clauses that enshrine pacifism in the Constitution whose Article 9 renounces war “as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling

international disputes” and instead chose to re-interpret the document for the purpose of his bills.

The bills have not only sparked outrage in Japan but also serious concerns among its immediate neighbours China and South Korea both of which were once colonised by Japan. The question being asked: is Japan under Abe trying to regain its position as a military power in Asia?

The aggressive brand of nationalism of Abe has over the years raised the spectre of revival of colonial Japan that had occupied large parts of Asia in early 20th century.

What added to the perception is Japan’s pushing a contentious place — an industrial and coal mining site in South West Japan — for inclusion in UNESCOs world heritage site list.

This site is as much a testimony to Japan’s rise as an industrial power — the first in Asia — between 1860 and 1910 — as to its inglorious past when it had employed thousands of Chinese, Korean and Allied prisoners of war as forced labourers to boost colonial Japan’s war efforts.

There are implications for India too.

New Delhi has ramped up its ties with Tokyo to a strategic level as exemplified during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan last year.

The invitation to Japan to join the Malabar exercise is in synch with The Tokyo Declaration issued after Modi’s visit to Japan last September spoke of the importance both sides attach to Japan’s ‘continued participation’ in the exercises.

Will China react to these developments as sharply as it had done eight years ago?

PTI Feature

Abe has raised the spectre of revival of colonial Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says these bills are necessary to protect Japanese people’s lives and prevent a war before it breaks out

MONEY MATT ER S

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

“The Chevrolet brand is committed to India for the long-term. We will be investing about $1 billion into India in the next five years.”

— Mary Barra, Chief Executive, General Motors

“Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission has made its recommendations, which have been made public for comments. Only after the comments are received that the government will take a view.”

— Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister

Country needs good economists: Rajan

Signpost

FINANCIAL CORNER

Getting started in stock market

RBI Governor says only capable business analysts can frame effective policies

Sebi cancels Sahara’s mutual fund licence Sebi has cancelled the registration of Sahara Mutual Fund saying it was no longer ‘fit and proper’ to carry out this business and ordered transfer of its operations to another fund house. Sahara group has been engaged in a long-running regulatory and legal battle with Sebi ever since the regulator ordered refund of a massive amount of over Rs 24,000 crore by two Sahara entities. Recently, Sebi had also cancelled the Portfolio Management licence of a Sahara firm. In the latest order, Sebi directed cancellation of Sahara Mutual Fund’s certificate of registration on expiry of a six-month period. Sebi also directed Sahara Mutual Fund and Sahara Asset Management Company to stop accepting subscription from its existing or new investors with immediate effect.

PTI

Flagging the issue of lack of enough economists in the country, Reserve Bank India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan has said that the inability to get quality talent may be hurting policy-making.

“In our country, there is a tremendous need for capable economists. I see that every day in my work. There is a need in Delhi, in Mumbai and all over the country. We have lost a generation of economists,” Rajan said.

Underlining the need for good economists to frame sensible policies, Rajan said, “The kind of economics we need is based on a good understanding of the fundamentals of economics such as price theory and general equilibrium, which is the hardest concept to understand.”

He added: “A lot of policy-making is done without understanding the general equilibrium which is often the key contribution that an economist can make to the dialogue.”

The Governor made the remarks after inaugurating the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics in Mumbai.

Though it was a closed-door event, the organisers issued a statement later quoting the Governor.

At the event, Rajan said there is a need for ‘rigorous fundamentals’ in economics based on blood, sweat, tears and toil.

Rajan, an academic-turned-central banker, also stressed on the need for academic institutions to focus equally on research as well. He also promised

BY SARANSH DEY @Casaransh Everyone’s interest in stock market seems to be picking up. It is a very risky tool but sensible investments can lead to huge gains in short and long run. Here are steps to begin your fi rst go at stock market. I am presuming that you have Demat a c c o u n t , kept aside Rs 20,000 for investment and ready to take the plunge for stock market gains.

F i r s t step is to get into the habit of logging into your Demat account at least once a day, preferably at 9:30 am. The markets work between 9 am and 4 pm on weekdays. Most companies do not block your bank account and Demat portals at workplace so check your investment the moment you enter office. Trust me, it will turn out to be more rewarding than following your Facebook timeline.

Do not to panic with market fluctuations. Always follow the investment target. Investment target is broken up into four components: CMP- Current Market Price, SLStop Loss, TGT-Target and period.

CMP determines the rate at which a stock tip is recommended for purchase. Your broker or investment guide recommends a purchase at a specific CMP. Th is CMP should be your guide. Whenever a buy is recommended by your broker at a specific CMP check the following diligently 1) What has been the 52-week high and low for the stock?

2) Has the stock steadily risen in past three years?

3) Does the company have stable Debt equity ratio and P/E ratio?

4) Has it regularly declared dividends?

If the answer to all the above is yes then you should move on to analysing the TGT. No share can fluctuate more than 20 per cent high or low than previous day’s closing price. Th is is called upper or lower

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and Chairperson of MDAE Lord Meghnad Desai at the inauguration of Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics in Mumbai

all help from RBI to the newly started institute.

RBI TO PAUSE ON AUGUST 4 RBI is likely to maintain a status quo on rates in its third bi-monthly policy meet on August 4, taking into account ‘poor rains’ and will go for a 50 basis points rate cut in early 2016, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA-MI) report said.

The global financial services major said it is important that the Western and Southern India that grows oilseeds, pulses and raw cotton gets monsoon rains as this region is slipping into a drought even as overall rains have improved. “We see cropping at risk if rains do not revive in the next two weeks,” BofA-Ml said in a research note adding that ‘poor rains pose a temporary inflation risk’.

BofA-ML noted that the Consumer Price Index-based retail inflation will fundamentally remain on the

RBI’s under-6 per cent target and the Wholesale Price Index-based inflation may persist in deflation till October.

“We continue to expect the RBI to pause on Tuesday (August 4), on poor rains and cut 50 basis points in early 2016. However, we expect Governor Raghuram Rajan to strike a dovish note to keep the door open for further rate cuts if inflation continues to be in control,” the report added.

DBS in a research note said that ‘apart from the firmer US dollar, signals from the US Federal Bank will also be important for the Reserve Bank of India’s rate trajectory. If the official commentary signals a start to the US rate hiking cycle later this year, it will affirm our expectations that the RBI will maintain a prolonged pause on the rates front.” As per official figures, retail inflation rose to an eight-month high of 5.4 per cent in June. RBI expects inflation to rise to 6 per cent by January 2016.

PTI

States to get ‘ease of doing business’ ranking DIPP has received responses from states and a study is currently on to evaluate and rank their business-friendliness The Centre will soon come out with a list of states ranked on the basis of ease of doing business, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) secretary Amitabh Kant said recently.

“We are trying to build a spirit of competition on ease of doing business among the states. States are now competing among themselves to attract investors to their states. This is a positive

sign. Investors must know which are the best and worst performing states,” Kant said at a Indian Chamber of Commerce meet at Kolkata.

DIPP has received responses from all the state governments and a study is currently on to evaluate and rank the business-friendliness of the states, he said.

The ranking would be an annual exercise, he said.

“All the states have given us reports on what actions have been taken by them for ease of doing business. Th is is being evaluated by both commerce and industry ministry and the World Bank jointly. I think by the end of August we will have the ranking of the states in terms of the best performing states and the worst performing states,” Kant said.

Regarding acquisition of land for

setting up industrial units, he said every state government would have to find innovative solutions for the purpose and should ensure that farmers become a part of the development process.

“After issuing the land acquisition notifications, the governmentappointed committees can negotiate with the farmers to arrive at a right land price,” he added.

PTI

circuit. Th is is a mechanism inbuilt in the stock market to protect investors.

Any share that hits upper or lower circuit, the trading for the same in the stock market is suspended. Always target a 15 per cent minimum rise.

After deducting brokerage and taxes you end up earning a minimum of 12 per cent. Th is if you churn well could give you a 60 per cent yearly return.

Th is is not theoretical. Many people mobilise their investment like this.

SL is the jumping out of the car point. When the brakes fail, you have the choice to keep going in the car hoping they will start working or jumping out of the vehicle accepting the fact that you will sustain minor injuries but save your life. SL is that point. When a stock hits SL level or the level at which your broker has recommended an exit, you should sell it off. Holding on to such a stock is a sure-shot way of losing your money Period must be looked at as an investment opportunity. If the stock continues at CMP but does not reach SL or TGT and period is over, investor should sell immediately.

Step 2 is simple. Determine your method of investing. I recommend fi rst-time investors to never trade in Intraday trade. Intraday trade is when you do not take delivery of a share and trade only in difference in prices of the share in that day. Leave the intraday for professionals and gamblers. Always target deliverybased trading. It may cost you more in terms of brokerage and transaction cost but it is safer.

Step 3 is always withdraw your gains every year or even a portion of it. Th is is primarily for two reasons, one is to enjoy the gains you have made and secondly for securing your principal investment by regular payouts.

I believe anyone can make money in stock market with a disciplined and balanced approach. saransh@goldensparrow.com

BY ADITI KHANNA

Leading insights provider Nielsen’s report puts India on top of global consumer confidence index India continued to lead the global consumer confidence index, with the score in the second quarter of 2015 reaching the same level as in 2011, says a report.

According to global information and insights provider Nielsen, in the second quarter of 2015, India’s consumer confidence score rose to 131 followed by Philippines (122) and Indonesia (120).

However, half of respondents (50 per cent) felt that India is still in economic recession, up six points from last quarter (44 per cent in the first quarter of 2015) but three in five (61 per cent) indicate that India will be out of the recession over the next 12 months.

As per the survey, four in five (81 per cent) urban Indian respondents indicated the highest level of optimism globally on job prospects in the next 12 months.

“The optimistic trend in consumer sentiment continues, and this quarter reflects the highest levels since 2011.

While this is positive new, discretionary

spending levels are yet to see a huge transformation,” Nielsen India Region President Piyush Mathur said in a statement.

Over three in five (65 per cent) online respondents polled said this is a good time to buy things they want and need, leading the global top 10 countries for this parameter, the report said.

These optimism levels are five percentage points higher than the same period last year (60 per cent in second quarter of 2014).

When it comes to investing spare cash, 60 per cent of online respondents in India indicated it is a good time to put spare cash into savings, a dip of four percentage points from last quarter (64 per cent in the first quarter of 2015).

About 79 per cent of urban Indian respondents indicated that the state of personal finances was good or excellent in the second quarter of 2015, at the same levels as same period last year (79 per cent of the second quarter of 2014).

PTI

Optimism levels are five percentage points higher than last year

West Bengal government has assured British investors that it has taken steps to bring down the labour strikes to zero levels, as it made a strong case for attracting investments.

“We are setting up systems in place.

There has been a radical shift since 2010-11, when 7.6 lakh work days were lost (due to labour strikes). By 2013, the number of working days lost came down to zero. It takes time for mindsets to change but please come to Bengal and we can assure very clear worker management processes,” West Bengal’s Finance Minister Amit Mitra said.

He was speaking at a gathering of British and Indian business delegates, organised by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC).

The minister also highlighted the state’s ‘transparent’ process of e-services introduced at all levels, including tax collection, tenders and other areas of services.

“The World Bank has cleared funds for Hooghly riverfront regeneration. We do competitive, transparent, e-based bidding and the UK has the expertise so it must connect up on this project,” the minister said.

Energy, education, smart cities projects and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were the other key sectors highlighted by the West Bengal team as offering great potential for partnerships between the state and UK. Mitra is the part of a 62-member delegation led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to London.

‘Bengal in London: Come to Bengal, Ride the Growth’ is the theme behind the delegation.

“States are the building blocks of India’s growth and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recognised this in providing a larger role to the states. West Bengal, with its dynamic chief minister and able team, is attracting investors like never before. Doing business in Bengal today is easier, simpler and faster,” said Jyotsna Suri, chairperson of the Bharat Group and president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Sumit Mazumder, chairman and managing director of TIL Limited and president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said, “West Bengal is a state with a GDP higher than the national average of the country. It offers lots of opportunities. I urge you to come and find out for yourself.”

PTI

Consumer confidence WB invites UK to ‘ride its growth story’ rises to four-year high

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee meets Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace in London on Monday

STATE SIGNS 21 MOUS WITH BRITAIN West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led delegation to the UK clinched 21 MoUs with the UK in the fields of industry, health, education and urban development.

The agreements were signed during a bilateral meeting with Britain’s Minister of State for Employment and British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Indian Diaspora champion Priti Patel at a reception hosted at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

“This is a landmark visit... These

MoUs will help bring the UK and West Bengal ever closer, and unleash the potential of our relationship,” Patel said in her address.

“For 34 years, West Bengal languished under Communist rule.

The state had tremendous potential, but that potential remained unfulfilled...

I am delighted to say that things are changing fast. Today, West Bengal is on the move.

“Under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership the state is enjoying a renaissance and its potential is beginning

to be realised,” said the Indian-origin minister, who had accompanied Cameron to Kolkata in 2013.

“The Prime Minister was impressed. It was clear to him this was a state and a Chief Minister that we could do business with. That’s why he invited you (Banerjee) to visit London,” she said on behalf of the British Prime Minister, who is on a tour of South East Asia.

Banerjee said, “21 MoU’s are a good sign of Britain’s partnership with Bengal.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

“The selection of the city under the Centre’s Smart City project should be made purely on the basis of performance. There is a need for funds from the Centre and the state government for this.”

— Ajit Pawar, NCP leader

PUNE

“PMPML can begin the trial run of BRTS bus service. Any short comings that the transport utility may find during the 14 day trial run will be rectified by the civic body.”

— Rajeev Jadhav, Municipal Commissioner, PCMC

The IT hub is developing rapidly while the growth of infrastructure is failing to keep pace

Hinjewadi has developed rapidly in the last couple of years,. The booming IT and manufacturing sectors have encouraged developers to focus on this area, which is now considered ideal for residential options to the employees of these industries.

Hinjewadi is well connected to key localities like Chinchwad and Shivajinagar.

It is also close within reach of the IT hubs. Therefore the demand for housing is constantly on the rise.

The area is fortunate to have dense green cover which is well taken care of. Some reputed institutes have set up their base here.

But problems come along with such development. Given the large number of real estate projects, the infrastructure is in

Mandar Gokhale

immediate need of upgradation. The internal roads network also needs to be improved on a priority basis.

The roads being constructed are narrower than what was expected. The new real estate projects will bring in large numbers of new residents, and what is needed is broad and spacious thoroughfares that will be able to cater to the larger number of vehicles.

Many areas suffer from water supply

CITIZEN JOURNALIST

issues. Residents have to buy water every other day for their daily requirements. It is frustrating that this issue has not been given attention, as a result of which residents have to undergo this almost daily ordeal over as essential a commodity as water, not to mention that buying water from tankers is an expensive proposition.

Another major issue is the lack of public transport. We need more PMPML buses to and from this area. The current one every hour frequency of buses is very inadequate to cater to such a large population. Due to the lack of public transport connectivity, IT companies are forced to make use of private vehicles for their workers’ daily commute, which causes congestion and frequent traffic jams.

Garbage collection is another burning issue as garbage vans do not travel into the interior and residents are forced to manage somehow to dispose of the waste. The monsoons means water collected in ditches and puddles, which are bound to become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects. Despite writing about this issue repeatedly to the authorities, my grievance is yet to be addressed.

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Hinjewadi needs up-to-date infrastructure

Pune needs efficient public transport Congestion, pollution darken Pune skyline RAHUL RAUT

Despite all its virtues, Pune is a city that is battling congestion and needs updated infrastructure

Pune is in danger of forfeiting its clean and wholesome charm as breakneck growth and crowding cloud the atmosphere

Abdul Bootwala

I belong to Madhya Pradesh. I came to Pune to complete my education. It has been almost two years that I have been here, and I can say that I now feel very comfortable living here. There was a time initially when I had a bit of a struggle in adjusting to a new city, but that really did not last long. I have the people I came into contact with to thank for this. They are probably the most genuine and helpful people I have ever met and now I call most of them my friends. From lodgings, commuting and even my studies, they have always been there to help and support me.

That is what has made my living away from home so pleasant and far from an ordeal.

Compared to back home, Pune is a very pleasant place climate-wise. Though it is a big city, the environment is still not completely ruined, and most residential areas have parks and open places.

LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR

I can communicate in basic Marathi and know my way around the city. You will often find me at the landmark Good Luck Café on FC Road, for bun-maska-omelette, Irani chai or a regular meal.

Nandu’s Paratha House on DP Road is another favourite of mine.

Koregaon Park is one of the best areas of the city, with a very cosmopolitan air, and all the restaurants and shops make it a very interesting hang-out. I have even discovered less known spots in the city such as Appa Balwant Chowk which has scores of book stores, where I do my shopping for stationery and college books. I am an avid trekker and have explored Harishchandragad, Visapur fort and Sinhagad with like-minded friends.

I also have complaints about the city, such as the ever crowded roads, chaotic traffic and unruly road users. Getting about is a chore, what with the unreliable public transport and the autorickshaw drivers aren’t the most friendly or co-operative. In fact, some are downright rude and do not think twice about overcharging passengers. Even their meters are tampered with, I feel.

Pune is still a relatively safe city but I hear and read in the newspapers of people being mugged and robbed. These are ills that go hand in hand with rapid development, and it is the duty and responsibility of the civic authorities and the police to ensure the safety and well being of its citizens.

NON-NATIVE

PAROLE

Adhys Corkeyo, Netherlands

one’s way in the city, so much so that I fear what the state of Pune roads will be in five years. Road rage is an inevitable fallout of such a situation and it is ghastly that people are ready to come to bows or even worse owing to the crowds and chaos. The traffic police seem completely incapable of dealing with the rash and unruly behavior of road users, and the running of red lights and other such hazardous maneuvers is becoming the norm rather than the exception at most traffic junctions that are not policed.

All these vehicles and the new additions every day are causing a huge difference to the air we breathe and the particulate matter in the city’s environs has reached alarming levels. In fact, medical practitioners say that this barrage of pollution that road users breathe in day in and day out is the reason for the phenomenal rise in respiratory ailments.

FROM FOREIGN

SHORES

Aadhar, money-spinner for the unscrupulous Such offenders must be made to realise that an automobile driven with no control, can be a deadly instrument of injury and death to other unsuspecting road users. In this age, driving fancy cars at high speeds in an inebriated state may seem heroic to some misguided persons. Therefore drinking and driving is very common in cities.

Pune has a large student population and areas like Koregaon Park and Kalyaninagar are party zones, so over the weekends there should be stringent checks by the police to deter any lawlessness.

—Deepika Agnani

It is a sad state of affairs when the government cannot protect its own schemes from unscrupulous people.

The exploitation of citizens in the Aadhar card scheme should be a wake up call to the government authorities who have not taken any action even after an RTI has been fi led. Th is is a perfect example of corruption at the lower levels, which is the root cause for a lot of other problems faced by the nation. The government should

It has been 14 years since I settled down in Pune.

It seems that an age has passed, but I am thankful that despite all the changes and rapid development, Pune has retained most of its charm and character.

From Hindustani classical music to Western classical music, Pune offers a great venue and stage for artistes of all kinds. It also speaks a lot about the Punekars’ acceptance and appreciation of arts and culture besides their own. There is always something going on, be it art shows, exhibitions and events to suit every age group and taste. Pune seems to be bubbling with endless energy.

Most parts of the city are well maintained and clean. The roads are in much better shape that they used to be some time back, especially during the monsoons, when potholes and such pose a hazard to road users. Pedestrians are by and large an ignored lot in Pune, with no sidewalks to speak of, except for some stretches in Koregaon Park and a few other areas.

Sidewalks in Pune are generally a free-for-all for any one, from two-wheeler riders, to vendors and are also used as parking space and what not. As a result, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road in between rushing vehicles. I am surprised how the concerned authorities continue to ignore such a vital issue.

One of the most crucial issues that needs to be tackled on a war footing is the traffic congestion.

During the peak hours, which stretch from 9 am to 10 pm, there is no area in the city that is conducive to peaceful commuting. Bottlenecks and snarls are the order of the day; and it is a physical ordeal to make

take stringent action against people charging money for Aadhar cards, which will deter others who resort to illegitimate ways to make a fast buck.

—Priyanka Ranade

Drunk driving is a serious crime

For those caught driving under the inf luence of alcohol, monetary fines may not be a deterrent.

Standing up for our rights

We need more activists like Vivek Velankar to fight for our rights. We also need more officials like the one who responded to Velankar’s plea in just five hours. We should emulate them to improve the living conditions in our cities and our country. The prompt response from the SIC is laudable and it should be

given the due credit, so that they continue to respond to citizens’ plaints with the necessary urgency.

We as citizens should also make it a habit to stand up for our rights.

—Roshni Prasad

Never say die The article on transgenders is a great example of their never say die attitude, and their determination to overcome overwhelming odds. For the large part, society looks down on such people, being completely insensitive to their plight and circumstances.

Paradoxically, eunuchs are also in demand for some ceremonies and rituals. I hope that the article proves to be an inspiration for others, not just the transgenders, but every one who is a misfit in mainstream society. It is human nature that we do not accept those who are different from us, but I am sure that if we look sensitively at them we will be able to feel some sympathy for them. The media has the power to highlight the problems they face and bring about a change in people’s attitudes. We ought to be more tolerant and adopt a live and let live attitude rather than shun and ostracise people who live

on the fringes of our society.

—Prajeet Joshi

The beat must go on...

The dhol-tasha troupes may be adding to the noise pollution in the city, but they are an indispensable facet of Ganeshotsav, and other festivals. They make time for dholtasha after doing their regular 9 to 5 jobs. Banning their practise may be in the interests of citizens in general, but a solution must be found so that they can rehearse, without it causing problems to the general populace.

Imagine a festival without them...

— Manoj Pillai

Write to Us Letters to the Editor may be emailed to editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com, editor_tgs@gmail.com or mailed to The Editor, Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030.

SPORTS

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY AUGUST 1, 2015

PUNE

“I have not been given enough chances to prove my calibre as a Test cricketer. You can’t judge a player on the basis of just one match after a hectic series of one-day and T20 games.”

— Suresh Raina, Indian Cricketer

Signposts WAKO Kickboxing from today The WAKO Asian Kickboxing Championship will be held at the Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex in Balewadi from August 1. The event will see participation of athletes from 20 countries. It will also serve as the first stage of qualifications for Sportaccord World Combat Games 2017, Lima, Peru and IWGA World Games 2017, Poland, under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) patronage.

Roaring Lions enter Junior tennis semis Roaring Lions edged out Club English Growling Tigers 28-24, while Vepar Speeding Cheetahs scored a 30-21 win over K-Pra Raging Bulls to ensure semi-final slots after maintaining a clean slate in the league encounters at the Dial-a-Meal Junior Tennis League.

Pune district win athletics crown Pune district garnered 130 points to claim overall championship in the Sonibai Mutha Trophy state athletics tournament at Baburao Sanas ground. In the boys’ category, Pune remained runnersup while the girls claimed the title.

Pune’s Sumit Jaiswal won gold in the 400m hurdles.

“I will probably have more experience than others, but it’s very important to maintain fitness to put this technique in place. We still have a month-long pre-season and I’ll look to come to full sharpness.”

— Adrian Mutu, Former Chelsea Striker

Abhimanyu breaks the chakravyuh The chess prodigy’s parents have stood by him through thick and thin en route to his becoming the youngest International Master in Pune

without the IM title,” she said.

In his Spain sojourn, Abhimanyu faced 16 International Masters, six Grandmasters, five Women Grandmasters and performed remarkably well. Though he was seeded at 25 to 30 in the tournaments, he finished in the top 10 for the main prize list.

Abhimanyu’s father Sameer said, “There were a few other Indians participating in these tournaments.

Most of them skipped a tournament for fear of mental stress. But Abhimanyu was able to play them all thanks to his remarkable mental fortitude and physical stamina. It was a trying time for us. Though he was in peak form, uncertainty is a given in sports.”

BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish Abhimanyu Puranik is a chess player who has made the headlines consistently over the last eight years. That said, he has also been through a number of downturns in his career. His parents Sameer and Sneha feel that what he has been through has contributed to Abhimanyu gaining maturity.

Abhimanyu, who is a Candidate Master and former World school champion, recently crossed the milestone of 2400 rating points, a requisite for the International Master (IM) title. He had completed three norms at Prague in Czechoslovakia, Kolkata and Mumbai and was short of 72 points. The 15-yearold participated in tournaments at Montcada, Barbera, Sant Marti and is involved in the final and fourth tournament at Carolina in Spain.

“It was quite hectic, as he had to play all four tournaments in a span of 36 days.

Consequently he had a match almost every day, and the constant mental strain makes performing at an optimum level difficult. We are happy with what he has achieved, but we are even happier with the way he handled all the pressure on his own,” said his mother Sneha.

“He didn’t do all that well in the first tournament and we were a bit concerned.

But he assured me over the phone that he would not return empty-handed,

character, and even adopted a new style.

He can handle pressure and has also overcome the nerves that used to affect him in the final rounds,” said Sameer.

Abhimanyu started training at the age of six with Fide trainer Jayant Gokhale. In his debut state level tournament at Aurangabad he had a weird experience.

“On the first day of the tournament, the organisers came looking for me, as Abhimanyu was in tears.

He was totally clueless about using a chess clock.

But he overcame the hurdle, and got his act together to claim the title at the World School Chess under-7 Championship in Greece,” said Sneha.

“We were not sure about a career in chess before that tournament, but we stood by him nevertheless,” she said.

Abhimanyu has evolved into a strong, independent individual, which showed during the sub-junior national tournament at Kerala.

“He took ill and had to be hospitalised after the first round. But he was determined and after discharge from hospital, he returned to the tournament and finished sixth,” his father said.

He has crossed the milestone of 2400 points for the IM title

Abhimanyu is a picture of concentration during a match

ACHIEVEMENTS Winner of World School Chess Championship (U-7) in 2007 in Halkidiki, Greece.

Team gold medal in World Youth Chess Championship in Vietnam (U-8) in 2008 Bronze medal in World Youth Chess Championship (U-10) in 2010 in Greece Bronze medal in Commonwealth Countries Chess Championship (U12) in Chennai in 2012 Gold medal in IWICA International Youth Chess Championship (U14) in Bangkok in 2013

TRYING TIMES Abhimanyu’s track record shows that he had lost out on a couple of golden opportunities. In the World Youth Chess championship at Brazil in 2011, Abhimanyu was the sole leader at the end of eighth round. He was in line for a gold medal, but he made an uncharacteristic blunder to lose the next game, and the downslide carried over to the next two matches. Finishing sixth, he returned empty-handed.

Last year, he needed just one win from the last three rounds for the title in the National under-13 tournament, but lost all to finish runner-up.

“Ups and downs are part of the game, and one must move on. Abhimanyu learnt this lesson at a very young age.

He has continued improving, built his

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS His responsibilities have increased along with the expectations as Abhimanyu has proved his mettle, says coach Gokhale.

“We have set targets for the next two years. I am sure he can attain the GM title at the age of 17. He is capable but he has to develop a winning personality,” said Gokhale. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com