"Every patch of Indian Society has become corrupt,"                                      —T.N Sheshaii   The most distressing aspect of the widespread corruption in India is the fact that it is not anymore confined to politicians or the government machinery alone. It it prevalent amongst almost every section of the society at every level. As the practice of corruption is a dishonest act, one has to think that most! the Indians are dishonest, which could be different only in degree between the individuals. As the reason for the dishonesty is the list of things at any cost one can think that most of the country men are greedy and do not think anymore that the mean should justify the ends. This is not a flattering statement and many readers would desire that it would not be more...

Kashmir, the most picturesque and fascinating area, known for its beauty, gardens, gentle and docile people has been reduced to a region of ghosts and death because of the devious means adopted by Pakistan to incise the people by giving them arms and inciting them into terrorism". Kashmir which was once described by Mahatma Gandhi as an island of secularism in the Indian sub-continent, is in utter turmoil. The people of Kashmir have been suffering from terrorism since long with no sight in near future to get relief. Hundreds and thousands innocent people have been killed so far by the Pakistani militants.  The turmoil in Kashmir has transcended the legalities of the accession of the state in 1947, and the insurgency is not a phenomenon of political dissent or a movement meant to change the government but it is a "jihad", a religious crusade against the non-conformists. All Pakistani politicians, more...

Punctuality is the habit of being on time. The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it. Observing punctuality is not only a duty, but is also a part of good manners; it is favorable to fortune, reputation, influence, and usefulness; a little attention and energy will form the habit, so as to make it easy and delightful. Punctuality is the soul of business. Punctuality is one of the cardinal business virtues, always insist on it in your subordinates. Lack of punctuality is a theft of someone else's time whether as an employee who is late for work or as friends (or brethren), where we have agreed to meet at a set time. If I have made an appointment with anybody, I owe him punctuality, I have no right to throw away his time, if I do my own. (faithfulness in the keeping of an appointment is more...

"What is this life, if full of care. We have no time to stand and stare."     —W.H. Davies   Leisure in life is immensely important. Both work and relaxation are important ingredients of life. How we use our leisure is equally as important to our joy as our occupational pursuits. Proper use of leisure requires discriminating Judgment. Our leisure provides opportunity for renewal of spirit, mind, and body.  Leisure is not idleness. The Lord condemns idleness. He said, "Thou shall not idle away thy time, neither shall thou bury thy talent." Idleness in any form produces boredom, conflict, and unhappiness. It creates a vacancy of worth, a seedbed for mischief and evil. It is the enemy of progress and salvation. We are living in a machine age which provides numerous labor-saving devices and leaves plenty of time at our disposal. Some of us do not know what to do more...

"It is the obligation of the Stale to ensure everyone the right to adequate food, education and enjoyment of highest attainable standards of physical and mental health. These rights have to be respected and made available to the citizens by the State". —Justice Anand Chairperson Human Rights Commisson Human rights violation have become very common now-a-days .The Newspapers and T.V. tell us that every day and at every moment, somewhere in the world, Human Right are being violated. Broadly speaking 'Human Right' means right to life, liberty, equality, and the dignity of an individual irrespective of caste, creed or sex. These human rights are natural rights, required to be protected for peaceful existence of a person. Our Constitution safeguards the human rights, but inspite of all such provisions, the violation of these rights is very frequently taking place. The protection and preservation of Human Rights is a great challenge to more...

  In India, we have inherited the cultural legacy of having strong son-preference among all communities, religious groups and citizens of varied socio-economic backgrounds. Patrilocality, patrilineage and patriarchal attitudes manifest in women and girls having subordinate position in the family, discrimination in property rights and low paid or unpaid jobs. Women's work is limited to household duties. At the lime of marriage, dowry is given by the bride's family to the groom's for shouldering 'the burden of the bride'. In many communities as a custom female babies are killed immediately after birth either by the mother or by elderly women of the family to relieve themselves from the life of humiliation, rejection and suffering. Social discrimination against women results in systematic neglect of women's health, from womb to tomb. Female infanticide and female foeticide are widely practiced in many States. The overall sex ratio, at present, is favorable to women more...

It is a matter of pride for us that scientists of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) at Izatnagar have made a very important contribution for overcoming nagging injuries, particularly in difficult areas such as broken backbones. This is a boon, not only to human beings but also animals, which can be saved in many cases from euthanasia. The stem cells from bone marrow are extracted and transplanted to the damaged part of the body. These cells can turn to any kind of cell that is needed and the body part can work again. Depending on the case, one has to get two to four shots. One of the first trials was on a sniffer dog which suffered a spinal injury causing the loss of legs. The first stem cell shot was successful and the dog could not only get up but even walk briskly. This was tried on another more...

Our hearty congratulations to Dr. Jules A  Hoffmann and Bruce A Beutler and salute and prayers for Dr. Ralph M. Steinman. Dr. Steinman died just before the announcement of the prize but after the selection. The Nobel committee made a great gesture by giving half the prize amount to Steinman's estate. This is a departure from the normal convention of the Nobel committee who do not award the prize posthumously." The outline of the work done by the Nobel prize winners is given below. Innate immunity is the first line of defence against pathogens which cause infection. When a pathogen enters a body, it should be recognized as a foreign body. Then the human body mounts an immune response that destroys the pathogen. Hoffmann, working with fruit flies, identified a gene called Toll, that was necessary for immunity. Thanks to this gene, the body becomes aware of the intruder and more...

The latest application of nanotechnology is in the field of Medicine. To enable half-a-dozen departments in a hospital to study condition of the patient, more than half a dozen times blood has to be drawn from the patient. If one can just take a drop of blood and draw the conclusions, it is a tremendous advance. Researchers in Bombay IIT's centre for excellence in Nano Electronics, have come out with a table top device which uses only a drop of blood of the patient. This kit can show whether a patient has a problem and depending on the condition of the heart the colour of the drop of blood changes. This is assumed to be useful even before ECG can predict the condition of the heart. This is definitely a good device by which one can test himself and the moment there is a tendency for a problem, the patient more...

Indian hospitals are equal to the best in the world and our education is also excellent. It is our fault that the best of students prefer BPO's and MNC's instead of our top universities. But the role of the Governments- States and Centre, are minimal in these two fields. The role is not zero but the bare minimum. We need many government hospitals and private hospitals too. Where there are not many government hospitals, persons have to seek the help of private hospitals. But in private hospitals, the present fee structures and medical expenses will make the middle class broke. Medical expenses are reimbursed by medical insurances. But the insurance money that is paid every year could be more than what a person could save in provident fund. Our biggest challenges at present are in the field of education and health. The solutions for these problems are already there. We more...