It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid.

One starts drinking alcohol for the test of it, slowly becomes a habit, then gets addicted , ruined physically, mentally and financially. Here alcohol becomes the master and the man its slave, a fall from which he would never rise again. India occupies a crown position among the countries in alcohol consumption. This may not look so bad but when more and more youngsters of both the sexes are taking to alcohol these days, it is definitely a matter of concern. Indians who were precisely content with the orthodox and closed society than the open and liberalized one, gets induced in to the vice art of taking things as a part of sharing, where they don’t think the ethical and cultural value of what they mean are to be shared. Nuclear family system where things are changing to nobody’s business but for the boasting in the so named rotten ultra modern society, where polygamy, co-habitation a type of symbiosis of light sensed culture, breeds another generation who takes themselves homosexual drug babies, the pleasure of which is ultimate to them. They find drinking no more a taboo.

One reason alcohol use has been low in India is because of religion. Abstinence from alcohol is one of the norms expected by Hindus, Muslims and so many other sects of the like. Some speculate that over the last century, as the urban middle class in India has grown, members of the lower castes have adopted the norms of higher castes as part of their identity in a new social status. Here drinking is becoming more a commonplace pleasure for India's professional women, bringing the gap between drinking habits of women and men in India to narrow--a present phenomenon around the world. As women become more educated and more economically independent, women's alcohol use in certain societies is rising.

The person drinking alcohol, though aware of its negative consequences, cannot resist the urge to drink. The quantity of intake, frequency and regularity of drinking that defines alcoholism varies from individual to individual. While, for some, alcohol addiction, or alcoholism, can happen within months of having the first glass, others might fall prey to the addiction after years. Alcohol abuse can destroy a person both physically and emotionally and also prove to be fatal. Some of the factors that induce alcoholism normally are family history, stressful situations, social and cultural factors, emotional status, psychological factors etc. and its common symptoms include making excuses to drink, hiding alcohol in unlikely places, aggressive behavior while drinking, lone drinking, neglect of physical appearance, irritability, eating disorders, sleeping disorders etc. Here alcoholism is slowly getting in to the stage of a chronic disease, where the person craves for alcohol. Resistance power to liquor depreciates considerably ending up in consuming alcohol in excessive amounts, quite frequently. An alcoholic never realizes what harm is being caused to self, loved ones and the society as a whole.

The urban drink to the health of their friends, for times, to ring out the old and to ring in the new year, to negotiate as a good omen, during negotiations and when they win as a token of joy and success, to welcome their friends, or bid them farewell, for the sake of company, to end the monotony of loneliness, before dinner as an appetizer, after as digester. No time frame, no time schedule, any time is drink time. No prohibitions, no inhibitions. The rural or the slum dwellers that worry about their next meal is not far behind as far as their drink is concerned. Here it forms a solution to drive out his worry. In the evening, on their way home, stop to gulp the elixir drink, to drown the fatigue of their day long labour. But their weak under- nourished body cannot withstand the intake and it rebels. Their legs wobble, minds wander and tongues prattle. Drinking undeniably is not a personal problem. A drunkard behind the driving wheel transforms himself in to an executioner who curtails the freedom of his fellow beings to live which is their constitutional right. Here he not only wreaks his life, but also the life of others.

Today in India, the tendency to alcohol consumption has percolated down to the youth. The media is playing a leading role in encouraging the use of alcohol among young people by such means as the portrayal of drinking in congenial social settings, by associating the habit with glamour and celebrity status, and by direct and indirect advertising. The problem is not so phony as it looks, since it is not the fault of the parents or the erring youth alone. The misguided youths who are born, bred and breathe discontent which is the consequence of our rotten political, economic and social conditions. The most strong and solid ethical structures are crumbling like mud walls as the moral values that have guided the generations through thick and thin, are fast vanishing. It is no wonder the weak willed seek easy ways to bring down the pressure mounting in their heads to frail pleasure by seeking alcohol or other intoxicants as solace, thus falling down over their nose in to a mirage than the absolute reality.

People of authority, wealth and respect who are involved in this world wide liquor industry are beyond suspicion, that they play an unrevealed part in a world of theirs having their own rules, code of conduct and unbelievably great power and influence. They can abduct, assassinate and even change governments to amend even constitution to their favour. Law makers and breakers licensed to commit any crime or accomplish any act.

Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

An Indian, who is 18 years of age, has a right to be registered as a voter in a constituency irrespective of his or her race, religion, caste or sex. Standing as the world's largest - and one of the most vibrant - democracies, there is a need for providing a stronger constitutional foundation to strengthen the right to vote. Here government needs to make substantial efforts to ensure greater participation of its citizenry in the electoral process by implementing various forms of absentee voting, such as Internet voting ,proxy voting and postal voting, which have emerged as the most popular form of absentee voting in different parts of the world.

Due to circumstantial problems a large number of citizens in India are unable to exercise their right to vote, as there are no provisions in Indian law to enable migrant workers within India, non-resident Indians, travelling professionals, students abroad, senior or unwell citizens who are not able to travel to the polling booths to vote. Total population under the above heads comes to about 23 crores.

The limited form of postal voting which we have is not accessed by enough people to create a meaningful impact towards making the electoral process more inclusive. Special voters; service voters, voters on election duty, and voters subjected to preventive detention are entitled to vote by post in a parliamentary or assembly election. But still a large number of people who have unexplainable difficulties in exercising their right to vote are left out.

For a variety of impeccable reasons a large number of Indians are not able to be physically present on the day of the elections in the constituencies where their vote is registered. In the true spirit of Indian democracy, it is imperative that the country now expands the postal ballot system to allow all Indian citizens to exercise their right to vote by post.

Implementing a larger postal ballot system considering the issues relating to the security and integrity of the electoral process and eliminating the abuse of the postal ballot system would be a better answer to the riddle. This will necessitate thorough preparation, in addition to many other legal and policy issues that crop up when an electorate where 70 crores go to the polls. But these challenges should not discourage us as a mature democracy from developing a wider framework for implementing the right to vote through the postal ballot system and other policies to increase the political participation of people in the electoral process there by bringing out the real democracy as the depth of democracy depends crucially on the dimension of people’s participation. A lot more has to be achieved as we already have robust competition among political parties, but it is the participation aspect where we do not match the competition.

The electoral process in India should be far more inclusive and far less unwieldy, such that each and every Indian is able to exercise not only the right to vote, but also the opportunity to vote.

When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth.

The most honourable and prestigious civilian awards in India given to the eminent personalities from different sects of the society as recognition to their outstanding contribution in their respective fields is The Padma Awards. The award is given in the fields like Arts, Education, Industry, Literature, Science, Sports, Social Service and Public Life. India has four levels of hierarchical awards for civilians with distinguished contributions to society,Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Sri.

The way the awardees are short-listed is :-

A) Recommendations from state governments, Union Territory administrations, central ministries, individuals, organizations, even self-recommendations, are placed before the Awards Committee for consideration.

B) The recommendations of the Awards Committee, which comprises eminent personalities from different fields, are submitted to the home minister and then to the President’s office for approval.

C) After the President’s office approves the lists, it travels to the prime minister’s office for final scrutiny before they are announced on the eve of Republic Day.

The Republic Day has been the occasion for the country to honour those of its citizens whom it considers to have made a significant contribution to national life. Instituted in January 1954, the Padma awards, as they are collectively known, have become the pre-eminent marker of national recognition in India. When they were first instituted, there were only 18 Padma Shree awardees, 23 Padma Bhushan awardees and 6 Padma Vibhushan awardees. But over the years these numbers have swelled along with the scope and spread of those the Government of the day wants to honour. In 2010, 81 Padma Shree, 43 Padma Bhushan and 6 Padma Vibhushan awards have been announced. Over these 56 years, a total of 2,333 Padma Shree awards, 1,111 Padma Bhushan awards and 264 Padma Vibhushan awards have been given out. 41 Bharat Ratna awards also have been conferred too.

There has been a very fundamental issue with these awards. What do they actually honour? The excellence in a specific area of human endeavor and for the contribution to nation ? If so, alas! Government of the day is not the authority competent to judge this. How does a disparate committee of bureaucrats, technocrats, artists and politicians judge the relative brilliance of one nominee over the other? How does it judge which of these, Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan be awarded?

The greatest concern is that these awards are now seriously compromised in the public perception with favoritism, politicization and incompetence. There is lack of transparency about the criteria employed to select one name over the other and a feeling that these awards are increasingly becoming one among a range of political sops and inducements for the party in power to dole out. Awards should not only acknowledge success, but they should pave the way to recognise many other qualities like ability, struggle, effort and above all, excellence.

That is where National Awards must be recognized and the importance that they are chosen carefully, transparently and wisely letting not to be subverted to disgrace the achievements of all those remarkable men and women who have received them over the years. India stands very poor in promoting traditional arts and crafts. We must drill down, identify the protectors of these, who sacrifice their life to protect these treasures for our nation, award them with Padma shri and inspire other people too to promote them.

Awards, particularly, those accorded by the Government, must reflect our national character. It is therefore important and essential that there is total transparency in the way the awardees are selected. We can’t have only ministers and people in the Government recommending candidates for their vested interest. Awards such as Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan must include eminent achievers from all walks of life but they must also include people of immaculate credentials. It is not easy to check everyone’s background but it’s shocking to know that from the whole names recommended every year for these awards, the shortlist is decided by a Government-appointed committee within less than an hour (Ultra Super Computers). There has to be greater clarity about such matters if we are to retain the prestige, dignity and honour of our National Awards and ensure that crooks, cheats and carpetbaggers do not seize our last citadel of excellence and outstanding achievement

There are numerous cases in which known terrorists, criminals, thieves, dacoits and those involved in other heinous crimes involving moral turpitude have been acquitted honourably by courts because the "prosecution failed to prove the charges against them". In the eyes of law, they may be innocent individuals, but in the eyes of the people and those who know them, they are not as the government may try to project them.

It is interesting to recall that the Supreme Court of India had constituted a committee headed by former President of India K. R. Narayanan who had made recommendations to make the process of grant of Padma awards "more transparent and accountable". On the contrary, the present awards smack of political favours.

The Narayanan Committee had made the following main recommendations which the government has ignored:

1)The (Padma) awards committee should be constituted for a term of two years.

2)Maximum number of Padma awards, including all three categories, should be 60.

3)No awards should be given except through the recommendations of the awards committee.

4)Applications for the awards should reach the Ministry of Home Affairs by October 1.

5)Verification of awardees by the investigating agencies about their character and antecedents.

6)Criteria should not be merely excellence, but "excellence plus", a lifetime achievement.

If attempts are not made to come out clean on the process of Padma awards, no wonder tomorrow some awardees may opt not to stand among those with careers "bordering on criminality".

But one can’t understand what has gone wrong with the common sense of our jury members, either they are all sold out or they have lost all their brains. Certainly one thing is for sure, all this has made the award ceremonies very popular and a sought after event every year, because anybody and everybody can expect their names in the covetous list.

Winners are happy, losers are expectedly grim, overlooked but truly deserving people are disheartened but surprisingly the common man is shocked, appalled and puzzled. Yes it’s the time of award ceremonies globally. And as the numbers of award ceremonies across various fields are increasing exponentially every year, it seems that the authenticities of the most prestigious awards are getting dwindled year by year. Or for that matter the pride, the fame and the sense of accomplishment which people used to attach with the awards and recognitions have lost all its shine.

It is a well known fact that Padma Sri awards are given to people with either connections or collections every year. Ram Ram Jayaram!!!!!!!!!!! Do you deserve? Reveal the shortcut for others.

I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.

Whatever I see I swallow immediately

Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.

I am not cruel, only truthful-

The eye of the little god, four cornered.(Sylvia Plath)

Swamy Vivekananda’s explanation about Indian culture in a meeting of Chicago inspired the people of the west that they wanted to follow the Indian tradition. But it is unfortunate that today we are forgetting out Indian culture and trying to follow foreign culture.

The discourteous dress code of Television anchors is an issue of provocation which is most neglected in common. They are getting popularity by their so laurelled style(stale and foul-mouthed) statement and anti social dressing sense. What makes a blind sense of fashion is their uncouth dressing, leaving a belt of skin in between the trousers and the top and that they are the idols of this generation. The normal Indian woman is definitely not what is projected by these media. It is really awful and unbecoming to find these dress codes are not only alien to our culture, but also detrimental to the very sartorial tradition. A pair of low-waist trousers, precariously adorned with the help of a belt which is strapped much longer than the waist-circumference, a couple of fingers most comfortably thrust into its front pockets, a not to forget avoirdupois face, atop all - a transgendered language sufficient enough to bring liters of bile that creates irresistible nausea which shake the listener’s normal thinking process is the general appearance of a tv anchor. The funniest thing is that all the above dress codes are of neuter gender or hermaphroditic .The only difference one may find is the finger and lip positions as to where and how they are thrust in and which one they find most flavoring for making the stylish statements. To cap it all, the anchor leaving a belt of skin between the trousers and the top, the width of which increases as the bottom and top pieces of cloth move down and up respectively in the process of their stylish actions. The viewers are to go with visual treats of dress, body and its language in all dimensions or switch off the tv to save themselves and families from the hai da argotic culture.

Most of the shows paint the town red in spreading the semi-nude bare bosom culture through fashion parades and ramp shows exhibiting models wearing little or no clothes. The designers who whim to get all eyes caught are inclined to cut down the length and breadth of all kinds of clothing. The state of the self-styled entertainment channels, blighted by live shows dominating the television, is even worse. Vulgarity seems to be the entry gate to wealth and fame. Some anchors look as if they have just been pulled out of their bathrooms giving aspiration whether they were dressing or undressing when this most heinous act took place. Some females are found in dresses that depict a different picture altogether, leaving the viewers with all their faculties of imagination and fancy. It is this pecuniary fancy that goes into the making of these anti-social acts, obscene exhibitionisms, disgusting physical and linguistic affectations towards our women out in the public, in buses, trains and at every possible and impossible terrains. It is thwarting that theirs is not native cultural language, dress code or socially accepted facial expressions. They take pride in the foolhardy mix of dresses, languages and mannerisms.

We need a decent dress code for our anchors who very much influence people in a 24/7 grid, to protect our families from atrocious sartorial insanities. We have a tendency of calculating everything in terms of money. Channels, producers and programmers are aware that air time is their costliest factor, and if failed to invite maximum attention in such times of extreme market value, their very existence would be devoured by competing channels that manipulate to hoodwink their clientele and win a few points in the viewership index. As the media people know that vulgarity sells well, they resort to cheap gimmicks to increase their ratings.

A code for self-regulation of electronic media has long been a cry in the wilderness. In the fiercely competitive world of liberalization and globalization it is foolish to expect voluntary restraint from the media. The oddball media tycoons, addicted to making pots of money through crass commercial ventures at the expense of social harmony, welfare, public decency and morality, will never respond positively to the calls of self-regulation. They forget the fact that understanding people includes understanding their society. The media which is possible to reach out to the vast majority of the population of a country must function as the major source of cultural communication molders and perpetrators of social images. And this possibility makes the media, be the press, the radio, the television or the film the critical and significant force in the discourse of social formation. The compact visual media(tv) is a more efficient mass communication which is of extreme interest to the society, to women and children in particular. The area of its influence and reach is immense. This source of mass communication occupies the private and the personal shells of the home, conventionally regarded as the domain of the whole irrespective of their being home makers, students or workers. Economic compulsions, social norms, communal considerations or gender bias do not hinder its viewership in any way.

Confronted with catch me (mine) if you can actions and poses of anchors, many parents respond that their children aren't allowed to watch such programs, as the dangers are more insidious and commendable. It now appears that simply watching television for long periods can manipulate one’s view of the world and family itself. Obviously something must be done. Parents and society must come forward to initiate actions to prevent this increasing nude art. We have the responsibility to make a difference and apply appropriate principles in order to help stem the tide of ruin of a generation.

It is ultimately the sensible viewers’ own moral compass which must decide if something is enough. The only remedy lies in a powerful popular movement to re-instill a modicum of sanity and obviate obscene displays.

Self-sacrifice enables us to sacrifice other people without blushing.

Democracy is the buzz word for our political system. But a nation where a majority of population below 50 elects people above 60 to power is non democratic. A real Indian will never be happy with the way the country is being governed. It bothers us when a group with retarded primary reflux system due to old age, instead of retiring and resting, think and go themselves as the most eligible to be at the helm of political affairs and consider people below 50 years as political ‘kids. The country desperately needs some young leaders who personify energy, enthusiasm, morality, and diligence. No doubt we have progressed a lot in the last 63 years but the development pace would have been completely different had some young torchbearers led this process of development.

Old age is not a bad quality but draining new talents is not good. India has to use the young brilliant talents who have many new ideas coupled with right and rapid execution art. Although old is gold, their rigid mind seldom accept innovative thinking. Indian old age politicians are very good examples for this. The image that pops into head when one thinks of Indian politicians is not only grayness but the inefficient effort put by them to stabilize bipedal posture and perpendicularise their age bent sickle shape. Could the ailing body understand, think or act anything else other than its ailment. They have the wealth of experience, bestowed their nuggets of wisdom on one and all at a time. They have been around for a while in the past, and have seen the country go through the throes of development, being vital participants. They might have symbolized the dignity that India stood for and had grace and poise firmly on their side. With all respect to them I say, these greybeards end up taking the country down with them. Here older people never make better politicians. Instead the progress of our country is hampered by these oldies who want to run the show. It’s time the younger generation takes over from them the wand and crown of responsibility to steer the nation.

Then what beholds them? Both the question and answer are queer. The Sexa-Nonagenarian politicians are generally less liberal and open than their younger counterparts. To be more precise they are lackadaisical, rigid and dogmatic in their way of thinking which make them highly selfish as they enjoy the heady feeling of power and refuse to let go off even when they have one foot to the grave. They push themselves to the utmost, often neglecting the efficient, active young who are more techno- evolutional and lackey. They protract ‘as old age sets in efficiency tiers up’. Thus these old politicians create national stagnancy and impede the progress of the country through their younger counterparts which could be at a much faster pace than theirs. As these obsolete politicians have been a familiar face over the years, the general public put trust and confidence in them, believing that they are still the venerable young men who can do no wrong and steer the nation to prosperity. .

There are few things which need to be clarified. Youngsters never mean people of twenty with no experience at all. Youth in this context is meant to refer people in their late thirties or early fifties with a good mix of energy, efficiency and experience. This never means that old people should leave the political scene and rest. What is wanted is that they should be there but for guidance because they are treasures of invaluable experience.

Train rape victim died

Train rape victim died

A woman who was allegedly pushed down from a running train and raped last week in Kerala died in a hospital in Thrissur on Sunday. The 23-year-old woman, who was the lone passenger in the compartment reserved for ladies, was pushed out of the train after she resisted a robbery attempt. The attacker jumped out of the train and raped her on the railway tracks. He then fled with her bag and mobile phone. According to police, the woman was found lying unconscious with serious head injuries on the tracks between Vallathol Nagar and Shornur Railway station at 9.30 pm on February 1.The woman who worked in a private firm in Kochi, was returning home in connection with a marriage proposal when she was raped. Govindaswamy, the man who allegedly pushed her down from the the women's compartment of Ernakulam-Shonur passenger train, was arrested by the Police. He belongs to the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu.

This piece of news should have shocked every reader and induced an impulse in him/her to dial the phone to make sure their daughter/sister/wife/mother who are living away is safe.

Why ???????

Man who is considered to be the most developed animal on earth is the only creature that commits sex forcefully. Indian culture teaches to respect woman as Mother Goddess. She is the one who keeps the child in her body and brings to the bright world of reality with enough health and wisdom to survive. A part of the births, the masculine, rages on her and disgraces her sanctity to satisfy his carnal desire and pleasure. What a shame!. The common thread that binds nearly all seems to be that males are willing to abandon all sense and decorum, even to risk their partners’ or co-livings’ lives, in the frantic quest for sex.

Rape is a serious social issue in any society. It reflects the overall mindset of a society towards women. When one hears cases of rape and violence toward women in any place he will say that the particular place is unsafe and the women at such places are vulnerable. It is the weaker who are easy targets of such heinous crime and always gets victimized while the powerful inflicts the injury and gets away. How can we feel proud to be Real Indians when we cannot address such heart-wrenching social issues? Most of the time we give excuses that the incident that took place was unfortunate and it could have been avoided if the woman were not at that place or if she should have come from the place early. All these excuses prove that we are cowards as we have no guts and responsibility to make our society free from insecurity and vulnerability. Our polices’ version is that they cannot protect each and everyone in this populated country and confess themselves to be white elephants. Then what is the use, utility and significance of police, law and order, judiciary, social justice etc. The blame game goes on and ends up getting no solution to these grave problems of our society and the news of rape and violence keep coming on the media.

If women today are to protect themselves from rape, and men are to desist from it, people must be given advice that is based on knowledge. The fact is that men, relative to women, are more aggressive, sexually assertive and eager to copulate, and less discriminating about mates' traits that contribute to the existence of rape. The reason for this is that from much early times women are always blamed as the inducement factor. To understand the impact of sexual harassment on women one must listen to the account of its victims as no one conveys the meaning and truth of sexual harassment better than the women who have endured it. A great deal of cynicism exists regarding police action. Women say that even when they have gone ahead to complain to the police nothing has been done about it

The psychological pain that rape victims and their close ones suffer must set the mind and body of the rest of the population to react against all ill activities against women especially the system which controls transportation without introducing any safety measure and make them evolve effective defense against rape. The women who outré produced others and thus became the creators are those who are highly distressed about rape. Governments and foolish ministers who pronounce compensation to the victim’s parents taking that money can ease and rub off all blemishes have even gone to the extent of comparing rapes as simple and enjoyable sport like drinking a cup of coffee. They count loss of a beloved daughter/mother/sister/wife and the most condemnable abuse to her in terms of money. Could the whole wealth of India compensate their agony and the disgrace done to the women by the antisocial elements? Family and parents have no way of ensuring the safety of their womenfolk except by keeping them indoors. Considerable anxiety is suffered by the relatives of the female being molested due to the social stigma associated with the harassment as it opens the family up for public ridicule.

A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires that all have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being. Unfortunately women who constitute almost half of the society still do not have the ability to maintain their well-being because they constantly face harassment from men at each space which they occupy with them. It is an established fact that women are sexually harassed on the street, in homes and in workplaces even though there are a plethora of acts and legislations to protect them. Yet in spite of these acts these incidents continue to occur. Even when complaints lodged against the aggressor, either at the sexual harassment committees or with the police, it is always the women who have to prove that the crime occurred and that they are the victims of the crime, which is highly humiliating as it involves providing graphic details of the incident. Since the process is a long drawn one that completely drains out the energy of the complainant, most women prefer to suffer in silence or to grin and bear. If the perpetrator of the crime happens to be a well-heeled or a reputed person the situation is even worse as it can even be labeled as libel or slander if the victim is not able to prove the crime.

The definition does not include only the extreme case of rape but all forms of sexual humiliation which could mean just some provocative remark, indecent posturing in a public area towards women or physical assault. Groping and manhandling of women in public places is an oft repeated crime which goes largely unremarked. The reasons behind the occurrence of these harassments are manifold. One of the fact is that there is an absence of a precise definition of what constitutes harassment means that in many cases the victims are afraid of going to the concerned authorities thinking that they don't have a strong case until it is too late to do much about it, or may have to undergo even higher levels of harassment from the officials to whom the matter is to be reported. Just as a part of the official work they go to the extent of asking the victims to describe their private body parts where and how the perpetrators harassed. This lax behavior of law enforcement agencies also play an indirect role in that it sets the precedent that people who commit crimes will most likely not be held accountable for their actions. Weak law enforcement institutions therefore worsen the plight of women as they cannot provide safeguards that prevent the occurrence of crime against women. But the main reason why some individuals or some families are targeted and not others is due to the balance of social, economic and political power not being in their favor.

The inexcusable delay and absence of punishment that coincides with the level of assault that has taken place further impedes effective decision making. Red tapes that results in cases being buried for many years before they are bought up, high lawyers' fees, the humiliating questions asked by the perpetrators counsel and more importantly the lack of power and means to disprove the perpetrators claim in court that the act was consensual and not forced, further prevent the victim's family members from raising a voice and asking for justice. This social malaise has a particular disruptive impact on society leaving families irrevocably scarred for life in most cases. The psychological pressure suffered by the victim and the family members due to loss of reputation has driven them to abandon their villages and communities.

The harassment, since it is usually carried out by individuals associated with powerful underground gangs better known as mafia is met with little resistance by the members of the community. (The ruling parties too…!! Ice-creams are tasty.!!!).The fear that these local gangs inspire amongst the local people provides them the immunity to assault women without fear of retaliation from the community.

Active participation by the members of the civil society is the best long term solution to end this social evil. Safeguards can be successful only if the members of the community decide to personally ensure that they are upheld. The problem of harassment can be sorted out only if the public, authorities and the police work together in tackling it.

Crowded trains and buses are perfect breeding grounds for antisocial behavior. Some men use this opportunity to touch or pinch the female passengers standing close to them. If this happens to you, make a fuss. Point at the offender and chastise him in a loud voice. Here the co-passengers should act as impulsively as they do if their own mother or sister is the victim. He could probably be slunk away or caught and handed over to law enforcing system. However, to avoid these types of advances from the perpetrator again, use this excellent opportunity to communicate with local women and their children so that they could identify him afterwards also.

Pepper spray, should be used in self defense against these human attackers if there is no other chance to escape. This results in major tearing of the eyes, temporary blindness, and breathing restriction. Sprayed into an attacker's face, pepper spray is an excellent self defense product - the attacker will be incapacitated long enough for the women to get away or get help. And the effects are not long lasting; one needn’t worry that she has caused damage as you could with mace or tear gas. Government should provide pepper spray aerosol at a subsidized rate enabling the common women afford it.

Be sure to check local law enforcement agency to make sure that carrying pepper spray is legal in your state or community. Always store pepper spray where children cannot have access to the spray bottle or any leftover mixture.

Availability (From web site)

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Beggars are not choosers but here public choose beggar to represent them

Beggars are not choosers but here public choose beggar to represent them. Apart from a beggar, Narayan Nat of the Shahbarsa village in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district now has a new identity, surpanch, gram pradhan or village head. This beggar had never dreamt of achieving the status he enjoys today. To Narayan Nat, aged around 60 years everything still appears like a dream. He cannot even now take as reality that the people who once drove him away are now giving him respect and talking to him in the most polite way. It's unbelievable to him even though it is the reality. Begging is his family business. From generations they are into it. He has confirmed that he is not going to take up any other medium for survival and will continue to beg as usual.He has no complaint to the almighty for making him a beggar, instead he is thankful to god as he gets sufficient alms and help from the villagers for survival.

Narayan Nat’s reaching the chair of village head is a very interesting story. The former village heads of all times had never performed satisfactorily in carrying out developmental projects of the village. This made the villagers think of making Narayan a candidate, as a sign of protest. They made Nat apply for the post as an experiment too. Nat filed the nomination paper for the post of Pradhan on the support of the villagers who helped him and family survive by giving alms. They campaigned wholeheartedly for him, managed everything and ultimately he emerged victorious, though there were 10 other candidates vying for the post of village head.

Some of the locals are helping him to do the work of a gram pradhan. Local journalists too have joined them in making him aware of his new job, as he actually doesn’t know about the responsibilities of a gram pradhan. The illiterate Pradhan is now learning to read, write and to sign on papers too!!!!.

He is getting a fixed amount of Rs.1,500 besides other financial grants for taking up developmental schemes in the village. It is worth mentioning that he spends his monthly honorarium for the development of the village. He doesn't have to worry about his survival as he knows he would continue to receive alms - may be more than the usual as people will now come to him in large numbers to get their problems addressed.