Harvard woman elected to Haryana zila parishad

When Haryana - infamous for its skewed sex ratio-decided to fix minimum educational qualification for candidates of the panchayat election concluded in January 2016, nobody would have expected a woman with a Harvard degree to contest the polls and win.

But Yukti Chaudhary's (27) victory is reason enough to change that image of khapland. Yukti who is an LLM in international human rights from Harvard Law School, has been elected to Fatehabad Zila Parishad from ward number 5. The seat was reserved for women. She graduated in law from Campus Law College, Delhi University .

Yukti, who won the poll by a very thin margin of 35 votes after defeating her nearest rival Poonam Sihag, says education will help bring change in the state. "Education will help me and others like me in understanding policies of the state for better implementation of the same," she says, ad ding that her experience in a foreign institute has broadened her perspectives.

Her immediate plan is to resolve drinking water issues in the area. "During the election campaign, I came across the water shortage issue again and again. Now, I will tour all nine villages of my ward again to go through the problems being faced by residents in detail," she told TOI. There are many educated women in our family, but we decided to field Yukti as she is the most educated woman in our clan," says her brother-in-law Akash Godara. When the minimum education clause was imposed by the state government for panchayat polls, people urged the family to field a candidate, Yukti Chaudhary's name came up instantly.

Her grandfather-in-law Mani Ram Godara, who was state home minister during the Bansi Lal government from 1996 to 1999, was also a prominent political figure. Hailing from Jaipur, she married Varun Godara, an assistant jail superintendent at district jail, Sirsa, in December 2014. He was her senior at Stephen's where she did her graduation. After the imposition of education clause, more than 10% sarpanchs are graduates or have higher degrees as compared to 7% in the previous panchayat polls. Panchayat minister Om Prakash Dhankar says this will change Haryana's rural politics. Yukti is not alone on the top. Richa, sarpanch of Sugh village in Yamunanagar, is an MBA. Another MBA, Nitasha Bansal, has been elected to Ellenabad block samiti in Sirsa district.

Goat held for trespassing into garden of a judge in Chhattisgarh

In a bizarre incident, Chhattisgarh police on Monday (2016-02-08) took into custody a goat after a complaint that it ventured into a judge's garden in Janakpur block in Korea district, 250km from here. The goat, which was accused of being a `repeat offender', was released later, but its owner was not so lucky.

Abdul Hasan (40) was arrested and sent to jail on Tuesday on charges of trespass and damaging property , the police said. "My goat scaled the boundary wall again and ate flowers and vegetables in the garden. It was taken to the police station and then police brought me in as well," said Hasan.

Police said the accused had been ignoring warnings given to him for over a week and was eventually detained and charged under Sections 447 (trespass), 427 (damaging and destroying property of others) and 151 (creating public nuisance) IPC on Monday . He was produced in court on Tuesday and sent to jail.

Janakpur station in charge RS Paikra told TO that Hasan had been letting loose his goat into the garden of magistrate S E Ratre for more than a week. He would do so after the magistrate left for office, the officer said. Ratre's gardener, Rajesh Paikra, tried in vain to stop Hasan and then informed police.

Local Congress leader Shailesh Nitin Trivedi slammed the police for the incident, saying: "The arrest of a goat is ridiculous. Chhattisgarh police have made fun of themselves by doing so. Those accused in rape cases are moving freely ."

"The most painful and disappointing aspect is the entry made by an ASI of Chhattisgarh police in the diary that `the goat would graze on the garden, despite warnings'. Chhattisgarh police is communicating with goats!" he added.

Last year, a parrot in Chandrapur in Maharashtra was detained after a woman filed a complaint against it for making obscene remarks. The parrot, named Hariyal, was allegedly trained for two years by its owner, Suresh Sakharkar, to abuse his stepmother, Janabai.

Fertile young Indian couples have no time to make a baby

Super-busy working couples opt for ART because they don't have enough time for natural conception.



Husband's got the sperm, wife's got the eggs, what they haven't got is the time to make a baby. Not when his job overseas -or on the high seas -takes him out of home most of the year, year after year. Or both work irreconcilable shifts. This is what's pushing fertile young couples to fertility clinics where they conceive through assisted reproductive technologies (ART).
Intra-uterine insemination (IUI) is a popular choice with such couples. In this the sperm is placed inside the uterus to facilitate fertilization. The number of couples seeking this process is on the rise, says Dr Kavitha Gautham, director at Chennai's Bloom Fertility Clinic.

Timing is everything for these assisted pregnancies. "If the husband works abroad, we have to get the wife pregnant within the first couple of months of him leaving. Otherwise questions will be raised as to how she got pregnant when her husband was not around," says Dr Krithika Devi of Nova IVI Fertility Centre. "If she does not get preg nant through the first cycle, we wait till he is in town again, before we begin the next cycle of treatment."

This procedure is less expensive than the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) method used on couples with fertility issues. In IVF, an egg and sperm are fertilized outside the body and then the embryo transferred to the uterus, explains Dr Priya Selvaraj, fertility specialist at GG Hospital in Chennai. While IUI costs around Rs 8,000, an IVF cycle can cost Rs 2 lakh.

In most Indian households, say the doctors, ART is still looked down upon. In the past, it was mostly middle-income couples who approached Selvaraj for a quick pregnancy solution -the husband was generally a blue collar worker in the Middle East. Of late, the affluent too are consulting with her, not wanting to set aside time for procreation lest it got in the way of promotion. Her most recent case was a young merchant navy captain, who said he was setting sail in a few days and wanted to begin the process of having a baby . “His wife told me she was living with his parents while he was away and since they were married for a few years, she was being questioned about why they hadn't conceived yet,“ says Selvaraj. The captain was willing to have his sperm frozen so his wife could conceive while he was sailing.

As in all ART treatments, the couple is counselled through the process, Selvaraj says."I have women breaking down in my clinic because they feel they're all alone even when they are conceiving a child which a couple is supposed to do together," she says.

While most doctors don't recommend ART for fertile couples, they find that they are sometimes left with no choice. Gautham, for instance, says that when a couple comes to her for ART, and she finds their fertility test results are normal, she advises them to try and conceive the natural way .

"But they tell us that they find it difficult to be sexually active even once a month because while they live in the same house, they have different work shifts," says Dr Gautham. Medical studies too state that it takes six months to a year for most couples to get pregnant if they have regular sex without contraception.

"They refuse to give up or change their jobs or slow down their lifestyle, but are willing to start on ART because they are being pressured by family to produce children," she says.

(Source: Toi Kolkata dated 2016-03-15)

Indian Railways to wash blankets after every use

Smelly blankets may soon become a thing of the past on trains, with the railways deciding to wash them after every use.
As per the plan, newly designed lightweight blankets made of soft fabric will replace the existing ones and these will be washed after every use, a first in railways.

Currently blankets are washed only periodically - once or twice a month.

“We are procuring blankets designed by NIFT which can be washed after every use and still last longer,“ said a railway ministry official.

National Institute of Fashion Technology has de signed the fabric of the blanket, a mix of wool and cotton, which can withstand daily wash. “Since there were complaints about blankets, we have tried to address the issue. We have approved the NIFT-designed washable blankets. The blankets will be used in a few selected premier trains, to begin with.Later, more trains will be covered,“ said the official.

The railways has also undertaken steps to set up state of-the-art mechanised laundries at many stations to cater to the increased requirement of daily washing of bedrolls, including blankets.

It is not only blankets but the entire bedroll that has been redesigned with new colour combination by NIFT. So bedsheets and pillow covers will all sport a new look.

Passengers prefer coloured bedroll to all-white, according to a survey on passenger preferences, he said.

Besides, the interiors of the coaches are being modified to match the colour of curtains and bedsheets.

The railways recently introduced the e-bedroll facility to enable passengers to opt for bedrolls while booking tickets online. Passengers in sleeper-class coaches can buy takeaway bedroll kits at stations or order online at the time of buying tickets.

The transporter will charge Rs 140 for two bedsheets and a pillow and Rs 110 for a blanket. Together, these can be purchased for Rs 250. Cur rently only AC passengers have free bedroll facility.

Last month, minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha had told Rajya Sabha during question hour that while bedsheets, bedrolls and pil low covers were washed every day , blankets were washed every two months.

His reply followed questions raised by MPs regarding the quality and hygiene of laundry and linen supplied by Indian Railways on trains Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari had quipped that the earlier system of passengers bringing their own linen and pillows for journeys seemed to be better.

(Source: Toi Kolkata dated 2016-03-14)

Biting a chilli proves fatal for 2-year-old girl

Biting into a chilli pod is painful enough, but it can have far more serious consequences than a flaming tongue and watery eyes.

A two-year-old girl, who accidentally took a bite of the hot fruit, died of respiratory failure despite medical intervention. The AIIMS autopsy said death was caused by gastric fluids getting into the respiratory tract.

The rare incident was reported a few months ago and has been published in Medico-Legal Journal to educate the medical community about the risk of consuming substances with extreme taste.

The report said the girl vomited several times, resulting in fluids getting into the wind pipe. Doctors said it is possible that gastric fluids or vomit aspirated into the windpipe of the girl and choked her. Though doctors at a local hospital managed to revive her initially, the girl died within 24 hours.

Chittaranjan Behera, the surgeon, told TOI: "Aspiration of gastric contents resulting in death due to respiratory failure is not uncommon. However, this is the first such case involving accidental bite of a chilli at our hospital. It is rarely reported in medical-legal literature".

"Our throat has two pipes, one for food and the other for air. The former helps carry food from the mouth to the stomach while the latter allows respiration. The problem occurs when food or gastric fluid enter the wind pipe, as happened in this case. It causes respiratory failure if resuscitation is not conducted immediately", said Dr Sudhir Gupta, professor and head of forensic medicine department at AIIMS.

He added that normally our body protects against such mishaps through the act of coughing. But in the child's case, it is possible that the 'laryngeal cough reflex' was either poorly developed or inactive due to unconsciousness, leading to death.

In adults, Dr Gupta said, death due to aspiration of fluid in the wrong pipe is seen among alcoholics, when lack of consciousness hinders body's reflex mechanism.

Doctors say children cannot differentiate between edible and non-edible substances, so parents should ensure that substances such as chilli are kept away. "If a patient aspirates, his or her head should be placed side ways so that further aspira tion of gastric content is reduced", a doctor said.

(Source: The Times of India, Kolkata edition dated 2016-03-14)

Lee Road rechristened Satyajit Ray Dharani inspired by a political honcho

I am suffering from acute bouts of indigestion and dehydration from the continuous overdose of culture and creativity being inspired and exhaled by the one and only greatest gift of God to present day Bengali mankind.
Lee Road in Kolkata becomes Satyajit Ray Sarani and in less than 2 minutes after the announcement it was rechristened 'Satyajit Ray Dharani' after some impromptu inspiration on 2016-02-29!
‪#‎HowIndiaTravels‬
‪#‎UnmarketingWestBengal‬
‪#‎BengalDoomed‬
‪#‎BengalisShamed‬

India's Gold reserve in RBI vaults

(Source: 2016-02-16 Times of India, Kolkata)

Mysuru cleanest, Dhanbad dirtiest in survey of cities

Karnataka's Mysuru has retained its position as the cleanest among all state capitals and cities with million-plus population, while Dhanbad in Jharkhand ranks the worst, according to the latest Swachch Sarvekshan of 73 Indian cities released on Monday .
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area has been ranked fourth while Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi occupies the 65th slot, says the survey which covered areas only under municipal bodies. For example, in Delhi, four municipal areas were ranked separately .

While two cities each from Gujarat (Rajkot and Surat) and Maharashtra (Greater Mumbai and Pimpri Chinchwad) are in the `Top 10' club, a maximum of three cities from Uttar Pradesh -Varanasi, Meerut and Ghazibad -are among the worst 10. Visakhapatnam, Surat, Rajkot and Gangtok improved their ranks to break into the `Top 10' in this year's survey.

In case of Delhi, South and North Delhi Municipal Corporation improved their ranks from 47 to 39 and 47 to 43 respectively; the position of East Delhi Municipal Corporation deteriorated from 47 in 2014 to 52 this year.

Among the biggest losers are Chennai, Nasik and Navi Mumbai. The Tamil Nadu capital ranked 37 in comparison to its fourth position in 2014. Nasik ended at 31 against its earlier ranking of eight. Bengaluru, which ranked as the cleanest state capital in 2014, slipped to 38th position this year. While releasing the survey findings, urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu said: “There is no intention to show any city in poor light by announcing the survey results. This announcement will further foster healthy competition among cities as everything that is measured gets done and competition makes one strive better.“

The survey conducted by Quality Council of India between January 3 and 15 is based on the marks scored by each city in respect of the main components of Swachh Bharat Mission open defecation, sweeping, availability of infrastructure and service levels related to sanitation such as individual household toilets, public and community toilets and collection, transportation and processing of municipal solid waste.

It had three components -service-level status rankings, independent observer and citizen feedback rankings. Maximum weightage was given to solid waste management.

The last cleanliness ranking of cities, done in 2014 before the launch of Swachh, covered 476 cities that have populations of above 1 lakh and results were announced in 2015. “The 73 cities surveyed this year were also ranked-based on the marks they scored in 2014 for arriving at their ranks that year for further comparison with the results of this year's survey ,“ said a spokesperson.

While results of 2014 survey showed how cities in the south and west fared better than those in the north and east, the recent results indicate how cities from north are doing well and can overtake some of their competitors soon.

(Source: 2016-02-16 Times of India, Kolkata)

40% kids in India suffer from constipation

With unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles taking a toll on children's digestion, doctors say , constipation is no longer an old age problem but afflicts up to 40% of schoolgoing children.

“In any school, nearly 40% of the children suffer from constipation, and the primary reason is lifestyle,“ said Dr Nishant Wadhwa, paediatric gastroenterologist at Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. He said children eat too much processed and carbohydrate-rich food without drinking enough water.

An ongoing study at the hospital showed that 30-40% of child patients in the outpatient department have recurring bouts of abdominal pain due to constipation, up from 10-20% a decade ago. Besides lack of fibre-rich food and water, family factors also play a role.

Dr Wadhwa said toilet training of children is often delayed in nuclear families with both parents working. As a result, they do not develop the habit of passing stool daily. “Constipation is increasingly prevalent among children to the extent that some pass stool just once in a week,“ said Dr Anupam Sibal, senior paediatric gastroenterologist and medical director at Apollo Hospitals.

Unlike in the movie, constipation is no laughing matter because it affects a child's growth due to reduced appetite, and causes problems like bleeding. Dr Sibal said constipation leads to the problem of soiling in some children who pass stool without realizing it. While doctors prescribe medication in severe cases, they also emphasise the need for more outdoor activities and improved food habits.

Childhood constipation can not only lead to a complicated and prolonged bowel problem but also cause diseases such as piles or haemorrhoids, ulcers, abdominal pain and anal fissures. Due to blood clotting, it can also lead to heart attack and stroke.

Estimates from a study show 14% of people in urban India suffer from chronic constipation, while the incidence is 10% worldwide. 80% of people with chronic constipation look for treatment only after facing the problem multiple times, while 60% seek home remedies.

(Source: Feb 16 2016 The Times of India, Kolkata)

Discussion on Radhe Maa turned violent during live discussion on IBN7

Now watching debates on TV channels will be great fun. Ambulances will have to be kept on standby mode outside TV studios.

Discussion on Radhe Maa turned violent during live discussion on IBN7.
A discussion on 'Radhe Maa and her controversies' on IBN7 show 'Aaj Ka mudda' took a nasty turn when two of the guests ended up having a brawl.
The incident occurred when during the heated discussion astrologer Deepa Sharma slapped swami Omji Maharaj following which he also physically assaulted her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYHZcdC_LM8

(Source: Ibnlive.com dated Sep 13, 2015)

Class 7 boy in Delhi caught passing a stunning note

A class 7 boy of a reputed private school in Delhi was caught passing notes by his teachers. Nothing out of the ordinary, the teachers thought. Kids do that. But when they saw the notes they were left stunned.

The note said: "I am an illegitimate child. My mother is like Indrani Mukerjea. She likes having sex with many men."

(Source: NEWS18 dated 2015-09-03)

Narendra Modi's birthday greetings to a citizen on 2015-08-18

18th August is my friend Debasish Dey's birthday.
This is what he got on his Facebook wall in the morning of 18th August 2015, from none other than Mr.Narendra Modi.
Irrespective of whether its an automated update/ greetings or not, it's a huge moral booster for every Indian who receives it on his or her birthday.
The very fact that ‪Mr.Narendra Modi‬ and his able team even thought of this creative methodology to bond/ engage with common citizens, deserve atleast 100 likes and a lot of ‪#respect‬ from me.
This is simply fantastic!

Why this last bid effort to save Yakub Memon from the gallows?

The Supreme Court of India has said that the idiot, Yakub Memon should face the gallows at 7am on 30th July 2015 for his role in the 1993 Mumbai Serial Blasts. Ditto has been the verdict of the President of India & Governor of Maharashtra.

They don't want him to be pardoned.

Then why on earth, barely 3 hrs before his 'antim-yatra', is a special hearing taking place even at 3.55am on 30th July 2015 at the residence of the Chief Justice of India with the rascal's lawyers arguing that their client is a 'paagal' and should be allowed to live as a parasite at our cost (read, served hot meals thrice a day, provided 24x7 security, attached toilets, carry on with vocational studies, etc, etc).

If he would have been tried in Afghanistan, he would have been the feast for vultures after being stoned, amputated, hung from a road side lamp-post years ago.

Surgical faux-pas

A 51 year old lady, resident of Batanagar, South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal hurt her knees after a fall in 2011. A surgery brought her temporary relief.
In November 2012 she was re-admitted to the ESI Hospital, Budge Budge, South 24 Parganas for removal of the metal plates/ wires which were inserted way back in 2011 to correct the injury she had sustained.
After regaining consciousness following the 19th November 2012 surgery, she felt pain in her abdomen and not the knee.
The two learned doctors had removed her perfectly working gall bladders, while the foreign bodies remained embedded in her knee.
The kin of the lady approached the Consumer Forum, holding the two doctors and the ESI Hospital responsible for the faux-pas. The inquiry revealed that on the fateful day, the lady in queue after this unfortunate lady had to have her gall-bladder removed.
On 21st January 2015, the Consumer Forum has directed the accused parties to pay a compensation of Rs.17.2 lacs.
So much for the the ‪#‎TsunamiOfDevelopment‬ in the healthcare front in a state being governed with no concrete agenda.

One in five Indians obese

One in five Indians obese.

Slogan on vehicle Diesel tank

Bengali: 'Beshi khele babu bokbe'.
English: 'If you drink more, owner will scold me'.

This slogan on the diesel tank of a commercial vehicle was spotted and photographed somewhere in West Bengal by Indian Roadie, Neeraj Pandey.

Thank you Neeraj for this wonderful capture.

Madan Mitra claims that he is a 'madman'

Madan Mitraji, accused and arrested by CBI in the mega ‪Saradha Scam‬ is the Transport & Sports Minister of West Bengal. On 16th December 2014 he claimed at the Alipore Court in Kolkata that he is a 'madman'.

Why was the mad mob showering tons of flowers on the police vehicle carrying the fat & shining scam accused madman to court?

Days may not be too far when brickbats will replace the petals. It's amply clear that he had cheated his own partymen by coaxing them to invest in Sudipta Sen's Saradha Group of companies.

‪#‎HowIndiaTravels‬ #SaradhaScam ‪#‎BengaliShamed‬ ‪#‎BengalDoomed

Swamiji, Mamataji, Netaji - efforts are on in West Bengal to project all in the same league

Swamiji, Mamataji, Netaji ...... efforts are on to project all in the same league!!!

The one and only 'learned' and 'know it all' lady of West Bengal has passed on instructions to have 10'x3' flex banners printed & displayed in thousands (maybe in lakhs .... more the merrier for their own coffers) on 10th/ 11th Jan & 22nd/ 23rd Jan 2015 to celebrate Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday.

She, supposedly the 'biggest gift of God to mankind', wants her photo to be printed in between photos of Swamiji and Netaji, with taxpayers hard earned money.

Shame! shame! shame!

‪#‎HowIndiaTravels‬ ‪#‎BengalisShamed‬ ‪#‎BengalDoomed‬ ‪#‎HowNotToMarket‬

CBI catches up with Madan Mitra on 12th Dec 2014

Madan Mitra (Sports & Transport Minister of West Bengal), overtaken by CBI inspite of his 'Bhaag Madan Bhaag' sprints!!!
A R R E S T E D around 4pm on 12th December 2014 by CBI for huge fraud!
CBI found Madan to be closely associated with the mega Saradha chit fund scam!
When did Madan go to have a facial last time?
How is it that his face used to shine like a mirror?
What is Madan's weight as on 12th Dec?
What did he have for dinner on 11th Dec 2014?
Did he lose his hunger on 11th Dec?
Did he have a sound sleep in the intervening night of 11th and 12th Dec?
How many trips did he make to the loo on the intervening night of 11th and 12th Dec?
Did he have his breakfast at home on 12th Dec before heading for the CBI office in Kolkata?
What did he have for breakfast?
What was the thickness of the rope used to tie him up after 4pm on 12th Dec?
What was the length of the rope used to tie him up after 4pm on 12th Dec?
What did he have for lunch on 12th Dec before the arrest?
What did he have for dinner on 12th Dec after the arrest?
Will he be served dinner in a three year old aluminium 'thali' on 12th Dec and for the next decade or more that he'll be a 'state guest'?
Will he be made to lie on the floor at the Salt Lake Electronics Complex Police Station on 12th Dec & henceforth?
Will he made to wear a blue and white striped 'chaddi' and 'pajama' henceforth?
How happy is Kunal Ghosh now?
There are no end to the number of questions haunting me .... all related to this person who created history in independent West Bengal!
Tomorrow's dailies will have all the answers .... I will not have access to all those. Please respond with your answers.
‪#‎SaradhaScam

Chhath Puja 2014 on the banks of Ajoy River in Chittaranjan

Chhath Puja 2014 on the banks of Ajoy River in Chittaranjan, West Bengal on 30th October'14.

Photo courtesy: Subhasish Mazumdar