हमारे लोकतंत्र ने हमे ये अधिकार दिया है की अगर हम सरकार के काम काज से खुश न हो तो हम उसका विरोध कर सकते हैं ! हमे अधिकार है अपनी आवाज बुलंद करने का ! और, हमें अधिकार है किसी भी निकम्मी और तानाशाह सरकार को ज़मीन पे ला पटकने का !

कल के भारत बंद का जो प्रभाव पुरे देश में दिखा वो अपने आप में अभूतपूर्व है ! दिल्ली, मुंबई, बेंगलुरु, कोलकाता, पटना, भोपाल, लखनऊ सब जगह दुकानें, बाज़ार, विद्यालय, संस्थान सब बंद थे, शायद पहली बार ऐसा हुआ होगा की जनता खुद आगे बढ़ कर बंद का समर्थन कर रही थी ! यह एक संकेत है मनमोहन सिंह की सरकार के लिए ! यह दर्शाता है की सरकार ने अभी भी बढती हुई महँगाई पे ध्यान नहीं दिया तो फिर जनता सड़को आ जाएगी और मनमोहन सिंह को अपना कार्यकाल पूरा करना कठिन हो सकता है !

Chhath

All major Indian festivals are celebrated in Bihar but the one festival which can be termed as the soul of Bihar is “Chhath”. This festival is uniquely Bihari though it is also celebrated in Jharkhand, Eastern UP, MP, Delhi, Assam, Orisa, Chhatisgarh, Mauritius, West Bengal and Nepal.

Chhath is a way to be grateful to the Sun for giving the bounties of life on earth and for the fulfillment of wishes of believers. It is a festival of reverence to the solar deity, the only festival in the world where devotees offer salutations to the setting sun. Unlike Holi or Diwali, Chhath is a festival of prayer and appeasement observed with somberness, a festival that should not be missed. It is held in high esteem and regard.

The word ‘Chhath’ denotes the number ‘six’ and thus the festival begins on the sixth day of the Hindu month of ‘Kartik’ in the Hindu lunar calendar, corresponding to late October and mid November, depending on the year. It is one of the holiest festivals for Biharis and extends for four days.

The Days of Festivity

The festival of Chhath is marked by 4 day long celebrations and rituals.

On the eve of Chhath, houses are scrupulously cleaned and so are the surroundings. One the first day of the festival, the worshiper cooks a traditional vegetarian meal and offers it to the Sun God. This day is called Naha-Kha (literally, ‘Bathe and eat’!). The worshiper allows herself/himself only one meal on this day from the preparation.

On the second day, a special ritual, called Kharna, is performed in the evening after Sun down. On this day also, the worshiper eats his/her only meal from the offerings(Prashad)made to the Sun God in this ritual. Friends and family are invited to the household on this day to share the prashad of the ritual. From this day onwards, for the next 36 hours, the worshiper goes on a fast without water.

The evening of the next day, the entire household accompanies the worshiper to a ritual bathing and worship of the Sun God, usually on the bank of a river or a common large water body. The occasion is almost a carnival. Besides the main worshiper, there are friends and family, and numerous participants and onlookers, all willing to help and receive the blessings of the worshipper. Ritual rendition of regional folk songs, carried on through oral transmission from mothers and mothers-in-law to daughters and daughters-in-law, are sung on this occasion. The same bathing ritual is repeated on the following day at the crack of dawn. This is when the worshipper breaks his/her fast and finishes the ritual.Chhath being celebrated at the crack of the dawn on a river bank is a beautiful, elating spiritual experience connecting the modern Indian to his ancient cultural roots.

The folk songs sung on the eve of Chhath mirror the culture, social structure, mythology and history of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Nowadays, modern Chhath songs, largely Bollywood filmy remixes have caught on, but the old tradition still goes strong with a great degree of sanctity. The three main linguistic regions of Bihar: the Maithili, the Magadhi, and the Bhojpuri, and all the various dialects associated with these, have different folk songs; but all dedicated to Chhath, they have an underlying unity. The minor nuances of the Chhath rituals, such as in the Kharna ritual, vary from region to region, and also across families, but still there is a fundamental similarity.

The Festivities and Rituals

Chhath is a very joyous and colorful festival. All the people dress up in their best and new clothes are a must. Clothes have to be unstitched and people sleep on the floor.

Loud and devotional music reverberates in the air, purifying the whole atmosphere. Folk songs are sung both at home and on the riverbank. Millions of people throng the banks of river Ganges, In Patna. All the people are busy merry making.

The streets are kept spotlessly clean by bands of volunteers, who also decorate all streets leading to the river with colorful festoons, ribbons, and banners.

The offerings of deep fried and sweet rolls of stone ground wheat flour, grapefruit, whole coconuts, bananas, and grains of lentils are also very peculiar. These items are contained in small, semicircular pans woven out of bamboo strips.

Strict saltless vegetarian menu is observed (even onions and garlic are considered unwanted during the entire festival period), all earthen vessels are reserved for the period only and all possible purity of food is adhered to.

History

In the ancient epic Mahabharata, references to worshipping of the sun by Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, are found. It was believed that worshipping of the sun would help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and also ensure longevity and prosperity of the family members, friends, and elders. It is also believed that Chhath was started by Karna, Kunti’s illegitimate son, sired by the Sun God, who became a great warrior and fought against the Pandavas in the Mahabharata war.

Also called Dala Chhath – it is an ancient and major festival. It is celebrated twice a year: once in the summers (May-July), called the Chaiti Chhath, and once in the winters (September-November)around a week after Deepawali, called the Kartik Chhath. The latter is more popular because winters are the usual festive season in North India, and Chhath being an ardous observance, requiring the worshippers to fast without water for more than 24 hours, is easier to undertake in the Indian winters.

Enormous Faith

A million lit lamps with thousands hands offering ‘Arghya’ to the sun makes it a delightful sight. The enormous faith in Chhat Puja has made it one of the most popular festivals of Northern India.

At 60 she is sexy and inviting as a new bride.

India is emerging as a new home for world’s growing economy. The market in India is exciting, inviting, and expanding. It’s mounting for a glorious future. But as it is said everything has a price to pay, we are also paying some price for this growth. On this changing trend, Times life says, “Namaaste is greeted by hey baby, sari makes way for jeans and dal-chawal gets upstaged by pasta”. Let’s discuss all these and many more in this exclusive write up, “India @ 60 – A Tale To Tell”.

When we dream of India as a developed nation by 2020 we must read out the dreams of our Late Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao which he gave to both Houses of US Congress in 1994, “India has undertaken the first steps to shaping of our history for the next generation. After decades of centralized economic policies, India recently embarked on a reform program designed to modernize our economy, liberalize trade and realize our economic potential. We welcomed private investment and competition and encouraged free market growth. As a result, India is becoming globally competitive and the standard of living of her citizens is gradually on the rise. The momentum of these reforms will carry India into the next century as the single largest free market in the world.” His words were like future prediction for our economic growth and the nation has proved it. We still have many more economical barriers and if we move with the same pace and enthusiasm, we will surely become the next economic power of the world.

We have achieved several milestones in last 60 years. Be it religious unity, social reform, building highly responsible democracy, being an economic power, providing technical solution or teaching art of living to entire world, we are cruising in each and every aspect. Today, World looks at India with respect for it’s past, with trust for it’s present and with hope for it’s future. We have crossed several landmarks and demolished various hurdles.

When India had got it’s independence Churchill had said, “The country will collapse with it’s own load. It can’t succeed”. Today we have proved that his forecasting was wrong. He had said so because he knew about the diversification in India on the basis of religion, region, caste, economy and so many other things. We proved “Unity in Diversity” because we love our people regardless of their religion, region or caste. We love our constitution. We love our independence and most important we love our nation. Our continual growth is cultivating this love. The day we will not have growth there will be declination in our love and that’s not good for the nation’s health. We should remember that love dies only when growth stops. So, the basic point is we shouldn’t compromise with the continual development and growth of our country. Apart from this, growth itself contains the germ of happiness.

Every winner has scars. If you see India as a winner in the race of democracy and social reforms we do have our scars as well. Be it Ayodhya, be it Mumbai Bomb blast, be it Godhra or be it Gujrat we need to take care of our wounds and make sure we don’t get them in future. I know, to maintain a social balance in a country like India, where thousand of sects live, is tough, but again winners are never afraid of doing tough things. We should take it as a challenge and set an example for entire world, that, this is the way human civilization should march in to the future world.

As I had said success has a price, it doesn’t come free. India is becoming successful so it’s paying a price as well. Let’s find out whether it’s costly affair or not.

Pavan Varma author of “Being India” says, “We are losing our distinct Indian identity due to aggressive globalization. And victims are usually the last to know. We are trying our best to imitate lifestyles and culture of the West. Who has time for practicing Indian-ness when popular culture is all about practicing trendy western habits? Look around you, and you’ll see that the face of the Indian is changing”.

Most of us will be agree with his views that we are changing. We are changing our lifestyle, we are changing our culture. Some may argue that it’s just a trend and it’s not affecting our culture and tradition at all. Well, trends are the initiation which later will be converted into culture. It’s up to us to decide how we want to live our life and what culture we want to offer to the next generation. Choice is ours, be Indian as it’s always been, be Indian with added western flavor or be Indian and live western.

I believe India should mold itself with the admiration and happenings around, so that it can make a new path for everyone else to follow, after all that’s what the world can expect from a pundit of human civilization and guru of human science.

At last I would like to quote one hymn from the oldest book of the world, “Rigveda”. It talks about Common Aim, United Action.

Samgachhdhwam Samvaddhwam Sam-wo Manansi Jaantaam !

Deva-bhaagam Yatha-purve Sanjaanaanaa Upaasate !

Samaano Mantrah Sameeteeh Samaani !

Samaanam Manah Sah Chitam Yesham !S

amaanam Mantram Aabhi Mantreye Vah !

Samaanen-vo Havisha Juhomi !

Samaani-v Aakuteeh Samaana Hridayani Vah !

Samaanam Astu Vo Mano Yatha Vah Susahaasatee !

It means, “Assemble, speak with one another; let your minds be of one accord, as ancient Gods unanimously enjoy their due portions. May you aim be common; your assembly common; common the mind and the thoughts of these united. A common purpose do I lay before you; and worship with your common oblation. Common be your aim and your hearts united; your mind be one so that all may happily live together.”

Tathastu ….

Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, we can see it ever widening to choose the things we want to do, to take the wisdom we’ve learned and create something. 

Deepali’s exit from Indian Idol 3 was most shocking for Mini Mathur. People might give different reasons of this exit but I know exact three reasons why she was out from Indian Idol and the Reasons are:

1. She is from Patna
2. She is from Patna
3. She is from Patna

Yes, you read it right. Guys / Girls living in metros can’t accept a girl from relatively small town to become Indian Idol and hence this verdict. If you remember Indian Idol 1, Abhijit Sawant was from Mumbai while Indian Idol 2 Sandeep Acharya got massive support from his state “Rajasthan”. It’s not only there in Indian Idol even in SaReGaMa “Debojit” won because of votes from his native state “Asam” and today also “Ismail Darbar” gives a plus point to contestants from “Asam” because they helped him in winning for “Debojit”.

The story doesn’t end here. She is from Patna and that’s the curse for her. You can accept an Indian Idol from Lucknow, Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or any other city but surely not from Patna. I’m not saying this because I have heard things like this or because of any media hype. I’m out of Bihar from last 5-6 years and I have faced situations like this. I have hundreds of incidents to convey but I would share some of them here. I had gone to meet Principle of one of the very famous technical institute of Kolkata for the admission of my brother. He is a retired army person basically from Lucknow. After our talks he asked where are you from? I said, “Patna”. He was shocked. He said, “Neither you look like Bihari nor you talk like Bihari”. When I asked to clarify, he said we generally have a kind of impression about Biharis, a typical look, dressing sense and a typical way to talk and when we see something different it’s hard to accept. Believe me; I was not surprised by this statement as I have seen lots of these things in my 5-6 years of life out of Patna.

Strangers can be influenced by media and say like this but if you hear something like this from your good friends then it really hurts. I have a very good friend in Pune and I know her from last 5 years. I used to like her and I don’t remember any moment where I did anything which can hurt her. She always used to say, “Biharis are not trustworthy”. I believe she was not saying this seriously but I was always hurt whenever she said this. Sometimes I used to fight but I knew I can’t change the mindset.

 When Shilpa Shetty was playing “Big Brother” I was in UK. I saw lots of outrage in India against the racial behavior of British actors. Even I didn’t like the way she was treated in the house. But don’t you think we do follow the same thing in India also. During our placement session in Symbiosis one company had visited us for campus placement. After aptitude test there were 20-25 students selected for personal interviews. Amongst those 20-25 students, 4-5 were Biharis. HR of that company used to call students one by one. First student went and said, I’m from Patna in introduction, second said the same. When third student said that I’m from Patna, HR said, “NOT AGAIN”. I know it’s very simple thing but it shows we still have a different thinking a different feeling for “Biharis”.  

I know there are reasons behind this. You can’t expect a normal Bihari to be very outspoken and stylish. Students and youngsters of Bihar don’t wear brands like “Adidas”, “Nike” and “Reebok”. They are not extrovert. These all doesn’t show they are less talented in any manner. When I was in Bihar I never cared about brands and hence I looked like a “Bihari”. Today I have changed my wardrobe. It is full of brands like, “Austin Reed”, Marks & Spencer”, “Puma”, “Adidas”, “Arrow” and “Nike” hence people say I don’t look like a “Bihari”. Previously I didn’t use to speak much, I had hesitation because I had to speak in English and I was not habituated of that. Obviously it wasn’t my fault as I’m educated in a “typical” Hindi medium school and I was habituated of speaking in “Bhojpuri” and “Hindi”. Now I speak in “English” and I can “speak” on any topic from any field without any hesitation and with full proof knowledge so I don’t talk like a “Bihari”.

Standing ovation from all four judges is enough to gratify the brave commitment and talent of this sweet girl, “Deepali”. When she heard the decision she said, “I wanted a platform and I got it here. I know where I have to go and I will make my own way”. She didn’t weep. She was smiling and she sang a lovely song in the end which also illustrates her confidence.

 Jab Chhaye Mera Jadu… Koiiii bach na paye…  

Saga continues…

From quiet homes and first beginning, out to the undiscovered ends, there’s nothing worth the wear of winning, but laughter and the love of friends. 

Success becomes sweeter when it’s supplemented with the love of friends. You remember your success your achievement but you cherish the celebration you had with your friends after that achievement. I always remember when I got my first job but I cherish the mega celebration I had with my friends after that.

 Your friends will know you better in the first minute they meet you than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years. 

As today’s times rightly say friendship is not just about exchanging cards, it’s about sharing silences also. Indeed, it’s more than just cards, chocolates and forwarding emails. It’s also about spending time, understanding each other, sharing not only words but also silence. With tender words and deeds this blessing has been decreed.

 A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses. 

The success of your life is not counted in terms of wealth, position, name and fame but it’s counted in terms of friends. At last it matter more as how many good friends you have made in your life rather than how much wealth you have created.

 A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure. 

Apart from all goody goody things, there are certain beliefs we need to follow.

-         The best time to make friends is before you need them.

-         Friendships are fragile things and require as much care in handling as any other fragile and precious thing. “Care” and “Respect” are keywords. 

-         Keep a fair-sized cemetery in your back yard, in which to bury the faults of your friends. We all are human beings and mistakes are bond to happen. We should just bury all the mistakes of our friends and move forward. After all, your friend will never do anything such thing intentionally.

-         Being taken for granted can be a compliment. It means you’ve become a comfortable, trusted element in another person’s life. Sometimes we may use it or feel in the negative sense. Just treat it as a level of confidence.

-         The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words. “Use of Words” means a lot.

-         A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil — but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small silly presents every so often — just to save it from drying out completely.

Quick Friendship Note: Generally we don’t give much importance to some small things in our life. But these small things put smile on our face and help us to forget our day to day stresses. For example, my friends know that “Sweet November” is my favorite movie so whenever they see “Sweet November” is coming on TV they just send a SMS that switch to this channel “Sweet November” is coming. It’s just a small thing but it always feels nice as somebody cares about my likes and dislikes. Yes, sometimes a small SMS, a quick call can mean a lot.  

 Stay is a charming word in a friend’s vocabulary. 

I must say, “Stay” is a memorable word in a friend’s dictionary. Understand it, appreciate it, value it, and most important adore it. Regardless of Ups and Downs, hue and cry, tom-tom and huge distances, just STAY and let it grow with the time. Believe it or not it becomes more meaningful and charming when you obey the worth of stay.

 Do not save your loving speeches for your friends till they are dead. Do not write them on their tombstones, speak them rather now instead… kya pata “KAL HO NA HO”.  

PS: If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. i’ll always be with you.

Do you think running is just a physical activity?  

If your answer is “Yes” then probably you needn’t read this article. If you think running is much more than just a physical activity then you are welcome to run through this article. Yes you heard it right “run through”, don’t mug up.

Run is a mental, psychological, anthropological physical activity.  

Speed of the World: If you want to be there, where you are, you have to run. It narrates a very nice concept. The entire world is moving very fast so if you won’t match with the pace of the world you’ll be left behind. The basic point is you’ll always have to be on the run to make sure you don’t lag behind. It’s applicable everywhere, from sports to movies and from schools to business houses. It doesn’t matter where you are but you have to run to maintain your position and if you wish to surpass others you will have run even faster, faster than your competitors.  

“Fast and Continuous” is better than “Slow and Steady”: Run which means act quickly should always prompt you to run off your traditional thinking of “slow and steady wins the race”, in stead you should look the opportunity before hand and just run for it. Slow and steady is just like playing in a safe mode. You don’t want to take big risks so you want to move slowly but it’s not sufficient in today’s competitive environment. But you should think twice before running fast as well. Running fast will have risks involved. If you want to accept the challenge of risks then go ahead and run.  At last it all depends as how much you want to achieve in your life. If your ambitions are high then you must opt for run.  

Remember in the long run only fast and continuous will win the race. 

Executives are like joggers. If you stop a jogger, he goes on running on the spot. If you drag an executive away from his business, he goes on running on the spot, pawing the ground, talking business. He never stops hurtling onwards, making decisions and executing them.  

If the above statement is true about executives then it’s true about businesses as well. If you can find out a new area when another is blocked you can emerge as a business leader.  

“Competing for the Future” is written by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad. It deals with the emergence of business leaders who compete for shaping their future. It also deals with the strategy which builds the gateway for the future. In this book Hamel and Prahalad says, “To get to the future first, a company must find the shortest path between today and tomorrow. Dreams don’t come true overnight, and many years may elapse between the conception of a radically transformed industry and the emergence of a real and substantial market. The goal is to minimize both the time and investment required to turn foresight into genuine market opportunity.” 

During their research on business strategy for future they came across some questions which troubled them a lot. This book has tried to cover those questions also. Some of them are below.  

Can you write a business case for a market segment which might not emerge for a decade or more?          

Can a smaller rival prevail against much larger, richer companies?  

Do you thing that the biggies are more interested in protesting the past than creating the future?  

Most of the companies focus on cost cutting, down sizing, re-structuring and re-engineering to maximize their profit. Hamel and Parahal didn’t suggest any such approach instead they believe in industry transformation. They talk about a futuristic approach that can not only expand business or increase profit but also identify new business areas. This book is based upon their experience and research as business and strategic consultant for many MNCs.  

They say, “Competing for the future is not for dilettantes; it is not for the merely intellectually curious. It is a handbook for those who are not content to follow, for those who believe that the best way to win is to rewrite the rules, for those who are unafraid to challenge orthodoxy, for those who are inclined to build than cut, for those more concerned with making a difference than making a career, and for those who are absolutely committed to staking out the future list.” 

Amazon.com says, “Winning in business today is not about being number one–it’s about who “gets to the future first,” write management consultants Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad. In Competing for the Future, they urge companies to create their own futures, envision new markets, and reinvent themselves.” 

My Views: Formerly when great fortunes were only made in war, war was business; but now when great fortunes are only made by business: Business is war. If you want to win this war, you will have to make new innovative approaches and new strategies instead of just relying on your physical strength.  

Recommendation: I found this book one of the gems in the ocean of corporate world. If gives you inner views about industry and it also compels you to think ahead of time.  If you want to make a difference with your business or if you are looking to emerge as a new corporate tycoon then you must read this book.  

Who should read this book? 

• Corporate Leaders
• Entrepreneurs
• Corporate Gurus
• Management Students
• Corporate Aspirants 

 Always remember, if you can’t imagine the future, you won’t be there to enjoy it.

Preface: Internet has emerged as the most facilitating technical revolution of recent era but it also has created strapping problems for many people. Most of these problems are because of online content. It also resulted into a huge demand of Web Content Management Professionals like me.

 Some people feel that there should be censor on Internet content. So let’s have a glance on this public clamor.   

“Censorship of Internet Content” contains three different words, “Internet”, “Content” and “Censorship”. It’s better to understand the meaning of all these words before going ahead. I have taken these definitions from wikipedia.

 What is Internet? 

The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP), developed by Curtis Bonds. It is a “network of networks” that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web.

 What is Content?  

Information and experiences created by individuals, institutions and technology to benefit audiences in contexts that they value.

 What is Censorship?  

Censorship is defined as the removal and withholding of information from the public by a controlling group or body.

Should we remove a piece of information created or shared by an individual or institution on a “network of networks”’ for the masses”? The very first question which strike to anybody’s mind is can it be technically possible to remove any information from “network of networks”? The answer is “YES”, we can remove any piece of data from “network of networks”. Next question comes, then why we have so many absurd things on Internet? The answer is, we don’t have any centralized body to control or monitor contents on Internet. The reason is very simple. It’s next to impossible to formulate such controlling body but remember it’s not impossible.

Information on Internet is like flowing water of a river, you try to stop it and it will make its own way. So, we shouldn’t try to censor any information on Internet instead we can have our own solution to avoid getting such irrelevant data. If we want to be techno savvy then we must know how to face the challenges thrown by technology.

There are different views and need for banning some content on Internet. I have just tried to proffer my views on some of them.

Why we need to censor anything on Internet?  

Parents Say: We want to prevent our children from accessing any irrelevant / absurd content at home.

I Would Say: Instead of blaming internet you can use other facilities like firewalls to protect such websites / information. You can contact some network specialist. He can help you in doing proper configuration / settings on your PC.

Organizations Say: We want our people to concentrate on work rather than browsing Internet.

I Would Say: You can actually track the browsing information of any person within your organization’s network. Circulate instructions regarding uses of Internet within Office network. Most of the companies do this. Provide punishment for breaking rules.

National Bureaucrats / Leaders Say: Some organization uses Internet to organize / communicate information related to security of the nation. They can communicate faster with this medium of communication. They can also give the example of yahoo group created by Ulfa Terrorists.

I Would Say: If the communication is faster then tracking is also fast and accurate on Internet. If they are using Internet for their conspiracy then government’s security agencies should use the same media to catch them. You need to act faster than them regardless of media and then only you can provide security to this nation. 

 Do you have any other answer? If yes, let me know I would try to justify that with my views.

Abortion or Killing: Whenever I listen this word “Abortion” one scene from Bollywood movie “Salaam Namaste” strikes in my mind. Our Bollywood hunk Nik (Nikhil Chopra, but he doesn’t like to be called as Nikhil Chopra) hears that his miss charming Amber is pregnant. He is much tensed. After some superfluous shouting he says “JUST KILL IT”. Amber replies, “Abortion is the word Nik”. I do agree with her, “Abortion” is the word but surely the purpose is killing, killing her / his own baby.

Background: As a normal IT professional when I go back to my home in evening, I prefer to jump on some news channels to update myself with the latest happenings. From last few days or rather few months I’m sadden to see increasing number of “Fetus Killing” stories especially from places like Western UP, Haryana and Rajasthan. It prompted me to write on this topic and make people aware about this cruel act.

 What is Pregnancy? 

Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations (for example, in the case of twins, or triplets). Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks from fertilization.

 What is Abortion? 

Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by any method (spontaneous or induced) before the fetus is sufficiently developed to survive independently. (fetus less than 20 weeks of pregnancy).

 Every government has it’s own rule on Abortion, hence Indian government also have some ruling for this. Let’s have a glance to it.  

Medical Termination of Pregnancy:  The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act was enacted by the Indian Parliament in 1971 and came into force from 01 April, 1972. The MTP act was again revised in 1975. Act No. 34 of 1971 was amended by Act No. 64 of 2002. The MTP Act lays down the condition under which a pregnancy can be terminated, the persons and the place to perform it.

 The reasons, for which MTP is done, as interpreted from the Indian MTP Act, are:  

(i) Where a pregnant woman has a serious medical disease and continuation of pregnancy could endanger her life like:

 •           Heart diseases.

•           Severe rise in blood pressure.

•           Uncontrolled vomiting during pregnancy

•           Cervical/ breast cancer.

•           Diabetes mellitus with eye complication (retinopathy).

•           Epilepsy.

•           Psychiatric illness.  

(ii) Where the continuation of pregnancy could lead to substantial risk to the newborn leading to serious physical / mental handicaps examples like

 •           Chromosomal abnormalities.

•           Rubella (German measles) viral infection to mother in first three months.

•           If previous children have congenital abnormalities.

•           Rh iso-immunisation. link

•           Exposure of the foetus to irradiation.  

(iii) Pregnancy resulting of rape.

(iv) Conditions where the socio-economic status of the mother (family) hampers the progress of a healthy pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child.

Failure of Contraceptive Device irrespective of the method used (natural methods/ barrier methods/ hormonal methods).

This condition is a unique feature of the Indian Law. All the pregnancies can be terminated using this criterion.

 Consent:  Married Woman: Her own written consent. Husband’s consent not required. Unmarried Girl (above 18 Years): Her own written consent.  Unmarried Girl (below 18 Years): Written consent of her guardian.  Mentally unstable Woman: Written consent of her guardian.  

Consent assures the clinician performing the abortion that she has been informed of all her options. She has been counseled about the procedure, its risks and how to care for herself after she chosen the abortion of her own free will.

The act is debatable: The definition of each term is given in this act but the above ruling is debatable as most of us will not agree with all of them. For example do you think a married woman should be allowed to kill her own baby by her own written consent? Do you think that an unmarried girl below 18 should be allowed to kill her baby by written consent of her parents? Even Socio-economic status should not be a criterion.

It should be simple and straight forward: There are lots of other legal complexities involved for creating a healthy society. Shouldn’t we make this rule simple and straight forward? It’s just like a murder and it should be treated in same manner regardless of one’s consent.

 Most of the people go for these abortions only for two reasons.  

Killing Girls: India a country of thousands of goddesses is highly suffered from this disease of killing girls even before they take an independent breath. Sadly women are equally guilty in this cruel act. 

Illegal – Social Impact: Some youthful lust also leads to killing its own baby. The reason is simple; it will impact the social prestige of these people. If a person can kill his/her own baby for social status you can imagine what kind of society s/he will create? I wonder how they live their life normally after killing their own baby. Don’t they have any shame or regret?

 I hope to see some good move from Indian government on this. It’s a very serious matter and if some people don’t have their humanity then we must teach them the act of humanity by forcing tough laws.  

Courtesy:

 http://www.1to9months.com

http://en.wikipedia.org