What Taslima Nasrin thinks about the recent statement of Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni saying there is no obstacle for Taslima Nasrin in returning home? For the first time, Taslima Nasrin has replied to a number of extremely important and interesting questions.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) is in receipt of a complaint from a female broadcaster/ correspondent, “Dunya News”, - Maheen Usmani, who tendered her resignation owing to harassment. Although the woman had joined the channel at the time of its launch, she could hardly continue her job for over seven months as she was angry with the continued harassment, coercion and unethical conduct of the top management.

She finally got disappointed with the organization and realized that her employer was protecting the managing director, who did not stop abusing his official position and put an end to his tactics.

The said media manager like in other channels has been given an upper hand over the journalistic staff and they dictate their terms and violate the journalistic norms. The woman says that she had worked best media organizations during here career and never faced such an ugly situation.

She was shocked to receive a phone call from the MD who according to her counted the expected benefits that a less important bureau reporter can get in return for keeping a direct contact with the MD on his personal number. She alleged that the MD’s talk was loathed with innuendoes and offers.

The PFUJ regrets that CEO instead of empowering the directors news or respective bureau chiefs gave the MD more powers to interact directly with the reporters who already felt harassed by him.

The PFUJ says that she noted all these months that while contractual rights of male staff members were being denied by the said MD despite repeated reminders, but he was going out of way to oblige a female staff member.

She brought the matter to the notice of the director news who took up the
matter with the MD who apologized over this incident. However, with the
sudden departure of the director news the MD found an opportunity to take
revenge.

She alleged that “instead of reigning in MD, the CEO/ owner of the channel gave him an open hand and the MD immediately embarked upon a campaign to place obstacles in her path. Her special assignments were withheld on frivolous grounds. Later her program Meri Dharti Meri Dunya a weekly landmark program of the Dunya, which proved its popularity, was not aired at the scheduled time and instead a documentary was aired and as such the program was distorted and chopped several times and once it was aired as a filler for a brief time prior to the scheduled live coverage of the President, Richard Holbroke and Shah Mehmood Qureshi. There is a need to improve the legislation to protect women at workplaces and create awareness about malpractices in Pakistan’s media industry.” The PFUJ added.

The woman broadcaster, Maheen Usmani, who was a correspondent of the Dunya TV, narrates her ordeal at the TV channel as follows:-

“It was with great expectations and high hopes that I became part of Dunya’s launch team in November 2008, and I took great pride in being part of Dunya ‘family’ as it climbed the ladder of success and gave tough competition to
leading channels.

Seven months later, it is with great regret that I have decided to tender my resignation as the circumstances have forced me to leave this organization due to the continued harassment, coercion and highly unethical conduct of the top management of Dunya News.

Now it has become unbearable to work here as the situation has increasingly turned out to be insecure, rather punishing, for professional female journalists who want to work, as well as, protect their self-respect.”

“ I have waited with patience since May 11, 2009 that the Managing Director of Dunya News, Yousaf Beg Mirza, would stop abusing his official position and put an end to his ugly tactics of harassing a senior female journalist working here.

I, however, was totally disappointed with this organization when I realized that Mr Mirza’s employer, CEO and the owner of this news channel, is not interested in protecting the female employees from the advances of the MD but is in connivance with him.”

“It was shocking to know that Mr. Mirza is being shielded by the CEO of the organization, Mian Amer Mahmood, who was told about Mr. Mirza’s indecent advances but he did not stop the MD from abusing his authority. Once it was brought to his notice, Mr. Mahmood had given the assurances that no such harassment would take place but not only that this harassment continued, the CEO instead of empowering the Director News or respective Bureau Chiefs, gave the MD more powers to interact directly with the reporters who already felt harassed by him.”

“This all started on May 11th, 2009 at 10:01 p.m., when I received a call from one of the staff members of the Managing Director, Yousaf Beg Mirza, aka YBM, to confirm my cell number. This was followed by another call at 10:07 p.m., made by the MD. During that phone call, which continued for few minutes, his suggestive talk was loathed with innuendoes, and offers as he counted the expected benefits that a less-important, bureau-reporter can get in return for keeping a direct “contact” with the Managing Director on his “personal number.”

“I was shocked to hear the “friendly” MD, who had been denying the contractual rights of male staff members all these months despite repeated reminders, going out of his way to oblige a female staff member. I have worked with country’s best media organizations during my career and never faced such an ugly situation.”

“Finding the whole monologue, which continued for few minutes, detestable, I immediately brought the matter to the notice of Director News because he was the one who had hired us assuring that our rights will be protected in this organization, which had developed an unsavory standing in the media industry and we also
had our reservations about the reputation of the MD before joining it. “

“I had decided to resign then but the DN asked me to withhold it and let him talk to the MD first. The DN took up this issue with the MD who apologized with the DN over this incident and said he would seek apology from me as well in the presence of the DN.”

“The DN assured me that such an incident would not happen again and the MD would make an apology to me as well. However, with the sudden departure of the DN, the situation took the worst turn and the MD found an opportunity to revenge, and hence re-launched his harassment campaign. This was going to happen despite CEO, Mian Amer Mahmood’s, assurances and promises to the outgoing DN that no member
of his team would either be thrown out or be harassed by the MD.”

“Since the CEO was informed of MD’s harassing tactics, Mr Mahmood repeatedly reassured the former DN that no female employee would be harassed by YBM. “Humaray employees hamaray bachon ki tarah hain. Hum un ko protect kartain hain,” were the words which the former DN quoted me as the CEO had told him. Hearing these lofty words, I took a sigh of relief that my life and respect would be
protected in this organization but what I forgot was that I was not their own daughter.”

“What they forgot was that despite their discriminatory tactics, before Allah all daughters are equal. Ayat 195 of Sura Aal-Imran says: “I never let go waste the labor of anyone that works among you, whether male or female, for in my sight all of you are alike.”

“Instead of reining in the MD, the CEO gave him an open hand and the MD immediately embarked on a campaign to place obstacles in my path. He insisted on personally scrutinizing a special assignment report of mine in Islamabad instead of previewing it in Lahore.

After previewing the report, and throwing his weight around in the Islamabad office, he ordered to withhold it on frivolous grounds.”
“I did not comply, because the changes were devoid of logic and reason. I had done extensive research for my project and the MD had been unaware of the historical context of Sri Lankan conflict which was not surprising since he is not a journalist, and reasons of his survival in Pakistani media, particularly during former military dictator Musharraf’s era, were other than professional.

The bottom line is that the package has been dumped in Lahore, because of the MD’s intransigence and my refusal to “contact” him.”

“I have been associated for a long time with ‘Meri Dharti Meri Dunya,’ a weekly landmark program of Dunya, which has proved its popularity by garnering commercials, and a wide viewership. On the rating chart the program has been going from strength to strength and at times it registered a much higher rating than any other Current Affairs program of Dunya News and that too without any extra
investment of the company.”

“Due to this huge success, the program got commercials and sponsorship of multinational companies which had also asked for increase in the frequency of the program and to be made it twice-weekly. Unfortunately, my association with ‘Meri Dharti Meri Dunyai’ has proved to be its death knell, because the MD has set out
to destroy this program to teach me a lesson. What he forgot, however, is that he was trying to mess with a credible senior journalist and not one of those female opportunists, who are masquerading as journalists and are being heavily promoted for the last few days on Dunya News.”.

“On 18th May, 2009 I was symbolically put in charge of the program’s production in Islamabad just to streamline the links, their quality and better coordination with the head office.

Consequently, we had tried to introduce some innovation in the production and script which got us excellent feedback. However, on 1st June, 2009 the MD forced all concerned working under him to issue another notification and remove me as Production Incharge.

But no reason was given for the abrupt and irrational change.”

“In the next few days, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya’s repeat slot was repeatedly taken away and given to Current Affairs programs which have their own fixed slots as well. On June 1st, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya’s producers were suddenly told at 5:30 p.m., by the Transmission Incharge that the program would not be aired that day at its scheduled and publicized time slot of 7:05 p.m., and it was being replaced by a ‘documentary’. When the producer protested at the sudden axing of the program, he was told that the orders had come directly from the CEO. When the ‘documentary’ aired, we were shocked to see the program ‘One 2 One’ which has its own time
slot. Again no reason was given for this unexpected change in schedule.”

“We were informed that this episode of Meri Dharti Meri Dunya would air next Monday. Two days later, on Wednesday, June 3rd, the Transmission Incharge informed Meri Dharti Meri Dunya’s producers at 6:30 p.m., that the program would be going on air in 30 minutes at 7:00 p.m., instead of the scheduled sports program.

The producers protested at this arbitrary and unfair treatment being meted out to Meri Dharti Meri Dunya once again, but were told that the MD had issued the orders.“

“This was being done despite the fact that a day earlier an announcement was made that President Zardari, Richard Holbrooke and Shah Mahmood Qureshi would address a press conference which would go live at the same time. Having no choice in the matter, the puzzled producers readied the program and it went on air at 7:05 p.m. Barely 15 minutes later, the program was trashed to live broadcast the scheduled press conference. Instead of spoiling their sports program or airing a 10 minutes bulletin as a filler as is the norm, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya was selected as the
sacrificial goat once again.”

“On 5th June, the CEO, Mian Amer Mahmood, held a meeting with the Islamabad Bureau and when his attention was drawn to the unfair and discriminatory treatment being meted out to Dunya News’ most popular program he was unable to provide any justification for such unprofessional behavior. He did concede that Meri Dharti Meri Dunya had extremely good ratings, and said that the program’s timing was being changed ‘to improve its production value.’

“Is the CEO not aware that such distortion of the program has a negative impact on the channel’s credibility, not to mention its marketing value? Despite the Islamabad meeting of June 5th chaired by the CEO, nothing improved for Meri Dharti Meri Dunya
and it continued to suffer the wrath of the top management. “

“On June 10th, the most popular program of Dunya News was once again used as a filler when it was aired at 4:05 a.m. This time it was used to fill Ayla Malik’s program’s repeat slot as the management preferred to withhold her show due to the bomb blast in PC Peshawar earlier in the night of June 9. It was surprising as Meri Dharti Meri Dunya was not repeated during its scheduled time-slot on June
9. “

“Same day on June 10th, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya was chopped to 20/25 minutes duration and was once again aired, without any prior announcement, at 2:20 p.m.---again as a filler in place of Ms Malik’s show. Feeling disturbed over the situation, I separated myself from the program and told the producers last week that I
will not be available for the next episode.”

“My colleagues are perplexed and keep asking me why a successful program is being systematically destroyed to the detriment of the channel. I owe them the truth and they must know why it is happening. The reason is self evident---a personal vendetta of the MD against me for not “contacting” him, and which is being aided
and abetted by the CEO. The very same CEO, who starts every meeting with a recitation from the Holy Quran and who keeps instructing us to speak the truth and not be corrupt, has given the MD his blessings and sanction to harass a female employee just because she won’t compromise on her principles.”

“I advise the CEO to refer to Ayat 124 of Sura Al-Nisa: “And those who do good deeds, whether men or women, provided that they are believers, will enter into paradise and they will not be deprived in the least of their rightful rewards.” When I was hesitant to face an elderly employee at Dunya News who had spoken to me in a
vulgar manner a few months ago, Director Current Affairs, Nasim Zehra, had advised me to be brave and “look him in the eye.” Because, Ms Zehra said, he was the one who had stepped out of line. She asked why female employees were so reluctant to speak out and adhered to a conspiracy of silence when in fact there should be a policy of zero tolerance against such creeps. She said that “our” silence encouraged such sleazy elements to continue their sexual harassment. “

“Her advice made sense to me then and now it gives me the motivation and courage to look the senior management in the eye and ask them: Does this policy of zero tolerance not apply to them? She concluded.

The PFUJ urged the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of Pakistan, the International Federation of Journalists civil society activists to take notice of increasing incident of young women crews’ harassment at TV channels at hands of media manager enjoying top executive position in these channels.

Talking to Bangladeshi reporters on July 2, 2009, in presence of Bangladeshi intelligence officials, JMB terrorist Abdur Rahim alias Shahadat said, their main ambition is to become ‘martyr’ through jihad. They believe jihad is the best path for Muslims.

According to information, Shahadat is also in charge of establishing overseas wings of JMB in a number of countries in the world. He also heads the secret killing squad of this notorious Islamist group in Bangladesh. Authorities in Dhaka are yet to ban the activities of this ferocious group, including several more extremist Islamist terror outfits as well as political parties, which are continuing to promote culture of Jihad and spreading hate speech through various ways.

For years, Islamist extremist groups are spreading network throughout Bangladesh mostly through various mosques and Madrassas. Hate speech and Jihadist instigations are given to innocent people through mosques especially during Friday prayers. Members of notorious Islamist groups are already working in hundreds of mosques and Madrassas in Bangladesh as well as many of the Muslim nations.

Most of the clergies in the mosques come from the Qawmi [Koranic] Madrassas. As it was already documented that, Madrassas are breeding ground of Jihadists, clergies from these Islamic schools, entering various mosques as clergies play important role in brain-washing people with well orchestrated hate speech against Jews and Christians. Taking the advantage of people’s faith on Islam, Muslim clergies very cleverly give provocative sermons and narrate imaginary stories with the mission of poisoning their minds against any other religion except Islam.

Some extremist groups as well as so-called religious political parties continue the mission of spreading Jihadist sentiment amongst the people, thus alluring them in becoming martyr through suicide bombing. Killing Jews and Christians are projected as a part of ‘Holy War’, which promises 72-virgins and heaven to the Muslims becoming martyr.

Although for years, Jihadist activities in Bangladesh as well as other Muslim nations are funded by Afro-Arab sources, it is also learnt that one of the espionage agencies of a South Asian nation is spending significant amount of money each year in spreading religious extremism and militancy in the name of solidarity towards ‘Kashmiri mujahidins’ or solidarity to ‘Palestinian mujahidins’. With such funding, seminars and symposiums are even organized in various parts of Bangladesh with the ulterior motive of increasing anti-Israel and anti-Indian sentiments.

Many secularists and leftists have even gathered under the umbrella of Islamist extremist groups in the name of according support for Palestinian and Kashmiri “Freedom Fighters”. They consider Israel and India as close allies of United States and the Western world.

Pakistani intelligence agency ISI [Inter Service Intelligence] continues to patronize and support anti-Indian notions by funding any group extending support for Kashmiri separatists while Iran continues massive propaganda against Israel through its own missions in a number of nations. In Bangladesh, Iranians are spending huge amount of money in promoting anti-Israel and anti-US sentiments. Most of the street demonstrations burning Israeli and American flags are secretly funded by Iran to give instigations to people in adopting anti Semitic and anti US notions.

According to various news-sites, beside JMB at least two other Islamist terror group has established branches in foreign countries with the aim of exporting jihad.

Mike Horn’s Pangaea Expedition is a four-year trans-navigation of the globe by sea and land. During that time, Mike Horn will cover 100,000 kilometres, reaching the South Pole and North Pole and crossing all the continents and oceans. He will walk, kayak, cycle, paraglide, ski and sail across all terrains including oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, desert, jungle, tundra and ice fields.

Pangaea left Ushuaia in Argentina in October 2008 and will not return until 2012. Horn completed an epic trek to the South Pole in January and has now reached Australian waters after visiting his native South Africa and New Zealand en route.

Mike Horn’s mission is to unite the continents again with a powerful environmental message, and, through the ground-breaking Young Explorers Program, empower young adults, the leaders of tomorrow, to actively address environmental and social community issues. Young adults from every continent will join Mike on various sections of his journey around the world to discover the importance of nature and to learn about environmental issues. The second group of young adults from the Young Explorers Program has recently left Pangaea after two weeks in the fjords of Milford Sound.

Mike Horn said: “I am so excited to be in Sydney to introduce the Pangaea Expedition to the people of Australia. Australia is a young, exciting country and I intend to explain here how I want to share my experience with future generations, providing the stimulation for them to find solutions and ultimately a sustainable balance between nature and mankind. This is the most exciting and important venture I have yet undertaken. It is a treasure hunt to uncover the solutions I know are there. By working together we can create a collective momentum to inspire change. Together we can tap the world’s most powerful energy source – the younger generation.”

The mission of the Young Explorers Program is: EXPLORE-LEARN-ACT.

EXPLORE:
Using his knowledge of 15 years of previous exploration experience, Mike Horn’s aim is to create environmental awareness amongst the young and to experience and highlight the beauties of the planet by taking the young adults out onto a variety of terrains to let them see for themselves.

LEARN :
Educational specialists and local guides will join these young adults out in the wild and share with them their knowledge about the flora and fauna, help them understand the fragile and important interaction between man, nature and its elements and to find solutions and initiate projects that will help protect the planet for future generations.

ACT:
Youth and environmental projects will be established in the countries that Pangaea visits. Among the problems which will be focused upon are:
Water Projects – emphasizing the need to study and monitor the oceans, their bio-diversity and the impact humans have on them. The projects will also engage in ocean clean-ups, debris removal and the cleaning of coastlines and water sources.
Biodiversity Projects – studying, understanding and appreciating flora and fauna, and the importance of a balanced ecosystem, with roadmaps as to how to achieve these.
Social Community Projects – aiding and educating local communities on optimizing water supplies in villages, improving sanitary and hygiene conditions and becoming self-sustainable from an environmental perspective.

At the heart of the expedition is ‘Pangaea’, the 35-metre yacht, which has been purpose-built to unite like minded people and to navigate all oceans and conditions from the arctic to the tropics.
It's unique eco-friendly design and construction embodies the central philosophy of Mike Horn’s previous expeditions, all of which were undertaken using natural resources and human power.

It's cutting-edge communication and conferencing facilities allow Pangaea to broadcast progress from the most remote corners of the planet giving a unique mobile platform to support environmental research and educational projects at its various ports of call around the world.
Pangaea has been designed to navigate all oceans and conditions from the arctic to the tropics. It is also equipped with cutting-edge communication and conferencing facilities to broadcast progress from the most remote corners of the planet. Pangaea will serve as a unique mobile platform to support environmental research and educational projects at its various ports of call around the world.

The Pangaea Expedition was launched in Monaco on May 17 in the presence of HSH Prince Albert of Monaco and Mrs Gaynor Rupert, wife of Mr Johann Rupert, Executive Chairman of Richemont SA, who has agreed to be the ‘Godmother’ of Pangaea

“Good evening. I am here to address events of great significance to the American people. Over the past weeks, we have witnessed the murdering, beating and intimidation of Iranian protestors by a theocratic regime clenching its iron fist to retain power. I strongly condemn these unjust actions of the Iranian regime.
It is time for America to be unequivocal and to recognize its past errors. It is time for the United States to make it clear that it does not recognize the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran has not had a legitimate government worthy of our recognition for decades. The country has been ruled by a series of murdering clerics who seized power outside of any legitimate political means. They were not chosen through any representative process. They are dictators of the worst kind.
For decades, the Iranian regime has repeatedly declared itself an enemy of America, openly acting in violence against our citizens. We’ve known it since the clerics and their supporters took our embassy staff hostage in 1979. We’ve known it in the form of multiple Tehran-backed attacks on Americans since: 1983 in Beirut where we lost 241 people in a bombing; 1985 when TWA 847 was hijacked by Iranian-trained Hezbollah fighters and we lost a Navy diver; 1996 at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia where we lost 19; the list goes on. We’ve heard their message: “Death to America.”

This is a regime that loudly calls for jihad on the West—for the violent imposition of sharia law—it calls for Islamic totalitarianism. It provides the intellectual leadership for the Islamist movement: training, financing, and otherwise encouraging a multitude of terrorist organizations—including those responsible for the September 11th attacks on our soil. America has not forgotten that this regime orchestrated and participated in three decades of deadly assaults upon its people and is ultimately responsible for them. We have nothing to say to the Iranian regime—except that we will no longer repeat our grave errors of the past. We know what you stand for, and what threat you pose. But we do have much to say to the brave Iranians voicing their opposition to the Supreme leader, making it clear his regime does not represent them.

To those among you standing up in the face of threats; to those among you saying “We will continue to speak even if you, Supreme leader, claim that Allah forbids it”; to those among you deciding that it is time for freedom in Iran—we say: you have our encouragement, and our sanction.
To those among you protesting against more than the electoral results, who are wholesale rejecting the oppressive nature of theocratic rule—we offer you our moral and financial support. And if necessary, we will offer you military support to the best of our ability. You see, we share your goal of ending the Iranian theocracy and of eliminating the threat it poses to our own nation. We have had the moral right to end it for decades; you not only have that right, you have the moral fortitude.

To those few in Iran desperately seeking liberty: rejecting theocratic rule is critical, but what are you fighting for? Seize this opportunity to fight for a nation founded on principles that protect individual rights. As America once fought for its independence, so can you. Life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness: these are your inalienable rights. The time is now to fight to create a free nation upholding these principles.

It will not be easy. Our thoughts are with you as you face imminent danger and uncertainty. It will take courage and conviction. But to you, the true friend of freedom, we say: we are with you as you take your first important step towards real revolution. You have rejected the iron fist that smashes you down through religious rule. You have spoken. Stand firm, and we will stand with you.”
Unfortunately we will not hear this speech. Only a President acting on a foreign policy that properly defends the rights of its own citizens—a foreign policy of principled self-interest—would take this bold stand

So the air is seeded with well intentioned reform clouds getting ready to burst upon our sick education system. Whether they will infuse the much needed new life to it, or drown it, is what we need to ponder on. Very often, the erudite reformers take a blinkered view of the scenario, while sitting in their ivory towers. So it is important to initiate a nation wide debate on this issue, inviting not only heads of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and higher institutes of learning, but persons at the grass roots’ level too, that is the teachers and parents and students from different strata of society, who will be the direct beneficiaries or losers in the process of revamp. A mere scrapping of the class X board exam or introducing the grade system would mean poor cosmetic changes, without addressing the more vital problems.

Reforms need to begin at the lowest rung of ladder, viz. the primary level. It is at this stage that the child needs to be free from stress and the monster that a teacher/school is made out to be. With an increasing number of women joining the work force, the utility of play schools cannot be denied. But unfortunately, despite their mushrooming number, they are in the unorganized sector, with hardly any standards of quality control. The Honourable Minister would do well to strike at the grass roots, so that play schools do not become a mere extension of the ‘learning by rote’ system. It is here (and later in the primary classes) that the child can be introduced to environment protection, good hygiene habits, healthy food habits and communing with nature, in a very subtle manner, without the use of the written word. This becomes all the more important as parents find less quality time to spend with their kids. Corporate houses and government offices would do well to have such a ‘home away from home’ on their premises. This is one of the best ways to discharge their social accountability duties.

The primary level stage is the next one which is again largely into private hands. Education, for them, is big business, at least in the urban areas. Almost every other house in any locality has a board proclaiming to offer the best facilities (through English Medium) to a four year old child in the form of ‘computer education’, general knowledge etc. Very few boast of any sort of a play field. People, from even the lower middle class families, send their children to these schools, where they virtually learn nothing, by way of the three ‘R’s, even on reaching class V.

The situation could be slightly better in the missionary and public schools, the latter charging hefty fees. Computer is the buzzword these days. Parents do not seem to be interested in letting their child enjoy a carefree and happy childhood. Instead they want them to be store houses of crammed facts and figures. It is at the primary level that we can inculcate good moral and social values in the child as also a love and respect for nature and fellow human beings. Some schools score very high on this, but they are few and far between. One of my relative’s daughter studies in class three in a reputed Parsi school of Mumbai . At this young age she sees to it that there is no wastage of water/electricity in her house and that garbage is reutilized as far as possible. She is totally against junk food and aerated drinks. And she has effortlessly imbibed all these values from her school, which have now become part of her psyche. At this tender age, it is easy to mould the young characters as they look up to their teachers and try their best to emulate them. If they are made environmentally conscience at this stage, there will be no need to ‘Study’ Environmental Education as a subject in higher classes (so many of us are up in arms against this additional burden of having to memorize another subject with no tangible benefits). And please, let us not replace the play ground with the computer lab. The irreparable harms of this are already there for all of us to see.

Surely till class V there should be no exams. This is the time to arouse the curiosity and hone the natural talents of the child. Interests in fine arts like music, dance, painting (so very important and so much neglected) will help to ignite their imagination, encourage their creativity, and groom them for a well balanced personality. There is much more (and better) to life at this stage than being adept at handling the computer and reciting dialogues from television programmes of the cartoon network. Reading (apart from textbooks) is another habit which has taken a backstage, thanks to the absurd notion that ‘any activity which doesn’t fetch high marks is a waste of time.’ The intangible benefits of a love for reading are far too many and stand by us life long.

With the number of obese children on the rise, it is also important to emphasize on healthy eating habits and physical exercises and a love for nature. And I can say with certainty that all this is very much possible, if we have the will to do so.

Of course, we need specialized educators at the primary level to ensure a proper and balanced development of the child. It should be mandatory for schools to have play fields, airy class rooms with not more than 30 children to a teacher, compulsory yoga, and music and painting activities under competent teachers. The number of schools following these practices is abysmally small. If all schools follow these basic stipulations then parents would not seek specialized coaching of their child, from private tutors, to succeed at the interview for admission to nursery class in a school of their choice. It may seem grotesquely absurd, but such tuitions are immensely popular in urban areas.

The menace of ‘coaching institutes’ is another area, which needs immediate attention. If it is stopped, the students will be able to manage their time better and be de stressed. Gone are the days when taking private tuitions was a sign of the student’s incompetence. There is big money in coaching these days and nowadays it seems to be a matter of prestige, rather than necessity, to join one. Parents feel it is part of their parental duty to send their ward for private tuitions, right from Class I to Class XII, whether there is actual need of it or not. Obviously the child will be stressed due to paucity of time, having to manage ‘two study shifts’.

Several of my class 12 students admitted that they joined some coaching centre more out of peer/parental pressure. But once the heavy fees were paid they kept on wasting their time without improving their education levels at all. Incidentally, most of such students fare poorly at their Board Exams and also fail to qualify for a good professional institute. They would do much better if left to themselves, provided their teachers in school are sincere. Some state governments have tried, (but failed), to uproot this menace in the past. But the education/coaching mafia has such strong tentacles that nothing short of a strong diktat can deter them. This is one field where the HRD ministry needs to do some thing drastic.

At the middle school and secondary/higher secondary level again, it is a good idea to have a uniform pattern of education throughout the country, with some lee way given for regional modifications. But there should be just one examining body/board for the class XII level examinations. It will not make much of a difference if the class X board examination is scrapped, or the marks are replaced by a grade point system. The gradation in marking will and must remain. It is only the allotted marks that are changed to grades and some examining bodies are doing it already. But it does not make much sense to make the class X board examination optional. Either it should be there or not there. Else it will create more traumatic discrimination in the students.

What is more important is to revamp the examination system. At present it seems to be more of a farcical comedy than a serious exercise. There is an absurd emphasis, right from school authorities, to parents and students to get high marks. So much so that the latter are encouraged to cheat and score well by hook or by crook. The undeserving students stand to gain, at every step of the process. These days the teacher is always held responsible /accountable for good results, but rarely for the good conduct of her pupils. Many school managements encourage students to cheat, (particularly in the practical examinations), use unfair means and score high marks. Students obviously are no longer ashamed to cheat. They feel rather proud at having hoodwinked the authorities. There are numerous cases where parents have withdrawn their child from a particular school (after Class X) as the management did not guarantee to her full marks in Class XII Practical examinations. They preferred to send their ward to one which delivered these goods. So much for the moral character of the so called ‘character builders’.

But my contention is – why have such a system which encourage one to cheat and get away with it with impunity.

At present, every Board is trying to outdo the other by way of giving high marks (by diluting the marking scheme), and not by way of imparting quality education. We have students getting 100% marks in subjects like English, Hindi and Economics. Yet their knowledge of the subject is abysmally poor. The system of conducting practical exams in the Science subjects is fraught with aberrations and needs to be seriously revamped.

Exams should not be an ordeal, but make students capable of tackling pressures of life, without getting affected psychologically. Stress is an over hyped and fashionable word these days. The media has contributed to this stress factor in a big way, by making much ado about nothing. It is ridiculous to see students being interviewed before and after taking the Board Exams. It is pathetically amusing to see parents (particularly fathers) discussing the entire question paper with their ward as soon as she/he comes out of the examination hall. What is worse is the anguish and discomfort writ large on the face of the child at this ‘childish’ behaviour of the parent. I have witnessed such scenes very often during the course of my invigilation duties for Class XII examinations. It is such irresponsible behavorial attitudes which increase the stress levels of the students and not the actual exams

Some stress is necessary for all of us. Human beings are generally said to perform better under stress. Too much of dilution will make life insipid and unpalatable, in the same way as over stress will crush it completely. It is more important to impart life skills to our students. We should neither molly coddle nor suppress them. They have to be made competent enough to face the challenges of life; not to be deterred by failures; to accept success with grace and not brashness. They should not feel happy in walking with the crutches of their parents’ power/position. Rather they have to learn to earn their place in society by rightful means.

All this cannot be achieved without the cooperation of the teachers. There needs to be more accountability and better compensation in the teaching profession. It is only the government schools which implement fully any pay scale revisions for teachers. Yet they are notorious for under performance. Private schools (including missionary schools) maintain better standards, but their teachers are grossly underpaid, especially those teaching the higher classes. They always cite paucity of funds as a major problem. The HRD Ministry would do a yeoman’s service if it applies the ‘equal pay for equal work’ policy and makes a sincere effort to remove these discriminatory anomalies. Of course, higher financial benefits will have to be matched with better performances on part of the teacher community. They will also have to utilize their expertise and energy for teaching in class and not in coaching centres.

It is true that achieving this (or even some part of it) involves getting across many hurdles—political as well as logistic. Already there are loud voices of disagreement coming from some states. But instead of being carried away by populist measures, the ‘powers that be’ should don their thinking caps to figure out how to make it happen. A sensible education policy is in the interest of the students, parents and teachers-- in fact the entire nation.

Transition to the progressive no-till system in RAD consists in minimal impact on soil and soil erosion decrease, which is of great importance for Altay lands. Moreover, this method allows to save time and reduce the use of machinery as no deep cultivation is needed. No ploughing and subsurface tillage makes zero cultivation a promising method. As a result, it maximizes the productivity and quality of crops.
Due to crop rotation, the soil is not exhausted and the use of fertilizers and pesticides is minimized.
Complex use of these methods helps to maximize soil productivity, cut total expenses, save operating time that will finally reduce the production cost. Thus, the company will enhance the effectiveness of agricultural production and contribute to preserving Altay soil resources.

In his message on June 26th last year, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had called on Member States to ensure access to health and social services for people struggling with addiction and that no one is stigmatized or discriminated against because of their dependence on drugs. This message seems to have been forgotten. We are here to remind various agencies of their responsibility towards persons who are dependent on drugs” said R.K Raju, President of the Drug User Forum and convenor of the protest.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), drug dependence is a chronic medical condition that requires multi-disciplinary and comprehensive services. Drug treatment in India , is however, provided by some agencies utilizing unproven, outmoded and unscientific modalities. “Opioid dependent patients must have the benefit of Methadone and Buprenorphine, medicines that are on WHO’s list of essential drugs. It is time to promote and ensure wider access to drug substitution therapy, which reduces HIV and other blood borne infections related to injecting, lessens illicit drug use and improves health” recommends Dr. M. Suresh Kumar, a Chennai based psychiatrist who has been treating drug dependence for over twenty years. Presently, services for drug dependence are offered through:
* Government hospitals that provide inpatient and outpatient care, mostly detoxification. Barring premier centres like the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS in New Delhi , most of the government clinics do not offer opiate substitution.

* NGOs, who receive grants from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to run de-addiction centres that house addicts for 15 to 20 days. NGOs impart awareness and counseling but do not always follow clinical methods to treat addiction.

* Private centers that operate without registration or government approval. Such centers charge anything between Rs 3,000 to 7,000, from addicts’ or their families. There is no professional assistance; instead inmates are ‘punished’ for addiction. No government department monitors these clinics, which violate norms with impunity.
Of the above, the third category is the most dangerous. Recollecting horrific memories of his stay at a private de-addiction centre in Delhi , Anil said -“Forty of us were locked up in a dingy basement. One boy fell sick with cholera because of the dirty water we were made to drink. The owner allowed us to eat only 3 thin rotis a day, if some one asked for more, he was tied up and thrashed. Our heads were shaved off. We were treated like animals…worse than animals...”

“Many drug users have died in these centers, because of physical torture and/or lack of timely medical attention” complained Tripti Tandon of the Lawyers Collective, an NGO that advocates for rights of people dependent on drugs. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act tasks the government with setting up treatment facilities, but this responsibility has largely been ignored. “Schemes of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment are not binding on private centers. There is an urgent need to regulate treatment and protect the health and safety of drug users” urged Tandon.

Another grouse was the non-involvement of drug users in policies that affect them. “Community participation is essential for widening the reach of programs. The Ministry has ignored us far too long. This must change.” – demanded Raju, flagging the banner of nothing about us, without us. Earlier in the day, more than 40 international groups and experts worldwide issued a call to action that presses governments to adopt a humane approach to drug policy and enact measures based on scientific and medical research.

The conference, first held in 2004, centers around the innovative technology of no-till cultivation. It gathers governmental officials, members of the scientific community and agricultural operators from all over the world. Representatives of PAVA and its daughter company Russian Agricultural Division, engaged in active development of farming, will take part in round-table discussions about zero tillage and other productivity improvement techniques.
During the conference international speakers will present reports on maximizing yields, proven crop rotation, weed management and others, besides, the programme includes excursions and practical workshops in the field.
“Cost-effective use of resources has become a pressing issue of the global scope, and our company ranks among major players of the agrisector, responsible for sustainable farming policy. Recently we have considerably increased our land bank proceeding to gradual expansion of planted acreage”, comments Andrey Igoshin, PAVA President. “We hope to exchange experience with colleagues regarding progressive agronomic methods, and work towards a collective solution for efficient land use”.
PAVA started to implement its new project RAD in 2008, bringing modern approach to cultivation which coincides with major changes in the Russian economy. The company contributes to restoring the efficiency of national agriculture and Russia’s positions among world leaders in grain growing.

Violent groups have targeted and killed innocent civilians in the United States. In response, the policy seems to be to protect the most vulnerable public places, including government buildings, public utilities, schools, etc. Yet, I don't see any concentration of protection for U.S. children. With regard to them, America also needs to set up more protection against pedophiles, gunmen and children with
guns in the United States.

By "violence", I mean the murder of innocents, i.e., non-military, non-police and non-politicians. The army and police force is used by the government to protect the general population from foreign and domestic aggressors, respectively.

The army and police force can defend the country against violence, but are ineffective against isolated attacks. Outside the country, an army can help defeat terrorism, but it cannot accomplish that task alone, because terrorists are not found in armies. The only way to defeat terrorism and violence in general is to assist police and intelligence groups. However, it will take a long time.

These terrorist groups can survive longer if they become immune within a country. That is why it is important to bring them to justice. The loss of life and property during an attack cannot be restored completely; no matter how much money other countries send.

We can certainly defeat terrorism if we spend much more time and create an awareness of peace, but to do so, it would need to take place over a long period of time. Whether or not people are willing to make sacrifices to achieve these objectives is indeterminable at this time.