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Ganga Dussehra By Dr Arvind Kumar Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on Dashmi Tithi of Shukla Paksha Jeyshta Masa. This day, sacred river Ganga had descended on earth from heaven. This year it is being observed on 31 st May 2012. When Ganga Dussehra falls in Hast Nakshatra, it is believed to remove worst kinds of sins. Ganga descended on earth in Hast Nakshatra, hence, this day is more significant in comparison to other days. Ganga Dussehra is a festival of faith and devotion. As per the scriptures, bath and donations have great significance on this day. If due to some reason a person is not able to have bath in Ganga, he should perform Ardhaya nearby river and do the Tilodak and Tarpan. All sins of life are removed by performing bath, donations and Tarpan, on this day, therefore, this festival is called Dussehra. Out of all the rivers, Ganga is considered the most sacred and remover of sins (Papamochini). Having a dip in Ganga, gives salvation to a person. After performing ...

Nirjala Ekadashi Nirjala Ekadashi is the most important and significant Ekadashis out of all twenty four Ekadashis in a year. Nirjala means without water and Nirjala Ekadashi fasting is observed without water and any type of food. Nirjala Ekadashi Vrat is the toughest among all Ekadashi fast due to strict fasting rules. Devotees abstain not only from food but also from water while observing Nirjala Ekadashi Vrat. According to Hindu epic Mahabharata, one day Saint Vyasa went to visit Pandavas and the Madhyam Pandav Bhima, who was also a food enthusiast, stated that all his brothers, wife Draupadi and mother Kunti observed fast on 24 Ekadasis throughout the year and request him to do the same. But he was unable to perform the ritual owing to excruciating hunger pangs. Saint Vyasa suggested him to observe Nirjala Ekadasi Vrat, which will fetch him the holy fruits of keeping yearlong Ekadasi fasts. Bhima abided by his words and performed Nirjala Ekadasi Vrat. Next morning he...

Study of a Study about Studies By Dr Arvind Kumar Recent media reports indicate that the Pentagon in US was inundated with so many studies in 2010 that it commissioned a study to determine how much it cost to produce all those studies. Now the US Government Accountability Office had reviewed the Pentagon’s study and concluded in a report in early May this year that it’s a flop. The study of a study of studies began in 2010 when Defense Secretary Robert Gates complained that his department was “awash in taskings for reports and studies.”  This phenomenon is not peculiar to the US administration alone; India also suffers from this malady wherein precious official resources are drained out on instituting commissions of inquiry and the reports of such commissions’ gather dust in the stores. No body cares to find out as to what is the worth of these recommendations. This shows sheer lack of coordination, cooperation and convergence between and amongst the different departments ...

Japan’s Environment Policy By Dr Arvind Kumar The Japanese government has recently adopted a new environment basic plan, which is the fourth since the first plan was adopted in 1994. It includes the experience of the Fukushima nuclear crisis and says that the idea of safety should serve as the basis of anr attempt to attain the main goals of the plan. It has been hailed as a commendable approach. However, well-concerted efforts are called for to promote safety in every sphere of society as well as energy-saving efforts and the development of renewable energy sources. The new plan calls for the realization of a sustainable society through efforts to build a low-carbon and recycling society, and to promote harmony between people and nature on the foundation of ensuring safety. Harmonization between people and nature is included from the viewpoint of protecting biodiversity. Nevertheless, when looked at closely, though, the plan contains various problems. The plan says that Japan...

Food Security & Better Quality of Life By Dr Arvind Kumar In its recently released first Africa Human Development Report, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has stressed food security as a means to a better quality of life for all. The argument is straightforward: Most people in Africa depend on agriculture, and better nutrition is good for human development. More food production means more food and income in people's pockets, which has spin-offs which are beneficial for health and education. The report is not another exhortation to farmers to grow more food. According to Pedro Conceicao, chief economist with the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, exclusively looking at linkages between small-scale farmers and agriculture or gender empowerment and agriculture were "piecemeal approaches" and not helpful. "We have to move beyond silver bullet obsessions [such as agricultural subsidies] or attention-grabbing headlines." He reasoned that high economic grow...

Water-borne Diseases By Dr Arvind Kumar Water-borne diseases have claimed heavy toll of human lives. Several hundred deaths have been reported in the last three years in the country, due to diseases caused by consumption of unsafe and contaminated water. Contaminated water can cause Acute Diarrhoeal Diseases (ADD), Viral Hepatitis, Cholera and Typhoid (Enteric Fever). According to the information made available recently by the  Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs,  of the 21,12,308 cases detected in Karnataka alone, 257 people had died due to these diseases in that state during 2009, 2010 and 2011. Of this, three people died due to cholera out of the 610 cases detected during the three years. Andhra Pradesh saw four deaths out of 715 cases, while two died in Tamil Nadu out of 1,308 cases. Kerala saw three deaths, out of the 81 cases detected. Similarly, ADD took 192 lives in Karnataka with 19,62,271 cases detected, while Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala saw...

Ground Water and Sea Level By Dr Arvind Kumar Groundwater is used for many purposes. Massive extraction of groundwater for crop irrigation, drinking water or industrial purposes may result in an annual rise in sea levels of approximately 0.8 mm, accounting for about one-quarter of total annual sea-level rise (3.1 mm). The findings from a recent research study by hydrologists from Utrecht University and the research institute Deltares show that  the rise in sea levels can be attributed to the fact that most of the groundwater extracted ultimately winds up in the sea. It is further observed that alternately severe ground water extraction near the sea will also tend to have the sea water replace the ground water table. Currently, sea levels around the world are rising. Present sea level rise potentially impacts human populations (e.g., those living in coastal regions and on islands) and the natural environment (e.g., marine ecosystems). Global average sea level rose at an avera...

Perils of Global Warming   By Dr. Arvind Kumar Global warming has assumed serious dimensions and the world leaders are faced with this dilemma. The ongoing buildup of human-related greenhouse gases — produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests – has attracted the attention of the scientific community which has issued serious warnings from time to time of the impending perils.  According to the Global Carbon Project, an international collaboration of scientists, global emissions of carbon dioxide rose to 5.9 percent in 2010 and this increase solidified a trend of ever-rising emissions that scientists fear will make it difficult, if not impossible, to forestall severe  climate change  in coming decades. The process of global economic slowdown has further complicated the worldwide effort to reduce emissions in conjunction with the technological, economic and political issues that have to be resolved. The United Nations has been engaged in spons...

Opting for Organic Food By Dr Arvind Kumar Organic foods are those that are produced without the use of chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers commonly used in cultivation and drugs, such as antibiotics and hormones given to commercial livestock. Organic food production is a heavily regulated industry. Presently, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain special certification  in order to market food as ‘organic’ within their borders. Foods claiming to be organic must be free of artificial  food additives , and are often processed with fewer artificial methods, materials and conditions, such as  chemical ripening ,  food irradiation , and  genetically modified  ingredients. Pesticides are allowed so long as they are not synthetic. The organic food market is growing rapidly, far ahead of the rest of the food industry, in both developed and developing nations. World organic fo...

India’s Global Role By Dr Arvind Kumar During his recent visit to India, the UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon said that he expected India to play a greater role in world affairs and ‘lead by example’ in helping countries in the Arab world to achieve democratic stability. He further added: “India is a very valued and strong partner of the UN and I really want to reinforce such a strong partnership.” The UN chief said his message to India would be that he expected the world's largest democracy to ‘play a greater role’ in global affairs. The UN Chief said: “India should speak out and also help those countries in transition in the Arab world and North Africa. India can show and lead by example and share its experience in the democratisation process. All in all I am very happy with current level of partnership between UN and India. But we are working (to have an) even better, even more and even stronger relationship. That is the main purpose (of the visit).” As on...

Labyrinth of Happiness By Dr Arvind Kumar Leo Tolstoy, in his great work Anna Karenina says, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The notion of happiness, which once adorned the works of the novelists and philosophers, is now hecticly sought after by the politicians, economists and psychologists who think it can be distilled into a “science” and translated into pro-happiness policies. It has become a buzzword with almost all govrnments of the day who swear by it to allure the voters without making them ‘happy.’ The World Happiness Report , released recently, reflects a new worldwide demand for more attention to happiness and absence of misery as criteria for government policy. It reviews the state of happiness in the world today and shows how the new science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness. According to the report, the happiest countries in the world are all in Northern Europe (Denmark, Nor...

Labour Day 2012 By Dr Arvind Kumar 1st day of May is observed as ‘Labour Day’ and ‘International Workers Day’. The ‘Labour Day’ began with the United States labour movement in 19th century, which was started on May 1, 1886 in United States. Some labour organizations in the country called on strike because they wanted an 8-hour working days. There was carnage in Haymarket Square in Chicago on May 4th; in which near 12 persons died as well as about 100 people were wounded. The protesters did not find an urgent result, but they gained a successful result slowly; when 8-hour the working days happened to be the standard in many countries around the world. ‘Labour Day’ was therefore selected as a day for rallies, processions and speeches. ‘Labour Day’ is a most important holiday in United States, Russia and other nations. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their  labour unions  throughout most of the world. India celebrate...