Current Topics

Adulteration

1.

Adulteration
Crime Against Society
Adulteration thrives in India with a view of Sab Kuchh Chalta Hai.
Such belief encourages and allures even the honest traders to resort to
make quick bucks. The unholy nexus between death merchants and
corrupt officials, even the police has allowed this heinous crime.

What do we find pure or unadul terated now-a-days? Duplicately branded

ghee, adul terated petrol, turmeric mixed with chromate powder, chilli powder
mixed with red colour, dal with stone bits, dust tea garnished by saw dust,
white powder in salt, even fruits, vegetables and cereals sold in the market,
reportedly contain high level of toxic metals like lead, nickel, cadmium etc. A
survey conducted recently, by a pri vate agency revealed that all the cold drinks
like Pepsi, Coca Cola etc., are found adulterated with unhygienic substances.
The episodes of Coca Cola has been in international news several times.
National Dairy Development Corporation also conducted a survey, which
revealed that 90% of the edible oils available in the market contain highly toxic
substances.
Adulteration is the term used to describe deliberate contamination of food
items diluting their purity. This is done in order to increase profitability or
sometimes in order to meet the increased demand. Food items could be
adulterated by using neutral or non-harmful additives, like mixing pure water
in milk, but sometimes the nature of contaminant added is impure, unhygienic,
harmful and determental to health of consumers like adding urea to milk.
Though, adulteration in any form is not acceptable at all but, the latter needs
to be identified and rooted out at a priority as it could lead to disastrous
circumstances.
Food adulteration has become the order of the day and, consumer
education and awareness is the need of the hour, assert experts. A common
mistake committed by most consumers is to blindly pick up any product
without reading the label which includes details like batch number, expiry
date, manufacturers name and address. Sometimes, it is a spurious or
duplicate product and can be mistaken for a reputed brand. The consumer has
to keep his eyes open while buying a product. One must avoid informal
transactions which deprive the consumer of a receipt of the purchases made.
Adulteration like corruption has become rampant. People and the
government knows that most of the spices, dals, milk, ghee, sugar, tea etc are
adulterated. We have laws against adulteration, but like many other

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legislations they are rarely enforced as adulteration has become a way of life.
The negligent government officials and society are awakened, only when a
tragedy takes place.
Adulteration of food is a very serious anti-social act as it poses a major
health hazard. Lack of awareness among people, corrupt officials, even the
police sometimes, is the reason why spurious food products continue to hit the
shelf. I strongly feel that there is an urgent need to evolve better techniques to
detect adulteration. Coordination between various government bodies
scrutinising the quality of food products and increase in awareness on the part
of citizens can go a long way in containing adulteration.
Who can forget the death of 54 people in the capital because of dropsy
triggered by the consumption of adulterated mustard oil. Dropsy is caused by a
toxin called sanguinarine, found in the seeds of common weed, prickle poppy
Argemone mexicana. Its seeds have been used in recent times to adulterate
mustard seeds for a zing taste. It was claimed that zing have been lost in some
of the high yielding hybrid varieties of mustard, so some unscrupulous oil mill
owners have started adding an overdose of argemone to restore the zing punch,
the taste liked by many consumers. It was a pity that a major cooperative giant,
like National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which supplies mustard oil
under the brand name of Dhara was also in the list of adulterated oils.
The story of the adulterated Dal mixed with Kesari Dal is also an
example. Hundreds of people were disabled in Madhya Pradesh after
consuming this adulterated dal. But those who had committed that crime, went
scot-free. Dont we remember the recent finding of pesticides and other
non-edible items in the cold drinks of renowned brands. No deterrent
punishment was meted out and after the lapse of sometime, everything was in
the same shape. Neither the government nor the public at large was worried
over all those happenings. So, it is rightly observed about India that Sab
Kuchh Chalta Hai Yahan.
Despite amendments to the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, the
level of adulteration in food products in Vadodara was found to be 8.16%.
About 37 of the 453 food samples collected by the Food and Drugs Laboratory
in 2002-03 were found adulterated. Loopholes in law have emboldened erring
manufacturers, and lack of consumer awareness has made things worse. Most
consumers are not brand conscious. They are ig norant about PFA standards
and pick up cheaper products by compromising on quality and subsequently
health too and those who look for label details like the manufacturers name,
expiry date and batch number, do not make an effort to lodge a com plaint on
finding spurious or substandard food products. At the most, they should avoid
buying these things themselves, said Arun Kagadwala of Jagrut Nagrik, a
consumer protection organisation. Why not the in spec tors should hon estly
execute their duties and put the doers behind bars with the help of police.
The penalty for selling substandard products is a small sum which every
trader can pay easily. Also, the fact that one is rarely put behind bars for food
adulteration is also a reason why people have no fear of law. There should be a
law to cancel the certificate for selling anything in the market for a person who
is once caught in this crime.

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There is hardly any pure item in the Indian market. Adulterators spare
nothing to make quick money. Reports have come to light that empty water
bottles are being used to supply well known brand names of mineral water.
Every year, thousands of people die after consuming spurious liquor. Every time
when the tragedy takes place, some arrests are made and actions are initiated
just to pacify the public agitations. The production of spurious liquor cant be
possible without the knowledge and support of local police, but no strict action is
initiated to punish the guilty. There is no system to check or punish the known
ignorance of such police or other erring officials. The police should also be taken
to task, when found guilty for ignoring such cases.
It is the duty of the state to improve the food testing facilities. The
Inspectors, Drug Inspectors, Police Officials, Food Analysts and others
involved should also be taken to the task and must be made accountable if any
incidence of adulteration is found in their area of jurisdiction. Unless they are
held responsible, they will not worry about the happenings, and adulteration
will thrive with more pace and speed.
The Health Ministry must also make ISI or Agmark certification
mandatory for all edible items. Every citizen should also be made aware that
consuming adulterated items may prove to be more dangerous than they can
think of. The indifferent attitude of general masses towards the hygienic
values is also responsible for the prevalence of such crimes. Unless the common
people become sensitive to the hygienic values and protest against the spurious
and adulterated items, the adulteration will not be checked as the law takes its
own time. If we want to remain healthy, we shall have to act at our own level
also and, wherever and whenever presence of such items comes to our notice,
the matter must be brought to the notice of officials through letters and
newspapers. Unless we care for the health of our family members, nothing can
be changed. A social awakening against adulteration can only check such a
crime. Honesty on the part of Food Inspectors, Police Officials and Judiciary in
dealing with such cases to book the guilty and award deterrent punishments
will help to some extent to end up this heinous crime.

Vocab-Card
1. thrivesblossoms, shoots up; 2. alluresattracts, charms; 3. bucksstandard pieces
of gold, silver, copper, nickel; 4. nexussupport, justification; 5. heinousatrocious,
horrendous, monstrous; 6. adulterateddiluted, mixed, contaminated; 7. toxicdeadly,
poisonous; 8. spuriouscounterfeit, deceptive; 9. scrutinisinginquiring, questioning;
10. triggeredstarted, cause, initiated; 11. unscrupulousunprincipled, unethical,
immoral, base; 12. emboldenedheartened, reassured, inspired; 13. ignorant
uninformed, unknowing; 14. mandatorycompulsory, forced, obligatory.

2.

AIDS
A Horrendous Disease
AIDS

AIDS, the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, has assumed

alarming proportions in the last few years, though it has been
surreptitiously developing over a number of years.
Many theories have been adduced to unravel the mystery shrouding the
origin of AIDS, but none is perfect. The first few cases of AIDS came to light in
the early eighties. A victim of the disease of AIDS was found in 1981. Having a
very low resistance to diseases he later succumbed to pneumonia. The term
AIDS was actually coined in 1982. After much debate the virus was called HIV,
i.e., Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Some Facts About AIDS

A positive HIV test does not mean that a person has AIDS. A diagnosis of
AIDS is made by a physician, according to the AIDS case definition.
Over the time, the infection with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
can weaken the immune system to the point that the system has difficulty in
fighting certain bacteria causing infections. These types of infections are
known as opportunistic infections. Many of the infections that cause problems
or that can be life-threatening for people with AIDS are usually controlled by a
healthy immune system.

Difference between HIV and AIDS

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
H - Human because this virus can only infect human beings.
I - Immunodeficiency because the effect of the virus is to cre ate a
deficiency, a fail ure to work properly, within the bodys immune
system.
V - Virus because this organism is a virus which means one of its
characteristics is that it is incapable of reproducing by itself. It
reproduces by tak ing over the machin ery of the human cell.
A - Acquired because its a condition one must acquire or get infected
with; not some thing trans mitted through the genes.
I - Immuno because it affects the bodys immune sys tem, the part of the
body which usually works to fight germs such as bacteria and viruses.
D - Deficiency because it makes the immune sys tem deficient (makes it
not work prop erly).
S - Syndrome because someone with AIDS may ex perience a wide range
of different diseases and opportunistic infections.

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How Long does it take for HIV to Cause AIDS?

Currently, the average time between HIV infection and the appearance of
signs that could lead to an AIDS diagnosis, is 8-11 years. This time varies from
person-to-person and can depend on many factors including a persons health
status and lifestyle. Today, there are medical treatments that can slow down
the action of HIV that weakens the immune system. There are other
treatments to prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS. As
with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and
preventive health care.

Whats the Connection between HIV and Other Sexually

Transmitted Diseases?
A Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) can increase a persons risk of
becoming infected with HIV, whether or not that STD causes lesions or cracks
in the skin. If the STD infection causes irritation of the skin, cracks or sores
may make it prone for HIV to enter the body during sexual contact. Even an
STD that causes no cracks or sores can stimulate an immune response in the
genital area that can make HIV transmission more likely.

Where did HIV Come from?

The most recent presentation on the origin of HIV was presented at the 6th
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (Chicago, January,
1999). At that conference, research was presented and suggested that HIV had
crossed over into the human population from a particular species of
chimpanzee, probably through blood contact that occurred during hunting and
field dressing of the animals. The findings of researches presented at this
conference provided the strongest evidence to date that HIV 1 originated in
non-human primates.
We know that the virus has existed in the United States, Haiti and Africa
since at least 1977-78. In 1979, rare types of pneumonia, cancer and other
illnesses were reported by doctors in Los Angeles and New York. The common
threat was that these conditions were not usually found in persons with
healthy immune systems. In 1982, the centres for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) officially named the AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency
Syndrome). In 1984, the virus responsible for weakening the immune system
was identified as HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).

Extents of HIV Infections and AIDS Epidemic

Gains continue to be made in the response to the global HIV epidemic. New
HIV infections are falling, fewer people are dying of AIDS-related causes and
more people with HIV are living longer.
There were 2.7 million (2.4 to 2.9 million) new HIV infections in 2010, down
21% from the peak of the global epidemic in 1997. HIV incidence has fallen in
33 countries, 22 of them in sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by the
AIDS epidemic.

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Declines in new HIV infections across the world have been spurred in
particular by changes in behaviour among young people, sex workers and their
clients, people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men and transgender
people, as well as by greatly increased access to HIV prevention services.
Increased access to services for eliminating new HIV infections among
children and keeping mothers alive has led to a 30% drop in the annual number
of new infections among children since 2002 and 2003.
An estimated 390000 (340000-450000) children were newly infected with
HIV in 2010. At the end of 2010, an estimated 34 million (31.6 to 35.2 million)
people were living with HIV worldwide, up 17% from 2001. This reflects both
new HIV infections and the significant expansion of Antiretroviral therapy,
which is helping to reduce AIDS related deaths. HIV prevalence declined
among young people (aged 15-24 years) in at least 21 of 24 countries with
national HIV prevalence of 1% or higher.
An estimated 6.6 million people in low and middle-income countries were
receiving HIV treatment. At the end of 2010, an increase of more than
1.35 million over 2009 and nearly half of those eligible. As a consequence of
expanded treatment, AIDS-related deaths are decreasing, and growing number
of people with HIV are living longer and productive lives.
The number of people dying from AIDS-related causes fell to 1.8 million
(1.6 to 19 million) in 2010, down from a peak of 2.2 million (2.1 to 2.5 million)
in the mid 2000s. A total of 2.5 million AIDS related deaths have been averted
since 1995, due to Antiretroviral therapy being introduced according to new
calculations by UNAIDS.

How to Find if One is Infected with HIV?

The only way to determine is to be tested for HIV infection. One cant rely
on symptoms to know whether it is HIV infection or not. Many people infected
with HIV dont have symptoms for many years. The symptoms associated with
AIDS are similar to the symptoms of many other diseases. AIDS is a diagnosis
made by a doctor based on specific tests.

Symptoms of HIV
Primary HIV infection is the first stage of this disease, when the virus first
establishes itself in the body. Some researchers use the term Acute HIV
infection to describe the period of time between when a person is first infected
with HIV and when antibodies against the virus are produced by the body
(usually 6-12 weeks).
Some people, newly infected with HIV, experience some flu-like symptoms.
These symptoms, which usually last for a few days, might include fevers,
chills, night sweats and rashes (not cold-like symptoms). Other people either
do not experience acute infection, or have symptoms so mild that they may
not notice them.
The general character of the symptoms of acute infection, can easily have
causes other than HIV, such as flu, e.g., if one had some risk for HIV a few days
ago and are now experiencing flu-like symptoms, HIV might be responsible for
the symptoms, or might have been some other viral infections.

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Symptoms of AIDS
There are no common symptoms for individuals diagnosed with AIDS. When
immune system damage is more severe, people may experience opportunistic
infections, because they are caused by organisms which cannot induce disease
with normal immune systems, but take the opportunity to flourish with HIV.
Most of these more severe infections, diseases and symptoms fall under the
centres for Disease Controls definition of full-blown AIDS.

How is HIV Transmitted?

HIV can be transmitted from an infected person to another through the
following
(a) Blood (including menstrual blood)
(b) Semen
(c) Vaginal secretions
(d) Breast milk
Blood contains the highest concentration of the virus followed by semen,
vaginal fluids and breast milk.

Activities that can Cause HIV Transmission

Direct blood contact, including injecting drug needles, blood transfusions,
accidents in health care settings or certain blood products, unprotected sexual
intercourse in the genitals and the rectum. In such cases, HIV may infect the
mucous membranes directly or enter through cuts and sores caused during
intercourse (many of which would be unnoticed). Vaginal and anal intercourse
is a high-risk practice.

Oral sex The risk of HIV transmission through the throat, gums and oral
membranes is lower than that through vaginal or anal mem branes. There are,
however, some cases where HIV was transmitted orally. So, we cant say that
getting HIV-infected semen, vaginal fluid or blood in the mouth is without
risk. However, oral sex is consid ered a low risk prac tice.
Sharing injection needles An injection needle can pass blood directly from
one person to another. This practice is common in drug addicted persons. It is a
very efficient way to transmit a blood-borne virus. Sharing needles is a
high-risk prac tice.
Mother to child It is possible for an HIV-infected mother to pass the virus
directly before or during birth, or through breast milk. Breast milk contains
HIV, and while small amounts of breast milk do not pose significant threat of
infection to adults, it is a viable means of transmission to infants. The bodily
fluids like saliva, tears, sweat, faces, urine etc., are not considered as infections.

Can One get HIV from Kissing?

Casual contact through closed-mouth or social kissing involves no risk for
transmission of HIV. Because of the potential for contact with blood during
French or Open-mouth Wet Kissing, doctors recommend to avoid this activity
with a person known to be infected. However, the risk of acquiring HIV during
open-mouth kissing is believed to be very low.

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Can one get HIV from casual contact (shaking hands, hugging, using a
toilet, drinking from the same glass, or by sneezing and coughing of an infected
person)?
No, HIV is not transmitted by day-to-day contact in the home, the
workplace, schools or social sittings. HIV is not transmitted through shaking
hands, hugging or a casual kiss. One cannot get infected from a toilet seat, a
drinking fountain, a doorknob, dishes, drinking glasses, food or pets.
HIV is a fragile virus that cannot live long outside the body. HIV is not an
airborne or food borne virus. HIV is present in the blood, semen or vaginal
secretions of an infected person and can be transmitted through unprotected
vaginal, oral or anal sex, or through sharing injection drug needles.

Can a Woman Transmit HIV to a Man during Vaginal

Intercourse?
Yes, if the woman is infected, HIV is present in vaginal and cervical
secretions and can enter the penis through the urethra or through cuts or
abrasions on the skin of the penis. The presence of other STDs can increase the
risk of transmission. The correct and consistent use of a latex condom or
female condom can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV during vaginal
intercourse.

How Effective are Latex Condoms in Preventing HIV?

Several studies have demonstrated that latex condoms are highly
effective in preventing HIV transmission, when used correctly and
consistently.

What if One is HIV-Positive?

If one gets HIV-positive, early medical treatment, a healthy lifestyle and a
positive attitude can help one stay well. Prompt medical care may delay the
onset of AIDS and prevent some life-threatening conditions.

How Long after a Possible Exposure should one be

Tested for HIV?
The time it takes for a person who has been infected with HIV to
seroconvert (test positive) for HIV antibodies is commonly called the Window
Period. When a person is infected with the HIV virus, statistics show that
95-97% (perhaps higher) of all infected individuals develop antibodies within
12 weeks (3 months). The National CDC says that in some cases, it may take
six months to seroconvert (test positive). At this point, the results would be
99.9% accurate.

What does this Mean for a Person?

The three-months window period is normal for approximately 95% of the
population. If you feel any anxiety about relying on the 3 months result, by all
means you should have another test at 6 months.

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Is there Anything One can do to Stay Healthy?

In short, the answer is yes. There are things that one can do and stay
healthy.
Emotional support may be very important for HIV-positive people because
it breaks the isolation and provides a safe way of sharing both feelings and
practical information.

Do the New Drugs we hear About Cure AIDS?

At present, there is no cure for AIDS, but these drugs help to prolong the
lives of many people with AIDS and delay the onset of AIDS in many people
with HIV.
Owing to the rapid pace, it has spread all over the world. It has earned a
veritable state of Pandemic. The situation has been very grave in the USA,
Thailand and many African, Central American and East Asian countries. It is
estimated that the developing countries account for 84% of the total HIV
infectants.
The lower strata of the society are more prone to HIV due to poverty,
illiteracy, lack of access to the proper counselling and medical facilities.
Despite the best efforts of NGOs, voluntary social workers, a large number of
people living are oblivious of the dreaded effects of the AIDS. The most
common mode of AIDS transmission is through sexual intercourse, when one of
the partners is HIV-positive. It can be transmitted from a mother to her infant
in the womb, though the chances are 25%. Transmission of the disease by HIV
contaminated blood transfusion is also common. Illiterate and ignorant people
treat AIDS as a retribution and ostracise the affected people. That AIDS to
HIV patients, woes, and they are driven away from their homes and jobs, and
all social bonds are delinked. Indian women are the worst affected, for they
have to strive to succeed as mothers and wives despite being bed-ridden. In
most of the cases, they are excommunicated and left to die. These social trends
and behaviours make AIDS more horrendous and more dreaded. India has
launched a National Campaign to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Phase I (1992-99) of the programme was implemented across the country
with objective to slow the spread of HIV to reduce future morbidity, mortality,
and the impact of AIDS by initiating a major effort in the prevention of HIV
transmission.
Phase II (1999-2006) was aimed at reducing spread of HIV infection in
India and strengthen Indias capacity to respond to HIV epidemic on long-term
basis.
Phase III (2007-12) is based on the experiences and lessons drawn from
NACP I and II, and is built upon their strengths. Its priorities and thrust areas
are drawn up accordingly, and include the consideration that more than 99% of
the population in the country is free from infection. NACP III places the
highest priority on preventive efforts while, at the same time, seeks to
integrate prevention with care, support and treatment.

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Vocab-Card
1. immunefree, ex empt, un af fected by, re sis tant, in vulner a ble; 2. unravelclear up,
dis close, re solve; 3. victimprey, sufferer; 4. succumbedsubmitted, surrendered;
5. di ag no sisanal y sis, de ter mi na tion, in ves ti ga tion; 6. op por tunisticaspiring,
en ter pris ing, em u lous, hopeful, zeal ous; 7. ad ducedsug gest, offer, put for ward, move,
set forth; 8. lesionswound, tumour, sore; 9. symptomschar ac ter is tics marks of in jury
of dis ease; 10. an ti bod iesimmunizer, neutralizer, immune response or defense;
11. rashes break out, ep idemic, erup tion; 12. inducepersuade, convince, coax; 13.
mucousdrool, rheum, mucous, spit; 14. frag ilefrail, delicate; 15. cervicalof the
neck or a cer vix; 16. seroconvertthe process of pro duc ing an tibodies in response to a
specific antigen; 17. ram pag ingturmoil, uproar, ferment; 18. horrendoushorrible,
frightful, terrifying.

3.

Are Events like Beauty

Contests an Insult to
Womanhood?
Globalization today means exploitation of natural and human resources
from a third country like India by transnational corporation to reap huge
profits when it enters our daily life and seeks to capture our personal
values and gender perceptions into commodities.
Are Events like Beauty Contests an Insult to Womanhood?

A few years ago, when the ABCL and Godrej Limited arranged Miss World
contest in Bengaluru, much controversy was ignited in the name of our
traditional and ethical values. Our respect for women was reportedly going to
winds with the holding of such contests in India. The moot question was Do
such events constitute an insult to womanhood?
There were not less than 28 organizations, opposing the event. The matter
was heard by the court and the plea that such events are against our culture,
was dismissed by the Karnataka High Court.
The ABCL and Godrej Limited questioned the propriety of such hullabaloo
over the pageant, when Indian girls have been participating in international
beauty contests since mid sixties? Why after two years, when Sushmita and
Aishwarya won the crowns representing Indian women to the world, were
welcomed? Why, when every other metro city, college and school, locally
conducts, a Miss or so and so contest is not opposed by any organization?
What can India and Indian women lose if we hold beauty pageants in the
country? Why all the organizations and other opponents keep silence, when
still greater obscenities and vulgarities are dished out in commercial films, and
duly certificated by the Censor board? What of the Konark and Khajuraho
sculptures and all other explicit temple carvings, where dance competitions
displaying similar poses are periodically organized?

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11

The organizers of Beauty contests all over the world have intermingled the
beauty with brain. The girls are reportedly selected Miss World, Miss Asia,
Miss Universe etc., not only in reference to their beauty parameters, but also
regarding their intelligence by way of answering some tough questions to judge
their IQ. They are given several crowns with specific features like Miss
Beautiful Hair, Miss Photogenic, Miss Beautiful Smile etc. to sell the
multitude of products spewed out of the beauty industry.
It cant be taken as a mere coincidence that most of the beauty queens now
a days are discovered in the developing countries with vast population and a
good market potential to sell the products meant for females.
There is no doubt that beauty shows prototype the female form and
womens body language and determine bodily movements to satisfy the lustful
craving of the male eyes. The women are being publicly exposed almost nude
and judged on the basis of their vital statistics, which amount to an insult to
womanhood to some extent. Several womens organizations and feminist
groups opposed the holding of such a pageant in Bengaluru on several grounds,
not all related with women.
Politics, morality and nationality are intermingled in a pot-pourri of
hysteria. These women groups never opposed the holding of such contests out
of India, but made much hue and cry when the same kind of events are held in
India. How and why could they hold Indian woman more pure and their dignity
such a big issue if a bunch of adolescents were paraded semi-nude in the
country?
It was also argued that such semi-nude dressed girls, could also be seen at
sea beaches, e.g., in Goa, Cochin etc.
The point of holding such contests is not of culture, but it is more of
promoting cosmetics, in this commercial world. The corporates dealing in
cosmetics are always in search of virgin markets to enhance their profits.
Nothing can facilitate their market expansion more than fashion parades,
fashion shows and beauty pageants.
Beauty pageants are an exercise to dovetail the female behaviour with the
likings of males, so a premium is placed on a synthetic smile, smooth
movements of body, made up faces and moisturised skins with beautiful hair.
The present boom in electronic media, the vast coverage of such contests
have accelerated the commercial viability of such pageants. A beauty product
is acceptable only, if the demands of a particular product in the market is good,
if the packaging is proper and its promotion is up to the mark. Beauty, in short,
is what the beauty business defines. Crowning girls from developing countries
as Miss World, Miss Asia, Miss Photogenic etc. is all part of this commercial
game.
All the violent protests and the destructive approach taken by the
opponents of the beauty pageant, do more harm than good to the feminist
caused by giving an impression that these protestors are restricted to a
reactionary and lunatic frenzy.
There were feminists who argue that beauty contests provide an
opportunity for women to express their feminity and part of the sexual freedom

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for which they are entitled as human beings. Some people argue that opposing
the holding of such contests in India, is like chaining the Indian women in the
old traditional values and ethics which are not at all acceptable to the modern
Indian girls, because the old traditions and values were imposed on the women
forcibly under the threats of so called kings and foreign rulers.
Since our country is a democracy, which guarantees several Fundamental
Rights to the citizens, so opponents of the events have a right to oppose, the
organizers have a right to organize and the contestants have a right to contest.
In brief, holding such events, does not constitute an insult to the womanhood.
The ill is not in holding such contests but is in the minds and thoughts of an
individual or group.

Vocab-Card
1. pageantshow, exhibition, celebration; 2. obscenitiessalacity, vulgarity, scurrility;
3. vulgaritiesimpudence, discourtesy, crudity; 4. sculpturescarving, modelling,
carving in stone; 5. explicitexpress, exact, definite; 6. intermingledto mix together,
mingle; 7. parametersa quantity or constant whose value varies with the circumstances
of its application; 8. multitudeaggregation, plenitude, abundance; 9. spewedspread,
spit
out; 10. lustfullecherous, wanton, lascivious; 11. craving-needlonging,
yearning; 12. vitalessential, contribute, indispensable; 13. dignitystateliness,
nobility, self-respect; 14 virginmaidenly, pure, modest; 15. moisturisedto add,
provide, or restore moisture; 16. violentstrong, powerful, forceful, forcible;
17. lunaticdemented, deranged, psychotic; 18. frenzyage, craze, furore.

4.

From Brain Drain to

Brain Gain
From Brain Drain to Brain Gain

The brain drain has been a curse for developing countries like India.
Throughout the post World War II era, the best and brightest routinely
left for search of better economic opportunities and higher standards of
living in the West. Entire graduating classes from the elite Indian
Institutes of Technology emigrated during the 1970s and 1980s.
Every year, tens of thousands of highly specialized professionals and
academics leave the developing world for what they believe to be a better
quality of life in countries of the North. The majority of doctors, engineers,
lecturers, researchers and senior managers as well as students are tempted by
more attractive career opportunities, salaries and living conditions. A
university degree is also the safest passport out of an unstable political
environment.

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13

In this era of globalization, the high skilled workers are moving freely and
trapping the global opportunities. This new dimension of international
migration is passing through an experience of Brain Drain and then followed
by Brain Circulation in many parts of the globe. In many parts of the world,
brain drain is giving way to the process of brain circulation as talented
immigrants return to their homeland with technology, capital, managerial and
institutional know-how, to harness promising opportunities. Such evidences
are already emerging in India.
From late 1960s, a strong wave of well-educated and professionally
competent immigrants from India, started moving towards the industrially
advanced countries. But now in every field of technology, returning emigrant
Indian technocrats and scientists are taking India into the forefronts of
technological innovations, where brain loss is compensated by corresponding
brain gain. For sustaining this process, we have to create opportunities in
India and have to promote young talents to work in India, for making brain
circulation a catalyst for Indias accelerating development.
As per the UNESCO report (1969), the brain drain could be defined as an
abnormal form of scientific exchange between countries, characterized by a one
way flow in favour of the most highly developed countries. According to Part
II of the World Economic and Social Survey (2004) on International Migration,
large scale global migration took place after 1970. In 2000, there were 175
million persons (2.9% of total world population) living outside their country of
birth where 20% of this were accounted in US only. It has been found that the
overall economic impact of migration is beneficial for destination countries
primarily through due to the supply of skilled labour. On the other side,
economic benefits form out migration to the developing countries are
ambiguous. These countries are suffering from brain drain, which includes
inability to make use of migrants talents and wastage of resources spent on
the migrants education. Experience of migration of skillful people differs
spatially, i.e., country to country as well as temporally. So, every country has a
unique experience of migration it can not be generalized.
In case of India, from 1950s, a strong wave of out migration of skilled
workers is well marked which is still continuing with increasing magnitude.
Technocrats and expert professionals moved towards the western countries
such as USA, Canada, UK and Australia as permanent migrants largely. In the
1960s and 1970s, the flow of scientists, engineers and medical personnel from
developing to industrialised nations was thought to have almost entirely
negative consequences for the source countries, affecting their university
staffing and availability of industrial personnel. Recently, however, there has
been growing emphasis on reverse flows of knowledge and skills and of money
the migrants send home. What was once termed brain drain is now seen as
brain circulation, but this has blurred important issues affecting most
developing countries.
A little over two decades ago, when the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
during a visit to the United States to meet with President Ronald Reagan was
asked about the flight of top professional talent from India to the US, he said it
was not a brain drain as it was being dubbed, but a brain bank for India to
draw upon whenever necessary. Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar was asked

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the very same question by the members of The Indus Entrepreneurs,

Washington DC chapter during an interaction. She too, like the former Prime
Minister said, it was not a brain drain, but rather brain circulation. What
goes around, comes around, and I have seen that movement of Indians to other
countries has had a very positive impact back in India. Expanding on this
point Shankar said, once Andhra Pradesh was one of the most backward
States in India but now it is one of the most developed State, thanks to the
engineers, technical experts and scientists who came to the US, gathered
useful knowledge and then exported that to their home state.
Brain migration is not always carrying adverse effects even on the sending
countries if there is exchange of scholars, researchers, engineers and
technocrats, scientists, medical experts between developing and developed
countries or within developing countries with the purpose of mutual benefits in
the form of knowledge sharing. But in the reality, such type of brain
circulation is not taking place until and unless the sending country itself
become competitive enough to attract the talented mass with creating
opportunities and favourable work environment for them to work. For a long
period, since Indian independence, India was fighting for creating basic
infrastructure and for providing mere basic amenities to its inhabitants. India
is still struggling for these at some level. During this period, our economy was
not competitive, private sector was immature, research and development
institutions were in infancy stage and because of inability to make use of
migrants talents brain drain became an unavoidable process.
Developing countries with these bottlenecks can not offer modern
professionals the economic rewards and desirable social conditions.
In the last few decades, India has improved upon these areas. Presently,
India is emerging as a favourable destination for the young talents. In India,
there is a remarkable progress in the development of basic infrastructure,
Indian economy is sustaining in the global competition and playing effectively
in the multilateral marketing structure, Indian research and development
institutions are providing good research environment and giving high level
research outcomes in many areas such as space technology, information
technology etc., Indian multinationals have emerged as a global players in the
last two decades.
Today, India having over 250 million middleclass population with good
paying capacity for maintaining their livening standard and providing better
educational opportunities to their children. Nearly half of Indias population is
in working age group of 15-59 years. In the coming decades, India is going to
become a hub of technically sound human resource which will again strengthen
the knowledge based economy of India and will transform the Indias image in
world context. India is the fourth largest economy in the world in terms of
purchasing power parity, and expected to become third largest economy of the
world in the first half of 21st Century after USA and China. India is moving
forward in many areas such as development of infrastructures, improving
research and development in science and technology, world trade,
competitiveness with sustained high economic growth. Much of economic
success experienced by India during these decades can be attributed to her
large base of human intellectual resource capabilities, knowledge industry and

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15

most importantly the continuous effort in the promotion and innovation of

science and technology. India is now ready to attract its young talented mass to
work in India, thus, it provides opportunity for brain circulation.
Nasscom, a trade group of Indian outsourcing companies, estimates that
more than 30000 technology professionals have returned India during years
2004 & 2005. In Bengaluru, the high-tech city of India, thousands of overseas
Indians (IT professionals) have set up their home. Besides Bengaluru,
Hyderabad and National Capital region are the most preferred destination for
these returnees. Here, they are getting Western style work environment, good
remuneration and quick career jumps. It has been noticed that most of
returnees are first-generation expatriates, along with this second-generation
Indians living in US are also returning. The year 2010 saw as many as 60000
Indian professionals who had settled in the USA, return to India. With the
economic depression naming loss of jobs as the crucial factor for coming home,
the fact remains that some of the best minds are back.
There is a remarkable increase in foreign investment in research and
development in India over the last five years, is an indicator of Indias growing
reputation as an intellectual powerhouse. Return skilled workers and
researchers are working as catalysts in this boom. Major developments in
medical and information technology research along with many other scientific
areas giving signs of brilliant future for India. In 2001, to slow down the
emigration of Indian IIT pass outs and other engineers IIT Bombay set up an
information technology incubator at the Kanwal Rekhi School of Information
Technology (KReSIT).
This incubator has started building a culture of entrepreneurship in the
areas of making intellectual property and products among IITians and
encouraging them to work in India. Several government departments have
stepped forward to support the initiative. On the line of this IIT Delhi, IIT
Kanpur and IIT Madras have also started their own business incubators. The
level of success of these incubators in persuading IITians to take up
entrepreneurship as a career option in India that can be judged after passage of
time.
This is a reality that only a few countries have been successful in luring
their talented emigrants back home. China, Korea, Ireland etc. countries got
relative success in attracting return migration due to the opening of their
economies and aggressive policies to foster domestic investments in innovation
and R&D. Developing countries with some infrastructure in R&D, like India,
are likely to attract the returnees, as well as money and business contacts.
Countries which are capable to create opportunities for research and
development, innovation and entrepreneurship can stimulate return migration
and capital flow. In many parts of the world, the brain drain is giving way to a
process of brain circulation.
For this developing countries need to open their economies, formulate
effective science and technology policies, develop world class institutional
infrastructure, improve physical infrastructure, high grade social amenities
and supportive work environment. India in regularly progressing on these lines
and a clear indication of initiation of brain circulation can be seen. For

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strengthening this process, India has to work more aggressively to fulfill its
commitments towards implementation of these strategies. Indian policymakers
now have opportunity to transform the brain drain from a curse into an asset.

Vocab-Card
1. temptto at tract or ap peal strongly, to en tice or al lure to do some thing of ten re garded
as unwise, wrong or im moral; 2. harnesscon trol, man age, uti lize, ex ploit;
3. am big u ousopen to or having several possible mean ings or interpretations;
4. amenitiescom forts, conveniences, crea ture com forts; 5. remunera tionreward, pay;
6. expatriateto
ban ish
(a
per son)
from
his
or
her
na tive
country;
7. in no va tionsomething new or different introduced, creativity; 8. incubatoran
apparatus in which eggs are hatched artificially.

Capital Punishment

5.

Capital Punishment
Capital Punishment is the legal infliction of death as a penalty for
violating criminal law of the land. Since time immemorial people have
been put to death for various forms of wrongdoing. Methods of
execution have included such practices as crucifixion, stoning,
drowning, burning at the stake, impaling and beheading. Today capital
punishment is typically accomplished by lethal gas or injection,
electrocution, hanging or shooting.

In modern world, the death penalty is the most notorious severe practice.
Other harsh, physical forms of criminal punishment also referred to as
corporal punishment have generally been eliminated in modern times as
unsophisticated and unnecessary. In the majority of countries, contemporary
methods of punishment, such as imprisonment or fines, no longer involve the
infliction of physical pain. Although imprisonment and fines are universally
recognized as necessary to control the crime.
The nations of the world are split on the issue of capital punishment. About
80 nations have abolished the death penalty and an almost equal number of
nations retain it.
An accepted principle of the society is that every person has an equal right
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Within that framework, an
argument for capital punishment can be formulated along the following lines,
some acts are so vile and destructive for society that they invalidate the right
of the committor even to life. The privilege of living and pursuing the good life
in a society is not absolute. It may be negated by behaviour that undermines
the nature of a moral community. Living in a society expects that one honours
the rightful claims of others. The utter and deliberate denial of life and
opportunity to others, forfeits ones own claim to continue in the society. The
preservation of moral community demands that the shattering of the
foundation of its existence must be taken with utmost seriousness. The

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17

preciousness of life in a moral society must be so highly honoured that those

who do not honour the life of others bias their own right to membership null
and void. Those who violate the rights of others, especially if this is done
persistently as a habit must pay the ultimate penalty. This punishment must
be inflicted for the sake of maintaining the law in the society. The point of
contention is whether capital punishment even in such cases is justified or not?
An ideal society would be made up of citizens devoted to promote a balance
between individual self-fulfillment and the advancement of the common good.
Social life would be based on mutual love. Everyone would contribute to the
best of ability and each would receive in accordance with legitimate claims to
available resources.
What action should a community based on this kind of love take against
those who commits brutal acts of ter ror, violence and murder? Taken in
neg atively, it would govern by the philos ophy of an eye for an eye, a tooth for
a tooth, and a life for a life. Those who show no re spect for others life would
be restrained permanently, if nec essary, so that they could not further pose a
threat to endan ger the lives of others. But the pur pose of con finement would
not be vengeance or punishment. Rather an ideal society would find out the
rea sons and cir cumstances that had made one to commit a crime and rec tify
matters, apart from mercy even to those who had shown no mercy. It would
work as a treatment by good for evil. The aim of isolation is reconciliation and
not revenge. It is ever hoped that even the worst among us can be re deemed so
that ones own potential contribution to others can be realized.
In brief, such are the arguments for and against capital punishment, that
one is founded on justice and the nature of moral society, the other rests on
love and the nature of an ideal spiritual society. If we stand back from this
description and make an attempt at evaluation, one point is crucial. The love
ethic requires a high degree of morals and maturity. It is more suitable for a
small, closely-knit society in which all people love each other in depth.
Forgiveness and reclamation flourish best where people participate in each
others lives with love and affection. It becomes an ethic of non-resistance to
evil, unqualified pacifism and self-sacrifice where self interest has totally gone
by. The non-resisting Jesus on the cross who surrenders his life to save others
is the epitome of the highest love and sacrifice. Ethical love means no
condition and will reach out to others even when they lack merit. But, it will
resist encroachment upon its own equal claim to fulfillment and will repel if
possible any denial of ones own right to be fully human in every respect.
Against the pacifist, ethical love would justify killing in self-defence and killing
enemies in a just war when non-lethal alternatives are not available. They are
necessary and tragic emergency to stop present and ongoing violence.
Can unconditional love for the others that regards the welfare of the
neighbour equal with ones own, be the ideal expected of the citizens. Surely,
that would be to hope for an impossible possibility.
Nation states are not likely, even occasionally, to become ecstatic in their
devotion to each other. Mutual, not even to mention sacrificial, love is hardly
the guiding rule of relations between two corporates, nor does either have
aspirations in that direction. A workable ethical standard for the state and the
nation will appeal to the ideals defined by justice and the requirements of a
moral society. To say it otherwise, ethical love expressed as social policy for
large, impersonal societies takes the form of justice. What that norm involves

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for a secular, pluralistic societies which cannot be spelled out here. Within this
framework a strong but debatable case can be made for capital punishment.
Pragmatically and politically, of course, one has to work within the framework
of justice as defined by the secular society in which they have their citizenship
and seek to transform it in the light of their own ideals.
The most compelling arguments against capital punishment can be made on
the basis of its actual administration in the society.
Following reasons and arguments are assigned against the infliction of
Capital Punishment
1. The possibility of error Sometimes an innocent person might be put to
death. Sometimes the capital punishment is inflicted disproportionately on the
poor and minorities as our judicial system is not transparent. It depends on
witnesses only and that may be false or otherwise.
2. Weakness of the ar gument for deterrence The claim that the threat of
capital punishment reduces violent crime is inconclusive, certainly not proven,
extremely difficult to dis prove, and morally sus pect in any case. Many sur veys
reflects the weak ness of such ar guments.
3. The length of stay on death row If there was ever any va lidity to the
deterrence argument, it is negated by the endless appeals, delays, technicalities
and retrials that keep persons condemned to death waiting for execution for
years. One of the strongest arguments right now against capital punishment is
that we are too incompetent to carry it out and that becomes an other in jus tice.
4. Mitigating circumstances Persons who com mit vi cious crimes have often
suffered from neglect, emotional trauma, violence, cruelty, abandonment, lack
of love, and a host of destructive social conditions. These extenuating
cir cum stances may have damaged their human ity to the point that it is un fair
to hold them fully account able for their wrong doing.
In conclusion, the present practice of capital punishment is regarded by
many a moral disgrace. The irony is that the societies that have the least right to
inflict it are precisely most likely to do so. The compounding irony is that the
economic malfunctions and cultural diseases in the society contribute to the
violence that makes it necessary to unleash even more repression and brutality
against its unruly citizens to preserve order and stave off chaos. The society
provides opportunities for all citizens to achieve a good life in a sensible culture,
so it is reasonable to believe that the demand for capital punishment will be
reduced or eliminated. It points to the shallowness of our dedication to solving
the basic problems of poverty, moral decay, meaninglessness and social discord.

Vocab-Card
1.
punishmentpenalty,
the
act
of
punishing;
2.violatingbreaching,
despoiling; 3. immemoriallong past, beyond the lim its of mem ory or tra dition or
recorded history; 4. crucifixionexcruciation; 5. cor po ralbodied, corporate, bodily;
6.
imprisonmentcaptivity,
intern ment;
7.
delib eratecal cu lated,
cog i tate,
intentional; 8. preciousnessin valu ableness, valu able ness; 9. fulfilmenta feel ing of
sat is fac tion at hav ing achieved your desires; 10. reconciliationbal anc ing,
rap prochement; 11. spiritualap paritional, relat ing to thoughts and beliefs;
12. pac i fismpassivism, the doc trine that all vi olence is un jus tifiable;
13. prag mat i callyin a re al is tic man ner; 14. mal func tionsmisfunctions, a failure to
function
normally;
15.
brutalitybar ba rism,
fe rocious ness,
vi cious ness;
16. meaninglessnessnonsense, nonsensicality; 17. violentcrim son, fierce, vehement.

6.

Child Labour
A Bane
India is the largest child labour force market in the world. The problem
of child labour in India is of colossal proportions. The notion that
children are being exploited and forced into labour, while not receiving
education crucial to development, concerns many people. India is the
largest example plagued by the problem of child labour.
Child LaborA Bane

The problem of child labour exploitation is a major challenge to the progress

of developing countries. Children work at the cost of their right to education
which leaves them permanently trapped in the poverty cycle, without the
education and literacy required for better-paying jobs. This is particularly
serious in India as it tops the list with the highest number of child labourers in
the world. The 2001 national census of India estimated the total number of
child labourers, aged 5-14, to be at 12.6 million. Out of the 12.6 million,
0.12 million engaged in hazardous jobs. However, according to informal labour
force statistics, the problem seems to be more severe than reflected. Child
labour is estimated to be as large as 60 million in India, as many children are
hidden workers working in homes or in the underground economy. In the
long run, this phenomenon will evolve to be both a social and an economic
problem as economic disparities widen between the poor and educationally
backward states and that of the faster-growing states. India has the highest
number of labourers in the world under 14 years of age. Although the
Constitution of India guarantees free and compulsory education to children
between the age of 6 to 14 years and prohibits employment of children younger
than 14 in any hazardous environment, child labour is prevalent in almost all
informal sectors of the Indian economy.
Child labour supports the source of income of the poor. A study conducted
by the ILO Bureau of Statistics found that Childrens work was considered
essential in maintaining the economic level of households, either in the form of
work for wages, of help in household enterprises or of household chores in
order to free adult household members for economic activity elsewhere. In
some cases, the study found that a childs income accounted for between 34 and
37% of the total household income. This study concludes that a child labourers
income is important to the livelihood of a poor family.
The fact that child labourers are being exploited is clear from a study that
shows that children for the same type of work, are paid less than their adult
counterparts. Although 39.5% of employers said that child workers earn wages
equal to adults, if the percentage of employers admitting that wages are lower
for children are added up, a figure of 35.9% is found. The percentage of the
population of India living in poverty is quite high. Poverty has an obvious
relationship with child labour, and studies have revealed a positive correlation
as such. Poor families need money to survive, and children are a source of
additional income.

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The twin factors are (1) poverty and (2) the lack of a social security network
form the basis of the worst type of bonded child labour. For the poor, there are
few sources of bank loans, governmental loans or other credit sources, and
even if sources are available, few of them living in poverty qualify or they
hesitate to go for any loans for fear that a bribe may be demanded or owing to
fear of penalty if unable to pay the loan. Here enters the local moneylender, for
an average of two thousand rupees, parents exchange their childs labour to
local moneylenders (Human Rights Watch 1996). Since the earnings of bonded
child labourers are less than the interest on the loans, these bonded children
are forced to work, while interest on their loans accumulates. A bonded child
can only be released after his/her parents make a lump sum payment, which is
extremely difficult for the poor.
Though poverty is one of the basic causes of child labour, it is not the only
factor. Inadequate school facilities or even the expense of schooling leaves
them with little else to do but work. The attitudes of parents also contribute to
child labour. Some parents feel that children should work in order to develop
skills useful in the job market, instead of wasting time in formal education.
Since independence, India has committed itself to be against child labour.
Article 24 of the Indian Constitution clearly states that No child be low the age
of fourteen years shall be em ployed to work in any factory or mine or employed
in any hazardous employment. Article 39(e) Di rects State Policy such that,
the health and strength of workers . . . and the ten der age of chil dren are not
abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter
voca tions un suited to their age or strength. These two Articles show that
India has always had the goal of taking care of its children and ensuring the
safety of workers. The Bonded Labour System Act of 1976 fulfills the Indian
Constitutions directive of ending forced labour. The Act frees all bonded
labourers, cancels any outstanding debts against them, prohibits the creation
of new bondage agreements, and orders the economic rehabilitation of freed
bonded labourers by the state. In re gard to child labour, the In dian
govern ment enacted the Child Labour Act in 1986. The purpose of this act is to
prohibit the employ ment of chil dren who have not completed their 14th year
in specified hazardous occupations and processes. This shows that the
government of India can make laws against any inhuman activities but cannot
implement because many political leaders running the Government themselves
own the factories where children are exploited.
The most comprehensive of all child labour laws passed in India is the Child
Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 (CLPRA). The beginnings of
this Act could be traced to a non-governmental organization based in
Bengaluru, India. This group argued that poverty was the main cause of child
labour and that, therefore, the attempt should be to regulate the conditions
under which children work rather than prohibit such work. This argument
resulted in widespread discussions between two groups of activists. While one
supported the regulation of child labour, the other insisted that prohibition
would be the only solution to the problem. Prior to the creation of the Act, the
Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Bill was introduced in both houses
of Parliament with the following statement of objects and reason.

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21

There are a number of Acts which prohibit the employment of children

below 14 years and 15 years in certain specified employments. However, there
is no procedure laid down in any law for deciding in which employments,
occupations or processes the employment of children should be banned. There
is no law to regulate the working conditions of children in most of the
employments where they are not prohibited from working and are under
exploitative conditions.
The introduction of this Bill generated a debate in the Indian Parliament
with some members voicing their apprehensions and reservations with regards
to different aspects of the Bill. Even so, the CLPRA was passed in 1986, and it
continues to be the principal enactment on the issue of employment of
children. This Act does not call for an outright ban on child labour, but instead
permits employment of children in industries that are not specified in the Act.
Although the Act has been criticized for the above reason, it must be noted that
the attempt to contextually address the problem of child labour in India is
evident in this Act.
The problem of illiteracy is also one of the reasons of the problem of child
labour. It has been observed that the overall condition of the education
system can be a powerful influence on the supply of child labour . Dropout
rates measured by the department of education show that 35% of males and
39% of females dropout. The concept of compulsory education, where all school
aged children are required to attend school, combats the force of poverty that
pulls children out of school. Policies relating to compulsory education not only
force children to attend school, but also contribute appropriate funds to the
primary education system, instead of higher education.
To make states children attain requisite skills to become independent
successful persons in life, the government has taken an important initiative in
the form of right to education. It has came to force from 1st April, 2010. It
makes education as claimable right for the child and provides provisions so
that every child may get an opportunity to attain education. This is meant to
be a serious blow to child labour as children have been given a fundamental
right, with vidation challengeable in the courts. This step could positively lead
to empowerment of Indian children.
The problem of child labour still remains even though all of these policies
are existent. Enforcement is the key aspect that is lacking in the governments
efforts. No enforcement data for child labour laws are available. A glaring
sign of neglect of their duties by officials charged with enforcing child labour
laws is the failure to collect, maintain and disseminate accurate statistics
regarding enforcement efforts. Al though the lack of data does not mean
enforcement is non-existent, the number of child labourers and their work
participation rates show that enforcement is existent, but ineffective.
The problem of child labour has social, economical and political faces. It
cannot be eliminated by focusing on one determinant, e.g., education, or by
brute enforcement of child labour laws. The government of India must ensure
that the needs of the poor are filled before eliminating child labour. If poverty
is eradicated, the need for child labour will automatically diminish. No matter

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how hard India tries, child labour always will exist unless the policy makers
and bureaucracy start honestly working in this direction. The development of
India as a nation is being hampered by child labour. Children are growing up
illiterate because they have been working and not attending school. A cycle of
poverty is formed and the need for child labour is reborn after every
generation. India needs to address the problem by tackling the underlying
causes of child labour through governmental policies and with the coordination
and cooperation of the NGOs and the enforcement of these policies honestly in
true spirit. Without wiping out the causes permanently, we cannot eradicate
the typical problem of child labour. The half hearted measures are not
sufficient. If we could eradicate poverty, child labour will automatically say
good bye to India.

Vocab-Card
1. negligentmarked by insuf ficient care or attention; 2. ex trap o la tionscalculations,
figurings, reck onings; 3. exploitedover worked, put upon; 4. literacyac com plish ment,
acquisition; 5. hesitatepause, swiver, waver; 6. av o ca tionhobby, sideline, spare-time
activity; 7. strengthdurability, enduringness; 8. eliminationevac u a tion, rea soning by
elimination; 9. conclusionde ter mi na tion, de ci sion, an in tuitive as sump tion;
10. erad i ca tionoblit era tion, the com plete de struc tion of ev ery trace of some thing;
11. enforcementso cial con trol act of enforc ing.

7.

Cities on the Verge

of Collapse
After more than 60 years of independence, with launching and
implementing many five year plans, the cities of modern India, are on
the verge of collapse. The cities
epitomize areas wherein the
inhabitants, whether rich or poor, are bound to face the scourges of
exploding population, air pollution, contaminated water sources, dumps
of solid wastes, intolerable noise pollution, inadequate transport system,
creaked roads unable to cope with the proliferation of private and public
vehicles, shortage of water, breakdown of electricity, choked sanitary,
drainage and sewage systems, increasing crime against the fairer sex and
unsafe senior citizens, with criminally indifferent attitude of government
officials to every kind of problems.

One peculiar thing about modern cities, is the scant regard for keeping the
city clean and tidy. The indifferent attitude and deliberate neglect by the civic
authorities have left cities with dumps of solid and other wastes choking and
overflowing sewage and drains, resulted into mud, water storage and dirt
everywhere, giving rise to epidemics like malaria, typhoid, dengue every
alternate year.
Cities on the Verge of Collapse

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23

Various reasons and factors are responsible for the sordid state of cities.
Unplanned growth of colonies, ill management of resources, lack of prudence
in planning, sidelining the issues such as pollution, education, slums,
cleanliness, etc. are to a great extent responsible for making cities a nightmare.
We can find a temple, a mosque or a shrine at every nook and corner, even
in the middle of a road while the basic amenities like water tap or electric pillar
are not made available. Resources are not properly managed, corruption in
institutions responsible for providing basic amenities is of the worst order.
Public funds are being misutilised for the aggrandisement of personal or
political benefits. Any positive developmental action for replacing or removing
the slums or removing the illegal encroachments become political issues and
are vehemently opposed and sabotaged by the politicians.
There are approximately 350 cities, having population more than one lakh,
where proper sanitary, drainage, healthcare seem to be the privileges of a
handful of people, living in the posh colonies.
New Delhi, the capital of India, a metropolitan is passing through the worst
crisis of inadequate mass transportation and pollution caused by the vehicular
traffic. It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court has to issue very strict
directives to keep the city free from vehicular pollution as the earlier advice of
the apex court, were not acted upon by the Delhi Government. More than
fifty lakh vehicles run daily on the roads of Delhi, more than the total number
of vehicles in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, taken together. Delhi is growing
day by day with more people settling there in search of their livelihood. The
city is on the verge of bursting with population explosion and that authorities
are least concerned to make provisions for critical eventualities. The plight of
Mumbai, is no better than that of other metropolitan cities. The suburban rail
network of Mumbai, which carries over six million commuters daily, is not
perfect and whenever it fails a violent reaction as taken place in 1994, is
always feared. The unplanned and unchecked growth of distant suburbs,
depending mainly on the suburban railway network, for their daily travelling,
has caused an intolerable pressure on the railways. The existing railways
machinery is unable to maintain the system properly and efficiently. The
haphazard growth of suburbs with or without the basic amenities provided by
the builders, has taken the peace and tranquility of the city to ransom. A daily
commuter comments, The policy mak ers should take a ride dur ing the
morning or evening hours to find the problems and hardships faced by us
everyday.
Indias commercial capital Mumbai, is an open mafia territory with more
than two murders on an average daily. Open gang wars, extortions,
kidnappings, sexual blackmails are the daily locals news, that are becoming too
common to raise any protest. Mumbai police had a name of repute in yester
years, but now many philanthropists, planners, bureaucrats have been
demanding for a total revamp of the police administration to make it free from
mafia links.
Frequent power breakdowns, shortage of drinking water, overcrowded
transportation are some of the problems faced by most of the cities now a days.
The inhabitants of metro Chennai have accepted their fate, to live with chronic

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151 Essays

water shortage, spending not less than ` 500 per month for water requirement.
Then in Kerala, having 42 small rivers and lakes, most of the cities are facing
irregular water supply. The same is the problem in many newly built colonies
of Mumbai.
Yet another problem in most of the cities, particularly the metros is the
proliferation of slum localities. Recently, the DDA authorities refused to take
any action on the complaints of residents of West Delhi posh colonies against
the slum dwellers using a pavement for defecation. In his report the
Comptroller and Auditor General of India disclosed in 1994-95, that over 40000
new jhuggies proliferate in the capital every year. The court in November, 1994
had advised the Delhi Government to check slum growth and to take
immediate step to improve the conditions of the urban poor. It is a fact that
millions of people from the rural areas migrate to the metros and other nearby
cities in order to earn their livelihood. There is no employment opportunities
available in rural areas. Cities provide job opportunities for all, the
professionals, the traders, the skilled or unskilled labours, and anyone who is
ready to work with his body and soul. Slums are the result of migration at no
cost. In spite of all the sufferings and hardships, these poor jobless people
would prefer to slog at the city fringes, sleep under flyovers, or on pavements.
The slum dwellers is a harsh reality. No government has taken any positive
steps to solve the problem in a planned and positive manner. The government
is duty bound to provide basic amenities to these poor. Are these people not
contributing or serving the needs of the rich or economically affluent society of
the cities in the form of presswala, rikshaw puller, daily wage labour or others?
The complex socio-economic growth of cities, has given rise to small or big
crimes such as rape, dacoity, theft, kidnapping, etc. The lack of personal
relation, indifferent attitude of the co-passen gers, neglect and corrupt police
officials, have made cities the dens of crime. A lone youth, flaunting a dagger,
in a crowded bus may after pickpocketing an innocent passenger, could alight
from a bus nonchalantly and none dare to stop him. Crime thrives because of
the apathy of the citizens and the collusion and irresponsibility on the part of
the law enforcing machinery.
Are the cities on the verge of collapse? Are we heading towards a dooms
day? Can the peculiar problems of cities be tackled? Can the, cities be places for
peaceful and pollution free living? Though lot of clamourings have been there
to improve the lives in the metros and other cit ies, yet little can be expected to
be done in the immediate future to halt the process of urbanisation. A national
urban policy needs to be trined keeping in view the en tire spec trum of urban
problems and peculiarities to tackle the problems. To check the ex odus from
rural ar eas to urban ar eas, a lot is re quired to be done to make avail able the job
opportunities in rural area itself. Developing satellite towns, with all necessary
in fra struc ture and proper transportation may prove to be a good mea sure to
check the overcrowdedness in the cities. Nothing can be done without the
co-operation of the general masses to ameliorate the conditions of the cities.
Proper prudent planning, sincere strategies, with involvement of society,
checks on corruption, etc., can make our cities worth living. If all concerned
join hands sincerely with determination, our cities may be turned from the
pres ent day hells to the heav ens of fu ture.

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151 Essays

Vocab-Card
1. collapsebreak; 2. con tam ina tionpoisoning, pollution; 3. inadequate poor, short;
4. pro lif er a tiona frightening or unpleas ant dream or experience development,
matu ration; 5. peculiarfunny, rummy; 6. delib eratecalculated, intentional;
7. nightmareexces sive appearance of remitting; 8. amenities agreeablenesses,
conveniences; 9. vehementlystrongly, in a vehement manner; 10. san itaryfree from
filth and pathogens, health ful; 11. drain agedrain, emptying by draining;
12. priv ilegesprequisites, prerogatives; 13. noteworthyno ta ble, re mark able;
14. commuterspeo ple who reg ularly travel between their work places and res idences;
15. extortionexaction, overcharge; 16. philanthropistsaltruists; 17. pro lif er a tion
development, growth; 18. dwellersdenizens, inhabitants; 19. ame lio rateamend,
im prove, me liorate.

8.

Computer
A Boon or A Bane
Computer : A Boon or A Bane

Computer is not a magical device. It possesses no IQ or intelligence of

its own. Its IQ is zero. It has to be told what to perform and in what
sequence. Hence, only the user can determine what task a computer will
perform. A computer cant take any decision at its own until it is
programmed to do so. These are some mechanical deficiencies of the
computers, but in addition to these technical flaws, the invention of
computer has adversely affected the human function, the social
economic fabric of the nations.
Today hardly any field of our life is left unaffected by computers. In schools,
banks, shops, hospitals, restaurants, post offices, government offices, railway
or bus reservation counters, travel companies and in all such utility service
departments, we find computers working everywhere.
For the last few decades, the world seems to have undergone a computer
revolution. Initially, computers were designed to solve the complicated
scientific problems, but now a days, computers are becoming indispensable day
by day. Necessity is the mother of invention, the saying holds true for
computers, as it was initially invented for fast and accurate calculations. The
word computer comes from the word compute, that means to calculate. So a
computer was normally considered to be a calculating device that can perform
arithmetic calculations at an enormous speed and with perfect accuracy. But
now a days more than 80% of the work done by computers is of
non-mathematical or non-numerical nature. Hence, to define a computer
merely as a calculating machine does not hold good in present day situation. To
be correct and more precise, a computer may be defined as a device that
operates upon information or data. The fact that the computers process data is
so fundamental that many people have started calling it a data processor. The