Immortal
Patriotic songs
A C Tuli
In promoting communal harmony and
national solidarity, our film industry has all
along played significant role. Over the decades,
a number of meaningful films with interesting
nationalistic themes have been made, and some of
these films have left a deep impact on the
viewers' minds. And equally important is the fact
that our finest patriotic songs have come from
such films - songs which have now become a part
of our national ethos.
In fact, during the freedom struggle, and also
after independence, patriotic songs from films
enjoyed great popularity with our masses. In the
early 40s, when the patriotic fervour was at its
peak in the wake of the Quit India Movement
launched by Gandhi, a song that took the entire
nation by storm came from the film 'Kismet'
(1943). The song was, 'Aaj Himalay ki choti se
phir hum ne lalkara hai, dur hato, dur hatto ai
duniya walo Hindustan hamara hai. . .' This song
was penned by Pradeep and set to music by Anil
Biswas. Such indeed was the popularity of this
song those days that the only other patriotic
song that could rival it was our national anthem.
Less than a year after we achieved Independence,
a film entided 'Shaheed' was made by Filmistan
Studios. It starred Dilip Kumar and Kamini
Kaushal. Today, this film is remembered chiefly
for its one patriotic song, ''Watan ki rah hamen
watan ke nau jawan shaheed ho. . ." This
song was written by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, set to
music by Ghulam Haider, and sung by Mohammed
Rafi, Khan Mastana and chorus. It is still played
by AIR on important national days.. . . .....more
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New age
grannies
Gone are the days
when the grandmother's image was of
wrinkled saris and bifocals. Today's
grandmoms are even taking part in fashion
parades, finds Anju Munshi
By now, you might be a bit blasé about
fashion shows with their ramp models, a
regular in cities these days. But then,
once in a while there are events in this
genre that make you sit up and take
notice- despite yourself. Like the recent
show in the Tollygunge Club of Kolkata.
For, the participants were not the usual
nymphets but were all grandmothers. The
show was called, rightly enough,
'Grandglams.'
You cannot be blamed if these glamourous
grannies don't match up to the age-old
image of grandmothers in India with their
wrinkled saris and spectacles, stooping
over a walking stick, or idling away
their time in endless sessions of kirtan.
Bollywood reiterated this typical image
by portraying characters enacted by the
Lalita Pawars and Sulochanas, playing the
grandmother's role with great élan ,
their salt and pepper bunch of hair
neatly tied behind the neck -coughing,
slouching, and holding on their painful
backs.
What a change it has been of late ! Meet
the new age grandmom who bounces out of
bed before dawn and goes non-stop till
late at night, and who navigates the
slippery terrain of multitasking with
panache. It seems that for her, old age
is a matter of personal choice and not a
genetic diktat.
The old picture that has been catching
dust in the photo frame has changed.
Today's grandmom reads bestsellers, is a
BBC and a CNN buff, plays golf and
tennis, net-chats and sums up the day
occasionally over a rum punch or a
mocktail. Some of them are successful .... ... ....more
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Item numbers are
here to stay
Inder Jeet S ‘Prince’
 In the words of Ganesh
Hedge, noted choreographer of Hindi films,
’’I would define item number as
something senseless that is not related to the
film. It is like a break in the strenuous
activity of watching a Bollywood film. People can
enjoy the naach-gana clap, throw money and then
get back to the tension of the actual film. Many
films are watched because of the success of one
item number of the film.’’ Helen who
started the cabret trend in Indian cinema way
back in 1958 with the success of song
‘‘Mera Naam Chin-Chin Choo’’
(‘HOWARH BRIDGE’) has the following
words to say ‘‘ Today’s young
girls are doing a brilliant job not only as
actresses but also as dancers. Priyanka,
Aishwarya and Kareena are talented actresses and
also brilliant dancers. Madhuri Dixit was equally
good in dance numbers. I’ve no problem with
item numbers because it is necessary for everyone
in the entertainment industry to keep pace with
time.’’
It is said that Helen’s much talked about
dance ‘‘Mehbooba,
Mehbooba...’’ (‘Sholay’) was
a direct Import from the cabret in much diluted,
indianised form. But now, Isha Kopikar (who ?)
got noticed only after she did
‘‘Khallas’’ item song in
‘‘Company’’ and
‘‘Ishq Samundar’’ in
‘‘Kaante’’. Malaika Arora,
who shot to fame after doing just one hit item
number opposite Shahrukh Khan in ‘‘Dil
Se’’ (Remember ‘‘Chhaiyan,
Chhaiyan’’ . ......more
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Euthanasia
Uma Ramachandran
 Ramesh
doesn't want to live any more. The farmer from
Ramgarh, Uttar Pradesh, has AIDS and has sold
most of his farmland for his treatment. But he
has to live. His request to the President of
India to allow him to die was turned down.
Ramesh's is not an isolated case. In 2004, K.
Venkatesh, a former national chess champion
battling Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, a
neurological disorder, had pleaded to be taken
off his life support system. The Andhra Pradesh
High Court rejected his plea on the ground that
euthanasia or mercy killing was illegal in India.
But all this could change. C.K. Chandrappan, a
CPI MP from Trichur, Kerala, has introduced the
Euthanasia (Permission and Regulation) Bill in
the Lok Sabha. If passed, it would provide for a
compassionate, humane and painless termination of
the life of an individual who is permanently
invalid or bedridden because of an incurable
disease.
If there is no hope of recovery for a patient, it
is only humane to allow him to put an end to his
pain and agony in a dignified manner. Agrees Dr.
B.K. Rao, chairman, board of management, Sir
Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, "If it is
established that the treatment is proving to be
futile, euthanasia is a practical option for
lessening the misery of patients."The Bill
states that "a person who's completely
invalid and/or is bedridden or who cannot carry
out his daily chores without regular assistance,
can either himself or through persons authorised
by him have the option to file an application for
euthanasia with the civil surgeon or the chief
medical officer (CMO. ........more
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Dance your
way to sound Health
Suraj Saraf
 The concept of arts
for health is finding wider and
wider recognition over pasty
several years. Various
organizations are appearing on
the scene to propagate and
practice it.
It may be fine arts or performing
arts or even folk arts, all of
them are grist to the mill in
that behalf.
That is not only for keeping in
fine physical fitness but also to
sharpen mental abilities and
develop personality besides
building confidence.
Dr Sue Jennings, founder director
of the British school of Drama
Therapy and psycho- therapist had
said " most of us do not
realise the potential arts have
in shaping up a human
being." Was not drama a part
of ancient rituals of healing,
she poses the question and
laments that in the recent times
science and technology had
relegated arts to the background
"but thankfully the process
of rediscovering the therapeutic
potential of arts had
begun." Some years back Dr.
Jennings had also visited India
and conducted the first theatre
therapy course for the mentally
retarded children in this country
in connection with her world wide
campaign in that behalf.
Jeanie Carlisle , certified
movement specialist from the USA
had also conducted workshops in
India some years back to show how
movement and dance techniques
could be integrated the class
environment. She had explained
the theory and practice of all
dance elements and their
therapeutic value for physically
and mentally challenged children.
. . ......more
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Fighting Fibroids
without Surgery
Dr.Pradeep Muley
 Chances are you know someone who has
battled uterine fibroids - abnormal, benign
growths within the uterus that can cause painful,
heavy prolonged menstrual bleeding with clots,
frequency of urination, constipation and lower
back pain. After all, more then 25% of women in
India between the ages of 25 and 50 suffer from
fibroids.
Until a few decades ago, women with fibroids
faced with only one treatment option -
hysterectomy. But thanks to advanced technology,
less radical option is now available, the
noninvasive, uterus-saving uterine artery
embolization.
Do you have Fibroids?
"Sometimes I see patients in my FIBROID
CLINIC who have no other symptoms other than the
fact that they can't fit into their clothes even
though they've been exercising like a
fanatic," says Dr. Pradeep Muley, Head of
Interventional Radiology at the Batra Hospital
& Medical Research center, New Delhi and
founder of India's 1st Fibroid Club. He adds,
"Fibroids can cause the uterus to swell, but
it's easy to mistake that for a little weight
gain."
NON-SURGICAL APPROACH
If you have fibroids, do not fear. You do not
have to have a hysterectomy or undergo a
similarly scary surgery. "40% percent of
hysterectomies are due to fibroids, and most are
unnecessary". So many women do not have to
lose their uterus," says Dr. Muley. Rather,
you can opt for uterine artery embolization, a
relatively new procedure that injects microscopic
plastic particles into the uterine arteries via a
catheter, blocking the flow of blood to the
fibroids, causing them to shrink.........more
Biodiversity
Conservation in Himalayas
Abdul Rashid Choudhary
The Himalayan region is the largest
mountain system in the world, of paramount
importance in the context of biodiversity. The
traditional utilization of biologically diverse
resources in the Himalayas not only reflects a
diverse resource use pattern, but also a respect
for preserving biological diversity by the
mountain people.
Forests undoubtedly are the most important
biodiversity resource in the Himalayan Mountain
Region. In mountain agriculture both permanent
farming and shifting systems are directly or
indirectly nurtured by mountain forests. Mountain
forests also provide numerous products and are
essential for environmental protection. The local
people utilize various biospecies found in
forests. They manage the environmental resources
in their habitat as per their subsistence needs.
The native mountain people regard themselves as a
part of the ecosystem. The forest management
practices are based on their perception of the
man-forest relationship from which they evolved
the concept of the 'Holy Hills' i.e., an area of
forested hillside where the gods reside. A
respect for the gods, goddess, ditties, and
religious and social beliefs promotes peace and
well-being of the local tribal of this region.
Likewise any disrespect, on the other hand,
incurs the wrath of the gods. Last year, in May,
during my botanical exploration in the Pir . ......more
‘‘Honest
person is noblest work of God’’
Capt Purushottam
Sharma
 Honesty
is the mother of all virtues. Honesty is
an austerity that leads to Godward.
Honest persons are truthful, pure,
prudent, humane, humble, frank, fearless
and self-less. They are mighty, devoted,
dutiful, disciplied, discriminative and
determined. They deliver justice,
generate joys, champion good causes and
are the ‘salt of earth’.
Conscientious, kind, considerate and
compassionate, they accomplish everything
with perfection. Social, solemn, and
followers of their conscience, their most
precious possession is contentment for
they carry a noble thought that man is
born empty-handed and leaves this world
empty-handed, then why not lead and live
a virtuous life and fulfill the earthly
sojourn by treading the path of
righeousness. Honest persons store their
treasure with sacred jewels of merits.
They lead an ideal and worth-while living
and bring glories. ‘‘EARN THY
BREAD BY THE SWEAT OF THY
BROW’’ is their slogan. Like
seers, honest persons are
‘‘SARVBHOOT HITE
RATAH’’ (engrossed in the
welfare of all beings) (S B Gita 25/5).
Our scriptures tell us that although we
are born naked and naked shall we leave
this world, yet we bring the impress of
our past deeds (Karmas).
Thus our joys and sorrows and liberation
or bondage depend on our Karmas. Just
stop a while, spare few minutes to give a
look to the bleeding dog with punctured
skin. Imagine and experience its pain and
suffering. It has been in perpetual
groaning for day in and day out for
months together before the God of Death
shows His benevolence and takes to His
fold. Such sufferings are caused by the
vice of dishonesty (evil actions). .... .
...more
Talent
Attraction & Retention
isha Gupta
To talk about the most
recent urgency these days, its nothing
else but attraction of the talented
people to work in your organization and
their retention with the organization.
The need of the hour is attracting as
well as retaining the people who retain
you in business!
If you talk about the supply market,
there is an acute shortage of technical
people but there is no dearth of people
who are hardworking and aspiring to learn
and grow. Most effective source of
talented people lies with the
"People Vendors", i.e. the
consultants, who are a warehouse of human
resources and the corporate, should try
to develop long term relationship with
these vendors. People can only be
attracted if the top management gets into
this process and make effective
contribution. Since it is said that
people are the only ones who keep us in
business, the CEO instead of calling the
chief executive officer be called
"Chief Employee Officer" so
that the employees feel valued and
realize their importance in the eyes of
the organization. As every organization
these days build their image through
developing innovative products but if any
organization wants to stand distinct
amongst others, it has to find some other
way out for that and that can be the
talented people, who can build image for
the organization. Creating a brand based
on the people you have would also develop
bonding with the employees and make them
feel they are part of one family and
further enhance their commitment towards
the organization., . ........more
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