DCCW: Giving disabled children a childhood and a future

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: For hundreds of underprivileged physically and mentally challenged children, this Santa Claus promises not just yuletide gifts but also the key to a bright future.

Indeed for the specially-abled children, who are receiving physiotherapy and vocational training at the orthopaedic centre of Delhi Council for Child Welfare (DCCW) after a series of corrective surgeries, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

So when chairman of "danadopt" Lars Von Der Lieth put on the garbs of Santa Claus and went around bestowing gifts specially selected for these children by his organisation, it was a happy reminder of not just Christmas but a better tomorrow as well for many.

Set up with the aid of Philanthropic organisations — Danida (Denmark), Misereor (Germany) and international adoption (Italy) — in 1991, the DCCW has enabled around 3,000 children so far to stand up on their feet and given them a reason to live, besides restoring their self-confidence and rightful place in society.

Dr Kishore Partap Sanyal, an orthopaedic surgeon associated with the DCCW for the past one decade, says, "you cannot imagine the transformation that occurs in a child when he gets an elevation of about two-three feet and can look you in the eye as an equal after having looked up like an animal to a master all his life due to his physical deformity."

Citing the example of Bushra, a 16-year-old polio-affected girl from Muzaffarnagar who had a "hand bottom gait", Dr Sanyal told UNI, "immediately after her surgery and physiotherapy when she bagan to walk with the help of crutches, she blossomed and became a beautiful young lady."

An emotional Bushra, hailing from a Muslim family and whose father is a cycle mechanic, told UNI that she now felt more confident and looked forward to a better future after she completes her beauty culture course. She plans to set up her own beauty parlour and contribute to the family income.

Satisfied with the momentum achieved by the "outreach programme" of the Centre ever since its inception 15 years ago, the institute changed direction last year to make room for Bal Chetna, a home for the abandoned mentally challenged children, DCCW president Neena Macedo said.

Bal Chetna also offers day care facilities for such children living at home with the weekly involvement of parents by rote. By this unique initiative, DCCW has ensured economy besides equipping the parents with the technical know-how to help their children improve their skills.

Pushpa, mother of four-and-a-half-old Cherry, however, is thankful to the centre for giving her this opportunity to interact with other children, saying the experience "has greatly reduced her mental stress".

"Before coming here I used to feel that I am the only unlucky mother. Now the knowledge that there are others sharing the same fate makes my cross easier to bear," the mother of two told UNI.

She also finds significant improvement in her daughter, who now picks up her bag herself each morning, happy in the knowledge that she is also going to school like her elder brother and other children.

The DCCW is forging ahead with novel ideas and innovative programmes like supervised home work scheme, vocational training programme, yoga courses and workshops including jewellery and candle making for school dropouts.

The Centre also has a toy bank and book library which encourages borrowing of toys and books by children who cannot afford such luxuries and have never owned a toy. Children attending physiotherapy sessions are also loaned different kinds of equipment and special furniture like rowing machines, corner chairs, traction kits and gaiters among others, to help them in their recovery.

When asked from where the DCCW managed to get the funds to run such charitable programmes, Ms Macedo quipped, "we beg. We are professional beggars."

There may be a paucity of funds, but surely there is no dearth of love and care at the centre which strives towards "giving children a childhood", believing firmly in the poem of Phillip Larkin, which says, "what will survive of us is love." (UNI)

Turmoil in LS over Jogi episode, House adjourns for 2 hours

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: The Jogi tape controversy today plunged Lok Sabha into turmoil with an agitated BJP training its guns on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and demanding an explanation from her whether the former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister had taken her consent to split BJP legislature party, forcing adjournment of the House for nearly two hours.

The BJP, which has given a notice for breach of privilege against Gandhi, described Ajit Jogi’s attempt to allegedly bribe the party MLAs to break the party as the "most shameful" episode in India’s five decades of democracy.

Amidst strong protests by Congress members, BJP members Madan Lal Khurana, V K Malhotra, Kirit Somaiyya and others wanted Gandhi’s presence in the House and a statement on the issue.

Khurana alleged that in the entire episode to form a Government with the support of 37 Congress MLAs, Gandhi was "as much responsible" as Jogi under the law.

Malhotra, who is BJP’s chief whip, said his party would not allow the House to function till the leader of the opposition came before it and gave her explanation.

He said no Congress Chief Minister could dare to "sneeze" without the permission of the party president and asked how Jogi could have attempted this operation without her nod.

Hitting back at the BJP, S Jaipal Reddy, Congress, said the BJP "sting operation" was within the knowledge of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and that Law Minister Arun Jaitley was a "a party to it".

Congress chief whip P R Dasmunsi raised the cash-on-camera scam allegedly involving BJP leader from Chhattisgarh Dilip Singh Judeo.

Speaker Manohar Joshi said the Congress notice for an adjournment motion on the Judeo issue was under his consideration.

He said the Prime Minister will make a statement on the Judeo issue in the House tomorrow. He also said BJP member Somaiyya has moved a notice for breach of privilege against Gandhi on the Jogi episode.

As the Congress and BJP members traded charges and counter-charges, the Speaker adjourned the House till 1400 hours. (PTI)

Nanavati Commission asks noticees to reply by Jan 9

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: The Nanavati Commission, probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, today asked senior Congress leaders Jagish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar and Pondicherry IGP U K Katna and other noticees to reply by January nine to the evidence brought against them on record by the witnesses.

The Commission headed by Justice G T Nanavati had issued notices to them and 23 others under the Commission of Inquiry act asking them to produce evidence in their defence as it felt their reputation was likely to be "prejudicially affected" by the inquiry report.

The noticees were today supplied with the materials and were directed to reply to the evidence brought against them in respect of the riots that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Asked to comment on the evidence which has come against him before the Commission, Tytler said "it is all concocted story and evidence is completely fabricated".

"Everything agaisnt me is politically motivated," Tytler, who was accompanied by his advocate R K Anand, said.

"This is the first time my name has been mentioned (before the commission) after 18 years," he said claiming that neither an FIR nor any police official ever visited him in connection with the riots which followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Sajjan Kumar, acquitted last December by a trial Court in a riot case, was represented by his counsel, who said "we have to go through the document before commenting on the issue".

The witnesses have alleged that Tytler and Kumar had led and instigated the mob in killing and destroying the property of Sikhs while Katna has been accused of dereliction of duty as the DCP (west) during the riots.

The other Congress leaders who have been asked to respond to the notice are Ram Chandra Nagoria, Ram Lal, Tarvinder Singh Bedi, Hardwari Lal, Brhamanand Gupta and Nathu Pradhan.

The notices were also issued to then ACP (north) R S Mallik and SHO Mongolpuri R S Dahiya, who is now posted as ACP (crime).

The Commission has already completed the recording of of evidence and is supposed to issue notices to all those persons whose reputation, in its opinion, was likely to be prejudicially affected by the inquiry.

Earlier, senior Congress leader Vasant Sathe and Kamalnath, and Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Amod Kanth, who were issued notices by the Commission, have been asked to reply by December 12 to the evidence brought against them by the witnesses.

The then Congress MP from Karol Bagh, Dharam Das Shastri and the then Additional Commissioner of Police Gautam Kaul were other prominent noticees. (PTI)

POTA review committee issues notice to Centre on Vaiko case

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: The POTA review committee today issued notice to Centre seeking its views on the Tamil Nadu Government’s objections that the committee did not have jurisdiction to go into the dentention of MDMK supremo Vaiko and Tamil daily Nakkheeran’s editor R R Gopal under the anti-terrorism law.

The three-member committee headed by Justice A B Saharya directed the Central Government to appear before it on December 22 to express views on the "preliminary objections" of the State Government that the committee was not authorised by any statutory power to go into the matter when charges have been framed by the Court.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Government contended that the stage was not right for the review committee to step into the two cases when the Special Court has taken cognizance of them.

Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for the State Government, said that review committee was conferred with more powers with the October 27 ordinance. But these powers could not be exercised retrospectively as the committee has only prospective powers, he contended.

The counsel said the review committee could not sit in judgement on the cases in which the Court has applied its mind and came to the conclusion that a prima facie case was made out.

Further, the special Court has power to transfer the case to other Court if it finds that it could not be tried under POTA, Vaidyanathan said, adding once the case passes from the hand of investigating officer, no authority has power to exercise its jurisdiction to review the matter.

"Now the State Government is also helpless," he said.

Vaidyanathan said if the case falls under section 21 (support to banned terrorist outfit) and section 4 (unauthorised possession of arm in notified area) of POTA, the State Government is left with no discretion but to register a case under the anti-Terrorism Law.

During the arguments on the preliminary objections, the Tamil Nadu Government objected to the review committee order in which it used some strong word seeking relevant records on the two cases within a week. (PTI)

From Babri to Bhopal: Uma’s momentous journey to power

BHOPAL, Dec 8: From Babri to Bhopal, it has been a momentous pilgrim’s progress for Uma Bharti, the fiery sanyasin who became the first woman Chief Minister of India’s largest state after sending to political exile her rival Raja.

Adoringly referred to as "didi’ (elder sister) by her supporters, the 44 year old stormy petrel of BJP, who steered her party to a landslide victory in the assembly polls, was born in a backward Lodh caste peasant family at Dunda village of Tikamgarh district in the state.

Uma, who stormed to power promising the moon to the power starved and road-less people of the state, was initiated into politics at a tender age when she came in contact with late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and leaders of RSS and VHP.

She had developed a strong inclination towards spiritual pursuits in her childhood and achieved fluency in religious epics including the Gita and the Ramayana. Which helped her in commanding the status of a demi-God at the peak of the Ayodhya movement.

Controversy had been her constant companion. Her presence in Ayodhya on the day of demolition of Babri Masjid and her purported remarks allegedly egging karsewaks "Ek Dhakka Aur Do" (give one more push) landed her into problems. She had since denied the remarks.

During the run up to the elections she was in the thick of yet another controversy when she was reportedly snapped offering a cake at a Hanuman Temple. She later clarified it was a milk cake, an Indian sweet dish and not the western junk food.

An Avid reader of books on religion, philosophy as also science, the former Union Minister embarked upon a nation-wide tour at the age of 16 which was followed by her visits to 55 countries in an effort to broaden her intellectual horizon.

Known for her aggressive style and articulating frank opinion, the saffron-clad leader entered active politics in 1980s.

Though her maiden attempt at Lok Sabha elections in 1984 turned out to be a failure in view of the sympathy wave for Congress that swept the nation in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, she made it five times later once the Hindi heartland got intertwined with Ayodhya politics. She became vice-president of the Madhya Pradesh unit of BJP in 1988.

Her entry into the corridors of Parliament followed her maiden victory from Khajurao in 1989 Parliamentary elections when passion was high on Ayodhya issue.

Bharti contested and won the Khajuraho seat in the backward Chhatarpur district in successive Lok Sabha elections in 1991, 1996 and 1998 before switching over to Bhopal constituency from where she was elected in 1999.

The fiery sanyasin held the portfolio of Human Resource Development, Sports and Coal in Vajpayee Government before she was projected as the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate.

Dubbed by many as temperamental, she was out of the NDA Government and virtually made a dramatic return recently, this time as a Cabinet Minister.

Having hovered around in national politics for over a decade, she fought her maiden assembly election this time from Bada Malehra constituency in Chhatarpur district, held by her brother Swami Prasad Lodhi in the outgoing house.

Known for her oratory, she is also a prolific writer as her creative prowess is showcased in her books like "Swami Vivekananda", "Manav Ek Bhakti Ka Nata" and "Peace Of Mind."

Bharti has said her priority would be to address the problems of power crisis, bad roads and water shortage as also tackling the issue of unemployment.

The sanyasin sees ‘Hindutva’ and development as complementary towards each other saying the concept of Hindutva was irrevocably linked to the idea of ‘Ram Rajya’.

"When you talk of development, the issue of Hindutva automatically comes to the fore as it is linked to Ram Rajya which speaks of good governance without any discrimination," she had said once. (PTI)

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