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| Notices issued to medical shops on sale of drug THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 17: Shocked by the illegal use of the breast cancer drug ‘Letrozole’ for curing female...more Church to
hold THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 17: An Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in Kerala is all set to hold a traditional Hindu ritual...more Media
urged to report NEW DELHI, Oct 17: Two former Law Ministers have assailed attempts to silence critics of corruption in higher......more Ideological
war against NEW DELHI, Oct 17: A day after the Congress-NCP victory in the crucial Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Left....more |
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NCERT criticised for not meeting targets, underutilisation of funds NEW DELHI, Oct 17: A Parliamentary panel has criticised the National Council of Educational Research and Training....more Pvt
institutes running NEW DELHI, Oct 17: Private institutes running courses without any proper recognition are mushrooming in Punjab......more Up biotech
park ties up LUCKNOW, Oct 17: The biotechnology park, being developed on eight-acre land in the city, has signed an agreement.....more Minister
wants law CHENNAI, Oct 17: Ten days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh advocated voluntary.......more |
Notices issued to medical shops on sale of drug THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 17: Shocked by the illegal use of the breast cancer drug ‘Letrozole’ for curing female infertility by a group of doctors, the Kerala Drug Control Department has issued show cause notices to 30-odd medical shops in two southern districts for selling the controversial drug against prescription of gynaecologists in violation of label directions. Though the Kerala Government had issued a strict warning against the wrong applications in the wake of a controversy over the illegal clinical trials of the drug at selected centres in the country a year ago, ‘Letrozole’ continues to be popular among doctors in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts as per the sales record. "I have asked the medical stores to stop selling Letrozole against prescription from gynaecologists or face the consequence of their licence being cancelled," assistant Drug Controller M P George told UNI here today. On a preliminary inquiry, it was found that these medical stores were selling 50 to 100 tablets a month. "We don’t want to disclose the names of doctors at this stage as our aim is to prevent the medical stores from selling the drugs in violation of label directions." The notices were issued to the medical stores for having violated rule 65 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1948 related to licensing and its sub-section 17 on label directions, which mandates the drug should be prescribed only for approved indications from the Drugs Control Department. A state-wide drive against the misuse of the drug would be launched in view of the reports that some gynaecologists in the northern districts were still using the drug, he said, adding that his department had no powers to discourage doctors from prescribing the drug or prevent its sale through outlets in hospitals. Letrozole, approved only as an anti-cancer drug in India, reportedly has ‘side-effects’ that indirectly help improve ovulation among women undergoing infertility treatment. A controversy arose last year following reports that more than 400 female patients at nine centres were allegedly subjected to clinical trials for generating data on letrozole for infertility and doctors from Delhi, Nagpur, Calcutta, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram and some other centres were involved in the illegal trials. Following this, the State Health Department had issued a warning against using Letrozole for unapproved indications. However, the drug trials continued due to lack of proper mechanism to monitor their activities, sources said. Flourishing infertility clinics added to the woes of the health department, which struggles to bring forward stringent measures to check unhealthy practices. (UNI) |
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Church to hold traditional Hindu ritual THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 17: An Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in Kerala is all set to hold a traditional Hindu ritual by initiating tiny tots from different communities into the world of letters on the auspicious occasion of ‘Vijayadasami’ later this week. The St George’s Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in the heart of the city will be organising the event on a big scale for the second consecutive year, braving criticism like ‘Christianising a Hindu ritual’ and ‘indianising the Church.’ "Such criticisms are unfair. It is part of our rich tradition and could not be confined to any particular religion," Church Vicar Fr Geevarghese Erakkath told UNI here today. "Our doors are open to all. A Hindu girl was among the 50 children initiated into the world of letters at the Cathedral premises after a Sunday mass last year," he added. When he organised it on a mega scale for the first time, he had to face strong opposition from a conservative group within the Cathedral who carried out a campaign that the ritual was ‘anti-Christian.’ even as the ceremony was in progress, they distributed notices under the headline "a Saraswati Pooja in a Church?" But this time, he made it a point to get the decision ratified well in advance by the Church general body. "The protest was minimal at the general body. I could convince all the members about this path-breaking initiative which is all set to be imitated by other Churches in the state," he added. Though ‘Vidyarambham’ is generally considered as a Hindu ritual, it is very popular among the Christian community also. Fifty seven-year-old Fr Erakkath said ‘Vidyarambham’ was not a new concept as far as Christians were concerned. "We have been doing it for a long time as per the request of the believers. However, the protest came only when we organised it under the auspices of the Cathedral." "It is true. My three children were initiated into the world of learning on Vijayadasami day," said Abeymon P Abraham of Mallappally in neighbouring Pathanamthitta. However, many others prefer an auspicious Christian festival day to Vijayadasami to initiate their children into writing. Even at the Cathedral’s general body meeting, there was a strong demand to organise the function on some other day. But Fr Erakkath stood firm on his decision to organise the ceremony on Vijayadasami day itself. "We are getting a good response from the public. More than 25 parents have already registered for the ceremony which will be held on October 23 at the Church premises," he added. Many more churches are likely to witness ‘Vidhyarambham’ this time, though not in an organised manner. However, Fr Erakkath is still struggling to ensure that the pictures of Gods and Goddesses of all the religions adorn the podium erected on the premises. Last year, an oil painting of Christ was put as the backdrop while children sat on the laps of ‘Ezhuthasan’ to write holy words from the Bible, instead of writing ‘Hari Sri...’ as per the Hindu tradition. A teacher-turned Vicar, Fr Erakkath, however, admitted that he himself was initiated into the world of letters by a Hindu priest by writing ‘Hari Sri...’ but, he was confident that the believers would take a more generous view in the years to come in this matter. The Vicar hoped that such events would help strengthen the threads of amity among various communities. It is not the Cathedral that alone took such a bold initiative to spread the message of communal harmony and accept the religious beliefs of each other. The Cherman Juma Masjid, one of the earliest Mosques in the country dating to the seventh century, located at Kodungallur in Thrissur district, also organises ‘Vidhyarambham’ on Vijayadashmi day on a regular basis. (UNI) |
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Media urged to report judicial
corruption NEW DELHI, Oct 17: Two former Law Ministers have assailed attempts to silence critics of corruption in higher judiciary by threats of contempt action, asking journalists to report the story "unmindful of the consequences." "We are totally with you," senior advocates Shanti Bhushan and Ram Jethmalani declared at a news conference called by New Delhi-based committee on judicial accountability on Friday on goings-on in Madras High Court. Bhushan said reporting the matter did not constitute contempt because it was the right of the people to know about it. Media are only performing their duty in reporting it. Contempt in such a situation works only if reporters let it intimidate them. As many as 350 lawyers petitioned Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti three months ago to investigate "serious charges" against Madras HC Chief Justice B Subhashan Reddy, whose transfer has since reportedly been recommended by a Supreme Court Judges’ collegium. But Bhushan and Jethmalani pointed out that transferring a Judge was no answer. Would someone stop being corrupt if he or she were shifted from courtroom five to courtroom seven or from New Delhi to Mumbai? They demanded. "On one hand, no effective disciplinary action can be take(n) against the Judge even on such serious documented charges," a statement by the lawyers said. "Even public debate on this matter is prohibited by judicial fiat and threat of contempt action." The statement was also signed by advocates Hardev Singh, Prashant Bhushan, Anil Divan, Kamini Jaiswal and Arvind Nigam, most of whom were present at the news conference. The former Law Ministers recommended setting up a national Judicial Commission for appointment, transfer and removal of High Court and Supreme Court Judges and to deal with "errant Judges" effectively. They said that initially the executive had primacy in judicial appointments, and subsequently the judiciary— but neither had yielded desired results. The lawyers recalled how when a TV channel preparing a report based on the representation and allied documentation asked Justice Reddy "for his version"— the response was to initiate contempt proceeding. "A contempt notice and an injunction restraining... The channel from broadcasting any report was issued," the statement noted. Bhushan and Jethmalani said they expected that the Supreme Court would disallow contempt in such a matter, but regretted that had not happened so far. The lawyers said there was a move by some members of Parliament to present an impeachment motion based on the charges contained in the Madras HC lawyers’ representation. Several MPs "have already signed the proposed motion. The matter therefore is in public domain." The advocates urged the MPs to sign and support the proposed impeachment motion, saying all citizens, particularly media, were responsible to ensure clean functioning of the nation’s vital institutions. "We owe this to our future generations." Growing corruption within the judiciary has been recognised by the highest within the judiciary and the executive, the statement noted, alluding to public pronouncements of former CJIs Sam Piroj Bharucha and J S Verma and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was "accentuated by the absence of any credible and effective mechanism to secure the accountability of the superior judiciary." While in office, Justice Bharucha suggested that some 20 per cent of India’s senior judiciary were corrupt and, just after retirement, Justice Verma stressed that one could no longer "go on sweeping" judicial corruption "under the carpet." last month, Prime Minister Singh drew attention to "the growing incidence of corruption among certain sections of the judiciary". He asked the judiciary to do "some soul-searching" and find "quick solutions," warning that "any further delay in finding such solutions will only jeopardise the effectiveness of our judicial institutions." Other critics say things are far worse. One of India’s senior criminal lawyers, K T S Tulsi, told a professional meeting earlier this year that with heinous crime on the rise and convictions on the decline, the nation’s criminal justice system has collapsed. As advocates Jethmalani and Bhushan put it, "the process of impeachment has completely failed. Increasingly the power of contempt has been used to gag the media and the press and prevent public discussion of judicial wrongdoings." Impeachment proceedings— tried just once— against Judge V Ramaswamy fell through owing to political wranglings. (UNI) Ideological war against communal forces inevitable:Left NEW DELHI, Oct 17: A day after the Congress-NCP victory in the crucial Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Left parties today made it clear that an ideological war against the "communal forces" had become inevitable, hoping that the Congress would play a key role in battering the forces of hatred and divisiveness. Commenting on the emerging political scenario and "shrinking" base of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), leaders of the CPI, the CPI (M) and the forward bloc said the trend of driving away the "communal forces" had started from the Lok Sabha polls and was now catching up with the victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The picture would be more clear in the Assembly elections in Bihar, Haryana and Jharkhand. Elaborating their stand, the leaders told UNI in separate interviews that the ideological battle was not against individuals but the "communal psyche" that was being furthered by the "hand-picked political appointees" of the previous Government. CPI general secretary A B Bardhan and CPI (M) politburo member Sitaram Yechuri wanted the UPA Government to investigate into the role of the RSS appointees who subverted the constitution to serve their political masters. They were of the view that the political appointees should themselves step down as they were not regular employees. Mr Bardhan said the left’s war was against the "ideology of hatred and divisiveness in the larger national interest". "The Left is doing this to defend the country’s unity and integrity and safeguard the interests of the people," Mr Bardhan said, reacting to BJP senior leader and former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee’s charge that the Marxists were playing an "unprecedented" role at the Centre and that they were "meddling in security matters and the foreign policy". Mr Bardhan opined that the Left was playing its due role in the present set-up because of its strength in the Lok Sabha and its responsibility in providing a stable Government. "Therefore, Mr Advani’s remark that the Left is playing an unprecedented and an undue role is off the mark," he said. He, however, added that the Left was not yet strong enough to take the country forward on its own strength. "The fact that out of 61 MPs, 55 have been elected from only three-four states shows its limitation. It has a long way to go." On the removal of film actor Anupam Kher from the Chairmanship of Censor Board for Film Certification, he said the fact that Mr Kher had objected to being branded as an RSS man confirmed the need for an ideological war. On the role of the Congress in the ideological fight against the "forces of hatred", Mr Bardhan said the party had a "key role" to play despite its "vassilating and hesitant posture". "This is the major reason for supporting the secular coalition," he added. On the Congress’ limitations, he said it had by now realised that it could no longer come back to power at the Centre on its own. "This is in era of coaliton Government, but the Congressmen have yet to adjust themselves to this reality.... We expect that the Congress-led coalition will carry out the UPA’s Minimum Common Programme, we, on our part, insist on that." Mr Yechuri said the Left would take the ideological war to the people. "As far as the Manmohan Singh Government is concerned, we expect it to discharge its role of defending the secular and democratic foundations of the nation," he said. Asserting that the Congress was expected to support all such efforts, he said the ideological war had to be fought at both the political and administrative level. The UPA Government should implement the Common Minimum Programme in letter and spirit. He said the Congress had always gained politically whenever it confronted the communal forces head on. "Even under the worst of situations— be it the partition or the Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination— the Congress has upheld secularism." but whenever it faulted, the communal forces had gained. "The Congress, therefore, is learning from its history.... As long as it continues to confront the communal forces to preserve the country’s secular character, it will continue to gain. For its own political consolidation, it will have to constantly adhere to the secular foundation of the country," Mr Yechuri said. On Mr Advani’s remark, he said the BJP leader was obviously rattled by the role the left was playing at the Centre. The Left, Mr Yechuri said, lent stability and firmeness to the Congress- led Government. Besides, the Left was demonstrating its firmeness in opposing the "anti-people economic polcies". "The more this Government listens to the Left, the more stable it will be," Mr Yechuri said adding that Mr Advani wanted the UPA Government’s credibility eroded. "The left will not allow this to happen," he said echoing Mr Bardhan’s and Mr Yechuri’s outcry against the communal forces, forward bloc general secretary and MP Debabrat Biswas said a long-drawn battle against such forces could be sustained only if the Congress stood by the principles of secularism and implemented the policies and programmes for the welfare of the poor and the deprived. "This is the yardstick the Left suggests for the stability of the UPA Govrnment." Mr Biswas added. (UNI) |
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Minister wants law immediately
for CHENNAI, Oct 17: Ten days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh advocated voluntary quota in private sector, Lok Jan Sakthi president and Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ram Vilas Paswan has demanded an immediately legislation in this regard. At a function to felicitate party state unit president P Chandragesan on the occasion of his 75th birthday here last evening, Mr Paswan said a bill for providing reservation in private sector should be introduced in the coming winter session of Parliament. Without referring to the Prime Minister’s remarks ruling out immediate legislation in this regard, Mr Paswan said "I assure you that no power can stop the introduction of the bill (for reservation in private sector) as long as Paswan is in Parliament." Dr Singh, while addressing the members of the corporate world and civil society organisations at Mumbai on October six, had said that reservation in private sector would be a national policy, but made it clear that it be done voluntarily by the industry. Dr Singh had also ruled out immediate legislation in this regard. Putting up a strong case for reservation in private sector, Mr Paswan said if there was no reservation, there would be no meaning to the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations and for the relentless fight waged by Baba Saheb Ambedkar for the oppressed people. He said Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and weaker sections of society neither owned land nor were traders and businessmen. "These sections are eking out their livelihood, thanks to employment in Government and Public Sector Undertakings. "When the Public Sector Undertakings are privatised, where will these people go for jobs?" he asked. Mr Paswan ridiculed those who argued that merit would be given a go by if reservation was to be introduced in the private sector. "most of the people who are heading the private sector have occupied the posts by the virtue of merit, but because they happened to be the sons and daughters of chairmen and managing directors, he claimed. He said the social justice movement took off when Mr V P Singh was the Prime Minister in 1989. During the short span of nine months in power, and Mr Singh implemented a number of programmes to ensure social justice, he claimed. However, the V P Singh Government had to pay a price for implementing the Mandal Commission Recommendations as the BJP, which extended support to the Government, began the "Kamandala Yatra" in the name of Lord Rama and pulled down the Government, he said. The Dalit leader said at it was a matter of regret that the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Backward Classes and Minorities, together constituted 85 per cent of the population, but the election results seldom reflected the scenario. "Unless these sections of the people come together under one umbrella, it would continue to be hypothetical to say "we will come to power and a dalit will become Prime Minister," Mr Paswan said. Mr Paswan said his party would continue to fight for 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and Legislatures and extending the consessions being given to Dalit Hindus, Dalit Sikhs and Dalit Buddhists to Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims. "When the tribals were provided reservations in jobs and education and other concessions, irrespective of their religion, why not the same yardstick for Dalits?" he asked. "The Lok Jan Sakthi will strive to bring the Dalit christians and Dalit Muslims under the purview of Article 349 of the Constitution and get them the benefits," he declared. (UNI) |
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Govt considering online police
verification NEW DELHI, Oct 17: As part of its efforts to simplify procedures for issuing passports, the Government is seriously considering on-line police verification of the applicants. Officials sources said it was also proposed to exempt certain categories of individuals, like senior citizens, minors and Government servants, from police verification. Our effort is to simplify and decentralise the passport issuance system as much as possible, they added. In this connection, the sources disclosed that the submission of passport applications had been decentralised to the district level. The country now had 400 district passport cells in 25 states. Two major states—Bihar and Rajasthan—had not decentralised the passport issuance system. Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed recently spoke to the authorities in the two states and they had responded positively to the suggestion for decentralising the passport issuance system. Consequently, some 100 district passport cells would come up in Bihar and Rajasthan, taking their total number in the country to about 500. The sources said the Government was also examining the possibility of issuing bio-metric passports by taking the finger-prints of the applicants. However, this would be possible only after the country acquired the requisite equipment for the purpose. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had recently approved the specifications for bio-metric passports. The sources said the State Governments were also being encouraged to make arrangements for greater connectivity and greater use of information technology for sending on-line details of applicants to passport offices. The State Governments were also being encouraged to popularise the decentralisation scheme, which could be a major source of revenue for them. They said some relaxations had also been made for eligibility of Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR) status. Certain categories were being automatically given the ECNR status. These include —Indian nationals who have passed the ten plus two examination. Earlier, the applicants were required to have a graduate degree —Diploma holders of National Vocational Training Institutes such as polytechnics and Indian Technical Institutes and —People below 18 years and above 50 years of age. The sources said it was also being examined whether aplicants with employment visas and having insurance cover under the Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana could also be exempted from the Emigration Check Required (ECR) category. (UNI) Probe to look for malignancy in humans KOLKATA, Oct 17: In a discovery that could cut down costs of detecting a relapse of cancer and avoid bone marrow transplant in patients who do not need them, scientists here have used an agricultural pest — the giant African snail —to create a ‘probe’ that looks for infections and malignancy in the human body. A team led by immunologist chitra mandal of CSIR’s premier lab Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) has found that the blue-coloured blood of the snail has a unique protein called ‘Lectin’ that reacts strongly with a sugar molecule of biological importance in humans. "We use this protein as a probe to look for sugar molecules on the surface of blood cells from patients with infections and cancers," Mandal said. The team, which collaborated with a UK group, found a closely-related protein-sugar complex on the surface of White Blood Cells (WBC) of children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all). This was unique to leukemic cells and not present in normal blood cells, mandal reported in the international journal of cancer. "This protein-sugar complex, which indicates the presence of cancer cells, could alert doctors to an impending relapse of the disease or detect residual malignancy," she said. Once the protein-sugar complex was detected by the probe, medicos could pin-point the area at risk of a cancerous growth. The find was also significant since the probe could be used to create a tailor-made therapy and avoid bone marrow transplant in patients who don not require it. The procedure also held promise in replacing the costly PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique that looked for molecular evidence of residual cancer, the team said. (PTI) Fading charm of Ram Lila in land of Lord Rama’s birth NEW DELHI, Oct 17: Weathering the battle against soap operas on television, the traditional Ram Lila performed during Navaratri continue to hold its charm, attracting huge crowds in different parts of the country, but interest in the amateur theatrical form seems to be on the wane in Uttar Pradesh, land of Lord Rama’s birth. The traditional cultural event which, once upon a time, was eagerly awaited by people during Dussehra and Diwali, has been losing charm in the north Indian state, where Lord Rama’s kingdom Ayodhya is located. In Haryana and parts of Bihar also, the nine-day fiesta is losing audience, the reasons being fast spread of electronic media providing variety entertainment programmes, people’s change of taste due to urbanisation and lack of enthusiasm among the Ram Lila performers themselves. However, UNI reports from other parts of the country reveal that Ram Lila, the dramatic representation of the Ramayana, is still popular. It has a dedicated clientele who manage to spare time to witness the performances of artistes, known for their ‘raw’ dialogue delivery and "unbridled" gestures and postures on the stage. Ram Lila draws crowds from all walks of life who prefer to watch the theatrical narration of the Ramayana, on open-air or makeshift stages. In Uttar Pradesh, it is a different story. Mr Kedarnath Sharma, secretary of Sri Ram Lila Samiti, Aishbagh, Lucknow, which has been organising the event for the past 60 years, analysing the reasons for the decline, said even the quality of Ram Lila events had suffered with the passage of time. Mr Sharma, whose samiti holds the biggest open-air Ram Lila in Lucknow, said with the new age hi-tech innovations and developments, the viewers seemed to have less interest in taking the pains to come to the venue and watch the cultural display. "Earlier, we used to receive about 100,000 people on each of the 11 days of the event, but now the number has decreased. More so, the majority of the audience these days are the middle-aged and elderly people, while youngsters are hardly interested in it," the 89-year-old Sharma said. (Mr Sharma’s samiti performs Ram Lila not on stage, but spreads it across a six acre area at the Samiti campus in Aishbagh) Besides, the plight of the artistes performing the Ram Lila is also no different. Mr Sharma admitted that a number of artistes working for his Samiti had lost jobs for devoting more time in rehearsals and training for the event. Saras Kumar Gupta, who plays the role of Meghnad, used to work as a clerk in a private establishment but lost his job for taking long leave for preparing for the Ram Lila. Now he runs a shop to eke out his living. Similarly, Madar Singh, who used to play the part of Ravana, had to part with his job to be a part of the Ram Lila team. However, the actors said they worked because they loved performing the roles of the characters from the great epic and felt a kind of satisfaction which brought them nearer to their religious traditions and sentiments. Mr Sharma said what was of more concern is the fact that these artistes did not earn much despite putting in their best effort to participate in the Ram Lila. Mr Sharma said, "our artistes perform free of cost. We cannot afford to give them anything and they work on their own will. It is only the actors who play the role of Lord Rama, Laxman, Bharat, Shatrughan and Goddess Sita who earn something out of the money donated out of devotion by the audience. The rest have to work at jobs to earn their living," he said. This apart, Mr Sharma said, there are no incentives either from Government or any private parties to sustain such samitis. However, some of the actors working for his Samiti have been provided accommodation in the campus with low rents so that they have a place to live. In Haryana too, Ram Lila shows are on the decline with the number of troupes presenting this annual event and the audience going down. In Yamunanagar, only eight performances take place at present compared to as many as 28 a decade ago. In several other towns, only a couple of Ram Lila committees are continuing their shows. Mr Raj Kumar Chugh, director of a committee in Yamunanagar, said people from the higher strata of the society and even the middle class stay away from the performances. The worsening law and order situation and the presence of anti-social elements, who indulge in eve teasing, keep the womenfolk away, he added. Mr Sanjiv Lakhanpal, a Ram Lila artiste from Karnal, said the audience these days comprises mainly the people from the lower strata of society. Cable television, he said, provided better entertainment to the people right in their homes and those hooked on to soap operas, hardly had any time for Ram Lila. Mr D K Divakar, an Ambala-based journalist, said the old style of presentation of Ram Lila held no attraction for today’s MTV generation. With the local troupes losing interest in staging Ram Lila, professional repertories from Brindavan in Uttar Pradesh are invited to perform in some towns of the state. While most of the local Ram Lila committees do not pay any honorarium to their artistes, the Vrindavan troupes charge about Rs one lakh for their show. Such shows are generally sponsored by big industrialists or traders’ organisations. However, there are a few old Ram Lila committees whose shows are still popular among the audiences. Katla Ram Lila of Hisar is 107 years old and still manages to have impressive attendance. Though the event is very popular in Bihar, the young generation of Ram Lila artistes are not quite enthusiastic about the traditional melodrama. Naga Baba Thakurkhana in Patna stages Ram Lila but only for a day on Vijaya Dashmi. Mr Rameshwar Pandey, an office-bearer of the Dusshera committee of the Thakurbara, said that artistes of Ram Lila were mainly local but a few performers from outside the state were called to present it in an ‘abridged’ form. He said artistes attired in the traditional costumes matching the ‘sanctity’ of the occasion arrive at Gandhi Maidan in Patna in a procession through the main roads for setting aflame effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkaran and Meghnad with fire-tipped arrows. He said the full version of Ram Lila was being staged in July every year. However, it was not performed this year due to "unavoidable circumstances". Ram Lila enthusiasts seldom miss shows in Gur Ki Mandi in Patna, one of the well organised Ram Lilas in the Bihar capital. Ram Lila performances in rural areas are enjoyed by people with gay abandon. The majority of artistes perform voluntarily and monetary gains are never a driving force for them. In the national capital Delhi, as many as 1500 Ram Lila are organised, but only about 30 of them are prominent with budgets running into lakhs of rupees. Mr Om Prakash, organising committee member of Lav Kush Ram Lila, hosting the programme for the past 16 years, said the fiesta is financed mostly by traders and businessmen. In the first three nights the attendance is generally thin, but it picks up later with over 25,000 spectators on a single night making the task of controlling the surging crowds difficult for both the police and the volunteers. Ram Lila artistes generally come from Mathura and Moradabad as the local artistes are very costly and their work culture is different. Moreover, Moradabad has a tradition of having high calibre professional Ram Lila artistes. Luv Kush Ram Lila is paying a team Rs two lakh for a ten-day performance besides their food and lodging expenses, he said. To attract more crowds, the Ram Lila committees also hold ‘Kavi Sammelans’, ‘Jagrans’ and invite film stars and singers to perform. Luv Kush Ram Lila is holding a Kavi Sammelan and has invited Anuradha Paudwal and is trying to invite some Bollywood stars to participate in the festivities. "We were the first to start inviting Bollywood stars for Ram Lila. Their presence is a big crowd puller. They come and do puja and also sometimes give a small performance," Mr Om Prakash said. Moreover, innovative measures are being used for the depiction of traditional tableaux. This time the life size idols of Ram, Sita and other Gods and Goddesses made up of wood and Plaster of Paris are being made "live and mobile" with the help of electricity. Ram Lila in the capital also attract a number of politicians. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as present at the Bhoomi Poojan of Luv Kush Ram Lila while Congress president Sonia Gandhi has agreed to be present on Dusshera day. They have also invited former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to attend the event. Generally, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries attend the Ram Lila held on Dusshera at the ‘Ram Lila Maidan’. In Jaipur, the programme is conducted at Ram Lila maidan in the walled city and at Adarsha Nagar. During the programme, couplets from the Ramcharitamanas are also recited. This year, too, the organisers have invited the artistes of Sarveshawar Ramakrishana Manch for staging the Ram Lila. About 40 artistes will perform the programme under the direction of Pt Satayadev Chaturvedi. The programme will conclude on October 22 with the burning of the effigy of Ravana. Similarly, the Ram Lila manch of Ram Mandir at Adarsh Nagar, is also preparing for its show. In Bharatpur, the programme is held in a different manner with artistes reciting the couplets of Ramcharitmanas. The century-old conduct of the Ram Lila in the town, started by the Rajmata Giriraj Kaur of the erstwhile Bharatpur state, is being held at the Mangalam Bhavan in the Paibagh locality. Ram Lila still maintains its popularity among the people owing to the distinct method of reciting couplets of Ramcharitmanas by the artistes. Once, the Sanatan Dharma Sabha, organisers of the programme, conducted the Ram Lila by professional artistes of Vrindavan. But viewers rejected it. Subsequently, they reverted to the original style. The tradition of Ram Lila in Punjab and in Chandigarh is very much alive. Chandigarh has at present around 50 groups who perform in the city with a population of about 900,000. "The tradition of Ram Lila is alive as in the past with families, mostly from lower middle and middle classes, coming in groups to watch our performance," said Mr Subhash Kataria, president of Chandigarh Kendriya Ram Lila Mahasabha. He counters the notion that the young generation is losing interest in Ram Lila, saying that his troupe mainly has artistes in the 10-30 age group. "The children love to act as the ‘Vanar Sena’ of Hanuman," he added. The artistes are not paid as they volunteer to perform as part of their devotion towards religious and cultural traditions, said Husan Lal, a middle-aged member of another troupe who has been performing Ram Lila since his childhood. In Punjab, Ram Lila is performed across the state in big and small cities as well as in rural areas. Interestingly, the troupes perform in their native Punjabi language in several rural areas in districts like Sangrur, Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Mansa with the Sikhs also performing different character roles. Ludhiana, Khanna, Jalandhar, Nawanshahar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar are among the big towns and cities where Ram Lila is performed on a very large scale with the stage set on main roads and in between the bazaars. A lot of money is spent in these cities which mainly comes from donations from the public. Both in Punjab and Chandigarh, there is no tradition to pay the artistes. "Festivals like Dusshera and Diwali and, of course, Ram Lila come during the days when the economy of the state is in fine shape due to paddy harvest and this enables people to mark these occasions in a better way," said a moneylender in Khanna, Asia’s biggest food grain market. In Gujarat, the tradition is kept alive mainly by the Northern India Cultural Association (NICA) in Vadodara, the cultural capital of the state. When the whole of Gujarat, including the state administration, dances to the tunes of " Garba—Raas " to celebrate the nine-night-long festival of dance and music, popularly known as "Navratri ", NICA brushes itself for its 24th annual Ram Lila programme in the city, which has gained immense popularity over the years. The three-hour mythological play, performed by about 125 amateur artistes on a single stage spreading over an area of 4800 sq ft on the Polo Ground, draws over 200,000 people. Mr Shashikant Das, who has been directing the entire show for the last two decades, says the Ram Lila staged in Vadodara is considered to be unique as unlike the traditional Ram Lila, "our play is solely based on moto-acting." "We have been changing our theme every year. Last year it was on women empowerment and this year the script would try to highlight the growing menace of terrorism and make people aware of the threats through the play", Mr Shashikant said. According to professor Parul Shah, head of the faculty of performing arts in the M S University of Baroda, each region has its own speciality, culture and tradition. Like the Ram Lila in other parts of the country, it is the traditional Bhavai (Nautanki) which is still very popular in Gujarat, she added. Gujarati film star Sonali Das, who has been playing the role of sita for the last nine years in the Vadodara Ram Lila, says she and all other artistes, in fact, act with love, devotion and great enthusiasm even though they are not paid a single paisa. "I joined the Ram Lila at the age of eight and have played different roles every year, finally to be selected for the lead role," says Sonali, the former Miss Baroda, who also acted in Ramanand Sagar’s popular TV serials like Shri Krishna, Alif Laila and Jai Ganga Maata. (UNI) Medical negligence in hospitals:
doctor NEW DELHI, Oct 17: The Supreme Court has given a go-ahead to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to adjudicate a petition claiming damages for causing death due to negligence from the national heart institute despite the attending doctor not being made a party to the case. A division bench comprising Mr Justice B N Agrawal and Mr Justice A K Mathur passed the order while allowing an appeal by an engineer’s wife Savita Garg who claimed Rs 45 lakh as damages for causing the death of her husband. Ms Garg had filed an appeal against an order of the Commission declining to entertain her claim petition on the ground that the treating doctor had not been impleaded as a necessary party in the case. The appellant’s husband A K Garg, an electrical engineer with the Rishikesh based IDPL, was drawing a salary of Rs 8,000 per month in 1994 when he was admitted to the prestigious institute for treatment. The appellant alleged that because of the attending doctors’s negligence, he could not get proper medical treatment and ultimately died about a month later on August 9, 1994. He left behind his wife, mother, two sons, a daughter and a brother. The appellant, therefore, filed the claim petition before the Commission under the Consumer Protection Act 1986. It was dismissed as not maintainable as the treating doctor had not been impleaded as a party. The question raised before the court was "Whether not impleading the treating doctor as a party could result in the dismissal of a claim petition?" Answering the question in the negative, the bench said: "We are of the opinion that the summary dismissal of the original petition by the commission on the question of non joinder of the necessary parties was not proper." In case a complainant failed to substantiate the allegations then the complaint, the court said, will fail. But not on the ground of non joinder of the necessary parties. "Once an allegation is made that a patient was admitted in a particular hospital and evidence is produced to satisfy that he died because of lack of proper care and negligence, then the burden lies on the hospital to justify that there was no negligence on the part of the treating doctor or the hospital," the bench observed. Justifying the burden on the hospital, the court said a hospital was always in a better position to prove that proper care was taken and medicine administred. "It is the duty of the hospital to satisfy that there was no lack of care or diligence. The hospitals are institutions from which people expect greater and efficient service. If the hospitals fail to discharge their duties through their doctors, being employed on job basis or on contract, it was the hospital which had to justify and not impleading the particular doctor will not absolve the hospital of their responsibilty," the bench said. "In the result, we allow the appeal and set aside the order dated February 6, 2003 passed by the Commission and remit back the original petition to the Commission to be decided in accordance with law," the bench ordered. (UNI) |
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