By Joseph Maliakan

In a welcome move , long overdue the News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority ( NBDSA )  has castigated three leading channels, the Times Now, Zee News and News 18 for airing blatantly communal shows.

Times Now and Zee News have been indicted for their coverage of protests by the now banned Muslim organisation the Popular Front of India and the increase in India’s population. Times Now had falsely claimed that ” Pakistan Zindabad ” slogans were raised at a demonstration held by the Popular Front in Pune, Maharashtra on 24 September 2022.

Times Now had in its defence said it had relied on reports by news agencies ANI and PTI  and freelance reporters for the show. However , the Broadcasting Authority was not convinced and pointed out that Times Now while airing the show had boasted that it was the first channel to report on the matter and ran tickers such as ” News Break Here First ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans at PFI stir ” and ” Pak slogans by PFI  workers “.

The Authority Headed by Justice ( Rtd )  A.K Sikri directed Times Now to remove the video of the broadcast and all hyperlinks to it.

The Broadcasting  Authority on another petition held Zee News guilty for targetting Muslim community  on 12 July 2022 , in a debate on increase in the population of the country and selectively broadcasting statistics giving the debate a communal colour. The show lacked objectivity as it focussed on  one religious group, the Muslims , being solely responsible for population growth , the Authority said. It directed the channel to publicize that it’s show violated the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards.

The Broadcasting regulator warned Zee News not to air such reports in future.

The Boardcasting Authority also fined Hindi news channel News 18 for making objectionable statements on Muslims in four shows hosted by news anchor Aman Chopra. The topics of the shows ranged from glorifying public flogging of Muslims to giving totally false data to show phenomenal increase in the population of Muslims.

In the case of Times Now the Authority in its order noted that several fact checking websites had fact checked the the news report in question and had found the slogan raised  at the PFI demonstration  was not ‘ Pakistan Zindabad ‘  but ‘ PFI Zindabad’ !

In the first case of News 18 the Broadcasting Authority found that a debate hosted by Aman Chopra on 18 January 2022 had religious biases.” By starting the debate on the premise that 20 % of the people were ganging up against Hindus constituting 80% the anchor had given the debate a thrust , which is communal in nature and not appropriate, ” the order said.

The programme , NBDSA chairman Justice A.K. Sikri said, had violated the fundamental principles of impartiality, objectivity and neutrality that are necessary in reporting. In  the complaint, Anjuu Dubey submitted that Chopra deliberately made statements that maligned the Muslim community.

” The entire premise of the of the show revolved around creating a negative image of the Muslim community to instigate the members of the Hindu community to develop hatred for Muslims, ” he said. Throughout the show the anchor indulged in racial and religious stereotyping towards the Muslims .No caution of whatever nature or restrain was exercised by the anchor or the channel while airing the show in question it was pointed out.

Justice Sikri in his order of 27 February  also imposed a fine of Rs.50000 on the broadcaster and directed it to remove the videos of the show from its website and You Tube. The Authority further directed News 18 to state on its ticker once every hour between 8 am on 6 March and 8 am on 7 March , that they  had violated broadcasting guidelines.

The second case related to another debate also moderated by Aman Chopra on 4 October 2022 of the brutal public flogging of Muslim men in the Kheda district of Gujarat. On  of 3rd October night in Undhela village of Kheda a group of Muslim men allegedly threw stones at a garba site near a mosque. The following day five  Muslim men accused in the incident were dragged out in public , tied to an electric pole and beaten with sticks by the police as a crowd loudly cheered.

Indrajeet Ghorpade , the complainant in this case submitted before NBDSA that News 18 India celebrated the flogging of the Muslim men by the Gujarat police by describing it as ” police ki dandiya ” , a reference  to a traditional Gujarati dance in which sticks are used as a prop.the complaint further stated that News 18 had repeatedly showed the visuals glorifying and praising the illegal and inhuman police action of flogging.

The channel also wrongly declared the Muslim men tied and flogged by the police as guilty of stone throwing thecomplaint said. By connecting stone pelting with jjihad and by making negative generalised statements about young Muslim men and accusing them of engaging in various crimes the channel had tarnished the image of the Muslim community , the complaint added.

Though News 18 denied the charges Justice Sikri said in his order that the channel had “targetted  , vilified and castigated the entire Muslim community for the actions of a few miscreants”. Sikri also objected to the use of phrases such as ” garba me love jihad ” and ” what is your role in my girba ” , in the ticker.

The Authority also imposed a fine of Rs.25000, on the channel  in this case and directed it to avoid giving a ” communal colour ” while reporting such cases.It also directed the channel to remove the vedios of the show to be removed from the channel’s website and You Tube.

The third order was against a show hosted on 28 July 2022 by Aman Chopra on the murder of Baratiya Janata Party youth wingleader Praveen Nettaru in Bellare village of Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. The complaint said that between 19 to 28 July 2022 there were three ” communally motivated ” murders in Dakshina Kannada but Choprachose to highlight only Nettaru’s case . The two other victims were Muslims.

” The broadcaster had violated the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards relating to neutrality impartiality and Clause 19 of the specific guidelines covering reportage pertaining to Racial and Religious Harmony “, Justice Sikri observed.

The fourth case is about a debate titled ” Ghazwa-e-Hind” aired on 5 August 2022. It was about reports by the police to the Home Ministry on the ” sharp rise in the Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh and in districts bordering Bangladesh and Nepal.

The programme used the hashtag ” Border Par PanIslam” and showed Muslims in busy neighbourhoods. ” In an effort to support the Citizen’s Amendment Act ( CAA ) and National Register of Citizens ( NRC ) rhetorical attempts were made to show Muslims in bad light and breedhatredtowardsthem” , the complaint said.

The Authority in its order said that the news channel did communalise the issue by giving the impression that the Muslims were intruders and were trying to change the demography of the country by supporting illegal infiltrators. It imposed a fine of Rs. 20000 on the broadcaster and directed Chopra not to make communal statements while covering issues of national importance.

Ends…..

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By Joseph Maliakan

The 4 February order of Additional  Sessions Judge , Arul Verma of the Saket Court  discharging Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zagar , Asif Iqbal Tanha and eight others in the  December 2019 Jamia violence case registered by the Delhi police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code should be etched in golden letters in the hearts of all freedom loving people everywhere.

Atul Verma’s discharge order is very significant because it will have major salutary effect in dealing with the innumerable cases filed by both the central and state police under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) 1967 and various sections of the Indian Penal Code ( IPC ) without proper evidence or investigation.

The case pertained to the incidence of violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University in December 2019 while protesting against Citizens Amendment Act 2019 passed by the Indian Parliament enabling non Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to get Indian citizenship.

The FIR alleged offences of rioting and unlawful assembly under sections 143,147,148, 149, 186, 308, 332, 333, 353, 427, 435, 323, 341, 120B and 34 of the IPC. Ironically, cases were registered only against the protesting students and no effort was made to book policemen who entered the Jamia campus and brutally beat up even those in the university library.

Discharging the accused Atul Verma said dissent is nothing but an extension of the ” invaluable fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression ” guaranteed under Article 19 , subject to the restrictions contained therein. ” It is therefore a right we are sworn to uphold “, the order said.

Atul Verma further said that as laid down by the Supreme Court in P.Vijayan vs the State of Kerala the court is duty bound to lean towards an interpretation which protects the rights of the accused , given the ubiquitous  power disparity between them and the state machinery.

In fact in his concluding remarks which is most significant, Atul Verma said  to safeguard the citizen’s fundamental right to freedom of speech and assembly , in all its actions the state was obliged to draw a clear line between dissent and insurrection, especially in the context of protests like the present one where the prosecution sought  to blur them.

” Furthermore, such a police action is detrimental to the liberty of citizens who choose to exercise their fundamental right to peacefully assemble and protest. Liberty of protesting citizens should not have been lightly interfered with.” Atul Verma pointed out.

In its detailed order the court observed that the police was unable to apprehend the actual perpetrators and ” surely managed rope in the accused and as scapegoats ” . In a severe indictment of the prosecution  for filing ” ill-conceived chargesheets  ” Additional Sessions Judge , Atul Verma said that the police have arbitrarily chosen to array some people from the protesting crowd as accused and others as ” police ” witnesses. This cherry picking is absolutely detrimental to the percept of fairness , the court said.

The court further observed that the mere presence at the protest site without overt acts cannot lead to implication as accused , and said that the prosecution has exfacie been launched in a ” perfuctinary  and cavalier fashion ” against them. To allow such persons undergo rigmarole of long drawn trial , does not augur well for the criminal justice system of our country , Judge Verma added.

” The desideratum is for the investigative agencies to discern the difference between dissent and insurrection . The latter has to be quelled indisputably. However , the former has to be given space , a forum , for dissent is perhaps reflective of something which pricks the citizen’s conscience.” the order said.

In the Jamia violence case the police had originally filed a chargesheet  only against Mohmad llyas on 21 April , 2020. A second supplementary chargesheet was then filed against 11other accused people . A third supplementary chargesheet was filed as recently as1 February 2023 . The prosecution tried to establish that the witnesses had identified the accused people on the basis of some photographs.

In this context the court observed that the Delhi Police failed to adduce fresh evidence and rather sought to present old facts in  the garb of ” further investigation ” by filing supplementary chargesheets.

” In the present case it has been most unusual of the police to file not one chargesheet but three supplementary chargesheets , with really nothing new to offer.This filing of a slew of chargesheets must cease , else this juggernaut reflects something beyond mere prosecution , and would have the effect of trampling the rights of the accused persons “, the order said.

It further said that there were no eyewitnesses who could substantiate the version of the police that the accused were in any way involved in the commission of the offences. It said that no test identification parade was held until filing of the third supplementary chargesheet and that the photographs and videos only demonstrate that the accused were standing behind barricades.

” There is nothing on record to even prima facie suggest that the accused herein were part of some riotous mob…. Surely prosecution cannot be launched on the basis of conjuctures and surmises and chargesheets definitely cannot be filed on the basis of probabilities.” the order said.

The court also pointed out in the present case the investigative agencies should have incorporated the use of technology, or have gathered credible intelligence , and then only it should have embarked on ” galvanizing the judicial system ” against the accused. Else it should have abstained from filing such ill-conceived chargesheets against people whose role was confined only to being part of a protest .

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Six years after the November 2016 notification of the central government demonetising Rs.500 and Rs.1000 notes , a five judge Constitution Bench headed by Justice S. Abdul Nazeer of the Supreme Court of India by a majority of 4:1 on 2 January 2023 affirmed the government action . The Bench gave the order on a clutch of petitions challenging the 8 November 2016 notification.

But in a very strong indictment of the executive ( the central government )  in her dissenting order Justice B.V Nagarathna held that the objective of the Union Government may have been sound but the manner in which the set objectives were achieved and the procedure followed was not ” in accordance with law.”

Justice Nagarathna said that ” I am of the considered view that the impugned notification of 8 November 2016 is unlawful. In the circumstances , the action of demonetisation of all currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1’000 is vitiated.”

Justice Nagarathna stressed that she was not questioning the ‘ noble objectives’ of the exercise itself , but only giving the legal viewpoint and status quo ante cannot be restored now since the action occured in 2016. She noted that there was no independent application of mind by the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) and the entire exercise was carried out in 24 hours and pointed out that the power of the Central Government being vast has to be exercised through a plenary legislation rather than by an executive action by issuing a notification.

In this context Nagarathna said : ” It is necessary that Parliament which consists of representatives of the people of the country , discuss the matter and thereafter approves the matter. She further said ” Parliament is often referred to as a atn in miniature. It is the basis of democracy .Parliament which is the centre of democracy , cannot be left aloof in a matter of such critica importance.” One can only describe Justice Nagarathna’s comments as a sane voice in the wilderness.

The central arguement of Justice Nagarathna is that demonetisation arose from the central government and it should have enacted a law to demonetise the currency notes of Rs.500 and iaRs.1,000 instead of resoting to the gazette notification.

The provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act.1934 do not bar the central government from proposing or initiating demonetisation.It could do so having regard to its plenary powers under entry 36 of List I of the Seventh Shedule of the Constitution of India. However , it has to be done only by an ordinance being issued by the President of India followed by an Act of Parliament or by plenary legislation through the Parliament.

The Central Government cannot demonetise bank notes by issuance of a gazette notification as if it is exercising power under sub-section (2) of Section 26 of the Act but notwithstanding the said provision through a legislative process.

When such power is exercised by the central government by means of a legislation , it is by   virtue of Entry 36 , List I of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India which deals with currency , coinage and legal tender , foreign exchange which is a field of legislation. Hence the power of the central government to demonetise any currency is notwithstanding anything contained in Section 26 of the Act.

The proposal for demonetisation arose from the central government and therefore could not be given effect to by way of issuance of a notification as contemplated under sub-section (2) of Section 26 of the Act, as such provision would not apply in cases where the proposal for demonetisation has originated from the central government .

The decision making process was also tainted with elements of ” non-exercise of discretion ” by central board of the bank in rendering it’s advice on the impunged measure.Therefore the inmpungned notification dated 8 November 2016 issued under section (2)  of Section 26 of the Act is unlawful. In the circumstances , the action of demonetisation of all currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1000 is vitiated Justice Nagarathna held.

Further , the subsequent Ordinance of 2016 and Act of 2017 incorporating the terms of the impunged notification are also unlawful. However , Justice Nagarathna said the at no point has any suggestion been made that the measure was motivated by anything but the best intentions and noble objects for the betterment of the nation. The measure has been regarded as unlawful only on a purely legalistic analysis of the relevant provisions of the Act and not on the objects of demonetisation.

Justice Nagarathna’s dissenting judgement  in fact is a warning against the destruction of the independence of important institutions created through Parliament legislation as a check on the unbridled use of executive power. In the instant case the the R B I board.

That the demonetisation caused incalculable hardships to the common man and resulted in the closure of lakhs and lakhs of small businesses has been well documented. Demonetisation also did not achieve any of the main objectives namely creation of a cashless economy, increased revenue for the government, eradicating black money, and ending terror financing.

It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court while giving a clean chit to the central government refused to even refer in passing to the hardships faced by the citizens due to the demonetisation which also led to unavoidable deaths of scores of people standing in unending ques outside banks. Human misery caused by unimaginative and hasty decisions could be justiceble under Article 21.

Ends…….

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Balachandran is the only recipient of the award from the UAE this year. The entrepreneur cum philanthropist is an active member of the Indian community in the UAE; he is the Chairman of the India Club, Dubai and patron governor of the Indian Social and Cultural Centre, Abu Dhabi.

Balachandran is overjoyed by the honour and attributes his success to the city of Dubai where he set up Buimerc Corporation in 2009 in Jebel Ali. The company now has its headquarters at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and has various subsidiaries with diverse lines of business. It also has major investment portfolios in the US and the EU.

Siddharth Balachandran is also the Executive Director of SB Global Educational Resources Pvt Ltd, India. He also serves as a Director on the Board of Jaihind TV Pvt Ltd, a leading regional language TV channel based in Kerala, and Waste 2 Energy Pvt Ltd (a joint venture between the Chamber of Commerce, Kochi and W2E Inc, a US-based company) an alternate energy generating company based in Kochi, Kerala. He is also the Chairman of Sreevaas Roofing Pvt Ltd, Chennai and Vishram Hospitality Pvt Ltd, which has significant stakes in many 5-star hotels in India.

Mantra for success

He points out that he could succeed in his venture in five years’ time thanks to the magical quality of Dubai and the boom in business in the emirate. According to him, sustainability and teamwork are critical for a business to succeed. He believes humility is also a great factor in achieving success in one’s business.

Balachandran notes that his parents, wife and children have had a major influence on his life. He also take positive vibes from every single person he interact with. A fitness enthusiast, Balachandran takes care to stay fit despite his busy schedule.

The Award will be given by the President of India during the event. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is held every two years while the award is given to non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin or organisations established and run by such Indians, in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the country and abroad.

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With such an ingenious reference guide, Indians in the UAE will get great acclamation for their initiatives. Data entry forms are provided .Database collected is totally free of cost. With 25 years of experience behind us, unlike magazines and newspapers, this reference guide will be an exclusive information provider with a shelf-life of a lifetime.

For further details please contact :

Sajith Kumar PK (Chief Coordinator)
Mobile no.- +971 529222203

Nirmala (Executive Editor)
Mobile no. – +971 542744942

Official Mail id – info@globalindians.directory
Chief Editor & Publisher P.Sukumaran & Chief Advisor Adv.Binoy Sasi have informed.

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After the crew had been taken to safety on Tuesday, the navy was sent back to the capsized vessel to look for an oil spill but instead, they discovered a few crew members who had been forgotten.

First-Class Petty Officer Wichit Pukdeelon of the navy’s air and coastal defence division told Reuters, “I used my camera to zoom in to the boat, and I saw one or two cats popping their heads out.”

To rescue the kittens, a sailor in a life vest swam to the capsized boat. The four ginger cats were huddled together on a wooden beam. The rescuer then saved the cats and brought them to the vessel on his shoulder, keeping them above the water level. Once he reached the boat, his team pulled him in by rope.

The video of the rescue mission was shared on Twitter by the official page of Reuters. It managed to garner more than 161.9k views and several thousand likes in a day.

Watch the video here:

The Thai navy rescues cats stranded at sea https://t.co/0i8Z08CpnE pic.twitter.com/HcAoric0M4

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 4, 2021

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“Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking signs of past life,” flight controller Swati Mohan announced as US made the historic landing on Mars, prompting her colleagues at Nasa fist-bump and break into celebrations.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Perseverance rover successfully touched down on the surface of Mars after surviving a blazing seven-minute plunge through the Martian atmosphere.

Swati Mohan has been associated with the Perseverance Mars mission since its inception and has been working on the project for over seven years. She has also worked on Nasa’s Cassini mission to the Saturn.

As the world watched Perseverance make a dramatic and difficult landing on the Martian surface, Swati Mohan steered through the operations in her calm and composed self. The bindi-clad Swati Mohan communicated and coordinating between the GN&C subsystem and others teams of the milestone project.

Nasa scientist Swati Mohan had moved to America when she was just a year old. While growing up, she spent her childhood in the Northern Virginia-Washington DC metro area.

At the age of 9, after having watched ‘Star Trek’ for the first time, she was quite astounded by the beautiful depictions of the new regions of the universe that they were exploring, reported ANI. She had immediately realised that she wanted to do that and “find new and beautiful places in the universe”.

Although Swati Mohan had first wanted to become a paediatrician, it was her first physics class and her teacher that made her consider engineering as a means to pursue her interest in space exploration.

After working on several Nasa projects, Swati Mohan spearheaded one of its most ambitious missions to bring back rocks from Mars to find signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.
The Nasa rover streaked through the orange Martian sky and landed on the planet on Friday, sending cheers across the world. It took a tension-filled 11 1/2 minutes for the signal to reach Earth.

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An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College Wellington, Joint Forces Staff College (USA) and Army War College, Mhow, the Air Marshal was commissioned in the flying branch of Indian Air Force on 29 Dec 1982 as a Helicopter pilot.

The Air Officer has flown a wide variety of helicopters and trainer aircraft. He has over 6600 hours of flying in various challenging sectors like the Siachen, the North East, Uttarakhand, the Western desert and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor, Instrument Rating Instructor & Examiner with vast instructional experience.

In a career spanning over 38 years, the Air Marshal has held a number of coveted command and staff appointments. He has commanded various frontline Air Force bases besides the IAF Peacekeeping Contingent in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Air Officer has served in Tri-Service Joint HQ IDS as Director C412 & as Asst Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Jt Ops). The Air Marshal also served as Senior Officer-in-Charge Administration at HQ Eastern Air Command, Senior Air and Administration Staff Officer at HQ Maintenance Command and Senior Air Staff Officer, Southern Air Command. Prior to his present appointment, he was Director General Inspection and Safety at Air Headquarters.

During his illustrious career, the Air Officer has been the recipient of Presidential Awards Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vir Chakra and Vishisht Seva Medal.

The former AOC-in-C, Air Marshal Amit Tiwari took over the charge of AOC-in-C at Central Air Command, Allahabad, today.

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Other Ministers present on the occasion were Minister for Tehnical and Higher education Uday Sawant and Minister for Mumbai Aslam Shaikh. Lokmat is a premier Marathi media institution in Mumbai.

Upendra Menon, who is the Chief Coordinator of ‘Who’s Who of Maharashtra Malayalis, had earlier been a recipient of Pride of India award at Constitution Club in New Delhi. He was the Special Executive Officer, Government of Mahrashtra and is the first Malayali Lokmat Lifestyle Ikon.

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He played a major role in putting the Cold War espionage genre into the mainstream through his elegant and intricate writing.

“It is with great sadness that I must share the news that David Cornwell, known to the world as John le Carré, passed away after a short illness (not Covid-19 related) in Cornwall on Saturday evening, December 12, 2020. His like will never be seen again, and his loss will be felt by every book lover, everyone interested in the human condition”, his agent said in a statement.

Born on October 19, 1931 in England, le Carre’s career began in the 1960s with Call for the Dead in 1961 and A Murder of Quality in 1962. In 2016, he also released a memoir called The Pigeon Tunnel that detailed his fractured relationship with an abusive, conman father and a lonely upbringing after his mother abandoned him aged five.

The writer’s family also released a statement that said that he had died of pneumonia. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and four sons.

John LeCarre was one of the greatest and most influential writers of the 20th century , who challenged western assumptions about the Cold War through exploring treachery at the heart of British intelligence in spy novels. He also explored the moral ambiguities of the battle between the Soviet Union and the West.

After the news of his death was made public, netizens, including writers, took to social media platforms to pay their tribute to the British author. Among them was British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, who had the longest-running literary feud with the late author over his book The Satanic Verses, that took 15 years to resolve.

This is true. https://t.co/HbFahHFHY0

— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) December 13, 2020

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a masterpiece. https://t.co/FksJey92VW

— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) December 13, 2020

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Gitanjali was selected from more than 5,000 nominees for the title of ‘Kid of the Year’ as she “stood out for creating a global community of young innovators and inspiring them to pursue their goals”, according to Time.

“ If I can do it, you can do it, anyone can do it,” she said.

She was interviewed by actor and activist Angelina Jolie for the TIME special.

While talking about her journey in innovation and science, Gitanjali said that a lot of her inspirations were drawn from India. “A lot of the inspiration that I have drawn in from India. Looking at the water problem in India helped me understand how much of a widespread problem lead water is, especially in India”, she said.

She believed that everyone has the right to clean water which led to her innovation, “It is such a tragedy that people don’t have clean water to drink. Everyone has the right to clean water.”
Gitanjali revealed that she has been approached by multiple institutions in India and would love to see those institutions reach out to their budding scientists too.

“When I was much younger, I was told to go fetch water with my cousin from a well. My grandma would boil it and then we would drink it. We walked a far distance to get the water. I remember taking a sip of it and for the next week I was sick,” she said.

She further said that it was one of the hardest experiences of her life, being only 4 or 5 years old at the time. The incident stuck with her, reminding her why clean water is so important for people all over the world. Marie Curie is her greatest inspiration.

She said that her cyberbullying app ‘Kindly’ is an artificial intelligence-based service to detect or prevent cyber bullying. This identifies words or phrases that might be considered bullying.

Gitanjali is currently working on a ‘ reporting’ feature in looking at the trends and report future cyber bullying to someone who is parent or guardian.

Gitanjali Rao was previously named “ America’s top young scientist” for inventing a quick, low-cost test to detect lead-contaminated water.

Time magazine began naming its ‘ Man of the Year’ in 1972 and later changed it to Person of the Year.

Last year, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish school girl who inspired a global movement to fight climate change. She was the youngest person ever to be chosen by the magazine.

Time said the new Kid of the Year title was a “ barometer for the rising leaders of America’s youngest generation”.

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As more medical companies are busy developing coronavirus vaccine, Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy has urged the government and companies to provide free shots once the vaccines become available.

In an exclusive talk with the Economic Times, Narayana Murthy revealed that the coronavirus vaccine should be given free to the entire population on the planet.

“These vaccines should be free for the entire population on the planet. All vaccine-producing companies should be compensated by the UN or the individual countries for their cost and not for huge profits,” said Narayana Murthy.

However, Murthy made it clear that he is not supporting the work from home (WFH) system on a permanent basis. According to Murthy, work from home can be embraced until the day we contain the pandemic. He also added that employees will find it difficult to focus on their tasks while working from home.

Murthy also urged governments to reopen schools only after taking adequate safety measures, including the usage of PPE kits, and the practice of effective social distancing.

According to the latest updates, there are more than 8.91 million reported coronavirus cases in India. The pandemic has already claimed the lives of more than 1.31 lakh people in the nation.

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After months of mismanagement and denial starting at the top, America now has more than 10 million cases and 2,41,000 deaths.

Joe Biden had made it clear that tackling covid-19 would be his adminstratio’s first task, and an advisory board is already in place. Three of the board’s 13 members are Indian Americans.

Biden has chosen Dr Vivek Murthy, former surgeon general in the Obama administration, as one of the board’s three co-chairs. Atul Gawande and Celine Gounder, both of whom are proficient in the field of medical field and journalism, have been appointed advisors.

Murthy (43) was born in Yorkshire, England, to immigrants from Karnataka. His parents moved to Miami when he was three. A stellar academic career followed — he is an alum of both Harvard and Yale — and his 2014 appointment as surgeon general, a man in charge of nearly 7,000 federal medical workers, was welcomed in chorus by the medical community.

Murthy had treated thousands of gunshot wounds as a doctor and felt strongly about the menace of gun violence. The National Rifle Association and senate Republicans held up his confirmation for nearly a year because of his views.

He was eventually confirmed, but Donald Trump suddenly woke up to the fact that Murthy was an Obama appointee and sacked him summarily in 2017. No reason given.

A surgeon by training, Gawande, 55, is widely known for his authoritative and lucid writing on medicine. He is the son of immigrant parents from Maharashtra and Gujarat, born in Brooklyn, educated at Oxford and Stanford.

He wrote a book in 2014, Being Mortal- it talks about care of the aged . A particularly vulnerable section of the population in the times of COVID.

Celine Gounder’s father is from Tamil Nadu, while her mother is from France. But her American identity is shaped by her work on infectious diseases and her ability to talk about health in a manner that people understand through her writing and films. In 2017, People magazine named Gounder one of ’25 Women Changing the World.’

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The award show was organised by the National Museum of History, London on October 13,2020.

This was the 56th year of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award. The competition was very tough, however Aishwarya’s unique photograph won her the Highly Commented Award under Behaviour-Invertebrates category.

Her photograph, titled as ‘Light of Passion’, featured a tree with fireflies forming a starry galaxy in the sky. The photograph was taken during a trek in Bhandardara in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

https://twitter.com/NHM_WPY/status/1316097269222043649/photo/1

Aishwarya hails from Panvel city of Maharashtra. A writer, wildlife photographer and filmmaker by profession, she was first introduced to photography at the age of 12, when she used to accompany her father in forest treks and click photos of the site. Gradually, the childhood interest turned into a profession.

Aishwarya is also a conservationist and her efforts and contribution in wetland conservation were awarded the Diana Award in 2019, organised by Princess Diana Foundation.

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Dr Gaurav Sharma immigrated to New Zealand around twenty years ago. A native of Himachal Pradesh’s Hamripur district, Sharma has a bachelor in medicine and surgery and works as a general practitioner in Nawton, Hamilton. He also completed his master’s in business administration from George Washington University in the United States.

According to the Labour Party, Sharma has been involved in public health, policy and consulting in several countries and also advocated rights for refugees and helped rebuild villages in Nepal after a massive earth quake hit the hill nation in 2015.

Sharma was studying in class nine when his father, who was an executive engineer in the electricity board of Himachal, migrated to New Zealand with his family. His dad took the leap, left his government job and decided to shift to a new country. However, his family struggled during the initial years in the country. Sharma’s father took six years to find a new job and the family has experienced homelessness- sleeping on parks and benches and used the Auckland City mission for arranging food.

Even if Dr Gaurav Sharma spend majority of his life in NZ, he had not lost touch with the place where he was born. He cherishes eating native Himachal food and liked to speak the native language Pahari in Himachal.

Congratulating him on his victory, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the people of the state were proud of him.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered a huge victory for the Labout Party and is all set for her second term in office.

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As fans are busy celebrating this milestone achievement of their favorite Superstar, The Gulf Indians presents you with some unknown facts which most of us don’t know about the actor.

Rajinikanth has acted in a Hollywood movie

Yes, you heard it right, Indian superstar Rajinikanth has acted in a Hollywood movie named Bloodstone. The film directed by Dwight H Little was released in 1988. This movie was primarily shot in India and was later marketed as an Indian-American movie. However, the film did not succeed in impressing audiences, and it emerged as a disaster at the box-office.

Rajinikanth is a screenwriter

Rajinikanth’s talent is not just confined to acting. He has written the screenplay for two films, Valli (1993), and Baba (2002). Even though Valli received critical acclaim, it failed to perform at the box-office. Baba was released with huge pre-release hype, but the film unexpectedly bombed at the box-office.

Rajinikanth started as a theatre artist

Before joining the Madras Film Institute, Rajinikanth kicked off his acting career in theatre plays. He used to play pivotal roles in plays written by Kannada playwright Topi Muniappa.

Rajinikanth has acted in triple roles

Rajinikanth is one of those few actors in the world to portray triple roles in a film. In Moondru Mugam directed by A Jagannathan, the Superstar portrayed three roles; Alex Pandian, Arun and John. Upon release, this film emerged as a blockbuster, and it enjoyed a theatrical run of more than 175 days.

Rajinikanth’s lost love, Nirmala

When Rajinikanth was working as a bus conductor in Bangalore, he fell in love with a lady named Nirmala, whom he fondly called Nimmy. Nirmala, at that time, was studying MBBS, and both of them used to spend time whenever Nirmala boards the BMTC bus. It was Nirmala who compelled Rajinikanth to join Madras Film Institute, and as financial help, she also gave him Rs.500. However, after joining the film institute, Rajinikanth came to Bangalore, but Nirmala did not turn up. Rajinikanth visited Nirmala’s house, but the neighbours informed him that the family has shifted to some other location.

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Since the day humans achieved consciousness, they are trying to unveil the conundrums associated with death. According to modern medical science, a human dies when his or her brain stops functioning. However, spiritualists have a different explanation, as they believe that humans enter a different realm after death. Citing various religious textbooks, these spiritualists argue that humans begin their eternal journey after taking their last breath.

Adding up the heat to these claims, a near-death experience (NDE) testimonial shared by a French woman named Sinnaev has now gone viral on online spaces. Sinnaev shared this testimonial on the NDERF (Near-Death Experience Research Foundation) website. In the testimonial, she has claimed to have seen her grandfather during the NDE.

While being on the verge of death, Sinnaev apparently saw a dark tunnel where a light can be seen at the end. Later, she saw her grandfather who died when she was aged 13. The grandfather apparently told Sinnaev that her time is not up, and asked her to go back to earth to take care of her kid.

“My grandfather said, ‘You still have a lot to accomplish here on earth and your earthly mission is not over. The time has not yet come to join me.’ He added, ‘You have a one-and-a-half-year-old son who needs you.’ I asked, ‘How do you know that since you died when I was 13 years old?’ He replied, ‘From up here, we know everything and see everything!’ We both said to each other, ‘See you soon’,” wrote Sinnaev on the NDERF website.

The testimonial shared by Siannev has already gone viral, and people have started claiming that the near-death experience of this woman is authentic proof of life after death.

However, medical experts have dismissed these claims, and they assure that there is no life after death. According to these experts, the brain used to adopt a survival trick during life-threatening moments, and it results in these weird visual hallucinations.

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DHANYA RAVI

Most of us use the term fate and destiny interchangeably in our conversations. But have you wondered about the actual distinction between fate and destiny?

Fate is derived from the Latin word Fatum, means, “…that which has been spoken.” Hence, from ages fate has been associated with – that which has been pre-ordained in our minds and lives.

Living by fate is a state in which you have failed to recognise the true potential of your soul. It is like accepting failure, even before playing a game. While it is true that you don’t have real control over your future, but it should not be an excuse to put off your efforts.

This is where the significance of focusing on your actions is vital rather than the outcomes.
Destiny holds more positive connotations than fate. Derived from the Latin word Destinare, destiny is defined as “that which has been firmly established.” It is also described as the idea of predetermined happenings, however, destiny is something we can vigorously contour and alter.

It is that top tier in the design of possibilities and that’s where our vision becomes a reality. “It’s vital to take the first great step to the best of potential, never taking a risk is an inevitable fate.” We do not have control on certain aspects of our lives, like being born to particular parents or to some extent being physically unwell accidently. But the element of choice in responding to the situations serves to shape one’s destiny.

“Man is the maker of his destiny, and I, therefore, ask you to become makers of your destiny” once said Mahatma Gandhi.
Destiny is still in the making for each one of us – The choice is to step up and take responsibility for particular situations that transpire in our lives. That’s when we are heartily shaping our destiny instead of leaving the times to fate.

Fate and destiny are both predetermined and can be perceived as two sides of the same coin. But the important element is to consider the infinite possibilities in life. “It is possible to fulfil our destiny by consciously sailing the stream of our lives in a certain direction.” With the commitment to learn and take chances, developing an intense connect to inner selves and nurturing on an emotional, mental and spiritual level one could be destined for greatness.
So are you fated to be successful or destined to be?

Ms. Dhanya Ravi, a TEDx and JoshTalk speaker, was born with a rare genetic disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). Known as India’s glass women, Dhanya is the recipient of State and national award.

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Bollywood Superstar Sanjay Dutt is celebrating his 62nd birthday today. As fans of the actor are pouring wishes on social media platforms, a special wish to the actor from a South Indian superstar grabbed everyone’s eyeballs. Mohanlal, the Complete Actor of Indian cinema conveyed birthday wishes to Dutt over his Facebook page.

The actor also shared an image of him standing with Sanjay Dutt, and the picture has already gone viral on social media platforms. As of now, the image shared by Mohanlal has racked up more than 1,20,000 likes and 1,200 shares.
https://www.facebook.com/ActorMohanlal/posts/3158310140891327
In the meantime, a section of social media users has started speculating that Sanjay Dutt will do the role of the lead antagonist in Mohanlal’s Empuraan, which will be a sequel to Lucifer. It should be noted that Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi had played the role of villain in Lucifer, and netizens believe that a strong man like Sanjay Dutt will be the perfect choice to lock horns with Mohanlal in the second part of this anticipated franchise.

Empuraan will be directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film is expected to portray the story of Abram Qureshi, an an alleged gold smuggler who has connections with some global powerhouses.

As a part of Sanjay Dutt’s birthday celebration, the makers of KGF 2 has released the much anticipated first look poster of the movie. In the poster, Sanjay Dutt can be seen in a very villainous avatar, and it clearly indicates that something big is awaiting on the store.

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They are the rag-pickers of Delhi, the ancient capital of India. And the three children looked as ancient – in torn clothes, fair but the coat of dirt made them dark, their hair matted like our rishis (saints) of old. It looked as if they have never taken bath since birth nor their hair seen oil. No one knows where they live. They have no Aadhaar card nor will they be listed in the national register of citizens. The corona virus can’t pierce the coat of dirt on their skin.

The three move stealthily looking for scraps – paper, plastic, empty bottles and metal – thrown on roadside by irresponsible residents. The fact that their filled bags are bigger than them in volume, is proof that for some residents the motto “cleanliness is next to godliness” applies up to their doorstep. They keep their flat spick and span with a corner reserved for their deity to propitiate whom they pick flowers from the public park. Let God shower His blessings on them!

But the rag pickers do not seem to be God’s children. They are hated by the residents who generally brand them as petty thieves. And the chowkidars and street dogs bark at them and chase them. Their eyes perpetually reflected fear.

When it is daylight, the children march to the Raddiwala (scrap dealer) sell their collection for a few rupees. They buy rotis from the push cart seller to satiate their hunger. When the market is open, they join their mother who sits with a begging bowl in front of the liquor shop.

The family minus father used to sit at the gate of the local temple. But God’s men chased them away. If they are poor, it is their fate, God’s will, they content. God bless them.

The patrons of liquor shop don’t find excuses in the philosophy of piety. They often throw the small change into the begging bowl. Let God bless them too!

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My grand grandfather, grand many times on the path of evolution, who we call mockingly monkey, comes by instinct to eat the fruits. He is accompanied by his wife to whose breast a baby clings conveniently to suck milk.

The unpaid guards of the colony, street dogs, gather below and bark continuously to protest but the monkeys care little, have their fill and walk away calmly along the insulated electric wire on the high poles.

How similar we are to the simian I wonder, and how dissimilar!

On the path of evolution, we made the greatest of our discovery, our ignorance. That has made us different from animals, to think and get civilised while the animal has stuck to his basic needs for survival, gather food and procreation.

Man has enslaved nature, cultivated for his food, built houses to live. He made cities, demarcated the land into countries, made boundaries to defend with weapons, even nuclear ones that can destroy the world several times over, only to defend his country!

Seeing the monkeys visit the mango tree, have their fill and go away peacefully, I ponder over the great progress man has made on the path of evolution, and also what he has lost on the way.

Man has lost monkey’s nimbleness to walk on the insulated wire high up on the electric poles. His baby clings to the mother’s breast to feed for a few weeks and later weaned to fend for himself. The human baby has to be fed and nursed for a few years. Man began covering his body to save himself from cold which has extended to hide nakedness, and that has progressed into fashion industry.

Man thinks the earth is his and all other living beings – vegetation, animals, fishes – all are to live for him, at his mercy. He made God, the supreme power, and made Him say through holy books that he was the crown of creation and others were to serve him.

How foolish is man despite having come so far on the road of evolution! He doesn’t realise that he can’t live without nature that provides him the air fit to breath. And that this earth is a property entrusted to him to keep fit to live for his future generations as well as of other living beings.

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