DYNAMIC DEFENCE MINISTER, DECIDEDLY...

From a distinguished IIT-B alumnus to Chief Minister to Defense Minister, Manohar Parrikar stands tall as the most trusted and capable ministers of the BJP government. Not only is he dedicated and dead honest, he also uses his expertise efficiently to maneuver political machinery in the nation's interests. He exhibits simplicity in conduct and strong conviction in thoughts and action. His right-winged country- first approach is sure to give Pakistan and China a tough time.

Under Parrikar, the defense ministry has been revived and revitalized. Not only has he been able to do away with the nexus between middlemen, arms dealers and a few defense ministry officials, but also made the office much pro-active in handling crucial issues, be it the successful implementation of the Rafale Jet Deal or the One Rank One Pension issue.

Parrikar's commendable work speaks volumes of his credibility. Under him, 

1. All PSUs and ordnance factories have shown a 20% increase in turnover.

2. After 32 years, Indian-made light combat fighters have been inducted and a formation worked out.

3. Before Parrikar, Tejas aircraft were made and dumped. He made them operational. 

4. For almost 36 years, there was no indigenous production of guns. With him in office, successful trials of Dhanush have been carried out and will be soon put to use.   

5. His intervention in an arms deal saved 49,300 crore rupees. Just another example of his efficient working.

6. In March, Parrikar revealed that $3 billion dollars were just lying in an account in Washington. 

7. Defense products list for industrial licensing has been shortened.

8. Of all the acquisition proposals approved by the government, proposals worth 8890 crore come under 'Buy and Make in India' category.

9. Interactions with industry are now more intensified through DRDO and DDP.

10. Not only is he technically skilled, he also effectively utilizes his leadership skills. Over 18   personal meetings, he sorted out deals between the Air Force and Aeronautical Development Agency regarding the Tejas. Also, contracts worth 1.15 lakh crores have been finalized and contracts worth almost the same are in the pipeline.

These achievements have earned him accolades in merely two years. His relentless efforts portend a bright future for Defense in India. He has undoubtedly set a precedence for everyone; hope every minister follows his footsteps. 

       

Error 377: Not Found

The five judge bench of the Supreme Court is set to take a call on Section 377.

The earlier judgement was reversed only because the court held that:

" 2009 order of the High Court is 'constitutionally unsustainable as only Parliament can change a law, not courts"
                               - Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice Mukhopadhyay.
                                 December 11, 2013

There seems to be absolutely no reason, moral or prudential, why we should criminalize consensual gay sex or any of the LGBT rights.

1. Section 377 offends the guarantee of equality enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution because it creates an unreasonable classification and targets homosexuals as a class.

2. 'Public animus' and disgust towards a particular social group or vulnerable minority, if held, is not a valid ground for classification under Article 14.

3. Article 15 of the Constitution forbids discrimination based on certain characteristics including sex. The Court holds that the word 'sex' includes not only biological sex but also sexual orientation, and therefore discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation is not permissible.

Also, we need to understand the concept of 'gender' or 'sex' comprehensively.
It is biologically wrong to attribute a particular sex to an infant just on the basis of its reproductive organs. An individual's physical features and one's sexual orientation, are two very different things,
Our ancestors were so convinced of the divinity of the 'two-sex' model that the very presence of a 'third gender' was no less than a sin!

However, science has proven that bisexuality is as natural as unisexuality.

Many thinkers and feminist scientists have put forward theories explaining how and why gender and sex are often mixed up.

"Gender is constructed by relations of power, social norms and constraints that determine what is male body and what is female body."
   - Alison Jagger

Our understanding of Gender or Sex is shaped by cultural factors rather than biology. Society has pre-conceived notions of how a person of a sex is 'supposed' to behave. This reflects in our division of qualities like 'caring, loving, soft and kind' for women and ' brave, robust, strong, rational' for men.

Post modernist thinkers beleive sex is a 'fluid' concept.  For instance, Judith Butler explains how there maybe an element of male and female in everybody and it may not be necessarily stable all the time.

It is high time we understand that sex depends totally on biological factors. It is natural and beyond bi-polar division.

An Hour for The Earth

This year, on March 19, the world shall witness another Earth Hour. Electricity will be shut down for an hour from 8:30 to 9:30 in the night.

A trend started by Sydney, Australia, this movement is now global! This is the least a person can do to contribute one's bit to the environment.

The WWF ( World Wide Fund for Nature) is organising the Earth Hour.
I happened to visit the WWF Office, Delhi to volunteer for the campaign. It was indeed motivating to see over 100 students ready to devote the coming month and a half to this noble cause.

We shall be visiting RWAs , Corporates ,Malls, etc and spreading awareness about the programme through Posters, flash mobs, freeze mobs, nukkad naataks, and lots more. We shall get to interact with so many people, make new friends, visit new places and ultimately learn so much.

To Register yourself as a volunteer
Follow the link and fill the form 
goo.gl/x3NsfG

Be an ambassador for WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature ), go talk to RWAs and get them to install rooftop solar panels, choreograph flash mobs, form human chains, light candles at monuments, watch the India Pakistan match together with hundreds of people and what not. Being a part of the Earth Hour campaign will be one thing you’ll cherish forever.

Wondering whether you’ll get something out of it? Yes, of course. 
Certificates, experience, friends, free food (At times. No promises okay) and an association with WWF and You’re Wonderful Project which won’t just end here. 

So what are you waiting for?
This winter, join the dark side!


For more information
Contact
+919958827588
+919910550021

Like every year, this Republic Day, I sat in front of the TV watching the ceremony.

The flames of Amar Jawan Jyoti amidst the winter fog, the dignitaries arriving in their splendid cars, the pride of the nation; our armed forces; all in attention, the hoisting of the tri-colour, the perfectly co-ordinated contingents marching on the RajPath, the colourful tableau of all the states, etc.

But is our nation actually this colourful and serene? 

Since the beginning of this year, the nation has had to face the brunt of the Pathankot attacks, the Malda riots, the unfortunate suicide of Rohith Vemula, the imposition of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and what not.
This is a clear indicator that we are still caught in the trap of caste-system, intolerance, aggression and dissatisfaction.

While we are becoming so international, that our Prime Minister is almost always abroad and a foreign nation's troups are marching with us on our Republic Day, what is actually happening within our domestic territory?

We have still not come out our stereotypes and prejudices. We are still fighting for basic equality. 

We have still not attained perfect religious tolerance. We have not achieved anything that our fore-fathers dreamt of some 67 years ago!!

We must go beyond 'symbolic patriotism'. Saluting the flag and singing the anthem for one day is not strengthening our nationalism. We seriously need peace, tolerance, open mindedness and mutual feeling of respect. This might be a cliche in words but very rare in practice.

We have immense potential. We deserve to be much more than what we are. Let's not let our diversity be a hinderance to progress. Respect humanity, respect law.

                                                  HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY 

ANNUS MIRABILIS?

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.
Just when the caterpillar thought life was over, she began to fly.”

Time flies...real fast.
I still remember the panic and stress of Pre-Boards this time, one year back. Memories of the Farewell, Board Exams, the anxiety while waiting for the result followed by the excitement of joining college, are still so fresh.

To say 2015 was a year full of dramatic upheavals would be an understatement. The havoc caused by the shocking difficulty level of questions in Board Exams, the legal hassles in CLAT and various entrance tests, the joy of finally getting enrolled in a coveted college and the new world that the first few months of college exposed us to, were indeed moments of the most crucial time of our lives.

If there were achievements and celebration, there were also instances of error that called for introspection and improvement. So, following the tradition, I made resolutions for the coming year. And the most important of them all, is to keep my blog updated.

‘Class 12 stress’ was an excuse in 2014. Later followed by laziness and partly unwillingness, I further procrastinated. However, it’s never too late to start.

So, however unfortunate or upsetting the begone year might have been, it is time for a new beginning. Although any day is equally well to start, let’s celebrate this occasion of the beginning of a new year with a new ‘me’.

Wishing all the readers,
 A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

STOP ACID ATTACKS....!!

The horrid nightmare stings,
in many a sleepless night.
She shivers, she cries,
at her own sight.

With her skin, she is corroded from inside
and feels completely shattered.
Broken from within, her confidence gone,
Her life is totally tattered.

Womanhood weeps
at this brutal insanity.
It burns not only her,
but the whole of humanity.

Slowly, her tears have dried,
Gradually she steps out of her gloom.
As a spark ignites her heart,
she prepares to fight till his doom.

She glorifies the mirth of a girl,
her bravery, a slap on the devil's face.
Any heinous or evil act is a sign,
of an unsound and rotten race.

She dazzles with her boldness,
and never looked so pretty.
As the want of justice flares up,
her courage reflects her beauty.

So she shall stand tall
and shall awaken the statues of wax.
Her earnest desire is to,
just stop acid attacks.

BEING LEGAL....

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) results were announced a few days back. Almost 35,000 students from all over the country, had appeared for the exam, to compete for 1400 seats in 15 National Law Universities (NLUs).

Law, as a career option, is fast becoming popular. Jodhpur, that takes pride in being the hometown of the present Chief Justice of India, Rajendra Mal Lodha, has emerged as a law hub. The city has witnessed the rise of several law coaching institutes and many students from the city have got through excellent law colleges.

In the earlier years, Law as a career option was considered to be exclusively for the academically "backward" students. ' Jo kuch nahi kar sakta, vo law karta tha'. However, recent trends show that this prejudice is now fading, for many bright minds too, are going for law.

The number of students appearing for CLAT has risen dramatically since 2010. The reason for this sudden craze for Law, is the wide range of opportunities and career prospects that the field offers. 

In government jobs or in corporate law, there are really handsome packages. A degree in law is also a starting point of political career in many cases. Be it Kapil Sibbal, Ram Jethmalani, Sushma Swaraj or Digvijay Singh, all of them possess a law degree.

Students not only from Humanities, but also from Commerce and Science backgrounds are now opting for Law. In fact, 60% of the CLAT aspirants are from Commerce stream.
However, it is the subjects of Humanities, like Political Science, History, Economics, Geography, etc. that are most helpful for law aspirants. This is because these subjects provide a strong base. Political science covers most of political theory, legislation, acts, important SC judgments, constitutional parts, articles, etc. History deals with world history and Indian history in great detail. Economics covers policies, five year plans, taxes and other such things. All this makes about 75%  of the static GK asked in CLAT or other Law entrance tests. There are questions from science also but not of much weightage.

Even with our population size, 'universal legal literacy' is not impossible to achieve.

If people are aware of the law of the land, the weaker sections of the society will learn what they are entitled to, they will develop rational and logical thinking and finally, they will be able to break the prison of stereotypes and blind faiths they are confined within. Even the criminal minded rogues will fear to act illegally if people are 'legally' empowered. If the work-shirking leaders realise their responsibilities, only then can we have a developed, rational minded, educated and safe society.