Month: February 2021

An massive iceberg, approx. the size of New Delhi broke off in Antarctica

(Image credit: Halley team/British Antarctic Survey)

An iceberg of 1270 sq. km in size has broken off from Antarctica. This happened in the Burnt Ice Shelf, the Iceberg is apparently is of the shape of Indian capital New Delhi. According to the reports it was breaking at the rate of 1km per day.

Icebergs are pieces of ice that have broken off from glaciers or ice shelves and are now floating in open water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The North Rift crack grew toward the northeast at a rate of about 0.6 miles (1 km) per day in January; but on the morning of Feb. 26, the crack widened a couple hundred meters in just hours. This ice split happened due to a natural process, and there’s no evidence that climate change played a role, according to the statement. The Brunt Ice Shelf, a 492-foot-thick (150 meters) slab of ice, flows west at 1.2 miles (2 km) per year and routinely calves icebergs.

The thickness of the iceberg is 150 meters. A picture of this has also been released by the British Antarctic Survey. According to scientists the incident occurred in the Burnt Ice Shelf area. This disintegration is called ‘calving’, in which vast icebergs separate from the frozen area.

The current calving was first recorded in November 2020. By January 2021, the speed of its breakdown had reached one km per day, on Friday it was eventually declared broken. There is so much snow on Antarctica that if it breaks and melts in the sea, the water level will rise by 70 meters. Many cities and islands will be completely submerged.

Ice calving, also known as glacier calving or iceberg calving, is the breaking of ice chunks from the edge of a glacier. It is a form of ice ablation or ice disruption. It is the sudden release and breaking away of a mass of ice from a glacier, iceberg, ice front, ice shelf.

According to researchers “Our teams at B.A.S.(British Antarctic Survey) have been prepared for the calving of an iceberg from Brunt Ice Shelf for years,” Dame Jane Francis, the director of the B.A.S., said in a statement. “Over coming weeks or months, the iceberg may move away; or it could run aground and remain close to Brunt Ice Shelf.”

Why do icebergs melt?

When an iceberg reaches warm waters, the new climate attacks it from all sides. On the iceberg surface, warm air melts snow and ice into pools called melt ponds that can trickle through the iceberg and widen cracks. At the same time, warm water laps at the iceberg edges, melting the ice and causing chunks of ice to break off. On the underside, warmer waters melt the iceberg from the bottom up. This phenomenon of ice-calving happens over a long period of time but the fast paced climate change had accelerated the process.

The Myanmar Coup

 Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, seized control of Myanmar on February 1, 2021, detaining the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her party that won the November 2020 elections, citing election fraud, a claim that was refuted by the UEC (United Elections Commission of Myanmar). 

Military coups are not unknown to Myanmar, having spent more than 50 years under military rulers – it was the military that facilitated Myanmar’s transformation to democracy by drafting the 2008 Constitution, touted as a ‘roadmap to democracy.’ But it only created an institutional set-up prone to misuse wherein the Burmese Constitution ensured the military of its supremacy in national affairs, with a political party that contested elections as its proxy. The results of the 2020 election gave the NLD a majority significantly bigger compared to previous elections, serving as a mandate for potential constitutional reform and dismantling military rule.

All of this was effectively undone by the events of February, with mass arrests of political leaders and internet blackouts and the establishment of an executive body called the State Administration Council lead exclusively by military leaders and non-NDP civilians, and it isn’t likely that the Tatmadaw will abide by its promise of holding a new election anytime soon. However, there is still hope for a change in the status quo, with massive resistance from Burmese both within Myanmar and outside it and large mobilizations and strikes by healthcare workers, civil servants and industrial workers, with calls for boycotting products related to the military through the ‘Stop Buying Junta Business’ campaign. A visible sign of the protests is the three-finger salute that was also seen in October last year at demonstrations against the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn in neighboring Thailand, and the usage of red ribbons as symbols of solidarity. 

The international response has been quite strong with the United States embassy and diplomatic missions of 15 other countries and the European Union issuing a joint statement ‘opposing any attempt to alter the outcome of the elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition.’ Nevertheless, the fight for Burmese democracy has spanned many bloody decades of protest, and the military coup has not yet undone all the substantial gains made by the movement for democracy.

Spike In Winter Pollution And Dipping Temperature

According to recent analysis of a Delhi-based non-profit, Centre for Science and Environment(CSE), the North Indian cities see spike in winter pollution than the average of South Indian cities. Centre for Science and Environment(CSE) extensively analysed real-time and data from 99 cities to shed light on the winter air of 2019 and 2020.
According to the report, the most polluted cities this winter were located in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, with Ghaziabad and Bulandshahar topping the list. The cities with the worst pollution rise includes Lucknow, Gurugram, Jaipur, Vishakapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai and Jodhpur, while Kolkata is the only megacity in this group. The cities that have met the national 24- hour standard (60 μg/m3) during the winter season are Santa, Mysuru, Vijayapura and Chikkamagaluru.


Out of 99 cities, only 19 showed substantial improvement in PM 2.5 levels, one of these was Chennai. In fact, Mysuru in Karnataka and Santa and Maiha in Madhya Pradesh are the cleanest cities in the country. However, Delhi experienced an increase in the seasonal average but a decline in the seasonal peak. It is important to note that, apart from the megacities, it is the smaller and the emerging cities that are becoming pollution hotspots.
The report said that the levels of PM 2.5 worsened in 43 out of 99 cities. PM 2.5 refers to fine Particulate Matter (smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) that floats in the air, exposure to it is harmful to health, than any other pollutant. The particles are so minute that they cannot be seen through naked eyes. PM 2.5 and PM 10 are harmful as they can enter our lungs easily and cause severe respiratory problems.
Anumita Rouchowdhury, CSE’S Executive Director in charge of research and advocacy, said, “The northern Indo-Gangetic Plain is the most affected, as other regions also experience a rise, but with lesser intensity. However, the average level of PM2.5 during summer and monsoon in 2020 was considerably lower than the previous year due to lockdown, but the winter PM2.5 concentration has risen compared with 2019 in many cities.”
But the question is, why does air quality deteriorate during winter?
During winter, the level of PM2.5 is high. Polluting activities such as burning of biomass to warm up homes, burning stubble at the end of the harvest season, increase in the number of brick kilns are the major reason for high level of PM2.5 in winter. In addition to these, during winter the air near the atmosphere gets denser and cooler in contrast to normal condition in which warmer air mass is over lane by cooler air mass. The cool air trapped by warm air creates a kind of atmospheric lid known as inversion. Other factors such as vehicular and industrial emission led to rise in winter pollution.

The experts call for reforms and action in sectors such as industrial, power plants and waste management to control the rise in winter pollution and bend the annual pollution curve. Other measures to mitigate air pollution are-
1) Creating public awareness about the ill-effects of air pollution.
2) Making stringent vehicle emissions’ norms.
3) Improvement in traffic management.
4) Reducing road dust by changing road infrastructure.
5) Proper implementation of government initiatives to combat pollution.

Birthday Tribute to Great Saint: Pronam to Sant Ravidas Ji

   In India from the ancient period onwards time to time, many great saints were born. One of them is Sant/Saint Ravidas, also called Raidas, (flourished 15th or 16th century), a spiritual poet and a great saint. Sant Ravidas ji was one of the most prominent saints of Indian Bhakti movement. It is believed that Guru Ravidas ji was born on the Magh Purnima day on Sunday in the year 1433 in Kashi present Varanasi in a so called ‘untouchable leather-working caste’, but his knowledge, wisdom, spiritual development and humanitarian activities were at the zenith which cannot be compared with  many upper castes. Undoubtedly, Sant  was endowed with pure and holy soul as he had proved by caste one cannot be great.

       Many researchers believe Sant Ravidas ji met Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism and 41 of Guru Ravidasji’s poems were included in the Adi Granth. 

Sant Ravidas ji was a prominent figure in the bhakti movement and a renowned poet of the Nirgun bhakti tradition that valued the worship of a formless God.  In this context, two foreign researchers who have carried out extensive study on Sant Ravidas ji’s activities may be mentioned. One is Dr. Winand Callewaert and another one is Dr. Peter Friedlander as both have published many books and articles on Sant. They have translated his songs also. One is presenting here. It may be mentioned that Prof Dr. Winand Callewaert was a scholar in Sanskrit (studied in India) and taught this subject in foreign countries. He has published many books and articles in English, Dutch and Hindi. Another scholar Dr. Peter Friedlander lived in India from 1977-1982 and learned Hindi in Varanasi. He then studied at SOAS London University and completed his Ph.D. on the life and works of Saint Ravidas in 1991. The following  is a popular verse from Saint Ravidas, translated by Dr Winand Callewaert and Dr. Peter Friedlander,

“Raidas says, what shall I sing?

 Singing, singing I am defeated.

How long shall I consider and proclaim:

 absorb the self into the Self?

This experience is such,

 that it defies all description.

I have met the Lord,

 Who can cause me harm?

Hari in everything, everything in Hari –

 For him who knows Hari and the sense of self,

no other testimony is needed:

 the knower is absorbed”.

(Hari here refers to God who takes away all the sorrows of his devotees).

 Guru Ravidas Ji was against the Varna (caste) system and in his poetry, questioned caste hegemony, valued labour of all sorts, as well as a life of simplicity and morality. He initiated dialogs with upper caste Hindus about caste, social justice, love and forms of worship. He spread the message that “God created man and not man created God”, means everyone is created by God and has equal rights on this earth. This theory in the present days no one can deny as all human beings have equal rights. It is believed that because of his wisdom, in-depth spiritual knowledge and discourse many persons of all castes including the King and Queen of Chittoor presently in Rajasthan were his followers.

   In  Sant Ravidas Ji’s name  a temple has been constructed in his hometown, where Guruji is worshipped every day. His songs are recited every morning and evening in the temple. His birthday is celebrated every year on Magh Purnima day i.e. at the full moon day of Magh month of Indian calendar. 

    Although, Guru Ravidas Ji has passed away long ago but he will be in the heart of millions for his spiritual, devotional and humanitarian activities as his massive contribution to Bhakti movement enlightened us. I extend my respectful Pronam to the Great Soul, Saint and Guru on his 644th birth anniversary. 

The following websites have been consulted while writing the article:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravidas
  2. https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/8501/nirguna-bhakti
  3. https://www.manifestias.com/2019/11/05/saint-ravidas
  4. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ravidas

Dr. Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Glassophobia 🎤🤐😰

Glassophobia & shyness are two different things. But people often misunderstood themselves as shy.If you also think that you are just shy of speaking in public, then you need to rethink if it’s just shyness or something worser than this, a phobia of public speaking.

Shyness when crosses the limits then turns to the glassophobia.Sometimes the past negative experiences cause or intensify the fear. It all starts with the thoughts like what will people think about me ? what if I will stumble over my words ? what if I will forget what to say ? what if people start laughing at me ? With time these thoughts intensify and may cause physical and mental problems. Sometimes it may cause the person to suffer from inferiority complex.

Glossophobia is the medical term for the fear of public speaking. It isn’t a dangerous disease but yes it can lead to stress in the extreme cases. It may be due to lack of preparation , & in this case it doesn’t cause that much harm. It’s cause may be one of the most common psychiatric disorders, . Social anxiety disorder.

Anxiety due to lack of preparation or due to amaturity is common to many.In fact, some experts estimate that as much as 77% of the population has some level of anxiety regarding public speaking.Of course many people are able to manage the fear.

But about 10 percent are genuinely terrified and are physically debilitated by even the thought of public speaking. True glossophobics will go to great lengths to avoid speaking in a group situation.If you are the one who faces problems in work,school or in social life due to this anxiety, then it’s possible that you suffer from a phobia of speaking out.

Even the thought of presentations, group activites & answering a question can cause the anxiety.Such people start thinking of excuses to avoid the events where they are going to be the centre of attention.

Physical symptoms of glassophobia may include – Sweating , Increased heart rate , Raise in blood pressure ,Dry mouth , Difficult breathing , Nausea or vomiting in extreme cases, Headache, Muscle tension, Dizziness, Dilation of pupils, need to urinate, vocalised pauses , Shaking or quivering voice , weakened voice tone , Trembling , Panic attack , Feeling lack of energy.

Of course it’s difficult to overcome the fear , but it’s not impossible. Psychotherapy, medication,exposure therapy and herbal remedies , different ones can be applied , depending on the severity of fear. Many people are able to overcome their glossophobia with cognitive behavioural therapy(CBT). There are other ways one can try at home. Like practicing in front of mirror , talking with close ones & then asking them to analyze you , focusing on your way of speaking. According to me , Meditation is the best way to overcome any fear.

Remember , everything you want is on the other side of fear. Choose fight instead of flight.

Happy Public Speaking…🙂

Ways to be optimistic and positive every day

 Years of research and studies have shown that positive and optimistic thinking helps us be happier, healthier and more productive in any field of work. It is the key to living a satisfactory life and ensuring the well-being of the people around us as well. However, it’s very difficult to practice positivity and optimism every day, so here are some tips.


1. Guide your energy. Positive energy invites positive deeds and events, and vice-versa. According to quantum physics, our thoughts have a frequency and a corresponding unique vibration that attracts similar frequencies into our lives. So negative thinking attracts negative energy; positive thinking attracts positive energy. This also applies to group thinking or collective consciousness. When a collection of people together guides their mental energy for a positive outcome, the likelihood of their success is usually lot higher and than otherwise. Their collective energy attracts positivity or negativity.


2. Develop resilience. Positive people develop a mental capacity that allows them to adapt with ease during adversity. They develop a set of powerful mental traits. Resiliency begins with adaptability, acceptance, and gratitude. Success and happiness does not always come from blasting through rocks and impediments, rather from having the faith, courage and ‘letting it happen’ attitude to cope with harsh realities of life.


3. Connect with yourself. The better we understand the nature of the world, the better we can move in the world. The better we understand the nature of ourselves, the better we can move within ourselves. Life is a process of ongoing transformation spurred by the interlinked qualities of curiosity, purpose, and courage. When you know yourself, you can act with a confidence that is your own.


4. Be kind to yourself. It is particularly difficult to stay positive in the face of adversity and failure. For many, even though it may be easy to show compassion to others, it may be hard to accept, embrace, and be compassionate toward ourselves. Some of us blame others for all our miseries and some blame ourselves. Often it’s easy to blame oneself, feel sorry, and/or put oneself down. It is only through being able to let go, have compassion for oneself, and self-encouragement that we can pursue a path of positivity.


Only gradually changing your ways to implement these can improve the quality of your life and help change your outlook towards it for the better, which will eventually result in material gains in the form of happiness and productivity.

Recent reports show an increase in number of the malnourished in India

According to the Center for Science and Environment (C.S.E.) State of India Environment Report – 2021, the corona epidemic has had a lasting impact on the health and economic conditions of 37.5 million children across the country.

CSE Director General Dr. Sunita Narayan, said that children from new-born to 14 years will have more health-related problems. There is a possibility of low weight of children, lack of physical development according to age and increase in mortality.

Child from a poverty stricken family gets a free meal at his school.The schools are run by some volunteer organisations or individuals and have inadequate facilities. Yet some people are working relentlessly to help these poor children.

One of the reasons could be India’s struggling with Covid-19 lock down interrupted crucial government schemes that benefit hundreds of millions of women and children. But that still doesn’t explain the rise in malnutrition rates in the years leading up to the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.

According to reports, India’s latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS), which shows that children in several states are more undernourished now than they were five years ago, is based on data collected in 2019-20. The survey was conducted in only 22 states before the onset of the pandemic – so experts fear the results will be much worse in the remaining states, where the survey began after the lock down ended.

In rural places the problem seems to have begun earlier. Rural areas have seen a steep rise in the proportion of undernourished children compared with 2015-16, when the last survey was conducted.

Due to malnutrition in infants and young children stunting in growth and even experience wasting away of muscle and anemia. The proportion of severely underweight children has risen. Stunting refers to lower than expected height for age, wasting shows lower than expected weight for height, and anemia is a deficiency of hemoglobin in blood.

Most of the Indian women are anemic and poor women, especially so. According to the experts, the worsening rate of malnutrition could be a result of women struggling to access nutrition benefits because undernourished mothers give birth to undernourished babies.

Migration to cities is also a reason for this. Many families migrate to cities to make a better living. But that also means being left out of massive government schemes that are mostly delivered at local level – so benefits aren’t easily transferred across districts or states.

The National Family Health Survey-5 report, the latest data set on health and nutrition, showed that of the 22 states and Union Territories in the year 2019-20, a majority reported an increase in malnutrition parameters such as stunting and wasting of children, anemia in children and in women between 15-49 years of age.

Due to poor health of children, there may be adverse effects on education and workplace too. This report released online, has been prepared by 60 environmental and other experts from all over the world. The epidemic forced approx. 50 crore children over all the world to leave school. More than 50 percent of these children are in India. Dr. Sunita Narayan said, “An additional 115 million people have come under extreme poverty due to the epidemic.” Most of them live in South Asia.

Given this situation, there is a need to enhance allocations for government schemes to address child malnutrition as well as for schemes promoting nutrition for pregnant and lactating mothers. A group of people should be assigned who provide health and nutrition counseling to pregnant mothers. Better health care and nutritious meals for the pregnant mother, because with proper pre-natal care, adequate food and timely health check-ups, a pregnant woman stays fit and gives birth a healthy child and for that there is a need for huge amount of investments. Different sectors of the government need to coordinate to handle this problem effectively. There are some independent organizations who are working actively to help the unprivileged sections of India and educating others about the problem and with enough funds and support from us maybe they can tackle with the problem more effectively.

The new Information Technology Rules

The government recently released a set of guidelines to regulate social media and OTT content providers like Netflix and amazon prime. The prime concern behind this was an alleged misuse of social media, especially for the events that unfolded on January 26, 2021. What exactly is the rules’ impact?

Section 79 of the Information Technology Act provides a ‘safe harbour’ to intermediaries that host user-generated content, exempting them from liability for the actions of users if they adhere to government-prescribed guidelines. However, the new guidelines prescribe an element of due diligence to be followed by the intermediary, failing which the safe harbour provisions would cease to apply to these platforms and they could be held liable.

The guidelines also prescribe a grievance redressal mechanism by mandating that the intermediaries should establish a mechanism for receiving and resolving complaints from users. These platforms will need to appoint a grievance officer to deal with such complaints, who must acknowledge the complaint within 24 hours, and resolve it within 15 days of receipt.

Surprisingly, the guidelines also lays down 10 categories of content that the platforms should not host, including content that “threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign States, or public order, or causes incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence or prevents investigation of any offence or is insulting any foreign States”; “is defamatory, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, invasive of another’s privacy, including bodily privacy; insulting or harassing on the basis of gender; libellous, racially or ethnically objectionable; relating or encouraging money laundering or gambling, or otherwise inconsistent with or contrary to the laws of India”, etc. which are vague enough to arouse concerns about arbitrary censorship.

The rules also stipulate that upon receipt of information about the platform hosting prohibited content from a court or the appropriate government agency, it should remove the said content within 36 hours. The penal provisions for violating these guidelines vary from imprisonment for three years to a maximum of seven years, with fines starting from Rs 2 lakh. Executives of intermediaries which fail to act on an order issued by the government citing threat to sovereignty or integrity, defence, security of the state or public order, can be jailed for up to a period of seven years under Section 69 of the IT Act.


Hence, a watchful eye must be kept on how these rules are used to ensure we don’t descend into only consuming content the government wants us to consume in a censorship regime.

Facts About The World’s Biggest Cricket Stadium

The erstwhile Sardar Patel Stadium has been revamped into the world’s biggest cricket stadium. The newly built Sardar Patel Stadium also known as Motera Stadium is renamed after the incumbent Prime Minister of India. However, only the cricket stadium is renamed after the Prime Minister of India, the Gujarat Cricket Association has expanded the stadium into a sports enclave called the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave, which includes facilities for other sports as well.

The enormity of the Motera Stadium has surpassed the seating capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in Australia. The iconic stadium has a capacity of 110,000 spectators, next to Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, which can accomodate 114,000 viewers.

An awe-inspiring stadium spread over 63 acres of land is connected with Ahmedabad city, making it easy for the fans to reach the venue without being stuck in traffic jams.

Moreover, the stadium has an Olympic-size swimming pool, 76 air-conditioned corporate boxes, to beat the heat, 4 dressing rooms and 11 different pitches made of both black and red soil. A built-in clubhouse, restaurants, 3D projector as well as gym further add glory to the marvelous structure. The iconic stadium is structured in such a fashion that spectators can have an unobstructed view in the stadium. The stadium has no traditional floodlights, instead it has ring of LED lights, making it the only cricket stadium in India to have such unique feature. Also, it has the world’s biggest parking space within the premises, which can hold up to 30,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheelers!

FUEL PRICE SURGE ADDS TO THE WOES OF PANDEMIC HIT INDIA

The oil marketing companies have continuously been surging the price of fossil fuels for the past few weeks which resulted in the prices reaching an all-time high. During a time when the country is struggling to recover from the covid crisis, the fuel price hike is sure to have a tremendous impact on its citizens and economy. The rise in the price of commodities and public transportation are expected along with a significant dip in the automobile industry. Today, the price of LPG cylinders have been increased by 25 rupees, resulting in a cumulative hike of about 200 rupees within the past three months.

India, being the third-largest importer of oil in the world has always ended up on the suffering end whenever the crude oil price has seen a surge in the international market. The recent firming of international crude oil rates in addition to the high taxes levied on fuel by central and state governments is the major reason for the extremely high fuel price in the country. Since India follows a dynamic system for altering fuel rates, oil marketing companies are mostly responsible for the recent hikes and the government has no control over it. However, the government does impose a tax on the base price of fuel. At the moment, Indians pay one of the highest taxes on fuel in the world.

By late January, the price of extra premium petrol has touched the magic digit of 100 at Rajasthan, with Madhya Pradesh and many other states following the trend in early February. The price of diesel has also set the record of reaching an all-time high in the past days. A remarkable fact is that the Indian citizens are paying about 200% of the actual fuel price as taxes, by far the highest anywhere in the world. Sources close to the oil companies have reported that the fuel prices might see a further hike as the companies will be forced to meet the global developments to avoid making losses on the sale of the fuels. The price of LPG is also on the rise with the surge being constantly climbing higher for the third in this month itself. Within the last 10 days, the price of LPG was increased by more than 50 rupees.

The government is looking forward to getting the situation under control as the surge in the price of auto fuels can directly reflect in its economy and might even result in inflation. Though short term remedies like cutting down taxes and other related costs are in line, the major emphasis is on turning towards sustainable and renewable energy resources and reducing the dependency on fossil fuels in the long run. Plans have already been laid on increasing the natural gas share in the energy basket and to cut short the reliance on fossil fuels to about 60% of the total energy share by 2030.

In a world full of speakers, be a listener

Listening- more than a skill

Listening is an important skill that we use daily. You might not give it much thought but it does have a huge impact on your academics, job success and even personal relationships and happiness. Even though it might seem to you that it is a passive behavior as it involves silence, but it is not true.

Sometimes when you’re distressed because of a problem be it work related or a personal issue you just dial your best friend without giving it much thought, have you ever thought why? Most of the times we just want someone to listen to our side of the story patiently without being judgmental. We are not looking a solution for our problems but sometimes it just feels good to vent out that stuff. Everybody has a person to whom they can confide in about anything, for most people it’s their best friend, it’s because they feel understood and not judged.

Good listening is an important skill required in many professions these days. It is one of the main skills required by the people working as counselors and therapists. Because the person feels heard by the counselor, they find it easier to confide into them.

In some cultures, it is taught to emphasize on listening by being a silent communicator when receiving messages from elders or seniors. Buddhism, for instance, has a concept of mindfulness which means devoting your complete attention to the task you’re doing at the moment. It helps in developing longer attention span and good listening skill.

Listening requires a person to be attentive and therefore it is an active skill. Hearing and listening are not the same. Hearing is only a part of listening. When a person actually listens, he/she pays attention to what is being said and if required respond to it. Being a good listener means you listen to others without getting distracted and with their full attention and have the capacity to  analyze and then respond.

Now there are many people out there who listen just to respond without understanding completely the context of what is being said. We must be a patient listener and not be in a hurry to respond. We should refrain from forming an early judgement, prejudices and be open to all ideas.

When in doubt about the meaning of what is being said we should paraphrase it and check with the speaker whether or not they have been clearly understood by you. In the long run, developing active listening skills is sure to help you in various areas of your life.

Unfortunate That The Properties Of Religious And Charitable Institutions Are Being Usurped By Criminals

It is most unfortunate, most alarming and most reprehensible that none other than the Allahabad High Court which is the biggest court in whole of Asia has observed most seriously in a latest, learned, laudable and landmark judgment titled Bharat Das @ Ram Newaz Singh v. State of U.P. in Bail No. 8577 of 2020 delivered on 5 February 2021 that, “It is unfortunate that the properties of religious and charitable institutions are being usurped by criminals. This serious observation was made while dismissing the bail application filed by a man accused of selling properties of a Math (Akhil Bhartiya Udasin Sangat Thakurji Virajman Thakurdwara Jhaaulal) on the basis of forged and fabricated documents in favour of the land mafias. How can criminals be ever allowed to usurp the properties of religious and charitable institutions? But this is happening in reality as has been acknowledged by none other than the Allahabad High Court!

To start with, the ball is set rolling first and foremost in para 1 of this brief, brilliant, blunt and bold judgment wherein it is stated that, “The present petition under Section 439 Cr.P.C. has been filed seeking bail in FIR No.0584 of 2019, under Sections 406, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 506 IPC, Police Station P.G.I., Lucknow.”
To put things in perspective, the Bench then elaborates on the facts of the case stating in para 2 that, “The complainant claims to be Mahant Sarvarakar (Jere-Intejaamkaar) of Akhil Bhartiya Udasin Sangat Thakurji Virajman Thakurdwara Jhaaulal (herein after referred to as ‘the Math’). He is responsible for taking care of and managing properties of the Math and securing interest of the Math. It is also said that the complainant has been declared successor of Mahant Parmeshwar Das in the year 2002 unanimously and a Division Bench of this Court vide judgment and order dated 11.01.2016 passed in Writ Petition (Consolidation) No.130 of 2011 has declared him to be the legal heir and successor of Mahant Parmeshwar Das. Copy of the order dated 11.01.2016 was also annexed with the complaint. It is also alleged in the complaint that many imposters claiming to be Mahant of the Math in connivance with the land mafias have sold several properties and land of the Math illegally without taking permission from the District Magistrate. It is further alleged that the present accused-applicant who is a convict and a dreaded criminal by imposting himself as Mahant of Math had been involved in selling the properties of the Math illegally and fraudulently to the land mafias.”
While elaborating further and continuing in a similar vein, the Bench then observes in para 3 that, “The Math has land in Gata Nos.436, 296, 427A, 426, 531, 1951Ka, 1953Ka, 1955Ka, 1960Ka Kalli Paschim, Pargana Bijnore, Tehsil Sarojini Nagar, Lucknow. This land is being transferred on the basis of forged and fabricated documents by a gang of land mafias to earn huge money. Ex-guru of the complainant Somvansh Das had died on 14.04.1980. However, an imposter got his will registered on 04.04.2003 in the office of Dy. Registrar, Lucknow in respect of Gata No.436 and on that basis, this imposter has transferred 3 Bigha land in favour I.K. Singh, 5 Bigha land in favour of Sanjay Tiwari, 1 Bigha 13 Biswa 13 Biswanshi land in favour of Prabhu Nath Tiwari. Forged will got registered by Bharat Singh and the accused-applicant in furtherance of criminal conspiracy and, thereafter accusedIshwar Kant Singh imposted himself as Mahant Parmeshwar Das and transferred the land of Gata No.436 in favour of Satendra Singh Sikarwar on 05.08.2004 for Rs.20,00,000/-. Thereafter, Bharat Singh and the present accused-applicant again transferred the land in Gata Nos.436 and 296 by imposting Ishwar Kant Singh as Parmeshwar Das on 23.11.2016 for a sale consideration of Rs.20,00,000/-. Anil Kumar Singh transferred this land for 3rd time in Gata No.436 on 20.01.2007 in favour of Smt. Manisha Chola and Rekha Gupta. Thereafter, the accused-applicant and Bharat Singh on the basis of forged and fabricated documents of the land in Gata Nos.296, 427A, 426 and 531 executed an agreement for Rs.12,00,000/- on 20.02.2007 in favour of Bharat Singh himself from the accused-applicant and on 16.03.2007 the land was transferred in Gata No.531 in favour of Alpana Gupta for a sale consideration of Rs.36,27,100/-. For the fifth time accused-Bharat Singh and the accused-applicant by imposting Indra Kant Singh as Parmeshwar Das transferred Gata Nos.436 and 296 in the year 2006 in favour of Raj Babu Rastogi. Thus, accused-Bharat Singh and the accused-applicant, Satyendra Kumar Sikarwar, Anil Kumar Singh, Gyaneshwar Singh, Kaushal Kumar, Santosh Singh, Kalpana Gupta, Raj Babu Rastogi had transferred the land of the Government in Gata No.436 and 296 on the basis of forged and fabricated documents. On the basis of forged will which got executed after 23 years from the death of Mahant Somvans Das, these accused have cheated Rs.1.5 Crores by selling the land of the Math on the basis of forged and fabricated documents. These accused had threatened the complainant of his life and had said that they would usurp entire property and land of the Math. On the basis of the aforesaid complaint, the FIR in question has been lodged.” 
Of course, it is then observed in para 4 that, “It is alleged that the present accused-applicant is an imposter who is selling Math land in an illegal manner. Several instances of the cases pending against the accused-applicant have been given in the complaint and, it is alleged that the present accused-applicant has sold the land in Gata Nos.2119, 2118, 676, 2263 also.”
As a corollary, what follows next is then stated in para 5 that, “On the basis of aforesaid complaint, the FIR in question came to be registered against the accused-applicant and other named accused at FIR No.0585 of 2019 under Sections 34, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 427, 447, 504 IPC, Police Station P.G.I., Lucknow.”
As we see, para 6 then enunciates that, “It is stated that the accused-applicant has been awarded life imprisonment in Sessions Trial No.46 of 1984 and has been found guilty for offence under Sections 307/34, 301/34, 304/34 IPC. It is further alleged that on 12.02.2007, the accused-applicant acted as an imposter of Mahant executed ikrarnama in favour of Bharat Singh and others. He has also been convicted in Sessions Trial No. 242 of 1979 for offences under Sections 364/149, 302/149, 307/149 IPC and was awarded life imprisonment. In the FIR, it is further alleged that the accused persons by using false and fabricated documents illegally bought and sold the property of the Math by threatening the complainant.”
To be sure, it is then stated in para 7 that, “An affidavit in support of the bail application has been filed by Baba Jeetu Das, son of Mahant Baba Bharat Das.”
It cannot be glossed over that it is put forth in para 9 that, “Learned counsel for the accused-applicant submits that the complainant has falsely claimed that Mahant Parmeshwar Das was Jere-Intejaamkaar of the Math and the informant is the chela of Mahant Parmeshwar Das. The fact of the matter is that the present accused-applicant succeeded as Jere-Intejaamkaar of the Math after demise of Mahant Ramji Das and an order dated 16.07.2005 was passed by Consolidation Officer, Sadar, Lucknow to this effect in Case No.88 of 2005. Present accused-applicant is jere-intejaamkaar of the properties of the land in question till date. Mahant Parmeshwar Das has executed a declaration deed duly registered in the Office of Sub Registrar on 07.09.2012 declaring that the complainant was a dishonest person and wanted to usurp land and properties of Math. The complainant was not the chela of Mahant Parmeshwar Das as claimed by him. Mahant Parmeshwar Das himself had moved an application against the complainant in Police Station Kotwali Chowk on 14.09.2012.”
While stating the factual position, it is then noted in para 10 that, “The correct facts are that Mahant Ramji Das was chela of Somvansh Das and the accused-applicant is chela of Mahant Ramji Das. Allegation against him that he had executed a forged will, is wholly incorrect. Learned counsel has also submitted that the land sold by him was for the purposes of maintaining the Math and for better management of the properties. It has been further submitted that the present complainant himself has a criminal history.”
Furthermore, it is then envisaged in para 11 that, “It is further submitted that in Civil Suit No.155 of 1994 vide judgment and order dated 24.10.1995 passed by Civil Judge by which the present accused-applicant has been declared as successor of Mahant Ramji Das and on the basis of the order dated 18.11.2004 passed by the Consolidation Officer, Sadar Lucknow, name of the accused-applicant has been mutated while deleting the name of Jere-Intejaamkaar, Mahant Baba Ramji Das. Settlement Officer had dismissed the appeal filed against the order passed by the Consolidation Officer and, thereafter the revision was also dismissed by the Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) vide his order dated 26.04.2010.”
It is worth noting that it is then stated in para 12 that, “A Writ Petition No.130 (Consolidation) of 2011: Mahant Parmeshwar Das vs Additional Collector ‘Finance and Revenue’, Lucknow is pending in this Court. Counter affidavit was filed by the accused-applicant in 2014 but till date the rejoinder affidavit has not been filed and the writ petition is still pending.”
On the one hand, it is stated in para 13 that, “Learned counsel for the accused-applicant has submitted that in many cases mentioned against the accused-applicant, he has been either acquitted or he is not involved in the commission of the offence. He, therefore, has submitted that the accused-applicant himself is grabbing the property of Math and he wants to put the present accused-applicant aside and, therefore, false cases are being instituted against him. The accused-applicant has been in jail since 23.07.2020 and, therefore, he is liable to be enlarged on bail.”
On the contrary, it is then stated in para 14 that, “On the other hand, Mr. Rao Narendra Singh, learned AGA has submitted that it has come in the investigation of the offence that the present accused-applicant fraudulently after preparing forged and fabricated documents, had been selling the properties of the Math by imposting himself as Mahant of the Math whereas he has no right to sell the properties. The accused-applicant had been convicted for life by the III-Additional District Judge, Fatehpur in the year 1981. He is a history sheeter of District Fatehpur and several cases are registered against him.”
It cannot be lightly dismissed that it is then unearthed in para 15 that, “To avoid the police action, he came to the Math as Mahant and as soon as Mahant Ramji Das died, he declared himself as Mahant of the Math by forging the stamp of Gram Sabha Babutha Kala without there being any witness. The fact is that successor of Mahant Ramji Das Ji is his chela, Chacha Dayal Das Awasthi and the Court has declared him to be successor and Mahant of the Math. Present accused-applicant had killed Baba Dayal Das and declared himself to be the successor of Ramji Das. He has also killed Basraj Singh, the witness of the murder of Mahant Dayal Das Awasthi. Mangement of U.P. Udaseen Sampradaya Prabhandh Trust had extricated the present accused-applicant as Mahant on 06.03.2020.”
Damningly, the Bench then also makes it known in para 16 that, “The accused-applicant had presented several of his gang members as imposters of Baba Parmeshwar Das. 23 years after the death of Mahant Soman Das, the accused-applicant had got the forged will registered by imposter of Baba Soman Das.”
More damningly, the Bench then castigates in para 17 stating that, “Despite order passed by the High Court in the writ petition filed by Parmeshwar Das in which stay was granted regarding disposing of the land of the Math, the accused-applicant got registered a forged trust deed namely, Thakur Ji Maharaj Trust and showing his members as disciple (chela) and declared him as treasurer. He started transferring entire money of the Math. The accused had executed several sale-deeds fraudulently on the basis of forged and fabricated documents in favour of the land mafias and there are sufficient evidence against him for committing the offence.”
Most damningly, the Bench then discloses in para 18 bringing out that, “In the counter affidavit, it has been stated that so far following 15 cases have been found against the accused-applicant and investigation is on in respect of other cases:- 
(i) Case Crime No.198/1978, under Section 13 Gambling Act, Police Station Thariyaon, Fatehpur. 
(ii) Case Crime No.199/1978, under Section 25 Arms Act, Police Station Thariyaon, Fatehpur.
(iii) Case Crime No.112/1983, under Section 307 IPC, Police Station Thariyaon, Fathepur.
(iv) Case Crime No.185/1985 under Section 364/302 IPC, Police Station Thariyaon, Fatehpur. 
(v) Case Crime No.14/17, under Section 147, 148, 149, 302, 309 IPC, Police Station Thariyaon, Fatehpur. 
(vi) Case Crime No.346/99 under Sections 302/120B IPC, Police Station Munshiganj, Sultanpur.
(vii) Case Crime No.62/2000 under Sections 147, 148, 149, 452, 302 IPC, Police Station Munshiganj, Amethi. 
(viii) Case Crime No.544 of 2009, under Section 420 IPC, Police Station Mohanlalganj, Lucknow.
(ix) Case Crime No.162/2015 under Sections 452, 504, 506, 323 IPC, Police Station Chowk, Lucknow.
(x) Case Crime No.659/2018, under Sections 120B, 147, 148, 149, 323, 307, 308, 506 IPC, 7 Criminal Law Amendment Act, Police Station Thakurganj, Lucknow.
(xi) Case Crime No.25/2019, under Sections 147, 379 IPC, Police Station P.G.I., Lucknow. 
(xii) Case Crime No.125/2019, under Sections 147, 379, 448 IPC, Police Station P.G.I., Lucknow.
(xiii) Case Crime No.584/2019, under Sections 406, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 506 IPC, Police Station P.G.I., Lucknow.
(xiv) Case Crime No.585/2019, under Sections 34/419, 420, 427, 447, 467, 468, 471, 506 IPC, Police Station P.G.I., Lucknow.
(xv) Case Crime No.589/2019, under Sections 147, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 506, 34 IPC, Police Station P.G.I., Lucknow.”
Most revealingly, after considering the submissions of the counsel for the accused-applicant as well as learned A.G.A. and learned counsel for the complainant as stated in para 19, it is then finally and far most crucially held in para 20 that, “It is unfortunate that the properties of religious and charitable institutions are being usurped by criminals. Looking at the long criminal history of the accused-applicant and his involvement in the commission of the offence i.e. selling property of the Math by the accused-applicant in active connivance with the land mafias without any authority or competence is serious offence and, therefore, this Court does not find any ground to release the accused-applicant on bail at this stage and this bail application is hereby rejected at this stage.” 
On a concluding note, it must be said that such instances of illegal land grabbing by mafias especially the properties of religious and charitable institutions are becoming more and more common and frequent which is certainly a cause of grave concern. Even the Allahabad High Court itself has noticed this most dangerous trend of religious and charitable institutions being usurped by criminals and mafias. How can all this be allowed to go on unchecked, uninhibited and unpunished? This alone explains why the Allahabad High Court refused to grant bail to the accused-applicant by rejecting the bail application! Very rightly so!
Sanjeev Sirohi

The criminality of marital rape in India

 It is appalling that in this day and age, India still remains a part of the 36 countries in which marital rape is not legal. About 70 per cent of women in India are victims of domestic violence. National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) ‘Crime in India’ 2019 report shows that a woman is raped every 16 minutes, and every four minutes, she experiences cruelty at the hands of her in-laws. An analysis of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-16 data indicates that an estimated 99.1 per cent of sexual violence cases go unreported and that the average Indian woman is 17 times more likely to face sexual violence from her husband than from others.

This is because of the rape culture that is still entrenched in Indian society. Women are considered to be their husbands’ chattel in marriages rather than equal partners, and this reflected itself in the skewed adultery law that was amended because it was discriminatory towards women. Whilst there is great outrage over stranger rapes that are covered with big headlines in newspapers, we must remember that the biggest bearers of sexual violence do not have the social capital to come out with their stories because our society does not understand that consent can be withdrawn in a marriage as well.

This societal disease infiltrates into our legal and governmental establishment as well. Powerful ministers making sexist statements is not unheard of, and judges making their judgements in rape cases to blame the victim are commonplace. This institutional rot cannot be cured without striking the problem at its root.

It is true that legal minutiae have very little impact on the day-to-day affairs of most people in the country, but the law sets a precedent. We all know the legal ban on untouchability has not stopped the practice, but the illegality of it guides the moralities of people and draws a line between what is normal in a civilised society and what is not. Hence, it is important that are laws are amended to deem marital rape a criminal offence that merits high punishment for us to progress as a society.

Disha Ravi granted bail, Court says no real evidence to prove the accusations

Yesterday, while granting bail to environmental activist Disha Ravi in ​​the toolkit case related to the farmers’ movement, the court said that creating a WhatsApp group and editing a toolkit is not a crime. Delhi’s Patiala House Court said on Tuesday, “You cannot put anyone in bars only for disagreeing with the government’s policies.” Late night, Disha was released from Tihar jail.

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana strictly said that there is no evidence against Disha that she campaigned with the intention of bringing a bad name to India. There is no evidence that she hatched any conspiracy to spread violence. Many people have been arrested in cases of violence, but not a single one has been proved to have any connection with Disha. The court also said that just to maintain the pride government no one can be charged for treason. 
The court granted direction to bail on the condition of personal bond of one lakh and cooperation in investigation. They will also be prohibited from going out of the country during this period. 
The judge said that the police has no evidence to prove the connection between Disha and the Khalistan supporters of the Poetic Justice Foundation.
Similarly, no such evidence has been produced to prove that Disha is a supporter of separatist ideology and there is some kind of connection between her and the banned organization Sikh for Justice.
Disha Ravi, is an Indian youth climate change activist and a founder of Fridays For Future India. Her arrest on 13 February 2021 for an alleged involvement with an online toolkit related to Greta Thunberg and the 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protests gained international attention.

The Proposed Ban on Cryptocurrencies

 First launched in 2009, Bitcoin is a kind of cryptocurrency or digital currency that exists completely online. It is decentralized without a single central bank to administer it and the currency is stored in digital wallets. These wallets are backed by private and public keys for security, and the public key is what lets users transact with each other. Because of its decentralized nature and the anonymity associated with it, the currency can be easily traded across users and countries without identifying the person who holds the bitcoin. The popularity of bitcoin has spurred a range of alternate crypto currency including Etherium, Dogecoin and Binance.

The major problem with these private cryptocurrencies is that they create an alternate to real money, which may lead to the problem of ‘double spending.’ Hence, the government had set up a committee in 2017 led by the then Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg to study the issues related to virtual currencies. The committee, in its final report made public in 2019, had drafted a Bill to impose a complete ban on private cryptocurrencies after the regulators expressed their concerns over it.

It is not known what effect this step will have, but many have opposed it because of the inherent flaws in the argument of ‘double spending’ and since Tesla has renewed interest in cryptocurrencies by investing in bitcoin. Only time will tell whether this action will impact the markets significantly or not.