President Asif Zardari

Sindh Democratic Forum met on Nov. 27/09  in an emergent meeting and deliberated on the issue raised by all such print and electronic media that are pursuing anti-Sindhi policies and continuously malign Sindh culture and language. SDF showed its dismay over the launch of a media trail against 5000 years old civilization by focusing President Asif Ali Zardari for wearing a Sindhi Topi during his diplomatic visit to other countries as head of the state. Wearing century’s old sings of great Indus civilization and culture is also a fundamental right of the president of Pakistan as a Sindhi… SDF Further said that criticism on the conduct of present regime is a fundamental right of professional bodies of civil society including media. Sindh’s civil society is too vigilant of the governance failures of the regime of PPP but attack on a nation’s culture and dress cannot be at any cost tolerated and forgiven.

SDF has appealed to all journalist unions, forums and press houses to intervene in this matter and talk to their colleagues not to become so partisan, non-profession and biased to the rich culture of Indus valley.

To protest against such an offensive and vile attack on the signs of Sindhi culture, Sindh Democratic Forum has called a protest march on December 6th, 2009 @ 12.30 PM sharp from Gymkhana Chock to press Club Hyderabad Building.

Leading intellectuals, writers, peace, human rights and women activists, lawyers, columnists, journalists and concerned citizens will join the march and everyone is directed to wear Sindhi Topi and Ajrak to express their love to these great signs of Sindh’s identity.

Abrar Kazi (Convener), Zulfiqar Halepoto (secretary)

Rivals romp home from top leaders’ home turfs
Express News Service, 27 Nov 2009

HYDERABAD: It may be a paradox but the Congress candidate won from Jubilee Hills where Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu resides.

Naidu always claims that Hitec City, the pride of Hyderabad, was constructed during his tenure. Hitec City falls in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency.

Despite Naidu’s tall claims, Congress candidate Lakshmi Bai won from the Jubilee Hills municipal division. Even in Banjara Hills, where the TDP office is located, Congress candidate Bharati Naik won.

Likewise, the TDP candidate won from Balkampet where Chief Minister K Rosaiah resides. Similarly, the Praja Rajyam canditate lost in Jubilee Hills where its party president Chiranjeevi resides.

All the eight Lok Satta Party candidates lost the election in divisions which are part of the Kukatpally Assembly constituency, which is being represented by party president Jayaprakash Narayan.

Telugu Desam gains in GHMC polls
Special Correspondent, The Hindu 27 November 2009

Congress suffers setback

HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections threw up a fractured verdict in the 150-member council, with none of the political parties in the arena crossing the magical half-figure mark.

The ruling Congress suffered a setback by winning just 52 seats, though it contested all the 150 divisions, while the main Opposition Telugu Desam staged a comeback by bagging 45 divisions out of the 141 it contested. The MIM bastions in the old city remained impregnable with the party bagging 43 divisions out of 70 it contested.
It was a dismal show for other political parties. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which spared no effort to regain its lost glory had to satisfy itself with a tally of five seats, though it put up candidates in 137 divisions. The face-saving solitary win for actor Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam came from Old Bowenpally, though it fielded candidates in 64 divisions.

Despite the fractured verdict, the ruling Congress is poised to get its Mayoral candidate elected with the help of ex-officio members (MPs of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, MLAs and MLCs) in the indirect elections slated to be held on December 4. Congress leaders attributed the TDP’s haul to the backing it received from Andhra settlers in the twin cities as a reaction to the threats held out against them by the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). APCC chief D. Srinivas described it as a ‘conspiracy`

Fissures in the Congress bastions in the capital and its surroundings have now come into sharp focus in the first-ever elections it fought after the demise of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The 150 divisions fall in 24 Assembly segments out of which 13 are held by the ruling party, seven by MIM, one each by the BJP, TDP and Lok Satta, while a Congress rebel got elected from one constituency.

Telugu Desam fared better on the outskirts and managed to make a dent in the Congress-held Assembly segments. Notably, it bagged seven out of eight divisions in LB Nagar represented by Congress MLA D. Sudhir Reddy, while in Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy’s Maheshwaram segment, it bagged both divisions.

Minister Mukesh Goud’s Maharajgunj segment elected four Congress candidates, while conceding two to MIM, one each to BJP and TDP. Similarly in Malkajgiri, it bagged four out of eight divisions, three out of seven in Uppal, three out of five in Serilingampally, three out of seven each in Jubilee Hills and Sanathnagar. The only segment to elect all the six ruling party candidates was Secunderabad, represented by first-time MLA Jayasudha Kapoor.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/27/stories/2009112750180100.htm

This is an indian classical music festival celebrated in Hyderabad and is held annually. I could still recollect Pandit Jasraj’s voice and his gamakas at Hotel Mariott at the Times Hyderabad festival. He was mentioning about his annual performance at Hyderabad and his attachment with the Hyderabadi atmosphere and audiences.  Details about the festival can be found on wikipedia .

But, this time it is going to be more mesmerizing as the event would be at Chowmallah Palace. I have never been to Chowmallah palace before. And friends who have been there before say that it’s a different experience altogether. This time Jasraj ji, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma,ji, Pritam Bhattacharya ji will also be performing.

For classical music enthusiasts, this is a real festival. A weekend that would leave behind enduring echoes.

Though I miss the first three days, I would not miss the last day’s event at any cost. [:)].

More details about the event can be found at : fullhyderabad.

TIMES OF INDIA

Can Hyderabad be made livable?
Karuna Gopal, TNN 23 November 2009

If livable cities give all citizens equal opportunity to lead healthy, comfortable and safe lives, how livable is our metropolis? Here’s a citizen activist’s perspective.

Doctors prescribe half-an-hour walk everyday, among other things to stay healthy. For those who cannot afford the luxury of a gym, walking to offices is an option. How pedestrian-friendly are our Hyderabad streets? Fast food is fast becoming a pass time for children. How many outdoor choices can we show them in parks, municipal swimming pools and skating rinks? For teenagers who started relying on the Facebook for facing life’s challenges, what are the city avenues for adventure learning and sport facilities?

The footpath to road ratio is poor in Hyderabad and the walkability index is a mere 0.68, making it one of the worst cities in India for pedestrian friendliness. With 30 lakh vehicles plying, Hyderabad has the highest density of traffic in India. Vehicle to road length ratio is bad, respirable particulate matter (RPM) several notches above the acceptable levels, 50% of the road accident victims are pedestrians and billions of working hours are lost with people stuck in traffic. Captive walkers may not be walking by choice; they have no access to public transport!

My 65-year-old neighbour became healthy after a neighbourhood park appeared. He walks daily, made friends, does yoga and laughs his way to health. Studies on SROI (Social Return on Investment) show that parks also serve as instruments to forge communal, community bonding, resolve family conflicts, encourage informal official meetings reducing pollution.

KBR Park that has been put in the league of Central Park of New York and Hyde Park of London is accessible only to Jubilee Hills residents. The rest of the city has not been so lucky. With just 600 parks developed in an inequitable fashion for eight million, citizens are desperately waiting to see parks in the 2,200 open spaces meant for that purpose. Currently, most colonies house fenced open spaces with faded boards declaring GHMC’s ownership!

My maid who lives in a slum, fed up with contaminated water, disease burden and mounting medical bills asked me how much we pay for water. After quick calculations announced that she is willing to pay at the same rate! She just educated me about opportunity cost and her coping costs, technical term for lack of services and coping mechanisms used by the poor! In fact, all WTP (willingness to pay) studies prove that slums want basic services like water and sanitation and they are willing to pay for those. It is the government that is unwilling to charge!

With 1,485 slums and more being created, our city has to act fast or Hyderabad while legitimising the illegitimate may well morph into a mammoth slum! Is it just insipid institutions, defunct departments and procedural pains that are responsible for this state of affairs?

With a build-now, regularize-later culture, jurisdictional schizophrenia making a municipal ward nobody’s baby, multiplicity of agencies, conflicting executive and political interests, lake encroachments, lopsided development, rusted water pipes, gushing sewers, our greater city has to deal with systemic problems to get anywhere near livable status. Those, who expressed concern when Hyderabad became “greater” that it will have greater challenges of integration, providing equitable services and staying accountable to a larger population stand vindicated today! Why, the much hyped up Hi-Tech City has a maze of optic fibre lines, but sadly no sewerage lines!

Governance framework is partly responsible for this state of affairs. Hyderabad, though a metropolis now is still a state’s baby. Despite the 74th constitutional amendment Act, it is not the city but the state that decides the urban infrastructure projects, levies and collects taxes. The state also interferes with the local governments property tax by deciding the tax base, rates and modes of assessment leaving the city government disempowered and financially weak. Though JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission) aims to rectify that, shuttle negotiations with the state have been leading to delays and sub-optimal development of Hyderabad.

The City Development Plan of Hyderabad (CDP) that accessed the JNNURM funds for the city was sent without the mandatory stakeholder consultations. There is also a community participation law for urban projects just as there is a JNNURM framework for citizen participation. Citizens do not question enough. The government does not share enough. Town hall meetings that are the purest form of democratic governing are missing in our city. Citizens have to participate actively in city development. We must realize that managing cities is not just government business alone. It is ours too.

We can make Hyderabad a livable city if citizens wear a reformer hat to cleanse institutions, an activist hat to question investment decisions and a partner hat to accelerate equitable development!

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Can-Hyderabad-be-made-livable/articleshow/5259235.cms

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Walk-in at Cognizant(Hyd) on 27th Nov 09 for Voice Process Executives(0-6 yrs exp) on 27th Nov 09

http://www.walkinsindia.com/non_it_walkin/walkins/Walk-in-at-Cognizant-Hyd-on-27th-Nov-09-for-Voice-Process-Executives-0-6-yrs-exp-on-27th-Nov-09.html

More BPO Walkins at http://www.walkinsindia.com/walkin-for-Call-Centre-BPO.aspx

IT Walkins – http://walkinsindia.com/it_walkin

If you went to college in or before mid-nineties like me then you can understand that the roadside tea stall guy was as essential part of your daily life. I personally haven’t been to one such stall in Hyderabad for the last two years primarily due to hygiene issues. Recently while browsing through LinkedIn, I saw an interesting proposal for a chain of affordable tea stalls in India. The key here is to cater to a segment of working professionals who want a bit more hygiene and service as well as create a brand of tea stalls with guaranteed product quality and service, at the same time keep the cost really low. Rather as low as possible but not too low. The idea is not to compete with the existing tea stall guy but to provide better quality (better cups, cleaner cups, tea vessel, etc) and similar experience with all the stalls. Sort of Barista or CCD (cafe coffee day) equivalent in a lower price band. Thought it was an interesting idea… Needless to say there are many unknowns and questions but the idea is worth thinking further about. It needs people with operational experience and large scale people management experience unlike me.

HYDERABAD, Nov 24 (APP):The Consul General of the United States at Karachi Mr. Stephen G. Fakan has said that Pakistan is a strong country and its youth should work hard to bring it among the developed countries of the world. He said this during a visit to Univesity of Sindh on Monday. Vice Chanceller University of Sindh Mazhar-ul-Haq Siddiqui briefed the visiting Consul General about the academic and research programmes offered by the university.

The VC informed Stephen Fakan that Sindh University is the second oldest university in the country and it was established in 1947.

He also informed the Consul General about the facilities being provided to foreign students who are studying at the university.

The Consul General appreciated the standard of education provided by different faculties and departments of the university, and said that with regard to its area and staggering number of enrolment University of Sindh was veritable to any American university.

Later on, the Consul General visited the Department of Mass Communication and Institute of Sindhology, where he met with faculty members and students.

During his visit to the Department of Mass Communication, Stephen G. Fakan said that the subject of Mass Communication holds an auspicious future for its students as the growth of media, specially electronic media, is a recent occurence in Pakistan.

He said that female students of the department, who would become journalists in their future, should give priority to reporting on the issues of women empowerment, education and welfare.

The Consul General said that the USA is interested in providing higher education facilities to the students of Pakistan and in this regard has facilitated a large number of Pakistani students who are enrolled in many different universities in the USA.

Dean Department of Mass Communication Dr. Rizawana Chang briefed the guest about ongoing academic programmes and research papers which have been published by the department.

The Consul General also visited the print and electronic media laboratories and studio of the department.

The Consulate General, later on, visited various galleries in the Institute of Sindhology and appreciated the works of the artists.

Courtesy: http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90566&Itemid=2

سائلينٽ ڊيَ

ارمغان فياض

جڏهن اسان هتي حيدرآباد ۾ رهندا هئاسين ته هڪڙو ڪئنيڊين خاندان اسان جي ويجهو رهندو هو. انهن کي ٽي ٻار هئا. پوءِ اسان ڪئناڊا هليا وياسين، هڪ دفعي اهو خاندان ڪئناڊا آيل هو ته اسان سان به ملڻ آيو. ان دوران اسان سڀ گڏجي اتي هڪ شاپنگ مال وياسين. ان خاندان جي ٻارن جون عمريون پنج، ست، ۽ ڏهه سال هيون. بازار ۾ هنن جا ٻار ڪنهن ڳالهه تي پاڻ ۾ وڙهي پيا. ٻارن جي اها حرڪت ڏسي سندن والد کي انهن تي ڏاڍي ڪاوڙ اچي رهي هئي. ان دوران جڏهن ٻارن جو پاڻ ۾ جهيڙو وڌي ويو ته ٻارن جي والد انهن تي هٿ کڻڻ جي ڪوشش ڪئي ته سندس زال يڪدم کيس چيو ته نه ائين نه ڪجئين! هي پاڪستان ڪونهي، ڪٿي تنهنجي ائين ڪرڻ تي پوليس نه جهلي وٺي ۽ ماڳهين مصيبت ۾ نه پئجي وڃون. اها ڳالهه ٻڌي ٻارن جي پيءُ کي ڳالهه ياد آئي ته اهو پاڪستان ۾ نه پر ڪئناڊا ۾ آهي. پنهنجي غلطيءَ تي پريشان ٿيندي هيڏانهن هوڏانهن ڏسڻ لڳو ته ڪٿي ڪنهن ڏٺو ته ڪو نه. مون ۽ فياض به کيس چيو ته خير آهي، ٻار آهن ائين ٿيندو رهندو آهي. اصل ۾ ان انگريز خاندان سان مسئلو اهو هو جو گهڻو عرصو هتي سنڌ ۾ رهڻ سبب هنن کي هتان جو عادتون پئجي چڪيون هيون ۽ انهن کي هر هر اها ڳالهه وسري ٿي وئي ته اهي ڪي ڪئناڊا آيل آهن.

هونئن به ڏسون ته اسان وٽ ٻارن کي مارڻ بلڪه آزاديءَ سان مارڻ هڪڙي ڏاڍي غلط عادت آهي. ائين ڪرڻ سان نه رڳو ٻارن جي عزت خراب ٿئي ٿي بلڪه ٻارن لاءِ هي اهو وقت هوندو آهي، جڏهن انهن جي شخصيت ٺهي رهي هوندي آهي. پر ٻارن کي مارڻ سان انهن جي ”سيلف ايٽيم لَو“  ٿي وڃي ٿي ۽ اڳتي هلي انهن جي ڀرپور ۽ پُر اعتماد شخصيت ٺهڻ جو عمل رڪجي وڃي ٿو. خاص طور ته اسان جي اسڪولن ۾ ٻارن جي جيئن ننڍڙين ننڍڙين ڳالهين تي بي عزتي ڪئي وڃي ٿي ۽ ٻارن کي سخت مار ڏني وڃي ٿي، ان جي ته انتها ئي ڪانهي. بلڪه مان ته چونديس ته نه رڳو اسان جون جيلون ۽ ٿاڻا، پر اسان جا سرڪاري اسڪول به هڪ قسم جا ٽارچر سيل آهن. سوچيون ته پوءِ ڪيئن نه ماءُ پيءُ جو پنهنجي  ٻارن ۾ ساهه پيل هوندو  آهي ۽ اهي ڪيئن نه وڏين اميدن سان ٻارن کي اسڪول موڪلين ٿا. پر اسڪولن ۾ وري ماستر ۽ ماستراڻيون  ٻارن کي پڙهائڻ بدران رڳو موچڙا هڻن ٿا يا هڻن ٿيون. منهنجو سهرو فقير سائين مرحوم ٻارن سان تمام گهڻو پيار ڪندو هو. سندس اولاد مان ڪنهن جي به گهر ۾ ٻار ڄمندو هو ته سڀني کان پهرين منهنجو سهرو مرحوم پهچندو هو. ۽ چوندو هو ته ٻار پالڻ ايئن آهي، جيئن مکڻ جي شِيخَ پچائڻ. مطلب ته اهي مائٽ جيڪي ٻارن کي ايڏي پيار مان اسڪولن ڏانهن ڪجهه پرائڻ لاءِ موڪلين ٿا پر اهڙن اسڪولن ۾ ٻارَ ڪيئن ڪجهه پرائيندا، جتي کين عزت ۽ علم ملڻ بدرآن ٽارچرن کي منهن ڏيڻو پوي.

ان جي ڀيٽ ۾ ڪئناڊا ۾ ٻار خوشي خوشي اسڪول وڃن ٿا ۽ خوشي خوشي موٽي اچن ٿا. شروع شروع ۾ مان ڏاڍي حيران ٿيندي هُيس ته اتي ڪئناڊا ۾ ٻار نيٺ اسڪول وڃڻ لاءِ ايترو زور ڇو ٿا ڀرين ۽ ايترو خوش ڇو ٿا ٿين. شايد مان ۽ مون جهڙو نسل جيڪو هتي سنڌ جي اسڪولن ۾ ماسترن ۽ ماسترياڻين جي هٿان چچرجي وڏو ٿيو آهي، ان نسل لاءِ ”اسڪول ۽ خوشي“ ڪيئن هڪڙي ڳالهه ٿي سگهي ٿي. خير جيئن جيئن مون کي ڪئناڊا جو سسٽم سمجهه ۾اچي رهيو آهي، تيئن تيئن منهنجي خوشي ۽ ڏک ۾ واڌارو ٿي رهيو آهي. خوشي هن ڳالهه جي آهي ته شڪر آهي جو منهنجا ٻار ڪئناڊا جي صاف سٿري ۽ پُرامن ماحول ۾ رهن ٿا، ۽ اتان جي اسڪولن ۾ بهترين کان بهترين تعليم پرائي رهيا آهن ۽ ڏک پنهنجي ڀاڳن ڀري سنڌ جي انهن گلن جهڙن معصوم ٻارن جو ٿئي ٿو، جيڪي بکايل اسڪول وڃن ٿا ۽ اسڪولن ۾ رڳو مارون کائين ٿا. مان پاڻ ته پرائيويٽ اسڪولن ۾ پڙهي آهيان، پر نوڪري سرڪاري اسڪول ۾ ڪئي آهي ، جنهن منهنجا چوڏانهن ئي طبق روشن ڪري ڇڏيا هئا. ڳالهه اها ڪونهي ته مونکي اُتي ڪئناڊا پهچڻ کانپوءِ اسان جي غريب ۽ معصوم ٻارن جو احساس ٿي رهيو آهي. نه اها ڳالهه بلڪل ڪو نه آهي. بلڪ مان جڏهن هتي هوندي هُيس ۽ ٻارن کي پڙهائيندي هُيس، تڏهن به مونکي اهو احساس  هو،  تڏهن ئي ته مان انهن ٽيچرن جون دشمنيون کڻندي هُيس، جيڪي ٻارن کي مارينديون هيون. پر ڪئناڊا پهچڻ کانپوءِ اهو احساس وڌي وڻ ٿي ويو آهي ته نيٺ ڇا ٿيندو؟ ڪڏهن ٿيندو؟ ۽ ڪيئن ٿيندو؟ ۽ نيٺ اسان کي ڪڏهن اها ڳالهه سمجهه ۾ ايندي ته اسان جا ٻار ڇو روئيندا اسڪول وڃن ٿا؟ هونئن ته اها ذميواري ايجوڪيشن منسٽر کان تعيلم جي سيڪريٽري تائين، مائٽن ۽ ٽيچرن کان وٺي هيڊمسٽريس تائين، سڀني تي لاڳو ٿئي ٿي ته اهي ان ڳالهه کي هر حال ۾ يقيني ٺاهين ته جيئن ستارن جي سيج جهڙين اسان جي نياڻين ۽ ٽمڪنڊڙ تارن جهڙن اسان جي ٻارن تي اسڪولن ۾ تشدد ڪنهن به حالت نه ٿي سگهي. پر جتي هيڊ ماسترياڻيون پنهنجون تعريفون ٻڌڻ لاءِ چار چمچيون هر وقت پنهنجي ڀر ۾ ويهاري ويٺيون هجن ۽ سڄو وقت سموسا، پڪوڙا ۽ فالودا کائڻ ۾ لڳائي ڇڏينديون هجن ته پوءَ اهڙي صورتحال ۾ اسڪولن جو ماحول تعليم دوست ٿئي ته نيٺ ڪيئن ٿئي، اصل ڳالهه هي آهي ته اسان وٽ ڪير به ڪنهن جو احساس ڪرڻ لاءِ تيار ناهي. هتي توهان کي منهنجي ننڍڙيءَ جي حوالي سان هڪ واقعو ٻڌايان ٿي. منهنجي ننڍڙيءَ مونکي ٻڌايو ته “جڏهن سندس انگريز ساهڙين کي ان ڳالهه جي خبر پئي ته منهنجو ڀاءُ ڊيف (ڪنن کان ٻڌي نٿو) آهي ته انهن جي ذريعي اها ڳالهه سندس ڪلاس ٽيچر کي پئي ته سندس ڪلاس ٽيچر  اعلان ڪيو ته سڀاڻي اسين ”سائلينٽ ڊي“ ملهائينداسين ۽ سڀاڻي  ڪلاس ۾ ڪير به نه ڳالهائيندو ۽ جنهن کي به هڪٻئي سان ڪميونيڪيٽ ڪرڻو آهي اها سائن لينگويج (اشارن جي زبان) ۾ رابطو ڪري يا وري لکڻ جي ذريعي  ڪميونيڪيٽ ڪري. ائين  ”سائلينٽ ڊي“ جي اسائنمينٽ ۾ حصو وٺڻ لاءِ سندس ٽيچر مارڪون به مقرر ڪري ڇڏيون ته جيڪا به ان ”سائلينٽ ڊي“ جي پارٽيسپيشن ۾ سٺي پرفارمنس ڏيکاريندي، ان کي ان حساب سان اوتريون مارڪون ملنديون. ٻئي ڏينهن واقعي ائين ئي ٿيو. توڻي جو اها اسائنمينٽ صرف منهنجي ڌيءَ جي ڪلاس لاءِ هئي، پر منهنجي ڌيءَ ٻڌايو ته ان ڏينهن ڄڻڪ سڄي اسڪول ۾ ئي ماٺ لڳي پئي هئي. سڄي ڏينهن ۾ مختلف سبجيڪٽن پڙهائڻ لاءِ جيڪي به ٽيچرون آيون اهي به ڪوشش ڪري سائن لينگويج ۾ ڪميونيڪيٽ ڪري رهيون هيون يا رابطو ڪرڻ لاءِ لکڻ جو ذريعو استعمال ڪري رهيون هيون يا منهنجي ڌيءَ کان ڪهڙي شئي لاءِ ڪهڙو اشارو آهي لاءِ مدد وٺي رهيون هيون. ائين ان ڏينهن اسڪول جا ٻار منهنجي ڌيءَ کان سڄو ڏينهن سائن لينگويج سکندا رهيا هئا. منهنجي ڌيءَ جي ڪلاس ٽيچر طرفان ٻارن کي اها اسائنمينٽ ڏيڻ جو اصل ۾ مقصد اهو ته جيئن سڀني کي احساس ٿئي ته ”ڊيف“ ٿيڻ ڇا آهي“  نه رڳو اهو پر اسان جنهن شهر ۾ رهون ٿا ان شهر جي ڀِڪَ ۾ هڪ ٻيو شهر ملٽن آهي. چون ٿا ته ملٽن آنٽاريو نه رڳو سڄي ڪئناڊا  بلڪ سڄي دنيا ۾ ”ڊيف فرينڊلي“ شهر مڃيو وڃي ٿو. ان شهر ۾ اڪثر توهان کي ماڻهو سائن لينگويج ۾ ڳالهائيندا  نظر آيندا. لڳندو ائين ته اهي ڪي ٻوڙا آهن جو پاڻ ۾ اشارن جي زبان ۾ ڳالهائي رهيا آهن، پر پوءِ خبر پوندي ته نه سائين اهي ٻئي ڪنن کان ته ٻڌن ٿا پر سائن لينگويج ۾ ڪميونيڪيٽ ڪرڻ سندن جذبو يا شوق آهي. ڇو ته سندن خيال ۾ سائن لينگويج هڪ اهڙي يونيورسل ٻولي يا اِسڪل (مهارت) آهي جو اها جنهن کي به اچي ٿي اهو دنيا جي ڪهڙي به خطي يا ملڪ ۾ ويندو ته ان کي اتي ڪا به ڏکيائي پيش نه ايندي. مطلب ته ملٽن شهر ۾ ڪهڙي به اسٽور وغيره تي ڪير به اشارن جي زبان ۾ ڪا شئي گهرندو ته گهڻو ڪري سرخي پائوڊر لڳل حسينا مان  اها ئي اميد هوندي آهي ته اها ان اشاري کي سمجهي ويندي. هتي شايد سرخي پائوڊر واري قصي ۾ مان ”پائوڊر“ واري ڳالهه ۾ وڌاءُ ڪري وئي آهيان. ڇو جو اهي گوريون آهن جو انهن کي پائوڊر لڳائڻ جي ضرورت ئي ناهي. چوڻ جو مقصد هي ته اتان جو شهر ملٽن ”ڊيف فرينڊلي“ ان ڪري آهي. ڇو جو اُتي ٻوڙن ٻارن جو اسڪول آهي. مطلب ته اتان جا تعليمي ادارا اهڙا آهن جو اهي پنهنجي ڳوٺن، شهرن ۽ ڀرپاسي جي علائقي ته مثبت اثر وجهن ٿا. ان حوالي سان ڳالهيون ته ٻيون به گهڻيون آهن، پر رڳو هڪڙي ڳالهه ٻي ٻڌائي هن ڪالم کي پڄاڻيءَ تي پهچائڻ جي ڪوشش ڪيان ٿي. اها هيءَ  ته اتي ڪئناڊا ۾ هر هڪ کي فون ۾ اها سهولت به مليل آهي ته ڪير به ”بيل رِليَ“ سروس جي ذريعي  ڪنهن به ڊيف شخص سان، ٻڌڻ ۽ ڳالهائڻ وارو شخص آرام سان ڳالهائي سگهي ٿو ۽ ڪو به ڳالهائڻ وارو شخص فون جي ذريعي ڊيف ماڻهو سان سولائي سان رابطو ڪري سگهي ٿو. ڇو جو ان سروس تحت جيڪڏهن ڪير به ڳالهائي ٿو ته اهو ٻئي پاسي ڊيف شخص وٽ لکجي اچجڻ جي صورت ۾ ظاهر ٿيندو وڃي ٿو ۽ هن پاسي کان ڊيف شخص جيڪو به ڪجهه لکي ٿو ته اهو وري آواز جي صورت ۾ٻڌڻ واري شخص کي ٻڌڻ ۾ اچي ٿو، ائين اتي ڪميونيڪيشن ۾ ڪا به رڪاوٽ نه هئڻ سبب اتان جا ڊيف شهري به ٻين ڪينيڊينز وانگر سٺي ۽ ڀرپور زندگي گذارين ٿا. هاڻي پنهنجي اصل ڳالهه يعني اسان جي اسڪولن ۾ معصوم ٻارن تي ٿيندڙ تشدد واري ڳالهه ڏانهن موٽان ٿي ته ڪيئن نه هيڊماسترياڻيون  پنهنجا فرض نڀائڻ ۾ ڪوتاهيون ڪن ٿيون  ۽ ڪيئن نه ٽيچرون ننڍڙن ننڍڙن ٻارن سان جٺيون ڪن ٿيون. اهو مسئلو حل ڪيئن ٿيندو؟  ان سوال جو جواب مون وٽ ناهي. رڳو اهو ئي ته الله سائين کين ساڃهه ڏيئي ته اهي وڏيون وڏيون پگهارون کڻڻ سان گڏوگڏ پنهنجا فرض ادا ڪرڻ ڏانهن به توجهه ڏين.

Courtesy: Daily Ibrat, Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Editor’s note: Ronald, 21, graduated from the sponsorship program in June of 2008.

I’m Ronald from Hyderabad, India. I come from a family where education was always a daydream. I’m delighted to share a few memories of my life, as I was a fortunate child who has been blessed by God.

CFCA has helped me complete my education and stand on my feet. To make my dreams come true, CFCA came to my aid. Because of their valuable and timely help, my parents were able to enroll me in Mount Carmel High School. CFCA took care of all my educational needs and supported my parents.

Throughout my association with CFCA, I thought all the sponsors belonged to rich families, and helped unfortunate children with their surplus. But to my astonishment, my sponsors, John and Bobby, were an elderly couple who were not wealthy, and were no longer in touch with other family members. I was very joyful to know that they treated me as their grandson.

I remember in one of the letters John told me he had made a big board in his room where he preserved my letters, photographs and paintings, and he read them whenever he felt lonely. I was taken aback by his affection for me.

Sadly, John passed away, but Bobby continued to sponsor me. She also shared with me that after John died I was the only one with whom she could express all her feelings. I’m happy that I was able to know such adoring people.

After I received my education, I got a job with an information technology company. Today, I have everything I need: loving parents, a good education and a fine job. And the two most important people responsible for my life being so good today are my dear sponsors, John and Bobby.

Threesome: A still from ‘Arya 2’.

HYDERABAD: For lovers of cinema, the next few weeks mean a lot of activity because six films are lined up for release. And big names associated with all of them.

They include a stylish Nagarjuna in ‘Rummy’, Allu Arjun in ‘Arya 2’ and NTR in a mass entertainer ‘Adurs’. Shekar Kammula will come out with his ‘Leader’, a socio-political film, while Madan, with ‘Pravarakhyudu’ starring Jagapati Babu is touted as ‘re-defining the understanding of love’.

Then there is Y.V.S. Chowdary’s ‘Saleem’. The business is valued at over a whopping Rs. 100 crore. ‘Arya 2’, a sequel to an earlier film, is slated for release on November 27, followed by ‘Pravarakhyudu’. Director Chowdary says ‘Saleem’ was showcased as a slick and snazzy film, while ‘Arya 2’ is all about finding love in its purest form, with hero Allu Arjun sporting a ‘classy look’, according to its director Sukumar.

NTR must have his fingers crossed, hoping that ‘Adurs’ will become a hit and shake the box office, repeating the Adikesava Reddy magic. Director V.V. Vinayak too has not tasted success for a while now and he must be desperate too. ‘Saleem’ stars Manchu Vishnu and produced by Manchu Mohan Babu. “Ileana really sizzles”, a fan says, of this very romantic love story.

There were several innovations in the promotion of this film with a Hyderabad city-centric stance too. People were bombarded with short messages on their phones and emails, not to talk of the filmmakers utilising ‘Facebook’ the social networking site to its best.

In Mr. Kammula’s ‘Leader’, people are waiting to see a tall debutant Rana Daggupati as the hero. Though it is produced under the prestigious AVM banner, it would not have generated attention in the print and electronic attention if it did not have the hotshot director of ‘Happy Days’ fame wielding the megaphone.

Interestingly, everyone associated with ‘Leader’ has been tight-lipped about what the film is all about. Only during the release of its music on Sunday, the director said it was a film with a political backdrop. “There will not be a single fight in the movie and yet there will be heroism, sans a single drop of blood”, he declared.

Daggupati’s ‘Leader’ is expected to compete with Akkineni’s ‘Rummy’ and people who know the industry well confirm that there will be some competition!

How Livable is Hyderabad? The city which packs a rich tradition and is an icon of the developing India, faces some of the same problems that any other cities face. As the city develops, the pressure on resources grow and need more support. The importance of the perspective of the citizens towards the state of affairs grows.

An article discussing the state of the city of pearls, titled “Can Hyderabad be made livable” written by Karuna Gopal, which was invited by The Times of India – published in the edition dated: Nov. 23′ 2009. Karuna Gopal is the President of the Hyderabad based Urban Planning and Advisory organization, Foundation for Futuristic Cities. She is a distinguished authority in this field and has worked with national and international organizations in the areas of City Development, Visioning, Planning and E-governance among others. The article presents the view from a citizen’s perspective coupled the expertise of a urban planning expert.

If livable cities give all citizens equal opportunity to lead healthy, comfortable and safe lives, how livable is our metropolis? Here’s a citizen activist’s perspective.

Doctors prescribe half-an-hour walk everyday, among other things to stay healthy. For those who cannot afford the luxury of a gym, walking to offices is an option. How pedestrian-friendly are our Hyderabad streets? Fast food is fast becoming a pass time for children. How many outdoor choices can we show them in parks, municipal swimming pools and skating rinks? For teenagers who started relying on the Facebook for facing life’s challenges, what are the city avenues for adventure learning and sport facilities?

The footpath to road ratio is poor in Hyderabad and the walkability index is a mere 0.68, making it one of the worst cities in India for pedestrian friendliness. With 30 lakh vehicles plying, Hyderabad has the highest density of traffic in India. Vehicle to road length ratio is bad, respirable particulate matter (RPM) several notches above the acceptable levels, 50% of the road accident victims are pedestrians and billions of working hours are lost with people stuck in traffic. Captive walkers may not be walking by choice; they have no access to public transport!

My 65-year-old neighbour became healthy after a neighbourhood park appeared. He walks daily, made friends, does yoga and laughs his way to health. Studies on SROI (Social Return on Investment) show that parks also serve as instruments to forge communal, community bonding, resolve family conflicts, encourage informal official meetings reducing pollution.

KBR Park that has been put in the league of Central Park of New York and Hyde Park of London is accessible only to Jubilee Hills residents. The rest of the city has not been so lucky. With just 600 parks developed in an inequitable fashion for eight million, citizens are desperately waiting to see parks in the 2,200 open spaces meant for that purpose. Currently, most colonies house fenced open spaces with faded boards declaring GHMC’s ownership!

My maid who lives in a slum, fed up with contaminated water, disease burden and mounting medical bills asked me how much we pay for water. After quick calculations announced that she is willing to pay at the same rate! She just educated me about opportunity cost and her coping costs, technical term for lack of services and coping mechanisms used by the poor! In fact, all WTP (willingness to pay) studies prove that slums want basic services like water and sanitation and they are willing to pay for those. It is the government that is unwilling to charge!

With 1,485 slums and more being created, our city has to act fast or Hyderabad while legitimising the illegitimate may well morph into a mammoth slum! Is it just insipid institutions, defunct departments and procedural pains that are responsible for this state of affairs?

With a build-now, regularize-later culture, jurisdictional schizophrenia making a municipal ward nobody’s baby, multiplicity of agencies, conflicting executive and political interests, lake encroachments, lopsided development, rusted water pipes, gushing sewers, our greater city has to deal with systemic problems to get anywhere near livable status. Those, who expressed concern when Hyderabad became “greater” that it will have greater challenges of integration, providing equitable services and staying accountable to a larger population stand vindicated today! Why, the much hyped up Hi-Tech City has a maze of optic fibre lines, but sadly no sewerage lines!

Governance framework is partly responsible for this state of affairs. Hyderabad, though a metropolis now is still a state’s baby. Despite the 74th constitutional amendment Act, it is not the city but the state that decides the urban infrastructure projects, levies and collects taxes. The state also interferes with the local governments property tax by deciding the tax base, rates and modes of assessment leaving the city government disempowered and financially weak. Though JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission) aims to rectify that, shuttle negotiations with the state have been leading to delays and sub-optimal development of Hyderabad.

The City Development Plan of Hyderabad (CDP) that accessed the JNNURM funds for the city was sent without the mandatory stakeholder consultations. There is also a community participation law for urban projects just as there is a JNNURM framework for citizen participation. Citizens do not question enough. The government does not share enough. Town hall meetings that are the purest form of democratic governing are missing in our city. Citizens have to participate actively in city development. We must realize that managing cities is not just government business alone. It is ours too.

We can make Hyderabad a livable city if citizens wear a reformer hat to cleanse institutions, an activist hat to question investment decisions and a partner hat to accelerate equitable development!

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HYDERABAD: The Transport Department has proposed to enhance the lifetime tax being collected on newly registered vehicles by 5 to 15 per cent depending on the category to mobilise additional funds for the government.

The department made this proposal at a meeting convened by Chief Minister K. Rosaiah here on Tuesday to review the revenue accruals to the exchequer as against the targets set for each revenue-earning departments. He found some departments lagging in achieving the set revenue targets. He, however, did not clear the Transport Departments’ plan on the ground that there is still scope to tone up the system and improve the accruals by plugging the leakages. The Commercial Taxes Department reportedly proposed collection of “annual lumpsum” amounts towards taxes due from the commercial establishments, dealers and traders instead of piecemeal taxes at the time of transaction as now.

Meeting Felix Edward D’ Souza was a humbling experience. I’d two questions for him and he answered both of them without pointing out my stupidity. I learnt that Felix D’ Souza and Felix Edward are one and the same guy. And this guy indeed plays for both Indian Bank and the state of Goa. We posed with him for a pic. I just wish it had come out better. One has to meet our football players to realise what patience is.

The highlight of the day was meeting Felix, our performance on the field not withstanding. The low point of course, was our performance in the first half of the quarters.

Ram Charan Tej launched the latest issue of PEOPLE, featuring him on the cover, at Landmark Bookstore, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad today. Following unveiling, Charan interacted with the media and talked about his interview with PEOPLE.

Speaking at the press meet Ram Charan Tej said, “I used to read People’s magazine when I was in USA. I am very happy to know that it has launched the Indian version. People has the history of 70 years. People magazine never sports gossips and speculative news. It always carried authentic news and interviews that are real. I am thrilled to be on the cover page of People’s south special.”

In his PEOPLE interview, south india’s hottest young star opens up about the record-breaking success of his second filmMagadheera and living up to him formidable legacy as superstar-politician Chiranjeevi’s son. The London-educated star says, “I was nervous when I realised that my father’s fans were expecting a lot from me.”

But after Magadheera performance, Charan says, “My dad walked up to me and gave a tight hug.” The actor, who possesses his father’s innate dancing abilities, reveals that he was ‘never a trainer dancer’ and offers a glimpse of his life off-screen. “I always enjoyed going to coffee shots and accompanying mymother and sisters shopping but I can’t do it anymore,” he says.

Charan’s superstar dad also gushes about his son’s achievements. “Charan has inherited a lot of my qualities. I feel hard work and dedications are his greatest assets. For me and for my family, he is a doting and responsible son.” Says Chiranjeevi.

source : idlebrain.com