Survey : Ignorant, but proud Indian

Saturday, 28 January 2006

Recovering from a Republic Day high? Here are some sobering thoughts to help you:

* 13 per cent of adult Indians still do not recognise the Tricolour
* 18 per cent don't know the name of the country; another 9 per cent give wrong answers
* 27 per cent go blank when you ask them about 15th of August
* 39 per cent don't have the faintest idea of what is 26th January
* the figure goes up to 55 per cent if you accept only 'Republic Day' as the correct answer.

If you are an adivasi woman who never went to a school, the odds are nearly one in two that you won't be able to name the country. Only one in three Indians can tell accurately what the three national holidays are for. Even among those with a bachelor's or higher degree, a majority cannot give the correct answer for all the three.

These are some of the shocking findings of the CNN IBN-HT State of the Nation Poll conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS). The poll was carried out between January 7 and 14 among 15,141 eligible voters spread across 986 villages or urban localities in 230 parliamentary constituencies.

The sample was a true mirror of Indian population: 75 per cent rural respondents, 46 per cent women, 11 per cent Muslims, 18 per cent Dalit and 9 per cent adivasis.

Lest you conclude that these findings indicate a weak nationalism, consider the figures for a sense of national pride. As many as 97 per cent Indians say they feel 'proud' or 'very proud' of being an Indian. When the same question was posed in many other countries a few years ago, no other country - including the ever patriotic USA - returned such figures. Germans, Russians and Japanese lag much behind Indians in this respect.

Indianness trumps all other identities. People are proud of their languages and state identities, but when asked to describe themselves, a majority say they are only Indians. Similarly, 55 per cent describe themselves as Indian first and then Hindu, Muslim or follower of any other religion. Less than one-sixth of all Indians identify themselves only as Tamil or Gujarati etc or as Hindu or Muslim first.

Nationalist leaders are still the most powerful icons in our country. When shown the photographs of some of the best recognised Indians of the last hundred years, Mahatma Gandhi still emerges on the top in popularity.

Throughout the country, 88 per cent people recognised Gandhi's photograph and named him. In face recognition, Gandhi was followed not by Nehru but by his daughter Indira Gandhi at 72 per cent. Nehru was a little behind at 67 per cent, followed by Amitabh Bachchan and then Sachin Tendulkar.

But this primacy to nationalism has not made most Indians an aggressive and chauvinist lot. The rulers may have changed their mind, but the Indian people still believe in the Nehruvian foreign policy. On balance, more people want India to resist US hegemony rather than cosy up to the super power. They would not like India to act big brother vis-a-vis its small neighbours and pursue an active policy of friendship with Pakistan.

There is a considerable pride in Kargil victory, but that does not indicate an aggressive nationalism. When asked to name a moment of shame, an overwhelming majority chose the farmers' suicide. Clean drinking water for every Indian is an overwhelming choice as the wish for country's future. Not a bad Republic Day resolution.

http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=4412&section_id=3

India's "supercops" in firing line over mob links

24 Feb 2006 Source: Reuters, By Krittivas Mukherjee

MUMBAI, India, Feb 24 (Reuters) - For eight years, Daya Nayak killed with impunity -- sometimes with his pistol but often with an AK-47 automatic rifle -- as he bumped off people suspected to be gangsters or involved in acts of terrorism in Mumbai.
These days, the policeman just kills time.

Once the poster boy of Mumbai's police force and eulogised by Bollywood filmmakers, Nayak helped to dramatically curb organised crime in India's financial capital, breaking the back of violent gangs and sending mobsters on the run.

But after years of tormenting crime dons, the past has returned to haunt him.

The tall, moustachioed Nayak, 34, has been arrested and ordered held until early March as anti-corruption officers probe allegations he had amassed wealth, including real estate worth millions of rupees, far beyond what his salary could pay for.

Nayak is not alone in his fall from grace. More than half a dozen officers of a crack force, formed over a decade ago, have been accused of corruption and links with the underworld.

Known in the Indian media as "encounter specialists" for shooting down criminals in raids, the men have either been dismissed or suspended until an investigation into their financial assets is completed.

Nayak's critics claim that as well as taking mob money, the so-called "supercops" have been routinely killing gangsters in stage-managed shootouts and in custody. Human rights workers have branded the deaths nothing more than extra-judicial executions.

"I've done nothing wrong. These charges are false," the sub-inspector, who says he killed over 80 criminals in shootouts, said recently after appearing in a Mumbai court.

In the late 1990s, Mumbai, then known as Bombay, faced a tide of mafia killings, abductions and extortion demands.

Poor migrants from villages and small towns were drafted into gangs, taking up the gun for cash, earning relatively small amounts but more than they could hope to make honestly.

The underworld was remote-controlled by bosses based in Dubai, Malaysia and Karachi who had fled India to avoid arrest, leaving behind associates to carry out their orders.

ROUGH JUSTICE

Mumbai's authorities hit back, giving a free hand to officers like Nayak who worked informers and wielded their guns to administer justice.

In a decade of violent confrontations, the officers busted hideouts and shot dead at least 350 suspected gangsters, drawing cheers from businessmen and the Bollywood set, prime mob targets.

Newspapers splashed photographs of the officers across their front pages, while film directors explored Nayak's climb from abject poverty.

Many people supported the "supercops" because snuffing out the bad guys, most felt, was better than putting them through a failing justice system where witnesses could be manipulated and cases drag on for years.

Human rights activists say police routinely killed criminals in cold blood after taking them to a lonely spot and telling them to run. When they did so, or even if they did not, they were shot, usually in the back.

"They kill them (criminals) somewhere and then take their bodies to hospital and put it down as a shootout death," P.A. Sebastian, a human rights activist, told Reuters.

Sometimes, rights activists allege, officers blaze away as they compete with each other for media headlines.

But police say they open fire only in self-defence.

"Does a policeman enjoy killing? Those killed are trying to get us. They aren't saints," said officer Pradeep Sharma, who police records say has shot dead 104 criminals.

Sharma is facing an inquiry in the disappearance of an accused in a 2002 bomb blast in Mumbai. Human rights activists say the man, Khwaja Yunus, was killed in custody while police say he simply escaped.

"Many of these encounters are fake and killings by police extrajudicial," said criminal lawyer Majeed Memon.

Sharma's boss says the controversial tactics have yielded results.

"It's for all to see that stern police activity has curbed crimes," Mumbai police commissioner A.N. Roy said.

Australian Educational sector earned about $500 million from India

UNI, Saturday February 18

Australia earned about 500 million Australian dollars from the export of educational services to India, Australia's Senior Trade Commissioner Mike Moignard said on Friday.

In an interaction with mediapersons on the eve of an Australian education fair here on Saturday, Mr Moignard said educational services constituted the major chunk of the 850 million dollar services exports from Australia to India, as per the latest figures.

India's services exports amounted to about 300 million Australian dollars, he said.

Stating that about 27,000 Indian students were enrolled in Australian universities last year, education councillor at the Australian high commission in New Delhi, Ms Priya, said about 30 per cent of them were from the southern Indian states. However, Kerala constituted a minuscule portion of these students.

We are conducting the education fair here tomorrow to tap Kerala's potential, she added.

While the preferred courses of study were Business Administration, Information Technology (IT) and Engineering, several Indian students were also enrolled in accounting, Applied Science and Hospitality courses.

New fields of study such as biotechnology, communication studies and art and design dressing were also emerging as favourites.

The fair has been organised by the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI). Thirteen AAERI agents, representing more than 40 Australian institutions, would be participating in the fair, Mr Moignard said.

Similar fairs in Jalandhar, Punjab, and Vadodra, Gujarat, had drawn a good response, and the organisers were hoping for a fairly good turnout of parents, students and academicians tomorrow. Another education fair would be held at Vishakhapatnam also, Ms Priya said.

Denying that Indian students in Australia faced problems due to the high cost of living there, Mr Moignard said that the students were allowed to work upto 20 hours a week, both on campus and off campus.

“Compared to countries such as the US and the UK, the cost of living is much lower in Australia,” he added.

To a question, Ms Priya admitted that overseas students had to pay nearly double the fee paid by the local students.

Argentina Residency and Passport

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Unlike many other nations, obtaining citizenship in Argentina is relatively straightforward. The first step is to obtain your visa, which will allow you to live in the country for one year on a temporary residence permit. When the year has expired, the visa can be extended for an additional year. At the end of the second year, the visa can be extended again for another year. At the end of the third year, you can extend the visa again and receive permanent residency. At this point you will be legally entitled to reside in the Argentina permanently. Two years after receiving your permanent residency, you may apply for citizenship.

Citizenship Time line

The Citizenship Hearing

The citizenship proceeding is not complex. You will go before a judge who will decide whether or not to grant you citizenship. ARCA will represent you at this hearing. You will be asked to read a page in Spanish from a book or newspaper. You will not be given a written exam or be required to know Argentina's history or constitution. The judge is only interested in determining whether or not you can read.

As long as you have no criminal record, you are in good health, and you haven't tried to collect welfare payments in Argentina, approval should be quick and easy. The judge is basically trying to determine whether you will be a burden to the state or whether you will contribute to society. If you are a citizen in good standing, there should not be any problems.

Citizens of Developing Countries

If you are from a developing country or from a current or former communist country, the judge will likely scrutinize your application more closely. The judge will want to know how long you've lived in Argentina during the two years that you've had your permanent residency to see whether you've broken ties with your former homeland and that you've fully integrated into Argentine society. If you are from a developed country, you will typically receive much less scrutiny.

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For an additional fee of $1500, ARCA will assist previous residency clients with the citizenship process. While we cannot teach you Spanish, we can file all citizenship paperwork and represent you at the citizenship hearing. Our attorneys and Immigration Advisors will serve as your advocate to assist you with every step of this process.

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After you obtain citizenship, acquiring an Argentina passport is as simple as filling out a form and waiting for the passport to be completed, much the same as it is in your home country.

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Unlike traditional attorneys, ARCA never charges by the hour. We want you to feel relaxed and comfortable when speaking with us. We will be happy to answer all your questions and attend to your specific concerns. Our flat rate price includes all the services required to obtain your visa, DNI, and other residency documents.


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All notary & translation fees in Argentina.

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*Your Immigration Advisor will not accompany you to your consular interview within your country.

What's Not Included:

Airfare to/from Argentina or hotel stay.

Entertainment, food, transportation, and other expenses within Argentina.

Fees you pay within your country to obtain the documents we require.
Payment of consular fees within your country (usually about $100).

Costs You May Incur

Typically, ARCA clients in the United States will pay about $75 in notary and document fees when gathering the required documents. Customers who use free notaries provided in banks, have copies of their birth certificate on hand, etc., will pay less.


Contact ARCA

USA +1 (888) 748-3435
Argentina +54 (11) 4952-6009
info@ArgentinaResidency.com

Sarmiento 2046, #2 "16"
(C1044) Ciudad de Buenos Aires
República Argentina
http://www.argentinaresidency.com/

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http://www.firstbusinessgroup.com/

British Sikhs and Hindus seek open-air cremations

Thursday, 09 February 2006

LONDON - Britain’s Hindus and Sikhs want the right to stage open-air cremations on funeral pyres so their dead can take an unimpeded path to reincarnation. “Without these essential last rites, the soul languishes in restless torment,” said Davender Ghai of the Anglo-Asian Friendship Society, a charity that is seeking to overturn a 75-year-old ban.

They are offended by the use of gas-powered crematorium furnaces and fearful that the ashes could be inadvertently mixed with others. Arguing that the law unfairly penalises followers of both religions, the charity has asked permission from local authorities in the northern English city of Newcastle to cremate their dead in the open air.

If the council refuses, they plan to take their case to the High Court in London and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if necessary. Up to 70 percent of people who die in Britain every year are cremated. Ghai said that at present many Hindus and Sikhs “take the ashes to the river Ganges because they think the last rites are not proper here because of gas-fuelled crematoriums.

“I am not blaming the funeral directors. They do their best but ashes should not be mixed,” he told Reuters. More than 550,000 Hindus and an estimated 320,000 Sikhs live in Britain where open-air cremations have been banned since 1930 amid environmental concerns over mercury emissions.

“This is the first time we have asked for anything. I am just praying and hoping,” Ghai said.

Andrew Bogan, legal adviser to the charity’s 2,000 members, said it was sad and poignant that having made their home in Britain, they should have to go continents away to find peace for their dead.

Explaining the sensitivities, he said: “Reincarnation is the fundamental tenet of the Hindu religion and the point of death and the ceremony and disposal to a large degree determines transmigration of the soul and its next embodiment. “Under no circumstances must there be any intermingling of the ashes. Modern crematoriums have up to 12 services a day so guaranteeing this is just not possible. For Hindus that is catastrophic.” A spokesman for Newcastle City Council said of the proposal: ”Until we have had time to examine the legal, environmental and financial implications involved, we are not in a position to comment.” But Bogan said he was he was confident of victory, concluding, “We are gathering signatures for a petition but we don’t want to bang the door down yet and start jumping on the desk.”

For tourists, India is 'filthy'

Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, February 3, 2006

In three days, 22,000 airport employees have managed to hold air travellers in the country almost to ransom and compounded the image of India as a "filthy country" which lacks basic tourist facilities that people take for granted elsewhere.

"India is a filthy country and the airport is as dirty as the city outside," said Willy, a French national married to an Indian. "This is my second visit and I have found dirt everywhere and it does not make any difference," he added.

Similar reactions came from a group of tourists coming from the Netherlands. "We were told that India is a dirty country but we had not expected the airport to be so dirty," said Anna. "I have never seen washrooms so dirty," added Daneilla.

"I am coming to India for the first time after converting to Sikhism. I was surprised to see the place so dirty but later found out that the airport staff was on strike," said Gurudas Khalsa, an American.

"The government should do something to clean up the place," she added.

As the strike entered its third day on Friday, airport employees went on the rampage early in the morning and threw filled garbage bins both inside and outside the arrival lounge of the domestic and international airport.

With paper glasses, plastic bottles and food thrown on the roads, there was little respite for the Indian travellers as well.

The stink of the washrooms was strong enough to narrate the story a few metres away from the doors.

"Look at the state of the amenities, they are stinking. You just cannot use them," said Manju Kedia, who came from Ahmedabad to meet her daughter who stays in Delhi. "There is no water and the place is in a mess," she added.

"It is good that the government has allowed private players to maintain the airport, the airport employees do not deserve to be here," she added.

"There is no water to drink and people have thrown food and used glasses all over the place," said Rajveer Singh, who works as a yoga teacher in Singapore.

"There is hardly any place where you do not find waste. People have thrown food under the seats because garbage bins are full and there is no place to dispose them," said Karam, a chartered accountant working in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, blatantly violating the Delhi High Court order, the agitating employees continued to shout slogans against the government and carry out protest march inside the airport premises.

"We do not want to disrupt the services but if the government is not thinking about us then why should we care," said Kamlawati, a clerk.

The airport employees are protesting against the award of contracts of Delhi and Mumbai airport to private players.

The agitators demand that the government should give the state-owned Airport Authority of India a chance to modernise the airport since they have both the money and technical knowhow.

"If the government does not want us to work here, we will stop work completely," said Ranvir Singh of airport employees union.