Lalit K Jha
Sunday, June 22, 2008: (New York):
As Mike Mayer's fun-thrilled Love Guru hit more than 3,000 theaters across the United States Friday, amidst protest by a Hindu priest here that it is offensive to his religion, New Age guru, Deepak Chopra, said Saturday that there is nothing in this movie to substantiate such a wild allegation.
"It is a fun-thrilled movie for American audience," Chopra told NDTV.Com in New York where he had come to attend a fund raiser for Myanmar cyclone victims.
Deepak Chopra, who himself appeared briefly in the movie, which has been running houseful in many theaters across the US, said there is nothing objectionable in Love Guru, which could be a cause of protest for the Indian-American community or the Hindus in the US.
Chopra said he agreed to act in the film, though briefly, only after going through the entire script thoroughly and he did not find anything objectionable for the Hindus.
"I do not subscribe to his views," Chopra said referring to the one-man protest coming from a Nevada-based Hindu priest, Razan Zed, whose claim to the fame so far has been chanting ancient Vedic mantras and Sanskrit slokas in US Senate and various US State Assemblies in the past one year.
Zed, who for the past several months had launched a relentless campaign against Love Guru a Paramount Production told NDTV.Com after watching it: "The movie is worse that the trailer." His initial opposition was based on the trailer.
He has now issued an appeal to the Indian American community to boycott the movie, which he alleges downgrades the Hindu religion among mainstream Americans by using specific Hindu words like yoga, guru and karma with double meaning. "There are lot of things, which are objectionable. It lampoons Hinduism and Hindu concepts and uses Hindu terms frivolously," Zed said.
But not many people, including the Indian Americans are taking Zed's advice seriously. In fact, it is just the opposite for quite a number of Indian Americans to go and watch and see personally.
"I did not find anything which I could find objectionable. In fact, I enjoyed every part of it. I laughed a lot," said Kavita Singh, a software executive, after watching the movie in Manhattan Saturday evening. Singh, like many others acknowledged that she went to see the movie after reading news reports that a Hindu priest has called for its boycott.
"The more the opposition, the more is the publicity of the movie," said Deepak Chopra. So did observe the two main actors of the film.
"It (opposition) is better for me and the movie," actor Romany Malco told NDTV.Com. Trinidadian-Malco, who has several Hindu friends and has spent his childhood in the company of Hindu priests, said the movie is for fun and entertainment.
"I feel sorry, if it hurts any one's sentiments. But this does not seem to be offensive to anyone," actress young actress Meagan Good, who is recognized for her acclaimed performance in the moody family drama "Eve's Bayou".
Mike Mayers' who spent years of research in the run up to the movie, told South Asian media a day before its release said he did not believe there is any opposition to it. "It is only one individual. That too without even seeing the movie," Mayer's said and was confident that after watching the movie, Hindus would not subscribe to Zed's view.
While Zed, has renewed his call of boycott, he has failed to support from any prominent Hindu organizations in the United States so far. "The Love Guru" is much more denigrating than they earlier perceived from the information gathered from trailers, website and other sources" Zed said.
Members of the Hindu American Foundation a Washington-based Hindu rights group which watched the movie found it vulgar and crude. However very few of the Hindus viewing the film found it overtly anti-Hindu or mean-spirited, said Aseem Shukla from the Foundation. No Hindu or Sanskrit terms beyond guru or ashram are ever used, he said.
North America chapter of International Society for Krishna Consciousness or Iskcon in a statement also did not find anything objectionable from Hindu perspective. "We find it to be a typical satire that does not intend to hurt religious sentiments," ISKCON, North America said in a statement.
However, Hindu American Foundation has a word of advice for Paramount. Given the costumes and overall concept of the film, it would have been better if a disclaimer was put at the beginning of the film that characters and events are not based on Hindu spiritual masters, Shukla said.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Expert: New AIDS threat emerging in India among 'call center Romeos'
Sun, Jun 22 11:18 AM
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ A new AIDS threat is rising in India's numerous call centers, where young staff are increasingly having unprotected sex with multiple partners in affairs developed during night shifts, a top AIDS expert has warned. While India has made great strides in bringing down its HIV infection rate, the promiscuity among "call center Romeos" is a great concern, Dr.
Suniti Solomon, who detected the first HIV case in India in 1986, told an international medical conference Saturday. The United Nations, however, still estimates there are some 2.5 million Indians living with HIV and AIDS now.
"India has reached a plateau of the infections," Solomon told the International Congress on Infectious Diseases, which ends Sunday. Her concern now is the call centers, where many of the young staff work at night to correspond with the daytime working hours of their American and European clients.
"They have all the money. They huddle together in the night.
They are young, they are sexually active, so naturally they start," Solomon, who runs an AIDS center in the southern city of Chennai, told The Associated Press in a separate interview. She said at least three or four call center workers visit her clinic every week to get tested for HIV because they are worried after having unprotected sex.
It is estimated that India's call centers employ some 1.3 million people, mostly youths fresh out of school and colleges, earning a starting salary of 25,000 rupees (US$600) a month, more than a government doctor's paycheck. "You will see call center Romeos are a major high risk for HIV," Solomon said.
There are no figures for how many call center workers are infected with HIV. Citing confessions by the visitors to her center, Solomon said groups of young men and women rent apartments along the beach during the weekends and end up having multiple-partner sex. "If they are having sex just among themselves, and all are non-infected it is fine.
But if there is one person who has gone out of this group and brought in the virus, it will spread to everyone," she said. While the "call center Romeo" situation is a reflection of recent liberal values, India's anti-AIDS fight is also hampered by society's coexisting conservatism, Solomon told the conference.
She said this is evident in Hindu activists' opposition to circumcision which is proven to help inhibit HIV transmission on the grounds that it is against tradition and religion of Hindu-majority India. Solomon said she does not expect India to accept circumcision for preventing HIV infections.
A recent government study to gauge the acceptance for circumcision triggered a massive backlash by Hindu fundamentalists, who called it "obnoxious" and "a conspiracy." "If you go out into the streets and say I will do this (circumcision) to reduce HIV, there will be a chaos," she said.
"Vaccines have failed. Microbicides have failed.
This is one tool we have in hand but we can't use it.".
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ A new AIDS threat is rising in India's numerous call centers, where young staff are increasingly having unprotected sex with multiple partners in affairs developed during night shifts, a top AIDS expert has warned. While India has made great strides in bringing down its HIV infection rate, the promiscuity among "call center Romeos" is a great concern, Dr.
Suniti Solomon, who detected the first HIV case in India in 1986, told an international medical conference Saturday. The United Nations, however, still estimates there are some 2.5 million Indians living with HIV and AIDS now.
"India has reached a plateau of the infections," Solomon told the International Congress on Infectious Diseases, which ends Sunday. Her concern now is the call centers, where many of the young staff work at night to correspond with the daytime working hours of their American and European clients.
"They have all the money. They huddle together in the night.
They are young, they are sexually active, so naturally they start," Solomon, who runs an AIDS center in the southern city of Chennai, told The Associated Press in a separate interview. She said at least three or four call center workers visit her clinic every week to get tested for HIV because they are worried after having unprotected sex.
It is estimated that India's call centers employ some 1.3 million people, mostly youths fresh out of school and colleges, earning a starting salary of 25,000 rupees (US$600) a month, more than a government doctor's paycheck. "You will see call center Romeos are a major high risk for HIV," Solomon said.
There are no figures for how many call center workers are infected with HIV. Citing confessions by the visitors to her center, Solomon said groups of young men and women rent apartments along the beach during the weekends and end up having multiple-partner sex. "If they are having sex just among themselves, and all are non-infected it is fine.
But if there is one person who has gone out of this group and brought in the virus, it will spread to everyone," she said. While the "call center Romeo" situation is a reflection of recent liberal values, India's anti-AIDS fight is also hampered by society's coexisting conservatism, Solomon told the conference.
She said this is evident in Hindu activists' opposition to circumcision which is proven to help inhibit HIV transmission on the grounds that it is against tradition and religion of Hindu-majority India. Solomon said she does not expect India to accept circumcision for preventing HIV infections.
A recent government study to gauge the acceptance for circumcision triggered a massive backlash by Hindu fundamentalists, who called it "obnoxious" and "a conspiracy." "If you go out into the streets and say I will do this (circumcision) to reduce HIV, there will be a chaos," she said.
"Vaccines have failed. Microbicides have failed.
This is one tool we have in hand but we can't use it.".
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Tirupati-Tirumala hills grapple with rising AIDS cases
Shwetal Rai / CNN-IBN
TimePublished on Sat, Jun 21, 2008 at 01:35, Updated at Sat, Jun 21, 2008 in Nation section
TagsTags: Tirupati, Tirumala , Hyderabad
E-mail this report | Print this report
SCARY STATS: AP AIDS Control Society says there are over 200 sex workers in the Tiruptai-Tirumala hills area.
SCARY STATS: AP AIDS Control Society says there are over 200 sex workers in the Tiruptai-Tirumala hills area.
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Hyderabad: There has been a steep rise in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in one of India’s holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites, the Tirupati-Tirumala hills.
Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society has found out that over 200 commercial sex workers operate in the area.
“We have come across this information through unofficial sources that there is commercial sex activity even in Tirumala. There are about 200-300 sex workers there,” Project Director, AP AIDS Control Society, K Chandravadan said.
The discovery reveal that sex workers clandestinely operate in about 15 secluded spots in the hills.
Chittoor — another district known for its pilgrimage sites — has also been identified as a high-risk zone. Incidentally, smoking, drinking and non-vegetarian food are banned in the Tirupati-Tirumala hills.
TimePublished on Sat, Jun 21, 2008 at 01:35, Updated at Sat, Jun 21, 2008 in Nation section
TagsTags: Tirupati, Tirumala , Hyderabad
E-mail this report | Print this report
SCARY STATS: AP AIDS Control Society says there are over 200 sex workers in the Tiruptai-Tirumala hills area.
SCARY STATS: AP AIDS Control Society says there are over 200 sex workers in the Tiruptai-Tirumala hills area.
Featured Blog
Global Warming.
Featured Slideshows
Save your precious time : Jet Airways takes the least time to reach India. Book your ticket now!
Discount Hearing Aids : Save on Major Hearing Aid Brands Free PDF Download - Buyer's Guide
Your New HIV Regimen : Get info and tips for side effects. Sign up for this support program.
Digital Hearing Aids : Top 5 Websites For Digital Hearing Aids
Ads by Google
Hyderabad: There has been a steep rise in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in one of India’s holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites, the Tirupati-Tirumala hills.
Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society has found out that over 200 commercial sex workers operate in the area.
“We have come across this information through unofficial sources that there is commercial sex activity even in Tirumala. There are about 200-300 sex workers there,” Project Director, AP AIDS Control Society, K Chandravadan said.
The discovery reveal that sex workers clandestinely operate in about 15 secluded spots in the hills.
Chittoor — another district known for its pilgrimage sites — has also been identified as a high-risk zone. Incidentally, smoking, drinking and non-vegetarian food are banned in the Tirupati-Tirumala hills.
Disappearing daughters: a Punjab shocker
Disappearing daughters: a Punjab shocker
AMIT ROY
Failed protests
London, June 21: The ratio of surviving girl children to boys has fallen to an all time low of 300 to 1,000 in parts of Punjab, with higher caste families identified as being the most active in getting rid of unwanted daughters.
This is one of the disclosures in a new report, Disappearing Daughters, based on research done jointly in north and north-west India by ActionAid, a charity and NGO that has been working in the country since 1972, and by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
The report, which will be presented at a UK parliamentary reception of the all-party group on population, development and reproductive health on Monday, says: “Most shocking of all are the figures for high caste urban Punjabis, at just under 300 girls for every 1,000 boys.”
The report also reveals that in four of the five sites surveyed, the proportion of girls to boys has declined even further since 2001.
Many of the anecdotes quoted in the report make grim reading.
In Morena, one of the poorest rural districts in Madhya Pradesh, for example, one man, Kirpal Ojha, was left with four daughters, aged 5, 9, 10 and 12, when his wife died. Now only the youngest is alive because the others somehow fell “ill”.
When Kirpal’s second wife gave birth to two daughters, neither survived because the woman’s mother-in-law forbade her from providing any medical assistance to the babies.
The mother-in-law ensured the younger daughter did not survive by stuffing tobacco into her mother.
But now all is well after the birth of a son.
ActionAid and IDRC’s research reveals that, despite policies to address girls’ rights and public information campaigns, sex-selective abortion and neglect are on the increase.
Although using of scanning devices as an aid to get rid of female foetuses is illegal, doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners are routinely violating the ban, performing abortions and benefiting financially, the report says.
Some justify the abortions by arguing it is “social duty” to kill daughters because otherwise they risk facing discrimination all their lives.
Laura Turquet, women’s rights policy officer at ActionAid, said: “The real horror of the situation is that for women, avoiding having daughters is a rational choice. But for wider society, it’s creating an appalling and desperate state of affairs.”
It is estimated that around 10 million female foetuses may have been aborted in India over the last two decades and according to the Lancet over 500,000 are currently being aborted every year.
The development of India as an economic power has not changed the preference for sons over daughters.
Turquet warned: “Tackling this complex issue means taking immediate action around enforcing the law against using ultrasound for sex selection and improving access to health care and education in poorer areas. In the long term, cultural attitudes need to change. India must address economic and social barriers, including property rights, marriage dowries and gender roles that condemn girls before they are even born. If we don’t act now the future looks bleak.”
Top
AMIT ROY
Failed protests
London, June 21: The ratio of surviving girl children to boys has fallen to an all time low of 300 to 1,000 in parts of Punjab, with higher caste families identified as being the most active in getting rid of unwanted daughters.
This is one of the disclosures in a new report, Disappearing Daughters, based on research done jointly in north and north-west India by ActionAid, a charity and NGO that has been working in the country since 1972, and by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
The report, which will be presented at a UK parliamentary reception of the all-party group on population, development and reproductive health on Monday, says: “Most shocking of all are the figures for high caste urban Punjabis, at just under 300 girls for every 1,000 boys.”
The report also reveals that in four of the five sites surveyed, the proportion of girls to boys has declined even further since 2001.
Many of the anecdotes quoted in the report make grim reading.
In Morena, one of the poorest rural districts in Madhya Pradesh, for example, one man, Kirpal Ojha, was left with four daughters, aged 5, 9, 10 and 12, when his wife died. Now only the youngest is alive because the others somehow fell “ill”.
When Kirpal’s second wife gave birth to two daughters, neither survived because the woman’s mother-in-law forbade her from providing any medical assistance to the babies.
The mother-in-law ensured the younger daughter did not survive by stuffing tobacco into her mother.
But now all is well after the birth of a son.
ActionAid and IDRC’s research reveals that, despite policies to address girls’ rights and public information campaigns, sex-selective abortion and neglect are on the increase.
Although using of scanning devices as an aid to get rid of female foetuses is illegal, doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners are routinely violating the ban, performing abortions and benefiting financially, the report says.
Some justify the abortions by arguing it is “social duty” to kill daughters because otherwise they risk facing discrimination all their lives.
Laura Turquet, women’s rights policy officer at ActionAid, said: “The real horror of the situation is that for women, avoiding having daughters is a rational choice. But for wider society, it’s creating an appalling and desperate state of affairs.”
It is estimated that around 10 million female foetuses may have been aborted in India over the last two decades and according to the Lancet over 500,000 are currently being aborted every year.
The development of India as an economic power has not changed the preference for sons over daughters.
Turquet warned: “Tackling this complex issue means taking immediate action around enforcing the law against using ultrasound for sex selection and improving access to health care and education in poorer areas. In the long term, cultural attitudes need to change. India must address economic and social barriers, including property rights, marriage dowries and gender roles that condemn girls before they are even born. If we don’t act now the future looks bleak.”
Top
Thursday, June 19, 2008
WHAT DOCTORS SAY / WHAT THEY’RE REALLY THINKING...........
* "Welllllll, what have we here...?"
(He has no idea and is hoping you’ll give him a clue.)
* "Let me check your medical history."
(I want to see if you’ve paid your last bill before spending any more time with you.)
* "Why don’t we make another appointment later in the week."
(I’m playing golf this afternoon, and this a waste of time or I need the bucks, so I’m charging you for another office visit.)
* "We have some good news and some bad news."
(The good news is, I’m going to buy that new BMW. The bad news is, you’re going to pay for it.)
* "Let’s see how it develops."
(Maybe in a few days it will grow into something that can be cured.)
* "Let me schedule you for some tests."
(I have a forty-percent interest in the lab.)
* "I’d like to have my associate look at you."
(He’s going through a messy divorce and owes me a bundle.)
* "I’d like to prescribe a new drug."
(I’m writing a paper and would like to use you for a guinea pig.)
* "If it doesn’t clear up in a week, give me a call."
(I don’t know what it is. Maybe it will go away by itself.)
* "That’s quite a nasty looking wound."
(I think I’m going to throw up.)
* "This may smart a little."
(Last week two patients bit off their tongues.)
* "Well, we’re not feeling so well today, are we?"
(I’m stalling for time. Who are you and why are you here?)
* "This should fix you up."
(The drug company slipped me some big bucks to prescribe this stuff.)
* "Everything seems to be normal."
(Rats! I guess I can’t buy that new beach condo after all.)
* "I’d like to run some more tests."
(I can’t figure out what’s wrong. Maybe the kid in the lab can solve this one.)
* "Do you suppose all this stress could be affecting your nerves?"
(You’re crazier’n an outhouse rat. Now, if I can only find a shrink who’ll split fees with me.)
* "There is a lot of that going around."
(My God, that’s the third one this week. I’d better learn something about this.)
* "If those symptoms persist, call for an appointment."
(I’ve never heard of anything so disgusting. Thank God I’m off next week.)
(He has no idea and is hoping you’ll give him a clue.)
* "Let me check your medical history."
(I want to see if you’ve paid your last bill before spending any more time with you.)
* "Why don’t we make another appointment later in the week."
(I’m playing golf this afternoon, and this a waste of time or I need the bucks, so I’m charging you for another office visit.)
* "We have some good news and some bad news."
(The good news is, I’m going to buy that new BMW. The bad news is, you’re going to pay for it.)
* "Let’s see how it develops."
(Maybe in a few days it will grow into something that can be cured.)
* "Let me schedule you for some tests."
(I have a forty-percent interest in the lab.)
* "I’d like to have my associate look at you."
(He’s going through a messy divorce and owes me a bundle.)
* "I’d like to prescribe a new drug."
(I’m writing a paper and would like to use you for a guinea pig.)
* "If it doesn’t clear up in a week, give me a call."
(I don’t know what it is. Maybe it will go away by itself.)
* "That’s quite a nasty looking wound."
(I think I’m going to throw up.)
* "This may smart a little."
(Last week two patients bit off their tongues.)
* "Well, we’re not feeling so well today, are we?"
(I’m stalling for time. Who are you and why are you here?)
* "This should fix you up."
(The drug company slipped me some big bucks to prescribe this stuff.)
* "Everything seems to be normal."
(Rats! I guess I can’t buy that new beach condo after all.)
* "I’d like to run some more tests."
(I can’t figure out what’s wrong. Maybe the kid in the lab can solve this one.)
* "Do you suppose all this stress could be affecting your nerves?"
(You’re crazier’n an outhouse rat. Now, if I can only find a shrink who’ll split fees with me.)
* "There is a lot of that going around."
(My God, that’s the third one this week. I’d better learn something about this.)
* "If those symptoms persist, call for an appointment."
(I’ve never heard of anything so disgusting. Thank God I’m off next week.)
Exercise increases protein that may curb appetite
By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a small study of overweight and obese adults, 3 months of aerobic exercise, with no change in diet, led to a significant decrease in body fat and a spontaneous drop in calorie intake. The amount of weight loss and the reduction in calorie intake were directly related to blood levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
"The reduction in calorie intake could be related to the effect of BDNF," Dr. Henry Anhalt of the Animas Corporation, West Chester, Pennsylvania told the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.
"It is possible that the increases in this compound in fact suppress appetite; however, this was not directly tested," added Anhalt, who moderated a press conference where the study was reported.
In the study, Dr. A. Veronica Araya and colleagues from the University of Chile Clinical Hospital in Santiago evaluated blood levels of BDNF before and after 3 months of aerobic exercise in 15 overweight or obese men and women. The 7 men and 8 women, ages 26 to 51 years, exercised on a treadmill and bicycle.
At the end of the 3-month exercise period, study subjects showed a significant drop in body weight, waist size, and percentage body fat.
They also experienced a fall in blood pressure and spontaneously began consuming fewer calories each day. At the same time that these effects were occurring, blood levels of BDNF rose markedly.
In a statement issued through the Endocrine Society, Araya said: "It is important to clarify the factors involved in the response to different weight loss therapies, because we could find a marker to predict response to the intervention."
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a small study of overweight and obese adults, 3 months of aerobic exercise, with no change in diet, led to a significant decrease in body fat and a spontaneous drop in calorie intake. The amount of weight loss and the reduction in calorie intake were directly related to blood levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
"The reduction in calorie intake could be related to the effect of BDNF," Dr. Henry Anhalt of the Animas Corporation, West Chester, Pennsylvania told the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco.
"It is possible that the increases in this compound in fact suppress appetite; however, this was not directly tested," added Anhalt, who moderated a press conference where the study was reported.
In the study, Dr. A. Veronica Araya and colleagues from the University of Chile Clinical Hospital in Santiago evaluated blood levels of BDNF before and after 3 months of aerobic exercise in 15 overweight or obese men and women. The 7 men and 8 women, ages 26 to 51 years, exercised on a treadmill and bicycle.
At the end of the 3-month exercise period, study subjects showed a significant drop in body weight, waist size, and percentage body fat.
They also experienced a fall in blood pressure and spontaneously began consuming fewer calories each day. At the same time that these effects were occurring, blood levels of BDNF rose markedly.
In a statement issued through the Endocrine Society, Araya said: "It is important to clarify the factors involved in the response to different weight loss therapies, because we could find a marker to predict response to the intervention."
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Kalam’s Vision 2020: A developed India
Parul Sharma
Former President and Premji conferred Doctorates at Aligarh Muslim University Convocation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Focus on responsive, transparent and corruption-free government
Youth urged to work towards minimising the rural-urban divide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALIGARH: Asserting that a “small aim” is a crime, former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on Wednesday said that the country’s youth can make a difference to society in the areas of literacy, environment and social justice and they should work towards minimising the rural-urban divide.
Delivering the 58th Convocation Address at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here, Mr. Kalam shared with the audience his ‘Vision 2020’ for India. “India will be a nation where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water, where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony…a nation where the best of health care is available to all, where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption-free....”
“In order to achieve ‘Vision 2020’ from the present ambience, the role of educational institutions like AMU is to generate quality human resource backed with value systems derived from our civilisational heritage,” he added.
Mr. Kalam administered a ten-point oath to the youngsters “who have a responsibility to work for universal harmony by ironing out all causes of conflicts.”
“We have the mission of transforming India into a developed nation. We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action. These are: agriculture and food processing, reliable and quality electric power and surface transport, education and health care, information and communication technology and self-reliance in critical technologies,” he said.
The AMU Chancellor, Justice A. M. Ahmadi, conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) on Mr. Kalam and Wipro Chairman Azim Premji.
Accepting the honour, Mr. Premji said that the degree was a recognition not only for him but a hundred thousand WIPROites.
He told students not to get bogged down by hardships as “no one will manufacture a lock without a key. God will not give us problems without solutions.”
Addressing the students, he said: “Mistakes are painful when they happen. But analysis of mistakes is called experience. Strive for excellence. We are what we repeatedly do. Remember excellence is not an act but a habit.”
Presenting his annual report, AMU Vice-Chancellor P. K. Abdul Azis announced that some new courses would be added from the next year.
“These include M.D. in Psychiatry at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and M.D.S. in the Departments of Constructive Dentistry and Orthodontics and Peridontics at the Sir Ziauddin Ahmad Dental College. Taking into consideration the immense potential of Nanotechnology, the Department of Applied Physics has initiated an advanced post-graduate diploma and an M.Tech. programme in Nanotechnology,” Dr. Azis said, adding that his focus was on regaining AMU’s academic glory and modernising the campus.
As many as 4,500 degrees, including Ph.D., post-graduate and under-graduate, 55 gold medals and 135 silver medals were awarded. The Deans of the respective faculties received the degrees on behalf of the recipients.
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Former President and Premji conferred Doctorates at Aligarh Muslim University Convocation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Focus on responsive, transparent and corruption-free government
Youth urged to work towards minimising the rural-urban divide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALIGARH: Asserting that a “small aim” is a crime, former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on Wednesday said that the country’s youth can make a difference to society in the areas of literacy, environment and social justice and they should work towards minimising the rural-urban divide.
Delivering the 58th Convocation Address at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) here, Mr. Kalam shared with the audience his ‘Vision 2020’ for India. “India will be a nation where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water, where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony…a nation where the best of health care is available to all, where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption-free....”
“In order to achieve ‘Vision 2020’ from the present ambience, the role of educational institutions like AMU is to generate quality human resource backed with value systems derived from our civilisational heritage,” he added.
Mr. Kalam administered a ten-point oath to the youngsters “who have a responsibility to work for universal harmony by ironing out all causes of conflicts.”
“We have the mission of transforming India into a developed nation. We have identified five areas where India has a core competence for integrated action. These are: agriculture and food processing, reliable and quality electric power and surface transport, education and health care, information and communication technology and self-reliance in critical technologies,” he said.
The AMU Chancellor, Justice A. M. Ahmadi, conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) on Mr. Kalam and Wipro Chairman Azim Premji.
Accepting the honour, Mr. Premji said that the degree was a recognition not only for him but a hundred thousand WIPROites.
He told students not to get bogged down by hardships as “no one will manufacture a lock without a key. God will not give us problems without solutions.”
Addressing the students, he said: “Mistakes are painful when they happen. But analysis of mistakes is called experience. Strive for excellence. We are what we repeatedly do. Remember excellence is not an act but a habit.”
Presenting his annual report, AMU Vice-Chancellor P. K. Abdul Azis announced that some new courses would be added from the next year.
“These include M.D. in Psychiatry at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and M.D.S. in the Departments of Constructive Dentistry and Orthodontics and Peridontics at the Sir Ziauddin Ahmad Dental College. Taking into consideration the immense potential of Nanotechnology, the Department of Applied Physics has initiated an advanced post-graduate diploma and an M.Tech. programme in Nanotechnology,” Dr. Azis said, adding that his focus was on regaining AMU’s academic glory and modernising the campus.
As many as 4,500 degrees, including Ph.D., post-graduate and under-graduate, 55 gold medals and 135 silver medals were awarded. The Deans of the respective faculties received the degrees on behalf of the recipients.
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