Supreme Court has taken the right stand on Uniform Civil Code

The call for a Uniform Civil Code arises time and again in India, but does so with such political motifs and motives that the spirit of its purpose tends to get lost. It is only proper that the nation’s highest court has carefully walked the wedge between the legislature and its own turf in an order this week in which it has steered clear of issuing a directive to Parliament to frame a law to give effect to such a code.

The fact is that the civil code is a directive principle in the Constitution, which is a “great to have” item, while fundamental rights are the “must have” principles. It is not the judiciary but only the legislature in its political wisdom that can take a true call on the issue.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in frowning on a public interest petition from a BJP activist is a mature one, not only in the context of the politically charged atmosphere in which religious tensions have risen, but also in the backdrop of the Shah Bano Case of 1985, when the then Chief Justice of India, YV Chandrachud, stirred up a controversy with his call for a common civil code while awarding maintenance to a divorced Muslim woman.

The case gave rise to protests and eventually a new law that helped the government reverse the order. There is only so much the courts can do where the matter concerns the making of laws, as they essentially reflect the political realities of the day. However, the Constitution is a deeper issue.

It is, therefore, laudable that the court reserved its specific right to pronounce on the controversial triple talaq (divorce) should there be a plea from an aggrieved Muslim woman, because it has rightly viewed the issue as one concerning a fundamental right.

The nuance lies in the fact that the judiciary upholds basic rights but may be guilty of overreaching or futile posturing if it crosses a certain line. Also, personal law is a tricky issue, in which common sense cannot be the guiding principle. Hindu family laws were modified in the 1950s but the Christians and Muslims do enjoy a special status.

The larger national interest demands that community leaders, politicians and jurists arrive at a closure on issues like the triple talaq, bearing in mind that women’s equality is an ideal on which there is a national consensus.

Source: Hindustan Times, 9-12-2015

Good Values As The Bottom Line In Life

Vijay Hashia





Nearly every problem is transitory but painful and we let this pain drive our mental energies. When you let your problems drive your energies, the solution is to let your values help you attain equilibrium of mind. Let good values define your decisions.Life is a complex phenomenon and we are all faced with moments of problems in our personal and professional lives that require us to make decisions but often we end up without resolving problems with good values. If we don't know what we stand for and where we're headed, then we're wasting our time doing something we don't need to be doing. By taking this shaky path, we may languish in trouble because we did not let our lives be guided by values.Beyond limitations The Bhagwad Gita asks us to follow values for good decision making and to realise a better life beyond limited horizons. First, self-obsession is tantamount to demanding respect, rather than earning it. Nothing of value comes without it being earned.Second, self-glorification is deceptive imagination of mind. Third, non-violence by thought, word or deed to any being, must be avoided. Fourth, we are all children of the universe, each individual is unique in character and everyone is special in his own way. Never expect anything from others; and learn to accommodate others.Every incident of anger, outburst or jealousy is not about the person but the reaction.
Fifth, duality of thought and action create confusion.Synchronise thoughts and actions to reflect non-duality.Sixth, observe external and internal cleanliness. Externality has its benefits to society by way of cleanliness of surroundings and personal hygiene. It creates purity of mind and enriches the soul. Internal cleanliness paves the way to freedom from jealousy, anger, hatred, fear, selfishness, guilt and pride.Overcome ego Seventh, master the whimsical and impulsive mind by knowledge.Knowledge gained must help you overcome worldly allurements. Eighth, shun the ego. Ego is ignorance because it hides self from reality and creates spurious knowledge. Knowledge is not created; it was and will always be there. Ego is a virtual defence but since it is based on illusion and self-deception, it increases our vulnerability to false self-projection. Threats to ego produce anxiety and hostility, its collapse results in self-contempt. In our rela tionship to the world, there is no room either for ego or self-condemnation.There are wonderful opportunities which we must make use of through body and mind vehicles as a source of learning. Enjoy the world as a field of discovery of knowledge without ego.Matter is ephemeral Ninth, nothing is really ours, all our possessions are ephemeral. Tenth, anything material has a beginning and end. The body has to wither away . Pain is a given and grief cannot be avoided. The purpose of life, therefore, is to live with it, taste experience, be useful, honourable; be compassionate and live well. He who dares to waste one moment of time has not discovered life.
Life built on good values is efficient, healthy and it becomes full of cheer once you overcome the tendency to be idle and lazy . A person who has sublimated the desire for sensegratification, who has overcome all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego, can alone attain real peace. Let values drive decisions; let values be full of virtue and free of vices and let these good values define our lives.

Top IFS posts still out of bounds for SCs, STs

Of the 718 IFS officers, 107 were OBCs, 96 were SCs and 54 STs. Nearly 65%, or 461 officers in all, belonged to the “general” category.

Over a third of India’s prestigious foreign service officers are from backward communities, but at the top of the service, officers from these communities are under-represented, new official data shows.

In his written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha from Congress MP from Karnataka B. V. Naik, Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh said on December 2 that of the 718 IFS officers posted in the Ministry’s headquarters and at various missions overseas, 107 were OBCs, 96 were SCs and 54 STs. Nearly 65 per cent, or 461 officers in all, belonged to the “general” category.

At the top end of the service, Ambassadors and High Commissioners from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) were posted to 26 countries over the last three years, Mr. Singh’s reply said.

In a reply to the Lok Sabha last year, Mr. Singh had said that there were 127 ambassadors, high commissioners and permanent representatives with the rank of ambassador across the world. SC, ST and OBC officers, then, accounted for fewer than one in five of those at the top of the service.

Questions about the representation of people from marginalised communities in the Foreign Service are frequently asked in Parliament. As in the past, the Minister’s reply to a sub-question on the norms for selection to the top posts stated that “Ambassadors and High Commissioners are selected in keeping with the requirements in a particular Diplomatic Mission, and their overall suitability including experience, seniority and regional and professional experience.” However young IFS officers from disadvantaged backgrounds say that they start off with a substantial handicap. “Our English is much worse, we have to do a lot of work on our etiquette and we don’t have the networks and connections that those who come from elite families have,” a young OBC IFS officer said, asking that he not be named.

This glass ceiling exists across India’s administrative services. SCs form fewer than two per cent of secretaries and additional secretaries.

Keywords: IFS posts, SCs, STs

Source: The Hindu, 8-12-2015

Govt must tackle India’s low position in higher education rankings

India could not make any significant headway in the world ranking of its institutions of higher learning this time either, according to the recently released The Times Higher World University Ranking 2015-16.

However, some marginal improvement over the previous editions was noted after the list was expanded to 800 from 400. But none of our institutes was in the top 200; getting ranked among the top 100 universities remains a distant dream.

Only five Indian institutes could be listed in the top 500. While the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, secured a place in the block 251-300, the other four are IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Madras) falling in the range of 351-500 of the ranking. However, there can be some solace that in subject-wise ranking, IISc could secure 99th position in engineering and technology. In Asia, the National University of Singapore holds top place (26th overall) while China further improved its ranking with Peking and Tsinghua Universities placed at 42nd and 47th positions, respectively.

Any well-known ranking system for universities or institutes of higher learning places the quality of research as the most important performance indicator. For instance, Times Higher Education determines the status of an institute based on 13 performance indicators, grouped into five broad categories related to teaching, research, citation, industry income and international outlook. Of these, the quality of research and its citation remains the most important criterion and accounts for 60% of the score. Industrial collaboration in research and income from the same is another important indicator.

From time to time, educationists and scientists have been advising the government about much-needed reforms in the Indian system of higher learning. The recent statement by CNR Rao, an acclaimed scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee, is yet another strong reminder of that. Rao lamented that India’s contribution to world science today is only 2.5% against 15% by China, which is now aspiring to be number one after crossing the 16% contribution by the US. We need to discuss and fill the gaps in our strategic planning to compete globally.

There is 35-40% faculty shortage in our institutes of higher education and even up to 90% of the budget is spent only on salaries, leaving highly inadequate amounts for research. Lack of passion and motivation in the faculty to bring in competing projects is another impediment in the way of quality research. The faculty conducts only student-based research. Further, the research done by the students is also not properly planned or monitored and it often lacks international or industrial collaboration. The extremely dismal state of research in higher education in our country can be gauged from the fact that PhD dissertations are sold.

It is pointless to expect quality research from someone who has been awarded the doctorate degree undeservingly, ignoring the merit of the work undertaken. It is a pity that roping in examiners to sign the required papers in the matter of evaluating theses/dissertations has become a routine affair. Almost everyone will get the degree he has applied for, sooner or later. What is the rejection rate of our theses/dissertations? Probably less than even 1%; there may be institutes/departments where a thesis has never been rejected. On the contrary, in US universities, even under highly favourable conditions, only three-quarters of PhD students complete their work. This warrants careful introspection. Above all this, we are also unable to produce the desired number of researchers and thus fail even on quantitative terms. China is now producing 22,000 PhD holders annually as against 8,000 by India.

Our universities do not have any worthwhile liaison with industry for conducting need-based research. For instance, only 38 students could get the Prime Minister’s Doctoral Fellowship (up to Rs 6 lakh per annum) for pursuing their PhD programmes, out of 100 fellowships available, during the past year. The reason was that sponsorship from industry was a pre-requisite to fund the research done by the student, something which the universities could not secure. This is a comment on our inability to strike collaborations with industry for research output. Granting patents indicates the applicability of research. A comparison of patents in 2011 shows Japan comes first with as many as 238,323 patents, followed by the US with 224,525 and China with 172,113. India ranked 17th with only 5,170.

Though starting new universities and colleges is a positive sign, if we are unable to provide faculty even for the existing ones, it becomes questionable. The issue of alarming vacancies in the teaching staff of our universities and colleges needs to be addressed by making the profession attractive. Further, faculty competency should be built through international exposure since it is the pre-requisite for doing cutting-edge research to compete globally. Teachers’ reluctance to move out their home states to serve or learn has become a serious concern, impacting the quality of research. In most Indian universities, a majority of the faculty belongs to the same state or region, with all the three degrees (bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate) from the same or local universities.

Governments (both in the states and the Centre) need to take certain bold measures. The salary of the faculty needs to be linked to the performance of a teacher in terms of research projects, quality publications/patents, etc. Recruiting at least 30% faculty should be done from out of the state and it should be made mandatory for each faculty member to have collaboration in research with reputed national and international universities/institutions. Special incentives should be given for industry-linked research. The faculty’s international exposure should be facilitated. The accreditation of all the institutes of higher learning should be mandatory; and the issue of faculty vacancy should be addressed before giving permission to open new universities and colleges. Public spending on higher education needs to be at least doubled from the existing 0.6% of GDP.

Gursharan Singh is professor and former dean of postgraduate studies, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

Source: Hindustan Times, 8-12-2015

Britain no longer a Christian country, says major report

A major report released on Monday sparked fury among ministers and the Church of England after it suggested that Britain was no longer a Christian country and called for Hindu, Muslim and other non-Christian representation in the symbols of the country’s establishment.

Titled ‘Living With Difference’, the report notes the decline in Christian affiliation in recent decades, increase in the number of people with non-religion beliefs and identities, and the increase in the number of people of non-Christian affiliation.

The Church of England said it was “disappointed” with the report, and said: “The report is dominated by the old fashioned view that traditional religion is declining in importance and that non-adherence to a religion is the same as humanism or secularism”.

The report by the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life recommends overhaul in several areas, include the media, law and education. It calls for representation in the House of Lords for non-Christian religions such as Hinduism, Islam and limiting the number of bishops in it.

The 150-page report is taken seriously because of the seniority of its composition. Chaired by former high court judge Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, its membership includes prominent judges, religious leaders and senior academics such as Bhikhu Parekh, lecturer in Sikh Studies Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, Hindu chaplain at Oxford Shaunaka Rishi Das, former secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain Iqbal Sacranie and former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

“The pluralist character of modern society should be reflected in national forums such as the House of Lords, so that they include a wider range of worldviews and religious traditions, and of Christian denominations, other than the Church of England”, the report says.

It adds: “All those responsible for national and civic events, whether in the public sphere or in the church, including Coronation, should ensure that the pluralist character of modern society is reflected”.

Similar changes should be made in education, employment, law, media and the BBC, the report says, and wants the BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ to be extended to “include contributions from those who will speak from a non-religious perspective, including humanists”.

Calling for a Magna Carta-like declaration, the report says: “A national conversation should be launched across the UK by leaders of faith communities and ethical traditions to create a shared understanding of the fundamental values underlying public life”.

Source: Hindustan Times, 8-12-2015

University to offer certificate course on RTI from January

Ankita Bhatkhande TWEETS @ankitab_MIRROR





In a move that might be probably the first of its kind in the country, Mumbai University's department of civics and politics is going to start a full time certificate course on Right to Information. Starting this January, the course aims to train and educate people on the act, which came into effect from 2005 and has just completed ten years.The classes for the course will be conducted on weekends. The only criterion for enrolment is a graduation in any subject. The course promises to offer theoretical basis for the act itself and the legalities aroundthe same while also offering a praxis based training about filing an RTI, asking the right questions, understanding the exemptions under the act.
“At a time when people are becoming increasingly aware of the act, we need to take one step forward and facilitate the best possible participation of people to ensure transparency in the working of governmental, semi governmental and autono mous organisations,“ said Dr Surendra Jondhale, head of department of civics and politics.
The course is open to anyone who is interested. “The law is a breakthrough revolution for ensuring people's participation in the democracy.While we want to encourage more and more people to be actively involved in the process, we also want to warn and educate them about the whole historical and theoretical context of such a provision in a democracy like ours. We have also kept it open to bureaucrats to train them more effectively in giving the information,“ said Dr Mrudul Nile, associate professor of politics at the department and the course coordinator.
The department plans to invite several activists from the city working in varied fields like education, health, transport, governance, environment etc as guest lecturers who will also share their experiences as case studies with the students. Right to Information activist and former Chief Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said that this is a laudable initiative by the university.“I am hoping that the course not only educates and trains people, but also empowers them by telling them what they can do as citizens by filing a simple application“.

Live Without Fear Of The Past Or Future

Satsang: Swami Sukhabodhananda





How can we overcome fear?
First understand that most fears are nothing but movements of thoughts. What exactly is a thought?
A thought is a language that we give for words, pictures and feelings. Put in a different way , a thought is just a movement of word, picture and feeling.You interpret a thought in your mind in a language that you are afraid, and you experience fear.
What happens when you are in a state of deep sleep? In that state there are no thoughts, and you experience no fear at all. If there is no thought, there is no fear. When you are in deep sleep, a snake may glide close to you, but you are not afraid. On the other hand, when you are awake, the sight of even a coiled piece of rope can fill you with fear, because you think that the rope coiled is a snake. We can only advise all those who are afraid ... plan for your future; there is no harm in that. But your fear about the future would only ruin your happiness.In order to protect your wealth, plan where to keep it safe; plan how to insure it against theft and so on! To live in fear, without doing any of these things is meaningless.
Where and how do we search for God?
Remember that God hides within you, but you don't see Him because the one place you will never look is inside yourself. You will search everywhere, but never within yourself.Therefore, paradoxical as it sounds, it is nevertheless true that you lose sight of God because He is hiding within you.
Look at what God has given us; much more than what we see around us. Our intelligence ­ buddhi ­ is the prime gift. Yet, are we loving and grateful enough to God who has given us all these? Do we have even a little of the gratitude a dog has towards its keeper? No! That is why Dattatreya considers the dog as one of his gurus.
Dattatreya draws four lessons from the dog. A dog doesn't count its misfortunes or grieve over them. That is, a dog doesn't live in the past. It doesn't make long-term plans either. It doesn't live in the future. It lives instinctively , from moment to moment. A dog's life is one unbroken straight line marked by love, devotion and gratitude to the one who sustains it. Devo tion is its defining property .
Can we give up being ble about our past misfortunes miserable about our past misfortunes and mistakes? Can we desist from gloating over some lucky events of the past? Can we stop worrying about what is going to happen to us in the near or distant future? Can we accept life on its own terms? Can we learn simply to be loyal to God and rely on Him for all we need and want?
Note that these are disciplines we impose on ourselves. When we reach this stage, we will have achieved a mental state that looks with equal ease at happiness and sorrow, at misery and luxury; in short, we will have seen God in ourselves. This is the essence of the great Sanskrit saying, “Tat twam asi“ ­ “You are That“, or “You are the object of your search“. A believer's spiritual journey is a discipline for reaching this stage of supreme Self-realisation.