Ramzan, A Process Of Self-Purification

M Aslam





Roza or fasting in Islam is an elaborate process stretching over a period of one month every year.It essentially means that a person observing fast will not only observe abstinence from eating and drinking but will get into a sublime state of mind in order to develop positive feelings. To achieve this one has to restrain oneself from listening, speaking, hearing or thinking negatively about others. The Qur'an says, “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint.“Fasting is a tool for reconstruction of our spiritual faculties. It instills the essence of consciousness of the Creator in the devotee's heart. It also instills moral courage and guides the seat of our emotions on moral issues. Since fasting helps in conditioning the heart, soul and body , it leads to tranquility and calmness in the face of adversity . This helps one become patient. Patience is the pinnacle of discipline and spiritual suppleness. Jalaluddin Rumi said: “Have patience, for that is true worship.“
One needs to experience Ramzan to understand its social significance in its totality. It is an elaborate process of self-purification. The expectation is that if one passes through this process of self-purification for a period of one month, its impact will remain for the remaining 11months, after which this process will be repeated. Physical fasting alone does not have any social or religious significance.
Sociologically speaking fasting is an expression of solidarity with the poor. It is manifested through the concept of charity , neighbourhood and of charity , neighbourhood and hospitality. Apart from helping to purify body and soul through the process of self-purification, addressing these areas of social significance is bound to help people to shed all those things which are not socially desirable.
Charity includes helping the poor through giving of alms. It is said that if one gives away even a small amount during this month, he will get 70 times more blessings in return. We should also take care not to forget the social significance of iftar gatherings.
The practice of the concept of neighbourhood is equally important. It has wider connotations than its literal meaning. The Prophet had said, “One should behave decently with the whole of humanity and foremost among them is your neighbour.“ If one connects it with the concept of fasting, an immediate tion is that a true Muslim implication is that a true Muslim cannot see any human being hungry , even if it means having to sacrifice `iftar' and to continue fasting for the next day . Simi larly, a true Muslim cannot see a human being in pain or misery . It applies to both one's immediate neighbourhood as well as entire humanity . What we are witnessing around us in the name of Islam is not Islam. In essence Islam in general and `roza' in particular teaches a person to address human concerns and values.
Muslims need to demonstrate through observance of `roza' (in its totality), Islam's relevance in today's world. Let us make clear once and for all that any type of violence has no place in Islam.One of the greatest advantages of observing the month of fasting is that its true observance inculcates in a person the habit of speaking the truth, remaining patient, practising the concept of hospitality and neighbourhood and give charity to the needy .
If followed in letter and spirit a person will certainly become a true `Insan' and will be bestowed with God's blessings and protection, which we all need so desperately in these turbulent times.

AIDS deaths in India down 55% since 2007

Sushmi Dey

New Delhi:





Deaths caused by AIDS declined nearly 55% in India in the past eight years, whereas new HIV infections came down by 66% since 2000.In 2007, India had recorded 1,48,309 such deaths; in 2015, the figure stood at just 67,600, according to latest statistics presented by health minister J P Nadda at an ongoing highlevel United Nations meeting in New York. The conclave is evaluating the implementation of the United Nations AIDS control programme. Globally, such deaths declined 41% between 2005 and 2015.
Between 2000 and 2015, new HIV infections in India dropped from 2.51 lakh to 86,000 (66%) -compared with a global fall of just 35%.
The UN General Assembly has proposed to fast-track implementation of AIDS control strategies to end the epidemic across the world by 2030. Endorsing the proposal, Nadda said countries must adopt the target and collabo rate strategies to achieve it.
Highlighting the importance of affordable medicines to tackle the prevalence of AIDS and India's role in making such drugs available worldwide, Nadda asked the UN to ensure global access to affordable medicines. India, which faced the spectre of disastrous con sequences on account of AIDS epidemic 15 years back, has been able to manage the challenge effectively,“ Nadda told the UN meeting. “Targeted interventions based on close collaboration and empowerment of communities and civil society with appropriate funding from the gov ernment have helped deliver key life saving services to the affected population,“ Nadda said. Seeking higher investment from international public health agencies to end the epidemic, Nadda said, “The role of international assistance and cooperation cannot be underestimated.This is the time for developed countries to do more, not less, and enhance their commitments. We cannot afford to give the epidemic a chance to rebound.“
The National AIDS Con trol Programme has been walking a tightrope with international funds drying up over the last three years. This has led to fears about recurrence of new HIV cases. Estimates show a reduction of almost 90% in funding from various multilateral, bilateral and philanthropic donor organisations over the last three years. The government is, therefore, trying hard to seek continuous funding for the programme as it is currently at a critical juncture.
Indian firms like Cipla and Dr Reddy's Laboratories supply 80% of the generic drugs used worldwide for treatment of AIDS. However, many of them have been facing tough regulations in several countries because of patent litigations.

Source: Times of India, 10-06-2016

Student population rises 30%, Muslims beat national average Subodh Varma   Christians At 80% But 1 In 4 Without Jobs India's student population in the 5-19 age group has in creased by 30% between 2001and 2011but the rise is unevenly distributed among religious communities, with lagging sections playing catch up.Among Muslims, the number of students surged by 44%, and within that, girls recorded a staggering 53% rise. As a result, students now make up 63% of this age group among Muslims. This is still behind the 73% among Hindus, 80% in Christians and 88% in Jains -the highest student ratio in the 5-19 age bracket. Details of student populations and employment among various religious communities are available in freshly released Census data. In the 20-29 age group, the share of those seeking work was 20% nationwide. Among Christian youth, unemployment was strikingly higher at 26%. This is worrying because Christians were among the highest educated communities in the last Census, with 71% of those aged 5-19 studying. Religious communities that had embraced education more widely in the past, like the Christians, Sikhs, and Jains, understandably show much smaller changes since the last Census in 2001. In fact, among Jains, there is a 10% decline in the number of students, a result of slow population growth, leading to fewer children in the studying age group though the student-population ratio is the highest. A significant increase is also seen in `other reli gious persuasions', which mainly comprise various tribal communities and faiths with fewer adherents like Parsis and Jews. The number of students increased by 64% for these communities as a whole. Another feature of the changes in student populations is the high pace of growth of girl students. Barring Sikhs and Jains, the rate of increase is higher among girls in all communities. Among Hindus, the number of male students increased by 22%, compared to 36% for girls. Among Muslims, the corresponding figures were 37% and 53% and among `other religions', 48% and a phenomenal 86%. All this points to the tremendous urge across faiths to attain education. Those with limited access to education earlier, whether as communities or as women across communities, are now embracing it. Hence, Muslims, tribals and women show the highest degree of change over a decade. Just over 2% of students are working part-time as marginal workers. This proportion reaches nearly 4% for Christians and crosses 6% among `other religions'. Source: Times of India, 10-06-2016  

Live IIT lectures to be aired on TV via HRD channels

Going a step further with ‘Digital India’ mission, the Union Human Resource Department (HRD) would be soon starting 32 Direct-to-Home channels for catering to the needs of students.

With this development, students across the country would be able to watch live telecast of lectures from six IITs and some other top institutions while seated comfortably at their homes. To make this progressive project a reality, the department of space would be allotting two transponders on a GSAT series satellite. Moreover, MoUs have been signed with many institutions, for providing lessons and content that will be aired  on these channels

With this project in place, the government wants to utilise space technology to expand the reach of high-quality education. Through the 32 DTH channels, the aim is to ensure that live classrooms can be transmitted from ten ‘Teaching Ends’ out of which six will be IITs located in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur and Guwahati. Additionally, lectures of over a dozen other premier institutions will also reach students on their TVs.

These channels will be freely available on Doordarshan’s Free Dish DTH platform and all that the students will need is a Set Top Box to receive them.

Source: Digital Learning, 9-06-2016

Overcome Burnout

LINESH SHETH





What is `burnout'? It is the exhaustion produced from continuous and disproportionate strenuous work in any field. Burnout occurs when one is driven by compulsion to achieve what you are expected to achieve. You compete with yourself or with others to compensate for what you believe is lacking in your life.The main reason for burnout is overspending of energy without learning to renew it on a daily basis. This phenomenon is increasing by the day in every field of life, because our goals are set by others rather than by our own judgement of what we truly need. Again, these goals are becoming more difficult to attain while many of us are not aware how to recharge ourselves.The burnout process is reversible. The first step is to pause, review the direction of what you are doing to your body and mind and check whether you are achieving finally what you want to. Cultivate the attitude to begin to slow down and learn to relax. That means to be available to your own self in terms of free time and to be available for certain practices that help you get in touch with your inner core.
If we compare our body-mind with a car, we can understand the proposal easily . The car runs on a battery subject to two processes: operating the car functions and getting continuously recharged from within the car. If there is no recharging, the battery burns itself out. It is important to learn how to remain joyful in everything we do as joyfulness in life is the antidote to burnout.

70% of Indians eat non-veg, but veg diet getting popular

New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Health Issues Are Changing Palate: Experts

Even as India is rapidly growing as a major market for chicken and fish, awareness about health benefits of a vegetarian diet may also be catching up fast among people. Though 70% of Indians above 15 years of age are still non-vegetarians, the numbers are expected to decline, a nationwide survey conducted in 2014 and released recently by the Registrar General of India (RGI) showed.In 2004, the prevalence of non-vegetarianism was pegged at about 75%.
Experts said increasing health awareness, coupled with rising burden of lifestyle diseases like heart disorders, diabetes and cancer, may be influencing the Indian palate.
Several international researches and studies have found vegetarians leading a healthier life compared to meateaters. Incidence of diseases such as pancreatic cancer and respiratory problems are also less common among vegetarians than in those who consume meat regularly .
Besides, religiosity and changing lifestyles could also be contributing to the changing trend, experts said.
“It is possible that the purchase wallet for non-vegetari an foods is now being diverted towards ready to eat, processed or packaged foods because there is an increasing trend of cooking less at home,“ said Dr Shikha Sharma, a leading nutritionist and founder and managing director of NutriHealthSystems.
However, food consumption data from NSSO as well as OECD-FAO (Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) Agricultural Outlook 2014, showed that growth in per ca pita consumption of chicken and fish outpaced the growth in consumption of wheat, rice and sugar. Chicken consumption grew the most with India becoming the fourth-fastest growing market for the product in the world. According to the OECD-FAO 2014 data, chicken consumption in India grew at an annual growth rate of 5.9% between 1992 and 2013.
The latest RGI data also highlighted a contrast with rising purchasing power which should otherwise allow more consumption of non-vegetarian meals. The latest NSSO data showed that at higher ends of the income table, consumption of milk, eggs, meat and processed foods rose. In urban India, the richest 5% consume the fewest cereals and the most derivatives of cereals like bread and noodles. However, in rural India, the richest 5% still consume the most cereals.
Recently , health minister J P Nadda had made a pitch in Parliament recommending vegetarian food.

Source: Times of India, 9-06-2016

Noise pollution is a killer too

TIMES NEWS NETWORK





The busy ITO junction in Delhi registers around 74 decibel (dB) of sound on a typical day , almost 10db over the limit for commercial areas. The level near Acworth Hospital in Mumbai's Wadala is usually 70dB, almost 20dB more than what's permitted in such a zone.Noise pollution is now linked to many ailments ­ from irreversible hearing loss to anxiety attacks to hypertension and heart disease. Considering that every 10dB increase makes the sound twice as loud to the human ear, the health implications for a regular commuter are serious. The situation is so bad in cities that ENT specialists now say a 20dB loss in hearing among urbanites is “normal“.
TOI had earlier published findings from a four-year study on noise pollution in which Mumbai emerged as the noisiest city, just ahead of Lucknow and Hyderabad while Delhi stood fourth and Chennai fifth. Over the coming weeks and months, we hope to initiate a debate that will examine the crucial aspects of this growing problem. If an audiogram of a person living in Mumbai, Delhi or Kolkata shows 20dB hearing loss, we will disregard it as normal. But we would be worried if the patient with such a hearing loss hailed from a rural area,'' says ENT specialist Dr Divya Prabhat who is attached to a teaching hospital in central Mumbai.
That's the impact of the constant onslaught of noise on our ears, say experts.It's a subject on which there is limited research and little understanding.
“People don't realise that noise is the hidden enemy of man. It affects your en tire body ,'' said Dr Yeshwant Oke, who brought noise pollution into the public consciousness when he filed the first noise pollution-related petition in the Bombay courts in 1985.
Sumaira Abdulali of Awaz Foundation echoes a similar sentiment: “People will adjust to living next to a railway station despite the disturbance caused by loud announcements and honking. Loud music is one of the leading cause of police complaints the world over, including India, but we never think too much about the harm of constant honking by cars on the roads just outside their house.'' Clearly , the main sources of noise in the main urban centres are vehicles,

Source: Times of India, 9-06-2016