Author implicates publication in plagiarism case

Alka Dhupkar TWEETS @alka_MIRROR





Satish Naik alleges that the publication copied parts from his book for theirs; the charges have been denied on all counts

Satish Naik, editor of a Marathi book on noted artist Vasudeo Gaitonde and of Chinha pub lications, has alleged that English book Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde: Sonata of Solitude violated Indian Copyright Act 1957 in a plagiarism case. Naik had filed an FIR under Article 63 of the act on September 10 at Narpoli police station in Thane district, accusing project director of Bodhana Arts and Research Foundation Jesal Thacker, author Meera Menezes, trustee and co-publisher of the Raza Foundation Ashok Vajpeyi, editor Jerry Pinto, project edi tor Abhijeet Randive and Manoj Nair.Satish Naik claimed that before publishing the book on Gaitonde in Marathi, he had submitted the concept to Manish Pushkale of Raza Foundation, requesting funding but the book was rejected by them. Naik told Mumbai Mirror that the `content of the detailed concept note such as pictures, etc., have been copied in the English book.' On January 30, this year, Naik published a Marathi book on Gaitonde.This was his first book on Gaitonde, written in any language and till date, the only Marathi book on the subject.Naik and his team had done extensive research over 16 years for the book.
In the FIR, Naik alleged that an exclusive photograph of Gaitonde which he had bought from photogra pher Werner Dornik has been used in Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde: Sonata of Solitude without Naik's consent. Naik also alleged that three interviews he had taken with Manohar Mhatre, Sharad Palande and Prafulla Dahanukar were copied and used in the English one without his consent.“In the end notes of the book, the dates of the interviews with the three haven't been mentioned. This shows that the author never interviewed them and a look into my book will show how they are copies,“ said Naik.
Jesal, in an email conversation in February with Naik said, “I assure you that we have acknowledged some of your writings as important precedents for our project in the credits section.“
Naik, however, says that the Bodhana book has not credited the Chinha book anywhere. When contacted by this paper, Jesal stated that the allegations were baseless and made `with mala-fide intent'.In the email exchange, she said, “We have been working on this project for five years now, details of which are mentioned in the introductions.“
She added that her lawyer had emailed all the necessary documents to the inspector investigating the case and they were fully cooperating with the case. She also explained that her lawyer would clarify the use of Werner Dornik's photographs. “The Bodhana Arts and Research Foundation is a reputed organisation, which has been working in the research and publication of art for over 10 years and we have obtained all the necessary permissions,“ she said.

Source: Mumbai Mirror, 19-09-2016

Light and Darkness

NIMISHANANDA GURU





Both good and evil originate in the mind. So do pain and sorrow, joy and happiness.Many times what is welcomed by one person as a great opportunity is shunned by another as a terrible adversity . Some love to speak in public, while others go to great lengths to avoid it. So, joy and sorrow are often subjective and relative.When we base our lives on likes and dislikes, `evil' comes into play . However, if we firmly anchor our lives on divine dharmic principles expounded by scriptures and seers, `evil' automatically disappears. Life becomes value-based.We stop harming others in the name of security . We no longer wage wars. Even the feeling of achievement or loss is only a value assigned by the mind.When you are asleep, where is this sense of achievement, sorrow or despair? None of these exists. So, everything arises from the mind and ends in the mind. When we follow dharma, we transcend both good and evil.
People are born neither good nor evil. Impressions that envelop the soul make us seem good or bad. It is basically our past karma that makes us `good' or `bad'. We are not aware of our past nor are we certain about our future. So we lead our lives shrouded in the darkness of ignorance.
When we follow the teachings of sages, the very core of our being changes. The light of wisdom banishes the gloom of ignorance. Our thoughts become noble and sublime.Our actions become naturally benevolent. All the `evil' within us is dissolved.

Altering Your Destiny By Changing Your Karma

Satsang: Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati





It is said that we are making fresh karma every moment and that every thought has to materialise.If a person had some thoughts about a realised guru and those thoughts were not fulfilled during that lifetime, would the guru have to take birth again to fulfil the thoughts of the other person, inducing the cycle of birth and death endlessly?
The concept of karma is a very different concept from the concept of thoughts and feelings, and a difficult concept to understand. Karma has been classified into prarabdha karma, karma of destiny; sanchita karma, accumulated karma; and many other divisions: individual karma, social karma, global karma and universal karma.
We all create mentally, we all think.However, that does not mean that the person we have thought about is forced to act according to these thoughts and wishes. You come across many people in your lifetime with whom you want to live, study, marry, or just be with. If that is not possible for some reason, what you are asking is, “Does that person again come back as your husband or wife?“ If it were so you would have 10 husbands or 10 wives, because our likes and dislikes change constantly. We think and create situations in our minds; we create karmas and eliminate karmas every moment.
I think this example of a guru is not really a correct one, because if it can apply to a guru, it can apply to your girlfriend or boyfriend as well. It can apply to your father and mother, your son and daughter too, because the feeling is the same. As far as the law of karma is concerned, there is a process of elimination. The same is true with thoughts: you think, then you eliminate the thought, it goes away and another thought comes, then it goes away and another thought comes, then another.
If all the thoughts were retained in the mind you would go crazy , because you do not know how to eliminate karmas consciously , wilfully; whether through action, meditation, bhakti yoga or jnana yoga, nobody knows! How is it done? What is the process? What is the system? Internally , something is constantly eliminating, changing and destroying sanchita karma, the karma that we accumulate in our day-to-day life, and it retains only those karmas which affect our life very deeply.
Most of the karmas that are related to the empirical objective world, the experience of time, space, object and senses, are easy to eliminate. However, karma which goes beyond the scope of the senses, mind, intellect, emotions, time, space and object is difficult to manage. This is known as prarabdha karma, the karma of destiny .
I am sure that by thinking that you want to study under this guru or the other guru, you do not create prarabdha karma. It only remains a thought unless you are powerful enough to bring about a total change in the structure of karma which is related to you and the other person. For that you will need to be either a complete lunatic or a Self-realised person, because only these two types of people can do it. People in-between cannot do it.

Why Not Be A Ganesha To Each Other

Meena Om





The clay Ganesha murtis that you bring home for Ganesh Chaturthi take several weeks to be crafted out of clay , moulded, dried, smoothened, painted, decorated ­ before you can pray to them asking to remove all hurdles to your life; but what about you? Are you not supposed to prepare yourself to invite divinity to visit you, bless you?
Cleaning your house and surroundings is one part of the preparation, what is equally , in fact, more important, is cleaning yourself from inside; removing traits which are undesirable for human growth such as jealousy , envy , fear and guilt. The Supreme has endowed each of us with a special individual trait which can be developed to contribute to the welfare of humanity but many of us don't know what their special individual trait is.Most people pray to Ganesha, also called `vighna harta' ­ destroyer of hurdles, to remove the blocks from their material life, their physical being, for their own betterment, for the welfare of their children. All this is at a very gross level, whereas Ganesha-energy can do a lot more. It is meant to be ignited when you are about to start a new project. To keep yourself alive you need to have some passion.So, what new passion are you planning to pursue, what new project are you taking up for which you are inviting Ganesha to vibrate your home?
Introspect on this.
And if you are seeking Ganesha's blessings to start something new, is this new project meant for all or for your own selfish motive? There should be clarity. Ganesha is to be ignited to let blossom all your strength, your inner qualities and directing them towards a holistic and beautiful creation, which is for humanity as a whole; or to silently contribute to universal life force for showering wisdom, peace, bliss and right direction to all.
The community ritual of setting up a pandal and worshipping a Ganesha murti together with everyone for 10 days and then immersing it in water ­ has now developed into something very personal. People get their personal Ganeshas home, seeking personal benefits, and this has spread everywhere. Otherwise, there used to be a few Ganesha puja pandals in different parts of the city where everyone would go and worship ­ this would incul cate in them a community feel ing, of service, sense of discipline, teach them the idea of beautiful coexistence.
But times have changed.
Surely you can keep a Ganesha murti at home if you like; in fact, you could keep anything symbolic of Ganesha at home, anything which reminds you of him. It could be a pebble or even a plant, instead of buying murtis which when immersed only litter banks and beaches, lying there like garbage, half broken and discoloured.
All deities are symbolic and it is important to know that they are reminders of certain virtues to be imbibed.
Be a Ganesha to each other.
To mark the festival visit the homes of friends and relatives you have not met in years or acquaintances you have ignored and give them some happiness, give them some new zest in life, help them set up some new venture that will add some happiness to their lives. Be a Ganesha to each other rather than indulging in rituals or showing off your opulence and how well you are taking care of the Ganesha you have installed in your home.

The Sociologist of Informal Labour: Sharit Bhowmik, 1948-2016

By eSocialSciences | Published: September 9, 2016

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Sharit Kumar Bhowmik

Sharit Kumar Bhowmik, sociologist well known for his studies in labor and especially on the informal sector, passed away September 8 in Bangkok. He was in a coma for some time, having collapsed as complication of undiagnosed pneumonia in his hotel room. His wife and partner, Meenakshi, and his family were with him.

Bhowmik received his MA from Mumbai University and earned his doctorate from the Delhi University. His early work was on plantation labor in West Bengal. Subsequently he consolidated his work in the area of labor studies focusing on informal labor and labor rights.

Ever an activist, Sharit’s scholarly positions on labor issues never wavered. He interacted closely with workers’ leaders and was never an ‘outsider’ in its sociological sense, to workers organizations, their core issues and the movement. He wrote extensively on workers’ cooperatives and workers’ organizations. While a supporter of the working class causes, he was also sharply critical of the functioning of trade unions, especially in recent times.

His career spanned a number of universities and institutions: He retired from the School of Labour and Management Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Before that he was at the Department of Sociology, University of Mumbai; Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi; Indian Institute of Management Calcutta; University of North Bengal, Darjeeling District, West Bengal. Currently he was National Fellow with the Indian Council for Social Sciences.

His most important work, both in the scholarly world and as an activist, was his massive contribution to and leadership in the formalization of a policy on street vendors, which came about as a follow-through of his work on informal labor which began at a time when few labor scholars were focusing on this sector. Sharit wrote extensively, both in the academic press and in the media. For a time he co-edited with Professor Datta, the Labour Studies supplement of the Economic and Political Weekly. He had no hesitation in calling a spade a spade regardless of the fallout that it may prompt. Because of this, he was highly respected by his peers and labor leaders and activists, across the spectrum. Regardless of affiliations, he was always available to political, social and civil society activists.

Sharit was, more than anything else, a role model of a new generation sociologist who combined activism and scholarship seamlessly and effectively. He is mourned by his many students, whom he nurtured actively and sustainedly through their early careers; his colleagues and fellow workers who shared his space and vision, by the vast numbers of labor activists and workers whom he befriended and worked alongside. He will be sorely missed, especially in an environment that needs the broad-based, progressive vision, scholarship and activism of those like Sharit Bhowmik.

Competing for an equal world

A tiny step to impart a sense of dignity to the efforts of para-athletes is to recognise them as differently abled, not disabled.

The Second World War is perhaps the most devastatingly transformative event of the 20th century. Not just in the way it left millions dead, with physical capital destroyed and lands rendered barren, but also in the way it left those alive, including many young people, scarred and crippled for life.

Among them were many soldiers who sustained horrific injuries. There was a need — even a moral imperative — to ensure that those who were witness to such horrors and yet survived still be contributing members of the society.

Inclusion and empowerment

It is to this period that the roots of the modern-day Paralympics can be traced. One of the ways to achieve inclusion was devised by the neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann, who organised a small sports competition for 16 World War II veterans, who had injured their spinal cords, at Stoke Mandeville hospital in July 1948. The competition was run parallel to the Olympics in order to attract attention.

In 1964, the term ‘Paralympics’ was officially used, and at the 1988 Seoul Games, the organising committees, for the first time ever, saw to it that the Olympic and Paralympic athletes competed in the same venues and participated in similar opening and closing ceremonies. In 1989, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was formed and from 1992 (Barcelona) onwards, it has closely worked with the International Olympic Committee. Post 2008, in an attempt to place both on an equal pedestal, it was decided that all cities which bid to host the Olympics will also have to host the Paralympics.

Since the days of Guttmann, Paralympic sport has no doubt evolved. Back then it was a vehicle for rehabilitation. Today it is seen as a tool for emancipation and empowerment. Yet, for all the noble intentions, there is still a question mark over what the Paralympics means today. Does it exist to display what a “disabled” person can do or it is a spectacle of elite sport? Is the emphasis on the disability or the sport?

“It’s both ways,” says Sharath M. Gayakwad, an Indian Paralympic swimmer who won six medals at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon. “They look at me as an achiever and sportsman. But otherwise it’s the deformity that’s looked at.”

“That’s why I feel education about para-sports is important,” he adds. “You need to spread awareness. In countries like Australia and the U.S. there is a separate education system. The other thing is to train the coaches. When I first sought coaching for competitive swimming, the coach didn’t know how to train me. He had to do a lot of research.”

Long road to legitimacy

This public perception of a para-athlete owes much to what is called the ‘Supercrip Model’. The description of him or her when successful is more often than not according to the common stereotypes of pity and heroism.

In The Paralympic Games: Empowerment or Side Show? by Keith Gilbert and Otto J. Schantz, an athlete is quoted as saying: “There is a popular perception that… people feel sorry for us because we’re always in a wheelchair and they figure that we can’t do much of anything anyway. Stories like this [of winning] refute that — that we can be just as creative and productive as anybody else. I mean, this guy is still working in sports!”

While it is true that the model, to a certain extent, highlights the rugged determination of an athlete, disability activists argue that this narrows expectations and stigmatises them. In the long run, it is undesirable for the athletes to see their stories depicted only under the bracket “human interest” and be packaged only in ways that are more acceptable to the “able-bodied” world.

“This issue will always be there,” says Gayakwad. “But after these medals in Rio that Mariyappan Thangavelu, Devendra Jhajharia, Deepa Malik and Varun Singh Bhati have won, it should change. In spite of being just a 19-member contingent, we have already won four medals. As a sporting achievement it is a very good.”

The trick might well be for Paralympics to secure in the eyes of the world a “separate but equal” status under the broad umbrella of the Olympic movement. However it is easier said than done. For long, Olympic sports have maintained that individuals with a deformity are not exactly excluded from qualifying for events in the Olympics. But what it does is to undermine the status of para-sports as a legitimate form of sport. For perspective, one can look at how long it took for able-bodied women to be considered “separate but equal”.

It may take a considerable amount of time for such an inclusive ideology to take root, but a tiny step through which one can impart a sense of dignity to the efforts of these athletes is by recognising them as “differently abled” and not “disabled”.

“It’s not that we can’t get things done,” says Gayakwad. “In spite of my deformed hand, I can do everything!”

sudarshan.narayanan@thehindu.co.in

Keywords: Paralympics, para-athletes, persons with disabilities

Source: The Hindu, 15-09-2016

Gaya betel shopowner’s son makes his mark in US submarine design contest

Four years back when Anshuman, son of a betel shopowner Sunil Kumar cracked IIT, the newspapers sketched his struggle - how he vaulted from a humble background to make it big.

Four years after the big news, Anshuman has again become talk of town.

Anshuman, now a final year BTech student of IIT-Mumbai, has bagged second position in the submarine design contest ‘Robo Sub’, organised recently at Santiago city of the United States. The competition was attended by representatives of 11 countries, including the USA, Canada, China, Japan and Russia.

Anshuman, who led a team of seven engineers, astonished the world with the latest prototype submarine design.

Anshuman and his team were given the task at the competition to assemble an automatic submarine that was to be left in an open oceanic atmosphere. The submarine prototype was then required to identify the colour and touch the balloons. Out of the 11 countries, IIT-Mumbai’s model named ‘Matasya’ stood second.Sunil Kumar, who barely knows the nitty gritty of his son Anshuman’s achievement, is elated seeing the brouhaha round his house. A low-profile man Sunil said, “Despite the fact that my financial condition is not so good, I have never turned deaf ears to the demands of my three sons and made them engineers. Anshuman is the second while his elder and youngest brothers are also engineers.”

He said, “When my son Anshuman informed me about his achievement in America, the entire Ganga Mahal, the residential society where we live, burst into joy and my wife organised a small puja.” He admitted that he did not know much about the achievement of his son. “My neighbours and relatives term it as a big thing,” he said.

Talking to Hindustan Times from Mumbai, Anshuman said, “I am very happy with our scores at ‘Robo Sub’. I dream to make my country self-reliant in technology. The type of automatic submarine designed by us at IIT would help Indian Navy in many ways. It can reach places where humans cannot tread. It can be used as a multi-purpose automatic submarine designed to compete with other war equipment under the water.”

Anshuman gave credit to his parents, brothers and school teachers for his achievement.

Anshuman did his schooling from Gaya. After matriculating from Gaya DAV and doing plus two from Creane Memorial School, he cracked JEE and got admission in IIT-Mumbai.

Source: Hindustan Times, 15-09-2016