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2009-01-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

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unrevealed facts about nehru gandhi family

2009-01-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

India :

INTERESTING HISTORY!
At the very beginning of his book, ”

The Nehru Dynasty “, astrologer K.N.Rao mentions the names of Jawaharlal’s father and grandfather. Jawahar Lal’s father was believed to be Motilal and Motilal’s father was Gangadhar Nehru.
And we all know that Jawaharlal’s only daughter was Indira Priyadarshini Nehru; Kamala Nehru was her mother, who died in Switzerland of tuberculosis. She was totally against Indira’s proposed marriage with Feroze.
Why? No one tells us that!

Now, who is this Feroze? We are told by many that he was the son of the family grocer. The grocer supplied wines,etc. to Anand Bhavan (previously known as Ishrat Manzil).

What was the family grocer’s name? One frequently hears that Rajiv Gandhi’s grandfather was Pandit Nehru. But then we all know that everyone has two grandfathers, the paternal and the maternal grandfathers.

In fact, the paternal grandfather is deemed to be the more important grandfather in most societies. Why is it then, no where, we find Rajiv Gandhi’s paternal grandfather’s name?

It appears that the reason is simply this. Rajiv Gandhi’s paternal grandfather was a Muslim gentleman from the Junagadh area of Gujarat. This Muslim grocer by the name of Nawab Khan, had married a Parsi woman after converting her to Islam.

This is the source where from the myth of Rajiv being a Parsi was derived. Rajiv’s father Feroze, was Feroze Khan before he married Indira, against Kamala Nehru’s wishes.

Feroze’s mother’s family name was Ghandy, often associated with Parsis and this was changed to Gandhi, sometime before his wedding with Indira, by an affidavit. The fact of the matter is that
(and this fact can be found in many writings)Indira was very lonely. Chased out of the Shantiniketan University by Guru Dev Rabindranath himself for misdemeanor, the lonely girl was all by herself, while father Jawahar was busy with politics, pretty women and illicit sex; the mother was in hospital.

Feroze Khan, the grocer’s son was then in England and he was quite
sympathetic to Indira and soon enough she changed her religion, became a Muslim woman and married Feroze Khan in a London mosque.

Nehru was not happy; Kamala was dead already or dying. The news of this marriage eventually reached Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi(better known as Mahatma Gandhi)

Gandhi urgently called Nehru and practically ordered him to ask the young man to change his name from Khan to Gandhi. It had nothing to do with change of religion, from Islam to Hinduism for instance. It was just a case of a change of name by an affidavit. And so Feroze Khan became Feroze Gandhi.

The surprising thing is that the apostle of truth, the old man soon to be declared India’s Mahatma and the ‘Father of the Nation’ didn’t mention this game of his in the famous book, ‘My Experiments with Truth’.

Why? When they returned to India, amock ‘Vedic marriage’ was instituted for public consumption.

On this subject, writes M.O. Mathai (a longtime Private Secretary of Nehru) in his renowned (but now suppressed by the GOI! ) ‘Reminiscences of the Nehru Age’on page94, second paragraph:”

For some inexplicable reason, Nehru allowed the marriage to be performed according to Vedic rites in 1942. An inter-religious
and inter-caste marriage under Vedic rites at that time was not valid in law. To be legal, it had to be a civil marriage

It’s a known fact that after Rajiv’s birth Indira and Feroze lived separately, but they were not divorced. Feroze used to harass Nehru frequently for money and also interfere in Nehru’s
political activities. Nehru got fed up and left instructions not to allow him into the Prime Minister’s residence Trimurthi Bhavan.

Mathai writes that the death of Feroze came as a relief to Nehru and Indira. The death of Feroze in 1960 before he could consolidate his own political forces, is itself a mystery. Feroze had even planned to remarry.

Those who try to keep tabs on our leaders in spite of all the suppression and deliberate misinformation, are aware of the fact that the second son of Indira (or Mrs.Feroze Khan) known as Sanjay Gandhi was not the son of Feroze. He was the son of another Muslim gentleman, Mohammad Yunus. Here, in passing, we might mention that the second son was originally named Sanjiv. It rhymed with Rajiv, the elder brother’s name. It was changed to Sanjay when he was arrested by the British police in England and his passport impounded, for having stolen a car. Krishna Menon was then India’s High Commissioner in London. He offered to issue another passport to the felon who changed his name to Sanjay.

Incidentally, Sanjay’s marriage with the Sikh girl Menaka (now they call her Maneka for Indira Gandhi found the name of mythological Lord Indra’s Court dancer rather offensive!) took place quite surprisingly in Mohammad Yunus’s house in New Delhi.

And the marriage with Menaka who was a model (She had model for Bombay Dyeing wearing just a towel)was not so ordinary either.
Sanjay was notorious in getting unwed young women pregnant. Menaka too was rendered pregnant by Sanjay. It was then that her father, Colonel Anand, threatened Sanjay with dire consequences if he did not marry her daughter. And that did the trick.

Sanjay married Menaka. It was widely reported in Delhi at the time that Mohammad Yunus was unhappy at the marriage of Sanjay with Menaka. Apparently he had wanted to get him married with a Muslim girl of his choice. It was Mohammad Yunus who cried the most when Sanjay died in the plane accident. In Yunus’s book,’Persons, Passions & Politics’ one discovers that baby Sanjay had been circumcised following Islamic custom, although the reason stated was phimosis.

It was always believed that Sanjay used to blackmail Indira Gandhi and due to this she used to turn a blind eye when Sanjay Gandhi started to run the country as though it were his personal freedom.
Was he black mailing her with the secret of who his real father was? When the news of Sanjay’s death reached Indira Gandhi, the first thing she wanted to know was about the bunch of keys which Sanjay had with him.

Nehru was no less a player in producing bastards. At least one case is very graphically described by M.O. Mathai in his Reminiscences of the NehruAge “, page 206.

Mathai writes:
“In the autumn of 1948 a young woman from Benares arrived in New
Delhi as a sanyasini named Shraddha Mata (an assumed and not a real
name). She was a Sanskrit scholar well versed in the ancient Indian
scriptures and mythology. People, including MPs, thronged to her to hear her discourses. One day S.D. Upadhyaya, Nehru’s old employee, brought a letter in Hindi from Shraddha Mata. Nehru gave her an interview in the PM’s house. As she departed, I noticed (Mathai is speaking here)that she was young, shapely and beautiful.

Meetings of Nehru with her became rather frequent, mostly after he finished his work at night. During one of Nehru’s visits to Lucknow, Shraddha Mata turned up there and Upadhyaya brought a letter from her as usual. Nehru sent her the reply and she visited Nehru at midnight... Suddenly Shraddha Mata disappeared.

In November 1949 a convent in Bangalore sent a decent looking person to Delhi with a bundle of letters. He said that a young woman from northern India arrived at the convent a few months ago and gave birth to a baby boy. She refused to divulge her name or give any particulars about herself. She left the convent as soon as she was well enough to move out but left the child behind.

She however forgot to take with her a small cloth bundle in which, among other things, several letters in Hindi were found. The Mother Superior, who was a foreigner had the letters examined and was told they were from the Prime Minister. The person who brought the letters surrendered them...”I (Mathai) made discreet inquiries repeatedly about the boy but failed to get a clue about his hereabouts. Convents in such matters are extremely tight lipped and secretive. Had I succeeded in locating the boy, I would have adopted him. He must have grown up as a Catholic Christian blissfully ignorant of who his father was.”

Coming back to Rajiv Gandhi, we all know now that he changed his so called Parsi religion to become a Catholic to marry Sania Maino of Turin, Italy. Rajiv became Roberto. His daughter’s name is Bianca and son’s name is Raul. Quite cleverly the same names are presented to the people of India as Priyanka and Rahul.

What is amazing is the extent of our people’s ignorance in such matters. The press conference that Rajiv Gandhi gave in London after taking over as Prime minister of India was very informative.
In this press conference, Rajiv boasted that he was NOT a Hindu but a Parsi. Mind you, speaking of the Parsi religion, he had no Parsi ancestor at all. His grandmother (father’s mother) had turned Muslim after having abandoned the Parsi religion to marry Nawab Khan.

It is the western press that waged a blitz of misinformation on behalf of Rajiv. From the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, the big guns raised Rajiv to heaven.
The children’s encyclopedias recorded that Rajiv was a qualified Mechanical Engineer from the revered University of Cambridge.
No doubt US kids are among the most misinformed in the world today!
The reality is that in all three years of his tenure at that University Rajiv had not passed a single exam. He had therefore to leave Cambridge without a certificate.

Sonia too had the same benevolent treatment. She was stated to be a student in Cambridge. Such a description is calculated to mislead Indians. She was a student in Cambridge all right, but not of the University of Cambridge, but of one of those fly by night language schools where foreign students come to learn English. Sonia was working as an ‘Au pair’ girl in Cambridge and trying to learn English at the same time.

And surprise of surprises, Rajiv was even cremated as per Vedic rites in full view of India’s public.

This is the Nehru dynasty that India worships and now a foreigner leads a prestigious national party because of just one qualification being married into the Nehru family.

Maneka Gandhi, though Indian, herself is being accepted by the non-Congress parties not because she was a former model or an animal lover, but for her links to the Nehru family.

Saying that an Italian (or any foreigner) should not lead India will amount to narrow mindedness, but if Sania Maino (now Sonia) had served India like, say, Mother Teresa or Annie Besant,i.e. in anyway on her own rights, then all Indians should be proud of her just as how proud we are of Mother Teresa.
OR
Saying that any other party which comes to rule India is better is again equally worse.

The point is Indians who nominate the people to stand in these elections; and truth the people who vote their rulers (i.e. the authorities) must know that eventually come out some day. Dont allow the famous land of India (our motherland) to be looked down by others.

Spare a moment and check the background of each nominee.
A good-well nourished tree always bear good fruit.
You are responsible too.

why do we people rape?

2009-01-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

Sociobiology explains human behaviour from an evolutionary perspective. Two present-day sociobiologists make some controversial claims in a new book of theirs.

They state that unsuccessful men use rape to gain sexual access to desirable mates. By making women pregnant, rapists pass their genes on to the next generation.

There are many inadequacies in this argument. For instance, if passing on their genes is the aim of rape, why do rapists attack the elderly, menopausal women and children? Why do men get raped? What of those women killed by rapists - they will never give birth.

The researchers are incredibly ignorant about what happens during a rape. Some men do not ejaculate during rape and so do not deposit their semen inside the woman. This suggests that whatever is driving him to rape is not sexual arousal. Others ejaculate outside the woman.

The claim that rapists are predominantly poor young men is also open to question. Certainly many young men convicted of rape are poor. Their convictions are more the result of their being unable to afford expensive lawyers who specialise in defending those accused of rape, than their greater propensity for rape.
Rapists explain........

The best challenge to these arguments comes from rapists themselves. Consider this explanation provided by man who was formerly active in a Self Defence Unit:

“I was a comrade before. Then we were no longer given political tasks. Most of the tasks were given to senior people. I felt that we have been used by these senior comrades because I do not understand why they dumped us like this. Myself and six other guys decided to form our own organisation that will keep these senior comrades busy all the time. We formed the South African Rapist Association (Sara). We rape women who need to be disciplined. They do not want to talk to most people. They think they know better than most of us and when we struggle, they do not want to join us”

Nowhere does this man state that he and his friends are raping women because they wish to pass their genes on to the next generation. This man and his friends are using rape to punish women who do not behave in ways members of Sara consider acceptable in women. Sara members also rape to express their anger and frustration at the current government for having ‘dumped’ them.
Murder

The researchers claim that men who kill their victims do so either by accident or are psychotic....

Again it is worth considering what a man who raped and murdered women had to say about his actions. During July 1994 to November 1995, Moses Sithole murdered 38 women in and around the East Rand, Pretoria and Johannesburg. Considered fit to stand trial, it was also found that he killed his female victims deliberately. His statements in court suggest a man who hated women and wanted to punish them. He felt that his activities were ‘a good lesson for ladies around this country...’ (Sunday Times, 8 December 1996).
Why men rape........

Men rape because they believe they have the right to control and to punish women who do not obey their rules of behaviour. Rape is an expression of unequal power relations between men and women. Such unequal power relations are not the result of nature or evolution but societies which, through legislation and social custom, have made women second-class citizens.

Because sociobiological thinking is incapable of addressing how societies and their structures create and uphold inequality, their best solution to prevent rape is the lame suggestion that women not dress attractively - an approach representing yet another attempt to control women’s behaviour.

An understanding of rape which considers society would, however, emphasise the urgent need to change relationships between men and women and to ensure greater equality between the two. Such an understanding would also acknowledge the importance of changing relationships between men.

Ultimately sociobiological explanations of rape are nothing more than a science in the service of oppression.

un revealed facts of nehru family

2009-01-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

INTERESTING HISTORY!
At the very beginning of his book, "
The Nehru Dynasty ", astrologer K.N.Rao

mentions the names of Jawaharlal's father and grandfather.
Jawahar Lal's father was believed to be Motilal and Motilal's father was one Gangadhar Nehru.
And we all know that Jawaharlal's only daughter was Indira Priyadarshini Nehru;
Kamala Nehru was her mother,who died in Switzerland of tuberculosis.
She was totally against Indira's proposed marriage with Feroze.
Why? No one tells us that!
Now, who is this Feroze?
We are told by many that he was the son of the family grocer
The grocer supplied wines,etc. to Anand Bhavan (previously known as IshratManzil)

What was the family grocer's name?
One frequently hears that Rajiv Gandhi's grandfather was Pandit Nehru.
But then we all know that everyone has two grandfathers, the paternal and the maternal grandfathers.

In fact, the paternal grandfather is deemed to be the more important grandfather in most societies.
Why is it then, no where, we find Rajiv Gandhi's paternal grandfather's name?
It appears that the reason is simply this. Rajiv Gandhi's paternal grandfather
was a Muslim gentleman from the Junagadh area of Gujarat.
This Muslim grocer by the name of Nawab Khan, had married a Parsi
woman after converting her to Islam.
This is the source where from the myth of Rajiv being a Parsi was derived.
Rajiv's father Feroze, was Feroze Khan before he married Indira, against Kamala Nehru's wishes.

Feroze's mother's family name was Ghandy , often associated with Parsis and this was changed to Gandhi
,sometime before his wedding with Indira, by an affidavit.
The fact of the matter is that
(and this fact can be found in many writings)
Indira was very lonely. Chased out of the Shantiniketan University by Guru Dev Rabindranath himself for misdemeanor, the lonely girl was all by herself,
while father Jawahar was busy with politics, pretty women and illicit sex;
the mother was in hospital
Feroze Khan, the grocer's son was then in England and he was quite
sympathetic to Indira and soon enough she changed her religion, became a Muslim woman and married Feroze Khan in a London mosque.

Nehru was not happy; Kamala was dead already or dying. The news of this marriage eventually reached Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
(better known asMahatma Gandhi)

Gandhi urgently called Nehru and practically ordered him to ask the young man
to change his name from Khan to Gandhi. It had nothing to do with change of religion, from Islam to Hinduism for instance.

It was just a case of a change of name by an affidavit. And so Feroze Khan became Feroze Gandhi.

The surprising thing is that the apostle of truth
, the old man soon to be declared
India's Mahatma and the 'Father of the Nation' didn't mention this game of his in
the famous book, 'My Experiments with Truth'.
Why? When they returned to India, amock 'Vedic marriage' was instituted for public consumption.

On this subject,writes M.O. Mathai (a longtime Private Secretary of Nehru) in his renowned

(but now suppressed by the GOI! ) 'Reminiscences of the Nehru Age'on page94, second paragraph: "

For some inexplicable reason, Nehru allowed
the marriage to be performed according to Vedic rites in 1942. An inter-religious
and inter-caste marriage under Vedic rites at that time was not valid in law. To be legal, it had to be a civil marriage

It's a known fact that after Rajiv's birth Indira and Feroze lived separately,but they were not divorced

.
Feroze used to harass Nehru frequently for money and also interfere in Nehru's
political activities. Nehru got fed up and left instructions not to allow him into the
Prime Minister's residence Trimurthi Bhavan.
Mathai writes that the death of Feroze came as a relief to Nehru and Indira. The death of Feroze in 1960 before he could consolidate his own political forces, is itself a mystery. Feroze had even planned to remarry.

Those who try to keep tabs on our leaders in spite of all the suppressions and deliberate misinformation, are aware of the fact that the second son of Indira (or

Mrs.Feroze Khan) known as Sanjay Gandhi was not the son of Feroze

.He was the son of another Muslim gentleman, Mohammad Yunus.
Here, in passing, we might mention that the second son was
originally named Sanjiv

. It rhymed with Rajiv, the elder brother's name.
It was changed to Sanjay when he was arrested by the British police in England
and his passport impounded, for having stolen a car.
Krishna Menon was then India's High Commissioner in London. He offered to issue another passport to the felon

who changed his name to Sanjay.Incidentally, Sanjay's marriage with the Sikh girl Menaka (now they call her

Maneka for Indira Gandhi found the name of mythological Lord Indra's Court dancer rather offensive !!)

took place quite surprisingly in Mohammad Yunus's house in New Delhi.

And the marriage with Menaka who was a model
(She had model for Bombay
Dyeing wearing just a towel)
was not so ordinary either.
Sanjay was notorious in getting unwed young women pregnant. Menaka too was rendered pregnant by Sanjay.

It was then that her father,Colonel Anand, threatened Sanjay with dire
consequences if he did not marry her daughter. And that did the trick.
Sanjay married Menaka. It was widely reported in Delhi at the time that
Mohammad Yunus was unhappy at the marriage of Sanjay with Menaka.
Apparently he had wanted to get him married with a Muslim girl of his choice.
It was Mohammad Yunus who cried the most when Sanjay died in the plane accident.

In Yunus's book,'Persons, Passions & Politics'

one discovers that baby Sanjay had been circumcised following Islamic custom, although the

reason stated was phimosis.
It was always believed that Sanjay used to blackmail Indira Gandhi and due to this

she used to turn a blind eye when Sanjay Gandhi started to
run the country as though it were his personal freedom
.
Was he black mailing her with the secret of who his real father was?
When the news of Sanjay's death reached Indira Gandhi, the first thing
she wanted to know was about the bunch of keys which Sanjay had with him.

Nehru was no less a player in producing bastards.
At least one case is very graphically described by M.O. Mathai in his Reminiscences of the NehruAge ", page 206.

Mathai writes:
"In the autumn of 1948 a young woman from Benares arrived in New
Delhi as a sanyasini named Shraddha Mata (an assumed and not a real
name). She was a Sanskrit scholar well versed in the ancient Indian
scriptures and mythology. People, including MPs, thronged to her to hear
her discourses. One day S.D. Upadhyaya, Nehru's old employee, brought
a letter in Hindi from Shraddha Mata. Nehru gave her an interview
in thePM's house. As she departed, I noticed
(Mathai is speaking here)that

she was young, shapely and beautiful. Meetings of Nehru with her
became rather frequent, mostly after he finished his work at night. During
one of Nehru's visits to Lucknow, Shraddha Mata turned up there and
Upadhyaya brought a letter from her as usual. Nehru sent her the reply and she visited Nehru at midnight...“
Suddenly Shraddha Mata disappeared.

In November 1949 a convent in Bangalore sent a decent looking person to Delhi with a bundle of letters. He said that a young woman from northern India arrived at the convent a few months ago and gave birth to a baby boy
She refused to divulge her name or give any particulars about herself.
She left the convent as soon as she was well enough to move out but left the child behind.

She however forgot to take with her a small cloth bundle in which, among other things, several letters in Hindi were found. The Mother Superior, who was a foreigner
had the letters examined and was told they were from the
Prime Minister.
The person who brought the letters surrendered them..."I (Mathai) made discreet inquiries repeatedly about the boy but failed to get a clue about his hereabouts
Convents in such matters are extremely tightlipped and secretive.

Had I succeeded in locating the boy, I would have adopted him. He must
have grown up as a Catholic Christian blissfully ignorant of who his father was."

Coming back to Rajiv Gandhi,we all know now that he changed his so called

Parsi religion to become a Catholic to marry Sania Maino of Turin, Italy.
Rajiv became Roberto.
His daughter's name is Bianca and son's name is Raul.
Quite cleverly the same names are presented to the people of India as Priyanka and Rahul.

What is amazing is the extent of our people's ignorance in such matters.
The press conference that Rajiv Gandhi gave in London after taking over as Prime minister of India was very informative.
In this press conference, Rajiv boasted that he was NOT a Hindu but a Parsi.
Mind you, speaking of the Parsi religion,
he had no Parsi ancestor at all
.
His grandmother (father's mother) had turned Muslim after having abandoned the Parsi religion to marry Nawab Khan.

It is the western press that waged a blitz of misinformation on behalf of Rajiv.
From the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post,
the big guns raised Rajiv to heaven.
The children's encyclopedias recorded that Rajiv was a qualified Mechanical Engineer from the revered University of Cambridge.
No doubt US kids are
among the most misinformed in the world today!
The reality is that in all three years of his tenure at that University Rajiv had not passed a single exam.
He had therefore to leave Cambridge without a certificate.

Sonia too had the same benevolent treatment. She was stated to be a student in Cambridge.
Such a description is calculated to mislead Indians.
She was a student in Cambridge all right,

but not of the University of Cambridge , but of
one of those fly by night language schools where foreign students come to learn English. Sonia was working as an 'au pair' girl in Cambridge and trying to learn English at the same time.

And surprise of surprises,
Rajiv was even cremated as per Vedic rites in full view of India's public.

This is the Nehru dynasty that India worships and now a foreigner leads a prestigious national party because of just one qualification being married into the Nehru family.

Maneka Gandhi, though Indian, herself is being accepted
by the non-Congress parties not because
she was a former model or an animal lover,but for her links to the Nehru family.

Saying that an Italian (or any foreigner)

should not lead India will amount to narrow mindedness,

but if Sania Maino (now Sonia) had served India like, say,Mother Teresa or Annie Besant,i.e. in anyway on her own rights , then all

Indians should be proud of her just as how proud we are of Mother Teresa.
OR
Saying that any other party which comes to rule India is better is again equallyworse.

The point is Indians who nominate the people to stand in these elections; and truth

the people who vote their rulers (i.e. the authorities) must know thateventually come out some day.

Dont allow the famous land of India (our motherland) to be looked down by others.

Spare a moment and check the background of each nominee.
A good-well nourished tree
always
bear good fruit.
You are responsible too.

OM .....THE DEVINE FORM OF ENERGY

2009-01-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

India :

The goal which all the Vedas declare, which all austerities aim at, and which men desire when they lead the life of continence … is Om. This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires. This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahma.”
~ Katha Upanishad I

“Energy cannot be created nor be destroyed, it can be only transformed from one form to other”, that Einsten said in his theory for energy. He gave a formula that we all remember and was correct that energy is constant in totality if added it remains in this universe, similar to what Vedas said, According to Hindu mythology the word AUM represents some what Einsten said.

”

This Sanskrit word, stands to make a humming or droning sound, it has all the seven vibration of the universe, and is eternal in its existence, this word is made of three letters A which signifies form or shape like earth, trees, or any other object, U for U-kara means formless or shapeless like water, air or fire and M for neither shape nor shapeless (but still exists) like the dark matter in the Universe.

By combining all of them we combine all the energy of the universe into a single word called AUM. Om is the universal name of the Lord. It is made up of the letters A (phonetically as in “around”), U (phonetically as in “put”) and M (phonetically as in “mum”). The sound emerging from the vocal chords starts from the base of the throat as “A”. With the coming together of the lips, “U” is formed and when the lips are closed, all sounds end in “M”. The three letters symbolize the three states (waking, dream and deep sleep), the three deities (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), the three Vedas (Rig, Yajur and Sama) the three worlds (Bhuh, Bhuvah, Suvah)- A terminology used in Vedas, the word contains all the energy of the universe so it is used for chanting and meditation.

It is believed that with this energy a vibrant force comes out and purifies the atmosphere. It forms an integral part of many Hindu rituals and this is the reason as to why many scientist are in constant effort to capture the sounds of Mahabharata and Ramayna.
Still AUM is widely used for chanting and meditation, for its vibrant energy not supplements the body but also the surroundings.

Just visit any Buddhist temple we get to experience some new energy and force there, many Hindu shloks (a PHRASE) begin with AUM so as to purify the surrounding and soul. This indicates that what Einsten said few hundreds year ago was actually practiced many thousands year ago in ancient India. He just gave a mathematical face to Vedas, what we call as E= mc2, in totality it represents an Absolute Energy.

Untapped gap..IN CONNECTING WITH RURAL INDIA

2009-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

The 180 million people in India who are officially hungry were probably not that interested in the successful launch of the country's uncrewed moon mission Chandrayaan-1
More than 60% of Indians live in rural areas; and that is where most of the 200 million hungry people live. Though Mahatma Gandhi once said "the soul of India resides in rural India", its mobile subscribers definitely do not.
Untapped gap
The latest figures from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRIA) say mobile penetration in rural areas is less than 13%, compared with 73% in urban areas, a gap that threatens to hold back the development of India as a global superpower.
"2G networks helped spread voice and SMS across rural India and has transformed that society. 3G will do the same by accelerating the spread of high-speed broadband in rural India. 3G cards will mean such services as e-education, video, e-governance and telemedicine that were not reaching rural India because of lack of bandwidth will see hopes that 3G will address this imbalance
India surmised that a 1% higher mobile subscription rate would mean a £140 rise in GDP per capita.Furthermore, as mobile penetration in urban areas becomes saturated, operators have launched extensive marketing programmes to attract rural takeup.
And the market is booming. TRIA says India's operators added 10.35m new mobile accounts in November, taking the total to 336.1m. BUT "The forthcoming 3G launch will help to provide faster provision of broadband and customised data-centric applications to rural subscribers. However, the operators will start to roll out their 3G networks to high ARPU [average revenue per user] subscribers who reside in the urban areas,"
BUT therein lies the problem.. Successful 3G operators will concentrate on areas where there is already high mobile penetration. There are billions of pounds involved in setting up 3G structures in the most accessible of regions, let alone the countryside. And for villages without a regular electricity supply, mobile users are more concerned with longer battery life than power-sapping snazzy features.
For India's rural community - in spite of the government's efforts - it may be some time before they attain the same services as urban users. In fact, they may as well whistle at the moon

ARE REALLY ? MOST INDIAN MUSLIMS ARE CONVERT EDHINDU

2009-01-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

A report by a government official of the Andhra Pradesh has put together the socio-economic history of Indian muslims for last several centuries, and has concluded that 85% muslims in India were formerly lower-caste Hindus upset about Hinduism’s rigid and inflexbile structure. The writer of the report, P S Krishnan, a Human Resources advisor for Andhra Pradesh, has contended that religious conversions, for many such Indians, were opportunities to escape India’s class system.
A major problem with my assertion is that it ignores a very, very large number of conversions that were commonplace when muslim invaders and rulers won new territories and through mandates, tax structures and use of force, converted poor Hindu families to Islam. There are innumerable known cases of conversions of lower and upper caste-Hindus to Islam, cases that have nothing to do with the class system but everything to do with the circumstances.
let us take 2 very good examplefrom the Maratha history, significant by virtue of the Marathas having a powerful Hindu king (Shivaji) who had a successful 40-year Hindu stint right in the middle of the Mughal empire. The chief of Shivaji’s army, Netaji Palkar, briefly converted to Islam because he thought he was being passed over for promotion by his King, and because he wasn’t getting the due rewards of his bravery by his own king. Muslim rulers successfuly bribed, cajoled, forced and blackmailed many Hindus into converting, a fact that had nothing to do with the prevailing class system, but more to do with circumstances, financial needs, poverty, etc. The second example is King Shivaji’s own son Sambhaji, who was threatened by his muslim captors into accepting Islam. Sambhaji refused and ended up blind with his eyes gouged out, eventually leading to his death in captivity.
If we feel that the class system is really the reason for this religious exodus, why does he insist on perpetuating the class system by labeling Indians as belonging to this or that caste, by advocating on caste-census, and by trying to revise reservation strategies to add more reservations and quotas to select Indians?

Sure, some Hindus left Hinduism because they were sick of it. Some of those Hindus became Muslims, others became Christians. So what? Shouldn’t we letting the bygones be bygones and chart a new course?

By labeling the conversions as a caste-issue, the government report is sending a signal to Muslims, letting them know that soon, there will be more reservations based on these ‘newfound’ historical facts. So, sooner or later, this report will form the basis for adding more groups to the scheduled caste categories, helping assign additional quotas for those groups, and creating additional vote banks (the real purpose behind reservations and quotas) for political parties. Today it is Indian Muslims, tomorrow it will be Indian Christians. Soon, even the so-called higher-caste Hindus will be proved to be once belonging to lower-castes, and then everyone will have guaranteed reservations in the universities, industries and government.

INDIAN MUSLIMS a question mark who are we?

2009-01-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

The question that Indian Muslims should ask themselves now is simple: who are we? Among the 120 millions of Muslims in India, only a tiny percentage descends from the Turks, Afghans, or Iranians who invaded India. The majority of them are converted Muslims. And converted how? By terror, coercion, force, bloodshed. The ancestors of today’s Indian Muslims are probably those who suffered the most from the Arab and Muslim invasions. Those Hindus and Sikhs who chose not to convert, took refuge in their faith, fought together and kept their pride and honor. The first two generations of those who converted must have endured hell for they certainly did not convert out of conviction, but because they had no choice: their daughters and wives were raped, sons taken into slavery, parents killed.

It is true that many Indian Muslims were Hindu `untouchables’. Marxists wouldlike us to believe that they converted because they thought that theywould access the more egalitarian society of Islam. What rubbish! Does onethink in that way in times of war, terror and tears? Do today’s Hindu lower castes convert to Islam when there is no violent coercion? Morelikely, the `untouchables’ were the most vulnerable, the least apt to defend themselves; they had neither the faith of the brahmins, nor the riches of the vaishyas, nor the military skill of the kshatriyas.

Do Indian Muslims understand that they were part of the richest, most advanced, most tolerant and generous civilization of ancient times? That their culture was so advanced that it had spread all over the world? Do they realise that more and more archaeological and historical discoveries are pointing out that the genocide of Hindus by Muslim invaders is without parallel. The conquest of Afghanistan in the year 1000 was followed by the annihilation of the entire Hindu population there; indeed, the region is still called Hindu Kush _ `Hindu slaughter’. The Bahmani sultans in central India made it a rule to kill 100,000 Hindus a year. In 1399, Taimur killed 100,000 Hindus in a single day. Professor K.S. Lal has estimated that the Hindu population decreased by million between the year 1000 and 1525, probably the biggest holocaust in history. Surely, many of present-day Indian Muslims’ ancestors must have been among those slaughterers.Islam cannot be wished away. As Sri Aurobindo said, “Mohammed’s mission was necessary, else we might have ended by thinking, in the exaggeration of our efforts at self-purification, that earth was meant only for the monk and the city created as a vestibule for the desert”. Thus Indian Muslims have to keep their faith and any attempt by Hindus to convert them back is not only futile but counterproductive. But the question to be asked to them is: What kind of Islam do you want to practice? An Islam which looks westwards, towards a foreign city, the Mecca, swears by a scripture, which is not only not relevant to India but which was meant for people living 1,500 years ago, in a language which is not Indian? Or do they want to practise an Islam which is `Indianised’, which accepts the reality of other gods, as Hinduism and Buddhism accept that there have been other avatars than Ram or Buddha?

Do Indian Muslims want to worship Babar, a man who destroyed everything which was good, beautiful and holy and lived by the power of violence, or do they want to imbibe the qualities of Ram, who believed in the equality of all, who gave up all riches and honours of the world because he thought his brother deserved the throne more than him? Whatever the West says, which is obsessed with China, India, a vibrant, English-speaking, pro-Western democracy, is going to become the superpower of the 21st century. Do Indian Muslims want to participate in that great adventure? Do they want to feel that they are part of India, that they are Indians?

Nowadays it is politically not correct to say anything against Islam. Youare immediately labelled anti-Muslim and dismissed as a `rightist’. No matter if you are only reporting the fact that there is a real problem with Islam in South Asia; that India is surrounded by fundamentalist states _ Afghanistan and Pakistan _ while more moderates like Bangladesh tend to close an eye to anti-Indian activities; that Indian Muslims sometimes tend to put their religion before their country. Thus the question has to be asked again: Do Indian Muslims want to be like Babar or like Ram? Their choice will shape their future for generations to come.

RBI and CSO data released shows decline in growth allover

2009-01-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

RBI and CSO data released shows decline in growth allover

The number crunching game of economics is the only thing at boom in this recessionary atmosphere around the globe. Data is being analyzed rigorously in order to get some positive outcome but the more the data come out and more the analysis done, we get more hopeless results every time. Recently I was going through the data released by the RBI and CSO, few renowned economists in India have predicted over the growth prospects of India in 2008-2009. Things are definitely not as bright as it had been in recent past.

Real growth of GDP(market prices) would fall to 7.1% in 2008-09 from 9.02% and GDP growth at factor cost too would remain at around 7.1% in 2008-09.

Growth of agriculture and allied activities would be at 3.3% this fiscal year when compared to last year's 4.55% growth. Industry sector which was experiencing an average growth of above 10% in last 4 years would decline to dismal 5.7% growth. IIP figures of August showed manufacturing output growth to be at 1.15% which is lowest monthly figure reported since October 1998. Outputs of capital goods have slumped to 2.3% from 20.4% immediately previous month. Tertiary sector or services will grow at 9.0% this year after enjoying a growth of above 10% every year in past three years. Per capita real GDP growth was 7.49% last year and may fall to 5.60% this time round.

Peaking oil prices of 2008 has already added greatly towards the debt of the country. Balance of payment will again remain negative. Exports in 2008-09 would touch $ 200billion from $ 159 billion last fiscal but the gain from exports would be subsided by the increase of imports this year. Imports, this year, will be $ 314 billion from $240 billion last year. Out of this $314 Billion, import crude and products alone accounted for $106 billion.

Data is one part, the current economic turmoil is taking its toll all over the world. US government has bailed out Bank of America

and Citi group twice now and still they doesn't seem to be in comfortable position. Bank of America has acquired toxic assets worth $118 billion,when it acquired Merillynch, of which around $100 billion would be bailed out by government itself. According to a report by financial times 50% of US household are on the verge of bankruptcy. Sales of automobile are down by more than 30% now. Spiraling effect of economic activities or no activities has started to make things to get worst. Great depression doesn't seem impossible now.Ripple effects of this downturn is sure to reach India.

2009-01-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by vivek pandey

FASHION WEEK 2009

2009-01-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

AIDS AWARENESS PROGRAMME

2009-01-16T03:44:00.001-08:00

the basic presentation gives you just facts ,if you are newly diagnosed or u are trying to the simple information

What is HIV?

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).

HIV attacks the immune system's soldiers - the CD4 cells. When the immune system loses too many CD4 cells, you are less able to fight off infection and can develop serious opportunistic infections (OIs). A person is diagnosed with AIDS when he or she has less than 200 CD4 cells and/or one of 21 AIDS-defining OIs.

Common myth: "HIV doesn't cause AIDS."
Truth: If you don't have HIV, you can't get AIDS. If you have AIDS, you have HIV. There is 20 years of solid scientific proof on this. AIDS is not caused by party drugs, AZT, government conspiracies, or anything else but a virus.

The HIV Test

There is only one reliable way to find out your HIV status and that is to take the HIV test. The most common test is an antibody test called ELISA. A positive result means you have antibodies for HIV and you are infected with the virus.

Common myth: "The HIV test can't be trusted."
Truth: The HIV antibody test is one of the most reliable medical tests. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is more than 99% accurate. In addition, all positive results are confirmed with another test (called the Western Blot) to insure no mistakes are made.

Why Should I get Tested if There is no Cure for HIV?

There is no cure for HIV. But there are drugs that can slow down the virus and protect your immune system. There are also drugs to treat and prevent OIs. If you do not know your status you cannot get the health care and treatment you may need to stay well. You are also more likely to unknowingly pass HIV to others.

Common myth: "It's not AIDS that kills people, it's the medicines they take!"
Truth: HIV drugs can help keep people healthy for a longer time. People died from AIDS before AZT or any other drugs came out. In fact, death rates have gone down a great deal in the U.S. since new HIV medications came out in the mid-nineties.

HIV Transmission

HIV is only spread through the following body fluids:

Blood
Semen
Vaginal fluids
Breast milk

The most common ways HIV is passed from one person to another are:

Reusing and sharing needles
Unprotected sex
Mother-to-child
During pregnancy, during birth, or through breastfeeding

HIV Transmission

To reduce the risk of HIV transmission:

Do not reuse or share dirty needles: Clean needles with a bleach solution before reusing them or use fresh needles each time.
Do not have unprotected sex: Use a condom every time you have sex, especially for anal and vaginal intercourse, which are the riskiest sexual activities.
Get tested if you are pregnant or considering pregnancy: HIV+ mothers can pass the virus to their babies while pregnant, during birth, or by breastfeeding. Advances in treatments have significantly reduced the risk of a baby getting HIV from its mother when precautions are taken.

Common myth: "HIV can be spread through casual contact.
Truth: HIV cannot be spread through tears, sweat, and saliva. Casual contact is not risky because it does not include contact with infectious body fluids. Examples of casual contact include: social kissing, use of public facilities (pools, theaters, bathrooms), sharing drinks or eating utensils, etc. Insect bites do not transmit HIV

Why do I Need to get Tested for HIV?

Many HIV+ people are unaware of their status. They may feel healthy and not think they are at risk. But anyone of any age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or social or economic class can become infected. It is what you do that puts you at risk. If you have used dirty needles or had unprotected sex, a sexually transmitted disease, or hepatitis C you should be tested.

Common myth: "Straight people don't get HIV."
Truth: The majority of HIV+ people worldwide are heterosexual. "Traditional" sex (vaginal intercourse) puts both partners at risk, but the woman is more vulnerable to HIV infection.

Common myth: "I'm safe because I'm in a monogamous relationship (or married).
Truth: You might have gotten infected before your relationship. If not, if your partner is unfaithful, or was already HIV+ before you met, you can still get HIV.

Common myth: "Lesbians don't get HIV."
Truth: Women who only have sex with women are generally at lower risk. Women who consider themselves lesbians but occasionally have sex with men can get infected that

Women and HIV

Certain gynecological (GYN) conditions are more common, more serious and/or more difficult to treat in HIV+ women than HIV- women:

Herpes simplex virus (genital herpes)
Human papilloma virus (warts, dysplasia)
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Fungal Infections (yeast infections, vaginal candidiasis)
Menstrual (period) Problems

HIV+ women should have regular GYN care and Pap smears since many GYN conditions do not have obvious symptoms and can get worse without your realizing it.

In Conclusion

It is important to get tested for HIV on a regular basis. If you test HIV- take steps to stay that way. If you test HIV+ seek on-going medical care. By taking advantage of good health care and treatment, you increase your chances of living a longer and healthier life.

Safer Sex

Sexual Harm Reduction

Most people know that serious, even life-threatening infections, like HIV, hepatitis and other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) can be passed from one person to another through sex. One approach to lowering this risk is called "harm reduction." If you do not want to abstain from sex, harm reduction offers options to make sexual activity safer.

Safer sex isn’t only for the prevention of new HIV infections. It’s important for positives, too. A couple where both partners are HIV+ can use safer sex to prevent co-infection with other STDs that can weaken the immune system. Safer sex can also reduce the possibility of getting reinfected (also called superinfected) with a strain of HIV that is resistant to the drug regimen you are taking.

Since every sexual act that involves sexual fluids has at least some risk, safer sex means using barriers every time. Barriers include condoms (male and female), dental dams, latex gloves, and even plastic food wrap (not microwave-style plastic wrap). Barriers help reduce risk substantially.

Even though it is the safest thing to do, some couples do not always use barriers. If this is the case, you can still practice some kind of harm reduction.

Practicing Safer Sex

Sometimes the place to start in safer sex is to identify the riskiest thing you do and then think about how you could make that activity less risky. The following are some safer sex tips, starting with the most risky activities and moving to less risky activities:

Penetrative Sex (sex in anus or vagina)

Penetrative sex is considered the highest-risk activity. For both vaginal and anal sex, use latex condoms and lots of water-based lubricant (lube) to prevent the condom from breaking. Lube also helps condoms feel better.

If you’re not going to use condoms, try to reduce the friction by using a heavier lube that will help prevent small cuts or tears in the vagina, rectum or penis. (Because you’re not using latex, Vaseline or Crisco are better than water-based lubes since they last longer.) Also avoid getting semen in the body by having the man pull out before cumming.

Oral Sex

Different studies report different levels of risk for HIV infection during unprotected oral sex. However, most studies find that the risk is low. To make it safer, use latex condoms for oral sex on a man. If you perform oral sex without a condom, finish up with the hand, or spit semen out and rinse with a dental wash rather than swallowing.

Dental dams are large squares made from latex. Plastic food wrap (not microwave-style plastic wrap) is just as effective. Put some water-based lube on one side of the dam or plastic wrap. Then stretch the dam over the vagina or anus with the lubed side facing down. This gives you a thin barrier between your mouth and the vagina or anus.

If you don’t use a barrier, avoid getting precum, semen or vaginal fluids in your mouth. Avoid vaginal oral sex during menstruation to prevent contact with blood. Bad oral hygiene (bleeding gums, ulcers, gum disease) can make oral sex much riskier. Use a mint instead of brushing your teeth before sex.

Fisting, Handballing, or Fingering

Paper cuts and other openings in the skin can make your hands vulnerable to infection. Wearing latex gloves keeps you protected during hand-vagina or hand-anus sex. Adding lube to the outside of the gloves will increase your partner’s pleasure.

Other safer sex tips: Limit the time and frequency of penetrations. Try non-penetrative sex for a change. For example, consider mutual masturbation. Also get medical attention for any infections or health problems in the genital area.

Thinking it Through

Try and change your ways of thinking that make it difficult for you to practice safer sex. The things you think influence how you act.

Thought: "We slipped once and forgot to use a condom, so it's too late now."

New idea: It's never too late. Yes, even one exposure can be dangerous, but it's not as dangerous as a hundred exposures! If you slipped once, it's time to get back on the wagon.

Thought: "Safer sex is such a drag. It's no fun."

New idea: Here's a great chance to spice up your sex life. Why not take one of the workshops offered on "Eroticizing Safer Sex?" How about getting a book, video, or DVD about hot safer sex?

Thought: "I can't feel anything through condoms!"

New idea: Time to change brands! Getting free condoms at the health office or buying them at a drugstore may be cheap, but you're probably not getting the best around. Try some of the variety packs offered by mail-order sex supply catalogs or hit the "adult love" stores in your area for a better selection. The best condoms are thin but tough and transmit heat and sensation well.

Thought: "My partner absolutely refuses to use a condom."

New idea: How comfortable are you with someone who is willing to put your life at risk? This sounds like a serious issue, and it's probably not the only one in your relationship. Have you considered individual or couple's counseling?

Thought: "I can't suggest to my girl/guy that we get an HIV test. We've been together so long that s/he would take it as an insult."

New idea: How about presenting it as an act of love? "You know, I really love you. We've been together for a while, but we never got tested for HIV. I hate the thought that I could be putting you at risk, because I couldn't stand to hurt you. Why don't we go get tested together for our peace of mind?"

Sometimes the safest thing you can do in sex is keep a clear head. Sex when you are drunk or under the influence of drugs may be most likely to be unsafe.

Myths and Misperceptions about HIV

Many of the stories and rumors about HIV are exaggerated or just made up. In dealing with HIV, it's important to know reality from myth. Believing myths can result in fear, in denial, and even in damage to your health.

Myths About HIV and HIV Treatment

The myth: "HIV doesn't cause AIDS."

The reality: If you don't have HIV, you don't get AIDS. If you have AIDS, you have HIV. There is 20 years of solid scientific proof on this. AIDS is not caused by party drugs, AZT, government conspiracies or anything else but a virus.

The myth: "It's not AIDS that kills people, it's the medicines they take!"

The reality: HIV medications, known as antiretrovirals, don't cure HIV, but they can help keep people healthy for a longer time. People died from AIDS before AZT or any other drugs came out. In fact, death rates have gone down a great deal in the U.S. since new HIV medications came out in the mid-nineties. Unfortunately, the drugs do have side effects and toxicities (for some people) which in very rare cases have resulted in death.

Myths About HIV Tests

The myth: “The 'AIDS test' can't be trusted.”

The reality: The 'AIDS test' measures your body's response to HIV, called antibodies. The HIV antibody test (called ELISA) is one of the most reliable medical tests. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is more than 99% accurate. In addition, all positive results are confirmed with another test (called the Western Blot) to insure no mistakes are made.

The myth: “Viral load tests don’t really tell anything about a person's health.”

The reality: Viral load measures the amount of HIV in a person’s blood. Many studies have shown that people with high viral loads are much more likely to become ill or die than those with low viral loads.

Myths About HIV Transmission

The myth: "Straight people don't get HIV."

The reality: The majority of HIV+ people worldwide are heterosexual. Men infect women, and women infect men. Risk is not about labels, it is about behavior. A 'straight' woman who has unprotected sex with men is at more risk for HIV than a 'gay' man who always practices safe sex.

The myth: "I'm safe because I'm in a monogamous relationship (or married)."

The reality: Were you tested for HIV before you got into the relationship? Was your partner? Were both tests negative? And do you spend 24 hours a day together? If you're faithful, but he or she is not, or he or she was already HIV+ before you met, you can still get HIV.

The myth: "I'm safe because I'm a virgin."

The reality: Again, virgin is just a label. If you have had no sexual contact at all, you're fine. If you have had oral or anal sex, but consider yourself a 'virgin' because you haven't had vaginal sex, you are still at risk.

The myth: "Lesbians don't get HIV."

The reality: Women who only have sex with women are generally at lower risk, because of the sexual activities they engage in. But they can still get HIV. A recent case was reported where a lesbian was infected through sharing sex toys with her HIV+ partner. Also, many women who consider themselves lesbians occasionally have sex with men, and can get infected that way.

The myth: “HIV can be spread through tears, sweat, mosquitoes, pools or casual contact.”

The reality: HIV can only be transmitted through infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. The most common ways for HIV to be transmitted are through unprotected sexual contact and/or sharing needles with an HIV+ person. HIV can also be passed from mother to baby.

The Stages of HIV Disease

HIV Is a Continuum

Most of us are used to thinking of disease in very simple terms: if you feel sick, you are sick; if you feel healthy, you are healthy. However, because HIV may begin causing subtle changes in the immune system long before an infected person feels sick, most doctors have adopted the term "HIV disease" to cover the entire HIV spectrum, from initial infection to full-blown AIDS (which is also called "advanced HIV disease").

The HIV continuum described below is representative of the experience of many people with HIV. The time that it takes for each individual to go through these stages varies. For most people, however, the progression of HIV disease is fairly slow, taking several years from infection to the development of severe immune suppression.

Infection

Following exposure to the virus, HIV enters the bloodstream and begins to take up residence in the cells; this is when HIV infection occurs. People with HIV are considered to be infectious (able to transmit HIV to others) immediately after infection with the virus.

A person with HIV is infectious at all times. Also, a person does not need to have symptoms or look sick to have HIV. In fact, people may look perfectly healthy for many years despite the fact that they have HIV in their bodies. The only way to find out if you are infected is by taking an HIV test.

Primary Infection (or Acute Infection)

Primary HIV infection is the first stage of HIV disease, typically lasting only a week or two, when the virus first establishes itself in the body. Some researchers use the term acute HIV infection to describe the period of time between when a person is first infected with HIV and when antibodies (proteins made by the immune system in response to infection) against the virus are produced by the body (usually 6 to 12 weeks) and can be detected by an HIV test.

Up to 70% of people newly infected with HIV will experience some "flu-like" symptoms during this stage. These symptoms, which usually last no more than several days, might include fevers, chills, night sweats, and rashes. Afterward, the infected person returns to feeling and looking completely well. The remaining percentage of people either do not experience symptoms of acute infection or have symptoms so mild that they may not notice them.

Given the general character of these symptoms, they can easily have causes other than HIV, such as a flu infection. For example, if you had some risk for HIV infection a few days ago and are now experiencing flu-like symptoms, it is possible that HIV is responsible for the symptoms, but it is also possible that you have some other viral infection instead. If you believe you may have been exposed to HIV, you may want to consider calling an AIDS hotline to discuss whether you were in a situation that put you at risk for HIV infection and whether you should take an HIV test. Within California, you can call the California AIDS Hotline toll-free at 800/367-AIDS. Outside California, call your State's AIDS Hotline or the CDC-Info line toll-free at 1-800-232-4636. To find the number for your state's hotline go to www.aidshotline.org and click on Other Hotlines.

During acute HIV infection, the virus makes its way to the lymph nodes, a process which is believed to take three to five days. Then HIV actively replicates (makes copies of itself) and releases new virus particles into the bloodstream. This burst of rapid HIV replication usually lasts about two months. People at this stage often have a very high HIV "viral load" (amount of virus in the body). However, people with acute HIV infection usually will not test positive for HIV antibodies, since it takes the body approximately one to three months to produce antibodies against HIV.

Some individuals who fear they have recently been exposed to HIV may be curious about PCR and RNA viral load testing, which test directly for the virus itself rather than for antibodies and can therefore be used during the acute infection stage. Viral load testing is generally used by physicians to track the progression of HIV disease in the body--thus helping HIV positive patients make choices about appropriate treatment strategies. Most people concerned about their HIV status do not need viral load testing. The antibody test is the cheapest, easiest, and overall most reliable way for individuals to learn their HIV status. That said, individuals who have been exposed to HIV recently and experience symptoms consistent with acute HIV infection can request a viral load test from their doctor. This test may help identify HIV infection during the "window period" before HIV antibodies have developed, though an antibody test will ultimately be needed to confirm the viral load test result.

Some doctors are treating newly infected people (those in the acute stage of HIV infection) with a combination of anti-HIV drugs. Scientists disagree about whether anti-HIV treatment is useful during primary HIV infection. While some researchers are optimistic about the impact of very early anti-HIV treatment, they are also concerned about drug side effects, long-term effects on the body, and the possibility of developing drug-resistant virus if people use powerful anti-HIV drugs before they become ill due to HIV disease. You should consult with your doctor to make the most informed choice about when to start taking anti-HIV medications.

Seroconversion

This term refers to the time when an HIV positive person's immune system responds to the infection by producing antibodies to the virus. Most people develop antibodies within three months after infection, and some can take up to six months.

If an antibody test is done before seroconversion is complete, it may give a "false negative" result because sufficient antibodies have not yet been developed by the body. A three-month window period between infection and production of antibodies is normal for most of the population. Very, very rarely (i.e., in only a few cases ever), a person may take six months to produce antibodies. To be certain of your HIV status, take an HIV antibody test three months or longer after you were exposed to the virus. For even greater certainty, get tested again six months after the exposure occurred.

The Asymptomatic Stage

After the acute stage of HIV infection, people infected with HIV continue to look and feel completely well for long periods, usually for many years. During this time, the only indication that you are infected with HIV is that you will test positive on standard (antibody) HIV tests and you may have swollen lymph glands.

This means that you look and feel healthy but can infect other people through unprotected sex or through needle sharing--especially if you have not been tested and do not know that you are infected.

Even though an infected person may appear perfectly healthy, HIV is still very active and is continuing to weaken the immune system during this stage. In some individuals, the virus appears to slowly damage the immune system over a number of years. In most people, however, a faster decline of the immune system occurs at some point, and the virus rapidly replicates. This damage can be seen in blood tests before any actual symptoms are experienced.

HIV positive people should seek medical care and begin monitoring their immune systems as soon as possible after receiving a positive test result. Periodic immune monitoring tests, such as CD4 count and viral load tests, can give you and your doctor a better picture of your immune health and disease progression, and can help you make smart choices about treatment.

Seeking early care for HIV disease can give people better chances of survival and improved quality of life. People with HIV are encouraged to see a doctor regularly, even if they feel fine at the moment, because the virus could be already damaging the immune system. Early and regular care enables HIV positive individuals and their medical care providers to take control of their treatment before symptoms appear.

Early- and Medium-Stage HIV Symptomatic Disease

When the immune system is compromised by HIV infection, many people begin to experience some mild HIV disease symptoms, such as skin rashes, fatigue, night sweats, slight weight loss, mouth ulcers, and fungal skin and nail infections. Most, though not all, will experience mild symptoms such as these before developing more serious illnesses. Although one's prognosis varies greatly depending on a number of factors, it is generally believed that it takes five to seven years for the first mild symptoms to appear. These symptoms mark the early and medium stages of HIV symptomatic disease.

As the disease progresses, some individuals may become quite ill even if they have not yet been diagnosed with AIDS, the late stage of HIV disease. Typical problems include chronic oral or vaginal thrush (a fungal rash or spots), recurrent herpes blisters on the mouth (cold sores) or genitals, ongoing fevers, persistent diarrhea, and significant weight loss.

These symptoms are not necessarily specific to HIV or the development of AIDS. However, they should be of concern to people who have tested positive for HIV. Usually, symptoms occur when the virus has already caused considerable damage to the immune system. For that reason, people with HIV should not wait until symptoms appear to get medical treatment. Also, people with high risk for HIV infection should not wait to for symptoms to appear before getting tested.

Late-Stage HIV Disease (AIDS)

When immune system damage is more severe, HIV positive individuals may experience opportunistic infections (called "opportunistic" because they are caused by organisms which do not ordinarily induce illness in people with normal immune systems, but take the opportunity to flourish in people with compromised immune systems). Some of the most common opportunistic infections include Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease, cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasmosis, and candidiasis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an AIDS diagnosis can be given to an HIV positive person who has a CD4 count of less 200/mm3 or a history of an "AIDS-defining illness" (such as one of the opportunistic infections mentioned above). For more information on what defines AIDS, including a complete list of AIDS-defining illnesses, see "Mortality Trends" from the Winter 2005 BETA.

It is important to note that this definition of AIDS may apply to HIV positive individuals who have never experienced symptoms of HIV disease.

Receiving an AIDS diagnosis does not necessarily mean that the diagnosed person will die soon; some people have lived for many years after their diagnosis. This is even more the case today with the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which has helped extend the lives of thousands of people living with HIV and AIDS. In addition, many opportunistic infections can be prevented or treated successfully. This has substantially increased the longevity and quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Does everyone who has HIV eventually develop AIDS? We don't know for certain. Studies show that the majority of untreated people do eventually become ill from HIV. However, with regular medical care and other positive lifestyle factors, such as emotional support, many long-term survivors have been living with HIV/AIDS for upwards of two decades. As existing treatments are used earlier in the course of HIV disease and new treatments are developed, it has become possible to further postpone, and perhaps even prevent, illness.

The following “bodily fluids” are NOT infectious:

Tears
Sweat
Saliva
Urine
Feces

Casual contact is not considered risky because it does not include contact with blood or other infectious body fluids. Examples of casual contact include: social kissing, public venues (pools, theaters, bathrooms), sharing drinks or eating utensils, etc. Insect bites do not transmit HIV.

decision support system overview

2009-01-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Decision support systems constitute a class of computer-based information systems including knowledge-based systems that support decision-making activities.

Contents

1 Definition
2 A brief history
3 Taxonomies
4 Architectures

4.1 Development Frameworks

5 Classifying DSS
6 Applications
7 Benefits of DSS

Definition

Decision Support Systems (DSS) are a specific class of computerized information system that supports business and organizational decision-making activities. A properly-designed DSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help decision makers compile useful information from raw data, documents, personal knowledge, and/or business models to identify and solve problems and make decisions.

Typical information that a decision support application might gather and present would be:

an inventory of all of your current information assets (including legacy and relational data sources, cubes, data warehouses, and data marts),
comparative sales figures between one week and the next,
projected revenue figures based on new product sales assumptions;
the consequences of different decision alternatives, given past experience in a context that is described.

A brief history

In the absence of an all-inclusive definition, we focus on the history of DSS (see also PowerAccording to Keen ^[2], the concept of decision support has evolved from two main areas of research: the theoretical studies of organizational decision making done at the Carnegie Institute of Technology during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the technical work on interactive computer systems, mainly carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1960s. It is considered that the concept of DSS became an area of research of its own in the middle of the 1970s, before gaining in intensity during the 1980s. In the middle and late 1980s, executive information systems (EIS), group decision support systems (GDSS), and organizational decision support systems (ODSS) evolved from the single user and model-oriented DSS. Beginning in about 1990, data warehousing and on-line analytical processing (OLAP) began broadening the realm of DSS. As the turn of the millennium approached, new Web-based analytical applications were introduced.

It is clear that DSS belong to an environment with multidisciplinary foundations, including (but not exclusively) database research, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, simulation methods, software engineering, and telecommunications.

The advent of better and better reporting technologies has seen DSS start to emerge as a critical component of management design. Examples of this can be seen in the intense amount of discussion of DSS in the education environment.

DSS also have a weak connection to the user interface paradigm of hypertext. Both the University of Vermont PROMIS system (for medical decision making) and the Carnegie Mellon ZOG/KMS system (for military and business decision making) were decision support systems which also were major breakthroughs in user interface research. Furthermore, although hypertext researchers have generally been concerned with information overload, certain researchers, notably Douglas Engelbart, have been focused on decision makers in particular.

Taxonomies

As with the definition, there is no universally-accepted taxonomy of DSS either. Different authors propose different classifications. Using the relationship with the user as the criterion, Haettenschwiler ^[3] differentiates passive, active, and cooperative DSS. A passive DSS is a system that aids the process of decision making, but that cannot bring out explicit decision suggestions or solutions. An active DSS can bring out such decision suggestions or solutions. A cooperative DSS allows the decision maker (or its advisor) to modify, complete, or refine the decision suggestions provided by the system, before sending them back to the system for validation. The system again improves, completes, and refines the suggestions of the decision maker and sends them back to her for validation. The whole process then starts again, until a consolidated solution is generated.

Another taxonomy for DSS has been created by Daniel Power. Using the mode of assistance as the criterion, Power differentiates communication-driven DSS, data-driven DSS, document-driven DSS, knowledge-driven DSS, and model-driven DSS.^[4]

A model-driven DSS emphasizes access to and manipulation of a statistical, financial, optimization, or simulation model. Model-driven DSS use data and parameters provided by users to assist decision makers in analyzing a situation; they are not necessarily data-intensive. Decodes is an example of an open source model-driven DSS generator
A communication-driven DSS supports more than one person working on a shared task; examples include integrated tools like Microsoft's NetMeeting or Groove
A data-driven DSS or data-oriented DSS emphasizes access to and manipulation of a time series of internal company data and, sometimes, external data.
A document-driven DSS manages, retrieves, and manipulates unstructured information in a variety of electronic formats.
A knowledge-driven DSS provides specialized problem-solving expertise stored as facts, rules, procedures, or in similar structures

Using scope as the criterion, Power differentiates enterprise-wide DSS and desktop DSS. An enterprise-wide DSS is linked to large data warehouses and serves many managers in the company. A desktop, single-user DSS is a small system that runs on an individual manager's PC.

Architectures

Once again, different authors identify different components in a DSS. For example, Sprague and Carlson identify three fundamental components of DSS: (a) the database management system (DBMS), (b) the model-base management system (MBMS), and (c) the dialog generation and management system (DGMS).

Haag et al. describe these three components in more detail:

The Data Management Component stores information (which can be further subdivided into that derived from an organization's traditional data repositories, from external sources such as the Internet, or from the personal insights and experiences of individual users); the Model Management Component handles representations of events, facts, or situations (using various kinds of models, two examples being optimization models and goal-seeking models); and the User Interface Management Component is, of course, the component that allows a user to interact with the system.

According to Power academics and practitioners have discussed building DSS in terms of four major components: (a) the user interface, (b) the database, (c) the model and analytical tools, and (d) the DSS architecture and network.

Hättenschwiler ^[ identifies five components of DSS:

(a) users with different roles or functions in the decision making process (decision maker, advisors, domain experts, system experts, data collectors),

(b) a specific and definable decision context,

(c) a target system describing the majority of the preferences,

(d) a knowledge base made of external data sources, knowledge databases, working databases, data warehouses and meta-databases, mathematical models and methods, procedures, inference and search engines, administrative programs, and reporting systems, and

(e) a working environment for the preparation, analysis, and documentation of decision alternatives.

arakas ^[ proposes a generalized architecture made of five distinct parts:

(a) the data management system,

(b) the model management system,

(c) the knowledge engine,

(d) the user interface, and

(e) the user(s).

Development Frameworks

DSS systems are not entirely different from other systems and require a structured approach. A framework was provided by Sprague and Watson (1993). The framework has three main levels. 1. Technology levels 2. People involved 3. The developmental approach

Technology Levels

Sprague has suggested that there are three levels of hardware and software that has been proposed for DSS.

a) Level 1 – Specific DSS

This is the actual application that will be used to by the user. This is the part of the application that allows the decision maker to make decisions in a particular problem area. The user can act upon that particular problem.

b) Level 2 – DSS Generator

This level contains Hardware/software environment that allows people to easily develop specific DSS applications. This level makes use of case tools or systems such as Crystal, AIMMS, iThink and Clementine.

c) Level 3 – DSS Tools

Contains lower level hardware/software. DSS generators including special languages, function libraries and linking modules

People Involved

Sprague suggests there are 5 roles involved in a typical DSS development cycle.

a) The end user.

b) An intermediary.

c) DSS developer

d) Technical supporter

e) Systems Expert

Developmental

The developmental approach for a DSS system should be strongly iterative. This will allow for the application to be changed and redesigned at various intervals. The initial problem is used to design the system on and then tested and revised to ensure the desired outcome is achieved.

Classifying DSS

There are several ways to classify DSS applications. Not every DSS fits neatly into one category, but a mix of two or more architecture in one.

Holsapple and Whinston classify DSS into the following six frameworks: Text-oriented DSS, Database-oriented DSS, Spreadsheet-oriented DSS, Solver-oriented DSS, Rule-oriented DSS, and Compound DSS.

A compound DSS is the most popular classification for a DSS. It is a hybrid system that includes two or more of the five basic structures described by Holsapple and Whinston

The support given by DSS can be separated into three distinct, interrelated categories Personal Support, Group Support, and Organizational Support.

Additionally, the build up of a DSS is also classified into a few characteristics. 1) inputs: this is used so the DSS can have factors, numbers, and characteristics to analyze. 2) user knowledge and expertise: This allows the system to decide how much it is relied on, and exactly what inputs must be analyzed with or without the user. 3) outputs: This is used so the user of the system can analyze the decisions that may be made and then potentially 4) make a decision: This decision making is made by the DSS, however, it is ultimately made by the user in order to decide on which criteria it should use.

DSSs which perform selected cognitive decision-making functions and are based on artificial intelligence or intelligent agents technologies are called Intelligent Decision Support Systems (IDSS)

Applications

As mentioned above, there are theoretical possibilities of building such systems in any knowledge domain.

One example is the Clinical decision support system for medical diagnosis. Other examples include a bank loan officer verifying the credit of a loan applicant or an engineering firm that has bids on several projects and wants to know if they can be competitive with their costs.

DSS is extensively used in business and management. Executive dashboard and other business performance software allow faster decision making, identification of negative trends, and better allocation of business resources.

A growing area of DSS application, concepts, principles, and techniques is in agricultural production, marketing for sustainable development. For example, the DSSAT4 packagedeveloped through financial support of USAID during the 80's and 90's, has allowed rapid assessment of several agricultural production systems around the world to facilitate decision-making at the farm and policy levels. There are, however, many constraints to the successful adoption on DSS in agriculture

A specific example concerns the Canadian National Railway system, which tests its equipment on a regular basis using a decision support system. A problem faced by any railroad is worn-out or defective rails, which can result in hundreds of derailments per year. Under a DSS, CN managed to decrease the incidence of derailments at the same time other companies were experiencing an increase.

DSS has many applications that have already been spoken about. However, it can be used in any field where organization is necessary. Additionally, a DSS can be designed to help make decisions on the stock market, or deciding which area or segment to market a product toward.

Benefits of DSS

Improves personal efficiency
Expedites problem solving
Facilitates interpersonal communication
Promotes learning or training
Increases organizational control
Generates new evidence in support of a decision
Creates a competitive advantage over competition
Encourages exploration and discovery on the part of the decision maker
Reveals new approaches to thinking about the problem space

lord rama setu

2009-01-14T23:18:00.000-08:00

Ram Setu - A matter of Science & Faith - Selective Rationalism

It is almost 10 days now that the Ram-Setu project has stolen the limelight. Every channel, every newspaper and every website covered this subject in full details. There were discussions between the so called learned men, rationalists and religious personnel.

The public memory is too short and in another week’s time, all of us would forget this and would be discussing something more sensational. When the whole world is into this, why should I lag behind? Let me also blog on this but would like to be different.

The argument between Science and Faith has no end to it. Science says that nothing is true unless it is proven by experiment or you can say to disprove what other claim! However, the irony is, almost all the scientific statement are re-written. What accepted one day was refuted after some years and people still followed the new concept!

Faith is different. One does not dare to make amendments to the religious texts. If Science says the hypothesis is false even if one out of the thousand conditions is not proven whereas faith is other way around. Science can theorize anything but cannot explain what caused it!

I do agree that there is no proof that God exists but at the same time, I would also like to reiterate that there is no proof that God does not exist. The so called rationalists of India who take the support of science to uphold that Sri Ram never existed can provide us a single proof that He did not exist?

Let them say that there is no proof for the existence of Sri Ram but they cannot go overboard and say that Sri Ram was not a real person! Rationalists do have their own rights to condemn the superstitious believing but my question is why they are selective? All religions survive on faith but the so-called Indian rationalists attack only Hindus' myths and question only Hindu faiths. They turn a blind eye to other religions.

This selective-rationalization or pseudo-secularism drives Hindus to be irrational. Tolerance of diversity is the hall-mark of Hindus however, this is abused or undue advantage is taken by the rationalists. It is not an exaggerated if we called the so-called Indian rationalists are spineless cowards.

This is because Hindus are soft-targets. If you attack Hindus political parties would support you. Even if they don't, they will be labeled as communal. The entire media would depict as a barbarian communal!

As to obtain a certificate of a secular from these media and political parties, the so called learned men also will keep quiet in this subject. Whereas had the rationalists questioned the faith of other religions (read minorities), the heaven would break loose! The government, the political parties, the media the learned men all would pounce on you and beat you to death.

Since the time of Nehru, there has been no respite from the attacks on Hindu beliefs. This drives Hindus to be isolated, they feel they are threatened and they are ready to give up their culture of tolerance.

I am neither supporting Ram Setu nor oppose it. I would like to raise a voice for Rationalism versus Selective rationalism!

india....the great

2009-01-14T04:27:00.000-08:00

India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the largest democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi).^[13] It is bordered by Pakistan to the west;^[14] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.

Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.^[15] Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated there, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.

India is a republic consisting of 28 states and seven union territories with a parliamentary system of democracy. It has the world's twelfth largest economy at market exchange rates and the fourth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms since 1991 have transformed it into one of the fastest growing economies;^[16] however, it still suffers from high levels of poverty,^[17] illiteracy, and malnutrition. A pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

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Etymology

Main article: Names of India

The name India (pronounced /ˈɪndiə/) is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.^[18] The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (Ινδοί), the people of the Indus.^[19] The Constitution of India and common usage in various Indian languages also recognise Bharat ( pronunciation (help·info), /bʰɑːrət̪/) as an official name of equal status.^[20] Hindustan ( /hin̪d̪ust̪ɑːn/ ), which is the Persian word for “Land of the Hindus” and historically referred to northern India, is also occasionally used as a synonym for all of India.^[21]

History

Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India

Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in India. The first known permanent settlements appeared over 9,000 years ago and gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,^[22] dating back to 3300 BCE in western India. It was followed by the Vedic period, which laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society, and ended in the 500s BCE. From around 550 BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the Mahajanapadas were established across the country.^[23]

Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, sixth century

In the third century BCE, most of South Asia was united into the Maurya Empire by Chandragupta Maurya and flourished under Ashoka the Great.^[24] From the third century CE, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient "India's Golden Age."^[25]^[26] Empires in Southern India included those of the Chalukyas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire. Science, engineering, art, literature, astronomy, and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings.

Following invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 12th centuries, much of North India came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire. Under the rule of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony.^[27]^[28] Mughal emperors gradually expanded their empires to cover large parts of the subcontinent. However, in North-Eastern India, the dominant power was the Ahom kingdom of Assam, among the few kingdoms to have resisted Mughal subjugation. The first major threat to Mughal imperial power came from a Hindu state known as the Maratha confederacy, that dominated much of India in the mid-18th century.^[29]

From the 16th century, European powers such as Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom established trading posts and later took advantage of internal conflicts to establish colonies in the country. By 1856, most of India was under the control of the British East India Company.^[30] A year later, a nationwide insurrection of rebelling military units and kingdoms, known as India's First War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged the Company's control but eventually failed. As a result of the instability, India was brought under the direct rule of the British Crown.

Mahatma Gandhi (right) with Jawaharlal Nehru, 1937. Nehru would go on to become India's first prime minister in 1947.

In the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and other political organisations. Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi led millions of people in national campaigns of non-violent civil disobedience.^[31] On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but at the same time Muslim-majority areas were partitioned to form a separate state of Pakistan.^[32] On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effect.^[9]

Since independence, India has faced challenges from religious violence, casteism, naxalism, terrorism and regional separatist insurgencies, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India. Since the 1990s terrorist attacks have affected many Indian cities. India has unresolved territorial disputes with China, which in 1962 escalated into the Sino-Indian War; and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. India is a founding member of the United Nations (as British India) and the Non-Aligned Movement. In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test^[33] and five more tests in 1998, making India a nuclear state.^[33] Beginning in 1991, significant economic reforms^[34] have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, increasing its global clout.^[16]

Government

Main article: Government of India

The Constitution of India, the longest and the most exhaustive constitution of any independent nation in the world, came into force on January 26, 1950.^[35] The preamble of the constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.^[36] India has a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. Its form of government was traditionally described as being 'quasi-federal' with a strong centre and weaker states,^[37] but it has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic and social changes.^[38]

National Symbols of India^[39]
Flag	Tricolour
Emblem	Sarnath Lion Capital
Anthem	Jana Gana Mana
Song	Vande Mataram
Animal	Royal Bengal Tiger
Bird	Indian Peafowl
Flower	Lotus
Tree	Banyan
Fruit	Mango
Sport	Field hockey
Calendar	Saka

The President of India is the head of state^[40] elected indirectly by an electoral college^[41] for a five-year term.^[42]^[43] The Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises most executive powers.^[40] Appointed by the President,^[44] the Prime Minister is by convention supported by the party or political alliance holding the majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament.^[40] The executive branch consists of the President, Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet being its executive committee) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature, with the Prime Minister and his Council being directly responsible to the lower house of the parliament.^[45]

The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, which consists of the upper house called the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People).^[46] The Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, has 245 members serving staggered six year terms.^[47] Most are elected indirectly by the state and territorial legislatures in proportion to the state's population.^[47] 543 of the Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent individual constituencies for five year terms.^[47] The other two members are nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community if the President is of the opinion that community is not adequately represented.^[47]

India has a unitary three-tier judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, twenty-one High Courts, and a large number of trial courts.^[48] The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving fundamental rights and over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts.^[49] It is judicially independent,^[48] and has the power to declare the law and to strike down union or state laws which contravene the Constitution.^[50] The role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution is one of the most important functions of the Supreme Court.^[51]

Politics

Main article: Politics of India

The North Block, in New Delhi, houses key government offices.

At the federal level, India is the most populous democracy in the world.^[52]^[53] For most of the years since independence, the federal government has been led by the Indian National Congress (INC).^[54] Politics in the states have been dominated by several national parties including the INC, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and various regional parties. From 1950 to 1990, barring two brief periods, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the state of emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1989, a Janata Dal-led National Front coalition in alliance with the Left Front coalition won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years.^[55] As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term.^[56]

The years 1996–1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.^[57] In the 2004 Indian elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various left-leaning parties and members opposed to the BJP.^[58]

Foreign relations and military

Main articles: Foreign relations of India and Indian Armed Forces

The Sukhoi-30 MKI is part of the Indian Air Force.

Since its independence in 1947, India has maintained cordial relationships with most nations. It took a leading role in the 1950s by advocating the independence of European colonies in Africa and Asia.^[59] India was involved in two brief military interventions in neighboring countries - Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and Operation Cactus in Maldives. India is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.^[60] After the Sino-Indian War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, India's relationship with the Soviet Union warmed at the expense of ties with the United States and continued to remain so until the end of the Cold War. India has fought three wars with Pakistan, primarily over Kashmir but it also facilitated the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.^[61] Additional skirmishes have taken place between the two nations particularly in 1984 over Siachen Glacier and in 1999 over Kargil.

In recent years, relations between the United States and India have improved. Shown here are PM Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush exchanging handshakes in March, 2006.

In recent years, India has played an influential role in the ASEAN,^[62] SAARC, and the WTO.^[63] India has provided as many as 55,000 Indian military and police personnel to serve in thirty-five UN peace keeping operations across four continents.^[64] Despite criticism and military sanctions, India has consistently refused to sign the CTBT and the NPT, preferring instead to maintain sovereignty over its nuclear program. Recent overtures by the Indian government have strengthened relations with the United States, China and Pakistan. In the economic sphere, India has close relationships with other developing nations in South America, Asia and Africa.

India maintains the third-largest military force in the world, which consists of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.^[9] Auxiliary forces such as the Paramilitary Forces, the Coast Guard, and the Strategic Forces Command also come under the military's purview. The President of India is the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces. India maintains close defence cooperation with Russia, France and Israel, who are the chief suppliers of arms. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has overseen the indigenous development of sophisticated arms and military equipment, including ballistic missiles, fighter aircrafts and main battle tanks, to reduce India's dependence on foreign imports. India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting an initial nuclear test, Operation Smiling Buddha and further underground testing in 1998. India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy.^[65] On 10 October, 2008 Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement was signed, prior to which India received the IAEA and NSG waivers, ending restrictions on nuclear technology commerce with which India became de facto sixth nuclear power in world.^[66]

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of India

India is a federal republic of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.^[54] All states, and the two union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have elected governments. The other five union territories have centrally appointed administrators and hence are under direct rule of the President. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, states were formed on a linguistic basis.^[67] Since then, this structure has remained largely unchanged. Each state or union territory is further divided into 610 districts for basic governance and administration.^[68] The districts in turn are further divided into tehsils and eventually into villages.

Administrative divisions of India, including 28 states and 7 union territories.

States:

Union Territories:

Geography

Main article: Geography of India

See also: Geological history of India and Climate of India

Topographic map of India.

India, the major portion of the Indian subcontinent, sits atop the Indian tectonic plate, a minor plate within the Indo-Australian Plate.^[69]

India's defining geological processes commenced seventy-five million years ago, when the Indian subcontinent, then part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana, began a northeastwards drift—lasting fifty million years—across the then unformed Indian Ocean.^[69] The subcontinent's subsequent collision with the Eurasian Plate and subduction under it, gave rise to the Himalayas, the planet's highest mountains, which now abut India in the north and the north-east.^[69] In the former seabed immediately south of the emerging Himalayas, plate movement created a vast trough, which, having gradually been filled with river-borne sediment,^[70] now forms the Indo-Gangetic Plain.^[71] To the west of this plain, and cut off from it by the Aravalli Range, lies the Thar Desert.^[72] The original Indian plate now survives as peninsular India, the oldest and geologically most stable part of India, and extending as far north as the Satpura and Vindhya ranges in central India. These parallel ranges run from the Arabian Sea coast in Gujarat in the west to the coal-rich Chota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand in the east.^[73] To their south, the remaining peninsular landmass, the Deccan Plateau, is flanked on the left and right by the coastal ranges, Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats respectively;^[74] the plateau contains the oldest rock formations in India, some over one billion years old. Constituted in such fashion, India lies to the north of the equator between 6°44' and 35°30' north latitude^[75] and 68°7' and 97°25' east longitude.^[76]

India's coast is 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi) long; of this distance, 5,423 kilometers (3,370 mi) belong to peninsular India, and 2,094 kilometers (1,301 mi) to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands.^[13] According to the Indian naval hydrographic charts, the mainland coast consists of the following: 43% sandy beaches, 11% rocky coast including cliffs, and 46% mudflats or marshy coast.^[13]

A hill resort in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh

Major Himalayan-origin rivers that substantially flow through India include the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, both of which drain into the Bay of Bengal.^[77] Important tributaries of the Ganges include the Yamuna and the Kosi, whose extremely low gradient causes disastrous floods every year. Major peninsular rivers whose steeper gradients prevent their waters from flooding include the Godavari, the Mahanadi, the Kaveri, and the Krishna, which also drain into the Bay of Bengal;^[78] and the Narmada and the Tapti, which drain into the Arabian Sea.^[79] Among notable coastal features of India are the marshy Rann of Kutch in western India, and the alluvial Sundarbans delta, which India shares with Bangladesh.^[80] India has two archipelagos: the Lakshadweep, coral atolls off India's south-western coast; and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a volcanic chain in the Andaman Sea.^[81]

India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the monsoons.^[82] The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian katabatic winds from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes.^[83]^[84] The Thar Desert plays a crucial role in attracting the moisture-laden southwest summer monsoon winds that, between June and October, provide the majority of India's rainfall.^[82] Four major climatic groupings predominate in India: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and montane.^[85]

Flora and fauna

Main articles: Flora of India and Fauna of India

An artist's impression of the Himalayan mountain quail, one of three bird species of India that went extinct in the 20th century.

India, which lies within the Indomalaya ecozone, displays significant biodiversity. One of eighteen megadiverse countries, it is home to 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of all avian, 6.2% of all reptilian, 4.4% of all amphibian, 11.7% of all fish, and 6.0% of all flowering plant species.^[86] Many ecoregions, such as the shola forests, exhibit extremely high rates of endemism; overall, 33% of Indian plant species are endemic.^[87]^[88] India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforest of the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and North-East India to the coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between these extremes lie the sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; the teak-dominated dry deciduous forest of central and southern India; and the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain.^[89] Important Indian trees include the medicinal neem, widely used in rural Indian herbal remedies. The pipal fig tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-daro, shaded Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment.

Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in Gondwana, to which India originally belonged. Peninsular India's subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, volcanism and climatic changes 20 million years ago caused the extinction of many endemic Indian forms.^[90] Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya.^[89] Consequently, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.^[86] Notable endemics are the Nilgiri leaf monkey and the brown and carmine Beddome's toad of the Western Ghats. India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN-designated threatened species.^[91] These include the Asiatic Lion, the Bengal Tiger, and the Indian white-rumped vulture, which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.

In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife; in response, the system of national parks and protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act^[92] and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; in addition, the Forest Conservation Act^[93] was enacted in 1980. Along with more than five hundred wildlife sanctuaries, India hosts thirteen biosphere reserves,^[94] four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; twenty-five wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.^[95]

Economy

Main article: Economy of India

See also: Economic history of India and Economic development in India

The Bombay Stock Exchange, in Mumbai, is Asia's oldest and India's largest stock exchange.

For most of its post-independence history, India adhered to a quasi-socialist approach, which was marked by public ownership, extensive regulation, and protectionism. The consequence was a slow 3.5% average rate of growth. Since 1991, the nation has adopted a market-based system.^[96]^[97] India's GDP is US$1.089 trillion, which makes it the twelfth-largest economy in the world^[98] or fourth largest by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates. India's nominal per capita income US$977 is ranked 128th in the world. In the late 2000s, India's economic growth has averaged 7½% a year, which will double the average income in a decade.^[96]

India's half billion workers are the world's second largest labor force and relatively young. Agriculture is the predominant occupation in India, accounting for 60% of employment. Service sector makes up 28% and industrial sector 12%.^[9] In terms of output, the agricultural sector accounts for 28% of GDP; the service and industrial sectors make up 54% and 18% respectively. Major agricultural products include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish.^[54] Major industries include textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software.^[54] visit http://www.agpai.com for the best diamonds. A.Geeripai jewellers, Only at Broadway.

According to World Bank 2005 statistics, 85.7% of the population was living on less than 2.50 purchasing power adjusted U.S. dollars a day, compared with 80.5% for Sub-Saharan Africa.^[99] Although the Indian economy has grown steadily over the last two decades; its growth has been uneven when comparing different social groups, economic groups, geographic regions, and rural and urban areas.^[100] World Bank suggests that the most important priorities are public sector reform, infrastructure, agricultural and rural development, removal of labor regulations, reforms in lagging states, and HIV/AIDS.^[101]

India's trade has reached a relatively moderate share 24% of GDP in 2006, up from 6% in 1985.^[96] India's share of world trade has reached 1%. Major exports include petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures.^[54] Major imports include crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals.^[54]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of India

See also: Religion in India, Languages of India, and Ethnic groups of South Asia

Population density map of India.

With an estimated population of 1.15 billion,^[9] representing 17% of the world population,^[102] India is the world's second most populous country. The last 50 years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity^[103] made by the green revolution.^[104] Almost 70% of Indians reside in rural areas, although in recent decades migration to larger cities has led to a dramatic increase in the country's urban population. India's largest cities are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.^[54]

India is the most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity after the African continent.^[54] India is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. Hindi, with the largest number of speakers,^[105] is the official language of the union.^[106] English, which is extensively used in business and administration, has the status of a 'subsidiary official language;'^[107] it is also important in education, especially as a medium of higher education. In addition, every state and union territory has its own official languages, and the constitution also recognises in particular 21 other languages that are either abundantly spoken or have classical status. While Sanskrit and Tamil have been studied as classical languages for many years,^[108] the Government of India, using its own criteria, has also accorded classical language status to Kannada and Telugu.^[109] The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.^[110]

Over 800 million Indians (80.5%) are Hindu. Other religious groups include Muslims (13.4%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahá'ís and others.^[111] Tribals constitute 8.1% of the population.^[112]

India's literacy rate is 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males).^[9] The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate (91%);^[113] Bihar has the lowest (47%).^[114] The national human sex ratio is 944 females per 1,000 males. India's median age is 24.9, and the population growth rate of 1.38% per annum; there are 22.01 births per 1,000 people per year.^[9]

Cities by population
Rank	Core City	State	Pop.	Rank	Core City	State	Pop.
1	Mumbai	Maharashtra	13,662,885	11	Jaipur	Rajasthan	2,997,114
2	Delhi	Delhi	11,954,217	12	Lucknow	Uttar Pradesh	2,621,063
3	Kolkata	West Bengal	7,780,544	13	Nagpur	Maharashtra	2,359,331
4	Hyderabad	Andhra Pradesh	6,893,640	14	Indore	Madhya Pradesh	1,768,303
5	Bangalore	Karnataka	5,180,533	15	Patna	Bihar	1,753,543
6	Chennai	Tamil Nadu	4,562,843	16	Bhopal	Madhya Pradesh	1,742,375
7	Ahmedabad	Gujarat	3,867,336	17	Thane	Maharashtra	1,673,465
8	Pune	Maharashtra	3,230,322	18	Ludhiana	Punjab	1,662,325
9	Surat	Gujarat	3,124,249	19	Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh	2,845,938
10	Kanpur	Uttar Pradesh	3,067,663	20	Vijayawada	Andhra Pradesh	1,961,152
2008 estimation^[115]

Culture

Main article: Culture of India

The Taj Mahal in Agra was built by Shah Jahan as memorial to wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered to be of "outstanding universal value".^[116]

India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism^[117] and cultural pluralism.^[118] It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants and spreading its cultural influence to other parts of Asia.

Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of regional styles and sophisticated use of herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east) and wheat (predominantly in the north).^[119] Spices originally native to the Indian subcontinent that are now consumed world wide include black pepper; in contrast, hot chili peppers, popular across India, were introduced by the Portuguese.^[120]

Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular.

Many Indian festivals are religious in origin, although several are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Some popular festivals are Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Thai Pongal, Holi, Onam, Vijayadasami, Durga Puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti and Vaisakhi.^[121] India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair.

Indian architecture is one area that represents the diversity of Indian culture. Much of it, including notable monuments such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Mughal architecture and South Indian architecture, comprises a blend of ancient and varied local traditions from several parts of the country and abroad. Vernacular architecture also displays notable regional variation.

Indian music covers a wide range of traditions and regional styles. Classical music largely encompasses the two genres – North Indian Hindustani, South Indian Carnatic traditions and their various offshoots in the form of regional folk music. Regionalised forms of popular music include filmi and folk music; the syncretic tradition of the bauls is a well-known form of the latter.

Rabindranath Tagore - Asia's first^[122] Nobel laureate^[123] and composer of India's national anthem, played a major role in reviving several art forms such as the Manipuri.^[124]

Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the chhau of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa and the ghoomar of Rajasthan. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama. These are: bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniyattam of Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, manipuri of Manipur, odissi of Orissa and the sattriya of Assam.^[125]

Theatre in India often incorporates music, dance, and improvised or written dialogue.^[126] Often based on Hindu mythology, but also borrowing from medieval romances, and news of social and political events, Indian theatre includes the bhavai of state of Gujarat, the jatra of West Bengal, the nautanki and ramlila of North India, the tamasha of Maharashtra, the burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh, the terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and the yakshagana of Karnataka.^[127]

The Indian film industry is the largest in the world.^[128] Bollywood, based in Mumbai, makes commercial Hindi films and is the most prolific film industry in the world.^[129] Established traditions also exist in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu language cinemas.^[130]

The earliest works of Indian literature were transmitted orally and only later written down.^[131] These included works of Sanskrit literature – such as the early Vedas, the epics Mahābhārata and Ramayana, the drama Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of Śakuntalā), and poetry such as the Mahākāvya^[132] – and the Tamil language Sangam literature.^[133] Among Indian writers of the modern era active in Indian languages or English, Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in 1913.

Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, although urban families now prefer the nuclear family structure due to the socio-economic constraints imposed by traditional joint family system. Overwhelming majority of Indians have their marriages arranged by their parents and other respected family-members, with the consent of the bride and groom.^[134] The marriage is thought to be for life,^[134] and the divorce rate is extremely low.^[135]

Sports

A 2008 Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket match being played between the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders

Main article: Sports of India

India's official national sport is field hockey, administered by the Indian Hockey Federation. The Indian field hockey team has won the 1975 Men's Hockey World Cup and Olympic gold medals. However, cricket is the most popular sport; the India national cricket team has won the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. Cricket in India is administered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the Challenger Series. Indian national team cricketers enjoy widespread popularity and hold several world records.

Tennis has become increasingly popular, owing to the victories of the India Davis Cup team. Association football is also a popular sport in northeast India, West Bengal, Goa and Kerala.^[136] The Indian national football team has won the South Asian Football Federation Cup several times. India has hosted the 1951 and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup and will co-host the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is also gaining popularity with the rise in the number of Indian Grandmasters.^[137] Traditional sports include kabaddi, kho kho, and gilli-danda, which are played nationwide. India is also home to the ancient martial arts, Kalarippayattu and Varma Kalai. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are India's highest civilian sports awards.