By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Jan 12: Even as Dalai Lama preached about peace and non-violence, his followers set up a special stall outside the Kalachakra venue spreading the message of love towards animal and plant life.
The stall of the Wildlife Trust of India is drawing an enthusiastic response from Buddhist pilgrims. Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign project officer Passang Lamo Bhutia told this correspondent that the Dalai Lama initiated the Tibetan conservation awareness campaign last year and since then they had been spreading the message of love for animals and plants.
According to her, the main objective of the campaign is to create awareness among the Tibetans and people from Himalayan region about wildlife conservation especially to stop illegal wildlife poaching and trade in endangered species like tiger and leopard.
She said "Chiru", a Tibetan antelope, was being killed in large numbers for its wool used in the weaving of Shahtoosh shawls. “A weaver needs the wool of three chirus to make one shawl,” Passang said.
The Central government has long ago banned killing of chiru for wool. But the animal is still killed by poachers.
The Dalai Lama has been very vocal in his speeches and teachings during the Kalachakra to stop this trade and thus people are coming forward to pledge in not indulging or use any such wildlife trade, she pointed out.
Miss Passang Lamo Bhutia hails from Kalmpong, West Bengal and she is assisted by a young Tibetan Environmental Researcher Tsering Dorjay. The Project is co-sponsored by Dr Barbara Maas of Care For the Wild, UK. Dr Maas will be in Amaravathi for two days from January 14. She will deliver a talk on wildlife conservation on January 15.
Friday, 13 January 2006
Thursday, 12 January 2006
Kalachakra: 25 modes or vows of conduct for attainment of Budhicitta
Syed Akbar
Amaravathi, Jan 12: The dusty village of Amaravathi on the banks of the river Krishna woke up to the empowerment hymns of the Kalachakra after a gap of nearly two millennia and two centuries as the 14th Dalai Lama on Thursday began the ritual prayers to initiate thousands of his followers into the Buddhist “Wheel of Time”.
The Dalai Lama administered to his disciples 25 modes or vows of conduct as part of the preparatory ritual to attain the Budhicitta, which is attainment of realization of emptiness and compassion. He also launched the six-stage preparation of disciples to help them through an inner initiation empowering them to visualise themselves as Kalachakra in union with his consort Viswamata.
After the disciples took the bodhisattva and tantric vows, Dalai Lama blessed their body, speech and mind. Each disciple was asked to cast a tooth prick into a small mandala to determine his or her tathagata lineage. The Dalai Lama, who took the role of the guru, gave the disciples consecrated water for three purificatory sips. It was followed by the presentation of red protection thread and two sheaves of Kusha grass. The disciples were then asked to renounce samsara and generate enthusiasm for tantric practice.
With the initial preparation over for the Kalachakra empowerment, the final stage of actual empowerment will begin on Friday. It will conclude on January 16 with the dismantling of the sand mandala, the medium of spiritual energy and empowerment.
The present Dalai Lama is the only Buddhist spiritual leader after Shakyamuni Buddha to have delivered the Kalachakra empowerment from the banks of the river Krishna in Amaravathi since the birth of Buddhism more than two millennia ago. On the first occasion the Buddha himself manifested in the form of Kalachakra before King Suchandra who had sought the Kalachakra initiation. This time the Dalai Lama played the role of the Guru.
The 25 modes of conduct the Dalai Lama put forth before the disciples relate to five abandonment, five misdeeds, five murders, five angers and five attachments.
The disciples took the vow not to kill other beings, tell lies to deceive others, sexual misconduct, steal others' belongings, drink alcohol, bet on games, wrongly acquired food, gossip and read meaningless writings, make sacrifices for ancestors, make bloody sacrifices and perform barbaric practices such as burning five fires on body, kill cattle, children, women, men, destroy stupas and bases of the exalted body speech and mind. The five angers are malicious thoughts towards, Vajra friends, the Vajra master, the Buddha, an assembly of four fully ordained monks, and the abbots and disciples while the five attachments are to visible forms, sound, odours, tastes and tangible objects.
Amaravathi, Jan 12: The dusty village of Amaravathi on the banks of the river Krishna woke up to the empowerment hymns of the Kalachakra after a gap of nearly two millennia and two centuries as the 14th Dalai Lama on Thursday began the ritual prayers to initiate thousands of his followers into the Buddhist “Wheel of Time”.
The Dalai Lama administered to his disciples 25 modes or vows of conduct as part of the preparatory ritual to attain the Budhicitta, which is attainment of realization of emptiness and compassion. He also launched the six-stage preparation of disciples to help them through an inner initiation empowering them to visualise themselves as Kalachakra in union with his consort Viswamata.
After the disciples took the bodhisattva and tantric vows, Dalai Lama blessed their body, speech and mind. Each disciple was asked to cast a tooth prick into a small mandala to determine his or her tathagata lineage. The Dalai Lama, who took the role of the guru, gave the disciples consecrated water for three purificatory sips. It was followed by the presentation of red protection thread and two sheaves of Kusha grass. The disciples were then asked to renounce samsara and generate enthusiasm for tantric practice.
With the initial preparation over for the Kalachakra empowerment, the final stage of actual empowerment will begin on Friday. It will conclude on January 16 with the dismantling of the sand mandala, the medium of spiritual energy and empowerment.
The present Dalai Lama is the only Buddhist spiritual leader after Shakyamuni Buddha to have delivered the Kalachakra empowerment from the banks of the river Krishna in Amaravathi since the birth of Buddhism more than two millennia ago. On the first occasion the Buddha himself manifested in the form of Kalachakra before King Suchandra who had sought the Kalachakra initiation. This time the Dalai Lama played the role of the Guru.
The 25 modes of conduct the Dalai Lama put forth before the disciples relate to five abandonment, five misdeeds, five murders, five angers and five attachments.
The disciples took the vow not to kill other beings, tell lies to deceive others, sexual misconduct, steal others' belongings, drink alcohol, bet on games, wrongly acquired food, gossip and read meaningless writings, make sacrifices for ancestors, make bloody sacrifices and perform barbaric practices such as burning five fires on body, kill cattle, children, women, men, destroy stupas and bases of the exalted body speech and mind. The five angers are malicious thoughts towards, Vajra friends, the Vajra master, the Buddha, an assembly of four fully ordained monks, and the abbots and disciples while the five attachments are to visible forms, sound, odours, tastes and tangible objects.
Kalchakra: It' summer time in winter season in Amaravati
Syed Akbar
Amaravathi, Jan 12: Sankranti time is the coldest period of the winter season in South India. But it is quite “hot” in this ancient village of Buddhism. And for the 90,000 and odd Buddhist pilgrims from Tibet, Dharmasala and different parts of the world, the “scorching summer” has already set in.
The maximum temperature in Amaravathi, located on the picturesque banks of the river Krishna, was just 24 degrees Celsius with the minimum showing at 18 degrees C. For the local population numbering around 2400, it is wintry chill and to beat the cold they are wearing woolen sweaters.
Just a few steps away from the village, thousands of people are seen holding plastic hand-fans and drinking chilled soft drinks to beat the “heat”. The pilgrims, who outnumber the local villagers by at least 40 times, are used to extremely low temperatures in their native lands. Those from Lhasa (Tibet) have never experienced the real summer of the South India, for them the maximum temperature ever recorded was just 12.2 degrees, which is six degrees lower than the minimum temperature they are now exposed to in Amaravathi.
Pilgrims from Dharmasala or the Little Lhasa of India are also at discomfort over the “high” winter temperature in this part of the country.
Even Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama, who has been supervising the Kalachakra rituals in Amaravathi since January 5, expressed concern over the hot temperature. “I want to deliver my discourses only during the morning hours. It is very hot and you people cannot withstand the heat,” he told the participants after he noticed them using hand fans.
Little children and old people are the worst hit. The children were seen crying unable to withstand the high temperature. Many mothers used wet cloths to wipe on the bodies of their children to beat the heat. The old drank lots of orange juice and ate ice creams.
And in the process the people who benefited the most from the “Amaravathi summer” were the local shop-keepers. They sold thousands of soft drink, mineral water and fruit juice bottles as the Buddhist pilgrims made a queue at the shops.
“We do not sell soft drinks leave alone ice creams during winter. But during the past eight days we had to make several orders for fresh stocks. Ice cream and ordinary ice cubes are in great demand,” a local trader Subba Rao told this correspondent.
Amaravathi, Jan 12: Sankranti time is the coldest period of the winter season in South India. But it is quite “hot” in this ancient village of Buddhism. And for the 90,000 and odd Buddhist pilgrims from Tibet, Dharmasala and different parts of the world, the “scorching summer” has already set in.
The maximum temperature in Amaravathi, located on the picturesque banks of the river Krishna, was just 24 degrees Celsius with the minimum showing at 18 degrees C. For the local population numbering around 2400, it is wintry chill and to beat the cold they are wearing woolen sweaters.
Just a few steps away from the village, thousands of people are seen holding plastic hand-fans and drinking chilled soft drinks to beat the “heat”. The pilgrims, who outnumber the local villagers by at least 40 times, are used to extremely low temperatures in their native lands. Those from Lhasa (Tibet) have never experienced the real summer of the South India, for them the maximum temperature ever recorded was just 12.2 degrees, which is six degrees lower than the minimum temperature they are now exposed to in Amaravathi.
Pilgrims from Dharmasala or the Little Lhasa of India are also at discomfort over the “high” winter temperature in this part of the country.
Even Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama, who has been supervising the Kalachakra rituals in Amaravathi since January 5, expressed concern over the hot temperature. “I want to deliver my discourses only during the morning hours. It is very hot and you people cannot withstand the heat,” he told the participants after he noticed them using hand fans.
Little children and old people are the worst hit. The children were seen crying unable to withstand the high temperature. Many mothers used wet cloths to wipe on the bodies of their children to beat the heat. The old drank lots of orange juice and ate ice creams.
And in the process the people who benefited the most from the “Amaravathi summer” were the local shop-keepers. They sold thousands of soft drink, mineral water and fruit juice bottles as the Buddhist pilgrims made a queue at the shops.
“We do not sell soft drinks leave alone ice creams during winter. But during the past eight days we had to make several orders for fresh stocks. Ice cream and ordinary ice cubes are in great demand,” a local trader Subba Rao told this correspondent.
Stories of Kalachakra: Dalai Lama calls for unity of all people, religions
By Syed Akbar
Amaravathi, Jan 12: Dalai Lama on Thursday emphasised the need for religious harmony and universal brotherhood of mankind.
Administering the self-generation prayers as part of the Kalachakra initiation programme on the banks of the river Krishna in this ancient village, Dalai Lama said every human being had the right to practice his or her religion.
"Whether one has faith in religion or not but one should develop love and compassion for all the living beings in the universe," the Tibetan spiritual leader observed.
The teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha have scientific basis and are still relevant today, he said. “How life came into existence is clearly explained in Buddhism as is done in science. Everybody in the world is against war and everyone wants peace,” the Dalai Lama pointed out.
He said one should not use religion for the purpose of business. “It should be used for the benefit of all sentient beings and follow the correct path. There have been a lot of complaints about Buddhist practice not being done properly. However, there is no fault in Buddhist religion or the teachings of Buddha. It is the fault of the individuals who do not follow them properly. Therefore, practice as per instructions,” he observed.
“Let us remember Buddha and meditate him along with Acharya Nagarjuna and his followers who have contributed so much for the Buddhist religion. Spreading Buddhism doesn’t fulfill by constructing stupas, statues or monasteries but by pure practice. Have a pure mind. Give up greed, jealousy, and selfishness. Thinking about self develops more worries than happiness.When one prays for the humanity, he will develop better Karma. Make it a daily routine to pray for all sentient beings and one will have peace of mind. As in business where we look for more profit with less capital we can get better peace of mind by praying for the humanity than for self,” he exhorted his followers.
“It will take time for one to change but don’t lose hope. Practice will lead in the right direction,” he said.
Earlier, the Dalai Lama administered the Bodhisattva vow to the disciples. “As this vow has been taken in this holy shrine where Buddha preached Kalachakra for the first time, it is a very precious thing and therefore everyone should consider they are fortunate and pray for humanity. Then all the devotees were given blessed water for mind purification. They were also supplied Kusha grass brooms and protection cords. The devotees are told to put them under their beds and observe the type of dreams they experience during night or in the early hours of morning.,
Before the self-generation prayers began, the Buddhist monks chanted prayers for Buddha and world peace.
Amaravathi, Jan 12: Dalai Lama on Thursday emphasised the need for religious harmony and universal brotherhood of mankind.
Administering the self-generation prayers as part of the Kalachakra initiation programme on the banks of the river Krishna in this ancient village, Dalai Lama said every human being had the right to practice his or her religion.
"Whether one has faith in religion or not but one should develop love and compassion for all the living beings in the universe," the Tibetan spiritual leader observed.
The teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha have scientific basis and are still relevant today, he said. “How life came into existence is clearly explained in Buddhism as is done in science. Everybody in the world is against war and everyone wants peace,” the Dalai Lama pointed out.
He said one should not use religion for the purpose of business. “It should be used for the benefit of all sentient beings and follow the correct path. There have been a lot of complaints about Buddhist practice not being done properly. However, there is no fault in Buddhist religion or the teachings of Buddha. It is the fault of the individuals who do not follow them properly. Therefore, practice as per instructions,” he observed.
“Let us remember Buddha and meditate him along with Acharya Nagarjuna and his followers who have contributed so much for the Buddhist religion. Spreading Buddhism doesn’t fulfill by constructing stupas, statues or monasteries but by pure practice. Have a pure mind. Give up greed, jealousy, and selfishness. Thinking about self develops more worries than happiness.When one prays for the humanity, he will develop better Karma. Make it a daily routine to pray for all sentient beings and one will have peace of mind. As in business where we look for more profit with less capital we can get better peace of mind by praying for the humanity than for self,” he exhorted his followers.
“It will take time for one to change but don’t lose hope. Practice will lead in the right direction,” he said.
Earlier, the Dalai Lama administered the Bodhisattva vow to the disciples. “As this vow has been taken in this holy shrine where Buddha preached Kalachakra for the first time, it is a very precious thing and therefore everyone should consider they are fortunate and pray for humanity. Then all the devotees were given blessed water for mind purification. They were also supplied Kusha grass brooms and protection cords. The devotees are told to put them under their beds and observe the type of dreams they experience during night or in the early hours of morning.,
Before the self-generation prayers began, the Buddhist monks chanted prayers for Buddha and world peace.
Saturday, 31 December 2005
YSR's "gifts" to people during 2006
2005
Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 31: The State government has several "gifts" up its sleeves to make life "more comfortable" for people in the new year by checking pollution, reducing road accidents, fighting corruption in offices, improving irrigation facilities, bettering the lot of women, dalits and minorities through increased budgetary allocation and creating political employment in the form of legislative council membership.
As Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy has already made it clear in his new year resolutions, the State government will concentrate more on the on-going projects and schemes rather than taking up fresh ones. However, the government will lay thrust on welfare schemes increasing budgetary allocation to the welfare department by at least 20 per cent.
Travel to rural areas will be much easier during 2006 with the government taking up the much-hyped Indiramma project aimed at an integrated development of neglected villages. Good roads and potable water will be available in all these villages by June.
At least two lakh acres of parched land will turn greener by the time the Khariff-2006 operations begin. Five irrigation projects including Gundlakamma, Devadula, Pushkar, Alisagar and Tadipudi would be in place by April-May, says an official in the CMO. As a new year's gift to farmers, Rajasekhar Reddy will release water into the Jhanjhavati project on January 1.
Elections to panchayat bodies will be held as scheduled in June-July and before that the government will put into motion the revival of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. The budget session of the Assembly will be preceded by Cabinet expansion. On the political front, the government has nothing much to offer to people. Unemployed Congressmen will find placements in APLC and other government bodies by Independence Day.
The long-pending 25 paise interest loans to DWCRA will become a reality before March-end.
Coming to the city, Hyderabadis will get better living conditions with wider roads and hurdle-free footpaths. Garbage dumpyards from city will be shifted to outskirts relieving citizens of foul smell and pollution hazards, according to municipal commissioner Sanjay Jaju.
The APSRTC plans to discipline its drivers and conductors to make them more people-friendly. Commuters will get a courteous service from the bus staff.
Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 31: The State government has several "gifts" up its sleeves to make life "more comfortable" for people in the new year by checking pollution, reducing road accidents, fighting corruption in offices, improving irrigation facilities, bettering the lot of women, dalits and minorities through increased budgetary allocation and creating political employment in the form of legislative council membership.
As Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy has already made it clear in his new year resolutions, the State government will concentrate more on the on-going projects and schemes rather than taking up fresh ones. However, the government will lay thrust on welfare schemes increasing budgetary allocation to the welfare department by at least 20 per cent.
Travel to rural areas will be much easier during 2006 with the government taking up the much-hyped Indiramma project aimed at an integrated development of neglected villages. Good roads and potable water will be available in all these villages by June.
At least two lakh acres of parched land will turn greener by the time the Khariff-2006 operations begin. Five irrigation projects including Gundlakamma, Devadula, Pushkar, Alisagar and Tadipudi would be in place by April-May, says an official in the CMO. As a new year's gift to farmers, Rajasekhar Reddy will release water into the Jhanjhavati project on January 1.
Elections to panchayat bodies will be held as scheduled in June-July and before that the government will put into motion the revival of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. The budget session of the Assembly will be preceded by Cabinet expansion. On the political front, the government has nothing much to offer to people. Unemployed Congressmen will find placements in APLC and other government bodies by Independence Day.
The long-pending 25 paise interest loans to DWCRA will become a reality before March-end.
Coming to the city, Hyderabadis will get better living conditions with wider roads and hurdle-free footpaths. Garbage dumpyards from city will be shifted to outskirts relieving citizens of foul smell and pollution hazards, according to municipal commissioner Sanjay Jaju.
The APSRTC plans to discipline its drivers and conductors to make them more people-friendly. Commuters will get a courteous service from the bus staff.
Thursday, 22 December 2005
Haj: Accident Insurance Scheme For Indian Hajis
December 22, 2005
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 22: More than a lakh Indian Hajis currently on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia are eligible for an accident compensation scheme which includes cash and baggage loss allowance.
Only those Hajis visiting the holy shrines in Makkah and Madina through the Central Haj Committee are eligible for the newly-introduced "compensation" scheme. About a lakh Hajis are enrolled every year through the Haj Committee and another 50,000 visit the holy places through private tour operators.
Since Muslim religious scholars are divided over the legality of "insurance cover" for pilgrims, the Central Haj Committee has named the scheme as "accident compensation". The Central Haj Committee has collected Rs 76 from each of the Hajis this year as premium to provide the insurance cover. However, the Hajis have not been informed about the deduction of the premium from the money they had paid to the Committee towards cost of travel and board.
Central Haj Committee chief executive officer Abdur Rasheed Mir told this correspondent from Mumbai that they had not publicised the "compensation scheme" lest it invited the wrath of the Muslim clergy. "Muslim religious leaders have different opinions on the insurance cover. Some say it is legal while others argue that it is un-Islamic. So we have named it as a compensation cover," he pointed out.
Under the scheme, a Haji who dies in an accident (road or fire or stampede) is eligible for compensation. Even deaths in subversive activities are covered under the scheme. The compensation ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh depending on the age of the pilgrim. Hajis below 50 years are eligible for Rs 3 lakh and those above 65 years of age will get Rs 1 lakh.
The Haj Committee will refund up to 2000 Saudi Riyals (about Rs 25000) in case of cash loss and 500 Riyals in case of theft or loss of baggage. Rasheed said Hajis are also compensated by an non-governmental organisation in Jeddah.
AP State Haj Committee chairman Ghouse Mohiuddin said they had introduced the compensation scheme, particularly baggage and cash loss, to help the Indian pilgrims in alien land. "We do not want our Hajis to suffer. Our compensation will help them to buy clothes and food in case of emergency," he said.
Most of the Hajis prefer the Haj Committee to private travel agents because they get concessional air fare and better accommodation in Saudi Arabia. Those going through the Haj Committee will get assistance of volunteers (khadim) and religious guides (Mu'allim) both in Mecca and Madina.
The basic travel quota of 10,000 US dollars is not applicable to Hajis using the services of private travel agents. The enhanced forex will help the pilgrims eat in restaurants. Earlier, as Hajis were allowed restricted forex, they used to carry with them rice, dhall, oil and dried meat for cooking. Now they can visit the holy shrines with less luggage.
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 22: More than a lakh Indian Hajis currently on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia are eligible for an accident compensation scheme which includes cash and baggage loss allowance.
Only those Hajis visiting the holy shrines in Makkah and Madina through the Central Haj Committee are eligible for the newly-introduced "compensation" scheme. About a lakh Hajis are enrolled every year through the Haj Committee and another 50,000 visit the holy places through private tour operators.
Since Muslim religious scholars are divided over the legality of "insurance cover" for pilgrims, the Central Haj Committee has named the scheme as "accident compensation". The Central Haj Committee has collected Rs 76 from each of the Hajis this year as premium to provide the insurance cover. However, the Hajis have not been informed about the deduction of the premium from the money they had paid to the Committee towards cost of travel and board.
Central Haj Committee chief executive officer Abdur Rasheed Mir told this correspondent from Mumbai that they had not publicised the "compensation scheme" lest it invited the wrath of the Muslim clergy. "Muslim religious leaders have different opinions on the insurance cover. Some say it is legal while others argue that it is un-Islamic. So we have named it as a compensation cover," he pointed out.
Under the scheme, a Haji who dies in an accident (road or fire or stampede) is eligible for compensation. Even deaths in subversive activities are covered under the scheme. The compensation ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh depending on the age of the pilgrim. Hajis below 50 years are eligible for Rs 3 lakh and those above 65 years of age will get Rs 1 lakh.
The Haj Committee will refund up to 2000 Saudi Riyals (about Rs 25000) in case of cash loss and 500 Riyals in case of theft or loss of baggage. Rasheed said Hajis are also compensated by an non-governmental organisation in Jeddah.
AP State Haj Committee chairman Ghouse Mohiuddin said they had introduced the compensation scheme, particularly baggage and cash loss, to help the Indian pilgrims in alien land. "We do not want our Hajis to suffer. Our compensation will help them to buy clothes and food in case of emergency," he said.
Most of the Hajis prefer the Haj Committee to private travel agents because they get concessional air fare and better accommodation in Saudi Arabia. Those going through the Haj Committee will get assistance of volunteers (khadim) and religious guides (Mu'allim) both in Mecca and Madina.
The basic travel quota of 10,000 US dollars is not applicable to Hajis using the services of private travel agents. The enhanced forex will help the pilgrims eat in restaurants. Earlier, as Hajis were allowed restricted forex, they used to carry with them rice, dhall, oil and dried meat for cooking. Now they can visit the holy shrines with less luggage.
Accident compensation for Indian Hajis
2005
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 22: About a lakh Indian Hajis currently on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia are eligible for an accident compensation scheme which includes cash and baggage loss allowance.
Only those Hajis visiting the holy shrines in Makkah and Madina through the Central Haj Committee are eligible for the newly-introduced "compensation" scheme. About a lakh Hajis are enrolled every year through the Haj Committee and another 50,000 visit the holy places through private tour operators.
Since Muslim religious scholars are divided over the legality of "insurance cover" for pilgrims, the Central Haj Committee has named the scheme as "accident compensation". The Central Haj Committee has collected Rs 76 from each of the Hajis this year as premium to provide the insurance cover. However, the Hajis have not been informed about the deduction of the premium from the money they had paid to the Committee towards cost of travel and board.
Central Haj Committee chief executive officer Abdur Rasheed Mir told this correspondent from Mumbai that they had not publicised the "compensation scheme" lest it invited the wrath of the Muslim clergy. "Muslim religious leaders have different opinions on the insurance cover. Some say it is legal while others argue that it is un-Islamic. So we have named it as a compensation cover," he pointed out.
Under the scheme, a Haji who dies in an accident (road or fire or stampede) is eligible for compensation. Even deaths in subversive activities are covered under the scheme. The compensation ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh depending on the age of the pilgrim. Hajis below 50 years are eligible for Rs 3 lakh and those above 65 years of age will get Rs 1 lakh.
The Haj Committee will refund up to 2000 Saudi Riyals (about Rs 25000) in case of cash loss and 500 Riyals in case of theft or loss of baggage. Rasheed said Hajis are also compensated by an non-governmental organisation in Jeddah.
AP State Haj Committee chairman Ghouse Mohiuddin said they had introduced the compensation scheme, particularly baggage and cash loss, to help the Indian pilgrims in alien land. "We do not want our Hajis to suffer. Our compensation will help them to buy clothes and food in case of emergency," he said.
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 22: About a lakh Indian Hajis currently on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia are eligible for an accident compensation scheme which includes cash and baggage loss allowance.
Only those Hajis visiting the holy shrines in Makkah and Madina through the Central Haj Committee are eligible for the newly-introduced "compensation" scheme. About a lakh Hajis are enrolled every year through the Haj Committee and another 50,000 visit the holy places through private tour operators.
Since Muslim religious scholars are divided over the legality of "insurance cover" for pilgrims, the Central Haj Committee has named the scheme as "accident compensation". The Central Haj Committee has collected Rs 76 from each of the Hajis this year as premium to provide the insurance cover. However, the Hajis have not been informed about the deduction of the premium from the money they had paid to the Committee towards cost of travel and board.
Central Haj Committee chief executive officer Abdur Rasheed Mir told this correspondent from Mumbai that they had not publicised the "compensation scheme" lest it invited the wrath of the Muslim clergy. "Muslim religious leaders have different opinions on the insurance cover. Some say it is legal while others argue that it is un-Islamic. So we have named it as a compensation cover," he pointed out.
Under the scheme, a Haji who dies in an accident (road or fire or stampede) is eligible for compensation. Even deaths in subversive activities are covered under the scheme. The compensation ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh depending on the age of the pilgrim. Hajis below 50 years are eligible for Rs 3 lakh and those above 65 years of age will get Rs 1 lakh.
The Haj Committee will refund up to 2000 Saudi Riyals (about Rs 25000) in case of cash loss and 500 Riyals in case of theft or loss of baggage. Rasheed said Hajis are also compensated by an non-governmental organisation in Jeddah.
AP State Haj Committee chairman Ghouse Mohiuddin said they had introduced the compensation scheme, particularly baggage and cash loss, to help the Indian pilgrims in alien land. "We do not want our Hajis to suffer. Our compensation will help them to buy clothes and food in case of emergency," he said.
Monday, 19 December 2005
Charminar Bank Scam: Bank is dead but its scams are not
2005
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 19: The Charminar Bank is dead but its scams are not. A fresh scam has been unearthed even as the State government is gearing up for speedy recovery of dues from major defaulters through public auction of their properties.
According to sources, an official in the recovery cell of the scam-tainted Charminar Bank has "short calculated" interest on the principal amount borrowed by an industrialist.
And when the Bank decided to take punitive action against the erring official, a senior minister and a senior official in the Registrar of Co-operative Societies (RCS) brought pressure on the management to hush up the case. The management simply washed off its hands by transferring the official and ordering an inquiry.
Sources said bank official Mehdi Hussain Jaffry had short calculated interest to the tune of Rs 30 lakh on a principal amount of Rs 5.3 crore borrowed by industrialist Virender Giri in the name of five different companies owned by him. Instead of showing Rs 6.10 crore as outstanding balance against Giri's companies, the official showed Rs 5.8 crore in the balance sheet.
The irregularity came to light during the meeting of the bank's managing committee held on December 9. The bank officials immediately decided to suspend Jaffry but adjusted it with a simple transfer following pressure from a senior minister. A senior official of the RCS is also said to be lobbyingthe case of Giri.
Charminar managing director V Prabhakar agreed that Jaffry had been transferred following detection of some irregularities. He, however, refused to divulge further information stating that an inquiry had been ordered and he would comment after the inquiry officer Bhadri Narayana submitted his report.
The minister and the RCS official are also reportedly bringing pressure on Charminar Bank to settle Giri's loans under One Time Settlement scheme. But the bank officials refused to take the case under OTS since one of the bank's directors had stood as a guarantor for Giri's companies. Under RBI rules such loans should not be covered under OTS scheme. A senior official who is retiring this month-end is said to be interested in the OTS scheme for Giri's company.
Charminar NRI Depositors' Association convener MA Taher demanded that the government should order a CID inquiry into the irregularity to bring out the brains behind the fresh scam. He wanted the properties of defaulters to be auctioned immediately to raise funds for distribution among depositors, due for March 2006 under the revival scheme.
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 19: The Charminar Bank is dead but its scams are not. A fresh scam has been unearthed even as the State government is gearing up for speedy recovery of dues from major defaulters through public auction of their properties.
According to sources, an official in the recovery cell of the scam-tainted Charminar Bank has "short calculated" interest on the principal amount borrowed by an industrialist.
And when the Bank decided to take punitive action against the erring official, a senior minister and a senior official in the Registrar of Co-operative Societies (RCS) brought pressure on the management to hush up the case. The management simply washed off its hands by transferring the official and ordering an inquiry.
Sources said bank official Mehdi Hussain Jaffry had short calculated interest to the tune of Rs 30 lakh on a principal amount of Rs 5.3 crore borrowed by industrialist Virender Giri in the name of five different companies owned by him. Instead of showing Rs 6.10 crore as outstanding balance against Giri's companies, the official showed Rs 5.8 crore in the balance sheet.
The irregularity came to light during the meeting of the bank's managing committee held on December 9. The bank officials immediately decided to suspend Jaffry but adjusted it with a simple transfer following pressure from a senior minister. A senior official of the RCS is also said to be lobbyingthe case of Giri.
Charminar managing director V Prabhakar agreed that Jaffry had been transferred following detection of some irregularities. He, however, refused to divulge further information stating that an inquiry had been ordered and he would comment after the inquiry officer Bhadri Narayana submitted his report.
The minister and the RCS official are also reportedly bringing pressure on Charminar Bank to settle Giri's loans under One Time Settlement scheme. But the bank officials refused to take the case under OTS since one of the bank's directors had stood as a guarantor for Giri's companies. Under RBI rules such loans should not be covered under OTS scheme. A senior official who is retiring this month-end is said to be interested in the OTS scheme for Giri's company.
Charminar NRI Depositors' Association convener MA Taher demanded that the government should order a CID inquiry into the irregularity to bring out the brains behind the fresh scam. He wanted the properties of defaulters to be auctioned immediately to raise funds for distribution among depositors, due for March 2006 under the revival scheme.
Friday, 16 December 2005
Instances of theft in Mecca: Do's and don'ts for Indian Hajis
2005
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 16: With instances of theft on the rise in the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Madina during the Haj, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah has warned Indian pilgrims to be cautious while performing the Haj.
In its "do's and don'ts", the Indian Consulate has pointed out that Indian pilgrims should keep a close watch on their belongings in view of spurt in theft cases in the holy cities.
"A number of pilgrims have been cheated by confidence tricksters who gain their confidence and then take money from them on the pretext of buying things at cheaper rates. People have been tricked into even parting with money for the sacrifice that is supposed to be done after Haj at Mina on the 10th of Zul Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Theft from pilgrims is on the increase hence all precautions should be taken," the Consulate pointed out.
There are several "Maktabs", which can also take care of cash and valuables but pilgrims must insist on a proper receipt if they are leaving money with a Maktab. They should not give any cash or valuables to anyone else than to a proper person in the Maktab who should give a proper receipt (Fatura) for the same.
The Indian Haj Mission has set up a special cell to provide full range of Consular services including issue of emergency certificate if the passport is lost, issue of duplicate Air ticket if the ticket is lost. However, it is important that some kind identification is always retained with the pilgrim like the steel bracelet provided in India before boarding, the consulate pointed out.
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 16: With instances of theft on the rise in the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Madina during the Haj, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah has warned Indian pilgrims to be cautious while performing the Haj.
In its "do's and don'ts", the Indian Consulate has pointed out that Indian pilgrims should keep a close watch on their belongings in view of spurt in theft cases in the holy cities.
"A number of pilgrims have been cheated by confidence tricksters who gain their confidence and then take money from them on the pretext of buying things at cheaper rates. People have been tricked into even parting with money for the sacrifice that is supposed to be done after Haj at Mina on the 10th of Zul Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Theft from pilgrims is on the increase hence all precautions should be taken," the Consulate pointed out.
There are several "Maktabs", which can also take care of cash and valuables but pilgrims must insist on a proper receipt if they are leaving money with a Maktab. They should not give any cash or valuables to anyone else than to a proper person in the Maktab who should give a proper receipt (Fatura) for the same.
The Indian Haj Mission has set up a special cell to provide full range of Consular services including issue of emergency certificate if the passport is lost, issue of duplicate Air ticket if the ticket is lost. However, it is important that some kind identification is always retained with the pilgrim like the steel bracelet provided in India before boarding, the consulate pointed out.
Monday, 12 December 2005
Year 2038 computer problem: Is it real? Or just another internet hoax?
December 12, 2005
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 11: Just follow these few steps. Login to Yahoo Messenger and send
instant message to anyone.
You find it working. Now change your computer system date to January 19, 2038,
03:14:07 am or above 04:00:00 am. Confirm whether the date is changed.
Again send instant message to anyone. The problem starts now. Your Yahoo Messenger
crashes. While trying these steps, close your applications/internet explorer. Chances are more that your explorer will get corrupted and you have to reinstall it. All network based applications will stop functioning.
After the Y2K, the latest problem perplexing computer geeks in city and elsewhere in
the world is the year 2038 date trouble. Though the year 2038 is 33 years away, the problem is being felt nowby banks and companies entering financial transactions or going in for lease agreements. Computer experts fear that year 2038 problem is
real unlike the Y2K which turned out to be just a media hype.
What actually is the year 2038 problem? Computer geeks expert to see lots of systems
around the world breaking, starting at GMT 03:14:07, Tuesday, January 19, 2038. Many of the dire predictions for the year 2000 are much more likely to actually occur in the year 2038! Consider the year 2000 just a dry run.
"In case you think we can sit on this issue for another three decades before
addressing it, consider that reports of temporal echoes of the 2038 problem are already starting to appear in future date calculations for mortgages and vital statistics," observes MH Noble, managing director of Zoom Technologies (India) Limited.
In the first month of the year 2038 many computers will encounter a date-related bug
in their operating systems and/or in the applications they run. This can result in incorrect and wildly inaccurate dates being reported by the operating system and/or applications. The effect of this bug is hard to predict, because many applications are not prepared for the resulting "skip" in reported time anywhere from 1901 to a "broken record" repeat of the reported time at the second the bug occurs, Noble points out.
This bug will cause serious problems on many platforms, especially Unix and
Unix-like platforms, because these systems will "run out of time".
What causes it? Time t is a data type used by C and C++ programs to
represent dates and times internally. Ttime t is actually just an integer (a whole
number), that counts the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am Greenwich Mean Time. A time t value of 0 would be 12:00:00 am (exactly midnight) 1-Jan-1970, a time t value of 1 would be 12:00:01 am (one second after midnight) 1-Jan-1970, etc. By the year 2038, the time t representation for the current time will be over 2 140 000 000.
And that's the problem. A modern 32-bit computer stores a "signed integer" data
type, such as time t, in 32 bits. The first of these bits is used for the positive/negative sign of the integer, while the remaining 31 bits are used to store the number itself.
The highest number these 31 data bits can store works out to exactly 2147 483 647. A
time t value of this exact number, 2 147 483 647, represents January 19,2038, at 7 seconds past 3:14 am GMT.
So, at 3:14:07 am GMT on that fateful day, every time t used in a 32-bit C or C++ program will reach its upper limit. One second later, on 19-January-2038 at 3:14:08 am GMT, disaster strikes, explains Murali Krishna of Hutch.
When a signed integer reaches its maximum value and then gets incremented, it wraps
around to its lowest possible negative value. This means a 32-bit signed integer, such as a time t, set to its maximum value of 2 147 483 647 and then incremented by 1, will become (minus) -2 147 483 648.
A time t value of (minus) - 147 483 648 would represent December 13, 1901 at
8:45:52 PM GMT. So, if all goes normally, 19-January-2038 will suddenly become 13-December-1901 in every time t across the globe, and every date calculation based on this figure will go haywire. And it gets worse. Most of the support functions that use the time t data type cannot handle negative time t values at all. They simply fail and return an error code.
However, there are computer optimists who feel that the problem could be solved and
there's nothing to worry. Says senior mathematician B Moinuddin, "the problem is only a 32-bit problem. Any how 64 bit computers are going to be the norm in just a few years, let alone 34 years from now. We need not go into the panic mode. There is
time to resolve this issue in a calm, cool and collected manner. Y2K was definitely
blown way out of proportion. This too is going to be that way".
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Mother's Care
Minnu The Cat & Her Kittens Brownie, Goldie & Blackie
Someone with Nature
Syed Akbar in an island in river Godavari with Papikonda hills in the background
Recognition by World Vegetable Centre
Under the shade of Baobab tree
At Agha Khan Akademi in Kenya
Gateway to the Southern Hemisphere
Convention on Biodiversity
Syed Akbar at the 11th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity