Indian News

In this modern age, scientists and technologists are not only developing satellite mapping technology and handheld equipment. Yes, they're also into biotechnology, specifically genetic engineering and stuff. In addition, this form of technology is thriving in nations that you wouldn't think could possibly operate the necessary research and development. In India, for instance, stem cell actual research is thriving!

In India, stem cell actual research has been one of their main concentrations involving biotechnology. Now this country doesn't have the crap we have here when faced with stem cells and stuff. Indian religion, Hinduism, doesn't have the moral implications Christianity imposes on actual stem cell development. Stem cell development is the process of developing human cells in its most primitive form so as to be able to regenerate damaged portions of any human being. Yes, even the human central nervous system!

In Hinduism, as long as the process or technology does not have evil intent, nor could harm any living individual, it is allowed. On the other hand, Christianity imposes moral implications on the gathering process of stem cells. You see, stem cells are obtained from human embryos. Now this is also shunned by the Indian government, which has imposed restrictions on human embryos. The government would not allow any human embryo to be cloned for stem cell producing purposes. It is limiting a human embryo's stem cell production system from synthetic systems to purely natural processes.

In this modern age where information is given more importance over a good gourmet meal, the governments of the world are devising ways and means to provide its people easier and more affordable access to computers and computer programs. A computer-literate citizenry would provide faster economic and social growth, which would evidently alleviate present living conditions of all the actual people in such a country. India is one of these countries which sees the potential for economic and social growth through computer-literacy.

India has publicly stated its support behind open source development. The government of this country has also stated how much it would help some of its people who just don't have the money to buy retail computer programs. India has also made available to its people free computer access in its libraries and public offices, which are generally for those who can't afford a computer. Plus, India has also made some new schemes which encourage its people to use digital computing machines, and giving away free CDs is one of these.

India has publicly stated its interest on encouraging the actual use of digital computing machines of its people. With this, the government of this country is giving away free CDs of actual open source computer programs. The CDs are distributed through broadsheet inserts here and there. Plus, this country's government is also planning to add more public establishments so as to provide its people with free computer access. In addition, the educational institutions of this country are planning to add computer courses on their programs.

We still instinctively follow our customs even with the advent of fast communication systems. But sometimes, a person's own beliefs and experiences can be totally weird stuff for most of the world, you know. This is what I felt for the woman who actually fell in mad love and eventually married a cobra, which happened in India! Talk about weird, yes, but it's not just her marriage with the cobra that I find creepy. It would be more of this woman falling in mad love with an actual reptile!

The people of India usually have Hindu ceremonies for their weddings, and this is exactly what the woman wanted on the day of her marriage with the cobra. With this, she got what she wanted: a Hindu wedding, complete with priests and all, you know. The wedding was done at the Orissa state, a village somewhere near the capital Bhubaneswar. If you don't find this weird, I think you could easily tell me what the priests were thinking when they married the couple.

Bimbala Das, dressed in a beautiful silver wedding gown or something, patiently waited for her reptile groom as the wedding commenced. However, as much chanting the priests did that day, the cobra was just damn hesitant to get out of the anthill it lived in! I just don't know why it was a stand-off, but the cobra never actually got out of its home for the wedding ceremony. I think this may be a long-term effect on this woman's psyche, you know. This is because snakes are revered as religious icons in Indian culture.

Information access is among the key factors which dictates the intelligence of present and future human generations. As information access becomes easier, people could get the data they need faster. Thus, this allows them to learn faster and easier. With this, India has seen the importance of digital information not only on how it could improve the economic sector of their country, but also how it could revolutionize the educational programs of their nation. I think the Indian government has also seen that with the proliferation of handheld electronic devices in their cities, it would also be a good platform to make educational systems accessible to the most number of their citizens.

The Indian government has now launched the world's first education satellite -- from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located at Sriharikota, which is an island in Bengal. This satellite is supposed to answer the problem of illiteracy, which is a growing problem for some Indian citizens residing in the remote areas. With this satellite, which is dedicated purely for educational purposes, distance education systems would have a more efficient and accessible system to provide the people of India. The Indian government told the world that with this satellite, educational information access would be provided to the most number of people in their country. Even the most inaccessible remote areas of their country would now gain access to the information necessary for educational purposes.

The world seems to have all sorts of things lost within its premises. We have lost cities, continents, people, ships, and even morals! Even in this modern digital age, we tend to lose more than what we actually gain! But, there comes a time when some things that were lost are often found because of our efforts to find them. Such is the case of this lost city of India, along with the effort of several hardworking archeologists to find it!

There is this lost city known to Indian locals as Vanchi. This city was supposed to be a port that was used by the Romans for trading purposes with early Indian locals. They have still to find the main port, but certain artifacts and structural remains were found wherein Pattanam now actually stands. It was said that these artifacts could have only been made from the actual time wherein the lost city existed. With this, the archeologists are very hopeful in finding more artifacts to support their claim. I just hope the Indian government is doing what they should in unearthing this cultural heritage of theirs! After all, isn't educating people of their cultural heritage a means of developing solidarity, nationality, and patriotism?

The digital information platform known as the internet has certainly bridged gaps between states, cities, countries, and races. Plus, it has even acted as an efficient means to proliferate information in the most accessible, efficient, and most affordable way! No wonder we see all types of cock and bull stories on those internet sites! Well, some are generally information that compares to a long load of crap, while others are very much substantial, in a positive manner, that is.

What interests me more is how India is fairing in the information age. These guys certainly know a thing to exploit when they know it! I'm talking about India's move towards the development of open source programs. Yes, the programmers in India are basically interested on this new aspect of software development, and are even more generally intrigued in what it could do for the status of their country's economic and technological departments! Yes, they see the beauty of open source development, and what it could provide a poverty-stricken country like theirs.

But, there are certain issues which should be tackled by the Indian government so as to functionally increase the productivity this country's people could do with open source application development. I think they need to support the programmers of this country so as to organize the mode of their software development, specifically in a direction towards the entire world's purposes. This is because some groups of Indian developers tend to develop software for their own purposes. If they want and need a software to do this and that for them, then all they have to do is write it down, right? But I think with a more organized approach on open source development, I think India will move up above the rest of the countries regarding digital information technological development. Well, that is, information technology that's totally free, and fully functional to answer the needs of people on this planet!

I was following the happenings in the recent Cannes Film Festival when I heard the confirmation that Monica Bellucci will star as Sonia Gandhi in a biopic. Indian director Jagmohan Mundhra chose Italian-actress Bellucci over Bollywood superstars Aishwarya Rai and Preity Zinta. I think Bellucci is a perfect choice, considering that Sonia Gandhi was Italian-born and the two have facial resemblance. If this film gets completed, I bet this is going to be the biggest Indian biopic after Gandhi (1982) in which Ben Kingsley played the title role.

For those of you who may not be aware, Sonia Gandhi was born in Italy and was the widow of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated in a 1991 suicide bombing. She is currently at the helm of the Congress party, who won the 2004 elections. Gandhi, who was just a private woman prior to her husband's assassination, refused the Prime Minister seat. Hindu nationalists were against her, saying that anyone of non-Indian heritage cannot rule the country. She received praises from people around the world, including mine. Throughout the years, we have seen people gut each other's throat in politics. A woman with such humility as that of Gandhi deserves high respect. She truly lives up to her clan.

We have heard of things like mail-order brides and the common one, which hits close to home in my opinion, prostitution. These are taboo subjects and these practices may be illegal in some countries, but so what? Other countries apparently don't find anything "wrong" with these things or else, they would not legalize it.

Wives for rent, anyone? Even for a relatively conservative and culturally-rooted country like India, this thing is nothing new. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised this even made the news. I mean, come on, just turn on the boob tube and see the wife-swapping or women-swapping shows on tv. Otherwise, just go out to a red light district in your area. You get my point. The only probable starking difference is that these women in India are valued at a mere 175 bucks, while all else you get either at a higher price or at no cost.

But then, since we're talking about wives and not women in general, it is not only sex that they render to their wealthy customers. Per month, these females must be accommodating to include living in the same house, taking care of the male, and looking after the property. If your family is working in a rural farm for a living and can be found in such a desperate situation, well, I could not blame you for having to ship off your spouse (or kids -- yikes!) to somebody else.

Almost everyone in India and its neighboring countries are concerned about the peace negotiations between Pakistan and India. Just why can the two Asian countries settle the situation? The dispute between the military forces of the involved parties have been guarding their posts for quite a long time now. All the plans with regards to the delegations have all gone with the wind. Three winter seasons have already passed since ceasefire was declared by Pakistan, but the matter has not yet been concluded.

The Prime Minister of India announced his intentions in going to Pakistan just to put an end to the dispute. That would be a smart move, but there are no guarantees that the Minister will get there safely. I mean, the Pakistani military men were accused of being involved in the bomb attacks in Delhi. Although the case was closed due to lack of evidence, it would still be risky to try. This is what I hate about disputes – trust can never be earned again.

According to the news, there has been, already, ten attempts to make peace with the Pakistanis. Hey, aren't they getting tired of it? If one of them do not humble himself, then it is useless to try again. Although the inhumane attacks have stopped, India will never let its subcontinental territorial borders to be ruled by Pakistanis, which is why India is still hopeful that the arguments will finally reach a conclusion.

Rapid population growth could pose very drastic effects to people. Needless to say, children are mostly the first to be affected by these problems. Even if a country may seem wealthy and is boasting with a very effective child welfare system, we cannot deny the fact that as the population increases, our resources decreases. This same problem is faced by Mumbai today.

Recently, the Mumbai population reached a staggering 13 million. Although India is known to have a high demography, the record posed a threat to Mumbai residents. You might contend that Mumbai is a highly industrialized with business establishments sprouting in its every corner, this does not guarantee a good future for the children of Mumbai. Maybe, we do not yet see the scarcity of food and shelter, but later on we will realize that more and more people will not be able to afford their basic needs. Add to that the foreign investors that thrive in the city. Their businesses are taking away the opportunities for Mumbai people to improve themselves. Instead, they work as laborers, rather than cultivators and owners of the businesses. These are just some of the implications of the rapid population growth. Maybe, Mumbai has not envisioned it. Only time will whether it will be able to supply the needs of its people.

Mumbai city is never a safe place for young girls anymore. This truth is very alarming, since the aforementioned city is hailed among the safest places in India. I was surprised to learn of the various rape cases and child abuse in Mumbai this year.

The last time I have been to Mumbai, there were no apparent signs of child abuse. Well, maybe they were just reluctant of reporting it to the authorities. The city seemed peaceful. The neighborhood seemed minding their own businesses. Also, the children seemed happy having soccer games and hide-and-seek. It never occurred to me that a place so venerated for its strong faith will also fall in immoral acts.

But, as a psychologist in Mumbai said, the most effective way to fight this immorality is through a wide information dissemination. The cases will not be solved by improving the punishment system. If only people are open-minded to cases like child abuse, they would be more eager to fight for the integrity of the young boys and girls. Needless to say, if such cases were to be put aside, Mumbai will wake up one morning with half of its children infected with AIDS. City-wide AIDS education will help a lot. On the other hand, Mumbai citizens must be vigilant in penalizing the criminals.

I now can clearly see the famine that will come, one by one, in various nations in different times. It is still fresh in my memory how world leaders almost panicked over the bird flu virus. The outbreak began in Asian countries, and within a short period of time, the infection reached wide scope. During those times, we are in the middle of survival and prevention.

Just when I thought that the outbreak will cease for longer time, another catastrophe came. This time, it also started in Asia – in Assam, India to be exact. The disease, of course, is not a new one, but its sudden outbreak is alarming. The disease I am talking of is malaria. It attacked hundreds of Assam residents just last month. It pains me to learn that one beautiful tourist destination on earth will be defeated by such disease. I do not mean that India has weak medical assistance. It seems to me that the government did not prepare for the possibility of the situation, since malarial attacks occur even during summer season. According to recent news, only Assam has reported death tolls due to malaria. This may sound a small area, but the fact that mosquitoes travel the country, other Indian cities are still susceptible to the disease.

I have always associated India with the Hindu religion, temples, and namaste. It never occurred to me that India is also one of the leading car manufacturer. I ventured over the car magazine I found in the waiting room of a business partner only to find out that India has been playing the game for long now.

I do not mean to deprive India of the opportunity to join the market, but the personality of India, in my opinion, is not as driven as Germany or US. If I am not mistaken, the latter mentioned countries are the leading car manufacturers. Back to the magazine, an article there talked of the rapid growth of car business in India. At least, this is a signal to healthier economy that will stabilize the standing of India in the great Asian continent.

Now, I remember how engineers in India worked hard for the improvement of the main roads. That was the preparation for the vehicle industry. I have all sorts of vehicles drive the highway, but I never thought that they were made in the same country. I never noticed that the cars were branded Hindustan, Skoda, Ford India, and Maruti. I really hope India will succeed in this pursuit, and that time will give them the chance to prove their potential in the car industry.

Bush's recent visit to India was greeted by protests from thousands of people. These people believe that the nuclear accord between the two countries will only signal effects regarding the independent foreign policy of India.

Nevertheless, there were Indians who saw the pact as beneficial for their country. For three decades, the country has been deprived of gaining benefits from nuclear energy despite the fact that it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The NNPT has 188 country signatories to limit the spread of nuclear weapon. The nuclear agreement was signed between the two leaders, Pres. Bush and India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to allow India to be active in international nuclear research, convert 14 out of the 22 nuclear facilities in the country for the use of civilians which will benefit the country a lot.

This is because, before the agreement India only gets 3% of its electricity from its nuclear power. This will also allow inspection by the US of these nuclear reactors. It is expected that through the agreement the country's nuclear facilities can be developed so that by the year 2050 it can increase the country's electrical supply to 25%.

One of the most captivating faces in Bollywood today, Aishwarya Rai, also a Former Miss World is about to marry another famous Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, son of the legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan. According to reports, the two are planning on their wedding after a three-month long dating period. Rai was rumored to have fallen in love with the actor in the set of their upcoming movie Umrao Jaan.

Reports from a certain daily newspaper in India claim that the two were prompted to have their wedding planned after Rai’s uncle consulted an astrologer based in Bangalore. The astrologer said that the two should marry at the soonest possible time. It is a custom in India to first consult an astrologer before a couple gets married to see if they are a match.

The family of the two stars, however, did not disclose anything to the media and even denies that the two have been dating for some time. A marriage between the two stars are said to create a tremendous effect on Rai’s movie career who has three big films under her belt.

It is an unfortunate event when the place you have grown up in has suddenly been devastated by an earthquake. It is heartbreaking if you lose properties and loved ones in the incident. It is even more miserable, when after the tragedy, you are denied of a financial help that is supposedly used for rebuilding your lives.

Such is the case for victims of the major earthquake in Kashmir last 2005. More than a dozen families are still searching in the rubbles for their relatives who have been killed in the event, and until they have evidence or have recovered their dead bodies in exchange for death certificates, the government is denying them assistance. The persons not found in the initial recovery efforts are still declared missing.

Without the money to support the ones who are alive, some victims, including students and children are forced to look for work. I think this is a tragedy borne out of a tragedy. Children are cared for, not made as laborers at such a tender age! The governments of Kashmir and Jammu have expressed that they would look into the matter to cut short the waiting time of these families. Well, they had better hurry before the families experience more suffering.

More than a hundred lives have been taken in New Delhi, India, because of the below normal temperature, 0.2 degrees Celsius. Most of the people who have died were homeless people sleeping under bridges, railways and parks. Sadly, there were also children, who died. The coldness was unbearable for them, the authorities suggested that the people stay inside the comfort of their homes until the temperature rises up. This was the coldest New Delhi had gotten in almost seventy years.