Alpha Times, Adyar 09 August 2009

Established in 2008

ALPHA TIMES August 09, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 60

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‘Adyar Poonga will be Reaches opened by November‘ 45,000 Adyar Poonga, an ambitious project for restoring the fragile ecosystem of the Adyar Estuary and Creek, will be open to the public by November next, Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin said here on Aug. 04 Briefing newspersons after reviewing

the progress o f t h e project, he said out of the total 8 5 , 0 0 0 saplings planned for the park, 60,000 had b e e n planted so far. “About 45 per cent of the work in the first phase is over, with 55 per cent of lawn laying and 85 per cent of water shed works completed in the sprawling 58 acres of land.” An environmental education centre to create awareness of ecology would also be set up, he added. Till now,

Rs.11 crore had been spent towards the project, planned at a total cost of Rs 100 crore. In the second phase,ILFS,a consultant, had been asked to submit the project plan in six months, Stalin said . Answering queries of reporters, he said, the

issued on the occasion said a fresh water demonstrative pond had been developed to demonstrate the water quality supposed to be in the Adyar River. Storm water retention zones have been created which will carry storm water during rains, and fresh water ponds have also been created. A wooden bridge h a s b e e n constructed to connect the swale and five such bridges are proposed in the area. The reconstruction of Karpagam bridge will commence shortly. M a n g r o v e plantations are piloted in the eastern side of the Karpagam bridge. These activities have allowed nesting of many new species of birds and insects.

quality of water in the park has improved. Earlier, he also inaugurated a temporary shed, which houses the basic amenities for the poonga. A release

Varieties of fishes are seen in the poonga with this development. It is expected that this park will restore ecology to a l a r g e e x t e n t . Performance indicators are in the process of

being developed to benchmark the success of this restoration project, through a variety of research studies. Anna

University is guiding the Adyar Poonga Trust in monitoring the water quality inside the Poonga.

households every week

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Alpha Times

The Power of Bhakthi VOL: 2 ISSUE 60

August 09, 2009

Education, a birthright At last, the enshrined principle of free education is becoming a reality, with Parliament adopting the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2009. It envisages free and compulsory education in the 6-14 years age group. The need for giving a big boost to children’s education cannot be overstressed in a country where some 30 crore people are illiterate. Many of even those who have been pushed into the list of literates are hardly beyond the level of signing their names. Obviously, the country cannot progress till it addresses this basic shortcoming. It is the moral responsibility of the country that not a single child should be out of school, for whatever reason. But even after 62 years of Independence we keep them out of the system in millions. Many of the African countries have a better track record than that of India. Vast poverty faced by the parents is the main reason. Now that the government has committed itself to providing free education, the situation may improve. While implementing the law, the authorities have to ensure the quality of education imparted to the students. To ensure that, the government must increase expenditure on education – particularly elementary education – way beyond what it is setting aside today. That will also ensure that good salaries can be paid to teachers, attracting more qualified persons to the profession. The Bill provides for building neighbourhood schools in three years. That will come about only if states provide whole-hearted support to the Central scheme. This is one enabling move on which the Centre and states should be on the same wavelength instead of quibbling over trifles. Significantly, the Bill aims to do away with capitation fees and screening of children and parents at the admission time.

Religious tour Loka Dharma Seva Foundation Trust is organising a religious tour to Tiruvaiyaaru/ Thanjavur by bus. The bus leaves Chennai on August 17, 5 a.m. and will return on August 19, 7 a.m. T h e t o u r includes abishekam and p r a d o s h a m a t Panchanatheswar Temple, Tiruvaiyaaru, a

dip in the Cauvery and visits to other temples in the vicinity. T h e a l l inclusive cost per head is Rs.650. For further d e t a i l s c a l l : D r. R . Subramaniam at 2476 0 5 5 6 ; 9 4 4 4 3 81476(Valasaravakkam) ; J.K. Sivan at 2224 0797; 98402 79080.

Sandheha Nivaranee A spiritual doubt clearing meeting will be conducted on Aug. 9 from 6.30 pm to 8.00 pm at Sri Rathnagireswarar Temple, 6th Cross Street, B e s a n t N a g a r. T h e subject for discussion will

be “ Our Sastras” (Memamsa Sastras). The resource person will be Sri Rajagopala Ganapadigal E d i t o r Va i t h i k a s r e e magazine. All are welcome.

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The efficacy of Bhakthi or devotion as means of salvation can never be fully emphasized. Its power and the results one gains through this chosen path are such. Guru bhakthi is the one where the disciple loves and serves Guru and accepts Him as the God. For such a disciple there is no other thing in the world which is more important, meaningful, and fulfilling than Guru. When the disciple performs his duties with reverence, Guru empowers him with unusual boons and showers His grace in the form of capabilities to perform miracles. The disciple who by now has succeeded in surrendering his body and soul to the supremacy of the Guru can only perform his duties in a selfless manner without moving even a bit from his disposition of humility. S h r i R . Parthasarath y in "God who walked on Earth", a classic work on Sadguru Sainath, wrote, "Baba stressed the importance of devotion to one's Guru and treating him as God. It was seeing God in, through and as the Guru and identifying the Guru with God that marked the bhakthi path shown by Baba. Baba's method of teaching varied. He would simple touch with his palm the head of the devotee and that would have one kind of influence. Sometimes, He pressed His hands heavily on the devotee's head as though He was crushing out some of the low impulses. On occasions He would pat on the back of the devotee or would press His palm over his hand. Each had its own effect affecting the sensations and feelings of the persons concerned. Apart from touch, He effected an invisible operation on the devotee which brought about a great change in him". In the same work, an incident narrates the boon given by Baba to Kusa Bhav, a devotee. "Henceforth", He said, "you will have the power to produce udhi from the dhuni of Mayi of Shirdi by merely remembering me and holding forth your hands. Give this udhi freely. It will help all people and you will get punya". Kusa Bhav gave this udhi to Narasimha Swamiji when he met him in Pune. Kusa Bhav closed his eyes and stretched his hands with uplifted face and suddenly his palm was full of udhi and he said: "Hold your hands and receive the udhi". Narasimha Swamiji found the udhi to be warm coming as it did fresh from Dhuni Mayi in Shirdi on a cold day.

Sri Hanumath Suktha Mahima Hanumath Suktham, a powerful manthra. If chanted once relieves you of all sins. If chanted twice, it will have the effect of a holy dip in sacred waters, and also the effect of learning vedas and vedangas. If chanted thrice it fulfills all mundane desires and merges oneself with Lord Hanuman. A hanumath

suktha pooja is being conducted on Sunday Aug. 09 between 6.00pm to 7.00 pm (108 Banana P o o j a ) a t S r i Sanjeevaraya Samajam, 16/45, B.R.P. 1st Street, G-flat Krishna Kamalam apts, West Mambalam, Chennai- 33. For more details contact Secretary (Sri Sanjeevaraya Samajam), 98404 45633.

August 09, 2009

Stars this week For the week Aug. 09 - 15, 2009 Your desire to have more than reasonable may fail. Tuesday is a crucial day.

Dominant Venus makes you ambitious. You could tackle opportunities with wisdom and courage. But don’t aspire too much.

`Financial self-sufficiency is gaining momentum. Whatever caused irritation to you earlier should now be a thing of the past.

A luminous moon brings a lucky phase. You can to catch the bull by the horns.

Business-oriented Leos shall be minting money as their business-stars in full bloom. They will prove their worth in short time.

The incoming week may witness more mobility. You will meet new people, make new friends and sort out pending matters.

With Venus in the limelight, your romantic hopes are growing. Work occupies second place. Good time to enrich your love life.

A friendly Mars brings financial luck. Good time to lend, borrow, buy or sell. You can have your cake and eat it too.

Those committed to work, will add to your coffers by weekend. More opportunities will come your way. You may persuade a stubborn associate.

Those with Gemini and Libra as their lunar signs are sincere. Don’t expect any favours from a Cancerian or a Leo.

Saturday-born Aquarians will score a decisive victory over their rivals. Monday-born will suffer due to the vagaries of weather.

A retrogressive Jupiter may obscure your judgement. Don’t ignore good advice or doubt intentions of a friend. Look beyond usual concerns. - Dr. Anuj Vikram Sharma

Corporation plans grading system for parking lots With a view to decongest traffic and solve parking problems near commercial hubs, the Chennai Corporation is planning to introduce graded parking lots in the city. If the proposal gets going and receives patronage in the next Council meeting, charges for parking vehicles in spots located inside commercial zones may shoot up to 10 times from the existing ones. Besides 100odd on-street parking lots in the commercial hubof Adyar have more than half of them.At present the parking charge is Rs 5 per hour for two-wheelers and Rs 10 per hour for cars. According to Corporation sources, though the proposal is in its initial stages, it will help to decongest places near the identified commercial hubs in the neighbourhood thus reducing piling up of vehicles inside the zone.

The proposal is a part of the development scheme for a comprehensive parking policy and management plan for the whole city with an eye on future growth in the coming years. As per the proposal, parking lots located well inside the declared commercial zones would be entitled to charge more on vehicles and gradually reduced when the same vehicle parked in grade two or grade three parking lots located outside the zone. The idea behind this move is to persuade the people visiting commercial establishments to use public transport or park their vehicles out of the commercial zones. If need arises, the civic body also plan to introduce batteryoperated vehicles to move people from distance parking lots to commercial zones.

Guidelines on immersion of Vinayaka idols The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has issued guidelines for the immersion of Vinayaka idols at the end of Vinayaka Chaturthi, saying immersion of idols painted with chemical paints should be avoided. Idols made of raw clay and without any chemicals alone shall be used for worhsipping as these could be safely immmersed in water bodies, a release from TNPCB Chairman R

Balakrishnan here said. Idols must not be immersed in water bodies such as lakes and on seashore and should be taken 500 metres into the sea and immersed in placed notified by government,it said. Normally, the administration identifies spots for immersion few days ahead of the routine procession where the idols are taken for immersion. This year, Vinayaka Chaturthi is being celebrated on August 23.

Thematic album by Violin duo Violin duo, Ganesh and Kumaresh in association with Times Music, will launch their new thematic album, ‘Aksharam,’ a confluence of music, numbers, mantras and hymns, at a programme to be held on August 9, 6.30 p.m., at Narada Gana Sabha. Conceived by Jayanti Kumaresh, the event will have veteran

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August 09, 2009

musician M. Balam uralikrishna, maestro Ilaiyaraja, M.S. Gopalakrishnan and Haridwaramangalam A.K. Pazhanivel as the guests of honour. A b r i e f presentation on ‘Janagraha’ will be followed by the violin concert of Ganesh and Kumaresh.

Ladies special services from Aug.12 The much awaited ladies special services in the suburban sector between Ta m b a r a m - C h e n n a i Beach, ArakkonamChennai Beach and Chennai BeachVelachery will be flagged off on August 12 at Tambaram. T h e Ta m b a r a m - C h e n n a i Beach Ladies Special EMU would leave Tambaram at 0837 hrs, Arakkonam-Chennai Beach Ladies Special EMU would leave Arakkonam at 0838 hrs and Chennai BeachVe l a c h e r y L a d i e s Special EMU would leave Chennai Beach at 0839 hrs, a Railway release here said. R e g u l a r services of these ladies special EMUs would commence on August 13, it said. I n t h e Ta m b a r a m - C h e n n a i sector, the morning peak-hour Ladies special would leave

Tambaram at 0837 hrs and reach Chennai Beach at 0932 hrs. In the return direction, the Ladies Special would leave Chennai Beach at 1757 hrs and arrive Tambaram at 18.52 hrs, it said. I n t h e Arakkonam-Chennai sector, the morning peakhour Ladies Special would leave Arakkonam at 0700 hrs and reach Chennai Beach at 0855 hrs. In the return direction, the Ladies Special would leave Chennai Beach at 1750 hrs and arrive Arakkonam at 2005 hrs, it said. On MRTS sector, the morning peakhour Ladies Special would leave Chennai Beach at 0900 hrs and reach Velachery at 0940 hrs. In the return direction, the Ladies Special would leave Velachery at 1705 hrs and arrive Chennai Beach at 1745 hrs, the release added.

Garib Raths to run till October 29 C h e n n a i Central-NagercoilChennai Central weekly Garib Rath special will continue to run till October-end. Nagercoil-

bound trains will run on Wednesdays till October 28, and the Chennaibound trains on Thursdays till October 29.

Daily Trip to Thirupathi

Music, dance competitions T o commemorate the birth anniversary of Papanasam Sivan, the Papanasam Sivan Rasikar Sangam is conducting its annual music and dance competitions on his compositions, on September 5 and 6. It will be held at Narada Gana Sabha, TTK Road. The dance competition will be on

September 5 and the vocal competition (Sivan’s kritis, varnams and operas) on September 6. Application forms can be downloaded from www.shivanisai.net. Last date to submit applications is September 1. For further details contact Dr. Rukmini Ramani, Flat 1-A, Sai Sakthi, 41, Umapathy Street, West Mambalam, Chennai-33, Phone: 65295949 / 24722928.

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August 09, 2009

Cooptex 'unfolds'five-in-one silk sari The Tamil Nadu government owned Cooptex, which was

celebrating its platinum jubilee celebrations,

recently launched 'Thanga Gopuram' (Golden Tower), a five-in-

one new silk saree. The unique

Khadi rebate The Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan has announced a 20 per cent special rebate on khadi varieties in cotton, polyester, silk and readymade up to August 14. According to a release, the rebate is being offered at showrooms on Anna Salai, Avvai Shanmugam Salai in Gopalapuram and at the Indira Nagar branch.

Vocal concert Kunnakkudy School Of Music has organised Chaturti concert on August 9, 6.30 p.m. at Ishta Siddhi Vinayakar temple, Kapaleeswarar Nagar, Neelangarai. Radha Kalyanaraman will present a Carnatic vocal concert accompanied by Sivakamasundari and Neyveli Ramkumar.

Carnatic music programmes at IIT Music Club IIT Madraswill be presenting a series of carnatic music programmes at the Central Lecture Theatre (CLT), IIT Madras. from Aug. 10 to 13.daily at 6.45 pm August 10, .N. Vijay Siva.; August 11, .S. Sowmya.; August 12, P. Unnikrishnan.; August 13, Ganesh and Kumaresh (violin). All are welcome

Programmes at Asthika Samajam Asthika Samajam will conduct music programmes at Amarabharathi, 12, West Tank Street, Thiruvanmiyur.on Aug. 08 and 09 daily at 6.00 pm August 8 - Neyveli Santhanagopalan.; August 9 - Gayathri Venkatraghavan. All are welcome

International Maths Olympiad 2009 Plus Two students are invited to a discussion of the papers at the International Maths Olympiad 2009 by former Olympiad medalists at the Children’s Club at 96, V.M.Street, Mylapore on Sunday, August.9 and 16; Registration at the Club between 5 PM and 6.30 P.M on weekdays. For details call Ph. 2847 4140

feature of the saree, launched by chief secretary K S Sripathy, is that it has five exclusive designs and belongs to Kancheepuram silks, a press release from Cooptex said. The saree has been designed in such a fashion that each of its parts including pallu, body, frill and blouse would have different designs. The pallu would have the designs of gold fish with pearls imbibed in the stomach portion, Priced at Rs 35,000 the saree has 401 gms of pure silk and 569 gms of pure zari. Thanks to the

launch of designer sarees, the sales of Cooptex has crossed the target of Rs 150 crore at Rs 150.40 crore during the year 2008-09. In the current year from April to June, Cooptex has registered

sales of Rs 25.04 crore, which was 62 per cent more than the sales during the same period last year. This year, Cooptex was making all efforts to achieve the sales target of Rs 200 crore.

Off-road jeep rally Jeep Thrills, a club for jeep-owners and drivers, is organising its annual off-the-road competition from August 13 to 15. The Palar Challenge is a teambased off-road competition open to individual as well as corporate teams with

four-wheel drive vehicles. The starting point for the contest will be Adventure Zone on Cheyyur Road and the route covers about 100 km. For details and to register, visit http://thepalarchallenge. 8k.com.

R. Karthikeyan, 90947 99009

HC notice on hoardings The Madras High Court ordered notice to the Chennai Municipal Corporation Commissioner on a contempt case related to removal of unauthorized advertisement boards in and around the Chennai City. While admitting the petition filed by Social Activist Traffic Ramasamy, a Division Bench comprising Justices F M Ibrahim Kalifulla and P Rajendran d i r e c t e d t h e Commissioner of Chennai Municipal Corporation to file the counter with in two weeks. I n h i s defamation petition, Mr Ramasamy submitted that the First Bench of the court ordered to remove all the unauthorized hoardings in the State. ''Till recently, several unauthorized hoardings were erected on the stretch of Anna Salai in connection with the family marriage of the Mayor of Chennai Corporation Mr Subramanian and the same were not r e m o v e d , ' ' M r Ramasamy contended. Mr Ramasamy also showed the photographs of the hoardings to the judges. The bench posted the matter on August 21 for further hearing. Earlier in April 2008, the High Court had directed the Chennai District and Municipal Administration authorities to remove, with police help, all

unauthorized hoardings in and around the city and constituted a committee, headed by a retired High Court Judge, to oversee the operation. The Committee will also identify places of historical and aesthetic importance and popular places of worship. Laying down comprehensive guidelines to regulate hoardings and remove illegal structures, the court had said the District Collector and the jurisdictional Tahsildars would be ''personally responsible'' for enforcing the orders. Unless the new applicants removed their unauthorized hoardings, authorities concerned should not consider their applications. The Bench also directed the District Collector to ''remove and demolish'' all

unauthorized hoardings, erected after the cut-off date of June 15, 2006 and on the basis of applications made to the Collector within eight weeks thereafter. Making it clear that no licence shall be granted to hoardings that are not in conformity with the rules and regulations, the Bench said if the applicants were owners of existing hoardings, the views of the traffic police should be elicited. I f t h e applications and appeals were dismissed by the competent authority, then the relevant hoardings should be removed forthwith. The Collector, Commissioner of Police and the Corporation Commissioner should take steps for the removal. The Collector and Tahsildars must

recover tax dues and penalties from defaulters. The bench asked the Corporation Commissioner to extend all cooperation to the Collector. He should supply necessary equipment and working force for the operation.

France extends trainee visa period to one year Under new French regulations, trainee visas will be issued for a period of one year instead of three months as before. These regulations would apply to both students and professional trainees sent by companies, said Joelle Rayet, French Consul-General in Puducherry.. Speaking at a meet organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Tamil Nadu State Council (FICCI TNSC), on the new French visa guidelines,

Ms. Rayet said that the visas could be renewed in France if there was a need to do it. She said that the new regulations also allowed an “ E m p l o y e e o n Assignment” permit, under which employees seconded to a group company in France could obtain a visa for three years, with family members given a “Private and Family Life” permit after six months. A “Skills and Talents” permit would be given to investors involved in a project of worth one million euros or

more. This new permit would be given for an initial period of three years and the Ambassador of France would decide on the merits of each application under this permit. Ms. Rayet, who said she was scheduled to leave for France to take up a new assignment next week, addressed concerns from FICCI members on visa processing formalities. She said that it was advisable to plan for the visa well in advance and asked members to avoid applying for visas at the last moment.

Alpha Times

August 09, 2009

Kollywood's tribute to Michael Jackson! Praveen Mani, a core member of maestro A R Rahman's troupe is all set to conduct a grand musical event to pay tribute to the late legend Michael Jackson. The Rotary Club of Chennai is presenting the show in the name of Artists United which will be held on Aug. 29, the birthday of Jackson, at the Wesley School Grounds at Royapettah in Chennai at 7 pm. The concert seems to serve a social cause also. While paying homage to Jackson, it will also collect funds in aid of Autism Awarness and cure. Explaining the grand plans and purpose of the show, Praveen Mani and Sanjay Ramasamy of Rotary club, said, "The entire show will be dedicated to Jackson and his songs. All leading voacalists and musicians who have

worked for Oscar winning music director AR Rahman will be performing under the banner Artists United. Top performers of the country including Shankar Ehsaan and Loy apart from Kollywood’s singing fraternity comprising of top singers like Benny Dayal, Karthik, Naresh Iyer, Suchitra Karthik Kumar, Anu Cheyur, Sunitha Sarathy, Keith Peters, Blaaze, Joshua Sridhar, Suresh Peters and Timothy Madhukar will be performing..." Rahman will not be physically present at the concert, but a recording of his tribute to Jackson will be played for the audiences which is estimated to be around 20,000 people.

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Free swayamvaram for Brahmins Chennai Sai Sankara Matrimonials functioning at 7 (15/2), 9th Avenue, Ashok Nagar are organising “Free Swayamvaram" for Brahmins(Members Only) on Sunday, Aug. 16 at Balaji Kalyana Mandapam, T.Nagar (Behind Agasthiyar Kovil). The programme will be as follows: Iyers ( 9Am – 1PM) , Iyengars (1PM – 3Pm) Remarriages (PM – 5PM). For Grooms minimum Income criteria for participation is Rs 25,000/-P.M

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August 09, 2009

Prakash Raj forays as film director Prakash Raj, the most versatile actor of South Indian film industry is often

with ‘Duet’ in negative role and later continued performing similar characters. Gradually, he was successful with some prominent roles and later established himself as protagonist. Almost, his e v e r y production turned to be a box office hit receiving critical acclaims. Recen tly, he produced the film ‘Abhiyum Naanum’ (based on Hollywood flick ‘Father of the Bride’)

featuring himself and Tr i s h a a s d a d a n d daughter. The film was directed by Radha Mohan and Prithviraj did a cameo role. With the film running successfully in Ta m i l a n d Te l u g u , Prakash Raj has decided to remake the film in Kannada. He makes his debut directorial with this film where Divya Spandana of ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ fame performs his daughter’s role. With the film’s shooting slated to hit the floors by November, buzz is that Puneeth Rajkumar will perform a cameo role.

won him appreciation for the decent performance. Although, the film didn’t witness good response at box office, m a n y filmmake rs had approach ed him with their scripts. A f t e r hearing 1 5 scripts, t h e lyricistturneda c t o r seems to h a v e finalized couple of them and has already commenced shooting for one of the projects. He strongly admits that he would

A Tamil film 'Thambivudaiyan', which deals with the Cauvery water dispute has run into trouble with the censor board, which has placed a ban on the release of the film. The film is about the sufferings of the farmers of Thanjavur region. The censor board has objected to its content and banned the film's release. Director Raja Mahesh, however, has a different version.

This Space Costs ennobled as Jacks of all trades. Rs.200/Emerging from theatre group, the actor only made his onscreen debut Pa. Vijay to prove himself Film on Cauvery issue runs as a commercial hero into trouble with censor board In this era, where filmmakers are stepping into the shoes of actors, lyric writer Pa. Vijay attempted for the

same endeavor. His debut film ‘Thai Kavyam’ was shelved due to unknown reasons while his recent release ‘Gnyabagangal’

prove himself as a commercial hero. The actor is keen on not revealing either film’s title o r d i r e c t o r ’s n a m e . Meanwhile, his ‘Gnyabagangal’ is recommended for the screening at Cannes international film festival.

'Kanthaswamy' red carpet premiere for Bollywood celebs Ooh Here comes the biggest starspangled event of this season. Producer Kalaipuli S Dhanu has cleared all the rumors

about the release of 'Kanthaswamy'.

He confirms that by all means, the film will get released on Independence Day (August 15). The previous night will have star-studded red carpet premiere where actor Vikram and producer Kalaipuli S Dhanu have invited Bollywood celebs. Closer sources have revealed that A b h i s h e k Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai seem to have accepted the invite

as they’ve been filming together with Vikram for ‘Raavana’. It will be the first-ever red carpet premiere to be telecasted live on a leading satellite channel. Kalaipuli S Dhanu of V Creations has shelled out more than Rs.60 Crores for this film. He is more confident about raising profit merely within first week. The film is getting released simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil with 900 prints and will get dubbed in Hindi version too.

'The problem has been there for decades but it still remains unresolved. As I t o o a m f r o m Thanjavur district, I wanted to attempt a solution to this longpending issue through a movie.' Talking about the scene the censor board has objected to, Mahesh said: 'The hero of the film abducts the wife and children of a powerful minister and says that they would be released only if the 'other side' releases water to the starving farmers'. When the censor board asked Mahesh to remove this particular sequence he refused saying that it was an important sequence. The censor board went ahead and banned the film. 'We have decided to go in for another appeal,' Mahesh said.

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August 09, 2009

Consumer Beware

Check legal status before land purchase

s

transaction did not come under the purview of the courts. This has been the consistent view of the courts ever since. In Ashok Tayal’s case, the complainant was the highest bidder in an auction of a commercial plot by the Delhi Development Authority. However, after taking possession of the plot, when he visited it, he found a board stating that it belonged to the post office. T h e complainant filed a civil writ in the Delhi High Court and was informed b y t h e P o s t a l Department that it was the earlier purchaser of the land, and it belonged to the department. Tayal then filed a complaint before the national commission, alleging negligence on the part of the DDA, and seeking compensation for the loss suffered. The national commission, however, dismissed the complaint, saying that it was an outright sale of immovable commercial property in a public auction, and the complaint was not maintainable. In subsequent cases pertaining to auctions, the apex court held a similar view. Now, in a recent order, it has re-examined this issue and reiterated its earlier opinion. In this particular case (Rajasthan Financial Corporation vs MK Bhoot, RP No 740 of 2006), the complainant participated in an auction held by the Rajasthan Financial Corporation in respect of movable and immovable properties. His bid of Rs 34,50,000, being the highest, was

C R O S SW O R Across K G 1. A class of scriptures of ancient India 6. ____ Khusro, great medieval poet 8. Charles ____, great English essayist 11. Central point of anything 12. Not in; away from 13. A kind of network in computer use (abbr.) 14. Pound, famous U.S. poet 19. Erase; efface; bring to ruin 21. Pertaining to molecules Down 2. Outer edge; border 3. Another name for Shiva 4. Competent; skilful 5. Equip with weapons 6. Negative terminal of a battery cell 7. Bury; put into the ground 9. Woody ____, great film-maker 10. Lotto like game, much played in English pubs 15. Crippled or physically disabled 16. Bishop ____, Nobel prize winner 18. Park in which live animals are kept 20. Our genetic code is hidden in this (abbr.) '

accepted and approved. As per the terms of the auction, the complainant had deposited Rs 1,75,000 as earnest money at the time of the bid but could not pay 25 per cent of the bid amount within 30 days of acceptance of the bid, as stipulated in the terms and conditions of the auction. Consequently, he lost the bid and also forfeited the earnest amount. The national commission, in this case, observed that in its c o n s i d e r e d v i e w, purchase of property in an auction was tantamount to outright sale of immovable property, and there was no arrangement of hiring of service for consideration between the parties Therefore, disputes pertaining to such transactions could not be adjudicated upon by the courts. In fact, in the initial years following the enactment of the consumer protection law, housing boards and land development authorities had argued that courts could not adjudicate over disputes pertaining to allotment of plots or houses as those were issues of sale or transfer of immovable property. Dismissing this v i e w, t h e n a t i o n a l commission, and later the Supreme Court, had clarified that when a private builder or a statutory authority develops land and allots a site or constructs a house for the benefit of the customer, there is an element of ’ as defined under the law. - Pushpa G

Of success and failure “I want my children to be number one. There is no place in this world for the mediocre.” A mother insisted on a popular US talk show. “Children’s activities are not about having fun. They are about competing and winning every time.” Armed with the motto, “the second place goes to the first loser” she continually shouted, lectured, criticised and pushed her two children to excel. Needless to say, this unbending attitude destroyed the woman’s relationship with them and her husband who viewed her as a pushy, aggressive person. Her constant rows with her son’s sports coach and her daughter’s teachers were a major source of embarrassment for them. Instead of enjoying their academic and sports activities, they began to dread them. The resulting stress, frustration and unhappiness nearly caused the family to split apart while the woman remained clueless about what caused the children to rebel and turn against her. Sometimes, as parents, we have a preconceived notion of what constitutes “success” and we force our children to live up to our interpretation of that word. At other times, we try to live vicariously through our children and push them to succeed in areas in which we failed while we were young. Getting the coveted first position in school exams, A+ grade,

D Answer is Next Week

Planning to buy property being auctioned? I would suggest that you tread carefully. Get all the information on the property. Make sure that the property is free of encumbrances (ask for an encumbrance certificate and check it’s authenticity) and there is a clear title to the property, and that it would be transferred to your name without any problem. Or, to put it differently, check the legal status of the land, land use, title deeds, tax receipts and the encumbrance certificate (encumbrance is a general term for any claim on the property that restricts or impairs its transfer or renders it less marketable). Vi s i t t h e property and make sure that it actually exists. Also, read the terms and conditions pertaining to the auction very carefully, and go ahead only if you have no problem with those. And bid only if you can pay the bid amount within the stipulated time. I say all this because if something were to go wrong, you cannot seek the intervention of the court. Most consumers are unaware of the fact that courts do not adjudicate over problems arising from or related to property bought in an auction. In one of the earliest cases of that nature (Ashok Tayal vs the Delhi Development Authority) brought before it, the national consumer disputes redressal commission held that there was no hiring of service in an auction sale, and, therefore, the

inclusion in school cricket team (or being made the captain, since the sky is the limit when it comes to our aspirations and never mind the merit), top positions in declamation contests, are all hallmarks of truly gifted children but not every child can achieve this pinnacle of success. Sometimes the e x p e r i e n c e o f participating and competing in an event, making new friends and developing new skills are rewards enough as they enrich your child’s overall personality and personal growth. I h a v e witnessed parents who scold and berate their children in public for not performing up to their desired expectations. Miffed by their child’s second or third position in a contest, they bicker and criticise the jury’s judgment while insisting that their child should have won. Some parents argue endlessly with teachers and coaches over minute matters and over what they perceive to be inequitable decisions going against their child. In most cases, c h i l d r e n f e e l embarrassed by their parents’ aggressive demeanour, especially if it occurs openly in front of their class fellows and teachers. In another scenario, this negative attitude teaches the children not to accept disappointment with grace. They learn to shift the blame on teachers and coaches and feel as if the whole world is involved in a giant conspiracy against them. They do not learn to evaluate their own mistakes and performance with any degree of fairness. C h i l d psychologists assert that children should be praised for their efforts and not on the final result. Getting praise for their efforts teaches them to value hard work while the focus on final results makes them afraid of making mistakes. Children whose results are praised feel pressurised to succeed at all costs even if they have to resort to unfair means. In a study regarding habits of high achievers in the field of

academics and sports, it was found that children whose parents emphasise continuous effort, hard work, practice, and learning from mistakes turn out to be especially resilient when confronted with challenges. These children are eager to take on new tasks; they are more inquisitive and creative and are always willing to learn something new. As parents, we should teach our children to be gracious winners and courageous losers. The parents’ reaction to their children’s wins and losses often determines their on-thefield and off-the-field attitude. If we lambaste our children for their defeats and belittle their efforts, we turn them into sulky and whining individuals. If we crow too much over their triumphs, they can become conceited, egotistical monsters. The parents must keep their reactions within acceptable limits to encourage the children to be fair spirited and generous team players. Every effort should be praised and every achievement celebrated but we must also remember to offer solace, encouragement and our full support when the chips are down. There is no doubt that failure in any form can be very painful. It is equally true that failure is inevitable at some stage in life. Strange though it may sound, tasting a morsel of failure is sometimes necessary for children because it teaches them to dust themselves and start afresh after a hard fall. It teaches them the importance of not taking anything for granted and equips them with determination, perseverance and resilience. Above all it teaches them to appreciate and aspire for victories that life has to offer. If we really want to be sure that our children become hard-working, successful adults, we have to encourage them to recognise and develop their individual strengths and work hard to improve any weaknesses. Sweeping their flaws under the carpet of bribery, cheating and corruption will never do them any good. Life has a way of tossing up challenges. If children are not taught to deal with personal weaknesses with grit and determination, these problems will keep on surfacing in other and more important aspects of life, leaving your children illequipped to handle them and then … whither success? - S. Raghunathan

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Alpha Times

August 09, 2009

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