Feb. 15, 2009 T Nagar Issue

Alpha Times Putting Heart and Soul of your Neighbourhood

VOL: 1 ISSUE 35

Feb. 15, 2009

PRICE Re. ONE ONLY

Ranganathan Street imbroglio

HC stays demolition drive of Chennai Corporation It was Thursday morning as usual for the shopkeepers located at the T Nagar's Ranganathan Street when a posse of policemen along with the team of about 150 civic staff - workers, junior engineers, assistant engineers, assistant executive engineers, executive engineers - from 16 wards, led by an assistant commissioner of the Kodambakkam zone scooped on the street, one of the prime shopping locations in Chennai. Forty police personnel from Mambalam and Soundara Pandianar Angadi police stations shut off the area with temporary barricades. At least 16 small shops that had encroached upon the neighbouring Rameswaram Street were pulled down by the local body. At the end of the

exercise that lasted till about 3 pm, around 70% of the encroachments were bulldozed and four lorry loads of debris and other waste were removed and a 6 ft extra width was recovered. "No sooner was a case against the encroachments filed in the high court than the traders were given time to remove them on their own. They were informed several times and the final deadline got over Wednesday. So we went ahead with the demolition on Thursday," a senior corporation o ff i c i a l t o l d m e d i a . Although revenue records show that the width of the road should be 30.6 feet, traders had encroached upon more than six feet, sources said.

It was only when six bulldozers and l o r r i e s entered Ranganath an Street at 8 am that traders realised the how serious t h e authorities were in getting rid of t h e encroachm e n t s . H o w e v e r, the sight of corporation workers reducing their shops to rubble was too much for them to d i g e s t . M a n y

traders took over the demolition, engaging

labourers to remove carefully signboards, sunshades and hoardings so as to minimise the damage and loss. The situation quickly turned unpleasant, when small traders alleged that they were being discriminated against. M Murugan, a trader, said that only small shops were targetted and several multi-storyed structures were left untouched. "It is only the small shops that are asked to down shutters. The big malls remain open and have brisk business, despite

the chaos outside," he said. S o m e shopkeepers said that the sunshades were also demolished when we have been pauing tax for the sun shades too for many years. With the case in Supreme court and the Madras High Court granting a stay it is premature to comment on the situation said the official on condition of anonymity. However its first round victory for the traders. It will be known next month as to who will have the last laugh. -AT Team

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Feb. 15, 2009

Did Baba preach “Just feel good" gospel? VOL : 1 ISSUE 35

Feb. 15, 2009

Dangerous foods A study conduced by the Centre for Science and Environment dropped a bombshell when it reported that most of the edible oils available in the market contain more trans fats than permissible. High levels of trans fats, five to 12 times higher than the internationally accepted standards, were found in seven vanaspati brands. Later it cleared many vegetable oils and declared it safe for cooking purposes. But the fact remains that, by and large, the Indian consumer remains oblivious to the health hazards of the majority of the food products he consumes. That India, which is threatening to become the diabetic capital of the world, is not eating right is an undisputed fact. As many as 50 per cent of the women are malnourished and 51 per cent of the children are stunted because they are not eating the right food. While the poor don't have enough to eat, the rich are spending less on healthy food. The average Indian's consumption of vegetables and fruits is far below the required norm. Now, the trans fats of hydrogenated oils are posing a major threat to health. According to the Centre for Chronic Diseases Control, New Delhi, trans fats not only raise bad cholesterol and cause heart ailments, but also can lead to many diseases like cancer and diabetes. Sadly, though the Health Ministry's Oils and Fats SubCommittee forwarded the recommendation to the Central Committee for Food for standards, no clear guidelines on trans fats have been laid out. The Health Ministry's move to make nutritional labelling compulsory for all processed food by March 19 is welcome. However, it should also have included restaurant food that is loaded with trans fats as also saturated fats. Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss's belief that nutritional information will enable people to make better choices is well-placed. But, awareness is only one part of healthy eating. Health awareness campaigns must complement healthy food choices. Harmful food products need to be taken off the shelf. Food standards and permissible limits must be clearly defined, disseminated to the public and implemented rigorously.

Hayagreeva Homam A Hayagreeva Homam is slated to be held for the benefit of students appearing for the Board Examinations in general at the Sankara Madam on Feb. 15.The Homam would be initiated by Sri Sankarananda Swamigal at 9.00 am. Students desirous of participating in the Homam can join and there is no fee for participation. For more information call V Lakshminarasimhan 97909 20744

Ekadhina Lakshaarchanai Sri Ram Samaj has embarked upon a programme of Ekadhina Lakshaarchanai for Lord Sri Rama at the Ayodhya Mandapam on Feb. 15 at 7.30 am. All are welcome.

Special Trishati Tiruvilakku Puja Chennai Om Sri Skandasramam is organising a special Trishati Tiruvilakku Puja (300 nos.) on February 17, 6.00 p.m., for world peace and prosperity at the Skandasramam's Harihara Hall, 1, Kambar St., Mahalakshmi Nagar, Selaiyur, Tambaram. For details, call 22290134 / 94446 29570.

Chant Vishnu Saharsranamam in the presence of Balaperiyaval Vishna Sahasranama committee at the Ram Samaj will be arranging a programme of chanting Vishnusahasranamam in the presence of Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Mutt ( Bala periyaval) at Kancheepuram on Sunday Feb. 22 to commemorate the Jayanthi of Balaperiyaval. Free bus is arranged by the Sri Ram Samaj which will leave Ayodhya Mandapam at 6.30 am on Feb. 22 and the particpants would be provided with breakfast, lunch etc., Devotees desirous of participating can register their names with Shri Gopala Iyer on Phone 2471 0273 on or before Feb. 20 and be present on Feb. 22 morning at the Ayodhya Mandapam.

What is the method of teaching that Baba followed? Did He install any institution or a particular way of thought for His followers to propagate? For that matter, has there been any record of Sadguru Sainath

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appointing anyone to continue what we conceive as the mission He had set? Inscrutable are His ways! This is a famous phrase from Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji's English version of Shri Sai Satcharitha. It turns out to be true. During His lifetime and after, Baba showed a peculiar way of teaching and guiding His followers. He had asked some to be more disciplined, perform rituals, and undertake reading of sacred texts, while some were asked to keep quiet or just wait. Some were commended for their piety while some denounced for their orthodoxy! Baba seemed to have answers to the innermost of the questions His followers had. He seemed to have a certain way of giving "individualized instruction" depending on one's earnestness. However, He seems to be very particular in emphasizing certain virtues in His followers. The two pice (two cents) He demanded were faith and patience. Invaluable! By calling Himself as a servant, Baba has stressed the importance of humility, because humility is a virtue that reaps rich harvest in one's pursuits. By insisting on the surrender of the self and accepting the will of the supreme over the individual, Baba stressed the existence of a unifying higher order. His views on the purpose of religions were simple, "There is only one God and the purpose of every religion is the same". In a unique way, Sai Baba of Shirdi also had asked His followers to investigate the "self". He also expounded on the obstacles for such a pursuit, native as well as acquired. Is it possible to categorize this unique way of spiritual leadership? For some, Baba's life and teachings might look like a paradox, but in reality, His ways are as simple and natural as it could be! He did not give any set of rules to follow for His disciples. On the other hand, He was present in the minds of earnest devotees who sought His guidance on matters, big and small. For such people, in His words, He guarded them from front, back, and sides. To those who would differ with His advice, Baba said simply, "God will do good". Faith and patience are two traits common to everyone and by invoking these qualities common to every human being; Sai Baba of Shirdi has indeed simplified the pursuit. Eleven assurances of Sainath are well known to His devotees. Baba said that none who would approach Him would turn back disappointed. Did He mean that every prayer would be answered? Yes! Every prayer will receive an answer. Sometimes, the answer is "Yes", sometimes, "No", and some other times, "Just wait". Baba's coffers are open to those who believe in waiting and wanting His grace and love. His gift to those is not "just feel good" temporary material appeasement, but bliss that is perpetual, a state of permanent contentment.

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Tyagaraja aradhana Bharat Kalachar is conducting Tyagaraja aradhana on February 15, 8.45 a.m. at Sri YGP Auditorium, 17, Tirumalai Road, T. Nagar. Eminent musicians will render Pancharatna kritis on the occasion. Musicians vocal and instrumental will pay homage to the saint poet during the day.For further details call 2834 1164/2834 3045/2817 3596.

Free Medical camp A free thyroid detection camp will be conducted from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturday, Feb 21 at 6, Malony Road, T.Nagar, Screening and TSH test will be done followed by free

consultation on a later date by Dr. P. Kannan on receipt of test reports. Those desirous of participating in the camp may register their name thorugh SMS to 98411 61760.

Sathya SaiAkhanda Bhajan Sri Sathya Sai organisation, Chennai Metro (West), West Mambalam Samithi functioning at 1, Easwaran Koil Street, West Mambalam as a part of M a h a s i v a r a t h r i celebrations will be organising an akhanda

bhajan from 9.00 am on Monday, Feb. 23 to 6.00 am on Tuesday Feb. 24 in Vasantham Marriage Hall, Arya Gowda Road, West Mambalam. For details call K.N. Meenakshisumdaram (Convener) in ph: 94450 34415. All are welcome.

T Nagar humour club meeting The meeting of the T. Nagar Humour Club will be held at The Stenographers’ Guild premises on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 4.00 pm. The famous writer Thiru. Baggiyam Ramaswamy will be the chief guest. There will be an-half-anhour joke session. The meeting is open to all and those who are interested to take part in joke session should give their names before the meeting starts.

T h e membership is open to all. The annual membership fee is Rs.100/- and the life membership fee is Rs. 1,000/-. For more details, contact The T.Nagar Humour Club, c/o. The Stenographers’ Guild, No.1, Guild St., (Behind Siva Vishnu Te m p l e ) , T. N a g a r , Chennai- 600 017. Phone: 24342421; 24337387.

Malar Hospitals, an associate of Fortis Healthcare, recently launched the state-ofthe-art Escorts Chest

function, Mr Barnala stated that the government was concerned about the health of its people.

Sridevi Jayamuthu Mariamman Koil, Brindavan Street, West Mambalam (opp. Navin’s office) on Sunday, Feb. 15.For details call 98412 92765/ 89522. All are welcome.

communicate in English and have a fair knowledge of grammar can apply. The course fee is Rs. 1000 and the last date for applying is Feb. 17. Concentration and meditation training will also be given. Ashrama library can be contacted from 9.30 am to 12.00 p.m and 4.00 pm to 8.00 pm on Ph: 2814 3896/ 3514. for registration details.

Free pranic healing camp GMCKS Pranic Healing Center 7, Vivekananadapuram 1st Street, West Mambalam will conduct a free pranic healing camp from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm today (Sunday, Feb. 15). Those suffering from arthritis, back pain,

frozen shoulder, neck pain, etc., and psychological ailments like stress, depression and grief are welcome to attend the camp. For more information on pranic healing call 94449 06410/ 97104 03992.

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Spoken English Course Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama located at 3, Maharajapuram Santhanam Salai, T.Nagar, will conduct a spoken English course (Advanced level) from Wednesday, Feb. 18 for college students and others. A session of 24 classes will be conducted from 6.20 p.m to 8.15pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Those who can

Daily Trip to Thirupathi

Malar Hospital launches Escorts Chest Pain Clinic

Rama Nama chanting Chaithanya Mahaprabhu Nama Biksha Kendra, there will be chanting of Hare Rama from 5.00 p.m to 6.00 p.m in Sri Suprabatha Sabha, 10/6 Baroda 2nd Street, West Mambalam and from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm in

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Alpha Times

Feb. 15, 2009

Photo: S. Mohan

Pain Clinic (ECPC), making it the most modern and fully equipped chest clinic in the city. Ta m i l N a d u Governor Surjit Singh Barnala inaugurated the high-tech centre, which would attend to emergency cases round the clock. The centre would provide high-tech cardiac care facility at par with international standards to their patients. ''The clinic intend to offer its patients speedy attention, referral and attendance by constant monitoring and ensuring that nothing steps out of control in the handling of the discomfort'', a hospital release here said. Addressing the

''Each and every one of us take to health care and exercise as a regular habit''. He said ''the need of the hour is having sound health, which forms the basis for a happy life. Providing medical services to the common people and bringing health awareness are avery important, so that our people can lead a quality life''. Congratulating Fortis Malar Hospital for its initiatives to bring advancements in its medical facilities, the Governor said he was confident that the hospital would be a super speciality centre, delivering high end medical treatment.

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Alpha Times

Feb. 15, 2009

Kamal's Milan with the students Actor director P a d m a s h r i D r. K a m a l Hassan said he enjoyed

company of students. He feels young and await one of them to show case their talent more than the filmdom stalwarts so that he can emulate them and said he still learns in the film industry and feels elated to be among the students. This was his expression at the Milan 2009 an intercollege cultural

programme which was inaugurated on Friday at the SRM University

campus at the suburban Kattangulathur. Inaugurating ''Milan-2009'', a three-day national level cultural show organised by the SRM University the actor said the film industry needed educated people.He said the film industry needed more educated people and

exhorted the students to take up a career in the film world after completing their

studies. ''It doesn't mean that all of them should become actors. The advent of technology provides enormous opportunities for the students to take up career in the film world. The film industry offers so many positions for the students to pursue their career,'' he

added. To drive home his point, Kamal admitted that he was a high school dropout and his father's repeated efforts to make him study went in vain bu at times people used to think that he was a scientist. ‘'An actor can be an IAS officer or a Ph.D also,'' Kamal recalled his father's words asking him to take up studies while pursuing his goal of becoming an actor.

''But that did not really happen,'' he said and appealed to the students to finish their studies first and then take up a career in the film industry. There was never a dull moment right through the one-hour long function and the decibel level at the over-crowded auditorium, which had about 7,000 students as against its capacity of 4,000, remained at the highest. Each and every remark made by Kamal was greeted with raucous applause by the students from more than 60 colleges, who had gathered for the carnival from every nook and corner of the country Talking to the media on the sidelines of the function, while

reiterating its stand on the infrastructure needed for commencing the courses the Chancellor T R Pachamuthu said that the University plans to set up the necessary infrastructure for the Film Institute it has planned and an area of 17 acres with greenary is getting ready in the University campus itself. Once the infrastructre is ready the University will commence the Film institute and it will romp in industry doyens to assist the University in imparting the best quality education. Underlining the U n i v e r s i t y ' s committment to the poor the Chancellor said that the university is time and again identifying the needy and the poor and gives them free higher education in most of the cases. Pro Chancellor P Ravi earlier presented a shawl to the actor Kamal Hassan and Vice chancellor Prof. P Sathyanarayan, and other officials of the University were present on the occasion. -Staff Reporter

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Alpha Times

Feb. 15, 2009

Councilor inaugurated public convenience It ‘s habbit of the passersby to ease out

themselves out at the newly constructed

along railway tracks as a urinal can now ease

corporation public convenience on the

service lane of Madley Road subway near Mambalam Railway station parking lot. This facility was recently inaugurated by R. Prakash (councilor, Ward 125) Councilor Prakash in an informal chat with this staffer said that it has 2 bathrooms and toilets for men and women. A mirror with washbasin has also been installed. Public convenience users if found that the maintenance is below standards they are free to alert him on Mob. 98408 34812.

Last call for private candidates Kicking yourself for failing to submit your application form within the stipulated time for the forthcoming higher secondary examinations – slated to be held in March this year - as a private candidate? Relax. There is a window of opportunity. You can send in your application under the ‘special admission scheme’ of the education department. Under the scheme, private candidates need to remit a special fee of Rs 1,000 in addition to the examination fees. Candidates whose applications were earlier rejected but have paid the

examination fees can also apply under this scheme by paying only the special fee of Rs 1,000 through a demand draft. Such candidates should enclose the memo sent by the education department as evidence along with the filled-in application form, an official press release said on Friday. You can collect the applications from the following offices from February 18 to 23 except on weekends: Directorate o f G o v e r n m e n t Examinations, College Road, Chennai; all Chief Educational Offices, and all District Educational

Offices. You need to get your photographs on the application form and the hall ticket duly attested by the headmaster of the school where you had last studied. You also need to submit your filled-in application form in person at the Directorate of G o v e r n m e n t Examinations, Chennai - 6, on or before February 23, 5 p.m. Applications sent by post will be rejected. Direct private candidates (HP category) should get an attestation from the headmaster of the school where they (candidates) last studied.

Guild celeberates ‘Founder's Day T h e Stenographer's Guild T

s tu d e n ts fr o m economically backward

distributed certificates

Nagar celebrated its 72nd Founder's Day on Tuesday. Tamil Nadu DGP K P Jain was the chief guest. Welcoming the gathering S V Ramaswamy Hon. President of the Guild said that the Guild will be offering free of cost coaching to physically challenged , orphans, trans-genders, and to students from EWS of the

classes.

and prizes to the successful candidates and also gave away the certificates to 14 students of the Little Flower Deaf and Dumb school for successfully completing the typewriting course.

Showering encomiums DGP K P Jain lauded the efforts of the Guild in promoting Stenography and adviced the students to equip themselves with job oriented courses. DGP Jain later

- Staff Reporter

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Alpha Times

Feb. 15, 2009

Crime Beat

Cash bag robbed from retired banker A 60 year old retired Banker from IOB came out of IOB West Mambalam branch after withdrawing cash around 1.30 p.m.The incident happened on Friday, Feb. 07 P r o b a b l y watching his movements for sometime, a middle aged rowdy suddenly snatched his cash bag containing cash Rs.15000/- and credit cards by overpowering him and escaped in a motorcycle which was kept nearby by along with an accomplice. The victim was shouting for help but of no use as the passers by were just looking on. l. The culprits also managed to pay some bills by misusing the credit cards before it could be deactivated. This has caused immense panic among the womenfolk as well as Sr. citizens who frequent the bank and are agitated, by the daring incident, happening on a busy road and that too in day time. The area has ATMS of three major Banks and it is learnt that similar incidents

are taking place quite frequently. People feel that there is an urgent need for strengthening of police patrolling and vigilance in and around the area round the clock. It is also suggested that the Banks on their part should post security guards and also install survillance cameras without fail to get clues about the culprits where ever possible. A complaint has been filed in the Ashok Nagar Police Station who are investigating the matter. It may be noted that Arya Gowda Road and its neighbourhood has become vulnerable for the antisocial elements to lay hands on sr. citiznes and women folk . During last week three cases of chain snatching and a case of robbery were heard among the general public. Will the local police beef up the security in the area to curb such incidents.

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Feb. 15, 2009 Language Arts

Use the right word It is no doubt a great relief that over the past hundred years or so language rules regarding the use and choice of words have relaxed considerably. We are now quite free to coin new expressions to suit our situations. 'As light as a baby' will now be as acceptable as the traditional version of this simile 'as light as a feather.' What we write now is closer to the way we speak. As a result simple clear vocabulary has become the order of the day. The hallmark of a popular writer or speaker is, therefore, the clarity of his expression. Also his real test lies in how many people from all age groups can he reach out and include in his audience. It is exactly in order to achieve this purpose of being understood correctly that you are required to use the right word for a situation. In order to develop this ability make a careful selection of the keywords for use in your sentences. These keywords generally come in the form of verbs, adverbs, nouns and adjectives, as is apparent from the following examples: 1. The shadows (noun) were stealing (verb) across the yard. (noun) 2. He slammed (verb) the door (noun) angrily. (adverb) 3. She sobbed (verb) uncontrollably. (verb) Each of the three examples conveys a clear picture of what the writer intends to portray. There's a sense of movement in "stealing across the yard"; the senses of sound and sight in "sobbed uncontrollably "and in "slammed the door angrily". Certainly when the reader understands as nearly as possible what the writer wishes to communicate, the purpose of the writing or speech is achieved. The first step towards reaching this goal is to sharpen your comprehension by replacing keywords in a context with words that carry a meaning which is closest to the replaced word. Let's study the following passage to understand this strategy:"One day I made a very strange (queer) discovery (observation). I was alarmed (very disturbed) to see the print (outline) of a man?s bare (shoeless) foot in the sand. I stood as if I was struck (hit) by lightning (thunder)." The next step is to select short passages from your readings. Turn them into exercises where keywords are to be replaced with words of similar meanings. This language exercise, when repeated regularly, helps enhance your awareness of the most appropriate word to be used to describe a particular feeling, situation or action. Another very effective way of learning how to use the correct word is to look up the section of word usage exercises in the language books available at home or in bookshops. Some examples mentioned here will give you a very clear idea of what is meant by a choose-the-correct-word exercise. The italicised word in each example is the right choice for the missing word in the relevant sentence. 1. They did not want to ____ their cat unnecessarily. (a) excitable (b) excite (c) exciting (d) excited 2. She looked after her sick father with great ____ (a) care (b) attention (c) purpose (d) pleasure 3 Raju was asked to ______ the results of the contest to the audience. (a) publish (b) proclaim (c) print (d) announce Finally, a word of advice to young writers: be on guard against the overuse of a word in your script or your speech. Some of the most commonly overused words are listed below: aspect, case, character, condition, cute, fine, good, great, lovely, nice, point, question, state, think, type and way I hope in future you will not allow a word like 'great' to stand out in your essays just because you are too lazy to make the effort of replacing the overused word "great" in your text with words similar in meaning like: amazing, extraordinary, huge, thrilling or excellent. However, in case your vocabulary is limited and you are facing problems thinking up synonyms for the over-used words in your writings, consult a standard thesaurus or dictionary. Another step towards increasing your vocabulary substantially and getting rid of your dependence on excessively used words is to adopt a sound reading habit. A sound habit means not to limit your reading to just one or two writers but to widen your mental horizon by exposing yourself to a variety of quality writings penned by different authors. In this way you will soon develop a rich vocabulary which would add new dimensions to your writings. -Srirangachari

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Alpha Times Business

Do not expect big concessions: Nath to exporters New Delhi Feb. 15: Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath asked exporters to face downturn in Europe and the US without expecting any other big fiscal concessions from the government. " O n t h e question of packages, I want to make it clear that there can be no solution by government for problems in Europe and the US. If there is demand contraction, government of India cannot pull out a package to take care of economic stress in Europe and the US," Nath told reporters here. The minister said the government cannot place orders for gems and jewellery and textiles. "So there are certain sectors which will be affected (due to the global recession)." The Centre had announced two stimulus

packages to boost the domestic economy. In its first package in December 2008, the government had provided an interest subvention of two per cent up to March 2009 for pre- and post-shipment export credit for labourintensive exports (textiles, leather, marine products) and SME sector. Commerce Secretary G K Pillai had on February said due to global downturn about 15 lakh people employed in the exporting sector would be out of jobs by March this year. A f t e r a n impressive expansion of over 30 per cent in the first six months of 200809, the growth has turned negative with the result that the total shipments in the current fiscal would fall much short of the USD 200 billion target.

Hyundai ups prices Hyundai Motor India Ltd, country's second largest car m a n u f a c t u r e r announced an increase in the prices of Santro, i10 and Accent across all its variants by 1.2 per cent to 3 per cent on account of raising input cost. The retail prices across these models have gone up ranging from Rs 3,601 to Rs 14,636. After the price hike, Santro will be costlier by Rs 3,601-Rs

5,163, the premium hatchback i10 will be dearer by Rs 3,974-Rs 7,637 and the prices of Accent have gone up by Rs 14,636. However, prices of rest of the model range comprising the newly launched premium hatch i20 and the premium luxury car Sonata remains unchanged, it said in a statement. The new prices are applicable with immediate effect, it added.

Stop cramming! For majority of students, cramming is a way of retaining knowledge, which should be strictly avoided The learning process, whether academics or otherwise, involves attaining and retaining of knowledge about different ideas and their application. The annual examinations are taken to gauge what the students have learnt. Whether right or wrong, in the process of retention of knowledge, students most often depend upon 'cramming' Cramming is learning a passage by heart. Most students read aloud the paragraph repeatedly till they are sure they remember it well. Although most students do not endorse this, it is a fact that understanding a passage is more helpful in remembering it than just learning it word by word. Moreover, it is observed that students who comprehend a topic are more likely to retain it than those who just cram it. A good hold over the subject implies that you comprehend its central idea. Discussions with teachers or classmates add in the clear understanding of the topic because a student will get to know what others think. In addition to this, students have the chance to gain more vocabulary which helps in thorough comprehension of a subject because if you have a large vocabulary, you can retain and reproduce the same idea in a different, catchy and crisp language. Cramming also restricts you to the same language and ideas that the textbook has expressed and you do not gain knowledge beyond the words. However, you are not always asked to answer only what the textbook has focused on but it can be a tricky one to test your clear comprehension of the topic. Therefore, do not confine yourself to rote learning but try to bring out your inner potentials to gain good grades. Unfortunately, our traditional education system tests the memory of students rather than comprehension. To things sum up, cramming should be discouraged at every stage and students should pursue education by understanding the viewpoint of their teachers as well as the author of the book or any chapter, and then express it in whichever way they want. Teachers should also play their part in discouraging students from following this habit. This will not only bring out competent learners but will also promote literacy in the country. - S. Raghunathan

Govt allows FDI in multi-brand retail New Delhi: It's official now. Despite having foreign direct investment (FDI) through indirect route, Indian "owned and controlled" company can venture into sectors like multi-brand retail, said commerce minister Kamal Nath on Friday, insisting that the new FDI norms are no way different from the existing rules. He argued that at present most of the companies operating in the multi-brand retail are having investments from FIIs or raised money through ADRs and GDRs in the international m a r k e t . H o w e v e r, according to the present FDI norms, foreign investment is not allowed in ventures like multibrand retail, gambling and casino, among other

things. According to the new norms, if a company is owned and controlled by Indians, it will be allowed to venture into certain sectors, despite having FDI. Now, if in a company, foreign holding is less than 50%, it will be termed as owned by Indians. If its management is controlled by Indians, it will be considered as controlled by Indians. So, even if foreign holding in a company is 49%, its investment in another downstream subsidiary company will be termed as fully domestic investment and the downstream company will be treated as an Indian company and can venture into a sector like multi-brand retail, which has not been opened to

FDI till now. But, there is a catch in this. If the downstream company becomes, wholly- owned subsidiary of the JV company, then it will not be treated as a fully domestic entity. In that situation, the foreign holding in the downstream company will be treated as 49% or equal to the level of FDI in the parent company. To avoid this, a foreign entity will hold less than 50% in a JV with Indian company. So, by creating a series of downstream companies, the FDI component can reach 92% in the fourth level and still it will remain a fully Indian company as in the present norm this FDI will be treated as zero. Nath said that the existing system of calculating FDI through pro-rata basis is

faulty and defeats the purpose for which it was created. He argued that if a foreign company incorporated an Indian company with 51% equity, a further 51% downstream investment by this company could operate in all sensitive sectors including I&B and defense, where the maximum FDI permitted is 26%. This is mainly because the net foreign holding in the downstream company is 25.56%. But, in this case, both the parent and the downstream company are effectively owned and controlled by the foreign company with 51% holdings in both of them. Nath said that under the new guidelines, the ownership and control should remain with Indians, which is important and would help strengthen the corporate India.

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Alpha Times

Feb. 15, 2009

Chorus rendering of Pancharathna keerthana at Ram Samaj It was a day of reckoning for the West Mambalamwasis on Saturday Feb. 07.

Ganapathim followed by Gurulekha Ithuvanti Seva. Then the pancharathna kirthanas

annual event and would be conducted in the month of February preceding the

The vibrations tion of the rendering of pancharatna kirtanas rendered by leading carnatic musicians at the Sri Ram Samaj Tyagaraja utsavam - conducted for the first time in the history Sri Ram Samaj for a weekrenting the air the rasikas had a bountiful happiness of listening to Saint Thyagaraja Krithis.. The Programme began with the song Sri

were rendered in unison. Speaking on the occasion the managing trustee of the Samaj K. Srinivasan expressed his sincere thanks for the maximum participation by the rasikas and also thanked the the carnatic music vidwans and vishushis for their whole hearted support to this utsavam., He reiterated that that this will be an

R a m a n a v a m i celebrations. E a r l i e r S . V. . Ramaswamy secretary of the Samaj welcomed the gathering. S. Venkateswaran assistant secretary proposed a vote of thanks.N Venkataraman, president of the Samaj and other governing body members were present on the occasion. -Staff Reporter

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