WHERE THE mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
...............................
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action-
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Dr UPV Sudha is a research associate at Aeronautical Development Agency in Bengaluru functioning under the Ministry of Defence. She was a chief contri...
Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulates Dr Rajalakshmi Menon Outstanding Scientist of DRDO, for being honoured with Outstanding Woman Scientist of the year Award during the 70th Annual General Meeting of The Aeronautical Society of India held on 21 – 22 February, 2020 at Chennai.
Dr G Satheesh Reddy also congratulates Mrs Sunita Devi Jena of DRDO for Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award, Dr Sudha UPV of ADA Bengaluru for Dr Biren Roy Trust Award and Shri Shashank Mishra of DRDO for Indigenisation of Aeronautical Equipment Award during the AGM.
...... Dr. Sudha U P V is working as an Aerospace scientist in Aeronautical Development Agency, which is a part of DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) , Under Ministry of Defence. Nonetheless she being from Civil Engineering background she switched over her career from civil engineering to Aerospace Engineering by doing PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Indian institute of Science Bangalore. Dr.Sudha UPV did not just be a part of the function but encouraged and inspired the students by delivering a wonderful speech on her involvement and experience in Chandrayan project. She also spoke about the challenges that she had faced in her career and enlightened the students on never to give up in their life to be the best in what they do. Her speech created an aura of positive energy among students to gait up in their career with confidence. She helped the students to boost their self-confidence.Her life story is absolutely motivating and uplifting one.The students were impressed with her extensive knowledge and experience. Dr. Sudha u p v excites audiences with her innovative speech, passion, and her practical advice on how to get things done.......
സ്ത്രീകളുടേയും കുട്ടികളുടേയും ശാക്തീകരണം പ്രജ്വല ഡോ. സുനിതാ കൃഷ്ണനും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ മേഖലയിലും ശാസ്ത്ര സാങ്കേതിക മേഖലയിലും വ്യക്തിമുദ്ര പതിപ്പിച്ച വനിത കണ്ണൂര്‍ തളിപ്പറമ്പ് തൃച്ചമ്പലം ഡോ. യു.പി.വി. സുധയും സ്വന്തമാക്കി. മാര്‍ച്ച് 8 വൈകുന്നേരം 5 മണിക്ക് പുരസ്‌കാരങ്ങള്‍ കൈമാറും. തിരുവനന്തപുരം നിശാഗന്ധി ആഡിറ്റോറിയത്തിലാണ് ചടങ്ങുകൾ സംഘടിപ്പിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത്. അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വനിത ദിനാഘോഷം സംസ്ഥാന തല ഉദ്ഘാടനത്തോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി പിണറായി വിജയന്‍ പുരസ്‌കാരങ്ങള്‍ വിതരണം ചെയ്യും. ഒരു ലക്ഷം രൂപയും ശില്‍പവും പ്രശസ്തി പത്രവുമടങ്ങുന്നതാണ് പുരസ്‌കാരം.
ശാന്താ ജോസ്
തിരുവനന്തപുരം ആര്‍.സി.സി.യിലെ രോഗികള്‍ക്ക് സഹായകമായി ആശ്രയ എന്ന സംഘടന രൂപീകരിച്ച് 25 വര്‍ഷങ്ങളായി സേവനം നല്‍കി വരുന്നു. ആര്‍.സി.സി.യിലെ രോഗികള്‍ക്ക് ഒറ്റയ്ക്കല്ല എന്ന തോന്നല്‍ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്നതിനപ്പുറം ക്യാന്‍സര്‍ രോഗികള്‍ക്ക് നിലവിലുള്ള സ്‌കീമുകളേയും പദ്ധതികളേയും സംബന്ധിച്ച് അവബോധം നല്‍കുന്നു. മാത്രമല്ല അവിടെ എത്തുന്ന രോഗികള്‍ക്ക് അവരുടെ ആവശ്യം അറിഞ്ഞ് സാമ്പത്തികം ഉള്‍പ്പെടെയുള്ള പലവിധ സഹായങ്ങള്‍ നല്‍കി വരുന്ന വ്യക്തിയാണ് ശാന്താ ജോസ്.
വൈക്കം വിജയലക്ഷ്മി പ്രതികൂല സാഹചര്യങ്ങളെ അതിജീവിച്ച് വിജയം നേടിയ ശ്രദ്ധേയയായ പിന്നണി ഗായികയാണ് വൈക്കം വിജയലക്ഷ്മി. ജന്മനാ കാഴ്ചപരിമിതിയുള്ള വിജയ ലക്ഷ്മി കുട്ടിക്കാലം മുതല്‍ തന്നെ സംഗീതത്തില്‍ പ്രത്യേക താത്പര്യം കാണിച്ചിരുന്നു. സംസ്ഥാന സ്‌കൂള്‍ യുവജനോത്സവത്തില്‍ ശാസ്ത്രീയ സംഗീതത്തിന് ഒന്നാം സ്ഥാനം കരസ്ഥമാക്കിയിരുന്നു. ശാസ്ത്രീയ സംഗീതജ്ഞ, ചലച്ചിത്ര ഗായിക, ഗായത്രീവീണ വായനക്കാരി എന്നീ നിലകളിലും പ്രശസ്തയാണ് വൈക്കം വിജയലക്ഷ്മി.
ഡോ. സുനിതാ കൃഷ്ണന്‍
ഇന്ത്യയിലെ പ്രമുഖ മനുഷ്യാവകാശ പ്രവര്‍ത്തകയാണ് പാലക്കാട്കാരിയായ ഡോ. സുനിതാ കൃഷ്ണന്‍. മദ്യക്കടത്തിനും ലൈംഗിക ചൂഷണങ്ങള്‍ക്കുമെതിരെ ആന്ധ്രാപ്രദേശിലെ ഹൈദരാബാദ് കേന്ദ്രമായി പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കുന്ന പ്രജ്വല എന്ന സന്നദ്ധ സംഘടനയുടെ സാരഥിയാണ്. മനുഷ്യാവകാശ പ്രവര്‍ത്തന മേഖലയിലെ മികവിനുള്ള രാജ്യാന്തര അവാര്‍ഡ് ഉള്‍പ്പെടെയുള്ള പുരസ്‌കാരങ്ങള്‍ നേടിയിട്ടുണ്ട്. 2016ല്‍ പത്മശ്രീ പുരസ്‌കാരം നേടിയിരുന്നു. ഡോ. യു.പി.വി. സുധ-(oneindia malayalam)
Studied Political Science (Graduated 2017)Updated 3y
NOTE:
I am expecting a better answer than mine. Let someone from Kerala write it. But, here let me make an attempt from what I know about Kerala.
Kerala:
For decades now, Kerala has become a favourite state for students of development studies. Kerala stands ahead of all the states in the country on several criteria of Human development Index. Kerala is identified with a set of high material quality-of-life indicators, spread almost equally across the entire state.
It is also identified with high levels of political participation and activism with Congress and the Communists sharing power almost alternatively, which is also responsible for the development of the state, as each tries to better the other in implementing various development programmes. This shows a healthy version of electoral politics. Incidentally, Kerala was the first state to elect a non-Congress government in independent India. In 1957 the CPI defeated Congress in legislative assembly elections and E.M.S. Namboodiripad became the Chief Minister. In spite of being a multi-religious state, religion has been seldom used for electoral gains.
Health Indicators- Kerala & India −2009
In the state, the doctor-patient ratio of 1:700 is on par with most of the European countries.
Literacy Rate of Kerala from 1951 to 2011
Literacy Rate of Kerala from 1951 to 2011
Year ————-Literacy —————Male —————-Female
1951 ————--47.18 ———————58.35 —————36.43
1961 —————55.08 ———————64.89 ————-45.56
1971 —————69.75 ———————77.13 —————-62.53
1981 —————78.85 ———————84.56 —————-73.36
1991 —————-89.81 ———————93.62—————- 86.17
2001 —————-90.92 ———————94.20 —————87.86
2011 —————-94.59 ———————-97.10 —————92.12
The above table shows the literacy rate of Kerala from 1951 to 2011, measured every decade. The table reveals that Kerala made a steady progress over the decades and became the centre of attraction for development discourses in the 1990s.
In a nutshell:
Education
Political awareness
Better politics
People’s participation in development.
Women at 60 are ready to learn operate machines, take loans, do farming
Progressive thinking
For details, read the following examples. Let me assure you that these are the examples unique to Kerala, which give an insight to development in Kerala.
Reforms in Religion:
A number of frauds take place in the name of religion. Common people are duped by thugs in the name of gurus, or babas or priests. Kerala’s home minister, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, has vowed to “book them all”. The state minister in charge of the administration of temples, G. Sudhakaran, reportedly believes that 90 percent of the gurus “are all thieves and they are all fit to go to jails”.[1] Santosh Madhavan alias Amrita Chaitanya, a temple priest and astrologer, was arrested on charges of molesting minor girls and fraud in 2008.
Another godman, Himaval Maheswarananda Bhadrananda was also arrested. Further, Heavenly Feast Evangelists Group, is being investigated by the income tax department; Matha Prasanna, who was arrested on charges of cheating and visa fraud; Ma Vishnumaya, whose husband was arrested on complaint of cheating; Sam Kuzhikala, against whom a non-bailable warrant was issued for fake cheques; Siddhan Kattachira, who was arrested on charges of cheating; Swami Sunil Das, whose wealth is being investigated; Pita Jyothirmayananda, who was arrested for issuing fake cheques; and Sheikh Yusuf Sultan, who is facing charges of cheating.[2]
Another instance where politics intervened in the religion was the case of Sauda. Sauda married in 1991 was divorced in 2004 and was left with her three children with no financial support. So, her lawyer Vinod Singh Cheriyan filed a case in the magistrate court in Kozhikode for 'future maintenance' of the children of Sauda. In 2005, the magistrate court granted Sauda Rs 360,000 including Rs 3,000 each for the three months during the iddat period, which was challenged by both the parties.
In the mean time, Sauda developed kidney problem and underwent dialysis which incurred her three lakh rupees over one and a half year. The lawyer further appealed for the medical expenses from the former husband. On July 25, 2015, Justice B Kamal Pasha of the Kerala high court ordered her former husband to pay Sauda's medical expenses and also her maintenance expenses for 10 years. Other than the alimony of Rs 360,000, Sauda's former husband Abbas should also pay Rs 231,000 for his divorced wife's medical expenses. This was a landmark judgement as divorced Muslim women were never given medical assistance by their former husbands. Further, this case brings back the memories of Shah Bano case.
"Our case should act as a warning," asserts Sauda. "It is high time change comes to society. This is not the way to treat a woman. I don't want any other woman to have a fate like mine and hope the judgment will pave the way for change."[3]
Some projects, initiatives and people’s participation
The ‘Naivedyam’, or food offering, made for Lord Krishna at the world famous Guruvayur temple in Thrissur district of Kerala, includes a rare variety of bananas called ‘Pooja Kadali’. The temple was dependent on Tamil Nadu for this special variety of bananas. But now, women are growing these bananas on 47 acres, under seven panchayats of Kodakara block, in Kerala.
This was possible due to the Kudumbashree’s collective farming and ‘Samagra’ projects, implemented with active participation from Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and supported by a farming subsidy.[4] The women here formed into Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) guidelines and availed agricultural loans. These women some of them around the age of 60, have learnt operating machines on their farms adding more profits to the groups.
“I am part of a five-member Joint Liability Group and we cultivate bananas, vegetables, and paddy on about 15 acres of land. We supply the fruit to the Labour Cooperative Society, which has a deal with the Guruvayur Devaswom Board, under the auspices of the State government’s ‘Kudumbashree’ programme. Around 750 women in 150 groups are cultivating bananas in our block, The excess bananas are then utilised for making ‘Rasayanam’, an ayurvedic preparation, in collaboration with an Ayurvedic pharmaceutical company. About 20,000 bottles of ‘Rasayanam’ are being made in our block every month,” says 54-year-old Shobhana Krishnamurthy of Muttathoor panchayat.[5]
“We have debunked the theory that agriculture is not profitable. Our group ‘Aishwarya’ took a bank loan of Rs. 60,000 for cultivating the ‘Nendran’ variety of bananas on seventy five cents of land, which had been lying bare. We paid off the loan in just six months. The subsidy was a big help. We made a profit of one lakh in one season,” says 39-year-old Bina Pradeep of Vallachira village.[6]
Political awareness:
Political awareness in Kerala is directly proportional to the literacy rate in the state. People of Plachimada in the Palakkad district of Kerala set another example of how common people can utilize their rights and challenge a global multi-national company. The company in question is the well known Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, a subsidiary of the Atlanta based Coca-Cola Company. This company established a plant in Plachimada in 1999. It gained license from the Perumatty Village Council to start the production in 2000.
Complains about shortage of water through depletion of ground water levels and water pollution started increasing within two years. In 2003, women from the Vijayanagaram Colony in the village of Plachimada, protested that their wells had dried up because of the over exploitation of groundwater resources by the Coca-cola plant.[7] They also argued that the little which was left was undrinkable and when used for bathing the water burned their eyes and lead to skin complaints and also the depletion of groundwater resources also affected the ability of local residents to raise their crops of rice and coconuts[8].
Mayilamma, a common woman, was directly affected by Coca-Cola's operations in Plachimada, in Kerala's Palakkad district. The water in her well had been so heavily polluted by Coca-Cola's operations that it has been deemed unfit for human consumption. Mayilamma played a key role in the campaign to hold Coca-Cola accountable for water shortages and pollution in the area, and it was under her leadership that the community forced the Coca-Cola bottling plant to shut down in March 2004. She was the recipient of the Speak Out award by Outlookmagazine and the Sthree Shakthi Award. She passed away in 2007.
Initially, all the political parties, the Communist Party, the Janata Dal, BJP and Congress opposed the agitation. It was first the Panchayat which came in support of the people and as the movement intensified, all the political parties rendered their support.
In April 2003, the Perumatty Grama Panchayat (Village Council) refused renewal of Coca-Cola’s licence to operate on the grounds that it was not in the public interest to renew the licence stating: “…the excessive exploitation of ground water by the Coca-Cola Company in Plachimada is causing acute drinking water scarcity in Perumatty Panchayat and nearby places…”[9]
In December 2003, the Village Council’s decision was challenged in the High Court of Kerala State. The Court recognised the role of the State as a trustee and mentioned that it is bound by a legal duty to protect natural resources. It further elaborated that the natural resources are meant for public use and thus must not be transferred for private ownership.
The presiding judge, Justice K Balakrishnan Nair, asserted that the government had a duty to act to “protect against excessive groundwater exploitation and the inaction of the State in this regard was tantamount to infringement of the right to life of the people guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.”[10]
The High Court ordered the plant to stop drawing the groundwater within a month, ruling that the amount of water extracted by the plant was illegal. But at the same time, it ordered the Village Council to renew the licence and not interfere with the functioning of the Company as long as it was not extracting the prohibited ground water. Coca-Cola refuted the accusations of excessive exploitation and pollution and lodged an appeal.
In 2005, the divisional bench of the High Court granted permission for the company to extract 500,000 litres from the common ground water per day in the year 2005-2006. In August 2005, the plant was closed once again, this time by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board stating: “In the waste water treatment sludges we have found contents of Cadmium abnormally high. It goes up to 600 percent above the permissible limit. In the ground water the content of Cadmium is not that much. So, there is something which they are using in the raw materials.”
In October 2005, the State Government of Kerala announced it would support the Village Council local activists by challenging Coca Cola’s right to extract water from common groundwater resources in the Supreme Court of India. In an official press release, Health Minister K. K Ramachandran said: “the Government will stand by the people in whichever court the company goes. The right over water and air is the right to live. The Government will not allow stopping of these two lifelines of the people.” In November 2005, the Village Council files against the latest High Court order in the Supreme Court
On 4 January 2006, following decisions of the Kerala High Court, the Village Council renewed the Coca Cola company’s licence for three months but laid out thirteen conditions. The first of these was that the company shall not use groundwater from Perumatty Panchayat for industrial purposes, or for producing soft drinks, aerated carbonate beverages or fruit juice. The Village Council cited the 2004 Supreme Court decision of M C Mehta v Union of India and the notification by the Kerala State Groundwater Department that village is ‘over exploited’ with regard to groundwater.
Although the Coca Cola factory in Plachimada has remained closed since 2004, locals are not satisfied with simply closing the plant; they want justice for the damage caused to health and the environment. They are still fighting for the compensation. The role played by common people of a village is of great significance and stands as an example of a true democracy and fulfills the meaning of development
Calling a visit to Kerala an intellectual adventure, American journalist and environmentalist William Ernest Bill McKibbensums up what Kerala is.
“Kerala is a bizarre anomaly among developing nations, a place that offers real hope for the future of the Third World. Consider: This small state in India, though not much larger than Maryland, has a population as big as California's and a per capita annual income of less than $300. But its infant mortality rate is low, its literacy rate among the highest on Earth, and its birthrate below America's and falling faster. Kerala's citizens live nearly as long as Americans or Europeans. Though mostly a land of paddy-covered plains, statistically Kerala stands out as the Mount Everest of social development; there's truly no place like it.”[11]
[10] Blanco, Elena. and Razzaque, Jona. Globalisation and Natural Resources Law: Challenges, Key Issues and Perspectives. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011. p. 317.
[11] Bill, Mckibben, Kerala, India, National Geographic Traveller.
Teenager defeats disability to swim across Periyar
Aseem underwent a month-long training before achieving the feat
Fifteen-year-old Aseem Velimanna’s excitement knew no bounds when he swam across a kilometre of the Periyar on Thursday morning.
Born without hands, the youngster had braved all odds to make his dream come true after undergoing a month-long training to complete the conquest of the Periyar, which began around 8.50 a.m. near the Adwaitha Ashramam ghat at Aluva.
He was trained by Saji Valasseril, (CLICK HERE TO READ MOREabout Saji)who swam alongside, as Aseem’s parents, who belong to Omassery in Kozhikode, watched their child achieve the incredible feat. “This moment will always remain with us,” said an elated Mohammed Shaheed, Aseem’s father.
It was yet another special moment to cherish for Mr. Valasseril, as he completed 12 years of offering free training to people of all age groups. Since 2010, he has trained over 5,000 people. Of them, over 1,000 swam across the Periyar.
“I had started providing free swimming coaching in 2010 following a series of mass drowning incidents. The victims might have survived, had they known swimming. This prompted me to train people, especially the physically challenged" ,He said.-( the Hindu 28/10/2022 )
ശാസ്ത്ര ബോധവും മാനവികതയും അന്വേഷണാത്മകതയുടേയും പരിവർത്തനത്തിന്റെയും ആവേശവും നിലനിർത്തുകയെന്നതു ഇന്ത്യൻ ഭരണഘടന 51 A പ്രകാരം ഓരോ ഇന്ത്യൻ പൗരന്റെയും കടമയാകുന്നു. റിപ്പബ്ലിക് ദിനാശംസകൾ.
51 A :It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.
HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY-BLOGGER
THE STORY OF GOOD HANDWRITING AND THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
When the Indian Constitution was being drafted by the Constituent Assembly of India in the late 1940s, Raizada was asked by Jawaharlal Nehru to write out the first copy of the seminal document. Asked what he would charge for hand-writing the constitution, Raizada replied,
“Not a single penny. By the grace of God I have all the things, and am quite happy with my life,”
(-from wikipaedia)
Prem Behari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher of the Indian Constitution
How many Indians know that the Constitution of India was written by hand. No instrument was used to write the whole constitution. Prem Bihari Narayan Rayzada, a resident of Delhi, wrote this huge book, the entire constitution, in italic style with his own hands.
Prem Bihari was a famous calligraphy writer of that time. He was born on 16 December 1901 in the family of a renowned handwriting researcher in Delhi. He lost his parents at a young age. He became a man to his grandfather Ram Prasad Saxena and uncle Chatur Bihari Narayan Saxena. His grandfather Ram Prasad was a calligrapher. He was a scholar of Persian and English. He taught Persian to high-ranking officials of the English government.
Dadu used to teach calligraphy art to Prem Bihari from an early age for beautiful handwriting. After graduating from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, Prem Bihari started practicing calligraphy art learned from his grandfather. Gradually his name began to spread side by side for the beautiful handwriting. When the constitution was ready for printing, the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru summoned Prem Bihari. Nehru wanted to write the constitution in handwritten calligraphy in italic letters instead of in print.
That is why he called Prem Bihari. After Prem Bihari approached him, Nehruji asked him to handwrite the constitution in italic style and asked him what fee he would take.
Prem Bihari told Nehruji “Not a single penny. By the grace of God I have all the things and I am quite happy with my life. ” After saying this, he made a request to Nehruji "I have one reservation - that on every page of constitution I will write my name and on the last page I will write my name along with my grandfather's name." Nehruji accepted his request. He was given a house to write this constitution. Sitting there, Premji wrote the manuscript of the entire constitution.
Before starting writing, Prem Bihari Narayan came to Santiniketan on 29 November 1949 with the then President of India, Shri Rajendra Prasad, at the behest of Nehruji. They discussed with the famous painter Nandalal Basu and decided how and with what part of the leaf Prem Bihari would write, Nandalal Basu would decorate the rest of the blank part of the leaf.
Nandalal Bose and some of his students from Santiniketan filled these gaps with impeccable imagery. Mohenjo-daro seals, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Life of Gautam Buddha, Promotion of Buddhism by Emperor Ashoka, Meeting of Vikramaditya, Emperor Akbar and Mughal Empire..
Prem Bihari needed 432 pen holders to write the Indian constitution and he used nib number 303. The nibs were brought from England and Czechoslovakia. He wrote the manuscript of the entire constitution for six long months in a room in the Constitution Hall of India. 251 pages of parchment paper had to be used to write the constitution. The weight of the constitution is 3 kg 650 grams. The constitution is 22 inches long and 16 inches wide.
