Play Music On Trains, Go To Jail!

By Vedika Chaubey



Mumbai, Mar 28 : Be prepared to spend six months behind bars if caught disturbing fellow passengers by playing loud music or singing bhajans.

How many times have you clenched your teeth at the tinny, monophonic music emanating from your fellow traveller's cellphone in a local? Or, at the wandering minstrels crooning bhajans to the accompaniment of cymbals and brass bells. Well, rejoice, for the railways have outlawed these noisy musical pursuits.

Following countless complaints against the unwanted loud music in locals and long distance trains, the railways have decided to punish people singing bhajans and playing music on mobile phone loudspeakers, a practice that haunts many passengers.

If you happen to be irritating your co-passengers with loud music, you can expect a stint in jail for as long as six months, or cough up a fine of Rs 500, or both, depending on how annoying you are to your co-passengers.

A complaint can be registered by sending an SMS to the railway's helpline number (see box) or by calling on the GRP helpline number. Railway authorities have promised that they will act on it promptly if the necessary details are provided to them.

Last year, the CR had registered 608 cases and collected a fine of Rs 1,61,750 related to singing bhajans in groups with musical instruments and playing cards in locals.

This year, they have arrested 94 passengers and collected a fine of Rs 11,150. But no passenger has been sent to a lockup yet. That is what will change now.

Peeved commuters
Many passengers rant against the uncalled-for music in trains.

Sudhakar Patil, who stays in Titwala, said, "Quite a few people play music on mobiles or sing prayers or film songs while travelling.

They forget that they are not travelling alone. I have myself sent messages on the railway helpline number and made complaints to the station master but nothing has been done yet."

Patil is not the only one. Thousands of others get disturbed by the unsolicited music and have no choice but to suffer it.

William Thomas, who has been commuting between CST and Vashi daily for the past 25 years, is peeved with the railway administration for not taking any action against such passengers.

"During rush hours, there is hardly any place to sit in coaches, and some passengers add to the irritation by playing music on cellphone loudspeakers disco, bhajans, film songs, what not.

It is so irritating!" said Thomas, adding that if somebody wants to listen to music, they can always put on headphones. "After a tiresome day, we want some peaceful time in the train," he said.

'Bhajans are good'
When MiD DAY contacted passengers who are part of the bhajan mandali, they claimed they had no other time to offer prayers to the almighty. So they seize the opportunity that commuting provides. Also, the singing relaxes them during the stressful journey, so what's wrong in that?

Mayur Adkar, who has been part of the bhajan mandali, has a simple solution for passengers who do not want to listen to bhajans: they can always change their bogie. "I know many passengers who come to the bhajan compartment specially to hear us. You can see such bogies are more crowded."


Commuters complain that loud music and bhajans add to their frustration while travelling in crowded trains

But his endorsement confidently stops short of supporting any other genre or platform of music. "In any coach, one can see a few passengers playing their choice of songs on phones. That is really irritating. But I doubt that singing bhajans bothers any passenger," he said.

Expertspeak
Experts welcome the railways' intervention, saying that one man's entertainment is another man's exacerbation. Sumaira Abdul Ali, founder of Awaaz Foundation, an NGO involved in curbing noise pollution, said, "There is no fixed standard to decide how many decibels of music should be played.

One person may enjoy it but others may be troubled by it. Continuously listening to unwanted sounds definitely affects a person, mentally and otherwise.

The railway administration is doing the right thing. We should welcome the move and co-operate with them." Passenger associations are in complete harmony with this.

Madhu Kotian, president, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said, "Playing loud music in trains is wrong.

For one person's enjoyment, others mustn't be troubled. Everybody is worn-out while travelling and if somebody is getting irritated with loud music, it may lead to fights. People can always use headsets."

Officials say
Sharat Chandrayan, Chief PRO, Western Railway, said, "This is a serious offence and is specified in the Railway Act. If we receive any complaints, we will punish the guilty."
A K Singh, PRO, CR, said, "We will strictly apply Section 145 (b) of the Railway Act and will punish guilty passengers."

608
Number of cases registered against singing in locals and playing cards on CR in 2010

Helpline numbers

Central Railway: 90044 11111
Western Railway: 90044 77777
GRP helpline number: (for CR and WR): 98333 31111

Rulebook says
With thousands of complaints of loud music in trains over the past many years, the railways finally decided to strictly apply Section 145 (b) of the Indian Railway Act, 1989, which reads, "If any person in any railway carriage or upon any part of a railway, commits any nuisance or act of indecency or uses abusive or obscene language, then such punishment shall not be less than a fine of Rs 500 and imprisonment of six months."

94
Number of passengers caught on Central Railway this year for singing in groups in locals and playing cards

Rs 11,150
Fine collected from the offenders so far

The Ghost Trees Of Pakistan

Spider webs cocoon branches in creepy after-effect of floods

Millions of spiders have crawled into trees in Pakistan to escape flood waters, shrouding them with their silky webs.

The eye-catching phenomenon is an unexpected side-effect of last year's flooding which claimed the lives of almost 2,000 people.

However, since the monsoon weather devastated the nation last July, much of the water has still not yet receded.

The tiny insects have sought refuge amongst the trees weaving beautifully intricate webs between the leaves.

World wide web: Millions of spiders have climbed up into the trees to escape the rising flood waters in Pakistan. Locals say there are now fewer mosquitos reducing the risk of malaria

The branches are now so cocooned in spiders webs it gives the appearance of them being shrouded in a large net.

People in this part of Sindh, in south eastern Pakistan, near Karachi, have never seen this phenomenon before, but locals are reporting that there are now fewer mosquitos than they would expect, given the amount of stagnant, standing water that is around.

It is thought that the mosquitos are getting caught in the spiders web and reducing the risk of malaria, benefiting local people.

Vast tracts of land in Pakistan's Sindh province are still submerged under water, six months on from the extreme monsoon rainfall that forced more than 20 million people from their homes

The 2010 Pakistan floods began in last July following heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan regions of Pakistan.

About one-fifth of Pakistan's total land area was underwater, affecting about 20 million people whose homes, livelihoods and infrastructure was destroyed.

ONGC Asked To Stop Drilling in Mizoram

For no environment Clearance

Aizawl, Mar 28 : Indian oil exploration giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)'s oil drilling in Mizoram is in trouble with the Mizoram Pollution Control Board ordering the company to stop work for lack of an environmental clearance.

The ONGC, which started oil drilling operation at a place about two kms from Meidum village in Kolasib district in northern Mizoram on February, is yet to receive an environmental clearance, a source from MPCB said today. The MPCB's order came after the earth-spoil storage collapsed on March 24 and polluted the nearby river.

When the MPCB officials visited the site on March 24, the oil-base mud polluted the nearby Chhimluang river, a tributary of Tlawng river, and killed a large number of fishes.

MPCBC member secretary Lalduhawma said that the ONGC started the drilling works without any environmental clearance.

"They have applied for an environmental clearance. But they started work before we conduct a joint inspection of MPCB and ONGC to give the clearance," he said.

The storage was constructed without any approval from the MPCB and was sub-standard, he said.

The ONGC had been asked to stop the drilling operation until the construction of an earth-spoil storage that meets standard norms.

Till March 26, the ONGC drilled 1894 metres and will have to go for another 4300 metres, which ONGC officials said would take another 300 days.

ONGC chief engineer Pramode informed former Lok Sabha member Vanlalzawma, who visited the drilling site on Saturday, that they expected to find oil at the depth of 4100 metres below the sea level.

The drilling operation was a 24-hour operation, each day divided into two shifts, 12 hours each. If the operation goes on uninterrupted, the results would probably be seen within less than 12 months, he informed Vanlalzawma.

Oil exploration giants like ONGC, IOC and OIL and firms from Israel, the US, France and Russia have been selected through global tenders to explore the gas and oil deposits in an area of 12,430 Sq Km, which comprised 58.9 per cent of the total geographical area of the state.

According to the agreements, 12 per cent of oil produced and 10 per cent of gas produced will go to the state of Mizoram as royalty.

As recommended by the 11th Finance Commission, the net profit will also be shared 50:50 between the state and the Centre.

According to geologists, Mizoram believed to have been formed out of tectonic evolution of the Indian continent, is literally floating on a vast oil field.

Geologists said Mizoram falls under category number one or proven commercial productivity zone which roughly estimates there could be about 170 million metric tonnes of untapped crude reserves.

ONGC officials, who were present at the site when Vanlalzawma, Mizoram was given top priority among the ONGC projects across the country.

China’s Bid To Upgrade Stilwell Road

By Kalyan Barooah

New Delhi, Mar 28 : India may have finally closed the chapter on reopening the Stilwell Road, but China has shown ‘considerable interest’ in development of this road and contracts have been awarded for upgrading 1031 km of  the historic road right up to Pangsau Pass, 61 km away from Ledo in Assam.

The significant admission is part of the Defence Ministry’s report, which also reveals that China has constructed roads from highways, logistics centres and major defence installations to all the passes and military on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and international border.

As reported, a Parliamentary panel has rapped the Defence Ministry for its complacency and not maintaining detailed data on activities going on across the international border particularly in China.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence Ministry has been told about China’s activities on Myanmar border and construction of the Stilwell Road. The 1,739 km road starts in Assam and links Kunming in Yunnan Province of South China through Pangsau Pass on India-Myanmar border.

For starters, China had already upgraded 647 km Kunming-Myitkyina stretch via Kambaiti Pass into an all-weather road in May 2007.

A Myanmar construction company Ya Za Na Company with Chinese leanings has been entrusted with construction of 192 km Myitkyina-Tannai Road. “Work is being carried out on a fast track to convert it into a four-lane road,” the report said.

Contracts have been awarded for construction of 174 km Tannai-Pangsau stretch to a pro-Chinese, Myanmar company, the report said.      

The 3,727 ft  Pangsau Pass lies on top of the Patkai Hills on the India-Myanmar border.The distance from Ledo to Pangsau Pass is 61 km  but it is known as ‘Hell Pass” because of its tough terrain. The first Myanmarese village, Pangsau, lies 2 km beyond the pass to the east.

The development stands out in sharp contrast to New Delhi’s decision not to open the Stilwell Road. The decision of the government was conveyed by Ministry of External Affairs to the Parliamentary Committee on Assurances, as reported by this newspaper.

India’s stand was partly based on the negative response of military-junta of Myanmar, which appeared cold to the idea of re-opening of the Stilwell Road because of the country’s problem with the Kachin rebels.

Curiously enough the Myanmar Government has now allowed China-backed construction companies right up to India’s doorstep till Pangsau Pass in Kachin state.

Elsewhere in the neighbourhood, China has embarked on a construction spree particularly in Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). In recent years, China has undertaken development projects of constructing roads in TAR. All major highways have been upgraded to two-way black top all weather roads, open to traffic through the year.

Source: Assam Tribune

Free Online Image Editing Tools

By Hitesh Raj Bhagat

All you need is a PC and a stable broadband internet connection? And you can have a world of image editing tools available in an instant.

Sure, they may not offer the complete advanced set of features that an expensive image editor like Adobe Photoshop offers, but for most common tasks, they do very nicely!

Aviary.com

Aviary's mission is to make image editing and creation software accessible to everyone. Phoenix is the name given to Aviary's image editor, and it is an expansive, intuitive image editor with many of the features that you would find in an expensive paid application like Photoshop.
Aviary also offers various other tools like a colour editor (Toucan), effects editor (Peacock), vector editor (Raven), audio editor (Myna) and an image markup tool (Falcon).
No registration is required to start using the tools, and the only slight catch is that Aviary retains a license to display any works you make/upload to the public or in any external publication in a way that promotes Aviary.

Pixlr.com

Another full-featured photo editor, Pixlr is available in 23 languages and is built using Flash. The biggest advantage of Pixlr is speed: it starts up fast and images are loaded instantly. This is because images are opened locally in the browser and not uploaded to Pixlr at all.
This means that the images don't leave your computer and it specifically benefits those working with larger images and those with limited or slow internet connections. Pixlr.com also offers Pixlr Express, a quick editor for those only looking to make cursory changes and Pixlr Grabber, a free Firefox and Chrome extension that makes it easier to open photos in Pixlr.

Splashup.com

Splashup offers a nice full-screen mode and an interface that looks like an advanced image editor. But its built using Adobe Flash, so there are a few limitations (can't close effects windows, and they take up space). But the good bit is that no registration or waiting is needed.
When you start Splashup, it opens in a separate window and when you click on 'Open File', it gives you the option to load files from your computer or the various online properties. This is similar to others, but the interface is nicer. Images open up really fast since they don't have to be uploaded to Splashup (even a 6MB file opens in a couple of seconds).
Like Pixlr, Splashup also offers a basic version called Splashup Light, which offers a more casual editing experience.

 

Citrify.com

Citrify is Flash-based, loads up really fast in a pop-up window and provides some basic image editing tools and effects. Specifically for people portraits, Citrify can remove extra shine on faces, remove blemishes, reduce wrinkles automatically or whiten teeth.
It also has other one-click effects like sketch, brightness, hue/saturation and watercolour . If you like, you can also pretend to be the incredible Hulk; it takes a person's photo and turns skin colour into a powerful 'Hulkgreen' . What's more amazing is that Citrify is only a two-member team, completely self-funded and the focus of the image editor is to 'keep it simple, and make it fun'.

Picnik.com

Picnic offers simple, one-click effects and alterations for your photos. It also has a lot of stickers, frames, artistic effects and scrapbooking tools like greeting card formats, automatic collage generation and photo slideshows.
Apart from images stored on your computer, you can also link Picnic directly to your Facebook , Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket or MySpace accounts to import photos directly from there.
Picnik premium services (About $25 a year) offers more of everything (more tools and effects, more frames, options and so on), a completely ad-free editor and fullscreen editing.

 

Sumopaint.com

Unlike the others, registration is required before you start using Sumopaint, but the process is quick (only username, password and email ID needed), and registration gives you secure storage space for your files (accessible from anywhere). The Pro version (about Rs 1,200) gives you a local version of Sumopaint which you can use even when offline.
The offline version of Sumo Paint is built using Adobe Air, which means that it works perfectly on Windows, Mac and Linux (you just have to download and install Adobe Air first, which you may already have if you have other Adobe Air applications like TweetDeck).

 

FotoFlexer.com

FotoFlexer is one of the oldest online tools around and like Picnik, it offers the ability to link to your Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket or MySpace accounts to import photos ? but it also adds SmugMug and Phanfare into the mix. It has all the advanced effects you would need, including working in layers, various colour effects, morphing and doodling.
No registration is required but the complete photograph must be uploaded to their servers, so a large file does take time to upload depending on your internet connection.

 

Phixr.com

Phixr is a little slower than the others because it requires uploading of the image to Phixr servers. Even each effect is individually loaded when you click on it, and it has the tendency to freeze up if your internet connection is slow or intermittent.
But it's really simple to use, has nice colourful icons and a lot of effects that the others don't have, like Polaroid photo, customisable greeting cards, speech bubbles, camera lens effects and the Warhol effect (your photo arranged into four small differently coloured squares).

 

Bighugelabs.com

Some are weird, some are funny? But they're all entertaining . When you get tired of all the cropping and resizing, head to bighugelabs.com to have a bit of fun with your photographs.
You can do all sorts of stuff like make your own motivational poster, create a jigsaw puzzle, put your face on a magazine cover or movie poster and create a mosaic or pop art poster. If you like, you can even order something you have created through the gift shop (they ship worldwide).

 

Photo505.com

At photo505.com, there are new effects everyday: simply upload your photo and you can see yourself in Times Square, New York for example. Or you could have your photo put up at the Kodak Theatre (the home of the Academy Awards), or see how you would look as Iron Man or his enemy, Whiplash.
Photo505 uses face detection technology, which can accurately cut out your face and paste it somewhere else.

 

Photofunia.com

Photofunia.com is similar to Photo505; they also offer hundreds of funny (and sometimes stupid) effects. The added attraction here is putting your face on animated GIFs, like into a burning photo, on a dancer's body or inside a TV screen.
Finally, at taaz.com, those interested in the beauty business can perform a complete virtual makeover on themselves with realistic-looking makeup.

 

Photoshop.com

Photoshop's Express Editor is a free online image editing tool brought to you by the pro's. Unfortunately, it only supports editing of JPEG files. But it does offer a very slick, polished, no-nonsense interface.

Interview: Acclaimed Writer-Journalist Nirendra Dev On His Books

Washington (DC), March 28 : Nirendra Narayan Dev is a well-known name in the world of political journalism in India.

His books Ayodhya - Battle for Peace, The Talking Guns North East India, and Godhra - A Journey to Mayhem, have been critically acclaimed in observers and commentators on the political scenario of India. He is not only a writer, he is also associated with and a special correspondent of one of India’s and the World's most revered news dailies - The Statesman. Nirendra spared a few minutes to talk to Bidisha on WBRi about the political scene in India, about journalism, plagiarism and his current and future projects.

Nirendra was born and brought up in the state of Nagaland in North East India and his career in journalism started from there, from 1991. He was always addicted to writing and considers it to be his passion. As we mentioned above, Nirendra has written three books, with his latest work Ayodhya: Battle for Peace partly drawing on his experience on the ground when he was physically present in Ayodhya during the court proceedings and announcement of the verdict.

Sharing his views on the current patterns in Indian journalism, Nirendra says Indian journalism has changed a lot. Earlier there was more emphasis on serious news items. Nowadays it’s more of concentrating on one particular popular item, mostly based around the metros and not reaching to the interiors of the country. Earlier, a journalist had the responsibility of covering one particular sector, now he is required to write different stories from unrelated fields, often resulting in absence of required diligence in gathering facts. Newspapers now are more wanting of advertisement and big money flowing in from different sources and that certainly affects the quality of the news.

About plagiarism, with respect to India, Nirendra indicates plagiarism is there and it is mainly because the media has opened up to everyone through the internet. Journalists are expected to cover a lot more stories nowadays in comparison to earlier years and it often happens that they are not fully aware of that topic. Quite naturally there is a tendency to take help from other sources and complete the  assignment in often limited and insufficient time.

Nirendra's book Godhra: A Journey to Mayhem (2004) is based on the post riot situation in Godhra. The Talking Guns -North East India (2008) covers all the seven North eastern states of India, and the subject of Ayodhya - Battle for Peace (2010) is, of course, the Ayodhya dispute, court verdict and impact on society.

In a recent article titled Expatriates from South Asia spread fanaticism in the region, Nirendra discusses how immigrants from South Asian nations settled in the west also play a major role with regard to curbing the growth of communalism in the region. The future of fundamentalism cannot be very good for the sectarian forces, either in India or even in Pakistan and Bangladesh.  It would bury its ugly head soon and the return of Sheikh Hasina and a liberal progressive government in the political scene of Bangladesh is an example towards that.

Nirendra's future work is likely to be a book on Indian women as portrayed by respected and renowned Bengali writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Since the political scene in India is also brimming with news of corruption etc, there is likely to be a book on that as well.

source: Washington Bangla Radio

Trafficked Children in Meghalaya Pits: Study

By Rahul Karmakar



Guwahati, Mar 28 : Children brought from Nepal and Bangladesh form part of the workforce in unscientific, ecology-threatening coal mines of Meghalaya, a study by a Shillong-based NGO revealed on Thursday. The study was conducted across 10 coal mines of Jaintia Hills district in August last year. Impulse, the NGO, had

collaborated with the global Aide et Action in interviewing 200 labourers aged below 18 years and documenting their experience.

Meghalaya sits on 640 million tons of subterranean coal, which is 1.1% of India's total reserves. The estimated reserve in Jaintia Hills is 40 million tons. The high-sulphur, sub-bituminous coal here is used primarily for power generation and as a source fuel in cement plants.

Mining activities in Jaintia Hills are small-scale ventures controlled by individuals who own the land. The coal is extracted by primitive surface mining method called 'rat-hole' mining that entails clearing ground vegetation and digging pits ranging from 5-100 sq m to reach the coal seams. Makeshift bamboo ladders take miners down into the pits to chip away through two-feet-high tunnels where children are considered the right size to work.

Impulse estimated that 5,000 privately-owned coal mines in Jaintia Hills employed some 70,000 child miners. The Meghalaya government refuted this figure, claiming a couple of years ago that the mines had 222 minor workers.

Other human rights organizations later said most of the child miners were being purchased or abducted and sold by gangs in Nepal and Bangladesh to Meghalaya's mining mafia. "The children have to work for free, as their work is considered as repayment of the debt they owe, which is nothing more than the price at which they are bought ($50-75)," the Asian Human Rights Commission said in its report.

Wage, however, wasn't much of a problem for the child miners, the Impulse report revealed. Overwork, drug abuse and alcoholism, health complications and prostitution were.

"The study is aimed at probing the trafficking of children under 18 years from Bangladesh and Nepal and from different parts of the country to work in the coal mines," the report said. It relates the experiences of 16-year-olds Kumarbhai and Chandra Kumar Rai from Kotang and Bhujpur in Nepal to drive home a point.

"He says that there is the danger of the roof of the mines collapsing. He even knows of four people who have died inside the mines, three inside the pits and one who fell from the bamboo scaffolding. No safety equipment is provided to them in the mines," the study quotes Kumarbhai.

The study poverty is the primary reason that drives families in Nepal and Bangladesh to send their children to work in the mines. "The fact that both the families and the children were unaware of the kind of work they would be involved in indicates that there was deception at play in luring them to work in the coal mines," it says, recommending more extensive cross-border analysis of the process of recruitment of child miners.

Source: Hindustan Times

Gisele Bundchen Drops Some Serious Cleavage

Gisele Bundchen shows us her extremely sexy body in this Vogue Turkiye March 2011 photo shoot, and shows off why she’s a super model. Enjoy.