Best Cartoon of the year... (சித‌ம்ப‌ர‌ ர‌க‌சிய‌ம்)

நார்வே திரைப்பட விழாவில் வாகை சூட வா படத்துக்கு 7 விருதுகள்

தமிழ் சினிமாவுக்காக உலக அளவில் நடத்தப்படும் நார்வே தமிழ் திரைப்பட விழா 2012-ல் சற்குணம் இயக்கிய வாகை சூட வா திரைப்படம் 7 விருதுகளை வென்றுள்ளது.

விருதுகள் விவரம்:

சிறந்த படம் – வாகை சூட வா

சிறந்த இயக்குநர் – சற்குணம் (வாகை சூட வா)

சிறந்த நடிகர் – ஸ்பெஷல் ஜூரி விருது – நடிகர் விஷால் (அவன் இவன்)

சிறந்த நடிகர் – எம் சசிகுமார் (போராளி)

சிறந்த நடிகை – ரிச்சா கங்கோபாத்யாய் (மயக்கம் என்ன)

சிறந்த இசையமைப்பாளர் – இளையராஜா (அழகர்சாமியின் குதிரை)

சிறந்த துணை நடிகர் – அப்புக்குட்டி (அழகர்சாமியின் குதிரை)

சிறந்த துணை நடிகை – தேவதர்ஷினி (மகான் கணக்கு)

சிறந்த கதை – புகழேந்தி தங்கராஜ் (உச்சிதனை முகர்ந்தால்)

சிறந்த திரைக்கதை- சுசீந்திரன் (அழகர்சாமியின் குதிரை)

சிறந்த ஒளிப்பதிவு – ரிச்சர்ட் எம் நாதன் (கோ)

சிறந்த பாடலாசிரியர் – காசி ஆனந்தன் (உச்சிதனை முகர்ந்தால்)

சிறந்த தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனம் – எஸ்கேப் ஆர்டிஸ்ட் மோஷன் பிக்சர்ஸ் (அழகர்சாமியின் குதிரை)

சிறந்த வில்லன் – சம்பத் (வர்ணம் & ஆரண்ய காண்டம்)

சிறந்த காமெடி – கஞ்சா கருப்பு (போராளி)

சிறந்த காமெடி – சூரி (போராளி)

சிறந்த பின்னணி பாடகர் – சத்யா (‘மாசமா…’ எங்கேயும் எப்போதும்)

சிறந்த பின்னணி பாடகி – சின்மயி (‘சர சர சாரக் காத்து…’- வாகை சூட வா)

சிறந்த நடனம் – பாபி (போறானே… – வாகை சூட வா)

சிறந்த ஸ்டன்ட் மாஸ்டர் – பீட்டர் ஹெய்ன் (கோ)

சிறந்த ஸ்டன்ட் நடிகர் – கணேஷ் பாபு (மகான் கணக்கு)

சிறந்த எடிட்டிங் – கோலா பாஸ்கர் (மயக்கம் என்ன)

சிறந்த கலை இயக்குநர் – சீனு (வாகை சூட வா)

சிறந்த பின்னணிக் குரல் – தீபா வெங்கட் (மயக்கம் என்ன)

சிறந்த புதுமுகம் – நீனிகா (உச்சிதனை முகர்ந்தால்)

சிறந்த மேக் அப் – கேபி சசிகுமார் (வாகை சூட வா)

சிறந்த உடை அலங்காரம் – நட்ராஜ் (வாகை சூட வா)

சிறப்பு விருதுகள்

சிறந்த சமூக விழிப்புணர்வுப் படம் – வெங்காயம்

சிறந்த சமூக விழிப்புணர்வுப் படம் – நர்த்தகி

சிறந்த சமூக விழிப்புணர்வுப் படம் – பாலை

சிறந்த சமூக விழிப்புணர்வுப் படம் – வர்ணம்

வாழ்நாள் சாதனையாளர் விருது – ரகுநாதன்

கலைச்சிகரம் விருது – சத்யராஜ்

நள்ளிரவுச் சூரியன் விருது – உச்சிதனை முகர்ந்தால்

தமிழ் பண்பாட்டை முன்னிறுத்தும் படத்துக்கான சிறப்பு விருது கவுரவ் இயக்கிய தூங்கா நகரம் படத்துக்கு வழங்கப்பட்டது.

Average Indian cares about roti, rice not Bofors, 2G etc...

Last week’s headlines were haunted by news from about a decade ago. The Bofors scam and the Tehelka sting, involving former BJP President Bangaru Laxman, were both at least a decade old but dominated the headlines with India’s two biggest political parties slinging mud at each other over the level of corruption they had allegedly stooped to. But do average Indians really care about a decade-old or two-decade old scam or about the prices of mangoes and vegetables?  “What concerns them (Indians) is the skyrocketing price of vegetables. Okra, beans, carrots cost Rs 40-50 a kilo. Vegetable production was down by 25 per cent last month pushing up prices, yet again. Fruit is a luxury. In fact in many middle class homes it is a non-essential. What is summer without mangoes?!” argues Smita Prakash in her column in Midday.

According to Prakash, while the price of vegetables isn’t in the hands of the government,  high inflation is ensuring that the common man did not have the ability to pay for vegetables and fruits. “The UPA has two years, which is certainly not enough to provide bijli + sadak + rice + pani + roti + kapda + makaan to all of India. Actually all of India doesn’t even expect it out of them. All it hopes is now for a modest economic recovery. Stop the slide, arrest recessionary trends, help in job creation, get rid of toxic taxes, convince investors of your growth policies,” she says. She may have a point. S&P has lowered its outlook for the country, FII’s are cashing their chips and as Firstpost pointed out the government looks all set to miss ots aims of curbing the fiscal deficit.

While it does not mean that we should condone corruption does it mean that the government and other political parties need to look beyond only incremental gains on arguments over corruption and look to pass meaningful legislation that could aid the economy? Both Bofors and Laxman’s case should perhaps be taken to a logical conclusion but can they be used purely to get political points that can be leveraged for future polls? Or are India’s two biggest political parties barking up the wrong tree?

Who is next President of India? Race between two "A"s...

It speaks much for the latent narrow-mindedness of our political culture that the prime qualification for the job of India’s president is not competence or integrity, but his or her communal identity. So one should not be too surprised if Vice-President Hamid Ansari makes it to the top job since he is a Muslim. Of course, he is a good man, but that is not why he is being chosen. Five years ago, Pratibha Patil was trotted out from the Congress stable not because her CV was right, but because of her triple identity fit: as a Hindu, it would stop tongues wagging about all the top jobs going to minorities in Sonia Gandhi's dispensation. Secondly, the Congress could claim credit for putting the first woman in the office of president. And, third, as a Maharashtrian, the Congress deftly used her regional identity to split the Shiv Sena from the BJP on this issue.  Communal or regional identity is thus the logic behind every name doing the rounds this time, whether it is Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde or Speaker Meira Kumar (both are Dalits), or Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi (North-East), or Farooq Abdullah (Muslim), or Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal (Sikh).

With elections to the presidency less than two months away, the UPA has begun its cat-and-mouse game to ensure that someone it can depend on will occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan before the next general elections. Ansari, who managed to save the government from defeat in the Lokpal debate in the Rajya Sabha last December, is there because he is dependable and a Muslim. However, the game is never over till it’s over, and this time the UPA has launched more elaborate consultative processes with allies and others. Ansari’s name, like that of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, may just be a red herring before a final choice is made.

In the initial round of consultations, the UPA’s first goal was to scuttle the chances of APJ Abdul Kalam – to whose candidature the BJP and the Samajwadi Party were favourably inclined – and this has been effectively achieved by talking to the DMK. In talks held by Defence Minister AK Antony with DMK boss M Karunanidhi, the octogenarian seems to have rejected Kalam, but expressed a preference for a “Muslim” candidate. Which currently indicates Ansari. A few days ago, another windbag with very few votes in the presidential sweepstakes, Lalu Prasad, rooted for Ansari and explicitly rejected Kalam on the ground that he has already been president once. As if the job is about giving everyone a chance rather than electing a popular president.

Here are some conclusions:-

Conclusion One: UPA will not accept Kalam, and his candidature is dead on arrival. The other name doing the rounds is Pranab Mukherjee – the finance minister. This name, of course, is a redder herring than even Ansari’s. If there is one name Sonai Gandhi will never accept it is that of a widely acceptable, politically well-connected and administratively competent person like Pranab Mukherjee. If 2014 produces a hung parliament, she needs a pliant occupant at Rashtrapati Bhavan, not someone with a mind of his own.

However, there is another reason to rule Mukherjee out: he himself may not be keen on the job since if there is indeed a fluid political situation after the next election, it is possible for him to be the long-shot consensus candidate of a breakaway Congress, supported by many regional parties, including Trinamool, NCP, Samajwadi Party and many others. But before we look at some of the other names, a bit about presidential math is vital: of the total nearly 11 lakh votes available, the UPA has 4.6 lakh and the NDA 3.04 lakh. Around 2.62 lakh belong to non-UPA, non-NDA parties, including the Samajwadi Party, the BSP, the AIADMK, the Left parties, the BJD and the TDP, among others. The rest belong to minor parties.

The UPA is less than 90,000 votes short of a clear majority in the electoral college (see table here and below), assuming it has Trinamool firmly on its side. If this happens, the UPA needs only the Samajwadi, or a combination of BSP plus the Left, or the BJD.

Conclusion Two: The BJP has almost no role to play in the presidential sweepstakes, except in one situation: the non-UPA, non-NDA parties produce a united candidate, in which case the BJP swing vote can push their candidate through.

Conclusion Three: The crucial players in the next presidential vote will be Samajwadi 68,812 votes), the BSP (43,349), the Left (51,682) and Trinamool (48,049). Since the Samajwadi and BSP will note vote together (at least, not willingly), nor the Trinamool and the Left, the Congress strategy will have to focus on Mulayam Singh and Mamata Banerjee. Mulayam can be bought off if he is given some say in the vice-presidential sweepstakes, and Mamata with a Bengal bailout package. If these two stay with the UPA, the Congress nominee is through. The odds are thus 90 percent that a Congress-candidate whom Mamata and Mulayam will not object to will become the next president. Tarun Gogoi is too valuable in Assam to spare for the moment. Pranab is out, because Sonia does not trust him fully. Badal is out, because he is too close to the BJP. Sushil Kumar Shinde and Meira Kumar are possibilities – but will perhaps not draw much enthusiasm in the Samajwadi camp. This suggests that Hamid Ansari remains the front-runner. But if his name is just a red herring, one should not rule out AK Antony himself – or Manmohan Singh.

If Manmohan Singh  is ruled out since Sonia wants him to keep the seat warm till 2014, Antony could be the man for the occasion. As the first Christian to occupy the presidential throne, and as a super-trusted loyalist of Sonia Gandhi, Antony could be the dark-horse in the race. Mild-mannered Antony has few enemies anywhere in the political spectrum.

For now, it could be a toss-up between Ansari and Antony.

க‌ருணாநிதியும் த‌மிழ் ஈழ‌ உண‌ர்வும் ...

டெசோவை [TESO- Tamil Eelam Supporters Organization] தன்னிச்சையாக இருக்கும் அங்கத்தினர் யாரையும் கேட்காமல் கருணாநிதி கலைத்த பொழுது,  வீரமணியும், நெடுமாறன் அய்யாவும், விடுதலை சம்பந்தம் அவர்களும் கருணாநிதியை சந்தித்து ஏன் இப்படி செய்தீர்கள் என்று கேட்டிருக்கிறார்கள். அதற்கு 'பிராபகரன் என்னை மதிக்கவில்லை அவருக்காக நான் எதையும் செய்ய முடியாது' என்று கூறி இருக்கிறார். வீரமணியும், நெடுமாறன் அய்யாவும் ஈழமக்கள் முக்கியமா? பிராபகரன் முக்கியமா? என்று கேட்டதற்கு இதை பற்றியெல்லாம் பேசவேண்டாம் 
பிராபகரன் என்னை மதிக்கவில்லை நான் இயக்கங்கள் அனைவரையும் அழைத்த பொழுது வந்து என்னை சந்திக்கவில்லை என்று சொல்லியிருக்கிறார். 
அதற்கு முன் நடந்த திமுக பொது குழு கூட்டத்தில் பாலஸ்தின விடுதலை ஆதரவாக தீர்மானம் இயற்றி இருந்தார்களாம், விடுதலை சம்பந்தம் கருணாநிதியின் பால்யகால நண்பர் அவர் உடனே “பாருங்கள் கலைஞர் நீங்கள் பாலஸ்தீன விடுதைலையை ஆதரித்து தீர்மானம் இயற்றி இருக்கிறீர்கள் ஆனால் இன்று வரை அந்த திமிர் பிடித்த யாசர் அராபத் உங்களை வந்து சந்திக்கவில்லை, என்ன திமிர் அவருக்கு” என்று சொல்லியிருக்கிறார். 
உடனே கலைஞர் சத்தம் போட, சம்பந்தம் அவர்களும் விடாமல் நான் இதை விடமாட்டேன் யாசர் அராபத்தை கண்டிப்பாக இதற்காக கேள்வி கேட்பேன் என்று விடாமல் வாதிட்டு இருக்கிறார். 
வீரமணியும் நெடுமாறான் அய்யாவும் பிரச்சனை பெரிதாகிவிடக் கூடாது சம்பந்தம் அவர்களை வெளியில் அழைத்து வந்துவிட்டனராம்...... இப்பொழுது தெரியும் டெசோ என்பது எதற்காக... கருணாநிதியின் சுயநல அரசியலுக்கானது மட்டுமே..

ISRO successfully launches 'spy satellite' RISAT 1

After Agni V, India successfully launched its own spy satellite RISAT-1 on April 26, 2012 morning from Sriharikota. RISAT-1 
9Radar Imaging Satellite) can deliver crystal clear pictures in all weather conditions.

The indigenous RISAT-1 - which stands for Radar Imaging Satellite - has a lifespan of five years and will be used for disaster prediction and agriculture forestry. RISAT's high resolution pictures and microwave imaging could also be used for defence purposes.

India now joins Japan, Europe, Canada and Israel to boast of such technology. Weighing at 1528 Kg, RISAT-1 is the heaviest satellite ever launched by India. The total cost of the project was around Rs 500 crore.

For ISRO, this is the first launch this fiscal as well as in the calendar year. Remote sensing satellites send back pictures and other data for use. India has the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites in the world providing imagery in a variety of spatial resolutions, from more than a metre ranging up to 500 metres, and is a major player in vending such data in the global market. 

With 11 remote sensing/earth observation satellites orbiting in the space, India is a world leader in the remote sensing data market. The 11 satellites are TES, Resourcesat-1, Cartosat-1, 2, 2A and 2B, IMS-1, Risat-2, Oceansat-2, Resourcesat-2 and Megha-Tropiques. 

Risat-1's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can acquire data in C-band and would orbit the earth 14 times a day. In 2009, ISRO had launched 300 kg Risat-2 with an Israeli built SAR enabling earth observation in all weather, day and night conditions. 

With this launch the PSLV rocket has launched successfully 53 satellites out of 54 it carried - majorly remote sensing/earth observation satellites both Indian and foreign - and has been a major revenue earner for ISRO. 

The one failure happened in 1993 when the satellite was not able reach the orbit. The rocket that delivered RISAT-1 in the space is ISRO's four stage PSLV's upgraded variant called PSLV-XL. 

The letters XL stand for extra large as the six strap-on motors hugging the rocket at the bottom can carry 12 tonnes of solid fuel as against the base version that has a fuel capacity of nine tonnes. 

The PSLV's four stages are fuelled with solid and liquid propellants. The first and third stages are fuelled by solid fuel while the second and fourth stages are powered by liquid fuel. 

ISRO had used the PSLV-XL variant for its Chandrayaan-1 moon mission in 2008 and for launching the GSAT-12 communications satellite in 2011.

Titbits of RISAT-1

• Ø India successfully launched its own 'spy satellite' RISAT-1. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying the indigenous radar imaging satellite lifted off from Sriharikota spaceport at 5.47 am on April 26, 2012.
• Ø RISAT-1 is India's heaviest satellite till date. It weighs 1528 kilograms. It has day and night viewing capability and will be able to see through cloud cover.
• Ø The satellite's main purpose will be to monitor crops and forecast floods during the Kharif season, according to ISRO.
• Ø The total cost of the mission is about Rs. 500 crore. It is probably the most expensive and most complex mission to be launched from India till date.
• Ø The all-weather surveillance tool is sometimes referred in common parlance as a spy satellite.
• Ø Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan declared the mission "a grand success".

About RISAT:-

• After the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, the launch plan was modified to launch RISAT-2 before RISAT-1. since the indigenous C-band SAR to be used for RISAT-1 was not ready. RISAT-1 used an Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) X-band SAR sensor.  
• RISAT-2 was the first of the RISAT series to reach orbit. It was launched successfully on April 20, 2009 by a PSLV rocket. The 300-kg satellite was built by ISRO using a X-band SAR manufactured by IAI.
• RISAT-1 is an indigenously developed radar imaging satellite expected to be launched by a PSLV rocket by January 2012. RISAT-1 was postponed in order to prioritize the building and launch of RISAT-2.

One out of 3 adolescent girls in India married

A UNICEF report on adolescents (between 10 and 19 years of age) titled 'Progress for Children' has revealed that nearly one out of every three girls in countries like India and Pakistan are likely to be married. South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa has the highest percentage of adolescent married girls. Secondary school enrolment among adolescents is between 50 and 60 per cent in India. India figures in the lowest rung in terms of gender parity in school enrolment, along with Pakistan, Nepal and countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Bangladesh fares much better.  Nearly 90 per cent of the world's 127 million illiterate youth live in South Asia (65 million), of which India is a part, and in sub-Saharan Africa (47 million).

However, India and the rest of South Asia fares much better when it comes to adolescent tobacco and alcohol consumption. Latin American countries lead in adolescent tobacco use where as African countries rule the roost when it comes to adolescent drug use.

From Sathyam Theater waiter to an IAS officer

Inspiring story from waiter to an IAS Officer.

If you don't succeed the first time in UPSC, try, try and try again. K Jayaganesh's story is similar. He failed the civil service examination six times but never lost heart. The seventh time -- his last chance -- he passed with a rank of 156 and has been selected for the Indian Administrative Service. Jayaganesh's story is inspiring not because he did not lose heart but also because he comes from a very poor background in a village in Tamil Nadu, and though he studied to be an engineer, he worked at odd jobs, even as a waiter for a short while, to realise his dream of becoming an IAS officer. Read on for Jayaganesh's inspiring achievement, in his own words:

Childhood in a remote village I was born and brought up in a small village called Vinavamangalam in Vellore district. My father Krishnan, who had studied up to the tenth standard, worked as a supervisor in a leather factory. My mother was a housewife. I am the eldest in the family and have two sisters and a brother. I studied up to the 8th standard in the village school and completed my schooling in a nearby town. I was quite good at studies and always stood first. Coming from a poor family, I had only one ambition in life -- to get a job as fast as I could and help my father in running the family. My father got Rs 4,500 as salary and he had to take care of the education of four children and run the family, which you know is very difficult. So, after my 10th standard, I joined a polytechnic college because I was told I would get a job the moment I passed out from there. When I passed out with 91 per cent, there was a chance for me to get entry to a government engineering college on merit. So I decided to join the Thanthai Periyar Government Engineering College to study mechanical engineering. My father supported my desire to study further. Even while doing engineering, my ambition was still to get a job. If you look at my background, you will understand why I didn't have any big ambitions. Most of my friends in the village had studied only up to the 10th standard, and many did not even complete school. They worked as auto drivers or coolies or masons. I was the only one among my friends who went to college. I understood the importance of education because of my parents. My father was the only one in his family to have completed school, so he knew the value of education. My parents saw to it that we children studied well. In search of a job Four days after I completed my engineering in 2000, I went to Bangalore in search of a job and I one without much difficulty. My salary was Rs 2,500 at a company that reconditioned tools. It was in Bangalore that I started thinking about my village and my friends. I wondered sadly why none of them studied and worked in good companies. Because they had no education, they always remained poor. There was not enough money to buy even proper  food. There was no opportunity there; the only place they could work was the tannery in the nearby town. If they didn't get work at the tannery, they worked as auto drivers or coolies. In short, there was no one in my village to guide the young generation. I thought would I be able to help my villagers in any way? Getting interested in the civil service examination Till then, I had not even heard of something called the civil services examination. It was only after I went to Bangalore and saw the world that I was exposed to many things. I came to know that a collector in a small place could do a lot. At that moment, I decided that I wanted to be an IAS officer. I resigned and went home to prepare for the examination. I never thought resigning was risky because I had the confidence and knew I would do well. My father also supported me wholeheartedly. He had just got a bonus of Rs 6,500 and he gave me that money to buy study material. I sat in my village and studied from the notes I received by post from Chennai. Failed attempts In my first two attempts, I could not even clear the preliminary examination. I had no idea how to prepare for the exam, what subjects to opt for and how to study. There was nobody to guide me.

I had taken mechanical engineering as my main subject. That's when I met Uma Surya in Vellore. He was also preparing for the examination. He told me that if I took sociology as an option, it would be easy. Even with sociology as the main subject, I failed in the third attempt. But I was not disappointed. I knew why I was failing. I didn't have proper guidance. I started reading newspapers only after I started preparing for the examination! So you can imagine from what kind of background I came from. To Chennai for coaching When I came to know about the government coaching centre in Chennai, I wrote the entrance examination and was selected. We were given accommodation and training. Because I got tips from those who passed out, I passed the preliminary in my fourth attempt. We were given free accommodation and food only till we wrote the main examination. After that, we had to move out. I didn't want to go back to the village but staying in Chennai also was expensive. I tried to get a job as an engineer but my efforts turned futile. I then decided to look for a part time job so that I would have time to study. Working as a waiter in Chennai I got a job as a billing clerk for computer billing in the canteen at Sathyam Cinemas. I also worked as the server during the interval. It never bothered me that I, a mechanical engineer,  preparing for the civil services, had to work as a server. I had only one aim -- to stay on in Chennai to pass the examination. Attending the interview in Delhi After I got the job at the Sathyam Cinemas, I was called for the interview. As counselling was my hobby, a lot of questions were asked about counselling. I was not very fluent in English but I managed to convey whatever I wanted to. Perhaps I did not articulate well. I failed in the interview. Preliminary again, the 5th time Once again, I started from the beginning. Surprisingly, I failed in the preliminary itself. On analysis, I felt I did not concentrate on studies as I was working at Sathyam Cinemas. I quit the job and joined a private firm to teach sociology to those preparing for the UPSC  examinations. While I learnt the other subjects there, I taught sociology. Many friends of mine in Chennai helped me both financially and otherwise while I prepared for the examination. Sixth attempt I passed both the preliminary and the main in the sixth attempt but failed at the interview stage. While preparing for the interview, I had written an examination to be an officer with the Intelligence Bureau and I was selected. I was in a dilemma whether to accept the job. I felt if I joined the IB, once again, my preparation to be an IAS officer would get affected. So, I decided not to join and started preparing for one last time. Last attempt I had to give the last preliminary just a few days after the previous interview. I was confused and scared. Finally, I decided to take the last chance and write the examination. Like I had hoped, I  passed both the preliminary and the main. The interview was in April, 2008 at Delhi. I was asked about Tamil Nadu, Kamaraj, Periyar, Tamil as a classical language, the link between politics and Tamil cinema etc. I was upset since I did not wish the interviewers at the start and they did not respond when I said thanks at the end. Both the incidents went on playing in my mind. I just prayed to God and walked back. The day the results were out I was extremely tense that day. I would know whether my dreams would be realised or not. I used to tell God, please let me pass if you feel I am worthy of it. I went to a playground and sat there meditating for a while. Then, I started thinking what I should do if I passed and what I should do if I didn't. I had only one dream for the last seven years and that was to be an IAS officer. 156th rank. Finally when the results came, I couldn't believe myself. I had secured the 156th rank out of more than 700 selected candidates. It's a top rank and I am sure to get into the IAS.

I felt like I had a won a war that had been going on for many years. I felt free and relieved. The first thing I did was call my friends in Chennai and then my parents to convey the good news. Warm welcome in the village. The reception I got in my village was unbelievable. All my friends, and the entire village, were waiting for me when I alighted from the bus. They garlanded me, burst crackers, played music and took me around the village on their shoulders. The entire village came to my house to wish me. That was when I saw unity among my villagers. It was a defining moment for me.

I worked really hard without losing faith in myself to realise my dream. My real work starts now. I want to try hard to eradicate poverty and spread the message of education to all people. Education is the best tool to eradicate  poverty. 

S&P revises India outlook to negative from stable

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's on Wednesday cut India's outlook to negative from stable, citing its large fiscal deficit and expectations of only modest progress on reforms given political constraints, battering stocks, bonds and the rupee.

The lowered outlook jeopardises India's long-term rating of BBB-, which is the lowest investment grade rating.

"The outlook revision reflects our view of at least a one-in-three likelihood of a downgrade if the external position continues to deteriorate, growth prospects diminish, or progress on fiscal reforms remains slow in a weakened political setting," S&P credit analyst Takahira Ogawa said in a note. India's 10-year bond yield rose 4 basis points to 8.63 per cent, while the rupee weakened to 52.64 against the dollar from 52.48 before the action. Stocks were also hit, with the main BSE index down 0.9 per cent. India's fiscal deficit swelled to an expected 5.9 per cent of GDP in the fiscal year that ended in March, far above the government's 4.6 per cent target. Many economists believe New Delhi will have a tough time hitting its target of cutting the deficit in the current fiscal year to 5.1 per cent of GDP, given a hefty subsidy burden and a weakened government that has failed to push through significant reforms. The general elections looming in 2014 are expected to limit the prospects for significant reforms that would improve the investment climate and India's fiscal position. "The writing was on the wall given the country's weakening debt profile and sluggish investment climate," said Radhika Rao, economist at Forecast Pte in Singapore. With the coveted investment grade now at risk, one can only hope this acts as a wake-up call for the government," she said. Moody's has a Baa3 rating on India, while Fitch rates India BBB-. Both are also the minimum investment grade ratings. Moody's in December issued a stable outlook for India.

Five big facts about S&P’s India outlook

1. Standard & Poor has revised India’s outlook to negative. This is not the same as the sovereign credit rating. The agency has reaffirmed sovereign credit rating at investment grade (BBB-) but suggested that the probability of a downgrade in the sovereign rating is now higher than before. S&P has revised the outlook to negative from stable. The outlook is a lead indicator for a credit rating. India currently enjoys a stable rating of BBB- on the sovereign debt. Borrowing is cheapest for ‘AAA’-rated countries like Germany. S&P hit the headlines earlier this year for downgrading the United States’ credit rating for the first time ever to below AAA.

2. Indian stock markets fell on news of the negative outlook. The Sensex slipped nearly 200 points to 17,019 while the broader Nifty index slumped over 60 points to 5,160. A lower sovereign rating will make money dearer for Indian corporates, particularly in foreign currencies. State-run companies will be the hardest hit, since their finances are more directly linked to the government.

3. India’s risk factors included high inflation, a weak government fiscal position, and a slower rate of economic growth. “High fiscal deficits and a heavy debt burden remain the most significant constraints on the sovereign ratings on India. We expect only modest progress in fiscal and public sector reforms, given the political cycle--with the next elections to be held by May 2014--and the current political gridlock,” S&P said in its statement.

4. The agency sees little progress on economic reforms that could help control fiscal deficit. S&P is not confident about the government achieving control over fiscal deficit. The fiscal deficit – or the difference between the government receipts and spending – is expected to be 5.1 per cent of the gross domestic product or GDP for the year ended 2012-13. S&P does not think these targets could be achieved.

5. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was quick to react and say that the government would achieve budget targets. India is likely to pass some financial reforms in the current session of Parliament, which started on Monday, he added. "There is no need for panic," Mukherjee told reporters. "The situation may be difficult, but we will be surely able to overcome (it)."

Comparison of India, China and Pakistan in Missile

திருவண்ணாமலை பள்ளிக்கூடங்களின் 100 % தேர்ச்சி....

 கல்வியையும் , ஒழுக்கத்தையும் கத்துகொடுங்கன்னு  பள்ளிக் கூடத்துல சேர்த்தா இப்பவே திருட்டு பசங்களா  ஆக்குறானுகளே .இது தான் திருவண்ணாமலை பள்ளிக்கூடங்களின் 100 % தேர்ச்சி ரகசியமா ?

புள்ளைங்கள திருடன்களா மாத்துறதுக்கு போட்டி போட்டுக்கிட்டு போய் சேர்க்கிறானுக வேற ? இவனுங்க தான் நாளைக்கு படிச்சு ஏதாவது ஒரு கோட்டாவுல  அரசாங்க வேலைக்கு வந்து நம்ம தாலிய அறுப்பானுங்க .

நாசமா போக .


(எதெல்லாம் ஒரு கலெக்டர் பார்க்க வேண்டியிருக்கு கல்வித்துறை

அதிகாரிகள் என்ன ............ புடுங்கராங்களா ? )

Cartoons

Gujarat IAS officer ties the knot at a mass wedding ceremony

Instead of going for a pompous ceremony, an IAS officer from Gujarat opted for a simple platform for his marriage and was one of the 35 men who tied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony in Bhiloda taluka on April 24, 2012. Vijay Kharadi, who cleared his IAS exams in 2009 and presently posted as Deputy Collector in Narmada district, married Seema Garasia at a simple function organised by his tribal Dungri Garasia community.Hailing from tribal dominated Khedbhrama taluka of Sabarkantha district, the 28-year old Kharadi tied the knot with Seema, a tribal woman from Vijayanagar of the same district, on Akshaya Tritiya day today, family sources said.

Avoiding a pompous ceremony, Vijay Kharadi preferred to keep his big day a low key affair with only close family friends invited to the venue. "My brother is tying the knot today at a simple mass wedding ceremony being held in Sabarkantha," Shirish Kharadi, brother of the groom said. "Spending on extravagant weddings is sheer waste of money. My brother wished to set an example by getting married at a simple ceremony," he said. Vijay Kharadi's mentor at Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA), JM Acharya said "Vijay is tying a knot at a very simple ceremony being held near his home town. He hasn't changed one bit after he became an IAS officer... he is the same down to earth Vijay I knew." He (Vijay) had joined SPIPA in 2006 and cleared IAS in 2009, he said adding that prior to coming here he had done BE-Computers from a leading private university in the state. "Never deterred by challenges in life, Vijay cleared the IAS examination in third attempt and since then the only change I see in him is that he has become more innovative in what he does," Acharya said.

FIRST CORRUPT PRESIDENT OF INDIA..

Pratibha Patil, President of India and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is building a palatial home for herself on a whopping 261,000 sq ft of land in Khadki Cantonment in Pune (out of which the bungalow occupies about 4,500 sq ft). The land belongs to the defence. It will now have a fortified home, the construction of which is nearing completion.

The president is eligible for only 2,000 sq ft bungalow in any part of the country if he/she wants the government to hire a home for him/her, after retirement. Otherwise, he/she is entitled to a government-owned Class V bungalow (around 4,500 sq ft) if it is available. He/she is not eligible to build a home on government land. Some former defence personnel from Pune who are campaigning against this illegality are taking strong objections to the fact that Ms Patil is constructing her house on government land, when hundreds of jawans and officers are facing official accommodation crisis.

This revelation under the Right to Information (RTI) Act was procured by Col Suresh Patil (retd) and founder of Justice for Jawans (JFJ), RTI activist Anup Awasthi and Indian Ex-servicemen Movement (IESM) who are campaigning against Ms Patil’s ‘snatching’ away land meant for soldiers and officers.

Earlier Rajendra Shekhawat, the MLA son of President Pratibha Patil from Amravati, courted controversy on February 15 when local police seized unaccounted cash of Rs.1 crore from a car headed for his home, But he is still MLA only 


An RTI activist from Pune, Col Suresh Patil (retd) remarked, “Dr Rajendra Prasad donated his land to Vinoba Bhave and here we have Pratibhatai Patil taking away the land for of her own men


UPA2 will go down in history as most disgraceful govt & pratiba 1st corrupt president of India not as 1st lady President (Kudos to Congress and UPA)

ஆசியாவிலேயே பெரிய சோலார் பவர் ஸ்டேஷன்!!!

மின்சார பற்றாக்குறைக்கு என்ன செய்யலாம் என்று எல்லா மாநில அரசுகளும் ரூம் போட்டு யோசித்து வருகின்றன. குஜராத்தில் அவற்றுக்கு முன்னோடியாக ஆசியாவிலேயே பெரிய ‘சோலர் பவர் ஸ்டேஷன்’ அமைத்துள்ளார் குஜராத் முதல்வர் நரேந்திர மோடி. மோடியிடம் அரசியல் விஷயங்களில் ஆலோசனை கேட்கும் தமிழக முதல்வர், சூரிய ஒளி மூலம் மின்சாரம் தயாரிக்கவும் பேசினால் நன்றாக
இருக்கும்.

சூரிய ஒளி மின்சார உற்பத்தி அதிகரித்தால்... டீசல், நிலக்கரி... போன்ற பொருட்களுக்கு தேவையே இருக்காது. அதனால், அரசுக்கு பெரிய அளவில் வரி வருவாய் இழப்பு ஏற்படும். கூடவே டீசல், நிலக்கரி... இறக்குமதி மூலம் அதிகாரிகள் மற்றும் அரசியல்வாதிகளுக்கு கிடைத்து வரும் கமிசனும் கட் ஆகிவிடும் என்கிறார்கள் விவரமறிந்தவர்கள். அதனால்தான், இந்த விஷயத்தில் அடக்கி வாசிக்கின்றன மத்திய, மாநில அரசுகள்.

எரிமலையாக வெடிக்கும் அழகிரி, ஸ்டாலின் மோதல்-தத்தளிக்கும் கருணாநிதி!

 மகன்கள் மு.க.அழகிரி, மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் இடையிலான பதவிப் போர் பெரும் உச்சத்தை எட்டியுள்ளது. இவர்களுக்கு நடுவில் மாட்டிக் கொண்டு இரு தலைக் கொள்ளி எறும்பு போல தத்தளித்து வருகிறார் கருணாநிதி. எத்தனையோ பெரிய பெரிய எதிரிகளை, சவால்களை, சங்கடங்களை, சஞ்சலங்களை, சலசலப்புகளைப் பார்த்தவர் கருணாநிதி. ஆனால் இன்று அவரது பிள்ளைகள் ரூபத்தில் எழுந்து நிற்கும் சவாலை சந்திக்க முடியாமல், முடிவு காண முடியாமல் பெரும் குழப்பத்திலும், கலக்கத்திலும் இருக்கிறார் கருணாநிதி. தற்போது இந்தப் பிரச்சினை மேலும் ஒரு புதிய மெருகோடு வெடிக்க ஆரம்பித்துள்ளது. மதுரைக்கு வந்த ஸ்டாலினுக்கு உரிய மரியாதையை அழகிரி ஆதரவாளர்கள் கொடுக்கவில்லை என்பதே புதிய சர்ச்சை. இதுதொடர்பாக அழகிரி ஆதரவாளர்களுக்கு தலைமைக் கழகம் நோட்டீஸ் அனுப்பியுள்ளது. இதற்கு அழகிரி கடும் கண்டனமும், எதிர்ப்பும் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். இந்த விவகாரத்தில் திமுக தலைவர் கருணாநிதி வீட்டில் பெரும் பிரச்சினை வெடித்ததாக கூறப்படுகிறது. அழகிரி விவகாரம் தொடர்பாக மு.க.ஸ்டாலினை சமாதானப்படுத்த கருணாநிதி முயன்றபோதுதான் பிரச்சினை பெரிதாகி விட்டதாக செய்திகள் கூறுகின்றன. இந்த நிலையில் திடீரென மு.க.அழகிரி சென்னைக்குக் கிளம்பி வந்தார். அவர் கருணாநிதியை சந்தித்து இந்த விவகாரம் தொடர்பாக பேசவுள்ளார். 2 நாட்கள் சென்னையிலேயே முகாமிட்டிருக்கப் போகும் அவர் இந்த விவகாரத்தில் ஒரு முடிவைத் தெரிந்து கொண்ட பின்னர் டெல்லி புறப்படப் போவதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. மேலும், தனது மத்திய அமைச்சர் பதவி, தென் மண்டல திமுக அமைப்பாளர் பதவி ஆகியவற்றை ராஜினாமா செய்யப் போவதாக அவர் ஏற்கனவே கருணாநிதியிடம் கூறி விட்டதாகவும் தெரிகிறது. இதனால் அழகிரியை எப்படி கருணாநிதி சமாதானப்படுத்தி அமைதிப்படுத்துவார் என்பது பெரும் எதிர்பார்ப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. கருணாநிதி வீட்டுக்குள் நடந்து வரும் இந்த சண்டையால், திமுகவினர் அனைவரும் பெரும் அதிர்ச்சியிலும், குழப்பத்திலும் உள்ளனர். எதிரிகளுடன்தான் நாம் இத்தனை நாளும் மோதி வந்தோம். ஆனால் இன்று நமக்குள்ளேயே மோதிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறோமே என்று அவர்கள் புலம்புகின்றனர்.கட்சி நலனை மட்டும் கருத்தில் கொண்டு, கருணாநிதி மிகவும் துணிச்சலோடு, அதிரடியாக சில நடவடிக்கைகளை எடுக்க முன்வர வேண்டும். அப்போதுதான் இந்தப் பிரச்சினைக்கு முடிவு வரும் என்று அவர்கள் கூறுகிறார்கள்.

India Joins the Big League With Agni-V ICBM

 

 India’s Agni-V missile, with a range of 5,000 kilometers, lifts off from the launch pad at Wheeler Island in Odisha coast.

India (on April 19, 2012) made a giant stride when it test-fired nuclear-capable Agni-V Inter- Continental Ballistic Missile that has brought China within its reach with a strike range of over 5000 km. The surface-to-surface Agni-V was launched from a mobile platform from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast at 8:07 a.M. That placed India at the threshold of an elite five-member club that possesses ICBMs. The 17.5 metre-tall and two metre-wide missile with a launch weight of around 50 tonnes, including a 1.5 tonne dummy warhead, blasted off from the island launchpad leaving behind an orange plume. It rose to a height of 600 km before re-entering the atmosphere to hit a target over 5000 km away in the Indian Ocean, defence sources said.

Earlier, the missile was to be launched on April 18, 2012 evening but it had to be put off due to bad weather. The sophisticated missile can carry a nuclear warhead of more than one tonne. This is the first time India has produced a missile that has brought China within its range and it is being considered a big deterrent capability though government itself does not specifically mention any target.

"We had a successful launch of Agni-V," Defence Research and Development Organisation chief V K Saraswat said after the three-stage solid propellant missile was test-fired . Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Defence Minister A K Antony and BJP President Nitin Gadkari congratulated the defence scientists on their achievement. 


Agni-V had a smooth and perfect vertical lift-off from the launcher and a thorough analysis was done to assess its health parameters after retrieval of data from the wide range of sophisticated communication network systems, Saraswat said. "It was a perfect launch and the missile hit the pre-determined target and the mission met all its parameters, Integrated Test Range Director S P Dass said. "We can call it an ICBM as it has the capability to travel from one continent to another," Dass said.


Three ships located in midrange and at the target point tracked the Vehicle and witnessed the final event, a DRDO statement said. All the radars and electro-optical systems along the path monitored all the parameters of the Missile and displayed in real time, it said.


The high speed on board computer and fault tolerant software along with robust and reliable bus guided the Missile flawlessly, the DRDO said. Saraswat said the DRDO would conduct two more validation tests before starting the production of this missile. "Today, we have done a great event for the country. All the team work that has gone in for the last three years has given a fruitful result," Tessy Thomas, Chief Scientist, Project Agni-V, said.


"All aspects such as payload, engineering, speed and other mechanisms were integrated in the missile and they performed successfully," Avinash Chander, Chief Controller Research and Development (Missile Systems). A senior DRDO scientist said that the missile would be ready for induction into the armed forces by 2014. "The 5000-plus kilometre range fulfills our strategic needs and moreover we are developing a deterrent capability," former DRDO chief M Natarajan said.


Natarajan said DRDO has developed a missile to meet the country's strategic needs and identified threat perceptions and this missile answers all those. Hailing the successful launch of the indigenously developed missile, Prime Minister Singh said it represents another milestone in India's quest to add to its security preparedness.


Defence Minister Antony described the maiden test flight of Agni-V as an "immaculate success" and a "major milestone". "The nation stands tall today. We have joined the elite club of nations (to possess the ICBM capability)," Antony told Saraswat on phone after the test flight of the missile was declared successful.


"This launch has given a message to the entire world that India has the capability to design, develop, build and manufacture missiles of this class, and we are today a missile power," Saraswat said. The missile achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve in this mission. This missile from the drawing board to launch pad has happened in about three years," Chander said.


Preparation for Agni-V test had gathered momentum after India achieved successful results from the first development trial of Agni IV, which has a strike range of more than 3,500 km, from the same launch pad on November 15, 2011. Apart from Saraswat, who is also the scientific advisor to the Defence Minister, a host of top defence scientists, military officials and functionaries of concerned agencies were present at the site to monitor, supervise and witness the maiden test of the new generation missile. Top scientists present at the test site said at least 20 laboratories of the DRDO were engaged for several months to prepare the state-of-the-art missile.  About 800 scientists, staff and support personnel had been engaged to make the first ever launch of the Agni-V a success, they said. Unlike other missiles of indigenously built Agni series, the latest one - Agni V - is the most advanced version having several new technologies incorporated in it in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine, said a scientist associated with the project.


"The three propulsion stages, developed completely indigenous by DRDO, performed exactly the way they are intended to. The indigenous developed Composite Rocket Motors have performed well and made India completely self-reliant," the DRDO said.

Gujarat: 24-hour power supply in over 18,000 villages

As the hot summer triggers increased use of electricity, load shedding and power cuts in rest of the country, the power-surplus Gujarat is sitting pretty, defining the season differently. Gujarat has emerged as the largest solar power maker in India with more than 18,000 villages of the state receiving 24-hour electricity.

"Earlier, the electricity used to go off often and we had to draw water manually. Now everything is okay," Raaysan village resident Gitaben Nayi said.

While round the clock power supply has made life a lot more comfortable in villages, the Jyoti Gram scheme has also given a huge boost to rural economic activities.

Before the government scheme was implemented, Prabhudas Prajapati's flour-unit received electricity for just eight hours a day and at odd hours. However, today he has been able to expand his business due to uninterested power supply.

"The situation is good. Customers are also happy and I don't have to stay up all night to work," Prajapati said.

The uninterrupted power supply has helped Amrut Patel's spice grinding unit in Shertha village too.

"The electronic weighing machine can be operated, there's electricity in the unit and we can work even till midnight," Entrepreneur Amrut Patel said.

Gujarat Energy Minister Saurabh Patel said that the reason why there is no power shortage in the state is because the government don't have a policy paralysis.

"The reason why there is no power shortage is because we don't have a policy paralysis. Our plans have been as per schedule and have been implemented," Saurabh Patel said.