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Showing posts with label opportunities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opportunities. Show all posts

What's your reason for falling in love with Melbourne, the most livable city in the world?

Posted by ABC Thursday, 18 December 2014 5 comments

MELBOURNE: If there is a paradise on Earth, it is this…it is this…it is this! 

Adventure adds spice to life. The essence of life cannot be relished, unless an individual gamble his or her comfort with some quivers and shivers. Only a paramount person who possesses great valour, dexterity and killer instinct to struggle with the trials and tyrannies of life can experience and explore the myriad intricacies of life, decipher the message embedded in one’s existence on Earth and drown himself/herself into delirium of ecstasy.
  

A pristine and lively, cosmopolitan city like Melbourne would present one with a legion of opportunities to indulge in its culture. Australia, and the state of Victoria, is well-known for its tranquil nature, diverse flora and fauna, beautiful beaches, insane adventure sport activities,a la mode couture and exquisite food and wine. I wish to visit this virtual paradise on Earth and return with the memories of an extremely pleasant experience from Melbourne.

How wild my imagination can be! I feel delighted at the very thought of relaxing on the sunny beaches across Melbourne from the popular swimming spots at St Kilda to the bathing huts at Brighton. I wish I could go for a stroll to the city's parks like the Treasury Gardens, accord my respects to the Scarred Tree, and indulge in fun and frolic at Flagstaff Gardens. There is nothing more rejuvenating than a walk amid thick foliage - something that I dread of every morning. Melbourne Heritage Walk and a walk along the Yarra River path are also in my wish list, mere glimpse of which lightens up my spirits. And how can I forget the heart gladdening hot air ballooning? A heavenly city like Melbourne ought to be enjoyed from a hot air balloon to get a bird's eye view. Finally, for a person like me who loves to play cricket, Australia is the ultimate destination. 

Following are some of the facts about Melbourne that corroborate my desire to visit this wonderful city, trying to convince me, saying “…it's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!"

  • The Federation Square that is the cultural centre and houses the Melbourne Visitor Centre, Australian Centre for the Moving Image and National Gallery of Victoria's Ian Potter Centre. And the starting point for many trips and cruises....
  • The University of Melbourne, the second oldest in the nation, and all built in sandstone in a good mesh of gothic revival and modern styles; a public University with the largest endowment in the country! The Medical History Museum here would be of great interest ...with class photos of the earliest women medical students in 1887!
  • The Queen Victoria Market, spread over 7 hectares, and having the largest collection of open air markets. Being earlier a meat market, an old 1868 mural here depicts a few lambs and cows ; though I have never figured out why you erect a statue before killing the animals....
     
  • The Yarra River at the Yarra Bend park. Melbourne being situated at the lower end of the river, as it flows down towards Hobsons Bay... Lovely parklands on its banks, giving you a country feel right in the middle of Melbourne, as you decide to indulge in cruise on the MV Melburnian in the Yarra .
     
  • The imposing Victorian State Parliament building, which was supposed to have a huge 20 story dome, but they cancelled the idea, and now it is domeless, and the Exhibition Buildings, the last remnants of the major 19th century exhibition buildings in the world.
     
  • I would love to do the Golden Mile heritage walk that would take me through the Royal Arcade and the Block Arcade, not to mention Melbourne's little shopping lanes...and would enjoy the year round fruits from the shops at the Queens Parade in Clifton Hill, along with the cafes.
     
  • And how can we forget Cooks Cottage, the house owned by the parents of Captain Cook in England, sold to an Australian, and shipped piece by brick piece, along with the ivy plants , and reconstructed in Australia. The Cooks decreed that the house must stay in England, and some smart person got that amended to "Empire", and so it came Down Under.
     
  • The Royal Botanic Gardens, The Luna Park, The Maritime Museum at South Wharf, and the Literature Lane  in the City, decorated with cover pages of some amazing Australian literary works.
     
  • Balloon trips high above Melbourne, taking in the CBD, the Yarra and the woodlands, floating above the Melbourne Cricket Ground, imagining visiting its Sports Museum, creating stories to bring home to 2 cricket crazy family members.
  • Melbourne (in fact, the whole of Australia) is a heaven for food lovers - world cuisines, thick shakes, cocktails, cupcakes, crepes and donuts.
 …It's your time to visit Melbourne NOW! Because, more than the Bricks and Mortar, the delicacies and the rides, it's the people who make a country and a city.  

Here is a question for all the readers (to be answered in not more than 100 words):
What's your reason for falling in love with Melbourne, the most livable city in the world?

Which of these places would you want to visit in Melbourne and why? 



Do visit this Website for more details : http://www.visitmelbourne.com/in


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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS TO THE NATION ON THE EVE OF INDIA’S 68TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

Posted by ABC Thursday, 14 August 2014 0 comments

Fellow citizens:

On the eve of 67thanniversary of our Independence, I extend warm greetings to you and to all Indians around the world. I convey my special greetings to members of our armed forces, paramilitary forces and internal security forces. I also congratulate all our sportspersons, who have participated and won laurels in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games held at Glasgow.

Friends:

1. Freedom is a celebration; independence is a challenge. In the 68thyear of freedom, we have reaffirmed the power of our individual and collective liberties by electing through a remarkably peaceful electoral process, a stable government with a clear majority for a single party, after three decades. The increase in voter turnout to 66 per cent from the last election’s 58 per cent shows the vitality of our democracy. This achievement has given us an opportunity to take up the challenge of governance by reforming the policies, practices and systems of governance so that the enormous aspirations of our people can be fulfilled with vision, commitment, integrity, speed and administrative capability.

2. Stagnant minds create immobile systems which become roadblocks to growth. India demands creative thinking in governance that enables fast-track development and ensures social harmony. The nation has to be placed above partisan impulses. The people come first.

Friends:

3. In a democracy, good governance is exercise of power for efficient and effective management of our economic and social resources for the well-being of the people. This power has to be exercised within the framework of the Constitution through the institutions of state. With the passage of time and changes in the eco-system, distortions do appear making some institutions dysfunctional. When one institution does not function in the manner expected of it, phenomenon of overreach sets in. While some new institutions might become necessary, the real solution lies in re-inventing and restoring the existing ones to serve the purpose of effective government.

4. Good governance is critically dependent on rule of law, participatory decision-making, transparency, responsiveness, accountability, equity and inclusiveness. It calls for wider involvement of the civil society in the political process. It calls for deeper engagement of the youth with the institutions of democracy. It calls for quick dispensation of justice to the people. It calls for ethical and responsible behaviour from the media.
5. A country of our size, heterogeneity and complexity calls for culture-specific governance models. It calls for cooperation in the exercise of power and assumption of responsibility, by all stakeholders. It calls for constructive partnership between the state and the citizen. It calls for taking a responsive administration to the door step of every hut and habitation in the land.

Fellow Citizens:

6. The decisive challenge of our times is to end the curse of poverty. The focus of our policies now has to move from alleviation of poverty to elimination of poverty. The difference is not mere semantics: alleviation is a process; elimination is a time-defined objective. In last six decades, the poverty ratio has declined from over 60 per cent to less than 30 per cent. Even then, nearly one-third of our population still lives below the poverty line. Poverty is not a mere statistic. Poverty has a face, which becomes unbearable when it scars the visage of a child. The poor cannot, and will not, wait for yet another generation to see the very essentials of life - food, shelter, education and employment - being denied to them. The benefits from economic development must percolate down to the poorest of the poor.

7. In the last decade, our economy grew at an average rate of 7.6 per cent per year. Though the growth rate was subdued at below 5 per cent during the last two years, I sense renewed vigour and optimism in the air. Signs of revival are visible. Our external sector has strengthened. Fiscal consolidation measures are beginning to show results. Notwithstanding occasional spurts, inflation has started moderating. However, food prices still remain a matter of serious concern. Record food grains production last year helped agriculture sector to grow at a healthy 4.7 per cent. Employment has increased by an average of about 4 per cent per year in the last decade. Manufacturing sector is on the rebound. The stage is now set for our economy to move on a high growth trajectory of 7 to 8 per cent, which is essential to ensure the availability of adequate resources for equitable development.

Fellow Citizens:

8. Economy is the material part of development. Education is the essential part of it.A sound education system is the bedrock of an enlightened society. It is the bounden duty of our educational institutions to provide quality education and inculcate the core civilizational values of love for motherland; compassion for all; tolerance for pluralism; respect for women; performance of duty; honesty in life; self-restraint in conduct, responsibility in action and discipline in young minds. By the end of the Twelfth Five Year Plan, we would have achieved a literacy rate of eighty per cent. But would we be able to say that we have provided quality education and skills to our children to be good citizens and successful professionals?

Fellow Citizens:

9. Our thoughts are influenced by our environment. "Yadrishi Bhavana Yasya; Siddhir Bhavati Tadrishi”. It means, "Whatever are one’s thoughts, so will be the outcomes”. Clean environment breeds clean thoughts. Cleanliness is a mark of self-respect. Ancient travellers like Megasthenes in the 4th Century BC, Fa Hien in the 5thCentury AD and Hiuen Tsang in the 7thCentury AD, when they came to India, have written about the efficient administrative systems, with planned settlements and good urban infrastructure.What has gone wrong with us now? Why can’t we keep our environment free of filth? The Prime Minister's call to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, by making India a clean country by 2019 is commendable, but it can be achieved only if each Indian converts this into a national mission. Every road, every path, every office, every home, every hut, every river, every stream, every particle in the air around us can be kept clean, if we but cared just a little. We must nurture nature, so that nature continues to nurture us.

My fellow citizens: 

10. Though an ancient civilization, India is a modern nation with modern dreams. Intolerance and violence is a betrayal of the letter and spirit of democracy. Those who believe in the poison drip of inflammatory provocation do not understand India's values or even its present political impulses. Indians know that progress, economic or social, is difficult without peace. This may be the appropriate moment to recall the great Shivaji's letter to Aurangzeb when the latter imposed jizya. Shivaji told the emperor that Shah Jehan, Jehangir and Akbar could also have levied this tax "but they did not give place to bigotry in their hearts, as they considered all men, high and low, created by God to be examples of the nature of diverse creeds and temperaments". This 17th century epistle of Shivaji carries a message, which is universal. It must become a living testament that guides our behaviour today.

11. We can least afford to forget this message at a time when an increasingly turbulent international environment has sparked off rising dangers in our region and beyond, some clearly visible, and some crawling out of the debris of unprecedented turmoil. Across parts of Asia and Africa, attempts are being made by radical militias to redraw the maps of nations to create a geography for theocratic ideology. India will feel the heat of blow back, particularly as it represents the values that reject extremism in all its manifestations. India is a beacon of democracy, equilibrium, inter-and-intra faith harmony. We must defend our secular fabric with vigour. Our security and foreign policies must combine the steel of strength with the velvet of diplomacy even as we persuade the like-minded as well as the hesitant to recognise the substantial dangers that breed within indifference.

Fellow Citizens: 

12. Our Constitution is a consequence of our democratic culture, which reflects our ancient values.It pains me to note that this great national asset is becoming increasingly vulnerable to rash excess. Our right to freedom continues to flourish, and may that always be the case, but what about our duty to the people? I sometimes wonder: has our democracy become too noisy? Have we lost the art of contemplation and calm thinking? Is it not the time to restore the grandeur and glory of our institutions that have sustained and nourished our beautiful democracy? Should not Parliament again become the great hall of sombre thought and well-debated legislation? Should not our courts of law become temples of justice? This calls for collective action by all the stakeholders.

13. A nation is very young at 68. India has the will, energy, intellect, values and unity to claim the 21stcentury. The vision to win the battle of freedom from poverty is set; the journey will seem formidable only to those without conviction. As an old saying goes, "Sidhir Bhavati Karmaja”, which means, "success is born of action”.

14. Now is the time for action!

Jai Hind.
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Section 377: A retrograde decision

Posted by ABC Friday, 20 December 2013 1 comments
 

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 2009 Delhi High Court verdict that decriminalised gay sex is regressive and has dealt a severe blow to liberal values and human rights. Such display of circumspection in its jurisprudence by the apex court has only reinforced the stigma associated with homosexuality. In the name of societal morality and decency, personal liberty has been made a scapegoat here. It is disheartening to see one group of individuals being discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation. Section 377 was brought in 150 years ago in consonance with the patriarchal family set-up. Lawmakers then termed any form of sexual activity beyond the man-woman relationship as ‘unnatural’ and saw it as a worthless pursuit of pleasure that only results in the wastage of god given energy meant exclusively for the creation of progeny. What they failed to observe was the fact that sexual orientation is not something that a person acquires wilfully. It is something that he or she gets by birth or through interaction with the society. Homosexuality is, therefore, an exclusively private preference. 

Even after several years of protests by the activist groups and progressive intellectuals, Section 377 – which punishes ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature’ – is now back in force and hangs over the heads of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT). The honourable Court has stepped in wherever the judiciary has failed and has not hesitated to uphold the constitutionally enumerated fundamental rights to life and to equality. Why should it then not shy away from correcting a centuries-old law and an obsolete, regressive mind-set that offend against basic rights and human dignity?


The Court’s decision can have serious repercussions for the LGBT community. Harassment and the stigma associated with homosexuality may not only lead to social alienation of the LGBT community but may also lead to severe health consequences, particularly in the fight against AIDS. It is therefore the prerogative of the legislature to provide legal and constitutional protection to the LGBT community in this ever-evolving society. 

As a purportedly progressive and modern society, we must not lag behind in upholding the rights of the LGBT community. The need of the hour is to dismantle the obsolete notions and initiate measures that enable all sections of society enjoy a dignified life. At the same time, young people should not be lured into practising this aberration as a fashion statement. Aberration should be prevented from becoming convention.
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Live-in relationships

Posted by ABC 0 comments

In a nation where the institution of marriage is considered sacrosanct, the very mention of live-in relationships as an alternative to marriage results in severe consequences and even lead to agitations. Even though the Supreme Court has ruled that live-in relationships are a fundamental right of Indian citizens and are not per se illegal, any tinkering with the patriarchal family set-up is regarded as anti-family. Not only are live-in relationships seen as immoral but also as an infamous product of western culture. It is a common perception among the orthodox Indian families that live-in relationships weaken the strong familial ties and encourage promiscuity.

What is conveniently ignored is the fact that this form of co-habitation provides an opportunity to both the partners to redefine their relationship and share powers and responsibilities equally. This form of relationship has the potential to check the climbing divorce rates. Often, relationships in which men tend to enslave women and condemn them to certain subordinate roles gives rise to mutual dissatisfaction and malevolence which ultimately culminates in either divorce or physical or psychological assault of one partner over the other. In other words, marriage becomes an exploitative tool in the institution of patriarchy.

In this ever evolving world, live-in relationships are acquiring ever increasing significance. Individuals are entering into this form of relationship more out of conviction than for convenience as they feel liberated and are not bound by the compulsions of predefined marital roles. Many individuals may be ideologically opposed to the idea of letting the law dictate their personal lives, while many others may feel mauled by societal pressures and tribulations. Live-in relationships can offer great respite to such individuals in pursuing a relationship of companionship unencumbered by the intrusion of property and inheritance wrangles.


Absence of legal sanctity, however, does not necessarily mean that live-in relationships be adopted as a way of life. The children born put of such relationships are the worst sufferers. Mutual conflicts, lack of authority over the ‘virtual family’ often make this relationship a burden. The exploitation of women by their live-in partners cannot be ignored. It is then that consensual acts between the partners acquire a form of penal offence. Moreover, these relationships that do not necessarily encourage an individual to sustain a family may lead to degradation of moral values and Indian culture.

Choosing a way of life is certainly an individual’s own decision. But the choice should be made out of conviction and not merely for convenience.
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My blog is an innovative amalgamation of my thoughts, how i perceive and react to different events in the ordinary business of life and at the same time entertain the readers and sensitize them.
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