My Online Diary

Ranbaxy malaria drug in final trial stage

2009-05-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

May be the first new chemical entity developed and marketed by an Indian company.

Six years after the Geneva-based, not-for-profit organisation, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), made Ranbaxy its drug development partner, the latter today announced the start of final-stage clinical trials for a new anti-malaria drug.

Ranbaxy expects to complete the trial on the anti-malaria combination medicine (Arterolane maleate + Piperaquine phosphate) in India, Bangladesh and Thailand and apply for marketing authorisation by late 2010.

Ranbaxy became the “pharma partner” of MMV in May 2003 to develop a more effective medicine for malaria. Two years earlier, MMV stopped funding the project and handed over development rights of the drug to Ranbaxy. The ministry of science and technology also funded the research through its Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Research Programme.

Rashmi Barbhaiya, former research head of Ranbaxy, who was instrumental in making the alliance with MMV happen, said it should be the first research-based new drug developed and marketed by an Indian pharma company.

The drug is targeted at patients in developing countries with the aim of replacing the conventional options available for the treatment of P-falciprum malaria. The drugs available at present are either those to which the malarial parasite has developed resistance or newer alternatives that are expensive and derived from agricultural sources, thus having limitations on scalability.

Malvinder Mohan Singh, chairman, CEO and MD, Ranbaxy, said, “Our new anti-malaria drug, likely the first NCE (New Chemical Entity) from India, will benefit patients immensely and provide a more potent solution to developing nations where malaria is endemic.”

Arterolane maleate + Piperaquine phosphate is a synthetic drug and so, is easier to manufacture.

Patient compliance will also be much easier; available therapy requires an adult to consume 24 tablets over three days. Whereas, the Arterolane maleate + Piperaquine phosphate dosage is only tablet per day for three days. Ranbaxy aims to market the drug in the malaria-endemic geographies of India, Africa, Latin America and the Asia Pacific.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 250-300 million cases of malaria occur every year, mainly in developing countries, causing approximately a million deaths. Anti-malarial research is one of the neglected areas.

Business Standard report

All about Ayurveda

2009-05-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

WHAT IS AYURVEDA?

"AYURVEDA" is made up of two words-Ayuh and Veda. Ayuh means life and Veda means knowledge or science. Thus "AYURVEDA’ in totality means ‘Science of life’. It incorporates all aspects of life whether physical, psychological, spiritual or social. What is beneficial and what is harmful to life, what is happy life and what is sorrowful life; all these four questions and life span allied issues are elaborately and emphatically discussed in Ayurveda. It believes the existence of soul before birth and after death too.

THE ORIGIN OF AYURVEDA

Ayurveda, the ancient most health care system originated with the origin of universe. With the inception of human life on earth Ayurveda started being applied. The antique vedic texts have scattered references of Ayurvedic Remedies and allied aspects of medicine and health. Atharva-veda mainly deals with extensive Ayurvedic information. That is why Ayurveda is said to be the off shoot of Atharva Veda.

THE AYURVEDIC VIEWPOINT OF STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF BODY

Universe as well as human body are made up of five basic elements colectively called ‘Panch Mahabhootas’. These are Aakash (Ether), Vayu (Air), Agni(Fire), Aapa (Water) and Prithvi (Earth). The sixth mandatory component of life is Atma (life spirit) without which life ceases. The human body is made up of Doshas (Bio-humours), Dhatus(Body matrix) and Malas (excretable products). Vata, Pitta and kapha, known as Tridoshs are physiological entities of the body which are responsible for carrying out all the functions of the body. Dhatus are the structural entities of thebody. These are Rasa (Plasma), Rakta (Blood cells), Mamsa (Muscular tissue), Meda (Fatty tissue), Asthi (Bony tissue), Majja (Bone marrow) and Shukra (Hormonal and other secretions of genital). Agni (Metabolic fire) is in thirteen different forms and carries out the whole metabolism of the body. The waste products of the body which are excretable are produced in the body as bye-products of metabolism. These are known as malas which include pureesh (faeces), Sweda (sweat) and Mutra (urine). All biotransformations within the body occur through Srotases (body channels) which are the sites for action of agni.

For more information on traditional Indian medicines visit: http://indianmedicine.nic.in/

Legal victory of turmeric patenting

2009-03-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

India's successful challenging of a U.S. patent (No. 5,401,504) on the use of turmeric (Curcuma longa L., Zingiberaceae) for healing has been an encouraging victory for Indian activists campaigning to protect indigenous wisdom.

After a complex legal battle, the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office ruled on Aug. 14 that a patent for turmeric issued to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in December 1993 was invalid because it was not a novel invention.

The patent was contested by India's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which combined scientific evidence with legal savvy to take on the biopirates. Says an excited R. A. Mashelkar, director-general of the CSIR, "This success will enhance the confidence of the people and help remove fears about India's helplessness on preventing bio-piracy and appropriation of inventions based on traditional knowledge."

The turmeric patent was just one of the hundreds that the North has claimed by ignoring indigenous and existing knowledge. Vandana Shiva, a global campaigner for a fair and honest Intellectual Property Rights system, says patents on Neem, Amla, Jar Amla, Anar, Salai, Dudhi, Gulmendhi, Bagbherenda, Karela, Erand, Rangoon-kibel, Vilayetishisham and Chamkura need to be revoked.

This can be done if laws are changed to ensure protection against bio-piracy, activists say, because "chasing every patent based on traditional knowledge will involve huge expenses and efforts," according to farm scientist Devinder Sharma.

Under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, patents are provided for inventions that qualify for their novelty, non-obviousness, and utility. The turmeric patent failed to satisfy the criteria of novelty as turmeric paste has been used to treat wounds and stomach infections for centuries by Indians.

It is the WTO which has to protect indigenous knowledge, argues Sharma, who says, "governments of developing countries cannot chase and challenge every indigenous knowledge-based product patent. Patent laws need to be changed, the onus of proof reversed and companies should give an undertaking that the patent they are seeking is not based on traditional wisdom."

Suman Sahai of the New Delhi-based Gene Campaign would like the government to use the turmeric case to "press the North to reform its own laws governing intellectual property rights, instead of pressuring the South to change its laws."

Vandana Shiva points out that "examples of bio-piracy make it clear that it is not just Indian patent laws that need to be changed. The American laws also need to be changed to fit into a fair and honest global Intellectual Property Rights system."

Milk: Healthy or Unhealthy

2009-03-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

From childhood, we are taught that milk is healthy and that we need to consume dairy products for the calcium intake. But today, even doctors say cow's milk can lead to iron deficiency anaemia, allergies, diarrhoea, heart disease, colic, cramps, gastrointestinal bleeding, sinusitis, skin rashes, acne, increased frequency of colds and flu, arthritis, diabetes, ear infections, osteoporosis, asthma and autoimmune diseases.

These are some finding of studies:

Milk is also a cause of malabsorption disorders (2), may be a cause of juvenile diabetes (3), and may promote prostate and testicular cancer (4).

Preliminary findings indicate that insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in children is associated with an intake of cow's milk prior to weaning. An autoimmune mechanism has been used to explained how cow's milk causes the body to produce antibodies. These antibodies attack the pancreatic cells that make insulin. Research continues to clarify these relationships and the role of genes in triggering this auto-immune response (5).

Milk and milk products gave the highest correlation coefficient to heart disease, while sugar, animal proteins and animal fats came in second, third,and fourth, respectively (6).

Milk and many components of milk (butterfat, milk protein, calcium from milk, and riboflavin)… were positively related to coronary heart disease mortality for all 40 countries studied (7).

Indian herbs investigated

2009-03-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hundreds of herbs used for centuries by traditional healers in India could soon be on western pharmacy shelves.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has launched a series of studies to test the health claims surrounding a variety traditional medicines.

Clinical trials have shown that herbal remedies for asthma, diabetes and even sexually transmitted diseases may be effective.

The council is looking at treatments for a range of other conditions used for over a thousand years by practitioners of Ayurveda and Siddha medicine.

More effective

Professor Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, a member of the council, said that in some cases the herbs may be more effective than Western-style medicines.

"We have plants for bronchial asthma, hepatitis and arthritis," he said.

"We have other plants which have been shown to be effective for treating sexually transmitted diseases and they have been used in that way by tribal populations for centuries.

"We have herbs where you can relieve headache, fever, gastroenteritis, sneezing and coughing.

"These conditions can easily be alleviated."

Pharmaceutical companies have already expressed an interest in developing some of these remedies commercially for sale in the West.

Under some existing schemes, a percentage of the company's profits is given to a local village.

Professor Chaudhury acknowledged that in some cases the council will be unable to prove that the herbs work.

This is because many of the remedies are based on a combination of plants which taken on their own would not be effective.

"There are hundreds of herbs but we are unable at the moment to do very good testing for combinations of plants.

"In the Ayurvedic system they use usually combinations. But testing combinations with modern technology is difficult."

Common standards

The herbal remedies would have to be produced to a common standard before they could ever hope to make pharmacy shelves.

Professor Chaudhury said: "There are many herbs that are very effective and I wouldn't hesitate to prescribe them or even take them but only if I am sure it has been standardised."

Millions of people living across India use traditional medicine. In some rural areas, between 60% and 70% seek help from Ayurveda and Siddha practitioners.

"If this was taken away our health services would collapse," said Professor Chaudhury.

However, he added that the tradition is losing out to western-style medicine.

"There are vast areas of India where there is no healthcare and people look after themselves with their tradition, their folklore, their tribal systems and their inherent knowledge of plants.

"They use this but a lot of this is being lost because the knowledge goes when the folk healer dies."

Professor Chaudhury said the council hoped to continue to collect information on the traditional herbs and to identify those which can be scientifically proven to work.

This story was done by BBC.

Indian herbs for soup

2009-02-28T09:04:00.000-08:00

Get a taste of the Indian garam masala - yummy...

"Masala" literally means a blend of different herbs and spices, while "Garam" means "hot," although the blend is really isn't chilli-hot. Garam masala is an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine, particularly in the northern regions of the nation. This all-purpose blend contains most of the Indian herbs used for soup. It is added to the soup or other dish just before it is served.

It is said that there are as many recipes for garam masala as there are kitchens in India. However, most recipes will combine a simple, basic blend of these commonly available herbs and spices:

Cloves
- Indian Names: Lavang, Laung, Lavanga, Lavangalu, Labango, Krambu, Grampu, Shriisanjnan,
- Used for its spicy, highly aromatic flavor. It should be used ground fresh as it easily loses its potency.
Coriander
- Indian Names: Kothambari, Dhania, Dhaniya
- This aromatic herb is prized for its pungent, slightly citrusy flavor, and for the texture it adds to soups.
Cardamom pods
- Indian Name: Eliachi, Yellakai, Ellakai, Elakkaai, Elathari, Yalukalu
- Imparts/prized for its strong, yet pleasant flavor, which is found in its seeds. The woody pods are discarded.
Black pepper
- Indian Name: Kala mirchi, Krishnan, Krishnadi, Menasu, Gulki, Kuru mulagu, Marichan
- Used whole and ground as needed. An essential component in almost all Indian cuisine as a cooking ingredient as well as a table condiment.
Cinnamon
- Indian Name: Dalchini, Dalochini, Erikkoloam, Durusita, Lavangamu, Illavangam, Lavanga pattai
- A fragrant spice that is prized for its delicate, sweet flavor.
Black cumin
- Indian Name: kala jeera, Shah Jeera (Not to be confused with jeera, or regular cumin)
- Sweeter and darker-colored than regular cumin, this spice is used for its exotic, flowery aroma and its nutty flavor when toasted.
Ginger
- Indian names: Adrak, Adraka, Sonth, Alla, Allam, Inchi, Shringaveran, Sringaaran, Ingee, Ada
- A basic, albeit non-essential, Indian spice, Ginger is used for its sharp, pungent flavor and aroma.

In Indian cuisine, herbs and spices are always used whole rather than powdered. They are first dry roasted and then ground to release their natural oils and flavors

The struggle to protect traditional medicines

2009-02-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

In the first step by a developing country to stop multinational companies patenting traditional remedies from local plants and animals, the Indian government has effectively licensed 200,000 local treatments as "public property" free for anyone to use but no one to sell as a "brand".The move comes after scientists in Delhi noticed an alarming trend – the "bio-prospecting" of natural remedies by companies abroad.

After trawling through the records of the global trademark offices, officials found 5,000 patents had been issued — at a cost of at least $150m (£104m) — for "medical plants and traditional systems"."More than 2,000 of these belong to the Indian systems of medicine … We began to ask why multinational companies were spending millions of dollars to patent treatments that so many lobbies in Europe deny work at all," said Dr Vinod Kumar Gupta, who heads the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, which lists in encyclopaedic detail the 200,000 treatments.The database, which took 200 researchers eight years to compile by meticulously translating ancient Indian texts, will now be used by the European Patent Office to check against "bio-prospectors".Gupta points out that in Brussels alone there had been 285 patents for medicinal plants whose uses had long been known in the three principal Indian systems: ayurveda, India's traditional medical treatment; unani, a system believed to have come to India via ancient Greece; and siddha, one of India's oldest health therapies, from the south.

Researchers found that in Europe one company had patented an Indian creeping plant known as Brahmi — Bacopa monnieri — for a memory enhancer. Another patent was awarded for aloe vera for its use as a mouth ulcer treatment."We have shown the authorities that ayurveda, unani and siddha medicinal uses were known in India. We would like the patents therefore lifted," said Gupta.In the past India has had to go to court to get patents revoked. Officials say that to lift patents from medicines created from turmeric and neem, an Indian tree, it spent more than $5m. In the case of the neem patent, the legal battle took almost 10 years."We won because we proved these were part of traditional Indian knowledge. There was no innovation and therefore no patent should be granted," said Gupta.Yoga, too, is considered a traditional medicine and one that is already a billion-dollar industry in the US. Gupta said the Indian government had already asked the US to register yoga as a "well-known" mark and raised concerns over the 130 yoga-related patents issued."We want no one to appropriate the yoga brand for themselves.

There are 1,500 asanas [yogic poses] and exercises given in our ancient texts. We are transcribing these so they too cannot be appropriated by anyone."We have had instances where people have patented a yoga technique by describing a certain temperature. This is simply wrong."India is also unusual in that it has seven national medical systems — of which modern medicine is but one.

Almost four-fifths of India's billion people use traditional medicine and there are 430,000 ayurvedic medical practitioners registered by the government in the country. The department overseeing the traditional medical industry, known as Ayush, has a budget of 10bn rupees ($260m).India's battle to protect its traditional treatments is rooted in the belief that the developing world's rich biodiversity is a potential treasure trove of starting material for new drugs and crops. Gupta said that it costs the west $15bn and 15 years to produce a "blockbuster drug". A patent lasts for 20 years, so a pharmaceutical company has just five years to recover its costs — which makes conventional treatments expensive."If you can take a natural remedy and isolate the active ingredient then you just need drug trials and the marketing.

Traditional medicine could herald a new age of cheap drugs."Medicines ancient and modernGinger: Patented to treat obesity. However, officials have found that in a Siddha preparation, extracts of ginger root are used in a treatment for obesityCitrus peel extract: Patented to treat skin disorders and injuries. Recorded in Ayurvedic texts as a key ingredient to treat skin diseasesPhyllanthus amarus (Himalayan stem herb): Patented "for the inhibition of the replication of a nucleosidic inhibitor resistant retrovirus and/or a non-nucleosidic inhibitor-resistant retrovirus, wherein said retrovirus is an HIV."

Indian traditional texts show the drug is used for immuno-suppressive emaciating diseasesBrassica rapa (mustard): Patented to normalise bowel function or for the prevention of colonic cancer. Unani has for years prescribed it for stomach ailments.

Is kissing a vedic habit?

2009-02-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

To Devika Rani, the first lady of Indian cinema, goes the credit of the big smooch on the Indian screen in her 1933 hit, Karma. According to a Wikipedia entry, it was four minutes long and the longest kissing scene in the movie world. There was nothing low about it-or her.

For those of you who do not know who this diva is, some background information.

Devika Rani was the great grandniece of Rabindranath Tagore, had won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and later founded the Bombay Talkies film studio which produced stars of the caliber of Ashok Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor.

Behaviour analysts are also divided on where the habit [of kissing] originated. Some believe that kissing, in fact, is a Vedic habit. Vaughn Bryant, an anthropologist from Texas quoted in the International Herald Tribune, believes that the first recorded kiss, around 1500 BC, is in scriptures which mention people sniffing with their mouths; later Vedic texts describe lovers “setting mouth to mouth”.

Far from being a European import, he says, kissing went west from India, after Alexander’s conquest of Punjab in 326 BC. If such is the case then the Romans and Latins, whose kisses range from the overtly sexual to the deeply spiritual, are truly the kissing cousins of the Aryans.

But why go so far asks Sunil Setty in his article. No one has counted but there could well be 1,140 pillars in Konarak and Khajuraho with couples kissing -- and utterly oblivious of who's looking.

Yoga for balance, Harmony and Purification

2009-02-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

Hatha Yoga - An Ancient Program of Balance, Harmony and Purification

Hatha Yoga originated in the 15th century in India as part of a program of purification of the body incorporated along with meditation. Hatha is the Hindu word for "sun and , while "Yoga" is the word for "yoke" or uniting of body, mind and environment. Hatha Yoga places great significance on achieving balance between physical, mental, spiritual and emotional states in harmony with earth, water, sun and moon.

Basic Tenets of Hatha Yoga Program

The basic tenets of the Hatha Yoga Program is comprised of several aspects:

Asana which focuses on posture similar to the postures of T'ai Chi and Chi Gong
Prayanamas where subtle energy control is the focus, a very important aspect of Hatha Yoga
Chakras which are the centers of energy
Kundalini which encompasses muscle force
Kryas which promotes the mastering of kundalini techniques
Shakti, the sacred force
Nadis which are channels
Mudras, which are symbolic gestures similar to those in T'ai Chi.

Shatkarma, purification, begins with freeing up the mind by freeing up the body through holistic lifestyle, yoga practice daily and metaphysical re-adaptation.

Self-Improvement Through Hatha Yoga

Within asanas, also known as "sun signs", movements are performed and practiced that rely on focused mental concentration in order to achieve maximum benefits. Practitioners of Hatha Yoga find a new sense of physical balance and strength as a result of consistent use of asanas. Thus, Hatha Yoga retards the aging process by infusing mind and body with continual renewal of strength and balance. Most people who practice Hatha Yoga find that it's necessary to also take inventory of their dietary and lifestyle predilections. This is a very natural emanation of alterations to a less healthy lifestyle.

Benefits of Hatha Yoga

The benefits of Hatha Yoga are a sense of wholeness and overall good health. Through the balance of mind and body effected by Hatha Yoga, a new harmony evolves from within and allows the individual to experience less stress and tension as a result. Yet, the adaptability to Hatha Yoga lifestyle is relatively easy because of the simplicity of its core fundamentals.

Meditation and Hatha Yoga

Meditation is an element of nearly all religions, holistic programs and cultural lifestyles. Meditation is also one of the oldest forms of self-recognition. Discovering the wealth of knowledge, ideas and inspirations within the unconscious mind is often obliterated by details stored in the conscious mind. This creates a conflict in the body when conscious messages block out unconscious messages intended as metaphysical protection from conscious deliberate negative actions. Quieting the mind sufficiently in meditation also requires the body to be receptively postured for best results. This is the basis of Hatha Yoga.

Lessons of Hatha Yoga for All Ages

Teaching children from young ages to adapt to the holistic program of Hatha Yoga creates a permanent direction for mental stability and good physical health. It is also the very best time for the practice of Hatha Yoga to begin. Those who choose Hatha Yoga in their senior years may find several of the asanas, i.e., the candle, the Lotus Position, physically challenging. For this age group, modified asanas are taught.

Aishwarya Rai may contest elections

2009-02-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could contest in the forthcoming parliamentary elections that are due in a couple of months.

Efforts are on to woo the actress to enter politics. Jaya Bachchan, wife of Amitabh Bachchan and Ash’s mother-in-law, is currently a Member of the Parliament on the Samajwadi Party ticket. The Bachchans share a close relationship with SP General Secretary Amar Singh.

The party is also trying to rope in several actors to be fielded against top politicians. Actor Sanjay Dutt is already confirmed as the party's choice for the Lucknow constituency.

Let’s see what’s in store for the former beauty queen!

Alcoholism is fine

2009-01-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

Check these two studies. They are too interesting to avoid

Study One: Cows and Names: In this pathbreaking study, researchers who do not need to get a life, thank you, have discovered that cows with names give more milk than cows without names. The lead researcher has been quoted as saying: “Placing more importance on knowing the individual animals and calling them by name can significantly increase milk production. Just as people respond better to the personal touch, cows also feel happier and more relaxed if given one-to-one attention.”

Study Two: Men and Alcohol: In a revelation that will send the men among you tumbling to the nearest pub, “new research suggests that moderate drinking actually protects against impotence in the long term.” The study finds that “drinkers experienced rates of impotence 25% to 30% below those of teetotallers.” So sweep that glass of fresh-lime soda off the table on your next date, and ask for a beer. “I will take you to heaven,” tell your love, “but first I must drink seven.”

And what is the conclusion from these two studies? Just this: The next time you are dating a cow, have a drink or two; but don’t drink so much that you forget her name.

Isn’t that useful?

Courtesy: Indiauncut.com

The new hope of America

2009-01-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama, he's our hero
Gonna take corruption down to zero

He is smart and dignified
Fighting on the country's side

Barack Obama, he's our hero
Gonna take corruption down to zero

Gonna help him put asunder
Men who like to loot and plunder

"You'll pay for this Barack Obama!"

We're the Volunteers!
You can be one too
'Cause saving our country is the thing to do!

Hating and polluting is not the way
Hear what Obama has to say!

"The Power is Yours!"

Hear the original theme song

If anyone would care to actually sing this, that would be awesome.

Courtesy: Dr. Wicked.com

The Healthy traditions of India

2009-01-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

The tradition of using flour ground in the local chakki should be encouraged-Grinding to eat flours of various cereals - whole wheat, maize, bajra, channa flours from the local chakkis should be encouraged, reinforced and followed.Consumption of missi roti, channa roti, bajra roti makki roti should be reinforced.

Whole pulses like rajma, channa, sabut urad are popular besides dehusked dals which also have health benefits.

People consume variety of seasonal local fruits like phalsa, jamun, bael, baer etc which have many health benefits.

Guava is a fruit very rich in minerals, micronutrients, anti-oxidants and vitamins is consumed in abundant quantities in northern India in the winter.

Varieties of seasonal greens are consumed for e.g. radish leaves, cauliflower greens, shepu in winter etc.

Use of fresh-home made,home cleaned food accompaniments like coriander/mint/raw mango/tomato chutney, oil-less pickles with condiments and spices are beneficial.
Onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes are used liberally in Punjabi cuisine which is also healthy
Usage of protective home made fresh spices like methi, hing, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel, mustard in their food preparations also provided health benefits.
All kinds of vegetable oils like mustard, sunflower, and ground nut oil are being used.This practice of using variety of oils should be reinforced and encouraged.
Nuts are consumed as a part of their diet, especially in the winter. Consumption of unsalted nuts is a healthy practice which should be continued and reinforced.
Home made masalas & spices are preferred to ready made masala. This needs continued reinforcement.

Kurukshetra wins a historic battle

2009-01-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

What would you associate Kurukshetra with?
The great battle of Mahabharata?

Today, there is a new reason to remember this district of Haryana in northern India. It has won another battle, and a major one. I felt ashamed whenever I came across the fact that out of every two people who are forced to defecate in the open, one is an Indian. Today, I can proudly proclaim that no one in the entire district of Kurukshetra defecates in the open.

The great battle of Indian mythology was fought here, but these days Kurukshetra is home to a more mundane combat - with deadly disease-inducing social and personal habits. In several villages in the district, there has been tremendous progress in sanitation. The village of Khanpur Kholiya, along with Masana and Sawla, has received the central government's Nirmal Gram Puruskar for ensuring that no one, not even a child, defecates in the open.

In South Asia, which has more people affected by poor sanitation than any other region of the world, as many as 1 million children under five years old die every year, many of them due to water-borne diseases linked to poor sanitation and hygiene. In India, 30 million in rural areas suffer every year from sanitation-related illnesses.

Why? Poor sanitation immediately conjures up images of poverty, but the reverse isn't always true. The South Asian office of the Water & Sanitation Programme (WSP) of the World Bank has often cited the paradox that good sanitation isn't necessarily related to income levels. Kerala, where per capita incomes are modest, has scored spectacularly on this front. And richer people sometimes are slow to shrug off poor past practices - WSP experts recalled a well-off Haryana farmer who proudly told them how he makes it a point to take his entire family out first thing in the morning in his Maruti - to the fields to perform their ablutions!

The current year, 2008, is the International Year of Sanitation. And SACOSAN 3, the third bi-annual South Asian Conference on Sanitation, will be held in Delhi from 16-21 November this year. As part of a media conclave prior to the conference, journalists from India and Pakistan - Bangladeshis weren't given visas in time - accompanied WSP experts and others to Khanpur Kholiya.

The visitors were heralded by a rustic band and the walls of the houses along the tiny lanes carried slogans like Swachha gav, swastha gav (A clean village is a healthy village). Once seated, in the spacious terrace of the well-appointed panchayat headquarters, the visitors were festooned with iridescent turbans or shawls. Jaswinder Kaur, the feisty sarpanch of the village and Surjit Kaur, the Mahila Mandal Pradhan, recounted how they had armed themselves for the battle against unhygienic practices. They recalled that the social awareness had been kindled through a movement to rid the men folk of the scourge of alcoholism. "Today my village is a clean village," asserted Surjit Kaur proudly. "All the women are with me."

Experts resort to the ungainly acronym ODF to designate a village as being 'open-defecation' free. Haryana has a long way to go by this measure, but this is not because the state is poor. The elected officials we spoke to pointed out that per-capita income in Haryana is among the highest for Indian states; the state attracts very high levels of investment in emerging industry sectors. Thus, it's not poverty that is keeping sanitation at bay. Rather, it is people's attitudes, which prevent them from realising the importance of good practices. Haryana could consider itself truly emancipated when its ODF-rank too becomes high.

AIDS is a myth

2009-01-18T10:07:00.000-08:00

Stop talking about AIDS!

Talk about AIDS:

(American Invented Disease Syndrome)

Collecting Data from all over the World, we become convinced and confident:

That HIV does not caused AIDS.

That AIDS does not exist.

That AIDS never was.

Now, we are convinced about the tremendous horrible Fact that millions of people dying on toxic medicine. We do belief that the whole AIDS Myth is nothing but a horrible moneymaking genocide with main concentration on the people of Africa.

We do belief that the United Nation are one of the main promoters of deadly Drugs, and we do belief that the United Nations purposely ignoring the Protest of hundreds international recognized Scientists, claiming that HIV does not cause AIDS, claiming that AIDS does not exist, claiming that AZT and its derivates are deadly Drugs.

For that reasons, we are certain that it is our conviction to fight against the most heinous violation of Human Rights the most heinous Genocide ever happened in this World.

... AZT is a prescription drug and according to the manufacturer itself it causes symptoms that are indistinguishable from AIDS” Professor Dr. Duesberg

Why? read below…

As an explanation for the origin of AIDS, the HIV hypothesis is implausible because it contradicts a number of established principles of virology and immunology. It is also at variance with a growing body of empirical observations.

Some Examples:

Retroviruses do not typically kill their host cells. On the contrary, they depend on continued replication of the host for their own survival.

Viruses typically cause disease shortly after infection, before the immune system of their host can respond. There is no other example of a viral pathogen which causes primary disease only after long and unpredictable latent periods, only in the presence of neutralizing antibodies, and in the virtual absence of gene expression, as HIV is said to do.

Dr. Fabio Franci, Specialist in Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Trieste, Italy:

"I am not an agnostic; I am well convinced HIV is harmless."

"Nobody wants to look at the facts about this disease. It's the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen. I've sent countless letters to medical journals pointing out the epidemiological discrepancies and they simply ignore them. The fact is, this whole AIDS thing is a hoax."

Dr. Richard Strohman, Emeritus Professor of Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley:

"In the old days it was required that a scientist addresses the possibilities of proving his hypothesis wrong as well as right. Now there's none of that in standard HIV-AIDS program with all its billions of dollars."

Dr. Harvey Bialy, Molecular Biologist, former editor of Bio/Technology and Nature Biotechnology:

"HIV is an ordinary retrovirus. There is nothing about this virus that is unique. Everything that is discovered about HIV has an analogue in other retroviruses that don't cause AIDS. HIV only contains a very small piece of genetic information. There's no way it can do all these elaborate things they say it does." (Spin June 1992)

Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, New York Physician, founder of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR):

"The marketing of HIV, through press releases and statements, as a killer virus causing AIDS without the need for any other factors, has so distorted research and treatment that it may have caused thousands of people to suffer and die."

Dr. Etienne de Harven, Emeritus Professor of Pathology, at the University of Toronto:

"Dominated by the media, by special pressure groups and by the interests of several pharmaceutical companies, the AIDS establishment efforts to control the disease lost contact with open-minded, peer-reviewed medical science since the unproven HIV/AIDS hypothesis received 100% of the research funds while all other hypotheses were ignored." (Reappraising AIDS Nov./Dec. 1998)

Dr. Charles Thomas, Molecular Biologist and former Harvard and Johns Hopkins Professor:

"The HIV-causes-AIDS dogma represents the grandest and perhaps the most morally destructive fraud that has ever been perpetrated on young men and women of the Western world," (Sunday Times (London) 3 April 1994)

"AIDS has been a disease of definition. If we said that it didn't exist and didn't pay for it with taxpayers' money, it would disappear in the background of normal mortality." (Penthouse April 1994)

"I feel that for scientists to remain silent in the face of all this doubt is tantamount to criminal negligence." (Spin June 1992)

Dr. Mohammad Ali Al-Bayati, Toxicologist and Pathologist, California:

"HIV does not cause AIDS. There is no scientific evidence that HIV can kill infected T4 cells. The true problem is that the leaders of the HIV hypothesis have been ignoring important medical facts and are blindly attributing AIDS to the HIV virus. It is very sad and frustrating to know that the AIDS establishment are giving highly toxic drugs such as AZT to pregnant women even with studies that show the depression in the immune system can be reversed by nutrition. Prescribing anti-viral drugs to AIDS patients is like putting gasoline on a fire"

A promise

2008-10-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

That’s enough! I have decided I will write nothing about the Lady from now on. Is it not the height? She just mailed me and told me not to mention any “names” in my blog. She was referring to her organisation that I had named, only to introduce the owner in one of my posts.

I know what she fears. That people might come to know about her relationship with me. So selfish. Right?

There was a time when she liked to tell people about her close relationship with me. Now, she fears it might affect her new “relationship”. Not that we still share the same degree of intimacy. In fact, it is almost zero degree now.

I know she would like her acquaintances to believe that we could not go along smoothly together and therefore decided to separate. It is wrong. It is she who broke the relationship. She had said on one fine day, “I am out of it now”. Out of the relationship she meant.

Why did she do it? Because she saw better options in Mumbai, at her workplace. Guys earning handsome salaries and probably better looking than myself. I am studying and there is still time that I would start earning. And how much would that be, may also be a matter of concern.

Oh! Again I have started blabbing about her. No more in further posts. Promise!

2008-10-11T00:17:00.001-07:00

2008-10-11T00:15:00.000-07:00

Difficult to forget

2008-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

I told you how the smallest thing having any connection with her sends me into a boot.

The other day I came to know that Gajendra Chauhan was in Delhi to act as a judge in the ongoing competition of Ramlilas, “Dashehra Darpan.” For those of you who do not know, Gajendra Chauhan is the actor who has been playing “Yudhisthira” since it was telecasted by Doordarshan.

So?

The connection is, he owns a production house, (Sai Baba Telefilms) in Mumbai and my lady is employed as an Executive Producer in it. I didn’t know what I would get out of it. But, there are so many people who do things without any reason. I allowed myself that liberty today.

So, I went to see the Ramlila or the judge to be more specific.

The aftermath of LOVE

2008-10-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

By now, the short story of my company with my lady must be clear to you. It was all going fine. The comfort level between us was almost the envy of all those watching our growing relationship. Then she had a job offer from Mumbai and she had to go.

Things started changing since then. Every young man in possession of a good fortune is in want of a wife, they say. And there were quite a few around her in her new environment. She started considering the “options”. That’s what her friend in Delhi told me.

Then one fateful day she announced to me “I am out of it.” Out of her relationship with me, she meant. No quarrels, no disputes. It made me all the more baffled to comprehend her. I mean the second hand knowledge of her friend had given me some hint (She had told me that my lady was considering other options), but that she would simply walk out of her relationship with me, I had no clue.

My feelings towards her had made me so honestly blind to her follies and nonsense that I didn’t even feel the rage. It saddened me immensely though, to the extent that I have almost become a cynic now. The URL of my blog finds some explanation here. I still need time to come to terms with life.

I have learnt to live in isolation now. Anything having any distant connection with her still excites my cardiac muscles. The buzz of the Reliance phone that she always called me on, arrests all my attention. I rush to pick it up, only to find the customer care calling with a new offer in its service.
The messages that she sent me, I read again and again. Did they hold no meaning for her? It forces me to think of myself like a toy which is no longer of any use for her.

The small teddy that she gave me still lies beside my bed staring at me with I Love You written on its tummy.

2.30 AM already. I should go to bed now.

The tragedy struck

2008-10-04T04:06:00.000-07:00

Her friend met me recently. She told me that my lady was actually "looking for other options". Off course, it left me shell-shocked. For a moment I sensed the earth moved from under my feet. I had to struggle to avoid breaking down. At the first opportunity, I excused myself and hurried home...to spend time alone. to recollect whatever I had heard and reflect if what she told me was true.

I sent her a mail after the meeting. Will share it with you

Hi,

Thanks that you told me about things. I am just wandering, how easy was it for you to tell me. How difficult for me to accept it. Left me with the tragic feeling of having lost everything.

I have also got explanations of a lot of things. My recent conversations with her were only those when she reminded me about my negligence in the past. When I tried explaining she accused me of having an excuse for everything. For me, they were reasons. But, it left me with a nagging pain. Also puzzled why she was suddenly telling these things to me. Off course! I got embarrassed. Apologized a number of times, followed by hundred sit ups as a mark of repentance. So foolish and childish of me na? But, then I thought of her as my dear lady whom I had disappointed.
I never knew that my relationship is so weak that it would be swept away by flimsy changes. She has proved me wrong. You know we had a deal, in our relationship: That whatever happens, Love will be aside and we will fight it out.
She has broken it, without telling me.

Sorry to bother you with all these... But can't think of anything else at the moment.

The letter that I sent her friend

2008-09-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hi,

First, let me congratulate you for your good result. Keep it up! Tell me howz everything going in your life?

With me everything is not very fine.. I don't know if it is the right thing to trouble you with my worries. May be because you had always come to my rescue whenever anything was wrong in our relationship. Today, something is definitely wrong. I don't know how much of it is in your knowledge. But, let me acquaint you with some background.

When she had left for Mumbai, I too left for my place within a few days for a week. I was quite busy there and insensitive enough not to call her. I confess it with shame now. That she would be coming to Delhi shortly was also playing in my mind. So, I took things easy. Never for the lack of feelings. Only taking things for granted.

Off course, she was furious and vented her anger on me. Things also evened out in course of time, so that when she came again to Delhi everything was honky dory. Thankfully for me..

Then she got back to Mumbai again. Since then things started changing… We did not talk very regularly. She too got very busy with her work. Sometimes when I tried her number it was busy and I did not try again. Work was also pressing at MCRC. At times, she told me that she was out for tea at around 12 am with some Sohit. I felt a bit upset at times. Not that I do not trust her. But, a bit of insecurity, you see.. Distance often does it.
I am not trying to find excuses, because that is what she accuses me of. And rightly too.

Now, she does not fight with me. I miss it. She does not complain. I feel the urgent need for it.
Please help.
Take care

To my disappointment, she forwarded the letter to my lady and no response from her.

On LOVE

2008-09-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

I am pure, I don’t hate, I don’t envy, I don’t feel proud, I don’t promise you anything but I am just waiting to be found.
I dwell in each one of you, deep within your souls I exist, unknown to most of you, misinterpreted by most of you, misunderstood by most of you – I am LOVE!

I just wish you could understand me a little better than you do today. It hurts to see that I have been so distorted; I have been misinterpreted by most of you. It’s amazing that though I exist in each one of you, you still fail to realize my presence.
I am there in each pain a woman feels when she brings her child into this world; I am there in each penny a child saves for his mother’s birthday gift; I am there in each tear shed when a near and dear one dies; I am there when a young girl smiles when she sees her chosen one; I am there in each pang you feel when you see a loved one going far from you. But alas! I wish you could comprehend me better.

I understand it becomes difficult for you to conceive of me, when you see people around you apparently falling in and out of ‘love’ as they call it. But, hold on, I am still there for people who are TRUE and HONEST.
Don’t look at others around you, don’t ever expect me to be dream come true, don’t expect me to be the answers to all the numerous questions you ask yourself.
Can you still hear the beating of the cardiac muscles? Can you still hear the cry which is tearing your soul apart but it doesn’t show at all on the exterior? Do you feel a complete sense of confidence deep within you? Does a pang of sadness hit you each time a special person moves away from you?
Yes, I exist deep there, within you, amidst the thumping of those numerous muscles, I am there.

I am quite contrary to the image of what has been portrayed of me. I may not be present between a boy and a girl running around the trees singing a romantic song, but I am there in the silent prayer of gratitude you say when you are happy. Yes, I am there when tears brim from your eyes with the joy you feel in your heart. Don’t question me. Dream lovely dreams but don’t expect them to come true. I cannot be possessed by any of you, so don’t ever try to do that, don’t ever try to bind me in chains, don’t ever try to hold on to me because I won’t be there for you. Just acknowledge my presence; just feel my touch, like a breath of fresh air, like the beauty of blooming flowers, like the glittering multitudes of stars at night.

I am an all-encompassing feeling, I am a wave of emotion; I am a storm of pain. Yes, I bring pain along, I have to or you will never know what it feels when I am not there. If you are careless enough to lose me, you will feel that intense pain, that feeling which will wrench your soul, the feeling of loss which is very difficult to overcome. The moment I start moving away from you, you will search helplessly, you will be wanting to hold on to me for a moment longer, you will want just one more opportunity but I will slip away and alas, it will be too late.
Your tears, your sighs, your repentance, nothing can bring me back. I always hold that I existed deep within you but you were careless enough to lose me, so there you are.

Don’t ever make the mistake of naming any feeling as me, any respect, any affection, any fondness you feel, is not me. I am a lot different, I am more precious, I am a lot more difficult to perceive than what I appear to be. Don’t look for me in moonlit nights, don’t look for me in hills and boons, don’t look for me in movies, don’t look for me in those melodious songs which are supposed to be dedicated to me, don’t look for me in Archies cards, don’t search for me in red roses, don’t search for me in the gift you got for Valentine’s Day. Don’t try to find me in the last love-letter you got. Rest assured you won’t find me there.

Search deep within your heart. Ever felt like reaching out to someone, not for who the person is but rather what the person is. Have a thousand words come to your lips but you never said them because you are afraid that voicing those words might take the person away from you? Have you ever wanted something very badly for yourself but never bought it because you needed the money to gift something else to someone. Have you stayed up late at night finishing an assignment for someone else? Have you looked up at the sky, seen the stars and felt comfort by just thinking that that person might also be looking up at the same sky and wishing upon the same stars.

Hey! There you are, you found me. Don’t deny my existence if you have found me, you are among the very few who know what I am and who I am. But, finding me is just the beginning; you have to be strong enough to hold on to me. A lot more pain, surprises, anticipations and also happiness will come your way.

Stop questioning, just enjoy and cherish each moment of it. Don’t try to hide me, I will reflect in your eyes in the warmth you feel, in the affection that floods your heart; in the immature way you will sometimes behave, the follies, the stupidities, the craziness are all a part of me. So just sit back and hold tight, you will need to.

Remember, I am there waiting to be found, I rule the world and yet, I am not proud.

When I first saw her…

2008-09-16T02:38:00.000-07:00

I remember the day that I had first seen her in my college canteen. I kept observing her secretly while she enjoyed her cups of tea in her favourite corner seat. It happened instinctively as long as she took no notice of me.

Off course, I never told about my love vocally. Still, if looks have language, the dumbest idiot might have guessed that I was over head and ears. She understood me at last, and looked a return – the sweetest of all imaginable looks.

Back to the present now! My lady told me just recently that I do not love her. Because I do not talk to her for long as lovers usually do – with punctuality and regularity. But then, most of the time I do not understand what to talk, especially when she is not face to face with me.

This lady whose company I am in is the most fascinating creature – a real enchantress to my eyes. Then if I do not love her I love no one. However I do not know how to express it. Phone calls..No not my cup of tea. And then I have this peculiar habit of shrinking back icily into myself, like a snail.
I confess it with shame. It happens to me quite often.

Till finally the poor innocent is led to doubt her own senses and confused over her own mistake – that if she is pressing too much on me. Or the intensity of love from my side is moderate or less. I have often gained the reputation of deliberate heartlessness; how undeserved, I alone can understand.

2008-09-15T03:27:00.001-07:00

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