WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

Monjib Mochahari

The world may not celebrate, millions of people may be unaware of, but the Vatican and the entire Roman Catholic Church celebrates World Communications Day each year. This year, the 42nd World Communications Day is celebrated on Sunday 4 May 2008 – the Feast of the Ascension all over the world.The church in India celebrates it on Sundy before the Feast of Christ the King in November every year.

“The Media: at the Crossroads between activism and service, Seeking Truth in order to share it with others”, is the theme for this year’s World Communications Day celebration. It was chosen by Pope Benedict XVI. World Communications Day is a celebration of global social communications and was born out of the Second Vatican Council in 1963
The theme looks at the important role that the media plays in the lives of individuals and society at large. The Holy Father says that: "Truly, there is no area of human experience, especially given the vast phenomenon of globalization, in which the media have not become an integral part of interpersonal relations and of social, economic, political and religious development" 
While speaking on the occasion of World Communication Day, the Holy Father called upon the media to respect and defend human dignity. He acknowledged the role of social communications as a potential force for good recognizing how it has assisted in the development of democracy and dialogue among the world’s people. However, Pope Benedict also points out the dangers of an ethics-free media: “When communication loses its ethical underpinning and eludes society’s control, it ends up no longer taking into account the centrality and inviolable dignity of the human person”.
In connection with World Communication Day, the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India (CBCI), New Delhi along with Arch diocese of Delhi has organized a symposium on Media and Secularism under the theme: “Media and Secularism”. Mr. B.V. Rao, an eminent journalist and group editor of Zee News was the main speaker of the day. Mr. Isaac, Director DD Sports also chaired the symposium. 

WHEN WILL AN INDIAN OBAMA BE BORN?

Fr. Stanislaus
For us, it is worth to take pride over Socialist Secular Democracy of our country. More rightly the preamble of our constitution mentions India ‘A SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMORATIC REPUBLIC AND SECURES TO ALL ITS CITIZENS; JUSTICE LIBERTY, EQUALITT AND FRATERNITY’.
Our constitution assures us safety, security and freedom to every religion culture and ethnic groups. It is unique in its nature. By accepting the uniqueness of every language, culture and religion,the constitution impartially encourages every citizens to grow and flourish. Right from ancient, time the country accepted Arians from Central Asia, Moguls from Arabia, French, Dutch and even the English to start ‘The East Indian Company’.
Even in the early times, kings sent noble messengers in neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Tibet, China to spread the message of nov-violence and harmony. The rich religiosity of our country is the fruit of peace loving people who viewed different religions as a bond of unity. Even the country’s independence was obtatined through the acts of nonviolence ‘Ahinsa’.
Inspite of India being known for nonviolence, time and again the country has witnessed threats in the form of religious intolerance, terrorism, communal riots, linguistic disharmony, etc. A section of anti-national elements with their petty sum of interests caused a great damage to this country. We may cite an example of Malegaon, Nanded and  other bomb blasts in differnt parts of the country are glaring examples of internal threat the country is facing today.
The country belongs to every Indian. Every Indian must be proud to be a citizen in the socialist secular democratic county. It is the right of the citizen to protect the unity of the country and giving dignity is our responsibility. At the time of great economic crisis Obama spoke convincingly of a nation bound by a common purpose. There is not liberal America and Conservative America. There is the United State’s of America. There is not a Black America and White America and Latin America and Asian America. There is United State’s of America. We are the people.
The elections are on with much funfare and speculations who will win the race. Problems are left untouched and getting multiplied every passing days. Where have our leaders gone wrong? Can we see a charismatic leader speaking for a unifying India? Will the citizens elect an ideological leader to save the identity of the nation? Can we see an Indian Obama?

SYMPTOMS OF A GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN

Themthingchon Y.R.
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. The term "inflation" once referred to increases in the money supply (monetary inflation); however, economic debates about the relationship between money supply and price levels have led to its primary use today in describing price inflation. Inflation can also be described as a decline in the real value of money—a loss of purchasing power.
In 2008, a global economic crisis was seen to be emerging as shown and suggested by several important indicators of economic downturn worldwide. These included high oil prices, which led to both high food prices (due to a dependence of food production on petroleum, as well as using food crop products [ethanol, bio diesel] as an alternative to petroleum) and global inflation. There was also a substantial credit crisis leading to the bankruptcy of large and well established investment as well as commercial banks in various nations around the world; increased unemployment; and the possibility of a global recession, coming about on a long term basis.
Back home, while there's a certain amount of panic and drop in investments, Indian economists and pundits seem confident that the impact of this crisis on India will not be as severe.

CONVERGENCE THROUGH ART & CULTURE

Sr. Anupriya
Art and Cultural expressions in India have brought about a convergence not among its peoples, but also with the Divine.

Art and Culture involve the arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, that create a sense of beauty in every human being.

Music and dance in India are among the oldest forms of classical arts with traditions of their own. The uniqueness of Indian classical dances is that they are all devotional in content, using dance effectively as a medium of communication to express moods and emotions. Likewise Indian art too is known to reflect human devotion and life itself. India's great cultures - influenced by beliefs, faith, practices, customs, art, intelligence, language, food habits, economy, etc., - though diverse in nature, unites people and yet helps people retain their identity.
However, in recent times, with media bringing home the diverse cultures of the world, much of Indian art forms as well as its culture seem to have been influenced. The fear of many Indians is that this exposure will eventually destroy our culture.

EDUCATION FOR ALL

Fr. Maria Joseph Adaikala Raj V.
“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action”- Herbert Spencer. Education encompasses both imparting and acquiring knowledge, proper conduct and technical competency. It focuses on the cultivation of skills, trades or professions, as well as mental, moral and aesthetic development.
In India, since early days, education was through the Guru-Shishya system. Knowledge was handed down from one generation to the next through the oral tradition. However, education was limited to the higher castes, creating a division and imbalance in society. By the 18th cent., during the British rule, education was open to all classes of society.
Ironically, today, there are millions of Indians who are still illiterate! Has India failed in providing education to all?
In certain parts of the country, girls are still not allowed to attend school. Due to poverty, many children are forced into child labour. Government schools are not maintained systematically and do not offer a good education environment to the children. On the other hand, private schools run a business by selling education.
We seem to have come a full circle with education once again offered only to those who can afford it. If this continues, it will only further the divide and create an imbalance in the nation.

SOUL SURFING DAY, NOVEMBER 2

Fr. Sebastian K.J.
Ours is a culture of both remembering and commemorating. Within our families we remember those we love on birthdays and wedding anniversaries; we remember them on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Countries and societies also remember special people, special occasions and historical milestones like Thanksgiving Day, Victory Day and Valentine Day. The message is always the same: I love you enough to remember. Traditionally speaking, ‘All Souls Day’ is a soul surfing day of a deceased loved one who was near and dear to us. It is a way for the community of faith on earth to remember, “those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith”. We announce publicly that we love you, we remember you, and we care about you!
Think also the real life of the “dead places” that have existed in our life: dark days of suffering; a menacing difficulty without a solution; a crushing disappointment or loss that tore your heart out; some wilderness wandering you thought would never end. If we have lived long at all, we have lived through many deaths. By what power, then, are we still here?

JIHAD – OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD!

Jawed Akhtar “The ink of a scholar is superior to the blood of the Martyr” – Prophet Muhammad.
Thanks to Globalization and its allied forces, today no concept remains compartmentalized. The integration of world media on one such concept – the Islamic concept of “Jihad” – has caused quite a stir. At present it is synonymous with suicide bombings, hijackings, etc., while at the same time it courted “Islamophobia” in West, curiosity by misinterpretation in the East.
As we go deeper into this faith, we know that the core literature of Muslims world over, is the Holy Quran. Islamic scholar, Asghar Ali Engineer states that Jihad does not mean ‘war’ in the Holy Quran. Other words for it like Qital & Harb Jihad have been used in its root meaning – which mean to strive for betterment of society, to spread goodness and contain evil. He further states that Jihad occurs 41 times in the Quran, and not a single verse uses it in the context of war!
In the strictest sense of the term, there are two kinds of Jihad: Jihad-E-Akbar (The Greater Jihad) and Jihad-E-Asgar (The Lesser Jihad). The former laid stress on by Allah as well Prophet Muhammad, pertains to curbing one’s extravagant desires, vices. The second denotes struggle against injustice and tyranny. The defence of territory or self, conveys the same – seen in Tipu Sultan’s armed resistance to British.
We live in a world with people of diverse thought processes. At times we could be misled by pre-conceived notions and misinformed sources about a particular issue or concept. And so it is important that we analyse and view things objectively rather than form judgments.

CHILDREN: THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION

Vivek Augustine

Since 1954, the United Nations General Assembly suggested that all nations should set aside a designated day to observe Children's Day - a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of children worldwide.
While universally, Children’s Day is celebrated on the 20th of November, in India it is celebrated on the 14th of November. This day has been chosen as it is the birth anniversary of independent India’s first Prime Minister – Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru – who was known for his immense love for children.
Pundit Nehru, believed that children were like the flowers in a garden who should be carefully nurtured. To him, children were little adults in the making; they were the future and foundation of a nation, and all should keep a careful eye on their development and upheaval. He once said, “Our one goal, our bounden duty, is to gift the future of India - our children - a country filled with peace and tranquility.”
Sadly, even today, our country has thousands of unloved, undernourished and uneducated children – some abandoned and others enslaved by child labour. One wonders if Pundit Nehru’s dream for the children of India will ever be realized!

INDIAN POLICE, EFFICIENT OR defficient?

Stephen Rawat

'Police'- the meaning of the word can be described in various ways but, in one of the police station it was written in this way:

P – Polite, O – Obedient, L – Loyal, I – Intelligent,C – Courageous, E – Efficient
If all these are the attributes of a police personality, then the questions arise; why the police forces in India, are unable to catch the real culprits in many of the cases? Do the police department really practice the above values?Is the situation of the police department same in the whole world or in certain countries? In what way the reformation can be brought in the police department?

DEMOCRACY TARNISHED BY COMMUNALISM

Monjib Mochahari

Out there, down the foothills of Bhutan, everything was as usual like any other day. Nobody, not even me, ever thought that there would one day, be relief camps in Udalguri and Darrang districts of Assam. But time has its own way and destiny. But everything turned out to be a nightmare 3rd Oct., a black Friday, the day on which the valcano like communal dispute erupted between the indegenous tribes- Bodos, Garos, Assamese, Nepalese and illegal Bangaladeshi seltters in Udalguri and Darrang districts, forcing the people to take shelter in the relief camps. There are more than 78 other relief camps in Udalguri and Darrang districts, in which more than two lakh people are taking refuge - called it 'a democracy of relief camps in a democratic country' (www.nismedia.blogspot.com).
Similiar, is the situation in Kandhamal (Orissa). Sure, not a wild fire, churches set ablazed, houses reduced to ashes, innocent lives lost and more than 50,000 Christians forced to languished in the jungles and relief camps. Why it so…?
What's up in India? Certainly, Chandrayan in the moon, poverty on the ground and an uproar in the Parliament. Don’t you think that India, is really turning into 'a democracy of relief camps'? In a democracy, where once Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of Ram Rajya, do people have to live in relief camps??

LETS SHIFT TO INDIAN POLITICS

Melroy Fernandes

The initial pre-poll speculations about the US Presidential elections have now evolved into speculations about new policy changes that Barack Obama, the US President-elect, will inject into the existing system. This media hype about what was made out to be the world's most talked about election has contagiously spread far beyond the boundaries of the USA. Besides religiously following this frenzy in the press, radio and television, familiarity with new media had people surfing the internet for information, chatting on-line and even posting their comments on blogspots.

Surprisingly, among the great many of these ardent enthusiasts of US politics (who keenly followed not just the political records, speeches and campaigning of these candidates, but also their personal lives), were Indians. Surprising, because when it comes to elections back home, one wonders if these very people would show as much enthusiasm! There's no scarcity of information (in the media - including the internet) about candidates, their manifestos and track records… but then, who bothers?
"What difference will it make, they are all corrupt", is the ready excuse most people have for not casting their vote. Why is there so much apathy about elections back home even among the educated? Why are people reluctant to vote? Do you vote? We'd like to know your views… so please do post your comments.