Month: December 2008
Welcome 2009 with Helianthus annuus (Sun Flower)
എ ജെ വര്ഗീസ് – ഒരു അനുസ്മരണ
എ ജെ വര്ഗീസ് – ഒരു അനുസ്മരണ
ഹിന്ദി അധ്യാപകന് – ഡോണ് ബോസ്കോ ഹൈ സ്കൂള് ഇരിങ്ങാലക്കുട
ഏതാനും മാസ്സം മുന്പ് അധ്യാപക ദിനത്തിന് ഒരു ചെറിയ ലേഖനം എഴുതുവാന് ഇടയുണ്ടായി. അന്ന് മനസ്സാ പാദ പൂജ ചെയ്ത ഒരു വ്യക്തി ഇന്നു നമ്മോടൊപ്പം ഈ ലോകത്ത് ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നില്ല..
എന്നും ഞാന് മനസ്സില് തോന്ന്നുന്ന കാര്യങ്ങള് മൂടി വയ്ക്കാതെ പറയാനും എഴുതാനും താത്പര്യമുള്ള ഒരു വ്യക്തിയാണ് ഞാന്. എന്റെ ബന്ധങ്ങളും അങ്ങനെ തന്നെ. സ്കൂള് കാലഘട്ടത്തില് വളരെ അധികം സ്വാധീനിച്ച ഒരു വ്യക്തി എന്ന നിലയില് എനിക്ക് ശ്രീ എ ജെ വര്ഗീസ് സാറിനോട് ഒരിക്കലും മറക്കാന് പറ്റാത്ത അത്ര കടപ്പാടുകള് ഉണ്ട്. ഒരു ഹിന്ദി മാസ്റ്റര് എന്നതില് കവിഞ്ഞു, ദേശ സ്നേഹവും, അച്ചടക്കവും വളരെ നിഷ്ഠയോടെ ഞങ്ങളുടെ മനസ്സില് അദ്ദേഹം വേരുറപ്പിക്കാന് ശ്രമിച്ചിരുന്നു. അലക്കി തേച്ച മുണ്ടും ഷര്ട്ടും ഉയര്ത്തി വച്ചു ഗോപുരം പോലെ ചീകിയൊതുക്കിയ മുടിയും അദ്ധേഹത്തിന്റെ ഒരു ബ്രാന്ഡ് പ്രത്യേകതയായിരുന്നു. അത് തന്നെ അദേഹത്തിന് ഗോപുരം എന്ന ഓമന പേരും നല്കി. മുണ്ടില് നിന്നു പാന്റിലേക്ക് പ്രോമോറേന് കിട്ടിയപ്പോഴും അദേഹം തന്റെ ഗൌരവം ഒന്നു കൂടി വലുതാക്കിയോ എന്ന് അന്നൊക്കെ തോന്നിക്കാറുണ്ട്. ഒരു കയ്യില് ചൂരലും മറു കയ്യില് ചോക്കും പിടിച്ചു ഒരു ക്ലാസ്സില് നിന്നും മറ്റു ക്ലാസ്സിലേക്കുള്ള പോക്ക് ഇന്നും മായാതെ മനസ്സില് നില്ക്കുന്നു. നല്ല കൈപ്പടയും, കൃത്യമായ ശൈലിയില് എഴുതാനുള്ള കഴിവും അദ്ദേഹം കുട്ടികളില് ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ പകര്ന്നു കൊടുത്തു അക്കാലമത്രയും.
അദ്ധേഹത്തിന്റെ ആത്മാവിന് നിത്യശാന്തി കിട്ടുവാന് പ്രാര്ത്ഥിച്ചു കൊണ്ടു ഈ അനുസ്മരണ കുറിപ്പ് ഇവിടെ ചുരുക്കട്ടെ.
GULF NEWS Blogosphere – December 9
Blogosphere: December 9
By Adam Flinter, Web Editor
Published: December 08, 2008, 23:33
Gulf News web editor Adam Flinter plunges headlong into the blogosphere to find out what bloggers from the Middle East and beyond have on their minds.
Wet and wonderful
It’s that time of year again. It’s becoming so regular that you can set your watch by it. When the Dubai International Rugby Sevens comes around at the end of November, it can only mean one thing: The winter has finally arrived and it’s going to rain.
Having some British blood coursing through my veins, the fixation with talking about the weather has a certain resonance with me. No matter how many global economic crises there are and how bad the traffic is, a few drops from the sky in the UAE and everyone is happy. After a long, dry summer, the effect the rain has is amazing.
Posting on the UAE Community Blog (uaecommunity.blogspot.com), Stained summed it all up, saying: “A wet winter. This is how I remember UAE from the 90s. I’m happy with this great beginning to this season, I hope it continues this way … my umbrellas have been in the closet too long…”
The Sandier Pastures blog (sandierpastures.com) even felt like dancing in the rain, but resisted long enough to post this entry. “Weather like this makes me realise that I am still living on Earth. My daughter used to ask me why there’s no rain, clouds in the sky or snow. We have the same weather 330 days of the year, which is a bit strange for her having grown up in Japan where we had experienced four different seasons. She even pulled out her jacket one day, the one we used when we left Japan during winter last year and said, ‘Mom, when will I use this again?'”
Now when the rain comes, pictures become as important as words in the blogosphere. And while it’s not the most exciting thing in the world to mention some good pictoral blogs, they are worth a visit.
The positive thinking Team One blog (team1uae.blogspot.com) had some great pictures and videos of the recent rains in the UAE. It also wins the award for longest post title of the week: “Just chill, chill, chill. It’s rain and thunder time in Abu Dhabi.”
Another one you’ll have to click on to appreciate, comes from Seabee (dubaithoughts.blogspot.com) who took a photo displaying the innovation that can be brought on by the rain. To give you some idea, here’s the opening line of the post: “There’s a lot of rain and nowhere to shelter. So find some old tyres, a couple of planks of wood, a sheet of blue plastic and you’ve got a great place to run to keep dry.”
Rivi, who has also taken some great pictures (lets face it, it is kind of a pictorial subject), also wrote: “On a rare rainy day in Dubai, I couldn’t help smiling at the way the trees seem to welcome the rain. Everything seems to be jumping in joy. Dancing all around!”
But it seems not everyone is happy to see the rain. Apart from people driving through the puddles, the global Madrasi blog (global-madrasi.blogspot.com) complained he could not sleep during the rain. “Through my glass window not protected by curtains, lightning flashed on my eyes around midnight. The rumbling thunder made me uneasy. Winter has returned to Sharjah. But what made me roll around restlessly on the bed was the growling in my stomach. I had been trying out a new restaurant for the past two days, and it proved a costly experiment.”
Ah! So it was food and not the rain that kept him awake!
As you were then. Everyone loves the rain (just as long as it isn’t in Bush visit proportions).
Thank you Gulf News
തനിമ സംഗമം സംഘടിപ്പിച്ചു
Author : – സ്വന്തം ലേഖകന് http://www.irinjalakuda.com
തനിമ സാംസ്കാരികോത്സവത്തോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് തനിമ സംഗമം സംഘടിപ്പിച്ചു. തനിമ പ്രവര്ത്തകരും അഭ്യുദയകാംഷികളും സംഗമത്തില് പങ്കെടുത്തു. തനിമ സംഘാടകസമിതി ചെയര്മാന് അഡ്വ. തോമസ് ഉണ്ണിയാടന് എം.എല്.എ. ഉദ്ഘാടനം ചെയ്തു. പൊറത്തിശ്ശേരി ഗ്രാമപഞ്ചായത്ത് എം.ബി.രാജുമാസ്റ്റര് അദ്ധ്യക്ഷത വഹിച്ചു. ജില്ലാപഞ്ചായത്തംഗം കെ.ശ്രീകുമാര് സ്വാഗതവും സതീഷ് പുളിയത്ത് നന്ദിയും പറഞ്ഞു.
Get Your Visa from Any Emirate
Get Your Visa from Any Emirate
Adel Arafah 15 December 2008 for Khaleej Times
ABU DHABI — People will now be able to apply for new visas or renew them in any emirate irrespective of where they stay or work as the naturalisation and residency departments (NRDs) in the country have been electronically linked.
Brigadier Nasir Al Awadi Al Menhaly, Acting Director-General of the Naturalisation and Residency Department at the Ministry of Interior, told Khaleej Times on Sunday that all NRDs in the UAE are capable of issuing and renewing visas, regardless of the emirate where the existing residence visa was issued from.
The ministry has completed linking of all NRDs electronically to provide this new service.
“We are in one country, and there is an electronic link between all NRDs,” he said. Under the earlier system, for instance, a person working in Abu Dhabi but has a residence visa from Dubai or other emirates had to visit the NRD in that emirate to renew his/her visa.
This was a sheer waste of time and effort. “Consequently, Lieutenant-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Interior, gave instructions to ease the hardship of expatriates by allowing them to get visas or renew visas from the NRD in any emirate regardless of the emirate where the residence visa was issued originally. This is what we are implementing right now.” Brigadier Al Menhaly clarified that many expatriates are not aware of this new service, and still take the trouble of travelling to other emirates to complete their visa-related procedures. “We now tell them to save the effort and submit your applications to any department in the country to be processed immediately,” he said.
Meanwhile, denizens of emirates have lauded the ministry’s step, calling it a real timesaver.
Ahmed Mursey, a resident of Ajman, said it will help a great deal in making life easier. “The people can go to the nearest NRD for immigration services. It helps save travelling hassle and reducing crowds at the NRDs.”
Anwar Shaban, resident of Sharjah, said, “I was not aware that the service is available at any of the NRDs. If implemented, it will surely benefit the residents as well as the government. It would ease crowds at the immigration departments and make the work easier for the employees.”
Ahmed Mousaad, an accountant, living in Abu Dhabi, said, “I am not very sure as many a times, employees at the NRD have remained ignorant about the rules announced from time to time. The better thing will be to train the staff first and then inform the public.”
Pay for Health Card While Renewing Visa
Pay for Health Card While Renewing Visa
Asma Ali Zain 11 December 2008 for Khaleej Times
DUBAI – Expatriates renewing their residence visas in Dubai will have to shell out an extra Dh300 for the health card that is now compulsory.
Delayed by five months, the rule caught many unawares when it came into effect unannounced on December 1. Residents now have to pay a total of Dh550 instead of the Dh250 charged for the medical fitness test only earlier. Before a residence visa is stamped/renewed, applicants have to undergo screening for diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B & C, tuberculosis and syphilis.
Though a person applying for residency in the UAE for the first time has to obtain a health card, renewing it had not been compulsory until now.
Khaleej Times had reported on July 1 about the new medical fitness rules that were due to come into effect immediately but were put off by the Department of Health and Medical Services until the year end. A health card (valid for one year) was also made compulsory for renewing visas but the date when it would come into effect was not announced.
(The health cardholder can avail of basic health services at low cost only in government hospitals and clinics.)
As per the new rules, health insurance policyholders do not require a health card, though the policy certificate has to be attested by Dohms at a cost of Dh200.
Maisa Al Bustani, Head of Medical Fitness Centre at Dohms, had explained to Khaleej Times earlier, “If the resident does not hold a health card and has a valid health insurance policy, Department of Health and Medical Services will charge Dh200 to attest the policy certificate before the screening is done.”
However, residents who have valid insurance policy said they were forced to pay for the health card when they went for visa renewal.
“When I recently went for my medical fitness test, a requirement for visa renewal, I was asked to pay Dh300 for a health card.
“When I explained to the official that I was holding a health insurance policy, he insisted that I still had to pay for the card,” said Mohammed Afzal, a sales manager.
Farid Hussain, another resident, said that when he informed the official about his insurance policy, the official said it was not his concern.
“I had to pay for the card despite holding a policy,” he added.
Department of Health and Medical Services officials were not available for comments because of holidays.
More Free Rides on Abu Dhabi Buses from January 1Adel Arafah
More Free Rides on Abu Dhabi Buses from January 1
Adel Arafah 14 December 2008 for Khaleej Times
ABU DHABI – There will not be any more free trips in public buses in the capital from January 1, 2009.
The Transport Department would fix the bus fare on Monday, Saeed Al Hameli, General Manager of Public Buses Office, told Khaleej Times on Saturday. Sources in the department said the fare would be very low.
For the past six months, 125 state-of-the-art public buses have been transporting passengers to different areas of the emirate free of charge.
The official said the department is planning to operate buses on many new routes, including on the outskirts like Mousaffah industrial area, Khalifa City and other newly constructed towns.
The number of buses will be increased to 1,360 by the end of next year,” the official added.
Al Hameli added that the department has chalked out a plan to be carried out on a gradual basis with a view of operating as many buses as possible in the capital to solve the traffic problem once and for all. The department is also working to make the public buses the quickest means of transport by widening roads and designating exclusive routes for buses, thus encouraging motorists to leave their own vehicles and switch to public buses, he said.
Dubai Municipality Plans 10-fold Hike in Fines for Overflowing Sewage at Labour Camps
Dubai Municipality Plans 10-fold Hike in Fines for Overflowing Sewage at Labour Camps
Joy Sengupta 15 December 2008 for KHALEEJ TIMES
DUBAI – As overflowing sewage tanks continue to dog many labour accommodations in Al Quoz and parts of Sonapur, the Dubai Municipality is planning a 10-fold increase in the fine for owners of these camps.
In a talk with this reporter on Sunday, Salem bin Mesmar, Assis tant Director-General for Health, Safety and Environment Control, said the fine for accumulation of sewage in the labour camps will be increased to Dh10,000 from Dh1,000. “With many accommodation owners not acting swiftly and seriously enough, the civic body needs to make them understand about the gravity of the situation,” Mesmar said.
Overflowing of sewage from the tanks has been a frequent problem for the past several months in many camps in Al Quoz and Sonapur. As these camps are not connected to the drainage, sewage has to be transported in tankers to Al Aweer Sewage Treatment Plant. The delay in removing sewage results in overflowing of tanks.
Mesmar said the responsibility of ensuring clean and hygienic accommodation is with the owners.
“The owners have to ensure that the camps are clean. Overflowing sewage poses serious health hazards. The municipality has come across a lot of complaints but many of these owners don’t take them seriously at all. In addition to the increased fines, the municipality will intensify inspections,” the official said.
Mesmar added that by the end of this month, a huge ‘lagoon’ will be set up in Lehbab area where 500 tankers can dispose of sewage at a single time. “This temporary arrangement will ease the pressure at the Al Aweer plant for the time being and the trucks will be able to visit the accommodations on a regular basis.
The first phase of the new Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plant will be ready by June next year which will further reduce pressure on the Al Aweer Plant,” the official said.
Clustering for excellence
Clustering for excellence
R. KRISHNAMOORTHY for THE HINDU
The concept is aimed at enabling higher education institutions to put their facilities to optimum use and address the infrastructure and academic needs.
The idea of establishing clusters of advanced centres was mooted by the Kothari Commission as one of the possible means for extension of excellence from the centre to the periphery.
Taking the cue from the Western systems, the National Knowledge Commission has recommended that autonomous status be given to some clusters of colleges as part of restructuring undergraduate education. On its part, the University Grants Commission has been pursuing the project of clustering higher education institutions to put the facilities to optimum use and address the infrastructure and academic needs.
Against this backdrop, the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education is encouraging universities to form clusters and derive the benefits of mutual cooperation in the forms of sharing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in teaching-learning; opportunities for teachers to develop and offer new innovative credit courses thereby improving the standard of education in the members of the cluster; possibilities of opening up new areas of knowledge, promoting research and extension, institution of scholarships, and coming up with common research publications and newsletters.
Each cluster of voluntarily partnering colleges, as per the proposed system, should consist of a few well developed and established institutions and newly started self-financing colleges, under the regulation of the affiliating university. The cluster will have a shared vision based on the principles of equal status; collective decision-making; autonomy and accountability; and independence and interdependence.
According to a framework for cluster formation readied by the Bharathidasan University for consideration of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education, the cluster of colleges shall progressively share existing facilities in partner colleges and undertake common ventures for promoting access, equity and quality of education. The concept note states that the government should facilitate setting up of clusters through liberal grants, and encourage government and government-aided colleges for introducing new programmes in addition to the aided programmes introduced in the clusters on a permanent basis.
The vital advantages of cluster formation listed in the concept note are opportunities for new and developing colleges to avail specialised resource persons working in the developed colleges; opportunities for students to register for courses in any other college of the cluster; and promotion of cross-cultural development.
The likely disadvantages are there could be reservations if sharing of resources is one-sided, and problems may arise in accommodating more students in one course from other institutions taking into consideration the size of the available classrooms or laboratories. The solution advocated to solve these problems is signing of agreements for sharing services at mutually agreed costs.
The most important advantage under the cluster system is the scope for developing cost-intensive infrastructure in constituent colleges of clusters through submitting joint project proposals. National funding agencies are eager to provide liberal funding for such proposals, the vice-chancellor of Bharathidasan University, M. Ponnavaikko, told a gathering of principals at a recent meeting.
With the objective of implementing the cluster concept from the next academic year, Bharathidasan University has already nominated coordinators at the district-level to generate the lists of programmes that could be pursued in each college under the CBCS by mid-January 2009.
MBA in media and entertainment
MBA in media and entertainment
The Indian media and entertainment industry is expected to grow at a 19 per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) to reach an overall value of Rs. 1.15 trillion by 2012 from its present size of Rs. 513 billion, according to a report published by PWC for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
This represents a huge growth opportunity for highly qualified and trained professionals in this field.
Understanding this requirement, Manipal University has designed a programme to cater to this growing demand.
The two-year MBA in Media and Entertainment has specialisations in Film, Broadcasting, New and Interactive Media and Event Management. Admissions are now open for the January 2009 intake. Manipal University is offering this course in association with Whistling Woods International.
The first year of the programme will be conducted at the Manipal University Off-Campus in Bangalore, covering all general management subjects and media case studies.
Training
The second year will consist of hands-on training at the Whistling Woods International in Mumbai.
The course is new, exciting and truly industry-focussed, combining managerial tools and frameworks with an in-depth understanding of the creative processes that are involved in the media and entertainment industry.
The programme prepares the students to be well-rounded media professionals and opens up avenues for exciting and successful careers in one of the fastest growing sectors — the media and entertainment industry.
Upon graduation, the students can have a choice of careers in international and Indian production houses, news and entertainment channels and event management companies, functioning as either business/marketing managers or creative/production managers.
The last date to submit applications is December 22. The programme, which will commence from January 2009, is open to those who have completed any undergraduate degree.
For further details, log onto http://www.manipal.edu/me or call +91 97400 67213 or write to mbame@manipalu.com
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