Taj Mahal, India - Must Watch

Just in case you have not seen this ......

http://www.airpano.ru/files/Taj-Mahal-India/2-2

For Our Children - Powerful Editorial in Pak Daily

This article was first published on thenation.com.pk.
16 December 2014 is one of the worst days Pakistan has had to live through since its inception. This national tragedy, which has caused unimaginable grief and pain across the landscape, will not and must not be forgotten anytime soon. Muhammad Khorasani of Jamat-ul-Ahrar, also known as Omer Khorasani, of the Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan led by Mullah Fazlullah, has accepted responsibility for the attack on the school. In his statement given to the media, the militant commander termed the attack as retaliation for the ongoing military operation in FATA.

Some say that at a time like this, it is not wise and appropriate to blame the government or state institutions. Such a tragedy calls for unity, and criticism doesn't help to achieve that purpose. But no consensus can be built, no wrong can be corrected, no problem can be solved by deciding against speaking the truth. And the truth is this: Not just terrorists, but everyone, from the wider population to the civil and military leadership is responsible for the barbarity our children were subjected to.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, your government has contributed absolutely nothing towards building a narrative against extremism. Operation Zarb-e-Azb started without your permission, and it continues absent meaningful political ownership. You have refused to act against seminaries funded through Saudi money, which are poisoning the minds of our youth and turning them into zealots. Instead of putting them behind bars, the Punjab government protects sectarian elements as they return the favour by not attacking you and taking out rallies in your support.

Chairman Imran Khan, you are the most mainstream and consistent Taliban sympathiser in the country. Despite the murder of 132 children in the capital of the province where your party is in power, you couldn't muster the courage to name the Taliban. You have done a great disservice to this nation by repeatedly justifying the murder of your fellow countrymen and pushing a toxic narrative based on factual inaccuracies and ignorance.

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, despite all that has happened, despite the many sacrifices of the brave soldiers who have died fighting terrorists, you refuse to employ a blanket policy against non-state actors. While the military conducts operations against bad Taliban in FATA, it continues to protect sectarian elements in Quetta, the Afghan Taliban and other 'jihadi' organisations such as Jamat-ud-Dawa. The country is reaping what it has sown over decades.

Citizens, you seek comfort in conspiracy theories to avoid facing the ugly truth. What will it take for you to unite against extremism unequivocally and without provisos?

The idea is not to berate or discourage, but to offer a reality check and prompt change of policy for the sake of our children, for the sake of our country's future. Only the truth will set us free.

Dear Sant Claus (of Indian Origin)

Dear Sant Claus (of Indian Origin)

- By Shobhaa De

http://www.ndtv.com/article/opinion/dear-sant-claus-of-indian-origin-636102?pfrom=home-topstories

Modern philosophers

Modern philosophers

~ John Glenn... As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder. ************************************************************** ~ Desmond Tutu... When the white missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. ************************************************************** ~ David Letterman... America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked. ************************************************************** ~ Howard Hughes... I'm not a paranoid, deranged millionaire. God dammit, I'm a billionaire. ************************************************************** ~ Old Italian proverb... After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box. ************************************************************** ~ Jean Kerr... The only reason they say 'Women and children first' is to test the strength of the lifeboats. ************************************************************** ~ Zsa Zsa Gabor... I've been married to a communist and a fascist, and neither would take out the garbage. ************************************************************** ~Jeff Foxworthy... You know you're a redneck if your home has wheels and your car doesn't. ************************************************************** ~ Prince Philip... When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife. ************************************************************** ~ Emo Philips... A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kickboxing. ************************************************************** ~ Harrison Ford... Wood burns faster when you have to cut and chop it yourself. ************************************************************** ~ Spike Milligan... The best cure for Sea Sickness, is to sit under a tree. ************************************************************** ~ Robin Hall... Lawyers believe a person is innocent until proven broke. ************************************************************** ~ Jean Rostand... Kill one man and you're a murderer, kill a million and you're a conqueror. ************************************************************** ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger... Having more money doesn't make you happier. I have 50 million dollars now but I was just as happy when I only had 48 million dollars. ************************************************************** ~ WH Auden... We are here on earth to do good unto others. What the others are here for, I have no idea. ************************************************************** ~ Jonathan Katz... In hotel rooms I worry. I can't be the only guy who sits on the furniture naked. ************************************************************** ~ Johnny Carson... If life were fair, Elvis would still be alive today and all the impersonators would all be dead. ************************************************************** ~ Warren Tantum... (School photo album). I don't believe in astrology. I am a Sagittarius and we're very skeptical. ************************************************************** ~ Steve Martin... Hollywood must be the only place on earth where you can be fired by a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a baseball cap. ************************************************************** ~ Jimmy Durante... Home cooking. Where many a man thinks his wife is. ************************************************************** ~ Doug Hanwell... America is so advanced that even the chairs are electric. ************************************************************** ~ George Roberts... The first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone. ************************************************************** ~ Jonathan Winters... If God had intended us to fly he would have made it easier to get to the airport. ************************************************************** ~ Robert Benchley... I have kleptomania, but when it gets bad, I take something for it.

Mumbai: Chai walk

So far, this is available in Bandra only.......

Best start to the Day

Starbucks! Eat your heart out!!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVSsFqAysEY&sns=em

10 Indian Villages That Set A Worthy Example For The Whole Country

10 Indian Villages That Set A Worthy Example For The Whole Country

India, having an agro-based economy, depends the most on its villages for growth. The gaonalways has that distinct nostalgic charm that Indians alone can understand. Sarson ke khet, tea plantations, mud houses, clean air, charpaai, mitti, star-lit sky; these are just some of the happy things that we associate with life in an Indian village. But unfortunately, that feeling is slowly waning. Poverty, lack of education, lack of sanitation, etc are the first associations that the media paints about Indian villages for our benefit.

Here's a little fact: Gaons aren't a bad place to live. In fact, some of them are way better than any metro. And these exemplary examples prove just that.

1. Mawlynnong - Asia's cleanest village

Mawlynnong, a small village in Meghalaya, was awarded the prestigious tag of 'Cleanest Village in Asia' in 2003 by Discover India Magazine. Located at about 90 kms from Shillong, the village offers a sky walk for you to take in the beauty as you explore it. According to visitors, you cannot find a single cigarette butt/plastic bag lying around there.

2. Punsari - The village with WiFi, CCTVs, AC classrooms and more Punsari, located in Gujarat, puts most metros to shame. Funded by the Indian government and the village's own funding model, Punsari is no NRI-blessed zone. The village also boasts of a mini-bus commute system and various other facilities. Believe it.

3. Hiware Bazar - The village of 60 millionaires

Hiware Bazar, located in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, has transformed from being a place fraught with issues to being possibly the richest village in India. The sole reason for this fairy-tale change is one man called Popatrao Pawar. He banned all addictive substances to minimize expense and encouraged the villagers to invest in rain-water harvesting, milch cattle, etc. There are a record 60 millionaires in the village and barely any poor. From 168 Below Poverty Line families in 1995, Hiware Bazar now has just three. The villagers continue to strive to see a day when not one person is poor.

4. Dharnai - First fully solar-powered village

Dharnai, a village in Bihar, beat 30 years of darkness by developing its own solar-powered system for electricity. With the aid of Greenpeace, Dharnai declared itself an enery-independent village in July. Students

no long need to limit their studies to the day time, women no longer limit themselves to stepping out in the day in this village of 2400 residents. Now if only cities could do the same, right?

5. Chappar - A village that distributes sweets when a girl is born Chappar village in Haryana has a woman Sarpanch. But Neelam is no ordinary Sarpanch. She made it her life's mission to change the attitude of the villagers towards women, and she succeeded. Not only do the women of the village not wear the ghunghat anymore, but despite Haryana being the state with the lowest girls ratio (an abysmal 877) in this village every newborn, regardless of his/her sex, is welcomed into the world with sweets and festivities.

6. Korkrebellur - A village that really loves its birds Korkrebellur, a small village in Karnataka, believes in the conservation of nature. While most other villages consider birds a nuisance because they harm crops, Kokrebellur boasts of rare species of birds that fly around and don't even mind humans much. The villagers treat their winged compatriots as family and have even created an area for wounded birds to rest and heal. Wonderful, isn't it?

7. Ballia - The village that beat arsenic poisoning with an indigenous method Ballia village of Uttar Pradesh had an itchy problem to deal with. The water that the villagers were drinking contained arsenic, which causes serious skin problems and even physical deformation. What is arsenic, you ask? A harmless element on its own, but when combined with oxygen or water, it turns toxic. Ironically, the village faced the problem after the government introduced many hand-pumps in the area for easy water access. The level at which the hand-pumps were dug led to excessive interaction between arsenic and water. When the villagers realised what had happened, instead of waiting for the government to act on it, they (physically) fixed their old wells and went back to an older, safer time. The best part? Even 95-year-old Dhanikram Verma joined in.

8. Pothanikkad - The village with a 100% literacy rate

Unsurprisingly in Kerala, Pothanikkad village was the first in the country to achieve a 100% literacy rate. Not only does the village boast of city-standard high-schools, but it also has primary schools and private schools. Guess the number of people the village has educated? Well, according to the 2001 census there are 17563 residents living in the village. The best part is that it answers the question.

9. Bekkinakeri - The village that rid itself of open defecation by 'greeting' lota-bearers

Bekkinakeri village in Karnataka has redefined the point of wishing someone a 'Good morning'. Frustrated with the practice of open defecation, the village council attempted to curb it by requesting people to not do so. When that didn't work, they stationed themselves early morning near 'popular' defecation sites and wished every perpetrator a very good morning. The trick worked! Too embarrassed to go on with their business, the openly defecating population has now stopped the practice completely.

10. Shani Shingnapur - A village so safe that people don't need doors

Shani Shingnapur, located in Maharashtra, is a village that defies every newspaper report you have ever read. Touted as the safest village in India, this place is known for its lack of doors to houses. Not just that, there is no police station in the village. And no, we are not making this up. By the way, Shani Shingnapur has 'broken' another interesting record. The village has the country's first lockless bank branch (UCO bank) now.

An excellent speech by Kailash Satyarthi (Nobel prize winner from India)

An excellent speech by Nobel prize winner from India. First few minutes of the speech are in Hindi, but the rest in English..

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/i-represent-the-sound-of-silence-cry-of-innocence-says-kailash-satyarthi-in-oslo/348042?hp