1) Absorb teachings of Lord Krishna
The festival of Janmashtami is celebrated with a great zeal and rejoicing all over India and in various parts of the world too wherever there are Hindus. In Mumbai and Pune, it is known as Dahi Handi. Dahi Handi is an event which involves the making of a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot (handi) filled with buttermilk (dahi) which is tied at a convenient height.
The story of Lord Krishna’s birth is as fascinating as the events that took place during his lifetime. According to Hindu mythology, when evil and immoral forces took over the world, mother earth pleaded with Lord Brahma to bring an end to the prevailing conditions. Lord Brahma then asked Lord Vishnu for help, who proclaimed that he will soon take birth to banish all evil from the earth.
This Janmashtami on September 2, let us all hail Lord Krishna and absorb his teachings in our life.
Janmashtami is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna.
– Jubel D’Cruz
2) Govt leading nation in a wrong way
The arrests of rights activists across the country is a grim reminder of the dark days of the Emergency. The present government is leading our country in a wrong way and hounding those fighting for the rights of marginalised, with the intent of crushing dissent.
The government is manipulating the people from the core issues of our country such as population, water crisis, unemployment, garbage and sewage management etc.
How far such allegations will stand in a court of law remains to be seen. It has been seen many times that such cases crumble in the courts owing to lack of evidence after costing a huge amount of precious public resources.
– MF Qasmi
3) Medicines at discounted rates must be sold at govt hospitals
Wholesale traders in the biggest wholesale market for medicines namely Bhagirath Palace in Delhi have started competing by selling all branded medicines in retail at 20 per cent discount on printed Maximum Retail Price even for a single medicine strip. Even in other retail markets, many chemists have started selling branded medicines at discounts ranging from 10 to 15 per cent even without the customer asking for the discount. Many retail chemists have even mentioned on their sign-boards about such discounts.
Since reduction in the profit margin is not feasible because of trade requirements in remote and rural areas, the central and state governments in all their hospitals at least in urban areas where distributor network of medicine companies exists, should invite tenders from desiring chemists to open shops in the hospital premises where they may sell branded medicines at 20 per cent discount. Since such a discount is being given without even being asked in many markets, it will generate extra income for governments by allotment of shops through tender-process. Since generic medicines have MRP at even four times the wholesale price, suggested shops should be allowed to sell only branded medicines.
Central government should take immediate steps to fix maximum trade margin over ex-factory price at least for generic medicines. Such heavy trade margin tends to induce corruption in the government purchase of medicines apart from depriving common persons to get generic medicines at cheaper prices.
– Subhash Chandra Agrawal
4) What is the result of demonetisation?
The Reserve Bank of India’s annual report for 2017-18 reveals that 99.3 per cent of currency notes that were demonetised at midnight on November 8, 2016, have returned to the banking system. So, what is the result of demonetisation which had shaken the entire nation from within and led to deaths of more than 100 people? Was it worth the slowdown in growth, the damage to informal sector supply chains, and job losses in sectors such as construction that were the bulwark of employment creation for the unskilled? True, there have been some benefits. For instance, the number of income tax returns filed has surged a little over the trend growth rate. But surely this could have been achieved by other policy measures. It was claimed that it will break the grip of corruption and terrorism, but no results are seen in both.
– MFU Tandvi
5) A visual treat
Flamingos paying a surprise visit to Gorai and Manori creeks is a rare sight to watch. The pink-feathered birds can be spotted at mudflats till monsoon ends and it is a good news for bird lovers and for the people going on such an adventure. The Caribbean Flamingos are the brightest coloured in the flamingo family, and these flamingos are easy to spot with three colours on their bills – grey at the base, pink in the middle and black at the tip. If threatened or if predators are spotted, they produce a goose-like chorus of honks. These birds are also known to spend quite a fair amount of their time preening. Take a closer look at the flamingos and you will notice their unique beaks that act like sieves to trap food such as algae, diatoms and aquatic invertebrates. It was not only surprising but also a visual treat to see leggy residents at Gorai and Manori creeks. It is indeed a visual treat.
– Chitra Rugmini
6) Who left all sad
It is so sad that an odd artist passed away, but left a shiny way to be followed in acting for others. I mean that Nandamuri Harikrishna who is not among us now, but everyone has him and his precious memories in his heart. His death is a distressful incident that made the film industry and his fans sorry. Everyone wishes if all safety rules of driving and travelling were followed like speed control, seat belt and he was between us. May God give patience to his family, relatives and followers and make every careful regarding his own life and others as well.
– M.Y.Numani
7) Newton’s Law of Gravitation seems to fail on the bourses
Big Guns lead the rally as Reliance, Infosys and TCS fire all cylinders on the bourses to push the stock market to an all-time high. Newton’s Law of Gravitation doesn’t seem to work at the moment as what goes up is going up further to the delight of investors who have parked their funds in quality index stocks. However, investors should be cautious and avoid companies without fundamentals as such rallies push even the weaker stocks up and ‘fly by night’ entities too would mushroom when markets are in a frenzy.
Regulators too should keep a watch when the markets are rising every single day and warn investors whenever they identify irrational behaviour in stocks. Investors too should not be greedy and avoid investments in stocks that are risky!
– S.N.Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
