River of Faith: A film about the Kumbh Mela 2013

River of Faith: A film about the Kumbh Mela 2013 by Namit Arora https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cQNoimABjMQ

*A new documentary film about the Kumbh Mela 2013, Prayag, Allahabad by Namit Arora. 56 minutes.* The Kumbh Mela is an ancient pilgrimage festival that happens once every three years, rotating across four locations in India. The largest of these riverside fairs happens every 12 years in Allahabad at the confluence of two rivers, Ganga and Yamuna. On its opening day in January 2013, I was among its estimated ten million visitors. During the 6-8 weeks it lasts, tens of millions come to bathe in these rivers — as a meritorious act to cleanse body and soul — making it the largest gathering of humanity on the planet. On the festival's most auspicious day in 2013, an estimated thirty million pilgrims came. The Kumbh Mela is also a meeting place for ascetics, sadhus, sants, gurus, yogis, sannyasis, bairagis, virakts, fakes, misfits, and crooks of various sects of Hinduism, who camp out in tents on the riverbank, lecture and debate, smoke ganja and drink chai, and meet pilgrims seeking spiritual renewal. The sprawling floodplain resounds with devotional movie songs and bhajans, some strikingly melodious and familiar to me from childhood. The Mahabharata mentions Prayag as a site of pilgrimage, but the first historical record occurs in the account of 7th century CE Chinese traveler Xuanzang, who wrote about Prayag and its ageless, month-long festival at the confluence of two rivers. As the eleventh century traveler Al-Beruni noted, "pilgrimages are not obligatory to the Hindus but facultative and meritorious." Indeed the idea of pilgrimage is commonplace in human cultures. Rivers, lakes, streams, springs, wells and other bodies of water too have been revered around the world. The writer Hilaire Belloc saw pilgrimage as "a nobler kind of travel ... an expedition to some venerated place to which a vivid memory of sacred things experienced, or a long and wonderful history of human experience in divine matters, or a personal attraction affecting the soul impels one. ... a pilgrimage may be made to the tomb of Descartes, in Paris, or it may be a little walk uphill to a neighbouring and beloved grave, or a modern travel, even in luxury, on the impulse to see something that greatly calls one." This documentary film looks at the Kumbh Mela from many angles, focusing on one of its key pillars: the militant-monastic orders called akharas, whose members, including the naked ash-smeared Naga ascetics, see themselves as part of an ancient lineage of defenders and propagators of Sanātana Dharma. There are seven major and many minor akharas, some over a thousand years old, predating Islam in South Asia. Highly political and hierarchical organizations, the akharas compete for numbers and prestige, and have often in the past fought deadly battles with each other over matters of money and power — the akharas are hardly the happy family that their media-savvy spokesmen claim they are. Some are more liberal than others. Many akharas, I learned, choose their leaders through internal elections every third year at the Kumbh Mela, though I'm not sure when this custom began. Who are their members, how do they live, what do they believe? Such questions may have only partial answers but above all in this short documentary, I've tried to demystify the Kumbh Mela, its history, and its participants. -- Namit Arora (www.shunya.net), 18 Feb 2013.

Facebook users could swing the results in 160 Lok Sabha constituencies

9 hours ago , By Prashant Jha ( from the HINDU) 

Text: Vasudevan Mukunth; Illustration: Prathap Ravishankar

Social media has critical mass to affect polls, says study

The Thane parliamentary constituency has 1.8 million registered voters. Of them, 7,50,000 exercised their franchise in 2009. Sanjeev Ganesh Naik of the NCP won the seat by a margin of 49,000 votes over his nearest rival. As he prepares to face the voters again, he will find that almost 10 times the number of voters who made a difference between his victory and defeat are now on social media. In his constituency, 4,19,000 people use Facebook. Will they allow the NCP to retain its edge, or exposed to newer forms of political communication, will they swing the other way?

A study, a copy of which is with The Hindu, has, for the first time, shown how social media can affect the results of the next Lok Sabha elections. Conducted by the IRIS Knowledge Foundation and the Internet and Mobile Association of India, the research claims that results in over 150 constituencies could be decided by ‘Facebook users, making them the newest vote-bank with the power to shape Indian politics.’

Adopting a ‘straightforward’ methodology, the research assessed the number of Facebook users in all Lok Sabha constituencies. It then measured the margin of victory in these seats. There are 160 ‘high-impact constituencies’ where the number of Facebook users exceeds the margin of victory in the last election, or constitutes 10 per cent or more of the voting population.

In 67 other ‘medium-impact constituencies’, Facebook users comprise over 5 per cent of voters. Politicians here, the study says, ‘cannot afford to ignore social media.’

The caveats

Admitting that the ‘approach may seem simple to the point of being simplistic,’ it lists out the caveats. It does not factor in whether the social media users in each constituency are active. It does not examine other factors like ‘anti-incumbency or political realignments.’ And while Facebook may be a common medium, those using it are a heterogeneous lot.

However, researchers say their limited objective is to assess the ‘clout of the social media … and if Facebook users will have an impact, if they so choose.’

The study shows that 75 of the 206 seats won by the Congress and 43 of the 144 seats where it finished second are in the high-impact constituencies.

For the BJP, this is true for 44 of the 116 seats it won and 50 of the 110 seats where it came second.One-third of the seats the leading parties won earlier could thus be affected depending on the preferences of social media users. “A well thought-out social media will not only be about retaining previously won seats, but also wresting new ones.”

The study reveals that social media use now extends to small towns, and will allow candidates to communicate with voters even as polling is on unlike traditional campaigning, which stops 48 hours in advance.

Indian Cricketers are like these shares !

If one had to  associate a stock with an Indian cricketer, what would it be?

  

Gautam Gambhir – Ranbaxy (Inconsistent and never know when it will perform)

Rahul Dravid - HDFC Bank (Consistent and solid quarter after quarter)

Anil Kumble - HDFC Ltd (Again reliable and strong fundamentals)

Sehwag - JP Associates (Will perform only in high beta environment.)

Zaheer Khan – Infosys (Consistent earlier but waning magic!?)

Harbhajan - Suzlon Energy (No comments required!)

Cheteshwar Pujara – Lupin (Solid potential ahead)

Virat Kohli – Cognizant (Rocking even in tough times)

Dada – TCS (Undiminished aura and class)

Ashwin – Jubilant Foodworks (Good growth so far but sustaining it is the key)

M S Dhoni – ITC (Darling of everyone – default/no brainer pick)

Rohit Sharma – Kingfisher Airlines (%*#*$@&*)

VVS Laxman – Asian Paints (May seem boring but consistent and never disappoints)

Last but not least……….
.

 Tendulkar - Reliance Industries (Highest weight and highest market cap but stock wont perform)

Alcohol and Hangover

VODKA                                                                           Good to know: Vodka is least likely to give you a hangover Vodka is made by fermenting grains or crops such as potatoes with yeast. It's then purified and repeatedly filtered, often through charcoal, strange as it sounds, until it's as clear as possible. CALORIES: Because vodka contains no carbohydrates or sugars, it contains only calories from ethanol (around 7 calories per gram), making it the least-fattening alcoholic beverage. So a 35ml shot of vodka would contain about 72 calories.  PROS: Vodka is the 'cleanest' alcoholic beverage because it contains hardly any 'congeners' - impurities normally formed during fermentation. These play a big part in how bad your hangover is.  Despite its high alcohol content - around 40 per cent - vodka is the least likely alcoholic drink to leave you with a hangover, said a study by the British Medical Association.  CONS: Vodka is often a factor in binge drinking deaths because it is relatively tasteless when mixed with fruit juices or other drinks.  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 3/10  WHISKY                                                                                           Whisky or Scotch is distilled from fermented grains, such as barley or wheat, then aged in wooded casks.   Whisky 'madness': It triggers erratic and unpredictable behaviour because most people drink whisky neat CALORIES: About 80 calories per 35ml shot. PROS: Single malt whiskies have been found to contain high levels of ellagic acid, according to Dr Jim Swan of the Royal Society of Chemists. This powerful acid inhibits the growth of tumours caused by certain carcinogens and kills cancer cells without damaging healthy cells. CONS: Whisky 'madness' - erratic and unpredictable behaviour - is a common problem with drinking whisky. It's caused by the way most people drink it - neat, explains Professor Jones. His experiments show that among people drinking the same amount of ethanol, those drinking it in the form of spirits, such as whisky, had the quickest and highest peak in the blood alcohol concentration, which occurred less than an hour after drinking began. 'If you drink any alcohol on an empty stomach, it can compare with getting it intravenously' Professor Wayne Jones 'To slow absorption down, you could take it very much diluted or along with a rich, calorie-dense ingredient such as cream, as in Baileys or Irish coffee.'  Whisky also contains lots of congeners, which tend to form during the ageing process in oak casks. A study by the BMA found that as a result, Bourbon Whiskey is twice as likely to cause a hangover as the same amount of vodka.  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 8/10 WHITE WINE                                                                                                                          White wine is made from the fermented juice of grapes stripped of their seeds and skins.  CALORIES: Around 130 calories per 175 ml glass; slightly more in sweeter wines.  PROS: American researchers found that grape flesh contains the chemicals tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, which help lower arteryclogging LDL cholesterol. CONS: It's the sulphites formed naturally or added to white wine as preservatives to stop it going brown which are the most likely cause of the 'white wine hangover' many people complain of.  Sulphites also carry the risk of an allergic reaction which can worsen symptoms such as a headache, or asthma. White wines also wear away tooth enamel faster, making teeth more sensitive.  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 6/10  RED WINE                                                           Colour code: Red wine can cause a worse hangover than white wine because it contains methanol, a second type of alcohol that lingers in your body the next day Red wine is made from fermented grape juice - but unlike white wine, with the skin and pips included. It's then left to mature for a minimum of three years, during which pigments from the skins leech out and colour the wine red. CALORIES: Around 120 calories in a standard glass - it's slightly lower in sugar content than white wine. PROS: Contains more reservatrol - a plant anti- oxidant - than white wine. This helps to prevent blood clots and reduce inflammation, which is now considered to play a key role in heart disease. Also, the pips and skins used in red wines contain tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, chemicals which help lower artery-clogging LDL cholesterol. CONS: Red wine drinkers can get worse hangovers than beer or white wine drinkers. Because of the way it's made, red wine produces two types of alcohol - ethanol and methanol. The liver processes the ethanol part of the drink first and leaves methanol until last. 'As a result, it's likely to be floating around in the body for a lot longer than ethanol, giving you that familiar "morning after" feeling,' says Professor Jones.  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 7/10  BEER                                                                     Slow mover: Low in alcohol, beer is the least dangerous to drink Beer is made by fermenting barley. Hops are added for flavour and yeast to make the grains ferment into sugar and alcohol. CALORIES: It's the most calorierich alcoholic beverage - just one pint contains between 170 and 200 calories, about the same as seven chocolate fingers biscuits. PROS: Beer is the least dangerous to drink and makes you feel you drunk the slowest.  It has the lowest alcohol content - between 3 and 6 per cent for lager, and up to 8 per cent for ale and stout.  A pint also contains more than a quarter of an adult's recommended dose of Vitamin B folate, which stops the build-up of homocysteinea chemical linked to heart attacks. CONS: Beer is high in compounds called purines, which boost the levels of uric acid in the blood, according to a study at Massachusetts General Hospital.  This can form crystals in joints, leading to painful attacks of gout.  The 12-year study found that drinking more than two beers a day doubled the risk.  Meanwhile, research published in the International Journal of Cancer showed that one pint a day adds a 10 per cent risk of bowel cancer, while two pints a day increases the risk by 25 per cent.  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 4/10  BRANDY                                                              Brandy is a spirit distilled from red wine. Fine brandies are aged for extra flavour in wooden casks.   Hangover hell? Brandy contains high amounts of impurities CALORIES: Around 80 in every 35ml shot. PROS: Because brandy is a distillation of red wine, it contains a high concentration of antioxidants which mop-up 'free radicals' which, it's claimed, can damage the body organs and tissues and lead to deadly diseases.  Australian scientists discovered that the antioxidants created during the distilling process mean that 30ml of good brandy would give the equivalent antioxidant hit of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C. CONS: It could give you the worst headache of all, according to research at London's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. This was closely followed by red wine, then rum, whisky and gin. Not only does brandy contain at least 40 per cent alcohol, the high quality cask-aged variety is likely to have the highest amounts of congeners, which are formed during the lengthy storage and fermentation process.  Professor Jones says: 'Brandy contains literally hundreds of different volatile compounds, which gives it the distinctive pleasant smell but also contributes to the hangover.'  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 9/10  CHAMPAGNE                                  Fast acting: Champagne Champagne and sparkling wine are made in roughly the same way as wine - but then more yeast is added and it's left to ferment in the bottle a second time, producing carbon dioxide. CALORIES: An average 175 ml glass of Champagne contains 133 calories, slightly more than a glass of white wine because syrup is added to improve taste.  PROS: The antioxidants in Champagne may help protect your brain against damage incurred during a stroke and against neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, according to a team of researchers from the University of Reading. They found that high levels antioxidants, called caffeic acid and tyrosol, helped protect brain cells from damage. CONS: The bubbles speed up the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. And contrary to popular belief, Champagne won't lift your spirits - alcohol affects brain receptors in the same way, whatever its source.  'Alcohol basically works in the same way in the brain receptors as Valium,' says Professor Jones. 'It depresses brain activity and relieves anxiety. You might think you're in a good mood, but it's more likely the result of alcohol causing "disinhibition", making you more talkative and exhibitionist.'  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 7/10

15 things you didn't know about Human Body

From Letters in the Economist

SIR – You rightly note that one element of the good governance of Texas is that our legislature meets only every two years for a 140-day session (“Too much of a good thing”, February 23rd). Many of us believe governance would improve further if the legislature met for two days every 140 years.

Jay Bute
El Lago, Texas

Auto Rickshaw Experiment in Ahmedabad...

http://www.g-auto.org/ is the website ::RSK

NAGPUR: A degree from IIM Ahmedabad could have easily landed Nirmal Kumar a job with a fat pay packet at a multinational company. However, Kumar chose to earn Rs45,000 a month, managing a fleet of 10,000 autorickshaws in Gujarat. Haggling with an autorickshaw driver over fare changed the course of life for this physically challenged, 2008 batch graduate from the country's premier management school. Kumar was in the city on Sunday to speak at the TIECON meet on promoting entrepreneurship. Kumar comes from a modest background, with the family based in Siwan district of Bihar. His father is employed as a primary schoolteacher. Kumar was overcharged by an auto while coming back to the college from a restaurant. He felt cheated, and the idea for a business came to him. He entered into a deal with the auto drivers who park outside the IIM campus. He assured them free newspapers and an health-cum-personal insurance cover, for which he spent his own money. In return, they only had to give an undertaking that they would charge proper fares. The idea clicked, and the next tranche of funding came from some companies in Gujarat. The companies happily agreed since the expenditure also accounted for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, he said. "When I needed more funds, I contacted Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. The access was easy, and Modi was keen too. I requested his presence at the inauguration too and he obliged. He allotted funds and designated a senior bureaucrat to ensure we got the money," says Kumar. With funds, Kumar increased the facilities for drivers, and developed the brand 'G Auto'. The drivers got benefits like subsidized health care and education for their wards, besides the insurance. Today, revenue comes from mixed sources, including government, corporate as well as advertisement. "The vehicles carry ads, from which a sizeable revenue is generated, and we can break even. We have formed a trust, which pays my salary and also 21 of my colleagues," he said. Kumar is the managing director of the Nirmal Foundation. "Even now, anyone flouting the rules loses the benefits and membership of G Auto. But we also fight for the drivers if the cops wrongly harass them," he says. G Auto was voted second in the SMART Mobility Awards by the University of Michigan on transportation solutions. Recently, the union urban development secretary has written to all the states to emulate the model. Kumar, who also wants to expand, recently met Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit with plans for the national capital. Use of technology has enabled better monitoring of the vehicles through GPS. The vehicles also have computerized meters, which cannot be tweaked, says Kumar. Like a radio cab, customers can request a G auto from a call centre or through a free mobile phone app. Kumar's analysis is that a day's income for an autorickshaw driver does not go beyond the minimum wage of Rs250, after all expenses and vehicle maintenance is taken into account. Nirmal Foundation's system ensures they get more trips with the help of the call centre facility. The volumes compensate for the low margins, he said. On whether he regrets not having chosen the beaten path, Kumar says, "Today, my batch mates want to emulate me, but it is not the other way round."