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I get the point that,this greeting,is basically a nice little tradition to hope for the best in the days ahead for oneself and others, as the calendar turns yet another page. The best part is, one can’t be sued if the person very optimistically wished, turns out subsequently, to have had an unhappy year. There are no g...
But what confounds me is far more basic in nature. I don’t know what the terms ‘Happy’, ‘New’ and ‘Year’ mean anymore. Yes, I have been throwing this phrase around at all and sundry much of my life but what I am actually trying to say?
To some of you out there who may assume I am writing this after imbibing more than my fair share of the spirits that flow around this season let me elaborate a bit.
Start with the word ‘Year’. According to most dictionaries this is the time it takes our Planet Earth to circle fully around the sun – a period of about 365 to 366 solar days. As per the Gregorian calendar this is then further divided, into 12 months of roughly 30 to 31 days each, starting with January and ending with ...
The Gregorian calendar however is neither the oldest nor most accurate measurement of the year around – with the Mayans having the most ancient and the Persians the most precise among traditional calendars. Further, the Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese and Islamic calendars are also partly or fully based on the lunar cycle i.e...
In the modern era, the measurement of time has become far more accurate, using processes at the atomic level, which deviate only 1 second in up to 100 million years. The ‘second’, which is the base unit of modern time-keeping is defined as the time it takes a Cesium-133 atom at the ground state to oscillate exactly 9,1...
All this is very fine, but I am still stuck with the problem of trying to make sense of all these concepts of time, both ancient and modern, in my own life as an ordinary human being, of flesh and blood, subject to the stresses and emotions like all forms of life. Can astronomical events, mechanical devices or even ato...
Is there not a difference between time measured as a function of remote processes outside the human body and the intimate ones that happen inside it? Why has technology not just become more important than human biology – which is the basis of our very existence- but even ended up controlling our idea of time?
It is common experience for many, that waiting for some things to happen – where we are personally involved body and soul – seems so much ‘longer’ than for other things. For example, a thirsty customer ordering a whisky at the bar will always find the service much too slow compared to the apparent speed with which the ...
To give another, more political example, just three years of the Narendra Modi regime in India seems to many citizens like the passage of several centuries, given the extraordinary amount of pain it has involved. On the contrary the first six decades after Independence, a period of hope and civility, compared to what i...
Desire or undesirability of various events and processes thus play a big role in human perception of time – even though the actual quantities involved – as measured by the clock and calendar – are the same down to the last second.
The overall point I want to make is basically that while we still think of time in quantitative terms, in the context of human and other life, it is ultimately quality that matters. A lifetime spent battling disease is not the same as that enjoyed in good health, even if there is no difference in overall ‘life expectan...
Which brings me to the next question of what is really ‘New’ out there in the world for us to so blithely use this term while greeting each other ‘Happy New Year’? As we already discussed in the context of conventional notions of time, the universe seems to be made of grand cycles of all kinds. The earth repeatedly goi...
As my teenage daughter asked a bit despondently, a couple of years ago, “What can I do when I grow up that has not been done before by someone long ago?” A difficult question but my answer was, ‘Life is like a football game, ninety minutes long (not including Sudden Death) and it is your time to go and play the game to...
In other words, while the world and its processes are cyclical, each one of us is a completely new player in the field and everything we do or that happens to us is occurring for the first time ever in the history of the Universe. There is nothing ‘New’ about the year out there but we are the ones who are constantly bo...
The meaning of the term ‘Happy’ then,is linked closely to our concepts of both time and novelty. If you are of healthy body, have quality as your measure of time and are willing to live in the present, unfettered by the past and unburdened by worries of the future – happiness could indeed be possible.
However, the additional trick involved in being happy is to keep memory out of the entire process, as happiness cannot be captured and stored in any form. So in 2018 if there is one resolution you really need to stick to, it is simply that of resisting the temptation to take ‘selfies’ with your happiness. For it is pre...
So then, here is wishing you all a ‘Happy’, ‘New’, ‘Year’.
What a lovely seamless message of hope and renewal…and am I glad that as yet there isn’t any feeding of cows involved when celebrating the new year!
Quora has launched a new feature called Writing Sessions as an alternative to Reddit’s AMAs.
Everyone knows Reddit’s AMA’s can surface the most aggressive trolls from the depths of the Web, so Quora is hoping to restore some decorum with its own version.
People using the Quora app will be sent notifications when a Writing Session is confirmed, prompting them to submit their questions in advance.
This gives the person answering the questions more time to develop a response and it allows Quora to remove any that are trolling or just unsuitable. Of course, it also raises the concern that the answers won’t be as truthful if they are prepared in advance.
All of the accepted questions will then be posted on the app to be upvoted or downvoted and that determines the order they will be asked in when the Writing Session goes live.
All of the questions and answers from the one hour Writing Sessions will remain on Quora as evergreen content afterwards as well.
The first Writing Session will be with US Senator and foreign policy and military expert Tim Kaine today. You can still submit questions or vote for the ones that are already up. Some of the most popular questions for Kaine focus on US strategy for combating Islamic State and what the country’s policy is on accepting r...
Quora says it will continue to focus on people “who have unique insights on topics that are important to humanity” for future Writing Sessions.
The line-up for December includes Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and Founder of Lean In; Vinod Khosla, Silicon Valley venture investor and founder of Khosla Ventures; and Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood.
He's switching YouTube for the big screen.
He joins the likes of Tom Hardy and Prince Harry.
Don't act like you forgot!
As comic book adaptations continue to rule the box office, director Scott Derrickson has announced that he has signed on to helm Marvel's Doctor Strange.
Batman battle: Which actor played the Caped Crusader best?
When it comes to reinventing a superhero, the movies never know when to stop – and with the recent reveal of Ben Affleck as the newest, shiniest Batman, we’ve decided it’s time to let the Gotham heroes of the past battle it out.
He's come a long way from the dodgy barnet of his 3rd Rock from the Sun days – Joseph Gordon-Levitt's now a screenwriter, director, production company founder and heart-throb for those who prefer their movie stars more cerebral than stacked.
Or make you hurl depending on your feelings about Christmas songs, because the pair performed Baby, It's Cold Outside on the Muppets' Thanksgiving special.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves he’s as talented behind the camera as in front of it in his fresh and funny directorial debut.
Thanks to recession, India’s ambitious mid-day-meal (MDM) programme is in for redemption, with the government planning to rationalise the scheme for the first time since its inception.
The bandh called by human rights organisation Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS) and several journalists’ organisations in protest against the court verdict acquitting the prime accused in journalist Parag Kumar Das murder case disrupted normal life in Assam today. All offices, educational and financial institutions r...
The Supreme Court today ended all uncertainties over the 2010 Commonwealth Games by ruling that the village project for the sports extravaganza was located neither on the “riverbed” nor the “floodplain” of the Yamuna river and as such the agencies involved in it "are free to proceed with the work."
Criticism of his loud thinking notwithstanding, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal today signalled that he was not one to compromise his education reform agenda for anything or anyone. To that effect then, both his bold new initiatives of making class X board optional and ensuring uniformity of teach...
The Supreme Court today granted five more months to the special investigation team (SIT) to complete probe into the possible role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
Rajasthan Governor SK Singh today signed the Bill facilitating 5 per cent reservation to the Gujjars and 14 per cent reservation to the economically backward classes (EBCs) in the state.
The entire opposition expressed dissatisfaction with the government's response on the issue of non-basmati rice exports and staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha today, demanding an inquiry by a joint parliamentary committee or the CBI into allegations of corruption in exports to certain African countries in 2007 and 2008....
The decision of Bihar’s ruling party - Janata Dal (U) - to nominate estranged leader George Fernandes for the byelection to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from here indeed came as a surprise in the political circles. The veteran socialist leader filed his papers today.
The mortal remains of Rajmata Gayatri Devi, who died after prolonged illness yesterday, were consigned to flames with full state honours here today. Thousands of people came out to join her funeral procession to pay their last respects to their beloved Rajmata.
The CBI today arrested former Union Minister Buta Singh’s son Sarabjot Singh Happy in Delhi on bribery charges. According to media reports, Sarabjyot Singh was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 3 crore from a Nashik-based contractor to get him reprieve from a SC/ST case pending against him. Sarbjot was ar...
Congress President Sonia Gandhi today noted with concern the problem of poor attendance of party MPs in Parliament and hoped that corrective action will be taken with the party electing its state conveners.
Weeks before the Election Commission’s code of conduct comes into effect, the Maharashtra government is on overdrive pushing through proposals envisaging redevelopment of Mumbai. The government is all set to give nod to “cluster development” of old parts of Mumbai city where more than 100-year-old buildings exist and a...
With the CAG slamming the Government for buying the second-hand Admiral Gorshkov at the price of a new aircraft carrier, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta today defended the price being paid by India for the warship. “I can’t comment on the CAG. But you all are defence analysts, can you get me an aircraft carrier for le...
Independent member Tarlochan Singh today, while participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the working of the External Affairs Ministry, spoke at length about the problems being faced by the Sikh community.
The government today said it had begun work on the action plan to unearth black money within next 100 days.
The Madhya Pradesh government's directive to state teachers to compulsorily recite "Bhojan Mantra" before meals during its special training programme has angered the Muslim community whose religious heads said today they will ignore it.
State-of-the-art hybrid coaches with enhanced seating capacity will be introduced in the soon-to-be-rolled out non-stop 'Duranto' class of trains.
Ten students of Banaras Hindu University were detained by police and fined Rs 50,000 each by their institute after being caught ragging five freshers.
Admitting that most of the existing financial parameters of the world’s largest school feeding programme are irrational, the government today said it would reorient the scheme to ensure its efficacy.
At the core of the government’s change of heart is recession, which has made it impossible for state governments to feed children with Rs 2.80 paisa per child per day - the cooking cost rate fixed in 2006. Since then, inflation has gone up and down, playing havoc with estimates and eventually forcing the Human Resource...
That means, in effect, the delinking of MDM commodity prices with the wholesale price index to ensure the cooking cost that is fixed once and for all fits the programme well and suits states’ purses. There is also a move to rid the cooking cost of the salary component of cooks and helpers. Till now, the meager cooking ...
Further, the government admits that uniform transport and kitchen shed cost norms could not be prescribed for the country and they must vary from state to state. “The idea is to link costs to the state schedule of rates to make them rational once and for all. Rationalisation means we would not have to go to the Cabinet...
This August 15, Gujarat would become the first state to include fortified wheat flour, complete with micro-nutrients, in its mid-day meal menu for schoolchildren. News is that the state government conducted a survey that showed nutrition aspects lacking in children. “This clearly shows MDM alone hasn’t helped. We need ...
MASS denounced the way the CBI handled the case. Parag was killed on May 17, 1996, in the heart of the city in front of his minor son. The organisation has demanded a reinvestigation into the case.
The Kamrup District and Sessions Judge on Tuesday acquitted the prime accused in the case, Mridul Phukon, a former ULFA militant, citing lack of sufficient evidence to pronounce him guilty. The judgment triggered widespread protests all over the state.
Das was the Executive Editor of widely circulated Assamese Daily, “Asomiya Pratidin” and was known for his strong views that almost supported the causes championed by the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Chairman of ULFA Arabinda Rajkhowa said the trial and the CBI investigation into the case was a farce. The CBI deliberately refrained from making public the names of killers during the past 13 years of investigation, he alleged.
A three-Judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, delivered the verdict on petitions filed by the Delhi Development Authority, the Ministry of Sports and the games Organizing Committee, challenging the restrictions imposed by Delhi HC.
"In view of the abundant materials…there is no ground for consideration by another Expert Committee" whether the project was situated on the riverbed or the floodplain, the Bench, which included Justices P Sathasivam and BS Chauhan, said in its 44-page judgment.
However, the Committee approved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should monitor the entire activities in association with noted environmentalist Dr RK Pachauri, the apex court ruled.
With this, the apex court has set aside the November 3, 2008 verdict of the HC that had directed the government to form a fresh Committee to "examine and monitor" the construction carried out by the games' organizers and the DMRC.
The verdict, written by Justice Sathasivam for the Bench, pointed out that the apex court had ruled on January 12, 2005 that the Akshardham Temple, adjacent to the village project site, was not located on the riverbed. This "has bearing on the issue (games project) and it is a binding precedent for all purposes."
“Within the National Curriculum Framework of 2005 which we are going to adopt, you can have your diversity. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we need uniformity in the teaching of subjects so that we have a uniform level of excellence to create a critical mass of students who can then compete with the worl...
Faced with the daunting task of rolling out the Right to Education (RTE) Bill and achieving gross enrollment ratio (GER) of 15 per cent by 2015, Sibal, in his unsparing advice to states, said a carefree attitude towards the realization of education goals would not do. “Yeh chalta hai …attitude nahi chalega,” Sibal said...
The minister was speaking at the conference of state secretaries for school education and literacy, which will, over the next three days, debate UPA new initiatives’s on primary and secondary education including Sibal’s exam and marking reform proposals and the modalities of Right to Education Bill, which requires the ...
Setting the tone for discussions, Sibal said the growing disconnect between the Centre and states on HRD targets must be bridged at the earliest. “True partnership is needed. This is not about politics. This is about India and our children,” he told the visiting state secretaries, his remarks inspired mainly by CAG’s r...
The government also said it favoured use of geospatial technology and broadband facility to map and monitor school performance. “The pipelines are porous. This porosity must be checked,” Sibal said, on a day when he later introduced the Right to Education Bill in the Lok Sabha. Once passed by the lower House, free and ...
In another major development today, the minister set the states the target of achieving 30 per cent GER by 2020. “Don’t take refuge in the five-year window period the Right to Education Bill provides. Just get going,” said Sibal.
The government has asked all states to immediately propose monitoring mechanisms and review teacher quality in the wake of RTE Bill, which requires teachers to attain a certain level of training to impart education.
A Bench headed by Justice DK Jain asked the SIT, appointed by the apex court with former CBI Director RK Raghavan as its head, to file its report by December 31.
On April 27, the court had directed the SIT to investigate within three months the complaint of Jakia Nasim Ahesan, wife of slain Congress MP Ehsan Jafri. The complainant had alleged that Modi and 62 others, including his cabinet colleagues and top police officials, had abetted mob action.
The move came after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a meeting with the Governor late in the evening.
With this all the possibilities of another Gujjar agitation hitting the state have come to an end. However, the road ahead for this reservation Bill will not be easy. The quota for EBCs will need a constitutional amendment, as there is no provision in the Constitution for reservation on economic basis.
This 19 per cent increase in reservation (5 per cent for Gujjars and 14 per cent for the EBCs) can also be challenged on another count as the total quota in the state would touch 68 per cent mark - much above the 50 per cent cap set by the Supreme Court. The state already has 21 per cent quota for OBCs, 16 per cent for...
After the Governor gave his assent to the Bill, Gujjars decided to call off their five-day-old sit-in demonstration.
Buoyed by the Governor's nod to the quota bill, Bainsla told reporters here that the community leaders had decided in-principle to withdraw their sit-in near Hindon town in Karoli district and he would make a formal announcement of this tomorrow after celebrations at the demonstration site.
Replying on the issue, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said every transaction completed would be examined and responsibility determined. “Nobody will be spared if it is found any rules were infringed”, he added.
“We are not sensationalizing the issue, but ask the government not to trivialise the matter. As we are not satisfied with its response we are staging a walkout”, leader of the opposition LK Advani said after Sharma rejected their demands saying the government “should be given an opportunity to inquire into the issue on...
Sharad Yadav of JD(U), Bharatruhari Mahtab (BJD), Shailendra Kumar (SP), Basudev Acharya (CPM) and Gopinath Munde (BJP) wanted to know why private companies like Shivnath Harinarayan were allowed to export non-basmati rice. They also demanded a reply to a question on why the tender system was not followed when the requ...
Opposition members also demanded to know why PSUs were not involved in the exports, saying the process was not transparent.
Gopinath Munde of the BJP alleged the decision to export rice to some African countries was taken during the recent general elections to “generate funds” for the polls.
B Mahtab (BJD) asked why the Ghanaian government had ordered an inquiry by its investigative agency into the import of rice if there no scam had been suspected.
The value of rice exports totaled about Rs 170 crore. Relaxing the ban on rice exports, the government authorized export of non-basmati rice to African countries in view of their pressing needs and diplomatic considerations.
CM Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi (BJP) accompanied him during the nomination process. Although, the byelection for this seat, vacated by JD-U chief Sharad Yadav following his victory in the Lok Sabha polls, is scheduled for August 8, George is expected to be elected unopposed.
Apparently, a majority of leaders in the JD-U had no inkling about the truce between the rebel Fernandes and the top leadership (Nitish Kumar) and the party’s decision to send its one time patron and chief to the Rajya Sabha for which there were many claimants. However, Nitish Kumar spilled the beans after George had f...
This move of Nitish is being perceived as a master stroke in political circles. By opting for the octogenarian George, Nitish has not only demoralised his critics and dissidents in the party who were trying to project the ‘ailing socialist leader’ as their mascot in their fight against the Chief Minister but he has als...
He would no longer face charges like abandoning the ailing party veteran. Notably, the JD-U had offered a Rajya Sabha seat to George even when he decided to rebel against the party on being denied the Lok Sabha ticket a few months ago.
The procession started from Janana Dyodhi and passed through Tripolia Bazaar, Badi Chaupar and Hawa Mahal Bazaar before reaching Maharani ki Chhatri, the royal cremation ground. Her last journey began at about 3.30 pm. The body, wrapped in the Tricolour, was carried in an Army vehicle. Amid chanting of Vedic hymns and ...
The traffic in the walled city came to a standstill, as thousands of people poured out on the streets to pay glowing tributes to their Rajmata. Some of them came barefoot like devotees, some with folded hands and some carrying flowers to express their endless faith and devotion to the departed soul. People came from as...
Sarabjot allegedly accepted bribe from the builder to get his name cleared from cases filed against him. The builder, Ram Rao Patil, is accused of having taken loan of Rs 10 crore from Sri Hari Bade Sir Cooperative Society based in Navi Mumbai against the names of 100 Dalit workers.
"Now that the state conveners have been elected, I hope that the problem of poor attendance in both Houses will be rectified," she said addressing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) here.
Taking exception to the absence of members, she said, "Our chief whips have a tough task mobilising all of you on crucial occasions. This reflects poorly on us and does little justice to those who have voted us to represent them here."
Noting that there is a large number of ministers from Congress Party, Gandhi said expectations and demands from constituencies have increased and asked the ministers to give time and be of assistance to MPs.

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