Limitations of observation

It was indeed surprising to read that the crisis at the three Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power stations did not come from buildings collapsing due to the March 11 earthquake of magnitude 9 but from power failure following the quake! The tsunami knocked out the generators that produced the power. Lack of power in turn caused the cooling systems of the reactors to fail.

Now isn't till terribly surprising that the 'safety designers' could never think of the possibility that generators that produced back-up power could be flooded by the waters gushing inland as a result of Tsunami. Simply may be that a ferocious Tsuanmi had never struck before and they never anticipated that one will in the future. Well isn't that planning is all about? To think the unthinkable :)

If you want something badly, you have to break your own rules!

If you need something badly to what extent are you ready to bow down?

As a precondition, India has to pass the Nuclear Liability Bill , before it can take help from US firms in matters related to nuclear technology, the cap on the liability claims is restricted to Rs.500 crore on the part of the firm providing the service in case of any accident though imposing such a limit is ultra vires as the constitution provides the victim the right to unlimited liability though the proposed is seeking to put a cap on the compensation ?

Now isn't that interesting Parliament is passing such a Bill violating its own constitution? This goes to prove that laws can be broken by the very body that frames them, provided one is strong enough to do such things.



Amid protests, Nuclear Liability Bill introduced in Lok Sabha Special Correspondent

Members of the Left parties and NDA stage walkout

NEW DELHI: The contentious Nuclear Liability Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday amid protests and walkout by Left and NDA members, who termed it “illegal, unconstitutional and anti-people.”

The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, which provides for payment of compensation in the event of a nuclear accident is a pre-requisite for U.S. nuclear companies to enter India, and an enabling condition for their French and Russian counterparts.

The Bill, whose passage is essential to operationalise the nuclear deal with the U.S., was moved by Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy Prithviraj Chavan. It provides for a maximum liability of Rs. 500 crore on the part of the operator in case of an accident. The provision, the Left and NDA members say, puts a cap on compensation and violates the rights of a citizen guaranteed under the Constitution.

In the event of an accident, countries are also entitled to compensation of 300 million special drawing rights. However, to join the Convention on Supplementary Compensation, India will have to ensure that it has a national legislation, consistent with the provisions in the annexure of the Convention. Now India is not a party to any international nuclear liability convention.

As Mr. Chavan sought permission from Speaker Meira Kumar to introduce the Bill, CPI(M) leaders Basudeb Acharia and Ramchandra Dome, BJP leaders M.M. Joshi and Yashwant Sinha and CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said legislation would violate Article 21 that guarantees the citizen's fundamental right to life. They said the Bill also compromised the right of victims to approach court for enhanced compensation.

Mr. Sinha, a former External Affairs Minister, alleged that the Bill was being introduced under the U.S. pressure. The compensation proposed in the Bill was a pittance in comparison with that ensured by the U.S. laws: in the U.S., there is a provision for compensation to the tune of Rs. 60,000 crore, 23 times higher than Rs. 2,600 crore proposed by the Bill.

Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said her party had conveyed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the Bill should be amended, but the government was “adamant” on introducing it in its present form. Dr. Joshi said the Bill was against the law laid down by the Supreme Court, which stipulated that the polluter must pay for the damage, and did not factor in the concerns over the environment and possible health hazards. Till now, a victim had the right to “unlimited liability,” but the proposed legislation would put a cap on compensation.

Leader of the House and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal argued that the members could not speak on the merits of the Bill at the stage of introduction, but could refer to the legislative competence of the House.

There was no protest from Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh and RJD chief Lalu Prasad. They had opposed the Bill in March, when the government made the first bid to introduce it.

After the Left and NDA members staged a walkout, the Bill was introduced.

Later, Mr. Bansal told journalists that the Bill would be brought for consideration in the monsoon session. “It will go to the standing committee concerned, which will deliberate upon it in the next two months. I hope it will come up with a report in the monsoon session.”

The first seed of Sathyagraha

It sometimes becomes interesting to find out, if there is any precedent for some events which are considered original and the brain-child of the innovator. I had long thought that Mahatma Gandhi should get the full credit for having invented a unique weapon of non-violence called 'Upavasa Sathygraha'. But no. There was another person much before Gandhi who had already done it! She is a Scottish woman Marionne Wallas Dunlop.

Marion Wallace Dunlop was the first female suffragete go on hunger strike , on 5 July 1909, demanding voting rights for women prisoners in Scotland's Halloway Prison. Her Satyagraha later inspired great personalities around the world to adopt this mode of agitation to fight for their rights.

Historians and policians celebrate the centenary of Upavasa Sathyagraha.

Sometimes, the power of an isolated incident, in a remote place, by a less known mortal can act as a catalyst setting in motion a chain of events marking the beginning of a new path.

In the meanwhile, Suffragette is a term originally coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for the more radical and militant members of the late-19th and early-20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU). However, after former and then active members of the movement began to reclaim the word, the term became a label without negative connotations. It derives from the word "suffrage", meaning the right to vote.

Of what use is such blind worship?

The photo shows the idol of Mahaveera. Behind in the cup board contains rare and ancient Tala Patra (palm leaf) texts. The above photo was taken at the renowned Kanakagiri Jain temple situated in Chamarajanagar district, about 55km from Mysore.

This one photo captures the mindset of the majority of the Indians. Did you observe what is the striking feature of this photo? The rare and ancient Tala Patra, palm leaves on which our ancients once wrote, placed neatly piled in a cupboard covered with cloth!

The 'knowledge' that should have seen the light of the day, is actually rotting in the corner of a cupboard, becoming a good fodder for mites and silverfish. Left like that, it may one day even crumble to dust, given the fragile nature of the palm leaves when left untreated and exposed to light and moisture in the air.

We Indians adore more in worshipping, rather than exploring and understanding and quizzing. Shouldn't we be reading those palm leaves, tyring to understand and analyze what it contained and dwell on the things it had to say? Shouldn't we be displaying posters illustrating what was written on those plam leaves, so that everyone who visited the temple could get an 'insight' as to what it contained?

This way we are doing a grave injustice to the creator of those works, by killing his intentions in not propogating the thoughts he wanted to convey, of whatever inherent value it may have had, rather than using it as a mere idolatry obejct?

But that's how we Indians are. We seek enlightenment through 'blind worship with closed eyes' rather 'active debate with open minds'.