"My Favourite TED Videos" by Shatrunjay Hegde

This video, showcases the weird genius that is Reggie Watts. The way he justs transcends from one language and accent to another is amazing, at certain points you might not be able to figure out where the change in his speech took place.

Reggie Watts disorients you in the most entertaining way

Reggie Watts’ beats defy boxes. Unplug your logic board and watch as he blends poetry and crosses musical genres in this larger-than-life performance.

Reggie Watts creates unpredictably brilliant performances on the spot using his voice, looping pedals and his giant brain.

"My Favourite TED Videos" by Shatrunjay Hegde

The first video to  the collection of my favourite TED videos. Ted is a fantastic platform for ideas from around the world to be shared with everyone. The videos of their conferences on the site will open new dimensions of thinking in your head. This video showcases the advance in medical technology, especially stem-cell research.

Anthony Atala: Printing a human kidney

Surgeon Anthony Atala demonstrates an early-stage experiment that could someday solve the organ-donor problem: a 3D printer that uses living cells to output a transplantable kidney. Using similar technology, Dr. Atala's young patient Luke Massella received an engineered bladder 10 years ago; we meet him onstage.

Anthony Atala asks, "Can we grow organs instead of transplanting them?" His lab at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is doing just that -- engineering over 30 tissues and whole organs.

'Rape' in India by Shahrukh Taghvaei

“Delhi -  rape capital of india”

                                                -media

“Bharat” , even on the map of the world, looks like a women in  saree, and most definitely has the persona of a woman; still there seem to be no respect for women amongst nationalists or others . So explains the media in refrence to our political systems and their opinons on, as to who should be blamed for the cruel act, the rapist or the victim?. As this country still manages to harbour a fair number of rapists and this paper is gonna talk about my views and ideas on how to tackle this national issue.

The current laws of India state that the sentence for rape is 7 years and is most definately a very lenient punishment for someone who has committed such an evil act. Although there have been many cries from all over the country for the passsing of the death sentence law for rape , it would most definately not reduce the number of rapes in the country. As that would ensure that the rapist kills their victim as to not leave any evidence, which could trace back to them. The option of chemical castration was overruled  saying the Constitution of India does not permit mutilation of a human body. which according to me was a very good idea ,as it has been adopted by other countries and has worked well.

The  Justice Verma Committee was recently summoned to look into crimes against women , they ruled against recommending death penalty even in the rarest of the rare rape cases,

The committee, which was tasked with suggesting legal reforms to deal with sexual assault cases, however said the minimum sentence for a rapist should be enhanced from 7 years to 10 and that life imprisonment must always mean jail for ‘the entire natural life of the convict’. It has also recommended increase in quantum of punishment in cases related to crime against women and children. Presenting the report on ‘Amendments to Criminal Law’, prepared within a month after consulting experts from India and abroad and going through suggestions made by various voluntary and government organisations.  An overwhelming majority of scholars and women’s organisations told the Justice Verma committee that they were strongly against death penalty.

After the gangrape and death of the para-medical student in Delhi last month that led to a nationwide uproar, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had said that there was overwhelming public sentiment for granting death to a rape convict, and that even the government favoured death sentence in the rarest of the rare rape cases.

He had then announced formation of a three-member committee headed by the former Chief Justice of India, with former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh Justice Leila Seth and former Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramaniam as its members.

They said that there is considerable evidence that the deterrent effect of death penalty on serious crimes is actually a myth. According to the Working Group on Human Rights, the murder rate has declined consistently in India over the last 20 years despite the slowdown in the execution of death sentences since 1980. Hence the introduction of death penalty for rape may not have a deterrent effect. The Committee also said that in the proposed Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2012, the minimum sentence for punishment for rape should be enhanced to a minimum of 10 years (currently it is 7 years) with maximum punishment being life imprisonment. This would be the ideal way of dealing with this issue.

Naxalism Vs Terrorism by Shahrukh Taghvaei

Shahrukh. N. Taghvaei

Naxalite is a name given to revolutionary communist groups that emerged out of the Sino-Soviet split in the Indian communist movement. The term is derived from Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal, where a leftist section of Communist Party of India (Marxist   CPI(M)) led by Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal led a militant peasant uprising in 1967, trying to develop a "revolutionary opposition" in order to establish "revolutionary rule" in India. Majumdar was greatly influenced by Mao Zedong of China and preached that Indian peasants and lower classes must follow in his footsteps and overthrow the government and upper classes whom he held responsible for their plight. In the year 1967 Naxalites organized the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR), and broke away from CPI(M). Uprisings were organized in several parts of the country. In 1969 AICCCR gave birth to Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). After the internal revolt led by Satyanarayan Singh in 1971 and the death of Majumdar in 1972, the movement was fragmented into many competing factions.

Practically all Naxalite groups trace their origin to the CPI(ML). A separate tendency from the beginning was the Maoist Communist Centre, which evolved out of the Dakshin Desh-group. MCC later fused with People's War Group to form Communist Party of India (Maoist). A third tendency is that of the Andhra revolutionary communists, which was mainly presented by UCCRI(ML), following the mass line legacy of T. Nagi Reddy. That tendency broke with AICCCR at an early stage.

Today some groups have become legal organisations participating in parliamentary elections, such as Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. Others, such as Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Janashakti, are engaged in armed guerilla struggles. Many groups combine both legal and illegal methods of work.

Naxal ideology owes it's origins to the pervasive poverty in the Indian hinterland. The Naxal movement is showing signs of better organisation of its political and military wings. The Red Corridor held by Naxals stretches across the swath of forest lands from Andhra Pradesh in South India to Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar and is expanding.

The past few years has seen the insurgents spreading Naxal influence from 76 districts in nine states to 118 Districts in 12 States. The Communist Party of India (Maoists) was formed on September 21, 2004 through the merger of two prominent naxalite outfits - the People's War Group (PWG) and the Maoists Communists Center (MCC). The military resources of these guerrilla movements have been now combined as People's Guerilla Army (PGA) forming the cutting edge of the Naxal movement.

The insurgency is fueled by the exploitation of the peasants and poor tribals by the landlords and the timber mafia, as well as neglect and corruption by governmental offices. The lack of socio-economic developments that have occurred in these regions from any governmental force is an issue that the Naxalites frequently exploit in their calls for violent, Mao inspired, revolution.

Terrorism is a term used to describe violence or other harmful acts committed against civilians by groups or persons for political, nationalist, or religious goals. As a type of unconventional warfare, terrorism means to weaken or supplant existing political landscapes through radicalization, as opposed to subversion or direct military action.

"Terrorist attacks" usually are characterized as "indiscriminate", the "targeting of civilians", or as executed "with disregard for human life". The most common definition of terrorism— typically used by states, academics, counter-terrorism experts, etc, -Terrorists are actors who do not belong to any recognized armed forces or who don't abide the laws of war, and who, therefore, are regarded as "rogue actors".

Those labelled "terrorists" rarely identify themselves so and, instead, typically use terms referring to their ideological or ethnic struggle, such as: separatist, freedom fighter, liberator, revolutionary, vigilante, militant, paramilitary, guerrilla, rebel, jihadi or mujaheddin, or fedayeen, or any similar-meaning word in other languages.

Terrorism has been used by a broad array of political organizations in furthering their objectives; both right-wing and left-wing political parties, nationalistic, and religious groups, revolutionaries and ruling governments.

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, often violent, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community , however, terrorism has no legally binding, criminal law definition. Common definitions of terrorism refer only to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror); are perpetrated for a religious, political or, ideological goal; and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatians (civilians). Hence both the factions that were mentioned above (Naxalites and terrorists) are fuel by different ideologies, and are very different from each other. Sharing only one attribute, which would be the using of extreme means to get what they want and to guarantee the dismissal of military suppression. 

Insecurity of women in india by Shahrukh Taghvaei

Shahrukh .N. Taghvaei

51261

“Insecurity of women in india is more of a cultural issue then a law and order problem”

South Asia is well known  as being  a region  of  the world

where the normally higher number of females than males in the total population

is reversed.  Among  the  Indian  states,  historically  Punjab1 in  the  Northwest

has  had  the  most  imbalanced  sex  ratios  (Visaria,  1969:  3).  The  excessive

mortality of  females that this reflects is commonly  hypothesized  to be due to

discrimination against females, particularly female children, relative to males,

in the allocation  of food and health  care within the household.

A number of studies have found evidence of such sex bias. For example, A study of  two villages in West Bengal found that  girls consistently  had poorer  nutritional status than boys  among  all socioeco-nomic  strata,  as  defined  by  landholding  and  mother's  education. Several other studies  also have  presented  quantitative  evidence  of  sex  bias  in  patterns  of  child  nutrition  and  health  care . Dyson  and  Moore (1983) found that sex differentials in child mortality are much higher in North than in South India, and they related this difference to variations between the  North and South in kinship systems  and female autonomy.

While documenting the existence of sex bias, this leave us with

little  understanding  of  the  dynamics  of  sex  discrimination  at  the  household

level  and  its relationship  to family-building  strategies.  All  the studies  cited

seem to be  based  on the  assumption  that  there  is  a  generalized  tendency  to

give preferential  treatment  to boys  over girls that  is rooted  in  the  low  value

placed on females in South Asian societies. An  implication of  generalized sex bias is that discriminatory behavior need not occur at a conscious level.  Parents  in  a  society  may  simply  have  internalized  certain  norms  that lead  them  to  give  better  care  to  their  sons  than  their  daughters,  and  excess female mortality  may be an unintended  consequence.

Yet  we  know  that  innumerable surveys in  South Asia have found that

parents state clearly that they want to have more boys than girls. That parents

act on these preferences  is revealed  by  the  common finding that the decision

to terminate  childbearing is strongly related  to the  number of surviving sons

couples  have.  This raises  the possibility  that  parents may realize  their desire

to  have  fewer  girls  than  boys  by  discriminating  particularly  heavily  against

some of their daughters.

The discrimination  against girls is not  generalized,  but  rather  is  closely  related  to  individual  parents'  family- building strategies. It goes on to explore the mechanisms-allocation  of food,

clothing,  and medical  expenses-whereby  these differentials in mortality  are

brought about. Finally, it examines the reasons why son preference is so strong

in Punjab society. Sex differentials by

birth  order  are  far stronger  than  those  by  socioeconomic  status.  Moreover,

these differentials show a remarkable persistence in the face of socioeconomic

development, mortality  decline,  and fertility decline. In fact, fertility decline

appears to heighten such selective discrimination. Interestingly,  women's  ed-

ucation is associated  with reduced  child mortality but stronger discrimination

against  higher  birth  order  girls.  This strong  underlying  preference  for  sons

appears to be the outcome of women's structural marginalization and insecurity in this culture,

which results  in their being  of  low  value to their parents.

Honor Killing in India by Shahrukh Taghvaei

Shahrukh .N. Taghvaei

Honour killing in india

An “honour killing” is a murder committed against a woman for actual or perceived “immoral” behaviour that is deemed to have breached the ‘honour code’ of a household or community. These so called ‘honour codes’ are the product of deeply rooted patriarchal social and cultural prejudices, whereby women are perceived and forced to bear all responsibility for maintaining communal honour. ‘Honour killings’ are an extreme and brutal abuse of human rights, violating the most basic of human rights—the right to life—as well as every other article in the International Convention on Human Rights (1948). The aim of the present essay is two-fold. Firstly we intend to show that what actually an ‘honour killing’ means and what are the reasons behind its occurrence. Also we will discuss about the position of International Law over ‘Honour Killing’. Secondly, we will be going to see that what are the various laws are present instantly in the country against the ‘honour killing’ and will try to find what more laws ought to be there to stop such a heinous crime.

Cultural crimes are basically the crimes that seek to place within the context of culture or under the head of it. As we all know recently; there has been a spate of honour killings which has shocked the country. Honour killing is one of the types of cultural crime present in the country. An honour killing (also called a customary killing) is the murder of a (typically female) family or clan member by one or more fellow (mostly male) family members, in which the perpetrators (and potentially the wider community) believe the victim to have brought dishonour upon the family, clan, or community.

The aim of the present essay is two-fold. Firstly we intend to show that what actually an ‘honour killing’ means and what are the reasons behind its occurrence. Also we will discuss about the position of International Law over ‘Honour Killing’. Secondly, we will be going to see that what are the various laws are present instantly in the country against the ‘honour killing’ and will try to find what more laws ought to be there to stop such a heinous crime.

The present essay is divided into three parts. The first part deals briefly with the meaning of honour killing and the reasons behind it. Further in the second part the author had discussed the laws present and proposed for the stoppage of ‘honour killing’ with the help of judicial decisions. Also the International Law on Human rights is discussed with reference to Honour Killing and various countries position is also discussed over it. The third and the last part of the paper describes about the possibility of various other laws and rules which ought to be there for the ‘honour killing’.

Human Rights Watch defines "honour killings" as the acts of violence, usually murder, committed by male family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonour upon the family. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce—even from an abusive husband—or (allegedly) committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that "dishonours" her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life.

Thus an honour killing (also called a customary killing), can be said as the murder of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators (and potentially the wider community) that the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community.  Hence a murder committed in order to save what is considered in a specific culture the “honour” of one’s family against the shame caused by another member of the family could be termed as the honour killing.

The main reason for commitment of an ‘honour killing’ is belief that any member of family had brought dishonour to the family. The dishonour can be of different types for different families. The perceived dishonour is normally the result of the following behaviours, or the suspicion of such behaviours, which are dress codes unacceptable to the family/community; or wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice; or engaging in certain sexual acts, including those with the opposite or same sex, etc.

Also the most obvious reason for this practice to continue in India is because of the fact that the caste system continues to be at its rigid best and also because people from the rural areas refuse to change their attitude to marriage. Also in our country the society is mainly the patriarchal. Men are expected to enforce such norms and traditions and protect family and male honour from shame. Women are expected to conduct themselves honourably. This understanding of the notion gives legitimacy to all forms of social regulation of women’s behaviour and to violence committed against them.

So far, there is no specific law to deal with honour killings. The murders come under the general categories of homicide or manslaughter. Sometimes the honour killings are also done by a mob and so when a mob has carried out such attacks, it becomes difficult to pinpoint a culprit. The collection of evidence becomes tricky and eyewitnesses are never forthcoming. But ‘Honour Killings’ are against International Law on Human Rights and against United Nation agendas. But still even though we don’t have any law to deal with it specifically in India but we have judicial precedence over it. There are also some bills which are in the latent stage against the honour killings, which are planned to be introduced in the parliament sooner. As we have seen that the government is going to amend the Indian Penal Code, 1862, for the honour killing. But if we watch closely our Constitution and Indian Penal Code, 1862, we can see that they are in itself sufficient to combat with the ‘honour killing’. As we already know that ‘honour killing’ are not so different from the homicide; so we have already the following sections of Indian Penal Code, 1862, to punish the perpetrators behind the honour killings.

Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom - by Disha Chaudhry - A brilliant learning of life

Morrie Shcwartz, is a sociology professor, who has touched many of his students’ hearts through his teachings, one of the students in particular being Mitch Albom. The story revolves around the love shared between Morrie and his student Mitch. Both these characters journey together trying to unravel the meaning of life and answer questions surrounding existence. On one hand, Mitch is absorbed by materialism, and yet does not seem too happy with himself, his high-class journalist job or the fact that he is a married man. He does not keep in touch with his beloved professor that he promised he would never forget. Fourteen years after Mitch’s graduation, Morrie is diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ability to survive and thrive with a positive mindset is an admirable characteristic of Morrie. Mitch understands the importance and necessity of Morrie’s teachings, mindset and characteristics as even though Morrie is aware of the fact that he is going to die because of his disease, he leaves the world by leaving a positive impact on Mitch, who further uses Morrie’s teachings for his happiness and progress in life. Morrie’s ideas and values prove the impact of positive thinking on one’s life. It is interesting because no one can stop the inevitable but the way one copes with it portrays strength and determination. At Morrie's funeral, Mitch recalls his promise to continue his conversations with his professor and conducts a silent dialogue with Morrie in his head. Mitch had expected such a dialogue to feel awkward, however this communication feels far more natural than he had ever expected.

The question is, how did Morrie manage not to let the disease make him more able to cope with his situation? The disease that caused rapidly progressive weakness in his muscles, which didn’t let him speak properly or be independent anymore. In his interviews on ’Nightline’ he said he was worried about the day when he would not be able to wipe himself up after using the bathroom, which eventually did come true. His body deteriorated but his mind showed all signs of resilience.  Morrie found a way to use positivity to his advantage. Before he was diagnosed with ALS, he was a happy man who inspired everyone around him. After ALS, the awareness of his disease, the causes, symptoms and effects, simply made him grow stronger as he already knew what was going to happen to him. His self awareness was the key to his mental health.

Reciprocal determinism is when our environment is a major part of the evolution of our mind. If we harm the environment, the environment’s cyclical functionality will eventually cause harm back to us as well. If there is positivity in one’s attitude, one’s body will never realize the magnitude of the pain one is dealing with. Our mind and environment affect each other positively and negatively. Therefore, Morrie decided to stay positive and let the environment do the rest. He lived happier days, even though he knew there were very few remaining. The individualistic culture Morrie encourages Mitch to create for himself is a culture founded on love, acceptance, and human goodness, a culture that upholds a set of ethical values unlike the mores that popular culture endorses. Popular culture, Morrie says, is founded on greed, selfishness, and superficiality, which he urges Mitch to overcome. Morrie also stresses that he and Mitch must accept death and aging, as both are inevitable.

The role of positive emotions plays a huge role in our survival and motivational mechanisms. After being born, we wish to be aware of our threats around us and then identify an action tendency to deal with this threat. After this, we broaden our alternative ways to better survival. This feeling of safety helps you explore more if the appraisal of the situation is positive and safe. Therefore, there is more exercised trust among others, making one’s self a kinder and happier individual. Morrie does just this when he imparts his knowledge to Mitch, who’s biological mother died when he was young and his father never really showed any affection towards him. When Mitche’s father remarries, the new wife is more open and accepting towards her step-children and thus urges him to read on and open his mind. This is why when Mitch first was taught by Morrie, he was very hesitant. But at the same time, he continued taking his classes cause of the easy grade, but with time, Morrie, like his step-mother opened up his mind to broader spectrums.

Positive emotions helped Morrie be motivated to increase his probabilities of survival, his self-preservation skills were higher, and all the appraisals he had of his situation was taken in a more positive light as he was positive himself. Therefore, all interpretations were on his favor. He never became negative, and questioned “why did this happen to me, and no one else around me?” He was resilient. Resilience is a different form of coping. He is not the simple dealing with failure or losses, it is an individual's tendency to cope with stress and adversity. Self acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy and positive relations with other were 6 factors that he kept up that made him resilient.

Therefore, instead of letting the disease effect him negatively, he went through post-traumatic growth. This made Morrie accept his condition and go forth life like it always did, but made sure he lived it to the full.

He first made sense of what happened to him, by understanding his disease and knowing what his body was to become in the next few months. He then re-defined his life and mindset, and made it more based on love, and affection toward one’s self and others. He then found a benefit from this situation which made him self-reliant and lets you become a sort of philosopher, thus reaching the self-actualized person Morrie always wanted to be, thus transcending into “Tuesdays with Morrie”.