Bhakti movement

BHAKTI MOVEMENT IN INDIA AND PUNJAB-by ARUN JOSHI , 9888933043, SRI KRISHNA INSTITUTE , JALANDHAR

 An important landmark in the cultural history of medieval India was the silent revolution in society brought about by a galaxy of socio-religious reformers, a revolution known as the Bhakti Movement. This movement was responsible for many rites and rituals associated with the worship of God by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of Indian subcontinent. For example, Kirtan at a Hindu Temple, Qawaali at a Dargah (by Muslims), and singing of Gurbani at a Gurdwara are all derived from the Bhakti movement of medieval India (800-1700). The leader of this Hindu revivalist movement was Shankaracharya, a great thinker and a distinguished philosopher. And this movement was propounded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Namadeva, Tukaram, Jayadeva. The movement's major achievement was its abolition of idol worship. The leader of the bhakti movement focusing on the Lord as Rama was Ramananda. Very little is known about him, but he is believed to have lived in the first half of the 15th century. He taught that Lord Rama is the supreme Lord, and that salvation could be attained only through love for and devotion to him, and through the repetition of his sacred name. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer in 16th century Bengal. A great proponent of loving devotion for God, bhakti yoga, Chaitanya worshiped the Lord in the form of Krishna. Sri Ramanuja Acharya was an Indian philosopher and is recognized as the most important saint of Sri Vaishnavism. Ramananda brought to North India what Ramanuja did in South India. He raised his voice against the increasing formalism of the orthodox cult and founded a new school of Vaishnavism based on the gospel of love and devotion. His most outstanding contribution is the abolition of distinctions of caste among his followers. Followers of Bhakti movement in 12th and 13th Century included saints such as Bhagat Namdev, and Saint Kabir Das, who insisted on the devotional singing of praises of lord through their own compositions. Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and founder of the Sikhism, too was a Nirguna Bhakti Saint and social reformer. He was opposed to all distinctions of caste as well as the religious rivalries and rituals. He preached the unity of God and condemned formalism and ritualism of both Islam and Hinduism. Guru Nanak's gospel was for all men. He proclaimed their equality in all respects. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries continued to witness the rise of many religious reformers. The exponent of the Rama cult and the Krishna cult among the Vaishnavas branched off into a number of sects and creeds. The leading light of the Rama cult was saint-poet Tulsidas. He was a very great scholar and had made a profound study of Indian philosophy and literature. His great poem, 'Ramacharitamanasa', popularly called Tulsi-krita Ramayana is very popular among the Hindu devotees. He set before the people the image of Sri Rama as all virtuous, all powerful, the Lord of the World, and the very embodiment of the Supreme Reality (Parabrahma). The followers of the Krishna cult founded the Radha Ballabhi sect under Hari Vamsa in 1585 A.D. Sur Das wrote 'Sursagar' in Brajbhasha, which is full of verses of the charm of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha.

  Sufism

 The terms Sufi, Wali, Darvesh and Faqir are used for Muslim saints who attempted to achieve development of their intuitive faculties through ascetic exercises, contemplation, renunciation and self-denial. By the 12th century A.D., Sufism had become a universal aspect of Islamic social life as its influence extended over almost the entire Muslim community. Sufism represents the inward or esoteric side of Islam or the mystical dimension of Muslim religion. However, the Sufi saints transcending all religious and communal distinctions, worked for promoting the interest of humanity at large. The Sufis were a class of philosophers remarkable for their religious catholicity. Sufis regarded God as the supreme beauty and believed that one must admire it, take delight in His thought and concentrate his attention on Him only. They believed that God is 'Mashuq' and Sufis are the 'Ashiqs'. Sufism crystallized itself into various 'Silsilahs' or orders. The 4 most popular among these were Chistis, Suhrawardis, Qadiriyahs and Naqshbandis. Sufism took roots in both rural and urban areas and exercised a deep social, political and cultural influence on the masses. It rebelled against all forms of religious formalism, orthodoxy, falsehood and hypocrisy and endeavoured to create a new world order in which spiritual bliss was the only and the ultimate goal. At a time when struggle for political power was the prevailing madness, the Sufi saints reminded men of their moral obligations. To a world torn by strife and conflict they tried to bring peace and harmony. The most important contribution of Sufism is that it helped to blunt the edge of Hindu-Muslim prejudices by forging the feelings of solidarity and brotherhood between these two religious communities.

  Some Important Bhakti Reformers:

 Ramanuja: Born in A.D. 1166 in a small town near Chenni (Madras), Ramanuja was a worshipper of Vishnu and preached Vaishnavism. He had a great following in the South. Ramananda: The greatest preacher of this cult in north India was Ramananda. He discarded all caste distinctions and his disciplesbelonged to all castes.

 Kabir: He was perhaps the most popular reformer of his times. He was a disciple of Ramananda. Kabir was against idol worship or any sort of rituals. Namdeva: He was a Maratha saint, born into a low family. He too believed in the oneness of God. He travelled far and wide and had discussions with the Sufis. A large number of Muslims also became his followers.

 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: He was a religious teacher from Bengal and an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. HE travelled widely and popularized hymns sung in praise of Krishna. Mirabai: Mirabai was a Rajput princess and a passionate devotee of Krishna. She preached in Brijbhasha, the common language of the people. Her song and verses are very popular even today.

 Guru Nanak : Nanaka was born in 1469 in the village to Talwandi. Presently the place is known as Nankana in the Sheikhupura district of West Punjab. His parents belonged to Khatri caste. His father Kalu was the Patwari of the village. Nanaka was educated in the village school.

 Vallabhacharya : Vallabhacharya was a Tailang Brahmin. He preached the worship of Vishnu in the form of Krishna. He was born in 1479 in the Telugu country. He visitedMathura, Vrindavan and many other sacred places and finally settled at Varanasi. The feeling of Bhakti or devotion can be traced back to the Rig Veda. It is the very first hymn of the Rig Veda, which gives expression to a feeling of intimacy with the highest god. In the Katha Upanisad it is said that the divine help, which is the reward to Bhakti, is necessary before one can be saved.

  SUFI SAINTS FROM PUNJAB: 1. Farīduddīn Mas'ūd Ganjshakar (Punjabi (1173–1266) was a 12th-century Sufi preacher and saint of the Chishti Order of South Asia. Fariduddin Ganjshakar is generally recognized as the first major poet of the Punjabi language, and is considered one of the pivotal saints of the Punjab region. Revered by Muslims and Hindus, he is considered one of the fifteen Sikh bhagats, and selections from his work are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh sacred scripture. He is buried in Pakpattan, in present-day Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Faridkot bears his name. According to legend, Farīd stopped by the city, then named Mokhalpūr, and sat in seclusion for forty days near the fort of King Mokhal. The king was said to be so impressed by his presence that he named the city after Bābā Farīd, which today is known as Tilla Bābā Farīd.

 2. Baba Sain Mir Mohammed Sahib (c. 1550 – 11 August 1635), popularly known as Mian Mir, was a famous Sufi saint who resided in Lahore, specifically in the town of Dharampura (in present-day Pakistan). He was a direct descendant of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. He belonged to the Qadiri order of Sufism. He is famous for being a spiritual instructor of Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. HE LAID THE FOUNDATION STONE OF HARIMANDIR SAHIB.

 3. haykh Ahmad al-Farūqī al-Sirhindī (1564–1624) was an Indian Islamic scholar from Punjab, a Hanafi jurist, and a prominent member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order. He is described as Mujaddid Alf Thānī, meaning the "reviver of the second millennium", for his work in rejuvenating Islam and opposing the heterodoxies prevalent in the time of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Most famous of his works are a collection of 536 letters, collectively entitled Collected Letters or Maktubat, to the Mughal rulers and other contemporaries. It consists of three volumes.

 4. Bulleh Shah (1680–1757) was a Punjabi Sufi poet, humanist and philosopher. His full name was Abdullah Shah. Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, in present day Pakistan. His lifespan also overlapped with the Punjabi poet Waris Shah (1722–1798), of Heer Ranjha fame, and the Sindhi Sufi poet Abdul Wahab (1739–1829), better known by his pen-name, Sachal Sarmast . The verse form Bulleh Shah primarily employed is called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi, Sindhi poetry used not only by the Sufis of Sindh and Punjab, but also by Sikh gurus. Bulleh Shah died in 1757. His tomb is located in Kasur, present day Pakistan.

 5. Damodar Das Arora was a famous Punjabi poet, belonging to the Jhang District. He is famous for his poetic narration of the tale of Heer Ranjha, which is titled Heer Damodar. This was the first Punjabi language poem about this famous love-legend. He was a contemporary of Heer and Ranjha.

 6. Shah Hussain (1538–1599) was a Punjabi Sufi poet who is regarded as a Sufi saint. He was the son of Sheikh Usman, a weaver, and belonged to the Dhudha clan of Rajputs. He was born in Lahore (present-day Pakistan). He is considered a pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. His tomb and shrine lies in Baghbanpura, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens. Hussain was also the first Sufi poet of Punjabi who adopted the popular measure of Kafi to express his mystic ideas. The credit of introducing the element of the popular love-legends of Punjab (Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal) to Sufi Verse .

 7. Sultan Bahu (ca 1628 – 1691) was a Muslim Sufi and saint who founded the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order. Sultan Bahu was born in Anga, Soon Valley, in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. Like many other Sufi saints of South Asia Sultan Bahu was a prolific writer. More than forty books on Sufism are attributed to him, mostly in Persian. His verses are sung in many genres of Sufi music including qawwali and kafi. Tradition has established a unique style of singing his couplets.Sultan Bahu is a direct descendant of Ali, the cousin of Muhammad. The mausoleum of Sultan Bahu located in Garh Maharaja, Punjab, Pakistan was originally built on his grave but has had to be moved twice when theChenab River changed its course. It is a popular Sufi shrine,

 8. Waris Shah (1722–1798) was a Punjabi Sufi poet, renowned for his contribution to Punjabi literature. He is best known for his seminal work Heer Ranjha, based on the traditional folk tale of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Heer is considered one of the quintessential works of classical Punjabi literature. The story of Heer was also told by several other writers—including notable versions by Damodar Das, Mukbal, and Ahmed Gujjar—but Waris Shah's version is by far the most popular today. Waris Shah is also called Shakespeare of the Punjabi language because of his great poetic love story, Heer Ranjha. Many verses of Waris Shah are widely used in Punjab in a moral context.

One of the more popular is "Waris Shah; Naa adataan jaandiyan ne, Bhavein katiye poriyan poriyan ji" Waris Shah's rendering of Heer: “ Awwal hamad Khuda da vird kariye Ishq kita su jag da mool mian Pehlaan aap hi Rabb ne ishq kita Te mashooq he nabi rasool mian ”

  The Buddhism and Jainism

 The Buddha : Also known as Sakyamuni or Tathagata. Born in 563 BC on the Vaishakha Poornima Day at Lumbini near Kapilavastu in Nepal. His father Suddhodhana was the Saka ruler. His mother, Mahamaya, of the Kosala Dynasty died after 7 days of his birth. Brought up by step mother Gautami. Married at 16 to Yoshodhara . Enjoyed the married life for 13 years and had a son named Rahula. After seeing an old man, a sick man, a corpse and an ascetic, he decided to become a wanderer. Left his palace at the age of 29 in search of truth ( also know as Mahabhinishkramana or the Great Renunciation and wandered for 6 years. Attained enlightment at 35 at Gaya in Magadha (Bihar ) under the Pipal tree. Delivered the first sermon at Sarnath where his five disciples had settled. His first sermon is called “ Dharmachakrapravartan” or “Turning the wheel of Law”. Attained Mahaparinirvana at Kushinagar in 483 BC at the age of 80 in Malla republic.

  Jainism :

 Founded by Rishabha. There were 24 Tirthankaras (Prophets or Gurus) , all Kshatriyas. First was Rishabhnath ( Emblem : Bull) The 23rd Tirthankar Parshwanath ( Emblem: Snake) was the son of King Ashvasena of Banaras. The 24th and the last Tirthankar was Vardhaman Mahavira (Emblem : Lion). He was born in Kundagram (Dist : Muzaffarpur, Bihar in 599 BC. His father Siddhartha was the head of Jnatrika clan. His mother was Trishla, sister of Lichchavi Prince Chetak of Vaishali. Mahavir was related to Bimbsara. Married to Yashoda, had a daughter named Priyadarsena, whose husband Jamali his first disciple. At 30, after the death of this parents, he became an ascetic. In the 13th year of his asceticism, he attained supereme knowledge (Kaivalya). From now on he was called Jaina or Jitendriya and Mahavira, and his followers were named Jains .He also got the title of Arihant. At the age of 72, he attained death at Pava , near Patna in 527 BC.

  Note: Buddhist Councils

 The first Buddhist council took place in 483 BC at Sattaparni. Religious doctrine were compiled and embodied in Pali canon. The literature is known as Tripitakas. President of the council was Mahakashapa. Upali recited the Vinay Pitaka and Ananda recited the Sutta Pitaka. Vinay Pitaka was the rules of the order and Sutta Pitaka was the great collection of the Buddha's sermons on matters of doctrine and ethics. The second council was held in 383 BC, 100 years after Buddha's death at Vaishali under the presidentship of Sabbakami. Here Buddhism was divided into Sthaviras and Mahasanghikas. The third council was held in 250 BC at Patliputra in the reign of Ashoka. The president was Tissa Mogaliputta. A decision was taken to send missionaries to various parts of the subcontinent. Here a new Pitaka or Abhidharmma Pitaka was added. Secondly canonical literature was precisely and authoritatively settled. The fourth Buddhist council was held in the 1-2nd AD at Kundalavana, Kashmir in the reign of Kanishka under the leadership of Vasumitra and Asvagosha. Here Buddhism was divided into two broad sects the Mahayana and Hinayana. Hinayana treated Buddha as nothing more than a human being whereas Mahayanism treated him as God and worshipped his idol. Bodhisatva of Mahayanism was a saviour and would help every living organism in attaining Nirvana. The Mahayana sect adopted Sanskrit in place of Pali as their language. The earliest text is Lalitvistara. Later another sect Vajrayana appeared in eastern India. The chief divinities of this sect were the Taras. They did not treat meat, fish, wine etc as taboo in dietary habit and freely consumed them. Ashoka, Kanishka, Harsha and Palas of Bihar and Bengal were great patron of Buddhism. Upagupta converted Emperor Ashoka to Buddhism. Ashvagosha was first biographer of Buddha who wrote Buddha Charitam in Sanskirt. Nagarjuna propounded the theory of Shunyavada. Pushyamitra Sunga persecuted the Buddhist. Shashanka the Gauda king cut the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath where his five former disciples had settled. To these five ascetics he preached his first sermon and called it Dharma Chakraparavartana. Buddha emphasised on the importance of non-violence and forbade the killing of animals as part of religious practices.

BIOGEOGRAPHIC REGIONS OF INDIA

ARUN JOSHI

BIO-GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS OF INDIA

Biogeography deals with the geographical distribution of plants and animals. Communities of plants and animals in different geographical areas of the world differ widely from each other. Biogeography is divided into branches: i] Phyto-geography and ii] Zoo-geography.
Phyto-geography (plant geography) deals with origin, distribution and environmental interrelationships of plants. Zoogeography deals with the migration and distribution of animals.
From the stand point of biodiversity, India is given the status of a “Mega-diversity” zone. There are 10 biogeographic zones witch are distinguished clearly in India. They are as follows—

v Trans Himalayan zone.
v Himalayan zone.
v Desert zone.
v Semiarid zone.
v Western ghat zone.
v Deccan platea zone.
v Gangetic plain zone.
v North east zone.
v Coastal zone.
v Islands present near the shore line.
1. Trans Himalayan zone:
This is the northern most area of the country around Himalayas. This zone is not related to mountains but it is the area present surrounding the mountains. This region shows 1. Irregular vegetation.
2. It has the richest wild sheep producing quality wool. 3. It has not only quality sheep but also goat community which is qualitatively and quantitatively in superior in the world. 4. Snow leopard is a special animal observable in this zone. 5. Migratory birds like black neck crane are seen here. The great Indian bustard which is an endangered variety is also seen in the grasslands west to this zone.
2. Himalayan zone:
This is a hilly region with good flora and fauna, exhibiting maximum biodiversity in this region. There are national parks here in this zone.
3. Desert zone:
This is a part of Rajasthan state, from where, the great desert of western India namely ‘Thar desert’ starts, and Desert zone is really a deserted zone with areas like Jaisalmir surrounded by sand dunes, which are the best centers for studying soil erosion by wind.
4. Semi arid zone:
It starts in Rajasthan and extends up to some parts in the state of Punjab and Haryana. In this area, ground water and surface water is much less. Dry xerophytic vegetation is predominant, fauna is also minimum. Very few orchids and bamboo and other plants are seen.
5. Western ghats:
It represents the mountainous western zone of south peninsular India having rich flora and fauna with tropical rain forests extending from Konkan region of Maharashtra up to the western part of Kerala generally called Malabaar coast of Arabian Sea.
Wild relatives of cultivated plants like banana, mango, citrus, black pepper are found abundantly in this part.
6. Deccan Plateau zone:
This is the central table land of south India with rich flora and fauna. But some areas represent semiarid type of vegetation. Rainfall occurs mainly by the south west monsoon, in these areas and so limited number of dense forests is present in Deccan. Deccan platean is represented in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
It may be interesting to note that many medicinal plants are available South India like Rauwolffia serpentine, Cinchona officinalis, Vinca rosea commonly called perwinkle-which gives drugs like Vinicristin and Viniblastin that are used for treating cardio vascular ailments is also cultivated in this zone.
7. Indo-Gangetic plain:
This is a very fertility land zone. At the central part of North India, through which 2 mighty rivers, Indus (Sindhu) and Ganges (Ganga) flow along with their tributaries. Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej are 5 rivers from Indus that make Punjab, the granary of India. For Ganges there are tributaries like Yamuna that flow and enrich this zone.
8. North East part of India zone:
This is the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) having 7 sister states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur. These states have humid weather and mountainous terrain, having rich culture along with flora and fauna of rare endemic and endangered species of plants and animals in Khasi and Garo hills of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Assam which are the pioneering states that lead in cultivation of tea and coffee plantations.
9 & 10. Coastal zone and islands near by the coast:
The Eastern Ghats are not as high as Western Ghats and not having many dense forests. They are characterized by having dry zones with scrub jungle type of xerophytic forests. The Andaman and Nicobar islands show flora and fauna similar to Eastern ghats. Lakshadweep islands, show flora and fauna similar to Malabaar coast. The islands on either side of peninsular India are also rich in their flora and fauna exactly replicating the peninsular type of vegetation in the Sea Islands also.

RAPID GK SERIES

1. IBSA (India, Brazil & South Africa), the international tripartite was originated in this year.
2. In financial newspapers, there is a terminology used called PPP. What is it?
3. The name of the 110th element (named in the year 2001) in periodic table is
4. Name the Agricultural Scientist, who got the Nobel Peace Prize
5. Liberhan Commission is associated with
6. SARFAESI Act was passed in the year
7. The Sixteenth SAARC Summit was held in
8. The Capital of Mongolia is
9. The Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission is
10. 49th Parallel is the boundary line between

Answers

1. 2003
2. Purchasing Power Parity
3. Darmstadtium
4. Normal Borlaug
5. Ayodhya Babri Masjid Demolition Enquiry
6. 2002
7. Thimpu, Bhutan
8. Ulan Bator
9. Dr. Vijay Kelkar
10. Canada and USA

Essay- Child Abuse-A Horrible Reality (By Arun Joshi)

HERE is something that threatens to shatter the picture of the big, happy Indian family. Children are safer at school than at home, says a study on child abuse conducted by the Central government's Ministry of Women and Child Welfare. Every second child in India has faced sexual abuse, and two-thirds of children have been physically abused, the survey estimates. The study was conducted in 13 States and based on interviews with 12,447 children. It is a damning indictment of Indian society's cruelty to its young and most vulnerable. One-fifth of the world's children live in India. Forty-two per cent of India's population is under 18 - that is 440 million people, a number greater than the population of the United States. Despite the fact that India has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the country has dozens of child welfare schemes, a large portion of the child population remains neglected and exploited. Over half of the children interviewed (53 per cent) had been sexually abused. More boys than girls were harmed. And, 21 per cent of the children reported severe abuse. Children at home and not going to school were more at risk than those attending school. The most affected were children at work (61 per cent reported sexual abuse). Street children (54 per cent) were only slightly more vulnerable than children at home not attending school (53 per cent). More than 70 per cent of children had not told anyone else about their abuse. Of the young adults (aged 18 to 24) who were interviewed, 46 per cent reported that they were sexually abused as children.
Parents and family members were the people most likely to abuse children physically. Around 48 per cent of children said they were physically abused by family members, while 34 per cent were beaten by others. "Considering that the family is supposed to provide a protective atmosphere for the child, especially during the formative years, the high percentage is both surprising and alarming," the study says. But severe abuse was committed mostly by outsiders. Every sixth child faced severe thrashing by people outside the family. Child workers formed one-fifth of the children interviewed and are among the most exploited. Of all child labourers, 56 per cent were employed illegally or in hazardous industries - domestic work; roadside restaurants, or dhabas; construction work, beedi-rolling; lock-making; embroidery; and zari weaving. More than half of child workers laboured seven days a week, without holidays. Of all working children, 23 per cent were domestic workers, of whom 81 per cent were girls. Fourteen per cent of the domestic child workers said they were abused by their employers.
Street children survive in the most inhuman living conditions. The survey found that two of three street children lived with their parents. Only 17 per cent slept in a night shelter. Hygiene conditions were miserable. More than 70 per cent defecated in the open, and 50 per cent did not have access to a municipal tap to bathe. The survey found that they were often not able to meet their basic needs for food. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in every four girls and one in every seven boys in the world are sexually abused.THE first survey of its kind — the National Survey on Child Abuse — virtually across the length and breadth of the country has come up with a startling revelation: a majority of children have experienced various forms of violation, physical excesses and sexual abuse. Over 50 per cent had experienced physical abuse such as slapping and corporal punishment from parents and teachers alike; more specifically nearly 65 per cent of schoolchildren, particularly from government schools, reported that they had been beaten by their teachers. Of the many children that were sexually abused, almost 70 per cent stated that they had never reported the matter to anyone. Last but not the least, with every second child admitting to being emotionally abused; it is no exaggeration to say that the survey is possibly the single largest vote of no-confidence against the natural and trusted guardians of the young.
So much so that the much-revered and much-lauded Indian family is under a cloud for not only being one of the main perpetrators of the crime but also for using the smokescreen of the sanctity of the family to hide many ugly realities. More worrisome is the finding that the teacher, often associated with a noble profession, not only proves to be ignoble but also a child-baiter, resembling the infamous Fagin abusing Oliver Twist. Child abuse has become a major public health problem, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). A recent study in India revealed that 50 per cent children suffer from one or another kind of child abuse. Seeing that 40 per cent of our population comprises children/ adolescents, the number of victims can be over 200 millions. The findings are so scary that each home appears unsafe for our young ones. Children who form 42% of the India?s population are at risk on the streets, at their workplace and even inside their own homes. The recent Nithari case has highlighted the plight of children of migrant workers. There has been a 40% increase in intra-state migration in the last 10 years. While migrant do get employment there is no safety net for their children; they get neither education nor healthcare. Single migrant children or children of migrant workers are often not counted anywhere- census or any government scheme. According to the study conducted by NGO Shakti Vahini in 2006, 378 of the 593 districts in India are affected by human trafficking the children being the most affected. They are easy prey for traffickers who lure them from villages with the promise of employment. The street children are perceived as vagrants by the police and with no legal safeguards to protect them violence and exploitation are daily routine for them. India has the largest number of street children in the world. In 2001 it was estimated that there are 100,000 to 125,000 street children each in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi with 45,000 in Bangalore.
The term child abuse covers a wide range of behavior, from actual physical assault to simple neglect of a child's basic needs. Child abuse is also sometimes called child maltreatment. Infants and preschool children are most likely to suffer deliberately inflicted fractures, burns, and bruises. This is known as the battered-child syndrome. Although the extent of child abuse is difficult to measure, it is recognized a s a major social problem, especially in industrialized nations. It occurs in all income, racial, religious, and ethnic groups and in urban and rural communities. “Child abuse" can be defined as causing or permitting any harmful or offensive contact on a child's body; and, any communication or transaction of any kind which humiliates, shames, or frightens the child. Some child development experts go a bit further, and define child abuse as any act or omission, which fails to nurture or in the upbringing of the children. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect as: “at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse. A child of any age, sex, race, religion, and socioeconomic background can fall victim to child abuse and neglect.
Major types of child abuse are: Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, & child sexual abuse, Neglect.( Physical neglect, educational neglect, emotional neglect)Emotional Abuse: (also known as: verbal abuse, mental abuse, and psychological maltreatment) Includes acts or the failures to act by parents or caretakers that have caused or could cause, serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or mental disorders. This can include parents/caretakers using extreme and/or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement in a closet or dark room or being tied to a chair for long periods of time or threatening or terrorizing a child. Less severe acts, but no less damaging are belittling or rejecting treatment, using derogatory terms to describe the child, habitual scapegoating or blaming. Neglect: The failure to provide for the child’s basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect can include not providing adequate food or clothing, appropriate medical care, supervision, or proper weather protection (heat or coats). It may include abandonment. Educational neglect includes failure to provide appropriate schooling or special educational needs, allowing excessive truancies. Psychological neglect includes the lack of any emotional support and love, never attending to the child, spousal abuse, drug and alcohol abuse including allowing the child to participate in drug and alcohol use. Physical Abuse: The inflicting of physical injury upon a child. This may include, burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating, or otherwise harming a child. The parent or caretaker may not have intended to hurt the child, the injury is not an accident. It may, however, been the result of over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child’s age. Sexual Abuse: The inappropriate sexual behavior with a child. It includes fondling a child’s genitals, making the child fondle the adult’s genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitionism and sexual exploitation. To be considered child abuse these acts have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of a child (for example a baby-sitter, a parent, or a daycare provider) or related to the child. If a stranger commits these acts, it would be considered sexual assault and handled solely be the police and criminal courts. Commercial or other exploitation of a child refers to use of the child in work or other activities for the benefit of others. This includes, but is not limited to, child labour and child prostitution. These activities are to the detriment of the child’s physical or mental health, education, or spiritual, moral or social-emotional development.
Who are the major culprits? Who are the perverts who indulge in such abusive form of pleasure? The answer is chilling. It has been established by several national and international studies that in a majority of the cases, the abuser is a person whom the child knows and mostly trusts, like a family friend or acquaintance, a domestic help, a relative or in the most tragic and traumatic of the cases a member of the immediate family like the mother, father, brother or grandfather. That is the primary reason why the perpetrators are able to carry on with the abuse for a reasonably long time. Ironically this is also the reason why child abuse is many a time allowed to continue despite getting detected. A study based on interview of 350 Delhi schoolgirls, for instance, found that nearly 63 per cent of them had been abused by a family member. Another study on 1,000 middle and upper class women, revealed that 71 per cent had been abused by people they knew. Studies also disclose that the abuser can belong to either sex, though often men are the offenders. The victim too can be of either sex, though a girl child is more likely to be abused. Most adults who tend to indulge in CSA are often ‘normal’ individuals. Though many offenders might be those who have themselves been victims, but in most cases CSA is simply a result of unbridled lust and easy opportunity. Children are basically trusting, dependent and often taught unquestioned obedience to adult authority. They are also, as studied in most cases, ignorant. Most parent refrain from imparting any kind of sex education to their children. Therefore, the younger victims of CSA might actually not be aware of what the abuser is doing with them. Pain, discomfort, revulsion might be the associations that a child may form in relation to sexual abuse but knowledge of the actual harm or depravity of the act is absent.
In case of older children, the scars that an abuser leaves behind may be more traumatic as they might be aware of the depravity of the act that they are being forced to perform. However they might be helpless to prevent the abuse, as the protective forces might themselves be the exploitative ones.In cases of involvement of close family members, the child’s allegations of misconduct against the same might not be believed because any acknowledgement of such a behavior is likely to lead not only to a familial rift but also to a social scandal. So a child in such circumstances is sacrificed at the altar of family unity and prestige. All allegations of abuse are denied, leaving the child to grapple with the abuser and the related guilt alone.
Child abuse often proves to be a traumatic experience for the victim. To begin with in a society like ours, the victim is often the one who carries the cross of shame. It is the victim who becomes the target of mocking eyes, slandering tongues and a butt of lewd jokes. The stigma of sexual assault and victimisation continues long enough to even hamper the marital prospects of the girl child in question. Thus silence regarding the crime is often the most advised and frequently followed recourse to the problem of CSA. But for the parents of the victims who decide to break the silence and seek punishment for the guilty, the path to legal justice is often long and arduous. For starters, there is callousness and insensitivity of the law enforcement agencies to deal with. Then there are the regular judicial delays. The fact that our legal system is hardly equipped with mechanisms to deal with CSA further complicates the problem. Child abuse can have very serious consequences. The immediate physical effects of abuse or neglect can be relatively minor (bruises or cuts) or severe (broken bones, haemorrhage, or even death). In some cases, the physical effects are temporary; however, the pain and suffering they cause should not be discounted. Abuse and neglect have been shown, in some cases, to cause important regions of the brain to fail to form properly, resulting in impaired physical, mental, and emotional development. In other cases, the stress of chronic abuse causes a “hyper arousal” response by certain areas of the brain, which may result in hyperactivity, sleep disturbances and anxiety as well as increased vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and learning and memory difficulties. More than one quarter of the children have some kind of recurring physical or mental health problem e.g. sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures and liver disorder.
The immediate emotional effects of abuse and neglect—isolation, fear and inability to trust—can translate into lifelong consequences, including low self-esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties. 80 per cent of young adults who had been abused exhibit many problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicidal tendencies. Other psychological and emotional conditions associated with abuse and neglect include panic disorder, dissociative disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and reactive attachment disorder. Children placed out-of-home care due to abuse or neglect tends to score lower than the general population on measures of cognitive capacity, language development and academic achievement. Children who are abused and neglected by caretakers often do not form secure attachments to them. These early attachment difficulties can lead to later difficulties in relationships with other adults as well as with peers.
The solution to this problem should start from the base i.e. form the home. There are several very basic rules that the parents can follow to protect their children from CSA. First of all, children must be given basic sexual education. They should be taught that any form of sexual advances from adults is wrong. The children should have the confidence that their parents are there with them to protect them. Parents should develop strong communicative relationship with their children. Children should be encouraged to question and discuss their experiences. The parents must make an effort to know their children’s friends and their families. In case the child talks of an experience that sounds anywhere like an abuse, the child should be believed and precautionary or preventive steps must be taken. The parents must let the children express affection in their own terms and not insist upon the child to give hugs and kisses to relatives. The parents must acknowledge that CSA is a problem and remember the old adage ‘forewarned is forearmed.’ This will help reduce the chances of child abuse.
Government must take stringent steps to tackle this problem. India ratified the Child Rights Convention in 1992. However, much more needs to be done by way of embracing its spirit and ensuring that it trickles down into the existing legal framework and government schemes and policies. Further, such a child-centered legal framework needs to ensure a policy of zero tolerance for acts of violation against children while also providing for the effective protection and promotion of the rights of the child. For instance, even while addressing issues of child delinquency under the Juvenile Justice Act, most legal experts recognize the fact, that the Act has never considered the child as a legal entity with a right to self-expression and this has posed a major challenge for child-rights groups.
Our legislators must wake up and put in a serious effort to curb this social evil. There are several laws but the problem is with the implementation. The Central Monitoring Commission which is supposed to monitor crime against children under the Juvenile Justice Act was amended in 2000.This committee has not met even once since the amendment. The Act stated that every police station should have a juvenile police unit but this is still not being followed. The offences against children bill which provides protection against sexual abuse also awaits cabinet nod. According to child rights activists to avoid crimes against children it is important to have community level child protection mechanisms like community watch dogs and committees for child protection, child welfare and anti-trafficking. These will create an interface between communities and state/district mechanisms. These can also monitor vulnerable children in communities and provide a base where people can report and address issues like abuse, exploitation and neglect. Creating spaces within communities and schools so that children can report offences against them can be also done. To overcome lack of awareness about child protection laws the information dissemination is important.
There is an urgent need to take up the problem of child sexual abuse as a larger social issue where the society has a responsibility, to help the victims overcome their trauma and move on with life as normally as possible. The issue has to be tackled at all levels, starting from the child, family, community, school, as well as law enforcers. Not only should the legal and judicial system be geared to handle the issue of child sexual abuse, at a more practical level, an all out effort needs to be made to sensitize the police. They act as the first contact point for people seeking immediate relief. Therefore, they need to be made aware of the vulnerability of children and their responsibility towards them as law enforcers.
Children are the future and it must be protected at every cost keeping in mind that

‘A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit’ François Rabelais.

UPSC Aptitude Test Syllabus

Paper 1
Pattern:
Total Marks: 200
Duration : 2 Hours
Syllabus
• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian national movement
• Indian and World Geography- physical, social, economic geography of India and the world
• Indian Polity and governance – constitution, political system, panchayati raj, public policy, Rights issues, etc.
• Economic and social development – sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives etc.
• General issues on environmental ecology, bio-diversity and climate change-that do not require subject specialization
• General science.


Paper 2
Pattern:
Total Marks: 200
Duration : 2 Hours
Syllabus
• Comprehension
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision making and problem solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc. (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. –Class X level)
• English language comprehension skills (Class X level)


Best of luck guys.Plan well and work hard.

Invasion of Punjab by Alexander the Great(By Arun Joshi,Sri-Krishna Institute,9888933043)

Alexander the Great

Alexander, son of Philip of Macedon and Olympias, was born at Pella in 356 B.C. and received education from Aristotle, especially in the arts of government and war. On the assassination of his father, Alexander ascended the throne, in 336 B.C., at the age of 20. At the time, the small but powerful country of Greece was divided into several states which were constantly at war with each other.


Various Conquests

Soon after his accession to the throne, Alexander conquered Thrace and reduced Thebes. In his celebrated march across the Hellespont, he defeated an army of 110,000 Persians. He eventually turned his arms against Syria and Phoenicia, occupied the great city of Damascus, and conquered all the cities on the shore of the Mediterranean. He then marched to Jerusalem and received the submission of Palestine, and went northwards into Mesopotamia and Assyria. Wherever Alexander went, he subdued nations, built strong forts, and founded new cities.

Alexander the Great

Conquest of Punjab Having conquered Drangiana, Archosia, Gedrosia, and Seistan, in ten days, Alexander crossed the Hindu Kush and was thus fully informed of the magnificence of the country and its riches in gold, gems and pearls. However, Alexander had to encounter and reduce the tribes on the border of Punjab before entering the luxuriant plains. Having taken a north-easterly direction, he marched against the Aspii, mountaineers, who offered a vigorous resistance but were subdued. Alexander then marched through Ghazni, and shortly after, blockaded Magassa, and then marched to Ora and Bazira. Turning to the north-east, Alexander marched to Pucela, the capital of the district now known as Pakhli. He entered Western Punjab, where the ancient city of Nysa was situated. A coalition was formed against Alexander by the Cathians, the people of Multan, who were very skillful in war. Alexander invested heavy troops and eventually seventeen thousand Cathians feel in this battle, and the city of Sanghala was razed to the ground.

Legacy of Alexander

In the southern extremity of the Punjab, Alexander built a city which he named Alexandria. Alexander established a chain of forts along the whole line of the Indus, for commercial and political purposes, and he built various military posts. There was a coalition formed by the Brahmins to expel the foreign invaders, but Peithon, appointed by Alexander, crushed the insurgents, and a large number of priests and Brahmins were publicly crucified. Alexander left Punjab in 326 B.C., and took his army to Persia and Susa. He had conquered the whole of the then known world. In every part of the world he visited, he founded magnificent cities, constructed large fleets, and developed commercial places. He died in his palace in Babylon on June 13th, 323 B.C., in the 32nd year of his age. Within a few years of his death, his wives, his child, and his mother were all killed, and his vast empire divided among his generals, so that nothing remained of him but his name.

National - Major Issues 01 to 10 August 2010(By ArunJoshi,Sri-Krishna Institute,9888933043)

Reprocessing accord signed

India and the U.S. on signed the agreement on modalities for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, under the civilian nuclear deal between the two countries.
The agreement on arrangements and procedures for reprocessing was signed at a State Department ceremony by Indian ambassador Meera Shankar and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns.
Pursuant to Article 6(iii) of the bilateral ‘123 Agreement' on civilian nuclear cooperation, the agreement was hailed by the Indian embassy here as “a significant step which highlights the strong relationship and growing cooperation between India and the U.S.” Upon entry into force, it will enable reprocessing by India of United States-obligated nuclear material under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
The State Department in a statement said that as per the agreement reprocessing would be undertaken at a new, safeguarded national facility to be established by India, and that it would be dedicated solely to this.
Government of India had an ambitious programme for development of civil nuclear energy to meet the country's growing energy needs, noting that the target was “to increase our installed capacity more than seven fold to 35,000 MWe by the year 2022, and to 60,000 MWe by 2032.”
In this context, the government had already designated two sites for nuclear power plants to be established in cooperation with the U.S. and the companies of the two countries were now engaged in discussions.
India is planning two nuclear reactor park sites for U.S. technology in the States of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.”

Jaipur's Jantar Mantar inscribed in the World Heritage List

The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is now a World Heritage Monument. The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee,in Brasilia, has inscribed Jantar Mantar in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage List. Thirty-three countries across the world had submitted 32 sites for consideration this year.
The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur was chosen since ‘it is the most significant and the best preserved of India's historic observatories.'
The UNESCO website observes that these structures ‘designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, embody several architectural and instrumental innovations.'
Located outside the city palace, this large stone observatory with its many instruments was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the 18th century. It is one of the one of the four existing astronomical observatories in India. The others are located in Varanasi, Delhi and Ujjain. The fifth one built in Mathura is not extant. The Samrat Yantra in Jaipur is one of the largest sundials in the world, with its gnomon raising about 73 feet above its base.
India had also submitted the Matheran Light Railway line for consideration as an extension of the Mountain Railways of India, which includes the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri railway and Kalka-Shimla Railway that are already inscribed as heritage sites.
The other international sites added to the list this year include, 11 Australian convict sites, the palace ensemble at ad-Dir'iyah in Saudi Arabia, Tabriz historic bazaar complex in Iran and the natural site of the Central Highlands in Sri Lanka.
Every year the World Heritage committee reviews sites proposed by various countries and inscribes the selected new ones to the heritage list. It also reviews the state of conservation of the sites already inscribed. So far, about 890 properties are included in the list for their “outstanding universal value.” The committee also oversees the disbursement of about $4 million annually from the World Heritage Fund.

Right to Education Act(By Arun Joshi,Sri-Krishna Institute,9888933043)

From April 1, 2010 the Right to Education has come into force ensuring free education to more than 92 lakh out of school children in India. The passage of this Act gives every child the right to a quality elementary education. The main features of the Act are:
All children aged 6-14 shall have the right to free and compulsory education at a neighborhoods school.
No direct (school fees) or indirect cost uniforms, textbooks, mid-day meals, transportation need to be borne by the child or parents to obtain elementary education.
The govt will provide schooling free of cost until the child’s elementary education is completed.
All schools must comply with certain infrastructure and teacher norms. Two trained teachers will be provided for every 60 students at the primary level.
Schools shall constitute School management committees comprising local officials, parents, guardians and teachers. The SMCs will monitor utilization of govt grants and the school environment.
RTE mandates inclusion of 50% women and parents of children from disadvantaged groups in SMCs.

Implications of RTE Act

Teachers will be at the core of implementation of RTE that seeks to work towards a heterogeneous and democratic class room where all children participate as equal partners. There are 57 lakh teachers posts at primary and upper primary level. Currently more than 5.23 lakh teacher posts are vacant. To bring the pupil –teacher ratio to 30:1 as prescribed by the RTE Act 5.1 lakh additional teachers are required. Already there are 5.1 lakh schools with a pupil-teacher ratio of more than 30:1.On top of that 5.48 lakh untrained teachers at the primary and 2.25 lakh at upper primary level have to acquire necessary qualification within 5 years of the RTE Act coming into force.

To ensure 25% reservation for children from disadvantaged and weaker sections schools will have to disclose the lists of children taken in this category as well as ensure that diversity is maintained .The state governments will undertake household school mapping to ensure that all children are sent to school.

State governments and local bodies will have to establish primary schools within one km of the neighborhood.For the children of Class VI to VIII the school should be within 3 km of the neighborhood.In the absence of a school in small hamlets the state government shall make adequate arrangement like free transportation and residential facilities.