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Will Revival Sweep America?
J.N. Manokaran
I know of a good man who was trained to be a doctor, inherited lot of properties including a hospital from his father who was a popular surgeon. The senior popular surgeon had a positive environment, practices his skills well, and worked day and night. Hence he was able to accumulate so much wealth. Other siblings did not live in the same city and had migrated so never bothered to visit him. He with his wife and two daughters began well with great legacy, reputation, and opportunities.
Unfortunately, he did not know the value of reputation, possessions, and the hospital. He did not care to follow any discipline, have standards as his father did, and not hardworking but negligent. Certainly, he did not have any bad habits like drinking or drug addiction. Nevertheless, he did not even know the fields he inherited in rural areas. Slowly, all properties vanished within a span of twenty years, except some property in the city. The hospital inherited from his father became deserted and dilapidated. One property developer came and wanted an MOU for a huge sum that would have made this family a millionaire, but he refused to sign, stating he may get a better offer (which never came). Within few months after that, he died almost a pauper.
He could have lived like a king, if he was wise, prudent, utilize opportunities and built on the foundation that was already there. He ended as loser due to ignorance, negligence, lack of gratitude and was not teachable.
New Generation America
The New Generation America is also in similar situation like that of the foolish doctor. Without understanding and appreciating the historical contribution of their founding fathers of the nation, America is getting weakened every day. The outer form seems to be robust, but inwardly eaten by white ants. Another crisis could bring America down like a pack of cards.
This is a generation that does not know history. Like the new King who did not know Joseph and his contribution came to power in Egypt (Acts 7:18), a new generation of young Americans do not know how American has come to a place of power and influence. Unfortunately, they study social history in the schools that hides the contribution of Christian spirituality in nation building.
The creators of the ‘Titanic’ ship had great confidence in their knowledge, ability and skill and thought it would never sink. Many Americans and non-Americans today think that the economy, clout and influence of America over the world can never diminish. So, Americans refuse to think, reflect and repent.
Writings on the wall
Two major events were prophetic warning to America as a nation. The First, the terrorist attack on the twin towers on 11 September 2001. The following two weeks saw huge number of people rushing to churches for comfort, counsel and confidence. Then the ‘spiritual quest’ gradually disappeared and totally vanished. The Government took strong measures in terms of security and the terrorists did not have any opportunity to show their power in the land of America. The country has responded well politically and militarily; but very naïve in terms of spiritual response
The economic bombshell in 2008 was another blow to America. Many banks closed, sub-prime crisis sent the real estates in a downward spiral and large scale loss of jobs shook the Americans once again. Unlike the terrorist attack, the economic impact was felt by all citizens in all parts of the country. With about 10% unemployment rate, the country faces one of the worst crises. Unfortunately, there is no spiritual response from the nation. As they handled the security, they wish to handle economy, purely on secular terms. However, there has been no visible success. Even after providing financial help to kick off the economy, there is no progress. The economic boom has become economic gloom. Hope is being erased from the mindset of most Americans.
Let us examine….
1. Ignorance: The Free Market economy did not emerge shaped by social events, or political compulsions but by ideas shared by leaders who derived worldview from the Bible. I met Paul De Vries, President of New York Divinity School at his office in New York who shared his paper: Bible based leadership at its foundations of American Social-political Structure and Policies. He provides wonderful documentation of contribution of various denominations to US socio-political foundation. He quotes, Adam Smith (1723-1790) who advocated right wages for labourers. The labourers should be able to take care of him, wife and four children. The wages are not determined just by the work he does, but legacy he would leave. If he does not get enough pay and his children are illiterates, it will affect the next generation. New Generation Americans do not know leaders like Adam Smith who thought about next generation while taking decision. It is unlike modern CEOs who take decisions for the present and for profit (Ivy institutes trained global managers) the leaders thought about the next generation.
2. Negligence: The New Generation Americans have left the fundamentals, spirituality and values that brought them to this global status. Righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34). ‘Political Correctness’ can never exalt a nation. Sadly, America has replaced biblical righteousness with political correctness. Unlike other nations, America learnt and evolved to integrate biblical righteousness as fundamental policy. There were long struggles, growth pains and even a civil war to establish that righteousness. Building an egalitarian, just and equal society was not a social revolution but a spiritual revolution in US. The same goal was pursued by many communist countries as social and political process with disastrous results. But today, the Christian spirituality that shaped America is mocked upon. The values like ‘protestant ethics’ were again based on the Scriptures. The values were not derived from divine revelation and not from human ideas like Human Rights or Animal Rights or Green Rights.
3. Lack of gratitude: The New Generation America should be grateful to their forefathers who shaped, guided and built America as Super power. The sweat and blood of their forefathers have cushioned the present generation. Refusing to acknowledge and appreciate is nothing but arrogance. This generation takes everything for granted. The democracy, rule of the law, free market, free press are all taken for granted.
4. Not teachable: Another flaw of this post-modern American young people is being not teachable. They think they know everything under the sun, as all information is available by the click of a mouse. Fun, entertainment and enjoyment have become life goals. There is no search for meaning or purpose in life, but the only anticipation is celebration of weekends. They are unable to heed to the voice of God, calling for repentance. Their minds are clogged and they are unable to learn from the Saviour. Denying the absolute truth and making truth relative shows their inability to learn the truth.
5. Lack of great leaders: The New Generation America is searching for leaders. The need is Moses type leaders who could speak with authority and say what is right. But, they are getting leaders like Aaron (Exodus 32) who would listen to the people and create idols if there is a mass demand. Moses led the people with conviction based on covenant; while Aaron led the people by convenience and compromise. America has too many leaders like Aaron and rarely few leaders like Moses. America has too many self-appointed leaders, experts, activists and prophets who mislead the nation through media. The local churches should nurture and groom prophets for the nation.
Is there any hope?
Is there hope for the Great America? The nation that is used to multiple choices does not have son many now. There are only two choices. The first is be reckless and careless as of now and loose the pre-eminence and super power status by 2030 or even earlier. The second option is to repent as nation and come to the cross of Calvary for cleansing of sins and receive robe of righteousness.
The second option is not going to happen easily, unless the bible believing Christians take some important decisions. God is calling at least 100 local churches (ideally 5 churches in each state making it more than 250 churches) to declare three years of unceasing prayers – 24/7 – 365 days – three years. Atleast two persons in each church praying continuously night and day for three years or until revival breaks our to until Lord Jesus returns.
When such prayer movement catches the imagination of the American nation, revival will not be far behind. When revival sweeps the nation, it will sweep the world for the a great end time harvest.
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Global Urban Vision – March 2010
(Compiled and Published by J.N. Manokaran (
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) on behalf of Glocal Resources Development Associates)
WORD FROM THE EDITOR
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I India
1. Mosquitoes - top civic woe in Chennai: Chennai is now witnessing a spurt in mosquitoes and complaints are pouring in from Mylapore, Velachery, Sowcarpet, Vadapalani and Choolai. The labour-dominated north Chennai is the worst affected and the city corporation is fighting a lonely, losing battle against mosquitoes. The major reason for the unchecked mosquito breeding is canal water, stormwater drains and sewage. Though fumigation and fogging are carried out on a daily basis, the mosquito menace continues to be a nagging problem in Chennai. However, health officials maintained that the mosquito density in city was under control. The corporation has identified 120 spots that are prone to mosquito breeding and severe anti-larvicide measures are taken up in these areas on a daily basis. A recent survey indicated mosquito density as 56 ten-man hour, but a similar survey done last week showed that larvae density dipped to 24 ten-man hour.In fact, the city corporation also recently roped in corporation school students as health ambassadors to campaign for mosquito control measures in their locality, such as identifying stagnant water pools and destroying the breeding sources, but nothing has helped eradicate mosquitoes. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/mosquitoes-top-civic-woe-chennai-057 accessed on 27 January 2010)
2. Woman molested, beaten on Rajdhani Express: Twenty-eight-year-old Alka decided to trave with a first-class ticket on the Rajdhani from Patna to Delhi. In the middle of the night, two men who were travelling in the same coupe allegedly molested her. Ironically, the offenders were on the train to guarantee the safety of another woman, Jyoti Kumar, a Congress politician from Aari in Bihar - who was travelling in another coupe near Alka. The Rajdhani is meant to have four armed commandos from the Railway Protection Force patrolling the entire train. There was no sign of them while she was being assaulted. Alka shouted out for help. That summoned Jyoti Kumar, the employer of the guards. Kumar allegedly responded to Alka's SOS by beating her. This version of events is confirmed by other passengers. Though the politician says, "I did not beat her. It was she who assaulted me." Other passengers asked a train attendant to summon the commandos. Nobody showed up. When the train pulled into the Kanpur station at 10:30 am on 26 January, passengers were shouting angry slogans against the railway police. Finally, one of the two guards was arrested. The second guard is absconding. Alka is completing her journey to Delhi with a police escort. The worrying issue for many women passengers: that even one of India’s most prestigious trains can pose a dangerous journey. (Anant Zanane, http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/woman_molested_beaten_on_rajdhani_express.php accessed on 27 January 2010)
3. The New White Flesh Trade: As Dubai goes into meltdown, women from Former Soviet Union are flooding into India, offering sexual pleasure for a price. It is estimated that there are 3000 women in Delhi and 3000 in other parts of the country. They are from Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Chechnya and Kyrgyzstan. These women are replacing the earlier imports from Nepal and charge 40 percent more and are using their USP – white skin – fascination for Indian men. They are changing the rules. They use professionally designed websites and classifieds to get their clients. Some were arrested in the recent past. In Dubai, December 2007, 240 people were arrested; 2713 were detained in 2009 May in Dubai. 228 Uzbek women were deported from Thailand. So, they started moving into India. They charge Rs. 8000 to Rs. 30000 depending on the duration. The CIS women provide anonymity and professional detachment. These women do not ask for phone numbers etc, while Indian women do. The CIS women are hygienic that they insist use of condoms and men have shower before sexual encounters. These women dress well, wear best make-up, and carry best accessories. 400 women are expected to arrive during Common Wealth Games in Delhi. It is presumed that all these immoral activities happen with the help of police. (Mihir Srivastsava, India Today 1 February 2010, p. 54-61)
4. Children of Lesser Gods: There are 1918 children languishing in jails by the end of 2007 according to National Crime Records Bureau. Their only crime is that they were born to women convicted of crimes and languishing in jails. Since the women cannot leave children below 5 year of age, the law permits them to keep their children in jail. Sanitation, food and stay are not conducive as they have to live with prostitutes, murderers and thieves. There is no education facility for these children. In many jails there are no separate sections for women. The Supreme Court guidelines (April 2006) that the children should not be treated like convicts are not strictly followed. In some jails NGOs organize mental stimulation and social development exercises for children. Most of the women are from economically and socially backward families. The children tend to develop rebellious mindset. Without reformation, thousands of children lives are not only spoiled, jail becomes factory of future criminals. (Mitali Patel, India Today 1 February 2010, p.62-64)
5. Why Bihar’s 11% Growth will not excite India Inc.? Less than 48 per cent of people in Bihar could read and write. Literacy rate in India is 65.38%. Per capita development of Rs. 2184 is lowest among all States and is half the national average of Rs. 4208. 54.4 percent of Bihar population lives below poverty line, while national figure is 37.2. Bihar has about 83000 km road and about two-third are not motorable. Bihar produces 1.32 of power (1970 MW of 15000 MW) , while its population is 8% of Indian population. (Manu Kaushik, Business Today 7 February 2010, p. 14)
6. Food and Health: Indians spend Rs. 25 out of every Rs. 100 they spend on food excluding eating out. But they spend a mere Rs. 150 on health. (Business Today 7 February 2010, p. 20)
7. Leave me alone. I’m reading; The reading of English books is apparently rich young male in India. Indian reads primarily for self-improvement; the second biggest reason to enhance one’s English. Only 18% read for pleasure. The survey of 1152 people suggests readers relate to books much in the way they would relate to a soft drink – for a functional purpose. 64% of the total buyers of English books are from the top 10% elite and 85% are male. Thiruvananthapuram, Bengalure and Kolkata has the highest number of readers; while Delhi and Chandigarh have only few. 10% of the readers are regular porn readers. 7% of female readers are regular porn readers. On an average Indians spend Rs. 360 on books. Delhi 221.3; Chandigarh 405.3; Bengaluru 402.8; Chennai 290.3; Thiruvananthapuram 569.5; Kolkata 430.8; Shillong 373; Ahmedabad 501.3 and Mumbai 185.8. Top genres preferred: 44% Action, adventure, mystery, thriller; 31% Biographies, Autobiographies and memoirs; 28% romance; 26% short stories and 24% comedy. The average reading time during weekdays is 90 minutes while Delhi has lowest with 40 minutes. 30 minutes are added during weekends except for Bengaluru where the weekend reading time is reduced. Chetan Bhagat seems to be the most favourite writer and is the best representative of India’s current reading tastes. 40% of readers above 50 years read religion, spirituality and religion while only 7% below that age prefer that. (Tehelka 30 January 2010, p.22-40)
8. Silent revolution: Rise in marriages of others to dalits: India saw 4750 inter-caste marriages involving dalits in 2008-09, the number being marginally lower at 4,205 in 2007-08. In 2006-07, this stood at 3,945. Though absolute figures for 2010 are awaited, the estimates from states have put it at 5,862, showing that the upward trend has not slackened. The numbers point to a trend that is not just holding but also perhaps gathering momentum. Even the fact that the couples in these alliances have stepped forward to document their marriages speaks of the cast-iron social compartments loosening. After all, it was Bhimrao Ambedkar who advocated "intermixing of blood" as a way to reduced caste animosity. Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra lead the chart, registering around 1,000 for three years. In 2010, Maharashtra promises to double its figures to 2,214. Kerala and Karnataka have also registered good absolute numbers at 996 and 600, respectively, in 2009 and promise to repeat the show. Haryana, for all its `khap panchayats' and honour killings, seems to do well with 94 marriages in 2009, 129 in 2008 and an estimated 80 in 2010. The same applies to MP with 199 in 2009, 117 in 2008 and 95 in 2007. In sharp contrast, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Punjab and West Bengal seem unaffected by the winds of change. Experts say Gujarat and Uttarakhand are known to be strong hierarchical societies and absence of marriages between SCs and non-SCs may reflect a political attitude. Importantly, the high rate of inter-caste marriages in South may still not include upper castes as part of this change. The 1911 caste census of Madras Presidency put upper castes at 2%, which may mean that most marriages are among OBCs (largely Most Backwards) and SCs. Real `castelessness' is still a long way off. Experts say that "hypergamy" (male from Dwija castes) has religious sanction while "hypogamy" (woman from upper caste) would mean the real breaking away from stratification. Bengal, on the other hand, is the unknown entity vis-a-vis inter-caste tieups. The communist system, with no belief in caste, records no figures. But this bit of progressive culture could be hiding a disturbingly static society. (Subodh Ghildiyal & Swati Mathur, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Silent-revolution-Rise-in-marriages-of-others-to-dalits/articleshow/5518307.cms accessed on 31 January 2010)
9. North Chennai tops in number of suicide cases: North Chennai has reported 418 suicides last year, the highest number of suicides in the city last year, according to city police statistics. Washermanpet (208) tops in the number of suicides reported in the city, followed by Pulianthope (195). Surprisingly, the upmarket Adyar comes third in the number of suicides (188). Across North Chennai, South Chennai and Central Chennai, 1,082 suicides were reported last year. To create awareness among the middle income group people living in north Chennai, city police organised an awareness camp against suicide in MKB Nagar. Joint commissioner of police (north zone) SN Seshasai, deputy commissioners of police N Baskaran (Pulianthope), Shanmugavel (Flower Bazaar), doctor Anbudurai, Madras High Court advocates association president Paul Kanagaraj, Indian bar council executive chairman Dhanapalraj, special public prosecutor V Kannadasan and many others participated at the meeting. More than 75 families of suicide victims participated in the meeting. Sarees and notebooks were distributed to the victim's children and women. Police have planned to rope in many NGOs to conduct frequent counselling after identifying victims at random. According to an internal report submitted by a police team which analysed various suicide incidents reported in the city, domestic disputes (50-60%) are the main reason for suicides. The other reasons include drug abuse, alcoholism (20-25%) and chronic diseases. A considerable number of people commit suicide due to love failure (7-12%) , poverty and failure in examinations (7-10%). Police have conducted special campaign for young girls in north Chennai to create awareness against early marriage and elopement. After this, incidents of elopement has reduced considerably. Suicides reported in the year 2009: North Chennai (Flower Bazaar, washermanpet and Pulianthope) 418 ; Central Chennai (Anna Nagar, Triplicane and Kilpauk) - 284 ; South Chennai (Adyar, T Nagar and Mylapore) – 380. (Times of India 31 January 2010, p. 4)
10. Govt to make honour killing heinous crime: The government is set to amend the 150-year-old Indian Penal Code to define honour killing as a heinous crime by adding a new section to the criminal law, with punishment ranging from life imprisonment to even a death sentence. The move follows the growing demands to curb the social menace of killing young girls defying their families in marriage related issues, in some north Indian states particularly Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. So far, honour killing is not a classified crime in India, and no separate data is available of such cases with the National Crime Records Bureau. The proposal moved by Home Ministry, has been cleared by the Law Ministry and the government is likely to move a Bill in Parliament in the coming Budget session, after getting the cabinet nod.“We have completed our preparations to put in place a strong deterrent against the pervert practice of honour killings not only against those who carry it out, but against those who abet it also,” Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily told Hindustan Times. The government has shelved its plan to bring a fresh law to curb such killings, and has decided to amend the IPC, the law that prescribes punishment for criminal offences. The new definition of honour killing will carry the same punishment as that of murder — ranging from a minimum of life imprisonment to a maximum of death sentence. Till now, there was no clarity on how those responsible for such killings, particularly of girls, should be booked, said a senior ministry official. Caste panchayats aid and abet honour killings. Principle actors in such panchayats need to be arrayed as accused and prosecuted for murder... Reasons for such killings have remained closely guarded secrets in many cases so far. The government is also considering changes in the Special Marriage Act to simplify the procedure of marriage between consenting adults belonging to different religions, and also to the Evidence Act to shift the burden of proof in cases of honour killings on the accused. (Nagendar Sharma, http://www.hindustantimes.com/Govt-to-make-honour-killing-heinous-crime/H1-Article1-503615.aspx accessed on 31 January 2010)
11. Blood of discord: Private cord blood stem-cell banks playing on the fears of young couples and providing inaccurate information lure parents to invest lakhs. The promise given is ‘lifelong’ health of their children. 1.5 lakh parents have preserved the cord blood of their children in private stem cell banks. The stem cell banks sell service that has no real use for treating therapeutic options. The websites of stem cell banks list 75 diseases that could be treated. Most blood related diseases like leukaemia are genetic and could not be treated in this method. Study also shows that one cord of stem cell could be used to a body weighing 25 kg only. The use of stored stem cell for self is practically nil. It is useful only when the unborn sibling has some disease. (Gunjan Sharma, The Week 7 February 2010, p. 48-54)
12. Sex before marriage is rape: Delhi high court: The court rejected pre-arrest bail to a man who repeatedly had sex with a woman but refused to marry her even after their engagement. The woman stayed with her fiance, Nikhil Prasar, in Mumbai for a few days, “where they had fun, and then went to Delhi and stayed in a hotel where they had sex”. When it came to fixing a date for marriage, however, Nikhil refused, on the grounds that he had learned that she belonged to a different caste. The woman complained to the police and a rape case was registered. Justice VK Jain said the caste factor was an afterthought by Prasar, who then absconded. Could he marry “any girl merely because she belonged to a particular caste or sub-caste, even if he did not approve of her personality, temperament, education, culture, upbringing, and family background", the court asked. “The answer can, obviously, be in the negative," justice Jain said. If he were so orthodox and conservative that he broke the marriage owing to caste differences, he should not have hurried in for sexual intercourse before marriage, the justice said. Sexual intercourse before marriage amounts to rape or it will result in victimisation or exploitation of innocent girls, justice Jain said. (Rakesh Bhatnagar, http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_sex-before-marriage-is-rape-delhi-high-court_1342233 accessed on 2 February 2010)
13. 39% of varsity teachers not computer literate, says V-C: In an informal survey done in the University of Madras and its affiliated arts and science colleges; it was found that 39% are not computer literate, according to Vice Chancellor, G. Thiruvasagam. 27% of the college teachers do not have email IDs. Currently 950 college professors are being trained in computer literacy and the process would continue until all college teachers are trained. (The Times of India 3 February 2010, p.2.)
14. Vacant SC/ST seats can’t go to general list: Apex court: The Supreme Court has held that general category candidates who crack competitive exams and get waitlisted cannot be accommodated against seats belonging to the reserved category even if these are lying vacant. The merit list for general category is just for that category. The ruling came in a case relating to appointment of district judges in the Delhi Judicial Services. It was alleged by aggrieved candidates that after filling up the 13 posts notified for the general category, there were vacancies in the reserved category posts which were not filled and hence those on the top of the merit-cum-wait list be considered for the same. A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan rejected the petitions, saying it would be patently illegal to appoint persons in excess of the notified vacancies. "Any appointment made beyond the number of vacancies advertised is without jurisdiction, being violative of Articles 14 and 16(1) of the Constitution, thus a nullity, inexecutable and unenforceable in law," said Justice Chauhan, writing the judgment for the Bench. "In case the vacancies notified stands filled up, process of selection comes to an end. Waiting list etc cannot be used as a reservoir, to fill up the vacancies which come into existence after the issuance of notification or advertisement," the Bench said. In the case in hand, only 13 vacancies for general category were advertised, hence once that was filled up, there was no scope for looking at the wait list for filling any vacancy arising in the reserved category or otherwise, the Bench said. "The unexhausted select list is meant to be consigned to record room," it said. The Bench accepted the arguments of senior advocate A Mariarputham, who appeared for the HC. He said, "thirteen vacancies of general category were advertised: the same had been filled up according to merit, therefore, selection process in that respect stood exhausted." The HC had issued an advertisement on May 19, 2007, for 20 posts of district judges of which 13 were for general category, three for SCs and four for STs. All 13 general posts were filled up, but two posts reserved for SCs and four posts meant for STs could not be filled up due to non-availability of suitable candidates.
(Dhananjay Mahapatra, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Vacant-SC/ST-seats-cant-go-to-general-list-Apex-court/articleshow/5532872.cms accessed on 4 February 2010)
15. Over 51,000 seats vacant in TN engineering colleges: Latest admission statistics in engineering colleges compiled by officials of the higher education ministry revealed that only 1,14,518 seats of 165980 seats were filled up during the admission season that started in July (government quota) and ended in October (management quota). 31% of the seats remained vacant. Three engineering colleges and one architecture institution (Ranganathan Architecture College in Coimbatore) had failed to attract even a single student. Over 70 new private engineering colleges of the existing 440 were established last year. In the previous academic year 2008-09, as many as 1,18,565 of the 1,31,680 seats available were filled in the 344 engineering colleges that were functioning then. The percentage of vacant seats worked out to less than 10% last academic year. Similarly, during 2007-08, of the 1,09,784 available seats colleges had managed to find students for 94,346 seats, which meant that only around 14% of the seats remained vacant. Less than half-a-dozen of the engineering colleges in the state were able to attract students for the entire sanctioned student intake strength in the current academic year. Less than 10 students were admitted in three private colleges. Academics felt that the figures reflected two aspects one, that parents and students did not have faith in the quality of education provided in many private institutions and second they stayed away due to prohibitive costs of engineering education. (D Suresh Kumar, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Over-51000-seats-vacant-in-TN-engineering-colleges/articleshow/5532472.cms accessed on 4 February 2010)
16. Single Together: Support groups for singles are emerging in many cities across the nation. These clubs promote companionship without being involved in sexual or romantic relationships. Some groups are for people above 45 years and they cater to single men and women who have lost their spouses or divorced or not married at all. Some are for youngsters who are single mothers or single professionals. There are group activities like picnics or tours. Many gather every month or fortnight for lecturers or discussions. They also venture out or watch movies together. Adjustment disorders and work related stress has given rise to number of divorces. This has created a need for singles clubs, where they can have friends and enjoy company. (Nishat Bari, India Today 8 February 2010, p. 68-69)
17. Missing Doctors: India carries 20 per cent of the global disease burden, which is less than its share of the world population at 17 per cent. Specifically, this includes a disproportionately high share of the global burden of pre-transition communicable diseases and other vaccine preventable diseases: 23 per cent of child deaths, 20 per cent of maternal deaths, 30 per cent of tuberculosis cases, 68 per cent of leprosy cases, 50 per cent of polio cases and 14 per cent of HIV infections. The same is true of other diseases such as malaria, acute respiratory illnesses and diarrhoeal diseases. Mortality as a result of communicable diseases amounts to 2.5 million child deaths and an equal number of adult deaths a year. If one adds the poor maternal and neonatal health status to the above statistics, communicable diseases account for nearly half of India’s disease burden. Indian public health system has pronounced disparity between urban and rural areas. For example, in Andhra Pradesh, the rural infant mortality rate (IMR) is 67 compared with 33 in the urban areas; in Karnataka, the rural IMR is 61 as against 24 in the urban areas. This is a clear consequence of the highly skewed nature of health care in favour of urban India. Three-fourths of 0.7 million graduate doctors legally permitted to practise as qualified doctors operate in and around urban areas, thus catering to just 28 per cent of the country’s population and leaving the rural folk underserved or totally neglected in terms of basic health care. The primary health care infrastructure in the country is a three-tier system with 1,46,036 Sub-Centres (S.Cs), 23,458 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 4,276 Community Health Centres (CHCs). Yet, there is a shortfall of 20,486 S.Cs, 4,477 PHCs and 2,337 CHCs. There are 24,375 doctors serving the PHCs, which, given the estimated rural population of about 830 million, implies a doctor population ratio of 1: 34,000. This is much below the global standard set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 1: 250. Indeed, recently the Chhattisgarh government advertised for nearly 1,200 posts of MBBS graduates to fill positions in PHCs. It received only 400 applications. (R. Ramachanran, http://www.frontlineonnet.com/stories/20100226270411400.htm accessed on 10 February 2010)
18. No financial crisis impact? India's poor grew by 34 mn: According to data obtained by TOI from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' (UNDESA) estimates that the number of India's poor was 33.6 million higher in 2009 than would have been the case if the growth rates of the years from 2004 to 2007 had been maintained. In 2009 alone, an estimated 13.6 million more people in India became poor or remained in poverty than would have been the case at 2008 growth rates. In other words, while a dip from the 8.8% growth in GDP averaged from 2004-05 to 2006-07 to the 6.7% estimated for 2008-09 may be nothing like the recession faced by the West, its human consequences for India were probably worse. The 2.1% decline in India's GDP growth rate has effectively translated into a 2.8% increase in the incidence of poverty. According to the UNDESA's World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010, 47 million more people globally became poor or remained in poverty in 2009 than would have been the case at 2008 growth rates, and 84 million more than would have poor at 2004-7 growth rates. Of these, 19 and 40 million respectively are in south Asia. While the report did not give India-specific figures, these were given to TOI by the UNDESA in response to a request for more information on the numbers pertaining to the country. The numbers come from revised per capita income estimates for 2009. The report uses the World Bank's definition of poverty, which is people living on less than $1.25 per day in 2005 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) dollars. The UNDESA report attributes this increase in poverty to a combination of reduced household incomes, rising unemployment and pressure on public services. Job losses in India were primarily in export-oriented industries like textiles while employment levels in Indian firms catering to the domestic market were largely unaffected, the report says. Monetary and fiscal policy intervention gave Indian growth some resilience, while safety nets like India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) helped to mitigate the effects of the slowdown, the report adds. In addition to job losses, food price inflation is a major factor in a decline in poverty reduction in India. (Rukmini Shrinivasan, The Times of India 10 February 2010, p.1)
19. Develop affordable houses, not malls: Government to realtors: The government told real estate developers to construct more affordable houses rather than shopping malls.'It is not advisable to invest largely in shopping malls as of now. What we need today is affordable housing. We are still short of 24.7 million houses in cities and towns,' Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Ray told real estate developers at a function organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. He said the government was making all efforts to make home loans and housing within the reach of the common man. 'We have already proposed to the government to cut interest rates on home loans,' the minister said adding that the government already has the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme for affordable housing which has a corpus fund of Rs.1 trillion for a seven-year (2005-12) period. The government is also short of meeting the target for affordable housing by the end of the ongoing 11th plan period which ends in 2012. 'We need Rs.3.61 trillion for meeting the demand of affordable housing.' (http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100210/812/tnl-develop-affordable-houses-not-malls.html accessed on 11 February 2010)
20. Chennai Teens steal for lavish lifestyle: Middle-class teenagers have now gone to the extent of stealing to satisfy their childhood fantasies like buying mobile phones and expensive electronic gadgets. “When parents refuse to fulfil their wishes, children take a devious route to get what they want,” said a senior police officer. In the last two months, the police has nabbed school students in four different cases after they were caught stealing several lakhs of rupees and motorcycles. In the last two months there have been more than five cases of teenagers breaking donation boxes at roadside temples or stealing cash and credit cards from houses. “A boy stole several lakhs from his own house in Anna Nagar and bought a car without his parents’ knowledge. He was caught, but his parents, shocked that their son was behind the theft, withdrew the complaint immediately,” said the official. At Zam Bazaar, two boys stole cash from a house when their parents refused to buy them new mobile phones. The police also nabbed two teenagers on Tuesday for stealing motorbikes to spend on their friends and watch movies. Three schoolboys in Ice House were held for stealing jewels and cash from their locality houses. “Nowadays, children become easy victims of peer pressure and to impress their classmates, they want to flaunt expensive gadgets and phones. When parents put a hurdle in their way, they go one step ahead and involve in thefts,” said psychologist R. Manoj. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/teens-steal-lavish-lifestyle-862 accessed on 13 February 2010)
21. SC order may raze 226 ‘illegal’ places of worship: With the Supreme Court having set a six-week deadline for state governments to evolve a strategy to remove illegal shrines in public pla-ces, top officials of the Chennai corporation have already identified such structures in their jurisdiction. “We have recently prepared a detailed list of 226 illegal religious structures that are located in public places in the 10 zones,” said the Mayor. “We will be removing them as per the Supreme Court guidelines.” He added that no alternate locations would be allotted for these shrines as they were set up on encroached land in the first place. “The city already faces a shortage of land and we have a tough time identifying public places for constructing toilets, parks and other amenities that are useful to the public,” said Mr Subramanian. “In such a situation, allocating alternate spots for illegal religious structures would be a difficult task,” he added. Corporation officials said they had already removed two new shrines that had sprouted in Anna Nagar and at Periyar Park in zone 1. “Whenever we receive a complaint, we remove the illegal structures right then,” said an official. “The concern is about removing already existing shrines,” the official added. The Supreme Court had set a deadline of six weeks for all states and Union Territories to frame a comprehensive policy to prevent encroachment of government land by religious institutions. It also directed that the states should clearly declare what steps had been taken to remove or relocate the existing structures. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/sc-order-may-raze-226-%E2%80%98illegal%E2%80%99-places-worship-304 accessed on 18 February 2010)
22. Tantrik held for human sacrifice: A tantrik was arrested on charges of killing a seven-year-old boy as a human sacrifice in Orissa's Jajpur district, police said. 25-year-old Pitambara Gaipai was arrested after he confessed that he killed the boy to get perfection in tantra, police officer A.R. Mohanty told IANS. The boy, Srikanta Bagi, a resident of Kubal village in the district, had been missing since Feb 11. Gaipai who belonged to the nearby Ichhapur village, some 150 km from here, told police that he beheaded the boy the same night. While the body of the boy was found in a field near Ichhapur village, the severed head and two old human skulls were found in Gaipai's hamlet half a kilometre away. "The accused confessed that he was practicing black magic and it was an act of human sacrifice," Mohanty said. (http://expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Tantrik+held+for+human+sacrifice&artid=k5KNJkmc/9k=&SectionID=mvKkT3vj5ZA=&MainSectionID=mvKkT3vj5ZA=&SEO=tantrik&SectionName=nUFeEOBkuKw= accessed on 19 February 2010)
23. Cigarette-holding Jesus in school book triggers row: Pictures of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in another, in a book for primary classes have triggered a row in Meghalaya and the state government is now contemplating legal action against the New Delhi-based publisher. The objectionable pictures of Jesus Christ found in the cursive writing exercise copies at a private school in capital Shillong were brought to the notice of the influential church by some guardians. "We are shocked and hurt by this act where Jesus Christ has been portrayed in a highly objectionable manner. We condemn the total lack of respect for religions by the publisher," Dominc Jala, the Archbishop of Shillong, said. New Delhi-based Skyline Publication produced the copies meant for students of Class 1. "Just imagine students at such an impressionable age being dished out objectionable images which are nothing but blasphemous," said T. Jrwa, another church leader. The Meghalaya government acted swiftly and confiscated all copies from the school and from book shops. "Although private schools are not bound by the prescribed text books of the Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education, still we took immediate action by seizing all the copies and if deemed fit we might even take legal steps," said Meghalaya Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh. An estimated 72 percent of the 2.32 million people in Meghalaya are Christians.
(http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/cigarette-holding_jesus_in_school_book_triggers_row.php accessed on 19 February 2010.)
24. Youth run cop over for revenge in Greater Noida: Released on bail shortly after being arrested for drunk driving, a group of six youths knocked off a police sub-inspector and crushed him under the wheels of their Maruti car when he tried to stop them during a vehicle checking drive in Greater Noida. The cop, John Peter is now battling for his life in a hospital in Greater Noida. The drunk youths were subsequently arrested once again and this time booked under serious charges like attempted murder of a public servant and Gangster Act. Most of the accused reportedly hail from well-to-do families in Haryana and had come to town to attend a marriage in Kitnord area of the city. "The cop was checking vehicles as part of a routine exercise with his colleagues. The culprits were stopped and were asked to produce documents. They got down from the car and misbehaved with him. When he retaliated, they got into the car, hit his bike and mowed him down. The cop has sustained multiple fractures in his thighs and one arm. The miscreants had just been released on bail in a criminal case," said A K Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Noida. (http://www.ndtv.com/news/cities/youth_run_cop_over_for_revenge_in_noida.php accessed on 19 February 2010)
25. Take your beggars back, 10 states told: The Delhi government wants the streets clear of beggars for the Commonwealth Games in October. And it’s come up with a plan: since most beggars are from outside the city, it wants them repatriated to their home states. The government has sent letters to the chief secretaries of 10 states, asking them to take back the beggars. Though comprehensive data is missing, a sample survey in August 2009 of 11 shelters — capacity 2,018 — run by the Delhi government revealed that most outstation beggars came from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. That month, of the 1,518 beggars rounded up by the Delhi Police anti-begging squad, 1,099 were from outside the city. Letters were sent on February 12 to West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh too. Even if they begged for two days, they earned for the entire week. “Why should we go back to our home state? We have been living here for many years,” said Sushila (35), a native of Jodhpur who begs at the Tolstoy Marg-Janpath crossing. “There is not even a drop of water to drink back home,” she added. “I was born here. We have not been told about any such order,” said Noora (12), who hails from Bihar. (Vijaita Singh, http://www.hindustantimes.com/Take-your-beggars-back-10-states-told/H1-Article1-510788.aspx accessed on 20 February 2010)
26. Rs 1.5 cr spent yearly on parks: There are 233 parks in Chennai city that are well-maintained recreational areas. This is possible only because the corporation spends close to Rs 1.5 crore towards the maintenance of these parks every year. There are 138 roadside parks, 117 traffic islands and 58 traffic central medians. Around 20 major parks have been developed at a cost of Rs 5.42 crore in 2006-2007 and 14 parks have been renovated in the last few years. According to corporation officials, the maintenance cost runs close to Rs 1.5 crore a year at present, even when it has been outsourced to private agencies on tender basis. But this is only for maintaining the greenery: the expenditure towards maintaining the sit-outs and pathways and other civil works do not come under this, say the officials. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/rs-15-cr-spent-yearly-parks-882 accessed on 20 February 2010)
27. Sex before 15, girls pip boys: Study: Premarital sex has been found to be common among young men but a higher percentage of women aged 15-24 years have had sex before reaching the age of 15. A large scale youth survey conducted under the aegis of the Union health ministry in the six states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu has thrown up some interesting findings. Around 15% of young men and 4% young women interviewed admitted to having pre-marital sex. Shockingly, 24% of the women had premarital sex for the first time before age 15 compared to 9% men. Premarital sex was also found to be more common in rural India. According to the report prepared by Population Council, Delhi, and International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai, youth in rural areas were also more likely than those in urban areas to have initiated a pre-marital romantic relationship at age 15 (29% compared to 17% among young men, and 46% compared to 31% among young women). Around 6% of rural youth compared to 1% of urban youth had their sexual debut before age 18. Over 26% of young men and 40% of young women reported that they had spent time alone with their first romantic partner at age 15 or below. Many of the pre-marital sexual experiences reported by the youth were risky. Around 25% of young men and 21% of young women reporting pre-marital sex had sex with more than one partner. Moreover, consistent condom use was limited only 13% of young men and 3% of young women reported condom use in all pre-marital encounters. While sexual relations were generally unsafe across all the six states, some notable state-level differences were found. For example, among young men, multiple partner relations were reported by 32% in five of the six states, but by relatively few (14%) in Rajasthan. The surveyors spoke to nearly 51,000 married and unmarried young males and females for this youth study. The survey found that significant minorities of young men and women had made or received a proposal for romantic relationship (23%) before marriage, with one in four such relationships progressing to becoming sexual. The first reported romantic partner was typically a neighbour or friend (reported by 33% of young men and women), a fellow student or colleague (reported by 30% of young men and 16% of young women) or an acquaintance from outside the village/neighbourhood (reported by 25% of young men and 19% of young women). Around 27% of young women compared to 9% of young men reported that their first pre-marital partner was a relative. As far as consensuality of first sex is concerned, a larger percentage of young men than young women reported that their first experience of pre-marital sex was mutually consensual (76% verses 66%). One in seven young women (14%) reported that their partner had forced them to have sex the first time. (Kounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sex-before-15-girls-pip-boys-Study-/articleshow/5597478.cms accessed on 21 February 2010)
28. Child marriage rampant in India, finds study: Child marriage continues to be rampant in India with nearly one-fifth of Indian women being married off before turning 15 and around 50 per cent before reaching the legal marriageable age, a study has found. The study, prepared by the Population Council of India and released by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here today, said rural women were four times more likely than urban young women to be married off before 15 years of age. One-fifth of the young women surveyed were married off before the age of 15, half before they turned 18 and two-thirds before the age of 20, the survey conducted in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, found. (http://expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Child+marriage+rampant+in+India,+finds+study&artid=k4boxlVTtXM=&SectionID=b7ziAYMenjw=&MainSectionID=b7ziAYMenjw=&SEO=Child+marriage&SectionName=pWehHe7IsSU= accessed on accessed on 21 February 2010)
29. Sachin bats for campaign against domestic violence: With domestic violence becoming a serious problem in India — one in three married women reporting some form of abuse — around 25 cricket coaches in Mumbai are now being trained to teach their players how to behave with a woman. Initiated by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), in collaboration with Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) and Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA), project 'Parivartan' hopes to use India's most popular sport to curb domestic violence. The project, on the lines of the famous American programme 'Coaching Boys Into Men', has been endorsed by Sachin himself. In a letter to coaches from 25 schools, mostly from south and suburban Mumbai, Sachin said, "Winning a match is important for a coach but a big part of the job is helping to develop a solid, responsible young player who is able to become an outstanding citizen." The maestro added, "Parivartan will use India's most popular sport to teach boys how to be respectful towards women and help reduce violence against women." To be formally launched in Mumbai on March 8 to coincide with International Women's Day, the programme will see coaches teach over 1,000 budding cricketers "how not to use foul language while talking to a woman, how not to carry aggression back home and how to respect women". Coaches are being trained on how to identify moments on the field where they can point out inappropriate language and behaviour and explain how to change them. The ICRW will measure the impact of the programme on the boys as well as the women by January 2011, after which a decision will be taken to roll out the drive in other states. (Kounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Sachin-bats-for-campaign-against-domestic-violence/articleshow/5605016.cms accessed on 23 February 2010)
30. Sindhis start move to stop conversions: A number of influential Sindhi personalities have come forward to restrain the ongoing trend of conversion among fellow community members in Ulhasnagar. They have decided to start a shuddhikaran (purification) movement for those who have stopped following traditions of Hinduism. The move has come after DNA published a report on Tuesday on the growing attraction towards Christianity among the Sindhis in the township. Among the four lakh Sindhi-speaking Hindus in Ulhasnagar, an estimated 7,000 have changed their faith in the past two years to Christianity. Upset with the converted community members not changing their names, the All India Sindhi Samaj had said that the organisation would boycott them. (Kiran Tare, http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_sindhis-start-move-to-stop-conversions_1352733 accessed on 26 February 2010)
II Diaspora
1. Indian Diaspora statistics: According to Foreign Ministry report there are 29230309 Non Resident Indians living around the world. This is seven million more than the population of Australia. (Business Today 7 February 2010, p. 20)
2. Hindu Gods in US custom-made postage stamps: Hindu gods have made their way into US mail, with an Atlanta based company headed by an Indian American launching a series of legally valid custom-made postage stamps. The first of these 44-cent stamps featuring Sri Krishna, Shiva-Parvathi, Lakshmi, Lord Venkateshwara, Murugan, Vinayaka and Sai Baba were issued by usa-postage.com last month. The company made use of a six-year-old US Postal Service (USPS) rule that permits issue of customised postages to launch the series."These postages have not been issued by the US Postal Service, but these are as good as stamps and are legally valid. We do not call them stamps. We call them postages. But these can be used as any other normal stamp," a USPS spokesman said. The Hindu gods follow the tradition of 'Sunny Funnies', a series of stamps featuring popular cartoon characters such as Calvin and Hobbes and Archie conceptualised by the USPS. (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/hindu-gods-in-us-custommade-postage-stamps/109551-2.html?from=tn accessed on 2 February 2010)
3. Two Lakh Indians live illegally in US: Report: 200000 is the number of illegal Indians living in US according to official report for the year 2009. It has increased from 160000 in 2008. (The Times of India 11 February 2010, p. 11)
III Global
1. Terrorists: 44% of the 400 terrorists who were tracked by an European sociologists – Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog study. (Business Today 7 February 2010, p. 20)
2. Mumbai office rents twice of Manhattan: Despite the global meltdown, office rentals all over the world are expected to hold firm or increase in 2010 according to global property consultancy firm Knight Frank's annual projection for the year. Tokyo continued to command the highest office rents in the world during 2009. Although Mumbai does not figure in the top ten global office rentals, its rentals are sometimes twice those of Manhattan. For instance if space opposite the Grand Central Station in Manhattan is in the vicinity of $3 to $4 (Rs 138 to Rs 184) a square foot a month, some of the commercial space in the Bandra-Kurla Complex commands as much as $7 (Rs 322) a square foot every month, according to Knight Frank. Prices in the central business district of Nariman Point are also in the same range. According to the Knight Frank survey, despite substantial rental falls during 2009, eight of last year's top 10 still remained there. These are London (West End) at the second spot, Paris (3), Moscow (4), St Petersburg (5), Abu Dhabi (6), Dubai (7), Singapore (8) and Hong Kong (9) London's City Market (10). St Petersburg and London's City Market returned to the top 10, moving up from their 2008 positions of 13 and 12 respectively. Joe Simpson, head of commercial international research, Knight Frank, said, "A quarter of the cities surveyed are expected to see a fall in rents in 2010, but in most cases the degree by which rents will decrease will be marginal in comparison to the negative movement seen in 2009. The remaining 75% will, at worst, see rents holding firm with approximately half expected to show positive rental growth in the year ahead." London's West End witnessed falls of more than 20% in Euro terms and Hong Kong, Dubai and St Petersburg saw rental falls in excess of 30%; Singapore saw rents more than halve in 2009. New York saw one of the heaviest falls of all the major global office markets, with a 45% decline in Euro terms. "This has resulted in a plunge in New York's rank amongst the expensive major office markets from 15th at the end of 2008 to 21st at the end of 2009," the survey said. Although not officially included in the top 10 list, Luanda, Angola, commanded prime rents that outstrip those in Tokyo, London, Paris and New York. The best buildings in the capital of the resource-rich South-West African country commanded rents of up to Euro 1,500 a square metre per annum.
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mumbai-office-rents-twice-of-Manhattan/articleshow/5604940.cms accessed on 23 February 2010)
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January 2010 – Family and Ministry Update
Dear prayer partners,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Christ & New Generation Youth released
Praise God. After so many delays, my fourth major book: Christ & New Generation Youth was released on 1 January by Rev. C. Victor of Christian Assembly.
New India Christian Assembly
Pastor Jacob Durairaj had invited me to speak in his church through Blessy, one of elders of the church on 3 January. It is a small congregation with dynamic people with lot of love and dedication. This is a great ministry initiative among poor people.
Andaman Islands
It was a great joy to be in Port Blair after nearly three years. Rev. Saji Lukos and I travelled to Port Blair on 4th January. Pastor Ebenezer and John Sakthivel received us at the airport. On the same day evening we had a special meeting with Youth For Christ volunteers who lead bible studies. On 5 January 40 plus pastors and leaders gathered for a consultation on training leaders. Rev. Saji Lukos and I shared the word and held consultations for a bible college in Port Blair. Now most of leaders are sent to main land to Chennai or Hyderabad for training.
CBSI
Community Bible Study International was introduced by Rev. Devendra Rai on 9 January in a small gathering of about 20 leaders at YWCA, Chennai. Many would be starting bible study groups.
CARE counseling Institute
The trip to Hyderabad was little difficult. Rosy was not well, as she was down with viral fever. But, she asked me not to cancel but go. There was turmoil in Andhra Pradesh as the momentum for creation for new State Telengana was increasing so was the agitation for unified Andhra Pradesh. The time was very meaningful with enthusiastic and interactive students. Rev. Rajendra Paul and Abiah and children: Eva and Steve took care of me well.
Writers’ Vision Workshops
On 13 January Writers’ Vision Workshop was conducted for the Hyderabad city leaders. They have requested to conduct a three days training there. One more Writers’ Vision Workshop was conducted on 24 January for St. James Church of South India for about 35 plus leaders.
Other friends in Hyderabad
It was good to have time of fellowship with Sheldon Samuel and Stanley.
Jubilee Memorial Bible College
We praise God for the opportunity for Rosy and I to be in the Missions Conference of JMBC on 23 January. God enabled me to speak on Urban missions; trends, scopes and challenges. We are grateful to Philip Cherian and Regi Paul for facilitating this.
St. James Church
Rev. Samuel Prabhakar invited me to speak in the English and Tamil worship services and conduct Writers’ Vision Workshop.
Minor accident
As you must have seen in my previous communication God saved us from the scooter accident. The wounds has taken more than 9 days to heal. I hope I should be alright next week.
Hosanna is back in medical school
Hosanna reached Vitebsk and had her medical examination. She is rejoining her classes. We praise God and thank you for your prayers.
Thambos
Thambos is studying well and has to appear in the board exams from March first week. Please pray for his future studies.
Rosy
Rosy was down with viral fever and had to take care of me due to accident.
Partners
We need committed leaders to be our partners in the ministry. We need volunteers to help us in our research, managing website and helping in preparation of study materials. Volunteers need not be located in Chennai, they could be from any part of the world. We also need donors and supporters for sustain our family and ministry.
You can send your contribution to any one of the accounts: J.N. Manokaran, HDFC Bank, Madipakkam Branch, Chennai: Account No: 011110000 30570 Or Rosia Selvi, ICICI Bank, Kilpauk, Chennai: Account Number: 027801 500223 Or mail cheque in the name of one of the names to: J.N. Manokaran, 6B1 Doshi Flats, 59 Chetty street, Ayanavaram, Chennai 600023, India
Please visit the website: http://glocalleadersnetwork.com/main/
Yours in His Vineyard,
J.N. Manokaran
Upcoming schedule
1 February Power2Change, Chennai
5-8 February Pune
12 February Urban India Ministries, Bangalore
15 February Travel to US
19 February Plainsboro bible study
21 February Tamil Gospel church, New Jersey
24 February Church of Holy Spirit, Illinois
27 February Writers’ Vision Workshop, Chicago
10-13 April CFCC, Bangalore, Contemporary Missions
26-29 April National Prayer Network conference, Theni
5-7 May Colombo, GLOMOS
13-15 May Kolkata, GLOMOS
17-19 May Kalimpong, GLOMOS
24-28 May Summer School of Leadership, Chennai
June Living Word Missionary Church, London and Germany
9-11 July Cochin – Immanuel Highland Fellowship
12-14 August CFCC, Bangalore
4-8 October National – City leaders training, Chennai/Hyderabad
14-16 October IBL, 60th anniversary, National Conference
16-25 Oct Third Lausanne Congress, Cape Town, South Africa
12 Nov Mission India Board meeting, Nagpur
29 Nov-
5 December Centre For Contemporary Christianity, M.Th. Classes
Mother-In-Love and Daughter-In-Love
J.N. Manokaran
Indian entertainment channels, movies have mother-in-law and daughter-in-law fights, cold wars, and struggles as its celebrated themes. A mother-in-law is obviously an ex-daughter-in-law. As a young woman she had to face the powerful mother of her husband, who wanted to further demonstrate and consolidate her power by making her son also to marginalize her. As she becomes mother-in-law she has a bad role model and simply follows that. And also thinks – I suffered and my daughter-in-law should suffer in similar fashion to make it even. A kind of sick mentality as young college boys want to rag as they were ragged by seniors. A mother-in-law does not want her son to emotionally bond with his wife and sees daughter-in-law as rival or even enemy. This attitude has killed peace in the lives of many Indian families. In some cases, the hapless daughter-in-law is sent away or divorced or even killed. In few rare cases, daughter-in-law shrewdly takes the upper hand and banishes fragile mother-in-law to exile (Old age homes). Instead of mother-in-law becoming a ‘outlaw’ could become ‘mother-in-love’ so can a daughter-in-law as ‘daughter-in-love’.
Alternate role model In the Bible, we read about an alternate role model in Naomi and Ruth. It is a beautiful story that describes a wonderful human relationship that is selfless and caring. The Book of Ruth tells the stories about three widows. Elimelech along with his wife Naomi and two sons: Mahlon and Kilion migrated to Maob seeking greener pastures. It was a distress migration as there was famine in Israel (Ruth 1:1,2). Even today millions migrate from poorer economies to richer economies. For their sons, Orpah and Ruth – two local girls were chosen as wives. It is amazing to see that Elimelech and Naomi were broad minded and open hearted to accept women from Moab as spouses for their sons. Over the period of ten years, all male members of the family died. Three widows were left to fend for themselves.
Naomi is homesick
Naomi lost all hope in a strange land. Her daughter-in-laws were widows. Away from her home, the culture was different. She longed for her own family members, nation and culture. She heard good news that God has visited Israel and provided them food. So, she decides to migrate again from Moab to Israel.
At cross-roads
Naomi could take the other two women who are widows with her or leave them in Moab itself. To decide between these options, she tells her daughter-in-laws: Go back home and get married again and settle yourselves (Ruth 1: 8). But, both wanted to follow Naomi. Again she repeats the same appeal, with rational argument that they can never get married again if they choose to follow her. Orpah sees reason and returns to her home (Ruth 1;14). But, Ruth decides to follow Naomi by faith rather than reason to Israel making a great statement. Attitude of adoption Ruth said, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." (Ruth 1:16,17) First, she will identify herself with her mother-in-law, second with her people Israel and third with her God Jehovah and the Jewish faith. This commitment is for life time as talks about her burial. Many marriages fail because one spouse has superiority complex and treats the other with contempt. Integrating with the spouse, lifestyle, and network of relationships is essential to build great families.
Getting settled in Israel
Naomi and Ruth stir up the people in Israel and everywhere. Naomi shares her story of miserable loss and bitter experiences. Yes, her loss was great that her husband and both sons died in Moab. She wanted her name to be changed as ‘Mara’ as her life was bitter (Ruth 1:20,21). When she migrated to Moah, she was full and she has come back empty to Israel. Her question and yearning was: Is there any hope?
Ruth takes initiative In the strange land, Ruth tells her mother-in-law that she would go out, work and earn something. Ruth was not sulking but seeking God’s guidance. Food is assured for birds, but they should fly out searching for it. So, Ruth had to launch out in faith. God in His providence leads her to the field of Boaz, where she is given protection and good treatment. Boaz has heard the story of Naomi and had high regard for Ruth for forsaking her nationality, culture, family and belief to adapt to Israel. Naomi also was glad and praised God for his mercies (Ruth 2: 20). Ruth was able to glean and bring food for both the women. Naomi takes initiative Their survival needs are met, not they aspire for the next level as suggested by Maslow hierarchy of needs. Now they need safety and also sense of belonging. Naomi sets the stage for it. Naomi addresses Ruth as ‘my daughter’ (Ruth 3:1). It is a wonderful relationship based on love. In a culture where daughter-in-laws are seen as rivals, competitors, enemies; Naomi looks at Ruth as daughter who is a widow now.
It is very common to see widows treated with disdain and contempt. If this had happened in India; Naomi could have blamed and accused Ruth for ‘swallowing up’ her husband – Naomi’s son and thus bringing misfortune to the family. If she were insensitive women, Instead of calling Ruth as daughter; she would have called as ‘dragon’, ‘devil’, ‘blood-sucking monster’…what not?
Naomi takes the responsibility to find ‘home’ for Ruth, which means to organize her marriage. Naomi was broad minded, loving and pragmatic in her approach to life. Naomi could have had Ruth for company for her life time (as two single women moaning and groaning together) rather than sending her off by marriage. But, she was thinking more about young Ruth rather than her own life.
Ruth follows instructions
Naomi provides culturally appropriate tips for ‘dating’ Boaz. Ruth follows the instructions carefully. Boaz was convinced about Ruth intentions that she needed security and a descendant to carry the name of Elimelech.
Boaz takes initiative Boaz takes up the matter to the village elders and calls the kinsman redeemer to redeem the property and marry Ruth (Ruth 4); but he refuses as he was not interested in marrying the widow that may jeopardize his family. So, Boaz had the legal and moral right to marry Ruth. They are married (Ruth 4: 13) in the presence of the people of the town. God blesses them with a son who is named as Obed.
God’s higher plan
Naomi just longed that Elimelech family name should not be erased from town records (Ruth 4:10). But, God had a greater plan and purpose. The name of Obed was inscribed in the genealogy of Lord Jesus Christ along with Ruth (Matthew 1:5). Obed was the grandfather of the most popular king of Israel-David.
Ruth a woman from Moab-a Gentile nation, a widow is honoured and exalted because of her faith in Jehovah. Naomi was her mentor and coach. Both these great women deserve to be role models in the contemporary world. Ruth must have nursed David as child, telling bed time stories and imbibing the faith, which became the secret of his success.
Challenge
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) Naomi took care of her widowed daughter-in-law as her own daughter and got her settled by marrying Boaz. By doing this simple deed, she was instrument in God’s hand to facilitate the First coming of our Lord as Incarnation in this world. Ruth, though a Gentile took care of her widowed mother-in-law and was rewarded for her good deed by being named as one of the five women in the genealogy of Lord Jesus. A simple selfless daily deed brings eternal rewards.
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Global Urban Vision – February 2010
(Compiled and Published by J.N. Manokaran (
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) on behalf of Glocal Resources Development Associates)
WORD FROM THE EDITOR
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I India
1. Seeking child, man sacrifices 7-yr-old girl: A man has been arrested for allegedly sacrificing a seven-year-old girl. He wanted a child, police said here on Friday. The accused Tejram Manjhi (30) allegedly kidnapped the victim, Santoshi, from the tribal-dominated Chirramuda village during a local festival and strangulated her in a nearby forest, Raigarh SP Rahul Sharma said. He later offered the body of the girl to a local deity. Villagers later handed him over to the police, Sharma said. (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chhattisgarh/Seeking-child-man-sacrifices-7-yr-old-girl/Article1-490696.aspx accessed on 26 December 2009)
2. 90% women in Indian cities put beauty over bill: A new survey finds that women in India chooses to look good. The women support using technology to arrest ageing. The four metro survey of 800 women between the age of 18 and 50; 90% would spend on beauty treatment even if it is expensive. (The Times of India 27 December 2009, p.7)
3. ‘Stomach ache’ suicides on the rise: Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of “stomach ache suicide” cases with more than 10 women committing suicide stating the above reason every month. And city cops admit that 95 per cent of them use stomach ache as a pretext to hide the truth. Women organisations claim that in most of these cases, harassment from the husband and the in-laws is the actual culprit. Sandhya from Progressive Women’s organisation, says, “Earlier, many married women were killed in the kitchen due to ‘stove burns.’ But now since cops know that ‘stove burns’ translates into domestic harassment, stomach ache has become the latest excuse. To avoid legal complications, the husband or the in-laws claim the victim killed herself due to ‘unbearable stomach ache.’ In many cases, cops are in league with the in-laws.” Gynaecologists who are disturbed with this trend, insist that “stomach pain of any nature” cannot lead to suicide. The real reason could be anything from domestic violence and failed relationships to financial and academic failure. In most cases, the parents of the girl too turn hostile and refuse to file a case. AP has the highest number of suicides attributed to ‘stomach ache. Despite knowing that 95 per cent of these suicide cases are attributed to fake reasons, cops’ investigations often hits a dead end. Few women commit suicide due to stomach pain or cramps. But if parents and relatives themselves close the case citing this reason, police can’t do much. Every month, over 10 women commit suicide claiming ‘stomach pain’ as a reason. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloids/%E2%80%98stomach-ache%E2%80%99-suicides-rise-111 accessed on 28 December 2009)
4. Cleansing Process: To save Ganga from further pollution, the Varanasi city administration has clamped prohibitory orders on both banks of the Ganga under Section 144 of the CRPC. No one can use the banks as dhobi ghats, to throw corpses and garbage or used soap while bathing. The Ganga is dotted with 80 bathing ghats in the city which were used precisely for those purposes. About 1400 small scale units discharge vast quantities of untreated affluent containing lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel into the river. More than 33000 corpses – burnt or half burnt- are thrown inot its waters each year, accounting for 300 tonnes of burnt flesh. The creations require 16000 tonnes of wood which results in 600 tonnes of ash. Also 6000 animal carcasses rot in the river in which over 150000 people bathe each day to wash away their ‘sins’. The local police are expected to enforce the order. (Farzand Ahmed, India Today 4 January 2010, p. 15)
Gutka eats away Mumbai youth’s tongue: Naveen—a 21 year old gutka junkie since 14 years of age who could sleep only after taking the concoction as a nightcap and face a new day only after using another pouch as a mouthwash—suffers from tongue cancer. By the time he reached Tata Memorial Hospital, India's best known address for cancer treatment, after six months of battling Hepatitis B and accidentally discovering a numb part in his tongue, surgery was the only way to help Naveen. According to Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital: "Oral cancer roughly affects 20 per lakh Indians. In some cities, the incidence goes up to 60 per lakh." Oral cavity cancer is considered the most preventable form of the disease. About 85% of the cases occur due to abuse of tobacco (smoke and smokeless\chewing) or alcohol. But what is alarming the doctors about India's tobacco-mouth cancer graph is that now youngsters below 30 years of age form 20% of the patient pool. "The youngest boy whose tongue was operated was 13 years old," he says. He remembers a 28-year-old woman who started using gutka as a pain killer during a toothache at 15 years of age. In the Tata Memorial Hospital's OPD, every patient has a similar story to tell: years of consuming gutka, khaini, areca-nut or smoking cigarettes or bidis. (Malathy Iyer, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Gutka-eats-away-Mumbai-youths-tongue/articleshow/5389821.cms accessed on 29 December 2009)
5. Steep rise in kidnap cases: Cases of kidnapping have almost doubled in 2009, in Delhi from 1100 last year to 2100. In all cases, the kidnapped were children aged below 16 years. The sharp increases has come about as a result of Delhi High Court’s instructions regarding cases of ‘missing’ children. “All the entries of missing children were converted to First Information Reports (FIRs) on the orders of the Delhi High Court. The court had in March taken suo motu cognisance in the case of missing children,” said a senior police officer. Police said registering of the FIRs has significantly added to the total crime statistics in Delhi. Police said they had conducted a door-to-door survey to find out the number of children missing in the city. “In most of these cases, no criminal intention is involved. Some relate to elopement of minor girls and some leave their house due to hostile conditions at home. In none of the cases — our investigations have shown — a gang was involved in child trafficking,” said the officer. “Various steps were taken by the police to keep a check on the issue of missing children in the city. Computerisation of data, launching of special help lines and door to door survey were some of them,” the court was informed. (Vijaita Singh, http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/Steep-rise-in-kidnap-cases/Article1-491600.aspx accessed on 29 December 2009)
6. Medical degree in 3.5-year for rural docs: The health ministry and Medical Council of India (MCI) planning a shorter medical degree for rural students who would exclusively serve the rural populace. After incentives failed to lure doctors to practise in remote areas, the health ministry is finalising the novel scheme along with MCI to start 3-1/2 year degree courses in medicine and surgery in institutes set up in rural areas. Under the scheme, the undergraduate `Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery' (BRMS) degree would be acquired in two phases and at two different levels -- Community Health Facility (one-and-a-half year duration) and sub-divisional hospitals (secondary level hospitals) for a further duration of two years. The BRMS degree would be offered by institutes in rural areas with an annual sanctioned strength of 50 students. (Dhananjay Mahapatra, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Medical-degree-in-35-year-for-rural-docs/articleshow/5392755.cms accessed on 30 December 2009)
7. Chennai city just got bigger: The Tamil Nadu Government has ordered merger of several local bodies with Chennai Corporation, expanding its area from the present 174 sqkm to 426 sqkm. The move to expand Chennai and create a larger urban agglomeration on the lines of Greater Bangalore and Greater Hyderabad is intended to develop outlying areas of the city. As many as nine municipalities, including Ambattur, Alandur, Maduravoyal, Manali and Tiruvottiyur, eight town panchayats, including Puzhal, Porur, Meenambakkam, Perungudi and Sholinganallur, and 25 village panchayats in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts will thus be brought under the present Chennai Corporation limits, raising the city’s population to 56 lakh (as per the 2001 census) from the present 43 lakh. The boundary of the expanded corporation will be drawn in 2011 after the term of the elected councillors ends. The city limits will expand up to Uthandi on East Coast Road, Sholinganallur on the IT corridor, Kathivakkam and Madhavaram in the north, and up to Meenambakkam in the south. (M. Gunasekaran, The Times of India 30 December 2009, p.1)
8. Forget fees, keep mum & child: In-laws of a woman: It was an offer gynaecologist Tushar Shrikant Mangeshikar could only have refused. Upset by the delivery of a girl child, the in-laws of a woman asked him to keep the mother and baby as a tradeoff for the medical expenses. A shocked Mangeshikar lodged a police complaint against the in-laws. On December 20, Priyanka Wakchaure, 23, was admitted to a nursing home run by Mangeshikar. She gave birth to a healthy baby the same day. But the child's sex reportedly upset her in-laws so much that they told the doctor to keep the mother and child with him in lieu of hospital dues amounting to Rs20,000. According to Mangeshikar, the in-laws -- particularly father-in-law Ganpat Wakchaure -- were terribly upset at the delivery of the girl and blamed both him and Priyanka. Priyanka's 26-year old husband Sameer was a mute spectator to the drama, Mangeshikar said. Her in-laws' behaviour forced Priyanka to feel guilty for having given birth to a girl. (Preety Acharya, http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_forget-fees-keep-mum-and-child-in-laws-of-a-woman_1328925 accessed on 30 December 2009)
9. Dalits ‘beaten up’ for touching deity parasol: The Dalits were allegedly assaulted and a woman from the community pushed into the gutters - the ‘provocation’ for this action was that a Dalit youth had touched the decorated parasol held above the idol of a deity during the temple festival. The festival of Ayyappan temple in Uthangudi near Madurai is celebrated every year. The chariot bearing the idol of the Lord used to be taken around all streets of the village, except those in the Dalit area, claiming that the ‘untouchables’ were not fit to worship the deity. This year the festival was celebrated on December 26 and the deity was taken in procession. Some people of high caste were holding aloft the decorated umbrella above the idol. One of the men holding the umbrella had asked a Dalit, Pratap (19), to hold the umbrella while he tied his dhoti. When Pratap held the stem of the umbrella, a high caste man had pulled him out, abused and slapped him saying,”how dare you defile the sacred umbrella? Have you developed such courage?’’. Other Dalit youth who were witnessing the incident had tried to prevent this assault but they were also subjected to the same treatment. Other caste Hindus had also joined the rabble and beaten the Dalits. The Dalits had fled from the place to avoid further attack. According to A Kadir, director of Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO which went to the village on a fact finding mission, that night about 30 caste Hindus armed with lethal weapons had entered the Dalit colony and broken open the door of Vinothkumar. The mob had dragged Letchumy (21) wife of Arumugam and sister of Vinothkumar, who was pregnant and beaten her with chappals. She was then pushed into the sewer and kicked. Kadir said that the affected Dalits had lodged a complaint with the Othakadai police who had not filed a case. Therefore, the Dalits of the village and members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Party resorted to picketing on December 27, after which the police registered cases. Letchumy’s mother Rasammal had given a separate complaint about the molestation of her daughter and the atrocities she was subjected to. (P Krishnaswamy, http://expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Dalits+‘beaten+up’+for+touching+deity+parasol&artid=QSbG355mtAg=&SectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=&MainSectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=&SEO=Dalits&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw== accessed on 30 December 2009)
10. Refugees in India: India hosts 456000 refugees as per World Refugee Survey 2009. The list: Sri Lankan Tamils 120000; Tibet 110000; Myanmar 100000; Bangladesh 65000; Afghanistan 30000; Nepal 25000, Somalia 600 and Palestine 200. (The Week, 3 January 2010, p. 14)
11. Students’ Santa: Swapan Adhikari, 71 wanted to become a teacher, but could not as he was not able to proper clothes. He is a rickshaw puller for the past 55 years. He gets up at 4 AM and returns home at 3 PM. He earns about Rs 100 a day. In 1994 he found Rs. 50 in his rickshaw and none of the four clients claimed it was their money. So he decided not to use it and added some money of own and bought books worth Rs. 140 and donated to poor children. Half of the money he earns goes for helping poor students to buy books. In this academic year he has spent Rs. 11000 to donate books for children. The West Bengal State Government gave him a two room house for his good service to the poor. (Kanhaiah Bhelari, The Week 3 January 2010, p.22)
12. A lot of Ruchikas out there: In 2007, the year for which latest data is available from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), seven of the 10 fastest rising crimes in India were those against women. While the incidence of all cognizable crimes under the IPC rose by under 5% over the previous year, dowry deaths registered an increase of 15%, cruelty by husband and relatives of 14%, kidnapping and abduction of females by 13%, importation of girls by 12% and sexual harassment by 11%. Rape and molestation cases grew by a more modest 6-7%, but even that was higher than the average rate. Despite the increasing cases of crime against women, they would appear to be not in the priority list of the investigating agencies. The NCRB data shows that investigation starts within the same year in only one out of 10 sexual harassment cases and only two out of 10 cases of molestation or cruelty by husbands and relatives. Similarly, only 3 out of 10 rapes and dowry deaths are investigated within the same year. Delayed investigation, it need hardly be emphasized, not only frustrates the victim but also provides an opportunity to the accused to use his clout in influencing the investigation. With one in every two brought to trial getting convicted, sexual harassment might have the highest conviction rate among the 22 major crime heads tabulated in NCRBs Crime in India 2007, but this may have something to do with the fact that sexual harassment is the least severe of all crimes committed against women with the maximum punishment being simple imprisonment for one year, or a fine, or both. For the other crimes against women, the conviction rates are lower than the 35.8% average conviction rate for all cognizable crimes under IPC. It might be pertinent here to cite a recent study by the UK government of rape cases in the country, which shows that a majority of convictions in rapes are from admission of guilt and not because of successful trial as the delays in investigation and the social stigma related with sexual offences often force the victims to withdraw the case. If that's true in the UK, we can imagine how much worse the social pressures in India would be and hence how crucial it is to minimize delays in prosecuting such cases. Perhaps, the Sexual Offences (Special Courts) Bill, 2010, seeking a maximum six months' trial period for sexual offences might reduce the influence of the accused on the course of justice and hence provide a fairer trail for the victims of sexual offences. (Atul Thakur, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/A-lot-of-Ruchikas-out-there/articleshow/5403210.cms accessed on 2 January 2010)
13. Delhi tops crime charts for fifth year in a row: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in its latest annual report—Crime in India: 2006—also points out that Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore together accounted for more than one-third of all crimes reported in Indian cities having a population of over a million people, for the second year in a row. The national capital occupies the top slot for almost all violent crimes, including murder, rape, dowry death, molestation, kidnapping and abduction. The report also notes the disturbing trend of young people taking to crime in a big way. It shows that 44.6% of the total arrested criminals during 2006 belonged to the 18-30 year age-group. In 2005, the figure was 44% and the trend was uniformly high across the 35 big cities under survey. Besides the top three cities, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Indore and Pune are the other mega cities which figure prominently in NCRB’s list for reporting relatively higher number of cases. The 35 mega cities collectively reported a total of 3,26,363 cognizable crimes in 2006, an increase of 3.7% over 2005. According to NCRB, the country reported a total of 51,02,460 cognizable crimes, of which 18,78,293 related to murder, rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, abduction, dowry death, dacoity, molestation and other violent offences. The remaining 32,24,167 incidents were cases registered under the Arms Act, Gambling Act, Prohibition Act, Forest Act, Railways Act and other special and local laws. Although the overall crime in the country recorded an increase of 1.5% in 2006 as compared to 2005, the ‘crime rate’ (number of crimes per one lakh population) declined by 0.02%. Predictably, Delhi bucked this trend as well and the crime rate here grew to 357.2, more than double the national average of 167.7. The crime rate is universally accepted as a more realistic indicator of crime. These figures reveal the dismal state of women in the capital. Dowry death (120), rape (533) and molestation (629) rates in Delhi were much higher as compared with other mega cities. Delhi, in fact, accounted for 31.2% of the total rape cases reported in big cities. Among the states, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of rapes (2,900), accounting for as much as 15% of the total. NCRB’s figures for Delhi endorsed what the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) of the home ministry had recently mentioned about the city while referring to a study/survey. That study, conducted by the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science (NICFS) at the behest of BPR&D, had concluded that the "absence of visible police patrolling" and "the police's attitude towards women complainants" in the national capital had substantially reduced the trust-quotient of police, particularly among women. As far as states are concerned, NCRB has found that Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes (1,94,711) followed by Maharashtra (1,91,788), Andhra Pradesh (1,73,909), Tamil Nadu (1,48,972) and Rajasthan (1,41,992) during 2006. Among violent crimes, India reported 32,481 murders, 19,348 rapes, 7,618 dowry deaths and 36,617 molestation cases in 2006. (Vishwa Mohan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-tops-crime-charts-for-fifth-year-in-a-row/articleshow/2665983.cms accessed on 6 January 2010)
14. Surge in ‘sumo babies’ worry city docs: The birth registry at Chennai Corporation shows that excessive birth weight, called macrosomia (meaning large organs), has gone up from 0.77% in 2004 to 1.06% in 2006 per one lakh births. On average, 900 overweight births (0.9%) are recorded annually. There were 989 babies above 4 kg born in city hospitals from January to November 2009. The average birth right has increased 3.5 kg, up by almost 1 kg, in the last 30 years. .Hospitals in the city are also seeing a considerable number of ‘sumo babies’, who could grow up to become adults prone to a series of disorders associated with obesity. (Pushpa Naryan, The Times of India 7 January 2010, p.1.)
15. 13,500 crooks on the loose in city: There are 13,521 criminals at large in Delhi, many of them since many years, and the police are doing precious little to trace them. Out of these, 4,777 are wanted in offences in which punishment is seven years or more, like murder, rape and narcotics related offences. All of them have been declared ‘proclaimed offenders’ by the courts after they failed to turn up before it, despite repeated summons and arrest warrants. The Delhi Police submitted the startling statistics to the Delhi High Court. A Bench of Justice A K Sikri and Ajit Bharihoke had sought the figures from the police after expressing concern over large number of proclaimed offenders in pending criminal cases in the capital. From the list submitted by the police, the court found that names of 1,061 criminals have been expunged from the list of absconders “due to various reasons”. The court was dealing with a case where a murder and robbery accused in a case absconded after securing bail during the trial and could not be traced for 10 years. The court is trying to put in place a proper system to ensure that there is follow up action to locate such accused and sought a periodic review of the same. The Delhi Police have been asked to file a fresh status report on the issue, clearly specifying the number of proclaimed offenders arrested since October 2009. (Harish V. Nair, http://www.hindustantimes.com/13-500-crooks-on-the-loose-in-city/H1-Article1-495388.aspx accessed on 9 January 2010)
16. Just 44% Class 1 kids know English alphabets: The annual audit by Pratham, a well-known education NGO, reported that the ability to read and comprehend English varied wildly across India and only 43.8% of class I kids could read the alphabets, even in big capital letters. It's worse than the average in many states. Gujarat is the worst with barely 25.3% class 1 children able to read capital letters. Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Jharkhand are only marginally better at 33.4%, 34.5%, 36% and 41.8%, respectively. In the south, Karnataka, despite its hi-tech glitter, scores just as bad only 37% of class I kids could pass the simple English test. In short, the much-touted advantage that India enjoys over China because of its knowledge of English, could vanish pretty soon unless there is all-round recognition of the looming crisis. Education experts say that unless English is made compulsory in school, India might be in an irreversible slide. In Kerala, the knowledge of English appeared the best with 85% of kids reading capital letters, West Bengal was way below at 57%. The entire north-east and Himachal Pradesh have scored well. The survey was done in 575 out of 583 rural districts and 3.38 lakh households involving nearly seven lakh children. The good news is that a lot more children are going to school. As many as 96% children in the age-group of 6-14 are in schools. In other words, access to education has dramatically improved; the issue is the quality of education being imparted. Just 69% of class 1 students could recognise numbers between one and nine. The figure for states like Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and UP hovers between 50% and 60%, while all north-eastern states and Kerala are much better with more than 90% of their children recognising the numbers. Alarmingly, things get worse as kids go up to higher classes. By class II, the national average of children who can recognise numbers between 11 and 99 declines to 54.6. And by class V, percentage of children who can do division comes down to 38%. MP and HP record relatively high levels topping the chart with over 60% of children in class V able to solve division problems. Chhattisgarh is the big success story showing the jump from 31% last year to 59% this year. Even in Kerala only 45% children of class V can do division. Goa is the best at 80% children doing division successfully. In the case of English, performance improves after class V. Till class V many states show the falling trend of students either able to read words or sentences. It can be gauged from the fact that while in class V the all-India average of students who can read sentences is 25.7%, by class VIII it goes up to 60.2%. But the decline till class V is noticeable. Many states like Gujarat, Jharkhand, Assam, Orissa, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, English language skills falls dramatically in class V. Even southern states follow the same trend. Take the case of Kerala. In class V only 54.5% children can read English sentences. In Gujarat it is abysmally low at 8%. In Tamil Nadu, only 19% children of class V can read sentences while in Uttar Pradesh it is 14%. Bihar remains more or less consistent at 31.3%. In class VIII all the north-eastern states, except Tripura, Goa, HP and Kerala more than 80% of children can not only read simple sentences fluently but also understand the meaning. ( http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Just-44-Class-1-kids-know-English-alphabets/articleshow/5450240.cms accessed on 16 January 2010)
17. 833 NGOs blacklisted for misappropriation of funds: CAPART: Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), an autonomous body functioning under rural development ministry, blacklisted a total of 833 NGOs and voluntary organisations on November 9. Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of such blacklisted organisations followed by Bihar and Tamil Nadu. The ministry informed that these NGOs were blacklisted for their indulgence in irregularities including misappropriation of funds, the committee said. Of the 833 NGOs and voluntary organisations which were blacklisted, 192 were from Andhra Pradesh, 125 from Bihar, 83 from Tamil Nadu, 75 from Karnataka, 72 from Uttar Pradesh, 42 from Rajasthan and 35 from Kerala. Thirty-two such organisations were from Orissa, 26 from West Bengal, 24 from Maharashtra, 23 from Delhi, 20 from Haryana, 18 from Manipur, 15 from Madhya Pradesh, 13 from Gujarat, 10 from Nagaland, eight from Jharkhand, five each from Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh, three from Jammu and Kashmir, two from Pondicherry and one each from Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya and Uttaranchal. (The Times of India, 17 January 2010, p1.)
18. Horoscope matching doesn’t matter for girls, says survey: Gone are the days when horoscopes decided marriages. According to a survey conducted by the state women’s commission (SWC), only 2.4 per cent of girls in Chennai are bothered about horoscopes when deciding on their match. The other 97 per cent are concerned about the groom’s education, job and family reputation. The survey was done over the last two months and covered most city colleges. The survey, the first of its kind by a government commission, was conducted to learn the preferences of girls in Chennai in choosing their partners. Explaining the findings, R. Ramathal, SWC chairperson, said, “The study has revealed that many young girls do not consider the matching of horoscopes as an important factor to choose their partners. They want to confirm the social status of the groom’s family and his job details. A majority of girls revealed that they would like to choose the partner on their own, but marry him only after getting consent from their family.” She told Deccan Chronicle that only 22 per cent of girls prefer love marriage. Several girls said they would insist that the groom ‘furnish’ the results of his blood test before the engagement ceremony. “Over 65 per cent said ‘no’ to marrying close relatives. They would also demand that the guy’s family share the marriage expenses,” said the survey. About reporting harassment after wedding, over 60 per cent of the respondents said they would take up the issue with their family initially and then file a police complaint. Only 3 per cent said they would not reveal their family problems to others. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/horoscope-matching-doesn%E2%80%99t-matter-girls-says-survey-453 accessed on 17 January 2010)
19. Maoists develop tech to clone AK series rifles: Security agencies came across the Maoists’ innovative skills when a CRPF team busted an arms manufacturing unit in forests close to Gobardaha village in Chatra district in Jharkhand and recovered a number of ‘duplicate’ AK-47 and AK-57 rifles of “high standard”. The CRPF also seized as many as 59 different types of instruments, which were used to manufacture and assemble these rifles and various types of pistols. The preliminary examination of weapons seized from the arms manufacturing unit showed that the quality of the rifles was as good as original AK series rifles. Five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) weighing 15 kg each were also seized during the operation, launched on the basis of specific intelligence input. (Vishwa Mohan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maoists-develop-tech-to-clone-AK-series-rifles/articleshow/5460469.cms accessed on 18 January 2010)
20. Robbers carry away ATM with Rs 32 lakh inside: Three armed assailants didn’t just loot an ATM of its contents, but the entire ATM in Greater Noida. They uprooted the ATM from the floor, transported it — with Rs 32 lakh inside — to their getaway vehicle using a refrigerator carrier and fled the scene. They also beat up the unarmed guard, 55-year-old Omkar Singh, tied his hands and legs and and left him dazed and senseless inside the room which housed the ATM. According to Uttar Pradesh police, this is the first time an incident like this has been reported in the National Capital Region. SSP Singh said investigations point to several sharp-edged weapons like crowbars and hammers being used to dislodge the ATM machine. He said the accused used a refrigerator carrier to carry the ATM machine to their vehicle. (Dwaipayan Ghosh, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Robbers-carry-away-ATM-with-Rs-32-lakh-inside/articleshow/5465469.cms accessed on 18 January 2010)
21. Migrant teachers for migrant kids: Twenty-three teachers from Andhra Pradesh and Orissa teach migrant labourers kids in Siruseri along Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai. The lessons are part of an initiative by the Rural Development Trust (TDT). The teachers take care of about one thousand students between the age of 6 and 14 in 17 centres. The teachers are not trained but have general education and teaching experience. These schools are approved by the Government. (D. Madhavan, The Times of India 18 January 2010, p.1.)
22. City 1st to get dog blood bank: Chennai is all set to become more canine-friendly with a first-of-its-kind, exclusive, blood bank for dogs. The proposed bank will have an advanced database of donor dogs in the city. Madras Veterinary College (MVC) has now put up notice boards insisting pet owners be part of the donor base. “There is an acute demand for canine blood during surgeries and the project is the brainchild of the vice-chancellor. Work has already started,” a senior professor of MVC said. There is a growing demand for transfusion therapy to treat many diseases and injuries related to dogs, particularly in orthopaedic surgeries when blood loss is high, the professor added. So far, five donors have enrolled in the donor programme. At least 20 donors are required for inaugurating the programme. The blood bank will be a boon for dogs with anaemic complaints, viral and parasitic infections and those that get injured in accidents. The programme will not entertain monetary benefit for the donors, but the donors will be helped by the MVC when their pets are in distress. There are four types of blood groups in dogs and blood transfusion in animals is not that complicated, compared to humans, and it needs basic infrastructure which is already available in the varsity, the vice-chancellor added. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/city-1st-get-dog-blood-bank-394 accessed on 21 January 2010) In India, hundreds of women die during child birth because they are anaemic. When basic medical care is neglected for huge number of human beings is dog blood bank a luxury?
23. 1/3rd of Chennai councillors keep mum in House: According to norms, mayor M Subramanian reads out replies to a set of questions posed by elected councillors to the council department in writing. The total number of councilors is 155. During the zero hour debate, about 20 councillors, including opposition leaders and those from the ruling party, discuss civic issues. Only then are the resolutions tabled for discussion. An official report available with TOI reveals that at least 14 councillors, including 13 from the DMK and one from the PMK, have the dubious distinction of not having ever spoken in the council about the problems faced by residents in their wards since they assumed charge in 2006. Statistics show 39 councillors have not raised a single query during question hour, 42 have not uttered a word during zero hour, and 51 remained silent when resolutions were discussed. For many, attending the council sessions is only a formality, which is often not even fulfilled. A recent session saw the council falling short of quorum (50) to transact business. Hardly 10 resolutions were taken up for discussion as the treasury and opposition benches were empty. (Julie Mariappan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/1/3rd-of-Chennai-councillors-keep-mum-in-House/articleshow/5486484.cms accessed on 22 January 2010)
24. There's no national language in India: Gujarat High Court: A majority of people have accepted Hindi as a national language and many speak Hindi and write in Devanagari script, but it's not officially the national language. With this observation, a bench headed by Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya refused to issue directions that packaged commodities must contain details about goods in Hindi. The court asked whether there was any notification saying Hindi is India's national language, for it's an ``official language'' of this country. No notification ever issued by the government could be produced before the court in this regard. This is because the Constitution has given Hindi the status of the official language and not the national language.
The court concluded that the rules have specific provisions for manufacturers that particulars of declaration should be in Hindi in Devanagari script or in English, and it's their prerogative to use English. Therefore, no mandamus can be issued on manufacturers or governments for giving details or particulars of package in Hindi. (Saeed Khan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Theres-no-national-language-in-India-Gujarat-High-Court/articleshow/5496231.cms accessed on 25 January 2010)
25. Orissa’s hemp heaven: Farmers in Kudanali, a hilly, forested village in Orissa’s Sambalpur district, are growing ganja, or cannabis, in their backyards, near nullahs and in the forests for the past ten years. Cultivation of ganja is a lucrative business in Orissa and nets the 4,000-5,000 landowners involved in it more than Rs 1,000 crore every year. The downstream trade in this narcotic product — spread across large parts of India and abroad — balloons to about Rs 15,000 crore per annum. Though no official estimates exist, Hindustan Times arrived at these figures after speaking to excise and police officials and a cross-section of people involved in the trade. Since the returns are higher than that from paddy and vegetables, ganja cultivation has raised the living standards of marginal farmers. Kudanali village has no electricity, but Majhi has a solar electrification system in his house and a dish antenna for his colour TV. The people involved in this trade are naturally very secretive about it. Hindustan Times spent months tracking this trade and finally got an inside view of it in the last week of December when this correspondent managed to speak to some farmers and traders posing as an “investor”. This is how the trade works. Traders (mostly from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack but also from other states), called “investors” in these parts, strike deals with farmers to grow ganja on their fields and provide seeds, fertilisers and about Rs 15,000 per acre as upfront payment. With at least 4,000-5,000 ganja plants per acre, the farmer grosses about Rs 6-8 lakh per acre. His profit: Rs 5-6 lakh per acre. Compared to this, paddy gives returns of Rs 15,000 per acre. So, the farmer’s choice of ganja over paddy is a no-brainer. The only risk: raids by the police and the anti-drug enforcement authorities. But the entire machinery is so well-oiled that the kingpins — believed to be a cabal of senior politicians and their local representatives cutting across party lines — even set aside a few dozen acres of ganja fields that the authorities can raid and keep up appearances of fighting the drug menace. Ganja grown in Orissa finds its way to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — and from there to Sri Lanka and West Asia — through a well-oiled supply chain. Its price shoots up at each stage of the supply chain, which is controlled by local criminals and politicians. The source price of Rs 1,500-1,600 per kg rises to about Rs 8,500 per kg at this stage. But just 30 per cent of the product is consumed locally. The rest is sent outside the state where it sells for as much as Rs 30,000 per kg. “We conceal a quintal of ganja in trucks carrying rice or cement,” said a transporter. The government says it is aware of the extent of the menace. A report of the Justice P.K. Mohanty Commission, submitted to the government in 2008, said that processed ganja is smuggled in a big way through Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Officially, illegal cultivation has been reported in 13 districts. But enforcement officials say there are two major tracts of more than 6,000 acre each, which account for most of the illegal cultivation. The first tract is in Malkangiri district, 420 km south east of Bhubaneswar and the second is spread across the Sambalpur, Deogarh and Angul districts in western Orissa. Owing to the Naxalite menace in the state, the second tract is increasingly finding favour with the ganja trade. “We have shifted to Sambalpur from Malkangiri due to the harassment by Naxals,” said a ganja trader from Andhra Pradesh. Some locals are now beginning to protest against this trade. (Priya Ranjan Sahu, http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bhubaneshwar/Orissa-s-hemp-heaven/Article1-501453.aspx accessed on 25 January 2010)
II Diaspora
NCW calls for law to protect NRI brides: Pressing for a separate legislation on marital issues involving non-resident Indians, the National Commission for Women (NCW) said that the phenomena of `holiday husbands' - NRI grooms who marry in India for dowry and desert their wives - was on a steady rise. NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said the commission's NRI cell, which was set up six months back, had received as many as 177 complaints relating to marital discord. About 331 such complaints have been received by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs in the past one year. ``A maximum of 130 complaints were received from the US followed by Britain (44) and Canada (37). Among the states, maximum of 87 complaints were received from victims originating from Punjab, followed by Delhi (59) and Haryana (21),'' Vyas added. The commission has recommended a separate legislation that will address issues including matrimonial discord, maintenance of spouses and children, child custody, settlement of matrimonial property amongst others. ``This can serve as a comprehensive ready reference for foreign courts deciding litigation between NRI and Indian citizens,'' Vyas said. This is also likely to address concerns raised by the Law Commission on the absence of rules of private international law. The NCW has also recommended compulsory registration of NRI marriages and has appealed to the Centre to effectively represent to governments of all foreign countries, particularly those with a large NRI presence, to give effect to international law like provisions in the Hague Convention which deal with issues of overseas marriages. The commission said the ministry of external affairs through its embassies abroad should sensitize the home departments of foreign countries about issues regarding dowry demands and other problems faced by women. Vyas also suggesting an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act to ensure protection of the rights of victims of failed marriages. She said there was scope for making changes in the process for issuing passports as well. (Himanshi Dhawan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NCW-calls-for-law-to-protect-NRI-brides/articleshow/5485602.cms accessed on 22 January 2010)
III Global
Saudi schoolgirl to get 90 lashes for carrying mobile: A 13-year-old schoolgirl in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 90 lashes and two months in prison for carrying to her classroom a mobile phone equipped with a camera. The girl, who has not been named, was sentenced to 90 lashes in front of her classmates followed by two months in detention. A Saudi court pronounced the judgement after she was caught with a cell phone equipped with a camera. The gadget is banned in girls' schools in the country, (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Saudi-schoolgirl-to-get-90-lashes-for-carrying-mobile/H1-Article1-500399.aspx accessed on 22 January 2010)
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A Bubble did not burst
Dear Prayer Partners,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalms 91:11,12)
God’s promises are true, relevant and trustworthy. Going out and coming in is a risky task in urban India. It is by grace of God for us to be alive one more day.
On 22 January morning I was driving my scooter to drop Thambos in his school in Annanagar. We were crossing the bridge and we were descending on the hundred feet road while a big car that was behind us hit us (0815 AM). We were thrown on the road, while our scooter had fallen near the edge of the road. In a fraction of a second, I was down with my specks and sun glasses strewn far away, Thambos was lying with his school bag little further away. Thank God, there were no fast moving vehicles behind us. The car that hit us disappeared and nobody noted the registration number of the car.
Many good people stopped to help us, especially those who were on their two-wheelers, and three wheelers. Thambos had minor scratches in his elbow. One school teacher, who was in the scene, took Thambos along with her to school. I drove the scooter home (about 5 KM). I had scratches in my left elbow, both knees (trousers and sandals torn), ankle, right hand, few cuts here and there. Rosy took me to a hospital and had injections and bandages. Scooter also will need repair.
We are grateful to God, because I do not have fracture or deep cuts. I have vitamin K deficiency, which means if there is bleeding, it may not stop for long time – that means loss of blood – dangerous. Thambos was also was protected by God, he went to school to write his exams. We are grateful that I am alive, well, healthy and active.
It is just a warning to me to understand life is just a ‘bubble’; we live in borrowed time and are expected to be better stewards of all resources God has given us including time. In 1998, I had similar accident when riding with Hosanna in the pillion. That time I had a crack in a bone and was advised 10 weeks bed rest. That was the time God gave me direction for Urban Missions that changed my life and numerous others in India and around the world. May be God is giving me a new direction in my ministry.
Thank you for your prayers, please continue to pray for us.
Yours in His Vineyard,
J.N. Manokaran
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