लंदन। हॉलीवुड की प्रख्यात् अदाकारा जूलिया रॉबर्ट्स ने हिंदू धर्म स्वीकार कर लिया है। उनको विश्वास है कि हिंदू धर्म से अगले जन्म में सुख और शांति की जिंदगी मिल सकेगी।
जूलिया ने कहा- 'मैं निश्चित तौर पर हिन्दू बन गई हूं। इस जीवन में मेरे दोस्तों और परिवार ने मुझे जरूरत से ज्यादा बिगाड़ दिया है। अब मैं अपना अगला जन्म भी खराब नहीं करना चाहती और अगले जन्म में सुख व शांति से रहना चाहती हूं। इसलिए मैंने हिंदू धर्म अपनाया है।'
उल्लेखनीय है कि 42 वर्षीय जूलिया के माता-पिता क्रमशः बैप्टिस्ट और कैथोलिक हैं। वह अपनी फिल्म 'ईट प्रे लव' की शूटिंग के लिए पहली बार भारत आई थीं। शूटिंग के दौरान उनको हिंदू धर्म को करीब से जानने का मौका मिला था। जिसके बाद उन्होंने हिन्दू धर्म स्वीकार कर लिया।
जूलिया ने कहा कि अब वह अपने कैमरामैन पति डेनियल मोडर और तीन बच्चों हैजल फिनायस और हेनरी के साथ भजन-कीर्तन तथा प्रार्थना करने के लिए नित्य-प्रति मंदिरों में जाती हैं और घंटों पूजा-अर्चना करती हैं।
sorce:वीएचवी। अंतरराष्ट्रीय ब्यूरो। 06 अगस्त, 2010
मंगलवार, 10 अगस्त 2010
शुक्रवार, 9 जुलाई 2010
Changed due to the presence of Indian immigrants there has outraged Indian-Americans :Time magazine
Sharply reacting to an article in Time magazine which offended Indian-Americans, BJP on Wednesday asked the US to take adequate measures to safeguard the immigrant population from "white nationalists" making "insensitive comments" about their culture and religion. "Immigrant Indian population related stories
Time says sorry to Indian-Americans
is increasingly under attack from the white nationalists there. Insensitive comments attacking their culture, dress, literature and religion have periodically hurt the cultural pride of these populations," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said in reply to a question.
An article by Joel Stein, titled My Own Private India, in the Time magazine issue dated July 5 about how Edison, his town in New Jersey, USA, changed due to the presence of Indian immigrants there has outraged Indian-Americans. The magazine has since come out with an apology.
"I question just how good our schools were if 'dot heads' was the best racist insult we could come up with for a group of people whose gods have multiple arms and an elephant nose," Stein writes in his article.
He also wonders why a bunch of people "from half a world away" chose this "random town" in New Jersey to inhabit and whether they were from "some Indian state that got made fun of by all the other Indian states and didn't want to give up that feeling".
Sitharaman said the US government needs to take measures to prevent attempts to hurt sentiments of Indian-Americans.
"Communal harmony is very difficult to obtain but very easy to destroy. Cultural and religious sensitivity cannot be lost for patriotism. Governments should take adequate care to respect the sentiments of the immigrant population," she said.
Sorce: PTI
Time says sorry to Indian-Americans
is increasingly under attack from the white nationalists there. Insensitive comments attacking their culture, dress, literature and religion have periodically hurt the cultural pride of these populations," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said in reply to a question.
An article by Joel Stein, titled My Own Private India, in the Time magazine issue dated July 5 about how Edison, his town in New Jersey, USA, changed due to the presence of Indian immigrants there has outraged Indian-Americans. The magazine has since come out with an apology.
"I question just how good our schools were if 'dot heads' was the best racist insult we could come up with for a group of people whose gods have multiple arms and an elephant nose," Stein writes in his article.
He also wonders why a bunch of people "from half a world away" chose this "random town" in New Jersey to inhabit and whether they were from "some Indian state that got made fun of by all the other Indian states and didn't want to give up that feeling".
Sitharaman said the US government needs to take measures to prevent attempts to hurt sentiments of Indian-Americans.
"Communal harmony is very difficult to obtain but very easy to destroy. Cultural and religious sensitivity cannot be lost for patriotism. Governments should take adequate care to respect the sentiments of the immigrant population," she said.
Sorce: PTI
मंगलवार, 20 अप्रैल 2010
A protest against Bt brinjal in New Delhi
A protest against Bt brinjal in New Delhi
controversy: BT brinjal
Sanjay Rawat
Also In This Story
interview
‘GM Isn’t Only Route To Food Security’
The morning after announcing the moratorium on Bt brinjal, a visibly relaxed environment minister spoke to Outlook
Outlook
Finally, we have a decision: genetically modified (GM) foods are not landing on Indian dinner tables just yet. By imposing a moratorium on the commercial release of Bt brinjal developed by Mahyco, Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh has chosen the path of caution in what has been a bruising battle. Unsurprisingly, there’s heartburn, reflecting the deep divide on the issue among scientists and policymakers. Even the celebrations are muted. Described as “courageous” by some, Jairam’s final call is being viewed as “subjective” by others.
There is no middle ground here, just lots of questions. Did a cocktail of “emotions and politics” prevail, after all, over “science”? What does the decision mean for the future of India’s programme to boost GM crops? Is this but a clever red herring, a semi-final to GM foods? And will genuine concerns on safety, health, environment, yield and sustainability be addressed in the future?
Some of the immediate reactions say it all. “I prayed, fasted and even staged protests with other farmers demanding that the government should not give permission for Bt brinjal cultivation,” says a jubilant Samatbhai, an organic farmer from Dharai village in Gujarat. Finally, opposition from a section of scientists and over a dozen state governments, many of whom even announced a ban fearing an adverse impact on biodiversity, swung Jairam’s decision—overruling pressure lobbies within the UPA and outside.
Bt brinjals developed in Coimbatore
Drawing a parallel with the tensions during the induction of computers in banking, Prithviraj Chavan, MoS, science and technology and in the PMO, says, “There is nothing wrong in being cautious, but it should be a purely scientific decision.” Confirming his faith in the findings of the scientific community or the GEAC, renamed this week as Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, Chavan says “this cannot be a subjective decision”, as it could influence flow of investments in agriculture biotechnology.
Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar points out in the last seven years since India adopted the first GM crop—Bt cotton—cotton production has doubled (the share of GM cotton is over 85 per cent). However, there are many detractors who say that results are not uniform across the country. Charges of manipulation of safety trial data, denying rights of Indian farmers to own seeds and exploitation by US seed multinationals like Monsanto, which has 26 per cent stake in Mahyco, have dogged the growth of GM crops.
Even as some ask how the minister could override the regulatory authority, nullifying its very purpose, Jairam has not only overturned the GEAC’s decision, but also signalled a dilution of its powers. But noted biotechnologist and Supreme Court nominee in GEAC, P.M. Bhargava, a dissenter to the original GEAC clearance, calls it the “single most important decision taken by any minister since Independence, which will change the course of our development”.
Experts say it was the evident conflict of interest and haste in the clearance accorded to Bt brinjal that had eroded faith in the bureaucrat-dominated GEAC. Tiruvadi Jagadisan, former MD of Monsanto India, reveals, “Government agencies do not have the time or resources to test everything, so they depend on company data, which tend to be favourable to them.” Jairam has promised to change this. Former Planning Commission member and a pioneer in agriculture biotechnology V.L. Chopra underlines, “The important issue is to have a system of assessment which is transparent, accountable, independent and credible with no conflict of interest, which at the present moment does not exist.”
Does this mean the end of the road for scientists toiling for over a decade to develop GM crops (over six are in the pipeline)? Not so, assures the environment minister, as it is part of PM Manmohan Singh’s roadmap for food security. While public sector scientists are happy that Jairam foresees a bigger role for them in the GM space, it’s a fact that India spends less than a fraction of $3 billion annually spent by China on crop R&D.
Says P. Ananda Kumar, director of the National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, “This is not a very encouraging development for scientists in public institutions who have been struggling to develop GM crops.” Hopefully, the policymakers will use the moratorium window to strengthen the regulatory process. And provide consumer choice through mandatory labelling.
Sorce:Outlook
controversy: BT brinjal
Sanjay Rawat
Also In This Story
interview
‘GM Isn’t Only Route To Food Security’
The morning after announcing the moratorium on Bt brinjal, a visibly relaxed environment minister spoke to Outlook
Outlook
Finally, we have a decision: genetically modified (GM) foods are not landing on Indian dinner tables just yet. By imposing a moratorium on the commercial release of Bt brinjal developed by Mahyco, Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh has chosen the path of caution in what has been a bruising battle. Unsurprisingly, there’s heartburn, reflecting the deep divide on the issue among scientists and policymakers. Even the celebrations are muted. Described as “courageous” by some, Jairam’s final call is being viewed as “subjective” by others.
There is no middle ground here, just lots of questions. Did a cocktail of “emotions and politics” prevail, after all, over “science”? What does the decision mean for the future of India’s programme to boost GM crops? Is this but a clever red herring, a semi-final to GM foods? And will genuine concerns on safety, health, environment, yield and sustainability be addressed in the future?
Some of the immediate reactions say it all. “I prayed, fasted and even staged protests with other farmers demanding that the government should not give permission for Bt brinjal cultivation,” says a jubilant Samatbhai, an organic farmer from Dharai village in Gujarat. Finally, opposition from a section of scientists and over a dozen state governments, many of whom even announced a ban fearing an adverse impact on biodiversity, swung Jairam’s decision—overruling pressure lobbies within the UPA and outside.
Bt brinjals developed in Coimbatore
Drawing a parallel with the tensions during the induction of computers in banking, Prithviraj Chavan, MoS, science and technology and in the PMO, says, “There is nothing wrong in being cautious, but it should be a purely scientific decision.” Confirming his faith in the findings of the scientific community or the GEAC, renamed this week as Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, Chavan says “this cannot be a subjective decision”, as it could influence flow of investments in agriculture biotechnology.
Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar points out in the last seven years since India adopted the first GM crop—Bt cotton—cotton production has doubled (the share of GM cotton is over 85 per cent). However, there are many detractors who say that results are not uniform across the country. Charges of manipulation of safety trial data, denying rights of Indian farmers to own seeds and exploitation by US seed multinationals like Monsanto, which has 26 per cent stake in Mahyco, have dogged the growth of GM crops.
Even as some ask how the minister could override the regulatory authority, nullifying its very purpose, Jairam has not only overturned the GEAC’s decision, but also signalled a dilution of its powers. But noted biotechnologist and Supreme Court nominee in GEAC, P.M. Bhargava, a dissenter to the original GEAC clearance, calls it the “single most important decision taken by any minister since Independence, which will change the course of our development”.
Experts say it was the evident conflict of interest and haste in the clearance accorded to Bt brinjal that had eroded faith in the bureaucrat-dominated GEAC. Tiruvadi Jagadisan, former MD of Monsanto India, reveals, “Government agencies do not have the time or resources to test everything, so they depend on company data, which tend to be favourable to them.” Jairam has promised to change this. Former Planning Commission member and a pioneer in agriculture biotechnology V.L. Chopra underlines, “The important issue is to have a system of assessment which is transparent, accountable, independent and credible with no conflict of interest, which at the present moment does not exist.”
Does this mean the end of the road for scientists toiling for over a decade to develop GM crops (over six are in the pipeline)? Not so, assures the environment minister, as it is part of PM Manmohan Singh’s roadmap for food security. While public sector scientists are happy that Jairam foresees a bigger role for them in the GM space, it’s a fact that India spends less than a fraction of $3 billion annually spent by China on crop R&D.
Says P. Ananda Kumar, director of the National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, “This is not a very encouraging development for scientists in public institutions who have been struggling to develop GM crops.” Hopefully, the policymakers will use the moratorium window to strengthen the regulatory process. And provide consumer choice through mandatory labelling.
Sorce:Outlook
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