By Pandit Shivaram / Varanasi
Since time immemorial, cremation rituals have never stopped at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, the way they were for an hour on Monday. There was no cremation during the hour-long protest against delay in arrest of persons who had alleged that betting, running into crores of rupees on the number of corpses arriving at the ghat, had become a flourishing business in the ancient city of salvation.
By Khaja Pasha / Bangalore
In hilarious slip-ups in the Aadhaar card enrolment process, some cards have ended up with pictures of an empty chair, a tree or a dog instead of the actual applicants in Karnataka.
Asked about the cases, where data collected from applicants were not reflected on the cards, Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) deputy director general Ashok Dalwai said no system was foolproof. "There have been some errors," he said.
By Sarah Williams / New York
Gut bacteria are known to have a central role both in human and in animal health. Animals acquire different bacteria as they age but how the microbial communities in the bodies of wild animals change over time is not well understood. International researchers headed by Indian Scientist Dr. Pramod Bhatkal have examined the gastrointestinal bacteria of chick and adult black-legged kittiwakes. Surprisingly, the microbial assemblages of chicks and adults generally differ greatly, with only a few types of bacteria in common.
By Suchitra Shukla / Varanasi
While some reckon Varanasi is the filthiest Indian city, for devout Hindus it is a 'Timeless City', the holiest of holy place to secure moksha (release from the repeated cycle of birth and death – A Hindu belief). My own interest in the city was aroused by the view I once got of the ghat (river bank) on the western bank of the Ganges while flying to Bhubaneshwar from Delhi. As the plane, banking to the left flew along the bend of the river after a touchdown at Varanasi, I saw them bathed in the brilliant morning sunshine, with the dark, placid waters of the holy river quietly flowing by. It was a spectacular sight and since then I had nursed a desire to visit Varanasi.
By Kajol Singh / Delhi
A bizarre investment scheme has come under market watchdog Sebi’s scanner, wherein hundreds of crores have been raised through public deposits for purchase of cattles with a promise of more than doubling the money through returns linked to the ghee produced by them.
As per the latest financial details accessed by Sebi, the scheme named ‘Cattles & Ghee’ had mobilised a total amount of Rs 745 crore as on March 31, 2011. Further funds could have been garnered from the depositors since then.
By Alok Yadav / Patna
Illegal weapons manufactured in Munger in Bihar have found their way to various terror groups and criminal gangs in several parts of the country as well as to Bangladesh, officials have said. Easy accessibility and low cost are the unique selling points of Munger’s 9mm pistols where the buyers even get a heavy discount on bulk orders.
This has led to the availability of the weapons in various parts of the country especially Maharashtra, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Available somewhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 with a magazine free, the demand for Munger weapons is in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, national capital and adjoining areas and Bangladesh.
By Neetu Chandra / New Delhi
Comprehensive research study says residents going deaf at 60 now instead of the natural 75. Like all bad news, this one’s come through loud and clear. And that’s the terrible irony of it, for Delhiites have started complaining of agerelated hearing loss as early as 60 years of age, says a study conducted by the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health at Maulana Azad Medical College ( MAMC).
Presbycusis ( age- related hearing loss) is the cumulative effect of ageing on hearing. It is a progressive age- related hearing loss which generally sets in after the age of 75 years. In Delhi, however, such cases are being reported at the age of 60.
By M H Ahssan / Hyderabad
Infosys often prides itself on sustainability, profitability and predictability. Very few observers would have predicted that Infosys would make an announcement early Saturday morning, saying that NR Narayana Murthy would be back in an executive position at a company he founded 32 years ago. (Even Narayana Murthy said in a press conference later that he didn’t imagine, even in his wildest dreams, that this would happen).
