Thursday, July 31, 2014

~ Japanese traditional way of eating Sushi ~

I had my share of discomfort during my first visit to a Sushi restaurant in the US. Here is a video on how to eat Sushi the traditional way and the mannerism associated with it. The thing about Japanese is that most of their daily habits have some kind of ritual to be performed. The video might be hilarious, but is informative. 



Thursday, July 24, 2014

~ News traders ~

Gone are the days where journalists used to report news AS IS. These days they trade news based on who pays them ( the media owners to be precise). I know it is broad acquisition against all, but that's how I view them these days. The numbers of journalists who actually report news is quite few compared to the number of media companies that have grown in the past decade across India.

Thanks to Social Media & other alternate news site which provide a different perspective to abused, TRP seeking, continual *BREAKING NEWS* on every mainstream news channel, be it regional or national.

Public Service Broadcasting trust and Prasar Bharti Corporation have come together to produce a documentary on #PaidNews in Indian media. 
Note: This documentary is nearly 3 years old, but very relevant even today.


After watching it, you realise that many cases have not been taken to it's logical end by the Media. Watch what the Sports Journalists has to say about the media's role on IPL


40:53
it's happening life feel clock in the morning and still going on
41:00
the media which had been going gaga over the IP 0 for three years
41:05
sadly did a somersault a day after the times likes to serve the Baltimore these
41:09
for scams on the news all yesterday the Enforcement Directorate is doing
41:12
everything
41:13
to drag him back to India and face the charges said
41:19
it's like upto order readers or your viewers
41:23
I like a herd you you them in one direction could one day
41:26
and southerly when they actually you're getting exposed
41:29
who were exposed also in this the people who had not call their viewers
41:34
I'm sure they've really don't hesitate to ask was reading newspapers are those
41:38
really P weekend as
41:40
the foot three years you told us a different story know all of a sudden you
41:44
are
41:45
picking a somersault and saying everything is on the border
41:49
this man are about to %uh this poor River you for these two years


Following are some of them which I regularly follow:
News Laundry
Media Crooks
Media Nama
The News Minute

Which alternative sites do you visit on a daily basis for your news? Do share them. 

Source: News Laundry

Saturday, July 19, 2014

~ Trust ~

Trust, a belief which one has in someone or something. Trust isn't natural. It takes sufficient time to develop trust in people or brand or company. The only relationship where it is natural is between a Mother and Child.

Trust is an invisible thread in our daily lives. We don't take much cognisance of it, but very much there in every aspect of our lives. Right from Family, Domestic Help, Teachers, Drivers, Colleagues & Friends. Last but no the least, religious people have their trust in {invisible} GOD. The trust with all those individuals didn't happen over night, it was gradually built over a period of time.

One such relationship which is very key & essential to the development of child to an successful individual is that of Student and Teacher. The Teacher plays a major role in the over-all development of a kid in the formative years of school. Of-course kids do imbibe & learn a lot from their parents and extended families. Teacher may primarily be responsible for imparting knowledge for growth and development of a student. At times they can also be a role model for some.

If you are wondering what is this post all about? Am ranting about Trust, Student-Teacher relationship., etc. Well it is my anger and frustration at the Teachers & Management of VIBGYOR HIGH school on Varthur-Haralur Road, near Kundalahalli Gate, Bangalore. Two teachers raped a 6 year old girl in the school premises on July 1st. Yes, you read it right, two teachers RAPED a 6 YEAR OLD girl. Apparently her parents realised it only after 3 days past the incident, when a stranger called them up to check on the girl. Until then her parents were treating her for stomach ache & fever. 

It is very horrific incident for a 6 yr old & the turmoil her parents are undergoing. She didn't known what happened with her at school & never told to her parents about it. Her innocence is shown when she asks her mother this.
"Momma, Papa is not bad, na?" asked Rhea, 6, after she narrated to her mother what had happened to her in a dark room in her VIBGYOR HIGH school upmarket school in East Bangalore.
"The child revealed nothing to her parents, but the trauma showed up in the form of stomach ache and intermittent fever in the following week." 
"Her parents would have been in the dark if not for a call from a stranger on July 9, asking why the child was not attending school." "It was a woman doctor at a private hospital in Marathahalli who educated the parents about the vaginal tear and the reasons for the child's stomach ache. She told them Rhea had been sexually assaulted. Till then, the child was being treated for high fever, though she had been complaining to her mother about pain in her private parts."
Finally the case was taken up on July 14th.
"She spoke about the harassment by two male staff in the school. Her mother was shocked. The sexual assault was confirmed after the parents took the kid to a private hospital on July 11, after fighting among themselves whether to believe what she had told them or not," says Radha R of the special juvenile police unit, Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA), who took up the case on July 14 , soon after the father rang up the childline."
Even after so much evidence, the school authorities haven't owned their failure in handling the entire matter nor have they helped identify and handover the culprit teachers. The cops haven't helped in anyway to expedite the case and arrest the guilty. Bangalore cops might have been doing good off-late, but then they have been sloppy and insensitive in this particular case. They have made the 6 yr old undergo medical tests twice. WTF! is wrong with you guys???
"In gross violation of norms governing child abuse cases, the child rape survivor was put through medical tests twice. The 6 year-old was allegedly raped in her school on July 2.
On July 11, the child underwent the first medical test in a private hospital in Marathahalli.
On July 15, police took the child to Vaidehi Medical College and Hospital for another test. “Police said the case would get stronger if the medical test was done in a hospital under their jurisdiction, which is ridiculous,'' said a child-rights activist who is with the parents. No Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member was present at either test."
Today, a lot of parents who send their kids to VIBGYOR school and citizens came forward to protest against the school and demand the police to arrest the culprits. Not really sure what our Chief Minister & Home Minister are doing about the whole situation. There have been 3 rapes reported in the last 5 days. 

The number of people who turned up should sound alarm to those are in power should not take us for granted.






~ Photos by my friend Venkat ~

Also Times of India, when they first reported this case they clearly stated *VIBGYOR HIGH* school. Now, they have been masking the name of the school, stating *UPMARKET*.  Is this journalistic practice?

The little girl's *Trust* has been broken. Not really sure if she would ever trust a Teacher in the coming years. Hope she recovers soon from trauma & gets back to normal. At the same time, citizen of this city and country have lost faith in GOVERNMENT, POLITICIANS & POLICE



~ Mission statement on VIBGYOR HIGH ~

Mr Rustom Kerawalla, chairman of VIBGYOR HIGH, just putting up mission statement on your website isn't good enough. Please walk the talk and reach out to the parents. Also hand over all the teachers who were responsible for the entire episode - the rapists and those who helped cover up the matter.

Additional reading (ordered by date)

Man abducts 6-year-old from school, rapes her
Cops question two suspects, hold identification parade
Sexual assault on girl came to light after stranger called mom
Cops flout rule, test 6-yr-old girl twice
Sexual assault on girl came to light after stranger called mother

Updates

21 July 2014 | Skating instructor arrested for the 6 yr old rape.
Deccan Herald
TOI - Looks like TOI has kind of pact with the school that they don't publish the name of the school - VIBGYOR HIGH

30 July 2014 | Another twist in the tale. Mustafa, the skating instructor arrested might not be the culprit. Instead two other instructors have been arrested in the case. However, Mustafa is alleged to have committed a rape of a 14yr old girl in Deen's academy, the school were he worked prior to joining VIBGYOR HIGH.
Deccan Herald

5 Aug 2014 | The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has asked the Council of Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) to furnish a detailed report on the rape of a primary school student within the premises of a High School in Bangalore last month. The Hindu

Monday, July 07, 2014

~ Be a Now-ist ~

Love this talk by Joi Ito on how the Internet has transformed the world of building things at lower cost, bottom-up innovation, community driven development & continuos development. 


Like the way he says, "Don't be futurist, be a Now-ist".

More about Joi Ito.