First Indian to receive Crans Montana Award

The Art of Living Founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, became the first Indian to receive the Crans Montana Forum Award in Belgium on June 24. "You (Sri Sri) represent, today, hope to people in conflict," says Jean-Paul Carteron, Chairman and Founder, in a letter.

Since 1989, the Crans Montana Forum has been awarding individuals who fight for peace, democracy and liberty. Several Presidents and Prime Ministers have received this award. President of the United States of America, Barack Obama; Former Prime Minister of Portugal and current President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso; Current President of Finland, Tarja Halonen; Current President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka; Current Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel are some of the previous recipients of this award.

Sri Sri was also invited to share his vision of a stress-free, violence-free world at the Crans Montana Forum 21, on June 24, in a session entitled: 'Shaping a new world for tomorrow – The necessity of identifying & implementing common values.' Sri Sri's message of a one-world family and his three decade-body of work in reviving human values have transformed communities across 151 nations. Tribes in Africa, villages in rural India, troubled youth in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo have adopted Sri Sri's call to action: inner peace to outer peace.

The Art of Living celebrated 30 years of service to humanity on July 2 and 3 in Berlin through the World Culture Festival. The organization has been serving people through projects that empower the individual, provide freedom from trauma and stress in crisis areas, and rehabilitates victims of violence and prison inmates. It teaches yoga and meditation, emphasizing on using the breath to relax and manage stress. A key component is the Sudarshan Kriya, a health-promoting breathing technique. The organization also holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN), and he is active in numerous other international bodies and committees in the areas of health, education and sustainable development.

Back at Editorials

Never in my entire life I had imagined that one day, I'll be writing an article for a magazine. Let alone an editorial. However, my first opprtunity to exploit my flair for writing was in year 2002 when I was made the Editor of the college wall magazine. It was just an editorials for two issues. No big deal! I was actually reprimanded by my mom who is a masters degree holder in english literature. Her point was that my writing was too immature and I was not at all capable of writing even a college essay. Well, that's my mom!

After seven years, I got the same chance, but not in the college magazine. It was an industrial magazine. It was not exactly an editorial but a report that's to be written by an editor himself. But as the editor was pre-occupied with other priorities, I had to fill up the column. Finally it was published! I started wondering, what is it, that my mom although being an masters in english literature, had no iota of interest in writing while I, having no proper training in journalism or english literature, am getting opportunites to write? Well, that is one part of my story.

Recently, I was given a hint by the branch manager of the bank I work at that I had to keep myself highly updated with latest events. I was asked to give an analysis on 2G spectrum scam and nadia case. She highlighted the need for me to stay abreast in all the current developments in India and around the world along with my favorite topics of technology, internet and spirituality!

Great going buddy! Good Luck to myself!

Breaking News: Ooops! it's all broken...

Breaking News is the 21st century lexicon. I did one hour research on the web about how this word first came to use. The CNN guys started it to get peoples attention to a really bad news. In the initial days of its usage, the word would flash once or twice a week when a plane would crash or a commercial complex would catch fire. Mostly these types of news would be freshly baked ones.

Now a days, most loved word in the red background flashes even during 5am and this news would mostly be 2 to 3 days old!! On one of the channel, They were showing videos from youtube.com and the breaking news flashed below the screen. I read the flashing message. It said that the news channel had discovered that a dog could sing with the master playing piano. I was aghast with all that was going on. I don't know what to call it? Plagiarism or fools play? Something that's on a video channel that they download and show it publicly claiming that they have covered the news. Gosh! when will the media industry report real news.

Who's really bothered to know about the minister dozing off in some miscellaneous conference meet, or about some movie celerity sneezing or if they run out of their news reserves then topics of dysfunctional male are discussed! The 9pm debates are the most wackiest and most craziest show on earth. The bi-spectacle guy or dame willfully and intentionally pours oil in the fire and this keeps their pockets warm!! What a way to earn a living?? My question is "Will debates solve the burning topics of Naxalism, Rising Food Inflation, Soaring Mercury in Summer, Water Woes? and lots of unsolved and neglected issues."

Come on! It's high time now. Stop the silly things. Media industry is one of the power pillars of a nation. With power comes responsibility. Remember spider-man saying this in his movie? It is very much critical how wisely this power is put to beneficial use!

May god bless us all and help us lead in right direction. Amen.

The Welder Scrolls

The power sector in India is facing a unique crisis. It is not the shortage of raw materials that bugs them nor do the labor go on mass unrest but the acute shortage of high pressure welders. These "torchbearers" are not the local local types who fix the window grills of your house. These fellas are rigorously trained from quality institutes, like Welding Research Institute of Tiruchi run by BHEL. The welding trainees are given first hand experience as a part of training program. These welders have to work in high pressure environment. Basically, there are two categories of welders; Structural (Basic) Welders and the High-Pressure welders. The basic welders get enough work in the cities and do not prefer to go to project sites.The high "profile" welders who are willing to come choose to fly abroad as the moolah is more attractive there. Typically, a welder gets Basic salary of Rs.30,000 a month and is paid Rs. 1,000 per joints welded. In a month, welder would work on 30 to 40 joints, there by earning Rs. 70,000 in a month! The Emirates pay them twice to trice the payment they would receive here. European countries pay almost four times the money.

The production and erection of a thermal power station boiler is a welding intensive affair. There are some 30,000 joints to be welded. As we advance technologically, we would need ultra super critical technology, for which the boilers need to be built at very high pressures of at least 300 bars (and above). To explain it in layman's terms, the pressure cooker in the kitchen when in full steam has a pressure of 1.5 bars. Opening it while in full pressure would be a explosive affair and a visit to ICU is certain.

The work at site is also not a pleasant job. Welders work at the height of more than 100 feet with scorching sun over their head. They have to work very accurately as a little negligence would lead to loss in billions and priceless lives of the power station workers would be at stake!

The shortage of welders is like "pinching where it hurts the most" because Eleventh plan looks forwards to add about 55,000 MW of power compared to 22,000 MW in Tenth Plan! And Twelfth Plan targets to add up extra 86,500 MW!!! The dearth of welders could prove quite detrimental to power sector.

Unless some action is taken fast, the immediate future of Indian power sector might be like the proverbial battle that was lost for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Courtesy: BL060410. Images from google images