Stimulating Video Shows How Today’s Women Have Broken All The Shackles To Fly High

JUNE 30, 2016

BY THE INDIAN ENTERTAINER

As India has stepped forward, women have broken the shackles and crossed the lines that kept them behind the closed walls. Their foray into the world of sports has been extremely successful and exciting. This shift in the paradigm has blessed India with a Sania Mirza of tennis, a Saina Nehwal of Badminton and a Mary Kom of boxing. The reason behind these personalities becoming common household name was undoubtedly a result of their hard work and dedication, accompanied by the large-scale support of the masses.

In a similar fashion, Kabaddi as a sport has been gaining track amongst women, a sport that originally started in India is finally finding its roots back. In the past few years, India’s women Kabaddi team has displayed some exuberant performances. From 2012 to 2014 they consecutively won the Kabaddi World Cup and brought laurels for our country. All this success and achievement goes unnoticed because it lacks sufficient media coverage and there is a dearth of encouragement from us; the viewers!

Thankfully Star Sports has taken the initiative of propagating the sport and has come up with Women’s Kabaddi Challenge; we believe that this will provide a platform for all the aspiring women athletes who are yearning to make a mark in the world of Kabaddi.

Our love and support will surely encourage all the participants and history states that our soil has produced some of the most remarkable women athletes in the world. Kabaddi is our country’s legacy, let’s cheer for these young ladies aloud so that the world hears them. It is time India stands for its brave and sporty daughters.

Go Girls! #CrossTheLine

Kerala Becomes The First State In India To Achieve 100% Primary Education

Kerala was declared as the first state in the country to attain total primary education by Vice President Hamid Ansari at a function held at Kerala University Senate Hall for the state-wide declaration of total primary education. The merit was achieved through the ‘Athulyam’ project launched by Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority (KSLMA). Kerala has been constantly ranked as number one when it comes to education indicators in the decennial census of India. The Vice President said that the achievement was yet another ‘feather in the state’s educational cap’.

All You need to know
The Programme was implemented in the state in two phases and was meant for people aged between 15 and 50 years who were unable to get primary level education. Every individual who completed the programme successfully got Class 4 level certification. According to programme statistics a public examination was held in June 2015 in which 2.6 lakh people appeared. The exam was held in 6,613 centres across various districts of the state and those who scored a minimum of 20 marks in English and 30 marks in other subjects were declared as winners. Those who had passed the Class 4 equivalency examination were eligible to enrol for the Class 7 equivalency examination. The 2nd phase of the scheme was launched as part of Mission 676 which referred to the remaining days of Oomen Chandy government beginning 7th may 2014. The  “Mission 676”, was launched for  the speedy implementation of major infrastructure and social schemes to give a push to accelerate development and to make the state a better place to live in.

Challenges
Before the scheme was launched in the state a comprehensive field survey had to be conducted. The survey was done  under the ‘LEAP mission’ in selected panchayats so that total number of illiterates and school dropouts could be enumerated. The scheme got immense help from volunteers. ‘LEAP’ or ‘Lifelong Education Access Programme’  aimed at making far-reaching changes in literacy programmes with emphasis on job-oriented training and better awareness among citizens. In the second phase, dropouts and those who had not received primary education were identified and provided equivalency classes.  Vocational training for the backward, awareness programmes for raising living standards, revival of folk art forms, computer literacy, and special programmes for the mentally and physically challenged, the SC’s, ST’s, slum and coastal area dwellers were to be integrated with Athulyam scheme which was a mammoth task in itself.

Way Ahead
Education indicators in Kerala are almost always starkly in contrast when compared with other states in the country. Kerala has repeatedly shown that education is the best investment in any kind of social capital for development of all institutions. With the state achieving 100 percent total primary education milestone it’s only pertinent that other states take cues from Athulyam scheme and apply it with personalised touch to their own region keeping in mind their size, expanse and needs. Not failing to Laud the state’s achievements in education and various other socio-economic indicators, Ansari said that the day was a historic one for the state.

The Man Who Tore Down Political Party’s Banners Which Were Placed Illegally, Blocking The Footpath

Chandra Mohan shot to fame recently when he tore down banner of ADMK which were blocking the footpaths. He has done the same for other major political parties who had illegally placed banners and huge cutouts. Chandra Mohan came back after an illustrious 9 years in the United states to take up people’s issues and acting on them through his organisation Arappor Iyakkam (Non-violent fight for truth and justice). He spoke to Indian Entertainer on why he came back from the US and why he took up mass movements for his future plans.

■ You tore down banners of ADMK recently and even got arrested for the same? Why did you do that?
For the record we have done the same to other party banners also, just that when we did it this time the news became viral. The placing of banners on walk path goes against a High court order which banned it. Someone had to rise up against this and we knew people will follow. We worked tirelessly in reaching out to people during the Chennai floods and just when the city was limping back, we saw these huge banners which blocked the footpath. The insensitivity fired us up even further. Banners are symbols of oppression which has to be done away with.

■ How successful was this campaign against banners and hoardings?
It is a good start, more people have shown willingness to join and come forward breaking the shackles of fear. Success is when all the people are unshackled from fear of misbehaving cadres, Success is when people know that they are the masters in Democracy and not the other way round.

■ There were videos of you and your friends Atther Ahmed and Jayaram Venkatesan getting assaulted by party cadres, how did you respond?
Yes we were assaulted and we were prepared for it, we knew the path to truth and justice won’t be an easy one. However we made it a point that we won’t hit back or even file complaints against people who assaulted us. We have chosen the path of sathyagraha and we will abide by it. No matter how badly we get hit or how many death threats we get, we will stick to our principles of non-violence.

■ You were in the US for long why did you come back?
I always wanted to something for my country and that feeling was always there. I didn’t apply for green card as well; during my last years in the US i joined the New York film institute to pursue my career in film making. Two movies which were close to my heart was Gandhi and Swades, these movies had a profound impact on me. During my first days after I came back I had noticed one incident which changed the way I looked at life. I witnessed a poor boy picking a packet of bread which was thrown out from a building and infected by fungus. An incident which continues to shake me when I think over it again. Then I became part of anti-corruption movements for long before Arappor Iyyakam.

■ What are your plans for the future?
We have set the ball rolling for a mass campaign. A campaign that will empower citizens. Next time we are not going to go after the banners; we will pass all the contact details of all police stations and other public grievance departments and officers to people. We will ask people to make complaints when political parties break the law not only for placing banners but for any public inconvenience they might cause. We have had instances where our complaints have been neglected and some instances where our complaints were deliberately neglected or rejected. Complaints on a mass scale will be hard to ignore. And if ignored there is judicial recourse to the same.

Chandra Mohan signs off with a smile on his face and determination in his eyes.

https://youtu.be/qR64LX6s2ZE

Why Do ATM Pins Have 4 Digits? Know Interesting Facts About ATM’s

Much as an asset the ATMs have revolutionized the banking industry and the way people carry out their banking transaction. The very first Automatic Teller Machine went public in 1969 with due pioneered efforts from John Adrian Shepherd Barron, who was a Scottish-born in Shillong.

ATM at today’s day and age are the most can’t-do-without machine changing lives by allowing people to have cash handy in just a swipe and all that with a help from the ATM pin. An ATM pin authenticates a user to access his/her bank account on an ATM to avail the underlined facilities.

■ Usually any PIN or Personal Identification Number can vary in length from 4 to 12, according to the ISO standard, although our present practices include a 4 digit pin more often.

■  A four digit pin can vary from 0000 -9999 allowing 10,000 possible combinations making them more vulnerable to crack and if we go by the books then 20% of the pins are vulnerable to hacking.

■  Another fact untold, the most common ATM pin have 1234 and 1111 topping the list. There are still many banks in various countries which go with the length six.

■  There is something else very interesting about ATM pins, each ATM has a reverse pin detection technology called ATMSafetyPin installed patented by IIlinois lawyer Joseph Zingher where if the user enters a their personal identification number (PIN) in reverse, it automatically calls the police immediately, although user gets the money. Presently, this software isn’t in use, though.

■  Switzerland and some other countries follow only six digit ATM pin.

Ever did the thought as to why an ATM pin is of length four, stuck your cerebrum? If yes, then you are quite alert and for the otherwise responses there is a quite uncomplicated answer to that. John Adrian Shepherd Barron himself preferred six digits for an ATM pin because he could easily remember his six figure army number but it all boiled down to the fact that oddly enough when he tried to experiment this on his wife Caroline, the longest she could remember were four digits. That is when he decided to stick with 4 digit pin code.

Though, a 4 digit pin not always puts one at risk as for anyone else to access it, it’s inevitable for them to be in possession of the card at the first place.
Digits more than 4 were a task bit difficult for Caroline to recall and yes she made us all lucky making us remember only 4 digits. Thanks, to the lady by all means.