The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : A ‘big sacrifice’ needed from homemakers

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Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

A ‘big sacrifice’ needed from homemakers

Green activists of the Lions Clubs International seem rather overly optimistic about people’s response to their call to switch off all electrical gadgets for an hour on Tuesday.

Though the objective of the initiative is unquestionably noble, i.e. to create an awareness of the need to contain global warming, the timing may prove too difficult for the homemakers addicted to small screen’s chewing gum-like soap operas to abstain from their daily dose of tear-jerkers. After all, 7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. is the ‘peak time’ when some of the most popular serials of many channels will be on air.Will the homemakers make such a big ‘sacrifice’? Let’s hope they will, for a lofty goal.

It’s archery’s gain

Swimming’s loss is archery’s gain. Sounds intriguing, but it is a fact.

The ‘Mini (under-13) National Archery Championship’ that concluded on the weekend witnessed the emergence of three young archers who won medals for Andhra Pradesh. All of them, interestingly, were once ace swimmers who reached up to the national level.

The talented trio – Jyothi Surehka, Bhargava Krishna and Viswanatha Satyanarayana – called it quits to the pool thanks to the ‘politics and indifferent attitude’ of the Krishna District Swimming Association and took a plunge into archery.

Within two months, they mastered the traditional sport.

Much to the surprise of the swimming fraternity, Surekha went on win the overall compound title by hauling 1,155 points.

The moral of the story seems rather simple: no matter how much you try to suppress a precocious talent, it will find a form in some manner or the other.

Treading the same path

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) seems to be toeing the line of the ruling Congress in at least one respect – asking people not to bow to the government’s dictates.

When the TDP was in power before 2004, Congress leaders, more specifically Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, often used to ask farmers not to pay electricity bills as the Congress, once voted to power, would waive all their dues and supply free electricity.

The TDP has now gone a step further, asking people not to obey the Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS). TDP spokesman Kodela Sivaprasada Rao even asked the property owners not to get panicky over the criminal cases that the Government threatens to file in the case of non-payment of penalty under the scheme. Pay back in the same coin seems to be mantra for political parties.

A ‘packed’ house, literally

Communists are known to be incorrigible optimists. The extent of their optimism was evident at the public meeting organised at Gymkhana Ground in connection with the 20th district conference of the CPI (M).

The meeting was preceded by a rally taken out by the party leaders and workers from the VMC office.

Even as the rallyists were on their way to the meeting venue, the organisers at Gymkhana Ground kept repeatedly pleading with the crowd at the main gate to clear the way for the rallyists to enter.

“Please move away from the main gate and make way for the rallyists.

The ground will soon be packed and it may result in a stampede,” they announced rather confidently about a massive turnout. In a few minutes, the party activists began trickling in small groups holding red flags and raising slogans. Well, they occupied only a small corner of the ground!

An inspiring speech indeed

He is popularly known as IIT Guru and is acclaimed as the man behind the success of our boys and girls in the competitive All India entrance tests. He also made his presence feel on the hallowed precincts of Legislative Council after becoming the M.L.C. But for all his gifts and virtues, Chukka Ramaiah remains a humble human being.

Those lucky few who were present at the key note address at the symposium on 21st century learning could not miss the humility of this person.

Clad in a distinct dhoti, a stark contrast to the nattily dressed gusts on the dais, he began the address in chaste Telugu laced with a distinct Telangana dialect stating that he has come there to learn a few things from the eminent persons.

He then went onto to dwell on the challenges being posed to modern education and of the deteriorating quality of research in Universities. His passionate appeal to find a solution to the fluoride problem in Nalgonda district moved many on the dais and off it too.

(K. Srimali, J.R. Shridharan, G. Ravikiran, P. Sujatha Varma in Vijayawada and P. Samuel Jonathan in Guntur)

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