Tsunami It was early morning of December 26, 2004, the day after Merry Christmas. When the sea parted off the coast of Indonesia, the raging water roared with a medieval echo. Rising from the floor of the ocean in gigantic waves, it robbed nations of their land, families of their loved ones and towns of their identity. The world was left shaken. The Sumatra earthquake that recorded 9 on the Richter...

Risky Lives Not everyone is lucky enough to have a good childhood. Sorrows of childhood remain with us for a long time. My mom and I used to fight every day and that’s why I loved going to school so much- I could get away from the pain and sorrow. We were vacationing in Ganges, Haridwar playing with my friends and a couple other guys we’d just met there at a...

Discrimination and Racism in Sports   Discrimination can be defined as a social, economic, political or legal distinction made between individuals or groups such that one has the power to treat the other unfavourably. Discrimination can also be defined as the act or policy of treating someone differently, setting them apart or denying them rights because they are different from the majority. Discrimination may be based on the grounds of one...

Non-Alignment and India’s Foreign Relations   India’s Foreign Relations reflect a traditional policy of non-alignment, the exigencies of domestic-economic reform and development, and the changing post-Cold War international environment. India’s relations with the world have evolved considerably since the British colonial period (1757-1947), when a foreign power monopolized external relations and defence relations. On independence in 1947, few Indians had experience in making or con-ducting foreign policy. However, the country’s oldest...

The Progress of Mankind It is said that when Gautam Buddha reached enlightenment there raged a great conflict in his mind for 7 days. A part of the mind said, “Since you have found the truth what is the need to remain caged in this body? Get liberated”. Another part of the mind counseled, “Share your knowledge for the benefit of mankind”. It is this mind which won in the end....

Bureaucracy Bureaucracy is personnel and administrative structure of an organization. Business, labour, religious, educational, and governmental systems depend on a large workforce arranged in a hierarchy to carry out specialized tasks based on internal rules and procedures. The term is used mostly in referring to government administration, especially regarding officials in the government and civil service. It is often used pejoratively to suggest waste, inefficiency and red tape. Of the most...

The Vedic Rishi and His Ashram   The ashram or the dwelling place was the ancient seat of learning and acted as the university and schools of today. It was the key institution where the Vedas were learned and practiced. The Rishi lived with his pupils. He taught them the message of the gods through mantras, how to worship them through sacrifice and inspire men to follow the ordinances of Rita....

Official Language of India   One of the main political issues in Indian politics is connected to language problem. After India’s independence the government decided that the official language of India would be Hindi. Hindi has at least 13 different dialects and she is the most commonly spoken language in India. But the reason Hindi was chosen to be the official language of India wasn’t because it is the most commonly...