Several centuries have passed by
The Rani of Jhansi and Rani Padmini ask me from their graves
Are we free and equal at last?
I hang my head coz I know there is so much to do.
My feminine paranoia has no cure,
Some drunken husband is beating his wife somewhere,
Some female child has seen her starving grave somewhere,
Some woman went with only half the wages
Some woman was raped and could not fight
Some woman married an irregular old man
And to add it all I still have to prove everything I do.
And you wish me a Happy Women's Day!
All I want is some hope, courage, education, equal laws and economic liberty...And then I can wish my women folks a real Happy Women's Day.
Today is International Women’s Day and besides the numerous SMSs screaming “Happy Women’s Day” that I have received and read so far, I came across a comment on Facebook that says, “So sad that women need a special day set aside for them. They should just get a life.” So my gal pals and I plan to smack him on his ignorant head and remind him that International Men’s Day is on 19 November.
To others who have forgotten, International Women’s Day is a general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women and to celebrate women's economic, political and social achievements so far. How many of us actually voice our appreciation for our mother for dedicating her life to raise kids on good nutritious food besides the occasional junk that we demanded? And for the years of stress she might have suffered since the time we discovered not just how to peddle a bicycle but also how fast it could go? What about the sisters and daughters who despite good education bend to the rule that they cannot stay out as late as their brothers? Or that she has to learn to handle housework to be prepared for her married life while her husband who managed household chores before marriage suddenly becomes incapable of the same?
To women I ask whether they have ever bothered to sensitize the men in their life about the conditions that women go through even today and even in well-to-do and educated households? Ever discussed a rape reported in the newspaper with husband or a brother? It is easy to ignore that men too are victims of society; a society that teaches them how to treat women. Until we as women do not take responsibility to change the mindset of the men around us, can we honestly afford to wait till they understand?
It is time that we made peace with the fact that men and women are different but equal. Spend at least a few moments today expressing your appreciation to the women in your life. They deserve it!
The Nepal English Language Teacher's Association held its annual conference from the 18th to the 22nd of February 2010, in Little Angel's School, Kathmandu, Nepal.
The conference was attended by more than 700 educationists from around the world. These included principals, lecturers, researchers, professors and teacher trainers.
We displayed our Practical and Professional Books, teacher training titles and graduate and undergraduate books. It also gives me great pleasure to announce that Taylor & Francis is now a life long member of NELTA. The theme of the conference of was English in Diversity. The response of the conference was fantastic. Needless to say that we were able to do some great business, generate leads and sell a good number of titles. Routledge in Nepal is as famous and reputed as Mc Donald's in India. People can"t help but come to the stall to savour the intellectually stimulating content, which is so different that others.
Pankaj is pleased with the results!!
Disha surrounded by Teachers, educationists.....'I don't wanna go back to School, bah, bah!!
Under the beautiful setting of the IHC grounds, with a stall near the koi pond and clear view of the buffet table, Taylor & Francis Group successfully completed yet another conference. The third International Conference on Digital libraries (ICDL) was held from 23 to 26 February 2010 at the India Habitat Center (Lodhi Road, New Delhi) with seminars being conducted in various halls and a steady flow of visitors. Over 600 participants from 40 nations came together for the ICDL conference that focused on all contemporary issues related to development of digital libraries and their impact on changing the information paradigm; a topic that has been creating waves in the publishing industry recently.
Taylor & Francis Group, the bronze sponsor for the event, was one of the 30 publishers that participated in the conference.
This conference put to good use the synergy of the T&F marketing team, the journal sales team and Aalia Osman, Senior Library Marketing Executive, T&F Journals, Library Marketing, UK. After staying on our toes each day of the conference and meeting, what seems like now, a million people, we finally emerged from the IHC building on the last day tired and still very pleased with the turn of events – specially the leads generated and business formalized. I hear Neeti and team are pleased!! Waiting for the next BIG conference!
As it is a season of peoms lets start with a quote by a famous poet
For Mercy has a human heart, Pity a human face, And Love, the human form divine, And Peace, the human dress.
---- William Blake
Peace and freedom have always been among humanity's highest values for some, supreme. Many of us as individuals don’t care or are not even bothered to think about a basic thought or idea as peace or freedom. It’s interesting as a thought when u think about freedom. Someone said even when your body is in shackles you are helpless, you are still free, free to hate men who try to torture you. It’s just the matter how you look at it. We agree little on what is peace. Perhaps the most popular (Western) view is as an absence of dissension, violence, or war, a meaning found in the New Testament and possibly an original meaning of the Greek word for peace, Irene. Pacifists have adopted this interpretation, for to them all violence is bad. This meaning is widely accepted among students of international relations. It is the primary dictionary definition.
But what really is peace and freedom is a matter of debate. What do u all think ??? Waiting for your comments….
and sometimes things will go wrong
your greatest desires will seem
to be on the verge of crashing down,
but you won't give up,
you'll go on and try,
because life is all about reaching
where your heart desires.
some people get it easy, some don't,
but when it will happen,
and you will achieve your
long-held dream,
there will be no one happier
than you, only till the next
dream comes along.
to smile and still embrace life
and not to lose hope,
to try alternative ways
is what will get you
where you want to be.
sometimes things take time
sometimes you almost lose hope
and then see a shining ray ...
know that life is not all lemons
and love and happiness
will also come your way ...
Do you remember the lines, 'What is this life if full of care, We have no time to stand and stare...'? Chances are, most of us do and the thought bubble coming up in everyone's head says, 'Yeah, right. But where's the time?' Well, my fellow sufferers of the urban-office-to-home-choc-a-bloc-busy-busy life, there's one panacea of troubles I could suggest.
Meet Calvin from 'Calvin and Hobbes', oh! you couldn't find another darling to put all your worries and frustrations to rest (just count on his parents, they'll handle it just fine). Over the years, of reading his strips I have now graduated to books of him and every night before going to bed I treat myself to a little dose of him and I sleep with a smile that takes care of a pleasant morning the next day.
Not to forget, his philosophies are mind-numbingly thought provocative. I bet you'll be thinking about it for a long period of time. Take my suggestion, reach out to Calvin and reach out to a life we miss everyday in the hustle and bustle of grown-up practicality. Now, of course a little teaser, a little temptation goes a long way to ensure that suggestions are followed. So, here you are, Wisdom Bites from Calvin and Hobbes:
I like maxims that don't encourage behavior modification.
Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.
A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day.
Life's disappointments are harder to take when you don't know any swear words.
That's the difference between me and the rest of the world! Happiness isn't good enough for me! I demand euphoria!
In my opinion, we don't devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks.
I'm not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information
Calvin: I'm a genius, but I'm a misunderstood genius. Hobbes: What's misunderstood about you? Calvin: Nobody thinks I'm a genius.
"Why isn't my life like a situation comedy? Why don't I have a bunch of friends with nothing better to do but drop by and instigate wacky adventures? Why aren't my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms? Why don't my friends demonstrate heartfelt concern for my well being when I have problems? ...I gotta get my life some writers."
Calvin: "I'm a simple man, Hobbes." Hobbes: "You?? Yesterday you wanted a nuclear powered car that could turn into a jet with laser-guided heat-seeking missiles!" Calvin: "I'm a simple man with complex tastes."
Calvin: "I'm not going to so my maths homework. Look at these unsolved problems. Here's a number in mortal combat with another. One of them is going to get subtracted. But why? What will be left of him? If I answered these, it would kill the suspense. It would resolve the conflict and turn intriguing possibilities into boring old facts."
Hobbes: "I never really thought about the literary possibilities of maths." Calvin: "I prefer to savour the mystery."
Susie: You'd get a good grade without doing any work. Calvin: So? Susie: It's wrong to get rewards you haven't earned.
Calvin: I've never heard of anyone who couldn't live with that.
Dear Santa. Why is your operation located at the North Pole? I'm guessing cheap elf labour, lower environmental standards, and tax breaks. Is this really the example you want to set for us impressionable kids? ...My plan is to put him on the defensive before he considers how good I've been.
Hobbes : "What are you doing?" Calvin : "Being cool." Hobbes : "You look more like you're bored." Calvin : "The world bores you when you're cool."
