Day: September 6, 2014

Modern Inflation

By M.C. Linthoingambee

If we are asked to mention a period or phase of time when we took everything for granted, a majority of us would point out the time when we were children and when our parents and older family members looked after our needs and we just took things for granted. The same goes for me but now, living independently in another city has made me realize just how much the rates of modern inflation is hitting me.

The grocery rates keep on increasing at a pace far beyond our social strata in an unexpected rate while one cannot forget the monopoly of the *sabjiwala* presiding in a particular residential era. While the rate of tomatoes go far exceedingly to the context of Rs.100/kg, there were those times when we wouldn’t even bother if tomatoes laid exceedingly in our own households back home. But if asked of the rates back home in Manipur, I wouldn’t know. When we narrate these stories they are not to be taken lightly since a large portion of the economy are deeply affected by it. Looking into the perceptive lens, more than 60% of the population is mainly comprised of those who are still unable to afford the basic necessities of life. Doesn’t this general price expectancy every now and then affect these people more? While we sit in our homes lax about the concerns of inflation, there are many, who suffer from the cause of malnutrition while not having the capacity to afford the required amount of calorie intake they are need to be taking. While the Japanese investments ties recently with India acquired by our new Prime Minister continue to make headlines, things are the same back home. The temperamental stand of filling up foe cooking gas is also a huge issue in everyday life, while some are more inclined to use the pipeline system of receiving gas into their homes, there are also those who stand in long queues to acquire a tank of gas. Remembering how our family elders use to stand in those lines to acquire their gas slip at MM Gas, Hirangchal Gas Agency and so on. I recently learnt that we need to book gas cylinders days before they are actually delivered.

When many of these daily requirements are going on price rise, shouldn’t we be looking at the production rather than cutting down on un-acquired land? When a promise of development springs up there are always those talks of certain lands being acquired by government. And when the right to property has been exclusively removed from our fundamental rights, it becomes explicitly easier for authorities to strip away people of their homes. The meager amount of compensation is not enough to meet the new house hunt considering the price rise in acquiring a new land or a new home. While the deal of houses are valued not anywhere less than 60 lacs and above in the capital of India itself, where can we expect those people who are considered ‘poor’ to go for that matter if they are driven out of their homes. There are still villages existing, surviving even in the small corner of Delhi, “The New-Delhi” and while the government fail to look their way, we bear witness to corporate ambitions to acquire that land in the hope of building new corporations where they claim youths will have a further chance of employment. Seeing how both are needed, we are talking about life and job both being necessarily pickled and sandwiched to choose from. The public trust doctrine is something we often come across in spite of our ignorance. While the Ambani brothers very often wage law suits on many matters currently being that of natural gas, the judiciary has awarded them with the ratio of determining that natural gas is a naturally occurring substance, and it should not be the cause of feud between brothers. Those notably MBA degrees only seem to let them see only profits (money) over people. The social justice principles in our parent legislation of the Constitution seem to be taking fewer tolls on these heavily armed increases. As a matter of which, using gas or electricity for the purpose of cooking have not taken affect. A large number of families are forced to use *chullahs and firewood *which are naturally available. These uses produces a large amount of smoke which causes air pollution that result in producing a harmful effect to our environment whilst causing a large amount of carbon monoxide compounds to be released in air that further adds to the green-house effect and cause respiratory problems and other ill diseases to its end users. As a matter of which a large affect is cause on our public health which is in gross violation of fundamental right to live and exist in personal liberty.

And these are not the only fixated problems that need solving; there is also the issue of sanitation being a primary concern. A recent article on *Civic Sense* in The Times of India written by Jug Suraiya pointed out that in spite of the new government’s promises to build new sanitation systems for women who do not have the necessary input of disposing of their natural business at night, shouldn’t we be focusing more on correcting those men who seem to enjoy taking a dump in a busy street in view of the public. While certain public restrooms may charge a price for the purpose, perhaps building more public houses of sanitary needs without a price might change the outlook of these men, who believe that paying for natural relieve is an evil into their wallets.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/inflation-has-been-defined-as-the-general-issue-of-price-rise-in-our-economy-and-the-modern-developments-often-add-on-to-these-worry/

Malangba Bangormayum

Sometimes, thereare gaps between intent and action. This gap, for me, is most visible in the arts. We have ample exemplars of this phenomenon.A devout faithful can sing the glory of the Lord, but to the effect that the auditor runs away for her dear life. On the other hand, a sinner can sing the same glory, and you are transported, while your feet are firmly rooted to the ground you stand. I have been puzzled by this observation. Thinking about this reminds me of a story once told to me. It involves a cow.

There are some localities with a wee-bit more enthusiasm when it comes to the arts and performances, entertainmentand festivities. In one such locality, and knowing its tradition of patronage of the arts, a newly constituted theatre company, made up mostly of inexperienced artists approached the local club to have a premiere of their new production. A day and place for performance was fixed, the microphones and the mikes were put in place and the performance started. It was clear that the performance was a bad one from the first act, and there was a general apprehension that it might turn worse. The audience bore the performance with fortitude. Bad performances can make you weep. It can be a real torture. A youth, who could not take it anymore, released a cow tethered nearby, and made it charge towards the performance. The audience ran amok.The‘male actresses’ also ran with shouts of “mother”, I was told. When the melee settled, there was a real drama to follow. The owner of the cow, greatly peeved and humiliated, and in defense of the honour of his cow that has been blamed for the mischief, the abortion of the performance, challenged whoever released the cow to come forward and make himself known. He challenged the unknown miscreant to a manly fight. Though everyone had the fright of their lives, they must have secretly blessed the cow.

There are moments when one feels that there is more than what meets the eye. There are times when one feelsthat what we see may not be all to what there is.There could be a realm that is beyond us. This ‘transportation’happens. The first time I felt, if for just a moment, that there must be more than what meets the eye, was during the performance of a famous Requiem by a choir with a splendid orchestra, in a cathedral. It was magical. Closer home the feeling of an extraordinary dimension came at a performance of RasLeela many years ago. I had gone there to call someone, not to witness the performance, not to prostrate in devotion. But that single minute of watching it unfold, from a respectable distance, has had an impact which has outlasted the distance of time. No wonder then that art has been used to win over those who do not believe. Faith has been expressed, propagated, instilled by the ‘instrumentality’ of art. No wonder, it has also been used to make money.

Is art just an artifice? Is it something that befools you; throws dust upon your eyes? Is art an instrument to making profit to a point of vulgarity?Yet,this vulgaritypales in comparison to the vulgarity that is there in trying to hide the intention of profiting with pretension of authenticity. I would prefer works of art that says, I am here to make money and entertain you rather than art that says, I am not here to make money but to tell a story that has to be told, when the fact is writ large that it does not care anything but the money in your pocket.If money is the end for an art work, then it has to pander to popular taste. Then there has to be some sacrifice on art’s seeking its own end – the end to transport us perhaps; the end to say the unsayable; the end of speaking unspeakable silence.

Flies know what is good for them. There must be more flies than human beings. If worth is decided by number, then flies must be right. There can be nothing more worthy than rotten things.

There is this song called “Ave Maria”, a song in praise, in prayer to Mary, mother of god. A very popular song considering the genre to which it belongs. This is one of those songs, which can be cherished if performed well. It has a quality that seems to say “this is the real deal”.This song proves that you can have your art and your money too. But here money follows arts’ walk. And I believe that something is wrong if it is the other way round. It is just a feeling that I have. To those who think that this feeling cannot be entertained since I do not have justifications forit, I simply say -“Ave Maria”.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/ave-maria/

By Dr Khushboo Shah Sawant

Last week in this column, we discussed in detail about the most common form of cancer see in women which is ‘breast cancer’, and today as we continue to go a little further in detail of our current subject of cancer, we shall look at a few more forms of cancers seen in the field of gynaecology or commonly seen cancers in the female reproductive tract. As described earlier, cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in a body, which may be triggered due to various reasons. Such forms of growth can sometimes be the cancer in the various parts of the female reproductive tract. While there are various forms and types of cancers seen in many parts like the vagina, cervix, the exterior organs etc, the most commonly seen types of cancers in gynaecology are the cancer of the cervix, the endometrial and the ovaries. We will look at some basic info about each of these types today.
We start with cancer of the cervix. This is by far, one of the most common forms of gynaecological cancers. We first begin with the basic question, what is the cervix? The cervix is a part of a woman’s reproductive system. It is located inside the pelvis. It is the lower narrow part of the uterus (which is also known as the womb) and connects the exterior reproductive parts to the uterus which is in the interior part of the body. The cervix remains tightly closed during pregnancy so as to protect the foetal growth and keep the baby safely inside the womb.  During childbirth, the cervix opens up to allow the baby to pass through the vagina. Similar to other forms of cancer, even the exact cause for the cancer of cervix is not known, however some causes and risk factors have been identified as an infection of the human papilloma virus (also known as HPV), smoking, engaging in sexual activity very early in life, having multiple sex partners, taking birth control pills etc. It is still not known as to why a woman with certain risk factors is more likely to suffer as compared to another woman with same or similar risk factors. A risk factor is something that can increase the chances of developing the disease. It has been seen and noted that an infection of the virus HPV is cause of almost all the cervical cancers. However a HPV infection is a self clearing infection, meaning the infection can clear out on its own. So basically an HPV infection when affects a susceptible person with other positive risk factors, the probability of affection of the cancer of the cervix increases greatly. The most common symptoms and signs of cervical cancer are abnormal vaginal bleeding, increased vaginal discharge, bleeding in the middle of the menstrual cycle, bleeding in a post menopausal female, pain during sexual intercourse, and pain in the pelvic area. One of the most common and simplest methods of diagnosing cervical cancer is by performing a pap smear. Other methods of diagnosing may be by performing and MRI scan or a PET scan. Treatment options include radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy etc. while some pre-cancerous changes in the cervix may be treated by non invasive methods.
We now move on to the next form of cancer known as the endometrial cancer, a type of cancer, which begins in the uterus or the womb. The uterus is a pear shaped hollow structure inside the female reproductive tract where the development of the baby occurs during pregnancy. The endometrium is the lining which covers the walls of the uterus, which sheds during menstruation. Endometrial cancer begins as an abnormal growth in the lining around the uterus (endometrium). There are also some other forms of cancer in the uterus, though the cancer of the endometrium is most common. The exact cause of endometrial cancer is not known but there are certain risk factors like fluctuation in the hormonal balance of the body, due to any illness, medication etc. which may prove to be risky, increased years of menstruation due to early puberty and delayed menopause. Also, women who have never been pregnant have a higher risk when compared to women who have been pregnant. Increasing age is also a risk factor while excessive weight or obesity that alters the body’s hormonal balance can be a risk too. This type of cancer is often detected in the initial stages as it produces abnormal vaginal bleeding, which most often alarms women to seek the help of a doctor. The commonly seen symptoms are vaginal bleeding after menopause, bleeding between periods, an abnormal watery blood tinged vaginal bleeding, pain during intercourse and pelvic pain. If detected well in time, surgically removing the uterus often cures the patient.
Ovarian cancer, as the name suggests is the cancer of the ovaries. The causes of this are not known but a genetic predisposition towards ovarian cancer or breast cancer seems to play a vital role as a causative factor, age also plays a role. While this type of cancer can rear its head any age, it is most commonly seen between ages 50-60 years. Ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has spread within the pelvis and abdomen. Early stages of ovarian cancer rarely causes any symptoms and even as the disease progresses, it produces many non specific symptoms which may be wrongly diagnosed as a irritable bowel syndrome. Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer include abdominal bloating or swelling, easy satiety or feeling of fullness even after eating very small quantities of food, weight loss, discomfort in the pelvic area, changes in the bowel habits, frequent constipation, increased frequency of urination etc. Early stage ovarian cancer in which the disease may be confined to only one ovary are more likely to be treated successfully. Surgery and chemotherapy are other options used to treat ovarian cancer.
As we have discussed earlier, while most risk factors may not be in our control, the avoidable risks must be kept at bay. Also it is advisable for women over the age of 40 years or those who have attained menopause to go for an annual ‘pap smear’ test. This simple test can prevent dire consequences. Another way is to consult a doctor in case any of the signs and symptoms mentioned above makes its presence felt. It may not necessarily be cancer, but it is best to be on the safer side.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/09/common-gynaecological-cancers-in-women/