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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Four journalists honoured.. Shiva, Samota strike gold... ट्रक खसेर घर पूर्ण क्षतिग्रस्त...नेपाली रङ्गीन मासिक पत्रिका मध्यममार्गले गर्‍यो लेखकहरूको कदर विर्ख खड्का डुवर्सेली,पवन राई नाम्दुङ अनि सुशिल प्रधान पुरस्कृत...Leaders condole Sai Baba’s demise

चार पत्रकारहरूलाई सम्मानसितै सन्दिप चौधरीलाई लाइफ टाइम अचिभमेन्टःगाब्रेला राईलाई ललित थापा स्मृति पुरस्कार
Felicitated journalists with Sister Gabriela Rai (centre of front row)
Front row (from left)-Mohan Lama & Hira Chhetri
Back row (from left)- Suman Bhujel, Rabin Giri , Mukesh Sharma,
Shibu Chhetri & Joseph Lepcha  
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 23अप्रेल। नेपाली पत्रकारितालाई आजको दौड़सम्म ल्याउनमा हिमालय दर्पण मार्फत पुर्‍याएको योगदानको कदर गर्दै हिमालय दर्पणका निदेशक सन्दिप चौधरीलाई लाइफ टाइम एचिभमेन्ट पुरस्कार अनि समाजमा पुर्‍याइरहेको सेवाकार्यको कदर गर्दै जर्नलिष्ट एसोसिएसन अब्‌ कालेबुङले चौथो स्थापना दिवस पालन गर्दै सिस्टर गाब्रेला राईलाई ललित थापा पुरस्कारले सम्मानित गर्‍यो। रामकृष्ण रङ्गमञ्चमा एक कार्यक्रमबीच कार्यक्रममा उपस्थिति दिन नसकेपनि पत्रकार शिवु छेत्री मार्फत सन्दिप चौधरीलाई अनि समाजसेवी गाब्रेला राईलाई वरिष्ट नागरिक पीआर प्रधान अनि जेबी राईको बाहुलीबाट यो सम्मान प्रदान गरियो।
वर्तमान पत्रकारिताको क्षेत्रमा अग्रज भूमिका निर्वाह गरिरहेका चारवटा दैनिकका पत्रकारहरूलाई पनि एसोसिएसनले यसै समारोहमा सम्वर्धना जनायो। सम्वर्धना प्राप्त गर्नेहरूमा समय दैनिकका दार्जीलिङ शाखा व्युरो मोहन लामा, सुनखरीका दार्जीलिङ संवाददाता रबीन गिरी, दैनिक जागरण सिक्किमका संवाददाता जोशेफ लेप्चा अनि जनपथ समाचारका कालेबुङ संवाददाता मुकेश शर्मा रहेका थिए। साहित्यिक क्षेत्रमा विशिष्ट योगदान पुर्‍याइरहेका युवा लेखक हीरा छेत्रीलाई पनि तिनको साहित्यिक योगदानको निम्ति सम्वर्धना जनाइएको थियो भने 28 न.सम्ष्टीमा आफ्नै कोशिषमा कार्य गरिरहेको हाम्रो च्यानललाई पनि यसै समारोहमा एसोसिएसनले सम्वर्धना जनायो। सबैलाई कदरपत्र अनि स्मृति चिन्ह प्रदान गरियो।
माइपिस संगीत संस्थानका कलाकारहरूले साङ्गीतिक धुन बजाएर कार्यक्रम आरम्भ गरेका थिए। यसै समारोहबीच एसोसिएसनको स्मारिका हाम्रो माध्यम-को विमोचन पीआर प्रधान अनि जेवी राईको बाहुलीबाट गरियो। कार्यक्रमलाई रोचक बनाउन दार्जीलिङका चर्चित गायक सूधीर राईले गीत प्रस्तुत गरेका थिए भने गीति नृत्यम्‌का कलाकारहरूले नृत्य प्रस्तुत गरेका थिए। यसै कार्यक्रमबीच एसोसिएसनको नयॉं समितिका पदाधिकारीहरूको परिचय पनि गराइयो। नयॉं समितिमा अध्यक्ष भुवन खनाल अनि सचिव अरूण प्रकाश राई रहेका छन्‌। यसै कार्यक्रमबाट पत्रकार रबीन गिरीले अर्को वर्षदेखि यसै संस्था मार्फत दिव्या गिरी स्मृति पुरस्कार प्रदान गरिने घोषणा पनि गरेका छन्‌।

Shiva, Samota strike gold
PTI: India struck gold not once but twice in their maiden appearance at the Winner International boxing tournament with Paramjeet Samota (+91kg) and teen sensation Shiva Thapa (56kg) finishing on top in the finals in Belgrade, Serbia.
Samota beat Marceta Mane of Bosnia in a thrilling contest in which both the boxers were tied 6-6 after regulation three rounds. The Indian, however, managed to grab the yellow metal on the individual score.
The 17-year-old Shiva, a Youth Olympics silver medallist, defeated Bulgarian Delaklive Detelin to clinch his maiden gold in a senior international tournament. Manpreet Singh (91kg), the silver medallist at last year’s Asian Games, settled for a bronze medal after losing to Pulev Tervel of Bulgaria in the semifinal of the tournament. Shiva hails from Assam.
ट्रक खसेर घर पूर्ण क्षतिग्रस्त
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 23अप्रेल। कालेबुङको आठ माइलमा एउटा ट्‌क गुर्घटनामा पर्‍यो। जानकारी अनुसार ट्रक (डब्ल्युबी 25, बी.2777) कलकत्ता गइरहेको थियो। 
कालेबुङको आठ माइलमा आइपुगेर यो दुर्घटमा परेको छ। तल सड़कदेखि खसेर सड़कमुनी भएको घरभित्र पस्यो। घटना अनुसार ट्रकले एक वागेनरलाई धक्का दिएपछि ट्रकले नियन्त्रण हरायो अनि सड़कदेखि तल खस्यो। ट्रकले गणेश गुरूङको घरलाई पूर्णरूपले क्षति पुर्‍याएको छ। ट्रकका चालकले नशालु पदार्थ सेवन गरेका थिए।
नशाकै कारण चालकले दुर्घटना भएको थाहा लागेको छ। घरका मालिक रिता गुरूङले जनाए अनुसार ट्रक अचानक खसेपनि घरमा भएका कुनै सदस्यलाई चोकपटक लागेन। ट्‌क खसेको बेला घरमा परिवारका सदस्यहरू थिए। तर जुन ठाउँमा ट्रक खस्यो त्यो ठाउँमा भने कोही थिएनन्‌। घर पूर्णरूपले क्षतिग्रसत बनेकोले यसको क्षतिपुरण हुनपर्ने रिता गुरूङले जनाएकी छन्‌। तिनले सोझै आरोप लगाउँदै भनिन्‌, मद्पान गरेर गाड़ी चलाएकोले नै यो दर्घटना भएको हो। ट्‌कमा केवल चालक मात्र सवार थिए तर तिनलाई कुनै चोटपटक लागेन। घटना भएको आधा घण्टापछि घटनास्थलमा पुलिस आइपुगेका थिए। स्थानीय मानिसहरूले मद्पान गरेर वाहन चलाउने चालकलाई पक्राउ गरेर राखेका थिए भने घटनाको छानबिनपछि पुलिसले चालकलाई थाना पुर्‍याएको छ। (Photo:Manoj Bogati)
नेपाली रङ्गीन मासिक पत्रिका मध्यममार्गले गर्‍यो लेखकहरूको कदर - विर्ख खड्का डुवर्सेली,पवन राई नाम्दुङ अनि सुशिल प्रधान पुरस्कृत
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 23अप्रेल। सिलगढ़ी ग्राफिक प्रिन्टर्सले निरन्तररूपले प्रकाशमा ल्याइरहेको नेपाली रङ्गीन मासिक पत्रिका मध्यममार्ग-मा निरन्तररूपले आफ्ना रचना प्रदान गर्दै आइरहेका अनि समाजलाई सचेत र जागरूक बनाउन लागिपरेका लेखकहरूलाई आज पुरस्कृत गरियो। 

प्रधाननगरको रोटरी क्लबमा एक कार्यक्रमबीच मध्यममार्ग परिवारले यसवर्षदेखि पत्रकारिताको क्षेत्रमा इमान्दाररूपले योदगान पुर्‍याइरहेका पत्रकार एवं लेखकहरूलाई पुरस्कृत गर्ने परम्पराको थालनी गर्दै डुवर्सका चर्तित लेखक-साहित्यकार विर्ख खड्का डुवर्सेलीलाई मेहरमान थापा स्मृति पुरस्कार, पवन राई नाम्दुङलाई विष्णुमाया थापा स्मृति पुरस्कार अनि सुशिल प्रधानलाई तोया सापकोटा स्मृति पुरस्कारले सम्मानित गर्‍यो। 
डुवर्सेलीले निरन्तररूपले राजनैतिक लेखहरू प्रकाशित गरिरहेका छन्‌ भने नाम्दुङ अनि प्रधानले पनि निरन्तररूपले विविध विषयक रचनाहरू मध्यममार्गमा प्रकाशित गर्दै आइरहेका छन्‌। कार्यक्रममा मध्यममार्गका सम्पादक खेम सापकोटाले भने, लेखकहरू समाजको निम्ति आफ्नो विचार सम्प्रेषण गर्दै समाजलाई रचनात्मक सोंच र सही दिशा प्रदान गर्न चहान्छन्‌ तर ती नै लेखकहरू समाजमा उपेक्षित छन्‌। पत्रकार, लेखकहरूले आफ्नो लेखनलाई व्यवसायिक दर्जा दिन सकिरहेका छैनन्‌। त्यो क्षेत्र उनीहरूको निम्ति निर्माण गरिएको छैन्‌। यसैकारण मध्यममार्गले यो परम्पराको थलनी गरिरहेको छ। कार्यक्रमलाई मुख्य आतिथ्य दिएका थिए 55 वटा देशमा आफ्नो व्यवसाय फैलाएर यश कमाइसकेका उद्योगपति जनक बस्नेतले। भीमकान्त उपाध्यायले कार्यक्रमलाई अध्यक्षता गरेका थिए भने विशिष्ट अतिथि रहेका थिए मोहन.पी दाहाल अनि नव सापकोटा। 
उनीहरूको बाहुलीबाट नै विर्ख खड्का डुवर्सेली, पवन राई नाम्दुङ अनि सुशिल प्रधानलाई क्रमैले पुस्कार वितरण गरिएको थियो। पुरस्कारदाता एन.पी.थापाले पनि कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गरेका थिए। यसैबीच मध्यममार्गसित जड़ित 170 जना लेखकहरूलाई पनि सम्मान जनाइएको थियो भने मध्यममार्गका 140 जना शुभचिन्तकहरूलाई पनि सम्मान दिइएको थियो। 
कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै सम्पादक-पत्रकार अनि साहित्यकार समिरण छेत्री प्रियदर्शीले भने, पत्रिकामा रचना प्रकाशित गरेपछि कुनै पनि पत्रिकाले लेखकहरूलाई पारिश्रमिक दिने चलन छैन। यो चलन मध्यममार्गले थालेको छ, जो स्तुत्य छ। तिनले कोही लेखक पनि व्यवसायिक बन्न नसकेको बताउँदै पत्रिकाहरूले लेखकहरूलाई व्यवसायिक बनाउन अनिवार्य रहेको जनाए। अर्कोतिर पुरस्कार प्रापक विर्ख खड्का डुवर्सेलीले भने, म मात्र यस्तो लेखक हुँ जो लेखेर नै बॉंचिरहेको छ। लेखनलाई व्यसायिकीकरण गर्न सक्षम छु। म हिन्दीमा लेख्छु अनि मेरो एउटा रचनाले चारहजार रुपिया भन्दा अधिक पाइसकेको छ।
 नेपालीमा निरन्तर लेख्न मध्यममार्गले लगाइरहेको छ अनि म छक्क परिरहेको छु कि मैले नेपालीमा लेखेर यो पुरस्कार पाइरहेको छु। तिनी मुलत्‌ राजनैतिक लेखहरू अहिले लेखिरहेका छन्‌ भने लेखनको क्रममा धेरै धम्कीहरूको समना गर्न परेको पनि तिनले बताए। पवन राई नाम्दुङ अनि सुशिल प्रधानले पनि आफ्नो सम्बोधनमा मध्यमार्गले उत्साहवर्धक कार्यको थलनी गरेको बताए। मुख्य अतिथि जनक बस्नेतले भने, मध्यमार्ग कुनै पनि दलवादको विज्ञापन बनेको छैन। यसलाई जोगाउनुपर्छ। म पनि यसलाई जीवन प्रदान गर्न सहयोग गर्नेछु। तिनले विचार र मस्तिष्कलाई जहिल्यै पनि तिखार्दै लगे कुनै पनि क्षेत्रमा उसले सफलता प्राप्त गर्ने अनि त्यसको उदाहरण आफू नै रहेको जनाए। तिनले भने, मस्तिष्क सिसाकलम हो, यसलाई तिखार्न सकेमात्र यसले केही लेख्छ। कुनै पनि क्षेत्रको विकासमा संलग्नहुनेहरूलाई आफ्नो विषयमा चाख लागेको हुनुपर्ने र मात्र सफलता पाइने बताउँदै तिनले अझ भने, कसैले पनि आफ्नो योग्यतालाई पहिले चिन्नुपर्छ। जीवन भनेको बाघचाल हो, बाख्रो बचाउन बुद्धि लगाउन पर्छ। आलस्यको कारण नै हाम्रो विकास हुन सकिरहेको छैन।
Parcel bomb kills lady teacher
TT, Malda, April 24: A 26-year-old schoolteacher was killed today when a parcel supposedly containing books exploded while she was trying to open it. The parcel had been delivered at her rented accommodation in Malda town this afternoon.
Aparna Biswas died moments after she was admitted to the Malda district hospital. Police are on the lookout for two youths, one of them her former husband and the other supposedly an engineer with whom she had developed a relationship after her divorce. The police said they were yet to find out the nature of explosive used but confirmed that a detonator had triggered the explosion.
Aparna taught Bengali at Ramakrishna Balika Vidyalaya, where she had joined after clearing the School Service Commission exams in 2009. Police said she had rented a room in Sitangshu Das’s house in Malanchapalli close to her school seven months ago. Earlier, she used to stay in a private hostel.
Sources at Englishbazar police station said they were looking for Aparna’s former husband Sanjay Biswas, an unemployed youth whom she had divorced two months before she got the job when she realised he was having an affair.
“However, my main suspicion is on Prince Ghosh, a resident of Mangalbari with whom she had developed a relationship. She had a fight with him about one-and-a-half years ago while they were on a bus bound for Raiganj. Prince had slapped my daughter and she had also struck him back. After that, she cut off all ties with him. But lately, he had been issuing threats to my daughter over the phone, saying he would not let her be anyone else’s,” an officer at Englishbazar police station quoted Aparna’s father Swarup Biswas as saying.
The officer said since the police came to know about Prince, an engineer whose place of work was still unknown, only after Aparna’s father arrived from Habibpur after 6pm, it would take some time to track him.
Two police teams have been despatched to Habibpur, 50km from here, and Old Malda to look for Sanjay and Prince.
The police said the daughter of the landlord had heard a youth calling out Aparna’s name around 10.30am.
“The youth, aged between 28 and 30 years, handed a large parcel to my daughter. He even made her sign on white and yellow slips of paper. The parcel had Aparna’s name on it and said it contained 10 famous novels. The address, ‘c/o Sitangshu Das, Malanchapalli, Malda’ was written clearly on the top. The sender was Subham Biswas from Vivekananda Palli, Gajole — at least that was the name written,” an investigating officer quoted the landlord as saying.
Investigations revealed that Aparna, who was pursuing her post-graduate degree, had gone to Malda College to attend classes. “She returned around noon when the landlord’s daughter gave her the parcel,” the officer said.
The landlord’s wife Rekha said their daughter had gone downstairs to hand over the brown-paper parcel to Aparna when she arrived.
“After about five minutes there was a loud explosion that shook the house. We all rushed downstairs and found Aparna’s room covered in thick smoke. We heard Aparna moaning in pain. There was hardly any sign of the bed on which she was sitting and there were shreds of paper all over the room which was splattered with blood. The lower half of her body was almost severed. We immediately took her to the district hospital,” Rekha said.
“I shudder to think what would have happened if the parcel had gone off while we were handling it,” she added.
The police arrived at the scene around 12.45pm and sealed the room.
“We are going to take the help of the CID in this case. We have also asked the bomb squad in Siliguri and forensic experts in Calcutta to do their investigation. I cannot tell you the nature of explosive used in this case till forensic tests are done, but there was a detonator that set it off when the woman tore the parcel. We have sent police teams to Gajole,” said Malda police superintendent Bhuban Mondol.
Swarup Biswas said his daughter had big plans for her brother, Sujan, who will appear for his Madhyamik exams next year. “Sujan used to stay with her in Malda. He was with us in Habibur today and I dread to think what would have happened if he was there,” the father, a farmer, said.
Aparna’s colleagues had come to the hospital. “We are totally in the dark about why someone should kill her,” said headmistress Sudipta Kumar.
Leaders condole Sai Baba’s demise

TH, Hyderabad: The Vice President, Lok Sabha Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Congress president are among those who condoled the demise of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, who died due to multiple-organ failure at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh this morning.
In this Nov. 22, 2010 file photo, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is seen with Sri Sathya Sai Baba at the 29th convocation ceremony of Sri Sathya Sai Institiute of Higher Learning at Puttaparthi. Dr. Singh expressed “deep and profound sadness” over the death of the spiritual guru in Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh. File photo
In this Nov. 22, 2010 file photo, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh is seen
with Sri Sathya Sai Baba at the 29th
convocation ceremony of Sri Sathya
Sai Institiute of Higher Learning at
 Puttaparthi:PTI
Lauding the work done by various institutions set up by Sai Baba to promote egalitarian values, education, and public health, they said the Baba's "words and actions have lit the lamp of love in the hearts of devotees.
In his message, Vice President Hamid Ansari said his message of love should be the guiding light in this trying hour.
Expressing `deep and profound sadness’ over the death of the 86-year-old Sai Baba, the Prime Minister said that he was a spiritual leader who inspired millions to lead a moral and meaningful life even as they followed the religion of their choice.
"Sri Sathya Sai Baba as a preacher of the highest human values was an iconic figure for over five decades. He endeared himself to the people through various institutions, with headquarters at Prashanthi Nilayam, that promoted egalitarian values, education and public health," Dr. Singh said.
The Prime Minister said Sai Baba believed that it was the duty of every person to ensure that all people have access to the basic requirements for ustenance of life.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also condoled the death of Sai Baba and said that the news had greatly pained her. "He was a spiritual person in whom lakhs of people had faith. In his lifetime, he inspired the people of this country and those abroad towards spiritualism and religion," she said in her condolence message.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani and Nitin Gadkari, in separate messages, expressed their profound grief and sorrow at the passing away of Sai Baba.
Mr. Advani said in modern times stalwarts like Swami Ramakrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Dayanand and Mahatma Gandhi are reckoned as ideals for the country and of the titans in the spiritual field in present day India, few have had the phenomenal following that he had.
Mr. Gadkari, who condoled the Baba's death on his behalf and that of BJP, said, "The departure of such a great cultural and social icon of global fame from the spiritual world has left a void which will remain unfulfilled for a long time to come."
In his condolence message, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said he had a "unique privilege" of knowing the spiritual leader for a number of years. "The most impressive part of his personality was the love and compassion that he always brought into his endeavours," he said.
Expressing her deep sadness, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, in her message said, "Baba's inspirational presence and his eternal message of love and compassion have enlightened the people across the world."
PTI adds:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on Sunday expressed grief over the demise of Sathya Sai Baba and said the spiritual leader had showered love on him though he is an atheist.
In a release, the Chief Minister recalled that Sai Baba had voluntarily visited him at his residence in 2007 and contributed over Rs 200 crore for water supply to Chennai when many State governments were not ready to release water to the city. '
AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa expressed grief over the death of Sai Baba.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba has rendered service through numerous educational institutions and hospitals for half a century now and his demise was a great loss for humanity, she said in a release in Chennai.
Obit: No godmen could match Sathya Sai Baba's name and fame
PTI, Hyderabad, Apr 24, 2011: From ordinary believers to the President of India, his clout spread far and wide but controversy also followed Puttaparthi Sathya Sai Baba all along.India had, and has, several godmen but none could match his name and fame.In fact, Satya Sai Baba's influence had no barriers as his millions of followers spanned the globe.
Top-ranking politicians including prime ministers, Union ministers, governors, chief ministers, filmstars, sportspersons, industrialists and virtually the 'who's who' of the country rank among the high-profile devotees of the Baba.
Born into an ordinary family as Satyanarayana Raju in the sleepy Puttaparthi village in the dry Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, on November 23, 1926, he was to later become Sathya Sai Baba, the reincarnation of the saintly Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Now, Puttaparthi - which metamorphosed into a self-contained city - finds itself on the international map, thanks to the large number of the Baba's foreign devotees who visit Prasanthi Nilayam day in and day out. It boasts of an exclusive airport where chartered flights, carrying Baba's devotees from different parts of the globe, land.
As a child, Satyanarayana Raju was described as "unusually intelligent" and charitable. His talents were in drama, music, dance and writing, and he was an avid composer of poems and plays. He was also known as a singer, having released several CDs of bhajans.
It was on October 20, 1940 at the age of 14 that Satyanarayana Raju declared himself as the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Satya Sai Baba invariably referred to Shirdi Sai Baba as "my previous body" whenever he spoke about him.
Satya Sai Baba became famous for his magic tricks by producing objects from thin air. But he was reviled by critics and rationalists who campaigned against him.
Frequently, reports alleging scandals in his ashram appeared. Questions were also raised over sexual preferences but they were dismissed by him and his followers as vilification by his detractors or those who had fallen out with him.
On June 6, 1993, an attempt was allegedly made on his life by his close aides. Six inmates of Prasanthi Nilayam were killed right inside the Baba's bedroom. All of them were part of the "inner circle" of Baba. His personal assistant Radha Krishna Menon was among those killed in the incident.
Facts of the case still remain a mystery. In 1944, a small temple was built for Sathya Sai Baba's devotees at Puttaparthi and in 1950 a sprawling ashram popularly called the 'Prasanthi Nilayam' was built, making it his permanent abode.
His divine preaching apart, Sathya Sai Baba pioneered many social service activities beginning with a tiny general hospital at Puttaparthi which has now transformed into the Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, a 220-bedded super-speciality hospital.
Another super-speciality 333-bedded SSIHMS was established at Whitefield on the outskirts of Bangalore, where the Baba's summer abode Brindavan also stands.
The Satya Sai Central Trust manages all the service activities and also runs the Sathya Sai University (formerly Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning) at Puttaparthi. Besides, the trust also runs many schools and dispensaries in different states while it has also completed large water supply projects in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Volunteers from the Sathya Sai Seva Organisation are always found in the forefront carrying out relief and rehabilitation work during natural calamities not only in AP but also in other states.
Sathya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs (spiritual centres) in India - Dharmakshetra in Mumbai, Shivam in Hyderabad and Sundaram in Chennai.
Besides, there are Sathya Sai centres located in over 114 countries in the world.
In 1957, Sathya Sai Baba went on a temple tour of north India and made his only overseas trip to Uganda in June 1968.
In 1963, Sathya Sai Baba suffered a stroke and four severe heart attacks but survived.
Since 2005, Baba used a wheelchair and his failing health forced him to make fewer public appearances. In 2006 he suffered a fractured hip when a student standing on an iron stool slipped and both the boy and the stool fell on Baba. He gave darshan from a car or his porte chair.
End of a chequered spiritual journey
S. NAGESH KUMAR, TH, HYDERABAD, April 24, 2011: Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the spiritual guru who passed away at Puttaparthi on Sunday morning after battling illness for four weeks, enjoyed a large following in India and abroad that cut across religious lines.
The Sathya Sai Trust Central Trust that manages the vast properties and religious affairs of Prashanthi Nilayam claims that it has Sathya Sai Baba Centres in as many as 114 countries and followers in 178. It is to facilitate devotees from far and near to have a last glimpse of Sai Baba that the funeral has been fixed for April 27, that is three days after the death of the 85-year-old Sai Baba.
A. P. Minister for Industries J. Geetha Reddy, a staunch devotee of Sai Baba, told reporters in Puttaparthi that his body, after being kept in the Sai Kulwant Hall on Monday and Tuesday, will be buried there on Wednesday morning. Sai Kulwant Hall is the venue of congregations where the devout perform bhajans and where Sai Baba's birthday used to be celebrated in a gradiose manner with a multitude of VIPs in attendance.
Sathyanarayana Raju, as Sai Baba was known, was born to Eswaramma and Peddavenkama Raju Ratnakaram in Puttaparthi on November 23, 1926. He was considered an intelligent child and quite talented in drama, music, dance and writing. His chequered spiritual journey began when he was barely 14 years of age and when he proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi. His devotees built a temple near Puttaparthi village, now referred to as the old mandir.
The Prashanthi Nilayam (abode of divine peace) was built later during 1948-50. The spiritual guru enchanted his devotees by performing what seemed to them miracles such as producing `vibhtuti' (holy ash) and items of daily use like watches, gold chains and rings, seemingly out of thin air. However, it also attracted adverse attention from rationalists and scientists who sought to expose them as nothing but sleight of hand.
The Baba stopped performing these `miracles' and focused attention on charitable activities in a big way. The Sathya Sai Central Trust, set up in 1972 for running the ashram, executed the Water Supply Project for Anantapur district, one of the most chronically drought affected area in the country. Under the project, about nine lakh people in nearly 750 villages were provided water in a record time of about two years at a cost of more than Rs. 300 crore. Besides, he gave funding generously to the "Sathya Sai Ganga Canal" for supply of water to Chennai.
The Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, a deemed university, and the super-speciality hospital, both at Puttaparthi, were only two among the high-profile institutions besies the numerous schools, colleges and other facilities he created. The hospital routinely performs highly specialised operations free of cost. Sai Baba preached secular beliefs. During the peak of the Ramjanmabhoomi controversy, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad tried to rope the influential leader into the movement but met with no success.
Questions crop up over Sai Baba Trust successor
PTI, PUTTAPARTHI, April 24, 2011: With the passing away of the Sathya Sai Baba, questions have cropped up as to who will manage an estimated Rs 40,000 crore Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust which has been built through donations of millions of devotees and is core of all philanthropic activities under his name.
The question assumes significance as the 86-year-old Sai Baba, who died on Sunday, had not named his successor to head the Trust.
The Trust established by the Sai Baba in 1972, runs free schools, a University, free hospitals, cultural centres and undertakes development and philanthropic works across 165 countries with money coming from donations of an estimated 30 million devotees.
The empire of the Trust spreads across Puttaparthi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kodaikanal and many countries including the United States. It accepts only cheque or cash donation through banks but details of income and expenditure are shrouded in a cloak of secrecy.
According to estimates, the value of the Trust’s properties, movable and immovable, could be anywhere between a conservative Rs 40,000 crore and a staggering Rs 1.5 lakh crore spread across globe — all tax free, people closely associated with the Trust said.
The future of this gargantuan empire now hinges on the probable successors who will carry on Sai Baba’s legacy through the management of this Trust.
Even if the trustees, who include eminent personalities like former Chief Justice of India P.N. Bhagwati, ex-Central Vigilance Commissioner S.V. Giri, former CII National President V. Srinivasan among others, manage to name a person to chair the Trust, whether devotees will accept the name or not, will remain a question.
The Trust, however, wants to allay fears of any such “vacuum” in carrying forward works envisioned by Sai Baba.
“Institutions like schools, university, hospitals and other organisations are run by respective Trusts. There is or will be no vacuum and we firmly believe that Baba will continue to guide the trustees. The interests of the institutions are paramount,” the Trust said in a statement issued recently after Sai Baba fell ill.
How to Make Your PC as Fast as the Day You Bought It
Every few years, we buy an expensive new PC and love how fast it starts up, runs programs, and loads websites.  Inevitably though, it starts to slow down until eventually we are pulling our hair out waiting for it to do routine tasks.
Why is this?  It turns out the answer is actually quite simple and you don't even need to be "technical" to understand the causes and solutions.
The good news: It's not the computer hardware that's the problem.  In most cases, the hardware you have is perfectly capable of being restored to its original glory and kept in fast running condition with minimal effort.
Rather, the problem lies with changes that occur to the PC's software.  The two most common causes of slowdown (along with easy solutions) are:

1. The most common problem: registery errors
Every time you (or your kids) load a program, game, or file, your PC's software registery is updated with new instructions needed to operate that item.  However, when the item is removed, these instructions usually remain on your PC.  Every time you run your computer it tries to execute these instructions but, because the related program can't be found, it causes a registry error.  Your PC is doing a lot more work than it should be and the result is a significantly slower computer.
One of the best ways to manage this is with a neat little tool from Support.com, a Silicon Valley based company.  It's called ARO 2011 and it scans, identifies, and fixes registry errors--resulting in a computer that's a lot more like it was when you first bought it.  On top of the amazing results it offers, it's so easy to install and use that it was recently awarded a coveted 4.5 star rating (out of 5) by CNET's editorial staff and has been downloaded more than 30 million times.
You can now get a free working version of the software which will quickly scan your entire PC and identify all of the registry errors that may be bogging it down.  The free version also scans for junk and checks your PC's baseline security status.  It will eliminate the first 100 errors for free, and if you have more errors that you want to clean up or want to set the program to run on a regular basis (which is recommended), you can easily upgrade to the full version for just $29.95.  After that, registry errors will no longer be a problem.
To get the free version simply click here.
2. Spyware and viruses
Spyware and viruses are software programs that are loaded on your computer without your knowledge or permission.  They have various purposes, including:
  • Changing the default search engine in your browser.
  • Tracking your Web surfing habits and showing you targeted advertising.
  • Using your email program to send out spam to other email addresses.
  • Stealing your personal information.
    Most spyware and viruses get onto our computers through files that we download from the Internet or as attachments to emails.  They tend to take up a lot of computing power and, as a result, will significantly slow down your computer.
    The simple rule of thumb to follow is to never download any free software programs from companies you do not know and trust, especially screensavers, emoticons, and the like.  In addition, you should never open any attachment to an email unless you are 100 percent certain you know and trust the sender.  In addition, make sure you have a good anti-virus/spyware removal software running at all times.
    Follow the above advice and your PC should stay fast and safe.

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