PANCHAAMRITAM 207

Vishwa Samvad Kendra, Chennai

PANCHAAMRITAM 207

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima/ Kali Yugaabda 5112 / Vikruti Panguni 5 (March 19, 2011)

ONE

One day during the second week of February 2011, a young woman forgetfully left her mobile phone worth Rs 10,000 and cash Rs 600 on the seat of a Rickshaw that she had hired earlier in the day. She started looking for her belongings and made enquiries around the place she alighted from the rickshaw – Gardanibaug first cross road, Patna (Bihar, Bharat). Meanwhile, Anil, 35, the rickshaw chalak, was waiting for the lady to turn up and claim her mobile. Her enquiries led her to Anil, who handed over the mobile and cash to her in the presence of his neighbours the same evening. On 5 occasions earlier, Anil has restored mobile phones left in his vehicle to their owners, reports say. SAMVAD DARSHAN (Hindi fortnightly), February II, 2011, Patna.

TWO

On March 1, 2011, Ranjita, Kalpana and Satya all students of Chennai Queen Mary's College were hit by a speeding motor bike driven by two drunkards. All three were admitted to Hospital with head injuries. Of these, Rranjita died on Marech 5 owing to the callousness of the doctors. On information, the workers of ABVP Chennai unit mobilized over 300 students and staged a protest demonstration in the hospital premises. The students demanded action against erring doctors and nurses, and compensation to the parents of the deceased student. Soon the agitation snowballed into Road Roko by students. That led the Dean of the hospital Shri Kanakasabai to a talk with the students represented by Malathi, ABVP's national executive committee member, Gangadharan, joint secretary of the state unit of ABVP and Shaktivel of Law College. As a result, all demands of the agitating students were met. The ABVP team organized an instant condolence meet and saw to it that the body of the student was handed over to her parents without delay.  A report in MAANAVAR SHAKTI, Tamil monthly, March 2011.

THREE

Shailesh (name changed), a 22-year-old US-based medical sciences student, experienced a sudden loss of vision after accidentally consuming methanol. For humans, methanol is said to be highly toxic. If ingested, as little as 10 ml can damage the optic nerve, thereby causing permanent blindness while 30 ml could be potentially fatal. His condition was claimed to be irreversible by American doctors. Indian doctors restored the vision of Shailesh at Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) on March 15, 2011. Himanshu Bansal, a stem cell therapist who treated him said, "After diagnosis and treatments, the doctors who were consulted in the US called his case irreversible and despite intensive treatment with high dose steroids, his condition continued to deteriorate, possibly due to cell death." "During the procedure, doctors aspirated about 120 ml of autologus bone marrow from the lilac crest and concentrated it to 20 ml, processed it, and injected it into Shailesh's optic nerve," said Bansal. "A week after the procedure, Shailesh was able to read and differentiate colours," he added. The procedure was carried out at Laksha Hospital, Mylapore. "Once I return to the US, I will revisit my doctors and show them how Indian doctors have succeeded in treating me while they claimed my condition was irreversible," said Shailesh. "We are planning to publish the achievement in a medical journal," added Bansal. Based on a report in THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, March 16, 2011.

FOUR

Because of religious persecution, Rajasthan saw immigration of around one lakh people from Pakistan during the 1965 and 1971 wars," said Pak Visthapit Sangh and Seemant Lok Sangathan president Hindu Singh Sodha, a law graduate from Jodhpur (Rajasthan, Bharat). In the past few years, Sodha and his team of volunteers have worked successfully in Rajasthan and border areas to provide Indian citizenship for over 13,000 persons displaced from Pakistan. Refugee status, Indian citizenship and reduction in fees for citizenship registration are the main demands of these people, said Sodha. Going back is not an option because of religious discrimination, but staying here also means facing harassment. Without ration cards and other valid proofs of an Indian identity, these people cannot send their children to school, or find proper jobs. The hope that their children will have a better life is the common thread that strings together these immigrants scattered in different parts of the country. Based on reports in FLASH LIGHT, Patna, February II, 2011 and THE HINDU December 18, 2010.

FIVE

Didi is a respected Gorkha lady living in the Dinthar locality of Aizol (Mizoram, Bharat). She was targeted by a Christian padre for conversion. Leading a group of evangelists, he promised her that if she became a Christian, she could live in heaven eternally. On hearing this, Didi replied: "Very good. I did not know this so far. Let all Christians go to heaven allowing all non Christians to live in peace on earth. May God bless you people, is my prayer.  All of you will be happy and we all will also be happy". This response caused a quick and silent departure of the proselytizers from the spot. From PAATHEYA KANN, Hindi fortnightly, Jaipur, March 1, 2011.

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