An e-journal from Centre for Public Policy Research

VOLUME 3
ISSUE 10
OCTOBER 2008
MindTEXT
SO
LU
TI
ON GE
S TO CHAN olicy R esearch

Centre for Public Policy Research aims for social change

by creating awareness among the General Public. The
Centre attempts to provide better or alternative policy
Editorial
solutions for all the relevant issues concerned with the October GLOW
daily lives of human beings. This is achieved through the
research programmes that will provide the platform for
advocacy and action. Focus on youth facilitates our
reach out to the larger sections of the society. Colleges,
other academic institutions, youth organizations,
Reality Check
cultural organizations, local bodies and self-help groups
take an active role in this movement. The Centre has
Technology Transfer In Pharmaceutical Industry:
various activities to involve the youth for its programmes
and thus facilitate the knowledge dissemination through
Need For A Change?
them. The Centre has given importance to semi
academic nature of research works so that it is easily
understood even by the layman in the rural backgrounds.
We have been successful in tying up with leading RAW
institutions so that some of our policy research and
discussions go hand in hand with their academic Happiness…
requirements. This has assured credibility and
successful reach out of the Centre. The Centre believes
Jean-jacques Rousseau- A Retrospection In Modern Times
in spreading the knowledge through various mediums.
Different programmes and activities of the Centre have
In Never Ending Peace And Love
been initiated with better understanding gained from
the primary research projects.
Sporting Trouble
The Even That Changed My Life
Breaking News

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October
EDITORIAL

D
eepawali sprays glow and radiance to all around as one celebrates this festival of
lights. For some, Diwali is a time to just to sit back and relax at home and enjoy the
“chutti”, while for others it is all about meeting a dozen members of the family whom
they would be seeing probably after a century! However I would call today’s Diwali, “E-
Diwali “. This term I believe , would be the right term to use for what most of us try to do
these days; escape socialization and community celebrations by sending Diwali mails, SMSs
or probably even sending flowers and gifts online. With the e- world making everything easy
for man, social networking during festivals seems to be given utmost importance. Recently I
happened to read a blog in which the discontented blogger did nothing but harp on how the
meaning of Diwali has changed drastically for many these days, while for the rest the thrill of
this festival still lies in bursting crackers, hogging sweets and the elaborate shopping that is
tradition, making it the most awaited time of the year.

Jagandeep Aluwalia, the owner of Jagandeep Grocery Shop next door is not very
happy with the sale of crackers this year. He explains saying, how people prefer the fancy,
low decibel, colorful fireworks over the low range crackers these days. Jagandeep, who used
to produce firecrackers three years back, says there is not much profit in the business as
labour charges have increased and all that people prefer buying these days are these fancy
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

fireworks. “I’d rather get it from the wholesalers, than produce it myself,” says Jagandeep.
People enjoy seeing 60 colours bursting out from one single cracker for which they are willing
to pay 600 odd bucks, while the local ‘bijli bomb’ maintains a low profile. Well! I guess all of
us would rather gaze at the sky than choke on a bijli bomb!!!

Consider it an irony or not, my friend fetched a job in one of those big MNCs and
bought a microwave for Dhanteeras (an auspicious day during Diwali to buy imported
kitchenware!!!) even as 1500 employees in Yahoo face uncertainty as they were fired from
their jobs as their company struggled to cope with the crumbling economy.

It is amazing to see how much one can observe and learn by observing society as it
responds to the various calls of this enchanting festival!

We wish that the magnanimity of this festival mood be with all our readers and hope
that all enjoy the week off, making the best of available time with friends and families.

Enjoy reading MindText

Happy E- Diwali!!!

Lekha Pillai, Editor

GLOW
 REALITY CHECK
Jithin Paul Varghese
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

NEED FOR A CHANGE?

W
ith the introduction of sulpha drugs in the mid-1930s and penicillin in the early 1940's, the
modern pharmaceutical industry went through what is usually referred to as to a therapeutic
revolution. Before the 1930's, a few drugs were capable of curing diseases. The large number
of remaining drugs could only deal with the symptoms, reduces pain and induce sleep, with industry
having very little research capability. The success of sulpha drugs and penicillin lured the
pharmaceutical firms in the developed countries into the field of research for developing new drugs.
Accompanied by several other discoveries and inventions, the pharmaceutical industry was
transformed into a vast research and development (R&D) intensive industry. Meanwhile, the Second
World War also tremendously increased the demand for drugs. Production and marketing soon began
to be organised by the multinational corporations (MNCs) on a worldwide basis and on an
unprecedented scale. Infact, the industry can be broadly divided into two categories:

(i) A small number of big MNCs which do R&D, got new drugs patented and thereby dominate
the industry
(ii) A large number of smaller companies which produce drugs for which patents have expired,
generally referred to as generic industry.
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

The patent system and the marketing system are the roots of the worldwide dominance of the
MNCs. The reason why patent protection is considered to be vital in the pharmaceutical industry is
primarily because of two reasons: Firstly, the costs of developing a new drug are high and secondly the
costs of developing process for manufacturing a new drug are low.

Without protection of patents, third parties may be able to imitate new drugs thereby
limiting the innovator's ability to recoup the R&D costs. The impact on the incentive for the R&D is
only one of the economic aspects of patent production. The other major concerns are competition
and technology diffusion. Patent holders are required to disclose the innovation and this may have a
positive impact on future innovations. But the fact that patent holders can prevent others from using
the innovation may have a positive impact on further technological development, particularly in the
1
area of pharmaceuticals where innovation is a cumulative and collaborative enterprise. But, patent
rights which exclude others from producing and marketing it lead to inhibition of competition and
hence high prices. In fact the recent initiative for providing product patent is to prevent the prices of
the innovators from being undercut by others thereby providing an incentive and reward for R&D.

Since, patent awarded to the innovator of a drug

2
product, excludes other from making, using, selling, or importing
the product for a specified period of time. Thus, the MNCs
innovating new drugs and continue enjoy monopoly status for
them. They also use an elaborate marketing infrastructure to
maintain dominant market shares even after the patent expire.
Even when the product is protected through patents, the MNCs
promote their drugs through brand names, that is, through
trademarks, rather than the generic name, that are commonly
used in scientific literature. Hence, though generic companies
which enter the markets after patent expiry charge much lower
prices, MNCs continue to get a substantial and enduring sales
advantage even after the expiry of the patents. The MNCs are not
only R&D intensive but also marketing intensive. It is this strategy
of the major MNCs which is reflected in the fact that most of them
spend much more on drug promotion than what they invest on
R&D.3

1. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD] 'Statements of Essential Inventions to the Commission on
Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health, (2004) .
2. Patents can also be awarded for process of manufacturing, methods of use or specific formulations.
3. Mahan D., Profiting from pain: where prescription drug dollars go (Washington DC :Families USA ,2002).
 The Patents Act of 1970 The Indian Story
practically eliminated India has a long tradition of drug manufacturing. But the full potential
the monopoly status could not be realized because of the constraints imposed by the British Patents Act
of 1911 which was in force till 1972. With the introduction of new drugs at a rapid
which the MNCs rate by the MNCs since the 1930s and 40s, the role of patents became very
had enjoyed important. In the 1950s and 1960s the MNCs used the then existing patent laws to
prevent the indigenous sector from producing the new drugs developed by the
till then. former even when the latter developed their own processes of manufacture.

However, before the creation of the WTO as the as the new permanent
international trade organization in 1995, individual countries were free to have
their own patent laws. India was one of the developing countries which took
advantage of this freedom and replaced the British Patents and designs Act, 1911
by the Patents Act, 1970 in 1972. The most striking feature of the new law was that
it did not recognise product patent protection in drugs and (food), which made it
possible for the Indian generic industry to make an enormous growth.

Some factor's can be directly associated with the performance of Indian

Pharmaceutical industry like:

(i) A tradition of development of process technology by indigenous

enterprises

(ii) The externalities associated with the setting up of two major public
enterprises (Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL) in 1954 and Indian
Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL) in 1961)
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

(iii) The close association between manufacturers and government

laboratories

(Iv) Several official initiatives taken, after the 1970s ,which also changed
the environment in favour of the indigenous sector, like , the enactment
of the Patents Act, 1970, the changes in the Foreign Exchange Regulation
Act, 1973 (FERA) and the introduction of the New Drug Policy, 1978 (NDP)

Introduction of the Patents Act, 1970, which came into force in 1972 was a
significant step in the growth of pharmaceutical industry in India .Under the 1970
Act, drugs could be patented only for a new method or process of manufacture, not
for the products as such.4 The life of the drug patents was reduced from at least
sixteen years in the previous Act to five years from the date of sealing or seven
years from the date of filling of complete specifications, whichever was shorter,
that is, for a maximum period of seven years. For other patents the duration was
fourteen years.

The Act of 1970 practically eliminated the monopoly status which the MNCs
had enjoyed till then. An MNC investing or discovering a new drug could, at best,
patent the process of manufacturing, provided it was innovative. Unlike in the
previous patent regime, it could not patent all the processes known to it even if
these were new. The Act stipulated that, for a particular drug only one method or
process, the best known to the applicant- could be patented.5
The Agreement on
Trade Related Aspects Thus, the indigenous firms could immediately manufacture the new drugs
if it could use an old process or develop a new one not mentioned in the patent of
of Intellectual Property the innovator company. Even when they could not, the period of the monopoly of
Rights (TRIPS), aims at the MNCs could be significantly shorter at the most seven years, compared to at
least sixteen years in the past. Under the provisions of compulsory licensing in the
establishing strong 1970 Act, manufacturing by non-patentees could begin even earlier. Under Section
87 of the Patents Act, 1970 every patent relating to processes for manufacturing
minimum standards drugs has to be endorsed with the words, ' Licenses of right' after three years of the
for intellectual date of sealing. This implies that anyone is automatically entitled to a license from
the patentee for using the patent on payment of royalties, the maximum rate being
property rights. fixed at 4 per cent of the factory sales.6

4. Patents Act, 1970, sec.5.

5. Supra note 4, sec.10.
6. Supra note 4, sec.88.
 The indigenous firms were quick to respond to the new “process-patent” regime
with favourable provisions. The technological skills developed by them together with the
CSIR laboratories were used to generate processes for manufacturing the latest drugs.
Indian companies were no longer prevented from producing and marketing them. Because of
the ability to generate processes of manufacturing on their own, the indigenous companies
were not required to seek compulsory licenses from MNCs and, hence, the elaborate
compulsory licensing provisions of the new Act practically remained unused.

However, the policy environment has now changed. One of the WTO agreements,
namely The Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) ,
which is binding on all the members of the WT O, aims at establishing strong minimum
standards for intellectual property rights. It provides that all member countries will have to
mandatorily provide product patent protection in all products including pharmaceuticals,
within the time specified.

Technology Transfer In Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry is a highly technology dependent and knowledge intensive industry, where drug
development is a complex process, than new product development in other industries. This is because many projects go hand-in-
hand , its highly regulated, it takes long time to develop a product(8-15 years at an average), and also large amount of
monetary(200 million 1 billion US Dollars per compound ) and intellectual issues are involved.

Moreover, the risk factor is very high in this industry, like, at an average, in 5000 screened products only one is launched,
and of those launched products only 30% R&D expenses can be recovered. Also, smaller companies, with limited research options
may not be in a position to continue research of many products simultaneously.7

If good science is to translate into new medicines, then effective transfer of technology is essential and hence the process has
become fundamental in the modern pharmaceutical world. The concept of technology transfer is a complicated one, generally
divided into to two categories:8
(i) Unpackaged transfer: In this form, only the title, the right in itself, the essence of the technology, together with
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

drawings and/or descriptions is transferred. Such type of transfer's usually occurs between partners who are at the
same technical level.
(ii) Packaged Transfer: In this mode, besides granting the right to use and describing the technology to a minimal extent,
a good deal of other information is also transferred to the recipient. Depending on the complexity the following may
be included: delivery of machinery, delivery of a complete plant , the direction and/or supervision of the
construction and /or erection works or the partial and /or full execution thereof etc. This form of transfer is usual
between unequal partners.

The process of transfer is also a continuous one which extends from clinical trails to full scale commercialization and is
important to upgrade drug quality. There might be various motivational factors' that prompt the developer to consider a transfer
of technology, like9:
(i) To form alliances with partners that can progress the development of the technology to its further stages and then to
market, wherein the developer may not have the resources for the same.
(ii) To partner with an organization having sufficient manufacturing capability
(iii) To partner with an organization having marketing and distribution facility
(iv) To exploit the technology in a different field. e.g.: The developer might be capable of exploiting the technology in
the field of diagnostic application, and might grant usage in therapeutical application to a partner.

The process of transfer can be primarily divided into three stages, viz. assimilation stage; adaptation stage and
developmental stage10. In assimilation stage, the recipient accepts and absorbs new technology to achieve set targets by using it
in the way the original technology served its purpose. In the second stage, the technology adopted is modified to suit local
conditions .Finally, technology also requires the recipient to posses basic capabilities to cope with repair , maintenance and
production, control in quality, cost and delivery. Once the recipient develops these capabilities, the transfer is complete.
11
For a long time Technology Transfers have been recognized as an instrument for accelerating economic growth ,
especially in the context of growing human needs and sustainability in a highly competitive scenario. Apparently, Governments
across the globe and firms have realized the fact that technological competitiveness is essential for long term sustainable growth
.In the international scene, the various avenues identified through which ITT (International Technology Transfer) happens are:12
Trade in goods,
(i) Direct Foreign Investment and
(ii) Licensing Agreements
(iii) Overseas Joint Ventures
(iv) Direct Supply of Machinery and Equipment
(v) Movement of people including hiring of experts and training of personnel abroad.
To be continued...

7. Warren Kaplan, Using IP Agreements to promote the objectives of Private Pubic Partnerships, (Boston: Boston University, Center for International Health & Development, 2002).
8. Istvan Gazda, Technology Transfer (The Hague, Netherlands: Kluwer Law International, 1996).
9. Ashish Kr. Varma,”Transferring Technology for Quality”,www.Pharmabiz.com , March 20,2008 (accessed September 2,2008).
10. RR Azad, Technology Transfers and Joint Ventures Abroad (New Delhi: Deep &Deep Publications, 2000).
11. Robert Solow, “Technical Change and the Aggregate Production Function”, Review of Economic and Statistics, 39(1957), 312-319.
12. Bernard M. Hoekman,, Keith E Maskus & Kamal Saggi ,”Transfer of Technology to Developing countries: Unilateral and Multilateral Policy Options” World Development , 33 no.10(2005) 1587-1602.
 UPCOMING EVENT>>
LIBERAL YOUTH SOUTH ASIA
1st South Asia Youth Summit '08
Towards Democracy, Peace and Open Boarders
Dates: 24th & 25th November, 2008
Venue: Constitution Club, New Delhi

Liberal Youth South Asia is organizing the South Asia Youth Summit (SAYS) to provide a platform
for youth to interact, debate and understand various issues confronting the region from a
liberal perspective. SAYS'08, hosted by Centre for Public Policy Research and supported by
Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit, envisions a democratic and peaceful South Asia
with open boarders emphasizing the role of youth in restructuring the society.

Over the two-day schedule, the delegates would be exposed to a variety of s imulations,
discussions and debates. Highlights of the conference include:

- Panel discussions and plenary sessions with South

Asian experts from diverse fields
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

- Presentations by the young leaders and interactive discussionsmongst

a participants
Facilitated by experienced moderators
- “Youth Chain” and lighting the lamp against terrorism near India Gate, New Delhi
- Musical Concerts and cultural presentations by youth performers acros
s South Asia.

The summit will include sessions and interactions with some of the finest and emine nt
personalities from various fields across South Asia. SAYS intends to invite young people to
brainstorm on a variety of topics that include; Youth and Politics in South Asia, Market Economy
and South Asian Free Trade Zone, Education, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Transparency and
Good Governance, Democracy and Human Rights etc.

For further details please contact:

Roji John
Program Officer
Liberal Youth South Asia
Website: www.lysasia.org
Email: program@lysasia.org
Ph: +91 9868366374 (Mobile)
SAYS’08
SOUTH ASIA YOUTH SUMMIT
Towards Democracy, Peace and Open Borders
Log on to http://lysasays.blogspot.com/
 RAW
Abin Thomas
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A retrospection in Modern Times

J
ean-Jacques Rousseau , is a famous name in the field of philosophy, political thought and
political philosophy.I hope that there may be some awareness regarding his contribution to
the intellectual world. he more you read him, the more it become relevant.In this article,
my humble aim is to analyse the life and the influence of his life in his political philosophy, along
with the relevance in this time.

A French thinker, born in 1712 and had a chaotic life, as a natural human being, came into
lime light only in his forties when he wrote an essay. The essay competition was on " Has the
progress of sciences and arts contributed to corrupt or purify morals?".The traditional way of
writings and intellectual jargon got struck when the man, who was a critic of the prevailed notion
of "Civilisation" and " Civilised man" did it very peculiarly and opposed the expected traditional
treatment, but got first place. It was a revolt against the prevailing notions of so called society.
You may wonder why Rousseau?

Because, I see many irregularities in the present context of analysis that each individual
tries to impose his will upon the freedom of the other. But to what extend this happens in the
modern world? I cannot answer. I got depressed by the fact that more people are pretending to be
honest, and avoiding unnecessary pain in the course of life. In modernity man is in pursuit of
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

pleasure , happiness, emotional satisfaction and some bodily needs. But in the realm of society,
political and cultural aspects also become important. In each and every deed you can infer the
escaping desire to be in a nerd situation, thus to find comfort in the one's own life. The
argumentative mind of an individual cannot solve this disparity, to an extend this is my
understanding.

Then, what is the relevance of Rousseau here?

Let's take an example. In our library there is a door which functions well. But one day I noticed a
peculiar thing,that 10 people passed through the entrance within 10 minutes. I noticed ten
people reacted in ten different ways when they encountered problem in opening the door. But
when I went out, I found no difficulty in opening it, after some time. But the system of interaction
was the door, and the aim of the people was also same to enter or to go out. So, even though there
is a common aim, like entering in to the library commonality of mannerism is very less, in this
example. But, when complicated social interaction and common good comes in the playground of
thinking process, it is necessary to remember, some prospects of a GENERAL WILL. Here comes
the Rousseauvian ripples of thought.

What is General will?

It is the continuous participation in the common good. That is, general will is not about individual
will, but collective will which tries to evolve in an Utopian trend of equality.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's , The Social Contract, or Principles of Political Right (1762) is an

analysis of the contractual relationships that may be necessary for legitimate government, and it
is an explanation of how these relationships may combine principles of justice and utility. Each
individual may have a particular will (volunté particuliêre) which is different from the general
will (volunté généale) of the people, but the particular will of each individual may be forced to
submit to the general will because of the obligations that have been defined for all individuals by
the terms of the social contract, by which the maintenance of the society is kept in order and
legitimacy of the preservation of that society, which is granted by the volunté généale .

Let's get in to Rousseau's arguments. By general will he means that the sovereign is the
will of the people. In his book, Social Contract (Book 2 Chapter 1) he says," I hold then that
Sovereignty, being nothing less than the exercise of the general will, can never be alienated , and
that the Sovereign, who is no less than a collective being , cannot be represented except by
himself: the power may be transmitted, but not the will". The moment a master exists, there is
no longer a rule of general will, and from that moment the body politic has ceased to exist. Here
Sovereignty simply means that exercise of general will. Rousseau establishes this sovereignty is
indivisible and infallible. Because, he says," Our will is always for our own good".

Abin Thomas is a team member of CPPR.

 Bertram Christopher in his book " Rousseau and the Social
Contract" talks about different aspects of general will including The general will
universality of the will. He speak about the difference between will
of all and general interest. He says" There is often a considerable "comes
difference between the will of all and the general interest; the
latter looks only to the common interest, the former looks to from all;
private interest and nothing more than a sum of particular will, but
if, from those same wills, one takes away the pluses and minuses
which cancel each other out, what is left is the sum of the
to obey it
difference, which is the general will” is therefore
Rousseau believes, through education general will can be
encouraged to get shape.In "Emile" a magnacarta of education he
no loss
talks about private education, while in " Gouvernement de Pologne "
he wants to have a civic education to generalise the will. of freedom,
In another perspective, J. Merquior discusses general will in since
a next stage.He addresses the problem of hoe "noble savage-
natural man in pure form"which can be reconciled with modern
social human being. How can civilised man recapture the lost
we are
paradise? How can he recover the goodness and happiness of natural
man? The innocence of natural man is tempting and it can be
only
related to the notion of general will.Rousseau, addressed this with
great vigour. His solution is of two fold: it lies in the call of the inner
obeying
voice, and in the reliance on the general will. Inner voice for him is
something uncorrupted and pure in self. Listening to one's inner ourselves."
voice , make him sure that he always follows the right path. The
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

pursuit of Gandhi to his so called inner voice is a remembrance

here. The scrutiny of inner voice make sure that, there will not be
an evil from the civilisation at present in personnal life.This may be
difficult in societal level, but the collective voice of reason can be
there, which is political and not just moral. The politicisation of this
inner voice , Rousseau calls, the " General Will".

Thus with the consent factor of the people, and by a free

covenant and by the sense of common interest social contract lend
legitimacy to the social order. So, John Hall believes, according to
General Will what is in the interest of all should be done. To discover
whether our particular will coincides with the general will in a
particular issue, we need to look into the matter that the thing
which we aim at is what we want to bring about, and to discover
whether it is in fact in every one's interest. If it is, then our will is
the general will.

So, in my view, if we want to get a legitimate societysome

sorts of features of this General Will need to be absorbed. Because ,
it is in the interest of all. In that sense the general will "comes from
all; to obey it is therefore no loss of freedom, since we are only
obeying ourselves."

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Social Contract.
Bbc.co.uk/history
Bertram Christopher ," Rousseau and the Social Contract"
J. Merquior ," Rousseau and Weber"
Hall John, Rousseau , chapter 5
 RAW
--BREAKING NEWS--
The most brave dare
being attempted by a man
Vipin Vishnu

This was what the headlines (in different lingos) on every local
news channel read, after I made the announcement, which was
actually a casual SMS I had sent to all the contacts in my
phonebook.

I was all over the news channels. The TV journos hovered around
my house just to get a glimpse of me, probably my parents, and if
not, even the housemaid would do. I was a celebrity overnight.
So, everything associated with me had some or the other
significance; even the housefly which occasionally made a
landing on my head! My neighbours were interviewed and even
teachers from some random school who claimed to have taught
me. The channels traced by family lineage all the way up to my
great great grandfather, whom even my grandfather wouldn't
have known. Hazy footages of my SMS being typed and sent were
being replayed over and over again. A talk show involving
industrialists, social activists and film personalities was
announced for the evening, the subject being - my
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

announcement. People, the world over, were sending SMSs to the

news channels, voting in favour of, or against my decision. The
channels were cashing in on my publicity.

The world was perplexed as to what had instigated me to make

such an attempt. Frantic phone calls from friends and relatives
never ceased. Everyone thought that it might probably be the last
time he/she would be speaking to me over the cellphone. I was
warned, counselled and even threatened; the repercussions of
my act could be drastic.

I really could not fathom what this hue and cry was all about, as I
did not intend to do anything but to just renounce my mobile
phone and lead a cellphone-free life for some time. Can this
decision of mine be that questionable or surprising?

UPCOMING EVENT>>

Centre for Public policy Research

organises

National Conference on Alternate Dispute Resolution

TAKING ADR TO THE COMMON MAN
Venue : Indian Law Institute, Delhi
Date : 22.11.2008

For further details please log on to http://cppradr.blogspot.com/

 RAW

HAPPINESS…
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

Mary Shananda Gayen

H
appiness comes from the word happy which according to the Oxford dictionary means a person who is content with one's lot
and luck, one is fortunate, glad or pleased. Now if I have to ask 10 people what happiness means to them I am quite sure
that I'll get 10 different or should I say 10 unique answers. One thing I'm sure of is this; my question will not leave people
puzzled but rather would make them think. This would be the common factor no matter how different the answers may be. And
most importantly they would all want to be happy!

So saying that different people have different perception towards happiness I thought I should experiment this on 10 of
my friends itself! I asked a few of my friends what was their perception of happiness. The answers I got were weird, funny and
exciting too! Well, read on! One of them said that she was happiest when she watched television without anyone passing
comments on the programme being watched! Another one said “I'm happiest when I'm with my boyfriend” (aha); another one said
she's happiest while shopping (maybe she's shopping for happiness!). Yet another felt happiness while playing the guitar. Oh, and
there's one friend who said he's happiest while playing games at his play station. One found utmost happiness while eating while
another found happiness in doing good deeds (must be kind hearted, I suppose). The ninth one said she's happiest while working
out (health freak) and my brother couldn't stop jumping when he got a good raise at work!! Well those are my friend's perceptions,
you see. Now that I've told you about my friends I guess I should tell you (not that it's of grave importance to you) that I am quite
happy now but would be happiest when I pass these aching entrance exams and get into a good B-school (moreover my definition
of happiness keeps changing).

You must be wondering why I seem to be I filling you up with 'happiness details' of people you didn't even know existed till a
moment ago (not that you know them thick now, but have at least an idea). Well this is because this nagging thought wouldn't
leave my tiny brain; everyone wants happiness but where can is it found? Is it something that is flying around and you just catch it
and say I'm happy or is it served as food to us? Is it something to be pursued?

Hmmm….I thought and thought away and thus felt I should share my views with you. According to me, happiness is
something that we all work towards. Now you must be wondering why I am saying this while you can be happy without doing
absolutely anything. But if you come to think if it, you have to work your brain towards thinking that you're happy. Don't you? Now
if I ask a business man when he is the happiest, he might say he is happiest if he cracks a big deal or if I ask a beggar he might say
he's happiest when he can manage to get big bucks from begging. A journalist might tell me s/he will be the happiest when s/he is
able to make it to a big story. Or maybe my friend had to work towards watching TV (very tough job!) but surprisingly he worked.
They are all happy but they had to work towards this state of happiness that they have achieved.

Am I saying that you got to work hard to be simply happy? Well yah! Because everything comes with a price and happiness
is certainly not free!! It is expensive, very expensive but maybe we can make it free by just pushing our brain a little to that higher
state that is satisfaction because isn't that what leads to happiness?
The author is a graduate from Fergussons College, Pune
 RANDOM
THOUGHTS D.Dhanuraj

T
elecom revolution in India is a telling anecdote in discussion groups around the world.
Telecom tariff in India has touched the lowest in the world offering a variety of service
providers. Leading handset manufacturing companies like Nokia, Sony, Motorola and
leading provider companies like Singtel, Vodafone, Virgin are a few investors in India that can be
listed here. The outcome is a competent mobile market urged to innovate almost everyday.

Success stories are replicated in many other sectors too; one among them is the Car
industry. I will not be discussing the pros and cons of the Singur controversy but rather would
dwell on the larger spectrum of the availability of the number of car brands on Indian Roads. I
remember the day when my aunt (that was one of the first cars that was bought in our family)
bought a car more than two decades ago, neither me nor anyone else in my family could imagine
of owning any other car other than the Ambassador owned by Hindustan Motors. The Indian car
industry was synonymous with Hindustan Motors for more than five decades till other companies
engineered their growth into the sector beginning with Maruti Udyog Limited. Earlier, there
were only two or three cars brands like the Fiat and Ambassador, ruling the Indian roads, but
today global auto players like Honda, Skoda, General Motors, Volvo, Ford Motors are investing
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

huge bucks in India and launching their car models with more refined technology, design,
comfort, styling and safety. This shows that the industry has grown manyfold since the first car
rolled out on the streets of Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1898. Looking into the specifics, one can
understand this stands true more for the last one decade.

Unlike in the USA, the Indian passenger vehicle market is dominated by cars (79%). This is
supplemented by various factors in the automobile industry that testify the following:
· India is the largest three-wheeler market in the world.
· India is the largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world.
· India is the second largest tractor manufacturer in the world.
· India is the fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world.
· The number one global motorcycle manufacturer is in India.
· India is the fourth largest car market in Asia - recently crossed the 1 million mark.

There are cars of price range starting from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 1 crore in the Indian Market.
If the Nano materialises, there will be an upsurge in per capita spending and purchasing power
parity in the Indian subcontinent. Today, there are more than sixty car brands on Indian roads
offering more options in terms of affordability, luxury and compatibility for consumers.

With more companies competing for their space, insurance and banking sectors have
also sensed the opportunity to grow. Car loans and mandatory compliance to car insurances
have contributed to more intra than inter sectoral growth in these respective sectors. Look at
the number of automobile workshops around us and the number of workers employed. More
than anything, it has put the State into a demanding situation where roads and related
infrastructure have become the prominent talking points in the plan and development process
than ever before. With an increase in global petroleum price and the awareness on global
warming, more strictures are added to the vehicle pollution certification demanding more
investment and innovation in research and development related areas. Indian innovation in the
automobile sector is already under tremendous pressure to reduce its pollutant level. If they
succeed, autos will take centre stage of the globe and if they fail, the poor man's gaadi will be
replaced by cars like Nano. Whatever be the outcome, there will be a change in the landscape
of the cities and smaller towns in this country. This will lead to an automobile revolution in the
21st century akin to the industrial revolution of the eighteenth century. This also ensures that
though the country is preparing to become the global hub for small size cars, it envisions an
inclusive growth of all sectors and sections of the society as is in the case of the telecom sector.

D.Dhanuraj is the Chairman of CPPR

 The event
that changed
my life Archana S. Gayen

I
vividly remember that blistering summer day in New Delhi. Although it was a lazy, hot
and troublesome day, my twin sister Kalpana and I decided we just couldn't sit at
home anymore. It was a Saturday and I had a holiday from my journalism class.
Kappu, as I call my twin, was also fed up preparing for her entrance exams. Life just
seemed so boring that anything at the moment was better than eating away to becoming
baby elephants. We had just gotten some extra money and as students, any extra cash
was heaven-sent.

"Let' go to Sarojini Nagar and blow all our money," said my sister, excitedly. I initially
frowned, thinking about the heat outside the house. But before long, visuals of the
stacks of clothes and chappals at the market began to play in my head. That was it! The
idea was so captivating that we jumped off the bed, got dressed and left for Sarojini
Nagar, every young girl's delight.
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

By the time we reached the market, we were already sweating. But, the shopping bug
had caught us. We soon started what young girls always do...look through numerous
shops before buying anything…after all you don't want to miss out on the best deals.

There was a mela at the market. "Was everyone as bored as us, coming to shop in the
heat of the day," I wondered in astonishment, trying to jostle my way around. In the
midst of this entire hullabaloo, I almost tripped on something in my path. I looked down
and my eyes fell on three small beggar kids. They were so tiny that people could easily
trample over them and never know. Somehow, I couldn't take my eyes off them. The
oldest and youngest were boys, with one girl in the middle. They must have been around
7, 5 and 3 years old. I will call them Kiran, Roshni and Aakash (not their real names, as I
didn't ask them what their was.) They were neat and tidy, yet dirty. Yet, they were
beautiful kids.

Although, beggars were not a new sight to me, I couldn't take my eyes off them. They
were jumping on their heads and singing to entertain people in the market. They even
had an iron ring through which Roshni was jumping. What was astonishing was that tiny
Aakash was also doing his part. He looked at his older brother and tried to do likewise,
falling down several times in the process. After they were assured that they had a few
onlookers, they would stop and start begging. I watched them for a while and then
moved on, although something in my heart was prodding me to stay.

Kappu and I roamed around for a while. The heat was getting to us. Yet, we continued
our shopping spree. Very soon, we were drained and just thinking of going home. But,
the sight of all the clothes around kept us glued to the market. We walked, in cirles, I was
before we reached the place where the three kids had been. Instinctively, I looked
around to see if they were still there, secretly hoping they would. Somehow, I could not finding it hot
take them off my mind. We were just planning to leave when I saw them. They were
huddled near a footpath and Kiran, the oldest boy, was bending low, with his hand on with my
Aakash's head. "Kappu, there they are!" I exclaimed. "Who?" she asked. I had forgotten
that I was the one thinking of the kids. I pointed out to the little children. "Oh," she
branded
replied, adding, "Let's go see what they are doing.” floaters on,
We scooted over to them. Aakash was crying his heart away with the other two trying
their best to console him. "Kya hua?" I asked, definitely not have expected to see them
and here
like this. Kiran looked up at me, but said nothing. That's when I realised what the matter the little kid
was. The little boy, barefoot I realised, was jumping in pain as the heat from the burning
ground was searing through his feet. I was finding it hot with my branded floaters on, was barefoot!
and here the little kid was barefoot!
“ ” Thank you
didi...
"Hey, the kid's got no slippers," Kappu exclaimed. Before we knew what to do, Kiran
took off his battered chappals and made his brother wear it, not bothering about his
feet. What maturity, I thought. At that age, I didn't every have to worry beyond my
daily homework! That was it. Something sparked inside us. "You take care of the
kids. I will find a shoe shop. We are gonna get them some slippers right now," Kappu
said, and off she ran, before I could respond.

What will I do with these kids, I wondered? I tried to talk to them, but they were too
tired and hot to respond. They initially looked at me with suspicion, but soon I was
just part of the crowd. Wherever they went, I followed so as not to lose them. My
sister would kill me, if I did, and I would never forgive myself if I could not buy them
slippers.

After a few minutes, ages actually for me, Kappu returned. "Chalo hamare saath
(come with us)," she told the kids, who looked bewildered. She then bent down on
her knees, reached their level and explained that we would be getting them new
slippers. I will never forget their expression. They next thing I knew, they were
jumping with excitement and smiling from ear to ear.

The shopkeeper Kappu had met earlier was surprised to see three little beggar kids
with us. The moment he realised that we wanted to buy slippers for them,
something sparked in him and he was moved. He made the kids sit down and
brought out just what we had wanted. I guess he was also moved by the plight of the
kids.

"Mujhe nahi chahiye. Inko dila do," said Kiran, suddenly. "Kyu," I asked surprised.
Here was this guy's chance to have something new, and he didn't want it! "Mere paas
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

chappal hai," he replied, pointing to the tattered ones Aakash was wearing. I
couldn't belive it. I tried to control my tears. The shopkeeper was standing next to
me, his eyes portraying disbelief. We finally coaxed Kiran to also get one and soon,
the three of them were standing in new slippers. The kids were again jumping up
and down, so excited, it made our day.

But what will stay with Kappu and me all our lives is what happened next. It is not
about the money spent, not the feel-good factor here. We were facing the
shopkeeper, convincing him to take money from us, as he was so happy seeing the
kids smiling that he refused to take any money. After much coaxing, he agreed. I
was busy paying him, when I felt a tug on my jeans. I looked down and there was tiny
Those Aakash. "Ha beta, kya hua? Aur kuch chahiye," I bent down and asked. (Whats the
matter, do you need anything more, I asked). He shook his head, his big eyes keenly
three words looking into mine and said, "Thank you didi." Had I heard right? “Kappu, he just said
thanks,” I said surprised. Those three words changed mine and Kappu's lives

changed mine forever. Here was a little kid, just above three-years old, and he sure knew how to
be grateful. We hugged him and quickly looked away, not wanting anyone to see our
tears.
and Kappu's On reaching home, we dumped all our shopping bags on the bed and sat silent for a
lives while. Both of us were echoing the same thoughts...how often are we grateful for
all that we have? Grateful for friends, secure families, sound mind, new
clothes...the list goes on. We turned and looked at each other. "Thanks for being my
forever. best friend," Kappu said. "Thanks for being my twin," I replied and we hugged.

And, the clothes lay there all evening, waiting to be opened.

 T.V.Vinu
in never ending peace and love

“
You should not be writing about Nepal…” said Saurav. I was a bit perplexed and I waited for him to complete the sentence,
“…you have not been outside Kathmandu and how can you write about Nepal?” Good question. How will it be, if someone
writes about India after spending time only in Kochi?

My trip to Nepal was confined mainly to the capital city of Nepal i.e. Kathmandu. When we came out of the airport, my
first impression was that we had landed in some part of North India. Kathmandu city, from its exterior, looks more or less similar
to North Indian cities. The first thing which captivated my attention was the open sky. No skyscrapers and I kept wondering. How
many times in a day in Cochin City, have you looked up to see the clear blue sky? Even if you looked up at the sky, how many times
have you been successful to enjoy the vast infinity above, without a sore looking building itching your vision? For that,
Kathmandu is surrounded by mountains on all sides.

Our first few days were spent at a guest house situated in the neighbouring district of Bhaktapur, which is near to
outskirts of Kathmandu city. The view from my room at the Bhaktapur Guest House is one to behold. Clouds floating lazily and
their vivid hues vary each minute. Being a hill top area the view from here is majestic. There are mountains as far as one's eyes
can see. The atmosphere is fresh, cool and calm.
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

People of Nepal, atleast those whom i met, are calm and friendly, though during my stay, there were some violent
incidents. Almost all the people I interacted with were very lively and receptive. The youth at the YI were socially very
concerned and were actively striving for a better Nepal. I was informed that school education was still a privilege in other parts
of Nepal. Kathmandu being the most developed has many schools, colleges and universities. I am told that children from villages
outside Kathmandu would stay as domestic help in the city and at the same time pursue studies at school. Lesson well learned!

On thing which disturbed me in Nepal, was the fact that the sunrise happens at around 5-5:30! The morning chill and the
warm woolen kambal, what more can I ask for? But damn, I had to wake-up early. Back in India this happens an hour later. Sitting
near the open window of my room and sipping a hot cup of tea watching the sunrise, watching the mountains and the sky
changing colors is a pleasant experience.

During our stay at Bhakthapur, we visited the local market and the
Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The Durbar Square is a place where the King
used to hold public meetings. With high rise temples, huge stone carved
statues and intricate woodwork, “phokri” (big square ponds), the whole
architecture and ambience here is breath-taking. We could see
innumerable shops selling handicrafts likes wood-carved masks, puppets,
pots, and other items. The aroma of the local food ready at street side
shops fills the air. Other than agriculture, the people here depend on
tourism.

The life here is rather lazy as I see people both men and women,
squatting in front of shops and houses. I see that they are not at all in a
hurry. Men are seen smoking the local cigarettes or playing caroms. There
is no rush or hustle bustle. But then I realize that, unconsciously, I am
comparing Nepal and India.

As a part of the internship, I was to stay with a Nepali family. I

stayed with Saurav Sharma, who is an intern at Youth Initiative (YI). His
residence was at a place called Golfutar (nothing to do with golf), a bit far
away from the YI office. We had to travel half an hour daily morning and
evening, which was good for me as I would get to see around more of
Kathmandu.

The stay at Saurav's house was a blessing, especially during

breakfast and dinner. Nepali food is good, but for the fact that the oil used
for preparing the food is mustard oil which no South Indian would
appreciate. However, I was lucky because what Saurav's mother prepared
tasted good and suited my stomach.
Pasupathinath, Kathmandu
 One thing which amused me was that the breakfast was called lunch,
lunch was called Khazzza. Thank God, dinner was the same. I found
this hard to digest! People here have heavy breakfasts in the morning,
which they call lunch. When it is time for lunch i.e. Khazza they have
snacks like samosas, mo-mo, chow-chow, etc. White rice is the staple
diet here and they make it a point to have saag (spinach) and potato
with it. I also tasted local Newari food called Barraa, which looks like
dosa that we have in south India. Since I was not much fond of food, I
did not have a deep belly to experience more of local cuisine.

The usual office hours in Nepal are from 10am to 5pm. Perfect for me
if it was in India! We had plenty of time in the morning due to early
sunrises and less office hours. So, in the mornings we would go on short
walks around Golfutar and sometimes it would extend to a semi-
trekking. One morning we went on a trekking to the nearby hill, which
had a Buddhist monastery at the top of it. The trekking was breath-
taking (literally), I had tête-à-tête with the local village life. On the
way uphill I could see a picturesque sight of big white sun rising slowly, The mystique white sun rise
with the monastery in the foreground. Once we were on top, almost,
we decided to have breakfast. We tasted the local tea and ate Chow-
Chow with baked potatoes. Saurav showed me the place where
people, mainly foreigners, buy marijuana. Its looked like a way-side
tea shop. I was staring at the people there and walking downhill,
Saurav sang "Dam maaro dam....aaah....”

During the stay, Saurav took me to one of the famous temples in

Kathmandu, the Pasupathinath temple of Lord Shiva. We also visited a
Vishnu temple called Budaneelkant, where on can see the idol of Lord
Vishnu laying on Vasuki, half immersed in the pond. We also visited the
ISKON temple and enjoyed some time listening bhajans and watching
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

the devotees dance. We went to Kathmandu Durbar Square and the

Kaasthamandap temple from which the city gets its name. It was
unfortunate that I could only have a glimpse of the Narayanhiti Palace.
I also had a chance to see the International Convention Centre where
the elected representatives are busy working to pen a Constitution for Bhaktapur Durbar Square
Nepal.
Traveling in Kathmandu is an thrilling experience, as there are no
buses like which we have here in India. There are only 15 seater mini-
vans that are called micro-vans, which form the main mode of public
transport. They say its a 15 seater, but i counted more people coming
out. Then there are three-wheelers or tuk-tuks which run on LNG
with bare minimum components. Though a bit risky, to travel in the
tuk-tuk it is a nice experience. After the ride, one would wonder how
whole vehicle runs in one piece. I was surprised to see Landrovers,
Prados, Pajeros and other MUVs and SUVs zipping by, but then the
terrain here requires such heavy duty vehicles. As Nepal mostly
depends on its neighbours, I could see Tata, Mahindra, Maruthi and
Bajaj ruling the road. Talking about roads, there are not many good
roads in Kathmandu, but the one which are there, are in good
condition. Better than Cochin City roads. There are pedestrian areas,
footpaths which are in good condition, however some people never
mind using them. The traffic jams are bad, as there are very few main
roads in the city. Saurav says that any sort of displeasure or any
issues, the best way people of Nepal protest is by blocking the
highway. So there are frequent jams.

Once during our way back home, we had to get down and walk as
there was a badda jam. But it was a nice hitch-hiking. We reached
Saurav's home tired, but in time to have a nice dinner. After the
dinner Saurav too me to the terrace of his house and I was in for a
surprise. It was a clear moonless night and we could see innumerable
stars. Far away in the mountains we could see the lights from the
houses which seemed as if the stars had descended down on the
mountains. As I lay on my back gazing at the sky in amazement the
surprise happened...I saw a shooting star!

Laying there looking up, I wished Never Ending Peace And Love.....
....And true that it is.

T.V.Vinu is a team member of CPPR.

 the nigerian diary By Manali Shah

Talking Green at the Beach!

The Eko Beach Resort just outside of Lagos is THE queen of
beaches, being privately managed. The GREEN Trip--a
festival organised by "Children & the Environment
(CATE)"--is a day for children and parents to enjoy and
learn about environment and creativity and luckily chose
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

the resort as its venue. The "just outside" Lagos can be

misleading since we spent eight hours going and coming on
the road and only 4 hours at the beach!

Anyhow the stress of the travel was quickly dispelled the

moment we got there. There were about 60 families with
their children from maybe ages 3-15. The short time we
had there the children got to learn about origami &
Our gang (Nike, Yinka, Fola, Ayo and ME!
painting, watch a play and the parents got a pep talk on
how to allow their child to follow her passion and also
make them go "green"!

Nike has been volunteering with CATE since many years

and the director, Aunty Sola put Nike and me incharge of a
session with the kids. As with all our very enjoyable
brainstorming sessions, we came up with a pretty good
plan with a word puzzle with environment problems and
solutions; role play about convincing peers, schools and
parents to go green and finally song about being an active
citizen!

I certainly am better at managing grown ups than

children. Anyhow we managed to do some energisers and
the word puzzle before we got summoned to start
wrapping up.

The three ladies posing as the angels for our Charlie!

 '
Madhu.S

‘SPORT’ING TROUBLE
N
aduparambil Pappachan Pradeep has no higher dreams, as he has fulfilled one of his greatest dreams - that of
playing for India. In spite of living in a rented house along with his family his endeavour with the ball had aroused
admiration from the crowds in his locality for the way in which he struggled to reach such a level. Shantakumaran
Sreeshanth dreams that he will have a Porsche parked in the garage of his villa. His aggressiveness, on and off the field,
with the ball and the slapping episode has made him a celebrity, adored by many all over India and even outside.

Both of these people play for India but in different fields, in a different way accepted by different people and most
importantly, treated differently. Ranked a mere 153 in the FIFA football rankings, we have travelled through travesty
caused by an incredulous lot leading to its current pitiful predicament. Bob Houghton, the Indian Football Coach might
find relief for some time in the recent win over Tajikistan in the AFC Challenge Cup held at Hyderabad. But instances of
Charlesworth, the International Hockey Federation nominee to India shows us the shameful situation which we have led
ourselves to.

The grand Beijing Opening Ceremony led me to make an introspection of the sorry state of affairs existing in the
sports arena, a result of which it is falling into a state of dereliction. The culture of sports epitomizes a nation's tradition,
development and viewed from a financial perspective, major revenue inspired by the growth of tourism and employment.
The mental barrier existing in India to consider the professionalization of sports has been a shot in the arm as there is a
negative attitude of considering it as a degraded profession.

Chuck dem out India!

We are fortunate to have a separate department for sports with a Minister heading it; this could help to recognise
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

and encourage people towards sports. However thanks to laxity, red-tapism and narrow mindednessm we are witnessing or
have witnessed as in the case of the traditional national sport hockey, that is caught in the quagmire of dirty politics, the
end of Indian sports. Truly Indian, for we are the creators of Chess (Chaturangh), Badminton, Kabaddi and various others
which are seen in its modified forms today. The Indian Hockey has shamelessly been drowned away to the labyrinth,
caused by incorrigible political hands that choose their 'beloveds' to play for their country!! It has rung the death knell of
Indian sports degrading itself to a forced vacuum caused by the power hungry authorities and the money making
cricketing. Examples are numerous; like the cases of Manipuri Monica Devi to Viren Rasquinha who was forced to pursue
an MBA by quitting his much cherished passion for Hockey. By raising his voice against injustice he earned the scathe of the
Indian Hockey Federation and parental pressure made this Arjuna Awardee to take such an emotional step.

It is without any doubt of intimidation that the Indian Boxer for Olympics Vijendar Kumar said that his blood boils
on seeing the hue and cry for cricketers when people hardly know the names of persons like him. A renowned television
channel recently interviewed people from various parts of the country to assess how many of them at least knew 3 people
from the Indian Hockey team. Much to one's chagrin not many even attempted to answer it, while others had sarcastic
answers like “Dhyan someone” for Dhyan Chand and Deeraj Pillai ( Dhanraj Pillai). Thank god they have no clue who the
present hockey players are; atleast those players can escape from the shame of having their names misspelt! P.T Usha
rightly said that only if we are able to win medals on other sports will we be able to end the ego attached to cricket, a sport
which has elevated itself to a business platform after the IPL, where players are traded like in a market. The market of
sports is strange and risky, but the market for sports is unevenly tilted; heavily towards cricket on one side and the rest at
the other end.

Contradictions in life exist; so also in sports. The suicidal death of former Indian football captain V.P Satyan
because of financial difficulties still remains a shock to the football fraternity. On the other hand cricketer Abhijit Kale
offered a sum of Rs 10 lakhs to the Indian selectors to get selected, an act that when brought to the limelight led to his
banning. How many more Kales still exist!!!

Even as I write this article I witness the momentous event of Abhinav Bindra shooting gold whereas on the other
hand there is a pathetic display of the Indian contingent to the Olympics who lost out day after day. I might sound crazy
when I think of borrowing Micheal Phelps for the Indian team alongside the lone Indian sensation Khade who finished a
decent 7th in the Heats. For the second most populated country in the world, there is no wonder we can afford to be the
most optimistic of all, as has been shown by a recent survey. It is now a routine affair for Indians to wish for a miracle to
happen

I would myself be delighted to be called a Sports Activist who works towards spreading the importance of having a
sporting culture for the development of one's healthy life. One should understand that sports indeed has a larger role to
play in society other than mere entertainment.

Madhu S. is a Law student of NUALS, Cochin and a Team CPPR member.

 REFLECTIONS

Hope your work is waking up our generation...

Sarath Pai
Cochin
MindTEXT | OCTOBER 2008 | VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10

DEAD END

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