The Constitution (118th Amendment) Bill, 2012

The Constitution 118th     Amendment Bill, 2012

 { (Insertion of new article 371J)}

It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 7, 2012 by the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde.  The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs (Chairperson: Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu), which is scheduled to submit its report by the first week of the Winter Session of the Parliament.

A resolution to make special provisions for the Hyderabad-Karnataka Region was passed by the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council of Karnataka in March 2012.  The resolution aims to establish an institutional mechanism to develop the region and promote inclusive growth.  It aims to reduce inter-region and inter-district disparity in the State of Karnataka.  This Bill was introduced in Parliament to give effect to this resolution.

The Bill seeks to insert Article 371J in the Constitution to empower the Governor of Karnataka to take steps to develop the Hyderabad-Karnataka Region.  As per the Statements of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, this Region includes the districts of Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal, Yadgir and Bellary.

The President may allow the Governor to take the following steps for development of the region:

     (i) setting up a development board for the Region;

     (ii) ensure equitable allocation of funds for development of  the      Region;  and

   (iii) provide for reservation in educational and vocational training institutions, and state government positions in the Region for persons from the Region.

Vijaylaxmi Pandit(Freedom Fighter)

Vijaylaxmi Pandit

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was an Indian political leader and diplomat, one of the world's leading women in public life in the 20th century.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was born on August 18, 1900, in Allahabad, India. She became active in the Indian nationalist movement and was imprisoned three times by the British authorities in India. With Indian independence, Pandit entered on a distinguished diplomatic career, leading the Indian delegation to the UN, serving as India's ambassador to Moscow, Washington and Mexico, and becoming the first woman to become president of the UN General Assembly.

The great woman who hugged imprisonment smiling and boldly several times for her country and compatriots. She was the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru and thus possessing the patriotic blood, she strongly held the Quit India Movement and Non Cooperation movement in the country. Her courage made her get elected as the first female president in United Nation General Assembly. She was a dynamic personality who tried to abolish caste barrier and outdated custom and tried hard to bring woman empowerment in the country.

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KHAYAL FOLK DANCE OF RAJASTHAN

Khyal is a popular folk form of Rajasthani theatre influenced by Parsi theatre.

The term Khyal is possibly derived from khel, or `to play`, in the sense of playing drama. This is actually a popular folk form of Rajasthani theatre influenced by Parsi theatre. This form is not very ancient, but it is only about a hundred years old. The three varieties of Khyal namely Alibuxi, Shekhawati, and Kuchamani are associated with three playwrights. The names can be mentioned as Alibux, Nainuram during 1823-1905, and Lacchiram respectively. They were near-contemporaries and great frequenters of Parsi companies. As they wrote for troupes travelling to villages, where halls were not available, they changed what they saw to suit their purpose, dispensing with the elaborate settings and other heavy trappings of Parsi theatre to make Khyal relatively simple.

The plays are usually performed in open spaces using wooden platforms. The name is takhat, which is easily available in every village. This is about 1 m high, with spectators sitting on three sides. In more elaborate multi-level shows, separate mahal i.e. palace or jharokha i.e. window platforms are erected. This is up to 6 m off the ground, representing different locales. There are no curtains, the actors enter in full view of the audience and, having performed their part, sit down beside the musicians. Subsequent entries are made from that very spot. Women`s roles are played by men, one of the foremost female impersonators being Ugamraj Khilari. Music is extremely important. The dialogue, written in verse, is sung by the characters to the main accompaniment of nagarra or kettledrum and harmonium. The style of singing differs in many cases. Alibuxi Khyal mixes classical and folk, in Shekhawati the music is pure classical, and in Kuchamani it is folk.

Nearly all the plays have the same themes as those of Parsi theatre, such as the lives of Amar Singh Rathor, Raja Harishchandra, Jaidev Kankali, and Gopichand Bharathari. In Parsi theatre the dialogue was in a special metre and the last words of songs or speeches were emphasized, and often repeated by audience members. It also includes the prompting of the interaction of spectators and actors. Khyal is composed in similar style, except that it is in Rajasthani and there is very little use of prose as in the prototypical Parsi Urdu play. The example is Amanat`s Indarsabha, where all the lines were in verse. In Khyal, too, the audience joins in on the last words, establishing interaction with the performers. The patronage to Khyal came from the people. When the troupe reached a village, the people took responsibility of its board and lodging, and gave money as appreciation to the artists in the course of the performance. Typically, a member of the audience raises his hand and shows a currency note. The actor steps out of his character, walks down to the person, takes the money, asks his name, and, coming back on stage, announces the person`s name and places the money on the harmonium.

Alibuxi Khyal was founded by Alibux, Nawab of Mandawar in Mewat or Alwar. He was also a poet who wrote several plays, but his favourite was Krishna-lila i.e. `Krishna`s Lila. This depicts Krishna`s life. As a religious form, Alibuxi Khyal wonderfully exemplifies India`s secular culture. The poet and the singers were Muslims, yet great devotees of the Hindu deity, Krishna. Today, it is nearly extinct, with only some singers keeping up the musical traditions. Vulgarity has crept into Khyal, influenced by the electronic media and industry sponsorship of the performers as entertainers for tourists. Kuchamani Khyal, being rooted in folk music, remains popular with star actors like Pukhraj Gaud but Shekhawati Khyal is dying a slow death due to its highly classical base. Unfortunately, both the Shekhawati and Kuchamani varieties do not have any playwright to write on modern themes for present-day rural audiences.

AYUSH

AYUSH

AYUSH signifies a combination of alternative system of Medicine, which was earlier known as Indian System of Medicine. AYUSH includes Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. The objective of AYUSH is to promote medical pluralism and to introduce strategies for mainstreaming the indigenous systems of medicine.

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In India, at the Union Government level, AYUSH activities are coordinated by Department of AYUSH under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Most of these medical practices originated in India and outside, but got adopted in India in the course of time.

Ayurveda:

It is more prevalent in the states of Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarkhand, Goa and Orissa.

         Unani System:

The practice of Unani System could be seen in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.

          Homoepathy:

Homoeopathy is widely practiced in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Gujarat and the North Eastern States and the Siddha system is practiced in the areas of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala.

In September 2009 Sowa Rigpa system of medicine was also recognized as a traditional system of medicine. Sowa Rigpa, commonly known as ‘Amchi’ is one of the oldest surviving system of medicine in the world, popular in the Himalayan region of India. In India this system is practiced in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling (West Bengal), Lahoul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) and Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir.