Me and My Boss

 

 

when I Take a long time to finish, I am slow, When my boss takes a long time, he is thorough   When I don't do it, I am lazy, When my boss does not do it, he is busy,   When I do something without being told, I am trying to be smart, When my boss does the same, he takes the initiative,   When I please my boss, I am apple polishing, When my boss pleases his boss, he is cooperating,   When I make a mistake, you're an idiot. When my boss makes a mistake, he's only human.     When I am out of the office, I am wandering around. When my boss is out of the office, he's on business.   When I am on a day off sick, I am always sick. When my boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.   When I apply for leave, I must be going for an interview When my boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked   When I do good, my boss never remembers, When I do wrong, he never forgets         Thank You, S.Shafi Husain.

Windows 7 Phone.

Guys,

Dell Lightning's new launch, 'WINDOWS 7 PHONE'

The Dell Lightning is the strongest among the new lot of devices from Dell. It is the only one to run on Windows 7. All the other handsets run on one version of Android or the other.

The Dell Lightning has features to impress every customer with any requirement:

• Windows 7
• 64.4*121.6*14.9mm, Slider with QWERTY Keyboard
• 4.1″ Capacitive Multi-Touch OLED Touchscreen with WVGAWVGA (800*480) Resolution
• 1GHz Snapdragon ProcessorSnapdragon Processor, 1GB Flash ROMFlash ROM, 512MB DDR, SDRAM, 8GB micro-SD
• 5 Megapixel Camera with Autofocus
• Wi-Fi 802.11Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0 HighSpeed
• DivX Support, 1400mAH Battery, Proximity SensorProximity Sensor, Light SensorLight Sensor, micro-USB

The phone will not have Flash support initially but Microsoft promises support very soon. it is set to release during the fourth quarter of 2011.

Thank You,
S.Shafi Husain.

Friends Forever

List of Foreign Based Academic Institutions

100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through automatic route is permitted in the Education Sector since 11th February 2000, without the authority to confer foreign degrees. At present, only the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has framed regulations, for entry and operation of foreign universities/institutions, imparting technical education in India and seven institutions have been registered by AICTE for providing technical education in India in collaboration with the foreign universities/institutions.
These are :

1. IHM, Aurangabad, Maharashtra in collaboration with University of Huddersfield, UK,
2. APIIT, Panipat, Haryana in collaboration with Staffordshire University, U.K.,
3. Sreenidhi Institute of Science & Technology, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with Vaughan College of Aeronautics & Technology, USA,
4. IIMT, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh in collaboration with TAFE, Australia,
5. Maharaja Institute of Technology, Rohini in collaboration with Auburn Unviersity, Albama, USA,
6. Delhi College Business School, Indore, MP in collaboration with Demonford University, Leicester, U.K. and
7. Bharatiya Vidhya Bhawan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management, Mumbai in collaboration with Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada.

This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Smt. D.Purandeswari in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

Courtesy: Press Information Bureau

--
Haider Ajaz

Construction of Dome of Masjid Husaini Begum--1/2

Construction of Dome of Masjid Husaini Begum--2/2

Construction of Boundary Wall of Sabeel

Schedule for CLAT 2010

Schedule for Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2010 is as follows-

Test for Admission: 09/05/2010
Meeting of Core Committee to finalise the results: 4th week of May, 2010 before publication of result
Publication of result: 29/05/2010
Last Date for confirmation of acceptance of admission by the candidates: 02/06/2010
Date for closure of Admission: 28/06/2010
Date for commencement of classes: 01/07/2010

Note: The above dates are tentative and may be changed.

Credits:
www.clat.ac.in







--
Haider Ajaz

Position of women in Ancient India (2500 B.C. - 1500 B.C.X & 1500 B.C. - A.D. 1800)

2500 B.C. -1500 B.C.X

This period is usually referred to as the early Vedic period. During this age a woman had a great extend of freedom like man, and her sphere of role relationships was not circumscribed by too may restrictions. At home, generally the mother was the mistress of the house. She had her usual routine of cleaning the house, sweeping the house with cow dung, decorate the house with lime powder, washing vessels; cooking food, looking after children; serving food to others first ; welcoming and entertaining the. The Vedic Samhitas refer to women taking active part in agriculture and other crafts like leather work, making gur, drawing water, churning butter-milk, making wine, weaving mats and sewing. They were also in charge of household finances and farm laborers. The Vedic hymns inform that both husband and wife were joint owners of family property. In Rig-Veda, a daughter retained her right of inheritance and could substitute a son. Women were permitted to have separate property of their own which came to be designed in later Smritis as Stridhan. Some of the high class women were highly educated and actively participated in intellectual philosophical discussions. One comes across references to lady sages like Gosha, Apala, Lopamudra, Indranni, Gargi and Maitreyi. During the Vedic period girls and boys were initiated into the Vedic studies by performing a rite of passage called upanayan ceremony.

It is believed that according to "Sarvankuramanika" there were as many as twenty women being credited for composing the hymns of the rig Veda. It is believed that during Upanishad period there were Brahmanyadinis, life long students of Philosophy. One renowned scholar was Gargi who challenged Yagnavalkya and asked many subtle and intricate questions. Upanishad also includes a conversation between Yagnavilkya and one of his two wives Maitreyi over division of property at the decision by the sage to renounce the world. Maitreyi indicated her preference for initiation to the knowledge of Brahmavidya to property. Passages in the Vedas show that women apart from a mere literary career had other careers open to them. They entered fields of teaching, medicine, business, military and administration .The wife enjoyed with her husband full religious right and regularly participated in religious ceremonies. In fact, such ceremonies without the wife joining her husband were regarded as invalid. It is further ordained that the woman whose hand is accepted in marriage should be treated with respect and kindness and all that is agreeable to her shall be given to her. All these indicate that a woman held a status equal to man and there were considerably less restrictions on her activities outside the home.

The position of a daughter in the Hindu family during the Vedic period did not include much authoritative role. Her socialization from childhood involved a high degree of Modesty peculiar to Hindu culture .Her training installed in her tolerance, patience, submission and identification of her personality with her husband's. Though marriage was of great social and religious significance, it was not mandatory as the extensive use of the word "Amajur", which means a girl who grew at her father's house, suggests this. The Vedas include references to unmarried female rishis like Apala and aitreya and some of them received co-education, though rare, which sometimes led to love marriage. Girls were regarded as objects of good women. Ramayana includes a detailed description of the reception of Rama after his long exile by the unmarried girls first and later a religious bath at their hands. The grown-up daughters during the temporary absence of the parents managed household and received the guests.

The daughter-in-law entered her husband's family as a stranger, because the other members had already imbibed the traditions and customs of the family. The bride's major duty was to make efforts to merge her personality with that of her husband's in matter both mundane and spiritual, and also to adapt herself to the traditions and sentiments of the family of which she had become a full fledged member. Her position was one of honorable subordination. It was expected from her to show respect to and obey all the elder members of the family. She had to help the mother-in-law in household duties such as cleaning, washing, drawing water, cooking, rearing children, tending cattle, and nursing the sick and the aged.

The wife was always supposed to participate in religious ceremonies along with her husband. In fact, no religious rite was complete without her presence. She was called "ardhangini" or the other half. The Mahabharata declared that "in truth, a householder's home, even if crowded with sons, grandsons, daughters-in-law, and servants is virtually a lonely place for his life, if there is no housewife. One's home is not the house made of brick and mortar; it is the wife who makes the home. A home without the wife is like a wilderness". A wife was considered as his friend, counsel, and companion. All this was related to the counterpart role in the husband's role system.

1500 B.C. - A.D. 1800

Though it is difficult to say at which specific point of time deterioration in the status of women began, still there would be probably little disagreement among the experts if it is stated that women enjoyed a relatively -higher status in the early Vedic period. From about 1500 B.C. started the change in women's status due to various reasons, among which the most important was a denial of education. Traces of deterioration are found in all periods following 1500 B.C. But it became much more marked after the beginning of the Christian era and reached its peak after the Mughul invasion in sixteenth century. In short, the role of women conformed to the dictum laid down by Manu, the great law giver of second century that "a woman does not deserve freedom" and that her life should throughout be one of dependence on man. Another similar dictum laid down by Manu was that woman should be subservient in all stages of her life- "in childhood to the father, in youth to the husband and his elderly kins and to the son when widowed".

Among the traditional Hindu families the fate of a woman, especially of the daughter-in-law, was always of subordination to all other members.

--
Haider Ajaz

Everyday life in Ancient India

The achievements of the Aryans in the realms of philosophy and metaphysics have been the subject matter of research by very many scholars and valuable light has been shed on these as a result of their labours. But as regards the social and economic conditions in which they lived there is not much authentic information and whatever is known had to be gleaned from such books as Mahabharata and Kautilya's Arthasastra. The latter book gives us valuable information about the political, social, economic and military organization of Mauryas. The Jataka tales a collection of tales belonging to the pre-Buddhist period give us a revealing glimpse into a period when the fusion between the Aryan and the Dravidian races had been almost completed. It gives us the periods of rule and genealogies of dynasties of kings. Originally the institution of kingship was elective but in the course of time the office became hereditary. The chief source of revenue for the government was from land. The political and economic structure was built up from the village communities. India was famous for her textile goods. There was a thriving metallurgical industry making implements of war.

Trade guilds controlled different trades. The merchant -guilds or associations were so powerful that the king himself could not take away any of their privileges. Another peculiar feature was that those who belonged to particular craft say carpentry were all concentrated in a single village. There was a flourishing trade not only within the country but also with other countries of the world. In the treatment of iron India had made remarkable progress even in ancient times. The iron pillar in Delhi stated to have been erected in the fourth to seventh century AD is a standing monument to this superior knowledge of metallurgy. The pillar has successfully withstood the ravages of time all these years. Panini the great grammarian wrote his learned grammar of Sanskrit in the 7th century BC. Panini's book is one of the splendid productions of the human mind. The ancient Indians were well versed in astronomy, medicine and surgery. They were mindful of the animals and had hospitals for them. In the field of mathematics their contribution was outstanding. They invented the zero and decimal place-value system. They could divide time into the minutest part. The ancient Indians had vast conception of time and space. There were centres of higher learning corresponding to the modern universities in places like Taxila. It is stated that the eminent grammarian Panini studied in that university. The position of women was honourable at home and in society.

The Arts in Ancient India

Indian art is very intimately associated with Indian religion and philosophy. There is always an irresistible urge to find an expression for spiritual longings. Beauty to Indian artist was something subjective. E.B Havell an eminent critic art is all praise for the ideals of Indian art and the underlying spirit behind it. He says that great art brings out national character and thought in a revealing manner and such art can only be appreciated if the ideals animating it are sympathetically understood. Indian art was not meant to cater to the aesthetic taste of a small elitist society. It was meant to propagate religious ideals and reach as large as audience as possible who for the most past were not literate. The masses of India though not considered to be well educated have reacted through the ages in the most enthusiastic manner to art and revealed their essential culture.

Practically the entire remnants of art of ancient India which have survived the ravages of time are of a religious nature or with some religious motif. Secular art also existed as for example in the wall paintings and sculptures in the palaces of kings proclaiming the transitoriness of human splendour. There are also few critics who hold the view that Indian art did not emphasize spiritual and religious ideas to the exclusion of everything else but also was an expression of the vitality of life of the people and their sense of pure joy in life. In Indian art the temple towers though tall are firmly based on earth. The figures represented are beautiful and a smile on the face is quite common. It is also worthy of note that female forms are depicted with decorative often voluptuous motif and often are made to appear strikingly beautiful. While religious literature in ancient India was the work of learned Brahmans and ascetics religious art was the work of expert craftsmen who were secular in their outlook and who enjoyed thoroughly their life without any thought of asceticism. It is their view of life that is prominently depicted in art and literature.

--
Haider Ajaz

Improve your posture for a strees free life

Are you worried about looking like a hunchback? Here's a pain free and effective method for safely assuming a 'correct' posture and improving muscle tone.
As a great side benefit, it would improve your self esteem and attitude! You will appear and feel more confident which improves your attitude and mood!

Know what good posture is believed to be. Most people think that to "stand up straight" means tensing your back to heave your chest 'in and up', and pulling your head back in to your chest. This is not so. The spine has two natural curves that you need to maintain called the 'double C' or 'S' curves, these are the curves found from the base of your head to your shoulders and the curve from the upper back to the base of the spine. When standing straight up, make sure that your weight is evenly distributed on your feet. You might feel like you are leaning forward, and look stupid, but you don't. 
Using a mirror, align your ears, shoulders, and hips. [This needs an image] Proper alignment places your ears loosely above your shoulders, above your hips. Again, these points make a straight line, but the spine itself curves in a slight 'S'. You'll find that this doesn't hurt at all. If you do experience pain, look at your side view in a mirror to see if you're forcing your back into an unnatural position. If so, stop it!
Do exercises that strengthen the muscles across your upper back and shoulders. These do not have to be strenuous! Try the following, with or without hand weights:
Align your ears over your shoulders. Raise both arms straight up, alongside your ears. Remember to keep your ears aligned! Bend forearms toward shoulders to touch your shoulder blades. Do 10 repetitions with both arms, then alternate 10 reps for each arm singularly.
Align ears with shoulders. Raise both arms out to sides at shoulder length. Hold for a slow count of ten. Slowly lower arms to sides, counting ten as you lower. Slowly raise arms back to shoulder height, counting to ten as you raise arms. Do ten reps, constantly checking your alignment! If ten reps are too many to start, do as many as you can. You should at least feel a slight fatigue in the shoulder muscles.
Be a penguin. While you wait for a web page to load, toast to pop, or the microwave to beep, place elbows at your side, and touch your shoulders with your hands. Keeping your hands on your shoulders, and your ears aligned, raise both elbows (count one, two) and lower them back to your waist (count one, two). Do as many reps as your wait allows. You'll be surprised how much exercise fits into 30 seconds.
Do stretches. This can greatly help if you find that you have a sore back or neck after a while.
Tilt (stretch) your head in all four directions over your shoulders (forward, back, left, right), and gently massage your neck. Avoid rolling in a circle, as it may cause further strain.
On your hands and knees, curl your back upwards, like a cat, and then the opposite. Think about being able to place a bowl in the hollow of your back.
Repeat the exercises a few times each day. Doing them in the morning helps your body stretch out the muscle lethargy of sleep, and periodically throughout the day helps raise your energy level without a heavy workout.
Doing yoga is also excellent for posture. You can take a class or find a good workout video.

Sitting
Sit in an office chair.
Align your back with the back of the office chair. Avoid slouching or leaning forward, especially when tired from sitting in the office chair for long periods. Keep your shoulders straight.
Flex your arms at a 75 to 90 degree angle at the elbows. You may have to adjust the office chair.
Make sure your neck, back, and heels are all aligned.
Keep both feet flat on the floor. If there's a problem with feet reaching the floor comfortably, a footrest can be used along with the office chair.

Standing
Stand with weight mostly on the balls of the feet, not with weight on the heels. Avoid locking your knees.
Keep feet slightly apart, about shoulder-width.
Let arms hang naturally down the sides of the body.
Tuck the chin in a little to keep the head level. Be sure the head is square on top of the neck and spine, not pushed out forward
Stand straight and tall, with shoulders upright.
Stand against a wall with shoulders and bottom touching wall. In this position, the back of the head should also touch the wall – if it does not, the head is carried too far forward (anterior head carriage).
Walking

Keep the head up and eyes looking straight ahead. Avoid pushing your head forward.
Keep shoulders properly aligned with the rest of the body.
Carrying Objects
Always bend at the knees, not the waist.
Use the large leg and stomach muscles for lifting, not the lower back.
If necessary, get a supportive belt to help maintain good posture while lifting.
When carrying a heavy or large object, keep it close to the chest.
If carrying something with one arm, switch arms frequently.
When carrying a backpack or purse, keep it as light as possible, and balance the weight on both sides as much as possible, or alternate from side to side.

Driving
Sit with the back firmly against the seat for proper back support. The seat should be a proper distance from the pedals and steering wheel to avoid leaning forward or reaching.
The headrest should support the middle of the head to keep it upright. Tilt the headrest forward if possible to make sure that the head-to-headrest distance is not more than four inches.

Sleeping
A relatively firm mattress is generally best for proper back support, although individual preference is very important.
Sleeping on the side or back is usually more comfortable for the back than sleeping on the stomach.
Use a pillow to provide proper support and alignment for the head and shoulders.
Consider putting a rolled-up towel under the neck and a pillow under the knees to better support the spine.
If sleeping on the side, a relatively flat pillow placed between the legs will help keep the spine aligned and straight.
A great side benefit of keeping your head straight, and your ears/shoulders/hips aligned is an improvement in your self-esteem and attitude. If you walk with your head up, you appear more confident, and feel more confident, which improves your attitude and mood, making it easier to walk with your head up.

--
Haider Ajaz

Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb's (as) Mathematical Brilliance: Whole Number and Not A Fraction

One Day a Jewish person came to Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (as), thinking that since Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb thinks he is too smart, I will ask him such a tough question that he won't be able to answer it and I will have the chance to embarrass him in front of all the Arabs.

Jewish person asked "Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb, tell me a number, that if we divide it by any number from 1-10 the answer will always come in the form of a whole number and not as a fraction."

Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (as) looked back at him and said, "Take the number of days in a year and multiply it with the number of days in a week and you will have your answer."

The Jewish person got astonished but as he was a polytheist (Mushrik), he still didn't believe Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (as). He calculated the answer Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (as) gave him.

To his amazement he came across the following results:

Whole Number and Not A FractionThe number of Days in a Year = 360 (in Arab)

The Number of Days in a Week = 7

The product of the two numbers = 2520

Now...

2520 ÷ 1 = 2520
2520 ÷ 2 = 1260
2520 ÷ 3 = 840
2520 ÷ 4 = 630
2520 ÷ 5 = 504
2520 ÷ 6 = 420
2520 ÷ 7 = 360
2520 ÷ 8 = 315
2520 ÷ 9 = 280
2520 ÷ 10= 252

MATHEMATICAL BRILLIANCE

1 Admi Ne Wasiyat Ki K
Mere 17 Oonto Ko
Mere 3 Beton Me
Ese Taqseem Kia Jaay K

Pehle Bete Ko 1/2
Dosre Bete Ko 1/3 Aur
Teesre Bete Ko 1/9 Oont Milain

Kafi Sochne K Bawajod Jab Koi Hal Nahi Nikal Saka To Log IMAM ALi (A.S) K Pas Pohnchay

Wasiyat Sun K IMAM ALi (A.S) Ne Fermaya:
Tum Log Mera 1 Oont Un 17 Oonto Me Shamil Kerlo Phir Beto Me Taqseem Kerdo
Yani 17+1=18

Is Terhan
Pehle Bete Ko 18/2=9
Dosre Bete Ko 18/3=6 Aur
Teesre Bete Ko 18/9=2 Oont Milay

Jo K Wasiyat K Mutabiq 17 Oonto Ki Taqseem Thi
Yani 9+6+2=17

Phir IMAM Ali (A.S) Ne Fermaya:
Lao Ab Mera Oont Mujhe Wapis Kerdo :)

Love story of a Flower and Thorn

......Ek Din Kantay Ney Phool Sey Poocha Key "Aey Phool!"
Mujhey Tumhari Mohabbat Sey Kya Haasil Howa?



Mujhey Dekhtay Hi Har Koi Apney Tevar Badal Leta Hai Shayad
Is Liye Key Main Unhain Zakhmi Kar Deta Hoon



or Duniya Tum Par Marti Hai,
Tumhari Khushboo Lenay Ko Tarasti Hai,



Lakin Mujhe Tumhari Mohabbat Sey Kya Mila?
Phool Yeh Sada Sun Kar Muskuraya or Kehnay Laga



Tumhain To Khush Hona Chahiye Jis Par Duniya Marti Hai !
Woh Tumharey Bagair Aik Pal Bhi Nahi Reh Sakta.



Jab Mujhey Koi Tum Sey Juda Karta Hai,
To Main Mar Jata Hoon!



Q Key Main
Sirf Tum Sey Mohabbat Karta Hoon!!!




This Story Really Touching Heart............

Haider Ajaz

Napkin- A nice but painful story

 

 

 

Guys,

 

A nice but a painful read!

 

 

Napkin  by Sankari  Every one is sympathetic of a pregnant woman. However, in my opinion, pregnancy is after all a 10-month-old torment (oh! shouldn't I say 'torment'?), which might happen once or twice in a woman's life. On the other hand, the torment a woman goes through each month because she didn't get pregnant is in fact a life sentence!  Freedom, Stayfree, Whisper…advertisements of these sanitary napkins show carefree women who are up and about, waking up fresh and happy in the mornings… while, I see young girls from poor families staring longingly at these sanitary napkins in the medical shops. I have never experienced this longing as a young girl because I didn't even know the existence of sanitary napkins when I started my period.  Delayed periods is actually a boon that poverty bestows on poor girls. I was 16 when my periods started. Those were the days when we had just one meal per day. Even that wasn't an assured one! It was my last year at school; around the half-yearly exams. My family organized a small celebration for me; it was sure exciting, but I couldn't fully understand what was going on.   I had no pain for the first 6 months. Then, during menstruation, I started to experience heavy flow of blood. I had to walk for about 2 km to reach school; there was no money to pay for the bus ticket. Only few scraps of old cloth used to be folded and kept in place to hold the blood flow from morning to evening. I had to also keep folding in and folding out the wet and dry parts of the cloth.  Thankfully, I studied in a girl's school. As for the toilets in a govt. school, is there any need to elaborate on their conditions? There used to be no water and the recess break was just about 10 minutes within which all the girls in the class had to use the toilet. I would be scared to ask for the teacher's permission to use the toilet during the classes. By the time I returned home walking, the blood-stained cloth would have scratched and caused bloody rashes between the thighs.   At home, the toilet would always be closed. We lived in a huge compound, where one toilet was shared by 10 families. There were no taps in the toilet and we had to carry water twice or thrice. During those days, I would want to use the toilet in the night as well. The owner's son, a scoundrel, dared touch my breasts in the dark. I couldn't ask my mother to go with me because my siblings (brother and sister) were still being breast fed. Asking my father to accompany me was possible, but I used to be embarrassed.  I joined ITI after school. Pain around the hip bone started. It would seem as if a sharp object was being pierced through my hips. In the stomach, the intense pain would extend till the urethra, accompanied by heaviness of the head and intense drowsiness. In addition, there would be frequent bouts of vomiting, heavy flow of blood for more than 4 days, and nausea. I wouldn't feel like eating and in fact, will be unable to eat. One would crave for a soda or a cool drink. However, a soda or a cool drink was a huge luxury that we couldn't afford. I would just lie down and scream amma, amma and would roll on the ground in pain. The screaming and rolling would go down after swallowing a paralgon tablet, and I would lapse into a tired half sleep. When the 4 days would be over, it would be real freedom!  I would be filled with fear even a week before the onset of periods. I would be irritated and frustrated. But, had no one to share my feelings with, had no where to run or to hide. As the days drew near, death would used to seem like a better alternative. After one cycle ended and the pain would go down, I would think I should die before the next cycle.   I visited the ESI (Employee State Insurance) hospital with my mother. The doctor said that there was no medicine for this ache and the pain would be gone after marriage. And, since I thought marriage was just exchanging garlands, I wondered why I shouldn't wear them right away and get rid of the pain? Well, that was the level of knowledge I had then! And, I was uncomfortable to ask my mother about it.  As the days rolled by, the pain became worse. Although the ITI was only for girls, there were male lecturers for some classes. Once, between classes, before the next lecturer came, I went to the toilet quickly to change the cloth. The cloth fell down; the lecturer would have definitely seen it. That day, I died of humiliation and shame.   It must have been 1977-78; I read about sanitary napkins in the weekly magazines. I enquired about the napkins to my friend Sharada, who was one of the rich girls in our class. She said that sanitary napkins were held in place by an elastic belt. I couldn't ask for money at home. The polytechnic was about 7 km away from home and one had to change two buses to reach the polytechnic. At home, they would give money just for one bus (25. p). I walked the entire distance and saved money. When Sharada finally got me the sanitary pad, it looked so beautiful and neat. I used it once and brought it home safely in a packet. I was wondering why I couldn't think of such an easy way to deal with the blood flow. I started washing the napkin with soap; it simply fell into pieces.   I was completely unaware of the idea of use-and-throw. And, the price of one day's freedom was a several kilometer long walk! Even today, when I think of it, it hurts!  After my studies, I got a job in an electrical shop for a monthly salary of Rs.100. My siblings would now get at least one meal for sure. I was at peace. My work was from 9:00 in the morning to 8:00 in the night. The shop was about 5 km away from home. I would go by bus for the first 10 days of the month and walk for the rest of the days. A close friend also started working in that shop. Her presence for the whole day gave me a lot of confidence. We would longingly wait for the shop owner to order tea twice a day, morning and evening. When we actually got the tea depended on the owner's mood. Especially during my days, I would crave for that one tea desperately.  At times, stock taking would happen on the days when I had my periods. We had to climb on a ladder, remove the things from the top shelves, dust them, and then list them. My friend and I would do this together. The pain would be excruciating. One day, my friend gathered some guts and told the owner to assign stock taking to men. Well, her family didn't depend on her salary, unlike mine. For me, just the thought of my siblings would silence me at such instances.  The shop owners had actually rented out a big house. The toilet in that house did not have a ceiling. One could easily peep into the toilet from neighboring terraces, shops and houses. There was scarcity of water as well. If the second day of my period fell on a Sunday, I did not have to take leave. On other days, I would take leave and the owner would question me angrily. My sense of self would never let me cry before him. I would just control my tears and work. One day, the wife of one the owners came to the shop. She was a compassionate person, though she came from a rich family. Seeing me looking extremely tired, she asked, "why are you looking so ill?" I replied, "what to do, I wish I could die, but I am unable to." I was 20 at that time. She felt very bad.  Then, one day, she took me to a female doctor, who prescribed me some medicines. But they were of no use; the pain continued unabated. The doctor said that there were no medicines other than painkillers and that using other medicines could lead to side effects. She said, "after marriage, the pain would be gone." Given my family situation, I did not need marriage then. Earlier, I had heard that the pain would be gone if the uterus were removed. So, I asked the doctor if removing the uterus was an option. The doctor smiled pensively and said, "it cannot be done at this age, my dear." I didn't see any doctor after that day, and the owner also stopped scolding me if I took leave.  After a few days, I got a better job. However, it wasn't good enough to buy napkins. Instead of the cloth, I started using rolls and rolls of cotton. Even if the pain continued, the abrasions around the thighs reduced greatly. Then, that only was a great joy.  After I got married, my husband's eyes would fill with tears seeing me in such pain. Just that would ease off my pain greatly. In fact, I even felt proud. In the second month, he was slightly upset. In the third month, he left for a movie. When asked, he said, "what do I do when you are under so much pain? At least, I'll go and watch a movie." I was numb with grief. Of course, he can't take away my pain, but if he were under such pain, would I look around for joy?  During menstruation, besides the pain, I would vomit in the night. Before marriage, my mother, brother or sister would massage my back as I vomited and give me warm water to drink; it would be such a great relief. One night, after marriage, I woke up my husband and ran to the bathroom to vomit. As I vomited, I realized that there was no one to massage my back. I returned to bed to see my husband still sleeping. I was horrified, but then consoled myself saying that he perhaps didn't hear me call. When I asked him, he said, "you were just vomiting; why should I wake up for that?" It hurt badly. Such pains are unique to women, right?  He's actually not a male chauvinist. He would treat my family as if it were his own family and help them. He would never beat me. However, he would hurt with his scathing words, just like any regular man. I am not sure whether the incident I just described would affect men. In all probability, they will think that I am making a big deal out small things.   But it's funny that men, who need their wives to take care of them even for a headache, call women the weaker sex!  Male readers and even some female readers might find this piece boring. Today's middleclass women enjoy 'freedom' and so they can afford to be 'carefree' as well. But, even today, these things are still a huge problem for women from poor families. I don't know whether this is a woman's problem or the poor people's problem.  When women take off on certain days, the sarcastic smiles of their male colleagues, their, their talk about how women use this as an excuse to not work, managers who remind women about responsibility at work, women who suffer all this in silence, being unable to voice their problems to their managers, etc…these are things that even women from middle class households suffer every day.  I recently read in the newspaper that about 65% of the households in India do not have proper toilet facilities. Both in the villages and the cities, women must finish excretion early in the morning and wait until night fall.   Unbearable period pain is a curse on some unlucky women like me. However, blood flow and tiredness during those days are things that all women go through. These days, I take leave when the pain is unbearable. Moreover, my office has proper toilet facilities. Indeed, life has changed quite a lot for me. But, it hasn't changed for house maids, sales girls who must remain standing the whole day, girls who study in corporation schools, etc. I think they aren't as naïve as I used to be. They must be aware that there's 'freedom' for women, and that that 'freedom' is beyond their reach.  Last month, with terrible menstrual cramps, I was at the medical shop buying sanitary napkins. At that time, there was some drainage work happening on the road. I saw a 16-year-old girl carrying the pebbles to be mixed with the concrete. She was dark and beautiful. She was wearing a faded polyester skirt; perhaps bought for her puberty function. I remembered wearing such a new skirt at my puberty function.  Filling the container with pebbles, she looked around to see if someone would help her lift it. There was no one. She didn't even ask anyone. Gnashing her teeth, she lifted the container herself. A sharp pain shot through me.  I remembered the days when stifling my tears, I used to do stock taking in that electrical shop. That young girl returned to refill the container. I felt a little proud at that sight. ... Published in vinavu.com as part of the Women's day essays.   Translated by Com.Anu, PALA, Tamilnadu.

 

 

Thank you,
S.Shafi Husain.

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Question

 

 

A PRE-SCHOOL TEST FOR YOU

Which way is the bus below travelling?

To the left or to the right?



Can't make up your mind?

Look carefully at the picture again.

Still don't know?

 

 

Primary school children all over the MUMBAI were shown this picture and asked the same question.

90% of them gave this answer:

'The bus is travelling to the right.'

 

 

 

 

When asked, 'Why do you think the bus is travelling to the right?'

They answered:

'Because you can't see the door to get on the bus.'


How do you feel now???

I know, me too 

 

 

 

 

Thank you,
S.Shafi Husain.