Interesting Facts & Figures on " Fight for Rashtrapati Bhavan"

 Interesting  Facts & Figures on 

" Fight for Rashtrapati Bhavan"

Image courtesy: rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in

Image courtesy: presidentofindia.nic.in

Since Independence all presidents have been elected after a contest. Only one exception is Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. It is not different this time in 2017 with the opposition bloc deciding its own candidate. Hence again election for the post of President of India. The candidate put up by the establishment has always come up victorious. It is unlikely to be any different this time also.

Let us have a look at past elections -

1952   Dr  Rajendra Prasad         (83.3%)

           K T Shah                             (15.3%)

1957   Dr Rajendra Prasad           (99.0%)

           Nagendra Narayan Das      (00.4%)

1962   S Radhakrishnan                (98.2%)

           Chowdhry Hari Ram          (01.1%)

1967   Zakir Hussain                      (56.2%)

           K Subba Rao                        (43.4%)

1969   V V Giri                                (48.0%)

           N Sanjiva Reddy                  (37.5%)

1974   Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed       (80.2%)

           Tridip Chaudhuri                 (19.8%)

1977  N Sanjiva Reddy               37 candidates filed nominations.

                                                      36 rejected by the Returning                                                             Officer.

1982  Gyani Zail Singh               (72.7%)

          H R Khanna                       (27.3%)

1987  R Venkatraman                  (72.3%)

          V Krishna Iyer                   (27.5%)

1992  Shanker Dayal Sharma     (65.9%)

          G G Swell                            (33.8%)

1997  K R Narayanan                  (95.5%)

          T N Seshan                          (05.0%)

In 1997 the number of proposers and seconders for any President nomination paper was raised from 10 to 50 each.The security amount was also increased from Rs 2,500 to 15,000.

2002  APJ Abdul Kamal              (89.6%)

          Lakshmi Sahgal                  (10.4%)

2007  Pratibha Patil                      (65.8%)

          Bhairon Singh Shekhawat  (34.2%)

2012  Pranab Mukherjee              (69.3%)

          P A Sangma                          (30.7%)

There were only two candidates six times. Rest of the times there were more than two candidates. Once due to rejection of nominations of 36 candidates only one candidate remained hence elected without contest.

Echoes of "Swachh Rahenge Swasth Rahenge" in Tharuhat of West Champaran ...

Video uploaded by Dr Ajay Kumar Ojha

Dr Ajay Kumar ( Ojha) has done his PhD from from Jawaharlal Nehru University Delhi on the topic " Pattern of Social Change among the Tharus of West Champaran in Bihar" based on 'participant observation' method staying in a Tharu tribe village  Bakhari Baazar  in the late eighties of 20th century for months together when there was no communication, no transportation, no electricity, no proper road, no bridges on the rivers ,  no schools, no  health facility, no law & order hence dacoit infested (area known as mini Chambal) also maoist affected - that means most difficult and inhospitable situation.Though Dr Ojha has been  awarded PhD degree he has been  visiting the tharuhat and the village continuously for the almost last three decades from Delhi. He has always been inspiring the children of the village to educate themselves and keep the  environment and the village neat & clean. Many of the students of the village have now got  good & satisfactory jobs even in the government sector.One of the students of the village has been selected as sub-inspector also. Dr Ojha recently visited the village in June 2017 and continued with his passion of encouraging children for education and also specially inspiring them to promote health and hygiene by keeping themselves and their village neat and clean  -  on the lines of the dream project 'Swachhata Abhiyan' of  the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A slogan was coined and hence the video clip "Swachh Rahenge Swasth Rahenge " rent  the air of Bakahri Baazar of Tharuhat of West Champaran Bihar.

Universalization of Yog : Step towards India Becoming "Vishwa Guru"

Universalization of Yog : Step towards India Becoming "Vishwa Guru"

International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on 21st June. Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice originated in India. 

The idea of International Day of Yoga was first proposed by the incumbent Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during his address at United Nations General Assembly on 27th September 2014. 

It is to be kept in mind that Shri Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister of India on 26th May 2014 only, the first ever Prime Minster to be born after India attained Independence.

Image courtesy: dailyworld.in

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared an international day for yoga on 11th December 2014. A total of 177 nations co-sponsored resolution regarding international day for yoga, which is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA resolution of such nature. First International Day of Yoga was observed all over the world on 21st June 2015.

Image courtesy: mea.gov.in

Today Yoga -'prescription to health and wellness' has been universalized, globalized. From East to West and North to South, on land sea and mountain, on almost every country of all the continents of the earth, by people of all religions and races, of all age groups irrespective of gender, Yoga is being practiced and International Yoga of Day is being observed with great enthusiasm and liveliness, eagerness and keenness. India has been connected with the every part of the world through "Yogaization". 

Indian Jawans Performing Yoga in -25 Degree Celsius on Siachin
Image courtesy : jansatta.com

Yoga means union of individual consciousness or soul with the universal consciousness or spirit. The science of Yoga assimilates the complete essence of 'the way of life'.  

Is not the universalization  of Yoga, a 5000 year old Indian body of knowledge, a step towards the process of India becoming 'Vishwa Guru' ?

Image courtesy: indianexpress.com

Hesal a Tribal Village : Home to Hockey (Women) Players for Decades

Hesal a Tribal Village : Home to Hockey (Women) Players 

for Decades

Hesal is a small, remote tribal village in Jharkhand state of India. Nestled in sprawling paddy fields, it is roughly 50 km from Ranchi in Khunti district. This area is  infested by left-wing extremists .

Image courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

But this small village of 50 homes has big achievement to its credit. Undeterred by the extremists threat,  every girl of the hardscrabble huts of the village aspire to play for India.

Hesal is to Jharkhand what Mokhra Khas is for Haryana. While Mokhra Khas is a village of wrestlers, Hesal a village of hockey players.

This nondescript village has the distinction of producing around 20 international women players including an Olympian Nikki Pradhan who represented India in Rio 2016 in women's hockey team.

Image courtesy : youtube

For thousands all over the country, sports has unfolded huge opportunities for overcoming life's unkind miseries. It has become a vehicle for a better future, a transmitter of dreams. Hesal has found hope in hockey and Nikki Pradhan who became the first woman to represent Jharkhand on the world's biggest stage breaking gender barriers, has been the source of inspiration for all the aspiring women hockey players.

Hockey runs in the blood of of this village. Where farming is the main occupation hockey sticks are found in every hamlet. Hockey serves as the only source of entertainment for them.

Lack of infrastructure is a persistent irritant but this does not dampen their spirits. Hesal does not have even a playing field of its own. But enthusiasm does not evaporate as there is hope and determination to become like "Nikki Didi" and play for India.