एवरेस्ट सम्मिट,1953

कहते हैं इंसान अगर किसी चीज को पूरे दिल से चाहे, तो पूरी कायनात उसे उससे मिलवाने में जुट जाती है।माना के थोड़ा फिलमी डायलाग है, लेकिन सच है। इंसान अगर ठान ले तो क्या नही कर सकता, दुनिया की कोई भी ताकत उसे उसके लक्ष्य तक पहुँचने से नही रोक सकती, फिर चाहे वो लक्ष्य चाँद पर जाने का हो या फिर माउंट एवरेस्ट पर चढ़ने का।

29 मई 1953, यही वह दिन था, जब सारे विश्व ने माना कि इच्छाशक्ति के आगे बड़े से बड़ा पहाड़ भी घुटने टेक देता है। आज के दिन ही 1953 में न्यूजीलैंड के एडमंड हिलेरी और नेपाल के शेरपा टेन्ज़िंग नोर्गे, माउंट एवरेस्ट के शिखर तक पहुंचने वाले पहले पर्वतारोही बन गए, जो समुद्र तल से 29,002  फीट ऊपर पृथ्वी पर सबसे ऊंचा बिंदु है । उन्होंने एवरेस्ट पर नौंवी ब्रिटिश चढ़ाई के दौरान जॉन हंट की अगुवाई में एवरेस्ट फ़तेह किया.

एवरेस्ट फतह की खबर ब्रिटेन में महारानी के अभिषेक के दिन पहुँची थी। चूंकि हिलेरी न्यूजीलैंड के थे और इस तरह वे राष्ट्रमंडल के नागरिक हुए, लिहाजा ब्रिटेन में भी उनकी उपलब्धि पर जश्न मनाया गया। हिलेरी को उनकी सफलता के लिए नाइट की उपाधि दी गई। अपनी सफलता के अगले दो दशकों में हिलेरी ने हिमालय में दस अन्य चोटियाँ भी फतह की।

एक महानायक होते हुए भी वे जीवनभर बेहद सादगी से रहे। अपने जीवन को नेपाली शेरपाओं को समर्पित करने वाले हिलेरी ने नेपाल में 63 विद्यालयों के अतिरिक्त अनेक अस्पतालों, पुलों व हवाई पट्टी का भी निर्माण किया। उनके हिमालय ट्रस्ट ने नेपाल के लिए प्रति वर्ष ढाई लाख अमरीकन डॉलर जुटाए और हिलेरी ने निजी तौर पर नेपाल अभियान में मदद दी।

'सर' हिलेरी पर्यावरण को पहुँच रहे नुकसान के प्रति बेहद चिंतित रहते थे। उन्हें कुछ पर्वतारोहियों के इस दिशा में उदासीन रवैये से भी तकलीफ पहुँचती थी। उन्होंने न्यूजीलैंड के मार्क इंगलिस और विभिन्न समूहों के 40 सदस्यों की इसलिए आलोचना की उन्होंने मई 2006 में ब्रिटेन के पर्वतारोही डेविड शाफ को मरने के लिए छोड़ दिया था।

बचपन में ही तेन्जिंग एवरेस्ट के दक्षिणी क्षेत्र में स्थित अपने गाँव, जहां शेरपाओं (पर्वतारोहण में निपुण नेपाली लोग, आमतौर पर कुली) का निवास था, से भागकर भारत के पश्चिम बंगाल में दार्जिलिंग में बस गए। 1935 में वे एक कुली के रूप में वह सर एरिक शिपटन के प्रारम्भिक एवरेस्ट सर्वेक्षण अभियान में शामिल हुए। अगले कुछ वर्षों में उन्होने अन्य किसी भी पर्वतारोही के मुक़ाबले एवरेस्ट के सर्वाधिक अभियानों में हिस्सा लिया। द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के बाद वह कुलियों के संयोजक अथवा सरदार बन गए। और इस हैसियत से वह कई अभियानों पर साथ गए। 1952 में स्वीस पर्वतारोहियों ने दक्षिणी मार्ग से एवरेस्ट पर चढ़ने के दो प्रयास किए और दोनों अभियानों में तेन्जिंग सरदार के रूप में उनके साथ थे। 1953 में वे सरदार के रूप में ब्रिटिश एवरेस्ट के अभियान पर गए और हिलेरी के साथ उन्होने दूसरा शिखर युगल बनाया।

तेनज़िंग की इस ऐतिहासिक सफलता ने उन्हें इतिहास में अमर कर दिया है। भारत के अतिरिक्त इंग्लैंड एवं नेपाल की सरकारों ने भी उन्हें सम्मानित किया था। 1959 में उन्हें 'पद्मभूषण' से अलंकृत किया गया। वास्तव में 1936-1953 तक के सभी एवरेस्ट अभियानों में उनका सक्रिय सहयोग रहा था।

इस अभियान का एक  प्रेरणादयी प्रसंग भी है। इस अभियान के लीडर कर्नल हंट थे। हंट ने खुद पीछे रहकर इस अभियान का सफल नेतृत्व किया था। वह चाहते तो चोटी पर चढ़ने वाली टीम का हिस्सा बन सकते थे। लेकिन उन्होंने ऐसा न करके अपनी दो बेस्ट टीमें बनाईं। पहली टीम बोरडिलन, ईवान्स की। दूसरी हिलरी और तेनजिंग की। 

चढ़ाई से पहले वाली रात दोनों के लिए काफी खतरनाक थी। तेज बर्फीली हवाएं चल रही थीं। रात में हिलरी के जूते गलती से बाहर रह गए थे जब अगले दिन सुबह हिलरी उठे तो उनके पैर बर्फ में जम गए। 

अंतिम चढ़ाई के समय उनके सामने एक खड़ी चट्टान थी। वह चट्टान एक बड़ी बाधा थी क्योंकि उसके रहते उनलोगों को दूसरा रास्ता लेना पड़ता जो लंबा था और एवरेस्ट तक पहुंचने का समय लंबा हो जाता है। इस मौके पर हिलरी ने दिमाग लगाया और चट्टान की दरार में से रास्ता बनाया। उस रास्ते से होकर पहले हिलरी और उनके पीछे तेनजिंग आगे बढ़े। 29 मई, 1953 को 11 बजकर 30 मिनट पर वे दुनिया की सबसे ऊंची चोटी माउंट एवरेस्ट पर पहुंच गए। वहां पर हिलरी ने कुल्हाड़ी के साथ तेनजिंग का फोटो लिया।

Naxalism: a social curse

It is often said that Naxalism and terrorism are two sides of a same coin. As per our political leaders, naxalism is traced to economic and social causes but it has been reduced to an activity, much like terrorism aimed at spreading fear and terror.

But what actually is the reality behind these naxalite movements? Is it India's biggest law and order problem?Is Naxalism a problem or is it the consequence of social and spatial disparity?Why has the government failed to address it and subsequently acknowledged Naxalism as a serious problem for national security?

Thus, this debate needs a better understanding of the sensitive and delicate subject which could be resolved only through fear-free questions and some fair-frank answers.

Naxalism has been branded as a serious problem for national security by various intellectuals and the media.On the other hand, there is another section of society who thinks Naxalism is a social movement against the rampant social exclusions of the have nots. It is the fight of the poor, discriminated and the marginalised Indian masses for social justice and basic rights to natural resources. 

The Naxalite movement first came to the forefront in the late 1960s, when Naxalbari became famous for the left-wing revolt that took place in West Bengal. Since then, it is perceived as the greatest threat to law and order within Indian. The movement has now advanced to the hilly and forest regions of around eight different states, with more than 150 districts are believed to be under its direct influence. It is mostly active in the tribal areas spreading from Andhra Pradesh to Bihar and Maharashtra, and also covering parts of Karnataka, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu. Naxal violence has resulted in the death of over 10,000 civilians and displaced 12 million people since 1980s with a significant rise in the number of killings in Naxalism-hit states. Additionally, more than 200 of India’s 640 districts are indirectly under Naxal control.

Naxalism signifies a particular kind of militant and violent armed struggle by the peasants and tribals who accept Marxist-Leninist ideology. Inspite of Naxalism being termed as the biggest problem in Adivasi areas, the social problems are actually much wider in the form of unemployment, poverty and an untold number of socio-economic injustices.

The socio-economic problems are so vast that getting them in control is also a matter of conflict.

India’s development model pursued since Independence led to commercialisation of forest resources, reducing the traditional access to forest produce. Besides destroying their natural environment, mining-based industries and the construction of large dams caused wide-scale migration of the tribals.

Development is, undoubtedly, very necessary in today’s age but the Central and State governments should make sure that it is not done at the cost of citizens. Having said that, the Naxalite movement attempted to achieve equity in the society by means of a mass movement and struggle, and they did achieve it to some extent but at the cost of the economic development of the state. There has been a range of violence which has had no direct consequence on the rights of people but invariably ended up harming masses by way of disruption in the elections, destruction of schools, trains and rail lines, etc. 

Thus , in the conflict between the Naxalites and the government, it is the common man of the country who has to suffer. For the people of India, Naxalism is a curse which has created a havoc in their lives. 

The total number of Naxal-related violent incidents during the last 6 years was 10,568 where 4,027 people were killed, which roughly translates into 1 person being killed for 2.6 incidents.

Chhattisgarh had the highest number of incidents and casualties followed by Jharkhand. Incidentally, out of 640 districts in India, around 87 districts (13.5%) faced Naxal violence. While 22 of them are in Jharkhand, 15 are in Chhattisgarh.

The central reason for the advancement of Naxalism is the vast exploitation of the poor and the scheduled castes. People, who have been displaced, should be given proper rehabilitation along with police protection. Security, as well as development, has to run hand in hand.

Thus, it is appropriate to say that Naxalite movement which started with the aim to bring the basic rights to the marginalised section of the society and equality and social justice for all, has turned into a curse for the society.

Negative effect of cartoons on children

Doraemon, Shinchan, tom and jerry, chhota bheem all these names must be common for you if you are surrounded by kids in your home or in your locality. Not just kids but some grown up adults are fond of such cartoons and find them a great source of entertainment. Undoubtedly, cartoons serve as a medium for a light dose of laughter and also refresh us as the cartoons are made such that they don't cause any stress on the minds of the audience, especially as the target audience of cartoon serials is the toddlers and the children below 12 years of age.

Who doesn't likes to step into a world of magic, fascination, dreams, a place where everything is possible from flying robots to ninjas in the city, superheroes, fairytales , talking animals and much more. Cartoons makes you believe in the unbelievable. Increases the imagination power of the kids, learn new things, pictures, words, colors etc.

Children are fond of cartoons as because of many reasons. As they found human in cartoon form with cute or weird shape and dress with colorful attire. Child at 3 to 9 years age usually starts to watch cartoons. But At this age kids have growing mind and with curiosity and fast learning capability by observing things. And that’s why cartoons directly make an impact on their minds and nature as well. 

Have you ever thought about the negative effects caused by the modern age cartoon series on the minds of young children? Find out in this article.

• The violence showcased in the cartoons in the name of entertainment, causes an adverse effect on the minds of the children.They become insensitive to others’ pains and sorrow.Children do not feel discomfort from any elements of violence around them in real life. They are prone to aggressive reactions and violent behaviour.

• It is obvious that there is nothing good in sitting all day in front of the TV, watching cartoons. This can only weaken kids’ eye sight, or may lead to spine curvature disorders. Lack of physical activity also creates problems with obesity. Furthermore, many experts stress negative impact of cartoons on speech development of children by the age of three. Psychologists claim that watching cartoons is a passive activity in which there is no interaction required for proper speech development.

• While watching cartoons, children often identify themselves with the characters. However, the problem is that these characters are usually inappropriate for any identification, since they are too aggressive, or have supernatural powers: they can fly, shoot spider web from the wrist, jump from the top of a skyscraper on the buildings nearby, throw a lightning bolt, run faster than the wind, fall from the 10th floor and stay unharmed, beat 15 criminals single-handedly, and similar.

These aggressive characters may easily turn into role models. Without the supervision of the parents, who will explain the difference between reality and fiction (which is not always the case since they are usually busy and prefer to leave the kids in front of the TV), children can use cartoons as a substitute for real life. This might be a threat for the child’s psychological development.

Thus, apart from the positive impacts of the cartoons, there are a lot more negative aspects which can cause unnecessary and uncontrolled effect on the behavior and health of the young children.

Therefore, Children should not be allowed to watch certain cartoons whose content they cannot understand.Parents should provide cartoons to their children which could have a positive impact on them.It would be better if parents also watch and discuss the characters of cartoons with children.