Honour killing

This morning, I read the newspaper with a very heavy heart. In it, was a report about another honour killing in northern India.

For those who aren’t aware, an honour killing is carried out when family members murder another family member who has brought disgrace and shame on the family. Usually, in India, it takes place over an “inappropriate” relationship or marriage outside caste or religion.

Research indicates that the majority of honour killings happen in the north Indian states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Bihar. Honor killings are rare to non-existent in south India, and also the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. There have been no honor killings in West Bengal in over 100 years, thanks to the influence and activism of reformists like Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Vidyasagar and Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

The issue of honour killings really indicates the extremities of life in India — not just from rich to poor, but from cities to villages. While India’s cities are progressing at a rapid rate, and love marriages are becoming more and more prevalent, many villages are not. There, the caste system remains as strong as ever, and the reputation of the caste is of utmost importance — sometimes more important than a human life.

What is also so horrible, apart from the killing itself, is how it’s carried out. The person can be burned alive, tortured, maimed, and/or beaten to death. I feel dizzy and sick just thinking about it. Such extreme action, just to follow the norms of society! A large part of this problem in villages is due to the strong presence of apanchayat or informal court, which consists of members of the same caste and decides all matters relating to their community.

However, India’s most recent honour killing took place in Delhi — not a village. The parents who murdered their 19 year old daughter and her 19 year old fiance said that they had been left no alternative. Their daughter’s deed frustrated them, and they didn’t regret killing the couple. Apparently, the girl’s fiance was a cab driver and belonged to a different caste.

Neighbours were shocked. “God knows what came over them… They were such good people”, one commented.

The fact is, you can move to the city but you still can’t escape the scrutiny and judgements of other villagers.

My in-laws have experienced two love marriages now — two out of their five children had them. Although my in-laws left their village in Orissa over 40 years ago, disapproval from people back in the village was still prevalent. Apparently, my father-in-law in particular, had to endure a lot of criticism and loss of respect in the village for allowing my brother-in-law’s marriage to go ahead. The villagers expected him to prevent it. When he didn’t, he lost face and status. It took a while for my in-laws to accept their new daughter-in-law but after a year or so, they did. They realised that their childrens’ happiness was worth more than that of the people in the village, where they never intended to live again. Then, I came along. And I’m just very grateful that thanks to their progressive mindset, they’ve accepted me too.

I’m even more grateful when I think of the disturbing fate of those children who were killed by the people who were supposed to love and protect them, all because they did what comes naturally and loved someone else… who just happened to be “unsuitable” but still another human after all.

Honour killing in India

More than 1,000 young people in India have been done to death every year owing to 'Honour Killings' linked to forced marriages and the country needs to introduce stringent legislation to deal firmly with the heinous crime, two legal experts have claimed.

Participating in International Child Abduction, Relocation and Forced Marriages Conference organised by the London Metropolitan University here, Chandigarh-based legal experts Anil Malhotra and his brother Ranjit Malhotra have said that in traditional societies, honour killings are basically 'justified' as a sanction for 'dishonourable' behaviour.

In a joint paper, they said: "Forced marriages and honour killings are often intertwined. Marriage can be forced to save honour, and women can be murdered for rejecting a forced marriage and marrying a partner of their own choice who is not acceptable for the family of the girl.They said in India, honour killings happen with regularity in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

"They happen not only within the Muslim community but also among Sikhs and Hindus."

Though there was no nationwide data on the prevalent of honour killings in India, they quoted figures compiled by the India Democratic Women's Association, according to which Haryana, Punjab and U P account for about 900 honour killings and another 100 to 300 in the rest of the country.

"The total figure for India would be about the same as estimated for Pakistan, which researchers suggest has the highest per capita incidence of honour killings in the world."

They said the ministries of home affairs and the law and justice are preparing to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to define the act of "honour killing".

The demand for such a law was made repeatedly with the objective of stamping out this social evil.

"This aim is to provide for deterrent punishment for caste and community panchayats which should be booked for aiding and abetting such killings and as accomplices to the murder," they said.

They pointed out that the Supreme Court of India, concerned over the spate of recent 'Honour Killings' has asked the Centre and eight state governments to submit reports on the steps taken to prevent this barbaric practice.

Sprituality

Every object in the universe is endowed with four characteristics: dharma, karma, prema and gyana. Of these, karma is the most talked about; it is also the most misunderstood. The Gita says: “Gahna Karmanyo Gathi” -- Unfathomable are the ways of karma. There are three types of karma: Prarabha, sanchita and agami. The first is latent karma, an impression or seed of action. The second is karma as action, and the third is karma as result. Prarabha means ‘begun’; the action that is already manifesting and that is yielding its effect right now.

You cannot avoid it or change it, as it is already happening. Sanchita is accumulated karma. It is latent or manifested in the form of a tendency or impression in the mind. Sanchita karma can be burned off by spiritual practices before it manifests. Agami karma is the future karma of action; that which has not yet come and which will take effect in the future. If you commit a crime, you may not get caught today, but will live with the possibility that one day you may get caught. Karma is also always bound by time, because every action has a limited reaction.

If you do something good to people they will come to thank you and be grateful to you as long as they are experiencing the effect of your action. So, karma has only a limited sphere of its effect, be it good or badIt is often asked, “Why are good people made to suffer while those who commit injustice go unpunished?” Such questions arise when we see an event in its limited framework. No good action will yield a bad result and no bad action will bring a good result. This is the law of karma As you sow, so shall you reap.

If you sow a mango tree, some thorny bushes may come up because of the seeds present in the manure brought from somewhere else. It is not the mango seed that brings up the thorny bush. Your mango seed will bring mango fruit, in due course. Karma is that which propels reincarnation. The stronger the impression, the greater the possibility of the next life being according to that. So, often you reincarnate like the person you hate or love. The mind which is full of different impressions leaves this body but the impressions await suitable situations to come back.

So the last thought is very important. Whatever you do throughout your life, in the last moment your mind should be free and happy. Our perception of suffering, of good and bad, is always relative. God is absolute reality; a witness of all. See God as movie director, rather than as a judge. He has no ill feeling for the villain and no special favour for the hero. Each one is playing her role. An awareness of dharma helps in comprehending the strange ways of karma. Whenever you see bad karma or someone suffering, you need to help.

Music

Music for the Pythagoreans was key to the mysteries of the universe, says V Tankha 

The classical Greek ideal of education sought to integrate the separate domains of body and mind. While physical exercise or gymnastics was meant for the body, the mind was put in care of the arts. The Greek word for ‘the arts’, musike, is related to the word muse (of whom the famous nine sat on Parnassus, instructing and entertaining the gods). 

The Muses personified various forms of song and dance, themselves an integral part of poetry, which was sung to the accompaniment of various musical instruments. 

Music provided the ambit in which the young were brought into the fold of tradition: for the poets sang of what was, is and would come to be. Cultural norms were thus reinforced among the young who listened to these tales, repeating and performing them. Women were not left out of its ambit; as both mothers and grandmothers, they were the store of traditional tales to which they gave voice.

Laws Of Harmony
Early, in the speculations of the Greeks, came the discovery that musical harmonies were the expression of fixed numerical ratios. Later, fanciful stories identified the moment of inspiration with unlikely events (Pythagoras hears a blacksmith hammering different notes with different-sized hammers). But some wise man obviously noted that the pitch produced by musical instruments, particularly stringed ones, is dependent on the length of the stretched string. The notes produced stand in relation to each other and to these lengths in fixed proportions, which can be expressed in whole numbers. 

The pleasing concord characterising music was thus seen to be the result of structured ratios, expressing regularity and order. It followed that the converse must also hold: structure and order can be created by harmony. 
The Pythagoreans extrapolated their discovery and applied it to the visible (and invisible) world. The cosmos that we see around us was likened to a musical scale produced by a tension of opposed forces. These oppositions were everywhere, sometimes succeeding each other like summer and winter, sometimes co-present as in a stretched bow. Life and death themselves became part of a cycle that balanced the beginning with the end.

Music And Education
Music, like medicine, became the physical medium for the reconciliation of discord of all kinds. While the aim of medicine was to find an equilibrium for opposing forces in the body, music addressed itself to the soul, which was the ancient term for what we now call the mind.

The evocative and affective power of music had, of course, always been a part of the collective experience of humankind. Orpheus and the cults that formed around his myth, illustrated the power of music over the joys and sorrows of man. 

The emotional power of music and the expression of emotions through music made it the ideal medium through which to impart education. Music was consciously adopted as part of the educational programme to harmonise the conflicts within the soul of man.

Because music could profoundly affect the emotions and so the actions of men, Plato warns against letting musical innovations go unchecked in the state, lest they disturb the constitution and emotional stability of its citizens.
We are more sanguine, and musical tastes are allowed to work on the entire register of human emotions. Let people choose what they want to hear is another way of saying let people choose what they want to be. For the unmusical, a word of advice: listening to soothing music will soothe you, listening to melodies will lighten any burdens you may have to carry; even background music, as management gurus have lately discovered, improves work and efficiency, especially in boring and repetitive jobs. 

In Tune With All Things
While the body labours, the spirit communes with the eternal. The drudgery of the one coexists with the exalted condition of the other. Music transports us, more than any other activity, from the contingencies of time and place to another realm, both timeless and ordered.

Music for the Pythagoreans was a key to the mysteries of the universe: he who could hear and understand the relation between its apparently distinct and different parts, was indeed divinely inspired if not himself divine. 

While music gives pleasure to those who enjoy it, it gives delight to those who understand how it embodies, in audible sound, the ineffable structure of the universe. He who can harmonise his own mind will bring it in tune with the order of things, for while heard melodies are sweet, unheard ones are still sweeter. 

Health

Healthy and nutritious food is very important for maintaining a good health. Healthy food involves, regular and timely food, juices, nuts, snacks and much more. A balanced diet, good food habits are essential for a healthy life.
In the normal course of life, we forget to take necessary nutrition that is required for our body and hence we tend to get into many life style diseases. It is very essential for a person to know and understand the benefits of nature's creation like fruits, vegetables, nuts,etc.

Cancer

Cancer grows out of normal cells in the body. Normal cells multiply when the body needs them, and die when the body doesn't need them. Cancer appears to occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and cells divide too quickly. It can also occur when cells forget how to die.

There are many different kinds of cancers. Cancer can develop in almost any organ or tissue, such as the lung, colon, breast, skin, bones, or nerve tissue.

There are many causes of cancers, including:

• Benzene and other chemicals
• Drinking excess alcohol
• Environmental toxins, such as certain poisonous mushrooms and a type of poison that can grow on peanut plants (aflatoxins)
• Excessive sunlight exposure
• Genetic problems
• Obesity
• Radiation
• Viruses

However, the cause of many cancers remains unknown.

The most common cause of cancer-related death is lung cancer.

The three most common cancers in men in the United States are:

• Prostate cancer
• Lung cancer
• Colon cancer

In women in the United States, the three most common cancers are:

• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Lung cancer

Some cancers are more common in certain parts of the world. For example, in Japan, there are many cases ofstomach cancer, but in the United States, this type of cancer is pretty rare. Differences in diet may play a role.

Some other types of cancers include:

• Brain cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Ovarian cancer
• Skin cancer
• Testicular cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Uterine cancer

Symptoms

Symptoms of cancer depend on the type and location of the cancer. For example, lung cancer can causecoughing, shortness of breath, or chest pain. Colon cancer often causes diarrhea, constipation, and blood in the stool.

Some cancers may not have any symptoms at all. In certain cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, symptoms often do not start until the disease has reached an advanced stage.

The following symptoms can occur with most cancers:

• Chills
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Malaise
• Night sweats
• Weight loss

Signs and tests

Like symptoms, the signs of cancer vary based on the type and location of the tumor. Common tests include the following:

• Biopsy of the tumor
• Blood tests (which look for chemicals such as tumor markers)
• Bone marrow biopsy (for lymphoma or leukemia)
• Chest x-ray
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• CT scan
• MRI scan

Most cancers are diagnosed by biopsy. Depending on the location of the tumor, the biopsy may be a simple procedure or a serious operation. Most patients with cancer have CT scans to determine the exact location and size of the tumor or tumors.

A cancer diagnosis is difficult to cope with. It is important, however, that you discuss the type, size, and location of the cancer with your doctor when you are diagnosed. You also will want to ask about treatment options, along with their benefits and risks.

It's a good idea to have someone with you at the doctor's office to help you get through the diagnosis. If you have trouble asking questions after hearing about your diagnosis, the person you bring with you can ask them for you.

Treatment

Treatment varies based on the type of cancer and its stage. The stage of a cancer refers to how much it has grown and whether the tumor has spread from its original location.

• If the cancer is confined to one location and has not spread, the most common treatment approach is surgery to cure the cancer. This is often the case with skin cancers, as well as cancers of the lung, breast, and colon.
• If the tumor has spread to local lymph nodes only, sometimes these can be removed.
• If surgery cannot remove all of the cancer, the options for treatment include radiation, chemotherapy, or both. Some cancers require a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
• Lymphoma, or cancer of the lymph glands, is rarely treated with surgery. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are most often used to treat lymphoma.

Although treatment for cancer can be difficult, there are many ways to keep up your strength.

If you have radiation treatment, know that:

• Radiation treatment is painless.
• Treatment is usually scheduled every weekday.
• You should allow 30 minutes for each treatment session, although the treatment itself usually takes only a few minutes.
• You should get plenty of rest and eat a well-balanced diet during the course of your radiation therapy.
• Skin in the treated area may become sensitive and easily irritated.
• Side effects of radiation treatment are usually temporary. They vary depending on the area of the body that is being treated.

If you are going through chemotherapy, you should eat right. Chemotherapy causes your immune system to weaken, so you should avoid people with colds or the flu. You should also get plenty of rest, and don't feel as though you have to accomplish tasks all at once.

It will help you to talk with family, friends, or a support group about your feelings. Work with your health care providers throughout your treatment. Helping yourself can make you feel more in control.

Support Groups

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer often causes a lot of anxiety and can affect a person's entire life. There are many resources for cancer patients.

See: Cancer resources

Expectations (prognosis)

The outlook depends on the type of cancer. Even among people with one type of cancer, the outcome varies depending on the stage of the tumor when they are diagnosed.

Some cancers can be cured. Other cancers that are not curable can still be treated well. Some patients can live for many years with their cancer. Other tumors are quickly life-threatening.

Complications

One complication is that the cancer may spread. Other complications vary with the type and stage of the tumor.

Calling your health care provider

Contact your health care provider if you develop symptoms of cancer.

Prevention

You can reduce the risk of getting a cancerous (malignant) tumor by:

• Eating a healthy diet
• Exercising regularly
• Limiting alcohol
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Minimizing your exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals
• Not smoking or chewing tobacco
• Reducing sun exposure, especially if you burn easily

Cancer screenings, such as mammography and breast examination for breast cancer and colonoscopy for colon cancer, may help catch these cancers at their early stages when they are most treatable. Some people at high risk for developing certain cancers can take medication to reduce their risk.