Monthly Archives: February 2017

Indian Elderly Vulnerable To Selfish Younger Generations

The statistics are shocking: one in every three senior citizens in India is a victim of abuse. Why are the elderly being left in the cold by their families in a land that reveres the old? The scale of the problem in fact goes much deeper than teenage addiction to smart phones, Instagram and ‘selfie’ culture, that is not the worst of it.

Hundreds and thousands of elderly people are being dumped like unwanted house pets by uncaring family members who take their limited riches before throwing them out of their homes. A recent report by a voluntary organisation working for abandoned and needy elderly people, revealed some shocking statistics. According to the report, one in three senior citizens is a victim of abuse in India.

“Some of the abuses we found are as brutal as severe beating of elderly people by their own sons, daughters and daughters-in-law” states the report. It also says that in more than 50 per cent of abuse cases, the perpetrators are family members, with the son being the primary abuser in over 56 per cent of cases, followed by daughters in 23 per cent of cases. The most common reason for the abuse is property related.

Mathew Cherian, chief executive of Help Age India says, “Earlier, people lived with their children when they were too old to work, but society is no longer parent oriented and the rising trend we notice is that the elderly are moving out of their homes to places that cater to their needs. But there aren’t enough old-age homes in India to house all the abandoned elderly people”, he says.

More than half of India’s 1.1 billion population is younger than 25 and two-thirds is below the age of 35. The number of seniors is growing. By 2016, around 113 million people will be older than 60, and if the recent reports are any indication, a sizeable number of them will require an old-age home.

Stories about mistreatment of the elderly can be truly horrifying. A few years ago, there were reports in the Indian media about how police caught a man striking a deal with doctors and an organ-transplant broker to sell his unsuspecting father’s kidney, first taking him to hospital for a ‘check-up’ and then telling him he needed an operation. Doctors say such practices are commonplace.

According to an activist and charity worker, “All senior citizens we spoke to in Delhi said they had been verbally abused, while 33 per cent confided they had been physically abused – often beaten and tied to chairs.”

Elderly parents being abused and abandoned is not just an urban phenomenon. In rural India, the family system is eroding, with the younger generation increasingly heading off to cities with their spouses and their children to start a new life – without their parents or grandparents.

According to a 2016 survey, less than 40 per cent of Indians now live with extended family. While Delhi has the highest number of senior citizens who own property, over the years they become meek and dependent on their children. And that is generally when problems arise.

Those who have worked in government service or for a reputed private company receive pensions, but a large majority of India’s population still work as farmers or day labourers. Once they are too old to work, they are forced to rely on their children or extended family for support.

There is a government-backed pension programme for the poor called the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, which provides Rs200 a month to people over 60 who live below the poverty line, meaning they earn less than $1.25 (Dh4.59) per day. But the amount they receive is barely enough to get them food for a week. The government also approved a bill to increase the pension to Rs500 a month to those over the age of 80.

There are shelters for homeless elderly people run by charity organisations across India, but these shelters are usually packed to capacity.

In June 2012, the Delhi High Court issued an order to all court judges to give “special focus” to the cases involving senior citizens and ever since, courts in other cities are also taking similar steps.

Significantly, the bill states that a person would be disinherited if he or she fails to take care of their elderly parents. Local communities have welcomed the legislation but says it may have little practical effect. It is said that most parents are far too demoralised, destitute or frail to begin a battle to get a ruling. Also very few people want to wash their personal problems in public.

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Mam Ramaswamy’s Racing Legacy

Mam Ramaswamy was a man of many talents – a brilliantly successful businessman, a lover of fine horses, and, more than that, a horse racing legend. With a career spanning several decades, it was his unofficial record of 600 classic wins in the races that set him apart. So what were Mam Ramaswamy’s secrets to business, life, horses and betting? A man who has become a legend in his country is a man who got horse racing down to a science. Apart from breeding incredibly fine horses, Mam also had his own personal inside tricks and tips for being able to win repeatedly, tips like wearing his lucky suit and his lucky tie. However, unless the suit and tie were blessed by Mercury and Pegasus themselves, we suspect there is probably a little bit more science than luck in over 600 wins. So unless you can convince the executors of Mam’s estate to sell you his lucky tie and suit, we best speculate as to some of the scientific factors that can improve your betting and give you an edge?

A legend in the world of horse-racing and called the ‘Turf Moghul’ for his expensive passion, Ramasamy was the biggest owner of thoroughbreds, having owned at least 1,000 horses in active training in race courses across the country. “Not long ago, I would invariably spend a major part of my day with the horses, but now that’s not possible. My trainers take good care of them and I don’t necessarily need to worry,” Ramasamy told The Times of India in an exclusive interview just a couple of months before his soul left this earth.

Racing surface

As the Indian business mogul certainly knows, condition of the track is an incredibly important factor second only to the qualities of the horse itself. The condition and type of track plays an enormous factor into whether you’ve picked a winner or a dud. Horse racing tips can differ in different areas; for horse races in India this can be particularly important especially given varying climate conditions. Horses on a wet or muddy track will race entirely differently than horses on the dry dirt. This matters because a horse which has typically been last might find itself at the advantage due to a slightly slower but more sure footed gallop. Determining the type of racing surface and how well previous horses have done on that given track under those conditions is a great metric by which you can determine the statistical likelihood of a win.

Has the horse beat the odds in the past?

This is a tip that can help you make significant amounts of money and that is by looking to see if a given horse has won against high odds in the past. A horse that has won against high odds in the past is statistically speaking much more likely to win again against high odds in the future. This is an important factor to consider because if this particular horse is showing good odds of winning then actually it is less likely to win. By being able to identify these statistical patterns in the horses you can see a significant return.

When the odds are at their highest against this particular horse, it’s actually most likely to win. This is not true of every horse, mind you, and each horse is unique and must have specific research done to determine the types and factors that lead to its winning at the races.

Along with this tip is another important one and that is not looking merely at wins in a row to determine a winning horse but how those wins are spread out. If a horse has won two or three races in a row previously but has not won for two or three races in a row, its odds of winning the current race may show it going down but by looking at a horse’s history you can determine that this horse is actually due for a win. This is often the case with race horses where they will win after a gap of several races they lost, then go on for several more winning races.

This is because racing takes a significant toll on the body of a horse. Those optimal peak times of output cannot be maintained for every single race but you know that the horse has that potential inside it and if it shows a pattern of a few losses and a few wins you can see if this horse is overdue for a win and place your bets accordingly. This is why it’s important to look at not just how often it wins but what were the odds back when it won and how long has it been since its last win. If it has won five times in a row, the odds will seem to be in its favor but the horse is actually more likely to lose.

Keeping this in mind can help you bet against the odds and win your money back multiple times over. With these racing tips you will be ready to compete against the 600 race record of Indian business legend Mam Ramaswamy.

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Restrictive Indian Abortion Laws Require Reform

With the widely controversial Donald Trump Policy roller coaster both making global headlines and impacting an immediate ripple-effect if you like on women’s abortion rights worldwide, the already heated abortion debate now enters a hard-line period of conflicted exchange in many global countries, developed and undeveloped alike, including of course, the Mother of the East, India.

In 1971, abortion was made legal in India when the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act was passed with an aim to reduce illegal abortion and maternal mortality. In a society that frequently considers sexuality as taboo, the MTP act was a welcome move and a validation of a woman’s fundamental right. It also established bodily sovereignty wherein each woman has the sole right to make decisions about what happens to her body. The word ‘abortion’ has always been a sensitive topic. Throughout history, induced abortions have been a source of considerable debate and controversy. Many countries still consider it as murder, while women’s rights insist it to be a woman’s fundamental right to have control over her body.

Here are some things you should know about Abortion in India. So stay safe and well informed.

What is Abortion?

Mainstream Wikipedia defines abortion as the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in, or caused by, its death. This could occur either spontaneously as a miscarriage, or be artificially induced through chemical, surgical or other means.

When can it be done?

Abortion in India is legal only up to twenty weeks of pregnancy under specific conditions and situations which are broadly defined as:

  1. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve a risk to the life of the pregnant woman or of grave injury of physical or mental health
  2. There is a substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

A woman has the right to abort:

  • If the woman has a serious disease and the pregnancy could endanger her physical/mental health
  • If the continuation of pregnancy could lead to substantial risk to the newborn leading to serious physical / mental handicaps
  • If the pregnancy is the result of rape
  • If the socio-economic status of the mother hampers the progress of a healthy pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child.
  • If the contraceptive device irrespective of the method used (natural methods/ barrier methods/ hormonal methods) failed

Permission/Consent:

  • If a woman is married, her own written consent is sufficient. Her husband’s consent is not required
  • If a woman is unmarried and over 18, she can provide her own written consent
  • If a woman is unmarried and under 18, she must provide written consent from her guardian
  • If a woman is mentally unstable, she must provide written consent from her guardian

Where and Who can perform the abortion:

Abortions can be performed in any medical institution that is licensed by the government to perform medically assisted terminations of pregnancy. Such institutions must display a certificate issued by the government.

Abortions must be performed by a doctor with one of the following qualifications:

  • A registered medical practitioner who has performed at least 25 medically assisted terminations of pregnancy
  • A surgeon who has six months’ experience in obstetrics and gynaecology
  • A person who has a diploma or degree in obstetrics and gynaecology
  • A doctor who was registered before the 1971 Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act and who has three years’ experience in obstetrics and gynaecology
  • A doctor who registered after 1971 and has been practising in obstetrics and gynaecology for at least a year

Types of Abortion treatment:

There are two types of abortion treatment, ‘Medical’ and ‘Surgical’ abortion:

Medical abortion: A type of non-surgical abortion which involves taking medication to cause an early miscarriage. Abortifacient pharmaceutical drugs made by combination of two medications, mifepristone and misoprostol is an option for women who are 10 weeks pregnant or less.

Abortion pill from 10 weeks up to 24 weeks: Involves taking medication to cause the womb to contract and push out the pregnancy.

Surgical abortion: Surgical abortion is a procedure that ends a pregnancy by removing the fetus and placenta from the mother’s womb and involves a quick, minor operation. There are two types of surgical abortion:

Vacuum aspiration ( first trimester) which removes the pregnancy by gentle suction with local anaesthetic.

Dilation and evacuation is done when an abortion occurs in (second trimester) of pregnancy. It usually includes a combination of vacuum aspiration, dilation and curettage and the use of surgical instruments (such as forceps) to clear the uterus of fetal and placental tissue.

Evolution of the MTP Act

To understand the issues surrounding abortion in India, it is necessary to contextualise the evolution of the MTP Act, which liberalised abortion laws in India. The MTP was enacted two years before the landmark judgement of the US Supreme Court in Roe v Wade – which held that laws which criminalise all abortions, except those required to save a mother’s life, were unconstitutional and violated the right to privacy of a pregnant woman. But this right should be balanced against the right of the state’s legitimate interest in protecting both the pregnant woman’s health and the potentiality of human life at various stages of pregnancy.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 needs to be amended to better address the varying concerns of Indian women be they rape survivors, married women or sexually active single women.

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