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<ul><li>Farmers in <keyword id="6355588" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajasthan">Rajasthan</keyword> are beefing up their revenues by almost 30% by selling <keyword id="127636" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="cow-urine">cow urine</keyword>. </li><li>Urine of some cow breeds, such as Gir and Tharparkar, can fetch up to ₹15 and ₹30 per litre whereas cow milk fetches anything from ₹22 and ₹25. </li><li>Some of the urine sold is used for holy rituals and scientifically-backed purposes like plant pesticides in organic farming.</li><li>Some buy cow urine because they believe it can cure ailments and diseases like cancer. </li></ul>Indians are nothing if not enterprising. While the government has tightened its noose around one revenue stream of livestock farmers in Rajasthan - yes, we mean the all too famous <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/india/states-where-cow-slaughter-is-banned-so-far-and-states-where-it-isnt-1413425.html">ban</a> on cow slaughter - the unrelenting farmers have found a new way to milk the humble cow. According to a report in the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/cow-urine-new-revenue-stream-for-dairy-farmers/articleshow/65111454.cms">Times of India</a>, farmers in Rajasthan are beefing up their revenues by almost 30% by selling cow urine. Urine of some cow breeds, such as Gir and Tharparkar, can fetch up to ₹15 and ₹30 per litre whereas cow milk fetches anything from ₹22 and ₹25. Add sale of <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/rajasthan-dairy-farmers-sell-cow-dung-cakes-on-amazon-3428576.html">cow dung</a> to the mix, which is now available on <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Srirangam-Pure-Organic-Central-Pieces/dp/B071CHQH13?tag=googinhydr18418-21&amp;tag=googinkenshoo-21&amp;ascsubtag=70e04577-08ff-4c35-9406-034e96f1e05a">Amazon</a> for around ₹215 for half a dozen dung cakes, and we are looking at the reason the word ‘cash cow’ was coined. However, ensuring that cow urine is collected without spillage is no mean feat. Kailesh Gujjar, a farmer from Jaipur told TOI that he has to stay up all night to keep a watch on the cows and to collect the urine when the animal starts to tinkle. While some of the ‘liquid gold’ sold is used for holy rituals and scientifically-backed purposes like plant pesticides in organic farming, they are also sold for not-so-scientific reasons like curing ailments and diseases like cancer, a theory that has been rubbished by many oncologists and researchers. In July 2018, the TOI <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cow-urine-can-cure-cancer-gujarat-team/articleshow/64833781.cms">reported</a> biotechnology scientists in <keyword id="6354766" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat">Gujarat</keyword>’s Junagadh Agriculture University claiming that they had successfully managed to kill cancer cells using cow urine and that too in their first attempt. This claim ignited a heated debate on whether cow urine can actually cure cancer. Senior oncologist Dr Anitha Ramesh told the <a href="https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/100718/can-cow-urine-treat-cancer.html">Deccan Chronicle</a> that the theory of cow urine curing cancer is “based on weak or no scientific data”. In fact, Dr Ramesh stressed on the fact that urine has toxins that can be harmful. This opinion was <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/can-cow-urine-really-cure-cancer-this-is-what-oncologists-told-us-1799607.html">echoed</a> by Venkatraman Radhakrishnan, Associate Professor Medical and Pediatric Oncology, who responded to a question on Quora on whether <keyword id="3316084" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gaumutra">gaumutra</keyword> (cow urine) can cure or at least prevent cancer with a sharp “No”. He also added that “My fellow oncologists and I are yet to see a patient who exclusively consumed cow urine to be cured of cancer.” However, there were other doctors who believed that there may be some truth to the theory. Apart from cancer, some doctors also believe that gaumutra helps <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/well-promote-cow-urine-as-a-health-giving-drink-say-doctors-at-up-govts-ayurvedic-pharmacy/articleshow/62795369.cms">cure</a> several ailments, including fever, jaundice, piles, stomach and liver-related diseases. And that’s not all, Dr Prakash Chandra Saxena, principal and superintendent of Government Ayurveda College and Hospital in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh told the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/well-promote-cow-urine-as-a-health-giving-drink-say-doctors-at-up-govts-ayurvedic-pharmacy/articleshow/62795369.cms">Times of India</a> that he recommends cow urine as a health drink to boost immunity. And while the verdict is still out on whether or not cow urine has any medicinal value, should you be interested in giving it a go, it is easily available on <a href="https://www.amazon.in/CERO-Desi-Gomutra-Months-200ml/dp/B074YFPDDG/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1532430926&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=cow+urine">Amazon</a> for a meagre ₹189 for 200ml.

Cattle farmers in Rajasthan cashing in on the rising demand for cow urine

After PM Modi acknowledged the <keyword id="3099019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dadri-mishap">Dadri mishap</keyword> today, reports of multi-national companies <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=beef-ban">prohibiting beef</a> in their cafeterias have started doing the rounds. 
 
Expats, in such circumstances, are missing their key source of protein. Moreover, some feel that this certainly a harsh decision has come at a time when PM Modi is travelling abroad and is busy highlighting India’s virtues to the investors and inviting investments primarily from the Silicon Valley. 
 
As published in an Economic Times report, a Japanese electronics company has stopped serving food items made of beef in its canteen. For those craving for their favourite food are however allowed to order only pork or fish from Japanese restaurants. 
 
Chinese multi-national <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Huawei+">Huawei </a>too has stopped serving beef in its India offices, informed an employee, requesting anonymity. 
 
Not just this, but a South Korean company has halted the decision to move its employee’s families to India, who were scheduled to travel soon. 
 
Such calls are being taken because companies believe that they can’t deprive South Koreans, Japanese, Europeans and Americans of something which is part of their daily meal. 
 
A South Korean official, requesting anonymity said, "Beef is definitely the most popular food item among South Koreans. The recent controversy over beef eating in India has created some concern among our expats in various South Korean business firms in India." 
 
The Indian national capital accommodates around 200 professionals and is the second largest home for them after Chennai with around 600 professionals based-out there. While for Japanese, the city has about 2,000 of them. 
 
"There is increasing concern. Even in Gurgaon, having beef itself is technically a criminal offence. The recent incident in Dadri was carried in Japanese media," a Japanese government official said.

The ongoing side-effects of beef-ban in India

Barring a few, almost every mainstream actor has chosen to share their life via social media networks. However, one actor who has been making news ever since he actively joined Twitter is none other than <keyword id="6357910" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rishi-Kapoor">Rishi Kapoor</keyword>, who tweets under the handle @chintskap, which we guess stands for Chintu Kapoor; Chintu being Rishi’s nickname. 
 
Starting off in January 2010 when joining Twitter was a fad, Kapoor senior (or Junior, maybe) underwent a deep slumber, only to wake up and come back in February this year. 
 
Describing himself as a hyphen between being the son of a famous father and the father of a famous son, he nails in being crisp and funny in his Twitter bio, just what the social network demands off its users. 
 
Be it wondering about why actors wear sunglasses even in night parties or asking tweeples their thoughts behind actors putting their hands in pockets while being interviewed, Rishi Kapoor has been very vocal and very entertaining for his followers. However, that is not what he is making the news for. 
 
Known to be a man of a few words, Rishi Kapoor is showing a completely different side of himself in his tweets, a side we never even knew he had. The ‘clean’ actor who has never been a part of any controversy in his career spanning 4 decades, suddenly has an opinion on anything and everything, and is not shying away from telling his opinions to the world. It started when he got angry at the ban Maharashtra government had put on beef, and earned the wrath of people who thought that he was promoting cow slaughter. Not someone to easily take a back seat, 
 
Kapoor was quick in clarifying himself in a fierce tone and blocking those who abused him in public. He also went on to question the government about not banning tobacco and tobacco products. 
 
As is common in the twitter world, tweeples have often misunderstood Rishi, forcing him to clarify the real meaning behind his tweets in a spur of moments, being one of the very few celebrities who actually read the twitter replies. 
 
The one incident that probably hurt Rishi the most was when he criticised abusing women and called women ‘kamzor’, which led people to criticise him for calling women weak. Hurt by the misunderstanding, Rishi went ahead and tweeted about the films he has done on topics of women empowerment and even decided to leave Twitter, though he didn’t. 
 
Next time he came under the scanner was when he joked about the possible warning to be printed on a condom packet, stating that this was something that India needs. Again, he asked his followers to get a life and learn to take things in a funny manner. 
 
When one time he decided to take a break from Twitter after all the negativity and grief it had given to him, director Sajid Khan convinced him to not leave Twitter, having said so in a tweet himself. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en-gb">
	
		To all the fans of rishi kapoor(incldg me)...good news...just had a long chat with him..he is not quitting twitter. <a href="https://t.co/FXm99NZKLW">https://t.co/FXm99NZKLW</a>
	— Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimplySajidK/status/596548730955833344">May 8, 2015</a></blockquote>
Well, after that quick break, the latest Rishi Kapoor has been doing is sharing posters of some of his films and criticising himself for doing them. These include movies like Sheshnaag, Zehreela Insaan, and Sherdil, some of which not many of us have heard about. 
 
So here is to the man who knows the topics on which he has to speak, but gets scanned for the words he chooses to speak his mind. Well done Rishi ji, if only a few more actors had your guts. 
 
Picture by Indiatimes

Rishi Kapoor: Here’s why you are seeing a lot of him on Twitter lately

Things that kept the internet ticking this year were an eclectic mix of serious and not-so-serious things, with some being even more downright hilarious. Nevertheless, people love their share of humour when mixed with a generous amount of responsibility that comes with voicing their opinions on the social media. What kept the internet abuzz these 12 months in 2015? Read on! 
 
Modi’s Suit: 
 
This was something that was somewhere between funny and serious. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sartorial choice for a meeting with US President Barack Obama, who was in India as chief guest for Republic Day parade, was something that was widely shared, spoken about and scrutinized. The pin striped suit with Modi’s name embroidered for the stripes was really something that Indians will discuss for years to come. The suit was later auctioned. 
 
<keyword id="3089868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dadri-lynching-incident">Dadri lynching incident</keyword>: 
 
Mohammed Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh was lynched to death over rumours that he had stored the banned beef in his refrigerator. This was something that shocked the secular nation. The alleged murder sent shockwaves across the country and social media went abuzz discussing the ghastly crime that occurred over the rumours that were instigated by a section of people. 
 
Lass behind the loss: 
 
Why did India lose the world cup? A volley of abusive tweets and opinions went back and forth over the presence of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s girlfriend and actor Anushka Sharma’s presence among the audience at the final match. She was cited as the reason why India didn’t play well enough to bring the cup of glory home. Really, this one took the cake. 
 
International Yoga Day: 
 
With yoga being given the international status with a day being dedicated to this ancient art of well being of mind and body, International Yoga Day observed in January this year saw thousands of participants including Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Social media went all thrilled with the news and widely shared the images with pride. 
 
Call me Caitlyn: 
 
Former Athlete Bruce Jenner’s gender transformation into Catilyn Jenner with a super sexy cover on Vogue had the news being discussed both for its seriousness and the underlying dark humour which some saw. Catilyn emerging from the closet was bold, and of course, equally beautiful. Some welcomed it and some derided the decision of sex change. Caitlyn was loved and hated, in equal measure. 
 
Bieber’s butt: 
 
#TurnAroundJustin trended on twitter when pop star (or poop star, as some would insist) Justin Bieber posted a picture of his nude backside against the backdrop of a breathtaking ocean while he stood on a yacht. Bieber fans, and haters went into full fan mode and generously used the hashtag to get his attention. Nothing sold like this booty this year! 
 
Maggi Ban: 
 
The re-entry of India’s favourite instant noodles Maggi, which had seen generations growing up on this comfort food was not as much a news as its ban was. When Maggi was banned over high presence of lead, the country went berserk and constant denial mode. Students and street hawkers who depended on Maggi went into a brooding mode. 
 
Cecil’s death: 
 
Killing of a lion by hunter Walter Palmer in Africa had environmentalists and social activists furiously typing out their anger against this inhuman end to the life of this animal. The killing was described, and redescribed till the internet bayed for Palmer’s blood. Cecil was dearly missed. 
 
The blue-gold dress: 
 
This is what set the tone for the year. Images of Ellen’s dress with a question “blue and black or white and gold” had almost all celebrities across the world giving out their answer in response. Some of the white-and-gold believers turned out disappointed because the dress was blue-and-black. It was a fun thing, nevertheless, that broke the internet early this year. 
 
 The ‘mistaken’ miss: 
 
Steve Harvey takes the crown, the sash and the cash award for being the biggest dumb anchor in the history of events. Or so did the social media judge him. The popular anchor for Miss World Pageants since many years, goofed up big time when he announced the name of Miss Colombia as Miss World, while the real winner was Miss Philippines. Mistake was rectified later. However, the issue didn’t lose steam for days after that. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

Modi’s suit, beef ban row, Anushka Sharma and ICC World Cup: Things that broke the internet in 2015

<ul><li> <keyword id="6355455" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-railways">Indian Railways</keyword> is proposing to go all vegetarian to honour <keyword id="6355532" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahatma-gandhi">Mahatma Gandhi</keyword> on his 150th birth anniversary on 02 October.</li><li>They are also planning to issue tickets with watermark of Mahatma <keyword id="6356181" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gandhi">Gandhi</keyword>'s image. </li><li>It is also planning to run special ‘swachhata express’ trains from <keyword id="50476" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sabarmati">Sabarmati</keyword>, a suburb of the city Ahmedabad, to various stations connected with Gandhiji.</li></ul> Indians are big on vegetarianism, or so they say. According to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43581122">research</a>, only 20% of Indians are actually vegetarians. Yet, this year, the Indian Railways is <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/indian-railways-ode-to-mahatma-gandhi-no-non-vegetarian-food-on-october-2/articleshow/64243397.cms">proposing to go all vegetarian</a> to honour the father of the country, Mahatma Gandhi, on his 150th birth anniversary, on October 2. If the proposal is greenlit, in addition to the day being observed as the <keyword id="5298026" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="rashtriya-swachhta-diwas">Rashtriya Swachhta Diwas</keyword> -- a day dedicated to clean India -- it will also be a ‘Vegetarian Day’. Last month, a circular was sent out to all railway zones by the Railway Board that said "no non-vegetarian food will be served anywhere on Indian Railways premises", on October 2, 2018, 2019, 2020. Bad news for those yearning for the quintessential railways ‘anda’ (egg) curry may want to consider changing their travel dates. Not just that, the railways also plans to run a 'special salt rake' from the city of Sabarmati on 12 March to commemorate Gandhi’s famous Salt March (also known as Dandi March) - a non-violent civil disobedience protest lead by the Father of the Nation to produce salt from the seawater in the coastal village of Dandi. They are also planning to issue tickets with watermark of Mahatma Gandhi's image. Plus, the plan proposes railway stations to have thematic paintings of Gandhiji and ‘digital museums’ are being set up at the station that will highlight the great leader’s achievements. It also wants to display a special logo, that will be designed by the Ministry of Culture, outside the train coaches. All these proposals are subject to approval from the Ministry of Culture, the nodal ministry for the special commemoration. On 2 May, President <keyword id="6354561" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ram-nath-kovind">Ram Nath Kovind</keyword> chaired the first meeting of the National Committee for the Commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi during which he <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=179084">said</a>, “He (Mahatma Gandhi) was the inspiration for our largely non-violent, inclusive and democratic freedom struggle.’ As an aside, here’s an <a href="https://thewire.in/12170/what-mahatma-gandhi-said-to-those-who-wanted-beef-banned-in-india/?utm_source=alsoread">excerpt</a> from the Mahatma Gandhi’s prayer discourse of 25 July 1947, when he was inundated by multiple requests to implement a nationwide beef ban: “In India no law can be made to ban cow-slaughter. I do not doubt that Hindus are forbidden the slaughter of cows. I have been long pledged to serve the cow but how can my religion also be the religion of the rest of the Indians? It will mean coercion against those Indians who are not Hindus. We have been shouting from the house-tops that there will be no coercion in the matter of religion. We have been reciting verses from the Koran at the prayer. But if anyone were to force me to recite these verses, I would not like it. How can I force anyone not to slaughter cows.” unless he is himself so disposed? It is not as if there were only Hindus in the Indian Union. There are Muslims, Parsis, Christians and other religious groups here.”

If you’re a non-vegetarian, you may want to avoid taking trains in India on October 2

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Brian Snyder/ReutersThe Republican debate was a hot topic on Twitter.</div></div></div>A storm is always waiting to blow up on Twitter. It happened when a Baltimore cop shot an unarmed African American man in April, or when an Indian state banned beef in March this year, and most recently, when a diverse and ultra-opinionated array of Republican candidates went head-to-head in a debate. Now you can see what the whirlwind of conflicting views aired in 140 characters would look like as an abstract work of art - thanks to a set of charts that appear in a new <a href="http://arxiv.org/pdf/1507.05224v1.pdf">study</a>. Researchers at Aalto University in Finland picked 10 hashtags that stemmed from hot-button topics, including India's beef ban (#beefban), the killing of Boris Nemtsov (#nemtsov), Baltimore riots (#baltimoreriots), and an Indiana pizzeria's refusal to cater to gay weddings (#indiana). Additionally, they chose 10 topics that were less likely to snowball into controversies, like the Nepal earthquake (#nepal), SXSW film conference (#sxsw) and the Germanwings crash (#germanwings). Next, the team gathered every single Tweet that had those hashtags to study activity - retweets, comments, follows, and mentions - around those topics. Then they fed the data in the computer to figure out how divided the opinions on those issues were. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Courtesy of Kiran GarimellaTwitter conversation graphs of retweet (top) and follow (bottom) features show how split the opinion is on some issues. The left side is controversial: (a,e) #beefban, (b,f) #russia march. The right side is non-controversial: (c,g) #sxsw, (d,h) #germanwings.</div></div></div>The resulting graphs are a mix of red and blue splotches. The more divisive an issue, the farther apart the colors. The beef ban, for instance, split opinions more than the Germanwings crash did (see graph above)The graphs confirm that some issues are more likely than others to pull social media users apart. Unsurprisingly, these issues create "<a href="http://arxiv.org/pdf/1507.05224v1.pdf">echo chambers</a>," groups of like-minded people who like to keep to those self-contained communities."News that support their side are more palatable, so people end up ignoring news from the other side," co-author Kiran Garimella tells Tech Insider. He adds that the study measuring controversy on Twitter is only the first step. The next step is to potentially work with social media platforms to ensure that users are offered different angles of an incident - not just what they want to know, but also what they need to know.It's probably not enough to break people out of their echo chambers, but it's a start. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-two-world-trade-center-skyscraper-wtc-new-york-city-skyline-2015-6">We just got our first look inside the new Two World Trade Center</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="U2MDVvdTpWH0wz0_TJakCSDszeahGAFw" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Researchers analyzed data on explosive Twitter controversies - and then came up with this abstract art

The year 2015 is on a fag end and it is time to look back and see who made news and why. From politics to Bollywood to even holy cow, Indian celebrities were centre of attraction for some or the reason in 2015. 
 
Yahoo released its 2015 Year in Review and came out with interesting top trends of 2015. 
 
As per Yahoo, Sunny Leone remained the most searched female celebrity for fourth year in a row and Salman Khan was the most searched male celebrity of 2015. 
 
Interestingly, Sania Mirza was among the most searched sportspersons, breaking the cricket-dominated list. Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni took the top spot and Saina Nehwal was at 10th. 
 
Even our holy cow emerged as personality of the year, due to a string of controversies including the beef ban and Dadri lynching incident. 
 
Among other news, ISIS, 2015 World Cup, APJ Abdul Kalam’s demise, the Sheena Bora Murder investigation and the Vyapam Scandal also made headlines in 2015 and featured on the list of most searched news in 2015. 
 
Not surprising enough, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the most searched politician of the year and his selfie moment with China’s Li Keqiang was the epic selfie of 2015. 
 
Arvind ‘common man’ Kejriwal was second and Radhe Maa was also among the most searched personalities! 
 
Talking about movies, the epic Baahubali, which broke box-office records while also being the most expensive movie to be ever made in India, went on to claim the top spot as ‘Most Searched Movie of the Year’. 
 
Apple dominated technology news and searches this year, with the iPhone 6 taking the top spot in the list of Most-Searched Gadgets. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

PM Modi is the selfie king of 2015! Apple iPhone 6 is most searched gadget of the year

As the <keyword id="6528721" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="bans">bans</keyword> in India swirl around <keyword id="60137" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Beef">beef</keyword>, roast, and the reel, there’s a parallel blowback phenomenon that’s gathering steam on online social platforms in the country. This pushback comes from a cohort that currently dominates the country’s demographic data in numbers unimaginable. Make no mistake, <keyword id="2757439" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="yuva-india">YUVA INDIA</keyword> aka the youth population of India is out in virtual force to protest bans and find ways to get around them. Of course, their favourite dissent spots still remains <keyword id="6354632" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Social-media">social media</keyword> sites and portals, a parallel world they now inhabit 24/7. Tweeting, posting scraps and links to reel and other content on social media with abandon, Yuva India is using resources they readily possess to take their disdain for bans far and wide. They are grouping and rallying support so they can have their voices heard with greater clarity, and at louder decibels. 
 
As I watch the blowback phenomenon unfold around me, I am prompted to ask the very same question that made me to write my book, ‘Yuva India: Consumption &amp; Lifestyle Choices of a Young India’. Why are the youth taking to and harbouring attitudes, and exhibiting behaviour far removed from their predecessor generation. Why are they angry at the bans when their parents are taking the ‘don’t rock the boat’ route out? Why are they vocal when their parents stay silent? 
The answers to this ‘radical’ behaviour rise to the surface once you dive deep and sift through what makes up the young Indian psyche. Here are five critical elements of their personality makeup that’s at the heart of the vocal pushback we are witnessing. 
 1. Composite Identity – For the first time in the country we are bearing witness to the rise of a generation that has taken on a composite identity. An outcome of multiple cultural influences, Yuva India is local, Indian, and foreign at the same time. Which amply explains why a foreign hand conspiracy theory, the kind floated to discredit the <keyword id="6357643" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Nirbhaya">Nirbhaya</keyword> documentary doesn’t cut any ice with them. Far from fostering cross cultural angst, in the Yuva India psyche, the bhelpuri, burger, and the biryani sit at the same table in perfect harmony. 
 
 2. Independent Ipseity – The young in India today sport selves that are fiercely independent. The desire to craft and dictate their own destinies is only growing stronger by the day among youth cohorts. This means Yuva India wants to decide for itself. Impositions by others are not welcome. A ban to young Indians is akin to someone on the outside doing the thinking and deciding for them. That is unacceptable. It’s no wonder then Barun Sen from Bangalore had this as his tweet - 
<a href="https://twitter.com/barunsen">Barun Sen ‏@barunsen </a> 
Ban beef. Ban documentaries. Ban partying. Ban movies. Ban free speech. India has been BANgalored to the Stone Age. We Rock <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiasDaughter?src=hash">#IndiasDaughter</a> 
 
Manjunath Shastry, another of Yuva India added his bit with his tweet – 
 
Jay Shastry @JayShastry 
Amidst <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BeefBan?src=hash">#BeefBan</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiasDaughter?src=hash">#IndiasDaughter</a> we completely didn't notice that Karnataka Govt. is going to Videotape Foreigners Partying at your party 
 
3. Secure Spirit – Inside their heads young Indians harbour a sense of security that’s way beyond what their predecessors nursed. Growing up in conditions of greater economic and social security, Yuva India has fostered a healthy sense of the self that allows them to admit to their own infirmities. Not so among older India. Their insecurity prompts them to sweep the unpalatable under the carpet. Riding on enhanced psychological security, young Indians are ready to admit and own up to problems. That explains why they are ready for a documentary that may point fingers at the society they populate. 
 
4. Sociable Aptitude – Though fiercely independent, young’s India’s considerations go beyond their own selves. This is amply demonstrated by reactions to the beef ban. Many of the young men and women who don’t eat beef on religious grounds are willing to stand up for those who do. They don’t see this as a sneaky opportunity to impose their majoritarian will on a minority. Instead they want to adopt an attitude that says ‘live and let live’! 
 
5. Altruist Temperament – Young India’s individualist inclinations are paradoxically coupled with a desire to make a difference in other people’s lives. Such a propensity is why the youth come out in big numbers to protest and participate in movements they believe will make a difference. They know they are all in it together. A fall for one is not seen in isolation. Instead they see it as a possible descent for many in the future. So they rally around. For each other, and to protest bans. 
 
It’s important we recognize young India to be a different breed from what we’ve encountered in the past. It’s equally important we see them as our hope for the future. For now of course they are our chance at, as Barun put it, dodging being BAN galored! 
 
(Ray Titus is Professor of Marketing &amp; Strategy at the Alliance School of Business, Bangalore. He is also the author of the book, ‘Yuva India: Consumption &amp; Lifestyle Choices a Young India’.)

Ban Culture:Why
YUVA INDIA finds the ‘banned’ perfectly palatable

Controversies regarding beef ban would spoil India’s image globally, so <keyword id="6462970" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Moodys">Moody's</keyword> Analytics has cautioned PM <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> that the country may lose domestic and global credibility if he doesn't rein in the members of his party. 

	Moody's Analytics has come out with a report titled ‘India Outlook: Searching for Potential’ that said for the country to reach its growth potential it has to deliver the promised reforms.
 

	We like to inform our reader here that the BJP does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha and crucial reforms bills has been met with an obstructionist opposition.
 

	"But in recent times, the government also hasn't helped itself, with controversial comments from various BJP members. While Modi has largely distanced himself from the nationalist gibes, the belligerent provocation of various Indian minorities has raised ethnic tensions.
 

	"Along with a possible increase in violence, the government will face stiffer opposition in the upper house as debate turns away from economic policy. Modi must keep his members in check or risk losing domestic and global credibility," Moody's said.
 It projected India's <keyword id="35050" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="gdp">GDP</keyword> growth for September quarter at 7.3%, while for the full fiscal it would be 7.6%. "Key economic reforms could deliver greater potential GDP, as they would improve India's productive capacity. These include the land acquisition bill, a national goods and <keyword id="6355686" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Service-tax">service tax</keyword>, and revamped labour laws. They are unlikely to pass through Parliament in 2015, but there is an even chance of success in 2016," Moody's said. Regarding interest rates, Moody’s said low rates will buttress the <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> in the short-term but reforms are needed to reach long-term potential growth. 

	The Reserve Bank kick-started the recovery by cutting the repo rate by 1.25% this year.
 

	It said positive signs are emerging with the State Bank of India, the nation's largest bank, cut its base lending rate earlier this month.
 

	Moody's Analytics, the research and analysis arm of Moody's Corporation, projected the RBI to keep rates on hold for the remainder of 2015, with a small chance of another cut early next year.
 It, however, cautioned that Indian <keyword id="45369" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="equities">equities</keyword> have suffered loss in global and domestic investors. "The <keyword id="6484188" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sensex">Sensex</keyword> has fallen around 11% since the euphoria behind the new government propelled the stock market. But consistent failure to deliver key economic reforms has faded the optimism," it added. 

	Narendra Modi-led government assumed office in May 2014.
 

	As regards the impending US rate hike, it said: "The rupee will likely come out relatively unscathed thanks to the RBI's bulging foreign exchange reserves stockpile."
 

	The slowdown in global growth will prove a major headwind for Indian exporters, Moody's said, adding that the fall in exports from 2015 is expected to continue in 2016.
 

	(Image: Indiatimes)

Moody's suggests PM Modi: Rein in members or risk losing credibility

As politicians are openly making a Peepli Live moment out of the unfortunate lynching incident in Dadri, the pertinent question to ask is why the Prime Minister of our country silent on the matter. 
 As we all know, a man was lynched for allegedly eating beef on <keyword id="30760" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="eid">Eid</keyword>. Then there was a riot-like situation because the relatives of the deceased were not allowed to be a part of the funeral procession. As if this was not enough, our politicians went on to use the incident to fan communal passion. 
 
But that’s not even the point. The point is, since when did India become such a regressive country? We thought we are democratic and it’s disturbing to see the silence of our Prime Minister when the fundamental rights of a common man are being brutally violated in front of his eyes. 
 
Frustrated as we may feel, this is not the first time India has felt disappointed by Modi’s silence on matters where he should have taken a stand for the sake of preserving the fundamental rights of different communities. 
 
Here are 5 such instances when we saw him become a mute spectator and watch our democratic rights get compromised: 
 
Attack on innocent seers in Varanasi 
 
Sadhus and their supporters were taking out a procession for Lord Ganesha's idol immersion in Varanasi when they were suddenly lathicharged by cops. It’s a ritual followed by seers for decades. And, there was no law and order problem in the area. Where then was the need to lathicharge them. 
 
Seers were denied their right to worship the way they wanted, but Modi remained silent. 
 
Vyapam scam and Lalitgate controversy 
 “Neither will I catch the corrupt, nor will I allow others to do it,” Modi had said after becoming the Prime Minister. When the time came and two mega scams involving two of his Chief Ministers – <keyword id="6355111" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sushma-Swaraj">Sushma Swaraj</keyword> and Shivraj Singh – came to the fore, his double speak was exposed. He failed to initiate action against them despite evidences. 
 
Thousands of Vyapam victims were denied their right to justice, but Modi remained silent. 
 
Attack on Christian places of worship 
 
Five churches were attacked in two and a half months and holy relics and holy communion were destroyed. As Christian men, women, elderly, priests matched towards Home Minister’s house as a mark of protest, they were picked up by cops and forced into buses. They wanted security. 
 
They wanted their right to live freely in a secular country and not be discriminated against, but Modi watched on, silently. 
 
Forced conversion row also called ‘<keyword id="6464685" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ghar-wapsi">Ghar Wapsi</keyword>’ 
 
It’s one thing to not like another religion and it’s another thing to forcibly convert someone to another religion. Both are condemnable in a democratic country like ours. Hindutva hotheads backed, by the VHP and the RSS (Modi's alma mater), went on to convert poor non-Hindus to Hinduism. 
 
People wanted their right to observe the religion of their choice, but again, Modi maintained silence. 
 
Beef ban controversy 
 
Meat lovers in Maharashtra were left heart-broken when Maharashtra's BJP government backed by the NDA at the Centre brought a ban on slaughtering of cows, bulls and buffaloes. Bizarre as it seemed, all limits of religious intolerance were crossed when a 50-year-old man Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched and his son Danish (22) was brutally beaten up as punishment for allegedly eating beef on Eid and 'storing it' for later consumption. 
 
Only two days back, 6 students of a leading government-aided college in Thrissur, Kerala were suspended for conducting a ‘beef festival’ inside the campus to protest against the lynching of Akhlaq. 
 
Amid all of this, Modi is still silent. 
 
If not for the sake of preserving our rights, you should at least talk tough on such issues for safeguarding your own image, Mr Modi, otherwise it looks like you approve of such heinous crimes. Whatever happened to your poll promise of carrying 125 crore Indians together with 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, we wonder. 
 
(Image credit: indiatimes)

5 times PM Modi’s silence has left our democratic rights compromised

On Sunday, Indians woke up to yet another ban by the <keyword id="6387077" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi-government">Narendra Modi government</keyword>. As if the beef ban in Maharashtra and the Maggi ban in India weren’t enough, the government blocked 857 adult websites on the grounds of ‘morality’ and ‘decency’. 
 
The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) directed Internet service providers to block certain websites. 
 
However, the matter came to light late Saturday night when a lot of users took to Reddit and Twitter to complain against these sites being inaccessible. What aided the furore on the government trying to curb personal liberties was the fact that sketch comedy sites such as College Humour were also featured on the list of porn websites which were blocked. 
 
After the list of blocked websites started doing the rounds on Twitter on Tuesday and led to strong criticism on social media, the government did some damage control and on Tuesday lifted the blanket ban on websites which did not feature child pornographic content. 
 
Though what triggered the decision behind the ban remains uncertain, one can’t help but wonder what is really the thought process of the Indian government? 
 
When there exists glaring things standing out as a sore thumb in front of India functioning as a well-oiled machinery, which the government should ideally prioritize doing away with, it goes ahead and blocks hundreds of websites. 
 
To help the ban-friendly government decide on what should face the axe next, we at Business Insider draw up a list of six things they should have banned instead of porn websites. 
 
Mr. Prime Minister, we hope you’re reading. 
 
 
 
1. Auto-rickshaws that refuse to go by meter: In India, auto-<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-uber-launches-autorickshaw-service-in-indian-capital-2015-4?IR=T">rickshaws</a> are what the subway is to New York. The fact that we face more rejection from auto-rickshaw drivers who refuse to go to any location be it Chandni Chowk or China than our crushes doesn’t help at all. Add to that, when they do agree to extend us a favour by agreeing to ferry us to our preferred location, they loot us off all the money we possess by quoting exorbitant amounts and refusing to follow the meter. Thus, <keyword id="2986577" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dear-Government">dear government</keyword>, it’s time you ban these auto drivers who refuse to acknowledge the existence and purpose of meters in rickshaws and choose to have them as a mere ornamental piece in the museum that is the rickshaw. Our wallets will be forever indebted. 
 
 
 
 
2. Dowry: At a time when we’re proclaiming our lungs out in favour of gender equality, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/One-Man-Demanded-An-iPhone-6-As-Dowry-For-His-Sisters-Hand-In-Marriage/articleshow/42652355.cms">dowry</a> stands out as a regressive tradition that we desperately need to get rid of. In the Indian context, dowry is the transfer of parental property from the bride’s side to that of the groom’s. Or, in other words, a way of giving the groom a pedestal from where he can make any number of demands he wants. Though we do have a Dowry Prohibition Act, it’s very rarely implemented. Beloved government, are you listening 
 
 
 
3. Unpaid internships: While in college, every student dreams of landing up the perfect <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-15-Best-Internships-In-America/articleshow/25462909.cms">internship</a> replete with an encouraging boss, flexible work hours, immense exposure and some pocket money? However, the last criteria is almost always never met, with employers taking advantage of students by paying them close to nothing. To nurture the youth to be efficient employees of tomorrow, it is imperative companies start doing away with the concept of unpaid internships. 
 
 
 
 
4. KRK's Twitter account: It is bad enough that we cannot ban the existence of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/10-Indian-Actors-Who-Fought-IT-Out-On-Twitter/Kapil-Sharma-Vs-Kamaal-R-Khan-KRK/slideshow/42366546.cms">Kamal Rashid Khan</a> who identifies himself as Actor, Film Producer and Critic and whose films make Uday Chopra seem worthy of a National Award. Thus the least our elected government can do for us is save us from the onslaught of his terrible, thoughtless and too frequent to be true tweets which make every Indian citizen want to facepalm themselves. Repeatedly. Put this no. 1 on your list, dear government. 
 
 
 
5. Politicians who pass sexist remarks: In India, politicians do everything except what they are elected to do. They ensure that both houses of the Parliament are adjourned daily, partake in scams, get involved in fake-degree controversies and last but not the least, pass sexist comments. Just yesterday, AAP leader <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Somnath-Bhartis-wife-wanted-Kejriwal-to-listen-to-her-grievance/articleshow/47687459.cms">Somnath Bharti</a> while addressing the Assembly on women security claimed that ‘beautiful women’ would be able to go out at midnight in the capital if AAP came to power. This insulting comment is just one of the several great insights provided by ministers who seem to have acquired a Masters in Sexism and Objectification of Women. 
 
 
 
6. Bans which are enforced without any debate: Last but not the least; it’s time we keep in mind that an elected government is ‘by the people, for the people and of the people’. Thus, before enforcing any ban- be it on liquor, tobacco, Maggi or porn websites, a public debate and discourse is essential in order to hear the citizens the government is governing. It’d be a shame if India is identified as a dictatorship rather than a democracy, dear government. 
 
Image Credit: Indiatimes, Reuters

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