Author: Anil Malik

Two days back, the Supreme Court of India (SC) ruled that lawmakers can not claim immunity from prosecution in bribery cases. Key points of this judgment: In a significant move, the SC ruled that Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) can not claim immunity from prosecution in cases of bribery for votes or speeches in the House. A seven-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud unanimously overruled its 1998 judgment in PV Narasimha Rao vs State and opened the doors for law enforcement agencies to initiate prosecution against legislators in bribery cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. The SC verdict in detail The CJI said in a landmark verdict that ‘Bribery is not protected by Parliamentary privileges. The corruption and bribery are destructive of the aspirations and deliberative ideals of the Constitution and create a polity that deprives…

The more we use technology for convenience in our day-to-day lives, the more cautious we have to be. It seems scamsters find ingenious ways to deceive people about money and goods. They target vulnerable groups like the illiterate, senior citizens, etc. Fraud happens in many ways, some of which can be as harmless as clicking a link received on a WhatsApp message. Some days back I had written two blogs regarding credit card frauds and lesser known frauds. To be safe from these frauds, all it needs is a little care and caution, and you can continue online transactions in peace. In today’s blog, I am writing on how to REPORT CYBERCRIME FRAUDS. The key is not to panic when you receive a call claiming to be from the bank, insurance firm, etc., asking for your details ASAP. That is a dead giveaway that it is a scam. Also, before…

HICCUPS or hitchiks are not uncommon to all of us, we would have gotten it at some point in our life. For some people, though, it crops at the most inopportune times. Often, most people drink water to try to resolve the issue. There was one Bollywood movie titled Hitchki, in which Rani Mukherjee plays a teacher who gets hiccups due to Tourette Syndrome. For some people, the problem is not as severe. However, if you find a hiccup as an issue, here is an explanation of what it is and what you can do to resolve it. What are Hiccups Hiccups are involuntary contractions of our diaphragm that result in us making a strange sound through our mouth, which is noticeable to people around us. The vocal chords close up when the diaphragm muscles contract and that’s what creates the sound. There’s no telling what triggers them. Sometimes, it…

In today’s weekend blog, I am writing about a famous singer who left us a few days back. Friends, I am talking about the famous Ghazal and playback singer PANKAJ UDHAS. He and Jagjit Singh were responsible for bringing ghazals to the general public, earlier ghazals were considered in the classical category and their listeners were limited, and they were people belonging to either listeners of classical songs or elite people who were interested in Urdu poetry (Shayari). He was born on 17th May 1951 at Jetpur in Saurashtra area of Gujarat. He was the youngest of three brothers. His eldest brother Manhar Udhas achieved some success as a Hindi playback singer in Bollywood films. His second brother Nirmal Udhas is also a well-known ghazal singer and was the first of the three brothers to start singing in the family. Their father realized from the early days that his three…

In my last blog, I wrote about the Generation Gap. In this blog, I am writing about  BRIDGING GENERATION GAP. Once we understand that the generation gap exists across all generations, it can be bridged. We have had it with our parents, our kids have it too and so will their kids. It can not be avoided because society evolves across generations, becomes more open, cultures merge and adapt, and so on. The issue is not just a household issue, wherever generations coexist, this is there. For example, even in your workplace, you may have different thought processes about doing things and the young generation may differ. Your kids or grandkids may complain about old bosses who refuse to change or adapt to new ways of doing things. So it has to be acknowledged and bridged to make life easier. Some Tips The generation gap can be managed better so…

It is an often repeated word- GENERATION GAP. When we find we are unable to get through to the next generation or decipher their behavior, we rely on this word. It helps to put a whole lot of unexplainable stuff under the gambit of the generation gap. So, what is the generation gap? Have we ever tried to decode it? Will it help in any way if we decode it to bring about better relationships? The older gap The generation gap is not necessarily only in the age between the older and the current generation. It is also in thinking, attitude, approach to life, and many other aspects. Most often, it is just that the two sides are just not able to see things in the same way. At times, it is also the ego getting in the way of not wanting to see things from the other’s perspective. Sometimes,…

‘Chew your food’ is probably an often repeated statement by mothers the world over. Science shows that this age-old wisdom has a lot of merits- from regulating digestion to preventing bloating, gas, and even overeating, chewing has lots of benefits for us. There is reason to believe that chewing adequately helps not just digest food more quickly, in other words when we eat more mindfully, we feel less hungry. The Importance of Chewing Chewing is the process of using teeth to break food down into manageable, digestible pieces.  Human beings, over years of evolution, have developed teeth that aid in cutting, chewing, and grinding food. This helps food move easily through the esophagus (food pipe). Saliva also contains enzymes that begin the breakdown process of carbohydrates. Try out this simple exercise with some plain rice and chew it at least 25 times. After a while, you will notice a sweet…

In today’s weekend blog, I am writing on the sport of tennis. Friends, did you know tennis great ROGER FEDERER faced 350 different players during his professional career? Of the 350 players he played against, only 28 have a winning head-to-head record against him, and his two big rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic feature on this list. Sixteen of the 28 players with a winning record against Federer faced him only once, so it would be unfair to include them on the list. Instead, the following compiled list mentions the players with a winning record against Federer who have faced the 22-time Grand Slam winner at least twice during their careers. 1 Nova Djokovic  27-23 Roger Federer won only 46% of his matches against Novak, who was exceptional against the Swiss great during the latter stages of his career. Federer at one time led Djokovic by a 14-9 margin,…

With the passing of AMEEN SAYANI, the Radio and Advertising world has lost the best voice ever heard on these mediums. He was a doyen in the field of radio announcer/presenter. He was born in the Dawoodi Bohra family on 21st December 1932. He achieved fame and popularity across the Indian sub-continent, and wherever Hindi film music lovers stayed across the world when he presented his weekly programme of a hit parade of Hindi film songs called ‘Binaca Geetmala’ on Radio Ceylon. He was perhaps the biggest radio announcer, and one of the most imitated ones also. His signature style of addressing the audience with “Behno aur Bhaiyo” as against the traditional system of “Bhaiyo Aur Brhno” is still treated as an announcement with a melodious touch. He started assisting his mother, Kulsum Sayani, in editing, publishing, and printing a fortnightly journal, which was based on Mahatma Gandhi’s idea, called…

Friends, do you know that there is one province (state) of independent India where not a single town, city, or district is named after Mughal kings or has an Islamic name? That province/area at the time of independence was known as RAJPUTANA, which is now known as the state of Rajasthan. This only is sufficient to show the bravery of Rajputs and the sacrifices made by them to protect their motherland. Here is the list of some of the important cities/districts of modern-day Rajasthan, and who founded them: 1 Ajmer– It was founded by Ajayraj Chauhan, the 23rd king of the Chauhan Rajput dynasty on 27th March 1112. 2 Bikaner-Its old name is Jangal Desh. The name was changed to Bikaner, in the memory of Rao Bikaji Rathod. 3 Sri Ganganagar– The name is in the memory of Maharaja Ganga Singh. 4 Jaisalmer– This city/district was founded by Maharaval Jaisalji…