Finding ground water with bamboo stick-a God gifted trait

By Sanjeev Shekhar

His dexterity to find ground water availability is a God gifted trait. He is not following any scientific thump rule, but is able to locate water beneath the ground with a simple bamboo stick.

Bizarre it may sound but one has to believe it on getting the first hand experience of it. He is a simple man residing at the Dumkagora village falling under the Potka block of East Singhbhum village. Fondly known as ‘water Pastor’, this 45-year old O.R.Surin, is a preacher of Christianity and has the rare tact to assess ground water.

The modus operandi of Surin is simple. He breaks the bamboo stick measuring about two feet into two halves from the upper portion but joined at the bottom giving it a ‘V’ shape, which starts rotating when put at a place with a high water level.

He does the demonstration of his product whosoever visits him at his place. The bamboo sticks when touched on ground starts rotating near a water table at his house. Without attaching any scientific reason, Surin is modest enough to accept, “I’m not literate to do research in this area. I believe that the Lord (Almighty) has provided me this insight to help people residing in this desiccated land.”

Surin is able to locate water table as deep as 70-80 feet below ground that may be due to some supernatural syndrome. Surin has his native place at Karra block in Ranchi district but has been residing at Potka for the past one decade. His wife and three daughters stay with him and are contended that they are able to help people at the time of need.

The villagers of neighbouring villages also do not forget to remember him at the time of need. During summer and unbearable heat people call upon him from different places like Baridih, Parsudih, Sarjamda, Haldipokhar, Karandih, Sundernagar, Birsanagar, Telco and even from the adjoining district Mayurbanj in Orissa to help them find suitable location to dig ponds or install tubewells in their houses," claimed Surin.

God fearing person, Surin does not charge anything for the ‘valuable’ service that he renders to the villagers. He fears that once he commercialize his trait he might lose the capacity to assess water table and the God might punish him for utilizing his inherent trait for his benefit. He admits that people at times gives him voluntarily and even force something in his pocket when he refuse to accept. “I believe that Lord help’s everybody. I’m just His messenger to tell people, as to where they will find their basic requirement of life,” he concludes.

Sanjeev Shekhar

Media Consultant/Journalist

Primitive Tribe to be appointed in government jobs directly

By Sanjeev Shekhar
Ranchi-
With an idea to motivate the most depressed section of people belonging to primitive tribe, the state of Jharkhand has chalked out a plan for direct recruitment of youth belonging to the community. The Chief Minister, Madhu Koda, would be providing them appointment letter on August 15.

The decision to this effect was taken on Wednesday in the high-level meeting presided by the Chief Minister. The government has directed the Welfare department to conduct the survey of youth belonging to the primitive tribe across the state by the end of this month or first week of August who have passed out their graduation examinations after 2005. Earlier the government claimed to have provided jobs to 90-youth belonging to the primitive tribe who passed their graduation examinations.

“We will continue the process of direct appointment of primitive tribe youth who have completed their graduation and are sitting idle. We’ll identify and conduct survey of youth since 2005 of the community in order to enable them for the job,” the Chief Minister, Madhu Koda, directed the officials of the department.

Such youth will also be included in the list of appointments, who for some reason or the other, missed out the opportunity to secure the job in 2005. The survey will cover the primitive tribe unemployed youth in between 2005-06. They will be provided with a job in various departments like health, education, welfare, collectorate of districts etc.
“The level of job will be of grade four presently,” an official present in the meeting said.

The government has also decided to grant scholarship to such students of the primitive tribe who are pursuing their higher studies. The appointment letter will be provided on the Independence Day as a mark of reverence to such youth in order to boost them for future growth and connect them to the main stream of society, said the official present in the meeting.

Those present in the meeting included the deputy chief minister, Stephen Marandi, and Welfare Minister, Joba Manjhi. Among the top ranking officials were the principal secretary to the chief minister, Sukhdev Singh, development commissioner, A.K.Singh, finance secretary, Rajbala Verma and officials from the welfare department.

Sanjeev Shekhar

Media Consultant/Journalist/PR

Never allow your CREDIT CARD to be out of sight, when you give it for swiping...

This is the e-mail I've received from Amit Hakoo working with Punj Lyold, which is matter of interest for all. Credit card or use of plastic money has become the integral part of our daily life. Hence it's necessary to know the frauds involved in the process of swiping the card. Courtesy-Times News Network.

Always keep your CREDIT CARD in sight, when you give it for swiping......

The next time you decide to use your credit card on a shopping trip, think again. The Mumbai police have busted a hitech credit card fraud which they believe is the crime of the future. Four gadget-savvy youngsters from Andheri, two of them software engineers, got together to earn a quick buck and ended up ripping off over Rs 3 lakh of citizens' money. The foursome were arrested by the Juhu police recently. Interestingly, one of the boys was all set to leave for the United State s for a job in a wellplaced computer firm .

According to the police, the mastermind of the gang is 19-year-old Leo Paul . A second-year engineering student at a Bandra college, Paul had read about a magnetic card-reading device which could store data once you swipe a card through it. Data from at least 12 such cards could be stored at a time. Paul realised that if credit cards were swiped though the
machine, the personal data of a customer stored on it could be accessed.

He then teamed with Akash Kamble , a 19-year-old Lokhandwala resident, and ordered the card-reader from USA , using the Internet, since it's not available in India .. 'The boys befriended a waiter at Kings International Hotel at Juhu to take their plan ahead. Every time someone ate a meal in the hotel and paid by credit card, the waiter would discreetly swipe it through the magnetic card-reader, which is no more than 6-inches long and can be stored in the pocket,'' said investigating officer Ramesh Nangare.

Once the waiter was done, he would hand over the device to Paul who would download the data from the cards on to Kamble's personal computer. The duo would then feed the data into blank cards, available in the grey market. The cards were now ready to be used in Shopping malls and theatres, or to withdraw money from an ATM.

Senior Inspector Pradeep Shinde said that the boys forged information from more than 22 cards in this manner. The fraud came to light after officials from HSBC bank complained to the police. The cops quizzed customers whose cards had been duplicated and discovered they had all visited Hotel Kings International and paid by credit card. Investigators then caught the waiter who led them to the four youngsters. Paul , Kamble and the two other collegians identified as Manoj Chauhan (24) and Mahesh Valani (20), have been remanded to police custody.
NEW-AGE CRIME A portable magnetic cardreader can store data from around a dozen cards tha t have been swiped through it; made in China, the device was bought on the net for Rs 18,000. The card-reader is connected to a computer and the entire data is transferred there. The data is then stored in blank cards available in the grey market.. These duplicate cards can now be used to buy a fortune and also withdraw money from ATMs.

Ends-

Parking Fee in New York- a real life story

From Sanjeev Shekhar

I’ve been getting lot of interesting e-mails from my friends and acquaintances related to events based on varied topics. One fine day, an idea struck to me, why not share them with more and more friends of mine. Hence, I thought of putting them in my blog from now onwards. I begin with the first one from today. This was sent to me by one of my very dear friend, Yogesh Kislaya, presently working with India TV.

NOT A STORY BUT A TRUE INCIDENT

An Indian man walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. He tells the loan officer that he is going to India on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.
The bank officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the Indian man hands over the keys and documents of new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank. He produces the title and everything checks out. The loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the Indian for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then drives the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parks it there. Two weeks later, the Indian returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, "Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled.

While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow "$5,000" ? The Indian replies: "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return'" Ah, the mind of the Indian... This is why India is shining

Naxals attack going hi-tech, likely to witness more violence in Jharkhand & neighbouring states

Sanjeev Shekhar


Even as attacks and counter attacks between the Jharkhand Police and Naxalites are on, the state of Jharkhand is all set to witness more violence and arson given the logistics and hi-tech armoury the outfits possessed.

The recovery of the pen grenade and a paper bomb from Maoists in the West Singhbhum district has send alarm bells ringing for the state police machinery. In a major development, the police recovered the pen grenade at the time of conducting raids in the hideouts of the naxals.

“We have recovered the pen grenade from one of the hideouts of the Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT) in the Saranda jungle of West Singhbhum district. The JLT is a banned outfit that is carrying out the operation in the dense forest areas of Saranda,” stated the superintendent of police, Chaibasa, Sudhir Jha.

Disclosing about the precious catch, Sudhir Jha pointed out that the grenade is in the form of a pen and is an improvised explosive device (IED). He said that though the police recovered the device but it needs investigation to assess its impact when exploded.
Asked about its efficiency, the SP said, “Only experts can say anything about its efficiency. We will send the pen grenade to experts for detailed examination.” The recovery of the hi-tech pen grenade can blow a person at a time. This grenade has now compelled the police think-tank to explore the ways for providing safety to the common man, the police informed.

Last month, the police recovered a paper bomb from Jhumra hills of Bokaro district. The explosive is hidden between two sheets of paper and looks like an ordinary file or a children’s storybook. The security personnel found 800 grams of RDX hidden in the recovered paper bomb. Jharkhand police spokesperson R.K. Mallik said, “This is first time that such a bomb has been recovered from the Maoists. Experts are analysing the bomb.” According to sources, the Maoist rebels are already in possession of hi-tech wireless sets capable of tapping communications of security personnel. Rebels also possess weapons like AK-47 rifles and 9-mm pistols among other explosives. Of the 24 districts in Jharkhand, the Maoists are active in 18 districts of the state, while the government puts the figure to around 11 districts only. The sudden spurt in the naxals incidents has started giving sleepless nights to the police, though it’s trying hard to strike bacn and contain such disruptive activities.

In the past seven years, more than 1,000 people, including 614 civilians and 290 security personnel, have been killed in Maoist violence.

Sanjeev Shekhar,
Jounalist/Media Consultant/ PR

Seraikella 'Ladoos' tickles tastebuds of all

Sanjeev Shekhar/Seraikella

The name of ‘laddoo’ (round shaped balls, sweet in taste) waters the mouth, and if it’s the special laddoos of Seraikella, it’s difficult to restrain taste buds even for diabetic patients.
More than 110-year old tradition, the small time shop of sweets, prominently known for its ‘besan laddoo’, which has now been given an identity of the “Seraikella ka laddoo” has done roaring business on day to day basis, apart from its huge demand during special occasions of marriages or any sacred ceremonies.
Locals take pride over the matter that they have something special attached to the area. The shop situated right near the fort of the King of Singhdeo dynasty has become a stopping place for tourists and visitors.
“We start our work at 6 in the morning and carry out our business till 10 in the night to cater to the demands of the customers,” says Jagmohan Das, the chef. He puts the demand to at least a quintal daily and says that the demand for the sweet is not only confined to local populace.
“People from Calcutta, Purulia and Jamshedpur are our main customers, who demand laddoos of this place. We even go out on special occasions to prepare these sweets during marriages,” informs Das.
Customers thronging the shop are of the opinion that the foreign tourists, who visit the place, during special occasions or take classes in Chau, the folk dance of the area, love laddoos and even take it away to their homeland abroad.
“A woman who was here for quite sometime from United States in recent past, was the regular visitor to the place to relish the taste of laddoo,” disclosed Yogi, the customer.
People recall that the king of Seraikella provided support and patronage to the local ‘karigar’ (chefs) specialized in making laddoos and even helped them in popularizing their specialty.
Correct mixture and ingredient of ‘besan, ghee and ilaichi’ makes the laddoos tastier. “The proportion of correct mixing bears significance in terms of taste and flavour that make it unique and inimitable,” claims Nakul, the nephew of Jagmohan, who helps him in business.
In the past there were scores of cooks who learnt to prepare ‘laddoos’ and tried to venture out by opening their own shops. Some even tried their luck at Gamharia and Jamshedpur by opening small time shop, but failed to maintain consistency in their quality.
“Not only this, they could not allure the customers on the pretext of preparing the same sweets that we prepare here,” Nakul said brimming with pride.
So next time if you’re in Seraikella, don’t forget to get “Seraikella ka laddoo”.

Sanjeev Shekhar,
Media Consultant/Journalist/PR

Witchcraft-bane for Jharkhand tribals

Sanjeev Shekhar

Ranchi-

Albeit the rising incidents of witch craft or black magic in Jharkhand has become the major socio-economic issue, what is confounding that the tribal leaders, politicians and a section of non-government agencies have either failed to rake up the issue at the appropriate platform or have remained dumbfounded on the matter.

Except for the Free Legal Aid Committee (FLAC), a non-government organization (NGO), which has on and off made an attempt to draw attention of the masses towards the cause, concerned agencies or authorities have done ‘precious little’ pertaining to the issue. Consequently, the figures of killing under the pretext of black magic have shot up in the past six years.

The official figure claims that 189 women were killed between 2001-2006, while the FLAC has a different story to narrate. According to the NGO, around 412 women have been killed in between the aforesaid period (2001-06); thereby putting the figure to 82 women killed every year due to social evil.

Figures are not important. It’s necessary to trace the motive behind such killings and curb the practice by taking stern action against the culprits, stated the noted author and a social activist, Dayamani Barla. She said that Witchcraft Prevention Act 1999 was formulated was back in 1999 during the undivided Bihar. The Jharkhand government in 2001 adopted it.

“ I squarely blame the administration and the government machinery for not implementing the law after its enactment. While the law is licking dust, the administration has preferred to sleep over it,” Barla alleged adding such practices are common as property angle is attached to the widow.

The firebrand activist did not mince words in stating that the organizations working at the village level or block level to create awareness about the issue have been more interested in running their ‘projects’ than to work for the betterment of the tribals. “These organizations are fulfilling the ‘quorum’ of their stipulated time period project. At the end, the impact in the minds of the general masses is minimal or almost nil. What is required is action against the culprits and powerful law to curb the menace,” she held.

Apparently unaware about the seriousness of the issue, some of the tribal leaders and social activists expressed to take up the matter at higher level. “We never thought about it. We’re putting this matter on priority in our forthcoming meeting to tackle the situation,” said Joy Baxla, the convenor of the Swashashan Shasaktikaran Manch.

He candidly admitted that this is a social evil and fall out of superstitious beliefs in the absence of proper education, awareness and understanding. For this, social mobilization is required than stringent measures of law at the panchayat and gram-sabha level, Baxla stated.

Ratan Tirkey, another noted social activist advocating the cause of tribal, was frank enough to admit that they have not been able to rake this issue. But now they will. Tirkey said, “the age old-practice of witchcraft has become the necessary evil even in the contemporary times. The latest was the brutal beheading of the lady by her husband in Mosabani in East Singhbhum district, which sent shiver down everybody’s spine. We’ll approach the Right to Information (RTI) for a comprehensive report on the matter by any bonafide agency.”

He lashed out at the different organizations, who are getting government and international grant for conducting different programmes like ‘nukkad nataks’ or organisaing the seminar on the issue of witchcraft. “These people have got so much money but the end result is almost negligible and the age old belief of black magic still dominates their minds,” Tirkey said.

Sanjeev Shekhar,
Journalist/Consultant/PR