Mamata on golden Wednesday

For West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Wednesday turned out to be a golden day. Besides a thumping victory in her maiden assembly poll, she also witnessed the Singur Act passed by her government being held valid in court.

Her party Trinamool Congress also wrested the Barihat (Uttar) constituency in North 24 Parganas from the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
Dedicating to the people her electoral victory from the Bhowanipore constituency in a by-poll, Banerjee said: 'It is the victory of the people. In spite of lack of canvassing and low turnout, the margin suggests the love people have for me and the party.'
The 56-year-old leader won the seat with a 54,000-plus margin defeating her nearest rival, CPI-M's Nandini Mukherjee, a computer science professor.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee congratulated her on the victory.
She accused her rival CPI-M of undermining the 'Ma, Mati, Manush' (mother, land and people - Banerjee's pet) slogan.
'The CPI-M never gave a thought to the welfare of the Ma, Mati, Manush. The party only thought about its own cadres. The state has an acute shortage of employment and infrastructure.'
She also said the Marxists resorted to illegal and unfair means to remain in power for three and a half decades.
She congratulated the people of Basirhat (Uttar) constituency of North 24 Parganas district where party candidate A.T.M. Abdulla won after the seat fell vacant following the death of CPI-M legislator Mostafa Bin Quasem who allegedly committed suicide.
She referred to Quasem as her brother and offered condolence to his family.
Hailing the Singur verdict, Banerjee called it 'a victory of the people' that would pave the way for return of land to farmers.
'It is a historic event not only for Singur or the country but for the whole world. The Singur movement will forever be an example of struggle and victory for the world.'
'When I came up with the Act, many so-called experts and critics criticised me and came up with unsolicited advice. They even called the whole exercise to be futile. But the verdict has vindicated my efforts,' said Banerjee.
Earlier, the Calcutta High Court ruled the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act passed by the government was valid and constitutional.

Planning for perfect college

College annual fest is the event that students eagerly wait for. Apart from the fun, frolic and platform that it offers to students to exhibit their talents, the fest is also an acid test of some students' managerial skills, as well as the flexibility in decision-making of the teachers. So, what goes into organising an inter-collegiate fest that draws big sponsor money and even bigger crowds?

It all begins with the forming of a core committee that includes teaching staff as well as student representatives. Students carry out the creative, administrative and logistical part of the festival, but all powers of approval (and disapproval) lie with the teachers, who head the committee. Students and teachers tell us about the goings-on behind closed organising committee doors:
Gayathri Iyer, third year BA (Communicative English), Mount Carmel College: The teachers who are part of the welfare committee that organises ‘Cul-ah,' our annual cultural fest, have the final say when it comes to funding, permission and other matters. They do essentially draw the line for us, and are an approval body. Reaching a consensus is difficult and the final verdict is given by them, which we cannot question. Despite this, I feel they are a requirement. Their expertise in matters such as administration is especially helpful.
Divya R.C., Welfare Committee Officer, Mount Carmel College: When it comes to organising festivals, most of the job is done by students. Our job is just to monitor their plans and give information, as well as to provide them with rules and regulations to follow.
We make sure that execution of all decisions is under the college framework. With regards to participation in the organising process, teachers and students always work together. It is a learning process for them, and I'm sure they feel they need us. As for reaching a consensus, in committee meetings, we sit down and discuss all festival matters with students. Additionally, there are senior and junior officers within the committee, among whom consultation and consensus is necessary.
Shariq Rafeek, Academic Coordinator, Student Union of St. Joseph's College of Commerce: I feel that at some level, teachers should be involved. When there are untoward incidents, it is the institution's reputation that is tarnished. The teachers should know what we are doing. Further, when we are organising our festivals ‘Chanakya', 'Kalotsav' or 'Cipher', teachers pitch in with appealing ideas. After all, the best ideas come out only when there are more minds involved. There needs to be control over what we, as festival planners, are allowed or not allowed to do. Since teachers are involved from the very start, we know what to expect and give suggestions accordingly. They take our opinions and ideas into account as well.
Sneha Rai, Student Governor, Student Council of St. Joseph's College of Commerce: The teachers' involvement in organising festivals is in drawing the final guidelines. We ensure that all ideas, activities and events are kept in check, and are in line with the expectations and ethos of the college. The way the council works is such that activities are proposed by students, and then approved by teachers. I feel students need the practical touch that teachers provide. They go with ideas that are based on hype and popularity. They may not have the vision that teachers have in the organising process. But they do bring a lot of ideas to the table. We usually approve them based on whether they match our expectations. Most of the time, we adjust and give the students their space.
Fasila Hanis, third year B.A., St. Aloysius College: We faced several problems when it came to organising our annual festival ‘Artbeat.' The teachers who were part of the organising committee rejected many of the themes we had suggested for our festival. They wanted the theme to be ‘socially relevant'.
With this example in mind, I think it's important that students should be heard out. As organisers, we wanted to pick a theme that's fun. Students should be granted a certain amount of freedom in such matters. I wish that teachers would learn to adjust. Everyone has his/her own opinion, and when we have committee meetings, they should give our ideas equal weight.
Aditi Gaitonde, M.Sc. Communication, Christ University: I think organising festivals with teachers is quite difficult. As committee head for our media festival ‘Media Meet,' I realised it was a very dicey situation. The teachers give us freedom and at the same time, tell us where we go wrong. We always keep them in the loop with regards to our activities.
When there are meetings, we put our ideas together, and we need them for their approval, to keep us grounded. Being a post-graduate student, I think it gave us leeway since teachers knew we were more mature with responsibility. I don't think we can do without teachers in the organising committee, though. Students don't tend to handle responsibility well!

Tips you can use

Your children are doing it all - school, tuitions, homework and play. The obvious fall guy is nutrition. Here are some tips to help you along. Make the kitchen off-limits during the day unless it's time for a meal or a planned snack. This way you get them to stay off unhealthy knick-knack eating.

1. The days are longer, make sure your child gets enough nutrition throughout the day. Arrange for 5-6 small meals.
2. Get your children involved in the making of snacks.Younger children will especially enjoy being involved in choosing and preparing simple ones. Weave in the healthy ingredients, subtly.
3. Teach your children to make no-fire, easy snacks so that they can can prepare their own summer treats, any time.
4. Pre-portion snacks into small containers for the week - so you are able to control the amounts too!
Sharing Is Caring
For your children however, it can turn out to be their biggest nightmare. Sharing rooms between siblings can be a tough task to administer but here's what you can do to ease the trauma.
a.Divide the room space equally, especially if your children are of the same age. You do not want to be part of the daily bickering over room space.
b.Set guidelines, but leave room for flexibility. "Lights out at 10", does not mean that one can't study when needed, it only means that one is sleeping peacefully while his brother/sister studies in the study/common room. Or simply provide for focus lamps.
c.Make sure the few rules you set are not flouted, come what may. Divide TV and computer timings if they share these.
d.Give them their space - don't barge into their room. But do check on them occasionally. Involve them in the cleaning of their room and with the decor.
e.Finally, if there's a difference of opinion, don't rush in to arbitrate. Let them try to figure it out themselves and get into it only if things get out of hand. This way they realise they are the "owners" of the room.

Important Manners

We all want to raise our little ones to be polite and well behaved, and learning those lessons starts at home. It's never too early to teach your little ones basic manners! Here are eight of the most important manners you should try to teach your little ones before they go to school. They won't remember them all, or get them right every time, but patience and perseverance should get you through:

1. Always say please and thank you.
Whether they're activities as small as giving your little one a snack, or them asking if they can play in the garden, always reinforce the importance of saying please and thank you. No matter how young your children are, you can't start enforcing this rule too early!
2. Table manners
When your tiny tots are just learning to eat at the table, start teaching them the manners you'd like them to have for the rest of their lives! Rules like not eating with their mouths open, or not putting their elbows on the table, are good life lessons for your children to learn as soon as possible.
3. Play dates
When you're little ones go on play dates, or to birthday parties, remind them to thank their friends parents for having them over. If you aren't going to be attending the play date or event with your little one, ensure your little ones know they should treat their friends parents (and all grown-ups) with the same respect they treat you.
4. Birthday party etiquette
It's often said that kids go wild at birthday parties - all the sweet snacks and fun can make little ones get excited, and sometimes forget their manners. But no matter how excited your little one is on their birthday, there are some manners they shouldn't forget: to open their presents thoughtfully (not ripping off the paper, or tossing the present to one side as soon as they've seen it) and to say thank you for every gift, and to every attendee.
5. Mind the language
There will come a moment every parent dreads: the moment your little one swears. And then finds it funny! The worst thing you can do in this scenario is laugh. Let them know that you already know that word, you think it's unpleasant, not funny, and ask your little one not to use it again!
6. Don't be mean
Kids tease each other, and they find it funny. But this can sometimes go a step too far and lead to bullying. Make sure your little ones don't call others mean names, and don't make fun of anyone for any reason. Ganging up on someone else is cruel, not clever.
7. Excuse me!
Once your little ones have mastered saying please and thank you, teach them to say excuse me. It's the polite thing to say when you have to interrupt someone, or bump into somebody.
8. TMI!
There are some things that are too much information, and that your little ones shouldn't talk about in public! These include genitals, poo, nose picking, and all the other gory things that amuse kids!

Govinda Of Threatening Him

A Mumbai film producer has lodged a complaint against Bollywood actor and former Congress MP Govinda Ahuja for abusing and threatening to kill him, police said Wednesday.
The abuses and threats were allegedly hurled by Govinda at Praveen Khanna during a meeting of the Indian Motion Pictures' Producers Association, an official of Khar police station said.
'We have received a written complaint from Praveen Khanna that Govinda had abused and threatened to kill him after a heated exchange on Aug 24. It has been registered as a non-cognizable offence pending further inquiry,' the officer on duty at Khar police station told IANS.
Terming it as a personal issue between Govinda and Khanna, the official said that the actor has not yet been questioned in the matter.