Setu

Vol IV Issue 4

April 2012

TM

BRINGING BUSINESS, EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT TO RURAL INDIA

Under the aegis of the National e-Governance Plan of Govt. of India

Content
02 CEO Speaks 17 Events initiated by Capacity Building

18 Capacity Building's Diary

19 State Coffer 03 Top VLEs

23 Horoscope

03 Other Successful VLEs

24 Sahajites Writing Desk

04 News

26 Travellers' Delight

05 Rural News Bulletin

28 Sahaj Suswasthya

06 Cover Story

29 Fun Fundaa 30 Chaakri.co.in : List of Job Vacancies 37 Gladden your taste buds

11 We, the people of Sahaj

14 Feature Story

More than half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical rainforests.

Setu
Vol IV Issue 4

TM

BRINGING BUSINESS, EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT TO RURAL INDIA

EDITORIAL
Hello readers, With the beginning of a new financial year and the new budget being implemented in our day to day lives, it's a mixed bag of reaction from various quarters of the society. The new financial year for us in Sahaj ushers in the zeal to do something even more challenging and better. Therefore, this edition of Setu is a mixed bag of every bit. Election in India is a daunting affair because of the expanse and the high population of the country. The Voting Day is declared a holiday. The enthusiasm is noted at every sphere of the Indian society who queues up from early in the morning in order to cast their polls. Soon after the voting process is over, the EVMs are conducted under strict security to highly guarded centers where they are kept till the counting begins. All these can be captured live and the streaming can be watched at the same time itself by the Election Commission from their very offices itself. For the cover story this time, we talk about Webcasting conducted by our very own VLEs and employees in the state of Bihar, Uttar Padesh and Odisha and the very transformation in the process of election from ballot boxes to Electronic Voting Machines. The state coffer in this edition is loaded with various success stories of our VLEs across the states. The feature page gives us a sneak peak into this year both Union and Rail Budget. Our very own VP of Sales and Marketing, Mr. Kailash Chandra Gahir has shared in this edition a very inspiring note from the CEO of Nokia to the employees of the Company that is sure to lift up the spirit of each and everyone. Lip smacking cooking tips for all the ladies who has an affinity for sweets. All these and many morejust flip the pages and get going. Adios till the next edition when we again bring to you something new and exciting. Till then, Happy reading We shall wait for you to write back with your comments & suggestions to debolina.banerjee@sahaj.co.in or bhavna.shah@sahaj.co.in

Under the aegis of the National e-Governance Plan of Govt. of India

Disclaimer :
The views expressed through the articles in this newsletter may not necessarily be those of the organization. Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited is not liable for any content and design carried in the advertisements published in this issue.

Published by : Department of Marketing Communications Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited www.sahajcorporate.com

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 1

Dear Friends,

CEO Speaks

It gives me immense pleasure to share with you a moment of great pride for Sahaj, as we have successfully participated in live webcast of polls at Uttar Pradesh and Odisha in the year 2011-12. The concept is not alien to us as we had earned our laurels last year during the Bihar polls where, for the first time, SAHAJ had conducted election webcasting in 6 districts for the state assembly elections. The health of any democracy depends on the choice of representatives and leaders, which in turn is linked to the way political parties function and elections are conducted. The electoral reforms have been engaging the attention of Parliament, government, media and the election commission for a long time. In the last six years several reforms have been introduced, but use of technology is undoubtedly proving to be one of the biggest contributors for peaceful and transparent conduct of elections. Technology interventions like electronic vending machines (EVMs), SMS monitoring and Webcasting are the present and future tools for conducting fair elections in one of the largest democracies of the world i.e India. We have seen an era when during elections, loot and booth capturing were more common than the common man walking to the polling booth next door to exercise his / her democratic right. But technology intervention such as election webcasting through channels like Sahaj has brought about a fundamental change in the election scenario and has made the whole process more fair and an extension of voices of the citizens. Having taken the power of internet far and wide in the last 5 years, Sahaj VLEs/CSCs are perfectly poised with the right infrastructural backbone to assist the Election Commission in meeting aspirations of the voters regarding transparency. After the webcasting of polls in three states, it can be safely concluded that Sahaj has made its first contribution towards promotion of clean and fair democratic processes. I am confident that riding high on our experience, in years to come, Sahaj and its soldiers of democracy will play a much bigger role in assisting the government in conducting fair and transparent elections. The successfully conduct of election webcasting through Sahaj VLEs/CSCs has further strengthened our belief that our network at the grass root level can definitely act as an extended arm in implementation of government services(G2C) for the rural masses. In order to cater to the masses and to serve the rural citizens, Sahaj has launched one more important service that of registering the rural youth for employment on Employment Exchange through our CSCs in the three districts of Gorakhpur, Sitapur and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. Introduction of this service marks the provision of seventh live G2C Service in these districts of Uttar Pradesh. Our beginning has been strong and with our grit, Sahaj is sure to fructify the true essence of e-Governance in India.

Meena Chaturvedi CEO, e-Learning and Public Services Srei Sahaj e-Village Limited

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 2 It is estimated that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.

Assam
VLE Name Mrinali Bhuyan Merajur Rahman

Bihar
VLE Name Mohammad Rashid Alam Harishchandra Yadav

Odisha
VLE Name
Saratachandra Sahoo

Top VLEs

Ranjankumar Pujhari

Tamil Nadu
VLE Name Thangavelu L Ramani N

Uttar Pradesh
VLE Name Kamal Kumar Mishra Sushil Patel

West Bengal
VLE Name Rajibul Haque Jayanta Biswas

Other Successful VLEs

Syed Imdadul Haque Nalbari, Assam

Awdhesh Kr Jha Araria, Bihar

Panchanana Panigrahi Balangir, Odisha

Periasami P Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Abhishek Kumar Kushwaha Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

Abhijit Ray Bankura, West Bengal

spreading festivities all along

News

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 4 Tigers have stripes to help them hide in the rainforest undergrowth.

Rural News Bulletin

Now Get Birth Certificate On Your Mobile: Soon, getting a birth certificate or a school mark sheet, or transferring money from one bank account to another, will be possible with the click of a button on your mobile phone. The service will be rolled out in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and some rural areas by March. The rest of the country will be covered over the next two years. The service will be made available by the Department of Information Technology's project called e-pramaan. Source: The Hindustan Times

RBI allows non-banking entities to set up ATMs: In a move to accelerate the growth and penetrations of ATMs across the country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued draft guidelines for permitting non-banking entities to set up, own and operate such money dispensing machines. RBI guidelines said that such ATMs will be in the nature of white label automated teller machines (WLAs) and will provide ATM services to customers of all banks. RBI has now also permitted all business correspondents (BC)or representative of any one particular bank to conduct business for other banks as well. However, the interoperability is subject to the conditions that the transactions and authentications at retail outlets or sub-agents of BCs are carried out on-line and on Core Banking Solution (CBS) platform. Source: igovernment.in

In A First, Post Office Sells Solar Lamps: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state, the Kancheepuram post office has begun selling emergency solar lamps to help people in the rural areas face the power crisis and also educate them about saving energy at a time when the state is reeling under severe power shortage. Within a day of inauguration, 120 low-range lamps and 42 high-range lamps were sold. The high-range lamp also has the provision to charge mobile phones. Both models are provided with six months guarantee. Source: The Deccan Chronicle

New MNREGA Version Aims For Productivity-Enhancing Results: The revised Operational Guidelines for MNREGA 2.0 suggests the strengthening of the synergy between the job scheme and rural livelihoods especially agriculture and allied sectors, and respond to demands of the States for greater location-specific flexibility in permissible works. Mr. Ramesh said the new guidelines for the MNRGEA 2.0, to be implemented from April, was prepared after consulting the State governments which gave valuable suggestions to address the shortcomings found in the programme. Source: The Hindu

Caste Certificates At Your Doorstep: If things go well, people will no more have to go to tehsil offices for getting their caste, income and birth certificates as they could avail the basic services in their own locality. The Common Service Centre (CSC) project of the IT department, which is being initially implemented in five districts including Indore, is in the final stage of implementation. In the initial stages, a total of 7 services including caste certificate, domicile certificate, RTI applications, copies of Khasra, income certificate, birth certificates and others will be made available at the CSC. Source: Daily Bhaskar Compiled by : Deepti Punj, Sahaj - Delhi

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 5 A place called being destroyed because the value Earth; it gets land0.03 inches (0.76 Rainforests are Arica, in Chile, is the driest place on of rainforest just is perceived millimeters) value of its year. At that rate, it would take a century to fill a coffee cup. as only the of rain per timber.

Elections in India are considered to be the very backbone of the Indian democracy. Being a Parliamentary Republic, the citizens of India are trusted with the responsibility to choose the head of the country as well as of the state. There are both General and State elections that are held in the country based on the Federal structure of the Indian Republic. The elections in India often transcend from being a mere political activity to a high publicized and often sensationalized national event, with clear cultural ramifications. The entire nation seems to suddenly come to life at the onset of the elections, particularly the General Elections. The General elections was held for the first time in 1951 after India gained its independence from the British Raj. Even the assembly elections, which determine the state government, are events of great significance. All state elections are closely observed throughout the nation. Often the results of the state elections are considered to be clear indications of the mood of the nation.

Live webcast

in progress

Importance of elections in India:

In a democratic country, the government must take a verdict of the people from time to time. When it contemplates a change in policy, it becomes necessary to know what people think about it. Also, it may be necessary to consult the people as a routine measure, after intervals, fixed by the statue. For this purpose elections are held all over the country and people are asked to cast their votes for or against certain measure.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 6 Half of the world's species of plants and animals will be destroyed over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation.

In this method, the existing popular assemblies are dissolved, and they are re-constituted on the basis of a general election. Usually people vote on party lines. In our country, a general election is held normally after five years. But if a Prime Minister contemplates a new line of policy, he or she may seek mandate from the people even before the expiry of five years, as Mrs. Indira Gandhi did in 1971. For the purpose of elections, the country is divided into a large number of constituencies. These constituencies are asked to elect their representatives. Each party nominates its own candidates for election. The enthusiasm is noted at every sphere of the Indian society who queue up from early in the morning in order to cast their polls. The polling is typically conducted by government officials and is held in government schools and colleges, as well as certain other government owned venues. An indelible ink is applied on the finger of the voter once the process is complete; this is done in order to avoid the risk of bogus voting.

2005, 380 million citizens cast their votes on more than one million electronic machines. Incredibly, what used to take three months can now be done in three days. There is now no need for recounts since there are fewer invalid votes with the electronic system. Illiteracy is less of an issue than with the paper ballot system too, as the voter need only press a button. EVMs are lighter and more portable than paper ballot boxes, which cuts the time needed to transport the machines from the polling stations to a counting location. And since they run on 6-volt alkaline batteries, they can be used in areas with no power.

What is web casting?

A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is broadcasting over the Internet.

From ballot to Electronic Voting Machines:

P r e s e n t l y, t h e E l e c t r o n i c Vo t i n g Machines or EVMs have replaced the traditional ballot boxes. This was done to counter the great degree of booth capturing and rigging that became a common feature of the elections in certain parts of the country. Soon after the voting process is over, the EVMs are conducted under strict security to highly guarded centers where they are kept till the counting begins. The results of the elections usually keep coming within hours of the final phase of voting is complete. In fact, Indians have been voting via Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for almost two decades, before which the paper ballot and rubber stamp system was used. In May

Live election web casting:

According to the NIC Report, webcasting was for the first time done during the Lok Sabha elections of 2009 in Tamil Nadu where live-recording and video streaming was sent to the DEO's office for some polling stations in Chennai, Madurai, Kanyakumari and Sivaganga districts. This time, the Election Commission of India (EC) had decided to spruce up monitoring of over 10,500 sensitive polling booths in UP by ensuring that live videos are telecast from there. By this, not only will the EC directly monitor the webcasting, but the videos will also be available to the general public on the UP Chief Electoral Officer's website to ensure transparency in the poll process. The Commission trough this efficient system could perform at a very low bandwidth and stream video from multiple sources which can be used for the live webcasting. Have you ever seen live webcasting of polling. Don't miss

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 7 The howler monkey is the loudest animal living in the rainforests of South America.

it. Must see it now (sic)", reads a status update on the Chief Electoral Officer Uttar P r a d e s h S o c i a l Networking page. This is for the first time live webcasting has been d o n e extensively in the U t t a r Pradesh assembly election. Taking a leap forward towards ensuring free and fair election in the state, the UP unit of the Election Commission had put 270 polling booths 'live on the Internet'. The technology enables live feeding of recordings of the inside of booths through internet connection. Live recording of voting procedure were thus directly loaded and could be seen by officers at the state election office as well as those in Delhi's Election Commission office.

Owing to its strong infrastructure base and advanced technology in rural India, Sahaj was authorized by the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Election Commission to put polling booths 'live on the Internet' and to conduct efficient web casting in the selected districts during the 16th Assembly Constituency General Election in the state. Prior to this work order in Uttar Pradesh, Sahaj also had a successful stint of webcasting in Bihar. In the year 2010 11, SAHAJ had received a work order for election webcasting in six districts of Bihar.

On the basis of this Sahaj received the work order for election webcast in the state which is the locus of decision making process of the central Government Uttar Pradesh. With 112 million voters, Uttar Pradesh is the world's largest subnational democracy, more than half the electorate i n t h e United States. Being the most populous country in India, the elections in Uttar Pradesh were held in seven different phases which started on February 8th 2012 and ended on 3rd March 2012. It was a challenge for Sahaj as these districts have poor IT infrastructure and electricity back up problems, the basic requirements for webcast, but due to our commitment, dedication and support from Local Government we successfully completed the process.

Sahaj a partner in the novel initiative:

The idea behind webcasting is that it would prevent troublemakers from creating any problem in the booths that are being webcast because everything is recorded which makes it easy for police to intervene immediately and also easy to identify the culprits. In the process of election webcast, Sahaj yet again partnered the government in the smooth processing of the elections in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 8 Paper products make up approximately 40 percent of our trash.

Sahaj conducted the live webcast at 175 polling booths. The polling booths were technically adjusted to conduct the webcast. Each of the booths housed a laptop and a web camera. The web cast was conducted and managed by the Sahaj VLEs, IT engineers, managers and executives. Webcasting ensures free and fair elections as everything is visible in the public domain. As a result of which this time voters in Uttar Pradesh set an all-time high record in polling percentage in the seven-phased staggered polls with 59.16 per cent aggregate polling and this time a whopping 59.80 per cent women casted their votes. For the election webcast in the state, Sahaj faced completion from giants like Sadhna Channel but in the answer it will be sufficient to say that on the basis of our performance in seven district of the state, the Company also received the work order for Ramabai Nagar which doesn't come under areas of operation for the C o m p a n y. T h e VLEs proved themselves over highly qualified TV technicians. In spite of all the problems and IT challenges, Sahaj produced remarkable results in the form of very clear and uninterrupted streaming of webcast. And the journey doesn't end here. On the basis of the Company's previous records, it also received the work order for webcasting in the bye elections of 89 Aathgarh Assembly constituency, Odisha. The webcasting of the polling proceedings of the 10 sensitive polling stations were held on 18.03.2012, repolling in Booth no 14 S u n t h i p a l o n 20.03.2012 and that of the Counting Center, Sub-Collector's Office, A t h a g a r h o n 21.03.2012. In the words of

The overall polling process through web casting has been completed successfully and without much disturbance. There were long queues of public who appeared to cast their respective votes. This was the first time that we (Sahaj) conducted the web cast during elections in Uttar Pradesh. And we have been able to conduct the entire process peacefully and efficiently which will help the election authorities to track the entire process without any disturbance. - A Sahaj official Uttar Pradesh
Mr. Umesh Sinha, Chief Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, This exercise proves to be helpful in maintaining an unbiased environment. Moreover, this inspires others to cast their adult franchise. By these successful webcasts Sahaj has not only proved its mettle in India but also on the world forum as just after the elections in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the Prime Minister of Jordan, invited the Chief Electoral Officer of India along with Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh to join them at a four days conference on Election reforms in Jordon share their success stories back home and also provide some useful tips on webcasting.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 9 One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

Elections in India en India became independent, the country e wh

At the tim aneous change. It took upon faced the challenge of simult social reforms, promoting itself the daunting task of development, and fostering agriculture and industrial e n all at the same time. Th democratic political institutio sm, enant in democratic sociali Constitution was a social cov uality and social justice, and as it assures people liberty, eq main agency through which elections have become the ed in the country. democracy has been strengthen s tic political framework wa In India, where a democra age-old olonial society with suddenly thrust upon a post-c tization of society and e the agency for the democra and culture, elections becam mon man into traditions of the common man and com ught politics within the sphere litical politics, as they bro g millions of people into the po yed a central role in mobilizin ning and styles of the political arena. They pla st of issues, institutional functio llizing public opinion on a ho process, crysta al elite. e and recruitment of new politic dership, and in the emergenc lea ng under reds of millions of voters, livi further significance as hund relations, religious Elections have assumed ardness, pre-modern social repeatedly of illiteracy, poverty, backw conditions over hundreds of years, were qualities based on caste built State distinctions, and ine representatives at the Central, political right to choose their e of the awesome called upon to exercise their ia would either fail becaus entary . Fears that elections in Ind and local levels ntry to institutionalize parliam unpreparedness of the cou structural limitations and the political elites could bilizing consequences which or that they would have desta and failures in democracy eral limitations, deficiencies to be wrong. There may be sev also not control, proved overcomed, but there are mocracy, which need to be ieved or the way the functioning of India's de happy with what has been ach achievements. Few might be e to work commendable t Indians, by and large, are abl but there is the satisfaction tha things happen in India, a democratic framework. to solve their problems under democracy and e of struggle for parliamentary with relatively little experienc s no mean For a country ined by social problems, it wa congenital defects and constra franchise, afflicted by ms in a democratic and attempt to resolve their proble ent of its people, as they still ernment could achievem regular intervals, parties in gov t elections could take place at leaders, peaceful way, tha ed peacefully to new sets of ce, power could be transferr s of the freedom be changed without violen from the era of mass politic could transform themselves of basic political parties ed on law with an assurance politics, and a government bas struggle to competitive to some of the Western It could equally offer lessons to the people made possible. freedoms cratic way. ld be governed in a more demo countries on how polities cou Gaurav Loomba lhi AVP-G2C Services, Sahaj - De

- With inputs from Namrata Tyagi

Sahaj - Delhi
Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 10 Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.

vices, inancial Ser a rwal, VP, F in r. Manoj Aga rjee & Priyanka Jain M hek Chatte Abhis n. conversatio

Abhis bowls hek Chat ter a yor ker. jee, Sr. M gr, HR

&M ead S kets ic onal H o, Nati ehind the w h Ra Umes hawk eye b Mr. ga keepin

We, the people of Sahaj

Recycled materials can returnhigh as marketplace in of the water. days. Atlantic salmon can jump as to the 4.5 meters out as little as 30

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 11 Sahaj Setu March 2012 Page 11

Cricket fever engulfs

Sahaj Head Office

The winners of the Sa

haj Cricket Cup.

nerjee felicitating Mr. Sambaran Ba y Secretary nt Kapoor, Compan Mr. Prasha

Sup thro erb sto rm o ugh f the field strokes all d s ay l wept ong .

The Rangoli that won hear ts.

We, the people of Sahaj

The first Runners-up being felicitated by the Judges.

Celebrating

the colors
of Sahaj's beautiful relationship with its employees.

The rang oli, runners-u by the first p team.

ated by arwal. g felicit Ag am bein d Mr. Manoj ing te he winn ant Kapoor an T sh Mr. Pra

Dr. Chandrima Bane rjee, VP, HR wishing the women employee s of Sahaj HO on the occassion on Wo mens Day.

Employ

ees

j H.O of Saha

. strikin

g a pos
Mr. Sanjay K joins the em umar Panigrahi, CEO ,S ployees to celebrate ho ahaj li.

e.

Women's Day celebration

r Women Powe

of Sahaj H.O.

Different hues on togetherness

Holi is a time to reach out with the colors of joy. It is the time to love and forgive. It is the time to wish everyone all the bright hues of life.
Employees of Saha j H.O. striking a pose.
COO,in a Roy ukherjee, Mr. Amit M n with Mr. Debasish rsatio conve

at Sahaj H.O.

Feature Story

The Financial Medley of India Budget 2012-13

Generally we are bothered about petty facts related to budget, such as whether I should buy a high end mobile phone before or after budget, whether the mobile phone prices will increase or not or whether I shall be benefited by the increase in income-tax ceiling. What we tend to overlook is the fact that budget has broader implications. Budgets are milestones in the progress of a nation. They have the power to steer a nation from failure to a position of repute among the world nations. The government's annual budget is no different from that of a household; only it has a lot more jargon. Budget is the Annual Financial Statement, laid before both the Houses of the Parliament that constitutes the Budget of the Union Government. The Budget process of India predates independence. The Budget was first introduced on 7th April, 1860, two years after the transfer of the Indian administration from the East-India Company to the British Crown. The first Finance Member, who presented the Budget, was Mr. James Wilson. After independence, India's first Finance Minister, Mr. R.K. Shanmukham Chetty, presented the Budget on 26th November, 1947. Since then, the Union Finance Minister of India prepares the Annual Financial Statement and presents it before the Parliament every year, in accordance with Article 112 of the Indian Constitution. This budget comes into effect on April 1, the start of the new financial year; and has evolved over the past six decades to reflect the strength of our democratic processes in shaping our economy. The preparation of the Union Budget is an iterative process between the Ministry of Finance, the Planning Commission and the spending Ministries. It is a combination of top down approach with the Ministry of Finance and the Planning Commission issuing guidelines or communicating instructions to spending Ministries, and a bottom-up approach, wherein the spending Ministries present requests for budget allocation. There is no single budget for the entire country as the states have their own budgets. Even the budget of the Government of India is divided into the Railway and the General Budget.

Railway Budget
The Budget of the Indian Railways is presented separately to Parliament and dealt with separately, although the receipts and expenditure of the Railways form part of the Consolidated Fund of India and the figures relating to them are included in the Annual Financial Statement. The Indian Railways budget for the fiscal year of 2012-13 in a nutshell goes somewhat this way:
Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 14

To create just 1 kilogram of consumer goods, manufacturers create 5 kilograms of waste.

Fare Hike: AC 2-tier fare hiked by 15 p/km AC-1 fare hiked by 30 p/km

New Train Services in Rail Budget 2012

75 New express trains will be introduced this year including 21 new passengers' services, 9 DEMU and 8 MEMU services. 75 new local trains for Mumbai, 44 new local trains for Kolkata and 18 new local trains for Chennai are introduced. 39 trains will be extended and frequency of 23 trains will be increased. Project to connect Nepal via rail route will be taken up in Railway Budget 2012-13. Project to connect Agartala with Akhaura in Bangladesh to be taken up in Railway Budget 2012-13. Wagon factory to be setup at Sitapali in Ganjham district of Odhisa. Rail Coach Factory to be set up at Palakkad with the support of Kerala Government. A plant for manufacture of fraction alternators to be setup at Vidisha in MP . The entire meter gauge, narrow gauge sections to be made broad gauge by the end of 12th Plan. 6,500 kilometers of railway track to be electrified in next 5 years. For the year 2012-13 Rs 60,100 Crore railway budget is proposed. Plan to modernize 19000 kilometers of railway track, which cater to 80 per cent of the traffic. Logistics Corporation to be created to provide logistics solutions for rail user. Proposal to increase number of double stack container trains.

Major New Trains in Railway Budget 2012-13: Below are some of the new major trains for this Railway Budget: Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express (6 days) Habibganz (Bhopal)-Indore AC Double Decker Express (Daily) Kota-Hanumangarh Express (Daily) Dwarka-Somnath Express (Daily) Ahemadabad-Ajmer Intercity Express (Daily) Jabalpur-Sigrauli Intercity Express (Daily) Barbul-Chakaradhapur Intercity Express (Daily) Kanpur-Allahabad Intercity Express (Daily) Chappra-Lucknow Express (Tri-Weekly) Ranchi-Dumka Intercity Express (Daily) Firozpur-Sriganganagar Express (Daily) Bhuvaneshwar-Bhawanipatna Express (Daily) Jhansi-Mumbai Express (Weekly) Gandhidham-Bandra (T) Express (Weekly) Asansol-Chennai Express (Weekly) Secunderabad-Shalimar AC Express (Weekly)

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 15 Ford motor company indicates that 75% of every vehicle is recyclable.

Common Man Facilities in New Rail Budget 2012-13

SMS on passenger mobile phone to be accepted as proof of valid reservation. Meals during travel can now be booked through mobile SMS. 25,00 coaches will be equipped with green toilets under Pilot Project 321 escalators will be installed at important railway stations of the country. 50 per cent discount in AC and AC-chair car will be given to the patient of anemia and sickle-cell disease. Every Garib Ratha train will now be equipped with a separate coach for physically challenged people.

Employment and Awards in Railway Budget 2012-13 Railway will hire over 1 lakh employees in 2012-13. All vacancies in safety areas will be filled up very soon. Every year Rail Khel Ratna Award will be given to 10 sports-persons. Railway workers will now get the bonus of 78 days

General Budget
The general Budget is presented in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of Finance. He makes a speech introducing the Budget and it is only the concluding part of his speech that the taxation proposals are made and the statement is put forward to the Rajya Sabha. The general budget for the fiscal year of 2012-13 goes somewhat this way. FOR TAXPAYERS Good | IT exemption limit raised to Rs 2 lakh, 30 per cent tax bracket now at Rs 10L, interest up to Rs 10,000 on saving bank account to be exempt from tax Deduction of 50 per cent for investments up to Rs 50,000 in equity by new investors with an annual income up to Rs 10 lakh, age limit for senior citizens reduced from 65 to 60 for several tax benefits Deduction of Rs 5,000 for preventive check-up expenses allowed within health insurance benefit Not so good | Additional deduction for infra bonds of Rs 20,000 removed Income tax officers can now reopen assessments pertaining to foreign assets for up to 16 years instead of the current six years FOR CONSUMERS Good | Threshold for payment of service tax on apartment maintenance raised from Rs 3,000 per month to Rs 5,000 No excise on branded silver jewellery Duty-free baggage allowance at airports raised by Rs 10,000 to Rs 35,000 Excise duty on branded readymade garments reduced from 4.6 per cent to 3.7 per cent. Not so good | Service tax (cess included) up from 10.3 per cent to 12.36 per cent; excise hiked from 10.3 per cent to 12.36 per cent, from 5.15 per cent to 6.18 per cent, and 1.03 per cent to 2.06 per cent, Excise duty on cars of 1500cc

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 16

An elephant's trunk can hold 2.5 gallons of water.

and above raised to 27 per cent. Basic customs duty on imported SUVs worth over $40,000 (3,000cc or more for petrol, 2,500cc or more for diesel) raised from 60 per cent to 75 per cent, Customs duty on high-purity gold in various forms doubled. FOR INVESTORS Good | Securities transaction tax on delivery-based deals reduced to 0.1 per cent. More options for investing in tax-free bonds (like NHAI and Hudco) Not so good | TDS mandatory for sale of immovable property of over Rs 50L in urban areas and Rs 20L in rural areas, 1 per cent tax to be collected at source by seller for any sale in cash valued at over Rs 2L of jewellery, bullion, etc, TDS for interest from debentures if amount exceeds Rs 5,000, No tax sops for new life insurance policies with annual premium over 10 per cent of sum assured (currently 20 per cent) excluding loyalty bonus FOR BUSINESSMEN Good | Withholding tax on interest on ECBs reduced from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for power, airlines, roads etc for 3 years A year's extension for exemption under section 80IA for power firms; also for lower tax on overseas dividend Small service provider exemption increased from Rs 10L to Rs 50L Not so good | Alternate Minimum Tax now on partnerships, sole proprietorships too All foreign assets must be declared Penalty up to 90 per cent on undisclosed income found during search IT Act amended retrospectively to tax 'offshore M&A deals' involving transfer of assets in India. Example: Hutch-Vodafone transaction. - With inputs from The Times of India

Events initiated by Capacity Building

Activation meet in Golaghat, Assam

Mr. Paresh Pandya enthralls the participants at a training session in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Yes, I can make make a difference training programme in progress at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Activation meet in progress at Dibrugarh, Assam

Capacity Building's Diary

Stay motivated-5 easy ways

Ambition. Drive. Determination. Hunger. These are all words that describe why we do the things we do. There are always reasons or factors that cause us to behave in particular ways or to pursue certain activities rather than others. These underlying causes are collectively referred to as motivation: the thing that pushes us on towards a goal. Sometimes a lack of motivation can be to blame for less-thanidea results. If you are unable to complete work on schedule or up to the quality you expect of yourself, it may be because you are suffering from weak motivation. External factors (threats, monetary incentives, people telling you to do something) rarely work to make you feel really inspired. Rather, you need to find some internal means of lighting that fire again and increasing your motivation. Here's how: Step 1: Identify Reasons for Doing Something Motivation is all about the reason "why" you're trying to carry out an activity or reach a goal. Therefore, unless you know why you're doing something, you won't feel compelled to do it. Stop and consider the reasons for your actions. What is the end result you are hoping to achieve? What is your desired outcome? Articulate it clearly to yourself. Step 2: Put Together a Plan Once you have a goal in mind, you need a plan for reaching it. It's like using a road map: without driving directions you might arrive at the intended destination, but it's probably going to take you a lot longer. Using a map to plot out your course will make you more efficient and more productive. Step 3: Write a Timetable for Implementing Your Plan It's not enough to simply develop a plan in theory. Plot it out by writing it down in black and white. For example, if your plan is to write one chapter of a dissertation each week, don't just leave it at that. Get out your diary or day planner and write down the target deadlines. Or type up a timetable with all the relevant deadlines, print it out, and hang it above your computer. Writing things down or having a visual schedule will incite action. Step 4: Create an Incentive Plan Incentives like monetary rewards don't necessarily build up motivation, but promising yourself a reward for doing good work is another matter altogether. The key is picking a reward that means something to you. For example, if you really want to see that new movie, tell yourself you won't be able to go unless you finish writing that proposal or paying the bills first! Step 5: Use Negatives as Motivation Many of us slack off at times when we are feeling down or upset. Perhaps something bad's happened or our friends or family have made us feel bad about ourselves. For example, let's say you got fired from a job, and your parents-rather than comforting you-say, "What's the matter-you weren't good enough?" This might make us want to go hide under the covers, but you can actually turn this negative into a positive. Just say to yourself, "I'll show them!" Then go out there and do what it takes to improve yourself situation. Following these five steps will help you get back on track and feel energetic about the tasks at hand. Good luck!

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 18

Already over half of jump as high as 4.5 meters out of the water. Atlantic salmon can the world's tropical forests have been lost.

Tathya-Prajukti Sikshanusthan inaugurated in Tinsukia, Assam

A new and exclusive e-Learning center "Sahaj Tathya-Prajukti Sikshanusthan" was inaugurated in Tinsukia town, Assam, recently. The center has been launched by a local firm of Tinsukia, namely, ORBIT in association with a Sahaj VLE. The inaugural function was attended by some local dignitaries and students. The center is equipped to deliver courses to 10 students simultaneously and will be having its own power back-up facilities. Students will also have placement assistance from the centre. Once the center becomes fully operational, at-least 20 to 30 enrollments per month is expected.

State Coffer : Assam

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way
The same spirit is shown by VLE Diwakar Singh in his life as well. After completing his education, Diwakar was looking to earn his livelihood in his village itself. But this had its own constraints; Diwakar's village lacked employment opportunity and the final nail in the coffin was that Diwakar belonged to a family where everyday was a new struggle for them to make their ends meet. Diwakar tried various kinds of businesses like opening a PCO booth, grocery shop etc. to make ends meet but nothing seemed to materialize. One day he happened to meet one of his old friends through whom he came to know about Sahaj. To know more in details, he contacted the Sahaj RCC and a representative briefed him about the Sahaj Business Model. Diwakar realized that working with Sahaj will not only help him earn better revenue but also give him the opportunity to serve his villagers. It has been thirteen months since Diwakar has opened his own CSC in his native village Raipur in the Raibarelly distict of Uttar Pradesh. He started doing business in Life Insurance products offered by Sahaj and the profit earned by him from it was utilized by him in installing a solar power back up at his Jan Seva Kendra as power supply in his village has always been a problem. His determination and hard work to achieve success has borne the fruit as he now does regular business of the Life and General Insurance products offered by Sahaj in association with various companies. Sahaj had also acknowledged his work and appointed him as Master VLE. This gesture by the Company has motivated him further. He has already organized three Customer Meet in last four months with help of the Uttar Pradesh Team of Sahaj and his Mantee VLE's. In the last six months he had done highest business of insurance products in his district. Diwakar is continuously striving to make all his Mantee VLE's equally active in business as he is.

State Coffer : Uttar Pradesh

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 19 The name Vaseline is a combination of the German word wasser and the Greek word elaion.

State Coffer : Bihar

Shunned by family, a game changer for society

VLE: Rajesh Kumar G.P Sughri .: Block: Govindpur VLE ID: 1023020900000001 The Sahaj Academy adjacent to the Hanuman temple in Thaali bazaar in the Nawada District of Bihar is a new house with computers, Internet access, and video chat capabilities where village women who cannot read or write can use computers to speak to their husbands working abroad. Students dreaming of becoming techies can now go to the academy to turn their dreams into reality by enrolling with various computer courses offered at the Academy. Rajesh Kumar was boycotted by his family for marrying against their wishes. Having a young wife and a little toddler to take care of, Rajesh was determined not to let his family suffer at any cost. For this, he started to look for different avenues to earn a living. Meanwhile, he came to know about Sahaj. Instantly he decided that if he has to have a decent and respected livelihood, no other option would be as good as becoming a Sahaj Village Level Entrepreneur. He started his Vasuda Kendra by piloting with some Sahaj e-Siksha courses, as he saw some of other VLEs in his district earning good profit out of it. But soon the Vasudra Kendra proved to be not enough to accommodate all the students enrolled with the e-Siksha courses. The dearth of infrastructure was proving to be a great roadblock. Rajesh built a totally separate Academy for the village children that catered exclusively to the e-Siksha courses with all the required infrastructure. In order to have more students enrolling for the e-Siksha courses, Rajesh started with demos at schools and coaching centers, etc. The other activities followed by him are as below: The registration and examination process was initiated to promote exclusively the e-Siksha courses. What he did was, he took 50/- as registeration fees from the students, which he utilised to give the 10 ten best perfoming students free admission in the Basic Computer course. All these activities resulted in a great feedback from the students as well as the parents and teachers. A total of 120 students registered for the examination, which was conducted on 19th February, 2012. Today, Rajesh Kumar is a well known name in his area, he is very satisfied with the services provided by Sahaj. This is just the beginning, a lot more feathers are awaiting to be added to his cap.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 20 The largest water eddy in the world is the Sargasso Sea between the Already over half of the world's tropical forests have been lost. Azores and the West Indies.

VLE Speaks
Name: Ganesh Kumar Panda CSC Charbahal District- Kalahandi (Odisha) Association with SAHAJ: Since January 2009, I have been associated with SAHAJ as a VLE. I have no other source of income other than that generated from my CSC. Initially, there were few stumbling blocks, but I was confident of the future growth of Sahaj. So I continuously tried to spread awareness among the people of my locality about the various services and products offered by Sahaj. I went on door to door campaigns and convinced parents to enroll their wards with the Sahaj e-Learning Courses. I also conducted a survey on computer literacy in my Gram Panchayat through which I collected data which could benefit me later. I arrange small competitions among children to celebrate all the national festivals regularly. The print media regularly covers the various activities in my Centre which has helped me earn a good reputation in my district. What I got from Sahaj? Opportunity comes once. I think that I grabbed the best opportunity in my life when I joined as a VLE. I got a platform from where there is no looking back. After being associated with Sahaj, apart from money what I also earned is respect from the society. Future Aspirations: I am availing almost all the services available at the Sahaj Portal. But the main source of my income is from e-Learning. So, I plan to divide my CSC into three departments, i.e.: 1. Sahaj e-Learning Courses 2. Sahaj Services (Insurance/Travel/Network) 3. Offline Services (Photo/Video and Printing Unit) I have already constructed a new building anticipating the future of Sahaj. I am thinking of getting in more computers to enhance my e-Learning unit. Sahaj has given me more than what I expected from it before. I expect to get more services both G2C and B2C in the future that can help the rural people to save their time and money.

State Coffer : Odisha

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 21 Hippos drink as much as 250 liters of water in any given 24 hour period.

State Coffer : W.B. State Coffer : T.N.

VLE Speaks
Panchanandapur SKUS VLE : Mr. Sudhangshu Bhusan Mondal In the month of November 2011, a Sales Executive of Sahaj had communicated to me that in the next month they are going to run a scheme where a LCD TV will be given to those VLEs who will log DPLI Life Insurance amounting 1,00,000. Initially I thought it is impossible, but in the first week our Zonal Manager came to my CSC and communicated the importance of Life Insurance. According to him, Life Insurance is a tool to provide financial protection to my family and also an opportunity to grow my money as well hit my mind, and despite of the challenge, I thought that at least I should start from somewhere. I took the entire target as a challenge and broke it into small parts to be accomplished at a time. Every day in the morning I use to check the day's target sheet and at the day end complete the same. I got tremendous support from my RCC and found that within 25th of the month I have completed the target. I was always concerned about how to increase the business of my CSC and how to make the CSC profitable, when the commission of the DPLI credited in my portal I found that I got the right path to make my CSC profitable. Even the initiatives that I have taken been accredited by the CEO and the chairman of the Malda district of the Central Cooperative Bank Ltd. This month also I have personally taken a target and I believe that I will complete the same. I personally thank my RCC members, my Zonal Manager and all the people of Sahaj for guiding me in the proper way to make my CSC project a successful one.

VLE Success Story

State: Tamil Nadu District: Thiruvannamalai Village: Thandrampattu VLE: Mr. Ramesh, B.A. Staying in a village of a population of 9,000 (Census 2001) and son of a postman, Ramesh was born and brought up with very a good social network. Dressed in a typical Tamil Nadu dhoti, he is very well versed with computer. In a village having 5-7 hours of load shedding, he has two laptops, printer, web camera, scanner with Airtel data card, all with a UPS back-up. There are three schools in his district (a matriculation school, a higher secondary school for boys and a higher secondary school for girls). In order to generate leads, he is putting up SRM banners at various schools. He can easily arrange for 300 students from the two schools if somebody from the SRM University comes for counseling. Apart from business, he mostly spends his time in social service. He is renovating three temples around his village that are more than 1,000 year old. He was the first VLE to buy application forms during the SRM University training session and is confident of selling more than 100 forms. His dream is to own a Toyota Innova which would be the first one in his village. There is a visitor every 5 minutes at his CSC. Not necessarily they come to him for some CSC related work but they also come to take his advice as well. He is also working as a Master VLE and is helping and motivating five Mentee VLE's around his village. In his words, I want to build a smaller version of a mall in my village where one would get everything from a pencil to a tractor.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 22 Squids move through the ocean using a jet of water forced out of Already over half of the world's tropical forests have been lost. the body by a siphon.

Prediction of the month

Aries (March 21-April 20): Everything at work and in your when a crucifixion of the personality happens. It hurts. But it is so mind could feel fast, reckless, out of control. Expect the soul can make itself known and bring light into what has been disruptions, intrusions, interruptions to anything routine. If a long held darkness. You then resurrect. Allow this. Your things become much too unexpected, stop awhile, observe bondage will soon be over. the energies, and start over again. But expect life to be rather Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): For some this is an exciting time. awry. Basically, a while ago your basic life approach was Taurus (April 21-May 21): There may be unusual revelations revolutionized. New forms of self expression and creative self within your group this Month. Higher realities pour down on release are about to explode. If you can not find them do seek them and into you, too. You can also expect a new forms of amusements. Take no one and complete revolution in your hopes and nothing for granted. expectations. You will hear something Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 20): Personal and then rapidly change course. and intimate aspects of your life will You will resist all pressure and come into sharp focus this will either be challenged or month. There will be a need for seek a new one. you to be more flexible as Gemini (May 23-June 20): several structures you hold You may attempt to break dear will possibly be free from something, challenged. Those that are somewhere, somehow. alive and vital will Hopefully all will be weather this. Those still harmonious and you on shaky ground, let them will simply see go. A tension may surface. opportunities to work in Observe it only. It will new ways and begin disappear. something rather Capricorn (Dec. 21-Jan. revolutionary which 20): You go head over heals stimulates you to greater self for some pretty face this April, awareness. I hope this occurs. chalk it up to retro Jupiter and Do curb erratic impulses. enjoy it while it lasts. There will be Cancer (June 21-July 20): plenty of compares around to Information not known before cushion every bump, thanks to Venus becomes apparent and your awareness of and Mars. Your personal star begins to shine everything expands. Nothing unyielding will be around the 23rd when the Sun injects a bit of style allowed. Not in mind, beliefs, or philosophy (yours/others). into your appearance. You will view reality differently. Actually this has already Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 18): A fundamental reorientation has begun and will be emphasized this month. been and is taking place within you concerning self awareness, continuing for about seven more years. What you are learning is Leo (July 21-Aug. 22): Though you are rarely reliant upon that you are your own vital and important resource, and of anyone or anything, it is wise to refrain from any greater value that you recognize. Daily life's tempo will increase dependencies (financial, emotional, desires) this month. In this month. Routines will suddenly fall apart. Do not fret. It will fact you may break away from all obligations. Be sure not to pass. create disruptions. A new era has already emerged in your life. This month it accelerates. Pisces (Feb. 18-March 20):As all material resources continue to either dissolve or float away or simply not be available, and as Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Anything you have been unsatisfied you continue to wonder why, here is the answer. The change is with for years and years will begin to show signs of unraveling your relationship with matter and this is being radically altered so because you simply can not hold onto them anymore. You you can evolve into a more spiritual focus without the may weather the storms but only when you realize what responsibilities of things in form. Not a pleasant answer but an changes your life needs to create more aliveness and vitality. esoteric one. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What is occurring in your life is redemption. All the old forces from the past are coming into Source: www.ehoroscope2012.net play and they need to be understood. There comes a time

Horoscope

Sahaj Setu March 2012 Page 23 An egg that is fresh will sink in water, but a stale one won't.

Sahajites Writing Desk

An inspirational note
Hello there, There is a pertinent story about a man who was working on an oil platform in the North Sea. He woke up one night from a loud explosion, which suddenly set his entire oil platform on fire. In mere moments, he was surrounded by flames. Through the smoke and heat, he barely made his way out of the chaos to the platform's edge. When he looked down over the edge, all he could see were the dark, cold, foreboding Atlantic waters. As the fire approached him, the man had mere seconds to react. He could stand on the platform, and inevitably be consumed by the burning flames. Or, he could plunge 30 meters in to the freezing waters. The man was standing upon a "burning platform," and he needed to make a choice. He decided to jump. It was unexpected. In ordinary circumstances, the man would never consider plunging into icy waters. But these were not ordinary times - his platform was on fire. The man survived the fall and the waters. After he was rescued, he noted that a "burning platform" caused a radical change in his behaviour. We too, are standing on a "burning platform," and we must decide how we are going to change our behaviour. Over the past few months, I've shared with you what I've heard from our shareholders, operators, developers, suppliers and from you. Today, I'm going to share what I've learned and what I have come to believe. I have learned that we are standing on a burning platform. And, we have more than one explosion - we have multiple points of scorching heat that are fuelling a blazing fire around us. For example, there is intense heat coming from our competitors, more rapidly than we ever expected. Apple disrupted the market by redefining the smartphone and attracting developers to a closed, but very powerful ecosystem. In 2008, Apple's market share in the $300+ price range was 25 percent; by 2010 it escalated to 61 percent. They are enjoying a tremendous growth trajectory with a 78 percent earnings growth year over year in Q4 2010. Apple demonstrated that if designed well, consumers would buy a highpriced phone with a great experience and developers would build applications. They changed the game, and today, Apple owns the high-end range. And then, there is Android. In about two years, Android created a platform that attracts application developers, service providers and hardware manufacturers. Android came in at the high-end, they are now winning the mid-range, and quickly they are going downstream to phones under 100. Google has become a gravitational force, drawing much of the industry's innovation to its core. Let's not forget about the low-end price range. In 2008, MediaTek supplied complete reference designs for phone chipsets, which enabled manufacturers in the Shenzhen region of China to produce phones at an unbelievable pace. By some accounts, this ecosystem now produces more than one third of the phones sold globally - taking share from us in emerging markets. While competitors poured flames on our market share, what happened at Nokia? We fell behind, we missed big trends, and we lost time. At that time, we thought we were making the right decisions; but, with the benefit of hindsight, we now find ourselves years behind. The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable. We have some brilliant sources of innovation inside Nokia, but we are not bringing it to market fast

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 24 Approximately 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water. Only 1 percent of the water is drinkable.

enough. We thought MeeGo would be a platform for winning high-end smartphones. However, at this rate, by the end of 2011, we might have only one MeeGo product in the market. At the midrange, we have Symbian. It has proven to be non-competitive in leading markets like North America. Additionally, Symbian is proving to be an increasingly difficult environment in which to develop to meet the continuously expanding consumer requirements, leading to slowness in product development and also creating a disadvantage when we seek to take advantage of new hardware platforms. As a result, if we continue like before, we will get further and further behind, while our competitors advance further and further ahead. At the lower-end price range, Chinese OEMs are cranking out a device much faster than, as one Nokia employee said only partially in jest, "the time that it takes us to polish a PowerPoint presentation." They are fast, they are cheap, and they are challenging us. And the truly perplexing aspect is that we're not even fighting with the right weapons. We are still too often trying to approach each price range on a device-to-device basis. The battle of devices has now become a war of ecosystems, where ecosystems include not only the hardware and software of the device, but developers, applications, ecommerce, advertising, search, social applications, location-based services, unified communications and many other things. Our competitors aren't taking our market share with devices; they are taking our market share with an entire ecosystem. This means we're going to have to decide how we either build, catalyse or join an ecosystem. This is one of the decisions we need to make. In the meantime, we've lost market share, we've lost mind share and we've lost time. On Tuesday, Standard & Poor's informed that they will put our A long term and A-1 short term ratings on negative credit watch. This is a similar rating action to the one that Moody's took last week. Basically it means that during the next few weeks they will make an analysis of Nokia, and decide on a possible credit rating downgrade. Why are these credit agencies contemplating these changes? Because they are concerned about our competitiveness. Consumer preference for Nokia declined worldwide. In the UK, our brand preference has slipped to 20 percent, which is 8 percent lower than last year. That means only 1 out of 5 people in the UK prefer Nokia to other brands. It's also down in the other markets, which are traditionally our strongholds: Russia, Germany, Indonesia, UAE, and on and on and on. How did we get to this point? Why did we fall behind when the world around us evolved? This is what I have been trying to understand. I believe at least some of it has been due to our attitude inside Nokia. We poured gasoline on our own burning platform. I believe we have lacked accountability and leadership to align and direct the company through these disruptive times. We had a series of misses. We haven't been delivering innovation fast enough. We're not collaborating internally. Nokia, our platform is burning. We are working on a path forward -- a path to rebuild our market leadership. When we share the new strategy on February 11, it will be a huge effort to transform our company. But, I believe that together, we can face the challenges ahead of us. Together, we can choose to define our future. The burning platform, upon which the man found himself, caused the man to shift his behaviour, and take a bold and brave step into an uncertain future. He was able to tell his story. Now, we have a great opportunity to do the same. Stephen
Intra-organisational letter from CEO - Nokia

Source: www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Contributed by: Mr. Kailash Chandra Gahir VP Sales & Marketing ,

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 25 The Earth is the most dense planet five times denser than water, while Saturn is the least dense.

Travellers' Delight

A Rendezvous with the Sunderbans

The holy Ganges journeys down through the Himalayas and flows along the plains into the state of West Bengal by merging with the two other major rivers, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna, she creates the world's largest delta and the virgin forests of Sunderbans. The Sundarbans are the largest littoral mangrove belt in the world, covering an area of 38,500 square kilometer, of which about one-third is covered in water. The forests aren't just mangrove swamps though; they include some of the last remaining stands of the mighty jungles which once covered the Gangetic plain. Sundarbans meaning beautiful forest, is a land of 54 tiny islands, criss-crossed by innumerable tributaries of the Ganges that was once infested by Arakanese and Portuguese pirates. The forest is bound on the west by the river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal. Other major rivers flowing through this eco-system are Saptamukhi, Thakurain Matla and Gosaba. Considering the significance of these forests, the Sunderbans was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and a Biosphere Reserve in 1989. Unlike other wildlife parks, where roads, jeeps and guides provide a semblance of control, here visitors will find themselves holding their breath and stiffening to a state of alertness as their boats glide through the creeks and rivulets, bordered with primeval mangrove forest sheltering the most unimaginable dangers in its impenetrable undergrowth. A unique region where there are no borders to divide fresh from saline water, river from sea. Wildlife presents many a spectacle here. With a little luck one may experience a salt water Crocodile sunbathing in the mud; a flash in the corner of your eye could be a heard of deer running into the forests. With the approach of the evening herds of deer make for the darking glades where boisterous monkeys shower Keora leaves from above for sumptuous meal for the former. For the botanist, the lover of nature, the poet and the painter this land provides a variety of wonder for which they all crave. Most famously, however, this protected area is home to the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. Sunderban is characterized by the sundari trees that give the mangrove their name. These trees hold together the small islands of mud, on which they grow, with their roots. Nevertheless, with each incoming tide, the greyish brown silt looses itself to water seamlessly. One of the most remarkable features of this place is the bayonet like roots of mangrove forests that stick out above the water level. The splendor of the forest, its abundance of flora and fauna, its unique natural surrounding and unparallel beauty is sure to mesmerize every kind of traveller. Thousands of meandering streams, creeks, rivers and estuaries have enhanced its charm. Apart from the mangroves, whose survival strategy in utmost adverse situations is amazing, there are varieties of vegetation. These forests are heavily infested with animals. One can explore the wildlife of the Sunderbans that harbours Jungle Cats, Fishing Cats, Axis Deer, Wild Boar, Rhesus Monkeys, Mongooses and the largest Estuarine Crocodiles in the world. Sunderban is the breeding ground of immense variety of birds like Heron, Egret, Cormorant, Fishing Engle, White Bellied Sea Eagle, Seagul, Tern, Kingfisher as well as migratory birds like Whimprel, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Eastern Knot, Curlew, Sandpiper, Golden Plover, Pintail, White-eyed Pochard and also Whistling teal. Migratory flock of Siberian ducks flying over thousands of sail boats loaded with timber, golpatta (round-leaf), fuel wood, honey, shell and fish further add to the serene natural beauty of the Sundarbans. Over 120 species of fish have been recorded here. Discover the wide variety of aquatic and reptile life forms that include Olive Ridley sea turtle, hardshelled Batgur Terrapin, Pythons, King Cobra, Chequered Killback, Monitor and Lizards including the Salvator Lizards. The Gangetic River Dolphins are common in the rivers.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 26 There is about one quarter-pound of salt in every gallon of seawater.

However, the Royal Bengal Tiger is the prime attraction of the Sundarbans. There are strategically placed watch towers from which, fortunate travellers may get the opportunity to observe the regal beast in its natural surroundings, a thrill that can only be experienced first-hand. Incidentally, these watch towers may be reached only through corridors covered in protective net fencing. The best places to sight tigers are the watch towers at Sudhanyakhali and Sajnekhali. The tower in Sudhanyakhali has a great view of the forest ahead and the river behind it which assures a spectacular view of the setting sun with the color of the sky changing from blue to different hues of orange, red, pink, and finally black. Nature apart, if you want to feel the essence of spirituality then this is the place to be. A place famous for Ma Bonobibi (the goddess of the forest) to Shiber Kumir (Lord Shiva's Crocodile) or from Dakshinaroy (an ogre, the ancestor of all tigers) to Kapil Muni (an incarnation of Vishnu). The people of this area are unique in their occupation and lifestyle, faiths, rituals and beliefs. It is the home to the farmers, fishermen, wood collectors, honey collectors, poachers and also the sea gypsy fishing families who catch fish using trained otters. A traveller can surely feast his eyes with the rich treasure that nature has so fondly bestowed on this yet virgin land of the Sundarbans which hides within its fold many a secret to be told. Where to stay There are a number of hotels, wildlife resorts, forest lodges and jungle camps within and outside the Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary. The wildlife resorts and hotels in Sunderbans cater to the tastes and budgets of all kinds of travelers. All wildlife resorts here arrange park safaris. Where to eat The delicious dishes made of fresh catches from the water are a must try. Some of the lodges also have their own kitchen garden and it will be a delight to try some of the local dishes made of fresh products. Best time to visit The best time to visit is from November to March. The climate of Sundarbans is hot during summers and pleasant during winters. July to October witnesses heavy rainfall.

Sahaj Suswasthya

Heal and nourish the yogic way

Asana is a Sanskrit word used to describe a body position, typically associated with the practice of Yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still, with the spine as a conduit of biodynamic union. As a repertoire of postures were promoted to exercise the body-mind over the centuries, to the present day when yoga is sought as a primarily physical exercise form, modern usage has come to include variations from lying on the back and standing on the head, to a variety of other positions. Asanas have a deep impact on the entire body and mind complex, it affects different systems in the body like muscular, respiratory, circulation, digestive, excretory, reproductive, endocrine, nervous system, etc. The various kinds of Asanas which can be practiced by all at home includes: Surya Namaskar Surya Namaskar means greeting or bowing to the sun. Usually all sessions of Yoga asanas begin with the Surya Namaskar or sun salutation. It nourishes and energizes the upper part of the body. Utthan Pada Asana (Leg Lifting Posture) Utthan means to raise upwards and Pada means legs. In this posture, the legs are lifted upwards. It strengthens the spinal code and removes disorders of the back. Paschimottanasana (The Forward Bend) Paschimothan Asana also known as touching toes posture, means stretching the back. It brings flexibility and corrects disorders of the spine. Bhujanga Asana (The Cobra) Bhujanga means serpent or snake. This asana is named after the king of the snakes, Cobra. It

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 28 Frogs do not need to drink water as they absorb the water through their skin.

provides a youthful appearance and for women, makes child birth easy. Salabha Asana (The Locust) Salabha or locust is a type of grass hopper. It is a reverse of cobra posture. It is strenuous and can be practiced in parts at the initial stage. It favourably activates all the organs of the lower part of the body. Sarvanga Asana (The shoulder Stand) Sarva means all and Anga means body, so Sarvanga is the posture of the whole body. As the whole body weight in this posture rests on the shoulders, it is also called Shoulder Stand Posture. It is a purifying, nourishing and energizing asana beneficial to the whole body Matsya Asana (The Fish Posture) Matsya Asana is so called because in its perfect posture, one is supposed to float like a fish in water. It is beneficial to perform this asana after Sarvanga Asana. It has corrective effects for the neck and shoulder troubles. Dhanur Asana (The Bow Posture) The body form in this asana resembles a bow or dhanur. It is one of the best asana for activating and strengthening the joints of the body. It has some benefits especially for women. Hala Asana (Plough Posture) The plow or Hala Asana is an extreme forward bending exercise. It has some excellent benefits and occupies a very prominent place in asanas. It is a unique asana for gaining sexual power. Shava Asana (Relaxation Posture) Shava Asana means posture of a dead body. Also known as Yoga Nidra which means yogic method of sleep, it is an asana which claims to provide a satisfactory relaxation of both the body and the mind.

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1 Too great to assess (12) 9 Fail to use (profitably) (5) 10 Seismological scale (7) 11 Bog muck (4) 12 Money in accepted use (8) 14 Biblical hunter (6) 15 Pre-nuptial event (4,2) 18 Skinflint (8) 20 Norse god (4) 22 Mythical beast (7) 23 Foreigner (5) 24 (In) confusion (6-6)

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Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 29 A seagull can drink salt water because it has special glands that filter out the salt.

Solution at page no 37

Across

Down 2 Quack remedy (7) 3 Red Sea port (4) 4 High cloud (6) 5 Clare ate (anag) (8) 6 Police (or conductors) stick (5) 7 Time for tea? (5,7) 8 Feminine influence (1,6,5) 13 Refuge when in flight (4,4) 16 Divine (7) 17 Large wine bottle (6) 19 Departure (5) 21 Sharp pain (or similar feeling) (4)

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Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 30 Earth is 2/3 water, but all the fresh water streams only represent one hundredth of one percent.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 31 Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes 88 per cent of the mercury and 54 per cent of the cadmium deposited into our landfills.

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Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 32 Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 33 Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes Recycled paper requires 64 per cent less energy than making paper 88 per cent of the mercury and 54 per cent of the from virgin wood pulp, and can save many trees. cadmium deposited into our landfills.

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Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 34 Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 35 Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes 88 per cent of the mercury and 54 per cent of the cadmium deposited into our landfills.

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Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 36 More than 1/3 of all energy is used by people at home.

Phirni
Phirni is a popular North Indian dessert recipe. Learn how to make/prepare Phirnee by following this easy recipe.

Gladden your taste buds

Ingredients:
2 Liter milk 100 gms Soaked rice 1/2 Cup sugar 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder 1/2 Cup pistachio nuts Soaked saffron strands

Process:
Grind soaked rice to make a paste. Boil the milk. Add sugar and rice paste. Cook it till it turns thick. Mix cardamom powder and saffron. Stir it for a while. Place it in a plate and keep it in a refrigerator. Serve it chilled with pistachio nuts.

Business Trivia
The country that has been named recently by the Forbes magazine as the richest country in the world is Qatar. The new name for the merged entity of Sesa Goa and Sterlite of the Vedanta group is Sesa Sterlite. The Chennai based venture in which Anjali Tendulkar and Aarti Sehwag have a significant stake is, Sports Mechanics, a software company that helps analyzing cricket from the videos. The name of the new service launched by ET that provides real time information about stock market is ET Speed. The government from now on will use the postmen for collecting rural data for the newly launched Consumer Price Index.

A W O M A N S T I O U N C H U

I N O A S T I R U I M G O I N G

C A L C D I T E R N R E C U B S R OD L M H T WA H G C OR N L U G E R M

U L A I C E R R A S T E D P A N U G

A B L E A A H T E R L O E NC Y M A GD O O R OD I N I L L I E N G K G E R Solutions

Sahaj Setu April 2012 Page 37 One bus carries as many people as 40 cars!

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