Yesterday, I saw two young girls complaining on not being seated in a microbus — the so called government subsidised public transportation in Nepal. They were hearing impaired. I could only see in their silence the grumbling for the reservations provided in the vehicle. She would stare with annoyance and the other would conform to her muted anger. A plump lady with wicked looks to her face sat on the reserved seat as if she had no idea on the reservations … or, perhaps refrained from leaving the precious seat. To her side were two school children, aged around 18, and right above her head was the shiny and ever-so-alerting ‘reservations for differently able ones’. I forgot to tell you that I was also not seated. Their discussions — perfectly executed with their artistic hands — was beyong my capacity of understanding but the fire in their eyes and some fingers directed at other passengers were certainly displaying the rage against them being devoid of their rights. I saw one of them signaling to say that the passengers were insane, saying how humans could be such ruthless and unkind. And then I thought to myself, how would I have reacted to the situation. I could certainly have left the seat for them or … would I ? How in the world would I reiterate their disability reminding them of their own gruesome experience of the unforgiving world to offer them a seat? How would I make an offer for their muted words? Would that not be awkward, a sympathy that would only add salt to their chronic wounds? Thus, I pondered over what was better: self-esteem, conscience, or sympathetic votes.

Facebook, the social networking giant, has been there for more than a decade now. Small wonder it has users from every nooks and corners, of every community and users who are “differently able”.

“Differently able” people with the help of accessibility features, provided within it, for those with these challenges can now use Facebook more comfortably. Features such as touch responses, speech recognition, high-contrast and zoom have made it really easy for them use every possible alternatives in the social media platform. Besides the variety of options — smart phones, tablets, desktops, mobile phones, etc., — from where to get connected, Facebook also provides these users with assistive technology for every option. 

For those who feel hard to see small texts in smart phones, it has the feature to zoom in and to read aloud the text. And for those who can’t really use techy gadgets, Facebook runs in simplified desktop versions.

The addition of assistive technology features, although, has not been of highest priority, has led the change that promises to realise the “technology for all” theme. Facebook has shown to its users that conforms to these requirements and has adapted itself to incorporate these features.

It can thus be quite clear to say that Facebook has not compromised its features so as to bias its users on the basis of physical capacity. It can also be stated that it has promissing signs to reduce the “digital divide” prevalent among people with different abilities.

Health sector has always been the primary adopter of new technology. Electronic devices abound in health facilities; health laboratories use them along with other devices. But wherever they get used, they become integral part of the process: they help in precision of service and reduce human efforts.

It turns out, however, with the advances in technology, health sector can do much more than its current threshold. They can provide rapid services with precise information, collect data for analysis and can help in overcoming the current limitations. Health researchers have recognized technology as a complementary but essential entity in health sector. And because many cognitive and medical researches are in the verge of getting major successes, they are being taken as de regueur in health related developments.

Kidney failure stands as one of the most challenging problems mankind has ever faced. A patient who has kidney failure does not have many options for treatment. He can either go for dialyses, a painstaking task where the patient is injected into his body tubes for blood refining, three times a week for three to four hours or he has the option for kidney transplantation from a healthy source. The latter however, is a costly, if not a fortuitous, process and requires a patient to be under constant medication in order to prepare the body for foreign tissue implant.

Dialysis machines found today are large devices that imitate the functions of biological kidneys. Its blood cleansing work however, is not a perfect one and causes bleeding, clotting and infection apart from the inconvenience that a patient feels, who needs to be hooked up to the device every time during the process. Still, dialyses remains as the best option for kidney failure for most of the patients – not all are fortunate to get a transplant.

A world where the regeneration of kidneys through patient’s own cells remains way off. Recent developments in kidney failure studies however, have found some promising alternatives. Tiny versions of dialysis machines are being produced. These machines just under 5 kilograms are almost portable and yet be as effective as their predecessor; just some of the recent tech-driven developments today. The developments however are under research, almost industrial manufacturing ready and cost much high. Nonetheless, their upcoming contributions to living being could well worth be of waiting for.

 

 

The Internet has brought about radical changes in the way we communicate. We talk, we text and we share. The very definition of modern day communication is complemented by these terms. Sharing is the foundation on which we, humans, advance today.

Plagiarism -– a viral term today -– stands for the reckless copying of ideas of others without their consent or their reference. It’s like stealing ideas of others and declaring them as their own. Although the existence of plagiarism stands long before the Internet, the massive administration of the term has its roots in the Internet communication and specifically in the web 2.0 or the social networking. Plagiarism is a disease, a contagious and vicious one, that limits the originality of its victims. The social networking in use today besides all of its greater positive aspects also has some share of negatives. And among the negatives, plagiarism does have an expanding roots. A very simple example of copying of someone’s status on one’s own wall without referencing the original poster is plagiarism.

The viral effect of plagiarism could prove fatal. We know that we are distinguishable from animals because we are superior. We are superior for we can share our ideas. The improvement of human life, thus, relies on the fact that we share and bring forward newer and better things-–the things that facilitate our own living. What will happen if new ideas don’t emerge? How will newness come to living if every thinker, scholar, innovator, scientist fall into the dark of copying things? Imagine a world where every other thing you see is not a new thing! One could argue that humans have already achieved the best of everything. We are not in an ideal world and we have not achieved ideal human life. To get to a world where all are happy, a world where just like the song “Imagine” by John Lennon described, we need to find improvements. To find something new, we need to build upon previous efforts; the process is called research. Research overshadowed by plagiarism finds no new thing. All goes round to lead to the same old point. Plagiarism thus is “the tipping point” of stalemate.

The Internet is a beautiful thing humans have invented today. Revolutions, both social and political, we saw recently all over the world for civil freedom and human rights have been possible because people communicated using social networking sites. However, the misuse of the Internet for plagiarism has diminished and will demote human civilization. There is the need to check this viral and contagious disease and a need to raise an awareness. Let us be original, let us refer.

I could sound bragging about something quite not so unfamiliar. I may also be interpreted as the one who talks archaic. I am a teacher. I deal with students. At times, I write too. And, today is just the appropriate moment when I have the feeling of writing something. Being a teacher by profession, I have the responsibility of rebuilding manpower. I am bound to this  tradition that has been there for very long.

Teaching, as a practice  has been existing from antiquity. In Hinduism, a teacher is called a  ”Guru”. He is a pundit who gives all his knowledge to his pupils. He owns the most respectable position is society. In other cultures also, a teacher stands as a guardian in society.  Majority of the people in Nepal are Hindu. Among the minorities, Buddhism, Muslims, Christianity and few other cultures are found to be followed. Every culture however, set aside utmost respect for teachers and preachers. A “Guru” is found to have the position equivalent to fathers and mothers in all cultural followings and practices.

While going through the history of Nepal,  a teacher is found to have the same dignity and position  right besides the ruler. Whether during the period of pre-unification or after the unification of Nepal, every ruler is found to have a teacher as a guide. After the introduction of democracy in Nepal, many schools opened, higher level studies started. This led to the educational reform in Nepal. The ’90s revolution led to the opening of even more schools and colleges. Today, we are lucky enough to say that our country is independent from others in serving the best of education available in the world. We have made quite an achievement. Nepali students are found serving the best industries in the world. The educational quality has been approved by many multinational companies and have let Nepali students work for them. It is not a rare event when we hear a Nepali being honored for his achievement. We have produced pupils who are hard to resist.
Going through the recent history, the peoples’ revolution for a republic Nepal brought us to a new era. However, prior to the revolution Nepal had a turbulent decade — a decade that passed with bloody history. People were killed. Peace was at stake. The bloodshed not only led to loss of human lives and destroyed infrastructures but also shattered traditional beliefs and superstitions.  The attitudes of people changed. The society changed. It was, in retrospect, a change that took human emotions to a new level.

The twelve year old war ended with the Peoples’ Revolution. A ray of hope emerged. Nepal was declared a republic, and the feeling of being ruled by a king ended. Democracy was reformed. Educational system though, had subtle change only. Some notes on history were updated. The urgent need to reform the education system was not felt. We had feelings of being right on our paths. Despite the historical change, people had expectations — expectations that were far too much away in time. Inevitably, dissatisfaction arose. People were found to have lost their self-discipline. This had direct impact on children.

The post-revolution era created an atmosphere where everybody was made to believe that the only way to get heard was to hit at the opponent by physical means — legal procedures were not on the menu. Such feelings had impact on every sector including educational institutions. This led to disrespect, loss of decency and loss of moral behaviors. Unfortunately this feeling prevails today also. Have we been culturally adrift? Do we respect our teachers? Do we need to re-think?

Students are mirrors of our future. They are the ones who rule the nation afterwards. It is the duty of our society to teach them the norms and values of society. The norms, values and culture that has been prevalent in any society does change in course of time. However, the changes should not lead to a chaotic society. The good changes must be adopted while the existing better values must be preserved. They should be relayed in time. Cultures must have some good in them for they are the changes that our ancestors adopted after years of learning. The haphazard following of other cultures degrades society. The peace, harmony and cultural status get compromised when the norms and values get lost in between. We and our children should always be taught about our culture, discipline and respect for society. Unity and integrity prevail only when we understand ourselves and our representation in society. It should be us, the parents and teachers — the society overall, who should revive in our students, the feeling of cultural importance in society. They should be taught to believe in their teachers. The teachers on the other hand should be made more responsible. Teachers can be a good friend of students and vice-versa but it is a relationship that exists only if they have their responsibilities well understood. Help raise the children in a good environment.