Ramayana in now available in Braille

Dated: December 30, 2011

Visually-challenged will now get a peek into the Ramayana, thanks to a
17-year-old student who has made the epic available in Braille. Pranav
Raghav Sood, a grade XI Bangalore student, chose the great epic as it
was not available to the visually challenged.

"I had visited the 'Abilities' school for blind when I was 12. I had
accompanied my grandmother, who used to read out stuff to visually
challenged kids. When we first went to the NGO, a visually challenged
woman actually announced my grand-mother's arrival even before she
stepped into the room. She had apparently figured out things by hearing
her footsteps. I realized that day that the visually challenged had a
different understanding of the world and with a little help they could
actually do wonders in everyday live," Pranav said.

After encouragement from hisfamily, this young boy took 120 days to type
out C Rajagopalachari's Ramayana in English in MS Word format. Any text
in this format can be directly programmed into Braille and this does not
require anyfurther editing.

Kalyan Nagar-based Abilities, which assisted Pranav, said: ''The
Ramayana is the most popular work and each one of us have to know about
this great epic. We are so happy that this work will be now available to
the visually challenged." Pranav's mother, Sood, said: "My son wanted to
help the visually challeng children in writing exams. But as it did not
work, he took up the project of making the Ramayana available to them in
Braille. I hope his efforts will be emulated by other children."

Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention Bill of Madhya Pradesh gets presidential nod

Bhopal: President Pratibha Patil has granted her assent to the long-pending Madhya Pradesh Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Bill which proposes seven-year imprisonment for cow slaughter.

The Gau-Vansh Vadh Pratishedh (Sanshodhan) Vidheyak has received the Presidential approval following which it has become an Act and has subsequently been published in the extraordinary gazette, an official release said on Tuesday.

In fulfillment of its commitment to protecting and conserving cow progeny, the state government had passed the amendment bill in the state Assembly in 2010 to remove the flaws in the Madhya Pradesh Gauvansh Pratishedh Adhiniyam 2004 (Madhya Pradesh Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention Regulation), the release said.

The amendment Act also obviated the difficulties and to make the provisions more stringent.

With the enforcement of the amended Act, now the responsibility of proving the prosecution wrong would lie with the accused in case of cow slaughter.

Similarly, a guilty of cow slaughter would be liable to imprisonment for seven years instead of present three years and a minimum fine of Rs 5,000 which may be increased by the court.

The amended Act provides that no person shall slaughter or cause to be slaughtered or offered for slaughter of any cow progeny by any means.

Besides, no person, including transporter, shall transport or offer for transport or cause to be transported any cow progeny himself or by his agent, servant or by any other person acting in his behalf within the state or outside the state for the purpose of its slaughter in contravention of the provisions of the Act or with the knowledge that it will be or is likely to be slaughtered.