The All-In-One Package

Love without conditions or unconditional love, a term easy to say and hard to find. The meaning of love changes from time to time as people changes. The way people of the 19^th century defined love and the way people today define it is different. It also differs from people to people, country to country and religion to religion. Whatever the definition be, people then, now and tomorrow will want unconditional love from their partners. But, in a world where people kill even their parents, grandparents, husband, wife, son, daughter and siblings, can you find true love? YES!

          How good it would be if there is someone cares for you even when you don’t see. Somebody who is happy just because you are happy and is with you when you are sad. Somebody who is equally worried just because you are. Somebody who is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for your happiness. Somebody who will help you with the best of their efforts. Somebody who will do anything for you with no expectations in return. Imagine all these qualities in a single person. It would be like a all-in-one package. A package everybody would pray to have. A package everybody would want. But, do such people even exist in this time of Kalyuga? Luckily, they do. They are around you, if you are lucky enough. 

          So, if they exist, who are they? They are your own Grandparents. There is a saying that for a moneylender, the interest amount is more dearer than the principal amount. You are the interest for your grandparents out of the principal amount, that is your parents. Your Grandparents will love you more than your parents, more than your siblings, more than your girlfriend/boyfriend, more than your friends, more than you husband/wife and more than anybody else in the world and more than you think anybody would. 

           Grandparents are your superheroes. They don't possess superpowers but have superqualities. 

          First Superquality, Wisdom. Wisdom is something which comes from experience. Not everybody is wisdomous. Luckily, you have people who love you the most with a superquality which is rare. Isn't that a jackpot? Yes. They are a sea of wisdom. Everything they speak is in some way or the other to teach you the way of living or impart knowledge in you. Relax your schedule for a while and try sitting with your grandparents for sometime. You will enjoy the time more than anything else. All the important decisions need experience and what better than grandparents. A decision with a contribution of your grandparents is always towards the right path.

          Second, Love. Children are the world for  grandparents. They are everything to them. They are their most priced possession. Do you remember when they would do weird things only to make you happy? They would feed you first and then themselves. They would sacrifice their sleep only because you cannot sleep. They would prefer staying home and spending time with you rather than an outing. They would love telling you stories. Their priority is you. They would prefer lifting you on their back and bearing the pain just because that makes you happy. They can be the type of friends to you which your parents couldn't be. On the fun side, when you are a small kid, they let you do all the things your parents won't.

          This is a story that made me write this post. I saw an old man, aged probably around 80 years with his grandchild on the roadside. They had probably gone for a walk. The grandfather lifted his grandchild because the child wished to. I could clearly feel the pain of a 80 year old man lifting a child. But, there was a wide smile on his face, wider than that of the child he was holding and a sense of happiness. His agony and pain were far lesser than the happiness of watching his grandchild enjoying the shoulder ride. This probably looks more like a simple story but the emotions on that man's face were priceless. 

          Be the reason behind their smile and you will feel at the top of the world. The all-in-one package requires just one thing in return. Your time. They will probably live for a few more years. Give them the best time and you will be proud of yourself. That smile with a simple joke of yours. That smile is priceless and you would think, why haven't I done it earlier. That proud moment for them, may that be your new achievement in business or when you have successfully won a match on a computer game. Those are priceless moments for them and they are proud form every small achievement of yours.

          In spite having a young heart and being humorous, they are lonely with everybody in the family busy in their daily routine. Their routine is you. Their day starts with you and ends with you. In our busy schedule, we often forget about what is going on with them. They often hide their sickness just because that will make you spoil your schedule and take care of them but will surely be by your side 24x7 in your sickness.  But, always remember, they are with silver on their heads and gold in their hearts. You can consider yourself as the luckiest if your grandparents are with you.

          Spend as much time as possible with your grandparents. Intake as much wisdom, as much knowledge as possible. Make them so happy that they feel complete with you. Because, soon there will come a time when they will be long gone and you wont have them to share your feelings, to play silly games, to impart wisdom on you, to shower you with knowledge and good deeds. Then, the only thing you will have is their memories. You will miss that precious, priceless, beautiful smile on their faces and you will regret that you couldn't do that more often. You wont have them to allow you to eat till you are satisfied. You wont have them to throw aside the rules and let you have fun with freedom. You wont have them to guide you through at complicated situations. They wont be there to support you in your tough times. Always remember, they are the best thing that could ever happen to you. They make our home a Heaven on earth. They are god's replacement on earth.

Introduction to Bitcoin

                                                     

 I was first introduced to this old yet new term, Bitcoin, when I was reading a novel by Ravi Subramaniam titled, God Is A Gamer.

     What is Bitcoin?
          Bitcoin is a virtual currency. It is a digital currency and cannot be printed on paper nor can it be produced as metal coins like the USD or Rupees. Unlike any other currency which is monitored or governed by a governing body ( USD governed by Federal reserve System, Rupees governed by Reserve Bank Of India and so on), Bitcoin is independent and not governed by any governing body. It is Decentralized.  The transactions between people take place directly without the involvement of any intermediaries. 
For example, when Ashutosh, from Chennai transfers Rs 100000 to his friend Nidhi, residing in Bangalore, he would do it through his bank. The money is transferred from Ashutosh's bank account to Nidhi's. Banks are the intermediaries to this transaction between Ashutosh and Nidhi. But, in case of Bitcoin, no such intermediaries are involved. Bitcoins are sent directly from Ashutosh to Nidhi without involvement of any intermediaries. This system is called P2P or Peer-to-Peer transaction.

     The Invention:
          Bitcoin is invented by Satoshi Nakamoto. He has kept his identity hidden and was initially assumed to be a Japanese national. He invented Bitcoin in 2008 and published this idea on The Cryptography Mailing List. He then released the Open-Source Software in 2009. 
          Nobody knows anything about Satoshi except his name. A coder named, Stefan Thomas would keep a close watch on when Satoshi would release a article on Bitcoin forum and the language used in the article. After monitoring 500 articles from Satoshi, he came to a conclusion that Satoshi may be possibly from Central America, the Carribean or South America.
          Soon after the invention, Satoshi started collaborating with several companies for the growth of Bitcoin. He shifted the authority of the software to Gavey Anderson. As on 20 July, 2016, The public ledger showed that Satoshi's known Bitcoin address contains nearly 1 million Bitcoins.

     Bitcoin Transactions:
          Every user has a public key and a private key. Passwords, in simple terms. Bitcoin can be used for any type of transactions given that, both the parties to the transaction has to have registered with Bitcoin. Bitcoin can be used to pay for your transactions, they can be transferred to your friend's wallet also as gifts, and almost all other transaction can be carried out using Bitcoins. When a Bitcoin transaction takes place, the transaction is recorded in what is called a block. When new blocks are created, they are added to the General Ledger,  called the Blockchain. More and more transactions take place everyday and maintaining them can be a tough task. Here, Miners come into the picture. 

     Mining:
          Mining is the process of creating Bitcoins. The system of Bitcoins was invented in such a way that, Bitcoins can be created by anybody. To possess Bitcoins, you can either mine them, or receive them from somebody else in your Bitcoin Wallet. Mining is the process in which Bitcoins are created when you solve a mathematical problem. This can sound easy to people with expertise in math, but its not. These math problems are very complicated. People earn bitcoins on solving math problems which are related to bitcoin.
          A Miner's task is to post the transactions & blocks to the Blockchain. They create a mathematical formula and turn the transaction into something very simpler, like a sequence of numbers called a Hash. This Hash is attached along with the block in the Blockchain. 
          Hash has some unique properties. Hash can be easily created from the transaction but on just seeing a Hash, it is impossible to determine the details of the transaction. 
          Another important property of the Hash is that along with details of the transaction, it also contains parts of the previous transaction or block. Thus, the process is self-checked and is in sequence and if a fradulent activity takes places, everybody would know as the Blockchain is accessible by all. 

     Limited Bitcoins:
          People can mine bitcoins after solving math problems relating to blocks. Initially, 25 bitcoins were mined per block. Roughly, every four years, the mining gets halved. That means, currently, 12.5 bitcoins are mined per block till sometime around 2020. It will again get halved to 6.25 bitcoins per block and if you calculate, the number of bitcoins that can ever be produced are limited. The halving takes place every four years and it will stop roughly around the year 2110-2140 when 21 million Bitcoins would have been mined or produced.

     Current Value:
          The value of bitcoin is volatile and can change drastically, somewhat like the price of a share. The current value of Bitcoin in terms of USD is 1 Bitcoin is equal to 575.29 USD and that's a lot of money. In terms of Rupees, 1 Bitcoin equals 38464 Rupees.

     Bitcoin Sub units:
          Millibitcoin is equal to 10<sup>−3 or 0.001 of a Bitcoin. 

            Microbitcoin is equal to</sup> 10<sup>−6
  or 0.000001 of a Bitcoin. 

          The smallest unit, Satoshi is equal</sup> 

 ^to 10^{−8 or 0.00000001 of a Bitcoin.} 

     Identity Claims: 

             Recently, a Australian entrepreneur,  Craig Wright has claimed that he is Satoshi Nakamoto along with proof. Prominent members of the Bitcoin community has confirmed his claims after verifying the proofs but many other people have asked for more proof. 

To know more and to create your own Bitcoin Wallet (Like a Bank Account in Banks), visit Bitcoin Dot Com

That Ill-Fated Day.

The date, 15th August, 1947 is considered as the greatest day in the history of India and Pakistan. India got independence from the British rule on this very day. People all over the country rejoiced this day. It also marked the beginning of a new era. Under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Muslims got their separate nation as demanded, Pakistan.

     But, was the independence truly a reason for people to be happy? No doubt, India got freed from the British rule after 350 years and after 3 decades of struggle. But, the partition was not less than a nightmare for over 10 million people. While people in majority of India celebrated their independence, many cursed their fate. Due to the greed and unrealistic demands of some politicians, millions of people suffered. 

The Idea for Independence:
          Since 1612, East India Company started ruling India, primarily for trade with European countries. People of India worked under the jurisdiction of the East India Company and on their rules for 300 years. During the first world war, India sent over one million soldiers to fight for the British in a hope that this would help India get independence. Around 75000 soldiers lost their lives in the war and another 70000 were wounded. After the war ended, British showed no signs of help. 
          Once, on the occasion of Punjabi New Year, 13th April, 1919, thousands of people gathered in Jallianwalabagh. When Major General Dyer came to know about this meet, he sealed all the gates of the park and ordered 50 soldiers to open fire at the crowd. This resulted in over 400 deaths and 1000 injured. This sparked anger among the people of India and then started the actual fight for Independence. 

The reason for partition:

           Why did the partition take place? Why couldn't all the people stay together rather than dividing themselves into two different countries? The partition took place due to the British withdrawal soon after the victory of Labour Party in the British general elections in 1945. Winston Churchill's government was ruled out of power.  Mohammad Ali Jinnah, once a Indian National Congress member and then the leader of the Muslim League pressurised the British council to divide the country into two parts on the basis of religion. One part for the Hindu-dominated and other for the Muslims. Muslim League, headed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah basically wanted a separate country for Muslims as they feared that once India gets independence, INC ( Indian National Congress) will form the government and thus Muslim interests will get neglected. During the second world war, the demand for Indian soldiers was raised. Muslim League agreed to the demand as they thought that supporting the British would lead to a separate country being granted to the Muslims, but the INC refused to supply soldiers.
          This demand for separate country also sparked controversies. On 16 August, 1946, also called as Direct Action Day is one such example. On this day, riots broke out in the state of Calcutta, between Hindus and Muslims resulting in over 4000 people getting slaughtered, 20000 injured and another 100000 left homeless. Constant riots took place between people after that tragic day. 

Doom Day:
          Though Indian National Congress was against partition, the demand of Mohammad Ali Jinnah was accepted and it was decided that partition of India would take place along with independence. Muslims dominated the northern part of the country except for Punjab, where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs had equal dominance. The date decided was 15th August, 1947. 
        For this special purpose, Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer was called immediately to India. With this being his first visit to India and also with outdated maps and census reports, he was asked to draw a line of partition. The hurry in which the line of partition was drawn can be imagined as Radcliffe was given only 4 weeks to complete this task. Meanwhile, Punjab also demanded for a separate country but their request was rejected. Radcliffe then drew the line right between Lahore and Amritsar, dividing Punjab into two halves. The state of Jammu & Kashmir had the choice of choosing among the two newly formed countries. In spite being a Muslim-dominated state, the leader of Jammu&Kashmir decided to stay in India.
           Islamic Republic of Pakistan was established on 14th August and Republic of India was established on 15th August though the partition line was not declared till August 17th. The reason behind the delay in declaration of partition line was that the British did not wanted to be the reason for what they saw coming. 

Aftermath:
           The partition brought with it the largest mass migration in the history. People migrated from India to Pakistan and from Pakistan to India depending on the religion they followed.

 Around 14 million people migrated. As a result, violent clashes started between the two sides, one being the Hindus and Sikhs and other side being the Muslims. This migration resulted in death of over 2 million people and according to a census report, over 2.5 million people went missing. The migration to another country was not a easy task and millions died in the process of migration.

          The clashes between the two groups resulted  in ruthless massacre of millions of people on both side. Around 75000 women were abducted and raped. Gangs of people would burn villages killing everybody they could find were in the opposite side with No mercy shown towards kids, ladies or the aged. The partition also resulted in the assassination of M.K.Gandhi, the person whose non-violent principles and leadership led to the independence, by Nathuram Godse in 1948. 

The Intolerance Issue

Intolerance is now a major issue and a topic for debate for people in India. Intolerance, basically meaning unwilling to accept views or beliefs differing own views, has gained attention all over the country. 

          It all started with the incident of mob lynching in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh. On september 28, a public announcement system of the temple was used to spread a rumour about a cow being killed by Mohammed Akhlaq. Following which,  people armed with sticks and bricks arrived at the 52 year old Mohammed Akhlaq Saifi's residence. The mob entered the house and found some meat in the refrigerator. They insisted that it was mutton but the mob refused to listen to them. The mob dragged them outside beat up Akhlaq and his son with sticks and bricks. They also attacked Akhlaq's mother and his wife. The local police was informed and investigation started. First the temple priest and then son of a local BJP leader were arrested for questioning. This incident sparked a sense of intolerance among the activists and many renowned personalities. 

          Another incident adding to the intolerance issue was the murder of Dr. M.M. Kalburgi. He was a renowned Kannada writer, scholar and rationalist. He had authored over a 100 books in kannada. He belonged the the Lingayat community propagated by Basavanna. Basavanna opposed religion, religious practises and brahminical rituals and so was he. He would often give speeches on such sensitive topics which sparked anger and criticism by a section of the society. He often criticised idol worship which which invited people pelting stones and bottles at his residence. A complain was filed against him few months back for the same issue. He continued to his thoughts not fearing the people. Few days back, two youths visited his residence as his students and shot him on his forehead twice. That lead to protests against the murder.

          The above incident can be related to a murder in 2013 of Mr.Dabholkar, a rationalist and author. He was against superstition and black magic. He made several failed attempts to get the anti-superstition law enacted in the state of Maharashtra. He was the founder of Maharashtra Andhashradha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS). MANS, under his supervision, drafted the Anti-jaadu tona bill. He was often threatened for his views since 1983. He was shot dead on 20th August by two youths near Omkareshwar temple, Pune. 

          The rising incidents of murders due to a difference of opinion and views has got the activists and socialists awaken. Unhappy with the government's response to rising intolerance, many writers, poets, authors and activists decided to take a stand against a rising issue. People decided on a all new way to protest against the intolerance. Mr.Uday Prakash, a Hindi writer was the first among them to return his award from Sahitya Akademi. He renounced his award to protest against the killing of Mr. M.M. Kalburgi. others who returned their awards were Nayantara Sahgal, a writer, My Ashok Vajpeyi, a poet, Ghulam Nabi Khayal, Gurbachan singh Bhullar and many more personalities. twelve filmmakers including Dibakar Banerjee and Anand Patwardhan returned their awards. Started with actual protest, the return of awards has become a way to come in the highlight and has increased due to political interests of some people. 

          Increased intolerance also invited comments from various film stars. Actor Shahrukh Khan joined the chorus of growing intolerance. He said, ''religious intolerance and not being secular is the worst thing you can do as a patriot''. Salman Khan had few points on the intolerance issue. He said that he doesn't believe in judging people on the basis of where they come or what their religion is.

          Aamir Khan, another film star came into a controversy with his answer on growing intolerance at the RNG awards. He said that his wife fears the intolerance environment in the country and fears for their son and even asks to leave the country. Many people slammed this statement and asked him to leave the country as his wife suggested. His comments also invited criticism from his colleagues on social networking sites. A case was registered against him in Delhi by a short-film director and his posters were burned in several cities as a way of protest against his comments. 

          On the contrary, some celebs also feel that returning national awards is a gesture of disrespect towards oneself and the country. The debate still continues as on why is the environment in India growing intolerant and what are the causes. The people of the country has a major role to play in this issue. It all depends on how they react to a particular issue. By returning awards or by acting in such a way that the issue does not arise again in the future.

Operation Blue Star.

     Only few people know about what happened between 3rd June and 8th June, 1984 at the Harmandir Sahib complex, famously known as The Golden Temple, in Amritsar, Punjab. The event changed the lives of Sikhs all over the world drastically. 
     Reason for the Operation Blue Star: 
          Jarnail Singh bhindranwale, head of Damdami Taksal, was a very influential leader among the sikh youths. He propagated original values of sikhism and urged people to follow it.
          Bhindranwale, along with other sikhs demanded for a separate state for sikhs. It is called the Khalistan Movement. The movement originally started in 1940s but was in the picture in 1980s with Bhindranwale and others demanding for a separate state. 
          During the 1970s and 1980s, Bhindranwale started accumulating armed weapons and established a strong military group. He accumulated machine guns, rifles, rocket launchers and other deadly weapons. He had his headquarters inside the Golden Temple. The temple, being a religious place was less interfered by the police and military. Bhindranwale always opposed Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. 
     The Doom Day:
          Indira Gandhi planned to attack Bhindranwale and his associates. She asked General Officer Commander SK Sinha to plan the attacks on which he had some opposite proposals. He was then replaced with Arun Shridhar Vaidya as the chief of India Army. 
          The operation started on 1st june with military personnel attacking "Guru Ram Das Langar" building, killing 10 people. A 36 hours sudden curfew was announced on 3rd June, which coincidentally is a religious day for sikhs. 
          A total media blackout was exercised, no transportation facilities and water and electricity supplies being cut off.
          The operation had two components- Operation Metal which was confined to Harmandir Sahib complex and Operation Shop, which included raiding Punjab to capture suspects. Following this, Operation Woodrose  was launched which targeted sikhs, especially who carried Kirpan, a type of sword carried by the sikhs. 
          Indian Army, led by Kuldip Singh Brar, attacked the people in and around the temple, killing almost everyone coming in the way. 
          On the other hand, Bhindranwale was not a weak side. Men armed with semi-automatic rifles and rocket launchers and led by Ex Major General Shabeg Singh, this side did not accept defeat easily. 
                                    

          Firing continued from both sides with hundreds of people dying everyday. Soon, tanks were used by Indian Army on Akal Takth. The building was damaged but stood strongly. On 7th June, Indian Army had gained control on the Harmandir Sahib Complex. 
                            

     Casualties:
          The Indian Army confirmed the death of 493 people and 136 military personnel and 220 wounded. Some unofficial sources stated the figures at 20000 people. Later, Rajiv Gandhi stated the toll to 700 military personnel.
     Aftermath:
          It led to widespread protests by Sikhs, some at large scale.
          This operation also led to the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi on 31st October, 1984. She was killed by two of her sikh bodyguards. 33 bullets were fired at her. 
          The assassination in turn led to Anti-Sikh Riots in 1984 killing around 2800 Sikhs all over India. 
                         

     Operation Black Thunder:
          On 9 May, 1986, Operation Black Thunder was launched. It was a far better, well prepared operation led by the DGP of Punjab Police. Around 200 militants surrendered and 41 were killed. Full media coverage was allowed. Minimal damage occurred to The Golden Temple.
     Criticisms:
           Indira Gandhi was highly criticised for this operation with some stating that she wanted to become a hero in order to win the forthcoming elections.
          Indian Army was criticised for violations of Human Rights.

The Black Friday

     The 12th of March, 1993 is considered as a black friday in Indian history. On this day, something happened which shook the entire nation. 

     Why is it called a Black Friday?
          On this day, 12th of march, 1993, Bombay was shook with 13 bomb explosions across the city. These explosions were the worst in Indian history both in terms of the explosion and also in terms of the number of casualties. Some sources state the number of deaths to 257 while some other sources state it to be above 300. Also, more than 1000 people were injured in the blasts. It is said that these serial bomb blasts were one-of-its-kind across the world. 
     Where did it all start?
          A mosque was built in the place of the Ram Janmabhoomi(birth place of Lord Rama), Ayodhya by Mir BAqi in the 16th century. The members of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) along with political support of the BJP conducted a rally in Ayodhya on that place. The court had ordered police protection of the Masjid but the members of VHP and several other people, around 2,00,000, stormed into the Masjid, demolishing it with hammers and with their bare hands. They first demolished the three tombs with hammers and then removed each brick till the entire mosque was down. They also took down several other mosques in the town and also houses of muslims in the area. 
          This led to violent riots between Hindus and Muslims in the country. The riots resulted in about 2000 deaths. The riots continued for 2 months. 
          The 1993 Mumbai Blasts, initiated by Dawood Ibhrahim and Tiger Memon, were mainly due to anger as a result of demolition of the mosque 2 months back. 
                           

     The Blasts-
          Commonly called as 1993 Bombay Bombings, 13 bombs exploded in the city of Bombay, first explosion being at 1.30 pm in the basement of The Bombay Stock Exchange. The blasts continued till 3.40 pm with a total of 13 bombs exploded in the city. Places attacked includes

• Shiv Sena Bhavan
• Fisherman's Colony
• Plaza Cinema
• Zaveri Bazaar
• Hotel Sea rock
• Katha Bazaar
• Century Bazaar
• Sahar Airport
• Air India Building
• Hotel Juhu Centaur
• Worli
• Bombay Stock Exchange
• Passport office

                                 

          The bomb at the Stock Exchange exploded in the basement. It was planted in a car. Most of the bombs were planted in cars and bikes and in hotels, the bombs were kept in briefcases and left in the rooms which were booked by the attackers.

     Investigations and Aftermath-

          Mumbai police were so quick in the investigations and found out some of the main accused in the blasts within 48 hours. The Memon family were the prime accused. Dawood Ibrahim, said to be the don of Mumbai and leader of terrorist group, the D-Company. Since then, Tiger Memon and Dawood, both prime accused are on the run. 

          Sharath Pawar, the then Chief Minister of Mumbai, was also held for misstatements to the public. He misguided the public saying that a Muslim community was also attacked in the blasts so that people do not take this as a religious issue and to also avoid communal clashes. 

     Arrests-

          Around 100 people were arrested in the case. The masterminds behind the attack, Dawood, Tiger Memon, Ayub Memon and Yakub Memon were still on the run. Months after the blasts, Sanjay Dutt was arrested for possessing illegal weapons and without license. He was sentenced 5 years imprisonment. 

          The weapons and bombs were smuggled to Mumbai from Raigad. Several policemen were arrested for conspiracy for allowing the RDX inside Mumbai. Several customs officials were also arrested in this case for the same reason. 

          Several other arrested who were involved in planting bombs were locals, economically weak, who were persuaded to take revenge for the demolition of Babri Masjid.

     Present day-

          Dawood and Tiger Memon are still absconding and are said to be in Pakistan to which the Pakistan government denies. Yakub Memon, one of the chief accused is to be hanged on 30th July, 2015. Yakub's mercy plea was rejected by the president. 

          Some of D-Company's Hindu members like Chotta Shakeel and Sadhoo Shetty has left Dawood's gang. They have killed several people accused in the 1993 blasts.

The Vyapam Scam

     Have you watched the famous Bollywood movie, Munnabhai MBBS? In the movie, Munnabhai clears the entrance examination by hiring a Proxy by threatening the proxy to write and clear the exam. The proxy in that movie is a member of that institution where Munnabhai wanted to get admission. The Vyapam Scam is similar to that movie. 
                         

     What is Vyapam?
          Vyapam is a short form for the board, Vyavasayik Pariksha Mandal. This board conducts several entrance exams and tests for people desiring government jobs in various fields in Madhya Pradesh. Vyapam was set up in 1970 as a pre-medical test board by the Madhya Pradesh Government. It is a fully autonomous self-financed board. It controls exams of upto 40 government departments including jobs constable jobs, jobs for nurses, teachers etc.
     What is the Scam all about?
          Pay and clear. Candidates desirous of government jobs in various fields are required to take up the entrance exams and tests in the particular field. Some rich and corrupt candidates along with some corrupt politicians and members of the Vyapam have made a mess of these exams. Students can clear examinations even without appearing for it. They bribe middlemen, politicians and other people with enough power to help them clear their exams. 
     How does the Scam work?
          1. Proxy- Brilliant students would be made to take up the examinations in the place of those who desire to clear by bribing. The ID card details of those students would remain the same except for the photograph. The photo on the card would be of the person taking the exam and not of the person whose card it actually is. This change is done with the help of examination board officials. Once the exam is over, the photos are replaced with the original ones. The student would clear the exams with brilliant numbers which they have never appeared for. The officials and people involved in this fraud are paid heavily.
          2. Engine and Bogie- This method goes by the name. How a engine guides a bogie to the destination. Similarly, a person with enough knowledge about the exam is arranged to be seated next to a candidate who has bribed the officials. The candidate is allowed to copy in the exam and he clears the exams without any effort. The examiners and exam officials are bribed heavily to fix these arrangements.
          3. OMR Sheets- The candidates are asked to leave the OMR sheets blank in the exam. Later, they are awarded with high marks in the exam. Then, the officials would file a RTI against the candidate's answer sheets. The answer sheets would then be filled according to the marks already allotted to the candidate. This is done to remove loopholes in the fraud. 
     Taking the Wraps off.
          The wraps were off the scam in July, 2013 when 8 people were arrested as they tried to appear as a proxy for candidates. The police arrested them on a tip from a  whistleblower, Dr.Anand Rai. On interrogation, the name of the kingpin behind the scam came to light, Dr.Jagdish Sagar. Since then, nearly 2000 people engaged in the scam, most of them candidates, are arrested by the police and 500 are still on the run. Since this arrest, 56 police complaints and FIRs have been filed. This scam was handled by a Special Task Force (STF) on orders by the MP Government. 
          Congress requested for a CBI probe as they alleged that STF was formed in a hurry to set aside the idea of a CBI probe. The SC has ordered a CBI probe in July, 2015. 
     Some among the arrested- 
         Laxmikant Sharma (Ex-education minister), O.P.Shukla (an Officer on Special Duty), Sudhir Sharma (Mining Businessman), R.K.Shivare (IAS Officer), Ravikant Dwivedi (Joint Commissioner). Jagdish Sagar, a kingpin has already got 140 candidates clear the exams in fraudulent ways. Other major racket leaders have helped over 600 students. The estimate charge per student was Rs.2500000
          The scam had already resulted in nearly 1000 admissions in various government jobs before it came to light in 2013.
     Whistleblowers- Some major whistle blowers in the scam are Dr.Anand Rai, Ashish Chaturvedi ( Social Activist), Prashant Pandey(IT Consultant).
          These whistleblowers have received various threat calls and also some contract killers were hired to kill them. 
     Deaths in the Scam-
          About 25 people related to the scam are dead or killed and are found in  mysterious circumstances according to the police. However, TOI has put this number to 46. 
          Such scams are executed only due to negligent or ignorant government, fraudulent and corrupt officials and ignorant people. This scam resulted in admission  of candidates which don't deserve to and also to candidates who are less eligible. Candidates who deserve and are eligible are not provided seats because they are economically weaker or not ready to bribe for a seat. Youth talent remains unrecognized and is underutilized.