European Researcher. Series A

2005-2012

Authors: Pyali Chatterjee

Like any other crime, poverty is also one of the main causes of practicing Thalaikoothal. When Pramila Krishan, Journalist of Deccan Chronicale, came to know about the practices of Thalaikoothal, she was very shocked. And while investigating the matter she found that most of the family members use to kill there parents whom they can’t effort. And the aged people of Virudhunagar, they had accepted this practice of getting unnatural death as there fate as they also think that they have become burden for there children, as every thing in today’s world is costly. Article 21 of Indian Constitution grants Right to life only. According to Article 21 says, “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”. Right life under Article 21 does not include Right to die. Right to life is a natural right. The question regarding Right to die first time comes before Bombay High Court in State of Maharashtra v. Maruty Sripati Dubal 1987 Cri LJ 743. And here in this case court declare that Right to Life includes Right to die, thus making Section 309 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 which makes attempt to suicide as punishable offence unconstitutional. But Supreme Court in Gian Kaur v State of Punjab (1996)2 SCC 648, held that Right to life does not include “Right to die” or “Right to be killed”. Thus, attempt to suicide is punishable offence under section 309 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 and it is not unconstitutional to Indian Constitution Art. 21. Right to life is a natural right and right to die is not a natural right and no one has a right to finish their life in unnatural way. Thus, the practice of Thalaikoothal is illegal and unethical.

2022-2034

Authors: Alexander Fedorov

The analysis of the conducted questionnaire among teachers of secondary schools showed that realizing the great importance of the media in the contemporary information society, three quarters of them support the idea of media education at schools and 58% believe that a new major for pedagogical institutes needs to be introduced - “Media Education”. Most of teachers justly think that the combination of the autonomous and integrated media lessons is the most effective way today for the development of media education in Russia, and therefore - for the increase of media literacy of the young generation. However, in spite of the fact that majority of teachers define the aim to develop the critical thinking of the audience as one of the most important, they significantly overestimate the weight of “protectionist” approach to media studies today, and on the contrary, undervalue the goals to develop the democratic thinking of the pupils, their knowledge about theory and history of media and media culture. Moreover, despite of the general support of media education ideas (in theory) expressed by 75 % of the teachers, actually only one third of them use some elements of media education at their lessons (in reality), and one fifth of the group does not integrate it at all. The hardest obstacle on the way of media education into the Russian classrooms is the absence of financial motivation, according to the teachers, though to our point of view, last but not the least is the passive anticipation of the authority’s directives and insufficient level of knowledge of today’s Russian teachers in terms of the theory and methods of media education. Thus, the analysis of the teachers’ questionnaire has given us additional proof for the necessity of the official introduction of the new university-level Major- “Media Education” (namely, Major, because the homonymous Minor was registered in 2002) and media education courses for the students of all pedagogical institutes. Only when the media literate graduates of universities come to work in schools, we will be able to evaluate the position of media education within the curriculum.