A chip with the size of a small grain of rice…

A chip which could go underneath the skin of a human and stay there for a lifetime…

A chip which could be your identity, which goes with you wherever you go…

A chip which created much controversy at its very inception….

Yes, we are talking about biochips and the hullabaloo it bought along with it. Considered the ‘mark of the beast‘ by many, a full-fledged project of biochip implantation is still a scientist’s dream as it lies inside the vicious circle of moral debate.

Microchip implants and mind control related to cybernetics is an area discussed way back in 1948 in a book by Norbert Weiner. From then till now, theories have been formulated and materialized into the real tangible entity of biochip.

GeneChip, one of the first commercial biochips, contained thousands of individual DNA sensors for use in sensing defects or to understand single nucleotide polymorphisms to put it technically in tumor suppressor genes and genes related to breast cancer. But tt gained wide approval as a device which can be installed inside pet animals by injecting through a small hypodermic needle and make it easy for owners to track them down.

While biochips promised immense help in the field of medical diagnosis, it was tarnished with much negative publicity as it was projected as a device which is inserted inside human to track his actions and hunt him down. Now we really don’t like being followed, do we?

EPIC’s Hoofnagle once said the technology carries the same privacy concerns as a national ID card. “Human identification systems are tools that have historically been used for social control,” he said. Hoofnagle also expressed concern that the biochips might be “spoofed,” allowing anyone to access data on the chip or monitor people without them knowing it. “It sounds like it’s an easy technology to invade,” he said. So what about bio chips is really concerning us?

When it comes to the use of biochips on humans, it works a little bit differently. The chip is implanted in a way where it is able to bind with your DNA. Many government agencies have been working with biochips which can be used for identification purposes.

When we think of this as an invasion of privacy, we should also look at the positive side of the technology. This would be a great use to find missing children, if this technology goes as far as an implant at birth, those who have been kidnapped or missing, can be easily found.

This type of implantable chip is being researched by defense departments in India and abroad in hopes to be used for soldiers, to monitor their location and relay health information if the soldier gets wounded in battle. This would be a great way to get medical data relayed of what the doctors may be dealing with before the patient ever gets to the hospital. Not only that, a biochip will make it easier to find that wounded soldier.

But there are certain areas which always lack definite explanations. You can’t value human life and you can limit his identity. It questions our morality when it comes to cloning humans and similarly we find it weird when we get ‘tagged’ by some minute chip.

Whatever lies in the future for biochips, its implantation in humans still pricks our conscience.

IT boom literally remolded the established structure of Indian society. And not to mention, the institution of family was the chief quarter which saw significant alteration with it.

With more work pressure in enterprises, looking after oneself became an impossible task, let alone looking after one’s children.

Corporate creches have been taking care of the situation with state of art day care centers which provide many value added services not existent in normal creches.

A practice originated in the MNCs based in the West and later adapted to the Indian context, these creches which are at accessible and convenient to the employees are helping to strike a healthy balance between work time and parenting.

Many companies like Wipro, TCS, Infosys, TI, HP etc run these kind of creches which ensures the safety and healthy socialization of the employees’ kid.

Bangalore, the IT hub of India, alone features many creches from the corporate giants. These creches follow strict standards and run inspection frequently at the creches hence making it stand out from day care centers elsewhere.

Instead of initiating creches, some companies affiliate themselves with established creches after making sure the facilities provided by them are perfect and to the company’s reputation.

Many other firms like ICICI Bank, where a majority of women rule the roost at senior positions, now runs a creche which charges a monthly fee to look after employees’ children. The creche has trained teachers, a library, gym, computer room and its own kitchen. These preschool daycare centers aim at catering to the needs of parents within tech parks though many of them are situated off campuses so that the corporate parents don’t get distracted about the thought of their off springs.

Some other day care centers are also following suit and has started running in places very near and convenient for employees of tech parks. They also aim to help young minds grow and learn in an amicable environment resulting in their all round development with main focus is to provide the Kids with child-friendly curriculum and a child-safe learning environment.

Many value added services help these corporate chidcare centers to clearly differentiate the contours between ordinary childcare centers. They provide pre-primary training programs and curriculum for specialized training in different segments like Play Group, Nursery, Kindergarten, Activity Center etc for children in the age groups of 1.5 to 5 years. They also have programs which will avail kids to have online real time access to parents.

Furthermore they have online cameras attached in the buildings which enable parents to check out on their kids by following particular web links and viewing the online cam feeds.

Another specialty of these creches is that the timings are very flexible. Since IT professionals have to extend their working hours unduly due to meetings or sudden projects, the creche can also extend the time of looking after the kid.

They also work on all days when the particular company works. These creches also provide various other facilities like transportation on request, summer camps and temporary day care which will provide short term services like 2 hours or so.

With child-friendly flooring and non-toxic play equipment, strict hygiene standards and regime, clean and disciplined staff, a doctor on call at all times and a variety of hobby activities to choose from, these are nice places to be in.

Charges vary from 3.5 k to 8k and many corporate parents are looking forward to it. Registration time may take time between 10-12 months to process and parents can register at the time of pregnancy itself.

With ‘corporate babysitting’ adding extra efforts to take care of the ‘corporate’ children, childcare is no more child’s play.

Many people say they wouldn’t cheat in a test, lie on a job application or refuse to help a person in need. But if conditions are tweaked a bit, it doesn’t take too long for them to change their minds, experts say.

In two studies that tested participants’ willingness to behave immorally, University of Toronto researchers discovered that people will behave badly if doing it is easy, reports the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

‘People are more likely to cheat and make immoral decisions when their transgressions don’t involve an explicit action,’ says Rimma Teper, doctoral student, who led the study.

‘If they can lie by omission, cheat without doing much legwork, or bypass a person’s request for help without expressly denying them, they are much more likely to do so,’ he said.

In one study, participants took a maths test on a computer after being warned there were glitches in the system. One group was told if they pressed the space bar, the answer to the question would appear on the screen. The second group was told if they didn’t press the enter key within five seconds of seeing a question, the answer would appear.

‘People in the second group – those who didn’t have to physically press a button to get the answers – were much more likely to cheat,’ says associate professor of psychology Michael Inzlicht, study co-author.

In another study, the team asked participants whether they would volunteer to help a student with a learning disability. One group of participants had only the option of checking a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ box that popped up on the computer. The second group could follow a link at the bottom of the page to volunteer their help or simply press ’continue’ to move on to the next page of their test.

Participants were five times more likely to volunteer when they had to expressly pick either ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

‘Forcing people to make an active, moral decision – a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to donating, for example – is going to be much more effective than allowing them to passively skip over a request,’ says Teper.

Jacobite Steam Train...

It’s such a pity there’s no Platform 9 3/4 at Fort William… it’s only a tiny railway station — not a patch on the mighty King’s Cross — and it’s positively heaving with Harry Potter and steam-train enthusiasts.

But, the train’s there all right, looking like a glossy, plump, black-and-scarlet caterpillar, sending up a regal plume of smoke, admired and photographed by dozens of fawning muggles.

Those of us that have sensibly booked well ahead, smugly board our carriage, while others anxiously worry the much-harassed chap at the Scotrail-counter, who sadly has no authority to issue tickets for the Jacobite Steam Train, aka the world-famous Hogwarts Express.

All set — There are plenty of grins when the train pulls out of the station; it’s hard to tell if it’s the Potter-effect (some of the lovely, vintage carriages have actually starred in the movies, though a different red engine was used) or just the mind-blowing scenery that unfolds minutes after leaving the not-particularly pretty town.

Scones and tea — Instead of wizard-world chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes — come around to the first-class (we are slumming it in second), but we are promised a real treat when the train gets to Glenfinnan Station.

But before that, it crosses the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct that featured in more than one movie — remember the memorable bit in “The Chamber of Secrets” where the Weasley’s flying Ford-Anglia chases the train, and performs those stomach-churning loop-the-loops?

Built in 1901, standing over a 100 feet tall, with 21 graceful arches, this concrete viaduct was originally derided for its dull-grey colour, but today, it’s a minor celebrity!

There’s a palpable, electric excitement even as the train approaches the sweeping arches. People are leaning out of windows (though implicitly warned not to), cameras in hand. It’s distinctly chilly up here in the highlands, even without those soul-sucking Dementors, and as a swirling mist blurs outlines, it feels spookily like a film set.

The ‘star’ of the journey - Two ticks later, we’re there… The train obligingly slows down to let us savour the few precious minutes across the viaduct. It’s all incredibly atmospheric — the comforting chug-a-chug of the steam-engine, the breathtaking views across Loch Shiel, with the majestic Glenfinnan Monument at its head, hemmed in by a necklace of towering mountains, all wearing their bright-green shawls of summer foliage. Flashes go off from every window, sooty-smoke gently billows up into a moodily overcast sky, and the grins get markedly wilder.

At the beautifully appointed Glenfinnan Station, the hungry (that’s us!) head to the well-preserved, elegant dining car, while the rail enthusiasts marvel at the West-Highland-line exhibition.

Biting into sumptuous carrot cakes, hungrily inhaling lungfuls of refreshingly crisp mountain air, we board the train for still more impressive coastal views along the way to Mallaig. The 84-mile round-trip is definitely magical, and Mallaig — though a busy fishing port — is, thankfully, far lovelier than commercialized Fort William.

The scarlet Hogwarts Express never comes here, though… thanks to artistic liberty and some serious scrambling of route-maps, it departs from London, heading up to the far North West Scotland, before ending up at the Hogwarts School, filmed at Alnwick castle, in North East England.

But, these trifling details don’t deter Potter-fans, who come here by the steam train, on their obligatory Potter pilgrimage. And, lately, there are so many flocking up to these parts, that we seriously think J.K. Rowling ought to be called the ‘Mother of Scottish Tourism‘, just like Sir Walter Scott, who, back in the early 19th Century was hailed its Father!

Chug along! — The Jacobite Steam train runs from Fort William to Mallaig in the summer months (May to October). For fares, dates and tickets, please visit http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/Jacobite_Details.html

Fort William can be easily reached by train — take the Caledonian Sleeper from London or regular Scot-rail services from Edinburgh/Glasgow.

Look out for the ‘star’ — Glenfinnan Viaduct, but don’t miss the ‘extras’ too — Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, Glenfinnan monument, the carriages, and if you’re really lucky, the conductor present during the filming!.

Finally free from the clutches of Myanmar’s (Burma) ruling generals and the lonely life of house arrest they subjected her to, Aung San Suu Kyi now finds she cannot escape from herself.

At the headquarters of her currently-outlawed political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), images of her are everywhere: on posters, calendars and pamphlets, T-shirts and earrings.

As she poses politely for photos, the Guardian asks who the golden bust behind her represents. “It’s supposed to be me,” she says. “I wish people wouldn’t make busts or posters of me, it is a very strange thing to be looking at yourself all the time. It’s not like this at my house, I promise you. I have pictures of my children.”

The building is filled to overflowing; a hundred conversations reverberate off the peeling wars and concrete floors. Today, there are more people than chairs, and those left without crouch against walls.

Across the road, perched on conspicuous orange motorbikes, the government’s spies are kept busy, watching through camera lenses and binoculars. But Aung San Suu Kyi is unconcerned about the attention from the military’s special branch. They will be her companion every day she is free.

“That is for them to worry about. I can only do what I feel I need to do, what I can do for the people of Myanmar,” she says. “They will follow me, I cannot stop that. I cannot worry.”

Aung San Suu Kyi is 65, but looks 20 years younger. A hint of grey at her temples is the only physical sign of the strains of two decades spent resisting a brutal military regime. She has a piercing gaze, and her response is deliberate when pushed about the government’s overt, hostile attention. She is not frightened that she could be detained again — a fate that has befallen her for 15 of the last 21 years.

“It is not a fear, it’s a possibility that I live with. I understand that is the situation, and I have to accept it. They have done it before, and it is very possible they will do it again, but it is not something I fear every day. It is my situation.”

It is nearly a week since military officials came to her door at 54 University Avenue, Yangon (Rangoon), and told her she was free, noting perversely, her good behaviour.

Since then, she has been almost constantly in meetings of one sort or another. Diplomats and journalists have formed a queue to her door. She has taken phone calls from presidents and prime ministers. She has met with NLD party elders to discuss strategy and legal challenges.

But she has stopped too, amid the throng of admirers, to talk to people on the street, old women who claim kinship, children who have a flower for her.

She has spoken with her sons by phone every day — something she could never do before, though there is no word on when she will be allowed to see them — she has visited the high court to appeal against her party’s disbanding, and visited an HIV/AIDS shelter. Everywhere she goes, she is mobbed.

She talks candidly about her years under house arrest, saying it was “far, far easier” than the time currently being served by Burma’s 2,100 political prisoners. They must be freed before any real progress will be made, she insists.

Reluctantly, she concedes that there were moments of pessimism. “Despair is not the right word, but there were times that I would worry … a lot, not so much for myself, for my situation, but for the future of the country.”

But she has little time for introspection and none for self-pity. The overwhelming feeling during the last seven-and-a-half years she spent confined to her damp, two-storey home was, she says, that “there weren’t enough hours in the day”.

“I had to listen to the radio for six hours every day, just to make sure I caught all of the Myanmarese programmes, just so I could keep up with what was going on. Because if I missed something, there was no one to come to tell me ‘did you hear about’ I needed to keep myself informed.” She read, for work and pleasure, biographies and spy novels were favourites, and she meditated regularly. “And then there was the house to run and to maintain.”

She laughs at the ridiculous lengths the junta went to in its ad hoc imprisonment. “I was both prisoner and maintenance woman,” she says, mimicking a feeble effort with a hammer.

“No one was allowed to come to fix the house. I had to fix everything that went wrong. The two people I was with (her live-in maids, a mother and daughter) were completely non-mechanical and non-electrical, so I had to learn with great difficulty how to do these things.” She was not always successful. For several days following cyclone Nargis in 2008, the trio lived by candlelight.

But she is less interested in reflecting on the years of isolation than on what happens next in her country.

Internationally, Aung San Suu Kyi’s release has been described as Myanmar’s “Mandela moment”, comparing it to the day in 1990 when Nelson Mandela walked free from prison in South Africa. She is wary of the comparison.

“I think that our situation is much more difficult than South Africa’s.  South Africa had already made some movement towards democracy when Mandela was released. Here in Myanmar, we are nowhere near that. We haven’t even begun.” South Africa’s fault line was clear-cut, apartheid was based on race, she says. “Colour is something that everyone can see straight away. Here, it is less obvious who is who, because we are all Myanmarese. It is Myanmarese discriminating and oppressing Myanmarese.

“I have often thought everything would be much easier if all the NLD supporters were coloured purple. Then it would be obvious who is being jailed and who is discriminated against. And the international community would be angered more easily, they could easily say ‘you cannot discriminate against the purples.’” Where Myanmar goes from here is unclear, she says, “we are a country in limbo.”

She realises the power of her freedom to the people of Myanmar, though she is always conscious that there are many others in her movement, and thousands still in prison. “I don’t believe in one person’s influence and authority to move a country forward. I am honoured by the trust people have in me, but one person alone can not bring democracy to a country.

“Change is going to come from the people. I want to play my role … I want to work in unison with the people of Myanmar, but it is they who will change this country.”

Christmas, the season of gifts and travelling has people shopping over the internet day and night. Along with them are also the cybercriminals working hard to hack consumer information, their money and identities.

McAfee, the anti-virus software solution for home and business users warns of the scams that could sadden your holiday season.

It is called the “Eleven Scams of Christmas“…

1) iPad Offer Scams - Apple iPad is one of the most sought after gadget of the year and is one of top products on a shopper’s list. Taking advantage of this, scammers are announcing offers of free iPads. The consumers are asked to purchase different products and then provide their credit card number for the free iPad. Another scam is that it will make users take up a quiz to win a free iPad for which the consumers need to provide their cell phone number to receive the results. In actuality they are signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week.

2) Distress message scam - This is a travel scam which sends out SOS messages to phones of family and friends requests them to transfer some money as they are lost in an unfamiliar place and want to get back home. According McAfee labs the scam will rise in the travel season.

3) Fake Gift Cards - The recent Facebook scam is one such example of fake gift card scam. It offered free $1,000 Best Buy gift card to the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page which helped cybercrooks to gain personal information of the users . They then used it to sell it to the marketers or use it as Id theft.

4) High-paying or Work-at-home jobs - These holiday job offer links promise you jobs by taking your personal information, such as your email address, home address and Social Security number to apply for a fake job.

5) Phishing SMS texts - This is also called as “smishing” where SMS messages appear to be sent from your bank or an online retailer saying that there is something wrong with your account and you have to call a number to verify your account information. Cybercrooks know that people are more vulnerable to this scam during the holiday season as consumers are doing more online shopping and checking bank balances frequently.

6) Suspicious Holiday Rentals - During peak travel times when consumers often look online for affordable holiday rentals, cybercrooks post fake holiday rental sites that ask for down payments on properties by credit card or wire transfer.

7) Recession scams - McAfee Labs has seen a significant number of spam emails advertising pre-qualified, low-interest loans and credit cards if the recipient pays a processing fee, which goes directly into the scammer’s pocket.

E-card scams - E-cards are a convenient and earth-friendly way to send greetings to friends and family, but cybercriminals load fake versions with links to computer viruses and other malware instead of cheer. According to McAfee Labs, computers may start displaying obscene images, pop-up ads, or even start sending cards to contacts that appear to come from you.

9) Low Price traps - Shoppers should be cautious of products offered at prices far below competitors. Cyber scammers use auction sites and fake websites to offer too-good-to-be-true deals with the goal of stealing your money and information.

10) Charity scams - The holidays have historically been a prime time for charity scams since it’s a traditional time for giving, and McAfee Labs predicts that this year is no exception. Common ploys include phone calls and spam e-mails asking you to donate to veterans? charities, children’s causes and relief funds for the latest catastrophe.

11) Dangerous Holiday Downloads - Holiday-themed screensavers, jingles and animations are an easy way for scammers to spread viruses and other computer threats especially when links come from an email or IM that appears to be from a friend.

You attend an international conference, network with people from different places, and return home, your pocket full of business cards.

Now you want to take it a step further and ‘connect’ with your new-found contacts on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Flickr and the umpteen other websites in this age of social networking.

Imagine the hassles involved….You will have to key in all the names in the search boxes of the many social networking sites that exist and then narrow down to the right person before clicking the friend request button.

How many times did you wish you could ‘connect’ a little more effortlessly, perhaps at the click of button?

Well then, it’s time to look at Poken, a trendy device fast catching up with gadget freaks.

Simply put, Poken is a social business card conceived to accommodate the growing contact details of people in this age of social media networking. In other words, as one blogger Amy Palko put it, it makes it easier for you to link your online profiles with people you meet offline.

Produced by a Swiss-based company Poken S.A., each device, mostly animated toons, comes with a palm that ‘high fours’ the other Poken devices to exchange their contact cards by holding them about 0.5 inches apart.

Once the data transfer through the proprietary short range high frequency, wireless communication Near Field Communication technology is complete, the palms glow green.

Apart from supporting the usual telephone, URL(s), location and email addresses, a Poken contact card could be configured to more than 40 social networking sites. Unfortunately, Orkut, India’s biggest social networking site, does not figure on the list.

“Although Orkut is not supported with the device initially, it can be configured later,” says Naidu Darapaneni, founder-CEO of meraevents.com, the authorised reseller for Indian market.

The palm is the heart of the device. Ensconced in this palm is a USB connector that, when plugged into a computer, connects a user to his/her Poken profile on the Poken web site. Depending on how the device is configured, the contacts can be either synced automatically (in an auto mode) or manually added. Each time a contact makes any changes to his/her profile, the details are automatically updated in your Poken contacts.

Further, Poken can also be used to facilitate business networking, Mr. Naudi points out.

The device holds up to 64/120 contacts (depending on the model) at a time. “MNCs like BMW and IBM have used the devices for networking. Even some users at our website, meraevents.com, have used Poken at conferences.”

Though the product is a boon to the social media frenzy, it should be remembered that Poken will take off only when it becomes more popular. Both users will require the devices to connect through Poken.

You can now catch up with the British Monarchy on social networking website ‘Facebook’.

The Royal Family members, who are already regular users of micro-blogging site ‘Twitter’ and video-sharing site ‘YouTube’, have now set up their own Facebook page.

The ‘British Monarchy’ page features pictures, news videos and speeches from Queen Elizabeth II, king-in-waiting Prince Charles and his sons, Princes William and Harry, apart from other Royals, the media reported.

In fact, its creation is a collaboration between the Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and the Royal Collection.

Buckingham Palace has said that it’s not a personal profile page, but users can “like” the service and receive updates on their news feed. The page will also feature the Court Circular, recording Queen’s previous day’s engagements.

The Royal Family’s launch of the Facebook page follows the introduction of the Monarchy’s Twitter account in 2009.

Facebook has become a global Internet phenomenon since it was started by Harvard undergraduate Mark Zuckerberg in 2004.

William Shakespeare will soon travel to the villages of India when a leading French repertory company in collaboration with the Mumbai-based Prithvi Theatre stages his masterpiece “The Tempest” in a mobile tent.

The 35-year-old Paris-based Footsbarn Theatre is a travelling tent theatre troupe. It has announced a two-year theatre exchange project between India and France, “Dream Project”, which will see the troupe tour India with Shakespeare’s ”The Tempest” in a customised tent in 2012. The troupe is already in Delhi with another production.

However, it will begin rehearsing for “The Tempest” in Portugal, the cultural capital of Europe, where it has been offered a six-month residency project. ”We have started designing the tent for the play. It will be equipped with an open-on-all- sides circular central stage and surrounding seats that can accommodate 600 people. The portable tent, made of cloth, can be carried to far-flung venues,” Paddy Hayter, artistic director of the Footsbarn Company, told IANS in the capital.

The troupe is likey to travel to southern India, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. ”After the end of the tent tour, the tent will be gifted to India for future productions,” he added.

Tent theatre takes plays out of the proscenium format and closed theatre houses to the common people in small cities, circus venues, streets and villages. It is a form of traditional nomadic theatrical genre prevalent in India as well as Europe.

The genre combines elements of circus, Shakespearean stage performances, acrobatics and conventional theatre. A dress parade on the streets, in the style of medieval English and French roots theatre, announces the arrival of the production company to the venue.The company uses mask, puppetry and live music in its productions. While performing, the company camps in gypsy trailers around the tent in remote locations for days.

The company, which has been visiting India since the mid-1990s, has performed at the Globe Theatre in London. Hayter, who is leading the 15-member repertory company in India with his wife Fredericka, will stage Victor Hugo’s “The Man Who Laughs” on Nov 16 at the Bahai House of Worship, Lotus Temple, Delhi. The play, set in the England of 1690, will be presented by Alliance Francaise. Sanjana Kapoor of Prithvi Theatre is helping the Footsbarn Company design the tent along with designer Fredericka and her son, a designer at the Globe Theatre from London.

The theatre company has also moved to the National School of Drama (NSD) to liaise with regional and local theatre companies for collaboration. “With four extensive national tours, workshops and two productions, including local artists from Kerala behind us, the time has come to tour India in a tent,” Hayter said.

In 1994, the company had collaborated with local artists of four Kerala drama companies for “Odyssey“. ”We had improvised on the play for 12 days in Thiruvananthapuram with members from four troupes after which we staged the play to an overwhelming response. In March 1995, five artists were chosen from Kerala to tour Europe with the company,” Hayter recalled. The same year, Footsbarn toured Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and New Delhi with “Romeo and Juliet” in collaboration with Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai.

“At a time when theatre is becoming contemporary with special effects around the world, we prefer to cling to the roots and people, to make it a live art,” Hayter said.

Tent drama is common in northeastern India, specially Assam where troupes like the Kohinoor mobile theatre carry their productions across the state in tents. A play like “The Titanic” has achieved cult status.

Defying an age bar on Mt. Everest climbers imposed by two countries, a nine-year-old Nepali boy is set to attempt to scale the world’s highest peak. If he succeeds, he will break the world record for the youngest climber set this year by a 13-year-old American schoolboy.

Tseten Sherpa, a third grader from Dolakha district in northern Nepal, has begun practising for his big feat next year, his father and wellknown Everest climber Pemba Dorjee Sherpa said. On Wednesday, Tseten climbed Mt. Ramdung, a 5,925-metre peak in Dolakha, as a practice run for the 8,848-metre Mt Everest next summer.

However, there is an insurmountable barrier that the nine-year-old will have to overcome first. As per Nepal’s laws, only a climber above 16 years is allowed to climb Mt Everest from the Nepal side. To circumvent the age bar, intrepid teenaged climbers had in the past chosen the northern route through Tibet.

In 2003, Nepali schoolgirl Ming Kipa Sherpa became the youngest person at the age of 15 to summit the world’s highest peak.

However, this year the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which regulates all mountaineering expeditions in China-controlled Tibet, issued new climbing rules, putting an age bar on Everest expeditionists.

As per the new rules, a climber has to be at least 18. Also, for the first time prescribing an upper age limit, the association said a climber older than 60 will not be allowed to attempt the peak.

The decision came after the Chinese authorities drew a lot of flak this year following Californian schoolboy Jordan Romero‘s bid to scale Mt. Everest. Though Jordan pulled off the feat in May and became the youngest Everest hero ever, the debate his attempt triggered made the Chinese authorities come up with new regulations to pre-empt such bids in future.

Pemba’s attempt to wrest away the record from the American schoolboy has met with disapproval by Nepal’s mountaineering officials.

“Tseten lives in Dolakha and therefore may climb a local mountain under the care of his father,” said Nima Norbu Sherpa, acting president of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) that promotes mountaineering in Nepal. ”However, the current government regulations in both Nepal and Tibet indicate that he will not be issued a permit to climb Mt. Everest. Even if he does it, the feat will not be given official recognition as long as these age limits remain in place.”

Ang Tsering Sherpa, immediate past president of the NMA, said climbing the Everest without a government permit was a punishable offence. ”The permit fee is about $70,000,” he said. “The fine will be double that. And the inability to pay the fine could result in imprisonment.”

Famous mountaineers, including Sir Edmund Hillary, who with Tenzing Norgay became the first man to set foot on the Everest, had always criticised the new fad to climb Mt Everest to set new records, calling it a trophy-hunting expedition that went against the true spirit of mountaineering.