Flora Fountain, the city’s architectural heritage monument, will soon be restored to its old splendour. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to appoint Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for its repairs and restoration at the cost of Rs 2.35 crore.

Flora Fountain is an iconic grade 1 heritage structure located at the junction of D.N. Road at Hutatma Chowk in Fort. The fountain, which belongs to the BMC, has been carved from Portland stone. Built in 1864, the structure is a fusion of water, architecture and sculpture, and depicts the Roman goddess Flora.

The BMC had appointed M/s Vikas Dilawari as a consultant for the beautification and restoration of Flora Fountain. The plan submitted by Dilawari was approved by the BMC in 2011 and Mumbai Heritage Committee also gave its green signal for the project. According to the civic officials, the restoration of Flora Fountain will be carried out in two phases — phase one includes beautification of surrounding area, tiling, stainless steel sitting arrangement and illumination. The phase two consists of restoration of Flora Fountain along with laying of marble tiles, repairs of fountain and pumping system.

While the phase one works will be carried out later by inviting bids, the BMC had asked Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya and INTACH for phase two works. However, with the former expressing its inability, the civic body has allotted the works to INTACH, which has earlier successfully carried out restoration works of BMC hall and Bhau Daji Lad Museum.

“The BMC had proposed to carry out the restoration of Flora Fountain by May 1, which is Maharashtra Day. However, with the proposal being tabled before the committee, the scenario looks unlikely, “ said a civic official.

According to the proposal, the work on restoring the structure and its surroundings would be completed in a span of six months. The restoration of structure would also require Portland stone. The proposal will be tabled before the civic standing committee for approval on Wednesday.

- The Asian age, March 1, 2016

A two-day Teacher’s Training workshop organized by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) New Delhi, in collaboration with INTACH Jammu Chapter, Department of School Education, J&K and various educational Institutions of Jammu on the theme “Heritage Awareness and setting up of Heritage clubs in schools of Jammu” concluded here today. The workshop was a part of the “Heritage Awareness Programme” of the Ministry of Culture, Govt. Of India and INTACH Heritage Education & Communication Service, New Delhi.

The valedictory function of the workshop was held here today at the Environment Park Raika. Mrs. Mandeep Kaur, IAS, Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation was the chief guest of the valedictory function while Dr. O. P. Vidyarthi was the Guest of honour. Mrs. Purnima Datt, Principal-Director, Heritage Education and Communication Services (HECS), Intach Delhi, Mr. Altaf Hussain Convener Intach Kashmir, Mr S.M.Sahni, Convenor INTACH Jammu, Dr. Kavita Suri, Associate Professor University of Jammu and Intach Life member, teachers and the students of Department of Lifelong Learning( MA in Rural Development) and Law deptt , Guest faculties from Delhi & Srinagar, Resource persons from Jammu and participating teachers- Research Associates were also present at the occasion.

In her valedictory address, Mrs Mandeep Kaur, Commissioner JMC laid stress on making students aware about the rich cultural and natural heritage of state through the process of setting up Heritage Clubs in schools and colleges. She said that schools should encourage students to go for heritage visits and attend the nature camps. She appreciated the efforts of INTACH for art and culture preservation.

Earlier, in the inaugural session which was held in GGHSS Shastri Nagar, Mr. Hemant Sharma, IAS, Secretary to govt. Department of Culture who was the Chief Guest, appreciated the efforts of INTACH for taking initiatives in the field of conservation, preservation andrestoration of our rich cultural and natural Heritage. He wished that the Teachers and research scholars after gaining the richexperiences of the faculty and resource persons will be able to carry forward the awareness- sensitization towards heritage of the Nation and also set up Heritage clubs in their schools.

Mr. S.M. Sahni, Convener, INTACH Jammu Chapter while welcoming the Chief Guest, emphasized the need to preserve the rich cultural heritage of our state which is the main source to connect the new generations with the past.

Dr. C M Seth, IFS (Retd), life member, Intach explained the importance of our Natural & Built environment. He said that J&K state has arich treasure of Cultural and Natural Heritage which all of us should preserve for future generations.

Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Intach Heritage Education & Communication Services, New Delhi, Dr C.M.Seth, IFS, Retd, Mr. Altaf Hussian Convener INTACH Kashmir Chapter Sensitized the participants through lectures , DVD Presentation, Group Discussions towards living heritage, built heritage, natural heritage of India, which is pride for all of us. Dr. Kavita Suri, Life member, INTACH and Associate Professor, University of Jammu proposed a vote of thanks

- http://www.scoopnews.in, March 1, 2016

Holidays are fast approaching. Here’s a top-notch plan to have a whale of a time.

March is almost drawing to a close and more importantly, so are your exams. It’s time to pack away your books and pen, give math and history the royal heave-ho for two months until the start of your new academic year, and unwind. As the month inexorably slips into April and the summer sun beats down on you, it is but natural to want to lounge by the beach and let the waves tickle your feet and fancy. But wait. How about doing something different, this hols? While trips to the country side and villages with esoteric settings are a part of the agenda, how about travelling down the lanes of history without having to worry about cramming for exams?

Well, pack your bags and get ready to see some of the most magnificent heritage monuments in our country that you probably aren’t familiar with. While the Taj Mahal and the Agra fort and the ruins of Hampi are hot favourites, there are others that will take your breath away. If you’re in the mood to revisit the past in all its splendour, Madhya Pradesh’s Tikamhgarh district will give you a whiff of lost grandeur at Orchha Town on the banks of the Betwa River — it stands on a huge palace-fort which houses structures belonging to different eras. Another brilliant holiday getaway in Madhya Pradesh is the ancient Bhimbetka rock shelters, famous not only for the exquisite views but also for the archeologically important cave paintings which date back to nearly 15,000 years.

Travel to Punjab’s Qila Mubarak, India’s oldest fort which is believed to have been built in 90-110 AD by Kanishka, the Kushana emperor. Despite being constructed with small bricks, it remains one of the highest forts in elevation. Walk into the fort’s threshold where historical greats like Razia Sultana, Prithviraj Chauhan, Sultan Mahmud others once walked.

Mention ‘Acropolis’ and visions of beautiful Athens comes to the mind. But have you visited the Ahmedabad Acropolis? And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Sarkhej Roza, also known as “Ahmedabad’s Acropolis”, is located in the Makaraba, near Ahmedabad. A mosque and a tomb complex, it was once a famous centre of Sufi culture, as Sufi saint Shaikh Ahmed Ganj Baksh lived there.

If you’re in the mood for serenity and calm coupled with nature’s pristine beauty, head to the Phuktal Monastery in the Zanskar Valley. Built around a natural cave, it gives you the illusion of being built on steps. Home to over 70 monks, it is also a beautiful trekking destination.

What are you waiting for? Get, set, travel. Here are some more places you could put down on your travel list.



- The Hindu, April 1, 2016

A three-day biodiversity festival will be held in the city from April 1 as part of the 3rd Kisan Swaraj Sammelan. The meet, organized by Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) and hosted by Rythu Swarajya Vedika, is expected to discuss the future of Indian farm livelihoods. The biodiversity festival will be held at the Distance Education Centre in Osma nia University . According o the organisers, the event will focus on "burning issues in Indian agriculture at a time when agrarian distress is acute and mani esting itself in unending arm suicides."

ASHA's national co-convener, Kavitha Kruganti, told reporters on Tuesday that the event will bring together people seeking fundamental policy changes with regard to Indian farming and farmers and to ensure dignified livelihoods in the sector. The convention will be attended by about 600 delegates from 25 states, she added.

"The Kisan Swaraj Sammelan comes at a time of unabated agrarian distress in the country worsened by two consecutive years of drought in many states.The main attraction of the Sammelan is the `Biodiversity Festival', showcasing the unique and invaluable conservation work of more than 75 seed savers from different states," said Ananthasayanan, National Steering Committee member of ASHA. Speakers at the convention include Medha Patkar, Prof Yogendra Yadav, Ajay Vir Jakhar, Dr Sunilam, Dr Claude Alvares, Yudhvir Singh, Prof Kodandaram, and Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao.

Explaining the importance of the event, Kiran Vissa of Rythu Swarajya Vedika said that evolving a common agenda and shared understanding of issues is essential to ensure a strong voice that can represent farmers.

- The Times of India, April 1, 2016

When President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) in February in Thrissur district’s Kodungaloor, he called it the largest conservation effort in the country. The project was initiated by Kerala Department of Tourism to conserve historical monuments and museums, and to boost tourism. In Chennai, Abhimanyu Prakashrao—representing eight generations of the Buchi Babu family, the first family of Madras cricket—upheld the legacy by restoring the colonial 250-year-old Luz House, owned by Buchi Babu’s father Moddaverapu Dera Venkataswami Naidu, dubash to Parry & Co in the 19th century. In neighbouring Puducherry, the state government joined hands with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in 2014 to restore 21 heritage buildings in the city. From February 5-7, the former French colony also witnessed the second edition of the Pondicherry Heritage Festival.

MHP was launched in 2006 as a heritage conservation initiative. Muziris Muziris, or Muchiri Pattanam, was one of the earliest ports in India, an entry point of varied cultures to India and finds mention in the Sangam literature. P J Cherian, chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), who led the excavation of the port, says it is time that historians studied Muziris as a Periyar Valley Civilisation. The Spice Route project is another heritage tourism initiative by the Kerala government. Other stakeholders in the legacy pie are keeping the momentum going with heritage hotels in offbeat places such as Tranquebar aka Taramgambadi into Tamil Nadu. Heritage tours are tapping unexplored places that are teeming with history.

Heritage is slowly getting its due in south India, and leading from the front are Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the twin citadels of history, art and culture. Last year, under the Ministry of Urban Development’s National Heritage Development Augmentation Yojana (Hriday), the Centre had sanctioned Rs.23 crore for Kancheepuram and Rs.22.3 crore for Velankanni for development and improvement of heritage sites over the next two years. In 2014, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had announced a subsidy of Rs.16.82 crore for 60 of the 64 heritage towns in the state.

In Puducherry, fondly called Pondy, which boasts of a unique Franco-Tamil heritage, attempts towards heritage conservation have been ongoing with some heritage homes being converted into cafés, restaurants and hotels. But it was the collapse of the 144-year-old Marie town hall building in 2014 that made the townspeople aware that all was not well with their famed heritage. “After the Marie building came down, people got together and a spontaneous movement was formed, called ‘People for Pondicherry Heritage’. A week after the collapse, a candle-lit tribute to Marie was organised,” says 63-year-old Sunaina Mandeen, co-founder of People for Pondicherry Heritage.

Conserving the heritage of this beautiful sea-side town is high on the Puducherry government’s agenda. “Two years ago, the government, which owns 30 heritage buildings, agreed to partner with INTACH to restore 21 buildings. Five or six buildings have been restored, with two to be restored this year,” says Ashok Panda, co-convener of INTACH, Puducherry chapter. With its team of 10 architects and restoration experts, INTACH has converted homes and buildings into heritage hotels such as Hotel Orient, Hotel Gratitude, Maison Perumal and La Maison Tamoule, and has restored 25 Tamil homes on Vysial Street. Hotel Orient was restored at a cost of `60 lakh and Hotel Gratitude for Rs.1 crore. For Maison Perumal and La Maison Tamoule, INTACH suggested the design.

Private players, especially those who endorse heritage preservation, are making a beeline for Puducherry, with many of them taking over ancient places and converting them into heritage hotels. Palais de Mahe on Rue de Bussy, a shining example of French colonial architecture with high ceilings and a yellow-white facade, owes its existence as a heritage hotel since 2013 to CGH Earth. In 2009, the group had restored an old Tamil house, Maison Perumal, at a cost of `2 crore. “Each of our properties has its own special charm and character. Palais de Mahe in the French quarter is very French, while Maison Perumal has a distinct Tamil character,” says Sam John, manager of Maison Perumal.

A hundred km away from the former French enclave, pioneers in the heritage architectural-restoration-for-reuse Neemrana Hotels honed in on Tharangambadi, which housed a Danish colony from 1620 to 1845. In Tamil Nadu, Neemrana’s 2004 project was the Bungalow on the Beach, an 18th-century Danish colonial house that belonged to the governor of Danish India, followed by Naik House and Gate House. On the Neemrana cards is another heritage hotel, Thamgam House.

In the neighbouring capital, a bit of Chennai’s vast architectural heritage was saved when the 17th century Luz House opened its doors to the public in 2014. “Luz House was in ruins for 40 years, except when it functioned as a L’Oreal heritage spa. I suggested to my father that we could transform Luz House to earn revenue,” says Abhimanyu Prakashrao, whose family owns the Dutch colonial bungalow. With an investment of Rs.50 lakh for restoration, the risk paid off for this MBA graduate. They have been doing well by letting it out for events and weddings. “We plan to start a small café, an eight- or 10-roomed hotel next. So far, only a third of the house is open to the public,” says Prakashrao. Bengaluru has its share of old bungalows, with many remodelled to create a new entity. The late 19th century colonial structure in Basavanagudi houses an antique home-furnishing boutique, Basava Ambara. When Venkataram Reddy heard in 2009 that the outhouse and a section of the mansion owned by the M Mahadevan family was available for rent, he took it. The bungalow is home to the Mahadevan family, and houses The Rogue Elephant, a café integrated into the boutique.

What separates Karnataka’s capital from the capital of the Vijayanagara kings, Hampi, is 350 km. Known for its beautiful ruins, Hampi and its surrounding areas—such as Anegundi—get many tourists. Shama Pawar, founder of the Kishkinda Trust, has been restoring the ruins of Anegundi and promoting its art and culture for the last two decades. “We have done lot of documentation about the ruins and monuments that are not covered under the government agencies. There is a mantapa with 64 pillars in the Tungabhadra river, with each showing 64 kinds of skills. The mantapa surfaces only during summer when the river water is low,” she says.

That heritage is an invaluable asset has manifested in people getting together and working towards its preservation. Sharmila Ganesan, co-convener of INTACH, Tamil Nadu, started Friends of Heritage Sites (FOHS) in 2014. “We wanted to involve the local community for they are stakeholders too, and often resort to vandalising properties,” says Ganesan. For their pilot project in 2015, they honed in on Mamallapuram to revive the ancient Pallava art and train local sculptors. “We commissioned six garden sculptures adhering to Pallava art and conducted a heritage workshop for middle-school kids,” she says. The organisation also conducts heritage tours every year.

Tamil Nadu’s heritage lies in its 36,000 temples. Chennai-based author and historian Pradeep Chakravarthy, says, “As a seven-year-old I used to visit temples and that impacted me.” Chakravarthy began organising heritage tours in 2014 on a friend’s suggestion. “We picked Tirunelveli as I knew the lay of the land. During the trip, we visited the house of an old zamindar family,” says the London School of Economics graduate. Trips to Vellore and Pudukottai have been planned for this year. “I am looking for a Tamil Jain family in Vellore to host us for an ‘ahimsa’ lunch,” he adds.

Not just architectural heritage, the revival of textile and arts heritage has come in for scrutiny. Writer, columnist, foodie and playwright Sabita Radhakrishna, who has worked with textiles for the last 30 years, says, “I wanted to revive the Kodalli Karuppur sari, which has 1,000 years of history. It was made exclusively for the ranis of Thanjavur up to the 19th century. With government support and help of a master weaver and a painter from Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh, we spearheaded the revival campaign last year.” In June 2015, Radhakrishna started the 60 handloom sari pact in which one wore only handloom sarees 60 times.

Heritage art such as the Tanjore (Thanjavur) paintings has also got a shot in the arm. Last year, along with a few other painting experts, B Sambaji Rajah Bhonsale, a royal descendant of the Maratha rulers and a Thanjavur painting expert, imparted training to 100 women on an initiative by CM Jayalalithaa. The women were paid Rs.2,000 each as stipend. Thanjavur’s rich cultural past is also being revived by Prakriti Foundation, an organisation started by Chennai-based businessman-turned-culture czar Ranvir Shah. “We are looking to restore the Kalyana Mahal Chhatram at Thiruvaiyaru into a heritage centre,” says Meera Krishnan, programme coordinator for Prakriti Foundation. Its first project in 2008 was to restore 50 panels at the Devashriya Mandapam in the Thyagarajaswamy temple in Thiruvarur. Each year in March, Prakriti organises the Sacred Music Festival on the banks of the Cauvery river at Thiruvaiyaru, 12 km away from Thanjavur and the birth place of the legendary poet-saint Thyagaraja. Next on their agenda is to build a hostel for students of the music college there.

Tombs are as much part of the southern heritage as temples, and the Qutb Shahi tombs in Hyderabad representing a blend of Persian, Pashtun and Hindi architecture, are the only necropolis in the world where the members of seven generations of one royal dynasty are buried. They are also Hyderabad’s oldest heritage structures. In 2013, Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) took up the task of their restoration at a cost of `100 crore over a 10-year period. Conservationist architect and project director of AKTC Ratish Nanda says, “Our ambition is long-term preservation of this 450-year-old heritage structure.”

Chennai celebrates its heritage and 377-year-old history with the Madras Day celebration since 2004. Journalist and historian Vincent D’souza, who ideated the festival, keeps it pithy when it comes to heritage conservation. “If you are proud of your heritage, you will treat it with respect, not vandalise or spit on it,” he says. With inputs from Saumesh Thimbath,Chetana Divya Vasudev, Amit S Upadhye and Saima Afreen

- http://www.newindianexpress.com, April 2, 2016

Seventy years after Independence, we are still only talking about public spaces. But nobody appears to really understand how to create a vibrant and permanent urban culture

In a remote village far from the civic amenities of London, there exists an archive of rare 18th century manuscripts related to the English landscape heritage. Funded originally by a baron with a love for the countryside, the collection is now in public hands, maintained by local funds and accessible to everyone. For over two centuries, the scholastic upgrading of this collective has quietly and without fuss turned the private obsession of an 18th century eccentric into a public archive of serious academic value. And it exists merely as part of a daily municipal directive of local civic responsibility that also overseas street cleaning and sidewalks.

Ten years ago, the archive was willed a hefty sum by a wealthy local resident. At the time, the documentation was assiduously upgraded and computerised; the building added a small wing in memory of the donor. The old Gothic structure was given a wash and a skylight added to the main archival hall. However, most of the money was directed towards better storage and display facilities and easier access. England has similar places for marine research along the coast, private institutes for astronomy and medicine, a gallery of skulls collected during the war, an archaeology of world crime and criminals. Some useful, some whimsical, but all of them preserving cultural and antiquarian memories without judgement. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of starting centres of excellence, it sounds hollow, only because the real value of culture and its institutions is not in newness but in continuity. When business leaders like Narayan Murthy suggest world-class facilities, they miss the essential ingredient needed to make facilities world-class: interest, time and history. The particular lesson from English institutional history is the value it places on ensuring the growth of intellectual collections and giving them public support. Many resources remain happily obscure, in small villages and towns, truly a part of people’s heritage. While visiting friends in Dorset, we stopped for a cup of coffee at a small bakery, walked through a collection of 19th century maps in an old Armoury building, picked up a pair of socks nearby, and checked out a museum of telescopes, all in an afternoon. Compare this to routines in an Indian town. City life is firstly an outcome of physical distress: the painful stratification of residents, the disparity between slum and Baroque mansion, overrun streets, broken roads, encroached sidewalks, the open defecation and absence of utilities. Certainly, all these contribute to the Indian city’s unmade and incomplete character. But these are the mere fallout of civic inadequacies. The real stench of despair is in the stifling lack of civic activity — bereft of participatory life. All primary civic sensation is formed from acquisition of land and home; all civic activity contained within the superfluous borders of shopping and eating.

In the struggle to make Indian cities liveable, there is perpetual talk of public space. The belief that somehow public space will save the city of street crime, rape, and inequities, and bring citizens together is an odd myth. What use is public space without public culture? A purposeless citizenry will do little but use that public space for private purposes — for selling, hawking, encroachment, more crime. Without ascribing descriptive value and purpose to a particular amenity, public space is meaningless. The reconstruction of Dresden’s public space after World War II was a civic imperative for a city that had lost so much of its cultural heritage to war. The importance of Baroque churches, theatres and museums cannot, of course, be disputed, but their real value lay in the return of an active cultural life. The restoration of activities that enhanced social conditions far outweighed the building’s symbolic standing. Today, the city’s historic centre is a hub so intimately connected to the life of Dresden that its resurrection was an urban urgency.

The idea of long-term settlement then implies a city with a varied history, where historical remains are not merely consigned to a dead archaeological heap, but participate in daily reality. In India, the value of much of archaeological history is suspect. Sporadic walled compounds of madrassas and tombs that appear in erratic corners of Indian towns remain fleeting reminders of some past glory, nothing else. Other than odd moments of pride, their participation in civic life is hollow and disjointed. Is it a wonder then that they need to be physically protected from vandalism by its own citizens? Moreover, without the practical immediacy of cultural, social or literary connections, they are a waste of city space. A Delhi resident gains as much from the city’s 1,000-year history as a Chandigarh resident from his 60-year-old town.

It is hard to believe, but there exist astounding similarities between the Indian city and 19th century New York. Pitted against the reality of poor migrants, many of New York’s earlier citizens gained vast wealth through business and industrial enterprise. Some among them stretched their largesse, contributing to the city’s social, cultural, and physical health. Private philanthropy rose. Andrew Carnegie’s millions were used to construct public libraries; the Rockefellers propelled their dollars into the performing arts. In its own way, private capitalism delivered; it recognised the shared importance of the city. And the investment in the construction of cultural institutions was as much a belief in a collective future as a hope in the greatness of the city itself. In the spread of its colleges, art collections, rare manuscript libraries, galleries, theatres, gardens and universities, the profit-makers showed their more generous side. In so doing, they lifted the city from the level of a temporary encampment to a place of global significance. What would it take to get Indian citizens to recognise the importance of public life? Like Carnegie or Rockefeller, do Indian industrialists have anything to offer their less fortunate citizens other than employment? Does their financial wealth also encourage an eccentricity outside their professional life? Does the lack of civic amenities in their city bother them enough to make an active personal commitment to some form of urban uplift?

For the Indian city to prosper it needs an enduring partnership from its most prominent citizens. Could the Hindujas or the Tatas contribute to creating public libraries? Would the Ambanis fund an interactive city archive in Mumbai, the Jindals a similar facility in Delhi, where citizens discover the sights and sounds of their hometown? Would the Birlas contribute to the remaking of Kolkata?

Today, the civic wilderness of the Indian city promotes only extreme conditions. At one end, water, electricity and roads; at the other, hollow talk of centres of excellence. How then do you begin to ever transform places from a makeshift trading post to a settled town? How can city residents ever feel a sense of ownership with their cities? New airports, industrial townships, highways, hospitals — all suggest cities being made afresh. Certainly, Navodaya Vidyalayas, entrepreneurship training centres, urban clusters, affordable housing, give hope to a rootless people looking for a basic civic existence. But more than that, the crass emptiness of Indian towns needs the seed of a future public culture. Unless the smart city idea incorporates the values of long-term institutions and amenities that grow and age with the residents, the shells of new housing and infrastructure projects will get occupied by people with a grim and hollow core. Cities without a past tend to become cities without a future.

Gautam Bhatia is a Delhi-based architect and sculptor.

- The Hindu, April 2, 2016

The two-day State-level workshop on North East India's biodiversity concluded today at Keibul Lamjao, the world's only floating national park which is the natural habitat of rare deer 'Sangai', about 50 km south of Imphal.

Rohit George of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, who is also Coordinator of North East India Biodiversity Patrol, expressed the need to actively take part in the newly-launched India biodiversity portal to take up con- servation initiatives.

The portal is being designed to help the common people, researchers, scientists and other experts in finding and identifying new species of wildlife.

"So far only about 67 enthusiasts from North East have shared about 8,500 observations.

Manipur has just five mem- bers who uploaded around 200 observations including pictures of species," he informed.

Environment enthusiasts including teachers from university and colleges, research scholars, wildlife activists, and NGO representatives attended the workshop.

- http://e-pao.net, April 2, 2016

“Pulicat is a unique place and has three kinds of heritage — cultural, manmade and the natural heritage. So women are the crucial link to improving livelihood.”The journey began with post-tsunami relief work at Pulicat. The women are paid a monthly wage, and all proceeds go to the women except overheads like transport and raw material. Performing arts like kattaikoothu and textiles like kalamkari, muslin and palm-leaf weaving were a part of the vanishing cultural heritage. Baskets, boxes and traysPalm-leaf weaving is a part of cultural heritage in Pulicat.

CHENNAI: What do a handwoven palm-leaf basket and issues of deep-seated negligence and heritage have in common? In this case, it is the small hamlet of Pulicat, where these baskets are made. The baskets are woven by local women and marketed in the city by organisations like AARDE Foundation, an NGO working towards the conservation of natural and built heritage in Pulicat. What’s interesting is the two-fold purpose of these colourful handicrafts: besides being an important form of livelihood for the town, AARDE founder Xavier Benedict’s goal is to draw attention to the issues facing Pulicat through these handicrafts. “Pulicat is a unique place and has three kinds of heritage — cultural, manmade and the natural heritage. Though all are important, cultural heritage, including crafts, is the only factor that can easily be made attractive to visitors and marketed to improve the economy, ” explains Xavier.

“Most of them rely on fishing and boat-making. Boating for tourists used to be an additional source but it was banned after a boat capsized. Alcoholism is also a problem.

- http://www.nyoooz.com, April 2, 2016

Ministry of Culture announces new and increased entry fees for all kinds of monuments across the country. Entry fees to the World Heritage Sites and other historical monuments in India have gone up significantly since Thursday.

According to a report by The Times of India, the admission rates for domestic tourists and tourists from Saarc nations have increased three times, as announced by the Ministry of Culture. On the other hand, the ticket prices for foreign nationals visiting monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have been doubled. Also read: Delhi: Now, a special heritage walk for the disabled

For Indians and Saarc nationals, the entry fees will now be Rs 30 instead of the current Rs 10. Depending upon the class of a monument, the entry fees for foreigners will cost Rs 250, instead of the current Rs 100, and Rs 500 in places where it is currently Rs 250. These rates will be implemented on 116 monuments protected by the ASI in different parts of the country.

Besides these, special tickets have also been introduced. A ticket of Rs 750 at World Heritage Sites and Rs 300 at other monuments will enable visitors to avail a host of tourist facilities. These tourists will be able to enter the sites through separate queues at the entry gate and will be provided with free bottled water, Wi-Fi connectivity, mementoes and CDs with pictures and films of the respective monuments.

The report further revealed that the new rates were decided by the ministry after consultation with general public, Ministry of Tourism and tour operators. Ministry of Culture officials also said a revision of these fares was long overdue since the last one was done 15 years ago.

- http://indiatoday.intoday.in, April 2, 2016

Discussions held on untouchability, gender issues and sexuality

The second day of Ragam 2016, the annual cultural festival of the National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode, saw students from across south India flocking the venues of every event ranging from literary to performing arts.

I-Ink, the first ever literary festival of Ragam, continued with an active discussion on the practice of untouchability in India. The panel of the event titled ‘Being Untouchable’ consisted of activist Ajay Kumar, writer K.K Baburaj, film-maker Amudhan R.P, writer Deedi Damodaran, Sreerag, a student of Hyderabad University and Maya Pramod, a PhD scholar. The second discussion on the topic ‘Gender issues and Sexuality’ featured a panel consisting of LGBT activist and actor Kalki Subramaniam, Dalit activist Rekha Raj, film-maker Jayan.K. Cherian, writer Jeevan Job Thomas and LGBT activist Sheetal Shyam.

Comedian Kenny Sebastian enthralled the audience. A show led by music composer Prita with performances by Antara Mitra, Aditi Singh Sharma, Sreerama Chandra and Nakash Aziz later in the evening was a crowd-puller.

Mr. and Ms. Ragam, mock court, freestyle - the dancing event, and mime were some of the highlights of the day. Treasure hunt, debates, dumb charades and Just a Minute (JAM) events were popular. Literary enthusiasts found themselves scratching their heads at the event ‘What’s the good word for?’. The participants of the event ‘Over acting’ were successful in keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. Fine Arts Marathon and Pixelate were for the artists.

A show by singer Shakthisree Gopalan and an International EDM Nite by Ben Gold and DJ Harrison are the events to look forward to on the third and final day of Ragam 2016.

- The Hindu, April 3, 2016

Bengaluru is set to immerse in an evening of music performances. This Ugadi, Beyond Boundaries celebrating our cultural heritage through different genres of music. The idea of this event is to cross germinate interest in traditional arts and music via more popular forms, on a single platform.

The first part of the event will be a music performance by a group called Sunaad, led by Tara Kini, while the second one will be bringing in a more contemporary group, led by Girish Prabhu. Prabhu Collective is expected to have popular appeal among the youth.

The event is set to take place on April 3 (6.30 pm) at SAIACS CEO Centre Auditorium: Bengaluru, Gubbi Cross Road, Kothanur.

- The Times of India, April 3, 2016

Hundreds of ancient menhirs have stood sentinel for years in a little Mizoram village. As an excavation by the ASI shows, they could be a gateway to a mysterious past. Is this the detritus of a lost civilisation? Could it finally lift the fog over the history of how the Mizo community came to occupy the lands they do today?

Runneihthanga remembers it as a place of shadows. “When we were children, there were hundreds of menhirs. They cast long shadows and we often played among them,” said the 69-year-old villager.

There were so numerous that no one seemed to have kept count of how many were lost over the years. “Every time someone died in the village, us children and teenagers would come here with the blacksmith. He would pound off a piece with his big hammer, large enough for us to carry, and all of us would carry one or two each and give it to the young men making the grave,” he says.

At the cemetery, older villagers would use these rocks to build a particular kind of grave, verily a casket of stone. Called tianhrang, they are no longer as common throughout Mizoram. But for many generations, there was nothing but these graves.

Whenever there was a death in the village, explains F Laldawla, a villager in his sixties, the young men would dig the ground at the cemetery, slightly bigger than would fit an average person.

Then they would line the bottom and the sides with flat pieces of rock and then — with great care and in a particular way that often ended in a cave-in if it was done otherwise — stack the rocks atop each other while leaving just a couple of feet, or even less, open. When the body arrived at the cemetery after the funeral, they would inter it by sliding it in through the mouth of this small, man-made cave, stack more rocks on top so it became a coffin of stone, and then shovel earth on it. At Vangchhia, Champhai district, perhaps because so many flat rocks were available at the field of menhirs just outside the village, the practice was in vogue for a long time. Laldawla or his wife did not immediately remember when the practice stopped.

“Which year did Nu (aunty) Saii die? It was the year K Hminga came preaching…” “Let me think, it was….” she mumbled, putting her open palms together as if in prayer and resting her chin on them. “K Hminga… Nu Saii… it was 2000. Yes, 2000!” she said. “So yes, the last tianhrang I remember being made at this village was in 2000,” said Laldawla.

The best rocks were, of course, pieces hammered off from the menhirs that stood at what is now famous across Mizoram as Kawtchhuah Ropui — the first and only archaeological site to have so far been protected (and led to a full-fledged excavation project) by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Mizoram. The current interest in the area, and sites around it, many hope, will help lift the fog over the history of how the Mizo community came to occupy the lands they do and perhaps reveal some hidden histories. .

“The menhirs also stood in bunches on the hillock above this road. But they knocked down all of those,” said Laldawla, gesturing towards the dirt track that serves as the village’s arterial road.

Unknown to the villagers at Vangchhia at the time, a man in a helicopter often gazed down at the menhirs. P Rohmingthanga was the first Mizo deputy commissioner of Aizawl district back in the early 1970s, a time of violent upheaval, the first decade of a violent separatist movement, waged guerrilla-style, by the Mizo National Front against Indian armed forces.

“I often flew by helicopter to visit my group centres in the interior areas. Whenever I flew along the Champhai-Farkawn mountain range, I would observe a group of very tall stone monuments… They looked rather whitish, possibly because of sunlight being reflected back. Incidentally, they had no forest cover in those days,” says the retired IAS officer, now an octogenarian.

“Once, I enquired about the village’s name and I was told it was Vangchhia. Unfortunately, there was no road to Vangchhia in those days and it was inaccessible except by a typical inter-village footpath. The law and order situation being what it was, such a venture on foot was considered inadvisable,” he said.

Even when he took the same aerial route a quarter-century later, he was told that there was still no proper road to Vangchhia. The years passed and it was in 2009 that Rohmingthanga found himself appointed convener of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach)’s Mizoram chapter. The chapter members began touring the countryside to see and document known and lesser-known heritage sites. The first tour was fairly run-of-the-mill, but the second one would change Vangchhia forever.

It was on this trip, in the summer of 2010, that Rohmingthanga finally saw what he had often wondered about. By then, the village of Vangchhia had been preserving the menhirs for years at the behest of the local Young Mizo Association unit, a branch of Mizoram’s largest voluntary organisation, and had christened the site where they stood in rows in their hundreds as Kawtchhuah Ropui, or The Great Gateway, a name that was at once bold and possessive.

The history of the Mizo community has been orally passed down through generations. It was transcribed in written form only after the British established an administration towards the last decade of the 19th century and pioneering Christian missionaries developed a script for a lingua franca among the various dialects used by different Mizo clans. .

Though periods may differ, the unanimously accepted history is that the community migrated southward from somewhere in China and entered present-day Myanmar’s Chin state several hundred years ago. A sizable chunk remained behind in Myanmar and to this day make up what is known in Mizoram as zohnahthlak, a word that denotes a branch of the community. Some among the community ventured west from the Chin Hills across the lower reaches of the eastern Himalayas to settle in present-day Mizoram, many moving even further and settling in the eastern hills of what is now Bangladesh and the state of Tripura, with smaller populations also scattered across southern Manipur and Assam.

The main route of this migratory wave, the villagers of Vangchhia believe, was through the field of menhirs on the edge of a hill near their settlement, and that this historic movement was documented for perpetuity in the mysterious engravings on the menhirs of Kawtchhuah Ropui.

When P Rohmingthanga and the Intach team first visited the site, they were astounded. But they were also crestfallen.

“I was told that, originally, there could have been no fewer than 600 megaliths at the site, compared to the present 200 or so still existing. It was a site which needed to be protected and conserved… and which must be brought to the notice of not only the rest of India, but also the world,” he said.

The chapter then devoted its energy to grab the attention of India’s foremost archaeological body. It took several site visits by the ASI’s teams at Guwahati and often arduous follow-ups of files, proposals and the writing of letters to not only archaeologists in the Assam capital but also in New Delhi before the Ministry of Culture declared Kawtchhuah Ropui “an archaeological site of national importance” on March 18, 2014.

But that was just the beginning.

Menhirs bearing enigmatic engravings were by no means unique to Vangchhia. Entire clusters of menhirs in smaller densities were spread across the eastern hill range of Mizoram at sites near the villages of Farkawn, Lianpui, Khankawn, Khawbung, Vaphai and Dungtlang, while apparently ancient iron artefacts and old pots, both broken and whole, have been recently unearthed at Zawlsei and Khawbung. Dungtlang, in addition, has a vast hilltop site across which is spread across what appears to be the remains of an ancient settlement — stone blocks arranged as if they were once dwellings, and small man-made caves topped with menhirs taller than the average full-grown man.

Digging up the past: A water-pavilion like structure at Vangchhia.

At Lungphunlian, further to the north, are menhirs that bear no engravings but are many times the size of their counterparts elsewhere, the tallest among them rising almost 15 feet tall, with an estimated 5 feet buried in the ground and, at its widest point, measuring 12 feet across and 2 feet thick overall. The Intach chapter pushed for recognition of these sites, their exhortations resulting in teams visiting them.

However, the big questions still remain.

How old are these menhirs? Who erected them? Who were the artists that used them as a canvas? What do the engravings mean? How were these huge rocks fashioned in the shape they are in? Just how were they transported atop mountains when there are no apparent quarries apart from the riverbanks that are often several kilometres below, down steep and unforgiving cliffs and mountain-sides?

Finally, the ASI’s director-general Dr Rakesh Tiwari, the first archaeologist to hold the organisation’s top job in over two decades, accepted an invitation to visit not just Vangchhia but the other sites in Mizoram. He eventually spent a week in this remote and difficult terrain, where rains fall suddenly and offer very real prospects of stranding travellers.

It was on the third day of this tour, in the last week of October 2015, that Tiwari finally set foot at Kawtchhuah Ropui.

Tiwari spent over an hour observing the menhirs, discussing them with locals, Intach officials and a team of archaeologists that made up the entourage, and spent considerable time looking out across the gorge towards the Chin Hills, whose western frontier mountains rose against the clear sky.

When it came time to leave the site and head to the village for a public meeting, however, he strolled into the vegetable fields on the gentle hillside and came back with a palm full of pot-shards.

“That is not the settlement site,” he said, beaming with excitement and pointing at Kawtchhuah Ropui. Then he turned around, gestured towards the vegetable fields and declared, “That is!” Three days later, the team had visited five different sites spread over more than 150 km across Mizoram’s easternmost hill range. Just over two months after his departire, Tiwari despatched an excavation team to Vangchhia, and what they found in less than a couple of weeks would astound everyone.

On January 15, P Rohminthanga sat in his small home-office, struggling with his phone and email. With an energy that belied his 80 years, he said, “There has been great news from Vangchhia!” The team had discovered no less than 20 cobbled stone structures that could possibly turn out to be ancient graves and located several organic remains they were confident could be dated in specialised laboratories.

But more than anything else, he said, the team had been in raptures over the unearthing of a stone structure, about 200 meters across, with a certain pattern that Dr Sujit Nayan, who led the excavation, believed were reminiscent of “water pavilions”, structures used perhaps as a form of entertainment and which, if true, indicated the presence of a prosperous settlement once upon a time.

But the antiquity of the Vangchhia site, according to archaeologists, would only be determined once the carbon-dating results are out and also, less specifically perhaps, if and when they are able to compare the pot-shards with counterparts in other parts of India or some countries of South-East Asia.

In all, the team camped at Vangchhia for about a month. They would come back soon to continue the excavations.

A few weeks later, Champhai deputy commissioner Vanlalngaihsaka stood outside his official bungalow and said, “What I find most enchanting about Vangchhia is Pipute Lamlian!” Roughly translatable as “ancestors’ pathway”, the apparent remains of a footpath that meets in Vangchhia forks out in three directions — north, south and east — but has not yet been touched by the archaeologists’ trowels and hand-brooms.

“We had a discussion with the DC, and decided we would call a hnatlang (volunteer community work) and explore Pipute Lamlian,” said Vangchhia’s village council president F Malsawmtluanga when I caught up with him one evening. He pulled out his phone and flipped through the picture gallery and thrust it at me.

The photos were startling. A freshly cleared path that traversed a very steep gradient was lined with rocks that looked like a rough staircase had been built there. Others showed rock-faces bearing engravings similar to those at Kawtchhuah Ropui, such as bison-heads and clusters of human figures.

“Look at what we found in just two days!” he said, “Just two days!”

- The Indian express, April 3, 2016

Wildfires are posing a threat to the Western Ghats, one of the 18 biodiversity hotspots of the world. Charmadi Ghat, an eco-sensitive region that houses a wide range of biodiversity, is especially under threat. Sahyadri Sanchaya, a group of trekkers, has studied how shola forests and wildlife are being destroyed by fires. Sahyadri Sanchaya coordinator Dinesh Holla, who conducts regular treks and campaigns to keep the Western Ghats clean, said wildfires are a serious cause for concern.

"Wildfires normally start in April, but this year a fire has spread to several parts of Charmadi in January itself. Wildfires have destroyed several green belts of Balegudda, Jenukal, Dodderibetta, Hosmanegudda, Ramanabetta, Minchukallu, Somanakadu, Aniyooru Kanive, Ambatimale, Barimale and other regions in Charmadi. We have also found during our campaigns that a large number of animals perished in wildfires," said Holla.

"We have been motivating youth from various coll eges in the district by holding campaigns and treks through the Western Ghats. During our recent trips to Charmadi, we noticed there are no measures on the part of the forest department to tackle wildfires. The department needs to take adequate measures by appointing more forest guards and procuring necessary equipment to extinguish fires. We brought the issue to the notice of officials too, but they washed their hands of it by citing shortage of staff, lack of fire extinguishing mechanism and jurisdictional confusion," he said.

In fact, Sanchaya members have taken up several novel initiatives to keep the Western Ghats clean. Their every trek includes voluntary cleanliness drives to collect garbage from trekking points. "Plastic bags, bottles, liquor bottles and other waste materials not only litter the Western Ghats, but also pose a threat to wildlife," he added. Wh en the issue was brought to the notice of deputy conservator of forests KT Hanumanthappa, he told STOI, "The fires have not taken place within our jurisdiction. We will check with forest officials in the respective ranges and do the needful."

- The Times of India, April 3, 2016

A tiny village near here boasts 32 lakes. Yes, you read it right. The number is 32. Muddinakoppa, 11 km from here, is on the road to Sagar. Its total population is just about 1,000.

“We hesitate to go even to Shivamogga during the summer as the heat out there is scorching. But here, the weather is always cool, thanks to the lakes,” says Nanjesh Kumar, a farmer.

Some water bodies have dried up this summer, but a good 80 per cent shimmer with abundant water, at least for now.

“As the summer progresses and we enter mid-May, most tanks and ponds dry up. But by the second week of June, they fill up again if the rainfall is good,” says Devendrappa, a water diviner.

Seven of the village’s medium-sized lakes are linked. The chain enables the flow of water from one to another. Water from Doddakere flows into Kanivekere, and then on to Balappanakatte and Joginakere. It finally reaches Vadakatte and Chikkere.

Villagers get drinking water with the help of a mini-tank scheme. “We expect water from Gowdanakere of Ittigehalli to fill up all the ponds and lakes under the Tunga lift irrigation project,” Nanjesh Kumar said.

Kere Balakedarara Sangha is a society that looks after all the water bodies. In the recent past, it has taken up the desilting of Doddakere and two other lakes, according to Rajappa, its president.

The land surface around here is sandy. The middle and bottom layers are rocky, and infiltration of water into the ground is poor. That is the reason the lakes contain water even in dry weather, Jayakumar, a geologist, told Express.

- http://www.newindianexpress.com, April 3, 2016

The Chandigarh Administration has raised objections over the ‘violations’ of the heritage norms and Master Plan of Chandigarh by the Panjab University (PU). It stated that the varsity altered original exterior façade of one of the heritage buildings — Gandhi Bhawan and installed a steel grille outside the building.

Sources said the department of architecture, Chandigarh Administration, has asked the PU to remove the grille and told the authorities not to alter the designs of the heritage buildings without approval of the heritage committee. Gandhi Bhavan is one of the heritage buildings of the university and it was declared as heritage precincts in the master plan. Sources said the PU authorities has not only installed the grille but also made changes in the original stone walls of some others heritage buildings. Arun Kumar Grover, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, said “I understand the concern of the department of architecture for preservation and maintenance of the heritage buildings. We will attend to the objections raised by the department. The university is already sincerely working for the preservation of heritage buildings.”

PU is grade 1 heritage
Master Plan has categorised the heritage buildings into different grades according to the importance of the buildings. Heritage grade 1 comprises buildings and precincts of national or historic importance, embodying excellence in architectural style, design, technology and material usage and or aesthetical. The master plan includes PU in the grade 1. Buildings in this grade deserve careful preservation. No intervention is permitted either on exterior or interior of the heritage building unless it is necessary in the interest of strengthening and prolonging the life of the buildings or precincts or any part of feature thereof.

Col GS Chadha (retd), PU Registrar, said the University is taking all necessary steps for preservation of the heritage buildings. He said the university has appointed a consultant to suggest measures for the preservation of heritage buildings. He said we have also sought funds from international agency for maintenance of the heritage buildings. Rich heritage of PU
Gandhi Bhawan, Student Centre’ Dewan and Anand Hall (administrative block) are some of the heritage buildings. Pierre Jeanerette designed the red sandstone university campus under the guidance of Le Corbusier. Gandhi Bhawan was inaugurated by the then President of India Dr S Radhakrishnan on December 1, 1962. Student Centre was also constructed same year. Can’t make changes without approval

Sumit Kaur, former chief architect, Chandigarh Administration, said PU falls in grade 1 of the heritage category, permission of Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee is mandatory before making any change.

- The Tribune, April 3, 2016

In order to promote the national capital's heritage and culture on foreign soil and attract more international tourists, the Delhi government has proposed to participate in a number of events which will be organized in London, Berlin and other cities of the world this year.

Besides, the Arvind Kejriwal government has also plans to participate in about 28 exhibitions and marts across India to promote Delhi's rich and diverse cultural heritage. Unveiling its plan for the current financial year, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) said it has proposed to participate in 'World Travel Mart (London), 'International Tourism Bourse (ITB - Berlin)', 'Council for Promotion of Tourism in Asia (CPTA), PATA International and International ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association Convention).

In its manifesto, the Aam Aadmi Party had promised that it would make Delhi a tourism hub after coming to power. In July last year, Chief Minister Arvnd Kejriwal had said in the coming five years, his government would work towards developing the national capital into a tourism hub at par with global cities.

"National and international tourism fairs, conferences, travel marts and travel exhibitions are important for interaction with travel industry, media, airlines and other opinion makers. Further, this is helpful in direct marketing of tourist products and services to the consumers by direct interfacing.

"Presently, DTTDC participates in limited national tourism fairs and international fairs. No major conference has been arranged in Delhi in the last more than 25 years. It is, therefore, necessary that these interactive activities be organized in Delhi and simultaneously Delhi should also participate in such exhibitions, marts and conferences within India and abroad," DTTDC's plan stated.

Since the new government has been formed, several steps have been taken to boost tourism and for ease of doing business in the national capital which include single window clearance system for organizing cultural events. BUN SK DV

- The Times of India, April 3, 2016

Our city has both heritage and culture in abundance. How do we best use this legacy for the benefit of all of us?

Most people think of Mumbai as the financial nerve centre of India. Few think of it as cultural destination in the way one thinks of London or New York. Recently London overtook Paris in the tourism sweepstakes. London’s enterprising Mayor decided to find out what had tilted in London’s favour. And believe it or not 70% of people said they come because they want to see London’s extraordinary museums. My museum friends in London tell me this wonderful news has prompted Prime Minister David Cameron, who had cut the culture budget severely, to reinstate some part of it. I think it is time that Mumbai should consider what we can do to bite off more of the global tourism pie.

We know that tourism is considered more beneficial to the economy than manufacturing and that it provides more jobs than manufacturing. Cities across the world are spending billions of dollars to build extraordinary museum complexes and art collections as well as cultural centres to lure tourists. They are sprucing up their heritage neighbourhoods as tourists do not want to see the same monotonous mall architecture they can see anywhere else in the world. London has been in the forefront of this effort, encouraging what in cultural parlance is called the creative industries which drive urban economies: fashion, food, design and lifestyle, performing arts, media, theatre, TV and film, and IT. But cultural industries need a healthy ecosystem to deliver quality. And heritage and museums are essential ingredients for that ephemeral thing called inspiration.

Talk to any designer or artist, film maker or architect, restaurateur, even a businessman, and they will tell you how important having a rich cultural menu on offer in the city is to their overall sense of wellbeing. For mothers and schools with restless children cultural exploration is essential for cognitive development.

Let us look at what Mumbai has on offer and how much of it is really leveraged by our city patriarchs.

When it was built in the 19th century, Bombay was one of the earliest urban experiments. It had grand avenues and gracious buildings, most of which have been lost over time. The city’s urban heritage, which is of extraordinary global value, is being rapidly torn down to feed a builder-led development model. The pretext is housing for all. But housing without adequate mass transit systems, sewage disposal systems, water and electricity will mean more traffic jams, more pollution, water scarcity and electricity rationing. We will pay more for less service.

Instead if one revives heritage areas and encourages creative industries to locate there, you create the basis for a tourism and urban economic boom. Mumbai’s Fort area, Byculla, urban villages like Kotachiwadi and the remaining village areas of Bandra, areas like Gamdevi, they all have the potential to become attractive cultural destinations. This is already in evidence with the number of heritage walks that have recently taken off; INTACH conducts walks every Saturday and they are sold out 15 minutes after we announce them. The success of the Kala Ghoda festival and the new Ballard Estate festival bear witness to the interest of both citizen and tourist in our heritage.

Mumbai also has some wonderful forts. The Worli fort, with a Koliwada village attached, visible from the Sea Link, could be a perfect destination for a tourist to spend a lazy afternoon. It would bring jobs to the villagers who could be encouraged to clean up their streets and provide tea and biscuits to visitors. Local guides could be trained. A small shopping area could be created that sits well with the local architecture. We have the Mahim and Sewri forts too, and no one in Mumbai has probably ever visited these. It requires just a little action and investment and it will transform these derelict monuments into must-visit destinations.

And of course we need more museums. But truly world class museums not some ‘nam ke vaste‘ token that no one ever visits or hears about. The CSMVS and the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum are today considered the best museums in India. Unfortunately the NGMA that started out in the 90s with so much potential is struggling without a director. My own view is that the Old Sailor’s Home which is now the Police Headquarters should be refurbished into a gallery to show more contemporary art and design. The waiting period for the Jehangir Art Gallery is years, which just shows the demand for such places. Of course the police will protest but this is the city’s prime tourist district and we need to rethink how to deploy its assets to optimum use. We have Mani Bhavan, Gandhiji’s residence that is charming. The BEST has a wonderful museum that no one ever visits. The RBI too has an excellent gallery of coins. The Films Division has a museum on Peddar road which has recently been revamped. But all these are not adequately publicised and need professional management and outreach.

There are many other potential museums in the pipeline: the postal services are thinking of one, so is the Port Trust. The railways have a small museum at CST and they are considering expanding this. A textile museum that recounts the rich textile trade that laid the foundation for Bombay’s wealth is being planned in one of the old mills, along with a maritime museum. Mumbai played a critical role during the freedom movement and I have long advocated that we should have a museum near August Kranti Maidan that acknowledges our freedom fighters. In fact Mumbai has been in the forefront of the nation’s development in many areas but it has forgotten to record this rich history for posterity.

The music gharanas, the literary luminaries, Marathi, Gujarathi and Urdu theatre, the great artists who resided in the city deserve to be acknowledged. Their residences can be converted into museums as has been done in many cities the world over.

And we must not forget Bollywood, our greatest cultural export. Imagine a Madame Tussauds of Bollywood stars. It would be mobbed all the time.

The author is an art historian and cultural activist. She is Vice Chairman of INTACH, Managing Trustee and Honorary Director of the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, and a member of the International council of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She has served on the National Gallery of Modern Art Advisory Board and the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and been a member of the Central Advisory Board for Museums, a Senior Expert Advisor to UNESCO, Chair of the CII Task Force on Museums and Heritage, a speaker at the World Economic Forum at Davos, and a jury member of The Rockefeller Foundation for the Creative Arts Residency at Bellagio, Italy. Ms Mehta has received several awards for her contribution to art and heritage preservation.

- The Hindu, April 3, 2016

The policy, announced by certain State governments is myopic, says scientist

: A scientist, who has spent his entire life researching different types of fauna (animals) that live in the ‘hyporheic’ zone, a region beneath and alongside a stream bed, decried the free sand policy of the State government, saying that it will have devastating impact on biodiversity and environment in the long run.

Retired professor of Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) Y. Ranga Reddy in his research paper “On the little-known hyporheic biodiversity of India, with annotated checklist of copepods and bathynellaceans (Crustacea) and a note on the disastrous implications of indiscriminate sand mining” published in theJournal of Threatened Taxa, said the highly fragile hyporheic habitats and their associated biota like crabs were being gouged out along with their homes.

The dubious ‘eco-friendly’ policy announced by certain State governments, providing for sand extraction up to two metres, was utterly myopic and disastrous to sand-associated life because most of the hyporheic life was confined to the upper one metre or so of the sediment, he says.

According to Prof. Ranga Reddy, the vast and ecologically diversified hyporheic realm and the adjacent riparian areas of India have received scant attention from the standpoint of biodiversity studies.

The analysis of about 2,500 samples collected from the alluvial sediments of certain rivers and streams, besides some bores in the riparian zone, mainly in the coastal deltaic belt of the rivers Krishna and Godavari in Andhra Pradesh State during 2000–2012 yielded 41 copepod and bathynellacean species. Of these, 31 new species have been formally described during the ongoing studies whereas the remainder are previously known ones. An additional 20 new species in the samples are yet to be named and described.

Some of the species found belonged to taxa (groups) that had clear-cut Gondwanan lineages, representing the remnants of unique fauna that require urgent attention from conservationists, he said.

- The Hindu, April 3, 2016

INTACH introduces a programme to identify heritage structures in Adilabad and other parts of the State

: A scientist, who has spent his entire life researching different types of fauna (animals) that live in the ‘hyporheic’ zone, a region beneath and alongside a stream bed, decried the free sand policy of the State government, saying that it will have devastating impact on biodiversity and environment in the long run.

Retired professor of Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) Y. Ranga Reddy in his research paper “On the little-known hyporheic biodiversity of India, with annotated checklist of copepods and bathynellaceans (Crustacea) and a note on the disastrous implications of indiscriminate sand mining” published in theJournal of Threatened Taxa, said the highly fragile hyporheic habitats and their associated biota like crabs were being gouged out along with their homes.

The dubious ‘eco-friendly’ policy announced by certain State governments, providing for sand extraction up to two metres, was utterly myopic and disastrous to sand-associated life because most of the hyporheic life was confined to the upper one metre or so of the sediment, he says.

According to Prof. Ranga Reddy, the vast and ecologically diversified hyporheic realm and the adjacent riparian areas of India have received scant attention from the standpoint of biodiversity studies.

The analysis of about 2,500 samples collected from the alluvial sediments of certain rivers and streams, besides some bores in the riparian zone, mainly in the coastal deltaic belt of the rivers Krishna and Godavari in Andhra Pradesh State during 2000–2012 yielded 41 copepod and bathynellacean species. Of these, 31 new species have been formally described during the ongoing studies whereas the remainder are previously known ones. An additional 20 new species in the samples are yet to be named and described.

Some of the species found belonged to taxa (groups) that had clear-cut Gondwanan lineages, representing the remnants of unique fauna that require urgent attention from conservationists, he said.

- The Hindu, April 4, 2016

Work On Rs 110cr Ravidassia Memorial Begins P u n j a b c h i e f m i n i s t e r Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday laid the foundation of Begumpura memorial in the memory of Guru Ravidass's stay at Khuralgarh. It is being seen as an attempt by the ruling SADBJP to woo Ravidassia or Adi-dhar mi community, the second largest dalit community in the state and which has a strong presence in Doaba.

The state government not just invited Ravidassia Dera heads, it also made a especially elevated stage for them, which was higher even than the main stage where CM and other political leaders sat. All of them were felicitated by deputy chief minis ter Sukhbir Badal. The CM said the Rs 110-crore memorial would be an architectural marvel with a spacious congregation hall having a capacity of 10,000 pilgrims and a state-of-the art auditorium equipped with all modern audio-visual aids to showcase the life and works of Guru Ravidass.

He said the auditorium would also accommodate nearly 500 pilgrims. "The hallmark of this memorial will be a 151-ft tall structure, `Minar-e-Begampura'," he said.

Badal and Union minister of state Vi ter of state Vijay Sampla highlighted steps taken by the state government and Union government for dalits' welfare. Addressing the gathering, the CM said if needed, more money would be spent on the memorial spread over 12 acres. He described the upcoming memorial as a humble tribute by the state government to spread Guru's philosophy, who envisioned a concept of `Begampura (a city free from the pangs of agony)'.He also gave a grant of Rs 2 crore to spruce up village Khuralgarh and Bassi.

The state government is already building Valmiki Tirath at Amritsar for Rs 115 crore. ValmikiMazhabi and RavidassaAdi-dharmi communities are largest dalit communities in the state and are together more than onethird of its population. Efforts were made by SAD-BJP leaders to send community members on special buses from all four districts of Doaba. BJP state chief Kamal Sharma called the memorial's construction a way preserving their heritage.

- The Times of India, April 4, 2016

The state department of archaeology in the city, in the first ever excavation conducted at the historic Nagardhan village and fort nearRamtek, has found the seal of queen Prabhavati Gupta who ruled here for 13 years. This finding has reconfirmed that Nagardhan was the capital of the Vakatakas. Her name is impressed on an over clay tablet in the Brahmi script of the Gupta period.

Assistant director of the department, Virag Sontakke, who is also and director of excavation project, told TOI that the 1,500-year-old civilization was very well developed. "Nagardhan village, which now has a population of 12,000 people, was known to be a historic place. But the seal of Prabhavati found in the excavation indicates that the place Nandivardhan mentioned in ancient texts is Nagardhan itself," he said.

"This excavation project was undertaken to comprehend the antiquity and cultural stratigraphy of Nagardhan, its town planning, settlement pattern and socio-economic milieu. The excavation also aims at confirming the place of Nagardhan as 'Nandivardhan', the then capital city of the Vakatakas," said Sontakke.

The excavation was conducted from January to March this year in five trenches measuring 5mX5m at different places in Nagardhan and one trench inside the fort. Sontakke says that the excavation has shown that the place was densely populated and yet people lived in big houses made from big baked bricks.

Each house had many spacious rooms connected through passages. The ceilings were made of wooden beams, covered by flat roof tiles. Above all there are indications of very good closed drainage system made with pipes. The rulers appear to be good planners as the settlement also has enough wells in the area. Other important antiquities include terracotta animal figurines, glass beads and bangles, shell bangles, beads of semi-precious stones, ivory and metal objects.

The stone sculptures found include images of 'Kevala-Narasimha', 'Ganapati' and 'Lajjagauri'. The cult of 'Kevala-Narasimha' was prevalent in the Vidarbha region during the Vakataka period, which is authenticated by occurrence of his numerous sculptures in the region.

The image of 'Lajjagauri', a goddess of fertility, also underscores her popularity during the Vakataka period in this region. The popularity of Ganapati worship in the Vidarbha region during the Vakataka period is confirmed by the discovery of small stone and terracotta sculptures of the deity in the excavation.

Prabhavati is known to be a mighty queen. It was she introduced who liberalism in Vidarbha and constructed temples of Varah, Narsimha, Trivikram avtar of Vishnu in Ramtek.

Prior to this excavation, a systematic survey and exploration was carried by the investigators to find out the potential localities for the archaeological investigations. The other members of the excavation team included Shrikant Ganvir and Shantanu Vaidya of the Deccan College Pune as co-directors, Amardeep Barsagade, Kailas Yede, Pramod Chavan, Neha Pande, Shobhana Meshram, Atul Kushwah, Rushal Unkule, Durga Kale, Mokshada Salunke, Bhakti Gohil, Dipika Bhomkar, Rohit Ukey, Garima Khansili and Akanksha.

"We collaborated with Deccan College because it has a very comprehensive and scientific team for such works. The college has very good laboratories of paleobotany and paleozoology and has facilities for chemical analysis. The analysis of coins would help in re-establishing the period. We plan to continue the excavation next season too as the site spread over a distance of 1kmX1km has very good excavation potential. But we would need a renewal of excavation licence from state government," said Sontakke.

- The Times of India, April 4, 2016

Earlier in the day, a group of civic activists under Telangana Democratic & Secular Alliance marked the birthday of the founder of Hyderabad by laying a chader on the grave of Muhammad Quli inside the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex.

A bunch of heritage enthusiasts gathered near Charminar on Monday evening, lit candles and posed for photographs to mark Hyderabad’s founder Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah’s 450{+t}{+h}birth anniversary. “April 4 marks the birth anniversary of Muhammad Quli according to the Hijri calendar where he was born in the month of Ramzan 973 AH,” said INTACH Co-Convenor for Telangana, Anuradha Reddy.

Earlier in the day, a group of civic activists under Telangana Democratic & Secular Alliance marked the birthday of the founder of Hyderabad by laying a chader on the grave of Muhammad Quli inside the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex.

Muhammad Quli was the son of Ibrahim Qutb Shah and Bhagirathi. In 1591, he laid the foundation for Charminar and a palace complex of which nothing remains except the four arches which are collectively known as Char Kaman. The low-key celebration for Hyderabad’s founder and the man who created the landmark Charminar was an anti-climax, as the milling traffic around the monument didn’t stop even for a moment. As the call to evening prayer echoed from multiple masjids around the monument, bystanders stopped to see the hubbub with the volunteers and heritage activists holding candles and standing in front of the monument before moving on. According to lore, when the new city of Hyderabad was being built, Muhammad Quli is reported to have recited a poem about populating the city like fish in water. That prayer seems to have been answered, but the man who created the city has obviously been forgotten by most citizens on either side of the Musi.

- The Hindu, April 5, 2016

Historian Vakulabharanam Ramakrishna gives an insight into the book that is being presented as the “comprehensive, authentic and objective” Telugu history.

Excerpts
Is there any particular reason behind the keeping this edition the extensive of all?

This is certainly the biggest one in terms of the number of pages of all the eight volumes planned as it is comprehensive, authentic and objective. It is certain to serve as a companion to the general reader as well as the subject-oriented enthusiast. There are 65 chapters, segregated under different heads-administration, political, economic, cultural, etc. The focus in each chapter is on an important issue or development of public interest. The size of the volume has, however, grown far beyond expectations for two main reasons: one, obsessive concern to make the record of events comprehensive, and two, efforts to cover developments in two regions which were under the political control of two different powers – the British in the Telugu districts of the erstwhile Madras presidency and the Nizam of Hyderabad in the Telangana districts.

Tell us more about it?
This volume carries history of nearly 100 years from the mid of the 19th century to the mid 20th century. It focuses on the significant achievements of people as well as the welfare measures of the authorities. Expertise from experienced people is seen throughout the book. This volume is a collective labour of several academicians and activists. Majority of the contributors are well known academicians, with rich experience. This book focuses on the content, relevance and clarity.

The book seems to have people’s movement as the canvas.
Public activism had surfaced in both the regions, though at different times and under different leadership. People’s struggles did meet with success in the end. Consequently, colonial dispensation in British Andhra and Nizam’s rule in the Telangana region came to an end, clearing the way for the inauguration of democratic system of governance in the regions. It talks about how political independence dawned and old thinking underwent changes in matters relating to social and religious practices.

The book also touches upon Telugu literature?
Yes. The volume also throws light on the Telugu literary trends, performing arts, Telugu and Urdu journals, etc.

Tell us more about your team.
There is no doubt that it is the committed academic interest of the authors that prompted them to associate with the work and not the paltry sum of remuneration offered. This deserves special appreciation. The general editor monitored the progress of work, carrying on his shoulders the related burden himself till the end. The present volume is sure to help in understanding the aspirations and actions of the Telugu speaking people during the crucial years of 1858-1956.

Insights from the book
“Annie Besant recognised that awakening of India’s national life should be based on religion and spirituality. According to her, absence of any one of the principles of education-viz-religious, mental, moral and physical would result in imperfect and unscientific system of education.”

- Theosophical Movement
“Gandhi toured Andhra districts extensively in 1929 covering 319 villages and wherever he went he got an overwhelming response from people for his khaddar fund.”
-Natinal Politics in Andhra
“Madapati Hanumantha Rao introduced the system of Andhra Womens’ Conference through, Andhra mahila Sabha -the first one was held in Jogipet in 1930 under Dr Chandramati Devi’s guidance. Issues like evils of child marriages, conditions of widows and prostitutes and need to reform them was discussed.”

- Role of Women in National Movement
The book delves details of evolution of Telugu Cinema and theatre, tribes in both the states, medicine and health services, Christian Missionary activities, peasant and communist movements as well.

- http://www.newindianexpress.com, April 5, 2016

In April 2003, in the temple town of Udupi, an elephant called Lakshmisha went on rampage, creating havoc in the Car Street near the Krishna Temple for several hours. .

In 2013, the same elephant turned violent again, near Puttur, killing its mahout. The number of incidents involving captive elephants are relatively low in Karnataka though, when compared to the neighbouring state of Kerala. Hardly a year goes by without a few incidents of elephants running amok in elephant-crazy Kerala, especially in the festival season when elephants are paraded.

I remember two such incidents in 2003 which were aired on television channels before stricter protocols were established to prevent airing of such violent scenes. I still wince as I recall the terrified cries of one of the mahouts as his elephant seized him and ruthlessly dashed him on the ground. Another image — of the limp body of a mahout dangling from the tusk of his protégé like a rag doll haunted me for a long time.

Elephant ire
When my interest in temple architecture took me to monuments all over the country, some sculptural panels I saw forcefully brought back those barely suppressed scenes to mind. Though depictions of elephants in religious architecture in India are quite common, quite a few scenes depict angry elephants turning on people.

Why would such gory scenes find place in a house of worship? Elephants have for long been associated with pomp and grandeur, as kings and gods have ridden on them on festive occasions. Elephants abound in sculptural depictions on early Buddhist stupas too — right from the white elephant that entered the womb of the Buddha’s mother in her dreams to the elephants which carry the relics of the master after his parinirvana.

The depiction of elephants in the 2nd century AD sculptural reliefs of the Buddhist stupa at Kanaganahalli, near Sannati in Kalaburagi district, demonstrates the easy familiarity that early artisans had with the anatomy of the Asian elephant. The images, carved in shallow relief, are testimonies to the enormous skills of the sculptors, who seem to be of the same school that built the larger stupa at Amaravati. One of the broken panels shows an elephant with musth fluid streaking its cheeks, flowing down from the gland between the eye and the ear, showing the acquaintance of the sculptor with this phenomenon. Of course, the brilliant poetic references to musth elephants in the Tamil Sangam literature, roughly contemporary to this monument, also paint vivid word-pictures of this condition in tuskers.

Guardians of walls
Elephant sculptures form part of the embellishment in temple architecture — as guardians flanking portals, or in relief on walls or basement mouldings, in monuments from virtually every dynasty. In Karnataka, from early monuments like the Kanaganahalli stupa to the temples of the Badami Chalukya, Rashtrakuta, Kalyani Chalukya, Hoysala and Vijayanagar dynasties, we encounter the elephant in abundance. Early depictions like at Kanaganahalli and Badami remain truest to anatomical detail, while we see a “stylising” happening in later periods.

Apart from adding to the pomp and grandeur of kings and temples, elephants were indispensable as war machines too. Many are the stories of war elephants arrayed on battlefields resembling a surge of dark storm clouds or the crucial role of elephants in routing many an enemy army. The veteran elephant catcher P D Stracey, in his book Elephant Gold describes how war elephants were trained to swing heavy chains to mow down foot soldiers of the opposing army.

This probably explains why elephant sculptures, often flanking entry portals, are shown with a length of rope or chain held in their trunks. Though sometimes wounded or frightened elephants could turn on their own army, they were an important part of armies till the advent of gunpowder made them redundant.

It is quite possible that many of the sculpted panels in temples showing elephants attacking people depict war elephants. The temple, often a public monument built to glorify the ruler, was naturally replete with scenes depicting elephants, which helped in maintaining that glory over rivals.

Your elephants
Their white tusks broken
Battering enemy doors open
Look like death
sings Paranar, in praise of King Ilanchetchenni (Purananuru 4) in the Sangam Literature. We find similar descriptions of elephants as powerful war machines in several accounts of the military might of kings. The spectacular martial success of the famous Chalukyan King Pulakeshi I of Badami, who routed no less an adversary than Emperor Harsha, was attributed to his crack force of elephants. We learn from the account of the itinerant Hiuen Tsang how no army could stand up to the onslaught of these war elephants which, along with their mahouts, were fortified with liberal doses of alcohol!

Some scenes, however, might simply depict accidents involving captive elephants. A panel at Sringeri shows a mahout on an elephant trying to control it with a goad, even as it is grabbing an unfortunate man in its trunk, while another person on the ground is trying to dissuade the pachyderm with a spear. These eloquent records in stone, apart from glorifying the martial might of erstwhile kingdoms, also pay silent tribute to the mahouts — those men who live, and sometimes die, in the shadow of the beast they care for.

- The Deccan Herald, April 5, 2016

Bird watchers in the district have a reason to hoot as a new jungle owlet was spotted for the first time in the district on Saturday. While Spotted owlets are common, the Barred Jungle Owlet seen in Harsul was a rare treat.

Bird watchers who visit the area had heard the owl's calls many times in the past few days and finally spotted the owl on Saturday, they say the owl is coming to Harsul as it is developing a healthy forested area.

"These are smaller in size than owls and hence they are known as owlets. They are 20 cm in size and weigh around 100grams," said Pratiksha Kothule, who has done her masters in biodiversity and is a member of the Nature Conservation Society in Nashik. These owlets are found in Himalayan foothills, moist deciduous forests and secondary jungles with bamboo. It is seen from West Himachal to Bhutan and West Bengal, south through peninsular India to Sri Lanka and has also been seen from Assam, Arunachal, Bangladesh and Burma.

"One peculiarity with this owl is that it is also active during the day. It prefers open, tropical and sub-tropical areas. Harsul is now developing as a jungle and hence many birds are now seen here. It can be considered as a subtropical region which is way the owl can now be spotted here," said Pratiksha.

Describing the bird in further detail she said the facial disc of the owlet is indistinct, the chin, short eyebrows and moustachial streak are pure white. Sometimes these owls can be seen early in the morning or in late afternoon.

The Barred Jungle Owlets feed mostly on grasshoppers, locusts and other large insects, molluscs, lizards, mice etc and Harsul that has an increasing green cover by the day has ample of prey for the bird. March to May is the breeding season for the owlets.

- The Times of India, April 5, 2016

The concrete block perches absurdly atop a piling, elevated about 10 feet above the beach sand. Is it art? A bulky milepost? Carlton Hall pointed to the puzzling object and explained that it was once a tie-down block for securing structures like antenna towers. Hall, the chief scientist for the Kennedy Space Center's ecological program, said that when he started working here a few decades ago, the block had been buried. Now the sand that enveloped it is gone, swept away by the forces of coastal erosion and storms.

He gestured toward the waves rolling in nearby and said, "The beach used to be at least 50 yards out."

On the other side of the dunes, a quarter mile away, sit two artificial hills some 50 feet high. Those are NASA's two biggest launch pads. And to the south sit several smaller ones.

This is America's busiest spaceport, and the water is coming.

Like so much of Florida, the Space Coast — a 72-mile stretch along the Atlantic — is feeling the threat of climate change. Some of the erosion is caused by the churning energy of ocean currents along the coastline. Hurricane Sandy, whose power was almost certainly strengthened by climate change, took a big bite in 2012, flattening an already damaged dune line that provided protection from the Atlantic's battering.

A rising sea level will bring even greater risk over time — and perhaps sooner than most researchers expected. According to a study published last week, warming pressure on the Antarctic ice sheet could help push sea levels higher by as much as 5 or 6 feet by the end of this century. NASA isn't just a victim of climate change. It contributes to climate science in many ways, and not only in the data from the many satellites that orbit the planet after leaving Earth from here.

Its astronauts also help build awareness of the growing urgency of climate change. Astronaut Scott Kelly, who recently returned from nearly a year in space, took hundreds of photographs that could seem like abstract art or a dire warning; in an email interview just before his descent, he said that he had seen changes in the planet even since his previous mission in 2010.

"It seems to me there is more pollution in India and China than what I saw last time," he said. "Definitely noticed the fires this summer in the USA; sometimes, could see the smoke all the way to Chicago."

"Weather systems where they are not supposed to be obvious," he added. "The fragility of the atmosphere always apparent."

Pondering the Problem

NASA, which has at least $32 billion worth of structures and facilities around the country, has been considering the possible effects of climate change for nearly a decade, said Kim W. Toufectis, a strategist who leads the master planning program for the space agency.

NASA, after all, is in the business of risk management. By 2007, "we had to acknowledge that we should recognize climate change and extreme weather as a formal risk that we should be actually managing," Toufectis said.

With all of its expertise and its ability to make forecasts based on data, Toufectis added, "shame on us if we are not capitalizing on that."

In fact, NASA's climate risk extends far beyond Florida. About two-thirds of the land that NASA manages is within 16 feet of mean sea level, and much of it is near the coasts. "We are tremendously linked to the drink," Toufectis said.

Johnson Space Center in Texas sits by Clear Lake, an inlet of Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The surge from Hurricane Ike in 2008 caused power failures and debris pileup that shut down the center for a week.

The Michoud Assembly Plant, which built the enormous orange tanks used by the space shuttle, sits at the eastern end of New Orleans, and narrowly missed being inundated in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ames Research Center is near San Francisco Bay.

The agency's Climate Adaptation Science Investigators working group, which evaluates risks for all federal agencies, has predicted that sea level rise of 5 inches to more than 2 feet by 2050 could cause widespread problems for the five coastal NASA sites.

Coastal floods that might now occur once every 10 years could happen twice as often at Johnson, two to three times as often at Kennedy and 10 times more often at Ames.

"NASA coastal centers that are already at risk of flooding are virtually certain to become more vulnerable in the future," the working group wrote in a 2014 report.

The agency brought together the managers for each center to learn directly from NASA scientists about climate change risks. They took field trips to the vulnerable areas in 2009. "It became very real," said Cynthia E. Rosenzweig, senior research scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, and an author of the 2014 report. At Kennedy Space Center, of course, the elements are always a challenge. The air off the sea attacks delicate equipment and rusts structures. Hurricanes occasionally come through, as well. In 2004, Hurricane Frances tore hundreds of siding panels off the gargantuan Vehicle Assembly Building, requiring extensive repairs. Storms in 2007 and 2008 battered the shore.

Then in 2012, Hurricane Sandy sent a surge that hit the coast like a scouring pad, leveling about a mile of dune protection and leaving the landscape stretching toward the launch pads covered with sand.

Already, NASA has spent much of a $3 million appropriation to rebuild a long dune to replace protective sands that have been washed away.

Kennedy Space Center sits in the middle of a vast wildlife refuge, so replacing the dunes was a more delicate job than simply sending in bulldozers and piling up dirt.

Those doing the work had to be considerate of the wildlife, like the endangered gopher tortoise, with its high-domed shell.

The sand that NASA brought in had to resemble the sand that had been washed away, so the tortoises would be comfortable rebuilding burrows and sea turtles would be able to return to the site to nest. Workers took cuttings of plants from the old dunes, grew them and put in 180,000 individual plants to secure the new dunes. Now they are growing thick with grasses, sea oats, purple-flowered railroad vine and palmetto.

The Storms to Come

No one doubts that more storms will come, and the warmer air and water brought by climate change are likely to lead to more destructive storms.

As climate change threatens, NASA has options that include hardening facilities against the rising seas with barriers and structures adapted to storms and flooding, or if adaptation is not possible, to strategically retreat. Any such strategies will be expensive — though how expensive at this early stage is anyone's guess.

Retreat, however, is hardly an option any time soon for an agency that would need billions of dollars for new buildings and equipment alone — not to mention the need to relocate staff with extensive expertise.

One thing is certain: Launch pads will still be needed. Kennedy Space Center will be the home to NASA's next-generation human spaceflight vehicles, and its pads are being used by private space companies like SpaceX and United Launch Alliance. In fact, the Space Coast is enjoying a revival since the dire years after the space shuttle program was mothballed in 2011.

Christopher J. Ferguson, a former astronaut who now heads Boeing's efforts to develop a new crew capsule for future launches, said he was excited to see the renewed activity. Communities along the Space Coast, he said, "went through very trying times." Housing values plummeted and commerce ebbed. Even Shuttles, the space-themed restaurant and bar nearby on Merritt Island, shut down. Now the cold beer and cheeseburgers are back.

The question is, for how long?

Why the Coast?
Which leads to another obvious question: Why build billions of dollars worth of launch infrastructure on a risky coast in the first place?

Zidane shows he is the man to take Madrid forward

GOAL

Why Haven’t You Started Trading Online Yet

Kotak Securities

Recommended By Colombia

Safety and physics tell the tale. Launching over water is safer than over land and people. Also, rockets are best launched from sites closer to the Earth's fat equator, where the greater diameter of the planet provides a slingshot effect that gives each rocket more bang for the propulsion buck. The Air Force was already firing missiles from Cape Canaveral when NASA showed up.

The idea of firing from Florida preceded space travel by nearly 100 years. In 1865, Jules Verne foresaw launches from Tampa in "From the Earth to the Moon."

Latest Comment
Good information.
Corrupt quit India
SEE ALL COMMENTSADD COMMENT
Verne, in fact, even envisioned a competition for the launch site between Florida and the Gulf Coast of Texas, with a pitched political battle for the plum program. In real life, Florida got the launches, and coastal Texas got the Johnson Space Center, home to mission control and astronaut training. Special barges from Michoud carried the oversize shuttle fuel tanks — too big for easy passage on rails or roads — via the Intracoastal Waterway to Kennedy Space Center.

And that is the conundrum for NASA. Water, once the solution to many of the space agency's problems, is becoming its biggest threat.

- The Times of India, April 5, 2016

Six months ago, Gujarat high court had ordered the state government to fence water bodies to prevent them from becoming dumping grounds.

The Ahmedabad district collector was asked to put up fence around a water body in Thaltej, where builders had begun dumping debris in the lake. The court observed that the government should start fencing lakes and ponds in Ahmedabad.

- The Times of India, April 5, 2016

With its foundation stone laid in 2003 under the then Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Dr SP Singh, the ambitious heritage village project qualifies as one of the most-delayed projects undertaken by the state government in the city.

Revived by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal in 2011 to promote and boost the tourism prospects in the city, the cultural village resort being built near the GNDu is still far from completion, despite missing on several deadlines, the most recent being January 2016. Four and half years on, the project still lies incomplete, with just skeletal structures being built and a lot to be done.

Reportedly, the Ghaziabad-based firm enegaged in the project had already begun aesthetic and inetrior development of the village and it was spread over 11 acres, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 11 crore. The project promises to revive the folk art and artisans from Punjab with specific fetaures like a haveli, a community hall, 21-room accommodation facilities, and designing an artisans’ alley with potters, weavers, musicians and everything that one hopes to experience at a villlge in Punjab.

The resort-cum-heriatge village is being built to give tourists and visitors an insight into the rural lifestyle of Punjab. But with all the delay, the hopes are now turning into a disappointment. Though the Director, Punjab Tourism and Heritage Promotion Board, NPS Randhawa, had earlier hinted that at a hefty fine would be imposed if the company responsible for the aesthetic development missed the deadline, the new deadline for the project opening being Baisakhi. But with the entrance gates still under construction, only time will tell if this deadline is met with.

- The Tribune, April 5, 2016

The Qutub Shahi tombs are one of the most significant medieval necropolises.

Undergoing massive restoration after decades of neglect, the magnificent medieval necropolis complex, Qutub Shahi tombs, was thrown open to public on Monday, coinciding with the 450th birth anniversary of Quli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad.

The sprawling QST complex, built during the reign of the Qutub Shahi dynasty that ruled the Hyderabad region for 170 years in the 16th - 17th centuries, has been undergoing restoration works since 2013. The Rs1 billion restoration project is being executed by the Aga Khan Foundation's Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Spread over 108 acres, it is said to be the only necropolis in the world where all the sultans of a dynasty, barring one ruler, are buried.

The Qutub Shahi tombs are one of the most significant medieval necropolises with 72 structures within its complex, encompassing 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, five step-wells and water structures, a hamam (mortuary bath), pavilions, garden structures and enclosure walls. It is in the race for Unesco's World Heritage tag.

Despite being a major tourist attraction, the complex had suffered neglect by the successive governments for decades. At present, massive restoration works are underway and the entire project is expected to take 10 years for completion.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a integrated conservation and landscape restoration project at the tomb complex was signed in January 2013 by the Andhra Pradesh State Department of Archaeology and Museums, the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

The signing of the agreement was preceded by a year-long documentation programme, where each of the 72 structures within the tomb complex - Deccan Park area have been documented and their conservation needs established. Topographical surveys of the entire site have also been undertaken and a landscape master plan prepared.

Standing testimony to Indo-Persian architecture, the majestic monuments, located on the outskirts of Hyderabad, are a major tourist attraction. However, the ravages of time have taken a toll on these heritage sites. The conservation works at the tombs are being undertaken by master craftsmen using traditional tools, building techniques and traditional materials respecting the intention of the original builders. A significant portion of the site would be developed as an ecological zone with plantations of local flora to encourage birds as well as revive the historic water bodies.

- http://www.khaleejtimes.com, April 5, 2016

Shia cleric and general secretary of Majlis-e-Ulama-eHind-Maulana, Kalbe Jawad, on Tuesday filed three RTI queries, demanding details of the steps taken by the administration against the destruction of centrally-protected monuments and corruption in Husainabad & Allied Trust (HAT).

The RTI queries come twelve days after the Shia cleric had filed a complaint for an FIR lodged against officials of the district administration and HAT, for illegal encroachment in nationally protected monuments.

Jawad named district magistrate Raj Shekhar, ADM-West Jai Shankar Dubey and HAT's officer in special duty Nasir Naqvi in his RTIs.

On the notice he received from the Centre to surrender his passport, Jawad said he was being attacked for speaking against the corrupt.

- The Times of India, April 6, 2016

Sculpture of Hindu deity Lord Shiva in Nataraja form will reportedly be dedicated at the outdoor sculpture garden of Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) in Alabama on April 10.

In the age-old tradition of lost-wax casting, this bronze sculpture in the 30,000 square feet sculpture garden is 65 inches tall, reports suggest. Nataraja (lord of the dance), is a form of Shiva (Lord Shiva, along with Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, forms the great triad of Hindu deities) expressed through his anandatandava.

BMA’s another exhibit, “So Close to Heaven: Sacred Sculpture”, contains images of various Hindu deities, including Venugopala, Bhairava, Garuda.

Commending BMA for installing Lord Shiva and showcasing other Hindu artifacts, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d'Orsay of Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

On 3.9 acres, BMA, which claims itself as “one of the finest regional museums in the United States”, was founded in 1951 and is owned by City of Birmingham. Its collection includes over 26,000 paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, and decorative arts; and its Mission includes “to provide an unparalleled cultural and educational experience to a diverse community”. Gail Andrews is the Director, Dr. Donald A. Wood is the Curator of Asian Art; while William A. Bell Senior is Birmingham Mayor.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

- http://www.thehansindia.com, April 6, 2016

The Central University of Tamil Nadu, Tiruvarur, plans to offer six new programmes during the next academic year. It is hosting five M.Sc. integrated courses, 10 PG programmes and seven doctoral research programmes besides two short-term programmes under the aegis of its Community College.

For the academic year 2016-2017, it is proposing four PG programmes besides two three-year programmes - B.Sc. Textiles and Bachelor of Performing Arts programme in music, with the latter reviving memories of Tiruvarur as the birth place of the celebrated Carnatic Music Trinity Sri Tyagaraja, Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Sri Shyama Sastri.

Under a memorandum of understanding to be signed soon, the three-year graduate studies programme in textiles with an intake of 40 students will be conducted in the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management, Coimbatore.

Among the new PG programmes on offer, M.A. (Economics), M.A. (Hindi) and M.Sc. (Computer Science), will have an intake of 20 students each while the new M. Tech. (Material Science) will admit 24 students.

For drawing on a wider faculty base and curriculum design, the university has collaborative arrangements with the Madras School of Economics, the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, Chennai, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, and the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore. With inter-disciplinary approach as the main plank of curriculum building, it fully uses its unitary status and the choice-based credit system for introducing many inter-disciplinary and extra-disciplinary elective programmes.

All the Schools and the Community College have a total of 1,005 students on their rolls as of now and the University is planning to increase that to at least 2,000 over the next three years.

The university is about to enter the eighth year of admission with the Central Universities of Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan jointly conducting the Common Entrance Test for admission to their academic programmes on May 21 and 22.

Candidates, including those who are appearing for the final or qualifying examinations, can apply on line (website: cucet16.co.in). The Common Entrance Test enables candidates to apply for three programmes and sit for the test in any of the designated examination centres of their choice and take admission in any of the three universities they choose. Admissions on merit and with statutory reservation benefits to those who are eligible will commence after the publication of results on June 17.

- The Hindu, April 6, 2016

Offering hope to whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka, Haryana cabinet minister Anil Vij has claimed that the bureaucrat would get a new posting within a day or two.

In a post on the micro-blogging website Twitter on Tuesday, Vij said, "I have spoken to the CM (chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar) regarding posting of @AshokKhemka_IAS. He has assured it will be done in a day or two."

Khemka has not been given a new posting despite his promotion to a higher rank three months ago. Keeping in view Khemka's style of functioning, no other minister in the Khattar government has openly expressed willingness to have the bureaucrat in his or her portfolio. However, Vij has been stating that Khemka would be welcomed if he is transferred to any of his departments.

Ever since he cancelled the mutation of a land deal between UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and real estate giant DLF in 2012, Khemka has been "sidelined" most of the times - during the present BJP regime as well as the previous Congress government.

Khemka was given an important assignment in the transport department just a few months after the BJP government came to power, but was shunted out to the archives department. Three months ago, Khemka was promoted as principal secretary, but he is still holding the charge of director general of state archaeology and museums. The government has not given him a new assignment after his promotion despite him bringing the matter into the notice of chief secretary.

- The Times of India, April 6, 2016

India has been a favourite destination for many Hollywood actors over the years. A list of celebrities, including singer Madonna, and actors Julia Roberts and Leonardo DiCaprio, have visited India in the recent years.

Actor-director Jodie Foster, who came to India in the 1980s, revealed in a recent chat that when she came here, she did so only to marvel at the natural and cultural heritage of the country.

"I visited India in my twenties. I really enjoyed the country and travelling around. I was there for like a month, and of course, I visited Rajasthan and around. India is one of my favourite places in the world and it was one of the most life-changing trips that I have ever taken in my life," she says.

The 52-year-old further revealed that her visit to the country in the 1980s will always hold a special place in her heart.

"There's something deeper than spirituality [in India], because it's really [about] people surviving with such difficulty and yet holding on to each other," she says, adding, "I really love the country (India), and I want to go back soon."

Foster has directed a new film, Money Monster, which stars George Clooney and Roberts in the lead roles.

- http://www.bollywood.com, April 6, 2016

The much touted ‘Heritage Line’ of the Delhi Metro, which will connect Central Secretariat with Kashmere Gate, is expected to open by Independence Day. The number of barricades around the new metro stations is finally coming down after almost two years, with shop owners and locals in the congested Old Delhi area excited to see them take shape.

For Jamaluddin Khan, a shop owner in front of the historic Jama Masjid, the news is like a dream come true. “Every government only prepared projects for redeveloping our area, but nothing happened on ground. With the Metro coming here, urban development agencies have finally woken up to our problems and are now enthused about making this place better,” he said, referring to the Jama Masjid redevelopment project approved by the Delhi government.

According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), tunnelling work on the Heritage Line — which will include stations near monuments like Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and the Red Fort, apart from the already functional ITO, Mandi House and Kashmere Gate stations — has been completed. “We have set an internal deadline of August 15 for the completion of the project, which is subject to mandatory clearances,” said Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC.

“Commuting will be very smooth now. But, we don’t know how much we will benefit by the Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk redevelopment plans,” said Abdul, who owns an eatery in Daryaganj.

On Wednesday, DMRC chief Mangu Singh had announced that trial runs on the ITO-Kashmere Gate section would begin July onwards. “Civil works on the corridor are coming to an end. Making this underground stretch was not an easy task for the DMRC. There were a lot of hurdles, be it from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) or other organisations. But the change in alignment, which followed the objections, helped us reach a new engineering feat,” Mr. Singh had said.

The Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate stretch, an extension of the Violet Line, will be a fully underground corridor of over 9.3 kilometres. “Trial runs won’t take too long since the stretch is extremely short. Hopefully, people will be able to board the Metro this time to participate in the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort,” said a Metro official. The Mandi House-ITO stretch was launched by the DMRC on June 8 last year and is currently running under single-line operation.

- The Hindu, April 8, 2016

Before meteorological departments, people planned their year based on information from the official almanac, read publicly on Ugadi The traditional Indian calendar has always had a peculiar way of arranging days, weeks, and months, and even hours of the day. For the longest time, till India adopted the Gregorian calendar, this was followed.

Even now, for the most important events, the traditional calendar is still consulted by family elders. The calendar is based on calculations of the movements of the moon and sun through the twelve zodiacs as defined in ancient astronomy.

The southern and eastern states like Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa follow the lunar calendar while the northern states like Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Himachal follow the solar calendar.

In the south, a fortnight begins from a no-moon night also called Amavasya, and in the north, it begins from a full moon night called Poornima. However, the names of the twelve months don’t change in the two systems. There is a difference of fifteen days between both the calendars.

April 8, 2016 marks the beginning of a new year in the lunar calendar. It is the first day of the first month, Chaitra.

New Year’s day is celebrated as Chandramana Ugadi in Telugu-speaking states, Yugaadi in Karnataka, Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Cheti Chand among the Sindhi community.

Before we get to how the festival is celebrated, it is interesting to hear of some of the earliest references to it in ancient texts such as the ‘Jayasimhakalpadruma’ and the ‘Purushaarthachintamani’. King Jayasimha who ruled Mathura around 1713 wrote the ‘Jayasimhakalpadruma’ and detailed how Indian festivals were observed in different parts of the country.

Brahma, the creator in the Hindu trinity, and the sun and moon are worshipped. Houses are decorated and everyone takes an oil bath. The leaves of the neem tree are consumed. The line in Sanskrit, “Asyaam Vai Nimbapatraani Prashya Samsrunuyaat” (And one consumes the fresh flowers and tender leaves of the neem tree), tells us the importance of Neem leaves. But we will come to that later.

There are also references to this being the beginning of summer and to people opening sheds that dispensed water to everyone.

In the text ‘Samrajyalakshmipithika’, compiled in Thanjavur, we find a few more interesting references to what the king or rulers of the land practiced. On the first day the king places fresh neem leaves and jaggery on his head and prays to the family gods.

Later he distributes these among his family members, and everyone eats them. Every door in the house is decorated with buntings made of fresh mango leaves. The main entrance to one’s home is decorated with a Kolam or Rangoli to invoke and welcome auspiciousness.

This is a time of celebration, not because of any strict religious reasons, but to observe the beginning of a new year. Everyone wishes for good things for the place they live in, and for people who live around them.

Ugadi is also the time when the official almanac, popularly known as ‘Panchanga Sravanam’ among south Indians, is read out to inform people of upcoming events from rain and crop cycles to weather forecasts and zodiac details. In days when there was no meteorological department to tell everyone such details, the ‘Panchanga Sravanam’ played a vital role. Everyone planned their year ahead based on what the astronomer said.

The traditional Ugadi feast is also a sign of what the new season has in store. On Ugadi day, a special concoction called ‘Ugadi Pachchadi’ is prepared. There is no hard and fast recipe for this, and over centuries it has been adapted into different styles based on personal tastes.

The constant ingredients are fresh jaggery, margosa flowers, fresh tamarind, tender raw mangoes, salt, and fresh pepper ground into a liquid and consumed. The whole idea is to balance six distinctly different tastes and consume them as one. This is a metaphor for all the good and bad events about to take place in the coming year and how one must look at all of them with equanimity.

According to Ayurveda, jaggery water is a coolant and margosa flowers have medicinal qualities. Consuming the Ugadi Pachchadi is considered good for the body as it prepares it for the onslaught of the coming four months of intense summers.

The other traditional seasonal preparations made during Ugadi are mango rice made from grated tender raw mangoes and a dessert made from fresh jaggery stuffed into Indian bread, popular as ‘Puran Poli’ in Maharashtra, ‘Bhakshaalu’ in Andhra and ‘Obbatu’ in Karnataka.

According to the traditional calendar a Yuga has sixty years. Each of these years has names that come from sources of great antiquity. Once in sixty years the names repeat. The current year has a rather unnerving name in Sanskrit.

In the Vedic calendar it is called ‘Durmukhi’ which means ‘one with a bad face’. The last two times the year was called Durmukhi were back in 1956 and 1896.

Some Sanskrit scholars are of the opinion that it is one of the many names attributed to lord Shiva. Other scholars say it is the name of one of the thirty-two female deities worshipped in the Tantra school of thought.

According to the ancient text Kubjikamatatantra, these goddesses are situated on a ring of sixteen petals and represent the thirty-two syllables of a mantra as prescribed in the Aghora tradition.

Each of these deities is represented as being small, plump and large-bellied. They have sixteen arms each, are mounted on different Vahanas or animals and can assume any form at will.

This is just one Tantric detailing of the goddess Durmukhi after whom this year gets its name. There are several other explanations. Whatever be the mythological or historical reasons behind this name, one need not worry about anything bad happening.

Festivals like other human institutions have their own history and evolution. They are good times for social gatherings with your near and dear ones. They are occasions to be grateful and thankful for what you have. Ugadi is the beginning of a new year and it is a time to rejoice. So here’s wishing everyone a fabulous, fun-filled, creative, healthy, safe and prosperous year ahead!

Photographs by — Janakiraman, M Acharya, Kiran Kumar P

(Veejay Sai is an award-winning writer, editor and a culture critic. He writes extensively on Indian performing arts, cultural history, food and philosophy. He lives in New Delhi and can be reached at [email protected])

- http://www.thenewsminute.com, April 8, 2016

In a first, ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) will monitor and map the water bodies in tribal belts in the country to help tackle irrigation crisis faced by tribal farmers, a union minister said on Thursday.

The initiative has been taken up jointly by the tribal affairs ministry and of the NRSC of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Tribal Affair Minister Jual Oram said at a conclave in New Delhi.

"Areas are being identified jointly by the ministry and NRSC for the development of tribal areas. The plan is to locate and monitor the surface water in the tribal areas. With information procured through effective use of space technology, this data could be utilised for irrigation by channelling water to the fields," Dr. T. Ravi Shankar of the NRSC said.

The NRSC had already mapped surface water and vegetation distribution in Bankura district, West Bengal, through remote sensing.

"Around 38,000 water bodies were discovered in Bankura distict," he said, while presenting a survey report.

The minister said information gathered through this project will be implemented using Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

"In India, around 80 percent of the tribals are farmers with meagre land holdings, but there is no irrigation facility for them. The Centre is stressing on irrigation this year to resolve the issue. If tribal farmers get water, half of their issues would be resolved," Oram said.

He said with MGNREGA help, water could be channelled to the fields by paving drains and making reservoirs near the fields.

The minister said even with presence of several dams in tribal belts, the farmers there were facing scarcity of water for irrigation.

"We lag behind in terms of tribal development. We need a better plan. In 1951, 8.5% of tribals were educated while in 2011 it went up to 59.5%, which is still low. As of today, only around 2% of the tribals have access to doctors," said the minister.

Oram said there are around 705 scheduled tribes and expressed concern that around 75 of the 'vulnerable tribal groups' could not get ST certificates, even though they were on the list.

He said the ministry was holding talks with private security agencies to provide jobs for tribals and also focusing on their education, especially the 'creamy layer' among the tribal youth.

- http://www.gizmodo.in, April 8, 2016

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU) has organised a state-level drawing competition as a part of its ongoing 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr Ambedkar.

The Performing Arts department of the university will be conducting the competition, which has invited entries depicting moments or scenes from the life or work of Ambedkar. Oil, water or mix could be the medium for drawing the paintings, with the size of each art piece at least 18 inch by 24 inch and should not exceed beyond 36 inch by 48 inch, an official release said.

There is no entry fees for the competition, but the last date for sending entries is April 20. Each artist can submit maximum two entries. Each submitted painting must be properly framed with organisers specifically asking participants to avoid use of glass for framing purposes.

"Entries can be submitted in person or through others. Organisers can be reached for further details about the competition by contacting upon 0240- 24003325," said Shirish Ambekar, head of Performing Arts department at Bamu.

- The Times of India, April 9, 2016

The department of Ancient History, Culture & Archaeology of Allahabad University celebrated the completion of 60 years of its foundation, on Saturday. Former DG of ASI (archeological survey of India), Prof Professor Gautam Sengupta of Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan was the chief guest of the function.

The function, attended by retired teachers, faculty members, research and PG students of the department and scholars from colleges and other departments, was presided over by AU VC, Prof RL Hangloo who also inaugurated the Kausambi Uddyan, at the department.

The special feature of this celebration was an invited lecture delivered by Prof Sengupta, a renowned archaeologist and art historian, who also served the Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi as Director General (2010-13). His lecture, titled, Raja Rajendralal Mitra and his ideas of archaeology highlighted his untiring contestation with empiricist approach to Indian history and culture, especially James Fergusson's biased projection of Indian art.

The programme was introduced by Prof UC Chattopadhyaya, the head of the department. Earlier, Prof Hangloo, after welcoming the chief guest, mentioned the importance of Prof Sengupta's theme of presentation. He also described department's museum as one of the best museums in India. He encouraged students to make use of the opportunities being provided to them.

- The Times of India, April 9, 2016

The public works department (PWD) has recovered the original drawings of the Writers' Buildings from a trunk stored in their BBD Bag office. Yellowed, torn, brittle and ready to turn to dust, they needed immediate attention because without them the restoration of the Writers' Buildings will remain incomplete.

The eight blocks of the Writers' that came up post-Independence to accommodate the growing needs of the state secretariat have been razed because they were considered inconsistent with the original Greco-Roman structure. Initially, PWD officials were unaware of the blueprint's existence. The drawings were finally found after a massive search. The drawings date to around 1821 and 1910 — when the original structure designed by Thomas Lyon underwent several changes. Writers' started out as the first three-storey building in Kolkata.

The drawings point out how a 128 feet verandah with 32-feet high Ionic columns were added to the first and second floors. By this time the building had graduated from being just quarters for the "writers" or junior clerks of the East India Company to housing the Fort William College.

Those in British administrative positions always eyed the building because of its vantage location and size. Finally, first in 1870 and then in 1877, lieutenant governors Campbell and Eden got the offices of the secretariat moved from Sudder Street and Chowringhee to Writers'. Between 1870 and 1906, five blocks were added to the main building that faces what is now known as the Laldighi and was then known as Tank Square.

The drawings show how gradually these blocks got added and Writers' got its familiar look — with the portico in the central bay and the red surface of exposed brick. The parapet was put in place and statues sculpted by William Fredric Woodington were installed lining the terrace in 1883. Minerva stands above the central portico. The drawings clearly show how the other statues - that of 'Justice', 'Commerce', 'Science' and 'Agriculture' represented by Greek Gods, Zeus, Hermes, Athena and Demeter got installed one after the other. PWD had asked Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) to help oversee restoration of the drawings.

"Intach has been able to trace some of the earliest photographs of the Writers' Buildings at the India Office Library, London. We have managed to get copies of these and they match with the drawings. We can see how a white linear building gradually turned red because of the architectural additions. The mansards originally had open brickwork. But later, to stop rainwater from leaking in, black tar felt was used as sealants. That is why they look so different from the original," explained Kanakendu Sinha, executive engineer of PWD, who is in charge of the restoration.

It took Intach about six months to restore the drawings.

"When we got the drawings for restoration, they were torn, creased and were so brittle that they were almost disintegrating. Naturally, years of lying untouched inside the trunk left its mark on these invaluable documents. However, we were finally able to bring them back to life," said GM Kapur, state convenor of Intach.

Along with the drawings, PWD has also come across a book called 'The Builder' in the trunk, which was prepared as a guidebook to the construction and also explains the drawings. That book is yet to be restored.

- The Times of India, April 10, 2016

Dancer and cancer survivor Ananda Shankar Jayant, who was in the city to give the Kamalini Samuel Memorial Lecture, believes that performance art lessons will dramatically improve the quality of education

When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, Ananda Shankar Jayant fought the terminal illness the only way she knew - with dance. She had been a classical dancer for more than three decades when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2008. In the next four years, she underwent surgery, chemo and radiation therapy. Now, she is in remission. However, throughout the treatment period, she continued to dance. "By bringing laser sharp focus to my dance, in all its multifaceted glory, I successfully tuned out of cancer and tuned into my dance. My dance saved me from myself!" she writes in her website about the positive influence classical dance has had on her life.

Ananda was in the city recently to give the third annual Kamalini Samuel Memorial Lecture. An annual series that was conceived and launched in 2014 by the Kamalini Samuel Joyful Foundation to address the need for 'transformative education' in India, Ananda's talk was about the need for 'Embracing Performance Arts to Transform Education'.

This is where her personal example serves as a classic case study. "Dancing helped me deal with cancer, it has helped me deal with challenges that life tends to throw our way," says Ananda, who has for the last few years been doing an impassioned job of highlighting the need for a wellrounded education in our public schools; where arts and humanities are treated on par with the sciences.

And she has been doing that in fora as varied as Harvard Business School, Hyderabad Central University, Confederation of Indian Industry's Women's Leadership Conclave and TEDx conference. "It is interesting to note that in a country like India where there's art suffused in everyday life, from the kolam (rangoli) you draw in the morning to the mathematical rhythms in the tabla and the mridangam, the present system of education has completely divested itself of it," says Ananda.

Except for international and alternative schools, the average institution focuses on careeroriented education. "Why are the performing arts subjects taught in silos? Why cannot it be possible to integrate performing arts into the syllabus? Why cannot a science student also learn pottery? Or a math student specialize in music," asks Ananda. She recently met a pharma businessman who wondered why ethics couldn't be taught to scientists in college. "It seems like a genuine quandary when you note that one 'unethical misjudgment' on the part of a scientist could cost the businessman crores in penalty."

In advocating the need for a balanced right brain-left brain education model, Ananda talks of the intangible benefits it holds. "From instilling team spirit to decisiveness, independence and ethics - you can put a list of adjectives to show what studying art will give you. It makes you who you are, it informs your identity," says Ananda.

She readily admits that while her talks garner positive response, there is resistance to accepting the model. "At a recent education policy discussion at Hyderabad Central University, we had the science department suggest that the arts department should be shut down. I have parents who attend my talks telling me that kids are already under so much pressure that getting them to learn something besides the syllabus would be difficult," she says.

The path forward, according to Ananda, is a multi-pronged one where all stakeholders are involved and do their bit. "Schools need to provide all kids, irrespective of their backgrounds, with access to the arts. But unlike the West where kids are encouraged to be proactive during museum visits, where do we even consider museums as interesting here?" she asks.

Incorporating culture our lives needs to become a social movement, one where parents not only vow to take their kids, but their servants too to art events. "Tell me, where do you see children at a flute recital here? A funny scene when you see that these very Indian families get their children trained in classical music in the West!" It is time for a rethink. "In this career-driven thinking of today where we are busy pursuing that great job, that great car, that great house, we need to stop and think of what are we doing to lead a great life." Now, there's a thought.

- The Times of India, April 10, 2016

A decision on conservation of the 18th century Parvati idol in the main temple of Trimbakeshwar is likely to be delayed as the state archaeology department said it would take a decision only after getting a green signal from its science branch.

Mohalla Assi denied certification by Pahlaj Nihalani's Board
The trustees of the temple had met director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Rakesh Tewari and requested his intervention in conserving the idol that has been carved out of a single stone. Tewari had written to the chemology department of its Aurangabad Circle.

After the trustees met him again recently, Tewari sent an email to the state archaeology department, asking themto inspect the idol that was repaired and installed by the trust in 1955. However, the department is yet to inspect the idol.

MS Chouhan, superintending archaeologist of the state archaeology department said, "Tewari asked us to inspect the idol first and then decide if it has to be conserved... We will consult the science department first. But if it is conserved then good care should be taken after the conservation. The caretakers should be able to assure us that the idol will be taken due care of."

"The idol is in a bad shape and its parts could crumble any time. Tewari had asked us what care we would take of the idol if it was conserved and he sent the email to the state archaeology department only after he was convinced that we would take care of the idol," said a trustee.

- The Times of India, April 10, 2016

Tiger range countries are on their way to their goal of doubling the animal's population, but challenges remain.

At last—some good news for tigers. Driven largely by conservation successes in India, Russia, and Nepal, the global population of tigers in the wild has shown a significant increase in the past few years, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports in a new survey. The report comes as national leaders meet in India to discuss next steps for saving the iconic—and highly endangered—species.

The study estimates that there are now 3,890 wild tigers, up from 3,200 in 2010, when countries announced a historic commitment to double the population by 2022. Countries appear to be heading toward their goal, and this is the first time tiger numbers have been increasing globally in more than a hundred years.

"We're positively surprised by the numbers, which validate what we thought has been happening thanks to conservation efforts," says Ginette Hemley, senior vice president for conservation at WWF.

The conservation group compiled the data based on rigorous national surveys conducted by several countries, including India and Bangladesh, as well as on estimates by independent scientists from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the world’s authority on biodiversity conservation. Such estimates were necessary in countries where no formal tiger surveys have been done, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

"This report shows great momentum, but I would caution people in thinking that we’re on an unchangeable path toward recovery," says Luke Dollar, who manages the Big Cats Initiative for the National Geographic Society. "The stakes continue to be great and tigers remain at risk of global loss."

Success Stories
Several countries have seen growth in tiger numbers. Two are India and Russia, which are also places where Dollar says National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative has been conducting studies and sponsoring conservation projects.

Two-thirds of the world's tigers live in India, where they’ve increased from 1,706 to 2,226 during the past five years. The country has stepped up anti-poaching patrols and offers compensation to farmers or villagers who experience injury or loss from tigers, as a means of preventing retaliatory killings. India has also invested in sustainable tourism around tiger reserves, a model that seems to be working so well that officials are talking about expanding the reserve system.

"India is investing unprecedented resources in tigers, and now we can see those investments are paying off," Hemley says. (Learn more about tiger conservation in India.) A similar situation is seen in Nepal, where tigers have rebounded by 60 percent, to 198, thanks to efforts to curtail poaching. Tigers have also shown growth in Russia (from 360 to 443) and Bhutan (from 75 to 103), thanks to strong commitments from those national governments, according to Hemley.

Trouble Spots
In Bangladesh, the number of tigers counted fell from 440 to 106. But Hemley believes that’s likely because a new government survey yielded a more accurate count rather than because there was an actual decline in tiger numbers.

At the low end of the spectrum, the new report estimates only seven wild tigers in China, five in Vietnam, two in Laos, and none in Cambodia.

Dollar says that in these countries “tigers are essentially done,” adding that “we still can't afford to write them off."

Indonesia and Malaysia are important to the long-term survival of the species, Hemley says, but those countries are besieged by poaching and development—often illegal—that degrades tiger habitat. Neither has yet conducted a national survey, and estimates are rough: 371 tigers in Indonesia, 250 in Malaysia.

Trade in tiger products is banned in most of the world, and yet a black market persists. For tigers to assuredly get on more stable ground, demand for their skins and other parts must be curtailed in Asia, particularly China, the report advises. WWF and others have been working on awareness campaigns, as well as on efforts with law enforcement to step up prosecution of traffickers.

India and Nepal have shown considerable progress in reducing the number of tigers smuggled out, in part by sharing resources across borders, Hemley says. Conservationists have worked with leaders of Traditional Chinese Medicine to reduce the amount of tiger products going into treatments, which scientists say don't work anyway. At the same time, however, new black markets have emerged in China for shampoos, tonics, and tchotchkes made of tigers, often as status symbols.

India has also shown how development can benefit people while minimizing impact on tigers, the report notes. Roads have been routed around reserves, and engineers are designing tunnels and overpasses to help tigers move through the landscape with fewer risky interactions with people.

The overall message is one of cautious hope, Hemley says. "The fact that tiger numbers are up is significant, but we still have a long ways to go."

The first step, Luke Dollar says, is to see a "doubling down" on conservation commitments by leaders in India this week at the 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation. Cooperation on tigers between countries is a plus, he says, because it can also serve as a bridge toward cooperation on other issues. "In saving nature, we are often saving ourselves."

- http://news.nationalgeographic.com, April 10, 2016

Multiplicity of authorities is one of the main reasons that killed Delhi’s water bodies. There are 10 different authorities in Delhi ranging from DDA to BDO to MCD and forest department, looking after these water bodies. There are 1,012 water bodies in Delhi but, only 905 could be traced. Of the total water bodies traced, 338 are dry, 168 encroached and 107 non-traceable. According to Delhi Parks & Gardens Society under the state government, preservation of water bodies is not the mandate of a single agency. “The water bodies come under jurisdiction of different agencies which are not charged with their preservation or maintenance. Thus, institutional arrangements in this regard are very weak,” said a DJB official.

The largest number of 629 water bodies are under the control of BDO followed by 315 under DDA and 25 under MCD. Other departments like Forest and Archeological Survey of India (ASI) look after 18 and 15 water bodies respectively. DJB has four water bodies in its control, while two each are handled by DMRC and PWD, and one each by Wakf Board and DUSIB. Handled by various agencies, none can be solely held accountable for the vanishing water bodies. The worst part is that there is no concrete plan by the government to revive these water bodies. S D Singh, Nodal Officer (Water Bodies), said some agencies have started small programmes like planting trees around water bodies and constructing boundary walls but, everything is very small scale and done at a slow pace.

WATER MAFIA RULES the national capital
Despite AAP government’s claim that water mafia has been eliminated, the well-oiled network continue to operate in connivance with corrupt DJB officials. A source said 264 unauthorised colonies and slum clusters in the city do not have access to piped water supply and they are totally dependent on tanker mafias or illegal tube wells. The source added that water mafias are active in South, South-West and South-East parts of Delhi and their business is pegged at Rs 400 crore annually. People in these localities pay anywhere between Rs 800 and Rs 1,500 for 1,000 litres of water during summers. During winters, they pay somewhere between Rs 400 to Rs 800. For a 5,000-litre tanker, they shell out around Rs 3,000 and for a 12,000-litre tanker, between Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000.

The chaotic situation is due to the state government’s blind eye towards mushrooming of unauthorised colonies and slums in the city without even realising whether DJB will be able to cater to their water demands. Currently, DJB runs 757 water tankers with GPS. But Delhi requires more water tankers because of irrational water supply and DJP is unable to meet the demands leading to rise in water mafias. Jal Board CEO admits that in few areas of Delhi they water supply in inadequate and in few surplus.

Lutyens’ Delhi is Drought-proof
NDMC, the civic body which manages the Lutyens zone, home to the countries rich and famous, is ‘drought proof’ to the unprecedented crisis that is gripping large areas of the country.

It spends huge amounts of money to keep the Lutyens grass green even if farmers and cattle go without a drop. Since DJB sells 125 million litre water to the rich NDMC, the cost is also on the higher side. The commercial cost of the water supplied by DJB to NDMC is Rs 12,000 per million litre, the per day cost is Rs 27 lakh and the per annum cost is Rs 98 crores.

While many farmers across the country are committing suicide due to scarcity of water around 38 per cent of the 225 ml water goes to waste, informed a high ranking official. The percentage amounts to 85.5 ml wastage per day, figuring to Rs 10 lakh per day and Rs 37 crores per annum.

IMPACT ON FLORA & FAUNA
Due to the drying up and encroachment of water bodies, the variety and density of flora and fauna in many areas of the capital have been drastically reduced.

According to experts, several water bodies were converted into parks by authorities, thus destroying the natural habitat of birds and other species. Water bodies when converted into parks do not sustain ecosystems and thus kill the flora and the fauna in surrounding areas.

- http://www.newindianexpress.com, April 10, 2016

The much touted ‘Heritage Line’ of the Delhi Metro, which will connect Central Secretariat with Kashmere Gate, is expected to open by Independence Day. The number of barricades around the new metro stations is finally coming down after almost two years, with shop owners and locals in the congested Old Delhi area excited to see them take shape.

For Jamaluddin Khan, a shop owner in front of the historic Jama Masjid, the news is like a dream come true. “Every government only prepared projects for redeveloping our area, but nothing happened on ground.

With the Metro coming here, urban development agencies have finally woken up to our problems and are now enthused about making this place better,” he said, referring to the Jama Masjid redevelopment project approved by the Delhi government.

According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), tunnelling work on the Heritage Line — which will include stations near monuments like Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and the Red Fort, apart from the already functional ITO, Mandi House and Kashmere Gate stations — has been completed. “We have set an internal deadline of August 15 for the completion of the project, which is subject to mandatory clearances,” said Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC.

“Commuting will be very smooth now. But, we don’t know how much we will benefit by the Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk redevelopment plans,” said Abdul, who owns an eatery in Daryaganj.

On Wednesday, DMRC chief Mangu Singh had announced that trial runs on the ITO-Kashmere Gate section would begin July onwards. “Civil works on the corridor are coming to an end. Making this underground stretch was not an easy task for the DMRC. There were a lot of hurdles, be it from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) or other organisations. But the change in alignment, which followed the objections, helped us reach a new engineering feat,” Mr. Singh had said.

The Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate stretch, an extension of the Violet Line, will be a fully underground corridor of over 9.3 kilometres. “Trial runs won’t take too long since the stretch is extremely short. Hopefully, people will be able to board the Metro this time to participate in the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort,” said a Metro official. The Mandi House-ITO stretch was launched by the DMRC on June 8 last year and is currently running under single-line operation.

- The Hindu, April 10, 2016

Workshop to be held on art, architecture of Nandi Temples

To celebrate World Heritage Day on April 18, INTACH Bengaluru is organising a workshop ‘Exploring the Art and Architecture of the Nandi Temples’, involving a field trip to Nandi Village, near Nandi Hills on April 16.

The sculptural detailing and the architectural brilliance of the black stone carvings at Bhoga Nandishwara temple will be brought to light by Raghavendrarao H. Kulkarni, professor of Art & History at the College of Fine Arts, Chitrakala Parishat.

“Karnataka offers an encyclopaedic reference material on any aspect of temple architecture from multiple angles for a scholar wanting to delve into Indian sculpture,” says Dr. Kulkarni, who published over 50 research papers on sculptures, architecture and mural traditions of Karnataka.

“For example, the concept of twin temples is unique to Karnataka like the Bhoga Nandishwara Temple at the foothills of Nandi Hills and the Yoga Nandishwara Temple on top of the hill. In fact the iconography for stone sculpture itself was developed thousands of years ago in Karnataka,” adds Dr. Kulkarni.

The Chalukyas of Badami were among the foremost to introduce unique aspects in chiselling the stone. “We may have read mythology, but Chalukyas gave them a visual form by transcribing puranic stories and fashioning stylistic features in sculpture,” he says.

The concept and illustration of Ugra Narasimha (in fiery form) according to Dr. Kulkarni “stands as an example of the earliest work at Badami, and was the first in the entire Deccan plateau.”

Karnataka always led the country in narrative art that began with the Chalukyas bringing in historical themes into cave paintings of Badami. “If the concept of Hari-Hara, the Vishnu-Shiva combo existed from 300 AD onwards, the Chalukyas were innovative to bring in their consorts in sculpture that formed the models for others to follow,” explains Dr. Kulkarni, now working on book on Narrative Art in Karnataka Temples.

Karnataka forms the most influential fountainhead of varied sculpture schools and the nearly 11,000 temples that justifies the claim. “Look at the iconographic 200 years of Chalukya rule itself that brought in more than 200 temples only in Badami, while Pattadakal has a serpentine list of names of sculptors ingrained in stone. The Hoysalas brought in 800 temples and Kalyan Chalukyas nearly 2000,” says Dr. Kulkarni, who says, he has 400 GB of information recorded on temple architecture in his visits.

Box

The Bhoga Nandishwara temple, the oldest in Karnataka, now maintained by the Archaeological Society of India (ASI), has several shrines of the Hindu pantheon of Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati. Built in the early 9 century, it houses three temples and is a magnificent example of Dravidian Architecture dating back to 805 AD. The 1000-year-old temple bears the architectural and sculptural stamps of around five different dynasties that ruled here.

It was believed to have been originally constructed by the Bana Queen Ratnavali and the temple has had many additions and modifications, spread over the rule of five dynasties, the Ganga, the Cholas, the Hoysalas, the Pallavas and finally the Vijayanagara kings.

“After the original built in the 9th century by the Banas, the Chola kings in the 11th century added the roof; the Hoysala dynasty added the marriage hall, and buildings were added by the Vijayanagar kings in the 13th century,” says Raghavendrarao H. Kulkarni, professor of Art & History at the College of Fine Arts, Chitrakala Parishat.

“The pyramidical placement of sculptures at different levels and the sheer space and rhythm of the stone speaks a language only the ancient work can,” says Dr. Kulkarni. Email [email protected] for workshop details

- The Hindu, April 11, 2016

The recent overall slowdown in India’s exports possibly calls for a re-examination of policies essential to propel India’s foreign trade.

The recent overall slowdown in India’s exports possibly calls for a re-examination of policies essential to propel India’s foreign trade. One such policy is the recognition of geographical indications (GIs). What is currently in debate is the ‘unequal provision or treatment’ meted out to developing countries; as a result, they are unable to capitalise their true potential.

GIs are a type of industrial property that identifies a good as originating from a particular place, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristics of the good are essentially attributable to its geographical origin. Much like trademarks, the economic rationale of GI is based on the ‘information asymmetry’ between buyers and sellers in the market and the role of reputation, conveyed through distinctive signs, in tackling such asymmetry. Thus, GI acts as a signalling device helping the producers to differentiate their products from competing products in the market and enabling them to build a reputation and goodwill around their products, which often fetch a premium price. For instance, champagne originated from a place in France and has been recognised as a product whose reputation for quality or authenticity is intimately linked to its geographical origin. The product has not only emerged a major product in its export basket but also helps in promotion of tourism and cultural heritage.

Such examples are aplenty in India such as Kanjeevaram silk sarees, Pochampally Ikat. They can very well contribute to exports and popularity. What needs to be re-emphasised and negotiated is to provide such protection and equal treatment to developing countries like India whereby they can contribute to its foreign exchange as well as protect its exclusiveness, heritage and traditional skills of making such products.

The issue has gathered momentum with the recognition of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on GIs as a form of IPR. This adequately enhanced the marketability of these products, and demonstrated that GIs have great potential to play a major role in trade between countries. This further increased the commercial significance of GIs which were not aware to many developing countries like India. It is at the same time not to say that GIs were insignificant in trade earlier. Quite to the contrary, the immense revenue potential of GIs necessitated their cross-border protection and thus these were included in the ambit of the TRIPS Agreement.

The Article 22 of the Agreement, which forms the centrality of GI protection, provides for a general level of cross-border protection of GIs in the course of trade, which is extended to India and other developing countries. However, what distinguishes developed countries from India is a special provision. This provision was made under Article 23 of the TRIPS Agreement for protection of GIs in the form of wines and spirits. The major demandeurs of this kind of protection were the European countries with their very long tradition in making of wines and spirits. This special treatment to wines and spirits appears to be developed country-centric. Developing countries, including India, have raised this issue in the Doha Round and in the recent meetings at the WTO. They seek the same higher level of protection for all GIs as was given under Article 23 for wines and spirits. Many handicraft products such as Kanjeevaram silk sarees, Pochampally Ikat, Chanderi fabrics, Madhubani paintings, Mysore jasmine, Bidri metalworks, Kotpad handloom, etc, have been registered as GIs in India. Many food products and agricultural products are also registered. In fact, six foreign products have also been registered as GIs in India. Over 170 Indian products have been recognised as GIs in India. Evidently, the potential is immense.

It needs to be reiterated that the benefits of the registration of a product as GI is actually realised only when these products are effectively marketed and protected against illegal copying. Effective marketing and protection requires quality assurance, brand creation, post-sale consumer feedback and support, prosecuting unauthorised copiers, etc. Thus, the registration is only the first step in the creation of a market for the GI. Further, this protection first gains significance in the domestic context before international protection becomes relevant. However, for internationally recognised products like Darjeeling tea, which has an expansive export market, international protection is of crucial importance.

There is a direct link between the cultural diversity that exists in India with its varied peoples, traditions and flavours on the one hand, and the legal protection as GIs that the products of cultural activity can have, on the other. There is also a link to local communities, in towns and villages, which possess traditional knowledge of making these products, which in themselves, many a time, are part of their traditional cultural expressions. Thus, legal protection to GIs also extends to protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expression contained in the products. In doing so, not only are livelihoods protected but also possibilities of employment generation are encouraged. In fact, owing to the premium prices that many GIs command today, there is a possibility of preserving many traditional skills.

Since many of Indian GI products relate to textile and tea—which are largely exported to EU countries—there is a merit in negotiating to implement equal treatment for Indian GI products. After all, EU is still India’s largest trading partner. GIs have the potential to be our growth engine. Policy-makers must pay a heed to this and negotiate harder to give Indian GI products their true reward.

The author is professor, Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, New Delhi, and former senior faculty, IIFT

- http://www.financialexpress.com, April 11, 2016

Ranchi University may introduce post graduation courses in performing and fine arts this academic year.

The proposal, which was approved by the university's academic council on January 17, was drafted and sent to the higher and technical education department for approval earlier this week.

Kamal Bose, a professor and member of the drafting committee, said, "The proposal has been sent to the government and we are hopeful that the department will start functioning from this academic year (2016-17) itself."

The courses that the department will offer include theatre, music, dance, animation, art, fashion designing and photography. RU will become the first university in the state to offer courses in performing arts.

A student planning to do masters in performing arts has to look for options outside Jharkhand now. But the PG courses at RU will help check the exodus of talented youngsters. Daisy Sinha, who teaches fashion designing at Marwari College, said, "The department will help many fashion designing students pursuing a higher degree. Now we only have UG courses in fashion designing. Many talented students who cannot afford to study outside Jharkhand leave midway. Once the department starts functioning, they will be able to stay here and study,"

Bose said anyone who is interested in arts and have completed a certificate course is eligible for applying. "Our aim is to find out the best talent and provide them a platform," he added.

Priyank Kumar, who is pursuing a diploma course in animation from a private institute, said, "I am about to finish the course. I hope the department starts soon so that I can enrol. There is a huge demand of people having a diploma in animation If I get a PG in the subject job opportunities for me would double."

- The Times of India, April 11, 2016

It’s only found in select parts of western Nevada. A little flower, the Carson Valley monkeyflower, is seeing a surge of growth thanks to winter precipitation.

According to the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, “the Carson Valley monkeyflower (Erythranthe carsonensis) is only found in the foothills and valley bottoms from the Red Rocks area north of Reno to the little town of Dresslerville, west of Gardnerville.”

The small plant is rarely more than a few inches tall, and it has a yellow flower with a large red spot on its lower petal.

The monkeyflower is found among sagebrush and bitterbrush. It’s been seen on Prison Hill in Carson City and in the south Indian Hills area.

If you see a monkeyflower, please contact Janel Johnson at the Nevada Natural Heritage Program at [email protected] so she can record its location. The blooms are only expected to last a few weeks.

- http://thisisreno.com, April 11, 2016

The seven-day India-Bhutan tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Princess Catherine, which commenced with their arrival in Mumbai on Sunday, will conclude in spring-awash Kaziranga with the promise of a grand fund-raiser and an elephant parade next year in India to save the elephant. The two-day tour of Assam, beginning with a ceremonial welcome at Tezpur on Tuesday followed by a trip to Kaziranga, will bring them closer to the cause they cherish - conservation. Kate, William and his brother Prince Harry are part of a number of charity organisations in Africa working for the preservation of jumbos. "They have put in enormous efforts for the conservation of elephants whose numbers are rapidly dwindling," said Ruth Powys, CEO of Elephant Family, the charity group aiding the creation of corridors in India.

The ever generous prince and princess must know that politicians in India and their goons are hand in glove with poachers. Please do not give any money to them, but channel the fund through WWF.

The theme of the Assam leg of the couple's tour will be what role conservation plays in the lives of the rural people. After an overnight stay at the sanctuary, where the royal couple is going to be treated to Assamese food, they will take a jeep safari in the park, interact with rangers and also villagers who have been shifted to higher grounds away from elephant movement paths and given livelihood support.

The elephant parade, which will be hosted in 2017 in Mumbai, Delhi and other key cities, will feature about 300 sculptures created and designed by Indian artists and fashion houses to raise a corpus matching the sum (20 million pounds) garnered at similar parades in London, Edinburgh and New York earlier.

- The Times of India, April 12, 2016

Pakistan's smallest religious minority, the Kalash, speak their own language and celebrate their gods through music, dance and alcohol, which they brew themselves in Chitral's plunging verdant valleys.

Here, the sexes mingle easily, marriage can be sealed with a dance, and women are free to move on to new loves -- a far cry from life in rest of the country, where many adhere to a strict Islamic code forbidding such behaviour.

Yet the Kalash fear their unique culture will not endure. Kalash youth are increasingly converting to Islam, prompting activists to campaign to preserve the traditions of this ancient, diminishing tribe.

Their fight to get the Kalash on to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List began in 2008, but eight years on, it remains mired in sluggish bureaucracy. With their fair skin and light eyes, academics have speculated the Kalash might be descended from the ancient Middle East or even from soldiers of Alexander the Great's army, which conquered the area in the fourth century BC.

Centuries ago they ruled Chitral but now they number just 3,000, according to the Kalash Peoples Development Network (KPDN). Today, the Kalash say their traditions are under threat.

At school, children take a compulsory class on Islam but not about their own traditions, which are becoming more and more difficult to follow as the Kalash move away from their agrarian lifestyle and towards trade, studying or working in the cities.

Some face anger from Muslim neighbours in the region, who believe Allah is enraged by the tribe's un-Islamic practises and has unleashed natural disasters -- floods and earthquakes -- on the area as punishment.

Under such pressure, more and more end up converting to Islam.

"The Kalash are a living civilisation and need to be protected legally through the government of Pakistan," says KPDN activist Luke Rehmat.

He accuses government officials of not taking the UNESCO bid seriously, adding: "So far there is no positive work on this."

The unique Kalash festivals and rituals mean the tribe do fit the criteria for the list, says Jawad Aziz, a cultural officer at UNESCO in Islamabad.

Among the more colourful of the Kalash traditions is the "bashali": the house in every village where women are required to stay during their menstrual cycle.

Kalash women are considered "impure" during their periods, during which they are not supposed to touch others.

Instead they retreat to the bashali, off limits to men, where they spend their days in peace reading books and sewing as family members leave food for them on the doorstep. The Kalash also do not mourn their dead, and instead celebrate with three days of dancing, music and feasting what Rehmat describes as "the completion of the journey" that begins with birth.

Marriage can be agreed to by a dance, before the couple run off to the man's parents' house -- welcomed back in the Kalash community only when they visit the parents of the bride. But the woman has the right to leave her husband and marry another -- should her new lover be willing to pay the price she sets.

Aziz said consultations between his organisation, the government and the Kalash were held in 2012 -- but there has been no official communication since then.

"The government of Pakistan has not submitted any dossier so far either for preservation of the Kalash cultural heritage or to safeguard any endangered part," he says. Government officials warn the process takes time.

"The procedure to be included in the UNESCO list is quite a lengthy one and in other countries they have separate organisations (to help carry out the process)," says Sajid Munir, a spokesman for the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, which hosted the original consultations in 2012.

According to him, the institution, known locally as Lok Virsa, has been working to preserve Kalash culture since the 1980s, and still plans to get the tribe on to the UNESCO list. Local authorities in Chitral said they were also fighting to preserve Kalash identity.

The valleys have long attracted tourists for their natural beauty and their brush with legend as the home of the tribe.

"When I was appointed here, my superiors stressed that I should concentrate particularly on the Kalash community and make efforts for the preservation of their culture," says Osama Ahmad Warraich, the district administration official of Chitral.

"The locals said they needed sanitary pads in the bashalis and now we are providing that. We have plans to renovate their places of worships and festivities."

Rehmat dismisses the government efforts, however.

"Every time, they say that Kalash people are living near our hearts," he said.

"If we are living very close to them then why are all these things happening?" he asks, referring to the tribe's struggle to preserve its cultural heritage. At any rate, being included in the list "gives no guarantee of protection", says UNESCO's Aziz.

- The Times of India, April 12, 2016

looking for funding in the arts, but don't quite know how to pitch yourself? Anmol Vellani, founder of an independent philanthropic organisation, provides a primer.

Last Sunday, Anmol Vellani, founder and former executive director of the India Foundation for the Arts (an independent philanthropic organisation) conducted a rather pertinent workshop, on 'How to Seek Support in the Arts', at Juhu's Prithvi Theatre. The workshop, which was organised by Writers' Bloc 4, was open to anyone who has applied or wanted to apply for a grant, a scholarship or a residency for an arts project or course. The former programme officer of New Delhi's Ford Foundation — with responsibility for grant making in the performing arts — has sifted through several proposals in his four decade-long career. He shares 10 tips on how to write a seamless funding proposal.

Get rid of the fear
Often times, artists/artistes suffer from fear. They tend to come with prejudices and assumptions about what the organisation does. They don't expect that organisations would be willing to take risks/like one would as an artist. One has to consciously break that mind-set.

Do your research
It is critical to do your research. Don't rely on Google, rumour, hearsay or your assumptions. If you have lack of clarity about a programme, ask them. Talk to people who have been associated with the organisation, especially people who have successfully received grants from the organisation. Look at all the grants that have been made under their programme to get a sense of the range of activities they support. Clarify for yourself and find out if you really fit in, only then apply.

Be honest
Ask yourself, 'Am I creating this proposal to get money, or does the programme respond to what I really want to do'. If you manufacture a proposal, people see through it. Therefore, it's very important to be honest with yourself. Find out if you really fit in. Don't go for every funding opportunity that is out there. You might end up doing things because you may get money, but not necessarily do what you want to do. Don't try to pretend to be anything you are not. Don't brag about your knowledge (unless it is relevant to the proposal) and try to pump yourself up. Let the work speak for itself.

Ask the key questions
You may have a sense of what you want to do with the idea, but don't actually know till you actually reach here. So, don't pretend as if you know the answers. Know what the questions you want to raise are and what your processes are instead. Concentrate on the journey, processes and your questions. Concentrate on the journey, processes and your questions.

Avoid self-indulging
Don't appear as if you are staring at your navel. Give people a sense of the context within which you are proposing — the larger arts context — why is it meaningful within it. Have an awareness of where you fit in, and how meaningful it is to your journey. People often write a proposal which is dry because they haven't brought their story in it.

Originality counts
Sometimes research can go the wrong way. When you are writing the proposal, don't repeat the proposal of very famous people, or imitate what they have written. The organisation already knows that. Steer clear of repeating the language of the programme statement. It comes across that you don't have a mind of your own and don't have a way of expressing what you are doing. Bring your passion to your proposal. If you genuinely believe in it, your enthusiasm will come across.

Don't be ambiguous
You can't leave your idea floating in the air, leaving the reader to answer all the questions in their own head and fill in the blanks. How will they know your answers? Be clear about why you're pursuing the project and what's your interest in it. You sink or you swim because you are being judged against the other proposals. The readers has to find you in it. Your proposal is not just an exploration of ideas. It's about you.

There is no right or wrong way to write a proposal. Be creative. You could start with a provocative statement/quote/question that has some resonance. There are many ways of structuring a proposal. But the key point to remember is that it has to be engaging. You have to keep your reader gripped — just like you would in storytelling — and make him/her feel like reading your proposal. It's a bit like creative writing in general.

Know your budgets
Proposals are about budgets. Be truthful. If you have applied for funding in another organisation, please mention that to the organisation. If you have received part funding from elsewhere, say so too. It actually works in your favour. It shows that other people have deemed the project valuable. However, if you hide it, and if one finds out, you're in trouble. Also, often people state in their programmes the maximum money one can ask for. And seldom does one comes across anybody who hasn't asked for the maximum. Now, that involves a lot of padding. If one writes a proposal and doesn't ask for the full amount, it's interesting because it reflects that this person is practical and actually knows what he/she wants because a grantor knows the costing and how relevant it is to the project.

No jargon, please
When you finally get down to writing a proposal, it's about style. Don't try to pretend to be anything you are not. Don't brag about your knowledge (unless it is relevant to the proposal) and try to pump yourself up. Let the work speak for itself. Write in plain language. I passed around a 500-word proposal at the workshop, and told the participants not to use their mind and read it for 'feeling'. What do you feel when you are reading a proposal — confused, puzzled, irritated or optimistic — because that's exactly what a reader of a proposal feels. If he gets a positive feeling, it's great. If he/she feels alienated with your jargon/language, where you are trying to sell yourself in an obvious way, you have lost the battle at stage one. Remember, anybody sees through faff.

- The Times of India, April 13, 2016

The 'blue and green' concept of the AP government notwithstanding, the upcoming capital city of Amaravati on the right bank of river Krishna will reduce the extent of water bodies by 6.6 sq km.

According to official data, water bodies in the proposed capital city are spread over 32.43 sq km, including small lakes covering an area of 2.78 sq km. But when the capital city becomes operational, the size of the water bodies will come down to 25.78 sq km. This includes reduction in the capacity of the Krishna and its tributary Kondaveeti Vagu. The loss of 6.6 sq km of water bodies may prove detrimental to the local ecological balance as the capital city and the capital region are nestled in the highly fragile Krishna delta.

Vijayawada which is on the other bank of the river, is spread over 61.88 sq km and Amaravati will eat away as much as one-tenth of the municipal area of the city. The existing scrub jungles spread over 4.54 sq km will also vanish once the capital city comes into existence.

Moreover, the government has earmarked 12.26 sq km for industries, which will have an impact on the local environment, particularly Krishna river. The data submitted by the state government to the state level environment impact assessment body reveals that the fully developed Amaravati city will require 1,067 million litres of water per day. And ironically, 203 million litres will be utilised by industries. The government has proposed to draw drinking water from river Krishna and the Kondaveeti Vagu. The city will generate 877 million litres of waste water and of this, industries will contribute 175 million litres.

"The government has devised the blue and green concept. While blue stands for water, green stands for plantation. Unfortunately, both water and greenery have been put on the altar of the greenfield capital city. The data submitted by the government clearly shows that the water expanse will come down after the construction of Amaravati. The government has grand plans for greenery, but it is not clear how it will sustain the plantation by reducing the extent of water bodies," wonders social activist K Srinivasa Rao from Vijayawada. One-fifth of the garbage and sewage produced in Amaravati will ironically come from industries. As against the projected solid waste generation of 3,662 tonnes per day, industries will produce 796 tonnes of waste daily. Even if the government ensures stringent environment norms, a portion of the waste is bound to enter the river polluting it further. Already the river and its canals are highly polluted, thanks to unscientific disposal of waste in Vijayawada.

The concerns are genuine and needs to be addressed by not just by the govt by all of us in a responsible manner. We must give up some habits which are not environment friendly, especially usage of plastic

"Once Amaravati becomes a reality, Krishna river will be pounded by pollution from both the banks, Vijayawada on the left bank and Amaravati on the right," warn the environment activists.

They suggest that the government should immediately take up a study to arrive at the 'baseline data' before beginning the construction of Amaravati so that it could compare it with the data obtained after the city is ready. The government has begun work without conducting the baseline study on the environmental damage Amaravati will cause to the greenery and water bodies.

- The Times of India, April 13, 2016

The ground water level across all blocks in Coimbatore are either critical or over-exploited, as per official statistics. With two more months of summer to go, the authorities have already declared seven of the 12 blocks as over-exploited and the rest semi-critical.

As per a ground water assessment done in the past few months, only two of the 12 blocks - Sultanpet and Anaimalai - have water levels in the safe limits.

As per the report from the central ground water authority and the ground water year book on Tamil Nadu, comparing the water levels from 2004 to 2015, the increase in ground water level in the state was 30% but the fall has been 70%. The city received rainfall only for 57-60 days in a year.

"Bore-wells are being set up at an alarming rate even in areas where the water depth was over 500ft," said an official. As per the report, in 2004, only 8% of the wells had water below 4m depth.

But in 2013, it became 16% and in 2014 it became 26%. Thondamuthur area alone which showed a water level of 41.06m in May, 2014 became 43.58m in August the same year. Officials said one of the major reasons for the drastic fall in the ground water level was unauthorized drinking water packaging units and industries that were denied clearances but continued to function. "Many had approached the court and acquired a stay as well," said an official. A farmer said that unless monsoon fails the state, the government would not realize the gravity of the issue.

A Udayakumar, a resident of A S Kulam said, "60% of farmers in his area continued to do open irrigation, not switching to drip irrigation. Only because we get enough water from Pillur scheme, there is no major scarcity."

Ever since rain water harvesting structures were made mandatory, it has helped raise the ground water level considerably after 2007. "The government needs to put in much more effort.

An action plan needs to be prepared and steps should be taken to improve ground water," said an official. Officials said that they had taken several measures like building check dams to improve ground water recharge.

Farmers of Sulur were recently booked twice while drawing water illegally from the irrigation canals. The farmers and residents said that they received water only once in 15 days and were highly dependent on bore water. But now, even that seemed to have dried up.

Ramachandran, from Vellamadai village, said that the rainfall in his village was minimal last year. "I had to dig up to 1000ft to get bore water for my farm," he said. Another farmer from Periyanaikenpalyam, Duraisamy, said that real estate development has depleted the ground water in his area. "A new school was being constructed here and the owners were surprised when even at 400ft, they got very little water," said Duraisamy.

- The Times of India, April 13, 2016

How Deccan's Kalamkari textile-paintings gained pan-Indian appeal? Which are the famed Uttarakhand tribal foods and how are they prepared? Where exactly is Yamuna Biodiversity Park; what all does it house? What are the varieties of Chhau dance in the country's east? Reliable answers to these and more such questions are provided not just to the point, but nuanced. With public participation.

India is set to get its first online interactive platform on Indian and broadly South Asian heritage, as an interdisciplinary portal celebrating the unseen or less-noticed connections of cultural expressions across various domains will be launched in the national capital next weekend.

In Focus

Making full use of modern design and technology, 'Sahapedia' will enable the user to experience the subcontinent's culture from ancient times till date in a comprehensive manner, the pioneering endeavor's curators and editors revealed ahead of the portal's inauguration on April 23.

"It is an interactive online encyclopedia encompassing the histories, arts and cultures," said Sahapedia Executive Director Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan in a statement. "We would serve as an ever-growing resource being enriched by a team of researchers in collaboration with experts and institutions."

All the same, www.sahapedia.org will be a platform for the public at large to participate in the process with registered users from the world over enjoying the facility to contribute content on areas pertaining to their interests and expertise, added the author-researcher-artiste.

Sahapedia, as a not-for-profit society headed by former TCS chairman S Ramadorai who currently helms the National Skill Development Agency, throws lights on the varied layers of ten domains. The goal is to "inform, educate and act" on subjects such as knowledge traditions, visual and material arts, performing arts, literature and languages, practices and rituals, histories, institutions, people, built spaces and natural environment.

Sahapedia will be accessible across user groups such as scholars, practitioners, students, teachers, travellers and enthusiasts, while integrating activities and services including research, documentation, digitisation and conservation.

- http://www.merinews.com, April 15, 2016

Glimpses of Indian history

Indian Tigers May Roar In Cambodian Jungles Soon

Poor policies blamed as India reels from drought, hardship

NIO to launch diploma course in marine archaeology

Development tilting green balance, says Vishram Gupte

1936 bungalow restored for heritage experience

Indian adaptation of Romeo and Juliet comes alive on stage

Heat & dust in 3-way siege of Amritsar

Pollution impact on monuments slow but long lasting: Experts

INTACH Heritage Awards announced

Fall of the hall: losing a part of India’s history

Golden footprints of India in World Heritage

WORLD HERITAGE DAY - Are we ignoring our living heritage?

Six historical buildings awarded

A fight for heritage

City keeps date with World Heritage Day

Heritage structures cry for attention

Lack of rain water pits dry up

World Heritage Day: special photo expo organised

Himachal Pradesh CM lauds efforts of PS Negi for bringing out a book on Cultural Heritage of Trans –Himalayas

Retired Indian Administrative Services officer, P.S. Negi Loktus today presented a book titled “Cultural heritage of Trans-Himalayas” to the Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh here today.

The book written by Shri Negi is the study-recording and documentation done of the cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible of the Trans-Himalayan Kinnaur district, particularly the Shakti cult shrines, temples, monasteries, artifacts, old dialogues of various ethnic groups and the natural heritage besides culture and customs of the people of Kinnaur. The book discusses the indigenous deities (Shu Republic) that rule and run the administration of the ethnic communities and democratic set-up from Panchayat upwards.

The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts of Shri Negi and said that the book would be great help to those working on socio-economic and cultural life of the people of Kinnaur including a study of their customs and architectural heritage. He said that this would also be useful to scholars and students concerned with the study of cultural heritage of India.

- http://indiaeducationdiary.in, April 20, 2016

In the wake of a severe water crisis in several states, the railways has undertaken a massive exercise to protect, nurture and revive water bodies on rail land across the country.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has given written instruction to the Railway Engineering Department to prepare an action plan without delay to take stock of situation of all water bodies on rail land.

Steps to protect, preserve and rejuvenate all water bodies of the railways should be undertaken on a priority basis, according to the instruction issued by Prabhu.

Those water bodies which are non-functional should be revived in a time-bound manner so that results are visible, it added.

The railways has thousands of water bodies along its 65,000 km-long tracks and rail land.

Coming to the rescue of people in the parched land, the railways has pressed wagons filled with water into service in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

After nine trips by a 10-wagon water train, a 50-wagon water train carrying 25 lakh litre water reached parched Latur today.

Christened Jaldoot, the water train has made several trips to Latur from Miraj, travelling a distance of 342 km to deliver about 70 lakh litres till now.

- http://indiatoday.intoday.in, April 20, 2016

India is the seventh largest country in the world and has one of the most ancient cultures still thriving in today’s modern world. India is a land of different geographic elements, different cultures, languages, food and dress. It is indeed a treat for anybody to travel across whole India and study about the different things that India has to offer from the north to the south and from the east to the west. India Tours operators arrange all types of tours to show you what India is all about.

There are innumerable things like the deserts to the snow capped mountains, from thick forest to mountain ranges; you simply have to have time to see the splendid beauty in India. Make proper planning by good India tour operators and enjoy from the various options offered by the travel agents. You can see the royal structures, the ancient temples, the historical monuments, forts, splendid hills, festivals of India etc. if you are fun loving and adventurous, the India travel guide can arrange good tour packages of the wildlife sanctuaries in India, which are plenty, or the wildlife safari tour, or adventurous tours like trekking in Ladakh, Garhwal, Sikkim or river rafting too.

The India Tour operators also arrange for great honeymoon packages and you have an ideal and romantic holiday for just the two of you to spend great time together, which will leave you mesmerized for the rest of your life. You will find great beaches in Goa that are pure white and rich with natural beauty. You can even choose Kerala for its enchanting backwaters and lush green forest with beautiful rivers and great food.

There are many capable India travel agents who can make your trip to India most memorable and exciting. They help you take a look through the wonderful Indian states and get a glimpse of the rich heritage of the Indian culture.Make proper planning by good India tour operators and enjoy from the various options offered by the travel agents. You can see the royal structures, the ancient temples, the historical monuments, forts, splendid hills, festivals of India etc. if you are fun loving and adventurous, the India travel guide can arrange good tour packages of the wildlife sanctuaries in India, which are plenty, or the wildlife safari tour, or adventurous tours like trekking in Ladakh, Garhwal, Sikkim or river rafting too.

- www.thesequitur.com, April 20, 2016

As one walks towards Bhaktapur in Nepal, tell-tale signs of the massive earthquake that hit the Himalayan kingdom last year can be seen on the traditional wooden architecture style houses, many of which suffered structural damage. Further into the open space that is the heritage precincts of Bhaktapur Durbar, it is clear devastation. The centuries-old heritage site was reduced to a rubble amid a cloud of dust. The beautiful mud-and-brick wooden frame structures had come down tumbling like a pack of cards when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on 25 April, 2015.

The massive quake ran up a death toll of over 8,500 people, devastated whole lot of houses in towns and villages and in a single-stroke destroyed Nepal's unique built heritage, including a few United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites.

It was an irreparable loss to the country's cultural heritage, especially to the built heritage. The nine-storey Dharahara tower was reduced to ruins within minutes with more than 100 people buried under the debris. The Patan Durbar and the Bhaktapur Durbar, the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, faced a similar fate. The shining black wooden carvings -- on the doors, windows, verandahs, roof support beams and literally every possible way it can enhance the beauty of the structure -- were a major draw for tourists pouring in from all over the world.

Besides revenue earned from mountaineers -- especially the hefty fees charged for allowing people to climb Mount Everest and other peaks at higher altitude -- it was monuments such as these that were a major source of income for the Nepal government and in turn also for the local communities living around the monuments. It brought in the much essential foreign currency for Nepal.

Even as the temblor derailed Nepal's economy, soon after the quake, the country plunged into a Constitutional crisis, further ruining whatever remained of the delicate economy. Forget sanction of funds, there were no officials posted to positions that would sanction money for reconstruction efforts. Even the international aid that came quick and thick was left pending for this reason.

The damages

As per the data provided by the officials of Nepal's Department of Archaeology (see table), there are in all about 741 monuments (across the country), of which as many as 133 collapsed completely, 95 partially collapsed while 515 were damaged partially due to the quake. Of these, the monuments from the Kathmandu valley bore the maximum brunt. Of the total 241 monuments (in Kathmandu valley), 43 had completely collapsed, 50 partially collapsed and 147 faced partial damage.

In Bhaktapur area, of the total 73 heritage monuments, including the monuments at the World Heritage Site of Bhaktapur Durbar, 20 collapsed completely while 10 collapsed partially. The remaining 43 suffered damage in various proportion, the official said. In Patan area, of the total 130 heritage monuments, again including the World Heritage Site of the Patan Durbar precinct, 13 collapsed completely, 20 collapsed partially and remaining 87 suffered damaged. At Bhaktapur, even the museum building suffered quite a damage. Till about June 2015, the sites were closed for tourists. The Archaeological Survey Department, with the help of UNESCO and technical experts from other countries, carried out the assessment report. It was only a trickle of tourists after June, which slowly started gathering steam after Diwali.

Traditional architecture

Tourists that continue to flock the site are pained at the loss but cannot stop taking photos of the empty pedestals of the temples that were completely brought down. As one wondered about how much the ancient builders of the Bhaktapur town knew about taking precautions to build quake-resistant structures -- the use of wood, the beams, the corners and the joints, all that will cause least damage -- a friendly resident chips in with information.

"All those structures that were built in traditional wood and clay-mortar have survived with less damage. Those that used stone suffered the most damage or collapsed," Dinesh Babu Hada, who runs a famous shop selling mouth-watering kulfi and special local dahi (curd) called dhau, told this correspondent.

For instance, the Nyatapola temple survived the quake because of the quake-resistant design, especially considering that it was not top-heavy what with a mesh of wooden beams supporting the sloping pagoda style roof. But as against that Silu Mahadev temple, or the Vatsala temple, was brought down completely and all that remains now are the empty platforms after the debris was cleared.

The tourist destinations, however, still bear the signs of obvious damage with iron cantilever beams or even wooden bars supporting the structures (houses or museum walls) that can actually fall if the support is pulled off.

UNESCO's risk maps

Earlier in October 2015, national and international experts in archaeology, including a team from the UNESCO, carried out a post-disaster excavation survey for the earthquake damaged UNESCO sites. The team created risk maps, carried out identification and characterisation of subsurface archaeology, which will help in future protection and preservation of the UNESCO sites, the UN body had then said in an official release.

"The severely damaged ornate temples of wood, brick and tile were not only of intangible value but they also were places of worship for the residents who 'reach out and commune with their guiding goddesses and gods' through these temples," is how UNESCO had described the intangible value of the World Heritage Sites. Picking up the pieces

Preservation, restoration and rebuilding has finally started. Now, thanks to private efforts, including those via community trusts and support from the government, which also diverted international funding, the heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley are slowly rising. Even as homes around these monuments remain affected and await government funds for structural repairs, the reconstruction work for the temples has begun. For instance, Boudhanath Area Development Committee has already started rebuilding the famous stupa with donations and its own money without waiting for the government funds.

Bhaktapur was known for its Kasthamandap, the famous Newari wooden architecture. The Department of Archaeology has moved ahead with its reconstruction plan for the same and actively seeking local community's involvement.

Bhesh Narayan Dahal, Director General of Nepal’s Department of Archaeology, told this correspondent on phone from Kathmandu, "We have finalised the reconstruction and repair plans for temples/monuments as of now. Tenders have been out for 49 temples and the work will start soon."

A total of 104 monuments/temples have been identified now. These include monuments and heritage structures from Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur Durbar, Patan Durbar and Badi Mandap. Nepal has received help from the World Heritage Fund of the UNESCO, especially technical help in selection of timber for reconstruction and repair work. The government is equipped to carry out work at a smaller level and hence has sought international cooperation in rebuilding the pieces of heritage lost to the quake. "China, India and Sri Lanka are the prominent neighbours that have stepped in to help us restore our heritage," Dahal added.

Monasteries, pagodas and temples are being selected by the neighbours to help out in repairs and rebuilding efforts, he said but did not offer further details. Even Japan has pitched in with aid for heritage restoration.

Financials

Archaeological department officials have estimated a total of Rs 12 billion (Nepali currency), or approximately 117 million dollars, to rebuild its grand heritage. As per a report in local media, the government estimates that the work in Kathmandu Valley alone will need Rs 17 billion (Nepali currency). In Bhaktapur, the previous financial year saw an expenditure of Rs 30 million for starting work on restoration of nine monuments. In Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) has taken up work to reconstruct seven of the several lost monuments and temples at the heritage site.

Japan has extended financial aid of almost Rs 8.45 million (approximately 78,000 dollars) for the restoration and preservation of cultural and architectural monuments in Patan Durbar square, the World Heritage Site.

"Work has already started at many sites. Some will take two years, some three and some even five years for complete rebuilding/reconstructing," said Dahal. Lessons from the past

But then, even when the world is worried about the loss of important world heritage sites, the sentiment with Nepali elders is a bit different. Nepal has been hit by a massive earthquake once in a century, at least once every 75 years, as is evident since the times the first records are available from about a 1,000 years ago. And fortunately, Nepal still has ample craftspersons, traditional wood workers and those familiar with the Newari architecture style too.

And every time, apart from re-building their lives, the royalty and the local community turn to traditional methods of rebuilding their precious heritage. The elderly shopkeeper selling tea hoped exactly this: "Hope they learn from the past."

The writer is an independent journalist based in Delhi. She writes on environmental, developmental and social issues.

- The statesman, April 21, 2016

The 'India by the Nile' festival will see food festivals, photography exhibitions, Bollywood performances, theatrical productions, dance performances and much more.

From April 23 to May 7, the Nile basin will become the bed of not just one, but two very old and culturally rich civilisations. With Egypt as the host, 'India by the Nile' will celebrate the music, theatre, arts, food and dance of the civilisation born along the river Indus.

The cultural programme, which has been organised by the Embassy of India in Egypt and Teamwork Arts, will be held in Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Ismailia and Beni Suef in Egypt. On the performing arts front, India will be represented by none other than Indian Ocean (arguably one of the oldest bands of India) and renowned Odissi dancer, Dona Ganguly. The latter, who is looking forward to visiting the pyramids, says, "You learn dance to take forward the Indian heritage abroad. It is a great honour to do that. With Egypt, the honour is even bigger since it's one of the biggest and oldest civilisations began there." Ganguly's Odissi performance, which she says will feature "authentic items", won't be restricted to 'India by the Nile'.

Later on, she has a dance drama planned for the Indian embassy, at the Cairo Opera House, on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore's birthday. Other than Ganguly's Odissi performance, the programme will also include a Bollywood dance workshop by Gilles Chuyen.

Dona Ganguly
Bollywood will also be represented through the theatrical production Love Story-A Bollywood Musical, which is a Teamwork Arts production. There will also be a specially curated food festival by chef Vikram Udaygiri, which will run for a week at the Four Seasons Hotel, as well as a photo exhibition, on the festival of Holi, by Haran Kumar.

'India by the Nile' will have a healing side to it as well, wherein visitors will be able to interact with ayurveda and yoga experts. "India by the Nile," says Ambassador of India to Egypt, Sanjay Bhattacharyya, "will bring people closer to one another, open new experiences to share and provide new opportunities to explore."

During the festival, Bhattacharyya will host an important section of 'India by the Nile' which will feature the felicitation of prominent women of the Egyptian society.

- http://indiatoday.intoday.in, April 21, 2016

In an interesting twist to Nagpur University's missing coins case, about 15-16 precious Mughal era coins were found in a locked showcase in the museum at the department of ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology, said NU officials. Shockingly, these coins too find no mention in NU's stock register, making it difficult to get details of their origins and history.

Their sudden appearance in the backdrop of mysterious disappearance of Vakataka era coins worth crores from the same department, further suspicion over the entire issue. Confirming the sudden discovery of Mughal era coins, vice chancellor Siddharthavinayaka Kane told TOI that they were discovered in a drawer inside the museum that had not been opened for many years. "We've taken those into safe custody," he said, while refusing to dwell upon it further.

However, officials informed that the Mughal era coins were kept in a sealed packet and found by an attendant. He pointed out the packet to head of the department (HOD) Preety Trivedi, saying that the packet may contain some more precious artefacts.

Several such precious antiquities have gone missing from in the museum over time, during shifting of the department from one place to other. It was shifted as many as four times before permanently settling at the existing premises inside NU campus. The missing articles include examples of Pandu Lipi to many historical idols, worth crores in the international market.

"It's over five-and-a-half decades, from 1960s to 2016, that those articles were kept in the department museum. There is no proper record of many articles and in shifting some were either destroyed or went missing as officials, particularly babus, were totally ignorant about their historical significance or value. The stock registers, where entry of all such objects in the department is made, were also not kept properly. In such conditions, it's very difficult to gauge how many such antiquities were present in the museum," the officials said.

They, however, didn't rule out the possibility that these Mughal era coins may have been stolen by an insider and returned, apprehending a police probe. They expressed surprise as to how such precious coins were left undiscovered in a small museum for all these years and how they suddenly made an appearance after all the recent hullabaloo. They blamed the entire issue on the 'lethargy' of NU officials, adding that even Vakataka era coins may make a sudden appearance like the Mughal ones.

Registrar to convene jt meeting soon

NU registrar Puran Meshram would soon convene a joint meeting of all stakeholders in the coins issue shortly. "It would be attended by VC, pro-VC Pramod Yeole, NU standing counsel Purushottam Patil, HOD Trivedi and me. If the VC wants, he can add more members if he deems fit. The meeting would decide future course of action on the contentious issue," he told TOI.

He added that they would decide on technicalities in lodging the police complaint and how to present it in proper format. "Even discussion on constitution of panel for department enquiry, as suggested by cops, would be discussed at the meeting," he said.

- The Times of India, April 21, 2016

To say there is no legal framework under which India can ask for the Kohinoor may not be correct.

The controversy over the Kohinoor started after a Supreme Court bench presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur sought the government’s stand on the retrieval of the 105-carat diamond. The court was hearing a PIL filed by Delhi-based NGO All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front. After seeking a week’s time, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar came back to the court and conveyed the views of the Culture Ministry. He said the diamond was a “gift” to the East India Company by the then ruler of Punjab. The views of the External Affairs Ministry were yet to be communicated, the SG said.

The CJI asked the SG to formulate the concrete views of the government, saying a dismissal of the PIL may be construed as India giving up its right to seek the Kohinoor’s return. The case will now come up in the last week of June, and the government will file an affidavit putting across its stand.

As questions swirl around the legality of the demand that Britain return the diamond, The Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, adopted by UNESCO in 1970, may suggest some answers. The Convention is seen as a key instrument to protect and safeguard world cultural properties, as well as provide a mechanism to repatriate cultural properties to their countries of origin.

In 1995, UNESCO defined the objective of the 1970 Convention: “to render more effective the protection of the cultural heritage which constitutes one of the basic elements of civilisation and national culture by fostering close collaboration among Member States to prevent the illicit international movement of cultural property”.

The Convention, which has been ratified by more than 120 countries, provided a framework for cooperation to clarify the procedure for the removal of archaeological and ethnological material from one country to another.

The PIL in the Supreme Court, being argued by advocate Nafis A Siddiqui, has cited the UNESCO Convention, to which both India and Britain are signatories. It has argued that India has a right to ask for return of the diamond which was shipped out when it was a colony of the British Empire. To say there is no legal framework under which India can ask for the Kohinoor may not, therefore, be correct.

However, there are two issues concerning the applicability of the 1970 Convention. One, the draft of the Convention does not make it explicit that it can be applied retrospectively; two, the definition of ‘cultural heritage’.

Article 1 of the Convention deemed cultural heritage to be “property which, on religious or secular grounds, is specifically designated by each State as being of importance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science”. In effect, this gave the right of identification to the state of origin of the cultural heritage concerned.

However, the object may have come from a state or nation that no longer exists; and often the initial country — the country of origin — is not where the object resides. This is typically true of previously colonised states. Repatriation becomes more complicated in cases where the influence of a cultural heritage does not stop at the country of origin, and influences the new society as well. The length of time a piece of cultural heritage spends ‘abroad’ then becomes important.

The Kohinoor’s identification as a ‘cultural heritage’, and India’s right to seek its retrieval would have to face this test under Article 1 of the Convention. The diamond is believed to have been handed over in 1849 by the Sikh ruler to the British East India Company in Lahore, which is now in Pakistan. The question of ‘originating state’ is relevant here.

Javed Iqbal Jaffery, a UK-trained lawyer, has in fact, filed a petition in Lahore High Court, claiming Pakistan to be the diamond’s originating country. Jaffery contended that the diamond would belong to the territory which became part of Pakistan after Partition. The High Court is yet to deliver its verdict. Iran and Afghanistan too have claimed ownership rights, citing historical instances when the gem was within their territories.

Another question is about the procedural validity of the Kohinoor’s transfer to Britain. Duleep Singh, successor of Ranjit Singh, was a minor when the purported agreement was entered into — and according to both English Law and the Indian Contract Act, which came into force in India a few years later, based on common English law principles, he was not competent to sign a valid contract at that age. The PIL has raised this question.

Countries like France and Australia have amicably returned the ‘cultural heritage’ of some countries. For India, this would be the first occasion to decide whether to invoke the UNESCO Convention to seek the diamond’s return. For the government, drafting the final reply to the apex court would be walking a tightrope — seeking a balance between legality and diplomacy on the one hand, and public sentiment on the other. In international law, repatriation is about the legitimacy of possession; however, much of the success of the UNESCO Convention relies on mutual respect between nations.

- The Indian Express, April 21, 2016

Bird population in India and across the world faces unprecedented threats, a new book says.

"Feathers of Vellayani", a publication of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board, says that the largest threat to Indian avian diversity was habitat destruction.

"The loss of forests, plains and other natural systems to agriculture, mines, urban development, draining of swamps and other wetlands reduce potential habitat for many species," says the 180-page book.

"Unfair alteration in habitat due to introduction and invasion of exotic species is also proving a threat to birds. Another is path-barriers that claim millions of migratory birds every year.

"Poaching, predation, weather and other natural and anthropogenic barriers prove devastating for birds... Bird populations are threatened as never before," the book says.

The well-produced book, costing Rs.250, is a rich collection of colour photographs of numerous birds, mainly those which populate the Vellayani Lake and adjoining wetlands in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Vellayani Kayal, as the lake is known in Malayalam, is a vast picturesque rain-fed lake surrounded by lush greenery and situated to the southeast of the Kerala capital

. The birds in the lake include Lesser Whistling Duck, Blue Rock Pigeon, Asian Koel, Indian Cuckoo, White Breasted Waterhen, Great Cormorant, Painted Stork, Indian Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Pacific Golden Plover, Common Sandpiper, Greater Spotted Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Barn Owl, Small Bee-eater, Lesser Pied Kingfisher, Amur Falcon and Rose-ringed Parakeet.

Kerala is home to some 500 species of birds, 24 of them coming under the various threatened categories, the book says.

India itself has 1,168 bird species and has been ranked the ninth in the global list of bird wealth.

According to the book, the existence of such a large number of species of birds at Vellayani "will surely come as a surprise to many of the inhabitants of Thiruvananthapuram".

The book lists the birds seen in the area after observations over a period of over one year.

The topography of Vellayani is such that it is always water logged. The vast expanse of wetlands bordering the lake includes marsh, ponds, swamps and fields.

Experts estimate that more than 125 species of birds, including migratory ones, frequent the Vellayani lake and adjoining wetlands.

The book's authors are Oommen V. Oommen, an eminent zoologist and conservationist, K.P. Laladhas, an expert in the field, and Linda John, a bird watcher.

All three are attached to the Kerala State Biodiversity Board.

- The Times of India, April 21, 2016

As one walks towards Bhaktapur in Nepal, tell-tale signs of the massive earthquake that hit the Himalayan kingdom last year can be seen on the traditional wooden architecture style houses, many of which suffered structural damage. Further into the open space that is the heritage precincts of Bhaktapur Durbar, it is clear devastation. The centuries-old heritage site was reduced to a rubble amid a cloud of dust. The beautiful mud-and-brick wooden frame structures had come down tumbling like a pack of cards when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on 25 April, 2015.

The massive quake ran up a death toll of over 8,500 people, devastated whole lot of houses in towns and villages and in a single-stroke destroyed Nepal's unique built heritage, including a few United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites.

It was an irreparable loss to the country's cultural heritage, especially to the built heritage. The nine-storey Dharahara tower was reduced to ruins within minutes with more than 100 people buried under the debris. The Patan Durbar and the Bhaktapur Durbar, the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, faced a similar fate. The shining black wooden carvings -- on the doors, windows, verandahs, roof support beams and literally every possible way it can enhance the beauty of the structure -- were a major draw for tourists pouring in from all over the world.

Besides revenue earned from mountaineers -- especially the hefty fees charged for allowing people to climb Mount Everest and other peaks at higher altitude -- it was monuments such as these that were a major source of income for the Nepal government and in turn also for the local communities living around the monuments. It brought in the much essential foreign currency for Nepal.

Even as the temblor derailed Nepal's economy, soon after the quake, the country plunged into a Constitutional crisis, further ruining whatever remained of the delicate economy. Forget sanction of funds, there were no officials posted to positions that would sanction money for reconstruction efforts. Even the international aid that came quick and thick was left pending for this reason.

The damages

As per the data provided by the officials of Nepal's Department of Archaeology (see table), there are in all about 741 monuments (across the country), of which as many as 133 collapsed completely, 95 partially collapsed while 515 were damaged partially due to the quake. Of these, the monuments from the Kathmandu valley bore the maximum brunt. Of the total 241 monuments (in Kathmandu valley), 43 had completely collapsed, 50 partially collapsed and 147 faced partial damage.

In Bhaktapur area, of the total 73 heritage monuments, including the monuments at the World Heritage Site of Bhaktapur Durbar, 20 collapsed completely while 10 collapsed partially. The remaining 43 suffered damage in various proportion, the official said. In Patan area, of the total 130 heritage monuments, again including the World Heritage Site of the Patan Durbar precinct, 13 collapsed completely, 20 collapsed partially and remaining 87 suffered damaged. At Bhaktapur, even the museum building suffered quite a damage. Till about June 2015, the sites were closed for tourists. The Archaeological Survey Department, with the help of UNESCO and technical experts from other countries, carried out the assessment report. It was only a trickle of tourists after June, which slowly started gathering steam after Diwali.

Traditional architecture

Tourists that continue to flock the site are pained at the loss but cannot stop taking photos of the empty pedestals of the temples that were completely brought down. As one wondered about how much the ancient builders of the Bhaktapur town knew about taking precautions to build quake-resistant structures -- the use of wood, the beams, the corners and the joints, all that will cause least damage -- a friendly resident chips in with information.

"All those structures that were built in traditional wood and clay-mortar have survived with less damage. Those that used stone suffered the most damage or collapsed," Dinesh Babu Hada, who runs a famous shop selling mouth-watering kulfi and special local dahi (curd) called dhau, told this correspondent.

For instance, the Nyatapola temple survived the quake because of the quake-resistant design, especially considering that it was not top-heavy what with a mesh of wooden beams supporting the sloping pagoda style roof. But as against that Silu Mahadev temple, or the Vatsala temple, was brought down completely and all that remains now are the empty platforms after the debris was cleared.

The tourist destinations, however, still bear the signs of obvious damage with iron cantilever beams or even wooden bars supporting the structures (houses or museum walls) that can actually fall if the support is pulled off.

UNESCO's risk maps

Earlier in October 2015, national and international experts in archaeology, including a team from the UNESCO, carried out a post-disaster excavation survey for the earthquake damaged UNESCO sites. The team created risk maps, carried out identification and characterisation of subsurface archaeology, which will help in future protection and preservation of the UNESCO sites, the UN body had then said in an official release.

"The severely damaged ornate temples of wood, brick and tile were not only of intangible value but they also were places of worship for the residents who 'reach out and commune with their guiding goddesses and gods' through these temples," is how UNESCO had described the intangible value of the World Heritage Sites.

Picking up the pieces

Preservation, restoration and rebuilding has finally started. Now, thanks to private efforts, including those via community trusts and support from the government, which also diverted international funding, the heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley are slowly rising. Even as homes around these monuments remain affected and await government funds for structural repairs, the reconstruction work for the temples has begun. For instance, Boudhanath Area Development Committee has already started rebuilding the famous stupa with donations and its own money without waiting for the government funds.

Bhaktapur was known for its Kasthamandap, the famous Newari wooden architecture. The Department of Archaeology has moved ahead with its reconstruction plan for the same and actively seeking local community's involvement.

Bhesh Narayan Dahal, Director General of Nepal’s Department of Archaeology, told this correspondent on phone from Kathmandu, "We have finalised the reconstruction and repair plans for temples/monuments as of now. Tenders have been out for 49 temples and the work will start soon."

A total of 104 monuments/temples have been identified now. These include monuments and heritage structures from Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur Durbar, Patan Durbar and Badi Mandap. Nepal has received help from the World Heritage Fund of the UNESCO, especially technical help in selection of timber for reconstruction and repair work. The government is equipped to carry out work at a smaller level and hence has sought international cooperation in rebuilding the pieces of heritage lost to the quake. "China, India and Sri Lanka are the prominent neighbours that have stepped in to help us restore our heritage," Dahal added.

Monasteries, pagodas and temples are being selected by the neighbours to help out in repairs and rebuilding efforts, he said but did not offer further details. Even Japan has pitched in with aid for heritage restoration.

Financials

Archaeological department officials have estimated a total of Rs 12 billion (Nepali currency), or approximately 117 million dollars, to rebuild its grand heritage. As per a report in local media, the government estimates that the work in Kathmandu Valley alone will need Rs 17 billion (Nepali currency). In Bhaktapur, the previous financial year saw an expenditure of Rs 30 million for starting work on restoration of nine monuments. In Patan Durbar Square, Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) has taken up work to reconstruct seven of the several lost monuments and temples at the heritage site.

Japan has extended financial aid of almost Rs 8.45 million (approximately 78,000 dollars) for the restoration and preservation of cultural and architectural monuments in Patan Durbar square, the World Heritage Site.

"Work has already started at many sites. Some will take two years, some three and some even five years for complete rebuilding/reconstructing," said Dahal.

Lessons from the past

But then, even when the world is worried about the loss of important world heritage sites, the sentiment with Nepali elders is a bit different. Nepal has been hit by a massive earthquake once in a century, at least once every 75 years, as is evident since the times the first records are available from about a 1,000 years ago. And fortunately, Nepal still has ample craftspersons, traditional wood workers and those familiar with the Newari architecture style too.

And every time, apart from re-building their lives, the royalty and the local community turn to traditional methods of rebuilding their precious heritage. The elderly shopkeeper selling tea hoped exactly this: "Hope they learn from the past."

The writer is an independent journalist based in Delhi. She writes on environmental, developmental and social issues.

- The statesman, April 21, 2016

The two-day heritage education workshop, organised by Varanasi chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in association with Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH, New Delhi, began at a school in Nagwa area on Thursday. Director of Heritage Education and Communication service, INTACH, New Delhi, Purnima Datt, highlighted the purpose and objectives of the heritage-based educative workshops.

Pamphlets and books based on heritage and INTACH were distributed among participants.

- The Times of India, April 22, 2016

In a major discovery, officials of the AP archaeology department have unearthed a Dharmachakra carved out in stone at A Kothapalli village of Thondangi mandal in East Godavari district. They have also discovered a number of Buddhist relics including rock inscription in Brahmi script.

Unlike the popular Dharmachakra with 24 spokes depicted in the Indian flag, the one discovered at A Kothapalli bears 32 spokes. The Dharmachakra was carved out in a large rock with Brahmi script on its side. There are also other Buddhist depictions on the rock. A team of senior officials visited the site on Wednesday and Thursday .

"The Dharmachakra was not separately carved in the rock. It forms part of a rock panel with 32 spokes. We can describe it as a spoked wheel. We have also found four stone stupas of varying sizes. All these relics date back to the pre-Satavahana to Satavahana period. They were probably carved out between the 2nd century CE and the 4th century CE. We are analysing the script," said AP archaeology director GV Ramakrishna Rao. This is the third Dharmachakra with 32 spokes discovered in the country in recent times. Earlier, a similar stone-carved Dharmachakra was unearthed at Kanaganahalli-Sannati archaeological site in Karnataka. A terracotta Dharmachakra with 32 spokes was excavated at Lumbini in Nepal. Historical records show that the Dharmachakra in the middle of the Ashoka's Lion Capital apparently had 32 spokes. However, the four small Dharmachakras below the Lion Capital contained 24 spokes. The 32 spokes symbolically depict the qualities or attributes of an ideal human being or the Maha Purusha. Several villages in Thondangi and Tuni mandals in East Godavari district are well known Buddhist sites. The tiny village of Adurru in particular has the Maha Stupa. Historians consider it as the first of the three famous Buddhist Maha Stupas in India, the other two being at Sarnath and Sanchi.

Buddhism had flourished in several villages falling under the Godavari and the Krishna deltas and their immediate upstream region in Andhra Pradesh, but the sites at Adurru, A Kothapalli and Amaravati are considered important. North-coastal Andhra too contains a number of historical sites. Ironically, all of them lay in ruins. However, Amaravati is drawing some attention after the AP government named the new capital after an ancient Buddhist village.

Archaeology officials said the Brahmi script found at A Kothapalli site will be referred to experts for decipherment.

- The Times of India, April 22, 2016

Day-night Test cricket could set the trend for the future of the longer version of the game and India is likely to take a plunge in that direction this season.

The Board, confirmed its secretary Anurag Thakur, was not averse to India making its debut in day-night Tests.

“We are planning to have a day-night Test in the forthcoming season. The India-New Zealand series might be the best stage for it,” Thakur said at an interaction at his office here on Thursday.

Administrators worldwide have been worried at the dwindling attendance at most Test matches in recent times. The inaugural day-night Test was played between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide last year with a pink ball and received appreciation from both the teams.

Thakur hinted at experimenting with the pink ball in the Duleep Trophy this season. “It is an idea that has to be discussed. I would like to see one match in this season’s Duleep Trophy played with the pink ball.”

It may be mentioned that the Duleep Trophy was not part of the domestic calendar last year due to the packed schedule.

The cricket administrators have been exploring ways to protect the position of Test cricket against the growing popularity of the T20 brand.

On the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Thakur emphasised that the Board may look at alternative venues overseas for staging the tournament following the various roadblocks to its smooth conduct at home.

Concerned at the growing opposition to the IPL, with PILs being filed on various fronts, Thakur spoke his mind on the future of the tournament.

“The IPL Governing Council would be forced into a rethink on the next edition. We would have to identify the venues much in advance, seek clearances from the respective state governments and plan the schedule.

“The option of taking the IPL overseas is always there,” Thakur said.

In the past, the IPL has been held in South Africa (2009) and the United Arab Emirates (2014).

The Board, obviously, is peeved at the relentless pressure on conducting the tournament for some seasons now, the latest being the shifting of matches from Maharashtra due to drought in the state.

The Board secretary revealed that he had advised the affiliated units to look at developing water-harvesting infrastructure but was clearly unhappy at the recent developments that have put pressure on the organisers and caused loss of revenue to the franchises.

Thakur was also worried at the impact of the Lodha Committee recommendations related to curtailing advertisement by the broadcaster.

“If that happens it is bound to have a negative impact on the pension scheme for retired players. We may be forced to restructure the payment to cricketers, past and present,” said Thakur. He felt that in case of pay cuts, the players may be forced to explore avenues in foreign T20 Leagues.

Among other schemes in the offing, the Board secretary said, “We are planning to launch a commentators’ academy where players would be taught the finer points of the profession. There is a huge field waiting to be tapped in the regional languages. The success of [former Test opener] Virender Sehwag as a commentator has given us this idea and it is worth pursuing.”

- The Hindu, April 22, 2016

A local farmer Vithhal Thube had lodged a complaint this year in May that hazardous waste was being released by a distillery company killing 25 trees and rendering his agricultural field infertile.

Taking cognisance of commercial users, specially distilleries in Aurangabad, polluting water bodies, Maharashtra government has cracked the whip on such units by making penalties more stringent.

A Government Resolution (GR) issued by Water Resources department here on Saturday stated that henceforth, industries and those consuming water if found polluting nearby water bodies by discharging untreated effluents will have to pay double the fine and face disconnection of water supply.

“The guilty will have to pay double the fines if it is found that they have released waste water, which is not as per the prescribed norms laid down by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB),” it stated.

The Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court on June 30, 2015, had served notices to Ms Radico NV Distilleries, Aurangabad and others for releasing untreated waste in nearby farms, wells and open spaces.

A local farmer Vithhal Thube, who has agricultural farm land at Shendra MIDC in Aurangabad, had lodged a complaint this year in May that hazardous waste was being released by a distillery company killing 25 trees and rendering his agricultural field infertile.

The MPCB too had served notice to Ms Radico NV Distilleries asking it to stop production and for violating the provisions of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. The company had, however, denied the charges.

Industries minister Subhash Desai admitted that some industries are now resorting to digging trenches inside their industrial premises and dumping untreated waste.

“This waste later seeps into the ground and then pollutes lake, wells and ponds,” he said.

The GR stated as per the “principle of the one who pollutes will pay”, those found guilty of discharging untreated waste water not confiding to the MPCB norms shall have to pay double the prescribed fine.

The GR applies to non-agricultural industrial and commercial water consumers who are direct consumers of the Water Resources department.

“If the MPCB has ordered for disconnection of the water supply to such a consumer then Water Resource department shall discontinue the water supply. The department will restore the connection only after the consumer pays the fine and following the orders of the MPCB to that effect,” the GR stated.

- The Indian Express, April 23, 2016

Despite the monument being declared a national heritage site by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the 1920s, surrounding buildings are slowly eating up its space.

Zafar Mahal, the 18th century monument located in the overcrowded Mehrauli village in south Delhi, was built as a summer place during the fading years of the Mughal era.

Historians say Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, used to live here before he was exiled to Myanmar by the British. Now, encroachment in and around the monument is posing a serious threat to its very existence.

Despite the monument being declared a national heritage site by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the 1920s, surrounding buildings are slowly eating up its space.

The once lavish courtyard has shrunk to less than half its original size. A brick wall has come up in the open space, and some of its portions appear to have been vandalised.

Amita Paliwal — assistant professor in the history department at Jesus & Mary College — who has been working on Zafar Mahal for the past three years – says, “In the past few years, I have visited this monument at least 14 to 15 times and each time I see its condition worsening. Besides the encroachment of modern buildings (defying the Ancient and Medieval Monuments Protection Act), I noticed materials missing from the monument. The guard appointed by the ASI finds himself incapable in stopping the drug addicts who frequent the place.”

When The Indian Express visited the monument a few days ago, the guard could not even be spotted. ASI officials admit that it has been difficult for them to preserve monuments, such as the Zafar Mahal, due to their location inside urbanised villages.

Daljit Singh, superintending archaeologist, ASI-Delhi Circle, says, “What has happened at Zafar Mahal is not technically encroachment because nothing has come up in the premises of the monument itself. However, considering the 100 metre prohibitory rule, it is illegal to carry out construction in the adjoining area. Our field officer had informed us about this.”

He added, “We have sent notices to individuals living in the vicinity, who are responsible for the act. A copy of the notices have been submitted to the ASI director-general, the Delhi Police and civic authorities concerned. If they don’t comply, we may contemplate action and even demolition of the towering structures, if need be.”

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has also listed this monument as a conservation area.

A few years ago, the ASI had proposed to set up a Mughal Museum in the palace with an aim to encourage visitors. This, however, has remained on paper. In fact, experts and historians say it would do greater service if the ASI could ensure removal of extensive encroachments in the precincts of the palace.

“Residents of the locality have been building additional floors over the years, some of which are on top of the monument’s surface. Zafar Mahal used to be a huge palace and what is now visible is just a fraction of its original size,” says Paliwal.

- The Indian Express, April 24, 2016

The dome atop Lucknow's fabled Hussainabad Clock Tower has developed a tilt. The slant in the structure, which became easily discernible last week, has alarmed the district administration officials who have now sought the help of Archaeological Survey of India to help get the alignment corrected.

The Clock Tower's dome has a wind vane in the shape of a bird. Last week, photographers in the city noted that both the dome and the wind vane had bent towards Rumi Gate.

Hussainabad and Allied Trust (HAT), a body of district administrative and private persons managing certain monuments in Old City, including the Clock Tower, has contacted ASI's Lucknow circle to examine the situation so that corrective measures may be initiated.

HAT chairperson and district magistrate, Lucknow, Raj Shekhar said, "We have asked ASI to assess the situation so that restoration may be carried out accordingly." Shekhar sais HAT has also contacted INTACH's Lucknow office for the same.

Built in 1881 at an estimated cost of Rs 1.17 lakh, the clock tower is 221 feet high and draws a number of tourists. Its popularity among tourists made the administration include the building in the Hussainabad landscaping and beautification plan.

The Husainabad Clock Tower is believed to be one of the tallest clock towers in the country. "The great clock in the tower is the largest in India, and is illuminated by a particularly ingenious arrangement of lamps. It has a sweetly pealing chime of five bells," wrote Lieutenant Colonel HA Newell in his book 'Lucknow-the capital of Oudh'. In 2012, something similar happened to the minarets of Taj Mahal. Later, the ASI informed the Supreme Court that the tilt "was not a cause of concern". However, the tilt continues to keep the authorities vigilant.

- The Times of India, April 24, 2016

After civil society, conservation architects have joined the growing chorus against the proposed demolition of the 200-year-old Patna Collectorate building, saying the structure can be restored and the country has skills required for it.

Spread over nearly 12 acres on the banks of the Ganga, the complex has several buildings built over a period spanning more than two centuries. The old record room and few other structures belong to the Dutch era and are endowed with unique architecture of that period.

Kolkata-based conservation architect Manish Chakraborti, currently working on extensive architectural restoration projects in West Bengal's old Danish town Serampore, says, "Patna is a historic city and the government must explore ways to showcase its heritage instead of condemning it to oblivion."

"It's an architectural asset and part of not just Dutch or British history but also Patna's own history and dismantling it would mean erasing a great chapter of the city's past," he said.

Bihar government has decided to raze the iconic buildings to replace them with a high-rise complex, citing their "poor condition" and space requirements. Patna Commissioner Anand Kishor has claimed that parts of the roof of the buildings have been damaged rendering the place unsafe. Chakraborti counters the argument, saying, "Just because part of roof is falling doesn't mean you knock down the entire building. Such policymaking reflects myopic vision."

Well-known conservation architect and convener of INTACH (Delhi chapter) A G K Menon says, "Patna Collectorate has not been properly kept over the decades, so it is bound to become weak. But, that doesn't mean it can't be revived and revitalized."

Former additional director general of ASI, B R Mani says, "Such buildings should get protection at local level under some municipal heritage law. It is history and must be preserved, there can't be two opinions."

NIT-Patna faculty in the department of architecture Kamini Sinha says, "Demolition is a knee-jerk reaction taken always in haste and out of ignorance of restoration and the possibilities that may exist thereafter. Complementary structures can always be added around the original buildings and space problem can also be solved."

Yes i have been telling that the Collectorate building should be restored as it has its own importance and located at a right place.

Eminent historians, architects and former judges had on April 6 urged Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to prevent the collectorate building's dismantling and go for restoration. Dutch government, too, has made a fervent plea to him to not demolish this "shared built heritage" and list it under the state archaeology department.

An online civil society-driven campaign, 'Save Historic Patna Collectorate', has also appealed to the government to restore it.

- The Times of India, April 24, 2016

: The fate of the the Deccan Park, located adjacent to the Qutub Shahi Tombs complex (QSTC), remains unclear even 17 years after it was built due to apathy of civic bodies. Though an MoU was signed in 2013 to merge the park with the QSTC, nothing has been done about it yet.

Deccan Park, built in 1999, was touted as a much-needed place of recreation for the residents of Golconda and other neighbourhoods, but it remains closed to public.

The park continues to be in the custody of the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQUDA), a civic body entrusted with developing various parts of the Old City and other areas. The park, spread over 20 acre, was to have a man-made lake with boating, an ac conference hall and a train ride for visitors. But bureaucratic delays, hurdles over its christening and court cases marred its chances of being thrown open to the public.

A sliver of hope came in 2014 when the then Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner Somesh Kumar, who also served as the administrator of GHMC, annouced that the park would be integrated with the QSTC. But nothing has been done in that direction so far.

"It was in 2013 that the Department of Archaeology and Museums (DAM), QQSUDA and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture signed a memorandum of understanding which had a clause of integrating the park which would act as a gateway to QSTC," said a source from the DAM.

When contacted, AKTC chief executive officer Ratish Nanda said that the tomb complex has no frontage at present and requires facilities which cannot be built in the archaeological zone. An interpretation centre, among other tourist facilities have been planned to be built in the park. Further, the AKTC has sought permission from the GHMC to begin landscaping and remove around five sheds in the garden.

"I would add that it is expected that some permissions will take time. We are hoping to commence the work agreed in the 2013 MoU soon," Nanda said.

- The Times of India, April 24, 2016

Scientists have collected selfies of various animals in the Amazon Rainforest, by using motion-activated camera traps and a drone to capture a never-before-seen picture of the vast forest.

Researchers from the Field Museum in US trekked to the unexplored reaches of the Peruvian Amazon and spent 17 days conducting a rapid biological and social inventory of the area. They set up 14 motion-activated camera traps and used a drone to capture aerial footage of the rainforest.

The camera traps unveiled remarkable biodiversity in the area, showing animals like ocelots, giant armadillos, currassows, giant anteaters, tapirs, peccaries, and pacas up close and personal in their native habitat.

The aerial drone footage helped paint a picture of the overall landscape, sharing a never-before-seen look at the vast forest, which is only accessible by helicopter.

"No scientists have ever explored this area, let alone document it with cameras and drones," said Jon Markel, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist at The Field Museum. "These images are the first time this remote wilderness and the species that call it home are being recorded for science," Markel said.

During the inventory, biologists encountered an astonishing amount of wildlife, recording 1,820 plant, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal species, including 19 species believed to be new to science.

The team documented the largest number of frogs and snakes of any Field Museum rapid inventory, discovered large peat deposits, and found clay licks that provide salt essential to the health of local wildlife.

The social team worked with the nine indigenous groups living in the region to understand their use of the landscape and their aspirations for the future.

They have a clear vision of wanting to protect these lands. However, the area is under threat from illegal mining and logging, as well as a proposed road, researchers said. "You cant argue for the protection of an area without knowing what is there," said Corine Vriesendorp, Director of The Field Museums rapid inventory programme.

"We discovered an intact forest inhabited by indigenous people for centuries and teeming with wildlife. We want it to survive and thrive long after our cameras are gone," said Vriesendorp.

- http://indiatoday.intoday.in, April 24, 2016

The primate monkey specie, biologically known as 'Macaca-Leucogenys' was seen for the first time by nature conservationists in India. This rare-discovery highlights the richness of North-East's biodiversity.

Environmentalists in Arunachal Pradesh have made a gem of a discovery by spotting the ‘white-cheek Macaque’ in the forests of Anjaw district. The primate monkey specie, biologically known as ‘Macaca-Leucogenys’ was seen for the first time by nature conservationists in India. This rare-discovery highlights the richness of North-East’s biodiversity, and is likely to invite global biologists to this remote part of the world.

The discovery was made by a team of environmentalists – Dr Ranjan Kumar Das, Udayan Borthakur and Dr Dilip Chetry. The trio are professional bird guides and photographers. During their routine trip to the Anjaw forests, they were surprised to spot the white-cheeked Macaque on a branch of tree. The photos were taken by them in March 2015. However, Dr Ranjan was not sure whether the monkey is new-found specie, and took an extensive research to confirm the same. Almost, after a year, it is confirmed that the monkey spotted belongs to Macaca-Leucogenys specie, rather than Rhesus macaque, Arunachal macaque, Tibetan macaque or the Assamese macaque, which are found in abundance in the region.

“We are really excited to have spotted this rare specie. I would like to further contribute to the understanding of this specie through my photography work,” Dr Ranjan was quoted as saying by tecake.in. Known for his photography, Dr Ranjan is Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Tinsukia College.

Nature-conservationists in Arunachal have opined that white-cheek Macaque once existed in the region of Tibet, However, it was almost considered extinct due to mass consumption by humans in the region.

- http://www.india.com, April 24, 2016

The two-day Annual National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Rajasthan conveners meet was organized in Jaipur on Sunday . The meet is being attended by all the chapters of the state including the new ones like Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Karauli. "It was appropriate that the `Rajasthan Heritage Conservation Bill' mooted earlier had been dropped since it had not taken into account various issues pertaining to heritage properties. The Heritage Bill should be user-friendly and help conserve the age-old heritage. Municipal bodies also should come out with by-laws for heritage properties," said Gaj Singh of Jodhpur, convener INTACH.
On the occasion, the chairman of INTACH, Major General (retd) L K Gupta, said that there had been a strategic change in the working of the organization since earlier it was only monument-centric.Now the organization was also looking into protection of natural heritage.

- The Times of India, April 25, 2016

: A century and seven years after Rabindranath Tagore penned the immortal "Gram chhara oi ranga matir path" (the red path beyond my village) -inspired by Khoai's red soil and the unpaved, dusty and undulating tracks leading till the banks of the Kopai river -an IIT-Kharagpur study has called for designating 973 acres of this ecologically sensitive region a "no development zone".

Acting on the conservation call, the state urban development department is coming up with a statutory draft notification under the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning and Deve lopment) Planning Act, 1979.Senior urban development department officials held a meeting with the chief town planner last week to analyse the situation based on the report, prepared by the department of architecture and town planning of IIT-Kgp.

Over the years, Khoai changed its nature as developers eyed this historical microcosm and unbridled construction activity gathered pace.

Officials said the main is sue was defining Khoai, which has no classification in traditional land records.With requests from developers piling up and water bodies covering a vast area in the region, the problems only multiplied over the years.

In 2013, a group of locals, with the support of painter Jogen Chowdhury , moved the Calcutta high court pleading that the area was being targeted by promoters. The government formed an ethics committee for heritage preservation that comprised the chief secretary , the Viswa-Bharati VC and senior government officials to determine the land-use plan for Khoai. When Calcutta high court ordered a ban on all construction activities in the area, the Sriniketan-Santiniketan Development Authority engaged IIT-Kharagpur to come up with a land-use plan and also to properly define Khoai. "There was no specific definition as to which area could actually be identified as Khoai and how much area it covered. Now, with the area identified, a draft plan will be prepared that will be passed through the ethics committee before a final notification. We are happy that a long-standing problem has been addressed in a technical manner and I thank the IIT team for coming out with the report," said state urban development department secretary Debashis Sen.

The IIT team looked into the overall geology , physiography , hydrology and vegetation of the area and submitted a basic document that defines Khoai, identifying a total of 127 plots covering 973 acres in the mouzas of Ballavpur, Benuria, Kobimohanpur, Goalpara and Surul.

In its recommendation, the report has suggested that these ecosensitive areas be turned into a `no-development zone' to protect Khoai from land-filling.

"Khoai area becomes an ecologically sensitive area because of its diverse landscape, soil-scape, wildlife and historical value.This area already has many desirable ecological, cultural, historical and environmental attributes. These attributes contribute to the retention and creation of wildlife habitat, soil stability, water retention or recharge, vegetative cover and similar vital ecological functions. The Khoai not only has ecological importance but also has a lot of historical, cultural and economic importance as it has relation with Nobel laureates, painters, artists, writers and many scholars. As a tourist attraction, it also has economic importance," the IIT report says.

Painter Jogen Chowdhury said he appreciated that a correct decision has been taken to conserve Khoai. "Now that the matter is being addressed, I would like to request the authorities concerned to see so that development activities can take place in residential areas only after proper inspection," he said.

- The Times of India, April 25, 2016

In spite of being hailed as home to people having distinctive cultural and heritage identities, Kerala had many a times proved that its efforts towards protecting sites having cultural or historical importance were half-hearted ones.

A classic example of one of its thoughtless act in the recent times was the demolition of an old stone ‘Mandapam’ near the Padmatheertham pond of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in the name of renovation.

With an exception of one or two cases, many of the heritage sites in the state are said to be in a shambles. Considering this as a pitfall, the Department of Tourism has now step in with a strategy to promote little-known heritage sites in the state.

As part of it, the department has decided to rope in a Delhi-based organisation, Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD) and Kerala Institute of Travel and Tourism Studies (KITTS) for promoting heritage tourism.

“Heritage tourism is a less-explored sector in the state. Through this initiative, KITTS as well as ITRHD will engage in promotional activities and for the same a memorandum of understanding will be signed between them. They will prepare a data base on the lesser-known heritage sites in the state and will kick-start activities for its restoration and promotion,” said an official with the Department of Tourism.

Meanwhile, a faculty with the KITTS told ‘Express’ that despite having a bunch of heritage sites, the state’s approach towards their conservation was unsatisfactory. “Some of these sites have degraded due to lack of caring or proper maintenance. The aim of the initiative is to conserve and promote those sites which are not famous. On a pilot basis, we have decided to take up the restoration of rock paintings in the Marayur-Chinnar forest belt. We have found that they were in high-risk of deterioration. A plan will soon be chalked out to address the same,” said the faculty member.

- http://www.newindianexpress.com/, April 25, 2016

Government earned a revenue of over Rs 93 crore as entry fee from ticketed monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India in 2014-15, Lok Sabha was informed today.

In a written reply to a question, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, however, said, there has been "no discernible change" in the income from entry fee in these monuments during the last few years.

"The revenue earned through entry fee from various ASI protected monuments during the year 2014-15 is Rs 93.38 crore," he said.

Sharma said fee for ticketed monuments have been increased with effect from April 1 this year.

The government had effected a three-fold hike in the entry fee for 116 monuments under the ASI for domestic visitors and 100 per cent for foreign tourists. For the 32 World Heritage Sites, the minister said, the ticket price was increased to Rs 30 from Rs 10 for domestic visitors, while for foreign nationals, it was hiked to Rs 500 from Rs 250.

For monuments other than World Heritage Sites, the fee was increased three-fold to Rs 15 from Rs 5 for domestic visitors, while foreigners Rs 200 from Rs 100.

- http://www.newindianexpress.com/, April 25, 2016

On account of World Dance Day, Artsphere is organizing a performing arts festival, 'Beyond the spotlight 2016' on Wednesday from 6.30pm onwards at the Symbiosis Auditorium in Vimannagar.

The occasion also marks the third anniversary of Artsphere.

The festival, in an attempt to showcase all art forms, will feature 'Urmila: The Forgotten Wife' and 'Dhrut' - two splendid dance ballads that would be performed by Indian artists.

Last year, Artsphere had conducted a one-day festival in the city that showcased the best of theatre, classical dance and contemporary performances.

- The Times of India, April 26, 2016

Such bizarre things could happen only with Nagpur University. The probe report on missing artefacts from the department of ancient Indian history, culture and archaeology, which had mysteriously disappeared from NU coffers, has now resurfaced, as per NU officials.

The report was in possession of divisional commissioner, Anoop Kumar, who was acting vice chancellor at that time, for nearly two years. He returned it to NU after VCSiddarthavinayaka Kane sent him a letter seeking details about the report. Interestingly, Kumar had pleaded ignorance about any such report while speaking toTOI on March 30, adding that he didn't remember anything. "Two weeks after we issued him a letter, seeking his explanation on the missing report, Kumar provided us with his 'personal copy'. It was not interim report as declared by me earlier, but a detailed report containing entire list of missing items that have disappeared from the department over the years," Kane told TOI.

With the recovery of the report, the VC said, the university has dropped plans to constitute another panel for conducting departmental enquiry as suggested by Ambazari Police. Earlier, the VC had announced to constitute a three-member panel, comprising a historian and numismatic expert, to probe the vanishing of Vakataka era coins worth crores and other precious artefacts from the department's museum.

"Now, there is no need for another panel, as the report is comprehensive one with entire list of missing antiquities. We will be making a separate list of all such items and submit it to the police. The report is also having mention of items maintained in the department's stock register. It would still take 8-10 days to formally lodge a complaint," the VC said while refusing to dwell further on contents of the report terming it as "confidential".

Earlier, the probe panel was set up by Kumar in 2014, after receiving complaints from head of the department, Preety Trivedi, that her predecessor Pradeep Meshram hadn't handed over charge of the museum to her and many artefacts, including Vakataka era coins, had gone missing from there. The panel comprised heads of department Chandrashekhar Gupta, Ismail Kellelu, Nandini Sahu, Shubha Johari and noted historian BR Andhare, who later refused to be part of the proceedings citing old health. This panel had submitted its report to Kumar on July 15, 2014. The report, however, mysteriously went missing from his custody.

Ironically, there was no entry of this report with NU Establishment Section. All such panels and their reports are usually routed through this section, as per registrar Puran Meshram.

After dillydallying for about three weeks and series of flip-flops over the issue, the reluctant NU administration finally decided to lodge a police complaint regarding theft of precious coins with Ambazari police. The VC was not even ready to seek explanation from Kumar considering his senior position, but sent him a letter afterTOI exposed that only a copy of report was handed over to Kumar, whose role was under scanner.

Many artefacts, including Vakataka era coins, had gone missing from NU department's museum A probe panel was set up by divisional commissioner, Anoop Kumar, who was acting VC in 2014 The panel had submitted its report to Kumar on July 15, 2014

The report was in possession of Kumar for nearly two years

Kumar had pleaded ignorance about any such report while speaking to TOI on March 30 this year

NU sent a letter to Kumar seeking explanation on the missing report

It was then he provided the university with a 'personal copy' of the report

- The Times of India, April 27, 2016

The Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India was launched in 2013-14. Since then it has received encouraging response. The scheme is being implemented through the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Anywhere between 200 and 300 applications are received each year under this scheme. This scheme provides a grant of up to Rs. 10 lakhs to eligible individuals to accomplish their programmes. Cultural organisations also are able to avail Rs. 10 lakhs under the scheme to host cultural events.

During the year 2013-14 234 applications were received of which 75 were found to be eligible and they received the grants under the scheme. In the year 2014-15 228 applications were received and of that 137 were found to be eligible and thus given grant. Last year the applications received were 278 of which 114 were eligible ones and so were provided with the grant. The Ministry of Culture is giving financial support to Individuals, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), Cultural Organisations for promotion of art and culture through some other schemes also. The details of some prominent Schemes are as under: Cultural Function and Production Grant Scheme (CFPGS) Under CFPGS Scheme Financial Assistance is given to 'Not-for-Profit' Organisations, NGOs including Societies, Trusts, Universities and Individuals for holding Conferences, Seminar, Workshops, Festivals, Exhibitions, Production of Dance, Drama-Theatre, Music and undertaking small research projects etc. on any art forms or important cultural matters relating to different aspects of Indian Culture. The quantum of assistance is restricted to 75% of the project cost subject to maximum of Rs. 5 Lakhs per project as recommended by the Expert Committee. The amount utilised in 2015-16 under this scheme was Rs. 1,459 lakhs. Fellowship Scheme: 200 Junior Fellowships and 200 Senior Fellowships are given every year for cultural research in various fields of culture. Junior Fellows are given an amount of Rs. 10,000/- and Senior Fellows are given an amount of Rs. 20,000/- per month for a period of 2 years. 400 Scholarships are given to Young Artistes for advance training in the field of Indian Classical Music, Dance, Theatre, Visual Arts, Folk Arts, etc. An amount of Rs. 5,000/- per month is given to the selected artists for a period of 2 years. The amount utilised under fellowship scheme in 2015-16 is Rs. 1,835 lakhs. Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research: The Scheme has been introduced in order to invigorate and revitalise the various institutions under the Ministry of Culture (MoC) and other identified cultural institutions in the country by encouraging scholars and academicians to affiliate themselves with these institutions to work on projects of mutual interest. Not more than 15 Tagore Fellowships and 25 Tagore Scholarships are selected for award in a year. Tagore fellows are paid honorarium of Rs. 80,000/- per month and Tagore Scholars are paid honorarium of Rs. 50,000/- per month for a period of 2 years. The amount utilised in 2015-16 is Rs. 44.12 lakhs. Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India: The scheme aims to reinvigorate and revitalise various institutions, groups, individuals, non-government organisations, researchers and scholars so that they may engage in activities and projects for strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the rich intangible cultural heritage of India. In its 3rd year of implementation, an amount of Rs. 240 lakhs were released under the scheme.

- http://www.oneindia.com, April 27, 2016

In first of a kind experiment, the forest department has constructed an artificial flowing water repository in Barwah to conserve Narmada Mahseer (Tor tor) - the state fish of Madhya Pradesh.

The population of the endangered species known as 'Tiger of water' has registered a sharp decline in the recent years. While 36 percent of population was reported in 1950, less than 3 percent of fishes were reported in 2015.

Shriparna Saxena, principal technical investigator, Mahseer conservation project, said that such a water body which provides a natural habitat like environment for the fishes had never built before. "Most of the artificial water bodies are usually cemented but in this project, we have not used any artificial construction material," Saxena said. The water body has been constructed on forest land and bottom of the repository has been constructed with pebbles from the Narmada River. Pipes connected with motors have been set up to ensure continuous flow of water in the artificial structure. Flowing water is necessary for the survival of the fishes as it helps in providing oxygen in the water. At present 548 fishes had been put into the water body, most of them are juvenile ( in early stages of growth).

Biodiversity board has sanctioned an amount for Rs, 9 lakh for the project. While building the water body was a tough task, bringing in fishes was tougher. Pankaj Srivastava, additional principal chief conservator of forest, Indore said that they had to take the local fishermen in confidence and urge them to give the fishes they caught to them. They also paid them for the fishes they brought.

While most of the other similar projects aim at promoting breeding, the aim of the project is the conservation of fishes. Breeding would be taken up in the next phase. A team of experts and scholars are keeping a check on the flow and quality of water. They are also taking care of feeding the fishes; the fishes are being fed in the morning and in the evening.

"As of now, we have received a good response from experts. We are hopeful that we would be able to the promote breeding in the pond and the population would increase," Srivastava said.

Mahseer fishes are known for surviving in clean water. "The success of the project also implies that we have been able to provide clean water and suitable environment in the area," Shriparna Saxena said.

The fishes take a long time to grow up. Once they gain weight, forest department plan to release them back to their natural habitat. Narmada Mahseer is native to Narmada waters at places like Choral and Veda.

Srivastava said that if they are able to increase the population of the fishes in their natural habitat, it would also help the fishermen as they can catch them and sell in the market. The department is also looking at the initiative as a way to promote tourism. "We can give a new dimension to sports like angling in the state," Srivastava said.

- The Times of India, April 27, 2016

The city bore witness to a mass protest on Tuesday. What makes the protest unique is that it was not a political one. Over seventy social workers from four different organisations came together at Kunnupuram junction to prevent a 150-year-old tamarind tree from being axed. The tree is facing the axe as a part of the road widening project of the PWD.

The activists of the organisations Jana Mithra, Tree Walk Trivandrum, Indus Cycling Embassy and SEWA Union, came together with placards and banners denouncing the move. The road widening project saw dismantling of small tea shops and buildings.

Thomson Lawrence, a local resident and president of Jana Mithra and G Shankar, architect and member of the District Tree Examination Committee addressed the protesters. Shankar alleged that the PWD did not obtain necessary permission for cutting the tree.

Anitha Sharma, one of the conveners of Tree Walk Trivandrum, spoke about the ecological value of every single tree in the city. She pointed out that it was the locals who came forward against that PWD move. They informed the organisations and this proved to be very helpful.

Lawrence said that the temperature will rise from forty to fifty degree Celsius next year. Therefore, trees need to be protected. He said that they will continue with their protest and will conduct a protest meet the coming Sunday. He also stated that the tamarind tree stands as a memorial for those who died of sun stroke.

Seeta Dasan of SEWA Union highlighted the use of trees and pointed out the after effects of not having a green cover in the city.

Ranjini Nair and Prakash P Gopinath of Indus Cycling Embassy were present among the others.

Why this tamarind tree?

In a fast developing urban milieu every single trees matter since they give oxygen, absorb pollutants, give shade and also provide habitat for many organisms. In some cases the tree provides space for small time vendors especially women who sell fish, fruits, vegetables and so on. In these times of climate change trees do the most important function of absorbing carbon dioxide (one of the most prominent green house gases).

A study done in Gujarat shows that a fully grown tamarind tree absorbs more than 50,000 kgs of carbon in its life time.

Parties Extract Maximum Mileage from Water Crisis

With potable water shortage becoming a major issue in different parts of the district, the issue is being widely debated in the election campaigning too. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran came down heavily on the state government for not taking adequate measures to address the issue. “Following the hot summer, there’s acute drinking water shortage in many places. The government has not been taking any measures to address the issue. Instead they say permission was sought from the Election Commission,” Kanam said while speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday. Meanwhile, UDF candidate in Kazhakoottam MA Wahid has come out with an action plan for the constituency, and drinking water distribution has found a prominent place. In his ‘Uptown Thiruvananthapuram’ which was released at the Press Club on Tuesday, expansion of the Japan drinking water scheme, facilities for rain water harvesting along with policy formation for rain water harvesting and Rajiv Gandhi drinking water scheme for colonies have been included.

- http://www.newindianexpress.com, April 27, 2016

With poor documentation of existing and stolen artefacts, outdated laws, and unqualified investigative agencies, India’s record in preserving its past is deplorable

The Indian government’s response in the Kohinoor case has exposed its insensate ignorance. It not only got the facts wrong, but appeared embarrassingly out of depth in understanding restitution of antiquities. Given the poor track record in restitution, it seems unlikely that India will get the Kohinoor back. But the greater worry is its apathy towards antiquities. While countries such as Italy have not only successfully pursued stolen artefacts abroad but also effectively protected them locally, India, which is equally archaeologically rich and a victim of illicit trading, is far from it.

Studies have exhaustively documented the origins of the Kohinoor diamond in India, its complicated trail, and its eventual placement in the British royal crown. History does not leave to doubt that Lord Dalhousie forcefully acquired it from the young king Duleep Singh in 1849 when the East India Company annexed Punjab. Dalhousie compelled Singh to gift the diamond to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria as a “memorial of conquest”. However, later, as historian Danielle Kinsey’s research would show, Singh unsuccessfully demanded the return of the diamond.

Kohinoor was not the most spectacular stone in the Indian royal treasuries. Prof. Kinsey observed that Singh’s treasury, along with the Kohinoor, had the Darya-i-Noor, which was far more lustrous. But Lord Dalhousie knew the symbolic importance of the Kohinoor diamond and wanted it to be part of the Queen’s jewels. Prince Albert, equally aware of the lore, publicised its history and the Indian legends associated with it.

A puzzling stance The historical and cultural significance of the Kohinoor, as in all other cases of antiquities, is what propels India’s demand for its return. The U.K. government has consistently refused to acknowledge this. This is expected, but the Indian government’s position has been puzzling.

Till the 1980s, India did not ask for the return of the Kohinoor diamond. By 2000 it changed its position and tried to “satisfactorily resolve” the issue. However, in 2010, after U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron visited India, it again changed its stand. To a question raised in Parliament in August 2010, the government categorically stated that Kohinoor was not covered “under the UNESCO’s Convention 1972 [sic] dealing with the restitution of cultural property”, and hence the question of recovery “does not arise”.

The 1970 UNESCO Convention prohibits illicit trading and transfer of ownership of cultural properties including antiquities. However, it does not cover any recovery claims of antiquities either smuggled or exported before 1970. This instantly puts a significant number of antiquities lost by colonised countries beyond any hope of return. The government’s statement that the UNESCO Convention does not cover Kohinoor may appear legally right, but its belief that the year 1970 is ironclad is short-sighted. By conceding so, it also misses out the cultural, political and ethical dimensions of restitution.

Historian Elazar Barakan demonstrated in his insightful writings that restitution is not a legal category but a cultural concept which defines international morality. Loot and plunder may have been a practice in earlier times, but not anymore. It was 1815 that was the turning point, he wrote, when European powers agreed that the plundering of national art was “immoral and illegal”. However, this agreement was limited to European countries, while the colonies were merrily plundered. When the colonised countries became independent, they rightfully demanded the return of looted artefacts.

As Prof. Barakan remarked: “The need for restitution to past victims has become a major part of national politics and international diplomacy.” It has become a way of correcting historical injustices. The Indian government, taking cues from such arguments, should build a mature understanding of restitution rather than hastily draft myopic responses. Whenever countries of origin demand the return of their stolen antiquities, museums and Western experts have refused. They have repeatedly derided that antiquities are not safe in the countries of origin. These specious arguments can be rejected. However, the fact remains that antiquities are not adequately cared for in India.

Information on theft

To start with, simple things, such as an integrated database of existing and stolen artefacts, hardly exist. Providing sufficient information regarding theft cases has been a struggle. For instance, to a question raised in Parliament in 2010 about the number of antiquities stolen, the government provided a list of 13 thefts that occurred between 2007 and 2010. This list did not include that of Subhash Kapoor, an international antiquities dealer currently in prison for his alleged involvement in the theft of 18 idols from Tamil Nadu. The number of thefts reported also appears too few to be true.

Compare this with the accomplishment of the cultural heritage squad of Carabinieri, the Italian armed police force. It has built an impressive database of about 1.1 million missing artefacts. Set up in 1969, the Carabinieri is the most acclaimed police force in protecting antiquities. The officers are well-trained in art history, international law, and investigative techniques. In the last 45 years, the force has recovered more than 8,00,000 stolen artefacts within the country. The squad is also known for its aggressive pursuit of restitution cases.

Indian investigative agencies pale in comparison. At the national level, the Central Bureau of Investigation handles antiquities theft as a part of its special crimes division. The division also handles cases of economic offences as well as those relating to dowry deaths, murders, and so on. It has not built the capacity to deal with stolen antiquities. A few State governments have special wings as part of their police force, but these are also understaffed and unqualified.

National laws have not helped the cause either. The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, mandates compulsory registration of antiquities. However, the process is so cumbersome that not many antiquities are registered. There is also fear that registration would attract unnecessary government attention, and prevent the legitimate transfer of the objects. As a result, a large number of private collectors do not register antiquities in their possession. The Act, which is meant to deter thefts, is outdated and has to be amended. Though the Justice Mukul Mudgal committee submitted a report recommending changes in 2011, the government is yet to take action.

The state of India’s museums is another sad story. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s Performance Audit of Preservation and Conservation of Monuments and Antiquities in 2013 had scathing remarks about the country’s poor acquisition, documentation and conservation systems. A government initiative to document antiquities in its collection has also not progressed well. In 2007, the Ministry of Culture launched the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities to complete documentation of about 70,00,000 antiquities. Until 2014, it had documented only 8,00,000 artefacts. The audit also raised serious concerns about the “discrepancies in the number of antiquities reportedly available in museums” including the National Museum in Delhi.

If the government is serious about the future of Indian antiquities, it has to, without delay, overhaul woefully inadequate institutions and improve legal measures and ill-prepared investigative agencies.

A. Srivathsan is a professor at CEPT University, Ahmedabad. Views expressed are personal

Compare India’s failure with the accomplishment of the cultural heritage squad of Carabinieri, the Italian armed police force

- The Hindu, April 27, 2016

Shooting of films at popular tourist palces in Jaisalmer has costed the monuments their original look. Due to carelessness of unit members during shooting of films, heritage monuments of Jaisalmer are suffering damages with their original appearance getting distorted.

On Monday, during the shooting of a Chinese film 'Lost of India', at Gadsisar Lake, a vehicle hit an artistic cenotaph causing its stone to fall down and leaving it damaged. After directions of district collector Vishwa Mohan Sharma, the municipal council is readying to lodge a case.

It is to be mentioned that four years ago, during a shooting sequence of film Agent Vinod (Saif Ali Khan starrer) at Kuldhara, the film unit had distorted the monuments, defacing their original look.

The Times of India had raised the issue post which, the then tourism minister Bina Kak taking strict action lodged a case with the film producers made to pay a fine of 3 lakh. Meanwhile, the current incident took place during the shooting of a Chinese film, and as per the information, this shooting had been going on for a week in Jaisalmer, with Wong Bau Chong as its film director. For last two days, shooting was going on at Gadsisar Lake in which action scenes were being shot. On Monday, during the shoot when a vehicle was reversing, it hit the cenotaph due to the carelessness of the driver and it got damaged.

On getting the information, municipal council employees and officers reached the spot and stopped the shooting. Municipal council commissioner Inder Singh Rathod said as per the directions from Sharma, a case will be lodged against the film producer, while 3,000 has been collected as penalty for repairing the cenotaph.

- The Times of India, April 27, 2016

The State has proposed para gliding and other tourist activities to mitigate the impact of the agrarian crisis in Bundelkhand.

You could soon get an opportunity to glide over the picturesque plains of Bundelkhand while enjoying a breath-taking view of the Vindhyas. Less than three hours drive from the world-heritage site of Khajuraho, the Kalinjar Fort is not just a classic example of military strategy, it is also a treasure trove for history lovers with its rich collection of monuments, temples and artefacts.

However, in spite of being a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India, it has fallen off the tourism map. To showcase its potential and generate employment in the agrarian-crisis stricken Bundelkhand, the Uttar Pradesh government plans to introduce paragliding at the citadel, which stands at an impressive height of 700 feet.

The State government is in touch with a local company, which operates in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, for the contract. “We are willing to provide the land resources for the project,” Banda District Magistrate Yogesh Kumar told The Hindu. “We are trying to figure out the logistics and have sought the feasibility and viability report. Safety of the people, security and traffic are our prime concerns,” he said.

The State targets a footfall of 100 visitors initially, given that tourism facilities in the area are in a shambles. Along with the thrill of paragliding, visitors would also be treated to a ‘history light and sound show’ at the Fort. The Kalinjar Mahotsav cultural festival, discontinued since 2003, will be revived in September-October, with kavi sammelans and mushairas (poetry festivals). The activity is expected to boost the income of locals, who have been forced to migrate over the years, due to crop failure and lack of alternative employment.

The neglect of the historic fort seems to have come to the government’s attention after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav recently paid a surprise visit during his tour of Bundelkhand. “It is unfortunate that the fort has not been maintained well, considering its heritage and history,” he had tweeted later.

Forgotten ponds
Restoring the numerous Chandela-era ponds within the fort could also play mitigate the water crisis in the area. “If the project is handed to us, in two years we promise to restore greenery,” Haris Zaman, convenor of INTACH, Banda chapter, said. However, the INTACH’s proposals to the State government and the ASI have not received much of a response.

- The Hindu, April 28, 2016

Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, will host the two-day second international workshop on ‘Conservation of Cement Concrete and Modern Heritage in India -Issues, Challenges and Exploration of Available Technologies for Conserving Pierre Jeanneret’s Gandhi Bhawan and other Modern Buildings’ starting tomorrow. The workshop will focus on cement concrete as a building material, issues related to conservation of heritage structures built during the 20th century, testing and conservation methodologies. It will seek to provide a platform to architects, engineers, practitioners, researchers and academics to interact on concrete testing, conservation methods and best practices alongside field exercises and site visits within the city to demonstrate the issues presented by various structures contemporary to Gandhi Bhawan as well as investigate the causes for their occurrence.

The grant from the Getty Foundation and the conservation planning of Gandhi Bhawan is targeted to work as a catalyst for similar conservation works of other significant modern structures on the campus.

The staff from the Department of Architecture, Engineering and Horticulture, are working hand-in-hand with the consultants to achieve a role model plan for Gandhi Bhawan as a pioneer exercise, the results of which will extend as learning for other buildings as well.

The two-day workshop will open with the inauguration of an exhibition, ‘Concrete and Modern Buildings-Construction Techniques and Conservation’, by the PU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Arun Grover, at the Fine Arts Museum. The expo will comprise more than 40 panels showcasing the state of concrete buildings across India and a special section of the condition assessment of the Gandhi Bhawan. The exhibition will continue till May 6.

Paul Gaudette, principal with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA, will deliver the keynote lecture. Paul Gaudette specialises in investigation, repair, and conservation of modern historic concrete.

The PU is looking forward to organising two more workshops for the final conservation plan to shape up collectively with all stakeholders. The draft conservation plan for Gandhi Bhawan will be presented to all stakeholders for review and comments before finalising, including the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee, since Gandhi Bhawan is recognised as an iconic heritage structure of the city.

- The Tribune, April 28, 2016

elephant made from brass and holding placards of husband, children, parents, in-laws and society crushing a woman under its feet. This is one of the several sculptures prepared by Binita Parekh, a final year student of M S University, to spread the message of hardships faced by women in day-to-day life. Parekh, 29, has used miniature sculptures, as a medium to highlight the plight of women. Most of which have been prepared including a miniature of people pointing fingers towards a woman. These are motivated from her personal experience.

"I have made a sculpture that shows how a woman's life is torn apart by her near and dear ones and when she fights back, her voice is suppressed," said Parekh, who was married to a distant relative when she was in second year of bachelors in sculpture at MSU.

"Few days into marriage, I got to know about his extra marital affair," said Parekh, who was determined to continue with her studies after a failed marriage. "My family had forced me to get married. Within a week of marriage, my husband flew back to USA. My in-laws started blaming me for everything wrong that was happening. They began raising questions on my character after which they demanded divorce," she said.

"Though my parents were with me throughout my struggle, they were not happy with my decision of continuing with studies," she said. Fighting all odds, she went back to college. "Overcoming the ordeals, it took time to accept the reality and move ahead in life. It was during this period that it struck to me that my works should emphasize on the injustice faced by women," added Parekh, who has prepared sculptures as part of the annual display at the faculty. Annual display is a part of their curriculum that reviews the works prepared by them.

- The Times of India, April 28, 2016

The genesis for “The Man Who Knew Infinity,” a new biopic about the short life of epic mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, came to director Matthew Brown in 2004, when he was visiting his Aunt Judy, who lives in Big Sur, Calif.

Aunt Judy had a copy of Robert Kanigel’s seminal biography on Ramanujan. “I was completely overtaken with the human story: Ramanujan’s isolation at Cambridge University, and his relationship to G.H. Hardy, two people who were so different from each other, yet able to connect,” Brown told India-West in an interview at Stanford University here April 21. Brown later joined in a panel discussion with three eminent mathematicians on the impact of Ramanujan’s work on contemporary math and science, and screened some scenes from the film, which is scheduled for release April 29. The panel discussion was organized by the Society for Art and Cultural Heritage of India, in collaboration with the mathematics department at Stanford.

Dev Patel stars in the film as Ramanujan, and Jeremy Irons plays G.H. Hardy, the young mathematician’s mentor at Cambridge University. Actor Stephen Fry, who had spent several years trying to make a film about Ramanujan, plays Sir Francis Spring, a civil engineer who worked in Madras. Ramanujan worked as a clerk in Spring’s office, and his mathematical skills were brought to Spring’s attention, who then lobbied the government to support the mathematician’s further education in England. Brown said he is a great admirer of Fry, and invited him to join his project. Fry flew to Chennai for two days to play his role, in searing 110 degree heat, the director recalled, adding that the Indian portion of the film was shot in nine days.

Brown said he spent 12 years making the film, and noted his hurdles with getting the movie financed. “It’s very difficult to have an Indian as your lead, especially when there’s no love story. It was suggested to me to have Ramanujan have an affair with a white nurse. I could not do it,” the director candidly told India-West. One of the real challenges of making the movie was creating the Madras of 1914 out of Chennai in 2014. “We went to great lengths to find authenticity,” said Brown, noting that he searched for a typical Brahmin house that would resemble the one Ramanujan grew up in. The women in the film – including Devika Bhise, who portrays Ramanujan’s wife Janaki – all wear the nine-yard saris typical of South India at the time, and Brown’s brother Koby, who composed the music for the film, worked with several South Indian musicians to formulate an authentic Carnatic sound track.

Brown credits Dev Patel with delivering “one of his best dramatic performances.”

“I’m hoping people will enjoy seeing another side of Dev,” he said, noting that Ramanujan was a big strong man who was awkward in his features. Patel brought his own awkwardness to the role, said Brown.

The director worked with biographer Kanigel to “philosophically learn the math.” He credited mathematicians Manjul Bhargava of Princeton University and Ken Ono of Emory University for furthering his understanding of the importance of Ramanujan’s work. Bhargava, and Indian American professor, and Ono are associate producers of the film and joined Brown in the April 21 panel discussion at Stanford, which was moderated by Stanford mathematics professor Kannan Soundararajan. The Erode-born Ramanujan – who was only 32 when he died in 1920 – grew up in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, in a one-room house he shared with five other family members. Bhargava –who won the first SASTRA Ramanujan prize in 2005, along with Soundararajan, and received the Padma Bhushan last year – noted during the panel discussion that Ramanujan’s mother was a Carnatic singer, which may have inspired his work. “I also do a lot of my math playing the drums,” said Bhargava, who is an accomplished tabla player. The panelists all noted that Ramanujan had no formal education, and developed his theorems from his own discoveries.

“He proved more theorems in one day than many of us do in one year,” said Bhargava.

No one in his village or his state could understand his work; thus, the young mathematician started writing to professors at various colleges in England. Most rejected correspondence from the youngster, who had begun work as an office clerk to support his family and did his math at night.

Cambridge University Prof. G.H. Hardy received Ramanujan’s letter along with seven pages of theorems. “Hardy saw some things he could prove and others that he could not fathom how someone came up with,” said Ono, who received the Presidential Career Award in 2000 from former President Bill Clinton, and starred in the 2013 documentary, “The Genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan.”

Hardy’s response to Ramanujan’s theorems, according to Ono, was: “These formulas defeated me completely. They must be true because no one had the imagination to invent them.” Hardy invited Ramanujan to Cambridge; Bhargava said the two “transformed” areas of math, writing 30 papers in five years. But in England, Ramanujan faced intense racism and malnutrition, as he was unable to get vegetarian food. He was also not allowed to bring his wife Janaki.

“Mathematicians are not normally portrayed as humans,” said Bhargava, eliciting laughter from the packed audience at Cubberly Auditorium. “Mathematicians do their work in the pursuit of beauty, in pursuit of art.”

In the film, Ramanujan described his work to his wife as “a painting with colors you cannot see.”

The film’s producers have created a Web site – expii.com/Ramanujan – where children with smart phones around the world can solve mathematical problems and interact with each other. The site also allows its creators to unearth potential prodigies.

“Talent can come from anywhere. You have to open your heart to recognize genius," Brown told India-West.

- http://www.indiawest.com, April 28, 2016

In recent years, the environmental and social crisis created by the frequency of floods, water scarcity, cyclone and pollution have exposed the failure of the government to face the challenge. These problems are rooted in the increasing neglect of urban waterbodies or wetlands. Development priorities in urban areas have ignored the utility of these valuable waterbodies, resulting in their encroachment and destruction over the years. A similar trend is manifest globally as well. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) estimated that wetlands cover seven per cent of the earth’s surface and deliver 45 per cent of its natural productivity and ecosystem services. Globally 1.3 to 3 billion people depend on the wetlands for drinking water as well as food and livelihood. But despite the benefits, the wetlands have been systematically destroyed worldwide as they are converted for industrial, agricultural and residential use. India has lost more than 38 per cent of the wetlands in the last decade; the rate of loss has been as high as 88 per cent in certain districts.

The country’s “wetland wealth” has been assessed by the National Wetland Atlas 2011 and prepared by the Space Application Centre. It has estimated 756,000 wetlands with a total area of 15.3 million hectares, accounting for nearly 4.7 per cent of the country’s total geographical area. As per the Ramsar Convention, the natural waterbodies from perennial rivers, streams, estuaries including mangrove swamps, natural depressions and marshes (locally known as beels, chaurs, dhars, pats etc. ), ox- bow lakes, ponds and tanks, sewage farms and canals and seasonally inundated floodplains in India constitute wetlands. Only 26 of these numerous wetlands have been designated as Ramsar sites.

The importance of wetlands lies in the fact that their unique ecological features provide a range of regulatory and provisioning services for environmental sustainability of urban areas. Wetlands such as tanks, ponds, lakes and reservoirs provide water for irrigation, domestic needs, fisheries and recreational use, groundwater recharge and flood control. The irrigation tanks of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the traditional tanks of Bihar, Odisha , Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal respectively account for nearly 60 per cent and 25 per cent of India’s tank irrigated area. Tanks play a vital role in harvesting the surface run-off during monsoon and then allowing it to be used later. Apart from irrigation, these tanks are also used for fisheries and as a source of water for domestic needs. The utility is particularly important in terms of household income, nutrition and public health for the poor. Lakes such as Chilika (Odisha), the Dal lake (Jammu & Kashmir), Deepor beel (Assam), Kolleru Lake (Andhra Pradesh), Loktak (Manipur), Vembanad (Kerala), Nainital (Uttarakhand), Ameenpur lake in Telangana have played a significant role from the perspective of recreation, tourism, fisheries, irrigation and domestic water supply. Surface reservoirs have also played an important role in providing irrigation and domestic water security in both rural and urban areas.

Wetlands act as a sink for the discharge of untreated sewage and other wastes from rural and urban areas. This checks pollution .They serve as a low-cost measure to reduce “point and non-point pollution”. The wetlands in Kolkata are unique examples of treatment of municipal waste materials and fruitfully utilizing it for fish culture and horticulture. Wetlands regulate and lessen the impact of floods and help in maintaining the groundwater table. They are considered to be a natural capital substitute for conventional flood control investments such as dykes, dams, embankments. A major factor behind floods is the gradually shrinking wetlands because of the changing land-use pattern in urban areas. Wetlands support a diverse species of vertebrates and invertebrate animals and plants. It is estimated that freshwater wetlands alone support 20 per cent of the known biodiversity in India .Some species depend on the wetlands for their entire life-cycle, while others are visible only during particular stages of their life cycle, such as migratory birds. Wetlands provide valuable production services. Chilika lake produces 12,000 metric tonnes of fish supporting two lakh fishermen; Vembanad lake in Kerala provides livelihood to around 1.6 million people and the East Kolkata wetlands sustain 20,000 under-privileged families. Subsistence farmers currently produce 15000 mt of fish annually and additionally 150 mt of vegetables daily from these wetlands serving as the source of Kolkata’s food security.

However, over the last two decades, despite the valuable goods and services being rendered by the wetlands they continue to be degraded or lost at an alarming pace in India. The reason can be traced to the fact that in the past two decades the area covered by the cities has expanded by a staggering 25 per cent, with concrete and asphalt. Projections by the UN indicate that more than 50 per cent of the people will be living in cities by 2050. This massive urbanization will pose a serious threat to the protection of the wetlands because of several anthropogenic factors: Rs

i) Pollution -- An explosive increase in urban population has occurred without a corresponding expansion of civic facilities such as adequate infrastructure for the disposal of waste. As a result, almost all urban waterbodies in India are used for disposing untreated local sewage and solid wastes, resulting in deterioration in the quality of water. ii) Encroachment : As more and more people are migrating to urban areas, the availability of land is becoming scarce . Hence, these urban waterbodies are no longer recognized for their ecosystem services but as real estate. Both for governments and the private builders, these waterbodies are extremely valuable areas for encroachment. It is disheartening to note that the 26 sites designated as wetlands of international importance in India are plagued by uncontrolled development and illegal encroachment. They include the largest and well known lakes -- the freshwater Wular lake in Kashmir, the salt water Sambar lake in Rajasthan and the brackish water Chilika lake in Odisha. Each of them is rapidly shrinking. Pulicat lake, India’s second largest lagoon bordering Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, is threatened by the Dugarajapatnam port project. Kolleru lake, the second largest freshwater lake located in Andhra Pradesh, faces massive anthropogenic pressure. Almost 90 per cent of the lake-bed has been covered by fish tanks, that have turned into a drain. The Vembanad lake, in Kerala, famous for the annual snake boat race is facing the threat of land-use changes and waste dumping.

- The Statesman, April 28, 2016

With less than five tmc ft water left in the Krishna river to serve the drinking water needs of people for the next 70 days, Telangana and AP are headed towards the 'biggest-ever water crisis'. Water level at Srisailam reservoir has plummeted to 784.5 ft leaving the dam with muddy water, unfit for consumption. This has forced AP government to halt further release from the dam. This is the second lowest level since Srisailam dam was constructed in 1960. In 2002, the dam hit 778 ft after the government let out water to overcome severe drought.

Nagarjunasagar may hit a historical low of 502 ft. The water level at present is 507 feet as against minimum drawdown level of 510 ft. Water is pumped from left canal to Akkampally reservoir that supplies water to Hyderabad. Any further fall in the water level is likely to pose threat to water supplies to the city. "Hyderabad alone needs 11 tmc ft water. But with the present pumping system we can at best draw 5 tmc ft as motors will work only up to 502 ft level. To draw water from below the 502 ft mark, we need specialised pumping mechanism," said an irrigation official, adding that water powered pump (WPP) units need to be installed.

"This is the worst ever water year for Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar dams. This year while Srisailam received only 65 tmc feet water from upstream, Nagarjunasagar dam received 69 tmc feet water against the normal of more than 1,000 tmc feet," Adithyanath Das, principal secretary, AP irrigation department, said. In 1978-79, Nagarjunasagar received highest-ever inflows of 1,966.75 tmc ft. The lowest was 69 tmc ft in 2015-16.

Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and West Godavari have been reeling under severe water shortage as there has been no fresh release from Nagarjunasagar dam. Nalgonda and Khammam too have been hit. Officials of both states are trying to find ways to 'ration' water release. But the sun is playing spoilsport, evaporating water. AP and Telangana officials have decided to meet again to formulate a plan in backdrop of Central Water Commission's communication that fresh inflows in Krishna river would be possible only after June.

- The Times of India, April 28, 2016

The devastating fire at the capital’s National Museum of Natural History exposes a cavalier attitude to conservation.

Afire extinguisher on every floor, but not one worked. While the fire that broke out at Delhi’s National Museum of Natural History may indeed have been an “accident”, as authorities responsible for the building claim, its fate was sealed by administrative failure. Had the installed firefighting equipment worked, the response to the accident would have been immediate and, perhaps, 200 irreplaceable specimens and exhibits would not have been lost. Losses include dinosaur fossils, which are relatively rare in India. The museum is managed by the ministry of environment and forests, at premises rented from the Ficci. Apart from the failure to maintain safety equipment, it transpires that the building had a no-objection certificate from the fire department only for an auditorium, not for the display galleries.

The destruction of exhibits at the museum has set a few heart-strings twanging in Delhi, but only because it’s a popular destination for school excursions. Young people who have been to school in the capital fondly recall the fibreglass dinosaur rearing outside the building. But generally, there’s very little public interest in conservation. And in the absence of public pressure, the authorities are lax. The Archaeological Survey of India is happy to put up boards outside historical monuments threatening vandals with fierce retribution, but then it goes to sleep while the media grimly report encroachment and defacement year after year. The maintenance of history is cumulative work, but we are fatigued all too easily. The loss of prehistoric artefacts and natural history specimens is even more tragic than damage to holdings of more recent provenance, since they are often irreplaceable. Sometimes, fossil specimens uniquely place species in the timeline of evolution. If they are lost, scientists’ vision is impaired.

The museum fire follows the brouhaha about reclaiming the Kohinoor. If India were to recover it and put it on display, what would its chances of survival look like? Its resistance to fire would be adamantine, naturally, but other crises cannot be ruled out. The very day the natural history museum went up in smoke, a dagger presented to Jawaharlal Nehru by the government of Saudi Arabia vanished from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. The fire flourished for the lack of working fire extinguishers. Nehru’s gift could be stolen with impunity because of the lack of security cameras. Both were failures, not accidents, and they indicate a culture of callousness about the past.

- The Indian Express, April 28, 2016

Architects and real estate developers who plan to construct buildings close to national monuments can soon download a new mobile app named Smarac Citizen, which will grant them construction permits within a few minutes.

Based on a proposal from the National Monuments Authority (NMA), the app has been developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), containing the maps of 3,686 Centrally-protected monuments across the country.

Earlier, the NMA had to send teams to the areas close to historic monuments, where developers sought construction permits.

The teams had to ensure that permits were granted only to projects beyond 300 metres from the outer boundary of a monument.

‘Process made easy’
“The process — from application for permission to survey — took at least five months,” said Navneet Soni, who heads the NMA. “But now, we have empowered people with the app, which will help them get permits at the click of a button.”

Apart from easing the process of obtaining construction permits, the app will help the NMA keep a tab on encroachments around monuments.

AAI approval
“The app will tell you how far new constructions are from any particular protected monument,” said Mr. Soni.

“For example, if someone wants to build a skyscraper in front of the Qutub Minar, the app will inform us and we will not let that happen.” For Anupam Bansal, a Delhi-based planner at Abard Architects that deals with institutional constructions, the app will help decide the height of the buildings according to the air rules set by the Airports Authority.

“It will also give you the elevation — the height of the site with respect to mean sea level. It will help architects not only for the NMA approval, but also for the approval of the Airports Authority of India.”

- The Hindu, April 29, 2016

A division bench of the High Court asked the state government and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Thursday to initiate stringent action against the owners of buildings who have failed to construct rain water harvesting structures (RWHS).

The bench, comprising acting chief justice Dilip B Bhosale and justice P Naveen Rao, was dealing with a PIL filed by S Vaidehi Reddy, a resident of the city, seeking a direction to the Telangana government, GHMC and other respondent authorities to ensure strict enforcement of GO Ms No.350 dated June 9, 2009 adopted in the AP Building Rules 2012 pertaining to rain water harvesting structures for all the buildings wherever applicable in the Hyderabad city.

The bench asked the authorities to enumerate the buildings, individual houses and commercial complexes which are having water harvesting structures and prescribe a time frame by giving an opportunity to the owners, who do not have water harvesting structures, to construct them.

The bench also suggested to the government to have an expert committee to oversee the construction of water harvesting structures in every house, and apartment and commercial complexes and that the committee shall have periodical reviews. It is also to consider disconnection of water supply if the owners fail to construct the structures within the time granted to them.

Senior counsel D Prakash Reddy, appearing for the petitioner, said the factual situation was quite contrary to the claim of the GHMC that several buildings, including government complexes, had rain water pits. The fact is that Osmania General Hospital and Osmania University are also now depending on water tankers, he pointed out. P Kesava Rao, appearing for GHMC, said the civic body initiated steps for strict implementation of the GO issued for water harvesting structures and the corporators had launched a door-to-door campaign in the city explaining to people the importance of harvesting structures.

When the bench asked when the committee can be constituted, counsels for the state and GHMC said that it would be constituted in two weeks.

While recording the statements of the counsels, the bench asked the GHMC to give wide publicity to construction of water harvesting structures, and posted the matter to June 20 for further hearing.

- www.newindianexpress.com, April 29, 2016

A meeting chaired by actor Mammootty was held here Thursday, to chart out ways to fight water scarcity in the State, drought and the shooting temperature.

The meeting decided to set up a system to enable those who are in need of water to contact those who have shown willingness to share water, as a first step. A helpline will be setup to coordinate the activities.

On the occasion, a new programme titled ‘Own Your Water’, aimed at ensuring self-sufficiency in water and protecting the water bodies, was launched with participation of the district administration. Also, plans were mooted to start reverse osmosis plants and to rejuvenate around 500 ponds in the district. “Most of the schemes we discussed here will only yield short-term results. We need long-term strategies to deal with the issue of water conservation. ‘Own Your Water’ is conceptualised in view of achieving self-sufficiency in water in every household,” said Mammootty, adding that he had spoken to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy about the initiative and secured the CM’s support. District Collector M G Rajamanickam stressed the importance of optimising usage of water and inculcating the habit of storing water. He said steps should be taken to plant trees to avoid recurrence of such severe heat and drought as being faced by the State currently. He also announced installation of water kiosks at various locations in the district, in association with NGOs and other interested organisations. The meeting was attended by literary critic M K Sanu, Justice C N Ramachandran, former deputy mayor B Bhadra and journalist Johny Luckose.

- www.newindianexpress.com, April 29, 2016

Rewinding fast backward reveals that when the Kyoto Protocol was opened for signature 18 years ago, on March 16, 1998, only six countries signed it on the opening day. Four of them were small island countries. When the Paris climate deal was opened for signature at UN headquarters on Earth Day, April 22, 2016, a whopping 175 countries lined up and inked the deal. Never before in history have so many countries signed an international accord in one single day in one ceremony.

It definitely was a "historic moment", stated Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General and host of the ceremony. It signalled hope for mankind in addressing climate change, a defining challenge for mankind. The Paris climate deal is unique in the sense that never before has every country given commitment for reducing Green House Gases (GHGs). The most welcoming and encouraging fact is that 15 of the signatories all of them in the developing world have already ratified the Paris agreement. No country had ratified the Kyoto Protocol when it was opened for the signature.

Many sceptics and cynics say that inking is one thing and executing the plans is another. One cannot dismiss these scoffers, given the experience of the past two decades of fatally flawed global efforts to reduce GHGs and control global warming. The seven years taken to meet the conditions of entry into force were a nightmare. The US Senate has blocked the ratification right from 1998, mainly for two reasons. First, the Kyoto Protocol left emerging countries like China and India without any reduction commitments. Second, the US industry was not in favour of giving up fossil fuels.

The conditions for the Paris agreement to enter into force are similar after the date on which at least 55 parties to the convention totalling an estimated 55 per cent of the GHG emitters have deposited their instruments of ratification. The difference this time is that India and China have taken the commitment for reduction along with every other nation. Secondly, never before were the business and investment settings so conducive to get going full blast on implementing the Paris deal.

But the US presidential race and the debate leave much to the doubt if the Senate is conducive to ratifying. Irrespective of the political debates, the market, including the investment climate, is reacting in favour of de-carbonisation like never before. In the last two years, the global economy has grown by about six per cent, but energy and transport-related carbon dioxide emissions have not grown at all as per the findings of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The US, the EU and even China have all shown that CO2 emissions have been falling.

Such decoupling has happened, surprisingly, in the face of a steep fall in oil prices by nearly 75 per cent in two years. Clean energy investment, including in renewable energy, broke new records in 2015 and is now seeing twice as much global funding as fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported this week that about $100 billion of oil investments had been cut as a result of slump in oil prices.

Shell and Statoil have halted oil exploration in Arctic and Antarctic. Smaller producers are driven out of market and even the largest oil producer, Saudi Arabia, has declared a debt for the first time in 25 years! Dangerous air pollution and inefficiency of coal-fired plants are driving the market away from coal. During the last eight years, shares of coal companies have tumbled more than 90 per cent. Peabody, the world's biggest private-sector coal producer, 10 days ago filed for bankruptcy, unable to bear its debt of more than $10 billion.

China now targets the share of non-fossil fuels at 15 per cent of total primary energy by 2020, up from 12 per cent at the end of last year, mainly going away from coal-fired plants. Never before is every car manufacturer scrambling to put in assembly lines for hybrid or electric cars. Never before did the world have an opportunity to push and accelerate the implementation.

Interestingly, Obama, whose country has contributed most to climate change, was conspicuous by his absence in such historic moment in his own country. On the day before the Earth Day, he played golf with British Prime Minister David Cameron. On Earth Day, Obama lunched with the Queen, dined with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry at Kensington Palace.

On the same day, all the small island nations, the most affected and sinking countries that have not contributed to climate change lined up for the signature on the Paris Climate deal. Are our worst doubts about future of climate change coming true?

- www.thehansindia.com, April 29, 2016

Peppy fast paced music, non-stop dance moves in sync with the beats and the company of her friends these factors worked together to is what convince Seema Mishra to enrol for a dance class at being conducted in her residential colony on Sus Road.

Two weeks on, Mishra is convinced dance is the best route towards happiness.

The hour-long session, held thrice a week, helps Mishra work out as well as give her mind a breaknot only manages to exercise her entire body, but also comes out smiling and mentally relaxed. Participating in the class along with her friends is, of course, the added bonus.

For thousands of fitness freaks like Mishra, dance is the preferred way to burn calories and stay fit. The arrival of Zumba has only added to the popularity of dance as a cardiovascular exercise that has long been dominated by classical forms and Bollywood music. The ability to perform in groups makes it a reliable way to stay in shape.

Explaining why it works, fitness trainer Ruth Gabriel says, "Dance as a form of exercise has been around for a long time. Group fitness classes, like Zumba, are better received than other fitness routines primarily because of the music, rhythm and the feeling of doing something together which ensures that people stick to it. A person training alone in the gym is more likely to drop out than someone enrolled for a dance class. Learning the moves allows one to express and emote too, which leaves you feeling happy, relaxed and fit."

Bharatnatyam dancer Suchitra Date, who runs a school in Parvati, believes that several dance forms have reached Indian shores thanks to globalisation. points out that with globalization several international dance forms , Indians have the opportunity to enjoy many more dance forms, believes Suchitra Date . Also, the buzz around newly introduced moves hasn't taken away from the classical dance forms. monishing all concerns about Indian heritage losing out to the western dance forms, Date explains, "At our school, we continue to see children enrolling to learn Indian classical dance and taking it up professionally. Dance is not only a complete fitness routine, but it also helps you stay happy. Moreover, there is an audience for it world over so one gets to travel too. The dance forms may be different but the music connects them all."

Along with members of Nritya Prerana School of Dance, Date will celebrate the day with an elaborate programme titled 'Prapancham - Dancing for Preserving Nature' with performances based on five Indian classical dance forms, including Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, Mohiniattam & Kathakali. The programme is not only intended as a tribute to legendary Bharatanatyam dancers and, at the same time, it will like Kalanidhi Narayan, Mrinalini Sarabhai and Rukhmini Devi Arundale, but will also offer lecture demonstrations to help the audience understand and explore the beauty of Indian classical dance forms.

The programme will see performances not only by Date and other Bharatnatyam exponents, including Nrupa Soman, Namrata Rao, Shruti Tekawade, Juilee Patwardhan, Dhanashree Pandit. Mohiniattam and Kathakali performer but also by Neethi Nair, Odissi performer Pracheeti Dange and Kathak danseuse Amruta Gogate will also perform as part of the evening. It will be held in the Anganmanch of the dance institute in Mitramandal Colony in Parvati from 5pm-8pm.

Meanwhile, students, teachers, and members of Surajhankar, a charitable trust working to nurture Bengali cultural heritage in the city, will present Chitrangada. The ballet performance depicting the love story of Chitrangada and Arjuna. The dance drama, choregraphed by Sumita Mahajan and directed by Amit Mitra will held at Balgandharva Rangmandir at 7.30pm on Friday will not only commemorate World Dance Day but also the 155th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

- The Times of India, April 29, 2016

Miners have plundered idols, sculptures and remains of ancient temples dating back to 10th and 11th century BC buried near Chitrakoot's Sarbhanga ashram, famous for footprints believed to be that of Lord Ram.

A Madhya Pradesh archaeology department's study has highlighted the loot in the area rich in bauxite, laterite and ochre. Sources said these items were stolen and smuggled during mining operations in last five years on the Sanwar Hill, where the ashram is located.

The report said several idols were damaged due to use of heavy mining machinery. The heritage around another hillock near the ashram known as Siddha Pahar has almost vanished following rampant illegal mining.

Lord Ram is believed to have spent nearly 12 years of exile at Siddha Pahar spread across 100 acres. The Madhya Pradesh high court had in August 2015 ordered the archaeology department to study Lord Rama's route as per Ramayana (Ram Van Path) during his exile. It had asked the department to conserve sites of archaeological importance along the route within three months.

The study concluded historical importance of these sites. But the department failed to notify them as archaeological sites or ancient monuments. The study was ordered after the court heard a petition alleging no inquiry or study had been conducted and these sites had not been declared protected.

Petitioner Nityanand Mishra has now decided to move a contempt petition against the archaeology department. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced all routes the Lord had taken during his exile as per Ram Charit Manas would be conserved under Ram Van Path Project in 2007.

Mishra said Rs 8 crore had been spent on the project. He added a lease for carrying out mining activities just 50m from the ashram was cancelled in 2011, but it was again allowed three years later.

- The Times of India, April 29, 2016

Teachers, who had secured eligibility in competitive exam for Block Resource Persons (BRPs) and Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs) posts held by District Institute of Education and Training recently, will be deployed to places where there is vacancy for BRPs and CRPs through counselling. The counselling will be held at deputy director (admin) office, SSA, Chamaraja Mohalla, from 11.30am on Friday. A temporary eligibility list will be displayed at the BEO's office or the district administration office. Eligible teachers should attend the counselling, SSA deputy director has said in a press note.

Dance festival tomorrow: Bhushans Academy of Performing Arts and Visual Presentation will host a two-day national classical dance festival at Jagan

Mohan palace till April 30. Sarvamangala Shankar, chancellor of Karnataka State Dr Gangubai Hanagal Music and Performing Arts University, will inaugurate the festival at 5.30pm on Friday. Artistes from Mangaluru, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai will perform at the festival. 9342178049.

Dance workshop: Rangayana, as part of its ongoing Anikethana Chinnara Mela' summer camp, will host a three-day dance workshop in its campus till April 30. Dance artiste Krupa Phadke and team will conduct the classes in folk, classical and western form of dances. At the end of the camp, the children will perform.

PE dept officer feted: Kreedabhimaanigala Balaga felicitated S R Ramesh, superintendent of department of physical education, University of Mysore, recently. Ramesh will retire on Saturday. On the occasion C Krishna, president, P Krishnaiah, director of DPE, UoM, M P Nabhira and L Manjappa, vice-presidents, and members N K Sundar, K Gopinath, M Vijay Kumar, Srikanth and K Gururaj were present.

Yoga workshop: Rishi Samskruthi Vidya Kendra will organize a 14-day yoga workshop at Kuvempunagar Yoga Centre from May 2. A free introductory class will be held at 6.15pm on May 1. 9448458050.

Web designing workshop: City-based animation institution Toon2 will host a free web designing workshop for students at its centre in Kuvempunagar at 3.30pm on Saturday. 0821-4276640.

Reiki classes: Divine Healing Foundation will organize a reiki healing and divine training classes at Amba Nilaya, near Gayathri Talkies, at 9am on Saturday. Dr Satyanarayana will be the resource person at the workshop which will attend to migraine, headache, allergic, asthma and joint pains. 9901829233.

CET coaching: Unicon Group of Institutions will conduct CET classes for diploma students. 9035040340.

- The Times of India, April 29, 2016

Eleven giant pyres of tusks, and another of rhino horns, are arranged in a semi-circle now expected to burn for days in Nairobi's national park.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta set fire today to the world’s biggest ivory bonfire, after demanding a total ban on trade in tusks and horns to end “murderous” trafficking and prevent the extinction of elephants in the wild.

“The height of the pile of ivory before us marks the strength of our resolve,” Kenyatta said, before setting fire to the pyres. “No one, and I repeat no one, has any business in trading in ivory, for this trade means death of our elephants and death of our natural heritage.”

Eleven giant pyres of tusks, and another of rhino horns, are arranged in a semi-circle now expected to burn for days in Nairobi’s national park. Huge white clouds of smoke spiralled high into the sky, with thousands of litres of diesel and kerosene injected through steel pipes buried in the ground leading into the heart of the pyramids to fuel the blaze.

President Ali Bongo from Gabon, who lit one of the pyres, spoke of the “massacre” of forest elephants in central Africa, and said he backed moves to close all sale of ivory. “Unless we take action now, we risk losing this magnificent animal,” Bongo said at the ceremony, telling poachers he was “going to put you out of business, so the best thing you can do is to go into retirement now.”

Africa is home to between 450,000 and 500,000 elephants, but more than 30,000 are killed every year in the continent to satisfy demand for ivory in Asia, where raw tusks sell for around USD 1,000 (800 euros) a kilo (2.2 pounds). The pyres contain some 16,000 tusks and pieces of ivory. Kenya has a long history of ivory burnings, spearheading a wider movement of public demonstrations across the world, but nothing on this scale before.

On the black market, such a quantity of ivory could sell for over USD 100 million, and the rhino horn could raise as much as USD 80 million. Rhino horn can fetch as much as USD 60,000 per kilo — more than gold or cocaine. But, Kenyatta dismissed those who put cash value on the ivory.

“For us, ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants,” Kenyatta said.

- indianexpress.com, April 29, 2016

In an attempt to improve the riverine ecosystem of the Ganga, the union ministry of Ganga Rejuvenation has entrusted a pilot project to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to work towards the restoration of select aquatic species that thrive in the river. This three-year project will cost Rs 25 crore. According to S A Husain, the WII scientist handling the project, the institute has selected the river stretch of Narora near Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in UP whereby "an ideal environment of lesser pollution will be created and healthy population of species such as crocodiles, turtles, otters, fish etc will be nurtured over a period of three years." "The experiment will help demonstrate the role of restoration of biodiversity in keeping the river clean," he said.

Asha Raghuvanshi, another WII scientist, added that bacteria phage, a microbe which is found only in the Ganga "gobbles up all the bacteria and keeps the river's water pure for years." "But if the flow of the water is blocked then these microbes too will perish," she said.

Another advantage, experts said, is that aquatic species such as otters feed on dead fish while turtles eat up dead human bodies thrown in the Ganga and thus keep the river clean. Director of WII, VB Mathur said, "The healthy presence of aquatic species such as otters, ghariyals, turtles etc are reliable indicators as these species thrive only in clean water. Under this project, WII will conduct a survey on where the presence of these species is increasing and where they are depleting. In areas where they are decreasing, restoration programmes will be run with the help of local community people. Besides this, the help of forest department as well as other related departments such as irrigation, tourism etc will be sought in monitoring of identified species of conservation significance. Rescue and rehabilitation centres will be set up for endangered fauna at selected sites."

A 'Ganga Aqualife Conservation Monitoring Centre' will also be set up at WII premises to monitor the project. Elbaorating on the role of local involvement in the project, Ruchi Badola, WII scientist who will work on the community aspect of the project, said, "No project is successful without public support. So local people living near the Ganga banks will be educated about the significance of acquatic species so that they do not hunt or harm them."

- The Times of India, April 30, 2016

The self-assessment of property, which was supposed to be done from May 1 to July 31, will now be done from June 1 to August 31. The decision has been taken by Ranchi Municipal Corporation to give time to the citizens to install rain water harvesting system in their respective houses.

A clause under the Jharkhand Municipal Property tax (assessment, collection and recovery) Rules, 2013 mentions that a person will have to pay 1.5 times the regular holding tax if his property does not have rain water harvesting system.

"We are giving one month's time to citizens to install the rain water harvesting system in their houses. There are three phases, informing people about the system, motivating them and finally assuring enforcement," said municipal commissioner Prashant Kumar.

The standards for constructing the system has been described in the Water Harvesting Regulations 2013 draft which has been uploaded on the RMC website.

The regulation has divided the properties into three types and described the different water harvesting plans for each type. The first type of property is the one constructed on an area below 3,000 sq ft. This type of property should have a recharge pit of 10 ft depth and 6.6 ft diameter. Constructing this recharge pit will cost around Rs15,000.

The second type of property is property constructed on an area more than 3,000 sq ft or for buildings up to G+2 level. This type of property should have a silt chamber to clean the water and a recharge pit of 10 ft depth and 7 ft 8 inch diameter. The cost of installing this system will be around Rs40,000 to Rs44,000. However, if a defunct well or borewell is being used as recharge pit the cost would be reduce to Rs28,000.

The third type of property is for G+3 building and above all should have a silt chamber and a recharge pit of 10 ft diameter, construction of which would go up to Rs55,000 if a defunct well is used or Rs82,000 if a recharge pit has to be dug.

Kumar said, "Within a week, agencies will be empanelled which will not just give advice to people but also help in the installation of the water harvesting system. Also, there is an option for a group model where water from two-three houses can collect in the same recharge pit."



- The Times of India, April 30, 2016