The telegram has had its day and left behind vivid memories, some historic, some romantic, some commonplace and others hilarious. It saved the British much trouble during the Mutiny by alerting cantonments in Punjab and preventing the sepoys there from joining the rebellion that started from Meerut on May 10, 1857. Sir John Lawrence, Chief Commissioner alerted Brig-Gen John Nicholson who, in course of time moved to Delhi with his men of the Multani Horse to play a big role in the recapture of the Capital.

When Bahadur Shah Zafar left on his exile for Rangoon, the news of his departure, it is said, was telegraphed to Lord Canning in Calcutta. After the royal party reached Allahabad by bullock cart another telegram conveyed the message to the Governor-General. Incidentally, it was there that one of the emperor's wives, Begum Taj Mahal decided to return to Delhi as she found the journey too tedious.

When the British regained control, the Delhi telegraph office in the Kashmere Gate area began functioning again. In its heyday the telegram was the most important service of the Posts & Telegraphs Department. The first Indian Postmistress of Delhi, Mrs. Riberio (mother of Prof Sydney Riberio) supervised the telegraph service too. However it was before her time that a telegram was sent by two hapless English girls saying "Maidens no more". They had been staying at Maidens Hotel but ran out of money and had to find cheaper accommodation. But their parents thought that the girls had lost their virginity. However, subsequent news assured them that all was well. Another hilarious incident concerned a train fireman, who sent a telegram saying, "Firing wife stop extend leave stop, the reply he got from headquarters was equally hilarious: "Continue firing stop leave extended stop."

In pre-Partition days, news agent A.N. Takru sent a telegram to "The Leader" (a newspaper in Allahabad that shut shop in 1967) saying, "Lahore Bank fails" and got a guinea for the scoop. The Telegraph Dept., along with the Railways and Customs, was among the most efficient. The P&T also provided some of the best football (remember George Telegraphs team) and hockey players, at least three of whom represented the country in the Amsterdam Olympics of 1928, with one of them, George Marthins scoring the third and final goal to clinch the hockey gold for India. At that time, and right up to the 1960s, Anglo-Indians accounted for the maximum number of staff in the P&T, among them pretty girls too who played a key role during World War II by handling countless telegrams to relatives of soldiers saying, "Regret to inform you that Lt.___ was wounded in action and is reported missing". Some of these girls wed the ones who returned. Interestingly, on a fateful day in 1914, Reuters kept the German Telegraph lines occupied by creeding the Book of Genesis till they got the go-ahead to announce the outbreak of World War I – An international scoop.

One remembers that foolscap-size Press telegram forms were much in demand up to the 1970s. After attending a meeting, the reporter went directly to the telegraph office and sat down there to type or write by hand his telegram to the concerned newspaper office. When the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Taj Mahal for the first time, Desmond Doig went to the Agra Central Telegraph office to file his report for a Delhi paper. And the intro of the follow-up telegram he sent the next day read: "Hundreds of parrots awake Agra every morning. They probably awoke the Duke, who came out to view the Taj again in the soft light of the sun rising over the Jamuna stop". When Queen Elizabeth II accompanied the Duke to the Taj two years later, it was Surendra Nihal Singh who sent his reports by telegram. Nihal Singh accompanied the royal visitors right up to Peshawar, from where he telegraphed a story which spoke about the land of Kipling's water-carrier, Ganga Din and chappali kababs.

One can still recall one's early years in journalism, when one would cycle to the Kaserat Bazar sub-telegraph office or the Belanganj one to file late night telegrams and eat Rabri on the way back. The dozing Tar Babu would suddenly wake up and request him to write "L.F. (late fee) to be paid by addressee".

The clerk's request was prompted by the fact that the L.F. of Re 1 (quite an amount then) went into his pocket as per rules. The telegram ended with EOM (end of message) but for every additional page the sender had to write MTF (more to follow). Once the correspondent got a letter from his British News Editor saying: "Telegrams cost money. You would have been perfectly within your rights had you sent such a long telegram if you had got up one fine morning and found that the Taj was no more". Needless to say it spoilt the day for him.

That time of Tombola Saturdays, Boxing Day surprises and year-end dancing has passed and the old telegraphists, Kailash Babu, Ramesh Babu and Anand Babu are no longer around. Their successors, the Roy brothers, Aizaz Hussain, Morrison and Marsden have retired, but one still thinks of them in an idle moment and of the irritated N.E. in Delhi, PWJ Crosland. The thought occurs more so now that the telegraph lines will go as dead as the dodo.

- The Hindu, 1 July 2013

Sitting on the steps of a cave temple in Aihole and staring right into the eyes of a Nandi that looks at me, I wonder what's in a name. I had just visited the Durga Temple in Aihole that owes its name not to the goddess, but to a fort (Durg) built close by. And the adjacent Lad Khan temple, a Shivalaya, takes its name from a pious seer who apparently stayed there several centuries ago.

Walking around the ancient town of Aihole through narrowing alleys and gullies, a monument interrupts me every street corner. There are no houses or markets, just 125 temples scattered all over the ancient Chalukyan town. And one such cul-de-sac takes me to this cave temple. And a bright board gives it a name — Ravanaphadi.

A frangipani (the temple tree) tree blooms in the corner while a smattering of grass grows in the compound. Two brothers rush in to fetch their father who is the unofficial guide, while I ponder over the name, looking at a column that stands in the centre. Built in the early Chalukyan style of architecture in the 6th Century, this is one of the oldest cave temples here. The entrance has relief images of Nidhis with their pot bellies, but I am more fascinated by two guardians who seem to be dressed rather like foreign mercenaries, with spears.

A rock sits precariously atop the cave as the flight of steps takes me inside the temple, which has three shrines — each has a porch that leads to a chamber. We enter the main cave temple to see a rock-cut mandapa with chambers on three sides. Bright sunlight streams in and the cave turns into a veritable art gallery of Shiva, while Parvati, Ganesha and Karthikeya add to the pantheon of gods carved on the walls.

The most outstanding sculpture in the rock-cut cave is a panel which has a 10-armed Shiva performing the cosmic dance in the company of Parvati. Surrounding them is a tableau of deities — Saptamatrikas, Ganesha, Karthikeya, Varaha and Brahmi. There is a linga here as well, and as you look around, the sculptures take over your attention. The cave does not seem to have been completed.

There are other carvings besides the guardians of Shiva. You can see Ardhanarishwarar with a trident, a carving of Harihara with a snake and conch in his hands, Shiva with the river goddesses, among others. The rocks are carved with stories from mythology, as deities and demons take over. There is Varaha rescuing Bhumadevi, and Durga slaying the demon Mahisha. You look up to see more beautiful ceiling panels, but I am more fascinated by the central lotus medallion adorning the mandapa ceiling.

Each carving is larger than life, and makes the dark, dingy walls come alive. The silence is overwhelming. The watchman points out to every sculpture and tells a story, but he has no idea why it is called Ravanaphadi. All that he says is that it is also called Ravalaphadi.

I step out to see cotton-candy clouds forming over a bright blue sky. I sit on the steps and take in the scene for a while, until the heat gets to me. And then the next monument beckons.

- The Hindu, 1 July 2013

Visva-Bharati University has published a book and dedicated a museum to Rathindranath Tagore, Gurudev's eldest son, whose work remains overshadowed by his illustrious father.

Guha ghar , the studio apartment in Santiniketan where Rathindranath lived and worked, is now open to visitors in the form of a museum for the first time. It was designed like a cave with a lake and garden nearby resembling an artist's grotto.

University officials said the museum includes memorabilia like tools, wood-work and furniture designed by Rathindranath, whose first love was carpentry. Besides being an agriculturist, a talented architect, designer, master carpenter, painter and writer, Rathindranath (1888-1961) was also the firstupacharya (Vice-Chancellor) of Visva-Bharati University when it became a central university.

The Tagore memorial and archives in Santiniketan are also a result of his active patronage. The book,Rathindranath Tagore: The Unsung Hero , edited by Rabindra Bhavana director Tapati Mukopadhyay and professor of English, Amrit Sen, contains critical articles on Rathindranath as a scientist, translator, litterateur, craftsman and artist.

-The Hindu, 1 July 2013

Sixty-four years after it was framed, Bihar is set to change the controversial Bodhgaya Temple Act, 1949 that provides for a Hindu majority in the managing committee of the Mahabodhi Mahavira, the most sacred Buddhist place of worship.

In a letter last month to the National Commission for Minorities, the state government informed them it is planning to amend the Act as it is against the secular fabric of the state.

Buddhists have been demanding full control over the shrine for years. The managing committee consists of eight members, four Buddhists and four Hindus. The Hindus are part of the committee because there is a Shiva temple within the precincts of the first century Buddhist structure.

The Gaya district magistrate is the ex officio chairman of the panel while other members are nominated. What has been deemed ultra vires of the Constitution by many legal experts is a provision that empowers the state government to nominate a Hindu as the chairman of the committee if the DM of Gaya is not a Hindu.

In his letter to the minority panel chief Wajahat Habibullah, Kamal Narayan Singh, joint secretary, home department, wrote: "Bihar is a secular state. The post of DM doesn't relate to any caste, religion or community. Therefore the amendment of the Bodhgaya Temple Act is necessary for the sake of secularism by deleting the proviso of sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the Act. This amendment is under consideration before the state and counter affidavits have been filed by the state of Bihar with respect to both writ petitions in the Supreme Court."

This is a U-turn from the state government's 2010 stand that there is no need to amend the Act. After discussions with legal experts who believed the Government of India cannot intervene in the case of a state Act even though the provision to nominate a Hindu chairman if there is a non-Hindu DM is unconstitutional, Buddhists had moved the SC.

The Indian Express, 1 July 2013

National Green Tribunal orders to keep on hold felling of 2,000 trees in Vikas Puri-Madhuban Chowk road project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered that status quo be maintained by the Delhi Government's Public Works Department in the matter of felling of nearly 2,000 trees for construction of the Vikas Puri-Madhuban Chowk elevated road project. The next date of hearing is July 12. The petitioners are hoping that this would help in maintaining the precious greens along the proposed project.

The main applicant in the case, Aditya N. Prasad, had earlier written to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit demanding that unnecessary felling of trees by the PWD be stopped and efforts be made to preserve them. Mr. Prasad had stated that the PWD had submitted a request for felling 914 trees standing alongside the Outer Ring Road No. 26 near Meera Bagh, and another 1,000 trees along the Mangol Puri stretch.

He said, "The project schematic map as available on the UTIPPEC website shows that the elevated project is primarily to be constructed on the central verge of the Outer Ring Road. The Road at this location has a right of way of 200 feet, excluding the service lane. However, it has been contended by the PWD in their affidavit before you that the trees need to be felled as they are coming in the alignment of the project. This fact, in my opinion, is not correct as the trees are standing along the service lanes on both sides of the Outer Ring Road and not on the central verge, where the pillars are to be erected."

The trees are not an obstruction to the elevated road/ flyover as they are more than 220 feet away from the central verge and do not fall in alignment of the project, he said.

Further, he has contended before the Chief Minister and also the NGT that the PWD has provided contradictory reasons for the requirement for felling of trees. In a letter sent in January to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (West) this year, it was stated that the trees are coming in the alignment of the project and thus need to be felled. However, in a form submitted to the same office it has been contended that the trees need to be felled for widening of main carriageway, he pointed out, adding that from this it was clear that the requirement for felling trees is probably for widening of the carriageway so that landscaping, etc., can be done.

Maintaining that "there appears to be no heavenly reason for felling about 2,000 fully grown trees", Mr. Prasad said, "The service lanes can be easily used if the PWD and Traffic Police ensure that cars are not parked on the main carriageway/service lanes.

Moreover, as of date the roads have been widened on both sides by demolishing the footpaths, thereby gaining about 20 feet. Thus the decision to fell trees cannot be taken on wrong facts, which is clearly visible here."

In view of these facts, he has urged Ms. Dikshit to direct the departments concerned to consider the feasibility of accommodating the trees in the developmental project before giving permission for felling them.

1 July 2013, Hindu

CITYSCAPE As telegraph lines go dead, R.V.SMITH refreshes his memory to cull out some amusing anecdotes about the erstwhile means of communication

The telegram has had its day and left behind vivid memories, some historic, some romantic, some commonplace and others hilarious. It saved the British much trouble during the Mutiny by alerting cantonments in Punjab and preventing the sepoys there from joining the rebellion that started from Meerut on May 10, 1857. Sir John Lawrence, Chief Commissioner alerted Brig-Gen John Nicholson who, in course of time moved to Delhi with his men of the Multani Horse to play a big role in the recapture of the Capital.

When Bahadur Shah Zafar left on his exile for Rangoon, the news of his departure, it is said, was telegraphed to Lord Canning in Calcutta. After the royal party reached Allahabad by bullock cart another telegram conveyed the message to the Governor-General. Incidentally, it was there that one of the emperor's wives, Begum Taj Mahal decided to return to Delhi as she found the journey too tedious.

When the British regained control, the Delhi telegraph office in the Kashmere Gate area began functioning again. In its heyday the telegram was the most important service of the Posts & Telegraphs Department. The first Indian Postmistress of Delhi, Mrs. Riberio (mother of Prof Sydney Riberio) supervised the telegraph service too. However it was before her time that a telegram was sent by two hapless English girls saying "Maidens no more". They had been staying at Maidens Hotel but ran out of money and had to find cheaper accommodation. But their parents thought that the girls had lost their virginity. However, subsequent news assured them that all was well. Another hilarious incident concerned a train fireman, who sent a telegram saying, "Firing wife stop extend leave stop, the reply he got from headquarters was equally hilarious: "Continue firing stop leave extended stop."

In pre-Partition days, news agent A.N. Takru sent a telegram to "The Leader" (a newspaper in Allahabad that shut shop in 1967) saying, "Lahore Bank fails" and got a guinea for the scoop. The Telegraph Dept., along with the Railways and Customs, was among the most efficient. The P&T also provided some of the best football (remember George Telegraphs team) and hockey players, at least three of whom represented the country in the Amsterdam Olympics of 1928, with one of them, George Marthins scoring the third and final goal to clinch the hockey gold for India. At that time, and right up to the 1960s, Anglo-Indians accounted for the maximum number of staff in the P&T, among them pretty girls too who played a key role during World War II by handling countless telegrams to relatives of soldiers saying, "Regret to inform you that Lt.___ was wounded in action and is reported missing". Some of these girls wed the ones who returned. Interestingly, on a fateful day in 1914, Reuters kept the German Telegraph lines occupied by creeding the Book of Genesis till they got the go-ahead to announce the outbreak of World War I – An international scoop.

One remembers that foolscap-size Press telegram forms were much in demand up to the 1970s. After attending a meeting, the reporter went directly to the telegraph office and sat down there to type or write by hand his telegram to the concerned newspaper office. When the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Taj Mahal for the first time, Desmond Doig went to the Agra Central Telegraph office to file his report for a Delhi paper. And the intro of the follow-up telegram he sent the next day read: "Hundreds of parrots awake Agra every morning. They probably awoke the Duke, who came out to view the Taj again in the soft light of the sun rising over the Jamuna stop". When Queen Elizabeth II accompanied the Duke to the Taj two years later, it was Surendra Nihal Singh who sent his reports by telegram. Nihal Singh accompanied the royal visitors right up to Peshawar, from where he telegraphed a story which spoke about the land of Kipling's water-carrier, Ganga Din and chappali kababs.

One can still recall one's early years in journalism, when one would cycle to the Kaserat Bazar sub-telegraph office or the Belanganj one to file late night telegrams and eat Rabri on the way back. The dozing Tar Babu would suddenly wake up and request him to write "L.F. (late fee) to be paid by addressee".

The clerk's request was prompted by the fact that the L.F. of Re 1 (quite an amount then) went into his pocket as per rules. The telegram ended with EOM (end of message) but for every additional page the sender had to write MTF (more to follow). Once the correspondent got a letter from his British News Editor saying: "Telegrams cost money. You would have been perfectly within your rights had you sent such a long telegram if you had got up one fine morning and found that the Taj was no more". Needless to say it spoilt the day for him.

That time of Tombola Saturdays, Boxing Day surprises and year-end dancing has passed and the old telegraphists, Kailash Babu, Ramesh Babu and Anand Babu are no longer around. Their successors, the Roy brothers, Aizaz Hussain, Morrison and Marsden have retired, but one still thinks of them in an idle moment and of the irritated N.E. in Delhi, PWJ Crosland. The thought occurs more so now that the telegraph lines will go as dead as the dodo. EOM

1 July 2013, Hindu

Advocating greater coordination between intelligence and enforcement agencies to curb illegal wildlife trading networks , the Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha on Monday highlighted the agency's role in detecting organised syndicates of poachers operating in Sariska Wildlife Park during 2002-05.

Mr. Sinha, while inaugurating the Integrated Investigative Capacity Building and Operational Planning Programme for Asian Big Cat-related Crimes in South Asia at the CBI Headquarters, said that "Project Tiger" launched in India was instrumental in bringing the tiger back from the brink of extinction.

He expressed hope that the five-day workshop would help law enforcement agencies in the region to come together for forging a robust and far-reaching partnership to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.

The workshop is being attended by participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Representatives from the Interpol, WWF India and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) also addressed the inaugural session, which was attended by senior CBI officials, wildlife conservationists and representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and TRAFFIC India are partners in the five-day workshop.

-The Hindu, 2nd July 2013

In less than a week after Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's claim that she won't allow Delhi to grow vertically till she is alive, she and union urban development minister Kamal Nath seemed to be on the same page on the issue of allowing highrises inthe national capital. However, Dikshit insisted that green and open places of Delhi must be maintained.

The two leaders said vertical growth is an option in areas where there is "scope". The minister stated this on Monday in Dikshit's presence on the sidelines of NCR Planning Board meeting.

Nath said Delhi can't expand horizontally and hence vertical growth has to happen. But he cleared the air saying such development can happen in new areas where there is space and opportunity for such growth. "My opinion is clear, I have said. Where we are sitting today, there can be no highrise here. But where there is new development, Delhi cannot expand, it has Haryana one side and Uttar Pradesh on another. So the increasing population and the 40 lakh people who live in slums and unauthorized colonies. What is the solution? The land is expensive. So where, it is possible, there should be high rises, in the new areas." Since he took charge of the urban development ministry, Nath has been pushing for high rise real estate development in areas including outer Delhi. He has also expedited the process of finalizing land pooling policy, which will pave way for such development. Nath said that he does not suggest having vertical growth in the old areas, where they cannot take burden of high rise buildings.

Responding to queries on Nath's suggestion Dikshit said, "What he has said is correct. Our purpose is also that whatever happens, the present picture of Delhi, which is green and has open spaces, has to be maintained." In the past, Nath has said that the only way forward for Delhi was vertical while Dikshit has opposed the construction of highrises.

Kamal Nath has said the only way forward for Delhi was vertical while Sheila Dikshit has opposed the construction of highrise buildings.

-The Times of India, 2nd July 2013

Keeping pace with growing population and rapidly increasing number of vehicles registered in the Capital, the public works department (PWD) is planning another bridge over the Yamuna.

The new bridge, said PWD officials, would be built upstream on the Yamuna, further north of Wazirabad bridge. Engineers said a consultant would soon be appointed to suggest the alignment of the bridge.

"We have asked the UTTIPEC to approve the terms of reference for the appointment of a consultant. Once approved, we will start the process to appoint the consultant," said PWD chief engineer (flyovers) Sarvagya Srivastava.

"The consultant would carry out a traffic survey and a feasibility study and would also fix the geometric of the bridge. The new bridge is being planned between Karawal Nagar in north east Delhi and Alipur in north Delhi and would come up several kilometres upstream of the Wazirabad bridge," said PWD officials.

At present there are just eight road bridges on the 48-kilometre Yamuna — Wazriabad, Shastri Park, Old Bridge, Geeta Colony, ITO, Nizamuddin, DND and Kalindi Kunj. Two more bridges — one parallel to the Okhla Barrage and another as extension to the Barapullah elevated road —are in the planning stage.

Only one of these bridges at Wazirabad connects northeast Delhi with the rest of the city. The construction of the ambitious Signature bridge, which would be an alternate to the ageing and narrow Wazirabad bridge, is in full swing and is likely to be completed in 2014.

If compared with international cities like London, Paris and Rome, Delhi fares poorly in terms of bridges.

While London has 34 bridges across the Thames, Paris has 32 major bridges and several minor bridges. Rome has 31 major bridges while cities like Bangkok, Budapest and Berlin have about a dozen bridges each.

"There is an urgent need to increase the number of bridges for better connectivity between areas on the two sides of the river," said an official.

-The Hindustan Times, 2nd July 2013

The government is planning give more funds and autonomy to academic institutions of high distinction that have educated generations of students. It will also give a special 'heritage status' that are at least a 100 years old as per a Rs 100 crore proposal being finalised by the Union human resource development ministry.

Making the cut are state universities like Universities of Calcutta , Bombay and Madras set up in 1857, Presidency University (1817), Osmania University (1908) Central Universities Aligarh Muslim University (1875) and Allahabad University (1887) and deemed universities like Indian Veterinary Research Institute (1889), Ramakrishna Mission Vivekanand University (1897) , Jamia Hamdard (1906), Indian Institute of Science (1909) and Bengal Engineering & Science University (1856). Jadavpur University, Forest Research Institute (1906), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (1902) are also being considered for the heritage tag.

As many as 15 varsities that are 100-150 years old have been identified by the ministry for the heritage status that promises special privileges like academic and administrative autonomy, exemption from certain governmental rules in governance, appointments of heads of these institutions, faculty appointments but with accountability clauses set by UGC and other regulatory bodies and timely assessment. The special status will be analogues to the 'autonomous status' that the UGC awards to select colleges or to the UGC scheme of 'Universities/Colleges with Potential for Excellence'. The identified institutions will also be eligible for a special annual lumpsum grant ranging from Rs 6-12 crore from UGC/HRD ministry, budgetary provision for which are likely top be made during each five-year period. The scheme will be spread across three categories of institutes: universities 150 years old or more that will get Rs 10-12 crore each, varsities 125-149 years old to get Rs 8-10 crore each, varsities 100-124 years old to get Rs 6-8 crore each.

-The Indian Express, 2nd July 2013

In the wake of the devastation in Uttarakhand, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament Monday discussed a Comptroller and Auditor General report on 'Disaster Preparedness in India' and found major deficiencies in the disaster management system.

It found, for instance, that NDMA's National Executive Committee had not met even once between 2008 and 2012 though the country witnessed major calamities in this period: earthquake in Sikkim in 2011 and floods in Ladakh in 2010. And that the NDMA, constituted in 2006, did not have any rules of business to conduct its internal affairs till now.

PAC members asked the government's representatives — home secretary Anil Goswami, NDMA secretary Shyam Agrawal, MeT's Seismology director R S Dattatreya, advisor to the earth sciences ministry K J Ramesh — what measures they intended to take to obtain emergency action plans on large dams from states. The CAG report, tabled in Parliament last March, had revealed that only eight states had prepared emergency action plans for just 192 of the 4,728 large dams as of September 2011.

The panel asked them about the recommendations made by a task force led by former NDMA secretary P K Mishra that was set up in 2011 to "examine and review the ambiguity, constrains and bottlenecks" in the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Goswami replied that he had not studied the task force's report, submitted in March, because he had just taken as home secretary. At this, sources said, PAC chief Murli Manohar Joshi asked sarcastically, "Are you going to form another committee to study the report?"

Joshi then asked Goswami how long he would need to examine the task force's report and come back to the PAC. "As soon as possible," Goswami replied.

Bhartruhari Mahtab of the BJD asked MeT officials if they had warned of flash flood in Uttarakhand. They indeed had, they replied, on June 14, a day before the cloudburst.

-The Indian Express, 2nd July 2013

The restoration of the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand will be done using the same strategy that was used to restore the Shore temple in Mahabalipuram by the Archaeological Survey of India after the tsunami in December 2004.

According to a member of the ASI team that reached Uttarakhand on Sunday and visited the affected site, in the south it was the Bay of Bengal that did the damage to the temple and in Kedarnath the fast moving Mandakini river, which gushes into the temple from the rear end, damaged the shrine.

"We will have to find a permanent solution to the water flowing in from behind," said a member of the team that is headed by Dr B.R. Mani.

After inspecting the site, Dr Mani told local reporters that their primary strategy would revolve around two things — saving the building from the fast moving river and using original material for restoration. "The second part of the strategy is something we follow for all assignments we undertake. In the case of Kedarnath, we will not use mortar but iron will be used in abundance," the ASI official said.

He spoke about the nature of damage to the temple. "Boulders of different sizes came along with the gushing waters and hit the walls of the temple, which led to huge cracks and defacement at three or four places. The temple's eastern gate saw the maximum extent of damage. The mandap, which already had a tilt, is the other area that would need to be attended to," he said.

The ASI also plans to take the help of institutes specialising in hydrology and geology. Experts will help the ASI understand the structure of the soil that holds the temple.

-The Asian age, 3rd July 2013

Even after five long years, the Connaught Place (CP) restoration project is still shy of the finish line.

And not only are many tasks still to be completed, even those that have been ticked off from the 'To do list' are in a shambles due to lack of monitoring and maintenance.

A visit to the fifth most expensive office destination in the world, located in the heart of the Capital, on Tuesday revealed another façade of the revamp bid — the blind spots which have emerged over the past half a decade.

The marble tiles, both small and big ones, at various points of the Outer Circle are either broken or missing. Garbage dumps have emerged in various dimly-lit corners. The more glamorous Inner Circle is dotted with betel juice-stained columns and corners.

"It is a shame that a beautiful spot of the Capital is so dirty. Better monitoring by the authorities will help. However, people should also take ownership," said a Japanese tourist, who did not wish to be named.

And he was spot-on. Taking ownership, rather than blaming authorities, will definitely help the cause. Two-wheelers whizz through the corridors of the Outer Circle with élan. People spit and litter everywhere. Uncovered manholes have turned into dump yards, and people prefer to dump their garbage here rather than in the garbage bins.

Lack of maintenance is also a big part of the reality. Apart from missing tiles, portions of the base of the grand white pillars are missing at many places. Many corridor lights don't function. At a spot in B Block, a section of a wall was found missing.

But the most neglected section of the entire area is the Middle Circle. Not only is this portion of Connaught Place the dirtiest, it also houses most of the 20 public toilets, which are apparently ready but remain locked. So people are forced to urinate on the walls, making the entire area reek of urine.

According to Atul Bhargava, president of New Delhi Traders' Association, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) should put in place a facility management mechanism. "It should take care of the parking lots and look after the cleaning and minor repair work. In some blocks, shopkeepers have kept private sweepers. The Inner Circle mainly comprises shops and is somewhat maintained. But the outer and middle circles mostly house offices and lack of maintenance is more stark here," Bhargava said.

-The Hindustan Times, 3rd July 2013

Eighteenth-century observatory Jantar Mantar is all set to become the capital's first monument with its own interpretation centre. Archaeological Survey of India is currently converting the office of the monument in-charge into a compact two-room centre-cum-museum containing replicas of instruments, 3D models, images of other Jantar Mantar sites and astronomical charts.

Though the observatory has proved to be a hit among astronomy students and experts, ASI is banking on the addition to bring in more visitors. The project is being undertaken in joint collaboration with National Culture Fund.

While ASI is responsible for preparing the building for the interpretation centre, NCF and Park Hotels will work on the interiors. "We will finish work in a month. After the building is ready, it will be handed over to NCF," ASI Delhi circle chief Vasant Kumar Swarnkar said. A meeting will be called once the building is ready to discuss the handover, an official said. A consultant and design expert will be appointed at this stage.

If the project moves ahead without hindrance, it would make Jantar Mantar Delhi's first monument with an interpretation centre. The building to house the interpretation centre at Qutub Minar is ready but here the interiors are still in planning stage and the one proposed at Humayun's Tomb is at the drawing boards. Red Fort has no concrete plans for an interpretation centre yet.

Meanwhile, ASI is simultaneously working on conservation of instruments in the ancient observatory including the samrat yantra, jaiprakash yantra and mishra yantra. According to officials, some of the original markings on the instruments have vanished over time.

"The astronumerical readings on some instruments were on a marble surface and, on some, they on a lime plaster surface. Marble might be more durable," said an ASI official. A committee including experts from Nehru Planetarium and Science Centre in Chennai and Bangalore has been set up under top ASI officials to work on the conservation of the instruments and their markings.

-The Times of India, 3rd July 2013

While the state's juggernaut finally rumbled to life and responded to nature's frothing revenge of its wanton destruction along the flood-plains of the Mandakini - a revenge that flattened the surreal township built around the ancient temple of Kedarnath - merely rescuing pilgrims and rural communities wedged along the craggy Himalayas must not occasion selfcongratulation .

After the fall, figures resound imposingly: thousands of sorties by air force helicopters, more than a lakh people evacuated, one of the most gigantic 'rescue' missions ever embarked on anywhere in the world, etc. The majesty of the state, for some moments, seemed to equal the majesty of the mountains from where sprang the cold fury of a cloudburst and a trapped lake.

The word 'rescue' is a bit of a misnomer, here. It is essential for preventing a repeat of the colossal tragedy that struck Uttarakhand that we make a distinction between 'rescue' and 'evacuation' . To rescue is to save or liberate. And what needs to be rescued or saved are the Himalayas, if the people living by it are to be redeemed from the terrible consequences of the now increasingly regular landfalls and cloudbursts.

Over the last 15 years, the frequency of such heavy, concentrated rainfall has increased. Ukhimath saw this in 1998, followed by a series of such events in 2002 in Phata in Mandakini valley, Khedgaon in Kumaon, and Agunda in Bhilangar valley. In 2003, Tehri too saw such abnormally high rainfall, as did Ladakh in 2010, which triggered massive mudslides leading to 255 deaths and damage running into hundreds of crores of rupees.

Experts say Kedarnath is on the paleo-channel or the ancient floodplain of the Mandakini. Settlements on such plains increase human vulnerability to a natural phenomenon like flooding. The real reason behind the catastrophe , they say, was overloading of the hill slopes with built structures . But while we all know this, is that all? Not by a long chalk.

Until a few decades ago, a visit to Kedarnath was considered hazardous enough for people to begin their pilgrimage early in the morning and return late afternoon. Overnight stay at the shrine was not advised because of turbulence along the Kedarnath peak and Kedarnath dome that tower over the valley. Its unpredictable weather has been logged by a number of intrepid travellers who have trekked to Kedar dome.

While a skewed development model - in favour of man's shortterm ends, never mind the longterm damage to the Himalayas - is being repeatedly underlined as the reason behind the great tragedy, activists and nature lovers observing the mountains over the last several decades have pointed out to more "organic" reasons for the decay.

A drive to Uttarakhand just a few weeks before the flashfloods was revealing: these parts of the Himalayas that once boasted of oak forests had turned into pine woods. Now, oak is an un-exploitable tree for commerce compared to the pine that has a variety of uses. From pine resin to its wood, everything is used profitably by man. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam will soon show off its marvellous pine cottages in Lansdowne for all to gape at.

However, in a paradox that must not surprise, what's profitable for man is not profitable for the Himalayas. In fact, it is deleterious and seriously so. The oak is a wonderful tree that in fall over years and decades creates a layer of black subsoil that nourishes the thickest undergrowth one can ever see. These scrubs and brushwood feed on rainwater that seeps down to create an organic whole, a sort of natural masonry that toughens and fortifies the soil against erosion caused even by heavy rainfall.

Some of the most severe damage in last month's flood was caused by giant logs of fallen trees - up to 20 feet long and three feet in diameter - washing down the river waters and knocking down homes, hearths and bridges alike. It was the preponderance of pine and absence of oaks that caused this cataclysmic destruction of human settlements. Pine trees, unlike the oak, do not grow leaves, but needles that fall and form a smooth dry bed that does not soak water. This prevents the soil from developing underbrush.

If one lifts a carpet of pine needles one will see bare mud on the ground and nothing else - much like the topsoil of Ladakh. This is one of the causes of the fragility of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand as has been pointed out by a number of activists, including Gandhian Mira Behn in the 1950s. If one looks at the mountainsides in Joshimath, they appear almost flaky. You feel you could scratch a layer off with your nails.

Oaks are not protected by law enforcers. In any case the forest department, comprising no doubt some prized ignoramuses, do not mind this because they watch the pines creep up where once were oaks. "Green cover" is all that they need to show, the type of green be damned. And if the pine spins out more money, where is the harm? As Uttarakhand showed last month, it's just a cloudburst away.

We may have little or no control over very heavy rainfall and cloudbursts. But we can mitigate the devastation of the Himalayas by foresting it with trees that can hold the mountains together: the trusty old oak. It will take decades, and perhaps earn governments less revenue. But there is a price also to be paid for the destruction so far.

- The Economic Times, Times of India, 4th July 2013

Dwarka Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati has demanded that the Uttarakhand government ensure immediate "vidhiwat puja sanskar" (proper ritualistic worship) at Kedarnath shrine.

"I am saddened that the panch-mukhi Shivling and shrine has not been cleaned and no puja offered there. The fact that the bhog murti (idol) is being worshipped in Ukhimat is unacceptable since its correct place is the Kedarnath shrine," Swaroopanand told TOI on Wednesday.

The state government, the shankaracharya added, must expedite the cremation of all the bodies as per Hindu rituals, but this should not come in way of the puja at Kedarnath. "For Lord Shiva, shamshan and bodies are immaterial. The shrine should be allowed to be cleaned and pandits must begin worship immediately," the seer stressed.

After the flashflood and the temple town's destruction, a team of Archaeological Survey of India officials visited the Kedarnath shrine. The Uttaranchal government's decision to consult the ASI over "rebuilding" the shrine has raised the hackles of several seers including Swami Swaroopanand.

"In the name of restoration, the ASI would take over and even stop puja at the shrine. This is what it did with the Vishnu temple in Annupur district in MP," said Swaroopanand. The Kedarnath temple is managed by Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), which is in charge of the Badrinath shrine as well. Several of its members and functionaries are MLAs and representatives of the Uttaranchal government.

- The Times of India, 4th July 2013

The National Green Tribunal has stayed construction activity on the landfill site in Sector 123 here after a commission appointed by it found that the project had been formulated without following the guidelines. The Noida Authority has also been restrained from carrying out digging or construction till the next hearing.

The principal bench of the tribunal headed by its chairman, Justice Swatanter Kumar, imposed the stay based on the local commissioner's report on the landfill's distance from human habitations. The Authority officials are yet to appear before the tribunal to clarify their stance despite getting court notices. The commission filed its report—TOI has a copy—with the tribunal on Tuesday.

The commission found that the Authority had started construction on the site without obtaining the mandatory approval from Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB). Habitations, including villages, residential sectors and ongoing housing projects, were found to be in proximity to the site on all sides in clear violation of the norms.

A petition had been filed by Go Green Welfare Association, a Noida-based organization of residents and homebuyers. Advocate Sumeer Sodhi had been appointed as commissioner by the tribunal. The report was prepared after Sodhi inspected the site on May 25 in the presence of senior Authority officials, including project engineers and the health department officials, UPPCB officials and representatives of the residents' association.

The petitioners had alleged that the site chosen was amid habitations, which is in violation of the Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2000. A landfill cannot be near a residential cluster, a state highway or a river.

- The Times of India, 4th July 2013

The government may have failed to do enough for sparrow conservation, but Delhi's state bird is trying to make fresh efforts for survival in this highly hostile city.

The bird has found new nesting sites. Several nests have been spotted in the holes of newly-built flyover walls in Delhi.

Birdwatchers have found the birds and are monitoring them in the walls of flyovers at Geeta Colony and near Shakti Sthala and Shanti Van across the Yamuna, among other places.

Ecologist TK Roy said, "The sparrow is trying to adapt to alternative sites. If it survives in these habitats, its population will certainly go up. But the government needs to put in place scientific survival programmes."

Environmentalist Mahendra Pandey, whose right to information (RTI) application revealed that the government has not spent a dime on its conservation, said, "Some areas in Shalimar Bagh have large groups of sparrows. But the overground work of Delhi Metro — probably the noise and vibration — affects them drastically."

In the food chain, the sparrow, like other birds, is a bio-indicator. Its decline shows the disappearance of fields, bushes, trees, marshes and water bodies that is triggering extinction of species.

"No sparrow is spotted at Okhla Bird Sanctuary. The Jantar Mantar road houses several varieties of birds (18 species spotted recently) but does not have sparrows," Pandey said.

The RTI application was filed at the department of environment. The department, which has been the face of a 'sparrow protection' campaign, said the matter was not related to it.

It transferred the application to the department of forests and wildlife, which transferred it on the same ground to various divisions of the forest department.

In reply, one division (headquarters) said there had been no expenditure on sparrow's protection or on awareness campaigns. The reply also said there had been no study to identify areas where the fast-disappearing bird still is found.

The two other divisions (south and north) simply resorted to 'no information available' to all the questions.

- The Hindustan Times, 4th July 2013

Union Minister for Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch Wednesday said the Kedarnath temple has suffered much damage but assured that it would be restored it to its "original glory".

Rejecting Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's offer to restore the temple, Katoch said the Archaeological Survey of India was the best equipped to do the job. "If we give the restoration work to others they will do it in their own way. The ASI has the best experts. They will do the restoration work keeping the originality in mind," she said.

The ASI had flown a team to the temple last week but bad weather prevented their helicopter from landing. So, it has assessed the damage from pictures of the shrine. "The ASI is ready with a plan to restore the temple and will start restoration work as soon as the state gives us the go-ahead. That is only possible once road connectivity to the temple is restored again as restoration will also require the ASI to take up equipment. The ASI will preserve the Kerdarnath temple as it is and will also take into account glacial studies and the possible impact similar natural phenomenon can have on the shrine," Katoch said.

Her ministry, Katoch said, could fund the restoration of the temple from the National Culture Fund and may request voluntary public contributions.

- The Indian Express, 4th July 2013

Shut for seven years, therenovated gallery of decorative arts at National Museum will open its doors to the public on Friday. The new gallery, showcasing rare artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries, will be inaugurated by Union culture minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch on Friday morning. It will remain open from 10am to 5pm everyday except Mondays and holidays.

"The gallery will display a fascinating array of objects of daily, ceremonial and religious use, made of a variety of materials such as ivory, ceramic and jade," National Museum director-general Dr V Venu said. The ivory group contains boxes, sandals and Hindu and Christian religious figurines while the jade section is all about the utilitarian. "The ceramics group, which comprises glazed tiles, blue-white pottery and celadon items, is being displayed for the first time," Venu said.

The gallery, which comes back to life after a gap of seven years, profiles two themes—leisure and games and the "throne story". "Some of the country's finest leisure activity and games traditions are depicted in the form of dancers, musicians, rattles, yo-yo, gamesmen of chess, gyan chaupar (game of dice) and tops made of ivory, bone, jade, glass beads, wood and metal," said an official.

The "throne story" traces the evolution of the seat of power. "From low and flat seats of antiquity to the modern armchair, the journey of the throne is a fascinating story," Venu said. The section features a large yet intricately-carved home shrine and some metal pitikas (small seats for keeping idols in home shrines). There are a couple of stone thrones and a jewel-studded chair of the king of Banaras. Some outstanding pieces have been displayed against the four pillars—such as the Meditating Buddha inside a lattice case and an ivory Dashavatar shrine.

"There are the painted-fabric gyan chaupar, a silver tray depicting a Kaurava court scene, a five-foot elephant tusk carved with the life story of Lord Buddha, a jade surahi, armrest, chauri, hookah inscribed with the name of Mughal emperor Jahangir and blue and white ceramic ware. They help us appreciate the aesthetics prevalent in the 18th and 19th centuries," Venu said.

- The Times of India, 5th July 2013

Imagine a plastic bag which will vanish completely if you keep it out in the open for some months and will not even harm the environment. It would be akin to a dream of staunch environmentalists which a Delhi resident is set to turn into reality.

Arun Sinha, along with US-based Global Exchange Technologies Inc, is getting GXT ECOgrade Photodegradable Bags — recyclable, non-toxic and degrades by exposure to sunlight — for the vast market looking for a viable option ever since the government has been trying to enforce the ban on plastic.

"This is the right solution to the plastic bag pollution challenge as it breaks down in 40 days, becoming the only viable solution to litter. It completely degrades into a non-toxic residue in less than 240 days. Made from 46 per cent natural materials, these bags emit 35% less greenhouse gas in resin production and 15% less greenhouse gas in bag manufacture," Sinha, 59, said.

A resident of south Delhi's Alaknanda, this St Stephen's College graduate, through his NGO, Society to Create Awareness towards Life & Environment (SCALE), has been on the warpath against plastic for the past 11 years.

"We got into this project because it will benefit the country. The ECOgrade bags - which is ASTM D5272 and D5208 Test Certified in the US and CIPT, Chennai and has passed both the US and Canadian heavy metal test according to BPI standards — is the only degradable product which is compatible to the recycling chain. The gamechanger, however, is that it costs around the same as a plastic bag," the activist said adding that once largescale production is started, these bags will be cheaper than plastic ones.

"That is the reason Arun invited us to India. In Delhi, we have already started manufacturing in a factory in Bawana," said Manas Chatterjee, president and CEO of Global Exchange Technologies Inc. They plan to meet chief minister Sheila Dikshit to give her an overview of the ECOgrade bags.

In 2009, the Delhi government banned use of plastic bags on the directive of the Delhi High Court. Last year, the government also banned its manufacturing.

Manufacturers moved the high court against the ban. The Delhi pollution control committee is awaiting a court verdict. The government hopes the ban will return, at least on the use of plastic bags.

"We support the ban but a viable alternative should be there; something which is neither expensive, nor harmful. The ban on plastic bags can cost over 1, 00,000 jobs. Around 400 units will be closed. This will bring in a tremendous amount of social stress. We will create job opportunities in Delhi and the NCR and provide support of over R1000 crore in economic activity and tax revenue," Sinha added.

"We support the ban but a viable alternative should be there; something which is neither expensive, nor harmful. The ban on plastic bags can cost over 1,00,000 jobs. Around 400 units will be closed. This will bring in a tremendous amount of social stress. We will create job opportunities in Delhi and the NCR and provide support of over R1000 crore in economic activity and tax revenue," Sinha added

- The Hindustan Times, 5th July 2013

Numerous monuments dot the city's landscape. Few are well known, few have faded away from our memories. We revisit some of them. The winding lanes with thick trees on the sides and an isolated path can easily pass as a forest. But this is no forest, it's in your very own Delhi!

And the place is the 14th century Bhuli Bhatiyari ka Mahal, one of the many lesser known monuments of the city hiding behind a grove of trees, considered to be a haunted place.

While there are over 1300 monuments in Delhi, not all of them are as popular as Red Fort or Humayun's Tomb, some are turning into ruins.

The 19th century tomb Mazar-e-Zauq is shadowed by haphazard constructions from all sides in one of the bylanes of Paharganj.

"Only researchers or people who know about the tomb visit. Not many tourists come here,"said Surendra Kumar, security guard at the tomb.

The tomb of Maulana Azad, which has a beautiful landscape, is sadly lost in the chaos of Meena Bazar. Finding Shish Mahal — another fascinating monument built during Shah Jahan's reign — is no less challenging.

Several monuments, says Archaeological Survey of India Delhi circle chief, Vasant Kumar Swaranka, are gradually being forgotten and work to conserve some of them is on the cards.

"From time to time we plan to restore the monuments, however, it's not possible to conserve all at one go," he says.

Bhuli Bhatiyari ka Mahal

Inside Story: It was built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in the 14th century as a hunting lodge. Some historians maintain that it was named after the 'bhuri' or the fair inn-keeper at the lodge.

Others believe that it was built for a woman from the Bhatiyara family who had lost her way in the jungle, hence the name 'Bhuli'.

Explore: Stairs that take you on top of the palace from where you can get a good view of the city.

Where: Ridge road, five minutes from the Jhandewalan metro station

Shish Mahal

Inside Story: Located within the premises of Shalimar Bagh which was constructed by Mughal emperor Shahjahan in 1653. Shish Mahal (House of mirrors) was also built around that time by one of the queens of the emperor.

Once a beautiful palace, the Mahal had a network of wells and fountains around it. Explore: The Shish Mahal itself is quite a large building, constructed mainly out of Lakhori brick and red sandstone.

Look out for the beautiful painted flower decorations on the ceiling from its royal past.

Where: Shalimar Bagh, Hyderpur

Mazar-e-Ghalib

Inside Story: If at any point in your life you have had a love for poetry, then you must be aware of this name, Mirza Ghalib. A poet in the imperial courts of the Mughals, Ghalib's tomb was designed by the famous architect from Hyderabad, Nawab Jang Bahadur.

Explore: The walls inside the courtyard that come alive with Ghalib's poetry. Look out for cultural events and poetry sessions organised here from time to time.

Where: Near Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah and north of Chaunsath Khamba

Mazar-e-Zauq

Inside Story: Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq (1789-1854) was regarded as one of the pioneers of Urdu poetry and Mazar-e-Zauq is the great poet's last resting place. He was a poet at the court of the Mughal king Bahadur Shah Zafar, who interestingly was one of his students.

Zauq, who lived in the bylanes of Nabi Karim area, was known for his qasidas and mushairas. The poet's tomb was restored after a Supreme Court order.

Explore: The poet's couplets inscribed on marble plaques on the walls surrounding the grave.

Where: Chind Bagh, Kadam Sherif, Paharganj.

Maulana Azad's Tomb

Inside Story: A freedom fighter, Maulana Azad, was the first education minister of the country. He died in 1958 and his memorial was designed by architect Habib Rahman. The cross-barrel vault structure was derived from the central arch of Jama Masjid.

Explore: Look out for the striking view of Jama Masjid which springs out from above the trees.

Where: Near Meena Bazaar, Jama Masjid, Old Delhi.

-The Hindustan Times, 6th July 2013

The Capital witnessed its inaugural tree-plantation drive near the ruins of Siri Fort wall near the Siri Fort Auditorium on Friday.

The green drive, which aims to spread the message of 'from culture to nature', was inaugurated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) - the custodian of heritage monuments - which had roped in a number of schoolchildren for the plantation. The drive, which kicked off at Siri Fort, one of ASI's prime sites in south Delhi, will be followed by similar drives at several other sites.

The ASI has as many as 174 monuments and vast swathes of land under its protection across Delhi. Several of these monuments are in south Delhi, which has seen a destruction of green cover due to several infrastructure projects.

"Tughlaqabad, Purana Qila, Red Fort and Adilabad Fort are some of the monuments we have identified. We want to go ahead with plantation but at the same time we have to bear in mind that the roots of bigger trees do not damage the monuments' walls," said Basant Swarnakar, ASI's Delhi circle chief.

Friday's event at Siri Fort wall saw participation of 180 children from 22 schools. In the sprawling premises, with the ruins of the Siri Fort wall and the bastions as the background, the students planted around 100 saplings.

Archaeological Survey of India had tied up with an environmental NGO, Centre for Environment Education (CEE) for the drive aimed at sensitising students to issues related to culture and heritage.

The students were also taught bird nesting during a workshop that was organised in collaboration with another social organisation Eco Roots Foundation.

- The Hindustan Times, 6th July 2013

The waste-to-energy plant at Okhla, found causing pollution in Sukhdev Vihar, has also been blamed for threatening the ecosystem of Okhla bird sanctuary.

The National Green Tribunal on Friday admitted for hearing a petition which has demanded the Uttar Pradesh government be made party to an earlier petition seeking closure of the plant. The sanctuary at Noida in Gautam Budh Nagar district comes under the UP government's jurisdiction.

A group of residents in Sukhdev Vihar who had filed both the petitions alleged emission from the plant is hazardous for the sanctuary and, thus, the ongoing cases should be dealt as an inter-state matter.

Gautam Budh Nagar district forest officer B Prabhakar has already conducted an inspection and written to the UP government that the distance between the plant and the sanctuary is 2 km. Residents of Sukhdev Vihar had earlier approached the UP chief secretary seeking his intervention.

The sanctuary — spread over an area of 3.5 sqkm on the Yamuna on the Delhi-Noida border — has been a haven for waterbirds and a favourite among birdwatchers with more than 300 species spotted so far.

Petitioners' lawyer KK Rohtagi said, "We also filed a third petition, again seeking closure of the plant, because the Delhi government has in its reports filed before the tribunal concealed the actual quantum of the emission of highly polluting substances from the plant." All the petitions will now be heard on July 22.

Residents of Sukhdev Vihar first approached the Delhi High Court in 2009 and sought the plant's closure, saying it burns waste and releases harmful 'dioxins' into the air. In January 2013, the court transferred the case to the tribunal.

Since then some of the reports filed by pollution control agencies on the orders of the tribunal have found pollutants at the plant beyond the permissible limits. The tribunal has asked the firm running the plant to consider setting up a segregation plant and state the steps it proposes to take to control pollution.

The tribunal has also asked the Union ministry of environment and forests and the Central Pollution Control Board to suggest measures required to be taken.

-The Hindustan Times, 6th July 2013

Huge machinery and cranes occupying a large part of the Janpath for the ongoing construction for a new Metro line and a station hide behind them imprints of the bygone era.

These are the twins across the road - the Eastern Court and the Western Court. These two beautiful pieces of architecture are by Robert Tor Russel and were originally designed as hostels for legislators.

While several historians credit these "cream white edifices with arcaded verandahs on huge bases" as Russel's best work, no one seems to know why they were called 'Courts'.

The base platform is almost one floor tall. Then there is a single continuous verandah with giant Tuscan columns that covers the above two floors. Both the buildings have sprawling lush green lawns.

The Western Court still is being used as a guest house for Parliamentarians and thus, for most parts of the year wears an almost deserted look. But the Eastern Court is in complete chaos. It houses the Central Telegraph Office, the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and other sundry offices.

With the upcoming underground Metro station's exits planned to open right between the stretch, AK Jain, an architect-town planner, who is also on the advisory board of the UN Habitat, has a forward looking idea for the area.

"Existing buildings of Eastern and Western Courts depict colonial architecture and are of great heritage value. The usage of these buildings can be changed from government offices to museums, art galleries, etc.," Jain writes in his book 'Lutyens' Delhi'.

-The Hindustan Times, 7th July 2013

It's designed by Germans, many parts have been sourced from Italy, and it is being fabricated in China. Once ready, it will be the symbol of India's capital for years to come... The cosmopolitan spirit behind Delhi's Signature Bridge that will connect Khajuri Khas intersection on the Yamuna's east bank to Ring Road on the west bank reflects in its design too. It's an unsymmetrical tower with a glass facade , held together by cables on both sides giving it a minimalist, futuristic look. After almost three years of work, one consignment of the bridge's international components has reached Delhi recently. Another 400-tonne pylon base (a support structure for suspension of bridges) has reached the Kandla port in Gujarat from Jiangsu in China. The huge component is being transported on a special German-made 144-wheel trailer from the port to Delhi.

The Signature Bridge was conceived to provide better connectivity with northeast Delhi and ease traffic on the only two-lane road over the Wazirabad Barrage. The designers' brief was to make something iconic. An introduction document says it was "designed to make a symbolic statement of emerging India" . Several designs were proposed but the Delhi government and the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) short-listed a design by a German firm. "It is an unconventional and complicated design. It's a challenge to execute it but that's what makes it so special. I think the most interesting feature of the design is the tower with a glass top that is going to look radiant when the bridge is illuminated," says Priyank Mittal, superintending engineer, Signature Bridge project, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Ltd (DTTDC).

Even before the fabrication started in China the construction of two approaches on the east and west banks had started in 2008. "The western approach flyover is ready and the eastern approach will be ready by July 31. After that we will start assembling the parts of the bridge that are coming from China," says Jose Kurian, chief engineer, DTTDC.

The Comptroller and Auditor General ( CAG) earlier this year had raised concerns about the quality of construction as major parts of the bridge are being made in China. It had also questioned the project's cost escalation from Rs 459 crore to Rs 1,131 crore. But DTTDC officials say this is natural. "Just the construction of the bare structure costs Rs 631 crore, and the approaches another Rs 350 crore. After logistics, transportation and labour costs are put together, it's likely to be close to Rs 1,131 crore," says Mittal.

DTTDC officials say the decision to fabricate the bridge in China was made by the contractors of the projectâ€"Gammon India, which is in a joint venture with a Brazilian and an Italian firm. "After the design was finalized and the contractors were on the job, the procurement process started. A team of experts had to visit several steel mills in China to find the special quality steel we were looking for. A thirdparty quality control consultant was also appointed when the orders were placed," says Kurian. Thousands of shop drawings (the fabricator's drawings of the structure) were made to see different ways in which the design could be fabricated. After several sessions of scrutinizing, fabrication of the bridge started in 2012 in Nanjing, Jiangsu.

Although so many international firms are involved , engineers claim they are hands-on with every step. Every little update or drawing of the project is uploaded on a file transfer protocol (FTP) server. "We are updated on even the smallest change which ensures that quality is not compromised. It also makes the process simple," explains Mittal.

The bridge will boast many interesting features, of which, engineers say, the four inclined lifts are 'extraordinary'. "Instead of going straight, the lifts will move at an angle. In less than two minutes you can reach the top of the pylon from where you can enjoy a view of the entire city. We have not built anything like that in Delhi before. The illumination on the bridge is also unique but that is a secret for now," says an engineer. The eight-lane bridge will also have cycle lanes. Each lane will be about 14 metres wide separated by concrete crash barriers.

While the Yamuna may take long to recover from the environmental damage of several decades, engineers working on the Signature Bridge hope that it will draw people to the riverside more often.

On the job
Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation Ltd (DTTDC) .

Design: Schlaich Bergermann und Partner, Germany, & Contsruma CCPL, Mumbai .
Architectural advisor: Rattan J Batliboi, Mumbai .
Wind tunnel studies: Wacker Engineers, Germany .
Seismic studies: IIT Roorkee .
Proof consultants: Systra and M Virlogeux, France with Tandon Consultants Pvt Ltd, Delhi .
Contractor: Joint venture of Gammon India, Construtora Cidade Brazil and Tensacciai Italy.
- The Times of India, 7th July 2013

The temple town of Bodh Gaya, the seat of Buddha's enlightenment, woke up to serial blasts on Sunday morning with nine bombs going off in four locations spread over a radius of one km from the Mahabodhi temple. The explosions, which took place between 5.30-5.58 in the morning, left two monks injured.

The Mahabodhi temple and Bodhi tree, under which Buddha attained enlightenment, did not suffer any damage.

The blasts came in the wake of several inputs from central agencies that the Mahabodhi temple, a Unesco heritage site, faced threats from jihadi groups professing solidarity with the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar who are locked in violent clashes with the majority Buddhists in the neighbouring country.

Four blasts took place inside the Mahabodhi temple complex, three in the Karmapa monastery and one each near the 80-feet Buddha statue and at the bus stand near the bypass, a police official said. Three live bombs were also recovered and defused. One of the bombs was defused a few minutes before its explosion timed for 8.20 am.

According to sources, the three cylinder bombs which were defused carried some inscriptions. While the word "bus" was written in English on one, "To protest Iraq war" and "Bada But (big statue)" were written in Urdu on the other two bombs.

However, the investigators did not say who was responsible for the attacks.

A senior police officer told TOI that a voter identity card and a robe worn by Buddhist monks were recovered from the area. The voter ID card carried the name of one Vinod Mistry from Barachatti block of Gaya district. Police are trying to identify the person.

The Centre had sent two alerts to Bihar Police in the past three months, with the last alert going out as recently as two weeks ago, warning of threats to the temple town. Both these alerts referred to clashes between Rohingyas and Buddhists and their possible fallout in Bodh Gaya.

Besides, Delhi Police had alerted its Bihar counterpart in October last year after the arrest of Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist Syed Maqbool and his accomplices who spoke about the Mahabodhi temple as one of the targets identified by the terror outfit.

Lashkar-e-Taiba's American-Pakistani terrorist David Coleman Headley had spoken aboutBodh Gaya as a terror target during his interrogation by the FBI and NIA.

Sources said examination of the bombs revealed that small LPG cylinders were used as containers to detonate explosives which are suspected to be a mixture of ammonium nitrate and RDX. "The gas was taken out and the cylinders filled with explosives. Circuit has been completed using a detonator and timer device," an NIA officer said. This is the first time cylinders have been used as containers.

Investigating agencies said it was too early to pinpoint which organization could be behind the blasts as circumstances of the case pointed in various directions. While the temple complex had earlier been reconnoitered by Indian Mujahideen operatives, the make of the bomb does not carry IM signature. The early morning timing of the blasts and their low intensity also differ from the IM style which tries to effect mass casualty.

Union home secretary Anil Goswami told reporters in New Delhi that the explosions were a terror attack and NIA and NSG teams were looking into it. Officials in the central security agencies feel the blasts were carefully planned and intended to create fear and panic among people and communal discord, rather than maximize casualties.

Meanwhile, the Bodh Gaya temple management committee, at a meeting on Sunday afternoon, surrendered its responsibility of maintaining security and requested the police to take over security of the inside area the shrine. Accordingly, the police have taken up the shrine security.

The blasts left two monks, Tenzing Lama and Vila Sag (Myanmar) injured. They were admitted to the Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College Hospital. According to hospital superintendent Dr Sita Ram, Vila Sag received multiple injuries, including on his hands, chest and legs. Tenzing received only minor injuries in the legs.

The Mahabodhi temple has been on the hit list of jihadi groups ever since the Rohingyas and Buddhists in Myanmar started clashing, with the terror outfits thirsting for revenge against what they perceive as religious persecution of their brethren.

Efforts were on to strengthen security at the temple complex, with the local police carrying out a mock drill on June 24 after getting the last alert. The police also carried out a detailed security review with the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) on July 2 and found many lapses.

Shrine management committee secretary N Dorje, who was present in the temple at the time of the blasts, said the explosives were planted outside the range of CCTV cameras. One of the more powerful blasts took place just below the enlightenment tree near the two stone "foot prints" believed to be those of Buddha. According to Dorje, one of the four blasts in the main temple took place near the area where sacred scriptures are stored. No damage was caused to the scriptures, he added.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who rushed to Gaya, said the blasts were the handiwork of "divisive forces" trying to cause "terror in society". He said the state government would like the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to take over security of the temple complex.

-The Times of India, 8th July 2013

Fresh evidence unearthed by international scientists at Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace in Nepal, have found shrines believed to be the earliest Buddhist worship sites in South Asia.

Till date the oldest surviving Buddhist temples in the region have been attributed to Emperor Ashok,

who spread Buddhism in the third century BC by building stupas and shrines. In Nepal, he constructed a pillar and a brick built temple known as Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini, a UNESCO world heritage site.

"Excavations at the temple site have revealed a pre-Ashokan temple of brick, which itself was built over an earlier one of timber," said Prof. Robin Coningham of Durham University.

He along with other experts from universities of Tokyo and Rome were part of a Japan-funded UNESCO project which began in 2010 on conservation and management of Lumbini.

"This is the first time we have identified such sequence of Buddhist buildings. We are still awaiting final scientific analysis, but this find is of huge importance," said Prof. Coningham.

Experts claim that since temples found underneath the Maya Devi Temple followed exactly the same layout with an open area in the middle they are concrete proof of them being Buddhist shrines.

"And since the newly found temples are below the Maya Devi Temple, it can be safely said they are older than the existing temple," he said.

However, it would take two more months of further scientific analysis to know the exact age of the earlier temples. Archaeologists and experts are yet to find any evidence of pre-Ashokan Buddhist temples in Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Sanchi in India —all important religious sites in Buddhism.

-The Hindustan times, 8th July 2013

Tree felling has been going on unabated around the sacred grove of Mangarbani on the Gurgaon-Faridabad road. According to locals and environment activists, about 100 trees have been chopped off in the past fortnight at Sahibwala Johad, located on the southern side of the forest.

Activists said the affected area falls within the 322 hectare Mangarbani zone proposed by the forest department and accepted by the town and country planning department in 2012 in the Mangar Draft Development Plan. Activists have recorded GPS locations of these places and have also taken photographs of hacked trees and tyre tracks of large vehicles.

They have also alleged that this is organized commercial felling, where the thickest trees are being selectively cut, branches are left out and the logs are loaded on to tractor trolleys/ tempos/ camels and shipped out for sale.

"All this is happening at a time when the Haryana government has been asked to complete the exercise of identifying deemed forests, which is still pending. While the state is not doing enough on the proposal of notifying the entire gair mumkin pahar (hilly common land) as forest the agencies have even failed to protect the existing green cover," said Colonel (retd) Sarvadaman Oberoi of Mission Gurgaon Development.

The cutting of trees has also raised questions if there is a design behind such action to clear forests to push real estate activities in the bani vicinity.

-The Times of India, 8th July 2013

At a time when debate is on whether rampant development of hydel power projects has been responsible for the recent catastrophe at Uttarakhand, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) under Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) is set to discuss the fate of the controversial Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Project in Manipur and Dibang Multipurpose project in Arunachal Pradesh.

Both these projects had been in the eye of the storm as they collectively involve diversion of over 280 sq km of forest land, one of the highest ever in the country. The meeting is scheduled for July 11 and 12. In all, 19 proposals have been lined up for the two-day FAC meet.

One of the most talked about is the issue of diversion of 22,777.50 hectares of forest land for Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Project, for construction of a rock fill dam and a reservoir to generate 1500 MW of electricity. And for its part, the Dibang Multipurpose project in Arunachal Pradesh of (3000 MW) involves diversion of 5056.50 ha of forest land for construction

HAs per documents, Tipaimukh hydroelectric dam alone will require submergence of 227 sq km of prime forest land in Manipur that will destroy 82.47 lakh trees. It involves vast stretches of forests and bamboo clumps on lands that are used by communities for shifting cultivation

According to experts, Tipaimukh hydel project requires more than one-fifth of the total of 118,184 hectares of forest land so far diverted for execution of 497 hydel projects in the country after the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

The area is home to endangered flora and fauna, they said adding that no compensatory measure would help in mitigating the adverse impact caused by the loss of such large forest tracts on the habitat, flora, fauna, biodiversity, micro-climate and environment— unless additional non-forest areas in affected districts or adjoining districts are taken up for compensatory afforestation. Further, the project had also been locked in controversy for years with Bangladesh too voicing concern about the project on Barak river, they reminded.

The experts feared that often a “short cut” is created by blasting tunnels through hill sides to create a gravity induced water flow. This plays havoc with the ecology, the flora and fauna, and the livelihood of the local people.

Further, the long term impact of such hydel projects is unknown. Many small dams get silted much faster than expected. The current tragedy in Uttarakhand should be treated as a warning and these hilly states endowed with rivers should also not be seen as a goldmine of infinite hydel power to be exploited by rest of the country, they added.

-The Pioneer, 9th July 2013

In one of the biggest heists of antiques in the history of Karnataka, thieves stole 15 priceless ancient idols from one of the oldest and holiest Jain temples in Moodabidri near Mangalore.

The police believe there were at least four thieves involved in the heist. But of the eight CCTVs installed in the premises, two have captured only one person and that too masked.

Police sources say the person entered the main temple building through a window after cutting open the grill with a gas cutter.

-The IBN LIVE, 9th July 2013

Delhi Wakf Board chief executive officer Shamim Akhtar on Monday gifted his black and white photographs of medieval monuments of the Capital to the India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC) at Lodhi Road.

Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Akhtar said the underlying objective behind the exhibition, which will be permanently displayed at IICC, is to create a sense of pride among Delhiites about their national heritage and also not take a myopic view of these as Islamic structures.

Mr. Akhtar said the young generation should learn to respect these monuments and not deface them by writing names and other inconsequential details on them.

“Why do people frequenting Lodhi Gardens have to deface the monuments? I was also horrified to observe during my recent visit to the famous Ajanta and Ellora Caves that they, too, were defaced. We need to value our past. Delhi is one of the oldest cities in the world and its citizens need to acknowledge its glorious civilization,” said Mr. Akhtar, who has made Delhi his home for the past 22 years and visited each monument that dots the city.

Mr. Akhtar, who along with his wife recently produced a book on the monuments of Delhi, said: “We have innumerable historical books on monuments. While the British scholars have portrayed the monuments as legacy of the Islamic invasion, the Islamic scholars have presented them as glorious period. So, my wife and I, both alumni of Jawaharlal Nehru University, produced a value-neutral book. It has 125 pictures and some of them have been gifted to IICC.”

Along with pictures of monuments, that occupy the pride of place, there are details of how societies developed. “We had to do plenty of research work.”

Mr. Akhtar said the objective of this exhibition is not to urge the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to take control of monuments. ``This is not the goal of this exhibition.

ASI does not take control of monuments in which people pray. People who offer namaz in the monuments never deface them.”

A passionate photographer since childhood, Mr. Akhtar does all kinds of shoots.

He has made two solo bike trips to Ladakh that has resulted in his coffee table book Road to Ladakh .

-The Hindu, 9th July 2013

Kaziranga National Park, home to one-third of the world’s one-horned rhinos is once again facing the danger of floods. Although the world heritage site is not flooded as of now, incessant rain in the last few days has resulted in most of the water bodies overflowing and the animals moving to higher reaches.

This displacement makes animals an easy target for poachers. In 2012, a large number of rhinos and other wild animals were hunted down by poachers while on their way to Karbi Hills after crossing national highway-37. “The movement of animals has started,” said Rohit Chaudhary, a local conservationist.

Feroze Ahmed of Assam-based NGO Arayanak said as most of the area outside the park was not protected it leads to poaching. “We have not noticed huge movement of animals so far,” he said.

According to park director NK Vasu, providing protection to animals outside the park was not under their jurisdiction. “We are coordinating with the police and local authorities to ensure safe access to animals across the national highway,” he told HT, adding the authorities were better prepared to face any eventuality this time.

Local wildlife watchers claim there had been some flooding in the northern part of the park in the last few days even though Vasu claims the situation was normal. In the coming days, the situation can change dramatically as the water levels are rising in Dibrugarh town. Currently, the water level there is about 105 meters and Kaziranga gets flooded when the level crosses the 106-metre mark.

The authorities ,however, seem to be better prepared than last year when about 573 animals died and thousands got displaced. “There are 150 camps inside the park which have been alerted. Each camp has been provided with a motor boat to rescue the animals,” Vasu said.

-The Hindustan Times, 9th July 2013

Heritage experts have trashed Delhi government's plan to build a new road, possibly an elevated one, near Qutb Minar to decongest Mehrauli. Situated in Mehrauli, Qutb Minar, a world heritage site, has more than 100 heritage structures and protected monuments in its vicinity.

The government had last week announced a plan to build two separate roads - one from the Mehrauli bus terminus to Mehrauli-Badarpur (MB) Road near Anuvrat Marg Ahimsa Sthal and another from Shahi Idgah to Aruna Asaf Ali Marg via Sanjay Van. It is, however, yet to be decided whether the first road would be an elevated, underground or a surface road. The public works department (PWD) will hire a consultant to examine alternate routes.

The Qutb complex has about half-a-dozen protected monuments while there are 80-odd heritage monuments and structures in the neighbouring Mehrauli Archaeological Park. The Mehrauli village also has dozens of heritage monuments and structures. The road connecting Mehrauli bus terminus with MB road would possibly be aligned through the Mehrauli Archaelogical Park.

Archaeological law bans any new construction within 0-100 metres and puts several restrictions for construction in the 101-300 metres area of a protected monument.

AK Jain, Delhi Development Authority's former commissioner (planning) said Delhi's Master Plan 2021 mentions Mehrauli as a 'heritage and archaeological zone' and that an elevated road should not come up in its vicinity.

AGK Menon, who heads the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), said, "A world heritage site's ambience cannot be compromised."

A PWD spokesperson explained: "The plan is still at a conceptual level. We are aware of the restrictions in view of the protected heritage monuments. Two-three alternate plans will be submitted to agencies such as ASI, Delhi Urban Arts Commission within two months."

-The Hindustan Times, 9th July 2013

After years of planning, holding seminars and discussions, debating issues and pitching new ideas, Delhi's final nomination dossier for a world heritage inscription byUnesco has finally been submitted to the Delhi government by Intach Delhi chapter.

It began in 2008 when the first MoU was signed. To be pitched as 'Imperial Cities of Delhi', the final dossier highlights the contrasting lifestyles, culture, architecture, nature of these two contradictory time periods in Delhi—one which was under the Mughal Empire and the second under British colonial rule, which now represent the intellectual highpoints of the two empires.

The final dossier has been submitted to Delhi Tourism, which is the nodal agency. It will now be scrutinized by the government, Archaeological Survey of India and then by world heritage apex committee which now details all world heritage proposals.

The verified dossier will then be submitted by the end of January, 2015," said a senior official.

The prerogative on whether Delhi's nomination will be India's entry to Unesco will be taken at the highest levels. "Unesco will announce whether Delhi has made the cut for a world heritage city by 2015," added the official.

-The Times of India, 9th July 2013

A clear of conflict of interest has been at work in decisions taken to either grant or deny permission for felling of trees in Delhi, a right to information application has indicated.

In response to an RTI plea, the forest department has said the environment secretary decides on each application seeking felling of 20 or more number of trees. But, under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, this decision should be taken by deputy conservators of forests, also designated as tree officers.

The problem with this arrangement, activists and experts have pointed out, is that environment secretary is also the appellant authority. They say in case of an appeal against any decision to grant or deny permission for felling of trees, the environment secretary himself would be a judge in his own case.

Govind Singh, director of NGO Delhi Greens, said, “The tree officers are from Indian Forest Service and are well trained in protecting trees. The transfer of power to the environment secretary (an Indian Administrative Service officer) does create doubts regarding the government’s intent and also raises a valid question of conflict of interest.”

Interestingly, the decision to transfer the power was taken in February 2009 on the directions of the then environment secretary himself.

The RTI reply, furnished to tree enthusiast AN Prasad by the forest department, quotes a department order which tells the tree officers to process and submit applications seeking permission for felling of over 20 trees to the secretary (environment & forests) before granting or denying assent.

Prasad said, “This (the arrangement) is illegal. This perhaps explains blatant felling of thousands of trees across the Capital.”

Environment lawyer Rahul Choudhary said, “We can infer that government seems serious about trees and doesn’t want decisions left to tree officers. But the law doesn’t allow such transfer of power. Effectively, there’s no appellant authority now.”

Two of the three expert members of the Delhi Tree Authority termed the matter “grave” and said they would raise it with the chief minister. “The environment secretary is effectively secretary to the CM because she is also the environment minister. No wonder with assembly polls approaching, more and more infrastructure projects are being cleared with scant regard to greenery,” said a tree activist.

- The Hindustan Times, 10th July 2013

Anusha Parthasarathy explores Padavedu where recently excavated temples are a treasure trove of stories, mysteries and ancient history

The last stretch of road to Padavedu is bumpy and our car almost gives up. It chugs along hesitantly on the rocky terrain and stubbornly comes to a halt in the middle of the road. We are, for now, stranded at the entrance of Padavedu’s Renugambal temple. A map (that looks like a board game with the ‘you are here’ sign missing) shows a maze of small roads that lead to at least 10 ancient temples. And so, we roll the dice and begin our journey on foot.

For a place with a history as illustrious as Padavedu, not many people have been there or even heard of it. And those who know of it relate only to the Padavedu Amman temple. Seventeen pristine villages, surrounded by hills and fields, with over 12 ancient temples (and more lying undiscovered) from the 12th Century, Padavedu is a treasure trove of stories, mysteries and ancient history.

The Sambuvarayars, who were first under the Cholas, subsequently came under the rule of Kempegowda. Hence, many of the original temples found in the area have Vijayanagar inscriptions, iconography and style since they were built and renovated during the time of Venru Mann Konda Sambuvarayar (1322-1337 A.D.), his son Raja Narayana Sambuvarayar I (1337-1373 A.D) and grandson Raja Narayana Sambuvarayar III (1356-1375 A.D.).

Due to some natural disaster, the temples lay buried and it was only through the efforts of Srinivasan Services Trust, a part of the TVS Group that many have been unearthed and renovated since the early 1990s. We find a statue of Hanuman under a large old banyan and learn that the village once had eight Hanuman statues placed in the eight cardinal directions to guard it, which seems to be characteristic of the Vijayanagar empire. Only five remain.

Of the temples here, very few retain their original façade. The Renugambal temple, retains for most part and so one can spend time looking at the sculpted pillars, panels and domes of the temple. Set against tall coconut palms and rolling hills, the view from the temple is one to experience. Then again, most of the temples in this region are of that sort. The Yoga Ramar temple too retains some of its original look, even if the rajagopuram is bright and new. The iconic feature is of Rama in Ardha Padmasana, and next to him, Hanuman seated with a book in hand. This too seems a characteristic feature of that time. And from here, you can revel in the view of a temple atop a small hillock, dedicated to Lord Murugan.

A couple of kilometres northwest of the Rama temple are open fields where famers are busy working as the sun begins to set between the hills. We walk along the culled-out mud path, followed by three local children who have taken it upon themselves to be our guides. Suddenly, amidst bottle-green banana fields, we find the sculpture of Nandagopal (flute in hand), under a tree. Crumbled rocks, presumably from the old temple, are piled nearby.

Most of the temples have been renovated, but stand on the very spot the idols were found. From the Lakshmi Narasimhar temple (which is also on a smaller hillock), one can have a panoramic view of the Javadi hills and the valley below. The Venugopalaswamy temple atop Athimalai Hillas can only be reached by a tractor and a long flight of stairs on Saturday mornings at dawn.

Other finds in the area were a statue of Shiva in human form in a hillock called Kailasaparai and even a statue of Buddha, which seems to suggest that Buddhism had a following here.

Padavedu is an explorer’s dream and as we walk around with a camera in hand, we find ourselves not just clicking pictures of Nature but of the children who run along to match our steps, point us to the temples, clap their hands when we show them the pictures and wave us goodbye only in the hope that among all those memories tucked inside the camera, there is one of them as well.

-The Hindu, 10th July 2013

The deadline for submitting bids for e-ticketing in Archaeological Survey of Indiaprotected monuments passed in the first week of July. ASI, which hopes to start e-ticketing by the year-end, is now working on the final policy. World heritage sites will be accorded first priority.

A month-long experiment was conducted at Qutub Minar in October 2012 to help ASI spot glitches in implementation of e-ticketing. Qutub Minar is the most visited monument in Delhi and the second most visited monument in India after Taj Mahal.

With e-ticketing, entry into 116 ticketed monuments in India will become much easier.

At present, ASI protects 3,678 monuments including 21 world heritage cultural properties. It maintains 44 museums around the country. In Delhi, there are 174 monuments under central protection and three world heritage sites.

National Institute of Smart Government has been appointed as advisor to ASI to assist the organization in the task of implementing e-ticketing, review proposals received and make the final selection. The selected bidder is expected to build a platform which will integrate with ASI's existing website to let visitors book tickets online.

"ASI plans to commission an integrated IT-enabled e-ticketing system across all protected monuments in order to ensure transparent and efficient operations and enhance visitor experience," said an official.



-The Times of India, 11th July 2013

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has invited tenders to open a small cafeteria the Qutub Minar complex. The world heritage site, which witnesses a large number of visitors and is frequented by both Indians and foreigners, is considered as one of Delhi's top tourist attractions. The demand for a cafeteria here has been building up over the years. "Considering the number of visitors, ASI has decided to open a cafeteria that will provide packed food, soft-drinks and packaged drinking water. It will be set up near the parking area outside the heritage complex," said an official.

The expression of interest (EOI) has been invited from firms dealing with eateries, cafeteria and snack stalls. "Water to the outlet will be provided free of cost by the ASI but power supply will be chargeable and a separate meter shall be installed by the ASI for this," said an official.

-The Times of India, 11th July 2013

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has warned various central and Delhi government agencies to come clean on illegal extraction of groundwater in the Capital or face action. Hearing a petition filed by the legal aid cell of the national green tribunal bar association, the NGT said these agencies would also detail action taken so far against illegal extraction of water. They have to spell out the number of authorised or illegal bore wells/ tube wells in Delhi.

The petition requests the tribunal to direct the authorities to take steps to check illegal extraction of water and ensure rainwater harvesting. The New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi's department of environment and forests, besides the irrigation and flood control department filed their replies on July 10.

The NDMC responded only when the tribunal issued a bailable warrant against it during a hearing on May 23. The tribunal has given the Delhi government, central ground water authority, Delhi Jal Board, besides Delhi's revenue department one final chance to respond, failing which their department heads will have to appear in the tribunal when the matter is heard next on August 6.

Delhi Jal Board extracts 100 MGD (million gallons a day) of groundwater every day. Although groundwater extraction is banned, about 4.5 lakh tubewells/borewells continue to extract water with impunity. Water levels in south Delhi areas such as Vasant Kunj, Chhatarpur and CR Park have gone down between 15-30 metres in the last decade.

Petitioner's lawyer Parul Gupta said, "The central ground water board through several notifications has declared almost entire Delhi as a notified area. The lieutenant governor issued a notification in 2010, directing that no person shall draw groundwater through borewell or tubewell without the permission of the competent authority. Despite various orders and directions issued since 1996, groundwater continues to be extracted excessively, haphazardly and illegally."

The state government has issued a notification for rainwater harvesting but it has not been implemented in letter and spirit, the petition said.

-The Hindustan Times, 12th July 2013

Advertisement Its plan to build a commercial complex on the lines of south Delhi's Dilli Haat by covering a large part of a stormwater drain in Mayur Vihar phase I is environmentally unviable, experts and activists have told the Delhi government. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) wants to convert the land use of a part of this drain from utility to commercial and hand it over to the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation on lease. An inspection of DDA files has revealed that the plan is to cover an area of 600 x 45 metres and build shops and eateries.

Manu Bhatnagar of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has told the DDA that the project will reduce recharge to the extent of six million litres of storm water every monsoon - an amount, he said, that cannot be compensated by any water harvesting system.

"High-density east Delhi is already short of green cover and open spaces as compared to other parts of the city. Such drains mean plantation on their side. The destruction of environmental assets is irreversible," he told HT.

Manoj Misra of NGO Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has requested Delhi's Lt Governor to not allow the project.

"The drain is a greenway. Why destroy it? The project needs tree felling. Why cut trees to cover a space where massive compensatory plantation can take place for which there's hardly any land left in the city," he said.

"The project is being planned when the L-G office and the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), the apex planning body, have more than once ordered that drains in the city should not be covered. Moreover, the DDA had in 2005 allotted 1.2 hectares of land in Geeta Colony, also in east Delhi, to the DTTDC for the same purpose but the land has remained unutilised," Misra added.

"Stormwater drains collect and safely carry high rainfall during floods and are key groundwater recharge zones. They are part of the city's open space network," said a UTTIPEC expert.

-The Hindustan Times, 12th July 2013

Despite a ban by the Delhi High Court, several people carried out alterations to the centuries-old Qanati Masjid, a listed heritage structure in Jorbagh’s BK Dutt Colony, local residents have alleged.

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has issued a notice to Anjuman-e-Haidari, the organisation managing the dargah and other religious structures, in this connection.

Qanati Masjid is a listed heritage property and hence no alteration can be done to it. There has been a history of dispute for the past three years between the area residents and the Anjuman. The residents have shot letters to various authorities, alleging that the Anjuman representatives dug up pits to erect iron pillars to construct a shed over the wall of the mosque.

“They broke portions of the heritage wall from the top level to put the shed,” alleged Karamvir Singh Nagar and Sohan Lal Gadi, president and general secretary of the Welfare Association of Batukeshwar Dutt Colony in their letters to NDMC, Delhi Police, Lt Governor and the Heritage Conservation Committee.

Mahmood Pracha, a lawyer connected with the case, said: “The land mafia is hand in glove with some officers of the NDMC, Delhi Development Authority, Land and Development Office and Delhi Police. They want to create a communal situation for their own gain. No construction is being carried out there. They are just fixing the tent that had been damaged by the rain.”

-The Hindustan Times, 13th July 2013

Intricate carvings and poetic designs tell a tragic tale of love and heartbreak. Adalaj ‘vav’ in Gujarat is a fine example of a beautiful union of Hindu and Muslim architecture. Susheela Nair explores.

An incredible sight awaited us as we took a 20-km detour to Adalaj, a village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. This obscure village is known for its vav (water tank), a step well built in 1555. At first sight, it looked like any other ordinary well, but we were bowled over by its striking beauty after we stepped into it. What makes it interesting is the tale of unrequited passion revolving around it, and the tragic sequence of events that thwarted its completion.

Of legends

The legend behind the genesis of this vav is as fascinating as its architectural brilliance. On close observation, we found the details of the story inscribed on the walls and pillars in Sanskrit and Pali. Adalaj vav was commissioned by Rani Roopba, the queen of Rana Veersingh, a local chief, who was defeated by the Muslim ruler Mohammed Begda.

The Vaghela queen had already begun the work when her husband was vanquished by Begada. Enamoured by her stunning beauty, Begada proposed to her. Playing it safe, the dejected queen agreed to the proposal, on condition that he completes the five-storied water vav as a sign of devotion. Enticed by her charm, Begada agreed to take up the challenging task. The excavation and construction work, which had stalled abruptly, began again in earnest.

As the years rolled by, an edifice juxtaposing the old Indian architectural ideals with the nobility of Islamic architecture emerged. When the five-storied edifice was complete, minus its dome, Begada proposed to Rani Roopba once again. She went back to her palace overcome by grief. The next day, she chose the same vav for her watery grave.

This has sanctified the place, and many rural people carry water back from this well. Every visitor prays for the spirit of Rani Roopba, who is believed to reside within. The enraged ruler halted construction immediately, but did not demolish it.

Passing through the ornate pillars of this naturally air-conditioned vav, I pondered about the intermingling of Indian tradition and mythology here. The rectangular structure is enormous, with strong arches and pillars placed as if guarding the centrally-placed vav full of cool, fresh water. Built using sandstone, the step well at Adalaj consists of octagonal landings, huge carved colonnades, and exquisitely carved niches. As we descended, we found a considerable drop in the temperature — a natural air-conditioning system of sorts.

The temperature is always six degrees cooler than outside. This helped keep the water cold even in the scorching heat of summer. The vav stands as the only major monument of its kind, with the entrance stairs leading to a stepped corridor. These three entrances meet at the first level below ground, in a huge square platform. There are openings in the many ceilings which make way for good ventilation for the octagonal well. However, direct sunlight does not touch the flight of steps or landings except for a brief period at noon. We found the structure’s interplay with light amazing.

A magnificent blend

A combination of Hindu and Muslim architecture reveals the influence of the earlier Solanki rulers. Leafy creepers — typical adornments of Muslim architecture — co-exist with Hindu symbols such as animal motifs, the bird, the horse and the elephant together with navagrahas and images of Goddess Shakti. The vavs are essentially rectangular structures with the opening to a flight of descending steps at one end and the shaft to the inner well at the far end. We were fascinated by the decorative theme of jousting elephants as a continuous motif on the walls and pillars right from the beginning of the steps until the penultimate level. Juxtaposed with these are motifs in the form of geometric and floral patterns.

Other carvings on the panels include a king sitting in a stool with two chauri bearers, a scene showing the churning of buttermilk, and musicians accompanying dancing women, apart from abstract symbols of gods and goddesses. We observed traces of Buddhist and Jain influences on some of the pillars and walls. Other interesting depictions are the Ami Khumbor (a pot that contains the water of life) and the Kalp Vriksha (a tree of life) carved on a single slab of stone. There is a belief that the small friezes of navagrahas at the edge of the well protect the monument from evil spirits. These depictions are said to attract villagers for worship during marriages and other ritualistic ceremonies.

Built as a resting place for pilgrims and traders, the vav obviously satisfied a ritualistic as well as utilitarian need. The semi-arid climate of the region made water a must for every traveller. These wells supplied water as well as rewarding the effort of reaching the spot with rest for the weary traveller’s bones. In the past, these step wells were frequented by travellers and caravans as stopovers along trade routes to take shelter from heat and rain. Villagers would stop by the vav every morning to collect water, offer prayers to the deities carved into the walls, and interact with each other in the cool shade.

While returning, I marvelled at the foresight, skill, public-spiritedness, and effort taken to create this water conservation structure.

-The Deccan Herald, 14th July 2013

On a ridge that forms Aizawl's western boundary, a marble structure rises above the lush green surroundings. Under development for the past two decades, it is spread over 3,025 sq m, has four towers topped with a crown each and four pillars emblazoned with seven Stars of David.

A Christian religious sect calling itself The Holy Church is building here what it calls the 'Solomon's Temple' — a successor to the original Solomon's Temple of Jerusalem mentioned in the Old Testament, believed to have been built by the son of ancient Israel's warrior-king David and destroyed by successive invaders. On the site now stands the Muslim shrine of the Dome of the Rock.

The sect believes Mizoram is the Biblical "city in the East", "the hidden Jerusalem" where, according to prophecy, the resurrected Jesus Christ will dwell before establishing an "eternal kingdom" in present-day Jerusalem.

The Holy Church has also named the immediate vicinity of the Aizawl temple 'Kidron Valley' after the vast plains that lie adjacent to the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel.

A senior state government official, Dr L B Sailo founded The Holy Church sect three decades ago. In 1989, he outlined his religious belief that Mizos are "God's chosen people" in a book titled The Mystery of Elects — drawing this conclusion from historical facts and writings in the Old Testament.

He argued that Mizos, who were mass converted to Christianity by Welsh missionaries in the last decade of the 19th century, were sought out by divinity itself for a purpose.

Two years after the book was published, Dr Sailo says, God appeared before him in a dream and directed him to build a place of worship, even outlining the architectural specifications, including the towers and the pillars, and that the square-shaped temple must have identical sides, each with an entry gate in the middle.

- The Indian Express, 14th July 2013

Delhi Development Authority informed the high court on Friday that it has identified two sites for setting up landfill facilities. Environmentalists say that both sites are located in zone P-II which is part of the Yamuna floodplains. Most of this area is under agriculture and they believe that placing a landfill site here would have severe ecological impacts.

Manoj Mishra, convener of NGO Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, who had raised this matter with the former LG in April when DDA had submitted a list of 10 sites, has sent another letter to new LG Najeeb Jung. "When we raised the matter earlier, we were told that DDA was only looking at options and several factors would be taken into account. However, on Friday, DDA submitted Hamirpur and Bakhtawarpur as their final choice. The former is located near Palla village and the other near Bakhtawarpur village. They come under zone P-II which is part of the Yamuna floodplain," he said.

Some of the landfill sites that DDA is considering in south Delhi are located near Bhatti mines which is an area being looked at as a potential water recharge system by the environment department and Delhi Jal Board. "It is difficult to fathom why such ecologically sensitive areas are being considered for creation of landfill sites. Going by the condition of the present sites, they are responsible for completely polluting the ground water in the area where they are located. The two sites in north Delhi plus the sites under consideration in the south are critical for ground water recharge and cannot be opened to such uses," said sources. Mishra said that zone P-II in north Delhi is a part of the Yamuna flood plain and has great ecological and economic significance for ensuring the water, food security of the city.

"This zone which lies in the east of national highway-I was the original river channel and later became the flood plain after the river shifted east in the last 100 years or so. This fact is corroborated by British period topo-maps of the area where the river's active and relict channels are clearly visible. In the last master plan, zone P-II was treated at par with zone O where currently no non-ecological activity can be carried out. The government should designated it as a 'green zone' and keep it part of rural Delhi as a source of farm produce and water supply to the city," he said.

-The Times of India, 14th July 2013

The Jantar Mantar Road is synonymous with demonstrations today. But how many visitors are aware of the colonial-era buildings in the area that were witnesses to several historic decisions?

Originally a residence, the 1920s-built ‘Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Smarak Trust’ building at 7, Jantar Mantar Marg, became the All India Congress Committee headquarters after Independence when the first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru shifted the party office from Allahabad.

Journalist Rasheed Kidwai’s book ‘24, Akbar Road’ has elaborately described the transition that 7 Jantar Mantar witnessed. It was here that Nehru declared he would like his daughter Indira Gandhi to take over the party.

It was here that Gandhi, when she became the Prime Minister, first broached the subjects of abolition of privy purses to the erstwhile royal families and nationalisation of 14 leading banks at CWC meetings.

Kidwai has also described how, after the 1969 split, Morarji Desai, who later merged the Congress Organisation with Janata Party in 1977, and became prime minister, formed the Patel Trust and took control of the building.

Several physical alterations to the building are symbolic of the offices that have changed. It now houses the offices of Janta Dal (United), Akhil Bhartiya Seva Dal, All India Freedom Fighters Office and other sundry offices.

-The Hindustan Times, 14th July 2013

The 14th-century Satpula monument on the Press Enclave Road near Khirkee village is a poor remnant of the bygone era’s engineering wonder.

A wall that ran from the Jahapanah Forest to the Qila Raipithora had several weirs — a spill way with regulators.

On its southern side, it harvested the run off rainwater from the hillocks of Khanpur, Devali, Madangir, Chhatarpur and Mehrauli in a reservoir more than 10-feet deep. Towards north, the water channels that travelled through Chirag Dilli merged into Yamuna.

“The water was clean, devotees from Pakistan came here to bathe before visiting the Chirag Dilli dargah or proceeding for Haj,” said Khem Chand Rana, 73, a Khirkee resident.

However, in the recent times, the wall is disappearing under debris.

Of the several weirs, only one remains and is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

There are seven arches of the sluice gates, lending its name to the monument. The wall on the western side, towards Khirkee, is buried under debris. Large area has been covered with interlocking tiles, a portion is earmarked for parking and a new enclosure wall with locked gates prevents entry to the monument. Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said it is working for “integrating the heritage structure with greens by landscaping the area”.

Nemo Dhar, DDA’s spokesperson, said: “We have not dumped any debris. ASI is the custodian of the Satpula monument and it is also the custodian of the wall.”

But the most shocking is ASI’s admission that this wall is not ‘notified as protected’. Basant Kumar Swarnakar, ASI’s Delhi circle chief, defended: “Beyond the protected monument, the wall stands on DDA land. We had issued notices for this work. DDA has its own heritage cell and a certain responsibility towards city’s heritage.”

AGK Menon, heritage expert, said: “We should not just stick to the letter of the law but to the spirit of the law. As a society, we need to demonstrate that we would like to project our heritage and not just the few elements that are declared as protected.”

-The Hindustan Times, 15th July 2013

CITYSCAPE Delhi’s Gole Market, awaiting its impending closure, holds many a story, writes R.V. SMITH

The closure of Gole Market is like the theatres of Paris closing their doors for the last time and of some fond, and some not so, memories of this central mart that was the forerunner of the Super Bazaar and the present-day malls. Under one roof one could initially get most of the things one wanted — from chicken and mutton to pastries and other confectionery, garments, cosmetics, antiques and contraceptives, a rare whispered item in days gone by. One chap mentioned French leather in class and got nearly expelled. When Uncle James was in charge of the Johns’ Mills stores, his first stop on arrival in Delhi was Gole Market, for Countess Marzano and other ladies of the then biggest mills in North India preferred stuff sold here. Monsignor Burke would often walk down from Sacred Heart Cathedral to make purchases in the evening. Gole Dakhana to Gole Market was not a long distance, as a matter of fact, the two complemented each other by both name and fame which brought the French Ambassador Count Ostrorog to it every weekend.

Opened in 1935, Gole Market was the rendezvous of the sahibs and memsahibs settling down in the new Capital. It was on Sir Edwin Lutyens’ suggestion that the market came up, say some. A fan of Sherlock Holmes, he probably fancied the idea of the great detective walking into a multi-store to meet his urgent needs. Sherlock creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, would have loved basing one of his stories on the Eighth Delhi but it was probably a bit too late for him to do so. Doyle’s conception of India was of a place steaming with devils and fire worshippers, and of rare rubies and diamonds —which of course you could never find in Gole Market.

It strikes one that its design was borrowed from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where the greatest and the lowest found entertainment. But the kind of entertainment Gole Market provided was different. When the shops in Connaught Circus and nearby places closed, Gole Market came alive. One remembers meeting actresses Chand Usmani and Nigar Sultana and the novelist John Masters there, sampling seekh kababs and inhaling the aroma of chicken being roasted slowly over the brazier. One doesn’t know if they liked the odour but Rai Bahadur Chimman Lal just loved it as he had got tired of smelling Urad dal being fried for dinner with ghee and garlic “tadka” (zing).

A rich seth of Chandni Chowk, Chimman Lal used to visit Gole Market on some evenings, being driven to it in a private tonga, whose driver, Kallan, was sworn to secrecy over what the Sethji ate and drank at the “Firangi market”. At home, the Sethani, who loved to maintain tradition, did not allow even eggs. Sethji had got over his initial dislike of mutton and fish dishes when he was briefly admitted to Sherwood College, Nainital. There, he once ate a mince patty by mistake in the mess and relished it so much that he couldn’t help asking a classmate what the stuff was supposed to be. When told what it really was, Chimman Lal thought that he should vomit the mince out. But somehow he couldn’t bring himself to do so. After that he became a regular mince-eater, with fish and chicken becoming part of the menu later. Fish was served on Fridays at the college because the hill station butchers kept their shops closed for namaz .

Shamshad Ali Khan of Tehraha Behram Khan came to Gole Market after he had gulped down a few pegs on the sly inside his big general merchant shop. He came in a horse-driven tum-tum to eat kababs . The ones in the Jama Masjid area were better but he did not get the company he enjoyed there. Also, he didn’t want people to smell him and get shocked to realise that he was reeking of sharab (actually whisky). When one met Khan Sahib in the 1980s at Karim butcher’s shop, he began talking of his younger days. One met him three or four times a week and learnt of his friendship with Rai Bahadur Chimman Lal and of how the two would sometimes take skirt-and-blouse wearing girls living in Old Pataudi House, Daryaganj, for joyrides and, of course, some flirting in CP on New Year’s.

Gole Market had other characters frequenting it daily, among them Mr Webb, who was absent on Thursdays as he was fond of hearing qawwalis at some dargah or the other and then telling his friends, “Kya sama tha, bhai, amidst the burning joss-sticks”. Like Jelaloodin Mcintosh of Kipling’s tale, Webb later became a Muslim though he continued to attend church on Sundays by force of habit.

Gole Market had its ugly side too. Fights broke out there easily among tipsy men over gay friends or the bais of Chawri Bazaar, and once someone even got stabbed fatally. Another young man Suraj (name changed) was luckier. He happened to be the son of a bullion merchant of Dariba Kalan. The fight with a pimp, Bashira, broke out over a dancing girl who had fallen in love with Suraj. As a result, she stopped dancing at the kotha and Suraj began to be resented as the reason for it. Suraj’s wounds healed but if memory serves right both he and the girl, Kashmeeran Bai, committed suicide in Edward Park — the culmination of a fight that broke out in Gole Market. One will miss the place for these and other memories that lie hidden in the heart of the mart. Wish they could be exhibited at the museum that will come up in its place!

Opened in 1935, Gole Market was the rendezvous of the sahibs and memsahibs settling down in the new Capital

-The Hindu, 15th July 2013

Avantipur in Kashmir shows Lakshmi Sharath two temples in ruins with intriguing lore

A land of several kingdoms, there is a temple in ruins in almost every corner of our country. Built by kings and princes, they speak of a glorious past, when they were once the capital of a dynasty. Mostly ignored, dilapidated, they lie in crumbles, waiting to tell their story, if somebody is willing to hear them. I happen to stop by at one of them in Kashmir.

It has been raining non-stop ever since I left Srinagar. Steady sheets of rain hit the roads continuously, adding to the traffic. We slowly make our way to the outskirts of the city as I wait patiently for the rain to recede. A little while later, the driver brings the car to a halt and announces we are in the ancient capital town of Kashmir. And, all I see is a highway filled with dusty shops.

In a while, the rain stops and the rays of the sun stream out from the clouds. I am in Awontipura or Avantipur, a town founded by Avantivarman, who founded the Utpala Dynasty in the 9th Century. Lying in ruins are a couple of temples — Avantishwar (dedicated to Shiva) and Avantiswami (Vishnu), built within a km of each other. Partially restored, these temples have lost a bit of their sheen, their erstwhile glory simply summarised on a simple ASI board.

The Avantishwar Temple, the smaller of the two, was built by the king before he was crowned on the banks of river Jhelum or Vatista as it was known then. The Avantiswami Temple, a much bigger and magnificent monument was apparently built when he ascended the throne. It is believed that the deity here was Vaikunta Vishnu.

Which came first?

Local lore, however, says that the Vishnu temple came first and that the Shiva temple was built after the king was persuaded to build one at the behest of his minister, a devotee.

The guide here tells us that the Vishnu temple was inspired by the Gandharva style, and while a central shrine was built on a spacious courtyard, four smaller shrines were built in the corners. A pillared mandapa too stood in front of the shrine. A group of tourists stops by as the guide explains the elaborate carvings that decorate the walls. He adds that excavations made in both these temples have yielded several coins, some made of copper, minted by various rulers of different dynasties.

I walk around the temples, taking in the sculptures. A small boy plays hide and seek with his father, standing behind a pillar.

I lose myself in the beauty of the ruins and wonder how these temples were destroyed. The guide explains that they met their end when Afghan ruler Sultan Sikandar Butshikan invaded these parts of India in the 14th Century and pulled the monuments down. The skies start greying as I leave. The rain down as I wonder how much of history lies lost in the rubble.

- The Hindu, 15th July 2013

A 12-member fact-finding team of scientists has dismissed Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre's claims, based on satellite imagery, that a lake had formed near Alaknanda's place of origin, posing threat to the temple town of Badrinath. After an aerial survey of the region, the scientists said a "track of avalanches was mistaken for a lake" through the images.

The team ruled out creation of any lake near Satopant glaciers, the place of Alakanda's origin, located just behind Badrinath and possibility of any threat of a phenomenal rise in the river's water level. Led by director of Dehradun-based Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Anil Kumar, and geo-technical specialist, Vikram Gupta, the team included experts from Geological Survey of India (GSI), ITBP and Army. The NRSC claims were based on satellite images taken on June 21.

The team submitted a report to the state government on Saturday night after a survey of the Satopant glacier. "NRSC had apparently made a mistake in its assessment based on images as this is an avalanche zone that they mistook for a lake," said Dr Vikram Gupta.

Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar said the report said there is no change in the location of Satopant glacier. "Government need not panic at all as there is no threat from there," said Dr A K Gupta.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand disaster management minister Yashpal Arya said on Sunday that the government had exempted clearance from the forest department to acquire forest land up to 5 hectare to speed up repair and reconstruction of over 200 extensively-damaged roads leading to over 760 villages which remain completely cut off in Rudrapryag, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh districts. The decision was taken at an all-party meeting, chaired by chief ministerVijay Bahuguna.

-The Times of India, 15th July 2013

The Asiatic lion in Gir is set to move to a new home in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. The sanctuary is a proven historical habitat of the magnificent creature.

India’s Asiatic lions have a new home. There are over 400 Asiatic lions in India, and Gujarat’s Gir Wildlife Sanctuary is their only home in the country. The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, with a total area of 1,412 sq km, is located 65 km to the south east of Junagadh in Gujarat. The national park and wildlife sanctuary is considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Asia. In 1994, the population of lions in the sanctuary was limited to 284. It was due to the efforts of the State wildlife authorities and conservationists that the 2010 census showed the population of the lions to be 411.

Roadblock

While the survival of the Asiatic lion seems to be momentarily secure, it is important to ensure that the survival of the species is certain. As protected a sanctuary as Gir may be, a single epidemic or natural calamity could affect the entire population of the Asiatic lions in Gir, wiping out the species and causing their extinction. As a result, the Wildlife Institute of India thought it necessary to transport and shift a pride or more to the closeby Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. This move will not only ensure the survival of the Asiatic lion, but also increase the prey density or availability of prey in Gir for the remaining prides.

It was in 1994 that the Wildlife Institute of India, located in Dehradun, carried out a survey (Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project) on the re-introduction of Asiatic lions and recommended Kuno Sanctuary as an alternative home for the Asiatic lion. At one point, the big cats used to roam the vast expanses of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh before human settlements encroached their natural territories.

However, the project recently met with a serious roadblock. The government of Gujarat refused to part with the Asiatic lions. Calling them the pride of Gujarat, the local government was adamant on restricting the population of the Asiatic lion only to Gir, giving conservationists great cause for concern. The Gujarat government maintained that the wildlife authorities in Madhya Pradesh would be unable to protect the lions as they had failed to protect their own tiger population in the recent past. However, the Supreme Court of India, the country’s highest judicial authority, ruled in favour of translocating the lions to Kuno so as to ensure their survival.

The translocation of the Asiatic lion to Kuno has involved several important steps to ensure that the new additions would have space to roam as well as large numbers of prey. Twenty-four villages were relocated at Kuno to make room for the big cats. This step will ensure that the animal-human conflict is kept to a minimum.

Nevertheless, the translocation of the Asiatic lion to Kuno will be a test case for conservation.

Efforts will also have to be taken to ensure that the endangered species does not fall prey to poaching and locals will need to be educated and involved in the conservation process.

To meet with success, the project will need male lions to be moved from Gir to Kuno every three to five years for the next 30 years.

Period of study spanning 20 years: 1995 to 2015

Three phases:

a. pre-translocation phase (1995-2000),

b. translocation and population and population build-up (2000-2005)

c. follow up and consolidation (2006-2015).

Fact file

The Asiatic Lion is the seventh sub-species of lions found on this planet. It is listed as an endangered species

The lion was once widely distributed through Persia to India

The Nawab of Junagadh was among the first to extend protection to the Asiatic lion, when their population had fallen to a dozen at the start of the 20 century

The Asiatic lion is smaller in size in comparison to the African lion

-The Hindu, 16th July 2013

The Kedarnath shrine should remain in the custody of its traditional guardians, including the Tehri Maharaja and the Lingayat Ravals. A Congress MLA, who entered the sanctum with his shoes on, must be punished

Uttarakhand’s travails continue: The rain gods refuse to relent; hillsides crumble; missing pilgrims and villagers have been given up as dead; zero to inadequate relief has reached trapped human and animal survivors. Politicians and economists will quibble over the quantum of loss and funds necessary to rebuild the State, but the true dimensions of the tragedy can never be quantified. Officers and jawans of the Army and Air Force rose to the challenge; their rescue operations were possibly the only positive face of the catastrophe.

Three ugly facets of the calamity deserve mention. The first is the attempt by at least three major international evangelical bodies to enter Dev Bhoomi for calamity relief, and more likely, to harvest souls. In a situation where even State agencies have not been able to reach surviving populations in isolated hilltops, there is no justification for allowing evangelical bodies to enter the region.

Within days of the floods, these Western agencies and the Western media began raising fears over trafficking of surviving women and children, even though the police are present at every rescue point. They are lobbying to create ‘child friendly spaces’, under their control of course. This must be firmly rebuffed. Also, all relief must be routed and disbursed through State agencies, with full accountability. Many private individuals and organisations are collecting donations for Uttarakhand survivors. The Centre must closely monitor these agencies, or direct all relief to be funneled to the Prime Minister’s relief fund.

The second unseemly spectacle pertains to the restoration of puja at Kedarnath, especially the brazen attempt by the Dwarka Sankaracharya to browbeat the traditional Lingayat priests and takeover the cash-rich shrine. Swami Swaroopanand began the controversy though he knew that rains and floods were continuing, and bad weather preventing even the collection of rotting corpses in and around the shrine and giving them a decent funeral. Until that task (still incomplete after a month) is accomplished, it is impossible to ritually purify the shrine and restore pujas.

Raval (chief priest) Bhima Shankar Ling Shivacharya rightly sensed the gravity of the calamity and took the bhog murti (movable image) to the Omkareshwar shrine in Ukhimath, where it traditionally travels for winter. Until Kedarnath is repaired and made safe for priests to live and pilgrims to travel, this is the most appropriate place for the deity to reside and give darshan to devotees. Meanwhile, Kedarnath must remain in the custody of its traditional guardians, including the Tehri Maharaja and the Lingayat Ravals who were settled there by Adi Sankaracharya in the eighth century. The Congress MLA from Srinagar, videographed entering Kedarnath sanctum with his shoes on, must be removed from the Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee.

Given the dimensions of the destruction, it bears stating that none of the Sankaracharyas and eminent religious leaders supported Swami Nagamanand when he protested against rampant stone crushing and strip mining along the banks of the Ganga; they failed to rise even after he fasted to death in June 2011. Nor did they support Professor GD Agarwal and local villagers struggling to draw national attention to the plight of the Ganga. Locals say the gigantic statue of Shiva at Rishikesh, swept like a reed by the raging waters, was an encroachment by a famous ashram. The Ganga swept it away once before, but theashram blithely trespassed upon the river bed again… Regarding restoration of the damaged Kedarnath shrine, it is understandable that neither the State nor Union Government want help from the Gujarat Chief Minister. But it is scandalous that amidst inhospitable terrain and inclement weather, the Archaeological Survey of India was twice airlifted to the site when common sense says no work is possible during the monsoons, after which winter will shut off the route. At this stage, it is impossible to even cover the shrine with protective plastic or canvas sheets.

Restoration can begin only after the road is repaired; given the state of the hillsides, this could take a couple of years. Governments should face and speak the truth, and not risk innocent lives in showmanship. Above all, once the ASI has repaired the shrine, it must not be allowed to take over a living temple as a protected site; this would be an act of aggression against Hindu dharma. Anyway, Uttarakhand must first restore the Himalayan forests on war footing for at least five years. Only when the hillsides are stabilised can roads be rebuilt, and then too, it will have to move cautiously to avert fresh landslides.

The third disturbing factor concerns the rescue operations and reports that the Centre is approaching international agencies like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for aid, after rebuffing help from States like Gujarat. The Prime Minister’s Office must explain why helicopters offered by Gujarat for rescue operations were refused, and clarify persistent stories (on Twitter, ignored by mainstream media) that private helicopters run by politically well-connected persons were (and are) allowed to ply and rescue pilgrims at exorbitant charges ranging from one to two lakh rupees per person. Do private helicopters have a license to conduct such operations, and do they pay taxes on such extortion-based incomes?

Then, when the rains and floods continue and there is no credible estimate of damage done, why the rush to increase India’s foreign debt when the rupee is so weak against the dollar?

Much of the cost of new infrastructure must be recovered as fines from companies that rammed their way to winning contracts to set up over 600 dams in the ecologically fragile region, dumped their waste into the Ganga, and unleashed havoc. Funds of abandoned/incomplete projects can readily be diverted for infrastructure reconstruction. The Prime Minister can also raise huge funds within the country through tax-free bonds with no ceiling. Indeed major infrastructure funds can always be raised within the country with dedicated funding.

Finally, given the immense civilisational significance of the Kedarnath temple, the State Government should make special efforts to monitor its safety and that of the priceless murtis and heritage artifacts from smugglers who may take advantage of its present desolation. Hindus believe the shrine was built by the Pandavas and renovated in the eighth century by Adi Sankaracharya, whose samadhi behind the shrine was swept away by the angry waters. What India most needs is to junk the poisonous ideology of secularism and recover its sense of the sacred.

-The Pioneer, 16th July 2013

Tarun Vijay’s photo exhibition shares details about the 1100-year-old UNESCO world heritage site. He spoke toGoter Gangkak

From time immemorial, India has contributed immensely to the growth of religion and culture in other Asian countries. Different religions have travelled out and entered at the same time. Archaeology is one of the best indicators of exchange of culture between parts in the world. The photo exhibition by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Kailas in Cambodia by Tarun Vijay, who is a Parliamentarian and photographer, traces archeological links between the temples in India and Indo-China as well as South East Asia.

Tarun Vijay took the initiative of visiting the site over the mountain top, becoming the first Indian Parliamentarian to visit the temple. During his visit, he wrote to the PM Hun Sen of Cambodia and PM of Thailand Shinawatra to have the temple entrance from both the sides. “The temple was originally built by the Angkor king Yasovarman in the ninth century AD. The following kings — Suryavarman I, Suryavarman II, Jayavarman VII added new elements to the temple. The temple is also known as Shikareshwar, meaning the lord of the peak that represents Kailas, the abode of Shiva. I took a total of 2500 pictures out of which 50 have been selected and displayed. The experience was fantastic and enlightening,” shared Vijay.

“There are five Gopuras in the temple, located on the slope of the Dangrek range. The layout of the temple is linear, representing the pilgrimage to the abode of Shiva who lives on top of the cliff in the central temple. The mandapa of the central temple depicts Shiva dancing on the head of an elephant-demon. Number of other images of the Hindu Gods are also found,” He informed.

According to Tarun Vijay the existence of the temple sends an important message to the world.

“The Preah Vihear Shiva temple is an example of cordial relation that existed between Buddhists and Shaivites globally, especially in the eastern part,” he added. His photographs represent a glorious period of our country. He believes that this attempt will bring new perspective to the country, “Look East” and not “West” for inspiration.

-The Pioneer, 16th July 2013

India's first high commissioner to Britain, V K Krishna Menon will be honoured posthumously with a blue plaque at the north Londonresidence where he stayed when he first moved to the city before India's Independence.

London's blue plaques commemorate the link between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked and India's former defence minister now joins the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, with one in his memory at 30 Langdon Park Road in Highgate.

Menon, known for his love for the city and an active social and political life during his long stay in the UK, lived at the north London home from 1929 to 1931.

The plaque will be unveiled by former Labour Cabinet minister Tony Benn tomorrow, whose father William Wedgwood Benn was Secretary of State for India from 1929 to 1931 when Menon was campaigning for Indian independence in Britain.

James Callaghan, Britain's former Labour Prime Minister, described Menon as "the embodiment of the movement within Britain for India's freedom".

Menon moved to England from Madras (now Chennai) in 1924 and he was elected as a Labour councillor for the borough of St Pancras in central London in 1934.

He held the seat for 14 years and is credited with introducing travelling libraries and children's corners in the area.

During World War II, he served as an air warden around Camden Square where he was living at the time.

In 1955, he was made a freeman of St Pancras, only the second person ever to be given the honour - the first being author George Bernard Shaw.

The London-wide blue plaques scheme has been running for over 140 years, and now comprises around 850 plaques.

Of these, nearly a dozen are in memory of famous Indians who lived and worked in the city, including the likes of former home minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel and poet Rabindranath Tagore.

-The Business Standard, 16th July 2013

A trial court on Tuesday dropped the charges under stringent anti-organized crime law MCOCA against alleged wildlife poacher Sansar Chand.

An additional sessions judge at the Tis Hazari court refused to slap the stringent charges against 55-year-old Sansar Chand, who has been in jail since 2005.

Accused of killing over 200 tigers besides thousands of other wildlife species, Chand had opposed levying of charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act on technical grounds.

His counsel, Pramod Kumar Dubey, had said that a MCOCA case is not applicable against Sansar Chand as it was filed as a supplementary charge.

Reacting to the day's development, the Central Bureau of Investigation said it was yet to read the order. The agency, however, said that it would decide on the next course of action after consulting its legal team.

In 2010, the court had granted bail to Sansar Chand. Chand was arrested in June 2005 by Delhi Police from Paharganj area, after which CBI had taken him into custody.

During interrogation Chand had provided several clues to CBI and also pointed to the existence of an organized crime syndicate engaged in a large-scale operation across various wildlife sanctuaries in the country.

In 2005, the agency had chargesheeted him under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), a first against any wildlife criminal.

Sansar Chand was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and one surety of the same amount. He, however, would not be out of jail owing to several other cases pending against him in other courts.

He is an accused in numerous cases under the Wildlife Protection Act for poaching of tigers in the Sariska tiger reserve.

His bail plea was opposed by CBI on the ground that he has been charged under MCOCA.

The court, however, said mere pendency of MCOCA case cannot be a ground for denying bail.

Besides Chand, others who were chargesheeted by CBI were Sudesh Kumar, Babu, Badal and Ritu.

In 2010, the top court had slammed Sansar Chand in the strongest terms for challenging his conviction, saying, "You are selling the skin of tigers and leopards. Tomorrow, you would sell even human skin."

- The Times of India, 17th July 2013

We may have trumpeted that the elephant is our National Heritage Animal, but we have failed to honour the promise therein. We continue to destroy their habitats, push them into conflicts with humans and endanger their lives as well as ours

A herd of 11 elephants (including three calves) entered the industrial city of Rourkela in Odisha on July 6. The herd had strayed into the city during the quiet hours of early morning. As the day progressed and crowds swelled, the situation quickly deteriorated and the elephants found themselves trapped in an under-construction stadium in the city. Mobs gathered and started harassing the animals — screaming, jeering, pelting stones, bricks and anything they found handy. The agitated, terrified elephants panicked, running aimlessly around the stadium, charging the crowd in an attempt to protect their calves, and to flee.

The situation was explosive but the concerned forest authorities, working in coordination with the district administration, handled it well. Police was deployed to rein in the mob, fire engines were tasked with spraying the animals to cool them down in the intense heat, and to provide water to drink. Fodder was arranged for the herd to calm it down and sustain it through the ordeal. The forest staff waited until nightfall, and ‘elephant trackers’ — squads comprising daily wage labour present in all elephant-occupied ranges of Odisha — were deployed to escort the animals out into adjoining forests. But, eventually, since these forests are fragmented and cannot sustain an elephant population, they were led and ‘beaten’ into the North Chirobeda forests in Saranda, Jharkhand.

In this particular case, a tragedy was averted. But I would stop short of calling this a ‘happy ending’. The forests of Saranda and Keonjhar — Asia’s finest and largest Sal forests — have been ravaged by mines. Many more mining operations are on the anvil, scripting the demise of this fecund forest. Where will the elephant go?

Incidents of elephants entering Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Mysore, Haridwar — cities abutting forests — are not infrequent. Today, human-elephant conflict has escalated across its range, with fatal consequences to both sides.

In June 2011, an elephant showed up in Mysore, and in the ensuing panic, it killed a security guard, trampled a cow, and caused extensive damage to vehicles. He was part of a herd which had strayed into a village, and had been harangued and chased by the panicked locals. The equally panicked elephants tried to escape, and in the ensuing melee, they got separated and two stumbled into Mysore and deeper trouble.

While it is critical that we have best practices and a strategy for solving such specific situations, and have a trained and well-equipped force, these are first-aid solutions to a deeper and more complex issue of conflict which needs to be addressed and resolved. At the heart of the conflict is the destruction and fragmentation of elephant habitats and corridors by mining, industrialisation, infrastructural development —highways, roads, canals — and expanding human habitation. All of this leaves the elephants little room and the herds get disoriented in their seasonal migrations in search of food, water and undisturbed habitat.

I have touched on this issue before in this column, but it merits repetition: We may have declared the elephant as our National Heritage Animal, but we have failed to honour the promise therein. We may worship the elephant as Lord Ganesha, but is our reverence limited to gods of stone?

I say this after much thought and deliberation. There is little doubt that it is our people’s tolerance, cultural association and indeed veneration for animals that has played a key role in saving wildlife, apart from protectionist laws. But loss and fragmentation of habitats has thrown man and animal into deeper conflict, and coupled with increasing urbanisation and consumerism has led to alienation from our roots, and frayed our tolerance.

Nothing illustrates our diminishing tolerance better than a photograph of a fallen elephant killed by enraged villagers, lying lifeless in its own blood in a field of paddy. Scrawled on the carcass was ‘Dhan Chor Bin Laden’ (paddy thief Bin Laden). God had morphed into a thief and a terrorist. This was in Sonitpur district in Assam, where the human-elephant conflict is particularly severe.

Somehow, despite the elephant’s cultural symbolism, despite its legally protected status, the pachyderm has not quite garnered the requisite support and focus required for its conservation. The Government has failed to act on the recommendations of its own Elephant Task Force. While some cosmetic recommendations — like the ‘Haathi Mera Saathi’ campaign — are underway, the two key recommendations which granted the elephant a safe home have seen little action. A major recommendation of notifying critical elephant habitat and corridors under the ‘protected areas’ network, and entire elephant reserve areas as eco-sensitive zones has been ignored. Such a notification will help restrict and regulate drastic changes in landscape, and provide essential safeguards to protect habitats, and thereby help mitigate conflict. But elephant habitat, particularly in the central-eastern belt, is also prime coal country. Elephants rate a poor second to coal, and mining leases are being given in rich elephant forests.

Another key recommendation that was turned down was the constitution of a National Elephant Conservation Authority along the lines of National Tiger Conservation Authority. Such a statutory authority would help strengthen, consolidate and focus efforts on elephant conservation, rather than the toothless body ‘Project Elephant’ it is currently, with its role largely limited to doling out petty amounts, given its limited budget, as conflict compensation.

But let me end on a positive note from Coimbatore. Forests surround this rapidly growing and industrial town. With six major elephant corridors in the district amidst a mosaic of land uses, the region is a conflict hotspot.

Aritra Kshettry and Sreedhar Vijayakrishnan, wrote what they witnessed in December 2012 in the outskirts of the city: “A mob of local youths (were) jeering and provoking a herd of elephants. The matriarch positioned herself between the crowd and the herd, trying in vain to calm the young members of her family. Sometimes the men, trying to prove their machismo, walked right up to the elephants to instigate them and induce some reaction. The elephants were clearly traumatised, as reflected by their constant distress calls. This only seemed to goad the people further…” A week after the incident, two persons were killed as a result of similar incidents.

Six months later, the story has changed. Constant vigil and strict action by the forest department, as well as an awareness and sensitisation programme by local conservationists, NGOs and the forest authorities have helped bring about positive change; and the people here, in the foothills of the Western Ghats, now protect the elephant. People have learnt to let the elephants be, and have granted them the rights of passage.

(The columnist is senior consultant, WCS India, and founder-director of ‘Bagh’. She is also a member of the National Board for Wildlife)

-The Times of India, 17th July 2013

A day after Hindustan Times pointed out how a dozen shanties had occupied prime place right next to the Purana Qila wall, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) swung into action and removed them.

Sixty-odd people, all workers engaged by a contractor working for ASI’s horticulture department, lived in these shanties and tapped electricity for free, consumed water from an old well in the premises and burnt branches/twigs from the surrounding greens to cook food.

However, more than misusing the place, the shanties — with bright orange, yellow and blue plastic covers —contrasted the lush green of the adjoining lake to give the protected monument a shabby look.

“We asked the contractor to make alternative arrangements for the labourers,” an ASI official said.

- The Hindustan times, 17th July 2013

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation is all set to conduct water harvesting in all its parks, dispensaries, baraat ghars, schools, hospitals and community centres.

The civic body on Tuesday passed a resolution to combat the problem of receding water level, which according to corporators, has gone down over 100ft.

Leader of the House in the North civic body Mahender Nagpal, who brought the resolution at the meeting on Tuesday, said water harvesting was need of the hour.

"The water level of the city has gone down alarmingly over the years. There is an urgent need to get the water level up and only innovations will help. From now, all parks, dispensaries, baraat ghars, schools, hospitals and community centres under our jurisdiction will have water harvesting systems," Nagpal said. He said the commissioner will now take necessary action to make the resolution effective.

According to a senior official, water harvesting is already compulsory for all new buildings.

"In 2012, the Delhi cabinet had in-principle approved a proposal to make the system mandatory for all new constructions. The government had asked the Delhi Jal Board to come up with guidelines on the issue. Earlier, the government had proposed that proper water connections should be issued to buildings with rainwater harvesting systems," the official said.

-The Hindustan times, 17th July 2013

It’s stupid to damage Hampi for sake of roads

It has only been a few months since the Congress took over the reins in Karnataka and already the State's foremost historical site has come under threat. Earlier this month, the 153-year-old Dadapeer Chatra, which is part of the ‘Group of Monuments at Hampi', a Unesco World Heritage site, was torn down by a callous Karnataka Public Works Department tasked with widening the four kilometre long road connecting Kondanayakanahalli and Hampi. Built in 1860 as a resting place by a local Sultan, the historical monument is not part of the mighty Vijayanagar Empire that was once anchored in Hampi but it is nevertheless part of the famous Hampi ruins that are spread over 236sq kms. The Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority is directly responsible for the protection and conservation of the ruins while the Archaeological Survey of India owns the groups of monuments. Yet, the Public Works Department reportedly did not care to get permission from either authority before demolishing the historical structure. In the aftermath of the incident, HWHAMA, which was clearly caught napping, shot off a legal notice to the PWD but unsurprisingly it has not received a response yet. Meanwhile, State Tourism Minister RV Deshpande seems to be clueless about the matter. He has pointed out that the related file never came to him for clearance. Naturally, then, he has no idea about how the ruins at Hampi are being threatened by the Government itself, even though it is these very ruins that form the centrepiece of the State's tourism plans.

And that is not all. In yet another case of official bungling at Hampi, the ASI seems to have messed up the restoration of a 15th century fort wall at the heritage site. The 500 metre high wall, which once protected the Queen's Palace, now reportedly lies buried in soil and sand and resembles a check dam. The ASI claims to have used a combination of restoration and conservation methods to protect the fort wall but that still does not explain why the structure now looks nothing like the original. The list can go on. Late last year, for instance, the authorities were caught entirely off guard when so-called ‘treasure hunters' vandalised a 15 feet watch tower or galigopura on the Malayavantha hills at Hampi. The miscreants first dug around the three-storeyed structure but when they failed to access any treasure troves below, they used dynamite to damage the tower that is believed to be at least 700 years old. That vandals would even dare to take up such an operation at Hampi, despite the fact that it is a protected site, speaks volumes. As expected, there were no closed circuit television cameras at the Malayavantha hills while round-the-clock patrolling of the ruins had reportedly been discontinued for no rhyme or reason. Unfortunately, the official apathy that is evident at Hampi is also the norm at most historical sites and monuments across the country which today lie uncared for and in neglect.

-The Pioneer, 17th July 2013

If all goes well, by early next year, Delhi will have something in common with the historical cities of Rome, Cairo and Damascus – the UNESCO World Heritage City tag. The final "dossier" for Delhi's bid for a berth in this elite club is ready and will be sent to UNESCO this September.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), on behalf of the Delhi government, took nearly three years to prepare the dossier, named "The Imperial Capital Cities of Delhi".

It focuses on two areas of Delhi: Shahjahanabad (areas of Old Delhi earmarked by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his capital between 1638-1648) and New Delhi (the British capital designed by Sir Edward Lutyens between 1912-1931).

Convenor of INTACH (Delhi chapter) Professor A G K Menon said: "We submitted a document for UNESCO's tentative list last year. A city must remain on this list for a year before it is considered for the World Heritage City status. Now the final dossier is ready and is with the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), which is the nodal agency to coordinate the nomination procedures. We submitted the dossier to DTTDC earlier this month. They they will pass it on to the Archaeological Survey of India, which will scrutinise it and send it to UNESCO in September."

"UNESCO will give its feedback on it and based on that, we will work more on the dossier. The final dossier will be submitted to UNESCO next January," he said.

The morphology of Shahjahanabad and the central vista of New Delhi have been laid out in the dossier. The central vista talks about the integration of the garden city concept and the City Beautiful Movement.

Sudhir Sobti, who heads DTTDC's public relations department, said getting Delhi on the UNESCO World Heritage City list had several short-term and long-term benefits.

-The Indian Express, 17th July 2013

The national green tribunal on Wednesday issued summons to the principal secretary (revenue and forests) to appear before the tribunal on July 22.

The tribunal said government agencies have failed to implement its order to remove debris and encroachment from the Delhi ridge and settle forest rights of local people. The tribunal termed the efforts made by these agencies an eyewash.

“It is a shocking state of affairs that since 1994 forest rights or the forest areas in Delhi have not been settled by any authority... The response to the question of settlement of rights of citizens is completely silent, vague and uncertain in terms,” the tribunal said.

-The Hindustan Times, 18th July 2013

Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan has offered support in the "reconstruction of disaster-hit Uttarakhand".

During her hour-long meeting with Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna Wednesday, she reportedly agreed to the state's various proposals, including demand for Green Bonus in lieu of eco system services, empowering the state to give clearance for using one hectare of forest land for development, relaxation in timeline for declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zone, possible requirement of forest land for relocating 298 disaster-affected families, deputing a MoEF nodal officer to give clearance for using upto five hectare forest land at local level. "Most of the demands we put before her are old. We have already sent proposals to her ministry," said a state government official.

"Now we can use forest land upto one hectare to build helipad, ropeway, bridge and alternative alignments of roads," said a source in the state government.

-The Indian Express, 18th July 2013

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) team reviewing the damage to the Kedarnath temple says that its entire foundation might be compromised.

A senior officer in the ASI said that the team's detailed report sent to the ASI director-general said that while the temple has developed cracks on its outer and inner portions, its foundation seems be shaky due to the extensive damages caused to it by heavy boulders on the day of the tragedy when massive floods devastated the temple and areas around it.

The report was submitted three days after the team conducted a detailed survey of the overall damage to the shrine.

The officer said they had also said in the report that as a lot of water had accumulated on the foundation, restoration and repair work on the temple will be a futile exercise without strengthening its foundation.

"We have clearly said that the calamity has dealt a serious blow to the foundation of temple and unless its foundation is strengthened, repair and re-building on the temple will be of no use," a member of the ASI team said.

-The Times of India, 18th July 2013

Despite orders by the national green tribunal to stop dumping of debris along the Yamuna and to remove what has already been thrown there, local commissioners appointed by the court informed it on Wednesday that debris are still being dumped, especially at the Geeta Colony site.

The report said more debris is being dumped at the site regularly, especially near the water. Debris can also be found in front of the residential blocks of Geeta Colony and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. The commissioner of the east Delhi corporation has been told to ensure that no debris is thrown along the Geeta Colony side of the river.

The court has also ordered all public authorities including UP government to hold daily meetings with the secretary of the environment ministry from Thursday onwards to finalize a beautification plan for the Yamuna along with the course of action to be adopted for removal of debris and cleaning of the river bank and submit the plan to the court.

"Despite specific orders of the tribunal and the claim of the public authorities, state governments including the national capital territory of Delhi that the orders are being executed in their true spirit and substance, still dumping continues on the river bank of Yamuna, particularly at Geeta Colony site. We direct the NCT of Delhi and all public authorities and corporations to ensure that this debris is removed immediately and no further debris is permitted to be dumped at the river bank of Yamuna under any circumstances," a five member bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar observed.

It added that Delhi government should ensure police presence at the sites to prevent dumping and the home secretary should especially post police personnel at each entrance to the river at Geeta Colony. Notice boards warning people against dumping of debris should be put up again. All this work is to be completed within two weeks from Wednesday.

Both UP irrigation department and Delhi Development Authority claimed in their affidavits that they had not dumped any debris along the river and that they had no idea who had dumped debris there. The bench noted that "there is an utter confusion in regard to the co-ordination and cooperation between various public authorities, departments, state government and the MoEF".

The court also took notice of the fact that the agencies concerned had failed to finalize a beautification programme for the Yamuna. It said that the counsel appearing for the public authorities claimed that the departments and state governments had not responded and in fact some of them even not filed affidavit in response to the court's order dated May 23, 2013.

-The Times of India, 18th July 2013

When it comes to buildings world over we see many architectural marvels, be it a heritage building, commercial or housing complex. They boast of human brilliance. However, it is important to remember where it all began — with nature. Since the evolution of mankind, we have been imitating nature and look to her for inspiration. In what can be called the latest lesson in architecture, scientists have been drawing inspiration from termites.

Mound-building termites or mound-builders, found in Africa, Australia and South America, have a unique way of building houses. The termite mound has built-in climate control. It can maintain constant temperature and humidity even in the harsh climate of sub-Saharan African regions where the outside temperature varies from 3 degree celsius to 42 degree celsius.

Scientists have been studying the mound's system of temperature control, recycling and structure in order to apply the same to emerging green building technologies. It was found that the termites achieve temperature control by constantly opening and closing a series of heating and cooling vents throughout the mound over the course of the day.

With a system of carefully adjusted convection currents, air is sucked in at the lower part of the mound, down into enclosures with muddy walls, and up through a channel to the peak of the termite mound. The industrious termites constantly dig new vents and plug up old ones in order to regulate the temperature. Researchers have created 3D images of the mound’s structure and found that the idea can be incorporated in the construction of modern buildings. In fact, a mid-rise office complex in Harare, Zimbabwe, has been designed and constructed applying a technology similar to that used in the mounds. The building has no conventional air-conditioning or heating, yet it stays regulated year round. The complex uses only 10 per cent of the energy used in a conventional building of its size.

No talk of nature’s engineering feats, especially those of homes, is complete without mentioning birds’ nests. Among the birds, without a doubt, the “Weaver Bird” takes the trophy. Commonly known as Tailor Birds or Finches, Weaver Birds are known as Geejagana Hakkigalu in Kannada. They belong to the Ploceidae family. Even the popular English Sparrow, a town dweller, comes from this family. Builder of the most complex nests, Weaver Birds are named accordingly. Their conical nests can be seen suspended from branches of trees. Only the male Weaver Bird engages in the construction of the nest. These winged species, search for a safe location to build nests, generally during the mating season, usually on branches hung over abandoned wells. Did you know that to test the strength of the branch, the bird pulls on it and hangs from it for several hours? The birds make 500 trips a day to collect small dried branches, long and dry paddy leaves and other natural materials. They use their sharp beaks to sew the nests intricately, like a master tailor. The knots formed provide stiffness to the nest. Generally, the top portion, woven like a cone, is made with leaves which prevent seepage of rain water inside The birds gather the plant fibre and mix it well with their saliva which makes it elastic and water-proof. An awe-inspiring aspect of these nests is their lighting arrangement. The birds catch small fireflies and stick them to the inner walls of the nest, thus providing light to the nest. Their sturdy nests have a long life spread over many decades. The birds are famous for building apartments in which 100 to 300 bird families can live in individual chambers. Sounds familiar? This only goes to show how nature has a great deal to teach us, as long as we ask the right questions.

- The Deccan Herald, 19th July 2013

Heritage As petha becomes a cause of pollution, R.V. Smith recounts some sweet and not so sweet tales about the Moghul delicacy

Delhi sweet lovers will be dismayed to learn that the petha industry is facing a crisis as it is being penalised for pollution. When Shah Jahan was building the Taj, one of the problems he had to face was finding a sweet dish for the 21,000 workers who had only arhar dal and thick rotis to eat every evening. Master architect Ustad Isa Effendi’s help was sought. He asked his Pir, Naqshbandi Sahib, to help him fulfil the emperor’s desire. The great saint used to go into a trance after late night prayers, when he made contact with his soul and the Almighty. The answer came to him on the third night. A variety of pumpkin grown on the Yamuna bank, used as vegetable by men, with the thick outer skin becoming fodder for cattle should be cut into pieces. These should be boiled in “chasni” (sugar solution) in huge cauldrons and then cooled after which the preparation could serve not only as dessert but also an energy-giving food. Ustad Effendi conveyed this to Shah Jahan and 500 halwais were put on the job. Some think the number must have been more than that but after a week petha began to be served to the daily labourers. At least this is how the story goes.

When the Red Fort and Jama Masjid were being constructed, petha was made for the workers in Delhi too. But it was found that it was not as delicious. The reason was that though the Yamuna flowed here too, its water lacked the same property because of the different nature of the alluvial soil. So petha was brought in bullock carts from Agra and mixed with the local produce so that it became more palatable. Even now, the petha made in Delhi tastes different. That’s why whoever goes to see the Taj brings back boxes of it. One can notice this when the Taj Express rolls into Nizamuddin station every evening — or for that matter other trains coming there or to the New Delhi and Delhi Main stations. Seeing the big demand for the sweet, some Agra manufacturers have opened outlets in the Capital, the prominent ones being in Patel Nagar and Fatehpuri.

With petha goes delmoth. Moth-ki-dal is eaten as one of the popular lentils. Moth-ki Masjid in South Extension has made moth famous since the time a grain of it was given in the 15th Century to a once favourite courtier by Sikandar Lodhi. Miyan Bhuva salaam -ed the sultan and kept the moth in his turban. He later planted it and, lo, like the biblical mustard seed, it grew into a huge tree in which the birds of the air built their nests and from the proceeds of which and successive trees he built a mosque before Sikander got him murdered.

However, in Moghul times when Taj construction workers began to complain that their mouths became too sweet after eating petha, the emperor was faced with another problem, to which a solution was found by a fat halwai attached to Shah Jahan’s kitchen. He mixed moth and seo (thin basen or gram flour bits extracted like simmai or vermicelli from a sieve) and succeeded in producing a salty appetizer that went well with petha, as it diluted its over-sweet taste. Even now people buy both the items as a tasty combination washed down with water or tea. As a matter of fact, a petha-dalmoth breakfast is a favourite even for wedding guests.

Jawarharlal Nehru was fond of dalmoth petha and so was Dr Ram Manohar Lohia. One remembers Sucheta Kripalani as the Chief Minister of U.P. ordering several boxes of dalmoth petha whenever she visited Agra, some of which went to her husband, Acharya J. B. Kripalani and relatives in Delhi. Indira Gandhi liked the stuff too, but she was fonder of monkey-nuts. When she was elected Prime Minister, journalist Amita Malik went to interview her. She talked to her for a while and then said, “Amita, I think that’s enough. Let me have some monkey-nuts now. I haven’t eaten them for a long time.” And this despite the fact that she had a delicate digestive system, which was eventually set right by Dhirendra Brahamchari through yoga asanas.

One more thing about petha that needs to be told is that the djinns were also supposed to be fond of it and presented it to their human sweethearts at dead of night in leaf cups (daunas). Some old residents of Mehrauli may vouch for this. Mithai-ka-Pul at Noori Darwaza (home of the earliest Bengali migrants) was supposed to be the main haunt of djinns (as vividly recounted by 19th Century magistrate J.F. Fanthome in his novel on the “Mutiny”). They came dressed in white and bought a lot of petha as ordinary customers but the seller did manage to recognise them as they cast no shadows.

Now the Commissioner of Agra Division has issued a notification that the 1,500 bhattis or coal furnaces “which consume 2,25,000 kg of coal every day” should move out of the city to the newly-built Petha Nagri across the Yamuna and switch to natural gas to avoid polluting the atmosphere. The petha makers are in a quandary and have contested the charge that their units are a cause of pollution. But it seems they will willy-nilly have to bow to a Supreme Court direction now and move to Petha Nagri but that will certainly hit the petha industry hard as many units will be forced to close down for the water on the other side of the Yamuna is khari (brackish). And will the djinns too find their way there to please their beloveds or will they start haunting the shops on Delhi’s Pul Bangash? Incidentally, the graves of Ustad Isa Effendi and his Pir in Paliwal Park are still venerated by people who visit them every Thursday. But you won’t find any petha there, which may not taste as sweet for visitors from the Capital and others now because of the khari water and inflated price.

-The Hindu, 22th July 2013

Most of us have grown up listening to stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which were part of the story-telling repertoire of our grandparents and parents but are increasingly given the go by parents of today. Even the ubiquitous Amar Chitra Katha comics, a must-read for many of us too rarely find space in the “global” children of today who might score 90 per cent in English and if you ask them to write a paragraph on any subject of their choice, they will make 25 mistakes in it — this by the way is a real-time situation that my sister experienced when she was making selections for undergraduates in a respected Delhi University college (the BJP debate on English notwithstanding)! It is my conviction that the Epics must be viewed against the backdrop of not only the value system and ideals they represent as they form the very core of the collective psyche but also visual arts and theatrical traditions. And it is hardly surprising that they have permeated the very fabric of our folk and traditional performing arts and painting traditions. Even before the term popular culture gained currency, the epics had captured the imagination of the artists and artistes where the sheer power of the myth captivated enough to include the heroes and the anti-heroes within their ambit, with all the regional flavours intact. Virtually all forms of wall paintings and sculpture traditions across the country be they the patachitra, madhubani, kohbar painting, patua paintings or the mandna tradition terracotta sculptures all look towards the epics for their thematic sustenance.

It must be remembered that theatrical traditions in the Asian context are not merely leisure time activity but form an integral part of the reality of life. These forms are bound by a commonality of thematic content, narrative, contextual similarities and a highly stylised repertoire. There is an inbuilt system of unity in their artistic vision and performance traditions. The unbroken continuity with acceptance of change, modification and dynamism is perhaps an indication of the conviction in tradition being akin to a flowing river — ever changing, ever dynamic and ever vibrant. The performing arts revolving around the Epics can’t be viewed as an isolated art activity but must be viewed within the context of deep concerns of the world-view of the Indian mindset. The forms may vary from esoteric worship and ritual practices including painting to street theatre to circus and acrobatic forms, and go far beyond the momentary artistic and theatrical experience. The spread of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata theatre has shaped the contours of life and art of the people of not only India but also southeast Asia, Central Asia, China and even Japan. The genesis of the story goes back to 1000 to 800 BC beyond doubt to a period prior to the date of Valmiki’s creation of the Ramayana. The simplest and the most popular form is that of the kathakara. He may be called the Rama Kathakara or the Hari kathakara and is a singer, musician, mono actor and instrumentalist all rolled into one. The performer has the liberty to interpolate and paraphrase to give the story contemporary validity like a sutradhaar of Sanskrit drama or the vidhushak of kudiyattam and is an important form of social and political satire. In Orissa, it is Dasikathia form of ballad singing, which extols the virtues of Rama that is popular. In Andhra, it is the Burrakatha that holds sway. Here there are three singers with a mono-actor, who performs several roles. In fact it uses the Ranganatha Ramayana for its text and it will be of interest that here Laxman then becomes an important character in this version. For when Rama is exiled, Laxman asks for two boons: One, sleep for his queen Urmila for 14 years and for himself, 14 years of waking. He draws seven protective lines instead of one around Sita. Ravan’s son Indrajit and daughter in law Sulochna are also important characters in this version. There are singing and mono-acting traditions prevalent in other parts of India with each drawing upon regional versions the Ramayana. The Veergasey singers from Mysore use the Toravai and the Pampa Ramayana. In Kerala it is the kamban Ramayana that is popular. Bengali ballad singers use Krittivasa’s Ramayana. But the most popular continues to be Tulsidas’ Ramacharitmanas, which is sung, recited, and enacted all over north India. The most spectacular of course is the enactment of the Ramayana in Banaras, called the Ramnagar ki Ramayana, where the venue shifts everyday of the performance to include every area of the city during Navratri when the good must conquer evil on Dussehra and the entire population of the city joins to relive the story and feel the pain, the anguish and the pleasure of the dramatis personae. And in that sense, the draw their ideals from them. It might be of interest to know that India is perhaps the only country that can boast of having all the four forms of puppet theatre, that is shadow, rod, glove and string. And all of them, whether the Ravana chhaya from Orissa or tholubommalattam from Andhra or Karnataka, all look towards the Ramayana and the Mahabharata for their literary content. But for me it is the Mahabharata that holds enthrall in its stories, its world-view, position of women and the value system. For it is said what doesn’t exist in the Mahabharata doesn’t exist in the world. But of that next week!

-The Asian Age, 22th July 2013

Saturday's record downpour, combined with the callous response of civic authorities, has led to irreversible damage tonational heritage. More than 100 antique miniature paintings and sculptures remained submerged for hours in up to eight feet of water as the basement site of a privately-owned museum in south Delhi got flooded.

Water started entering the museum, owned by artist Arpana Caur, at the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature in Siri Fort institutional area around 2pm on Saturday. Caur said an MCD van and pump arrived only on early Sunday morning after repeated calls. She also blamed the part-covering of the August Kranti Road nullah during the Commonwealth Gamesfor the backflow that led to the flooding.

The basement houses a miniature and folk arts museum in which hundreds of paintings and sculptures were displayed. "It was horrifying seeing these priceless antiques floating in water. For four hours from 3pm on Saturday, we begged the municipality for a pump. At 9 pm we bought our own pump, but the electricity went off at 4am. The MCD van and pump finally came at 6am on Sunday," Caur said.

MCD's pump worked till 11am but was able to drain out only one foot of water. "For the rest, they told us to use buckets,'' she said.

Each miniature is approximately 150-200 years old and registered with the Archaeological Survey of India, the artist said, adding that they haven't had the time to assess the damage to sculptures placed inside locked cupboards.

"Right now, we are in damage control mode and haven't had time to assess the loss. Colours have faded in many of the miniatures. Each painting is being removed from its frame and dried with blotting paper,'' Caur said.

The artist said the pressure of the gushing water was such that it broke the museum doors. Within a half hour, there was up to 8-feet water in the basement. She squarely blamed the civic agencies for the backflow that caused the flooding.

"For 23 years, we have faced no problem. This is all due to a huge backflow of the August Kranti Road nallah which was partly covered for the Commonwealth Games. We went to court and the central environment committee to prevent this from being fully covered as we started facing this backflow problem," Caur said.

"The overflowing nallah has not been cleaned for years despite our several requests and has become completely clogged. A few years ago I had a part of it cleaned from my own money through sweepers but big machinery was needed. This is going to happen again because the big nullahs are never cleaned in time and the backflow comes like a flood,'' said Caur.

A team of art restorers will be brought in to salvage the paintings. While the exact financial impact of the damage is yet to be assessed, each miniature is priced at approximately Rs 15 lakh and there were 120 such paintings on display in the folk art museum. The number of painting damaged is yet to be tabulated. Some of the miniatures were "extremely special", including rare Pahadi paintings and some that were brought by Caur's family during the partition.

"I and my mother (writer Ajeet Caur) have been collecting miniatures for decades. My own work has been inspired by them. Some of the miniatures on display in the first floor museum have been saved fortunately but for the damaged ones, we have been working all day to salvage them. Restoration of the miniatures will be very expensive. There were sculptures floating in the water and we have not yet opened the five cupboards in which other antique sculptures were stored in the museum,'' said an upset Caur, who has been hosting underprivileged school children in the museum for decades.

Officials from PWD could not be contacted. A senior MCD official said the agency had worked with limited resources during Saturday's heavy rain. "We have 120 pumps and we tried sending them wherever required. Saturday's downpour was an extreme situation," said an official.

- The Times of India, 22th July 2013

The Okhla Bird Sanctuary has welcomed with open arms the rare Streaked Weaver Birds again, after a gap of over a decade. Over a dozen have been spotted in the sanctuary so far, with their peculiar nests in marshy wetlands and tall grasses.

Ecologists say the number of weaver birds is dwindling faster than that of sparrows and are elated with the sighting of 13 Streaked Weaver birds in a city exposed to constant urbanisation.

“This season, the number of Streaked Weaver birds in Delhi has turned out to be the maximum ever since 2003. Until a decade ago, these birds would come in large flocks and were mostly found in patches along the Yamuna,” said TK Roy, a noted environmentalist.

Okhla’s swamps and tall grasses are conducive for weaver birds’ habitation, he said, but population pressure on land led to their decline. “Last year, four Streaked Weaver Birds were sighted. Unfortunately, not a single bird was found in 2010 and 2011. It was because there was a lot of disturbance in this place,” Roy added.

“On one side, there was rapid public invasion and on the other, the number of cattle also increased. Cattle are a kind of a repellent to this species of bird,” he explained.

The Streaked Weaver, ‘Teliya Baya’ in Hindi, is a summer migrant from south and South-East Asia. It nests in small colonies on the Typha plant just above the water surface. It crafts its nest over tall coarse grasslands or swampy reed beds.

These birds have a heavily streaked breast while the males also possess a crown, which is golden yellow in colour. “The striking feature of this species of weaver bird is that it finds a home in messy and moist areas, say near or over marshlands and swamps. Their nests are often preserved for decoration purposes by people. Sheer architectural marvels, these are a lot in demand,” added Roy.

Weaver birds are famous for their nests. Of the four species — Baya Weaver, Fin’s Weaver, Black-Breasted and Streaked, the latter two are the rarest in the country.

-The Pioneer, 22th July 2013

Photographs of historical monuments that dot the streets of Delhi, such as Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and Purana Qila are splashed on the walls of Delhi O Delhi foyer at India Habitat Centre. A part of the exhibition, "Aks-O-Aab-Reflections On Water", they are unlike the conventional perspectives of the Capital's landmarks. Visitors lean forward for a closer look at the dozen works on display and some suspect at first glance that the images have been Photoshopped. They have not. Instead, photographer Aadil Jamal has presented the monuments through their reflections in the waterbodies surrounding them.

"If I were to shoot monuments that have existed for more than a hundred years, have been written about and photographed extensively, how can I present it in a different way in 2013?" says Jamal, an advertising professional, who has also worked on the "Incredible India" campaign.

Talking about his journey of photographing these monuments, Jamal says, "I was dependent on the monsoon. I would visit these monuments when the clouds gathered and I felt it would rain. As soon as I found water around the monuments, I would start clicking." In case of Humayun's tomb, whose clear reflection can be seen in still water in one of the photographs, he says, "There is a fountain around it and I did not want to shoot when the fountain was running because the image would not have been clear and sharp. I want the audience to stare at my images. I would wait for the monument to be closed to the public and, just before the gates shut, I would start shooting. I had to get my shot in 10 minutes." Fascinated by monuments, Jamal says that this is his way of getting youngsters interested in Indian history. "Even people of my generation have little knowledge about our history and drive past these monuments without stopping. Everyone likes watching movies and browsing social networking sites but very few have time to visit these monuments and know their stories," he says.

-The Indian Express, 22th July 2013

A smart shower and Delhi starts floating. But the issue is not limited to clogged drains alone.

The government’s failure to address several environmental issues is as much responsible for the monsoon mayhem.

Experts have warned things will get worse if issues such as covering of storm water drains, concretisation of tree bases and inadequate rain water storage are not addressed immediately.

Vindo Jain of NGO Tapas said: “There is a court order issued on my petition that there has to be storage of rain water falling on flyovers. This will prevent flooding and recharge groundwater. But that’s not happening.”

“Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had admitted before National Green Tribunal that 42 of its 105 elevated stations do not have rain water harvesting facility,” said green activist Vikrant Tongad.

Manu Bhatnagar of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage said, “Millions of litres of rain water is lost every monsoon because storm water drains are often covered for commercial purposes.”

Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has requested Delhi’s Lt. Governor to ban covering of such drains. “Storm water drains collect and safely carry away rain water and are key groundwater recharge zones,” Misra said.

“With an improved GIS technology at hand, we can easily prepare a digital elevation model to know where the natural drainage lines have been hampered or cut off by poor planning and construction. We need to protect the existing storm water drains and revive the lost ones,” he said.

“We are losing precious groundwater and facing floods by cementing bricklined storm drains and closing them with ramps. It has become a norm to close the drains for parking cars,” said another green enthusiast, Padmavati Dwivedi. West Delhi resident AN Prasad, who has been fighting against concretisation of tree bases, said, “Once tree bases are freed of cement, the problems of dying trees, flooding and depleting groundwater will be solved.”

-The Hindustan Times, 22th July 2013

The minute you drive out ofIndira Gandhi International Airport, you passMehramNagar. To many, the village is just another locality with open drains, narrow lanes and garbage. Only the cognoscenti know it's home to ruins of a lost era.

A gateway, a mosque, an enclosing wall, a katra and an authentic Mughal garden—all in various stages of dilapidation and decay—stand testimony to the historicity of the settlement set up in mid-17 th century and named after Mughal courtier Mehram Khan.

"This place is home to three generations of my family. There was a sarai here with three imposing gateways and an enclosing wall. Only fragments of the original architecture have survived and what is left may disappear soon with so much construction happening everywhere. No government agency has ever showed an interest in these structures," old-timer Manohal Lal said.

Only one of the three gateways to the 17th-century Mughal sarai stands today. One other vanished decades ago and remnants of the third can be seen between a cluster of shops and houses. The surviving gateway is an imposing double-storey structure with pointed arch openings enclosed by a cusped arch facade. The side bays have been encroached by shopowners but the fact that the wooden gates are buried at least two feet deep stands testimony to their age. A few feet away, construction work for a Metro station is on full swing. "Alterations to the structure combined with encroachments have come at a cost to the gateway. At first glance, one can barely see what remains of the original structure," said a conservationist.

Some distance away lie remains of the sarai wall. Portions of it can be seen inside the village interspersed by new constructions and houses. Made of rubble masonry, the wall is six metres high and crowned by battlements and vaulted chambers. A significant chunk of the western wall vanished several years ago when a road was laid between Mehram Nagar and a large green area on the other side. A parking lot being built adjacent to the southern wall has taken a toll.

The farmland on the opposite side of Mehram Nagar, is owned by the defence ministry. It houses portions of the enclosing wall and a baoli and is known as Mehram Khan's garden. The ruins stand forgotten, made inaccessible by thick foliage and dense vegetation.

Yet they can be conserved to make Mehram Nagar a prime tourist attraction especially as it's located so close to the airport, say experts.

"It's the first historical site once you drive out of the airport. Delhi is promoted extensively as a heritage destination. Once restored, it will showcase its historical origins well," said an official.

The state archaeology department has identified some of the ruins for conservation and protection in Phase III of a project, the MoU of which has been signed by Intach and Delhi government (Phase II is yet to take off), but "in the meantime, the government should keep a tab and ensure the ruins do not fall prey to urbanization. With so much construction work happening around Mehram Nagar, the ruins could disappear completely", an official said.

-The Hindustan Times, 22th July 2013

The National Green Tribunal has held the forest and revenue departments responsible for "corruption, causing violations of the notified areas of the Ridge and ignoring the rights of people" by not settling forest rights.

The notification declaring areas of north, southcentral and southern Ridge as reserved forest was passed by the lieutenant governor on May 24, 1994.

A five-member bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar has asked both departments to take action before steps are taken against them. "All officials concerned with forest rights of individuals should decide such rights and settle them immediately and not later than three months," the court said.

The environment secretary and officials of the urban development ministry have been asked to declare "within a reasonable time", clarifications about the notification of 1994 and clearly define the forest area. The bench said that the failure of the forest department to have done that has led to encroachments and non-forest related activities in the Ridge, which is leading to its destruction.

The court has also asked the department to submit a report by August 23, the next date of hearing, on what construction is being permitted inside the notified areas of the forest and what steps are being taken to ensure that no construction of non-forest activity is being permitted. It has to also state whether debris has been removed from the forest and if not, issue directions to concerned agencies to take action. The forest department has also been asked to give details of its staff strength and whether it has sufficient number of forest guards, wildlife inspectors and other personnel.

The latter was in response to allegations that a road was allowed to be built inside the Rajokri forest and the forest guard, if any, should have alerted the department about the illegality.

"A JCB (earth mover) entered the forest area and made the entire road. The forest guard, if any, should have known this. The forest department on the other hand has submitted through RTI that no patrolling takes place at night and that they have no idea how many trees were cut for this road," said amicus curiae Raj Panjwani who brought the matter of unauthorized construction inside the Ridge before the NGT after a TOI report on illegal roads in the Rajokri forest on March 27, 2013.

The forest department is facing a severe manpower crunch with sources claiming the organization is top heavy but does not have staff on ground. In an affidavit submitted to the NGT, the forest department said it has vacancy for 36 forest guards and three wildlife inspectors, for which they have approached the government on several occasions. There is also a need for a 150-member multi-task force.

-The Times of India, 23rd July 2013

After undertaking a two-year-long research into Ashoka's stone and bronze sculptures in South Asian countries, former Bharat Kala Bhavan director D. P. Sharma says it is high time that the Union Culture Ministry brought back rare ancient Indian art objects from abroad and displayed them in exhibitions across the country.

"Over the years, Buddhist travellers from China, Japan and other South Asian countries visiting India for pilgrimage have been gifted mementos and bronze sculptures of Ashoka. In 2001, an international exhibition of four great civilizations was mounted at established museums in Tokyo and Nagaya, where art objects from India, China, Egypt and Iraq were put on display. From India, art objects from the Indus Valley Civilisation were displayed. I led this delegation."

Fortunately for Dr. Sharma, the Chinese delegation had brought a rare statue, which after meticulous examination he discovered was of Ashoka and had come from an ancient kingdom based on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Dr. Sharma, an archaeologist, musicologist and art historian all rolled into one, told about this to the head of the Chinese delegation and he confirmed that it indeed was of the Indian king.

Emphasising the need to host exhibitions in main cities across the country on Ashoka's statues, Dr. Sharma asserted that it can shed light on how Buddhism spread from the boundaries of India to other South Asian countries.

On Ashoka statues found in India, Dr. Sharma said one statue of the Indian king and another one of his wife were discovered at Sannathi in Karnataka about a decade ago.

"At Lal Gudi in Odisha, a stone was found with Ashoka's inscription but there was no statue. Unfortunately, India does not have statues of the Mauryan king."

Pointing out that King Ashoka had installed more than 40 stone pillars at different places in South Asia, Dr. Sharma said some of these pillars were discovered in Sarnath, Sanchi, Vaishali, Rampurva and Amaravati.

"These pillars are 40 feet to 50 feet high, and broad at the base and tapering at the top. While the lower part of the pillar is mostly made with a single piece of stone, the upper part is a separate piece of stone. It has the image of an animal such as the lion, bull, horse and elephant at the top."

According to an Archaeological Survey of India official, only the statue in Karnataka has been officially declared as that of Ashoka.

"Figures have been found in Sanchi, which can be attributed to Ashoka as part of stories. So far, the ASI has not identified them as that of the Mauryan king."

Meanwhile, Dr. Sharma has used his extensive research and encyclopaedic knowledge into penning a book on Mauryan art, which he plans to release this year. Another book penned by him, titled Roots of South Asian Art, was released last year.

-The Times of India, 23rd July 2013

A proposed amendment for allowing high rise buildings has been introduced in the Master Plan Delhi-2021 during the review process of the document. Buildings higher than 15 m and without stilt and those higher than 17 m with stilt in all land use zones will be considered as highrise buildings, the modification to the Master Plan stated.

The modification was cleared in the the last Advisory Group meeting on review of MPD-2021, held on July 3 and chaired by former Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna. There is no provision in the Master Plan specifying development control norms for such buildings. Highrises has been the topic of hot debate in the past, with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit having expressed reservations about allowing such buildings to come up in the city. On the other hand, Union Minister of Urban Development Kamal Nath has been continually pointing out the need for highrises as Delhi cannot grow horizontally.

The modification stated that rooftops of high rise buildings can be used for construction of swimming pools, landscaping and related structures. "Intermittent service floor may be permitted for installation of equipment and services required for the maintenance of the building, with prior approval of agencies concerned... is not to be counted in FAR. The height of the service floor is to be decided based on the depth of structural equipment...,'' the minutes of the 10th meeting of the Advisory Group stated.

Regarding the provision for stack parking on stilt floor, relaxation of the minimum height for stilt floors, which is now of 2.4 metres, was proposed during the meeting. One of the problems related to allowing high rises has been Delhi's lack of available infrastructure to support such buildings. To resolve the issue and "optimise the use of resources such as water and power", a DDA (Delhi Development Authority) official said, "audits will be introduced and increased Floor Area Ratio (FAR) will be provided as an incentive".

- The Indian Express, 23rd July 2013

Acting on the National Green Tribunal's orders, government agencies are busy removing thousands of truckloads of construction and demolition waste from the banks of the Yamuna. But nobody knows what to do with the waste or where to dump it.

The green tribunal has set August 15 as the deadline for removing the debris. Delhi generates 5,000 tonnes of debris a day. But the lone debris processing plant at Burari in north Delhi can handle only 500 tonnes a day. Despite the tribunal's orders, 500 tonnes of debris are still being dumped on the riverbanks every day. Nearly 26,000 trucks of debris had been found dumped in the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation alone. Another 10,000 trucks of debris were found in land that belongs to the Uttar Pradesh's irrigation department, surrounded by Delhi.

V Rajagopalan, secretary of the Union ministry of environment and forests, who is the nodal officer for removal of debris and preservation of the riverbanks, has demanded 50 acres of land from the DDA so that Delhi's municipal corporations can set up 10 more debris processing plants.

He has requested Sudhir Krishna, secretary of the Union ministry of urban development, which governs the DDA, to provide the land. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has advised Rajagopalan that to save the Yamuna banks and other open spaces in Delhi, it is necessary to set up 10 more plants in different municipal zones.

"This will ensure reuse and recycling of debris and generate revenue," the SDMC has said. At the Burari plant, debris is used in making ready-mix concrete, pavement blocks, kerb stones and concrete bricks. These products are later sold in the market.

The tribunal had on Monday ruled that any individual found dumping debris on the Yamuna riverbed would be fined R5 lakh.

-The Hindustan Times, 24th July 2013

Will Delhi, or any other city, learn from the Ahmedabad experience of balancing heritage with development?

Hunting for answers was a team of experts from across the country -- members of the National Monument Authority (NMA), director of the School of Planning and Architecture (Bhopal), representatives from the Indian National Trust for Arts and Culture (INTACH) and officials of the Archaeological Survey of India - as they tried to put in place a set of heritage bylaws as part of NMA's advisory group.

Experts on the advisory group, which met for the first time on Tuesday, deliberated on how the Ahmedabad experience could be made useful for framing heritage bylaws. Earlier a team from Ahmedabad - the city had earned a place on UNESCO's tentative list of World Heritage City last year, ahead of Delhi - had made a presentation on mapping its monuments.

The authorities are required to prepare monument specific heritage bylaws - necessitated after Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act 2010 was put in place in March 2010. Delhi has as many as 174 monuments that are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

-The Hindustan Times, 24th July 2013

At a time when the critically endangered Great Indian Bustards are on the verge of extinction, there are reasons to be hopeful about a revival of the iconic bird. A new habitat of these rare avian species has been sighted in Rajasthan even as Madhya Pradesh has started fresh initiatives to revive the vanished population of GIBs. It is all set to relocate a few pairs of this bird from the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, as a part of novel experiment.

These IUCN red listed birds will also soon be tracked by satellite by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to understand their movement and their preferred habitat. However, sources in WII informed that this radio tracking exercise can commence only after the completion of their mating/ breeding season in October.

This new effort is expected to give a major fillip in saving the dwindling population of the species from hunting and loss of its habitat (dry grasslands), primarily in the States of Gujarat and Rajasthan, besides few other Indian States like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

However, what has brought cheer to conservationists is the rare sighting of a flock 24 birds in the grasslands of Salkha area, 45 km from Jaisalmer district. Of them, 21 were males and three females. The area is in the vicinity of the Desert National Park, the traditional habitat of GIB's in the State.

This has been confirmed by chief conservator of forest (wildlife) Dr GS Bhardwaj. This area is a new habitat area for these birds, he said. The concerned stretch of grassland is part of sacred groves or 'oraans' of the local communities spread over 40 sq km. As a result there is little human disturbance with low grazing pressure and minimum encroachment for human settlement, thereby providing an ideal location for the GIBs, he added.

Standing Committee member of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and noted ornithologist Asad Rahmani pointed out that immediate efforts have to be made to conserve this new-found habitat. He said this is the mating and breeding season of the birds and priority must be given to ensure their eggs are safe. In some instances, tourists carry the egg from a place to another, thereby disturbing the process of hatching that requires the warmth of the mother bird.

In a yet another initiative, Madhya Pradesh is planning to shift a few pairs of these birds from Desert National Park, in Rajasthan. However, according to sources the project is still in its preparatory stages and breeding site is yet to be finalised.

The erstwhile habitats of this bird Ghatigaon (Gwalior) and Karera (Shivpuri) sanctuaries in Madhya are awaiting de-notification. However, an alternative site has been identified in Damoh district in the wake of the precondition of the apex court to declare some new sanctuaries, in exchange, informed the sources.

Experts, however, warn that it may already be too late to save the bird, which has disappeared from over 90 per cent of its former territory. There are now less than 200 individuals now left in the country.

-The Pioneer, 25th July 2013

The original owners of the Lakshadweep Islands have demanded a higher compensation from the government, if not the islands themselves. Their ancestors, the only Muslim royal family in Kerala, had signed over the islands to the British a century ago at a malikana of Rs 23,000 a year, and it has remained that much since.

From 1545 to 1819, the islands of Androth, Kavaratti, Agathi, Minicoy and Kalpeni were in the possession of the Arakkal family, which ruled the North Kerala coast and is based in Kannur. In 1908, when the family signed the final deal with the British, the price of gold was Rs 3.30 per sovereign, says the current generation. "If you look at the present gold prices, we are entitled to Rs 13 crore a year as compensation. The royal family feels insulted at the pittance being paid,'' says Adi Raja Muhammed Rafi, son of current royal head Sainaba Aysha Beevi. The family followed a matriarchal system of rule.

Rafi says the family of 150 is struggling to finance its royal rituals and maintain its infrastructure, which includes four mosques. A royal trust has been formed to fight for the demand for a higher malikana. Rafi says the family is mobilising public opinion as the Centre has not responded to a petition it sent.

Last month, the Kerala government decided to give a monthly pension of Rs 2,500 each to 826 members of the Kozhikode-based Zamorin royal family. The Zamorins had ruled the Malabar coast for several centuries.

-The Indian Express, 25th July 2013

The Archaeological Survey of India will assess if there was any damage to the Mahabodhi temple in the blasts that rocked Bodh Gaya earlier this month, the government on Wednesday said.

"Though Bodh Gaya temple is not a centrally protected monument it is a World Heritage Site. ASI has been directed to quickly assess whether there has been any damage to the site to take remedial steps as required," Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch said in a statement.

She, however, maintained that there was no damage to the temple, the Bodhi tree and structures in the vicinity.

She also said that ASI Director General has informed that a team of officials from Patna has been asked to visit Bodh Gaya.

-The Asian Age, 25th July 2013

Arpana Caur lost some rare art works from her private museum in New Delhi to the rains, and also because of the civic authorities' callousness

Rain wrecked havoc on priceless Indian art as 100 paintings in the Miniature and Folk Art Museum in Arpana Caur's Academy of Fine Arts and Literature at New Delhi's Siri Fort Institutional Area got damaged due to flooding. The private museum is house to several 150 to 200 year-old paintings which remain submerged in eight feet of water for 16 hours after water broke into the museum following a heavy downpour in the Capital this past Saturday. It happened due to the huge backflow of the August Kranti Road drain which was partly covered for the Commonwealth Games. "The Siri Fort auditorium parking lot which used to absorb a lot of water was tiled for VIP cars. The overflowing nullah (drain) has not been cleaned for years despite our several requests…As a result, over a hundred priceless national treasure paintings, 200 rare folk paintings and 200 rare folk sculptures are totally destroyed due to the carelessness of the Municipal Corp[oration of Delhi (MCD). For four hours we kept begging MCD for a pump and at 9 p.m. we bought our own pump, but the electricity went off at 4 a.m. which hampered our work. The MCD van and pump finally came at 6 a.m. the next day," says Arpana Caur.

Details of some paintings damaged in the incident.

Surya and Narsimha Avatar are two 19th Century Rajasthani miniatures, whose colours got washed away.

Ink in the 200-year-old three folios of Guru Granth Sahib has washed away making it illegible.

Godna artist Satnam Pandey's work, a tree, has got badly discoloured just like Rajasthani Tantric artist's work. "The artists have died so we can't even get the artist to touch up the work."

In the case of 18th Century Deccan painting 'Snake charmers', its paper has got torn and spoilt.

Arpana Caur's museum is also house to some rare Sikh school paintings and even rare Guru Nanak paintings. "Fifty per cent colours of as many as 10 Nanak paintings have got washed away. In fact, Victoria and Albert Museum have no Nanak painting in their collection and I wanted to donate one so I wrote to the ASI seeking permission but I was refused. So rare and priceless are these paintings. Now, two restorers, Parminder Kaur and Deepshikha Kalsi, have begun working on them. If only we had got help in time, we could have saved them from extensive damaged." Each miniature is priced at approximately Rs.15 lakh.

-The Hindu, 26th July 2013

Every effort should be made to increase accessibility of Rashtrapati Bhavanto the public, President Pranab Mukherjeesaid on Thursday as he launched a new section of digital initiatives on completing his first year in office.

"The common citizens of our country always have the desire and curiosity to know more about the highest constitutional office in the land," he said.

The President said he is very happy to note that a substantial portion of Rashtrapati Bhavan has been opened to public viewing by giving reasonable access to visitors "who want to explore its rich history and architectural heritage and the history leading to the creation of our nation".

"This would serve, in a good measure, to educate the young generation and inculcate in them a sense of pride and nationalism. I would like to see the Rashtrapati Bhavan playing an important role in further spreading this sense of pride amongst the citizens," he said.

As part of digital initiatives, historical speeches, documentaries and newsreels procured from AIR and Films Division have been added to the new-look Rashtrapati Bhavan website. A video, "The Presidency: Glimpses of First Year", will be added to the website which will cover important events over the past one year in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the President's Estate.

A digital photo library with photographs of the first year of Mukherjee's presidency is being added to the website. Later on, the photo library will contain archival photographs of the first Governor General after Independence Rajagopalachari and Presidents since 1949. It is intended to help archival conservation through digitisation of old photographs and will be implemented in a phased manner through a user-friendly interface.

A face recognition feature was being added to the search engine of the photo library that will enable searching photographs with a given photo in the database and result in all matched photos. The photo library, when completed, is expected to have a database of over three million photographs, President's Press Secretary Venu Rajamony said.

A catalogue of 1525 old and rare books of Rashtrapati Bhavan is being added to the website for the information of public along with select portions of the audio-visual section of the library. The oldest book in the library -- "The Original Works of William Hogarth" -- dates back to 1795.

The audio-visual section includes historical speeches, newsreels and documentaries procured from sources like All India Radio and Films Division.

Rare historical speeches like "Tryst with Destiny" and "Death of Mahatma Gandhi" delivered by Jawarharlal Nehru and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi, Lord Mountbatten, C Rajagopalachari, former presidents and other prominent leaders will also be available in this section.

The films include archival material on the history of the freedom movement, events around independence, departure of Lord Mountbatten from India and funeral of Gandhi, the spokesman said.

-The Hindu, 26th July 2013

What the earthquake flattened in minutes that winter morning took years and years to rebuild. Bachau, the epicentre of the deadly earthquake, Bhuj, Anjar and most other stretches across Kutch have, literally risen from the rubble.

After the quake, massive relief and reconstruction exercise was undertaken by the government authorities with the help of hundreds of NGOs and international agencies like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, which had offered huge financial assistance to rehabilitate the affected people.

Besides, business associations like Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), industry associations such as FICCI and ASSOCHAM, a number of heavy-weight corporates and major Public Sector Units took advantage of the tax concessions announced at that time and adopted large clusters of villages for relief and reconstruction.

Town planners and government authorities turned the large scale of devastation into an advantage by using it to start approach reconstruction in an organised manner. "A striking feature of 2001 earthquake relief in Gujarat was the involvement of private sector, large and small, local and international, in partnership with state authorities and civil society organizations," said Mihir Bhatt, director of Gujarat-based All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (ALDMI), which has worked in relief and rehabilitation programmes of all major disasters like 2001 earthquake, 2004 tsunami, 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Assam floods.

Though there were loopholes in the rehabilitation exercise with many deserving families not getting adequate help and issues of corruption by local bureaucracy but overall the exercise has led to rehabilitation of the victims.

"Initially, there were many issues like petty corruption, delay in distribution of relief materials and carrying out the proper assessment of the loss of human lives, damages to the properties. Several thousand families had to live in tents for almost two years," said a government official, who had worked as collector, Kutch following the quake.

The Gujarat government immediately set up Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) and also created local area urban authorities to rebuild Bhuj, Bhachau and Anjar, which had reduced to rubbles, in a planned and systemic way.

Moreover, a slew of measures announced by the Union and state governments to offer tax holidays to set up industry in disaster-hit areas also helped backward areas like Kutch, which has emerged as a rapidly industrialised district in the state.

-The Hindustan Times, 26th July 2013

At the union of three rivers, we find a solitary gem

The first time I saw the temple was on a trip to the famed Sri Sadasiva Brammendra Temple at Nerur (10 km from Karur), where I was told "three rivers join a little distance from here, Madam, so why don't you visit it?" It was just 13-odd kilometres; the road meandered through lush coconut groves with fronds that gleamed in the afternoon; past paddy fields and winding lanes that led to tiny hamlets. Almost at the river, I passed a dilapidated temple that stood all alone, walls tumbling down. The gopuram was missing, and creepers had accommodated themselves within all the cracks. It stood, more than half asleep in the sun, and yet it was as though it called out loud and clear in the still, hot afternoon air: Come, visit me.

I will, someday… I made a half-hearted promise. It would be more than a year before I visited Thirumukkoodalur again. I made my way to it quickly but found it standing serene in the morning light, on the banks of the river, its iron doors locked.

I navigated the tiny village roads and enquired for the priest, but he was away at Karur. Finally, a neighbour took pity on my downcast face and directed me to a lady nearby who "might have the front door key." I tramped through an alley half-submerged by trees and bushes till I came to a home being re-thatched where, under the eaves, stood Padma who unlocked my problems, quite literally.

Inside the temple I found a precinct that stirred the imagination. To my right lay stone pillars in a heap; further were four pillars with no roof; a neem tree spread its glorious shade everywhere. To the left ran the wall, stopping abruptly at the river bank. In front was the temple, almost falling apart.

For all that, it stood serene and beautiful, steeped in history. The pillars were streaked white and grey, as if cleaned the day before. The mud path outside was paved smooth with cow-dung. An underground passage led to the river. Clearly, this temple must have been great once.

"Everything about this temple is available on Net," said a displeased priest, flinging about vessels. No, it isn't. Could he please tell me what he knew?

An earthen lamp flew out and hit the pillar. I beat a hasty retreat. Padma, lounging outside, volunteered that the lord was Agathya Lingeswarar, and the temple had been built by "someone called Rajendra, more than 10,700 years ago!"

I forbore to tell her that Rajendra, though illustrious, hadn't quite lived that long ago, and tramped back home. Nobody seemed to know much more. Finally, I trekked to the ASI office, peeked into the Curator's office, and stopped.

There on the wall was the temple. Large as life. "Ah yes, a historic temple, this one," smiled Naga Ganesan, the curator. "The village was once called Madhuranthakapuram, the lord's name is Madhuranthakapureeswarar, and a beautiful temple it is, too," he reminisced. "Built by Rajendra Chozha I, 10th century. Did you know he gave the lands south of Kulithalai as grants to the temple?"

Greatness, indeed. Later, King Veera Pandiyan changed its name to Thirumukkoodalur and the Nayak kings renovated it. Through the years it had stayed safe, cared for by kings, nourished by the rivers and people.

And here it was, holding on valiantly. But I knew it would survive. It had that magic. Visitors would make sure it stayed on, in memory. Sometimes, that's enough.

-The Hindu, 29th July 2013

The strains of the azan, the prayer post iftaar, quick walks for sehri….R.V. SMITH soaks in the spirit of Ramzan

When one saw the new moon like a silvery wisp recently and heard the strains of the azan from Kutcha Tihar, one was wistfully reminded that the month of fasting had begun, which compared favourably with the drab scenario of yesteryears. For it's worth admitting that the observance of Ramzan by those living in the five surviving gates of Delhi at the fag-end of the 19th Century lacked the fast-and-feast ambience of the present day when night turns into day in places like the Jama Masjid and its environs. That's what poignantly comes to mind now in 2013.

Mori Gate, Kashmere Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Turkman Gate and Delhi Gate had borne the brunt of the British onslaught in 1857. Mori Gate had been completely knocked out and so it stays to this day, with no gate worth the name. Even up to 50 years ago it was so desolate that not only the teachers of the newly-opened St Xavier's School nearby but also the Muslim khansamas, bearers and other staff gave the gate a wide berth after sunset. Only a few hardy ones ventured into it. The reason was that it had the best fried fish shop, run by a refugee from Punjab, which tickled the taste-buds after 15 hours of fasting. Chuttan Khan, whose family had lost all its wealth in the aftermath of the Revolt, used to visit the shop regularly as fish was considered halal and he had no qualms of buying it from a non-Quraish butcher.

Pandit Ram Chand, who claimed to be 99 years old in 1964 and the oldest inhabitant of Kashmere Gate, liked to distribute bananas, gur and gram to indigent families for Roza aftar in his younger days as an act of charity. It was a time when communal harmony was to be seen to be believed. Pandit Ram Chand remembered the days when the Yamuna used to flow near where Delhi Polytechnic was situated. That was during the last span of the 19th Century. Panditji was at that time just 12 years old and had come from his village, Kotla Jhabbu, to study in M.B. High School, which was situated close to Delhi Polytechnic. His favourite exercise was a swim in the Yamuna. "We used to jump in near Qudsia Garden and get out near the Fort. An old woman who had lost her all in the Revolt used to sit there on the river bank and apply chandan (sandalwood paste) to our foreheads." Kashmere Gate had few big buildings. Most of the houses werekuccha, and occupied by petty craftsmen, weavers, carpenters and some gypsy girls who danced and sang and entertained the soldiers of the British infantry stationed in the Fort. People used to shut themselves in (Ramzan or not) after 8 p.m. for fear of wild animals.

That was the time when Ashiq Ali, 80, was attached to an Anglo Indian family in Civil Lines. His Ramzan days had earlier been spent in the household of Hamilton Sahib, for whom he served as Syce (groom). He later worked for Jenkins Sahib who had six "Missi-Babas", each girl outdoing the other to give him baksish at Id. "Poor, old Ashiq", they would say, "needs a new set of clothes for his feast day". Figs and dates were what their mother condescendingly gave him in the evening when he rested under a tree during a hot summer Ramzan. One hundred years ago Ajmere Gate was a cluster of kuccha houses, with khaprail (tile) roofs that gave little protection from the elements, disclosed 70-year old Mohmmad Umar in the 1960s. There were at least three masjids where the fast was broken, the biggest and best dating to Mughal times, Umar recalled. The population was a tenth of what it is now; few people were to be seen in the streets even in Ramzan and hardly any women, as most of them were confined to the zenana. Mohammad Umar said the area occupied by Kamla Market and the big buildings of Paharganj was a wilderness punctuated with fields and wells.

In Turkman Gate, Mohd Shafi, a 65-year-old ex-wrestler disclosed at about the time of Jawaharlal Nehru's death that many "Rozadars" frequented Baba Turkman Bayabani's mazar before the Tarabis (post-fast prayers). Lala Makhan Lal, then 78, used to recall in 1970 that Delhi Gate's population was confined to the side where Golcha Cinema now exists, the other side being the swampy Bela. People wanting to offer Namaz after breaking the fast used to go to the Tehraha Bairam Khan and Suiwalan mosques (something that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan also did in his youth). For "sehri" they had milk and jalebi.

Lala Makhan Lal was one of the six men who pioneered the building of new Daryaganj after King George V had proclaimed that Delhi would again be the Capital of India. At that time Lalaji had just shifted to Delhi from Fatehpur Sikri and missed its Ramzan fervour. Lalaji recalled that the area was occupied by Indian "ghursawars" (cavalry) and their British officers. The officers lived in 24 kothis, one of which later housed the Agra Hotel. Then the building of Bela Road began, and the waters of the Yamuna receded; also Faiz Bazar was widened after Nehar Saadat Khan was closed. "This delivered us from the "Bhainsa mosquitoes" as the Bela was finally made habitable. That was all in the hazy past. Now when one sees the new moon, one makes a wish and looks into one's open palms to absorb its beneficial influence, or so it is believed. As for the festival that falls 30 days later, can an old man forget the Partition-time Id hug that childhood mate Zahida gave so lovingly before she left for Karachi. As a "Badi Bi", she too may be remembering that evanescent evening on the starlit terrace 66 long years ago. But just now let's listen to the distant azan!

-The Hindu, 29th July 2013

After over a two-decade-long wait, two daughters of the erstwhile Maharaja of Faridkot are set to inherit assets worth a staggering Rs 20,000 crore that include Faridkot House in Delhi's posh Central Vista, two forts, vintage cars and jewellery.

The ex-royals struck the fortune after a local court ruled that Faridkot's former ruler Sir Harinder Singh Brar's 31-year-old will was "fictitious" and "forged" by servants in connivance with lawyers and others.

Brar's eldest daughter Amrit Kaur had challenged the will in 1992 which had entitled a trust as the caretaker of the estates and assets including the Faridkot House at Copernicus Marg near India Gate, palace and Manimajra Fort in Faridkot in Punjab, properties in Mashobra, Shimla, besides bank deposits, jewellery and vintage cars including a Rolls Royce.

The assets of the Maharaja, who died in 1989, include large number of properties in Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Hyderabad.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajnish Kumar Sharma on Thursday declared that the will was "forged and fabricated", making Amrit Kaur and her sister Deepinder Kaur heir to the estate and assets worth Rs 20,000 crore under the Hindu Succession Act, according to the Maharaja's family's advocate Vikas Jain.

His third daughter Maheepinder Kaur died in 2000 in Shimla. Amrit Kaur resides in Sector 10, Chandigarh while Deepinder Kaur is in Kolkata .

As the will forged on July 1, 1982 has been declared "illegal" and "void" by the court, the 'Meharwal Khewaji Trust' has also become illegal, the advocate said.

The suspicion about the will arose as the Maharaja excluded his mother Mohinder Kaur and his wife Narinder Kaur while all the servants, irrespective of their designation, and lawyers were appointed trustees. Amrit had been divested of all the powers of heiress on the grounds that she had married against the wishes of the late Maharaja. Deepinder had been appointed trust chairman on paltry salary of Rs 1,200 per month while Maheepinder Kaur was given a salary of Rs 1,000 a month.

At the time when the will was forged, Sir Brar was in depression as his only son Tikka Harmohinder Singh Brar had died. The will was executed on June 1, 1982 eight months after Tikka's death.

After the purported will came to light in 1989 following the death of the erstwhile ruler, Amrit Kaur filed a suit challenging it in 1992 stating that her father had never made any such will and she was with her father till his death.

-The Hindu, 29th July 2013

Pearl Jain is lost in thought as he sits under a peepal tree. “If someone cuts these trees some day, it will be like losing a loved one again,” says the 45-year-old account consultant says as he leisurely moves around in the 25-acre Smriti Vatika in south Delhi.

Jain’s worst fears may just come true. Referring to documents accessed under the Right to Information Act (RTI), local residents claim the Union urban development ministry plans to allow a fuel station on a part of the green belt.

The lush green area is not any other garden where people come to a jog and spend leisure time. This a place where people from several colonies such as Moti Bagh, Vasant Vihar and Satya Niketan, and even from other states, come to plant saplings in memory of their loved ones.

The Delhi government charges a nominal R1,150 from each of the interested residents and maintains the saplings.

Residents are now worried. “We have done a survey. Many of these commemorative trees will go,” said Dr Govind Singh of NGO Delhi Greens.

A resident of Satya Niketan, Jain said, “My father died in 2006. I planted a peepal tree sapling in his memory. Four years later, when my mother passed away, I came back to plant a second peepal sapling in her memory. Both trees have grown up now. I cannot let anyone cut them.”

The Delhi government was building a waste water treatment plant on the plot so that sewage water from nearby colonies could be treated to irrigate the trees. “Construction has temporarily been halted following pressure from the Centre,” said a Delhi government official.

“We have spent nearly Rs. 4.6 lakh only on a survey of the site and the drawing of the treatment project. This will be a huge waste of public money,” he added.

A group of other residents led by LR Gupta, president of the Satya Niketan Resident Welfare Association, has requested the urban development ministry not to use the land for commercial purposes.

“These trees are memories of someone’s children, someone’s parents. They should not be felled,” he said.

Atul Kumar Garg, a local resident, said, “From Srinivaspuri to Majnu Ka Tila on Ring Road, there is not a single petrol station. Why target this green belt then?”

MLA Karan Singh Tanwar has also warned the Centre that commercial use of the land will be playing with the sentiments of thousands of people.

The Hindustan Times, 30th July 2013

A documentary that depicts the story of Rashtrapati Bhavan from its conception to its completion and the changes it has seen as the home to the country’s President will be screened at Rashtrapati Bhavan later this week. President Pranab Mukherjee will be the chief guest at the screening. The documentary produced for Discovery Channel by AIM Television will also be telecast in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Bangla on August 15.

The documentary charts out the story of Rashtrapati Bhavan on two parallels, one story follows the shift of the Capital and the efforts of Edwin Lutyens as the architect of this house, while the other takes viewers through the sprawling palace and its magnificent rooms.

The Hindu, 30th July 2013

The special task force (STF) constituted by the Delhi government to coordinate between different agencies for the removal of unauthorised construction and encroachments will also deal with such activity near centrally protected monuments.

“Matters related to encroachment/unauthorised constructions in the prohibited area (0-100 metres) and regulated area (101-300 metres) of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monuments will now be taken up by the task force,” the high-level committee for the “proper upkeep and maintenance of protected monuments in Delhi” decided on Monday in a meeting.

Chandresh Kumari Katoch, culture minister, is the chairperson and secretaries of culture, tourism and urban development ministries are members of this committee.

After a presentation about the state of monuments in Delhi by Pravin Srivastava, director general of ASI, the committee was told that the archaeological survey had issued more than 1,500 notices against unauthorised construction in prohibited/regulated areas since an amendment in its Act in March 2010.

The STF taking up such issues would help take care of the areas around protected monuments, it was decided.

The committee also decided to evolve a strategy to provide protection to all heritage structures and monuments that are not covered by the ASI. Two sub-committees were also formed to deal with policy matters and to look after monument-specific causes.

The Hindustan Times, 30th July 2013

The eco-restoration of Lake Pashan in Pune is a good showcase for the partnership between experts and municipal authorities

Lakes in and around cities should be a major source of attraction for those living in urban areas. From morning walkers to romantic couples longing to get away in a boat, to the elderly who simply want to sit and watch the world go by, lakes cater to us all. And, of course, when associated with wetlands, they provide an opportunity to make our children and grandchildren into amateur naturalists. What many of us don't know is the vital role these water bodies play in maintaining the sustainability of our environment.

But in India we have come to dread water bodies in our cities only because instead of rainwater, it is sewage and effluents that are filling up our urban lakes and ponds. Rather than controlling the rate of run-off in our cities, we find our lakes carrying the load of garbage, sewage and encroachment by land grabbers.

It need not be that way. Pune has shown the way. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), working closely with the Institute of Environment Education and Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University (BVIEER), funded by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), launched an eco-restoration project that has successfully brought Lake Pashan and its surrounding wetlands back to their original glory. I could share the joy as Dr Erach Bharucha gleefully informed me that in the winter of 2012-13, a pair of grey herons nested successfully at Pashan, after a long, long time. A surgeon by profession, Dr Bharucha is passionate about environmental sustainability, and has found a second vocation as the director of BVIEER. He and his team have worked closely with the PMC in restoring biodiversity in the region.

Pashan lake and the surrounding wetlands used to be a major attraction for bird watching. The legendary Salim Ali was a frequent visitor. Bird counts were regularly taken by the World Wildlife Fund and Ecological Society of Pune. As late as the 1950s, the lake hosted flamingos, storks, nucta ducks and a host of waders. In winter, morning birds used to come to Pashan and return to the Mula-Mutha river bed (a 1 km stretch between Bund Garden and Koregaon Park) in the evening to roost on islands and rock bunds made by traditional fisherfolk. The lake was created by an ancient dam across Ramnadi, a tributary of the Mula river of Pune city. The ecosystem was an undisturbed habitat for aquatic birds with a full complement of raptors, such as Marsh harriers and Bonelli's eagles. The water flowed through an extensive forested tract of babul trees and scrubland on the surrounding hills. Scrubland is often looked upon as wasteland. Just because it does not produce crops and does not yield revenue, does not mean that it has no value. The terrestrial babul thorn forest and scrubland had significant value for rich bird and insect life in the region.

The Indian Express, 31st July 2013

 

Sand mining in Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Faridabad (Haryana) and Delhi is illegal as no environment impact assessment (EIA) has been done on such activities in these states.

Officials of the three states said no mining lease has been executed. These mining activities also do not have the mandatory clearance from the environment ministry or its state units.

"This has caused structural imbalance in the riverbed, loss of groundwater recharge potential and loss of habitat to plants and animals," said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.

Riverbed structural imbalance can result in a sudden change in river course and floods and threats to bridges, barrages and embankments.

"In its expert report, the environment ministry has recommended that no sand mining should be permitted without a prior EIA; sand should not be removed from depths of more than three metres; there should be a distance of at least 1 km between any two blocks and the lease period should not exceed five years," Misra said. The ministry says that for any mining lease in an area of five hectares or more, environment clearance is a must.

This is a loophole the mafia is exploiting by carrying out mining in blocks of 4.3 or 4.9 hectares.

Himanshu Thakkar of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, said: "The extraction in blocks of less than five hectares, separated by 1km, is still illegal as their collective impact may be significant."

Misra quoted a Supreme Court order that said no mining can take place without environmental clearance unless states formulate their own rules based on the Centre's recommendations.

The fact that the suspended Greater Noida SDM managed to uncover many illgal sand mining cases in a short time showed how deep the rot is, Thakkar said. According to Misra, "Illegal mining is most rampant in Noida and Faridabad but in Delhi, particularly north of Wazirabad, the menace continues."

Mining thrives because of political nexus with the mafia. Demand for sand continues to increase due to new infrastructure projects and expansion of existing ones.

The Hindustan Times, 31st July 2013

 

The culture ministry has proposed that an underground passage be built for tourists at Qutub Minar.

"The ticketing is on one side while the pedestrian area is on the other side. One has to work out a way where tourists face less traffic hazards," culture minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch said.

The proposal was made on Monday at a meeting of a committee on the upkeep and maintenance of protected monuments in Delhi.

"We have proposed that garbage bins and urinals which are within 100 metres of monuments in Delhi be removed. This will be a part of a pilot project," the minister added.

The National Mission of Monuments, she said, had identified some monuments in Delhi which had heritage value.

The Hindustan Times, 31st July 2013

 

Rare Egyptian vultures have been spotted near Laxmipur in Chikiti forest range of Odisha’s Ganjam district. The forest department intends to carry out a survey of the birds.

“A survey should be conducted and their nesting site located,” said wildlife warden of Khurda Pityush P. Mohapatra.

A bird-watcher recently sighted 13 such birds and reported it to the divisional forest officer, Berhampur.

Backing Mr. Mohapatra’s view, DFO (Berhampur) S S Mishra said, “The sight of vultures indicates a healthy and rich biodiversity of the area. We will soon launch a survey.”

The Berhampur forest division plans to submit a proposal to the wildlife wing of the forest department to take up a project to conserve the endangered species.

The action plan will be prepared after a detailed survey, said Mr. Mishra.

The number of vultures in south Asia, mainly in India and Nepal, has declined drastically over the last few years.

The Hindu, 31st July 2013

 

Concerned over indiscriminate dumping of waste into Beas and its tributaries in north India, the National Green Tribunal has announced a fine of Rs one lakh on anyone found polluting them.

The tribunal's chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar Tuesday warned corporations, councils and individuals not to dump solid waste, untreated sewage or effluents into the river. "Whosoever is found throwing or dumping any such material, effluent, directly or indirectly into Beas or its tributaries or even at its banks, will have to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation on the basis of the 'polluter pays principle.' We direct the authorities concerned to notify the direction passed in this order for knowledge and compliance of the public at large," the tribunal, in its first circuit bench hearing at Shimla, said.

The tribunal directed Himachal Pradesh's Pollution Control Board to depute a senior officer, who shall be accompanied by a representative of the Central Pollution Control Board, to collect samples from four sewage treatments plants set up by municipal councils of Kullu and Manali.

"This committee shall also inspect and examine whether all hotels on the bank of Beas and its tributaries have clearance from the Pollution Control Board of Himachal Pradesh and other competent authorities and where they are discharging their waste, including sewage," the tribunal said.

In a separate order, the tribunal called for an expert committee to visit Rohtang Pass, asses the extent of pollution caused due to traffic, plastic waste and deforestation, and submit a report by September 16. "Rohtang Pass, besides its geographical status, is a tourist attraction. But at the same time, its environment and ecology needs to be protected at all costs. It is not disputed that vehicular traffic, littering and excessive human presence in that area does cause damage to the environment. It has long term impact and affects downstream environment as well," it said.

The Indian Express, 31st July 2013