The public works department has sought felling of around 2,000 trees for a Meera Bagh-Vikas Puri and Mangol Puri-Madhuban Chowk elevated road project on the outer ring road in west Delhi, but the trees identified for felling are not in the project alignment.

The trees are on the service lanes, while the elevated road has to come up on the central verge.

In reply to a query under the right to information act, the PWD has admitted these trees need to be felled for “widening” of the main carriageway and “development” of service roads and footpaths.

Tree activist Prabhakar Rao, who is also a member of Delhi government’s Tree Authority, said, “In the name of landscaping, we get shrubs and articles of ornamental value which can never make up for green losses. Instead of cutting trees and planting saplings elsewhere, the government must accommodate as many as existing trees as possible in its beautification drive.”

Terming it unnecessary felling, tree activists have now written to the chief minister, the secretary (environment), besides various other agencies, including the National Green Tribunal, that these trees be accommodated in landscaping planned below the proposed elevated road.

“The project map shows that there has to be a green belt of 2,64,000 sqm along the project. During the approval stage, it was not considered that a large number of heritage trees already exist, thus, the existing trees instead of being felled can very well be accommodated in the proposed green belt,” said a tree activist, who has approached government authorities seeking their intervention.

Forest department officials admitted they were never consulted at the planning stage.

“Trees are located along the service lanes and not on the central verge, where the pillars for the proposed elevated road are to be erected. The trees are no obstruction as they are 220 feet away from the central verge and do not fall in the alignment of the project,” said another activist. “There is no reason for felling about 2,000 fully-grown trees. More space can be created if cars are not parked illegally on service lanes,” he said.

-The Hindustan Times, 1st June 2013

Collecting stamps was a hobby that many of us took up in our school days; it turned us into letter writers. We corresponded regularly with relatives and pen friends spread across the world, not because we had anything of great significance to share but because replies came in envelopes and aside from letters, the envelopes also bore stamps. The habit of collecting stamps also turned us into insufferable little pests because we were either badgering people to give us stamps or rummaging through other people’s papers, looking inside trash cans or overturning rubbish heaps in the hope of finding discarded postage stamps.

From postage stamps I graduated to collecting First Day Covers. One had to be at the Gole Market, Kashmiri Gate or Patel Chowk Post Office early in the morning, in order to be among the first to own the new stamp and its special cover. One had to be early because First Day Covers were printed in limited quantities and were sold only for one day.

We exchanged First Day Covers and therefore bought more than one. We also bought old postage stamps from stamp dealers who thronged the post offices on the days when a new stamp was released. We eventually became experts in names of countries, their currencies and much else besides.

Since each one of us wanted to have the best and the biggest collection we did all kinds of things to save money, I began to walk more and more and saved the bus ticket money to buy stamps and First Day Covers. We used to live in Lodi Estate those days and I would walk via Humayun Road, Motilal Nehru Marg and Rafi Marg to reach the NDPO at Patel Chowk and this was a regular activity, many new stamps were released on Sundays or gazetted holidays so missing school was not a major issue.

Motilal Nehru Marg, earlier known as York Road, became one of my favourite roads and the reason was the lush green Jamun (Syzygiumcumini) trees planted along the broad avenue. May to July is the time of the year that the Jamun trees are laden with fruit. In the mid-1960s when I used to walk down this road the Jamun trees were in their youth. They wore a thick crown of glistening leaves that did not allow too much of the sun to filter down to the pavement and walking in their shade used to be a joy.

These trees were planted in the 1920s and now they are almost 90 or older. The life of the Jamun tree is believed to be about a hundred years and so they must now be on their last legs. The crown of leaves has shrunk, the leaves are no longer as large, as lush green and as thickly together as they were then and their shade is now just a patchy memory. The large and succulent crimson black Jamun fruits that attracted an army of birds during the day and legions of fruit bats at night have shrunk into large seeds wrapped within an emaciated blackish crimson film. It is the same with the Jamun trees along C Hexagon around India Gate and on the Sunehri Bagh Road, Tughlaq Road and Ashok Road.

The business of keeping Delhi green does not end merely with planting and looking after the trees. It is necessary to keep records of the area where specific varieties have been planted in a given year and to know about their life expectancy. Only when the horticulturists have all this information can they plan replacement plantation so that the next generation is ready to replace the old ones. We tend to forget that in matters of procreation the practices that are good for sustaining the human population are also good for other living organisms.

We forget these simple things at great cost to the environment of the city, go around the India Gate lawns or on the roads that had Jamuns planted along the footpaths and you will see places where yawning gaps have begun to appear. Trees have begun to break or die and those planted as replacements have not even reached tree adolescence. The 90 to hundred year old Jamun trees will disappear in the next decade or so and the second line is nowhere in sight.

This is not a problem that is unique to Jamun Trees, the Imli or Tamarind (Tamarindusindica) trees planted along Akbar Road, Tilak Marg and other roads or Neem (Azadirachtaindica) planted along Aurangzeb Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Shahjahan Road and many others too suffer from the same lack of planning and foresight. Unless long term measures are initiated now we might very soon be denied the pleasure of walking under the shade of trees. And we need to remember that with the trees will disappear the few species of birds that have survived in this city.

We no longer write letters, children do not collect stamps, the trees are disappearing and we don’t even miss their shade and all this is happening in a space that we want to be declared a world heritage city.

-The Hindu, 1st June 2013

Our Odisha sojourn was meant to be the usual Jagannath Puri, Konark et al. But we were in for a rare treat: some of India’s oldest, and best-preserved Buddhist sites — astoundingly captivating, woefully neglected...

Dhauli

Here, in 261 BC, Ashoka fought the calamitous Kalinga War: 100,000 people butchered, 150,000 enslaved, 100,000 exterminated subsequently. Ashoka, apparently torn by the devastation caused by his victory, converted to Buddhism.

Kalinga

Among Buddha’s 12 prescribed places for attaining Nirvana, equalling Lumbini and Sarnath, Kalinga has one of Ashoka’s edicts of universal tolerance and a monolith elephant, apparently India’s earliest rock-hewn sculpture. The modern peace pavilion is no architectural sight so we skip it, delighting our driver Kunal, who’s impatient for breakfast. He’s not keen on locating the latest discoveries at Kurma and Langudi; nobody seems to know about these, except India Tourism reps who reveal that Kurama is called Yama-Dharma because villagers worship an excavated buffalo-mounted Heruka and Bhumisparsa Buddha as Yama and Dharma, whilst Langudi has a Pancha Dhyani Buddha with female companions and a consort-flanked rock-embossed Ashoka. So we hit the Lalitgiri-Ratnagiri-Udayagiri Golden Triangle.

Lalitgiri

The three stupas brood about, remains of a Chaitya evoke amphitheatres, the excursive brick monastery boasts admirable drainage facilities. A stone stupa has enshrined golden caskets with sacred bone relics, supposedly of the Tatagatha himself. No official can explain the monuments’ significance; they don’t expect to have to as tourists rarely disrupt the solitude of the ancient remains. The ASI sculpture shed displays splendid life-size figures. Towering Buddhas, with draperies evince influences of Gandhara and Mathura art. The Bodhisatvas rank amongst India’s finest.

Ratnagiri

The river flows down emerald inclines. Illumination of the intellectual sort suffused Ratnagiri’s great Mahavihara from the Gupta reign in the 12th Century. We meander through a mesh of immense stupas.

The brick monastery’s carved stone door-jamb is terrific; its courtyard opens into the sanctum with an entranced Buddha. Third century BC Buddhist edifices here are amongst the world’s oldest. Votive in the monasteries, lazing sculptures and buxom damsels sculpted into an ascetic monastery scandalise; even more sensational are moulded couples in passionate Konark-style poses: aha, a tantric Buddhism site! Initially expounding Mahayana Buddhism, which inspired the architecture, Ratnagiri espoused the rather risqué dharinis and Vajrayana pantheon divinities. The new museum relates Ratnagiri’s tale. But until tourists visit, urchins play cricket amidst the ruins, with cricket balls bouncing off meditating Buddhas.

Back in the car, we lunch on bananas. Kunal chucks banana skins on to the road. We’re aghast. We throw our refuse in a bag. Kunal sulks but understands.

Udayagiri

The youngest site is surprisingly stark. One expects Buddhism’s austerity at older sites, with decadence manifesting over time. But Udayagiri has neither Ratnagiri’s raciness and panache nor its greenery. Even the “King’s Palace” is meagre. One ornate gate redeems.

Udayagiri rests in rugged seclusion despite important excavations of an ancient Madhavapura Mahavihara, an inscribed step-well and, significantly, elegant sculptures. A reservoir makes it unique amongst Buddhist sites.

The caretaker indicates a precipice that supposedly conceals sculptural masterpieces. He’ll accompany us, for a price. The hilltop isn’t accessible; barb wires bar our path. The caretaker cuts the wire to take tourists. I recall Naipaul, “…an American… said he had himself brought back a whole head from one of our ancient temples… ‘That’s why I had to give the guide two dollars. If I had a Whiskey he would have pulled down the whole temple...’” Third century AD, Vajrayana and Kalachakra tantra are the largest of Odisha’s Buddhist remains.

Fact Box

Fly to: Bhubaneswar, around which historical sites are scattered. Bhubaneswar is connected to all major cities and has daily flights from Hyderabad.

When: May, month of Vesak, commemorating the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, is spiritually most enriching, post-October is climatically more salubrious.

-The Asian Age, 2nd June 2013

For those unfamiliar with Tal Chappar, it is a small sanctuary in Rajasthan, some 800 hectares in size. And it's a glowing example of what a humble, self-effacing man like Surat Singh Poonia can do to transform the park, writes Joydev Sengupta

Wildlife sanctuaries in India owe a great deal to individuals who gave the places their all. Some became known for their seminal contributions, but there were many who toiled in relative obscurity, their thriving sanctuaries their only reward. One such remarkable individual is Surat Singh Poonia, the Assistant Conservator of Forests at the Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary, and what follows here is a story of his work.

A humble, self-effacing individual, Poonia is quick to point out that Tal Chappar’s accomplishments were the result of a team effort — of 18 people led by him. Be that as it may, the place today is a testimony to what foresight, dedication, perseverance and sheer hard work can achieve.

For those unfamiliar with Tal Chappar, it is a small sanctuary in Rajasthan, some 800 hectares in size. Originally the private hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Bikaner, it was taken over by the Government and notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 1966. The blackbucks were introduced in this area by the king in the 1920s.

Poonia began his work some years ago when he was asked to prepare a plan to resurrect Tal Chappar, at that time a bare tract of land with sparse grasses and covered with Prosopis juliflora plants. The evolution of that barren land into the Tal Chappar of today was the culmination of a number of Poonia’s initiatives, and these were directed at creating a habitat and protecting the wildlife, securing their food and water, and promoting ecotourism.

The most important purpose a wildlife sanctuary serves is to create a habitat where the wildlife not just feels protected but also multiplies. Doing this in Tal Chappar had its challenges. The park is surrounded by a village, and salt pans and encroachment on the sanctuary land were rampant. The absence of an effective fence around the park meant that the sanctuary served as a thoroughfare for people living on its periphery, and village dogs entering the sanctuary were a perpetual menace. The human presence disturbed the wildlife, and the dogs preyed on the birds and other animals, killing them for food. The lack of a fence also meant that in an area where water is scarce, the sanctuary water holes and the grass were a boon for cattle belonging to the villagers. Poonia and his team marshalled their limited resources to fence the entire perimeter of the sanctuary and his staff today constantly patrols the park to keep the wildlife safe. Notably, the team also runs a rehabilitation centre for injured animals here. Visitors will notice a particular blackbuck coming right up to the vehicles in search of food, a most unusual event considering that they generally move away when vehicles approach. This blackbuck was looked after by the staff in the centre and has today lost all fear of human presence.

The price of success has been bittersweet, however. The safe environment and the care provided by the team meant that as the wildlife flourished and grew in numbers, the sanctuary land requirement went up. At the time when Poonia started his work at Tal Chappar, the sanctuary had a blackbuck population of 800. That number has today climbed to some 2,500-plus blackbucks and counting. It’s a stunning testament to Poonia and his team. The fact of the matter is that Tal Chappar can support a population of 1,200 blackbucks at best, and to keep pace with this growing population, more land needs to be acquired.

The transformation brought about by Poonia within the sanctuary has been even more remarkable. A number of wildlife sanctuaries in India, including Bharatpur, grapple with the spread of the Prosopis juliflora plants, and Tal Chappar is no exception. There was a time not so long ago when over 50 per cent of the Tal Chappar land was covered with the juliflora plant. A plant species native to South America, it has an invasive presence wherever it has grown, edging out native plants from their natural habitat. Studies have shown deleterious effects on animals which eat its fruits, and yet others point out that the plant affects the water table. The team ensured that not a single juliflora plant remains today within the sanctuary, each uprooted and the wood auctioned to generate revenue, and it now maintains a continuous vigil to dispose of any fresh growth from seedlings blown into the land. The tracts of land freed from the juliflora plant are now making way for grassy patches and native species like acacia, salvadora and zizyphus. The way the team facilitates the growing of the grass is another tale by itself. Instead of physically spreading the grass seedlings by hand, the team lets nature do its bit. Right next to the bare patches lay these large mounds of earth into which the seedlings are mixed. As the wind blows, it carries the seedlings and spreads it over the patches, greening them in the process, an idea Poonia attributes to his days in farming. The spread of grasses has had the necessary trickle-down effect. Today, fodder is plentiful, the growing insect population feeds the food chain, and the prey base is intact.

The availability of water is another big issue. Tal Chappar only gets about 300 mm of rain in a year and since the area has little or no sweet water, water is brought in through pipelines from far. The forest officials have connected the water holes with underground pipelines and fill the water holes as per need from a central repository. The water holes, as a result, have water even through the hottest months and there is no wastage of this scarce commodity. Interestingly, a leaking waterline led to a most interesting innovation as far as water distribution within the sanctuary was concerned. Some of the staff described how once one of the pipelines bringing water into the sanctuary developed a leakage inside the sanctuary and the water bubbled up to the surface. The spot where it got collected soon became a water source of sorts for the wildlife, and it is a common sight even now to see the birds drinking from there. Artificial leakages are now used in a planned manner enabling the team to provide water sources all across the sanctuary, without having to deploy resources constructing the water holes or laying pipelines to fill them. Tourism in the wildlife sanctuaries has always been a hotly debated topic. While excessive commercialisation has been the bane of many sanctuaries in India, Tal Chappar always had the opposite problem. For a variety of reasons, including the absence of a major draw like tigers and a general lack of infrastructure, tourist footfall in the region has been less compared to other sanctuaries.

One of the difficulties of visiting Tal Chappar is that there is a dearth of hotels in the area, and the nearest ones are far away and never a viable option for various reasons. This need was addressed by Sharad Sridhar and his team by setting up a forest rest house there. It has good facilities, is spotlessly clean at all times, and is great value for money.

While it is possible to argue that protection and regeneration of habitat and food and water security initiatives would be common to every sanctuary, Poonia’s work with the wildlife is truly unique. When he took over, the area had a documented species list of a little more than 100 species. That count is up to 300-plus today, attributable to two distinct reasons. First, Poonia’s attempts at providing food, water and habitat security is clearly working. Second, a documentation initiative started by Poonia, a daily system of recording the species seen in the area, is equally creditworthy. It enables the team to tabulate the correct number of species there. This simple practice led to the discovery of rare birds like red phalarope, the Kashmir flycatcher and the pale rock sparrow in the area,. The red phalarope, for example, breeds in the Arctic, and migrates southwards. Would anyone realistically expect to see it in the hot climates of Tal Chappar? The presence of these birds was noted only because someone tried to document birds in the sanctuary. For a visitor, seeing one of these birds is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it becomes possible only because of the team’s efforts.

What about the future challenges and plans of the man? Poonia talks of trying to instill in his team what he calls “Chapparism”, and form a motivated team with the commitment and a dedication of making Tal Chappar the best that it can be. And if the past is any indication, Poonia will see success here as well.

The writer is a Delhi-based wildlife enthusiast

-The Pioneer, 2nd June 2013

Wildlife watching is a tricky occupation and to conduct the arduous task of wildlife census non-stop from noon-light to moonlight is even more complicated. Despite the prevailing heat conditions and a sizzling temperature of 44 degreess Celsius, a full-scale wildlife census was recently conducted at Sariska and Ranthambhore wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan. On May 25 and 26, nature lovers congregated at Sariska National Park (SNP), located a mere 200 km from Delhi. The reason behind wildlife enthusiasts and trigger-happy photographers making a beeline for the park was that rare opportunity to experience animal census operations firsthand. While it was adventure for some to spend a night in the forest, for others it was a getaway from the daily drudgery of city life. Certain first-timers thought that it is a fun exercise, but in reality, it is serious work of conservation.

Spread over 850 sq km, SNP is home to a variety of fauna such as spotted deer, chinkara, nilgai or blue-bulls, jackals, hyena, leopards and reintroduced wild tigers. Having an undulating rocky terrain with wide valleys, the forests comprise of typical dry deciduous trees that dramatically change colours with the seasons. The forest is lush green in the monsoon with numerous streams and mini waterfalls; turn invigorating with balmy atmosphere in the winter, but dramatically turn tinder dry in the summer.

Summers are chosen for animal counting because the animals scurry for shady corners during this time — making the job easier for forest officials. The preferred day-night invariably coincides with a full moon when there is ample light for easier sighting. The wildlife census is a 24-hour non-stop vigil from atop a strategically chosen spot that is usually a makeshift platform called machan made of wooden logs and perched high upon a sturdy tree. Mostly all machans are rickety and pretty uncomfortable, giving sore bottoms by the end of the exercise as I had experienced during my participation in various such censuses.

According to the District Forest Officer (DFO) at SNP, the waterhole technique is applied where animals are counted from a hiding place or machan as they visit waterholes. The survey is taken at a time when there is the least availability of water at all water sources in the entire census area. To facilitate this method of counting, 271 machans were specially built overlooking water points which are basically waterholes to quench the thirst of small and big creatures.

Sharad Khanna, CEO of Indian Wildlife Adventures who escorted a team of volunteers from NCR, said: “The waterhole survey started at 10 a.m. and continued throughout the night until the next day till 10 a.m. with the help of a fact-sheet where species and their total numbers were diligently recorded. Use of binoculars and cameras were permitted for better viewing and determining the sex and age of the animals with help of experienced foresters who accompanies each volunteer.”

The result obtained is an index of wildlife animal presence in that particular area. At the end of the 24-hour exercise, the available data is computed to arrive at a guesstimate. Data thus compiled over the years will show results that can be deciphered for better conservation methods by researchers.

Though wildlife census involves many more practices like pugmark methods, scat sampling, roadside counts, pellet group count, camera-trap method, waterhole census in the most widespread and comprehensive. The technique not only covers the entire sanctuary but also involves volunteers so they also get to appreciate and participate in the nation’s wildlife conservation, informed the DFO. On an earlier occasion, to study the status of wildlife population in Sariska, I was placed at a prime location and provided with water and food. While the daytime was scorching, it also gave me chances to be up-close with birds and beasts. As the beautiful big orb of the moon rose on the horizon, there was some respite from the heat but soon this turned miserable as the temperatures dipped to shivering standards. In the wee hours, there was temporary cloud cover and suddenly a resounding roar shattered the silence of the night but nothing was visible. Until daylight dispelled darkness and forest officials came to take us back to the base camp, it was not known that it was a leopard that let out the spine-chilling roar. The tell-tale pugmarks revealed it all.

-The Hindu, 2nd June 2013

Though pomp and show lights up the Walled City area on the birth anniversary of iconic Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib, his haveli at Gali Qasim Jaan in Ballimaran wears a neglected look on other days.

The erstwhile owners of the haveli want a library to be set up in the premises for the local community. A visit to the haveli reveals that the residence where Ghalib spent the last few years of his life (from 1860 to 1869) has no windows today. There is no sunlight in the dank medieval premises which lacks proper ventilation.

Even the roof has been covered with a blue-coloured, emblazoned plate and an archaic chandelier dangles from it.

A bust of Ghalib is displayed inside one of the rooms. Presented by Hindi film-maker and poet Gulzar on December 26, 2010, it was sculpted by Bhagwan Rampure. Pages of verses from the gifted poet have been framed and kept as decorative items.

There are inconsequential details about Ghalib’s wife Umrao Begam. The claustrophobic room is dimly-lit and the unrelenting heat makes it difficult for visitors to stand and soak in the ambience of the place. “What is the point of restoring the haveli of one of the greatest Urdu poets when his books are not available to readers. I keep coming to Delhi but am disappointed that the local administration has not made a library,” says Mohammad Nizam, a resident of Bareilly.

Shafiquddin Khaksa, whose family owned the haveli , says in their large-heartedness they decided to relinquish their ownership of the haveli so that it could be used as a public property for inquisitive visitors from within the country and abroad. “My late grandfather Khaji Mohammad Ibrahim purchased Ghalib’s house in 1967 at an auction conducted by a government department. Years later, activist Firoz Bakht Ahmed convinced us that we should relinquish our hold over the property for the larger good of the humanity.” Shafiquddin’s family used to run a shop of raw materials used in construction activity from the haveli . He now runs a chemist shop adjoining the haveli . “We could have got more compensation but we are not greedy. We wanted a living monument to come up here; one in which young boys and girls of the area could have access to a library or computer centre. Putting up books in Urdu, English and Hindi would be a welcome step.”

Every year, creative people, litterateurs and those from different professional backgrounds participate in a candle-light procession from Town Hall to Ghalib’s haveli where cultural activities includingmushaira are held.

Shafiquddin asks why no activities are held on a regular basis. “Even on Ghalib’s birth anniversary the local community is involved at the eleventh hour.”

Firoz Bakht Ahmed says: “Who would not love Ghalib? Ghalib is in the heart of all the connoisseurs of poetry the world over. However, what is to be lamented is that the memorial restored by me is today no more than a dead, defunct and forlorn two-room haveli. Of late, there are people who have become opportunistic enough to cash in on Ghalib’s fame and use the haveli like a mistress coveted by all but cared by none.”

Pointing out that he had filed a public interest litigation in 1996, Mr. Bakht says the haveli was restored on August 8, 1997, after Single Bench Judge Justice C. M. Nayar gave the landmark judgment to restore the house of Ghalib within six months in a manner most impressive and impeccable befitting the great poetic talent. “But it took three years. There have been umpteen lovers of Ghalib who claim they got it restored. Where were these lovers of Ghalib, when we were running from pillar to post to get it restored? Those cashing in on Ghalib’s name should first of all try to make the haveli a living monument rather than use it for self-promotion.”

In his petition for the Ghalib memorial, Mr. Bakht had demanded a 400 square yard area for thehaveli as was the original during the days of the poet. He had also suggested that a reading room be set up where Urdu, Hindi and English newspapers and magazines can be accessed by the local community. “Besides, a portion of a room must be devoted to selling the translation of Ghalib’s UrduDiwan (collection) , as has been done by Ghalib Academy, Delhi. Apart from that, information booklets on Ghalib and his picture postcards too must be made available.”

For all these demands, Mr. Bakht had even approached Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in 2010. “She sent the file to Department of Culture Secretary in-charge to uplift and properly light the Ghalib monument. I have been contacting the official for the upgradation of Ghalib’s haveli but there has been no development.”

However, the activist is thankful to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations for renovating the monument. “However, I would like involvement of organisations like the Aga Khan Trust for Culture so that the haveli can become a world-class monument attracting tourists in large numbers. We should place a system where tourists or visitors have to buy tickets in order to see the haveli . This is necessary to meet the daily expenditure incurred on the upkeep of the haveli .”

-The Hindu, 2nd June 2013

Along the ghats in Banaras, there are two mortuaries, Harishchandra and Manikarnika. Every year, they burn approximately 32,000 bodies using around 16,000 tonnes of logwood. It produces 700- 800 tonnes of ash which flows to the Ganga. Also, parts of the bodies remain un-burnt. Year after year, such parts are also thrown into the river. This amounts to approximately 300 tonnes a year!

This fact has been highlighted by Professor B.D. Tripathi of Banaras Hindu University’s Department of Botany in a documentary on the Ganga titled Ganga, A Life Line. The 48-minute film in Hindi, made by writer/researcher Dr. Rajeev Shrivastava, is part of the Ministry of Environment and Forests’ initiative to clean the Ganga and other rivers under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).

An international conference on environment was held in Rishikesh two years ago. Noted environmental scientists, ecologists activists like R.K. Pachouri of TERI and Sunderlal Bahuguna among others had participated in it. It resulted in the creation of the NGRBA project; it discussed cleaning up of all rivers in every State, especially the Ganga. It reflected unanimously that the participation of civil and corporate bodies as well as common people is required for the purpose. A film to reach out to the all and sundry, hence, was thought out to be the best way.

The film documents the sorry state of affairs of Indian rivers comparing them with Thames in London, the Nile in Egypt and the Zara in Dubai. All these flow through densely populated cities, yet are crystal clean.

Back home, the film reveals, all the Ganga water treatment plants that were set up during the regime of Rajiv Gandhi in Allahabad, Kanpur, Banaras, Patna, Bihar and West Bengal have been non-functional for years.

Juxtaposing stunning visuals against Hindi film songs on the Ganga, the film reveals various unknown and unpleasant truths about the pollution that plagues the river’s waters and warns that it is high time the subject is taken seriously.

The film tells that 90 per cent of the Ganga water is contaminated. In Banaras, it gets 250 MLD (mega litre per day) of untreated sewage from municipality and chemicals from 1,400 factories. Between Gangotri and Rishikesh, there are lakhs of houses and ashrams; all human waste from there is diverted to the Ganga. “The religious gurus who speak about worshipping the Ganges are equally responsible for its pollution,” said NGRBA member Rama Raut.

Ecologists, environmentalists and scientists unanimously agree that various barrages/dams that the government started building from 1950 on the rivers, especially on the Ganga, like the dams in Maneri, Tehri and Cheela, lower Ganga dam in Narora and a recent one built in Kanpur have resulted in restricted flow of water. Ravinder Sinha, Professor in Patna University’s Botany Department and NGRBA member, observed that the Farakka Barrage constructed in 1975, between the rich biodiversity area of the Sunderbans and the upper Ganga, “was the most unfortunate one as it has resulted in the rapid declining of various species of fishes which would go from the sweet waters of the Ganga to the sea to breed and come back, as also fresh water prawns. Similarly the dams made on the Gandak, Gomti, etc have further affected the lives of water animals and plants”.

The film quotes Mr. Bahuguna remembering how 80-year-old women in Patna recall their parents asking them to bathe at home and wear clean clothes while going to take a dip at the Ganges but now, people go to take bath there and wash their dirty clothes and animals.

The film, however, offers pragmatic and inexpensive solutions. U.K. Chowdhury, retired from the Department of Civil Engineering, BHU’S IIT wing, suggested separation of pollutants in the rivers through sand beds. He said, “The Kumb Mela gets four to five crore visitors.All the human waste during that time is deposited in the Ganga’s sand bed. It has the potential to merge pollutants. Just about 12 km downstream from the ghats are large, empty sand beds. When the river dries up, the temperature of the sand bed becomes as high as 55 degree Celsius; here all the pollutants can be deposited without extra electric expenses (hydraulic process).” There were also suggestions to break down some of the dams to increase the water flow which would halt siltation. It was suggested that the income of State governments from organising Kumbh Melas should be spent on cleaning up the rivers.

Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is also NGRBA Chairman, had released the documentary film formally at the Maha Kumb Mela, it will be screened soon at the next NGRBA meeting in the Capital. CDs of the film will be distributed to schools andcolleges for free and put on sale at nominal rates.

-The Hindu, 2nd June 2013

The central business district of the national capital, Connaught Place, did not exist a century ago. Instead, along the sides of the Qutb Road — the main road since the Mughal era which connected Shahjahanabad, the Walled City area, to Qutb Minar in south Delhi - were three villages: Madhoganj, Jaisinghpura and Raja Ka Bazzar. The centuries-old Hanuman Mandir, now a prominent feature on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, had a steeple with the ceiling ornamented with gold paintings and glasswork.

Raja Ka Bazzar incorporated what are today’s areas between the Baba Kharak Singh Marg and parts of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg and also chunks of southwest the side of Connaught Place.

In the 1920s, the residents of these villages were evacuated for the building of Connaught Place and relocated to Karol Bagh. However, the Hanuman temple, a Jain temple in Jaisinghpura and the heritage monument of Jantar Mantar were left untouched and incorporated into the New Delhi’s plan.

Tapan Roy, who passed Class 11 in 1966-67 from the Union Academic Senior Secondary School in the Raja Bazzar area and is now parts of its management, remembers his school report card mentioned ‘Raja Bazzar’ in the address part.

“The area had densely populated government bungalow accommodation (small bungalows). The state emporia came up much later, after the 1970s,” Roy recalls and adds that this was a cosy residential bungalow area unlike the chaotic commercial hub that it is now.

-The Hindu, 2nd June 2013

CITYSCAPE The passing away of a pastor last month dug up the long-buried memory of a young girl who passed away but kept coming back, says R.V. SMITH

Sometimes a man’s death opens up a flood of memories. Father Ian Charles Weatherall, who passed away last month aged 91, had served in the 16th Punjab Regiment during World War II. A Scotsman, he decided to make Delhi his home in 1951 after joining the Cambridge Brotherhood. Among his friends, while he was pastor of St James Church in Kashmere Gate, was Alfred J. Edwin, one of the well-known writers in the Capital in those days. Once Edwin wrote a story about an Anglo-Indian family of Nicholson Road and showed it to Father Weatherall. After reading it the Anglican priest shook his head and asked Edwin if he intended getting the story published. “Who would believe it?” replied Edwin and left it on his table. Allen Alexander, great-grandson of a legendary Major of the 1919 Afghan War who lived with Weatherall as a guest for some time, picked it up because of his love for ghost stories and was allowed to keep the manuscript. The young man shared a flat in Daryaganj with this scribe in 1970-71 and gave the story to him to read. Allen, unfortunately, died in Faridabad 18 years ago, predeceasing his father Harvey, World War veteran and, later, pilot of the private plane of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, whose daughter Gayatri Devi became the Maharani of Jaipur.

If memory serves one right, this is the gist of what Alfred J. Edwin wrote, based on an account by a deceased girl’s tantric uncle who claimed to have witnessed her nocturnal visits: “When Lisbeth Jane died in 1928 (the same year as her favourite novelist, Thomas Hardy), her parents were greatly grieved. She was their only daughter and just 20 years old. The end came suddenly after an epileptic fit. Tall, slim, fair and pretty, she had been a brilliant student, fond of reading and writing. She liked English classics and wrote love poetry without being emotionally attached to anyone, except the penniless Francis Thompson of ‘The Hound of Heaven’ fame (incidentally, this metaphysical poem was read out by Rajaji to Mahatma Gandhi while the two were in a British jail together). As the only issue, she was naturally the apple of her parents’ eyes, who doted over their daughter. Her passing away was a big shock not only to them but also to other relatives, friends and acquaintances. There was one boy who fancied himself to be in love with her. He was so overcome with grief that he left Delhi soon after to join the Royal Navy but was killed during the Japanese attack on the Andamans.”

There were pictures of Jane in various poses hanging in the 19th Century house, which were an ever-present reminder and a solace to her father and mother. It seemed she lived in between those golden frames and had never parted from them. Sometimes they wondered how the grave could hold such a vibrant young soul. It seems they were right, for this is what a tantric told them: “At 2.30 a.m. she would begin stirring in her grave. The tombstone vibrated and slowly lifted up. It took Jane five minutes to get out and 10 minutes to reach home. Sometimes a belated passerby saw a beautiful girl moving fast on Lothian Road as though on skates. The door was closed but she wafted into her room, preserved as in her lifetime. She gazed at her pictures, her books, the furniture, and the gramophone. Then one by one she visited all the rooms in the house, including the one in which her parents were sound asleep. Then she moved to the balcony from which she used to call the ‘chiz-wallahs’, the sellers of chaat, kulfi, jalebis, kacchoris, gazak, popcorn and seasonal fruits. She loved phalse, which came in May and lasted just a month, followed by jamuns and mangoes, which got bigger and juicer as the monsoon advanced and the koel’s call increased in intensity. Jane would stand in the balcony during her nocturnal visits. Then she would move to the terrace and the verandah. She had been in the house for an hour and now it was time to make the return journey. But before leaving she had one last peep into her parents’ bedroom. They slept soundly. She blew a kiss to them and wafted out of the main door. Jane would look sad but she had only limited time at her disposal. She would walk swiftly back to the Lothian cemetery and reach there in 10 minutes flat. The tombstone would open automatically and in five minutes she was inside. The last thing she probably heard was the cock crowing in the distance to announce the return of morning and then her long sleep till the next night began.”

During his stay at Jane’s house, the tantric uncle felt strange vibrations one night, got up and saw Jane entering and leaving the house. After that he saw her every night during his prolonged stay and even heard her talking to herself. But her parents never could see her except in dreams.

Once the tantric uncle followed Jane to the cemetery on a bicycle and saw the weird happenings there, even as a mutational zephyr frolicked in her tresses. Sikandar, the night chowkidar, corroborated what the tantric said. He had witnessed an ethereal form hovering over a tombstone and vanishing, only to be back before early dawn and then finally disappearing into the marble grave, the roses on which were kept fresh by the dew falling down from the yellow laburnum tree.

One couldn’t trace Jane’s grave in the Lothian Road cemetery, as most of the tombs in it are now without gravestones. Fr. Weatherall did not know where it was and Alfred J. Edwin is long dead, but one of his strangest stories needs to be retold all the same, mutatis mutandis.

-The Hindu, 3rd June 2013

On May 30, 1845, a ship Fate al Razack, full of Indian indentured immigrants entered the Nelson Island, off the shore of Trinidad, an island in the Caribbean Sea. The ship brought not only a labour force to assist in the economic development, but one that in time created inroads for new culture and traditions in Trinidad and Tobago islands. Hence, May 30 is celebrated as the Indian Arrival Day in this Caribbean nation, as the Indians constitute about 43 per cent of their present population.

To embrace the cultural ties between India and Trinidad and Tobago, the High Commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in India, in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has organised a five-day exhibition of paintings and sculptures, titled, “Milap” showcasing works of four artists — Pankaj Guru, B.K. Guru, Anita Chandradath Singh and Tessa Alexander. “My pieces show some aspects of our culture that came from our Indian ancestors but over time have evolved to become our own,” says Tessa.

Pankaj, who is the youngest artist exhibiting at “Milap”, is showcasing his creation through sculptures and a short film. “I have a series of six bronze sculptures that are dressed in ice dresses called Awakening. At the core of it, all six have similar faces but are dressed according to different religions and cultures. As the ice melts, one finds a similar body. We all are one and have originated from the same source. But, due to ignorance, we have kept ourselves in tight compartments of culture, languages, caste and creed,” says Pankaj.

Anita Chandradath Singh’s works range across mediums including watercolour, mixed media and clay. Anita is the wife of the High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago in India. “My work depicts the history of the country since Indentureship. The Arrival, an ink on paper sketch, shows the first ship that sailed from India carrying the indentured labourers from UP and Bihar, arriving in Trinidad,” says Anita.

Another work, Mudras and Taals, highlights the influence of Indian music, instruments and dance within the vast Indian diaspora. It is amazing how though Indo-Trinidadians do not generally understand Hindi or other Indian languages, they beautifully capture Indian dance and sing all forms of Indian music including Bhojpuri and songs from the Bollywood industry.

The exhibition is on at Azad Bhawan till June 5

-The Asian Age, 3rd June 2013

At the turn of the century, the hotel had begun to feel its age. It has taken years of repair and restoration to throw its doors open in a new avatar. The magic is back again.

Standing quietly amid towering deodars as a witness to the hill town’s fascinating history since the year 1902 when it was built, Savoy has come a long way. Savoy was opened to the public in the summer of 1902 and was later damaged in an earthquake that rocked Mussoorie in 1906. After being closed for a year, the hotel was reopened in 1907.

Before electricity came to Mussoorie in 1909, the hotel used chandeliers with candles and spirit lamps. It was, however, after World War-I, in the “gay twenties”, that the hotel saw its most popular days. The Savoy Orchestra played every night. Indian princes and their retinues occupied wings of the hotel and threw lavish parties and fancy dress balls.

Lowell Thomas, a famous traveller who visited Mussoorie in 1926, wrote about Savoy, “There is a hotel in Mussoorie where they ring a bell just before dawn so that the pious may say their prayers and the impious get back to their beds.” “The reopening of Savoy is great news. In a time when all old buildings are being pulled down and all landmarks in Doon valley vanishing, this is a wonderful example of keeping tradition alive,” says author Ganesh Saili who was at the launch with renowned author and his friend Ruskin Bond.

The Deodar trees at Savoy are more than 300-year old and are believed to be the oldest in Mussoorie, even older than the hill station which came into being in 1826.The Savoy estate is the largest, acreage-wise, of any hill station hotel in India.

Savoy’s register is full of famous names beginning with the Nehrus — Motilal and Jawaharlal and Mrs Indira Gandhi. Other names are the Dalai Lama, Crown Prince of Laos, Pearl S Buck and Amitabh Bachchan.The Savoy lies at a short distance away from The Library Point (Gandhi Chowk). The first floor of the Library was, in fact, the Savoy Restaurant for many years. These were the times when Mussoorie was not only the queen of resorts but also the resort of kings.

Credit for the Savoy building goes to Cecil D Lincoln, a barrister from Lucknow who took over the lands of the Mussoorie School, at the turn of the nineteenth century, pulled it down and built a hotel. Its all his: the English Gothic architecture, its fine proportions, its lancet-shaped narrow windows along the corridors and the verandas. A visitor can still spot the original school emblem, a three-leafed clover peeping from the eaves.

Two simple spires, without any parapet, surmount the corners of the main building -- rearing their heads in pride -- constitutes the main façade. When one considers the fact that the first motorcar came to the hill station in 1920, one can only admire the sheer ingenuity and dogged perseverance of those early settlers. Men and materials trundled up the bridle path from Rajpur aboard lumbering bullock-carts with the massive Victorian and Edwardian furniture.

Says Saili, “Launched in 1902, the hotel was - ‘like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a school’ gushed a local scribe. Royalty was to grace the station four years later -- Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales -- later, Queen Mary -- attended a garden party in the Savoy grounds. No sooner had she left, a severe earthquake hit Mussoorie. Many buildings were flattened and the hotel had to be closed for a year. But by 1907, it was up and ready to go again.”

In between the two Great Wars, in the ‘gay twenties’, Mussoorie entered its days of wine and roses. The Savoy orchestra played every night, and the ballroom was full of couples dancing the night away. You could do the fox trot or waltz to the happy numbers or do your own thing.

-The Pioneer, 3rd June 2013

The Great Indian Bustard is on the brink of extinction, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on Tuesday.

The Great Indian Bustard has been up-listed to ‘critically endangered,’ the highest level of threat, IUCN said in a release. Hunting, disturbance, habitat loss and fragmentation have all conspired to reduce this magnificent species to perhaps as few as 250 individuals, IUCN said.

Standing a metre in height and weighing nearly 15 kg, the Great Indian Bustard was once found in large number across the grasslands of India and Pakistan but is now restricted to small and isolated fragments of the remaining habitat.

“In an ever more crowded world, species that need lots of space, such as the Great Indian Bustard, are losing out. However, we are the ones who lose in the long run, as the services that nature provides us start to disappear,” Leon Bennun, Director of Science and Policy at Bird Life International, which partners with IUCN in conservation effort said.

Meanwhile, Director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) Asad Rahmani, who has been working on conservation of Great Indian Bustard for several years, told PTI that BNHS has been suggesting to the government to maintain few undisturbed grasslands in the country for breeding of this large bird of India, on the same lines as Project Tiger.

This is a must to maintain delicate ecological and habitat balance. Centre should take up the conservation of Great Indian Bustard in a serious manner, he added.

-The Hindu, 3rd June 2013

Manjarabad Fort in Hassan district is one of the few remaining star-shaped forts in the country. It is easy to miss it, as no attempts have been made to highlight this rare monument. Meera Iyer discovers that the fort is a fine example of the French influence on our military architecture.

Just 10 km from Sakleshpur in Hassan district is Manjarabad Fort, a small structure that happens to be a very rare example of 17th century French military architecture in India. Unless you keep an eye out for it though, chances are you will drive right past it, for no attempt has been made to highlight this quite singular military monument. As a result, apart from lovers and revellers, visitors to Manjarabad Fort leave in just a few minutes, not knowing that they have seen one of the few remaining star-shaped forts in India.

Manjarabad Fort stands on a little hill, 988 m above sea level. A short path and then a long flight of steps lead into a wide passageway flanked by solid, looming granite walls. One or two sharp turns later, the passageway ends at an arched entrance into the fort. I was lucky I had an architect colleague with me who knew a thing or two about the fort and asked me to look up as soon as we entered: carved on the roof of the archway was an eight-pointed star — a plan of the eight-pointed fort itself!

Built in the 18th century

The Manjarabad Fort was built in the late 1790s, a time when Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore, was battling for Mysore's sovereignty against the British East India Company. Also involved here were the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad, both of whom often fought on the side of the British against Tipu Sultan. And then there were the French, bit players who had allied themselves first with Hyder Ali and later his son Tipu Sultan, playing out their enmity against the English here in Mysore.

But fighting and defending territory was a feature of the region's history even before these particular actors entered the stage, so it is not surprising that almost every hillock in old Mysore state sported a fort — historians say there were more than a thousand forts in the kingdom. Many of these forts, such as at Devanahalli, Nandi Hills, Koppal and Chitradurga, to name just a few, were extensively renovated by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, often with the help of their French engineers. According to historian Barry Lewis of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, you can see the French influence in these forts, especially in those parts of the forts related to artillery use, such as in the widely splayed openings for firing cannon, for example.

In those days, the French were famed for their military architecture. The late 1600s was the age of Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban (1633 – 1707), France's most famous military engineer and commissioner of fortifications under the French king Louis XIV. By this time, the use of gunpowder in warfare had already transformed forts from tall, high-walled structures into earth-walled constructions with low but solid walls that would withstand pounding by cannon.

Bastions that projected out from the walls were key features of these new-age forts and were designed so that soldiers could fire on anyone who got too close to the fort walls. In the 1500s, the Italians came up with the idea of triangular and polygonal-shaped bastions to reduce the so-called 'dead zones' or blind spots in front of bastions. But it was Vauban who took their design to almost an art form. It is his name that is most often associated with sloping-walled, arrow-shaped bastions…exactly of the kind found at Manjarabad Fort.

The Manjarabad Fort was built in 1792 when Tipu Sultan wanted to guard the approaches to Mangalore and Coorg. It is one of the few forts built by Tipu where earlier there had been none. In common with many other forts renovated or built by him, Manjarabad Fort is also constructed of granite and rubble, and is protected by trenches all around. But unlike in Tipu's other forts, Manjarabad's bastions are neither semi-circular nor square. Instead, they are all shaped like arrow-heads so that the fort itself is shaped like an eight-pointed star. Not being constrained by earlier structures, perhaps Tipu himself or his French engineers had decided to adopt the then latest designs when building the new fort.

Similar to European forts

Even a cursory glance at Manjarabad Fort suggests a very strong resemblance to European-designed forts of the 17th and 18th centuries. The star-shaped plan, for example, is very similar to that of Palmanova in Italy built in 1593, or the star-shaped citadel in Quebec, Canada, built in the early 1700s, to a design approved by Vauban himself. Exactly like Vauban recommends, the accommodation for soldiers in Manjarabad is built along the fort walls, making it easy for them to be deployed in case of an attack. As for the sentry boxes, apart from the obvious Islamic design elements, I was struck by how they were near-replicas of those designed by Vauban for the fort at Montlouis in France.

At the time of its construction, Manjarabad was not the only star-shaped fort in India. Kolkata's second fort, Fort William, built in the late 1700s, was also built to a star-shaped plan. Much of the eastern fortification walls no longer exist but the rest of the fort still stands. However, since it serves as the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian army, it is inaccessible to the public. A fort in Potagarh, Odisha, built by the British in 1768, is also said to have been star-shaped but little remains of it now.

In other words, Manjarabad's fort is probably the most complete Vaubanesque star-shaped fort in India that you can still see. It seems a real pity that the Archaeological Survey of India, which looks after Manjarabad Fort, has made no effort to inform the public about this unique monument. The only information the ASI provides here is that you could be imprisoned or fined for despoiling this protected monument.

Apart from its unusual plan, the Manjarabad fort also has some structures inside it that are interesting, especially a deep well with steps leading down to it from all four sides. Close to the well is an armoury which like Tipu's other armouries is a partly subterranean structure with vaulted roofs.

The other attraction of the fort is, of course, the panoramic views of the surrounding country. Almost every spot on the walls and bastions affords a beautiful view of the surrounding hills, all clothed in dense green forests. The story goes that when he visited the completed fort, Tipu Sultan found the mountain covered by fog and so named the place Manjarabad, meaning 'the Abode of Fog'. As the clouds rolled in, I could quite imagine Tipu viewing much the same scene and being moved to christen the place with that very evocative name.

-The Deccan Herald, 4th June 2013

Karnataka is home to many hillforts (giridurga) and forest forts (vanadurga), constructed by successive dynasties. The fort in Hosanagara near Shimoga is one such example. It was built by the famous Keladi Nayaka, King Shivappa Nayaka (1645-1665). Another name of the fort is Bidanur fort, which means the 'city of bamboos'.

According to local legends, the dynasty was founded by two brothers named Chauda and Bhadra, who were sons of a farmer. The Nayakas ruled under the powerful Vijayanagar empire, but after the fall of the empire in 1565, the Nayakas were independent. The kings later shifted to their capital in Bidanur, Keladi and Ikkeri. King Veerabhadra Nayaka had to face the rebellion of the other chieftains and shifted the capital to Bidanur. He was also defeated by the Bijapur sultans and accepted their lordship. He had also formed ties with the Portuguese of Mangalore.

Shivappa Nayaka was the most distinguished ruler of the dynasty. He expanded his kingdom to Kodagu and defeated the Portuguese. Apart from Hosanagara, he also built forts in Chandragiri and Bekal. The last ruler from the famed Keladi dynasty was Somasekhara. All successive rulers from the dynasty used this fort as their residence apart from the Shimoga palace. Hyder Ali defeated Somasekhara and captured the Hosanagara fort. Later, Tipu also ruled Shimoga.

The ruins of the fort are now a tourist attraction. The Hosanagara fort was once a majestic fort. There are many entrances to this fort. While the northern and southern entrances were called Diddi bagilu and Hanuma bagilu, the eastern and western entrances were called Durgada bagilu and Dodda bagilu, respectively. There was also a small fort inside the Hosanagara fort named Ola kote.

The structure near the main entrance still stands as a reminder of an era gone by. A reservoir named Akka tangi hola is inside the fort. On the left side is the auditorium, where the royals watched entertainment programmes. The ruins of the durbar hall can also be seen. The drainage systems, water channels and wells are testimony to the engineering traditions of that time.

The fort is situated near the road which connects Shimoga and Kollur. The ruins of temples also can be seen inside the fort. There are seven tanks in the area built by the Nayakas.

The road leading up to the fort is a winding path and the area is surrounded by a thick jungle. The Gangadhareswara temple built by the Nayakas near Hosanagara is still used for worship.

The fort can be a major tourist attraction, but more attention needs to be paid towards the maintenance of this historic structure.

-The Deccan Herald, 4th June 2013

Blooming Biosphere The declaration of two new sanctuaries by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments comes as a hope for many endangered species. Increased protection and awareness, especially in tiger reserves, has already led to resurgence in tiger numbers in southern India, writes PU Antony.

World Environment Day being celebrated each year with festivities around the world is primarily meant to invoke political and public action towards issues concerned with the environment.

This year, the day is marked by the creation of corridors that would enable marooned wild life of Nilgiri Biosphere to roam in a larger, more intact ecosystem. The untiring efforts of various green organisations towards this cause in South India resulted in the recent declaration of sanctuary status to two reserve forests and the ban of night traffic on various highways passing through Bandipur, Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Wayanad wildlife sanctuary. These two initiatives from the part of the respective state governments paved way for an unruffled subsistence for wild animals in this belt.

The new Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu) including areas along the River Cauvery in the Hosur and Dharmapuri forest divisions, together with the unique Gutterayan Riverine Forest was first proposed by the noted naturalist, M Krishnan immediately after the promulgation of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Later, the proposal being put up since then from time to time by various green organisations became a reality when Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced its implementation in the Tamil Nadu assembly on May 2 this year.

In a similar move, the Karnataka government has officially declared a part of the Kollegala Range Forest as Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary on May 16,. Out of the 1,224 sq km of the range forest, 906.18 sq km (90,618.75 hectares) has been declared a sanctuary. The declaration has been welcomed by NGOs and greens who had persistently demanded sanctuary status to these forests.

A crucial habitat

The new Cauvery wildlife sanctuary is a very crucial habitat dotted with a range of hills covered by dry deciduous and semi-evergreen forests on the Eastern Ghats, bound by the River Cauvery on the West. Some stretches of shola forests too are seen on the slopes of the hills. This is the only forest in Tamil Nadu other than Srivilliputhur that harbours the Grizzled Giant Squirrel, ratufa macroura. The ruling monarch of these jungles is the elephant.

This forest range stretches to sanctuaries of BR Hills and Sathyamangalam including the newly installed Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and joins the tiger reserves of Nilgiri Biosphere. As the meeting point of the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats, these forests form a vital link in the elephant corridors of South India, connecting the Bannerghatta National Park and the River Cauvery. It borders some of the prominent tiger sanctuaries of the South. Water sources like Cauvery, Dodahalla, Hebbahalla, Chinnar, Ponnaiar, Anaibiddahalla rivers make these ranges a promising habitat for wild life.

A home to the endangered

Both the proposed sanctuaries are home to many endangered wildlife like four-horned antelope (tetracerus quadricornis), Indian gaur (bos gaurus), sambar (cervus unicolor), leopard (panthera pardus), smooth-coated otter (lutrogale perspicillata), sloth bear (melursus ursinus), wild dog (cuon alpines), Indian pangolin (manis crassicaudata), rusty spotted cat (prionailurus rubiginosus), Egyptian vulture (neophron percnopterus), painted stork (mycteria leucocephala), grey headed fish eagle (ichthyophaga ichthyaetus), lesser fish eagle (ichthyophaga humilis) etc. whose protection under Wildlife Protection Act needs to be ensured.

The vegetation type

These sanctuaries host mixed vegetation types such as thorn scrub, dry tropical riverine, dry deciduous, mixed deciduous, dry evergreen and semi evergreen. The forests of the hill harbour many rare plants and trees such as giant mangifera indica, garcinia gummigutta, wild balsam, wild jack, etc. Endangered species such as shorea roxburghii also occur in the division. Significant trees such as old growth mutti (terminalia arjuna), hardwickia binata, ippe (madhuca longifolia), diospyros malabarica etc. occur here.

Habitat fragmentation due to settlements, poaching, cattle grazing, forest fire; exodus of elephant herds from fragmented forests; increase in road network into the forest areas etc. can now be effectively managed for better conservation. Allowing the elephants to disperse haphazardly will be disastrous as the landscape has changed vastly due to human activity. The only option is to contain the elephants within the existing forest divisions by protecting the habitat and making it suitable for elephants. To that extent, the setting up of the two sanctuaries is a positive move.

The nature of forest cover in the Eastern Ghats had become more open with extensive scrub patches. It is reasonable to assume that the trend has continued and probably accelerated in the last decade. The seriousness and intensity of the problems need to be acknowledged and corrective measures need to be put in place. This can only be done by enhancing the status of the important parts of the region to a protected area and re-orienting the management towards wildlife conservation.

The declaration of the two sanctuaries will create a large tract of contiguous protected area connecting Bannerghatta National Park to the forests of Sathaymangalam through Kollegal and Kanakpura Forest Divisions and Billigirirangaswamy Tiger Reserve. Increased protection and awareness, especially in tiger reserves, are leading to resurgence in tiger numbers and the tiger range in southern India is increasing. Strict protection of the proposed area will lead to a healthy population of ungulate prey species and the area will once again become habitable for the tiger.

-The Deccan Herald, 4th June 2013

Bruce Foote, the father of south Indian geology, traversed through erstwhile Mysore state and conducted several surveys in and around Kappagal hill near Bellary. His contribution to the study of Karnataka's geology has been immense, writes P Satyanarayana Rao

May 30, 1863 is a memorable date as it marks an important milestone in the history of Indian archaeology; it was on that day that Robert Bruce Foote, the father of Indian prehistory and South Indian geology, first discovered a palaeolith from Pallavaram near Chennai or erstwhile Madras. He also picked up a palaeolith in the State's Hunsigi in Shorapur taluk.

Bruce Foote (1834-1912) integrated geological and pre-historic expeditions over a period of 40 years in various parts of southern and western India. In fact, the Foote collection of antiquities were all sold to the Madras Government Museum in 1906 and is a valuable treasure. This includes the Saganakal collection also.

Foote joined the Geological Survey of India on Sept 28, 1858 and was later invited to head the newly formed Mysore Geological Department in Bangalore. Ravi Korisettar, Prof., Dr Pavate Chair for Art and Archaeology in Karnatak University, Dharwad has supplied the required material to help the ASI apply for a commemorative stamp to the Director General of Post and Telegraphs. He has offered a working design of the stamp marking both the death centenary and the 150th anniversary of Pallavarm.

Foote traversed through the erstwhile Mysore state and published his field notes in the first memoir of the Mysore Geological Department, explains Korisettar, who has been made Hon. Director of the pre-history museum at Bellary. Foote not only carried out explorations in several districts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu but also in Belgaum, Dharwad, Bijapur, Raichur and Bellary in Karnataka.

Work at Kappagal

Midway through his career, Foote shifted his area of activity to the Rayalaseema region. He was based in Bellary for a long time. Sanganakal complex of five hills, five km away from Bellary, was discovered as a stone-age site by William Fraser who took Bruce Foote to the now famous Kappagal hill there, then called Peacock hill with its black stone vein. In fact, 'Kappagal' means black stone.

Foote carefully studied artefacts and antiquities scattered on the surface and also fixed to the ground — mainly burial monuments in stone. He was particularly interested in the ash mounds at the foot of the hill and suggested that these contained ashes of deliberately heaped cattle dung which were set on fire periodically as a form of cultural ritual.

Bruce Foote sent samples of the ash to be examined in a London laboratory where it was confirmed that the cinder mounds were burnt cattle dung. Ash mounds were thus linked to Neolithic culture. Foote has given a graphic description of the cultural remains that included Neolithic pottery, stone tools, microliths and a rich variety of beads from a variety of ornamental stones.

He also gave detailed descriptions of stone tools and other material found on top of the Kappagal hill, also called Hiregudda and Peacock hill, in the Sanganakal complex. He was therefore convinced that this site had the largest neolithic stone factory he had seen anywhere in the former Madras presidency. He has included all these findings in his report, 'Geology of Bellary district' (1885).

This contains a separate chapter entitled 'Economic pre-history' tracing the detailed efforts at locating raw material sources for manufacturing ornamental beads and stone tools, drawn from a distance of over 15 km in the Sandur schist belt. Foote identified a variety of local sources of rock material such as dolerite, gabbro, granite and quartz.

Korisettar adds that Foote, in addition to the study of the Sanganakal complex of hills, had extended his work to the Tungabhadra valley and even in and around Hampi, focussing attention on neolithic village settlements and ash mounds in places like Kudathini, Gadiganur, Toranagallu and Halkundi. He drew special attention to the study of the Kudathini ash mound which is located on a pass between Hospet and Bellary, called the Budikanuma pass, on high ground. Local legend has it that the ash mound is the consequence of burning the remains of victims of a battle and one story calls it 'Hidimba Kasta' (the funeral pyre of the Rakshasa Hidimba).

-The Deccan Herald, 4th June 2013

The National Monuments Authority has identified Aga Khan Trust for Culture and School of Planning and Architecture as authorities for framing heritage bylaws in Delhi and has sent a proposal to the ministry of culture to notify them as expert heritage bodies. Reach Foundation in Chennai has also been identified to help with bylaws for monuments in the southern part of the country.

At present, the amended ASI Act of 2010 only lists India National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage for the framing of bylaws. Post-notification, AKTC would be accountable for the monuments in Nizamuddin while SPA would focus on structures in Mehrauli. Sources said the notification is expected soon.

The delay in notification of bylaws already submitted to NMA is a cause of concern. In Delhi, bylaws for Sher Shah Gate and Khair-ul-Manzil were submitted to Archaeological Survey of India over a year ago but not officially notified.

According to NMA officials, the bylaws have been approved in principle. Bylaws for Farrukhnagar in Haryana and a recent submission from the Baroda circle in Gujarat have also come to NMA. "These bylaws are being examined and will be put up on the website ," said a senior NMA official. ASI has also approved the 13 typologies prepared by Intach based on which it has framed bylaws for 47 monuments nationwide. Two categories include 13 monuments each in Goa and Madhya Pradesh.

Under the typology for living monuments which receive large number of visitors, Dwarkadheesh temple in Dwarka, Gujarat, will have bylaws prepared accordingly. In the category for protected monuments and sites located in urban areas of historic character, Intach and ASI have identified the Charminar in Hyderabad. The entire project includes over 3,600 monuments.

Monuments like Begampuri Masjid and Agrasen ki Baoli have been covered in the typologies and are awaiting approval by ASI. "The typologies are being used to frame bylaws for monuments under similar settings. While framing the bylaws for Begumpuri Masjid, nearby monuments like Bijai Mandal and Sarai Shahji would also be covered," a source said.

-The Times of India, 5th June 2013

Since before the age of dinosaurs it has burrowed unbothered beneath the monsoon-soaked soils of remote northeast India - unknown to science and mistaken by villagers as a deadly, miniature snake.

But this legless amphibian's time in obscurity has ended, thanks to an intrepid team of biologists led by University of Delhi professor Sathyabhama Das Biju.

Over five years of digging through forest beds in the rain, the team has identified an entirely new family of amphibians - called chikilidae - endemic to the region but with ancient links to Africa. Their discovery, published today in a journal of the Royal Society of London, gives yet more evidence that India is a hotbed of amphibian life with habitats worth protecting against the country's industry-heavy development agenda.

It also gives exciting new evidence in the study of prehistoric species migration, as well as evolutionary paths influenced by continental shift.

'This is a major hotspot of biological diversity, but one of the least explored,' Biju said.

'We hope this new family will show the importance of funding research in the area. We need to know what we have, so we can know what to save.'

His first effort in conserving the chikilidae was to give it a scientific name mirroring what the locals use in their Garo language.

The chikilidae is a caecilian, the most primitive of three amphibian groups that also include frogs and salamanders.

'We hope when the locals see the name, and their language, being used across the world, they will understand this animal's importance and join in trying to save it,' Biju said.

'India's biodiversity is fast depleting. We are destroying these habitats without mercy.'

The chikilidae's home in long-ignored tropical forests now faces drastic change under programs to cut trees, plant rice paddy, build roads and generate industry as India's economic growth fuels a breakneck drive in development.

More industrial pollutants, more pesticides and more people occupying more land may mean a world of trouble for a creature that can be traced to the earliest vertebrates to creep across land.

Biju - a botanist-turned-herpetologist now celebrated as India's 'Frogman' - has made it his life work to find and catalog new species.

There are too many cases of 'nameless extinction,' with animals disappearing before they are ever known, he said. 'We don't even know what we're losing.'

Amphibians are particularly vulnerable, and have drastically declined in recent decades.

The same sensitivity to climate and water quality that makes them perfect environmental barometers also puts them at the greatest risk when ecological systems go awry.

Biju, however, is working the reverse trend. Since 2001, he has discovered 76 new species of plants, caecilians and frogs - vastly more than any other scientist in India - and estimates 30-40 percent of the country's amphibians are yet to be found.

Within the chikilidae family, the team has already identified three species, and is on its way to classing three more, he said.

The chikilidae's discovery, made along with co-researchers from London's Natural History Museum and Vrije University in Brussels, brings the number of known caecilian families in the world to 10.

Three are in India and others are spread across the tropics in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.

There is debate about the classifications, however, and some scientists count even fewer caecilian families.

Because they live hidden underground, and race off at the slightest vibration, much less is known about them than their more famous - and vocal - amphibious cousins, the frogs.

Only 186 of the world's known amphibious species are caecilians, compared with more than 6,000 frog species - a third of which are considered endangered or threatened.

Even people living in northeast Indians misunderstand the caecilians, and rare sightings can inspire terror and revulsion, with farmers and villagers chopping them in half out of the mistaken belief that they are poisonous snakes.

In fact, the chikilidae is harmless, and may even be the farmer's best friend - feasting on worms and insects that might harm crops, and churning the soil as it moves underground.

Much remains to be discovered in further study, Biju said, as many questions remain about how the creatures live.

So far, Biju's team has determined that an adult chikilidae will remain with its eggs until they hatch, forgoing food for some 50 days. When the eggs hatch, the young emerge as tiny adults and squirm away.

They grow to about 4 inches, and can ram their hard skulls through some of the region's tougher soils, shooting off quickly at the slightest vibration. 'It's like a rocket,' Biju said. 'If you miss it the first try, you'll never catch it again.'

A possibly superfluous set of eyes is shielded under a layer of skin, and may help the chikilidae gauge light from dark as in other caecilian species.

DNA testing suggests the chikilidae's closest relative is in Africa - with the two evolutionary paths splitting some 140 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed what was then a southern supercontinent called Gondwana, since separated into today's continents of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, South America and the Indian subcontinent.

Biju's team worked best during monsoon season, when the digging is easier and chikilidae lay eggs in waterlogged soils.

Gripping garden spades with blistered hands, the researchers along with locals they hired spent about 2,600 man hours digging for the elusive squigglers, usually found about 16 inches deep.

'It was backbreaking work,' said research fellow Rachunliu Kamei, who even passed out in the forest once, and some days found not even one specimen.

'But there is motivation in knowing this is an uncharted frontier,' said Kamei, lead researcher and main author of the study paper.

- The Pioneer, 5th June 2013

Marginal farmers in Maharashtra are battling another cruel drought. In Vidarbha, droughts have become an annual feature. Absence of irrigation and efficient watershed management make small farmers even more vulnerable.

Although schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana or the Indira Awaas Yojana are not viewed as adaptation policies, many agree they play an important role in making communities climate-resilient.

Recent reports by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and others have found that the five states where MGNREGA is effective — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, MP, Rajasthan and Sikkim — have seen improvements in ground water levels, soil erosion and soil organic carbon. The parameters were compared with 'control states' where the scheme is not implemented. Apart from ensuring basic pay, ground water levels and drinking water availability improved in the areas studied.

-The Times of India, 5th June 2013

Delhi's environment is suffering due to its citizens' apathy and the authorities' neglect. But there are those — although a small minority — who are doing their bit to conserve the ecology and environment of the Capital.

One such effort was organised by the High Commission of Canada ahead of the World Environment Day on Wednesday. Their half-day workshop for children aged between 8 and 12 years saw kids learning how to build nests and mud houses for sparrows using waste material and pottery. A film on the conservation of the Arctic was also screened.

The theme for this year's World Environment Day is 'Think. Eat. Save. Reduce Your Footprint' to reduce food waste and loss.

Another bunch of enthusiastic Delhiites is doing their bit for the environment a little differently. More than 500 Delhiites signed pledges to care for and protect the environment at Select City Mall, Saket.

Air pollution | Groundwater | waste management | Ridge

The initiative was organised by Chintan, an NGO, and the mall management to encourage awareness on a cleaner environment vis-à-vis the role of waste pickers and to know what happens to the trash. The NGO works with women rag pickers and helps them convert metal scrap into highly usable, slick everyday products and has put them on sale at the mall.

The Delhi government will be doing its bit by re-launching its tree helpline with a focus on streamlining post-call mechanism. "Focus will be on the action taken once a call is received for better implementation and monitoring," said a government official.

Other events for the occasion include release of a video on the principles of 'Education for Sustainable Development' at an even by World Wide Fund-India. Dr Pravin Sinclair, NCERT director, will also release a 'Master Trainers Kit' at the event partnered with Prithvi Media.

The World Environment Day was first observed on June 5 in 1972 and has grown to become one of the main vehicles through which the United Nations aims to stimulate worldwide awareness about the environment and encourage political attention and action.

-The Hindustan Times, 5th June 2013

Are we too late? Or is there time to arrest the rollercoaster ride to doomsday predictions? Either way, has the science of climate change ever influenced negotiations at climate meets? Nitin Sethi looks at the politics of climate change.

On May 10 the planet marked a milestone of sorts. Scientists recorded that for every million molecules of air, 400 were of carbon dioxide - the key gas that accumulates over decades in the air and leads to global warming. The figure sent alarm bells ringing. A large section of scientists has long predicted that if the accumulated CO ² rose above 350 parts per million (about 200 years ago the concentration was 280ppm) it'd trigger catastrophic, perhaps irreversible changes. When the 400ppm mark was reached, global media went into a spin. Scientists and civil society called for swift action to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Meantime, another debate rages. For the past decade, even as CO ² concentration and GHG emissions rose dramatically, earth's surface temperatures seem to be stabilizing. Although GHG emissions were rising, global temperatures weren't going up as many predictive models showed. Real surface temperatures between 2000 and 2010 stayed at the lowest end of the range that scientific models predicted. That meant global temperatures weren't responding to the rise in emissions at the high level as was predicted. This suggested that the climate change juggernaut wasn't hurtling towards humanity at the speed predicted earlier.

Climate deniers went to town flaunting the new data that the globe wasn't warming at the predicted rate. The messages ranged from 'Apocalypse postponed to Apocalypse: a mirage'. Then came May 10, the 400ppm limit was breached. Climate activists demanded leaders act fast to cut emissions. Somewhere, both the deniers and the activists got it wrong.

Not scientific facts, but the fact that the world's leadership engaged in negotiations to draw a global regime by 2015 (starts 2020) is climateinsensitive. Negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change never hinged on what science told nations, nor did leaders react as urgently as science urged them to. Had that been so, the 2009 Copenhagen meeting on the back of a calamitous IPCC report would've got the US to agree to urgent emission cuts. It would've forced EU to do more and forced China, Brazil, India and South Africa to greater responsibility. Developed countries waffled, chose to wait till current annual GHG emissions of emerging economies rise and hasten a decision that'll make concerns of equity and justice fade away. Predictably, developing nations peaked or are nearpeaking emission levels.

Some rich nations have stitched a coalition of the willing, riding the necessity of least-developed countries that thrive through off-shore economies, but are ready to dispense with concerns about justice to quickly cut emissions. That could ensure that if a global agreement in 2015 forces a strong emission-cut regime, the burden-sharing needn't be proportionate to nations' responsibilities. Emerging science may be uncertain of how nature responds to increasing emissions, but there's little doubt temperatures have risen over the last century. Developed nations have stayed from acting climate responsible, building instead resilience to the challenge of economic competitiveness.

-The Times of India, 5th June 2013

Somebody putting nails on a tree trunk in your colony? Or, you want to complain about government agencies not leaving the mandatory 6X6 area around the tree trunks?

Now, you can call the re-launched tree helpline and lodge a complaint right away.

The environment department of the Delhi government re-launched the Tree helpline with a new toll-free number on Wednesday on the occasion of the World Environment Day.

With about 20% forest cover, Delhi is possibly the greenest capitals across the country. But its tree helpline — started several years ago — has been playing truant, resulting in a lot of inconvenience as people do not know whom to contact.

In view of the increasing population — at 11,297 persons per sq km — Delhi is also the most densely populated state in the country — and a burden of 74 lakh vehicles emitting noxious fumes, protection of the green cover becomes extremely vital.

"We are also introducing the intelligent voice response system to record calls. If there is a complaint coming after office hours, it will be recorded on the answering machines. We would also have a caller ID to enable our staff to call back complainants," said Sanjeev Kumar, secretary (environment and forests).

The helpline is also aimed at streamlining the response to the complaints received, which means, the officials would have to adhere to a time-bound compliance.

-The Hindustan times, 6th June 2013

Five days after gold coins believed to be of the Gupta period were unearthed at a road construction site in Ahiran, Murshidabad, there is no clarity on the follow-up action to the discovery. Eleven coins are now at the Murshidabad treasury; about four times that number are believed to be in the possession of local people who allegedly plundered the site.

A team of the West Bengal's Directorate of Archaeology and Museums is travelling to Murshidabad Friday to have a first look at the discovery. The Archaelogical Survey of India remains aloof to what could potentially be a pathbreaking discovery. "We have not been apprised of the matter," said ASI's superintending archaeologist Tapanjyoti Baidya.

Over 50 coins believed to date from the times of Samudragupta and Chandragupta II were discovered on May 31 by labourers engaged in widening National Highway 34. The coins were found in soil cut from a mound in nearby Atpara. "Some labourers saw something glittering, and picked them out of the soil. Soon more such objects were found; they turned out to be gold coins. A mad rush began, with local villagers joining in," Murshidabad SP Humayun Kabir said.

"We have recovered 11 coins, which experts of the state archaeology directorate said belonged to the Gupta period. We have a strong suspicion that some coins remain in the hands of villagers. We have set up a picket and declared rewards for those who surrender the coins. We have declared that if anybody is found to be in possession of the coins he or she will be punished," Kabir added.

Gautam Sengupta, Director of archaeology directorate, said, "This discovery means that there was commercial activity (during Gupta period) there. The Brahmi inscriptions show that they belonged to the time of Chandragupta II and Samudragupta."

-The Indian Express, 6th June 2013

With the city swallowing up the Yamuna, elephants and mahouts might soon be reduced to characters of folk tales

While crossing the bustling ITO Bridge if you get time to tilt your neck, chances are that you will get to see nature at its leisurely self. Dark-skinned men, with smiles on their faces, are wading in knee deep murky waters. They are headed towards a voluptuous Ajanta. Lying on her side, the 42-year-old female elephant is relishing a relaxed bath in Yamuna. It is a tedious task under the unforgiving summer sun, which the mahouts at Shakarpur, Yamuna Khadar gladly undertake.

As one gets down to the bank, the mahouts reveal that most of them hail from Bihar and Assam. Some like Shambhu have inherited this trade from their forefathers; others like Zakir and Ahmad are employed by the proprietors of the elephants.

There are no specialised courses for those who wish to take up this profession. Asked about the qualities that one needs to be an elephant handler, they reply that it comes with time. "There are no books that one can memorise to step into this trade. It is an art which one learns with experience," says Shambhu.

Though technology has caught up with their lives, it cannot coexist with the rugged conditions that the mahouts undergo each day. The day begins pre-sunrise with the mahouts checking on their elephants, followed by a prayer to Lord Ganesh. If an elephant is engaged for a task, it is taken to the desired location one hour prior to the designated time for arrival. Else, these splendid pachyderms are left to feed and loiter under the watchful eyes of their caretakers in the vegetation-rich Yamuna bed.

When the sun is at its peak, those in this part of the city take a well-deserved break. The elephants are chained in their shelters and mahouts rest nearby. Come evening, the Yamuna bed comes to life again, the murky waters are utilised to bathe the elephants. By the time the bathing ceremony subsides, dusk sets in and if there are no appointments, the elephants are chained to their shelters under their custodians.

The cost of an elephant calf starts at Rs.25 lakh and goes up to Rs.60 lakh. The price varies according to the tusk size, the health and the gender of the animal. Males are more versatile, hence cost more. It can take anything from 6 to 18 months to train the beast to obey human orders.

Transporting an elephant is a mammoth task in itself. The cost of transporting an elephant from the forests to the urban jungle is around Rs.50,000 and it depends on the animal's ability to adapt to the means of transport. Else, the elephant covers the distance on foot.

Ajanta calls for an expenditure of Rs.20,000 per month. Her diet comprises sugarcane and other vegetation, most of which is easily available on the river bank. For those animals which are registered, medical facilities are provided for by the government authorities.

Those involved in this profession live in their own world and have little idea about modern means of livelihood. Most of the young belonging to families, who wish to carry on the family trade, are least interested in contemporary education.

Zakir is an exception. The 38-year-old mahout from West Bengal wishes that his offspring doesn't step into the trade. He believes that the income is not commensurate with the input that the mahout puts in.

Gazing at industrial pollutants in the form of white froth floating in the Yamuna, Shambhu expresses an evident reality. "Owners are not interested in sustaining these elephants after this generation. But I will take up no other profession. My elephant is all that I need," he swells with pride as the magnificent animal loiters about him and wraps her trunk around bunches of marshy grass.

-The Hindu, 6th June 2013

Though handicraft entrepreneurs and culturally enlightened institutions have been trying to resuscitate the country's rich art and craft heritage, the voice of the traditional artisan is rarely heard. Gurgaon-based filmmaker Devika Gamkhar has now made a documentary to give artisans an opportunity to speak their mind on a host of issues facing them. Through it, she wants the urban folk to realise that they need to treat artisans with dignity.

"Saanjhi, Traditional Kalakaar" is an intimate documentary which has three characters – Vijay, Ajay and Mohan – who explain the significance of traditional Saanjhi art, hand cutting designs on paper, and how they are marketing this ancient art in their hometown of Mathura and also in urban hubs like Delhi.

"My documentary gives a glimpse into the lives of the three brothers who use Kumar as their surnames and have been following faithfully in the footsteps of their forefathers who were experts in creating Saanjhi art. This film has given the brothers an opportunity to speak about the hurdles they face almost on a daily basis. Whenever they are disillusioned with the lack of success in their work or the materialistic, insensitive world, they sit on the banks of the Yamuna. This gives them solace and also re-energises them," she says.

As creative people who are extremely sensitive to the comments made by the public, the trio like creating art pieces only for those who share a passion for them. But at times they come across customers who rudely question the novelty of their work, she says.

Since the trio hail from the Braj region, they are all disciples of Krishna. They run a shop in Mathura and get customers from Gujarat, where Saanjhi art is still practised. Traditionally, motifs from Krishna's stories are used but the art has now moved away from the temples of Braj region and is now being used in decorative items and even in lifestyle products.

The reason Devika chose to make the trio a subject of her documentary was because they come from an extraordinary family which is the "only one in Mathura practising Saanjhi art". She struggled to generate funds and because of financial constraints could only complete this film in two years.

This intimate documentary highlights the fact that these creative people have aspirations and responsibilities towards craft as well as their families. Even though their children are studying modern subjects like computers, they still practise their traditional skills and would be the next generation of artisans.

With the focus on one family living in the Braj region (Mathura and Vrindavan), the 74-minute film in a mix of Hindi and English in essence is a tribute to the country's traditional artists who carry the responsibility for continuation of our traditional arts.

"This film was made due to culmination of a number of factors. At the age of 10 or 12, I used to frequently visit the Crafts Museum in the Capital with my mother. Even at that age I felt like being on the other side of the stone bench where the artisans used to give live demonstrations."

For Devika, these artisans were a picture of patience and perseverance. "I was eager to sit next to them and try to pick up the skills of traditional art."

Devika feels it was high time that government and private schools start inviting artisans working in rural or small towns and give them a platform to talk about the significance of art in their lives and the insurmountable challenges they face.

"Our artisans, who symbolise our heritage, deserve their rightful place in our curriculum. We need to include fine arts in the school curriculum. And students of humanities, science and commerce should be exposed to live demonstrations of traditional Indian art."

-The Hindu, 6th June 2013

Tourists can now hope for better facilities like modern toilets, shaded parking and better last-mile connectivity at key monument sites as the centre has roped in the corporate sector for their facelift and upkeep.

To start with, oil and gas major ONGC will 'adopt' six top monuments under a "Clean India" initiative. Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Golkonda Fort, Mahabalipuram and the Ellora and Elephanta caves will be covered under this venture.

"We want more companies, both public and private sector, to join this effort to provide sanitation facilities, increase the greenery and improve the last-mile connectivity. This will also help in better tourist inflow," union tourism minister Cheeranjivi told HT.Corporate help will also be taken for the maintenance of the protected structures. "ONGC will also provide for the restoration and upkeep of the monuments with the help of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI)," Cheeranjivi added.

He recalled that during a meeting, his Vietnamese counterpart had mentioned that he wished to frequently visit Indian Buddhist sites but flagged concerns about hygiene and some logistical issues.

-The Hindustan times, 7th June 2013

At one level the city government is preparing a comprehensive plan to combat climate change and at another, civic society is taking matters in its own hands, calling the government's measures so far to be unsystematic with a misplaced sense of priority. Environmentalists and activists have come together to develop a vision document on Delhi's environment till 2025.

The first meeting concluded that for wholesome development, Delhi needs to look at social justice. Dr Amita Baviskar, associate professor of Sociology at the Institute of Economic Growth strongly advocated for it.

Making a strong case against 'bourgeois environmentalism', she said, "We are living in a city which mimics segregation earlier seen during South Africa's apartheid phase. Thousands of people were relocated from the Yamuna banks in an effort to clean the embankment but the city is neither cleaner nor greener. The working class is paying a price after being moved to resettlement colonies with no basic amenities and travelling three hours to get to their workplace. The government has a misplaced sense of priority for which it has consensus from the middle class. They want a world class city like Singapore but not its environmental or social infrastructure."

The point about incorporating the lower rung and working classes was also made in the context of transport infrastructure. The city has added more than 10,000 km of roads and 60 flyovers in the last 10 years. However, no space has been dedicated to either walking or cycling, especially when 35% of Delhiites own bicycles.

Rajendra Ravi, director, Institute for Democracy and Sustainability said, "When the BRT was made, those opposing it claimed that value of the time of a person driving a car was more than that of a poor person and so cars should be prioritized over buses. This is absolutely unconstitutional and the government should focus on shifting from personal to public transport."Suhas Borker, founder member, Green Circle of Delhi said, "To get out of the 'ad hocism mode' led by city politicos in our approach to environmental issues , we have to bring about a mindset change with equity, sustainability, transparency and strong civil society participation. Without political will we cannot handle them.

The need for macro level planning in the matter of land use was considered essential. Dr Mahesh N Buch, chairman of the National Centre for Human Settlements and Environment and Manoj Misra, convenor of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan said in the absence of proper planning, the city has been expanding in a unsystematic manner. The Yamuna bed has been violated in the desire to concretise more area.

-The Times of India, 7th June 2013

Don't be surprised when you find the litter around Taj Mahal and Red Fort missing. Ministry of Tourism has tied up with a new janitor to keep the ancient buildings clutter free.

State-run exploration giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has adopted six monuments across India — Taj Mahal at Agra, Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, Red Fort in Delhi, Golkonda Fort Hyderabad and Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu — for their upkeep and maintenance as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

On Tursday, even the Archaelogical Survey of India, the primary agency which looks after the ancient structures gave a go-ahead to ONCG for adopting the six monuments under Campaign Clean India.

"The proposal from ONGC had been long pending with us. To expedite the process, we had taken up the matter with ASI and they have also agreed," said an official from the ministry.

"ASI has been entrusted to work out details of various activities, cost estimates, identification of executive agencies and nomination of nodal officers for each monument without losing any time," said the official.

Ministry of Tourism had launched the Campaign Clean India in 2011 to address cleanliness problem in and around tourist destinations in the country. They had asked for collaboration in this effort to keep monuments clean from big players such as corporate houses given their financial capability to sustain the effort for a long time.

The campaign was in follow-up to survey in select tourist sites in India, where it was found that hygiene and sanitation were an issue with both domestic and foreign tourists. Tourism Ministry has set a target of achieving 12 per cent growth during the 12th five year plan which commences from 2012 in the sector, with the sole target of attrac.

-The Pioneer, 7th June 2013

In an attempt to restore Ganga's sanctity, Life OK held a seven day long event schedule in cities across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Iknoor Kaur attended a discussion

Even media companies are working on innovative CSR ideas that ramp up their brand image. So on World Environment Day, Life OK took up the cause of cleaning the Ganga, coining the phrase, "Ganga not OK, life not OK."

Rather a smart way of linking the cleanliness of the Ganga with its flagship show, Mahadev.The Ganga was, after all, tamed by his dreadlocks and flowed quiet along India's heartland.The channel worked with 25 schools in Haridwar and 60 schools in Varanasi over a week-long campaign to build awareness about cleaning the Ganga and reducing future pollutant loads.

The event started as a dialogue between people from different walks of life on one stage to discuss issues regarding Ganga's cleanliness.The next six days had fun in store for children. With activities like painting on themes like 'Ganga and my city.' And a fancy dress competition, Nanhe Mahadev. "The team enrolled five to ten schools each day. This helped entertain children and made them aware about problems Ganga faces.

They also gathered 100 students from all schools, for a 'ghat safai' where they cleaned the banks of the river. An evening of entertainment was also arranged to close the event, with known faces like Mohit Raina and Rishiraj Pawar making an appearance.Though the event came to Allahabad and New Delhi only with a Samvaad, it successfully complete a seven-day parade in Haridwar and Varanasi.

The Maha Kumbh in Allahabad had lots of religious gurus and Shankracharyas on the same platform, educating the crowd against immersing dead bodies or dumping sewage in the river, keeping in mind the river's religious affiliations.MP Tarun Vijay, BJP's National Spokesperson commented, "If the Ganga is not brought back to its original self and cleaned, lives of over 40 crore people will be shattered."

The main point of discussion was, 'if Ganga gets polluted further, it will affect everyone.' Shailendra Jha, Creative Director, Life OK said, "It's our job as a mass medium to alert people about the urgency of situations, like this and work towards resolving problems."Jha believed if people desire, dirt from the Ganga can totally be eradicated.

Making statements like, "Tere saamne toh apni maa bhi maushi jaisi lagti hai," Tarun Vijay added, "Billions talk about not polluting the Ganga, but the same people dispose incense sticks, bindis and plastic in the river."He believes 50% of the dirt is because of religious ceremonies during festivals and otherwise. He suggested that eradication of such ceremonies will hurt religious feelings, so a separate lake or similar arrangement should be made to prevent a clog in the water.

However, B D Tripathi, a member of NGRBA felt the government was failing in fulfilling its duty. He said, "If everyone gets together, we could protect Ganga."Looking the situation from another angle, Sumit Avasthi of Aaj Tak wondered, "Is the government waiting for this issue to become a central factor while managing their vote bank? "While Tarun Vijay suggested reimplementation of Nadi Jodo Abhiyan started by Atal Bihari Vajpyee Tarun Vijay was willing to take it forward.

He said that he would take charge of the cleanliness and monitoring of Ganga, ending with the assurance that within two years, dirty nalas entering the Yamuna would be treated.

-The Pioneer, 7th June 2013

The Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) would soon send the proposed plan for Chandni Chowk redevelopment to Unified traffic and transportation infrastructure (planning and engineering) centre (UTTIPEC) for an approval.

The project includes various features such as street improvement, creating pedestrian-friendly environment with distinctive character of Chandni Chowk, integrated plan for all the services and creating a heritage environment on the stretch.

"We have decided to create a walking zone for pedestrians and for this all unauthorised parking by shopkeepers would be removed on both the side of the roads. This should give us 4.5 metres, out of which two metres would be converted into a walking track and the rest would be used by cycle rickshaws," said a senior PWD official.

Since the Chandni Chowk redevelopment plan was conceived in 2006, no major works of repair of road infrastructure or electrical maintenance have received sanction.

-The Hindustan Times, 7th June 2013

To keep visitors enthralled, zoos in India continue to breed white tigers despite the wildlife community's strong warning that these animals have agenetic flaw and are prone to die young.

Wildlife conservationists are unanimous in saying that the present crop of white tigers should not be allowed to proliferate as it has increased susceptibility to illness and death compared to normal yellow tigers.

"Inbred cubs help spread the recessive gene. White tiger breeding continues with vigour as zoos seek to cater to public curiosity but they should also help cultivate empathy for animals among people," Dr M K Ranjit Singh, chairman of the Wildlife Trust of India, told STOI.

Experts said that white tigers have higher mortality rates compared to normal tigers. They develop crooked tails, weak limbs and spine.

Researchers say that white tigers are the same specie as normal yellow tiger (Panthera tigris). They live for 16-18 years on an average, but have a genetic mutation (a recessive gene) that causes skin pigmentation differences and albinism. The recession is very rare in nature and the small genetic diversity of the existing white tiger population has made them a highly vulnerable group, they say.

In the last one year, nine white tigers have died. Unexplained deaths but attributable to the animals' genetic susceptibility were reported from Jharkhandand Andhra Pradesh. A senior AP forest official admitted that it was popular demand that was driving zoos to breed them.

Last year saw the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) count about 100 white tigers in Indian zoos. Andhra Pradesh has the maximum with 17, followed by Tamil Nadu,Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

"White tigers in captivity today descend from one animal. Due to rampant inbreeding and very small genetic variation they are more susceptible to illness than normal tigers," said Y V Jhala, a tiger expert.

It was after the unexplained death of a six-year-old pregnant white tigress at the end of her gestation period in the Nehru Zoological Park that zoo officials compiled figures of tiger deaths to learn that since 1995, deaths of young white tigers (aged 8 or under) exceeded that of normal tigers at the zoo.

Coincidentally, the tigress which died in Hyderabad had aborted last year when it was expected to deliver. Deaths from Jharkhand's Bokaro Zoo were also reported in the past one year. Since 1995, 16 white tigers have perished at the zoo park in Hyderabad, out of which seven died before turning eight.

Forest officials admit that Indian zoos facilitate breeding among white tigers to ensure birth of white cubs. Although they can mate with normal tigers, white tigers are not allowed to as the chance of having a white offspring decreases.

"The central zoo authority generally does not encourage white tiger breeding as the animal is known to be vulnerable. Zoos do not get any assistance from the CZA for such programmes. But they nevertheless inbreed them. White tigers are a major attraction among masses," a senior AP forest official said.

The fascination with white tigers began when a male white tiger cub, later named Mohan, was captured by the maharaja of Rewa from Bandhavgarh in 1951. After several unsuccessful attempts to produce white tiger cubs by mating Mohan with unrelated yellow tigers, white tiger cubs were born when Mohan was mated with one of his normal offspring. It is commonly believed that all white tigers which exist in captivity today in India and abroad are progenies of Mohan. According to conservationists, white tigers have not been spotted in the wild since the late 1950s.

The CZA however, seems to be in denial. "A white tiger's mutation is natural. Zoos are not creating more of them. There are views that white tigers do exist in the wild. The mutation does not make them much different from yellow tigers," said B S Bonal, member secretary, CZA.

-The Times of India, 8th June 2013

Committee formed for rejuvenating other water bodies

A water body in Dwarka, which was revived by the efforts of some local residents but left to dry up again after the Delhi Development Authority reduced it in size by closing down the channels carrying rainwater to it, will now be revived again.

On Friday, Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna issued orders to the DDA to expedite work of revival of the water body known as Naya Johad and announced the setting up of a committee for rejuvenating Dwarka's other water bodies. The L-G, who is also chairperson of the DDA, has asked for a status report and work to be carried out before the monsoon arrives.

A group of local residents from Sectors 22 and 23 of Dwarka and Pochanpur village led by the non-government organisation Natural Heritage First had petitioned the L-G to order the DDA to undertake the work of the water body revival.

"During our meeting with the L-G, we explained how rejuvenation of these water bodies can solve water woes of Dwarka. On the basis of a conservative analysis by experts like Prof. Vikram Soni and Dr. Shashank Shekhar, we have been able to deduce that 2 million gallons a day of water can be additionally generated for Dwarka by reviving the water bodies," said Diwan Singh of the NGO.

The L-G has now asked S.R. Solanki, Chief Engineer of DDA's Dwarka Zone, to convene meetings of the committee every Friday and discuss the progress made and take necessary steps on the recommendation of the committee. The progress of work and minutes of the committee meeting will be sent to the L-G and the members every week and the L-G himself will interact with the committee once every month.

"The L-G has also asked for linking the storm water drains to the water bodies, cleaning them and desilting ponds. He has also ordered preservation of the area around the water body as woodlands (forest) and for the area to be treated as a part of the water body and kept segregated from other uses by a suitable boundary of wire mesh or any other suitable means. No park or any other invasive land use will be permitted on the woodland," said Mr. Singh.

Mr. Khanna has also set a time frame of one month for carrying out the restoration work of all water bodies.

"The L-G also discussed the concerns of the residents about playfields; removal of concrete footpaths inside parks and planting of native species of trees that can survive in Delhi's semi arid environment," said Mr. Singh.

-The Hindustan Times, 8th June 2013

Over a century after archaeologist John Marshall came out with the first heritage conservation manual followed by it till date, Archaeological Survey of India has come out with a new draft on the national conservation policy that addresses contemporary concerns. ASI has invited public feedback on the draft policy.

In January 2011, an 18-member committee was formed by the ministry of culture to help ASI draft the National Conservation Policy for Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Remains for the preservation of the 3,600 plus protected monuments in the country. "The policy aims to put a monument in perspective and underpins the integral role of local communities and traditional craftsmanship in the conservation process. It deals with topical aspects like tourism, development (within and around the monument), capacity building and building partnerships," said an official.

An interesting point in the manual relates to reproduction. While restoration is allowed in parts of a monument wherein there are missing geometric or floral patterns or recently-damaged structural members, at no cost should it be allowed in the whole building as that would compromise its authenticity. Restoration is also not to be allowed in decorative features like wall paintings, inscriptions, calligraphy and sculptures. Reconstruction should only be attempted in extreme cases and only for a monument that has been damaged on account of disaster or has collapsed due to structural weakness.

"ASI should maintain the tradition of not allowing the replication of sculptures and inscriptions (including calligraphy) on ancient or mediaeval monuments as such and act decisively so as not to compromise their antiquity and integrity. However, geometric patterns and carvings as well as historic interiors can be replicated when there are enough documentary or in situ evidences available," said the official.

The new policy says that any project should be documented prior to, during and after conservation through maps, drawings, photographs, digital records and field notes in order to create records of interventions. With regard to living heritage, conservation approaches should include functions being performed within the monument intrinsic to its being a living heritage. In cases where inappropriate additions or alterations have been made in recent past, it may be desirable to remove these and restore it to its original or last known state based on available evidence.

"Craftsmen such as traditional builders and masons, stone carvers, carpenters, woodcarvers, ironsmiths and painters can play a great role in the conservation process as they are living repositories of building and artistic traditions sustained through generations. Conservation should, therefore, become a medium to support these traditional masons and craftspeople and their systems of knowledge," says the policy.

A section on tourism highlights capacity building. "It is important to determine the carrying capacity of a monument, especially for those where visitation is in very high numbers. The number of people visiting them as well as their access to areas particularly vulnerable owing to deterioration or decay should be controlled," reads the policy.

-The Times of India, 8th June 2013

Being one of the newest states of India and being underrated for decades, Chhattisgarh harbours ample examples of unexplored tourist attractions. The various memorable vignettes and marvels in its kitty give a thorough insight into several religious philosophies.

Accentuating the historical side of the coin, the religious spots are truly a sight to be witnessed in person. Located 130 kms north-east of Raipur, the ancient capital city of Kalchuri dynasty, Ratanpur is mostly known for its pious Mahamaya Devi Temple.

Built in 11th century AD by King Ratnadeva, it is one of the prime pilgrimage spots of Chhattisgarh, associated with folklore and legends, a visit to this place for all God-fearing people during the holy days of Navratra is a must.

The temple complex also houses a museum and the Kanthi-Deval Temple which is easily the most picturesque of the lot.

Just 25 km away from Ratanpur, built during the 9th century AD, the Siva Temple of Pali is one of the lesser known temples of Chhattisgarh. Originally built by King Vikramaditya (870-895 AD) it was renovated by King Jajalyadeva of Kalchuri Dynasty. Recently, a successful restoration work has been done by the Archaeological Survey of India and a visit to this temple now is definitely worthwhile.

Located 116 km north of Raipur, built in 1089 AD and situated at the foothills of the renowned Maikal Ranges, the Bhoramdev Temple is certainly one of the oldest temples of central India. The exquisite Vaishnava sculptures are one of the finest preserved examples of ancient Indian art and culture. Quite famous for its annual Sawan Mela, this Siva Temple is aptly dubbed the 'Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh'.

Other places of interest nearby — Indira Music and Arts University, Khairagarh (only one of its kind in India) and palace of erstwhile Khairagarh principality. Chhattisgarh should definitely be visited this monsoon for a whole new divine experience!

The nearest airport in Raipur is well-connected and avails direct flights from all the metros and other big cities. The best months to visit are from July to February.

-The Deccan Chronicle, 8th June 2013

Schools in the city could be unintentionally violating the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 by hoarding animal and plant specimens in their laboratories.

Owning any of the hundreds of specimens protected by the Act, such as the Banded Duffer butterfly, is punishable by up to seven years in jail.

However, completely unaware of the Act, many schools have been storing specimens for educational purposes.

One such school, Apex Public School, Burari, had kept a cobra, a turtle, a frog and several other animals on display to teach students about wildlife.

"We never knew it was against the law," school Chairman Geoff Jonathan said. "We were using them for educational purposes."

However, in an effort to help Delhi's 3,000 private and public schools that could be breaking the law unintentionally, the Department of Wildlife and Forests has issued notices asking school authorities to declare their specimens. Instead of prosecuting, the department is confiscating all the incriminating specimens unless a school refuses to comply.

"Activists go with protesters to these schools and say they are storing wildlife illegally... we are trying to streamline the procedure," a top wildlife official said.

But the official said only about 20 schools had submitted their lists so far since the notice was issued in May.

In the last year, animal rights activists too have turned in several violators. A trustee with the NGO, People for Animals (PFA), said the organisation had reported Apex Public School and others to police because holding protected specimens is unlawful and disrespectful.

"It is important to teach children the value of life. Animals being treated as objects for learning tools is not the meaning of life. They are given a completely wrong lesson," PFA Trustee Ambika Shukla said.

The Act lists hundreds of animals, insects and plants that cannot be hunted, picked, collected or harmed. The most commonly overlooked species in laboratories include butterflies, moths, frogs, snakes and fish, a wildlife official said.

-The Indian Express, 8th June 2013

Hundreds of people frequent the Defence Colony main market, famous for its eateries and plush restaurants. But most of them, in all probability, miss a very beautiful, heritage structure that stands alone, right in the middle of the place.

The octagonal tomb with a dome — christened the Gumti of Shaikh Ali — understandably has seen several additions and alterations over the years. Its white washed exteriors now help in concealing the original features and texture of the stone monument. This Lodi-era structure has housed the office of Defence Colony Welfare Association (DCWA) since 1960. Prior to it, for centuries, this was part of the medieval village of Kotla Mubarakpur, now less than a kilometer away.

A compilation of Delhi's monuments by Zafar Hasan, released in the early 1920s, states that there were two graves inside the tomb, both of which were apparently lost to time. Today, all eight sides of the structure that originally had arched openings are closed with brick walls. There is a toilet on one side.

The interiors, too, have seen modern day additions such as a false ceiling, tiled flooring and electrical fixtures on the walls complete with an aluminu-glass door. With a small park around, this was a traffic roundabout till about a decade ago. The traffic police then stopped it and the open areas in front of it has been now been turned into parking lots.

The tomb was illuminated on special days but that practice too was discontinued.

-The Hindustan Times, 9th June 2013

The two most critical zones with regard to groundwater — South and Southwest districts — have now been chosen by the government for rainwater harvesting projects to recharge the declining groundwater table in the areas.

Earmarking Rs 1 crore for rainwater harvesting from the Delhi government's "My Delhi, I care" fund, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has signed contracts with two NGOs to identify 100 areas in the two districts that are ideal for capturing rainwater.

The NGOs have also been tasked with designing architectural plans for the complex systems and submit those designs to the DJB to secure the funding for the projects. The Forum for Organised Resource Conservation and Enhancement (FORCE) and the Indian Trust for Act and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) were both awarded contracts of around Rs 16 lakh to execute the campaign.

"We are looking at depleted resources in the most critical areas, and it is important to step up the recharging effort," DJB CEO Debashree Mukherjee said.

She said while FORCE would focus on South district, INTACH had been chosen to promote the project in the Southwest district.

The rainwater harvesting systems involve a series of canals and catch basins that collect, filter and funnel the rain into the ground or store it for later use. The optimum spots for harvesting are on industry rooftops or other large land-owning institutions such as Residents' Welfare Associations.

One catch basin of 100 sqm, according to the DJB, saves about 40,000 litres of water every year — about four times the annual drinking requirement of a five-member family.

According to figures available with the Central Ground Water Board, the rate of decline is as high — 1.7 m to 2 m every year in the chosen districts.

The DJB's initial proposal, to have several NGOs identify 600 locations in the capital for rainwater harvesting, was scaled back as there were not enough respondents for it in December, Mukherjee said.

-The Indian Express, 9th June 2013

Get ready for water rationing. Faced with a faulty distribution network, Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has decided to ration the supply and will announce the schedule. The limited time supply is likely to come into force early next week. The rationing will be in place at least till May-end.

The civic body will press five additional tankers, taking their number to 40, and start the operations from 6am. There will be an exclusive mobile squad to attend to complaints and the officials tasking with water supply will meet daily at 7pm and chalk out a strategy. MCC has Rs 1-crore special grant, while Rs 30 lakh sanctioned to each of the three city MLAs for water will be used to meet the drinking water needs of one million people.

Armed with chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda's directive to directly handle water supply in the city, the civic body is focusing on supplying water to all 65 wards. Some pockets in 14 wards are facing problems owing to technical reasons, which has aggravated since a month, leading to street protests. While the local body was confident that the crisis could be effectively handled with the commissioning of 14 overhead tanks by mid-April, the problem has deepened with some areas going dry. With the election to the civic body nine months away, the issue has assumed political colours.

What has made the issue tricky is the Cauvery row with the Tamil Nadu seeking the apex court to restrain Karnataka from using water in the four major dams in the Cauvery delta, including the Krishnarajasagar dam, the main source for Mysore's drinking water needs. The live storage, which is usable water at the dam, is half of what it was during the corresponding period last year. Sources told TOI that as on Friday, 8.212 tmcft of water is available at the dam, which was 16.280 tmcft last year. As against the maximum of 124.8 feet, the water level is 91.08 feet, which is 11 feet less compared to 2011.

This is for the first time in four years that the civic body is going in for extraordinary move even as the main water source has not hit rock bottom, indicating the mess in the execution of the project to overhaul the water distribution network.

District minister S A Ramdas blamed Jameshdpur Utilities and Services Company (Jusco), a unit of Tata, for the mess but didn't spare the MCC either. "I don't know who devised the terms of conditions for the O&M of the water distribution network before signing agreement with Jusco. We can't go back on it too, even when Jusco is ready to pack and go," Ramdas said. "For two months, we will supply water during a particular time and we will announce the schedule too," he said.

MCC agreed that even when the water level had plummeted to 67 feet, it had ensured the supply, which it cannot do now. Ramdas attributed this to lack of co-ordination between the MCC and Jusco officials.

-The Times of India, 10th June 2013

The land of letters, legends, latex and lakes now has another claim to fame — Kottayam in Kerala was declared a "Mural City" on May 25. Take a walk through the city, and one feels like a visitor to an endless art gallery. Brightly coloured murals with detailed workmanship stretch across public spaces, buildings, marketplaces, churches and temples apart from the district panchayat office, public library, the railway station, the Civil Station compound and the East police station.

Most of these are the result of a 12-day-long camp organised by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi last month, in which around 300 artists from around the world worked with local names. Among the signatures on display are the works of Krishnan Mallissery, who has enlivened the walls of Thirunakkara temple with traditional Kerala-style images from mythology, such as that of Ganesha at the entrance. Artist Sridhar Patnale's cement mural painting at the Civil Station compound, on the other hand, forms a backdrop to a vegetable stall in the complex. Among the critically acclaimed works is a three-dimensional figure of a woman's torso, bedecked in traditional finery. Made by K Laxma Goud, considered one of the pioneers of terracotta mural art, it is a highlight of the students' hall of Kottayam Press Club. Foreign artists such as Jung Chae Hee from Korea and Nele Martens from Germany, too, have left their marks on the towns.

Murals are a part of Kerala's long art tradition, and the current initiative reinforces this in the minds of visitors to Kottayam.The murals of Kerala generally deal with legends and mythology, and Kottayam district is home to some of the region's most celebrated murals, such as the dancing Shiva fresco in the Shiva temple at Ettumanoor. In keeping with tradition, artists at the camp have used Panchavarnam — the five natural colours of red, green, yellow, black and white.The project has also given a lease of life to the fading murals in the city, and drawn attention to previously restored works.

-The Indian Express, 10th June 2013

From a king's turban to a queen's crown, R.V. Smith traces the tumultuous journey of the good old Kohinoor.

The sale of the Nizam diamond for $4.5 million at an auction house abroad recently set tongues wagging in Dariba Kalan, the historic gem and jewellery market where all such sales cause great excitement, for there are shops here dating back to Mughal times. This being the silly season when there are fewer tourists and potential buyers far away, trying to beat the heat on hill stations or in places like Kashmir and Switzerland, there is not much left for jewellers to do than indulge in gossip. The talk veered to the best-known diamond, the Kohinoor (Mountain of Light) and how it was lost to India.

Would you believe it that it was a dancing girl who was responsible for this? The famous courtesan Nur Bai disclosed the whereabouts of the Kohinoor in a Rs.4,000-ghazal to invader Nadir Shah in 1739. One rupee in those days was equivalent to about Rs.500 now, so you can calculate the amount she pocketed. The house in Chawri Bazar where she lived is untraceable. As a matter of fact, no courtesan has a kotha there because in the 1930s and 1940s the Red Light area was moved to nearby G.B. Road.

Nur Bai was both beautiful and clever. After making Nadir Shah fall in love with her she gave him the slip. When the time came for the invader's departure, she went and hid in the house of an old lover of hers in the Lal Kuan area and the Persian troops couldn't find her. Nadir Shah was upset but perhaps consoled himself with the Kohinoor, which he had got in the crafty exchange of turbans with Muhammad Shah, the Mughal ruler, on Nur Bai's tip.

Muhammad Shah Rangila's court was like the "swarg" of Raja Indra. There were dancing girls galore to make the evenings redolent with wine, dance and song. Among them Uttam Bai had been designated as Nawab Qudsia Begum, whom the dandy emperor had married and brought into his harem. He was probably inspired by the fame of Lal Kanwar, who had been made Begum Imtiaz Mahal by his uncle Jahandar Shah and virtual Mughal queen – something Jahangir as Prince Salim dreamt of doing as the culmination of his love for Anarkali. But Akbar had put his foot down, saying he wouldn't allow a dancing girl to become the future empress of India. The latter Mughals however had no such qualms.

Nur Bai was Qudsia Begum's arch rival. They were naturally both jealous of each other and though she gained the queenship, Qudsia Begum suspected that the emperor might one day replace her with the craftier and more generously bestowed Nur. "Bulbul ki awaz, hoor ka sarafa" (bulbul-voiced with houri-like appearance) were among the praises heaped on Nur Bai. But then fate struck and the courtesan's betrayal of her patron spelt her doom. Some say that she had prevailed upon Nadir Shah to take her away to Kabul so that she might escape the wrath of Muhammad Shah over the loss of the Kohinoor but it is generally believed that her wish was not fulfilled. Even the ruthless Nadir Shah was scared that Nur Bai would betray him too. She had seen Muhammad Shah taking out the Kohinoor from his turban every night that he made love to her and got to know the secret. What was the surety that she would not play the same trick on her new lover?

The story that after Nadir Shah's murder, on his way back from India, Nur Bai could not capture the heart of his successor, Ahmad Shah Abdali and, as a fallen from grace prostitute, solicited customers at the Afghan capital gate is to be taken with a pinch of salt. Nur Bai had not acquired her cunning for nothing. She did not expect Nadir Shah to be forever beholden to her and so ditched him.

But did Muhammad Shah spare her for the breach of trust she had so blatantly committed? The sex-siren with a tooth dislodged by a slipper thrown in Chandni Chowk during the shoe-sellers' riot of 1729 had continued to excel in her charms for the next 10 years. Besides the Kohinoor, Nadir Shah also took away the fabulous Peacock Throne (Takht-e-Taus) and a hoard of other diamonds but still much remained in the royal treasury for the first Nizam to get his share of gems for services rendered to Aurangzeb and his successors.

The Mughal gem presented by Hollywood legend Sir Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor on her 40th birthday 40-odd years ago was one of the jewels taken away from India. Burton boasted at his actress wife's birthday party that as he could not buy the Taj for her, he had done the next best thing in giving her a diamond which was said to have been a present from Shah Jahan to Mumtaz Mahal. It could have left India after the fall of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Incidentally, it is recorded that during the tumultuous post-Mutiny period, Armenian and Jewish merchants were busy buying Mughal gems in the Amsterdam and Paris markets.

The Kohinoor, however, forcibly gifted by Shah Shuja, the ousted Abdali ruler of Kabul, to his host Maharaja Ranjit Singh and after the latter's death presented to Queen Victoria by Prince Dalip Singh of Punjab under coercion, is part of the British Crown Jewels. But how many know that it found a place on the crown of the present queen, where it seems set to stay despite the efforts of crusaders like Kuldip Nayar, because of the mischief of Nur Bai? Surely her house, if it had been identifiable, would have been an eyesore. The jewellers of Dariba Kalan, fanning away their summer blues, think so too!

-The Hindu, 10th June 2013

While construction work at the site of 13th century monument Lal Mahal is in full swing, Archaeological Survey of India has issued a notice to the owner of the premises as well as the civic authorities to stop the work. South corporation, meanwhile, remained a mute spectator and has not yet taken any action.

"The site falls under a prohibited zone. We will ask the state government to step in to demolish the new constructions over the existing monument. Our officers are inspecting the area to determine the extent of violation,'' a top ASI official said.

ASI officers, however, remained non-committal about acquiring the area under their protected tag though the process was initiated in 1946 and 1976 as indicated in ASI maps. "We are exploring this possibility and plan to bring it up with the culture ministry. But it is a long drawn process and in the meantime, we are looking at other options as well," he added.

"We haven't received any complaint from ASI or any resident but if unauthorized construction is taking place inside the monument, then we will take action soon," said Manish Gupta, Commissioner, South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

The illegal construction work on the site of 800-year old ruins of Lal Mahal started last month. Though it is not a protected monument, it falls in the prohibited area of three centrally protected monuments — Barah Khamba, Chausath Khamba and Mirza Ghalib's tomb.

-The Times of India, 11th June 2013

India has suffered a major blow in its hope to get the Kullu valley - home to iconic temples like Kedarnath, the most important gene pool of western Himalayan flora and fauna and the endangered snow leopard, a world heritage tag.

Unesco's World Heritage Committee, which is meeting in Phnom Penh on June 16 to decide on the new world heritage sites will defer India's nomination of the Great Himalayan National Park for world heritage status.

Documents available with TOI shows the Committee saying that it has deferred "the examination of the nomination of the Great Himalayan National Par in order to allow the state to "improve its integrity and potential to meet world heritage criteria" and confirm the "outstanding universal value through further detailed comparative analysis of the values of the site".

The Committee has also said the state must "finalize the addition of Tirthan and Sainj wildlife sanctuaries to the nominated property to create a single area thereby increasing the overall size of the area".

The document available with TOI says the state "has to continue to resolve rights-based issues with respect to local communities and indigenous peoples in the site."

Unesco says "Consider undertaking a comparative study with the support of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to fully assess the relative values of the nominated property against other sites like the Nanda Devi and Valley of the Flowers national parks".

It adds "Continue longer term plans to progressively increase the size of the nominated property with the addition of other surrounding protected areas to form an aggregated property that potentially includes the Rupi Bhabha Wildlife Sanctuary, Pin Valley National Park, Khirganga National Park and the Kanawar Wildlife Sanctuary".

The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is located in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh and is contiguous with the Rupi Bhaba Wildlife sanctuary in the south-east, Pin Valley National Park in the north-east and Kanawar Wildlife Sanctuary in the north. The area was declared as National Park under Wildlife (Protection Act) 1972 by the Himachal Pradesh government in 1999.

This pristine area of temperate forests and alpine meadows surrounded by high mountains has remained without any human interference since 1999.

GHNP is a major source of water with four major rivers - Tirthan, Sainj, Jiwa Nal, and Parvati originating from the glaciers in the Park. These rivers flow to form the river Beas.

A Unesco document however has high praise for GNHP's high value.

It says "Around 17% of GHNP is under forests. A total of 832 plant species belonging to 427 genera and 128 families of higher plants have been recorded within the Park. The Park falls within one of the globally important Endemic Bird Areas and is home to 183 bird species.

Thirty-one mammal species, including the snow leopard, Asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear, Grey Goral and Himalayan Musk Deer are found here".

Justifying the outstanding universal value of GNHP, Unesco says "The GHNP is one of the most picturesque areas in the Western Himalayas, well known for its exquisite floral and faunal biodiversity. The charismatic western Tragopan is the most spectacular among the pheasants and aptly named the king of birds. GHNP has one of the best populations of this bird across its range".

At the latest meeting on June 16, the Committee will be examining 36 nominations for world heritage status.

-The Times of India, 11th June 2013

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, under construction at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, has reached the height of 80 m and defeated the tallest historical monument in Delhi, the Qutub Minar, which stands at 72.5 m. According to the officials, 80 per cent of the civil construction work of the tallest upcoming ATC tower in India is complete. In the next two months, the tower is expected to achieve its proposed height of 102 m.

"The upcoming ATC tower has achieved a milestone by crossing the height of the historical brick minaret. With the construction in full swing, the tower is expected to reach its target height in a couple of months. The tower will boast of 21 air traffic controller positions, including 12 positions at operational ground level, significantly increasing the efficiency of the busiest airports in the country," said the official.

After the civil construction work is complete, the tower will be handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which will install the modern-age equipment, such as radars in the tower. "Post the civil construction work, the glasswork on the building will be done. The next stage will involve moving of the equipment required for air navigation from the existing tower and installation of new equipments according to the requirements. The building complex of the upcoming ATC tower will also have an administrative block," added the official.

"Though all movements are monitored through radar, a clear view by the naked eye can sometimes help avert mishaps in case animals stray on the runway. The upcoming tower will help leverage the skills of the ATC, help utilising the three operational runways to their maximum capacity and also help achieve higher air traffic movement per hour, from the current level of 65 per hour," he added.

I'd be evolved soon whereby harassed commuters will be able to report any incident through the emergency buttons provided in the auto-rickshaws. "The department has decided to go ahead with the panic button alert system in the autos.

Once the passengers press the button, a message would be flashed to the DIMTS-operated control room at ISBT from where the Police Control Room would be alerted," said Goswami.

-The Pioneer, 11th June 2013

The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee on Monday furnished its reply to the New Delhi Municipal Council notice assuring it that no violation of the norms would take place in the construction of a memorial for those killed in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots but avowed to go ahead with a ceremony for the proposed memorial at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahin near Parliament on June 12.

DSGMC president Manjit Singh said the NDMC has been told that no new building will come up at the proposed memorial site and that no norms would be violated.

He said the DSGMC is still working on what shape the memorial would take. "It could be a rock like the one at Jallianwala Bagh; an eternal flame or a water body with beautiful landscaping".

Whatever shape the memorial takes, Mr. Singh said "it would be a sign of communal peace and harmony – one which depicts compassion, humility and humanity".

Allaying fears and doubts that the monument would seek to create division or hatred in society, the DSGMC president said: "It would also be dedicated to all those people of different communities who came forward to save the lives and properties of the Sikhs in 1984."

However, the senior Akali leader said the monument would on the other hand "will also speak about and highlight the atrocities committed on the Sikhs and how the government stood silent and later even protected the accused and instead of punishing them provided Z-category security to them and honoured them with posts of Ministers and the like". "We will not have a photo gallery to depict the carnage, but some of the names of those killed would be engraved on the rocks at the memorial. For the time being, we have chosen a slab where a foundation stone for a Rs.300-crore parking project had been laid by the Chief Minister last year," Mr. Singh said.

-The Hindu, 11th June 2013

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in eastern Maharashtra is without a doubt one of India's best-kept secrets. Although Tadoba was designated a reserve in 1955, we hadn't heard of it until recently. A visit in late March left us deeply impressed with its flora and fauna.

The 626 square kilometres of combined forest (Tadoba, named after the local Gond deity, Tadu, and Andhari, after the river) are part of some spectacular terrain teeming with wildlife. The flame of the forest tree was in bloom, and its starkly bright, orange flowers stood out amidst the faded, dry vegetation. The ground was completely covered by fallen bamboo and tendu leaves, many of them moth-nibbled into exquisite lace.

In our three-day visit, we trawled the roads by jeep and drew close to herds of muscular gaur ruminating in tall bamboo thickets, found sambar stags locked in combat under jamun groves, and observed tiger siblings frolicking in the serene Telia Lake as their mother kept an eye on the wide arc of people in jeeps. Time and again, we slowed down to take in the vistas which were not just magnificent, but empty. It was a reaffirmation of paradise beyond our crowded cities.

Memorable Sightings

There were two particularly memorable sightings. The first was the discovery of a wild dog pack with five adults and seven pups. It was the first time we'd seen the russet coloured, pointy faced, expert hunters, the dhole, and we stayed with them all afternoon as they rested in the dappled light of a glade. As it got cooler, they arose, stretched and greeted each other before setting off, their movements choreographed to the music of Dr Anish Andheria's expert commentary and exact predictions.

The second one was of a leopard in broad daylight. What was unusual was that we had left the sanctuary on our last day, and we saw him on the fringe of the forest, walking in the middle of an empty field, not far from some village huts. When he saw us looking at him, he hunkered down in the shadows and minimised himself with every fibre of his being. His eyes were firmly on us as he planned his escape, making a timely dash into a thicket.

Even in this brief encounter, we could admire his tremendous beauty, Olympic star athleticism and chess player's mind. But his demeanour was that of a pathetic criminal making an escape. Surely he deserves to live in dignity in his own space. We have relentlessly carved ourselves into the forests, leaving less and less space for wildlife. Predators spill out every now and then, and sometimes leopards do live in close proximity to villagers. Conflict is inevitable, and lives are lost on both sides. It is vital that we explore the concept of co-existence and provide green corridors for the migration of wildlife into adjacent forests.

Nagpur or Wagpur?

Nagpur, the nearest big city, is booming and several large companies are setting up their operations there. Its proximity to several forests with tigers, such as Bor, Pench, Nagzira, Meghat and Tadoba, and a new forest-proud culture is turning the attention to a possible name change to Wag (bagh/tiger) pur. Even if the old name persists, the city has gained increasing clout from being closely linked to many atmospheric, game rich forests.

Plan Your Trip

How to get there — Take the train or fly to Nagpur, where a car booked by your lodge will pick you up. A 2 hour 15 minutes drive to the reserve.

Best time to go — October to June; Feb to April optimal for tiger viewing.

Opening Hours — 5.30 to 10.30am, 2.45- 6pm. Tuesdays closed
Explore — Tadoba Lake, Telia Lake, Bhanuskiddi Drive, Panderpauni and Katejhari.

Stay at — Moharli and Kolara are the two main gates. Tiger Trails, Svasera and Irai Safari Retreat are near Moharli. The forest rest house is spartan but well located near Tadoba lake in the core of the forest.

Affordable style — The log hut inside Ngzira National Park at R1,700 per night. Look out for — Gond tribal pillars and the Tadu shrine next to the Government rest house under a peepal tree.

-The Hindustan Times, 12th June 2013

Given the recent conservation efforts undertaken by the Governments of Rajasthan and Gujarat, it might just be possible to bring back the Great Indian Bustard, one of the largest and heaviest birds in the world, from the brink of extinction

Typically, when the words 'wildlife' and 'India' are put together, a vision of tigers and elephants within deep dark forests with streams, giant sal and banyan trees with vines and snakes hanging, paints itself across our mind. Years of story-telling and popular images have all but cemented this image into most of us. But as a child when I first learnt about dry scrub habitats and saw images of it, it was hard to believe how any animal would want to live there or even survive. Dry scrub forests and grasslands used to cover a large part of India, and over 40 species of reptiles, numerous mammals and around 400 species of birds including many migratory species like the demoiselle cranes made it their home.

These creatures and more are uniquely adapted to the challenging environment of this landscape. They not only survived but thrived here — until the human element came in. From organised royal hunts in the past to poaching, land grabbing, agriculture and developmental activities today, our dry scrub forests and grasslands are now dramatically shrinking along with the number of its animal residents. The majority of dry, arid habitats in India have been transformed owing to the growth of agriculture, irrigation plans and industry.

Fragmented and reduced to a fraction of what it was, the ecosystem remains preserved in only isolated pockets like the Desert National Park in Rajasthan. The most critically endangered species here is the Great Indian Bustard. At 15 kgs, it is not only one of the largest and heaviest flying birds but also now one of the rarest in the world. When the term 'critically endangered' is used to describe a species, it means the survival of the species is at it's tipping point with extinction being the next step.

In the 19th century, flocks of more than 30 birds were a common sight, but by 1969 the population had dwindled to about 1,260 across the western half of India. Poaching and habitat destruction sent the GIB's population spiralling down, with only 600 birds recorded in 2001. Today, the most optimistic estimate is less than 200 individuals in India. The largest global population is in Rajasthan with only about a 100 birds spread across the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, and Barmer, and along the cultivated and grassland areas around Bikaner.

The GIB is also considered to be an 'indicator' species — the health of which signifies the health of the ecosystem. The rapid decline of the habitat and the bustard population finally triggered action with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests preparing a species recovery programme in 2012. Today, it would be safe to assume that the GIB is one of India's most endangered species. This is a sad situation for a bird that was once in the race to become the national bird of India and is the State bird of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan's Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Forest and Environment Minister Bina Kak have moved forward with a vision, and are leading the way for other GIB States to follow. A Rs 12.9 crore 'Project Great Indian Bustard' has been announced and a five-year plan has been mapped. The Forest Minister is taking the initiative beyond Rajasthan by collaborating with non-Government organisations to ensure the success of the project. By gathering local as well as international support, the Government aims to approach conservation on a holistic level so as to concern itself with bustard populations not only within India but in eastern Pakistan as well.

It is assumed that the population in western Rajasthan and Kutch are shared with the Cholistan desert and Sindh in Pakistan, where reportedly over a four year period poaching has claimed 49 out of 63 birds. Historically hunted as a game bird, the GIB, given its present population strength and unmonitored habitat, will not be able to recover from constant poaching unless a serious and determined plan is put into action.

The bustards, during their breeding season, exhibit 'lekking' behaviour, wherein the normally solitary male bustards gather in groups to challenge one another and attract females. This is a potentially perilous time not only due to the threat of poachers but also because the bustard, as a sensitive species, has been known to abandon nests and breeding areas if there is human disturbance. With this in mind, the Forest Department of Gujarat has issued a warning to photographers and threatened legal action against anyone entering and disturbing the breeding and nesting areas in Kutch's Naliya grasslands. Rajasthan too is on alert and keeping a close watch on breeding areas.

Experts have also recommended that since the bustards breed in a specific and restricted area, it would be possible to create disturbance-free and predator-free safe zones where breeding and nesting may continue without any risks. Feral dogs, cats, jackals and foxes have been known to cause damage. A fenced and protected area for the GIB, which usually lays only one egg, will go a long way in increasing the survival rate of the fledglings and reviving areas which were previously prime habitat for the bustard.

The Rajasthan Government is ready for action and has approved the creation of protected and fenced enclosures, habitat conservation, creation of water resources and an anti-poaching force as well. The work may have only just begun but already there is a lot of support and public goodwill for the project. Signature campaigns and online petitions are requesting more action and suggesting measures.

The latest update on the threatened bird species worldwide is now at 1,253, which is almost 13 per cent of the bird species that exist today. Certain species have remained on the threatened list for decades, with some slowly fading as well. If the Great Indian Bustard were to be lost forever, what would be sad is not just the fact that the grasslands of India would be a little emptier but that we would have lost an opportunity to play out our responsibility and give back to the planet.

Perhaps if we do succeed in saving our most endangered bird there would be hope for other species and a story to tell and a path to follow. With so much at stake and swinging priorities, it might be a good time for all of us to consider if it is us sharing our space with other species or are they sharing their space with us?

(The writer is a wildlife film-maker)

-The Pioneer, 12th June 2013

The Union environment ministry is expected to approve the K Kasturirangan panel report on Western Ghats and declare around 60,000 square kilometers of the southern hills — spanning across six states — as no-go area for mining, thermal power plants and heavily polluting industries.

Sources in the ministry said, the process has begun to finalize the decision after receiving comments from public and state governments on the panel report.

The panel — headed by the Planning Commission member K Kasturirangan — had been set up by the central government after an earlier report of a team of ecologists, headed by NAC member Madhav Gadgil, had suggested for almost 75% of the ghats to be put under various levels of restrictions much to the opposition of the states and other interest groups alike. The Gadgil committee had suggested a blanket ban on mining and pitched for the powerful Western Ghats Authority to be the final arbiter of development activities in the region.

The Kasturirangan panel had scaled down the area that was recommended for providing protection under the eco-sensitive zone provisions of the Environment Protection Act. Disagreeing with the Gadgil report it also recommended against setting up a centralized authority that would override all existing decision-making mechanisms under the green laws and the federal structure.

Even when the environment ministry does accept the Kasturirangan panel report the process of declaring eco-sensitive zones is bound to take long as it requires extensive regional and on-the-ground due diligence.

The Kasturirangan panel had also recommended against bringing farmlands, plantations and habitations under the restrictive regime, or Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) of the Environment Protection Act, 1976. It has instead suggested that 90% of the natural forests in the Western Ghats complex - adding up to 60,000 sq kilometers and constituting 37% of the entire hilly belt — be conserved under the ESA provisions of the green law. The forest area falling within the ESA would also cover 4,156 villages across six states. The panel has said, "The villages falling under ESA will be involved in decision making on the future projects. All projects will require prior-informed consent and no-objection from the gram sabha (village council) of the village."

While the Kasturirangan panel may have taken a more moderate stand as compared to the Gadgil committee, the Centre is unlikely to have an easy time convincing the state governments even now.

The second panel report has recommended that there should be a complete ban on mining activity in this zone and current mining activities should be phased out within five years, or at the time of expiry of the mining lease. It has banned development of any township or construction over the size of 20,000 square metres in the ESA zone. It has not recommended a ban on hydroelectric projects in the zone, but put a regime of stricter clearances for dams and other projects. For dams it has demanded an uninterrupted ecological flow of at least 30% level of the rivers flow till individual baselines for dams are set. Cumulative studies to assess impact of dams on a river and ensuring that the minimum distance between projects is maintained at 3km, and that not more than 50% of the river basin is affected at any time.

-The Times of India, 12th June 2013

Britain's Wildlife Vets International (WVI) plans to study whether a virus common among Indian dogs was infecting tigers of theSunderbans and turning them into maneaters.

The study would be part of WVI's first comprehensive global tiger disease surveillance programme, which would start with the dwindling Sumatran tiger population.

The WVI is concerned that big cats were facing the new threat in form of canine distemper virus (CDV), an emerging pathogen threatening tigers worldwide including those in the Sunderbans.

The virus makes big cats less afraid of humans and increases the chance of human-tiger conflict leaving them vulnerable to poaching.

A large number of feral dogs and cats live in and around villages bordering the Sunderbans. The virus is common among them and tigers straying into villages and preying on them are at risk.

WVI co-founder John Lewis said they need to find out how these cats are catching the virus, identify how and where they come into contact with domestic dogs, which are the most likely virus source, and determine how to tackle the problem. "Otherwise we could lose even more of our vulnerable big cats.''

The WVI wants to test whether CDV is causing healthy tigers in Bangladesh Sunderbans to attack humans and walk unperturbed into villages.

At least three Amur (Siberian) tigers, the world's largest big cat, have died in recent years after contracting canine distemper.

Studies of both the endangered Amur tiger and the critically endangered Amur leopard, only 40 of which are left in the wild, confirm that many more have been exposed to the virus.

Russia has examples of abnormal behaviour, where tigers have walked into villages apparently unfazed by their surroundings.

CDV has had a serious impact on other large wild carnivores in recent years.

In the Serengeti National Park, a CDV epidemic in 1994 caused the death of approximately 30% of the lion population as well as numerous African wild dogs, leopards, hyaenas and bat-eared foxes. This was the first time CDV was detected in wild lions.

Experts say there was an urgent need to assess the disease risks to tigers in the Sundarbans and to implement a prevention programme to protect them.

Recently, the Bangladesh Forest Department identified this disease threat and said it requires reduction in the immediate future.

Fund-raising has started for WVI's surveillance programme to combat CDV. WVI is now asking for donations to carry out the programme in the Sunderbans.

-The Indian Express, 12th June 2013

The ASI's draft conservation policy still cleaves to the spirit of a 1923 document

In May 2013, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) released the draft of a new conservation policy, inviting public comments. The initiative had started two years earlier, when the ministry of culture established a 17-member expert committee. However, after a couple of desultory meetings, the authorities, in their wisdom, decided that they would undertake the exercise in-house. What was intended to be a participatory approach to drafting the new policy, involving experts in the process, became a top down exercise within the ASI. The issues one has with the present document are embedded in this decision.

The ASI has had a conservation policy and guidelines at least since 1923, when John Marshall, its first director general, drafted the Conservation Manual. The need for a new policy arose because, over the years, the anomalies and inadequacies of Marshall's Manual were increasingly foregrounded in the works of the ASI. For one, Marshall's Manual reflected a profoundly English attitude towards the preservation of architectural heritage, an attitude that had become dated not only in England but also the world over. The numerous UNESCO charters on conservation are evidence of the ideological distance travelled by the conservation movement since 1923. For another, it was becoming increasingly obvious that for the post-Independence ASI to continue protecting only 3,675 monuments, mostly identified by the colonial government, missed the woods for the trees. It perpetuated a short-sightedness that gave rise to great losses in the country's architectural heritage.

The new policy, therefore, had an opportunity to address these and other important issues, and to produce a forward-looking document. Instead, it stubbornly cleaves to Marshall's original intents and purposes. It also continues to focus on the upkeep of only "centrally protected monuments". Nevertheless, it has attempted some change by making references to concepts like restoration, the issues of heritage tourism and the need for greater engagement with the public in developing conservation strategies. But that aside, the contradiction inherent in grafting new ideas to Marshall's original text remains unresolved. For example, the new document recognises the role of traditional craftsmen but what happens if they employ their traditional knowledge systems to alter the historic fabric of the monument?

-The Indian Express, 12th June 2013

This had to happen sooner or later. Barring Generation Ex, probably none will shed tears over its demise. The once-ubiquitous telegram lost its utility with the advent of mobile telephony and the internet. The world's way of communicating changed dramatically and what was once a revolutionary and the fastest mode of communication became redundant, an archaic relic of an era gone by — ready to share museum space with the fast-dying typewriter.

Although I have not sent or received a telegram for over 20 years now, in my childhood and youth, the telegram was the most reliable and quickest way of conveying information. But then, many households did not have telephones those days; the wait for getting a land-line connection could stretch to a decade or more. For those who did have a phone connection, long-distance calls were expensive by the standards of the time and in the absence of STD (which was unheard of till the 80s) sometimes calls took several hours to materialise.

People often used the telegram to communicate with one another even within the same city. Sherlock Holmes fans would recall that the world's most popular fictional detective always relied on the telegram to inform his clients and the police about his itinerary. The British meticulously constructed a humungous network connecting India, starting in the 1850s. The pace of erecting poles mostly along railway lines hastened in the aftermath of the 1857 uprising whose magnitude and ferocity took the British by complete surprise. India's erstwhile rulers immediately realised the value of quick communication so that any possible recurrence of such large-scale disturbances could be rapidly contained.

So popular were telegrams even in the 60s that cities had separate Central Telegraph Offices (CTOs) in addition to the main or general post offices (GPOs). For example in Delhi itself, the CTO was located in a heritage building near Cashmere Gate, in fact, just beyond the Lothian Bridge that takes trains to the Old Delhi Railway Station.

I recall having driven to it on my scooter in the freezing cold of January 1, 1978, braving bitterly chilly winds, to inform my safe arrival in Delhi. It being a Sunday, other P&T offices were shut. I had just married and both sets of parents were anxious to hear from us. As trunk calls were too expensive for a college teacher surviving on a princely pay of Rs 970 per month, I decided the chill was easier braved than the prospect of parting with some twenty rupees that two long-distance calls would cost. (By way of putting things in perspective, petrol sold at Rs 3.30 a litre those days).

Then there were Greetings telegrams that could be sent even cheaper. The list of greetings such as "Many Happy Returns of the Day", "Congratulations on your Wedding", had numbers written against each. You looked at the list on a board and told the operator, No 6 or whatever the appropriate number. That number would be forwarded to the receiving telegraph office, decoded and delivered by the postman, always within 24 hours. Considering letters took approximately a week on an average, the telegram was indeed a phenomenally fast and remarkably cheap way of communication.

Telegraph offices were busy through the day and night. The CTO at Cashmere Gate was open 24 hours and there were queues even at midnight. Even if city folk had the phone option, villagers had none. It was an open secret that employees would often get friends or relatives to send a fake telegram saying "Mother serious, come fast"! Employers although sceptical of the veracity of such grams, were compelled to grant leave when this was shown to them, for fear of being held liable for a parent's demise in the son's absence.

My father journeyed to Barbil, now a flourishing mining town in Keonjhar, Odisha, but in the boondocks those days. Although there was a telephone in his office, it was a wind-up instrument whose bell rang in the one-room post office when wound up. It was faster to send a gram, since a trunk call often matured only after 24 hours. Each time he went there, which was at least once a month, a post-office delivery man would knock on our door, shouting Telegram! Telegram! It always contained two words, "Arrived Safely".

I would do the same on reaching Delhi as a student, using the P&T office next to the Vice-Chancellor's Office on the DU campus. In an effort to modernise and hasten communication, P&T introduced the phonogram in the 70s, whereby the telegraphic message would be read out over the telephone (if you had one at home), obviating the necessity for immediate hand delivery. But for the record, the paper trail would also be sent, although a couple of days later.

When I became a journalist, working with The Statesman in Kolkata, I had to sometimes send my reports that way. Press persons were issued P&T cards which enabled us to file copies by telegram and telex (a relatively new innovation) and even make trunk calls to the headquarters without paying cash as the cards were postpaid by the organisation.

Reporting on terrorism in Punjab in 1984, one evening I reached Ludhiana to find the telex machine at the GPO out of order. Given the urgency of the report, I was left with no option but dictate my entire story to the grumpy telegraph operator whose machine went tappity-tap to the Morse code. Later, the News Editor said my story had run into an extravagant 22 sheets with many undecipherable words (the reluctant babu's faulty English to blame!) and took over three hours to retype!

District correspondents too often filed this way. As Chief of the Times of India News Service in the late 80s, it was my lot to sort out telegram sheets, each line pasted on the form, and punctuation marks spelt out. A joke of telegram's nascent years was that in Britain stingy businessmen found a way to beat the cost by sending only punctuation marks, which were free (that is, not counted as a word). So, one shipper from London sent a telegram to his shipping agent thus (;). Spelt out, it reached the agent as semicolon. The agent replied next day, saying (:). In case you haven't figured this out, the message was "see my coal on" and the reply "coal on"!

It's always nostalgic when an era passes. Those born into urban India since the 90s wouldn't have heard of the telegram. And with a mobile phone in virtually everyone's palm even in rural India, the telegram had to give way to the new age. Time and tide wait for no man; or technology!

-The Pioneer, 13th June 2013

After nearly two years of efforts by the residents of the colonies surrounding the 400-acre Jahanpanah City Forest in South Delhi, the Delhi Development Authority has finally awarded the work for raising the boundary wall around it as during night the forest was being rampantly used by criminal elements who have been committing burglaries and thefts in the apartments adjoining it.

President of Narmada Residents' Welfare Association R. P. Dhawan said while work had started about three months ago, it was stopped suddenly by the DDA. He said the residents had then approached Union Minister Ajay Maken and area councillor Virender Kasana but nothing came of it. "Due to pulling down of the wire fencing and breaking of the wall, safety and security in our apartment complex had been compromised and there were numerous thefts; about 50 water meters were stolen and several apartments were burgled."

Mr. Kasana said the issue pertained to the entire area. "The Jahanpanah forest is surrounded by Greater Kailash II, Narmada and Nilgiri apartments and Gangotri Enclave on one side and Dakshinpuri and Ambedkar Nagar on the other. While the forest is visited by a large number of people for morning and evening walks, at night it becomes a refuge for criminals who target nearby colonies. It has a nearly two-metre high wall running all around it. But the height of this wall was not enough to keep out the criminal elements."

So, Mr. Kasana said, in July 2011 when the residents had urged Mr. Maken to intervene and get the height of the wall raised, he had convened a meeting and it was decided that the height of the wall would be raised to three metres and barbed wires would be put on top of it to prevent intrusions.

"Over two years, we had several meetings with the DDA officials but due to the presence of one Superintending Engineer, the work could not proceed to the satisfaction of all. Now that this SE has been transferred, we are hopeful that the necessary constructions would be carried out and the security concerns of the citizens would be addressed," said Mr. Kasana.

DDA Chief Engineer A. K. Pandit said while the original wall had been constructed using stone masonry it was vulnerable to being punctured and trespassed. "So we have got one 800 metres section made with reinforced cement concrete near Dakshinpuri. The wall near the apartments is also being raised and the work has been awarded. It should start this week and is likely to get over within a month."

"Due to pulling down of wire fencing and breaking of wall, safety and security of nearby apartment complexes had been compromised"

-The Hindu, 13th June 2013

Rural heritage hotels are fast gaining popularity with tourists treading the unbeaten paths. Not only have these heritage properties given a new lease of life to these remote areas which are now abuzz with tourists but have also provided employment to the locals.

A Ministry of Tourism-conducted survey showed that the 105 rural heritage properties attracted close to 13 lakh tourists last year alone. The tourist footfall saw a growth of 4.06 per cent as compared to 2011. The revenue generated was over Rs 5.5 crore registering an annual growth of close to five per cent.

While the rural pockets of Rajasthan attracted over three lakh tourists to its 36 properties, the next popular rural tourism destination was Uttarakhand, which received 2.53 lakh footfalls in its seven properties.

Other popular off-beat destinations were Madhya Pradesh (2.12 lakh), followed by Kerala (1.46 lakh), Tamil Nadu (1.40 lakh) and Delhi (1.04 lakh).The market research wing of the Ministry had invited bids in 2011 for the survey of Impact of Heritage Hotels in the Country, with a focus on rural areas. The findings were presented to the Ministry last week.

In all, the Tourism Ministry has approved about 265 hotels as "heritage," which have about 9,116 rooms. From 2007-08 till last year, these heritage properties received 32.6 lakh tourists. While the 56 classified heritage properties got about seven lakh visitors, the 209 non-classified heritage hotels got 25.6 lakh tourists.

The survey showed that the employment generated by these 265 heritage hotels is 11,343, of which 47 per cent of those employed is from the vicinity and the rest from the rural areas.

The total revenue generated by these heritage hotels in 2011-2012 was close to `11 crore, with the classified heritage hotels earnings close to `6.5 crore and non-classified heritage hotels making about `4.3 crore. The survey showed that the average revenue per room was `14.2 lakh.

-The Pioneer, 13th June 2013

Maharashtra has decided to stick to the old Development Control Regulation (DCR) on the height of buildings, clearing the path for nearly 50 real estate projects in Mumbai that had been stalled as a result of guidelines issued by the union enviroment ministry linking height to the width of the road.

"As per the old rules under the Development Control Regulation (DCR) 31, a building can attain any height if the width of the road on which it is located is at least 24 metres," state environment secretary Valsa Nair Singh, said.

"We will write to the Ministry of Environment and Forests saying we already had height regulations in place as per the local circumstances. We are currently awaiting a reply from the secretary of the state urban development department to officially convey the DCR to us. We will forward that to the ministry," Singh said.

Following the recommendation made by a panel set up by the environment ministry under Planning Commission member Dr K Kasturirangan, the ministry had, on June 6, issued a circular that superseded its earlier circular issued on February 7, 2012.

The new guidelines said that state governments or local bodies should decide on linking the width of roads to the height of the building based on local requirements and circumstances.

The original guidelines had said that buildings on roads less than 30 metres wide could not be taller than seven floors or 60 metres. This upset plans for several redevelopment proposals on roads narrower than 30 metres in Mumbai. According to the earlier guidelines, buildings taller than 60 metres had to have a fire station within 2 km. The new guidelines only say that fire engines must be able to reach the building in less than 10 minutes within an urban area. "This is acceptable as the ministry has specified a timeframe in which the fire engines should be able to reach the spot instead of distance as it had done earlier," Singh said.

-The India Express, 13th June 2013

It's still unclear who all will be the new members of the Union cabinet. But what is certain is that the upcoming swearing-in ceremony of the new UPA ministers will go back to its original venue—the grand Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The circular Durbar Hall hosted the swearing-in ceremony of the new government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru on August 15, 1947. The following year, India's first governor general Chakravarti Rajagopalachari also took an oath in Durbar Hall.

According to sources, swearing-in of ministers were held at the venue till the 1970s. Later, it shifted to Ashoka Hall—perhaps to accommodate more guests.

But now, Durbar Hall has been renovated and ready to host the upcoming swearing-in ceremony. "We have already started using the Hall for state functions like conferring of Padma Awards. The swearing-in ceremony of minister can also take place here. Although we don't know when that event will happen," President's press secretary Venu Rajanomy told Hindustan Times.

While Ashoka Hall can accommodate 300 people, Durbar Hall's current sitting arrangement can provide space for around 250 people.

Top Congress sources told HT that a cabinet reshuffle is expected before the monsoon session of parliament.

Work is also on full swing to make the guest wing of the RB fully functional before the winter, to host top foreign dignitaries in the RB.

- The Hindustan Times, 13th June 2013

Playing cricket and football inside the garden complex is prohibited'-announces a municipal corporation signboard inside the historic Qudsia Bagh. In March, TOI had visited the heritage park and found children playing cricket and using a historic relic as stumps. That stopped after the board came up recently. But that's not the only change that has happened here in the last couple of months; the whole ambience has been radiating a vibrancy missing for hundreds of years. "Well honestly, it all happened after your report came out on March 24. Most of us knew theglorious past of this 18th-century palace garden, but we needed a push. TOI gave us the trigger. We all came together and floated a society for the conservation and maintenance of this place. And over the last two months, we have been dealing with the problems you highlighted, one by one. The change is visible, don't you think?" says C L Sharma, president of the newly formed Qudsia Bagh Welfare Society.

Civil Lines residents drafted a proposal of their own volition and presented it to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, underlining the problems and their possible solutions. The civic body responded positively and sanctioned Rs 70-80 lakh for the first phase of work, which involved cleaning the garden, laying jogging tracks all around by demolishing concrete walkways, restarting the dried-up water fountain, planting saplings and taking out wire meshes around bushes and trees.

"The garden is being cleaned. Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel has helped us a lot in getting things done. The dump you saw last time is being turned into a vermicompost pit and an organic garden is being planned around it. It's an eyesore right now, but that won't be for long. We will make this place as good as Lodhi Garden," says Anirudh Goswami who is a business consultant and the founding-secretary of the society. The society members had visited Lodhi Garden in April and taken down ideas to implement in Qudsia Bagh. "That's one place where the civic agencies and the Archaeological Survey of India have shown great synergy in conservation and development. We are trying to do something similar here, but there's a long road ahead of us," says Goswami.

In the first phase, 225 saplings-mostly neem-have been planted. "Neem was quite popular in the Mughal Empire and their gardens had these trees in abundance. So we are growing them again here. Next, we will plant fruit trees. Qudsia Bagh, hopefully, will be a true Mughal gardenagain in the years to come," Sharma says. TOI had also highlighted substance abuse and chain-snatching in and around the garden. Entry to the garden from the Kashmere Gate ISBT front is unhindered and a lot of people come inside the park to defecate, locals say. When TOI went to that part of the garden, we were assailed by the stench. "A green lung cannot be destroyed like this. That's why the municipal corporation has agreed to close entry from the ISBT-end by walling up the porous boundary and installing tall iron gates. Work has started already. Also, police make regular rounds and a patrol vehicle, run by the enforcement wing of the transport department, is stationed within the park. That has heightened the sense of security among park users," says M L Sethi, general-secretary of the society.

Goel believes the contribution of Qudsia Begum to Delhi's heritage is worth remembering. "It was her garden. We have to ensure that she is not forgotten. I've proposed a library-cum-museum inside the garden that will have items on Delhi's heritage. Our future generations should know their roots," Goel says.

-The Times of India, 13th June 2013

You had heard about non-biodegradable and green waste collection. But two housing societies in south Delhi's Alaknanda area have collected about a tonne of e-waste during a drive launched on the occasion of World Environment Day last week.

E-waste is the waste generated from used electronic devices and house­hold appliances such as discarded computers, mobile phones, stereos, refrigerators and air conditioners.

A major problem with disposal of e-waste is that it is harmful. It contains toxic heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, nickel and lead, which can cause cancer, brain tumour, paralysis, infertility and even nerve disorders.

The Nilgiri and Yamuna apartments in Alaknanda area took the lead in saving the environment of the hazardous waste by systematically disposing of e-waste.

"People are aware of e-waste generally, but not many know about the problems it causes. So, when this particular company called and told us about the environment friendly manner in which e-waste can be disposed of, we thought why not?" said HS Vohra, president of Nilgiri Apartment Resident Welfare Association.

The company that approached these two apartments had placed collection boxes at the society.

It educated the residents about the problems of e-waste through presentations to encourage them to send e-waste for recycling.

While Nilgiri apartment has 448 flats, Yamuna apartment has 200-odd flats.

Buoyed by the response, the company plans to launch similar collection drives in other residential areas.

- The Times of India, 13th June 2013

After repairing the Mangi bridge on Ring Road — a little over three years after it was torn apart by speeding trucks— the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is now worried about the height clearance following the lowering of a carriageway.

The ASI has claimed the Public Works Department (PWD) has wrongly increased the width of the lowered road on the central carriageway right below the Mangi bridge. It will effectively mean lower height clearance for vehicles threatening a repeat of the original damage.

After lowering the road, its width at the start (Rajghat side) is 8.5 metres, while at the centre it spreads out to 10.5 metres. A minimum height clearance of 5.4 metres is required so that the vehicles do not hit the arches on either side.

Work was taken up for the central carriageway while the two others on each side are being used for traffic.

Arches on the lower side of the Mangi bridge, located between the Red Fort and Salimgarh, were damaged in 2009, following constant scratching by the tops of goods carriers and other vehicles plying on the Ring Road below. This was happening as the height of Ring Road had been increasing every year due to layers of tar during repair. So the lowering of the road was necessitated simultaneously when the bridge was being repaired.

"We have requested the PWD to reduce the width in view of the safety of the bridge. Right now, our trials are going on to check the strength of the repaired portion by way of instrumentation test," said an ASI official.

Ravi Mathur, PWD spokesperson, said: "We will add more curb stones to bring down the road width (to 8.5 metres). We are waiting for the ASI to finish their work and remove the scaffolding."

The arches on the other carriageway (on the Salimgarh side) too have suffered extensive damage during these years. "It needs immediate attention. The carriageway needs to be closed down for traffic, but it can be done only when the central carriageway is opened," said Anirudh Singha of AIC Building Solutions, who is carrying out the repair work for the bridge.

-The Hindustan Times, 14th June 2013

A rare and historically significant audio-video collection, like speeches by Lord Mountbatten, first Indian governor general of India C Rajagopalachari, those by former Presidents Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Zakir Husain and Dr S Radhakrishnan and vintage films — including that on the first Republic Day Parade — is now part of the Rashtrapati Bhavan library.

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday inaugurated a audio-visual section at the library, which has stocked up on archival material procured from All India Radio, Films Division and Doordarshan.

The authorities plan to provide e-links for all the material on the president's website later.

"This is the first step in collecting all related archival material. Similar steps (e-link) would be considered for rare books in the library later," said Venu Rajamony, press secretary to the president.

The president watched a newsreel on the departure of Lord Mountbatten from India and the swearing-in of C. Rajagopalachari obtained from the Films Division archives. He listened to speeches by C Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad and S Radhakrishnan, obtained from the All India Radio archives, a statement issue by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

-The Hindustan Times, 14th June 2013

A historic school faces encroachment from drug peddlers, rickshaw pullers

Set up as a madrassa by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's general Ghaziuddin Khan, the Capital's historic Anglo-Arabic Senior Secondary School at Ajmeri Gate is facing encroachment from drug peddlers, rickshaw pullers and all sorts of undesirable elements.

This 320-year-old institution, which has a rich and envious historical legacy and has been alma mater of stalwarts like Aligarh Muslim University founder Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and poets like Firaq Gorakhpuri and Muhammad Husain Azad, has become vulnerable to encroachment as it is situated close to the New Delhi Railway Station and the Walled City area.

The management of the school, which imparts education to a large number of children from the Walled City area, wants rickshaw pullers and bootleggers who stand outside its boundary walls to be moved.

On entering the premises, one is transported to the earlier era as the school's building looks like a medieval fortress.

Speaking to The Hindu , Principal Mohammad Wasim Ahmed said the school management was worried about the existence of a night shelter right outside the school's boundary wall.

"Rather than being a home to homeless persons, the shelter houses drug addicts and alcoholics who stand near the gates of our premises and make female students feel insecure and extremely vulnerable. We started admitting girls only last year and to become a successful co-education institution it is necessary to remove this night shelter."

Since the school is also situated near the G.B. Road red light area, customers engage rickshaws from near the gates of the school to visit brothels.

"For the sake of our students, it is necessary to prevent these rickshawallahs from standing outside the gates," Mr. Ahmed said.

According to Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Safdar Khan, he will request the Municipal Corporations of Delhi to remove this night shelter. "I will soon have a meeting with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation officials."

He is also in favour of making this historical school, which teaches Urdu, Arabic, Persian, English and Hindi, come under the Archaeological Survey of India's jurisdiction. "The shrine of Ghaziuddin Khan inside the premises is a protected monument and is maintained by the ASI. However, I would like the entire school building, which has stood for more than three centuries, to be maintained by the ASI. This will enable the future generation to bask in the glory of the Mughal empire and see the importance they gave to architecture."

Activist Firoz Bakht Ahmed, who is part of the governing body of the Delhi Education Society which maintains the school, has also complained to the Delhi Minorities Commission about the encroachment around the school.

"At night, alcohol is sold and distributed just outside the school to anti-social elements. This kind of environment is not at all conducive to education of children," said Mr. Ahmed.

Narrating an interesting story, Mr. Ahmed said the school was once visited by renowned Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib when it had a vacancy for a Urdu lecturer. "But Ghalib refused to give the interview as the school in-charge Thomson refused to meet him at the gate. He told Ghalib that his British etiquette prevented him from receiving him as he had come as a job-seeker."

The school has also been used for shooting films like Richard Attenborough's Gandhi and Mira Nair's political thriller The Reluctant Fundamentalist , said the activist. To attract numero uno Urdu poets from the Sub-continent, the school's management has plans to use it for hosting mushairas as well.

Built as one of the 14 gateways in the great wall of Shahjahanabad, Ajmeri Gate was the principal exit point for royal processions on their way to the pilgrimage in Ajmer.

When the Mughal empire started disintegrating, the seminary closed down in the early 1790s. "But with the support of nobility, an oriental college for literature, science and art was set up at the site in 1792. The institution has been a witness to the chequered history of the city, including the First War of Independence in 1857, when its library was ransacked and priceless Mughal paintings, manuscripts of Ghalib and calligraphy in Arabic, Persian and Urdu were either auctioned or sold off. During Partition, the institution was affected badly and had to be closed for sometime," said an institution employee.

-The Hindu, 14th June 2013

Its nearest rival is the GrandGala developed by the Netherlands

A rose without thorns is like love without heartbreak. It doesn't make sense, said a wag. Perhaps. But in the modern day business of commercial rose cultivation, a thornless rose makes a lot of business sense and is a desirable attribute.

This has led a team of scientists led by Markandey Singh of the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, to develop the country's first thornless rose called the Himalayan Wonder.

A deep red purple in colour, the rose is a cultivar of First Red, one of the most widely sold varieties in the world, which is extensively grown for commercial purposes in India too. Its nearest rival is the Grand Gala developed by the Netherlands, but IHBT director P.S. Ahuja claims that the Himalayan Wonder is superior to the Gala in many respects. For one, it has a sturdier stem, has no leaves close to the flower and has a shelf life of seven days. "The Grand Gala is droopy and has a short shelf life," he said.

Dr. Singh stumbled on this unusual type while conducting some other experiments and isolated it to see how it would maintain this trait. Five years later, when they found that the selected plant maintained the stability of trait expression and did not revert to a thorny state, they named it. The rose is presently growing profusely in the Institute's polyhouses in Palampur.

Said Dr. Ahuja: "We have grown it at a height of 4,200 ft and hope it will sustain its other characteristics like colour and strength of stalk when grown at lower elevations. Its DNA is well known and can be easily identified."

The institute is already getting queries from Pune and Bangalore, where roses are grown commercially. The length of the flowering shoot on an average is 78 cm and the diameter of flowers is 10 cm.

Worldwide, some varieties of thornless roses of the floribunda type are prevalent, but among the cut flower tradable varieties, so far it was the Dutch Grand Gala that was much sought after. "Now the Indian Himalayan Wonder is ready to be propagated in other parts of the country," said Dr. Ahuja.

-The Hindu, 14th June 2013

On a rainy Friday, when Puttaswamy Gowda made preparations to demolish his hundred-year-old house at Hoskeri, KR Mohalla, in the heart of the city, little did he know that he would chance upon antiquity dating back to the 13th-14th centuries?

Demolition workers, inching their way to the flooring of his home on a lazy afternoon on June 7, literally chanced upon ten precious sculptures, all buried a foot underneath the flooring. Gowda, who was present when the discovery was made, was staggered by the find.

"At first I couldn't believe my eyes," he said. "But when the workers started unearthing more sculptures I started to become worried. I wasn't sure if the find was a good or a bad omen. I immediately consulted a priest who said that the find was indeed a good sign."

Unlike most people who would have tried to cash in on the situation or would have preferred to remain indifferent, Gowda did the best thing possible: he contacted the State Archaeology department, piled the sculptures into an auto and delivered them to the departmental headquarters at the Exhibition Ground. The sculptures are representations of 'Mahishamardini', 'Vishnu' (with sankalpachakra), 'Daksha Bramha' (sheep-headed son of Bramha), 'Bhairavamurthy', 'Durga', and those of 'Mastigallus' and 'Veeragallus.'

Lack of care

But while Gowda may have treated the sculptures with care, officials at the State Archaeology department seem to have neglected them. The sculptures are not being given any special treatment by the department. They have been kept in a dingy storeroom at the department building for lack of any other place to display them. It may well be over two years before the sculptures find a decent abode.

R Gopal, Director, State Archaeology department, however, told Deccan Herald that the sculptures are important and date back to the periods between the Hoysalas and the Wadiyars. "It is an important discovery for there have been no such archaeological finds in the city in the recent past," he said. "There have been accidental finds of such sculptures or inscriptions from around Mysore, but not within the city itself."

He promised that the sculptures will put up on display once the department readies a gallery, but warned that there could be delays. "The department has placed a proposal before the government to set up a gallery in Mysore, to display paintings, inscriptions, sculptures and archaeological finds," he said. "But the proposal is yet to take off. We are hoping that it will materialise in the next two years."

An excited local historian, P?V Nanjaraj Urs, speculated that the sculptures belonged to a 'palegara' (an area commander of the Princely state). Between 1897 and 1923, Mysore state had been witness to persistent outbreaks of plague. "Until then, the township was within the fort of the palace. But after the outbreak of plague, the township was moved outside the fort. Since Hoskeri is within the periphery of the palace fort, the sculptures could have either belonged to a temple, or they could have adorned the house of a 'palegara'," he said.

Gowda, who had originally been living at the home as a renter, purchased the 20 by 22 ft property from the original owner in 2002. He had later leased the house for about 12 years, before coming to the decision to demolish the building because it was in a "run down" condition.

-The Hindu, 15th June 2013

There is still a ray of hope for the dilapidated heritage building of Lal Mahal, located in the congested Hazrat Nizamuddin area, which is increasingly facing threat from unauthorised construction. The Archaeological Survey of India on Friday issued a show-cause and stop-work notice to the property adjacent to the old Islamic structure.

According to a senior ASI official, the monument is not Centrally-protected but the action was taken because the illegal construction is within 100 metres of the prohibited area of Barakhamba.

"Technically speaking, Lal Mahal does not fall under our jurisdiction yet we have issued a show-cause notice to property No. 291 because the construction taking place at Lal Mahal falls within the prohibited area of Barakhamba, the nearest Centrally-protected monument. The site has been fenced with high tin sheets all around and hence such construction could not be instantly noticed."

A report against unauthorised construction near the Islamic structure has been lodged at Hazrat Nizamuddin police station. Even the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has been alerted by the ASI.

The illegal construction site was inspected by the officer-in-charge of Humayun's Tomb sub-circle and only then it came to light that the unauthorised construction falls within the prohibited area of Barakhamba.

Admitting that the structure has been witnessing successive attacks of encroachment by land grabbers and mafia, the official said the ASI was helpless because the old and dilapidated heritage structure does not belong to anyone. "Only those monuments which are of national significance fall under ASI. Before Independence, this monument, like many others, was not declared a Centrally-protected monument. We can conserve only those monuments or collaborate with private organisations like the Agha Khan Trust for Culture to do restoration work if they are managed by us."

The ASI official said it was pained to witness the greed shown by unscrupulous people who are grabbing vacant places. "This structure has survived successive attacks of encroachment. We do not have sufficient manpower to stop illegal construction but want the police and civic agency to stop this."

Pointing out that AM & ASR (A&V) Act-2010 empowers the Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India to issue show-cause notice to the offender, the official said in the event of his non-compliance, orders of demolition can be issued by the Director-General, which would then be acted upon by the concerned Deputy Commissioner (Revenue).

"In the instant case, show-cause notice from the Director-General has not been issued so far. However, it is made clear that such show-cause notice has to be issued in relation to Barakhamba and not Lal Mahal."

-The Hindu, 15th June 2013

It's June and business as usual on Old Iron Bridge. By September, there will be periods when traffic on this bridge will be stopped when theYamuna, flowing underneath, will threaten to rush over it. At present, though, it is barely a trickle and the river bed sports a cycle rickshaw stand, rickshaw union offices set up in tin sheds, a 'prachin' temple which has come up recently and agaushala set up on land raised by dumping debris.

The land in question falls under Zone O of DDA's master plan pertaining to Yamuna and the riverfront which has to be developed in an eco-friendly manner to rejuvenate the river.

The rickshaw stand came up several months ago and hundreds of rickshaws are parked here when the bed is dry. Since the bed is dry for about eight months or so, temporary offices and some shops have also sprung up," said a local.

Across the river, the management of a Sai temple has occupied a vast swath of land adjoining the bridge. They have dumped so much debris and mud here to raise the level of the land that it is now barely a couple of feet below the bridge. The temple itself is illegal and, even now when the river is flowing at its lowest level, it is barely 20 feet away.

"The matter has been discussed with DDA on several occasions but nothing has happened. The rickshaw stand and temple are old issues but the gaushala has come up recently. The encroachers have put the entire bridge at risk because the river in spate will have an even easier access to it," said a government official. When TOI visited the spot, it found several cows, fresh debris, bricks ostensibly for the construction of a small room and several hay cutting machines.

The matter was discussed with the LG's office which immediately issued directions to DDA officials to take action. "The stand will be removed. The gaushala will be razed. A notice will also be served to the temple which, we have found, is responsible for the gaushala. Action will also be taken against DDA officials for dereliction of duty if evidence is found they permitted the encroachments to come up," Ranjan Mukherjee, OSD to the lieutenant governor, said.

-The Times of India, 15th June 2013

Do we suffer from heritage fatigue? On the one hand, we talk passionately about our heritage, but on the other hand we leave it in utter neglect

We have a strangely ambivalent even a contrarian attitude to our heritage. At one level we never tire of extolling the virtues of our ancient civilization, its greatness and antiquity and how it has influenced other civilisations, even a barely literate person would talk with great passion and given a chance at great length about thousands of years of our history, culture, and heritage.

But look around, go and visit any monument and it is not difficult to see that all this talk about our heritage does not extend to caring for it. We have some amorphous ideas of a haloed heritage, untouched by events in the present. No matter how unkempt, dirty, betel leaf juice splattered, scratched, graffiti covered and downright filthy and greasy our built heritage may become, it cannot sully the pristine purity of our ancient civilisation, our culture, our heritage.

Our faith in our heritage, it would appear, is like our faith in the Ganga. No matter how much sewage and untreated effluents, half burnt bodies and half burnt logs of wood and dry and rotting flowers and plastic and non-biodegradable trash we throw in the Ganga, it can never be dirty.

How else does one explain the horrible conditions that prevail inside and outside our historical monuments? Looking at the scene in Delhi, one can easily imagine the conditions around all our protected, listed and unlisted monuments spread across the country.

Why am I raising it in a column that is supposed to talk about Delhi?

I am doing it because Delhi has been the Capital of India from ancient times to the present, holding this position for more than a thousand years, with minor breaks now and then, and therefore the norms set at Delhi are followed all over the country. The other possibility that whether in Delhi or Ajanta, Agra or Sarnath, Golkunda or Mammalpuram, we are utterly lacking in a sense of history is more scary. It may sound strange but we could have become oblivious of and inured to our heritage due to the sheer familiarity of being constantly surrounded with monumental structures, to the extent that we have ceased to bother about them --- something that could be called 'heritage fatigue'.

If heritage fatigue is the case and the entire population suffers from it, then it is a serious malady but if it is just a question of lack of awareness and sensitivity to our heritage, I hope it is just that, there is a possibility of doing something about it. It is necessary to urgently draw in and involve the population of the city, especially those living in the vicinity of the monument, in campaigns for protecting and looking after these monuments.

Take for example the Tomb of Adham Khan, one of my favourites and the starting point of my walks in Mehrauli. Go there any day of the week and any time of day, what stares you in the face is a picture of utter neglect. The ASI with its meagre resources can at best deploy a guard here. I do not know if a guard also sleeps there at night, but on several morning visits to the site I have seen empty plastic bottles, wrappers of potato chips and other savouries that are traditionally paired with alcoholic beverages. The place is also the favourite of many druggies who sleep there at night and leave behind rags and such other properties which they had dragged with them when they staggered in.

Those living nearby visit Adham Khan's mausoleum for an early morning walk, their post dinner constitutional or to just sit there watching the setting sun. Surely they treat it as their own, can we not try and start a dialogue with them.

One ASI guard, on daily wages, hired from a security agency is never going to work. The ASI needs to be given the resources to look after these monuments properly. It also needs to evolve mechanisms and create spaces to draw in and work with the constantly growing community of heritage enthusiasts, and those living in the vicinity of the monuments.

This is not going to be easy, because the ASI created in the late 19 Century is used to treating the people as an unwelcome nuisance. Times have changed, many of our colonial laws are being repealed, the guardians of our heritage also need to open up to democracy. It has been around for a while and has proved to be rather useful. No harm in trying it out, for all you know it might work and make the work of ASI a little more rewarding.

-The Hindu, 15th June 2013

Several places across Delhi have undergone drastic changes over the decades. But in case of Mori Gate — one of the 14 gates of the circuitous city wall around Shahjahanabad — the changes have been so radical, physical and demographic, that very few people from the area are aware of its past.

Mori Gate main road cuts the Nicholson Road — it runs parallel to the city wall here — a few metres south of the eponymous bus terminus. This junction was the spot where once stood the Mori Gate, now a dilapidated bastion. This was similar, albeit smaller, to the Kashmere Gate, a few metres away. There is a huge dhalao on its northern side and vehicles parked around it.

"There is this Mori Gate main road, Mori Gate bus terminus and also the Mori Gate tonga stand. Ironically, the Mori Gate itself is missing," rued Pravin Kumar, who runs a shop at this junction.

Located on the missing portions of the wall near this junction and surrounded by small houses is the most noticeable change: a south Indian Periyemari Amman temple.

It was the British who cannoned the wall and shelled these gates over a century back and now it is the greedy Indians that are eating away the chunks of the historical area. "Builders have been threatening the ghoda-walahs and tearing down old buildings from the area to build new ones. Soon, it would be beyond recognition," said Dinesh Kumar, a local resident.

-The Hindustan Times, 16th June 2013

An integral part of Kashmiri culture, the blossoming chinar's beauty is celebrated by both artists and commoners alike. The tree appears endangered today, but Khursheed Wani believes in its immortality

I grew up under the shade of majestic and gigantic chinar trees. I faced my first cricket ball in front of its stump. Learnt my first lesson under its cool breeze and understood my village's unity in diversity under its canopy. Eighteen chinars, witness to every movement in my small beloved village of Deever, Tral, in south Kashmir, stand tall at every significant place. A Hindu temple, two mosque-shrine-enclaves, two gurdwaras and two schools all spread their collective wisdom through their branches. I still miss the luxury of swinging on ropes tied to strong chinar branches on Baisakhi, marking the advent of the breezy and green spring.

Boune, as Kashmiris call this exotic tree, is the hallmark of 'Paradise on Earth'. It is intrinsic to the landscape of the region. There is hardly any village that lacks this royal possession, symbolising Kashmir's pride and grandeur and exhibiting its dominant culture. Artists draw traces of chinar, its branches and palmate leaves on papier mache caskets while seamstresses replicate them on shawls and clothes with their magical needles and crafty hands. It has been the pillar of history, the muse of the poet, the haven of the divine. The fan leaves, which change their colour with the seasons from green in spring to yellow through summer and crimson in autumn have to be seen to be believed. The fall of leaves spreads a golden carpet around the chinar. This crisp carpet cushions the most strident footfall and takes one to a walk in the clouds.

Boune-Platanus Orientalis, Linn, its rather long biological name, gives weight to botanists' theory that it originated in Greece. King Asoka is believed to have imported and implanted it in Kashmir. According to legend, the boune has earned its name from the Hindu goddess Bhawani. Some say that during the Buddhist period, it was called Budhi which was later corrupted to boune. The present popular Persian name, chinar, owes its origin to Mughal emperor Jahangir. Story goes that on an autumn day, Jahangir set foot in Kashmir. From a distance, he saw a grove loaded with crimson eaves. In sheer ecstasy, he shouted, "Chi naar!" (What a blaze!), and his pliant courtiers picked up the expression to rechristen the grove.

Mughals patronised the chinar tree in Kashmir and spread it in every nook and cranny. Hundreds of trees were planted in the famous Mughal gardens, along the well-known roads and in the premises of grand mosques and shrines. When Akbar took over the reins of Kashmir in 1586, he ordered the planting of 750 chinar saplings on the shores of Dal Lake near Hazratbal. Naseem Bagh (garden of cool breeze) came up, and still exists with hundreds of colossal trees. It now houses a part of Kashmir University campus.

The emperor was so concerned about the garden flourishing with chinars that he ordered the saplings be watered with milk. Poet of the east, Allama lqbal, travelled to Kashmir and wrote some of his best couplets under the shade of Naseem Bagh chinars. During emperor Aurangzeb's reign, a blaze engulfed the Grand Mosque of Srinagar and razed it to cinders. Aurangzeb wrote to his governor on the tragedy and inquired about the fate of chinar trees grown in the lawns of the mosque. On knowing that the chinars were safe, he remarked, "The mosque can be rebuilt in a year or two, but it would have taken a long time to beautify it with chinars."

The patronage of chinar trees continued during the Dogra rule (1886- 1947). The kings planted hundreds of them in Srinagar and the countryside. All structures reminiscent of Dogra rule palaces, gardens, colleges and hospitals are surrounded by chinar trees. Today, you can see the best pruned variety in the lawns of InterContinental, The Grand Palace, a heritage hotel that's keeping the Dogra legacy alive.

The past is rooted to the tree, the trunk of an ageing chinar hollows out and legend goes that ghosts find shelter in them. Often mortals too have sought refuge as is borne out by Akbarnama and Tuzk-e-Jahangiri. When Akbar travelled to Kashmir, he was caught up in sudden rain, He, along with his 34 guards, took shelter in the large, hollow trunk of a chinar. Jahangir and his seven courtiers on horseback entered another chinar trunk to avoid thunder showers.

Sages meditated inside them and at many places, idols of Lord Shiva are placed in the epicormic branches grown around the trunk of chinars by Kashmiri Pandits. They adorn the chinars with flowers and smear vermillion on the bark as a mark of respect. At one place in Ganderbal, paying obeisance to a grand chinar is a must for the groom and bride before they formally enter into wedlock. In Anantnag, a unique chinar has shot up with two major branches. One branch has evergreen leaves while the other follows the seasonal colour scheme. Locals believe the saints had touched the evergreen branch and it won't wither. Ever. A visitor will hardly find a chinar without character. Each tree is named by association with an object. So there's the Bregih boune (chinar of cranes because they provide shelter to hundreds of birds), Naid boune (a cluster where barbers set up shop), Maharaz boune (the bridegroom's grove), Poshe boune (the guardian of the saffron fields), Astan boune (the grace of the shrine) and the Mandar boune (temple canopy).

It is one nature symbol that has lent itself to every conceivable imagination and interpretation. The 14th century mystic, Lal Ded, has in her wakhs (verses), likened a faithful wife to Shihij boune (a cool Chinar). When a young and strong person dies, people describe the loss as akin to the fall of a tree. And should you accomplish an impossible feat, people celebrate by forcing a log through the trunk of a chinar (boneh mohul tarun). Kashmiris wear their pride, choosing to name their cherished projects after the grand tree. Schools teach a Chinar series of books, the Hindustan Machine Tools' watchmaking factory is called Chinar Watches Limited. And when the late Shaikh Abdullah, the tallest Kashmiri leader of recent times, chose to write his autobiography, he named it Aaatish-e-Chinar (fire of Chinar).

Muhammad Sultan Wadoo, an environmentalist, discovered the sub-continent's biggest and oldest chinar at Chattergam in central Kashmir, 14.7 m high. But he is not ecstatic about his find, worried as he is about the rapidly depleting virgin wealth. In 1970, the Valley boasted 42,000 trees but now their number has dwindled to a mere 20,000. On its part, the Government has set up a Chinar Development Authority to make good the loss. Chinar remains deeply etched in Kashmiri culture. Allama lqbal once predicted that Kashmir's soil containing the fire of chinar would never be subjugated nor suppressed."Jis khak ke zameer mein ho aatish-e-chinar, mumkin nahin ki sard ho woh khak-e-arjumand" (The land that has in its conscience the spark of chinars will never die down, this celestial land). Or as the poet lqbal said, the warmth of the Kashmiri soil can be attributed to "the blaze of chinars it nurses in its bosom."

-The Pioneer, 16th June 2013

It was constructed as the mausoleum of a great king, and had all the trappings of royalty — a majestic building, sprawling gardens, a grand entrance, domes and minarets, intricate wall carvings, fine calligraphy, a water body, and vibrant chandeliers imported from Belgium. Indeed, when Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah, the third king of Awadh, constructed the Chhota Imambara in 1838, he wanted it to be awed at, praised and celebrated. On its 175th anniversary, though, the Chhota Imambara stands abandoned. The once-majestic entrance gates on its eastern and western sides are in shambles. Two of its verandahs have been eaten up by over 70 shops, houses and even a police post. Neither the city administration, nor the locals, and worse, not even the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) or the Hussainabad and Allied Trust (HAT), which are the custodians of the monument, have any plans for celebrating the glory of the Chhota Imambara, a symbol of Lucknow's nawabi heritage.

But it's not like the monument doesn't get visitors. It's still a major landmark in the Uttar Pradesh capital, and continues to draw tourists. The "chhota" in its name is colloquial, as it is smaller than the Bada Imambara, built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah, which is just 700 metres away. It's actual name is Hussainabad Imambara; the regal mausoleum is also a religious monument, which the nawab devoted to Imam Hussain, revered by Shia Muslims. During the Islamic month of Moharram, a procession of Shia Muslims walks from the Bada Imambara to the Chhota Imambara, carrying a bamboo-and-wax replica of Hussain's mausoleum in Iraq. The replicas are displayed inside the Chhota Imambara.

In the main hall of the Chhota Imambara are the tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah and his mother. Opposite the building is the naubatkhana, which houses gongs and drums that continue to be sounded even today, though only during Moharram. Food cooked inside the Chhota Imambara is distributed for free to poor families in the nearby locality of Raees Manzil during Ramzan. It was a practice started by Muhammad Ali Shah himself. The nawab would depute special staff to provide people food cooked at Chhota Imambara. Nearly 600 families have been issued cards called "chittis", which entitles them to the free food. The present cook, called Nawabu, is a third-generation descendent of the nawab's chef.

-The Indian Express, 16th June 2013

One of the oldest documented Islamic palaces is being torn down right under the nose of the local authorities. Lal Mahal, located less than 500 metres from the Nizamuddin police station, is a 13th century palace built by Ghiyasuddin Balban of the Mamluk dynasty, who ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1266 to 1287. Traveller Ibn Battuta stayed here during his visit to the "Dehli" of yore.

Today, one meets with opposition from people who have been living in the building since 1947. But the fault isn't entirely theirs. This building, considered an architectural marvel, houses the true dome, true arch and tehkhanas (cellars), but is not considered important enough by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

An official in ASI said that Lal Mahal is "not a building of national importance" despite its rich history, hence it doesn't enjoy ASI protection. However, an ASI site plan from 1946 shows 0.31 acres earmarked to be acquired for Lal Mahal's conservation, another 1973 site plan is further proof of ASI interest in the building in the past.

But all they have done is file a complaint. Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, superintending ASI archaeologist and head of Delhi region, said the complaint had been filed at Nizamuddin police station against alteration activity going on near three ASI monuments — Ghalib's tomb, Barakhamba, Chausath Khamba. The complaint was filed on June 10 but the activity continues unabated.

Under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, no alteration can be made to any building without the civic agency's approval. Ashok Kumar, South corporation deputy commissioner, has no clue about the issue. He said the agency would inspect the site on the next working day.

Fazl-bin-Akhlaq says Lal Mahal has been his home for generations. "No government agency has a problem with us. ASI, MCD, DDA, police — none has questioned what we are doing to Lal Mahal. I wonder why private agencies are after our lives," he said, pointing to conservation bodies like INTACH and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

-The Hindu, 17th June 2013

TRAVEL Sirpur in Chhattisgarh beckons modern tourists with its forests and monasteries, says Vijay Lokapally

His modest abode is a tribute to the man's devotion to his vocation. Eighty kilometres from Raipur, this 80-year-old, a mobile encyclopaedia of a glorious past, lives amidst rocks and monuments, figures that symbolise the centuries-old architectural beauty that, in these times, is the pride of Chhattisgarh. For Dr. A.K. Sharma, an archaeologist of repute, his work is his life. His lifestyle is a striking contrast to his achievements. Alexander Cunningham, who was the first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, had undertaken many excavation projects in Sirpur before M.G. Dikshit resumed the work and discovered the remains of two Buddhist viharas and a Shiva temple. Dr. Sharma's arrival in Sirpur led to some prize discoveries, many Shiva temples and Buddhist viharas, including the magnificent Tivaradeva Mahavihara. According to Dr. Sharma, there are many, many mounds that remain "unravelled." His face radiates as he narrates his excavation experiences with a youthful exuberance that belies his age.

Tourism need not hover around beaches and mountains, forts and palaces, malls and museums. The metros of India signify the modern trends but there is a distinct homogeneity about such vacations in big cities. There is an India waiting to be discovered, in hinterlands, forests, even in ruins. Sirpur is part of Chhattisgarh's history, which beckons the modern tourist to come and experience chapters from the past.

A chance meeting with Santosh K Misra, a Tamil Nadu cadre IAS topper (2000), led me to a stunning experience in Sirpur. As Managing Director of Chhattisgarh Tourism, an avid cricket fan and a compulsive photographer who loves nature and wildlife, he has made efforts to attract vacationers to visit some out-of-ordinary places and events in the region.

"We are into aggressive promotion, trying to develop the infrastructure and offer family packages. There is history to be discovered, jungle safaris to be enjoyed… there is something for everyone. We can look at cricket tourism in future during the IPL matches in Raipur. We have invited tour and travel operators from Buddhist-centric countries. Tourism in Chhattisgarh is set to attract people away from the hills and beaches. There are resorts with excellent facilities where hygiene is paramount," Misra draws a rosy picture.

Recently, Sirpur hosted its first Dance and Music Festival, where artistes from all over India participated, the notable being flute master Hariprasad Chaurasia, classical dancer Madhavi Mudgal, folk singer Prahlad Singh Tipanya, classical singer Chhannulal Mishra, folk singer Teejan Bai, and Kathak specialist Parwati Dutta. The festival is going to be an annual affair. The trip to Sirpur is made memorable by the encounter with Dr. Sharma. His house is a veritable peep into the past, with his excavation rewards occupying all rooms. He has spent 12 years in the region, carrying on his work unsung, and unrecognised by a world that rushes past him, leaving him admiring his archaeological conquests alone. Priceless figures, dating back centuries, lie unprotected. The authorities, laments Dr. Sharma, have promised but not delivered the promised museum.

The Lakshman temple, a symbol of 7th Century art, a unique piece of brick, stands regally. A Lord Vishnu shrine, it has stood the test of time. "Amazing, nothing like it anywhere," mumbles Dr. Sharma, as he darts around like a kid, taking me on a fascinating tour. It is hot — I struggle to keep pace — but he is amazingly quick on his feet.

The Buddhist viharas, informs Dr. Sharma, are a grand discovery of the excavations. In the tourism brochure, he claims, "The monasteries are larger than even the great Buddhist University at Nalanda," vindicating Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang's assertion of having seen more than 10,000 Buddhist monks in Sirpur. The Tivaradeva Mahavihara is the "largest and most ornate" of all the viharas. Among other captivating sculptures are a Naga couple, an amorous couple, and many Buddhist figures.

The Surang Tila is a temple on top of a mound, and extensive excavations led the archaeologists to a stone structure with five shrines. Dr. Sharma states, "The presiding deities of two different sects, Vaishnavism and Shaivism, have been installed together." He is at present working on making the Surang Tila independent of some encroachment that hides the temple. Many more temples have been unearthed by him. Sirpur offers a pleasing alternative to the much-flogged modern tourism. Nature and peace is the theme when you visit Sirpur. The Chitrakote falls, the Tirathgarh falls, the Gangrel dam, Champaran, famous for historical temples, the Mayamaya and Bamleshwari temples, and the majestic Buddha statue at Pragyagiri are some other places worth a visit in Chhattisgarh. At the centre is the river of dreams, Mahanadi, flowing with abundant stories of past and present, reliving the golden age of centuries ago. The Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary offers an escape from the mundane city life. Tiger and pangolin, gaur and cheetal form the diversity of the animals who are best seen at waterholes in summer.

Chhattisgarh, carved from Madhya Pradesh as a separate State 13 years ago, has taken baby steps in creating wild sanctuaries and promoting tourism. Thanks to the efforts of the unassuming Dr. Sharma, history has a vital slot in the State's tourism programme, the mute figures from the past imploring attention. Chhattisgarh, with new Raipur promising to emerge a complete, modern city, is keeping pace with the rest of the country. There is place and space for history and tradition, there is foresight for future too, with adventure tourism, paragliding and rock climbing part of the programme chalked out to woo fellow citizens and foreigners. To many, Dr. Sharma is the symbol of preservation and vision of rural tourism in these modern times.

-The Hindustan Times, 17th June 2013

Srinagar 2013 is not Srinagar 2011. It is a significantly cleaner version. It also has much fewer plastic bags, almost none, compared to 2011.

I found this trend worth exploring, because apart from Himachal, most mountainous regions with hordes of tourists complain that such tourists leave behind a coat of plastic bags on the mountains.

In Uttaranchal, for example, few landscapes are free of the colourful dot of a polymer. Srinagar's municipality understands that local vendors also sell goods in plastic bags to local residents. It looks at the inside.

What the team in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation does is combining awareness with confiscating plastic bags. Two entire storerooms are filled with plastics, and few stores still use them.

Many claim the bags are banned and offer alternatives. Fruit vendors resolutely argue with tourists that they cannot give out plastic bags because they will be in trouble. The challenge now is what to do with these bags, so they are not reused.

The story in Kathgodam, Sattal, Jageshwar and other areas of Uttaranchal is different. The local bodies just don't go out and act strongly enough, despite national legislation. Shopkeepers are amused at the idea of being stopped and dismiss any long term, permanent action.

Yet, Uttaranchal has what Srinagar has only periodically-peace. It also has famous schools, lot of hotels and tourism agencies who want to make the change, wastepickers who collect the waste and kabaris who are willing to buy the. They need to now get cracking.

-The Hindustan Times, 17th June 2013

Four hundred years ago, a maverick English sea captain, Thomas Best, sank four Portuguese galleons off the Surat coast with his two ships, Red Dragon and Hosiander. Captain Best and his crew's exploits in the naval Battle of Swally (corruption of Suvali) on October 28, 1612, impressed the Mughal governor of the province so much that he got them a treaty ratified by Emperor Jahangir, which translated to trading rights. By January 1613, the firstEast India Company factory had come up at Surat.

Four centuries later, those early footprints of the British Empirehave been obliterated. There is no sign of the factory — more of a warehouse — save fragments of a wall that once belonged to the sprawling establishment. The ruins are a testimony to our indifference to heritage structures.

Of course, nobody could have imagined that the English would expand that first factory into another factory, that factory into a province, and that province into an empire in about 150 years. But at Surat in 1613, there were five principal factors — Andrew Starkey, Canning, Aldworth, Withington and Kerridge — who struggled hard to stay afloat in the face of Portuguese hostility, intrigues of the Portuguese Jesuits, and unfriendly behaviour of Mughal crown prince Mirza Khurram (later Emperor Shah Jahan).

Khurram, who had the jagir of Surat, favoured the Portuguese over any other European power, and so did the Surat Mahajan Sabha, a representative body of Indian traders. However, it was Khurram who gave Sir Thomas Roe the firman to trade in 1618 in the name of his father, Emperor Jahangir, after the English once again defeated the Portuguese fleet at Surat and proved their mastery over the seas.

According to historian H G Rawlinson, the factory was one of the best buildings in Surat and was leased to the company for £60 per annum. "It was a solid, two-storied building, opening in Muhammadan fashion, inwards. The outside was plain stone and timber, with good carving 'without representations'. The flat roof and the upper story floors were of solid cement, half a yard thick. Inside was a quadrangle surrounded by cloisters or verandahs. The ground floor was used for the Company's trade; the rooms opening on to it, utilised as stores and godowns, presented a busy scene in the shipping season..." he wrote in his 1920 book British Beginnings in Western India: 1579-1657; an account of the early days of the British factory of Surat.

TOI traced the English factory and found its location not far from the Surat fort. This fort was commissioned by Sultan Mahmud III — who was fed up with Portuguese attacks on the city — and built by an Ottoman officer named Safi Agha at a time when Mughal Emperor Humayun was in exile and the Pathans held sway in Delhi. The fort became Mughal when Emperor Akbar annexed the subah of Gujarat to his empire. But in 1759, the English occupied it. Subsequently, the Raj used the structure to house the revenue and police departments, in whose occupation it has remained.

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), its offices located in a Mughal building called Mughal serai, is responsible for the fort but it's clearly in a complete mess right now. The corporation tries to reason on its website: "...such a great fortification built to provide the citizens of Surat with an adequate defence against the attacks of the invaders seems to have been forgotten from the minds of the present generation." SMC has also complicated matters by dumping all the silt and waste from the ongoing Hope Bridge expansion project inside the fort.

Historian Uday S Kulkarni visited the place last month and was struck by the lack of awareness about the importance of such heritage places there. "The rich history of the 500-year-old fort and the erstwhile English factory have been apparently forgotten; and what ought to be Grade A monuments are neglected by the Archaeological Survey of India and the civic administration. The Mughal serai is still a civic office and the British cemetery with tombs of historical personalities is poorly marked and attended," says Kulkarni.

Surat municipal commissioner M K Das squarely blames the degradation on encroachments. "Whatever anomalies you've seen have happened only in the last one month or so. We are trying to fix this. We've found out 150-year-old maps of the place and are trying to restore the fort scientifically," Das said.

Yet the corporation does not appear to have any concrete plans to this end. "I'll connect you to the person who has been supervising this work. I'll text you his number and you can speak to him," Das said but failed to respond to further queries.

A sliver of hope may be found in the three-part Chowk Bazaar Heritage Square project though, which is a plan to revamp the Tapi riverfront in Surat and all the heritage structures lying along it. This plan was conceived a few years ago and Rs 17.5 crore has been allocated for the first phase. "A tender of Rs 20 crore will be soon be floated. It will take us a while to complete the work and we haven't really fixed a timeframe for this. Work has to be done holistically so that people know and appreciate the importance of the fort. Right now, 75 per cent of the offices inside the fort have been vacated and we are happy with the progress," says C Y Bhatt, deputy municipal commissioner and the official in-charge of the project.

Still, there appears to be no move to mark the historic English factory with a pointer or plaque. "We don't have any information about the factory, so I don't think we will do anything about it," Bhatt says.

And if the SMC has been working with 150-year-old maps, it's surprising that they don't have information about the English factory. And the fort debris might yet be cleared, but that's going to take a while according to Bhatt. "We will clear it in the third phase and go for complete renovation. All the construction that you see on the riverfront is related to the project. It might look ugly right now, but in future it will look great," he says. Whether that future includes an old brick wall that once held up an old English factory is anyone's guess.

-The Times of India, 17th June 2013

If no last minute hitch is developed, six historical forts of Rajasthan will be included in UNESCO's list of World Heritage Monuments on June 21.

World Heritage Committee of UNESCO is meeting at Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, for three days from June 21 to consider the recommendations of its advisory committee on listing of new World Heritage Sites. Representatives of 21 countries are expected to attend the meeting.

Principal Secretary Tourism Rakesh Srivastan and Superintendent of Amer Fort Pankag Dhirendra would attend the meeting. About two months back advisory committee had recommended the inclusion of six historic forts of Rajasthan —Amer Fort, Gagron Fort, Jaisalmer Fort, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Chittorgarh Fort and Ranthambore Fort — in the World Heritage Sites. Before recommending their names, committee had visited these forts.

In its recommendation, the committee said keeping in view of history and architects of the period, these monuments deserved the status of World Heritage Monuments. Though World Heritage Committee does debate before inclusion of any new sites in the list, generally advisory committee's recommendation are accepted without any debate or discussion, according to informed sources.

-The Pioneer, 17th June 2013

Soon you could spend a night or two in Maan Merak near Pangong Lake in Ladakh — where the Amir Khan-starrer Bollywood blockbuster Three Idiots — was shot.

Sensing the popularity of the location of the Indo-Sino border township, Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned about Rs 1.5 crore for a Budget accommodation in Maan Merak to the State Government of Jammu & Kashmir. The Ministry has sanctioned another Rs 1.5 crore for a Budget accommodation in Charasa village in Nubra Valley in Leh.

In the last one week alone, the Tourism Ministry has pumped in close to Rs 5 crore for the face-lifting of Leh-Ladakh areas. "These locations are getting very popular, with both the young Indian tourists and foreigners, as these locations are perfect for great treks. The only one hindrance is underdeveloped infrastructure and good lodging options," said a senior Tourism Ministry official.

"We have sanctioned about Rs 5 crore for this financial year. If these projects complete within the deadlines and the States ask for more funds then we will be more than willing to sanction but that will depend on the status of these projects," said the official. The official also said that since most of these areas were restricted for tourism purposes till 2010, hence lodging options so far have been limited.

The Ministry has also sanctioned about Rs 25.70 lakh for building fresh trekking routes in Sui-Markham, Chilling, Sumdo and Run areas. "While there is a huge demand for biking and trekking paths among young tourists, lack of wayside facilities is a big reason for them opting out of Leh-Ladakh adventures," said the official, who said that a chunk of Rs 5 crore sanction was towards building enough wayside facilities like toilets, street lights and signage. The Ministry has also given money for building viewing decks and developing tourist facilities along the Leh-Nyoma route. Nyoma, which a small picturesque township at an altitude of 14,000 feet in Leh, it has an advanced landing ground of the Indian Airforce, which is proposed to be reactivated soon. The State Government has also sanctioned funds for building a Krishi Vigyan Kendra to improve the fodder production in the area in order to protect and nurture local fauna.

-The Pioneer, 18th June 2013

Senior Japanese officials visited the the Okhla Sewage Treatment (STP) plant on Monday.

Dr. Akihiko Tanaka, president of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) -- an agency of the Japanese government -- and took stock of the cleaning process at the plant. The JICA is responsible for implementing the Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries.

The Okhla plant (STP) is a 30MGD STP based on an activated sludge process. A very unique feature of the plant is that the plant disinfects the final treated water before it is disposed of in the Yamuna, which helps in reducing the bacterial load. Gas generated in the process of waste water treatment is used to generate power, making the plant self-sufficient to the extent of about 60 per cent of its power requirement. The president of JICA was accompanied by Naka Hara, director general of JICA and Debashree Mukherjee, CEO of Delhi Jal Board(DJB). Other senior officials of DJB were present during the visit.

The Yamuna Action Plan III aims at a comprehensive development of three selected sewerage zones (Okhla, Kondli and Rithala) in Delhi for modernization and complete coverage for basic sanitation facilities in urban and non-urban areas of Delhi. It will broadly cover renovation and repair of aged assets, upgradation of treatment standards, new proposals to manage the increased dry weather flows and optimum utilization of existing sewage conveying facilities. The JICA has been actively supporting the Yamuna Action Plan I and II and they are continuing with their cooperation and support along with DJB for the Yamuna Action Plan III as well.

-The Hindu, 18th June 2013

To promote art and culture among marginalised children from across the country, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is hosting a six-day film-cum-educational festival at National Bal Bhawan (NBB) here beginning Tuesday.

Every year, children from Kendriya Vidyalaya and other government schools participate in a month-long summer camp at NBB to learn and interact with their fellow students. They perform magic shows, demonstrate their drawing skills and also dabble in puppetry. As a major resource centre for the arts, especially written, oral and visual source materials, IGNCA conducts workshops for children, undertakes research and publishes dictionaries and encyclopaedias. This year it has invited students to teach them about our country's ancient heritage. Films commissioned by the organisation will be screened during the festival.

"Every day, 500 students will get to watch films which highlight our country's rich cultural heritage. In six days, 3,000 students will watch these meticulously crafted films. After the screening is over, our story-teller will explain certain aspects of the film and question students in order to learn how much they have understood," an IGNCA official said.

The film About Wangala: A Garo Festival explores the lineage of the Garo people of Western Meghalaya, which can be traced back to Tibet. The film places the life and times of Garo people in the background of their traditional philosophy and belief systems. It shows how the lives of Garo people revolve around the Sun god who rules their shifting cultivation. It also highlights the Wangala festival which celebrates the bounty and well-being bestowed by the Sun god. The film, About Hampi: The World Heritage gives a glimpse of the grandeur of the world heritage site at Hampi in Karnataka. Once the Vijayanagar Empire's capital, the place has historical significance. The roving camera takes one through the corridors of the primeval rocky landscape, which is dotted with massive fortifications, aqueducts, tanks, colossal gopuras and monolithic sculptures and temples. About Mahakumbha – In search of the Nectar is all about the Maha Kumbh which takes place once every 12 years. About Ganga: A Celestial Journey from Mukhba to Gangotri pans across the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas. It explores the Ganga in her two abodes – Gangotri during the summer and 25 km downhill at Mukhba after Diwali.

-The Hindu, 18th June 2013

Violence, when legitimate and organised can be a positive force for social progress. Proponents of War believe that use of force constitutes the ultimate arbiter in international relations. One could even say that minus War, humans would still be living like apes; hunting, gathering and nurturing in caves. It is only through use of force in domesticating animals (distinct from hunting) and enslaving weaker clans that victors felt secure and had the leisure to settle down and think of art, poetry, literature and culture.

Over time, this 'security-and-leisure' led to the unfolding of new technologies and new philosophies that sought to make War more predictable and a cost-effective enterprise. This is where Ethics of War presents itself as an agency that sets and regulates rules of the game to ensure that these cost/benefit analysis and code-of-conduct are not restricted to the victor's perspective but take into account all possible stakeholders to achieve lasting peace.

This book is an examination of multiple overlapping Hindu texts since ancient times that debate on this complex binary of just and unjust war namely, dharamyuddha and kutayuddha. It outlines an awe-inspiring enormity as also a blending of continuity and change that has remained unexplored. It contextualises these texts into their material and social circumstances and compares these with contemporary trends in Chinese, Greek, Byzantine, and European traditions.

BEYOND ARTHASHASTRA

The author concedes that while it is difficult to establish a direct correlation between these classical texts and modern military strategies or to present Hinduism as one coherent monotheistic continuum over two millenniums, yet his extensive research successfully debunks Western contentions that ancient India had no major texts except Kautilya's Arthashastra or that ancient India lacked disciplined standing armies and complex war-fighting strategies.

The moot point established by this book is that Hinduism has been a rather porous and diverse 'Way of Life' and yet in various guises, it has structured the thought processes of successive generations. Hindu ethics widely entrenched Indian psyche through its popular epics. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata portray actions of warriors in moral heroic drift as they present a complex intertwine of rajdharama,kshatriyadharma, kuladharma which offer no easy choices. But there is always space for interpretations and individual initiatives.

Ramayana portrays an ideal narrative of a war against non-Aryans and yet it involves ambush to kill Vaali (Baali). Krishna, the realist of Mahabharata, wants victory at all costs. He gives unethical advice to Yudhishtra to tell a lie to Drona that his son Aswathama had been killed, asks Arjuna to kill his teacher Drona and elder brother Karna while they were unarmed and not aboard their chariots.

Buddhism also challenges sacrificial rituals of asvamedha and rajasuya yajnas and yet inMahaparinirvana Sutra, Buddha allows his disciples to take up arms to defend Buddhist order. Medieval Jain poetry extols heroic actions of warriors. But unlike the Western classical texts dominated by material and technical details, the ancient Hindu texts are much closer to Chinese as they focus on the moral and the cosmic. Like Sun Zi, the Tirukkural of Saint Valluvar, composed around 11 century, talks of exploiting enemy weakness as the way to victory. But in addition to imposing numerically strong armies he emphasised strong leadership. Brahmins served as generals in the armies of the Cholas and Chalukyas during 10 and 11 centuries.

IMPACT OF ISLAM

Advent of Muslim rulers from the 9 century saw Muslim theologians describe Hindustan as the land ofKufr which shaped their war ethics as also the Hindu response to it. This period saw a rise in the vanity of personal valour amongst Rajputs at the cost of expediency and strategy.

In 1296 CE, when Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji attacked Jaisalmer, 16,000 women committed Jauharand Tilak Singh with 700 men fell in the battlefield. This also led to the scripting of Sukranitisara which talks of allocating 50 per cent of revenues for armies. It preaches asanayuddha i.e. cutting of enemy supply-lines by attacking civilians and also permits kutayuddha in defending the homeland against 'demonic' Muslims.

Most interesting was the ethics of Rajput commanders in the service of Muslim kings. Udairaj Munshi, secretary of Mirza Raja Jai Singh, edited his master's military dispatches, published as Insha-i-Haft Anshuman in 1699. Like Bhishma of Mahabharat, Jai Singh puts his rajdharam above everything. As he advances into Maharashtra, he negates Maratha King Shivaji's attempts for diplomatic negotiations and advises him to "place in your ear the ring of servitude to the slaves of the imperial court." He also feels no qualms in using kutayuddha by ordering plunder, bribery and desertions in Shivaji's armed forces. Almost till early 20 century when British colonial rule finally produced a 'national' consciousness and created groundswell for subcontinent-wide anti-colonial sentiments, wars under successive rulers were seen as an opportunity for social mobility for men of the lowest classes who could achieve a permanent, often inheritable, elevation of social and material position. Even the British had created a martial race theory around Sikhs, Gurkhas, Dogras, Rajputs, and Pathans and some of these communities regarded military service as honourable while the British showed due deference to their religious sensibilities. Indeed both the militant as also the anti-militaristic freedom movements of India were entrenched in Hinduism. Gandhiji's Hind Swaraj linked the moral regeneration of India with the political emancipation from the British and Subhas Chandra Bose's insistence on equal participation of women in Hind Fauj was shaped by his aggressive Hinduism of Mother Goddess paradigm.

SECULAR INDIA

Though independent India was set up as a secular state, episodes of violent partition, setting up of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and four wars and continuing low intensity conflict with that country have added a slant to all post-independence strategic debates. Western trained intellectuals of India have not only remained preoccupied with conforming to liberal and realist paradigms, they have been equally wary of highlighting any connections between ancient Hindu theories and modern strategic thinking lest they be dubbed as communalists.

However, this proverbial civilisational inheritance was clearly underlined by Nehru's writings as also in his principles of non-alignment and Panchasheel. This is equally true of several other leading writers from amongst India's political, scientific and business elite. For laymen, this Hindu incline remains visible in the very naming of India's nuclear tests and ballistic missiles. Even India's internal dissensions and insurgencies over years have become far more entrenched in religious affinities.

In this continued neglect of the enormous role of Hindu traditions, the book makes a critical addition to indigenously rooted analyses of Hindu texts on statecraft and should be a must read for students of Indian history as also those interested in Indian traditions in sociology of war studies. Only, the mention of 'South Asia' in title seems unclear as this is a rather recent and colonial category. Besides, it does not really look at traditions — like Hindu Kingdom of Nepal — which are distinct yet part of the South Asian reality. Instead of South Asia, perhaps 'Indian subcontinent' represents what it seeks to achieve.

(Swaran Singh is Professor of Diplomacy and Disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi)

-The Hindu, 18th June 2013

Owing to the poor maintenance and negligence of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the peripheral blocks of the Gole Market are lying in deplorable state once again.

Just after over three years of its redevelopment, plaster from the pillars and walls of the blocks has started to peel off. The gloomy and deplorable state of the market is crying for an immediate attention of the civic body.

In 2009, the NDMC renovated the peripheral blocks by removing the plaster of the buildings and applying a fresh coat of lime plaster on it. The aim of doing so was to retrieve the original Victorian look in the wake of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Now, the buildings posses a haggard look.

"While they improved the façade of the two blocks, the onus of maintenance of the insides of the shops was on the shopkeepers. The NDMC made the verandah in front of our shops, strengthened the pillars and ceiling, and built a tiny boundary ahead of the pillars. Even the old stone slabs, mentioning about the type of shop, were taken out and highlighted. We were happy initially, but now just in three years everything has started falling apart," said Deepak, owner of shop number 53.

The Gole Market was a market built by the Britishers where sections in the buildings were earmarked for what it sold. Shops reading 'fruits and vegetables', 'poultry and fish', 'bakery', etc were engraved in stone slabs and put above the arches in the wall.

"It's evident that the contractor had used low quality material in the repair work. If it rains heavily, then all the water would come in the verandah flooding our shops also. There is no proper outlet for the water," said Usman, another shop owner complaining of inadequate drainage system.

The council during that time had produced a detailed plan for the redevelopment of entire Gole Market including main circular structure, which later got stuck due to the shopkeepers resisting the move and filed a case in court. The civic body had spent over Rs seven crore for the refurbishment of these blocks.

However, the NDMC claimed that the work carried out by the civic body was not part of the redevelopment plan of the market. "The work done in 2009 was just repair work. We did the finishing and it was nothing major. If it is wearing off then we will look upon the matter and take the necessary action," said an official in the Council.

-The Pioneer, 19th June 2013

There is no end to the monsoon fury in Uttarakhand with the death toll in floods and landslides touching 40. Over 60,000 tourists and pilgrims have also been stranded at various locations.

Chopper sorties have resumed on as the weather cleared a bit. The government has dispatched NDRF teams to help in rescue operations. However, incessant rains and landslides have crippled communication, severely hampering rescue operations.

The Dehradun Met department says the state capital received a record 340 mm of rainfall on Monday and the Met department has forecast more heavy rains in the next 24 hours. Several roads, including the National Highway 24, have been blocked to avoid any more traffic jams.

Landslides have been continuing in various parts of the state. In Almora, four people died after a bus got caught in a landslide. In Dehradun, three people died after a house collapsed and several highways around Dehradun have been blocked now. Also, in Pithoragarh, 60 houses have been damaged and all rivers are flowing above the danger mark.

A large number of structures including shrines, hotels, rest houses, commercial and residential buildings collapsed like a pack of cards in Rudraparayag district. Five bodies were recovered near the Kedarnath shrine in the Rudraprayag district on Monday morning, the Disaster Management officials said.

Cloudbursts and landslips killed 13 at Rambara in the district, they said adding a number of people were reported missing. Seventy-three houses were totally damaged in Rudraprayag, 60 in Pithoragarh, 19 in Uttarkashi, 10 in Dehradun and one each in Tehri and Bageshwar.

The river Ganga at Haridwar in the Dehradun District of Uttarakhand is now flowing in high flood situation. Several highways like the between Delhi and Haridwar, Rishikesh and Yamunotri and Gangotri and the Badrinath National Highway are blocked for now. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who took information from the District Magistrates on the extent of damage caused by the flash floods through video conferencing, expressed grief at the loss of lives in the calamity describing it as a "huge" one. Rescue operations were going on on a war-footing with the help of ITBP, BSF and the Army but bad weather was proving a hindrance, he said.

Chardham and Mansarovar pilgrimages, suspended following torrential rains, would be resumed as soon as the weather improves, Bahuguna said.

Monsoon mayhem: Many dead in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Ten deaths, including five members of a family, were reported from Himachal Pradesh while 1,500 tourists, mainly from West Bengal, remained stranded in remote Kinnaur district after incessant rainfall triggered landslides. Also stranded was Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who was electioneering for the Mandi parliamentary by-poll slated June 23.

In Uttar Pradesh, 15 people were killed in heavy rains and floods in Saharanpur and a flood alert was sounded in several districts as the Ganga, Ghaghra and Sharda are in spate, officials said. All the deaths in Uttar Pradesh were in Saharanpur, where many pilgrims are trapped in the Shakumbhari Devi area following the rain and floods. Among the dead were a chief medical officer from Punjab and his family of five, who drowned after being caught in raging river waters.

Flooding has been reported from Saharanpur, Bijnore, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Siddharthanagar, Azamgarh, Lakhimpur Kheri, Ballia and Varanasi.

Delhi saw heavy rains over the weekend and intermittent showers continued Monday morning. The city received 58.5 mm of rain from 8.30 pm on Sunday to 8.30 am on Monday, leaving roads inundated and traffic snarls in the morning rush hour.

In Haryana, rescue teams on Monday evacuated 52 villagers, including 15 children, from a riverine island in Yamunanagar district while rescue operations were on in Karnal district where nearly 200 people were stranded in Shergarh Tapu and Chandrao villages.

The Yamuna river, which enters Haryana from Uttarakhand at Hathnikund barrage in Yamunanagar district, had swelled since early Saturday after over 800,000 cusecs of water was released Monday morning through the Hathnikund barrage.

With the water expected to reach Delhi on Tuesday, the state government on Monday began evacuating people from low-lying areas along the banks of the Yamuna.

The monsoon this year had set over Kerala on schedule June 1 and advanced fast, covering the southern, eastern and central states within two weeks.

-The IBN live

Wettest place on planet earth. That's what the signage on the road says. As did our geography textbooks in school.

Yet Cherrapunjee in Meghalaya isn't what one would imagine it to be. The landscape isn't lush green and the roads aren't dotted with evergreen trees. The area here

looks parched, almost arid. And has been getting drier on the way to the town, which is just over 50 km away from Shillong.

There is water scarcity here these days. People have to walk for miles to collect drinking water, despite receiving rainfall in abundance every year (463.66 inches annually at last count by reliable data). Deforestation, lack of rain harvesting and constant mining are often cited as the reasons.

Now, the rain god has chosen to look away. The area is receiving nearly 20 per cent less rainfall annually. It lost its coveted 'Wettest Place' title to Kauai in Hawaii a few years ago.

Now, a small town in Colombia holds that record. But a day trip to the place is a must. If only to visit the tourist spots Cherrapunjee has to offer, to see what impact human activity and climate change can have on the environment or to just stand at the spot that was at one time the 'Wettest Place On Planet Earth'.

Mawsmai cave

A major cave network exists in the Khasi Hills in areas like Cherrapunjee, Shella, Pynursla, Nongjri, Mawsynram and Langrin. The Mawsmai cave is the only cave that is fully lit. It has impressive formations of large passages and chambers. Though locals will say that the trek through the caves is tough, young tourists will enjoy this adventure into the unknown.

Myth busted

Local lodgings market the venue as the 'Wettest Place On Planet Eath'. But it isn't true. Though difficult to pinpoint the exact spot that receives maximum rainfall, acccording to the most reliable data, Puerto Lopez de Micay in Colombia may be the wettest inhabited place. Between April 1960 and February 2012, the local weather station recorded an average annual rainfall of over 507 inches.

Getting there:

A day trip to Cherrapunji is enough to explore the place. The best way to get there is from Shillong (over 50 km away). The drive time on a good day is little over an hour. There are regular flights to Shillong.

Wet desert?

Like most tourists, we drove down to Cherrapunjee from Shillong. It was November and the monsoon had just retreated. However, as we approached, the landscape changed dramatically from green mountains to brown flatlands, providing quite a contrast in scenery.

Nohkalikai falls

Legend has it that this was the spot where a young mother (named Likai) threw herself over the precipe after finding out that her husband killed her daughter. Her act gave the falls its name. It literally means 'Leap of Likai'.

Mine your business

The terrain around Cherrapunjee is rocky and does not support vegetation. It is also impacted by deforestation. Rich in coal, limestone and sand, mining is popular. Unfortunately, due to lack of planning and constant drilling, soil erosion is common and eats into the natural beauty.

-The Hindustan Times, 19th June 2013

Does technology popularize or endanger calligraphy?

Calligraphy has historically been not just a creative style of writing but also a visual art form in the city. However, its disappearance from Delhi's aestheticism is rather pitiful. While not everyone believes that it is dropping out of sight, calligraphers who practice the art in its pristine form feel its death is impending.

National Award winner for Calligraphy in Wood Carving, Irshad Hussain Farooqi is one of the few celebrated calligraphers who use the Quranic verses in their artworks, a valued art in the times of the Moghul rule. With much anguish, he says, "Calligraphy is increasingly taking a step back in Delhi's culture." Blaming the intrusion of computers, the veteran decries, "Not many wish to learn calligraphy today because of a diminishing market."

While Hussain looks hopeful as he wishes for a better platform for artists, as fine arts teachers in schools or through the setting up of public institutes for display of calligraphic art, the calligraphers in Old Delhi, are sure of a laborious end to their unquestionable passion. Arif Mohammad Yakub, an artist hired by a book shop in the Urdu Bazaar, breaks into a song as he laments about the fading art. Another aged artist in the Bazaar who writes on posters, wedding cards, etc. understands how the computer is producing all of the work earlier done by the calligraphers by hand. He adds, "The youth is interested in learning calligraphy as a hobby, but nobody wants to take it up professionally." This is also a cue to declining quality of work.

Institutions that earlier provided a diploma or a credit course in calligraphy are also being brought to a halt. Hussein, a former student of the Ghalib Academy that offered a diploma, recognises the difficulties of continuing studies in calligraphy. "With not many students joining the course and being pressed for lack of funds, curtains to the institution seem only fated," he says.

According to Qamar Dagar, a renowned practitioner of pictoral calligraphy, a contemporised form of calligraphy, "Calligraphy is gaining momentum again." As she talks of a revival of calligraphy, she emphasises that the common man has more exposure to calligraphy than he did five years ago. Another noted contemporary artist and graphic designer, Nikheel Aphale, who practices calligraphy in the Devanagiri script, adds, "Technology has taken calligraphy to another level. Calligraphic fonts can be digitized which makes the art more popular." Calligraphy by hand has a niche market, according to him, catering to people who wish to indulge in an art with a personal touch attached to it.

Hussain, who also teaches calligraphy, believes in fostering this art form by "closing gaps between centuries" but is not sure whether there are zealous youngsters today to keep the art alive.

-The Hindu, 20th June 2013

Even as the Yamuna flows well above the danger mark, both the Delhi government and Delhiites seem to be quite oblivious to the devastation that could be caused if encroachments continue to eat into the vulnerable floodplains.

The Yamuna, which runs for 48 kms along Delhi, covers approximately 9,700 hectares. Floodplains are vital for recharging the groundwater table. But as Delhi's population grew exponentially over the years, the pressure on the riverbed and floodplains increased.

As a result, rampant encroachment on both sides followed. While the government built and allowed huge structures such as Metro stations and the Akshardham temple, people chose the floodplains to raise colonies, which are now awaiting regularisation.

The latest nail in the coffin is Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) proposal to shift 61.59 acres from the O zone (river) and include it in D zone (land).

On Wednesday, the Yamuna level had touched 207.32 metres (8 pm). In the event of an unfortunate situation like Uttarakhand, or even release of more water upstream, it can lead to havoc in Delhi.

"The 'O' zone has already been greatly eroded by nibbling building activities and it should not be further encroached upon. A cushion is needed to sustain unpredictable developments such as this rising Yamuna flood level," said Manu Bhatnagar, environmentalist. Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, recalls the futile effort by the Justice Usha Mehra Committee formed in 2005 after the Delhi High Court directed it to come up with list of structures to be removed from the Yamuna bed in connection with a case filed by the Wazirpur Bartan Nirmata Sangh. "As against the mandate to remove all kinds of structures, the committee was very selective. People with no voice were removed but places such as Delhi Metro's Shastri Park depot, colonies such as Majnu Ka Tila, Batla House and Abu Fazal Enclave were not even mentioned in the list," he said.

"Altering the 'O' zone would be just another step in continuation of this disaster," Misra added.WarnedAK Jain, activist and DDA's former commissioner (Planning): "We should not be tampering with the floodplains and 'O' zone boundaries. The river's character is not going to change even if we change these boundaries."Jain demanded that the Centre must take a stand now.

-The Hindustan Times, 20th June 2013

Rising fast at 15 cms per hour, the Yamuna river was flowing at 207.32 metres at 8 pm on Wednesday - fast racing to breach the 1978 record of 207.49 metres when Delhi saw its worst floods of the century.

As per government record, one person drowned while bathing at Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi and over 5,000 people have been displaced after being evacuated from villages and colonies along the riverbank and low-lying areas.

After visiting some of the relief camps, chief minister Sheila Dikshit said: "We have rescued 400 people while 5,000 plus persons have been evacuated and provided shelter in 19 camps."

The administration has also pressed more than a dozen pumps in service and deployed another dozen motorboats for tackling emergencies situations.

Closure of Old Loha Pul for all traffic and Wazirabad bridge for heavy vehicles caused lot of traffic disruptions, especially in north Delhi. Movement of trains over the Old Loha Pul connecting Delhi and Shahadara was suspended from 12 noon till further notice. The Yamuna continues to flow above danger levels.

-The Hindustan Times, 20th June 2013

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), along with science and astronomy organization SPACE, successfully executed its flagship project 'Paridhi' at Qutub Minar on Friday to measure the circumference of the Earth using the shadows cast by the minar. The project was also held at Barapullah Nallah.

Under the aegis of International Citizen Science Project, six educators of SPACE replicated an ancient experiment and calculated the circumference of Earth by using Qutub Minar as a sundial the first time.

June 21 marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and is called the summer solstice, said an official. This year, the solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere on June 21 at 4:38am (IST). "It is the longest day for people living in the northern hemisphere. Qutub Minar has a diameter of 14.32m at the base, about 2.75m on the top and a height of 72.5m.

"Qutub Minar is used as a towering gnomon (greek word meaning an object that by the position or length of its shadow serves as an indicator to assess the hour of the day) for the first time and the shadows cast by this monument on the ground was marked and used to calculate the local noon, and in turn to measure the circumference of the Earth. The measurements at Barapullah were done for the third time. C B Devgun, president, SPACE Foundation said: "This time the experiment was conducted at Qutub Minar and Barapullah which resulted in calculating the cumference of earth to an accuracy of 85%.''Under this project participants replicated and in fact took actual measurements of the shadows made by the Sun on the sundial using paper markers on the grounds to mark the end of each shadow. "The shortest shadow was measured 2,300 years back by astronomer Eratosthenes. Hence, it is also called Eratosthenes Summer solstice -- the day of the year with the longest period of daylight or when the length of time between Sunrise and Sunset is the longest of the year,'' said a official.

-The Hindustan Times, 22nd June 2013

If you thought the Delhi stretch of Yamuna had long become a sewage pool, visit the river now. Flooded to the brim, it is reminiscent of what Yamuna may have originally looked like. The flood may have played havoc by displacing communities but it has also managed to dilute the polluted water and enliven a dead river.

Towards Okhla (downstream) the river water usually has a biochemical oxygen demand of 40 to 50 mg/l but since June 15, the BOD measured less than10 mg/l according to Central Pollution Control Board.

BOD is an important determinant to show how polluted the river water is. It is a measure of the quantity of oxygen used by microorganisms in the oxidation of organic matter. The acceptable limit of BOD is 3 mg/l.

"The pollutants have been washed away but the water is very turbid because of the debris that has come with the floodwater and runoff from agricultural fields. Even after the water level recedes, there will still be surplus water and we expect that pollution levels will be low for about two months," said a senior officer from CPCB.

The flooding will also have an impact on the groundwater say scientists. Saumitra Mukherjee, professor of geology and remote sensing, School of Environmental Sciences, JNU, says that there are lots of negative effects of flooding but one of the positive impact is the improvement in soil quality. "The flood brings with it fine silt, clay and sand. These and the sediment formed from them are usually fertile and can be beneficial for agricultural purposes. The floodwater also helps recharge underground aquifers," he says.

However, he warns that the floodwater loaded with fecal matter can contaminate both the surface water and groundwater. "There has to be intensive monitoring of the water quality to check if it can cause contamination. When the floodwater starts receding there is a high chance of an epidemic and spread of bacterial infection among communities living by the river," he adds.

The flooding also impacts aquatic life. The dead river may now have enough water to create the environmental conditions for spawning of certain species of fish.

"Floods are very important for Yamuna in Delhi. Earlier we had a lot of wetlands but development has eaten in to those. Usually during floods when the floodwater recedes, these pools or wetlands are recharged. Even our floodplains have been encroached upon. We need forests and grasslands by the river to retain and use the floodwater. We need a river front forest ecosystem," adds Faiyaz A Khudsar, scientist at Yamuna Biodiversity Park.

-The Hindustan Times, 22nd June 2013

While the debate over an eco-sensitive zone rages, Uttarakhand has not even defined minimum environmental flows for its rivers.

Uttarakhand is rightly termed the abode of the gods, with its magnificent mountains, pristine forests and awe-inspiring rivers. It is a place sacred in our culture, and millions of tourists and pilgrims pay homage to its beauty every year. Yet, it's is also a vulnerable ecosphere. Sudden cloudbursts, landslides, flooding are par for the course.

Nature demands both space and respect and locals have shown that they understand this only too well. For the past few years, a different narrative has been unfolding in this young Himalayan state. Uttarakhand wants to be a tourist capital and an "urjapradesh". It has planned hundreds of hydropower projects and has built a few dozen already.

As so many people have pointed out in the past few days, the reckless nature of this development has come at an unaccounted for cost. With the heartrending ongoing tragedy, it is time for the whole country to engage in the discourse around the development of the Himalayan states. None of us, no matter how far away, can remain unscathed when its natural resilience is threatened by the destruction of forests, the unscientific damming of rivers, and the indiscriminate mining of sand and stone. It is truly a wake-up call.

In March, a group of us took a gruelling tour across 16 river valleys in Uttarakhand, to try and understand what is happening to the rivers, land and people. We returned numbed by the all-round evidence of hubris and greed. The Ganga, Yamuna, Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, none were to be left untouched. Hydropower projects were being imagined or commissioned at almost every bend, with no real assessment of the cumulative impact. Tourist facilities were being created at breakneck speed, often right on the riverbed. The holy towns were an unholy mess of honking SUVs, uncaring tourists, piled-up garbageand potholed streets. Roads were being constructed everywhere, but haphazardly, with debris just being flung carelessly down the hillsides.

Some local people we talked to were happy with the emerging economic opportunities. But many others expressed their angst about tourists leaving waste behind, and power generated in Uttarakhand going out of the state, leaving weakened mountains, diverted rivers and disrupted agriculture behind. They felt their voice was simply not being heard. We returned convinced that it was a tragedy waiting to happen.

I wish we had been wrong. It is heartbreaking to see the extent of the damage wrought in the Rudraprayag region. The cloudburst and flooding cannot be directly attributed to the development in Uttarakhand. But experts say the impact would not have been so great if the state had taken a more regulated approach. There will be many trade-offs in the coming years, between the needs of present and future generations, and between the need to regenerate the natural resource base, and the need for economic growth. On what principles will we make these trade-offs? Certainly there are difficult choices for states like Uttarakhand to make.

Let's take its rivers. How much of a river should the state allow to be exploited for power? While the debate over an eco-sensitive zone rages, Uttarakhand has not even defined minimum environmental flows for its rivers, as neighboring states have done. If we want to both respect the river and draw energy or water from it, we have to make smarter choices than are being made today. We know much more now, about ecosystem services and environmental impact than we did when the older dams were built. Once we understand the true ecological and opportunity cost of hydropower, it becomes crystal clear that we will have to rethink how much it can be part of the energy mix. To optimize rather than maximize the potential of our Himalayan rivers, can we not redesign tomorrow's dams? Can we agree to always preserve .

We have to build a consensus around the catchments in Uttarakhand and othermountain states. We might have to better incentivize forest preservation. There will also have to be more regulated urban development and scientific road building. There is no choice but to redefine development for this century. Otherwise, no one wins. Not for very long, anyway.

Susheela Bhandari, an activist who has been fighting against a dam near her home that will divert a stretch of the river Mandakini into the mountainside, puts it eloquently. "The whole country has the "adhikaar" to protect the Himalayas and Ganga." It is thought-provoking that she uses the word 'right' instead of the word 'responsibility'. It empowers us all to join the debate, and act.

-- The writer is founder, Arghyam, which works in the water sector.

-The Times of India, 22nd June 2013

A train that ferried commoners for 57 years returns to its original owner, the royal family of Vadodara

When the late Maharaja Ranjitsinh Gaekwad of the royal family of Vadodara turned four in 1931, his father Pratapsinh Gaekwad, who was the then ruler of the Baroda state, presented him with a unique gift: a scale model of the legendary Flying Scotsman of England which he had bought at a fair in that country.

The train would carry royal children to the school, passing through the lush palace garden and a tunnel along the way. In 1956, the royal family decided to gift the train to the residents of Baroda, and since then, the civic body has used it to ferry children in the city zoo. Now, the journey of the train is set to come full circle. The civic body has decided to return it to the royal family, after the wife of late Maharaja Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, Rajmata Shubhangini Raje requested it to be returned, so that the train could be restored and displayed at a museum run by a trust owned by the Gaekwad family.

"Late Maharajasaheb was fascinated by toy trains. He would collect scale models of trains in the smallest possible size which are very expensive because they are down to the minimum scale and are produced by big locomotive companies. He would talk to dealers of such models on his visits abroad. He has left behind a large collection of such scale models," Rajmata Shubhangini Raje said.

It was her late husband's enduring fascination for trains that prompted her to claim the compartments of the toy train back so that they could be displayed at the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum, which was the royal school before being converted into a museum in 1961.

-The Indian express, 23rd June 2013

It's been over a month since fresh construction was reported on the site of the 13th-century Lal Mahal in Nizamuddin, but the work continues unabated. So much so that conservationists claim very little of the original building remains. Fed up with the torpor of the agencies, citizens have started the Petition to Save Lal Mahal campaign on their own initiative. The petition, which has collected close to 1,400 signatures, was submitted to the offices of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, culture minister Chandreshi Kumari Katoch, LG Tejendra Khanna and chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday.

Two stop-work notices and numerous police complaints have not succeeded in stopping the construction activity, which is screened by high brick walls built around the site. A senior ASI official said that apart from filing complaints in view of the site's location in the prohibited zone of four centrally protected monumentsâ€" Nizamuddin Baoli, Barakhamba, Chausath Khamba and Mirza Ghalib's tombâ€"there was little else they could do. It doesn't help that Lal Mahal is not an ASI-protected site. The South corporation, meanwhile, has failed to act despite several investigations. No official was available for comment.

The petition to save Lal Mahal has received support from unlikely quarters. People from countries like Australia, the US, United Arab Emirates, the UK, Canada and Singapore have joined hands to push the government to save the oldest Islamic palace. "We hope that the petition, signed by 1,350 supporters in less than three days, will propel the government to take steps to acquire, protect and restore the heritage. It's a shame that the palace is being wrecked, 3km away from the Parliament,'' said Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, from monumentsofdelhi.com, who started the petition.

Meanwhile, Intach is set to file a PIL in the Delhi high court next week. "We are in talks with the Delhi archaeology department to notify the monument as a protected site," said a senior official.

-The Times of India, 23rd June 2013

In the sweltering heat of June 1857, a month after the Revolt broke out in Meerut, North Delhi's biggest hospital was where the sepoys assembled after coming out of the Walled City and launched attacks on the British Sirmoor Battalion stationed inside the Bara or house of Hindu Rao. Lieutenant Norman's account in Delhi Mutiny Papers states that artillery fire by the sepoys was principally directed against this building. It turned into a military hospital after 1857, and then a 16-bed civilian infirmary in 1911.

Walking past the crowded and dimly-lit corridors of North Delhi's biggest hospital, it is hard to imagine this place has been witness to some defining moments of history. But outside the Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, the view of a picturesque ridge with the Mutiny Memorial towering over it, Ashokan pillar across the road, and medieval hunting lodge some steps away makes it apparent that it was once a strategic location, a crucial gateway to the city.

Quoting letters written by British officer Keith Young to his wife in Shimla, historian and Delhi University professor Amar Farooqui says that the sepoys could never take over the ridge. On June 6, the British troops advanced from Karnal towards Delhi and by August 1, the British had completely taken over the ridge, with Bara Hindu Rao serving as an ideal building complex where the troops could be stationed and make-shift mess could be set up for the officers.

Interestingly, though it is named after Hindu Rao, the house is believed to have been built by Edward Colebrooke, the Resident of Delhi between 1827 and 1829, before he was sacked for being corrupt. William Fraser, another Resident and a connoisseur of Indian culture, bought it in 1831. According to Farooqui, the complex was mostly built by Fraser. Four years later, Fraser was murdered by the Nawab of Ferozepur and the house was bought by Hindu Rao, a Maratha nobleman and brother-in-law of Maharaja Daulat Rao Scindia of Gwalior. The British bought the house after Rao's death in 1855, but it continued to be known as his house.

-The Indian Express, 23rd June 2013

When stately monuments are brought on the verge of extinction, the Muse of History sits down there to weep.

Sounds rather fanciful, but even if Clio is not shedding tears for Kushaki Lal or Lal Mahal — as it is better known, historians are definitely ruing its devastation. "Sar pe topi, haath me jota/ Nikal pade Ibn Batuta" is one version of the hilarious couplet coined for the Moorish traveller, who was a guest there for some years. He had left Morocco with just his cap and shoes (sic) to land up in the court of Mohammad bin Tughlak in the 14th Century. The Sultan liked him so much that he was made Chief Qazi of Delhi. A native of Tangiers, he came in 1333 and remained here till 1342. Batuta was privileged to stay in Lal Mahal, built by Ghiyasuddin Balban in 1240 before the latter ascended the throne, as he had become one of Mohammed Tughlak's chief confidants.

Balban was a slave of Sultan Iltutmish who gave his daughter's hand in marriage to him and raised him to the rank of a nobleman. When Nasiruddin Mahmud — Iltutmish's youngest son — succeeded him, it was Balban who became Wazir and a virtual ruler. A man of taste, he built a palace in the locality now known as Basti Nizamuddin and named it Kushaki Lal. It was a magnificent building which, according to Maulvi Zafar Hasan, was a structure raised on a chabutra (platform). Constructed of red sandstone, it consisted of a "central domed apartment, with dalaans forming a verandah on all four sides. The latter had red sandstone pillars very simply ornamented and lintels supporting a flat roof of the same material over which were chattris (canopies) on the east, west and south, the northern chhatri having disappeared. Some 25 feet to the north-west of the dome on the same chabutra was a double-storied chhatri which was connected originally with the palace".

Even in the second decade on the 20th Century, 100 years ago, the building was in a ruinous state, encroached upon by villagers. However after 1947, when the Archaeological Department's hold became lax, the maximum damage was done to a monument said to be the first Islamic palace in India. But this does not take into account the edifices built by the early Arabs.

Balban, who seized the throne after Nasiruddin's death, was a lover of pomp and show but very orthodox in matters like drinking, singing and dancing. His palace was more like a Nesishtgah, akin to the Greek Lyceum, where men of learning congregated and were felicitated. Otherwise, he was content enjoying the ambience of the palace with his harem, that contained ladies related to him by ties of kindred or emotional attachment.

When he died in 1286 — a year after his eldest and beloved son, Prince Mohammad (Khan Shahid) was killed in a battle with the Mongol invaders at Multan, "the corpse of Sultan Balban", says Ziyauddin Barni, was taken out of Kushaki Lal (Red Palace) at night and buried in Darul Aman (the abode of safety). Ibn Batuta, commenting 50 years later, observed, "He (Balban) had built a house which he called Darul Aman. All debtors who entered it had their debts discharged, and if a man who had killed another took refuge there, the Sultan bought him pardon from the friends of the deceased. The Sultan was buried in this building and I have visited his tomb". When this scribe chanced to enter it some 20 years ago, he found that a mongoose had made its home there and the caretaker was glad that because of its presence there was no danger from snakes to him and visitors to the mausoleum.

After Balban's death, his grandson, Kaikobad, became Sultan. Bughra Khan, his father, was not interested in succeeding to the throne but preferred to stay on in Bengal as governor to enjoy a life of ease and comfort. Kaikobad, just 18 years old, seems to have converted Lal Mahal into a centre of debauchery where he and his companions indulged in the worst form of vulgarity. His father came from Bengal to counsel him against such depravity but to no avail. Where once the Mahal was a haven of sanctity, it had now become a den of sadistic pleasure-seekers and drunkards. After a brief reign, Kaikobad became paralysed because of sensual excesses and one night "was dismissed from life with two brutal and contemptuous kicks" by a man whose father had been executed under his orders. The young Sultan's body was then thrown into the Yamuna from the Palace of Mirrors, a pathetic end to one named after a legendary Iranian icon, extolled by Omar Khayyam thus: "And this first Summer Month that brings the Rose shall take Jamshyd and Kaikobad away". There was, however, no summer rose to proclaim the death of the emaciated Slave King.

Balban must have moved in his grave at the sad turn of events and the defilement of his Kushaki Lal, where dancing girls, kaneezes (maids of honour) and abducted pretty women made the night redolent with mirth, wine and song. When Ibn Batuta went back to Tangiers he used to tell children gathered around him every evening of the wonders of medieval India and the vanished glory of palaces like Kusakhi Lal. But some historians are not quite sure if the extant building, badly despoiled by time and encroachers, is the real Lal Mahal of Balban, whose equal in grandeur was the Hall of a Thousand Pillars (Hazar Satoon) of Alauddin Khilji, built 70-odd years later and which now no longer exists.

-The Indian Express, 24th June 2013

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) is holding its 37th annual session in Phnom Penh. On Sunday it completed an update of new sites to be added the World Heritage List. Below are the main decisions:

Mount Etna (Italy): tallest active volcano on the European continent.

Mount Fuji (Japan): Fujisan, the highest mountain in Japan.

Agadez (Niger): the 15th century town was a crossroads for the trans-Saharan caravan trade and is home to the tallest minaret ever built out of mudbrick.

El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve (Mexico): desert home to many species of plants and animals.

Tajikistan National Park.

Terraced rice fields of Honghe Hani (China): marking 1,300 years of rice cultivation. Xinjiang Tianshan (China).

Namib Sand Sea (Namibia): coastal desert area whose only water source is uniquely delivered by fog.

Hill Forts of Rajasthan (India)

Monuments of Kaesong (North Korea): a dozen monuments including tombs, fortress walls and a 700-year-old school at the medieval city of Kaesong, the base of Koryo dynasty.

Medici Villas and Gardens (Italy)

Wooden tserkvas (churches) in the Carpathian mountains (Poland and Ukraine)

Red Bay Basque Whaling Station (Canada): A 16th-century Arctic base for Basque whalers.

-The Hindu, 24th June 2013

An island off Port Blair that was once the British administrative centre for the Andamans is now just tumbling rubble. Lakshmi Krupa potters around the ruins

"There are no more ferries today. The weather is too rough," a stern voice from behind the ticket counter announces. I am at the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex in Port Blair from where ferries take tourists on to the many of the surrounding islands like North Bay and Viper. I am interested, though, in the famed Ross Islands. From Port Blair, the boats, on most days, operate until 2 p.m. But as luck would have it, I was there on the wrong day. "We can take you for Rs.500 on a private motorboat," a stranger offers. I decide to come back when the weather is fine instead. "Do you want to try some water sports?" he asks. I resist, but there are many others who are giving it a go. After all, Andamans is 'the' place for water sports. A few days later, when the rain gods show mercy, with a Rs. 90 ticket, I buy myself a seat on the government ferry to Ross Island. Once off the jetty, I come face to face with a building in ruins, engulfed by trees and home to birds of different varieties.

The entire island, now under the Indian Navy, is a museum of sorts, with the crumbing decay of old British buildings. In his video promoting the Andamans as a tourist destination, actor Tom Alter refers to Ross Island, the administrative centre of Andamans where British officers once lived, and recalls how it was then called the Venice of the East. Ross is far from being Venice today. Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias' comes to mind: "Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of the colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away." The irony continues to hit home when one realises that the island's only inhabitants now are deer, peacocks, hens and other birds.

Ross Island presents some rare photo opportunities. Picture a patch of green that was once was the tennis court of the gentlemen and their ladies. Today, it plays host to a herd of deer ambling about lazily. Peahens slowly pecking away and sparrows flitting about busily… Ross is an odd combination of neatly laid pathways and old buildings in the throes of destruction. Walking around the cobbled path, I can't help but imagine what it must have been like, back in the day when the Sahib and his Mem sat down for tea in the beautiful lawns with the sea forming a perfect backdrop. I wonder if the island could have enriched our views of our past if the original buildings were restored and maintained and saved from this awe-inspiring yet somewhat macabre fate.

Skeletal structures of officers' homes, a bakery, a printing press, a hospital, cemetery and a pond all lead up to the spectacular roofless remains of a Presbytarian Church built of stone. A board in front of the church waxes eloquent on its glorious past and informs that it had window frames made from Burma teak and glass panels behind the altar made of beautifully etched stained glass from Italy. "The quality of wood was so good that it survived the vagaries of weather for over 100 years," it says. A Japanese Bunker right at the entrance of Ross is a remnant of Japan's control over the island during World War .

Back in Port Blair, while visiting the Cellular Jail, easily among the most well-kept tourist destinations of the country, I thought of the ironic fates of these two different spaces.

The powers-that-be had turned a place as beautiful, with views as breathtaking, as Port Blair into a grim and gruesome prison, but time had taken its toll on beautiful Ross and brought its reign to an abrupt end, which is in its own way gruesome.

-The Hindu, 24th June 2013

Rajasthan's museums take Deepa Alexander back in time to a heroic era

The Battle of Haldighati — a chronicle of Mughal strength and Rajput valour. According to legend, when the haze of battle cleared, so many bodies littered the landscape that the blood-soaked soil turned turmeric yellow. Nearly five centuries later, I see Haldighati's soil lovingly preserved in a glass jar in the museum of Mayo College, Ajmer.

Rajasthan's museums range from the august to the intimate, their corridors stalked by ghosts, their rooms filled with a myriad objects. They tell stories of strife, intrigue and courage, and I set out one afternoon to read the pages.

In the blue city of Jodhpur, crowning Chittar Hill, rises Umaid Bhawan Palace, its regal dome outlined in the sharp light of noon. Its Art Deco interiors house the ruling family, a luxury hotel, and a museum.

Built by Umaid Singh, the first Indian maharaja to get a pilot's licence, it was designed by British architect Henry Lanchester and begun in 1929. It took nearly 3,000 men and 15 years to complete it. The museum captures the spirit of the labour — a silver trowel used in the ground-breaking ceremony greets visitors. As we walk through the gardens designed by W.R. Mustoe, men on horseback call out salutations, pigeons coo, and vintage cars glint inside glass-walled garages.

The pride of the Ranbanka Rathores who ruled the city echoes in the atrium. On the ceiling are murals of Mehrangarh and Umaid Bhawan by Polish artist Stefan Norblin. Beneath stands a scale model of the palace.

I walk past a gleaming Aphrodite to a room filled with photographs of the royal family. A boyish Maharaja Gaj Singh smiles from one; his father Hanwant Singh (who died in an air crash) stands tall in another, while his mother, the beautiful Krishna Kumari, looks away into the distance. In an adjoining room are painted perfume bottles and glass cabinets filled with Sevres porcelain. I gawk at the tearoom complete with fireplace, sola topees tossed on a wingback chair, and polo trophies crowding the mantelpiece. The queen's dressing tables and her mirrors made of Belgian glass reflect frolicking cherubs.

I travel faster than H.G. Wells through the hall with time machines, crowded with carriage, mantelpiece, table and wall clocks, all engraved like opulent, Baroque ornaments. A long corridor leads to the exit, past models of Tiger Moths and Lockheed Electras that once packed the tarmac of the Jodhpur Flying Club (now an IAF fighter base).

I linger to take a look at a grainy black-and-white photograph. It's a picture of Hon. Air Vice-Marshal of the RIAF, Umaid Singh, the "maharaja who offered mankind a spectacle".

A rosy-fingered dawn finds me travelling east to the pilgrim town of Ajmer. I visit the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, but it is Mayo College, created for the sons of Indian royalty, that I am seeking. Founded in 1875 by Richard Bourke, Earl of Mayo and Viceroy of India, the school with its imposing grounds stands framed against the hills. I circumvent the main building in search of Jhalawar House that houses the Danmal Mathur Museum.

Mayo is believed to have one of the world's best school museums. Caretaker Ashok Kumar Saini ushers me into a room that is a memorial to one of the school's most beloved principals, JTM Gibson. An oil painting of the academic and mountaineer with his trademark pipe hangs above the world clock that is wound every Tuesday. A photograph of the first batch of students, framed medals and badges, and the school's coat of arms designed by Lockwood Kipling (father of Rudyard) hang in the room. Walking up the creaking wooden stairs, I find little schoolboys from the Museum Society earnestly dusting away at portraits and busts. One wing holds some of Nature's most captivating offerings, roaring tigers, a brace of butterflies, rare nests and bottled specimens.

Recent history is represented by currency from every country across the globe. Polo mallets inch their wooden heads past Ionic columns. Puppets hang suspended in time. Bhil bows and arrows crowd window ledges. Figurines of the coronation procession of George V march by, while a bagh nakh (tiger claw), reminiscent of Shivaji and Afzal Khan, glints in the half-light.

There is also much heroism here. Arms taken during the police action at Hyderabad, a worn Portuguese flag captured during the surrender of Diu, and a dented tank shell used by Lt. Arun Khetarpal PVC, in the Battle of Basantar, tell their bloody tales. Many hours later, I step out of the museum, blinded by the brilliant sunshine of the 21st century.

-The Hindu, 24th June 2013

After a delay of almost four years, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has finally decided to open a cafeteria at Qutb Minar, a World Heritage Site.

Qutb Minar attracts about 10,000 tourists, including a sizeable chunk of foreign nationals, per day on an average. The number goes up on Sundays and public holidays. However, for a few years, there has been no cafeteria or canteen at the World Heritage Site.

In the absence of such a facility, tourists were forced to make do with either roadside eateries near the makeshift bus stop nearby or high-end restaurants about half a km away. The proposed cafeteria will be located next to the cloakroom in the ticketing arena, right across the entrance to the monument.

"The idea is to have a facility for tourists outside the monument, but very near. The ticketing area and the parking lot next to it, makes it an ideal place," said a senior ASI official.

The cafeteria kiosk will sell only pre-cooked food, bottled drinking water and other packaged drinks. "This is to discourage any kind of cooking activity in the vicinity of a World Heritage Site and maintain a basic hygiene standard," said Basant Swarnakar, who heads ASI's Delhi circle.

Despite the availability of RO-based drinking water inside the Qutb Minar complex, visitors, especially foreigners still prefer bottled water. "That is one of the reasons why we are allowing bottled water too," he said.

However, the officials could not explain the reason for the delay of almost four years. ASI's Delhi circle head, who has taken charge recently, expressed ignorance as to why the earlier officers had not taken up the work.

The ASI has already floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the facility. The firm to run the kiosk/cafeteria would be finalised soon, the officials said.

-The Hindustan Times, 25th June 2013

The Delhi government on Monday announced a series of development initiatives to protect Delhiites in case the Yamuna gets flooded again.

The government's flood control board cleared 27 projects, worth Rs. 62 crore, to strengthen embankments, improve the drainage system, construct access roads and bridges and carry out anti-erosion works along the Yamuna. These works are also aimed at protecting government land along the irrigation and flood control drains.

Delhi Irrigation and Flood Control Minister and chairman of the flood control board, AK Walia, said, "We plan to construct 11 bridges on various drains at different locations. The major works include the construction of parallel bridge along the existing ASI-protected Mughal Bridge across the old course of the Najafgarh drain."

A number of colonies have come up along the Wazaribad Bridge. The government will construct a double-lane steel girder bridge across the old Najafgarh drain to provide easy connectivity from the Outer Ring Road to lakhs of residents in these colonies.

To check erosion of the river bed and to help the river stay away from the current embankments and keep on its original course, the government will construct six retention walls at different locations.

Due to the flood, the main flow of river Yamuna has shifted at various locations towards the marginal embankments. The retention walls will be constructed at places where there has been an active shifting of the river flow.

Walia directed the officials to keep a regular tab on the safety of the people living in the embankment areas in the ongoing monsoon season.

"The fact that the water safely passed away last week without flooding any residential area outside the embankments came as a big relief," he added.

-The Hindustan Times, 25th June 2013

Union culture minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch on Monday said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will help in the restoration of Kedarnath temple and other ancient monuments in Uttarakhand.

On the sidelines of a Jamini Roy exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Katoch said ASI had the expertise and experience of carrying out such restoration work not only in India but in countries like Cambodia. She said once the relief and rescue work is over, culture ministry will send a team of ASI experts to Uttarakhand to assess the damage to ancient temples and monuments so that a blueprint and a roadmap is prepared for the restoration work with the help of the state government.



-The Hindustan times, 25th June 2013

The Delhi cabinet on Monday approved a plan for the conservation and upkeep of Mughal-era Azimganj Seraimonument located on the premises of Delhi Zoo.

The cabinet approved a proposal submitted by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture which is working on the beautification of the area surrounding the monument and is also involved in conservation of several historic buildings. The entire work is likely to be completed in 30 months.

According to officials, Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is already engaged in heritage conservation work of unifying the three historical sites of Humayun's Tomb, Nizamuddin Basti and Sunder Nursery into one unique heritage precinct. This heritage precinct is adjoining the Azimganj Serai monument. As per AKTC, the proposed landscape plan for Sunder Nursery envisages a central axis leading from Humayun's Tomb entrance plaza through Sunder Nursery and culminating at Azimganj Serai.

"The project hopes to also undertake conservation works on Azimganj Serai and eventually link it with the development of Sunder Nursery. The sarai clearly stood on the historic Grand Trunk Road but is in urgent need for conservation. By reinstating the monument to its original dignity and adapting the space and its utilities, the aim is to revive the Azimganj Sarai as a thriving hub of activity. Nature and heritage trails are proposed to allow people explore the area,'' said AKTC officials.

-The Times of India, 25th June 2013

Unorthodox models of conservation are needed to save this elusive and magnificent big bird

"Have you seen the Big Five?" That's the question you will invariably be asked if you visit the East African states. The Big Five, Africa's largest, and thus most prominent, mammals — the lion, the rhino, the leopard, the buffalo and the elephant — have dominated camp fire stories, tourist expectations and the growth of conservation.

Across the world, big animals have a lure that is unmatched — they inspire knee-knocking fear, awe and wonder. The Galapagos tortoise, weighing over 400 kilograms, is also called the Galapagos "giant," the Indian Rhino is also called the "Great" Indian Rhino, and the elephant is often called the "gentle giant." In India, much like in Africa, we share habitat with a range of veritable giants: the tiger, the largest of all big cats; the lion, also called the "king" of the jungle; and the brown and black bears, possibly the largest of all carnivores in this country. Yet, one giant has missed out, even though its very name gives away both its endemism as well as its size: the Great Indian Bustard.

Rajasthan's lead

Found only in India and Pakistan, the sole viable range and population of the Great Indian Bustard is now in India. Here too, the bird, which weighs between 18-20 kilograms and the size of a terrier, has lost more than 90 per cent of its habitat, and is down to a miniscule population of 200 individuals. Thus, it is possibly one of the most critical of all critically endangered bird species in India. Last year, the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued guidelines to start a Centrally sponsored plan called "Project Bustard" in the bustard range States — a much delayed clarion call for three neglected types of bustards, of which the Great Indian Bustard is numerically the closest to extinction. On the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant, other Great Indian Bustard States such as Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have been invited to submit species recovery plans to the Centre to avail of funding and start long-term conservation programmes. Last month, the Supreme Court called for the operationalisation of the National Wildlife Action Plan and specifically directed the Government of India and the Union Environment Ministry towards starting species recovery plans for the bird. This month, on World Environment Day, Rajasthan became the first State to declare Project Great Indian Bustard. This is the first time that the west Indian State has announced a landscape plan for its State bird. While we need more range States to actively pursue Project Bustard, we will have to move away from traditional approaches to Centrally sponsored conservation schemes and look at a truly unorthodox protection regime for this unorthodox bird.

Ecological and social niche

The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds on earth. With its head turned up at a characteristic 45° angle, it gives out a deep "hoom" call, which can be a heard up to a kilometre away. Its local names, Godawan and hoom, are derived from this booming call, an indication of the way its presence has built up in local consciousness. In the 1960s, ornithologist Salim Ali proposed that to "focus interest and solicitude" on a bird that represented the country, the bird should be chosen as the national bird. Despite this consideration and its prominent size, it has since been relegated to complete neglect, perhaps because of the habitat it lives in: semi-arid grasslands, which to untrained government eyes, is an epithet for a wasteland. The only habitat protection law that India has is the Forest Conservation Act (1980). And therefore the question is: are grasslands "forests"? Biologists argue that grasslands should be legally considered as forests, for the purpose of conservation of both the habitat and the unique assemblages of species they hold. The only species that went extinct in independent India was the Cheetah, also a grassland species. In its report of the Task Force for Grasslands and Deserts, the Planning Commission notes that species closest to extermination are grassland species, found in dry, wet and high altitude grasslands, such as the lesser florican, the pygmy hog, the Bengal florican and the Nilgiri Tahr. Forest "management" has led zealous forest departments, trained to raise forests and nothing else, towards burning grasses, ploughing soil, and planting trees where grasslands once swayed.

The Great Indian Bustard, with most of its habitat range lost, today poses one of the most pressing challenges to conservation design and management. Despite being such a huge bird, it is a cryptic giant. It converges before the monsoon at sites where it displays for breeding, enlarging its neck and "moustaches." But where it goes in the non-breeding season is a mystery. With the display season now on, Gujarat, for the first time, has granted permission to the Wildlife Institute of India and others to satellite track the Great Indian Bustard (in the way tigers have been tracked before) to understand its foraging and dispersing ecology. Conserving this bird will mean both legal protection of breeding and display areas, and joining hands with communities over a large, legally unprotected landscape where the Bustard "disappears" to. Herein is the biggest challenge — to help create ownership towards the last few individuals of this wandering, vagrant bird, the very last evolutionary dregs of a species whose habitat is now an anachronism. It will, in effect, mean creating a vibrant social niche among people, for a bird which is near forgotten.

Community-driven

Where semi-arid grasslands are not available, the Great Indian Bustard is found in pseudo-grasslands — traditional cropping areas of traditional crops, such as millets and sorghum. Here, it has also been found to nest. If arid and semi-arid grasslands — both natural as well as pseudo — can escape land-use change, the other pressing concern is to allow some areas to retain their traditional Great Indian Bustard friendly crops.

Instead of a strictly protectionist or legally-enforced approach, we will need a management approach, most of which will have to be self-enforced by communities. Conservation planning will have to involve new players, like district commissioners, the revenue department, agricultural officers and gram sabhas. All of them have to be roped in to identify and protect revenue and private lands that bustards forage on, and to encourage natural agro-biodiversity.

If we can save the Great Indian Bustard from extinction, it will mean a triumph against the fatal end, but also a template for facing the typical problems of contemporary conservation today: working with whatever habitat we have left, using principles of restoration ecology to safeguard ecological baselines, and creating reconciliation with dense human communities who hold rights to these areas and are a reality in wildlife conservation today.

(Neha Sinha is with the Bombay Natural History Society. The views expressed are personal. E-mail:[email protected].)

-The Hindu, 25th June 2013

In 1998, after 26 years in the police force, there was little that could scare Somesh Goyal. But the figure lurking outside his jeep, deep in the forest of Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh, had a potential for great violence. "The Bamera Male is the dominant tiger male in Bandhavgarh. On a visit, I saw one of these tigers injured after a fight. Insects were bothering him and he turned around and came very close to my jeep, almost touching the wheel. His body odour and ferocious looks sent a chill down my spine," recalls Goyal. The IPS officer-cum-photographer did what came naturally to him — he aimed his camera and began to click. This image is now a part of a book, titled Stripes in the Wild (Indiaclicked.com; Rs 1,500), and an exhibition at IHC.

Wildlife photographers' fascination, even obsession, with the big cat has been well documented. Goyal's work adds to the oeuvre and he has many anecdotes to share. His oldest photograph is more than 15 years old and titled Munna, after the dominant male of Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Munna is famous for the stripes on his forehead that appear to spell out the word "Cat".

Goyal, an officer with the Sashastra Seema Bal in Himachal Pradesh, is also an avid trekker and photographer and most of his images come from visits to parks such as Kanha, Ranthambhore and Kaziranga. After almost 20 years of shooting various animals, he decided to compile his works in a book. "I wanted to write a book for the layman, giving facts that would interest even children. I have used no technical jargon in the book, except scientific names of the various tigers," says Goyal about Stripes in the Wild.

While the book has 70 images of tigers, the 50 photographs on display include elephants and rhinos. "I'm not shooting mannequins. The idea is to tell a story through photographs," he says.

-The Indian Express, 26th June 2013

The Farhat Baksh Kothi and Chhatar Manzil in Lucknow will be thrown open to the public post its acquisition by the State Archaeology Department

On a cloudy afternoon in Lucknow, the Deputy Director of Directorate of Archaeology (Uttar Pradesh), Prahlad Kumar Singh, was busy over phone calls and files at his sprawling office in Roshan-ud-Daula Kothi at Qaiser Bagh. Suddenly his eyes lit up with joy as he took out a file from a chest of drawers.

"After a long struggle, finally we have got possession of the Farhat Baksh Kothi and Chhatar Manzil from the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) and the takeover process has started already."

Mr. Singh's excitement with this new project might be comparable with Nawab Saadat Ali Khan's, who had bought this grand piece of architecture 200 years ago for just Rs. 50,000 from a French army man and architect, Claude Martin. The nawab had thrown a lavish celebration on the occasion and rechristened the structure as Farhat Baksh Kothi.

Not meant for public eyes, Saadat Ali Khan commissioned the construction of an extension — Chhatar Manzil; from then, it became the principal residence of the Oudh sovereign.

After Mutiny in 1857, the British acquired the palace and turned it into the United Services Club — stripping much of its former grandeur. Post Independence, it was taken over by the government and on February 17, 1951, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) here to start the first drug research laboratory in the country.

Now that it has been handed over to the State archaeological department, the doors of Farhat Baksh Kothi and Chhatar Manzil will be opened to public for the first time in their history.

A specimen of outstanding engineering, Claude Martin had constructed the structure on the bank of river Gomti in 1784 as his own residence. A book Lucknow Omnibus, with a compilation of three writers' account on the old city, highlights the building's architectural genius. In one part of the book, British scholar Rosie Llewellyn- Jones describes it as the "first identifiable building erected by Martin in Lucknow" which had a drawbridge, moat and a sprawling zenana khana.

The halls and corridors were decorated with artworks, paintings, photographs and designer glasses. Sir John Shore, Governor General of East India Company, described the building: "It would require a week at least to examine the contents of his house."

After Saadat Ali Khan extended the buildings, he named them Badi Chhatar Manzil and Chhoti Chhatar Manzil. In Images of Lucknow, author P.C. Mukherjee had explained the palace's grandeur: "Badi Chhatar Manzil is a seven-storied building of which two-storied tykhanas are underground. The topmost floor is surmounted by a gilt umbrella-shaded dome — whence the name, Chhatar Manzil literally meaning Umbrella Palace."

Leopold Von Orlich, a Prussian military officer and writer who worked with the military of the East India Company and had visited the city in 1843, wrote about the opulence of Chhatar Manzil: "Chhatar Manzil has six principal courts. A large portal with iron gates leads to the Fateh Mohullah, in which is the spacious hall, nowbutkhana, where a military band usually perform every morning and evening."

Nawab Saadat Ali Khan died before the completion of the construction of Chhatar Manzil and it was completed by his successor Nawab Ghazi-ud-din Haidar.

Later, the coming up of the even more opulent Qaiser Bagh Palace by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah overshadowed Chhatar Manzil's grandeur. During the Mutiny, Indian soldiers used the palace as a shelter.

Today, only the skeletons of Farhat Baksh Kothi and Badi Chhatar Manzil are still standing. In November 2011, the frontal portico of Badi Chhatar Manzil had collapsed. Chhoti Chhatar Manzil exists only in the pages of history now.

Mr. Singh said that plans are afoot for a massive renovation; a city museum and a science museum have been proposed to be housed here. "We will try to reconstruct the ambience of the building with gardens, fountains and with other possible additions. I think a light and sound show recreating the rich history of Oudh will be a tourist attraction."

-The Hindu, 29 June 2013

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has submitted a Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) for Rashtrapati Bhavan to President Pranab Mukherjee that would serve as a blueprint for all future constructions aimed at restoring the premises to its original plan as outlined by Sir Edwin Lutyens and others.

The CCMP was submitted to the President on Wednesday during a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mr. Mukherjee had personally instructed that a CCMP be prepared to restore the President's Estate to its original plan.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan release said Intach was then engaged as consultant. Professor A.G.K. Menon, Convenor, Intach Delhi Chapter, harnessed a team of over 40 experts in the field of conservation, urban design, landscape, disaster management, infrastructure and services for the preparation of the report.

Intach's mandate, it said, was to identify the original planning principles of Rashtrapati Bhavan and its relation to the overall Master Plan of New Delhi in terms of urban and landscape design, establish the significance of existing layout vis-à-vis the original design intent, define view corridors, spaces and other features that establish the heritage characteristics of the area to be conserved, provide guidelines for future development and draft a CCMP.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mukherjee asked the Secretariat to examine the report and draw a time-bound programme for implementation of its recommendations. He said a strong message should be sent across the country that efforts should be made to preserve and protect our glorious heritage and architectural masterpieces.

Living heritage

Secretary to the President, Omita Paul, said every effort would be made to maintain and preserve the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Attempts would be made to rectify the mistakes of the past and ensure that there was no repetition of the same. She said work had already begun to implement the various recommendations of the report.

The executive summary to the CCMP noted that while the status of Rashtrapati Bhavan as a Grade 1 Heritage Building defined the limits of intervention to conserve the building and the site, it also accommodated the highest office of the Government, including the residence of the President. This made it a 'living heritage' building which created genuine needs to cater to its efficient functioning. The plan was drafted to address both imperatives. It took into account the wider context of the Estate and its contemporary functional needs.

As a 'living' building the original design and layout was modified because over the years the functional role of Rashtrapati Bhavan precincts increased tremendously, both in size and complexity. By and large, however, in the process of incremental development over the years, the integrity of the original design was respected, which enabled the CCMP to make a credible case to conserve what remained.

The plan stressed the importance and need for continuous maintenance to conserve the heritage characteristics of the precincts. It also highlighted the need for a dedicated Heritage Cell in the Central Public Works Department.

-The Hindu, 29 June 2013