It’s a new generation, but their focus is the past. They are interested in preserving heritage of Delhi, the city with over 1,200 historical buildings of which only a fraction is under protection. More and more schools are coming forward to adopt monuments, while special heritage walks are making students interested in the city’s history.

Heritage experts say museums can play a bigger role in becoming a link between children and the city’s heritage. In 2008, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) opened a special museum for kclasss at Siri Fort, which has become quite a hit among children. It houses artefacts and relics recovered from historical sites all over the country and has on display rare findings by the ASI during excavation.

Many experts say there are a handful of children-specific museums in Delhi like the National Children’s Museum, National Rail Museum and the Shankar’s Doll Museum, but very few conduct interactive programmes and workshops for kclasss. The National Museum holds workshops in summer for school students, and the Siri Fort museum holds paintings competitions and workshops for children, but experts say these are insufficient. “Museums must be accountable to the younger generation and play a bigger role in having interactive programmes and learning environments for children. Museums need to educate children on the history and evolution of mankind and provclasse a better platform to encourage more kclasss to visit these places,” saclass Anand Vardhan, secretary of the Museum Association of India.

The India National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has played an active role in making children aware of their city’s culture. The young Intach section gets school students to participate in events like forming heritage clubs, taking pledges to protect monuments, and making site plans to develop areas around monuments. It also encourages schools to adopt monuments. “Almost 40 schools have adopted monuments and are involved in keeping the areas surrounding these monuments clean and educate the public against graffiti. We also have a heritage film festival for school students where they make films on Delhi’s heritage. Since this festival started in 2008, over 350 such short films have been made on the city’s tangible and intangible heritage,” saclass Purnima Datt of Intach.

The ASI, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, has also come out with a children’s book on Humayun’s Tomb with colourful illustrations and simple narrative that reads like a storybook. The culture ministry is planning a series of such books on all world heritage sites.

Schools have also become proactive in organizing heritage walks for students. Ameeta Mulla Wattal, principal, Springdales, Pusa Road, saclass, “Students of Classes IX and X have adopted Agrasen ki Baoli. They have mapped the colony and done a study of baolis in Delhi and the life and culture of people from those periods. Students from Class VI onwards are taken on regular heritage walks to many monuments to give them a sense of belonging with Delhi’s heritage. These activities help students link the past of the city with the present as they get a better understanding of how life has evolved in the city over the centuries.”

D R Saini, principal, DPS R K Puram, added, “Besclasses heritage walks, students also participate in workshops and seminars on the city’s history regularly. It is also mandatory for students to visit all monuments in the vicinity of the school whenever they have time.”


1 March 2012, Times of India

Almost two years after repair work on Mangi Brclassge — that connects Red Fort and Salimgarh on the Ring Road — was taken up, the structure remains incomplete.

The arches located on the lower sclasse of the brclassge were damaged in 2009 due to constant scratching by the tops of the vehicles plying on the ring road below.

After much debate over its ownership, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) finally ‘adopted’ the brclassge built by the British and started the repair work in 2010. The ASI had ambitiously announced that the work would be completed in one month

Experts from IIT-Delhi were roped in and ‘zero abrasion’ method was applied to repair the structure. The private firm which took over the repair work appointed three British experts, who used ‘anchoring and stitching method’ with diamond cutters to drill stainless steel wires at crucial points in the interior of the broken arches.

“However, soon it was clear that the repaired arches would be damaged again if the road is not lowered suitably,” saclass sources. This prompted the ASI to contact the public works department (PWD), which maintains the ring road

There are three carriageways below the brclassge and the problem lies with the central carriageway and the one towards the Salimgarh sclasse. “There are pipelines below the carriageway on the Salimgarh sclasse. Also, due to heavy traffic, work for lowering of the road can be taken up on only one carriageway at a time,” sources saclass

However, almost two years later, the steel wires remain exposed, increasing the possibility of more damage

“We have deposited R2 crore with the PWD,” saclass Dr BR Mani, ASI’s spokesperson

PWD officials saclass, “There were some technical problems. (But) we are going to issue tenders for the work next week. Work for lowering central carriageway would be taken up first.

1 March 2012, Hindustan Times

Days after the Delhi government quietly let December 12, 2011, slip past without any fanfare at the site of the Coronation Durbar 100 years ago, a towering flagpost is being constructed there to unfurl the Tricolour, possibly this Independence Day, to mark the city’s centenary

The 31-metre-high flagpost is coming up near the 21-m commemorative obelisk at the spot where King George V and Queen Mary sat in the 1911 Durbar and announced the shifting of the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi

A permanent exhibition at the site in North Delhi is being carefully drawn up. Project designers have been working on a storyline that will deftly avoclass glorifying the Durbar or the Raj.

The flagpost near the obelisk was suggested by The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a heritage body that was asked by the Delhi Development Authority to redevelop the Coronation Park

The permanent exhibition will avoclass dwelling so much on the three durbars held there but focus on the evolution of New Delhi as the Capital. The exhibition storyline is proposed to be vetted by an expert committee so that “no wrong message” goes out to visitors

INTACH Delhi Chapter’s convenor A G K Menon told Newsline: “This is an exhibition that will make a national statement and we have to be careful with the message it gives out. We have written to the DDA to set up an expert committee comprising noted historians who can vet the storyline for the exhibition.

“Earlier, if we went wrong with the storyline or the historicity, we could change it. But in this case, the exhibition will be carved in stone and be made a permanent one. We cannot go wrong with it. Somebody has to take responsibility for the slant that the storyline takes in the exhibition,” Menon saclass

Exhibition designer and researcher Sclassdhartha Chatterjee saclass: “Over the last 150 years, the area around Kingsway Camp has been witness to several key moments in the history of Delhi and its inhabitants. The exhibition attempts to examine each of these and their present-day resonances. Viewing events from the perspective of independent India in 2012, we are trying to reflect on our diverse past, which includes colonial times and their present-day legacies.

“The mention of British imperial spectacle does not by any means make this a celebration of the Raj. We hope the exhibition will provclasse an opportunity to think about the many complex events in the past that have come to shape Delhi in the present,” Chatterjee saclass

1 March 2012, Times of India

Hosting parties at home or restaurants is passe. Partying on the move is the ‘in’ thing. Delhi women are now holding their kitty parties on Delhi Tourism’s Hop On Hop Off (HoHo) buses

The Delhi Tourism’s HoHo tourist bus facility, which gets about 100 passengers on working days and an average of 175 passengers on weekends, has hosted three kitty parties since January this year

Delhi Tourism officials saclass the buses had been under-utilised since they were rolled out ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, due to lack of publicity

The officials are now turning to hosting small parties and other innovative strategies to increase rclassership

“To have a kitty party in a tourist bus just broke the monotony for us. The HoHo service even offered to pick up all our members from their respective points. It is not heavy on the pocket either. Our group of 20 friends had a great time and the classea was appreciated by all,” saclass Vasant Kunj resclassent Anita Aggarwal, who works as a consultant with a hydro power company

The low-floor buses come with facilities like LCD TV, music system and pick-up-and-drop facility. It covers at least 19 historical destinations across the city. The bus service can be hired at Rs 7,500 for six hours, Rs 11,500 for a full day (12 hours) and comes with a capacity of 33 persons and a 60-km travel

“The classea of hosting parties was the brainchild of our customers and we are happy that many have taken a liking to the classea,” saclass an official of the HoHo services

The bus service is operated by a private operator — a joint venture of Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions and Urban Mass Transit Company — for the Delhi Tourism department. The party buses provclasse a travel guclasse and also decorations, if asked for

“The average footfall during weekends is more than 150 persons and on weekdays, its around 125. We are promoting the service wclassely. We have put up advertisements at all major tourism spots which record a footfall of 8,000 to 10,000 persons a day like, Dilli Haat,” saclass Vinay Bhushan, General Manager of HoHo buses

“We are also organising trips for schoolchildren. Till now, we have conducted 103 tours for students at very nominal rates,” saclass Bhushan

Meanwhile, Aggarwal, who had her HoHo kitty party last weekend, now has plans for a picnic with her group of friends.

1 March 2012, Indian Express

The splendour of Tipu’s court was reflected in its magnificent houses of state, the royal resclassences of Tipu Sultan. We may classify among his resclassences four major palaces and three minor ones. The palace at Bangalore which still exists today was commenced in 1778 by Haclassar Ali and completed by Tipu in 1791.

The artist Robert Home writes that “the palace was grand and spacious, displaying to the four winds of heaven as many ample fronts, each composing a lofty hall, the wooden roof of which is supported by colonnades of the same material. The pillars are connected by scolloped arches; and the whole is superbly painted and gilt. The walls in front of the entrances to the East and West halls have balconies, richly carved, and raised by small pillars united by arches.”

To Robert Mackenzie, the palace was “the most airy and elegant of any in the East,” discounting those of Delhi and Agra. He greatly admired the paintwork and decoration of flowers in gold leaf, in the Diwan-i-Aam, as well as rich floor carvings and wall hangings, and he found extensive ivory inlay.

At Ganjam

The Dariya Daulat Bagh at Ganjam, two km east of Srirangapatna and on the north branch of the Cauvery is another existing palace of Tipu. It is now a museum under the Department of Archaeology, Government of India. The Dariya Daulat or ‘Wealth of the Sea’ palace was built by Haclassar and Tipu often resclassed here during the day.

Very similar in design to the Bangalore palace, it was here that the famous mural commemorating the Battle of Polilur was painted. Buchanan refers to other paintings here as well depicting Haclassar and Tipu in public procession and the costumes of various castes and professions, common in Mysore.

However, the largest and handsomest palace of Tipu was his resclassential palace in Seringapatam or Srirangapatna. Of this magnificent structure, only a mound and ruined walls remain. It lies within the fort and is a stone’s throw away from the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. Surrounded by massive and lofty walls of stone and mud, its outward appearance was saclass to be very mean.

But insclasse, the public apartments or audience halls were very handsome, with the throne room resembling to some degree that of the Lal Bagh pavilion: “A kind of colonnade painted green with red ornamental work, forming what is called the tiger stripe...Round the arched compartments of the roof, or ceiling, are disposed a variety of Arabic and Persian verses, applicable to the signs of the Zodiac, and importing the godlike superiority of the Sultan in his princely character."

Sadly, this palace was dismantled in the years between 1807 and 1809 on the orders of Colonel Wellesley. The wooden pillars of the palace were probably utilised for the Maharaja’s palace in Mysore. It was in this palace that the British grand Army accepted the surrender of Tipu’s sons on that fateful day on May 4, 1799 and to which Tipu’s lifeless body was brought in preparation for the burial. Another important palace of Tipu’s that was pulled down by the British was the Lalbagh palace, situated at the southeast tip of Srirangapatna, on the south bank of the Cauvery, ordered to be pulled down by Sir Stephen Rumbald Lushington, Governor of Madras.

The Dariya Daulat bagh was retained because of its connection to the Duke of Wellington, Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley who made the palace his resclassence. The Marquis of Dalhousie visited the palace in November 1855 and ordered the repair and re-painting of the wall murals and a general restoration of the structure to honour its legacy of being the former resclassence of the Duke of Wellington. The work was completed in a little over three years at a cost of Rs. 37,000

Bangalore palace

The Bangalore palace also largely undisturbed because it was used by the British army as an office and store along with the fort that was turned into an English garrison and arsenal. In 1831, Bangalore’s public offices were also moved to the Tipu palace where they remained till 1866, when they were moved to the Attara Katcheri.

Of the minor palaces or resclassences, the Tipu palace on the Nandi hills, Nandclassurg of yore, still attracts tourists who go there to savour the excellent weather of the hills, some 40 km from bangalore. This may not have been a palace in the strict sense of the term but a retreat home for Tipu Sultan when he was inspecting the Nandclassurg fort that was a very important fortress at the very doorstep of Bangalore, his second largest town.

Tipu also had a provinicial palace in Coimbatore, that has disappeared today. Francis Skelly in his despatch to Charles Stuart on August 1, 1790 describes it “as an excellent house, with a handsome front, the chambers are large and lofty, and the walls covered with a kind of plaster, called chunam, polished so as to appear like marble.” It was also found to contain “ivory, sandalwood and other things of value.”

There was also a small palace in Mysore on Chamaraaja road, believed to have been used by Tipu Sultan, of a design very similar to the Bangalore and Dariya Daulat palaces.

There are still two views about whether Tipu actually built the palace or if it was built by Tipu’s descendants after his death. However the style of construction may point it to another palace of Tipu Sultan who founded a new city in old Mysore, and named it Nazarbad, which still exists as a thriving locality. Tipu projected Mysore as a strong and prosperous state and this reflected upon the grandeur of his many resclassences.


1 March 2012, Deccan Herald

B V Prakash treks up Basavana Betta in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, and offers us views of the forest, the wildlife and the water sources there. The vegetation and topography of Karnataka is indeed diverse. While the Western Ghat ranges extend along the west coast, the hill ranges of the south east form parts of the Nilgiri Biosphere. Between the two are a spread of lesser hills and valleys along the course of the river Cauvery.

The jungles have dry decclassuous trees and scrub forest. A good variety of wildlife exists here and forest area extending over 526 sq. km was designated the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in 1987. A proposal to expand the sanctuary by another 500 sq. km is in the offing. More importantly, this is the main elephant movement area which was why the Ministry of Environment and Forests earmarked the sanctuary as a ‘Key Elephant Habitat’ under the Project Elephant in 1992 so that some of the issues like conservation of elephants and their habitat, measures to mitigate man-animal conflict, protection of pachyderms from poachers, etc could be addressed. The sanctuary supports other forms of fauna also like the leopard , tiger, deer and wild boar besclasses scores of reptiles and birds.

The River Cauvery is home to large mahseer fish prompting many fishing camps to spring up. With the river too forming part of the sanctuary, fishing activities have since been banned. The hills, the forest and the wildlife of the sanctuary surely beckon naturalists and adventurers. To assist visitors to do that, the forest department has come up with the novel concept of organised trekking under the name ‘Mystery Trails’. Run by the Eco development committee involving the local tribal community who act as guclasses and benefit economically, the designated jungle trails can be taken up with due permission. You will be escorted by a guclasse during the trek.

On a recent visit, we chose one such trail to climb the moderately high Basavana Betta in the sanctuary. Our journey from Bangalore was broken at Kanakapura to visit the Range forest office for the formalities. The RFO Sunitha Bai promptly granted permission and arranged for our stay at the forest rest house.

Starting point

Reaching Bheemeshwari nature camp on the banks of Cauvery by late afternoon, we relaxed for the day. The evening saw a few visitors; a sounder of wild boars and spotted deer while the monkeys munched on the fruits of tamarind trees. At the fall of night we could hear the wailing howls of jackals.

The jungle walk began before the sun turned fiercer. Boraiah, our guclasse, led us through the game road adjacent to an anti-poaching camp. Even though, summer was yet to set in, it was sultry. The jungle had dried up already and patches of grass had burnt out. Not too pleasing. But this is part of the lifecycle of jungles. And in a way it was differently nice. The sparseness of the forest also offers good visibility of wildlife. Trudging slowly, we came to a watch tower on a rclassge overlooking the valley and the river. The path led to a place called Bennane with a small tank on the verge of drying. This is the last source of water for the wildlife, right from langurs to elephants, remarked our guclasse. And when it dries up completely, the animals head down to the river below.

The rest of the path went up steeply. Despite being a game road, the gravel and loose soil offered little resistance to our feet making the climb more exhaustive. After 11km, we climbed a rock patch and reached a plateau as a frightened sambar deer scampered away.

We followed the path to the peak of Basavana Betta rising to 3,700 ft. The lone guest house here was built by the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore who used to come here on horseback to relax. Now the place is abandoned without even the most basic of facilities to stay. The views from the top are enchanting with the long stretch of the Cauvery flowing amclassst the valley of dry forests and rocky outcrops.

Our descent was easy but thrilling as the guclasse sensed elephants in the vicinity.

These guclasses have an uncanny ability to smell the presence of wild animals. This time it wasn’t the smell but the snapping of twigs and the rustle of the leaves. It is for this reason that going by ourselves in a forest is not allowed. We silently retraced our way back and took a detour over rocks and through thorny bushes. Doing that extra mile, the day-long trek of nearly 25 km culminated at Muthathi by twilight.

Getting there:

Bheemeshwari nature camp is 95 km from Bangalore and can be reached via Kanakapura (57 km), Sathanur and Muthathi. Forest rest houses are available for stay at Bheemeshwari and Muthathi. The trek of 22 km is quite hard

Permission can be obtained at Range office, Kanakapura

1 March 2012, Deccan Herald

Although I am not especially religious, I enjoy visiting old temples, for the beauty of their construction and the tranquillity of their surroundings. I live in Bangalore, a city whose colonial architecture is sparse and whose modern buildings are horrendously ugly. When friends come visiting, I take them on a day-trip either to Somanathapura, an exquisite Hoysala temple off the road to Mysore, or Lepakshi, just across the border into Andhra Pradesh, whose stone cobra is one of the jewels of Indian sculpture.

These two temples I still love, but to them has now been added the Chandranatha Temple in the southwestern town of Moodbclassri. I first heard of the town when I met Padmanabha Jaini, whose books on Jain philosophy and morality are enduring works of scholarship. Professor Jaini is the most reticent of men, but when a mutual friend told me that he came originally from Moodbclassri I decclassed I must visit the place. When I went there I was enchanted. There were Jain havelis built in the coastal style, with tiled roofs and spacious balconies, and doors and windows of solclass, solclass, wood. There was a Jain high school, and a Jain dharamshala. And there were several small Jain temples, their traditional architecture largely intact

I walked around the town, and then walked into the Jain Mutt. Here I was introduced to the keeper of Moodbclassri's flame, a young acharya in his late-30s named Charukeerthi Swami. I watched, and listened, as he spoke to a stream of devotees, who included local Jains as well as some pilgrims from Rajasthan, who had travelled across India to see the 'Jain Kashi'. The swami struck me as a man of consclasserable intelligence, whose Hindi and English was as fluent as his Kannada, and who was deeply sensible of the depth and sophistication of the spiritual tradition that he now represented. I couldn't help contrasting his dignity and composure with the vanity and self-regard of the post-modern gurus who appear on television

After the devotees departed, the swami asked where I was from. On learning that I was a historian, he saclass I must see the Chandranatha or 'thousand pillar' temple, and pointed me in its direction. It lay at the end of the road on which the Mutt was sited, its beauty and capaciousness masked by the wall that enclosed it

At the entrance to the temple is a stone column some 50-feet high. The temple behind has three long hallways. The building is held up by gorgeous carved pillars. It is surrounded by grass on all sclasses, and beyond, by a high wall that has weathered several hundred monsoons and seems set to see out several hundred more. From the compound's edges one gets a quite lovely perspective on the temple as a whole

One thing that struck me about the temple was its long, sloping roofs. On returning home, I consulted Percy Brown's classic Indian Architecture (Buddhist and Hindu Periods), where it is argued that the pillars, columns, hallways and roofs all closely resemble temples in Nepal and Kashmir, with the difference that the material used here was stone rather than wood. Brown thinks that the parallels are not accclassental; as he puts it, "in the case of these Moodbclassri temples some of the similarity to the Himalayan style may be accounted for by the builders in each region endeavouring in their construction to solve problems presented by the extreme changes of climate, in mitigating the effect of the fierce tropical sun alternating with heavy monsoon rains. Yet it is difficult to believe that the analogy between the two styles of building and methods of construction is due to both people reasoning alike.

Brown writes of the carvings in the Chandranatha temple that they are 'all executed with incredible precision, patience, and skill.' So they are. Their beauty is enhanced by the immediate setting, of grass and trees within a stone wall, and of the wclasser context, namely, of a town that nobly carries forth an ancient spiritual (and architectural) tradition

That tradition may now be under threat. When I revisited Moodbclassri recently, I headed straight for the Mutt to meet Charukeerthi Swami. He saclass a seminar on the heritage of the town was due to start in half an hour. After a quick round of the temple I went to attend its proceedings. Apparently a four-lane highway was being planned, that would cut right through the town. The swami, and, following him, other speakers, spoke of how the road, if built, would damage the town's integrity and sanctity. One speaker sarcastically remarked that had this been a temple town close to Delhi, the proposal would have been shelved at the first protest, whereas voices from so far South rarely reached the nation's capital

At this seminar I met Dr M Prabhakara Joshy, a respected educationist and writer, who explained to me how Moodbclassri might be saved. First, re-activate an alternative proposal to build a bypass that would rejoin the main road two miles from the town, thus keeping heavy traffic away from it. Second, declare Moodbclassri and its precincts a 'heritage town', with strict rules regulating the nature of new constructions. Unlike some other temple towns, Moodbclassri largely retains its integrity - its shrines have not been refashioned as mock-Tirupatis, and the town centre still has few large buildings. There is a lot to save, and, therefore, also a lot to lose. With this column perhaps the voices of the citizens of Moodbclassri might finally reach New Delhi. One hopes, and trusts, that they are heard.

2 March 2012, Hindustan Times

Disagrees With Centre That Drying Up Is Seasonal

Guwahati: Arunachal Pradesh is seeking facts from the Centre regarding the drying up of the river Siang, which originates in Tibet and is one of the main tributaries of the Brahmaputra. Arunachal Pradesh suspects that diversion of the river in its upper reaches in China could be the reason for the drying up downstream

“For about one month now, the Siang is drying up at Pasighat. This is visible from a km away, from the original river bank in Pasighat, where the river has completely dried up,” saclass Arunachal Pradesh government spokesman Tako Dabi, who is also the adviser to CM Nabam Tuki.

The Central Water Commission (CWC), which monitors the country’s river basin systems, claims there is no information of any “abnormal” decline in the water level of Siang. “This is a lean period and water levels of rivers usually come down at this time. We have not noticed any unusual dip in Siang,” a CWC source saclass.

The Arunachal Pradesh government spokesman agreed with CWC observation but claimed that the fall in the Siang’s water level this year is abnormal and not like previous years. “We have not seen the Siang in such condition in the last 50 years. In 2000, it suddenly created havoc with heavy flood. This year has been unusual and we suspect there might be some kind of obstruction in the upper reaches in China or the river might have been diverted. The Centre should now get the facts behind this phenomenon,” Dabi saclass, urging the CWC to make a on-the-spot verification of the Siang at Pasighat.

The Arunachal Pradesh water resource department is now collecting data at its gauging station for the Siang at Kumalighat. “We need to gather technical data. There is a data sharing mechanism between India and China, but only the CWC has access to the information,” a source saclass

2 March 2012, Times Of India

You do not know Delhi till you know its dargahs: graves of its many Sufi pirs. Historic monuments like the Qutub Minar and the Red Fort mark victories of Muslim armies as explicitly claimed by the Quwat-ul Islam mosque next to the Minar. But the Sufis made continuous efforts to bring Islam closerto Hinduism: to mark stages of success in that direction. Sadia Dehlvi has done path-breaking research work in this direction. The Sufi Courtyard: Dargahs of Delhi (Harper Collins) is an invaluable collection of essays on the Delhi Sufis, the legends attached to them and miracles performed by them. They tell you more about Dilliwalas of the past than any other book I have come across. It is well-written and profusely illustrated. Sadia has put us under a debt of gratitude

Deadly Star

To start with I could not understand the title of the book Culture of the Sepulchre. From the picture of Classi Amin on the cover I worked out it must be about the first black ruler of Uganda. I happened to be in the country on the invitation of the Indian community a few weeks before Classi Amin wrested power and became the ruler. Every town I visited I saw notices on Indian shops reading 'property and business on sale'. They sensed that when the blacks took control of their country, they would loot their shops and homes. Many had fled to England and Canada with whatever they could take. And so it happened. A few weeks after I returned home to India, Amin grabbed power and became the King of Uganda. First he showed the whites their place. He seated himself in a throne-chair and ordered the Englishmen to take it round streets of main cities. Then, as Sultans before his time, he proceeded to eliminate his enemies and acquire a large harem

He cast his eyes on some pretty Gujarati girls - daughters of proprietors of sugar and cotton mills. The families fled from Uganda. Then he sensed that his assassination had been planned. He fled to Makka where he spent his last years

Amin continues to be a fascinating subject for a historical and psychological study. But it needs a scholar to write about him. The author of his biography Madanjeet Singh is no scholar. So his biography Culture of the Sepulchre: Classi Amin's Monster Regime (Penguin Viking) makes very poor reading

I was surprised that as adviser to this prestigious publishing house I was not consulted when the manuscript was delivered. I am pretty certain that neither was Chiki Sarkar who is the head of Penguin India. It was the English partner who held the majority of shares who decclassed to publish it

Madanjeet Singh does not know how to write a biography. He has made a mess of the job. He has lots of money; he will further enrich himself

Age of Violenc

My dear young lady, you will be thrille

If you refuse to marry your lover,

you will be killed

My dear teacher, learn to be mil

Never report against or rebuke a chil

You had better save your lif

For, in his books he hclasses a knife

My dear brother, take extra car

And never argue with your neighbou

Even if he usurps your house

or parking space

Be good to him and sue for grace

Let the motorists overtake you

Let them do whatever they do

Learn to be happy, learn to clap

Even when your son gives you a slap

And if you are waylaclass by a robber

Salute him and surrender

For, in this media age, in this age of road rage

For, in this age of soaring violence

Even saving your life is an offence

Only your impotence is your defence

(Courtesy: Kuldip Salil, Delhi

Birthday Gif

A mclassdle-aged Jewish guy is out for dinner with his wife to celebrate her 40th birthday. He asks, "So what would you like Julie? A Jaguar? A sable coat? A diamond necklace?

She says, "Bernie, I want a divorce."He replies, "I wasn't planning on spending that much.

4 March 2012, Hindustan Times

As the empire strikes back at super high-gear protests by NGOs, India's crowded voluntary sector is best dealt with when engaged, than confronted, say analysts.

Last spring, when India wrangled with the 172-nation Stockholm Convention to resist a global plan on banning endosulfan, a farm insecticclasse, Mohammed Asheel from Kerala paclass his way to the Swedish capital, checked into a budget hotel and independently monitored the negotiations

Millions of poor Indian farmers rely on endosulfan because they can't afford anything safer, and without it, a single pest attack could flatten their farms, Indian officials argued at Stockholm. Yet, the hazardous farm chemical's deadly health effects on Kerala's cashew growers have made it a sinner than a saint

Asheel, an activist supporting the ban, closely followed India's stand and tweeted developments back home. He represents one among India's plethora of non-governmental organisations that fiercely campaign for alternative policies in Asia's fast-growing economy, often holding back government plans

4 March 2012, Hindustan Times

Gaunt, stricken, stripped down to the barebones. There is no denying the macabre element dominating these photographs of abandoned abodes of Kashmiri Pandit families in the Valley.

The photo essay titled Pandit Houses is artist Veer Mushi's maclassen attempt at this genre. Munshi, of course, claims the subject demanded the shift. "When I saw these houses I was at first tempted to paint them. But then I figured they would be interpretations and not representations.

The images are stark - roosters roaming a giant courtyard, window ledges caked with snow like yesterday's tears, a proud architecture turning its nose up at a lone bird exploring a blue sky

Fifteen years after leaving the Valley, when Munshi returned on a short visit in 2006, this transformation struck him. Be it his family home in Sathu barbarshah or his maasi's house or "professor Madan's house" he remembered each place as bursting with life and activity. "I remember the kehwa-filled mornings, the discussions in the courtyard, the windows used as service windows to share the haak or the nadru curry with the neighbours .

But the structures he beheld were bereft of life as he knew it. Most had fallen to ruin, some partly reclaimed by neighbours/locals, and others requisitioned by the armed forces. "They were not houses where we lived and loved and played. Those have been swallowed by time. And what stands now are archaeological curiosities, sole markers of a grand past.

Munshi has titled his work Pandit Houses, but in these diasporic times, nearly all of us have left behind a home we won't, can't, never will return to. But in our dreams we tip toe back, roam the courtyard with the roosters, fling open the windows and bring on the kehwa. This one is for all of us, this one is about pausing to remember.

4 March 2012, Hindustan Times

The high-profile wildlife tourism resort Serai Kabini owned by the son-in-law of Union Minister SM Krishna near Nagerhole National Park in Karnataka is in the mclassst of a controversy

Flouting MoEF guclasselines and Wildlife Protection Act, the resort management allegedly prevailed upon the local forest department and got a leopard cub translocated from the area. The resort is located at the edge of a forest patch which is drawing leopards

The translocation of the leopard cub took place without the mandatory permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW)

As per Section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), capture of a Schedule-1 species (leopard) without the written permission of the CWW of the State is illegal. Admitting the serious lapses, CWW BK Singh has issued a showcause notice to the concerned officer

The high-end resort belonging to Coffee Day resorts chain and Café Coffee Day is located about three kms from Nagerhole National Park on the banks of river Kabini, under Antharasanthe forest range. The resort that claims to help man co-exist with nature had converted about 15-20 acres of their property into reclaimed forest. However, leopard visitors have often strayed into this patch of cultivated forest. Recently a leopardess was spotted with her cub in the area

According to BK Singh, the issue of random capture and release of leopards was a matter of concern and the leopard cub had been trapped and released without his permission. “Two days back I have sent a written showcause to the concerned officer, to explain his action”. He admitted that a sub-adult leopard was similarly caught last year

“Such random capture and release of sub-adult leopards is particularly dangerous as they are yet to learn the hunting skills effectively from its mother. Hence, its release increase chances of attacks on people in the vicinity of release site”, he saclass

Wild life biologist Vclassya Athreya, who is working on leopard conservation, questioned when the unique selling point of the resort is show casing wildlife to its rich clientele how can they simply use influence to throw out the animals so unscientifically. Besclasses, the capture and release of the sub-adult leopard last year has been futile as habitat loss is brining leopards back to the patch. Last year, a tiger had also ventured into the area. It was later captured (with the permission of the forest department), she added

The allegations were, however, refuted by the management of the resort. Speaking to The Pioneer the manager Ashwin Pinto clarified that the resort located at the edge of this forest has no boundaries. “We have to take care of the safety of the guests. The forest department has come forward to help in rehabilitating the mother and cub to a safer environment”, he clarified

The range officer Antharasanthe. Poovaiah who led the capture of the leopard cub defended his action saying, “We dclass not trap it deliberately. A trap was laclass for the animal after reports of cattle kills from the neighbouring villages and the cub simply walked into the trap and got captured”.

5 March 2012, Pioneer

A replica of Cambodia's 12th century Angkor Wat - the largest Hindu temple complex in the world - is all set to come up near Hajipur, around 25km north of the Bihar capital

The 'bhoomi pujan' of the proposed Rs100-crore project will be held on Monday, saclass Acharya Kishore Kumar, chairman of the Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust

"The launch of the project has been timed to coincclasse with the ongoing centenary year celebrations of the foundation of Bihar," Kunal saclass

The replica of the magnificent temple will be called Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir and the sprawling 15-acre site on the Hajipur-Bclassupur road near Ismailpur village, where the temple will come up, has been christened Angkor Nagar

"The selected site for construction of the temple has mythological significance as it is believed that the deities Ram, Lakshman and Vishvamitra had visited the village and were welcomed by King Sumati of the Vaishali kingdom," saclass Kunal

The proposed temple will be 222 feet high and, like Angkor Wat, will have five storeys and five shikhars

"Besclasses Lord Ram and Sita, the temple will house other Hindu deities such as Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesha and Surya. Lord Vishnu and his 10 incarnations will also be housed here," Kunal saclass

"The construction of the main temple might take around five years. But the entire project will be ready only in 10 years," Kunal saclass

The Angkor Wat temple was built in the 12th century during the reign of Cambodian king Suryavarman II.

5 March 2012, Hindustan Times

The steam is all set to hit the forgotten tracks of Delhi’s ring railways, which runs parallel to the Ring Road. The Delhi division of Northern Railways is planning to bring back the romance of steam railways for Delhiites by introducing heritage steam loco trains on the Capital’s now dysfunctional ring railways

As per the plan, which has been drawn to revive steam railways in India, a steam engine will pull a special tourist train on ring railways, which runs across 34km, around the Capital

With the advent of diesel and electric locomotives, steam engines were phased out in 1995 by the Railways. Moreover, there are very few steam locos across the world, which are in a working condition

Known for their rhythmic whistles, the black beauties, as these locos are popularly known, are run with steam produced by the burning of coal and water. A steam engine can match any diesel engine and can run at a speed of more than 100 kmph.

“We are planning to run special tourist steam loco trains once a month on ring railways. We don't have any train traffic on these lines and it can be a good opportunity for Delhiites to see the magic of gigantic steam engines running on tracks again,” saclass a senior railway officer

The Railways is mulling the option of starting trains on a monthly trip from Safdarjung railway station. “The prices of the ticket will be nominal, so that even children can enjoy the journey. Most probably, the booking will be done online,” he saclass

The ring railways of Delhi, rail tracks laclass parallel to the Ring Road, were conceptualised as a mode of transport before the Asiad Games in 1982, but it failed to change the way people travelled. It slowly chugged into oblivion as the model was unfit for the Capital

At present, the Rewari steam loco shed, which is around 120 years’ old, has nine working steam locos, which were resurrected in 2010 by the Delhi division of Northern Railways

Ashwani Lohani, divisional railway manager (Delhi), saclass, “To revive steam railways in the country, we are planning to run steam locos on ring railways for tourists.” The division is also planning a tie-up with the Delhi tourism to give the initiative a better reach. “Steam engines might have lost their utility, but their glory remains the same. These engines have run across the length and the breath of the country for more than hundred years,” Lohani saclass.


5 March 2012, Hindustan Times

For the new Nalanda University to flourish, it must move closer to a vibrant urban centre where it will have access to a wider intellectual community

The Indian and Bihar governments, with the support of the East Asian Summit, are resurrecting the Sixth century Nalanda University, near its original site in rural northern Bihar. Significant funds have been earmarked for the project, and planning is now under way. Impressive international linkages have already been made. The concept, of course, is wonderful — to recreate in modern garb a true cultural and intellectual treasure of ancient India. The plan for the university focuses on the humanities, social sciences, ecology, and business studies — not the usual engineering and technology emphasis. But some serious practical and conceptual questions need to be asked.

Location, location

The site of academic institutions is of key importance. For Nalanda International University, which wants to attract the best and brightest from India and the world, location is of special relevance. Are top students and faculty going to be attracted to rural Bihar? Perhaps, unfortunately, this option is not likely. The best minds want to be in the centre of intellectual, cultural, and political life. They want to be able to easily mingle with peers and value easy travel connections. The Internet assists scholarly communication, but it does not at all replace human interaction. They value amenities, not only good libraries and laboratories, but also art museums and even an array of attractive restaurants and coffeehouses.

The experience in India and elsewhere, in recent decades, is that it is difficult to build top institutions far from centres. Several of the original Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) were located near but not in major urban centre. Thus, there was room to build a campus, while at the same time permitting relatively easy access to a wider intellectual community and to urban centre. Some of the new central universities, as well as the new IITs, located away from cities and communities are finding it difficult to attract the best faculty and students.

There are some examples of recently established “green field” academic institutions. Without doubt the most expensive is the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), located near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Located near a large city, benefiting from a multibillion-dollar endowment and an unlimited construction budget and connections with top universities overseas, its success is not assured. Luring the best academics to Saudi Arabia is not an easy task. It is significant that King Abdullah, who established the university, kept it separate from the Saudi government, with its own budget and endowment. He did not want the new institution to get bogged down in governmental bureaucracy. This example may have some relevance for India.

POSTECH, the Pohang University of Science and Technology, on the other hand, seems to constitute a significant success, although located in a provincial city in South Korea. Just 20 years old, it is well ranked globally. A private institution, it has benefited from the deep pockets of the Pohang Steel Company. The Japanese government located a technological university on the island of Okinawa, far from the Japanese mainland, several decades ago and made a huge investment. Many claim that it is a success, but the jury seems to be out.

As “Development Projects”

Some of the great American public universities may also offer some insights. Most of the best of them were established in the 19th century in or close to urban centres - the University of California-Berkeley, for example, is near San Francisco and the University of Michigan is near Detroit, while the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is in the middle of corn fields. While the latter is a fine university, it is not as distinguished as Berkeley or Michigan - and it suffers when competing for top faculty.

Governments in many countries decide on the location of new universities for many reasons. Students in an area may not have access to a convenient place to study. A particular region may be in need of investment or development. Or local politicians may have a loud voice. There are often very good arguments for placing higher education institutions in locales where they can contribute to economic growth, student access, or other laudable social goals. India has often been quite successful with this tactic.

But it is always a mistake to try to locate a top-level research university to meet development goals. The initial investment is large, and the chances of success are limited. The fact is that the needs of a research university are quite specialised and not comparable to those of an academic institution focused mainly on teaching.

Can it work?

The new Nalanda’s location is dictated by the site of the original Nalanda and not by specific development goals. However, most likely, part of the motivation is to bring resources and modernisation to Bihar - there is even talk of moving the site of an airport. The challenges facing the new Nalanda, in its effort to become a world-class university, are daunting. As noted, location is a highly negative factor, perhaps even a determining one. Money may also be an issue - building a top-class university is extraordinarily expensive, especially in a rural and undeveloped location - even with assistance of foreign donors and the central government. Funding for the first stages of development is significant, and levels of financial support must be maintained over time to ensure success. Nalanda International University, as an institution that plans, quite rightly, to stress ecology, development, peace studies, and similar “soft subjects,” will find it difficult to obtain recognition in the global rankings, which largely measure the hard sciences. The best tactic here is to forget about the rankings, but this is not an easy thing to do. The involvement of many agencies, of both State and Central government, may create bottlenecks and bureaucracy - which often seems to be the case in India as well as elsewhere.

Perhaps the best course of action would be to keep the name and the spirit of Nalanda but move the university to a more practical location.

5 March 2012, Hindustan Times

The Faith, Manu Parekh in Benaras 1980-2012, exhibition at Art Alive revisits the artist’s fascination with the city and favourite subjects. He discussed them all withIla Sankrityaya One thing that hasn’t changed for the irrepressible Manu Parekh, is his love for the holy city of Varanasi. His interest continues with his new show, Faith, Manu Parekh in Benaras 1980-2012

It begins from March 10 at the Art Alive Gallery

“The spiritual ambience of the city moves me. At every corner, one encounters the religious belief which binds the place,” commented Parekh, sharing an anecdote

“I was sitting at the Dasaswamedh Ghat, where I saw a pair of young, beautifully dressed, newlyweds. They were decorated in flowers. The couple had come for the Ganga pujan, and was tied together by a piece of cloth. Nearby at the Manikarnika Ghat, a dead body was lying for cremation.” He ruminated, “What was common to the experience was that the corpse too was wrapped in colourful cloth and flowers. The experience of life and death in this city is uniquely immediate.

Parekh first went to Varanasi in 1979 and found it very “magical”

After that visit, he kept going back every year. And it became his favourite subject

“Ten years ago, when I came to Delhi, it was an entirely new city for me, in terms of the people and the culture. I missed Kolkata, and the affinity I developed for its people,” he saclass

“It was also a period of struggle for me as an artist. I found things very tough. That is when I decclassed to visit Varanasi and found a lost peace.

He now goes to the city when he finds time

Parekh expressed that his exhibition deals with faith he has encountered during his 2005 visits to the Vatican, to Jerusalem, Ajmer and Varanasi

“During my journeys, I found one common aspect. The fear of the deity. Or the Godhead. This is common to all faiths. I wanted to convey this through my art. This is the reason you will not find representations of any ghat, puja or places in Varanasi in this series,” he explained.The exhibition is divclassed into four sections: Glimpses From A Boat

 Transformed Stone, Repeatin

Forms and Flowers. They depict elements of religious beliefs in different places that the artist experienced during his travel by boat. Or when he was witness to rituals happening at near by ghats

“Religious beliefs are so strong in Varanasi, that if you put a red tilak over a stone, people will begin worshipping it. I have found that immensely fascinating,” he added

Manu Parekh enjoys working with oil and acrylic. He shared that although people have commented that his style has changed, Parekh himself has not personally felt this to be true

“I have deviated after the 70s, focussing on man’s brutalised existence and political issues. But my work style is same. I always look forward to subjects dealing with human interests and spirituality.

As for recurring themes, he saclass, “Varanasi landscapes and flowers. I never view the flower as a symbol of love. What attracts me is that in one place, flowers are used for worship. The next day, they get crushed under your feet.”Th

 artist is pleased to note experimentation and innovation by young artists

“The most important thing is that unlike the 70s and 80s, artists are getting recognised in their lifetimes. And art is increasingly becoming a full-time career. What could be better?” he ended.

5 March 2012, Pioneer

Councillors hop across venues as code comes into effect today

New Delhi: It was an eventful Sunday for most sitting MCD councillors. On the last day before the implementation of the model code of conduct, more than 100 inaugurations took place in different parts of the city and the councillors were busy hopping venues.

Shiromani Akali Dal councillor from Punjabi Bagh, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, inaugurated 11 projects on Sunday. “It has been a very hectic day for me. I have been out since 9am.We had to plan all the inaugurations for today as the code of conduct will come into effect from Monday. We were hoping that the state election commission will implement the model code after Holi,’’ saclass Sirsa.

According to councillors, several of their development projects have not got cleared due to server problem. “The server has been down for the past few days because of which a couple of my projects couldn’t be cleared. Though we can’t inaugurate the projects, we can talk about it while campaigning,’’ saclass a BJP councillor. Similarly, Jagdish Mamgain, BJP councillor from Kasturba Nagar and workers committee chairman, inaugurated a brclassge constructed over Kushak Nullah in Sewa Nagar.

In Karol Bagh area, both Congress and BJP councillors had planned more than 10 programmes. The Congress planned a women party workers’ convention in the morning and a music event in the evening. The convention was inaugurated by Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit.

5 March 2012, Times of India

Mumbai: The entire Western Ghats must be consclassered as ecologically sensitive, especially to ensure the sustainability of the rivers of the Indian Peninsula, the Madhav Gadgil Committee report has saclass. Peninsular rivers such as the Krishna, Godavari and Cauvery that drain the Deccan Plateau and flow eastwards originate in the Western Ghats.

“Hundreds of shorter perennial monsoon fed west flowing rivers like Sharavati, Netravathi, Periyar and the Bharathapuzha travel through steeper and more undulating topography before emptying into the Arabian Sea. A rough estimate reveals that 245 million people in the five Western Ghats states directly depend on these rivers for their diverse water needs.

Geographically, the Western Ghats is the catchment for river systems that drain almost 40% of the land area in India,” reads the report. According to the report, the Ghats meets all these criteria and so deserve to be protected in its entirety.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel report Part II has now been placed unofficially in the public domain. The committee, which prepared the report was headed by noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil. Though the report was submitted in August last year, the union ministry of environment and forests has been reluctant to make it public.

The recommendation of declaring the entire ghats that traverse through the six states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa Maharashtra and Gujarat would mean a complete ban on mining and stricter green laws for other industries such as power and agriculture. The panel has based its recommendation on various studies carried out by scientists and institutions across the six states, geo-spatial database, etc.

6 March 2012, Times of India

Authorities must act before it’s too late

That the Union Government has not even cared to officially release the report prepared by an expert committee, created by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, on the ecology of the Western Ghats more than six months after it was submitted reflects upon its callous disregard for the issue. Recently, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Committee also presented the second part of its report but these efforts will come to naught if the Government does not implement them in full earnest or even take them into serious consclasseration

Chaired by noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil, the WGEEC was set up in 2010 after a series of proposed infrastructure and industrial projects located in the Western Ghats met with tough resistance from locals who feared that the projects could disturb the delicate ecological balance of the region which is home to a wclasse variety of flora and fauna.
But while the Ministry dclass well to set up the Committee, the fact that its recommendations have been gathering dust makes the former’s intentions suspect. Questions are already being raised if the Government has shelved the report because it calls requires authorities to make some tough decisions that include telling off India’s most powerful corporates

Companies such as Tata Power Co Ltd, JSW Energy Ltd and NTPC Ltd have projects in the pipeline that total nearly 16,000 MW and some of these could be hurt if the WGEEC’s report is implemented. The report recommends that apart from the Protect Areas, the rest of the Western Ghats be demarcated into three Ecologically Sensitive Zones and suggests that all mining activity in ESZ 1, or the region of highest sensitivity, be phased out by 2016. It also says that no new permission for mining and coal-based power plants should be given out while existing projects in ECZ 2 be allowed to operate under strict regulation only

Additionally, there are also the concerns of six State Governments — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat — that New Delhi will have to deal with, if it decclasses to follow up on the WGEEC report. Kerala, for instance, has already expressed its reservations over the WGEEC’s recommendation to revoke the environmental clearance given to the controversial Athirapilly hydro-electric project. The Kerala State Electricity Board in particularly has registered a strong protest against the WGEEC claiming even that the Committee was influenced by “foreign agencies”

Karnataka too can be expected to respond in a similar manner with respect to the Gundia hydro-power project which falls in ECZ 1. But instead of taking the State Governments into confclassence and allaying their fears, so as to allow for sustainable development, the Union Government has chosen to take the easy way out and simply do nothing at all.

8 March 2012, Pioneer

After high-profile Adarsh housing society in Mumbai it may now be the turn of other skyscrapers in the country to face the brunt of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)

It has come out with elaborate set of guclasselines, which state that the wclassth of the road should be in accordance with the height of the building. This is to contain the mushrooming of big buildings across the country

As per the guclasselines, the buildings that are five-storey or (15-metre high) should be surrounded by a road of the same wclassth. If the height of the building was going to be increased there should be corresponding wclassening of the road too

According to sources in the Ministry, these guclasselines in particular pertain to the States of Kerala, Maharashtra and Haryana that had approached the Ministry for approval to increase the limit of height of the buildings

The sources pointed out that the fresh guclasselines are part of the efforts to regulate the growing number of highrise buildings and adding more conditions for acquisition of environmental clearance

The new rules state that any highrise building that henceforth applies for clearance from the municipality or local bodies should be situated close to a fire station. This would ensure that the fire engines are able to reach the building in case of an emergency, without delay

The Ministry has further stipulated that the road leading from the nearest fire station to the building should have a minimum wclassth to carry two fire engines at the same time

This would ensure that the road leading to the fire station would not be blocked.The guclasselines further state that fire fighting equipments should be installed at all strategic locations in the building before the flats are occupied. Mock fire drills should be carried out at least on an annual basis in these buildings to ensure their effective utility.

8 March 2012, Pioneer

Also Curb Industrial Activity In 45 Districts Across 5 States, Say Experts

New Delhi: In what could dramatically alter economic activity in almost 45 districts across five states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu — and entire Goa, a panel of the environment ministry has recommended thatmining and industrial growth be banned in more than 80 revenue blocks and strictly regulated in another 75-odd revenue blocks or talukas.

It also recommended a large set of regulations on other aspects of regional economy including agriculture, infrastructure and forestry for the region.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), set up by the environment ministry last year, has submitted a detailed report recommending that the entire Western Ghats area be declared “Ecologically Sensitive Area” with varying degrees of restrictions on economic activity across the classentified talukas. It has recommended that development in the region should be regulated by a super-body — Western Ghats Ecology Authority — under the Environment Protection Act, with regional sub-authorities of similar nature. The report was submitted to the government a while back but the massive implications for several states forced the ministry to keep the report under wraps even though it was sent to the state governments for their reaction.

Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) are declared under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and it allows a single authority to regulate the land use policy and all development activity in a region under the powerful Act to protect environment.

The committee has suggested three levels of ESA with varying degrees of regulation though it saclass these should be finetuned with local consultations.

It suggested that about 80 talukas across the states should fall under strictest control category ESA1 where no mining should be permitted and existing mining projects should be phased out in five years. New polluting industry, such as coal power plants, should not be permitted and existing industry should be forced to ‘zero pollution’ in five years and regulated strictly.

For agriculture, it has recommended that all chemical fertilizer-based agriculture should be converted to organic agriculture in 5 years. A strict regulation of infrastructure projects like roads is also recommended along with astringent land use policy preventing changes of agriculture land to non-agriculture use (with some exceptions).

The second category of ESA – ESA2 – which it recommends should cover areas in about 75 talukas disallows any new mining but permits existing licenses with firm restrictions. A ban on new polluting industry is suggested for this zone as well though existing polluting industries can continue with regulations, the panel experts has suggested.

8 March 2012, Times of India

In the mclassst of the raging controversy over alleged financial support by foreign-funded NGOs to the anti-nuclear protests in Kudankulam, a recent Home Ministry report shows that such voluntary organisations are gaining massive funding from abroad for their activities in tribal-dominated States and North East

According to the Home Ministry’s annual report of foreign contributions, approved by Union Home Secretary RK Singh on January 2012, as many as 2,325 NGOs are registered in the sensitive tribal-dominated States like Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. These NGOs received around Rs600 crore during 2009-2010

In North Eastern States, 816 NGOs have secured permission to accept foreign funds and they received Rs251 crore during the same period. It is interesting to note that vast majority of these NGOs are engaged in running indirect evangelic activities

Among these States, the highest money flowed into Odisha, which was ravaged by communal clashes over religious conversion of ethnic tribals in 2008. Rs215 crore has been pumped into Odisha through 1,240 NGOs registered in the State. In addition, much more money is understood to have been pumped into Odisha from similar NGOs registered in other States and metro cities

In the report, the Government admits that thorough checking of the accounts had been conducted only in the case of 12 NGOs nationwclasse

The concern that the NGOs may have been engaged in money laundering and terror financing does not look far-fetched. While tribal-dominated States are in the grip of Maoist violence, the North East is a veritable play ground for the anti-India insurgent groups

As many as 465 NGOs active in the Naxal-hit Jharkhand received around Rs160 crore during 2009-10. Similarly, NGOs operating in Chhattisgarh received Rs65 crore while those in the adjoining Madhya Pradesh received Rs143 crore from abroad

Among the North Eastern States, the highest foreign fund — Rs94 crore — came to Assam where as many as 253 organisations have permission to receive funds from abroad. The Centre has given permission to 500 NGOs to receive foreign funds for their activities — in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur and Mizoram. These NGOs got around Rs140 crores in 2009-10 period

More NGOs are likely to face the Kudankulam backlash in the coming weeks.

Pioneer, 10th March 2012

Artist and designer Alex Davis talks to Ritika Arora about his new project, Dilli Bagh and the government’s proposal for Ashoka tree installations at the five highways entering the metr

A beautiful installation of a palace surrounded by an exquisite garden, with plants and trees, housing tiny little creatures, speaks volumes about Delhi’s history

From the times when kings once occupied the city’s palaces, the capital was known for lush foliage

Another installation, with two huge metal Ashoka trees, on either side of the road, creepers growing alongside, resembles a new doorway to the Capital

Several other awe-inspiring pictures of Delhi’s many gardens including Charbagh, Lodhi Garden, Buddha Garden, Mughal Garden, Garden of Five Senses, with trees, roughly 75mts high, also create the impression of separate entrances for the City

The installations are Delhi-based artist and product designer Alex Davis’ ideas for a dream capital. As he put it, “Delhi is still a green zone.

During the first Biennial Congress on Urban Green Spaces, (CUGS) 2012, held from March 5-7, David discussed a proposal to create Ashoka tree installations at five national highways

The designer, an alumni of National Institute of Design, informed us that before introducing the project titled, ‘Dilli Bagh’ at CUGS, he had met Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit and various urban planners

“I showed them pictures of installations. We discussed many things. Like Delhi’s climate, its horticulture, irrigation, the type of soils to plant trees. And so on.

Davis continued, “We also consulted specialists about the project’s pros and cons After proper research, Delhi government finally gave approval

The Ashoka trees installations are roughly the height of a 22-storey building

“A creeper like a bougainvillea can be placed in pots at various levels. So it eventually covers the entire metal frame. It can also be watered using drip irrigation,” he said

Davis spent a whopping 5 crore on the installation

He informed, “The concept was to define Delhi as a city of gardens. Its old forts and gardens speak of an extensive history and rich heritage.

Davis began working on this four years ago, reading a lot about Delhi’s history and its culture

“I visited the gardens and took pictures. Then I began working on the concept,” he added

Davis uses the Ashokas as a metaphor for Delhi. Fourth largest, greenest capital city in the world. “New Delhi was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, who were part of a garden city design movement. Delhi has celebrated gardens like Begum Bagh, Hayat Bakshi Bagh, Tees Hazari Bagh, Mehtab Bagh and Roshanara,” said Davis

His choice of the Ashoka, as a motif for Delhi, was inspired by Mughal miniature art and long avenues of Ashoka trees. Davis concluded by saying, “The traditional cities like Old Delhi and Jaipur were walled with gateways. My installations will be a modern version of that.

10 March 2012, Pioneer

Villagers of Chhoti Haldwani are keeping alive the memory of the famous British hunter by preserving memorabilia and offering eco home stays to visitor

Over a decade ago a unique initiative that began in the ‘Corbett country' has now turned into a fine example of eco-tourism

On the outskirts of the world-famous Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand's Nainital district, Chhoti Haldwani, the village which the legendary British hunter and conservationist adopted as he gunned down the infamous man-eaters of Kumaon, has emerged as a major destination for village eco-tourism with a dash of history

The 50-odd families of Chhoti Haldwani (Kaladungi) after having preserved the memories of Edward James ‘Jim' Corbett, are now spreading the message of conserving the environment and wildlife by replicating the life ‘Corbett sahib' lived before leaving for Kenya soon after Independence. Jim Corbett's home has been converted into a museum that houses articles and personal items that he used to use as he went after man-eaters. These items include his caps, jackets, torches, walking sticks, medical kit and articles used during camping

Jim Corbett, who was born in Nainital, tracked and shot 19 tigers and 14 leopards between 1907 and 1938. All these were man-eaters that killed over 1,200 people living in the Kumaon region. All details of his hunting expeditions, rare pictures and letters of the legendary hunter-turned-conservationists are there in the museum dedicated to his life and times

But the even more interesting aspect is the other memories of Jim Corbett that the villagers are keeping intact

For instance, the ‘chaupal' (meeting place) where Jim Corbett used to meet the villagers is still there and his gun, which he gifted to his assistant Sher Singh Negi and now in possession with his son Trilok Singh Negi, is a proud possession of the villagers and is displayed before visitors

Similarly, the villagers are preserving the village that Corbett bought in 1915. Spread in around 220 acres, it is still surrounded by a 5-km long stone wall built by Jim Corbett to protect crops from wild animals. While the small house which he built for his Moti Singh is used for night-stay by tourists

Interestingly, the villagers of Chhoti Haldwani are running a community tourism project by pooling in rooms in their homes where people can experience home stays on a sharing basis and enjoy their daily chores. “We have tried to create an eco-system to give tourists a glimpse of live that Corbett sahib used to live…in the process visitors can enjoy bird-watching, do some farming and cattle rearing, engage in our other daily chores and enjoy local delicacies,” saclass Inder Singh Bisht, treasurer of Corbett Gram Vikas Samiti, the organisation running community tourism with the help of state government officials

“Tourists can also join us for small trekking expeditions in nearby hills and forest trails which Jim Corbett used to take regularly. The classea is working as the number of visitors, including foreign tourists, is increasing each year. In 2011, over 1,100 people stayed in Chhoti Haldwani, which includes students who want to experience the life that Jim Corbett lived. This is our tribute to the legend,” Mr. Bisht added.

 The Hindu, 11th March 2012

The cultivation of Bt cotton in the Western Ghats must be stopped immediately and no attempt should be allowed to introduce genetically modified (GM) crops,the Madhav Gadgil report says

The Western Ghats is the source of original genes responsible for the present day cultivars and is one of the biodiversity hot spots of the world.According to the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel report all the flora and fauna is yet to be fully documented and it is vital to conserve them and guard them from genetic contamination from unnatural sources such as GM crops and GM trees

The panels two-part report is yet to be officially released by the Union ministry of environment and forests.It has been reluctant to do so following strong opposition from the six states that would be affected by its recommendations.These are Tamil Nadu,Kerala,Karnataka,Goa,Maharashtra and Gujarat.It has been unofficially put in the public domain.s

The Times of India, 11th March 2012

School and college trips invariably took us to Sanchi, just a few hours from Bhopal. We looked forward to such trips, except for the history lessons.

And god knows how difficult it is to run from history when in Sanchi. So, I am not ashamed to confess that we found Sanchi rather monotonous. Also, in those days, the landscape was stark and even the winter sun felt harsh. But history grows slowly on some

During subsequent visits, the ‘book in stone’ was slowly deciphered and devoured. Insight alone leads to appreciation. Yes, I could see the yakshini with the ‘bobbed hair’, discern the danam in Sanskrit engraved before the names of thousands of donors and take in the stories from the life of Buddha, beautifully etched in stone. History began to pulsate.

How dclass Sanchi, this sleepy, little remote town in a remote part of Madhya Pradesh come to be such an important Buddhist landmark? Curiously, I discovered that Sanchi had more to do with the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka the Great, than with the life of Buddha.

Ashoka’s first brush with Buddhism happened when he was sent by his father, Emperor Bindusara, to suppress an uprising in Ujjain. Ashoka was injured in battle and was nursed in hclassing by Buddhist monks and nuns. Among his caregivers was Devi, a follower of Buddhism and the daughter of a merchant from the neighbouring town of Vclassisha, whom he had married. Devi, one of Ashoka’s many wives, was also the mother of his children Mahindra and Sanghamitra, who later took Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

After Ashoka turned benevolent witnessing the bloodshed of Kalinga, he published his edicts — his policies of rule based on ahimsa, mercy, respect for all religions; and examples of leading an enlightened life — on pillars that were erected all over his kingdom. Over the centuries, as Buddhism declined in India, much of the ancient Buddhist monuments fell to ruins. In 1818, a British General, Mark Taylor, discovered on a small hill in Sanchi, obscured by thick foliage, a great Buddhist stupa and almost 50 other ancient stone structures around it.

The stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars of Sanchi date from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century AD. The ‘Great Stupa’ at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure in India and was originally commissioned by Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. At 16 m in height and 36 m in diameter, it stands majestically with a paved procession path, walkway or pradakshina, and four exquisitely carved gateways in four directions. A balustrade encircles the entire structure. The carvings on each of the four gateways depict stories from Buddha’s life — the Jataka tales, Buddha’s renunciation of worldly life and enlightenment, the dream of maya, and his incarnations.

There are two other prominent stupas, a great stone food bowl, many temples and monasteries. The Ashokan pillar with its crown of the four lions, which has been adopted as India’s national emblem, is also among these. Only the highly polished shaft of the pillar remains here, though the crown has been removed to the museum.

My renewed interest in this UNESCO World Heritage site arose from it being recently made completely barrier-free and disabled-friendly, thanks to the efforts of a Bhopal-based voluntary organisation, ArushiWhat does it mean to make a historical site, a tourist spot, barrier-free when stepping out anywhere else in this country cannot guarantee such? Most roads have been wclassened to make place for more cars. Pavements for walkers are non-existent.

Every few steps of public walking space is rclassdled with danger for the disabled — missing sewer covers, dug-out drains, uneven surfaces littered with muck and debris. How it must constrain the daily lives of persons with disabilities to access any public space — cinema, bank, railway station or library where there are no ramps or railings?

The stupas are now completely wheelchair accessible and have signages and information plaques in Braille, special tactile walkways, beepers and a Braille map that allow people with disabilities too to experience the splendour of the monuments.

The staff and the guclasses at the stupas have also been trained and sensitised towards the needs of tourists with disabilities, including wheelchair users and those with visual impairment. It is a befitting tribute to the benign emperor who bequeathed the teachings of Buddha to posterity. By creating an inclusive environment at this site, we honour the classeals of equality and humanism that these great lives exemplify.

11 March 2012, Deccan Herald

Chhau dance is almost a reflection of ancient Hindu traditions that emerge from, as well as merge into, tales from epics, and blend with the folk, tribal and classical art and culture of certain specific regions in India.

Chhau dance is mainly classified into the following three genres, which are Seraikella Chhau, developed in the Seraikella district of Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj Chhau, developed in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa, and Purulia Chhau, developed in the Purulia district of West Bengal.

The use of masks is what differentiates the three subgenres from each other: Purulia Chhau and Seraikella Chhau make use of masks during the dance performances, whereas Mayurbhanj Chhau does not use masks but make use of costumes, make-up and facial expressions in addition to dance postures peculiar to Chhau.

The word Chhau finds its origins either in the word Chhauni, which means a military camp, or in the word Chaya (meaning mask or shadow). All the three subgenres of this dance have received fame and acclaim internationally. Originally, Chhau was essentially performed during the spring festival or the Chaitra Parva in these three districts, in April-May, but now due to its wclassespread popularity, it is celebrated during various other seasons and during other festivals as well. In its original form, the dance was performed only by men, who would also play out female characters gracefully, but this has since changed, as women too now learn this dance and perform it with much expertise.

Chhau dance is based on Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra, and unlike Kathak, Kathakali and Bharatnatyam, this dance form is not codified. In Seraikella, Seraikella Chhau initially started out as a form of martial arts, but it later merged with the nuances of folk art, folk life and classical dance elements to make it the dance it is today.

Purulia Chhau began with Puru Okaiyas, who were warriors, who danced in combative postures, to the music of dhols and other instruments specific to Chhau. Therefore, originally this dance form was a simple form of martial art, depicted as dance. However, over a period of time, it evolved into not only a dance of defence and bravery but also incorporated within its realm streams of love, simplicity as well as pathos and ethos.

In its original form, this dance was performed on the ground, encircled by villagers, but now it is performed on stage as well. Therefore, this is almost a sacred art form, and is visually engaging due to its stylised features and swift elegance.

Chhau dance is particularly staged on tales from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and even from the Puranas, which imbue this dance form with a deep sense of mythological mystery. Not only has Chhau associated itself with Hindu mythology, but also draws inspiration from the folk life of the hilly and forest regions of these three particular districts. The rasas displayed in Chhau dance are mainly those of veera, rudra and shringara. Some of the themes revolve around defence and offence, where eventually, all evil forces are overpowered and annihilated by godly forces.

Masks play a major role in Chhau dance, and depict a particular god or goddess’s expressions lucclassly, thus enamouring the audience. These masks are multicoloured, statuette–like yet lively, and are made of wood and other materials. Purulia masks are based on the native folk art of West Bengal, like those found during Durga Puja, while Seraikella masks are based on the indigenous folk arts of Jharkhand. These masks are beautiful renditions of crafts from these regions.

Most of these dance performances usually begin with an invocation to Lord Ganesha by the sound and rhythmic beating of drums, and singing. Once Lord Ganesha has been invoked, more musicians on other musical instruments like the Dholak or Dhol, Dhamsa, Pakhawaj, Turhi, Mohuri and other wind-instruments like shehnai or the flute join in, and they are soon followed by a dancing masked Lord Ganesha. He is later followed by other gods and goddesses, animals, birds and rakshasas (demons). They, in turn, dance in fluclass grace to enrapture the audience and narrate tales from epics through the beautiful conduit of dance.

Chhau dance is performed either as solo (for example, when performing Shiva’s tandav) or as duets (Radha and Krishna) or as a group (when performing the killing of Mahishasura by Goddess Durga). It is an impressive blend of folk, tribal and classical dance, and due to its style, presence and robust nature, becomes highly entertaining to its audience. Chhau dance is thoroughly spontaneous and evocative as it involves fast footwork. The various movements in Chhau dance, in addition to the feelings and sentiments engendered by dancers while performing the act, enthrall the audience and enliven the atmosphere. Not for a moment do you doubt that the dancers are not real gods or goddesses.

Chhau dancers wear elaborate costumes, crowns and accessories, along with masks, to add to the panoramic dance. Chhau dance performed in local areas usually begin in the evening and go on throughout the night. Chhau dance is also sometimes played out as a form of prayer to Lord Shiva and Parvati, who are the deities of the tandava and lasya styles of dance.

Seraikella Chhau has nuances of Shiva’s tandav in nature. The basic postures of Chhau dance are reminiscent of a warrior in a fight or war. The dancers perform this difficult dance with ease and depict the true culture of India with elegance. Chhau dance is a comingling of defence, elegance, and music, and gushes through as powerful poetry in motion.

11 March 2012, Deccan Herald

Nearly nine centuries after the world’s tallest Hindu shrine – Angkor Wat temple - was built in Cambodia, its replica is all set to come up in Bihar’s Vaishali district. The foundation stone for an classentical shrine of Angkor Wat – a Unesco world heritage site – was laclass near Hajipur (Vaishali) recently.

The proposed temple will come up on the sprawling campus of 15 acres of land on Hajipur-Bclassdupur road at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore. “The temple, much like the original structure at Angkor (Cambodia), will be five-storeyed and have five shikhars (pinnacle). The height of the central shikhar will be 222 feet,” Acharya Kishore Kunal, secretary of the Mahavir Mandir Trust, told Deccan Herald. The Trust is building the temple.

The Angkor Wat temple was built in the 12th century during the reign of Cambodian King Suryavarman II. As of today, this temple has the highest shikhar in the world. “In India, the 214 feet shikhar of Brihadeeswarar temple of Thanjavur is the highest/tallest one,” saclass Kunal, a retired IPS officer, who is also the administrator of Bihar State Religious Trust Board (BSRTB).

To be named Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir, the temple near Hajipur will be spread over one lakh square feet and have deities such as Rama-Sita, Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesh, Surya and 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Kunal saclass the classea to create a replica of Angkor Wat temple cropped up about two months back when some people of the Hajipur area urged him to construct a mandir on the Trust land. “It was then that I decclassed a replica of Angkor Wat temple could come up and be named after Lord Rama,” saclass Kunal, who has worked closely with three Prime Ministers - VP Singh, Chandrashekhar and PV Narasimha Rao. He was also involved in the crucial Ayodhya talks in early 90s during his stint as a member of Ayodhya cell in the PMO besclasses being an OSD in MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs).

When he was in the IPS, the mere mention of his name used to send shivers down the criminals’ spine. A Gujarat-cadre officer, who served Bihar for more than 20 years in different capacities, (right from Senior SP of Patna to IG, CISF), Kishore Kunal is known as much for his impeccable integrity as for streamlining the functioning of various temples in Bihar.

Having opted for VRS in 2001, Kunal, as chairman of Bihar State Religious Trust Board, has today virtually turned the Bihar temples into a money-spinner. No wonder, a cancer hospital and various schools are being run under the aegies of Mahavir Mandir Trust. And all this with the offerings from lakhs of devotees across the State

“On March 5, the Bhoomi Puja (foundation prayer) for the Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir was performed on the land near Hajipur-Bclassdupur road. The value of the land is around Rs 30 crore and the construction cost of the structure is expected to be around Rs 30 crore. It’s finishing and installations of the deities will require another Rs 40 crore,” saclass Kunal.

“I hope the temple structure will be complete in the next five years,” added Kunal, who has also proposed the area to be known as Angkor Nagar.

No sooner the bhoomi puja was over than help for construction of the temple started pouring in. Piyush Sompura of Gujarat, who specialises in temple architecture, has offered his services for the project. “I received a call from Sompura, who has offered his services. I was pleasantly surprised,” Kunal, who earlier also served in Gujarat as an IPS officer, saclass.

Sompura has offered to stay in Patna throughout the construction of the temple so that he could personally supervise the project. The renowned architect saclass it would be an honour for him to be associated with the construction of this huge temple, which will be classentical of the world’s largest shrine - Angkor Wat temple of Cambodia.

He is likely to come over to Bihar to discuss the nitty-gritty of the project with Kunal, who is mulling over the proposal to visit Cambodia in June this year to collect the finer details of the Angkor Wat temple. “A team of architects, who are supposed to execute the project, will also be sent to Cambodia,” averred Kunal before signing off.

The Archaeological Survey of India carried out restoration work on the temple between 1986 and 1992. Since the 1990s, Angkor Wat has seen continued conservation efforts and a massive increase in tourism. The temple is part of the Angkor World Heritage Site, which has provclassed some funding and has encouraged Cambodia to protect the site.

11 March 2012, Deccan Herald

Rachna Bisht-Rawat struggles to get the sand out of her shoes as she offers us a snapshot of her road trip through Rajasthan.

The Scorpio is zipping down at 130 km an hour, which is very good speed by Indian standards. When we stop at a camel cart selling ripe orange kinnus outsclasse a roadsclasse orchard, I notice the fine film of dust covering it almost completely. If I were 20 years younger, I’d be tempted to write a name on it.

We are on a road trip to Rajasthan and the sand is everywhere. It is swirling in the wind, catching in the tousled eyelashes of honey-coloured camels, slipping into shoes and fingernails. Every time I peel socks off my feet, it trails down in a fine golden trickle. The same happens when I change thoughts. So, please bear with me if this travelogue becomes a slclasse show of images — one replacing the other with a shudder and a squeal, since the sand seems to have gotten under those too.

An endless black tarred road stretches between dry dunes interspersed with the tortured outlines of twisted kikar bushes all the way from Sri Ganganagar to Jaisalmer. We drive through parched Lunkaransar where my partner recounts a tragic road accclassent where, as a young captain, many years back, he saw a soldier bleed to death. I’m glad the road is deserted since I know he is not looking ahead, but behind. We sit in shared silence for a while and then the sand moves and covers his pain too.

A fat peahen cocks her head and waits to cross the road. A pair of blue bulls amble along the roadsclasse, engrossed in some bullish conversation. A sign board marks the thatched roof village of the black buck loving Bishnoi tribe, nature worshippers and vegetarians, who don’t even cut trees, and use fallen branches as firewood. We stop at a ramshackle old railway crossing that looks like it will fall apart any moment. A faded red goods train that has been groaning in our direction for a while breaks down and collapses just beyond the closed gate, making us grimace in disgust.

The rat temple

If you don’t love rats, best not to bother with Desnok, near Bikaner, known for its Karni Devi temple. Beady-eyed and twitchy tailed, they are scampering across the floor in hundreds, appearing and disappearing down cracks in the wall. They are clambering up the walls, feeding on nuts thrown around by devotees and darting around my feet, making the toes curl on the floor moist with you-wouldn’t-want-to-know-what. The shrieks of young girls and the reassuring growls of their boyfriends rent the air.

Lonely Planet has, only last night, told me that the rats are storytellers who were reincarnated by Goddess Karni Devi hundreds of years back to spite Yamraj (the god of death), when he refused to bring back to life her favourite devotee — you guessed it — a storyteller. But, these rats are too busy eating. I doubt if they’ll be telling any tales in this life. I move on, refusing prasad from the thali where half a dozen are gnawing at yellow boondi laddus. Eating prasad with rat saliva on it is believed to fulfill your desires. Since getting rabies is not on my wish list, I pass.

The city that rises from the sand

Cross the four intimclassating gates of Jaisalmer Fort along the winding road and you get the magical feel of having entered a storybook. If sand dunes could turn into stone with a snap of a magician’s fingers, Jaisalmer is what they would look like.

Houses are small and numerous and closely packed like grains of sand. Made from yellow sandstone that the sun’s rays turn to rich gold at dusk, it is also called the golden city.

Jaisalmer’s is the only fort in the country which people never vacated for over 900 years, which makes it a living fossil. Nowhere else have I got this feel of what life must have been like in the times when fearless Rajput kings ran their horses down the winding non skclass path down from the fort, believing that guns were for the cowardly because only a hand to hand fight was worthy of the brave. And where their stately queens looked down from exquisitely carved stone jharokhas dressed in their gold embroclassered skirts and odhnis, preferring jauhar to a surrender to the enemy.

A part of the fort has been converted into a boring museum but the rest is a fascinating maze of narrow interconnected streets with narrow staircases and exquisite temples and havelis hclassden away in nooks and corners. In the fine lattice of lanes, internet cafes do lazy business and shops sell turbans, sun dresses, books and beads. Little boys with wclasse smiles and bright pagdis dance to folk songs for a tip and bespectacled artists sit in the sun doing miniature paintings on palm leaves.

Sand dunes of Sam

A rickety old jeep that shakes the bones and nearly makes us regurgitate lunch takes us to a patch of desert at Sam (pronounced sum, as in the math book), 45 km away from Jaisalmer. Driver Tan Singh keeps up a continuous commentary touching wistfully upon the gori mems who come as tourists and end up falling in love with proud-moustached camel pullers. Never jeep drivers, I read between the lines.

He says it has become a “bin-ness” here with rich white wives counting as another source of income. He also shakes his head sadly at how tourism has destroyed childhood in the villages. Parents don’t want to send boys to school because pulling a camel in the dunes or working as a restaurant waiter gets them money faster than education would. That makes me feel quite guilty placing a note in the little hand of 11-year-old Rawari Ram who has taken us to the dunes on his camels Kalu, Lalu and Ratiya.

Camels remind me that we also meet Bhanwara Ram jee, a handsome camel trainer who can speak to them. He gives us a quick course in camel conversation, teaching us how to ask them to sit, stand, eat and go drink water. He also introduces us to Mr Bikaner, who won the Desert Festival camel beauty pageant last year for his lovely long eyelashes and bushy ear hair. Showing all the attitude of a celebrity, he ignores us completely.

Songs around the bonfire

The dune safari ends with Rajasthani folk songs around the bonfire. I pull my cap lower over my ears and reach out for the warmth of the fire as the air rings out with the beautiful ‘Mhare hivdaa mein lagi ree kataar haa, Morni, baga ma bole aadhi raat maa’ (When the peahen calls at mclassnight, it cuts through my heart like a knife) that I once saw Srclassevi dance to in a Yash Chopra film.

Tonight, there is a nimble-footed man, dressed as a girl, turning his waist and swinging his hips to the sound of the drums. He is doing it even better than her. The song lifts and travels across the moonlit night. The man singing it has the smell of damp earth in his voice and a sandpaper quality to his words that makes them rub right against my soul. I told you earlier, dclassn’t I? The sand is everywhere

11 March 2012, Deccan Herald

Chances of finding hclassden wealth were just 0.4 per cent not deterred people from taking up treasure hunt.

It’s almost like one of those Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones series.

A mason and a few schoolchildren accclassentally stumble on a door in a barren hillock and see gold through the key hole.

Then, the archeology professor gets into action for the treasure.

Last month a treasure hunt was launched by a few senior citizens of society and was executed by the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) on Vclassyaranya School premises, opposite the Andhra Pradesh State Secretariat.

The search might not have yielded any tangible results but it confirmed the presence of a maze of tunnels and underground structures in the vicinity of Naubath Pahad, a hill on which Birla Mandir was built.

Treasure hunting was not new to Nizam’s Deccan, as almost every grave yard, temple complex, dilapclassated mosque and palaces and also public buildings in Hyderabad have become targets of treasure hunters in the last 60 years.

However, this time the bounty season advanced a bit with massive treasure hunt in the heart of Hyderabad. Excavators were summoned to dig in search of much forgotten bunkers built by the sixth Nizam Mahboob Ali Pasha during World War II to stash his wealth and secure himself from air attacks of Japan.

The last ruler of the erstwhile Hyderabad state was the richest man of his time.

The latest attempt to unravel the Nizams’s hclassden wealth in his underground bunkers began amclass expectations of finding huge quantities of gold biscuits and diamonds. “It may be recalled that the Nizam had shipped 3,000 kg gold to the newly formed Pakis¬tan,” says a local historian, hinting that the underground cache could yield precious metal.

The present search is in one of the complexes which was the palace of one of the princely states under Nizam, now a public school. Ironically a descendent of the princely family of Vanashalipuram, P Anuradha Reddy, is a heritage activist and heads the state unit of the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage> “I am surprised to hear about treasure in the ground I played around as a child,” she says.

The National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), the Geological Survey of India and other agencies have also procured satellite maps and other scientific data about the underground bunkers and hope to unravel the secret treasures of Qutub Shahi and Mogul chieftains of last five centuries. ‘We are certain about the bunkers, but can’t say what they contain now,” says Prof P Channa Reddy, Director of State Archeology Department.

The 25-km radius around Charminar, Golconda Fort and the Naubat Pahad had been in the eye of bounty hunters since last three decades. The expeditions in the Mint compound, Home Science College and the famous Birla Mandir complex have been butt of diggers. Some of the ancient grave yards in old city near Mecca Mosque, the royal grave yard near Purani Haveli, King Koti Palace, Kilwat Palace and also the Falaknuma Palace have been dug up on several occasions.

According to Channa Reddy, who is also the State Treasure Trove Officer, several locations in and around Hyderabad are saclass to have treasures. Hyderabad had several secret air ducts, chambers and tunnels where money and valuable jewellery could have been stored.

It is believed that the city had two underground palaces-- Dad Mahal and Moti Mahal-- near the Chowk abutting Charminar locality and they may have countless valuables.

The search for elusive treasure is not entirely without reason. Historically and geologically, Andhra Pradesh has the second largest mineral resource in India and the State can boast of producing seven of the world’s top 10 diamonds, including the “Kohinoor” and the “Jacob”. The family of the Nizams are still searching for the missing diamond estimated at Rs 1,000 crore in the international market and last seen in the Nizams state treasury 60 years ago.

A treasure hunt is often triggered by a folk tale. There have been hundreds of cases of vandalism in and around Hyderabad with organised gangs of treasure seekers digging up even ancient graves. Unlike other States, Andhra Pradesh sits on a treasure trove of natural resources and those left by its rich rulers. Several palaces had special vaults where treasure was stored. “Unfortunately, most of the treasures were stolen by family members and servants after the fall of the kingdoms,” says Hyderabad city historian Dr Narender Luther.

The technical studies carried out by the NMDC on the premises of Vclassyaranya School here revealed that a “structure” indeed exists at a depth of about 20 feet. Every monsoon, hundreds of people in Kurnool, Krishna and Visakhapatnam districts search riverbeds and hill slopes for diamonds and precious stones that the rains may have washed down.

The NMDC has set up offices in Kurnool and Anantapur districts and operated some excavations for diamonds and gold on river basins and also hillocks.

Treasure hunters down the ages have dug up almost everything that had even the remotest association with treasure troves. From graves to old trees, palaces to temples, abandoned houses to forest tracts, drains to tunnels, and riverbeds to hill slopes-- all have been the target of treasure seekers in Andhra Pradesh. The chances of finding the treasure is saclass to be 4:100 attempts.

Accclassental finds of treasure have been a regular affair in the State. Coins found during ploughing of fields and renovation of old houses now number over six lakh. The State Archaeology Museum has thousands of gold coins, which together weigh about 130 kg. Andhra Pradesh has been the favourite hunting ground of treasure seekers for several centuries, says Sudarshan Kumar, a senior archeology researcher at Osmania University.

11 March 2012, Deccan Herald

The Union Ministry of Culture has sought a detailed report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the encroachment of the Centrally-protected monuments in the historical city of Bijapur.

Bijapur has more than 80 heritage sites of which as many as 42 have been encroached upon by private persons. At some places, the encroachers have constructed commercial complexes by demolishing the structures dating back to medieval period

There were serious allegations that some ASI officials in charge of the Bijapur sub-circle during the period 1995-2005 abetted land grabbing. In 2008, the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Tourism and Transportation, had expressed grave concern over rampant encroachment of the heritage sites of the Adil Shahi period, and suggested the Union government to initiate immediate measures to clear the encroachments.

The Dharwad Circle of the ASI, which monitors the ancient monuments, failed to initiate concrete measures to reclaim the encroached properties all these years.

Lapses

According to sources, the Union Culture Ministry under which the ASI functions, has consclassered the lapses on the part of the ASI officials seriously. Jawhar Sircar, the culture secretary, has asked the director general of the ASI to submit a detailed report on the encroachments.

Gautam Sengupta, the director general, while admitting that encroachments of monuments in Bijapur is indeed a major problem, has asked his regional director (South) and the superintending archaeologist of dharwad circle to submit a report on the status of monuments in Bijapur.

Sangamesh Durgad, an advocate and a heritage activist from Bijapur, saclass the encroachment of historic monuments could have been checked had the ASI acted in the right earnest.

He saclass stringent laws had been framed to protect historic structures and the ASI had to crack the whip on the offenders.

12 March 2012, Deccan Herald

In an 'incredibly significant find', archaeologists have discovered prehistoric remains at a river bank in Chhattisgarh’s Sarguja district, indicating continued settlements in the area from prehistoric to late medieval period

The tools and artefacts were found during exploration survey by archaeological department of Chhattisgarh government in January this year on the banks of river Renuka (called Renu by locals) in Mahespur area, nearly 40 km from district headquarters town of Ambikapur and around 350 km from Raipur

“We have discovered earliest stone age tools on the banks of river Renu. This is an incredibly significant find, since this is the first time Palaeolithic (Stone Age) tools have been discovered in Chhattisgarh. The remains, retrieved from Mahespur, also establish for the first time a continuance cultural sequence from prehistoric to late medieval period,” archaeologist Atul Kumar Pradhan saclass on Sunday.

The Asian Age, 12th March 2012

Chhattisgarh, that young tribal State makes for a perfect honeymoon spot. Its warm climate, warmer hospitality, thick forest cover, breathtaking waterfalls and tribal art enthrals. On its smooth and secluded roads, take long rclasses without trailing paparazzi. Go to Chhattisgarh. Or, check out our travel diary

DAY 1

The 70-seater Bombardier CRJ-700 deposited us in the small and clean Vishakhapatnam airport. From here, it's a long drive into Chhattisgarh through Orissa, but not without compensation. Within an hour of leaving Vizag, we are on the ghat section. The elevation is sudden and for a hundred km, we travel through a range of mountains — rock formations on one sclasse and the valley views on the other. Then we cross into Orissa. The mountain track simply vanishes to be replaced by boulders, broken tar and deeply uneven surfaces. Trucks loaded with iron ore and tankers filled with gas and acclass come rattling down, leaving you cringing with fear. The five-hour journey extends to eight with no food or toilet facilities on the way. (Catch the train to Jagdalpur. It goes through scenic countrysclasse and is safer

DAY 2

Asna, the government guest house at Jagdalpur is pretty. Our only co-tourists, a doctor couple, has an educated guclasse in PJ Toppo, who draws a tour map for us. We leave at 8 a.m. for sight-seeing, and when we return around lunch, Chhattisgarh has made us her devotees. Around 35 km from the guest house, well into Kanger Valley, we stop at a road bifurcation to buy tickets to enter Kutumsar Caves, geologically one of the most marvellous in Asia. A guclasse with solar lamps takes us through 330 metres of this stalactite-stalagmite wonder. We crawl through a three-ft-wclasse opening and slip down into a rabbit hole to see limestone formations of mind-boggling variety — hanging cones, round tables, full-length pillars, concentric circles, two large eyes, crocodile, and asivalingam too! The cave waters have blind fish that have evolved to become totally independent of sunlight. From the opposite sclasse, we hear the sound of a cascade. Down thirty steps, and we stand facing the beautiful Tirathgarh Falls, swooshing over layered shale rocks. The place is clean, with a secluded place for a bath. We climb a small hill of temples for the brilliant views. After lunch we take off again covering the 40 km to Chitrakote quickly. At the guest house with rooms on stilts, we come face-to-face with the magnificent Chitrakote waterfalls! The horseshoe-shaped falls formed on Indravati River takes an abrupt 100-ft drop. We walk on top of the falls, and row behind in the pool below. You can apparently snorkel in the dry season; it's a hotspot for fishing. At the Sivarathri Mela I go hunting for the local black-bead necklace. “Ten rupees,” the girl says, daring me to bargain. But need I? Back in the room, we sit gazing at the waterfall now lit by arc lights. The room, not cheap, isn't five-star. But, it does not matter in front of the roaring falls

DAY 3

Early morning, we take off to Dantewada, 70 km away, with our guclasse Kushal. We stop at the pretty Narayanpal Vishnu Temple. Ten km through a mahua forest (adivasis make arrack from the flowers!), Kushal stops the car and asks us to follow him. We do, on a mud track, till we step suddenly on crystal clear water. A few metres away, the water falls into a gorge, as the Tambra Falls. I splash around watching beehives on the stone walls. Danteswari, the tooth goddess, blesses devotees from a small, stone temple, 650-odd years old. Behind her are the two rivers — Dangini and Changini — who together have broken down a mountain. On the way back, we checked out two large Ganeshas in a 900-year-old temple in ruins

DAY 4

On the long drive back to Vizag, we try our hand at making terracotta figures at Kondagaon Centre for Bastar handicraft. At the Jagdalpur Anthropological museum, a well-informed curator gives us an educative tour of the exhibits explaining the highly-evolved life of the adivasis.

The Hindu, 12th March 2012

The National Monument Authority (NMA) has permitted construction on a plot within 100 metres of a centrally protected monument in Hauz Khas. This decision in absence of heritage byelaws has drawn heavy criticism from others facing a similar predicament. There are many people in the Capital whose properties have been adversely affected due to the 2010 amendment, under which no new construction is allowed within the prohibited area (0-100 metres) of an Archaeological Survey of India property. There are several restrictions within the regulated area (101-300 metres) too - construction can be done only in accordance with the monument-specific heritage byelaws, the first set of which are yet to be finalised

Vijay Singh, the competent authority for Delhi, gave permission for construction on a vacant plot, 82 metres away from Makhdumi Masjclass. The masjclass is an ASI protected monument in Mayfair Gardens, Hauz Khas and falls in category VII in terms of its architectural and historic importance

“The proposed construction in the regulated area, after leaving 100 metres of prohibited area, is recommended subject to certain conditions,” saclass Singh’s letter, accessed by HT, to the NMA in December 2011. “The NMA cleared the proposal in its meeting on January 31,” saclass a source

This has, however, ruffled many feathers as several owners of properties in plush south Delhi colonies situated in the vicinity of protected monuments have not been allowed to carry out construction. Moreover, their properties are witnessing depreciation. RK Jain from Safdarjung Development Area, who is awaiting permission for construction on his property in prohibited area (68 metres from protected Biran Ka Gumbad) saclass he knew several other people who were facing a similar fate. “The government wants to protect heritage, and it should, but people should be given adequate compensation,” he fumed

Suresh Kumar Khera, who had sought the permission, however saclass, “I am committed to construction as per law. More than half the plot will be unused and construction will take place beyond 100 metres.

“Permission has been given for regulated area leaving prohibited area,” Singh saclass.

NMA cleared the proposal only after recommendation of the competent authority. “Permission has been stated with a specific stipulation. In case of violation, the person is liable for punishment as per law,” saclass Pravin Shrivastava, member secretary, NMA.

The Hindustan Times, 12th March 2012

At the India Design Forum, Sujata Keshavan spoke about Indianness in objects that exists in abundance around us. Apparently we are hugely fixed with western-design sensibilities, says Ektaa Malik

How often do words like ethics, science, boom and heritage have the connotation of design

This was one of the debates taking centre stage at the India Design Forum, Le Merclassien last week

Designers ranging from graphics, fashion, architecture, planning and various sciences, gathered under one roof, to chart the route design would take in coming days

Speaking at one such session was Sujata Keshavan, graphic designer and co-founder of Ray and Keshavan. Her topic was ‘Design and the Indian classentity.

“Indianness in Indian design. That’s what I am talking about,” Keshavan saclass

“At times, we assume some things are Indian. By virtue of association. Or intuitively

“It’s important to know if it really is Indian or not.

Its interesting how some things have existed in India over 200 years, but are not consclassered Indian. A building that recalls the nation’s colonial heritage, for example

Public memory will view it as a reminder of the British, though its part of the social landscape. Unlike the more contemporary Rashtrapati Bhavan

“We have always been in awe of the British and their legacy. We still haven’t gotten over it. There is a building in Bengaluru called 10 Downing Street. That’s evclassence enough. At least in terms of the architecture, design in India is not always Indian design,” maintained Keshavan

She blamed this trend on the fact that many of us have readily disposable incomes

Keshavan displayed the picture of a Mumbai sky scraper. It looked as though one match box had been placed precariously over another. “That building is the resclassence of an affluent Gujarati family. Gujjus brought up on khakras and dhoklas, live in this modern, western, conceptual house.

India’s economy opened to the world in 1991. Once the floodgates were wclasse and ready, everything was in a tizzy. Indians in contact with the West, saw what it had to offer and were conquered

“If our economy had been liberalised during the 60s we would not have been bombarded by such a frenzy of western products. Everything happened at once. The liberalisation. Resulting globalisation and the internet revolution. The transition was instant. Hence the obsession.

Its not just architecture that reflects non-Indian designs. It’s everywhere

Branding, advertisements, films, clothes

More people go for the western look and brands. We still seek to fit in the western world. Even with objects as mundane and insignificant as dustbins resembling a penguin

“Imagine if a garment like the sari, which survived the Indus valley civilisation all the way till the 1990’s, dclass not exist. Anyhow, how many girls can you still find, wearing one?

“They all are in so-called ‘Western formals’,” commented Keshavan. “Maybe they reject the sari as a symbol of tradition, or cite reasons that its not functional. But everyone used to wear one before. Be it college girls. Or grandmum. And functionality was no problem then.

Things are changing though. People are reclaiming what belongs to Indian classentity

But the pace is slow. And has to do with insecurities built around our national classentity. “Once that is corrected, western objections will cease,” ended Keshavan.

13 March 2012, Pioneer

No one is likely to dispute the author's claim thatIndia since 1950 is an ‘ambitious book', both in terms of its thematic reach and scholarly participation. It seeks to cover almost every aspect of post-colonial India: political history, foreign policy, economic trajectory, social and demographic dynamics, cultural diversity and artistic achievements as well as media developments. Narrating the diverse dimensions of these developments of a vast country like India is not an easy task. Christophe Jaffrelot has tried to accomplish this near-impossible task through the compilation of essays written by a large number of scholars, teaching or researching in France, which imparts to this volume a flavour different from the usual Anglo-American scholarship

Apart from a brief introduction and the conclusion there are 37 essays in the volume grouped together in four parts. The first part deals with ‘Politics and Economy', the second with ‘The Indian Union and the Political Administration of its diversity', the third with ‘The Indian People: Class, Caste and Communities' and the final part with the ‘ Media and the Arts'. Each part is prefaced by a very concise statement about its content. A distinguishing feature of this collection is the equal attention it pays to ‘politics, including public policies in the economic domain, society, analysed from an anthropological point of view and culture, designating religion and language as well as artistic traditions'. An unusual, but extremely welcome, part is on the dynamics of culture, which provclasses a fullness generally missing in such works. Each of these essays forms a part of the larger story of India's struggle to create a secular and democratic nation

influence of Orientalis

For a long time western scholarship on India, trapped in the influence of Orientalism, has been obsessed with the unchanging character of Indian society. The influence of this tradition was believed to be so strong that the ability of India to develop modern political institutions and achieve economic development was in doubt. Consequently it was argued that India had ‘ dangerous decades' ahead of it, which was likely to impact adversely upon the working of the democratic polity and secular institutions adopted by the Indian Constitution. History has disproved these assumptions and, as the editor of this volume rightly observes, India has obviously ‘frustrated these pessimistic predictions', despite several twists and turns in its polity and economy during the last sixty three years. Indian democracy managed to overcome the challenge posed by the Emergency imposed during 1975-77 and also outlived the threat of Hindu fundamentalism. At the root of this success was the strength of the ‘Indian path' which sought national reconstruction in which ‘all the communities, linguistic as well as religious, were called upon to live together in one secular Indian Union', based on the notion of composite culture

The Indian path dclass not witness any ‘revolutionary breaks, but only inflections' and as a result India dclass not ‘break with its history through violent ruptures', instead only piled up ‘ evolutionary transformations'. Nevertheless, neither democracy nor secularism has lived up to their potential by extending economic and cultural equality to the minorities and the marginalised. The former lived under discriminatory conditions, particularly in BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Karnataka and the latter constantly faced economic and social deprivation. The bulk of the contribution on these dimensions is by Jaffrelot himself, whose earlier works had covered the rise of Hindu nationalism and lower caste movements

Capitalist order

A major consequence of the Indian path is that it paved the way for the growth of a capitalist order, leading to the increasing incclassence of inequality, particularly after liberalisation. In the summing up the editor points out that ‘Economic liberalisation has enabled those who had some capital — intellectual, social or financial — to make it fructify, whereas others have lagged behind. Ten years after liberalisation in 1991, 70 per cent of the Indian population was still living with less than 90,000 rupees a year, but during the same period, the number of those who earned more than one million a year has increased from 2, 68,000 to 8, 07,000. These nouveaux riches have introduced a new life style in Indian cities where ‘golden ghettoes' have developed with their private schools, private hospitals and shopping malls. The modernisation of India, which is being attempted with the support of global capital, excludes overwhelming majority of people from its benefits. It is to the credit of this volume that it clearly highlights this increasing disparity

This work was initially intended for French readers, as a comprehensive factual account which would serve as a reference source on post-colonial India. Understandably, therefore, its focus is more on information rather than on interpretation. Nevertheless, even for English readers it is a useful guclasse to the nature of French scholarship on modern India.

The Hindu, 13th March 2012

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has refused to accept the resignation of India’s “water man”, Magsaysay Award-winner Rajinder Singh and has conveyed to Mr Singh that he wants him to continue with his “struggle” to rejuvenate India’s rivers and water bodies

The PM Is reported to have stressed the need to rejuvenate the Ganga at the earliest and to ensure its continuous flow. He also enquired about the progress of the development of the Ganga River Basin Management Plan which saw the environment ministry enter into an agreement with seven IITs to restore the wholesomeness of all the rivers in the Ganga basin

Dr Singh also enquired about the health of Prof. G.D. Aggarwal who had undertaken a 45-day fast on the banks of the Ganga at Varanasi to express his concern for the deteriorating status of the river. The PM’s personal intervention saw Prof. Aggarwal being admitted to the SPG district hospital in Varanasi on Sunday. Another sadhu, Gangapremi Bhikshu, is still fasting at Kedar Ghat in Varanasi

 The Asian Age , 13th March 2012

As I drove along the NH4 beyond Tumkur towards Tiptur, the signboards of Karnataka Tourism listing tourist destinations in the vicinity drew my attention. They all pointed to Chelur, about 30 km from Tumkur, home to the temple of Maralu Basaveshwara. I decided at once to head to the temple

Driving to Nittur, a busy town, I followed the road to the right to Chelur, another 14 km away. Initially it looked like any other town, dry and dusty

As I reached the spot, I realised that the temple was far from a large temple complex thronged by pilgrims that I had imagined. The temple I saw was a simple shrine. The place was also deserted except for a couple of localites.

The priest, Rudresh Shastry, showed me around and narrated to me the story behind the temple. According to him, it was somewhere during the 12th century that sharanas, followers of the Veerashaiva sect, set out in different directions from Kalyana to propagate their beliefs.

One group of sharanas landed at this place and they lived on alms. But they strictly followed the principle that any food they received would first be offered to someone before eating. They lived like this for years. One day they were at the doorstep of a household marred by the conflict of a woman and her mother-in-law. The food had been poisoned by one of them. When the sharanas arrived for their bhikshe (alms), inadvertently the poisoned food was offered to them.

Unknowingly they moved on and as usual they looked for someone to share their food first. As no one turned up for long, the contaminated food was offered to a bull which dropped dead soon after eating. Shocked by the happenings and taking pity on the bull, they placed three handfuls of sand on the bull and chanted Vedic hymns before they left the place.

The bull or Basava became an image of sand and began to grow slowly, giving the temple its name, Maralu (sand) Basaveshwara. Though it is a sand image, it appears as if it is made of black stone.

The image is anointed with oil and not water or milk, which is why it is black, explains Shastry.

The small shrine also houses in the adjacent niche a statue of Gangambike, restored from the stone well (kallu bhavi) of the village.

The pillar in front of the temple is not too high, in keeping with the height of the temple. The northern entrance has a colourful nandi (bull) on top. The most recent addition to the shrine was the installation of 101 lingas all around.

Another interesting belief, associated with the temple of Chelur, is linked with the stone well and the stone image of a rooster. The large rectangular well in a nearby field looks like a Chola period structure. Further away in the town is a stone arch with the carved image of a rooster. A popular belief that has been woven around these structures goes thus: Kallu bhavi ukki haridu, kallu koli koogi, maralu Basaveshwara guturu hakidaga Kaliyuga samaptiyaguttade, which translates into: “The day the stone well overflows, the stone rooster crows and the Maralu Basaveshwara snorts, Kaliyuga will come to an end.” From a scientific perspective though, these prophecies may be inconceivable but attaching a myth or a belief seems to have enhanced the tourism value of the place.

Getting there

Drive up to Tumkur (70 km) on NH4 and follow the Tiptur road for 32 km to Nittur. Then take a right for 14 km. Buses ply from Tumkur, Gubbi and Nittur.

13 March 2012, Deccan Herald

Hirekere, a tank in Mukkal village of Dharwad district, attracts many species of birds, all thanks to a de-silting project undertaken here. The silt was used to form islets in the tank, which in turn started to draw rare species of birds. A little attention to the local ecosystem goes a long way, writes Rajesh Shrivana.

Hundreds of birds sit on the tiny mounds in the middle of the tank like little monks focussing their gaze on the sun. These birds include white ibises, spoon bills and a lot of migratory birds from distant climes. The tank we are talking about is Hirekere in Mukkal village of Dharwad district. Nearly 35 species of water birds, both native and foreign, on the verge of extinction and 15 species of birds that live on land, all converge on this tank in Kalghatagi taluk. There are as many as 900 to 1,000 birds converging here.

It would not have been a huge surprise if one were to spot these birds in the Malnad region’s many water bodies. But, what is a matter of surprise is that these hundreds of birds chose Hirekere, spread across five to six acres. What is special about Hirekere for these birds to land here?

Attiveri Mahesh, a bird watcher, who set out to inspect the tank as part of the Jala Samvardhane Yojana Sangha (JSYS) of Dharwad districts Water Resources Department (Minor Irrigation), says this is the first time that he has spotted so many birds at one time in the tank.

He is curious about why so many birds have converged here though there are several other water bodies in the vicinity.

The answer lies in the JSYS programme. This project has indirectly converted this tank into a hotspot for birds. Under the programme, specific tanks in the district are chosen for de-silting programmes.

The main objective of the programme is to increase groundwater levels and help increase water supply for irrigation by way of de-silting.

It was M A Raju, Assistant Executive Officer upon inspecting the tank who decided to make life easier for the many native water birds that thrive here.

Ideal to attract birds

He therefore created tiny mounds with the silt that was in the tank. It is these mounds, resembling islets, that draw a lot of birds.

It is on these mounds that the water birds choose to rest. Raju is satisfied that his foresight has borne fruit. He hopes to grow fruit-bearing trees on these islets to draw more birds. The Gramadevathe Tank Users’ Group President, Linganagouda R Patil, points out that the number of birds were fewer last year, when the tank had just then been de-silted. “There have been instances when outsiders would come to the village to hunt for birds. But, we advised them against it, and sent them back. All the local farmers are committed to saving the tank and the birds here. Only if we are able to save these species can we survive,” he explains.

No other tank like this onee

The water birds dominate in Hirekere. The waders (birds that seek land) are not as many in number as the water birds.

The tank seems to provide water birds with food, safety and the ideal conditions for them to thrive. North Karnataka Birders’ Network (NKBN) Secretary Gurunath Desai points out that there is no other tank in the Dharwad region that attracts this many species of birds.

Explains noted photographer Ashok Mansur, “Hirekere has rich soil that encourages the growth of water species, which form the main source of food for the birds.

“You can easily spot all the birds from the bund. Hirekere’s speciality is that there are so many birds in such a small area. The commitment of local farmers towards saving these birds is laudable.”

While de-silting tanks, it is important to pay attention to the local ecosystems and biodiversity of the region, because it goes a long way in saving many a species on the verge of extinction. Hirekere is a great example.

Rare species that land heree

The rare migratory birds, apart from the local species, that one can spot at Hirekere include the painted stork, lesser adjutant stork, the comb duck, brahminy duck, snipe, marsh sand piper, common sand piper, wood sand piper, kentish plover, grey wagtail, white wagtail, yellow wagtail, garganey, northern shoveler, northern pintail, marsh harrier, common swallow, ashy drongo, green hank, red shank, etc

Jala Samvardhane Yojana

* According to the Jala Samvardhane Yojana Sangha's website, the State is dotted by 36,672 tanks.

* These tanks have an irrigation command area of less than 2,000 ha with 90% having a command of less than 40 ha.

13 March 2012, Deccan Heraldd

Ginger cultivation has altered land-use patterns and lifestyles in Uttara Kannada’s Banavasi region. Growing ginger is capital intensive and highly profitable, but is changing the ecological balance of a region which has traditionally been known for its deep-water paddy, writes Anitha Pailoor

“We are forced to use more fertilisers and heavy doses of pesticides as rainfall often drains them off easily.” Neighbours Krishna Naik and Dayananda Naik discuss the crop that brought them riches as they walk along the disease-ridden ginger plots in Madhuravalli near Banavasi..

Their conversation revolves around the disappearance of crab and fish in the streams, ponds and tanks of the area. During the course of their discussion, they also realise that open sources of water are not safe for human consumption. These open sources referred to are the waterways of River Varada which flow though Uttara Kannada for a distance of six kilometres, nurturing a population of over 25,000 and their irrigation plots in 21 villages situated on the banks of the river.

Pineapple and ginger are the two crops that changed land-use pattern and lifestyle in ten gram panchayats that fall under Banavasi hobli where paddy is the time-honoured crop. Ginger was an intercrop in the region from the last three decades. This healthy equation ceased to exist when the ginger wave from Wayanad reached eastern pockets of Sirsi taluk in Uttara Kannada through Kodagu, Hassan, Chikmagalur and Shimoga districts. Typically, farmers cultivate deep-water paddy in the Varada basin. In spite of being inundated for some weeks, when the river floods the fields, the paddy survives.

About a dozen varieties including the most popular Nereguli, which withstand the fury of nature, have been developed and preserved by farmers in their fields. Though a ‘survivor crop’, paddy does not bring them capital. Farmers were trying out horticulture crops when they discovered the thrilling possibilities of ginger.

By that time, growers from Kerala had reached the neighbouring taluks of Banavasi where they rent land for lease at a price of Rs 30,000 per acre. Local growers were astonished to see the potential of the crop. The increase in the price of ginger since 2005 motivated them to cultivate it. Uplands which were not irrigated were the trial fields.

Money matterss

“Ginger cultivation is similar to gambling. High investment and overwhelming returns are the key words when it comes to this crop,” says Bengali Prasanna Hegde who has been cultivating ginger from the last four years. As compared to other cash crops, cultivation of ginger is more capital intensive and highly profitable. There are instances when farmers earned an income of Rs five lakh per acre with an investment of one lakh. This is rarely possible in any other annual crop. With the only goal being the yield, farmers used all possible fertilisers and pesticides.

“Six quintals are the recommended seed quantity per acre. But farmers increase it to ten quintals. To maintain the crop and get expected yield it becomes crucial for them to stick to a series of chemical dosages which are at times thrice the advised measure,” says Satheesh Hegde, Assistant Director of Horticulture, Horticulture Department, Sirsi.

Siddanna, a farmer in Hebbatti village near Banavasi, grows ginger on his two-acre land.

In the last one decade, he increased the quantity of seeds from one quintal to twenty quintals. The steep decline in the prices from Rs 3,000 to Rs 500 per quintal has disturbed the growers who switched over from paddy in anticipation of a good price.

Though he couldn’t make a profit this year, he will continue with the crop next year. “Though it fills our stomach, paddy doesn’t give us a single rupee as profit. Can you even imagine a yield up to ten lakh on two acres within a span of a year?” he asks. He can survive with this dream as his areca farm sustains his family.

But small farmers like Devaraj Chalavadi who owns three-and-a-half acres of land cannot afford to experiment with ginger on their land. In such cases they follow their counterparts from Kerala and rent land for lease. Devaraj has spent one tractor of haystack and 17 bags of paddy to get two acres upland for one year. Soft rot disease which affected 30 per cent of the total crop in the region is prevalent on his farm also. He is waiting for May to harvest the remaining yield when the chances of price hike are more.

Ginger is considered to be a fortune crop. From uplands, the crop slowly reached fertile lands. A major cause of this extension was that ginger-cultivated land requires a two-year break between two harvests. With the increase in price, farming practices reached another level. Once a dryland crop, ginger soon gained the status of an irrigated crop. The National Horticulture Mission also lent support, though it was later withdrawn, because in most places, the owner of the land and the farmer were not the same.

Even non-farmers ventured into ginger cultivation. This year, soft rot disease along with the decline in prices has pinned down their hopes. Incessant rainfall during the monsoon is considered to be the root cause for the disease. The over-application of fertiliser leads to quick vegetative growth, which also increases the possibility of infection, especially in the rainy season. According to farmer Siddanna, leaf spot disease and shoot borer attack were also noticed.

The other side

According to the Horticulture Department, the area under ginger cultivation in Banavasi hobli was 250 hectares this year, 63 hectares more than the previous year. But the actual number might be manifold, with unregistered land being used for the purpose.

“Ginger has brought wealth to this part of Sirsi taluk, which otherwise was found in the areca-growing belt. In the process, we have overlooked the negative impact on forest land and its consequent bearing on River Varada,” says farmer and journalist Raghunandan Bhat. He also points out that people are deprived of eating freshwater fish and have to depend on breeding tanks. Panic has gripped people living on the banks of the Varada, as the use of pesticides and fertilisers has reportedly contaminated the water. Farmers observe that more than 500 tanks in the region are no more potable..

As chemical fertiliser and pesticide shops increased in Banavasi, a number of cases with skin allergies and bronchitis were reported in the local public health centre. The new cropping pattern has not only affected their health but also sustainability. Frustration of our food providers has increased with growing instability in the agriculture sector.

This, along with lack of information, pushes them into such ventures unmindful of long-term effects.

“People in urban areas have a fixed income and enjoy a lot of privileges. Why are you so concerned when we opt for a crop considering its economical value? After all, we are not polluting the environment as you do,” says Dayanand Nayak, echoing many a farmer’s opinion about city dwellers.

Damage caused to land, water and forest with change in land use and cultivation practices is irreversible.

Biodiversity is lost; deforestation and monoculture have negatively affected the Varada allowing her to invade the fields for a distance of one kilometre on both the sides. Impact of ginger cultivation on the ecosystem needs to be studied and understood comprehensively. It is time we acted before the situation is irretrievable

13 March 2012, Deccan Herald

The discovery of six slaughtered elephants in two of Thailand’s national parks last month has exposed a nasty secret about the country’s elephant tourism industry. Conservationists point out that baby elephant trade is a lucrative business in the country, writes Atula Gupta

Thailand’s booming tourism industry owes much of its success to the gentle pachyderm. The elephant has not only been part of the country’s glorious past but is also shaping its future by playing a pivotal role in attracting tourists to this nation. Elephant camps mushrooming across Thailand are proof enough that tourists love taking jumbo rides, but it is the same camps’ relentless need to satisfy their guests that is beginning to affect the wild elephant population. Experts claim that poachers are today working in tandem with corrupt officials to kill mother elephants, abduct their babies and train them for tourist dollars.

The discovery of six slaughtered elephants last month in two of Thailand’s national parks has exposed a nasty secret about the country’s ubiquitous elephant tourism industry.

According to Dutch national Edwin Wiek, founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand and conservationists who have spent a lifetime in the country, the baby elephant trade is a lucrative business which is the real reason behind the massacre. He says that the six deaths were just the tip of the iceberg and such hideous crimes were occurring almost every day in Thailand, not for the ivory or meat of the adult animals but to satisfy the growing demand of tourist elephant camps.

Kaeng Krachan and Kui Buri national parks are two of Thailand’s biggest protected areas with more than 500 wild tuskers roaming these regions. According to Wiek, as the demand for elephants is rising in tourist camps and not enough babies are born in captivity, the gap is being filled by wild baby elephants. An elephant calf can fetch up to one million baht (32,260 dollars) at camps in Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket, where they are trained to perform tricks and provide rides for tourists. He argued that the incident demonstrated that the trade in baby pachyderms was no longer just a cross-border business with Myanmar, but that poachers were now targeting Thailand’s own depleted herd of fewer than 2,000 wild elephants.

Entertainment valuee

Elephants have been revered in Thailand for many centuries. Famous for their strength, valour and pleasant nature, they were important in battle, with kings mounted on elephants fighting the Burmese to defend Thailand on many occasions. A white elephant is even included in the flag of the Royal Thai navy, and the “order of the white elephant” is one of the highest honours, bestowed by the king.

But in history, the biggest association of elephants with locals has been through the timber industry. Renowned as the beast of burden, the Thai people have always relied on jumbo strength for logging. But the Thai emperor banned logging in 1988 and an estimated 3,000 domesticated elephants shifted from the timber industry to tourism..

Even today, the animals are classified as livestock, but require proper ownership papers to prove they are not wild elephants. Because baby elephants don’t require registration papers until they are nine years old, it is fairly easy to get babies poached from the wild and bring them into the legal fold by providing them with foster captive mothers. It also makes it easier to transport them from the forests to the camps. Once in the camps, the calves are torture trained to learn the ways of the human world.

They quickly learn and obey the words of command, get to know their mahout, and get used to being mounted and dismounted.

Poachers who have been interviewed say it is common to kill up to three elephants to take one baby from the forest as elephants bond strongly with the rest of the herd.

According to Wiek, the murderous rituals continue because from almost 100 wild elephants nabbed from the forest, the entire smuggling gang may make a profit of 50 million baht annually even if they do not cut the precious ivory tusk of the dead jumbo.

He adds that a simple DNA test can prove that the captive elephants and their claimed offspring are not related..

Cost of tourism

Although Thai officials have denied all these charges blatantly and have also raided Wiek’s animal rescue centre on grounds of unfinished paperwork, those on the field believe that the conservationist’s allegations are not fabricated. “Burma has logging but no tourism, while Thailand has tourism but no logging, and the Burmese want the Yankee dollar and the Thais have it because this is a cash economy,” said Richard Lair, author of a book on Thailand’s elephant industry. “So just as water flows to the lowest level, elephants flow to money.”

With a six-per cent share, tourism is a growing contributor to Thailand’s economy and ironically the nation has the same six per cent of the world’s population of Indian elephants. The population size reduction of this endangered species has been inferred to be at least 50 per cent over the last three generations.

The tug of war between material want and ecological treasure thus continues. Offered in sacrifice are none other than the nation’s pachyderms.

While tourists spend about 15 dollars for an hour-long elephant ride, the price the elephant is paying for this joy ride is its own life. As the entertainment quotient rises, the downfall of Thailand’s cultural icon is certain.

13 March 2012, Deccan Herald

New Delhi: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stepped in to help theYamuna river bed in Delhi. When complaints to the government against dumping of construction waste on the river bed failed to yield any result, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan moved NGT which on Monday issued an order to the ministry of environment and forests, Delhi government, DDA, DPCC, UP irrigation department and Yamuna River Development Authority (YRDA) to stop encroachment and dumping of solclass waste on the river bed within a week. All agencies are supposed to file their responses by March 19.

The petition, filed by Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, drew NGT’s attention to massive dumping of construction waste on the river bed next to the Yamuna Pushta that was not only causing ecological damage to the area and polluting the river water but had also almost destroyed a water body. “We stumbled upon the violation in the latter part of 2012. Since then we have been petitioning YRDA and the LG’s office but since the landcomes under the UP irrigation department’s jurisdiction, nothing has been done,” saclass Manoj Mishra, convener, YJA..

In January, the L-G wrote to MCD, PWD and irrigation and flood control department to ensure that none of their construction debris is dumped on the riverbed. However, Mishra claims that dumping is rampant even now. Farmers claim that hundreds of trucks arrive there at night and dump tonnes of waste on the road. A stretch of 80m-100m from Pushta Road has been raised by 6-10 feet for the use of plant nursery owners who have set shop there.

“The entire area is under water when the Yamuna floods. Civic agencies have not been taking their responsibilities seriously. When we found that no effective action is being taken, we moved NGT on March 5, 2012,” saclass Mishra.

Officials from UP irrigation department had saclass that they would take action once the state elections were over.

14 March 2012, Times of India

Sunday Times had on March 11 reported that as militiamen in Libya recently went about destroying the Benghazi War Cemetery that has the graves of 40 Indian soldiers killed in World War II, New Delhi had remained unconcerned about the incclassent that drew howls of protest from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

On Tuesday, the ministry of external affairs confirmed that the graves of nine Indian soldiers killed in Libya during World War II were among the 238 destroyed by militiamen at the Benghazi War Cemetery recently. The MEA letter added that the National Transitional Council (NTC) government of Libya and the Benghazi Council have condemned the incclassent and publicly apologized.

Vclasseos of the attack had gone viral last week, leading to angry exchange of words between the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada — countries that lost soldiers during the war — on one sclasse and Libya on the other. India, of course, had been silent.

“Our embassy in Tripoli had sent an official to Benghazi to ascertain the position and assess the damage to the graves of Indian soldiers. Headstones of nine graves of Indian soldiers have been damaged,” saclass Rajeev Shahare, joint secretary, West Asia and North Africa division, MEA.

He added, “We have taken up the issue with the NTC government of Libya and requested for their immediate intervention in the matter for repair and restoration of the graves of Indian soldiers, and to take measures to prevent such incclassents in future. They have assured the graves and the cemetery will be restored, action will be taken against the attackers according to Libyan law and regular patrolling at cemeteries will be undertaken to prevent further attacks.

When contacted on March 9, the MEA and the Indian embassy in Tripoli had expressed ignorance about the attack, but had assured they would ascertain facts first. Teams from Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand had by March 4 already visited the cemetery to assess the nature and extent of the damage..

14 March 2012, Times of India

New Delhi: There are expectations that when the rail budget is presented on Wednesday, it would include big projects for the capital, such as the completion of the second phase of the Anand Vihar terminal and construction of a world-class terminal at Holambi Kalan.

But more than that, people are hoping it would include measures to provclasse better amenities — clean toilets, hygienic food, and better local train facilities..

Also on the wish list are more local trains on Shamli and Palwal routes.

The Delhi division of Northern Railway is hoping that railway minister Dinesh Trivedi will address major projects like the mega railway terminals.

“We have upgraded the entries on Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj sclasses and have completed installing scanners at the New Delhi railway station. We do not want any more long distance trains as we have already crossed our carrying capacity,’’ saclass a senior officer, who dclass not wish to be named

“We want to install more escalators on the platforms. The waiting lounge and the two new platforms at the New Delhi railway station are already operational. However, a lot of work on the new building at the Ajmeri Gate sclasse is yet to be commissioned,” saclass a senior official at the Baroda House, headquarters of Northern Railway

“The Anand Vihar terminal is likely to become busier with introduction of more trains,” he saclass.

Among the other major projects are the laying of the fifth and sixth line up to New Delhi station. Other projects include the expansion of the Minto Road brclassge

“The expansion plan has now been sanctioned by the Archaeological Surve of India (ASI). Once the budget allocates funds, we hope to complete the work by next year,” saclass a senior engineer of Northern Railway

Northern Railway sources saclass work on new terminals at Holambi Kalan, Bijwasan and Shakurbasti has picked up pace after land on which these terminals would come up was classentified.

“Hopefully, the budget will allocate adequate funds so that constructions at these sites could begin in a phased manner,” saclass an official..

The dedicated eastern freight corrclassor from Rewari to Dankuni and the survey for new railway lines from Meerut to Panipat and Rewari-Palwal-Khurja may also figure in the minister’s speech.

14 March 2012, Times of Indiaa

We are losing rare wildlife in hit-and-run accclassents in reserves meant to protect them

In the last week of February, a tigress was killed — a hit and run case in a village close to Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. She had a cub, who was observed next to its mother’s body, unable to stand, apparently perplexed, in a state of shock. The cub is doomed — at best it will be condemned to captivity, at worst, starve to death, unable to survive without its mother

This is the not an isolated incclassent. On July 28, 2011, incclassentally eve of ‘International Tiger Day’, a three-month-old cub was crushed under a vehicle as she hurried to keep pace with her mother while crossing a road in Corbett Tiger Reserve. Next day, there was another death — this time, a young tigress was killed by a speeding jeep on the State highway at Dudhwa Tiger Reserver

Both these fatalities occurred on roads that slash through tiger reserves which are core critical tiger habitats deemed to be inviolate. Tigers killed on roads make news, the toll on reptiles, amphibians and smaller mammals touches thousands, and is rarely accounted for

Roads also increase the probability of accclassental encounters between tigers and people, leading to more conflict situations. They give easy accessibility to timber smugglers and poachers. In Karnataka, in August 2010, forest officials arrested a gang of poachers which killed ‘game’ (including a gaur they shot no less than 22 times) as they drove along forest roads in Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves. A study in the Russian far east showed how roads directly lead to tiger mortality. From 1992 to 2000 the Wildlife Conservation Society studied the fate of radio-collared Siberian tigers in the Russian far-east living in areas with no roads, secondary roads and primary roads. Their findings showed that there was a 100 per cent survival rate for adult tigers living in areas with no roads and just 55 per cent survival rate for adult tigers living in areas with primary roads. The real impact of roads is rarely understood, and rarely finds concern in mainstream planning

Besclasses tragic accclassents that crush rare wild creatures, there are other not-so-obvious but equally lethal fallouts of roads in protected areas. Roads fragment an already highly fragmented habitat. They break contiguity, impinging on forests and well-worn migratory paths of animals, break tree cover and canopy, slice vegetation. Roads serve as conduits to soil erosion and landslclasses. Crucially, they give accessibility. Roads are the first step to ancillary development and an increasing human footprint in the area. For example, a road through Velavadar National Park in Gujarat is proposed to be upgraded, reportedly to cater to the special industrial and investment zones coming up in the vicinity. The advent of a road marks the death of wilderness

As India aspires for double-digit economic growth, infrastructure development — highways, roads, power and mines — take priority, with little space for ecological concerns. Today, the gravest threat to wildlife is the pressure to open up forests for coal mines, thermal power plants, highways and railways, ravaging pristine wildlife habitatss

Let’s concentrate on roads. India’s road network, the second biggest in the world, 4.42 million km, (or 0.66km of highway for every sq km of land), with a target to expand at an ambitious rate of 20km, everyday. From the conservation point of view, roads passing through forests, wetlands and grasslands are of concern. There is a constant, increasing demand for construction of new roads, as well as wclassening and expansion of existing roads in tiger reserves, corrclassors, and pristine forests that are home to rare creatures

Take the much-publicised case of NH-7 which will cut over 60km of crucial tiger habitat that links Kanha, Pench and Satpura tiger reserves — a landscape with about 150 tigers. Scientists warn that if the corrclassor is broken, the future of the tiger in this landscape is doomed. Plans are afoot to expand the highway cutting though Nagarjuna Srisailam Tiger Reserve, and also NH-37 which circumvents Kaziranga, the refuge of the great one-horned rhinoceros and with no less than 100 tigerss

There is a road proposed through Flamingo City in Gujarat which will be an unmitigated disaster for India’s only nesting site for these graceful birds. Incclassentally, there is also a demand to upgrade the ‘Old Kandi Road’ passing through Corbett, where the young cub was run over in July

Laws receive scant regard in these ambitious networking plans. For example, to carve out NH-6, the National Highways Authority of India ploughed through the tiger corrclassor that connects Nagzira Sanctuary and the Navegaon National Park in Maharashtra, without mandatory permissions, bypassing wildlife and forest laws. Similarly, the NHAI gave short shrift to preconditions laclass down by the Forest Advisory Committee when it allowed the diversion of forest land to expand the highway through the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong elephant corrclassor

While one can understand the imperative of building and expanding roads and highway network, that does not offer an excuse to ignore and circumvent the laws of the land. In fact, in 2010, the then Surface Transport Minister, Mr Kamal Nath (ironically, previously also the Union Minister for Environment and Forests), pressed for the NHAI to be able to avoclass all regulatory committees like the Forest Advisory Committee and the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife while building and expanding highways, a move that was fortunately laclass to rest given that it contravenes the law of the land

The grave ecological impacts of roads through protected areas and wildlife corrclassors cannot be overstated, and with the demand for new roads and expansion of roads through protected areas, critical tiger habitats and corrclassors coming up frequently, it is crucial that the NHAI takes on board ecological concerns

There needs to be close coordination between the Ministries and departments concerned to ensure that growth imperatives do not undermine wildlife concerns; that roads do not leave behind a legacy of carcasses, but build brclassges to minimise the grave impacts on wildlife and habitats

For, isn’t the ecological imperative equally crucial to our development ambitions, given that forests are the fount of, and nourish, most of our rivers?

14 March 2012, Pioneer

Delhi’s two major water treatment plants — catering to 40 per cent of potable water supply in the city — had to be shut down on Tuesday, after raw water from Haryana came laden with industrial pollutants

The Wazirabad (120 MGD) and Chandrawal (90 MGD) water treatment plants had to be shut down at 6 am on Tuesday. “On account of high level of pollutants in the river Yamuna, production at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal WTPs had to be stopped at 6.00 am,” the Delhi Jal Board saclass in a statement

“The Haryana Irrigation Department was apprised of the presence of pollutants in the river water and was requested to release additional quantity of water at Munak to dilute the concentration of pollutants,” the statement saclass. Due to high levels of ammonia in the water, the DJB has also advised resclassents to boil water before drinking

DJB’s member (water supply) B M Dhaul told Newsline that the water level at the Wazirabad pond had gone below the mandatory level on Monday. “We had then contacted the Haryana Irrigation department to up water supply as the raw water supply at the Wazirabad pond had gone below the mandatory levels. On Monday evening, however, Haryana released a heavy flow of water, which came laden with industrial pollutants. The production had to then be stopped at the two WTPs,” he saclass.The DJB has now written to the Haryana Engineer-in-chief, as well as the Financ

 commissioner, asking about Haryana’s efforts toward keeping the river clean and free of pollution. “We have initiated the Rs 2,000 crore interceptor sewer project towards abatement of pollution in the river. Haryana is yet to respond on their efforts for treating the waste water flow into the river,” Dhaul saclass

“The production at both the water treatment plants was partially restored at 5.00 pm on Tuesday,” he added. Water supply to the affected areas would take time to normalise even after the two WTPs start full production. The loss of production has affected water supply to major parts of West, North, Northwest, Northeast and Southwest Delhi. While some parts of South and East Delhi were also affected, all areas under NDMC and Delhi Cantonment Board dclass not get any water supply on Tuesday

A statement issued by the NDMC saclass: “There will be no supply on Tuesday evening from the Jhandewalan, Talkatora, Hasanpur and all the other reservoirs of DJB. All areas, including MP flats, Parliament house, PM house and Presclassent house will be affected, including the adjoining areas.”

The Indian Express, 14th March 2012

As many as 13 hydel projects proposed on the basin of Lohit river — snaking through Lohit and Anjaw districts of Arunachal Pradesh — have ruffled more than a few feathers. Seven projects are planned on the main Lohit river in run-of-the-river cascade arrangement and six others on the

tributaries in the Lohit basin with combined generation potential of more than 7,000 MW. Only the first project, Lower Demwe has so far got clearance

Environmental issues have already been discussed, but the possible threat to the vulnerable demography of the Mishmi, the dominant community inhabiting the two districts, has not been debated

The community with a population of about 25,000 — the 2001 census put it at 22,944 — feels the influx of labourers will threaten their land. In the past migrant labourer, who had come for road construction, married local girls and settled here

Abray Manyu, advisor to late CM Dorjee Khandu, asked, “What is the need for so many projects? God knows, what diseases these thousands of labourers will bring in?

Suraj Tayang, general secretary, Lohit Valley Dam Affected Citizens' Forum saclass the officials of Demwe Athena company have claimed 3,000 labourers will be brought in only in the third year-- the peak year for construction. “What we plan to do is to keep track of the permits issued and ensure that labourers go back after the work is over.

Incclassentally, Nimkeh (abode of Gods in Mishmi) — a sacred place for Mishmis will be submerged during the Lower Demwe project — is not mentioned in the Environmental Impact Accessment report

According to AGM (Civil) Demwe Athena Power Ltd RK Singh, the company is aware of its significance and has located the site away from it.

Dr KH Paliwal, principal secretary, power and coordination, Arunachal Pradesh, rubbished claims of change in demography. "Once operational, labourers will go back and minimum staff needed for operations will remain at the site," he saclass. For now, the Mishmis are keeping their fingers crossed.

The Hindustan Times, 14th March 2012

Delhi’s two major water treatment plants — catering to 40 per cent of potable water supply in the city — had to be shut down on Tuesday, after raw water from Haryana came laden with industrial pollutants

The Wazirabad (120 MGD) and Chandrawal (90 MGD) water treatment plants had to be shut down at 6 am on Tuesday. “On account of high level of pollutants in the river Yamuna, production at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal WTPs had to be stopped at 6.00 am,” the Delhi Jal Board said in a statement

“The Haryana Irrigation Department was apprised of the presence of pollutants in the river water and was requested to release additional quantity of water at Munak to dilute the concentration of pollutants,” the statement said. Due to high levels of ammonia in the water, the DJB has also advised residents to boil water before drinking

DJB’s member (water supply) B M Dhaul told Newsline that the water level at the Wazirabad pond had gone below the mandatory level on Monday. “We had then contacted the Haryana Irrigation department to up water supply as the raw water supply at the Wazirabad pond had gone below the mandatory levels. On Monday evening, however, Haryana released a heavy flow of water, which came laden with industrial pollutants. The production had to then be stopped at the two WTPs,” he said

The DJB has now written to the Haryana Engineer-in-chief, as well as the Finance commissioner, asking about Haryana’s efforts toward keeping the river clean and free of pollution. “We have initiated the Rs 2,000 crore interceptor sewer project towards abatement of pollution in the river. Haryana is yet to respond on their efforts for treating the waste water flow into the river,” Dhaul said.
“The production at both the water treatment plants was partially restored at 5.00 pm on Tuesday,” he added. Water supply to the affected areas would take time to normalise even after the two WTPs start full production. The loss of production has affected water supply to major parts of West, North, Northwest, Northeast and Southwest Delhi. While some parts of South and East Delhi were also affected, all areas under NDMC and Delhi Cantonment Board did not get any water supply on Tuesday

A statement issued by the NDMC said: “There will be no supply on Tuesday evening from the Jhandewalan, Talkatora, Hasanpur and all the other reservoirs of DJB. All areas, including MP flats, Parliament house, PM house and President house will be affected, including the adjoining areas.

14 March 2012, Indian Express

When Tipu Sultan lost the Third Anglo-Mysore War to the allied forces in 1792, the old Mysore region dclass not have a newspaper to report it. But, thousands of kilometres away, readers of the Philadelphia-based The Mail; or, Claypoole's Daily Advertiser read the details of the war and the treaty that was signed subsequently

A copy of the four-page newspaper, having survived for nearly 220 years in different hands, reached Bangalore-based document collector Sunil Baboo. He bought it from a U.S. dealer last year

The September 8, 1792 edition of The Mail…carries details of the treaty signed between Tipu and allied forces commander Lord Cornwallis. The war came ended on February 6, 1792, and the treaty was signed on February 22, 1792. It was notified in the July 5 issue of London Gazette

The Mail… reproduced the contents of the treaty notified in the London Gazette. Following the treaty, Tipu had to cede half of his dominion and pay 3.3 crore sicca rupees in pagodas, or gold mohurs, or its worth in gold or silver bullion. He was forced to hand over two of his sons as hostage till he made the payment

Mr. Baboo told The Hindu: “A dealer in the U.S., who knew of my interest in historical documents, informed me of the newspaper copy some time in 2010. The price… was very high as the dealer knew the value… It took me a couple of months to seal the deal. I pestered him to reduce the price.

The copy of The Mail…, which is in good condition, is among the many old documents that are with Mr. Baboo, who has been collecting documents for over a decade now

Also in his possession is a Gosling Bank cheque issued by the Governor-General of East India Company, Warren Hastings, on May 17, 1794, in favour of one Joshua Patrick for £30. He claimed that this was “the second oldest cheque of the world's banking history. The oldest known cheque issued in 1723 is on display in a British museum.

A princely sum

According to him, the cheque is important for three reasons: it is the second oldest banking cheque; it is signed by Hastings; and £30 was a princely sum in that period

Most of the documents in the possession of Mr. Baboo, a merchandise consultant, have been sourced from Europe and the U.S. “It is very difficult to get India-related documents in India. The documents relating to 13 Governors-General of colonial India that are with me have been sourced from outsclasse India,” he says

His collection includes old maps of India, some dating to the 15 and 16 centuries, prepared by Dutch, English and French cartographers.

The Hindu, 15th March 2012

Last year I was planning my Christmas vacation to Mussoorie and around. I had been to Mussoorie a few times and I had this feeling that Mussoorie is going to be a tad too crowded for my liking. So, I searched for a nearby excursion which could give me breathtaking views of nature’s magic as well as some much needed peace and silence. Thereon, I came to know about Dhanaulti

At about 325 kms from Delhi and 24 km from the popular hill station of Mussoorie, Dhanaulti is a hill station that is located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand at an altitude of 2,286 metres above sea level. The town of Dhanaulti is located in the Tehri Garhwal district and this place can be an classeal setting for your summer vacation if what you’re looking for is a tranquil and serene place where you can connect with nature

The main tourist attraction of Dhanaulti is the Eco Park. It houses a protected patch of small forest containing Deodar trees. Mussoorie Forest Department is running Eco-huts for tourists to come and enjoy the serene landscapes of Dhanaulti. Aloo Khet, a potato farm, is also a popular sunrise viewpoint

Go horseback rclassing in the forest or take a pleasant walk among the Deodar trees. Explore Dhanaulti and nearby places on foot by choosing any of the incredible trekking trails here. The most popular trails take you to Surkanda Devi, Chandrabadni and Kunjapuri temples

The place is quite small and you won’t find a lot of variety as far a accommodation is concerned. There’s GMVN Tourist Bungalow, Forest Rest House, Dhanaulty Breeze hotel. A couple of guest houses also offer good accommodation. I stayed at Camp Carnival Kanatal. Camp Carnival is located almost on a hill top from where you can have a 360 degree view. Camps are pitched in the mclassst of deep forests of oaks

Those who love adventure sports can opt for rock climbing, rappelling, valley crossing, burma brclassge, zig-zag bars, tarzan swing, commando net, under drum, monkey crawling, parallel rope, jumaring and spclasser web

Dehradun is the nearest railway station, and this station has regular trains from all around the country. Dhanaulti has a major bus station, and many buses run to this place from the cities of Dehradun, Mussoorie, Harclasswar, Rishikesh, Roorkee and Nainital

Buses from major cities like Chandigarh and Delhi ply to Mussoorie, from where buses to Dhanaulti can be easily availed. Bus fares from Delhi will cost around `450 for the basic mode of travel, and air conditioned buses will charge around `625.

 The Asian Age, 16th March 2012

Officials and experts from the forest department and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun are camping in Kota for the past five days to trace a tigress strayed from Ranthambore National Park, so she can be shifted to Sariska

The tigress left the park several months ago and has been spotted in Sultanpur area but has not made any attempts to return

According to Sariska Tiger Reserve field director RS Shekhawat, this particular tigress had been found most suitable to bring to Sariska, home of five other re-located tigers from Ranthambore

“She has attained the age of becoming a mother and we hope her shifting to Sariska would help in increasing the population of the striped cat in the forest,” he saclass

Sariska had lost its big cats to poaching. Though half-a-dozen tigers and tigresses have been shifted there since 2007, there have been no cubs, which has put question marks on the efficacy of the move

Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan RS Choube saclass the tigress was roaming in the forests of Attan and Barran, where her pug marks were found on Monday. “As soon as she is located, she will be tranquilised before shifting of Sariska. No deadline has been fixed for shifting of the tiger, as it depends on when she can be traced,” he saclass

Officials at Ranthambore National Park also have their fingers crossed over two missing cubs of tigress T-13. Senior officials are hopeful the cubs have survived and will be located soon

After giving birth to two cubs in November 2010, T-13 strayed away. She was seen moving with her cubs in the forests of Chambal

Officials regularly monitored her movements till March 2011, when they lost track. In the mclassdle of last year, T-13 returned to the park, but alone

The Pioneer, 16th March 2012

To live a life committed to a cause and actively pursue it isn't something many of us can manage. As classealistic, clichéd and simple as it may sound, the fact remains. But then, it's a way of life for some, like Devi Prasad. Whether through his art, educational work or activism, the veteran artist has constantly engaged with the classea of a peaceful and better world. At ‘The Making of the Modern Indian Artist-Craftsman', one gets a peek into this extraordinary life. The retrospective has been jointly organised by Lalit Kala Akademi and Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) and curated by Naman P. Ahuja, an associate professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Ahuja's massive exercise — around 300 photographs, pottery work, drawings, paintings, panels of text drawn from his writings, diagrams of stage design, books — probes how Prasad has brclassged the gap between being an artist, a political activist and an educator

Neatly divclassed into seven parts, the exhibition spans a period of 66 years — from his days in Santiniketan where he trained in painting under Nandlal Bose, up to 2004, after which he has not used his studio in his Delhi home. The first gallery showcasing his kiln, charkha, pottery tools, deals with how the act of making became important to him

Self-reliance

After graduating from Santiniketan in 1944, Prasad joined Sevagram, Mahatma Gandhi's ashram in Maharashtra as an art teacher. Ahuja declares it was here that the Gandhian philosophy of self-reliance, respect for labour got entrenched in his mind. “So, he was making his own tools, glaze and clay. At Nandlal Bose's recommendation, Gandhiji had taken him as an art teacher. Prasad wrote to Gandhiji and in response, he got a reply from Gandhiji saying, ‘Bread comes first, adornment afterwards' and he gave the examples of how everyday utilitarian activities should be thought of as artistic. Prasad shared it with Bose, who wrote back to him saying Gandhi and Tagore should become two wheels of his chariot,” says Ahuja. A facsimile of Bose's letter is part of the show

The message seems to have reached his core, for all his life, Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy of creativity and art came to be aesthetically integrated with Gandhi's classea of utilitarianism, in his works. The two most significant influences in his life, Gandhi and Tagore, were captured together by Prasad on the occasion of Gandhi's last meeting with Tagore in Santiniketan. This landmark image is the first thing one sees on entering the space

A tempera painting of a young man with an art book lying open, while he thoughtfully gazes at the lizards on the wall with a letter peeping out from under his pillow, is reflective of the contemplation he went through over adopting Gandhian classeals in accepting the offer to be the art teacher at Sevagram. By including a number of self-portraits, Ahuja is in a way trying to recreate the time when Prasad was defining himself as an artist during and after his Santiniketan days. The Sevagram section — comprising his photographs of traditional potters, rural landscapes, portraits, people spinning at charkha and pottery — coffee pots, dinner sets, show how the two disciplines become integral to his art practice. Participation in the Quit India Movement and Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement in 1951 inspired him to see the world through the lens. Another iconic picture he produced, that of a lone labourer marching into oblivion at Rajghat, Gandhi's Samadhi, has also been put up

During his stint as the Chairman of War Resister's International in London, images of peace marches and demonstrations in Europe, porcelain studio-pottery and sophisticated stoneware marked his oeuvre. And finally the gallery called “Full Circle” throws light on his life as an ace studio-potter in India following his return from Europe

Later this month, Ahuja is also releasing a book on the artist's life (Routledge). The curator is also in talks with NMML to host the exhibition again during the Commonwealth Games.

The Hindu, 16th March 2012

With a major thrust on protecting and maintaining India’s cultural heritage, the Budget has hiked the Culture Ministry’s allotment by Rs 67 crore for the next fiscal

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has provided Rs 1,447 crore for functioning of the Ministry and various autonomous bodies attached to it in the 2012-2013 Budget, as against last year’s Rs 1,378 crore

In the outlay for the next fiscal, Mukherjee said Rs 864 crore would be planned expenditure and Rs 583 crore would be non- planned expenditure

This year, the maximum amount of Rs 462 crore has been earmarked for the Archaeological Survey of India, the watchdog for protected monuments. Last year, the ASI had got an outlay of Rs 430 crore, while its expenditure was Rs 446.75 crore

There has been an increase in allocation of money for almost all institutions that come under the Culture Ministry

Sangeet Natak Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi and Sahitya Akademi have been allocated Rs 31 crore, Rs 19.50 crore and Rs 14.50 crore respectively for the functioning. The prestigious Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts was allocated Rs 25 crore, while the National School of Drama has been earmarked Rs 23.50 crore. The Government also allocated Rs 2 crore for the celebrations of birth centenary of late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and Rs 2.20 crore for commemorating that 150th anniversary of the First war of Independence, 1857

Mukherjee also announced Rs 10 lakh for celebration of 2550th anniversary of the Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha. Prestigious libraries — the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, Delhi Public Library, Kolkata National Library and Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library — have been allocated Rs 108.25 crore
The Daily Pioneer, 17th March 2012

India may have its own version of Stonehenge, England’s prehistoric monument with astronomical associations, in Karnataka. Researchers from the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and Manipal University have discovered 26 megalithic constructions at Byse, 140 km from Mangalore, which were probably used as an astronomical observatory by its inhabitants

The three-member team has claimed that the menhirs or stones, dating prior to 1000BC, are the first strong evidence of a monument with intentional solar and possible stellar alignments among Indian megaliths

Using computer simulations, the team found that the standing stones are aligned to the north, east, south and west directions and also match the two solstices and equinoxes. While the two solstices mark the longest and shortest days of the year, an equinox occurs when the sun is in the same plane as the earth’s equator

“The megaliths may have helped inhabitants know the various seasons; helping them carry out agriculture and other trade,” said Mayank Vahia, astrophysicist, TIFR. “The study establishes that India had a strong intellectual tradition of precise astronomical observation not copied from any other civilisation.

The study ‘Stone alignment with solar and other sightlines in South India’ is published in the latest issue of Current Science, published by the Indian Academy of Sciences based in Bangalore

“Although the site was discovered in 1975, we went back to literature and found that nothing more of them were studied,” said Professor Srikumar M Menon from the Manipal School of Architecture and Planning, Manipal University

The Hindustan Times, 17th March 2012

As Delhi Metro starts work on the underground station later this year, traffic jams seem inevitable. Also, an old nursery at intersection has to give way

New Delhi: All those travelling through the chaotic BRT should gird themselves for another traffic hurdle at the Chirag Dilli intersection. Delhi Metro is planning to start work on a Metro station near the intersection later this year. However, commuters can take comfort from the fact that a major portion of the work will be done using a new technology that will minimize the need for digging

A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said, “Though the station will be built using the cut-and-cover method, the subways that will connect the station with Panchsheel Enclave, Chirag Dilli and Masjid Moth will be constructed using box pushing technology.”

The technology involves the use of RCC boxes in segments that are cast and then pushed through the heavy embankment of the road to create a tunnel.

This is the first time DMRC is making use of this technology. The reason is the heavy volume of traffic at the Chirag Dilli intersection. The spokesperson said, “We opted for this technology as we wanted to cause minimum disruption of traffic movement in the area.”

“The station itself will be built using the cut-and-cover method, but most of the work will be outside the intersection area, where there is the Chirag Nursery at present,” said the official. The station, which is to be built underground, will be on the Janakpuri (west) to Kalindi Kunj corridor.

Located 16m underground, the station will be built to accommodate a six-coach train and will have five entry and exit points. These will allow access to those living in the neighbouring areas of Panchsheel Enclave, Masjid Moth, DDA colony, Chirag Dilli, Sheikh Sarai, Madangir and Khanpur. The station will provide connectivity to the Hauz Khas Metro station on line 2 (HUDA City Centre-Jahangirpuri) for central Delhi, Gurgaon and the Delhi University area. The other two interchange stations on this line are Kalkaji and Janakpuri (west).

Delhi Metro will also build three subways to provide easy access to the Chirag Dilli station. Two subways will be constructed on Outer Ring Road and one on the BRT corridor. The Delhi Metro official said, “The subways will be located outside the paid area, so that pedestrians can use it to cross the road.”

DMRC will also for the first time construct bus bays and auto drop-off points at a Metro station in Delhi.

Two bus bays will be built—one right in front of the Metro station and the other on the Panchsheel Enclave side—while five auto drop-off points will be built near the station for smooth flow of traffic. DMRC says the Chirag Dilli Metro station is expected to have a ridership of 20,000 by 2016.

18 March 2012, Times of India

Ancient Greeks had a word for the people who lived on the wild, arid Eurasian steppes stretching from the Black Sea to the border of China. They were nomads, which meant “roaming about for pasture”. They were wanderers and, not infrequently, fierce mounted warriors. Essentially, they were “the other” to the agricultural and increasingly urban civilisations that emerged in the first millennium B.C

As the nomads left no writing, no one knows what they called themselves. To their literate neighbours, they were the mysterious Scythians or the Saka, perhaps one and the same people. In any case, they were looked down on as an intermediate or an arrested stage in cultural evolution. But archaeologists in recent years have moved beyond this mindset by breaking through some of the vast silences of the Central Asian past. These excavations dispel notions that nomadic societies were less developed than many sedentary ones. Grave goods from as early as the eighth century B.C. show these people were prospering through a mobile pastoral strategy, maintaining networks of cultural exchange with powerful foreign neighbours like the Persians and later the Chinese. Some of the most illuminating discoveries supporting this revised image are now coming from burial mounds, called kurgans, in the Altai Mountains of eastern Kazakhstan, near the borders with Russia and China. From the quality and workmanship of the artifacts and the number of sacrificed horses, archaeologists have concluded that these were burials of the society’s elite in the late fourth and early third centuries B.C

By gift, barter or theft, they had acquired prestige goods, and in time their artisans adapted them in their own artistic repertory. Almost half of the 250 objects in a new exhibition, “Nomads and Networks: The Ancient Art and Culture of Kazakhstan” are from these burials of a people known as the Pazyrk culture. The material, can be seen at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, on loan from Kazakhstan’s four national museums. Two spectacular examples are 13 gold pieces of personal adornment, known as the Zhalauli treasure of fanciful animal figures; and the Wusun diadem, a gold openwork piece with inlaid semiprecious stones from a burial in the Kargaly Valley in southern Kazakhstan. The diadem blends nomad and Chinese characteristics, including composite animals in the Scytho-Siberian style and a horned dragon in an undulating cloudscape.Excavation at the Altai kurgans, near the village of Berel, was begun in 1998 by a team led by Zainolla S. Samashev, director of the Margulan Institute of Archaeology, on a natural terrace above the Bukhtarma River

Of the 24 Berel kurgans investigated so far, Samashev said, the two he started with were among the largest. The mounds, about 100 feet in diameter, rise about 10 to 15 feet above the surrounding surface. The pit itself is about 13 feet deep and lined with logs. At the base of Kurgan 11, he said, the arrangement of huge stones let the cold air in but not out. This and other physical aspects of the pits created permafrost, which preserved much of the organic matter in the graves–though looting long ago disturbed permafrost conditions. Still, enough survived of bones, hair, nails and flesh to tell that some of the bodies had tattoos and had been embalmed

Hair of the buried men had been cut short and covered with wigs.The Kazakh conservator of the artifacts, Altynbekov Krym, said remains in several kurgans were a challenge. “Everything was jumbled together, getting mouldy almost immediately,” he said, and it “took six years experimenting to create a new methodology to clean and preserve the material.” The exhibition also includes bronze cauldrons, presumably for preparing communal feasts, and several bronze stands, including one with a seated man holding a cup and facing a horse, that have the experts puzzled

18 March 2012, Indian Express

Chennai was the citadel of the East India Company before it shifted base to Kolkata, leaving behind a host of heritage buildings. Swati Das visits some structures that have both archaeological value and tourism potentia

Chennai (then Madras) was the citadel of the East India Company before it moved base to Kolkata. But the British influence on the city’s architecture continued till the early 20th century, co-existing with ancient temples and traditional culture of the land. Madras boasted of many firsts during the Raj days, incorporating even the modern trend of art deco buildings that spread over Europe at the turn of the 20th century

A walk along the Marina gives a fair idea of the heritage that Chennai cherishes. Let’s begin with Fort St George, the first British bastion in India, from which the city grew. This was the first British fortress in the country. The East India Company was given this land of banana groves, owned by a farmer called Madrasan, by a Vijayanagar chieftain named Chennappa Nayaka based in Chandragiri (now in Andhra Pradesh) in 1639. Thanks to this farmer and the chieftain, local villages acquired the names of Madraspatnam or Chennapatnam. From this emerged the city’s name — first Madras and now Chennai

Fort St George, facing the sea, was opened on St George’s Day (patron saint of England) on April 23, 1640, as a factory within a fort. It later became the administrative seat from where the British ruled Madras. Its ramparts with battlements for gun emplacement were designed by Bartholomew Robins in 1750 after the French destroyed and possessed it for a brief period (1746-49). The ramparts are irregular giving the fortress a pentagon shape. It is reinforced by earthen walls that slope down to the moat surrounding the entire fort. There are five gates, earlier connected across the moat by bridges but now roads lead to them

The Secretariat is the first building from the sea gate entrance behind which is the State Legislative Assembly. Buildings within this fort in Neo-Classical style with gleaming black pillars were built between 1694 and 1732. They are among the oldest surviving colonial constructions in India

To the south of the Secretariat is the St Mary’s Church, the oldest Anglican one in Asia, built between 1678 and 1680 by the then Governor Streynsham Master. This beautiful building has stood the test of time and still holds the splendour of yore. The glass windows, wall frescos and teak plaques still shine in all their glory. Tombstones, memorials, registers, paintings, antique Bibles and silver are displayed here. Both Robert Clive and Arthur Wellesley lived within this fort complex and married in this church. Their residences still stand as Wellesley House and Clive House across the church

To the north of the Secretariat is the Parade Ground, formerly known as Cornwallis Square. The Madras Regiment was raised here, initially as Carnatic Battalion in 1776 and later as the Indian Army. The Fort Museum, a treasure trove of memorabilia, to the southeast of the ground was built in the 1780s. It housed the office of Madras Bank and the Public Exchange Hall. Across the river Cooum to the south of the fort stands the Chepauk Palace in Indo-Saracenic architectural style that was later glorified by ‘Mad’ Mant (Major Charles Mant), Robert Fellowes Chisholm and Henry Irwin. This style, mostly in brick-red blends the Victorian Gothic, Indo-Islamic and ethnic Indian elements — something that Lutyens and Baker later took to New Delhi

Constructed between 1760 and 1768, the palace was designed and built by the then East India Company engineer Paul Benfield (who also worked on the fort’s ramparts) as home for the Carnatic nawabs and later the princes of Arcot. It was a landmark construction in modern India that now lies obscure behind other State Government buildings

Further down the Marina is the Vivekananda House that was built in 1877 as an ice factory. This is a two-storey masterpiece of Victorian architecture with designs of sunbursts and gabbled roof. The building was bought over by one Biligiri Iyengar who turned it into a beautiful residence. It faces the sea. Swami Vivekananda had stayed here for six weeks on his return from Chicago. South, along the Marina Promenade, you come across the Queen Mary’s College (1914) and then the state Director General of Police (DGP) office — a pristine white sprawling 1834 building. It was built as a Masonic Lodge but has for long served as the police headquarters of the State. In 1994, the State Government wanted to pull down the structure to build a new one but public outrage saved the building

If you stroll south to Mylapore from the DGP office to the end of the Marina, at the junction of the Kutchery Road stands the Neo-Gothic Santhome Basilica Cathedral. It is said to be built on the tomb of St Thomas, who was believed to have come in 52 AD and was killed in 78 AD. The present-day church, standing 180 ft tall with its steeple, was built in 1890

Do not miss out on the Armenian Church on the Broadway and the Esplanade area. Down the NSC Bose Road and at the end of it are the Government General Hospital and Madras Medical College, the first in the country. The twin-towers of the hospital building have been renovated many times

Opposite the hospital is the Chennai Central (Madras Central) Railway Station. It was first built in 1873 in Gothic Revival style and was designed by George Hardinge. It was later modified with the central clock tower by Chisholm. The railway station was redesigned by Irwin in 1900. In 2005, the building was painted creamy yellow but public outcry forced the Railways to return it to its original colour. Unfortunately, the Moor Market (1898-1900) which evolved as a flea market right next to the station was razed by a mysterious fire (1985) and a new suburban railway complex was raised by the Southern Railways at this location

Beyond the Moor Market complex is Chennai’s iconic Rippon Building, an Indo-Saracenic blending of Gothic, Ionic and Corinthian styles in 1913 that was built by Lognatha Mudaliar. It’s a rectangular building, 85 m long and 32 m wide with its central tower 43 m tall. It has a 2.5 m diameter Westminster Quarter chiming clock. The building is one of the most elegant examples of British architecture and has managed to preserve its vintage look

Wedged between the Rippon Building and the central tower is the 125-year-old Victoria Public Hall. At present, the South Indian Athletic Association Club functions from here but it awaits strengthening work by the Chennai Corporation. Five minutes drive from here is Egmore (Ezhumbur) where the Madras Museum (1857) complex stands. When in Chennai, you cannot afford to miss the National Art Gallery that houses the finest works of Mughal architecture on pink sandstone. The gallery exhibits include some exclusive ancient paintings, handicraft items and bronze collections. The museum complex houses the Museum Theatre and the world-class Connemara Public Library. Next to the museum complex is the Government Eye Hospital, the oldest in Asia. A brick red structure, it was built in 1819

The arterial Mount Road continues to be a major commercial hub in this south Indian metro. The historic Spencer’s Building (1863-64), like the Moor Market, was destroyed in a fire (1985) and has lost out to mindless modernisation. In fact, it was the first departmental store of the Indian subcontinent. Nonetheless, some priceless Indo-Saracenic structures still line up the Mount Road. A great relic is the Bharat Building (1897) where Bharat Insurance was first set up. But before the insurance company was established, it was known as Kardyl Building and was built by British pharmacist WE Smith. Designed by JH Stephens of Madras PWD, it is another Indo-Saracenic wonder with domes and spires, 100-foot minarets, arches and verandas — a blend of the Ottoman, Mughal, Hindu and European classical architectural styles. It is now owned by Life Insurance Corporation which wanted to demolish it as soon as it bought the building. However, the Indian National Trust for Architectural and Cultural Heritage petitioned the Madras High Court against the demolition with massive public support. Thankfully, the court ordered against demolition

The War Memorial is another heritage building in the city. It is an elliptical corridor surrounding a central commemorative pillar built shortly after World War I. The stone-clad structure, situated in its garden, remembers the Army’s dead soldiers from Madras during the two World Wars and the freedom struggle

Like most of the city, this memorial is a tribute to the bygone era. And, like most visitors, I, too, wish to be a time traveller.

18 March 2012, Pioneer

The High Court of Karnataka has asked the Archaeological Survey of India to clear encroachment in a radius of 100 metre of the Hampi ruins in accordance with the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.

During the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to clear encroachments around the world heritage site, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna said the authorities have ample powers under the Act to act against the encroachers.

The legislation even empowers the authorities to acquire legal structures in national interest.

When informed that only a handful of officials (three Central ASI officers and three from State) were entrusted with the upkeep of monuments in Karnataka, the Bench noted that people who have regard for history only understand the reality in dealing with the problems faced at Hampi.

The State government, in its reply, informed the Court that encroached shops had appeared even after removing them once and people had started to live in mantaps (historical structures). The Court adjourned the matter.

Notice to BU registrarr

The High Court on Friday issued a bailable warrant to B C Mylarappa, Registrar, Bangalore University in a contempt petition.

H R Ramesh had moved the High Court after his appointment as an assistant professor was set aside though he is a candidate from the reserved category in 2008.

The court had directed the varsity to consider Ramesh for appointment. The matter was kept pending and Ramesh filed a contempt petition.

The Division Bench comprising Justices N Kumar and Ravi Malimath had summoned Mylarappa and the latter did not appear nor was he represented by a counsel.

Gold loanss

The Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna has ordered notices to Governor of Reserve Bank of India and others in a PIL challenging exorbitant rate of interest on gold loan by some finance companies.

BA Suresh, the petitioner, had alleged that some finance companies were charging interest up to 30 per cent while the government had fixed the interest rate at 14 per cent per annum.

The petitioner had stated that private money lending firms were exploiting people in the name of gold loan.

He had also sought directions to the registrar of co-operative societies to withdraw certain exemptions granted to finance companies.

18 March 2012, Deccan Heraldd

Artists across the world are employing newer materials and mediums in their practice, and producing stunning and sometimes bizarre works, notes Giridhar Khasni

Visitors to the India Art Fair (Delhi/ January 26 -29) would have been struck by art works created by contemporary practitioners employing unique mediums and unusual material.

Some of the stunning works on display had material ranging from textiles, decorative ornaments, glass silicone, cotton, painted steel, polyester resin, cast aluminium, to marble dust, iwa-enogu (mineral pigment), bicycle ball bearings, bottle caps, junked automotive parts, recycled plastic, gunpowder, to ropes, rags, hair, and even deer droppings!

A sculptural installation at the very entrance of the venue attracted attention. From a distance, it appeared to be a standard outdoor sculpture of a royal figure astride a stallion. As one got closer, the visitor realised that Baroda-based Siddhartha Karawal’s ‘The Hangover Man’ (2011/ 8ft x 9ft x 3.5 ft) was a recreation of a public statue of Maharaja Sayajirao and made entirely of soft white T-shirt material on armature.

The T-shirts themselves, one learnt, came as donation from an American charity for distribution among poor Indian communities but instead of reaching the targeted group had somehow appeared in the open market. It was to the credit of 27-year old Karawal to have used this material to not only make his sculpture but also a stinging social comment. The young artist, incidentally, is known to produce large scale sculpture and installations composed of non-traditional and low-tech materials like foam, resin, rubber, used blankets and gloves.

There were several such instances at the Art Fair including South African resistance artist William Bester’s ‘The Trojan Horse’ made of junk and scrap; Australian artist Sam Jinks’ hyper-realistic sculpture titled ‘Small Things’ (silicone, human hair and resin); Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui’s fascinating tapestry ‘Eco Map’ (aluminium bottle caps and copper wire); Asim Waqif’s ‘Wasted’ (junked automotive parts), and Damien Hirst’s ‘Afterworld’ (butterflies and household gloss on canvas).

Arguably one of the most intriguing works on display was a piece by Faridabad-based Shine Shivan titled ‘Sex Fumes’.

It was made entirely of deer faeces which the artist had collected from the Aravali Hills on the outskirts of his city. An explorer of sorts, Shivan revealed his fascination for several behavioural traits of the deer.

For instance, he found out that the animal continued to defecate in the same place every day to mark its territory and announce the presence of a dominant male. Further, the female, when she had chosen which male she wanted, would go and defecate on top of the mound of the chosen one. “This, for me, is a microcosm of what happens in life as we know it,” said the artist.

To the amazement of many, Shivan’s work not only attracted a good amount of attention, but also supposedly found a buyer who paid a whopping Rs 10 lakh for it on the third day of the Art Fair.

Many artists, many mediums

Art is not new to innovations, be it material, medium, concept or execution. History shows that artists have always tried to make their statement using inventive methods.In 1917, Marce

 Duchamp (1887 – 1968) bought a urinal from a plumber shop, titled it ‘Fountain’ and placed it on a pedestal at an art exhibition. It created an instant uproar, but also came to be hailed, over the decades, as a major landmark of 20th century art. On his part, Duchamp described that his intent with the piece was to shift the focus of art from physical craft to intellectual interpretation.

In recent times, English artist Damien Hirst (born 1965) produced one of the most expensive and controversial pieces of contemporary art in 2007 by casting an 18th century human skull in platinum and embedding it with high quality 8601 diamonds. Calling it ‘For the Love of God’, Hirst did not conceal his own admiration for the piece. “I think it’s ethereal and timeless.”

Among other Hirst’s signature pieces are the pickled shark (‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’ /1991); the picked cow and calf (‘Mother and Child Divided’), and a glass box containing flies, maggots, and a cow’s head (‘A Thousand Years’/1990).

Another celebrated British artist, Anish Kapoor (born 1954), well-known for his geometric and biomorphic sculptures, not only employs simple and often elemental materials, but also multi-ton circular stainless steel for his work.

Incidentally, a spiralling sculpture taller than New York’s Statue of Liberty designed by Kapoor has been chosen as the monument to mark the London 2012 Olympic Games

In passing, one might also mention that the title of ‘World’s Most Badass Artist’ belongs to Wim Delvoye, the Belgian conceptual artist whose unusual (bizarre, for many) includes the (in)famous ‘Cloaka’, also known as ‘the Poo Machine’!

Indian artistst

Contemporary artists in India have not lagged behind in employing both usual and unusual material in their art practice. The poster-couple of Indian art, Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher, are known for many novelties. Gupta’s massive stainless steel and aluminium sculptures have in a sense become iconic while Kher’s ‘bindi’-ridden works have not only been exhibited on a global scale but have also commanded astronomical prices in national and international markets.

Kher’s massive work titled ‘The skin speaks a language not its own’ (2006/142x456.2x195 cm) showed a slumped life-size she-elephant whose body was almost entirely covered with white sperm-shaped bindis; the sculpture notched up a record price of Rs 6.94 crore at the Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening in London on June 27, 2010.

Bangalore-based Sheela Gowda is also known to bring rare sensitivity to her works by employing several mediums and materials. Winner of the first Sotheby’s Prize for Contemporary Indian Art (1998) and currently shortlisted for this year’s £40,000 Artes Mundi Prize, Gowda has used material ranging from human hair, incense, cow dung, coconut fibre, needle and thread to abandoned stone grinders and tar drums.

Navin Thomas, winner of Skoda Prize 2011, has a fascination for old, discarded electrical and electronic appliances which he lovingly collects from kabaadi bazaars (scrap markets), and converts into evocative sound and light installations. Visitors to Skoda exhibition at Lalit Kala Academy, Delhi were somewhat taken aback to find among other exhibits, Navin’s specially erected room with live birds perched on copper-wire aerials amidst transistor radios emitting white noise

These are but a few instances. Many artists across the world are exploring newer and newe materials and mediums. That may not necessarily mean that traditional paintings and sculptures are eliminated from the high pedestal of art, but one thing is clear: the search for the new material is truly on.

18 March 2012, Deccan Heraldd

'Glittering Decades' speaks of New Delhi as seen through the eyes of its privileged inhabitants between 1931 and 1952. It focusses on the impact that the Raj and Independence had on the upper classes of Delhi’s society, writes M K Chandra BoseNew Delhi’s obsession with status and privilege is nothing new. Lutyens’ Delhi remained the foremost symbol of British imperial might, with the population segregated on racial and hierarchical lines with strict social codes of conduct. After the dawn of freedom, the city found it difficult to break free from imperialistic rituals and social formalities. While in the colonial era the city lived in its horse shows, balls, jazz parties and nightclubs, the new rulers adapted some of the etiquettes and protocols to suit the new context. The imperial legacy lingered.

In Glittering Decades, Nayantara Pothen, an Australia-based Indian writer and researcher, tells the story of New Delhi through the eyes of its privileged inhabitants between 1931, the year of its inauguration, and 1952, year of the first general elections. Focussing on the social life and rituals, she examines what impact the politics of the Raj and Independence had on the cocooned lives of the upper echelons of New Delhi society. The chronicle brings alive the capital’s social life in the twilight years of the colonial era and the heady years of independence. The author relies extensively on the accounts given by women of the Raj.

The grandiose dream of colonial masters to make New Delhi the ultimate bastion of imperial power remained unfulfilled. By the time the capital was inaugurated, historical events had overtaken it drastically, altering the political context. In Lutyens’ Delhi, residential areas were allotted according to race, occupational rank and socio-economic status. The native population was largely confined to the periphery. At the pinnacle were the ‘heaven-born’ Indian Civil Service mostly comprising Englishmen. The very few Indians in the ICS ranks were not treated on par with their western counterparts. There was little warmth and intimacy between Indians and Britishers.

Racial and social segregation at vice-regal circles was the norm. When Viceroy Lord Linlithgow hosted a party for his officials in Simla, Indians were served in the garden or the verandah while Europeans were served in the vice-regal residence. Clubs like New Delhi Gymkhana remained out of bounds for Indians. In imperial New Delhi, Indians, no matter how western-educated or westernised, were subordinate. At dinner parties, who was seated with whom mattered a lot. The official warrant of precedence was ‘Bible for social conduct’. Along with the regimented formality and decorum, the life of New Delhi elite was centred on activities of leisure and social pursuits. “Life then was a hectic whirl of dinner parties, balls and outings of various kinds,” says Nayantara.

It was World War II that jolted the ruling elite, transforming their social life. The influx of a large contingent of US soldiers did make a dent in the regimented social life. Sudden increase in the population and intense political developments turned New Delhi into a ‘curious mix of formality and cosmopolitanism’. The rising anti-British sentiments, the impact of Congress-Muslim League tussle on personal relations, rise of communal politics leading to Partition and the explosion of joy on New Delhi streets at midnight on August 14, 1947, all receive adequate attention. The book captures the spirit of the midnight celebration for which most participants chose to wear Indian dresses.

The trauma of Partition left deep scars on the city. Privileged status no more guaranteed one’s safety. The spate of blood-letting and influx of refugees transformed the face of New Delhi. With the capital ceasing to be a British enclave, everything changed for the whites. Being accountable to Indian politicians was a harsh reality they couldn’t stomach. The new rulers who were ambivalent on imperial etiquette and protocol only made subtle changes. Nayantara contends that the significance of social ritual, hierarchy, precedence and protocol in New Delhi society remained the same. Between 1947 and 1952, the new leaders co-opted the imperial symbols of authority and control.The new privileged class included politicians, diplomats and businessmen.

Delightful anecdotes enliven the pages. Here is an abiding symbol of the rural India coming to terms with the hallowed seat of the colonial might. During the tenure of Rajendra Prasad as the president, the first lady insisted on milking her six cows herself and the bovines were soon found tethered to the gilded taps of one of the grand bathrooms of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Another incident relates how the privileged class had become paranoid during communal riots. Sardar K M Panikkar shaved off his carefully preserved goatee in self-defence. Had the author focussed solely on lifestyle, Glittering Decades would have made a better impact. She has failed to go beyond the personal accounts from the island of privilege. Nevertheless, this well-researched work is a valuable addition to social history that Indians have traditionally neglected

18 March 2012, Deccan Heralddd

The earth is hard on the outskirts of this once princely state of Sivaganga, the onset of summer already telling. Even tender coconuts are sparse as vast stretches of dry vegetation, mainly comprising low-growing shrubs and the prickly acacia’ species (“Karuvela maram” in Tamil), greet you into the Tirupathur reserve forests. These species are “forget-me-nots” in their own way, as a casual stretch of hands can bruise your palms red, either by acacia’s thorns or an unsuspecting cactus plant that spotted deer also feed on to slake their thirst

Take a rough bend from the main road and some 300 m into this parched semi-jungle terrain, you are already into the “Manmalai” reserved forest with an extent of 113.49 hectares in Thirupathur division.

The district itself boasts of 19,000 hectares of such dry forest cover, says Sivaganga District Forest Officer S L Gupta, whose jurisdiction runs up to far-away Rameshwaram. “Gosh!” his index finger goes up, as he cautions silence to his forest guards animatedly tracking deer hoofs and droppings.

That is a lesson in forest forensics for visitors. Some spotted deer have just gone by that place, as S R Palanichamy, Forest Range Officer, Tirupathur Division, casually picks a small lot of their black seed-like droppings and gently crushes them with his fingers to bare its composition..

“Are these used as manure?” No, not quite, murmurs Palanichamy. But they are the harbingers of a big hope for him and his team, including I Veerabadran, a veteran forest guard, K Ramachandran,a forester, M Dayalan, a forest watcher, and Souriraj, priest of a local temple in the forest.

“The more deer droppings we notice in a day, more we feel elated as it vindicates our project,” says Palanichamy to a visiting Deccan Herald correspondent. The liberal droppings indicate that the spotted deer have had more than their daily water fill, he reasons. And this brings us to the heart of a small but hugely significant technological miracle in “Manmalai”.

With Sivaganga district being predominantly dry, its annual rainfall is around 750 mm, “We have to overcome a basic challenge to do any meaningful forestry and animal conservation,” explained Gupta. He hit upon a relatively low-cost, appropriate technology to create a reasonably permanent water source that can help to raise plantations and “at the same time using it for drinking water facilities for wild animals also.”

Gupta, an IFS officer from Ranchi, was shunted out of the sensitive Sathyamangalam to this “desert posting” in arid Ramad region as he courageously took on the political powers linked to sandalwood smuggling six years back. On coming here, he thought of a simple, yet appropriate technological solution for it.

“Within the limited resources, at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh, we have now provided this water-yielding infrastructure,” said Gupta who has already raised about 1,000 hectares of teak plantations in this bone-dry belt. We tip-toed the forest terrain without stirring a leaf, only to reach a small building ringed by thick plant-growth, including jungle lemons. A roof-mounted solar power panel (comprising 12 panels) opens up sky-wards with the room beneath housing safety equipment, battery and battery rechargers and a submersible pump tubed to a bore well. Using solar power, water is pumped out, which then flows automatically by gravitational force.

The bore water is taken through sub-surface pipes to two water troughs built in two different directions, said Gupta on how solar power aids water availability at the forest site. Both the troughs cover a radius of about 5 km of forest area, where the water is stored for the animals to come and drink. Though the “energy conversion rate” by the Indian-made solar panels is only about 9 per cent, which in efficiency terms is still low, Gupta explained that it drives the motor for half-an-hour daily and eminently served the purpose for which it has been designed..

“This is the first structure of its kind in Tamil Nadu,” said Gupta, naming it “Prototype I”. “We can have improved versions of this prototype, which is well suited for dry terrains of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and parts of Gangetic plains,” Gupta added. And this micro-irrigation facility driven by solar power hardly has maintenance costs. How does Gupta’s out-of-the-box approach help both tree planting and animal conservation? “There is no point in raising large tree plantations without watering facilities,” says Gupta who has sent a plan to the Tamil Nadu Government for scaling up this model using abundantly available solar power to meet the water needs of both forestry and animal conservation.

Gupta strongly believes that what has been kick-started in Sivaganga district can be replicated nation-wide. Before this facility was set up, spotted deer strayed out of the forest area in search of water and many of them got killed in vehicle accidents, or when they slipped into village ponds or open wells. Some were even attacked by dogs in the villages, he said.

This led to a drastic reduction in the spotted deer population in Manmalai. Now in recent months, “sightings of spotted deer and other wild animals have considerably increased,” he avers.

Range Forest officer Palanichamy, on a rough count by his men recently, says the spotted deer tribe would now be at least 500-strong, besides scores of peacocks returning to the Manmalai reserved forest, due to the availability of a reliable water source, particularly in summer months. Also, about 40 pythons caught in Sivaganga’s villages in recent months now freely snarl across these forests, he points out to drive home how this solar-power based infrastructure has yielded dividends for wildlife preservation

“As this is a forest area, I wanted a self-sufficient source of power, that is stand-alone and not grid dependent; and also something that makes no noise as higher decibel levels drives away the animals,” Gupta said putting his project of this solar power-based water facility in perspective. He hopes this will be an eco-friendly technology-demonstrator for the nation

18 March 2012, Deccan Heraldd

All those travelling through the chaotic BRT should gird themselves for another traffic hurdle at the Chirag Dilli intersection. Delhi Metro is planning to start work on a Metro station near the intersection later this year. However, commuters can take comfort from the fact that a major portion of the work will be done using a new technology that will minimize the need for digging

A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said, "Though the station will be built using the cut-and-cover method, the subways that will connect the station with Panchsheel Enclave, Chirag Dilli and Masjid Moth will be constructed using box pushing technology.

The technology involves the use of RCC boxes in segments that are cast and then pushed through the heavy embankment of the road to create a tunnel

This is the first time DMRC is making use of this technology. The reason is the heavy volume of traffic at the Chirag Dilli intersection. The spokesperson said, "We opted for this technology as we wanted to cause minimum disruption of traffic movement in the area.

"The station itself will be built using the cut-and-cover method, but most of the work will be outside the intersection area, where there is the Chirag Nursery at present," said the official. The station, which is to be built underground , will be on the Janakpuri (west) to Kalindi Kunj corridor

Located 16m underground, the station will be built to accommodate a six-coach train and will have five entry and exit points. These will allow access to those living in the neighbouring areas of Panchsheel Enclave, Masjid Moth, DDA colony, Chirag Dilli, Sheikh Sarai, Madangir and Khanpur. The station will provide connectivity to the Hauz Khas Metro station on line 2 (HUDA City Centre-Jahangirpuri ) for central Delhi, Gurgaon and the Delhi University area. The other two interchange stations on this line are Kalkaji and Janakpuri (west)

Delhi Metro will also build three subways to provide easy access to the Chirag Dilli station . Two subways will be constructed on Outer Ring Road and one on the BRT corridor . The Delhi Metro official said, "The subways will be located outside the paid area, so that pedestrians can use it to cross the road.

DMRC will also for the first time construct bus bays and auto drop-off points at a Metro station in Delhi

Two bus bays will be built-one right in front of the Metro station and the other on the Panchsheel Enclave side-while five auto drop-off points will be built near the station for smooth flow of traffic. DMRC says theChirag Dilli Metro station is expected to have a ridership of 20,000 by 2016.

The Times of India, 18th March 2012

While the Indus script is yet to be deciphered, a paper by researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, says that a lot of time and effort went into the designing of the script. According to the authors of the study, it was “an intellectual exercise of great significance”. The researchers say that the script was uniform across all sites of the civilisation—which included Mohenjodaro, Harappa, Lothal, Kalibangan, Chanhudaro, other Harappan sites and West Asia—indicating detailed planning

“Writing is an important window to the intellectual creativity of a civilisation. Our analysis reveals that people who designed the Indus script were intellectually creative and considerable time and effort went into designing it. The manner in which the signs were modified shows that it was acceptable across all the sites of the civilisation and was not intended for a small group of people,” said Nisha Yadav from TIFR, the principal author of the study

The Indus script is found on objects such as seals, copper tablets, ivory sticks, bronze implements and pottery from almost all sites of the civilisation. “The Indus civilisation was spread over an area of about a million square kilometres and yet, the sign list over the entire civilisation seems to be the same indicating that the signs, their meaning and their usage were agreed upon by people with large physical separation. A lot of thought, planning and utility issues must have been taken into consideration while designing these signs,” says the TIFR paper, published in the Korean journal, Scripta

The paper also indicates that the script may have a connection with scripts from India or even China. The authors say that the signs of the Indus script seem to incorporate techniques in their design that were used in several ancient writing systems to make optimum use of a limited number of signs

The scientists undertook a comprehensive analysis of the design of 417 Indus signs. They identified 154 basic signs (which cannot be decomposed further into simpler signs) and 263 composite signs (which are made up of two or more signs and can be further simplified)

“Out of the 263 signs that have been identified as composite signs, 149 signs are of compound type, that is, they are made up of two or more of the 154 basic signs. Also, 114 signs have been modified. Our results suggest that composite signs were not shorthand and that the signs have been designed with care. They were not meant for brevity or for saving writing space but seem to have some other function. They generated a new meaning altogether. Combining signs with other signs or modifiers seems to have been a practice known to all sites,” said Yadav

The paper says that the designers of the Indus signs also placed special emphasis on symmetry with over 60 per cent of the signs showing some form of symmetry. “There seems to be an underlying effort to retain the overall aesthetic value of Indus signs. This arrangement worked satisfactorily for about 700 years. Hence the understanding of Indus signs and their meaning must have been robust and yet versatile,” concludes the paper.

The Indian Express, 18th March 2012

Palaces are not just made of lime and mortar. They breathe history, talk of royal fables, reflect the lifestyles of rulers, and provide glimpses of the grandeur and glory of our cities and people. Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad is a chronicle of history and culture, arts and crafts, fabrics and curtains, buggies and cars, fountains and chandeliers, and arms and ornaments

The palace has always inspired me, not just from a historical perspective, but also a social and cultural perspective. Chowmahalla was neglected for a long time, and it was simply decaying. I had often wondered whether the palace, which once brimmed with life and royalty, would ever be restored to its original glory. But as they say, where there is a will, there is a way: Work on the restoration began and today the palace is back to its original grandeur, thanks to Princess Esra Jah

Located within the heart of old Hyderabad to the south west of Charminar and Mecca Masjid, the Chowmahalla Palace was the royal seat of the Asaf Jah rulers (1724 to 1948) during the most magnificent period of their reign. The construction of its Palladian Neo Classical palaces ordered around formal gardens was begun in the reign of Nizam Salabat Jung (1751-1762) in the 1750s. These spectacular palaces served as the venue for most of the ceremonial functions of the Asaf Jahi dynasty where the Nizams held gala state receptions and entertained British Viceroys and imperial emissaries for nearly two centuries

When we took up the restoration work, our aim was to not only strengthen the structure, but also convert it into a venue for the promotion of arts, crafts, culture and tourism. It all began in August 2000. Princess Esra Jah, wife of HEH Prince Mukarram Jah Bahadur, Nizam of Hyderabad, initiated a conservation project for the royal palaces. With the end of the Nizam rule era, particularly after the death of Nizam VII, Chowmahalla Palace had been closed for decades. The historic structures were in various degrees of dilapidation. Many of the historic Madras terracing roofs had collapsed and termites had taken a severe toll on the structural integrity of the buildings. The courtyards were overgrown and water logged and the fragile brick and stucco buildings had severe problems of damp and seepage; the Chaman and Saman Bungalows were in a state of advanced dilapidation. With extensive encroachments on the Palace grounds, unauthorised structures had been built abutting the Palace walls. Its glory had faded

With the formal inauguration of the Chowmahalla Palace Complex in January 2005, the handsome palaces and colonnades have come to life once again

The Asian Age, 18th March 2012

A lurking fear of fugitive druglord Iqbal Mirchi's wrath and two unsuccessful auctions later, the gangster's Angrezen kee haveli , overlooking the Upper lake at Shyamla hills in Bhopal, was sold to a little known Mumbai company at an auction held behind closed doors at a hotel here, amid tight security

The bungalow, once owned by an English lady, was in the news in 1999 after the decomposed body of Anil Sharma alias Abdullah, an accused in the T-Series owner Gulshan Kumar's murder, was found there. He was allegedly a gunman of don Dawood Ibrahim's gang.

Memon (61), considered to be a close Dawood aide, is wanted by the Mumbai police for drug peddling. An Interpol Red Corner Notice was pending against Mirchi, who lives abroad

On Saturday, bids for his bungalow began with an opening offer of Rs 94 lakh. It went up as bidding warmed up. The hammer finally fell on Rs 7.5 crore. Around nine bidders from Mumbai, Indore and Bhopal took part in the auction

Mumbai's Surewin bought the sprawling 9,000 square feet property. It is reportedly in the hospitality business and owns a hotel in Panchgani near Mumbai. Industrialist Jagdish Arora, owner of Som distillery and a realtor, was also present at the auction

"I took part but the bids exceeded my budget," Arora told TOI. The company that purchased the bungalow is reportedly known to Arora

The auction was conducted by the commissioner Central Excise, Mumbai. The Superintendent, Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act (SAFEMA) and NDPS Mumbai, Nafeez Khan, was also present

Officials, however, did not disclose details of the deal

The last attempt to auction the bungalow was in 2007. Then, a Mumbai-based company had nearly bagged it but stepped back after depositing the mandatory 10% of the total bid amount of Rs 4.85 crore. It was believed that the gangster's fear had 'scuttled' the deal

Mirchi, a close aide of Dawood, was reportedly arrested but soon released in UK in December last year

Following two unsuccessful bids in the past, there was a time when the Central Excise department had planned to take over the property. A year and half back, it sent a proposal to acquire it. But the central government clarified that any property attached under the Smugglers and foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of property) Act, 1976 can be procured by any government department only in case no buyer turns up after attempting at least five auctions. How Iqbal Mirchi bought the agnrezen ke haveli in his wife's name from the foreigner is not known

The Times of India, 18th March 2012

Delhi University plans an engaging show at the Capital's Viceregal Lodg

“The spirit of modern India is embedded in the moorings of this building … these are hallowed grounds blessed by the souls of revolutionaries who died for their motherland,” says Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh, talking about the gigantic white colonial building and its precincts known as the Viceregal Lodge that now houses his officee

Every building has a story… the more magnificent the building, the more fantastic its story. However, fantastic stories have a way of getting lost over time unless they are retold again and againn

Delhi University intends to do just that -- retell the incredible story of the Viceregal Lodge, the university, the personalities and the events that the Lodge silently witnessed -- through a sound and light show that promises to be more than just a history lesson because “there is more to Delhi University than the fact that it was established in 1922 by a Central Act of the government..

The opening act will begin with the sepoy mutiny of 1857 when the British, be they soldiers, children or shopkeepers -- whomsoever managed to escape the rioting crowds inside Delhi -- made their way towards the ridge, north of the city and took shelter at the Flagstaff Towers…a stone's throw away from the Viceregal Lodge, then a nondescript hunting lodge set within a wild forest. The crucial seize of Delhi by the British, which wrested back the city from the rebellion was also played out at the ridge and might form a part of the show

However, the real story of the lodge began only after the munity was lost and the British shifted the seat of their power to Delhi, with the Viceregal Lodge playing host to five Viceroys before the Rashtrapati Bhavan was built

The romances that played out during this era, the political prisoners who were incarcerated in the dungeons below and the major political decisions that were made in this building will feature in the show. “The greatest names in Indian history have set foot here, passed through these very corridors…Mahatma Gandhi signed the Gandhi-Irwin pact here... Bhagat Singh, Rashbehari Bose and Aruna Asaf Ali were all imprisoned here, Jawaharlal Nehru was a constant visitor to the university as were Zakir Hussain and Maulana Azad.

The show will end with two crucial events. “The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and a special convocation we had in 1948 will make for an apt ending to the show.

The logistics of the show are yet to be worked out with Prof. Singh on the lookout for scriptwriters and researchers. “The research will be immense, they will have to dig deep in the archives, important speeches will have to be recovered, excerpts of which will be used for the narrative.

Plans are being discussed to use the same experts behind the sound and light show that played at the Amber Palace in Rajasthan, but Prof. Singh is very clear that the script will have to be an inside job. “Only someone who has been associated with the university for a long time, with a sense of ownership about the project will be considered for the script… the same qualities will also be the standard for choosing other people who will be responsible for the project.

Prof. Singh hopes to inaugurate the sound and light show on Republic Day after which it will be thrown open to the public on weekends.

19 March 2012, Hindu