The South Asian Times
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Mahatma Metamorphosis
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ew Delhi - Congress president Sonia Gandhi will spearhead the Congress campaign for revival with a series of public rallies, beginning with a rally in Uttarakhand on 5 November at Gochar village in Chamoli district. Gandhi, whose health has now improved considerably will lead election
attack them for violating their bandh call. The deadline given to the Maoists by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to surrender arms expired on Saturday. The joint forces, which have been given a free hand to tackle the Maoists,
INVESTIGATIONS
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Sheikh Hasina visited the Teen Bigha corridor last week, it was Jairam Ramesh who was supposed to meet her. But it was Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who met her. Ramesh, who was told by the Prime Minister's Office to receive Hasina in T e e n B i g h a , cancelled his appointments and got his ticket for the next day's flight. He even called on Pranab Mukherjee to discuss what he should say at the meeting. But by evening the PMO had decided that Ramesh was too junior to revitalise India-Bangla ties, particularly after the Teesta river water fiasco. It started searching for a senior minister. Home Minister P. Chidambaram was contacted
Clueless PMO leaves ministers in Mamata angry with Dinesh over the dark on Teen Bigha trip treatment of railway officer When Bangladesh Prime Minister but he was not in town. The PMO then
decided on Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, one of the senior most Congress ministers in the UPA. He is also the party's Muslim face and has a good rapport with Sheikh Hasina. Azad was told about next day's meeting at 11.30 p.m. It was after this that the Bangladesh wing of the Ministry of External Affairs started to write his speech. The speech was delivered to him at 1.30 a.m. Azad was to leave for abroad the next day, but he had to cancel that trip. Interestingly, all this while, Jairam was clueless that the plans had changed. He got to know an hour before he was to board his flight. Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has ceased to be Mamata Banerjee's most trusted minister in Delhi. There was a time when Banerjee trusted Trivedi so much that she chose him, a non-Bengali, as her successor in the Ministry of Railways over her Bengali colleagues. But now she is upset that Trivedi is treating her key man in the ministry, J.K. Saha so shabbily that the Indian Railway Service officer wants a transfer out of Rail Bhawan. Trivedi snubbed Saha, his executive director, at a meeting in front of his colleagues. Saha was ED to Mamata as well. She depended on him
totally while preparing the Railway Budget. Relations are so strained between the West Bengal Chief Minister and the new Railway Minister that Mamata has instructed the Writers Building in Kolkata, the state secretariat, that all answers to Railways queries should be given only after taking her permission. T r i v e d i , meanwhile, has become a popular t o p i c o f discussion in his ministry. He recently went off to Gujarat for two days and no one in the ministry knew anything about his whereabouts.
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POLITICS 3
Mrs Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel and party leader Oscar Fernandez were present in the meeting, which was held to discuss the Arunachal situation and to look for other options of leadership. Earlier, the BJP had demanded the imposition of The Congress has been President's Rule in the witnessing turmoil in state. BJP national Arunachal for a while general secretary Tapir over Gamlin's choice as G a o , i n a Chief Minister, with a memorandum sent to section of party men led Prime Minister by Tuki rallying against him. Manmohan Singh, urged him to invoke Article 356 (1) to promulgate Gamlin took over as Chief Minister on 5 President's Rule to bring an end to the May following the death of then CM ongoing political crisis in the state. Dorjee Khandu in a helicopter crash. "The prolonged indecisiveness to A t h re e - me mb e r t e a m o f AIC C resolve the prevailing leadership crisis observers, who had visited the state for is an anti-people attitude and a taking stock of the situation, submitted mockery of democracy," Gao said. its report to the Congress president on
Team Anna has also been beset with disagreements within its key members. Patkar and Santosh Hegde did not participate in Saturday's meeting. Prashant Bhushan's remarks over plebiscite in Kashmir The core committee was held in the wake were refuted by Anna himself who is o f a l l e g a t i o n s o f f i n a n c i a l now on a maun vrat (vow of silence). misdemeanours on the part of Kiran Bedi. The father-son duo Shanti Rajendra Singh and P. V. Rajagopal Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan have have quit the movement stating that also been accused of trying to fix judges they were unhappy with the "political for favourable judgments in the past. hue being acquired by the campaign".
WORLD
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She said Dickens had more than one personality And the high-flying c a p a b l e o f author loved nothing extraordinary more than getting down kindness towards and dirty with the capital's low-life. strangers but shocking cruelty to those The darker side of the gifted novelist was closest to him. revealed by biographer Claire Tomalin
"There were always problems with Iran and Saudi Arabia, (but) the fact that The secretaryt h e S a u d i general of the ambassador was the Gulf Cooperation target in the United Council, which States, I believe this included all will mean Saudi major Gulf states, Arabia and the also condemned United States will the alleged Iran take a joint decision plot, saying they together," said would severely Abdullah Al-Shammari, a government harm relations. official based in the Saudi capital. The United States and its European An ambassador of the level of Adel Al- allies warned that Iran may face Jubeir, who is an adviser to the Royal retaliation. Court (and who is particularly close to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud), The United States, through Secretary that is a great provocation for Saudi of State Hillary Clinton and Vice Arabia," Al-Shammari said. "After this President Joe Biden, said Tehran must incident, Riyadh is definitely expected to be held accountable and urged take measures, the least of which will be international condemnation. to pull the Saudi ambassador from Iran," said Al-Shammari. "This situation is not The plot is "a flagrant violation of going to pass easily. international and US law and a dangerous escalation of the Iranian The Saudi government condemned the government's long-standing use of assassination attempt as "sinful and political violence and sponsorship of abhorrent". terrorism," Clinton said. "Iran must be held accountable for its actions." "The Saudi government appreciates the efforts exerted by the American "It is an outrageous act, where the authorities ... in uncovering the sinful Iranians will have to be held and abhorrent plot," the government- accountable," Biden told ABC run Saudi Press Agency quoted an television's Good Morning America official source as saying. programme. "We're in the process of uniting world Former chief of public opinion Saudi intelligence continuing to Prince Turki Alisolate and Faisal said there was condemn their overwhelming behaviour," evidence that Iran Biden added. was behind a plot and must pay the But the Pentagon price. "The burden of played down the p r o o f i s prospect of overwhelming ... and military action, clearly shows official saying the alleged I r a n i a n plot required a responsibility for diplomatic and this. Somebody in legal response. Iran will have to pay the price, whatever "The US military the level of these has longstanding persons is," he said. concerns about Iran's malign Prince Turki, who has also served as influence in the region. But with Saudi ambassador to the United States respect to this case, it is a judicial and and Britain, said the alleged plan to kill d i p l o m a t i c i s s u e , " P e n t a g o n the Kingdom's current ambassador in spokesman Capt. John Kirby told Washington was "so criminal, it's reporters. beyond description."
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WORLD
Some critics have called the campaign for all women, married or not, to be called "Madame" a stunt, contending that it would be better to devote attention to combating sexual harassment. But even they concede The campaigners are reported to have that the one merit of the word b e e n i n s p i r e d b y t h e A u s t r i a n "Madame" is that, unlike, "Ms", it can philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's actually be pronounced. characteristically opaque dictum: "The
The pair met at a book signing for his autobiography, Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon, and were recently spotted "making out like teenagers". But Mrs Aldrin told the New York Post that she is not happy about her husband's new romance: "He's not [officially] divorced yet. It is kind of Aldrin's lawyer said that the legendary scandalous," she said, adding: "He's 81 astronaut's goal is "simply to conclude and having kind of a midlife crisis in old a dignified divorce". age". But divorce, apparently, is not Their divorce, which is still working its altogether on Mrs Aldrin's radar. She way through the courts, has taken an said, "I still love him. I would hope we acrimonious turn, with multiple law get back together." suits being filed over the ownership and
COMMUNITIES
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US officials had told Indian Embassy officials that cases of students have been examined individually after evaluating all information provided by the them. Susan Xiao-Ping Su, the president of the Tri-Valley University, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in May on the allegations of visa fraud and money laundering that The Embassy of India is continuing its affected Indian students. efforts with US authorities for addressing the concerns of the TVU 41-year-old Su, who also served as the students, it said. schools chief executive officer, is accused of engaging in a two-year Officials of the Department of Homeland scheme to defraud the Department of Security, Department of State, US Homeland Security by submitting Immigration and Customs Enforcement phony documents in support of Triand US Citizenship and Immigration Valley Universitys applications to Services had met representatives of the admit foreign nationals on student Indian Embassy in Washington on visas. October 21 and discussed several issues relating to the Indian students at the TriValley University. The university was raided and shut down
Singh, who only speaks Punjabi, was Wed love to say the last competitor this is a true to complete a fullGuinness World distance 42Record, but the k i l o m e t r e problem is there is marathon. He just no evidence received worldwide We can only accept publicity celebrating official birth his position as the documents created in the year of the oldest man to complete a marathon birth, the editor-in-chief of Guinness n u m e r o u s m e d i a g r o u p s , World Records, Craig Glenday, was including the BBC, announced he quoted as saying by BBC. had made it into Guinness World Records. Singhs British passport, showing his date of birth as being 1 April 1911, as It was Singhs eighth marathon. He well as a letter from the Queen ran his first at the tender age of 89. In congratulating him on his 100th the 2003 Toronto event, he set the birthday, have been shown to the mark in the 90-plus category, organisation, the BBC reported. A finishing the race in five hours 40 letter from Indian government minutes and one second. officials stating that no birth records
Trilochan Singh Oberoi applied for a job with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in T h e 2 0 0 5 a n d settlement progressed also calls for through the the state to hiring process pay $295,000 until the final to Oberoi and stages, when he his attorney, was required to Dhillon said. be fitted for a tight-fitting Fighting the respirator mask, according to his lawyer. case has generated more than $500,000 in legal costs to Oberoi, Oberoi, who maintains a full beard most of which were donated, Dhillon mandated by his religion, was told he said. would have to shave the beard off to take the test.
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We have commenced exporting iron ore from Bolivia. The first shipment of iron ore was flagged off by Jindal Steel Bolivia (JSB) president Vikrant Gujral from Puerto Aguirre on 3 October. This is for the first time that JSB is exporting iron ore from El Mutun mine of the country, said a JSPL spokesperson. The official said that the logistics of the dispatch of the iron The ore will be ore has been a u s e d f o r major challenge for producing hot the JSBs project as metal which the El Mutun mine w i l l b e is located 2000 Km converted into away from the steel. ocean from Chile, Brazil or Argentina We have sides. explained our seriousness JSB had signed a about the contract with the project to the Bolivian authorities and Bolivian government in 2007 to mine now the issue has been solved, the 20 billion tonnes of iron ore from El official said. Mutun mines, one of the worlds single biggest iron-ore deposits. Bolivias energy minister Jose Louis Gutierrez had said earlier this month The 40-year contract which gave the that JSB had deceived the country by not company the right to mine the iron ore honouring its commitment to invest reserves also includes setting up an there. He also threatened to cancel its integrated 1.7 MTPA Steel Plant, a 6 contract with the company. MTPA sponge iron and 10 MTPA iron ore pellet plant in Bolivia with an The official claimed that as part of the investment of $2.1 billion. This will be commitment, the company has started the largest investment by an Indian the construction of a technical training company in South America and also centre at Puerto Suarez, near Santa Cruz. the largest investment by a foreign The training centre, which is in company on a single project in Bolivia. agreement with Infocol, aims to train human capital, linked to both the Mutn
If the death of Apples inspirational leader means a slowdown in the companys blistering pace of innovation, it could give breathless rivals like Microsoft and Samsung a chance to JSB is transporting the ores to catch up. different destinations through the Parana Paraguay Hidrovia riverway. The extinguishing of the creative force The company is exporting iron ore, behind the iPod, iPhone and iPad means mainly to China, Middle-East, a host of competitors already closing European and South American the gap in some markets will redouble countries. The Bolivian government efforts to counter the domination of has provided 4,000 acre land for the Apple Inc in consumer electronics. project. No question, competitors like Microsoft will try and capitalise on any weakness, stumble or oversight to shift the publics attention away from Apple and toward their own offerings, said Todd Lowenstein, portfolio manager at HighMark Capital Management.
Luminaries of the tech world paid tribute to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs after his death on Wednesday, from Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates and Google Inc chief Larry Page to Samsung Electronics CEO G.S. Choi and Sony head Howard Stringer. But investors said emotion will not take any edge off fierce competition with Apple. Samsungs Galaxy range of smartphones and tablet computers run The downturn in the economy will on Googles Android operating system, likely spur more and more competitors which Jobs believed to be a blatant with more and more mimicry products, copy of Apples mobile interface. said Stanley Crouch, chief investment officer at fund manager Aegis, pointing S t e v e J o b s w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y to Amazon.coms new low-cost tablet passionate about the enforcement of computer as a recent example. When Apples intellectual property, said
At the global level, we cant carry on any more with public debt that wasnt created by us but by thieving governments, corrupt banks and speculators who dont give a damn about us, said Nicla Crippa, 49, who wore a Tshirt saying enough as she arrived at the Rome protest. The Rome protesters, including the The carried signs reading Your Money Demonstrators in Italy were united in
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Slowdown a concern: PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh The approach paper proposes a questioned on Saturday whether Asias growth target of 9% per year. third-largest economy will meet an It is relevant to ask whether this is average growth target of 9% annually feasible since the economy is currently over the next five years, slowing down, he given economic said. volatility around the globe. The current slowdown is a India has been forced matter of concern. to pare growth But it should seem forecasts this year as a short-term high inflation and phenomenon, interest rates hit reflecting highly industry, adding to u n s e t t l e d chill winds from the conditions in the euro zone and the world economy, United States. The he said. All major government now expects growth of close economies were reducing their growth to 8% this fiscal year. In a speech expectations given the debt problems discussing preparations for Indias next in Europe and the United States, he five-year economic plan, which runs said. Singh added that the country had from 2012, Singh said long-term not done enough to bring the benefits economic prospects remained good. of growth to the poor.
The company also registered a decline of 59.81% in its net profit for quarter ended 30 September as compared to the same period last year. The profit posted for quarter ending September 30 is Rs240.44 crore over Rs 598.24 crore in September last year. The weak profit is being attributed to labour unrest at Manesar plant, sluggish growth in the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi auto sector and high fuel and interest "welcomed" the move. "Gujarat is rates. moving ahead fast as Asia's auto hub.
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SPORTS
The Indian mens hockey teams hopes of reaching the final of the Lanco International Super Series 9' s went up in smoke after Australia handed it a 4-1 drubbing in their last league match on Saturday. India will now face Pakistan for the bronze medal on Sunday. By
West Bromwich Albion won in the league at Midlands rivals Aston Villa for Swansea are 11th in the 20-team table the first time since 1979 in an eventful with nine points from as many games match. Villa defender Chris Herd was while Wolves are 14th on eight points. sent off and West Broms Chris Brunt missed a penalty after 36 minutes. Paul Scharner scored Albions winner in the second half. In the days other match
11
TECHNOLOGY
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In todays world, one of the most difficult decisions to make is how to choose between Apple and Android smartphones. I wrote earlier about the kind of technology perspectives a techsavvy person must consider before buying a smartphone, but some of the feedback I got for that piece was that it was too complicated and nerdy for layperson use. So I decided to extend my tribute to Steve Jobs and simplify the process of making this choice, improve its user experience, so to speak. In order to do that, I am going to use an analogy. Analogies have been a crucial tool in mankinds history. They have powered myths, religions and philosophies, so its
e and Android.
One of the oldest analogies Indians are An Android device, on the other hand, familiar with is the horse sacrifice, the is a sruffy looking, generally unfit, Ashwamedha Yagna. Furthermore, it geeky, but yet occasionally charming is estimated that buying a smartphone MS (engineer types) who has never today costs the same as it cost to spoken to a girl in his entire life. His perform this yagna back in the day. general lack of fitness can sometimes Unfortunately, most people still require you to keep recharging him but believe that the key to a successful he comes in quite a few varieties. Hes kingship is a white horse that runs free generally hard to like at first glance, with a contingent of soldiers doing but if one looks deeply enough, hes a pillaging and looting behind it, and at nice chap, much more open minded the end of the day, everyone enjoys than the MBA dude. But before you some fine Steak dCheval (horsesteak). take the plunge, do check their Heck no! The horse is a metaphor. A white horse that runs wild is a symbolic An Apple device is that suave, good- horoscopes.
Siri, the voice-activated personal assistant that comes with the new iPhone 4S, is drawing rave reviews as consumers take to Twitter and the blogosphere to express their delight. Some have taken to posting the questions they ask and showing Siris responses, such as this one from @mattgemmell: Me: Whats the best mobile phone? Siri: The one youre holding. However, its popularity has already become a problem. As consumers flooded stores this weekend, to the tune of more than 4 million devices sold in three days, their desire to test out Siri has resulted in connectivity problems. Tech
experts believe Apples servers have been overwhelmed by the number of users trying to use Siri. However, there is one thing that those who have used the device agree on Siri is quite impressive. Even in a noisy environment inside a car going 60 miles an hour, it can still understand most of what youre saying if you hold the iPhone up to your ear, Charlie White wrote for Mashable. Meanwhile, blogger Johnny Evans over at Computer World thinks that Siri will be a game changer in the field of search.
A very limited number of people appreciate and buy art in India. We lack a museum culture, which is why art does not reach the larger public. We hope to enhance the consumption of Indian art by providing easy access and increasing awareness. An online art fair like India Art Collective, where anyone can browse and appreciate a large inventory of good Indian art, is a step in that direction, says Sapna Kar, co-founder and IAC fair director. The incredible reach of the online medium can no longer be ignored by Scheduled to be held from 19-26 the Indian art industry. Sapna Kar November, the fair is mainly targeted at serious collectors and art lovers, and It is a great initiative as it is costgives them an opportunity to view, effective and reaches out to a wider appreciate and purchase without leaving audience. Though a majority of the the premises. Diffusing geography and buyers still like to look at the works negating all logistical nightmares, IAC before buying them, this is a good hopes to build up the consumption of platform for seasoned buyers and Indian art in the country and across the buyers abroad who are used to buying world. works after browsing them online, says Bhavna Kakar, director, Latitude IAC is an effort to showcase an exquisite 28. collection of Indian art at transparent
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11
n 9 October, Delhi University's Academic Council decided to drop A.K. Ramanujan's essay 300 Ramayanas from the Delhi University B.A. syllabus, largely due to pressure from right-wing organisations. The Council, which deals primarily with administrative affairs, saw fit to intervene in this case and dismiss the essay, despite recommendation to the contrary by the expert committee. The essay has been the subject of controversy since 2008, when these groups first objected to some of the findings presented by Ramanujan. On Monday, 24 October, hundreds of professors and students across DU marched in solidarity, protesting against the removal of this essay from the syllabus. Slogans like "Historical inquiry pe attack nahi sahenge" rent the air, while various placards called for people to resist the saffronisation of higher education and to oppose the policing of academia. Immediately after this, the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP) and another organisation called the National Democratic Teacher's Front (NDTF) held a press conference to explain their position. Those against the essay are bothered by the examples cited from other Ramayanas. Ramanujan studies some of the myriad 'tellings' of the essay throughout South and South East Asia. Many of these tellings vary from, or even contrast with, the Valmiki Ramayana most Indians are familiar with. For example, in a South Indian folk account of the Ramayana, it is Ravana who becomes pregnant with Sita and gives birth to her when he sneezes.
Ramanujan says that in Kannada, the word sita means 'he sneezed', and thus Sita's name is given its Kannada etymology in this version. At the ABVP and NDTF press conference, this example came under much fire. "Is this scientific, can this be true that a man can get pregnant and give birth to a daughter by sneezing? How can this be taught at the college level?," asked Dr Avnijesh Awasthy, NDTF President and a professor of Hindi at PGDAV College. This had many people at the press conference perplexed, wondering whether Dr Awasthy was arguing that the version of events presented in the Valmiki Ramayana could be scientifically verified. On the Thai Ramakien, Ramanujan writes, "The focus in the Ramakien is not on family values and spirituality. Thai audiences like Hanuman more than Rama. Neither celibate nor devout, as in the Hindu Ramayana, here Hanuman is quite a ladies' man, who doesn't mind looking into the bedrooms of Lanka and doesn't consider watching another man's wife while she sleeps to be immoral, as Valmiki's or Kampan's Hanuman would." Although Ramanujan is merely drawing out the differences in the various narratives, for the ABVP and the NDTF, the reference to the Thai Hanuman as a voyeur is an insult to Hindu sentiments. At the press conference, ABVP State President Rohit Chahal said, "We worship Hanuman in our daily life. But a student who reads this will be led to believe that this was Hanuman's character!" These groups seek to unite two quite separate spheres academic
The battle rages on. 24 October saw more than 500 students and professors walking across the DU campus, their voices resonating in college halls and doorways. One of the placards at the protest said, "Read the world: stop censorship of texts." An admirable sentiment in these narrowed times.
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YOUTH 13
For any city hosting an F1 race, the entire weekend is basically a super-charged, electrifying experience for its dwellers, transforming even the most nonautomotive personality into an ardent race fan. It all starts with the influx of people from all over the world, usually on the Wednesday and Thursday before the race. Hotels and motels are full, guest houses suddenly charge more than a five-star property does, and all available extra bedrooms in the city are converted into eager Bed & Breakfast lodgings. Every restaurant and eatery worth its salt and chillies tries to cash in on the
speed fever. There are food specials, car and F1 decorations, and even menus that are 'supposedly' what the drivers themselves eat during the weekends. Sightseeing suddenly becomes a craze since a vast majority of the people are travelling to the city for the first time and intend on seeing and doing everything they possibly can. From 8am right up till 6pm, the days see a plethora of activities that can actually be very irritating for a city local. Traffic becomes horrendous, with snarls at even the remotest of locations. Everything automatically
or Delhi-based artist Roohi Kapoor, art is an expression of what has transpired in her life and what is due to come. Her upcoming art exhibition Mindscapes at the Stainless Gallery is a delicate depiction of what she has felt at various stages of her life. "It is broadly a body of work that speaks about my myriad feelings and moods," says Kapoor.
The collection largely comprises oils and acrylics on canvas, along with a few charcoals on paper. The Dreamer is a powerful neon green figurine resting, Purple haze features four female figurines reclining and Mr Here and Mrs Now shows a male and a female face facing each other. The
14 ENVIRONMENT
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Scientists find underground river Happy Bhutan alarmed by beneath Amazon Himalayan climate change
A team of scientists led by Elizabeth Pimentel came t o t h e conclusion from studying 241 wells drilled by the state oil giant Petrobras in the Amazon region. Even though the two rivers cover a similar path they have differences. The underground river flows at a far slower pace and empties into the ocean deep underground. been carried, with the air too thin to use helicopters. To reach the spot on foot every man had to pass a 5,000metre peak. Its literally spades and shovels, said Karma Tshiteem, the secretary of the Gross National Happiness Commission, a state agency that vets and proposes policy, who Bhutans prime minister has issued a recently inspected the work. dire warning about the impact of Himalayan climate change, saying it This is a stark example that climate could wreck the tiny kingdoms change is not some theoretical thing ambitious plans to be a world leader in that is still to be debated. We are facing hydropower. The isolated, mountainous it and having to do mitigation efforts, nation sandwiched between India and he told AFP in an interview. China is famed for pursuing happiness for its citizens instead of orthodox On November 19, Bhutan will host a economic growth, with environmental conference bringing together India, protection central to its development Nepal and Bangladesh to discuss ways model. to lessen the impact of global warming on the mountains, which are a source Bhutan, home to 700,000 people, is of water for 1.3 billion people already a carbon-neutral electricity downstream. producer, with almost all of its power generated at plants that capture energy It is a follow-up to a similar meeting in from the cascading streams that crissKathmandu in 2009 and an attempt to cross its spectacular landscape. put climate change back on the international agenda, which has been But Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley told dominated by concerns about debt and AFP the country was powerless to recession in developed countries. prevent changes caused by shifting weather patterns which threaten For Bhutan, the change in river water regional water supplies and plans to flows caused by colder, drier winters harness the energy of the Himalayan and warmer, wetter summers is snowmelt. particularly alarming. The glaciers are retreating very rapidly, some are even disappearing. The flow of The shift may jeopardise ambitious water in our river system is fluctuating in hydroelectric power plans to raise ways that are very worrying, he said in capacity seven-fold from a current an interview in his office in the capital peak of about 1,500 megawatts (MW) Thimphu. from four plants, to 10,000 MW by adding another 10 projects by 2020. In the summer they overflow their banks in a way that used to never happen By selling electricity to energy-starved in the past and in the winter they shrivel neighbour India, the aid-dependent and almost dry up. country had hoped to become economically self-sufficient by 2018. The climate is changing, global warming is real and the impact on our But Thinley said the government was hydrology is very severe. having to reconsider the assumption that rivers would be a boundless source The increase in meltwater caused by of energy and income. The total warmer summers has also led to the potential for hydropower in Bhutan creation of lakes high in the mountains had been estimated at 30,000 MW. that threaten people in the valleys below. Hydropower may not be the sort of The government is building an early exponential source that we considered warning system to alert authorities to it to be, he said. any possible breach of the natural dams that hold back the water. The flow during the winter and summer used to be regulated, the In 1994, Lake Lugge in northern Bhutan variation was not so much. Now it is so burst and killed 21 people. much that in the winter, we are importing electricity from India. Currently, a team of 200 to 300 labourers and engineers are working in The UNs top panel on climate change the same area to lower the level of the warned in a landmark 2007 report that largest glacial lake in the country, called widespread mass losses from glaciers Thorthormi in Lunana district. and reductions in snow cover over recent decades are projected to The workers, active during the summer accelerate throughout the 21st months when work is possible in the icy century. and inhospitable area, are digging a drainage canal that will reduce the lake level by five metres (16 feet). All the equipment for the task had to
Brazilian scientists have discovered an underground river some 4,000 meters (13,000) feet deep, which flows from west to east like the countrys famous waterway.
It is likely that this river is responsible A statement this week from Brazils for the low level of salinity in the waters National Observatory named the around the mouth of the Amazon, the underground river Hamza and said it statement said. represents one of two different draining systems for the large rainforest region.
New study shows that Floridas reefs cannot endure a cold snap
August 2011 issue of the journal PLoS One. The study found coral tissue mortality reached over 40percent for several important reef-building species and that large colonies in shallow and near-shore reefs were hardest hit. This is in contrast to a less than one-percent tissue mortality caused by warm-water events since 2005. Coral species that had previously proven tolerant to higher-than-normal ocean temperatures were most affected by the cold-water event. This was undoubtedly the single worst event on record for Florida corals, said Lirman.
Remember frozen iguanas falling from trees during Floridas 2010 recordbreaking cold snap? Well, a new study led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science shows that Floridas corals also dropped in numbers due to the cold conditions. It was a major setback, said Diego Lirman, associate professor at the UM Rosenstiel School and lead author of the study. Centuries-old coral colonies were lost in a matter of days.
Ice-cold Arctic air swept into Florida in early January 2010, plummeting air The chilly January temperatures caused temperatures to an all-time low of the most catastrophic loss of corals 30F (1C) and dropping ocean within the Florida Reef Tract, which temperatures to a chilly 51F (11C). spans 160 miles (260 kilometers) from Miami to the Dry Tortugas and is the The 2010 cold-water anomaly not only living barrier reef in the continental o n l y c a u s e d w i d e s p r e a d c o r a l mortality but also reversed prior U.S. resistance and resilience patterns that Members of the Florida Reef Resilience will take decades to recover, the Program, a group comprised of Florida studys authors conclude. scientists and resource managers, conducted a month-long survey of 76 Floridas reefs are located in a reefs sites from Martin County to Key m a r g i n a l e n v i r o n m e n t a t t h e West, both during and shortly after the n o r t h e r n m o s t l i m i t f o r c o r a l development. Corals have adapted to a unusually cold weather. specific temperature range and are The research team compared the typically not found in areas where mortality rates of corals from the cold water temperatures drop below 60F event to warm-water events, such as the (16C). highly publicized bleaching event in 2005, and concluded that the cold-water Provided by University of Miami event cause even more widespread Rosenstiel School of Marine & morality than previous warm-water Atmospheric Science events. The results were published in the
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HERITAGE 15
Even though the streets are buzzing with activity as hundreds of people walk briskly towards their destinations and vendors pester you to buy traditional clothes or jewellery, an accompanying sense of calm and innocence makes you wonder: What separates these streets from other parts of the city? They are crowded but they cannot be compared with old Delhi; its a market area and yet it cannot be called one.
THE LEGACY
Not many people would know, but the entire stretch of Mathura Road from Humayuns tomb right up to Faridabad is like a graveyard with kings, philosophers, poets and men of eminence buried underneath. Be it the famous historian Ziauddin Barani or Mughal prince Mirza Babur and Mirza Jehangir, all were buried here. However, out of all these people, 13th century Sufi saint of the Chishtiyyah order, Nizamuddin Auliya, Allahs favourite one, has always had a special significance among the masses. So much so that even after centuries, people would want to be buried near his tomb. Nizamuddin Auliya has been immortalised for his generosity and humanitarianism. His advice first greet, then eat, then talk is still followed heartily with people often saying Bismillah ar-Rahman arRahim before opening their meals.
This has never been a residential area; people used to live in areas around Mehrauli and old Delhi. It was only after LEGENDARY Partition that people started to reside here. But interestingly, everyone wanted COMPANIONSHIP to be buried here, says Yousuf Saeed, an independent filmmaker and researcher. There may be several celebrated friendships in history but none can The shrine of Nizamuddin Auliya is match the fabled relationship across the road from Humayuns tomb, Nizamuddin Auliya had with Amir and as we know from historical records, Khusrau. According to historians,
Born in 1253 to a Turk-Indian family, Khusrau was a renowned poet of his time who served as many as seven rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. Even today, his poetry and prose, which are considered the best in Persian, serve as a casket containing invaluable historical information. Nizamuddin Auliya settled near the Yamuna, about a km east of the p r e s e n t - d a y d a r g a h , b e h i n d Being a court poet, Khusrau enjoyed all Humayuns tomb. This is where he sorts of materialistic privileges but he prayed, meditated and met hundreds felt at home only in Nizamuddin Auliyas of people. Even today, devotees from khaneqah (monastery). As the legend across the world come in numbers to goes, Nizamuddin Auliya could get get the spiritual feel. Nizamuddin annoyed and angry with anyone but Auliya was the most well-known of Sufi Khusrau. saints. Sufism as an ideology or a course of conduct has enchanted Saeed mentions that there is a fable that many. It says that God is best when he was eight-year-old, Khusraus worshipped through humanity. This is mother pushed him to visit Nizamuddin what Nizamuddin Auliya did and in the Auliyas khaneqah. As he reached there, process became the most celebrated of Khusrau waited at the entrance and saints, says Saeed, adding, One thing c o m p o s e d t h e f o l l o w i n g l i n e s that makes Sufi saints special is the fact impromptu: You are a king at the gate of that they are and have always been whose palace/ even a pigeon becomes a with us. The ritual of burying the hawk./ A poor traveller has come to your deceased, in fact, brings this place alive gate,/ should he enter, or should he as you feel all the more connected to return? the past. It is said that Nizamuddin Auliya at once Towards the west of Nizamuddin asked one of his servants to go out at the Auliyas tomb is the Jamaat-Khana gate and narrate the following lines to (prayer hall), supposedly constructed the boy: Oh you the man of reality, come by Feroz Shah Tughlaq a few years inside/ so you become for a while my after Nizamuddin Auliyas death. confidant/ but if the one who enters is Indeed, the very thought that one is foolish/ then he should return the way he breathing the same air in the ancient came. locale, makes for an ecstatic experience.
was earlier a village called Ghayaspur when young Mohammed Nizamuddin migrated to Delhi from Badayun (Uttar Pradesh) in the early 13th century along with his mother to become a qazi (Muslim priest). Later, he became a disciple of Baba Farid and was appointed his spiritual emissary for Delhi.
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
To many, the custom of celebrating someones death might sound eccentric, but for a Sufi it is only a transition phase the penultimate stage for unison with God. So, every year about 16 days after Eid-ul-fitr, people take part in another festive occasion, the urs or death
16 ENVIRONMENT
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
A jeans-clad, highly qualified woman hardly fits the bill for a sarpanch in rural India. There is, however, an exception in Chhavi Rajawat, who has left her corporate job to address the problems of her village in Rajasthan. Eram Agha reports
The Soda residents were already familiar with Rajawat, as she used to spend a lot of her vacation in the village. The unbounded energy of hers found expression in hopping around from one house to another in the village. She would often jump onto Carrying the legacy of her grandfather, someones tractor and visit the Brig Raghubir Singh, Rajawat picked up neighbouring villages. from where he had left the Brigadier had retired from the post of sarpanch 20 I, therefore, formed a strong bonding years prior to Rajawats election. Her with the villagers at a very young age, grandfather had worked hard to provide she says, adding: basic amenities roads, electricity, The team which schools and hospitals to the villagers. came calling upon me with Rajawat was not prepared for a village t h i s p l e a , life, but the locals had already set plans c o m p r i s e d o f for her. I would give full credit for this men older than change of direction in my life to the my father and inhabitants of this village. I had never many as old as planned to fight elections or contest for m y g r a n d p a . such a post and perhaps wouldnt have, These were the had it not been for the persistence of the men who had villagers, Rajawat says. carried me on their shoulders Fifty-odd men went a long way in and pampered convincing Rajawat to contest elections. me when I was a But why were they so convinced to have child. her onboard? There were many reasons that influenced them. This is my So, Rajawat was left with no choice but ancestral village where my grandfather to take up the responsibility. She says, was also elected unanimously as I did not want to let them down sarpanch. He was behind many since I am a great believer of the idiom development activities in the village, charity begins at home I wanted she says. to make a difference by starting work in my own backyard. And, being After his retirement, the village hardly originally from the village, I was aware saw any development activities. After of all the problems. I had the nagging the retirement of my grandfather, the thought that if an insider like me did village did not see any significant not come forward to help, then how development. Primarily, owing to their could an outsider be expected to do the love, faith and respect for my same? grandfather, the villagers decided to get someone from his family to run for the I have seen, observed and become post, Rajawat says. aware of the issues that exist. Also, I have noticed how, over the years, The changing face of rural Rajasthan is a sarpanch in jeans! Chhavi Rajawat took a de tour in her career by leaving a comfortable corporate job to address the problems of the villagers of Soda district, 60 km from Jaipur, Rajasthan. problems have only got aggregated in my water conservation project, which village, says the sarpanch. aimed to dig afresh the villages main reservoir covering an area of 100 acres. Rajawats MBA experience and Lady Shri Ram College education helped her In Soda, the limited groundwater is in her endeavour. Through my unsafe even for agriculture, as it is education I am able to better manage s a l i n e a n d h a s h i g h n a t u r a l projects, prioritise tasks, balance contamination, resulting in high budgets and even create reports for the skeletal and dental fluorosis. Due to village. This, I believe, helps me win the lack of water between mid-March credibility when I meet government and August, life becomes very difficult officials, she says, emphasising the in the village. Conserving rainwater is importance of the only way to have safe drinking an educated water. The project, therefore, aims to leader in rural conserve rainwater. Of 1,000 houses, areas. not even one per cent have toilets. We intend to construct toilets in each and On March 25, every household. For reforestation, 2011, Rajawat approximately 1,200 bighas of forest addressed the and pastureland need to be revived. As 1 1 t h I n f o - for education, the high school here has P o v e r t y Hindi literature, Sanskrit literature W o r l d and Geography available for the 11th Conference at and 12th standard students. Just t h e U n i t e d imagine the future they have in store, N a t i o n s . I she rues. believe I was the only one As a visionary, Rajawat wants there (at the UN) representing the agriculture, animal husbandry and grassroots, she says. There was no h o r t i c u l t u r e t o b e t a u g h t t o clear understanding of the grassroots schoolchildren. These lessons will not issues. But why should we look outside? only provide technical know-how, but Even within our country, most people also equip them with tools to improve living in cities are unaware of what rural the yield. Since agriculture and animal India is all about. There is much to be husbandry are the only source of done, Rajawat says, adding: Rural income for the villagers, the move is development is as important as urban much needed. development. It needs to be understood that if rural areas are neglected, then the Rajawat is not going to take it lying migration to cities will increase, ending down. After all, grassroots service lies up creating chaos in urban centres. in her jeans. Err I mean genes! The battle had just begun for Rajawat after her election victory. Issues like safe drinking water, education and sanitation were lined up for her attention. First and foremost was the
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LIVING
17
Knick Knacks
Ending in Splitsville
Couples who live together before they get married are less likely to stay married, according to a report. The UK-based Christian think-tank Jubilee Centre said that living together had become a more fragile state of relationship than ever before. It said that couples who cohabited before marriage were 45 per cent more likely to split than those who waited until after the wedding. It was also discovered that more couples are cohabiting than ever before with the average time living together before tying the knot doubling to three-and-a-half years in the past four decades. The Daily Mail quoted Dr John Hayward and Dr Guy Brandon as saying, in the report, that despite the popularity of cohabitation and its relationship to marriage, it is also the case that marriages that start with a period of prior cohabitation are significantly more prone to divorce than those that do not.
Pet healers
Animals are not only loyal companions but can also provide a therapeutic effect to those who are suffering from disabilities. Sangeeta Yadav brings you a report
What therapists and medicines couldnt started socialising with his peers. of responsibility. do, Casper did and did it quite remarkably. There was nothing Ashwins case bears testimony to the Sunil is a case in point. Handicapped working for eight-year-old Ashwin who fact that canines are not only loyal with a weak left hand and a totally nonwas suffering from Down functional right hand, he stayed syndrome, a birth defect. When confined to his room. But, after his parents had given up all meeting Angel, a seven-year-old hope, Casper, a two-year-old Golden Retriever, he started Golden Retriever who is a laughing. He would throw the therapy dog entered his life and ball to her, play a game of tug of changed it completely. Earlier, war, pet her, brush her, feed her Ashwin could barely move his and give her commands. lips to utter maa and khaana. Today he can speak ball, sit After a couple of sessions. Sunil and come only after a few felt that his left arm had become sessions, Rohini Fernandes, costronger and he could hold the founder of Animal Angels rope for a longer time. Now, he Foundation, an NGO that even tries to use his right hand to provides animal therapy, tells caress Angel. Earlier, Sunil you. would not come out of his room on Saturdays. But, now, when companions but also power healers. Ashwin enjoys watching Casper play Angel visits him on a Saturday Several disabled children, old people, with the ball. So much so, that Ashwin morning, he gets up early and waits for children with learning disabilities et al started speaking out. With the help of her. He plays with her and smiles a lot have benefited from animal assisted Casper, Ashwin has progressed. His while interacting and talking to her. therapy. Experts say that playing with teachers reveal that his movements have an animal in a supervised way reduces become more relaxed. He has also negative behaviour and creates a sense
Reality bites
Girls who regularly watch reality television, expect and accept more bullying and drama in their lives, a just-released study in the United States suggests. They also assign more value to physical appearances, and to view themselves as leaders and role models, according to the survey by the research wing of the Girl Scouts of the United States. Some 1,141 girls aged 11 through 17 took part in the survey. What the survey says: ? 78 per cent girls think that gossiping is normal in relationships ?cent think its in girls 68 per nature to be catty and competitive ? 37 per cent girls think you have to lie in order to get what you want ? 65 per cent say reality TV has exposed them to new perspectives
Honey, lets go
Honeymoon is something which goes a long way in deciding the course of a matrimonial alliance. Thus, it is important to cherish every moment of those days. Rather than spending time in sight-seeing, the couple should try to steal some moments of romance and togetherness, says Nidhi Mittal
Mummy, papa, uncles, aunties, cousins, extended family and the lesser known friends and family of the family members surrounding you 24X7 coupled with shopping madness, gifts, clothes, venues all this and more makes it the big fat Indian wedding. What the girl and boy, who are about to get married, want gets lost in the hustle and bustle by the excitement around. However, after the nuptial knot has been tied and the people around retire to their own zones, all that the exhausted couple craves for is some time away to relax and let the feeling of getting married sink in. away from all the rigorous rituals, huge family and work. Honeymoon gives time to rest and assume a new relationship, says Dr Kamal Khurana, relationship coach, Purple Alley Institute of Relationships. Couples who do not manage to go on a honeymoon or go with family members or friends hardly ever build the bond that a strong marital relationship requires. The time when the two actually start living in, be it a love or arranged match, is a fresh start to an alliance that is supposed to go on for a lifetime sans any hiccups. And at that time it is important to be away from all others. In India, a girl plays many roles. She moves into a big family and everyone has a lot of expectations from her. People also want to spend time with the new couple. There are also judgements made. In all this, honeymoon is a way to escape from everything and celebrate your union, Dr Khurana remarks. were all going haywire as the visa situation was bad. I finally decided to take things in my hands and booked us for a weekend trip. And I did notice a difference in our state of mind and our interaction with each other, she tells you. Even though Poonam got a considerable amount of time with her husband during their courtship period, things were different after marriage. There was a need to know the man better which could not happen while they were surrounded by people. Marriage is like baking a cake. If its well settled right at the beginning, the end product will come out to be good. When a person enters matrimony with a lot of anxieties, mutual support is important. Honeymoon helps in generating a sense of belonging. It should not be on an itinerary and should not be a rigorous affair. The objective of these days is knowing each other and it should not involve sightseeing. More importantly, in the decision-making about the destination, no family or agent should be involved. There are also cases where the boy takes his parents with him on the honeymoon. This is a classic case of marital disaster, says Dr Khurana.
Getting married in India is a tiring business. Even though there are certain activities that you would want should happen in your wedding, what others want matters more. By the time my wedding ceremonies arrived, I was so tired that I wanted to run away. So, as soon as I got married, all I could think of was to be on our honeymoon. But since our Europe visas got stuck, it got difficult for both of us as we had to be amid a huge family sans any peaceful time together, For Poonam, who had an arranged says 27-year-old Poonam Bansal. match and got married into a big joint family, no honeymoon was a horrifying Honeymoon is one thing that is common idea. She was not able to spend time to all marriages around the world. with her husband and the leaves from Couples know that honeymoon is the work were gradually coming to an end. time that they can spend with each other I wasnt at peace, even though I was only. Honeymoon is as important as all getting all the attention. We were both other rituals of marriage. It has become a hesitant as to how were supposed to status quo and both the girl and the boy behave with each other with so many have huge expectations from it. It people around. Apart from night time, occupies a persons mind space since we were not able to even sit together for teenage. It is one time that you have five minutes. And honeymoon plans
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AVENUES
18
Skills move a person from theory (knowledge) to action. To be skilled one must be able to undertake a task with competence. Skills are learned and repeatable. In short, skills are I n t o d a y s h i g h l y c o m p e t i t i v e what one can do with knowledge, employment market, jobs and roles are e x a m p l e p r e s e n t a t i o n , s a l e s , o f t e n d e s c r i b e d i n t e r m s o f management, communication, etc.
Engineering haven
There are over 5 lakh candidates who will take the upcoming JEE. Deebashree Mohanty chats up Kalyan Kumar, director FIITJEE, about his take on the upcoming test
do those for which they know the Yes. The JEE for instance, a candidate correct answer. It helps them to needs to prepare seriously for at least two years if not more. And it is not just prioritise. the slogging, it is also the mental preparation that candidates Do you see an upsurge in prepares himselfcounts. The challenges. to take on It is going to be a challenging test is all the career opportunities These king of engineering exams trains that I can say at the moment. Although the student so he can for engineering students? placement afterthatstudies. find a good students this year have a huge advantage his and they should make full use of it. This time round they know exactly what the Career opportunities keep changing. cut-off is going to be for each subject as 10 years back, computer science was Do students land up with well as over all. According to the new set the field to be in. But today there are good placements? of rules students need to score at least 10 many opportunities available in other per cent in all the subject papers and an fields as well. For engineering students specially, the sky is the limit. They are Depends on many things like the aggregate of 30 per cent in total. trained such that they are very career condition of the economy, the institute oriented and with the amount of hard that the has passed out How do you think the work that they have put in preparing al. All candidateinstitutes offerfrom et reputed great knowledge of the cutoff for the engineering exams, they are all placement opportunities. set to make a mark in any field that they should benefit students? choose.
the better. We had only 1.8 lakh students who had enrolled themselves at that time. And today, we have about 5 lakh candidates who will be taking the test this time.
It is going to benefit them immensely. This is so because now they have a fixed target in front of them. They know that they have to score these many questions to qualify. So they will not try and attempt a lot of questions. They will only
You have been with D o y o u t h i n k t h a t FIITJEE for the past nine preparation for these y e a r s . H a s a n y t h i n g tests prepares a student changed? for a job simultaneously?
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TRAVEL
19
I could begin by explaining how I ended up in the middle of the hinterland of Rajasthan with a share of hospitality that is the trademark of these quarters but that would be another story. For now, Ill keep the joys of the mighty Aravallis that tower before me as I soak in the flavour of the land, with a generous helping of gatta curry and hot chapatis, in the courtyard of a quaint cottage and take you on a journey through faith.
First impression
The reason I chose to stay here was because of the peace I felt at heart, said Roza as we sat sipping a cup of hot tea at the Anjuman Guest House. I couldnt help laughing at the irony of residing at a guest house on the beggar-infested street that led to the entrance of the Dargah Sharif. What peace could one possibly find here? But Roza, a tourist from Dimona in Israel, offered to take me around the dargah as she had come to see it over the past month. After walking through the remaining expanse of the wide street with flowers and souvenir shops flanking both sides and alms-seekers stopping me at every step, we finally reached the Nizam Gate the main entrance to the shrine. When you climb these steps, you leave every worldly possession and clamour behind. You must have nothing but a sound faith, said Roza. The only identity of a true follower is his faith in the divine. Her words calmed me instantly, the sight and sounds of the bustling market didnt seem to bother me anymore as I handed over my footwear and proceeded to climb the steps. At the top, I felt like stepping into a different world, familiar, welcoming and yet so simple in its regularity that we crave for its solace in a mad, hectic world. I walked through the gates and towards the talaab where I stopped to wash my
hands and feet. Everything around here reminds me of home, she said. The marketplace in my hometown was not very different and I often used to go to a dargah in the outskirts with my mother. I grew up seeing every beautiful part of my life falling to bits. Seeing life go on so normally here was startling at first but now I realise that this is how it was meant to be. The Khwajas legacy world was created for human beings like you and me to explore and Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, as the saint is appreciate the Gods great work. fondly referred to by his disciples, holds an important place in the Sufi circuit of We walked across the market, selling the subcontinent. He is hailed as the flowers and chadars (drape for the founder of the Chisti order of Sufis, said saint) to be offered at the dargah. There to be the descendants of Prophet was no haggling over prices. I merely Mohammed. took out the amount I was willing to pay and handed it to the shopkeeper Moinuddin Chisti, as he was named by who asked me if I wanted a chadar as his parents, was born in Iran. After his well. He prepared my tokri (basket) as fathers death, when he was just a I watched Roza look longingly at the teenager, he chanced upon a mystic dargah. She had nothing to offer today walking by his garden. It was with his except prayers. blessings that he embarked on his own journey of soul-searching. His quest I could see the pilgrims in a different took him to faraway lands and he met light now. It was easy to distinguish several scholars of his age. He finally those who had come to ask their came to India after a brief stopover at benevolent benefactor for a favour Lahore. He set up his base in Ajmer, from those who had returned to thank continued his teachings and offered him for his kindness. There were also peace, guidance and solace to anyone quite a few travellers, mainly who came to his door. His shrine is at its foreigners, who wanted to feel the colourful best during the festival of Urs, magic of Sufism, the egoless surrender which marks the day when the Khwaja to the divine as propagated by left his mortal body to be united with the Moinuddin Chisti. divine after living the last six days of his life in isolation. Death is not considered inopportune in Sufism. It is, in fact, The way in celebrated as the union of the soul with the source. Every year, those going for M y t o k r i w a s r e a d y . I t w a s , Haj are expected to visit the shrine at the unfortunately, too large for me to carry time of Urs, which is scheduled in my hand and seeing the crowd according to the lunar calendar. waiting to heave in, I understood the devotees habit of placing it on the head while entering the shrine. I walked Return to reality towards the entrance, silently praying for Rozas safe return, for finding peace within myself and in the world I live in. Having received the Khwajas blessings, I lost sight of her in the crowd. I I headed for the exit. Brushing my way realised that our meeting was over and through the crowd while looking for one that I had to go forth on my own, find of the khadims men who have been
Getting there
By air The nearest airport is at Jaipur, 135 km. The closest international airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi, 350 km. By rail There are several direct trains plying via Ajmer. Ajmer Junction is well-connected to the major cities of the country. By road Ajmer is connected to New Delhi by the National Highway 8 via Jaipur and makes for a comfortable five-and-a-half-hour drive. The Rajasthan Roadways offers several luxurious and standard coaches for travel within and outside the State. Copyright: Exotica, the wellness and lifestyle magazine from The Pioneer Group, available in all rooms of select five-star hotel chains across the country
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ADVENTURE
20
My motorcycle diary
Anup Kutty tests his own limits and those of his 350 cc Bullet on a trip from Manali to Kaza
with only the familiar thumping of my 350 cc engine for company. It suddenly dawns upon me that theres no more hurry to get anywhere. Time needs to come to a standstill. There are no phones here. No deadlines. No bosses. No cameras. No friends, folks or foes. No one to share anything with. Only me in the middle of all this vastness. I loosen my grip on the accelerator. From hereon, its easy, rider. We stop at Nako, a village that boasts of a lake the size of a pond and a Gompa with some of the oldest paintings in Tibetan history. With an economy based mostly on the cultivation of peas, Nako shot to limelight when the Dalai Lama visited it in 2000 which explains the helipad and the bunch of homestays and backpackers here. We make Amar Home Stay our home for the night and indulge in the arrack (barley liquor) that the owner gets us. Smoking is strictly prohibited in this that uses watermills (gharats) for village so our sojourns are mostly limited domestic electricity. Jibhi is also where to the great indoors. the motorable road ends and the mad climb begins. The road turns into a 75 Next morning, we reach the Tabo degree mud track and its a first gear monastery founded in 996 by the great drive for about 15 km. I reach the Tibetan translator Rinchen Zangpo and Banjara Camp at Shoja our first stop. where the Dalai Lama had conducted the This camp is a comfortable place for a Kalachakra ceremony to coincide with weekend break albeit slightly t h e m i l l e n n i u m a n n i v e r s a r y expensive promising spectacular celebrations of the monastery. We views of the Banjar Valley and short remain there for a day. trips to the nearby Raghupur Fort and a waterfall. The next stop, on the sixth day, is the Dhankar monastery a spectacular On the third day, incessant rain and structure literally carved out of the rocky dirt welcome us through the Banjar cliff it clings on to. The monastery, built Valley up to Jalori Pass (3,550 m). This at an elevation of 3,894 m, used to be a pass gets heavy snowfall during prison before it was converted into a December and March and connects gompa for around 150 lamas. From here Kullu district with the Seranj area. we witness the confluence of the Spiti Continue downhill and you hit the and Pin rivers. If God exists, Hes hamlet of Khanag a route that winds definitely been here! through rich apple orchards and forests. The roads here are perfect for But there isnt time to lose and we must motoring and within minutes we are at head now to take a detour to Mudh the the crowded bazaar of Ani where we get last village on the road to Pin Valley and some waterproof tarpouline for our the land of the ibex and the extremely luggage. The road from here to Sainj shy snow leopards. The road leads where we meet the NH 22 is a green through tiny villages many with a stretch running parallel to the raging population of not more than 30. After a Sutlej river. picturesque village called Sagnam, the path turns into a bad terrain with Once we hit Sainj, its easy sailing on streams running across and after some the National Highway thats coming time join Sherry and Satish at the Snow from Shimla. Ive driven on this road Valley Restaurant. We soon decide to innumerable times but never on a bike move. About a few kilometres into our and I feel the difference. I am in tune ride, we stop at a meadow that offers a with all the elements the wind, the panoramic view of the icy Bhabha Pass drops of rain, the smell, the occasional flanked by sweeping green mountain pothole on the road and the gravel. slopes on either side. Theres a gurgling mountain stream where we rest and trip On the fourth day, its noon by the time on a frozen carcass of a colt probably we leave Kalpa to get back onto NH 22. from previous winter. From here the landscape changes drastically green gives way to grey. I We get to trek up to Ki another old pass a checkpoint at Sumdo where I monastery set atop a rocky mountain have to sign in my details. Foreigners that offers a mind-altering view of the need to show an Inner Line Permit Spiti Valley. From Ki, about 12 km up here which they can procure from ahead is the village of Khibber, which at either Recong Peo or Kaza. We are now 4,550 m used to be the highest village in climbing higher into the painfully the world till they built a motorable road beautiful Spiti Valley. I begin to feel the to a nearby village of Ghetten. Khibber is altitude effects a feeling of a quiet and stark village with a single pointlessness and despair. The sun, the guest house to stay overnight. dizzying height and the rocky barren lunar landscape are surely playing The next morning, Vikas fixes the bike tricks with my mind. I gasp for breath real soon, and we resumed our journey. The drive from Kaza to Losar is one of the best so far. Its a smooth metal road with occasional straight flat stretches where instead of going high-throttle, you may just be tempted to kill your engine and get awed by the fantastic 360 degree panorama. Losar is a village only 60 km away from Kaza with one phone-booth that doesnt work. We halted here for the night. Kunzum La, at 4,551 m, is one of most impressive, if not highest, motorable passes in the Himalayas. Its a rough track all the way from Losar, but we manage to cross it in less than an hour. After the ritualistic photo session, we descend through melting glaciers to Bathal, known for a little dhaba. We decided to loosen our baggage here and do a bumpy ride up to Chandrataal. This is the last leg of our tour. Satish celebrates it with a bottle of rum he scores at a nearby tent. For me, its a dive into the divine lake something I highly recommend. We all huddle around a table, drinking, listening to Spitian folk songs, talking about our ride so far and Himachali folklore. On the ninth day, we wake up to a few horses grazing around our tents. Ten minutes into my ride, I run into an icy waterfall. Its less than 30-km from Bathala to Chattru, but it takes us almost three hours to get there. There is no road, only tyre marks over stones, streams, ice, gravel, sand and waterfalls. Satish, Sherry and I have to push our bikes through a few of these hurdles while wondering where our tax money goes. By afternoon, we make it atop Rohtang Pass after the worst 50km of our lives. Its a momentous occasion but instead of stopping and taking it all in, we decide to keep going. The road from Rohtang to the next village is literally a road to hell. Theres leftover construction work, smoke, landslides, traffic jams, dirt, horsedung, domestic tourists wearing fur coats and boots At one point I want to stop my bike, stand next to it and weep. My eyes cant digest the ugly sight. Not after all that I have soaked in. I need a lot of motivation to begin again and at one point even contemplate giving it up and getting a cab. And then I remember the grilled trout and beer at Lazy Dog and the prospect of meeting the others there. By 4 pm, I swing in my bike with a confident flair into the New Enfield Motors, jump off it and walk up to Lazy Dog. Satish and Sherry are already waiting for me with beer mugs. Grilled trout it is. Courtesy: Namaskaar, Air Indias inflight magazine. Copyright (C) National Aviation Company of India Limited (Air India)
I am on a throbbing 350 cc single cylinder engine motorbike at a dizzy height of over 13,000 ft above sea level. The dark lunar landscape with rocky towering mountains envelopes me like a carefully constructed abysmally huge cosmic maze with only a winding gravel road as an escape route. In the limitless electric blue sky above, the sun shines mercilessly on the grey slopes. I am in the painfully beautiful Spiti Valley and theres no one around. No phones. No Internet. No girlfriends, folks, friends. No pets. No sound except for the confident rumble of my Enfield Bullet and the eerie wind sweeping down. This is what I call freedom. And this is my motorcycle diary. Satish and I arrive at Manali in a Volvo bus choc-a-bloc with honeymooners. This is no honeymoon for us. This is a test of physical and mental endurance wrought with extreme danger. I havent written a will but Satish has already messaged a couple of his girlfriends to look after his iconic restaurant Gunpowder in the eventuality of his not returning. As planned, we meet Tabasheer (Sherry) a Mumbai-based costume designer and friend at Kalath, seven-km before Manali and well-known for its hot springs. We pack our bags, buy our essentials and walk up to Old Manali where we settle ourselves with a beer and grilled trout at the somewhat recently-opened Lazy Dog run by a former Delhi-based journalist Gautum. We finalise our route and itinerary here. Soon, we hop to a garage next door called New Enfield Motors run by two enterprising Punjabi brothers who rent out Enfield Bullets to enterprising riders. The next day we leave Kalath on our thunder beasts. By the time we reach Kullu, its pouring down. We stop at Bhuntur for a quick chai and wear our army waterproof ponchos. After passing the spooky Aut tunnel, we leave the Manali-Chandigarh highway to take a left towards the Banjar Valley. The drive uphill from Aut to Jalori Pass takes us through Jibhi one of the interesting little villages in Himachal
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TRAVELOGUE
21
In January 2008, during a visit to Itanagar and Tawang, the Prime Minister announced a Rs 24,000-crore package for the State. Priority was given to connectivity (in particular, the construction of a Trans-Arunachal A high delegation had just arrived from Highway). Lhasa looking for the reincarnation of the Fifth Dalai Lama, who had passed As a result, the road between the plains away a couple of years earlier in Tibet. of Assam and Tawang is the messiest The boy was waiting to be taken back to construction site imaginable. In fact, it has become the butt of a joke among his Potala Palace in Lhasa. local drivers; one can, however, take It is just one of the numerous stories or c o m f o r t i n t h e f a c t t h a t t h e legends in Monyul (the low land), as construction work has finally started. Tawang is known. The Monpas, said to be one of the primitive tribes of Tawang, Reaching the Sela Pass, at 13,700 ft are obviously fond and proud of these above sea level between Tawang and Bomdila (West Kameng district), you legends. feel as if you are entering another Being located near the tri-junction world. But you are first reminded that between India, Tibet and Bhutan, south the area was the theatre of the 1962 of the McMahon Line, Tawang is today Sino-Indian conflict. A memorial one of the most strategic locations in the dedicated to Jaswant Singh, the heroic country. The Government has, however, rifleman who defended the pass and opened it to visitors an Inner Line earned a Maha Vir Chakra in Permit is required for Indians and a November 1962, has turned into a sort of mandir in memory of the brave Protected Area Permit for foreigners. jawan. It is a compulsory stop for all Long ago, the British created an inner Army personnel as well as tourists line, separating these excluded tracks (more than 95 per cent of the visitors from the plains. Though for a long time are currently from West Bengal). considered backward, one soon Looking at the old bunkers, one can discovers a culture dating back several imagine the incredible sufferings and centuries; a first darshan of an imposing bravery of the jawans and officers of gompa (monastery), towering over the the Indian Army, abandoned by an valley in all its majesty, will remove all irresponsible leadership. A visit to the 1962 War Memorial in Tawang is also a doubts about this. must. Tourism has become a key to the economic development and the Two hours later, the first glimpses of integration of these border areas. And, it the Tawang Gompa perched on one will ultimately become a factor for the of the highest hills overlooking the defence of the frontiers once the Tawang Chu Valley (chu is river in infrastructure gets the much needed Tibetan/Monpa language) are breathtaking. For the past three attention. centuries, life in Monyul has been In October 1962, when China entered the centred around the gompa, the Indian territory north of Tawang, the fountainhead of Buddhism for some Army was woefully unprepared and the 30,000 Monpas and other Buddhist infrastructure non-existent. It was a ethnic groups (like the Sherdukpens). watershed event in Indian history as the
Lama Geno, in Monpa language could be translated as the lama knows, or more freely, here we are. It is what Tsangyang Gyaltso, the young Sixth Dalai Lama, wrote in 1688 with his finger on a stone in Urgyeling, a village south of Tawang, the headquarters of the western-most district of Arunachal Pradesh.
policy of keeping a part of the Indian territory excluded proved to be both fatal and humiliating for the nation.
The legend says that it is Mera Lamas horse that discovered the location of the monastery. It became known as Tawang Gompa: In Monpa dialect, ta means horse and wang means blessings. So, Tawang is Another name of the land of the Monpa the place blessed by the is Mon Payul Kyinochung, which horse. means the hidden and blessed land. This brings a familiar concept in the Today 500 monks study in the gompa, Himalayan literature: The esoteric the largest Buddhist monastery in India, meaning of Hidden Land is that a under the dynamic leadership of a young person has to be initiated first to enter lama, Guru Rinpoche. this region. Buddhists believe in the concept of sacred places or pithas. During the 10th century, the great Indian yogi Tilopa said that pithas are to be found inside your own self, though outer pithas are mentioned in the scriptures for the benefit of simple fools who wander about the country. As a tourist, you may be classified as a simple fool by siddhas, but you will tremendously enjoy visiting some other outer places empowered by the Sixth Dalai Lama, Mera Lama or Guru Padmasambhava. Most of the tour operators will tell you to visit Madhuri Lake. After Rakesh Roshan shot Koyla (starring Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan), jawans posted in the area began calling it Madhuri Lake; it was a grazing pasture before becoming a lake after the dreadful earthquake of August 1950. Locals say that it is its USP, as there are as many as 108 lakes in the area many of them larger and more stunning, with some having been blessed by great tantric masters and yogis. A few kilometres away is the Tagtsang Gompa (the Tiger Lair monastery), perched at 13,500 ft. It is one of the four pithas that Padmasambhava, the great Indian tantric master who helped establishing Buddhism in Tibet, Bhutan and some other Himalayan regions, established. He is said to have traversed Tagtsang in the form of a tiger and subdued some powerful local spirits hostile to Buddhism. Till recently hidden lands had a literal meaning in Tawang, but with the relaxation of the Inner Line Permit system, the region is today accessible to all (the initiation being the two-day journey on the road from Assam to Tawang). The beauty and the sacredness of the sites, the serene atmosphere of the mountains, the luxuriant flora and the gentleness of the local population of Arunachal Pradesh can make the most tense city-wallah relax. Getting there By Air: The closest airport to Arunachal Pradesh is Lilabari Airport in Assam which is about 67 km from Itanagar. However, there are also some direct air flights from Kolkata to Tezpur. The helicopter services are also available from Guwahati to Tawang. By Rail: The closest railway station to Arunachal Pradesh is Harmuty, about 33 km from Itanagar. But the most convenient rail destination is North Lakhimpur, Assam, which is about 60 km from the State capital, Itanagar.
By Road: There are many bus services provided at regular intervals by the State Transport Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh. There is a direct service from Naharlagun and Itanagar. Some of the main road distances are Guwahati (381 km), Shillong (481 km) Another popular figure in Monyul is the and Imphal (495 km). great Mahasiddha Thangtong Gyalpo. Born in 1385 in central Tibet, he travelled widely across the Himalayas. He is remembered in Buddhist history not only for his teachings, but also for the iron bridges he constructed. He was a remarkable engineer and might be the first Asian to understand the meaning of communication (seven centuries before
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HISTORY
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Mahatma Metamorphosis
It is a little known fact that until the end of the First World War Mahatma Gandhi was a strong supporter of both the British Empire and the military. He became the Apostle of Nonviolence only after Tilak died and he became leader of the Congress. N.S. Rajaram find out more
India. Curiously, he didnt start out that way and was once openly supportive of warfare. He served under in two wars in South Africa the Zulu War (1906) and the Boer War, both on the side of the British. The first was against the African tribe known as the Zulus and a purely colonial war. The second was against Dutch settlers in South Africa. He was a non-combatant serving in the Ambulance Corps, attached to the Army (British) Medical Corps. He was a conscientious soldier and was decorated by the British for his war service. One of the important lessons of history is that a nation cannot come into existence much less prosper without a powerful army. While much is made of the nonviolent freedom struggle waged by Mahatma Gandhi, what made the British leave India in 1947 was Subhas Bose through his INA turning the British Indian Army into a nationalist force. The naval mutiny and other disturbances during the INA trials convinced the British that Indian soldiers would fight for India but not to protect British interests. This history has been turned on its head by claiming that Gandhi brought freedom through his non-violent movement. The fact is that the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942 was far more important than Gandhis Quit India Movement launched the same year, which was a fiasco. The curious thing is that Gandhi himself had strongly advocated Indians join the military. He was himself a decorated soldier. Let us take a look at this hidden chapter of history. doctrine of surrender to justify cowardice in the face of evil. Here we have Gandhis own words on the subject, in the face of the violence at the hands of Muslims. As a man of truth I honestly believe that Hindus should yield up to the Mohammedans whatever the latter desire, and that they should rejoice in so doing. We can expect unity only if such mutual largeheartedness is displayed. As R.C. Majumdar observed (History of the Freedom Movement in India, Volume II, pp 313-14): The first sentence is one of those pro-Muslim sayings which bore the special trademark of Gandhi and did incalculable harm to Hindu-Muslim unity by putting a premium on Muslim intransigence. It was repeated in 1947when Gandhi made the proposal, which astounded even his devout followers, that Jinnah should be the supreme ruler of India, with a cabinet of his own choice, which might consist only of Muslim ministers. The word mutual in the second sentence is meaningless, as Gandhi never dared make similar request to the Muslims, and they never showed the slightest intention of doing any such foolish thing. Gandhis attitude did not change even after the creation of Pakistan. (It is surprising that Gandhi should have been accorded such a high honor as invitation by the Viceroy. Gandhi was still regarded as a war veteran a recruiting sergeant though no longer in uniform. And the invitation was for a war conference.) This was exactly the advice given by Veer Savarkar and followed by Subhas Bose for which they have been excoriated by the supposed followers of Gandhi! As late as 1918, when he was nearly fifty, Gandhi maintained a perfectly sensible position recognizing the importance of military training in the defense of the nation. It is also interesting that the British saw him as their faithful ally, according him the rare honor of meetings with the Viceroy. It is possible to almost pinpoint Gandhis metamorphosis from a sensible nationalist into the Ahimsa Apostle to August 1920, when Bal Gangadhar Tilak died. This allowed Gandhi to fill the resulting vacuum as the undisputed leader of the Congress. That marked the decisive change in direction of the Indian Freedom Movement from total freedom (Purna Swaraj) to nonviolence as the central policy. It led to Gandhis ill-fated Khilafat Movement in support of the restoration of the deposed Turkish Sultan and the horrors of the Moplah Rebellion. Gandhi justified it in the name of ahimsa and from then on imposed nonviolence as a dogma on his Hindu followers but not Muslims. Jinnah and Subhas Bose opposed Gandhis policies but were both forced to leave the Congress. All this is well known. What has not received the attention it deserves is the transformation of Gandhi from a sensible statesman who recognized the importance of the armed forces in national life into an ahimsa fanatic. After Tilaks death, which allowed him to become the unchallenged leader of both the Congress and the freedom movement, freedom or swaraj became subordinate to nonviolence. Those who disagreed with him had no place in his party. Is it mere coincidence that all the movements led by the British favorite Gandhi ended in stalemate if not worse and only delayed freedom? Did the British see Gandhi and his nonviolence as an ally that would help prolong their stay? His beginning as leader was inauspicious enough the disastrous Non-cooperation Movement in support of the Khilafat. Although Gandhi had promised Swaraj within the year, he called it off following a violent attack on a police station in Chauri Chaura. The failure of the Khilafat to deliver the promised Swaraj within the year to the Ali Brothers led to the Moplah Rebellion. Gandhi was helpless; it took the British controlled Indian Army several months to restore order. Here is an intriguing point: was there a tacit understanding that the British would tolerate if not support Gandhis non-violent movements as a counterweight to the militant nationalism of the likes of Veer Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Bose and Bal Gangadhar Tilak? In any event Gandhi and his followers got kid gloves treatment being imprisoned in places like the Aga Khan Palace in Pune while Tilak spent six years in Mandalay, Burma. Savarkar was confined in the infamous cellular jail in the Andamans. Gandhi repaid his dues to the British by remaining an Anglophile to the end. He chose the Anglicized Nehru instead of Patel to be the first prime minister of India. He and Nehru asked Mountbatten to continue as Governor General instead of appointing Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) who had to wait until Mountbatten was gone. Here is another what if of history: would there be a Kashmir problem today had Rajaji-Patel been in charge instead of Mountbatten-Nehru? We know that Patel and Rajaji handled the Hyderabad crisis resolutely defeating Jinnahs attempt to take the case to the United Nations. Indias leaders lack courage and are more interested in protecting themselves than the nation. To such people their personal security is more important than national security. So they will never take a tough decision that they feel may provoke the terrorists. This is not the mindset that can help win the war on terror. This is the sad truth: Indians have allowed leaders to come up who have neither the will nor the intent to defend the country by fighting terrorists. As John Stuart Mill wrote: War is an ugly thing, but it is not the ugliest of things. The ugliest is that man who holding nothing is worth defending or worth fighting for would let better men than himself protect him. This is what has been happening in India in the half century and more since independence. Brave lives are being sacrificed to protect unworthy men and women. Gandhi must bear his share for this tragedy with his perverse U-turn.
Bhishma, the wise old pitmaha of the Mahabharata advised Yudhishtira: A king who is always gentle is exploited by all; but the world dreads one who is severe. You must use both to rule properly. Bhishma also told Yudhishtira That king is the greatest in whose kingdom people move about But it was different Gandhi who without fear, like children in their supported the British war effort until he took over as the leader of the fathers home. Congress after Bal Gangadhar Tilak It is not just ancient thinkers who said died in 1920. The national movement that. A hundred years ago Sri Aurobindo which had been militant until then wrote: The sword of the warrior is as suddenly turned soft with Gandhi necessary to the fulfillment of justice and stressing nonviolence more than righteousness as the holiness of the freedom. Did the Jallianwala Bagh saint. Ramdas is not complete without Massacre of April 1919 convince Shivaji. To maintain justice and to Gandhi that the British could never be prevent the strong from despoiling, and defeated by militant activism? Was it the weak from being oppressed is the f o r t h e s a m e r e a s o n t h a t h e function for which the Kshatriya was surrendered to Islamist demands after created. Therefore, says Krishna in the the Khilafat and the Moplah Rebellion Mahabharata, God created battle and of 1921 22? These are questions that armour, the sword, the bow and the need to be raised. dagger. Gandhis flip-flop on war and What it really means is that force (or nonviolence violence) should only be used to protect helpless innocents by suppressing The specter of Mahatma Gandhi, the tyrants. Instead of maintaining peace, supposed Apostle of Nonviolence the Gandhian brand of ahimsa became a looms large over the history of modern
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HISTORY
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Marco Polo, one ofhistorys greatest explorers, may in fact have been a conman, it has been claimed. The Venetian merchant adventurer claimed to have embarked on his epic journey across Asia and the Middle East in 1271 AD, at the age of 17, accompanied by his
father, Niccolo, and uncle, Matteo. Their travels took them from Europe through Bukhara to China, where the Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan, is said to have made Marco Polo his emissary to the modern day Middle East.
Canines sniff out trouble for security forces in J-K, North East
Dogs with the canine units of the Indian Army have proved to be the best friends of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir and North East, helping detect 35 IEDs planted by terrorists in the two areas.
detect 35 high powered IEDs in J and K the sources said. and North East, Army sources told PTI The Indian Army has been training and here. employing dogs of various different Out of these 35 instances, 19 were breeds such as German Shepherd, reported from militancy-hit areas of Labrador, Doberman, Boxer and Bull Kashmir Valley, they said.Rest of the 16 dogs. cases were reported from North East region where the IEDs were planted Besides the basic obedience training, under thick layers of vegetation making these dogs are trained in various their detection difficult by electronic different traits suiting their capability such as detecting arms and scanners. ammunition, explosives, contrabands Apart from the explosives, the canine and guard duties at vulnerable units were also successful in detecting 24 installations like ammunition depot cases of narcotics being smuggled by and radar stations, aircraft hangers and etc. insurgents in the North East. Some of the IEDs detected by these dogs were planted on the routes used by the Army for moving its convoys for winter stocking and other purposes. To meet the ever-increasing need for such dogs, the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) has been undertaking the task of breeding and rearing of pups.
Trained to detect various combinations detect explosives which may escape of explosives hidden under layers of detection by electronic scanners. The "We can say that these dogs have actually rocks and vegetation, the dogs can also canine units this year managed to helped in averting some big incidents,"
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NEWS FEATURE
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Noted singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, Academy-Award-nominated actress Sigourney Weaver and vocalist Capathia Jenkins were among the celebrities who joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for the ceremony
A small flotilla of government, commercial and private vessels offered a salute to the Statue at the close of the ceremony, evoking the 1886 "water parade" that attended her dedication. "Lady Liberty is an enduring symbol of Honouring her status as a symbol of freedom, tolerance and openness that
The iconic New York symbol will close for a year beginning today, during when a USD 27.25 million renovation will be undertaken to improve the stairway up into Lady Liberty's crown A series of new web cameras have also and to add new safety equipments. been placed around the torch of the Statue of Liberty, providing on However, Liberty Island, where the computers and smart phones live and copper statue is located, will remain unobstructed views of the New York City open during the project and views of skyline, the Hudson River, ships in New Lady Liberty will remain largely York Harbour as well as a wide-angle unobstructed during the year-long interactive view of the famed golden upgrade. torch.
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NEWS FEATURE
25
After returning from India, Jobs and his friend Steve Wozniak founded "And it turned out not to be a waste of Apple computer in his parents' garage time," he says. According to Isaacson, with an initial USD 1,300 investment. when Jobs returned from India he said,
The more the merrier, says Mizo man with 39 wives, 94 kids
Many would consider it an achievement of Biblical proportions! With 39 wives and more than 120 children and grandchildren, all staying together, a tribal Christian cult leader in the northeastern state of Mizoram could perhaps claim to head the world's biggest family.
Zionnghaka's father Challianchana who died in 1997. The cult, f o u n d e d b y Challianchana some time in the early 1930s, is now spread over four generations and boasts of having some 1,700 members. Challianchana was believed to have had 50 wives, with Zionnghaka being the eldest of his many children -- there is no count available of the number of children Challianchana had. Perched at a hilltop, the 100-room fourstoreyed building they live in is as unique as the family - the youngest wife sleeps near to Zionnghaka's bedroom. There is a rotation system among the wives to share his bedroom. Not only that, Zionnghaka Chana, 67, is belong to one single family of 181 still keen to expand his family by members -- 39 wives, 94 children, 14 marrying a few more women. daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren. "I can travel beyond the borders of Mizoram or even India to marry as that "We are all happy and like any other would help me to expand my family," a church we believe in the existence of god but the only distinctive difference beaming Zionnghaka told IANS. is that our denomination allows us to From a playground to a school and a marry more than one wife," said church, the village of Baktawng Nunparliana, one of Zionnghaka's resembles any other tribal village but for sons. The family is part of a Christian the fact that the community members cult called Channa, named after "The Welsh missionaries banned the worship of the Khuang. Upset over this, my grandfather Challianchana and his brother severed ties and founded this sect whom we call either Channa or the Lalpa Kohhran," another community member said. But church leaders, Presbyterian being the dominant denomination, reject the cult's claims to be Christians. "Christianity does not allow polygamy and hence accepting the cult as Christian does not arise at all. Polygamy is very rare in Mizoram," said a Presbyterian Synod leader in Mizoram capital Aizawl. There are an estimated 95 Christian cults in Mizoram with diverse practices -- some of them do not allow their children to mingle with others and attend school, while some of the sect claim their members to be gods. A predominantly Christian tribal state of just over one million people bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, Mizoram is India's third highest literate state, next only to Kerala and Lakshwadeep. Christians account for about 88 percent of the population.
Most of the community members are today known across Mizoram for their The Mizo tribal people were animists skills in carving out wooden furniture until two British Baptist missionaries and pottery items. William Frederick Savidge and J.H. Lorrain first landed in Mizoram some The circumstances leading to the time in 1894. establishment of the cult are as bizarre as the traditions and practices followed by the Channa sect, whose ancestors worshipped a traditional drum called the 'Khuang', until the arrival of the Welsh missionaries.
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NEWS FEATURE
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Dr Weber said the letters could help to explain Hitler's radical personality change after the war. "Hitler left First World War an awkward loner who had never commanded a single other soldier, but very quickly became a charismatic leader who took Dr Weber said: "There were over his country," he said. rumours suggesting that his war b l i n d n e s s m a y h a v e b e e n He added: "His mental state psychosomatic, but this is the first could explain this dramatic time we have had any firm change and his obsessive and evidence." extreme behaviour. The evidence also gives a crucial He said discovering the letters insight into Hitler's mental state was "crucial" because Hitler's during his leadership." medical file, at the Pasewalk
Tiny planet has water ice, may have atmosphere too: Scientists
Astronomers have discovered a mysterious little dwarf planet which they believe is covered in ice and may sport the wispy remnants of an atmosphere. for eons. "You get to see this nice picture of what once was an active little world with water volcanoes and an atmosphere, and it's now just frozen, dead, with an atmosphere that's slowly slipping away," lead scientist Mike Brown of California Institute of Technology was quoted as saying by SPACE.Com. methane molecules -- which consist of one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms -- into long hydrocarbon chains, the researchers said.Those chains look red to our instruments, and they sit atop Quaoar's water-ice surface. Snow White's spectrum looks The new findings were published similar to Quaoar's, suggesting in Astrophysical Journal Letters. that similar processes occurred on both dwarf planets, they said. Scientists already knew one dwarf planet that's both red and covered "We're basically looking at the with water ice: Quaoar, which last gasp of Snow White. For Brown and his team discovered in four and a half billion years, 2002. Snow White has been sitting out there, slowly losing its Researchers think Quaoar, which atmosphere, and now there's is slightly smaller than Snow just a little bit left." Brown said. White, once had an atmosphere composed of volatile compounds While Snow White definitely has s u c h a s m e t h a n e , c a r b o n a lot of water ice on its surface, monoxide and nitrogen. But its the evidence for methane is not gravity wasn't strong enough to conclusive, he added.. hold onto these chemicals, and the icy world began losing its atmosphere to space. ice when they used the Magellan Baade Telescope in Chile to take a closer look at Snow White last year. But, spectral data showed that water ice abounded on Snow White's surface. "That was a big shock. Water ice is not red," Brown said.
Over time, everything but some last gasps of an atmosphere that So Brown and his team weren't methane escaped. And radiation has been bleeding off into space expecting to find a lot of water from space has transformed those
At the time of its discovery in 2007, Brown guessed that Snow White had broken off long ago from another dwarf planet, called Haumea -- a weird, football-shaped body, which is Officially known as 2007 OR10, it is actually red, half of its surface is sheathed in water ice. Hence, it's covered by water ice that probably nicknamed Snow White. spewed from ancient cryovolcanoes, researchers said. However, follow-up studies soon showed that Snow White, which is about half the size of It's believed that the dwarf planet's reddish hue likely comes Pluto, is actually quite red like from a thin layer of methane, the many other Kuiper Belt objects.
The planet, nicknamed "Snow White", lies outside Neptune and is orbiting the sun as part of the Kuiper belt -- the ring of icy bodies that orbit the sun beyond Neptune.
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BOLLYWOOD
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She was last seen in Bhansali's 'Guzaarish' (2010) opposite Hrithik Roshan. Though, was not a hit at the box office, it was The actress had made a debut in critically acclaimed and won Mani Ratnam's Tamil film awards and nominations at 'Iruvar' in 1997 and had her first several award ceremonies. commercial success with the Tamil movie 'Jeans'(1998).
The makers of Ranbir Kapoor-starrer film, Rockstar have planned a live concert to promote the movie. Rahman will be performing live at the concert. Joining Rahman for
Jo Bhi Main, Kun Faaya Kun, Katiyan Karun, and Nadaan Parinde. Rockstar, directed by Imtiaz Ali, starring Ranbir and Nargis, will release on November 11.
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BOLLYWOOD
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A * Is Killed is said to be taking on from this point on and seemingly unfolds truth behind this murder. The film also stars celebrity blogger Perez Hilton who was very close to Michael Jackson Well, now it could well be time for the in real life. whole world to be convinced of the same since the makers of the film (producers The announcement of A * Is Killed is Arifilms and director Christophe Lenoir) also special for Himesh since it comes have declared their plans to bring A * Is in the wake of Damadamm turning out Killed on the 25th June 2012, the day to be one of the better received films of which marks the third death anniversary the composer/singer turned actor. of Michael Jackson. While the film managed a sustained run for itself over the weekend, even on Confirms a source close to the film, "Yes, Monday it saw a mere 10% drop in the film is all set to release on June 25 collections when compared to it's next year. The makers felt that it was just opening Thursday with Rs. 45 lakhs an apt release timing for the film which more coming in. tells the story of an Indian musician (Sidharth Patel - played by Himesh Says a source, "Guess Himesh is now Reshammiya) who is mesmerized by a even surer about his acting career, with superstar who gets killed." Damadamm fighting it out despite Ra.One in fray, A * Is Killed also Though the makers continue to be tight confirming it's arrival plans and a colipped about the identity of the production with Akshay Kumar superstar, it doesn't take rocket science (Khiladi 786 - Made In Punjab) where to establish the fact that it is Michael he would also be sharing screen space Jackson's story which is being told. with the actor, Himesh has pretty Moreover the teaser, which is currently much declared that acting would stay available online, has a few shots from the on to be his love for quite some time." film interspersed with quotes/snippets from friends, supporters and family
Nargis Fakhri is certainly the flavour of the season. The gorgeous babe, who makes her debut opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, has surely made heads turn with her unconventional looks. We bring you some stunning images of
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OPINIONS
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I observed anger, aspiration and determination on the faces of people all along the way. The large congregations in Odisha were an even bigger surprise, for the BJP has only six MLAs and no Lok Sabha MPs in that State. India is waking up to the magnitude of the loot, and if the steely What drew the loudest applause was his look on peoples faces is any indication, pledge that, once the estimated Rs 25 Ms Sonia Gandhi has much to worry lakh crore of such funds were retrieved, about. it should be invested in Indias 600,000 villages to ensure rural India gets good roads, uninterrupted power supply,
milk or fruits, or rice and wheat, for that matter. Such mundane details are not meant for the privileged ruling classes. Their kitchens are taken care of, if not by tax-payers then those who steal on taxes. The Economic Times provides a good analysis of the latest inflation figures, released last Thursday. Food inflation is at a six-month high of 11.43 per cent with vegetables 25 per cent costlier on an annual basis, fruits dearer by 11.96 per cent, milk by 10.85 per cent and eggs, meat and fish by 12.82 per cent. This double-digit inflation comes on top of a very high level of price rise recorded in October last year, when it stood at 14.20 per cent already a high-base comparison. The last time food inflation stood this high was on April 9 when it was recorded at 11.53 per cent. Thankfully, this time we have been spared bogus promises like those made by the Prime Minister earlier. We dont need to live under the illusion that he will rein in prices in two weeks, four weeks or six weeks. He is either blissfully ignorant of what a kilo of potatoes costs or just doesnt care anymore. A Regent has other things to worry about, for example, how to keep the Prince occupied with thoughts other than asking him to vacate the masnad. Nevertheless it would be in order to demand an explanation from the Prime Minister as to what has he done with the report submitted by the Working Group on Consumer Affairs headed by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The other members of the committee were
the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The committee was set up in April 2010 to suggest ways and means of holding the price line for essential commodities. By early this year, the report was finalised and it has been gathering dust in some corner of the Prime Ministers Office for the past six months. Its not a voluminous report crammed with senseless data and meaningless jargon. Thats not Mr Modis style. Its a slim report which lists 20 recommendations with 64 detailed actionable points for their expeditious implementation. Here are some of the recommendations: Future Markets: Considering the lack of strong linkages between spot and future markets at present, it has been suggested that for the time being essential commodities should be kept out of the future markets. Price Stabilisation Fund: The setting up of a Price Stabilisa-tion Fund by the Government of India has been suggested to help State Governments in the procurement and distribution of essential commodities in short supply. Nevertheless it would be in order to demand an explanation from the Prime Minister as to what has he done with the report submitted by the Working Group on Consumer Affairs headed by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The other members of the committee were the Chief
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BY LINE by MJ Akbar
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