Sulabh Swachh Bharat - (Issue 42) by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation

sulabhswachhbharat.com FIND US ONLINE

Scan this with your smartphone

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

Vol-1 | Issue-42 | October 02-08, 2017 | Price ` 5/-

Good News Weekly for Rising India gender

progressive gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi was extremely progressive. This is reflected clearly in his writings

Book launch

book on PM Modi

A book on PM Modi by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak was launched in Washington DC

two-pit

PM Digs pits

Prime Minister Modi himself dug the pits of a two-pit toilet in Varanasi

TURNING AROUND RURAL ECONOMY

With two-thirds of the population still living in rural areas, it would be prudent for the government to boost rural economy, if it wants to turn India into a robust country

02 Cover Story

October 02-08, 2017

TURNING AROUND RURAL ECONOMY SSB BUREAU

Quick Glance

ndia is a predominantly rural country. 83 crore of its 121 crore population according to 2011 census lives in villages and 65 per cent population has agriculture as the sole means of sustenance. Agriculture, however, is no more a highly profitable business since it depends a lot on various vagaries of weather. There has been a spate of farmers’ suicides from across the country including Haryana and Punjab country’s food bowl. This has given a major impetus to migration from rural to urban areas. Farmers have been selling their land and settling down in cities where they are working as labour mostly in the construction industry or are plying rickshaws. Their plight is aggravated because of lack of skills. This situation leads us to do a rethink on our economic and social policies. Whether we are neglecting the villages while providing thrust to industrialisation. We need to create job opportunities in villages. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) was such a scheme. It halted migration to a large extent. But, it provided employment to the rural poor but did could have also created infrastructure marvels it had been envisaged to have produced.

Mahatma’s Vision

Heart of India lies in villages, Mahatma Gandhi had said. His vision of development incorporated villages not only as a basic unit but also as the key to progress. He used to say, the nation will develop only when its villages are developed, all villages are electrified, have a strong infrastructure and all villagers are fully employed and contribute to making a robust economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imbibed Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of governance. Most of the schemes announced by his during past three and a half years are directing at uplifting the lot of rural poor whether it’s providing free LPG connections, free electricity connections, free LED bulbs, providing skill training, antyodaya scheme, subsidised ration, old-age pension scheme and agri-loan waiver. Most important of these are Rurban mission that entails providing same infrastructure facilities to rural folk what are available to urban dwellers be it roads, power, water, education or health. This is one reason why most Americans and Europeans prefer to stay in the countryside than in cities. Only if Government is able to provide

Gandhi showed us the way on how to create jobs Mahatma Gandhi’s vision that villagelevel problems be solved locally The concept of ‘Rama Rajya’ is the basis of Gandhiji’s idea of an ideal social order

of this country. He stayed with local workers, shared meals with them and in doing so developed a deep understanding of the issues plaguing rural India. Thus, Rural Development schemes in Gujarat deal with subjects as diverse as rural housing and employment, forestation, grievance redressal, sanitation, cleanliness and promotion of peace and brotherhood.

Election By Consensus

adequate employment opportunities in rural areas and make agriculture a profitable venture, there is no doubt that migration will come to a halt. Before venturing into the intricacies of these schemes, let’s recall Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a developed India. He was a visionary to stress the need for the upliftment of rural economy, as the first step to accelerate country’s growth curve. Gandhi has said, “I would say that if the village perishes India will perish too. India will be no more India. Her own mission in the world will get lost. The revival of the village is possible only when it is no more exploited. Industrialisation on a mass scale will necessarily lead to passive or active exploitation of the villagers as the problems of competition and marketing come in. Therefore we have to concentrate on the village being self-contained, manufacturing mainly for use. Provided this character of the village industry is maintained, there would be no objection to

villagers using even the modern machines and tools that they can make and can afford to use. Only they should not be used as a means of exploitation of others.”

Gujarat Model Development

Gujarat is often in the news, for being the leading industrialized state in the country. It is true that Gujarat, with 22 percent of the country’s total investment, leads the country in industrialization. Narendra Modi’s vision and leadership as chief minister of the state for 12 long years, has made it possible for Gujarat to not only attract industries and investments but has also led to an improved quality of life in rural areas. Today, Gujarat is a model state when it comes to initiatives in rural development The roots of Gujarat’s holistic approach towards rural development can be traced back to Modi’s early years. As pracharak and party-worker, Modi travelled the length and breadth

I would say that if the villages perish, India will perish too. India will be no more India

Elections in villages are often acrimonious and the bitterness creates impediments in the development of the village. In order to prevent such hindrances, the Government of Gujarat launched the Samaras Gram Yojana. Under this initiative, villages, which select a Sarpanch by consensus, receive monetary benefits. Almost 3700 villages in the state are now ‘Samaras villages’ and have received Rs.2306.4 lakh from the government. Houses in rural India often lack toilets leading to uncomfortable situations for the residents, especially women. Empathising with them, the government of Gujarat launched the Nirmal Gram Yojana. In the past decade over four lakh toilets have been built in Gujarat and today there are over 4000 Nirmal Villages in the state, up from only 4 a decade back. This is exactly the model, he is trying to replicate at the national level as part of Rashtriya Swachhta Mission. Understanding the importance of a clean and green environment for the well-rounded development of the state, the government of Gujarat launched schemes to promote cleanliness in the villages and has undertaken afforestation drives. Under the ‘Swachh Gram Swasth Gram scheme,’ sanitation and hygiene are highlighted and monetary incentives are offered to villages, which undertake cleanliness drives. Under the ‘Panchavati Yojana’ the advantages of tree-plantation are explained to the people and fallow lands are identified for tree plantation drives. These schemes have not only made the villages more scenic but have also improved rural health. He also addressed the housing problem in rural areas, especially

October 02-08, 2017

Cover Story

amongst landless labourers. The Government of Gujarat launched the Sardar Patel Awaas Yojana. Under this scheme, the government provides free plots of land for the purpose of housebuilding to BPL card holders. This scheme has been immensely successful and has been very well received across the state. Gujarat is an innovator when it comes to incorporating technology into Governance.

E-Villages

Under the ‘E-Gram Vishwa Gram Yojana’ computers with broadband internet connections have been installed in all Gram Panchayats across the state. These centres provide a number of services to the people such as providing birth/death certificates, proofs of income, caste certificates and residence proofs. Realizing the opportunity E-gram centres provide for facilitating the exchange of ideas, Voice over Internet Protocol facility has also been provided to the E-gram centres. This has led to increased communication between village officials and the state leadership. It was Mahatma Gandhi’s vision that village-level problems be solved locally. Abiding by this philosophy, the Government of Gujarat launched the Gram Swagat program. Under this program, aggrieved citizens in villages can lodge their complaints at the E-Gram centres. These complaints are then taken up by the village head and are solved in a time-bound fashion.

Schemes galore

In addition to these, schemes like the Garib Kalyan Mela, Krishi Mohatsav and Jyotigram Yojana have been instrumental in the overall development of the rural areas. The Garib Kalyan Mela, a ground-breaking program of the Government of Gujarat makes it easier for the people to receive entitlements from the government. The Government has organized around 1000 Garib Kalyan Melas resulting in 85 lakh people receiving benefits worth 12,500 crores from the state government. Krishi Mahotsav has been a key driver behind Gujarat’s phenomenal Agriculture growth-rate and it functions on similar lines. It includes kit distribution, cattle vaccination programs, and provision of soil health cards. In the recent Krishi Mahotsav, benefits worth 720 crores were provided to 15.17 lakh farmers in Gujarat. Because of the Jyotigram Yojana, which guarantees 24-Hour uninterrupted power to the villages, the quality of life in villages has gone up manifold. These schemes have resulted in a

substantial improvement in the quality of life in villages. The overall industrial development of the state has led to increased employment opportunities in villages. Owing to these factors, migration from rural to urban areas has reduced by 33 percent.

The Gandhian Approach to Rural Development

In the Indian context, rural development may be defined as maximising production in agriculture and allied activities in the rural areas including development of rural industries with an emphasis on village and cottage industries. It attaches importance to the generation of maximum possible employment opportunities in rural areas, especially for the weaker sections of the community so as to enable them to improve their standard of living. Provision of certain basic amenities like drinking water, electricity, especially for the productive purpose, link roads connecting villages to market centres and facilities for health and education etc. figure prominently in the scheme of rural development.

RamA Rajya concept

Gandhian approach to rural development may be labelled as ‘idealist’. It attaches supreme importance to moral values and gives primacy to moral values over material conditions. The Gandhians believe that the source of moral values in general lies in religion and Hindu scriptures like the Upanishads and the Gita, in particular. The concept of ‘Rama Rajya’ is the basis of Gandhiji’s idea of an ideal social order. Gandhi defined Rama Rajya as “sovereignty of the people based on moral authority”. He did not view Rama as a king, and people as his subjects. In the Gandhian scheme, ‘Ram’ stood for God or one’s own ‘inner voice’ Gandhi believed in a democratic social order in which people are supreme. Their supremacy is, however, not absolute. It is subject to moral values.

Ideal Village

The village is the basic unit of the Gandhian ideal social order. Gandhi succinctly pointed out, “If the village perishes India will perish too…. We have to make a choice between India

The concept of ‘Ram Rajya’ is the basis of Gandhiji’s idea of an ideal social order

of the villages that are as ancient as herself and India of the cities which are a creation of foreign domination”. Gandhi’s ideal village belongs to the Pre-British period, when Indian villages were supposed to constitute the federation of self-governing autonomous republics. According to Gandhiji, this federation will be brought about not by coercion or compulsion but by the voluntary offer of every village republic to join such a federation. The work of the central authority will only be to coordinate the work of different village republics and to supervise and manage things of common interest, as education, basic industries, health, currency, banking etc. The central authority will have no power to enforce its decisions on village republics except the moral pressure or power of persuasion. The economic system and transport system introduced by the British have destroyed the “republican’ character of the villages. Gandhi, however, admitted that in olden times tyranny and oppression were in fact practised by feudal chiefs. But, “odds were even”. Today the odds are heavy. It is most demoralising.” In this way in the Gandhian scheme of things the ancient ‘republic’, an Indian village without tyranny and exploitation serves as a model unit.

04 Cover Story

October 02-08, 2017 self-sufficient village. In this respect he was highly influenced by Ruskin and Tolstoy. According to Gandhi, each man must do physical labour to earn his bread. Physical labour is necessary for moral discipline and for the sound development of the mind. Intellectual labour is only for one’s own satisfaction and one should not demand payment for it. The needs of the body must be supplied by the body. Gandhi said, “If all laboured for their bread then there would be enough food and enough leisure for all.” Shriman Narayan rightly observes, “Gandhiji recognised toil to be not a curse but the joyful business of life as it has the power to make man healthier, merrier, fitter and kindlier”.

Industrialization

Decentralisation

Gandhi firmly believes that village republics can be built only through decentralisation of social and political power. In such a system decision-making power will be vested in the Village Panchayat rather than in the State and the national capital. The representatives would be elected by all adults for a fixed period of five years. The elected representatives would constitute a council, called the Panchayat. The Panchayat exercises legislative, executive and judicial functions. It would look after education, health and sanitation of the village. It would be the Panchayats responsibility to protect and uplift ‘untouchables’ and other poor people. Resources for Gandhian Approach to managing village affairs would be raised from the villages. All the conflicts and disputes would be resolved within the village. And as far as possible not a single case is to be referred to courts outside the village. The Panchayat would play its role in propagating the importance of moral and spiritual values among the villagers for bringing about rural reconstruction. Apart from managing its own affairs, the village would also be capable of defending itself against any invasion. A nonviolent peace brigade of volunteers would be organised to defend the village. This corps would be different from the usual military formation. They would repose the utmost faith in non-violence and God.

Self-sufficiency

Such a decentralised polity implies a decentralised economy. It can be attained only through self-sufficiency at the village level. The village should be self-sufficient as far as its basic needs – food, clothing, and other necessities – are concerned. The village has to import certain things which it cannot produce in the village. “We shall have to produce more of what we can, in order thereby to obtain in exchange, what we are unable to produce”. The village should produce foodcrops and cotton in order to meet its requirements. Some lands should also be earmarked for cattle and for a playground for adults and children. If some land is still available, it should be used for growing useful cash crops like tobacco, opium, etc. to enable the village to get in exchange things which it does not produce. Village economy should be planned with a view to providing full employment to all the adults of the village. Each man should be guaranteed employment to enable him to meet his basic needs in the village itself so that he is not forced to migrate to towns. In the ultimate analysis, full employment should be linked with equality. Physical labour occupies a central place in the Gandhian concept of the

Gandhiji maintained that industrialization would help only a few and will lead to concentration of economic power. Industrialization leads to passive or active exploitation of the villages. It encourages competition. Large-scale production requires marketing. Marketing means profit-seeking through an exploitative mechanism. Moreover, industrialization replaces manpower and hence it adds to unemployment. In a country like India, where millions of labourers in the villages do not get work for even six months in a year, industrialization will not only increase unemployment but force labourers to migrate to urban areas. This will ruin villages. In order to avoid such a catastrophe, village and cottage industries should be revived. They provide employment to meet the needs of the villagers and facilitate village self-sufficiency. Gandhians are not against machine per se if it meets two aims: selfsufficiency and full employment. According to Gandhi, there would be no objection to villagers using even the modern machines and tools that they could make and could afford to use. Only they should not be used as a means of exploitation of others.

Trusteeship

Gandhiji was not against the institution of private property. But he wanted to restrict the right of private property to what was necessary to yield an honourable livelihood. For the excess, he prescribed the principle of trusteeship.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment

Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) was scheme that was aimed at benefitting the masses

Gandhiji emphasized the principle of trusteeship in social and economic affairs. He firmly believed that all social property should be held in trust. The capitalists would take care not only of themselves but also of others. Some of their surplus wealth would be used for the rest of the society. The poor workers, under trusteeship, would consider the capitalists as their benefactors; and would repose faith in their noble intentions. Gandhiji felt that if such a trusteeship were established, the welfare of the workers would increase and the clash between the workers and employers would be avoided. Trusteeship would help considerably “in realising a state of equality on earth.”

Community Farming

Gandhiji firmly believed that land should not be owned by any individual. The land belongs to God. Hence, individual ownership of land should be shunned. For that, a landowner should be persuaded to become a trustee of his land. He should be convinced that the land he owns does not belong to him. The land belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community. They are merely trustees. By persuasion, the heart of landowners should be changed and they should be induced to donate their land voluntarily. If the land-owners do not oblige and continue to exploit the poor workers, the latter should organise non-violent, non-cooperation, civil disobedience struggles against them. Gandhiji rightly held the view that “no person can amass wealth without the cooperation, willing or forced, of the people concerned”.

Cooperation

If this knowledge were to penetrate and spread amongst the poor, they would become strong and learn how to free themselves from the crushing inequalities which have pushed them to the verge of starvation. But the oppressed should not take recourse to violent methods. In the Gandhian scheme of things, the principle of cooperation, love and service is most important and violence has no place in it. Violence is against “moral values’ and civilized society is inconceivable in the absence of moral values. Gandhiji’s concept of development is oriented to the uplift of the common man. He preferred village habitats to megalopolises and Swadeshi craft to imported technology for the economic well-being of the common man. He stressed the need for cottage industries in place of gigantic industries and

October 02-08, 2017 neglect by those who have had the benefit of education. They have chosen the city life. The village movement is an attempt to establish healthy contact with the villages by inducing those who are fired with the spirit of service to settle in them and find self-expression in the service of villagers…. A true life lived amongst the people is in itself an object lesson that must produce its own effect upon immediate surroundings. The difficulty with the young is, perhaps, that he has gone to the village merely to earn a living without the spirit of service behind it.

Samagra Gramaseva

A Samagra Gramasevak must know everybody living in the village and render them such service as he can. That does not mean that the worker will be able to do everything singlehanded. He will show them the way of helping themselves and procure for them such help and materials as they require. He will train up his own helpers. He will so win over the villagers that they will seek and follow his advice.

Economic Survey

advocated for a decentralised economy instead of a centralised one. He realised the need for integrated rural development and believed that education, health and vocation should be properly integrated. He emphasised the need for education and training which he called ‘Naitalim’ (New training) for rural reconstruction. In fine, Gandhian approach to rural development strives to reconstruct village republics which would be nonviolent, self-governed and selfsufficient so far as the basic necessities of ruralites are concerned. Apart from creating a new socio-economic order, it endeavour’s to transform man; otherwise, the changes in the socioeconomic order will be short-lived.

Village Development

India does not need to be industrialised in the modern sense of the term. It has 7,50,000 villages scattered over the vast area 1900 miles long 1500 broad. The people are rooted to the soil and the vast majority are living a hand to mouth life. Agriculture does not need revolutionary changes. The Indians peasant requires a supplementary industry. The most natural is the

introduction of the spinning wheel, not the handloom. The latter cannot be included introduced in every home, whereas the farmer can, and it used to be so even a century ago. It was driven out not by economic pressure but by force deliberately used as can be proved from authentic records. The restoration therefore of the spinning wheel solves the economic problem of India at a stroke.

All-round Service

Village

The real India lies in the 7,00,000 villages. If the country has to make its full contribution to the building up of a stable world order, it is this vast mass of humanity that has to be made to live again.We have to tackle the triple malady which holds our villages fast in its grip - want of corporate sanitation, deficient diet, inertia. Villages have suffered long from

The villages will be surveyed and a list prepared of things that can be manufactured locally with little or no help which may be required for village use or for sale outside, such for instance as ghani-pressed oil and cakes, burning oil prepared through GHANIS, hand-pounded rice, jaggery, honey, toys, mats, hand-made paper, village soap, etc. if enough care is thus taken, the villages, most of them as good as dead or dying, will hum with life and exhibit the immense possibilities they have of supplying most of their wants themselves and of the cities and towns of India.

Arts And Crafts

The villagers should develop such a high degree of skill that articles prepared by them should command a ready market outside. When our villages are fully developed, there will be no dearth in them of men with a high degree of skill and artistic talent. There will be village poets, village artists, village architects, linguists and research workers. In short, there will be nothing in life worth having which will not be had in the villages. Today the villages are dung heaps. Tomorrow they will be like tiny

When our villages are fully developed, there will be no dearth in them of men with a high degree of skill and artistic talent

Cover Story

gardens of Eden where dwell highly intelligent folk whom no one can deceive or exploit. The reconstruction of the villages along these lines should begin right now. The reconstruction of the villages should not be organized on a temporary but permanent basis.

Economic Reorganization

Swadeshi model of the economy has shown that some aspects of it can be tackled immediately with benefit to the starving millions both economically and hygienically. The richest in the land can share the benefit. Thus, if rice can be pounded in the villages after the old fashion, the wages will fill the pockets of the rice-pounding sisters and the riceeating millions will get some sustenance from the unpolished rice instead of pure starch which the polished rice provides. You cannot build nonviolence on a factory civilization, but it can be built on self-contained villages. The rural economy as Gandhi had conceived, eschews exploitation altogether, and exploitation is the essence of violence. You have, therefore, to be ruralminded before you can be nonviolent, and to be rural-minded you have to have faith in the spinning wheel. We have to make a choice between India of the villages that are as ancient as herself and India of the cities which are a creation of foreign domination. Today the cities dominate and drain the villages so that they are crumbling to ruin. The Khadi mentality tells us that cities must subserve villages when that domination goes. Exploiting of villages is itself organized violence. If we want Swaraj to be built on nonviolence, we will have to give the villages their proper place.

Food Reform

Since the economic reorganization of the villages has been commenced with food reform, it is necessary to find out the simplest and cheapest foods that would enable the villagers to regain the lost health. The addition of green leaves to their meals will enable the villagers to avoid many diseases from which they are now suffering. The villagers’ food is deficient in vitamins; many of them can be supplied by fresh green leaves. An eminent doctor told me a proper use of green leaves is calculated to revolutionise the customary notions of food and much of what was today being supplied by mild may be supplied by green leaves. India can once again, become a global guru if it returns to trace Gandhi’s footsteps.

06 Gender

October 02-08, 2017

Mahatma Gender

The Mahatma’s Progressive Views On Women Mahatma Gandhi was extremely progressive. This is reflected clearly in his writing. He often tried to dispel gender stereotypes

Quick Glance “To call women the weaker sex is libel” “If strength is moral power, then women are immeasurably stronger than men” “She is entitled to a supreme place in her own sphere of activity”

strength that is latent in her. The world shall see it in all its wonder and glory when woman has secured an equal opportunity for herself with man and fully developed her powers of mutual aid and combination.’’ (YOUNG INDIA, 7-5-1931, p. 96)

‘‘Woman, I hold, is the personification of self-sacrifice, but unfortunately today she does not realize what a tremendous advantage she has over man. As Tolstoy used to say, they are labouring under the hypnotic influence of man. If they would realize the strength of non-violence they would not consent to be called the weaker sex.’’ (YOUNG INDIA, 14-1-1932, p. 19)

Perversion of Place

“

OF ALL the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity to me, the female sex, not the weaker sex. It is the nobler of the two, for it is even today the embodiment of sacrifice, silent suffering, humility, faith and knowledge.”

(YOUNG INDIA, 15-9-1921, p. 292)

“Woman must cease to consider herself the object of man’s lust. The remedy is more in her hands than man’s. She must refuse to adorn herself for men, including her husband, if she will be an equal partner with man. I cannot imagine Sita even wasting a single moment on pleasing Rama by physical charms. “ (YOUNG INDIA, 21-7-1921, p. 229)

“If I was born a woman, I would rise in rebellion against any pretension on the part of man that woman is born to be his plaything. I have mentally become a woman in order to steal into her heart. I could not steal into my

wife’s heart until I decided to treat her differently than I used to do, and so I restored to her all her rights by dispossessing myself of all my so-called rights as her husband. And you see her today as simple as myself.” “You find no necklaces, no fineries on her. I want you to be like that. Refuse to be the slaves of your own whims and fancies, and the slaves of men. Refuse to decorate yourselves, and don’t go in for scents and lavender waters; if you [woman] want to give out the proper scent, it must come out of your heart, and then you will captivate not man, but humanity. It is your birth-right. Man is born of woman, he is flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone. Come to your own and deliver your message again. “ (YOUNG INDIA, 8-12-1927, p. 406)

Not Weaker Sex

“To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man’s injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more selfsacrificing, has she not greater courage? Without her man could not be. If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with woman… Who can make a more effective appeal to he heart than woman?” (YOUNG INDIA, 10-4-1930, p. 121)

‘‘Had not man in his blind selfishness crushed woman’s soul as he has done or had she not succumbed to ‘the enjoyments’ she would have given the world an exhibition of the infinite

“If I was born a woman, I would rise in rebellion against any pretension on the part of man”

“Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacities. She has the right to participate in very minutest detail in the activities of man and she has an equal right of freedom and liberty with him.” “She is entitled to a supreme place in her own sphere of activity as man is in his. This ought to be the natural condition of things and not as a result only of learning to read and write.” ‘‘Man the law-giver will have to pay a dreadful penalty for the degradation he has imposed upon the so-called weaker sex. When woman, freed from man’s snares, rises to the full height and rebels against man’s legislation and institutions designed by him, her rebellion, no doubt non-violent, will be none the less effective.’’ (YOUNG INDIA, 16-4-1925, p. 133)

Rightful Place

“Women are special custodians of all that is pure and religious in life. Conservative by nature, if they are slow to shed superstitious habits, they are also slow to give up all that is pure and noble in life.” (H, 25-3-1933, p. 2) “I do not envisage the wife, as a rule, following an avocation independently of her husband. The care of the children, and the upkeep of the household are quite enough to fully engage all her energy”. “In a well-ordered society, the additional burden of maintaining the family ought not to fall on her. The

October 02-08, 2017

Gender

dishonours womanhood. …..A strong public opinion should be created in condemnation of the degrading practice of dowry and young men who soil their fingers with such ill-gotten gold should be ex-communicated from society. Parents of girls should cease to be dazzled by English degrees and should not hesitate to travel outside their little castes and provinces to secure true gallant young men for their daughters.”

“I do believe that it is woman’s mission to exhibit ahimsa at its highest and best”

man should look to the maintenance of the family, the woman to household management, the two thus supplementing and complementing each other’s labours. Nor do I see in this any invasion of woman’s rights or suppression of her freedom…. The epithets used in our literatures to describe a wife are Ardhangana, ‘the better half ’ and sahadharmini, ‘the helpmate’. The husband addressing the wife as devi or goddess does not show any disparagement.’’

Woman and Ahimsa

“I do believe that it is woman’s mission to exhibit ahimsa at its highest and best…For woman is more fitted than man to make explorations and take bolder action in ahimsa… For the courage of self-sacrifice woman is anyday superior to man, as I believe man is to woman for the courage of the brute.’’ (H, 5-11-1938, p. 317) “My own opinion is that, just as fundamentally man and woman are one, their problem must be one in essence. The soul in both is the same. The two live the same life, have the same feelings. Each is a complement of the other. The one cannot live

without the other’s active help.” (H, 24-2-1940, p. 13) “I have suggested…that woman is the incarnation of ahimsa. Ahimsa means infinite love, which again means infinite capacity for suffering. Who but woman, the mother of man, shows this capacity in the largest measure? She shows it as she carries the infant and feeds it during nine months and derives joy in the suffering involved. What can beat the suffering caused by the pangs of labour? But she forgets them in the joy of creation. Who, again, suffers daily so that her babe may wax from day to day? Let her transfer that love to the whole of humanity, let her forget that she ever was or can be the object of man’s lust. And she will occupy her proud position by the side of man as his mother, maker and silent leader. It is given to her to teach the art of peace to the warring world thirsting for that nectar.” (ibid, pp. 13-14) “Man should learn to give place to woman and a country or community in which women are not honoured can not be considered as civilized.” (YOUNG INDIA, 25-11-1926, p. 415)

The Purdah

“And why is there all this morbid

anxiety about female purity? Have women any say in the matter of male purity? We hear nothing of women’s anxiety about men’s chastity. Why should men arrogate to themselves the right to regulate female purity? It cannot be superimposed from without. It is a matter of evolution from within and, therefore, of individual self-effort.” (YOUNG INDIA, 3-2-1927, p. 37)

“Chastity is not a hot-house growth. It cannot be protected by the surrounding wall of the purdah. It must grow from within and, to be worth anything, it must be capable of withstanding every unsought temptation.” (H,23-5-1936, p. 117)

Dowry System

“The system has to go. Marriage must cease to be a matter of arrangement made by parents for money. The system is intimately connected with caste. So long as the choice is restricted to a few hundred young men or young women of a particular caste, the system will persist no matter what is said against it. The girls or boys or their parents will have to break the bonds of caste if the evil is to be eradicated. All this means education of a character that will revolutionize the mentality of the youth of the nation.“ (YOUNG INDIA, 21-6-1929, p.207)

“Any young man who makes dowry a condition of marriage discredits his education and his country and

Widow Re-marriage

“Voluntary widowhood consciously adopted by woman who has felt the affection of a partner adds grace and dignity to life, sanctifies the home and uplifts religion itself. Widowhood imposed by religion or custom is an unbearable yoke and defiles the home by secret vice and degrades religion. If we would be pure, if we would save Hinduism, we must rid ourselves of this poison of enforced widowhood. The reform must begin by those who have girl-widows taking courage in both their hands and seeing that the child-widows in their charge are duly and well married-not remarried. They were never really married.” (YOUNG INDIA, 5-8-1926, p. 276)

Divorce

“Marriage confirms the right of union between two partners to the exclusion of all the others when, in their joint opinion, they consider such union to be desirable, but it confers no right upon one partner to demand obedience of the other to one’s wish for union. What should be done when one partner on moral or other grounds cannot conform to the wishes of the other is a separate question. Personally, if divorce was the only alternative, I should not hesitate to accept it, rather than interrupt my moral progress, assuming that I want to restrain myself on purely moral grounds.” (YOUNG INDIA, 8-10-1925, p. 346)

08 Cleanliness

October 02-08, 2017

sanitation gandhi

Things Mahatma Gandhi Said About Sanitation He believed in the power of symbols and used cleanliness and sanitation to transform the social landscape of India

‘A lavatory must be as clean as a drawingroom’

In May 1925, in an edition of “Navajivan,” a weekly newspaper that Gandhi edited from 1919, he wrote about the importance of keeping lavatories clean. “I learnt 35 years ago that a lavatory must be as clean as a drawing-room. I learnt this in the West,” he wrote. “The cause of many of our diseases is the condition of our lavatories and our bad habit of disposing of excreta anywhere and everywhere. I, therefore, believe in the absolute necessity of a clean place for answering the call of nature and clean articles for use at the time.”

Perfect sanitation makes an ‘ideal village’

ADITI MALHOTRA

t’s been exactly a year since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,” or “Clean India Mission,” to honor India’s independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi on the anniversary of his birth. The aim of the nationwide cleanliness drive: to clean up the country by 2019, the year that marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gandhi, who wanted to make sanitation a priority for India more than a century ago. The current drive aims to end the wide-spread practice of open defecation, build more toilets and improve waste management, among other goals. Gandhi strongly and repeatedly condemned the Indian practice of hiring people from the lowest rungs of the Hindu caste system, who were once called “untouchables,” to manually clean out primitive dry latrines or collect waste from fields where villagers relieved themselves, urging his countrymen to clean up after themselves. Although outlawed, “manual scavenging” continues to persist in India as do other infrastructure

failings hindering efforts to improve sanitation in the country. Almost half the population still defecates in the open, and the practice is more prevalent in the countryside where government figures indicate almost 70% of households don’t have access to proper toilets. Here are some of Gandhi’s thoughts on sanitation and cleanliness as they appear in a 2012 book titled “Music of the Spinning Wheel” by Sudheerna Kulkarni.

Sanitation is more important than political independence’

While leading a non-violent movement for India’s independence from the British in 1947, Gandhi spoke about the need to improve hygiene and cleanliness in the country. “Sanitation is more important than political independence,” he said. Last month, in an address on waste management and cleanliness, India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, reiterated Gandhi’s decadesold exhortation.

Religion and sanitation

In 1915, Gandhi went to the Kumbh

Mela, a triennial festival that rotates between four Indian cities. That year, it was held in the Hindu holy city of Haridwar in India’s north on the bank of the River Ganges. After seeing millions of devotees take a dip in the sacred river in attempt to wash away their sins, Gandhi later wrote in “Young India,” an English weekly he edited from 1919,“I had gone there full of hope and reverence. But while I realized the grandeur of the holy Ganga and the holier Himalayas, I saw little to inspire me in what man was doing in this holy place.” “To my great grief, I discovered insanitation, both moral and physical…There is defilement of the mighty stream [the River Ganges] even in the name of religion,” he wrote. “Thoughtless ignorant men and women use for natural functions the sacred banks of the river where they are supposed to sit in quiet contemplation and find God. They violate religion, science and the laws of sanitation.” Cleaning the River Ganges has been the national priority of the Indian government for years now. In May, under the leadership of Mr. Modi, India’s cabinet approved 200 billion rupees, about $3 billion, for a program aimed at cleaning the Ganga.

In 1937, Gandhi received a letter from a villager living in Birbhum, a district in India’s eastern state of West Bengal. The letter writer asked Gandhi how he perceived an “ideal village” and what problems he thought plagued Indian villages. Here’s his response, as it appeared in a 1937 edition of “Harijan,” another weekly publication, which Gandhi began editing in the early 1930s. “An ideal village will be so constructed as to lend itself to perfect sanitation… The very first problem the village worker will solve is its sanitation,” he wrote. “If the worker became a voluntary scavenger, he would begin by collecting night soil and turning it into manure and sweeping village streets. He will tell people how and where they should perform daily functions and speak to them on the value of sanitation and the great injury caused by its neglect. The worker will continue to do the work whether the villagers listen to him or not.”

Sanitation for Ministers and Menials Alike

In a speech in New Delhi in September 1946, Gandhi stressed the need for equal levels of hygiene in bungalows that ministers lived in as well as the servants’ quarters tucked away in these massive houses. “What is so distressing is that the living quarters of the menials and sweepers employed in the viceroy’s house are extremely dirty…I shall be satisfied only when the lodgings of the ministers’ staff are as neat and tidy as their own,” he said. Malhotra, Aditi. “5 Things Mahatma Gandhi Said About Sanitation.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 01 Oct. 2015. Web. 27 Sept. 2017.

October 02-08, 2017

Book Launch

pm modi book

Dr Pathak’s book on PM Modi launched in Washington DC The event-the first in a series was organised by Chairman of the Fairfax County’s Republican Committee Matt Ames and others

coffee table book on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was globally launched in Washington and presented to several American lawmakers. “The Making of a Legend”, written by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of NGO Sulabh International, has images and text depicting Modi’s journey, his struggles and initiatives since assuming the office in 2014.

Dr Pathak termed

Narendra Modi as an able and true mentor for social welfare and development of India

Copies of the book were presented to Congressmen H Morgan Griffith, Thomas A Garrett, Barbara Comstock, Ted Yoho and Ami Bera. The lawmakers lauded the efforts of the prime minister, a media release said on September 27. The book was launched at a function organised at Bombay Tandoor restaurant on 26th September, in the presence of prominent citizens of Washington DC & Virginia. Amongst others, Matt Ames, Chairman, Fairfax County Republican Committee; Virginia; Ahmad Shah Katawazai, Defence Liaison, Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington-DC, Member of the Trump Advisory committee Punit Ahluwalia and Katapa, Head, Overseas Friends of BJP. Describing Modi as a “true grassroots leader”, Dr Pathak said India is all set to ensure 100 per cent sanitation coverage by 2019. The event-- the first in a series was organised by Chairman of the Fairfax County’s Republican Committee Matt Ames, Member of the Trump campaigns Asian American Advisory committee Punit Ahluwalia and Adapa Prasad of Overseas Friends of the BJP in the US. Pathak termed Modi as “an able and true mentor” for social welfare and development of India. The book was launched in India in July. Dr Pathak was invited to share his five decades journey in the sanitation sector. He not only shared his experience with a number of anecdotes but also explained about the motivation for writing this book. Addressing gathering Dr Pathak spoke about the achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared the characteristics of his overall personality. Dr Pathak said that India is all set to ensure 100 per cent sanitation coverage by 2019. He added that “it is his habit to work for the people and tap the opportunity given by God to serve people. He said that there should be no difference between developing a city and a village and PM Modi has proved it.’’

10 Sanitation

October 02-08, 2017

two-pit

crisis

varanasi

PM Digs Two-Pit Toilet In Varanasi Prime Minister Modi himself dug the pits for a two-pit toilet constructed in Shahanshapur village in Varanasi, UP

Solve Delhi’s garbage crisis: Hardeep Puri The Neighbourhood Action Plan was launched to tackle the garbage crisis by intercepting the garbage before it ends up in dumping grounds IANS

Quick Glance PM built a Sulabh patented two-pit pour flush toilet in the village He urged the citizens to help him in making India clean He reminded the citizens of SBM’s 2022 goal for cleanliness

ssb bureau

rime Minister, Narendra Modi, offering a shramdan also contributed in constructing a two-pit pour-flush toilet, developed by Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement Founder, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Varanasi’s Shahanshapur village The PM laid the foundation stone of a two-pit toilet outside the house of a labourer, Arvind from Musnar in Shahanshapur village. When Arvind told government officials he goes out for defecation, one of the men promised him that on September 23, the PM would come there himself and dig with a spade. And the PM followed up on this promise. Addressing the gathering on the

second day of his Varanasi visit, PM said it was his good fortune to lay the foundation stone of a public toilet in Shahanshahpur village of his Lok Sabha constituency. “That is because sanitation is also a kind of worship for me. It will rid the poor people of my country from various diseases and the economic burden due to those diseases that result from dirty surroundings,” Modi said. He said while no one likes garbage, everyone in India shies away from the responsibility of keeping their surroundings clean. “It is the responsibility of every citizen and every family to keep their surroundings clean so we are able to build clean villages, clean cities and a clean nation,” Modi said. The Prime Minister urged people

On his two-day trip to Varanasi, PM Modi visited

Shahanshapur village to personally kick-start the construction of a two-pit toilet

to take one resolution each to improve the nation by 2022, which marks 75 years of independence. “In the coming five years, we have to be committed towards that resolution. If 125 crore people take one resolution each and live up to it, then the nation would move 125 crore steps forward in the next five years,” he said. Modi added the government’s resolution was to double the farmer’s income and ensure even the poorest of the poor have a home to live in by 2022. There are crores of families in our nation who don’t have a roof over their heads. It is our responsibility that the poorest of the poor have a home to live in. “So we have taken the responsibility that by 2022, we will build homes for everyone who doesn’t have one now, be it in cities or in villages.” He added that those homes - crores in number - would need bricks, cement, iron and wood, and would create several employment opportunities. Taking a dig at the previous Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said they had no interest in building homes for the poor.

aising concern over Delhi’s garbage crisis and oversaturated landfill sites, Union Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced “Neighbourhood Action Plan” that aims to fixing the garbage prior to it being sent to the dumping grounds. The Minister said this plan will be launched in all the cities and towns across the country on October 2, and appealed to the residents of Delhi to take the lead in making a success of it so that their “pride is not punctured”. “Country can’t be made clean without fixing Delhi’s garbage crisis,” Puri said. Neighbourhood Action Plan aims at substantial reduction in the quantum of solid waste sent to landfill by besides enabling better performance of waste-to-compost and waste-toenergy plants. “Neighborhood could be a residential housing society, a colony, mohalla, market area,” said the minister, adding that the Central government has accorded sanitation higher priority over even economic transformation, given its importance in several ways. Puri acknowledged that solid waste management in cities is the major challenges in urban areas. The Minister, who was participating in a cleanliness drive here also unveiled ‘My Home-My Neighborhood’ campaign that focuses on segregation of waste at source and converting it into compost within the neighbourhood. The plan also focuses on recycling of dry waste by adopting a nearby park or open place for collection and waste segregation.

October 02-08, 2017

two-pit

funding

Two-pit toilet gets global funding As part of the Urban Sanitation Challenge, international sanitation firms are turning to India’s two-pit toilet system

IANS

self-closing pit latrine plastic toilet costing $10 or less is among five sanitationfor-all projects funded under Urban Sanitation Challenge that addresses dangers of inadequate sanitation among rural consumers worldwide, including India. This comes as a major boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aim to achieve the goal of an open defecation-free country by 2019. The Water Innovation Engine, a partnership led by the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, on Thursday launched the global Urban Sanitation

sewage

Challenge with the announcement of a multimillion dollar investment in five projects. The projects include an innovative line of affordable plastic toilets equipped with a simple, gravity-powered self-closing trapdoor that makes pit latrine outhouses safer, more sanitary and less unpleasant. The five projects in Africa, Asia, and South America will be scaled up with a total investment of CAD8.7 million. The products, marketed under the SATO brand of Japan’s LIXIL Group Corporation, are now being used in 14 countries, with more than 1.2 million toilets installed, improving the lives of six million people. With the new funding, production will be scaled up to reach of 15

Quick Glance

odf

The projects includes an innovative line of affordable plastic toilets LIXIL is imitating India’s two-pit model for its products

million additional users. That would represent a significant acceleration of the world’s pace towards a key United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for 2030: Sanitation for all. In 2015, 2.3 billion people still lacked even a basic sanitation service, and 892 million people still practiced open defecation. With SATO toilet products now also available in Uganda, Kenya and India, LIXIL is establishing new manufacturing sites and distribution in Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Vietnam, Indonesia, Haiti, Ghana, Malawi and the Philippines. The products include a variety of models tailored to meet local needs and preferences. A significant, recent addition to the SATO product line is the ‘V-TRAP’ toilet system, designed to improve the performance and reliability of two-pit latrines. The new products include a diverter that enables users to alternate pits every two years. Left for two years, the waste in the closed pit decomposes into a safe fertiliser and is removed. The pit is then reopened and the other pit closed. The two-pit approach is championed by the Indian government to achieve the goal of an open defecation-free India by 2019. The other projects are bundled water and sanitation services in the Philippines, sustainable sanitation in Peru and Kenya and converting the human waste of Rwanda’s capital city Kigali into renewable fuel.

Eco-Friendly Sewage Treatment Plant

The 75,000 litre capacity eco-friendly sewage treatment plant, developed by IARI was recently inaugurated in Mathura IANS

A self-closing pit toilet costs only $10 or less

plant

nion Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated an eco-friendly sewage treatment plant of 75,000 liters capacity here, developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) using indigenous technology. The treated water would be used for irrigation and help in reducing health

Sanitation

risks by 44 to 58 per cent, a release said. “Wastewater (sewage water) will be recycled at the plant and will be reused for irrigation. This treatment will reduce 75 to 85 per cent heavy metal pollution from the wastewater and such treated water is used for irrigation,” the release said.

Four More Districts Declared ODF Just eight days after the ‘Swachhta Hi Seva campaign’, four more districts have been declared free of open defecation IANS

our more districts were declared open defecation free (ODF) after eight days of “Swacchata Hi Seva” campaign, taking the number of total ODF districts in the country to 201. “In a major milestone, the rural sanitation coverage has increased with four districts being declared ODF today (Sunday) taking the total tally to 201,” the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation said in a release. The ‘Swacchata Hi Seva’ campaign has fostered collaborations across the country to fight against the evils of open defecation. “After a week of the campaign, the movement received support from the film industry. Superstar Rajinikanth and filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli also extended support to the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign,” the release added. Listing other events, the release said scientists and staff members of the Interim Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur picked up brooms and cleaned roads in Odisha’s Balasore. It added that Gujarat Tourism, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Gandhinagar, travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers and approved guides organised a cleanliness drive at the Shaking Minarets in Ahmedabad. Several activities were also taken up across Assam under the programme.

12 Science & Technology

October 02-08, 2017

Gravity Waves

Scientists Make 4th Detection Of Gravitational Waves It’s the first time this phenomenon has been measured simultaneously by both the US-based LIGO and Italy-based Virgo

IANS

cientists announced that they have detected a fourth gravitational wave signal coming from the merger of two black holes. It’s the first time this phenomenon has been measured simultaneously by both the US-based LIGO and Italybased Virgo detectors. Originally predicted in the early 20th century by Albert Einstein, gravitational waves -- ripples in space and time -- were not detected until 2015, when the Laser Interferometer

Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) identified the first such signal from two merging black holes. LIGO’s two detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington, later detected two other similar events, Xinhua reported. The latest observation was made on August 14, 2017. It’s the first gravitational wave signal recorded by the Virgo detector. “Today, we are delighted to announce the first discovery made in partnership between the Virgo GravitationalWave Observatory and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the first

Albert Einstein originally predicted the existence of gravitational waves LIGO’s detectors in the East coast detected similar events The gravitational waves were detected during black hole merger

time a gravitational-wave detection was observed by these observatories, located thousands of miles apart,” said France Cordova, Director of the US National Science Foundation, which funded the LIGO project. “This is an exciting milestone in the growing international scientific effort to unlock the extraordinary mysteries of our universe,” Cordova added. The detected gravitational waves were emitted during the final moments of the merger of two black holes with masses about 31 and 25 times the mass of the Sun and located about 1.8 billion light-years away, researchers said. The newly produced spinning black hole has about 53 times the mass of our Sun, which means that about three solar masses were converted into gravitationalwave energy during the coalescence, they said. A paper about the event has been accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters. The Virgo collaboration, which joined in the LIGO’s observation on August 1, consists of more than 280 physicists and engineers belonging to 20 different European research groups.

isreal rev0lution

Milking Haryana’s Boom The state would now benefit from the techniques and experience of Isreal, the leader in milk production IANS

he ‘White Revolution’ in Haryana is set to get an Israeli boost. A leading state in milk production in India, Haryana would now benefit from the techniques and experience of Israel, leader in milk production in the world, for increasing the average milk production, a minister said on Monday. Haryana’s Agriculture and Farmers’

Welfare Minister Om Prakash Dhankar, who is leading a delegation from Haryana to Israel, was speaking in Tel Aviv after meeting Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel, Uri Ariel. Speaking on the occasion, Ariel said cooperation with Haryana was a priority. “Israel is already working on five centres of excellence in Haryana. In future, work and cooperation between Haryana and Israel will

The agriculture ministers of both Haryana and Israel agreed on further cooperation in the fields of horticulture, dairy and exchange of research

CSIR lab

Quick Glance

increase and benefit former,” he said. The average milk production of milch animals in Israel is 32 kg per day and it leads the world in milk production. “Haryana would now adopt techniques and experience of Israel to increase average milk production in the state,” Dhankar said. The agriculture ministers of both Haryana and Israel agreed on further cooperation in the fields of horticulture, dairy and exchange of research among students and specialists in universities of agriculture, horticulture and animal sciences.

Pence Makes ‘Longest Distance Call’ US Vice President Mike Pence made the most long distance call in history when he spoke to astronauts aboard the International Space Station IANS

S Vice President Mike Pence made his “most long distance call” when he spoke to NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) from the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama. “Literally and figuratively we all look up to you,” said Pence while thanking Expedition 53 commander Randy Bresnik, and flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba for their courage and determination. The station residents are currently gearing up for three spacewalks planned in October. During his tour to Marshall Space Flight Centre, Pence saw the progress being made on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the world’s most powerful deep space rocket, that will send astronauts on missions around the Moon and ultimately to Mars, the US space agency said in a statement. He also visited Marshall’s Payload Operations Integration Centre, where the agency manages all research aboard the ISS. “Today, I met pioneers who are helping America travel into the unknown and expand our knowledge for the benefit of the nation,” Pence said. “I’m inspired by the people at Marshall, and NASA as a whole, who are passionate and dedicated to space exploration. The massive hardware and innovative technologies we are building will propel us far beyond our home planet and allow America to lead in space again,” he added.

October 02-08, 2017

cyber security

Cos to fight cyber dreads Incorporating cyber risk management may enable companies to effectively harness the ongoing digital revolution to their advantage IANS

s the country moves towards a cashless economy, companies operating in the financial services domain will have to develop preventive control mechanisms and significantly invest in reactive capabilities to keep cyber attackers at bay, a study has suggested. “Incorporating a more agile cyber risk management approach may enable such companies to more effectively harness the ongoing digital revolution to their advantage,” said the ASSOCHAMPricewaterhouseCoopers joint study titled ‘Securing the cashless economy’ which was released here last week. “As the country is experiencing a digital revolution, the impact of this transformation makes it imperative

NASA

for financial service players to revisit their cyber security resilience,” it said. The study said collective effort is needed to ensure preparedness for the new cashless economy. Measures like agile security practices, security of new perimeter mobility, securing hyper-interfaced environment, high velocity identification, containment and

MExico

NASA’s ‘Heartbeat’ Help in Mexico NASA’s FINDER heartbeat detector is being used in Mexico after the devastating earthquakes to search for survivors in rubble

Science & Technology

Companies will have to develop preventive control mechanisms More intelligent transaction monitoring needed A comprehensive and progressive cyber security strategy is crucial

eradication, next generation authentication, augmented ecosystem control, protecting context-rich personally identifiable information (PII) and ubiquitous awareness will have to be re-examined to ensure adaptive and real-time cyber defence, it added. “More intelligent transaction monitoring will have to be carried out as part of continuous surveillance, besides crisis response and recovery strategies will have to step up along with the increased digital footprint,” the study said. “The need of the hour is a comprehensive, progressive and forward-looking cyber security strategy at the national level which bridges people, processes and technology, and requires us to deal with questions of technology, law and privacy,” it added.

Quick Glance The gadget developed by NASA, FINDER sends a low-powered microwave signal FINDER has been able to detect heartbeats through 30 feet of rubble FINDER is being used alongside a variety of other techniques for rescue

IANS

suitcase-sized radar instrument capable of detecting human heartbeats under rubble is helping disaster relief workers on the ground in Mexico City respond to the 7.1-magnitude earthquake on September 19 that killed hundreds, NASA has said. FINDER, which stands for Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response, was developed as a collaboration between NASA and the US Department of Homeland Security. “Our hearts go out to the people of Mexico,” said Neil Chamberlain, Task Manager for FINDER at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “We’re glad to know our technology is being used to make a difference there,” Chamberlain added. When the instrument was deployed in Nepal after a major earthquake in 2015, it helped find

four men trapped under a collapsed textile factory. FINDER sends a low-powered microwave signal-about onethousandth of a cell phone’s output - through rubble. It looks for changes in the reflections of those signals coming back from tiny motions caused by the

doodle

Quick Glance

victims’ breathing and heartbeats. In tests, FINDER has detected heartbeats through 30 feet of rubble or 20 feet of solid concrete. The technology evolved from JPL’s efforts to develop low-cost, small spacecraft radios, using signal processing developed to measure small changes in spacecraft motion. Since 2015, two private companies have acquired licenses for the technology. They have since taken it to disaster zones, training relief workers to use it and manufacturing new units, NASA said. Both companies work with the direction of local governments when they travel to disaster sites. FINDER is used alongside a variety of other techniques, including trained dogs, acoustic sensing devices and thermal imagers. All these techniques are usually deployed together.

Google Honours Asima Chatterjee Asima Chatterjee was India’s first woman Doctorate of Science and the search behemoth has honoured her with a dedicated ‘Google Doodle’ IANS

oogle recently honoured Asima Chatterjee, the first woman to receive a Doctorate of Science in India with a Doodle. When the doyenne of chemistry was growing up in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the 1920s and 1930s, it was almost unheard for a woman to study chemistry. But that did not stop Chatterjee and she not only completed her undergraduate degree in organic chemistry, but also went on to receive a Doctorate of Science in 1944 from the University of Calcutta. Throughout her career, Chatterjee’s research contributed to the development of drugs that treated epilepsy and malaria. However, her most noted contribution to the field, was her work on vinca alkaloids. Alkaloids are compounds made from plants, often to treat medical ailments, Google said. Vinca alkaloids, which come from the Madagascar periwinkle plant, are used today in chemotherapy treatment because they help slow down or stall the multiplying of cancer cells. For her groundbreaking contributions to medicine, Chatterjee was recognised by universities all over the world. A Padma Bhushan recipient, she was also the first woman to be elected as the General President of the Indian Science Congress, a premier institution that oversees scientific research. She won several prestigious awards such as the S.S. Bhatnagar award, the C.V. Raman award, and the P.C. Ray award. Chatterjee, who breathed her last on November 22, 2006, received numerous accolades from the Indian government, including a nomination to the upper house of Parliament.

14 Off-Beat

October 02-08, 2017

sanitation

kaleido

Sanitation Kaleidoscope The work being done by the voluntary organisation Kaleido in Bengaluru is as colourful as the simple joys of life

rains

Widespread Rain Affects Paddy Harvest-ready paddy crops were destroyed in many parts of Punjab and Haryana due to the recent downpours IANS

Quick Glance G Ulaganathan

group of 30 young Bangaloreans, inspired by Modi’s Swachh Bharat slogan, have come together to build a better world to live in for some of the villages in the state. They spend their weekends planning and building toilets in remote villages, some of which are inside interior forests. They have named their mission ‘Kaleido’. It was actually started as a student initiative in 2011, “after a game of football”, say co-founders Shashikanth Subramanya and Kumar Murthy. “A few of us used to teach children of Belaku Shishu Nivasa (an orphanage started by the late Mohan Das Davasakar) and also help them to stage a play for their annual day,” says Shashikant. They began scripting and staging street plays, making short films and travel into villages and tribal areas. During one of their trips, in October 2012, Shashikant went to Deriya, a village inside the Kumbarawada Wildlife Sanctuary (which is part of the Kali reserve in North Karnataka).

“I was there to meet people from the Kunbi tribe community” says Shasikant. SavithaJayan and Derekar, wife of Jayanand Derekar, who is a leader there, told Shashikant that the women of the villages were suffering because there were no proper sanitation facilities. “There were no toilets and open defecation was uncomfortable, especially during their menstrual cycles and during pregnancy,” she said. Kaleido set out to build their first community sanitation facility for the 200 affected women. They prepared a project proposal and approached UTC Aerospace Systems and Sonus Networks for their CSR funds. “We did not seek any government support,” he says. Pratiksha Sundar, who is an architect and a volunteer with Kaleido, designed a facility with six toilets — three for men and three for women — and people from the tribe constructed it under her guidance. Before they opened it for use, they also organised a street play on open defecation and the importance of maintaining a clean toilet. This project was a big boon

Kaleido’s mission is to reach out to villages which are not easily accessible and help them to improve the civic amenities

idespread rains in several parts of Punjab and Haryana in the recent weeks have affected the standing paddy crop in the agrarian states. Moderate to heavy rainfall was reported from various parts of both states last week. Reports said that the paddy crop, which is almost ready for harvest, was damaged in some areas. Revenue officials in various districts have been asked to assess the damage to the crop.

The team spends weekends building toilets in remote villages They began scripting and staging street plays and making short films Kaleido set out to build their first community sanitation facility

to them and was one of the most memorable moments came when it was inaugurated. “We had written a song for our street play in Deriya and had taught it to the children of that village. After six months, after completion of the project, we returned and the children sang that song for us… word to word,” says Shashikant. “They had practised for weeks before staging it for us, inside the forest on a moonlit night.” Kaleido also partnered with an NGO Margadarshi to design and build individual toilet facilities for differently-abled people of Hanur. Deepika Kaulgud is also an architect and a Kaleido volunteer. She led the team designing individual toilets as per the requirements of 27 differently abled persons. They also used these differently abled people in the work and they could gain firsthand knowledge about the building process. Locally available material inside the forests was also used to cut costs. Kaleido’s mission is to reach out to villages which are not easily accessible and help them to improve the civic amenities.

Procurement of paddy in Punjab and Haryana is scheduled to begin from October 1. Officials from Agriculture and Food and Supplies departments are expecting a bumper paddy crop in both states this time. Chandigarh received over 104 mm of rain in the last 24 hours. The maximum temperature here was a cool 24.5 degrees. Ambala and Karnal in Haryana received 86 and 65 mm of rain. In Punjab, Patiala received 44 mm of rain. Ambala and Karnal in Haryana received 86 and 65 mm of rain. In Punjab, Patiala received 44 mm of rain.

October 02-08, 2017

tech captivity

Man’s Captivity Behind Technological Bars Technology is the life of modern society, but defect free software doesn’t exist Urooj Fatima

lectronic gadgets have already left a huge impact on our lifestyle; people of all ages are using different types of gadgets. It is now practically impossible to live life without these items; managing to-do list to maintaining all contacts, all our activities are controlled by gadgets and gizmos. Modern gadgets have made us their slaves. They have adored us with glamour. They have made us physically and mentally wreck. Let’s have a look at our daily life routine. We are woken up by alarms, shavers are used for shaving, and toasters are used for making breakfast, bikes and cars for travelling purpose. The list is endless. Now imagine if any gadget stops working then the whole routine will be ruined. A chaotic situation will be created. This tells us our much dependence on these gadgets. Today from a Peon to PM everyone wants to hold a TV, fridge, bicycle, scooter, bike, car and even an aeroplane. For this purpose, money is required. Such is the situation that people can do anything to earn as much money as they can, by hook or by crook. Thus for these gadget people are ready to sell their moral values. These gadgets are acting like our masters. Whatever they tell, people do it happily. Far are not those days when these gadgets would take over mankind. Cell phones lie at the centre of our life; reminders, to-do’s, contacts, emails – everything can be tracked with a latest cell phone set. Music lovers can buy a mobile phone with good sound quality, radio and enough memory to store songs. Imagine living in the era of 1970s when there was no Mobile, Internet, Laptop and all other mentioned stuff. Telling your friends about the next day plan was not that easy. Preparing notes

by searching something on Google or Wikipedia was not there for people of that era. You are travelling and want to listen to music, forget it, not even the walkmans were introduced at that time and you can’t carry that bulky transistor radio with you all the time. What would we be without technology? Without it, knowledge would not have been disseminated as efficiently throughout the world. The message would have been hard to deliver to the right audience at the right time at the right place. Without mass communication, our technological growth would most certainly have been stunted from lack of information. It is difficult to imagine our lives without the various forms of media. In fact, right from dusk to dawn, it is ‘technology’ that makes our life easier. Modern devices have become slaves of complete machines. There is no job that cannot be done without the help of machines and there is no area of human activity, where the machines should not be used. No one can deny the fact that a gadget not only simplifies our lives but also makes them comfortable and luxurious. This dependence on the machines has changed the very human psychology. We no longer have the

The day begins with a digital alarm clock and the word ‘digital’ travels with us throughout the day – wherever we go and whatever we do

ability to work hard or bear pain or discomfort. All this has led to increased irritability, tension, anxiety and anger. Thus, “slavery” has given us the pleasure-seeking “animals” that only care about the comfort of the animals. In other words, we can say that the dependence on machines made us lethargic physically mentally and emotionally dead. If we want to revive and get out of this slavery, we must resort to manually work hard and give a spirit of power and vitality that we can live free of disease and health. Thus the aspect of human life has made man fully prone to moral the deterioration. Therefore, today man has become a machine – emotionless and devoid of mercy, pity, peace etc. “Electronic devices, like pharmaceutical drugs, have an impact on the micro-cellular structure and complex biochemistry of our brains. And that, in turn, affects our personality, our behaviour and our characteristics,” says Professor Susan Greenfield in her book. “It’s pretty clear that the screen based, two-dimensional world that so many teenagers- ad a growing number of adults- choose to inhabit is producing changes in behaviour. Attention spans are shorter, personal communication skills are reduced and there’s a marked reduction in the ability to think abstractly.” The games-driven generation interprets the world through screen-shaped eyes, she insists. It’s almost as if something hasn’t really happened until it’s been

Technology

Quick Glance Our society is hopelessly dependant on technology Gadgets impact our lifestyles at all instances Technological advances will soon render human efforts useless

posted on Facebook or You Tube. In the business-centred existence, there is probably no going back to precomputer age. That age demands that we do more of our work ourselves; information won’t travel so quickly, and medical science may not get frozen. But consider this story: If all modern technology shut-down and we were forced to live without e-appliances and gadgets, we’d adapt. It might signal more face-to-face with people instead of e-mails and texting, might mean more walking and knowing what goes on in our neighbourhood. We might come out of the “lonesome boundary of life” that teleworking creates, and stop to smile at our neighbour, rather than at shadow appearing on a pixilated screen. Some of us might even start a campaign for the rights of pedestrians. Children have become obese; it is one of our major problems among the children as they sit glued for hours to their computers and television sets. They don’t go to parks for any outdoor games and don’t do any kind of physical exercise. Physical work and sweat are necessary for maintaining health. Parents and teachers should be more watchful. They should encourage the children to do manual work. Last but not the least awareness should be created among the people through mass media. People should decrease their dependency on machines and must be encouraged to do physical work. It will be beneficial for physical health as well as mental soundness. Maybe it’s time to cut down the computer/cell phone/televisioncoloured hours and step out to look at the moon. Or go to the lovely resorts and spend time fishing, swimming, taking pictures of animals or simply gazing at the beauty of nature. To conclude, it can’t be denied that modern technology is now a major part of one’s life. The point is that everyone needs to make sure that humans are aware of the bad and good impact, which technological advancement has on life. However, we should make a full use of it to achieve our goals and dreams rather than to become dependent on it.

October 02-08, 2017

mihir paul

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth

Mihir Paul is a graduate of Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, United States

VIEWPOINT

The Truth Will Set You Free

Alan Watts

It will cleanse the spirit and dispel the shadows of the past, giving a fresh breath to the eternal flowing rivers of time

The Slaying of Ravana Despite being a known scholar, King Ravana of Lanka was killed because he had abducted a woman by force

avaratra is over. Ravana has been killed amidst much fanfare, and over the next few days, Lord Rama will enter Ayodhya and welcome by his subjects with lamps. And yet, why was Ravana killed at all? After all, he had immense knowledge, and such was his intellect that to represent that he has been shown with ten heads. It is known that he was among the best ayurved scholars the world has seen till date. He was also said to be a veena player par excellence. And he was such a massive devotee of Lord Shiva. Ravana received a blessing that he could not be killed by any demon, serpents, or wild animals. This made him egoistic and he regarded everyone else as powerless. This is precisely why the legend of Lord Rama was created. He is the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, which means he was neither human nor a god. That is why he had been created to slay Ravana. Traditional wisdom says that a person may be all powerful, but if such a person touches a woman against her will, then he will not survive. Ravana’s abduction of Seeta was an act of force, and hence he paid the ultimate price for something that Indian culture has for ages ordained: the supreme honour of women. That is Lord Ram has been called Maryada Purushottam.

Editor-in-Chief

Kumar Dilip Edited, Printed and Published by: Monika Jain on behalf of Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation, owned by Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation Printed at: The Indian Express Limited A - 8, Sector -7, NOIDA (UP) Published at: RZ - 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam - Dabri Road, New Delhi - 110045 (India) Corporate Office: 819, Wave Silver Tower, Sector - 18, NOIDA (UP) Phone: +91-120-6500425 Email: editor@sulabhswachhbharat.com, ssbweekly@gmail.com

eeking the truth has been one of the fundamental cravings of the human spirit. We hope to find the ultimate truth; the truth that would quench the existential thirst. Religious and spiritual traditions are built on feeding this impulse. The truth is that which deeply resonates with our spirit. It is that which we know in our hearts as right. In our personal journeys, we encounter many befitting answers that serve us along the way but there’s always a question left -- Is there an ultimate truth? How would our lives be if we found the answer? The answer has the power to --cleanse the spirit of pain and suffering, wipe clean the lens of perception, illuminate the mind, clear catacombs of the subconscious, and give a fresh breath to the eternal flowing rivers of time.

The Answer

In our culture, there have been many beacons of truth throughout the years. Mahatma Gandhi was one of them. He stood for the truth he knew in his heart and soul. He personified the ultimate truth – Unity. There is complete unity in everything in reality. Mahatma Gandhi understood that. He knew deep inside whether consciously or subconsciously, that he is one with everyone and everything. He knew the power of love and compassion. This reflected in his actions, words, and intentions. He was completely aligned with the truth and did everything to serve it. He believed in peace and equality for all.

How did Mahatma Gandhi see the world?

A man sees oneness in everything upon self-realization. Self-realization means understanding the fundamental nature of oneself in relation to everything else. Anyone achieving self-realization would naturally gravitate towards non-violence, peace, equality, and freedom. This is because the self-realized individual would know deep down – that he isn’t an individual; that he is everyone and everyone is him; that he is one with reality. This person wouldn’t perceive separation like most of us do. This person would literally feel connected

to everyone he encounters. Because of the lack of perceived separation between a ‘me’ and ‘not me’, this individual would display extreme compassion and empathy. The Mahatma was one such individual.

How to realize the self?

The easiest way to realize the self is to realize what the self is not. This approach is known as ‘neti-neti’ in Indian Advaita Vedanta philosophy. ‘Neti-Neti’ means ‘Notme Not me’ which is basically a process of elimination of beliefs about the self till the only thing that is left is the truth itself. When we realise what we are not, we can know who we really are. We are not our names; we are not our Facebook profiles; we are not our bank accounts; we are not our personalities; we are not our bodies; we are not our thoughts; we are nothing that we already perceive and experience. If we are none of these things then what are we?

What are we?

If we are nothing that we perceive and experience then the only thing left is that which is experiencing and perceiving. We

Awareness makes

experiencing possible. It is the ultimate truth of the universe

October 02-08, 2017 can’t say we are our mind because we are aware of the mind and we can’t be both the subject and object of an experience at once. We are that which is before the mind. We are that which exists beyond the existence of the mind, body, and world. We are that which is prior to everything. That which we are is – awareness. We are the background awareness behind our experiences. The imperceptible yet quite liveable background of pure awareness that is aware of the body and mind it perceives the world through. These bodies and minds are like spacesuits and computer programs respectively, allowing the pure awareness to explore its own creation in the manifest universe.

What is awareness?

Awareness is the single common denominator among all beings in existence. Without awareness, there is no experience. When we are in deep sleep, there is no awareness and therefore, no body, mind, or world. That is why deep sleep is a non – experience, just like being unconscious or under anaesthesia. Awareness is the chalice in which the material world takes its shape. Think of it like a big blank screen in a movie theatre. Without the screen, the projector wouldn’t be able to project the movie onto the screen. Awareness is like the screen and whatever you sense and perceive, including your own body, mind, and personality is what appears on the screen. Just like the screen can handle the projection of a fire on it and be unaffected by it, similarly, awareness is unaffected by what comes into its experience. Awareness is only one and it is inseparable from time, distance, or bodies it inhabits. One could say that the awareness is the spirit or soul. It is the ‘prana’ that gives life to everything around us. It is the eternal immutable part of our existence unaffected by the events of the world around us.

Are you aware?

If you are asked --Are you aware right now? The answer always is - - yes. This is because our own awareness is selfevident to us. It’s a way of saying that we are aware of our own awareness. And sustaining this awareness of our awareness is a way to achieve self-realisation. Just like the self-realised individuals in our country’s proud heritage. When one realises that their true self is one with everything else in existence, one would naturally be inclined towards virtues of -- love, compassion, knowledge, equanimity, insight, tolerance, and peace. Looking past our survival biased filters of perception is the only way to salvation. This is the only way to experience life beyond the bars of our egoic prisons. Self-realisation quietens the chatter long enough till awareness becomes the mirror that reveals you to yourself.

Oped

Voting for cleanliness

An innovative approach has been adopted for Nagpur schools where votes were conducted to test the students’ awareness on cleanliness and sanitation Anand bharti

agpur District Council adopted an innovative approach to cleanliness. In 1560 schools, voting was done to know how much awareness was there in the students. More than seventy-two thousand students, answering 11questions in the poll, proved that they are thinking ahead in this regard. The Prime Minister’s Office has also shown interest in this campaign. The Government of Maharashtra has started the campaign of ‘Sanitary Hygiene Service’ from September 15 to October 2. Various initiatives related to cleanliness have been organized in this campaign. As a result of this, cleanliness was voted for the sacrament of cleanliness on behalf of the Nagpur District Council. The voting was arranged for cleanliness by the Information Communication Branch of the Water and Sanitation Mission Cell of the District Council. In this, 77,430 students from class 1 to class 8 joined the process. This scheme of voting was made by the Council’s CEO Dr Kadambari

Balakwade. She wanted to know how excited our children are, and how much enthusiasm they show in the matter. The children have been listening about voting so far, but they got an

merit. They also proved that they have complete awareness of the Government of India’s cleanliness campaign and they also like cleanliness. According to the information

opportunity to vote this time. The children were very excited. The process of voting was followed. The black mark was also inserted on the finger, which the children continued to show to all. They were given eleven questions and two options were given, to give correct answers. The children surprisingly revealed their extraordinary

received, the PMO asked for full information, which has been sent. The photos have also been sent along with information about the entire process. According to Milind Jadhav, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Council, due to voting, the mental and social outlook of students was given a new dimension.

letters to the editor t.com sulabhswachhbhara

FIND US ONLINE

Scan this with your smartphone

Vol-1 | Issue-41

Good News Week ly

/2016/71561

RNI No. DELENG

NATIONAL

WASH CONCLAVE

The National WASH Champio d at Conclave was organisem Mavalankar Auditoriu

October 01, 2017

| Price ` 5/-

25 FESTIVAL

MAURITIUS

HOMOGENEITY n

| September 25 -

for Rising India

MAA DURGA’S HUES

Homogeneity of the women was of Mauritius and India discussed in an event

With Pujas starting after is Mahalaya, Devi Durga getting a taste of London

PRIME MINISTER’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED AS SWACHHTA HI SEVA

of Prime Minister n on the birthday A unique celebratio nal by Sulabh Internatio

Modi

elderly club The article ‘Elderly club- senior citizen development forum’ talks about a major problem faced by mostly the elder generation in India in today’s fast moving world. They are left behind

and feel they are hanging by a thread in this suffocating society. It is good that this society is providing them with an alternative. The Elderly club or homes make them believe safe that they are with people of their own age group and are well taken care of. It is better than that they get at their own houses, among their own people. But it is true that after all the hard work throughout their whole life, what they demand is simply to stay and enjoy and be taken care of by their own loved ones. It is comforting to know that problem and pain they receive after all the hard work in their lives is being noted. We should find out a solution with the help of the government and ensure that they should get back their due. We can also try to see that they could spend their last days with their so called families. Nisha Verma, Chandigarh

Transvision The article ‘Transvision : Channel for transgender’ is a heart touching and democratic article to read . It is going to be a long journey that I have covered, as I’m going to become 65 this year . But I have never heard of any transgender channel in India as such. The only transgender I ever heard on television was LaxmiNarayan Tripathi on TED. That was the first time a I saw a transgender person on an international level or platform in India. Keeping in view the absence of good coverage on the subject, I did not at all expect to see such a well presented program and such an excellent speech on transgenders in India. It opened my eyes and changed my view . I feel happy and congratulate those working for this channel. Punit Sood, Mumbai

Please mail your opinion to - ssbweekly@gmail.com or Whatsapp at 9868807712

18 Photo Feature

October 02-08, 2017

RETURN OF MAA DURGA

Durga Puja is the perfect time to let you know that light will always prevail over darkness. From Shashti to Dashmi, may Maa Durga bestowed you with abundance , peace and happiness.

Photos: Sipra Dass

From family and social gatherings, to shopping and gift giving, pandal visiting,cultural events, feastings, and finally Idol immersion Durga Puja in India was celebrated with enthusiam and cultural fervour

October 02-08, 2017

Photo Feature

VICTORY OVER EVIL

A time for celebration, A time for victory of good over bad, A time when the world sees the power of goodness. Let us continue in the same spirit.

Photos: JAIRam

Let us start a great life by conquering over external and internal evils and make this Dussehra truly memorable. Ramleela plays were organized in schools across the country, symbolizing the ultimate victory of Good over Evil in our culture

20 Health

October 02-08, 2017

alzheimer’s

healthcare pledge

Multi-Gene Test For Alzheimer’s

$200mn pledge For Healthcare Cardiologist, Kiran Patel and his paediatrician wife, Pallavi Patel will spend $200 million by 2019 in India

The Polygenic Hazard Score is considered the strongest genetic predictor of future development of Alzheimer’s disease IANS

n a new test, a research team has found that combining the effects of over two dozen genetic variants help in predicting which cognitively normal older adults will go on to develop Alzheimer’s dementia. The advantage of the test, known as Polygenic Hazard Score (PHS), is relative to testing only for the wellknown genetic variant APOE E4, which has been considered the strongest genetic predictor of whether someone is likely to develop Alzheimer’s -- a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and worsens over time. However, APOE E4 is only carried by 10 to 15 per cent of the population and recent research suggests that its effects have been overstated, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday. Publishing their findings this week in Annals of Neurology, the team, led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the University of California, San Diego, believes that the PHS test could provide risk estimates for the remaining 85 to 90 per cent of people who do not carry at least one copy of APOE E4. “Beyond APOE E4 by itself, our polygenic hazard score can identify cognitively normal and mildly impaired older folks who are at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer’s associated clinical decline over time,” Chin Hong Tan from UCSF and the paper’s first author was quoted as saying. Researchers found that PHS test could predict how long it would take for them to progress to Alzheimer’s dementia and how steep their cognitive decline would be. The test enables the researchers to calculate an age-specific risk of developing Alzheimer’s based upon each person’s share of 31 genetic variants plus APOE E4.

IANS

ith a $200 million commitment, an Indian American doctor couple has teamed up with a Florida university to bring world class medical education to India and potentially transform healthcare in the country. With Zambia-born India-educated cardiologist Kiran Patel and his paediatrician wife Pallavi Patel’s gift, the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) located in picturesque Fort Lauderdale, near Miami, will open a new campus in Tampa, 400 km away. In addition to the donation, Patel said that he was committed to spend $200 million by 2019 to set up a 40 hectare campus near Vadodara in Gujarat with Nova willing to expand

their operations to India. Lectures will be beamed to classes in Tampa with live interaction with professors from here. Later the same concept will be used for the proposed college in India. American professors would be positioned in India and Indian professors brought here to sort of train the trainers to academically produce students of the same calibre as those graduating in the US. Going a step further the college will be accredited with American bodies to start residency in India. Indian students coming to the US will know how a world class institution works and Indian doctors will get an exposure to modern healthcare. “By that you’ll be solving the crisis of paucity of healthcare in India,” he

Air India

AI Chief Implores Employees To Maintain Fitness Air India’s Chairman believes ‘alertness and responsive’ levels of employees is crucial and maintaining personal fitness is paramount

IANS

ational passenger carrier Air India on Monday asked its employees to maintain personal fitness levels and improve airline’s on-time performance (OTP).

Quick Glance The couple plans to open a medical education campus in Tampa, Florida They also will open a campus in Gujarat with Nova The college in Gujarat will be accredited with American bodies to start residency

said, noting that students, residents and post-graduates will start providing services when the college opens. As under US law, a medical college must wait for five years to expand, the medical college in India will open in 2024. Meanwhile, Kiram Patel said he was negotiating with an Indian partner to start a private university in India offering courses in arts, sciences and medicine. To be named Kiran and Pallavi Patel University, it will start offering Indian degrees, while the American college operating from the same campus in India will offer American degrees possibly from 2020. With the renamed Nova institutions in the US producing 500 graduates and India providing another 300, Kiran Patel said he looked forward to the idea of thousands of doctors coming out from the university to serve in an increasingly borderless world. In India, a medical college is required to set up a 12.5 hectare campus with a 700 bed hospital. He visualised a system where an american school in India will provide American degrees, while the indian school will offer indian degrees. While there would be two types of degrees and two types of fees, the two institutions operating from one campus will offer same quality of education. Kiran Patel said his gift to Nova was the first step to realise his dream of enhancing healthcare in India. According to Air India’s Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal, “alertness and responsive” levels of employees is crucial in the airline industry. “This is an industry where many facets of customer service have to be executed professionally... Good health leads to a physical, mental and spiritual well-being that augments productivity,” Bansal said in a letter to employees dated September 25. “I strongly believe that OTP, fitness and swachhta (cleanliness) are small and significant steps to take any organisation to greater heights... I implore you to maintain our airline’s OTP and keep fit,” he added.

October 02-08, 2017

urine

A new method that uses microscopes based on photonic crystal bio-sensors makes it possible to diagnose prostate cancer while being non-invasive

IANS

esearchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio are working towards developing a non-invasive method to detect prostate cancer through urine sample. Since cells from the prostate are shed into urine naturally, the new method, which aims to make use of a novel microscope based on a photonic crystal bio-sensor, could offer a more accurate diagnosis. “The system we are developing utilises a sensitive bio-sensor, which allows us to distinguish cancer cells

from normal cells based on a unique feature of the cells,” said Jing Yong Ye, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). “If you can detect a cancer cell, you’re starting from a more precise place and you can give a more accurate diagnosis,” he added in a statement released by UTSA. To support the development of this non-invasive method of detecting prostate cancer, the US National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute has offered Ye a two-year grant of $354,617. The new method could significantly

Quick Glance It uses bio-sensors which distinguish cancer cells from normal cells The method could significantly improve the accuracy of diagnosis This method is non-invasive and better than conventional PSA tests

improve accuracy compared to the approach used in current clinical practice. Prostate cancer is the second most prevalent type of cancer, and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, in men. Early detection is key to survival, which is why doctors are required to screen all men over the age of 50 for the disease. To screen patients for prostate cancer, medical professionals take a blood sample and look for prostatespecific antigen (PSA). If a high level of PSA is found, the patient is suspected to have prostate cancer and required to have a prostate biopsy. Unfortunately, PSA tests are far from providing satisfactory diagnoses and result in a large number of unnecessary prostate biopsies due to a high false-positive rate. “As a result, a patient may undergo a biopsy he doesn’t need, which is painful and could cause an infection. Also, because prostate cancer is highly heterogeneous and even multi-core prostate biopsy only samples a few local areas, it can easily be missed by clinicians,” he added. “It’s important to think outside the box and use innovation to address these critical issues,” he added.

bone loss

Bone Loss In Elderly

Reduced Cbf-beta in bone marrow cells could be the reason behind bone loss conditions like osteoporosis in elderly IANS

esearchers have identified a mechanism that leads to bone loss in older adults, an advance that may help develop therapeutics to treat the ageassociated bone loss condition. Osteoporosis the thinning of bone and the loss of bone density that increases the risk of fractures is a major health problem in older people. Often the condition is accompanied by an increase in fat cells in the bone

marrow. The study led by Yi-Ping Li, Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, found a protein called Cbf-beta which plays a critical role in maintaining the bone-producing cells. Furthermore, the examination of aged mice showed dramatically reduced levels of Cbf-beta in bone marrow cells as compared to younger mice. The findings showed when this mechanism malfunctions, progenitor cells stop creating bone-producing cells and instead create fat cells. Thus, maintaining this Cbf-beta

Reliance Hospital

diagnosis

Detecting Prostate Cancer Via urine

Health

may be essential to prevent human age-associated osteoporosis that is due to elevated creation of fat cells, Li said. The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Knowledge of this mechanism can provide targets in the search for novel bone-loss therapeutics to treat human osteoporosis with minimal side effects, the researchers noted..

Reliance Hospital’s ‘Holistic Healing’ Art Project A dozen leading contemporary artists created nine works of holistic healing art to transform the ambience of the Reliance Hospital IANS

welve leading contemporary Indian artistes have created nine works of art and transformed the ambience at the Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital & Research Foundation here. Entitled ‘Holistic Healing’, the public art project was inaugurated by Isha Ambani at the hospital. “Holistic Healing hopes to transform the environment of a hospital into a space that transports the viewer outside the confines of its walls,” said Isha Ambani at the inauguration. The artists who have created the artworks include Rohini Devasher, Shilpa Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Suhasini Kejriwal, Sandeep Mukherjee, Sachin George Sebastian, Praneet Soi, Jiten Thukral & Sumir Tagra and Raqs Media Collective. The inauguration was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Deepanjana Klien, Christie’s International Head of Classical and Contemporary South Asian Art, with a panel comprising artists Sree Goswami, Gupta, Kallat Thukral and Tagra, who discussed the significance of public art in India. Isha Ambani said the latest initiative would motivate them to continue their work in the art world as one of Reliance Foundation’s key missions is to promote Indian art locally and globally. The Reliance Foundation is led by Founder-Chairperson Nita Ambani, wife of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

22 North East

October 02-08, 2017

institute assam

kogas

Assam to get wildlife institute The decision was taken at a review meeting of the department’s Compensatory Aforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority Quick Glance The institute will be located at Guijan near Dibru-Saikhowa Reserve Forest Department will evolve plans for tree plantation at government lands The protected area network includes 5 national parks and 18 sanctuaries

Raj Kashyap

ssam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has directed the department of environment and forest to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for setting up the Assam Institute of Wildlife at Guijan near Dibru-Saikhowa Reserve Forest in Tinsukia district. The decision was taken at a review meeting of the department’s Compensatory Aforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) at Guwahati last week. Sonowal also urged the Forest department to take “proactive measures” for conservation of forests and wildlife through campaigns to

generate awareness among the masses. He made a case for State specific courses to be taught at the proposed institute like man-animal conflict and wildlife protection with the help of the community which would go a long way in nurturing trained manpower for wildlife protection in the State. The chief minister instructed the department to evolve plans for tree plantation at government lands for expanding the forest cover. Urging the CAMPA authorities to take measures for constructing highlands for the animals in Kaziranga for providing shelter to the flood-affected animals, Sonowal said that this structure must be erected in the natural corridors of the wild animals so that they can take shelter during floods. He also stressed on completing the construction of the ongoing highlands within February next year and said that he would himself visit Kaziranga National Park to supervise the construction.

Although Assam had prepared a biodiversity action plan in 2002, it was out of sync with National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Officials in the department told the media that the proposed institute would be modelled on the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) which is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change. WII carries out wildlife research in areas such as biodiversity, endangered species, wildlife policy and management, spatial modelling, habitat ecology and climate change. It is equipped with research facilities including forensic laboratories, remote sensing. The institute is based in Dehradun, India. It is located in Chandrabani, which is close to the southern forests of Dehradun. The protected area network of Assam includes five national parks and 18 wildlife sanctuaries. The proposed institute in Assam assumes significance in view of the region’s vulnerability as a biodiversity hotspot in the world. Rampant deforestation is on in the Northeast which is often reported in the local media. Alarmed over the degrading condition of the environment, the Supreme Court had clamped a ban on felling of trees in 1996. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is currently preparing a biodiversity strategy and action plan for Assam. Although Assam had prepared a biodiversity action plan in 2002, it was out of sync with National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which was updated in 2014 and includes newly formulated 12 national biodiversity targets. One of the targets was asking all states to develop local strategies and action plans. A high-level stakeholder consultation workshop, first in a series, was organised jointly by Assam State Biodiversity Board and Wildlife Institute of India on September 16 last year which was attended by 50 officials from various departments and organisations. The deliberations at the conclave stressed on the status and trends of wild and domestic flora and fauna, biodiversity management inside and outside protected areas of Assam and existing finance mechanisms. Officials speaking on the occasion explained that Assam has an important role to play in the global conservation scenario. They made a case for more consultation workshops at the grassroots level in different parts of the state.

Korean company to explore Nagaland Green Energy Inc Korea president, Cessilia Bosung Park last week held a meeting with Nagaland Chief minister TR Zeliang SSB Bureau

he world’s second-biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer from Iran, Saudi Arab and Nicobar Island, Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) has expressed keen interest to explore opportunities in Nagaland. The South Korean gas company is keen on entering into an agreement for possible investment in limestones and also develop LNG export unit in the State as transit point for export to other ASEAN countries. Green Energy Inc Korea president, Cessilia Bosung Park last week held a meeting with Nagaland Chief minister TR Zeliang here. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Park was optimistic that Nagaland with its huge limestone reserve in Mimi village of Kiphire district and also oil and gas fields in pockets of the State had immense potential. During her presentation, Park said that if an MoU could be inked, Kogas would deploy its LNG carriers (NICKO Ship) to export limestones to ASEAN countries through waterways. Park said Nagaland would be the best transit point to import, refine and supply products from Middle East to South East Asia. Zeliang advised the Korean delegation to conduct an aerial survey in November and urged them to submit the concept note and letters from the Government of India, favouring a joint venture. Zeliang also invited the company to have thorough discussions with senior government officials. Kaashi Visweshwar Minerals Pvt. Ltd managing director, Kasi Lalith, a partner of Kogas, informed that Bangladesh and Malaysia had also agreed for business collaboration with the company.

October 02-08, 2017

Good News

Gandhi sanitation

Untouchability and Gandhi Gandhi felt that untouchability must be abolished and at the same time the conditions of public sanitation must be improved ssb bureau

n his book “My Experiments with Truth” Gandhi writes, plague broke out in Bombay in 1897 and there was panic all around. Gandhi offered his services to the State in the sanitation department. Gandhi laid special emphasis on inspection of latrines and carrying out improvements. In his inspections of untouchables’ quarters Gandhi found that they were beautifully smeared with cow dung and the few pots and pans were clean and shining. There was no fear of an outbreak in those quarters. Gandhi also records that he visited the Vaishnava Haveli, and was pained to see uncleanliness about a place of worship. He knew that the authors of the Smritis

had laid the greatest emphasis on cleanliness both inward and outward. Gandhi further notes that sanitation was a difficult affair in penetrating Indian villages. The people were not ready to do their own scavenging. Gandhian volunteers concentrated their energies on making villages ideally clean, they swept the roads and the courtyards, cleaned out the wells, filled the pools and persuaded the villagers to raise volunteers from amongst themselves. Gandhi sensed a relation between poor sanitation and practice of untouchability. People neglected sanitation because it was considered to be the responsibility of the ‘untouchables’. Gandhi felt that untouchability must be abolished and at the same time the conditions of public sanitation must

manipur night-life

Manipur return to night life!

The long history of insurgency-driven violence is set to see some strobe lights end the misery in Imphal ssb bureau

anipur’s capital Imphal, which had long been under the shadow of prolonged militant violence, is set to get a taste of night life. Thanks to the Department of Municipal Administration, Housing and Urban Development (MAHUD) which will launch a “Night Plaza” along the Kangla moat from October 2. MAHUD minister Th. Shyamkumar said the idea behind the “Night Plaza” is to give good recreational space to the people which will help improve healthy family life in the city. The initiative will also encourage extension of business hours in the core area of the city, thereby improving the overall economy of the state. The plaza, which will stretch from Khoyathong junction to Raj Bhawan junction (eastern half of NH-2) will be opened every Saturday and Sundays from 7 pm to 10 pm without any entry

fee. It would remain open on all the 10 days of the Sangai festival. ‘Night Plaza’ stalls will have to strictly follow the guidelines set by the department, the minister said appealing to the people to extend their cooperation to make the venture successful. According to the plan, traffic along the stretch of the proposed plaza will remain closed from 6 to 11pm. Besides food stalls of various

types including indigenous cuisines and boating on the Kangla moat, live concerts and other recreational activities will be arranged for the plaza. Altogether, the government plans to install 110 stalls (30 general stalls and 80 food stalls). Talented people will be provided platforms to perform without any charge. An organising and management

be improved. Gandhi repeatedly forbade his followers from hiring anyone from the so-called lower castes for sanitary work. Gandhi felt that once the ‘untouchables’ whom he christened Harijans – children of God, were freed from the occupation of scavenging, their rise to a position of equality with others in the society would be facilitated. Following independence, untouchability was abolished by law. Gandhi’s vision is embellished in the Fundamental Rights – Article 17 which proclaims abolition of ‘Untouchability” and forbids its practice in any form. The enforcement of any disability arising out of “Untouchability” shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law. The principal object of Article 17 is to ban untouchability in any form.

Quick Glance Imphal is set to get a taste of night life MAHUD will launch a “Night Plaza” along the Kangla moat Town planning department will be in-charge

committee has been constituted for overall supervision and coordination of the project. Various departments of the state government have been engaged for successful implementation of the ‘Night Plaza’. The MAHUD department will take care of overall coordination and implementation of the project, arrangement and allotment of stalls in the space earmarked by the town planning department and recreational activities and live concerts. Town planning department will be in-charge of prescribing terms and conditions of the stalls, parking, boating, recreational activities. Adequate security measures will be taken to ensure safety of public. NCC cadets/Scouts & Guides will also be deployed for coordination and guidance. Drinking water, toilet and waste management will be looked after by the Imphal Municipal Corporation. Street furniture will also be provided. The stalls will be selected through draw lots.

24 Education

October 02-08, 2017

olympiad storytelling

Kahaanibaaz: Storyteller’s Olympiad for Children A unique story writing competition – as different from the usual essay-writing competition in Patna is drawing huge response

Pradeep Modak

it and write on a topic is common for school kids. Writing essays is a part of the curriculum and on umpteen times they take part in inter-school, state level and national-level competitions to show their writing skills. If they get positions, it satisfies their parents’ appetite more than the participants savour on it. Meenakshi Jha Banerjee, a noted Madhubani painting artist, conceptualised an idea to hone creative skill among school children by organising a “Storytelling Olympiad” for the school children named as “Kahaanibaaz” in Patna. Kahaanibaaz (storyteller), is an event to be organized by Kahaanighar (story house), an organisation founded by Meenakshi and her husband Rony Bannerjee, opens up another vista for school children besides remaining immersed in various activities for nurturing and reinventing childhood these days. The idea is to collect entries from children of different schools especially from Patna and place their stories before a panel of judges comprising eminent personalities

from the writers’ world to give them rank according to the merit of the story. “Imagination and creation will go together to judge the soul of the story,” said Meenkashi, a founder member of the Kahaanighar, She said, “We were planning to have Kahaanibaaz in Patna, since long. Finally the thought has taken shape. Now, the event will happen on November 12, 2017 as a grand ceremony.” Under the programme, the organizers have sought entries from across the country. The event will be held in two age groups: 7-10 years and 11-15 Years. “It’s an opportunity for identifying the writers of tomorrow and provides them a larger platform today,” Meenakshi said. “Entries with a write up within 1500 words are accepted in English, Hindi or any other dialect of Bihar. There is no entry fee. Any child can write a story and send it to us by email”, said Kahaaighar co-founder

Rony Banerjee. He said, “We have a strong belief that children will participate in good numbers. We are aiming at sharing the dais with more and more child litterateurs. It’s a free entry and noncommercial event”. “The best 50 stories will be selected by a panel of eminent writers and litterateurs and will be published as a book. Besides this, there are prizes and gifts as well,” he said. The renowned selectors’ panel include: Padmashree Usha Kiran Khan, Anuradha Pradhan, Geetashree, Nivedita Shakeel, Hrishikesh Sulabh, Anish Ankur, Pawan, Pranav Kumar Choudhary, Nawal Shukla and Deepak Yatri. Famous radio storyteller, Neelesh Misra has also consented to grace the occasion with his presence. The book release and the prize distribution function will be held on November 12 at Premchand Rangshala in Patna. Amit Vikram of Kahaanighar said,

”we got two entries from Dubai and several entries

from Pune, Bangalore, and other cities of the country”

Quick Glance Kahanibaaz is the name of the storytelling competition organised by Kahaanighar Children of two age categories have been sending stories through emails The selected best 50 stories will be published as a book

“We at Kahaanighar believe that childhood can be conserved in only one way. That’s by extending culture with creativity. We have felt that creativity can be fostered through thematic activities and culture can be infused through rhythmic exposure to the knowledge forms”, he said. “Based on the theme of Kahaanibaaz, we would be having two short plays by children on November 12, besides releasing the book. It will be followed by the release of two theme songs on Kahaanighar and Kahaanibaaz by a local youth band of Patna”, he added. Kahaanighar is a social enterprise established by painter Meenakshi Jha Banerjee and design-thinker Rony Banerjee by their sheer commitment and interest for development of cultural activeness amongst children through informal interactions. Kahaanighar and its activities are free for all children and intend to ascertain exposure for the deprived and under-privileged. Every evening, classes in basic education are organised. Besides this, every Saturday and Sunday is dedicated to sessions on creative exposure through storytelling, crafts, cinema and interaction with the famous intellectuals of Patna. About the feedback of the proposed Olympiad, Rony said the Kahaanighar had thus far received 1,700 entries from different parts of the country as well as from abroad. “We are expecting the entries will touch the 2,000 mark by the end of the closing day. We have got stories written by the children through e-mails and also in hard copies,” he said. “We are overwhelmed to see the response in our maiden venture. We got two entries from Dubai and several entries from Pune, Bangalore, and other cities of the country. Even from Delhi, we have received 25 entries,” he said. “In the first phase, the panel will select the top 1000 entries and in the second phase, the judges will select top 50 stories for publication in the book,” he said.

October 02-08, 2017

salt lake fifa WC

Salt Lake Stadium get’s FIFA’s green go

Rs 100 crore has been spent on the sprucing up of the stadium according to FIFA’s very stringent standards and the venue if 98 per cent ready Prasanta Paul

t was in 1977 that soccer wizard Pele, as part of the Cosmos Soccer team, displayed some of his magic in an exhibition game against Mohun Bagan at the Eden Gardens. That was the maiden brush of the city’s soccer lovers with international football. More than two decades later, in 2011, Argentina’s Lionel Messi made his debut in the city in the Salt Lake Stadium in a friendly tie. Interestingly, both the matches were just one day affair. And both Pele as well as Messi just played for a few minutes because they complained that the ground was too uneven and they could suffer leg injuries. That the city could ever host an international soccer tourney—that too, a World Cup— remained more or less a dream. The International Football Federation (FIFA) has extremely stringent standards as to how a stadium ought to be, and there was not a stadium in the country till now that fulfilled the criteria, from ground levelling, to grass quality, to players’ boxes and sponsors’ boxes, to dressing rooms and spectator galleries. However, the countdown has begun for the unveiling of the Under17- World Cup Soccer Championship in the revamped, renovated and refurbished Salt Lake Stadium (rechristened as Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan) on October 8 next. Not only the inaugural two ties – England Vs Chile at 5 pm and Mexico Vs Iraq at 8 pm the stadium will host eight other matches including the quarterfinal and the all important final on October 28. A complete metamorphosis – hard to believe, indeed – has taken place since the West Bengal government took up the proposal of FIFA for

staging the matches in Kolkata. Built over 76.40 acres of land, the stadium was first inaugurated in January, 1984. It was the venue for Athletics during the 1987 South Asian Games that India hosted. Since then, a lot of water has flown down the Ganga and the work for transforming the stadium into one to suit the international soccer standard has quietly began. From the astro turf to seats, tunnels to dressing rooms, high quality glass walls for unblemished viewing to adjacent training fields – the stadium has become a welcome treat to the eyes. Once famous for accommodating around 1.31 lakh crowd, the highest in Asia, the stadium has been reduced to a 66,687capacity stadium for the World Cup after FIFA enforced a guideline following a safety study with the Sports Ground Safety Authority of the UK. In the event

“It looks like a museum … or like the teams said, it looks the lobby of a five-star hotel,” Javier Ceppi

of an emergency, all the bucket seats would be empty in eight minutes sharp! The facelift, though quiet, has been a determined effort. After FIFA authorities raised objections about the astro turf grass, the state government ordered import of special grass from the United States. Saplings brought from America were first planted at Bangalore before being ferried aboard trucks to Kolkata. This special grass is glossy green and extremely shiny. Executive glass boxes have been installed for the corporate crowd. FIFA has also made it mandatory that the training ground has to be as close to the main venue as possible. Two new training grounds have accordingly been built next to the VIP gate to facilitate players’ closeddoor work-outs in the field. Along with this, there are many an addition that are firsts for the new-look venue. The most important among them are the tunnel, referees’ changing room, players’ washroom and a special room for the ball boys and girls. “When players like Belgian goalkeeper Kristof Van Hout(6.8

Sports

Quick Glance The FIFA has extremely stringent standards for stadiums Salt Lake Stadium is the largest in the country for football FIFA’s Javier Ceppi says it looks like a Five Star hotel lobby

ft) or English striker Peter Crouch(6.7ft) or Chilean rightout Alexis Valencia (6.5 ft) line up in the tunnel, they’ll not have to bend their heads fearing a bumpy ceiling. A clearance of 7.8ft has been provided in the revamped tunnel to enable footballers of all heights to walk straight,” explained an official involved in the facelift. The changing room wears a brand new look, with a bench to accommodate 25 players, each of whom has been provided with a wooden peg to hand jerseys, a drawer for boots and a cabinet to store other soccer gears. Four changing rooms have been provided in the stadium; two of them are equipped with 25 lockers while the rest 23. Washrooms have been split into two separate areas – dry and wet. It is only but natural that when the stadium was handed over to the Local Organising Committee(LOC) director Javier Ceppi, he gave it a 10 out of 10 rating. “The stadium is at par with any world class venue that has hosted a FIFA World Cup final. If you ask me, it looks like a museum, be the entrance or the inside… or like the teams said, it looks the lobby of a five-star hotel,” Ceppi said last week after West Bengal principal secretary (sports) Saeed Ahmed Bawa signed the official document to hand over the stadium. “It’s close to 98 per cent complete and it’s now our responsibility to take it to the next level.” There is hardly any major work left, except “two or three things.” Ceppi, however, declined to compare the stadium with five other venues which are scheduled to hold matches during the October 6-28 championship. According to him, handover means LOC takes certain responsibility and certain decisionmaking with regard to the final phase of rectification and related work to enable the facility to become fully operational for the tournament. The initial short-list of 10 venues in the host cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Margao, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Guwahati, and Navi Mumbai.

26 Environment

October 02-08, 2017

plastic arctic

Plastic Polluting Remote Arctic

An expedition team in the Arctic found polystyrene in areas that are many hundreds of miles from land

The expedition was part of polar explorer Pen Hadow’s “Arctic Mission” Two large pieces of polystyrene were spotted on the edge of ice floes Large plastic pieces can break down into ‘microplastics’

IANS

n what shows how far plastic pollution has spread, scientists on an expedition have discovered such pollution on remote frozen ice floes in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. A team of scientists led by marine biologist Tim Gordon of the University of Exeter in Britain carried out research on two sailing boats as part of polar explorer Pen Hadow’s “Arctic Mission”. Hadow is the only person to have trekked solo, without resupply, from Canada to the Geographic North Pole. The pioneering expedition went further into the international waters of the Central Arctic Ocean than any other ships in history, which was made possible because of recent reductions in summer ice cover in the Arctic. The team discovered blocks of polystyrene in areas that are many hundreds of miles from land and were until recently covered by ice all year round, according to a news release from the University of Exeter on Monday. Two large pieces were spotted on the edge of ice floes within 1,000 miles of the North Pole. Large plastic

wildlife

Quick Glance

World’s Smallest Squirrel Discovered The Bormean pigmy squirrel, exilisciurus exilis was found in Meratus mountain of South Kalimantan province IANS

pieces such as this can break down into ‘microplastics’ - tiny particles of plastic that are accidentally consumed by filter-feeding animals. The plastic particles can stay in animals’ bodies and are passed up the food chain, threatening wildlife at all levels from zooplankton to apex predators such as polar bears. Explorer Hadow said he had never seen blocks of plastic waste before on the Arctic sea ice. “For the

25 years I have been exploring the Arctic I have never seen such large and very visible items of rubbish,” he said. “The blocks of polystyrene were just sitting on top of the ice,” Hadow added. “Finding pieces of rubbish like this are a worrying sign that melting ice may be allowing high levels of pollution to drift into these areas. This is potentially very dangerous for the Arctic’s wildlife,” Gordon said.

ndonesian scientists have found the world’s smallest squirrel in the country’s Borneo rain forest, authorities revealed on Monday. The Bormean pigmy squirrel or exilisciurus exilis was found in Meratus mountain of South Kalimantan province, Xinhua news agency quoted a senior scientist as saying. “One of surprising things is the fact that there is a unique and endangered species, the smallest squirrel in the world in Meratus mountain.” The species, found on September 16 during an expedition, is 73 mm long and weighs about 17 grams. “This type of species lives across Borneo island, especially the area with height of over 1,000 metres above sea surface,” the scientist added.

delhi

schemes msp

Centre Extends MSP Scheme The central government announced the extension of the Minimum Support Price scheme for Minor Forest Produce to all the states

IANS

n a bid to provide a wider platform to tribals to sell their produce, the government on

Monday announced extension of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme for Minor Forest Produce (MFP) to all the states in the country. Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram made the announcement regarding

pan-India extension of the scheme -initially introduced in nine states in 2014 -- during a National Workshop on Minimum Support Price for Minor Forest Produce here. The MFP could be the largest generator of revenue after minerals, he added. Oram emphasised on the use of social media and new technology to help the tribals sell their produces at best prices. In the workshop, Tribal CoOperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Amazon Seller Services for the sale of tribal products through the e-commerce platform. The MSP, a form of market intervention by the government, for MFP scheme provides a safety net for the tribals against excessive fall in the forest produce’s prices. MFP is a major source of livelihood for tribals, who belong to the poorest of the poor sections of society.

Delhi CM starts sewage line IANS

ith an aim to save the Yamuna river from further pollution and provide relief to residents of Burari area in north Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal laid the foundation stone of a Rs 44-crore sewage line project. The project will benefit Burari residents since sewage flows directly into the river from many colonies due to absence of proper sewerage. The 75-km sewage line will lead to a sewage treatment plant in Burari and is expected to be completed in 30 months.

October 02-08, 2017

Environment

exports fuel

volcano

Exports Of Petrol & Diesel Cars Can Continue : Gadkari The export of petrol and diesel cars would go on even as the country plans to transition to an all-electric mobility

IANS

nion Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari hinted that automobile industry could continue exports of petrol and diesel cars even as government will go ahead with its plan to transition India to all-electric mobility by 2030. He told reporters on the sidelines of Indian School of Business Leadership Summit here

Quick Glance Automobile export in India amounts to Rs 1.5 lakh crores Pollution is still a huge concern with authorities Fuel based cars will eventually be phased out and replaced with E-Cars

that the government is not against automobile industry. “We are not against any

automobile industry. We export about Rs 1.5 lakh crore. It has got highest employment potential. I told them to continue exports,” he said. “But pollution is big concern. You give priority to indigenous technology. Now India is coal and power surplus country. It is very cheap. People will also be benefited. Give priority to this,” he added. The minister had last week urged the industry to give up making petrol and diesel cars for vehicles that run on electricity and alternative energy. He had also made it clear that the government will stick to its plan whether the industry likes it or not. The ministry has also cleared the electric vehicle policy for 100 per cent manufacturing of electric vehicles.

china lakes

China lake turns pink & green

China’s salt lake in Shanxi province turned pink and green due to the high concentration of sodium sulphate in its waters IANS

salt lake in China’s Shanxi province has turned pink and green attracting people from all across the country. The Yuncheng lake appears green on one side and pink on the other, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday. According to authorities, the pink side contains a chemical called Dunaliella salina, which changes it from the original green colour. The dual-colours have lasted for many years, and the view only disappears in winter when the lake dries

The dual-colours have

lasted for many years, and the view only disappears in winter when the lake dries up

up. The lake is one of the three inland salt lakes with sodium sulphate in the world. The amount of salt it contains is similar to that of the Dead Sea and allows humans to float on it. According to geologists, the lake was formed about 50 million years ago. Chinese people began making use of the lake at least

4,000 years ago. According to historical records, revenue from the salt produced by the lake accounted for about a quarter of the country’s total during the reign of Emperor Li Yu (766-779 A.D.) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D). The lake still produces salt for industrial use.

Bali’s volcanic threat 35,000 people were evacuated from their homes near the active volcano in Bali, Indonesia following imminent eruption warnings IANS

ome 35,000 people were evacuated from their homes near an active volcano in Bali, Indonesia, as authorities warned that it could erupt soon, authorities announced on Monday. The area around Mount Agung has seen hundreds of tremors and signs of magma rising to the surface since last week, the national volcanology centre said. Authorities have imposed a 12 km exclusion zone around the mountain and had issued their highest level alert on September 22. The island’s main tourist areas and flights remain unaffected for now. The centre said on Sunday night that “the mountain’s seismic energy is increasing and has the potential to erupt”. It said shallow tremors were detected late August, and first raised the alert from “normal” to the secondtier “vigilant” level on September 14, reports the BBC. Mount Agung, which is more than 3,000m above sea level, lies in the eastern part of Bali. Several countries including Britain, Australia and Singapore have issued travel advisories for their citizens, warning of possible flight disruptions and evacuations. More than 1,000 people died when Mount Agung last erupted in 1963. Mount Agung is among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia - an archipelago prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes as it sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.

28 Off-beat

October 02-08, 2017

ot t internet

Faster Internet Speed Spurring OTT Growth OTT is seeing tremendous growth in india owing to the increased internet speeds due to the massive upsurge in 4G connections

IANS

he improvement in average Internet speed in India over the last few months is spurring growth in the Over-The-Top (OTT) sphere and may bring about a behavioural shift among Indian consumers, industry players have emphasised. OTT, or the delivery of video content via Internet, is looking up as Cloud delivery platform Akamai’s latest “State of the Internet Report” indicates that the average speed has dramatically improved in the last 18 months from a 3-odd Mbps to a 6.5 Mbps. “The massive upsurge in 4G connections across new telcos and incumbents has powered this surge, which is reflected in a massive 6X leap in data consumption at 1.3 billion

GB per month,” Vamshi Reddy, CEO and founder, Apalya Technologies, a pioneer in mobile video solutions, told IANS. Though the Internet speed in India is still at just a third of the global average, Reddy feels the optimal data speed, coupled with friendlier data costs, will lead to higher OTT growth. According to Abhesh Verma, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of key OTT player nexGTV, a connection speed of more than 2 Mbps is well-suited to support online viewing and livestreaming. “However, instead of the bandwidth, it is important to have consistence in Internet coverage. Besides, with the advent of 4K video streaming services, it would be good to ensure that a user’s Wi-Fi supports 4K viewing,” Verma told IANS. The outlook for the Indian

The upsurge in 4G connections in India has seen a rise in

Internet speeds and data consumption for more OTT growth

OTT video content industry looks extremely positive. According to a recent report from market research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA), the OTT market in the country is expected to cross 100 million unique monthly users by 2020. Verma has strong faith in the future of OTT technology in India. “The future belongs to tech-driven, digital products and the OTT concept fits perfectly into the futuristic vision of India,” he said. According to the experts, content creators now focusing on developing smartphone-enabled content will bring a behavioural shift in nearly half-a-billion data consumers in the country. From a base standpoint, India has already overtaken US estimates and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) suggest that the number of Internet users was 462 million in mid-2016. Of this, over 300 million access the Internet only through mobile devices. The US has 290 million internet users, but in a population of 323 million.

Quick Glance The average internet speed has gone up from 3Mbps to 6.5 Mbps The data consumption in India is now 1.3 billion GB per month Optimal data speed with friendlier data costs will lead to OTT growth

“India today has transformed into a mobile-first economy; affordable smartphones and internet are making inroads into the very hinterlands of India and hence provide colossal opportunities for OTT players. Users of today demand content that is personalised and remotely accessible,” Verma told IANS. “We also believe that at the upper end, smart TVs will be adding to the changing consumption and behaviour patterns as they start replicating the more user-friendly mobile interfaces,” Reddy added. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) are seen as game changers in the OTT space. VR devices are catching up and can completely alter the viewing experience of the consumer. “Everybody is quite overwhelmed with so much content available online, but only five per cent of this is viewed. AI will help determine what content is selling, what is not, and invest in that kind of content,” Reddy said. For Verma, apart from AI and machine learning, broadcasters, media companies and service providers would adopt the all-IP workflows to introduce unprecedented functionalities and enhance opportunities for monetisation. “Technologies like HDR, UHD and VR will become an integral part of the OTT domain across the globe and in India,” Verma noted. Keeping the recent data breaches especially involving the latest “Game of Thrones” (GoT) series - in mind, OTT players would definitely invest more in cybersecurity, chase off hackers and uphold the sanctity of data. On what chances do Indian OTT firms have when pitted against giants like Netflix and Amazon, Verma said he perceives the big OTT players as motivators. “Foreign giants like Netflix and Amazon are spread across continents and have an enviable collection of both content and subscribers. Indian users looking for high-quality entertainment content in English are going to turn to any of these players,” Verma said. “Indian players, on the other hand, have carved a niche for themselves and are banking heavily on their hold of regional content,” he added.

October 02-08, 2017

camp ASEAN

Art Knows No Boundaries

Nine-day art camp for artists from ASEAN countries conveys that art is uninhibited and that no border can divide the artists

IANS

nine-day camp underway brings together from the ASEAN countries -- Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam along with Indian counterparts -- a true confluence of art, imagination and inspiration. Together, the artists are conveying that art is uninhibited and that no border can divide the artists and their thought processes. With the theme “Oceans of Opportunity”, from September 2129 ASEAN-Indian Artists Camp has been organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Seher cultural organisation to mark the 25th year of the ASEANIndia Dialogue. The camp is set amidst the lush green The Ananta resort just a few miles from Udaipur. It witnesses an amalgamation of contemporary art with that of classical, fusion of old school of painting with that of new, sharing of same canvas between young thinkers with modern tools

with that of old experts with brushes. The camp allows the free flow of imagination. Thus, for Thailands artist Naphaphong Kurae it was a good opportunity to learn about not just Indian art forms but also of countries like Lao PDR and Philippines with which he was not so well acquainted. “Miniature art of India is what I love the most. Although there are many (forms), but this particularly fascinates me. I learnt the details from (Indian artist) Kalam Patua. But what I really liked is knowing the art of my neighbouring countries which I was not well acquainted with,” Kurae told IANS. “When selected for the camp, I was initially nervous as my English is not that good. But here I realised language is not the issue at all. Art cannot be defined by the language we speak,” he added. Dennis Mallares Gonzales from the Philippines shared similar thoughts on his experience at the camp. “Because there are hardly any art exhibitions or camps we don’t get the chance to meet or interact with other artists. Art not just only conveys an artist’s imagination but

The ASEAN art camp in Udaipur – “Oceans of Opportunity”

proves the limitless possibilities and the boundless nature of art

Off-beat digital

Quick Glance

The theme of the art camp – “Oceans of Opportunity” The camp was organized by the Ministry of External Affairs “Oceans of Opportunity” will hosts the artists in The Ananta Resort

also reflects the culture, customs and traditions of the country. And here we are exchanging our art history, contemporary situation, getting to know how art is perceived in other countries,” Gonzales stated. He further mentioned that he learned new techniques from the artist hailing from Brunei which wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t attended the camp. Malaysian artist Mohd. Shahrul Hisham B Ahmad Tarmizi said that apart from just showcasing their art, it was a good platform for exchanging ideas and concepts and learning different ways of creating a painting. “It is more of contemporary art in Malaysia which reflects in my paintings. I also use modern techniques and tools for it. But here, I learned about old school art, use and choice of colours and even right brushes. It’s an innovative platform,” Tarmizi shared. Kiyomi Talaulicar, an Indian artist, felt that such art camps should be organised frequently in India. “Certain values are always common for all artists, no matter where they belong to. Art has no language, it’s a medium of expression of our thoughts which may be different from artists, but we all are heading in the same direction. This camp is about connection, one place where we are getting to learn several techniques, not just of different countries but from India’s as well,” Talaulicar said. Aiming to create awareness of ASEAN identity, each artist will create one work at the camp which will have the essence of their own culture and history. This collection will be displayed in a special exhibition to be inaugurated at the ASEAN-India Summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January next year. “It is rare to have such brilliant visual artists from ASEAN countries, coming from such rich heritage and tradition in their art-forms. It is perhaps the first time that these artists, coming from their respective countries will be working on one platform and painting on one theme along with highly acclaimed and talented artists from India,” Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Seher, commented.

India Leapfrogging Towards Going Digital India will leapfrog the learning stages the developed countries have to go through towards realising their digital goals IANS

ith the kind of technology, talent and innovation which are currently available in the country, India will leapfrog the learning stages the developed countries have to go through towards realising their digital goals, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said here on Thursday. Addressing the gathering on the second day of the ‘India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2017’ here, Goyal said: “We have to expand the level of technology for growth. The telecom industry and Railways are helping India expanding it to benefit the masses. We have to look at new standards of service to our customers and have to expand the level of technology”. “Connectivity is the key to growth and development as we bring mobility to the people across the country to give them a comfortable experience. The increase smartphone penetration will bring e-commerce and banking right in your pocket,” Goyal added. According to the minister, as India moves towards mobile governance, there lies a great opportunity for start ups and entrepreneurs to integrate technology with public services. “We are working with Google to bring Wi-Fi to 400 railway stations in the country,” he added. The three-day event that started on Wednesday is the first of its kind in India. Led by the Department of Telecommunication as the nodal ministry, the India Mobile Congress has been organised by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). It has housed 300 exhibitors along with 60 start-ups and eight embassies as participants.

30 Off-beat

October 02-08, 2017

deep space explore

russia

NASA And Russia Send Humans In Deep Space

NASA has entered into an agreement with Russian space agency Roscosmos, reflecting the common vision for human space exploration IANS

ith the aim to build a space station orbiting the Moon before sending humans further in to deep space, NASA has entered into an agreement with Russian space agency Roscosmos, reflecting the common vision for human space exploration that the agencies share. The two space agencies signed a joint statement at the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, to give shape to the “deep-space gateway” concept, a mission architecture designed to send astronauts into cislunar space -- or lunar orbit. NASA plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. “While the deep space gateway is still in concept formulation, NASA is pleased to see growing international interest in moving into cislunar space as the next step for advancing human space exploration,” Robert Lightfoot, NASA’s Acting Administrator, said in a statement.“Statements such as this one signed with Roscosmos show

Quick Glance NASA plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s NASA and Roscosmos signed a joint statement for deep space exploration The two agencies met at the 68th International Astronautical Congress

the gateway concept as an enabler to the kind of exploration architecture that is affordable and sustainable,” Lightfoot said. NASA plans to expand human presence in the solar system starting in the vicinity of the Moon using its new deep space exploration

facebook donation

Facebook Tool Helps People Find Blood Facebook users in India will be able to start signing up to be blood donors IANS

acebook is rolling out a new tool for its 201 million Indian users that would make it easier for them to donate blood to the needy while connecting blood banks and hospitals to willing donors residing nearby. Starting October 1 -- National Blood Donor Day -- Facebook users in India will be able to start signing up to be blood donors, the social network giant said in a blog post on Thursday. To help encourage participation, Facebook will show a message in News Feed or people can edit their Profiles to sign up. All information will remain private and set to “only me” by default, but people can choose to share their donor status on their timelines.

“This will first be available on Android and mobile web, as these are the most widely-used platforms in India,” said Facebook’s Health Product Manager Hema Budaraju and Ritesh Mehta, Head of Programmes

transportation systems, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The space station partners are working to identify common exploration objectives and possible missions for the 2020s, including the gateway concept, NASA said. NASA and Roscosmos already work together with other space agencies around the world to run research projects aboard the International Space Station. Now the international partners will work together to build a miniature space station in lunar orbit - a type of infrastructure that could serve as a stepping stone for future crewed missions to Mars, Space.com reported quoting NASA officials. The new partnership would “develop international technical standards … for the establishment of the station in the near-moon orbit,” Roscosmos officials said. The partners also discussed the possibility of using a Russian superheavy rocket to complete construction of the orbital moon station, according to Roscosmos. in South Asia. When individuals or organisations are in need of blood, they will be able to create a special type of post with all the information donors need to easily offer help. When a request is created, Facebook will automatically notify blood donors who may be nearby to help spread the word. Donors can then review the request and, if they wish to respond, contact the requestor directly through WhatsApp, Messenger or a phone call. The person who needs blood would not be able to see any information about the donor unless the donor explicitly provides it when he/she reaches out to the person in need of blood. “Our teams have identified a real need in India. People are using Facebook literally thousands of times a week to look for blood donors,” Budaraju said. Facebook has worked with non-profit organisations, health industry experts, potential donors and people who have used the platform to find blood donors to launch this tool. “We hope this new feature helps people come together in ways that weren’t possible before,” the blog post said.

Russia Destroys Chemical Weapons Russia has finally destroyed the last cache of chemical munitions arsenal in Southwest Russia IANS

he last chemical munitions from Russian arsenals of chemical weapons were liquidated in the southwest of Russia, officials said. Mikhail Babich, Chairman of the State Commission on Chemical Disarmament, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the elimination process was completed ahead of schedule. “We can say without any unnecessary pathos that this is indeed a historical event, given the enormous volume of munitions we have inherited from Soviet times,” Xinhua quoted Putin as saying. Experts said the arsenal of chemical weapons could destroy all life on earth several times, according to the president. “This is a huge step towards making the modern world more balanced and more secure,” Putin said. Recalling that Russia was among the first to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Putin stressed that Moscow strictly fulfils its international obligations, including in the field of disarmament and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. He also underlined the key role of Russia in solving the problem of chemical weapons in Syria, adding that it is always open for “meaningful dialogue on global security issues, strengthening confidence-building measures.” The CWC went into force in 1997 with the supervision of the Organization of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), according to which, over 96 per cent of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by the convention’s 192 states parties have been destroyed under OPCW verification.

Bringing smiles to the face of every Indian with our bouquet of Good News

Every week. Regularly. Relentlessly www.sulabhswachhbharat.com

GOOD NEWS FOR RISING INDIA

32 Unsung Hero

POSTAL REGISTRATION NO. DL(W)10/2240/2017-19

NSUN

October 02-08, 2017

Seeds

How Seed Mother Rahibai Saved 80 varieties of Native Seeds

he also spreads awareness about the importance of conserving indigenous seeds, organic farming, agro-biodiversity and wild food resources. Conserving native seeds is crucial in preventing exploitation of farmers. These crops are soon going to be extinct as large seed companies are promoting the use of hybrid and GMO seeds. The conservation and selection of potent seeds is crucial in maintaining sustainable agriculture. Rahibai recognised the need to save native seeds. She has conserved a plethora of native crops including nine varieties of pigeon pea, 15 varieties of rice, 60 varieties of vegetables, besides many oilseeds. “Villagers were falling sick

frequently after eating food prepared from hybrid crops,” Rahibai said. Rahibai knows the nutritive value of traditional seeds over hybrid seeds and that’s what boosted her motivation to save the native varieties of seeds. She initially collected local seeds with the help of other female farmers from Akoletaluk in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. She even created a self-help group called Kalsubai Parisar Biyanee Samvardhan Samiti to conserve native seeds. Skilled in four-step paddy cultivation method, her crop yields have increased by 30 per cent with improved cultivation techniques. After implementing

HERO

Rahibai

what she had learnt, she now assists and trains farmers and students on techniques to improve soil fertility, seed selection, and pest management. She also supplies farmers with seedlings of native crops encouraging the switch from hybrid varieties. She also heads the Chemdeobaba Mahila Bachat Gat SHG in Kombhalne under which many social and CSR initiatives like health camps and solar lamp supplies are organised. She wanted more farmers to start farming on similar lines after she experienced the benefits of growing native crops. Farmers are given native seeds on the condition they return twice the quantity of seeds they take. Distributing 122 varieties of 32 crops, the seed bank stopped the practice of borrowing money for seeds. “If we use indigenous seeds and stop using chemical fertilizers, we can save almost Rs 5,000 a year,” the farmers said.

s er k New New s smma akers

Bilal Dar

Modi Praises Youth For Cleaning

PM Modi congratulated Bilal Dar, an 18-year old from Srinagar who helped clean Wular Lake calling him a source of inspiration

rime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated Bilal Dar, an 18-year old from Srinagar, for helping to clean Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir and called him a source of inspiration for “all of us”.

Modi also hailed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation for appointing Dar its brand ambassador. In his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat, the Prime Minister said when where was talk of brand ambassador, there was a feeling the person must be an actor or a sports personality. “But not in this case. Bilal Dar got connected to cleanliness campaign since the age of 12-13 years and has been working for the last five to six years,” he said, adding his attention was drawn to Dar few days ago. “He clears plastic, polythene, used bottles, dry or wet waste - every piece of dirt from Asia’s biggest lake near Srinagar,” Modi said, referring to Wular Lake about 60 km from away. “I congratulate the Srinagar Municipal Corporation for their imagination to appoint an ambassador for this cause of cleanliness because Srinagar is a tourist destination and every Indian wants to go there.” “Bilal is very young but is a source of inspiration for all of us who are interested in cleanliness.I congratulate Bilal Dar,” Modi said.

98-Year-Old Man Clears MA Exam Raj Kumar Vaishya, 98, cleared his MA exam in Economics from Patna’s Nalanda Open University with second division

n what could be a first of its kind, 98-year-old Raj Kumar Vaishya has passed the MA (economics) examination from Patna’s Nalanda Open University (NOU) with a second division. Vaishya, who graduated in 1938, expressed his delight on Tuesday at this achievement. “Finally, I have fulfilled my long cherished dream. Now I am a postgraduate. I decided to prove two years ago that even at this age, one can fulfil their dreams and achieve anything. I am an example,” he told IANS here. Vaishya reiterated that he has been trying to send a message to the youth that defeat should never be

Raj Kumar Vaishya

accepted. “I want to tell them not to get upset and depressed. ‘Mauka aur avsar har wakt rehta hai, kewal khud pe vishwas hona chahiye’ (There will be always be opportunities for those who believe in themselves),” he said. According to NOU officials, Vaishya was so determined to get a postgraduate degree that he sat for a three-hour MA first year examination in 2016 and the final year exam in 2017 along with students younger than his grandchildren. Vaishya has set an example for millions of people, who use age as an excuse to give up on their dreams. With this he proves the age old saying -- “Age is just a number”.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 1, Issue - 42 Printed by Monika Jain, Published by Monika Jain on behalf of SULABH SANITATION MISSION FOUNDATION and Printed at The Indian Express Ltd., A-8, Sector-7, NOIDA (U.P.) and Published from RZ 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi – 110 045. Editor Monika Jain