SULABH SWACHH BHARAT - (Issue - 34)

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RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

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Good News Weekly for Rising India

Jayaprakash Narayan

the great escape

The story of how JP of later years escaped from jail and walked barefoot for days before finding rest

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rabindranath tagore

Beyond the Anthem!

The poet and Nobel Laureate’s works go much beyond the well known Geetanjali

Vol-1 | Issue-34 | August 07 - 13 , 2017 | Price ` 5/-

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sulabh toilets

gargi college

Dr Pathak, Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Organisation, spoke with the students

narendra modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the people to make communalism, casteism and poverty ‘Quit India’

For the New ‘Quit India’

02 Modi for ‘New Quit India’

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rime Minister Narendra Modi has invoked the Quit India Movement and exhorted the countrymen to use the same spirit to expel problems of communalism, casteism, corruption, terrorism, poverty and dirt from the country in next five years.

He asked the people to take a pledge to contribute in some way or the other to create a “New India”.

In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Modi referred to the Quit India Movement launched on August 9, 1942 by Mahatma Gandhi and the subsequent developments which resulted in the British leaving India and the country getting freedom on August 15, 1947.

“Just like five years between 1942 and 1947 became the decisive period, I can see another five-year period from 2017 to 2022 to make a resolve to end the problems of our nation,” he said.

He identified these problems as communalism, casteism, corruption, terrorism, poverty and dirt and asked people to work for their removal in the same spirit of “Quit India”.

“It is 70 years since we got Independence. Governments came and went, systems emerged and developed.

Everyone contributed in their own ways to end the problems, raise employment, remove poverty and make the country progress. Successes were achieved but the expectations were also raised,” the prime minister said.

He said this Independence Day should

Quick Glance PM connected with the youth in his Mann ki Baat radio programme He asked them to contribute to create a new India Modi asked them to participate in Quit India Quiz on NaMo app

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Problems like

communalism, casteism, corruption, terrorism, poverty are like dirt and people need to work for their removal in the spirit of “Quit India” be celebrated as one of the resolves to end the problems in next five years.

“If 125 crore people, remembering August 9, 1942, make a pledge on August 15 to contribute something as an individual, as a citizen, as a family person, as a person from a city or a village, as a member of a government department, there will be crores of pledges,” PM Modi said.

He exhorted the citizens to use all kinds of fora to undertake this task, including through the online mode.

The prime minister also sought ideas from the public which could be incorporated in his Independence Day speech that he will deliver from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Interestingly, he said he has heard about “complaints” that his previous Independence Day addresses were long and that he will try to keep it short this time. “I will try to finish it in 40-45-50 minutes. I have tried to make a rule for myself. I don’t know whether I will be able to do it or not,” he added.

He also referred to the upcoming season of festivals like Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali and urged the people to use the items made by the poor people of the country as it relates to their economic empowerment. “Our festivals are not only for celebrations. Our festivals are also an instrument of societal improvement. Also, it has a direct relation to the economic

condition of the poor people,” PM Modi said.

“This is the time when the poor people get an opportunity to make an earning,” he said.

Giving the example of Diwali, he said the people should use environmentfriendly ‘diyas’ (small oil lamps) only.

Such things, he said, will give work to the poor people and help in their empowerment.

“We must make 2017 our Year of Resolve. In this month of August, we have to come together and resolve: Filth - Quit India; Poverty - Quit India; Corruption - Quit India; Terrorism - Quit India; Casteism - Quit India; Communalism - Quit India,” Modi said in his Hindi speech.

The Prime Minister also said that with Independence Day coming up in August, a quiz related to Quit India Movement will be launched on the Narendra Modi app. Exhorting the youth country to participate in the quiz he said, “Transform this campaign into peoples’ movement. A Quit India Quiz is also being launched for my young friends on Narendra Modi App”. PM Modi asked the youth to take to the app and access Quit India Quiz after it is launched.

PM said that this is an attempt to link and make the youth aware of the great history of the country as well as the iconic freedom fighters who made freedom possible for us. Narendra Modi added that

on August 15, he will get the opportunity to address the nation from the Red Fort and that whatever he says is not the voice of an individual, but that of 1.25 billion people of the country.

Paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi, the prime minister said that the nation remembers the Father of the Nation for his leadership during Quit India movement and also leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Narayan who took part in India’s struggle for Independence.

In his address, the prime minister added that the government was monitoring the rescue operations in the country and that the army, NGOs and other organisations are working hard to rescue affected people.

He also spoke about the GST, which was launched by the country on July 1, had said that the people of the nation are happy with new tax reforms. “GST has transformed the economy. Successful roll-out of GST is a case study. It is also an example of cooperative federalism”, he was quoted as saying by ANI and added that the tax reform is the role model for rest of the world.

“My dear countrymen, the month of August is the month of revolution. There are many events in the month of August that are closely associated with the history of our freedom movement. Heroes of freedom struggle endured hardship, made great sacrifices and laid down their lives,” Modi said.

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Jayaprakash Narayan

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freedom fighter jayaprakash narayan

The Great Escape

During the brutal suppression of the Quit India movement, JP’s escape from prison reignited the flickering agitation ssb bureau

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he “Quit India” movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 9, 1942 was the final assault of Indian nationalism on the citadel of British imperialism. More than 91,000 persons were arrested, and over a thousand lost their lives in police and military firing, thousands sustained serious injuries; and property, both government and private, worth over Rs 30 lakh was destroyed. During this period, when the anti-British movement was raging throughout the country, Jayaprakash Narayan made a successful escape bid from the Hazaribagh Central Jail in 1942.

It was November 9, 1942, Jayaprakash Narayan ( J.P.) and five other prisoners had escaped from the Hazaribagh central jail.

Hazaribagh District Commissioner, K.V.S. Raman, was spending a sleepless night in his bungalow.

He was in constant touch with his officers, but “Operation manhunt” proved futile.

J.P., who was then 40-year old, had successfully made the escape along with five of his friends - Jogender Shukla, Surak Narayan Singh, Shaligram Singh, Gulab Chand Gupta and Ramanand Mishra.

According to Jagdish Singh, who looks after J.P.’s home at Sitabdiara and who was a detenue in the Hazaribagh central jail at the time of the escape: “It was such a well-planned escape that the authorities knew about it only nine hours after the escape.”

Jagdish Singh had actively helped J.P. to escape.

The escape was originally scheduled for October 1942. But only three days before“D Day,” Ramanand Tewary, now a Janata party member of Parliament, who was then a police constable was brought to Hazaribagh central jail with 30 other constables. They had revolted against the British and had been arrested. In Jagdish Singh’s words: “We had to postpone

the escape, as we noticed that after Ramanand’s arrival, security arrangements had been tightened and sentries were posted at all points. So J.P. decided to delay his escape bid.”

Originally 10 detenus including J.P. were to escape. But four men had to stay behind to keep the guard’s attention diverted, and to deceive prisoners whom they suspected would give them away. Realizing that it was too risky to approach the Indian jail staff, they kept the plan within the close circle of 10 men.

Jagdish Singh recalled: “The smartest among the group was Jogender Shukla, a handsome, strong revolutionary, who had been associated with terrorists like Bhagat Singh. It was his idea to scale the wall. He was like a monkey. He could very swiftly go up and down the wall. As he did it almost every day, our confidence grew.”

On Diwali day, 1942, their plan was

dinner table was kept near the wall and Jogender Shukla knelt on it.

A knotted rope of dhoti was tied around Suraj Narayan Singh’s waist. Gulab Chand Gupta stood on Shukla’s back and Suraj climbed on his shoulders, grasped the top of the wall and drew himself up while the rest clung to the rope. Suraj slowly descended on the other side and signalled. Within minutes, the rest were over the wall.

One of the four who remained inside, threw the bundle containing their shoes, warm clothes and money. A sentry was spotted and in the confusion, the knot slipped and

Originally 10 detenus including JP were to escape but four men had to stay behind to keep the guard’s attention diverted

finally put into effect. Countless tiny wicks burned in earthenware saucers containing oil. The Hindu wardens were allowed to go off duty to celebrate Diwali. Throughout the jail, there was a festive, relaxed atmosphere. At 10 p.m., the six men moved to the jail courtyard.

They selected that time because, after dinner, wardens usually took to leisurely smoking or taking paan.

Two of the groups were deputed to keep any approaching wardens at bay by offering paan and cigarettes and by singing Diwali songs. A

they had no option but to hurriedly retreat with the shoes and the table.

Outside, the six escapees fled into the darkness. Under cover of the prickly scrub of the Hazaribagh-Monghyr hill track, they kept on running until about an hour before dawn.

J.P. had by then cut his feet and was unable to walk. Reluctantly, they called for a short halt, kindled a small fire, massaged their hurt feet and tied strips of dhoties around the wounds. After some time, they resumed their march and reached a hot spring where they bathed their

Quick Glance Mahatma Gandhi’s call for Quit India came on August 9, 1942 British Govt arrested 91000 persons, killing 1000 in police firing Three months later JP with five friends escaped from Hazaribagh prison

swollen and bleeding feet. Jogender Shukla went to a nearby village to buy chattu (crushed pulses).

By the evening, J.P. was finding it impossible to walk. He had to be carried on the shoulders of the others. On the night of November 30, the weary group crossed Hazaribagh and entered Gaya district. They slept under some low bushes at the foot of a sloping rock face, which today is known as J.P.’s Rock. From there they reached Sokhodeora village and took refuge in the house of one of J.P.’s friends. In 1967, J.P. built the famous Sarvodaya Ashram there.

From Gaya, J.P. planned to go to Benaras. A third class ticket was bought for him and he reached the station in a horse-drawn carriage. He reached Benaras without detection and under cover of darkness he walked to the house of the professor of Benaras Hindu University, whom he knew.

But the latter refused to shelter him. J.P. then took refuge in the house of another professor and from there he contacted Achyut Patwardhan and other Congress Socialist Party friends. He was sent money and instructions. Risking another train journey, he reached Delhi from where he started taking an active part in the underground movement. Their escape from Hazaribagh jail went unnoticed for nine hours. It was a coincidence that the jail superintendent T. Nath was on leave for three weeks from November 7. His replacement for the period arrived on November 9. He went on a tour of the jail without finding J.P. At 11.30 a.m. he contacted the central tower and sent warders to every ward. At 2 p.m. it was discovered that six detenus were missing. But by that time J.P. and the others had made their historic escape.

04 Quit India Movement

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Quit India Movement beginning of end of the raj

Last Nail in Raj Coffin The Quit India movement might have been crushed by the British within a week, but it unleashed the desire for complete independence

Quick Glance Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for ‘Do or Die’ as an ultimatum to the British It was supposed to be a non-violent agitation in the Gandhian tradition British swiftly arrested all the leaders and crushed the agitation

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he “Quit India” Movement, also known as the August Movement was a Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhi for Satyagraha (independence).

The movement was accompanied by a mass protest on non-violent lines, in which Gandhi called for “an orderly British withdrawal from India”. Through his passionate speeches, Gandhi moved people by proclaiming “every Indian who desires freedom and strives for it must be his own guide…”. “Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man”, Gandhi declared in his fiery “Do or Die” speech the day the Quit India Movement was declared.

The next day, Gandhi, Nehru and many other leaders of the Indian National Congress were arrested by the British Government, most of whom had to spend the next three years in jail, until World War II ended in 1945. Disorderly and non-violent demonstrations took place throughout the country in the following days.

By the middle of 1942, Japanese troops

“Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man”, Gandhi declared in his fiery “Do or Die” speech

were approaching the borders of India.

The pressure was mounting from China, the United States and Britain to solve the issue of the future status of India before the end of the war. In March 1942, the Prime Minister dispatched Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the War Cabinet, to India to discuss the British Government’s Draft Declaration. The draft granted India Dominion status after the war but otherwise conceded few changes to the British Government Act of 1935. It also offered establishment of a constituent assembly and the rights of provinces to make separate constitutions. All this would, however, be granted at end of the war.

The Congress was not happy with these future promises, with Gandhi likening it “It is a post dated cheque on a crashing bank”. Other factors which led

to the Quit India Movement was the fear of Japan attacking India, terror in East Bengal and the fact that India had realised that the British could not defend the country anymore.

Gandhi seized upon the failure of the Cripps Mission, the advances of the Japanese in South-East Asia and the general frustration with the British in India. He called for a voluntary British withdrawal from India. From 29 April to 1 May 1942, the All India Congress Committee assembled in Allahabad to discuss the resolution of the Working Committee.

Although Gandhi was absent from the meeting, many of his points were admitted into the resolution: the most significant of them was the commitment to nonviolence. On 14 July 1942, the Congress Working Committee met again at Wardha

and resolved that it would authorise Gandhi to take charge of the non-violent mass movement. The Resolution, generally referred to as the ‘Quit India’ resolution, was to be approved by the All India Congress Committee meeting in Bombay in August.

But there was also a difference of opinion among the Indian leaders. While Gandhiji demanded that the British should immediately withdraw from India, Subhash Chandra Bose from Berlin urged for co-operation with Japan as with this means India would be liberated.

The difficulties of Britain would be the opportunities for India. Since the Congress was opposed both to British and Japanese imperialism, the call of Subhash did not appeal to them. Another eminent leader of the Congress, C. Rajagopalachari did not support the proposal of immediate withdrawal of the British.

He was, rather in favour of accepting the Cripps proposal. Being unable to agree with the proposals of Mahatma Gandhi, Rajagopalachari resigned from Congress.

Gandhi adopted a stern attitude to pressurise the British Government to quit India. But when this proposal did not receive any response from the government, the Congress Working Committee met at Wardha on 14th July 1942 and adopted the famous “Quit India Resolution”.

With a little modification, this resolution was adopted by the All India Congress Committee at its Bombay session on 8th August 1942. The Committee asserted India’s right to freedom and decided to start a mass struggle on non-violent means on the widest possible scale.

Addressing the Conference, Gandhiji gave the call “Do or Die”, either to get India free or to die in this attempt. But before the movement could be launched Gandhiji and all other leaders of the Congress were imprisoned. Thus, the people were left leaderless. People took it as a challenge and resorted to

August 07 - 13 , 2017

hartals, mass meetings, processions etc.

The Government banned them all and imposed section 144 at most of the places.

The police forcefully dispersed the public meetings, “lathi charged” and even fired at the public. The Congress was declared an unlawful association. In the absence of leaders, people voluntarily did whatever they could in protest of the British rule. Under this circumstance, it was impossible to continue the movement via non-violent means.

The people disrupted railway lines, burnt out police and railway stations, destroyed telephone and telegraph poles. The revolt was spearheaded by the students, peasants, workers and lower middle class people. People set up parallel government at some places. The government was able to crush the open movement with a heavy hand. But the underground movement continued for a long period. The Socialist Party under the leadership of Jaya Prakash Narain, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Aruna Asaf Ali largely participated in organising the underground movement.

The Split Within The Quit India Movement was not supported by the Muslim League and the Communists. When Russia joined the war on behalf of the Allies, the communists began to demand the withdrawal of the movement and pleaded all support to the government in its war effort. The Muslim League considered the movement as the attempt of the Congress to turn out the British forcefully as a result of which Muslims would be enslaved by the Hindus. Even the depressed class leader Dr B.R. Ambedkar described the movement as irresponsible and an act of madness.

The movement collapsed as it lacked leadership and organisation from the beginning. Jayaprakash Narain said that the movement failed due to lack of coordination among the Congress people agitating in different parts of the country.

There was an absence of a clear cut programme of action. Another weakness of the movement was that it was confined only to students, peasants and lower middle class. But the upper middle class had lost their faith in the Gandhian methods of action.

The movement was not a dismal failure; rather the movement of 1942 gave the death blow to the British rule.

India’s march towards freedom was hastened. This movement sparked off an aggressive national consciousness. Many people sacrificed their careers, property and even lives. During this time, most students were drawn towards Subhas Chandra Bose who was in exile and the only support Indian got from outside the country was from American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who compelled the then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to agree to the demands of the Indians. But the British refused to do so

Quit India Movement

and said that this would only be possible when World War II ended.

Isolated incidents of violence broke out around the country, but the British acted quickly and arrested thousands of people and kept them in jail till 1945.

Apart from filling up jails with rebellious leaders, the British also went ahead and abolished civil rights, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Though despite its flaws, the Quit India Movement remains significant because it was during this movement that the British realized that they would not be able to govern India successfully in the long run and began to think of ways they could exit the country in a peaceful and dignified manner.

Global Conflagration 1939 saw the outbreak of World War II, following which Britain went to war with Germany. Since India was an important

The revolt was spearheaded by students, peasants, workers and middle-class people. They even set up parallel governments at some places

part of the British Empire, India also became part of the war. On 10th October 1939 the Congress Working Committee declared their unhappiness regarding the hostile activities taking place in Germany and announced that India refused to be a part of the war because it was against fascism.

On 17th October 1939 the Viceroy released a statement in which he announced that the reason Britain was waging a war was to restore peace in the world. He also promised that once the war ended the government would amend the Act of 1935 which included a provision for the establishment of a “Federation of India” which would be made up of British India and some or all of the princely

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states. Simultaneously, important political changes were taking place in England.

Churchill came to power as the Prime Minister and being a conservative, he was not moved by the demands of the Indians.

Following the rejection of the demands made by the Congress and the large scale dissatisfaction that was prevailing across the country, Gandhi decided to launch the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Gandhi used his weapons of Satyagraha and non-violence against the British and chose his follower Vinoba Bhave to start the movement. Satyagrahi’s across the country made passionate speeches urging people not to support the war. This was immediately followed by the arrest of around 14,000 Satyagrahis.

One of the greatest achievements of the Quit India Movement was that it kept the Congress Party united all through these challenging times. The British dismayed by the Japanese Army advancing towards the Indian-Burma border arrested Gandhi and all members of the party’s working committee. The Congress Party was further banned by the British. Large protests took place all across the country following this. Despite Gandhi’s mantra of non-violence not all protests were peaceful and bombs were exploded and government offices were burned down.

The British responded to this by mass arrests and public flogging. Hundreds of innocent people died in this violence and the Congress leadership was cut off from the rest of the world till the war was over.

Despite his failing health and the recent demise of his wife, Gandhi who was in prison, took on a 21 day fast and continued with his resolution. The British released Gandhi due to his ill health, but Gandhi continued his opposition and asked for the release of the Congress leaders who were in prison.

By 1944, even though the Congress leaders had not been released, peace was restored to India. Many nationalists were disappointed that the Quit India Movement had failed. The Congress Party, in turn, faced severe criticism from Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the leader of the All India Muslim League and the Communist Party on the failure of the movement.

The movement also created a Worldwide opinion particularly in U.S.A. and China in favour of India’s independence.

The ‘Quit India’ movement, more than anything, united the Indian people against British rule. Although most demonstrations had been suppressed by 1944, upon his release in 1944 Gandhi continued his resistance and went on a 21-day fast. By the end of the Second World War, Britain’s place in the world had changed dramatically and the demand for independence could no longer be ignored.

06 The Speech

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the speech do or die

Historic Speech: Do or Die

Mahatma Gandhi in his concluding speech exhorted people to ‘Do or Die’ to achieve the right to self-rule ssb bureau

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et me tell you at the outset that the real struggle does not commence today. I have yet to go through much ceremonial as I always do.

The burden, I confess, would be almost unbearable. I have to continue to reason in those circles with whom I have lost my credit and who have no trust left in me. I know that in the course of the last few weeks I have forfeited my credit with a large number of friends, so much so, that they have begun to doubt not only my wisdom but even my honesty. Now I hold my wisdom is not such a treasure which I cannot afford to lose, but my honesty is a precious treasure to me and I can ill-afford to lose it. I seem however to have lost it for the time being.

Friend of the Empire Such occasions arise in the life of the man who is a pure seeker after truth and who would seek to serve the humanity and his country to the best of his lights without fear or hypocrisy. For the last fifty years, I have known no other way. I have been a humble servant of humanity and have rendered on more than one occasion such services as I could to the Empire, and here let me say without fear of challenge that throughout my career never have I asked for any personal favour. I have enjoyed the privilege of friendship as I enjoy it today with Lord Linlithgow. It is a friendship which has outgrown official relationship. Whether Lord Linlithgow will bear me out, I do not know, but there is a personal bond between him and myself.

It is a terrible job to have to offer resistance to a Viceroy with whom I enjoy such relations. He has more than

Quick Glance I have enjoyed excellent relations with the British But the British bureaucracy now stinks in my nostrils World opinion may not be with us today, but it will change

“You have to stare in the face the whole world

although the world may look at you with bloodshot eyes. Do not fear. Trust the little voice residing within your heart” once trusted my word, often about my people. I would love to repeat that experiment, as it stands to his credit.

I mention this with great pride and pleasure. I mention it as an earnest of my desire to be true to the Empire when that Empire forfeited my trust and the Englishman who was its Viceroy came to know it.

Charlie Andrews Then there is the sacred memory of Charlie Andrews which wells up within me. At this moment the spirit of Andrews hovers about me. For me,

he sums up the brightest traditions of English culture. I enjoyed closer relations with him than with most Indians. I enjoyed his confidence. There were no secrets between us. We exchanged our hearts every day. Whatever was in his heart, he would blurt out without the slightest hesitation or reservation. It is true he was a friend of Gurudev but he looked upon Gurudev with awe. He had that peculiar humility. But with me he became the closest friend. Years ago he came to me with a note of introduction from Gokhale. Pearson and he were the first-rank specimens of Englishmen. I

know that his spirit is listening to me.

Voice of Conscience With all this background, I want to declare to the world, although I may have forfeited the regard of many friends in the West and I must bow my head low; but even for their friendship or love, I must not suppress the voice of conscience – promoting of my inner basic nature today. There is something within me impelling me to cry out my agony. I have known humanity. I have studied something of psychology. Such a man knows exactly what it is. I do not mind how you describe it.

That voice within tells me, “You have to stand against the whole world although you may have to stand alone.

You have to stare in the face the whole world although the world may look at you with bloodshot eyes. Do not fear.

Trust the little voice residing within your heart.” It says: “Forsake friends, wife and all; but testify to that for which

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Congress and Non-violence Unconsciously from its very foundations long ago the Congress has been building on non-violence known as constitutional methods. Dadabhai and Pherozeshah who had held the Congress India in the palm of their hands became rebels. They were lovers of the Congress. They were its masters. But above all, they were real servants. They never countenanced murder, secrecy and the like. I confess there are many black sheep amongst us Congressmen. But I trust the whole of India today to launch upon a non-violent struggle. I trust because of my nature to rely upon the innate goodness of human nature which perceives the truth and prevails during the crisis as if by instinct.

But even if I am deceived in this I shall not swerve. I shall not flinch. From its very inception the Congress based its policy on peaceful methods, including Swaraj and the subsequent generations added non-violence.

When Dadabhai entered the British Parliament, Salisbury dubbed him as a black man; but the English people defeated Salisbury and Dadabhai went to the Parliament by their vote. India was delirious with joy. These things, however, India has outgrown.

World opinion will change It is, however, with all these things as the background that I want Englishmen, Europeans and all the United Nations to examine in their hearts what crime had India committed to demanding Independence. I ask, is it right for you

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for India, have the opportunity now to declare India free and prove their bona fides. If they miss it, they will be missing the opportunity of their lifetime, and history will record that they did not discharge their obligations to India in time, and lost the battle.

I want the blessings of the whole world so that I may succeed with them. I do not want the United Powers to go beyond their obvious limitations. I do not want them to accept non-violence and disarm today. There is a fundamental difference between fascism and this imperialism which I am fighting. Do the British get from India which they hold in bondage.

Think what difference it would make if

you have lived and for which you have to die. I want to live my full span of life.

And for me, I put my span of life at 120 years. By that time India will be free, the world will be free.

Real Freedom Let me tell you that I do not regard England or for that matter America as free countries. They are free after their own fashion, free to hold in bondage coloured races of the earth. Are England and America fighting for the liberty of these races today? If not, do not ask me to wait until after the war. You shall not limit my concept of freedom. The English and American teachers, their history, their magnificent poetry have not said that you shall not broaden the interpretation of freedom.

And according to my interpretation of that freedom, I am constrained to say they are strangers to that freedom which their teachers and poets have described.

If they will know the real freedom they should come to India. They have to come not with pride or arrogances but in the spite of real earnest seekers of truth.

It is a fundamental truth which India has been experimenting with for 22 years.

The Speech

“I have been the author of non-embarrassment policy of the Congress and yet, today you find me talking this strong language. I say it is consistent with our honour”

to distrust such an organization with all its background, tradition and record of over half a century and misrepresent its endeavours before all the world by every means at your command?

Is it right that by hook or by crook, aided by the foreign press, aided by the President of the U.S.A., or even by the Generalissimo of China who has yet to win his laurels, you should present India’s struggle in shocking caricature?

I have met the Generalissimo. I have known him through Madame Shek who was my interpreter; and though he seemed inscrutable to me, not so Madame Shek; and he allowed me to read his mind through her.

There is a chorus of disapproval and righteous protest all over the world against us. They say we are erring, the move is inopportune. I had great regard for British diplomacy which has enabled them to hold the Empire so long. Now it stinks in my nostrils, and others have studied that diplomacy and are putting it into practice.

They may succeed in getting, through these methods, world opinion on their side for a time; but India will speak against that world opinion. She will raise her voice against all the organized propaganda. I will speak against it. Even if all the United Nations opposed me, even if the whole of India forsakes me,

I will say, “You are wrong. India will wrench with non-violence her liberty from unwilling hands.”

I will go ahead not for India’s sake alone, but for the sake of the world. Even if my eyes close before there is freedom, non-violence will not end. They will be dealing a mortal blow to China and to Russia if they oppose the freedom of non-violent India which is pleading with bended knees for the fulfilment of debt along overdue. Does a creditor ever go to debtor like that? And even when, India is met with such angry opposition, she says, “We won’t hit below the belt, we have learnt sufficient gentlemanliness.

We are pledged to non-violence.”

I have been the author of the nonembarrassment policy of the Congress and yet today you find me talking this strong language. I say it is consistent with our honour. If a man holds me by the neck and wants to drown me, may I not struggle to free myself directly? There is no inconsistency in our position today.

Appeal to United nations There are representatives of the foreign press assembled here today.

Through them, I wish to say to the world that the United Powers who somehow or other say that they have the need

India was to participate as a free ally.

That freedom, if it is to come, must come today. It will have no taste left in it today you who have the power to help cannot exercise it. If you can exercise it, under the glow of freedom what seems impossible, today, will become possible tomorrow.

If India feels that freedom, she will command that freedom for China.

The road for running to Russia’s help will be open. The Englishmen did not die in Malaya or on Burma soil. What shall enable us to retrieve the situation?

Where shall I go, and where shall I take the forty crores of India? How is this vast mass of humanity to be aglow in the cause of world deliverance, unless and until it has touched and felt freedom.

Today they have no touch of life left. It has been crushed out of them. It lustre is to be put into their eyes, freedom has to come not tomorrow, but today.

Do or Die Gandhi in his stirring speech told the people “There is a mantra, short one, that I give you. You imprint it on your heart and let every breath of yours give an expression to it. The mantra is “do or die”.

08 Republic of Ballia

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swaraj ballia

Republic of Ballia

Island of Swaraj Before Independence Few know of the defiant 1942 Republic of Ballia, crushed brutally by the British police

Quick Glance The people were enraged with the arrest of the Congress leaders

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s India prepares to commemorate 68 years of freedom from British imperial rule, it may be worth remembering a small, dusty town in Uttar Pradesh that suffered the consequences of declaring itself an independent country for a few days in 1942. The sovereign Republic of Ballia, headed by Chittu Pandey, survived some seven days before British-led military and police forces managed to regain control, thereafter unleashing a series of atrocities that are still remembered by the descendants of those who were raped, beaten and killed by torture, shooting and burning.

Known for their rebellious nature, people of Ballia took an active part in Quit India movement of August 9,1942.

According to district records, the news of the arrest of Congress leaders reached Ballia the same day, and the next day all the schools were closed. Local natives and students took out processions on August 11 and 12. They demanded the closure of the courts. This was stopped by 100 armed constables and in the ensuing lathi-charge many were badly wounded. On August 13, the Bilthara Road Railway Station was attacked and the building burnt. The currency notes found in the safes were also were burnt.

The water pump and the water tank were smashed.

A goods train was looted and the engine was smashed and seed stores, police stations and post offices attacked. On August 16, the Rasra treasury was attacked and two days later, the police station at Bairia was re-attacked as the station officer had removed the Tricolour which the freedom fighters hoisted there on August 15, after gaining control of the place. The infuriated mob of about 25,000 people raided the police station and numerous attempts were made to re-hoist the flag. Men and women of all ages as well as children took part in the raid. The police responded with volleys of shots, resulting in the deaths of around 20 persons and injuries to over a hundred.

25,000 people raided the police station and finally took it over On August 22-23, British army entered Ballia and ended the siege

The sovereign Republic of Ballia, headed by Chittu

Pandey, survived seven days before the British-led military and police forces managed to regain control Mass Pressure Undeterred by firing, the deaths and the injuries, people maintained pressure to gain control of the police station as they were determined to capture the police officer and others responsible for the firing but at dead of night, when it was raining, the police staff slipped away and the thana was captured the next morning.

By this time, the freedom fighters had gained control of many other places in the district including the tehsil headquarters of Bansdih, the police station and the seed store. The indiscriminate firing at the Bairia

police station and at other places compelled the people to take up arms.

On August 19, 50,000 persons armed with guns, lathis, spears proceeded towards the jail to free their leaders and other participants.

The gate of the jail was opened. This marked the first victory of the freedom struggle. It was a symbol in this small and economically backwards district of Ballia of the downfall of the British Raj. After their release, the leaders addressed a huge gathering in the town.

The mass uprising in Ballia began soon after the arrest of Congress leaders taking part in Quit India movement.

On August 10, 1942, all the schools were closed and people continued to take out processions. On August 13, Bilthara Road railway station was attacked and the building was burnt. On August 16, Rasra treasury was attacked and two days later the police station at Bairia was attacked.

The station officer had removed the Tricolour, which the freedom fighters hoisted on August 15. At least 20 persons were killed and several others injured in police firing.

On August 20, a police van went round the town firing at passersby indiscriminately, contrary to the assurance given to the leaders. In the absence of planned programme, many administrative centres remained to be captured but they had already ceased to function properly. The freedom fighters constituted separate panchayats for different localities for carrying out the civil administration and Congress volunteers were appointed for the defence of the city.

By now, the people had acquired complete control of the city and they declared ‘Independence’ for Ballia on August 20, 1942, and a popular government was formed with Chittu Pandey as its first head.

During the night of August 22-23, military forces entered Ballia and the popular government was overthrown.

Then the horrors of the British police and military were let loose upon the people. All leaders of the revolution, young and old, were arrested, beaten and tortured. The sacrifices of the people earned the reputation of ‘Revolutionary Ballia’ during the Quit India movement of 1942. The conquest of Ballia by the freedom fighters attracted the attention of the British Parliament also.

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Republic of Ballia

give up its Indian Empire.

Chilling Churchill His recorded comments include this one: “I hate Indians. They are a beastly people with a beastly religion.” Just as shocking were his earlier comments about Mahatma Gandhi. “It is alarming and nauseating to see Mr Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the East, striding half naked up the steps of the vice regal palace while he is still organising and conducting a campaign of civil

75 Years On… In Ballia, 75 years later, it is instructive to recall how communal unity prevailed in those days between Hindus and Muslims. Inevitably, when they returned to Ballia, the British committed all kinds of atrocities.

They did not want the national flag to be hoisted in the town and they shot and killed any who dared to do so. Emerging from the shadows was a young Muslim who was killed when he tried to raise a flag that was not the Union Jack. It is still a matter of local pride in Ballia that before the flag fell to the ground, another volunteer took it upon himself to grab and support that symbol of national pride, then yet another and so on. Some 11 men were killed one after another by soldiers of the British Crown.

Even more instructive was the way the British administration was treated by the leaders of the independence movement. British officials and their local toadies were gathered together in safety and peacefully ushered across the railway line that divided the civil and military lines of the town. Not one of them was harmed in any way.

At the orders of an English police officer called Fletcher, about 130 leaders of the local independence movement were hanged. Those who were not hanged were forced to climb trees, where they were bayoneted.

Those who managed to avoid the tree punishments were taken to local jails, where they were suspended by their legs and starved. Those who avoided the leg suspension torture were forced to sit together on the floors of the jails and fed chapattis that gave them dysentery. Ballia offers a small insight into the realities of colonial rule, during which Indians suffered unimaginable miseries at the hands of their white rulers. Some of those tortures resulted in death. This was not all that different from what the Jews endured at the hands of their German tormentors before and during

Ballia was not an isolated incident. People in

Tamluk (West Bengal) and Satara (Maharashta) too declared independence World War II. The difference is that the atrocities perpetrated in places like Auschwitz in Germany have been well documented and some of those responsible for what happened in the concentration camps have been brought to justice, if not by the Allied powers (Britain included) and postNazi Germany at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, then certainly by the modern state of Israel.

Atrocities committed in places like Ballia, which joined the Quit India movement of 1942, are still not fully documented. As for the likes of Commissioner Fletcher, no one to this day knows what happened to him and whether he was ever held to account for the murders of so many innocent civilians.

Significantly, this gesture of defiance by the citizens of Ballia — Hindus and Muslims alike — was never reported in the British media.

This was during World War II, when Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister. As the war was coming to a close, he is documented as declaring that Britain would never

disobedience, to parlay on equal terms with the representative of the Emperor-King.”

Churchill did not and could not anticipate that Ballia would ignite the fire that five years later would engulf and destroy colonial rule both in India and beyond. Ironically, the statues of both Gandhi and Churchill today stand close to each other in a prestigious location opposite the British Parliament in London.

In order to commemorate the historic event when ‘Baghi Ballia’ had declared Independence from British rule in 1942, hundreds of local residents still assemble at the district jail on August 19 every year. The gate of jail was opened for a while.

A procession is taken out across the town and a meeting is organized at Bapu Bhawan to celebrate the victory.

However, the town is yet to see the completion of ‘Shaheed Smarak’ (Martyr Memorial) in memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives.

“To remember the historical moment every year on August 19, people assemble at the gate of the district jail and carry out a procession across

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the town. The procession culminates at Bapu Bhawan, Town Hall, where a public meeting is held,” a local resident said. “But Baghi Ballia, which fought bravely against the British rule, is today helpless in preserving the memory of its martyrs,” he lamented, adding that the half-built memorial at Basantpur, about 8 km from the town, is facing utter neglect.

The Martyr Memorial was conceived in 1992 during the Golden Jubilee celebration of Quit India movement of 1942. The then Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao while addressing a function at Jaiprakash Nagar, the birthplace of Jaiprakash Narayan, on August 19, 1992 had announced that a Rs 1 crore would be made available by the government for construction of Shaheed Smarak at Ballia. HRD ministry had nominated former PM Chandra Shekhar as the president of the trust.

The trust would be a centre for perpetuating the memory of martyrs and freedom fighters. It would carry on constructive activities beneficial to the surviving freedom fighters and their dependents.

It aims at collecting, preserving, publishing and distributing records, plans, books, writings, lectures, letters, correspondence, teachings and messages of the martyrs and freedom fighters together with their autobiographies, biographies, anecdotes and reminiscence highlighting their feelings and sentiments against British tyranny and strong determination for the Independence of the country. It also aims to set up, maintain and run museum where various relics, objects of veneration photographs, paintings, sketches, articles and things connected with the history of the struggle for Independence have to be preserved.

However, Ballia was not an isolated incident. People in Tamluk (West Bengal) and Satara (Maharashtra) too declared independence. But, none of them were as pronounced and well defined as in Ballia. A local government was formed at Tamluk in Midnapore in December 1942 which remained in place up to September 1944. It started relief programmes for people suffering from hurricanes, doled out grants to schools, distributed doles to the poor and constituted an armed constabulary.

The parallel government formed by local people at Satara kept the British at bay till 1945. People like YB Chavan and Nana Patil had an important role in setting up this government. It banned liquor, set up rural libraries, people’s courts and organized dowryless community marriages.

10 Yusuf Meherally

August 07 - 13 , 2017

‘quit india’ Yusuf Meherally

The ‘Quit India’ Man Yusuf Meherally was the youngest Mayor of Bombay with three degrees under his belt.

It was he who coined the slogan “Quit India”

Quick Glance

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n 3 July, 1950 bus and tram services in what was then Bombay stopped for few minutes as the clock struck noon. The city was in a state of shock. The city that never stops, stood still. Several educational institutes, factories and mills remained shut. One of the most potent symbols of the city’s financial strength, Bombay Stock Exchange, though officially open, witnessed no trading. It was a collective mourning and significantly bereft of any fear or force.

A day earlier, Yusuf Meherally, a selfless leader of the masses, had passed away. The man who had coined two of the most popular slogans associated with the freedom struggle ‘Simon Go Back’ and ‘Quit India’, had roused the same passion in his death as his slogans in his life. Years of struggle had taken its toll and a heart ailment that had struck him while in prison for the 1942 Quit India agitation had rendered him weak, though only physically and not in spirit.

Meherally was only 47 when he died.

On August 8, 1942 during historic session of All India Congress Committee, Mahatma Gandhi conferred with his colleagues for the appropriate slogan for the movement against British to leave India. One of them suggested ‘Get Out’.

Gandhi rejected it as being impolite.

Rajagopalachari suggested ‘Retreat’ or ‘Withdraw’. That too was not acceptable.

Yusuf Meherally presented Gandhi with a bow with an inscription bearing, ‘Quit India’. Gandhi said in approval, ‘Amen’.

That is how the historic slogan was selected.

At 4 pm on July 3, his coffin draped in the Tiranga started the last journey from Congress House to the Dongri Kabrastan. The four-mile journey was a spectacle but without the key ingredients that have now come to be associated and identified as a barometer of love, popularity, respect and reverence. No live coverage, studio discussions, or array of platitudes thrown across by anybody who was somebody.

It only had mourners in dignified silence and utmost respect, united in grief and a collective sense of irreplaceable loss. Beedi workers in faraway Thallessery in Kerala sported

Belonging to a rich family, he graduated in Economics, History & Law He also coined another iconic slogan – “Simon Go Back” The entire country came to a standstill to mourn his death at 47 years

Yusuf Meherally presented Gandhi with a bow with an inscription bearing ‘Quit India’. Gandhi said in approval, ‘Amen’

black badges and observed a hartal for their beloved leader.

Family Renegade Born in a prosperous family in Bombay on 3 September, 1903, his father Jaffer Meherally and his family were proBritish and the young Yusuf was looked upon as a renegade. He studied at Bharda High School and took interest in extracurricular activities. A firm believer in the power of youth, he was the main architect of the Bombay Youth League formed in 1928. In February 1928, the Youth League put up an admirably strong opposition in the wake of unprecedented lathi charge while opposing the Simon Commission. Meherally’s slogan ‘Simon Go Back’ was on the lips of every nationalist in the city and country.

Active in the Congress, Meherally was among the key individuals who established and strengthened the Congress Socialist Party along with Jayaprakash Narayan, Achyut Patwardhan and Minoo Masani. This satiated his appetite for putting a forceful opposition to the British rule and at the same time working to address the needs and concerns of the working class.

He was a legendary figure for the

hawkers, small-time traders, and clerical staff who toiled in commercial firms. He founded the Gumastha Mandal which fought for the rights of the working class.

But this was not what his family wanted.

Meherally did a BA in History and Economics from Elphinstone College.

With the legal luminary H M Seervai and several other friends, Meherally did a penetrating study on the issue of university reforms. It was perhaps at Elphinstone College that he mastered the art of writing witty slogans and attractive posters – a quality he deployed to the maximum opposing the British rule. He then studied for a law degree at Government Law College.

According to Madhu Dandavate, his biographer, the days when Meherally received his Bachelor’s degrees turned out to be of national significance. He received his BA in History and Economics on August 8, 1925 – the same day in 1942 when the Quit India resolution was passed and Bachelors in Law on January 26, 1929 – the day that is now marked as Republic Day. Armed with two degrees, Meherally plunged into the freedom movement much to the consternation of his family members. His father had spoken to

Mohammed Ali Jinnah to ensure his son’s law career trod the right path. Meherally had different plans and perhaps the heavens too willed his way. Despite being a qualified lawyer, the High Court, just months after he received his law degree, refused to allow him to practice. This again was a rarity as several leaders were qualified lawyers but none was barred from appearing in courts.

Youth Magnet Meherally was a magnet for the city’s and country’s youth. He was a hero for a whole generation of educated, and well-meaning men and women. Much of the people he inspired, nurtured and worked with would graduate to become professors, scholars and social workers. They looked up to him in awe and reverence due to his organisational abilities and clarity of ideas. As Aloo Dastur, former head of the Department of Civics and Politics, Bombay University described him ‘24 carat gold and the likes of him are very difficult to meet these days’. In 1938 he led the Indian delegation to the World Youth Congress in New York and also attended the World Cultural Conference in Mexico. Inspired by the vast literature on contemporary issues available in the West he decided to plug the gap in India. Taking the lead, he authored ‘Leaders of India’ which ran into several editions. It was translated in Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi. It would be illustrative to share some excerpts from the Foreword he wrote: In 1942 when his name was nominated for the election to Bombay Mayoralty, he was lodged in Lahore jail. Vallabhbhai Patel was keen that Meherally stands for the election even though a section of the Congress leadership was not in his favour.

He was released from prison to take part in the elections and won comfortably becoming the youngest Mayor in the corporation’s history.

August 07 - 13 , 2017

quit india movement some facts

Highlights of Quit India Resolution British rule in India should end immediately An independent India would defend itself against fascist and imperialistic forces and will preserve its sovereignty A temporary government will be set up after British leave India Pledged support to non-cooperation movement against the British Gandhiji was declared leader of the movement

Gandhi’s Commandments Government servants: Should not resign, instead declare their support to Congress Soldiers: Should not resign but also should not fire on Indians Students: Should be confident enough to boycott educational institutes and abdicate studies Farmers: Should pay taxes only if their zamindar is anti-Government Royals: Should cooperate with people and accept people’s sovereignty Common Man: Should cooperate with local kings only when the ruler is anti-British else should declare themselves part of independent country

Radio Congress

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radio station usha mehta

Radio Congress

Usha Mehta along with a few friends had launched the first secret radio station in India ssb bureau

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andhi and the Congress had announced that the Quit India Movement would commence on 9 August 1942 with a rally at Gowalia Tank grounds in Mumbai. Nearly all leaders including Gandhi were arrested before that date. However, a vast crowd of Indians gathered at Gowalia Tank Ground on the appointed day. It was left to a group of junior leaders and workers to address them and hoist the national flag. Usha Mehta was one of those who hoisted the tricolour on 9 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank Ground, which was later renamed “August Kranti Maidan.”

On 14 August 1942, Usha and some of her close associates began the Secret Congress Radio, a clandestine radio station. The first words broadcasted in her voice were: “This is the Congress Radio calling on [a wavelength of] 42.34 meters from somewhere in India.”

Her associates included Vithalbhai Jhaveri, Chandrakant Jhaveri, Babubhai Thakkar and Nanka Motwani, owner of Chicago Radio, who supplied the equipments and provided technicians.

Many other leaders, including Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, Achyutrao Patwardhan and Purushottam Trikamdas were also assisted the Secret Congress Radio.

The radio broadcast recorded messages from Gandhi and other prominent leaders across India.

To elude the authorities, the organisers moved the station’s location almost daily.

Ultimately, however, the police found them on 12 November 1942 and arrested the organisers, including Usha Mehta. All were later imprisoned.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a wing of the Indian Police interrogated her for six months.

During this time, she was held in solitary confinement and offered inducements such as the opportunity to study abroad if she would betray the movement. However,

Quick Glance Usha Mehta unfurled tricolour during AICC’s ‘Quit India’ session She had launched clandestine radio station for uncensored news She was jailed for four years for her acts of ‘courage’

she chose to remain silent and, during her trials, asked the Judge of the High Court whether she was required to answer the questions. When the judge confirmed that it was not mandatory, she declared that she would not reply to any of the questions, not even to save herself.

Regal Defiance After the trial, she was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment (1942 to 1946). Two of her associates were also convicted. Usha was imprisoned at Yerwada in Pune. Her health deteriorated and she was sent to Bombay for treatment at Sir J. J. Hospital. In the hospital, three to four policemen kept a round-the-clock watch on her to prevent her from escaping. When her health improved, she was returned to Yerwada Jail. In March 1946, she was released, the first political prisoner to be released in Bombay, at the orders of Morarji Desai, who was at that time the home minister in the interim government. Although the Secret Congress Radio functioned only for three months, it greatly assisted the movement by disseminating uncensored news and other information banned by the Britishcontrolled government of India. Secret Congress Radio also kept the leaders of the freedom movement in touch with the public. Reminiscing about those days, Usha Mehta described her involvement with the Secret Congress Radio as her “finest moment” and also as her saddest moment, because an Indian technician had betrayed them to the authorities.

Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Achyutrao Patwardhan assisted Congress Radio

12 Event

august 07 - 13, 2017

Trump Raksha Bandhan

PRESIDENT Trump to get rakhis from women of TRUMP village With the auspicious festival of Raksha Bandhan fast approaching, citizens of Trump village get ready to send the US President his ‘Raakhis’

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e may not have heard of Rakhi, but the women and girls of a remote Muslim-dominated village “symbolically” named by an NGO after US President Donald Trump will send him 1001 sacred threads on the Hindu festival that celebrates the brother-sister bond.

The gesture by the residents of Marora village in the backwards Mewat region represents the “wish of the people that ties are further strengthened between India and the US”, says the NGO which has adopted the village.

The village had come into limelight after Founder and Reformer, Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak had announced to name it Trump’s village.

The village, with a population of 1,800 people, lies under Punhana Tehshil, some 60 km from Gurgaon.

“The NGO has been conducting many welfare programs for women and girls in the village,”

Citizens of

Trump village are sending over 1,001 Rakhis to US President Donald Trump on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan lovingly calling him Trump Bhaiyya

Quick Glance US President, Donald Trump will receive 1001 sacred threads The Trump village boasts a population of 1,800 95 toilets have been constructed in Marora

Monika Jain, vice president of the Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation, said.

“These students have made 1001 rakhis with photos of Donald Trump and 501 rakhis for Narendra Modi.

Women and girls of the village consider them their elder brothers,” she said.

The consignment of rakhis was sent yesterday through cargo so that it reached the US president on Raksha Bandhan on August 7. The villagers are also sending invitations to the two leaders to visit the village.

Widows of the village have also expressed a desire to meet Modi on Raksha Bandhan at his residence in the national capital and tie rakhis.

“I have made 150 rakhis within three days for Trump bhaiyaa. I also wrote in a letter to be sent to the White House that the girls of your village want you to visit it with PM Modi,” said 15-year-old Rekha Rani, a resident of the village.

Sulabh had recently constructed 95 toilets in Marora to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship program to make every village in the country open defecation free.

The village has 140 houses and only 45 of them were equipped with toilet facility.

Sulabh constructed the remaining 95 toilets, Monika Jain said.

august 07 - 13, 2017

ODF

stats new india

Rural sanitation up 66 % in 3 years: Modi The Prime Minister said that the dream of making a “New India” is well underway Quick Glance

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rime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that rural sanitation coverage had gone up from 39 per cent to 66 per cent in the last three years and 2.17 lakh villages were now free of open defecation. Addressing the 99th birthday celebrations of Dada Vaswani in Pune, Modi called upon NGOs to help make sanitation a mass movement.

Lauding Dada Vaswani’s thoughts on “Making the Right Choice”, the Prime Minister said that if people resolve to make the right choice, evils such as corruption, casteism, drug abuse and crime can be overcome.

“A reason for evils in the society is that despite knowing what is right and what is not, some people choose the wrong alternative. Making the right choice and moving on it is a basis for creating a strong society,” Modi said.

He said when the Swachh Bharat mission was launched in 2014, rural sanitation coverage was only 39 per

Over 2.17 lakh villages are now free of open defecation all over the country and more are becoming ODF soon In Pune, Modi called upon NGOs to help make sanitation a mass movement Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Kerala are already ODF

cent. “Today it has reached 66 per cent. A healthy tradition has also begun. There is competition among villages, districts and states to be open defecation free,” Modi said.

He said Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Kerala had been declared open defecation free. Modi said toilets can be constructed and employees can be asked to clean roads but to keep them clean on a regular basis needed all round efforts.

“I want to make an appeal to every NGO through this programme...

Cleanliness is not a situation but a habit. It should become part of

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our nature. If practiced daily, the habit will become the nature of the society,” he said.

Referring to climate change, he said steps such as afforestation, making energy out of waste and increase in the use of solar energy will help meet the challenge.

He said the county was taking a pledge of making a “new India” to fulfil the dreams of freedom fighters by 2022, the 75th anniversary of the country’s Independence.

He urged the Sadhu Vaswani Mission to join this effort. Modi said targets should be such which can be measured in numbers.

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UP to build 44,000 toilets a day UP is ambitious to make the state ODF by October 2, 2018, and the government plans to reach its target of 1.55 crore toilets IANS

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ttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s announcement that 30 districts of the state would be open defecation free by December 31 and the remaining 45 by October 2, 2018, has set a punishing task for the bureaucrats and officials in the state.

The target is 1.55 crore toilets.

To meet the deadline the state will have to construct a whopping 44,000 toilets every day.

Realising the uphill task, Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar has asked District Magistrates to spend at least 30 minutes each day to monitor the pace of toilet construction in their respective districts.

The Chief Secretary would also be reviewing the progress on 10th of every month and Divisional Commissioners have

public toilets

Toilet: “Bitiya Ka Sapna”

‘We Are Water’ foundation has now started ‘Shauchalaya Apna, Bitiya ka Sapna’ in India to make sanitation accessible to women

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lobal foundation ‘We are Water’ that works towards solving water and sanitation problems, has opened its account in India with a project to make the country open defecation free.

The ‘Shauchalaya Apna, Bitiyaka Sapna’ is directed at protecting the integrity of Indian women by providing them with basic sanitation facilities.

As an initiative of Roca, world leaders in bathroom spaces, the foundation was set up in 2010 to resolve problems caused by the lack of water and sanitation in the world.

The foundation says it runs 30 projects involving about 4 lakh individuals across 17 countries.

“It has helped transform more

Sanitation

than 400,000 lives in 18 countries so far with 30 active projects and yet spreading its wings for more,” Roca Managing Director K.E Ranganathan told IANS. He said that the recent programmes initiated by We Are Water include construction of 44,000 toilets in more than 400 villages in the Anantapur and

Kurnool districts.

“We have so far achieved 40 per cent completion and are aiming successful completion of the project

by October this year,” Ranganathan said.

“In Bhiwadi, we reached out to 1,050 individuals through 210 household latrines. The project focuses on the construction of sanitation facilities, with the necessary conditions of healthiness, hygiene, and safety for all beneficiaries,” he added.

“Through ‘Sauchalaya Apna, Bitiyaka Sapna’ campaign, we will embark on our mission of building toilet blocks for women and girl child, at home and schools,” he explained.

also been asked to keep track of the progress. Kumar has already begun reviewing the Swachh Bharat Mission works through video conferencing. Realising though that the mammoth target could unnerve many a bureaucrat, especially in the districts, where young IAS officers are posted, the state government has decided to encourage them with rewards and other incentives. Shamli District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh who has achieved the target of making villages on the banks of the river Ganga ODF would be felicitated, officials of the Panchayati Raj Department told IANS. Additional Chief Secretary Panchayati Raj, Chanchal Tiwari informed that officials have been tasked with ensuring that work on the Swachh Bharat Mission projects is completed within the time limit given to the state.

14 Science & Technology Neural Studies

Music Betters Brain Motors New findings show that consistent musical training produces a significant increase in audio-motor interactions in the right hemisphere during rest

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Earth Sciences Ocean Alert

Sagar Vani For Coastal Safety The ministry, partnering with Gaian Solutions, and INCOIS has developed a sophisticated communications system

Quick Glance Sagar Vani system was launched to help coastal community Sagar Vani is an Integrated Information Dissemination System The system has been developed under the Ministry of Science & Technology

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s your son or daughter keen on learning to play a guitar or piano?

Allow them, as according to a study, playing any musical instrument throughout life may help improve the connection between the brain’s hearing area and the motor zone.

The findings showed that musical training produces an increase in audio-motor interactions in the right hemisphere at rest.

“This indicates that when a musician trains and spends many years learning to play a musical instrument, there are more effective connections between the auditory and motor systems, which are the regions mainly involved in playing an instrument,” said Maraa Angeles Palomar-Garcia, a researcher at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) in Spain.

Further, the research also revealed an adaptation in musicians’ brain areas responsible for controlling hand movement. Specifically, participants with musical training had reduced connectivity between the motor regions that control both hands, but may have greater autonomy between their hands.

This, “may reflect a greater skill with both hands for these musicians, compared to the participants who had no musical training, due to the need to use both hands in an independent and coordinated way to play their instrument,” Palomar-Garcia explained.

For the study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, the team studied the impact of music training on the brain through both functional and structural images of the brain in rest through high field magnetic resonance imaging.

nion Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan last week launched ‘Sagar Vani’ system to communicate and help the coastal community, especially fishermen, with advisories and warnings related to the safety at sea.

The Integrated Information Dissemination System (IDS) ‘Sagar Vani’, a first in India, was launched as the Minister inaugurated the 11th Foundation Day of Earth Sciences Ministry.

‘Sagar Vani’ seeks to target the reach of information to the 9.27 lakh people involved in actual fishing either full or part time.

The system that can send information in regional languages through various platforms including radio, television, voice calling, text service, social media, mobile apps and e-mail aims at timely dissemination of ocean information and advisory services that includes Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories, Ocean State Forecast (OSF), High Wave Alerts and Tsunami early warnings.

The advanced system has been developed by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services

(INCOIS), under the Ministry, through its industry partner, Gaian Solutions Pvt. Ltd. India has 3,288 marine fishing villages and 1,511 marine fish landing centres with marine fisherfolk population of 3,999,214. About 15,11,703 marine fisherfolk are engaged in active fishing while about 9,27,120 fishermen were involved in actual fishing either full or part time.

Presently, advisories are being disseminated from different service sections and through various stakeholders and partners, which might cause a delay in dissemination of the services.

Genetics health

New life-expectancy markers in genome A study by Swiss scientists has concluded the presence of more than 16 genetic markers of life expectancy in the human genome IANS

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Swiss-led team conducting research on life expectancy said on Thursday it had identified the largest-ever number of genetic markers that are almost entirely new to science. The answer to how long each person will live is partly encoded in their genomes or their genetic material, Xinhua quoted the researchers as saying, who published the findings in journal Nature Communication.

The study was led by scientists from the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), the University of Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).

The study used advanced computer capabilities to uncover the genetics of our time of death and ultimately of any disease.

During the research, the

“The ‘Sagar Vani’ is a software platform where various dissemination modes will be integrated on a single central server,” a government statement said.

The system also has a facility to provide access to various stakeholders (NGOs, State Fishery Departments, Disaster Management Authorities, etc.) so that they too will be able to further disseminate this ocean of information and alerts to the user community.

The minister also launched another application, ‘India Quake’ for the dissemination of earthquake parameters. scientists identified 16 genetic markers associated with a decreased lifespan, including 14 that are new to science.

“This is the largest set of markers of lifespan uncovered to date,” said the SIB in the statement. While the environment in which we live, including our socio-economic status or the food we eat, plays the biggest part in explaining longevity, about 20 to 30 per cent of the variation in human lifespan comes down to genomes. Changes in particular locations in human DNA sequences, such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), could, therefore, hold some of the keys to longevity say the researchers.

“Until now, the most comprehensive studies had found only two hits in the genome,” said ZoltanKutalik from SIB.

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Science & Technology vision

Astro-Physics Lunar Water

Deep craters, deeper secrets New satellite data analysis suggests the presence of water within volcanic deposits or within layers of rocks on the lunar surface

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ssb bureau

here may be substantial amounts of trapped water in the interior of the moon, researchers have said.

By analysing satellite data, researchers at Brown University in the US discovered rich amounts of indigenous water within the volcanic

deposits or within layers of rocks spread across the lunar surface after ancient volcanoes erupted on the moon, Xinhua news agency reported.

This suggests that water may be rich in the moon’s mantle, the layer between the crust and the core, according to the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The study’s lead author, Ralph

The moon is believed to have been formed from the debris of an object that hit the Earth

Research Psychology

Decoding Smiles Scientists are able to classify different smiles into specific expressions with attached meaning and context IANS

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esearchers have identified three distinct, reliably recognised expressions of a smile reward, affiliation and dominance and the facial muscle combinations that make them.

Each smile hinges on an anatomical feature known as the zygomaticus major, straps of facial muscle below the cheekbones that pull up the corners of the mouth, the researchers said.

“There are so many words people use to describe different smiles, but we see them as describing subtypes of a reward situation or an affiliative situation or a situation of negotiating hierarchy and having disdain for someone else,” said Paula Niedenthal, Professor at the

University of WisconsinMadison.

According to researchers, reward smile is “probably the most intuitive”.

This is “the kind of smile you would use with a baby, so he will smile back or do things you like”, Niedenthal said. It is a like a symmetrical hoist of zygomaticus muscles plus a dash of eyebrow lift and some sharp lip pulling. On the other hand, affiliative smiles used to communicate tolerance, acknowledgement or a bond and show that you are not a threat comes with

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Eye control for disabled Now the disabled will be able to use an on-screen mouse

Quick Glance There may be substantial trapped water in the interior of the moon Brown University in the US discovered the same The finding also sheds light on future lunar explorations

Milliken, said past findings of water on the moon did not appear to come from indigenous sources.

The moon is believed to have been formed from the debris of an object that hit the Earth early in the solar system’s history, but the essential hydrogen to form water could hardly survive the heat in the formation of the moon.

Li Shuai, who co-authored the story, said: “Water did somehow survive or that it was brought in shortly after the impact by asteroids or comets before the moon had completely solidified.

The exact origin of water in the lunar interior is still a big question.”

The finding also sheds light on future lunar exploration as water could potentially be extracted from the volcanic deposits. a similar symmetrical upturn to the mouth but spread wider and thinner with pressed lips and no exposed teeth.

The third smile in the category is dominance smiles and is used to signify status and manage social hierarchies.

This smile dispenses with the symmetry, pairing a bit of lopsided sneer with the raised brows and lifted cheeks typically associated with expressing enjoyment, the researchers said.

In the study, published in the journal Psychological Science, participants looked at thousands of c o m p u t e r - ge n e r at e d expressions with random combinations of facial muscles activated. But each smile included some action from the zygomaticus or the ‘smile muscle’.

“When distinguishing among smiles, both scientists and lay people have tended to focus on true and false smiles.

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o empower people with disabilities to operate an on-screen mouse and keyboard, Microsoft has announced the beta version of ‘Eye Control’ feature for Windows 10 that can be accessed by using eye movements.

According to a blog post by Dona Sarkar, Software Engineer at Microsoft, the ‘Eye Control’ feature requires a compatible eye tracker, like the ‘Tobii Eye Tracker 4C’, which can unlock access to the Windows operating system.

Once ‘Eye Control’ is turned on, a launchpad appears on the screen that allows a user to access the mouse, keyboard, text-to-speech and to reposition the User Interface (UI) to the opposite side of the screen.

“To interact with the UI for ‘Eye Control’, simply look at the UI with your eyes until the button activates. A visual affordance will appear around the UI that you are looking at,” Sarkar said.

Quick Glance Researchers have categorised three distinct smiles - reward, affiliation, and dominance Each smile hinges on an anatomical feature known as the zygomaticus major in scientific parlance Scientists are able to categorise different smiles based on activated facial muscles

The belief is that if you smile when you’re not happy, the smile is false,” Niedenthal said. “But people smile in many different circumstances and during many emotional states. So asserting that only smiles that result from states of happiness are ‘true’ smiles limits our understanding of this important facial expression,” Niedenthal added.

The findings may enable people with affiliative and dominance smiles to shift the outcome of games and negotiations as well as help surgeons who repair and reconstruct facial bones and muscles, the researchers noted.

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August 07 - 13 , 2017

“

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough”

sujit chakraborty Sujit Chakraborty is a writer and has been into journalism for 37 years. He also specialises in Rabindra Sangeet, the songs and style of Tagore’s music

VIEWPOINT

Mae West

Home Truth

Monsoon Panacea Getting back to our traditions is better for both health and money

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hank God that the monsoon is truly upon us. The fury of summers has given way to cool breezes. But a part of the story is also the wet clothes worn all long in office, and the subsequent cough, sneeze and fever. And then the run to the doctor, or even worse, over the counter antibiotics, which every friend, uncle and aunty feel they have the right to advice you on. The cough syrups, with the pharmacy fellow suggesting why his suggestion is the latest and much better than the one you demanded. Eventually, the round of illness and dullness goes on for a week or ten days, with the proverbial joke: “When you recover, you will be fine!”

And this is precisely where we have lost touch with our roots, for there are basic palliatives in the Indian system that does not just cure the cough and cold but spreads inner strength. The first rule if you have gotten wet in the rains, have a hot water bath at home and dry yourself thoroughly. The next course of medicine is heated honey with the powder of ginger roots, easily available in shops. Take this before supper and then have your meal after a short while.

A variation of this, or even better, a mixture of this concoction with basil juice or tulsi leaves is even better.

After the meal is over, have a warm glass of milk with turmeric powder. Then rub some heated mustard oil on the souls of your feet and go off to sleep.

It is not that these are not known to many. But the fact that we rush to antibiotics shows we have cut ourselves from traditional knowledge. A return thence will cure you faster and save your purse some unwanted slimming.

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

Tagore: Beyond the National Anthem!

“A century from now, who art thou, so lovingly reading my poetry?”

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his is one of the better known poems of Rabindranath Thakur, or Tagore.

Did the bard know he would still be read a century beyond his time? He obviously did, and he dared to write about it. Such was his genius.

Tagore: Jana Gana Mana… Ekla Chalo Re… Geetanjali and a Nobel Prize in literature. That is what most people know about him.

Most have not heard the song: “Ei monihaar amay nahi shajey” which he wrote while repudiating his Knighthood in protest against the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre.

Most people do not know that he was among the first Indian advocates of contraception because he believed that women have the right to physical enjoyment without being forced into motherhood, and he in fact campaigned contraception with Marie Stopes in the mid-1920s.

Most people do not know that he gave Raksha Bandhan a political meaning when in 1905, he called upon the people of undivided Bengal to come to the streets and tie rakhee to each other in protest against the Partition of Bengal on communal lines by the British.

Most people do not know that he had tried all forms of literature and the arts in his lifetime, including making a film with the legendary Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein.

Most people outside of Bengal in India, barring perhaps in Punjab, know very little about Tagore. In 2011, I was in Chandigarh.

I found it perplexing in the beginning: all the roundabouts of the city had very big hoardings outlining the daily schedule of the 10-day festival to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore.

Details of his works are much better known abroad, though, for he had moved the stalwarts of his time: Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats,

TS Eliot, Henri Bergson, Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, Thomas Mann, George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells, and Romain Rolland… and well… Victoria Ocampo, a beautiful Argentine intellectual who fell in love with Tagore and took him home to recover when he fell ill during a visit to Chile. Tagore was then 63, and Victoria just 34.

Monumental Energy Someone once told me that decades from now, computer software experts would say that there was actually no single person called Rabindranath Tagore…. That many people contributed to the body of work which was collectivised as Tagore. Let us take some stock: • 2,230 songs, and with the scores!

• Eight novels and four novellas!

• Hundreds of poems, including some resounding ones such as Africa! (His first published book was when he was just 16.)

• Seven major dramas.

• Several dance dramas, the music for which too he scored • An entire collection of letters and Tagore made letter writing a fine art.

He wrote letters on his sojourn to American, Europe and Japan…

• Articles on philosophy, arts and politics.

• Two autobiographical sketches • Scores of paintings, the chief theme being women and their pain.

• An entire collection of four-line poems with philosophical outlook And it is not as if that is all that he did. As I said, his activities went from campaigning for contraception to anti-British political activities (though he never joined the Freedom Movement in any capacity) to travelling widely, attending a Majlis, or Parliament of Iran, among other things, and of course, his crowning glory, founding of Shantiniketan’s Vishwabharati University, originally conceived of as a centre of unconventional learning.

Two thousand songs,

eight novels, poems, letters, dance dramas, articles on philosophy.

His work is vast

August 07 - 13 , 2017

From Romain Roland to Albert Einstein, Yeats to Ezra Pound and Bernard Shaw, the giants all revered Tagore

So if someday someone avers that Tagore was no single person, they could hardly be dismissed off the cuff.

The Tagores ‘Robi’ was one of the many grandsons of Prince Dwarkanath Thakur, a man so rich that he owned as a personal property a Roll Royce Phantom in those days.

Dwarkanath was what Marxists would call comprador bourgeoisie, but nevertheless, he owned ships and massive zamindaris, and salt and opium business in China and other businesses. By the time Robi came along, though, the family, which owned several palaces in Bengal but stayed at the Jorashanko (now in Chitpur), the family had lost much of its wealth, and Robi’s father, having brought on a total of 13 surviving children, had become a Rhishi, Maharshi Devendranath.

Wikipedia writes: “The (family) hosted the publication of literary magazines; theatre and recitals of Bengali and Western classical music featured there regularly.

Tagore’s father invited several professional Dhrupad musicians to stay in the house and teach Indian classical music to the children.[29] Tagore’s oldest brother Dwijendranath was a philosopher and poet. Another brother, Satyendranath, was the first Indian appointed to the elite and formerly all-European Indian Civil Service.

Yet another brother, Jyotirindranath, was a musician, composer, and playwright. His sister Swarnakumari became a novelist.

Jyotirindranath’s wife Kadambari Devi, slightly older than Tagore, was a dear friend and powerful influence. Her abrupt suicide in 1884, soon after he married, left him for years profoundly distraught.”

But the least known aspect of Tagore is his world outlook. Originally from the reformist Brahma Samaj, his grasp of the Vedic philosophy was astounding. His lyrics, most often, are pure Upanishadic, which is better left for another full article on that. And all this by a man who as a boy rejected schooling, and as a young man, dropped out of University College, London, refusing to study law.

It is sad that in India, most people, even in his native Bengal, today know little beyond Jana Gana Mana and Ekla Chalo Re about Rabindranath Tagore, a genius who his next generation of intellectual stalwarts would love to hate and yet admit, that he was the beginning and that there will never be so towering a figure as him.

Oped

17

What Really is the Here and Now?

mihir paul

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

The present moment is the canvas of life on which beautiful experiences appear moving through time

upfront

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hink of the Here and Now aka your present moment as a container of your life. The Here and Now is the canvas on which your life is happening and if you are not present to it, if you’re not aware of it, then you are definitely missing out on a beautiful masterpiece that your life can be and already is. All it takes is a shift in perspective. All your life you have lived a certain way and now if this requires some radical shifts in perspective, then maybe that’s the best thing that needs to happen for your true self (your soul) to achieve its maximum potential and really be that masterpiece on the canvas of life. You see, the here and now is an unperceivable, yet quite liveable and realizable place where you already exist it is just waiting to be noticed up by your awareness and your soul so that you can finally break out of your mind-made ego and be free from any kind of suffering.

The peculiar thing about the

present moment is that once we start coming out of our thoughtpatterns and egoic behaviour and start stepping into the present moment, we experience our lives afresh without labels or distracting thoughts or judgments, experiences like these are so blissful and transcendental. When we start inhabiting the present moment more and avoid getting lost in thoughts and daydreams, we start realising that the present moment is timeless, It goes on forever. All the time it’s now. Time then basically becomes a measure of change in one’s experience or

perception. Hence the quote “Time does not exist, Clocks do”. The present moment is your only reality.

The present moment is truly magical because it finally sets your spirit/being free. Once you realise that you yourself are one and inseparable with the present moment, you stop being pulled away by the egoic illusions (Maya) of life. You realise that your home is the here and now and you are already there all the time. Thoughts and daydreams stop pulling your attention away from being aware of your present moment experience. Living in the moment and being mindful is truly blissful. This kind of mental state has been termed as “Sat Chit Ananda” which means - Truth, Consciousness, Bliss. The here and now is the resting place for your soul where your spirit truly unites with the universe itself. The now is simply forever. And you are it.

letters to the editor

bnew farming model The article ‘Climate-resilient farming model in Pune wins Equator Prize’ was an inspirational article for the farmers in other parts of the country.

After reading the article it made me think that I too should try farming on small land using the similar method. This is not for gaining profits from the experiment but to check its reliability and also see the amount of improvement it provides to the user and farmers.

It is even more inspiring that states of our nation won the Equator Prize in the equatorial region. This represents the fact that India too is not too far from the developed nations in figuring out a solution to the problems faced by the farmers.

Hope to read more such articles which might tend to show a way or new light to the problems in the field of farming. This might stop the constant reduction in the number of farmers too. Climate change is seriously affecting us, and this is a welcome step.

Anjan Das, Kolkata

radio english The article ’50,000 Uttar Pradesh students learn English over radio’ is not only a new method of teaching students fluent English but also to attract students to the classes. This plan has displayed its credibility by showing that the conventional methods of teaching students have lost the interest of the students and their teachers too. This new method has made the job of teaching a bit easier than earlier and the listening to the lessons on radio have somewhere improved the results and the listening ability of the students.

After hearing everything anti and against the education system in the media, it was nice to read some positive news about the sector of education. Like to read more such positive news.

Kalyani Kumar, Patna

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

18 Photo Feature

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Palatial Bengal

The history of Bengal is that of its own various rulers like the Pals and Sens, who have left little in terms of heritage properties, and of the rulers under the Mughals and their subordinate zamindars, whose treasures survive, albeit in ruins

Photos: sipra das

The Andul Palace of the family of Raja Kashinath Roy is in a derelict condition, but the grandeur of the past can easily be grasped from whatever little is left. There was a time when the Durga Puja was celebrated with equal aplomb as the nights of the nautch girls. This palace in Howrah district is part of Bengal’s heritage.

Perhaps the most grand of palaces owned by a Bengali.

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Photo Feature

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Rajas of Bengal is that of the 500-year-old Mohishadal Rajbari, which is also perhaps the best preserved. The canon in front of the golden domed palace facade, the round verandah with the grand round table with elegantly carved legs, all bring back to the mind a sense of regal splendour.

In contrast, the Moinagarh Fort Palace speaks of old Bengali architecture in terra cotta style.

20 Women Entrepreneurship

August 07 - 13 , 2017

women Entrepreneurship

Anjali’s Jute Greenbacks Breaking away from the ordinary, she took to jute as a challenge to plastics and made business sense, as well as empowered other women

Quick Glance At just 38, Anjali Singh runs a business with an annual turnover of Rs 1.5 crore She has organised the spread of jute artisans across the country under one umbrella Anjali was awarded with FICCI Flow Award of Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur for 2017

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he wanted to be an Air-Hostess but was disallowed. But she fought her way to break ‘being the girl taboo’. She did MBA. Her first job was for a paltry sum of Rs 1700.

Today she is earning a million a month and recently bagged Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award from the FICCI. Anjali Singh (38) not only wrote her own success story but she motivated other women and girls too. Today, she has given employment to about 400 needy women and girls in her four workshops running in Lucknow.

Born in a middleclass family and being the only girl-child in the clan, Anjali was always discouraged to think about pursuing a career. But a determined Anjali never gave up.

She fought and did her MBA from Lucknow University. She took up jobs but they never satisfied her creative mind. “Since the beginning I was business-oriented. Earning enough money to lead a decent life is always been anyone’s wish. But I was looking for beyond money. I wanted to do something which was not only selfsatisfying but also beneficial for the society and the environment,” said

Anjali.

When her family members thought that she has settled professionally, Anjali unsettled herself. She quit the managerial job in a private university with a handsome salary. But her mind was on to achieve her cherished dream. She quit the job to start up her own business.

Her father was a banker. He left the job to set-up an NGO. His NGO was given a few projects by National Jute Board. Anjali took interest in her father’s project. She learnt making different useful items from Jute to brand them as an alternative to plastics.

Initially, she carried forward the project with one trained artisan Shabnam. “My first order was a colourful jute bag. It was an instant hit in the market. Soon I was flooded with orders. With Shabnam’s help, she trained more women and girls on making other items from jute,” recalled she.

When the business grew, she took a loan of Rs 15 lakh from the bank to expand her creative work. “Soon the place from where I was operating became small. I opened another workshop with more artisans. There was no looking back since then. Today, I have four workshops running with an annual turnover of Rs 1.5 crore,” she added. “I still remember those days of struggle. We had started from a dingy room and worked till late night. We wasted a lot of material in designing the best jute bag. Finally, Anjaliji approved the final design with a blue handle on it. It was an instant hit in the market,” remembered Shabnam.

After initial success, she started designing office folders, jute purses, mobile covers and many more items which were appreciated and very well-received in the market. Soon she opened a shop ‘Jute Shoppe’ to sell her products and started holding exhibitions to promote jute-made products.

Anjali married Shailendra Singh, who was a Vice-President in a Delhibased company. Shailendra not only encouraged her business pursuits but when the business grew offered to quit his job and join her. Now, both husband and wife are running the Jute Business making about 30 -40 jutemade items for daily use.

Her MBA background and husband’s experience helped the couple to widen their marketing network. Today they sell their items in a majority of the corporate houses in Lucknow, Mumbai, Bengaluru,

Artisans had no money to buy raw material. Now the organisation not only provides raw material, designs and know-how but also machines to skilled artisans

Chennai, New Delhi and other places.

In 2017, the couple founded Jute Artisans Guild Private Limited to rope in women and girls involved in the unorganised trade. “The main aim was to offer them a platform for marketing their items on good price and also to check their exploitation by businessmen,” claimed Anjali.

Through the Jute Artisans Guild, she soon organised the unorganised sector. She has artisans approaching her from across country. “We give them our creative designs for newer items and buy their finished products by offering them right price of their labour,” said she.

The biggest achievement of the Jute Artisans Guild was that it has brought all jute artisans across country under one banner. “The trade was scattered and unorganised. Artisans had no money to buy raw material. Now the organisation not only provides raw material, designs and knowhow but also machines to skilled artisans,” claimed she.

The Guild also organises training camps to train their family members and those who are willing to take up the job. The jute industry which was once dying came alive with the sustained efforts of the Jute Artisans Guild. The Guild has plans to go online and expand in the global market through its eco-friendly jute products.

“We are working on it and soon the online platform would be launched to take products of these artisans to the global market,” said she.

For her efforts to promote jute products, Anjali was awarded the FICCI Flow Award in the category of Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur for 2017. Earlier, she also bagged Best Woman Entrepreneur Award from the Lucknow Management Association.

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Sulabh Toilets

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‘Indian Affairs Social Reformer of the Year’

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r Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, was felicitated with the Indian Affairs Social Reformer of the Year 2017 Award which was handed over by Raj Purohit, MLA Colaba Mumbai in a glittering ceremony

in Mumbai. The award was instituted by Network 7 Media Group which is part of the annual event, India Leadership Conclave and Indian Affairs Business Leadership Awards, the 8th edition of which was organised by the media house.

gargi college students’ exposure

Dr Pathak inaugurates Sulabh toilets Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, spoke with the female students at Gargi college about cleanliness and inaugurated the newly built Sulabh toilet complex in the college

Dr Pathak addressing the students and teachers of Gargi college Dr Pathak inaugurating Sulabh Toilet

ssb bureau

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t is often seen that people forget their promises, but Sulabh has fulfilled its promise. For this, the entire college family expresses its thanks to Dr Pathak and Sulabh.

These are the words of Gargi College’s Principal, Promila Kumar, at the inaugural function of the Sulabh toilets. In the college campus, the newly constructed Sulabh toilet complex was inaugurated by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement. Dr Pathak also planted trees on this occasion.

Prior to this, the Principal of the college, Promila Kumar, welcomed Dr Pathak by presenting him flower bouquets and shawls. Addressing

the inaugural function, Dr Pathak said that any person who speaks about toilets is doing a great thing.

He said that toilets in today’s era are more important than food. A person without food can survive but cannot live without defecation.

It is also said in the Puranas, that there should not be any defecation around the house. It should be away from home, after digging the pit and defecating, it should be covered with clay. Five thousand years ago there were no toilets, a room was built in the palace for the kings, where they used to go and the untouchables used to clean it afterwards. The practice of scavenging has been going on since then. After the British rule in India, the sewer system started.

Sulabh has given freedom to the

scavenger brothers and sisters by the construction of the Sulabh toilets. If Sulabh had not made toilets than the practice of letting the country become full of filth would never have ended.

Sulabh has not only freed them from this practice but also turned them into ‘Brahmins’. Today, they are sitting with people of high castes, eating food with them, worshipping in temples and living with respect.

Earlier, people used to earn only Rs 1000 or 2000, but they have started making papad, pickles, mats etc., they are now are able to earn ten thousand to fifteen thousand rupees a week, with efforts made by Sulabh. Dr Pathak requested the college students to take special care of cleanliness and always be prepared to help others.

Apart from this, Dr Pathak discussed

with the college staff and explained to them the goals of Sulabh. He said during the discussion that we should always behave well with people.

When we respect someone, they respect us respect us too. He said that people will love if you are humble in your life. During this discussion, the girls from the college presented handmade paper bags to Dr Pathak.

Dr Pathak gifted the college principal Promila Kumar the book “The Making of a Legend” written on the life of Prime Minister Modi.

Meanwhile, the Street Play Society ‘Kshitij’ made the presentation of ‘Building a toilet made Ramu a Hero’. Dr Pathak appreciated this presentation and also announced the plan of honouring of the entire team on September 17.

22 Environment

August 07 - 13 , 2017

Goa Symbolism

Coconut gets ‘palm’ protection The state government has decided to include coconut palm as a protected tree in Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984

Tiger Reserves climate change

Tiger reserves combat climate change

Minister Harsh Vardhan urged the authorities and conservationists to ramp up tiger conservation efforts

Quick Glance India holds over 70 per cent of the world’s free ranging tiger population Over 129 tigers and 419 leopards died in 2016 A protocol for security and auditing of tiger reserves was released

IANS

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IANS

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ore than a year after de-classifying the coconut palm as a tree, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition cabinet in Goa last week passed an amendment to include the coconut palm in the tree list and declared it as a “state tree”.

“The state government has decided to include coconut palm as a tree in the Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984, to regulate felling of coconut trees under the act,” a cabinet note said. The cabinet also resolved to declare the coconut tree as the “state tree”. Speaking to reporters, Goa Agriculture Minister VijaiSardesai said the new amendment would be ratified in the legislative assembly during the ongoing monsoon session of the house. “We have reverted tree status to the coconut (palm),” Sardesai added. The opposition, as well as the civil society, had repeatedly accused the previous BJP-led coalition government in Goa of favouring real estate and industrial development at the cost of environment by amending the Goa Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984, in 2016 and dropping the status of “tree” accorded to the coconut tree.

tressing on the need to focus more on tiger conservation, Harsh Vardhan, the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, on Saturday said that threats to the Tigers remain ever persistent.

Addressing a gathering of tiger conservationists, NGOs and students on the occasion of “Global Tiger Day”, Harsh Vardhan pointed out that the target of doubling the number of tigers by 2022 in St. Petersburg Declaration was a moderate target, “but even to achieve this moderate target, the nations have to be repeatedly reminded to conserve tigers”.

“Tiger-bearing forests play a mitigating role in combating climate change. Tiger is a symbol of a healthy environment and there can be no letup in conservation efforts, as threats to the Tigers remain ever persistent,” the minister said.

He added that tiger conservation should be carried out every moment of the day and not celebrated merely as a one-day event.

At present, India holds over 70 per cent of the world’s free ranging tiger population and the global free ranging or the wild tigers are estimated to be around 3,900.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has pointed out that the year 2016 had been catastrophic for the tigers in

India as poaching reached an all-time high.

At least 129 tigers and 419 leopards died in 2016 as compared to 91 tigers and 397 leopards in 2015, as per the information IANS managed to piece together from various independent sources. Of these, at least 50 tigers and 127 leopards were poached, a record in the last 10 years.

Harsh Vardhan also

presented the Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation award to Lansdowne Forest

“If each individual undertakes one good, environment-friendly deed every day, we would have performed 125 crore good, environmentfriendly deeds,” Harsh Vardhan said. On the occasion, the minister released a protocol for conducting security and audit of tiger reserves.

He also released a compact disk (CD) on glimpses of tiger conservation through Parliament questions.

Harsh Vardhan also presented the Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation award to the Lansdowne Forest Division of Uttarakhand, which met the managerial standards for effective conservation of tigers. CA|TS has been developed by the WWF, working with protected area agencies in tiger range countries. It is a voluntary scheme for any organisation involved in tiger conservation.

Quick Glance

dry spell monsoon season

“India recovered from a 50-year dry spell”

New findings show that India has been receiving more rainfall

Due to climatic variations and anthropological influences, India has received ample rainfall since 2002

India has received ample rainfall despite recent drastic warming

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he monsoon season in India has in the last 15 years recovered from a 50-year dry spell, during which the northern and central parts of the country received relatively lesser rain, a study led by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has claimed.

The findings showed that since 2002, the drying trend has given way to a much wetter pattern, with stronger monsoon supplying much-needed rain-along with powerful, damaging floods - to the populous north central region.

A shift in India’s land and sea temperatures may partially explain this increase in monsoon rainfall, the

The reasons for the change are attributed to natural variability

researchers said.

“Climatologically, India went through a sudden, drastic warming, while the Indian Ocean which used to be warm, all of a sudden slowed its warming,” said Chien Wang, a senior research scientist at MIT. “This may have been from a combination of natural variability and anthropogenic influences, and we’re

still trying to get to the bottom of the physical processes that caused this reversal,” Wang added.

Starting in 2002, nearly the entire Indian subcontinent has experienced very strong warming, reaching between 0.1 and 1 degree Celsius per year. Meanwhile, a rise in temperatures over the Indian Ocean has slowed significantly.

August 07 - 13 , 2017

research Engineering

‘Cocktail geo-engineering proposed

More complicated solutions would likely do a bit better, but the best solution is simply to stop adding greenhouse gases IANS

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ew research from an international collaboration of atmospheric scientists, including from India, has explored for the first time the possibility of using a “cocktail” of geoengineering tools to reduce changes in both temperature and precipitation caused by atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas not only cause the earth to get hotter but also affect weather patterns around the world. Management approaches need to address both warming and changes in the amount of rainfall and other forms of precipitation.

The team which includes Carnegie Institution’s Ken Caldeira, Long Cao and Lei Duan of Zhejiang University and GovindasamyBala of the Indian Institute of Science used models to simulate what would happen if sunlight is scattered by particles at the same time as the cirrus clouds were thinned.

They wanted to understand how effective this combined set of tools would be at reversing climate change,

both globally and regionally.

“As far as I know, this is the first study to try to model using two different geoengineering approaches simultaneously to try to improve the overall fit of the technology,” Caldeira explained. Solar geoengineering (such as injection of sulphate aerosols into the stratosphere) has been proposed as a means to counteract this climate change by deliberately deflecting more sunlight from the earth’s climate system.

However, climate-modeling studies have shown that while this scattering

Bangladesh Elephants

Indo-Bangla Pachyderm Project soon A joint working group for the conservation of elephants is going to be established by India and Bangladesh in the next 60 days ians

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ndia and Bangladesh last week decided to set up a joint working group within 60 days for the conservation of elephants and manage their movement through corridors in their adjoining border areas, an official said.

The working group will develop protocols and standard operating procedures in the matter.

The decision was taken at the second India-Bangladesh Dialogue on Trans-Boundary Conservation of Elephants, attended by wildlife officials from both countries here in

Meghalaya.

Bangladesh Chief Conservator of Forests Md. Shafiul Alan Chowdhury led an 11-member delegation from

of sunlight should reduce the warming caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, it would tend to reduce rainfall and other types of precipitation.

It has also been suggested that the earth could be cooled by thinning cirrus clouds. This would also reduce warming, but would not correct the increase in precipitation caused by global warming.

One method reduces rain too much.

Another method reduces rain too little.

This is where the theoretical cocktail shaker gets deployed.

“We simulate climate effect of his country. India’s Director General of Forests Siddhanta Das said joint coordination groups at the district level will be set up along the international border with Bangladesh, comprising Divisional Forest Officers and Commandants of border guards in each forest division with transborder migration corridor(s) for elephants, so as to facilitate timely sharing of information and resolution of problems.

The district authorities (Deputy Commissioners) concerned in both countries will be empowered to permit trans-border movement of elephant rescue teams, apart from the power to provide technical support, early warning systems, technology support, and other infrastructure along the corridors used by wild elephants to move between the two countries.

Das said the meeting resolved to discourage/regulate electric fences for the protection of agricultural and horticultural crops in areas falling within identified corridors to prevent deaths of elephants from

Environment

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Quick Glance Management approaches need to address both warming and changes Solar Geo-engineering is being considered as a viable means Simulations show positive results of using cocktail geo-engineering

cocktail geoengineering that combines stratospheric sulphate aerosol increase and cirrus cloud thinning. Cocktail geoengineering can offset carbon dioxide-induced changes in global mean temperature and precipitation simultaneously,” the experts say in the study published in the Geophysical Research Letters.

The good news is the simulations showed that if both methods are deployed in concert, it would decrease warming to pre-industrial levels, as desired, and on a global level rainfall would also stay at pre-industrial levels.

However, while the global average climate was largely restored, substantial differences remained locally, with some areas getting much wetter and other areas getting much drier. “The same amount of rain fell around the globe in our models, but it fell in different places, which could create a big mismatch between what our economic infrastructure expects and what it will get,” Caldeira added.

“More complicated geoengineering solutions would likely do a bit better, but the best solution is simply to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.”

Quick Glance Decision taken on working group at India-Bangladesh Dialogue District authorities will be able to permit trans-border movement The meeting resolved to discourage/regulate electric fences

electrocution. Earlier, Chowdhury said Bangladesh had undertaken a habitat improvement programme wherein nearly seven lakh seedlings of plants eaten by elephants have been planted on over 600 hectares in Sherpur and Chittagong to ensures food sufficiency for the pachyderms.

India’s north-eastern and eastern states bordering Bangladesh are important habitats of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), including Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, West Bengal, and Tripura.

These states are home to over 9,000 wild elephants as compared to about 200 in Bangladesh.

24 Parks

August 07 - 13 , 2017

southern municipal corporation parks of tranquility

seven-Wonders Parks The southern municipal corporation, which has stolen a march over the other two financially, is now setting out to create seven wonder parks of tranquility

Satyam

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he capital city of India, Delhi, is struggling to establish the role of the municipal corporation as an important civic unit once again, by bringing it into the headlines. The corporation will come into the headlines because it has started preparations to build seven unique parks in Delhi, just like the seven wonders of the world.

Close to Nizamuddin’s Millennium Park is the vacant land which is being considered for use by the corporation. Work has started here to build one of the seven wonderful

Quick Glance The corporation is planning these seven parks close to Nizamuddin’s Millennium Park The corporation has taken several unique steps, including generating 224 MW power from garbage Given the concept and the finest workmanship, the parks will function like the seven wonders

Like the comfort of the ‘chaupals’ in villages,

‘chaupals’ will be constructed here too so that the elderly can spend their time parks planned for the city. According to the corporation, very soon the people of the capital will get the ‘seven wonders’ like those enjoyed by the residents of Rajasthan and Pune. The fragrance of the park will not be confined just to flowers. The paths will be such that you feel as if you are walking in some different world. In the year 2012 when the integrated municipal corporation of Delhi was divided into three parts, nobody had imagined that the southern corporation would pip the North and East to the post and would be successful in enhancing its financial resources. It has not only been successful in setting up an important civic unit, but has forced the other units to try and copy its example.

Despite the allegations and

counter-accusations and all the ups and downs between the Northern and Eastern units, the Southern Municipal Corporation has been taking several important decisions to bring relief to the residents of this city. It will be said that the Southern corporation has forced the Delhi government to do this by producing 24 MW electricity from garbage. Not only this, it has made the five star hotels in the area and the restaurants to open the toilets facilities for the elderly, women and children. They will now be able to use free toilet and bathroom facilities when needed.

Another help now available not only for the people of the area but others too, is that recently the corporation has decided to install Water ATMs to ensure the availability of clean drinking water for the passers-

by. The Southern corporation has started working towards establishing these ATM kiosks in nearly a hundred points. This water ATM will be fitted with high tech tools. Similarly, like the comfort of the ‘chaupals’ enjoyed by the people of the villages, ‘chaupals’ will be constructed here too so that the elderly can spend their time sitting and sharing their views on politics and social matters.

To make sure that citizens do not face any difficulty in civic matters all departments were made to do suitable work with immediate effect. The result of curbing the government babu culture and redtapeism is that while the other two corporations of Delhi could not pay even the salaries to the sanitation workers and created a hue and cry about economic and financial matters for the entire five years, the Southern corporation made many achievements. In the other two corporations the elderly, the widows and the handicapped were not able to get pensions.

Milestone Coming The latest venture is going to be a milestone in the history of Southern Corporation. The engineering department of the corporation is working day and night to make the seven ‘wonder parks’ with total focus and resources.

Dr. Alok Kumar, Director of the Park Department of the corporation says that when the desire to do a job is made in the mind and the resources are not a problem, then no one can stop it from the completion. This is the reason why the Millennium Park located near the Serai Kale Khan, which is also known by the name of Kargil Memorial Park, is being developed by the corporation as seven wonder parks. It is a gift for Delhi people. Given the concept and the finest workmanship, the parks will function perfectly and will be like the seven wonders.

These parks will be developed and marked in such a way that nobody will be able to identify whether they are all together or not. For this, the Corporation has started preparing

August 07 - 13 , 2017 the DPR (Detail Project Report) in consultation with experts from the concerned department and after preparing the CPR (Concept Project Report) after thorough discussions on it, the work will go ahead.

If too many formalities and disruptions do not come in the way, the people of Delhi would soon get a chance to see something big. Those who want to enjoy themselves or want to take some time away from their busy routine, will find enough greenery and peace. This is one such thing which the people of Delhi could not even imagine a few years ago.

This is true because the government of Delhi Government’s ‘Garden of Five Sense’ in Saketadullah Village, Delhi Development Authority’s Biodiversity Park, Vasant Kunj and Wajirabad’s Sanjay Lake, Shahdara Lake and Boat Clubs, have added to Delhi’s attraction. In this regard, Dr KB Asthana, Director, Kasturiram College of Higher Education, affiliated to Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University, says that the municipal corporation wants to reclaim that lost reputation.

The history of the corporation in Delhi goes back to the time before independence.

The times changed and the corporation lost its direction and erased its history. The corporation’s division into three sections was a part of this process. But the circumstances are changing. Just as in the last five years the Southern corporation has adopted several schemes one after another and has proved itself. This shows that there is still a longing to do something. It is not impossible that the corporation will succeed in attracting tourists by making parks like the Seven Wonders.

Rajesh Gehlot, who has been the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and Chairman of the most important Standing Committees of the Delhi Municipal Corporation, says that first of all, he had helped in getting success for the Southern corporation by letting it stand independently.

In the first year after the division, he had the distinction of becoming president of the Standing Committee.

Then he was able to convey the opinion that the corporation should be restored so that the people of Delhi are not made to face any kind of difficulty. Gehlot says that the five-star community centres of Southern Corporation are as good as the big hotels which people use for wedding and pay much less money.

Likewise, the schools, hospitals, parking arrangements and streets are not far behind in enhancing the beauty of the capital.

Foundation Day

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janki devi college foundation day

59th Foundation Day Function at Janki Devi Memorial College ‘The gift of Knowledge is the greatest gift’ – Dr Pathak ssb bureau

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he mother’s place is paramount in our life. God has given knowledge, power and wealth to only to mother figures. The most important thing here is that motherhood is at the base of all things. You are doing the work of upholding motherhood, it is a very commendable contribution. I am thankful to all of you for inviting me on your Foundation Day. These words were spoken by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak at the 59th Foundation Day Function at Janaki Devi Memorial College.

On this occasion, Dr Pathak said that he was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi but the founder of this college, Brij Krishn Chandiwala, had lived with Gandhiji and worked with him. He was a Gandhian and a dedicated nationalist, who also participated in the struggle for the freedom of our country. Therefore you all are ahead of us in every way, said Dr Pathak, “Once Yudhishthar asked Bhishma Pitamah, what should be given in donation. He answered, ‘If you feed someone with food and water then he will come again to demand the same.’

Therefore, if you have to donate something, then give knowledge. I worked at first as a teacher. When I used to take classes, it went on for 2 to 3 hours, and I did not know it.

Once the headmaster himself had come to remind me of the time.”

Dr Pathak said that he enjoyed the presentation of Drama Society ‘Anubhuti’.

I have been in tears for the past 50 years on seeing the condition of our manual scavenger brothers, but the presentation here today made all the people sitting here cry. Gandhiji had said that till these people will live in dirty conditions, no one would eat them with them. Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar had said that in this country untouchability will not end by getting just representation in the parliament. It will end when the people will take bathe in the same pool, go to the temple, eat together, and draw water from the same well. Sulabh has completed the goal of Baba Saheb in Alwar and Tonk

Quick Glance Dr Pathak said that the mother’s position in life is supreme Founder of the college Brij Krishn Chandiwala had lived with Gandhiji Sulabh has completed the goals of Babasaheb Ambedkar in Tonk and Alwar

“Dr Pathak is my ideal. He has done very

commendable work for the benefit of women. We all should contribute to the development of the country and society”– Meenakshi Lekhi, MP in Rajasthan. Today, the ex-scavengers eat with others, go to the temple, and make and sell commodities like pickle and papad.

Dr Pathak also inaugurated the Eco Zone at Janki Devi Memorial College, Delhi University, on the occasion of their 59th Foundation Day. On this occasion, MP and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi, New Delhi area Municipal Councillor Paramjeet Singh Rana and former JDMC president Kusum Krishna were present. The college students also presented their cultural programs.

Principal Swati Pal honored the chief guests with gifts of shawls and saplings.

On the Founder’s Day of JDMC, Dr Pathak honoured the college accountant Ishwari Dutt with a memento. Meenakshi Lekhi MP from New Delhi area gifted the gift of an open air gym on the Founder’s Day.

She said that Dr Pathak is her ideal. He has done commendable work for the benefit of women. All of us should contribute to the development of the country and society. At the function, the municipal councilor of New Delhi area Paramjit Singh Rana said that women have given birth to great personalities in the country, that is why women’s dignity and power are to be respected. We extend the warmest congratulations to JDMC on its Foundation Day. Today women are illuminating the name of the country on the world’s stage.

JDMC’s Principal Swati Pal welcomed all the guests and said that this college was set up in 1959 by the Gandhian Hon’ble Braj Krishna Chandiwala to promote women’s education in memory of his late mother Janki Devi.

26 Health

August 07 - 13 , 2017

punjab

First injectionsafety programme

vitamin e learing link

The Vitamin E and Learning Link This crucial deficiency causes greater deformities and deaths in zebrafish embryos. Same may apply to humans

Quick Glance

IANS

Vitamin E-deficient babies are at a higher risk of developing mental impairments

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To control drug-use health problems, the government has decided to implement an injection safety programme IANS

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unjab has become the first state in the country where an injection-safety programme is being implemented in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), a minister said last week.

“With support from WHO, we are releasing the action plan for injection safety programme.

Punjab is also the first state in the country where the injection-safety programme is being implemented in collaboration with WHO,” Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra said.

Mohindra, while addressing health department officials here after the state government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) in this regard, said the Punjab Health Department will be introducing RUPs (Re-use Prevention Syringes) in the state so that blood-borne infections cannot spread from one patient to another.

“From now onwards, the WHO and Health Department, Punjab, together will work in sensitising the general public regarding safe injections,” Mohindra said.

FIND will support the Punjab Health Department by providing rapid test kits for screening of highrisk patients like HIV patients and IVDU (Intravenous Drug Users) patients coming to centres for Hepatitis C treatment.

Punjab is said to have a high incidence of drugs abuse, particularly through the IV methods. The present Congress government, which assumed office in March this year, has cracked down on the drugs trade in the state.

abies who lacked vitamin E nourishment when in the womb are likely to be at an increased risk of developing impairments in mental skills such as learning and metabolic problems, a research has shown.

The study, conducted on zebrafish because their neurological development is similar to that of humans, showed that vitamin E-deficient embryos of zebrafish had more deformities and greater incidence of death as well as an altered DNA methylation status through five days after fertilisation the time it takes for a fertilised egg to become a swimming zebrafish.

However, even after being fed with vitamin E-adequate diet, after their birth, these fish failed to learn and were found afraid.

Although “they managed to get through the critical period to get the brain formed, they were stupid and didn’t learn and didn’t respond right”, said Maret Traber, Professor at the Oregon State University (OSU)

The problem may exacerbate in pregnant women who avoid high fat Vitamin E is an antioxidant necessary for normal embryonic development

The problem may be

exacerbated in women of child-bearing age who avoid high-fat foods and may not have a diet rich in oils, nuts, and seeds in the US. As a result of vitamin E deficiency, the brains of these embryos continued to lack choline and glucose and simply did not develop correctly, Traber added.

The problem may be exacerbated

in women of child-bearing age who avoid high-fat foods and may not have a diet rich in oils, nuts and seeds, which are among the foods with the highest levels of vitamin E, an antioxidant necessary for normal embryonic development in vertebrates, the researchers explained in the paper published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

Further, the Zebrafish with a deficiency in Vitamin E also had metabolic defects and indications of mitochondrial damage.

“They had so much oxidative damage they essentially had a screwed-up metabolism. These outcomes suggest embryonic vitamin E deficiency in zebrafish causes lasting impairments that aren’t resolved via later dietary Vitamin E supplementation,” Traber said.

diabetes green tea

Magic of Green Tea EGCG in green tea has the potential to alleviate insulin resistance, a precursor to type II diabetes IANS

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our love for green tea may help improve memory as well as insulin resistance in the brain caused by a high-fat and high-fructose diet, researchers say. A study, involving mice, showed that green tea contains an ingredient known as EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), the

Quick Glance Green tea improves memory and insulin resistance, much needed for health Green tea, abundant in EGCG is the most abundant catechin component EGCG has a potential to treat a variety of human diseases and disorders

most abundant catechin and biologically active component.

This component has the potential to alleviate insulin resistance – a precursor to type II diabetes – that is induced by obesity as well as improve age-related cognitive decline, accompanied by peripheral inflammation, the researchers said. “Green tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, and is grown in at least 30 countries,” said Xuebo Liu from the Northwest A&F University in Yangling, China.

“The ancient habit of drinking green tea may be a more acceptable alternative to medicine when it comes to combatting obesity, insulin resistance, and memory impairment,” Liu added.

Previous research pointed to the potential of EGCG to treat a variety of

human diseases such as bone marrow disorders, reducing the kidney toxicity and damage caused by cancer drug, as well as some heart conditions.

For the study, published in The FASEB Journal, the team divided three-monthold male mice into three groups based on diet: 1) a control group fed a standard diet 2) a group fed with an high-fat and highfructose (HFFD) diet and 3) a group fed with an HFFD diet and 2 grams of EGCG per liter of drinking water.

The researchers monitored the mice for 16 weeks and found that those fed with HFFD had a higher final body weight than the control mice and a significantly higher final body weight than the HFFD+EGCG mice.

August 07 - 13 , 2017

hygiene hands

Quick Glance

Six easy steps to hand hygiene Better hand hygiene is a vital key for maintaining overall health, especially in an increasingly polluted environment Hariprasad VR

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ersonal hygiene is the key to maintaining overall well-being.

In an environment fraught with pollution and unhygienic public spaces, it is imperative to safeguard our health by immunising ourselves from diseases and infections. WHO estimates that there are over 1.4 million cases of infection that have been caused due to lack of hygiene.

As most contagious diseases spread through unhygienic habits, hand hygiene, in particular, is important. WHO has been urging people to wash their hands frequently using soap and water or a hand sanitizer the first step to keeping themselves free from germs and viruses.

Here are six ways to ensure better hand hygiene: 1. Wash hands regularly: Washing your hands at regular intervals is the

most effective way of staying healthy and protecting yourself from various ailments.

Scrub hands for at least 30 seconds with soap. Don’t forget the spaces between the fingers and nails. Turn the tap off using your elbows or a towel.

2. Use automatic soap dispensers: These help in reducing the spread of germs and bacteria.

Dispensers are perfect for use in bathrooms, kitchens, offices, schools, hospitals, hotels and restaurants. The dispenser protects the liquid from being contaminated and helps scale down the spread of infection in an environment.

Always carry a hand sanitizer while washing hands regularly Use automatic soap dispensers as they help reduce the spread of germs Good hand hygiene is paramount for maintaining good health

3. Carry a hand sanitizer: In addition to soap, it is advisable to also use a good antimicrobial hand sanitiser, with ingredients like hrivera, lemon, ushira and neem.

Hrivera, a strongly aromatic herb, has antibacterial, deodorising and cooling properties; lemon helps protect the skin from oxidative damage and itching; ushira is an astringent which also helps remove excess heat; while neem has antimicrobial properties.

4.

Dry your hands properly: Research shows that bacteria tend to spread faster through wet hands as compared to dry hands. Therefore, dry your hands

Cancer Research

Turmeric to fight kids’ cancer Turmeric or curcumin is now being considered as a treatment for resistant high risk neuroblastoma, scientists say IANS

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edical scientists in the US have found yet another use for curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric that is widely used in Indian cuisine, this time to cure cancer in children.

Researchers at Nemours Children’s Hospital and the University of Central Florida (UCF) have found that

Quick Glance Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in younger children The cancers start in early nerve cells and form in the adrenal glands Curcumin shown to cause substantial cell death in neuroblastoma cells

nanoparticles loaded with curcumin can offer a novel treatment to target and destroy neuroblastoma tumour cells.

Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in children younger than five years old. High-risk neuroblastoma can be resistant to traditional therapy, and survival can be poor. The cancers start in early nerve cells and commonly form in the tissue of the adrenal glands, near the kidneys. They are also associated with developmental delays, hearing loss, or other disabilities even after traditional treatments have ended.

In their study, the researchers attached curcumin to cerium oxide nanoparticles and tested the nano-curcumin formulation in cell lines of a high-risk form of neuroblastoma.

“This formulation induced substantial cell death in neuroblastoma cells while producing no or only minor toxicity in

Curcumin has shown to kill cancer cells while having minimal toxicity to normal cells

healthy cells,” says their report in the journal Nanoscale.Curcumin has been shown to have the substantial anticancer ability, but its low solubility and poor stability have restricted its use in

Health

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properly after washing. Ensure that you wipe your fingers and nails properly before continuing your work. Wet hands are a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses.

5. Keep your nails trimmed: Ensure your fingernails are trimmed and cleaned regularly proper nail hygiene can control the spread of diseases. Trim nails after taking a shower as they tend to be soft and are easier to trim. Avoid artificial nails for long durations as it can lead to infection and contaminated nails afterwards.

6. Don’t sneeze into your hands: To ensure germ-free su r rou n d i ng s , always sneeze into a kerchief or a tissue. If neither is available use the crook of your elbow.

Every time you sneeze into your hands, you spread germs to the people around you. A single sneeze produces more than 40,000 droplets of moisture and millions of germs; propelled over a distance of 32 feet.

Adopt these simple habits for good hand hygiene and you will be able to stay away from all diseases caused by germs. therapeutic applications. According to a statement from UCF, the study conducted by its scientists demonstrates a novel method of treating this tumour “without the toxicity of aggressive therapy” and shows that nanoparticles can be “an effective delivery vehicle” for cancer drugs.

“We are hopeful that in the future, nanoparticles can be utilised to personalise care to patients and reduce the late effects of therapy.” The fact that curcumin, when formulated as nanoparticles, is able to increase its bioavailability and thereby improve its therapeutic ability has earlier been shown by Indian scientists as well at the Jawaharlal Nehru University ( JNU) in New Delhi in the case of tuberculosis (TB).

Current therapy for TB involves treatment with antibiotics such as Isoniazid (INH).

But the long treatment required with INH invariably leads to premature withdrawal by patients resulting in the TB organism developing drug-resistance.

Prof. Gobardhan Das and his colleagues at the JNU had reported their study last month which showed that mice treated with curcumin nanoparticles – as an adjunct to INH – “exhibited a dramatically accelerated clearance of the TB organisms in a short time”.

28 North East

August 07 - 13 , 2017

assam Arsenic Pollution

Nano-tech and sun to the fore

The state government is taking urgent measures, harnessing latest technology to take the bull by the horn Quick Glance All over Assam, ground water is polluted by arsenic, fluoride and other contaminants Of the 3,25,079 water sources tested, 10,301 have arsenic, while 1,298 have presence of fluoride Now the state will use solar power and nano-technology to tackle the problem of Arsenic Pollution

Raj Kashyap

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aking on the serious situation of groundwater contamination, the Assam State’s Public Health Engineering (PHE) department is planning to install solar power pumps and an affordable nano technologybased water purifier to purify water across the state.

Assam’s drinking water continues to be contaminated with harmful pollutants like arsenic, fluoride and even lead. Groundwater in more and more habitations are reporting harmful levels of the contaminants, leaving residents, scientists and the government worried.

According to State’s Public Health Engineering minister Rihon Daimary, water sources in 23 districts of the State, including the state capital have been contaminated with arsenic and fluoride.

The State’s Public Health Engineering department has tested 3,25,079 water sources across the state. Out of that, 10,301 have arsenic, while 1,298 have presence of fluoride, Daimary said.

These tested water sources comprise only 59.14 per cent of the total water sources of the state, he added.

As on date, the number of arsenicaffected habitations stands at 3,726

and fluoride-affected is 155. These habitation have considerably higher levels of the chemicals in ground water. Among the districts, Jorhat (with 959 affected habitations) and Baska (with 821 affected habitations) have been the worst hit in terms of high arsenic level in ground water. Ninety three habitations in Dhubri district are affected by fluoride.

Sources, however, said the actual number could be more with fresh tests confirming arsenic and fluoride in other areas as well.

Scientists blame the phenomenon on long dry spells which have led to less rain water seeping into the ground and replenishing the groundwater table. Indiscriminate cutting of trees has only added to the problem.

Another major reason is the increase

in drilling activity for hand pumps and borewell pumps. With the lowering of the water table, the drills are also going deeper, thereby closing in towards the granitic rocks that are rich in minerals like arsenic and fluoride. Therefore, such chemicals are making inroads into the water pumped up.

In Guwahati, for instance, earlier people would bore 150-200 feet for water. Now with the mushrooming of flats and housing societies, the water

Usually such chemicals are not supposed to be found in surface water. The study has assumed that such contaminants were dumped in the river

demand has gone up. But since the water table has gone down, people have to bore up to more than 300-400 feet.

Recently, Associate Professor Dr Bibhash Sarma of Assam Engineering College and his M Tech student Priyanka Kotoky found excess amount of lead and arsenic in the Brahmaputra water samples collected from different areas between Noonmati and Pandu areas of the capital city Guwahati.

Usually such chemicals are not supposed to be found in surface water.

The study has assumed that such contaminants were dumped in the river.

Worse, the study also found very high levels of untreated or less treated arsenic and lead in the drinking water supplied by the six water treatment plants (WTPs) of Guwahati city, which poses a serious threat to public health.

Prolonged arsenic contamination is known to cause cancer and skin diseases besides affecting reproductive health. Apart from Assam, arseniclaced water is a serious problem in Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Manipur.

Consumption of water containing excessive fluoride causes dental and skeletal fluorosis and most of the fluorosis victims are children.

The most pronounced symptoms of fluorosis are bent legs and discoloured and brittle teeth.

Tech Solutions Alarmed at the increasing contamination of ground water, the State’s Public Health Engineering (PHE) department is planning to install solar power pumps and an affordable nano technology-based

August 07 - 13 , 2017 water purifier developed by IIT Madras to provide safe drinking water in the areas.

“The levels of these chemicals in ground water are serious. We are now adopting a two-pronged strategy to deal with the problem. Either we will have to clean the ground water used for drinking or we will have to supply the drinking water from surface sources,” said a senior PHE department official.

The PHE department has prepared 122 DPRs (detailed project reports) which have been submitted with the National Water Quality Sub Mission launched by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in March last.

These 122 projects will cover 1,438 arsenic-affected habitations and they mostly deal with providing safe drinking water from surface water sources. Work is on in another 5,00 habitations.

In almost half of the remaining 1,788 arsenic-affected habitations, the PHE plans to install solar power operated pumps.

The Centre has recently launched the National Water Quality Sub Mission to combat arsenic and fluoride to provide safe drinking water to about 28,000 affected habitations in the country by March 2021 with an outlay of Rs 25,000 crore.

The PHE department is in the process of preparing the project reports for the solar power operated pumps. These habitations are basically remote areas, most of which do not have access to electricity. To purify the water, the PHE department will use the nano technology-based water purifier developed by IIT Madras.

The purifier developed by IIT Madras uses iron oxyhydroxide, a nano-structured material, to remove arsenic from drinking water. It functions without electricity or piped water supply. Once the filter reaches its saturation limit it has to be reactivated or recharged with new material.

The PHE department is also studying the water use pattern in the habitations, for building reservoir tanks of appropriate levels. In case of fluoride-affected habitations, the PHE has taken up seven projects, while work is already on in eight others.

Till the planned projects are executed, the Niti Aayog has funded a project to provide stopgap arrangements in the highly arsenicaffected 96 habitations. The PHE is using solar powered deep tube wells in these habitations and work has been completed in around 60 of the projects. The firms installing the solarpowered deep tube wells will have to do the operational maintenance of the devices for three years.

Offbeat

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scientists back in india

Scientists home from foreign climes More than 300 scientists have returned to work in India utilising the various schemes ssb bureau

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he government on August 3 said that a total of 373 scientists have returned to work in India in the last three years, leaving reputed foreign institutions.

The government said that 125 of the 373 scientists had been absorbed in different schemes initiated by the government.

“Department of Science and Technology (DST) through Ramanujan fellowship and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) through Ramalingaswami re-entry fellowship provides attractive avenues and opportunities to Indian Researchers of high calibre, who are residing in foreign countries, to work in Indian Institutes and universities of their respective interest and domain,” Minister of state for Science and Technology YS Choudhary stated in the

Parliament.

He informed that under the ministry’s Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) faculty scheme, young Indian citizens and people of Indian origin across the world with PhD in science, mathematics, engineering, pharmacy, medicine, and agriculture related subjects are offered contractual research positions in Indian institutions to

carry out independent research.

Beside that the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has a scheme to attract scientists and technologists of Indian Origin (STIO) under which they are appointed at an identified CSIR laboratory so as to nurture a research field in their area of expertise.

DST had recently also initiated named VAJRA – Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty Scheme – that offers NRIs and people of Indian origin abroad to work as adjunct or visiting faculty for a specific period of time in Indian Public funded academic and research institutions.

“The Ministry has ensured sufficient funds depending upon the availability of brilliant scientists and engineers from all over the world to take up scientific research positions in India,” the Minister stated.

Swachhta akshay kumar

“Toilet” star brooms in UP Akshay Kumar along with costar Bhoomi Pedenkar were with UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath to push Swachhta

Ians

B

ollywood star, Akshay Kumar wielded a broom along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on

Friday to make people aware of how cleanliness around one affects their health.

At an event at a city school, Akshay along with Bhoomi Pedenkar, his costar in the upcoming film “Toilet: Ek

Prem Katha” also administered an oath of cleanliness to the students. The film releases on August 11. After Lucknow, the stars will be going to Agra to promote both cleanliness and the film, a member of the crew told IANS. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already praised the concept of the film. Adityanath on his part has been promoting the Swachh Bharat mission as the chief executive of the state and had wielded a broom on an earlier occasion also.

It may be recalled that it was the propounder of the Swachh Bharat movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has showed the way when he first took up the broom three years ago on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Since then countless dignitaries and film and sports stars have lent support to the movement by their token cleansing efforts. Akshay Kumar’s effort is the latest in that direction.

30 Female Foeticide

August 07 - 13 , 2017

west bengal Female Foeticide

Avoid a crime, Learn at School

The trend of falling sex ratio is being noticed in the state and it does not want a scenario to evolve as in north India where polygamy has become an option Prasanta Paul

T

wo brothers in Rohtak district of Haryana have decided to marry the same girl. At Bibipur in Sonepath district close to Delhi, there is an acute scarcity of girls who could be married off to boys. These are not figments of imagination but facts.

Looking at current trends of falling sex ratio, and anticipating a similar scenario in West Bengal in the near future, the health and education departments have decided to include this highly vexing issue in school curriculum. Because students are the future parents.

Blame it on the traditional psychology of the average Indian couple, birth of a girl in a family is hardly welcome specially if it happens to be a nuclear one. Dowry accompanied by a sense of insecurity among the parents for their girl children is often blamed among others, for this social evil called female foeticide.

The trend was rampant, thanks to mushrooming nursing homes where sleazy doctors or even quacks merrily performed abortions throwing all qualms to the wind. This has led to an alarming situation, especially in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh where the male:female ratio has sunk to an abnormal level.

If in Delhi, the ratio of girls is 857 against per thousand boys, it is 863 in Pumjab, 874 in Uttar Pradesh and 883 in Haryana; Bengal is little better according to a statistics of the union family welfare department recorded in 2015. The overall national ratio isn’t heartening either; it is 919 against per thousand boys.

More than a decade back, the union government has in 1994 come up with The Pre-conception & Pre-natal Diagnostics Techniques Act to arrest the trend. However, an act is one thing and its implementation is another.

Naturally, the gap has continued to widen, resulting in the current state of affairs.

Bengal Bouncer “We’ve found out that the act has

worked to a limited extent while the custom of dowry is still very much in practice. If we have to achieve some positive result in this respect, we need to go beyond the box,” explained West Bengal additional health director Aditikishore Sarkar. He came up with the idea of introducing a chapter in the 10-plus textbooks to highlight the alarming scenario in some of the states of the country and make the students aware of the fallout.

Sarkar, who led the initiative, held several meetings with his counterpart in the education department to prepare the academic material on this for inclusion in the texts. “Not only that, now we’ve begun sensitization programmes in the schools to drive home the awareness where it matters the most – in the psyche of the students,” he said.

The two departments of the state government have joined hands to conduct awareness-raising programmes in such district headquarters of Bengal as Suri, Berhampur, Rampurhat, Jiagunj,

Howrah, Barasat, and Barrackpore.

“And the response of the students is so impressive that we’re currently exploring if we can extend the programme to important block headquarters and schools as well,” Sarkar said.

His department has so far covered some leading schools in eight areas spread over five districts and plans are on the anvil to pack five or six schools under one roof in the minoritydominated districts in northern and southern parts of the state.

But why should the issue of female foeticide be part of the text when there is a full-fledged law in this regard? Isn’t the health department equally responsible to ensure that the law is implemented in letter and spirit?

Law Not Enough “The law is definitely there and notices banning sex determination tests in hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic centres have been made compulsory across the country. But if someone is bent on conducting the test and that too

The law is definitely there and notices against

prenatal sex tests are there in all places but if people want to do it, you really cannot catch them

Quick Glance Throughout north India the sex ratio has crashed This is largely because gender discrimination & hence, female foeticide State government realises education is the best option

secretly, it’s quite difficult to stop him/ her. It’s a matter of individual psychology and we have little control over it,” Sarkar argued.

And in support of his argument, he cited the national statistics. The malefemale ratio which was 967 females against per thousand males in 1991 in West Bengal (national average 945), slid to 960 (national 927) in 2001; and nosedived further to 950 (Bengal against 919 nationally) in 2011.

“The figures only reveal that despite the law being in force, the incident of female foeticide has only kept rising.

That’s why, we’ve to think of alternatives and the idea of making it part of the syllabi has struck us,” claimed the additional health director.

Besides this, so far as the existing infrastructure of the state government is concerned, policing all the private ultrasonography clinics across the state is physically not possible. The total number of such registered clinics is 2446 of which Kolkata alone accounts for more than 500. To keep a tab on all of them in order to detect female foeticide will be a wild goose chase.

There was also a proposal last year from the union women welfare department to keep a strong vigil on the count of female foetus across the country to ensure that any attempt to resort to any abortion to purge the female foetus is immediately detected.

Hence, the effort by the authorities in West Bengal has been welcomed by the students and their guardians in a big way. Even the teachers in the schools have also participated in the sensitization programmes.“I hope our initiative, the first in India, becomes a model and is emulated all over the country,” Sarkar contended.

sulabh sanitation

Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, New Delhi is organizing a Written Quiz Competition that is open to all school and college students, including the foreign students.

All those who wish to participate are required to submit their answers to the email address contact@sulabhinternational.org, or they can submit their entries online by taking up the questions below.

Students are requested to mention their name and School/College along with the class in which he/she is studying and the contact number with complete address for communication

First Prize: One Lakh Rupees Second Prize: Seventy Five Thousand Rupees

PRIZE

Third Prize: Fifty Thousand Rupees Consolation Prize: Five Thousand Rupees (100 in number)

500-1000) ti on (W or d Li m it: ti pe m Co iz Qu en tt Qu es ti on s fo r W ri nounced? rt was ‘Swachh Bharat’ an Fo d open Re the m fro y da ich uses and there should be no ho 1. On wh the all in d cte tru ns co by 2019, toilets should be 2. Who announced that l. defecation? Discuss in detai Toilet?

3. Who invented Sulabh ovement?

Cleanliness and Reform M 4. Who initiated Sulabh t? ve features of Sulabh Toile t?

5. What are the distincti used in the Sulabh compos r ise til fer of ge nta rce pe d an 6. What are the benefits of the Sulabh Toilet? ’?

7. What are the benefits be addressed as ‘Brahmins to me ca g gin en av sc al nu ople freed from ma If yes, then elaborate it by s?

8. In which town were pe ste ca r pe up of s me ho take tea and have food in the 9. Do these ‘Brahmins’ person. discussing story of any such entions of Sulabh?

10. What are the other inv

Las

ritten Quiz Competition W of on si is bm su r fo te t da

: September 30, 2017

For further details please contact Mrs. Aarti Arora, Hony. Vice President, +91 9899 855 344 Mrs. Tarun Sharma, Hony. Vice President, +91 97160 69 585 or feel free to email us at contact@sulabhinternational.org SULABH INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANISATION In General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council Sulabh Gram, Mahavir Enclave, Palam Dabri Road, New Delhi - 110 045 Tel. Nos. : 91-11-25031518, 25031519; Fax Nos : 91-11-25034014, 91-11-25055952 E-mail: info@sulabhinternational.org, sulabhinfo@gmail.com Website: www.sulabhinternational.org, www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org

Dikshita Khullar

Class 12 Magic Fridge Maker Her extremely low cost food preservation setup will help fruit and vegetable vendors and arrest massive food wastage

A

‘magic fridge’ that runs without electricity has been designed by a Class 12 student, Dikshita Khullar. The fridge is expected to help farmers and middlemen who deal with fruits and vegetables every day.

According to government statistics, India wastes roughly 67 million tonnes of food every year.

This is more than the national output of Britain.

The most important reason for the food wastage appears to be the lack of storage facilities that cripple farmers and vegetable/fruit vendors This Class 12 student from GD Goenka Public School,

U

august 07 - 13, 2017

G

32 Unsung Hero

NSUN

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

HERO

Delhi,went a b o u t tackling that serious issue.

Dikshita said she had always been inclined to finding sustainable solutions for environmental issues she revealed in a recent TV interview.

“Through the concept of evaporative cooling, which is when liquid water evaporates from a surface and hence decreases the temperature, the prototype was built with easily available materials such as bricks, sand, jute bags and bamboo sticks, which are cost effective for farmers too” said Dikshita.

Describing the intricacies of the model, she said, “Imagine one big rectangular structure constructed with bricks and another small rectangular structure built inside the big rectangular chamber. The catch is to leave some space in-between both of these structures so that it can be filled with sand. The upper part of

the chamber is covered with the bamboo lid and that’s all that there is to this structure.”

This fridge is estimated to cost Rs. 4,000, with a capacity of holding 6 crates or 120 kg of vegetables, which can be kept fresh for up to 7 days.

“The methodology is simple, the vegetable vendors have to water the chamber every 2-hours because that’s what will keep the inside area cool. This chamber can keep the temperature 10-15 degree Celsius lower than the outside temperature and maintain about 90% relative humidity,” she shared with the channel.

The first model of the prototype was built in her hometown village of Sultanpur in Delhi and then another one in the Manger village in Haryana.

The fact that millions die of hunger every year is astounding considering the fact that India is the second largest producer of wheat in the world. “I want to put an end to this sad yet true reality,” she said..

er N eNw ma ssm ew akk esr s

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Joyita Mondal Mahi

the crusader judge She does not care for her gender. Her work on aged HIV patients is important

oyita Mondal Mahi has been active as a social worker in West Bengal for over a decade.

The 29-year-old is now serving as the state’s first transgender judge of a Lok Adalat but says her selection is a testament of her portfolio and has nothing to do with her gender. “It was my performance that got noticed by the district administration. My work is my identity,” Mahi says.

Currently handling loan recoveries, she says at the outset her social work profile in Islampur revolved around the LGBT community.

“After I started working, I felt the need to work for the entire community and not just one specific group of people,” she said.

Mahi, who hails from Kolkata, recollects how she could not finish her studies due to gender identity issues and the discrimination she faced when she first turned up in Islampur in 2010. Her key work is setting up old-age homes for HIV positive people, forming her own organisation, and acting as a bridge between the people and the administration.

L

t. Col Srinivas Gokulnath became the first Indian to complete Race Across America (RAAM) 2017 after cycling 4,900 km across 12 states.

It took him eleven days, 18 hours and 45 minutes to make history as the world’s first Indian to complete RAAM. He was one of the nine men who reached the finish line with an average speed of 10.86 miles an hour, Srinivas secured the seventh position.

Race Across America (RAAM) is considered as a pinnacle of athletic achievement not only in cycling circles but also the greater athletic community.

RAAM is about 30 per cent longer than Tour de France while being a continuous race, where once the clock starts; it does not stop until the finish line and its racers must complete the distance in half the time with no rest in between.

A doctor by profession, Srinivas Gokulnath is working with the Army in Nashik as an aerospace medicine specialist.

Lt. Col Srinivas Gokulnath

the doctor’s feat in sport He has achieved the pinnacle of athletic achievement

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 1, Issue - 34 33 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