Sulabh Swachh Bharat - VOL: 2 | ISSUE 33

sulabhswachhbharat.com

27

10

14

24

Sanitation In Italy

Abraham Lincoln

The Making of a Legend

Vrindavan Saga

The ‘Great Emancipator’ who used laughter as his tool

PM Narendra Modi’s trips abroad clearly reflect an end to the foreign policy paralysis

Vrindavan healed my wounds & will hopefully bring out the real me

The Romans invented plumbing, so at one time they were the world leaders

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

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

FIND US ONLINE

Scan this with your smartphone

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

A Good News Weekly

Vol - 2 | Issue - 33 | July 30 - Aug 05, 2018 | Price ` 5/-

Juna Peethaadhishwar Acharya MahaMandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand giri

“Our Culture Is That Of Renunciation”

Speaking on the occasion of the Guru Purnima, he emphasises the need to get knowledge of self

The first thing a human being should seek is knowledge.

Then he should seek wealth A big portion of the total wealth is being spent on policies for waging war My view is that as you become spiritual, your wealth becomes a blessing

02

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Quick Glance Understand one’s self, know one’s self

And human life is filled with infinite possibilities

Because when you change your thinking, the world changes

A

Reeta singh

s m aa d aa c h aa r y a paryantaam vande guru paramparaam. The shaastra says that when the Primordial Person is Narayana, the First Person is the Lord of the Gods, Mahadev, so this tradition, asmaad aachaarya paryantaam vande guru paramparaam, we bow before that tradition, which is home to the idea of the guru, which is the inspiration, with whose blessings, and with whose kindness, evil teachings turn into good teachings. And that which we experience as impossible, unreachable, elusive, difficult to attain becomes easier. The possibilities around us which remain invisible and we do not recognise them, that which we never imagined as possible, which is full of goodness, purity, potential, greatness, knowledge, strength, humility, extraordinary divine ability, of which we are the natural claimants, all that ability, eligibility, brilliance we gain them all. All these potentialities are around us but we never perceive them. And human life is filled with infinite possibilities. Here there are many opportunities, and all opportunities become manifest, all possibilities become visible, sense of respect for self dawns. And then the sense of helplessness, agony, sense of smallness, or a sense of lack due to ignorance vanishes in a moment the way miseries of a dream vanish when the eyes open and we awaken.

‘Ugharahi vimal vilochan hi ke, mit hi dosh dukh bhanwar jani ke’, so good men say.

That eyes of the mind open, then the language changes, thinking changes, sense of direction changes, and our whole life changes. This is not mere change, but it is a total transformation.

What is in us becomes manifest. When we experience this, then there is place for pathos. We do not know where despair and disappointment vanish.

And there is no fear or doubt. The

Absence of wisdom leads to fear, doubts, depression. Study of scriptures and guidance of wise ones enlighten us and help understand the Truth of human life onslaught of endless dilemmas, and the perplexity that arises from them, and the perpetual distress it causes just disappear. All this happens when our inner eye opens and there is a lifechanging event.

This is a big transformative process, though it does not appear as such. But do it once. This is a great achievement.

Attain it once. Understand one’s self, know one’s self. Awaken the sense of self, experience the individuality of

one’s existence. This is why, it has been said time and again in the Upanishads, ‘praapya varaannibodhatta’ that is once you understand. That is why it said, arise, awake. ‘utthishta, jaagrata, praapya varaannbodhatta’. On the face of it, it does not look like a big challenge or a great goal. Or that it has to be done before anything else. But this is the first exercise. It is necessary for one to understand the power of our thoughts because when you change your

thinking, the world changes. Even as the individual and the aspirant face each other, the good resolve awakens, and that itself changes the direction.

And there takes place inside us a total conversion. Sometimes through good fortune we get an atmosphere and we become a part of it, where our good resolve begins to take life and that atmosphere is the spiritual atmosphere.

So, when somewhere unwittingly we become part of a spiritual atmosphere

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018 and we get to experience its presence, and this spiritual atmosphere is available to us for a long time, then the good resolution in us gets awakened.

This festival of guru puja, or worship of the teacher, is a festival of honouring tradition – asmaad aachaarya paryantaam. It is not considered just a body. In the ranks of the gods, mother is considered a guru because we learn our earliest behaviour to the knowledge of goals to be pursued, the knowledge of food and writing and reading, and taught us the knowledge of relationships. That is why, mother is the first teacher. Then father is considered the second teacher.

It has been said that the first thing that a human being should seek is knowledge. One must answer the question, ‘Who am I?’ Get an answer to this puzzle. Through the medium of knowledge, a human being should be in search of his or her identity, understand one’s existence and power, to reach a blessed goal and to overcome a sense of insecurity. It is necessary for a human being to understand what he or she is beyond body, colour, class and form.

Human beings are always haunted by a sense of insecurity. It is so because what they take to be true turns out to be ephemeral. That is why, first acquire knowledge, and then wealth. And after wealth, one should acquire merit.

Everybody sitting here knows that the big nations spend a large part of their wealth on security. A big portion of the total wealth is being spent on policies for waging war. What should be spent on human welfare is being spent on wars. This is happening because of lack of knowledge, there is fear among people, and there is battle for domination. When knowledge arises, arms fade away, and fear departs.

If I were to tell you about the idea of Ram Rajya, I have to tell you that there is no punishment in Ram Rajya.

There were no ploys. They were confined to the curtains of a play on stage. Governance runs on reasoning, inducements, punishment and ploy.

In Ram Rajya there was no place for punishment and ploy. Ram Rajya was run on the basis of law and wealth.

The day you have knowledge, you will understand the subtle meaning of wealth.

My view is that as you become

03 07

Acharya

spiritual, your wealth becomes a blessing and it is meant for everyone.

And it should be spent in helping others.

Here is a true story. Once a holy man asked a person as to why he was unhappy. He said that that other person is giving out in charity and he is getting more respect. Someone is giving charity, and some other person is unhappy. The meaning of this day, Guru Parva, is to create a philosophical sense which will bring a sense of equanimity, sense of oneness, and a sense of bonding with the world. People who have renounced are our ideal. Our culture is that of renunciation.

Do not be a reactionary Nowadays people have become very reactionary. People have found real freedom because of the introduction of social media. Without understanding the subject matter, and the seriousness of it, they write what they like on sensitive topics.

It has a bad effect. So do not be a reactionary on the subject which you do not know. Do not go beyond your religion, behaviour and nature.

Cultured response Remember that we are a seeker.

Believe me, I always keep in mind one thing that I am my guru’s follower, I am a seeker. This is not my intention to attract you. Trust me that I do

Mahamandleshwar said that you will not consider myself Swami Avdheshand be inclined towards saint even today, I am a Giri in his ashram in what is good if you seeker. I’m still learning.

Haridwar keep good company.

If I consider myself Then everything will as perfect, then it will be fine. You come to be a great loss for me. me for satsang- good Even though you have company - and it will be all alright. a modern communication system at It is not that we do not know, hand, you have got a platform where problem is we are just not practicing. you can keep your thoughts, but Whatever we practice, we practice at a do not forget that you are a seeker very small level. We believe we are the and your reaction should always be body, we are our community and clan. compact. Nobody should be harmed We have narrowed down ourselves. We by your reaction, nobody should be have to open our eyesight. Whatever hurt. Give a cultured response, and thing that challenges our generosity, keep your words sweet. decency, humility etc., sacrifice it and Great Lesson make yourself better.

If you want to be beautiful, then My House – My Pilgrimage I will tell you a way. Keep your The social media platform has done thoughts beautiful, you will be another work. We are making contacts beautiful. Because he is not fierce, he with new people, strangers and is Vibheeshan or gentle. He doesn’t avoiding our own people and close hurt anyone, doesn’t harm anyone. ones. Keep in mind that if you get true He is very decent, very balanced, happiness and power from anywhere, because he is spiritual. Guru asked then it is your home, your people.

Duryodhana that it does not look ‘My house - My pilgrimage’ - Make good to see you like this, your your house Kashi, Mathura, Ayodhya, behavior hurts everyone, why do Hardwar. All pilgrimages should you not bring yourself on to the right be in your house itself. Have time path? Duryodhana says, ‘jaanaami for yourself, stay with your parents. dharman na ch me pravrttih. jaanaami There are many unwanted things in adharman na ch me nivrttih..’ means, our system, which do not make sense.

‘Gurudev, it is not that I do not know We have changed our lifestyle and what is right, I know what is right, adopted a lifestyle that is taking us in but I am not inclined towards it, that the wrong direction. means I cannot follow it. Gurudev Head towards knowledge Start writing, compile good ideas.

Collect your good thoughts; make a treasure of your thoughts. Thinking will bring freshness. If there is a progenitor of all our sorrows, it is ignorance and indiscretion. On this Guru parv, let us walk towards knowledge because the guru makes everything simple, and makes everything possible.

Change is the law of this world. Situations never remain permanent. Try to remain peaceful, patient and optimistic during challenging times

04

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

interview

‘I Am A Sanyasi, Not An Activist’ In an extended interview, Juna Peethaadhishwar Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri speaks about the need for reviving spiritual values to protect the environment and help people lead better lives

E

Reeta singh

nvironment means the balance of living beings.

Whatever there is in the world of organisms - earth, sky, water, fire, air, stars, different living beings - these are all part of the environment. Today, because of global warming and the scorching rise of temperatures, glaciers are melting. The way in which greenery is being destroyed, it is not just the forests but the wealth of forests that is being lost; the manner in which availability of water, the flow of rivers is being affected, whose continuity, serenity, purity, continuous nature has been destroyed. At the same time, the changes in untimely seasons, excessive rains, short-fall in rains, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Scientists say that earlier such changes have not been observed. There is unnaturalness in the sky and in the atmosphere, when we look at the earth, we see what kinds of fertilizers are being strewn, and it is having its effect on agriculture. When we speak of the environment, we can see the imbalances in it, and we recognise the crises that are looming over it.

If there are trees, there is life, moisture is there, water and air, medicines, shade, greenery, aroma are all meant for our life. Its moisture draws the clouds, its roots control soil erosion, it maintains the balance of water. These facts have been reiterated all over the country.

Madhya Pradesh government has planted 25 crore trees and Uttar Pradesh government is also planting trees, and many other state governments have also become active on this. Our programmes concerning the environment are quite old. We have motivated people in villages and towns to plant trees.

We have said that tulsi plant should reach every home, and that among trees neem, peepul and kadamb should be given preference because in these plants there are life-giving air. Fruit trees are also very useful.

Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri is engaged in the service and welfare of people, in which water scarcity is the major issue of concern and the top agenda.

In his words, “Many years ago, in 2004, at the Ujjain Mahakumbh Simhasth I had said that to maintain the natural flow of the Kshipra river, compatible flora should be allowed to grow. And there were positive results. As part of the same environmental movement, we said where there is scarcity of water, there is need to dig water bodies. So, in Jhabua, as part of this movement we had started the Shiv Ganga Project.

We helped people. We dug 1000 ponds and we stopped the migration of the villagers, who used to go away to Gujarat and other places for six months of the year. Many people used to lose their lives and homes.

But flight of population due to water scarcity has ended.

As part of the Shiv Ganga movement, we dug wells and ponds, and the villagers took part in the work. Some volunteer groups had also joined us in the movement. We have worked similarly in different parts of the country. We have recognised that the basic necessity of a village is water. We have paid attention to the issue of better farming in the villages as well as organic farming. We have worked in different places, but our ideal site has been Madhya Pradesh.

I also want to reveal that in 2004 I had for the first time discussed the issue of water. Though I was not in favour of the word, environmentalists like Jal Purush

Rajendra Singh, Prof Rajesh Mishra and Dr Chauhan have named the programme ‘Water Parliament’.

About 250 water experts from different parts of the country had taken part in the programme. We had discussed the issue in Indore in 2005, there was a ‘Water Parliament’ at the Kumbh in Prayag (Allahabad) in 2007, at the Kumbh in Haridwar in 2010, and again at the 2013 Kumbh in Prayag (Allahabad). And there was a ‘Water Parliament’ in Ujjain in 2016. Scientists from the IITs and other institutions read research papers and shared their experiences. And the major finding that has been revealed is that less than 1 per cent of water is pure. That is why, it is necessary to save rivers and plant trees to improve ground water sources.

In 2001, during the time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government, Ganga Yatra was taken to stop construction of Tehri dam. I was president of Ganga Raksha Yatra.

Five thousand sadhus went from Haridwar to Delhi. We had talks with Honourable Prime Minister Atalji. Many scientists expressed concern over neglected our rivers.

Today you can see the state of the Yamuna. There is no water in it outside Delhi, more than 99 per cent of the water in it is from sewers.

The state of Ganga is similar.”

A report says by 2060 there would be no water in Ganga.

Even today there is no water in the Ganga. The people of Haridwar are yearning for a few cusecs of water for their daily needs and rituals.

There are plans afoot to make water available for the forthcoming Kumbh. We have held discussions, we have undertaken programmes to plant trees, we have started awareness programmes, and we have set up waterworks. Our ‘Water

Truth is Eternal, Everlasting and Universal. When thoughts, speech and actions are guided by Truth, one experiences the power of the Divine

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018 Parliament’ has not changed into slogans and agitations because I am a sanyasi, and not an activist. But I am in favour of an ideological movement, and I want change in the attitudes of people. People should understand that our God has risen from the waters, and that is why it is necessary to save it.

God is generated from the water, the mineral wealth is from water. That is why, I have talked about saving water.

On environment, I have only this to say: save the water in this country.

And there is only one way to save water. And that is to plant trees. Dig the banks of rivers, and find alternative arrangements for sewage water. Along with Ganga and Yamuna, we have to save many other rivers in the country.

People would be surprised to know that the water of Chambal reaches Prayag (Allahabad) but the water of Yamnuna does not reach the place.

Think of it. How sad it is.

What is the way to implement programmes and plans?

There is rampant consumerism in society. Selfishness has reached its peak. People have dedicated their lives to meet their own goals. When you can see only your needs and you cannot see the lane in your neighbourhood, and you throw garbage in that lane, and you take away the light bulb in that lane, the society has deviated.

There is need for self-introspection.

The direction in which we are moving takes us to the extinction of human life.

We are moving towards the murder of this planet. All our tendencies are selfdestructive. We do not see anything.

We do not think of this earth, nor do we think about the environment. So much so, we are not even thinking about our own health. We are in such stupor that we are caught in the web of attraction of some things.

Atalji had said that we should link the rivers. If rivers are interlinked, can disasters be averted?

We have seen that waters of rivers are dammed in many countries. There are many ways of doing it. There are ways to generate electricity by using the hydro-systems. There is not much need for dams. We know all this but we do not know the compulsions why they cannot take the right decisions.

But the truth is that even after 70 years of independence, we are unable to stand up. We may have become strong in the economic sense but where are the rivers, where is the forest wealth, where are the farms? There are five crore micro-organisms. There are only 40 lakh left in the village soil. We have destroyed so much. If we were to use dung as fertilizer, kept the soil in natural condition, farming is done

05 07

Spiritual Guru His Holiness Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri and Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, blessed the liberated untouchable women scavengers from Alwar and Tonk (Rajasthan), and widows from Vrindavan and Varanasi on the occasion of Maha Kumbh on May 13, 2016, at Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh)

in the right way, we can once again restore the health of the soil.

What is the reason for this: urbanization or growing population?

See, I think the concept of smart cities is good. But we will have to make our villages smart as well. We have to provide all amenities. There are many government initiatives in this direction. The flight of village assets has to be stopped. We have to retain the resources of the village in the village. We have to set up small cottage industries there. We have to set up cooperatives and this has been there in our villages earlier as well. The way Amul has created the milk movement and the country has become selfreliant in production of milk. Earlier there was shortage of milk in the country. Now the milk revolution has made the country self-sufficient.

There is tension in society today, there is decline in values.

You are seen in the country as a symbol of peace and spirituality.

What do you have to say?

I will once again say that the reason for the rising tensions is our selfishness. We are not able to think of the other person’s self-respect, we do not care for their identity and existence. We are getting fierce about family, clan, caste, community. That all Indians are one, will come about when we become spiritual. Spiritual people are disciplined people. They are concerned about the self-respect and good of everyone else.

When do you think that Ganga will flow continuously and regain its serenity?

I think that the serious efforts

which should have been made earlier are now being made. It is difficult to say what the results of these efforts will be. But it is not the case that efforts have taken a mission-mode.

It does not seem to be the case that vision is turning into a mission. There should be efforts that people should not throw even a bit of garbage into the river, industrial effluents should not flow into it, and sewerage should not reach the river.

According to the report there is a rise in the sewerage that goes into the river. It shows that there is a lack in the government’s means to clean the river.

I will give you an example of 1830 when the system of flushing toilets was introduced in Delhi. People did not ever use the water of Yamuna for drinking. There were wells in Delhi.

The pollution of Yamuna began after the flush system came into use. Earlier people used river water to offer oblations. And they used it nominally for bathing and for worship. Now they use it for irrigation, for flushing toilets. Think of it. Drinking water is being used for flushing, streets are being washed, clothes are being washed. Now there is no water in the Yamuna.

How far have you succeeded in combining spirituality with social responsibility?

We have seen that our programmes had brought about some good changes. People had given up their addictions, they became lovers of Nature, they separated themselves from bad things, and moved away from bad ways. They have stopped misspending their money, unity has been restored to families, love of the country has been awaked in people, spiritual feelings have arisen.

When you move out with some good resolve, people are inspired. In this way, transformation takes place. It is true that on one side there is rising consumerism, there is also on the other side enthusiasm for spirituality.

While the attraction and greed for worldly goods is overcrowding the mind at one end, at the other end is the call of the soul. And the person wants to know about his existence as well. As a ersult you can see that there is global acceptance of yoga. I see a blessed future through yoga. Now a person is improving his body through yoga, there will come a day when he will improve his mind through yoga and he will heal the diseases of the mind. And if he continues his journey on the path, then he will reach his Atma or Self. It is a good thing that India has inspired the world with yoga.

The day yoga takes root in the mind after mending the body, the world will become one. I want to see this world as a village and as a family.

On the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanada, you have received an invitation from Chicago. What message will you be taking there?

Mine will be the same old message that Swami Vivekananda took – that of culture and sacraments. This world is a family. There will also be the message as to why we are spending money, excitements and security? Why are we not spending the money on the welfare of humanity? It would be better if the money is spent on education and health instead of preparations for war.

It may well be that there friendships are made on the basis of strength of arms. But I am not alone. I will make every effort to awaken them.

06

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Juna Peethaadhishwar Acharya MahaMandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand giri

The Glory Of A Saint Is Beyond Praise The tradition of Indian saints is the path of selfless service for human welfare. The pontiff of the Juna order, Acharya Swami Avadheshanand Giri, is a spiritual mentor and saint, who won respect and recognition for Indian spiritual wisdom through his knowledge and yogic discipline, through his sermons and service

T

he study of Indian life and heritage shows that it has survived from the ancient times to the present day because it balances worldly life and spirituality. It is quite evident that even as progress and culture moved towards materialism, there has been an increase in turbulence, violence and unrest. Hindi journalism’s acute observer Prabhash Joshi had said of the thinking and greed of the present age as “the ultimate stage of the maximum consumer”. The irony of the present times is that there is a cry all around for prosperity and pleasure, yet there is such longing for internal peace and happiness that people are once again seeking dharma, spirituality and yoga. There is no other country than India which can give happiness and a satisfactory response to this need of the people.

The teachings of Vedanta and the spiritual heights that India had reached in the past have been kept alive by the sages and gurus even in the present and they have made it the basis of the country even today.

The pinnacle of the heritage Indian saints and teachers, while showing the way through nonviolence, yoga, peace and service to humankind, have at the same time send out a clear message that caught in the whirl of materialism, it is not possible for people to attain meaningful existence, whatever else they may gain.Acharya Swami Avadheshanand Giri belongs to this tradition of saint-mentors who have, through knowledge and meditation and acts of service, spread the message of, and established faith in, India’s spiritual heritage across the world.

The Juna pontiff, who carries the title of Acharya Mahamandaleshwar, Swami Avadheshanand Giri was born into a learned Brahmin family in the village of Pilkhanhari in Bulandshahr

district on a full moon day. From very early, his innate qualities became noticeable to his family and to others.

At the centre of his psychological bent of mind was his tendency

towards spirituality. In the course of conversation, he said, “The atmosphere in the family home was spiritual.

Holy men would constantly visit the house. The house would constantly reverberate with sermons, singing of hymns and religious rites. It is because of this atmosphere at home that my interest in spirituality took root.”

He does not say much about his taking sanyas, excepting that “Even from childhood I had this innate proclivity for writing and learning, and the Himalayas held an overwhelming attraction for me. It was a combination of these factors that sowed the seed for my decision to don the saffron robes.”

Consequently, away from the norms of getting educated and getting married, he went off to the Himalayas in quest of spirituality. About his time in the mountains, he says that he had an opportunity to be with great personages and he got to learn a lot from them. He said, “It is a fact that if you have the tendency to be with holy people and learn from them, you have a desire to gain knowledge, and you have the desire to know truth, and if you have the idea to unravel reality, then God will help you.”

It is during his wanderings in the Himalayas that he met Swami Satyamitranand Giri. It is under his tutelage that Swami Avdheshanand Giri learnt the Vedas and the shastras.

After being formally ordained, he came out of the Himalayan caves and he entered monastic life. When he entered the Juna Akhada from among the seven akhadas, it was then he was given the name of Avdheshanand Giri. In June 1998, all the monks of the Juna Akhada anointed him as the ‘Mahamandaleshwar’ or the chief abbot. He is now the president of the famous Bharatmata Trust in

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

07

Erudite Spiritual Scholar and Inspirational Mentor

H

is Holiness S w a m i Avdheshanand Giri is Chairman of Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha Trust. His holiness is nominated member of World Council of Religious Leaders.

He is spiritual Head of Shri Panchdashanam Juna Akhada, referred as AcharyaMahamandaleshwar. Juna Akhada is about more than 1200-years-old institution and it has maximum number of Sadhus/Sanyasis in India and abroad. HH Swami being the Spiritual Head is leader of 1.4 million Sanyasis and millions of devotees. He himself has initiated more than about 6.5 lacs Sadhus.

His Holiness also heads Prabhu Premi Sangh which has more than 250 branches. Under his leadership Prabhi Premi Sangh is doing many reach out activities in serving poor and deprived people in villages and in aadivasi areas, for students and elderly alike. To name a few-charitable hospital, mobile dispensary, feeding poor regularly, scholarships to poor, holistic development of villages and aadivasi areas etc.

He is also head of Samanvaya Seva Trust, Haridwar which has world famous temple Bharat Mata Mandir and has branches in seven countries.

His Holiness Swami is a learned

Haridwar and he is also the president of the Hindu Dharmacharya.

Swami Avdheshanand Giri says that the world is his family. He includes in his definition of family birds, rivers, mountains and farms. For the sadhu, the whole world is his family, and he lives in such a way that every person in the world is part of his family.

and prolific writer, having authored over sixty books and written extensively on the various aspects of Indian spiritual ph i l o so phy.

His discourses and lectures are regularly telecasted in many countries worldwide.

His Holiness was awarded D.Litt. in 2008 by prestigious Vikram University, for his extraordinary in Hindi (National) literature, Spirituality and Sewa work and Services to poor and deprived.

His Holiness commands respect from Traditional Scholar and Youths of this modern generations.

His followers include Entire cross section of the Society, Scholars, Political Leaders, Bureaucrats, Executives, Teachers & Students etc.

An erudite spiritual scholar with a unique ability to effortlessly communicate with his heart touching speeches, His Holiness has inherent clarity about contemporary problems and solutions. He possesses a unique blend of practical wisdom as well as profound knowledge of the ancient Indian scriptures.

With his cheerful, compassionate and pleasing personality, he continues to incessantly guide and motivate million of seekers on their spiritual journey.

Asked what he would have been if he had not taken to the spiritual path, he said that he was interested in education and learning, and that he used to read a lot of novels. “I would have become a teacher and a writer,” he said.

The West’s materialistic thinking Speaking on this issue, he says, “Our

Many of the religious gurus keep themselves away from the issue of social differences, but this is not so in the case of Swami Avdehshanand

culture has taught the world the idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or the whole world is a family. I do not disrespect the West, but the West has considered the whole world as a market for doing business. In the view of the West, the world is a bazaar. In the view of India, the world is like a single family.”

Speaking about knowledge, Swami Avdheshanand Giri says that knowledge is that which liberates you, and which gives you bliss. Knowledge is that which teaches the truth about life and proclaims the fullness of life.

Peace is embedded in knowledge.

Meaning of dharma is service Dharma is widespread in all ages, but illusions about what it meant arose as times changed. A situation has arisen where there are such views which have no connection whatsoever with what dharma is. When the issue comes up during conversations with Swami Avdheshanand, he not only clears the air about the meaning of dharma and difficulties arising out of the misunderstanding, but also puts forward his views in a natural manner.

He says, “Discharging your duties is dharma. Dharma is that which takes us towards the best and rewarding, and which makes the present and future free of risks and difficulties. Dharma is that which offers permanent

Words are immortal.Your words are a reflection of your overall personality. Think before you speak, and always use kind, sweet and gracious words

answers, it is that which makes for continuous progress and evolution.

Dharma is the welfare of all, my welfare as that of others, and it is not confined to systems.”

In this age of greedy consumption, it is difficult to understand that sense of service is considered the highest virtue among the best and superior ideals of life. The basis of Indian spirituality and philosophy is the view that it is in the happiness of others that one finds one’s own happiness. In the Bhakti period, poets have written as much about service and charity as about devotion in their popular verses. For Swami Avdheshanand also service remains an important aspect and he presses forward continuously along this path. He says, “Our monks, thousands of monasteries and educational institutions are spread across the country. Simultaneously, we set up relief camps and we also work for the differently-abled.

Apart from this, our main purpose is to maintain social harmony. It is for this that you will find monks from sections in the Juna Akhada.”

Many of the religious gurus keep themselves away from the issue of social differences, but this is not so in the case of Swami Avadheshanand.

In his view, service of society and the nation is also a meritorious deed. That is, he places special emphasis on the issue. He says that the attitude towards all castes is respectful and inclusive.

Under the inspiration and leadership of the Swami, awareness workshops are organised, and engineering and medical colleges are run. To know about the food, literacy and health care programmes he runs is to understand the universality and sacred responsibility of his undertakings.

08

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Refrain from evaluating, judging and criticising others. Instead, work on developing, transforming and improving your own self. You will certainly progress

of identity in the Indian view of life.

The truth is that the flowering of life is within the confines of these values.

That is why Vedic culture remains relevant, contemporaneous and lifegiving today as it was in its own time.

Respecting your parents About the old age homes that are spreading because of the increasing number of nuclear families, he says, “It is not a good omen that old age homes or vriddh-ashrams are being built in the country. There was the system of vaanprasth in this country and even today old parents are venerated. There should be this sentiment that the older members of the family are gods of the home. In our culture there is the thought that mother is a divinity, father is a divinity, which is to say that among the divine beings the ones to be worshipped first are mother and father.

Acharya Swami Avdheshanand Giri with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (A) Acharya Swami Avdheshanand Giri with Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan (L)

Nuclear family Speaking about the attitudes and tendencies that can be seen in the spread of nuclear families in India, he says that the effects of nuclear family have not been good even in the West. In Europe, one can see the tragic social consequences of a nuclear family. With people losing

interest in raising families, the familial and social traditions are getting destroyed. Family is a meeting point of community and society, in which the individual is anchored and there is mutual benefit for all those in it.

In his words: “The family serves as a refuge for each other, sustenance for each other, protection for each other,

and an assurance for each other. This makes life both simple and smooth.”

The manner in which the Indian lifestyle is changing, and it is turning more individualistic, is not for the good of the society. The compulsions of urban life make it both necessary and attractive to adopt to the ways of a nuclear family. He emphasises the fact that at the end of the day what will keep the individual rooted is Indian values, traditions and culture. A human being cannot live without these social ties. It is for these reasons that our traditions, rites, lifestyle, mores and ideas which draw the whole world towards us.

There is happiness and peace, wellbeing, beauty, self-respect and a sense

The internal journey There is a big difference between materialism and spiritualism.

While materialism will leave your consciousness without meaning and in ruins and it turns your vision away from the internal to the external and inspires you to go out, spiritualism will make your consciousness discriminate between the true and false, between the deeps and the shallows, and it motivates you to undertake the internal journey. It is possible to know the internal world and discover its ultimate truth despite living in the world surrounded by external trappings.

Swami Avadheshanand too feels this to be the case. He says, “It is possible to achieve everything in life if you maintain equanimity.

Even I try to keep my equanimity.

Our spiritual discipline, the rites and fasts of our spiritual path help us keep equanimity then we can keep up our quest for truth.”

Authorship and reflection Acharya Swami Avdheshanand Giri has written many books which show society the path of human welfare. About the inspiration for writing books, he says that if a person is on the path of reflection, then thoughts, books, study and reflection are of help. I feel that the intoxication of study is death and even the shastras or books of wisdom say so. Therefore, progress, ascent and fulfillment are all inherent in study. He says, “My companionship with the great masters has given me the opportunity for study and reflection, and this has motivated me to reflect and write books.”

Cover Story

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

09 07

How Did Bhairav Akhada Become Juna Akhada There is a place called Anand Bhairav in Haridwar.

Bhairav Akhada was in existence under this name from the beginning. Later this name was changed to “Shri Panch Dashnaam Juna Akhada”, which means an ancient, or old, organisation

Ancient tales or myths?

India’s venerable past is often described as a myth. Clarifying on this point, he says anything that is very old or ancient has been termed mythology or legend, but is a part of history. Our culture is hoary. The oldest text of human civilisation and history is the Rig Veda. This is why, Indian civilisation is thousands of years old. How ancient the river Ganga is or the river Saraswati is well-known.

Mohenjodaro and Indus Valley civilisation, all go to show how venerable India’s past is.

He says, “Whether it is Takshashila or Pataliputra, people from all over the world used to come here to study.

BOOKS BY Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanad Giri

Literary Self In the life of Swami Avdheshanand Giri, it has been a life of letters.

Despite hectic engagements, he is always engaged in learning. He has also written many books. He smiles and says about his favourite book, “My favourite books are the shastras because they offer answers and solutions. So, I like any book connected to the shastras. I prefer staying close to shastras.”

The Books are: • Aatmaanusandhaan • Saagar Ke Moti • Aatma Avabodh • Satyam Shivam Sundaram • Mukti-path • Sanwaare Apna Jeevan • Jeevan Darshan • Sadhana Mantra

M

ahamandaleshwar Acharya Swami Avdheshanad is associated with Juna Akhada. He explains that Lord Shiva has different names. One of those names is

Bhairav.

The power of Bhairav is not different from Lord Shiv. Like there is a Bhairav in Ujjain, Kaal Bhairav in Kashi and in Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh there is Unmatt Bhairav, so there is a place called Anand Bhairav, who is a Bhairav in this place.

The Anand Bhairav is a form of Mahadev.

The Bhairav Akhada is in his name and it has been here for a long time. This name has been changed to “Shri Panch Dashnaam Juna Akhada”.

The meaning of this is that it is a very old organisation, or something which has been there from the beginning.

Wanting to dispel the widespread myth about Junagadh Akhada, he says it has nothing to do with the place of Junagadh in Gujarat, as is generally believed. As a matter of fact, Juna is associated with the word ancient.

• Prerna Ke Pushp • Swarnim Suktya • Amrit Ganga • Kalpvriksh Ki Chchaon • Jnana Sutra • Swayam Ke Liye Yatra • Atma Anubhav • Purnata Ki Or • Adhyatmic Kathayen • Sadhana Path • Amrit Prabhakaran • Brahm Hi Satya Hai • Drishtaant Mahasagar • Aatm Aalok

Aims of Juna Akhada Swami Avdheshanand, explaining the aims of Juna Akhada, says the meaning of Panch Dashnaam is that sanyasis have ten gotras – Giri, Puri, Bharati, Saraswati, Van, Aranya, Sagar, Parvat etc. Dashnaam refers to Dashnaami sanyasi belong to the four peeth or monasteries set up by Shankaracharya and the ten gotras who follow the system and those who represent them are known as Panch Dashnaam. It means where the ten gotras are gathered. Our aim is for a spiritually awakened human being who can serve everyone and help in the building of the nation.

The rite of initiation of the Juna Akhada The person who comes with the spirit of renunciation is required to spend time with the spiritual mentors. He is engaged in a brief spell of learning but he is also required to engage in long and deep learning. After being transformed by the spiritual mentors, the seed of sanyas flowers in him. It is then that the process of becoming a sanyasi gets started.

People here have understood life in a better way. It seems to me that it is for this reason that people call very ancient things mythological. But our history is not such that we exaggerate about it. That is why, our things are credible and scientific. It is only after studying it that we understand the worth of Vedic civilisation where there is assurance and safety of life.

At the same time it is scientific and valid. In every way it is both new and contemporaneous. We are proud of the fact that culture of which we are a part is timeless, ancient and Vedic.

Our culture has lived from ancient times to the present. Our culture speaks of the immortality of the soul.

This is why, it is timeless. India’s culture teaches the message of truth.

The stars and the lessons of life There is an interesting aspect about how knowledge, devotion and dedication are part of Swami Avdheshanand’s spiritual life. He says, “Everyday at dusk, I salute the constellations of stars and the moon.

While on the one hand, at dawn

I bow to the sun, at dusk I bow to the nebulae, the stars and the Milky Way. I am not just a worshipper of light. I am also grateful to night that it brings to us the teachings of the stars. When I pray to the evening stars, I experience the truth of life that life too has to set one day.”

In the same way, he is also a worshipper of food. He says, “We consider food to be Brahm or the ultimate principle. We relish food.

All beings which are dependent on food are divine. For the sadhu, food is God. Food is not different from God.” Progress through blessings People who set out on a big enterprise seek the blessing of the guru. Even at home, we first seek the blessing of mother and father before we set out to do something new or big.

Acharya Swami Avdheshanand says, “If an individual for his progress is able to get the blessings of mother and father, of learned people, of virtuous people, of respected scholars, then he should obtain it.

This is what our culture is about.”

10

Sanitation

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

italy

Parasites In Bathhouses The Romans invented plumbing, so at one time they were the world leaders SSB BUREAU

T

Quick Glance In 312 BC, Appius Claudius was charged to build first aqueduct Romans introduced legislation to take waste mess outside towns Cloaca Maxima is among the world’s oldest functioning wastewater system

hough the ancient Romans may be more wellknown for things like military prowess and leafy hats, they have also been lauded for being awesome at toilets.

The flush toilet is one of those ideas, and calls the Romans “ahead of their time” for their adoptions of public toilets.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, toilet technology came to a bit of a standstill.

The Romans did build many structures seemingly dedicated to improving sanitation—in addition to public toilets, they had bathhouses and sewer systems like the giant Cloaca Maxima in Rome.

They [also] introduced legislation so that towns had to clear away the

waste from the roads and things and take all that waste mess outside towns. You’d expect those things to improve the health of the people that lived there as a result.

connected to the sewers. They were afraid of connecting their houses to the sewers, since they feared what might climb out of a sewer into one’s house. They also feared the mephitic gas fires that sometimes burned in sewer holes or in the open seats in public toilets.

And when they did go to the public latrines, one of the things they used to wipe themselves was a sponge on a stick, which was shared by everybody. Little wonder, then, that the Romans’ toilets—advanced though they may have been—weren’t exactly a public-health revolution.

But they didn’t.

The evidence suggests that certain parasites—like whipworm, Drinking water roundworm, and the parasite Among many other growing pains that causes dysentery—were just from urbanisation, drinking water as prevalent in the region under supply became strained. Old Roman rule as they had been during springs, wells and cisterns of the the earlier Bronze and Iron community began to dry or Ages. become contaminated.

The Roman The steamy government started bathhouses made a Ancient Rome’s to act. In 312 BC, good environment toilets, sewers, and Appius Claudius for parasites to was charged to grow. “In some bathhouses may have build Rome’s baths the water been innovative, but first aqueduct, was only changed they didn’t do much the Aqua Appia, i n t e r m i t t e n t l y, (who also built and could acquire a to improve public the great Via scum on the surface health Appia at the same from human dirt and time). Aqua Appia cosmetics. was a subterranean Koloski-Ostrow channel fed by a spring. noted that while the toilets didn’t necessarily have a negative Nothing remains of this aqueduct, effect on public health, researchers and it’s speculated it was paved over should be careful about saying they in 1887 (Platner). Most aqueducts were underground covered-channels. had a positive effect.

With the arrival of public latrines With so many enemies, an exposed in Roman Italy probably did improve drinking water supply was extremely the sanitary conditions of cities to dangerous and expensive. Once the water reached the city proper, it was some extent.

Sewers like the Cloaca Maxima elevated over arches for delivery were not built with human waste throughout Rome.

Most Roman water infrastructure removal in mind, but to help drain was built following centuries-old standing water from cities.

Most people had private toilets Greek techniques, which were at their houses, which weren’t channels cut through the hillside.

Sanitation

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

The History of Sanitary Sewers in italy

Sewers like the Cloaca Maxima were not built with human waste removal in mind, but to help drain standing water from cities

Sewer near Temple of Divus Iulius, Rome, showing a flat roof construction method. Attributed to period of Sulla (138-78 BCE).

Sewer near Temple of Saturn, Rome, circa 4th century BCE. “On one side, the blocks are laid so as to furnish sufficient width for a shelf on which to lay a runnel; on the other, they are laid as stretchers with no bond. This sewer has the distinction of possessing the earliest voussoir arch yet found in Rome.”

Row of toilets from circa 100 CE, Sicily.

Latrine in the the ancient city of Minturno, Italy, showing both the channel that ran under the seats and the channel for washing in front of the seats.

Women’s caldarium (room with a bath) in the Terme Urbane in Herculaneum, Italy.

Latrine in Ostia (port city at the mouth of the Tiber River), Rome.

The Baths of Caracalla were Roman public baths, or thermae, built in Rome between 212 and 216 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla. The extensive ruins of the baths have become a popular tourist attraction.

The bath complex covered approximately 13 hectares (33 ac). The bath building was 228 meters (750 ft) long, 116 meters (380 ft) wide and 38.5 meters (125 ft) estimated height, and could hold an estimated 1,600 bathers.

The building was heated by a hypocaust, a system of burning coal and wood underneath the ground to heat water provided by a dedicated aqueduct. It was in use up to the 19th century.

Artist’s rendition of a public latrine that may have seated as many as 100 near the Theatre of Pompey in Rome. Water was often fed to latrines from adjacent public baths. The open water channel in front of the latrines was most likely used to wash hands or to dip sponges that were tied to the end of a stick and used for cleaning. The water basins in front of the latrines were probably used for washing faces and other general cleaning.

The latrines were most often unisex; the type of clothing worn served to maintain modesty while on the latrine seats.

Cutaway view of a typical Roman street during the Roman Empire, showing lead water pipes and a central channel for sewage under the pavement. Perpendicular connections brought sewage from nearby homes and businesses.

View of the Cloaca Maxima, Italy. The 11’ x 12’ Cloaca Maxima (“Main Drain”-- finished in 510 BCE, and made of hewn stone, no cement) drained to the Tiber River. The sewer has remained in service for over 2400 years.

Underground cistern, Todi, Italy. Photo date October 2007. Todi has a complex underground net of tunnels, wells and cisterns that were used to drain and canalize underground water and to supply water. This water network operated until the building of the modern waterworks in 1925.

Italian plumbing with external house connection sewers

11 07

These early water infrastructures were made via the cut and cover method: a trench was dug near a water source such as a lake, spring or stream. The trench was lined with stone and concrete, then capped with stone or vaults. Along the channel route were various access points to clean debris such as sticks and leaves. Aqueducts had several distribution end-points. They either filled massive cisterns or constantly flowed (and therefore flushing) baths, latrines and streets. In later stages of urban development (e.g. the mid-to-late Empire era), private residences tapped the aqueducts with lead pipes.

Wastewater and Sewers At over 2500 years old, the Cloaca Maxima is one of the world’s oldest functioning wastewater and storm water systems. Built by the Etruscans around 500 BC, it was originally constructed as a trench and canal system to drain a sandy marsh in order to build a large portion of downtown Rome known as the Forum Romanum (the Forum). It’s hard to believe that the democratic center of Roman government was once a Mediterranean swamp.

Goddess Cloacina. In Roman mythology, Cloacina was the goddess who presided over the Cloaca Maxima. Titus Tatius, who reigned with Romulus during the Monarch era, erected a statue to her. She was originally derived from Etruscan mythology. Regardless

of her original source, she later became identified with Venus.

After the Forum was built and streets were paved, the Cloaca Maxima converted de facto to wastewater and sewerage treatment.

Bath houses, latrines, fountains and public buildings and road runoff discharged directly into the Cloaca Maxima, which emptied directly into the Tiber River.

The largest Roman streets had large drainage openings along the sides that constantly flowed with water from excess aqueduct water. The public literally would dump their private latrines into these openings and the flowing water would flush it away. On dry days (or more likely when the aqueducts were broken), the drains would clog. Rains would quickly dispense of any build-up due to the City’s steep slopes and engineered (e.g. graded and sloped) roads.

It is widely mistaken that the Cloaca Maxima served most of Rome’s wastewater and stormwater needs. There were very few private connections to the outlying sewers and major improvements didn’t come until the 1840s, some seventeen-hundred years later, when many Roman streets were converted from large-stone-pavers to smaller, smoother cobblestones.

Most households used chamberpots that were emptied into vats that were kept under the stairs. The vats would later be emptied into nearby cesspools or streams, or sometimes dumped right in the streets. Today the Cloaca Maxima is mostly a relic and tourist attraction. However, robust parts of the underground channel remain functioning in downtown Rome, near the Tiber River. It still treats storm and sewage overflows during very heavy rain storms.

12

Education

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

IIT-Kharagpur

Mission To Woo Promising Girl Students The union HRD ministry stated that 14 per cent of the total seats in each IIT must be reserved for the girls

Prasanta Paul

T

he Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India’s oldest IIT, has embarked on a mission to enrol as many girl students as possible. In order to attract talented and promising girl students, the institute has set up a hot line, a dedicated page on a social networking site and appointed a team of female students and faculty members for increased interaction with those who have qualified for the IIT-JEE (Advanced) examination.

IIT KGP is one of the top five IITs in the country in terms of the highest number of supernumerary seats in the current year. Since the last year, it has added 89 additional seats to take its total seat count to 1421 in 2018. It has been followed by IIT, Varanasi, 1132.

In a recent circular to IITs, the union HRD ministry stated that 14 per cent of the total seats in each IIT must be reserved for the girls. “We are keen to encourage the best and the most promising girl students to get enrolled in our institution once they crack the IIT-JEE (Advanced). Our aim is to put all necessary measures in place so that meritorius girls don’t hesitate to join here,” an IIT-KGP spokesman

has been taken at the level of the IIT Council to, inter alia, improve the gender balance in the undergraduate programs at the IITs from the current (approximately) 8 per cent to 14 per cent in 2018-19 by creating supernumerary seats specifically for female candidates, without any reduction in the number of seats that was made available to non-female candidates in the previous academic year (i.e. academic year 2017-2018).

Accordingly, to achieve this objective, and in accordance with the directions of the HRD ministry, supernumerary seats have thus been created and offered to female candidates for improving the gender balance in the undergraduate programs in IITs. These supernumerary seats will be offered (a) to only those female candidates who are declared qualified in JEE (Advanced) said.

- 2018, and, To address (b) the same is the issue of strictly based on gender gap at the performance IITs, the HRD in JEE (Advanced) ministry has 2018.

The asked the premier reservation policy as institutes to publish per Government of India separate merit lists for norms as existing at present will female candidates from the 2018-2019 be applicable to these supernumerary academic sessions. The aim is to hike seats as well. the number of admissions for female In another bold move, IITs, as candidates to at least 14 per cent. The part of the selection process, will be list is supposed to be published after identifying female students from class computing the percentage of girls VIII and coach and counsel them along who have got admission with their parents. through the common According to him, IIT Kharagpur has girl students will be merit list.

The ministry however also figured in the encouraged to ask clarified that this step, questions and talk top 50 list of The under no circumstances, about their concerns is going to change the Emerging Economies and queries on the admission process or social networking University number of seats at page. “This generates Rankings 2018 IITs in any way. The interest among the proposal to ensure a 14 students and they per cent quota for girl students will are made aware of the development be strictly observed through filling of personality and skill that IIT-KGP supernumerary seats. could offer,” explained Sudeshna Referring to the official website of Sarkar, head of the department of JEE Advanced 2018, the IIT- KGP Computer Science and Engineering. spokesman pointed out that a decision The more parents of the girl

students are encouraged to interact with the IIT authorities, the more they would get to learn information about various branches and locations, she said. “Parents are concerned about some cities or some areas which they feel are difficult to travel.

Some of the parents have their own opinion about certain branches. For instance, some feel branches such as metallurgy, electrical or mechanical are not suitable for girls. Some of the concerns are definitely genuine while some are not,” she pointed out.

In the IITs, women candidates, she conceded, lack role models. With IITKGP involving the girls studying in the institute and the women faculty members for interaction with the aspiring female candidates, there will be no dearth of motivation. “And this is exactly what we have in mind while trying to woo the female students in this institution, the country’s first IIT,” said IIT KGP director Partha Pratim Chakraborty.

Recently, IIT KGP has been ranked 76th among the top 100 in the Times Higher Education Golden Age University Rankings and top 50 in the Emerging University Rankings. The Golden Age ranking casts a spotlight on the best universities established for more than 50 years, but less than 80 years. The universities have been measured across their “core missions” – teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income. University of California, San Diego, tops the list, a media release issued early July said.

The ranking takes its name from what was a ‘Golden Age’ in global higher education, characterised by rapid university expansion and increasing investment in research. Institutions from 44 different countries were taken into consideration for this year’s list. IIT Kharagpur has also figured in the top 50 list of The Emerging Economies University Rankings 2018 that includes only institutions in countries classified as “advanced emerging”, “secondary emerging” or “frontier” economies. IIT KGP was placed 45th in the list that includes more than 350 universities from 42 countries across four continents. The Peking University of China tops the list, the release said. In its fifth year, the ranking has parted with the ‘BRICS’ acronym and has used a different title to recognise the strength and potential of a diverse range of emerging economies. The institutions of these countries were judged on several parameters — teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook of Emerging Economies University Rankings 2018.

Waste

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

13 07

Beat Plastic

Adidas To Use Only Recycled Plastic By 2024 Adidas is racing to make its products more sustainable SSB BUREAU

T

he global sportswear maker Adidas announced that it has committed to using only recycled plastic by 2024.

The pledge to eliminate the use of “virgin” plastic includes polyester.

Used in everything from t-shirts to sports bras, the material is popular in sportswear because it dries quickly and weighs little.

Adidas has said that it would stop using virgin plastic in its offices, retail outlets, warehouses and distribution centres, a move that would save an estimated 40 tonnes of plastic per year, starting from 2018.

It also said its apparel line for the spring and summer of 2019 will contain around 4 per cent recycled

polyester. The German company is expecting a sharp increase in sales of its Parley shoes, which are made with plastic waste that has been intercepted before it reaches

the ocean. While still a small share of its global sales, Adidas expects purchases to jump to 5 million pairs this year compared to 1 million in 2017.

Adidas is the latest in a series of global companies that have pledged to reduce plastic use. Coffee retail giant Starbucks plans to eliminate plastic straws from its stores, and McDonald’s is trialing a similar programme in the UK and Ireland.

Swedish furniture major Ikea is also phasing out single use plastic from its stores and restaurants.

Global use of plastic has increased 20-fold over the past 50 years and is expected to double again in the next 20 years. The material is cheap and versatile, but governments and consumers are increasingly aware of its huge environmental costs.

Research shows there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the world’s oceans by 2050. On a global basis, only 14 per cent of plastic is collected for recycling.

crusher machines

Plastic Bottle Crushing Machines At 2000 Stations Currently empty plastic bottles are disposed off manually Arun Kumar Das

J

oining the battle against plastic waste, Indian Railways is installing plastic bottle crushing machines at 2,000 stations across the country.

“At a time when plastics in general, and plastic bottles in particular, are being widely recognised as being extremely harmful for the environment, we are undertaking concrete steps to raise awareness to battle the plastic menace,” a senior Railways official involved in the cleanliness drive at stations told.

There is a huge consumption of plastic bottles for cold drinks and water every day at stations across the country.

According a report in 2009 by the Comptroller and Auditor General,

approximately 6,289 tonnes of plastic waste is discarded onto India’s railway tracks.

The installation of crushers is a step is to prevent travellers from throwing used plastic bottles on the tracks or in the station premises.

The crusher machines would be installed at platforms and at exit points so that passengers who want to discard their plastic bottles can deposit them in the flaking machine. Depending on the volume of plastic bottles deposited the machine automatically starts and stops. The inserted bottles disintegrate into fine pieces of plastic which is then released from a different outlet. The plastic pieces will be given to the plastic manufacturers, thus saving the landfills from additional plastic pollutants. All 16 zones and 70

divisons have been instructed to install the plastic bottle crushing machines at 2,000 stations in the first phase, said the official. Currently empty plastic bottles are disposed off manually.

There is a need to curb garbage thrown on tracks either by rail commuters or by those staying in illegal slums along the tracks.

The railways have given RITES the responsibility of providing project

management consultancy for selecting the agencies for installing and maintaining the crushers.

While smaller stations will be covered under corporate social responsibility spends, the rest of will be done through competitive bidding.

Successful bidders will have an eightyear contract to ensure viability and upgrade technology from time to time.

14

International Personality

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Abraham Lincoln

The ‘Great Emancipator’ Who Used Laughter As His Tool Many failures, self discipline and the fight against slavery with wit, immortalised Abraham Lincoln as the greatest n Swastika Tripathi “The best way to predict your future is to create it” Abraham Lincoln

A Secret Visit To Slaves R

ight then after his assassination in 1865, Abraham Lincoln became the stuff of legend and folklore, and as one such legend goes like…

“Shortly before the election of 1860, a man came upon a plantation near Marlin, Texas, some 20 miles southeast of Waco. Though nobody knew who he was, the plantation owner took him in as a guest. The stranger paid close attention to how the enslaved people working on the plantation were treated—how they subsisted on a weekly ration of “four pounds of meat and a peck

of meal,” how they were whipped and sometimes sold, resulting in the tearing apart of families.

Eventually, the stranger said goodbye and went on his way, but a little while later he wrote a letter to the plantation owner, informing him he would soon have to free his slaves – ‘that everybody was going to have to, that the North was going to see to it.’

The stranger told the owner to go into the room where he’d slept, and see where he’d carved his name into the headrest. And when the slaveholder went and looked, he saw the name: “A. Lincoln.”

The human race is ever fond of heroes. In all ages the distinguished personages have been reverenced and often worshipped as demigods. One such demigod that human race put a halo on was Abraham Lincoln.

The man who preserved the Union and issued the Emancipation Proclamation came into this world on February 12, 1809. (Abe) Lincoln was born in humble surroundings, a one-room log cabin with dirt floors in Hardin County, Kentucky. Little would have anyone imagined that this boy would rise from the small cabin to the biggest office of his nation.

Lincoln led the United States through the American Civil War (1861-65) – its bloodiest war and perhaps its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis.

In doing so, he preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernised the economy.

Did You Know that Abraham Lincoln did not like being called ‘Abe’.

However, the name stuck with him as his political managers insisted on the nickname to make him seem more approachable.

also understood firsthand the impact of racism on local life and politics in Springfield.

These Springfield African Americans had an impact on Lincoln that was far greater than their numbers there. The impact was strong enough for him to takw a strong stand against the extension of slavery. Although, he confessed not to know what the solution was to extinguish slavery, he was uncompromising in his assertion of the humanity and rights of black Americans – something which was frequently denied by his opponents.

In his speeches against the extension of slavery, Lincoln’s impact on his audience was based on reason and analysis rather than rhetorical flourishes. For his this approach, he was immortalised as the “Great Emancipator”, a champion of black freedom who supported social equality of the races, and who fought the American Civil War to free the slaves.

The Great Emancipator

As a young man, Lincoln had witnessed the slave system when he twice traveled down the Mississippi River on a raft to New Orleans.

Later, Lincoln witnessed slavery in Kentucky when he visited friends and family in the state of his birth. Lincoln

Lincoln’s impact on his audience was based on reason and analysis rather than rhetorical flourishes

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

International Personality instead went on to become one of the greatest presidents in the history of America.

Lincoln was a champion of never giving up, and one of the best examples for others to get motivated to never quit. And this persistence was his strength – this and selfdiscipline, with which he used those strengths for the right purpose.

A key to this transformation, from a poverty-surrounded boy to the president of his nation, was how Lincoln developed the self-discipline to take one of his signature strengths – his mastery of language – and used it to serve the interests of the American people rather than his own.

Into the Black Folk

Lincoln was the greatest hero to all the black people. He brought forth the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that abolished slavery.

It declared: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

And thus he entered into the mythology of black folk all over the United States that he liberated and reunited as the United States of America, once again.

The Gettysburg Speech

Delivered on the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, the “Gettysburg Address” is known as the greatest speech in the world – and certainly as one of Abraham Lincoln’s most defining moments of creating legends, a reborn Union, and living history.

Four months earlier, 46,000 soldiers from both sides of the Civil War had been killed or wounded

in the Battle of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania.

Altogether, only 273 words were delivered by Lincoln at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery at the battle site, on November 19th of 1863, where the tall President called upon the fundamental principles of the United States as the Declaration of Independence and the Union’s ideals proclaimed “a government of the people, by the people, for the people”.

The speech’s legacy and lasting impact has seen American schoolchildren throughout the years taught to recite the historical phrasings, while subsequent Presidents are also said to have used the speech as a map for governance in the USA.

Failures & SelfDiscipline

Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, failed in business twice and suffered a nervous breakdown. He could have quit many times, but he didn’t. And

Self-Made Man

Lincoln was undoubtedly one of the greatest communicators among all American presidents. His words – as a public speaker, writer, debater, and conversationalist – continue to entertain, educate, and inspire people to this day.

Although, this wasn’t something he was gifted, but rather developed with his own efforts. With only one year of formal schooling, Lincoln consciously cultivated this mastery of language and expression on his own.

As a young boy he would practice public speaking by gathering his friends together and stepping onto a stump to address them.

During his days as a lawyer in Illinois, Lincoln would frequently meet up in the evening with friends at a tavern where they would engage in story-telling contests. And he gleaned valuable lessons in rhetoric by diligently studying Shakespeare.

Stories & Humour

There’s an Abraham Lincoln we all know: the tall, bearded, bold president who freed the slaves with his axe while fighting off the Confederate Army. But there was an other side to his serious stature.

Abraham Lincoln was a compulsive teller of stories and jokes, the first president to make laughter a tool of office. Stories and humor were nearly as important to him as oxygen and water. It was as though they ran in his blood.

Many suggest that humor helped offset his natural sadness – that it was an escape from the internal and external pressures and events of his life. On the other hand, it gave a wit to his words and actions against his opponents.

Journalist Henry Villard once noted that Lincoln could find a story “to explain a meaning or enforce a point, the aptness of which was always perfect.”

15 07

Inspiring ‘Failures’ A

braham Lincoln was listening to the story of a nervous friend who was narrating about the failures and misfortunes of his life. After his narration was over, Abraham Lincoln told the person to have a glance at a board.

The friend of Lincoln minutely glanced at the board and read the content written on the board.

The content written on the board were the list of failures occurred to Abraham Lincoln during his life. After reading the content on the board, a new shine of hope appeared on the person’s face and he heartily thanked Lincoln for showing him a new direction towards his goal.

Let’s take a glance at the list of disheartening failures and setbacks which Lincoln endured only to become a great leader: Unsuccessful in business (at age of 21)  Miserably lost in legislative elections (at age of 22)  Faced the untimely death of his sweetheart (at age of 24)  Had to suffer a severe nervous breakdown (at age of 27)  Was defeated in Congressional race (at age of 34)  Had to face failure of becoming a Senator (at age of 45)  Failed again in becoming a vice president (at age of 47)  Had to overcome the failure of losing Senatorial race (at age of 49) And then, overcoming all, he finally became the 16th President of United States of America at the age of 52.

16

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

urooj fatima

I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved B. R. Ambedkar

Urooj Fatima is an emerging journalist and a post-graduate in Media Governance from Jamia Millia Islamia

VIEWPOINT

Man Who Changed India’s Literary Landscape Premchand’s is as relevant now as he was during the pre-independence era

THE LANGUAGE OF THE VEDAS A day celebrated to, give ode to the “mother language”.

T

he word Sanskrit in itself is derived from the word “Samskruta”. The etymological derivation of this word is Sam(Perfect) + Kruta(Done) , therefore Samskruta Bhasha or Sanskrit basically means a language that has been

created and polished perfectly.

The World Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas is celebrated on Sravanapoornima, that refers to the Poornima day of the Sravana month according to the Hindu calendar.

Contarary to the popular belief that Sanskrit was first recorded in inscriptions found on the plains of India, the truth is that Rigvedic Sanskrit was first found in, the now Northern Syria.

Sanskrit day was first observed in the year 1969. Most of the languages that are being spoken in India and all over the world, all stem from Sanskrit. Before the inavasion of the Arabs, it was the national language of our country. It is also the oldest language known to mankind and is also the language of various religions such as, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

Although Sanskrit is a forgotten language of the Urban India , it is still the language of communication in certain rural villages in our country, such as the Mattur village in Karnataka.

‘Sudharma’ a newspaper in Sanskrit that had started getting published in 1970 is still being published and is now also available online .

Not only this, according to a well known magazine is has also been stated that Sanskrit is the most computer friendly language and is also the only unambiguous language in existence.

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: +91-120-2970819 Email: editor@sulabhswachhbharat.com, ssbweekly@gmail.com

T

he mark of a great writer is when his words resonate across centuries and generations. Not only is the writer and his work termed to be way ahead of his time, but also a reflection of the contemporary society. Upanyas Samrat Munshi Premchand was one such prolific writer. His oeuvre included more than a dozen novels (his first was the 1903 novel called ‘Devasthan Rahasya’, and his last one, ‘Mangalsootra’, remained unfinished).

The writer is mainly recognized for his creations that always contained a social message and raised voice against the social evils pertaining in the Indian society. His creation brought the era of realism in the Indian literature at that time, when only fantasy fictions and religious writings were dominating it. Premchand embodied the social purpose and social criticism in his characters that are subjected to the different circumstances and act accordingly.

Born Dhanpat Rai in a small village in northern India, he took a pen name Nawab Rai before settling with Premchand. Prefix “Munshi” was given as an honorary title to

him by readers and He became – Munshi Premchand. He’s also been called Upanyas Samrat, or “emperor among novelists,” having produced more than a dozen novels, more than 300 stories, and a number of essays throughout his lifetime.

Premchand’s early writing was all done in Urdu, but from 1915 he started writing in Hindi. His early work in Urdu reveals the strong influence of Persian literature, particularly in the short stories. Premchand’s first collection of short stories, Soz-e-Vatan, brought him to the attention of the government. The British collector of Hamirpur District called them seditious and ordered that all copies be burned and that the author submit future writing for inspection. Fortunately, a few copies survived, and Premchand, in order to evade censorship, changed his name from Dhanpatrai to Premchand.

Writing wasn’t always his main focus, though. Premchand was a teacher for many years until he joined the non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in the 1920s. Gandhi influenced much of Premchand’s later work, which brought to

Premchand had a modern view and understood things happening around him from a completely different perspective

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018 light some of India’s most prominent social issues of the time. With realistic settings and events, Premchand contrived idealistic endings for his stories. His characters change from pro-British to proIndian or from the villainous landlord to a Gandhi-like social servant in midstream; the frequent conversions tend to make the stories repetitious and the characters interesting only up to the point of conversion.

Premchand had a modern view and understood things happening around him from a completely different perspective.

Being an ardent reader, he had several influences which he used in telling stories.

He adopted an extensive use of idioms in most of his stories. The best thing about Premchand was that he was a social writer and expressed himself in a language that people could easily understand. He touched different castes, cultures as well as religions and catered to everybody.

Considered to be the first Hindi author whose writings prominently featured realism, Premchand presented a critical and modern view on the oppressed and urbanmiddle class of the society in his novels “Godaan”, “Nirmala”, “Rangbhoomi” and “Sevasadan”.

His famous stories are “Kafan”, “Shatranj Ke Khiladi”, “Idgah”, “Poos Ki Raat”, “Namak Ka Daroga” and “Sadgati” among many others.

Through these stories, Premchand took his readers through the social upheavals of 20th century India. His characters were usually strong and resilient. His women were of substance – bold, strong and with a mind of their own. But at the same time, Premchand had an ideal woman in his mind, a woman who is docile, obedient and chaste. He was quite critical of the urban and Westernised career woman. This dichotomy couldn’t be more reflective of today’s women. The author was equally judgmental of men, portraying many as irresponsible, egoistic and selfish.

He was ahead of his times and that can be seen in the women characters that he wrote about as they were strong characters with a will of their own.

The issues he raised in his works have him relevant till date. From the social evil of caste discrimination to the prevalence of dowry, read a Premchand story now and there will be times when you feel nothing really has changed, but then, so much has.

His last and most famous novel, Godaan (1936), depicts Premchand bringing his signature working-class characters to life.

However, whatever the setting, his late work shows a new mastery. The characters appear to have taken over their own world.

The claims of social, moral, and political tenets are secondary to the claims of artistry.

His literature, the characters he wrote, the problems he talked about, we are still struggling to get over them. Be it the poverty or the caste discrimination.

OpEd

17

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar is an Indian spiritual leader. He is frequently referred to simply as “Sri Sri” or as Guruji or Gurudev

upfront

Generosity Is A Sublime Quality

Generosity is a habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return right now. Both a princess and a pauper can feel generous.

Generosity is a quality of the spirit. When you feel generous, your life becomes abundant — full of compassion and love.

Many ask for blessings, but only a few receive.

Why? The giver is always giving but the taker is not there — the sincerity is missing.

One who gives blessings gives freely, but the one who receives has to be sincere. The qualification to receive blessings is sincerity. And everyone is free to be sincere at any time.

Why do people choose to be sincere only sometimes?

Because of the illusion that they are going to miss some mundane pleasure.

Hankering after pleasure makes them insincere. When you are sincere, you simply enjoy pleasure without craving for it.Sincerity is being in touch with your depth.

When you feel you are stuck in life and not growing, or are bombarded by desires, when you feel dryness, no enthusiasm, no juice, what do you do?

Here is the solution: feel generous — right now, not tomorrow, but

letters to the editor rat.com sulabhswachhbha

The ‘Bhungroo’ Magic

Idea to store excess water underground and pump it out for use in the dry spells

27

24

10

08

Vrindavan Saga

The Making of a Legend

Woman In Man’s World

She has sparked a resurgence of interest in her writing independently of Sarte

A series of jolts that life served Parulbala, she lost all hope

Special Drives scheme designed to make Mother Ganga clean and free from pollution

/2017-19

N NO. DL(W)10/2240

POSTAL REGISTRATIO

FIND US ONLINE

Scan this with your smartphone

16/71561

RNI No. DELENG/20

Vol - 2 | Issue - 32

A GOOD NEWS

‘SULABH JAL’ TO

| July 23 - 29, 2018

| Price ` 5/-

WEEK LY

SAVE BIHAR

Dr Binde shwar Patha k to make availa ble safe drink ing water at 50 paise/ litre

Pathak Dr Bindeshwar Jal project inaugrating Sulabh & Sanjay Saraogi along with MLA khar Prasad Singh DM Chandrase Nigam at Darbhanga Nagar premises

contaminated water, has after consuming lost their lives. It UROOJ FATIMA many have even soil sediments in the ted been observed that of potable water floodplains of the Ganga are contamina its N Bihar, a glass way through the with arsenic which continuously finds hardly finds its person. Thanks er. stomach of even one pollution of way in groundwat in many districts of sing er to the ever-increa Nepal, is of the The groundwat parts bordering different a northern Bihar, been severely affected potable water in is proving to be estimated to have state, drinking water contamination. chemical and arsenic by curse. water crisis, has reached such r Seeing the looming The situation that none can take especially during summer, Dr Bindeshwaal dangerous proportion in the state for of Sulabh Internation to the drinking water anywherebe contaminated Pathak, founder Organisation, came could or Social Service Bihar People. He launched granted because it of arsenic, fluoride rescue for the with either excess project to provide in iodine. a cost-effective water water in the world. iron or it may be deficient people in the state While thousands of various diseases the cheapest drinking by have been affected

I

UNBIASED EDUCATION FOR ALL As Right to Education is a fundamental right, it is important for educational institutes to provide education

to all regardless of their backgrounds. The teachers also need to be unbiased because the students will learn the same from them and imply it in their lives. It was heartwarming to learn about KK Academy and the Kaul’s whose daughter’s education inspired them to open a school where everyone would be given education without any discrimination. The school, because of its beliefs and help from the ex-students is expanding and flourishing each day and has managed to change the lives of many, forever.

Naresh Kumar, New Delhi

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

Is generosity the same as gratitude?

No. Gratitude always has self-concern.

You are grateful because you have something or you get something. Generosity is independent of external circumstances.

No one can make you feel generous. That is something that you have to do by yourself. Essentially generosity is not an act. It is a state of consciousness, but it always finds its expression in an act.

What about passion?

Passion indicates scarcity.

Dispassion is abundance.

Dispassion without generosity makes you self-centred and causes more dryness. Don’t think about what you’ve done in the past that only brings doership. Just feel generous.

To Subscribe Half-yearly Annual Membership Membership Rs 125 Rs 250 Sulabh Swachh Bharat

825 Wave Silver Tower, Sector-18, Noida-201301, Uttar Pradesh

Please contact us to sign-up at: ssbweekly@gmail.com, Phone: +91-120-2970819

18

Photo Feature

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

The G anga At Har idwa r India’s most famous and revered river enters the plains at this place and the devout consider it a blessing to pay their respects to the river PHOTO: Jairam

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

According to Hindu beliefs, in the tussle between gods and demons over nectar, a few drops fell on earth at Haridwar and that is why it enjoys its status as a blessed and sacred place. Thousands of believers from across the country take the dip in the holy river here.

Photo Feature

19

20

Environment

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018 Ban plastic

Yogi’s Save Environment Drive The Yogi Adityanath government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to keep the environment clean and check the growing air pollution

S.Shukla

A

fter National Green Tribunal, Supreme Court and High Court orders, finally the government in Uttar Pradesh has shown the political will to ban plastic and polythene in the state to save the environment.

The Yogi Adityanath government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to keep the environment clean and check the growing air pollution. It has decided to enforce the ban on plastic and polythene bags below 50 microns and ordered for replacing the dieselrun UPSRTC buses with electric ones in about half a dozen cities in the state where air pollution had reached an alarming level last year.

Ironically, the Allahabad High Court had banned the plastic and polythene in November 2015.

Though a notification was issued by then Akhilesh government but it was never implemented in letter and spirit and the use and manufacturing of plastic and polythene continued unabated due to lack of political will.

But the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is sensitive to issues related to the public health and environmental. He enforced a ban on plastic and polythene from July 15 in a phased manner. On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, plastic cups, plates, glasses etc and polythene bags would be a thing of the past.

To give legal teeth to the ban, the State government has already promulgated Uttar Pradesh Plastic and other Non-Biodegradable Waste (Use and Disposal) Ordinance 2018.

It invites a fine from Rs 1,000 to 1 lakh and imprisonment from one month up to one year for violating the ban.

The State government has also planned to introduce a Bill in the State Legislature to make a permanent law on banning the use and manufacturing of plastic its and polythene bags and slap fine and imprisonment on offenders.

Unlike previous regimes, the Yogi Adityanath government is taking every step to make sure that the plastic and polythene menace ends permanently in Uttar Pradesh.

The Yogi Adityanath government has also announced to set-up Maati Kala Board to promote traditional earthen wares to make available ‘kulhads’ in place of plastic and thermocol glasses.

The Maati Kala Board will revive the traditional terracotta potteries in the state by making available easy loans to potters to promote the dying art which environment-friendly and good for public health.

The state government will also make available quality clay, provide modern technology and extend marketing support to the artisans and potters engaged in the trade.

“The State government aims to give a push to traditional industries

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is sensitive to issues related to the public health and environment. He enforced a ban on plastic and polythene in a phased manner manufacturing degradable items to put an end the menace of plastic and polythene,” claimed Navneet Sehgal, who will head the State Pottery Board.

The terracotta cottage industry will be promoted through various Central government schemes like StartUp India, Stand-Up India, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and state government’s One District One Product.

Sehgal claimed that the state government has also decided to promote jute industry to replace polythene bags with Jute bags. Several NGOs have come forward on their own to support the state government on the plastic ban.

Anjali Singh of the Jute Artisans’ Guild of India has come out various designs of Jute bags to make them available on cheaper prices through the government. Anjali claimed that the people are generally happy but it will take some time before getting used to plastic and polythene-free society.

Another NGO has designed a cotton bag weighing only 73 gms which can be folded and kept in the pocket like a handkerchief. Another NGO has started a unique service with help of the state government to collect plastic and polythene bags from houses and offer a cotton bag.

Though the state government has begun an ad blitzkrieg to shun plastic and polythene but it has yet to come out with a plan on disposal of plastic items and polythene bags which are already in circulation.

Sehgal claimed that they have approached the HTBI and IIT in Kanpur to suggest environmentfriendly methods for disposal of the non-biodegradable items. The HTBI scientists have recently invented a recycling method in which plastic items are crushed into small molecules to make a material which will help in making long-lasting roads.

Besides the ban on plastic and polythene bags, the Yogi Adityanath government has decided to 100 Electric AC buses in Luck now, Kanpur, Agra, Allahabad and Ghaziabad. These are the cities where the Air Quality Index (AQI) had reached an alarming level last year.

The Electric AC buses will be run on Gross Cost Contract basis with the help of the private operators.

The State government has already sanctioned Rs 50.80 crores for setting up charging points and terminals for the smooth running of these special buses. The main aim is to reduce the growing air pollution in these cities. The state government plans to introduce Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) in these cities to reduce the traffic congestion and snarls which are a major source of air pollution in these cities.

The State Transport Department has been directed not to purchase any diesel buses till further orders. Once the experiment is successful in these cities, the state government plans to replace its fleet of buses with Electric ones to save the environment.

With the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath showing political will, Uttar Pradesh will have a cleaner environment and air quality in years to come for the coming generation to live a healthy life.

Interview

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

21 07

Differently abled

Arman Ali appointed as Executive Director of NCPEDP Ali took the lead to form a network of organisations from the seven states, leading campaigns and engaging the judiciary to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities

stakeholders. So a lot remains to be done.

What do you feel looking back at your role in Sishu Sarothi in Assam?

Sishu Sarothi has come a long way as an organisation working with people with disability and the stakeholders with a rights-based approach. It has been a very interesting journey for me and I will continue to play an advisory role in the organisation.

Raj Kashyap

T

he National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) has announced the appointment of Arman Ali as its new executive director. Ali is currently the executive director of Shishu Sarothi, the Centre for Rehabilitation and Training for Multiple Disability since 2009 in Assam where he played a major role in bringing the disability sector together in the North East to form a network of organisations in the region and engaging the judiciary to uphold the rights of persons with disabilities.

He speaks about the new challenges ahead and his role in creating awareness and a friendlier environment for people with disabilities in the Northeast…..

How does it feel to get appointed as the executive director of National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People?

There are lots of opportunities and challenges because so much remains to be done. I was associated directly with people and stakeholders in Assam. In the capital, I will be associated with policymakers and my responsibility will be over the entire country and the entire disability sector. In India, there are an estimated more than 70 million people with disabilities. Disability is getting to figure in developmental issues now, in education, infrastructure, skill development and it is an evolving subject but a larger understanding has to be created within the society and

How will you describe the contribution of Sishu Sarothi?

When we look at Sishu Sarothi in the context of Assam and the Northeast, we are twenty years behind from the mainland of India. There are many disabled people who have to be reached because the Northeast is not well connected. The government has to accept disability as a part of the development issue and not a charity or welfare issue. Say for instance in education or health, the state does not count disabled people in these issues but are looked upon as a category of people in need of charity. So the mindset also has to change. In Assam, people with disability are about 4.8 lakhs out of a total of about 7 lakhs in the Northeast. So again, a long way to go.

How is the Northeast placed vis-avis the country in the rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities?

Not very good.

In terms of employment, there is hardly any opportunity.

If you are talking about giving skill development for people with disability, placement becomes a challenge. There are no corporate house or manufacturing units in the Northeast where people with disability can avail employment opportunities. In such a scenario, they are compelled to remain confined at home. There are many qualified people among them who don’t have a job. Those who have developmental and intellectual disabilities are not even considered for education and employment opportunities by the families and society at large. There is an acute lack of awareness among the people on the issues of disability.

In the western countries, the basic infrastructure has been created. But in India, the basics are lacking and it is a fight for survival. This is not the case in the west. Building, schools, hospitals, etc are constructed keeping the people with disability in mind.

What do you think are going to be your major challenges in the new organisation?

In the new organisation, I will have to understand the dynamics after I join. There is a new law now – Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016 – which is very empowering.

An understanding has to be built on the act, creation of awareness, more engagement with the government, etc. That’s a lot of work. Many states are yet to frame the rules and their implementation. Also, there are 21 categories of disability in the new law whereas there were only 7 categories in the earlier law. So the law has to be taken forward with the government and corporate sector and especially in the areas of education, health, accessibility and employment.

How do you plan to overcome these challenges?

I have not thought of any strategy. I suppose I will have to take everybody along with me in my new assignment and understand the issues. We will also have to make the political parties aware of these issues because this is very important. The 21 categories of disability have different challenges and so it’s a very challenging and long road for me now. I am confident and hoping for the best.

22

Science & Technology

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Sleep tight

Why We Dream?

Scientist Are Finally Figuring Out Why We Dream, And It’s Probably Exactly What You’d Think

n MICHELLE STARR

D

reaming is one of the strangest things that happens to us, and for as long as we have been recording history, we have been puzzling over why our minds are so active while we sleep.

Finally, new research claims to have evidence as to what dreaming is all about - and it will probably surprise no one.

According to a team from The Swansea University Sleep Lab in the

SSB BUREAU

R

esearchers have discovered neural circuits in the brains of rhesus macaque monkeys that could represent a common origin for social communication, including human speech.

The findings showed that these circuits are involved in face recognition, facial expression and emotion and they may very well have given rise to our singular capacity for speech.

The team, from the Rockefeller University in New York City, used a novel experimental setup to take MRI scans of the brains of monkeys as they watched video clips of other monkeys making communicative facial expressions.

When the monkeys in the clips made a friendly lip-smacking gesture, the subject monkeys responded in kind -- but only when their prerecorded peers appeared to be making direct eye contact with them.

Besides, the face-perception regions of the monkeys’ brains that

UK, dreaming really does help us process the memories and emotions we experience during our waking lives.

This is not a new idea at all.

The hypothesis that dreaming was connected to waking life was floated

by Sigmund Freud in the early 20th century - he called this phenomenon day residues. Many other studies since have expanded on the notion, indicating that a very real link exists.

But dreams are hard to study, because they take place entirely in the mind of someone unable to communicate in the

moment.

Scientists don’t have the tools to observe them directly - at least, not yet - instead having to rely on the dreamer’s memories of their dreams; and, as we all know, that’s not always easy to do.

The team’s research, however, seems to have hit upon a winning formula, finding that the emotional intensity of a waking experience can be linked to the intensity of dreaming brain activity, and the content of the dream thereof.

They recruited 20 student volunteers for the study, all of whom were able to recall their dreams frequently.

First, they had to make detailed journals of their daily lives for 10 days, logging their major daily activities that took up large blocks of time; personally significant and emotional events; and any concerns that may have been on their minds. For each of these, the participants had to record how it made them feel, and rate the intensity of that emotion using a numbered scale.

On the evening of the 10th day, they spent the first of several nights in the sleep lab being monitored with non-invasive electroencephalography caps. These were able to observe and record the activity of the brain waves associated with slow-wave sleep (large irregular activity, or LIA) and rapid-eye movement sleep (theta activity).

After 10 minutes of each of these sleep cycles, the researchers would wake the students and ask them what they were dreaming (which sounds

like a nightmare, if you ask us). These dreams were then compared with the journals to see if there was any sort of correlation.

And here’s the paydirt: there was.

The number of events recorded in the diaries was linked to the intensity of theta waves - so the more a person had going on in their lives, the more intense their REM sleep - but not their slowwave sleep.

In addition, dreams that had a higher emotional impact were more likely to be incorporated into the sleeper’s dreams than boring, humdrum everyday stuff.

And these correlations were only observed for recent experiences, too there was no correlation between older waking life experiences and dream activity. “This is the first finding that theta waves are related to dreaming about recent waking life, and the strongest evidence yet that dreaming is related to the processing that the brain is doing of recent memories,” psychologist Mark Blagrove of Swansea University told New Scientist.

The next step in the research will be to use binaural beats to induce theta brain waves in sleeping subjects, to see if this in turn induces the sleeper to dream about their recent experiences.

If so, the researchers could have found a method of manipulating REM sleep and theta brain waves to encourage the memory and emotion processing that occur during this sleep phase - a sort of passive form of therapy.

brains

simply feed information to a region associated with emotion did not shuttle information to one another in straightforward, sequential fashion, said Winrich Freiwald, scientists at the varsity. The videos that simulated social interaction through direct eye contact caused an unexpected third neural circuit to light up.

This suggests that specific areas of the animals’ brains are sensitive to social context, and perform the specialised cognitive functions necessary for social communication.

Generating a friendly lipsmack, in particular, activated a region that resembles Broca’s area -- a portion of the human brain concerned with the production of speech.

This suggests that monkey facial expressions like lipsmacks might be evolutionary precursors to human speech -- a possibility that some scientists had previously discounted on the grounds that such gestures were too simple or reflexive to pave the way for something as subtle and sophisticated as human verbal communication, Freiwald explained, in the paper reported in the journal

Possible Origin Of Human Speech Scientists have shed new light on the underpinnings of human speech by identifying neural circuits in the brains of monkeys Neuron. Currently, the researchers are measuring the electrical activity in individual neurons in all three of the networks revealed in the scans.

“Understanding this in monkeys will help us understand communication in

humans, where things are so much more complicated,” says Freiwald, who describes the findings as “an important building block” in the quest to understand our species’ unique way with words.

Health

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Fast Food

Nrc

Making A Difference Nutrition Intervention leads to healthy babies in poor households Ayush and his mother then spent 14 days at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) at the district headquarter in Bareilly, 23 km away from their village, in December 2017

F

n Manish Gupta

ourteen-month-old Ayush smiles as he plays in his mother’s lap at the anganwadi centre in Bhandaria village in Uttar Pradesh.

Eight months ago he was a severely undernourished and underweight child born to a frail mother. It has been quite a journey for the sickly child to transform into a healthy baby, thanks to an intervention made by Unicef.

“Ayush was a very weak child, used to defecate frequently and always cried. Now he is a happy child,” said his mother Sudha who soon left for home to look after her two-month-old daughter. “It was a compulsion,” she said without elaborating, when asked why she had a second child soon after the first.

State health workers identified Ayush as one of the severely underweight children during Weight Divas in November 2017 when all children up to five years of age were weighed. Ayush was enlisted for a 10day Bal Poshan Satra (Child Nutrition Session) a month later.

“It was difficult convincing parents.

Most are unwilling to accept that they do not know what to feed their own child. It took several visits to Ayush’s home and interactions with family members before they agreed to join,” said anganwadi worker Bimla and

ASHA worker Aarti Devi.

Parents were surprised to see how much their child could eat. The session had milk, suji halwa, omlette, banana, moong dal and khichdi with a mix of vegetables and soya bean.

It was a major shift from the tea and chappati Ayush used to have as his first meal at noon. The frequency of meals also jumped from 2-3 times to 5-6 times.

Mothers were made to cook to learn nutritious recipes at the session and were told about breastfeeding.

The session added half-a kilo to Ayush, but at 5.5 kg he was still in the red zone. At six months, a child is severely underweight if below 5.6 kg, moderately underwieght between 5.6 kg and 5.8 kg, and normal between 5.8 kg and 7.3 kg.

Ayush and his mother then spent 14 days at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) at the district headquarter in Bareilly, 23 km away from their village, in December 2017. At the end of the stay at NRC, Ayush came back to the care of ASHA and anganwadi workers in the village with a normal weight of 6.3 kg.

Ayush’s grandfather Ghanshyam, who finally convinced Sudha to accept the interventions under the State Nutrition Mission, said he has now stopped giving Ayush snacks like chips from his shop and that he is

happy that the baby no longer sleeps on an empty stomach.

The journey from 5 kg to 6.3 kg and his current weight of 8.2 kg could not have been possible without the timely support of Gram Pradhan Amit Patel and the focus provided by Bareilly Chief Development Officer Satyendra Kumar by adopting the village.

Bhandaria village, like other villages in the country’s most populous state of 220 million people, had stopped getting the supplementary food consisting of premix laddu, sweet and salted daliya for children between six months and three years between January and April this year due to some problem with the tendering process.

Gram Pradhan Amit Patel made arrangements for the continuous supply of supplementary food from his own pocket and even added milk, egg and banana during the 10-day Bal Poshan Satra.

“Most families have the necessary food items in their kitchen but do not know how and when to feed their children. At the end of the session, all kids gained at least 200 gms,” said 25-year-old Patel.

Helping the state health workers achieve the objectives of State Nutrition Mission is Unicef in collaboration with the IKEA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sweden’s IKEA group. Unicef has deployed experts at various levels to help motivate villagers, counsel them, provide training to health workers, share best practices and inform about nutritious diets.

“Every small achievement takes a lot of effort. There is a huge challenge still left. Healthy children would go a long way to build a strong nation,” said Unicef State Consultant (Uttar Pradesh) Mustafa Kamal.

While Ayush made it out of the red zone and so did Bhandaria village but there are 632 children like Ayush in 175 Aganwadi centres across Bithari block, one of the 16 blocks in Bareilly district. Bithari block Child Development Project Officer in-charge Poonam Sharma said, “The supply of supplementary food is always less than what is required.

During shortages, two categories of children get priority -those who have Aadhaar card and those who are in red or yellow zones.”

23 07

Brain Values Foods Loaded With Fats And Carbs These foods tend to hijack body’s inborn signals governing food consumption

n Agency

E

ver wondered why you tend to buy processed foods such as fries, sausages, bacon, ham or ready meals, even if the cost is high?

It is because human brain values foods that are high in both fat and carbohydrate than those containing either fat or carbohydrate alone, researchers say.

These foods tend to hijack body’s inborn signals governing food consumption.

Thus, our brain’s rewarding system -- group of neural structure responsible for motivation, desire, craving for reward -- is more likely to chose them, a reason why people feel difficulty in losing or keeping off excess weight, the researchers explained.

“Surprisingly, foods containing fats and carbohydrates appear to signal their potential caloric loads to the brain via distinct mechanisms,” said Dana Small from the Yale University in the US. “Our study shows that when both nutrients are combined, the brain seems to overestimate the energetic value of the food,” Small added.

The study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, analysed data from 206 adults. The participants underwent brain scans while being shown photographs of familiar snacks containing mostly fat, mostly sugar, and a combination of fat and carbohydrates and were allocated little amount of money to bid on their first-choice food.

The results showed that the participants were willing to pay more for foods that combined fat and carbohydrates.

24

excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend”

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Raising India’s Profile Globally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during a reception by the Indian community in honor of his visit to the United States at Madison Square Garden, New York on September. 28, 2014

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi’s numerous bilateral and multilateral trips abroad since assuming charge of office in May 2014, clearly reflect an end to the foreign policy paralysis of the previous dispensation, as also his government’s strong desire to project a global image of India as an emerging superpower.

Having achieved a majority electoral mandate for pursuing domestic reforms and economic growth, and not having any previous direct experience in foreign affairs, Modi was not expected to have an activist foreign policy.

In over two years since he assumed office, Modi has set an unmatchable frenetic pace

of engagement with world leaders, with nations large and small, leading from the front in selling the message that India is ready and willing to actively engage and lay out a welcome mat to leaders, businessmen, potential investors and tourists.

Relations with immediate neighbours in South Asia had been neglected for long by previous governments. This emerged as a priority feature in Modi’s foreign policy.

No wonder, there is a consensus among foreign policy experts, analysts and observers that the policies of the new dispensation under Narendra Modi have been nothing less than dynamic, imaginative and wonderful.

India’s approach to the world since May 2014 has not been that of a supplicant, but rather of a nation with a high level of self-confidence and an overriding ambition to be seen as a leading global power, not just a balancer.

Modi’s surprising and landmark initiative to invite leaders of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries to his swearing-in ceremony on May 26, 2014, sent out a signal that his government will attach the highest priority to improving New Delhi’s relations with its neighbours.

Another significant feature of the new government and its Prime Minister was the desire to acquire an understanding

Getting a historic mandate for fast economic growth and domestic reforms, and not having any previous experience in foreign affairs, PM Modi has astonished his admirers and critics by surpassing all previous dispensations in pursuing a foreign policy that is nothing less than brilliant, imaginative and triumphant. In the nearly two years since he assumed office, Modi has set a frenetic pace of engagement with world leaders, and with nations large and small, leading from the front in promoting the message that India is ready and willing to actively engage and lay out a welcome mat to leaders, businessmen, potential investors and tourists. Modi’s several bilateral and multilateral trips abroad since assuming office reflects his indomitable desire to project a global image of India as an emerging superpower. He has succeeded in this mission, as his foreign policy has raised India’s profile wonderfully well.

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend”

25

Bhutan

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay thanked India for the allocation of Rs. 45 billion for Bhutan’s 11th Five Year Plan and Rs. 5 billion for the economic stimulus plan of the Royal Government of Bhutan.

A strong Bhutan will benefit India, like

a strong and

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay

of the module of governance in place and the changes that needed to be made before moving in the direction of engaging with the rest of the world. This becomes clear from the fact that Narendra Modi took about three weeks before deciding to undertake the first of his trips abroad as India’s Prime Minister.

On the following pages, we will see glimpses from Modi’s wonderful engagement with the world, which has brought glory to India and made Indians proud.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay at a bilateral meeting in Thimphu

O

n June 15, 2014, Modi began a two-day visit to Bhutan. By choosing to make Bhutan the first foreign country to visit after assuming the office of Prime Minister, Modi sent out a strong message, a message that was full of symbolism in terms of visiting India’s smallest neighbour, as also a subtle signal to China, the other Asian superpower, that India should not be taken lightly.

During his visit, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for the 600 megawatt Kholongchu Hydroelectric power project. Hydroelectric power generated by Bhutan’s run-of-the-river dams is seen as the economic bedrock of bilateral ties with India. India buys excess electricity from Bhutan.

Modi also inaugurated the new Supreme Court building constructed with assistance from the Government of India, amounting to Rs./Nu. 793.545 million, announced the doubling of the NehruWangchuck scholarship to The world talks GDP, but in Bhutan, it’s about National Happiness.

I am sure having India as a neighbour would be one of the reasons for happiness.

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Queen Jetsun Pema pose at the royal palace, Tashichhodzong

Tshering Tobgay

Prime Minister of Bhutan

prosperous India will be beneficial for the countries of the region, especially the SAARC members. India’s prosperity is important,

as only then it can help small countries and perform its duty of a good neighbour. But if India is weak and struggling with its own problems, how can it help others.

Prime Minister Modi’s

address to the Joint Parliament of Bhutan

Rs. 2 crore for Bhutanese students in India and a grant assistance for the establishment of a digital library in the National Library of Bhutan.

The importance of continuing the existing free trade arrangement between India and Bhutan was re-emphasised. It was also agreed that both governments would coordinate more effectively on issues related to mutual security and not allow each other’s territory to be used for interests inimical to the other.

Continue in next issue

26

Miscellaneous

climate

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018 Fiji Indians

Indians feel a lot at home here because there’s that little element of Indianness in it

Bollywood: A cultural Bridge

The climate pattern is largely consistent with the plant fossil data

C

n SSb bureau

hinese scientists are using plant fossil data to understand climate change in a study on the Oligocene climate.

The Oligocene, 23 to 34 million years ago, was a time of transition from a warm to a cooler climate.

Researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and University of Bristol compiled a database of 149 Oligocene plant macrofossils from the mid-high latitudes of Eurasia.

They then correlated the fossil data to spatial and climatic change during the Oligocene.

Geographical change has been important in shaping climate patterns of Eurasia since the Oligocene. The climate pattern is largely consistent with the plant fossil data.

Combining plant fossil data with climate models can offer a reference for predicting climate change, according to the research team.

The research was published online in the Gondwana Research journal.

“L

aakhon hain yahan dilwale...” That evergreen Mahendra Kapoor number from the 1960s played on at a boutique island resort here bringing smiles to a group of Indian tourists.

But more than that, it testified to how Bollywood connects the over 40 per cent Indians in this archipelagic state to their roots, underlining their lives in what is deemed to be one of the world’s happiest nations.

Rajnesh Prasad, 40, is clueless about which part of India his family came from. He hasn’t visited his ancestral country yet, but knows in his heart that he will, one day.

A driver, he speaks Hindi, is a fan of megastar Amitabh Bachchan, and loves watching Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s movies.

“It is very expensive to travel to India, but films are like a bridge... They reduce the gap for us. I saw ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’. Mast thhi (It was fun). Salman is a good actor,” Prasad, preferring to be called “Raj” Shah Rukh Khan’s character in “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, told.

“I have also seen ‘Raid’,” he added as he wished upon getting himself photographed with the film’s lead actress Ileana D’Cruz, who was here to shoot a campaign as

Transgender

Plant Fossil May Help Predict Climate Change

n Radhika Bhirani

TN’s First Transgender Lawyer

ambassador of Tourism Fiji.

“It’s fascinating. The first time I came here, it was a very private visit and each evening, I would be surprised when during a ‘kahwa’ ceremony, everyone would get together and sing songs. One day people started singing a Bollywood number, one of Rishi Kapoor’s old songs, and I found it unbelievable... They were singing Bollywood songs, and bonding over ‘Sholay’,” Ileana told.

“You get the authentic Fijian culture, but at the same time, Indians will also feel a lot at home because there’s that little element of Indianness in it,” she added.

The Indian-origin population here is mostly descendants of indentured labourers brought to the islands by Fiji’s British colonial rulers between 1879 and 1916 to work on the sugarcane plantations.

In all, there are 10 theatres across Fiji, including those in the capital city Suva and the country’s transportation hub, Nadi. All the theatres play the latest Bollywood movies.

She said Ramayan was recited at the school every Tuesday. “We celebrate all festivals whether Eid, Easter, Diwali, Ram Navmi or Janmashtami in a big way like they do in films. It is very important for us that our new generation knows about India and all things Indian,” said Chand, who draped a sari especially to meet Ileana.

Article 14 of the Constitution states that all are equal and given equal opportunity

n G Ulaganathan

T

hirty-six-year-old Sathyasri Sharmila is Tamil Nadu’s first transgender to enroll in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Bar Council and register herself as a lawyer. As she sat among the 485 other lawyers, her name definitely stood out. Born as Udhaya Kumar in Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram district, Sharmila left her home to study law in Salem at the age of 18 and eventually changed her name to Sathyasri Sharmila.

She, however, enrolled as a man in Salem Government College to study law, which posed its own set of difficulties. “I left home but could not stay in the college hostel. I could not live among men

because I identified myself as a woman. Neither could I live with girls because I enrolled as a man,” she said. She had to stay in a rented place and study.

Appreciating her efforts, Tamil Nadu Transgender Welfare Association said that their community would be represented in the lawyers’ community. “Apart

from representation, we would also be respected,” said Sudha, member of the association. The Bar Council extended its welcome and appreciated the efforts that Sharmila had made. “Article 14 of the Constitution states that all are equal and should be given equal opportunity. The Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Bar Council have taken the right decision. I hope that this will encourage other transgenders to go for higher education and go into various professions like law,” said S. Prabhakaran, co-chairman of the Bar Council of India (BCI) and president of the Tamil Nadu Advocates Association (TNAA).

Justice PN Prakash wished Sharmila good luck and said that he wished to see her as a judge.

Vrindavan Saga

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

27 07

Kollani Pal

‘Vrindavan Will Give back the real me’ From sky high to rock bottom to back to normalcy, Kollani is hopeful she will soon be her original self

n Ayodhya prasad singh

“

I am unable to make that moment skip my head when the doctor made me aware of the bitter reality… At that moment I felt as though either everything falls into place and gets better, or the God should just lift me from this life.”

Something that Kollani Pal distinctly recalls each time someone asks about her pre-Vrindavan days – back when she lived in Birbhum (a district in West Bengal).

Kollani Pal was married at a very tender age, as was common in those days. Life was flowing smoothly.

Her husband had a well-earning job.

The family also had a farm. Two sources of income made life easier for the couple. They were happy, comfortable with each-other.

As time passed-by, Kollani gave birth to three children – a son and two daughters. Kollani and her husband now felt their family was complete and their entire life started revolving around the three. Dayin, day-out, they worked hard and put in all their efforts to give their children a beautiful life. With a lot of love and care, they raised them,

Quick glance • Kollani Pal was living a beautiful, happy life of comforts and peace • But a deadly disease eyed her happiness and took away her husband • She was looking for ways to fill her wounds, so Vrindavan happened

educated them and then when the right time came, married them off with pompous ceremonies.

Kollani felt as though all her responsibilities towards her children were well achieved and now the couple can relax and give all their time to each-other. But life plans never work out the way we picture them. Little did Kollani, or as a matter of fact anyone in the family, know that sorrows were just right around the corner at that moment.

Kollani’s husband started falling

ill often. He would stay sick for days.

So Kollani sought expert medical help. He was checked-up and then the doctors drew a conclusion from the reports that Kollani was least expecting. She was told that her husband was detected with cancer.

“I am unable to make that moment skip my head when the doctor made me aware of the bitter reality. The doctor said my husband has cancer. I had earlier heard of the deadly disease.

And I knew that its consequences are dire. At that moment I felt as though either everything falls into place and gets better, or the God should just lift me from this life,” Kollani recalls.

Kollani did all that she could.

She invested all she could – time, patience, money, hope – everything!

But she still felt it was not enough as his condition was not improving.

And in the end, cancer did what was feared. It took Kollani’s husband away from her and pushed her into the world of whites.

Kollani was broken and left with just two things – the sorrows of widowhood and the feeling of what more could have been done to save her husband. It was a huge blank in her life that nothing and nobody could fill.

“Widowhood is a sorrow that cannot be shared with anyone.

Nobody can understand what a widow feels and goes through. All my efforts went into vain. My husband was gone. I was now dependent on my son and his wife.”

Kollani’s time spent with her son and daughter-in-law were no easier.

Her equation with her daughter-inlaw was not good. And her staying with them on a permanent basis now was something that prickled the daughter-in-law every now and then.

“My son is very nice and loves me a lot. But his wife’s dislike towards me was also clearly visible. Our relation was never very flowery but my permanent stay grew thorns on

it, too. My wounds and grief were already too much for me to handle, then this unrest state of mind was something I was not ready to accept.”

And so, Kollani decided to leave.

She had heard a lot about Vrindavan and how the place gives peace to even the most unstable states of mind.

It was 13 years ago from now when Kollani came to Vrindavan, leaving everything behind. In her initial days, she stayed at the Mirabai Ahram.

Here she was engaged into sewing and tailoring, in return for which she was given food and some money.

At first she had a few difficulties sustaining herself here but gradually and eventually Vrindavan made her feel at home.

“Radha Rani has showered her blessings on me. Life is smoother and easier once again. I now live in

“I sing bhajans and look for the original me. Vrindavan healed my wounds and will hopefully bring out the real me” Gurukul Ashram. ‘Lal Baba’ (alias of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation) takes care of us widows living here. We don’t have to worry about anything. Now I sing bhajans and look for the original me.

Vrindavan healed my wounds and will hopefully find and bring out the real me,” Kollani smiled.

28

Sports

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

P r akas h Padukone

INDIA’S GENTLE TIGER From practicing in wedding halls to a lifetime achievement award, from a badminton player to a coach to a doting father, Prakash Padukone is a self-made man who has mastered it all.

Chehak Nasa

W

hile many of us know Prakash Padukone as the father of Deepika Padukone, he is unarguably the finest badminton player India has ever seen. He dominated the game for almost a decade; he made a sport cool when the stakes were low.

Today, the name has become synonymous to the Badminton Maestro of India.

Born on 10th June 1955 in Bangalore to a badminton player Ramesh Padukone, the game came naturally to him. His father taught him the fundamentals. But it was own keen interest and zeal towards the game which made him a national junior champion at the age of 14. He picked up the game b y watching other players play; with the method of trial and error and is a true example of a self-made man.

Prakash lost his first official match in the first round itself where he blamed his racket for the loss. The then president of Mysore Badminton association promised to get him a new one which changed his life forever.

After two years, he won the Mysore state junior championship and it was impossible to stop him after that.

He never played for any rewards or recognition but just for the love and passion towards the game.“Don’t say what badminton can give you; instead ask what you can do for Badminton”.

Through his dedication and handwork he catalyzed the rise of badminton in India. He was ranked world no.1, has won the Arjuna Award, the Padma Shri Award and about 15 international titles.

He was the first to achieve a ‘Grand Slam’: The Swedish, Danish and All England titles in succession, and he was reckoned as one of the few players capable of resisting the dominance of the Chinese and the Indonesians.

When he began playing, Bangalore was not equipped with badminton courts and proper infrastr ucture, P a d u k o n e practiced in wedding halls.

He played for his own satisfaction and not to please anybody.

He used to challenge himself every day and see how far he could go which was his biggest motivation. He also believes that meditation adds value in all walks of life and gives you an extra edge.

Prakash moved to Denmark as the India in the 80s was not the idle

place to be for a sport He is also the like Badminton. He co-founder of the the Badminton secured a contract Olympic Gold Association of with a team in a local Quest along with India bestowed league and had a full Geet Sethi which is a time paid manager non-profit company him with a who looked after which aims to assist Lifetime his interests off the potential Olympic court. Thus staying in medal talent from Achievement Denmark helped him India to achieve Award in 2017 to concentrate on his their dreams and game and remain in win Olympic Gold the top 10 for almost medals. He also has 8 years. a sports center with cricketer Rahul His badminton idol was Rudy Hartono, Dravid called Padukone-Dravid an Indonesian badminton legend. Center of Sports Excellence (CSE) Prakash faced him in the Swedish open where training in various disciplines and luckily beat him. When asked about is provided to produce world class how he felt after beating his idol he said athletes.

“I could have beaten him 15-0 in the last In order to honour his outstanding game but I couldn’t do that to my idol” it contribution towards the game, the was definitely one of the most cherished Badminton Association of India victories for him. bestowed him with a Lifetime He gave the younger generation Achievement Award in 2017, a cash someone to look up to and even after award of Rs 10 lakh, and a citation. his retirement in 1991, his contribution He was the first recipient of this great towards the game did not end. He served honour. as the chief of badminton association of Padukone is also a proud father India for a few years but later resigned to as both his daughters Deepika and setup the Prakash Padukone Badminton Anisha have excelled in their fields.

Academy (PPBA) in Bangalore which is The pleasure of bringing them up was currently one of the best institutions in gracefully shared between the player India. Under his vision and mentorship, and his wife Ujala. the academy has produced a growing tribe Happy on simple comforts, he is a of champions, including P Gopichand, small town superhero who challenged Aparna Popat, Anup Sridhar, Arvind the society’s norms and has left some Bhat, Trupti Murgunde, Aditi Mutatkar, huge footprints for Indian Shuttlers to Sayali Gokhale and Ashwini Ponnappa. walk into.

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

Entertainment

29 07

o D l a P n i ‘Ma r a y a h S a Pal K ’ … n Hoo mukesh

nger i s y r a d n at lege areer c k l c a a c b i s k u o A lo dious m o l e m s ’ h Mukes n Vikas Datta

S

till one of Bollywood’s bestknown singers whose smooth and sonorous voice rendered a gamut of iconic songs, legendary singer Mukesh’s admirers spanned from spin wizard B Chandrashekhar – who was listening to him before bowling India to victory against England at Lord’s in August 1971 – to Benazir Bhutto, who kept cassettes of his songs in her car while on the campaign trail. But for many, Mukesh is associated with just Raj Kapoor. While he sang Raj Kapoor’s biggest hits, both in RK banner’s films and otherwise, including such evergreen hits such as “Awara Hoon”, “Mera Joota Hai Japani”, “Hoton Pe Sachai Rehti Hain”, “Sab Kuch Seekha Hamne” and when he died in 1976, the tearful actor lamented he had lost his voice, Mukesh had some equally famous songs for many other actors, big and small, admired and forgotten.

The Delhi-born Mukesh Chand Mathur (1923-76) displayed an interest in music right from his childhood, convincing his elder sister’s music teacher to tutor him too. After a brief stint in a conventional job, he was lured to Bombay by a distant relative, actor Motilal, who was impressed by his singing.

Though he began as an actorsinger in “Nirdosh” (1941), Mukesh, as he would be subsequently known, soon switched to playback with his debut being “Dil Jalta Hai” in “Pehli Nazar” (1945), starring Motilal.

The song was sung faithfully in the style of his idol Saigal and there is a story that when the great singer heard it, he remarked that he did not

remember recording it. But Mukesh however had Motilal, playing a rich, was soon weaned off his fixation with drunken sybarite, stumbling down Saigal by two composers – Anil Biswas, the street with a philosophical ditty: who told him he should develop his “Zindagi khwab hai, khwab mein jhoot own style, not imitate someone else, kya/Aur bhala sach hai kya…” (Bonus and then Naushad Ali who made him points for properly pronouncing the voice of Dilip Kumar in films like “khwab” as “khaab” as it is correctly).

“Mela” and “Andaz” (also co-starring Raj Kapoor, whose voice was Rafi). #3 “Chhoti Si Zindagani Teri” (“Aah”, 1953) – In this Raj Kapoor’s tragic Dilip Kumar however plumped for romance (later amended after negative Rafi, and Mukesh was snapped by Raj audience feedback), Mukesh appears as Kapoor – and so he became his “voice”. himself as a tonga driver, transporting a On the singer’s 95th birth anniversary, which was last week on July sick Raj Kapoor, who sings this on the short, impermanent life, using the 22, we looked back at some imagery of a bride leaving her of his ‘evergreens’: father’s house. #1 “Jaaon Kahan Bataye Dil” #4 “Sawan Ka Mahina” (“Chhoti Bahen”, He got his break (“Milan”, 1967) – 1959) – In this as a playback Picturised on Sunil emotional Dutt, as he tries to tearjerker singer in 1945 teach Nutan the about family with the film correct pronunciation relationships is not “shor” but starring Balraj Pehli Nazar “sor”, this eastern Uttar Sahni and Nanda, Pradesh ballad was one suave character of the highlights of this actor Rehman reincarnation story. repents his actions that have broken a once happy #5 “Oh Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein” family. As he sings “…chaandni aai ghar jalaane/sujhe na koi manzil…” his regret (“Anokhi Raat”, 1968) – Another folk song from an offbeat film, set in one is palpable. single night, this song was picturised on Sanjeev Kumar driving home #2 “Zindagi Khwab Hai” from (“Jagte his newly-wed bride (Zaheeda) in a Raho”, 1956) – Made under the RK trundling cart. banner, this avant-garde film, much ahead of its time, was a commercial dud. Another point of disappointment #6 “Ankhiyon Ka Noor Hai” (“Joharwas particularly this song, broadcast Mehmood in Goa”, 1965) – Another on Radio Ceylon, made everyone think movie based on unofficial Indian it was picturised on Raj Kapoor. It attempts to liberate the then Portuguese

Goa, this song in this madcap film made by the idiosyncratic IS Johar, sees an invisible Johar serenade his lady love (Sonia Sahni) while fending off a rival (Kamal Kapoor). #7 “Humko Tumse Pyaar Ho Gaya” (“Amar Akbar Anthony”, 1977) – In this triptych romantic song in this classic Manmohan Desai lostand-found family action comedy, Mukesh vocalises eldest brother Amar (Vinod Khanna) as he finally expresses his desire for petty thief (Shabana Azmi) he is seeking to reform. #8 “Aaya Hai Mujhe Phir Yaad Voh Zalim” (“Devar”, 1966) – Mukesh seems the perfect choice for this unusual romantic serenade by Dharmendra in one of his initial films where he was a ‘chocolate boy’ hero against his future rough-hewn macho image. #9 “Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon” (“Kabhie Kabhie”, 1976) – In this near-biopic about a legendary poet’s romantic life, Mukesh is the perfect voice as Amitabh Bachchan, to Khayyam’s soulful music, makes a frank assessment of a poet’s career and legacy. #10 “Kai Baar Yun Dekha Hai” (“Rajnigandha”, 1974) – This poignant song, picturised on Amol Palekar in Basu Chatterjee’s middleclass romance, fetched Mukesh his first and only National award for playback.

30

Literature

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

story - 1

Puppies for Sale

A

A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: “Puppies For Sale.”

Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.

The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The shop owner explained that the

veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket.

It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited.

“That is the puppy that I want to buy.”

The shop owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said; “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The shop owner countered, “You

really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

Moral: In fact, everyone of us are like that lame puppy, lacking in something, and all we need is someone to understand us better.

story - 2

A bowl of noodles from a stranger

T

That night, Sue quarreled with her mother, then stormed out of the house. While enroute, she remembered that she did not have any money in her pocket, she did not even have enough coins to make a phone call home.

At the same time, she went through a noodle shop, picking up sweet fragrance, she suddenly felt very hungry. She wished for a bowl of noodles, but she had no money!

The seller saw her standing wheat faltered before the counter and asked: Hey little girl, you want to eat a bowl?

But … but I do not carry money … she shyly replied.

Okay, I’ll treat you – the seller said come in, I will cook you a bowl.

A few minutes later the owner brought her a steaming bowl of noodles. Ate some pieces, Sue cried.

What is it? – He asked.

Nothing. I am just touched by your

kindness! – Sue said as she wiped her tears.

Even a stranger on the street gives me a bowl of noodles, and my mother, after a quarrel, chased me out of the house. She is cruel!!

The seller sighed: Girl, why did you think so? Think again. I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you felt that way. Your mother had raised you since you were little, why were you not grateful and disobeyed your mom?

Sue was really surprised after hearing that.

“Why did I not think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel indebted, and my mother has raised me since I was little and I have never felt so, even a little.”

On the way home, Sue thought in her head what she would say to her mother when she arrives home: “Mom, I’m sorry. I know it is my fault, please forgive me … ” Once up the steps, Sue saw her

mother worried and tired of looking for her everywhere. Upon seeing Sue, her mother gently said: “Sue, come inside honey. You are probably very hungry? I cooked rice and prepared the meal already, come eat while it is still hot …”

Can not control any longer, Sue cried in her mom’s hands.

In life, we sometimes easy to appreciate the small actions of some people around us, but for the relatives, especially parents, we see their sacrifices as a matter of natural Parental love and concern are the most precious gifts w.e have been given since birth.

Parents do not expect us to pay back for nurturing us...but have we ever appreciated or treasure the unconditional sacrifice of our parents?

Moral: Parental love and concern are the most precious gifts we have been given since birth.

Events

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018

events & more...

ACROSS 5. A person who is against the standards of ordinary society especially in dressing 8. A person who does not believe in God 11. A man with abnormal habits 12. One, who considers the happiness and well-being of others first 13. A supporter of the cause of women ?

15. A place for ammunition and weapons 16. A place where government or public records are kept 18. Process of thought 19. One, who studies the evolution of mankind 20. One who talks too much ?

GOLF COURSE ROAD 1, 2nd Floor, Next To Hilton Double Tree Hotel, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon 5 Aug 2018 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

SSB crossword no. 33

events

Doggy Swim Race at The Ark Venue : The Ark

SOLUTION of crossword no.32

Clay Around And Make New Friends Venue : Sanskriti Museums GHITORNI Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Anandagram, Anand Gram, Ghitorni, New Delhi 5 Aug 2018 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Gifts World Expo Venue :

Pragati Maidan Pragati Maidan, New Delhi 10 Aug 2018 - 12 Aug 2018 10 Aug 10:00 AM - 12 Aug 6:00 PM

1.Muscat 2.Dhaka 3.Panasonic 4.Canada 5.China 6.Haryana 7.Odisha 8.India 9.Google 10.Rajkot

11.Varanasi 12.Kota 13.Leh 14.ICWA 15.IDBI Bank 16.Indore 17.Jio 18.Nepal 19.Lupin 20.RBI

solution of sudoku-32

Workshop - Reboot: Sleep Venue : DLF

Reboot-Wellness 7, Nathupur Road, Ground Floor, Near Neelkanth Hospital, DLF Phase III, Gurugram Tue, 7 Aug 5:30PM - 7:00PM

31

DOWN 1. Eliminating or killing of a whole race ?

2. To cut off a part of a person’s body which is infected 3. A hater of learning and knowledge 4. The passage of soul after death from one body to another.

6. One who firmly believes in fate or destiny ?

7. Government by one person 9. The murder of brother ?

10. A number of people listening to a lecture 14. Without payment or free of cost ?

17. A person who readily believes others

sudoku-33

Art Therapy Session Venue : cognizavest llp Idea Tutors Near AP Block Market, Maharaja Agrasen Marg, Block AP, Uttari Pitampura, Pitampura, Sun, 5 Aug 12:00PM - 3:00PM

on the lighter side by DHIR

Please mail your solution to - ssbweekly@gmail.com or Whatsapp at 9868807712, One Lucky Winner will win Cash Prize of Rs 500/-. Look for the Solution in the Next Issue of SSB

32

Newsmakers

July 30 - Aug 05, 2018 Kundan & Ritesh

Six Pack Band

Banka Unnayan For Maoist-hit Bihar

Music Band of Six Special Kids

IIT Grad and IAS officer join hands to transform education

While every child has to face their own battles,differentlyabled children require a little help while doing so

M

usic could be one of the best ways to break stereotypes and spread the message of inclusivity for children with special needs in our society. And when it is done by differently abled children who are talent powerhouses, that message is sure to hit home. In its second edition, Brooke Bond Red Label Tea and Y‐Films (the youth films wing of Yash Raj Films’) has launched a ‘Label Six Pack Band’, with the first single track ‘Jhakkad Pakkad Dance’, featuring six children with learning and development disorders. The title track will be followed by a launch of six songs as part of the ‘Issphesal’ album

to bring forward inspiring stories of — Ananya Halarnkar, Anjali Ramesh, Maitreya Matale, Paarth Padhye, Prerna Agarwal, Rishaan Patil — the six talent powerhouses.

GM, Beverages, Hindustan Unilever, Shiva Krishnamurthy said, “The brand stands for inclusiveness.

We encourage people to overcome their prejudices and find common ground with fellow human beings over a steaming cup of chai. Encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response that India’s first transgender band received, we are back with India’s most special band. We hope that our talented band members receive similar love this time around as well.”

Each of these children has one or more learning or developing disorder which includes Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dysgraphia and more.

‘

Banka Unnayan,’ a project devised

by Kundan Kumar, the District Magistrate of Banka, and Eckovation, an education startup run by Ritesh Singh, a Chapra-born IIT Delhi graduate, is fostering an environment across public schools in the district that encourages active student and teacher participation, while building conceptual understanding through animated and interactive video lectures in maoist-hit Bihar District.

Making matters harder, this district in the southeastern part of Bihar is marked by run-down schools with poor classrooms, not enough teachers and below par test scores.

However, things have changed rather rapidly since the implementation of Banka Unnayan project.

“The Unnayan project aims to deliver

unsung hero

O

ne good opportunity can change the life if that is utilized properly. And opportunities don’t knock our doors every day. Furthermore, if we struggle hard to achieve something, the universe will provide an opportunity to fulfill our dreams. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 17-year-old has set an example for those who dream big. Furthermore, He is all set to represent the U-19 Indian cricket team during the upcoming Sri Lanka tour.

For three years, he slept with groundsmen in a tent belonging to the Muslim United Club inside the Azad Maidan Ground premises in Mumbai. Before that, he worked in a dairy shop, where he used to sleep for the night.

And despite living such a life for a long time, the lad kept his dream of playing for India alive. And his time has now come!

Yashasvi Jaiswal, a middle-order batsman with

Yashasvi Jaiswal

The Good Day Has Come

a ‘remarkable temperament’ is primed to join the India Under-19 team for the Sri Lanka tour. A spot for which he has done what few others would do for a more than a week, let alone a few years!

With his ‘extraordinary game sense and unflappable focus’, Jaiswal has always had a tough, uphill climb.

quality education through the integration of technology with a focus on ensuring continuous monitoring and accountability in the public education system.

Here we use ICT to deliver contextualised videos-based learning modules, continuous and comprehensive evaluation of student performance and cohort learning facilities to students involving the use of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics,” says Ritesh Singh.

This unique model covers all the three important needs of our public education system—responsiveness, transparency and efficiency. “I had experimented with a similar programme in Nalanda, where I was posted earlier. When I got transferred to Banka, I thought this is an ideal district to test the Unnayan concept. Anyone— parents, students, experts and people anywhere in the world—can download this app and interact with each other.

What can be a better sight than a Katoria tribal student getting to interact with a student from the US,” Kundan Kumar told.

Slept in a Tent, Sold Pani Puri: Gritty Mumbai Lad Will Now Play for Team India U-19!

His father, a small-time shopkeeper in Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh, didn’t object when Jaiswal wanted to move to Mumbai to pursue cricket. The father was having a hard time feeding the family. Jaiswal’s uncle, a manager of the Muslim United Club, requested the owners to let Yashasvi stay there – in a tent.

The tent was his home for three years, and quietly Yashasvi struggled, making sure the stories of his hardship never reached Bhadohi. His father would try helping him with money, but it was never enough.

To make a living, Yashasvi sold pani puri in Azad Maidan and helped sell fruits. For Yashasvi, a decent meal was difficult to find, and a place to rest was nonexistent, let alone maintain a proper diet and rest regime.

Mumbai Under-19 coach, Satish Samant, claimed Yashasvi would become a big player who could read a bowler’s mind well.

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