Sulabh Swachh Bharat - VOL: 2 | ISSUE 26

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

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Sanitation in Ethiopia

Wangari Maathai

Vrindavan Saga

The Making of A Legend

New Models For Construction And Use Of Toilets

Planting Trees To Create Jobs And To Fight For Democracy

Vrindavan Healed My Scars, Gave Me Peace, Says Pratibha

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

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Vol - 2 | Issue - 26 | June 11-17, 2018 | Price ` 5/-

Isha Is Not Just A Yoga Centre Isha Foundation is a volunteer-based, non-profit organisation founded by Sadhguru. It is an essential resource for those who wish to explore the ancient science of yoga in all its depth and dimensions n G Ulaganathan

Y

ou can’t miss him, especially if you are visiting Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The white bearded man smiles at you from every corner of the city. There are many bill boards along the main thoroughfares showing him in different moods, but looking at you, straight in your eyes, and giving simple advice and gyan on various aspects of life.

He is none other than Jaggi Vasudev, more popularly known as Sadhguru of

Quick Glance The foundation offers yoga coaching under the name of Isha Yoga

The foundation regularly organises Maha satsangs with Sadhguru

Adiyogi Shiva statue declared largest bust sculpture by Guinness World Records

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Cover Story

June 11-17, 2018

Man

Mystic

Mission

MAN

A fearless child, a revolutionary teen, an irreverent youth, how did it all add up to make the man who has transformed millions of lives?

Mystic

Our two eyes can capture the physical world, that which can block light, but are blind to all else. Only by opening the third eye can one perceive that which is seen and unseen. This is the realm of mysticism, of knowing life in its full depth and dimension. Sadhguru is a bridge into this mysterious arena of life. It is a homecoming, a settling back into yourself

Mission

Sadhguru has often said that “society is overripe for a spiritual process.” His fundamental vision is to offer the science of inner wellbeing to every human being – a science that helps a person realise the ultimate potential within. From this vision stem a multitude of projects, programmes, and methods, all towards the same aim: to raise every human being to the peak of their potential, so that they are exuberant, all-inclusive, and in harmony with themselves and the world

the Isha Foundation.

His impressive Isha Foundation campus is about 40 km from the city of Coimbatore and there are a number of buses from the city bus terminus.

The route is bumpy, back-breaking and time-consuming. It takes anything upto two hours to reach the Isha Foundation.

The services start early morning and continue up to 9 pm.

There are many localites who make it a point to visit the place every day and there is also a steady stream of visitors from outside. Entry is free and if one is lucky he or she can meet Sadhguru himself and interact with him during his evening discourse sessions.

And, these discourses are not oneway traffic as in most cases. Here he speaks for some time and then engages in free conversation with those gathered there.

Everything can be discussed, from personal life to spiritual doubts. He patiently answers all the questions.

In the Foundation, there are five major

If you keep your pride, your ego, and your selfsignificance down, you will become available to Grace - Sadhguru activities going on simultaneously: the Yoga centre, Project GreenHands, Isha Vidhya, Action for Rural Rejuvenation and Rally for Rivers. Isha Foundation is a non-profit, spiritual organisation founded in 1992 by Sadhguru. The foundation offers yoga programs under the name of ‘Isha Yoga’.

Yoga classes are also conducted for corporate leaders to introduce them to what Sadhguru calls “inclusive economics,” to introduce a sense of compassion and inclusiveness into today’s economic scenario.

Ashrams

There are two ashrams: the Isha Yoga Centre at the Velliangiri hills near Coimbatore and another at the Isha Institute of Inner Sciences at McMinnville, Tennessee.

The foundation regularly organises Maha satsangs with Sadhguru where he gives discourses, conducts meditations and indulges in questionanswer session with the masses. It also organises annual yatras to Mount Kailash and the Himalayas under the banners Kailash Manasarovar Sojourn and Himalayan Dhyan Yatra.

Social And Environmental Initiatives

Isha Foundation was founded by Sadhguru, to create an inclusive culture towards global harmony and progress.

Its powerful yoga programs for inner transformation and inspiring projects for society and the environment are appreciated worldwide, reflected in Isha’s consultative status with

the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Isha Foundation is an essential resource for those who wish to explore the ancient science of yoga in all its depth and dimensions.

Action for Rural Rejuvenation

Action for Rural Rejuvenation (ARR) is a multi-phase program aimed toward improving the overall health and quality of life of the rural poor. It was established by Sadhguru in 2003 . As of 2010, ARR has reached over 4,200 villages and a population of over 7 million people.

Cover Story

June 11-17, 2018

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Project GreenHands “Every society needs individuals who will go on planting mango trees without thinking whether they will get to eat the fruit or not” - Sadhguru

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roject GreenHands (GreenHands) is a grassroots ecological initiative that has created green consciousness among the populace of Tamil Nadu. Guided

by Sadhguru, this initiative aims to increase the green cover of the state to the required 33% green cover by planting 114 million saplings with people participation.

From planting 25,000 saplings in the Tsunami affected coastal districts in 2005 which marked the beginning of the project, today, Project GreenHands produces and distributes 4 million saplings annually. The unique aspect of the project is the involvement of people of all ages and from all walks of life such as students, farmers, NGOs, corporate houses, general public etc., Since its inception, 30 million saplings have been planted by 2 million people from all over Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.

In 2006, the project entered the Guinness World Book of Records for planting maximum number of saplings (8,52,587 saplings) on a single day. In 2010, the project was awarded the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar, India’s highest environmental award. In the same year, Project GreenHands won the Beyond Sport award for

Isha Vidhya

Isha Vidhya, an education initiative, aims to raise the level of education and literacy in rural India by providing quality English-language-based, computer-aided education to rural children. There are seven Isha Vidhya Schools in operation which educate around 3000 students.

Mobile health clinics

There are mobile health clinics operated by the foundation. These MHCs were launched in 2003 to service less accessible rural areas and provide timely medical care to people who would not have access.

The clinics provide basic health care, distribute medicine and create health awareness among the rural public. The clinic is equipped with

the category “Sports for Environment” at a summit in Chicago, US. This award is given to organisations that use sports as a tool to mobilise community for their social cause.

The mission of Project GreenHands is to inspire people and enable them to plant trees. The project distributes saplings to the target community who do the planting. The responsibility of nurturing and monitoring the saplings that are planted is given to individuals/ groups who took the onus of planting the saplings. The project has 4 models for reaching out to all sections of the society Trees for All: 84 different tree species (combination of fruit, fodder, timber, flowering and avenue trees) endemic to Tamil Nadu are raised through 40 volunteer driven nurseries spread across the state. School children, college students, corporate employees, Isha volunteers, nature enthusiasts take part in production activities like filling pockets with soil, transplanting seedlings, watering etc. Through various means, awareness is created and saplings are distributed to people

who commit to nurture and grow them into trees.

Trees for Life: Incorporating agro-forestry model in farmlands where farmers are guided to choose and plant the right kind of tree sapling to take care of all issues like crop failure, soil erosion and water inadequacy thereby creating a selfsustaining movement. Farmers are mobilised through awareness campaigns, advertisement in farmer magazines, etc.

Green School Movement: A joint initiative with the Tamil Nadu State Education Department to provide environmental education as an experience to school children who are members of National Green Corps. From sowing the seed, filling pockets, watering the seedling, nurturing and until

a medical laboratory, diagnostic equipment and a pharmacy and is staffed by a physician, two paramedical staff and a yoga teacher who provide health care services and yoga training to patients. The mobile clinics are capable of attending to around 100 patients a day.

and alternative medical services at low cost, emergency medical services and minor surgeries. Apart from an in-house doctor, the clinic also has a team of visiting specialists for gynaecology, ENT and paediatrics.

Isha rural health clinics

Health awareness events and medical camps are held across Tamil Nadu under the Isha Arogya Gramam Plan launched in 2008. Patients are screened and treated for general health, eye, ENT and dental problems.

The “Wave of Health” or Arokia Alai programme also works to support this endeavour by spreading awareness on nutrition, disease prevention and hygiene and sanitation to the rural people through talks and media presentations

Isha Rural Health Clinics (IRHCs) provide communities with round the clock affordable and expert healthcare services. Currently, four IRHCs are in operation in the districts of Coimbatore, Tripura, Salem and Velayuthampalayam. Each IRHC serves up to 30 surrounding villages and is equipped with a diagnostic lab, a subsidized pharmacy and minor surgery facilities and offers allopathic

Health awareness campaigns

planting the tree, all activities are done by school children.

The sense of ownership and level of commitment with students is high because they have been involved in all aspects of nursery production over a period of 6 months. The project has involved students from 2,212 schools to produce and plant 3.5 million saplings in 6 districts of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Isha Agro Movement: A platform for farmers who practise sustainable farming with a stable and sustained income. To build a community of natural farmers, state level training programs are organised where experts train farmers in the concept of natural farming. Handholding and guidance is seen as an important aspect and maximum support is extended to farmers for transitioning from chemical farming to natural farming.

“Planting trees in the soil was easy compared to planting trees in people’s minds. The first six years our main work was just about planting this idea in people’s minds. But after it became rooted in their minds, planting in the land happened quite effortlessly,” says Sadhguru.

AIDS awareness

The foundation and Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society have collaborated to establish a community care centre for treatment and counselling people living with HIV/ AIDS. The centre offers medical treatment, consultations on illnesses related to HIV and AIDS, treatment of opportunistic infections, counselling services for patients on issues such as drug adherence, nutrition, use of contraceptives and positive living and a free ambulance service which serves as an emergency transport and for transporting patients for lab investigations.

Isha Gramotsavam

It is an annual event to showcase rural sports and art forms. Over 500,000 people from 900 villages

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Cover Story

June 11-17, 2018

Rally For Rivers With the support of 162 million people, Rally for Rivers became one of the largest ecological movements.

Thirteen Chief Ministers from different political parties participated in the RFR events that happened in 16 states across the country

S ‘R

ally For Rivers’ is the latest campaign launched

by Isha Foundation in 2017 to tackle the scarcity of water across rivers in India and instil awareness about protecting rivers.

Sadhguru launched the campaign on September 3 from Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore.

Sadhguru personally drove across 16 states in a month’s time. The campaign saw an unprecedented coming together of political leaders, farmers, industrialists, businessmen, students, professionals, media, culminating in the handing over of the draft policy recommendation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Six states signed a Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with Isha Foundation to plant trees along river banks. They were Karnataka, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The Niti Aayog and the Ministry of Water Resources have constituted committees to study the draft policy proposal.

A New Approach to River Revitalization The RFR team has arrived at an approach, which is slightly different in principle from the existing paradigm of solution for

dying rivers. This new approach is based on a combination of the following: first-hand 1. Decade-long experience of PGH in tree plantation and improving farmer livelihoods in Tamil Nadu 2. In-depth studies on the state of rivers 3. Majority stakeholders in rivers, namely the farmers and forest dwellers 4. The approach that focuses on source augmentation of rivers through tree plantation has been seen to improve farmers’ livelihoods.

“Major Indian Rivers have depleted dramatically in a matter of a few decades. So far, the approach has been just to exploit the rivers, not rejuvenate them.

Water resources and soil are being destroyed at such a rate that in another fifteen to twenty years’ time, we will not be able to feed these then 1.5 billion people and quench their thirst anymore.

The simplest and most effective solution is to increase the tree coverage around the water bodies. This means we have to work towards creating awareness and induce policy changes.” – Sadhguru.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev released the book on Gandhi and Modi

adhguru Jaggi Vasudev released founder Sulabh International Centre for Action Sociology spearheaded by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak and Blue-Kraft Digital Foundation’s, “Fulfilling Bapu’s Dreams Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Tribute to Gandhi”, at Rashtrapati Bhavan and President Ram Nath Kovind received the first copy of the book on March 9, 2018.

In the foreword, Dr Pathak explained the underlying idea of the book. He wrote: “This book beautifully charts a parallel trajectory of Mahtma Gandhi’s universal ideas and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s actions to realize Bapu’s dream.”

Speaking on the occasion,

attend this event. Performances are given in various rural art forms such as Silambattam, Oyilattam, Karagattam and Tapattam. Handicrafts and traditional food from various regions are also displayed. Rural olympics are also conducted as a part of the Gramotsavam.

Technologies for Wellbeing

Inner Engineering is a comprehensive system, derived from the ancient science of yoga, to establish a deep and lasting personal transformation. It is a method of aligning one’s body, mind, emotions and energies to function at their peak and in complete harmony.

It does not require any physical fitness

Sadhguru Jaggi Vausdev said, “Thank you very much for giving me this honour of releasing this fantastic book because it is important that these values are once again reverberating in the nation’s consciousness.” Referring to Mahatma Gandhi, he said, “People bow down to him even today because of his relentless commitment to what he saw as the truth.” He also said, “Mahatma Gandhi was a man who made the ordinary into extraordinary, simple into sublime.” President Ram Nath Kovind speaking on the occasion said, “In the post-independence era, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak has been a valuable contributor in promoting sanitation as a wellplanned social campaign.” or previous knowledge of yoga and is easy to integrate into any lifestyle.

The program includes Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya – a powerful 21-minute process that incorporates the breath. If practiced daily, it can enhance your perception and experience of life.

Isha Foundation

The Isha Foundation is a totally volunteer-run, non-profit, human service organisation dedicated to cultivating human potential, says the Sadhguru. There are over 9 million volunteers, sources said.

Deeply touched and transformed by their personal experiences, volunteers bring to life Isha’s myriad activities,

Cover Story

June 11-17, 2018 forming the vibrant force of dedication and love that makes Isha truly unique.

Apart from part time volunteers, there are over 4000 full time volunteers who are involved in the Yoga and meditation programs, the 4 major social outreach projects, running two boarding schools, conducting major leadership programs, Rally for Rivers, etc. In the Coimbatore ashram itself, nearly 1000 volunteers are staying in dormitories. The main focus is on several large-scale human service projects to support individual growth, revitalize the human spirit, rebuild communities, and restores the environment, it is said.

The centre offers various residential accommodation facilities and yoga programs of different durations, which one can make use of. Both program participants and guests are provided wholesome sattvic food as part of their stay. Isha Yoga Centre provides a supportive environment for one to shift to healthier lifestyles, seek a higher level of self-fulfillment. “INSIGHT – The DNA of Success” is a leadership programme offered by Isha Leadership Academy, which provides one with practical takeaways that multiply capability to manage both external situations and inner growth. Bringing together the tools of professional and personal empowerment, INSIGHT is designed as a practitioner-oriented package that draws upon the experience of several highly successful business leaders who have built and grown world-class organisations.

The interesting thing is nothing much is known about the hierarchy within. After sadhguru, who is going to guide them? I ask. “Every initiative has its own leadership. Anna (brother) and the entire wheel moves smoothly” they say. ‘Anna’ is how affectionately they address you and volunteers are there all around to attend to any emergency inside the ashram.

Sadhguru is ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, and was conferred the “Padma Vibhushan” by the Government of India in 2017.

Very little is known about his personal life though insiders say he hails from Mysore but came to Coimbatore to set up the foundation as he was influenced by the ‘poorva janma’ , memories that he had spent in the Velliangiri hills adjoining the place where the Isha Foundation today stands. He first set up the Dhyanalinga, a Yogic temple which was consecrated on June 24, 1999. It is a lovely cubical structure with an egg shaped roof under which the tall shiv linga stands. It is a centre for meditation and devotees sit

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Adiyogi Statue The bust refers to the source of Yoga and symbolises the 112 methods of self-transformation that Lord Shiva, the Adiyogi (originator of yoga), offered

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he major attraction for visitors from all over the world is of course the Adiyogi statue, inaugurate by the Prime Minister on 27th February, 2017 with much fanfare. After this event which was telecast worldwide, the footfalls have increased by over 30 per cent.

The Adiyogi statue is a 34.3-metretall (112.4 ft), 7.62-metre-wide (24.99 ft) statue of Shiva which has been recognised by the Guinness World Records as the “Largest Bust Sculpture” in the world.

Designed by Sadhguru himself, it weighs around 500 tonnes. Sadhguru says the statue is for inspiring and promoting yoga, and is named Adiyogi, which means “the first yogi”, because Shiva is known as the originator of yoga.

The statue was designed over two years and made within eight months.

The bust is cast in steel. The height of the statue, 112 ft is said to symbolize the 112 possibilities to

all around in total silence and meditate for hours. The temple is consecrated using prana prathista and is dedicated for meditation.

‘Dhyana’ is a Sanskrit word which means meditation, and linga means form, he explains. According to Sadhguru, the Dhyanalinga has all the seven chakras fully energized .The Dhyanalinga Yogic Temple offers a meditative space that does not ascribe to any particular faith.

As we enter, the large ellipsoidal dome catches our attention. The dome was designed by architect Satprem Maïni and the Auroville Earth Institute, and constructed by volunteers of the Isha Foundation using only countryfired bricks and cement-stabilized mud mortar, without steel or concrete, we are told.

The dome is 76 ft (23.2 m) in diameter and 33 ft (10.1 m) in height.

The lingam is 13 ft (4 m) in height made of high density black granite.

attain to moksha (liberation) that are mentioned in yogic culture.

The Isha Foundation plans to erect such statues in three more locations in the eastern, western and northern parts of India - in Varanasi, Mumbai and Delhi A Linga called “Yogeshwar Linga” is placed in front of the Adiyogi statue.

This linga has five chakras – Muladhara (root chakra), Svadhishthana

(sacral chakra), Manipura (solar plexus chakra), Vishuddhi (throat chakra), and Ajna (third eye chakra), and each one of them has sixteen dimensions.

To mark the unveiling of the statue, the song “Adiyogi - The source of Yoga” was released by the Isha Foundation on YouTube on 19th February 2017. The song was sung and composed by Kailash Kher.

Passionate, insightful, logical and witty, Sadhguru’s talks have earned him the reputation of an opinion-maker of renown. With his incisive grasp of current issues and world affairs, he has been a primary speaker at the United Nations World Headquarters, a regular at the World Economic Forum, and a special invitee at the Australian Leadership Retreat, Indian Economic Summit and TED to name a few. He has also been invited to speak at leading educational institutions, including Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton and MIT among others.

Yoga Centre offers a variety of programmes that provide methods for anyone to attain physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing The Sarva Dharma Sthamba, located at the front entrance, is unique. It has sculptural reliefs and symbols of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism and Shinto inscribed as a universal welcome.

Theerthakund

It is the theerthakund, where we are first taken by the volunteers. It is a subterranean tank located 35 ft (10.7 m) below the ground and holds three lingams immersed in water. It is believed that the lingam is made of solidified and 99.8% purified mercury.

The mercury is said to have been solidified at room temperature.

We take a dip in this water before

going to the Dhyanalinga temple. A semi-circular brick vault covers this tank, the inner sides of which have murals in pure natural dyes.

AUM meditation

Visitors coming to the Dhyanalinga experience meditation by chanting the mantra ‘Aum’. This is said to relieve people from numerous physical and mental issues. The Dhyanalinga offers a set of activities throughout the year aimed at creating and promoting universal values and religious harmony. Daily activities include non-lyrical chants, offered by a talented group of singers, originating from various countries and cultures.

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Sanitation

June 11-17, 2018

Ethiopia

New Models For Construction And Use Of Toilets This sub-Saharan country is making progress on WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene), but formidable obstacles remain on the way

LiyuClass Pilot facility in Addis Ketma Sub-city

Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr

A

ccording to a World Bank report, Ethiopia had moved quite considerably on the sanitation front in terms of building toilets, ending open defecation and ensuring toilet hygiene. In 2000, only 14 per cent of the rural and 72 per cent of the urban population had access to safe drinking water, and this improved by 2015 when 52 million people out of a population of 80 million had access to safe drinking water and 26 million people had access to sanitation services. According to the report of March 2016, the World Bank had invested US$860 million for safe drinking water and sanitation services in the country.

USAID in its evaluation report of May 2018 finds the situation in Ethiopia on the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) front under the Millennium Water AllianceEthiopia Program (MWA-EP) quite unsatisfactory. It says, “Despite of decades of efforts to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Ethiopia, its key WASH indicators remain some of the lowest in the world. As of 2015, only 30 per cent of the rural Ethiopian population had

Quick Glance World Bank invested $860 million for drinking water and sanitation

Use of latrines lags behind construction of latrines

WASH Alliance International argues traditional solutions not adequate

access to water that meets its basic needs; 4 per cent used improved, nonshared sanitation; and 99 per cent lacked any handwashing facility.”

What are some of the problems facing Ethiopia on the sanitation front? According to the USAID report, most households have latrines and they are being replaced once they are filled. The problem is that many of the original latrines are still in use and the replaced ones are not maintained well. The USAID report notes, “Though latrine users widely reported using their latrines, Health Extension

Workers (HEWs) indicated that latrine usage is likely not as high as people indicate and the observation data support this. Despite education on the importance of latrines, usage lags behind latrine construction.”

The other major challenge is that washing one’s hands after using the latrine. The USAID observation makes for grim reading. It says, “People likely overstate the extent of handwashing. Though most latrine owners reported washing their hands regularly, observation data and interviews with HEWs suggest this is an overstatement.

None of the observations revealed handwashing stations or other signs of handwashing, and the HEWs noted significant challenges convincing

people to wash their hands regularly.”

WASH Alliance International in its best practices report 20112015 spells out the challenge facing Ethiopia, and by implication other countries in the same situation. It says, “Traditional solutions focused on building infrastructure are not sustainable and cannot meet the needs of the growing population.” In Dire Dawa municipality, which is 550 km away from the national capital of Addis Ababa, a new model for construction of latrines in households got evolved. Instead of depending on the government, families were encouraged to build a latrine on their own by accessing credit from the micro financial institutions (MFIs).

And businesses have been created to

In Dire Dawa municipality, 550 km away from Addis Ababa, a new model for construction of latrines in households got evolved

Sanitation

June 11-17, 2018

Addis Ababa Water And Sewerage Authority Public Toilet Facility, Koshe Neighborhood

convert waste into useful product.

These enterprises, which created jobs for youth in the town, were again supported by financial institutions who created the credit channels.

From extending credit facilities to households and communities to build toilets comes the next idea of turning construction and maintenance of toilets as a profitable venture through pay-for-use model. This project is underway in Addis Ababa.

FitsumGelaye, a native of Addis and a graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in architecture in a report, “Toilets for Proft”, written for Archimedes Reporton November 23, 2017, refers to the World Bank funded project of creating a business model for creating sanitation facilities in Addis. Gelaye writes: “From my research, I have found that the NGOs that work in the field – which thus have all been international organisations – have been forging a path to move sanitation from a type of basic service that is solely provided by the government to a profitable business that can create employment for many while decreasing the health and hygiene

challenges that the city faces.” She says that the World Bank has marked out US40 million for building toilets in Addis Ababa as a business enterprise and the project is called Ethiopian Sanitation Marketing and Business Development Initiative Program.

Loans of US25000 will be provided to local cooperative businesses to construct public toilets. The bank is also providing “a six-module lesson on business administration that is available in multiple languages.”

The World Bank loan is to be distributed through the government and NGOs, and it is to be repaid over a period of 38 years, with an eightyear grace period, reports Gelaye.

She says that it is not just the World Bank which has turned sanitation into a business affair, but Population Services International (PSI) has also entered the field. PSI has started a pilot project of four Liyu or special class facility at Addis Ketema, one of the densely populated sub-cities of Addis Ababa, which covers 20 square metres land and costs US$5000, with separate gender-designated toilets, shower and outdoor sink for washing hands. The charges are 1 birr (equivalent to 4 US cents) for urinals, 2 birr for toilets and 10 birr for shower.

Addis Ababa Water and Sewage Authority (AAWSA) has also entered the fray of “toilets for profit” and auctioned it to differently-abled people to run it. Gelaye writes her impression of the AAWSA-built public facility: “I was able to visit one of the facilities in a peri-urban neighbourhood of Addis informally called Koshe. I initially walked past this Public Toilet and Rest Stop facility, mistaking it for a small public garden, with a quaint coffee

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Addis Ababa Water and Sewage Authority (AAWSA) has also entered the fray of “toilets for profit” and auctioned these to differently-abled people to run them and tea café. I was later able to learn that AAWASA has a specific design for these toilets that includes a small garden in the forefront with carefully selected flowers.”

Gelaye looks at the challenges involved in this now model of toiletsfor-profit business. She argues that the use charges are quite high and this would exclude the poor people from using the public facilities, and it is the poor who need them the most.

The second issue is that of cleaning up the septic tanks periodically. She says the waste collected is pumped out once in 10 days, and she points out that when the septic tanks are full people stop using the facility because of the overwhelming smell. She also moots the idea that it is not necessary to think of disposing of the waste and there could be a business model for recycling it as well, especially for the urban farms around Addis Ababa.

Most of the information that is available about sanitation issues is provided by international organisations. We do not have hard data and analysis from Ethiopian sources – governmental and nongovernmental. But from a cursory survey of available data put forward by global aid organisations like the World Bank, UNICEF and others it can be seen that there has been much progress on the sanitation front in Ethiopia. It is however evident that it would not be possible to find a permanent solution because there is need for change in

strategies as conditions change.

One of the insights that emerges from the reports is that there is need to create the sanitation infrastructure of more toilets both at the household and community levels, but there remains the more important challenge of changing the mindset of people, in making them use latrines and making them wash their hands after using the latrines. It may appear that these are obvious matters and that they do not merit discussion. But as we gather from the data, these are the issues that make the goal of sanitation facilities to all so much more difficult and complex as well.

There are the harsh economic realities which create a vicious circle of its own. It has been noticed that when latrines are full and when they are replaced, people had a tendency to dismantle the replaced latrine structures made of wood. The USAID report notes: “None of the MWAEP-supported public latrines are functional today. People dismantled them for firewood, indicating that the community’s short-term demand for firewood outstripped perceived benefits of public latrines.”

There has been significant economic growth in Ethiopia in the last decade, which has made it the fastest-growing region in sub-Saharan Africa. This economic growth should help solve the sanitation and public health challenges that this country faces.

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International Personality

June 11-17, 2018

Wangari Maathai

Planting Trees To Create Jobs And To Fight For Democracy The Kenyan winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize for Peace fought the good fight for the good cause Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr

Wangari Maathai was the founder of the Green Belt Movement

She faced discrimination and opposition on several counts

She was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize

W

angari Maathai, the winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize for Peace, is an extraordinary woman who has fought ordinary battles against gender and tribal discrimination at the political level and she did not almost succeed.

She fought many political battles against the Kenyan government of Daniel Arap Moi, and she failed more often than not. But she persisted with her work.

She faced discrimination and opposition on several counts. First, she was a woman. Second, in Kenya, she belonged to the dominant Kikuyu tribe, and her political opponents kept her out for that reason. Third, she took up the unpopular cause of preserving forests and started off with the apparently fanciful thing of planting trees and used it to fight political battles as well.

She was never the icon of Kenya’s political establishment or of Kenya’s mainstream media.

Her life story is one of the surprising turns. She was chosen to study in the United States in 1960 under a programme started by thenSenator John F Kennedy under the Joseph P Kennedy Foundation.

She did her graduation and postgraduation in the United States and returned to Nairobi and joined what was to become the Nairobi University. She got her doctorate in veterinary anatomy and become the senior lecturer and head of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy, the first Kenyan woman to do so.

At the university, she fought for the rights of women working at the university, and thus began her lifetime of struggles.

After the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972, she got associated with the Environment Liaison Centre to promote the work of nongovernmental organisations of the United Nations Environmental

Quick Glance

Program (UNEP), which was headquartered at Nairobi. When her husband was elected to Kenyan parliament in 1974 where he promised jobs, Wangari thought that one of the ways of doing it was to plant trees and she set up Envirocare Limited for the purpose. The venture failed mainly due to funding problems, but the idea flourished. UNEP helped Wangari

to attend the first UN conference on human settlements, Habitat I in 1976.

On World Environment Day, June 5, 1977, Wangari spoke to the National Council of Women of Kenya to plant trees. The women marched to outskirts of Nairobi to plant trees, and it became the first Green Belt, and transformed into Green Belt Movement. She contested the

The important thing in the life and work of Wangari is that she fought the battle for the environment through political means as well

election to parliament but she was prevented on technicalities. She had to resign from her university job to contest the election. She was without a job and a possible political career. The Norwegian Forestry Society approached her to work on the Green Belt Movement and planting of seedlings. In 1986 the Green Belt Movement had spread to the rest of Africa with funding from UNEP. Because of the funding that was now available, she was able to pay the women involved in the work. After repeated failures to win in the elections through the 1980s and 1990s, and the government Arap Moi arresting her time and again, and releasing her in response to international pressure and protest, she won in the 2002 national election when all the parties contested, and she became the assistant minister for environment. She lost the election in 2007 but she continued with her work for women and environment. In 2005 she was elected as the first president of African Union’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council.

The important thing in the life and work of Wangari is that she fought the battle for the environment through political means as well, and her opponents and critics – and throughout her life, a major section of Kenya’s establishment, including the media- was hostile to her. But she was not deterred. In the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech delivered at Oslo on December 10, 2004, she explained: “Although initially, the Green Belt Movement’s tree planting activities did not address issues of democracy and peace, it soon became clear that responsible governance of the environment was impossible without democratic space. Therefore, the tree became a symbol for the democratic struggle in Kenya.”

International Personality

June 11-17, 2018 She recalls a memory of her childhood at the conclusion of her Nobel speech: “As I conclude I reflect on my childhood experience when I would visit a stream next to our home to fetch water for my mother. I would drink water straight from the stream.

Playing among the arrowroot leaves I tried in vain to pick up the strands of frogs’ eggs, believing they were beads.

But every time I put my little fingers under them they would break. Later, I saw thousands of tadpoles: black, energetic, wriggling through the clear water against the background of the brown earth. This is the world I inherited from my parents.

Today, over 50 years later, the stream has dried up, women walk long distances for water, which is not always clean, and children will never know what they have lost.

The challenge is to restore the home of the tadpoles and give back to our children a world of beauty and wonder.”

Wangari is one of the environmentalists who understood the importance of culture and heritage in the lives of communities and for protecting the environment.

She was not starry-eyed about Africa’s cultural heritage, but she argued and quite convincingly that cultural heritage is important.

Speaking at the 4th UN World Women’s Conference in Beijing in August, 1995, she boldly set forth her point of view. She said, “The African peoples heritage is their historical record which has been passed from one generation to another and which directs communities in times of peace, insecurity and in times of birth, life and death. This heritage gives them self-identity, selfconfidence and self-respect. It allows them to be in harmony with their physical and spiritual environment. It is the basis for their personal peace, or the lack of it.”

With almost Gandhian passion, Wangari argues for traditional values because she recognizes that there was something in a tradition that linked them to their environment and which made them to show reverence towards the environment.

She has also

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Awards, Achievements, and Professional Affiliations PERSONAL

Date of Birth: April 1, 1940 Deceased: September 25, 2011 Place of Birth: Nyeri, Kenya Nationality: Kenyan Family: Three children (Waweru, Wanjira, and Muta) and two grandchildren (Ruth Wangari and Elsa Wanjiru)

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Anatomy, University of Nairobi (1971) M.S., Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, USA (1966) B.S., Biology, Mount St. Scholastica College, USA (1964)

AWARDS

2010: Earth Hall of Fame, Kyoto (Japan) 2009: The Order of the Rising Sun, Japan 2008: Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Honorary Fellowship, UK 2007: The Nelson Mandela Award for Health & Human Rights, South Africa 2007: The Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, India 2007: World Citizenship Award, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts 2006: The Indira Gandhi International Award for Peace, Disarmament & Development, India 2006: 6th in 100 Greatest Eco-Heroes of All Time, The Environment Agency, UK 2006: Medal for Distinguished Achievement, University of Pennsylvania, USA 2006: The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, Milele (Lifetime) Achievement Award 2006: The IAIA Global Environment Award, International Association for Impact Assessment, Norway 2006: Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund Award, USA 2005: One of the 100 Most Influential People in the World: Time magazine, USA 2004: Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Norway 2004: Conservation Scientist Award, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University, USA 2003: WANGO Environment Award, World Association of NonGovernmental Organizations, USA 1997: One of 100 in the World Who’ve Made a Difference in the Environment: Earth Times, USA 1995: International Women’s Hall of Fame, International Women’s Forum Leadership Foundation, USA 1994: The Order of the Golden Ark Award, the Netherlands 1991: The Goldman Environmental Prize, the Goldman Foundation, USA 1989: Women of the World Award, WomenAid, UK 1983: Woman of the Year Award been a successful woman in terms of creating material assets for her family. She left a will by which her children were to manage the estate.

And she has been attacked by the mainstream media for this too.

But Wangari was not broken by any of the attacks. She created an environmental movement in Kenya and in Africa based on the principles

of good economics. The basic idea behind planting trees and growing forests was to create employment.

And she also showed how the good fight for the environment also meant fighting for democracy and human rights. She argued the case for the environment in a language that made the environment an issue of democratic politics.

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Science & Technology

June 11-17, 2018

peacock

Scientists Unveil Genome Of India’s National Bird Knowledge of the genome can provide insight into the genetic reasons that enable peacocks to have ornate feathers and fly short distances, despite their weight Manupriya

A

fter a two-year-long effort, a team of researchers from IISER-Bhopal has been able to sequence the genome of India’s national bird, the peacock (Pavo cristatus).

Knowledge of the genome can provide insight into the genetic reasons that enable peacocks to have ornate feathers and fly despite their weight -- two characteristics that have been puzzling scientists.

The researchers have made their findings publicly available on the research pre-print server bioRXiv (pronounced bio archive). They also hope to soon publish their findings in a peer-reviewed journal.

The study revealed that the entire peacock genome consists of 1.1 billion base pairs (base pairs are units of DNA) and codes for a total of 15,970 genes. When these genes were compared with those of closelyrelated birds like chicken and turkey, the researchers found that up to 99 genes in peacocks are strikingly different.

Most of these “different” genes are involved in the early embryonic development or in providing immunity to the bird. These genes could also be the reason behind the “unusual size and structure of peacock

Quick Glance The study revealed that the entire peacock genome consists of 1.1 billion base pairs

Most of the “different” genes are involved in early embryonic development Peacocks live for 25 years, much longer than other closely-related birds like chicken and turkey

The peacock population suffered at least two “bottlenecks” or population crashes, one around four million years ago, and the other 450,000 years ago feathers and its higher longevity”, said lead researcher Vineet K. Sharma, an associate professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, IISER. Guojie Zhang, one of the organisers of the B10K project, an initiative to sequence the genomes of all existing bird species by the year 2020, called the discovery of the 99 “different” genes “very exciting”.

“It offers many candidate genes for understanding the unique feathers in peacocks. It could be interesting to see how these genes and their specific mutations control the morphology in peacocks,” he said.

Peacocks live for 25 years, much longer than other closely-related birds such as the chicken, which live for 7-8 years, and the turkey, which lives for about 10 years. It is possible that the immunity-related genes unique to peacock help them ward off diseases much better than other birds and consequently have a longer life.

Peacocks also have a peculiar system of selecting sexual partners.

Interestingly it’s not the peacocks

who choose, but the peahens. Studies have shown that, in making their choice, peahens are guided by the state of peacock’s feathers -- the number of eyespots, iridescence of the feathers and even the manner in which the male displays its feathers.

A lot of studies have investigated the correlation between the number of eyespots and its suitability for a female partner. And it appears that, when the number of eyespots falls below a critical number, mating chances of a peacock fall too.

Convinced with this line of study, Sharma said, the “eyespots are actually a measure of bird’s immunocompetence”.

Though more research may be required to prove this beyond doubt, it is likely that the feathers that make the bird seemingly unwieldy may actually be helping in better natural selection.

The sequence information also allowed the researchers to look at peacock’s evolutionary history. The peacock population suffered at least

two “bottlenecks” or population crashes, one around four million years ago, and the other 450,000 years ago.

The reasons for these bottlenecks are, however, not clear.

“The study is an important first step to look at the evolution of peacock genome,” said Zhang. The researchers have used the “short reads technology” for sequencing which does not produce a good genome assembly. “After this, the authors might want to improve their genome assembly so they could obtain more new insights on why the peacock is so different from other bird species,” he added. Going ahead, the IISER Bhopal team would work on experiments that elucidate the exact functional role of these genes to improve our understanding of “genotype-phenotype correlations for peacocks”, said Shubham Jaiswal, another researcher associated with the study.

“We are also going to use the genome sequence data to derive the complete chromosomes for this species,” he added.

This study has created the perfect opportunity to get a deeper understanding about our national bird. It has the potential to inform researchers studying various aspects of peacock’s life and create better conservation strategies.

Immediate benefits aside, studies like this “help us to understand why birds are so different from other vertebrate species, such as, what makes them fly, why they have beaks but not tooth, why they have colourful feathers, why peacocks have elongated tails and eye spots on feathers, why penguins lost the ability to fly but can dive in the sea, why the hummingbirds are so tiny but ostriches so big in body size,” said Zhang.

“Such genome-based forays into understanding birds have the potential to completely change our view of how birds evolve,” he added.

Society

June 11-17, 2018

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Asif iqbal

Music Video Featuring ‘Special Children’ Spreads Love, Peace The video is based on a poem written by businessman Asif Iqbal and features 15 differently-abled children from Kolkata IANS

I

n a bid to spread the message of peace and love, a Kolkata-based psychologist and a businessman have come up with a music video that features differently-abled children expressing a range of emotions.

The music video, directed by Anindya Chatterjee, depicts special kids as the messengers.

“The kids are away from the world of hatred and they only beget love,” says the lyrics in the video titled “We are Special”.

The video is based on a poem written by businessman Asif Iqbal and features 15 differently-abled children of Kolkata. Iqbal, for whom writing is a passion, is one of the producers of the video.

“We are trying to spread a message of peace through these special kids who only understand the language of

love,” said Iqbal.

According to the writer, his poem questions what people lack in their

lives. “Hatred is personified and termed as the root cause of killings, war and the gradual end of humanity.”

“We have not formed an organisation yet. At present, the aim is to make a support group for the families of these children,” said Jyoti Sapre, psychologist and producer of the music video. The video has got accolades from the Indian Consulate in Dubai where it was watched by around 400 students of The Gulf Modern School. “It was very easy to work with these kids as they do as you guide them. There were challenges as it was the rainy season. It was difficult to manage them,” said Iqbal.

“We made sure that these kids face no problem because of us. We made all arrangements for the children and their parents,” he added.

Jatayu

Kerala Tourism To Unveil World’s Largest Bird Sculpture According to the legend the rock, ‘Jatayupara’, where the structure is based, is the place where the mythical bird ‘Jatayu’ fell after its wings were hacked off by Ravana

K

erala tourism will inaugurate the world’s largest bird sculpture, Jatayu Earth’s Centre, here on July 4, said Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran.

The replica of the bird ‘Jatayu’ a character in the Ramayana is 200 feet long, 150 feet wide, 65 feet tall and is positioned right at the top of a rock situated 1,000 feet above sea level. The sculpture, spread over 65 acres in Thiruvananthapuram, has been built at a cost of Rs 100 crore.

“This has been the work of film-

maker Rajiv Anchal and this project was declared under built-operatetransfer basis during the previous Left government in 2006,” said Surendran.

“All these years he was working for this and on July 4, this would be thrown open to the public. Even now it’s ready, but since rains are expected anytime, we have decided to inaugurate in July,” he added.

Anchal, an award-winning filmmaker, selected the project site as the place has some myths

associated with it.

“One can reach the top of the rock from the car park via a cable car that has come from Switzerland and is already installed. The museum and a 6D theatre inside the sculpture will open in November, as the 10-minute film which tells the tale of Jatayu is being made in Hollywood and would be screened here for the visitors,” said Anchal.

According to the legend the rock, ‘Jatayupara’, where the structure is based, is the place where the

mythical bird ‘Jatayu’ fell after its wings were slain by Ravana.

The state government, apart from offering the land for a 30year lease, spent Rs 10.25 crore for infrastructure development.

“Two per cent of the revenue will be given to the state government and it will be reviewed once in three years. The project will be handed over to the government after 30 years. At a time the complex can hold 5,000 people,” added Anchal.

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Uttar Pradesh

June 11-17, 2018

Swachh Bharat Mission

Selfie With Toilet The directives were issued on the suggestion of department officials in response to complaints from principals n S Shukla

F

ar behind the target, a district magistrate in Uttar Pradesh has come out with a bizarre way to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachch Bharat Mission a great success in schools when she made it mandatory of all primary school teachers to send their ‘selfie with toilet’ by 27th of every month for the release of their salaries.

On the directives of Sitapur District Magistrate Sheetal Verma, the Basic Education department drafted a form with columns of filling up their details like name, address, post, place of posting, caste, Aadhar card number, mobile number etc. The form would be considered incomplete if they did not paste a picture of ‘selfie with toilet’ on top of the form.

The department has sent these forms to all primary schools in Sitapur district directing all government primary school teachers to fill it and send it back to the department for the release of their salaries.

The District Magistrate Sheetal Verma claimed that the Swachch Bharat Mission was a great success in the district but there were few grey areas which needed correction. Primary government schools were one of them where even the teachers were not using the toilets constructed for both males and females.

On complaints from their Principals, the issue was discussed with basic education department officials how to make teachers use the toilets so that children also followed them, the DM pointed. The ‘selfie with toilet’ directives were issued on the suggestion of the department officials only, she clarified.

Despite launching a number of awareness programs in the district, such complaints continue to pour in from schools forcing us to take small punitive action to make teachers mend

their ways, said an official of the basic education department.

“Government had spent crores of rupees to construct toilet and create hygienic conditions to keep the schools clean but teachers in schools

falling in remote rural areas continue to urinate and defecate in open. We had no choice than to go a little tougher on them to change their old habits,” said the official.

The official claimed that the ‘selfie with toilet’ order had dual purpose.

One was to make them change their habits and another was to keep a watch on their attendance in the school.

“We have selected one student in each primary school who will report to us about teachers’ punctuality and

attendance,” said the official.

But the ‘selfie with toilet’ directive has become a headache for teachers who have no choice but to comply with the order. “I had a lot of difficulty in taking the selfie. I took help from a student to click my photo with toilet for the release of my salary for the month of May,” said a teacher in Laharpur village in the district.

The Principal of Primary School in Bhatiari village under Sakaran block, Bhagwati Singh said that he faced a lot of problem in clicking the selfie. “I used a stool in the toilet to get clicked by a teacher. Though teachers are up in arms against the directives but I am happy that many of them have started using toilets and are encouraging students also,” he claimed.

Another teacher in Talgaon area called a professional photographer to get his picture clicked with toilet. “If it was not linked with the salary then many of us would not have followed the diktat,” said he Students are happy that toilets which used to be closed during school hours and were in bad shape are now being cleaned up on daily basis by the sweeper of the school who would come to the school only to collect his salary. “We used to reach schools half an hour early. We are forced by the head master sahib to clean the class rooms first before studies begin. But now even the sweeper comes to the school not only to clean classrooms but toilets also. Moreover we don’t have to clean dishes also after eating our mid-

Uttar Pradesh Schools made it mandatory for primary school teachers to send their ‘selfie with toilet’ by 27th of every month for the release of their salaries

Quick Glance Primary school teachers were not using toilets constructed for them

Teachers were forced to use toilets so that children followed them

The official claimed that the ‘selfie with toilet’ order had dual purpose

day meal,” chuckles Himanshu, a class IV student.

There is a sense of fear as well as responsibility also after the ‘selfie with toilet’ order. “It was the first month and we are flooded with filled forms.

They fear that their salaries would not be released in their bank accounts if they failed to submit the filled form with selfie,” smiles official.

The official claimed that the department has no intentions of blocking salaries of teachers. “We will only delay salaries of those who did not submit the form for few days so that they realize the importance of cleanliness in life,” said the official.

Such measures are not uncommon in Uttar Pradesh which is far behind in toilet construction. The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set a target of making all 75 districts in the state open defecation free (ODF)

by October 18. So far about a dozen districts have been declared OFD and state has go a long way to achieve the target.

In Unnao and Lucknow rural areas, the district administration had snapped power connections from houses not having toilets last year.

However, the drive was called off when media highlighted the issue.

To encourage use of toilets in slum areas in Kanpur, the district administration offered tea and breakfast to those using toilets. On the other hand, posters were put up in few districts of backward Bundelkhand to cut government facilities to those not constructing toilets in their houses.

“Along with construction of toilets under Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, we also carry out drives to encourage the people to use them and keep their surroundings clean. Old habits die hard. There is need to change their mindset also, particularly those living in remote villages,” stated a senior officer of Panchayat Raj department.

Vrindavan Saga

June 11-17, 2018

13

Pratibha

Vrindavan Healed Her Scars, Gave Her Peace Pratibha has seen it all and now she just wants to rest in peace in Vrindavan

n Swastika Tripathi

“I

am not a widow, but I was never a wife, either. It was all a lie. They said his wife was mentally ill and that he and his children needed me. It was all a lie. All they wanted was a free of cost full-time maid. I was never really wanted, just needed. It was all a lie...” and then she stopped speaking, saying there is no point discussing it now.

So goes the story of Pratibha Roy of Balarampur in West Medinipur, West Bengal who has maintained an on-again, off-again relation with Vrindavan since 2003.

Pratibha was married at the age of 15 to a man who was more than double her age (32), and this was the beginning of a series of lies, pains and hardships. This was her husband’s second-marriage; his first wife was initially portrayed as a mentally challenged woman who lives with her own parents.

She was convinced that the two children from first marriage needed a mother. She was prepared to give her all to the family. But immediately after the low-key wedding ceremony, when she reached the new home, she was shocked to know that the first wife was already living there and that she had been tricked.

She became a full-time maid from being a wife. She was told that she cannot have a child. Her dreams of

Quick Glance Pratibha Roy was married at the age of 15 to a 32-year-old man

Her marriage was a series of lies, pains and hardships

She decided to settle down in Vrindavan to find her share of peace

a married life were shattered. She couldn’t even go back as her mother was concerned that it would be a social embarrassment for the family.

They would often beat her – both, the other wife and the so-calledhusband who was a jobless sluggard.

Somehow after three years of marriage she gave birth to a girl, and in course of time had a son, too.

“When I gave birth to the daughter, they were least bothered. But when I had a son, I was brutally beaten and the child was taken away from me.

My children were never provided with milk and food.”

Seeing her crying, hungry children she ached. So she went on to join a sewing school to earn a living for them.

Clueless that it was all not that simple, she was happy that her children will now have the fair share. But, sadly, whatever she earned was now used to run the household.

She became a source of income. But over years, spondylitis caught hold of her. Her eyes were also getting weaker day-by-day. She couldn’t work for long. As soon as the money stopped flowing in, the brutal couple started beating, torturing her again.

She had it up till here, and so, she left for Vrindavan.

Pratibha sure ran off to Vrindavan but could not decide to settle down here. She would stay here for 1-1.5 months and then go back again to meet her own family and her son. She would try to survive back at home but after a year-or-so-stay, Pratibha can be seen en-route Vrindavan.

It was her search for a silver lining that kept her retracting back to Balarampur again and again. In Vrindavan, she survived by staying at Om Namah Shivay Ashram where in

It was her ‘pratibha’ (talent) that lifted her beyond all harassments and paved way into a peaceful life

turn she’d work for the ashram – from cleaning to cooking to singing bhajans.

Some time back Pratibha’s son and daughter-in-law came to Vrindavan and convinced her to return home with her. She had her doubts but couldn’t refuse their request. She went back to Balarampur, but for one last time.

Nobody’s attitude towards her had changed. They didn’t beat her but their behaviour was rude enough to give her new scars.

“I thought what was the point of all this. They didn’t respect me then, they don’t respect me now. They never cared for me, and this is how it is going to be, always. And so I gave up on the hope of having a true, happy family.”

From that day forth, Pratibha never looked back.

Pratibha is now 68 years old. In this life, she has seen it all. She was lied to, beaten, tortured, suffered many injuries and strokes. Her life was nowhere near that of what she had imagined. But she stood strong the entire time. It was her ‘pratibha’ (talent) that lifted her beyond all harassments and paved way into a peaceful life.

“Vrindavan gives me peace. I sing bhajans. Vrindavan has healed my scars. I now live in Sulabh’s widowashram. I don’t have to work to earn a living. The ashram takes care of it.

I know I don’t have many days left, and I’m glad the last days are this peaceful. Vrindavan is where I’ll rest in peace.”

14

Adventure

June 11-17, 2018 Arjun Vajpayi

Youngest To Scale six Peaks Above 8,000 metres Arjun Vajpai intends to become the youngest person in the world to scale all 14 above 8,000 metre-peaks Prashant Sood

T

he thunder of helicopter breaks early morning silence as mountaineer Arjun Vajpai lands in this eastern Nepal village after scaling Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak.

Vajpai has become the youngest person in the world to have scaled six peaks above 8,000 metres.

The 24-year-old achieved the feat on May 20, after a gruelling climb that saw him battle the changing weather patterns and depletion of his oxygen supply near the summit.

He did not feel scared during the arduous journey that posed risks of avalanches, falling rocks and crevasses.

The feat has special significance for Vajpai as he rates the climb to 8,586-metre Kanchenjunga as "technically" the toughest of his high mountain ascents so far, including the Mount Everest.

The young mountaineer has come back to Kanchenjunga base camp after scaling the peak and had been waiting for his father retired Colonel Sanjiv Vajpai, who eventually could reach him and bring him down to Chairam in a challenging helicopter sortie on.

Arjun Vajpai intends to become the youngest person in the world to scale all 14 above 8,000 metre-peaks. The next mountain on his list is Shishapangma (8,013 metres) in Nyalam County, Tibet. Describing the 15 minutes he spent on the third highest peak in the world at the Kanchenjunga summit, Vajpai said it was "a very beautiful feeling".

"That's the place I feel like being at.

That's the place I am running to be at through the year. So when I am on the summit, it is feeling of 100 per cent content. I have no desire, no dreams, no unrest from within," Vajpai told IANS. He scaled Kanchenjunga at 8.05 a.m. (IST) on May 20, and said he was

surprised by the summit push from Camp 4 as it was "up, up and up".

"Generally on a mountain there are places you can take off your back pack. On this particular summit push, after Camp 4 (about 7,400m) there is no place where you can probably take out your back pack. There is no place where you can probably rest. That was intriguing and after a point got annoying, exhausting."

He said the peak was not visible from about 8,300m and it looked the summit push would never end.

"The trek was just unending. My feet had gone cold. It was 12-13 hours of continuous climbing," Vajpai said, adding that a thought came if he should keep going ahead or return. He said the final summit ridge is very long and entails crossing the width of the mountain. "And that was another very big challenge."

He went for basic and advance mountaineering courses in 2009 and scaled Mount Everest (8,848m) the next year. In 2011, he scaled Lhotse (8,516m)and Manaslu (8,156m).

The next four years did not see any success and he had near death experience during expedition to Cho Oyu (8,201m) in 2012 when his left side was paralysed.

After recovering he attempted to scale Makalu (8,481m) in 2013 and again in 2014 but had to return from relatively small distances from the peak.

He finally scaled both Makalu and Cho Oyu in 2016. He said coordination between sherpas and climbing members was much better in 2018 and though the weather conditions were bad initially, things finally fell into place.

His moment of euphoria during the climb, that began from Kathmandu on April 4, was seeing Mount Everest, Lhotse and Makalu together from outside his tent at Camp 4.

"I saw the three mountains on the horizon of the earth. And that moment, I had flash of memory of my journeys. I

Vajpai’s next aim is to scale a peak above 8,000 metres without taking any supplementary oxygen

felt how far we had come in this journey.

How far had we survived. How far had we all dreamt. How big can dreams be.

How much they can motivate you. How far they can push you to be here."

Naseeb Puri, Director Mountain Dew, Pepsico India, who was at Tseram to receive the mountaineer, said they take his journey as also of many others to the masses to inspire youth to achieve the extraordinary.

"We strive to inspire the youth to conquer real mountain -- the one that resides in each one of us. The Risk Takers of India platform showcases real life heroes," she said.

Vajpai's next aim is to scale a peak above 8,000 meters without taking supplementary oxygen.

Gender

June 11-17, 2018

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Shivangi Pathak

Girls Can Do Anything, Proves Indian Teen Who Climbed Everest Shivangi’s next target is to climb the highest summits of the rest of the continents before she turns 18 n Mudita Girotra

A

teenage girl from Haryana embarked on the very challenging task of climbing Mount Everest from the Nepal side. But having dropped her radio transceiver during the trek, she couldn’t inform anyone about her whereabouts.

With no one able to contact her, there was hushed speculation that 16-year-old Shivangi Pathak might have lost her life in one of the world’s toughest mountain terrains. After a tense 10 hours, a great piece of news came down the mountain and, later, her family in Hisar got to know about her epic triumph -- she had become the youngest Indian woman to scale the highest peak of the Himalaya.

“It was after a really long ordeal that we got to know that not only was our girl safe, but that she had also scaled the summit. I cannot describe in words what it felt like to hear this news. We are so proud of her. She achieved what she was determined to,” her mother Arti said.

Now a recognisable celebrity across India, the journey of this go-getter girl to this huge accomplishment began with a joke cracked by her mother.

“We got to hear of an Everest summiter (Mamta Sodha) being appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police. I jokingly told Shivangi to do something as big so she gets a similar job,” Aarti said.

Later, Shivangi saw some videos on Arunima Sinha, the first Indian amputee to climb the peak. She trained herself for just over a year to prepare for the challenge.

The trainer she approached initially criticised her for being “too stylish” with her hair. “She asked me if I have come to the ground or for a fashion walk. I was fat, and had long hair then,” Shivangi recalled. “It hurt.

I thought that maybe I am dreaming too big.”

What seemed too big then eventually became a reality with her hard work and dedication. She got

her hair cut short and toiled to get in shape. Weighing 65 kgs two years back when she decided to climb the summit, she now weighs only 48 kgs.

“It is pretty funny that because I had short hair, girls who came to the ground started hitting on me thinking of me to be a boy,” she laughed.

The training session went on for six to seven hours every day. Shivangi didn’t attend school and dedicated all her time preparing to climb the Everest. One training session included a 10-km run, weight lifting, rope -skipping. She was made to run with a backpack of 20 kgs on her shoulders.

On April 1, she landed in Nepal from where she trekked up to the base camp where she reached by April 5.

This was followed by over two weeks of acclimatisation.

Finally, on May 10, she began her “Everest Mission”, as she called it.

“The route was full of stones and pebbles, and it was very slippery.

There were many struggles. A storm hit the range a day before I reached the summit,” Shivangi said, adding that she had to constantly motivate

“Hoisting the national flag on the highest point on earth was a great feeling. It was a moment of pride for me”- Shivangi herself to overcome all hurdles.

“Ice on the way was very hard. It wouldn’t break. Stepping on it would make us slip. There was also a day when I fell sick due to the weather conditions, but I refused to give up,” she said.

She was accompanied by a Nepalese guide, Ang Temba Sherpa, who was with her throughout the journey.

On May 15, at 8.21 am, she made it.

“The first person on my mind was my mother. I desperately wanted to embrace her at that moment. I was so happy I made her proud.”

Hoisting the national flag at the highest peak of the Himalayas was “a great feeling” for her. “It was a moment of pride for me. This achievement turned out to be an inspiration for many girls in Haryana and in the country,” she said.

“I feel girls can do anything. They

can go anywhere. They just have to make up their mind and have faith and determination towards what they want,” she added.

She urged girls’ parents to “encourage and support” them in their goals and never let them feel they are less than the boys. “My parents were the biggest support and that is why I know how important it is for a girl to have her parents standing by her in her decisions,” she added. Her next target is to climb to the highest summits of the rest of the continents before she turns 18.

“She is a girl of ambition. She made so many sacrifices. She never complained even when she was made to slog, gave up on all her food delights, lost weight, made herself physically fit. I have confidence in her. She can do it, she will,” Pannu (her coach) said.

16

June 11-17, 2018

Rajendra Shende

“Human rights are not things that are put on the table for people to enjoy.

These are things you fight for and then you protect.”

VIEWPOINT

He is an alumnus of IIT and former Director in United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is currently serving as the Chairman of TERRE Policy Centre

Action Against CFCs Be Replicated on Plastics

Wangari Maathai

Get armed with gloves, bags and put on military shoes

Where the old are marginalised June 15th marks the13th World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

C

urrently, the world is undergoing significant demographic changes. Estimates indicate that by 2050, the global population of people above the age of 60 will exceed the number of younger people.

These changes have led to a worldwide recognition of the problems and challenges that face the elderly.

India is a country where respecting and loving the elderly is an important part of the culture. Our country has still got large joint families and we believe in the idea of togetherness as such, this is the propaganda that has been going on in our society for centuries. The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) happens each year on June 15th. It was officially recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in, December 2011. It represents the one day in the year when the whole world voices its opposition to the abuse and suffering inflicted to some of our older generations.

This day wouldn’t have existed had it not been a common problem. Apart from all the emotional reasons as to why we have to love our elderly that have been hardwired into us we can also approach it with a more general approach or call it a scientific approach, we exist because our parents wanted us to and our parents exist because their parents wanted them to.

Based on this assumption unless one does not value his life, it gives us all the reasons to respect, love and care for our elders for the basic reason that they’re the reason we’re here and they deserve all the credit for it.

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

I

t may be true that the world is drowning in plastics. However, in the last few weeks, we are submerged more in statistics than in plastics.

For example: One million plastic drinking water bottles are purchased every minute, five trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year, half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once and then thrown away. The world has produced till date about 8.3 billion tonnes of plastics, which is more than one tonne per person. Out of the global plastic production of 380 million tonnes in 2016, equivalent of the total weight of the human population, only about 10 per cent is recycled and another 12 per cent incinerated.

Nearer home, in India, more than five to seven million tonnes of plastic waste is generated every year of which 40 per cent remains uncollected and lies scattered.

Eventually it enters rivers and oceans and the food chain. The balance is mostly sent

to landfills or burned.

A UN report makes the shocking prediction that, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.

What is our response?

Get armed with gloves, bags and put on military shoes. Get into half-sleeved shirts and then with battalions of men, women, children start picking littered plastics from streets, beaches, parks, forests and river banks. Indeed, when such armies are led by national and international leaders in the “great global plastic pick-up”, the dedication is obvious.

Many critics, however, say that it is “endof-the-pipe” solution that overshadows the root problem and does not allow us to see the forest for the trees. It is like cleaning the rivers without preventing the untreated waste streams flowing into them.

Should not we, therefore, prevent the unnecessary production and consumption of plastics that result in waste generation?

A UN report makes the shocking prediction that, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish

June 11-17, 2018

CEOs of plastic manufacturing companies must join the act to clean up the world of plastics Is it not futile to keep collecting waste with armies of citizens, that too without any clue of how to dispose the collected plastic?

When the world solved the lifethreatening challenge of ozone layer depletion, caused by man-made ozone-depleting chemicals like CFCs, we did not keep on capturing CFCs. We stopped their production and consumption. We developed effective alternatives to CFCs over the years. CFCs were recycled till alternatives were found. The producing industries were given strict targets to get alternatives and close down production of ozone-depleting chemicals. Developed countries helped developing countries like India and China.

World Environment Day, a flagship campaign of United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), has a theme and a host country each year.

Indeed, it creates global awareness among the topmost policymakers as well all stakeholders on environmental issues. This year’s was a watershed because UNEP chief Erik Solheim drew attention to the menace of plastic waste. He criss-crossed the host country, India, and even joined the army of citizens cleaning the beaches.

A blog on the UNEP website, interestingly, states the critics’ point of view that cleaning a beach is not turning the tide, because the tide will just come in again, depositing more plastic cups, bottles, straws, bags and discarded fishing equipment.

Indeed, clean-up campaigns, like that on Versova beach in Mumbai, do make a difference. Every piece of trash that is collected and taken away means one less life-threatening item for birds, turtles or whales to swallow. Clean-ups also inspire and educate masses to take action for responsible consumption.

But what is needed is to address the challenge at its source. CEOs of the manufacturers of plastics, products and its designers must join the “everlasting clean-up” by reducing unnecessary plastic at source, design less harmful plastics and develop the best recycling processes. Extended liability for the protection of the environment lies with the producers as well as consumers.

OpEd

17

OSHO Rajneesh, also known as Osho, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Acharya Rajneesh, or simply Bhagwan, was an Indian spiritual guru

upfront

Accept Fear Denial Will Not Help Wisdom comes through suffering and acceptance

I

f there is fear and you start doing something about it, then a new fear enters: fear of fear. It becomes more complex.

So if fear is there, accept it, because anything you do out of fear will create more fear and confusion.

Acceptance dissolves; only acceptance, nothing else. If you fight, you create another disturbance and this can go on ad infinitum. If you have one problem, don’t create another. What will happen if you accept fear? Suddenly you will feel it has disappeared.

And this is the inner alchemy — a problem disappears if you accept it, and a problem grows more and more complex if you create any conflict with it. Yes, suffering is there, and suddenly fear comes — accepts it.

Don’t think that I am talking about pessimism to you.

I am giving you the key to solve it. Darkness is beautiful if the dawn

is at hand; darkness is dangerous if it is endless, leads to no dawn, simply continues and you go on moving in a vicious circle. Just to escape from one suffering you create another; then to escape from another, another. And this goes on and all those sufferings which you have not lived yet, are waiting for you. You have escaped, but you escape from one suffering to another, because a mind creating a suffering will create another. So you can escape from this suffering to that, but suffering will be there because your mind is the creative

letters to the editor /2017-19

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POSTAL REGISTRATIO

Sociology Of Sanitation Two-day national seminar being organised to discuss Action Sociology and its impact on society

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Sanitation in Morocco One-third of Moroccans without access to proper sanitation services

The Making of A Legend

Seizing Hope From Despair

by Official recognition the UN would spread to the benefit of yoga the entire world

The South African teacherturned-priest-turned-rightsadvocate is a shining activism example of virtue in

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LY GOOD NEWS WEEK

ENVIRONMENT

DAY

MOTHER EARTH REVIVING HEALTH

from ed with the calls ty needs to be balanc Earth for posteri so-called growth clear, to save the Urbanisation and already loud and ORTY nature that are n SUJIT CHAKRAB at HEN we arrived stunning.

Makaibari, it was Makaibari is admittedly, tea garden in the and certified, the best first tea garden the world. Makaibari, a outside China by and factory set up family in 1859, just Bengali princely Sepoy Mutiny of two years after the whose Silver Tips 1857. Makaibari, Rs 64,800 per kg, tea variety sells for made on demand. and is exclusively the last But meet Rajah Banerjee, tion, familyowner of the four-genera held property. not in life, “It is about the flavour sheet,” he balance the flavour in the and permanent said with his mesmeric replaced now and smile, which is only laughter. In then by an uproarious dress, which riding his khaki horse day to the garden he wears every he at first sounded in the morning, something of a fraud. to Darjeeling by We had been sent Regional Centre for the WWF Eastern pesticides in tea of studying the use had been suggested gardens. And we Kumar Banerjee, that one Swaraj does not use aka Rajah Banerjee, pesticides at all.

W

To Revive Mythological River, Religion And Technology Go Together is a very readable and interesting article. Since my childhood, whenever I went to partake in Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, I always wondered about

the religious and cultural factors for the ancient belief that Prayag was seen as the sangam {confluence} of the three holy rivers. As a child, it always made me think as to how could a river just disappear at a given point.

After reading the article, several such questions were answered. I got to know about the various explanations as to how and why holy rivers can disappear and how the ruling government is trying to revive and rejuvenate it after such a long time. This not just brings back the river but also forwards the message of Hindutva to the masses.

Shyam Kumar, Delhi

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

force. Accept the suffering and pass through it; don’t escape. This is a totally different dimension to work in. Suffering is there: encounter it; go through it. You will tremble, so tremble.

Everyone is a ‘coward’. People you call brave — deep down, they are as afraid as anyone else, rather, more so because just to hide their fear they have created an aura of bravery around them. How can man be brave — because death is there.

Man is just a leaf in the wind. How can the leaf not tremble? When the wind blows, the leaf will tremble. But you never say to the leaf, “You are a coward.”You only say that the leaf is alive. So when you tremble and fear takes grip of you, you are a leaf in the wind.

If a child is afraid of the dark, we say, ‘Don’t be afraid, be brave.’ Why? The child is innocent — naturally he feels fear in the dark. You force him: Be brave. So he also forces, then he becomes tense. His whole being is ready to tremble and he suppresses it. It was good to tremble in the darkness, nothing was wrong. It was good to cry and run, nothing was wrong. The child would have come out of darkness more experienced, more knowing. Wisdom comes through suffering and acceptance.

Whatsoever the case, be at ease with it.

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Photo Feature

June 11-17, 2018

The technological revolution that spun through time The pot started a long time ago, at the very beginning of settled life, and they were the products of the mind as much as that of nimble hands that masterfully created the forms

June 11-17, 2018

The craftsmanship combined the utilitarian and the aesthetic aspects of everyday life in a seamless fashion. The potter remained the humble artisan but his products would narrate a story which is distinctly aesthetic about the time and place where it was brought into existence. The potter continues the trade without much ado, and turns out pots for all seasons

Photo Feature

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Health

June 11-17, 2018

junk food

poor sleep and obesity, according to a new study.

The research showed that poor quality of sleep seemed to be a major predictor of junk food cravings, and it was associated with a greater likelihood

of participants reporting obesity, diabetes and other health problems.

“Laboratory studies suggest that sleep deprivation can lead to junk food cravings at night, which in turn leads to increased unhealthy snacking at night, which then leads to weight gain,” said Michael A. Grandner from Department of Psychiatry in the University of Arizona in Tucson, US. “This connection between poor sleep, junk food cravings and unhealthy night time snacking may represent an important way that sleep helps regulate metabolism,” Grandner added.

About 60 per cent of the participants reported regular nighttime snacking and two-thirds reported that lack of sleep led them to crave more junk food after the survey conducted.

The team also found that junk food cravings were associated with double the increase in the likelihood of night time snacking, which was associated with an increased risk for diabetes.

“Sleep is increasingly recognised as an important factor in health, alongside nutrition. This study shows how sleep and eating patterns are linked and work together to promote health,” said Christopher Sanchez from the varsity.

Work stress should be considered a modifiable risk factor for preventing atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease,” said study author Eleonor Fransson from Jonkoping University in Sweden.

“People who feel stressed at work and have palpitations or other symptoms of atrial fibrillation should see their doctor and speak to their employer about improving the situation at work,” she explained.

For the study, the team defined work stress as job strain, which refers to jobs with high psychological demands combined with low control over the work situation.

Participants were employed and had no history of atrial fibrillation, heart attack, or heart failure.

They also completed postal surveys on sociodemographics, lifestyle, health, and work-related factors which included questions on job demands and control.

After a median follow-up of 5.7 years, the researchers identified that work stress was a risk factor for atrial fibrillation.

The symptoms of atrial fibrillation, according to the authors, may include palpitations, weakness, fatigue, feeling light headed, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

Night Time Snacking Linked With Poor Sleep, Obesity Laboratory studies suggest that sleep deprivation can lead to junk food cravings at night

IANS

A

re you in the habit of snacking in the middle of the night?

Besides leading to unhealthy eating behaviours, it can also result in

atrial fibrillation

Work Stress May Lead To Irregular Heart Rate The study found that being stressed at work was associated with a 48 per cent higher risk of atrial fibrillation SSB BUREAU

T

oo much job pressure may increase your risk developing a rapid and irregular heart rate, called atrial fibrillation, which can lead to a stroke, dementia, heart failure and other complications.

The study found that being stressed at work was associated with a 48 per cent higher risk of atrial fibrillation.

“Work stress has previously been linked with coronary heart disease.

Exercise

Exercise May Reduce Genetic Effects Of Obesity In Older Women The choices we make in our lives play a large role in our health IANS

I

f you are obese and blaming your genes for it then you should start exercising as a new study suggests that working out can reduce the influence of genes on obese women over the age of 70.

The study, published in the journal Menopause, revealed that genetic associations on body mass index (BMI) were strongest in sedentary postmenopausal women and weakest in women who reported high levels of recreational physical activity.

“Our sample, which included older women, is the first to show that in the 70 to 79-year-old age group, exercise can mitigate the genetic effects of obesity,” said lead author Heather Ochs-Balcom, Associate Professor at the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

“The message here is that your genetic risk for obesity is not wholly deterministic. The choices we make in our life play a large role in our health,” Ochs-Balcom added.

For the study, the researchers studied 8,206 women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative.

They used a larger set of 95 genetic polymorphisms to construct their body mass index genetic risk score to study the interaction between physical activity and obesity.

Then the researchers evaluated whether genetic associations were modified by exercise and age.

“Our work suggests that in older age, we can overcome our destiny for obesity--given to us by our parents--through exercise,” Ochs-Balcom said.

North East

June 11-17, 2018

21 07

Assam

Lemongrass To Replace Illicit Poppy Cultivation Assam Rifles has given lemongrass saplings to villages in the border state trying to motivate farmers to quit poppy cultivation

Raj Kashyap

T

he Assam Rifles, the country’s oldest paramilitary organisation, has begun distributing lemongrass saplings to farmers in Manipur to wean them away from poppy cultivation.

In the past several weeks, Assam Rifles has given lemongrass saplings to villages in Chandel and Tengnoupal districts of the border state. A press release issued by the organisation said that the location where the programme has been undertaken is one of the most “underdeveloped” regions in Manipur.

The programme comes close on the heels of the state Government’s mission

Quick Glance The programme followed the government’s “War Against Drugs”

The worth of the destroyed poppy plants is estimated over Rs. 47 crores

Lemongrass has a high demand for its medicinal and culinary properties

– ‘War Against Drugs’ – which focuses on destroying poppy plantation in the state. In February, Narcotic Affairs and Border (NAB) destroyed poppy plants illegally cultivated across more than 600 acres of land in six districts since January this year. The worth of the destroyed poppy plants is estimated over Rs. 47 crores.

Opium is extracted from poppy which is consumed locally and also sold in Myanmar which is among the top heroin-producing countries in the world. Besides, Manipur, farmers in Arunachal Pradesh are also engaged in illicit poppy cultivation which is destroyed at regular intervals by government agencies. Anjaw, Upper Siang and Changlang are among the districts in the border state where poppy cultivation have been destroyed by the agencies.

Government agencies are of the view that farmers can be motivated to switch to other alternatives if they fetch quick returns. Two years ago, the government had distributed cardamom saplings to farmers at Senapati in Manipur which is also an affected district. Lemongrass has a high demand for its medicinal and culinary properties. It is tall, perennial sedge throwing up dense fascicles of leaves from a short rhizome. Leaves are long and linear tapering upwards and along the margins. Lemongrass is widely cultivated in the states of

Government is sure farmers will switch over to alternatives with quick returns Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Uttarakhand. According to an estimate, India grows this crop in about 3,000 ha across different states with an annual production between 300-350 tones per annum. Guatemala, China, Mexico and Bangladesh have also developed its cultivation over large areas.

Oil from lemongrass which is distilled from the leaves and flowering tops has a lemon-like odour, due to a high percentage (over 75%) of citral in the oil. The characteristic smell of oil makes its use in scenting of soaps, detergents, insect repellent preparations. However, the major use of the oil is in the production of perfumes, cosmetics, beverages and is a starting material for the manufacture of ionone’s, which produces vitamin – A. The crop grows well in both tropical

and subtropical climatic conditions at an elevation up to 900 metres above mean sea level. However, ideal conditions for growing lemongrass are warm and humid climate with sufficient sunshine and 250-330 cm rainfall per annum, evenly distributed over most part of the year which makes some states in the Northeast ideal for the cultivation of the plant. Lemongrass can also be grown in semi-arid regions receiving low to moderate rainfall.

Lemongrass flowers in the winter season. The first harvest is generally obtained after 4 to 6 months of transplanting seedlings. Subsequent harvests are done at intervals of 60-70 days depending upon the fertility of the soil and other seasonal factors. Under normal conditions, three harvests are possible during the first year of cultivation.

22

Tourism

June 11-17, 2018 darjeeling

Upswing In Tourism In Darjeeling Hills After A Long Hiatus

Peace in the Queen of Hills after years of attrition has seen tourists returning to her n Prasanta Paul

T

he prolonged socio-political disturbances notwithstanding, tourism hotspot arena Darjeeling is once again registering an upward swing in both the domestic and foreign tourist arrivals (FTA), especially from Nepal. It is now the usual winter eve high key operation for the tourism managers of the hills who have been working in tandem with their counterparts in Sikkim to reap a golden harvest after a long hiatus.

Though no concrete figure or statistics can be collated yet, tourist arrivals in the current summer have defeated the tour manager’s expectations. In fact, there has been a mad rush for Darjeeling and its adjoining regions of Sikkim and Bhutan in the wake of an unexpected thaw between chief ministers of West Bengal and Sikkim. Both Mamata Banerjee and Pawan Kumar Chamling have called for a truce a couple of month’s back which had a tremendous impact. Inflow of visitors to the Queen of the Hill Stations has begun sparkling like never before.

Darjeeling and the adjacent region are estimated to have lost over 80% of its business so far since last year.

Political disturbances, entire bandh for a month resulting into violence made unfavorable tourism advices by first world countries. All the efforts and development of tourism made by the state have led to downfall and loss in business due to the critical situation during mid-September to mid-November.

“Around 30 per cent to the annual business worth around Rs 350 crore generated near 35,000 beds per night holding capacity in the region the season contributes. We have almost completely lost that,” said veteran travel advisor Raj Basu.

According to him, winter and postwinter seasons have become very important for the tour operators and hoteliers. Because this period brings in higher percentage of special interest groups and foreign tourists. This class of travellers with higher rate of spending per head each day generates high business volume. “We’re happy

to say that arrivals have started in a manner we didn’t expect at the beginning of the summer,” said Samrat Sanyal, Executive President of Eastern Himalayan Tour and Travel Operators’ Association. “And we would like to credit chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Gorkha Territorial Authority (GTA) chief Binay Tamang for this turnaround of the tourism atmosphere in the three hill stations.”

Upward FTA trend in India is a confidence builder for Sanyal and his colleagues. According to Union Ministry of Tourism statistics, India’s FTA in October 2017 was 8.76 lakh showing a growth of 18 per cent over same month last year. This is expected to continue during the end of summer 2018. Tour operators expect at least 5 to 10 per cent of these visitors to touch Darjeeling in view of a vast improvement in the ground situation.

Moreover, with a turnaround after devastating earthquake in 2015, Nepal has also recorded a growth between 25 and 35 per cent in its month wise FTA this year over the corresponding months last year. “Nearly 30 per cent of foreign visitors of Nepal keep Darjeeling or Sikkim in their itinerary. “We gain out of this trend,” said Sanyal. Though things have not turned out quite well so far, “positive

hopes are there and we are banking upon them,” he added.

Sanyal’s assertion without any doubt could be borne by Mamata Banerjee’s recent trip last week to Kalimpoing, where she camped for more than four days and urged the locals to forget the past and work together like a family for the betterment of the region and its inhabitants. She said that the 104day long complete shutdown in the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong from midJune to September last year had critically impacted the development and economy of the region. The state government and the local administrative boards like Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) have to work hand in hand to recover the lost ground, she felt.

“Whatever has happened has happened. I want to forget that. I want that if there was any mistake on my part, we can work towards rectifying that mistake. It is important to work for the betterment of people with an honest heart to bring about the ‘Acche Din’ (better days),” Banerjee said at a public meeting in Kalimpong. “I want the hills to make progress. If some leaders call strike for six to eight months in the hills, the people were to suffer immensely. Unemployment

According to Union Ministry of Tourism statistics, India’s FTA in October 2017 was 8.76 lakh, showing a growth of 18 per cent over the same month last year

goes up and the developmental projects of the government come to a halt... Whichever board does better work, I will help them more. I will help the GTA too. Let’s stay together like a family and work together for the betterment of hills,” she said.

Congratulating the people of Darjeeling hills for the tourist inflow this summer, the chief minister encouraged people to spread the areas of tourist sectors, home stays and industries in the region. She also pointed out that special stress should be given on agriculture, horticulture and food processing. The state government had in fact, provided Rs 3,804.17 crore to the previous GTA board. After the new board was formed, an amount of Rs 705.58 crore was handed over to it for restarting the development work.

A further filip given to the tourist inqueries, is the announcement by the state government to build an educational hub in Darjeeling. This announcement has come in the wake of the process of building a state university in Mongpu under Kurseong sub-division the work of which has already started.

The state government has already organised a travel mart under `Destination East’ a couple of months back where, a special promotional initiative had been chalked out to showcase Darjeeling hills and adjoining foothills to the international travel trade representatives. As per the plan, a total of 52 travel trade representatives including tour operators, travel writers, travel agents from 30 different countries had been drafted to be the guests of state Government to visit different non-conventional locations of Darjeeling region. “Their firsthand experience will be confidence builder for travels from their respective locations to Darjeeling as well as entire eastern Himalayan region,” an official said. The exercise has indeed, started paying off with the superstar of the South Rajnikant deciding to pitch his tent for a month-long shoot in Darjeeling from June2018. The hill residents must have been euphoric after having learnt this piece of news.

Environment

June 11-17, 2018

23 07

plastic

The Planet’s Pernicious Plastic Plague Peril

Modern society has become addicted to plastic and it is high time that we started to wean ourselves off

n Dr Bradnee Chambers

T

hanks to the wonders of modern industrial technology we are now producing 20 times as much plastic as we were doing in 1964. If the current trend continues, the output will double in 20 years and double again by 2050.

Our hunger for the convenience of plastic products is insatiable. Buy it, use it, throw it away, buy another one drinks come in plastic bottles with plastic drinking straws; food comes wrapped in cling film; fast food is served in polystyrene containers with plastic cutlery. No need to wash up; just throw it away. Sorted. If only that were true.

Modern society has become addicted to plastic and it is high time that we started to wean ourselves off.

A start would be to devise proper schemes to manage plastic alternatives to burying it, burning it or dumping it in rivers to be carried out to sea. The patch of accumulated plastic floating around the Pacific gyre now dwarfs the area of countries as large as Myanmar

or France. And every minute the equivalent of a lorry-load of plastic is added to the mess. Even the Arctic is not immune with plastic being found in record quantities there too.

All of the plastic that ends up in our oceans originates from land; ninetenths of it is carried into the sea along 10 rivers eight of them are in Asia, including the Ganges, the Yangtze, the Yellow, the Pearl and the Mekong.

Plastic debris is unsightly and the authorities of seaside resorts organise clean-ups to make sure that the beaches are in a fit state for tourists. But as well as being offensive to the eye, plastic waste is posing a serious threat to our already embattled wildlife.

Six pack yokes - the six connected plastic rings used to hold beer cans together - drinking straws, cotton buds, shopping bags, plastic fishing nets all pose a danger to animals that

either become entangled in them, are impaled by them or eat them -- turtles, in particular, eat plastic bags because they resemble jellyfish which are their normal prey.

Recently, a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale found off Norway was discovered to have 30 plastic bags in its stomach.

A Sperm Whale washed ashore in Spain had 64 pounds (29 kilos) of plastic inside it. Albatrosses also feed their chicks with bottle tops, again mistaking the colourful morsels for food leading to a slow and painful death for the young birds, whose intestines become blocked. This is all very sad for the individual animals affected and potentially disastrous for rare species, already battling with habitat loss, prey depletion, over-exploitation and a series of other, mainly manmade, threats. But as plastics enter the food chain, there are likely to be

Modern society has become addicted to plastic and it is high time that we started to wean ourselves off

direct effects for people too, because the planet’s premier predators are humans. Eventually, the plastic from the discarded wrapper may end up in the fish on our dinner plate.

CMS, the UN body charged with ensuring the survival of the world’s endangered migratory animals, has long taken the threat of plastic pollution seriously. We were pleased to offer a platform to the innovative and enterprising young Dutchman, Boyan Slat, at our conference in Quito in 2014, to expound his ideas for cleaning up our seas.

Just last year at our conference in Manila, the representatives of our 120-plus member-countries adopted a set of measures on the management of marine debris, highlighting the dangers of ingesting and entanglement in plastic and the possible role of microplastics as vehicles for spreading toxins and pathogens. The Resolution recognises that dedicated bodies such as UN Environment, the International Maritime Organisation, the UN Regional Seas Programmes, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, among others, are on the case. It also recognises the importance of education campaigns and enlisting the support of industry and the general public alike, to change perceptions and gain acceptance of the need to phase out single-use plastics and introduce effective recycling programmes.

Some countries are acting: Kenya has introduced a total ban on plastic bags, while in the UK the leading supermarket chains have made a pledge to reduce plastic packaging.

And just last month, the European Union announced that it was joining the fray by prohibiting a range of plastic products for which greener alternatives exist.

India is the Host Country for this year’s World Environment Day with its theme of “Beat Plastic Pollution”.

There has been good news from India, where, for example, after an intensive clean-up campaign undertaken by local activists, the first female Olive Ridley marine turtle in 20 years nested at Versova Beach, Mumbai. This is exactly the sort of development that we want to hear about with India hosting the next CMS conference in 2020.

The record-breaking sailor, Dame Ellen MacArthur, has predicted that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. My heartfelt plea is that governments, industry and consumers do all they can to make sure that that nightmare scenario does not become reality.

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

June 11-17, 2018

Welfare Schemes for the poor Pradhanmantri Jan Dhan Yojana

the beneficiaries. So far 23 crore and 62 lakh accounts have been opened. A sum of more than 41 thousand crore rupees has been deposited into the accounts due to this dynamic scheme.

This scheme has facilitated the poorest of poor to connect directly with the banking system of the country by opening accounts in public sector banks even at zero balance. Each account is connected with the Rupay Card and mobile banking.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

The government, under this scheme, is committed to provide electricity to every village in the country. As on 23 August 2016, 10,086 villages have been electrified, some of these villages have not seen an electric bulb since Independence.

Benefit of development cannot reach the common man until every family is able to access electricity. In this time of globalisation, there is no other alternative than to lead in power generation and make available connectivity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

The accounts also provide accident insurance for Rs. 1 lakh and life insurance for Rs. 30,000. There is facility of money transfer across India. With the help of these accounts, subsidies of government schemes are reaching directly to the

Atal Pension Yojana This scheme is for those people who are deprived of any type of the pension facility.

Such people can receive a pension of Rs. 1000 to Rs. 5000 in their old age after regularly depositing a small sum.

Government will deposit 50 percent of the premium in the account.

Atal Pension Yojana is for the aged, so that they do not need support from anybody.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Earlier the doors of the banks were open only for the rich people. We have decided to change this. Jan Dhan Scheme is the new start in this direction, through which the poor and the backwards will take benefit of the bank schemes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Pradhanmantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana This scheme is designed to cover natural as well as accidental death. In this scheme, by depositing a sum of Rs. 330, a sum of Rs. 2 lakh is given to the family in case of the death of the insured person.

More than 3 crore people are taking benefit of this scheme.

In times of calamity, most hit are the poor. It is the duty of the government to protect the poor from such a situation which may slow down their empowerment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) This is a historical step to make social security benefits directly available to the beneficiaries by removing intermediaries and other leakages. There has been a phenomenal change in the subsidy transfer through Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile. Through DBT, subsidy of 59 schemes is being transferred directly to the 31 crore beneficiaries. A sum of Rs. 61,822 crore has been transferred directly which led to a saving of more than Rs. 36,500 crore. This is the largest DBT initiative in the world.

DBT scheme will eradicate black marketing and subsidy will reach the beneficiaries effectively.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

June 11-17, 2018

Pradhanmantri Suraksha Bima Yojana

This scheme is designed to cover the risk of death on account of accidents. Only Rs. 12 are required to be deposited annually and in case of accidental death an insurance sum of Rs. 2 lakh is given to the family of the deceased. In case of permanent disability, a sum of Rs. 2 lakh is given. 9 crore and 64 lakh people are taking benefit of this scheme.

Pradhanmantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is a 'safety shield'. This is part of our commitment of saving the poor in difficult times.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana (Rural) The government, under this scheme, is committed to provide houses with toilets and other basic amenities in rural areas. The base of the house has been increased to 25 square meter from the earlier 20 square meter.

With a cost of Rs. 1.2 lakh per house one crore houses will be built by 2019.

Working together, State and Central government will provide roof to the poor of the country. With this roof the dreams of the poor will get a new lease of life.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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

Ujala

Ujjwala Yojana

Under this scheme the Government of India will provide gas stove and free LPG connection in each and every household so as to provide smoke free cooking facility to Below Poverty Line families (BPL). On the call of the Prime Minister more than 1 crore 4 lakh people have given up their LPG subsidy, because of which, so far 38 lakh BPL families have been given gas connections.

When the poor mother cooks food on the wood stove, she inhales the smoke. I can easily understand the pain of these ladies and through this scheme wish to remove their suffering.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana The aim of this scheme is to access 8-9 crore poor households by organising them into Women Self Help Groups (SHG) and then providing to them access to financial resources. The objective is to provide to them means of livelihood and support them consistently till they come out of the clutches of poverty. 5.31 lakh SHG

have been organised and financial assistance of Rs. 363.71 crore has been given to 2.59 lakh SHG. 59 lakh families have been covered under this programme.

Development of all has to be done, all have to be taken together, prosperity should be accessible to all.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana (Urban)

The government has made a commitment, under this scheme, to ensure that every urban Indian should have a house. 2 crore houses will be constructed for urban poor till 2022, 6.8 lakh houses have already been built. 95% beneficiaries will be from

the economically weaker sections.

Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana is not just erecting four walls, it is a scheme to fulfil the dreams of poor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Deen Dayalu Coach Yojana Under this scheme, Deen Dayalu Coaches will be provided in long distance trains for unreserved passengers. In these coaches, 13 facilities like

25

drinking water to cushioned seats and luggage racks will be provided. The planned manufacturing of 700 coaches has already been completed.

LED bulbs are being distributed free of cost to people with the objective of changing more than 70 crore traditional bulbs.

Saving to the tune of Rs. 40 thousand crore in the electricity bill is envisaged.

Till 23 August 2016, 14.98 crore bulbs have been distributed leading to a saving of Rs. 19 crore every day.

Saving of the electricity is as important as its generation.

It is just like a social service and it will save the environment also.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Antyodaya Express Under this scheme, completely unreserved superfast new trains under the name of Antyodaya Express will be started. In this financial year five Antyodaya racks are proposed; the first rack was inducted in October 2016.

Starting the Antyodaya Express and Deen Dayalu rail coaches by making arrangements for superfast journey to the poor expresses the commitment of our government for the poor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Why should the poor be forced to travel with inconvenience?

We know the significance of comfortable and dignified journey for the poor.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Continue in next issue

26

Culture

June 11-17, 2018

Exhibition

Down The Memory Lane Jatin Das exhibits diverse collection of over 5,000 pankhas at Indira Gandhi National Centre of the Arts

The hand fan is a recurring motif in many Indian paintings and photographs but one is also introduced to the interesting character of the ‘‘pankhawala’’ through these prints

Siddhi Jain

W

hat began as a gift from a friend 40 years ago has now snowballed into an extensive collection of over 5,000 pankhas (handheld fans) for eminent Indian artist Jatin Das. A carefully-curated part of this staggering collection, along with numerous prints, photographs, documentaries and paintings is currently open for public viewing at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here.

Titled “Pankha: A collection of hand fans from the Indian subcontinent and beyond,” the exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of noted personalities such as writer and former broadcaster Mark Tully, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and writer-poet Keki N Daruwalla and will remain on display till June 24.

Das recalls that the journey of collecting pankhas has led him to various regions such as the Middle East, Africa, Egypt and far eastern countries like China, Korea and Japan, among others. Along the way, he also sketched them and took photographs.

He shared that the pankhas would be of different designs, made of different materials, depending on the regions where they were made.

And there are great lessons for the viewers to take home too. Consider pankhas made from palm leaves and leather or zardozi and khus, for instance: Such fans are generally found in the Indian subcontinent and can easily be identified among pankhas sourced from other regions.

Ceremonial fans like ‘’chaamar’’, or fly-whisk, are made of wispy feathers or thin animal hair, easily spotted at places of worship even today. “Phad”

fans, owing to their large size, stirred the air for nobility and royalty.

Das’ son Siddhartha, himself a designer, has been a witness to his father’s journey of collecting pankhas.

He shared that central Odisha’s Alekh monks use huge palm leaf fans to keep away from the sun and rain, while they use smaller ones to fan themselves. ‘‘My father, as a small child in a village in Odisha, remembered seeing these monks travel. They were always fascinating. Their tranquility and detachment from the world inspires respect. This is typical of what he felt about the ‘phad’ collection,” Siddhartha told.

The hand fan is a recurring motif in many Indian paintings and photographs but one is also introduced to the interesting character of the ‘‘pankhawala” through these prints. Often relegated to the corners, a ‘‘pankhawala” would stir the fan devotedly for those who employed him.

However, like most craftspeople who painstakingly create these beautiful pankhas, the ‘‘pankhawala” seems to have been forgotten. ‘‘There are antique ceiling fans from the Mughal and Colonial period that were pulled by pankhawala from outside the room and used for large congregations in temples, royal courts and aristocratic darbars and offices,”

Das said.

The story of Abu Bakr, an old craftsman practising the craft of hand fan-making in a village on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, features in a short documentary composing the exhibition. A family completely dependent on the craft, but barely being able to make ends meet.

Das feels we owe the survival of traditional crafts to “rural folk” who still make and use them.

The 76-year-old, Padma Bhushan recipient, while speaking to IANS, expressed concern over the fact that “we do not have a sense of historicity, pride, dignity and heritage”, and referred to the great art historian Ananda Coomaraswamy, who, while donating his collection found no takers in India and hence gave it to a Boston museum.

“We have become a materialistic society,” he said. A striking shot from one of the documentaries places an electric fan in contrast with a traditional ceiling fan in Kerala’s Fort Kochi, which has now lost its practical utility to the former. Electricity may devoid hand fans of utility but even for a hand fan sold for as little as two rupees, the value of the craft does not lie in its price.

Documentaries, guided tours and fan-making workshops also constitute the month-long exhibition.

June Read

June 11-17, 2018

27 07

Shibpur

books to look forward to in June In the fine line of difference between promotion and substance lies at the heart of any given book that hits the stands

Saket Suman

T

he month gone by was one of many lessons for keen observers of contemporary Indian publishing. Over-hyped books, billed as astute and nuanced accounts like “Cyber Sexy”, turned out to be major disappointments while surprise releases like “The Spy Chronicles” garnered international attention.

There was, at the same time, the release of a novel that comes but rarely in our day and age -- Anuradha Roy’s “All The Lives We Never Lived,” and yet just so little hype was created before its release. Then there was Sanjeev Sanyal’s “Life Over Two Beers” and “Daughters of the Sun” by Ira Mukhoty.

Again, the merit of these books spoke for themselves.

In the fine line of difference between promotion and substance lies the heart of any given book that hits the stands.

It is the impact that a book leaves on the reader that decides its longevity and no amount of promotion can make a reader appreciate a banal and mediocre book.

But at times when boosting sales and meeting bottom lines has become the priority of most publishers, content and substance seem to have taken a backseat. The readers need to be more cautious now than ever before while buying new books.

Narrowed down from a list of over two dozen titles releasing this month, here are the five books that evoke curiosity and may find many prospective readers.

The President Is Missing

by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

This upcoming novel is said to confront a threat so huge that it jeopardizes not just Pennsylvania Avenue and Wall Street, but all of America. “Uncertainty and fear grip the nation. There are whispers of cyberterror and espionage and a traitor in the Cabinet. Even the President himself becomes a suspect, and then he disappears from public view,” the publisher disclosed about the much anticipated novel.. Set over the course of three days, “The President Is Missing” sheds a stunning light upon the inner workings and vulnerabilities of the United States.

Filled with information that only a former Commander-in-Chief could know, this, the publisher says, is “the most authentic, terrifying novel to come along in many years.”

Karunanidhi: A Life In Politics by Sandhya Ravishankar

Ninety-four-year-old Karunanidhi has had a six-decade-long career in Tamil and Indian politics. He has been

the leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam since 1969 and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times.

With the death of J. Jayalalithaa in December 2016, he is the undisputed tallest leader in the state even though his party is not in power and he continues to be in poor health. At the same time, he has also been embroiled in several controversies, including his party’s support for the LTTE and the involvement of ministers from his party in the 2G spectrum scam. “Karunanidhi: A Life in Politics” chronicles the trailblazing life of one of India’s most important politicians.

The Arts of Seduction by Seema Anand

Billed as a guide to having great sex in the twentyfirst century, this upcoming book seeks to make what has been largely reduced to an act of instant gratification a rather more pleasurable experience.

Drawing inspiration from the “Kama Sutra,” the book delves into numerous techniques and refinements that elevate sex to an altogether different level -- whether it is innovative codes for love messages, the effects of applying perfume to different parts of the body, the many different types of kissing, where and how to massage your lover’s feet or what kind of jewellery to wear during lovemaking.

Storywallah by Neelesh Misra’s Mandali

In 2011, Neelesh Misra started mentoring a handpicked group of writers called the Mandali. These were men and women of all ages, backgrounds and dispositions. The Mandali soon started writing radio stories in Hindi, for Misra’s show Yaadon Ka Idiotbox - short, pithy, bittersweet narratives that immediately struck a chord with listeners across the country. Translated for the first time in English, this collection represents the Mandali at the height of its powers.

These stories are blessed with a keen sense of place, attuned to the rhythms of both small-town India and rapidly expanding mega-cities like Delhi or Mumbai.

RSS 360: Demystifying Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

by Ratan Sharda

This book, according to the publisher, is an attempt to open up the supposedly secret world of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by someone with an insider’s knowledge of the philosophy, organisational structure and working of this huge cadre-based organisation. As a senior member who has managed various responsibilities in the RSS over the years, Ratan Sharda is said to have achieved his intent ably in this book.

28

Sports

June 11-17, 2018 AB De Villiers

De Villiers : The Self Made Legend Abraham Benjamin De Villiers, a simple man with a complicated life but a single rule, to stay optimistic and keep looking forward ABHISHEK LAKHERA

M

iles away from all the controversies and foul play there are only a handful of players who have an absolutely clean record and image. One of the most famous players in this arena would be AB de Villiers. Famous for his world record of the fastest 100 amongst other records in his name, AB is a versatile personality all over. A humble person who even after all his success keeps his feet on the ground would describe AB the best.

Known worldwide for his accomplishments in cricket, AB who got the title Mr. 360 for being able to score on a ball in any direction of the ground has not limited himself to just one sport. He is so humble and honest that he rubbished all the hypes around him which mentioned him being a national player for various sports in his country.

In his book ‘AB The Autobiography’ he mentions, “These are the facts: Decent in golf, useful in rugby and tennis when I was young, and enjoying cricket ever since. The errors will doubtless remain on the Internet and people would continue to believe that I was some kind of a prodigy at all those sports, but the truth will somehow endure.”

Sharp on the field and deadly on the pitch Mr 360 is actually a sincere God-fearing person. He is a devout Christian and has stated many times that his faith is crucial to both his approach to life and to his game. He even mentioned that his favourite book is the Bible.

He is the perfect family man as his wife would say. A devoted father to his two sons, Abraham Benjamin and John Richard and a really good and caring husband. He even quit his

test career to spend more time with his family. “I had been in a bad place and needed the time away. It’s difficult to explain and probably others wouldn’t understand but everyone’s story is different. Playing for 14 years, having a family, saying goodbye for months – I struggled,” said de Villiers when asked to comment on his sudden retirement from test cricket.

De Villiers was actually a very bright student during his schooling years.

Born in a doctors’ home, de Villiers also wanted to follow in his father’s

footsteps to become a doctor himself.

His father was also a rugby player in his earlier days and hence supported and encouraged his son to play different sports as well.

Little known is the fact that AB De Villiers knows Faf Du Plessis since childhood. Both were in the same school and played for the same club and are childhood friends. It is also scarcely known that AB has a jersey number of 17 because it is his lucky number and also his date of birth which is 17th Feb 1984. AB also has a music album named Mark Jou Drome Waar with Ampie du Preez which topped the world music charts as well.

AB is a huge fan of India and has mentioned it many times. He proposed to his girlfriend, Danielle Swart, at the Taj Mahal in 2012. He even has a chapter named ‘Inspired by India’ in his autobiography. “I enjoy every movie with Shah Rukh Khan, and would love to feature in one sometime,” quoted Mr 360.

His biggest heartbreak as he mentioned was the defeat in the semifinal match against New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup, but even after the defeat the humble player took a lesson

”Playing for 14 years, having a family, saying goodbye for months – I struggled”

Some Accomplishments of De Villiers  Fastest ton - 31 balls, 40 minutes (Previous 36 balls, by Corey Anderson)  Fastest fifty - 16 balls, 19 minutes (Previous 17 balls, by Sanath Jayasuriya)  Most number of sixes in a match - 16 (joint world record with Rohit Sharma)  Highest ever strike rate (for batsmen with scores of 100+) -338.63. The next highest strike-rate in an innings of 100 or more belongs to Corey Anderson, whose 131* against West Indies came at the strike rate of 278.72, a difference of 60 points.  Currently, there is just one batsman with more than 5000 runs, an average over 50 and a strike-rate over 100 - ABD  He has made the most number of test runs before getting out for a duck. (2958 runs).  He is Mr.360 in International cricket. This is because he can hit shots all around the wicket. for the future and took an optimistic approach to deal with it.“The main lesson I learned from 2015 is that a World Cup doesn’t define a player’s career. I was broken after that semi and looking for answers. I’d put way too much emphasis on winning a World Cup. So yes, I’d love to be a part of the winning team in 2019 but if it doesn’t work out, so be it,” said De Villiers.

Talking about his drastic and sudden retirement, he just wanted to quit on the top of his game and didn’t want to regret staying in for longer. “This is a tough decision, I have thought long and hard about it and I’d like to retire while still playing decent cricket. After the fantastic series wins against India and Australia, now feels like the right time to step aside,” De Villiers’ decision epitomized the age-old truth of sport -quit when people ask “why” rather than “why not”.

(Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Pursuing BA(JMC), 2nd Year)

Entertainment

June 11-17, 2018

29 07

NARGIS DUTT

SHE WAS A GIFT FOR THE INDIAN CINEMA The charismatic and vibrant diva of the fifties n Gitanjali chettri

T

he icon of Hindi cinema Nargis was a great person behind the screen. She gave her time to social work. Sunil Dutt, her husband, motivated her to fulfil her ambition to become a doctor. Later he realised that she wanted to go abroad to complete her studies, not to be a doctor, but to be a nurse in order to help needy people. In most of her social work she focused on helping handicapped children.

She discovered that it was an interest that absorbed her husband as well. Together they bought a plot and built a home for the disabled children in Bandra. They also opened a school for blind children and opened a centre of education for spastics.

Nargis worked as a nurse in that education centre and looked after the spastic children. She was also involved in Bharat Scouts and Guides, war widows and Meena Kumari Memorial for the blind. This is the kind of social service that Nargis dedicated herself to. The transformations after marriage made her happy.

She became what she wanted to be, a human being helping other human beings.

Fatima Rashid, who became known as Nargis, was born on 1st june 1929– (1981) in Calcutta, West Bengal. Her father Abdul Rashid was a man full of wealth.

Rashid’s mother Jaddan Bai was a renowned classical singer of Indian cinema, her mother was compared to as the greatest artist during those times. Nargis was counted amongst the legend of Hindi cinema; she created history being a women and became an inspiration to many people.

She gave her first performance as an actress when she was just six years old in the 1935 movie,

Nargis conducted herself as a nurse in spastics education centre and looked after the spastic children Talash-E-Haq. Her skills were highly appreciated by the film industry. It was because of her beauty that she was named Nargis, the narscissus flower, by the film industry.

She turned out to be the most outstanding actress in the film industry. She became the queen of the golden age of Hindi cinema through her tremendous work as heroine in ‘Barsaat’, ‘Andaz’,

“Awara’, ‘Deedar’, ‘Shree 420’ and ‘Chori Chori’. Her crowning moment in movies was her portrayal of Radha as ‘Mother India’ in 1957. This movie was also nominated for the Best Foreign Film for the Oscar award and later won the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She had acted in more than 50 movies and played a wide range of roles. She also won the National Film Award for best actress and was the first actress to receive this award for her performance as a woman of split personality in ‘Raat Aur Din’ in 1966.

Nargis and Raj Kapoor became the most celebrated lead pair in the 1950s. They acted in 16 films together. She fell in love with her co-actor, Sunil Dutt, while shooting for ‘Mother India’ and they got married. Sunil Dutt was a struggling actor when he met Nargis. She was at the peak of her career, earning double the amount he was getting. But Nargis never flaunted her superiority. They remained a happy couple till her tragic death in 1980.

After her marriage to Sunil Dutt she gave up acting. She preferred to spend her life with family. Nargis had three children Namrata, Sanjay and Priya. Tragedy struck in 1979, as Nargis was detected with jaundice at first and later pancreatic cancer. She was taken to the finest hospital in New York.

But it was of no avail. She wanted her family to build a foundation for cancer which will help those who cannot afford treatment.

She has been a legend to the film industry and won the hearts of many fans. The nation always will remember her for her dedicated work in the films and in the social sector.

Lovely professional university, MA Mass Communication 2nd year

30

Literature

June 11-17, 2018

Inspirational

How Much Does a Prayer Weigh

L

ouise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work. They had seven children and they needed food.

John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: “Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can.” John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, “Do you have a grocery list?”

Louise replied, “Yes sir.” “Okay” he

said, “put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries.”

Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head. Then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scale went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, “I can’t believe it.” The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales.

The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust.

Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list. It was instead a

prayer which said: “Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands.” The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed

a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, “It was worth every penny of it.”

It was sometime later that the grocer discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs..

Story

T

The Obstacle in our Path

here once was a very wealthy and curious king. This king had a huge boulder placed in the middle of a road. Then he hid nearby to see if anyone would try to remove the gigantic rock from the road.

The first people to pass by were some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers. Rather than moving it, they simply walked around it.

A few loudly blamed the King for not maintaining the roads.

Not one of them tried to move the boulder.

Finally, a peasant came along.

His arms were full of vegetables.

When he got near the boulder, rather than simply walking

around it as the others had, the peasant put down his load and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. It took a lot of effort but he finally succeeded.

The peasant gathered up his load and was ready to go on his way when he say a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The peasant opened the purse. The purse was stuffed full of gold coins and a note from the king. The king’s note said the purse’s gold was a reward for moving the boulder from the road.

The king showed the peasant what many of us never understand: every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

Events

June 11-17, 2018

events & more...

ACROSS 3. Which gas evolved from paddy fields and marshes?

5. Kancheepuram was once the capital of 8. The state which leads in agricultural production is 9. The largest gland in the human body is 13. The mineral in which India depends largely on imports is 15. Which is called white poison?

17. Durand Cup is associated with the game of 18. Golf player Vijay Singh belongs to which country?

19. First University in India was founded at 20. The value of Gold is determined in

Select Citywalk A-3, Distt. Centre, Saket, New Delhi 4 Jun 2018 5:30 AM - 22 Jun 20185:30 AM

SSB crossword no. 26

events

Smartivity Summer Camp Venue:

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SOLUTION of crossword no.25

Toon Tales Venue:

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Turning Potential Into Performance By Himeesh Madaan Venue:

91springboard Gurgaon 91springboard Plot 23, Maruti Industrial Area, Sector 18, Gurugram Tue, 19 Jun 3:00PM - 5:00PM

Kids Summer Carnival Venue: Select Citywalk A-3, Distt. Centre, Saket, New Delhi 4 Jun 2018 5:30 AM 22 Jun 20185:30 AM

11. Sindhi 12. Mumbai 13. Venus 14. Bauxite 15. Mahanadi 16. Cotton 17. Mosley 18. Silver 19. Cuttack 20. Hydrogen

1. Chittaranjan 2. Coimbatore 3. Hitler 4. Sahara 5. Woolen textile 6. Karnataka 7. Anaemia 8. Russia 9. Bangalore 10. Japan

Adaah - Fashion and Lifestyle Exhibition Venue:

Radisson Blu MBD Hotel Noida L2, Beside Centrestage Mall, Sector 18, Noida, Uttar Pradesh Thu, 19 Jul 11:00AM - Fri, 20 Jul 8:00PM

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1. Where is India’s First nuclear centre?

2. The system of dual citizenship exists in 4. Which is the Land of the Rising Sun? 6. Which metal is used in the making of microchips?

7. Tajmahal is on the banks of 10. Name of First Indian Missile ?

11. What is the name of first British to visit India ?

12. Which toxic element present in automobile exhausts?

14. Which crop is sown on the largest area in India?

16. For galvanizing iron which of the following metals is used?

sudoku-26

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

June 11-17, 2018 Manju Devi

First Woman Coolie At Jaipur Railway Station After losing her husband she took to supporting her family by taking his job

I

n a profession that is considered to be male dominated and certainly not a woman’s job, Manju Devi is a porter who undauntedly works as hard and as efficiently as any other porter and is the first woman porter of North-West Railways.

After she lost her husband 10 years ago she has been the sole provider for her family, which includes three teenage children.

She was actively encouraged by her mother Mohini, who helped her get over the psychological hurdles and discard the family disputes. Manju acquired the porter license no. 15 which belonged to her deceased husband Mahadev, and took to the demanding task of heaving luggage of passengers

at the Jaipur Railway Station.

She was initially told by the authorities that it would be a difficult task for her as she would be the only female porter, but she was persistant and was eventually given the badge number, she said.

She took some time to understand the realities of her job and she designed her own uniform for the job as well. Nowadays, you can see her toiling and working multiple shifts, running around the station in her red kurta and whit salwar to support the needs of her family. “I weighed 30 kgs and the passengers’ luggage was also 30 kgs but it was nowhere near the burden of feeding three children,” Devi narrates.

HAIR FOR HOPE

Naga women, men and children donate their hair to support patients suffering from cancer

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special charitable hair donation event for cancer patients was set up at the Lighthouse Church in Dimapur. Almost 30 people willingly donated their hair for the cause. ‘Hair for Hope India’ is a first of its kind event in the North-Eastern region.

The organisation will help to convert the donated hair into wigs for the economically challenged chemotherapy patients. Losing her mother to cancer ignited her zeal to help cancer patients said Amen Jamir, the lady who is behind idea of the drive.

Jamir, who herself have donated her hair twice said that she saw the Hair for Hope page across Facebook and thought that it would be the best place to volunteer for the cause. The donated hair

will be directly sent to Hair for Hope, Bangalore for further processing.

Ahimsa Zhimomi, a cancer survivor shared her own story saying that as a social worker and evangelist, she suffered the stigma and self-pity, considering herself unfortunate and cursed.

Zhimomi is now the President and Founder of a Cancer Support Group. Talking about her journey as a cancer survivor she said that it taught her the acceptance and faith she needed to inculcate.

The only man amongst all the women was Alex Kikon a young man in his 20s, who loved his long hair. Alex sacrificed his hair saying he wanted to ‘donate his hair for a cause.

unsung hero

For t h g i L f o Ray n e r d l i h C d Disable To teach these children was not just a job for Abhay. He changed the lives of more than 5,000 disabled children Abhay Srivastava

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f you think you’re winning you’re winning, if you think you’ve lost you’ve lost, we have all heard these lines and read them in school books but there are some people who make this true in real life.

Abhay Srivastava of Rai Bareilly is one of those people. Thirty-four-year-old Abhay is a teacher (special assistant) in the Basic Education Department but he’s known for much more than that. Abhay has been working for disabled children for a long time now, and is working to connect children suffering with all disabilities to mainstream society.

He believes every child is special and a disability cannot reduce anyone’s talent even a little bit; however, it is necessary that the courage of such helpless children does not break.

Abhay has been training such kids for past several years. In addition to their studies he helps in refining their talent.

A government research tells us that most of the disabled children leave their studies between fifth to eighth class. Because they are heartbroken by their excessive physical problems, which is probably one of the main reasons why they do not connect themselves to the mainstream. Abhay understands these feelings of the disabled kids which is why he works for them.

There are about 5000 children in the district who are under Abhay’s campaign and are currently students of class X and XII. Regardless of the general opinion about government schools and teachers, these children and their parents love Abhay-Sir a lot. They say that if Abhay Sir had not given them the courage, they never would have understood that disability is just a state of mind, nothing more than that. If any person wishes to complete his dreams with full dedication and courage, then nothing for him is impossible.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 2, Issue - 26 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