Sulabh Swachh Bharat - VOL: 2 | ISSUE 34

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Universal Sanitation

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The Making of a Legend

Vrindavan Saga

He can be considered, quite rightly to have been the universal genius par excellence

“My visit reflects our shared heritage of nature, history, culture, spiritualism”

Durga’s life was full of untimely deaths of dear ones

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A Good News Weekly

Vol - 2 | Issue - 34 | Aug 06 - 12, 2018 | Price ` 5/-

Colourful Tapestry Of Culture Tribes of India

Tribal communities lead environment-friendly lives, and they have much to teach contemporary societies facing the threat of climate change and global warming

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SSB BUREAU

n India, the tribes were not considered as separate from the rest of Indian society. They were part of the country’s rich human diversity, with their languages and customs. There were some very ancient groups like the people in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal,

the Mundas in Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, the Naga tribes like Angami in the north-eastern state of Nagaland. Then there are the Bhils in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Gonds in Chhattisgarh, the Santhals in Bangla, who have maintained their distinct identity through the recent centuries while adopting the dominant religious beliefs of the Hindu system, though they

have their own gods and goddesses.

Anthropologists and historians believe that many of the divinities of the tribes of India have been absorbed into the Hindu pantheon in various parts of the country, and the local gods and goddesses were really preHindu tribal divinities. India’s fivethousand-year-old history is indeed very complex, where many streams mix and form a large river.

The general definition of tribes in India, as in many other parts of India, is that they are generally preliterate societies, who are at the stage of hunter-gatherers, and when they practice agriculture it is the slashand-burn variety, where they clear a piece of forest, sow a crop and after

Quick Glance India is home to the largest tribal population in the world

Lifestyle of tribes helped in tracing the pre-agricultural stage

Poetry of the different tribes conveys their literary sensibility

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Aug 06 - 12, 2018

which are to be found mainly in central India, stretching from east Gujarat in the West to Arunachal Pradesh, which has a 90 per cent tribal population and it is home to 26 languages, asks in a recent interview: “Is there something in these languages that kept them strong, and kept their communities undestroyed and non-colonised?

Wherever English went – Canada, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand – it destroyed native languages, but in Indian tribal communities continued to speak their languages, as did ‘mainland’ Indians. Had tribal languages given strength to the neighbouring Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese?”

Munda group of tribal languages, which is one of the ancient groups of people in the country, has the following languages in its Austroasiatic family: Santali, Sora, Remo, Ho, Gutob, Kera Mundari, Kharia, Bhumij, Korku, Tamaria Mundari, Goam, Juang, Birhor. At the north-eastern end, the it has been harvested they move on to the next forest patch. The life style and the stage of civilisation of the tribes has helped in tracing the pre-agricultural stage of society. The tribes have also been found to be living in forests or on the edge of forests, with intimate knowledge of the flora and fauna. With a population of 104 million, India is home to the largest tribal or indigenous people in the world. The tribal groups figure in the two popular Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Anthropologists have also identified the earliest tribal or indigenous groups in India to have arrived from Africa about 50,000 years ago. The first humans are considered to have emerged from Africa 65,000 years ago.

So, the Indian tribal groups are the earliest settlers in the country.

One of the fascinating aspects of the tribes in India has been their languages, which are based on oral traditions, with complex linguistic structures and literary compositions. Many linguists are concerned that as many of the tribes get modernized and adopt the dominant languages of the region like English, Hindi, Bangla, Odiya, their own languages are dying out. The scholars believe that the preservation of the languages of the tribes is very important in understanding the evolution of languages in general. It is miraculous that hundreds of languages and dialects of the tribes have survived to this day, though many of them are on the verge of extinction today.

Ganesh Devy, an English Literature professor, who has carried out the People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PSLI), says about the tribal languages

District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes

Hathras, UP

District with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes

Sarchhip, Mizoram

98.1%

0.01%

State with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes

MIZORAM

94.5 %

State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes

GOA

0.04%

UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes

The Highs and the lows

Lakshadweep

94.5%

UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes

a&N ISLANDS

8.3%

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 Naga group of languages in Nagaland represent a wide spectrum of languages which include Angami, Sema, Rengma, Chakhesang, Ao, Lotha, Phom, Chang, Konyak. The sheer diversity of tribal languages within limited groups shows that India presents a veritable library of tribal languages apart from scores of other dominant languages.

There are attempts to bring the poetry of the tribal people of India to the modern reader through translations. The flavour of the poetry Insidiously displacing the old./My of the different tribes conveys their own grandsons dismiss/Our stories literary and aesthetic sensibility as as ancient gibberish?/From the dark well as the emotional make-up of ages, outmoded/In the present times, these ancient groups in the country. and ask/Who needs rambling stories/ Sitakant Mohapatra, an IAS officer When books will do just fine.” from Odisha, has collected the oral Mamang Dai from Arunachal poetry of many of the tribes of India Pradesh, who had won the Sahitya in eight volumes with the title, “They Akademi award in 2017, captures Sing Life:Anthology of Oral Poetry the mood of the tribal sense of the of Primitive Tribes of India” in eight past and present, which is closely volumes. entwined with that of nature in the Temsula Ao, a poet and folklorist poem entitled, “Small Towns And the from Nagaland, in her poems captures River”: “Small towns always remind a sense of the collective memory of the me of death./My hometown lies tribe of Ao. She writes: “Grandfather calmly amidst the trees,/it is always constantly warend/That the same/in summer or winter,/ forgetting the stories/ with the dust flying,/or the Would be catastrophic/ wind howling down the We would lose gorge.”

With a population our History,/ If languages and Territory, and oral traditions of 104 million, most certainly/ define tribal culture India is home to the Our intrinsic at one end, then identity.”

And there is the rich largest tribal or she writes in tribal handicrafts indigenous people in the same poem: tradition across the world “But now a new the country. The era has dawned./ handicrafts are made

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1. Andhra Pradesh: Andh, Sadhu Andh, Bhagata, Bhil, Chenchus (Chenchawar), Gadabas, Gond, Goundu, Jatapus, Kammara, Kattunayakan, Kolawar, Kolam, Konda, Manna Dhora, Pardhan, Rona, Savaras, Dabba Yerukula, Nakkala, Dhulia, Thoti, Sugalis.

2. Arunachal Pradesh: Apatanis, Abor, Dafla, Galong, Momba, Sherdukpen, Singpho.

3. Assam: Chakma, Chutiya, Dimasa, Hajong, Garos, Khasis, Gangte.

4. Bihar: Asur, Baiga, Birhor, Birjia, Chero, Gond, Parhaiya, Santhals, Savar.

5. Chhattisgarh: Agariya, Bhaina, Bhattra, Biar, Khond, Mawasi, Nagasia.

6. Goa: Dhodia, Dubia, Naikda, Siddi,Varli.

7. Gujarat: Barda, Bamcha, Bhil, Charan, Dhodia, Gamta, Paradhi, Patelia.

8. Himachal Pradesh: Gaddis, Gujjars, Khas, Lamba, Lahaulas, Pangwala, Swangla.

9. Jammu and Kashmir: Bakarwal, Balti, Beda, Gaddi, Garra, Mon, Purigpa, Sippi.

10. Jharkhand: Birhors, Bhumij, Gonds, Kharia, Mundas, Santhals, Savar.

11. Karnataka: Adiyan, Barda, Gond, Bhil, Iruliga, Koraga, Patelia, Yerava.

12. Kerala: Adiyan, Arandan, Eravallan, Kurumbas, Malai arayan, Moplahs, Uralis.

13. Madhya Pradesh: Baigas, Bhils, Bharia, Birhors, Gonds,Katkari, kharia, Khond, Kol, Murias.

14. Maharashtra: Bhaina, Bhunjia, Dhodia, Katkari, Khond, Rathawa, Warlis.

15. Manipur: Aimol, Angami, Chiru, Kuki, Maram, Monsang, Paite, Purum, Thadou.

16. Meghalaya: Chakma, Garos, Hajong, Jaintias Khasis, Lakher, Pawai, Raba.

17. Mizoram: Chakma, Dimasa, Khasi, Kuki, Lakher, Pawai, Raba, Synteng.

18. Nagaland: Angami, Garo, Kachari, Kuki, Mikir, Nagas, Sema.

19. Odisha: Gadaba, Ghara, Kharia, Khond, Matya, Oraons, Rajuar, Santhals.

20. Rajasthan: Bhils, Damaria, Dhanka, Meenas(Minas), Patelia, Sahariya.

21. Sikkim: Bhutia, Khas, Lepchas.

22. Tamil Nadu: Adiyan, Aranadan, Eravallan, Irular, Kadar, Kanikar, Kotas, Todas.

23. Telangana: Chenchus.

24. Tripura: Bhil, Bhutia, Chaimal, Chakma, Halam, Khasia, Lushai, Mizel, Namte.

25. Uttarakhand: Bhotias, Buksa, Jannsari, Khas, Raji, Tharu.

26. Uttar Pradesh: Bhotia, Buksa, Jaunsari, Kol, Raji, Tharu, Chero, Patari, Ojha.

27. West Bengal: Asur, Khond, Hajong, Ho, Parhaiya, Rabha, Santhals, Savar.

28. Andaman and Nicobar: Oraons, Onges, Sentinelese, Shompens.

29. Little Andaman: Jarawa.

30.North-East: Abhors, Chang, Galaong, Mishimi, Singpho, Wancho.

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• Total population of Scheduled Tribes is 10,42,81,034 as per the Census 2011 which accounts for 8.6% of the total population of country. The share of the Scheduled Tribe population in urban areas is a meager 2.8%.

• Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, Orissa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Karnataka are the State having larger number of Scheduled Tribes. These states account for 93.8% of the total Scheduled Tribe population of the country. Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura, Mizoram, Bihar, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, account for another 15.3% of the total Scheduled Tribe population. The share of the remaining states / UTs is negligible.

• The scheduled Tribes in India form the largest proportion of the total population in Lakshadweep and Mizoram followed by Nagaland and Meghalaya.

• Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of scheduled Tribes followed by Bihar.

• Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh consists of largest number of Scheduled Tribes.

• There are no Scheduled Tribes in Punjab, Delhi, Chandigarh, Pondicherry, Haryana.

• In Lok Sabha there is reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes. Here also census figures are taken into account. Allocation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha are made on the basis of proportion of Scheduled Tribes in the State concerned to that of the total population, vide provision contained in Article 330 of the Constitution of India read with Section 3 of the R. P. Act, 1950.

• For Scheduled Tribes, 47 seats are reserved in Lok Sabha. The 1st schedule to R. P. Act, 1950 as amended vide Representation of People (Amendment) Act , 2008 gives the Statewise break up.

from locally available sources. For example, both in Arunachal Pradesh in the north-east of the country, and Rajasthan and Uttaranchal in the west and northwest, bamboo and wood are the raw materials used in the tribal handicrafts. What the tribals make have both utilitarian and decorative value.

In many of the north-eastern states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, the dazzling textile designs bear witness to the fact that the tribal people in these places have a highly evolved aesthetic sense as well as sophisticated textile processes of weaving and dyeing.

The report says, “In Arunachal Pradesh, main handicrafts items are made up of bamboo as a raw material. Artisans of Banswara district

of Rajasthan, Chamoli district of Uttaranchal were prominent in the production of handicrafts made of bamboo. Cane and bamboo products, not only adorn tribal houses, but they decorate the modern household as well. Cane furniture, bamboo mats, screens, tablemats etc are extremely popular…Wood carvings are important handicraft of Chhattisgarh and Uttaranchal due to availability of wood as raw material from nearby forest areas. Bell metal handicrafts is prominent in Chhattisgarh state.

Stone carvings in the form of deities, flower vases, agarbatti stands, bowls, were famous among tribal districts of Rajasthan state. This was partly due to the availability of raw material surrounding their villages. Terracota items like horses, elephants, flower vases are traditional handicrafts moulded by tribals in the districts of Chhattisgarh state with local river soil (mud).”

The report noted that the tribal handicrafts needed government support because the traditions were dying away as the tribal communities moved into agriculture, migrating to cities and getting modernized in their way of living. It was also observed that there was huge export potential for handicrafts in general, and for tribal handicraft products in particular.

But producing handicrafts for export purposes, or for domestic markets, alone is an alien concept for many of the tribal communities. Many of the tribal communities made things for the use of their own people. The products never had a purely decorative function.

They were things that were used in their everyday lives.

One of the major challenges with regard to tribes in India is about protecting their specific traditions while at the same time enabling the tribal people to modernize themselves, adopt modern education and take up

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

jobs in the contemporary economy.

This might mean that the tribal people would naturally move away from their traditional ways of life, and in the process lose of much of their customs, beliefs, language and food. It would not be possible or even right to ask the tribes of India to preserve their identities and resist change.

What should be possible is that the tribal people have the choice and the means to preserve what they want in their traditional culture and even adapt it to modern ways. This is indeed how change happens in many societies, where the old ways are modified and adapted even as the group embraces new things.

Governments in India are trying to preserve the economic and regional autonomy of the different tribes. Care is taken that outsiders do not purchase land and replace the tribal people where they have been residing for centuries. While the legal framework helps the tribes retain their identities, they face the pressure of change, which they cannot resist and which they cannot reject outright.

The challenge for governments, policy-makers and the tribal people themselves is about retaining their identity while at the same adapting to the modern technological world.

There has to be an attempt then from the tribal people themselves to want to preserve their traditions in languages, arts, customs and beliefs.

Government policies may help them to

Article 366 (25) defined scheduled tribes as “such tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 to be Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this constitution”.

Article 342 in The Constitution Of India 1949

Scheduled Tribes (1) The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in relation to that State or Union territory, as the case may be (2) Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in a notification issued under clause ( 1 ) any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification PART XVII OFFICIAL LANGUAGE CHAPTER I LANGUAGE OF THE UNION.

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preserve their diverse and rich cultural heritage, but administrators cannot do much more because they do not know the embedded cultural treasures which only members of the tribes know. The other way that tribal people would want to preserve their culture and way of life would be if the majority of people of India show interest in the tribal life, buy their handicrafts, paintings and textiles, listen to tribal music and show interest in the tribal languages and literatures. These are intangible culture treasures, and if they are to fade away then the country as a whole loses part of its heritage.

Every Indian has a stake in the tribal heritage of India because it belongs to the whole country and all the people.

It is not an issue that concerns only the tribal people. While there are people like Ganesh Devy who are dedicated to preserving the tribal languages of India, there is need for the government and to people interested in culture to come up with innovative ideas of popularizing tribal handicrafts and languages, their beliefs and ways of life. It is generally recognised that over the centuries the tribal people have evolved a lifestyle that is eco-friendly, and that they know how to use the resources of nature – forests, rivers, plants and animals – with care. Tribal beliefs encourage a life that does not require destruction of nature. It is an important lesson at a time when the world is facing the threat of climate change and global warming. The tribal way of life has many lessons for modern societies, and these could be vital for the survival of modern civilization as such.

The tribal people, who are usually concerned to be ‘primitive’ by others, might be in the vanguard of restoring the balance between human beings and the environment. The tribal communities are natural ecologists, and that is where their value lies for contemporary societies.

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Aug 06 - 12, 2018

People on this island speak an unknown language and their customs and culture are still a mystery

The North Sentinel Island

The Mysterious

Sentinelese

“Isolated people do not manifest among us-they don’t ask anything of us, they live and die mostly without our knowledge” Chehak Nasa

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e live in a World where technology is a means for survival. There is an inexorable spread of civilization and development. Yet, amazingly, there are places that have somehow managed to remain not only hidden but are completely detached from the rest of the world. It is hard to imagine a place with none of the conveniences we take for granted and no awareness of anything beyond their world.

One such place is a small island of just 28 square miles in the Andaman Islands of the Bay of Bengal known as The North Sentinel Island. On a map, it looks like any other idyllic spot in the Indian Ocean which is fringed with beaches and crystal cobalt waters.

However, unlike any other place, it has been described as the ‘hardest place in the world to visit’, ‘the world’s most dangerous island’ and home to ‘the most isolated tribe in the world’.

These sensational labels can’t be qualified conclusively, but they do hold some truth. For almost 60,000

years the Sentinelese have lived in utter solitude, they are the last people on earth to remain untouched by modern civilization. The Sentinelese are a fiercely independent tribe who welcome the intruders with arrows and spears. Their population is estimated to be around 50 to 500.

People on this island speak an unknown language and their customs and culture are still a mystery. They may have lived their hunter gatherer lifestyle; they are yet to discover

agriculture; can they even light a fire?

Nobody knows for sure. And there is probably no way of knowing that without destroying a culture that has remained intact for thousands of years. They may be among the oldest people living on this planet and therefore may hold a key to fascinating information about our genetic and cultural evolution. Studying them could also reveal how a society with no technology has survived after all.

But they are no rats who can be experimented upon. They are humans just like the rest of us. And hence, the Government of India has respected their wish to be left alone and considers the Sentinelese as a sovereign entity. They have declared the island including three miles extending outwards an exclusion zone and hence the food source for the islanders is protected. By eliminating contact, the risk of diseases which the tribe has no immunity to, also reduces.

Additionally, the law protects The Sentinelese anyone are a fiercely attempting independent tribe to visit the who welcome the island, as the intruders with inhabitants arrows and spears defend themselves to the death.

For a long time they were left alone because of baseless rumors that they were cannibals. Regardless, the tribe has been drawing interest for years.

When the whole world was at each other’s fingertips, explorers

Yeh Mera India

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

were trying to learn the Sentinelese.

A British explorer Maurice Portman, somehow, landed safely on the island. On exploring, the team discovered deserted villages and empty trails. Eventually, they found and kidnapped an elderly couple with four children. He intended to treat them well and brought them back to Port Blair. As the islanders were not immune to the common diseases of the modern world, the couple became sick and eventually died.

Fearing the children would die too, Portman took them back to the island with bundles of gifts, where they quickly disappeared in the forests.

It was only in 1967, a team of anthropologists led by TN Pandit, convinced the tribe to drop their weapons and accept the gifts. But this was short lived as the party was forced off the island with the threat of weapons and cries in a language that has no meaning outside the 28 mile area. They weren’t the only ones who tried. In 1974, a National Geographic team intended to shoot a documentary on the Sentinelese. They reached the island with gifts like coconuts, Aluminium cookware, toys and a live pig. Instead of a warm welcome the team was showered with arrows, one of which pierced the directors’ leg.

The man who shot the arrow is said to have laughed in triumph, while others slaughtered and buried the pig.

The only gifts that they took were the coconuts and aluminium cookware.

When the whole world was at each other’s fingertips, explorers were trying to learn the Sentinelese Two fishermen once mistakenly reached too close to the shores and hence were shot with arrows. The helicopters that came to rescue the bodies were treated the same. However, if it not were for their self-protective motives the islanders would have gone extinct like many other tribes.

To them their island is their universe and we are the aliens and there is much to learn as to how they’ve reacted to us so far. But why shackle a self-sustaining society with the burden of modern civilization?

If what we desire is an insight in their world, it is entirely possible.

We just need to be ready to pay the price. Until then, the Sentinelese mystery is likely to continue, perhaps for another 60,000 years.

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unity in diversity

When We Unite Together Muslim villagers in Bihar host Hindu seers to open temple after donating land, money

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n Imran Khan

fter Mansoor Ansari donated land and Mokhtar Alam donated money to build a temple while other Muslims helped in its construction. The villagers also got together to play host to Hindu seers and devotees at the inauguration of the temple.

Budhupur is largely a Muslim-populated village with less than a dozen Hindu families.

At a time when hate crimes are increasing, many see it as a shining example of communal harmony.

Cousin brothers Mokhtar and Mansoor had come forward to help build the temple to Goddess Durga.

Other Muslims joined them by contributed in different ways and also by supervising its construction.

Mansoor donated 2.5 Katha land (One Katha is 750 sq ft, at least) for the temple and Mokhtar gave Rs 3.5 lakh for construction. Both are resident of Budhupur. After helping build the temple under Ghatera panchayat in Guraru block in Gaya district, 140 km from Patna, mostly Muslim villagers welcomed Hindu seers and hundreds of devotees from neighbouring villages as guests during a “Yagna” to mark the inauguration of the first temple in the village.

“We had played hosts to Hindu seers and devotees earlier too when “Chandi Yagna” and special prayers were offered,” Mokhtar told. Mokhtar recalled that his family had also donated land for a madrassa and a mosque in the village. Mansoor said they had been living together with the Hindus for years and taking care of each other. “It is a gesture for communal harmony,” he added.

The villagers used the madrassa as a guest house

for the invitees and the mosque acted as a service centre.

Dozens of Muslims in this village donated foodgrains, milk, edible oil and LPG cylinders for the week-long rituals. The temple was opened for prayers and worship after installation of the idol of Goddes Durga following the “Yagna”.

Hindu villagers have been lauding and praising the Muslim villagers for their act.

“It was not possible without their help,” Umesh Manjhi, a Dalit villager, said. He was particularly impressed that the youth worked as volunteers and women chipped in to help.

Kailash Yadav said earlier they would offer prayers and performed rituals on a platform under the open sky. “Contribution of Muslims is something historical for us,” he added. The head of the village body, Ranvijay Das said the temple had now become a “matter of pride” for them.

Bhagwan Bhaskar, a political activist in Gaya, said the development would send a strong message of harmony and peace. “People active in public life should propagate how Muslims helped build a temple,” he said.

Dr Roomi, a homoeopathic practitioner, said such a cooperation should be encouraged. “If Muslims can help build a temple, Hindus should now come forward to help Muslims in their projects,” he said.

This is not the first such case. Last year, a Muslim family donated its land for the upgradation of a temple in the state’s Gopalganj district. Three years ago, some Muslims in Bihar’s East Champaran district donated land to help build one of the largest Hindu temples with a capacity to seat 20,000 people. “Without the help of Muslims, it would have been difficult to realise this dream project,” Acharya Kishore Kunal, secretary of the Patnabased Mahavir Mandir Trust, that is undertaking to build the ambitious project, said.

Muslims form 16.5 per cent of Bihar’s 105 million population. In the Seemanchal region, they account for nearly 67 per cent in Kishanganj, 37 per cent in Purnea, 43 per cent in Katihar and nearly 40 per cent in Araria.

Muslim villagers

welcomed Hindu seers as guest during ‘Yagna’

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Sulabh

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 garima-II

Sulabh’s Multifarious Contributions To Universal Sanitation Dr Pathak and RB Subba at the launch of GARIMA Phase-II of the Project.

Dr Pathak providing sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators to the school

Launch of GARIMA-II, in association with Sulabh International

n SSB BUREAU

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he inaugural phase of the initiative of providing sanitary napkins to girl students of 28 senior secondary schools of Sikkim was launched in 2016 in which Sulabh International had lent a helping hand. It is a matter of pride for Sikkim that the phase-I of this programme has been remarkably successful. In fact, Sikkim is the first state in India that has taken the project of providing sanitary napkins to school girls seriously and on a large scale.

The second phase of the GARIMA project has been launched by Minster of Human Resources Development RB Subba, he was joined by eminent Sociologist Dr Bindeshwar Pathak founder, Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, as the Guest of Honour, attended the launch of Phase-II of the Project which provides sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators to the girl students of 30 schools in Sikkim, in a function organised in Gangtok. The Project is funded by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation and other companies under the CSR initiative.

Minister RB Subba thanked Dr Pathak for initiating the phase GARIMA-2 for installing Vending machines and destroyer (waste) for girls in schools. Minister said, “The project GARIMA is meant to provide a dignified way of dealing with an essential biological process faced by adolescent girls every month.”

It empowers them to attend school and

participate in the day to day activities. It has a very positive impact as proved by phase-1 started in 2016 in 28 senior secondary schools.

“This is a very welcome move. Our girls indeed get benefitted from this move, as the easy availability of sanitary napkins in schools, where they spend a lot of time, not only ensures their menstrual hygiene, but they also get more keenly attentive to the issues of health and hygiene when they get educated about it in their classrooms.

In my view, sanitary napkin vending machines should be made available at all public places, educational institutions and offices where girls and women work or study”, said Dr Pathak while expressing his gratitude to GP Upadhyaya, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Principal Secretary, Government of Sikkim, and other concerned authorities and officials for graciously inviting him to the event.

“As the leader of the Sulabh Sanitation movement, I promise here that Sulabh will try its level best to make available sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators to all public spaces, market areas and railway stations, etc., where we have set up our public toilets. Making available sanitary napkin is an integral part of ensuring a woman’s health and hygiene, and the small but picturesque state of Sikkim has set an inspiring example in this regard for the rest of India to follow.”

“I am also happy to inform you that Sulabh has set up a School Sanitation Club where, apart from other activities, the school girls are taught to make sanitary napkins using simple materials. The Club has also installed a vending machine, where sanitary napkins are available. Incinerators have also been installed for safe disposal of sanitary napkins. So far 260 clubs in 12 States of India and clubs in Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa have been set up. About 6,500 schoolchildren in more than 250 schools

have been trained in school sanitation and hygiene education, including menstrual health. Elder students have taken on the responsibility of mentoring younger children, helping them to lead a healthy and hygienic life. The club members also organise cultural events in which they enact skits and sing songs concerning issues related to hygiene and sanitation.”

The occasion was graced by Hundala Gyaltsen Bhutia, Director, HRD Department, Government of Sikkim, K Inbaraj, Joint Director, HRD Department, Government of Sikkim, OT Lepcha, Advisor, HRD Department, Government of Sikkim and Alok Kumar Shrivastava, Chief Secretary, Government of Sikkim, along with a large number of state officials, principals, teachers and young students who added gravitas to the public-spirited programme.

The project GARIMA-2 has been funded by Alkem Lab, Canara Bank and Sibbin group,under their Corporate Social Responsibility. Sulabh International and Sulabh School Sanitation Club have given the Sanitary Napkin Vending machines to schools.

Books

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 month read

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Not only are these books diverse in their themes and the subjects they explore, but each of these offerings also stand out for the appeal that the subjects may have for most readers

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s of torie S : e om for HAbroad, g n i h today, Seariacns Livinhgawla ; and t and e n o C ew rke Ind imran ot a n till ing ma y is n rong emerg f Indians s s. r

by S o t s o n t e

nds sas ratio shor n mig try is seen a s of thousa on distant to the ia d n I oun The r, ten ew lives tep closer n wer rpowe h the c thoug loping supe ar to seek e reader a s s out to ans do h e t t a deve ndia each y aid to take t RIs), and se or and wha the f s I N g ( ,” okin leave ely book is t Indians ative by n d narr they lo This tim non-reside : What are st-of-its-kin h separated to f s e g lives o sic question led as “a fir , who, thou hat continu t il two ba ally find? B s of people xperiences e ie e r r e o r t y es sha the etres, tells th book nds of kilom omeland. h thousa em to their h t bind

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n Saket Suman

ith the release of riveting novels such as “Latitudes of Longing” by Shubhangi Swarup and “All The Lives We Never Lived” by Anuradha Roy, the Indian bookshelf has thrown up quite a lot in recent months for fiction lovers to chew upon.

But the coming month will bring cheer to readers of biographies and memoirs as a number of offerings from the genre are soon to hit the stands. Not only are these books diverse in their themes and the subjects they explore, but each of these offerings also stand out for the appeal that the subjects may have for most readers. Here are the five books we can’t wait to read this August:

i

hu Ra

Rag ile, by

Tibet’s i and ama, a R u L t Ragh Dalai urnalis Fourteenth estined to jo o t o h d er, the d Rai were ated p Celebr piritual lead fate. Both rtition force njab u s a iconic a common ds. While p Pakistan’s P lmost n a e s w la r a e o a n w h m s o leader hat is asa to heir h lose t pe from w the spiritual alace in Lh s “a a a to esc e aged five, is summer p ndia. Billed guest c I h d in in e d v h o le r f p ris asylum es in en he st che 24 wh reedom and India’s mo rliest imag ivate, a f r reach al tribute to ee”, the e into the p their s g s n e u A s f o . s e p r r g e p tical timate glim ed god-kin h which li o p wit ron and ok are in dship a deth fection the bo y world of ease and af special frien a everyd ity grew, the tured into a ffering. o proxim teracted ma ident in the v in e y be the said to and is

x

In E A God

. he am: Tphy of A.R e r D rilok s of a iogra Notehorised BKrishna T this from an, Aut man, by e b s may .R. Rahm is Rah tation A

stro f xpec the e graphy o usical mae ut his s a bio High e m much abo y as ised se th author larly becau ealing too close scrutin wn o v particu for not re also attract ng been kn not s n l lo k wil ies have ubject doe be know h y is boo s life, th ed biograp s that the k. There ma ook, is t o r b c o o e e b h p t h t e as au oring d in th than ’s life in for ign o be feature m Rahman g for more the o t r s in f d t k wan h aspects ill be loo t surroun the c a few su n readers w glamour th lives up to dy, lo e k but ke e glitz and er the boo thm and me een. s th just th ’s life. Whe h all the rhy ains to be m t it c e r w je , “ t -no sub ations ” -- or expect and downs s the up

10

Sanitation

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Burkina Faso

Rural-Urban Gap Widens

The west African country with the help of global organizations is making a brave attempt to meet the challenge of meeting the 2030 target of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)

SSB BUREAU

There is also political commitment in Burkina Faso to improve the water and sanitation situation in the country

T

hE World Bank has approved an ambitious plan worth Euro 206.7 million which will help 1.1 million with improved water supply and 1.3 million people with improved sanitation services.

It has been aptly named The Water Supply and Sanitation Programmefor-results (PforR). According to Checik Kante, World Bank Country Manager for Burkina Faso, “Through its innovative design the Programme will leverage private finance for the water supply and sanitation sector, through the built-in incentives it plans to provide for improved sustainability of service delivery, including in terms of operation and maintenance of assets, cost-recovery, and human capital strengthening.” In 2015, before the elections that brought in the new government, the parliament of Burkina Faso passed a constitutional amendment, with Article 18 reading “education, safe water and sanitation, education, training, social security, housing, energy, sport, health leisure, maternity and child protection and artistic and scientific creation are

recognised as social and cultural rights under the Constitution which shall aim to uphold them.”

In Burkina Faso in 2017, 9.3 million people out of a population of 18.5 million were still defecating in the open, 70 per cent of hospital beds are occupied by people who suffer from diseases caused by bad sanitation, and 4.8 million women face hazards of relieving themselves in the bush.

To meet this challenge, International Red Cross Burkina Faso I collaboration with the General Directorate of Sanitation of the Ministry for Water and Sanitation has launched the campaign ‘Fasotoilettes’ to mobilize people in the country to join in the movement to build toilets. Burkina Faso singer Sana Bob, who is the artistic ambassador for the campaign, said, “we cannot beg for food, and then beg for toilets.

Where is our dignity as Burkinabe citizens?” First Lady Sika Kabore at the launch of the campaign said, “I am deeply disturbed when I think of all the women who will have to wait until nightfall to do what is ultimately natural…As such, I would like to urge you all to show a great wave of solidarity that will go down in the history of our country through the construction of toilets for our friends and family, and everywhere there are people dwelling.”It was found that in 2015, only seven per cent of the rural population, which is more than 60 per cent of the total inhabitants had access to “improved household sanitation” according to a research study published in the journal, Science of the Total Environment. The study quotes

World Bank’s Economics of Sanitation Initiative, poor hygiene and sanitation result in 20,000 premature deaths every year. Ecological sanitation or “ecosan” has been adopted in Burkina Faso since 2002, and it is reckoned that 11,000 ecosan household toilets have been constructed. There is no reliable information however as to how many of them are used on a sustained basis. It is accepted the ecosan helps in extracting useful nutrients from excreta and used as inputs in agriculture which would boost food production. One of the

Quick Glance The situation is particularly worrisome in rural areas Between rural & urban areas, there is imbalance in terms of access to water Waterborne diseases contribute to the high child mortality rate

devices used in ecosan is a “double vault urine-diverting dry toilet”. It has a “separate washing area next to the toilet that drains separately”.

This west African country is trying to reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of improved access to safe water and adequate sanitation service through a multi-pronged and with the help of international organizations like the United Nations International Emergency Fund (Unicef), World Bank, and many donor agencies, governmental as well as non-governmental, to support the efforts.

There is also political commitment in Burkina Faso to improve the water and sanitation situation in the country. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore of the People’s Movement for Progress, who had won the election at the end of 2015, had made a commitment to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 which says: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by 2030. It has been found that in many countries, including Burkina Faso, many countries have been able to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of providing safe drinking ater but could not provide adequate sanitation.

The other challenge that Burkina Faso faces is the ruralurban challenge.

The rapid urbanization poses challenges of its own.

Government appears to be in a position to offer better water and sanitation infrastructure in the urban areas, though a large section of poor in the urban slums are deprived of it, the neglect of the rural areas is greater and starker. It has been found that compared to the proportion of urban population that has access to water and sanitation networks, the proportion of rural population with access to these amenities is far less. The population is growing at 3.1 per cent annually, straining the limited water resources in the country despite an annual economic growth of 5.1 per cent.

Scavengers

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

11 07

rehabilitation

Rehabilitation Of Manual Scavengers On the basis of the survey 14,678 manual scavengers have been identified up to 23.7.2018

S. No.

M

n PIB

inistry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing a Central Sector Scheme, ‘Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers’ (SRMS) under which identified manual scavengers and their dependents are provided the following rehabilitation benefits: i. Onetime cash assistance of Rs.40000/-. ii. Loans upto Rs. 15.00 lacs at concessional rate of interest. iii. Credit linked back end capital subsidy upto Rs. 3,25,000/-. iv. Skill Development Training upto two years with stipend of Rs.3000/per month.

Ministry is also implementing a Scheme titled “Pre-Matric Scholarship scheme to the Children of those engaged in occupations involving

cleaning and prone to health hazards”.

Children of manual scavengers are also eligible for this scholarship.

13 States have identified 13,657 manual scavengers up to 30.06.2018.

State-wise details are given below.

In addition, a National Survey of manual scavengers has been undertaken in 170 districts of 18 States to identify all those persons who were cleaning the The process of insanitary latrines survey has been prior to their completed in conversion into sanitary latrines 155 of the under Swachh 170 identified Bharat Mission.

The survey also districts identifies those who are continuing to

State/UT

1.

Andhra Pradesh

2.

Assam

3.

Bihar

4.

Chhattisgarh

5.

Karnataka

6.

Madhya Pradesh

7.

Odisha

8.

Punjab

9.

Rajasthan

10.

Tamilnadu

11.

Uttar Pradesh

12.

Uttarakhand

13.

West Bengal TOTAL

work as manual scavengers in some places. The process of survey has been completed in 155 of the 170 identified districts. In some States like Karnataka and West Bengal, the survey could not be undertaken as scheduled. On the basis of this survey 14,678 manual scavengers have been identified up to 23.7.2018. The Government has taken cognizance of the fact that the inhuman practice of

No. of Manual Scavengers

78 154 137 3 732 36 237 91 338 363 11247 137 104 13657 manual scavenging is still continuing in the country. “Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (MS Act, 2013)” mandates survey of manual scavengers, if any municipality or Panchayat has reason to believe that some persons are engaged in manual scavenging within its jurisdiction. The above Act has come into effect from 06.12.2013.

12

Lucknow

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Langar

Penury Led To Feeding Passion One young man lost his father in a hospital and went hungry for days, and then he decided that he will ensure that no patient’s relatives go hungry

within his NGO. But it needed a lot of funds to renovate the Hall and construction of a modern and hygienic and recruitment of cooks and staff, whom he fondly calls ‘sewadaars’, to run the community kitchen “I sold off one of my houses to redo the place and buy kitchen equipment, employed cooks and a manager to begin the free community kitchen. Within three months, it became so popular that I had to double the number

S Shukla

H

appiness is found in helping others. This man learnt this lesson early in life. When youngsters dreamt of a bright career, swanky cars, a flat in a posh locality and a cosy life, this young man washed dishes, worked at cycle stands and did other odd jobs to spend his earnings on starting a free tiffin service for poor patients and their hungry relatives in four hospitals in Lucknow.

Vishal Singh now runs a ‘Langar’ (free kitchen) at the famous King George’s Medical College (KGMU) in Lucknow and offers sumptuous lunch to about 350 relatives of poor patients daily for the last four years. He does not take any financial support from anyone, leave alone state government. He once sold off his house to continue with his humanitarian mission to help and feed hungry people.

Since childhood, Vishal wanted to do something for those in pain and dire need of help. Belonging to a lower middle-class family, he would often give his food or clothes to a beggar and a needy person. But the real motivation came when he himself went through the pain and trauma of being hungry.

About 12 years ago, his father fell terminally ill and was admitted to a hospital in Delhi. “We had exhausted all our savings on his treatment. I had no money to buy food. I remained hungry for many days. But no one offered me food or any help. I could not save my father but it was then that I decided to ensure that no relatives of patients go to sleep hungry,” said Vishal.

Vishal claimed that it is always a double whammy for patients’ relatives when they admit their dear ones in a hospital with the hope to save him. “You end up spending all our life-savings on the hospital and medical expenses, and, if lucky, come back home with the patient alive or end up broken losing your life-savings and patient too. In both the situations, you are financially broke, he pointed.

A financial wreck after father’s death, Vishal washed dishes in restaurants and worked at cycle stand. He saved some money and jumped into real estate business. He made good money in a short span of time and started having good rental income. Now it was time to fulfill his life’s mission to bring little smiles on the faces of patients’ relatives.

He founded Vijay Shri Foundation and started a free tiffin service for patients’ relatives. Within six months, the service became so popular that the KGMU administration offered a hall within the medical college to his NGO four years ago for running a community kitchen to provide healthy and hygienic lunch service to relatives of the patients.

“We were really impressed by this young guy’s passion to serve poor and needy. He never missed a single day to visit the college and offer free tiffins to relatives of the patients. We checked on to his food quality and found it to be healthy and hygienic. After seeing his dedication, we offered him an unused Hall near the neurology department to expand his services for humanity,” said a former Medical Superintendent.

For Vishal, it was dream come true. He founded Vijay Shri Prasadam

of tokens for free lunch,” said Vishal.

Slowly and gradually, Vishal got so involved with his passion that he started Mini Theatre, arranged toys, installed different sewing machines including a see-saw to engage and bring smiles on the faces of children coming along with relatives. Today, his free community kitchen serves free lunch to

It is always a double whammy for patients’ relatives when they admit their dear ones in a hospital with the hope to save them

about 350 relatives. “The religion and caste barriers are broken when people sit together on the floor mat and relish free healthy food, after performing puja.

We serve more food at 4 pm to those who missed it in the form of ‘prasad’, claimed he.

Since his NGO does not accept cash donations, Vishal spends about 3.5 lakh each month from his pocket to run the community kitchen.

Impressed by his humanitarian work, people now donate rice, lentils, oil, ghee, flour and even fruits to support him.

Krishna Tiwari, his kitchen supervisor, claimed that the menu is changed every day.

It usually includes four chapattis, puris or kachauris, rice, daal, two to three vegetables, including one green, boondi raita, salad and pickle with two fruits and a sweet dish.

“There is no restriction on servings.

People can eat as much as they want. But we don’t allow wastage,” said Shubham, one of his cooks. Many a people now celebrate their and children birthdays, marriage anniversaries, death anniversaries of their parents and relatives by sponsoring a days lunch.

“We either ask them to bring in the raw material of specific quality or they give cash to our kitchen supervisor to prepare the lunch if they want to offer to poor and needy. It costs no more than Rs 12,000, depending upon food they want to serve,” said Vishal. More and more people are joining his free meal movement. They not only donate material but also clothes, toys etc for distribution to the poor. Overwhelmed and emboldened by the response, Vishal is now starting the community kitchen in two other well-known hospitals in Lucknow -- Balrampur Hospital and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

Work to set-up community kitchen in both the hospitals is in full swing and free lunch services would be started shortly at both hospitals. Moved by his self-less services to poor, his elder wife Anjali and brother Rajiv Singh Chauhan have donated him a piece of land at Ansal API Golf City where Vishal is constructing ‘Dada-Dadi Ashram, to provide free shelter, threetime meals, entertainment facilities to serve displaced parents and orphaned children.

Off-Beat

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 Team DrugSafe

the funny side

Indian Students Win Special Award It is a technology competition where students from around the globe team up to solve some of the world’s biggest problems and India won the Microsoft Imagine Cup n SSB BUREAU

Mohapatra, and Srihari HS wish to fight the growing global issue of n app to fight fake medicine counterfeit drugs by helping people has helped a team of Indian verify the authenticity of medicines. students from Bengaluru win a The team encountered the issue special award at the annual Microsoft of fake medicines when one of their Imagine Cup world championship friends showed no signs of recovery held at the tech giant’s headquarters after weeks of taking a prescribed in Redmond, US. The awards medication. announced saw “Team DrugSafe” from Learning that nearly half of all R V College of Engineering here win medicines sold in India were fake, they the award under Big Data category. decided to create an app that could Microsoft Imagine Cup is a technology authenticate medicines and trace them competition where students from back to their source. around the globe team up The app uses a technology to solve some of the world’s called Optical Character The team biggest problems.

Recognition (OCR) to Team smartARM from encountered identify minute details in Canada emerged as the the issue of the design and packaging world champion of Imagine of medicines and compare fake Cup 2018 with their them to the original robotic prosthetic hand medicines manufacturer’s patented and that calculates appropriate trademarked attributes. grip for objects utlilising After three levels of Microsoft Azure Machine Learning checks, discrepancies are flagged and Computer Vision. As the top to help users identify medicines as winner, Team smartARM got cash counterfeit. prize of $85,000 and an Azure grant The team designed a simple User worth $50,000. They will also have Interface (UI) for the app so that it a mentoring session with Microsoft could be used by anyone regardless of CEO Satya Nadella, the company said age or technical skill and has the widest in a statement. Team DrugSafe, which possible impact. was one of the three student teams The team plans to utilise the prize representing India at the competition, money to seek new partnerships and got a prize money of $15,000. integrate more Azure services into the With DrugSafe, Chidroop I, Pratik app to make it more powerful.

A

13 07

Last week, my book ran out of batteries!

A

n Nury Vittachi

man raised by wolves in a forest says he misses his old life. Living as a wolf cub in a Spanish wilderness was much less stressful than modern life, Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja told the BBC recently.

Journalists expressed surprise at his declaration, but I totally get his point. Last week, my book ran out East Asian owners are junking of batteries! their cleaning robots for superior I know Socrates is looking down technology: Broomsticks. at me from heaven and laughing, Police officers in the Indian state waving his “always on” scroll. of Odisha recently demonstrated Meanwhile, at home, my child is how they use pigeons to get outraged. Why? “My snacks are so messages across a vast portion crunchy I can’t hear the TV,” she of the state in just 20 minutes. complains, furious.

During floods and power cuts This is literally the worst thing the police pigeon service is the that has ever happened to this only functioning communications child. I mean, how is she going to system. So, basically, if their cope with real life, during which conversations are massively tragic things anything like mine, you The trend happen, like they forget send a bird across the to put mayo in your spreading state with your message, sandwich, a devastating across Asia is such as “LOL” and 40 incident that totally minutes later, you get spoiled this columnist’s to have a the bird back with a day yesterday?

Roomba message saying “LMAO” I told her that in my machine (Laughing My Ass Off). day, the only TV was a Oh well, at least no window facing a brick one can complain about wall and the only snacks information overload. our fingers. She said brick walls A colleague showed me an angry were probably better than what text that had been sent by a young was on TV these days and she’s person from an aircraft recently. probably right.

“There’s so much leg room in Back at work, I was moaning business class that I can barely about my dead e-book when a reach the touch screen TV,” she colleague told me about another complained. What suffering! tech problem. The trend spreading The odd thing is her inability to across Asia is to have a Roomba realise how the rest of us, sitting in machine, a wheeled disk that economy class seats with our noses quietly vacuums your floors in the mere millimetres away from the middle of the night. Unfortunately seat in front, will take her message. no one told these machines that Where’s her brain? a) Koreans and Japanese people Uh-oh. I would canvass readers, often sleep on thin mattresses on contributors and colleagues for the floor; and b) sucking up hair more examples to fill this column on the floor is not a good thing to with, but the main functional do if it is still attached to a human’s section of my own brain – which head. On one recent occasion, is housed in a smartphone in my firefighters had to be called to right hand – is about to run out of remove a ravenous Roomba batteries. So I have to stop here. vacuum cleaner from its Korean Socrates! Stop laughing! owner’s head.

14

International Personality

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 n Urooj Fatima

N

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply.

Being willing is not enough; we must do”

o artist contained an extra wrinkle in their brain as big as Leonardo Vinci (1452– 1519). He was a creative genius who combined the disciplines of both art and science to make something new. His undivided mind drove his imagination which led him toward discovery and innovation. He was also a tinkerer, even a procrastinator.

He came close to understanding almost all of what was known on the planet at the time. That’s partly because scientific knowledge was relatively limited back then, partly because he had a high IQ, but mostly because he was insatiably curious about pretty much every area of natural science and the human experience. He studied, in meticulous detail, everything from the flow of water and the rise of smoke to the muscles you use when you smile.

Amazingly, he did it with almost no formal schooling. His father was a notary, a profession that gave him some prominence and prosperity, so Leonardo never had to work in the fields. But because Leonardo was born out of wedlock (his mother was a poor, orphaned peasant girl), he was not sent off to school. That turned out to be a blessing. Leonardo got free time to wander, look at nature, and start creating notebooks full of observations and ideas.

He became, in his own words, “a disciple of experience.”

Because of the multiplicity of interests that spurred him to pursue every field of knowledge…

Leonardo can be considered, quite rightly, to have been the universal genius par excellence

Renaissance Artist & Symbol of Modernity

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

International Personality

15 07

At first, the artist likely had to dissect largely in secret. Though dissection itself wasn’t technically illegal, Leonardo had a tough time getting bodies. But as his reputation grew, cadavers became easier to come by, and by 1517 da Vinci is reported to have completed more than 30 dissections.

Da Vinci was commissioned to paint ‘The Last Supper’ for the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

A technological genius He drew designs for a helicopter, calculator, tank, solar power, double hull and the beginnings of the theory of plate tectonics. Although his designs, except for a few, were not constructed during his lifetime, some of them, like the automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire, were huge successes King Francis I, twenty years after the death of Leonardo da Vinci, was reported as saying, “There had never been another man born in the world who knew as much as Leonardo, not so much about painting, sculptures and architecture, as that he was a very great philosopher.”

Leonardo’s work was unique. Because of his extensive knowledge of the human form and the way humans show emotions, he was able to paint expressions and gestures that other artists had never successfully conveyed. His method and technique of laying on the paint and gradation of tone were innovative.

“I can also paint” Despite his remarkable artistic talent, Leonardo barely thought of himself as a painter. When he was about 30 years old, he applied for a job with the ruler of Milan. After listing interests from military engineering to science to designing sets for plays, he included almost as an afterthought, “I can also paint.”

Notorious for never finishing his work There was one downside to having such broad interests: He often switched his focus to new domains right in the middle of a project, leaving works unfinished.

Here’s a classic example: After Leonardo won a coveted commission to create a large statue of a nobleman perched on a horse, Leonardo procrastinated by going down multiple rabbit roles. For example, he dissected horses to understand their anatomy, created new systems for feeding horses, and designed cleaner stables.

He never completed the statue, and he never published the treatise on horses he started.

The list includes St. Jerome in the Wilderness in the Vatican City, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne held in the Louvre in Paris, and even the great Mona Lisa are examples of the da Vinci masterpieces that the artist never declared completed.

Dissected more cadavers than many contemporary doctors There’s a reason da Vinci painted the human form so realistically: the artist obsessively studied human anatomy by dissecting human cadavers. In an era when medical knowledge in Europe was rudimentary, to say the least, da Vinci was one of the original pioneers in the field of documenting the human anatomy. To this day, he is considered one of the forefathers of the study.

• Designed a scuba suit.

• Credited with inventing the sniper rifle and becoming the first sniper • Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 and Pablo Picasso was initially arrested as the thief • Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo once had a painting contest • Leonardo da Vinci dressed lizards up as dragons to freak people out. He would “fasten scales to a lizard, dip it in quicksilver so it trembled as it moved, add larger eyes, a horn, and a beard, and after taming it, show it to his friends to terrify them” • His signature is considered “ineligible for copyright because it falls below the required level of originality” and therefore is in the public domain • Among the first celebrities from the European Renaissance era who supported vegetarianism • Invented scissors, played the viola, and spent twelve years painting the Mona Lisa’s lips • Credited with inventing the résumé

• Invented the earliest known machine for producing coins • Sixty beggars followed his casket as “I have been requested in Leonardo da Vinci’s will • Leonardo’s drawings impressed withand thenotes range grocery lists and people who owed him urgency of doing. money to designs for winged shoes to walk on water Knowing is not • On 13,000 pages of journal drawings enough; we must and notes, Leonard recorded all the apply.

Being things that sparked his interest • Also drew map of Chiana Valley, willing isanot Tuscany so that Cesare would be better enough; wethemust prepared with knowledge of the do”overlay of the land • Leonardo dug into graveyards at night to steal corpses and study human anatomy.

• Interestingly, he wore pink to make his complexion look fresh • Leonardo figured out that the earth is older than the Bible once he studied the erosion of rivers • He was an accomplished lyre player.

When he was first presented at the Milanese court, it was as a musician, not an artist or inventor.

His most celebrated sketch on human anatomy is hidden away During his career, da Vinci filled dozens of notebooks with his thoughts, equations, illustrations, experiments and scientific/ anatomic observations. The most famous of these sketches is the Vitruvian Man, a study in classical proportions that was never meant to be made public. Drawn in one of the artist’s private notebooks around 1490, the sketch was a way for da Vinci to ponder the “ideal” human proportions proposed by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius. The drawing is kept in the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, but it’s too fragile to be on permanent display.

What about Leonardo, the man?

He was a vegetarian and openly gay, in an age when sodomy was a crime, and quite a dandy. He illegitimate, left-handed, a bit of a heretic, but the good thing about Florence was that it was a very tolerant city in the 1470s. Leonardo would go around town wearing short, purple and pink outfits that were somewhat surprising to the people of Florence, but he was very popular. He had an enormous number of friends both in Florence and Milan. He records many dinners with close friends, who were a diverse group: mathematicians, architects, playwrights, engineers, and poets. That diversity helped shape him.

When you look across all of Leonardo’s many abilities and his few failings, the attribute that stands out above all else was his sense of wonder and curiosity. When he wanted to understand something— whether it was the flow of blood through the heart or the shape of a woodpecker’s tongue—he would observe it closely, scribble down his thoughts, and then try to figure it all out.

Last Years In 1513 Leonardo went to Rome, where he remained until 1516. He was much honoured, but he was relatively inactive and remarkably aloof (apart) from its rich social and artistic life. He continued to fill his notebooks with scientific entries.

The French king, Francis I (1494– 1547), invited Leonardo to his court at Fontainebleau, gave him the title of the first painter, architect, and mechanic to the king, and provided him with a country house at Cloux. Leonardo was revered for his knowledge more than for any work he produced in France. He died on May 2, 1519, at Cloux.

16

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Laila Tyabji

A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people

Indian social worker, designer, writer, and craft activist. She is one of the founders of Dastkar, a Delhi-based NGO, working for the revival of traditional crafts in India

VIEWPOINT

Mahatma Gandhi

Handloom Skills In An Industrial Age Struggle For Freedom

The movement was started on August 9, 1942, and since then the day is celebrated as August Kranti Day/Diwas

O

n 9th August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi launched the ‘Quit India Movement’ for freedom from British rule in Mumbai. Also, known as the August Movement was a Civil Disobedience Movement launched

by Gandhi for Satyagraha.

Quit India Movement was truly a turning point in India’s struggle for freedom. Father of the nation, Gandhiji gave a call to the masses and urged them to raise their voice against British and asked them to “Quit India”.

Mumbai’s Gowalia Tank Maidan also known as August Kranti Maidan is the place where Mahatma Gandhi delivered his speech marking the beginning of the Quit India Movement. Mahatma along with other leaders gathered here on August 8 and 9, 1942. The maidan also houses a monument as a tribute to the historical event.

Through his passionate speeches, Gandhi moved people by proclaiming “every Indian who desires freedom and strives for it must be his own guide…”. “Let every Indian consider himself to be a free man”, Gandhi declared in his fiery “Do or Die” speech the day the Quit India Movement was declared.

Gandhi regarded the movement as the last struggle for Indian independence. In his speech before the All India Committee, he declared “it was going to be the last struggle of his life to win the freedom of India.”

Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, people across India came together to uproot imperialism.

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

It is ironic that we ignore the handlooms industry, for this is precisely the sector that could make the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ initiatives work

T

he 17th century traveller Francois Pyrard de Laval wrote that Indian “cotton cloth was the first global commodity”, and “the growing of cotton, the spinning of yarn and the weaving and finishing of cloth provided employment and income to millions … Everyone from the Cape of Good Hope to China, man and woman, is clothed from head to foot in the product of Indian looms.”

Today, they are clothed in Chinese goods instead.

Always more savvy than us, China regularly imports Indian weavers to teach their own craftspeople our skills.

Chinese Banarsis, pa shmina s , machine-made chikan embroidery and faux-Kutch mirror work are flooding the market and finding ready takers, even in India. Few years back, when I was in China, it had just been announced that craft was one of the eight major sectors they were going to concentrate on over the next decade. Master craftspeople are given subsidised housing and work in luxurious fully-equipped environs – complete with air-conditioning and piped music. Their salaries reflect their perceived status in society. They are part of the professional middle-class, encouraged to think big and add value to their products, and given every means to learn to do so.

A tragedy on all fronts Meanwhile, we in India ignore our own handlooms industry. It is ironic because this is precisely the sector that could make the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’ initiatives work. While we try to painfully acquire the skills and resources that other advanced countries acquired decades ago, we ignore this existing goldmine and the advantage we have of a foot in multiple centuries.

Instead of investing in, developing and promoting our unique skill sets and knowledge systems, we are allowing them to die. For lack of equal opportunity, their owners are leaving the sector in droves.

Weavers and craftspeople are dismissed as ‘picturesque’ heritage and culture, or seen as part of a primitive technology that is irrelevant to a developing economy and will inevitably die. What a tragedy. Shortsighted, too, since the ‘modern’ skills currently being expensively promoted encourage wholesale migration to India’s overburdened cities, placing a further load on our already inadequate urban infrastructure.

On the other hand, textile skills are based in rural India, with minimal carbon imprint, perfectly suited to rural production systems and social structures.

They also – and this is crucially important – bring agriculturists and rural women into

Need to recognise the value of existing indigenous technologies, skills sets and knowledge systems

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

the economy, creating double-income households in otherwise poverty-stricken areas.

Apart from scaling up existing weaver communities, there is huge scope for creating ancillary skills that service them: (i) The cultivation and production of raw material (cotton, silk, hussar, linen, jute and wool yarn); (ii) pattern making, embroidery, block and screen printing dyeing; (iii) making of tools and equipment, including looms, spindles and shuttles; (iv) warping of looms, cutting, tailoring, accessorising, washing and dry cleaning; (v) packaging, entrepreneurship development for marketing; and, of course, (vi) cultivation and development of all those exciting new fibres such as banana leaves, nettle and water chestnuts.

This would create additional employment in crafts pockets, as well enable greater professionalism and more productivity in the existing crafts community.

New ways of seeing In order to realise the potential of our own unique skill-sets, creativity and expertise, we need to relook the whole way we deal with the sector. We need to realise that though handloom weavers number in the millions, each family is a unique specialised unit, working in hundreds of different traditions, often with their own special techniques and design directory – and with their own individual needs. To lump them together in generic government cluster development schemes or textile parks does not necessarily work. They should be treated like other entrepreneurs, with easy access to resources and investment.

A Kanjeeveram sari weaver with the potential to weave a brocaded wedding sari worth a lakh rupees is quite different from a weaver in Barabanki making coarse cotton bedsheets.

Their raw materials, R&D requirements, production capacities, design references, storage needs and even potential markets are all quite different. To position them together in an open-air Handloom Expo is dumbing down the potential of both.

One needs the hushed exclusivity of a carefully-lit showroom, saris wrapped in fine muslin covers, being reverently unfolded one by one; the other needs wholesale orders.

Philosopher historian Ananda Coomaraswamy said a century ago: “The most important thing that India can give to the rest of the world is simply its Indianness. If it were to substitute this for a cosmopolitan veneer, it would have to come before the world empty handed.”

Need to recognise the value of existing indigenous technologies, skills sets and knowledge systems. If we can do it for yoga, we can surely do it for handlooms, to benefit hundreds of millions.

OpEd

17

upfront OSHO

Rajneesh also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and latterly as Osho was an Indian godman and spiritual leader

One With Creation

Creation happens only when you are one with existence

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reativity is the highest peak of your consciousness; hence it is painful, arduous. You are going uphill. To be uncreative is comfortable; it is a downward journey. You need not do anything, nothing is needed on your part; the gravitational pull is enough. When you are coming down from the hill, you can just turn your car engine off; the car will go on rolling down. If you are going uphill, effort is needed.

Many things have to be dropped when you are moving upward; unnecessary weights have to be dropped. And you are carrying so much luggage; it is all unnecessary, it is useless. But people go on collecting, people are collectors.

They will collect any kind of rubbish, hoping that someday it will prove of some use. They are greedy and they feel empty, so they go on stuffing themselves with every kind of thing. You are so full of ego and ego is a great weight. You cannot move upward. You will have to put the ego aside, and that is the greatest pain.

To be a creator means you drop the very idea ‘I am separate from existence’.

Creation happens only when you are one with existence, when you are so in tune with the Creator that there is no disturbance from your side. The greatest disturbance comes from the ego. It nourishes itself and lives on disturbance. Ego means the idea ‘I am separate’. If you think you are separate, you are living a lie, and creativity flows out of the experience of truth. You have to know the truth, that you are not separate. No man is an island; we are all part of one vast

continent. The whole existence is one organic unity; hence all that is great has come out only in those moments when the creator was dissolved into the whole.

Great paintings, great poems, great music, great dance, all happen only when you are dissolved, when you are no more. If you are, suddenly you become the block, you stop the flow. Then existence cannot use you as a flute, cannot sing through you. The flute has to be just a hollow bamboo, just an open space, just a vehicle. Great poets, great musicians, great dancers, are all vehicles. They don’t dance, they are being danced. They don’t sing, some unknown energy sings through them.

That’s why creativity is painful, because nobody wants to melt and merge and dissolve. We cling to our identities. In fact, we want to be creative so that we can hang a few more awards around our egos, so the ego can become more famous, so that you can say, “I am somebody special.

I am a great poet or a great composer or a great author” — that’s the greatest problem faced by any creator: that he has to drop ego.

In the beginning it is for the ego that you want to be creative. It is paradoxical: you have to drop the very ego that was the impetus in the beginning, that wanted to be famous, that wanted to make history. That very same ego becomes the cause of stopping the flow of unknown energies in you. Otherwise, existence is always pouring; you have just to be open, available, not to be separate.

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

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D GIRI

AVDHESHANAN

JUNA PEETHAADHISH

“Our Culture Is That Of Renunciation”

Guru Purnim a, he occasio n of the dge of self Speakin g on the need to get knowle emphas ises the

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

Save environment The two-prolonged strategy to keep environment clean is adopted by Yogi Adityanath government is some ways

going to help our environment.

The announcement to set-up Maati Kala Board to promote traditional earthen wares to make available ‘kulhads’ in place of plastic and thermocol glasses, is a good step to beat the plastic pollution. And, it will also revive the traditional terracotta potteries in the state by making availabe easy loans to potters to promote the dying art which is environmentfriendly and good for public health. I hope with all these efforts Uttar Pradesh will have a cleaner environment and air quality in years to come for the coming generation to live a healthy life.

Jaikishor Kumar, Delhi

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Photo Feature

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

The oldest communities in the world are grouped under the rubric of tribes, which tells the story of what we think of them more than what they really are

Masai Mara, Kenya

Red Indian, North America

Siberian Tribal, Russia

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Photo Feature

19

Samburu Tribe, Kenya

Aborginies, Australia

Their histories are embeded in their memories, their dances and customs, songs and music. The tribal people of the world tell us through their lifestyles what human societies were a long time ago, long before agriculture and industry became the dominant modes of life Pigmies, Central Africa

Nepali Tribe, Nepal

The Kam People, China

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Darjeeling

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 renovation

Experts have installed special cabinets to avoid wear and tear using chemical fumigation

Prasanta Paul

T

he The tourism industry in the Darjeeling hill areas is likely to receive a massive boost after the Intach’s West Bengal chapter in association with the Tibetan experts has effected a complete renovation of more than the century-old Mag Dhog Buddhist monastery in the hills.

It has taken Intach (Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage) several months of meticulous work to complete the preservation and restoration job in the monastery that was badly damaged in the 2011 earthquake.

Located at a place called Aloobari, some 3kms away from Chowrasta in Darjeeling town, the original name of this monastery is Mak Dhog Monastery. It was dedicated to world peace because the construction of this monastery began when the world was in the grip of the First World War in the early 20th century.

The monastery features several statues including that of Buddha and the sage Padmasambhava who was the key man in ushering in Buddhism in Tibet and Bhutan.

Among the traits that make this monastery an attractive destination for the tourists are lovely forested areas of pine trees on the top and tea gardens that hem this temple below. Run by Yolmowa Buddhist Association, this monastery was founded by head priest of the community Sangay Lama who was widely believed to have hailed from Helambu( land of the Yolmos) in Nepal. The literal meaning of Mak Dhog is to ward off war or danger that threatens peace. Hence, shortly after its construction was over, it was dedicated to world peace.

Interestingly, Hinduism is the predominant religion in the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong and

there have been a plethora of temples of Hindu gods and goddesses dotting the hill region. A vast majority of the Nepalese and Bengalis here are Hindus. And Buddhism is the next most widely practised religion in the hills.

The spread of Buddhism in the hills and adjoining areas has an interesting history. A huge influx of

It took Intach several months of meticulous work to complete the preservation and restoration job in the monastery

Tibetan refugees over the years in Darjeeling took place when China invaded Tibet and annexed it. These Tibetans are mostly Buddhists who had begun construction of many a wonderful monastery, some dating back to 1800s. Within the Buddhists, there are several sects like the Yellow Hat, Red Hat, Kargyupa and others.

And each monastery belongs to a specific sect. There has been a lot of influence of Buddhism that has come to this part of the world from Tibet. Many of the monasteries in Darjeeling are built in traditional Tibetan style.

Christians are a minority group who has their roots to British colonial time. They too have built several lovely churches, some of which were constructed during the British Raj days.

During mid-February to midMarch, the monks at the Buddhist Monasteries fly the prayer flags in

typical Tibetan tradition, hold folk dances and other religious activities to welcome the Tibetan New Year which is known as the Losar. In Tibetan Buddhism, a monastery or the community chapel is often known as the Gumpha. Other than a statue of Buddha, one will also find a separate place or a suit inside the Gumpha that is reserved for His Holiness Dalai Lama along with his picture.

The quakes in 1934, 1986 and 2011 had damaged several parts of Darjeeling, particularly some monasteries. Mak Dhog was one of them and it was after the series of quakes that Intach stepped in to undertake the work of restoration and preservation. After surveying the extent of damage, Intach dispatched a team of restorers early March. “ The restoration work has been undertaken since the monastery houses several important relics and

Bhutan

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 items of spiritual value from the early part of the 19th century,” explained GM Kapoor.

According to him, the phase one of the restoration work has been completed. In phase one, experts have restored vital manuscripts such as Gyetongba which is written in gold and Kagyur(Tripitaka) which are all considered to be Lord Buddha’s oral teachings. Then, 156 other manuscripts, 21 wooden masks, 127 wooden plaques and four mud idols have been restored. In the second phase, the work of which will shortly start, thankas, murals, musical instruments and relics would be taken up for restoration.

However, Intach has been hamstrung by an acute absence of experts who are capable of restoring the interior murals. “Because of their exquisite and intricate work, people not familiar with the background of these murals would not be able to handle the job,” said N T Palchoudhury, Intach Co-Convener (Bengal). “What is important is that these murals inside contain herbal painting material and are more than a century old. Secondly, they depict life and afterlife, the cycle as per Buddhism. Unless the person restoring them is familiar with all this, it’ll be a quite a task to give these murals a new look,” she explained.

Intach experts have installed special cabinets to avoid wear and tear using chemical fumigation.

Experts would make annual visits to study and assess the need to undertake further restoration work.

“We’re extremely grateful to Intach for the restoration of the monastery relics,” said head monk Phurba Thinley.

Another important monastery that the Tibetans in Darjeeling are proud of is the Bhutia Busti Monastery which is located at some 1.5 km walking distance from the famous Mall. It was earlier located at the Observatory Hill. Originally built in 1761, the monastery went through repeated ill fates as a result of which it had to be relocated to its present location. Considering its original foundation, this is the oldest Buddhist Monastery in Darjeeling.

This apart, there is Old Ghum Monastery which was built in 1850 and is one of the oldest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Darjeeling area.

The main attractions here include a huge statue of Maitreya or Future Buddha that was created with clay brought from Tibet.

The view around is unbelievably breathtaking.

21 07

mountain rchoes

Lit Fest Set To Climb A Notch Higher It will celebrate 50 years of formal relations between India and Bhutan, as also pay a tribute to the rich cultural ties between the two nations

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n agency

hutan’s annual literary gathering, the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival, a like no other thanks to its magnificent backdrop, will return this August for its ninth edition, featuring a diverse set of speakers who will participate in sessions ranging from spirituality and philosophy to films and environmental conservation.

The festival is scheduled to take place here from August 23 to 25 and will celebrate 50 years of formal diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan, as also pay a tribute to the rich cultural ties between the two nations.

“Mountain Echoes, the Bhutan Literary Festival, is an exuberant celebration of cultural connectivities, event in the Bhutanese calendar resonating with the joys of books bringing both the curious and and cinema, the shared narratives the intellectual minds together of music and folklore, food and for three days of fun. The niche sport, as well as deep spiritual festival will spark the imagination perspectives, and the challenges of of both local and global audiences our changing world,” said Namita through a diverse range of Gokhale, founder and co-director electrifying conversations,” said of Mountain Echoes. eminent Bhutanese writer and “This year, we also have a special festival co-director Tshering Tashi. and important focus honouring “We cordially invite all not only the strong ties between India to be part of the conversations but and Bhutan in their 50th year of also experience the beauty and diplomatic relations,” Gokhale, no rich culture and history of Bhutan. mean writer herself, added. Organised by Siyahi, a JaipurIn 2018, we are all set to take the notch higher with an based literary agency headed by Mita Kapoor, the annual exciting canvas for all attendees, who will get a glimpse event is known for bringing together literary stalwarts into our varied cultural heritage through the numerous from across the world in the lap of the Himalayas. gatherings planned over the three days,” she added.

This year’s edition will open with a discourse on the Other prominent speakers attending the three-day five-decade friendship between India and Bhutan, where festival include Nilanjana Roy, author of “The Wildings”, General V Namgyel (Bhutan’s Ambassador to India) and Kunzang Choden, Bhutan’s first woman writer to write Jaideep Sarkar (India’s Ambassador to Bhutan) will be an English novel; L. Somi Roy, the author of “Binodini: in conversation with Dasho Chewang Rinzin (Deputy A Photographic Memoir”; Chador Wangmo, author of Chamberlain to Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel various illustrated children’s books; and, among several Wangchuck). The literary extravaganza will be carried others, Kezang Dorji, one of Bhutan’s most loved forward by names such as Andrew Quintman, a rappers. scholar of Buddhism in Tibet; authors and Each session will witness noteworthy environmentalists Daniel C. Taylor and names being a part of engaging Mountain Echoes, Dave Goulson; celebrated spoken word discussions with the audience, poet Sarah Kay; renowned Indian singer thereby bringing together a range of the Bhutan Literary Usha Uthup; Indian actors and theatre expertise and perspectives on stage Festival, is an veterans Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna throughout the three days. Adding Pathak Shah. to the heritage and legacy of the exuberant The three-day festival will celebrate festival will be popular names such as celebration of Untouched Beauty, Unexplored Ideas Tiger conservationist Valmik Thapar, cultural and Unstoppable Voices from the theatre personality Sanjana Kapoor, heart of the Himalayas, the organisers celebrated dancer Sonal Mansingh and connectivities informed.

Ritu Dalmia, celebrity chef and author of “Mountain Echoes has become a key popular culinary books.

22

Science & Technology

Decoded

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Mind reading

Windows To The Soul?

People with insomnia also have a higher risk of developing depression and anxiety

This AI Can Predict Your Personality Type Simply by Watching Your Eyes

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B

n agency

rain areas associated with short-term memory, self and negative emotions are linked with depression which may cause the patients to dwell on bad thoughts and experience poor sleep quality, suggests a study.

According to the researchers, about 75 per cent of people with depression report significant levels of sleep disturbance, such as difficulty of falling asleep and short duration of sleep – also known as insomnia. People with insomnia also have a higher risk of developing depression and anxiety than those who sleep normally.

“The understanding that we develop here is consistent with areas of the brain involved in short-term memory, the self, and negative emotion being highly connected in depression, and that this results in increased ruminating thoughts which are at least part of the mechanism that impairs sleep quality,” said Jianfeng Feng, from the University of Warwick in Britain. For the study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, the team examined the neural mechanisms underlying the relation between depression and quality of sleep from around 10,000 people. They found a strong connection between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – associated with short-term memory – the precuneus -- associated with the self – and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex – associated with negative emotion – among people with depression.

Increased functional connectivity between these brain regions provides a neural basis for how depression is related to poor sleep quality. “These findings provide a neural basis for understanding how depression relates to poor sleep quality, and this in turn has implications for treatment of depression and improvement of sleep quality because of the brain areas identified,” Feng explained.

n PETER DOCKRILL

f you’re bluffing your way through a game of high-stakes poker, it’s a good idea to avoid shifty, nervous eye movements, which just might give your hand away.

But it’s not just during poker that our eyes can betray us. A recent study suggests the way our eyes move actually reveals a scary amount about what we feel inside – to the point where AI can predict somebody’s personality type simply by watching their eyes.

“Thanks to our machinelearning approach, we not only validate the role of personality in explaining eye movement in everyday life, but also reveal new eye movement characteristics as When the team had their predictors of personality traits,” machine learning AI analyse the explains neuropsychologist Tobias data recorded by the eye-tracking Loetscher from the University of software, they found it was able to South Australia. isolate patterns of eye movements There’s a body of previous and match them up to the basic research suggesting our eye psychological profiles. movements signal things about “One key contribution of the way we think and feel – a our work is to demonstrate, trait humans consciously or for the first time, that an unconsciously pick up on during individual’s level of neuroticism, interpersonal relations. extraversion, agreeableness, But can these eye conscientiousness, movements – and and perceptual what they internally curiosity [another represent – be personality type] This research similarly can be predicted provides appreciated by only from eye something that movements opportunities to isn’t human? recorded develop robots and That’s what during an computers so that Loetscher and everyday task,” his team wanted the authors they can become to find out, so write in their more natural they recruited 50 paper. volunteers to fill out It’s worth questionnaires that pointing out that would indicate where each while the AI was able to participant fell in terms of the sopredict these personality types, it called Big Five personality traits: wasn’t able to do it with particularly openness, conscientiousness, high accuracy – but the researchers neuroticism, agreeableness, and say it was still reliable (up to 15 extraversion. percent better than chance) for Each of the (student) those traits. participants also wore eye-tracking With further refinement, headsets, which recorded their eye this kind of technology could movements while they were sent dramatically improve interactions out to visit a store and purchase with machines, the researchers something. They were wearing the think, giving things like virtual headset for about ten minutes. assistants a way of reading our

mood or personality.

“People are always looking for improved, personalised services.

However, today’s robots and computers are not socially aware, so they cannot adapt to non-verbal cues,” Loetscher says.

“This research provides opportunities to develop robots and computers so that they can become more natural, and better at interpreting human social signals.”

Of course, there’s a more dystopian angle to the findings too.

If cameras can peer into our psyche using nothing more than optical sensors, there could be disturbing privacy implications – especially if people don’t want a machine trying to guess how they’re feeling.

“If the same information could be gained from eye recordings or speech frequency then it could easily be recorded and used without people’s knowledge,” neuroscientist Olivia Carter from the University of Melbourne, who wasn’t involved with the research, told New Scientist.

That’s something scientists will have to keep in mind as these systems continue to evolve, with Loetscher and co. hypothesising these abilities could one day be incorporated into a wave of socially interactive robots – capable of interpreting tell-tale eye flutters, and even mimicking it to seem more human.

Welcome to the future.

Health

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 calorie

Plant-based Food May Boost Your Heart Health Plant-based dietary pattern is known as portfolio diet and it is based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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n Jaideep Sarin

onsuming a plant-based diet that includes nuts, soy, pulses, beans, peas and a little amount of plant sterolsa may reduce many risk factors for cardiovascular disease including blood pressure, triglycerides and inflammation, a new study has found.

According to the researchers, the plant-based dietary pattern is known as portfolio diet and it is based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

In addition to reducing lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (bad cholesterol) by about 30 per cent when combined with a low-saturated fat diet – a level comparable to medications, the researchers found the diet limited other factors for an

estimated 13 per cent reduction in the overall risk for coronary heart disease, which includes angina and heart attack.

“We have known the portfolio diet lowers LDL cholesterol, but we didn’t have a clear picture of what else it could do,” said co-author John

Sievenpiper, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto in Canada.

“This study allows for greater clarity and certainty about the effects of the diet and its health potential,” Sievenpiper added.

For the study, published in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular

chai maniac

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n Agency

ccording to the researchers, the plant-based dietary pRainy season is all fun and nothing can beat a hot cup of tea, particularly when it’s raining. So, why not try some exciting new flavours in this monsoon season? Kausshal Dugarr, Founder and CEO of Teabox.com lists down some options.

What could be better than curling up on your couch and sipping new flavours of tea!

Kolkata street chai: When it comes to cold weather nothing works better than a hot cup of spicy chai. We created this blend for its rich and strong flavors that pampers an Indian palate. With nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom, this chai instantly packs a punch and warms you up. The best part is we’ve added an ounce of exotic saffron to make the experience truly special.

Kashmiri kahwa: This is one of our bestselling teas. The green tea used is smoked which offers the drinker an exotic experience. This is a rich blend and includes some nuts and fresh spices. The

warming sweet aroma of cinnamon will uplift you and lead you on to savory and woody flavors of the green tea.

Darjeeling ruby tea: Now, if you are in a mood for something lighter yet flavorful and warm, this one’s got to be it. This straight tea blend is made by our master blenders with summer teas of the famous land.

Bombay cutting chai: This one’s a unique blend of the best black tea from Assam and choicest spices. This one is aromatic and warm with ginger and cardamom. The strong licorice-like flavor of fresh fennel seeds gives it a sweet tang.

Rishav Kanoi: Tea Expert and Founder of Tea Trove suggests best tea combinations for every chai lover to try this monsoon season along with their health benefits warding off allergies and sickness.

Mango green: Celebrate your mornings with a refreshing blend of Mango with green tea. Infused with green tea, it is a rich source of Vitamins A, B and C. This helps in reducing the risk of heart diseases

23 07

Quick Glance The portfolio diet lowers LDL cholesterol The researchers conducted a meta-analysis Adherence to the diet can be challenging Diseases, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis that combined results from seven controlled trials involving more than 400 patients.

They found that specific risk factors varied from about a 2 per cent reduction (for blood pressure) to a 32 per cent reduction (for inflammation).

The researchers said that dietary and lifestyle modifications can enable patients to manage high cholesterol and cardiovascular risk, and the current study provides further rationale for that approach.

Adherence to the diet can be challenging for some patients, but many find that incorporating just a few more plant-based foods offers noticeable benefits, the researchers noted.

by controlling cholesterol. Mango is believed to be the “food of the gods”, and mango green tea helps in preventing breast cancer and controlling high BP. Durbari kahwa: This is a traditional spicy tea dating back generations, but comes with a modern twist. It’s known for lowering cholesterol levels and aids in weight loss. It works best as an anti ageing drink.

Sweet ginger: Nothing can beat sweet ginger as a perfect remedy for Cold, Cough and Flu. Loaded with sweetness and spice, this tea prevents anemia, treats stomach ulcers and relieves stress.

Moreover, women can often consume this tea for reducing menstrual pain.

Rose delight: A perfect blend of beautiful flavour and soothing fragrances.

A sweet flavour helps in reducing weight also, giving a healthy glow to the skin.

Rosehip hibiscus: Rosehip Hibiscus is a rich source of anti-oxidant which helps in boosting the immune system and slimming. A stronger immune system keeps cold and flu at bay. It also prevents bladder infections & reduces anxiety.

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

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Nepal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in conversation with Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in New Delhi

Former Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala greets Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in Kathmandu on August 3, 2014.

My visit reflects our shared heritage of nature, history, culture, spiritualism and religion. It highlights the high priority that my government attaches to our relations with Nepal and our determination to take our relationship to an entirely new level

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

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n 2014, Narendra Modi visited Nepal twice, once in August (3 and 4) and the second time in November (25 to 27). The trip

PM Narendra Modi greeting the people of Nepal in Kathmandu, on August 3, 2014.

in August 2014 was the first by an Indian Prime Minister to that nation in 17 years.

Prime Minsiter Modi assured Nepal that India did not want to interfere in the former’s internal affairs.

He spoke of Nepal’s need for a Constitution that represented the aspirations of its people.

During the visit, he became the first foreign leader to address Nepal’s Constituent Assembly-cum-Parliament on August 3, 2014.

He announced Rs. 10, 000 crore as a concessional

line of credit to Nepal and assured assistance in development of I-ways and Transways.

Both countries inked three MoUs: (1) Tourism development in Nepal, (2) Promotion of a Goitre Control Programme in Nepal, and (3) Co-operation between Doordarshan and Nepal Television (NTV).

The Prime Minister offered prayers at Nepal’s famous Pashuspati Nath Temple on August 4, 2014, and helped a boy, Jeet Bahadur, reunite with his family in Nepal after several years.

Modi undertook a second visit of Nepal from November 25 to 27, 2014. The two nations signed ten bilateral agreements which indicated India’s intention to go the extra mile for its neighbour.

A landmark motor vehicle agreement envisages regular bus services (The Pashupatinath Express) between the two countries, and allowing private vehicles cross the Nepal-India border in a hassle-free manner.

India also agreed to help build a Rs. 550 crore police training academy in Panauti. The two countries also signed agreements on traditional medicine, tourism and youth affairs.

A Line of Credit of USD 1 billion to the Government of

Prime Minister Modi has won the hearts of the people of Nepal.

Look at how they lined up to see him on the streets, What more can you ask for?

He has said he wishes to see a peaceful Nepal, a stable Nepal, a democratic Nepal with a Constitution completed. What more could we ask for?

Sushil Koirala Former Prime Minister of Nepal

Nepal from EXIM Bank was extended for utilisation in hydropower, irrigation and infrastructural development projects.

A MoU on twinning arrangements between Kathmandu-Varanasi, Janakpur-Ayodhya and Lumbini-Bodh Gaya as sister cities was also signed.

The Prime Minister gifted a sapling from the Bodhi Tree at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya to be planted near the Ashoka Pillar at the Maya Devi Temple complex at Lumbini.

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

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

25

Japan

With Prime Minister Modi, I visited Toji Temple this morning. Looking at the statues of the Buddha, we were reminded of the deep historical ties between Japan and India. I am very glad that Prime Minister Modi enjoyed the cultural heritage of Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto Shinzo Abe , Prime Minister of Japan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during a visit to the Toji Temple in Japan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Temple, in Kyoto

M

odi’s five-day (August 30 to September 3) first visit to Japan as India’s Prime Minister in 2014 was focused on taking existing bilateral relation and cooperation between the two countries to the next level.

It was a visit that saw India-Japan relations being upgraded to the level of a “Special Strategic Global Partnership”.

Japan agreed to give 35 billion dollars for development and infrastructure projects in India over a period of five years.Both governments

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe during their visit to the Toji Temple in Kyoto, Japan

also agreed to give a new thrust and direction to bilateral defence cooperation, including collaboration in defence technology and equipment, given their shared interest in maintaining peace, stability and maritime security.

Expansion of cooperation in advanced technology, science and technology, people-topeople exchanges, educational exchanges and a reiterated commitment to promoting use of clean energy was also agreed upon.

The visit saw Japan lifting the ban on six Indian entities imposed after the May 1998 nuclear tests and agreeing to accelerate civil nuclear deal negotiations. Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, commended India’s efforts in the field of non-proliferation, including its reaffirmation that goods and technologies transferred from Japan would not be used as delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction.

Prime Minister Modi’s ambitious dream to have high-speed bullet trains

Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi turns into a musician at a school in Japan

Under Prime Minister Modi, India’s economic transformation would gather strong momentum.

An economically resurgent

India would be of great strategic importance to the region and the world, and an inspiration for democratic forces around the world Shinzo Abe

Prime Minister of Japan

crisscrossing the Indian landscape received a big boost when Japan expressed its readiness to provide financial, technical and operational support to introduce such trains. The first high-speed train (maximum speed of 300 kilometers

Much has been achieved during Mr. Modi’s justconcluded visit… Modi,

clearly enthused by. Mr Abe’s extraordinary gestures, has voiced his “confidence, excitement and optimism” about India-Japan relations.

The current has surely passed between the two leaders

Kanwal Sibal

Columnist and former foreign secretary in the Hindustan Times

per hour), with an estimated cost of around Rs. 60,00070,000 crore, is expected to run between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Modi also announced that his office would appoint a special management team to facilitate investment proposals from Japan.

Continue in next issue

26

Environment

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Recyclable Item

Rag-Pickers As New ‘Environment Warriors’ Despite their crucial service, India’s rag-pickers struggle for survival

A

n Agency

n institute, set up with the support of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, has started an initiative to train rag-pickers how to segregate garbage and to get the best price for things collected by them.

Around 2,000 rag-pickers from north India, primarily Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon, are now on board for waste management projects, Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA), a brainchild of IIT Delhi, said in a statement.

“Despite their crucial service, India’s rag-pickers struggle for

PWM Rules

I

Companies like PepsiCo should collect back the plastic waste being generated by their brand items by themselves or assign some party to do so

n G Ulaganathan

the plastic waste through Pyrolysis plant,” Parthasarathy had said in his n response to a notice served notice. “A few years ago, a shampoo

by Ramanathapuram municipal manufacturing company had offered commissioner S Parthasarathy, a shampoo packet for every ten empty PepsiCo India said it would soon packets that the consumers return,” start collecting back the plastic waste said the commissioner, when asked generated by its products in Tamil how the companies could collect its Nadu. waste after their products were sold to “According to the Plastic Waste the end users.

Management (PWM) Rules 2016, Apart from PepsiCo India, the companies like PepsiCo should Parthasarathy had also written to Nestle collect back the plastic waste I n d i a Pvt Ltd, Britannia being generated Industries Limited, by its brand items Aachi group and by itself or assign Sakthi masala. some third party “Our town is It is your duty to to do so. “When polluted by the dispose off your brand they assign the waste generated waste without causing civic body as by your brand damage to the their third party, items. It is your environment as per they should have duty to dispose of to pay the civic your brand waste government rules administrations to without causing collect and process

survival. They continue to remain exposed to harmful substances, are paid poor wages and lack civic amenities,” the statement said.

It explained that after segregation, any recyclable item is sold to the ‘kabadiwala’ while the wet waste is sold as cattle feed at a very nominal price.

A major problem they face is the underlying bribing and outsourcing arrangements that have been formed in the neighbourhood, it said. Having access to waste has become a challenge as the Municipal Corporation has started collecting waste from residential societies.

“So now, they have to pay MCD officials to buy waste from them in order to collect valuable scraps, and even when they go to collect from the open waste bins, the MCD officials demand a commission.”

According to an IPCA study, collecting waste from 200 houses would result Rs 20,000-25,000 which was good for unskilled labourer.

“We are working to get them better prices and also to help them fight with the health hazards that come along with the job,” said Ashish Jain, IPCA Founder and Director.

damage to the environment as per government rules. I direct you to submit your action plan regarding the disposal methods of waste generated by your products in 15 days. If you fail to comply to this notice, we will initiate action against your products,” said, Parthasarathy in his notice sent to these private companies.

Ramanathapuram, in the southern Tamil Nadu, is the gateway to the famous Rameswaram island temple of Lord Shiva. As per the amended Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016, an

entity having operations in two or more States requires to file for a centralised registration with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). “PepsiCo has filed its registration with CPCB on June 29. We wish to state that as part of our extended producer’s responsibility (EPR), we will commence collecting plastic waste back in Tamil Nadu,” said, T K J Sridharan, the authority of PepsiCo India in his reply.

Will Pepsico follow this up in other states also? AIlango, a sanitary officer of the municipality, said that most of the private companies including Nestle had started registration process with CPCB after they received our letter and that the State and Central pollution control boards should spread awareness among the private companies about PWD rules and the collection of waste generated by them.

Vrindavan Saga

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Durga Dutt

She Faced Many Losses, Now She Is Redefining Life Durga’s life was full of untimely deaths of dear ones, so she assumed life means ‘pain’

n Ayodhya prasad singh

“I

was only 2.5-year-old when my father passed away. I had a sister who, too, died at an early age. Even so, after marriage I decided to start my life afresh, one filled with happiness and smiles. But plans for life never work out the way you draw them. I am no exception.

So that is what happened with me…”

Kolkata’s Durga Dutt was married off at very young age but she that never meant she was not happy with this new life or that she didn’t have dreams to make it into a beautiful one. Yes, there were some difficulties keeping up with the challenges of a married woman – after all she was at a tender age – but she always took it all positively.

He became the centre of attraction for everyone and especially Durga.

Durga’s husband owned a garments shop and was pretty much occupied there the entire day. So it was Durga and the little one who were left at home in each-other’s company.

Durga’s entire life revolved around her child. She took care of him with all her heart. It was like her heartbeat was trapped inside that boy. He was her everything.

Slowly (or rather very quickly – at least that is how Durga and her husband felt), the boy grew up. He was 27-year-old now. But one black day, that happened which Durga would have never imagined. Her son died suffered a sudden brain stroke and he could not make it. To Durga’s horror, he died.

Everything shattered in a blink of an eye for Durga. Her lifeline, her heartbeat was taken away from her forever. She was clueless what she would do without him, what’s life without her child.

Durga went into a numb state of mind.

Time passed by, but Durga stayed as silent since that black day of her life. Anyhow, she was coping up as she knew that life goes on. But before she could get even slightly out of it, another ‘unexpected’ creep

“I thought pain is the definition of life. But eversince I came to Vrindavan, my view has changed”

“I mean, who doesn’t have problems coping up with the new lifestyle, new home, new people, new relations.

You are young, naïve.

It is natural. I too dealt with it. And I never had any complaints because I was learning in the process. Growing up. Moving towards the beautiful married life I had already started planning.”

So she going through the usual, Durga was very optimistic about everything that was happening in her life. In the course of time, she gave birth to a baby boy. She was really happy. Her husband was very happy.

Everyone in the family was happy.

into her life.

The untimely and unexpected death of their son had not only affected Durga, but her husband too.

He was taken aback. The loss was too painful and shocking to him. He lost his mental stability and peace. In the midst of all this, one day he left home and never returned.

“I tried searching for him a lot. I

27 07

Quick glance • Durga had lost her father and sister at a very young age • So she thought after marriage she will turn all the pain around • But she was not prepared to grieve over her beloved son’s dead body

did all I could. Looked everywhere I could. But after a point I had to accept that he is gone and that he is never returning. After years of hunt and no sign of him anywhere, I had to accept him as dead and declare myself a widow.”

So, with no certain signs, widowhood painted Durga’s life monochrome.

She went on with this monotonous life for quite some time until one day someone told her about the holy city of Vrindavan. And that how it soaks all your pain away and give you a new ray of light in the darkened life. And so she decided to move there.

It was 22 years ago from now when Durga Dutt came to Vrindavan.

Initially she lived in Pagal Baba Ashram. After a span of seven years in this ashram, she moved to Gurukul Ashram. After that she changed places many time – went from ashram to ashram – and with each passing day, her devotion towards Lord Krishna and Radha Rani kept growing. She kept getting immersed in bhajans and the serene environment of Vrindavan.

Durga now lives in a Sulabhsupported ashram. She says she has a peaceful mind and with it she is searching for the true meaning of life.

“It’s been 22 years since I left my homeland. There were many upsdowns. I suffered many losses. I thought pain is the definition of life.

But eversince I came to Vrindavan, my perspective has changed.”

“I don’t have to worry much about carrying my life. It is all taken care by Lal Baba (alias of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation). I just calmly sit, sing bhajans, and redefining the meaning of life to me.”

28

Sports

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

The Indian Face

of Billiards

Chehak Nasa

when he won his first international mark in 1982 at the Indian National eet Sethi is unique, not just Billiards Championship, defeating for his longevity at the top Michael Ferreira. Straight Four years, but for his contribution to the from 1985 to 1988 Sethi won the evolution of sport in the country in the National Billiards Championship. past decade.

From defeating Michael, he rose to From someone who complained international prominence by winning about the way sport was run in India, he the IBSF World Amateur Billiards has morphed into someone who more Championships in 1985, versus Bob than chips in with his support. Today, Marshall in an eight-hour-long final the Olympic Gold Quest foundation round. He also created history by he set up with Prakash Padukone has breaking the world record of 1276 grown to be one of India’s largest sports points under the two-pot rule in NGOs, supporting the 1992 World scores of athletes Professional Billiards realise their dreams Geet Sethi is the Championship of pursuing dreams He has never only cueist to of winning Olympic placed in the top medal. snooker world score 1000+ Geet Siriram rankings. However, breaks in Sethi the face of Sethi is the only billiards and 147 English billiard is a person in the history major sporting Hero of cue-sports to have in snooker in India. With a stick scored a maximum in his hand and a ball 147 in competitive on the billiards table, snooker and a 1000+ his journey began in 1974 at the age of break in competitive billiards.

13 years, as we all know billiard was a Despite he being a recipient of game played only by the age above 18 India’s highest sporting award, the years. But one day, Billiard and snooker Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for 1992federation of India sent a circulation 1993 and has been conferred both stating that “We want to hold a Junior the Padma Shri and Arjuna Award National Championship, so we request in 1986, Sethi has managed to remain you all to kindly lower the age limit to grounded. He always said one think “I 12 years for Billiard competition”. He only play for myself not for any awards was the First boy from Gujarat “Gym or title. It gives me joy and that’s the Khana Club” to go for the competition. only thing I want to do” Within one year he won the junior He also came up with his state championship. Then, in 1976 at autobiography, which tells us that the age of 15 years, he won the first we need to chase joy in our life, and junior national championship. disregard money, fame, power and He gained recognition

G

success what society sees us. The book has given quite a lot of insight into what goes into the making of a great sportsperson.

Geet Sethi believes India has a future in cue-sport. “There is a misconception about the billiard game which is player usually play this game wearing bow and tie, English cloth which shows that this is a high-class game. This isn’t true at all. Seeing the records of the last 40 years only one person has come from the elite family which was Michael Ferrara. This game isn’t about class or anything, anyone can play. There are two levels to promote these games; Grassroots level and government level.

Grassroots would be to promote these games in school.

At least 3 tables should be there in a

school and should be made a regular sport for above 10th class students.

The sports federation of India is also initiating in this Field.”

He has been an amazing player, from a state-level swimmer and playing a decent game of badminton as well. Being a national level champion in both snooker and billiard. He tells us that “there is no substitute for hard work”.

Geet Sethi’s break of 1276 was unbeaten for 15 years and his 147 points break in snooker was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. He is the only player in the world to hold both records.

Geet Sethi may not have picked a cue up in recent years but continues to stride Indian sport with grace and dignity, ensuring that the Tricolour flutters with pride in distant lands and in a variety of sport. Indeed, he is one of a kind, drawing from his education and enterprise, innovation and industry to plot India’s rise in the world of sport..

Entertainment

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

29 07

S A D H A N A S H IV D A S A N I

Woh Kaun Thi? T

n Chehak Nasa

he Indian film industry has been blessed with some commendable performers the world has ever seen- be it actors, actresses, or directors. And among one of the yesteryears beauties was the one whose eyes could make your heart skip a beat. Not only charming and charismatic, Sadhana Shivdasani was equally gifted as an actress. She had an aura that gave the impression of being effortlessly brilliant on screen. With her expressive and captivating eyes, and an infectious and almost seductive smile, Sadhana was both, a heartthrob and a style icon. The fusion churidar kurtis and morjis which she wore in Waqt have never really gone out of style. And what better tribute could be given to her than little girls going to the hairdressers to get the ‘Sadhana cut’ decades after she popularized it. The fringe, which was inspired by Audrey Hepburn, not only made her distinct but covered her broad forehead as well. Born in Karachi, Pakistan and named after her father’s favourite actress Sadhona Bose, Sadhana was a movie buff since her childhood and was allowed to see as many as two movies a week. She was noticed by Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali! some producers in a college play at The sight of Sadhana in a burqa the age of 15, and her debut was in was described as ‘Unforgettable’ India’s first Sindhi film titled Abaana. by a stunned Danny Denzongpa.

On the sets of the film, Sadhana Sadhana once stated that she asked for Sheila Ramani’s unconsciously modelled autograph and Ramani her acting style after scribbled ‘One day her idol, Nutan. The I’ll ask for your Sadhana actress remained a autograph’. mystery all her life.

The film was both, a She kept a low-profile became a huge heartthrob and believed that an success and and a artist should maintain Sadhana became a certain mystique. a star overnight. style icon According to her “An Apart from all the artist shouldn’t become films she has done, too familiar to the public. she’ll forever be One shouldn’t see them too remembered for Rafi-Asha often. The charisma grows in that duet “Abhi na Jaao Chhodkar” way, and that’s what’s called starwhich is considered as one of the power”. most romantic songs by Shah Rukh

After her wedding, her entire life revolved around her husband RK Nayyar. Sadhana fell in love with the director when she was 16, but her parents threatened the 22-yearold Nayyar with a legal action and he eventually backed away. Later, it was Raj Kapoor who reintroduced the two who fell in love and wanted to get married. Her mother was against it but Sadhana was adamant and with her father backing her up, her mother eventually came around.

And the two got married in 1966.

At first, she was content to be a housewife and took cooking lessons and became well known in the film industry for her culinary skills. But she had serious health problems with her thyroid and went to Boston for her treatment where she recovered

but the condition affected the appearance of her eyes. She refused to be photographed in public as she did not want to detract from the iconic image she had crafted for herself over the years. After a two year absence, she starred in his husbands directed movies which were super hits. She retired from acting in the late 70s; she wanted her career to end just as how it began which was a leading lady and not as a side character or a mother. After her husband’s demise, she closed the production house and retired, quietly living the life of a widow.

On her life after retirement, she jokingly revealed that “I do gardening for two hours in the morning. Then sometimes I take a massage. After lunch, I go to the club and play cards.

In the evening watch TV. I also have a group of non-filmy friends”.

The real-life ‘mystery girl’ rarely gave interviews and wanted to be remembered as young and beautiful.

In 2014, Sadhana made a memorable public appearance along with Ranbir Kapoor. She walked the ramp in a gorgeous pink sari to show support for cancer and AIDS patients.

She looked cheerful and glamorous as ever. The fashion show turned out to be the last public event and the star that she was, she wanted that to be her lasting impression on her fans.

A year and a half later, on December 25, 2015 Sadhana died of cancer. And the whole film industry was present at her Santa Cruz apartment to not mourn her demise but to celebrate her life.

She was the go-to actress in Bollywood when film producers wanted someone who was bright, cute, knew a little dancing and could display some histrionics.

It would only be fair if we remember her for her contribution to Hindi cinema, her devotion to films and for the woman she was. She was certainly an actress who acted with finesse and beauty and created her place in the industry. With Sadhana an era came to an end.

30

Literature

Aug 06 - 12, 2018 story - 2

S story - 1

E

very Sunday morning I take a light jog around a park near my home.

There’s a lake located in one corner of the park. Each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage sitting beside her. This past Sunday my curiosity got the best of me, so I stopped jogging and walked over to her. As I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was in fact a small trap. There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap. She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a spongy brush. “Hello,” I said.

“I see you here every Sunday morning. If you don’t mind my nosiness, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.”

She smiled. “I’m cleaning off their

Moral You can change the world – maybe not all at once, but one person, one animal, and one good deed at a time. Wake up every morning and pretend like what you do makes a difference. It does

ome time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” The man became embarrassed by his overreaction earlier, but his rage continue when he saw that the box was empty. He yelled at her; “Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried; “Oh, Daddy, it’s

Moral Love is the most precious gift in the world shells,” she replied. “Anything on a turtle’s shell, like algae or scum, reduces the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim. It can also corrode and weaken the shell over time.”

“Wow! That’s really nice of you!”

I exclaimed. She went on: “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It’s my own strange way of making a difference.” “But don’t most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum hanging from their shells?” I asked.“Yep, sadly, they do,” she replied. I scratched my head. “Well then, don’t you think your time could be better spent? I mean, I think your efforts are kind and all, but there are fresh water turtles living in lakes all around the world.

And 99% of these turtles don’t have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells. So, no offense… but how exactly are your localized efforts here truly making a difference?” The woman giggled aloud. She then looked down at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, “Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he’d tell you I just made all the difference in the world.”

not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They’re all for you, Daddy.”

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness. Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. Her father kept the gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

story - 3

T

here was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to a baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the right amount, which he wasn’t.

Angry about this, he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure to weight the butter. The farmer replied, “Honor, I am primitive. I don’t have a proper measure, but I do have a scale.”

The judge asked, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”

Moral In life, you get what you give.

Don’t try and cheat others

The farmer replied; “Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker.”

Events

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

events & more...

Explore A Personal Story Of Gender Through Art Venue : Vadehra Art Gallery Defence Colony D-53, Defence Colony, New Delhi 26 Jul 2018 - 14 Aug 2018

Textiles, Jewellery & Decor Venue :

Aga Khan Hall Mandi House 6, Bhagwan Das Lane, Mandi House, New Delhi 16 Aug 2018 - 17 Aug 2018

ACROSS 2. Which is known as the queen of spices?

3. The oldest monarchy in the world is that of which country?

6. How many States of the U.S.A. are not attached to its mainland?

9. Which type of coal is difficult to light in the open air?

10. During the Sangam Age which dynasty was not in power?

12. Which is the metal used in storaoe batteries?

13. Which was India’s first-ever tactical missile?

18. Where did India first win the Olympic Hockey gold?

19. Which remains constant while throwing a ball upward?

20. Which state had the lowest literacy rate (according to 2011 census) ?

SSB crossword no. 34

events

SOLUTION of crossword no.33

Comedy Ki Chull with Pratyush Chaubey Venue : Chull Bar Delhi Chull Bar Delhi Leisure Valley Rd, Sector 29, Gurugram, Haryana Tue, 14 Aug 8:00PM - 10:00PM

31

1.Genocide 2.Amputate 3.Misologistic 4.Transmigration 5.Hippy 6.Fatalist 7.Autocracy 8.Atheist 9.Fratricide 10.Audience

11.Eccentric 12.Altruist 13.Feminist 14.Gratis 15.Arsenal 16.Archives 17.Credulous 18.Cerebration 19.Anthropologist 20.Garrulous

DOWN 1. Which is nuclear-capable submarinelaunched ballistic missile?

4. Which state ranks first in milk procurement in India?

5. Which was common both to the Harappan society and the Rigvedic society?

7. Where is Indian Institute of Petroleum located?

8. The Kalinga Prize is given by which organization?

11. Which international tennis event is played on a grass court?

14. Which metal is non toxic in nature?

15. Which was the The first atomic power reactor in India?

16. Which industry was started first in India?

17. In 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered four moons of which planet?

solution of sudoku-33

sudoku-34

Trial and Error - Stand up Comedy Show by Nitin Gupta Venue : Akshara Theatre: Delhi, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Near Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi Sun 12 Aug 6:00 PM, Sun 18 Aug 8:00 PM

Time For A Clay Date!

Venue :

Naveen Chhaya Ceramic Studio, Aya Nagar 5, Ground Floor, Khasra 1691, Aya Nagar Phase 1, New Delhi 19 Aug 2018, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

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

Aug 06 - 12, 2018

Unsung Hero

Ishwar Sharma

8-Year-Old Yoga Achiever He has won a string of titles in both individual and artistic yoga.

A

n eight-year-old Indian-origin schoolboy who is the under-11 UK national yoga champion has been named the ‘British Indian of the Year’ in the young achiever category for his accomplishments in the field.

Ishwar Sharma has won a string of titles in both individual and artistic yoga, most recently a gold medal representing Great Britain at the World Student Games 2018 in Winnipeg, Canada. “I believe I am competing with myself rather than anyone else, which makes me challenge myself to do the difficult postures,” said the schoolboy, who studies at St Michael’s Preparatory School in Kent. “I

will always be a student of yoga and am deeply grateful to my teachers for the wisdom they have shared with me,” he said. He was named British Indian of the Year in the Young Achiever category at the sixth annual awards ceremony held in Birmingham earlier this week.

“We feel proud of his achievements and it has improved his academic performance.

We want him to inspire adults and other children with this lifestyle habit,” said his father Vishwanath, himself a keen yoga practitioner. The family is originally from Mysore, home to world-renowned yoga gurus, and travel to the region annually.

Tilak Mehta

The Young Entrepreneur Tilak is among the fastest to be knighted as an entrepreneur - for he is just 13!

W

hat is the conventional life of a 13-year-old like?

Going to school, participating in extracurricular activities, playing sports, video games, watching the TV - you may say.

But 13-year-old Tilak Mehta is already a budding entrepreneur!

The teenager has established a logistics startup that is helping the strong network of Mumbai’s famous dabbawalas earn an alternative source of income.

Christened ‘Papers N Parcels’ (PNP), the logistics service couriers papers and small parcels across Mumbai in a matter of four to eight hours.

The young entrepreneur is an 8th grader at Garodia International School in Mumbai. What got him thinking was an incident where he forgot some books at his uncle’s place, and wished there was a service that would help him get those books couriered to himself immediately.

Dadarao Bilhore Turning Pain Into Purpose, This Mumbai Man Filled Over 556 Potholes After His Son Died Due To One

W

hen you’ve endured an extreme pain, you don’t want others to go through the same. Dadarao Bilhore, who lost his teenage son due to a pothole accident in Mumbai, is making sure that nobody else suffers the same fate.

Mr Bilhore’ son Prakash died on July 28, 2015, after his bike fell into a deep pothole on a rainwater clogged Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road ( JVLR) in Mumbai.

Following his death, Mr Bilhore began

filling up potholes in the city to avert such accidents.

Mr Bilhore said, “I don’t want people to face the same fate as my son, Prakash..

I will keep working till India becomes pothole-free. Our nation has a huge population. If even one lakh people start filling potholes, India will become pothole-free.”

The 47-year-old has also created a mobile app called Spothole, which takes the help of fellow citizens to together locate potholes and resolve the issue. He added that most of the times they use mud, debris and paver blocks found at the construction sites.

Amid the apathy, the story of Dadarao Bilhore stands out as an example of how even one man can make a difference.

“I was thinking about this for days and when I saw a dabbawala in my building, the idea for Papers N Parcel struck. I always marveled at the swiftness and the efficiency of the dabbawala’s food delivery network, and I wondered if the network could be used to allow deliveries of even non-food items,” he recounts.

“It didn’t matter if I was young and still in school. I took it up as a problem that was waiting and wanting to be solved, and there was no turning back,” he tells us. His father, Vishal Mehta, who happens to be an established player in the logistics industry, helped “courier” this idea from paper to market.

While he is the sole founder of the company, his uncle Ghanshyam Parekh, who comes with a compelling background in finance, is the CEO. Their core team also includes Vaishali Nandu, who is the Project Coordinator and Jignesh Brahmkhatri, who has years of experience in mobile and webbased innovation, as CTO. The company has a team size of 180 at present.

Owing to this robust support system, Tilak manages to divide the first five days of a typical week between school and work, and split the weekend between work and his hobbies.

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