Sulabh Swachh Bharat - VOL: 2 | ISSUE 46

sulabhswachhbharat.com

06 Sanitation In Namibia Due to the absence of sanitation facilities, people have resorted to open defecation

08

10

24

Ganga Rejuvenation

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

The Making Of A Legend

Namami Gange Programme has provided funds to establish nurseries

From sanitation commissioner to the founding father of the Republic of India

PM Modi meeting Uzbekistan PM in the meeting hall of Tashkent Airport POSTAL REGISTRATION NO. DL(W)10/2240/2017-19

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

Scan this with your smartphone

A Good News Weekly

Vol - 2 | Issue - 46 | Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018 | Price ` 10/-

Picking Waste At The Paradise

Let’s Go Green To Make Our Mountains Clean

Green trails is Indiahikes’ mission to revolutionise trekking in an eco-friendly and sustainable way such that our impact on the environment is minimum

02

Green Trails

Robin Keshaw

A

djacent to the Vishansar lake, at a height of 12,000 feet, Nayan and his team of trekkers are doing something unconventional. To a person witnessing this for the first time, this might look completely bizarre. Nayan is the trek leader with Indiahikes and is leading a team of 24 trekkers on the world-famous Kashmir Great Lakes in the northern reaches of Kashmir.

At 7 in the morning, amidst the lush green surroundings, every trekker is equipped with a green, waist fitting bag and they are collecting plastic, non-biodegradable waste from the area around their campsite. The bag reads “Eco Bag’.

The trekkers had spent last night at this place, which is used by several other trekking groups for an overnight stay. In the morning, before leaving the campsite, every trekker goes around the area, looking for any traces of plastic and non-biodegradable waste, which are unwanted in the pristine mountains. Nayan explains, “Lot of people come to these mountains for getting close to nature. In the revelry and joy of being in these picturesque surroundings, we forget that our waste footprints will leave a permanent damage to these mountains. Mountains don’t have any place for plastic wrappers and hence, they should be taken back.”

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

He says that Indiahikes has this policy of leaving zero waste in the mountains. “However, it’s also our responsibility to carry out the waste left by others.”

Once every trekker has filled the Eco Bag with wastes like wrappers, polythene bags, wet wipes, etc, they empty it in a larger sack.

Nayan measures it with his scale and shouts, “Its 5.5 kgs folks, our maximum till date.” This sack is then tied to a mule and later transported to the base camp where it is emptied along with numerous other sacks, collected during the trek duration.

For Indiahikes, this is a part of their Green Trails programme, which is aimed at keeping trekking in Himalayas sustainable.

Mountains bear the brunt Trekking in India has seen a boom in recent times. There hasn’t been a concerted approach to find

out the exact number of trekkers reaching the mountains. According to the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), the

The initiative of Green Trails, was started to curb the waste trekkers leave on their trails

growth in the domestic business has been around 30 per cent and the incoming international growth, 10 per cent. In 2016, Nielsen did a report for the Ministry of Tourism, in which it was stated that trekking, among all land-based adventure sports, is a far bigger draw than rock climbing, mountain biking, etc.

There are many organisations such as Indiahikes, Trek the Himalayas, Travel the Himalayas, and SilverSteps, to name a few, which conduct organised treks to specific locations. Still, trekking remains an unorganised sector with thousands of smaller operators who provide local guides, cooks, porters

Green Trails

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

and mules to DIY trekkers. Though state forests departments keep a tab on the entry of trekkers into these restricted areas, many go into the mountains without their knowledge.

Once, people are out there in the mountains, there is no restriction or watch on trashing, especially of the non-biodegradable kind.

Taking this menace into cognisance, Uttarakhand High Court put a ban on a night stay in high meadows of the state. It also passed a mandate limiting the number of tourists visiting there. On August 21, the Uttarakhand High Court ordered the state government to remove all permanent arrangements from the alpine and sub-alpine grasslands and meadows within three months, including Aali-Bedini-Bagzi Bugyals (grasslands) in the state. A bench of justice, comprising Rajiv Sharma and Lokpal Singh, capped the number of visitors visiting the high meadows to 200. The order banned commercial grazing of cattle on all types of alpine meadows.

Due to this decision, there was a distress amongst the people.

A complete trekking ban in Uttarakhand meant people moving from Uttarakhand and going to other adventurous places like Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Leh. The locals of Uttarakhand relied heavily on the big and booming adventure travel industry. The locals were unemployed due to this decision and also filed the petition against the order. The government of Uttarakhand also challenged the order as it takes away the right to livelihood from thousands of people across the state. The blanket ban was later lifted.

A 2013 World Bank report

mentioned that the fragile Himalayas are facing the brunt of climate change, which will have devastating effects on the biodiversity and natural ecosystems of the area.“Mountains have their own microclimate. Its unique fauna and flora have a short reproductive time frame and are sensitive to disturbance. Too many trekkers and tourists will upset the natural balance,” explained Parveen Kaswan, a senior Indian Forest Service official.

The whole state of affairs point to a serious concern of trashing in Himalayas. Banning cannot be a solution as thousands of lives are dependent on trekking and other adventure sports in the mountains.

Arjun Majumdar, founder of Indiahikes, says, “We knew that sustainable trekking is the only option. We can’t keep choking the mountains with our trash. Almost 8 years back, we started with ‘Green Trails’ project, which has now

grown into a semi organisation in itself. Green Trails is our mission to revolutionise trekking in an ecofriendly and sustainable way such that our impact on the environment is minimum”.

03 07

Who will clean the mess?

One of the key aspects of Green Trail is cleaning of the campsite and trails by the trekkers. The collected waste is then brought to the segregation facilities at Lohajung and Jaubhari.

The plastic waste is then segregated into different categories for reuse, recycle or upcycle. The local teams have come up with some really innovative measures, preventing the plastic waste from going to the landfills. Some of the plastic waste is cleaned and shredded into small pieces. These are then filled inside a cloth bag to make plastic pillows which come quite handy during travelling and trekking. People can buy these pillows at Indiahikes centres.

Another use of plastic waste is to create eco-bricks, which are plastic bottles packed tightly with plastic waste. These eco-bricks can be used for small construction and decorative purposes in parks and other public spaces. Indiahikes also conducts

02 04

Green Trails

regular waste collection drives in different trekking routes with the help of Green Trails volunteers.

Till date, the organisation has collected more than 32,000 kg of waste from the mountains. Along with waste collection and upcycling, the organisation is also involved in composting, rainwater harvesting, setting up dustbins for waste segregation at source, etc. It has been composting more than 20,000 kg of wet waste from the mountains.

However, Majumdar believes that real change will come through education. Hence, they are focusing on creating sustainable models of waste collection, segregation and upcycling in villages. They have also been involving school students in their Green Trails campaign. Along with conducting awareness sessions in the schools, students are also made part of the waste collection drives and tree plantation. One of the biggest champions of the cause of sustainable trekking are the actual trekkers who see the transformation through their eyes.

Bhavesh Akula from Hyderabad is one of them. He went to Sandakphu trek with Indiahikes in March 2018.

He was so inspired by the concept of Green Trails, that he came back to

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Emptying the pit and segregating the waste was important, and the hikers got involved with the local population to do so

Hyderabad and started composting for his own kitchen garden. “That trek made me realise the cost our nature is bearing for our adventures and adrenaline rush. I could have never realised that in my urban lifestyle I am generating tons of waste every year without even feeling guilty about it. Composting was the first step. I have started reducing my waste footprint by minimising consumption also.

Earlier I used to order food from outside every alternate day. But, in the last 6 months, I have ordered only twice. I have saved so much of plastic cutleries from going into the landfills”, explains Bhavesh. He also quips, “During the trek, I became so habituated of picking up plastic on the route that the habit continued back in Hyderabad too. People look at me in disbelief, but I hope that something will change inside them.”

Bhavesh is right. A small change will someday culminate into something large. An organisation or an individual will not suffice in reducing the plethora of waste in the mountains. In June, the tourism ministry along with ATOAI released the Indian Adventure Tourism Guidelines, which talk about the need to adhere to sustainable

Green Trails

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018 practices and protect the mountains.

The onus of implementation is on the Himalayan states which are often short of staff and waste management and recycling systems.

Another man, Pradeep Sangwan understood the pain of mountain ecosystem during his multiple treks.

In 2009, he decided to shift to the Himalayas and do something about it. One of the first things that he did was to start a homestay in Manali to support himself. In 2016, he launched The Healing Himalayas Foundation, hoping to find like-minded individuals to join hands in his noble endeavour. The Healing Himalayas community comprises volunteers who join Pradeep and his core team on their expeditions to Kheerganga, Chandrataal, Manimahesh, Srikhand Mahadev, Jogini Falls, Hampta Pass and other popular trekking and religious routes.

The entire process works in a cycle of a few months when plastic waste like abandoned tents, bottles, plates, bags etc. are collected in jute bags and brought down to the base village. Along with the help of the villagers, these wastes are transported to two recycling plants in Himachal, where electricity is generated through waste to energy conversion. The Government has intervened to supply this electricity to the surrounding villages, thereby promoting the use of sustainable energy.

Sangwan narrates, “Today people are flocking to the mountains in hordes but leaving behind a huge mess. Instead of inhaling the fresh mountain air, they want to drink, smoke and have chicken biryani while playing loud music around a bonfire.” He added that the popular pilgrimage routes like Kheerganga or Manimahesh are the worst polluted as most of the pilgrims are least eco-sensitive. “Pilgrimage routes demand more serious attention than the trekking routes.”

Waste Warriors is another organisation which runs waste collection drives in Dehradun, Dharamsala and Corbett. It was started by Jodie Underhill who came to India in December 2008, travelled around India as a tourist and then volunteered at the Tibetan Children’s Village in Dharamsala.

The garbage situation was something that bothered her every single day, so in April 2009 she decided to do something about it. Jodie’s first mass clean up in McLeod Ganj, the home of HH the Dalai Lama, was attended by over 100 people and it proved to her she wasn’t the only person who wanted a cleaner India. She says, “I

didn’t choose garbage, it chose me!

When I witnessed how severe India’s garbage problem is, it completely broke my heart. I also realised then that I’d found my life’s mission.”

Change is slow, but visible Sustainable tourism and trekking is a humongous challenge because of its scale and the underlying

behavioural issues. However, in recent times, heads are tilting and administration is also taking due notice. In Triund, the Himachal Pradesh forest department conducted a raid in June and recovered alcohol and drugs. It is now charging trekkers Rs 50 per person for going to Triund and also keeping a tab on the number

Some of the plastic waste is cleaned and shredded into small pieces & then filled inside a cloth bag to make plastic pillows

03 05 07

of plastic bottles they are carrying with them and how many they are depositing at the forest check post while exiting the trek. In May 2018, following a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, the forest department has also stopped camping and eating in the Kheerganga trail, a popular route near Manali. In Uttarakhand, the forest department has enforced a plastic ban in the Valley of Flowers and any violation will invite a penalty of Rs10,000.

Other measures to counter the problem can include financial penalties on erring trekkers based on the polluters’ pay principle, sensitisation programmes for trekkers and hill communities, and community-based local waste management infrastructure in the mountains.” It is important to educate operators and a tourist as it is a win-win situation for both if they follow the guidelines,” said Swadesh Kumar of ATOAI. “The economic benefit that tourism provides to the remote villages is an important aspect of trekking and mountaineering tourism. Most of these areas have no other opportunities for the local communities and adventure tourism provides a wider opportunity for them to grow”.

In the coming years, a sustained and concerted effort to sensitise the trekkers, tourists and pilgrims is the only way to save the mountains.

Administration and tourist operators have their responsibilities. But, like any other large behavioural change program, the onus is also on the people. We must learn not to extract more from the environment than our fair share.

06

Sanitation

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018 Namibia

Government Quest To Improve Sanitation Despite having achieved the Millennium Development Goal targets in drinking water, Namibia is struggling to cope with its sanitation problems

The Otji – Toilet It offers an ecological and economical alternative – an innovative system that helps saving water and money

A

N

SSB BUREAU

amibia is ranked among the countries with low sanitation coverage, with over 50 per cent of the country having no access to proper sanitation services especially when it comes to the provision of clean drinking water and sewerage disposal. The intense drought faced by arid southern Africa during the 2015/2016 agricultural season, followed by floods in the northern part of Namibia, worsened sanitation in many communities, especially in rural areas. The situation is equally challenging with regard to school-based hygiene and sanitation, with over a quarter of schools (27 per cent) not confident of the safety of their water supply.

Due to the absence of sanitation facilities, people have resorted to open defecation practice, which in turn has an impact on their health.

Diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia resulting from poor

sanitation and open defecation are the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in Namibia, state data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services. It is in this regard that Unicef has joined forces to support the Namibian government with the provision of water and sanitation to communities.

Information and knowledge on how to reduce contamination during water transportation, storage, treatment, and safe handling of the water are thus vital to ensure the water supplied to families remains safe.

50,000 pit latrines by 2020

Sanitation has been a topical issue in Namibia, to the point that President Hage Geingob has placed it in his Harambee Prosperity Plan, where he hopes to have 50,000 pit latrines constructed in rural Namibia.

Recently at the handover of an N$250,000 cheque by Sanlam Namibia in a bid to eradicate the bucket toilet system, rural and

Due to the absence of sanitation facilities, people have resorted to open defecation practice, which in turn has an impact on their health

perforated container as collecting device under the toilet pot separates solid from liquid. The solid stays in the container while the liquid runs through a perforated concrete panel underneath the container, from where it filtrates into the ground. After approximately six months the container is filled up with solid. Using a hook, it can easily be moved to the drying area of the installation without entering the tank. There, it will dry out completely and then reduce volume and weight while a second container is collecting the droppings under the toilet pot.

After another six months, when the second container is full, the dry solid will be removed from the first container, which can be used again for the next turn. Access is gained by a black metal lid on the backside.

The toilet will never fill up, neither with solid nor with liquid. Due to the perforated concrete panel, the tank stays clean and hygienic all the time. A sun based ventilationsystem at the back of the toilet provides fresh air, which keeps it dry and ensures an odorless use.

After a while, the dried solid can be used as a worthy fertilizer.

urban development minister Sophia Shaningwa pointed out that water and sanitation are human rights which should be accorded to all Namibians.

Namibian President Hage Geingob has targeted to build 50,000 pit latrines as part of the Harambee Prosperity Plan until 2020.

One Otji-Toilet saves up to 160 N$ on water cost monthly. Enough money to provide a family with 25 kg maize meal every month.

Inside the house: A simple solar operated ventilation system can be installed, so that the toilet can be built indoors, providing modern living comfort. This system works completely independent from water and electricity networks – everywhere.

Scarcity of water

In Namibia water is a scarce resource.

In some parts, the water must be taken from over 110 m of depth. This can only be done with an enormous energy input and has as consequence an increasingly falling groundwater level.

e-waste

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018 Although, water quality in Namibia has greatly improved since the 1990s. Despite improvements, water quality in Namibia is still lacking in rural areas. This is partly due to the difficulty of upkeep and system installation in communities with limited resources.

UNICEF in action

Ending open defecation is essential for human development. It can decrease visits to health facilities, child deaths and missed school days.

This is why UNICEF and its partners aim to reduce open defecation in Namibia by 25 per cent by 2018.

Government’s plan

The use of bucket toilets in Namibia will be a thing of the past by the end of 2017, Namibian Minister of Urban and Rural Development Sophia Shaningwa said last year.

The year 2017 is the year government has set as the deadline to double the number of Namibian households with access to sanitation.

Statistically, the quest is to improve sanitation from the current 34 per cent to 70 per cent of the pupation, by year-end.

The regional council last year undertook to construct pit latrines in the entire 11 constituencies. Yet, due to budget constraints, the regional council only managed to build 17 toilets each, at all 11 constituencies.

The 11 constituencies have 179,100 people and 37,400 households.

Nevertheless, the government is doing all it can to achieve its objective to improve access to sanitation.

According to the Namibia Sanitation and Hygiene Program, nearly 1.3 million of Namibia’s population of just over 2 million does not have access to proper toilet facilities, including 84 per cent of all people living in rural areas.

Diarrhoea is the second highest cause of paediatric admissions in Namibia and is responsible for more than 30 per cent of deaths in children under the age of five. It has also been noted that open defecation has consequent negative effects on the public and particularly children’s health.

The challenge for many constituencies, regional councils, and municipalities is the construction of toilet facilities and proper sewerage systems. Notably many municipalities are trying to bring such services closer to the people by building public toilets.

Source

UNICEF, Namibia Sanitation and Hygiene Program data, Namibia sanitation report, New Era

07

Microfactories

Creating Job Opportunities From e-waste The solution uncovering significant economic value in e-dumps is also in line with PM Narendra Modi’s “Swachh Bharat” and “Make in India” campaigns

T

Shreya Das

he effective management and disposal of electronic waste, or e-waste -- the innards and shells of dumped smartphones, desktops, laptops and printers, among other things -- is a massive modern-day challenge.

But an India-born Australian says end-of-life electronic products offer huge economic and job-generating potential, and India, which produces upward of two million tonnes of electronic waste every year, surely has an advantage.

The solution uncovering significant economic value in e-dumps is also in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swachh Bharat” and “Make in India” campaigns, said Veena Sahajwalla, a materials scientist at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney.

Sahajwalla is the inventor of what she calls microfactories that can transform e-waste into reusable material to be converted into ceramics and plastic filaments for 3D printing. The high-grade metals -- like gold, silver, copper, palladium -- in the e-waste can be separated for re-sale in conditions that are totally safe.

India has an advantage, she said.

But how?

Street scrap collectors and the country have a huge number of them, can be employed, trained and introduced to the microfactories.

“India already has kabadiwallas (waste collectors) and scavengers working at the grassroots level, collecting and separating waste and that is the biggest advantage the country has.

“What we and the government need to do is give them the technology, deploy the (e-waste) microfactories and teach them how it works. What will happen is that, instead of burning that e-waste,

these people will be working in a sustainable and safe environment without producing any kind of toxic waste,” the Mumbai-born alumnus of IIT-Kanpur’s metallurgical department told.

“This way,” she said, “we are not displacing the kabadiwallas and scavengers. Instead, we can create more job opportunities.”

The recipient of the 2011 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians, for outstanding achievement in science among numerous other awards, proposed to deploy a microfactory in Delhi’s Seelampur -- the capital’s digital graveyard with piles of discarded mobile phones and computers.

People in this semi-urban pocket work with waste, including e-waste, to create value-added products like decorative glass panels, acoustic panels with throwaway cloth and high-grade wood-plastic panels.

She said her invention “offers a cost-effective solution to one of the greatest environmental challenges of our age”. “It delivers new job opportunities... to our cities... to our rural areas,” she said.

She said e-waste generally

India-born Australian scientist shows the way of transforming e-waste into reusable material

contains 40 per cent plastic which is usually burnt adding to air pollution.

“There is no reason to burn plastic… microfactories can create filament with plastic by compressing the waste in a temperature controlled area.”

She also said her solution fitted in perfectly with Prime Minister Modi’s mission “Make in India” and “Swachh Bharat” missions.

“A modular microfactory, which would require a 50 sq mt area, can be located wherever waste is stockpiled.

The science behind these factories would be brought in from Australia.

These microfactories are affordable, can be built locally and will help empower the people working with waste.

“If you can create products by using e-waste and then sell the filaments (to) make value-added products using 3D printing, then we are not only making our environment more liveable, but also creating sustainable job opportunities for the people at the lowest level of the chain.”

So what prompted her to do something about all the waste? She says that it was a visit to Seelampur last year that got her thinking about the inequity in our societies. “It was so sad to see people working under conditions that would be considered unacceptable to all of us.”

08

Conserve Ganga

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Namami Gange

Ganga Rejuvenation: Plantation Drive In 134,000 Hectares Tree plantation will help recharge the groundwater which ultimately recharges the river through small tributaries

SSB BUREAU

F

orests are the lifeline of any river, which is why to conserve and rejuvenate one of the holiest rivers, Ganga, an afforestation drive is ongoing along the 2,525 km-long River and its catchment areas in five states Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), with the help of the Forest Research Institute, has identified an area of 134,000 hectares, in which plantation is to be done.

Rajiv Kishore, Executive Director, Administration, NMCG said, “It is not only an ordinary plantation; it is a very scientific plantation where they have specified the species to be planted as per the geographical condition of a particular state. You would agree that right from Gangotri to Gangasagar, it is not one uniform geographical and environmental condition. The ecosystems keep changing from one state to another.

So, they have gone into detail and have looked at every particular area and then they have specified the species.

This is the importance we have given

The National Mission for Clean Ganga under its ‘Namami Gange’ Programme has provided funds to the state governments to establish nurseries and grow trees, plants, and shrubs

to afforestation in the Namami Gange scheme.”

A Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, is helping the state forest departments implement the program to carry out afforestation activities.

Dr Savita, Director, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun said, “We would be planting more than 4 crore trees if the whole plan is implemented with lot of sincerity. The 4 crore plants would be planted on five km of both sides of River Ganga and 2 km of main tributaries. I am sure it will contribute to checking siltation and increasing the water flow. We have a target of creating carbon sink for mitigation of 2.5 million tons to 3 million tons of carbon by 2030, which is as per the Paris Agreement and I would say this will contribute towards that also”.

Tree plantation will help recharge

the groundwater which ultimately recharges the river through small tributaries.

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General of NMCG told, “It’s become a model report because now Ministry of Environment and Forest is also looking at it very seriously to take it as a model and then help it from the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) fund also. So, at present what we have done is as per the project report focusing on three types of the plantation. One is the natural river escape - along the river. And then we are looking at the agricultural river escape and also urban river escape”.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga under its ‘Namami Gange’ Programme has provided funds to the state governments to establish nurseries and grow trees, plants, and shrubs as suited to climate and soil.

At a nursery in Ranichori in Tehri district of Uttarakhand, various plants are being prepared to grow in the next season.

“We have areas which are at an altitude of about 800 metres above sea level to as high as 6000 metres, the glacial areas. So, according to the terrain, the location has different species at different sites. As you have seen we are raising 40 per cent of tree species, 40 per cent of scrub species and 20 per cent of medicinal plants. In that ratio we do plantation in different areas,” said, Koko Rose, Divisional Forest Officer, Tehri, Uttarakhand.

As per the DPR guidelines for soil and moisture conservation in the forest areas, the state forest departments are also constructing control trenches, small check-dams, and side walls at specified sites.

Santosh Vijay Sharma, Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttarakhand said, “We are taking the soil and moisture conservation work. In the areas selected as per this scheme, we are constructing control trenches, check dams, and side walls so that maximum of rainwater can be used before it flows down into the river.

We will see its advantage after some time as it will help recharge the water sources which are now dry”.

Under the Namami Gange programme, the government also seeks the contribution of farmers, NGOs, and volunteers to help rejuvenate and conserve the holy river.

Officials from the state forest departments are also interacting with farmers and villagers to motivate them to grow plants and trees. Free saplings are being distributed to those having private and agriculture land on the riverside.

Ganga remains one of the most sacred rivers in the world with sacred pilgrimage sites and cities along its banks. Its depleting water flow has been a cause of concern for the citizens and the government alike. The revival of forests in the areas where the river flows will help in restoring it.

Environment

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Reverse Osmosis

A Solar Water Purifier With A Difference The solar water purifier developed by scientists does not require electricity and does not waste water

n Dinesh C Sharma

A

vailability of potable drinking water remains a challenge in rural areas in several parts of the country.

Commercially available water filters are costly, need electricity to run and reverse osmosis (RO)-based purifiers waste a lot of water. Now Indian scientists have developed a unique low-cost solar water purifier that can address all these concerns.

The solar water purifier, developed by scientists at the Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute at Phaltan in Maharashtra, does not require electricity and does not waste water. It is made up of four tubular solar water heaters attached to a manifold. The tubes have a special coating to absorb maximum sunlight. They are like a thermos flask with a vacuum between outer

and inner tubes. Non-potable water is filled in the tubes after filtering with a four-layered cotton cloth. The water gets heated in the stagnation mode by solar energy, making it potable.

Tests done in laboratories have showed that filtered water heated either to 60 degrees for 15 minutes or 45 degrees for three hours inactivated all the coliforms, according to research results published in journal Current Science. Since the cotton cloth can be washed daily, it ensures that filter is not clogged. Earlier, studies by NARI had shown that filtration of raw water through fourlayered cotton sari cloth reduces the coliform count.

“Dirty water needs to be filtered with a cloth to remove impurities.

For instance, most of E Coli is attached with dirt. That’s why muddy water from rivers and canals during

“Water in the tubes can go as high as 80 to 90 degrees and it has to be cooled for drinking.

Instead of wasting this heat, it can be used for refrigeration to produce ice via an absorption refrigeration system”

rainy season causes diarrhoea and typhoid. Basic filtering using cloth filter, followed by heating through solar energy helps remove E. Coli,” explained Dr Anil K Rajvanshi, who led the research team. However, he said, this system does not remove or reduce total dissolved solids like arsenic or other salts.

The main criterion in designing the solar water purifier was to ensure that it worked even under cloudy conditions and diffused solar radiation. Two purifiers installed in the institute have been working for the past one year. “Only for three days in the whole year, water temperature was below 45 degrees and on some of the cloudiest days, when it was raining, the tubular solar collectors heated the water to 45 degrees for three hours to make it potable,” the study said.

Tubular vacuum-based solar collectors are fitted in a specially developed stainless-steel manifold so that total volume of the four tube collector system is about 15 litres. “Such tubes are available in the market for about Rs 150 to Rs 200, but are coming from China.

Nobody makes them in India. The frame can easily be fabricated in any rural workshop. For large scale production, a lightweight frame can be shipped with the tubes. So with a single spanner, the whole unit can be assembled. Our present design is based on this ease of assembly and costs about Rs 3000,” Dr Rajvanshi pointed out.

He said the next step would be to design systems which can use the waste heat from purified water for refrigeration. “Water in the tubes can go as high as 80 to 90 degrees and it has to be cooled for drinking.

Instead of wasting this heat, it can be used for refrigeration to produce ice via an absorption refrigeration system.”

The study has been co-authored

by Noorie Rajvanshi of Siemens Medical Solutions. (India Science Wire).

09 07

Swachhatha hi seva

Drive To Discourage Plastic Use Coast Guard Wives Welfare Association, a voluntary ICG organisation, shoulders the responsibility in taking the lead for spreading the campaign

n Agency he Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has launched a campaign for voluntary discarding of the use of plastic in all the ICG premises.

In order to lead by example and in support of the government policy “Swachhata Hi Seva” movement, the Coast Guard headquarters, New Delhi, has issued direction to all its units across the country for encouraging ICG personnel for voluntarily discarding of plastic.

During the campaign, the ICG will conduct seminar/ lectures, make available environment-friendly bags and spread awareness amongst the masses through posters/ banners/ placards.

Coast Guard Wives Welfare Association, a voluntary ICG organisation, shoulders the responsibility in taking the lead for spreading the campaign amongst ladies and children of the society through frequent interactions.

“The ICG will carry this campaign to the coastal populace through various platforms such as community interaction programme, meetings with fisheries associations/ community heads, etc,” the release said.

The Coast Guard Act, 1978, mandates the Indian Coast Guard to preserve and protect marine environment and prevent and control marine pollution.

“The ICG has been nominated as competent national authority by the Union government in March this year for co-operation on the Response to Oil and Chemical Pollution in the South Asian Seas Region,” it said.

T

10

Iron-Man

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

The Man Who United India From Ahmedabad’s sanitation commissioner to the founding father of the Republic of India lesson of cleanliness to the people.

Not one to sit in the comforts of an office and boast of power, he himself took to the streets of the city, joining hands with a squad of volunteers, and started sweeping clean the quarters of ‘harijans’ (or ‘untouchables’, as they were considered back then).

No less a heroic moment for the people, especially the youth, of Ahmedabad, the gesture widened eyes and dropped jaws. This was something never quite witnessed before.

“No amount of effort on the part of the municipal administration can keep the city clean without your active co-operation. If you put rubbish in the bins provided by the Municipal Board, instead of throwing it into the street, you will make your locality look clean, help to reduce sickness and add a few years to your span of life,” he had urged the locals.

During his multiple terms as municipal president (1922, 1924, 1927), he oversaw improvements in infrastructure: the supply of electricity was increased, and drainage and sanitation systems were extended throughout the city. The school system underwent major reforms.

He also worked extensively against alcohol consumption, untouchability, caste discrimination and for women emancipation in Gujarat and outside.

Swastika tripathi

H

e was neither ever really inclined towards the idea of holding posts, nor was he a big fan of politics. To put it correctly, he was an England-returned, urbane mannered, European-style clothed distinguished barrister who had a cynical attitude, rational mindset, excellent Bridge skills and a lot of confidence.

This was Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel till that one historic day in 1917 when he not only contested elections for the post of Ahmedabad’s sanitation commissioner, on the behest of friends, but also won it.

Thereafter, began a journey that traversed through extraordinary times and gave the Bismarck of India, the Architect of United India, the Iron Man of India – Sardar Patel.

Of Borsad & Kheda

A meeting with Mahatma Gandhi, in October 1917, fundamentally changed Vallabhbhai Patel and led him to join the Indian independence struggle. He initially quit his job and joined the movement to fight for exemption of taxes in Kheda at the time of plague and famine.

In September 1917, his speech in Borsad encouraged Indians across the nation to sign Gandhi’s petition that demanded ‘Swaraj’ (self rule). He met Mahatma Gandhi at the Gujarat Political Conference, a month later, in Godhra and thereafter went on to become the secretary of the Gujarat Sabha that later became the Gujarati arm of Indian National Congress.

In 1918 he became the principal figure behind the first satyagraha in the nationalist struggle, held in his home district of Kheda, in Gujarat. With Mahatma Gandhi away, Patel took charge impressively, instilling in the resisters the importance of collective action. It was not just a struggle at local level but a fight shaping up for the Swaraj of all of India.

Cleanliness Unity

It was sometime between 1924 and 1928, during his days as the president of Municipal Board of Ahmedabad, that Vallabhbhai taught a valuable

A ‘Sardar’ is Born

Statue of Unity T

he ‘Statue of Unity’ dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the 182-metre tall which is touted to be the tallest statue in the world, is being given final touches as it is set to be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31.

Nearly 3,400 labourers and 250 engineers are working round-theclock at the site of the statue at Sadhu Bet island on Narmada River.

The statue, being built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore, will be the world’s tallest, standing 3.2 kilometres downstream of the Narmada dam on the islet, Chairman and Managing Director of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited told.

Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project on October 31, 2013, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat.

Patel’s most famous intervention came between 1925 and 1928, leading a similar tax agitation in the droughtstricken district of Bardoli as that of Kheda.

“Challenge the Government to take up your land, if they can, to England!” thundered Vallabbhai urging the peasants of Bardoli to resist.

Organising 16 camps under the charge of 250 volunteers, he arranged a peasants conference in Bardoli in February 1928 calling upon landholders to refuse payment of the revised assessment to the Government until a Tribunal to settle the matter was appointed.

The peasants adored their leader. To honour his extraordinary leadership, with great affection women, peasants and then others started calling him ‘Sardar’.

Off-Beat

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

11 07

Modinomics

PM Modi Conferred With Seoul Peace Prize He won the award for his contributions to international cooperation, economic growth and peace

When Sardar Patel Wielded Broom & Showed ‘Cleanliness Is Above Religion’

A

silent crusader of cleanliness, Sardar Patel had once took it upon himself to scour the dumping yard near Jamalpur graveyard in Ahmedabad. Sardar had done this to convey a significant political, social, or moral point that one should not link sanitation to religion.

He had stressed, “Cleanliness is above religion, it’s an issue of public welfare.”

During the first meeting of southern zone after Sardar became the municipal president in 1924, several councillors had expressed disappointment over a pile of garbage just 90 feet from Ganshauda cemetery. Furious with sanitation problems in the area, they had told Sardar that what’s been described as a

‘religious zone’ had become nothing more than an open dumpyard.

He was infuriated when a councillor said the place was sacred for Muslims as their forefathers were buried there. He had promptly retorted that sanitation is above religion, it’s an issue of public welfare as it directly affects people’s health.

Sardar had also reprimanded the councillors for being motionless and watching the area turn into an open dumpyard for two years.

The next day, Sardar visited the area along with a large number of councillors and there he himself furbished the spot with the help of municipal workers. He not only rid the area of the mess, but also got the dumpyard shifted.

Agency

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize. The Seoul Peace Prize Foundation of South Korea selected PM Modi for the prestigious prize for his contribution to the growth of the Indian and global economies and for reducing social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor.

Modi was awarded in recognition of his dedication to improving international cooperation, raising global economic growth, accelerating the human development of the people of India by fostering economic growth in the world’s fastestgrowing large economy and furthering

Pride of India

Building a United India

In a freshly-independent India, 565 princely states were of the belief that they would become independent rulers of their kingdoms as in the pre-British era. As the first Home Minister, Deputy

Prime Minister and Commander-inChief of Armed Forces of Independent India, Sardar Patel used his insight, wisdom and diplomacy to forge a united India. Thus was founded the Republic of India as we know it today.

Matter of great pride for all Indians as our PM Narendra Modi has been conferred the Prestigious Seoul Peace Prize 2018. This is yet another global acknowledgment of his dedication accelerating the Human Development of the people of India.

Heartily congratulation to our honourable Prime Minister Modiji on behalf of Sulabh family.

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak

Founder, Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement

the development of democracy through anti-corruption and social integration efforts, the award committee noted.

The committee praised PM Modi for the ‘Act East Policy’and ‘Modi Doctrine’ that lay emphasis on initiatives for regional and global peace.

The Seoul Peace Prize is awarded biennially to individuals who have made significant contribution to the harmony of mankind, reconciliation between nations and to world peace.

PM Modi is the 14th recipient of this award. Other awardees include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and international relief organizations like Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam.

BJP President Amit Shah joined several Union Ministers and Chief Ministers in hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was named the recipient of the 2018 Seoul Peace Prize.

“The world is taking note of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership on key issues that face humanity and are appreciating his leadership skills.

Through ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, Modi is at the forefront of building a better tomorrow for the world,” Shah said.

Shah said that he was glad that the award committee took note of ‘Modinomics’, which aims to further a spirit of equality and empowerment for all sections of society.

12

Iron-Lady

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Indira Gandhi

Goongi Gudiya To Ma Durga The Dumb Doll (goongi gudiya) shined so impeccable that most elite politicians across the world were seen to appraise her guts in politics and decision-making capabilities Urooj Fatima

S

he was domineering, she was shy; she was known as a goongi gudiya however she became Ma Durga; she was the fragile teenager who turned into India’s first political bahubali; she was the tyrant who was the little girl of India’s most idealistic constitutional democrat. A child born in the same year as the Russian revolution whose life was one of storm and trouble. Born in the fire of a nation about to become independent, she went out in the fiery blaze of a nation at war with itself.

Indira Gandhi was an enigma. To use Dickens, hers was India’s best of the times and the worst of the times.

Indira Gandhi, the much appreciated and denounced politician, had developed throughout the years into an ecological woman. There were many influences—education at Santiniketan and Switzerland, books, holidays—and that of Nehru’s was the most significant.

The bona fide Indira Gandhi was the person who loved the mountains, thought about untamed life, was passionate about birds, stones, trees and forests, and was worried deeply about the environmental consequences of urbanisation and industrialisation.

As far as national defence is concerned, hers was unique. No other corn Indian leader remained as solid as her.

At the first-ever United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972, Indira Gandhi said “poverty is the worst form of pollution,” in a discourse that has resonated as the decades progressed.

Her concern for the environment was not mere nature worship. She Allahabad. Family affectionately was independently capable not only called her Indu. Indu means the for India’s best-known untamed person who leads the cool brightness life preservation programme—to of the Moon. Within two years, the be specific, Project Tiger—yet in family gave away the entirety of its addition for less prominent activities wealth for the freedom battle. As a for the insurance of crocodiles, lions, child, she saw her parents frequently hanguls, cranes, bustards, flamingos, going to jail. deer and other jeopardized species.

Early days

She was born in the wealthy Nehru family on November 19, 1917, in

Brilliant in studies, she needed to abandon her examinations due to the ailment of her mom. She went to Switzerland. Care and worry of guardians turned into her first need.

Even as a child she led Vanar Sena for the freedom of the country. There were events she concealed archives

She was indomitable, gracious and bold. She genuinely loved India and its diversity. She preferred company of intelligent people

of freedom struggle and misdirected British police. A sari her dad wove in prison turned into a valuable marriage blessing to Indira Gandhi the bride of Gujarat.

Responsible mother

She never missed the respectable obligation of the mother even as her career saw many high and low points.

Whether it was a matter of study of children or an issue relating to their career, love and warmth of mother

Asia Crown

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

13 07

Nishtha Dudeja

streamed perpetually. A loving mother who could go to any lengths for her children. Rajiv and Sanjay were her two precious jewels.

She loved spending time with her family. Sonia Gandhi was her favorite daughter-in-law. She saw herself in Priyanka.

Haryana Girl Wins Miss Deaf Asia crown Nishtha is the first Indian to have won any title at the Miss Deaf World Pageant

Politician

She brought in public life the idea of little voice of conscience (Atma ki awaaz). Declared emergency when she found bureaucracy crumbling; Sought individuals’ decision as opposed to turning a tyrant. When lost, she acknowledged people’s verdict. Stayed among people and in a few months won back both people’s heart and political power.

Major Milestones

While there are many pitfalls which can’t be filled but there are various bold steps taken by her which are enough to make her “Iron Lady of India” like: Nuclear Programme; Bangladesh Liberation; Environment Programme; Space Liberation; Green Revolution; Bank Nationalisation Her entire life was committed to the upliftment of the poor and making India, a better nation to live.

She has struggled a lot for India’s Independence in her entire life.

Hardcore Secularist

She moved ahead with operation Blue Star in the national interest.

She was a staunch believer of Secularism. Some officers asked her to remove Sikh bodyguards prior to her assassination. At the point when this record was brought before her, she didn’t think about the risk to her life and noted: “I am secular and I cannot remove someone just because someone belongs to a particular religion.”

On one hand, we have leaders who claim themselves daring hearted.

In any case, they don’t permit even pigeons to approach because of their own fears. Then we have valiant lady leader Indira Gandhi.

Assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards on 31st Octoberm, 1984, her end was as dramatic as her birth.

She was the greatest Indian Prime Minister in a poll conducted by India Today. She was also named ‘Woman of the Millennium’ in a poll by the BBC in 1999.

Marked by extraordinary courage, she was a woman who called the only man in her government, the queen of the poor; she was the memsahib who died like a grimy soldier in battle, in politics she was India’s James Bond in a khadi sari.

H

Agency

aryana girl Nishtha Dudeja has proved that disability cannot come in the way of success. She has won the Miss Deaf Asia 2018 title at an international pageant held in Prague recently.

Nishtha, who is the first Indian to have won any title at the Miss Deaf World Pageant, said that she faced tough competition from contestants from China, Thailand, Taiwan, Israel, Czech Republic, Belarus, Mexico, South Africa and other countries at the 18th edition of Miss and Mister Deaf World -Europe -Asia Beauty Pageant 2018 held recently at Prague, Czech Republic.

The beauty from Haryana’s industrial city of Panipat, around 85 km from New Delhi, who was born deaf did not think of herself being differently-abled and chose to take her chance in the field of beauty.

“I want to thank my parents for their consistent support who were always there to help me. Now I want to help the deprived people even at the cost of my comfort. I believe that the differently abled people don’t

need pity. They only deserve equal opportunities to prove themselves,” Nishtha, who has returned to India now, said.

The 23-year-old Panipat girl is a Commerce graduate from Venkateshwara College, Delhi University, and presently pursuing MA in Economics from Mithibai College, University of Mumbai. Prior to this title, Nishtha had also won the Miss Deaf India title on February 26 this year in Jaipur.

She is the brand ambassador for Sivantos India Pvt Ltd. (Formerly Siemens Hearing Instruments Pvt Ltd.), the world’s leading brand of hearing aids, having about a 25 per cent market share globally.

Nishtha was always a bright student from her school days, who was always keen on learning something new in life. Seeing her interest in extracurricular activities, her mother sent her to learn judo at the age of seven.

Nishtha did judo for about five years, participated in various tournaments up to international level and won medals.

Nishtha’s mother, Punam Dudeja, who is a homemaker, said: “We were heartbroken when we came to know

‘‘I believe that the differently abled people don’t need pity.

They only deserve equal opportunities to prove themselves” that our child will not be able to hear lifelong but we did everything to make our daughter’s life a successful one.”

The beauty queen is also an accomplished tennis player and has played many AITA, ITF and Asian Tour tennis tournaments. Nishtha had also participated in Deaflympics 2013 (held in Sofia, Bulgaria), World Deaf Tennis Championship 2015 (held in Nottingham, UK) and Deaflympics 2017 (held in Samsun, Turkey).

Ved Prakash Dudeja, the father of Nishtha and Chief Engineer in the Northern Railways, gave the credit of his daughter’s success to his wife who has worked hard for Nishtha’s success. Another Haryana girl Manushi Chillar was crowned Miss World in November last year.

14

International Personality

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Nadine Gordimer

Raconteur Of Apartheid, Literary Activist Her writing is timeless, and all of us are indebted to her for crafting important documentation of the people, perspectives, and politics of South Africa during its tumultuous history

Life

1923-2014, South African Nobel Prize for Literature 1991 Political activist Helped Nelson Mandela work on his famous trial speech “I Am Prepared to Die” Writing dealt with moral + racist issues (especially apartheid) In post-apartheid S. Africa, became involved in HIV movement Some of her works were banned by S. African government (pre-1990’s)

Urooj Fatima

N

ADINE GORDIMER, was the first South African and only the seventh woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Seamus Heaney, a fellow Nobel laureate, called her one of the great “guerrillas of the imagination”. In over two dozen works of fiction, she frequently addressed the complex and often tormented political situation of her native land.

She was one of the most eminent South African writers. She had been an active socio-political activist, therefore through her writing and choices of the subject she strengthened the forces of resistance to apartheid and continued to speak out against any form of official censorship.

Although, by her own admission, she was not a “political person” by nature, but had a profound impact on political life.

In a similar way, Gordimer claimed that she did not have any other option but to take up the political atmosphere of South Africa and use it in her writing.

She quoted Goethe to summarize a writer’s duty - “Thrust your hand deep into life, and whatever you bring up in it, that is you, that is your subject.” For her, doing so meant writing about her South African countrymen and their homeland.

For her, the freedom to express herself was both a shield and a spear that she wielded against the abuse of public power in whatever form it takes.

A close analysis of her writing but even more specifically, the way in which her writing coalesced with the politics of South Africa - provides an interesting commentary on how authors both influence and are influenced by their culture.

Delved into the heart of apartheid

Gordimer was considered a modern

which explored the family life of the children of revolutionaries, had been smuggled into his hands while he was imprisoned.

She also helped Mandela to edit his speech “I Am Prepared to Die.”

Way of narration

Gordimer never preaches, never interprets, and never spells out.

Characters unfold slowly through direct and indirect speech and actions, as do incidents leading up to the story’s climax. If we are slapped with a grand question mark at the end through the inexplicit details given, it is because we are invited to re-examine evidence and not leave the story with the feeling of smugness we would have after solving a murder-mystery. No, Gordimer’s stories are not a form of entertainment but a means of scrutiny.

She portrays politics and human emotions in a subtle and unbiased way.

Her work, though fictional, has been a constant source of inspiration for several generations of writers.

Early life and work

literary genius, an important chronicler of the injustices of racial segregation.

“Her proudest days were not only when she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991,” her family said in the statement, “but also when she testified at the Delmas Trial in 1986 to contribute to saving the lives of 22 [African National Congress] members, all of them accused of treason.”

Under the harsh apartheid regime, Gordimer hid stowaways, helped people across the border, passed messages, and assisted those trying to evade the police. She worked tirelessly to free Nelson Mandela from prison, and the two maintained a close relationship until his death.

Gordimer was one of the first people Nelson Mandela wanted to see upon his release from prison in 1990. A copy of her 1979 novel Burger’s Daughter,

Alfred Nobel called her “A Great Benefit to Humanity” and she not only won the famous Nobel Prize for Literature, but also won the Booker Prize

Nadine Gordimer was born on November 1923 near Johannesburg, South Africa. Her father was a watchmaker from what is now Lithuania, and her mother was from London. Her political identity was formed by her father’s opinion but he was not particularly concerned about the state of affairs in South Africa. It was her mother who facilitated her in evoking the sense of injustice against discrimination and extreme poverty faced by the black people.

Gordimer attended a Catholic convent school, but as a child was often home-bound. Her mother had reasons for it, which she never disclosed to Nadine. Since she was often isolated from her peers, Gordimer started to write at an early age. She published her first stories when she was only 15 years old. The story “The Quest for Seen Gold” appeared in the Children’s Sunday Express in 1937 and “Come again tomorrow” in Forum. Gordimer published her first adult fiction book when she was 16.

Gordimer has a career break as her story “A Watcher of the Dead” was published by the New Yorker in 1951.

Childhood Reflected in Fiction

Gordimer had problems with schools, and often wanted to absent herself.

This wasn’t from a dread of school, but a desire to be alone; she was always busy writing, although she was encouraged to think of herself only as a potential housewife.

Anyway, the girl from Springs found her short stories published round the

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

world and she became a favourite of the New Yorker. As her career progressed, she was able to rub shoulders with literary giants from Octavio Paz to Salman Rushdie.

Critics have described the whole of her work as constituting a social history as told through finely drawn portraits of the characters which peopled it. About her own life, Gordimer told little, preferring to explore the intricacies of the mind and heart in those of her protagonists. “It is the significance of detail wherein the truth lies,” she said.

But some critics saw in her fiction a theme of personal as well as political liberation, reflecting her struggles growing up under the possessive, controlling watch of a mother trapped in an unhappy marriage.

Gordimer was the author of more than two dozen works of fiction, including novels and collections of short stories in addition to personal and political essays and literary criticism.

Her first book of stories, Face to Face, appeared in 1949, and her first novel, The Lying Days, in 1953. In 2010, she published Telling Times: Writing and Living, 1954-2008, a weighty volume of her collected non-fiction.

As a child, Gordimer recalled in an interview, she was a brash show-off who loved to dance and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. But her mother insisted that she stop dancing, because she had a rapid heartbeat.

Years later, Gordimer said she learned that the rapid heartbeat was a result of an enlarged thyroid, and that it did not pose the danger her mother had implied. She came to believe that her supposed ill health had dovetailed with her mother’s hunger for romance.

“The chief person she was attracted to was our family doctor,” she told in an interview. “There’s no question. I’m sure it was quite unconscious, but the fact that she had this delicate daughter, about whom she could be constantly

calling the doctor — in those days doctors made house calls, and there would be tea and cookies and long chats — made her keep my ‘illness’ going in this way.”

Gordimer said little about her personal life in interviews. She did mention flirtations on occasion. “My one preoccupation outside the world of ideas was men,” she once said, without providing details.

Awards

2008: Best of the Booker (shortlist) 2007: Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (France) 2003: Mary McCarthy Award (USA) 2002: International Primo Levi Literary Award 1991: Nobel Prize for Literature 1986: Nelly Sachs Prize (Germany) 1985: Premio Malaparte (Italy) 1981: Scottish Arts Council Neil M. Gunn Fellowship 1974: Booker Prize for Fiction 1971: James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for fiction) 1961: WH Smith Literary Award

International Personality

Banned Novels and a Nobel

Three of Gordimer’s books were banned in her own country at some point during the apartheid era — 1948 to 1994.

Gordimer was never detained or persecuted for her work, though there were always risks to writing openly about the ruling repressive regime.

She won the Booker Prize in 1974 for The Conservationist (1974), and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, “who through her magnificent epic writing has - in the words of Alfred Nobel - been of very great benefit to humanity.” While she appreciated the recognition, her response at the time

15 07

of winning the Nobel was to remind everyone that ‘writing is not a horse race’.

There is a belief, prevalent in South Africa, that she received the Nobel more for her politics than for her literature. The distinction between politics and literature is to her absurd; she quotes with approval a maxim, ‘Once I am no more than a writer I will stop writing’.

No writer, she says, should be required to separate the inner life from a perception of the outer world.

A writer, in her view, is someone who is deeply engaged with, and uniquely equipped to understand, the political and cultural life of his country.

Although Gordimer was immensely gratified to receive the Nobel, its valedictory connotations led her to worry about what it said to the world about her future.

“When I won the Nobel Prize,” she said, “I didn’t want it to be seen as a wreath on my grave.”

Life after apartheid ended

Gordimer went on writing after apartheid, resisting the idea that its demise had deprived her of her great literary subject. It “makes a big difference in my life as a human being,” she said, “but it doesn’t really affect me in terms of my work, because it wasn’t apartheid that made me a writer, and it isn’t the end of apartheid that’s going to stop me.”

Politically, she eventually embraced other causes, among them the fight against the spread of the H.I.V. virus and AIDS in South Africa and a writers’ campaign against the country’s punishing secrecy law.

Gordimer died of natural causes when she was 90 years old in 2014.

She is remembered in South Africa and abroad as a towering literary figure and powerful voice for justice and freedom of expression.

16

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Anil K Rajvanshi

Every Citizen of India Must Remember that He is an Indian & He has every right in this Country But with Certain Duties Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Automobiles: The future is here

The electric car is all set to flood the American and global market

T

he electric vehicle (EV) or car has emerged as the future of the more than century-old automobile. In the United States, the regular car-makers have started making the electricity-charged car, and the prices are getting competitive, at least in the US. Elon Musk of Tesla has led the way despite the many controversies surrounding him. He is keen to put a reasonably-priced, affordable EV on the roads, and he hopes to push the price down to under $30,000 (about Rs 21 lakh +). And soon there should be a cheaper mass-produced EV soon. One of the curious consequences is the ‘charger’. Right now, everyone is familiar with the phone-charger, which could be plugged anywhere. With the EV around, we would need the charger for the cars. The solution has already been found. Instead of gas stations or petrol pumps, the EV will usher in the charging stations. There is the suggestion the garage at home coul be fitted with a charger as well. That should help in curbing huge amounts of carbon monoxide choking the atmosphere. The catch here is that the thermal or coal-fired thermal plant should not be producing the electricity. It should be either hydro-electric projects or the solar-powered electricity generator. Clean energy needs a clean energy source.

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

VIEWPOINT

He is Director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, at Phaltan in Maharashtra

Precision Agriculture Can Do Wonders For Farming It is the application of precise and correct amount of inputs like water, fertiliser, pesticides, etc., at the correct time to the crop, to increase productivity and maximise yields

T

he worrisome reality in India is that agriculture is facing a crisis. In village after village, farmers are looking at selling their land and moving away from farming as a livelihood.

Poor availability of funds, unscientific farm inputs, poor support price structures for farm produce and almost no farm insurance are some important reasons that lead to crippling debts that force farmers to see farming as nonremunerative.

Without mechanisation, farming is hard, back-breaking work. This has resulted in most farmers’ children quitting farming for other vocations. Also, farmers get more money from selling their land to builders, malls and factories than they would ever get from farming. This has put more pressure on farmland, thereby requiring technologies to increase productivity so that the shrinking acreage can feed the billion-plus people of India in the future.

India, though one of the biggest producers of agricultural products, has an average farm productivity of only 33 per cent of that of farms the world over. This productivity needs to be increased so that farmers can get more remuneration from the same piece of land -with less labour.

Precision agriculture (PA) may provide a way to do it. PA is the application of precise and correct amount of inputs like water, fertiliser, pesticides, etc. at the correct time to the crop, to increase productivity and maximise yields.

It originated in the US and European countries where the use of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) allows precise mapping of farms. This, together with appropriate software, informs the farmer about the status of his crop, which area of the farm requires water, fertiliser and pesticide, etc. It includes the practice of sub-surface drip irrigation for precise water and fertiliser application to the crops, the use of heavy farm machinery for sowing, harvesting,

weeding and baling. Heavy farm machinery currently uses a significant quantity of fossil fuel which may not be economical for small farmers.

With the help of robots and autonomous farm machinery -- also called IOT (Internet of things) -- PA will make perfect sense in small farms as they can also run on renewable fuels like bio-oil, compressed biogas and electricity produced on farms by agricultural residues.

Autonomous farm machinery capable of no-till sowing, weed removal, harvesting and other farming operations are ideal for small farms in India.

Similarly, drones have started being used in Japan and the US for insecticide application to the crops. Many of these robotic machines and drones are small in size and are excellent for small farm applications.

The application of PA in the US and other countries has shown tremendous increase in productivity, lowering of inputs and, thereby, increased remuneration to the farmers. It has also helped to improve the quality of land with no-till farming and less use of water.

Critics of mechanisation and PA need to open their eyes to farm machinery leasing agencies in rural areas. These companies or enterprises lease mechanised drones for spraying, robotic crop harvester equipment, including drip irrigation systems, to the farmers. They also

Precision agriculture (PA) may provide a way to do it. PA is the application of precise and correct amount of inputs like water, fertiliser, pesticides

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018 provide trained manpower to run these machines.

These already exist on a limited scale in India. A few agencies undertake wheat harvesting using combines and spraying of crops and charge farmers on a per hour basis. With the unavailability of farm labour, agriculturists find this concept economical and attractive. In Western Maharashtra, more and more farmers are depending on mechanisation offered by such agencies.

With increasing demand, these leasing enterprises will increase and as PA develops and increases, they will get more structured and available on demand. In the days to come, these leasing companies may form the backbone of Indian agriculture by providing the necessary advice and manpower to the farmers on PA. Critics of mechanisation seldom recognise that traditional farming requires timely availability of labour, water and fertiliser. These things are no longer predictable. Thus, PA can help in this matter.

The most important component in taking PA forward will be in creating a huge resource of engineers, scientists and agriculturists to develop various components of the technology. Without excellent manpower and consequently good R&D, PA will not succeed.

There is need for excellent engineers from institutions like IITs and NITs to design machinery like robots and drones for PA. This can be facilitated by establishing a new branch of engineering called agricultural mechatronics or robotics where faculty and students from almost all branches of engineering will interact and collaborate to develop smart systems for PA. Another way forward is when scientists from Indian Council of Agriculture Research institutes, engineers from the academic world, industry and farmers work together in developing PA. Industry can develop the machinery and set up leasing agencies. This will result in more job creation and more students will join the agricultural mechatronics stream.

PA will also provide a platform for industrial corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity, since improving the livelihood of India’s rural poor through high-tech farming can qualify as a CSR activity. The Indian government can facilitate in this process by giving soft loans and sops to the industry to incentivise agriculture and PA activities.

High-tech PA can, therefore, help in bringing the next Green Revolution to India and can produce tremendous rural wealth in a sustainable and environmentally sound way. Farmers and farms are the backbone of any country as they are producers of food, fuel (agricultural residues) and wealth from the land. They should be helped by all members of society and developing PA is a step in the right direction.

OpEd

17

Paula Horan

Opinion

She is an American psychologist who is known worldwide for her numerous books, seminars and retreats on alternative and complimentary therapies and groundbreaking approaches to spirituality and consciousness development

Core Self Self does indeed exist for it is Existence Itself, and it is beyond time and space as we believe in or seem to experience them

T

his core Self or inner center which is left behind when all the various identities fall away, is the true essence of Self which emanates through all the layers of personality and mind.

Very simply, it is the awareness: “I Exist!” It can almost be described as the high vibratory frequency of love energy, individualised as each unique being, yet truly only One. The divine paradoxes, involving the whole description of core Self, is that you cannot say of it that it actually does or does not exist.

Once we name it, once you say it exists, it becomes a mere “thing”, an object, polarized or oppositional to you, the subject, whereas it is really the sum total of everything which includes you as a seemingly separate body/mind entity.

Self does indeed exist for it is Existence Itself, and it is beyond time and space as we believe in or seem to experience them.

Ultimately time and space do not actually exist. They are mental concepts which help describe the body mind’s linear experience in the world. We experience time and space as essential reality only as long as we identify with the body as who we are. That which we truly Are is not fixed. It cannot be described or even limited within an ordinary frame of reference. Core Self is the

only dynamic vital factor in our experience which is unchanging. It is unbound by the denser energy of judgments, beliefs, the ego with its multiple “I”s and personality gestures and most of all, the body.

During those rare moments in time when we notice and palpably feel the ever-present and all encompassing presence of this Essence, it literally floods our being, emanating towards all those around us. We are then irresistibly drawn into THAT which is Truth – the Truth of Who We Are. This Grace is ever-present.

It is this Essence within ourselves which brings it into experience.

In these rare moments, we are conscious and aware. Better stated, we become Consciousness ItSelf.

We leave the cocoon of our normal waking slumber and look in wonder and awe upon the world. We exude a natural state of enthusiasm in this awakened state (which is not a state of mind, but Beingness at play). At this point we are not held by the denser frequencies of emotional reactivity, but have expended our awareness to encompass wholeness of Being in its truest sense.

From this awareness, which has no location in a physical sense (such as a body), we can perceive truth. We become aware or recognize that all “problems” and situations in our lives, and opinions

and concepts about ourselves, are self-(ego) created. Indeed they are mere projections of mind (mind and ego being one and the same thing) . Polarity consciousness as experienced by Adam and Eve after eating of the tree of knowledge (of good and evil) and our usual linear thinking are temporarily abated and we can now see both sides of the issue. Whereas normally we are extremely polarized, being able to see only one side of an issue, the pieces of the puzzle, which are the fragments of self, fall together in seconds, so that we now experience the whole picture. It is as if we get a brief glimpse behind the curtain of personality. This whole process might last a few minutes and often a few seconds, and then suddenly, as if in a twinkling of an eye, we seem to be asleep again, robotically going through the motions of our everyday lives, becoming identified and caught in the web of each thought which passes through the mind. We are again hidden from core Self, indeed separated from God or the unlimitedness of Being, much like Adam and Eve, by our many ‘fig leaf aprons’ of personal pretense.

Many people experience a deep connection to core Self at least once in their lives, such as at the time of birth of a baby, a wedding, or some other deeply moving experience.

One of the quiet moments of life, such as at the observation of a breathtaking sunset, when all thoughts about past and future recede into the background and only the beauty of the present moment exists, are the times when we also connect with this inner essence.

Such experiences bolster the spirit, giving us the true sense of who we really are, when we momentarily break through the multifarious “I”, and recapture a true sense of Self.

18

Photo Feature

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Winners of 2018

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Natural History Museum reveals best images from more than 45,000 entries to world-renowned competition Courtesy : BBC The overall winner was Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten for his photo titled “The Golden Couple,” which shows snub-nosed monkeys in China

Underwater: Night Flight by Michael Patrick O’Neill, US

Animal Portraits and Grand Title winner : The Golden Couple by Marsel van Oosten, The Netherlands

The 15-17 Years Old category: Lounging Leopard by Skye Meaker, South Africa

Birds: Bloodthirsty by Thomas Peschak, Germany/South Africa

Amphibians and Reptiles: Hellbent by David Herasimtschuk, US

Photo Feature

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Rising Star Award: Dream Duel by Michel d’Oultremont, Belgium

Plants and Fungi: Desert Relic by Jen Guyton, Germany/US

Ten Years and Under: Pipe Owls by Arshdeep Singh, India

Black and White: The Vision by Jan van der Greef, Netherlands

Mammals: Kuhirwa Mourns her Baby by Ricardo Nunez Montero, Spain

Invertebrates: Mud-rolling Mud-dauber by Georgina Steytler, Australia

Wildlife Photographer Portfolio Award: Mother Defender by Javier Aznar González de Rueda, Spain

Earth’s Environments: Windsweep by Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain

19 07

Winning Photo Story: Signature Tree by Alejandro Prieto, Mexico

Animals in Their Environment: Bed of Seals by Cristobal Serrano, Spain

20

North-East

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Assam

NEW SCHEMES FOR TEA TRIBES Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed that the government would launch a scheme to reduce maternal mortality in the tea garden areas Raj Kashyap

T

he Assam government has firmed up plans to unveil a slew of schemes for the tea tribes employed in tea gardens across the state.

Speaking at a function in Jorhat, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed that the government would launch a scheme to reduce maternal mortality in the tea garden areas.

He added that budgetary allocation has also been made for addressing malnutrition among pregnant women.

He informed that the government has earmarked Rs. 800 crore for improvement of roads in the tea gardens and from November a minimum corpus of Rs 1 crore would be spent in each garden for road improvement works.

There are more than 900 tea gardens in Assam which are mostly concentrated in the districts of Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sonitpur.

Under the Plantation Labour Act 1951, each tea garden should have a health

care centre with adequate facilities.

Most tea gardens are remotely located and do not have proper connectivity to the nearest town areas.

Sarma said that the Government has already released Rs 100 crore for retired employees of the gardens under Assam Tea Corporation, which was in addition to the transfer of Rs. 2500 to every tea garden worker who has a bank account.

Assam tea is grown at elevations near sea level, giving it an earthy

flavour, as opposed to the more floral aroma of highland like Darjeeling tea.

The Assam tea industry accounts for more than 50 per cent of India’s total tea production. But the workers in the gardens have been cripped by wow wages, poor housing and lack of avenues for social mobility which have been a recurring theme since the inception of the plantation complex in the state in the early nineteenth century. The industry was developed by the British planters who imported

japanese culture

Japan to be showcased in Shillong cherry blossom festival There will be stalls showcasing Japnese food, arts and crafts and several Japanese cultural events

J

Agency

apanese culture and cuisine will be showcased in this year’s Indian International Cherry Blossom Festival to be held in Shillong from November 14 to 17, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said.

Inviting tourists to the festival at a press conference, Sangma said that this was another way to deepen and strengthen the connections with the Japanese government.

Japan is playing a key role in terms of development aid in India’s North East.

The Shillong event will be held just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan on October 28-29 for the annual bilateral summit with his

Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe. Japan is one of only two countries that India holds annual bilateral summits, the other being Russia.

In his address to the media, Sangma said there will be an exposition of

Japanese cultural events and cuisine at the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 as the Embassy of Japan in India has come in as a strategic partner.

Unlike the cherry fruit, the cherry blossom tree, when it flowers -just for a short period in a year -- the pink and white glory it exudes is a sight to behold.

It was in Japan that the tradition of planting cherry blossoms (called sakura in Japanese) started.

Thus, to convey the message of peace, the Japanese have been planting cherry blossoms across different

labour from Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

The Health Minister also informed that the State Government has decided to provide Rs. 25,000 to every youth from the community who would be interested to venture into entrepreneurship apart from a monthly scholarship to 500 girls pursuing certain courses.

Research conducted by Gadapani Sarma at Lohpohia Tea Estate in Jorhat revealed that most of the households were living below the poverty line. “As their parents are poor, the next generations also face the same problem of poverty,” the research said, adding that “Some other causes, like, low wages, lack of job opportunity and work culture of the people are highly responsible for their poverty.”

Demographically, the tea garden labour community of Assam represents around 20 per cent of the total population of the state accounting for more than 45 lakhs.

About 17 per cent of workers in Assam are engaged in the tea industry and around 50 per cent of the total tea plantation workforce in Assam is women. Between 2005 and 2006, the state produced 476 million kgs of tea.

In the last three decades, the state has increased tea production as well as tea cultivation substantially since there has been a vast increase in the number of small growers. countries of the world.

Some 27 countries across the world, including the US, New Zealand, Holland and South Korea, hold cherry blossom festivals. Last year, India became the 28th.

Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director of the Imphal, Manipur-based Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) which helps organise the festival, said the event generates huge employment and revenues in cities across the world.

He also mentioned that the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2017, which was held in Shillong to mark the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, attracted more than one lakh visitors and boosted the local economy by 300 per cent.

Visitors can enjoy fashion shows, rock concerts, a beauty pageant and even compete in an amateur golf tournament.

Alongside, there will also be stalls showcasing the region’s food, arts and crafts and several Japanese cultural events and a Japanese food pavilion in partnership with the Japanese Embassy in India.

Feature

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

21 07

Matka Man

From London To Delhi On A Thirst-Quenching Mission The Matka Man, 69 YO Cancer Patient, Fills Water In 80-100 Matkas Daily To Quench Poor People’s Thirst

days, people used to consider him as someone appointed by the Delhi government.

“I am not backed by an NGO, nor am I a government-sponsored organisation.

I am mostly self-funded through my pension and life savings. I do get a few donations and, most importantly, lot of help and support from my family,” he said.

Background

Nivedita Singh

O

n a scorching summer day, the likes of which are plentiful in Delhi, what one needs most is a glass of water to quench one’s thirst, more so for those who toil in the unbearable heat to earn their livelihoods.

The hundreds of civic workers, rickshaw pullers, street vendors and road sweepers cannot afford to buy water several times a day from vending kiosks.

To their rescue come the “matkas”, or traditional earthen pitchers, installed at different parts of the city which seem to get magically filled up with water every single day.

Behind these matkas is a 69-yearold man who wakes up every morning before dawn and steps out in his van to fill up the 70 matkas -- used to store water in homes before refrigerators and coolers arrived -- he has installed in the city to ensure the poor don’t go thirsty.

Revolution

The man who overcame cancer and gave up his business in Britain, finally found happiness in this daily routine with which he gives back to what he says is an “interconnected” community that has lost its social purpose.

He says he wants to start a “revolution in human kindness”.

Delhi’s Matka Man

The story began in the summer of 2014 when Alagarathanam Natarajan -- now known as Delhi’s Matka Man -- realised that even something as basic as cold drinking water was not accessible to all even in the national capital. So he put a water-cooler outside his home.

“Once, I casually asked one of the guards who came to take water from the cooler why he was coming here and not taking water from where he worked. He said they did not provide him water,” recalled Natarajan, who earlier ran a corner store on upscale Oxford Street in London.

The answer shocked Natarajan and also motivated him to do something.

“It was always on my mind to do something for my community.

I discussed it with my family. But installing water coolers was difficult as it required space, electricity and also needed a lot of maintenance. So, I thought of installing matkas to help people in the hot summers,” he said.

However, it became a throughout the year ritual to wake up in the morning and fill the pitchers. During the initial

Brought up in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Natarajan moved to London as a young man and spent 40 years there as a businessman running a souvenir shop. There he was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and, after his treatment, he decided to return to India and do something for the less privileged.

“It was always on my mind to come back to the country. I saw cancer as nature’s reminder of my wish.”

After returning to India, he volunteered at an orphanage, a laststage cancer hospice, served langar (free food) to the homeless in Chandni Chowk and even carried out the cremation of destitute to give them a dignified end.

In 2014, he turned his attention to water which then expanded to encompass a much larger range of activities for the poor. Natarajan not only provides free drinking water to the poor but also distributes food and fresh fruits.

“I distribute seasonal fruits and vegetables like cucumber, watermelon, white radish twice a week to labourers and the poor when I go to distribute water in my van. It also includes other items like ‘lassi’ (a curd-based summer drink) or ‘jalebi’ (a popular syrupy sweet snack) as well,” he said.

“Through this work, I have come to believe that we are all crucially linked together but that society today has abandoned this inter-connectedness,” he said.

Water distribution

For the water distribution, Natarajan has modified a van fitted with an 800-litre tank, a pump and a generator to run it.

From the van, he fills the matkas daily and maintains the stands.

“In the summer, I do up to four rounds a day to ensure the matkas are always filled.”

“The matkas need around 2,000 litres of water a day in the summer months. The water is supplied by a school nearby and two kind souls. The rest I supplement from my own home.

I maintain these stands daily with my van.”

“The stands have a sign with my personal telephone number, so people can notify me when a matka is empty. I have also installed a bench for people to sit,” he said.

Help

He also urges people to place matkas outside their homes so that he can fill those up as well, an advice that many have taken seriously.

With each trip to fill water taking three to four hours, Natarajan now also has an assistant who helps him in doing this.

Apart from the matkas, he has also placed 100 cycle pumps around the neighbourhood to help those in need.

“Delhi roads are hard on cycles.

These pumps give poor people the flexibility to fill air 24/7. Some are stand-alone units and some are part of the matka stands. I also distribute glowin-the-dark stickers for safety purposes and spare nozzles for their wheels.”

He believes that people in a community must sincerely care for one another. “Every one of us has something to give and share with society.”

Unfortunately, today we live in a culture where we, as a society, have become greedier and more self-indulgent, he said.

“As a consequence, the poor, who are watching this growing inequality from the periphery, have become angrier; and as a result of this injustice, crime is on a rise.

“I wish to help those in need around me and also to inspire people to help those around them. Perhaps, then I can start a quiet revolution of human kindness,” he adds.

22

Science

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Very important science

We don’t stand a chance

Too Much Choice Can Paralyse Our Brains

Scientist are concluding that an overload of options may actually paralyze people or push them into decisions that are against their own best interest DAVID NIELD

Rather than having a cup as soon as you wake up, it might be a better idea to wait an hour or two

S

cientists have mapped out how choice overload works in the brain, showing how our minds can back off from making a decision if the number of options gets too big.

This kind of indecision has been noted in previous studies, but this new research identifies the areas of the brain that help us make a judgment between making a choice or not – specifically the anterior cingulate cortex or ACC (where we weigh benefits) and the striatum (where we determine value).

When 19 volunteers were given a choice of landscape images to print on a t-shirt or a mug, activity in these two brain areas increased as the number of options went up, according to readings from an fMRI machine. However, once the choice of pictures went above 12, activity started trailing off again.

The scientists say this shows how the striatum and ACC interact – weighing the potential for reward (finding the perfect picture to print) against the amount of work it’s going to take to reach that reward (sifting through dozens of choices).

“The idea is that the best out of 12 is probably rather good, while the jump to the best out of 24 is not a big improvement,” says one of the researchers, Colin Camerer from the California Institute of Technology.

The same brain activity wasn’t shown when the subjects were asked to merely browse the images, the researchers report, demonstrating how the brain looks for a sweet spot between

The Best Time of Day to Drink Coffee

LINDSAY DODGSON

I

This research stretches almost 20 years – in 2000, scientists ran a famous jam study where shoppers were either faced with 24 samples or just 6 samples. Study participants were more likely to browse the choices with 24, but more likely to make a purchase with 6.

In 2018 we’re still trying to work out why that’s the case – and as we’re still constantly discovering new details about the way the brain works, it’s going to take a while to piece it all together.

A whole host of factors come into play, including how hungry we are.

One potential area for future research is figuring out how exactly the brain measures mental effort: finding out what combination of choices and thought processes has to be reached before our minds decide it’s just not worth mulling it over any more.

“What is mental effort? What “The idea is that the best out of 12 is probably rather good, does thinking cost? It’s poorly while the jump to the best out of 24 is not a big improvement,” understood,” says Camerer. mental effort and potential reward.

Don’t think 12 is the magic number for everything from lunch menus to car colours, though there are a lot of different factors at play-including individual characteristics, how great the reward is, and how difficult it might be to sift through the choices.

Camerer estimates the perfect number of choices might be between 8 and 15, and says there’s a lot of room for future research.

At least we now know more about how the brain makes these calculations.

You can think of the AAC as asking the brain about the cost vs benefit of any particular action.

The striatum, meanwhile, asks another question: will the benefit or reward be as good we’re hoping for? They’re both key players in motivation and decision-making.

need a caffeine boost in the morning to properly function.

And I’m not alone – according to a Reuters study, 65 per cent of Americans have coffee every day, and more than 85 per cent drink it regularly.

But, according to CNBC, there’s a specific time of day you should drink your coffee if you want to feel the best results.

Laura Cipullo, a registered dietician and author of Women’s Health Body Clock Diet, told CNBC that drinking your morning coffee as soon as you wake up could cause jitters and make you feel too hyper.

The sweet spot, she said, is a few hours later. When you first wake up, your body is full of the stress hormone cortisol, which can make you feel anxious anyway.

Adding caffeine into the mix can only elevate this response. It can also make you feel tired and sluggish later on, so you’re better off drinking coffee later in the morning, or simply getting enough sleep the night before.

“Have coffee when the body is producing less cortisol, about three to four hours after waking,” Cipullo said – so between 9 am and 11 am.

Whatever you do, try not to drink coffee in the evening, as caffeine can stay in your system and affect your wakefulness for up to six hours, even though the effect peaks about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption.

Research has shown coffee has various health benefits. It has been connected to better health and a longer life, and having coffee as part of your diet may protect against heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

But it’s important to drink it in moderation, because too much caffeine may cause symptoms of anxiety, irritability, and insomnia.

Kolkata

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

23 07

Tram-on-wheels

Feast On Vintage Wheels On the ride from Shahid Minar to Kidderpore, patrons can take in the sights while enjoying Bengali cuisine Prasanta Paul

F

or those who might have sighed a lot for missing one of the enchanting heritage of old Calcutta, here is heart-throbbing news for them.

Yes, you’ve got it right; their sighs have been billowing out for the tramcars, the little demons that used to meander slothly through the myriad and clogged streets of the city.

The fast pace of the metropolis, they are afraid, might have signalled that the trams could well be rolling into the sunset.

In a historic move, the West Bengal transport department has rolled out a refurbished tram-on-wheels, designed as a fine-dining 28-seater restaurant; coinciding with the Pujas, the tram christened as Victoria-on-Wheels has trundled out on October 13 and so far, has been a grand success.

The ride comes with a wide variety of culinary choices for those who want to bathe in nostalgia. Planned to travel through a hassle-free stretch - from Shahid Minar to Kidderpore – the discerning gourmet will get drenched in both vegetarian and nonvegetarian meals as the decorated airconditioned ‘demon’ rolls through some sightseeing stretches as well.

As this correspondent hopped on to one of the rides on a bright sunny day during the puajs, it turned out to be an exciting affair. A group of foreigners comprising students and professionals who gathered in front of KC Das (a famous shop of branded sweets), impatient for the ride, could hardly hide their glee at the prospect of stealing a glimpse of old Calcutta.

For, the authorities had organised a special ride, thanks to the Durga Pujas.

The first thing that Frank and Molly, who came with their sevenmonth-old boy Wilson from

California, wanted to do in Kolkata, experienced a tram ride. “It is our first visit to the city, we heard about the tram from a friend and didn’t want to miss a ride,” said Frank as the tram chugged through the crowded street through Wellington towards College Street.

Alessa, a student of Economics from Italy, found a resemblance between old trams of Milan and Kolkata. “Now, though, the trams back home are modernised,” said Alessa who takes a tram regularly from her university to home. “There isn’t much difference between the rides,” she added. Her friend Laura pointed out that this tram ride was a ‘must-do’ on her list as she missed it last time when she visited the city in 2012.

When the tram halted in front of Presidency College, Shania, a New Yorker, burst into joy, saying there was such a beautiful similarity about the way a tram crawls past the maddening crowd of the city.

Microphones blaring and streets clogged with festive crowd notwithstanding, the travellers aboard Victoria would hardly mind the prolonged halts as they sipped tea and snacks, enjoying the brightly attired motley crowd.

Aimed at generating revenue for the loss-making Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC), the restaurant on wheels has been decked up with artwork depicting various famous tourist spots in the city. One may tempt to say that there is a discreet attempt to copy India’s now famous Palace-on-wheels; but admittedly, it would be unfair to draw a comparison as the comfort level and other hi-tech facilities available in the train, are

The ride comes with a wide variety of culinary choices for those who want to bathe in nostalgia

absent in the tram.

The air-conditioning apart, a music system and bio-toilets are there that would definitely be wooing tourists who seek the unique experience of dining in a moving tramcar.

The Victoria, a catering chain, which has bagged the contract for 10 years through a tender, will cough up Rs 1.6 lakh per month to the ailing CTC. “We are adopting various innovative approaches to generate revenue for the tram company,” explained a senior CTC official. The reasons are obvious; first, tram routes have been abolished across various heavily congested stretches of the city to facilitate smooth movement of traffic. Its routes have been slashed to less than 25 from more than 50 earlier.

Trams moving at snail’s pace would obviously be slowing the pace of traffic. As a result, this has impacted the fare collection which has otherwise gone down over the years, the CTC official said. The state government, facing a funds crunch, had long back introduced bus services under CTC to tide over the mounting loss. Once upon a time though, the tram service was the main mode of transport in the city, but not anymore - even though the tram fare is still the lowest at Rs 6 and Rs 7.

Patronage of the tram service, considered one of the oldest modes of public transport, has fallen drastically

because of the onslaught of taxis, private buses and India’s first Metro service.

Hence, it’s no wonder that from a mode of transport, trams have now become a ‘mode of experiment’, said JP Mishra, one of the CTC employees.

Tirtha Das, another employee, said though various factors have led to the tram service being truncated, attempts are being made to continue its operation by realignment of tracks on the one side of the road.

Presently, two trams have been refurbished to cater to travelling-cumcatering services. Plans are on board to expand the services to other areas, depending on the response. Plus, plans are on the anvil to introduce exclusive tram rides on popular routes during the festive occasions at special rates, explained the CTC official.

As of now, Victoria-on-Wheels will make two rides each covering the lunch and dinner hours, and during the Durga Pujas there will be three rides in the evening.

The package offer is Rs 999 for a non-vegetarian meal and Rs 799 for vegetarian food, including a welcome drink, starters, main course and dessert during a 90-minute ride from Shahid Minar to Kidderpore and back. But the special rides during the Pujas or other festive occasions will offer a different bundle and that was what was liked by Alessa, Frank and Molly.

24

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

Oct 29 - 04 Nov, 2018

Central Asia

Combating terrorism, cementing defence, economic and energy ties and enhancing connectivity were recurring themes in the Prime Minister’s discussions with the leaders of these (Central Asian Republic) countries.

P Stobdan, SENIOR FELLOW AT INSTITUTE FOR EFENCE STUDIES AND ANALYSES

PM Modi in a round-table interaction with CEOs and business leaders of Kazakhstan and India.

PM Modi meeting Uzbekistan PM Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev in the meeting hall of Tashkent Airport.

P

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Uzbekistan Prime Minister Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev at the National Monument of Independence and Humanism, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on July 7, 2015.

rime Minister Modi embarked on an eight-day tour of five Central Asian countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and Russia from July 6 to 13, 2015.

His first port of call was Uzbekistan on July 6, where he met then President Islam Karimov and signed key agreements on defence and cyber security. Uzbekistan also supported India’s bid to become a regular member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

His next pot of call was Kazakhstan on July, 7 where he met President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The outcome of the visit included Kazakh companies agreeing to invest in the infrastructure sector in India and to take defence cooperation to the next level. The biggest gain from the visit was Kazakhstan, the world’s largest uranium producer, agreeing to supply

5,000 tonnes of uranium between 2015 and 2019.

From Kazakhstan Prime Minister Modi went to Ufa in Russia to attend the BRICS Summit from July, 8 to 10. He resumed his Central Asia tour thereafter.

Moving on to Turkmenistan on July 10 and 11, Modi held talks with President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov in Ashgabat.

Several bilateral agreements for mutual cooperation in key areas like acting tough against terrorism, drugtrafficking, science and technology, sports and tourism amongst others were inked during that visit.

In Kyrgyzstan on July 11 and 12, Modi met his Kyrgyz counterpart Temir Sariyev and both sides inked agreements for cooperation in defence, culture, combating terrorism and extremism and military education and training.

The last stop of the Central Asia

India shares deep historical, cultural and civilizational links with Tajikistan and Kyrgystan and India are also united by the bonds of a shared democratic value. As India deepens its relations with Central Asia, Turkmenistan will play a crucial role in it.

India and Kazakhstan have shared perspectives on many international issues, including regional peace, connectivity and integration; reforms in the United Nations and combating terrorism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi TWEETS AND COMMENTS DURING VISIT TO CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS tour was Tajikistan on July 12 and 13. Modi held talks with President Emomali Rahmon. Both countries signed key accords in areas of human resource development and culture.

Oct 29 - 04 Nov, 2018

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

25

BRICs Summit- Russia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Mausoleum of the first President of Turkmenistan.

PM Modi being welcomed on his arrival at India-Tajik Friendship Hospital, in Quarghan Teppa.

PM Modi in a group photograph with BRICS leaders and leaders of invited countries, in Ufa, Russia

P PM Modi attends the Kazakh-India business forum in Astana.

New Delhi will be hoping to impart a fresh impetus to bilateral relations with each of these nations when Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertakes a hectic diplomatic swirl through them.

The upcoming visit, being

described by some as a “game changer”, comes amid the growing realisation among India’s foreign policy mandarins that the government needs to engage more closely and deeply with these nations located in our extended neighbourhood.

Parul Chandra,Columnist

Prime Minister Modi unveiling the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

rime Minister Modi went to Russia on July, 8, to participate in the 7th BRICS Summit at the Russian town of Ufa. In the summit, Prime Minister Modi laid stress on the need to carve out a global strategy to fight terrorism in Asia, as also to give a boost to trade between member countries by relaxing restrictions.

The summit saw three sets of engagements that included a meeting between leaders of the BRICS delegations and the Business Council comprising of five senior business persons from each of the BRICS member countries. This was followed by a restricted session where, the leaders discussed the items on the agenda and a public session in which extended delegations joined leaders.

Finally, there was the signing of three documents that emanated from the summit discussions.

The restricted session saw Prime Minister Modi making an intervention in which he put forward ten specific proposals or initiatives that would be taken up by India as the chair of the BRICS from February 2016 to December 2016.

The initiatives included having an annual BRICS trade fair, creating a railway research centre, cooperation among supreme audit institutions, a BRICS digital initiative, establishing a BRICS Agricultural Research Centre, a state and local government’s forum, cooperation among cities, a BRICS Sports Council, and an annual BRICS Sports Meet. Aside from this, a proposal was also cleared for India to host a

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not be very successful in convincing the non-NDA parties to support his government’s reform agenda, he appears to be doing extremely well in promoting mutual interests at the international level.

It is not surprising, therefore, that he has continued with this in Ufa, Russia, at the VIIth summit of the five-nation BRICS. Santosh Tiwari in The Financial Express

BRICS Under-17 football tournament during India’s term as Chair.

It was also decided that the first major project of the New Development Bank of BRICs should be in the field of clean energy, and a BRICS Film Festival.

The BRICs declaration issued after the summit focused on cooperation in the United Nations, specifically in regard to reforms of the UN Security Council and enhanced cooperation among BRICs member nations against terrorism.

India was also accepted as a regular member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and it was agreed that she would eventually be inducted as a full member in 2016.

Continue in next issue

26

Health

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018 Mental Health

Cycling, Walking In Nature May Improve Your Mental Health Mental health and physical inactivity are two of the main public health problems associated with living in urban environments Agency

P

eople who commute -walking or cycling -- through natural environments are more likely to develop better mental health than those who commute less, according to a new study.

Natural environments included all public and private outdoor spaces that contain ‘green’ and/or ‘blue’ natural elements such as street trees, forests, city parks and natural parks/reserves and all types of water bodies.

“Mental health and physical inactivity are two of the main public health problems associated with the life in urban environments. Urban design could be a powerful tool to confront these challenges and create healthier cities. One way of doing so would be investing in natural commuting routes

for cycling and walking,” said Mark Nieuwenhuijsen from the University of Barcelona.

For the study, published in the journal, Environment International, the research team examined nearly 3,600 participants who answered a questionnaire about their commuting habits and their mental health.

The findings showed that respondents commuting through

natural environments on a daily basis had on average a 2.74 point higher mental health score compared to those who commuted through natural environments less frequently.

This association was even stronger among people who reported active commuting, the team said.

“From previous experimental studies we knew that physical activity in natural environments can reduce stress, improve mood and mental restoration when compared to the equivalent activity in urban environments,” said first author Wilma Zijlema from the varsity.

“Although this study is the first of its kind to our knowledge and, therefore, more research will be needed, our data show that commuting through these natural spaces alone may also have a positive effect on mental health.”

BreastCancer

Exhibition-Sale To Raise Funds For Breast Cancer Treatment Titled “cARTpet”, the event will put out hand-woven and tufted carpets reproduced from key artworks of 22 renowned Indian artists

T

Agency

o mark October as the breast cancer awareness month and raise funds for patients’ treatments, a gallery in Mumbai will exhibit and sell artwork-printed carpets, gallerist-doctor Tarana Khubchandani said.

Titled “cARTpet”, the event will put out hand-woven and tufted carpets reproduced from key artworks of 22 renowned Indian artists, including SH Raza, Satish Gujral, Thota Vaikuntam, Paresh Maity and Ram Kumar.

The exhibition and sale, from October 22 to November 1, will culminate her and curator Brinda Miller’s two years of art collection work. The exhibition preview on October 21 will also host an awareness

session where doctors and women could converse about breast cancer.

Khubchandani, a breast cancer survivor herself, narrates a fascinating backstory behind the carpet exhibition.

“I started by NGO Passages in 1998, the core motivation behind which was the realisation that when a woman at home falls sick, everything collapses around her. “We started addressing women’s issues as an awareness platform,” the oral

surgeon told. However, even for a medical practitioner, the dearth of conversations around breast cancer was alarming.

“There wasn’t one other person in my age group who I could ask for guidance,” Khubchandani said, adding that the NGO’s focus soon shifted to raising awareness about breast cancer.

“I started looking out for ways how women can be empowered. I also penned a helpbook “Whispering Hope” for those diagnosed with it. It touches on the process of treatment, nutrition, and finding courage,” she said.

The NGO, which pays for the treatment of many cancer patients, soon felt the need for funding, leading to the set-up of Mumbai-based gallery, Art and Soul in 2003. Now most of the fundraising comes from art events.

Dietary nitrates

Eating Spinach, Beetroot Could Help Prevent Vision Loss

Spinach has approximately 20mg of nitrate per 100g, while beetroot has nearly 15mg of nitrate per 100g Agency

E

ating vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could prevent macular degeneration, a common cause of vision loss in people over age 50, new research has found.

People who ate between 100 to 142 mgs (milligrams) of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35 per cent lower risk of developing early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) than people who ate less than 69 mgs of vegetable nitrates each day, showed the findings published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Spinach has approximately 20mg of nitrate per 100g, while beetroot has nearly 15mg of nitrate per 100g.

“This is the first time the effects of dietary nitrates on macular degeneration risk has been measured,” said lead researcher Bamini Gopinath from Westmead Institute for Medical Research in Australia. For the study, the researchers interviewed more than 2,000 Australian adults aged over 49 and followed them over a 15-year period.

“If our findings are confirmed, incorporating a range of foods rich in dietary nitrates -- like green leafy vegetables and beetroot -- could be a simple strategy to reduce the risk of early macular degeneration,” Gopinath said. The research did not show any additional benefits for people who exceeded 142mgs of dietary nitrate each day. Age is the strongest known risk factor for AMD and the disease is more likely to occur after the age of 50. There is currently no cure for the disease.

Gender

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018 Afghan Bittersweet

Amjad Ali Khan

Sarod Maestro At UN Day Concert Amjad Ali Khan described it as a collaboration of Indian and western classical music

Arul Louis

W

ith his vision of music transcending nations and religions, sarod virtuoso Amjad Ali Khan lifted the General Assembly chamber from a venue of confrontations to an arena of peace and non-violence as he performed at the UN Day Concert.

Speaking before the concert, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recalled his visit to Raj Ghat earlier this month and said the concert’s theme of peace and non-violence was a tribute to the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.

“Amjad Ali Khan and the Refugee Orchestra Project have crossed boundaries and cultures to enrich the societies where they perform. They remind us - as our (UN) Charter reminds us -- that our diverse backgrounds are a cause for celebration rather than division,” Guterres said.

Khan performed the “Vaishnava Jana To”, the “Ram Dhun”, a Rabindra Sangeet and an Assamese folk song with his sons Amaan and Ayaan on the sarod and Amit Kavthekar on the tabla, and a vocal solo of a qalbana before they were joined by the Refugee Project Orchestra for the evening’s highlight, “Samgam” composed by him.

Khan described it as a collaboration of Indian and western classical music.

27 07

Where Girls Pretend To Be Boys

In a society where having a male child is of utmost importance and a matter of pride, Bacha Posh provides social relief Zarifa Sabet

T

he term “Bacha Posh” literally translated from the local Dari language means a “girl dressed like a boy”. There are families who bring up their daughters as sons and, once they reach puberty, the girls usually must return to being girls.

Parents who have no sons prefer to convert one of their daughters into a Bacha Posh to raise their social standing. In a society where having a male child is of utmost importance and a matter of pride, Bacha Posh provides social relief.

The Bacha Posh is treated like any other male, but must unlearn her gender-defined identity on turning 17 or 18. Her speech, her walk, her mobility outside the home, all these aspects have to change. It is a practice that dates back centuries, but it is not easy to accept nor is its provenance known.

In almost every era of history, there have been women who took on the role of men when being a woman became impossible to sustain. Jenny Nordberg argues that there were hundreds of women who lived as men between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Many were discovered to be women only when their bodies were carried off the battlefield. They took on a male identity for reasons similar to the Bacha Posh in Afghanistan today.

Some needed to support themselves and their families. Others needed it to escape harsh traditional norms for women to get the freedom they sought.

As historians have documented, by the 19th century, in Europe, the frequency of women who dressed as men seemed to diminish. The reason was, “an increasingly organised society where various forms of civil registration such as border controls and mandatory medical examinations for soldiers made it more difficult for women to pass as men”.

There is a close link between gender and freedom. In Afghanistan, just as it is globally, freedom is a very important idea. Defining one’s gender becomes a concern only after freedom is achieved and Bacha Posh is a struggle for

freedom.

According to the United Nations, Save the Children and the Thompson Reuters Foundation, Afghanistan is the worst country in the world to be born a girl, with the average life expectancy of a woman being 44 years. Being born a girl in Afghanistan is to be condemned to a half-life. At best, being a girl child is viewed with disappointment. At worst, it is a humiliation which calls for desperate measures, because having even one boy child is mandatory for good standing and reputation while no sons provoke contempt.

To overcome these hurdles, some Afghan families choose for their daughter to be Bacha Posh. The practice has existed right under the surface as a way to creatively buck a system of gender segregation, where being born a girl always required survival efforts and a resilience difficult to imagine.

There is deep gender division and gender-based discrimination, to which Bacha Posh can be a short-term alternative. Being unaware of its future consequences, the girl suffers from psychological trauma, identity crises and more.

It is hard for a country with harsh gender segregation to allow for such deviation, but this practice predates Islam in Afghanistan. Because of the prevalent “don’t ask, don’t tell” norm, each Afghan family will keep the secret of such a child to themselves, which is why there are no exact numbers on

Bacha Posh in the country.

There are many reasons for Afghan families to pretend that their girls are boys. According to the New York Times, these are poverty and need for the girls to work outside home, social pressure to have sons and, in some cases, a superstition that doing so can actually lead to the birth of a real boy.

It is not difficult to make a girl child a Bacha Posh. Just cut her hair and dress her in typical Afghan men’s clothing. There are no specific legal or religious proscriptions against the practice in Afghanistan.

Sons are more valued in Afghanistan, since tribal culture permits only sons to inherit the father’s wealth and pass down the family name; families without boys are the objects of pity and contempt.

Although cross-dressing is something which people in most societies are not comfortable with, in Afghanistan it is one form of victimising women. For Afghan women, freedom has a very simple meaning: To avoid an unwanted marriage and to be able to leave the house. Being a Bacha Posh is a price girl children pay for freedom; to study, to have a profession, to marry.

However, while they initially gain some freedom, there is always the fear that their identity would be discovered, while the transition back to reality can leave a permanent psychological scar.

Bacha Posh is a struggle for a little freedom of girls in a highly patriarchal, male-dominated society.

28

Sports

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Freestyle Football: Nikhil Hopes For Guinness Record

A Football Nursery To Unearth And Nurture Goan Talent A longish drive from the famous beaches, into the suburbs of Panjim, allows you to discover the hidden talent of this small state

The 22-year-old from Delhi also wants to contribute towards improving the life of fellow freestyle footballers in the country

n Kaushik Kumar

G

O

n Agency

n the verge of making it to the prestigious Guinness World Records, professional freestyle footballer Nikhil Krishna wants to improve the profile of the relatively unknown sport in India.

The 22-year-old from Delhi does not just want to bring accolades to the country, but also contribute towards improving the life of fellow freestyle footballers in the country.

Apart from sole juggles, Nikhil also does sole juggle spin, head stall, neck stall, side head stall, Around The Moon (ATM) and Lemmens Around The World (LATW).

“I have already registered my name for the same, but the entire process of reviewing the records and result declaration would take three months,” said Nikhil, who is hopeful that this achievement would be a step ahead in popularising the sport.

“The reason why people don’t really value this sport as much as cricket, football or tennis is that they are not aware of it. I want to do something for the upcoming generation so that they

don’t struggle as much as I did. I want to grow the community of freestyle footballers,” he added.

Like every successful person, Nikhil who likes to go by the monicker ‘Nikk Freestyler’, had his own difficulties and struggles.

“A lot of people criticised me for my choices. They would question how I would make a living. You can’t make living out of it, go find some job - they would say. My relatives still do the same whenever they visit me. But I prefer being silent. I am sure that my actions will speak louder than words,” said Nikhil.

Despite achieving massive success, Nikhil feels disheartened about how people do not recognise freestyle football as a life-changing art form.

“Though we have progressed a lot in terms of sports, there is still a mindset that doesn’t take freestyle players seriously,” he said.

“On top of it, factors like lack of awareness about the art and insufficient funding make it even more difficult. There is no steady income and consistency in our work,” he added.

oa is known for its beaches, churches and good life. But this coastal state also has much to offer when it comes to sports, particularly football -- a game that is in the blood of most Goan youngsters.

A longish drive from the famous beaches, into the suburbs of Panjim, allows you to discover the hidden talent of this small state. This is where the SESA Football Academy has taken on the responsibility of training around 40 state-based kids with world-class facilities in a place virtually hidden from the outer world.

Once a mining area, it has now been redeveloped by the Vedanta group, the mining giant, which runs the academy and helps local talent to fulfill their dreams.

“I had the passion but I lacked the support. I didn’t have any proper playground, but here I feel that I have moved a step ahead in making my dream come true,” a 13-year-old budding footballer said.

“When our seniors go on to make headlines in newspapers, it drives us forward,” he added.

The academy, having already produced several star footballers, of which eight have represented different Indian Super League (ISL) clubs, is set to create new stars.

And in a big boost, the SESA Football Academy was recently accredited by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which will now enable it to participate in the Under-13, U-15 and the U-18 Youth Leagues in the coming season. This move by the AIFF could give a competitive edge to the budding talent.

The U-13 team will be created purely from the Vedanta Football Schools programme, making it a 100 per cent in-house team drawn from the grassroots programme. The U-15 team will comprise kids from the residential academy in Sankhali which

“When our seniors go on to make headlines in newspapers, it drives us forward” is fully made up of Goan talent.

The U-18 team will continue to scout talent from Goa, as well as from other states.

“In Goa, football is a part of the culture and a way of life. Being a community-oriented company, SESA Goa pioneered the emergence of a solid youth development project in the form of a residential football academy.

Since Goa was home to the company (Vedanta), the state was an obvious choice for us to set up the academy,” SESA Goa CEO Sukhwinder Singh told.

On the difference with other academies, Singh said: “SESA Football Academy is one of the first residential academies not only in Goa but also in India.”

“The academy has a unique distinction of creating the highest number of players for the national team, the ISL teams, the I-League teams and the Goa Pro League from the state of Goa. “All the top clubs in Goa have benefited from the supply chain that was created by our academy, which includes seven national team players and more than 12 ISL players from amongst the 150 players who have graduated from the residential academy so far,” he added.

Entertainment

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

U sta d A m j a d A l i K ha n

Less trendsetters, more copy masters in sarod

T

n Siddhi Jain

here are more “copy masters” and fewer trendsetters among those playing the sarod these days, laments maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, saying the focus for performers today is the “shining, glittering” world of television and social media.

“Since they have access to content and recordings, especially on YouTube, it’s easy for them to imitate any sarod player. So, now we have lots of copy masters in the country.

The trendsetters are very, very rare,” the 72-year-old music guru told in an email interview.

“Globally, there are about 500 sarod players. Unfortunately, instead of learning and understanding the depth of Indian classical music, every sarod player has a very strong opinion.

“The focus is only to perform because of the glittering, shining world of television and social media where you can post anything and say anything,” the sarod virtuoso maintained.

Khan is sixth in the lineage of a family devoted to Indian classical music’s Senia Bangash Gharana. The 2001 Padma Vibushan recipient first performed when he was just six years old.

Khan, who was trained by his father, Gwalior court musician Hafiz Ali Khan, said he couldn’t think of doing anything other than playing the sarod as its sound had a global appeal.

“It was my duty, my pleasure, my passion to carry on the family tradition,” he said, referring to the work of the generations before him and his ambition to take it forward.

“I wanted to make the canvas much larger, much bigger, and be more expressive on the Sarod,” the widelyheard musician added.

He also pointed to the differences between his learning days and the present day.

“I didn’t have access to taperecorders because there was no money to buy them. There was no television; One could only hear music through All India Radio.

“There used to be a very important programme on Saturday night which I heard, called the National Programme of Music,” he recalled.

On teaching his own sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash -- themselves established names in the field of sarod -- the Ustad said that it was a big responsibility.

“Teaching my own sons was not my decision. They showed interest and positive signs, and then I shared

29 07

Awards

Padma Vibhushan – In 2001 Padma Bhushan – In 1991 Padma Shri – In 1975 Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – In 1989 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship – In 2011 Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize – In 2004 Banga Bibhushan Samman – In 2011 Tansen Samaroh – In 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award – In 2012

everything with them,” he said.

“I tried to introduce music to Amaan, my elder son, from his very early days. I tried interesting methods to teach so that he doesn’t find it difficult.” Ayaan, his younger son, soon followed in his footsteps, and as per the music maestro, both of them are on the “right track” in life.

After rendering the National Anthem on sarod, they recently turned to the bhajan “Vaishnav Jan To”, which Mahatma Gandhi held close to his heart. They rendered it at an HCL concert, part of a monthly series.

Khan said his association with Gandhi goes back to his 125th birth anniversary, when he played an improvised “Baapu Cause” “raga” at a Unesco commemoration in Paris.

“In the current scenario, we need many Mahatma Gandhis in our country. We need his message of non-violence, his thoughts and his objectives. It’s sad that he was shot before completing his dream of making India a dreamland of nonviolence,” Khan said.

The range of colours that Amjad Ali Khan can get from the instrument is quite incredible, and his work is certainly a large part of why the sarod has found such an important role

“The focus is only to perform because of the glittering, shining world of television and social media” in today’s new iteration of classical Indian instrumental music.

Amjad Ali Khan has played at WOMAD festivals in New Zealand and the UK, with a memorable latenight Siam Stage session with cellist Matthew Barley. For the Real World recording Moksha, he tried something quite new for him and very unusual in the Indian classical music tradition.

Citizen of the World He has received honorary citizenship of several states of the USA, including Texas, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and the cities of Atlanta and Tulsa. Massachusetts even declared April 20 as ‘Amjad Ali Khan Day’ in the year 1984. This shows how much love Ustad Amjaz Ali Khan has received in the United States.

Contributions Amjad Ali Khan has made immense contribution to the field of classical music. He plays the Sarod using his finger nails instead of finger tips, which is one of his many experiments with the string instrument. This way of playing the instrument gives a clear ringing sound and is also the most difficult technique to apply on the Sarod.

30

Sulabh Parivar

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

A group of 32 B. VOC (ID) students along with their Coordinator Arvinder Kaur from Meerabai Institute of Technology visited Sulabh

A group of 4 Nursing Students (M.Sc) Monika Sehgal, Anju, Nidhi, Sheeja Jacob along with their teacher Josna Jesmon from Holy Family Collage of Nursing, New Delhi, and some

Campus. The guests saw the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets and felt surprised after seeing some major exhibits.

others visitors visited the Sulabh Campus. The guests saw different branches of Sulabh Gram like Sulabh Public School, Museum of Toilets, Sulabh Technology, etc.

Spirituality n Asma Stenography

Peace and Harmony

I

n an ancient temple, a number of pigeons lived happily on roof top.

When the renovation of the temple began for the annual temple feast, the pigeons relocated themselves to a mosque nearby.

The existing pigeons at the Mosque accommodated the new comers very well.

Ramzan was nearing and the Mosque was given a facelift, All the pigeons had to move out and look for another place.

They were fortunate to find a place at a Church nearby. The pigeons in the Church welcomed them happily.

It was Christmas time and the Church was repainted. All the pigeons now came to the same ancient temple.

One day the pigeons on top found some communal clashes below in a market square.

The baby pigeon asked the mother pigeon: “Who are these people ?

The mother replied: They are “Human beings.”

The baby asked, “But why are they fighting with each other...?”

The mother said, “These human beings going to temple are called

‘Hindus’ and the people going to Church are called ‘Christians’ and the people going to Mosque are called ‘Muslims’.

The Baby pigeon asked, “Why is it so? When we were at the Temple we were called Pigeons, when we were at the church we were called Pigeons and when we were at the Mosque, we were called Pigeons.

Similarly they should be called just ‘Human beings’ wherever they go?”

The mother Pigeon said, “You and me and our Pigeon friends have experienced God and that’s why we are living here in a highly elevated place peacefully.

These people are yet to experience God. Hence they are living below us and fighting and killing and molesting each other.”

Maybe human beings should think like pigeons

Events

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

events & more...

Across

6. This country agreed to sign a trade deal with the United States and Mexico.

10. Which country will hold the fifth World Internet Conference (WIC) on November 7-9 2019?

12. 2018 Indian International Science Festival will be held in which city?

13. This state was declared as the 23rd state to become Open Defecation Free (ODF).

15. Which country’s passport is most powerful in the world?

16. The Parliament of this country approved a Bill to counter terrorist financing.

17. Which among the following won the 2018 ISSA Good Practice Award?

19. Saudi Arabia will invest a new oil refinery in which Pakistan city?

20. Which of these tops in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments with over 33% of the overall market share?

SSB crossword no. 46

events

Shop At DLF Place, Saket & Stand A Chance To Win Skoda Rapid Car Venue : DLF Place SAKET

Down

Press Enclave Road, Sector 6, Pushp Vihar, Saket, New Delhi 11 Nov 2018, 10:00 AM - 11:30 PM

SOLUTION of crossword no.45

SABRAS Music and Dance Festival 2018 Venue : LITTLE THEATRE GROUP AUDITORIUM,

1, COPERNICUS MARG, OPP. DOORDARSHAN BHAVAN, NEAR, CONNAUGHT PLACE, NEW DELHI, INDIA, 9th and 10th Nov. 2018, 5:00 PM (IST) ONWARDS

Photography Workshop on Handling DSLR - With Photoshala Venue : PHOTOSHALA

SAKET, 1st Floor, Saket Cultural Club, Opp. PVR Anupam, Block D, Saket, New Delhi 2 Nov 9:00 AM - 4 Nov 10:00 PM

1.Shimla

11.Zinc

2.China

12. Esic

3.Jharkhand

13.Delhi

4.Mumbai

14.India

5.Jaipur

15.Gwalior

6.Assam

16.Kolkata

7.Safer

17.Odisha

8.Satat

18.Guwahati

9.Haryana

19.ADB

10.Karnataka

20.India

1. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs join hands with __________ to launch the Loo Review campaign.

2. NMCG has partnered with __________ to launch “Mission Ganges”.

3. IFS officer Sanjay Verma has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to __________.

4. Which state launched the State’s own food security scheme recently?

5. Which firm join hands with Bajaj Allianz to offer insurance for smartphones?

7. India’s first dolphin research centre to come up soon in __________.

8. India is to gift three MiG-21 fighter jets to __________.

9. Which city gets India’s 1st Comprehensive City-Level Flood Forecasting And Warning System?

11. Which company become the top brand in the world in 2018?

14. Which bank allows a state-Owned Oil companies to Borrow long term working capital?

18. Which country won the U19 Asia Cup 2018 title?

Leisure Valley Ground 287, NH 8, Sector 29, Gurugram, Haryana Sun, 4 Nov 4:00PM - 6:30PM

Bookchor’s Sale Is Back!

Venue : Edesia The Party Hall

31

solution of sudoku-45

sudoku-46

Lodhi Art District Curated Tour Venue : Lodhi Art

District Block 15, Lodi Colony, New Delhi Sun, 4 Nov 10:00AM

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

Oct 29 - Nov 04, 2018

Minal Patel Davis

Indian-American Awarded At Patel Davis is White House Minal currently implementing

Mayor Turner’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan

A

n Indian-American woman has been honoured with a Presidential award by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for her extraordinary contribution towards combatting human trafficking in Houston.

Minal Patel Davis, Special Advisor on Human Trafficking to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, received the ‘Presidential

Medal for Combating Human Trafficking’ in the White House at a ceremony also attended by President Donald Trump.

“It was unbelievable,” said Davis after winning the award, the country’s highest honour in the field.

“My parents came here from India.

I was the first one in my family born in the United States, so to end up in the Mayor’s office a few years ago, and then to now end up in the White House, it was unbelievable,” she said.

Appointed in July 2015, Davis has made a local impact on human trafficking in America’s fourth-largest city from a policy-level perspective and helped in advancing systems change.

She is currently implementing Mayor Turner’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan, which is the first comprehensive municipal response to human trafficking by a US city.

Benyamin

Keralite Writer Bags India’s Richest Book Prize The book was first published in Malayalam in 2014

B

enyamin, the author of ‘Jasmine Days’, translated from Malayalam into English

by Shahnaz Habib, is the winner of the first edition of the Rs 25 lakh JCB Prize for Literature, India’s richest literary prize.

The award was announced at a specially curated dinner event. ‘Jasmine Days’ is published by Juggernaut Books.

The book was first published in Malayalam in 2014 as Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal and then translated into English by Shahnaz Habib.

The winning author congratulated all the other shortlisted authors and described each of them as equally deserving. “It is one of ten-most wonderful evenings of my life,” Benyamin said, pointing out that authors are often at the receiving end of troubles.

“It was fantastic. We were high on

books for six months and the books enriched us,” said Vivek Shanbhag, the chair of the jury.

The other shortlisted authors for the first edition of the prize were Perumal Murugan for ‘Poonachi or The Story of a Black Goat’, Shubhangi Swarup for ‘Latitudes of Longing’, Amitabha Bagchi for ‘Half The Night Is Gone’ and Anuradha Roy for ‘All The Lives We Never Lived’.

Benyamin had shot to limelight with his blitzkrieg work, ‘Aadu Jeevitham’.

Unsung Hero Ayush Prasad

Earn Lakhs From Your Toilets

IAS Officer Ayush Prasad is certainly showing how innovative thinking can lead to development and empowerment

M

any villagers of Khed Taluka in Pune were not using the toilets built by the government; they preferred defecating in the open.

When some people did use the proper toilets, their pits would fill up, but there was no one to empty them. All the night soil collected in the pits would just go to waste even as it contained a high nutritional value.

It would have been a difficult task to approach these three problems separately. The issues were recurring and tackling them one at a time, would demand triple the effort.

So, IAS officer Ayush Prasad, the Deputy Collector of Khed Taluka came up with a single solution to end all three issues–to empower the villagers with a regular income using toilet waste.

The project wouldn’t be successful unless the night soil was tested for its nutritional value, so Prasad approached the Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (DOGR) earlier this year to test the collected night soil.

By May, the researchers came back with positive results.

Prasad added, “I realised that if we promoted the concept of commercially exploiting night soil, locals could be motivated to use toilets so that their pits would fill faster. Also, once the pits filled to the brim are left unused for a few months, clearing them does not fall under scavenging.”

With the success of these tests, the next challenge was to convince the villagers to clear their toilets. For this, he took the help of IAS officers Indira Aswar and Sonali Avchat.

Durga Nangre, the head of the self-help group working on the project that Prasad started, says that there was internal opposition in the beginning. She says, “A lot of women felt that clearing toilets is a job for scavengers, not farmers. There were concerns about hygiene.

But, over time, the government officials visiting us addressed all of them.” The pits are not supposed to be cleared out for several months, one misconception that led to the reservations of the villagers.

Rather, each toilet has two pits, and when one of them fills up, it can be closed with a lid, while the other is to be used.

In the few months that it takes for the second pit to fill up, the components of the first pit have transformed from wet waste to night-soil of tea-powder consistency. Prasad arranged for this night soil from the villages to be bought by multi-national corporations like Mahindra & Mahindra.

“Our first order of 5,000 kg worth Rs 1 lakh from Mahindra & Mahindra has given us a boost, and all the groups are energised,” says Prasad.

Since the night soil is helping villagers earn a good amount of money, they now prefer using the toilet pits rather than defecating in the open. After observing the IAS officers, they also shed their inhibitions, and now their waste earns them lakhs.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 2, Issue - 46 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