Sulabh Swachh Bharat - VOL: 2 | ISSUE 24

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Vrindavan Widows

Sanitation in Britain

Maharana Pratap

The Making of A Legend

Bengal’s Vatsana found her way to Vrindavan and life was instilled

London’s Sewers Are A Triumph Of Victorian Engineering in 19th centurary

Maharana Pratap is revered as one of the strongest warriors India has ever seen

Namami Gange, the mission to clean and rejuvenate the holy river, must focus on urban sewage

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57, Battle of Plassey, Bengal Nawab Shiraz-udDaulah is defeated in the mango grove in Navadweep (people usually think the battle took place in Murshidabad, but it was in Navadweep.

There were 99 varieties of mangoes in that orchard, nurtured fondly by the Nawab. Gulab Khas, Nawab Pasand, Himsagar, Anupam, Begum Pasand, Bhabani Chauras, Bira, Dawood Bhog, Dil Pasand, Dudhia, Mirza Pasand…

The Nawabs of Bengal seemed to be highly indulgent. The tradition went that Begum Pasand would ripen only past midnight, and the Nawab would have to be woken up, freshened and given the special mango to taste.

There were clear instructions that the mango could only be placed on one’s palm, not touched by fingers, which could create spots on the flesh, and the skin had to be peeled using a fine wooden knife.

Adjacent to the orchard is the fabled Malda mango gardens. Yes, you will find sellers in Delhi selling mangos “from Malda”, but almost all the mango groves of Malda are bought

A Good News Weekly

Vol - 2 | Issue - 24 | May 28-June 03, 2018 | Price ` 5/-

Mango: Ocean Of Sweetness

Mango is among those fruits which is of Indian origin, which is why, whether in the south of the country or the north, it is a sacred fruit that can be offered to the Gods

King of Fruits

Quick Glance The antiquity of the mango’s origin can be found in Mahabharata

There are around 1,500 varieties of mangoes grown in the country

The mango tree Amola Pathak planted can bear fruit throughout the year

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak and Amola Pathak at there Mango garden in Patna

over with seed money for the farmers by traders, who sell the delicious fruit in Bangladesh and further east, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and Japan.

Indian Origin

It is standard practice in rituals of Sanatana Dharma– often mistakenly termed Hinduism – to offer no vegetable or fruit as Prasad, unless it is of Indian

origin. Mango is. Its biological name is Mangifera Indica, which means it is endemic to India. The antiquity of the fruit’s Indian origin can be found in the Mahabharata:

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Cover Story

“At Shakuni’s advice, Duryodhana decided to send Gouramukha, the son of the brahmin Puranjana, who had perished in the lac (“wax”) palace fire to see where the Pandavas were and what were their plans.

But Gouramukha said he wouldn’t recognise the Pandavas, which Duryodhana told him, was actually an advantage, since they wouldn’t recognize him too. They would be found among sages, he told him. He should disguise himself as a sage, and ask them to give him a ripe mango in that autumn season.

“They wouldn’t, of course, find one in the forest. However, they, and only they, he stressed, would be able to produce such a mango, a mango of truth - who else would be able to do so but the practitioners of truth? That was the way to recognize them, he said. Gouramukha dressed himself like a sage. Yudhisthira saw him, and with great humility asked him where he came from, who he was - a Maharshi, a Rajashri, Devashri or a Brahmashri (sages of different levels of spiritual attainments), and what food he would accept.

“The false sage said he wouldn’t have anything at all, and Yudhisthira should go ahead and eat his meal. But Yudhishthira wouldn’t hear of it; how could he commit the sin of making his guest wait for him when he would be having his food? When pressured a bit too hard, Gouramukha said if at all, he would have only a ripe mango.

“Yudhishthira was completely nonplussed how he would get a ripe mango in an autumn month, he wondered. The day had passed in great anxiety. His brothers had gone far and deep into the forest and had returned tired and empty-handed.

In utter helplessness, Yudhishthira did what he had always done in such circumstances: invoke Krishna.

Krishna arrived and told him not to worry. Season or no season, a mango of truth could always be produced. For that, each of the Pandava brothers and Draupadi must speak only the truth and not a word of a lie. At Krishna’s behest the sage Vyasa bought a mango

The famous Persian poet Amir Khusrau called the mango ‘Naghza Tarin Mewa Hindustan,’ the fairest fruit of Hindustan

May 28-June 03, 2018

History Of Mango

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he mango has been known in India since very early times. It is referred to in Sanskrit literature as Amra and has been under cultivation by man for over 4000 years.

It appears, however, that Hsiiantsang, one of the early travelers to India (632-645), was the first person to bring mango to the notice of people outside India.

Fa-Hien and Sung-Yun the earliest writer-travellers to ancient India mentioned in their travel notes that the Gautama Buddha was presented with a mango grove

by Amradarika in 500 BC as a place for meditation.

The spread of Buddhism assisted in the distribution of mangoes in Southeastern Asia. Buddhist monks took mango plants on voyages to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. The earliest name given to the mango was Amra-Phal. It is also referred to in early Vedic literature as Rasala and Sahakara, and is written about in the Brihadaranyaka, Upnaishad and the Puranas, which condemn the felling of mango trees. On reaching South India, the name translated to Aam-Kaay in Tamil, which gradually became Maamkaay due to differences in pronunciation. The

Malayali people further changed this to Maanga. The Portuguese were fascinated by the fruit on their arrival in Kerala and introduced it to the world as Mango.

In ancient India, the ruling class used names of mango varieties to bestow titles on eminent people – like the honour given to the famous courtesan of Vaishali, Amra Pali.

The mango tree was also associated with the god of love, Manmatha, and its blossoms were considered to be the god’s arrows by the Hindu Nanda Kings.

This fruit occupied an important place in horticulture during the rule of the Mogul emperors in India, and Akbar the Great (1556-1605) planted an orchard of 100,000 mango trees. The obsessive love for mango was, in fact, the only legacy that flowed untouched from one generation to another in the Mughal dynasty.

The origin of most o the improved varieties in India have been traced to those days, and the encyclopedia Ain-e-Akbari (1590 AD) contains a good account of the mango regarding its quality and varietal characteristics.

The Mughals relished their favourite addiction, with Jahangir and Shah Jahan awarding their Khansamahs for their unique

creations like Aam Panna, Aam ka Lauz and Aam Ka Meetha Pulao, a delicate mango dessert sold all through the summer in Shahjahanabad. Nur Jahan used a mix of mangoes and roses to create her legendary wines. The yellowgolden Chausa Aam was introduced to celebrate Sher Shah Suri’s victory over Humayun, while the luscious Dussehri Aam owes its birth to the Rohilla chieftains.

While on the run from India to Kabul, Humayun ensured a good supply of mangoes through a well-established courier system. Akbar built the vast Lakhi Bagh near Darbhanga, growing over a hundred thousand mango trees. This was one of the earliest examples of grafting of mangoes, including the Totapuri, the Rataul and the expensive Kesar.

The Peshwa of the Marathas, Raghunath Peshwa, planted 10 million mango trees as a sign of Maratha supremacy. Folklore has it that it was a fruit from these trees that eventually turned into the famous Alphonso, the king of mangoes. The advent of Europeans eventually affected the mango, which fell from its position of empire builder to simply a fruit – the British had no use for it in matters of diplomacy. Though it retained its superiority of taste, many varieties disappeared from the scene while several new ones emerged.

Over the ages, the mango became a household fruit and odes were sung in its praise. Rabindranath Tagore was extremely fond of mangoes and has written several poems about the fragrant flowers of mangoes, including the very famous aamer monjori . Legendary Urdu poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib was a mango aficionado too; he despised people who didn’t share his addiction for the fruit.

Cover Story

May 28-June 03, 2018

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What’s All Are There In Mango?

Barahmasia Mango Tree In Amola Pathak’s Garden

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ow wait for the summer is over for mango lovers, as the mango is available for whole year. Yes, you read it right, For Amola Pathak, wife of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International; mango is not a seasonal fruit. The mango tree which she planted in her garden can be counted on to bear fruit throughout the year.

The speciality of the tree is that its branches bear the fruits in

different stages a “from flowering to ripening a” at the same time.

While one branch has flowers, the others have matured mangoes.

The garden is present in Patna, and the specality of this plant is that only the organic manaure is used in it. It is difficult for everyone to taste the mangoes in every season, but due to the hard work of Amola Pathak, the branches of mangoes are full of fruits throughout the years.

Mango Man- Haji Kaleemuddin Mullah

stone, and with his benign glance, Krishna breathed life into it.”

Amazing Variety

There are around 1,500 varieties of mangos grown in the country, each with its distinct taste, pulp quality and flavour. Why, there is Haji Kaleemuddin Mullah, whose family has run huge orchards over the past

300 years. Kaleemuddin’s magic is that the Class 7 school dropout, now 77 years old, has used grafting technique to grow 300 different varieties of mangos in one single tree in his orchard in Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh.

He has named the tree Anarkali!

The Haji narrates a unique story about one of the best-known varieties of mangos, the Langra. How did the

A single mango has about 107 calories.

It also contains the following nutrients

Vitamins

Vitamin A (1262 IU) is the most prominent nutrient in mangoes. Other vitamins include vitamin C (45.7 mg), vitamin E (1.8 mg), vitamin K (6.9 mcg), thiamin (0.1 mg), riboflavin (0.1 g), niacin (1 mg), vitamin B6 (0.2 g), folate (23.1 mcg), pantothenic acid (0.3 mg), and choline (12.5 mg).

Minerals

A single mango contains iron specific variety get its name? The term Langra means ‘lame’ in English.

Centuries ago, there used to be a mango grower in that same region, who was lame. He had grown this special variety which was neither too sour nor too sweet, and it did not have any resa, or fibre that got into your teeth. People named his mangos as Langra Aam. Interestingly, the Haji says that though today, Langra Aam is grown in many places, it is the variety from Varanasi, given its soil quality that alone has this distinct taste. This story reminds me of the fabled Lucknow kebabs known as Tundey Kebab, after the man who invented it for a toothless Avadh Nawab. Tunde means a man with one arm. Food had strange antiquities!

His creation, the Anarkali is magical, as he describes: “Anarkali has a double skin. Orange is the first layer. But as you may a deeper stroke within, you are exposed to its second yellow coloured skin. But that’s not

(0.2 mg), potassium (257 mg), calcium (16.5 mg), phosphorus (18.2 mg), sodium (3.3 mg), zinc (0.1 mg), copper (0.2 mg), and selenium (1 mcg).

Other Nutrients

The fruit also contains protein (0.8 g), fiber (3 g), and carbohydrates (28 g).

These vitamins and minerals render mangoes their many benefits – which are what we will look at now!

Do Monkeys Know Something We Don’t?

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onkeys choose to eat the seed from the green mango.

Ayurvedic healers suggest that it is the seed that gives the monkey its energy and powerful strength to jump in the trees.

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Cover Story

May 28-June 03, 2018

Palmer Love From Brazil

Amazing Benefits Of Mangoes Prevents Cancer

Research has shown antioxidant compounds in mango fruit have been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. These compounds include quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat, as well as the abundant enzymes.

Lowers Cholesterol

The high levels of fiber, pectin and vitamin C help to lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically LowDensity Lipoprotein (the bad stuff)

Clears the Skin

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oxfuls of beautiful mangoes are part of this tropical Eden. The variety most on show is the large Palmer mango, blushed with a dark, purply red, like a bruised sunset.

Certain types of Brazilian mango are so fibrous and juicy that people massage them to pulp within the skin then make a hole in the top to suck out the fruit. But a Palmer has smooth, perfumed flesh that can survive transportation, and is

all — its taste adds to its exclusivity.

At first, it tastes like the Chausa variety of mango — but soon enough you will be filled with Chausa and Lakhnavi Dusseri mango flavours.

This is because Anarkali comes from the flowers of two distinct varieties of mangoes that were crossbred.”

Alphonso

Alphonso, of course, is the most famous of mangoes. The variety is named after Afonso de Albuquerque, a Portuguese general and military expert who

popular all over this vast country and in export markets.

The original tree was grown from a seed planted around 1925 on the property of Victor Mell of Miami, Florida. For the following decades ‘Palmer’s’ parentage was unknown, however a 2005 pedigree analysis estimated ‘Palmer’ was a seedling of ‘Haden’.

The variety was first propagated in 1945 and officially named in 1949.

helped establish Portuguese colonies in India. The Portuguese introduced grafting on mango trees to produce extraordinary varieties like Alphonso.

The fruit was then introduced to the Konkan region in Maharashtra, Goa and some parts of southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

The Alphonso is also one of the most expensive varieties of mango and is grown mainly in western India including places such as Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad districts and in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

Mallika & Amrapali

The problems with mango is that out of every 100 ‘mukuls’ or flowers on every tree, only one becomes a fruit. The second problem with mango especially in eastern India is that mangos

Can be used both internally and externally for the skin. Mangos clear clogged pores and eliminate pimples.

Helps in Diabetes

Mango leaves help normalize insulin levels in the blood. The traditional home remedy involves boiling leaves in water, soaking through the night and then consuming the filtered decoction in the morning. Mango fruit also have a relatively low glycemic index (41-60) so moderate quantities will not spike your sugar levels.

Mango During Pregnancy

Mangoes are rich in iron and vitamins A, C, and B6 – all of which grow once in every two years.

That makes it less attractive business-wise. To solve this problem, a former Pusa Institute horticultural scientist, late PK Majumdar, invented two varieties of mango, Amrapali and Mallika, which give fruits every year.

But being an exotic variety, these two plants spread widely and finish off other local varieties. This is why the farmers in the southern climes have refused to plant these two varieties.

“I have never seen or heard of either Mallika or Amrapali in our areas,” senior journalist N Asokan told SSB. Asokan says: “Mango has been mentioned in the Sangam Literature or ancient Tamil literature. We have what we call Mukani, or three fruits, mango, jackfruit and banana, which

are beneficial for pregnant women.

Vitamin A helps fight infections and prevents vision problems in newborns

Improves Digestion

Papayas are not the only fruit that contain enzymes for breaking down protein. There are several fruits, including mangoes, which have this healthful quality. The fiber in mangos also helps digestion and elimination.

Remedy for Heat Stroke

Juicing the fruit from green mango and mixing with water and a sweetener helps to cool down the body and prevent harm to the body.

Boosts Immune System

The generous amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A in mangoes, plus 25 different kinds of carotenoids keep your immune system healthy. are essential fruits for us. These are called sacred fruits. Halem, Dharmapuri and Sagar are the main mangoes growing districts in Tamil Nadu, and grow the fabled varieties, Ela, Neelam, Badami, Bangapalli, Sindhoora, Totapuri, Malgova, etc.

So there you are, with 1,500 varieties of a fruit, and just 1,000 words to write, that are the best can be done.

To do it all, maybe we need 1,500 books. Very long ago, I had met a senior government official to write a story on tea. When I told him of what I need, his eyes literally moistened: “Tea, he said,” paused for a while and said: “How can I tell you in half an hour… tea is an ocean!”

Well, if tea is an ocean established by the British, Mango is the Indian Ocean!

May 28-June 03, 2018

Vrindavan Widows

Vatsana Ghosh

She Found Her Way Back To Festivities And Happiness Bengal’s Vatsana was clueless where to go with her empty stomach but then she found her way to Vrindavan and life was instilled

Quick Glance Vatsana Ghosh was married to a 60-year-old man at the age of 15

After her husband’s death she worked hard to fill her children’s stomach

But the children forgot to fill her stomach when their turn came

n Priyanka Tiwari

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I kept waiting. Waiting and waiting. Hoping my food will arrive any minute now. But the night was over, the sun was up. My stomach was yet empty and I kept tossing and turning the entire time, trying to ignore the hunger. And it was not a matter of one night. Many nights have witnessed me hold my hunger somehow,” and then she took a long pause, as her eyes had welled up and the words got heavier to speak any further.

This is the tale of Shantipur’s (Kolkata) Vatsana Ghosh who at the age of mere 15 years was married to man four-times her age (i.e. 60 years old). As the story goes, she had three children after the marriage – two daughters and a son – and the husband used to pull rickshaws to meet the family errands. But Vatsana’s old husband did not stick around for a long time and while the kids were still very young, he died of a long-time ailment.

Vatsana was an introvert, stayat-home mother, but the husband’s death (and economic crisis) made her step out, go from house to house to work as domestic help and earn a living for her three children.

Whatever money she could lay her hands on, she spent it all on her children and eventually with time married them off.

The children now had a family of own to look upon, and soon they forgo of all the efforts their mother had put into building their future.

The daughters never looked back after their marriage and the son and his wife despite being around were equivalent to being absent.

“I was upset when my husband died. I was worried. But this time, when my children treated me this way, I was broken,” Vatsana said.

Vatsana recalled how after her husband’s death, the face of her children was what made her smile,

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and now these very faces had wiped that smile off her face forever. She said that earlier she accepted staying empty stomach to make sure her children slept full tummy, and now when it’s their turn to feed her, no one bothers whether she’s hungry or even sick.

Her son and daughter-in-law

would have merry dinner together.

She, on the other hand, would keep waiting that someone, sometime bring over her share of meal. This way the entire night will pass and she would lay empty stomach. This way, many nights went by and so Vatsana decided to leave.

Clueless as to where she would

I thought that life of a widow is meant to be sad, but now I know that festivities can remain for as long as we breathe

head now, Vatsana stepped out. On her journey to nowhere, she met with a group that was headed to Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan. They talked, laughed, sang bhajans (devotional songs). All this attracted Vatsana and so she decided to accompany them on their way to Vrindavan. The holy city of Lord Krishna and Radha Rani gave her peace and so she decided to stay back.

On first reaching Vrindavan, Vatsana recalls, she used to sing bhajans at Mirabai temple, eat ‘prasad’ as a meal and by the end of the day, sleep on the temple’s stairs itself. But on rainy days, she had trouble finding shelters. So the priest of the temple one day told her to go to Raju Ashram, where she can find a place to stay.

She went to the said ashram. But the hygienic conditions of the place forced her to leave at the earliest. This way she ended up living in Sharda Ashram where she is staying till date.

She says Sharda is not an ashram but a clean, comfortable and happy home for us widows. Thanks to ‘Pathak Baba’ (alias of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh Sanitation & Social Reform Movement looks after the welfare of the widows of Vrindavan) that now I don’t have to go door to door in search of food and shelter.

Pointing at her fellow in-mates, she said that earlier even a single day was hard to pass but now with them – singing bhajans, talking, laughing, cooking, eating – when the day turn sets to night, I can’t even tell. I thought that life of a widow is meant to be sad and lonely, but coming here, living in Sharda Ashram, I now know that the festivities of Diwali, Holi, Rakshabandhan can remain with us for as long as we breathe. I couldn’t ask for more, she smiled.

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Sanitation

May 28-June 03, 2018

Britain

How the british worked it out The invention of the modern toilet doesn’t carry the same sense of drama that the inventions of lightbulbs or aeroplanes did, but in their own not-so-small way, toilets have transformed the world we live in

London’s Sewers Are A Triumph Of Victorian Engineering

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SSB BUREAU

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ver since mankind first appeared on this shiny blue marble we call planet earth, there has been a need for us to use the toilet. Of course, back then the toilet was little more than a hole in the ground – if that – whereas today we’ve come to rely on the toilet as both a necessity and a source of comfort.

When you’re sitting there on the toilet, you’re probably not thinking of the history of the throne beneath you, but why would you? The modern toilet does everything we want it to, and while we have come to take modern toilets and plumbing systems for granted we tend to forget that what we’re sitting on is a relatively recent development.

The toilet itself isn’t though; it’s gone through much iteration over the thousands of years of Human history.

Indeed, it may surprise you to learn that some ancient civilisations actually had well-developed toilet systems – in

other words, no, they didn’t just do it in the street.

So, come with us on a journey from the fascinating – and often messy – history of the sanitation in UK. The truth is that Britain has long had a rather shabby reputation in the toilet department.

Roman Toilets

Unlike us, the Romans thought nothing of going to the toilet in a public place. They had rooms with stone benches with lots of holes in them where people would go to the loo as they sat next to each other.

In fact rich Romans would use public toilets as places to discuss the day’s news and to maybe even make a business deal. The Romans were in Britain for more than 350 years. They left in AD410 and you can still see some of their buildings today.

You can still see the toilets they used at Vindolanda in Northumberland, more than 1,500 years ago - luckily there’s no Roman poo left in them.

London Sewer System cleaned up the city’s water supply in the mid-19th century, improving everyday life and greatly reducing the risks of water-borne diseases

or hundreds of years, the people of London, England, knew to take cover whenever they heard a “gardyloo,” a warning cry that waste was about to be thrown from a nearby window or doorway. At this point in time, Londoners emptied their chamber pots into the streets and into the Thames River, the very source of their drinking water.

Until the middle of the 19th Century, raw sewage used to flow directly into the river Thames, which was also used for drinking water.

As a result, London faced repeated outbreaks of cholera, with one of the worst epidemics killing over 10,000 Londoners in 1853. It was not until the following year that a scientist named John Snow proved the link between cholera and contaminated water in London, tracing multiple cases back to a single pump in Soho.

In 1858, a particularly warm summer amplified the sewage issues for all those near the Thames - including the occupants of Parliament - creating what is known as ‘The Great Stink’. This, together with the frequent outbreaks of cholera, gave impetus to legislation enabling work to begin on sewers and street improvements.

The government soon passed legislation, with work beginning in 1859. By 1866, most of London was connected to a sewer network devised by Joseph Bazalgette.

His system used 82 miles of

Segedunum Roman Fort, also in Northumberland, has made a reconstruction of a Roman bath and

intercepting sewers, as well as a further 1,100 miles of street sewers, to ensure that the foul water from

old sewers and underground rivers did not contaminate the Thames and the public drinking water supply. Bazalgette achieved this by diverting wastewater along low-level sewers, built behind new embankments beside the Thames, before it was taken to newly designed treatment works.

By the end of the century, Bazalgette’s sewers, combined with sustained investment in other areas of sanitation across the country, had helped to considerably reduce infant mortality and increase average life expectancy. Through sanitation projects such as Bazalgette’s, public health across Victorian Britain was transformed, with countless lives saved and a more productive workforce created.

The extended sewers are still used in the present day and serve over eight million people in the city of London.

toilet. You can actually use the baths but don’t think about asking to use the toilets - they are only a model.

Sanitation

May 28-June 03, 2018

Quick Glance Britain has long had a rather shabby reputation in the toilet department

In loo rooms they have stone benches with lots of holes in them

Loos In The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, rich people built toilets called “garderobe” jutting out of the sides of their castles. A hole in the bottom let everything just drop into a pit or the moat.

You had to be careful you weren’t walking underneath it when someone was in the loo and take care on a dark night not to fall into the moat. In the summer time the smell would have been terrible.

In fact, people used to store clothes in the garderobe as the pongy smells kept moths away that might otherwise eat holes in them - this is where the word wardrobe comes from.

Not everyone lived in castles - poor people lived in huts and would have used dirty pits like this for toilets. You can see the plank they would have sat on at this medieval toilet found in York.

Garderobes and public toilets were eventually replaced by the “commode”, a box with a seat and a lid covering a porcelain or copper pot to catch the waste (Marie Antoinette’s commode.

France’s Louis XI hid his commode behind curtains whilst Elizabeth I covered hers in crimson velvet and lace, using sprigs of herbs to disguise the odours.

The Industrial Revolution

During the British Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands and thousands of people moved to towns and cities

During the Middle Ages, rich people built toilets called “garderobe”

and lot more houses were needed for them.

Many of these were very crowded with no room for toilets inside.

‘Back-to-back’ houses were very common and had no gaps between them. Several houses would share a small yard where there would be an outside toilet - you might have had to queue up to use the loo while you waited for your neighbour to finish.

It was still common for people to have an outside toilet until the 1950s.

Five Of The Best Loos In Britain Evesham hotel, Evesham

Almost certainly the oddest loos in Britain, the toilets in this hotel bar are also so squeaky clean that owner John Jenkinson once ate his dinner off the floor as part of a local newspaper stunt. In the gents’, the visitor is greeted by a sinister-looking scarecrow (an effigy of Jenkinson’s sister, apparently) and a shower curtain decorated with a Psychotype silhouette of a knifeman. There are radios and a stack of Beanos for those customers planning a long stay, and a Bogometer, which can be set to warn other users what smell to expect when they enter after you. Look into the mirror above the sink in both the ladies’ and gents’ and an Austin Powers-esque voice says, “You look great! Have you lost weight?”

Rothesay Pier, Isle of Bute

Prince Charles is a fan of these decorative urinals, having once visited the premises on an official visit. Often described as the most impressive surviving late-Victorian public conveniences in Scotland, if not Britain, the walls of these men’s toilets are clad in decorative ceramic tiles, ornately patterned in rows. Fourteen urinals stand like watchmen along two walls, another six surround a central stand.

Sewers

In 1848, the government decreed that every new house should have a watercloset (WC) or ash-pit privy. “Night soil men” were engaged to empty the ash pits.

These days almost all of us have flushing toilets - maybe even more than one. It wasn’t until a man called Thomas Crapper came along in the mid 19th century, about 150 years

‘Back-to-back’ houses were very common and had no gaps between them. Several houses would share a small yard where there would be an outside toilet

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Victoria Pier, Hull

A tourist attraction in their own right, these immaculate Edwardian public loos are home to so many species of plant that they almost resemble a Kew Gardens greenhouse. They have become so famous that coach parties make special stops, not to spend a penny, but to take pictures of the quaint, oddly tranquil interior. Lovely brass pipe work too, if you like that kind of thing.

Sarastro restaurant, London

The tagline of this theatreland Turkish restaurant is “the show after the show”, and that is certainly true where the loos are concerned. The walls are covered in pornographic hand-painted murals and look like the inside of an ancient brothel.

Hours of fun - just don’t bring your nan.

Don’t Miss A Sec, London

This arguably should not make the cut as it is no longer in service, but Monica Bonvicini’s functional artwork, positioned outside the Chelsea School of Art in 2004, was so great that I couldn’t leave it out.

Both a sculpture and a working toilet, the walls of this loo were made of one-way mirrored glass.

creepy sewer really looks like but avoid all the smelly poo, then the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester actually has a reconstruction of a Victorian sewer you can visit and learn lot more about the history of toilets besides.

Musical Loo?

ago, that they became widespread.

But what happens after you flush?

Poo, wee and all that water doesn’t just vanish into thin air, it goes down the drains and into the sewers.

If you want to see what a dark,

Since we’re on the subject of loos, what about the Loophonium? This ‘wind’ instrument is on display at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

It’s an old toilet connected to a euphonium, an instrument like a tuba, and has a sort of harp instead of a toilet seat - not the sort of thing you’d normally see in an orchestra it might also be a bit uncomfortable to sit on!

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International Personality

May 28-June 03, 2018

Martin Luther King Jr

America’s Gandhian icon He led the first nonviolent bus boycott protest in December, 1955 Parsa Ventakeshwar Rao Jr

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e died at the young age of 39 at the hands of an assassin on April 4, 1968, but in that short span of life he galvanized the civil rights movement in the United States, adopted Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence to agitate for black equality, delivered one of the best ever speeches ever in American history, “I have a dream” at Lincoln Memorial in Washington, addressing 250,000 blacks and whites, won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964 when he was just 35, and he became a world figure though he did not ever hold any official position like his hero, Mahatma Gandhi. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday on January 15 is a national holiday, which is I refuse to a rare honour in the United States. accept the view that Martin Luther King Jr mankind is so tragically bound was born into a family to the starless midnight of of pastors in 1929.

His father and grandracism and war that the father were pastors bright daybreak of peace and at the Ebenezer brotherhood can never become Baptist Church in Atlanta, and he too a reality... I believe that D u r i n g “Letter from a Birmingham jail”, served as a co-pastor unarmed truth and the days which served a manifesto of the black from 1961 until his unconditional love will of the revolution in America. This letter was death. He studied in a boycott, he in response to the statement of white segregated government have the final was arrested religious leaders in the south of the school and college and got his word and his house was United States who had termed the B.A. from Morehouse College, bombed. In 1957, he black protest untimely and unwise. from where his father and grandfather graduated as well. Then he attended was elected president of the Southern King responded by saying that the Crozer Theological Seminary Christian Leadership Conference and he took the criticism of the white in Pennsylvania and from there he he became the undisputed leader of priests as that of men of good will and therefore he felt compelled to went to do his doctorate at Boston black rights movement.

In the years between 1957 and his explain his stand to them. It was no University and got the doctoral degree in 1955. It is in Boston that he death in 1968, he travelled six million ordinary explanation. King stated the miles, and he spoke 2500 times fundamental principles of his political met and married Coretta King.

In 1954 he became pastor in and wrote five books, apart from philosophy in the letter.

King explained that he was not Montgomery in Alabama and he was numerous articles. He led a massive an active participant in the civil rights protest in Birmingham in 1963, and an outsider in Birmingham because movement. He became member of the it attracted worldwide attention. He the organization – the Southern executive committee of the National called it the ‘coalition of conscience’. Christina Leadership Conferences, Association for the Advancement of When he was imprisoned, he wrote had branches all over the south.

Colored People (NAACP). He led the first nonviolent bus boycott protest in December, 1955. The boycott lasted Nothing in all the world is more dangerous for more than a year, until the United than sincere ignorance and conscientious States Supreme Court ordered on stupidity December 21, 1956, that segregation on buses was unconstitutional.

He followed this simple statement of fact and said, “Beyond this, I am here in Birmingham because injustice is here…Moreover, I am Cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Then he explained in the letter the principles of non-violent agitation: “In any non-violent campaign, there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether the injustices are alive, negotiation, selfpurification and direct action.”

And he makes a powerful and telling point about the praise that the white pastors showered on the Birmingham police for maintaining order. He writes, “It is true that they have been rather disciplined in their public handling of the demonstrators.

In this sense they have been publicly “nonviolent”. But for what purpose?

To preserve the evil system of

May 28-June 03, 2018

09 07

Born: 15 January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable...

Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals segregation. Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. So I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or even more, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.”

In the summer of 1963, on August 28, King addressed a mammoth gathering of 250,000 mostly black marchers in Washington D.C. and delivered the historic speech with its theme of “I have a dream”. In this inspired and inspiring address, he stressed the point that means are as important as ends, and wrongful means cannot be adopted to gain rightful ends. And he was certain that hatred and bitterness have no place

International personality

Died: 4 April 1968, Memphis, Tennessee, USA Studies: PhD (Systematic Theology), Boston University 1955 Books: Stride Toward Freedom (1958), Why We Can’t Wait (1963)

in the fight for justice. He must have been aware how difficult it was for the oppressed people not to be bitter, but he would not compromise. He insisted that there can be no hatred and no bitterness. He said, “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

For King the principle of nonviolence was non-negotiable.

He exhorted: “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence.

Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

And he spelled out his dream of

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.

Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education

Movements: Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955), March To Washington (1963), Birmingham Campaign (1963) Known for: Civil Rights Movement, Peace Movements Awards: Nobel Peace prize (1964), Presidential Medal Of Freedom (1977), Congressional Gold Medal (2004) an America of racial equality. He declared: “I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.””

And he describes what that dream of equality would be when it is realized. He says, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”

The man who inspired King the most was Mahatma Gandhi, and King acknowledges his inspiration openly, generously and at length. In his 1958 book about the Montgomery bus boycott movement called “Stride Towards Freedom: The Montgomery Story”, King writes about his discovery of Gandhi and how he was convinced of Gandhi’s politics based on love and nonviolence. He writes, “The intellectual and moral satisfaction that I failed to gain from the utilitarianism of Bentham and Mill, the revolutionary methods of Marx and Lenin, the social contract theory of Hobbes, the “back to nature” optimism of Rousseau, and the superman philosophy of Nietzsche, I found in the nonviolent resistance philosophy of Gandhi. I came to feel that this was the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for

freedom.”

When he visited India in 1959, King said, “To other countries, I may go as a tourist, but to India I come as a pilgrim.”

In the last speech he had delivered in Memphis on April 3, 1968, a day before he was shot, King spoke with visionary zeal: “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”

He was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Prize for International Understanding for 1966. His wife, Coretta Scott King received the award in 1969.

Race relations remain a problem in the United States even 50 years after the tragic assassination of King, but his Gandhian approach to the problem and his sincere attempt to tackle it through nonviolence and moral high ground still remains relevant. His words continue to reverberate in the minds of generations of Americans – black and white – and the message of moral steadfastness and nonviolence remain the high point of his campaign for racial equality. There were times when it seemed that the fight for civil rights was not reaching it goal and even King felt moments of despair and frustration. As the words quoted above from his last speech show he did not yield to despair. He was hopeful that things will improve and justice will be done. It is this commitment to hope that should serve as an anchor to the blacks in the United States as well as the oppressed people elsewhere in the world.

10

Uttar Pradesh

May 28-June 03, 2018

child marriage

Curb On Child Marriage

The Yogi Adityanath government has come out with a novel way of ‘social policing’ to tackle the ‘child marriage’ problem in backward areas and tribal-belt

n S. Shukla

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espite prohibition, Child Marriage remained a major social evil in India. With Uttar Pradesh having the largest population of adolescent girls in the country, the practice remained rampant in different parts of the states, particularly in under-developed and tribal areas of Bundelkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh where poverty, illiteracy, patriarchy and caste discrimination impact the social norms.

Studies conducted by government agencies and NGOs depict a sordid picture when it comes to child marriage. About 46 per cent of the total child marriages in India take place in Uttar Pradesh alone. Many of the girls become brides when they don’t even attain puberty stage. Interestingly, the practice is more common among the SCs/STs and MBCs than in other castes.

Even though many social activists and NGOs are working in the region to educate people about the social evil, the child marriage menace continued unabated in these parts of the state.

“Most of the cases of child marriages are reported from families who are illiterates and poor. They fear that their daughters won’t get grooms

if they crossed 14-15 years of age as the demand for dowry will go high,” pointed Dr Jitendra Chaturvedi, a social activist who is educating them through his NGO Dehat to fight the social evil.

The same applies for the grooms also. During the survey, it was noticed that the school drop-out rate among adolescent girls and boys between the age group of 10-14 years and 15-17 years was quite high in the areas where reports of child marriages came in.

Since unemployment is a major problem, the majority of the parents prefer to tie the nuptial knots of their adolescent girls and boys at a tender age of 10-15 years. Ironically, many of them are aware of the law which prohibits solemnization of child marriages.

Child marriage was first banned in India in 1929 when British government had introduced Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929. But it had fixed the age of marriage for girls at 14 years and boys at 18 years which was later amended to 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which

replaced the earlier 1929 law.

The object of the Act was to prohibit solemnization of child marriage and deal with matters related to the social evil. Though there was a significant drop in a number of cases but the practice continued in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country.

“It is a general practice and we have no choice than to solemnize marriages of our children at an early age to avoid meeting high cost of dowry,” admitted Hari Gautam of Shravasti.

To meet the challenge, the Yogi Adityanath government has come out with a novel way of ‘social policing’ to tackle the ‘child marriage’ problem in backward areas and tribal-belt of Uttar Pradesh. It is making mandatory for printing age or date of birth of both the bride and groom on the invitation cards to discourage the social evil.

The idea was mooted by the District Magistrate, Shravasti Deepak Meena. “Since the printing of marriage invitation cards has become a fashion, it will put an effective check on the child marriages being solemnized in the district and elsewhere against law,” claimed Meena.

The DM said the district administration is preparing a list of all

About 46 per cent of the total child marriages in India take place in Uttar Pradesh alone

Quick Glance Many of the girls become brides when they don’t even attain puberty stage

The practice is more common among the SCs/STs and MBCs than in other caste Most of the cases of child marriages are reported from families which are illiterate and poor

printers and will hold meetings with their owners to discuss and implement the plan. “We are also identifying communities and villages where the practice is more common. We plan to hold camps by social organizations to educate them about the ill-effects of the child marriage,” said Meena.

As per the plan, every parent will have to submit age proof of bride and grooms to the owners of the printing press for printing of marriage invitation cards. Without age proof, the owners of the printing press will not allow printing of invitation cards.

The marriage invitation cards will carry the age or date of birth of both the bride and groom to certify that the marrying couples are adults and

legally entitled to tie the nuptial knots.

The printing press owners will keep a record of documents furnished as age proof.

“The printing press owners will be directed to inform the DM’s office or the local police stations if anyone tried to order for printing cards of their under-age son/daughter for marriage,” told the DM. The District Probation Officer will be made the nodal officer to check records of the printing press and monitor marriages being solemnized

Social

May 28-June 03, 2018 in interiors. Since the Yogi Adityanath government has made registration of marriages mandatory in Uttar Pradesh, directions are also being issued to register all marriages in the DM’s office.

Shravasti is an important ancient city having religious importance for Buddhist and Jainas but it remained most economically backwards. Since the majority of the people live in rural areas and are illiterates, they tie the nuptial knots of their daughters and sons at an early age, prohibited by the Prevention of Child Marriage Act. As per law, marriages can only be solemnized once the girl attains the age of 18 years and man 21 years.

The female and male ratio in the district remained one of the lowest in the state with 881 females per 1000 male. It was declared as one of the 250 most backward areas in the country in 2006. The district draws funds from the Backward Regions Grants Funds Programme (BRGF) for development.

According to the National Family Health Survey-4, the child marriage remained major social evil in the district. Majority of parents prefer to marry off their daughters when they reach 10-12 age-group. About 7.5 per cent girls in the district bear their first child between 15-19 age-group, resulting in high delivery-related deaths and malnutrition.

The District administration will also rope in support from Asha and Anganwadi workers to do social policing and catch those who ignore the DM’s directives to go ahead with the marriage of their underage wards.

The DM Shravasti said that besides introducing printing of date of birth on invitation cards, he is also encouraging community marriages and making available grants for the marriages of poor girls to ensure complete eradication of child marriages in Shravasti. Under these schemes, it is mandatory for beneficiaries to attain legal age of marriage as prescribed by the law.

Buoyed by the DM Deepak Meena’s novel initiative, Dr Jitendra Chaturvedi of Dehat NGO said that the menace would end only by bringing these families to the mainstay of the society and ensuring that each girl and boy in their families complete schooling and enroll in higher classes.

A senior Social welfare department official said that if the experiment to eradicate child marriages succeeded in Shravasti, the same will be replicated in other backward and tribal areas where cases of child marriages are still being reported.

11 07

Azhar Maqsusi’s

Hunger Has No Religion Azhar Maqsusi’s mission is manna for Hyderabad’s homeless n Mohammed Shafeeq

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omeless beggars, ragpickers and labourers sitting with plates on a mat are waiting under a flyover. As the clock strikes 12.30 pm, a slim man appears on the scene and starts serving hot rice and dal.

Dabeerpura flyover in the old city has been witnessing this every day since 2012 and not a single day goes without the hungry gathering there for lunch or the man not serving them food. Meet Syed Osman Azhar Maqsusi, who works with unflinching zeal to satiate the hunger of the needy with apt slogan ‘hunger has no religion’.

As someone who lost his father at the age of four and who himself experienced the pangs of hunger, Azhar understands their pangs and is ready to do whatever possible to alleviate their suffering.

It was a chance encounter with a homeless woman near the same flyover six years ago which motivated him to launch the free food programme. “Lakshmi was crying due to hunger. I arranged food for her and decided to do everything within my limited means to remove the hunger of as many people as possible,” recalled the 36-year-old to IANS. Initially, his wife used to cook the food at home and he used to bring the same to flyover for serving the needy. Later, he started cooking under the flyover to save the cost on transportation.

“It started with 30-35 people and today more than 150 people are being provided food here,” said Azhar, who now runs the Sani Welfare Foundation and has hired two cooks.

Three years ago, he extended this work to Gandhi Hospital, the biggest government-run facility in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad. A van of the foundation transports food for 150-200 people every day.

The Foundation along with NGOs is also running daily food programmes in Bengaluru,

Guwahati, Raichur and Tandur.

Azhar is happy that the work which he started alone has motivated many individuals and organizations. “Today you can see many people distributing free food among the needy at various places in the city,” says Azhar with a sense of achievement.

He, however, believes that his dream will come true only when hunger is eliminated from this country and the world. “There should be nothing called hunger,” says Azhar.

He runs a Plasterof-Paris unit near Dabeerpura and spends a few hours every morning and evening there.

“The rest of the time I spend in arranging food at both the places,” said Azhar, who is helped by his brother, his cousin and a couple of volunteers on weekends.

As Azhar sat in his shop, a donor arrived with three bags of rice on his two-wheeler and Azhar himself unloaded the bags.

Last month, he was invited by actor Salman Khan to Mumbai for an event of his foundation “Being Human”. Selected as one of the six real-life heroes from across the country, Azhar had conversation and photoshoot with the actor.

The social worker was earlier on a show ‘Aaj ki raat hai zindagi’ hosted

by Amitabh Bacchan. Various organisations have also honoured him.

Azhar is happy that the work which he started alone has motivated many individuals and organisations

Azhar, however, remained down to earth. “I don’t have an office or staff. There is no change in my lifestyle.”

He doesn’t collect funds. “If people come with donations in the form of rice and dal, I accept it. I don’t accept cash unless the donor is not in a position to bring rice or dal,” he said.

Third among the four siblings, he dropped out of school when he was in fifth standard and started working as a labourer.

“We used to live in my grandfather’s house. He also had a big family to look after. We used to get food once a day and sometimes even that was not available. But whatever may be the situation, we should remain thankful to the almighty Allah.”

For Azhar, the biggest inspiration is his mother, who struggled to bring them up. He believes that Allah is arranging food for the hungry and the needy through him.

“It doesn’t matter who is coming to eat. All I know is they are hungry.

It’s in their destiny. Dane dane pe likha hai khane wale kanaam (Every crumb you get to eat has your name on it),” adds Azhar.

12

History

May 28-June 03, 2018

Maharana Pratap

Rider Of The Blue Horse Maharana Pratap is revered as one of the strongest and most fearless warriors India has ever seen

Quick Glance Not by stealth or treachery, he faced his enemies in upfront battles

At Haldighati, Pratap waged battle against a much larger army

Till his very last breath, Maharana Pratap dreamed of Chittor’s freedom

n Urooj Fatima

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he strong, the brave and the formidable make history.

It is absolutely true about Maharana Pratap Singh of Udaipur.

His life is an eternal tale of bravery, determination and uprightness in the Rajput history of Rajasthan. He was a diehard patriot, high-minded leader, staunch warrior, caring king and worshiper of freedom. He was the only Rajput ruler to have fought with Akbar and defied his massive army.

Like a dutiful son, he protected his kingdom Mewar and the subjects with all his might from the Mughal forces.

There were many warrior Kings in the history of India, who in respect of personal valour, capacity for government, diplomatic acumen and qualities of generalship were equal to or in some respects even superior to Maharana Pratap, but the subsequent

Little-known Facts  An integral part of the Udaipur history, Gogunda is a small town which was Maharana Udai Singh II’s hideout when Akbar seized the Chittorgarh Fort.  The famous Battle of Haldighati in 1576 between the massive Mughal army led

by Akbar, and the soldiers of Maharana Pratap was the hardest time in the fate of Udaipur  Maharana Pratap was always concerned about the security of his subjects. That is why he shifted the capital to Kumbhalgarh in the Aravalli Range to save them from consequences of the battle  Maharana Pratap was not just a brave warrior, caring king

and valiant leader but also a man of principles. He never tried any unjust means nor transgressed from the rules of warfare to win over his enemies.

His distinction of being just was a rare leadership trait

 On one occasion Amar Singh had taken some Muslim women as trophy hostages after a battle.

Maharana Pratap rebuked his son for doing so. The women were freed and sent home with dignity  Maharana Pratap’s life is a lesson on how to stand ground against all odds. When he was wandering in forests to keep away from the Mughal army after the Battle of Haldighati, his family suffered many hardships.

generations have accorded special honour to Maharana Pratap.

The sole reason of this was his refusal to submit to Akbar on the ground that bartering away one’s liberty to secure any honour is unworthy of a selfrespecting person. He sacrificed all comforts and convenience at the altar of a noble ideal, fearless defiance of death. He refused to be cowed down by an apparently invincible power of the enemy. With a mere handful of men at his back, he defied the arms of a powerful Emperor like Akbar with such fortitude, valour and irrepressible courage and confidence that it has evoked admiration on all hands.

He won undying fame and glory because of his readiness to die for a noble cause. If in his war against Akbar the Rana had succeeded in roping in the active support of other Rajput chiefs, his credit would have been higher and he might have found it easier to defend the liberty of his land.

Maharana Pratap was born on May 9th, 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan.

His father was Maharana Udai Singh II and his mother was Rani Jeevant Kanwar. Maharana Udai Singh II ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital at Chittor. Maharana Pratap was the eldest of twenty-five sons and hence given the title of Crown Prince.

He was destined to be the 54th ruler of Mewar, in the line of the Sisodiya Rajputs.

The ‘Mountain Man’

Maharana Pratap is revered as one of the strongest warriors India has ever seen. Standing at 7 feet 5 inches, he would carry an 80-kilogram spear and two swords weighing around 208 kilograms in total. He would also wear an armour weighing 72 kilograms.

History

May 28-June 03, 2018

13 07

“NO, THANK YOU” TO AKBAR

W

Chittorgarh will never forget the lifelong battle that this bravest Rajput had waged to win back the city’s fort from Akbar, the Mughal Emperor Ascension To Throne

Living for a while in the difficult mountain terrains at Kumbhaner along with his father, Pratap made his residence at Gogunda where Maharana Udai Singh died on 28 Feb,1572. In accordance with the desire of Bhatiyani queen Dheer bai, Maharana Udai Singh had declared his son Jagamal as his heir apparent but despite strong desires of the queen and the Maharana, Jagamal could not realize his dreams. After the death of the Maharana, Jagamal occupied the Royal Throne but he did not participate in the funeral rites the former ruler of Gwalior Ram Singh Tanwar enquired about Jagamal after which the noble heads came to know about Jagamal having been made the heir-apparent. At this point Man Singh Sonagare, the maternal uncle of Pratap raised an objection and said to Rawat Sanga (the predecenor of Devagarh nobles) – you belong to the clan of Chunda therefore, this ought to have been decided after consultation with you. Then, Rawat Krishna das and Rawat Sanga said – “Pratap is the eldest son, and worthy also, hence, he will be the Maharana.” After completing the last rites, the noble chieftains made Pratap occupy the Royal Throne and spoke to Jagamal – “In your capacity as the younger brother, your seat is in front of the Royal Throne”.

Repression of the Vagadiya Chauhans

Pratap first demonstrated his bravery by attacking the Vagadiya Chauhans.

In the battle at the banks of Som River Karansi, the cousin of Rana Sanwaldas was killed. Being defeated the Vagadiya Chauhans Conceded a large part of Vagad lard to Mewar. This enhanced the fame of Pratap and the attention of the common masses and feudal heads started centring towards the browsing of Pratap.

Last Wish of Pratap

On January 19, 1597, while pulling the string of the bow to hunt a tiger he developed pain in his intestine and fell sick. Maharana Pratap was lying on the bed made of grass even when he was dying as his oath of freeing Chittod was not still fulfilled. At the last moment, he took his son Amar Singh’s hand and handed over the responsibility of freeing Chittod to his son and died in peace. When almost the whole of Rajasthan was under the control of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, Pratap fought for 12 years to save Mewar. Akbar tried various means to defeat Maharana but he remained unbeatable till the end.

Besides, he also freed a large portion of land in Rajasthan from the Mughals.

He underwent so much of hardship but he preserved the name of his family & his Motherland from facing defeat.

hen emperor Akbar evivaded Chittor in 1967, Maharana Udai Singh abandoned Chittorgarh following the advice of his chief cans and Generals.

Though Pratap desired to stay back and protect the fort but the chief fans and Generals did not agree to expose the future king of Mewar to the jows of death and sent him to mountains along with his father on the night of 23 Febuary, 1568, the last Jauhar was organised. This incident of Jauhar and Saka at Chittor made a deep impression on the heart of Pratap. He was full of hatred for Akbar who indulged in this merciless killing.

Before fighting the Mughals, Pratap had to face the wrath of his domestic adversaries. By the time of his reign, almost all Rajput dynasties had surrendered to Akbar and had become members of his council.

Akbar sent a total of six diplomatic missions to Pratap, seeking to negotiate the same sort of peaceful alliance that he had concluded with the other Rajput chiefs. This is clearly evidential

of the ends sought by each of the two rulers: for Akbar, having an independent or semi independent kingdom, within his otherwise consolidated empire was politically unsound and militarily dangerous; for Pratap Singh, on the other hand, to accept vassalage with little in return was a political suicide, and a steep fall for Mewar in the region’s power structure.

On June 21, 1576 ( June 18 by other calculations), the two armies met at Haldighati, near the town of Gogunda in present-day Rajasthan.

However, the numerical superiority of the Mughal army and their artillery began to tell. Seeing that the battle was favouring Akbar and with the huge amount of death of soldiers on both sides, Pratap’s

generals prevailed upon him to flee the field so as to be able to fight another day. Myths indicate that to facilitate Pratap’s escape, one of his lieutenants, a member of the Jhala clan, donned Pratap’s distinctive garments and took his place in the battlefield. He was soon killed. Meanwhile, riding his trusty steed Chetak, Pratap was able to successfully evade captivity and escape to the hills. However, Chetak was critically wounded on his left thigh by a mardana (Elephant Trunk Sword, with spear of weight 263 kg.) while Pratap had attempted to nail down Man Singh. Chetak was bleeding heavily and he collapsed after jumping over a small brook a few kilometres away from the battle field.

Chetak - The Royal Horse

Chetak was the famous horse of Rana Pratap, whom Pratap rode during the gruesome Battle of Haldighati ( June 21, 1576).

Chetak died in this battle and since then has been immortalized in the ballads of Rajasthan. This famous warhorse was of Kathiawari breed. Folklore has it that Chetak’s coat had a blue tinge. That is why Rana Pratap is sometime referred as the “Rider of the Blue Horse” in ballads.

A famous couplet narrates this incident of the battle: Aage nadiya padi apaar, ghoda kaise utare paar, Rana ne socha is paar, tab tak chetak tha us paar English Translation : Lies the boundless river ahead, How will the horse cross it? While Rana thought on his side, Chetak was that side!

The battle of Haldighati has commanded a lasting presence in Rajasthani folklore, and the persona of Pratap Singh is celebrated in a famous folk song “O Neele Ghode re Aswar” (O Rider of the Blue Horse). Maharana erected a small and beautiful monument for his beloved companion at the place where Chetak fell. This cenotaph still exists near the village of Jharol in in Rajsamand District. Chetak lives on in poetic traditions as the epitome of loyalty.

14

North East

May 28-June 03, 2018

Development

Assam

Governor Advocates Social And Physical Infrastructure Finance Ministry discussed several recommendations for development of social and physical infrastructure in the northeast

n Raj Kashyap

A

two day conference in Guwahati saw a range of recommendations being discussed and debated for the development of social and physical infrastructure in the land locked northeast.

The two day Regional Conference on 14-15 May was organised by the Ministry of Finance. The conclave saw senior government officials, researchers and business leaders present ideas for the improvement of infrastructure and connectivity across all the eight states of the region.

Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi mooted the idea of a dedicated think tank in the capital that will research on the Northeast.

“The time has come that there should be a dedicated think tank for the NER at the Central Government level. The recent initiative of NITI to establish a special forum for NER is a step in the right direction. However, I would like to add that RIS is also taking initiative to put in place a special institutional mechanism of the experts from the NER to articulate what NER needs for ensuring its holistic economic and social growth”, he said.

Several speakers deliberated on “low integration” due to the land-

locked nature of the region. Before independence and partition, the Northeast had strong trade linkages with the countries in South-East Asia and was a prosperous region.

The NER became land-locked which stalled the pace of development.

It may be mentioned that the NITI Aayog has recently launched the ‘NITI Forum for the North East’ which envisages that development projects in the NER will be based on the concept of “HIRA” (Highways, Inland Waterways, Railways and Airways) as spelled-out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The focus would be upon education, health and skill development in the region. In addition, horticulture, tourism, food processing, use of

Quick Glance Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi mooted the idea of a dedicated think tank in the capital

The initiative of NITI to establish a special forum for NER is a step in the right direction The NER became land-locked which stalled the pace of development

bamboo and Made in North-East will be developed through Five Mission Mode Projects in a time-bound manner. The emphasis is also on connecting with Bangladesh, Nepal apart from Trans Asians Railway line on which three projects are being undertaken.

The two-day conference also discussed water resources in the Northeast which should be leveraged in the most optimum manner. Out of 20 waterways in the region, nearly 15 are in Assam.

Speakers were of the view that waterway would significantly lower transportation cost and promote trade. Dredging and maintenance of dredging would be required to develop the waterways.

Another topic that attracted attention was digital connectivity since it could emerge as the biggest challenge for the NER because of the mountain terrain. Officials were of the view that special attention needs to be paid for extending digital connectivity across the region especially digital solutions for remote areas.

The conclave highlighted that supply-driven approach to infrastructure development has overlooked the local developmental aspirations in NER. Besides mega infrastructure projects, microinterventions like storage facilities could help optimise the utilisation of local resources for promoting entrepreneurship and job creation.

In this regard, the important point would be to have a “bottom-up approach rather than the top-down approach” for developing the required infrastructure.

Some business leaders underscored that local industries in the reigon were losing their competitiveness due to global competition, poor infrastructure and unfavorable government rules and regulations.

They argued that proper pricing, efficient supply of raw materials and product diversification can support the local industries for more competition in the market. They were of the view that the Northeast has vast potential for developing green and clean energy based on generating solar energy.

Foundation of Cancer Hospitals Next Month 19 cancer hospitals, two dental colleges to come up in Assam n SSB Bureau

A

s many as 19 cancer hospitals will be set up in Assam within two years, including one in Guwahati, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said.

The government has already identified sites for 13 of the 19 proposed cancer hospitals, he added.

“Assam Cancer Care Foundation set up by the Assam government in association with the Tata Trust will run these cancer hospitals.”

The Minister said that most of these proposed hospitals will become operational in the next 24 months, adding that the northeastern region with approximately five crore population reports about 45,000 new cancer cases every year.

He also said that the Dental Council of India had accorded permission to Assam to set up two dental colleges at Dibrugarh and Silchar. The state presently has one dental college.

The new dental colleges, once set up, will have a student intake capacity of 50 students each, thereby doubling the seats for dental course in state dental colleges.

Kolkata

May 28-June 03, 2018

15 07

Ma Durga

Craftswomen Of Barberia

Meet the budding craftswomen of Barberia who are busy fashioning the weapons of Ma Durga as the pujas are barely four months away and the order books have started growing rapidly n Prasanta Paul

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raw, staccato sound of hammering and cutting of tin plates will greet a visitor if he approaches the old, rickety two-storied building at the first turn in Barberia village of Uluberia in Howrah district. A quiet peek into one of the unkempt rooms will surely surprise him; a vast array of ‘weapons’ of various sizes in such bewildering shapes of tin! Some of them are glistening, some are not.

Nevertheless, the heap of tinplates accompanied by that monotonous sound isn’t music all the time. Bandana, Sutapa, Tikli, Tanu, Mamoni and others are busy giving a final shape to the unassembled ‘weapons’.

Meet the budding craftswomen of Barberia who are busy fashioning the weapons of Ma Durga, for, the pujas are barely four months away and the order books have started growing rapidly. Nestled on the bank of the Ganga in Uluberia in the eastern part of Howrah district, Barberia is home to Devi’s trove of arsenal. Not only Durga, who sports ten varieties of weapons in as many hands, the smaller gods and goddesses that adorn her around, also source their ‘ammunition’ from this tiny village.

Well, it would be unfair if one tends to exclude other deities; these women cater to all of them. And not this decrepit building alone, a large majority of mud-huts in the village have been converted into a ‘semiweapons’ factory’ ; if the men folk are engaged in organising the raw material – a special variety of thin sheet of tin - their female counterparts share it among themselves to cut and shape the weapons of the deities.

A 10 minute’s cycle van ride from the Uluberia railway station will take one straight to the village. As the van will draw near the village, the sound of soft tin being hammered is certain

to greet him. Most of the young girls engaged in the job are school dropouts while some are still continuing reluctantly. Another unique feature of the village that has drawn the girls to the trade is the fact that most of the families in the village have been blessed with girl children, forcing the family elders to engage the girls in some trade or others to make them marriage-worthy.

Says Vandana Kar, 24, who got married a couple of years ago and has delivered a girl six months back, “I’ve been making conch for Ma Durga, Ma Kali and Ma Jagadhhatri for the last seven years. My father taught me the art of cutting and bending the tin for making these conches.” The Kars have been engaged in this trade for the last 40 years and Vandana’s father Prabhat is quite a familiar face in Kumartuli, hub of idol makers in north Kolkata, because his three daughters keep on supplying various weapons of the deity.

Prabhat and seven others of

the village have formed a type of cooperative with each having been assigned a specific task. For instance, Palash and Shantanu have to fetch the raw material – a special type of thin yet very light tinplate from Mechua, the wholesale market in Kolkata.

“We’ve been sourcing the raw material from Mechua for more than 30 years; without the special light quality, the women will not be able to cut and give a proper shape to this motley size of the weapons. Hence, we don’t to want to take any risk as far as the raw material is concerned,” explains Shantanu.

Once the raw material reaches the village, it is evenly distributed among the households engaged in the traditional trade. When the distribution is over, it’s now time for a detailed stock-checking exercise. If Chandana and Vandana are supposed to make a full assessment of the number of weapons that are available in their stock and those waiting to be cut and polished, Sutapa and Tikli who

Most of the young girls engaged in the job are school drop-outs while some are still continuing reluctantly

mainly fashion the spear of the deity, will be with the measuring scale to find out the lightest portions of the tin to enable them to work on the spear.

Then comes the designer duo –Tanu and Mamoni – who first draw the weapons on a paper and thereafter proceed to cut the soft plate as per the design. However, they leave it to others to finally hammer, mould and shape the weapons before they are sent back to the duo for decoration with coloured paint. “It’s really an arduous task and almost all of us have suffered cuts in our hand as the fine edge of the tin often tends to suddenly bend or unbend in its own independent manner even though we try our best to tame the sheets,” claims Tanu. The monetary yield vis-a-vis the labour is hardly compensative; nevertheless, there is a pull that draws them to the job. “The very thought that decorated weapons fashioned by us will adorn the hands of the deities, is the main propeller for us even though the earning is quite low compared to the labour,” says Mamoni who has decided to discontinue studies after Class XI as it has become imperative to lend her hand in the family earnings. Five years ago, weapons of Ma Durga and Ma Kali crafted by the duo, had travelled to the USA. Since then, the weapons makers of Barberia are an excited lot; each and every item is carefully checked before their dispatch. If the colours fade up or fail to glisten on the weapons when lights are on, they are summarily rejected. “We’ve to maintain the quality,” Shantanu appears assertive, “otherwise neither idol makers nor their customers will bother to search for the weapons we manufacture for the deities.” Shantanu is perhaps right; traditional worshippers in Bengal and elsewhere are sometimes petty fastidious about conch, spear or bow and arrow that their deities sport.

16

May 28-June 03, 2018

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that

urooj fatima Writer is an emerging journalist and a post-graduate in Media Governance from Jamia Millia Islamia

VIEWPOINT

Tobacco Breaks Hearts

Martin Luther King Jr

Protect your heart, choose health, not tobacco

Children Need Models, Rather Than Critics Let’s try to make these and all the rest of days brighter, paint children’s lives by different colors of kindness and love

T

he 1st of June-International Day for Protection of Childrenor Children’s Day is recognised on various days in many places around the world, to honour children globally. So this day means not only the first day of the summer, but something more for children’s future.

They say International Day for Protection of Children was the oldest International holiday in the world. International Day for Protection of Children was set in 1925 during World Conference for the Protection of Children in Geneva.

Protection of children’s rights is fixed in many international documents and resolution, including UN General Assembly Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted in 1959 and Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989. These documents actually considered children as the most vulnerable social group of society.

On 20 November, 1959, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a much expanded version as its own Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adding ten principles in place of the original five. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by UN General Assembly. On September 2, 1990, it became international law with one notable exception: the US signed the Charter but has not ratified it. The Convention consists of 54 articles that address the basic human rights to children everywhere are entitled: The right to survival; The right to develop to the fullest; Protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; The right to participate fully in family, cultural & social life.

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

Y

ou probably know that cigarette smoking causes breathing problems and lung cancer. But did you know it also makes you more likely to have a heart attack?

Every cigarette you smoke makes you more likely to get heart disease. Roughly 1 out of 5 deaths from heart disease are directly related to smoking.

People who smoke are two to four times more likely to get heart disease. Women who take oral contraceptives and smoke increase their risk of stroke many times. Smoking also creates a higher risk for peripheral arterial disease and aortic aneurysm.

Secondhand

Cigarette smoke is also bad for the people around you. Secondhand smoke can cause heart disease and lung cancer in people who don’t smoke.

In fact, long-term exposure to secondhand smoke has been shown to cause a 30% increase in the risk of heart disease in non-smokers. Exposure to secondhand smoke also negatively affects cardiovascular health by decreasing exercise endurance, damaging blood vessel walls, and increasing the tendency of blood platelets to clot, contributing to heart attacks. Also, nonsmokers’ bodies tend to react more dramatically to tobacco exposure than do smokers’ bodies, so lower levels of smoke can cause adverse effects.

Contrary to public perception, smokingcaused heart disease actually results in more deaths per year than smoking-caused lung cancer.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) kill more people than any other cause of death worldwide, and tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure contribute to approximately 12% of all heart disease deaths. Tobacco use is the second leading

cause of CVD, after high blood pressure.

The global tobacco epidemic kills more than 7 million people each year, of which close to 900 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing secondhand smoke. Nearly 80% of the more than 1 billion smokers worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobaccorelated illness and death is heaviest.

Smokers In India

Coronary heart disease (blockages in arteries of the heart) is among the leading causes of death in India too. Thirty percent of all heart disease deaths are caused by cigarette smoking and smoking is the single largest preventable cause of heart disease. In India, smoking is in many forms like cigarette smoking, bidi smoking, hookah smoking and tobacco chewing like khaini, jarda etc. and tobacco in all forms has been shown to be detrimental to the cardiovascular system.

It is estimated that 11% of total global adult (30 years of age) cardiovascular deaths were attributable to smoking in 2000. This proportion was higher in men (17%) than

Cigarette smoking is responsible for 40 per cent of heart disease in those under 65 years of age. 30 per cent of all heart disease deaths each year are caused by cigarette smoking

May 28-June 03, 2018 women (5%) and industrialized (16%) over developing (7%) countries. India is the second largest consumer with more than one-third of adults (35%) using tobacco in some form or other and of which 21% using smokeless form exclusively. Though the mean age of initiation of daily users is 17.8 years, the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) reported that tobacco use begins as early as 10 years of age in both boys and girls Tobacco smoke contains high levels of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide affects the heart by reducing the amount of oxygen the blood is able to carry. This means that the heart, lungs, brain, and other vital organs do not always receive enough oxygen to perform everyday functions. At the same time, nicotine causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

Over time, this causes extraordinary “wear and tear” on the cardiovascular system. People who use tobacco are more likely to have heart attacks, high blood pressure, blood clots, strokes, haemorrhages, aneurysms, and other disorders of the cardiovascular system.

Smoking actually triples the risk of dying from heart disease. Cigarette smoking is a major cause of stroke by increasing clotting factors in the blood, decreasing HDL cholesterol levels, increasing triglyceride levels, and damaging the lining of blood vessels.

The risk for stroke increases as the number of cigarettes smoked increases.

Maulana Wahiduddin Wahiduddin is an Islamic scholar and peace activist known for having translated the Quran into contemporary English and for writing a commentary

upfront

Theme Of 2018

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that World No Tobacco Day 2018 will focus on the important link between tobacco and heart disease.

Every year, on 31 May, WHO and its partners, including the World Heart Federation (WHF), mark World No Tobacco Day to highlight the health and other risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.

This year’s campaign aims to increase awareness on the link between tobacco and cardiovascular disease (CVD), including stroke, which is the world’s leading cause of death. The campaign will also promote feasible actions and measures that governments and the public can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco.

Your heart will thank you for quitting smoking, so don’t waste any time. The health benefits start almost immediately, and within a few years of quitting your risk of stroke and coronary artery disease are similar to non-smokers.

The step we take sometimes leads us further away from our destination

own; whatever it does conforms exactly to the will of God. We, on the other hand, have been invested with freedom. Just as nuclear energy, when it emanates from nature in the form of sun’s rays, is a source of light and sustenance for the planet, so religion, as revealed to us by God, is a source of light and sustenance for the spiritual world—it nourishes our souls and guides us onto the path of eternal salvation.

But just as men have mishandled nuclear energy, they have mishandled religion. They have

letters to the editor The Making of A Legend

Biggest Solar Power Plant

Swachh Survekshan 2018

solar The fully-automatic plant in Itanagar will be able to run without human labour

2018 Swachh Survekshan increased its scale by surveying 4,203 cities from 434 cities

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Swachh Bharat is about civic promoting sanitation a sense and making India clean country

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used it to advance themselves to positions of power, to win esteem, to accumulate wealth for themselves at the expense of others and to spread conflict, hate, division and suffering in this world.

The author Richard Dawkins, in his famous book, ‘The God Delusion’, blames religion for much of the bloodshed in the world and many of the ills in society. It would be wrong to blame nuclear energy for the potential of destruction it holds for us, because that would be due to its misuse, not to any fault of its own. In the same way, it is wrong to blame religion for the evils which men have perpetrated in its name. This is the fault of man, not the fault of the divine religion which he corrupts.

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05 Nikkei Asia Prize

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The Fault Of The Man

O

ne of the main disclosures of modern physics has been that the energy reaching the Earth from the Sun is the result of nuclear reactions at the centre of the Sun. As the physicist Fritjof Capra wrote, nuclear processes at the centre of the Sun are of singular importance for our planet, “because they furnish the energy which sustains our terrestrial environment.” — The Tao of Physics.

The fact that nuclear energy transmitted by the sun reaches the earth in the form of light and sustenance shows that nuclear energy, in the hands of nature, is a source of life for the world. But the same energy in the hands of men becomes an instrument of death and destruction.

What is the reason for this starkly contrasting state of affairs?

It is that nature has no power of its

OpEd

DERN INDIA' efforts led to His the abolition of Sati in 1829 by

Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor-General of India UROOJ FATIMA Roy was AJA Ram Mohan of Bengal hailed as the father Nineteenth Renaissance. a remarkable century India witnessed ideas. Agesocial transformation in i.e., burning of old ‘Sati system’, husband’s funeral widows on her dead due to the effort pyre was abolished Roy. He was the of Raja Ram Mohan Samaj and he also founder of Brahmo the abolition of in played a vital role marriage in India. polygamy and child the stamp of He was born with ahead of times modernity and was He would have in his own country. so amongst been equally regarded If his countrymen westerners as well. as the inspirer of were to visualise him religious reforms, an era of social and many directions in however fruitful been, they will that movement has larger space in their allot him a much esteem and affection. of Raja memory the Tributes to have been paid Ram Mohan Roy the country and of in various parts modern he was at they all show how death two hundred the time of his prophesy he will years ago. We may to be equally probably continue respects fifty years modern in some

R

‘Metaphors Of The Moon’ breaks the stereotype of giving importance to the ultimate source of energy ‘The Sun’. Considering the fact that almost the entire festive calendar, including Janam patri making to catching fishes, all celebration and holy occasions are made

possible because to the moon, we need to be more confident of the impact of the moon on our lives. The artist Kota Neelima presents us with a very engrossing story about the Moon and its relation to the beautiful planet ‘Earth’. It also depicts the beauty and the need of the brightness of darkness in world which many of us never ever had the chance to notice and appreciate. After going through this article in your paper, I felt that we need to focus on providing other reader with more info about art and culture which is now losing its roots from this fast lifestyle.

Dinkar Kumar, Patna

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Photo Feature

May 28-June 03, 2018

what’s life without water!

Water... in Sanskrit it has many different names, but the most important is Jeevan, or life, and the animal world is desperately looking for droplets of Jeevan

May 28-June 03, 2018

North India is reeling under a scary heat wave, and residents are griping majorly. But it is not just them.

Their neighbours in forests, the white tiger sitting by a waterfall; a crow looking for a drop from a water pipe, the deer, birds and a turtle... but the luckiest is the monkey who’s found a cold drink!

Photo Feature

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20

Science & Technology Research

A Step Closer To Potential Vaccine Against Leptospirosis Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it spreads through animals

We identified peptide sequences that could bind to our vaccine for long-lasting immune response, explains Jayashankar Das (centre)

n Shikha T Malik

L

eptospirosis -caused by pathogenic bacteria, Leptospira-led to over one million infections globally in 2015.

Availability of an appropriate vaccine could have prevented most of them.

Scientists at the Gujarat

Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) have used sophisticated tools to identify important regions on the bacteria that could play an important role in developing a vaccine for Leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it spreads through animals.

Farmers or veterinarians frequently

May 28-June 03, 2018 exposed to animal urine or swimmers exposed to contaminated water are at high risk. People may get exposed to the bacteria during flooding as well.

Vaccinating such high-risk groups can protect them from Leptospirosis.

The team at GBRC used high throughput computational tools to identify regions on pathogenic Leptospira, which could be critical in designing an effective vaccine. Using, bioinformatics tools, researchers studied the whole set of proteins of bacteria cell (proteome) and its genome.

As a protection mechanism from a pathogen, the human body fights back by making antibodies or activating cells that kill other infected cells which scientists refer to as ‘immune response’. Vaccines prepare our bodies by eliciting such response even before one is infected by a pathogen. This way vaccine equips us to fight a pathogen or disease as soon as we are exposed to it.

Researchers have identified certain peptides (small parts of proteins) which could be further tested as potential vaccine candidates that can elicit a strong immune response.

These peptides are part of an ‘outer membrane protein’ of the bacterium.

This protein is conserved in 46 types of disease-causing Leptospira, and if confirmed and further developed into a vaccine, it could provide immunity against all 46 types.

NIF

Children Display Innovative And Eco-friendly Ideas The exhibition has been put together by the Ahmedabadbased National Innovation Foundation (NIF) which works with children and grassroots innovators n Jyoti Singh

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n app-driven automated food maker, an automatic dust lifting machine, a dustbin with sound alert, hand-driven waste picking and dumping cart,currency note sterilizing machine for ATMs, wrapper picker, cycle-powered road cleaner, a tiffin box that reminds children to wash hands before eating.

These are some of the ideas and models on display at the Child Innovators Exhibition which opened on May 14, as the part of the sanitation fortnight organised by the Department

of Science and Technology (DST).

Abhishek Bhagat from Bhagalpur in Bihar has developed an automated electric-operated food making machine.

One can chose a dish from a recipe list, along with the quantity to be cooked.

The machine has different boxes for ingredients from where it automatically takes required ingredients and prepares the selected dish. It has the function of verbal instructions as well. Abhishek has also developed a mobile app that can control functions of the cooker.

“In my family only my mother used to cook and if she used to fall ill or had to go out then I had to cook.

Abhishek Bhagat explaining about his innovation

From there I got an idea, and I started working on this machine that cooks itself,” Abhishek said.

Another innovator Aarthv Sharma from Kullu, Himachal has conceived the idea of an innovative hygienic toilet seat cover lifting mechanism using foot.

The basic problem with the western toilet is that the rim gets wet and dirty after use. It is unhygienic to use such toilets. So, he has placed a pedal adjacent to the toilet pot that pulls up the rim so that it gets dry. With the help of this mechanism, one can easily lift the seat cover without using hands. “I

“Identification of target sites is a key step in vaccine design. With the help of modern genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics tools we have analyzed the pathogenic proteome (3654 proteins) to predict the antigenicity (ability to elicit an immune response) and narrowed down to a single protein of high affinity with ability to bind to the antibody present on B-cells for inducing immune response,” explained Dr Jayashankar Das, lead scientist, while speaking to India Science Wire.

Since many different strains or types of Leptospira are present in tropical regions, the team is carrying out more studies on different strains and also testing identified proteins in cells, added Dr Das. “Since this disease is a major concern to farmers as well as livestock breeders, we are also involved in developing an onsite diagnostic kit for leptospirosis with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST),” he added.

“These peptides represent a novel outcome of the study. They need to be studied further in for their effectiveness in animals and humans.

If successful, it could become an important tool in fighting this disease worldwide,” commented Dr Hardeep Vora, R&D Manager at DiaSys Diagnostics India, while speaking to India Science Wire. am further working on this prototype to put a slanting water flush system on the fixed rim so that it flushes the urine also,” he said.

Yet another innovation is remote controlled dustbin with wheels. Aditya Kumar said that his grandmother was sick and bed-ridden so he thought of developing a remote controlled dustbin. According to him, it works like a remote controlled car. The dustbin is fitted with wheels and can be navigated using a remote. He has made a mobile app for this.

Anju Bhalla, Joint Secretary, DST, said “these ideas coming from children are connected with real life and felt needs. While academic research mostly remains restricted to labs but these ideas have the capacity to make an impact on the society. These children have amazing potential and they have new ideas to solve day today problems.”

The exhibition has been put together by the Ahmedabad-based National Innovation Foundation (NIF) which works with children and grassroots innovators.

May 28-June 03, 2018

Science & Technology

21 07

Cancers

A New Treatment For Deadly Triple Negative Breast Cancers TNBC is a deadliest type of breast cancer that comprises 20 per cent of breast cancer cases and is particularly difficult to treat SSB BUREAU

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esearchers have developed a remedy to thwart the metastatic spread of breast cancer, a leading cause of death among women.

The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, showed that by inhibiting a protein called TAK1, the researchers were able to reduce lung metastasis in mice with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

TNBC is a deadliest type of breast cancer that comprises 20 per cent of breast cancer cases and is particularly

difficult to treat.

“For this subtype of breast cancer, few treatment options are available to target metastasis, and typically, these treatments are associated with high toxicity,” said co-author Min Yu, Assistant Professor from the University of Southern California.

“A better understanding of tumour cells and their interactions with organs and tissues could help us design targeted therapies specific for metastasis,” Yu added.

According to the study, TAK1 enables malignant cells from the breast to survive in the lungs and form new metastatic tumours.

Metastasis is the most common cause of cancer-related death.

There is already a potential drug, called OXO that can inhibit TAK1 and presumably make it much more difficult for breast cancer cells to form lung metastases. However, OXO is not stable in the blood, and therefore would not work in patients, the researcher said.

The researchers developed a

nanoparticle consisting of a tiny fatty sac that works like a smart bomb to carry drugs through the bloodstream and deliver them directly to tumours.

The scientists loaded this nanoparticle with OXO, and used it to treat mice that had been injected with human breast cancer cells. While OXO did not shrink primary tumours in the breast, it greatly reduced metastatic tumours in the lungs with minimal toxic side effects.

“For patients with triplenegative breast cancer, systemic chemotherapies are largely ineffective and highly toxic. So nanoparticles are a promising approach for delivering more targeted treatments, such as OXO, to stop the deadly process of metastasis,” Yu noted.

Apple

Apple Is Bringing Accessible Coding To Schools For Blind, Deaf Initial launch in eight schools will tailor lessons to students’ needs with accessibility resources

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ith an aim to offer students with disabilities an opportunity to learn the language of technology, Apple is bringing an accessible coding programme to schools serving the blind and deaf communities, first to the US and then to more schools around the world.

Beginning this autumn, US schools supporting students with vision, hearing or other assistive needs will start teaching the “Everyone Can Code” curricula for Swift -- Apple’s intuitive programming language, the Cupertino, California-headquartered tech giant said in a statement on Thursday.

“Apple’s mission is to make

Apple created the Everyone Can Code curricula so students from kindergarten to college and beyond can learn and write code using Swift products as accessible as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We created Everyone Can Code because we believe all students deserve an opportunity to learn the language of technology,” Cook said.

“We hope to bring Everyone Can Code to even more schools around the world serving students with disabilities,” he added.

Apple created the Everyone Can

Code curricula so students from kindergarten to college and beyond can learn and write code using Swift.

With teacher guides and lessons, students learn the basics on iPad with Swift Playgrounds which lets them use real code to solve puzzles and control characters with just a tap.

Besides facilitating to App Development with Swift, it can also help aspiring app developers build their first iOS apps.

Apple said it collaborated with engineers, educators, and programmers from various accessibility communities to make Everyone Can Code as accessible as possible and will work in close coordination with schools to augment the curricula as needed.

This will include providing additional tools and resources such as tactile maps to enhance the understanding of coding environments for non-visual learners, it added.

The Everyone Can Code curricula are compatible with VoiceOver, an advanced screen-reading technology for people who are blind or have low vision. VoiceOver is a gesture-based screen reader that describes nearly everything happening on your screen.

With VoiceOver integration, Swift Playgrounds can take students stepby-step through learning Swift, all without needing to see the screen.

Accessibility features for people who are deaf or hard of hearing include FaceTime for capturing every gesture and facial expression, Type to Siri, closed captions, LED Flash for Alerts, Mono Audio and Made for iPhone hearing aids.

The tech giant said that iPad and Everyone Can Code can also be used by students with physical motor limitations through Apple’s built in Switch Control, which enables switches, joysticks and other adaptive devices to control what is on your screen.

22

Gender

May 28-June 03, 2018 Jayamma’s story

From Victim To Crusader For Sex Workers She runs the Chaitanya Mahila Mandali (CMM) to help sex workers leave the exploitative profession and find respectable livelihoods

Mamta Aggarwal

J

ayamma Bhandari was orphaned at the age of three and spends her childhood in grim poverty. She was forced into the sex trade by her husband. But unlike other victims who are forced into the murky business, she decided to challenge her destiny becoming, in the process, an inspiration for many other women like her.

Now 40-years-old, Jayamma runs the Chaitanya Mahila Mandali (CMM) to help sex workers leave the exploitative profession and find respectable livelihoods. CMM works in high-risk slum communities to raise awareness on sexual rights and reproductive health, and takes upskilling and livelihood courses.

According to the National Aids

Control Organisation (NACO), there are 1.65 million registered sex workers in the country the actual numbers would be much higher who lead very sordid lives. Though they are not in the profession by choice, they have to bear the stigma associated with it, feeling ostracised, alone, unwanted and disposable. There are the ramifications of the exposure to various sexually transmitted diseases too.

Jayamma is credited with directly impacting the lives of some 5,000 women in sex work and nearly a thousand of them are now engaged in alternative livelihoods. Also, over 3,500 children of sex workers have been provided vocational training through her efforts.

Fondly called “Amma”, or mother, her efforts were acknowledged by

Jayamma is credited with directly impacting the lives of some 5,000 women in sex trade and nearly a thousand of them are now engaged in alternative livelihoods

the government and she received the Nari Shakti (Women Power) Award on International Women’s Day last month. Earlier, the Confederation of Indian Industry conferred her with the Exemplar Award in 2017 Jayamma grew up in her uncle’s home in Nakrakal in Nalgonda district, about 300 km from Hyderabad. After a tough childhood and a difficult adolescence, she was married to a man in Hyderabad who, soon after she had a baby, started pressurising her to join the flesh trade.

Her refusal led to her being tortured, both physically and mentally. With minimal education and no one to support her, she succumbed to the wishes of her husband.

Selling not only her body, but also her soul, Jayamma toyed with the idea of suicide many times. But the thought of what would happen to her daughter after her death that she too could be pushed into the same trade gave Jayamma the strength to go on.

For Jayamma, it was a meeting with Jai Singh Thomas, an NGO executive from Hyderabad that proved a turning point. He encouraged her to leave sex work and do advocacy for the community. With Thomas’ help, she decided to set up an organisation that would enable sex workers to find viable alternative professions. Thus began her journey as a change agent.

Now Jayamma finally mustered the courage to part ways with her husband in 2012 and her organisation reach out to victims like her, counsel and try to convince them that there can be a better way to lead their lives.

“It’s really a daunting task to convince them as some of these women have become addicted to alcohol, drugs, smoking, sex and living in that vitiating environment,” says Jayamma.

“They have many questions: Will they be able to earn enough to support themselves and their kids? Won’t their situation be more miserable if the world doesn’t accept them due to their past? “We have the challenge to win their confidence and persuade them by offering help and support.

Forcible rehabilitation doesn’t

Quick Glance Over 3,500 children of sex workers have been provided vocational training through her efforts

Fondly called “Amma”, or mother, her efforts were acknowledged by the government An NGO executive encouraged her to leave sex work and do advocacy for the community

work in such cases and, as such, deaddiction, counselling, and slow, long-term therapy become necessary to restore their lives,” she said.

The tragic life of sex workers is not limited to them children born to such women are bigger victims.

Being vulnerable, they usually end up finding themselves trapped in this or allied professions.

Hyderabad has no designated redlight area, and sex workers go out and solicit clients. They usually take their children along as they have nowhere to go. The sight of their children sometimes getting abused in front of them is disheartening for these mothers. Jayamma thus felt that working to prevent the victimisation of children of sex workers was important. She set up Chaithanya (meaning awareness) Happy Home in 2011 where children of sex workers are provided with all basic necessities of life food, access to education, life skills and a safe roof.

CMM not only rehabilitates the children but also carries out routine follow-ups to check whether they are safe. The initiative today has 43 such children with big dreams of becoming teachers, engineers and doctors.

With the aim of changing societal attitudes stigmatising sex workers and with the belief in building a system equipped and sensitive to address the issue of trafficking Chaithanya also conducts sensitisation training for police officers in Telangana.

On being asked whether sex work should be legalised in India, Jayamma said a firm “no”. “First the law needs to be in place. Policymakers, police and activists need continuous sensitisation on this issue.” Prostitution itself is not illegal in India, but soliciting and living off the earnings of a prostitute is. And the law is open to a lot of misinterpretation and manipulation by the police and pimps.

Environment

May 28-June 03, 2018 wildlife

‘Many Miles To Go Before The Tiger Is Safe In India’ The tiger is not just a charismatic species or just another wild animal living in some far away forest

Quick Glance Latika is India’s first woman wildlife biologist working at grassroots level for tiger conservation

Her areas of interest include landscape ecology and the resolution of human-wildlife conflict She has worked with numerous international organisations including IUCN, UNDP, UNFPA and ICIMOD

n Vishnu Makhijani

L

atika Nath was just seven when she decided she would dedicate her life to the conservation of wildlife. Along the way, she became India’s first woman wildlife biologist and spent a quarter of a century working at the grassroots level for tiger conservation but laments that though much work has been done, “there are many miles to go before the tiger is safe”.

“I have worked with several dedicated and extraordinary forest department officials over the years.

These men have dedicated their lives to wildlife conservation and particularly that of the tiger. The government has been working on tiger conservation and you can see results. Numbers are on the rise.

“Having said that, there are many miles to go before the tiger is safe. We need the political will and support to help turn the tide for the big cats in India,” Nath, who has a doctorate in tiger conservation and management from Oxford, told IANS in an interview.

If she were given a chance to do things differently on the conservation front how would she go about it?

“I think the most essential thing for wildlife conservation today in India is the political will to ensure the sanctity of our wilderness areas and the habitats of species.

“We also need a more stringent method of law enforcement and a better equipped judiciary with special training in handling wildlife and environmental cases,” said Nath, whose breathtaking images perfectly complement cousin Shloka Nath’s text in the just-released book “Hidden India”.

How did this book come about and how long was it in the making?

Noting that sometimes things happen that change your life, uproot you and shake your soul, Nath replied: “I faced a whole series of events between 2012 and 2015, including my divorce and the loss of my cousin

23 07

Kaveesh Nath. At these times it is easy to want to hide and hurt. I chose to stand up and throw myself back into the mountains, oceans and forests -- to look for the peace and understanding that eluded me in cities.

“At this time, I picked up my cameras after a gap of almost 12 years.

All the photographs in this book have been shot between 2012 and 2017,” added Nath, whose life and work has been featured on National Geographic TV in a documentary titled ‘The Tiger Princess’ and on Discovery Channel’s ‘Wild Things’.

She contributed to films like ‘Sita’s Story’ and a ‘Tale of Two Tigers’ on the BBC, as well as the cover story on tigers for the ‘Year of the Tiger’ special in 2000.

How did the photography bug bite?

Is she self-trained or did she receive any formal training?

“I have always taken photographs since I was a child and later as a biologist to record animal behaviour.

Over time I began to use my cameras to record the conversations I was having with animals, my experiences when I travelled and to tell the stories of my adventures.

“Photography is something I taught

myself and again my inspiration was my father, who has been an ardent photographer ever since I can remember,” Nath explained.

In fact, Her father, Prof Lalit M. Nath, an ex-Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, played a major role in helping her find her calling.

“My father was special advisor to the Prime Minister on wildlife and the secretary of the IBWL (Indian Board for Wild Life) for 19 years. All holidays were always based on the outdoors and I grew up meeting either doctors or stalwarts of conservation in India, including Indira Gandhi, Dr Salim Ali, Dr J.C. Daniel, Dr Ranjit Sinh, Dr H.S. Panwar, Kailash Sankhala, Billy Arjun Singh, Fateh Singh Rathore and Dr Charles McDougal.

“This sparked an early passion for ecology and wildlife conservation and I decided at the age of seven that this is what I wanted to dedicate my life to,” Nath said.

What has been her experience

From the tigers of India to the jaguars of Brazil, Nath said, each species fights against the loss of habitat to development and human pressure

photographing the cat species around the world?

From the tigers of India to the Jaguars of Brazil, Nath said, each species fights against the loss of habitat to development and human pressure.

“The issues are different and yet the same. Every time there is a battle between humans and any other species, humans always win. And yet every time, the majesty, beauty, resilience and tenacity for survival of the species allows one to hope that they will manage to carve a little niche for themselves in the Planet of Humans and survive.

“Photographing the great cats has taken me from the highest places on earth in the Himalayas to the rain forests of the Amazon, the dense jungles of the northeast of India and the savannah plains of Africa.

“Each adventure has been life changing often leaving me in tears of joy at finally being able to be blessed with sightings and time with the great cats,” Nath said.

She has worked with numerous international organisations including IUCN, UNDP, UNFPA and ICIMOD on many species including the Asian Elephant, the Gangetic Dolphin, the Arna or Wild buffaloes, and high-altitude mammals in the Kanchenjunga area.

Her areas of interest include landscape ecology and the resolution of human-wildlife conflict.

Nath is the recipient of scholarships including the Chevening Award from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Oxford and Cambridge Society of India, the Overseas Research Student (ORS) UK, and the Wildlife Institute of India. She has also been awarded for her work in the field of Eco Tourism by the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOI).

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

May 28-June 03, 2018

Namami Gange

After being elected in May 2014 to Parliament from Varanasi, situated on the banks of Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, Narendra Modi had proudly declared, ‘It’s my destiny to serve Maa Ganga’. Fulfilling his promise, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has led his governmentto launch a vigorous Ganga conservation mission—‘Namami Gange’—to arrest the pollution of Ganga and revive the legendary river.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in the cleaning of the Assi Ghat, Varanasi on November 8, 2014.

T

he river Ganga is important not only for its cultural and spiritual significance but also because it hosts (on its banks) more than 40% of the country’s population. Addressing the Indian community at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, ‘If we are able to clean it, it will be a huge help for the 40 per cent population of the country. So, cleaning the Ganga is also an economic agenda.’

To translate this vision, the government launched an integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called ‘Namami Gange’ to arrest the pollution of Ganga and revive the river. The Union Cabinet approved the action plan proposed by the Centre to spend Rs 20,000 crore till 2019-2020 on cleaning the river, increasing the budget by four-fold and with 100%

central share—a central sector scheme.

Recognising the multi-sectoral, multidimensional and multi-stakeholder nature of the Ganga Rejuvenation challenge, efforts have been made to improve the inter-ministerial and centre-state coordination with increased involvement in preparation of action plan and increased monitoring at central and state levels.

The implementation of the program has been divided into entry-level activities (for immediate visible impact), medium-term activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame), and, long-term activities (to be implemented within 10 years).

Entry-level activities include river surface cleaning to address the floating solid wastes; rural sanitation to arrest the pollution (solid and liquid) entering through rural sewage drains and construction of toilets; renovation,

Namami Gange, the mission to clean and rejuvenate the holy river, must focus on urban sewage and industrial effluents in

order to check pollution at its source. Industrial units should be motivated to recycle waste and violators should be punished.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

modernisation and construction of crematoria that prevents the disposal of un-burnt/ partially burnt bodies in the river; repair, modernisation and construction of ghats to improvise the

human-river connect.

Medium-term activities will focus on arresting the municipal and industrial pollution entering into the river. To address the pollution through municipal sewage, 2500 MLD additional treatment capacity is to be created in next 5 years. Major financial reforms are underway to make the program efficient, accountable and sustainable in the long term. Hybrid annuity based Public Private Partnership model for project implementation is currently being considered by the Cabinet. If approved, Special Purpose Vehicle will manage concessionaires in all major cities, market will be developed for treated water, and long term sustainability of assets will be assured.

For managing the industrial pollution, efforts have been initiated to improvise the compliance through better enforcement. Grossly polluting industries located along Ganga have been directed to reduce the effluent quality and volume or implement zero-liquid discharge. Action plan for the implementation of these directions by Pollution Control Boards has already been prepared and timelines have been assigned for each category of industry with detailed consultations. All the industries have to install real-time on-line effluent monitoring stations.

Apart from these activities, biodiversity conservation, afforestation and water quality monitoring are also being taken up under the programme. Plans for conservation of iconic aquatic species such as Golden Mahaseer, Dolphins,

May 28-June 03, 2018

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

25

CLEANING ASSI GHAT

Prime Minister Modi inspecting Assi Ghat after Sulabh International Social Service Organisation cleaned it up on a war footing. He was very satisfied with the work done and it was promised to him that cleanliness will always be maintained on this Ghat.

The green panel has divided the work of cleaning the river into different segments Gomukh to Haridwar, Haridwar to Kanpur, Kanpur to border of Uttar Pradesh, border of Uttar Pradesh to border of Jharkhand and from there to Bay of Bengal.

On December 11, last Ghariyals, Turtles, Otters, etc., have been already initiated. Similarly, under ‘Namami Gange’ 30,000 hectares of land will be afforested for increased recharge of the aquifers, reduced erosion and improved health of river ecosystem. The afforestation programme is set to begin in 2016.

Also, comprehensive water quality monitoring will be done with installation of 113 real-time water quality monitoring stations.

In the long-term, providing adequate flow to the river is envisioned through determination of e-flow, increased water-use efficiency and improved efficiency of surface irrigation.

It is important to note that cleaning river Ganga is extremely complex due to its socio-economic and cultural

year, the tribunal had imposed a complete ban on use of plastic of any kind from Gomukh to Haridwar along the river from February 1 and decided to slap a penalty of Rs. 5,000 per day on erring hotels, dharamsalas and ashrams spewing waste into the river. importance and yet its exploitation for various uses. Never in the world has such a complex programme been implemented. It will require participation across sectors and each and every citizen of the country.

There are various ways in which each

one of us can contribute to the cause of cleaning river Ganga.

Contribution of funds:

Restoring the quality of a river with the length and population as large as that of Ganga requires huge investments. Government has already increased the budget by four-fold but still may not be enough to the requirements. Clean Ganga Fund has been established that provides a platform to all for contributing funds to clean river Ganga.

Reduce, Reuse and Recovery:

Majority of Indians do not realise that used water and filth of their homes can end up in the rivers if not disposed properly. Sewerage infrastructure is already being constructed by the Government but citizens can reduce

Locals line up their boats post the restoration of Assi Ghat, Varanasi, on February 20, 2015.

The stairs at Assi Ghat of the holy city Varanasi were covered with mud and sludge.

Common visitors and pilgrims could not use the Ghat. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi himself picked a spade and started a cleaning campaign on November 8, 2014, by digging and removing the accumulated mud.

Thereafter, Sulabh International Social Service Organisation cleaned all the 52 stairs thoroughly and the Ghat was opened for all on February 22, 2015.

Now Ganga Aarti takes place there at 5:00 a.m. along with Yoga Camp and Hawan, and cultural programmes are held there in the evenings.

The Ghat has now become a hot spot for tourists as well as for shooting of films.

Deluxe Modern Sulabh Public Toilets have been built there. Now Assi Ghat has become a holy place as it had been in the past, besides being a major site of tourist attraction. the usage of water and generation of waste. Reusing and recovery of used water and organic waste and plastics can greatly benefit the programme.

This requires all Indians to join hands to save river Ganga which is a unique cultural symbol of Indian civilization.

Continue in next issue

26

Culture

May 28-June 03, 2018 Thimmakka

Art

Farmers’ Widows Inspire Kota Neelima’s Art

Tracing the origin of life, she studies through the Vedas and the Upanishads, in a spirit of inquiry to reflect her findings in her semi abstract expressions n Mudita Girotra

N

eelima’s paintings are impressionist-abstract and the medium is oil on canvas.

She follows an elaborate process of making the works, which begins with extensive research of texts, followed by charcoal drawings on paper before, finally converting them to oil paintings.

The symbols used in the paintings are tress, sky, the moon and birds, which undergo multi-faceted and complex redefinition. The accessible symbols, each immersed in one or the other aspect of the concept, assist in elaborate exploration of each painting.

For about two years, when author Kota Neelima was researching on farmers’ widows in Maharashtra, she also made art works inspired by the philosophy that they learned from their practical experiences with nature.

“The fundamental question that I would eventually ask a lady is how she survived -- not just about the physical survival but also the emotional survival. They spoke in terms of nature -- trees, soil and the moon,” Neelima told IANS in an interview.

“Once, one of them delineated a very interesting interpretation about the moon, which is gone after a night but is not actually gone. That’s how they see loss...it’s there but I can’t see it,” she said, adding: “Look at the wonderful reconciliation.”

Neelima said this beautiful spirituality coming from these women inspired the collection of her beautiful paintings that found space at the justconcluded “Metaphors of the Moon” exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi here.

“It is the natural, very humble, beautiful spirituality of the ordinary people in extremely difficult situations.

They will hold a bit of the soil in their hands and say I can feel the love of my husband in it because he has gone back to the soil.

“The imagery in paintings is about nature,” she said. In her works at the show, the mind was the metaphor for the moon. It represented the cyclic process of thought, its creation,

The Green Legend, Now On Stage A play to trace the life and challenges faced by well known environmentalist n G Ulaganathan

N immersion and regeneration, and also is a metaphor for absence and presence. The lessons of the Moon are about the fragility of reconciliation and the assurance of restoration. Also, tree roots found significant space. Why? “They look at the branches of the trees and say the roots are not visible.

The branches are flourishing because sacrifice is being made by the invisible roots. I can’t give examples like that.”

“Hope isn’t just a word. They generate it every day...they live it in a very organic, a visceral manner.”

Neelima, in her books, focuses on agricultural distress and the state of rural India. In her earlier books, she said, she missed the women’s perspective. “It is those women who tell the story of the farmers. She knows exactly why he killed himself but she is the last one who is asked.”

“People think she doesn’t know the issues of bank loans and taxes being

In line with one of Paul

Cezanne’s famous quotes, Kota Neelima’s creative focus, it appears, is not just to paint the nature but to feel and ‘realise its sensation’

a woman. But she does. She is in the shadow of the farmer,” she said.

“Nobody writes about those women. Nobody talks about them,” she added.

Neelima specifically wanted to focus on women and in 2014, began researching in two districts of Vidarbha, which has had a maximum number of suicides by farmers.

Her book, “Widows of Vidarbha: Making of Shadows”, is the story of 18 widows of the area who have been invisible to the state, the community and even their families.

Tracked over two years of research from 2014 to 2016, the widows speak about their lost dreams of education and identity, their diminished view of the world, and their helpless surrender to conveniences of patriarchy.

“One farmer dies every 30 minutes... every 30 minutes, the life of one woman is irretrievably thrown into chaos -- in rural societies they are not allowed education. They are married off very early. Once they are married, they play the pre-decided roles. “They are home-bound. The boundaries are very clearly edged -- confining the woman to finding her own capabilities or her own identity,” Neelima explained.

“When the husband dies, the wife, who has not been visible before, becomes even more invisible,” she added.

ow here comes a play to trace the life and challenges faced by wellknown environmentalist from Hulikal in Ramanagara district of Karnataka.

There are huge neem trees lined on both sides of the road leading to this tiny, fertile village. They are a tall testimony to the dedication of environmentalist, Saalumarad Thimmakka, who planted them with the help of her husband several years ago.Now the life and work of Thimmaka is being taken to a wider audience by Belur Raghunandan in a play titled ‘Saalu Maragala Tayi Thimmakka’. The play is scheduled to be staged later in May. The play’s director Hanu Rama Sanjeeva says Pravara Art Studio has always performed plays on environmental and social issues, but has never featured a living legend before. “When we were searching for a subject, I came across the drama written by Belur Raghunandan on the life of Thimmakka. “We had to carefully study Thimmakka and her husband’s early life and study their mannerisms and dressing style,” Hanu adds. The play gives us interesting tidbits like about the snake bite that Thimmakka survived, the local ayurvedic medicine which caused her health issues later on in life and the illtreatment she suffered at the hands of her mother- in- law.

The director’s best reward was Thimmaka’s reaction to the premier show of the play. “She said it reminded her about her struggles as they were played right before her eyes,” Hanu recalls. The 95-minute play has 44 characters, played by 26 artists.

Sports

May 28-June 03, 2018 Fashion statement

It’s Fun To Experiment With Style, Says Virat Kohli He is extremely fit as he maintains a disciplined workout regime

Glimpse Of His Career 1. In 2011, Virat Kohli achieved what no Indian had done before! He became the first Indian to score a century on World Cup debut in the 2011 World Cup. 2. His 183 was one of the finest knocks and it was more special as it came against Pakistan.

3. In 2012, Kohli was named vice-captain of the Indian ODI team for the Asia Cup in March. It was during this tournament that he scored his famous 183 off 148 balls against Pakistan.

4. Do you know? Virat Kohli’s nickname ‘Cheeku’ was given to him by Delhi State coach Ajit Chaudhary.

n Durga Chakravarty

F

rom his trimmed beard to his hairstyle to what he wears, Indian star cricketer and youth icon Virat Kohli feels overjoyed about being appreciated for his fashion sense.

He says he finds it fun to experiment with his style and looks from time to time.

On being idolised as a fashion icon, Virat told IANS in an e-mail interaction: “It sure feels good to know what you wear is well appreciated and liked by all. My sense of style and manner of dressing have evolved over the years. I know what kind of attire looks good on me, and I mainly work around that. It is fun to try out something different from time to time.

“I often work closely with my stylist and share inputs while deciding my look.” Virat is 29 and is at the top of his game. The Delhi-born India skipper has represented the city’s cricket team at various age-group levels before he debuted for India in 2006.

He is extremely fit as he maintains a disciplined workout regime.

How does he manage his fitness regime in the middle of an important series and while on breaks?

“Whether I am in the middle of a series or on a break, I maintain a disciplined regime. My level of fitness has a direct impact on my game; therefore I train hard and follow a strict diet,” Virat said.

During a vacation, he does not miss his gym routine. While on break, I go to the gym five times a week, and clock in minimum two hours. Even if I am on tour, I still ensure that I exercise for an hour and a half. I do a combination of weights and cardio exercises, and rarely indulge in cheat days,” added Virat, who married actress Anushka Sharma last December. The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper launched the first performance footwear from the brand evoSpeed One8 for Puma. He says he is conscious about his own footwear.

“I am quite particular about my footwear on and off the field. The right footwear makes a remarkable difference on completing a run or affecting a runout.

“To play long hours in a test match, you need something that will give you cushion and comfort so that you can last for five days. You need stability and protection for your feet to stay injury free as you are playing back-toback cricket,” he said.

27 07

5. When the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid failed to click, Kohli rose from the ashes to register his maiden Test hundred during India’s disastrous tour to Australia. His 116 off 213 balls proved Kohli was made for all formats of the game.

6.

A triple century from Brendon McCullum meant that India were set a target of 435. Although the Kiwi bowlers were able to make breakthroughs they stumbled against Kohli who with a quickfire unbeaten 105 off 135 deliveries ensured India salvage a draw.

7.

India reached the final of the World T20 with a clinical chase against South Africa with Kohli being the architect-in-chief. In his own words, that was the best T20 knock that Kohli had played.

Chasing 173 to win, Kohli’s unbeaten 72 ensured South Africa head towards the airport.

8. In the ICC World T20 in 2012, Kohli with an unbeaten 78

steered India to victory. That knock saw Kohli registering a record for scoring eight fifty-plus scores in his last 11 international innings.

9. He’s gotten himself inked four times, but his favourite tattoo is the one of a samurai warrior.

10.Virat Kohli won an unusual accolade in February 2012 when he was named as one of the 10 best dressed international men in a list that included US President Barack Obama.

11.In September 2013, Virat Kohli was felicitated as the Brand Ambassador of the Border Security Force (BSF) in New Delhi.

12.In 2013, Virat Kohli had overtaken MS Dhoni in endorsement deals after signing a Rs.10 crore deal with German sports goods giant, Adidas.

13.In May 2014, the Indian batting star Virat Kohli was rated second behind British Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton in the list of most marketable athletes by the UK magazine, ‘SportsPro’.

14. In September 2014, Kohli also achieved the No.1 ranking in the ICC T20 batsmen list.

15. Virat Kohli prepares for life after cricket, becomes the coowner of the Indian Super League football team FC Goa. 16. Only cricketer in the world who averages more than 50 in all the 3 international formats.

17.Only player to score 4 centuries in single IPL season. First captain to score ten centuries across all formats in a calendar year(2017). He scored 11 centuries in 2017 18. Only cricketer to score three centuries in his first three innings as Test captain.

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Health

May 28-June 03, 2018 Diabetes

Old Age

Good Heart Health May Prevent Frailty In Old Age Getting our heart risk factors under control could lead to a much healthier old age SSB BUREAU

W

ant to prevent frailty when you grow old? If so, then start maintaining good heart health. A new study indicates that low heart disease risks among older people may help them to prevent frailty.

Frailty is a condition associated with decreased physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. The outcomes include falls, fractures, disability, hospitalisation and institutionalisation.

The findings, published in the Journal of Gerontology, found that severe frailty was 85 per cent less likely in those with near ideal cardiovascular risk factors.

The study also found that even small reductions in risk factors helped to reduce frailty as well as dementia,

chronic pain and other disabling conditions of old age.

“This study indicates that frailty and other age-related diseases could be prevented and significantly reduced in older adults. Getting our heart risk factors under control could lead to much healthier old ages,” said co-author Joao Delgado from the University of Exeter in Britain.

For the study, the researchers analysed data from more than 421,000

people aged between 60-69. The participants were followed up over 10 years. The researchers analysed six factors that could impact on heart health. They looked at uncontrolled high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, plus being overweight, doing little physical activity and being a current smoker. “Individuals with untreated cardiovascular disease or other common chronic diseases appear to age faster and with more frailty,” the researchers said.

“Now our growing body of scientific evidence on ageing shows what we have previously considered as inevitable might be prevented or delayed through earlier and better recognition and treatment of cardiac disease,” they noted.

Exercise

Exercise 4-5 Times Daily To Delay Ageing

Research showed that different sizes of arteries are affected differently by varying amounts of exercise SSB BUREAU

W

ant to stay young for long? If so, start exercising four to five times a day as it may help keep your heart stay healthy and slow down ageing, according to researchers.

While exercising for about two to three days a week for about 30 minutes may be sufficient to minimise stiffening of middle-sized arteries, exercising for about four to five days a week is required to keep the larger central arteries youthful.

The study would help “develop exercise programmes to keep the heart youthful and even turn back

time on older hearts and blood vessels”, said one of the study authors, Benjamin Levine from the University of Texas.

With age, arteries which transport blood in and out of the heart become prone to stiffening, increasing the risk of heart diseases.

For the study, published in The Journal of Physiology, the team examined 102 people over 60 years old, with a consistent lifelong exercise history.

The participants were divided into four groups depending on their exercise history Sedentary: less than 2 exercise sessions per week; Casual Exercisers: 2-3 exercise

sessions per week; Committed Exercisers: 4-5 exercise sessions per week and Masters Athletes: 6-7 exercise sessions per week.

A lifelong history of casual exercise (two-three times a week) resulted in more youthful middlesized arteries, which supply oxygenated blood to the head and neck. However, committed exercisers (4-5 times per week) also had more youthful large central arteries, which provide blood to the chest and abdomen, in addition to healthier middle-sized ones.

Larger arteries need more frequent exercise to slow down ageing, the researchers said.

Intermittent Fasting May Up Diabetes Risk Type-2 diabetes and high blood sugar levels can cause serious health issues, including heart, kidney and eye damage

I

f you are doing intermittent fasting to reduce your weight, you may be at higher risk of diabetes, a new study suggests.

The researchers found that fasting every other day to lose weight impairs the action of sugar-regulating hormone insulin which may increase the risk of diabetes.

The findings suggest that fastingbased diets may be associated with long-term health risks and careful consideration should be made before starting such weight loss programmes.

Type-2 diabetes is a growing global epidemic that is often attributed to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, so is closely linked to obesity.

Blood sugar is partially regulated by the hormone insulin, which is produced by the pancreas if insulin levels are too low, or the body becomes resistant to its effects.

“This is the first study to show that, despite weight loss, intermittent fasting diets may actually damage the pancreas and affect insulin function in normal healthy individuals, which could lead to diabetes and serious health issues,” said co-author Ana Bonassa from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

The cells of the pancreas that release insulin showed damage, with the presence of increased levels of free radicals and markers of insulin resistance were also detected, the researchers added.

Entertainment

May 28-June 03, 2018 Meena Kumari

Queen of Tragedy

She became one of the finest actresses of Hindi cinema, whose name remains synonymous with a certain depth of feeling and a melancholic air

n Urooj Fatima

“

Good looks, great talent and unhappiness. Perhaps no other star combined all three in such a heady brew as Meena Kumari did.”

No wonder her fans were legion. The iconic actress carved out an inimitable niche for herself, had held sway over her audiences for two decades and continues to fascinate her fans to this day.

Meena Kumari born Mahjabeen Bano, was an Indian film actress, singer and poet under the pseudonym “Naaz”. Popularly known as The Tragedy Queen, she is also called Female Guru Dutt of Hindi Films and is often remembered as the Cinderella of the Indian films.

She became the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1954 for her performance in Baiju Bawra and with twelve nominations for the Filmfare award (of which she won four); she was an actor to be taken seriously. She could sing and write poetry. Then there are all the

trappings that generate mystery and intrigue – a failed marriage, a string of failed relationships and alcoholism which finally she succumbed to.

Tragedy seemed to be the leitmotif.

Though gifted with an instinctive understanding of how to emote and bring out the nuances of a character, Meena Kumari was also an actress who worked hard at her roles. She needed to know the woman she was portraying, and get under her skin, shedding her own persona in the process.

The actress who made her screen debut at age seven and who like several child actors, looks back at being the breadwinner of the family and rues her missed childhood.

‘She remembers, she never had a collection of bright coloured marbles.

That sentence seems to capture the essence of not just her childhood but her entire life. She missed the simple things that life never offered her.’(Book: Meena Kumari) Meena Kumari often compared herself with Marilyn Monroe. Both

grappled with fame and loneliness in equal measure. Both actresses battled broken hearts and unrequited love.

Both were used and discarded by the men in their lives. What sets Meena Kumari apart is her obsession with the craft of acting. Yet of the seventyseven films (not counting the ones where she acted as a child artiste), no more than six or seven really gave her a chance to show her talent.

It was in tragedies that Meena Kumari triumphed. She could cry without using glycerine, a great achievement in acting. Regarded as the greatest tragedy queen of Indian cinema, she portrayed a unique blend of great sensitivity, pain, sacrifice and purity in her reel life. And there is a reason for this. It was because these tragedies pervaded her real life too.

A dreamer, Meena Kumari found solace in poetry. The last line she wrote was, “Kya meri maiyyat ka waqt aagaya?” How true these were words!

Perhaps she had a premonition of her death. She died of cirrhosis of liver caused by excessive drinking, leaving

29 07

nothing behind except her poems, ghazals, nazms and diaries to be given to Gulzar. Her book of verses is aptly entitled Tanha Chand.

Her life had been a slow journey towards deterioration. It was during the filming of her last film, Pakeezah (1972) that rumours of her fatal sickness began to emerge. She never survived to witness the euphoria with which the film was welcomed. It is still considered one of the finest paeans to the ‘Queen of Tragedy’. Yet, there was something far brighter behind those alluring eyes.

Khuda ke vaaste gham ko bhi to na bahlao Ise torehne do mera yahi to mera hai (Gor God’s sake, do not distract me from my sorrows Let them be, for they are my own.)

Meena Kumari’s turn to literature should not be surprising, considering her pedigree. Her father was a veteran of Parsi theatre and well versed in Urdu poetry and literature. Her mother was a stage actress, who once performed Tagore’s plays. Though she was never educated in the arts, Meena Kumari’s sensibility and vocation endowed the actress with an innate understanding of poetry. It is a side of the actress that has remained hidden from most people. Her poems contain an undertone of pathos that also shaded her acting style.

Her poetry also became her only mode of expression.

Aaghaz to hota hai anjaam nahi hota Jab meri kahaani mein woh naam nahi hota (They begin, but never end Unless my stories have that name) On March 31, 1972, Meena Kumari lay in Mumbai’s St. Elizabeth Nursing Home. Life was ebbing from her. When asked her last wish, she whispered, “Ek umda paan”. A very simple desire for a great actress.

A legend in her lifetime, she lives on today almost 46 years after she died.

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Literature

May 28-June 03, 2018

Inspirational

The Circle of Good Deed

O

nce upon a time Shree Krishna and Arjun went for a short stroll around the city. They saw a poor looking priest begging. Arjun felt pity at him and he gave him a bag full of 100 gold coins.

The priest became very happy and thanked Arjun. He left for his home.

On way, he saw another person who needed help. The priest could have spared a coin or two to help that person. however, he chose to ignore it. But on way to his home, one thief robbed him of his bag of coins and ran away.

The priest became dejected and went back again for begging. Next day again when Arjun saw the same priest begging and he was surprised that after getting a bag full of coins which can last a lifetime, the priest was still begging! He called the priest and asked him the reason for this.

The priest told him about the whole incident and Arjun again felt pity at him. So, this time he gave him a diamond.

The priest became very happy and left for home and he again saw someone who needed help but he chose to ignore again. Upon reaching home, he safely put the diamond in

Poem

Teach me As I scribble sentences I learn of postulates That didn’t begin at my birth.

Thump, Thump, Thumps in my head; All the things that I’ve read.

I hope this erudition Of prosperity and determination Will save me someday, Someday when I cute open A stranger’s chest, Someday when I’ll be sipping surprising stories; Unholy podcasts about the noises, Someday when

an empty pot of water with a plan to cash it out later and live a wealthy life. His wife was not at home. He was very tired so he decided to take a nap. In between, his wife came home and picked up that empty pot of water, walked towards the river close by to fill up the water. She had not noticed the diamond in the pot.

Upon arriving at the river, she put the whole pot into the running river water to fill it up. She filled up the pot but the diamond was gone with the water flow!

When the priest woke up, he went to see the pot and asked his wife about the diamond. She told him, she had not noticed it and it must have been lost in the river. The priest couldn’t believe his bad luck and again started begging. Again Arjun and Shree Krishna saw him begging and Arjun inquired about it. Arjun felt bad and started thinking if this priest will ever have a happy life.

Shree Krishna who is an incarnation

of God smiled. Shree Krishna gave that priest one coin which was not even enough for buying a lunch or dinner for one person. Arjun asked Shree Krishna, “Lord, I gave him gold coins and diamond, which could have given him a wealthy life, yet it didn’t help him. How will just one coin help this poor guy?” Shree Krishna smiled and told Arjun to follow that priest and find out.

On the way, the priest was thinking that one coin Shree Krishna gave him, he can’t even buy a lunch for one person. Why would he give so little? He saw a fisherman who was getting a fish out of his net. Fish was struggling. The priest felt pity at fish.

He thought that this one coin won’t solve my problem, why not I save that fish. So the priest paid the fisherman and took the fish. He put the fish in

I’ll be creating a world that belongs To me.

I hope it saves me From the war That continuously cooks in cauldron, This cauldron that we call homeIt rolls over, Flattening our globe, Opening our robes Displeasured and provoked moans.

This cauldron cooks cacophonies, Wringing my ears, Calling what is left behind Back, For it doesn’t understand that it was left for a reason, This hurtful love will boil us, It will turn science into fiction, Bring back borders with friction.

I hope it saves me.

I hope you save me-

For I want to unlearn Teach me just that, These conventional circumstances, Along with what CBSC desires, These chaotic conspiracies, For she will never expire.

Forcing postulates down my throat So please, teach melike For I will wear my gratitude on Cough syrup, The diaphanous wings that When I simply suffer from the cure You have ever since given me, And not the pretentious For you have taught me to teach me. predicament.

I want to stand in front of the mirror And learn to learn.

So, will you teach me?

For I should be your first employee, Willing and able, As the textbook teaches.

Teach me how to show Kindness to those who never know, Teach me how to Read mosaics that shelfed books create, Teach me the algorithms of clouds ANAVI Akhaury and stars.

Grade 11, Shiv Nadar School

his small pot of water which he always carried with him.

The fish was struggling in a small pot of water, ended up throwing out a diamond from the mouth! The priest screamed with a joy, “I got it, I got it”.

At that same point, the thief who had robbed the priest’s bag of 100 gold coins, was passing through there. He thought that the priest recognized him and may get him punished. He got nervous and ran to the priest. He apologized to the priest and returned his bag full of 100 gold coins. The priest couldn’t believe what just happened.

Arjun saw all this and said, “Oh Lord, Now I understand your play”.

Moral: When you have enough to help others, don’t let that chance go.

Your good deeds will always be repaid to you.

Events

May 28-June 03, 2018

events & more...

ACROSS

2.Which element is essential for batteries used in electric cars?

3. Which state is sole producer of agate, chalk, and perlite in India?

6. Buddhism from India was introduced to which current region by Kasyapa Matanga?

7. Which features of Indian temples resembles pylons of the Egyptian temples?

10. Ghumura is an ancient folk dance that originated in which state?

12. The invention of “swarm intelligence” has been possible because of which branches of science?

16. The ancient port-site of Godavaya is located in which country?

18. India’s first Uranium Mine is located in 19. What is the official language in Argentina?

20. The Greek Ambassador Deimachus of Plataea had visited the court of which ruler of Magadha?

Ground Floor, Near Neelkanth Hospital, DLF Phase III, Gurugram Sat, 9 Jun 7:00PM - 9:00PM

SSB crossword no. 24

events

Music Concert on Screen Venue: Reboot-Wellness 7, Nathupur Road,

DOWN

SOLUTION of crossword no.23

THE HUMOR SHOWCASE - a hinglish stand up comedy Venue: Akshara Theatre 11-B. Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Next To RML Hospital Exit No. 5, New Delhi Sun, 10 Jun 6:00PM - 7:30PM

Salon Management Congress 2nd Edition Venue: Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Delhi-

NCR, India, Monday, 4th Jun 2018 - Tuesday, 5th Jun 2018 | 11:00 AM to 06:00 PM IST

1.London 2.Geneva 3.Nasik 4.1938 5.1979 6.Brazil Silver 7.Spherometer 8.Mercury 9.Pallavas 10.Bihar

11.65 12.Uttar 13.Pradesh Rice 14.Tobacco 15.Calcutta 16.USA 17.Liver 18.W Giri 19.Madhya Pradesh

solution of sudoku-23

Think Right Venue: ORANGE OCTOPUS, 36 WESTERN AVENUE, SAINIK FARMS, DELHI 28 MAY 2018 - 8 JUN 2018 12:45 PM ONWARDS

31

1. Which state is India’s largest Bauxite producer?

4. How many presidents of India so far were elected unopposed?

5. Raut Nacha is folk dance performed mainly by the tribal communities of which state?

8. Which planned city in Odisha is NOT a petrochemical centre of India?

9. Which crop types are affected generally positively by western disturbances in India?

11. A persistent fall in the general price level of goods and services is known as __: 13. What was denoted by the term “Kahapana” or “Karshapan” during ancient India?

14. The concept of differential heating was primarily given to explain which of the geographical phenomena in India?

15. Which is the poorest conductor of heat in comparison to other options?

17. Shaphee Lanphee, a traditional textile fabric, is a GI product from which state?

sudoku-24

Aero - Modelling Workshop Venue: ORANGE OCTOPUS, 36

WESTERN AVENUE, SAINIK FARMS, DELHI 28 MAY 2018 - 8 JUN 2018 11:30 AM ONWARDS

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

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

Newsmakers

May 28-june 03, 2018

CM confers Banga Bibhushan award to Asha Bhosle After becoming CM in 2011, Mamata Banerjee had instituted Banga Bibhushan, Banga Bhushan in recognition of services of eminent personalities Asha Bhosle

L

egendary singer Asha Bhosle was conferred the Banga Bibhushan, the West Bengal Government’s highest award, by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

“I am elated that Asha Bhosle has accepted our invitation and has taken the pain to come here. We can never forget her contribution,” Banerjee said at the event.

Bengali matinee idol Prosenjit Chatterjee and Justice Shyamal Kumar Sen (retd) also received the Banga Bibhushan.

On Banerjee’s request, the veteran singer mesmerised everyone by rendering a Bengali song.

Banerjee said “one cannot forget Bhosle’s

connection to the soil of Bengal” as she and her sister Lata Mangeshkar have sung many Bengali songs and it is a matter of pride for the Bengalis.

“We couldn’t invite Lata Mangeshkar, owing to her health but we extend our best regards to her through Ashaji,” said Banerjee.

This year, writer Samaresh Majumdar and footballer Subrata Bhattacharya also received the Banga Bibhushan.

Other recipients of the prestigious award included Girija Shankar Rai (writer), S.K. Bhowmik (researcher), Mohammed Habib (football player).

Singers Sriradha Bandopadhyay, Arundhati Homchoudhury and Partha Ghosh (elocutionist) received the Banga Bhushan award.

After coming to power in 2011, Banerjee had instituted the BangaBibhushan and BangaBhushan awards in recognition of the services of eminent personalities from their respective fields.

The First Female Sikh Officer To Join The NYPD Gursoach Kaur will join the New York Police Department as an Auxiliary Officer

T

he New York Police Department (NYPD) has got its first female turbaned Sikh auxiliary police officer, whose induction aims to motivate others to join law enforcement and help create better understanding of Sikhism.

Gursoach Kaur will join the New York Police Department as an Auxiliary Police Officer (APO) after graduating last week from the New York City Police Academy.

Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri also tweeted about Kaur, expressing hope that a turbaned lady officer will help create better understanding of Sikhism in the US “Delighted to see a turbaned lady officer in NYPD. Hope this fosters better understanding of Sikhism and Sikhs and corrects perceptions in the US so that incident which happened with me in 2010 and recently with Canada minister Navdeep Bains do not recur. Sikhs are ambassadors of harmony,” Puri tweeted.

The association said in a Facebook post that

Gursoach Kaur it is “proud” to welcome Kaur to the Police Department.

“Your service will be a motivation for others to join the Law enforcement Family,” it said.

The association is the nation’s first organisation to represent Sikh Officers in Law Enforcement.

Under the revised policy, officers from the Sikh faith were allowed to have beards that extend up to one-half inch from the face. The officers may also wear blue turbans ‘with a hat shield it affixed to it’ in place of the traditional police cap.

unsung hero

Highp U s e v i G y Ranchi Bo Help Farmers Paying Job to Farmers’ distress and suicides worried him and he decided to do something about it

S

rijan, the young lad is nothing short of a local hero in the Gumla district of Jharkhand. All these years, as a Ranchiite and as Srijan a post-graduate in Rural Management, he chose to stay close to nature. Later, like many others, Srijan moved to a bigger city for work. He joined a leading Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) in Hyderabad that offered immense potential for career growth.

Due to the frequent rural camps he attended as a student, he was able to strike up a conversation with the local villagers instantly. He learnt about farmer suicides in the area and in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh where many farmers failed to repay the micro-credits they took due to crop failure, pest attacks, or poor irrigation facilities.

Though MFIs were known to lend directly to the women population by forming a ‘Joint Liability Group’ ( JLG), in reality, the male members of the family try to utilise the loans for agricultural enhancements in many cases. He was shocked to learn that his subsequent responsibilities at the job would include taking away livestock or other assets, whenever a family failed to pay back the loan. This was like a final nail in the coffin to his compassionate personality. After the initial acclimatisation, he started mulling over the primary reasons for which he had quit his lucrative job. He had to do something to stop farmer suicides and bring about an improvement in their earnings and the overall quality of their lives. For this, he set himself the herculean task of convincing the farmers about the benefits of organic farming. He says that farmers were well aware of the concept. The challenge laid in making them give up chemical-based farming and adopt organic farming. With his team of three field staff members, Srijan started to pursue the implementation of organic farming initiatives on a pilot-basis in Salyatoli village. With a tough task ahead, Srijan and his team knew that presenting statistical data alone would neither evoke farmer interest nor comprehension in organic farming. Thus, the route they adopted involved storytelling, using photographs and videos by including all 27 farmers of the Salyatoli village.

Srijan recalls that his NGO used to work on a project named Sustainable Options for Uplifting Livelihood (SOUL), funded by the Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS). When he took over the charge of the project, he changed its focus and primary objectives to bring about an organic mode of farming. In this pursuit, he also got connected with the Ranchi organisation, Field & Forest, which also worked with Dehradun’s Navdanya.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 2, Issue - 24 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