Sulabh Swachh Bharat - VOL: 2 | ISSUE 52

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07 A Feather On The Cap

West Bengal government is on a social awareness drive

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Sanitation in Bahrain

Upgrading the aging sanitary and drainage network with a good progress

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Revolutionary leader, architect of Soviet Union & the posthumous source of “Leninism”

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Vol - 2 | Issue - 52 | Dec 10-16, 2018 | Price ` 10/-

Nirmal bengal

50 Paise/Ltr Boon Of Sulabh To End Water-Plight Of Rural West Bengal

"Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, 'a magician, a visionary'. He is one who is not only endowed with a pragmatic vision, but takes all his ideas to the level of implementation. The Sulabh think-tank has ensured capacity skill development in a huge way." - Prof KJ Nath

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Cover Story

Dec 10-16, 2018

Professor KJ Nath, PHE minister Subrata Mukherjee, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak and Gouri Shankar Ghosh, former executive director of WSSCC, Geneva, proudly present Sulabh Jal

Prasanta Paul

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ulabh International Social Service Organisation (SISSO) has embarked on a new people centric and decentralised approach to mitigate the acute hardship

Quick Glance Seminars are often meant to only discuss the problems and issues Sulabh organised a one-day national seminar to rather give solutions The solutions to purify the arsenic contaminated water in rural West Bengal

being encountered by the rural population in West Bengal and elsewhere in India owing to arsenic contamination of ground water and bacteriological contamination of the surface water, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of SISSO told an august gathering in Kolkata recently.

Sulabh, which drew an inspiration from a French organisation (1001 Fontaines) that worked in Cambodia and Madagascar, decided to go ahead with implementing some pilot projects in a few villages of West Bengal being plagued by the arsenic menace, Dr Pathak said while addressing a national seminar on “Sanitary Protection & Upgradation of Traditional Surface Water Sources in Rural West Bengal For Producing Sulabh Safe Water for Drinking and Cooking Purpose: An Innovative Approach”.

Explaining the purpose behind holding the seminar which

provided some solutions as well to the threat of arsenic, Dr Pathak sought to highlight that ensuring the provision of safe water to the community is as necessary as the target for making the country open defecation free.

Stressing that an integrated approach has to be taken for improving sanitation, along with the provision of safe water, he said without this, comprehensive and optimal health impact from WASH projects would elude the government.

In this context, Dr Pathak raised the issue of large-scale contamination of groundwater with arsenic/fluoride over a wide swathe of West Bengal and despite governmental efforts, people in a significant number of villages are still not having any access to arsenic free safe drinking water.

Hence, Sulabh has undertaken some pilot projects which would

cover such villages as afflicted by arsenic, fluoride and microbiological contamination of ground and surface water.

“The basic idea is to empower the villagers in entrepreneurships and technology adaptation so that they could apply appropriate technology for upgrading the quality of water collected from traditional surface water sources and supply the same to the doorstep of the rural populace,” he said.

Presently, there are many a perennial surface water source like ponds/rivers/lakes/spring water/ dug wells in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and many other states in the GangaBrahmaputra Basin.

Once properly tapped and treated, it would go a long way in the conservation and utilisation of the traditional surface water sources in the rural areas which are otherwise being grossly abused by the locals.

Cover Story

Dec 10-16, 2018 Sulabh Jal & its sustainability What has given SISSO a huge strength in its drive is the fact that the pilot studies in Madhusudankati (North 24 Parganas), Midnapur and Haridaspur have already demonstrated the technical and financial feasibility of the “Sublah Jal” model and its sustainability in the long run.

On top of this, encouraged by the pilot project in these villages, many people-based organisations have been taking up identical programmes in their villages with technical support from Sulabh International Academy of Environmental Sanitation & Public Health (SIAES & PH), a subsidiary of SISSO. “The innovative approach, it appears, will bring out a revolutionary change in the community water supply systems in the rural areas,” Dr Pathak hoped.

“In fact, it would be nothing short of a social revolution if the villagers themselves could start producing and supplying safe and pure water to the community at a price less than Re One per litre.”

But why there is a crying need for safe drinking water?

Dr Pathak has a wonderful answer: “Akash, Dharti, Jal, Vayu and Agni (sky, earth, water, air and fire) – these five elements build our lives.

If one of the vital ingredients like water is contaminated, then zeal to live ceases. We often talk and are afraid of the destruction of earth; it will be either full of water or

without water when the earth will really perish,” Dr Pathak observed amidst a roaring thumping from the audience.

Sulabh’s technology has already been implemented in Ghana, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

What is equally interesting, and which Dr Pathak shared with the audience, is the fact that during his recent visit to the United States, the Sulabh founder faced queries about ‘Sulabh Jal’. “I was told that all the cities in America have safe drinking water; but in many rural areas of the USA, the picture is different and we’ve been approached for installing our plant there. That’s our success,” a beaming Dr Pathak stated.

“It’s time we have to take a vow to raise awareness about the threat of arsenic if we are to save humanity”– Subrata Mukherjee, Minister for public health & engineering, Government of West Bengal

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Dr Pathak has affected a miracle : Prof KJ Nath Describing Dr Pathak ‘a magician, a visionary’, Professor KJ Nath, Chairman, Arsenic Task Force, Government of West Bengal, and Chairman, Science and Technology, SISSO, said that Dr Pathak is one who is not only endowed with a pragmatic vision, but takes all his ideas to the level of implementation. The Sulabh think-tank has not only provided the latest technology, but he has also equally ensured capacity skill development in a huge way. Prof Nath cited the successful examples of Madhusudankati, Hingleganj and Murshidabad besides some other places where the water treatment

Sulabh’s Gift to Shantiniketan Residents

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r Bindeshwar Pathak, a celebrated sociologist and founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, inaugurated a water project at Shantiniketan, Bolpur, West Bengal, on December 5, 2018.

With this, the Tagore-land now has access to purified drinking water at just 50 paise/liter.

Dr Pathak while inaugurating the new plant, dedicated this project to Rabindranath Tagore, founding father of Visva-Bharati.

The project was implemented in collaboration with the Society

for Equitable Voluntary Actions (SEVA), a non-profit organisation.

The rural drinking water project campus is in Manabjamin Bolpur, Shantiniketan block, and is six kilometer away from Bolpur Station.

“If you have not helped someone then you have not worshipped God. Everyone talks of the issues, the facts and the figures, but there are only a few who find the solutions to those problems,” said Dr Pathak.

“Every small contribution helps in the development of the nation.

SEVA is one such rare organisation which is contributing to the growth of the nation and the welfare of its people. For this, I would like to make my contribution of Rs 10 lakh to them,” declared Dr Pathak.

The plant operates with the water from a pond. The primary objective is to provide safe drinking water in the rural community, especially in the villages with arsenic and fluoride contaminated ground and surface water. The capacity of water treatment plant is 8000 liter/day. The plant is being commissioned with the funding support of SISSO and technical plus funding support of Sulabh International Academy of Environmental Sanitation & Public Health (SIAES&PH).

plants are being run by the rural people and have brought the much sought-after relief to scores of arsenic-affected villages.

“It’s kind of a revolution; we’ve designed plants, but we’ve forgotten about the resources that are available in the villages.

Secondly, we have never given any importance to ponds. Dr Pathak has affected a sort of miracle in the sanitation front and in the programme of arsenic elimination,” Prof Nath claimed.

It has been felt that along with sanitation, safe water should also Now Shantiniketan has access to purified drinking water at just 50 paise/liter

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Cover Story

be provided to the community so that the gain to the public health becomes comprehensive. It has been established in many studies that for a comprehensive and lasting impact on community health, it is essential to take an integrated approach on sanitation and safe water.

A large number of villages, he said, are still exposed to the threat of arsenic and it would be wrong to say that the state government is doing little to mitigate the situation.

But unless and until there is large scale people’s participation in this programme and captive capacity of developing pure and safe drinking water is put in place, efforts will be piecemeal and may not serve the desired result, he averred.

The West Bengal government is due to roll out a master plan under which all the villages have been envisioned to receive safe piped drinking water.

Dec 10-16, 2018

“I doubt whether any other organisation or government can provide water at such an affordable price”– Sovandeb Chatterjee, Minister for Power and NonConventional Energy Sources, Government of West Bengal

Time to raise awareness about arsenic threat: Subrata Mukherjee, PHE minister While delivering his address, Subrata Mukherjee, minister for public health & engineering, Government of West Bengal, pointed out that in West Bengal, more than 83 blocks have been infected with arsenic and the spread has been alarming. “According to the latest research, fruits, crops, vegetables and even the breast milk of mothers living in the afflicted zones have been found to contain arsenic contamination which is really dangerous.”

Now, apart from the districts, the threat of arsenic menace has been looming large even in the vicinity of the city of Kolkata itself. And it is as close as Jadavpur in south Kolkata.

“I personally deputed officials to conduct a test at a specific area in

Jadavpur where the water has been found to contain quite a high level of arsenic,” the minister claimed.

At the same time, he regretted: “Unfortunately, we’re still not serious about the gravity of the situation and there’s hardly any effective social awareness campaign to communicate the right message to the affected people and those who are yet to be affected, but tantalisingly close to it.”

The PHE minister referred to a wonderful example of how the importance of water has often been ridiculously scaled down in advertisements. “In order to highlight the very cheap price of an item or commodity, we often tend to say or advertisements claim – Jaler dor (meaning it is as cheap as water) – thereby diluting the value and importance of water.”

He further said, “Some of the advanced countries claim to have

PHE minister of West Bengal government, Subrata Mukherjee, addressing the gathering

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak showcases a sample of purified drinking water processed throught Sulabh’s water treatment plant

Gouri Shankar Ghosh, ex-executive director of WSSCC, Geneva, showered praise on the initiative of Sulabh to tap the pond water as one of its sources

Cover Story

Dec 10-16, 2018

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a visit to Sulabh Water Treatment Plant in Madhusudankati Visitors being briefed about the process of the Sulabh water treatment plant in Madhusudankati

improved on the version of a nuclear bomb or some even proclaim of sending satellites to Mars. But there’s still a doubt about how successful these countries are in enhancing the qualitative standard of water”.

According to him, proper valuation of water and ensuring availability and delivery of safe drinking water is still a far cry in many countries.

Expressing his concern over this, the minister felt that there is hardly “any time left to waste over needless ponderings. It’s time we have to take a vow to raise awareness about the threat of arsenic if we are to save humanity from getting afflicted with this menace. Only then, the will to live will be back with a bang.”

Let Sulabh’s initiative fan out to remote areas: Gouri S Ghosh, former director of WSSCC, Geneva Dwelling on the topic, Sovandeb Chatterjee, Minister for Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of West Bengal, lauded the efforts of Sulabh and Dr Pathak

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r Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder, Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, made a Technical Field visit to the Sulabh Purified Drinking Water Treatment Plant at Madhusudankati, West Bengal.

Here he read out the water testing report of Yadavpur University that Verifying the quality of the water treated by the plant as pure and fit for drinking. He addressed the Representatives from various cooperative societies from nearby areas who came especially to see the Sulabh water treatment plant at Madhusudankati.

The Water Treatment Plant at Madhusudankati is being managed by Madhusudankati Krishak Kalyan Samiti with the technical

expertise of Sulabh International.

At Madhusudankati, the Sulabh Drinking Water project converts pond water into safe drinking water and is sold at 50 paise per litre. The plant, which treats water collected in a deep, man-made pond at the village, is developed by Sulabh and French NGO 1001 Fontaines (Fountains). The plant has a capacity to produce 8,000 litres of potable water per day and the water costs 50 paise per litre, which makes it the cheapest purified, bottled water in the world.

For residents of Madusudankati, the plant has proved a saviour after years of suffering from skin and other diseases blamed on arsenic in ground water pumped from wells.

After years of suffering illnesses

for their mission to provide safe drinking water to hundreds and thousands of villages across the country. According to him, it is the duty of the government to ensure this; but no government can do it alone. He particularly mentioned the throw-away price of the bottles being distributed by Sulabh.

“I doubt whether any other organisation or government can provide water at such an affordable price,” he said.

Gouri Shankar Ghosh, who had a prolonged stint with UNICEF and was the former executive director of WSSCC, Geneva, showered praise on the initiative of Sulabh

from drinking polluted ground water, residents of Madusudankati are now receiving clean bottled supplies thanks to the “Sulabh Jal” from the purification plant. Since the plant is in operation there has been a considerable improvement in the health of the people affected by the arsenic poison.

Apart from supplying safe drinking water, Sulabh is also treating people suffering from arsenic poisoning at a health centre adjacent to the water plant.

Sulabh Water is distributed free of cost to arsenic affected patients, schoolchildren and to those families who are in actual need but can’t afford to buy. A water testing laboratory is also there to test the water quality periodically.

to tap the pond water as one of its sources. He was referring to the experience at Madhusudankati in West Midnapore district where a massive pond on almost a five bigha stretch has been converted as the major source of water for the latest water treatment plant developed, funded and being run by Sulabh.

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Cover Story

Dec 10-16, 2018

Sovandeb Chatterjee, Minister for Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Govt of West Bengal, lauded the throw-away price of Sulabh Jal

Prof KJ Nath, Chairman, Arsenic Task Force, Government of West Bengal, and Dr AK Ghosh, HoD (Research), Mahavir Cancer Hospital, post Technical Session-I

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak presents a memento to Dr Abhijit Das, Head of Dept of Economics, Vijaygarh Jyotish Ray College, Kolkata

Dr DN Guha Mazumdar, Director, DNGM Research Foundation, addressing the gathering

“This is a unique initiative and both the state and central governments must work together to help Sulabh fan out its reach further into the remote areas of the country to provide relief to the villagers,” felt Ghosh who stressed on the need for rainwater harvesting as well.

Ghosh regretted that most of the mitigation strategies have so far failed because of lack of proper human intervention.

Detailing the gravity of the situation, Dr Ghosh said that incidence of gall bladder cancer from arsenic has been rising sharply in Bihar and a large number of patients getting admitted to Mahavir Cancer Hospital in Patna have shown symptoms of arsenicosis and a majority of them are females.

One of the worst affected districts in Bihar is Buxar where arsenic contamination has been found to be as high as 1906 microgram per litre, several notches higher than the permissible limit. Buxur is followed by Bhagalpur and Patna; it has been noticed that the southern side of the Ganga basin

The situation in Bihar According to Dr AK Ghosh, HoD (Research) of Mahavir Cancer Hospital, Government of Bihar, footprint of arsenic which, at one point of time, was mainly present in the eastern part of the country, has made its presence felt in Punjab and some of the states in the south and been progressing rapidly. Referring to the situation in Bihar where out of 38 districts, 18 have been struck with this deadly menace, Dr

“The state and central govts must work together to help Sulabh fan out its reach further into the remote areas of the country to provide relief to the villagers”– Gouri Shankar Ghosh, Former executive director of WSSCC, Geneva

has been the worst hit by arsenic and the same has been spreading fast.

Dr S P Sinha Roy, chairman of Centre for Ground Water Studies, sounded a note of caution against harvesting pond water all the time, especially during the dry season as the in-take of sand poses a threat during that period. And secondly, areas where a high degree of iron concentration is visible, are found to be prone to arsenic contamination.

Among others Dr Chandreyee Ghosh, Hijli Inspiration, Dr D N Guha Mazumdar, Director, DNGM Research Foundation, Abha Kumar, Senior Vice President, SISSO, Dr Tarit Roy Chowdhury, Director, School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, spoke at the seminar.

No Spitting

Dec 10-16, 2018

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Litter-Free City Of Joy

A Feather On The Cap Of The West Bengal Government First a hefty fine for spitting, littering in Kolkata and now a documentary to aware the masses of the importance of cleanliness, the state government is on a social awareness drive

Prasanta Paul Scene 1: A middle-aged man driving a Hyundai pauses at a signal at Patuli in the extreme fringe of south Kolkata.

Before the signal goes green, he just opens the door and spits on the street and then tries to drive off.

Scene 2: A bevy of school children descends on the spot apparently from nowhere and surrounds the car. A dumbfounded man behind the steering fails to understand the reason behind the sudden “assault” of the kids.

Scene 3: The children force the puzzled fellow to come out of the car and apologise for spitting on the road. They equally caution him against repeating this action in future. A repeat offence will earn him a severe punishment, he is firmly told.

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es, it’s lights, camera, sound and action – all for a social awareness drive. A stretch of Patuli suddenly came alive last week for a different reason.

The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal has embarked on a special drive for the first time in India to launch a unique social awareness campaign against public spitting. Hence, the chief minister instructed the Kolkata Police and the state information and cultural

affairs department to undertake a mission to raise awareness about the evils of dirtying the City of Joy. Accordingly, the cops, in collaboration with the state cultural affairs department, held a meeting, deliberating on how best the awareness drive can be launched. It was decided during the meeting that as per the suggestion of the chief minister, a one-minute documentary on the subject will be made involving the students of the city’s premier schools.

Last week, nearly 80 students from La Martiniere, Heritage and Indus Valley assembled at the junction of the floating market at Patuli for the shooting of the minute-long documentary. The documentary is being made

by Nothing Beyond Cinema, a venture of Arindam Sil, famous for his Byomkesh series of movies and Sri Venkatesh Films.

Additional Commissioner of Kolkata Police Supratim Sarkar has done the scripting of the film, the first cut of which has already been done and sent to Banerjee for her critical opinion.

The message portrayed by the documentary is very simple: if one doesn’t like to dirty one’s home, how can he/she dirty or litter the public places?

Spreading Mass Awareness Shot in English and Bengali, the documentary produced by information and cultural affairs department of government of West Bengal and starring students from the city schools, is likely to be dubbed in several other Indian languages. According to Sil, children are always the best harbingers of change; the film will show kids advising the elders not to spit in public p l a c e s .

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asked about the performance of the kids in the film, he said that they acted in a natural way, making the job of the director very easy.

The final version of the film will be released very soon after due vetting from the chief minister. The documentary is likely to be shown in the multiplexes and other vital installations besides important railway stations. The message portrayed is very simple; if one doesn’t like to dirty one’s home, how can he/she dirty or litter the public places?

Explaining the government’s stand in this regard, state urban development minister and city mayor Firhad Hakim stated that the state government has decided to spread awareness among the people of the state about the evils of spitting and littering at public places, a practice which persists mainly due to lack of awareness. “We’ve seen people, knowingly or unknowingly, polluting public places by spitting here and there and throwing

Quick Glance It’s lights, camera, sound and action – all for a social awareness drive The West Bengal Govt has a unique campaign against public spitting Citizens will have to fork out a fine up to Rs 1 lakh for spitting and littering the city

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No Spitting

Dec 10-16, 2018

Dr Pathak Pens Mamata Banerjee To Laud Her Brilliant Initiative For A ‘Nirmal Bengal’ November 29, 2018 Hon’ble Chief Minister Kumari Mamata Banerjee ji, I came across the news that West Bengal citizens may have to pay fine up to Rs One lakh for spitting here and there and throwing trash in public places. This is an extremely welcome move, and I would like to warmly congratulate you for proposing this stern measure in order to ensure a lean

trash. We are spending lakhs to keep the city clean, paint the walls and its bridges. We’ve to stop this nonsense; it’s time we raise awareness among the common people,” he said. The chief minister, he said, has already formed a committee to modify the existing laws and look into options of imposing stricter penalties on offenders. The committee, headed by chief secretary Malay De, includes home secretary Atri Bhattacharya, director general Virendra and city police commissioner Rajeev Kumar among others.

Think Before You Spit!

The West Bengal Assembly recently passed a bill to enhance the penalty for offenders which would mean that the citizens might have to fork out a maximum of Rs one lakh as fine for spitting and littering the city streets and adjoining places. The West Bengal Prevention of Spitting in Public Place Act, introduced in 2003, had earlier imposed a fine of Rs 200 on the defaulters. The penalty has been raised through an amendment to section 338 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (second amendment)

environment that all of us need. Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt of a clean India. And for the last 50 years, I have dedicated my life to the cause of a clean India. The Sulabh sanitation movement that I started in 1970 has since then been spearheading a relentless campaign for making India clean and open-defecation-free. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi-ji has launched Swachh Bharat Mission and his Swachhta Hi Seva campaign has taken the form of a people’s movement. I cannot express how thrilled I am that you have begun a spirited crusade for Nirmal Bengal. This is a wonderful move, and your proposal of imposing monetary penalty for spitting and littering in public places would go a long way in keeping the entire state and especially the capital city of Kolkata neat and clean. I salute this campaign of yours and I would come over to Kolkata to organize a public event on Nirmal Bengal. I would like to seek your personal blessings, if you can spare some time, and if this is not possible due to your extremely busy schedule, I would request a Minister from your Cabinet to kindly come and participate, if and when organised, in our programme.

I would like to humbly share with you two historical events that underline the lifeenhancing importance of cleanliness.

We know from Kautilya’s Arthashastra that there was a provision of monetary penalty for littering public places in the age of Chandragupta Maurya. According to Kautilya’s accounts, there was a provision of paying fine of 100 pun – pun being the silver coin, which was the currency of the time – for defecating and 10 pun for urinating in public places. But there was a well-thought out caveat of absolving a person from the monetary penalty if he was sick or under the influence of drug or medicine.

Act. The amendment proposed to impose a minimum fine of Rs 5,000 and a maximum penalty of Rs 1 lakh on litterbugs. The earlier law stipulated that minimum penalty for dumping garbage was Rs 50 and the maximum fine was Rs 5,000. The Act not only bans spitting in public places, its section 7 also provides for a fine. This law is applicable in the city as well as in the suburbs and other parts of the state. West Bengal is one of the few states in the country to have such an official law, a senior official at the secretariat claimed.

The second incident relates to Singapore and its radical transformation under Lee Kuan Yew, in which the idea and execution of Cleanliness played a pivotal role. When Lee Kuan Yew assumed the charge of Prime Minister of Singapore in 1965, his Dutch Advisor Albert Winsemius advised him to implement five things. Of these the first suggestion was to make Singapore absolutely clean, which was, according to the advisor, a prerequisite for the rapid development of Singapore. Prior to this, the citizens of Singapore had no sense of sanitation and hygiene, as most of them used to spit and litter here and there. Lee Kuan Yew imposed a hefty fine of $500 for spitting and littering in public places. This brought about a radical change. Making and keeping Singapore clean yielded wonderful results.

In 1960, the annual per capita income of Singapore was just $400, which increased to a whopping $12,000 in 1990. Needless to say, Singapore is now among the world’s most developed countries.

I hope that your spirited campaign for cleanliness would produce similar results in West Bengal. I hope that the dream of a Nirmal Bengal, a Sunar Bengal would become a living reality under your inspiring leadership.

As a seasoned soldier of sanitation and cleanliness, I bow my head to you for your brilliant initiative to make West Bengal clean.

I would try my level best to reach out to you at the time of organizing the public event in Kolkata on Nirmal Bengal. I hope you would graciously spare some time and give your blessings for our programme.

With highest regards, Yours Sincerely, Bindeshwar Pathak

What Prompted The Film?

Beehive has it that the chief minister who had recently inaugurated the skywalk (the first in the Eastern Region) at Dakshineswar (near the famous Kali temple) in North 24 Parganas district during Deepavali this year, was miffed when she noticed that the pillars of the newly-built skywalk were already littered with stains of paan (beetal leaf) spit marks. Immediately after that, a visibly irritated Mamata Banerjee asked the district administration to impose a fine of Rs 1,001 against those found spitting in the skywalk.

Gender

Dec 10-16, 2018

West Bengal

Brave Girls Of Purulia Lead By Example, Fight Child Marriage Aided by UNICEF, these girls have fought off marital atrocities to return to the world of books Binita Das

the age of 15 to fight against poverty.

She made them understand that she wanted to study, which would enable her to look after the needs of the family.

She is not alone. Other brave girls, aided by UNICEF, have fought off marital atrocities to return to the world of books and lead by example in Purulia, where almost 38.3 per cent of young females get married before the age of 18.

Nabami Besra and Renuka Majhi from the interiors of Purulia were forced to quit their studies and marry at tender ages. But neither of them tolerated the misbehaviour of their in-laws. They are now back with their parents and studying further.

“I want to be independent and join the police force,” said Besra.

UNICEF, with the support of the district administration, initiated the Adolescent Empowerment Program

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s a 15-year-old, she convinced her parents not to marry her off so she could fulfill a childhood dream of becoming a doctor and treating the poor. Now, two years later, Priyanka Bauri strives to make other girls and their parents conscious of the perils of child marriage.

“I had stopped my own marriage by convincing my parents that I want to study and become a doctor. I would like to treat the downtrodden and neglected people. I told my mother that marrying early and conceiving early can be detrimental to our health,” Bauri, now 17, confidently told a group of visiting journalists.

Bauri, a resident of Neturia block in Parbatpur village of West Bengal’s backward Purulia district, said her parents wanted her to get married at

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(AEP) to carry out various activities in 10 blocks and three municipalities of Purulia in 2015. These programmes include empowerment through life skill education, promoting sports and self-defence, et al.

Talking about proper execution of existing government policies, Swapnadeepa Biswas, Child Protection Officer, UNICEF, said: “There are lots of empowerment programmes, but what was needed was a holistic approach that took into account all factors -- health, nutrition awareness, the safety of oneself, education, earning a livelihood and maintaining of hygiene.”

“There are initiatives for both boys and girls, but girls are given a little more support due to their social conditions,” Biswas added.

For instance, the Kanyashree Football Tournament (KFT) initiated in 2015 helped in mobilising 5,400 Kanyashree girls from 183 Clubs.

“Through our Kanyashree Swabalambi project (Kanyashree selfdependence project) inaugurated in July 2017, we are providing training in tailoring, nursing, handicrafts, etc. We are coming up with buildings in each block headquarters named ‘Kanyashree’ where there will be books, computers with high-speed internet -- and a training centre for vocational skills,” District Magistrate Alokesh Prasad Roy said.

Thrissur

When The World Sleeps, She Sets Sail G Ulaganathan

45-year-old KC Rekha of Chavakkad, Thrissur, Kerala, is India’s first fisherwoman

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he is one of India’s brave young woman entrepreneurs and she is in a field dominated by men, and where women fear to tread.

Rekha of Chavakkad in Thrissur has the licence to fish in deep sea, a first for a woman in India.

Before dawn breaks, KC Rekha, the 45-year-old mother of four, sits alone, untangling a mass of nylon fishing nets on the Chettuva beach, a fishing village at Chavakkad in Thrissur district of Kerala.

Her tanned fingers finish the task before her husband, P Karthikeyan, arrives for their expedition out to the deep sea on their small, old boat.

The couple sails 20-30 nautical miles, without a compass, a GPS device or any other modern navigation equipment and life jackets. “We

rely on traditional knowledge,” says Rekha, who believes Kadalamma, the sea goddess, will protect them.

Her faith stems from the struggle that began more than 10 years ago

when she decided to be the deckhand of Karthikeyan after his two workers quit. The couple just couldn’t afford labour.

Today, she is the only woman to get a deep-sea fishing licence from the State Fisheries Department. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, the country’s premier marine research agency, felicitated Rekha recently.

“There are many women engaged in fishing in backwaters and rivers, but there is no record of a woman’s presence along our coastline. We finally located her and recognised her feat,” CMFRI Director A. Gopalakrishnan says. She is the

only woman in India to have such a licence, the institute says. Women traditionally do not take up this work.

Rekha does get worried even when the Arabian Sea is rough and dark clouds hover over her head. She sets sail as the rest of the world sleeps, to haul in catch for the local market. She has been giving tough competition to fishermen by sailing through the most unpredictable routes for the past few years.

Rekha loves her work, despite the odds and vows to make a mark in this male bastion.

Kerala, the southernmost state in the peninsula, again shows the way.

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Sanitation

Dec 10-16, 2018 Bahrain

Development Of Sewage Treatment Plant

Its ambitious programme to upgrade the country’s aging sanitary and drainage network is making good progress with its key sewage treatment plant in Muharraq

Drinking Water Source Improved: urban: 100% of population (2015 est.)

Rural: 100% of population (2015 est.) total: 100% of population (2015 est.) unimproved: urban: 0% of population (2015 est.) rural: 0% of population (2015 est.) total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access improved: urban: 99.2% of population (2015 est.) rural: 99.2% of population (2015 est.) total: 99.2% of population (2015 est.) unimproved: urban: 0.8% of population (2015 est.) rural: 0.8% of population (2015 est.) total: 0.8% of population (2015 est.)

n SSB Bureau

T

he value for improved sanitation facilities in Bahrain was 99.20 as of 2015. Over the past 25 years it reached a maximum value of 99.20 in 2015 and a minimum value of 99.00 in 1990.

Improved sanitation facilities to ensure hygienic separation of human excreta from human contact. They include flush/pour flush (to piped sewer system, septic tank, pit latrine), ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine, pit latrine with slab, and composting toilet.

Presses on with sanitation plan

Bahrain is looking at all options to streamline its sanitary network. It plans to add new treatment plants, expand existing ones, and initiate deep gravity sewer projects to cover

Bluewater Bio Middle East director Xan Morgan revealed 100 million litres of the daily treated sewage was unsuitable for use and was simply being pumped into the bay vast areas of the country.

Its ambitious programme to upgrade the country’s aging sanitary and drainage network is making good progress with its key sewage treatment plant in Muharraq currently in the commissioning phase and various systems being evaluated to upgrade the Tubli water pollution control centre (WPCC).

For instance, a forum on Japanese sanitary engineering expertise was held at the Bahrain Society of Engineers, where solutions related to the sanitary engineering field in general and those for cleaning Tubli Bay were presented.

At the forum, the Ministry of Works (MoW) also elaborated the ambitious plans to improve the country’s sanitary and drainage network by building new sewage treatment plants and expanding current ones.

According to the masterplan, the MoW is working on three main areas: deep gravity sewers (DGS); sewage treatment plants (STPs); and treated sewage effluent (TSE), said Khalifa Al Mansoor, Engineering assistant undersecretary for sanitation, MoW. Referring to the Muharraq STP project, which is being implemented by the ministry in partnership with

the private sector, he said: “Experts have commended the project and have referred to it as a vital project complementing the urban boom that the kingdom is presently witnessing. The project, which uses microtunnelling technology, will serve Muharraq and produce water suitable for agricultural and industrial uses, in addition to improving the environment.

The Muharraq STP and conveyance system includes 16 km of trunk sewers to carry the sewage of the Muharraq area to the STP. It will have a capacity of 100,000 cu m per day, expandable to 160,000 cu m per day.

Turning to the Tubli project, Al Mansoor indicated that the need to clean Tubli Bay is among

Kolkata

Dec 10-16, 2018 the challenges facing the sanitary engineering sector. The Tubli STP and the expansion project is one of the most strategic projects being implemented by the MoW and aims to increase the capacity of the plant from 200,000 cu m per day to 400,000 cu m per day at an estimated cost of BD100 million ($265.9 million) under Phase Four expansion.

Water Scarcity in future

Bahrain is listed among the top ten countries that are likely to suffer from a water crisis in the next 25 years. The World Resources Institute (WRI) have estimated that 33 countries, half of which are in the Middle East, would suffer from a severe water crisis by 2040. According to the study that included 167 countries, the top ten countries that would face water crisis by 2040 are Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The finding shows that the Middle East is already probably the least water-secure region in the world as it depends heavily on groundwater and desalinated sea water, and faces exceptional water-related challenges for the foreseeable future.

Wastewater treatment plant

Experts have warned that Bahrain’s

main wastewater treatment plant is overloaded and in need of an urgent upgrade.

The Tubli Waste Pollution Control Centre (WPCC) treats around 150 million litres of sewage on a daily basis, but only one-third of that is suitable to be re-used for irrigation, according to a company involved in the facility since 2011.

Bluewater Bio Middle East director Xan Morgan revealed 100 million litres of the daily treated sewage was unsuitable for use and was simply being pumped into the bay.

The quality of the treated water from the plant is not suitable to be used to its full capacity, which is 150 million litres a day. Currently only a third of it is used, which is 50 million litres per day. This means around 100 million litres of treated water, which is of poor quality, is being dumped into the bay.

11 07

Barefoot chronicler

Kolkata A Great City, Hasn’t Lost Its Culture

The historian has given all the books that he had purchased for his research to the city’s Town Hall library to make it an “alternative and rich source” of historical documents Bappaditya Chaterjee

K

olkata still remains a “great city” that hasn’t lost its heart of culture and among whose people there is “some kind of discipline”, says P. Thankappan Nair, its 86-yearold barefoot chronicler who has left the eastern metropolis after a 63-year-long association with the city. His legacy will be the 62 books he penned on the city and the 2,000 he purchased over the years and which he has donated to the Town Hall library.

Nair has gone back to his roots -Chendamangalam, a small town in Kerala’s Ernakulam district -- as his children and grandchildren did not want him and his wife to stay alone in Kolkata at their age.

“The heart of the city has not changed. Although the city has lost its importance as many companies shifted their operations, but the city has not lost its culture. It still remains a great city,” Nair told while recalling his memories of the city.

“Somehow I like the city. It has got some kind of discipline among its people,” added Nair, who still prefers to call it “Calcutta” though the name was changed to Kolkata in 2001.

“I am already 86 and my two children and three grandchildren do not want me to stay here at this age, though my wife is also staying with me for last 10 years,” he said while his wife was busy with last-minute packing.

His latest book, “Gandhiji in Kolkata”, would be released at next year’s Kolkata Book Fair and he was not sure whether he would be present at the event.

Explaining his style of work, he said he would gather information from government records, newspaper clippings and listening to the local people as this was “very important” to know about a city and its culture, talking at his rented accommodation at Kansari Para Road, about 10 minutes walking distance from the National Library -his primary source of research.

“I used to ask the people whenever I saw any building or came across any little street to collect material and

prepare notes about its origin. For example, I have been staying at Kansari Para Road since the 1960s and took interest in how it was named after Kansari.”

Recalling the day he had arrived in the city on a Thursday morning in October, 1955, Nair said: “Armed with only a matriculation certificate and Rs 20-25 in cash, I had travelled ticketless in a train to Howrah station for seeking a job here. I did not have anybody in Kolkata but had a reference of a U Raman hailing from a village near mine.”

He fell in love with the metropolis at first sight while crossing the river Hooghly and the iconic Howrah Bridge in a tram that took him to Dalhousie Square, Nair said, adding that he managed to meet Raman and stayed with him for few days.

Nair secured a steno-typist’s job in a private company in Dalhousie Square within a week of his arrival in the city and kept on changing jobs. He eventually got a job at the Anthropological Society of India and was posted in Shillong for

few years before returning to Kolkata.

The historian has given all the books that he had purchased for his research to the city’s Town Hall library to make it an “alternative and rich source” of historical documents, besides the National Library, he said.

“I used to go to College Street every day and had purchased almost each and every book written on Calcutta and West Bengal. There are about 1,700 books. In addition, a list of 300 books is being prepared and these would also deposited to the Town Hall authority.

I have chosen the Town Hall as an alternative source of books as there are many books on the city in the National Library,” Nair explained.

“The research work that I am intending to take up will be of a different kind. There is the scope of researching in my native village because Chendamangalam is a place where the first printing was started in India by Portuguese. I would like to explore more on this,” said Nair, who still remains on the lookout for a new challenge.

12

International Personality

Dec 10-16, 2018

Vladimir Lenin

Revolutionary Leader And Architect Of Soviet Union He was the posthumous source of “Leninism,” the doctrine codified and conjoined with Marx’s works by Lenin’s successors to form Marxism-Leninism, which became the Communist worldview.

He has been regarded as the greatest revolutionary leader and thinker since Marx burning in the fire of revenge of his brother Alexander’s murder for plotting plan for assassination of Tsar of Russia. They also put forward the point that he was extremely fascinated with the theory of materialism and existence of everything in the world as a matter, that in spite of a humanitarian approach towards peasants and workers he pushed them towards the fire of wrath and agony.

Political theory from Marxism

L

n Urooj Fatima

enin, the idea, the hero : He had overthrown the Czarist regime and put the working class in power in Russia (or better, the great Soviet Union, fraternal union of free nations), deposed the nobility and the bourgeois, embracing the red flag of labour and the ideal of Communism. He liberated the people of Russia from Czarist tyranny, slavery and war. He founded the Soviet Union, and then he was like George Washington for Russia, his crimes didn’t matter, because his name represented the good things he had done (Washington was a slave owner, but people in America remember him for founding the Country).

He was a man of strong will, able organiser and an excellent orator.

He was capable of organising mass gatherings and influencing the masses in the early 20th century when Russia

Quick Facts Birth Name: Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Birth Date: 22 April 1870 Birth Place: Simbirsk, Russia Parents: Ilya Niolayevich Ulyanov (Father); Maria Alexandrovna Blank (Mother) Spouse: Nadezhda Krupskaya (Married in 1898) Alma Mater: Saint Petersburg Imperial University Political Affiliation(s): League of Struggle for the Emancipation

of the Working Class; Russian Social Democratic Labour Party; Russian Communist Party Death: 21 January 1924 Occupation: Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars

of the Soviet Union and even all Europe was burning in the fire of WW1.

Lenin was the voice of peasants and the labourers who were starving not only of food but of rights and equality. The most influential man of Russia and his theory of

MARXISM-LENINISM was a bible for communist nations which were poor and looking to get rid of one or other form of tyrannical government.

On the other hand, quite a few consider him an extremely negative man full of self-possession and

Vladimir Lenin adapted Marx to the changed conditions of capitalism in the late nineteenth century. Lenin also noted the diminished revolutionary possibilities in the more developed industrial west and he even remarked on the growing prospects of a labouraristocracy, a relatively well-to-do segment of workers, in these nations.

But Lenin explained this as a result of imperialism, whereby the developed West between 1875 and 1914 had divided up the Third World into colonial empires and spheres of influence.

A devout Marxist, Lenin believed that his interpretation of Marxism was the only authentic one. This interpretation was termed “Leninism” in 1904 by Russian revolutionary and Menshevik Julius Martov. Leninism emphasised the need for a highly committed intellectual elite – the so-called “revolutionary vanguard” – who would drive the rest of the proletariat (working-class people) towards revolution and the eventual establishment of socialism.

Early years

Lenin was born on April 22, 1870, into a middle-class family in Ulyanovsk, Russia. As a teenager, he became politically radicalized after his older brother was executed in 1887 for plotting to assassinate Czar Alexander III. Born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, Lenin tried out a number of

International Personality

Dec 10-16, 2018

13 07

government permission to leave the country. He remained abroad for most of the next 17 years, coming back only briefly during a failed revolutionary uprising in 1905.

Bolshevik Revolution

In October of 1917, Lenin and his Bolshevik Party took over the government. Sometimes this takeover is called the October Revolution or the Bolshevik Revolution. Lenin established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and he was the leader of the new government.

Leader of the Soviet Union

His Stoney Brain

L

ess well-known, but equally fascinating, is the case of Lenin‘s cerebrum– for just like Albert, the founder of the Soviet Union was fated to end up as a series of preserved slices.

Lenin died of a series of strokes at the young age of 53. By the age of 50, he was suffering from the onset of cognitive decline, usually seen in much older people. The legendary orator began to struggle to find the words to express himself. His first stroke, at age 52, left him disabled, and the third killed him.

During his autopsy, it was found that the blood vessels around Lenin’s brain were heavily calcified – essentially, they had hardened, and narrowed, due to a build-up of minerals and fats. This is known as atherosclerosis and, although it happens to all of us as we age, Lenin suffered from an unusually severe, and early, case. It was noted during the postmortem that tapping the vessels with a pair of metal tweezers produced a sound as if they were made of stone.

pseudonyms, including “K Tulin” and “Petrov,” prior to settling on “Lenin” by 1902. Historians believe it may have been a reference to the Lena River in Siberia.

Seventeen-year-old Lenin was expelled from Kazan Imperial University for taking part in an illegal student protest. After his expulsion, Lenin immersed himself in radical political literature, including the writings of German philosopher and socialist Karl Marx.

In 1889, Lenin declared himself a Marxist. He later finished college and received a law degree. Lenin practised law briefly in St. Petersburg in the mid-1890s.

His family was well-educated and knowledgeable and Lenin, the third of six children, was close to his parents and siblings The school was a focal part of Lenin’s youth. His parents, profoundly refined, both taught and invoked a passion for learning in their children, particularly Vladimir.

A voracious reader, Lenin went on to finish first in his high school class.

Atticus Ilyfinch Lenin?

One of Lenin’s first jobs after his studies was when he worked in St. Petersburg as a lawyer. He often chose to represent poor clients who struggled against a system that was biased against them.

Exiled for three years

Lenin published his first Marxist essay in 1894, and the following year he travelled to France, Germany and Switzerland in order to meet with like-minded revolutionaries. Upon returning to Russia, he was arrested while working on the inaugural issue of a Marxist newspaper. He then spent over a year in jail prior to being sent off to Siberia, where he married a fellow exile and purportedly passed the time taking long walks, writing, hunting and swimming. Following the completion of his sentence in 1900, Lenin received

Upon establishing the new government, Lenin made many changes. He immediately established peace with Germany and exited World War I. This was what Germany was hoping for when they helped him sneak back into Russia. He also took land from the rich landholders and divided it up amongst the peasants.

I WANT Silence!

Lenin was apparently a complete neat-freak. He was obsessed with keeping his offices completely clean, even getting the pencils bent out of shape if they weren’t sharpened. He also insisted on working in complete silence, demanding it from anyone around him.

Woke Bae?

Surprisingly, Lenin was what some might call a feminist, in that he staunchly believed in the equality of men and women and acted to give women more freedom to divorce their husbands and be financially independent. During his time, the Zhenotdel was established by two feminist revolutionaries. This was an organisation devoted to women’s affairs, pushing for higher education among women and making them aware of their rights in this new Communist nation.

Enjoyed Classic Art

Even though he espoused a revolutionary view on politics and government, Lenin was a traditionalist.

He disliked the new movements such as expressionism and futurism and preferred classic literature instead.

Spoke Multiple Languages

Because of his relatively privileged upbringing, Lenin was able to learn English, German and French as well as Russian.

“Freedom in capitalist society always remains about the same as it was in ancient Greek republics: Freedom for slave owners”

Most Dedicated Principal Ever

One thing that Lenin knew was the value of education. When he took power in the newly-formed Soviet Union, he ensured that education for children would be free of charge across the nation. He also began a literacy campaign to combat the overwhelming lack of reading skills amongst the Russians. From 1920 to 1926, five million people underwent this crash course.

A Modest Dictator

For a man who would wield such power in his lifetime, Lenin surprisingly preferred the spartan lifestyle. Lenin stayed away from luxury, living simply even when he was in charge of the Soviet Union.

According to biographer Louis Fischer, Lenin also had serious issues with the cult built around himself within the Soviet Union, which is probably one reason why it only took off after his death.

Lenin’s Tomb

Lenin dictated a number of predictive essays about the corruption of power in the Communist Party while he was recovering from a stroke in late 1922 and early 1923. The documents, sometimes referred to as Lenin’s ‘Testament,’ proposed changes to the Soviet political system and recommended that Stalin be removed from his position.

About a million people braved the cold Russian winter to stand in line for hours before paying their respects to Lenin, who was lying in state at the House of Trade Unions in Moscow.

Lenin was mummified after he died. His body was then placed in a mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square, where visitors can still see him on display to this very day.

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Education

Dec 10-16, 2018

One teacher at a time

Delhi’s Government Schools Revolutionising Education Teachers and principals from over 1,000 Delhi government schools have been sent for training to Singapore and Finland, countries that are renowned for their pioneering teaching methods Nivedita Singh

W

hen Roshan Lal, a 40-yearold rickshaw-puller, got his son Rakesh admitted to a government school in Delhi, all he wanted for him was to get a decent education. Since he could not afford to pay for a private school, all that was on his mind was that “government school mein kuch toh seekh hi lega” (at least, he would learn something there).

But, today, Roshan is a happy man because his son, now in Class VI, is doing well in school and is even able to teach him a thing or two. He feels elated that many of his son’s teachers are even being trained abroad.

Teachers and principals from over 1,000 Delhi government schools have so far been sent for training to Singapore and Finland, countries that are renowned for their pioneering teaching methods.

Many feel it has improved teaching methods as well as the quality of education imparted at government schools, hitherto infamous for their poor and archaic standards of teaching and rote learning methods, and that such training at different platforms enhances teachers’ pedagogic skills and keeps them abreast with the contemporary knowledge in their domain areas.

“I got to know from my son that his teachers are going abroad for training.

I am happy with the idea as it will help in improving the quality of education he is getting currently,” Roshan told.

“While poor people like us cannot afford private schools, it is good to know that even government schools are now competing with private ones and our children are learning from good teachers. Even private school teachers don’t go abroad for training,” he said.

Many Delhi government schools, with fresh coats of colourful paint on their walls, now not only have the comparable infrastructure to private schools, but their course curricula are also transforming. They now also have

“The money spent on education and health is not an expense, but an investment into the well-being of coming generations” a “Happiness Curriculum” designed by a team of 40 Delhi government school teachers and educators over a period of six months.

As part of this curriculum, students between Nursery and Class VIII now have a 45-minute “happiness period” which includes meditation, storytelling, question-and-answer sessions, value education and mental exercises. Raju Yadav, a small shopowner in Laxmi Nagar, feels excited with the focus on teachers’ training.

“My wife and I are not educated. It is also difficult for me to afford tuition classes. My daughter, Swati, is studying in a government school in Class II. The teachers getting training is a good thing. The more the teacher will know, the better they will teach, and the better our kids will learn,” he said.

Delhi’s Education Minister Manish Sisodia has repeatedly stressed on the need to improve the education system and, during his first budget speech, when he doubled the government’s

expenditure on education, had said “the money spent on education and health is not an expense, but an investment into the well-being of coming generations”.

According to him, the goal of making government schools better than private schools does not end with improving infrastructure and recruitment of teachers. “Since the core of the educational improvement process lies in building capacity of teachers, the government would train teachers and principals at the best universities in the world like Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford,” he had said.

The first to receive international training was a group of 200 teachers who the government called “mentor teachers”. The aim was to leverage their creative expertise to enhance the pedagogic and academic capacities of over 45,000 Delhi government school teachers. Each mentor teacher received training in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Singapore. They were

then assigned to teachers at five to six schools. These 200 mentors have trained thousands of teachers over the last two years.

Manu Gulati, who went to Singapore for training in August last year and is now a mentor teacher, said after the training, she feels motivated and encouraged to perform better.

“The general feeling is that by investing in their training, the government is showing its trust in the teachers,” Gulati, who started her teaching career in 2011, said.

“In terms of calibre, teaching aptitude, content knowledge and pedagogy skills, government school teachers are no less than those at private schools,” she proudly proclaimed.

Among the few ground-breaking improvements, she said, was the feedback from the students. She said a teacher’s job is not just limited to providing knowledge and skills to students, but also to provide them emotional and psychological support, something the training helped teachers with. Medha Parashar, another mentor teacher who went to a number of training sessions, said: “The teacher is no more the centre of teaching, but the students are. Teaching is not mechanical now, it is interactive.”

“Through various trainings, we learned about 45 methods of teaching in a class, and can use any of these,” Parashar, who has been a teacher for the past 27 years, said.

The training, Gulati said, gives a new vision and purpose to the teachers.

The benefit of training teachers had, in turn, positively impacted hundreds of thousands of students of not-sowell-off families in the capital who had earlier been deprived of quality education.

However, Parashar said, it will take some time for changes to be clearly visible. “We are dealing with living beings. No change will happen overnight as small children are involved. Change will happen with time,” she said.

Culture

Dec 10-16, 2018

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Karanth Theatre Trust NJ Shirabthinath

Karanth’s Rare Collection Finally Gets A Shelter In all, the complex will have around 30,000 books and over 1,000 audio-video documents Quick Glance The complex is developed in association with Nilakanteshwara Natya Seva Sangha The complex will be open to students and faculty of Ninasam It will also be open to visiting scholars, theatre enthusiasts, and the public

G Ulaganathan

H

e was the most celebrated theatre personality in India not long ago.

B V Karanth was an internationally known theatre director, writer, actor and also a former director of the National School of Drama.

The dream of the Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth Theatre Trust (BVKTT) to protect and preserve the huge repository of books, musical instruments, posters, and theatre properties collected by the doyen of Indian theatre is finally being fulfilled with B V Karanth Theatre Complex coming up at Heggodu in Shivamogga district.

The complex has been developed in association with Nilakanteshwara Natya Seva Sangha (Ninasam), Heggodu, at a cost of Rs 65 lakh. Ninasam, established in 1949, had set up a theatre library facility back in 1980, and it has a collection of over 15,000 rare works on theatre.

With Karnath’s collection on theatre now added, the library will be further enriched.

“Probably, this will be one of the very few libraries on theatre in the country,” says Jayaram Patil, managing trustee of the BVKTT. In all, the complex will have around 30,000 books and over 1,000 audio-video documents. The complex will be open to students and faculty of Ninasam, besides visiting scholars, theatre enthusiasts, and the public, according to Akshara K V of Ninasam.

Music instruments Meanwhile, the repository of rare musical instruments collected by Karanth during his

lifetime, from all over India, is now at the Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village in Manipal, founded by Vijaynath Shenoy.

“Karnath had over 150 rare musical instruments. As there is no person to preserve and protect them, our trust decided to donate all the musical instruments, which were stored in Karanth’s house in Bengaluru, to Hasta Shilpa. Karanth himself had agreed to give them to Hasta Shilpa following an appeal from Shenoy. Now, they are under the safe custody of curators and preserved in an air-conditioned storage facility,” says Patil.

A decade ago, Rangayana in Mysuru, of which Karanth was the first director, had planned a theatre library and museum on its premises.

The Department of Kannada and Culture had also shown interest. The late minister H S Mahadeva Prasad, who headed the department, had formed a committee of experts in theatre and architects, headed by the director of Rangayana, in 2007.

A facility at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore was planned and a plan was sent to the government. The Minister even sanctioned Rs 10 lakh as a token honorarium to the trust to part with Karanth’s collection, and preparations were made to lay the foundation stone for the ambitious project.

However, the dream could not be realised with the fall of the coalition government then. “As successive governments failed to take initiative in the museum project to protect and preserve the priceless collection of Karanth, the Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth Theatre Trust, in association with Ninasam, finally found a safe place for the collection,” Patil adds.

Man With Monocular Vision Gets Driving Licence Shirabthinath lost vision in his left eye in an accident when he was just two years old

I

t seems the Tamil Nadu government has finally realised that they need to uphold the rights of the differently-abled.

A resident of Palaganatham in Madurai, 26-year-old N J Shirabthinath, was handed his licence as soon as he passed the driving test.

Shirabthinath lost vision in his left eye in an accident when he was just two years old and had given up on his wish to drive.

“I have always wanted to drive and could barely wait to turn 18 and apply for a licence.

But, unfortunately, I later realised the impediments that I’d have to face. I was denied admission to driving schools. So I gave up on my dream. After I came across the Centre’s order, I wanted to get a licence as soon as possible.

My friend Aswin Vayiravan helped me with a written RTI application to the Chennai RTO, seeking a clarification on whether the order can be implemented in Tamil Nadu. Soon after confirmation, I got a learner licence registration (LLR) in October and a driving license by December first week. I feel empowered,” Shirabthinath told.

Before the issuance of the driver’s license, however, he was asked to pass the standard Goldmann perimetry/confrontation test and visual acuity test (candidate must have 6/12).

These tests were conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology at the Government Rajaji Hospital.

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Dec 10-16, 2018

urooj fatima

Because Of Your Smile, You Make Life More Beautiful Thich Nhat Hanh

Why is he called Iron Man of India?

Sardar Patel once said if we have power than we have to use to achieve goal

‘I

ron Man of India’, this title belongs to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister of India and the first Home Minister of India.

And here’s why he was called thatSardar Patel was a man of principles. A fierce nationalist, he never believed in compromising with his core philosophy of ‘nation first’.

Patel did not hesitate in using the policy of ‘Saam-DaamDand-Bhed’(friendship,give-and-take, punishment, and divide-and-rule ) for achieving his objective. Such was his resolve and craft that princely states were left with no other option but to merge with India.

Even Mahatma Gandhi believed that it was only Patel who could take up the challenge of unifying the hundreds of princely states. Reposing confidence in Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi told him, “the problem of the States is so difficult that you alone can solve it”.

He was polite to those who were reasonable and willing to play ball. He was tough with those who were reluctant and had their own designs. He did not hesitate in sending army wherever it was necessary.

Thus, his success in integrating around 565 princely states after independence, as well as many other events from his childhood and political life, got him the sobriquet of ‘Iron Man of India’, depicting his iron will.

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

A post-graduate in Media Governance from Jamia Millia Islamia and a budding journalist, she writes on gender and minority issues

VIEWPOINT

Defending The Freedom & Dignity Of Every Individual Human Rights Day is observed on December 10, every year in order to safeguard and protect the rights of common people

“H

uman rights” is a fairly modern concept, and it is one that has been getting a great deal of attention here in the early years of the twentyfirst century. While opinions differ wildly about what constitutes human rights, most modern world citizens believe that all people should have at least the most basic rights.

Human Rights plays a role in everyone’s life, but not everyone realizes it. It’s involved in every comment you make that includes someone different. Every near discriminatory “joke” you say. It affects people, even if it doesn’t affect you. Human rights mean being able to hold hands with the person you love, work where you’re qualified to work without your skin colour or sexual orientation being the reason you can’t; it means having the right to be human, making choices and mistakes. The doctrine of human rights was created to protect every single human regardless of race, gender, sex, nationality, sexual orientation and other differences. The international community established international human rights laws that lay down the obligations of governments to respect, protect and fulfill human rights.

How often do we all say that women are treated differently from men, how unsafe women are in the society, the majority of the population is uneducated, there should exist no white people and black people difference, etc. etc. What all does this mean?

This means that we all humans want men and women to be treated equally, we want social security for women and all others, we want everybody to be educated and we want to end discrimination. We all want to make this happen. Just like these mentioned before and many more are the rights that we wish for.

UN and Human Rights

Article 55 of the United Nations Charter

(1945) provide that the world body ‘shall promote universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedom for all’. In pursuance of the UN’S Charter, which provided for setting up of a Commission for the promotion of human rights, a Commission, headed by Mrs Eleanor Roosvelt was constituted in 1946.

The Commission worked hard and finally presented before the UN’s General Assembly the draft declaration of human rights in September, 1948. After several modifications in the draft, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was finally adopted unanimously on 10 December, 1948 by 48 member-states.

Thus the 10th day of December every year is being ceremoniously observed as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Day, all over the world.

Human Rights in Indian Context

From the ancient days, India has been committed to the ideals and doctrine of human rights. In conformity with the UDHR, the Constitution of India, in Part III, provides for sue types of Fundamental Rights ensuring equality, justice and freedom to all citizens of India.

The Part IV captioned ‘Directive Principles of State Policy” also ensure Socio-economic justice and rights. India’s fight for freedom from

Human rights are institutionalized by means of their transformation into positive law. When human rights are guaranteed by a written Constitution, they become enforceable fundamental rights

Dec 10-16, 2018 the clutches of the British rulers was also viewed as a struggle for human rights.

Our six fundamental rights comprise both individual rights and social rights but the emphasis has been put on individual’s right ‘to equality of opportunity for all including those belonging to the weaker and disadvantaged section of the ‘Society in the nature of ‘Protective discrimination’.

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Opinion Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi She is better known simply as Amma, and is a Hindu spiritual leader and guru who is revered as a saint by her followers

SC in recognizing & enforcing Human Rights

Courts can also play a critical role in enforcing economic, social and cultural rights, providing relief to individuals and ensuring that governments implement constitutionally guaranteed economic, social and cultural rights. The role of the Supreme Court, in this regard, is phenomenal. The concepts involved with human rights are dynamic per se. The terms “Life”, “Liberty”, “Equality” and “Dignity” is not defined either in the Constitution of India or Statute. Only through “judicial interpretation”, we conceive the scope and domain of these ever growing and affluent concepts of human existence. Human emancipation against all forms of subjugation or exploitation of State, society or individual is fought on these concepts. All these concepts are so closely juxtaposed in a human life, it will lose its edge and shine in the absence of others.

The Court has converted an ordinary list of fundamental rights into a veritable weapon of the weak through creative judicial interpretation. The Supreme Court gave the lead and moved forward to enlarge Fundamental Rights by a process activist interpretation, while constitutional legislation lagged behind. The Court read into the word ‘life’ in Art. 21 of the Constitution of India several other human rights - the right to live with human dignity, the right to clean and healthy environment, right to education upto 14 years of age, right to emerging medical aid, right to health, right to shelter, right to livelihood, right to fair and speedy trial and right to free legal aid, right to compensation, rights of children, rights against torture, rights of prisoners and so on. The important point here is that some of these rights which are contained in the Chapter on Directive Principles in Part IV have, on account of the widening of Art. 21. “crossed over” imperceptibly from Part IV into Part III. Similarly, the Supreme Court has spelt out the right to freedom of the press and the fundamental right to freedom of information from the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression in Art. 19(1) (a).

Human rights are institutionalized by means of their transformation into positive law. When human rights are guaranteed by a written Constitution, they become enforceable fundamental rights. The foundation of fundamental rights is essentially a foundation for judicially enforcing human rights.

Thus it is concluded that with the spread of human rights jurisprudence across the world it has become necessary to measure compliance of State and non State actors against a universal standard of measurement of such rights. This would enable us to examine the variations and challenges that countries such as India are currently facing in their quest to extend such universally accepted human rights to our citizens.

International human rights standards embody universal values of respect for human dignity and human wellbeing. They not only provide the foundations of a humane, just and a progressive society, but also a compelling normative framework for the formulation of national and international policies and strategies for human development.

OpEd

Stop Hugging The Tree When we gain the knowledge of the nature of the world, our attachment to objects and relationships will leave us

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pirituality is never an escape or an abandonment of responsibility. It is the ability to live with peace and contentment in every situation, by understanding oneself and understanding the nature of the mind and the world. This can be gained only through sustained practice.

For this, the first thing needed is a proper knowledge of the nature of the world and its objects. When we gain this knowledge, our attachment to objects and relationships will leave us. Then we will be able to perform our actions without attachment even while living in the midst of society.

The cashier at a bank handles bills worth millions every day.

But he is aware that he is not dealing with his own money. He is also aware that the respect he displays for the bank’s clients is merely part of his job. He has no real attachment to the money or to its depositors.

Similarly, we should execute our responsibilities with awareness that they are our God given duties. Then our every karma will become karma yoga. What matters is not what we do, but the attitude with which we do it.

A family man complained daily to his guru about his problems.“My wife and I are always arguing. And a day doesn’t go by without my boss admonishing me. I am long overdue for a raise but he won’t give me one. I can’t sleep at night due to my tension and anxiety.”

Even though the guru tried

to advise him, the disciple found it hard to imbibe the advice.

So, one day, the guru climbed up a thorny coral tree and cried out loudly, “Help!

Someone help me!

These thorns are pricking me!”

The disciple came running.

S e e i n g the guru embracing the tree, he said, “What foolishness! You’re the one hugging the tree. Just let go!”The guru refused to listen.

The disciple said, “The tree is not holding you. Let go and come down. Your pain will then go.”

YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS HOLDING ON TO YOUR PROBLEMS. THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO YOU UNLESS YOU GIVE THEM PERMISSION. JUST AS A TREE LACKS THE CAPACITY TO BIND US, SO TOO IT IS WITH ANY OBJECT Immediately, the guru let go and climbed down. He walked over to the disciple and said,“This is exactly what you are doing. You are the one who is holding on to your problems.

I have told you many times that they will not be able to get to you unless you give them permission.

But you are unprepared to understand; just as the tree lacks the capacity to bind us, so too it is with any object in the world.

We are the ones who have bound ourselves to them. If we forsake our attachment to them, we will be released from bondage instantly.”

Spirituality is the true knowledge about oneself and the world. When we have that knowledge, we will never become slaves to dejection in our life. All objects and relationships of the world undergo constant change. The impermanent can never give us permanent happiness. Knowing this truth, we should surrender ourselves to God. Then no sorrow can touch us. Learn to accept honour and dishonour, success and failure, joy and sorrow with equanimity. Only then will you have contentment.

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Photo Feature

Dec 10 - 16, 2018

Walk To Freedom It is usual to see a model walk down the ramp and earn appreciation, but what catches the eye is the confidence of a physically impaired person on the ramp. Narayan Seva Sansthan organised a Divyang Talent & Fashion show at the Red Fort Photo: SIPRA DAS

Dec 10 - 16, 2018

Photo Feature

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Off-beat

Dec 10-16, 2018

IIT-D

Surat

Sensors To Prevent Elephant Deaths On Railway Tracks So far, professor Subrat Kar has tested the sensor only inside the IIT-Delhi campus and the results have been ‘satisfactory’

A Unique Garbage System

Vishal Narayan

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lephant deaths on railway tracks may be averted when a sensor built by a professor at the Indian Institute of TechnologyDelhi (IIT-D) is put to test. If all goes well, it may be installed along the tracks frequented by elephants and prevent their cruel deaths.

“The sensors are yet to be installed.

This was to be tested in the monsoon season. Since this monsoon has passed, we are waiting for the 2019 season. Our system is functional. We have tested in a similar setting but not at the site. We have earmarked the Rajaji National Park as the test deployment site. It is the ideal place, kind of a controlled environment and good for experiments. It’s where trains are known to travel at the correct speed,” Subrat Kar, a professor at the department of electrical engineering at IIT-Delhi, said.

Kar has been working on building a sensor device for close to a decade now in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun and funded by the Railways and Department of Science and Technology.

So far Kar has tested the sensor only inside the IIT-Delhi campus and the results have been “satisfactory”.

The sensor detects from a distance the movement of elephants through a number of in-built devices. Once it detects the movement of the elephants, it sends a radio signal to the nearest station, which conveys the message to the driver to either stop or slow-down the train.

“We will install sensors at sensitive spots, and not everywhere. There are known paths along which the elephants move, so we install sensors on these paths, which detect them through body rays, cameras and vibration. Then we convey the information to the nearest station and from there we convey the information to the train driver.

“In the engine, there’s a box that signals the engine to stop. If this

Surat started using waste collection containers in 1852 that is keeping the city clean since then SSB BUREAU

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The success of this preventive measure depends on detecting the elephants much before the train is there warning is given to the driver at least three kilometres before the train reaches the spot where elephants are expected to come in their way, he applies the breaks and slowly comes to a halt,” Kar explained.

“The success of this preventive measure depends on detecting the elephants much before the train is there. Three kilometres before roughly translates to 3-4 minutes before,” he added.

The various sensors in the device corroborate whether the moving animals are indeed elephants and not any other, like a tiger, which can cross the track without needing the train to be slowed down.

“A vibration detector, capturing heat rays coming from the animals, a camera to recognise the animals,

and lasers -- the sensor has these all. So we have several sensors to detect the presence of animals. We use one sensor to check the outcome of the other sensor to corroborate the result... We have our own radio network with the sensors,” Kar said.

Although Kar has been working on the device since 2008, things picked up pace only in 2014 when the Railways came up with Rs 30 lakh in funding.

On its part, the Railways have employed a variety of methods to keep the elephant deaths in check.

“These include signage on the tracks to pre-warn train drivers, speed restrictions in elephant corridors and deputing forest officials in the control room,” a senior Railways official said.

ooden containers were placed on major roads of the city to collect waste 165 years ago which used to be disposed of in the outskirts by contractual staff of the civic body. Bullock carts used to then visit different areas of the city to collect waste, similar to the existing door-to-door waste collection system. Thus to develop the city’s infrastructure, Surat Sudhrai was established in 1852 and waste management became its first priority.

Noted historian Mohan Meghani in his book titled ‘19th Century Surat’ writes that the waste collection containers were first placed on roads of the port city in 1852. The civic body started waste collection through bullock carts and placed wooden waste collection boxes from the very first year of the formation of Sudhrai,” Meghani explained.

The city witnessed major reforms in its waste management policy during SR Rao’s tenure as municipal commissioner in 1996-97. Since 1846 civic management was with kotwal, a judicial officer. Top businessmen started discussions among themselves to reestablish the city wrecked by calamities.

Science

Dec 10-16, 2018

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study

Why Babies Kick In The Womb?

Babies kicking in the womb are mapping out their body and environment, says study

n Peter Dockrill

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hen unborn babies kick in the womb, they may be developing awareness of their bodies, British researchers say.

“Spontaneous movement and consequent feedback from the

environment during the early developmental period are known to be necessary for proper brain mapping in animals such as rats. Here we showed that this may be true in humans, too,” said study author Lorenzo Fabrizi of University College London.

His team measured the brain waves

of 19 newborns during rapid eye movement sleep. The babies were an average of two days old, and some were premature. The researchers found a link between movement and brain activity.

For example, movement of a newborn’s right hand causes immediate activity in the left part of the brain that processes touch for the right hand. The size of these “fast brain waves” is largest in premature babies, who would normally still be in the womb, the researchers said.

The fast brain waves associated with movement end by the time a baby is a few weeks old, the researchers added.

These findings suggest that fetal movement in the third trimester of pregnancy helps to develop areas of the brain that process sensory input.

This is how a baby develops a sense of its own body, according to the study authors.

The research could improve care for premature infants, Fabrizi and his colleagues said in a university news release.

“We think the findings have implications for providing the optimal hospital environment for infants born early, so that they receive appropriate sensory input,” said study co-author Kimberley Whitehead.

For example, it’s already routine for infants to be “nested” in their bassinets. This allows them to “feel” a surface when they kick their limbs, as if they were still inside the womb, Whitehead noted.

“As the movements we observed occur during sleep, our results support other studies which indicate that sleep should be protected in newborns, for example by minimizing the disturbance associated with necessary medical procedures,” Whitehead said.

anxiety

Why Loneliness Is Bad For Your Brain?

Socially isolated people can have anxiety, depression and thinking problems.

Isolation changes the brain in specific ways

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oing without human contact for too long can literally break your heart.

People who didn’t have any regular human contact were also more likely to be hospitalized, made more frequent visits to their doctors, and were more likely to be rushed to the emergency room than their peers.

Researchers looked at a group of patients from rural parts of Minnesota, all dealing with heart failure. They found that those Minnesotans who described their lives as highly socially isolated, seeing virtually no one else on a daily basis, were three and a half times more likely to die than people

who were suffering from some of the exact same heart problems, but who reported having enough social support and connections to others.

“It’s becoming increasingly clear that socially isolated people face serious health risks,” NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg, who was not affiliated with the new study, told.

Elderly people and adult men are the two most at-risk populations for social isolation, because they tend to have smaller social networks to begin with.

In addition to being more atrisk physically, there’s also budding evidence that socially isolated people are changing their brain chemistry in dangerous ways. One recent study

in mice found that just two weeks of “social isolation stress” caused negative behavioral changes and shifts in their brain chemistry. The finding hasn’t been replicated in humans yet, but it made the mouse-studying scientists wonder if they might be able to some day use drugs to help human patients cope with the mental aspects of social isolation, and decrease their isolationfueled aggression chemically.

Loneliness is not the same as social isolation, but it’s dangerous too Being alone (social isolation) and feeling alone (loneliness) are not the same issue. Besides, generally speaking, people who live alone, whether they be 20 years old or 80, tend to have more social connections

with others, not less, as Klinenberg has reported in the past. Loneliness isn’t about how physically close we are to other people, and a person can be surrounded by others, and still feel completely alone in the world; that’s loneliness at work. Like social isolation, long-term feelings of this emotional going-it-alone can make people more likely to die an early death, and research suggests the risks are on par with smoking.

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Society

Dec 10-16, 2018

life-changer

Wouldn’t it be nice if you have a cooling device that can preserve food and medicines without using electricity or fossil fuel-generated power?

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o afford or use a refrigerator is still a distant dream for the people in the rural belt of the country. But now a group of scientists of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US may just have a solution to this problem.

The group also includes Bikram Bhatia, an Indian-origin scientist.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you have a cooling device that can preserve

food and medicines without using electricity or fossil fuel-generated power? Well, we are surrounded by the blessing of technology to even think about that, but for people in hot, remote locations, it can be lifechanging.

The researchers said that this new system will allow emission of heat at a mid-infrared range of light that can pass straight out through the atmosphere and radiate into the cold of outer space, punching

right through the gases that act like a greenhouse, as mentioned in the report. To counter heating in the direct sunlight, the device is infused with a small strip of metal that blocks the Sun’s direct rays.

The device can provide cooling of as much as 20 degrees Celsius below the ambient temperature in a location like Boston. Currently in its primary stage, in their initial proof-of-concept

Bijender Chauhan

He Learns Pearl Farming And Now Earns Lakhs The man watched YouTube videos to learn the art and even dug his own pond. The risk paid off

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bout 430 kms away from the capital of Uttar Pradesh is the village of Dhampur in Bijnor district. Bijender Chauhan, 34 a farmer, calls it home.

Agriculture ran in his family. Even though his father chose to retire as a government employee and headed a cooperative, Bijender knew that he wanted to become a farmer.

Little did he know that he would become one of the many sugarcane farmers, who despite owning 20 bighas of land, would struggle with returns. As sugarcane farmers in Uttar Pradesh continue to fight for their dues, this 34-year-old cane farmer from Bijnor decided to earn his livelihood by taking up pearl farming.

The man watched YouTube videos to learn the art and even dug his own pond. The risk paid off.

Bijender Chauhan now earns around Rs 8 lakh per year by selling pearls. He claims that he has the distinction of being the “only pearl farmer in west Uttar Pradesh”.

Two years ago, this sugarcane farmer made a decision that helped turn all his losses into an additional source of income!

It was to do pearl farming.

The graduate-turned-farmer from Bijnor’s Ram Tera village stumbled upon a video of pearl farming on Youtube. The video was uploaded by a Nagpur-based NGO. “I have five bighas of agriculture land. Earlier, I used to grow sugarcane, but it was very hard to earn a livelihood in this small piece of land.

One day, I came across some videos on YouTube based on agriculture activities. There, I noticed a video about making pearls. It grabbed my attention. I immediately contacted a Nagpur based NGO which had uploaded the video on YouTube.

Later, I visited Nagpur and decided to get formal training,” Chouhan said. “After being trained, I dug up a pond in my one-and-a-half bigha land. Then, I started rearing shells in the ponds. There are many buyers of shells in the country. Initially, I bought the shells from Nagpur, at a

price of Rs 5 to 6 per piece. Then I started cultivating on my own here,” he added.

The shell he grows here costs him Rs 5 per piece, and each pearl fetches him between Rs 200 to Rs 1,500 in the market.

Chouhan claims that the shells are cultivated in a freshwater pond.

Explaining the process, Chouhan says, “The mollusc (in the shell) creates pearls in 11 to 12 months.

Such types of pearls are called designer pearls, which fetche Rs 200 to Rs 300 per piece. The spherical pearl takes around 18 months and

testing, scientists have achieved a cooling of six degrees Celsius.

The method has been localized so that it can be available for widespread use. Earlier other groups have tried to design similar cooling systems but they were incorporated with complex devices that prevented it from using in remote areas.

“We built the setup and did outdoor experiments on an MIT rooftop. It was done using very simple materials and clearly showed the effectiveness of the system,” said Bikram Bhatia.

In comparison to humid places, this device may function more efficiently in drier deserts and arid environments and maximum achievable cooling could actually be much greater, potentially as much as 40 degrees Celsius, the scientists mentioned.

it sells for Rs 500 to 1,500 per piece. Over 40,000 molluscs can be reared in one-and-ahalf bigha pond.

Contractors buy pearls from us and sell it to local and international and markets.”

He adds, “Once the shells are bought, it is best to let them adapt to your pond for the first 8-10 days.

Immediately working on them can lead to increased mortality. Also, it is best to use shells within a 60-km radius of your locality, since it is easier for them to adapt to the water around their source area.”

Once the shells are fed, they are hung on to a nylon net for a period between nine to 24 months; sometimes even 36.

“With uncertainty in payment of dues for cane producers, an alternate income is a must. And, I am happy that I am doing this unique business,” says Chouhan.

Today, the man has come a long way. He has four huge ponds, almost as big as 165×65 feet and 70×25 feet where he has over 15,000 shells.

Health

Dec 10-16, 2018 real benefits

resistance exercise

Breakfast And Diabetes: What’s The Connection?

Weightlifting Less Than An Hour A Week May Cut Stroke Risk

It is well-established that starting the day with a wholesome breakfast can benefit everyone

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Madhavi Bhatt Trivedi

Whole grains Oatmeal, muesli with no added sugar, wheat flakes with added bran, whole-wheat daliya/ chapatti/khakhra/paratha/ bread, whole grain millet (ragi, jowar, bajra) preparations. Whole grains are a good source of carbohydrates (including fibre), vitamins and minerals.

ou have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast, as the name implies, is to break the fast between dinner and lunch.

It is well-established that starting the day with a wholesome breakfast can benefit everyone. If you have type 2 diabetes (T2D), Dairy breakfast is necessary and it can have real Use non-fat or low-fat milk instead of whole benefits. milk. If you don’t drink milk, try nonDo you think that skipping breakfast can dairy milk alternatives like soy, almond, help manage your blood glucose better? coconut milk, etc. Choose plain rather than Researchers say the opposite is true. In a sweetened versions. study, 22 people who controlled their T2D with diet alone or diet plus metformin were studied on two different days. On one, they ate three identical meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the other, they ate only lunch and dinner. On the days they skipped breakfast, their peak blood glucose was 36.8 per cent higher after lunch and 26.6 per cent higher after dinner than on the days they ate breakfast.

Another study highlighted that a high-energy intake breakfast of around 700 kcals (vs a low energy breakfast of 200 kcals) decreased the overall high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) in T2D patients over the entire day. It has been established that Fruits and vegetables better management of blood sugar has been Fresh fruit is a great addition to any breakfast associated with preventing complications of given that they provide fibre, vitamins and diabetes. minerals. However, limit fruit juice. Vegetables Regular consumption of breakfast is (like carrot, French beans, capsicum, leafy potentially important for preventing T2D. A greens like palak, methi, etc.) can be added to recent study tested 17 healthy adults on three all the traditional breakfast foods. separate days: Once when they skipped Lean protein breakfast, once when Protein foods may help control The key to a healthy they had three regular hunger, manage blood sugar morning meal is to choose meals and once when and maintain lean body mass; a variety of foods to get a they skipped dinner. so include protein at breakfast. balance of carbohydrates, Skipping breakfast Sources of protein include lowled to higher glucose fat milk/curd/yoghurt/paneer/ proteins, fats and others concentrations after cottage cheese, eggs, tofu, whole lunch than skipping pulses like moong, channa, dinner. vatana, rajma, etc., and split pulses, which are The key to a healthy morning meal is to all the dals. choose a variety of foods to get a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and other Healthy fat nutrients like vitamins and minerals – along Fat can help you feel full but it is important with the much-needed fibre that helps to choose wisely. Go for nuts and seeds, nut manage blood-sugar levels. Here are some butters, avocados, etc., in small to moderate options to consider: amounts.

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Less than an hour of weekly resistance exercise lowers risk of developing metabolic syndrome including diabetes

agency

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ndulging in weightlifting for less than an hour a week may reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 per cent, suggests a new study.

Less than an hour of weekly resistance exercise compared with no resistance exercise was associated with a 29 per cent lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome including diabetes.

The risk of high cholesterol was lowered by 32 per cent. However, spending more than an hour in the weight room did not yield any additional benefit, the researchers said.

“People may think they need to spend a lot of time lifting weights but just two sets of bench presses that take less than five minutes could be effective,” said Duck-chul Lee, Associate Professor from the Iowa State University in the US. The results – some of the first to look at resistance exercise and cardiovascular disease – show benefits of strength training are independent of running, walking or other aerobic activity.

In other words, one does not need to meet the recommended guidelines for aerobic physical activity to lower your risk; weight training alone is enough.

“Lifting any weight that increases resistance on your muscles is the key,” said Lee. For the study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the team included 13,000 adults with a mean age of 47 years.

However, the researchers recognised that unlike aerobic activity, resistance exercise is not as easy to incorporate into a daily routine. Hence, hitting a gym may be more beneficial.

“Muscle is the power plant to burn calories. Building muscle helps move your joints and bones... (and) also helps prevent obesity and provide long-term benefits on various health outcomes,” Lee noted.

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

Dec 10-16, 2018

This Chapter Continued from Last Issue

Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with people at Phoenix Settlement, in South Africa on July 09, 2016.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the Constitutional Hill, in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 08, 2016.

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e invited India’s private sector to invest in various sectors of the South African economy and also evinced interest in the “Make in India” initiative.

The leaders also recognised the BRICS Forum’s valuable contribution in reforming the global financial and economic architecture and agreed to continue with the institutionbuilding momentum with an aim to further bridge the investment-gap in key economic sectors. They also underscored the effectiveness of the India-Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) forum.

Prime Minister Modi welcomed South Africa as the incoming Chair of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for 2017-19. President Zuma noted that IORA has gained new momentum when India took over as Chair and committed that it will be South Africa’s objective to ensure that

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the community meeting, in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 08, 2016.

this momentum is sustained.

President Zuma and Prime Minister Modi expressed concern over the slow pace of UN and UNSC reforms, international efforts on counter-terrorism as well as the reform of international financial systems.

They welcomed the successful adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in December 2015, describing it as an enabling decision.

Both also discussed the way forward for G-20 and WTO.

India and Tanzania are connected by the Indian Ocean. The two countries have an emotional bond of shared history of struggle against colonialism.

The multifaceted development partnership is a key pillar of our bilateral relationship. India is Kenya’s largest trading partner, and the second largest investor here. But, there is potential to achieve much more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Modi then went to Tanzania on July 10 where held discussions with President John Magufuli. While providing a Line of Credit of $92 million in the water resources sector of Tanzania, the Prime Minister extended India’s full support towards the development needs of the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Gandhiji’s residence, Sarvodaya, at Phoenix Settlement, in South Africa on July 09, 2016.

In the final leg of the tour on July 11, Prime Minister Modi stopped over at Kenya and held discussions with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Seven pacts, including in the field of defence and security and avoidance of double taxation were signed during the visit.

India also extended a concessional Line of Credit of $44.95 million to the African nation. Terrorism was identified as a common challenge that the two nations were facing.

Dec 10-16, 2018

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

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Australia

Four Memoranda of Understanding were signed during the visit on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, cooperation in sport; cooperation in the field of Water Resources Management and cooperation in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Prime Minister Abbott has touched the heart of every Indian. The visit had resulted in concrete outcomes and added new dimensions to the strategic partnership between India and Australia.

Setting New Equations With World Leaders

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he number of leaders from across the world who have visited India since Narendra Modi assumed office as Prime Minister is unprecedented.

Prime Ministers and Presidents of countries, big and small, rich and developing, have made a bee line for Delhi over the last two years. The manner in which they have been welcomed, felicitated and extended hospitality has created a new dimension altogether. The stamp of the Prime Minister is there for all to see as he creates a special environment for each guest.

The bilateral discussions encompass strategic, economic, and above all, civilisational aspects directed towards building a strong bond based on mutual respect and confidence.

The many visits at the highest level are a clear indication of the priority that the world is giving to India as a country with potential to relate with and do business with.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott paying tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, New Delhi, on Sept. 5, 2014.

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PM Narendra Modi with former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott prior to the delegation level meeting in New Delhi on September 5, 2014.

rime Minister Tony Abbot’s twoday visit to India on September 4 and 5, 2014 was the first by a leader of a key country since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in May. Both leaders reviewed bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest to their countries and also welcomed the rapid growth in bilateral relations, anchored in shared values, expanding economic engagement, converging strategic interests and a growing shared agenda in regional and multilateral institutions.

A key take away from the visit was the signing of a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement that would enable Australia to sell uranium to support India’s growing energy needs.

The economic component of the visit was focused on boosting investment and collaboration in infrastructure, resources, agriculture, manufacturing, health and education sectors, besides introducing new technologies and developing innovation and skills.

Prime Minister Abbott underlined

The purpose of this trip, as far as I'm concerned, is to acknowledge the importance of India in the wider world, acknowledge the importance of India to Australia's future.

There is an abundance of opportunities here in India. I am determined to make the most of them.

Tony Abbot Prime Minister of Australia

Australia’s commitment to providing a stable investment environment and streamlined approvals process, while Prime Minister Modi welcomed Australian investments in a range of infrastructure, resources, technology and other projects in India.

Both leaders also welcomed the progress made towards realising a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) to facilitate expansion of two-way trade and investment and renewed commitment for an early conclusion of an agreement that would be equitable, balanced, comprehensive and of high quality.

They welcomed the ongoing

economic engagement and business partnerships at the CEO Forum level.

They called for deepening the framework of defence and security cooperation to guide the bilateral engagement in these and other priority areas. It was also noted that both Australians and Indians have been victims of terrorism and in this context, the work of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism was commended.

Both governments agreed to deepen cooperation on energy security through a ministerial-level dialogue.

They agreed that cooperation on energy would extend to coal, LNG, renewables and uranium and on resources such as iron ore, copper and gold and committed to intensifying these links.

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Northeast

Dec 10-16, 2018

Outreach

NE Students On National Integration Tour The Tour which was launched several years ago in the Northeast is aimed at educating and motivating the youth of the Northeast Raj Kashyap

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s many as 26 students and seven teachers from all the North Eastern states have been chosen for a ‘national integration tour’ to different parts of the country including New Delhi and Agra. Sponsored by the Assam Rifles, the tour will continue during 1 – 11 December.

A release issued by the Assam Rifles said that the students have been selected from “far-flung areas” of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura as part of its ongoing outreach programme to foster the spirit of National Integration across the entire swathe of the seven North Eastern states.

Lt Gen Sukhdeep Sangwan, Director General Assam Rifles flagged off the enthusiastic participants in a grand ceremony held at the headquarters of the paramilitary outfit in Shillong. He expressed the hope that the tour will have a lifelong positive influence on the

young minds.

The National Integration Tour which was launched several years ago in the Northeast is aimed at educating and motivating the youth of the Northeastern states and providing them with an insight

into the rich heritage of the country as well as various developmental and industrial initiatives that are underway in different regions. On every tour, students are taken various historical monuments and other important landmarks.

The current group will get an opportunity to interact with several prominent leaders and personalities such as the Hon’ble President of India, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and the Chief of Army Staff. Capt Karan of 46 Assam Rifles will be conducting the tour.

“This tour is unique in the sense that it is for the first time that participants will be representing all the North Eastern states and, thus, they will also get an opportunity to share and highlight respective cultures, aspirations and challenges with their counterparts from the other states,” the release said.

“With the exposure to rich cultural heritage, socio-economic development of two major cities of India, motivating interaction with prominent leaders and achievers coupled with sharing of experiences with each other, the participants will return to their home states as ambassadors to motivate others to be part of overall development and nation-building.”

non-road modes

Gangtok Seeks Modern Solutions To Mounting Traffic Woes The only road connectivity to Gangtok is NH10, which forms the artery of the road network in the city SSB BUREAU

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ikkim’s capital city -- otherwise known for being plastic and litter-free with disciplined traffic, where lane-driving is the cultural norm -- is facing huge traffic congestion, just like other metropolitan cities.

The only road connectivity to Gangtok is NH10, which forms the artery of the road network in the city. The major problems are traffic congestion, lack of parking space, lack of public transport and inadequate footpaths which cause vehicle and public conflicts.

This is especially critical for Gangtok, which, as a mountain city, has inherent constraints of space. The city is now considering alternative, nonroad modes of transport like cable cars to ease public mobility.

The Sikkim government’s Urban

Development & Housing Department (UD&HD) conducted a consultation and workshop on finding short-term and long-term solutions to the traffic problems in Gangtok, a city of almost 180,000 people.

It is crucial that a workable alternative is found and implemented as soon as possible before the city is choked up completely, experts opined.

Various stakeholders, including representatives from UD&HD, Law and Order, 17 Mountain Division, Feedback Infra, National Highway & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC), Mercedes Benz and the Truck Drivers’ Association, besides state government officials, were present at the workshop.

A Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Gangtok was presented by Feedback Infra based on a study made on the city’s terrain and traffic movement.

It provided possible solutions of decongestion through cable cars and creation of ring roads that help movement on Gangtok’s inner and outer ring roads. Parallels were drawn with other cities around the world with similar problems like Suwon in South Korea, Bandung in Indonesia

and Medellin in Colombia, whose topography resembles Gangtok in many ways, and suggested the measures they have taken -- like skywalks, eco-mobility festivals and the like “to instil a sense of ownership to the public utilising these public commute services”.

UMTC provided a detailed presentation on Techno-Economic Feasibility of Cable Car as Public Transport. They also cited various examples of cities from all across the globe that use cable cars as their mode of transport and concluded that it would work if integrated in with other modes of public transport.

Sikkim Urban Development Minister NK Subba, in his address, said: “More interactions and awareness programmes, like this one, on traffic decongestion and urbanisation is the need of the hour. We are at the start of something historic.”

Save Electricity

Dec 10-16, 2018

27 07

energy conservation

Save More Than 50% Electricity Using LEDs In India, close to 230 million LED bulbs were distributed under the Ujala Yojana (May 2017) Vishu Mishra

standardisation and regulations for the domestic supply chain s per the United States framework. Indian industry lacks Department of Energy (US- manufacturing technologies and DOE), lighting causes 5-6 research efforts for the upcoming per cent of the overall Greenhouse technologies of the sector.

The first research breakthrough Gas (GHG) emissions globally.

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in LEDs came with the application can greatly help in mitigating the of Gallium Nitride (GaN) in the adverse effects of GHG emissions. early 1990s. At that time, Gallium They consume 80-85 per cent and its alloys showed capabilities less electricity than conventional of producing 10-100 times brighter lighting sources and have much luminescence than its predecessor higher operating lifetimes (more materials, such as Silicon Carbide. than 50,000 hours). Unlike the Currently, there are a wide range preceding generation of lights, such of LED applications using GaN, as Compact Fluorescent Lamps designed for high and ultra-high (CFLs), LEDs release zero mercury brightness, such as automotive lights, traffic signals, big screen TVs toxicity into the environment.

Owing to such merits, the global and the like.

Despite high promise and market lighting market is witnessing a huge policy-driven deployment of LEDs. opportunities, large-scale adoption Almost all major cities across the of LEDs will depend on improving world are anticipated to replace performance aspects such as about 50 million traditional light efficiency and efficacy. For example, fixtures with LEDs. Currently, there global adoption of highly efficient are close to one billion efficient LEDs can reduce our carbon lights (LEDs and CFLs) operating footprint up to 800 million tonnes in the US. Among them, LEDs are of CO2 equivalent. Further, with projected to save approximately US-DOE’s work in Research and 348 trillion watt-hours of energy by Development (R&D) of Solid State Lighting (SSL), the lighting efficacy 2027.

In India, close to 230 million LED of current LED devices will be bulbs were distributed under the enhanced by 25 per cent, reaching Ujala Yojana (May, 2017). India’s 200 lumens per watt (LPW) from LED market is a mix of domestic and 160 LPW. So far, the US-DOE has achieved foreign players. The players’ share is volatile, as market dominance a huge industrial footprint with over 260 patent applications primarily depends on in LED products; constant upgradation the technology is of innovative growing laterally. technologies.

The idea As a result, many Imported LEDs was to push the scope success stories (from China, and cost-effectiveness are coming in Taiwan and of alternative niche LED Korea) and the lighting, such as unorganised construction materials marine, harbour, sector are like recycled plastic organic, smart c u r r e n t l y among public and lighting and dominating the administrative the like. Smart market. This is echelons lighting has grown due to an absence two-fold in recent of national-level

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years. It has integrated applications such as sensors for public transport movement, signal synchronisations, et al. Similarly, organic LEDs are seen as the next generation of SSL technologies, with applications currently seen in TVs and phones.

In India, lighting constitutes 18 per cent of the total electricity usage. The savings from LEDs, in tandem with smart metering, smart designing and connected lighting will be close to 9-11 per cent (50 per cent and more) of the total consumption. It is imperative that the government constitute policy frameworks that can foolproof industry standardisation and regulatory mechanisms in the lighting industry.

BIS can create standards pertaining to design and manufacturing of LEDs. This will

create parity among domestic and foreign competitors. Similar to the efforts seen in the US, a national level research programme on SSL can focus on improving the working outputs of the upcoming lighting technologies. It will strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities that can cater to domestic and global demand. In order to support domestic manufacturing, the government can assist by facilitating financial incentives (such as subsidies in capital, production, et al). Indian academic institutes and research laboratories can collaborate to pursue R&D of promising LED technologies. The synergy of renewables and energy efficiency measures can enhance the ongoing carbon mitigation efforts and improve our national energy security.

28

Sports

Dec 10-16, 2018

Dalip Singh Rana

Who Is The Great Khali?

He has had an interesting journey from Himachal Pradesh to San Francisco to Punjab now

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n SSB bureau

veryone looked up to The Great Khali – whether you wanted to or not.

That’s because the 7-foot-1-inch, 347-pound skyscraper of a man towered over all of the WWE Universe.

Khali stood out from every crowd not only for his overwhelming size, but also for being the first to blaze a trail to WWE from his native India.

Khali’s battle-ready mentality and intimidating presence combined to make him a unique threat to every member of the WWE roster.

He successfully stood tall against celebrated WWE Superstars, including The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, John Cena and Shawn Michaels. And he was the last man standing in a 20-Man Battle Royal on SmackDown in 2007 that allowed Khali to realize his dream of becoming World Heavyweight Champion.

His Journey

Dalip Singh Rana, or The Great Khali has had an interesting journey from

After leaving WWE, The Great Khali opened a wrestling school in Punjab called Continental Wrestling Entertainment Himachal Pradesh to San Francisco to Punjab now.

Khali was the first Indian to sign a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and even held the World Heavyweight title.

But his journey hasn’t been easy and has had a few detours on the way.

Funnily enough, his life-changing moment happened by chance as he worked as a stone cutter in the hills of Siramur, Himachal Pradesh.

“I have come a long way since my humble beginning as an ordinary stone cutter. A simple response to a chance question by a Punjab police officer who passed me one day while I was working along a road changed my life forever. He asked me ‘Why I was working so hard even after my shift was over’. My response was that ‘unlike others, I had a bigger stomach

to fill and thus needed to work harder than the rest’ and that landed me a job with the Punjab Police,” he told an interviewer.

The salary earned gave him reason to be proud and the additional money gave him a chance to buy a TV which led to his love for wrestling to begin.

“That gave me a bit of pride too that now I was someone who had a job and was earning a good amount. For the first time in my life I could buy a TV, a decision that changed my life forever I not only got introduced to wrestling but decided to make it my passion and my profession,” he said of his early career.

With a new found purpose, he started working on his physical side as a bodybuilder. Thanks to the support of his family and confidence in his abilities, he set off for San Francisco to

train and hopefully get inducted into WWE. He had a fairly good start before a bump appeared down the road from none other than the WWE itself!

“After six months there, I signed a contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW). There I continued to learn the trade and to fight but then Vince McMahon, chairman of WWE, bought the company. It left me disappointed because only in 7-8 months that I was there, the company was bought. I was not sure how things would transpire now and what would happen to my career,” he said disappointingly.

The ray of light soon emerged though. “Still, I told myself to stay positive and after training for a few more months, I got an offer from New Japan Pro Wrestling and I wrestled there for three years. And it should be noted that most of the famous WWE wrestlers have been involved in Japan at some point.”

Asked which of the two wrestling styles he enjoyed more, he inclined towards Japanese for the wrestling aspect and WWE for the exposure.

Films & TV

Khali has appeared in six movies and three TV shows including the popular Bigg Boss where he finished runnerup in the fourth season. However, his big break came in 2005 with The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and a host of other celebrities. “At this point, I got an offer to act in a movie (The Longest Yard) which involved Sandler and a host of other wrestlers such as Kevin Nash, Bill Goldberg and Stone Cold Steve Austin. They were looking for someone huge and that came to me. When Sandler saw me, his first reaction was - ‘Wow! He’s huge! I want this guy in the movie!’”.

Back Home

He worked with the WWE for 9-10 years and then came back in India with his own training school Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE). It is a great opportunity for young athletes to learn and shine.

Entertainment

Dec 10-16, 2018

29 07

G e e t a D u tt

The Legendary Nightingale with Chequered Life She had a unique voice with exceptional mellifluous tonal purity with unusual swing and it fuelled pathos and other emotions in the mind of the listeners

n SSB bureau

Gujarati. She had a great talent of learning new languages. Many music lovers will be surprised to know that she has sung in Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Nepali and Maithili languages.

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ho hasn’t heard the famous melodies of ‘Baabuji Dheere Chalna’ or ‘Waqt Ne Kiya’? Sung by Geeta Dutt, the songs still manage to make one groove to their tunes, no matter how old one is! This name will always bring melodious and unforgettable misty feelings from the good old times. The legendary singer was born in 1930 and died 44 years ago on July 20, 1972.

She was a meteor, who could last only half a life, but in that span, she created an oeuvre of distinct sound and elegance.

Geeta Dutt appeared on the world of film music in 1947 and with her very first song “Mera sundar sapna beet gaya” she attained unprecedented fame and popularity winning the hearts of millions of music lovers. She brought new freshness and charm with her melodious voice and created a mood as desired by both her lyric writers and composers who were amazed at the range and depth of her expression.

Geeta Roy, nee Dutt, was born in a rich family in Faridapur district (East Bengal, currently in Bangladesh) in 1930. Not much is known about her earlier life as a young girl until she appeared as a sixteen-year-old singer in Bhagat Prahlad (1946).

An eventful chapter in Mumbai In 1942, the family relocated to Mumbai where Geeta was enrolled in the Bengali High School. In the absence of a music tutor, she continued to practice on her own.

One day, noted composer/music director K Hanuman Prasad heard her singing while passing by her modest home in Dadar, Mumbai.

Highly impressed, he offered her a chance to sing in the mythological film Bhakta Prahlad. History was made. Later in the year, Geeta sang for two more of Hanuman Prasad’s

Personal Life

films Raseeli and Nai Maa. In 1947, Sachin Dev Burman who heard her sing in Bhakta Prahlad contacted her and asked her to sing for his upcoming film Do Bhai. The song “mera sundar sapna beet gaya” rendered by Geeta became an instant hit! The sale of the music album was phenomenal.

She won countrywide acclaim.

The teenager reached the highest echelons of playback singing during the year 1948-1949, managing to overshadow Shamshad Begum and Raj Kumari – the famous voices of that era.

Geeta sang for Dev Anand’s Baazi (1951).

It was Guru Dutt’s maiden directorial venture. They fell in love and tied the knot in May 1953.

So the story goes, Dutt’s entry into Geeta’s life was a blessing and a curse as well.

Her career blossomed and her most famous songs – including those sung for Dutt’s films – happened during this period. Her numbers viz ‘Ye lo main haari piya’, ‘Jaa jaa jaa bewafa’ and ‘Babu ji dheere chalna’ became chartbusters.

Geeta’s singing possessed an other-worldly charm; it was the spontaneous outpouring of her heart. At one moment, she would sing a catchy ‘Mera naam chin chin chu’, and then switch to a seductive number, ‘Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer bana de’. Versatility was her middle name.

Misconception about her

Plummeting into hard times

It is a common (and incorrect) perception that the legendary playback singer Geeta Dutt sang only for Hindi films. Her Bengali songs are very popular as well, both film and non-film. Having stayed in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, Geeta was a fluent speaker of Marathi and

Both Geeta and Guru were temperamental, sensitive and emotionally fragile. Geeta earned more than Guru Dutt, who was struggling to make his mark as a director. Grapevines said Dutt had married Geeta for money. Deeply wounded, Dutt ordered her to sing

In Basu Bhattacharya’s Anubhav, her final album, we get glimpses of the grand possibility of her talent

only for his movies.

She refused point blank. To make matters worse, although Dutt was a strict disciplinarian on the sets, yet in his private life, he was a chain smoker and an alcoholic. The duo began to drift apart. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was Dutt’s introduction of newcomer Waheeda Rehman in his movie C.I.D. in 1956.

Deeply shocked, Geeta Dutt began neglecting rehearsals, recordings, riyaz and took to drinking heavily.

At this juncture, Dutt’s career too went on a downslide. The film “Kagaz ke phool” was more or less an autobiographical narrative but unfortunately it failed at the box office. However, we find Geeta giving us one of her most memorable numbers portraying her true to life mental agony –“Waqt ne kiya kya hasin sitam, tum rahe na tum.”

The children were very close to their mother because of the way Guru Dutt treated the family, especially their mother. She was a kind hearted house wife with malice towards none and charity for all. Even when it became clear that Guru Dutt left Geeta for a younger and stunningly beautiful Waheeda Rehman, Geeta did not harbour ill feelings to Waheeda but blamed her husband whom she loved and regarded well.

In this turbulent situation their third child, a daughter, was born in 1962. On October 10, 1964, Guru Dutt allegedly committed suicide.

Soon after, Geeta Dutt suffered a nervous breakdown.

The frenetic cadence of modern life that Geeta captured through her ceaseless spontaneity ceased to exist in 1972. But Geeta Dutt in a short and glorious span of only few years left us with a rich legacy of thousands of songs into which she breathed life with her unique ethereal voice that have stood the test of time and continue to enthrall generations after generations of fine music lovers all over the world.

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Sulabh Parivar

Several visitors visited Sulabh Campus and saw different activities of it. They were amazed to see the Sulabh International Museum

of Toilets which has a rare collection, pictures and objects detailing the historic evolution of toilets from 2500 BC to date.

Several visitors came to visit Sulabh campus. They took special interest at the artefacts placed in Museum of Toilets. In

a relaxed mood they enjoyed the presentation of history of the toilet development inside the Toilet Museum.

VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and some other visitors visited Sulabh Campus.

Poem

A group of 52 B.Sc. (H) Nursing 2nd year students along with their Coordinators from College of Nursing,

Dec 10-16, 2018

A group of 42 medical students of 1st year along with their Coordinators from Department of Community Medicine of VMMC &

Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, a group of 29 delegates from ICRC and some other visitors visited Sulabh Campus.

Respect

Respect is a lesson that everyone should learn Respect must be given before an expected return Respect is something given for free Respect is about us and never about me Respect is the basis on which relationship are founded Respect is the anchor that keeps a person well grounded Respect builds the character and defines who we are Respect sets the standard and raises the bar Respect is the partner that sits with goodwill Respect is like honey so sweet it’s perceived Respect a taste to savour for when it’s received.

By Chingahudim, Trade-Stenography

Events

Dec 10-16, 2018

events & more...

Across 1. Which of Indian bird has been included in the world conservation list?

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

7. Which is known as the queen of spices?

11. Which industry was started first in India?

12. Which metal is non toxic in nature?

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

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

16. The salivary gland secrete saliva that contains which enzyme?

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

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

CONNAUGHT PLACE 11-B, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Near RML Hospital, Connaught Place, New Delhi 23 Dec 2018, 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

SSB crossword no. 52

events

Christmas Market, Akshara Theatre Venue : Akshara Theatre

SOLUTION of crossword no.51

Gear Up For Gurgaon’s 1st Vegan Festival Venue : Huda Gymkhana Club

SECTOR 29, Opp. Signature Towers, Sector 29, Gurgaon 23 Dec 2018, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

ROFL With Comedians Biswa, Kunal Kamra & Raghav Mandava Venue : Siri Fort Auditorium

SIRI FORT ROAD A-25, Siri Institutional Area, Asian Games Village Complex, Siri Fort, New Delhi-23 Dec 2018, 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM

1. Bhavani

11. Black

2. Kolkata

12. Boar

3. Wyoming

13. England

4. Delhi

14. Japan

5. Venice

15. Six

6. Yggdrasil

16. Malawi

7. Arkansas

17. Kolkata

8. Nagpur

18. Capua

9. Ireland

19. Bouvier

10. Bali

20. Literature

solution of sudoku-51

Music Festival Is Back With Performances By Lucky Ali Venue : Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium PRAGATI VIHAR, Pragati Vihar, New Delhi 22 Dec 12:00 PM - 23 Dec 10:00 PM

31

Down 2. Which is the metal used in storaoe batteries?

3. Where is Indian Institute of Petroleum located?

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

6. Which is nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile?

8. Which is used as the logo of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) ?

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

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

13. According to 2011 census, howmany female number is per 1000 male?

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

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

sudoku-52

5th Jashn-e-Rekhta Venue : Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium INDIA GATE India Gate, New Delhi 14 Dec 11:00 AM - 16 Dec 9:00 PM

on the lighter side by DHIR

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

30 32

Newsmakers

Dec 10-16, 2018

Riva Tulpule

Dubai Girl Donates Sanitary Pads To Tribal Girls Riva Tulpule, whose family hails from Maharashtra, managed to collect funds for the cause in Dubai in the last couple of months

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nspired by Akshay Kumar’s film “Padman” which raised awareness about menstrual hygiene, a 13-yearold Dubai-based girl has adopted 250 girls from rural Maharashtra and donated sanitary napkins to them. Riva Tulpule, whose family hails from Maharashtra, managed to collect funds for the cause in Dubai in the last couple of months.

She flew down to India in the last week November and distributed about one-year stock of sanitary pads to girls

from schools in Sahapur taluka. “I saw ‘Padman’ some months back and came to know about the problems faced by girls during the days of their periods. I immediately decided to do something for girls living in villages in India, especially Maharashtra,” she said.

The Class 8 student said she also discussed her idea with Konkan Graduates constituency MLC Niranjan Davkhare during his visit to Dubai, and he encouraged her to take it forward.

Around Diwali time, Riva appealed to people in Dubai to donate money for the cause and within a short span, she managed enough sum to buy sanitary pads for 250 girls, she said.

The napkins were distributed by the teenager at a function organised by Davkhare’s NGO ‘Samanvay Pratishthan’, which works for social causes. Davkhare appreciated the girl’s efforts to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene.

Tuhin Satarkar

First Indian To Scale Sahyadri Mountain Range The climb took him to Dhodap, Jivdhan and Naneghat, three famous peaks

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ouldering sensation Tuhin Satarkar pushed his limits as he scaled three routes in the treacherous Sahyadri mountain range in 12 days, from November 16 to 28, to become the first Indian to ever achieve the feat.

In this project, the Pune-based climber set out to climb three peaks in the Sahyadri mountains on a 12-day camping trip.

It was a true test of endurance, speed and invention as he studied the rock faces, set the route, successfully executed the climbs, and moved on to the next destination all within the 12 days he set out to complete the project.

The climb took him to Dhodap, Jivdhan and Naneghat, three famous peaks which are known to have been ascended by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his Marathi Malvas.

“The Sahyadri range has one of the most daunting mountains in Maharashtra. Being a Maharashtrian, I was excited to get an opportunity to pay tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his band of Marathi Malvas,” the Red Bull athlete said.

A climb like this has never been done and he was thrilled to do this.

The Red Bull athlete Tuhin is the finest of India’s current generation of climbers.

Veer Agarwal

14-Year Old Helps 300 Amputees Walk Again He raised Rs 14 lakh to fund artificial limbs for patients from low-income families

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14-year-old 9th grader Veer Agarwal raised Rs 14 lakh and used it to fund artificial limbs for about 300 physically-challenged patients from low-income families.

Veer Agarwal, who studies in American School of Bombay, was all smiles on the successful completion of the four-day ‘Jaipur Foot’ camp for which he had raised funds to the tune of Rs14 lakhs.

The funds raised enabled the ‘Jaipur Foot’ camp held at Risod in Washim district of Maharashtra from 23rd to 26th November, organised by Seth Bhagwandas J Agrawal Charitable Trust.

About 350 physically challenged people from nearby districts visited the camp, out of which about 300 were found fit for treatment with prosthetic legs and were able to walk again. Over a dozen were also provided with wheelchairs.

Expressing his joy at helping people regain their mobility, Veer said, “A road accident some years ago resulted in a thigh bone fracture that left me bedridden for weeks. The agonizing experience always haunted me and motivated me

to do something for physically challenged people from financially weak backgrounds and help them experience the joys of walking and running once again.

“I learnt about the concept of ‘Jaipur Foot’ camp and decided to set up a crowdfunding campaign on the website of the organisers. I also got support from my parents in this noble initiative.”

Speaking on what drew him to rural India, Veer added, “Through my research on the net, I found that there are many needy people in rural India who did not have access to and could not afford a prosthetic limb. This motivated me to take up this cause in rural parts.

It is fulfilling to see them walk again. I am deeply thankful to all who supported this cause and made this camp so successful.”

Fitting amputees with the ‘Jaipur Foot’ costs about Rs5,000 per patient. The artificial limb is customised to fit the patient as per their size and post-fitment, the patient is able to walk normally again.

Amputees who lost limbs in accidents and polio-affected persons were among those who benefited from the camp.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 2, Issue - 52 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