It's Official Now - Telangana Is Born!

Nearly two months after Congress Working Committee (CWC) unanimously voted in favor of bifurcating South India's largest state of Andhra Pradesh, Indian Cabinet formally okays the proposal on Thursday's cabinet meeting thus formalizing the birth of a new state of Telangana with Hyderabad as the capital amidst serious protests from the people of Seemandhra, who are fighting for the United Andhra Pradesh. The city of Hyderabad however will act as the joint capital for 10 years after which new capital will be identified for the rest of Andhra Pradesh. Image credit: Rajesh Dayanchal via Wikimedia Commons. 

India carves out a new state of Telangana

A tv-grab of the press conference by Mr. Digvijay Singh, the in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs and Mr. Ajay Maken, AICC general secretary announcing Congress party's decision to create a separate state of Telangana (right). Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is seen  walking into the CWC meeting on the left.

India’s Congress party, the major partner in the ruling coalition, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has finally recommended the cabinet to create a separate state of Telangana bifurcating South India’s largest state, Andhra Pradesh. Addressing a press conference soon after the meeting of the party's august decision making body, Congress Working Committee (CWC), its general secretary Mr. Ajay Maken and the in-charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs, Mr. Digvijay Singh revealed that CWC has unanimously voted in favor of the creation of a separate state and the new Telangana state constitutes the same ten districts of the erstwhile Hyderabad state that were merged with the then Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh in 1956 with Hyderabad as its capital. The city of Hyderabad, the bone of contention between the two states and the Information Technology hotbed however will act as the common capital for 10 years to both states. The new capital will be identified thereafter for the rest of Andhra Pradesh. The constitutional process for the new state becoming a reality may take anywhere between four to five months and the new Telangana state when formed will be the 29^th in the Union of States of India. This also puts an end to the six-decade-old struggle for the demand of a separate state by the people of Telangana.                                                                                                      Listen to the podcast below.

                                                                                      

The nation betrayed ─ Why a rich nation India remained poor?

According to Planning Commission of India, 3 out of every 10 Indians live below 

poverty line earning  less than 50 cents a day!

“He is a barbarian and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.” This popular quotation from George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, suits India’s politicians more than anybody else. I am constantly embroiled in a battle with myself trying to find answer to the question, why a rich nation, India, remained poor? By saying that, I am not exaggerating the facts here. India is culturally, emotionally, scientifically, and intellectually a rich nation. Before, anybody else, Indians invented the numerical zero [1]. Apparently, Sanskrit, the ancient and classical language of India is believed to be the oldest and most systematic languages of the world. According to Forbes magazine (July 1987), Sanskrit is the most convenient language for computer software programming. Indians or persons of Indian origin have won Nobel Prizes for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Economics, Literature, and Peace. Yet, this nation remained poor. Why? The answer to this question must lie with India’s politicians. They had completely let down 1.2 billion odd Indians. They are responsible for the sad state of affairs that the country is in today even after sixty-six years of self-rule ever since India gained its independence at the stroke of the midnight hour on August 15, 1947 from Great Britain [2]. Before drawing any conclusions, I thought I would examine some of the key statistical evidence on human development and the good governance, the two critical aspects of any nation’s progress. 

The other day, I stumbled upon a news report on the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human Development Report 2013, which ranks India at 136 out of 186 countries measured using the Human Development Index (HDI) [3, 4]. Put into perspective ─ this is below Ghana (135), a younger sub-Saharan-African nation, which received independence in 1957 much later than India, and has been marked by military coups  and frequent government overthrows ─ and just above the war-ravaged Cambodia (138). What an irony! Here comes another startling fact. According to a recent report released by the Planning Commission of India, three out of every ten Indians are living below the poverty line earning less than 50 cents a day. The study is based on the monthly per capita expenditure (MCPE) of Rs. 673 for rural areas and Rs. 860 for urban areas [5]. According to some unofficial estimates, as many as 5 out of 10 Indians are living under the poverty line.

Is India world's largest open toilet?

The numbers don't end there. The Census data of 2011 show that more than 40% of Mumbai, 35% of Delhi, and 30% each of Kolkata and Chennai's population lives in slums, the residential areas, where the dwellings are unfit for human habitation by reasons of dilapidation, overcrowding, lack of ventilation, or sanitation. The same census also points out that nearly half of India's 1.2 billion people have no toilet at home and more than 53% defecate in the open. This is more than half of all people in the world who defecate in the open according to Asian Development Bank's (ADB) report on Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 [6], which forced India’s rural development minister, Mr. Jairam Ramesh to brand India as the “world’s largest open toilet,” and he even angered some religious groups by claiming “India has more temples than toilets.” The ADB report goes on to add that about 88% of all diarrheal diseases reported worldwide, caused mainly by the ingestion of pathogens in water, have been attributed to the lack of adequate sanitation and accounts for the death of more children under the age of five than anywhere else in the world. That’s 1.7 million children or almost 5000 child deaths a day in India alone, according to a new report by the UNICEF [7]. These are the deaths caused by the curable diseases, which could have been prevented by the proper planning and timely intervention. Aren't these deaths then caused by our insensitive and uncommitted leaders? Shouldn't they be listed as homicides and the leaders prosecuted? 

Not that I am perplexed, but what is worrying is that every time a new report surfaces replacing the old one, the numbers are staggering and the ranks hitting rock bottom. According to a survey conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a nonprofit organization, more than one-third legislators of the 543-member lower house of Parliament faces criminal charges of rape, sexual abuse, and assault against women pending in courts. More than 200 others from state legislatures are facing similar charges in various lower courts. No surprise then that a recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reveals that since 1971, there has been an increase of 873% in India's rape related crimes, i.e. more than 20% per annum surpassing all the economic and social indicators [8].  

The flood-ravaged temple town of Kedarnath [9] in Uttarakhand on June 18, 2013

after it was hit by the "Himalayan Tsunami," which is believed to have claimed the

lives of more than 10,000 and is a direct offshoot of deforestation caused by the
rampant illegal mining and mindless construction of dams in the most eco-sensitive 
region of Himalayas, according to environmentalists [10]. Image courtesy: Amitabh 
Nath, Aaj Tak/India Today via Wikimedia Commons.

The list goes on and on if one looks at the number of corruption scandals that rocked the country during the past five years alone. The loss to the exchequer due to these scandals runs into billions of dollars. Ironically, even the Transparency International (TI) in its 2012 report of Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranked India 94th out of 176 nations, below its neighboring countries like Sri Lanka and China [11]. Take the case of recent “Himalayan Tsunami” that hit Northern India’s Uttarakhand state, which is believed to have claimed the lives of more than 10000. This man-made disaster could have been averted and so many lives could have been saved, had Indian leaders heeded the repeated warnings of the expert panel report [12] commissioned by the ministry of environment and forests, Government of India and other environmental organizations [13]; and not give in to the whims and fancies of politically influential sand, mining, and construction mafia responsible for the rampant deforestation of this most eco-sensitive region of Himalayas. Henry Kissinger once said, "It’s the 90% of politicians that give the other 10% a bad name," and he was absolutely right. Weren't these politicians who "ruled the roost" and held the country to ransom through endemic misgovernance and pandemic corruption? Aren't these leaders responsible for the sad state of affairs the country is in today? The buck should stop at them. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Well, there is ─ only if all the political parties of India exercise greater wisdom and caution while nominating candidates with clean image and impeccable character for the upcoming parliamentary elections, which are due 10 months from now and give the people of India a much needed choice in determining their fate. It is high time that they do so! 

Reference:

[1] Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, E. (2000). The Nothing that Is: A Natural History of Zero, Oxford, UK; Oxford University Press. 

[2] Prime Minister Nehru Speaks on Indian Independence Day and related Media – History.com (n.d.) History Channel. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.history.com/speeches/nehru-speaks-on-indian-independence-day#nehru-speaks-onindian-independence-day

[3] 2013 Human Development Report – undp.org (n.d.) UNDP. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/hdr/human-development-report-2013/

[4] Human Development Index (HDI) value – undp.org (n.d.) UNDP. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/103106.html

[5] Key Indicators of Household Consumer Expenditure in India, 2009-10 – pib.nic.in (n.d.) Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=73098

[6] Asian Water Development Outlook 2013 – adb.org (n.d.) Asian Development Bank. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.adb.org/publications/asian-water-development-outlook-2013

[7] Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed – unicef.org (n.d.) UNICEF. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://www.unicef.org/videoaudio/PDFs/APR_Progress_Report_2012_final.pdf

[8] National Crime Records Bureau Home Page. (n.d.) NCRB India. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://ncrb.gov.in/

[9] The 5000 odd year-old Kedarnath temple was believed to have been built by Pandavas around 3150 B.C. before the start of Kaliyug in  3102 B.C. and later renovated by Shri Adi Shankaracharya during his time around 1000 A.D. See also The Vedic Foundation - vedicfoundation.org (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2013 from http://www.thevedicfoundation.org/bhartiya_history/mahabharat.htm
[10] Indian flood deaths blamed on 'mindless' construction - newscientist.com (n.d.) New Scientist. Retrieved on June 29, 2013 from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23753-indian-flood-deaths-blamed-on-mindless-construction.html?full=true&print=true#.Uc7r-Dsya5w
[11] Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 – transparency.org (n.d.) Transparency International. Retrieved June 24, 2013 from http://www.transparency.org/cpi2012/results

[12]  Assessment of Cumulative Impacts of Hydroelectric Projects on Aquatic and Terrestrial Biodiversity in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Basins, Uttarakhand - moef.nic.in (n.d.) Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/SEA-Hydro-Report-1604.pdf

[13] Comment on IMG (B.K. Chaturvedi) Committee Report on Upper Ganga Hydro and the River – sandrp.in (n.d,) South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. Retrieved June 23, 2013 from http://sandrp.in/IMG_report_on_Ganga_has_Pro_Hydro_Bias_June2013.pdf

The Silent Killer!

The rapid surge in telecommunication industry has witnessed an unprecedented growth in the number of mobile phones in India reaching 867 millions, which is second only to China in the total number of mobile phones in use. This has led to the erection of cell phone towers by the mobile phone companies almost every nook and corner of the country irrespective of the places be it in residential rooftops; schools or college buildings; hospitals or office buildings throwing caution to the wind in every which way. The lackadaisical attitude of the governments both at the central and state level towards these companies in curbing this practice only added to this problem.  For a country with the population of 1.27 billion and growing, and according to the world bank report published in 2012, the population density in India was 411 per square kilometer, which is more than 12 times that of the United States also means that these many lives are under constant threat of mugging under the heat of microwave radiation emanating from these ubiquitous towers, majority of which are illegally sited and without any clearances from the government. As per the recent estimate by the Delhi Municipal Corporation, the nation’s capital alone has more than 2700 such illegal structures hovering over the residential rooftops or inhabited properties. Though this has generated a lot of concern among the general public in the recent past, but many of them are still oblivious of the dangers lurking right over their heads. This is my little attempt to spread that general awareness among the public on the health concerns that these towers pose. This is aimed at keeping it simple without going into the technicalities of radiofrequency radiation exposure, the details of which were discussed in my earlier post entitled, "Why cell phone towers are so bad for your health?", and only highlights the possible heath risks as a general awareness campaign and a free-to-use poster. 

If I were to throw a rhetorical analysis of this poster, it appeals to all the three elements of the rhetorical triangle, i.e., Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. By choosing the powerful title, "The Silent Killer," I appealed to both the pathos and the logos.  The title not only appeals emotionally to the target audience but also justifies the invisible nature of radiofrequency radiation thus satisfying both the pathos and the logos. Apart from this, incorporation of various logos in the middle depicts the underlying diseases associated with radiofrequency radiation emanating from the cell phone towers, informs the general public on the ill-effects these towers pose on their health, and the lurking dangers ahead of them because of these towers thus appealing to the pathos. The text "prolonged exposure" underlines the importance of maximum exposure, i.e., 24x7 received by those living in close proximity to the cell tower. The primary colors along with the carefully chosen fonts used in this poster appeals to the logos. Furthermore, the text "Say no to Cell Tower in Your Neighborhood!" appeals to the commonplaces. Finally, the title and the images together with the caption underlines the sense of urgency with which the governments needed to take proactive steps in curbing the practice of siting illegal cell phone towers primarily in the residential areas, schools and hospital buildings thus appealing to the kairos as well.

Listen to the podcast below.

Holistic Management or Livestock Manipulation?

In this captivating talk, Zimbabwean-born Allan Savory, a biologist, an ecologist, an environmentalist, a politician, and an activist, makes a compelling case for reversing the trend of desertification of two-thirds of world's grasslands and the interrelated problems of poverty and climate change by applying the natural principles of holistic management. Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning into desert. He points out that desertification is responsible for large-scale migration of people, poverty, social breakdown of societies, climate change and this is only occurring in the arid and semi-arid areas of the world. Savory argues that desertification is caused by the livestock, goats, and overgrazing of animals leaving the soil bare and giving off methane to the atmosphere. To arrest this trend, Savory comes up with a solution based on what he calls holistic management or planned grazing, a planning process that does address all of nature’s complexity and our social, environmental, and economic complexity. Take a look! Video Credit: TED

MOOCs: Elements, Ordeals, and Love

MOOCs or "Massive Open Online Courses" had virtually revolutionized the higher education in the recent past. To gain first-hand knowledge of this phenomenon, I decided to enroll in one of Coursera's Writing II: Rhetorical Composing course. The course is being taught by The Ohio State University's Susan Delagrange, Cynthia Selfe, Kay Halasek, Ben McCorkle, and Scott Lloyd DeWitt. This essay was written as part of the assignment, "Getting to know one another," which requires a writer to pick any three essays written by the fellow writers and compose an essay while sharing their own experiences as writer in relation to others.

Elements, Ordeals, and Love

In my previous assignment, “Getting to know you,” I wrote about “English, a universal language of mankind.” I discussed my experiences as a writer and the importance of learning English or any language for that matter in its original and unadulterated form and stressed the need for giving importance to the pronunciation in our classrooms. My commitment towards scientific writing and the importance of taking the latest research findings and discoveries to the common man was also highlighted. 

While searching Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (DALN) as part of my writing assignment, “Getting to know one another,” I was overawed by the sheer number of essays written by fellow writers. Each is a masterpiece in its own right. Reading a plethora of lifetime experiences written in a wide variety of styles, syntax, semantics, and phonology by native as well as non-native English writers has not only enhanced my knowledge of English writing skills but also enriched various aspects of my life. Choosing only three among them is not an easy task nor would I be doing justice to the heaps of knowledge laid before my eyes on my computer monitor. For constraints of time and space, I limit my discussion to three of them here. 

Firstly, Karim Teresa Rochelle’s “William Strunk taught me how to write,” particularly caught my attention. This essay is more of Karim’s tribute to the great literary legend William Strunk and his book, "The Elements of Style." Indeed I could relate to Karim’s saga of learning English writing in more ways than one. I join her in paying my tribute to this literary gaint through this essay. I came to know of Strunk’s master piece “The Elements of Style,” myself a decade ago when I was just beginning to write my Ph. D. thesis through one of my mentors. Though I have written few research publications for peer-reviewed Journals earlier, most of the writing was supported by my mentors at the university. Like any university setting at the time, my role was more or less limited to doing experiments in the laboratory. I then used to present the results with the help of exotic figures, schemes, and tables and discuss the same with my mentors in weekly group meetings. My mentors did most of the writing part. But when it came to writing my Ph. D. thesis, the onus fell on me. I had to do all the writing part myself, which I did. Thanks to this bible called “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I learned for the first time from this book, the proper usage of simple things like comma, semicolon, or the use of colon after an independent clause, or hyphen etc. My emphasis is to learn the language in its original and unadulterated form. I truly believe in writing simple and yet effective, which I learnt from this book. I must add, I may not be perfect in English writing, but whatever little I could, is because of this book. I could relate to every element of Karim’s journey of English learning.

Hailing from India and a non-native speaker of English, my attention then turned to global Englishes. This led me to pick my Polish counterpart, Mr. Kamil A. Lipinski’s essay “The Gap.” Here, Kamil describes his  ordeals of learning English in a highly Russian-influenced Polish society and how Hollywood movies and video games played a key role in his English learning process during childhood. This is in quite contrast to my personal exposure to English learning. India was largely influenced by the “British Raj,” a euphemism for the British Rule in India, which dates back to the late 16^th century and mid 20^th century. If the colonial past had left an indelible impression on India through English as the official language of governance, the multitude of languages spoken across the length and breadth of the country also solidified English as the unifying force and the preferred medium of choice in India. Having said that, the differences end there. The ordeal of learning to write and speak English remains as such. I fully share and concur with Kamil’s feelings that being a non-native speaker, how hard it is to express inner artistic self on paper or to impress the audience with a vivid narrative. I could empathize with Kamil and how he felt when that coveted prize for his poetry recital went to some influenced son of a jury member. A similar incident occurred in my life when I attended an interview for an assistant professor post at a university. I topped the formal written test and did the oral very well. Despite this, I was shown the door. Later on, I came to know that the job has gone to a more influenced person, who has the blessings of the sate's education minister. This incident did not dampen my spirits in any way. A scientist myself, I knew the importance of writing and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. The only way to do it is through learn how to write and write well in English. The thumb rule of success in scientific world is to "publish or perish" and I couldn’t agree more with Kamil that learning to write in English, the international language of science (may I add, "a universal language of mankind!") is the only way to succeed in the scientific world.

A view of a busy street  in Mumbai's red-light area, Kamathipura,

Finally, my association with social organizations and my interest in social service has prompted me to pick this  touching essay, “Stop Remembering Now” by Kiran Sergeeva. This deals with one of Kiran’s unforgettable experiences in her life. This is a story of a socially ostracized and a HIV-positive woman called Rekha, who is a sex-worker in one of Asia’s largest red-light districts located in India. The story was told in a touching style by Kiran, which captivated my attention. First and foremost, I appreciate the desire and passion displayed by the author to devote the rest of her life for social cause. She chose to work as a project coordinator for an international NGO that deals with mainstreaming sex-workers, their children, and HIV-positive women. The courage shown by the author while choosing to work in such unsafe environments as red-light areas; bearing the brunt of social stigma that comes with it; and even against the wishes of her parents, who opposed her initially; is particularly laudable. The details of her first encounter with a HIV- positive Rekha during a community visit and the drama that unfolded thereafter was described in a compelling manner. Author’s remorse in the end towards Rekha is worth the mention. This story captures the inner beauty of a socially ostracized and HIV-positive woman in the society. Kiran succeeded in bringing out that eternal bond of Love between a daughter and a mother, who is a HIV-positive sex-worker and wasn't even invited to attend her own daughter's marriage because of her illness. Author’s imagination and her ability to convey the inner feelings cannot be understated.

In conclusion, if the essay by Karim Teresa Rochelle’s “William Strunk taught me how to write,” highlights the importance of basic Elements of writing in English; Kamil A. Lipinski’s essay “The Gap.” describes the ordeals of non-native speaker learning English in a highly Russian-influenced Poland, his setbacks in poetry recital, and his experiences as a scientific writer. In the essay, “Stop Remembering Now,” Kiran Sergeeva delineates the eternal bond of Love between a daughter and a HIV-positive mother, who was also a sex-worker. Thus this assignment has brought back my memories and experiences as a writer and sharing the same with all my fellow writers is a great feeling in itself.

Solar flares, beauty and the Sun

This week marks the celebration of Earth Day on April 22. On this occasion,  I would like to share this amazing video, which gives a greater perspective of what is going on in our Sun. Solar flares are nothing but the ejection of superhot clouds of plasma from the Sun's corona at very high speeds even greater than 1 million miles per hour or simply put, Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). This intense radiation of plasma waves could pose threat to the on-board computer electronics of communication satellites and spacecrafts in its path and can affect the power infrastructure on the surface of these satellites and their navigation systems. It has been three years since NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) orbiting our planet started sending the images of the Sun. We have witnessed several things during this period including intense solar flares, planets transiting the solar face and the amazing solar rain. This video compresses these three years of intense activity into little over 3 minutes. The spacecraft SDO captures the shot of the Sun every 12 seconds in 10 different wavelengths and the images shown in this video are based on a wavelength of 171 Angstroms, and then four synchronized wavelengths of 171, 304, 193, and 4500.

The subtle changes seen in apparent size of the Sun during the course of this video are due to the changes in orbiting distance of SDO from the Sun since SDO orbits the Earth at 6,876 miles per hour while the Earth orbits the Sun at 67,062 miles per hour. The four-wavelength view presented at the end of the video shows light at 4500 Angstroms, the visible light view of the Sun, which highlights the material at 6,000 K and reveal the Sun spots and the photosphere of the Sun; light at 193 Angstroms highlights the material at 1 million Kelvin and reveal the features in the corona, the flare plasma, and the dark areas called coronal holes, where the high-speed solar wind originates; light at 304 Angstroms highlights the material at 50,000 Kelvin and show the features in the chromosphere of the Sun; and light at 171 Angstroms highlights the material at 600,000 Kelvin and reveal the features of the quiet corona. Take a look! Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/SDO

Star Streaks, Earth, & Oceans - DSLR time-lapse images from the International Space Station

Here's an amazing short film produced by the Austrian photographer Christopher Malin featuring a time-lapse photography taken by  Dr. Don Pettit, NASA Austronaut and ISS Astrophotographer, who uses Nikon DSLRs to capture the unique perspective of Earth from aboard the ISS. A tribute to the International Space Station Program, this video combines time-lapse footage as well as the lecture by Dr. Pettit in which he discusses the considerable challenges of photographing from space. Everyone must see this incredibly breathtaking video and I am sure you wouldn't complain what with its scintillating sound background and narration! Take a look. Video credit: Vimeo.

Caffeine enhances memory In Bees!

Honey bee extracting nectar from a flower. Image credit: John
Severns via Creative Commons.

We all know what a cup of coffee can do ^__ it instantly stimulates the body and mind and keeps us mentally alert and awake. The anti-oxidant caffeine present in coffee improves the insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism apart from preventing cell damage. Effects of caffeine on human memory are unclear as some studies indicate caffeine impairs the short-term memory and working memory whereas the others contradict these results. Researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have found that caffeine boosts the memory in bees. In an article published in this week’s Science magazine, Wright et. al have shown that the honeybees, which received a natural dose of caffeine displayed preferential selection for the nectar present in the flowers when pollinating and were three times more likely to remember a learned floral scent than those which received sucrose alone (Science 8 March 2013: Vol. 339  no. 6124  pp. 1202-1204 ).

Gaint Star Makes Waves In Space

This gaint star Zeta Ophiuchi, a relatively young, located about 370 light-years away, makes waves in the surrounding dust clouds of space, according to NASA experts. Zeta Ophiuchi is about twenty times massive, eight times hotter, and thousands of times brighter than the Sun and travels at a speed of 55,000 miles/hour. This infrared image captured by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals 'shocking' bow effect produced by this fast moving hot blue star on the surrounding dust clouds seen here as red bow. Credit: NASA.