Trip to Diu

India with its amazing diversity and splendour continues to thrills any travel enthusiast. Each state, for that matter even a small village has something unique to offer. The marvellous ethnicity and the outrageous assimilation power are the threads that continue to hold the citizens of this incredible country together. Whenever we entered a new territory though at the first instance we were treated with suspicion a little hearty talk would gradually erased the insecurities. I started admiring the people of country side and small towns for showering the warmth during our pep talks. The innocence or the chaste expressions of those people during our course of journey have left indelible and fond impressions in our minds.  As we flagged off our trip to Diu from Somanth in Gujarat, we have passed through vast stretches of greenery. There were hardly patches of land which were barren and uncultivated.

 

The narrow stretch of land separating Gujarat border and Diu was more like a marshy area with back waters seeping into the waste lands. Interestingly this region was habituated by hordes of Camels and we were surprised by their sheer numbers. Diu is one of the districts of the Daman and Diu a Union territory. It is a small place of about 40sqkm and one of the least populated districts in India but one of the cleanest places we ever visited in India. The place is quite warm and humid with large area covered by thousands of coconut trees  and interspersed with banana plantations. Diu is a peninsula connected with the mainland through the Junagadh district of Gujarat. It was a Portuguese colony till 1961 when Indian forces annexed it. In 1987 it became part of the Daman and Diu Union Territory.

Back Waters

Diu has interesting tourist attractions and we were yearning to explore the place and were excited at the prospect of visiting the Diu fort. Though we have been to several forts build by both the Hindu kings and Muslim rulers, we haven’t ever visited any fort built by the European barons in India. Until few years back the fort was earlier closely guarded and maintained by the Government authorities but now the local guides lamented that this place has been administratively deserted. The Diu fort constructed in the mid 16^th century is a huge and imposing structure. It is surrounded by sea on all the three sides with a canal on the north making it almost impenetrable. The fort now houses a central jail and a light house. The top of the fort offers a magnificent view of the sea and fortress of Panikota which was built in the sea and can be reached by a canoe. There is a light house and several huge canons on the top of the fort peeping out of the holes of the gigantic fort walls. 
 

Diu Fort

Fortress of Panikota

 

Top of the fort

We next visited Diu Museum which is currently lodged in the St. Thomas Church. The Church is a simple structure with an attractive children park and garden in front of it. The museum was least interesting as it had few wooden structures and statues. We next moved to St. Paul’s church a huge structure just few yards away. It was built in 17^th century by the Portuguese. Prayers are regularly held in the church so several people throng the premises regularly. Its huge doors are intricately carved and adorned with shell-like motifs. The roads were so calm and wore a deserted and hence we wanted to explore the beauty of this mystic territory.

St. Thomas Church

 

St. Paul’s church

It was such a pleasant experience to drive through roads of Diu with palm trees swaying their branches to the cool breeze of the Arabian Sea. Next we stopped at the Jallandhar beach which offered a picturesque calmness of the beaches; we relaxed on a small bench silently enjoying the beauty of nature for awhile. The serene atmosphere and meticulously clean roads juxtaposing the beaches were a virtual treat to any person who wishes to escape from the maddening and boisterous crowds of the metros. We then reached I.N.S Khukery memorial which is few metres from the beach. It is an open theatre located at an elevated point facing the beach. It could be reached by a flight of steps. As we reached the top, it offered an astounding view of the Arabian Sea. It was a memorial built in honour of 18 brave sailors who lost their lives while defending western coast during the Indo-Pak war of 1971 as a part of surveillance of the coast in the ship I.N.S. Khukery. Though the actual ship is not there a replica of the ship along the torpedo which sank it was instituted in this quiet location.  It is most popular among locals as sunset point as well.

I.N.S Khukery Memorial

 

Jallandhar Beach

The clear, white sands and the secluded beaches of Diu are the most ideal places for holidaying. Though there are few more tourist attractions in Diu like the Gangeshwar Mandir and Naida caves, we were so enamoured by the beauty of the beaches that we decided to relax in the beach. We then proceeded to Nagoa beach, the hot seat for various water sports. They have huge variety of sports like water scooter riding, motor boat riding, paragliding, boat sailing etc. Unlike other crowded beaches, water here is greenish and much cleaner and we could see the reflections of green algae underneath. They are almost like trash free beaches. Places like Goa are famous for their beaches, but the rustic beauty of this place can surpass the tranquillity of all other places.  It has  a great potential to be an excellent vacation spot and could really revitalise spirits of any person. Almost all the places are relatively less crowded and hence we are so enchanted by this place. But unfortunately, due to paucity of time we couldn’t extend our stay there. The refreshingly clean sea breeze and unpolluted seawater have relaxed every muscle of the body. Our holiday would have been incomplete but for our trip to Diu, the place with pristine beaches. 

On the way to Nagoa beach

For all the native Gujarati’s who are deprived of the alcoholic beverages due to the government's policy of prohibition, Diu is a paradise on earth. There is no limit on the amount of liquor they can consume in Diu but they are not allowed to cross the borders of the Union Territory with liquor bottles.

 Roads of Diu

We returned to Somanth (86km away from Diu) by night and geared up for our final destination Dwarka, by road the next day morning.

 

Photographs courtesy: Dr. Bhaskar Teegela and Samanvit Teegela

 

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A visit to Ahmedabad and Somnath

Amazing India with its glorious past, innumerable folklores, passionate religious beliefs would continue to elude travel enthusiastic Indians and curious foreigners with its enchanting mysteries. Our trip to the western part of the India was one such marvellous journey. Being one of the oldest civilisations of the World nearly every nook and corner of the country has some interesting story to reveal.   Sadly the lethargic book keeping and incongruous evidences of the past times have resulted in nearly wiping out several of the monumental places. In spite of poor upkeep and maintenance even now the curious enthusiasts revel in the remnants of history. After travelling almost 1400km in the state of Gujarat and in other places of India, I realised that almost every tourist attraction cries of deprivation of funds and poor patronage. Further, the lax working of the government and the vested communities has almost failed in proper up keep of the places. Most of the places we visited have been in their zenith in history but unfortunately, lack of proper information about exact historical significance has been the major handicap in truly appreciating and understanding their contribution to the vast Indian history.

Interestingly, as the affordability and the spending capacity of people has increased there has been a giant leap in the tourism. Be it for religious purposes or for pleasure, mobility of people has increased. This is a welcome trend but it would have gained greater momentum if the main benefactors of this tourism- be it the hoteliers, restaurateurs or the taxi associations realised their collective responsibility of contributing towards the upkeep and maintenance of the place in the Indian scenario to be able to generate uninterrupted revenues through tourism. Perhaps, they need to develop new strategies to invigorate interest among youth by popularising the places of cultural/historical/religious significance of their respective regions through attractive souvenirs, brochures and laminated pictures.

Having decided to explore the western part of India, Saurasthra, we reached Ahmedabad by train from Delhi. It is still the third week of March, but the severity of the heat scared us of the thought of travelling in summer. Ahmedabad station is located in the old city which is ensconced by 12 dilapidated gates of the massive fort constructed by its ruler Ahmed Shah in the early 15^th century. The remnants of the fort speak volumes about the transitions the city has undergone.  This region was popular for its textile mills during the British regime and was referred to as Manchester of the East.  Most of the textile mills have disappeared and this region now houses one of the biggest wholesale cloth markets.

Ahmedabad is 30 kms away from the capital city Gandhinagar and located on the banks of the river Sabarmati. The place immediately reminds of the Satyagraha Ashram (now Sabarmati Ashram) that has changed the destiny of India’s Independence movement by sowing the seeds of non-cooperation and non-violence in the citizens of the country. As we entered the city, we were greeted by the huge Sabarmati river front project stretching over 13 km in the city. This project has meted severe criticism from activists as it involved displacing several slum dwellers thus earning the dubious distinction of being the largest slum displacement project. It now offers a 10 km stretch for public use and amusement water rides. We wanted to first visit the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar which received International attention for armed terrorist incursions in 2002. The attacks claimed lives of 30 innocent civilians and left more than 80 people severely injured. Ever since the terrorist attacks security was beefed up around the temple and entry of the tourists is thoroughly monitored. As we moved towards Gandhinagar, we noticed a parallel stretch of the greenery running on either sides of the road offering much needed protection from the scorching heat. The temple is spread in the vast expanse of 23 acres and stands as the towering landmark of exquisite artisanship. It displayed a unique blend of devotion, architecture, education, research and cultural regalia. It has a well maintained garden and a children park too. The pink sandstone temple amidst the sprawling gardens is dedicated to Swami. The 7 foot tall gold leafed statue of the Lord is the central attraction of the temple. Tourists can spend almost a day in the temple premises as it has permanent exhibitions-Shajanand: a journey through India and three sound-n-light shows, Sat-Chit- Anand: a film of Mystic India on I-Max screen, Nityanand: a walk through Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata and a Sat-Chit-Anand water show.

Sabarmati River Front

On the way back to Ahmedabad we stopped at a place called Adalaj step well built by the king Mohammed Begda for Queen Roopba, wife the Veer Singh, Vaghela Chieftain. The octagonal five storied step well is built in sandstone and has intricately carved large pillars spacious enough to accommodate huge congregations during festivities. The architecture of the well was Muslim style, mostly depicting women performing various chores. It stands as marvellous example of the engineering skills of those times.These kinds of step-wells are more common in the semi-arid regions like Gujarat as they meet the basic water requirements of the people. These wells acted as venues for various festivals and other religious ceremonies.  Since the temperature inside the well is five degrees lower than outside, as we descended into the well, we experienced an inexplicable comfort.

Adalaj Step Well

Our next stop was Satyagraha ashram situated in suburbs of Ahmedabad adjoining the Sabarmati water front. We were very eager to visit the chambers of Mahatma Gandhi popularly referred to as “the Hridaya Kunj” the place where Gandhiji used to meet various people during the struggle for independence. Gandhi spent 12 years in the ashram. The ashram played pivotal role in shaping up India’s freedom struggle and brought about sweeping changes in perceptions of people towards untouchability by restoring honour on the so called Harijans. Hence this place was also called the Harijan ashram. The ashram presents a serene atmosphere with chirping birds settling on the trees. A small stretch of area within the ashram "Upasana Mandir" which was hallowed by the inspiring speeches of the father of nation is still held in reverential respect and discourses are conducted in that dedicated space. It was from this ashram, Gandhi along with his 78 companions marched to Dandi 240 km away to launch the salt satyagraha movement.  This was followed by civil disobedience movement wherein several thousands of freedom fighters were arrested. Britishers then seized the ashram and refused to hand over the ashram to Gandhiji and hence it was disbanded in 1933.

Hridaya Kunj

 

The ashram now houses a museum, Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalay which has life-size paintings and more than 200 photo enlargements, an exhibition containing quotations of Gandhiji and Kasturba Gandhi, a library with more than 35,000 books, several manuscripts and letters written and received by Gandhi. It has cottages of VinobaBhave/Mira Bhai, Magan Lal and a guest house Nandini. The spinning wheel or the charkha and his writing tables and other personal belongings are displayed in the Hriday Kunj but in stark contrast Kasturba’s room is empty.  It is appalling that while the father of nation has been bestowed with all the honour his better half is denied of the slightest recognition. People might categorically refer to this as a feministic tendency to make a mountain out of mole when it comes to acknowledging a woman. But it is indeed utterly important to bequeath honour upon the lady who has been the consort of the father of nation. Else the ashram is well maintained and some of the rare artefacts were preserved with great care.  A visit to the ashram instilled patriotic fervour and thoughts of the sacrifices rendered by the proud sons of the soil reminded us of the duties of a citizen towards nation. With reverential respects to the all the freedom fighters who displayed unparalleled commitment and heroism towards India’s struggle for Independence, we left the ashram.

 

 Upasana Mandir

From Ahmedabad we took a train to Veraval, the district headquarters of the Gir Somanth to reach our next destination Somanth one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. It is 10 km from Veraval, the nearest Railway station. Somanth temple epitomises the power of reconstruction which is always greater than the power of destruction. Apart from having great religious significance, the place is associated with several historical battles. These battles have most of the times resulted in bulldozing of this sacred structure. Though it has been demolished several times, every time with a rejuvenated vigour, enthusiasm and devotion the temple has been reconstructed and the rituals have been carried out. The temple has been the symbol of prosperity of our country. Mythologically, epics say that the first temple was constructed by the Moon God as a mark of gratitude towards Lord Siva. Somanth means the protector of Moon God. Old inscriptions reveal that Yadavas have constructed a second temple replacing the original one in 6^th Century BC. Though there are several legends associated with the temple, lack of proper coherence between the dates has created some confusion about the exact dates.  But records pronounce that around 11^th century Mohammad Ghazni plundered the temple, looted all the valuables and ran away with all the wealth escaping the attacks of Hindu rulers. Then it was built by Solanki raja’s. Later the temple was attacked and demolished subsequently by Allauddin Khilji’s army, Muzaffar Shah I, Mahmud Bagda and by Aurangazeb. Thus, this temple has been under attack by various Muslim rulers who destroyed the temples several times. Finally in 1783 Queen Ahilya Bhai Holkar of Indore and Peshwas with collaborated effort built a temple next to the temple ruins. Even now, rituals are performed in this temple. After Independence, due to consistent efforts of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, present temple has been reconstructed. Due to sudden demise of Patel in 1948, Dr. K. M. Munshi took over the construction responsibility and finally it was dedicated to nation in 1951.

Somanth Temple

The new temple was built in Chalukya Style of architecture and currently efforts are on to restore the glory of temple by gold plating the inner walls of the sanctum sanctorum and the inner temple complex. Built on the shores of the Arabian Sea, the spacious temple premises offer peace of mind and serenity. It has a Arrow-Pillar or Baan Stamb erected on the temple wall denoting that temple is situated on the land mass, which happens to be the first point on land in the north to south pole on that particular longitude. This pillar stands as tribute to the engineering skills and meticulous knowledge of geography of our forefathers. Needless to say, the darshan of the Sivalinga and the harathi would elicit mental harmony which connects us to the Divine. A visit to this temple invigorates not only  religious fervour but also takes us back to the times when temples have been targeted and destroyed to terrorise and shatter the religious beliefs of the common man. The temple is heavily guarded as it is still prone to significant communal attacks. It is under strict vigilance due to its proximity to the Western coast. Incidentally, the entry of any person can be denied to any place within a perimeter of 2 km from temple without valid documents.

Triveni Sangam

Somanth has other tourist attractions which include Geeta Mandir, a huge complex with several small temples dedicated to Lord Krishna and others, Triveni Sangam, a confluence of three rivers Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati, Ban Ganga- a place on the sea shore where Sivaling’s are bathed by the sea water. It is also the place where Jara,  a poacher had struck his bow towards a deer. Legends say that Jara mistook the feet of Lord Krishna resting under a pipal tree for a deer and released the arrow. The arrow pierced Lord Krishna’s feet marking the end of the mortal life of Lord Sri Krishna. This scared place where he rested is immortalised by a temple, now popular as Balka Tirth. It is 5 km from Somnath temple on the way to Veraval.

Balka Tirth

There are other places like the Sun temple constructed by Pandavas and Hingalaj Mata Cave, the deity of Pandavas. As we moved away from Somnath, we passed through the port of Veraval where huge fishing boats are built. The port earns significant revenues through exporting fish to various countries and the region has several cold storage units to cater to massive exports.

Fishing Boats under construction at Veraval Port

With a blissful feeling we left for Diu, 86 km from Somnath by car. We were really excited at the prospect of visiting Diu as the place is less frequented and also it has been our first visit to a Union Territory. Further a road trip in the state of Gujarat would help us to acquaint ourselves with the lives of people in country side.

 

Veraval Port

Pictures courtesy: Dr. Bhaskar Teegela and Samanvit Teegela

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Philanthropy in India: Role In Science

 

Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of concept of philanthropy was, “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again”. Philanthropy in India dates back to several thousands of years where temples used to be first and foremost institutes of charity. There has always been the rich tradition of the businesses contributing for social welfare in our land. As individuals began to prosper from the mid 19^th century charity began to eventually flow into the society for the less privileged. Indian philanthropy sector is presently valued at $5billion or 30,000 crores.

Developing countries like India have been struggling over years to achieve large scale healthcare where large huge chunk of population lack access to health care. India even has a long way to go to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), a feat accomplished by developed countries like US decades ago.  Hence the priorities for philanthropic initiatives are different those of developed countries. Presently Indian Government is making strategic investments in reproductive, maternal, new born, child and adolescent health (RMNC+A) to reduce maternal and child mortality.  Health care, education and providing basic amenities have become a key focus of the corporate philanthropic initiatives too. They are supporting even skill development initiatives. Currently 320 million population of India is in age group of 6-16. They are going to be future work force hence engaging them productively would be first and foremost step in the process of nation building. Over the years large industrial houses have recognised that wealth creation wouldn’t have been possible but for the countless others and hence have decided to give back to larger sections of the under privileged and marginalised sections by donating lump sum amounts towards health, education and environment.

After opening up of Indian economy two decades back Indian industrial units have generated considerable amount of wealth. Further, the breed of the new industrialists have realised that further wealth generation would be difficult if they fail to address the issues of basic amenities and infrastructure available to all. Non-state investments have to be generated by private agencies. India with its fiscal and budgetary allocations cannot fund the basic amenities and hence mandated corporations’  with net worth of 500 crores or turnover of more than 1000 crores to mandate 2% of their last three years average profits on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Ministry of Corporate Affairs have set out guidelines for businesses, setting out social, environmental and economic responsibilities in 2011. As per World Bank estimates, CSR spend in India for the year 2009-10 was USD 7.5 billion against public sector spend of 700 million annually.  

Science in India suffers from shortage of funds and most of the scientists lament about the poor investments made in field of science and technology. Science in US is facing similar doldrums as the federal financing towards scientific research has been drastically reduced. Now billionaires in US are shouldering the responsibility of footing the science bill. The way in which science is practised and paid for is undergoing a profound change. Science has become more of private investment with superrich pitching in investments and announcing millions of dollars of their personal property for scientific initiatives. Some of the note worthy investments were from co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen has set up brain science research institutes at Seattle. Fred Kavali a real estate and technology billionaire has started brain research centres in Universities of Yale, Columbia and California.

The elitist class of the super rich in US are inching forward to reinvent themselves as patrons of social progress through investments in scientific research. They are already making headlines for their enormous contributions through foundations that are waging a relentless war against communicable diseases, malnutrition etc across several under developed and developing nations. Now they intend to break the walls that separate the academia and industry and began laying down firm bridges to utilise scientific discoveries into effective treatments. They are rekindling the scientific temper by financing the explorations aimed at unravelling some of the amazing mysteries like the sudden disappearance of the dinosaurs, venturing into private deep space exploration missions and even trying to beat out the federal funding by pouring in millions of dollars towards undersea crafts and giant telescopes.

Philanthropy in the new age is dictated by individualistic priorities and the entrepreneurial outcomes. Perhaps this is the reason why most of the patrons complain that basic research is on back foot now. Over the centuries, people have rigorously worked in the field of basic research to reach the level of the technological competence we have currently. Feel good and fancier fields like the environmental studies and space explorations are receiving much patronage under the new philanthropic initiatives.

Though India doesn’t lag too far behind US but they don’t share the similar mindset as the Westerners do. There is one serious cultural barrier affecting Indians to donate personal wealth due to their strong family bonds. Indian parents tend to transfer their wealth to their offspring unlike the western counterparts. Westerners use their personal wealth for social causes and the greatest examples have been Bill Gates, Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet who have pledged millions of dollars for philanthropic causes. It will take years for such cultural change to slowly creep into our Indian system. But currently our Indian society is highly driven by the strong feeling of joy of giving. As the ease of doing business improves, corporate sector would be able to divert more funds towards philanthropy.

In India the major centres of excellence have been the outcome of the culmination of the scientific vision and the generous contributions of wealthiest families. To name a few IISc     (Indian Institute of Science), TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), TISS( Tata Institute of Social Sciences), BITS Pilani( Birla Institute of Technology and Science), Dalmia Institute of Management stand as the tallest examples of the contribution of the super rich in institute building and also for laying foundation for developing a scientific temper in India. The Tata’s, Birla’s and Dalmia’s, Muruguppa Group, Agarwal’s and Goenka’s were the major contributors towards setting up of schools, colleges and hospitals. May be the younger generation of HNI (High Net Worth individuals with more than USD 1 million) should envision the need for sustainable development through rapid innovations by boosting scientific research through investments in science.

Bain India Philanthropy Report gave encouraging trends about charity in India. The average contribution of HNI has risen to 3.1% of their income. India is now leader in private giving compared with other developing countries like China and Brazil. More than 70 % donors are first time givers and more than third are 30 years old or younger. India’s private donations account to 0.3 to 0.4% of GDP as against 2.2% of GDP in US. It is really a welcome trend that the younger generation are more inclined to the concept of giving.

Some of the major  philanthropists in the modern times include Ratan Tata through the Ratan Tata Trust, Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Biocon, GMR group through GMR Varalakshmi foundation made generous contribution towards underprivileged and their clinical care. Ronnie Screwvala of UTV, Nandan Nilkeni had donated crores towards safe drinking water, water purification, harvesting and getting assured water supplies to poor. Shiv Nadar the second highest contributor focuses on education initiatives and expansion programmes. Azim Premji with donations worth 12,300 crores pledged a quarter of his wealth has set a precedent in corporate philanthropy in India. His contributions are directed for upliftment of poor through education and other social development projects in India. He is the third non-American to join Philanthropic club. He is also the first India to sign Giving pledge led by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.

 

 

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Distasteful Advertisements on Small Screen

The latest genre of the advertisements on the television has not only defied the limits of the decency. They are inadvertently overstepping and in fact treading past the thin line that separates the decency from the uncanny creativity. Be it the conservative upbringing of the parents or call it orthodoxy of the middle class society these ads are drawing severe flak from people. It is becoming almost remotely impossible to watch television with kids anymore. Already the reality shows, film based programmes, nasty serials and never ending-melodramas aired all on TV are totally shunned by most of people. Thanks to the elitist, hep, creative acumen of new bunch of creative editors of the high-profile ad agencies now watching news channels have become a big ordeal.

Especially the new ads cornered around childbirth (MTS and Cadbury’s Five Star) have become objects of reprehensible evocative creativity. Parents now dread to watch television with kids. It is high time that television broadcasting authorities intervene and censure these disgusting ads. These ads under the guise of creativity ought to be checkmated and doubly scrutinised. I think the relevant government authorities too have lost control over the television network just as they effectively failed in censoring the big screen till now. The flooding of the television network with objectionable advertisements needs to be condemned.  It even calls for immediate attention of the responsible authorities to have a thorough guidelines and necessary checks in place at least over various media entertainment sources.

How much ever we can attribute the new kinds of the advertisements as the product of new creativity certain guards ought to be in place. Globalisation and the latest technology have endowed us with tools to explore the intricacies of nature. However there is need for certain restraint. The true strength of our society lies in guarding our traditions, cultural values and respects its decencies and forbade the obscenities that offend them. Though our society is constantly evolving and assimilating new ideas, opinions and cultural diversities constant efforts have to be made to preserve its cultural identity. While we welcome the new ideas, new cultures and traditions but somewhere in this entire assimilation process, if we unintentionally disturb and hinder the original values the society we lose our identity. Hence embracing new ideas, a balance has to be struck and caution has to be exercised while granting access to all kinds of new concepts for general public viewing.

Hope good sense would prevail and the MNC’s in lieu of popularising their products would refrain from patronising these ridiculous ads that outrage the cultural integrity of the society. If business houses want to mint money at the behest of the society they should in turn realise their commitment towards society by bringing positive renaissance in the society rather pushing it towards unbecoming commercial advertisements.

 

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Remembering Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

 

 

As Japan mourns on the third anniversary of Fukushima Nuclear Disaster on March 11^th, nations are once again thrown into a contemplative mode about the prospects of nuclear power. An earth quake of magnitude 9 hit the Fukushima Daiichin Nuclear Power Plant resulting in melt down of three nuclear reactors. Since then radiations started seeping from the nuclear reactors into the Pacific Ocean. It was level 7 on International Nuclear Event Scale, major accident after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, Ukraine. The accident resulted in the release of two types of radioactive elements- Cesium 134 and Strontium 90. Nearly one fourth of power requirements of Japan come from the nuclear plants.

The Japanese authorities even now are plagued by five major problems. Firstly there has been an increase in incidence of thyroid cancer among children under 18 in the Fukushima prefecture. Second, the problem is storing of the tons of water that has become radioactive as it is poured over the molten fuel every day to keep it cool. The problem has compounded as the existing temporary water storage tanks on–site has started developing cracks and the water is slowly seeping into Pacific Ocean. This is raising concerns about the contamination of the aquatic life underneath. Thirdly, the reactor operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) is currently faced with the problem of moving the spent fuel rods from nuclear reactor 4 to a safer location as the building housing the reactor has been damaged by a hydrogen blast. Fourthly, locating the molten fuel in reactors 1, 2, 3 resting in the basements of the buildings since there is a severe dearth of technology that can remove the molten fuel. Finally, they may run out the skilled talent as workers at power plant have a radiation exposure limit. Once they reach the limit they can no longer work. Over a period of time workers who are skilled might soon run out of their limit leading to scarcity of the skilled workers.

Apart from the technical difficulties encountered by the operator this disaster had severely crippled and impacted the lives of people who are living in areas adjacent to Fukushima. It has taken a psychological toll on people. Parents are deeply ingrained with fears of radiations and thus restricted the access of children to outdoors. Due to the lack of outdoor activity children are more stressed up, their physical strength has been highly affected and obesity levels have peaked up. Adults who have lost their houses and employment are dying from anxiety and from suicide. Though there were no fatalities directly nearly 1 lakh people were displaced and 1650 passed away from complications related to stress and other problems. People are very worried about the incidence of cancer and other non-symptomatic diseases due to the radiation exposure.

Before the deadly Tsunami stuck the island, there were about 432 nuclear power plants in 30 countries accounting for 11% of World’s electricity. Following the disaster, Japan has decided to pull back its nuclear power plants. Now nearly 48 nuclear reactors have been shutdown and its restart program is waiting for a nod from the Japan’s parliament. The event assumes a greater significance not only for Japan in terms of the financial damage but also greatly impacted world’s perspective about the use of nuclear power as reliable energy source.

U.S Energy Information Agency (EIA) predicts a 56% increase in energy consumption by 2040 globally. Of which nearly 85% of increase in this global energy demand comes from the developing nations outside non-OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) driven by strong economic growth and expanding populations. Data indicates that renewable energy sources and nuclear power are the most rapidly growing energy sources each increasing at the rate of 2.5% per year. World Energy Outlook way back in 2009 stressed the reliance of nuclear power in meeting energy requirements as it reduces country’s energy dependence on imported gas supply, curbs CO2 emissions and since its fuel Uranium is abundantly available, governments needs to play stronger role in facilitating private investments. Post Fukushima accident, though there has been a weaker acceptance of nuclear power supply. Globally the safety measures have been reviewed and most of the non-OECD members are moving ahead with plans of installing new nuclear reactors. In Japan, since the shutdown of nuclear plants in 2011 there has been spike in the green gas house emissions and it now imports more than 90% of energy from other countries.

Energy crisis is going to heighten in years to come as several nations have begun their journey towards building their economies. With the result there would be greater thrust on the existing scarce fossil fuel sources. It is believed that fossil fuels are expected to supply energy to a tune of 80% till 2040. If nations continue to rely predominantly on the fossil fuels as energy sources carbon emissions are expected to soar by 46% by 2040. Hence in spite of the impending dangers to nations in case of nuclear disasters, countries are forced to engage in building nuclear reactors as it is the cheapest, reliable and environmental friendly energy source.

Several nations have revamped their energy policies after the Fukushima event. Germany is the first country to shut down eight of its oldest reactors. It is reviewing its energy policy and decided to invest on renewable energy source. By 2022 it aims to phase out all its nuclear power plants. Switzerland too followed similar suit and determined not to install any new nuclear plant and pull down its units by 2034 in spite of referendum where people voted for more nuclear power plants. France and US on the other hand are undeterred and reaffirmed their plans to enhance their electricity production from nuclear sources. Both the nations are now heavily investing in safety improvements.

Even the BRIC countries are aiming at boosting their nuclear power production. While India wants to derive 25% of its electricity, Russia aims at getting 45% of its electricity from nuclear power by 2050. Brazil is planning to start 5 nuclear reactors by 2030. China which is under scanner for its outrageous pollution levels is mulling to triple its nuclear power production by 2020. Nations are gearing themselves for more nuclear plants but post Fukushima they have become more vigilant about the safety measures. These include extensive geological survey of the site of construction-whether it falls in earth quake prone region, its proximity to coastal region etc.

Fukushima event has come under international scanner as Japan has bid Tokyo as venue for summer Olympics 2020. It has become matter of contention as representatives from across the World have expressed their serious reservations about possible health risks since Tokyo falls within the 150 mile radius of the nuclear fallout  and radiation exposure was a cause of worry. But the  Japan Prime Minister  Shinzo Abe could successfully convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the result its bid has been accepted.

 

 

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GM Crops: Relevance In Indian Scenario

 

Government of India is making huge plans to accord approval to field trials of 13 Genetically Modified (GM) Crops in the meeting of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) on March 21^st. It has already clearly indicated its inclination to go ahead with the field trials of GM crops. Though the final call on the fate of GM crops would be decided by the Supreme Court, government has expressed its complete willingness to allow transgenic crops  if they comply with the criteria of “crop-specific dedicated monitoring protocol systems” during field trials.   

Government has reaffirmed its intentions to rely on the latest biotechnological techniques in agriculture to meet the burgeoning requirements of food grains, vegetables, fruits of the rapidly growing population. There have been massive protests and stiff opposition from various NGO’s against the cultivation of the GM crops.

Scientists from premier institutes like the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) have decided to counter the opposition with scientific facts. Replicating the method followed by the Royal Society of London, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) has decided to form two committees to reach out to people through regular interactions at different levels. These include a committee on public understanding of science and political understanding of science to quell the doubts of general public and to erase popular misconceptions about GM crops. It is an exercise intended to convince people that genetic engineering of the crops are meant not only for increasing the productivity but also to improve the nutritional quality of the foods supplies.

In India a three tier-clearance system has been in place. In the first stage, research on GM crops is sent for approval to Institutional Bio-Safety Committee (IBSC) then it moves to the Regional Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) an independent authority under department of biotechnology after GM crops obtains approval from RCGM. The final and last stage of approval for field trials, it is obtained from GEAC. The crops slated for final approval in the meeting of GEAC include rice, wheat, maize, mustard, potato, brinjal, tomato, castor, sorghum, cotton and groundnut.

Amidst these raging controversies about the harmful effects of the transgenic crops, support for GM crops is coming from unexpected quarters. These include Nobel Laureate Richard J Roberts, who won Nobel Prize for medicine in 1993, Venkataraman Ramakrishnan recipient of Nobel Prize for medicine 2009, Marc van Montagu co-winner of the 2013 World Food Prize. All of them unequivocally stressed the need to explore the tremendous potentialities of GM crops. Genetic Engineering offers a greater scope for developing various GM crops which offer various stress resistance, varieties with greater nutritional quality and with greater shelf life. But all of them underlined the need for exercising caution while allowing the massive cultivation of GM crops.

Recently a group of scientists from Belgium’s Ghent University in their review paper have pointed out at the three fundamental flaws ailing our current bio safety regulatory regime Firstly; GM crops have been erroneously listed under hazardous substances under Environment Protection Act, 1986 raising the scope for misconceptions in general public. Second, rules framed under the environment law are enforced by an administrative order without any legislative sanction. This has become a point of contention wherein Minister Jairam Ramesh overruled the permission granted by GEAC to Bt Brinjal putting an indefinite pause for its field trials. Finally there is sharp dichotomy between the powers of centre and states over the regulation and experimentation of GM crops. While the regulatory mechanism is under central authority agriculture is a state subject. Hence they have to take the final call for approving the field trials. This has resulted in widening the conflicting positions of the centre and states on regulating GM crops.

 While states like Odisha, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Rajasthan have already denied permission to conduct field trials in their respective states. Obtaining a No-Objection certificate is mandatory for firms, companies or institutes to go ahead with the field trails. Thus, even if GEAC has approved field trials, companies cann’t go ahead with trials until states approve.

Thus the regulatory system needs a major revamp or needs a proper replacement with a more stringent authority which is more immune to political interventions or external pressures. A transparent, time-bound, consistent, purposeful, efficient, apolitical modified regulatory system must be in place. It be must comply the international practices and obligation. Further it should be of proven competence capable of assessing the risks and benefits of the GM crops to the satisfaction of various stake holders.

By and large for a wider acceptance of the GM crops, misconceptions about the GM crops should be dispelled among people. The classic example of Golden Rice is widely cited by agriculture scientists across the world to understand the potential of the GM crops. Rice is a staple food for 80% of the population but lacks vitamin A and millions of children suffer permanent blindness due to deficiency of vitamin A. In late 90’s scientists have developed Golden rice variety capable of producing pro-vitamin A using genetic engineering techniques. Though it was completely safe, Green Peace and several NGO’s have tried to block the transfer of this variety.  Around 1000 scientific papers have evaluated the safety and effects of GM crops on human for over past 10 years and concluded that they are as safe as normal crops. Still there are serious apprehensions about the safety of GM crops.

Under the present scenario trend of unstable climatic conditions, untimely storms, global warming and extreme variations in climate to obtain the enormous quantities of the food supplies to feed the growing world population GM crops offer a plausible solution.

Currently GM crops are consumed in the United States, but Western Europe has been very consistently opposing the cultivation and consumption of the GM crops. Five countries within EU- Spain, Slovakia, Portugal, Romania and Czech Republic have started cultivation of Bt cotton. Among the 27 countries in the World that cultivate GM crops, India occupies fourth position.

Golden Rice

 

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A Homogenous Food Basket, A Threat To Food Security

 

Globalisation has literally wiped out terms like region-specific, country-specific, area-specific definitions from the geography lexicon. Food is no exception. Cuisines which were savoured as delicacies of specific regions are not longer confined to their existential boundaries of countries and continents. It is amazing but true that people across the World are now depending on just 50 food crops. A scientific paper published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences by Colin Khoury et al of Columbian based International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) had made a startling observation. Diets around the world are now no longer diverse. They are more similar and are collectively referred to what constitutes a Globalised Diet. Around 50 food crops belonging to 37 plant families are found to contribute to 90% of calories, protein, fat and weight around the world.

The new scientific study reported that there has been considerable deterioration in the availability and consumer usage of geographically restricted food plants. The number of crops on which people are depending for their food needs is getting narrowed. In the past 40 years several fruits and vegetables have disappeared from the regular diet in United States. More and more people are depending on fewer crops. It is found that animal foods like dairy products are increasingly contributing to the proteins while the oil crops are providing fat food supplies. Greatest change is observed in terms of oil crops like soy bean, sunflower, mustard, palm oil, rape which were not important 50 years ago become more ubiquitous. Wheat has become staple crop in more than 97% of the countries. Whereas minor cereals like millets, Sorghum, rye and starchy root crops like yam, cassava and sweet potatoes are more restricted in their spread and are not globally ubiquitous. Globally spread of cereals like wheat, rice, maize and barley, potatoes, sugar, general vegetables and fruits dominated ubiquity of food supplies over the last 50 years. With the increased availability of these ubiquitous crops the diversity of crops contributing for worldwide consumption has significantly narrowed.

The associated facets of globalisation and liberalisation like development of extensive commodity transport, multinational food industries, food quality and safety standardisation, super markets, fast foods, processed food and human migration has resulted in diversifying diets and increased consumption of energy dense foods. Further the wealth increase and associated gains in purchasing power has resulted in a transition towards western dietary preferences like the meat and dairy, wheat, temperate fruits & vegetables and sugary beverages. Additionally rapid advances in modern agriculture, where human labour are largely replaced by machinery, investments in breeding and distribution of high yielding varieties, subsidies for crops have led to the availability of limited number of major crops while according lesser priority to the nutritional diversity.

Scientists believe that both ecology and nutrition diversity enhances health and functioning of complex biological systems. Just as ecosystem becomes resilient when it is inhabited by diverse species, even variation in the food crops would ensure nutritional adequacy nutrition in terms of food security. The flip side of increased human preference for the energy dense foods based on the availability of global crop commodities and processed products has resulted in onset of adult diabetes, heart diseases and certain forms of cancer. This has also resulted in reduction in diversity of oral and gut bacteria that has negatively impacted the health. Hence adequate nutritional diversity within the foods consumed and in the supplements to the major crops comprising global food supplies is critical.

Food security is essential for combating global hunger but relying on a global diet with limited diversity obligates us to bolster the nutritional quality of the major crops as the consumption of major food grains and vegetables declines. Countries are under pressure to become self-reliant in global food commodities to feed the ever increasing population. The importance of stable food supply is exacerbated by the need to increase the yield of these crops to keep in pace with the demand.  Five steps have been suggested to mitigate the emerging trend. Firstly, actively promote and adopt wider varieties of major crops to boost genetic diversity and reduce vulnerability of global food system in the face of changing climatic conditions. Second, support the conservation and use of plant genetic resources including farmer’s traditional varieties and wild species. Third, enhance the nutritional quality of the major crops on which people depend- like improving the content of micronutrients and supplementary vitamins through plant breeding techniques. Fourth promote alternative cropping that increase the resilience of farming and make human diets healthier. Key lies in identifying the locally grown neglected and underutilised crops by fostering their production through crop breeding. Finally foster awareness among the public about the need for a healthier diets based on better decisions about what and how much we eat as well as the form in which we consume.

Another major threat about the more homogenous food basket is that agriculture would become more vulnerable to major threats like droughts, insects, pests and diseases. Moreover with the decrease in availability of non-renewable inputs, increasing impact of agriculture on soil, water quality and biodiversity and changing climatic conditions relatively under researched crops with wider genetic adaptability can be a safer bet. Else the larger issue of food security and the depleting nutritional quality of major crops would become a grave issue to tackle.  The price of crop failure would be too high.

FAO estimates that the diversity of the cultivated crops has declined by 75% during 20^th century and that a third of today’s diversity will disappear by 2050. The best way to combat hunger, malnutrition, obesity, nutritional requirements and protecting the food yields from climate changes lies in maintaining diversity in food crops. Hence nations must strive towards diversity.

European Parliament has recently adopted a resolution calling all the EU nations to embrace all measures to preserve crops biological and genetical diversity so that plant breeders can develop newer varieties which are more adaptable to the changing climatic conditions and stressed the need for increasing the crop yields. Scientists are now concerned as the markets are dominated by very few varieties. Diversity comes from traditional varieties and wild varieties related to the crops should be now be explored for the plant breeding programmes to develop new varieties.

As a part of this momentous initiative more than 20,000 crops from 100 countries have been collected to be stored in the Doom’s Day vault constructed in the Arctic Circle. The vault costing US $7 million was designed to withstand all the natural and human disasters. It is housed in a facility located deep inside a mountain on a remote island in Svalbard Archipelago located halfway between Norway and North Pole. But the facility is. This facility is owned by the Norwegian Government and maintained by the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) and Nordic Genetic Resource Centre where all seeds from the world’s crops are collected and stored in duplicates. Owing to the deepest concerns about food security countries are taking colossal steps to preserve the crop collections so that it can act as insurance for World’s food supply.

 

 

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