Is the decision of Vijayawada as capital of Andhra Pradesh justified ??

Even before the state could recover from the worst ever devastation caused by Hud Hud tropical cyclone to the north coastal Andhra districts, inundation reported in the low laying areas of Krishna, Guntur, Kadapa and Prakasam is a cause of concern. Rainfall of 68.2 mm received over the weekend due to North-East monsoon lashed the city of Vijayawada had thrown life out of gear. The city declared as the new capital for the truncated state of Andhra Pradesh with its feeble infrastructure stands exposed by these incessant rains.  

Extreme weather conditions have become regular trend in India. Studies carried by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology indicated that events with high rainfall (more than 100mm per day) and very heavy rainfall (more than 150 mm) have been on a rise while moderate events (5-100mm) have reduced. Meteorological data too spells a spike in the extreme weather events like intense droughts, floods of cyclones from an average just 2.5 events in 1900-09 to 350 in 2000-2010. Vijayawada located on banks of river Krishna is known to be flood prone.  A six month extensive study recently carried out by Climate Risk management in urban areas under disaster preparedness and mitigation programme of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) indicated that city is exposed to natural hazards like cyclonic winds, floods, rock fall, epidemics and heat wave. Against this background, the decision of the Andhra Pradesh government to build a new capital around Vijayawada is highly paradoxical.

Bitter over losing Cyber city of Hyderabad to Telangana, the new state of Andhra Pradesh displayed rejuvenated commitment to build a world class capital. Sivaramakrishnan committee assigned with task of identifying new capital recommended the region around Vijayawada. The report backed by the state cabinet reiterated that it received nearly 50% representations that favoured Vijayawada-Guntur regions. But soon there was ruckus in the political circles as majority believed that commercial interests outweighed other considerations while deciding the new capital. Vijayawada undoubtedly being equidistant from all corners of the state might qualify to be a capital. But the impassioned state decision of pooling nearly 1 lakh crore to transform this region into a resplendent capital will be a temerarious decision.

Undoubtedly, Vijayawada’s excellent rail and road connectivity make it the most accessible region. With the largest conglomeration of educational institutions in the state, it is hub of the higher learning too. But against these high potentialities, it suffers from serious handicaps making it a poor choice for the top notch honours. Recurrent floods, poor drainage and water logging have been perennial problems in this region. The treasured fertile alluvial soils suited for cultivation of rice, fruits and vegetables round the yea make it the golden bowl of Andhra Pradesh. Further, the high water table interlaced with extended network of irrigation in this region rewards farmers with high commercial returns holds a great promise for bountiful harvest. While our counterparts in the neighbouring state bereft of fertile soils and irrigation are resentful how prudent is it to bulldoze lush green fields under the lure of a concrete of jungles.

Incidentally these soils are not suited for high-rise constructions and a lateral spread of the city would gobble up the fertile lands, the priceless possession of this region. The region is reported to fall in the Zone 3 with propensity for earth quakes. Moreover high ground water in this region increases its propensity for quakes. The city is notorious for its slum culture and reports indicate that one out of four lives in slums in Vijayawada. Poor drainage can be a potential threat for the city as it becomes more populated.

Being the wealthiest region of the state, it has the potential to attract huge investments. Even vested interests with huge political clout are pitching in enthusiastically to develop this region.  But its reputation as crime capital and menace of trafficking might shunt it to be accorded the status of the hub of commercial activity of the Sunshine State. The fresh spell of 56mm rainfall in the city and neighbouring region received yesterday has nearly paralysed the normal life in the region. With a rise in water levels of Krishna River officials are contemplating on opening the gates of the Prakasam dam. Obviously the low lying areas are under the threat of the inundation. The chief minister promised the people of state to usher the state into a realm of prosperity and sustained growth. Unfortunately, the state government’s crucial decision regarding the new capital appears to be lopsided and inimical.

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Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): China’s Committal for Infrastructure development or Soft Power Ploy

According to the recent report of IMF China took over US as the largest economy, a stint which US maintained for the past 142 years, in the world in terms of GDP calculated on PPP (Purchasing Power Parity). Months after extending a dynamic support for the launch of a Development Bank by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) China instituted a new Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The proposal which took the World by surprise was made public by Premier Xi Jinping during his first official visit to Indonesia in 2013, whose infrastructural needs are pegged at $230 billion. Asian Development Bank in its report estimated that “Asian countries need to invest $ 8 Trillion in investment in national infrastructure and $290 billion in regional infrastructure between 2010 and 2020 to continue to sustain its growth trajectory”. Coincidentally the central theme of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) 2013 was also improving connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region. AIIB offered a great promise for infrastructure development.

Financial experts greatly commended China’s new brain child, AIIB launched on October 23rd. Twenty one countries including India and China signed an agreement to become founding members of the China backed AIIB to aid the infrastructure development and reduce the hegemony of the Western dominated IMF and World Bank. The bank with authorised capital of $100 billion will be headquartered in Beijing will start working from next year. India will be second largest share holder after China. Though the incessant border incursions cloud Indo-China relationship, India can hardly let go this opportunity of participating in the financial revival of Asia.  This bank is believed to reduce the infrastructure investment deficit and work complimentarily with ADB, IMF and World Bank. Being the second largest economy in Asia, China was keen on India’s participation in AIIB as it would be major boost to its Bank. This bold initiative by China has raised fears among the West and the disgruntled US was strictly opposed to this move.

Dismayed by growing clout of China, US resorted to lobbying its allies to reject the proposal of AIIB. The absence of representatives from economic powers of Asia- South Korea, Indonesia and Australia during the launch illustrated US’s bitter antagonism towards opposition towards China’s initiative. US gently warned its friends and allies that AIIB is part of China’s soft-power ploy. Japan too met with similar opposition back 1960 Japan when it started ADB and intended to share its financial resources with then rising countries like Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong currently the financial Tigers of Asia. U. S. Treasury Department was critical that the proposed bank may not meet the environmental standards, procurement requirements and other safeguards complied by World Bank and IMF. But in reality the institutions dominated by the West generates 4-5 times more pollution than the emerging Asian countries on the per capita basis.

To allay fears of the West, China has reiterated its faith in the US led Bretton Woods institutions like the World Bank and IMF but expressed its frustration by lack of reforms, slow growth of implementation of projects and their reluctance to expand lending. It frowned at the inability of these institutes to evolve their economic architecture on par with the changing global economic scenarios. The contribution of emerging countries to the global economy is rising. Though the West is intent on pushing for new reforms, the glacial pace has dithered the third World countries of its due share and opportunities in these multilateral institutions. Moreover the existing international financial institutions are woefully inadequate to cater the capital needs of Asian countries.

Meanwhile, strategists opine China’s rationale for launching AIIB is two pronged. China enviable expertise in infrastructure earned it World repute. With AIIB it can harness its mastery in developing dilapidated roads of neighbouring countries like Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar which otherwise in case of direct intervention might be construed as enforced colonialism. Financing and heavily investing in infrastructure machinery would be beneficial for China. Secondly China will get to know what is built and where. By financing these projects in different Asian countries, China can indirectly control and monitor other smaller countries.

It was believed to work in complimentarily with the ADB where China holds 6.5% of shares against 15.6% shares of US and Japan each. While ADB largely dominated by Japan and US was established on similar lines as the AIIB, it failed to pander to the needs of the emerging Asian countries. Even the World Bank which in theory is owned by 188 countries with the subscribed capital of 223 $ billion lends loans worth $50 billion per year which is insufficient to meet the growing infrastructure needs. Further, disbursement of loans and distribution of power within these institutes is largely controlled by the West. Since their inception the Chief of World Bank has been an American that of ADB is Japanese and IMF is headed by Europeans. Hence all these institutions are headed by the West who have high standard of living but low growth rate. Besieged by debt and stagnation, Western nations are unlikely to adequately support the emerging Asia, Latin American, African countries which have low living standards and high growth rate. Not only China but all other emerging nations are sceptical about the commitment of the existing multilateral institutions. Hence the proposed AIIB is a great venture to boost the development and growth of the emerging and developing countries across the World. The new bank is likely to cooperate with and compete against the old banks. The success and efficient working of this new bank in long term might encourage new reforms in the old institutions.

Other AIIB founding members are Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Oman, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Loa PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar and Mongolia.

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Portentous Ebola

As the epidemic Ebola rages and threatens to engulf the world with its nefarious fangs, the WHO organisation is making desperate attempts to contain its spread. The alarmingly rising figures of the infection spread and massive death toll is sending shivers down the spine of scientific world, which is keeping its best foot forward to mitigate the losses. Already 9000 people have been infected and more than 4500 have succumbed to the virus. WHO warns that there could be 10,000 more cases a week.  West African countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are grappling under the potential threat of virus. US recorded first Ebola death of a Liberian visitor in Texas which left two nurses sick.  Further a suspected case of infection in Spain triggered a sense of crisis among nations. With the result US has pledged additional military forces to help with containment efforts in West Africa and intensified fund raising efforts for Ebola treatment.

Outbreak of Ebola was declared in March but nations together have decided to watch very closely instead of working towards development of a vaccine. In previous twenty odd outbreaks mostly recorded in and around the Republic of Congo exponential growth couldn’t continue indefinitely as there were barriers. But in the current outbreak, in West Africa the virus broke its natural boundaries and began claiming as many lives as all the outbreaks put together till now. It has spread to general population both in villages and cities. Professor Peter Piot who first identified the virus in 1976 now predicts that the virus spread might continue till next year. Impending evidence suggest that virus may not subside on its own and would definitely need the intervention of the public health personnel. Experts are confident that outbreaks can be contained in nations with robust medical systems with the ability to trace contacts whereas it can make deep in roads into countries with poor health care system. Hence countries like India rich in slums must adopt stringent screening tests at the entry point of the source of infections like airports. Another worrying aspect about the virus is its high rates of mutations whereby it can quickly adopt itself to different places along with its carriers (people).

Currently the three countries afflicted by infections are exceedingly poor with dysfunctional government machinery and on the verge of civil wars. With battered institutional support and poor medical infrastructure Ebola spread was unabated and the health care workers were hit the hardest. Added to these woes, people still believe that Ebola can be cured by witch craft remedies. Further, the traditional burial practices that involve touching, washing or kissing the body constituted to 60% increase in disease spread. A single funeral in Guinea has reignited the epidemic. These practices have regretfully augured the spread of infection. To make the burial rituals safer there is an urgent need for community engagement. Greater involvement of churches, traditional healers is needed to help people understand how the disease is transmitted. Sierra Leone has completely shut down for three days making it mandatory for its officials and volunteers to educate and spread the crucial information about the spread and control measures of Ebola infection. Much to the frustration of health workers, people still wander in grave yards oblivious of the risks. Change in behaviour and attitude of people can help in curtailing infection. In the meanwhile pharmacy giant GSK is working towards developing a potential vaccine that can stop the spread. But it will not be ready until late 2015.

NGOs flung into action initially and provided the isolation beds so far. But as the number of cases confirmed, probable and suspected are rising at tremendous rate there is compelling need for more funds and trained health workers. As per WHO (World Health Organisation) estimates the cost of running a 50- bed facility for a month is about $15,000. Various countries have promised aid but it is grossly insufficient. A near 20 fold surge in assistance is needed to contain the infection. Plausible methods that can curtail the cataclysm include identifying the patients and putting them in treatment centres, isolating them and tracing their contacts. Health experts believe that quick progress can be made in containing Ebola if useful information about the disease is made popular among people. Basic awareness that virus is transmitted by direct contact with body fluids and excreta: the most infectious are blood, faeces and vomit is unknown to most of them. Best way of disinfecting is by using copious amounts of bleach thoroughly and consistently. Dr. Piot believes that Ebola outbreak will continue to imperil until unless the last patient is either dead or fully recovered. This demands a massive over haul of the entire public-health till then the upheaval task of fighting the biological war would continue to portend its evil foot.

 

 

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Cult Of Personification Of Leaders

The unprecedented adulation and celebrations across Russia marking the 62nd birthday of Vladimir Putin, appended a new chapter personality cult culture characteristic of Russia. The phenomenon not completely oblivious has resurfaced with renewed vigour and the World media is brouhaha about it. Russian Duma declared holiday on October 7^th, birthday of Putin in honour of polite people, the soldiers who paved way for takeover of Crimea and the man who spurred the initiative. Ever since the annexation of Crimea, Russians have been upbeat in spite of threatening reappearance of Cold war like situation, massive sanctions and international isolation. The economy too is on the verge of recession. But a sense of nationalism is running thick and high across the nation with heightened visibility of Putin cult. People developed a sense of gratification towards their leader for rise in salaries and increase in standard of living. Another greatest accomplishment has been successful organisation of winter Olympics at Sochi for the year 2014. The nation is doubly elated for the first ever Grand Prix was successfully held in October 2014 again at Sochi. These new distinctions and honours made the country proud that people generously forgave him for his transgressions. Congruently people elevated him to the status of father of nation and conferred him the honour for audacious annexation of Crimea.  The practice  of cult worship was in vogue in Russia starting with Lenin whose unparalleled admiration was slowly taken over by Stalin and other successive Russian leaders, who tried to cement their own personality cults.  

Though Russian historians are nonplussed by the new phenomenon but resent the symptom of this deep demodernising trend. The new sense of reverence towards their leader was exemplified by an exhibition held in Moscow titled “The twelve labours of Putin” on lines of “The Twelve Labours of Hercules” which embodied Putin’s personality cult. This feature of cult worship of World leaders of course is not entirely new. History is replete of personalities who wielded a complete control over the state on all matters and have evolved into cult a personality. This phenomenon was mostly the domain of totalitarian states where state holds total authority of the state and seeks to control all aspects private and public life as much as possible. With the emergence of democracy such totalitarian regime has obliterated and nations of late have seen resurgence of strong leaders, often anointed as staunch nationalists who single-handedly changed fortunes of nations. Personality cult is not a bastion of leaders alone but several reformists, social leaders, thinkers- Che Guevara, Dale Carneige, Werner Erhard, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, John Bradshaw etc who by their charismatic influence etched a deep influence on the society.

The personality cult or hero worship is on wane across the World now. By definition- personality cults are temporary usually ending with unceremonious disparagement of the previous ruler and the establishment of cult around a new one. Hero worship has been in vogue since times immemorial where the head of the state or monarch were held in enormous reverence. Several nations idealized, worshipped leaders with unquestionable faith and praise who wielded absolute control on their states and subjects as well. More often they are associated with revolutionary transformation who sought to transform society with radical ideas. Leaders like Mao Zedong of China propelled cultural revolution, Adolf Hitler of Germany, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Benito Mussolini of Italy, Muammar Gadafi of Libya, Hafez al-Assad of Syria, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and more recently the Kim Jong-Un of North Korea hold testimonies to personality cult.

Hero Worship omniscient even now and individuals with charismatic authority are reverentially admired by masses. It largely differs from cult of personality where in state patronises an individual and popularises the image of the person through mass media and propaganda in totalitarian states. Pragmatists, luminaries, visionaries, humanitarians across the world are still adored and respected by people for their ideologies which are truly inspiring and infectious. Most of them have changed the course of civilisations as such. Such leaders are voluntarily and unconditionally worshipped by people, perhaps for times immemorial. Individuals like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King Jr etc have been most influential and will be revered for eternal times.

 

 

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Successful launch of the third navigation satellite IRNSS, 1C

ISRO reached yet another milestone by the successful launch of the IRNSS, 1C, the third member in the seven satellite constellation of the illustrious Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). ISRO’s work horse PSLV 26C majestically lifted off from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 1:32am on Thursday. The satellite separated from the launch vehicle 20 minutes later and was precisely injected into a pre-designated orbit sub geosynchronous transfer orbit (sub-GTO) having a perigee of 282 km and apogee of 20,670 km at an angle of 17.86 with respect to the equator. This marked 28^th successful launch of the PSLV. PSLV vehicle was flying in XL configuration, wherein additional propellant is used in the PSLV solid rocket boosters. It increases pay load capacity and thus it can put satellites in higher orbits. The earlier navigation satellites were also launched in XL configuration. With this launch India is inching closer towards its dream of building its own Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system. Soaring at a velocity of 9604.87 metres per second the PSLV brilliantly pierced into the sky against the back ground of half moon lit sky.

The IRNSS built with an estimated cost of 4250 crores is targeted to be completed by 2015. It comprises of seven satellites with three of them placed in geostationary orbit and four in inclined geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km above earth. The first two in series-IRNSS 1A and 1B were launched on 1st July 2013 and on April 4^th 2014. IRNSS 1C with a payload of 1,425 kg has a mission life of 10 years carried navigation and ranging payloads. Its launch initially scheduled for October 10^th was postponed due to telemetric difficulties. A team of 1000 members worked relentlessly for the last four days and the PSLV was integrated in Sriharikota for 60 days to ensure a successful launch. The countdown for the launch kicked off officially on October 13^th following the approval by the Launch Authorisation Board (LAB). The fourth member in this series will be up in space by December 2014. The launch was witnessed by Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh who profusely congratulated the scientists for their meticulous efforts.

IRNSS will be very useful in active terrestrial, marine and aerial navigation, disaster management, vehicle trafficking, fleet management, as a navigation aid for travellers, for integration of mobiles, mapping and geodectic data capture. Development of indigenous GPS system is inevitable for India, as access to foreign global navigation satellite systems is sometimes denied during hostile situations. India whose geographical borders are severely threatened and intimidated needs a system which can ensure a complete surveillance.  Indigenously developed IRNSS is designed to provide accurate geographical service to users in the peninsula and its range can extend to primary service area of 1500 kilometres from the boundary. Thus the navigation system can meet the civilian and commercial services as well.

IRNSS provides two services- Standard Positioning Services (SPS) to all civilians and Restricted Service (RS) an encrypted service availed by  authorised military users alone. The entire system has two segments- the space and the ground. The space segment consists of seven satellites working in tandem. The ground segment involves 21 ranging stations and a Master Control Centre (MCC).  Some of which are located in lower latitudes to facilitates coverage to low inclination satellites.

Within the next 30-45 days ISRO is planning the experimental test run of the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III, an unmanned crew vehicle. This will be a fore runner to its long term project of sending astronauts to space. The crew module will return to earth and can be recovered when it splashes into the sea near Port Blair.

While India is building its own navigation system select countries have fully operational navigation systems. These are GLOSNASS of Russia, Global Positioning System of US, European Union’s Galieo (GNSS), China’s Beidou Satellite Navigation System and Japan’s Quasi-Zenith satellite system. 

 

Satellite launch on wee hours of Thursday, Oct 16th

 

 

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Desideratum of Nobel Peace Prize 2014

The Oriental East was appropriated with the communiqué of fraternity and was honoured with a toast of prestigious Noble Prize for peace for the year 2014 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The biggest honour has been accorded on the individuals of two warring countries for their exceptionally motivating struggle for protection of human rights of children and youth. Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian and Malala Yousafzay a Pakistani jointly receive the honours on December 10^th. The announcement of the esteemed peace prize by the Nobel Committee came after 9 days of uninterrupted shelling across the international border between the countries. The encapsulated message urged for fraternity between nations. It also stressed the need for a Hindu, a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani to join in common struggle against education and extremism.

Malala, a Pakistani teenager has been a global icon for her vociferous campaign of education for girls and women. She gained recognition for her advocacy in 2012, when she was shot by Talibans who feared her massive campaign for education for girls in Pakistan might spark a tirade. She stirred up World’s attention by working under dangerous circumstances. Since then she went on to give inspirational speeches in the UN and has been listed as “The 100 most influential people in the World” by the TIME magazine and has been a strong contender for the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2013 itself. Her work has been admired world over and her candidature has been whole heartedly accepted for the prize baring few overtones who opined that she was too young for the coveted honour.’

Kailash Satyarthi,( now aged 60),  gave up lucrative career as an engineer adopted Gandhian methods and worked tirelessly in pursuit of freeing children from slavery. His efforts resulted in release of 82,000 bonded children from dungeons of work houses and industries. Thus enabling thousands of children to relive their childhood and ensured right for quality education. Under the banner of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement), founded by him, he rescued victims of human trafficking, slavery and child labour and reintegrated them into society. Known to keep a low profile and media shy, he planned and executed several raids with his accomplices to free children from trafficking. In 1990, he led a Global March Against Child Labour to raise awareness about the millions of children worldwide who are abused.  Having worked in 140 countries, he championed for the cause of better childhood and quality education. During his ostensible struggle against exploitation of children he received several death threats and lost two of his colleagues. Revered as a saviour by thousands of rescued children, Kailash Satyarthi rightfully deserves the highest honour.

While the unprecedented firing speaks volumes of the tyranny of post partition tales, the tales of courage and determination of these Nobel laureates rekindled a new hope for reclamation of peace in South Asian region. Both the countries armed against each other for the past 67 years are reeling under the ire of inherited hatreds.  The Nobel Committee citation drew close attention to the grievous plight of the children and young in the both countries by recognising the exemplary services of these individuals. With a message to look beyond the historical hatreds and to wage a common struggle to ameliorate the conditions of the hapless Children and youth.

Time has now come to rewrite the history of the subcontinent bloodied with wars and work towards betterment of the society. Europe in a span of half-century with sustained efforts has moved away from the long drawn history of militaristic hatred and surged ahead towards economic development within frame work of common market. The Nobel Committee has intently deliberated on the perilous state of human affairs in both nations with regards to rights of Children and education for girls and young. It would be better if both nations can engage in fighting these inherent deficiencies in their societies to evolve into better nations. Both Indian and Pakistani demographics are dominated by youth. Taking a cue from this strategic message conveyed by the West, instead of waging wars for misconstrued hatreds, nations must bolster efforts in lifting their economies.

 

 

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Trip to Gwalior, Orccha and Sonagiri : Day 2

Orccha

On day two we started for Orccha 125 km from Gwalior. It is 15km from Jhansi by road. I love road trip for I can intimately connect to new lands. It was a bright sunny day and almost all the fields along the stretch were parched with no trace of standing crops. Bundelkhand, as the region is referred to, is considered relatively dry since it receives modest amount of rainfall. We travelled on the Agra-Mumbai highway to reach Orccha. Half way through we passed Datia, a vibrant town famous for its forts, temples and other monuments. We briefly stopped along the highway near Datia as we spotted a distantly located fort on the top of a hill. Though we couldn’t actually visit the fort, we were informed that the fort was built in 16^th century by Bundela Chief Raj Bir Singh Deo and the place was frequented by British Viceroys who loved its architecture and grandeur.
 

Datia Fort

 

Orccha is a small town established by Rudra Pratap, a Bundela Rajput Chieftain in 16^th century and lies on River Betwa. Located on a river bank it served as an ideal capital. It is a small town with numerous shrines, temples, monuments strewn around the place. The town is known for its meticulous architectural style. We first visited Ram Raja Mandir popular among the locals and tourists where Lord Rama is worshipped. It was originally the palace of  Bundela King Madhukar Shah. His wife Queen Ganesh Kunwari was a staunch devotee of Lord Rama. She through her dedication brought the idol of Rama from Ayodhya by foot. She wanted to install the idol in a temple and hence gave prior order before her travel to construct a temple for installing the idol. But by the time she returned with idol the temple was not ready. So she placed the idol in her palace. Once the temple was ready, the idol wouldn’t shift from the palace. Since then the palace turned into a religious shrine. Hence the architecture of this temple is akin to a palatial residential complex.  Ram Raja temple is the only temple in India where Lord Rama is offered an armed salutation and worshipped in a palace as a Raja.

Ram Raja Mandir

 To the right side of Ram Raja temple is Chatturbhuj temple, the shrine which was built as per the orders of Rani Ganesh Kunwari to install Lord Rama. Since the construction couldn’t be completed in time, the idol of Lord Rama was worshipped in the palace itself while this temple was dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Chatturbhuj temple is a marvellous piece of architecture, very spacious with a huge mediation hall and hidden stair cases within to reach high elevation. The original idol is missing but makeshift idols have been installed in the mandap currently. The beautifully carved conical shikaras enhance the magnificence of the structure. To reach the temple we had to climb a steep flight of stairs. The temple offers a beautiful view of the Orccha Fort and is directly opposite to Raja Mahal.

Chatturbhuj temple

Orccha Fort complex has three parts- Raja Mahal, Jehangir Mahal, Rai Parveen Mahal. Just as we entered the fort complex on to the right was Raja Mahal with raised balconies and luxurious royal quarters with plain exteriors. This palace construction was started by Raja Rudra Pratap in 1531 and was completed in the reign of Bharati Chandra. The palace had a square plan and divided into two wings with five storeys on three sides and four storeys on one side.  The interiors had exquisite murals with bold, colourful paintings and mirror inlay on ceilings and walls. Most of these paintings are based on the mythological themes of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The inner corridors lead to Sheesh mahal. The walkways are laurelled by domed pavilions giving it a majestic appearance.  We next moved onto the Jahangir Mahal.

 

Raja Mahal

Colourful paintings on walls of Raja Mahal

Jahangir Mahal was built by Vir Singh Deo who was Emperor’s close friend to commemorate the visit of Emperor Jahangir to Orccha. His mother Jodha was a Rajput princess so the palace in his reception was built to display Bundela  Rajput architectural style. The palace is square in plan with five storeys and eight pavilions. The overhanging eaves on the corners of the first storey were held by series of elephant brackets at regular intervals on all sides of the palace. The interiors were liberally embellished with intricate carvings, paintings and decorations. The palace is adorned with graceful Chhatris and the top storey offers a panoramic view of the town and its monuments. The fort complex is safely enclosed behind high walls and is located in lush green environs amply irrigated by waters of the Betwa River. Entire fort complex is located on an island of the river. Behind the Jahangir Mahal is Unt Khana (shelter for Camels) a simple structure and a view from its roof gives an encompassing landscape of the historical town. Behind these Mahals are numerous ruins once shelters of military officers, ministers etc.

Jahangir Mahal

Unt Khana

On to the left side of the fort complex lies a three storied structure, Rai Parveen Mahal  built by Raja Indramani who was smitten by her charms of Rai Parveen, an accomplished dancer, poetess and singer. She was paramour of Indramani. Enthused by stories of her beauty and charisma Emperor Akbar summoned her to his court. Locals say that Rai Parveen impressed the Emperor with her purity of love for King Indramani and so she was sent back to Orccha. The mahal is now surrounded by thick vegetation and hence we dropped our plans of visiting it. Scorching sun played a damp squib by weakening our enthusiasm. Our Orccha trip was in the first of October and still the obstinately high temperatures refused to sink. We had a brief halt at the Betwa Retreat, a M.P Tourism Resort for lunch and then headed towards the acclaimed Cenotaphs or Chhatris lying along the Betwa river front.

 

Shahi Darwaza of Jahangir Mahal

These are group of fifteen Chhatris built in commemoration of Bundela kings and members of their clan. The complex housing the Chhatris opens into a well maintained garden with Chhatris built opposite to each other with a Shivling in the centre. The symmetrical view of cenotaphs within in the complex was breathtaking. Cenotaphs were built on elevated a square platform. Sanctum sanctorum is also square shaped and in the centre. The upper portion has been made angular with arches. The peak is patterned in Nagara style of temple architecture. To have a better view of the place we climbed the stairs within the Chhatris. But due caution must be exercised as the monuments shelter bats and insects.  Vultures, the endangered species in India are omniscient in Orccha. Right next to these Chhatris are two monuments on the river bank which are almost in ruins and one of them is a dilapidated Shiva temple.

 

Cenotaphs or Chhatris

We next visited the Lakshmi Narayana Temple on the outskirts of Orccha. It was built in 17^th century by Vir Singh Deo and the temple was dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi. Its construction is an engineering marvel with unique blend of temple and fort architecture. As we stepped inside, it opened up into a triangular corridor leading to the sanctum sanctorum which is on an elevated square platform. The idol of the main deity has been removed but the interiors had vibrant murals with exquisite wall paintings each depicting Dasavataras and stories of Ramayana. Luckily most of the paintings are well preserved retaining their original colour and vivid quality. Coverings of walls and ceilings had a variety of religious and secular subjects. As we circumambulated the sanctum sanctorum, we observed that the inner chambers are built in octagonal shape. This temple has intriguing design and must visit during the trip. Few attractions, which we missed out and must be accommodated in the travel plan, are the light and sound show of the Orccha Fort and availing the provision of home stay in Orccha. Home stay enables a person to stay with a resident family and enjoy local hospitality.

 

Lakshmi Narayana Temple

These consummately beautiful architectural marvels of Central India are undoubtedly the most precious jewels with poignant history. In Orccha some of the monuments are well maintained and perhaps deserve to be included in the UNESCO list of World heritage centres alongside Khajuraho. The medieval town of Orccha is frozen in time with its palaces and temples vibrating in the original grandeur and splendour. It is a silent town devoid of hustle and bustle of crowded cities and an excellent place to fathom the glory of medieval India. With deep reverence towards the rulers who patronised the art and endeavoured to build mammoth structures we returned Gwalior via Sonagiri.

Orccha

 

Sonagiri

 

Sonagiri Hill

Sonagiri is a Digmabara Jain Pilgrimage centre 60 Km from Gwalior and located on the Dabra-Datia road. Since the direct route to Sonagiri was closed for constructing a bridge across Railway crossing we travelled through narrow lanes of villages. Sonagiri is an ancient hill and a sacred place for Jains. Before ascending the hill we visited Kaanch Ka Mandir, down the hill dedicated to Saint Prasvnath. The walls and ceilings of this temple is bedecked with small irregularly cut mirrors. According to legend Kings Nang, Anang and their five and half crore followers obtained nirvana by performing penance on this hill. The walk up the hill was so relaxing and least tiresome as the path was well laid out in tiles and the steps are broad, spread out with small incline. It was an easy climb and none can refrain from appreciating the commendable efforts of the trust in renovating old temples strewn all around the hill.  108 white temples are spread across the hill and the most important one is temple number 57 which was dedicated to 8^th Jain Tirthankara Chatranatha. The temple was immaculate and had statues of 77 digambara saints in pristine white marble. Photography was strictly prohibited; hence framed the beauty and grandeur of inner chamber in mind’s eye.  The main attraction of Sonagiri is the 11 ft tall Chandra Prabhu image with an inscription stating that it was placed in Samvat 335. Most tourists visit this place to obtain solace and tranquillity. Located on a hill amidst greenery, chirping birds and dancing peacocks these temples offer perfect ambience for meditation. We watched sunset on the hill and highly savoured those precious moments and headed towards Gwalior. Thus our momentous journey to the central part of India ended.

Temple number 57

 

Few thoughts:

During the course of travel through remote villages I was terribly upset at the sight of large number of unemployed youth. India is a young country with 65% of the population under 35 years of age. Unfortunately most of them are jobless; hence dejected and misled and are allured by easy money. Unemployment of youth is a greatest scourge on nation and has dangerous repercussions on the society and country at large. Government under the banner of extending subsidies is indirectly breeding laziness among the youth. Majority of youth in the rural areas are unskilled and semiskilled and except for the peak harvest season of the crops they remain unemployed and unoccupied. Though schemes have been designed to provide guaranteed employment during the slack season, prolonged execution of these schemes will have a dampening effect. Since the aim of these designated programs is providing daily wages, youth are no longer motivated to upgrade their skills. Without working skills, they are bound to depend on government forever. Wish the government considers revising the existing schemes and /or consider annulment of such programs. Instead it would be pertinent for government to focus on skilling the youth and ride on the wave of huge demographic dividend.  Skilling millions of young and energetic Indians should be the mission to march towards progress and prosperity.

 

Sunset @ Sonagiri 

 

Photographs Courtesy: Dr. T. L. S. Bhaskar & Samanvit Teegela

 

Copyrights reserved.

Trip to Gwalior, Orccha and Sonagiri: Day1

Gwalior:

Travelling is a window that opens realms to the unexplored territories. The novel and characteristically attractive advertisement of the Madhya Pradesh tourism was a good allurement to visit the state. For the long weekend of Dusshera vacation, we decided to visit Gwalior the cultural capital of central India and home turf of the Scindia Royal clan. The Scindia’s have been on high social pedestal due to their active political participation and allegiance towards the two largest political parties of the country Indian National Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. Gwalior also reminds of the famous Scindia School, a seat of quality education and learning during the early independence movement and later. We reached Gwalior around 9:45am from Delhi by Bhopal bound Shatabdi Express. We had a spectacular view of the majestic fort atop a hillock from the train as we were nearing the Gwalior station.

Rock cut statues of the Jain digambaras

Gwalior a historical city and a tourist capital of Madhya Pradesh and acclaimed repute for its contribution in the first of Independence. Situated amidst of high rocky hills, it has humid subtropical climate with scorching summers and freezing winters. The city is replete of several monuments, statues and memorials a treat for tourists. But all the enthusiasm fizzled out for a while due to the scalding heat. After equipping ourselves with a protective head gear, glasses and water bottles we set out to explore the mighty Gwalior Fort. It is 8th hill fort and nearly impregnable. As we scaled the hillock, we encountered rock cut statues of the Jain digambaras all along the way till to the top. A motor able one way road led us to the fort that has two main complexes- Man Mandir built by Man Singh Tomar and the Gujari Mahal built for Queen Mrignayani , a Gujar Princess houses a museum. Gujari Mahal was built on demand by the queen who wanted a separate palace with regular water supply through an aqueduct from the river Swarna rai flowing by the fort. The first sight of the huge, imposing fort with indefensible giant wall bearing copper blue paintings would captivate any visitor. The facade of the palace is stunningly beautiful.
 

Facade of the Fort

Gujari Mahal

Legend says that Suraj Sen Kachwaha came on a hunting trip and lost his way in a forest and found a sage on this secluded hill who directed him towards a pond to quench his thirst. The water subsequently cured him of leprosy too. Out of gratitude, the prince wanted to do something for the Sage Gwalipa. The sage asked him to build a wall which could protect his entourages from the wild animals. Accordingly the Prince built a palace and strengthened the fort and named it Gwalior. The fort was taken over and captured by several rulers like Kushanas, Guptas, Kacchwahas, Tomars, Mughals, Marathas and the British who finally handed it over to the Scindias. Throughout the course of its long history the place remained a cultural and religious centre for people of different faiths.
 

Man Mandir Palace

 

The old part of the fort was built in 8^th century while the Man Mandir and Gujari Mahal were constructed in 15^th century. The fort is 100 meters from sea level and spread in an area of 3 km. The most beautiful part of the fort is the Man Mandir palace built by Raja Man Singh Tomar, has marvellous exquisite carvings made in the sandstone walls. The remnants of the paintings in the inner corridors give us the glimpse of the stupendous craftsmanship of those days. After the palace fell into the lands of the Mughals, it was used as a political prison. The palace has several staircases which into lead to inner chambers and a dungeon where several of the rebel Mughal princes were incarcerated and killed. Unfortunately, these chambers now infested with bats and not ideal for inquisitive exploration. Next, we ventured into the ancient wing of the huge fort which housed several mahals and a temple.
 

Karn Mahal

Chhatri of Bhim Singh Rana

A list indicated that this part of the fort had a monument of Karn Mahal, the place built by second Tomar king Karn Singh, Vikram Mahal built by Vikramaditya Singh son of Man Singh Tomar, a devotee of Lord Shiva who constructed a temple too. The original temple was completely destroyed now a makeshift temple stands in the Mahal corridor. Other palaces in the wing include  Shahjahan Mahal and Jahangir Mahal. All these places are now reduced to ruins and are heavily infested with bats. It is really infuriating that the rich and priceless Indian culture is now in rumbles courtesy the utter neglect of the Archaeology Department.  Massive renovation work is under progress and hence some of the monuments are closed down for public viewing. Hope all these efforts would restore glory to the old monuments. Amidst these ruins, Chhatri of Bhim Singh Rana stands tall. The dome shaped pavilion was built in the memory of Bhim Singh Rana by his successor Chattra Singh. Bhim Singh captured the fort from the Mughal satraps in 1740. A lake, Bhim tal is built in front of the Chhatri. The small lake is still in use and we saw group of teenagers actively swimming and playing in the waters.

Saas-Bahu temple

We next moved onto the Saas-Bahu temple east of the fort. These temples were built in 11^th century by Kucchwahas were dedicated to Lord Vishnu. These magnificent temples carved in the red sandstone are testimony to the rich architectural expertise of Indian craftsmen. The temples are no longer in use but corroborate the brutality and plunder suffered at the hands of intolerant foreign invaders. A stone slab on the temple walls apprised that the temples were defaced and white washed by Muslim rulers. The present structure is restored to its original form by the British with the financial assistance from Maharaja of Gwalior. The names of the temples is mis-leading but are so named as the complex has two temples one of which is much bigger and taller than the other. The carvings of these temples remind the splendid Khajuraho temples and are certainly one of their kind.
 

Teli-ka- Mandir

Suraj Kund

Teli-ka- Mandir built in 8^th century is an amalgamation of the North- South Indian style of the architecture was initially dedicated to Lord Vishnu but later converted to worship Lord Shiva. The temple owes  the name  from Teli meaning a oil dealer at whose expense it was built during the reign of King Mihira Bhoja of Pratihara dynasty. The roof of the temple is unique with a typical Dravidian style of rectangular edifice reinforced by the dome shaped structure. It is one of the oldest temples in the fort with mixed architecture depicting several styles. The outer facade of the masonry is very beautiful but again inner chambers are inapproachable and haven for nocturnal animals. The monument bespeaks of neglect and poor upkeep. Just few yards from the temple is the Suraj Kund, teeming with lotuses. A small temple constructed in the centre of the lake is now inaccessible as the connecting wooden bridge is dilapidated.

Gurudwara Data Bandi Chor Sahib

 

Our next stop was Gurudwara Data Bandi Chor Sahib built in memorial of the Sikh Guru HarGobind Singh who was held captive along with 52 other Sikh princes as per the orders of King Jahangir in the Man Mandir dungeon. After 40-60 days of detention, the Mughal ruler was coerced to release the Guru by a Muslim Saint. It is an elegant and huge structure built in marble. In sharp contrast to the poor maintenance of other structures on the hillock, the Gurudwara was extremely clean. Situated in calm environs the place is ideally suited for divine prayers. The premises offered relief from the fiercely harsh afternoon sun. We briefly rested and had token lunch from the langar. Since access to the Scindia School was denied we moved down hill to pay obeisance to the indomitable Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai. The Samadhi of Jhansi Rani is located in the complex of the Phool Bagh where a majestic metal sculpture of the Jhansi Rani atop her horse wielding a sword with her son Damodar Rao tied to her back was installed in the garden. A mere glance of the poignant statue would ward off despondency and fear. Her mortal remains were cremated at this place where Laxmi Bai breathed her last fighting valiantly with the British in 1858.

Samadhi of Jhansi Rani Laxmi Bai

 

Jai Vilas palace

 

We then visited Jai Vilas palace which harbours the acclaimed Scindia museum. The founder of Scindia dynasty, Ranoji Scindia was personal aide of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao. With his exemplary qualities he soon rose rapidly and was assigned the role of collecting taxes in the Malwa district. Thus he established himself as the Raja of this region with Ujjain as its capital. Jai Vilas palace was constructed by Jayaji Rao Scindia in 1874 at a cost of Rs. One crore. The sprawling white palace with 400 rooms is spread over a vast area was designed by an Italian architect Michael Filose. Presently 30 rooms of the palace have been converted into Jiwaji Rao Scindia museum that display historical artefacts, handpicked royal treasures from different countries, furniture, dinner accoutrements, paintings, weaponry, emblems, flags, carriages and eccentric collection of clothes. The museum gives a first -hand look of how royalty lived in the yester years.

Durbar Hall

Eye-catching attractions in the museum include a silver electric train with cut-glass wagons which served guests as it chugged around a miniature track on the dining table. The opulent Durbar Hall, used to host VIPs is 100 ft long. It has a huge handmade carpet (40 mts long) and two gigantic chandeliers each weighing 3.5 tonnes; measuring 12.5mts in height, the biggest in the World adorn the roof. Gilt and Gold furnishings were used to decorate Durbar Hall. The meticulously maintained museum is in sharp contrast to the delinquency of the officials in charge of the Gwalior Fort. Though the efforts of the M.P tourism department in organising Light and Sound Show at the Gwalior Fort are laudable they are grossly insufficient to attract tourists from far and wide.
 

Vivsvaan Mandir (Sun Temple)

 

We travelled to the outskirts of the Gwalior to visit the Vivsvaan Mandir (Sun Temple), a modern temple constructed by the Birlas. It is a facsimile of the Sun Temple of Konark, Odhisa drawing huge number of crowds. Located in a serene ambience and a well-maintained garden it is a highly popular among tourists. The gigantic temple is built in the red sandstone and is spacious. The idol of the main deity Sun God riding the chariot driven by seven horses is mesmerizingly beautiful. It is hard to avert eyes off the resplendent divinity. Paying heartiest appreciations to the builders of the temple we moved to the quaint part of the city towards the tomb of Tansen.
 

Tomb of Tansen

 

Born in Gwalior in 1606 Tansen, the legendary singer and father of the Hindustani classical music was one among the nine gems of Akbar’s court. The legendary Maihar Senia Gharana instrumentalists like Ustad Ravi Shankar, Maa Annapurna Devi, Ali Akbar Khan chiselled by Baba Allaudin Khan find their roots in the Senia Gharana of Tansen. The tomb was built in simple architecture and had a pristine aura to it. Being a student of Hindustani Classical music, a sense of veneration overpowered me. A stone slab sitting next to the tomb informed that eating tender leaves of Tamarind tree next to the tomb would make singing melodious. Although it is a myth, I couldn’t resist chewing a mouthful of tamarind leaves.  In the beautiful gardens, where the tomb is built, annually as a mark of respect Tansen Sangeet Samaroh is held. The dappling gardens also laps Mausoleum of Ghaus Mohammad, the Afghan prince turned saint who helped Babar to annex the Gwalior Fort.  Built in 16^th century the tomb was housed in an exquisitely carved square shaped sand stone walled monument. The opulent monument with huge panels of lacy screen work is an exemplary piece of the architectural extravaganza. We relaxed in the lawns of the garden for a while contemplating the rich cultural and religious heritage of this holy land Bharat. With the vibrations of Hindustani Classical music pounding heart and mind, we looked forward to visit Sarod Ghar or the Sarod Museum an institute dedicated for the promotion of Indian classical music, heritage and culture. It houses various instruments and has impressive collection of documents and photographs that depict gradual evolution of Indian classical music. The museum is housed in the ancestral property of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod maestro.  Since it located in the old city, we had to meander through narrow lanes and by the time we reached the place, it was closed.

Mausoleum of Ghaus Mohammad

Sarod Ghar 

 

 

Photographs Courtesy: Dr. T. L. S. Bhaskar & Samanvit Teegela

 

@ Copyrights reserved.