A new drug called Kush is presently in the news as it has been creating a dangerous health situation in West Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone, where it is estimated to kill around a dozen people each week, and thousands are being hospitalized. I wish to mention a few facts about Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone, officially known as the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country located in West Africa. It is spread over a land area of 71,740 square kilometers. Sierra Leone has a tropical climate and a variety of environments ranging from savannas to rainforests. According to the 2015 census, Sierra Leone had a population of 7,092,113, with Freetown as the capital and largest city. Around 79 percent of its people follow Islam as a religion (Wikipedia). Anyway, the drug is taken mostly by male people between the ages of 18 and 25. It causes people to fall asleep while walking, fall over, bang their heads against hard surfaces, and walk into moving traffic. It may be mentioned here that Kush should not be confused with the drug of the same name found in the US, which is a mixture of ‘an ever-changing’ host of chemicals sprayed on plant matter and smoked. Kush in Sierra Leone is quite different; it is a mixture of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol, formaldehyde, and – according to some – ground-down human bones.
It may be mentioned here that cannabis is widely grown in Sierra Leone; the fentanyl is thought to originate in clandestine laboratories in China, where the drug is manufactured illegally and shipped to West Africa. Tramadol has a similar source, namely illegal laboratories across Asia. Formaldehyde, which can cause hallucinations, is also reported in this mixture. The drug is reported in both Guinea and Liberia, which share porous land borders with Sierra Leone, making drug trafficking easy.
Kush costs around five Leones (20 UK pence) per joint, which may be used by two or three people, with up to 40 joints being consumed in a day. This represents a massive spend on drugs and illustrates the addictive nature of the mixture in a country where the annual income per capita is around 500 British pounds sterling. Anyway, it is noteworthy to mention that as for ground human bones, there is no definitive answer about whether or not they occur in the drug, where such bones would come from, or why they might be incorporated into the drug. Some people say that grave robbers provide the bones, but no direct evidence exists. The effects of the drug vary and depend on the user and the drug content. Cannabis causes a wide variety of effects, which include euphoria, relaxation, and an altered state of consciousness. Fentanyl, an extremely potent opioid, produces euphoria and confusion and causes sleepiness, among a wide range of other side effects. Similarly, tramadol, which is also an opioid but less potent than fentanyl (100 mg tramadol has the same effect as 10 mg morphine), results in users becoming sleepy and “spaced out” – disconnected from things happening around them. The danger of the drug is twofold: the risk of self-injury to the drug taker and the highly addictive nature of the drug itself. A further problem is the need to finance the next dose, often achieved through prostitution or criminal activity.
Before concluding, it may be mentioned that controlling or eradicating such bad habits is sine qua non. The legislation alone cannot address the issue. Many of those who attended the very limited rehabilitation centers returned to drug use. Perhaps what is required is an integrated forensic health care system where legislative control is backed up by properly resourced rehabilitation centers supported with a public health and employment program. Also, awareness programmes should be taken up in a massive way to inform people about the harmful effects of the drug.

Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

References:
1) https://theconversation.com/kush-what-is-this-dangerous-new-west-african-drug-that-supposedly-contains-human-bones-220608
2) https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-kush-dangerous-west-african-drug.html#goog

Flag of Sierra Leone

By Shankar Chatterjee

I had the opportunity to visit some African countries, such as Eritrea, Namibia, Egypt, etc., and observed people suffering from various issues such as poverty, unemployment, health, etc. Of course, I did not visit Malawi, but one organization, Concern Worldwide US, has initiated the country’s development. Before discussing this, I wish to mention a few lines about Malawi. This is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa. It has spectacular highlands and extensive lakes and occupies a narrow, curving strip along the East African Rift Valley. Lake Nyasa, known in Malawi as Lake Malawi, accounts for over one-fifth of the country’s total area.
Most of Malawi’s population engages in cash crops and subsistence agriculture. The country’s exports consist of the produce of both small landholdings and large tea and tobacco estates. Malawi has received a significant amount of foreign capital as development aid, which has contributed greatly toward exploiting its natural resources and has allowed Malawi to, at times, produce a food surplus. Nevertheless, its population has suffered from chronic malnutrition, high rates of infant mortality, and grinding poverty—a paradox often attributed to an agricultural system that has favoured large estate owners.
Most Malawians reside in rural locations. The country’s few large urban centres include Lilongwe, the capital, and Blantyre, the seat of the country’s judiciary (britannica.com/place/Malawi/People).
Malawi is officially the Republic of Malawi, and formerly known as Nyasaland, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It borders Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. The total area of Malawi is little more than 118,484 square kilometres, and it has an estimated population of 19,431,566 (as of January 2021). Malawi’s capital and largest city is Lilongwe. Its second-largest is Blantyre, its third-largest is Mzuzu, and its fourth-largest is its former capital, Zomba. It was the first capital city of Malawi before being changed to Lilongwe (Wikipedia).
The newsletter dated April 25, 2024, sent to me by Colleen Kelly, CEO of Concern Worldwide US, mentioned, “I visited our programs in Malawi, and I’m here to tell you about a community of women living in extreme poverty who are turning waste into economic opportunity. In Lilongwe, the capital city, the current population of 1,276,000 (about the population of New Hampshire) is expected to double by 2050. The problem they face is two-fold: first, there is little to no formal waste management in the heavily populated informal settlement, and second, the women face limited access to the opportunities essential to creating a sustainable livelihood.” Renewable Energy for Sustainable Environmental Transformation (RESET) aims to create economic opportunities for women living in extreme poverty in Lilongwe Urban by mobilizing them to create a waste management enterprise, which collects and sorts previously uncollected waste and transforms it into biogas, fertilizer, and recycled goods development took place.
“Each working group, comprised of around 25 women, is tasked with collecting waste from the community, producing compost manure, sorting plastic, glass, and metal waste, and managing the bio-digesters for biogas and bio-fertilizer production. By producing organic fertilizer, communities can:
o Reduce the need and cost for imported chemical fertilizer
o Increase soil nutrients
o Promote soil regeneration through improved soil fertility and structure.”
Through the RESET program, converting waste into clean energy and organic fertilizer will reduce emissions from wood and charcoal used for cooking, freeing up time for education and employment and reducing the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) associated with wood collection.
The fertilizer produced can substitute imported chemical fertilizer at a fraction of the cost, contains more nutrients, promotes soil regeneration, and improves soil fertilization — making for better agricultural outputs for the community and a business opportunity for the women’s groups.
It is pertinent to mention that Malawi is disproportionately affected by climate change and heavily reliant on female-led agriculture. Disrupted weather patterns and severe climate events make sustainable livelihoods and food security difficult.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

References

Cerniglia, F., Saraceno, F., & Watt, A. (2021). The great reset: 2021 European public investment outlook (p. 258). Open Book Publishers.

Gielen, D., Boshell, F., Saygin, D., Bazilian, M. D., Wagner, N., & Gorini, R. (2019). The role of renewable energy in the global energy transformation. Energy strategy reviews, 24, 38-50.

Lange, S., Tilman, S., Dencik, L., Dietz, T., Ferreboef, H., Hankey, S., … & Staab, P. (2022). Digital Reset. Redirecting Technologies for the Deep Sustainability Transformation.

Sharma, S. N., Chatterjee, S., & Dehalwar, K. (2023). Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: Challenges and Opportunities. Think India Journal, 26(1), 7-15.

Suki, N. M., Suki, N. M., Sharif, A., Afshan, S., & Jermsittiparsert, K. (2022). The role of technology innovation and renewable energy in reducing environmental degradation in Malaysia: A step towards sustainable environment. Renewable Energy, 182, 245-253.

India is a country of pluralism. A country can prosper if there is peace and harmony among the people. In India, in addition to all religious communities, many languages and different types of culture can be found, which is absent in any other country. China is dominated by the Han community (more than 90%), and many Chinese people praised Indians when I was in China. I have traveled to many countries worldwide, and many foreigners told me about India.
On April 9, 2024, the new year was celebrated in many parts of India under the banner of Ugadi and Gudi Padwa. On April 11, Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated, a great and auspicious celebration for Muslims, which also marks the end of Ramadan, fasting. On April 13 and 14, different parts of India New Year will be celebrated. Baishakhi in Punjab, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Naba-barsho in West Bengal (also in Bangladesh), Vishu in Kerala, and Puthandu in Tamil. On April 14, the great son of India, Dr BR Ambedkar Sahab’s birthday will be celebrated. Also, on April 17, the Ram Navami celebration will take place, i.e., the birthday celebration of Bhagwan Sri Ram. So, in one month only, the beauty of India can be observed through different celebrations and festivals.
It is pertinent to mention that Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar), popularly known as Babasaheb/Ambedkar-Saheb. Dr. Babasaheb was born on April 14, 1891, at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. Now, Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a cantonment. I had the opportunity to visit his birthplace for academic purposes. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was one such person who had to fight in his life because of social stigma (caste issue). With his knowledge, wisdom, and humanitarian feelings, he proved that by caste, one cannot be great and only be great by deeds.
Sri Ram Navami is one of the greatest Hindu festivals. Chaitra Navratri 2024 starts on April 9 and concludes with Sri Ram Navami on April 17.
Regarding the Eid festivals, it is pertinent to mention that two main Eids are celebrated: Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. After the end of Ramadan, the holy ninth month of the Islamic year, Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated with community prayers. Eid-ul-Adha, which in Arabic means ‘festival of sacrifice,’ is celebrated around 70 days after Eid-ul-Fitr.
In addition to the above, Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated on April 21 and Hanuman Jayanti on April 23.
Despite so many festivals and celebrations in April 2024, the worst and highly deplorable incident that took place on April 13, 1919, was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In the Jallianwala Bagh (also known as the Amritsar Massacre), thousands of innocent people, including children and women, were killed and injured by the British Raj on April 13, 1919. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre was one of the saddest events that will never fade away from our memory.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

On April 4, 2024, I had the opportunity to observe the Upanayana/Sacred Thread ceremony, which was performed at Libdom Villa campus, Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad. The Libdom Villa campus, Raj Reddy Valley, is spread over an area of 17 acres with all modern facilities. It is pertinent to mention that Libdom has been derived from two words – from Liberty, “Lib,” and from Freedom, “Dom,” and finally, the word is “Libdom.” There are 190 villas, except for a few villas; all are occupied. The families are from different parts of India and also different religious groups, so it is a mini-India. All religious festivals are celebrated here in a peaceful way. As a senior citizen, I attended many ceremony functions such as marriages, annaprashan (first rice-eating ceremony), half-saree, etc., but the Upanayana/Sacred Thread Ceremony was very few. I observed in our family and very few in other communities. One thing I have observed is that rituals are the same everywhere. For example, in the ceremony, the sacred thread or upper garment called the yajnopavita is worn by the child, which is made of cotton, the head is tonsured, and Yanga/Havan/Homa, i.e., offering prayers to Fire/Agni Dev is performed.
The Upanayana/Sacred Thread ceremony of Sri Ram (11 years old, student of 7 grade in London), son of Smt. Srilatha and Sri Raghu started at 8.54 AM on April 4, 2024, at the Libdom Villa campus, where two priests performed rituals along with Yanga/Havan, which is common in such ceremonies also in Hindu marriages. Sri Ram’s father works in London as a software engineer. They came from London to perform the ceremony. They belong to the Telugu Brahmin family, and the child’s grandfather, Sri Radhakrishna Srimushnam, was a senior bank officer in a nationalized bank who served with dignity and settled in Hyderabad, Libdom Villa campus.
A few facts about the Upanayana/ Sacred Thread ceremony collected from Wikipedia are presented here. Upanayana literally means “the act of leading to or near, bringing”, “introduction (into any science)” or initiation” (as elucidated by Monier-Williams). The initiation or rite of passage ceremony in which the sacred thread is given symbolizes the child drawn towards a school, towards education, by the guru. The student was being taken to the Gods and a disciplined life. It is a ceremony in which a teacher accepts and draws a child towards knowledge and initiates the second birth of the young mind and spirit. As per the website. pujanpujari.com, the Upanayana ceremony can be directed at the age of seven. The supreme mantra, the Gayathri mantra, is whispered in the child’s ear by the father or guru. The child is taken out and asked to look at the Bhagawan Surya/Sun through a small hole formed by joining both palms. The sacred thread strands represent the purity of the wearer’s thoughts, acts, and words. Through the Upanayana ceremony, the child is motivated to do spiritual activities.
I enjoyed the ceremony and observed that the guests were from different backgrounds. Lunch was scrumptious and included many items. Lastly, I wish to mention that the Upanayana/Sacred Thread ceremony is not restricted to one particular community but is also performed by a few other communities.

Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Pramatha Nath Bose (1855 – 1934) was a great Indian geologist also a key person for the success of Tata Group as he wrote a letter to JN Tata on February 24, 1904, which led to the establishment of Tata Iron and Steel Company at Sakchi, Jamshedpur. Unfortunately, his contribution is not highlighted in the country, even by the West Bengal Government, whether in the present or previous government. Notably, he was born on May 12, 1855, in a remote village of Gaipur, near Gobardanga, in 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. I consider Pramatha Nath Bose (henceforth, I will mention him as Bose) one of the stalwarts, as he was the architect of industrial development in British India.  The great soul, Bose was educated at Krishnagar Government College and later at St. Xavier’s College of the University of Calcutta when he obtained a Gilchrist scholarship to study in London in 1874. He graduated in 1877, studied at the Royal School of Mines in London, and excelled in biology and palaeontology. He was one of the early Indians to join the Geological Survey of India as an officer. His initial work was on the Siwalik fossils. During his tenure as a geologist, he discovered iron ore mines in Dhulli and Rajhara in Madhya Pradesh. The most outstanding achievement of his life was the discovery of iron ore deposits in the hills of Gorumahisani in Mayurbhanj. Following the discovery, Bose wrote a letter to JN Tata on  February 24, 1904, which led to the establishment of Tata Iron and Steel Company at Sakchi, Jamshedpur.

Bose has several great achievements to his credit. He was the first Indian graduate in science from a British University, the first to discover petroleum in Assam, the first to set up a soap factory in India, and the first to introduce micro sections to aid petrological work. He was also the first Indian to hold a graded position in the Geological Survey of India, where he served with distinction. As a man of science, he constantly took up the cause of technical education in the country. His efforts also catalyzed the foundation of the Bengal Technical Institute, presently known as the Jadavpur University. Bose was the first honorary principal there.

During his service period while he was in the Geological Survey, the following praiseworthy activities were carried out, inter alia, with other activities:

·      a) Bose conducted surveys of the Narmada Valley of Rewa State, Central India.

·        b) He examined metalliferous indications in the northern part of the Darjeeling district.

·        c) Bose made several traverses in Lower Burma when doing Geological research in the region.

·       d) Bose was the first person to report the occurrence of trachyte from the Narmada region.

·      e) He discovered iron ores in Gurumahisini and the Mayurbhanj, which led to the foundation of the Tata Iron Works.

·     f)  Bose reported the presence of Lameta and Bagh beds for correlating similar sequences in other parts of India.

·      g) Filled gaps in the geological map in the Mandla district, including the greater part of the Bastar State.

·        h)He examined coal out-crops east of Teendaria and successfully identified exposures of coal that were excavated under his direction. 

·        i)He was the first to identify distinct volcanic centers around Mandaleshwar in the Narmada Valley.

·      j)  He discovered coal deposits in the Assam region.

·      k) He Discovered petroleum deposits in the Khasimar Valley

During his time at the Geological Survey of India, Bose was repeatedly praised by the Director, William King, for his excellent and economic work in his reports.

 I salute the great soul of the country for whom our country is at its zenith in industrial development.  

Also, I request that our Union Government and the West Bengal Government highlight his massive contribution to the country’s industrial development, which should be included in the school textbooks so our children can learn about him.

 Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad 

Water is one of the planet’s important resources. Without water, no living being can survive. In our childhood, we never considered purchasing water from the market. Wherever water was available, we used to drink it. Now, bottled water, mineral water, etc., are popular words.
Presently, the availability of clean water is an issue in many countries and places in India. I am a senior citizen and retired Professor (retired from an academic organization of the Government of India). During my service period and even after retirement, I traveled across India and abroad and observed that in many places in our country and some countries in Africa, the availability of clean water is an issue.
In 2024, World Water Day aims to highlight the benefits of water management as a channel for peace, showcasing effective mechanisms and tools to enhance cooperation and prevent water-related disputes. The official UN celebration of the day was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
The 2024 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report highlights how developing and maintaining water security and equitable access to water services is essential to ensuring peace and prosperity for all. I am presenting the following lines collected from unesco.org/reports/wwdr/en/2024 so readers can understand water issues.
It is observed from the Report that “equitable access to water resources, to safe and affordable water supply and sanitation services, and to the multiple benefits they generate are essential to building and maintaining prosperous and peaceful societies. Recent events, from global epidemics to armed conflicts, have emphasized that the socio-political conditions under which water is supplied, managed, and used can change rapidly”.
Further, “water management needs to consider the new economic and social realities, including climate change and geopolitical changes and their implications on our water resources. Leveraging water for prosperity and peace therefore requires actions beyond the water domain”. The Report has stated that water nurtures prosperity by meeting basic human needs, supporting livelihoods and economic development, underpinning food and energy security, and defending environmental integrity as mentioned below:
A) Economic prosperity is the capacity of an individual, company, or society to improve its economic performance and/or standards of living. Particular focus is on countries’ economic performance, including their overall productivity, water productivity, and income equality.
B) Social well-being—the sufficiency of water services to support all individuals’ health and welfare, including safe drinking water, food security, and cultural integrity.
C) Environmental integrity – the ability of the environment to maintain biophysical functions or services that support resilience and security under changing climate and social conditions.
The impacts of climate change, geopolitical unrest, pandemics, mass migration, hyperinflation, and other crises can exacerbate water access inequalities.
These trends and events also create policy windows, which can be used to enhance resilience and forge adaptive capacity. Fostering prosperity through water contributes to the achievement of peaceful outcomes. Some important Facts and Figures are:
a) 2.2 billion people had no access to safely managed drinking water in 2022
b) About 80% of jobs are water-dependent in low-income countries where agriculture is the main source of livelihood
c) 72% of freshwater withdrawals are used by agriculture
d) US$832 billion in economic losses were caused by floods in 2002–2021
e) 1.4 billion people were affected by droughts in 2002–2021
f) A 10% increase in global migration between 1970–2000 was linked to water deficits.
I am concluding by quoting from the Report: “Developing and maintaining a secure and equitable water future underpins prosperity and peace for all. The relationship also works in the opposite direction, as poverty, inequality, social tensions, and conflict can amplify water insecurity.”
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

In the present world, girls and boys have equal rights, although, from history, we have learned girls in many countries were not treated properly like boys/male children; now, across the world, the situation has changed. In March 2024, I visited as a Resource Person (to deliver talk) in Mannargudi in the Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, India, where a renowned women’s college viz., Sengamala Thayaar Educational Trust Women’s College, is located. The institution started in 1994  with 155 students (girls/women), now more than 4,000 students, all girls/women hailing from different religions, castes, and rural areas, were attending. 

Anyway, I was in some African countries and observed girls were interested in attending school and college. In this article, exclusively based on the World Bank Newsletter (worldbank.org/en/news/), cases from five African countries about girls/women’s situations are presented.  

 The women and girls across the African continent desire to learn and dream of a better future where they can simultaneously pursue their education, stay healthy, find work, and care for their families.  The latest World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law report highlights that Sub-Saharan Africa continues to advance reforms to close the legal gender gap. Still, a broad gap remains between laws on paper and the reality on the ground.

Here are five cases of change that highlight the voices of girl champions from the region, having ripple effects within their communities and entire countries and economies. The cases are from Guinea, Benin, Congo Republic, Nigeria, and Guinea-Bissau. The cases are very interesting, and I am thankful that the World Bank has shared the Newsletter with me, so credit goes to them fully.  

1)     Aissata Tidiane Toure, a construction engineer turned gender activist from Guinea

  Aissata Toure (24 years old) is from Tiro in the central region of Faranah in Guinea. When she was 16 years old, she established with other friends the Club des Jeunes Filles Leaders de Guinée, a safe space supported by the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographics (SWEDD) project that brings together young girls to share experiences and learn life skills.

“The club has enabled me to become a leader and to take several training courses on gender-based violence (GBV), which has given me the opportunity to become this strong girl who champions girls’ rights,” she explains.

And this young activist has left an indelible mark on the remote villages of her region, courageously fighting against issues such as early marriage and female genital mutilation. 

 2) King of the Seas and the Oceans and Spiritual Leader Daagbo Hounon Houna II preaches for girls’ education (spiritual leader of the Voodoo cult and chair of the National Religious Platform in Benin)

His Majesty “Dada, King of the Seas and Oceans,” a spiritual leader of the Voodoo cult and chair of the National Religious Platform in Benin, strongly advocates for keeping girls in school and improving women’s and girls’ place in society.

“All children are born equal, and girls can do the same things as boys. No discrimination should be allowed. The Voodoo community has been holding seminars on girls’ education to help ensure the well-being of our nation.”

Benin, like other countries in Africa, is facing a demographic boom. Thus, for the religious leader, it is imperative that his generation pave the way for the next by focusing on children’s education – especially for girls. “We tell young girls not to be distracted. Education is the mother of all success.”

Chief Daagbo Hounon Houna II is also an ambassador of the SWEDD project who travels from hamlets to villages to spread the message of equal opportunities, education, and good health.  

 3) Josephine Bouanga, a pioneer in organic produce committed to fighting malnutrition (Republic of Congo): 

Passionate, audacious, and creative, the agricultural engineer Josephine Bouanga launched her entrepreneurial venture in 2001 with an initial investment of 300,000 CFA francs. She succeeded in establishing Enoce Bio, a company specializing in the processing and promoting local agricultural products. Her ambition: “to fight malnutrition through the virtues of plants.”

In addition to its flagship product, children’s flour, Enoce Bio offers a range of organic and therapeutic agricultural products.  The company employs 25 people: 17 women and 8 men. She said, “Most of them are orphans whom I trained myself.”

4) Rukayya, a soya bean trader and advocate for women’s entrepreneurship (Nigeria):

Rukayya Adamu from the Maiyama community in Kebbi state, north-west Nigeria, used to sell firewood. “It was the only thing I could do. I had no skill or money to do other businesses,” she says.

But today, she runs a business that sells soya beans, providing her with a more sustainable source of income for her family.

Through a women’s affinity group supported by the World Bank-financed Nigeria for Women Project, Rukayya learned of the environmental dangers of firewood while also gaining skills to identify an alternative – and more profitable – business.

After training in financial literacy, gender dynamics, life skills, and business management, Rukayya now practices informed financial management, contributing to her community’s shift towards sustainable practices and environmental consciousness.

The women’s group is helping thousands of women like Rukayya to become agents of change by fostering sustainable livelihoods and a greener society. So far, “over 400,000 women have benefited from the program in six states across Nigeria”. 

5) Aissatu Injai, building roads to end gender-based violence from Guinea-Bissau:

“Girls and boys live in separate worlds… Boys are taught to be leaders; girls are taught domestic work,” says Aissatu Injai, President of the National Network to Fight Gender-Based Violence and Violence against Children in Guinea-Bissau (RENLUV).

From a young age, Aissatu witnessed the high prevalence of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM) in her community and knew she wanted to change the narrative.  “Women don’t always know that they are victims… We want women to know their rights, to know that violence is not acceptable, and what they can do if it happens.”

Founded in 2004, RENLUV is a network of 54 organizations that promote training, advocacy, and monitoring of GBV. Since 2020, RENLUV has worked with the World Bank on the Rural Transport Project to help mitigate the risk of increased GBV by training road workers, raising community awareness, and providing support to the survivors. 

The cases are interesting and represent different activities, so I hope readers will be interested in reading the article.

 Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

By Shankar Chatterjee

A great personality and freedom fighter once said, ‘What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.’ Now, that sounds like a curse.
After 34 years of rule by the Left-front Government in West Bengal, industrial development suffered badly. One example I am citing out of many. “In the last three years (it means 2011,2012 & 2013), 90 large industries have closed down, including 26 jute mills and 28 tea gardens (Article by Sumit Mitra, The Economic Times, Aug 12, 2014).
Anyway, I visited WB for academic activities on a few occasions and came to know that, in general, the people are called ‘Bhadraloks,’ meaning thorough gentlemen. The ‘Bhadraloks’ with great hope, hype, and hoopla, changed the Leftist Government, and thus, the new Government has come to power, but from time to time, many leaders of the new ruling Government have proved that the State has been passing through awful days because of severe corruption. From time to time, different types of corruption have taken place in this State, which has penetrated deep roots. From the selection of teaching and non-teaching faculty in the schools, sand lifting, cattle sending to another country, coal scams, extortion (in Bengali called Tola Baji, which means earning easy money), etc., are now always in the news in the State. During Panchayat elections held in the State, unprecedented violence took place, including ballot boxes being found in the ponds. On the other hand, in recently concluded elections in different States, widespread violence didn’t occur, which the people of WB ( ‘Bhadraloks’)should learn and know. Further, it seems ‘goonda giri,’ ‘rowdyism,’ etc., have added another ‘feather’ to the so-called ‘culturally advanced State.’ Several journalists were reportedly among those attacked and injured as violence broke out in West Bengal when voting took place for elections to 108 municipalities across 20 districts.
On January 5, 2024, many criminals attacked ED officials and CRPF officials in the State because they went to investigate corruption, for which the State is always in the news. The attack on the ED officials and CRPF is highly deplorable and seems law and order have collapsed in the State. We all know Bengal was divided on religious lines, and lakhs of refugees came to the State because of religious persecution. So, the State is burdened with a huge number of refugees.
Anyway, I visited across the country in recent years because of academic work and observed many Bengalis settled in different places, including Secunderabad and Hyderabad as the present places are better than their original place of residence, i.e., West Bengal. Various reports reveal that in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, around 7 lakh Bengalis are living.
Anyway, I think if this ruling Party of the State comes to the Central Government, Indians will watch the worst days. Like in WB, in almost all areas, to get a job, many have to pay a huge amount of money (in lakhs). Anyway, I hope one day, the State will be free from corruption.

S. Chatterjee, Hyderabad

References

Chakravartty, A. (2018). Understanding India: Bhadralok, Modernity and Colonial India. Indian Historical Review, 45(2), 257-285.

Chaudhuri, B. (1980). THE BHADRALOK AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT. Elite and Development, 149.

Guha, R. (1995). Subaltern and Bhadralok studies.

Sinha, S., & Bhattacharya, R. (1969). Bhadralok and Chhotolok in a rural area of West Bengal. Sociological bulletin, 18(1), 50-66.

By: Shankar Chatterjee

Majuli is a lush, green, environment-friendly, and pollution-free freshwater island in the Brahmaputra, Assam, which is around 15 kilometers from Jorhat city and 390 kilometers from Guwahati city. Majuli had an area of 1250 square kilometers initially. Due to erosion, the area has declined to about 880 square kilometers (majuli.assam.gov.in/about-district/district-glance)
It is the world’s largest river island and largest river island district. It attracts tourists from all over the world. Majuli is also a strong contender for a place in the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. The main festival is ‘Raas,’ a religious festival associated with Sri Krishna Bhagwan. Also, the island is famous for Satras (holy place), the most significant part of Neo-Vaishnavism culture. Each Satra consists of a large prayer hall facing a shrine, surrounded by dormitories. Many Assamese people are followers of Neo-Vaishnavism. It is pertinent to mention that Saint Srimanta Sankardev, a divine personality whose contributions and works are still shining in Assam, established 64 Satras on Majuli island. Due to erosion, only 31 Satras exist presently. Each Satra has its own cultural significance and tries to preserve unique artistic attributes in music, literature, dance, drama, etc.
In this article, a case of one Satra, viz., Auniati Satra, which is located in Majuli and established in 1653, is presented. It is believed that Ahom King Jayadhwaj Singha established this Satra. The deity of this Satra is Bhagawan Govinda Mahaprabhu. In this Satra, there are a few rooms viz., Namghar (for chanting Bhagawan’s name), the residence of Satradhikari (Head of the Satra known as Gurugriha), and rooms for other disciples. One beautiful museum is located on the premises of Satra. By visiting this, many things can be learned.
The author visited this Satra on December 12, 2023, and interacted with the devotees (Bhakats and Pujaris). While discussing with Jayanta Madhav Saikia, the author learned that the Satra was spread over an area of 184 acres. Around 300 devotees known as ‘Udakhin Vaishnav’ stay in different rooms on campus. They all are bachelors, do not marry, and are purely vegetarian. They themselves cook, or a person cooks for others. No woman can be ‘Udakhin Vaishnav’. About the age of ‘Udakhin Vaishnav,’ in the Satra, I was told that a kid of four years was the youngest, and the maximum was 90 years old. Across Assam, around 10 lakh disciples are members under the banner of this Satra. Also, there are 14 branches of this Satra. Further, the Satradhikari (head of the Monastery) established Namghar, i.e., Prayer Halls in Dubai and the USA. It is pertinent to mention that Namghar is literally a simple structure where the devotees recite the name of God ( mainly Sri Krishna’s name). Namghars were introduced in Assam by Srimanta Saint Sankardev (1449-1568). The author also interacted with the Pujari (priest) Bolin Sarma, who, at the age of five years, joined the Satra and is now 50 years of age and still associated with the Satra. At that time, he was performing Puja, so-called Pujari. He also informed that man Pujari (head priest) was 71 years old and joined at the age of 10 years in the Satra. Lastly, I wish to mention that the Head of the Satra, known as Satradhikari Dr. Pitambar Deva Goswami, although he was not available later on over cell phone, informed me that he completed his Ph.D. on ‘Satria festival’ and at the age of 10 years, he joined in the Satra. For the last 55 years, i.e., now 65 years, he has been in the Satra.
I was very excited to visit such a holy place and fascinated to know about ‘Udakhin Vaishnav,’ who, for the welfare of society, fully sacrificed their lives. They are purely vegetarian, in the true sense of bachelor, and eat self-cook food or cooked by their fellows.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

References

Barua, U., Hore, D. K., & Sarma, R. (2007). Wild edible plants of Majuli island and Darrang districts of Assam.

Roy, N., Pandey, B. W., & Rani, U. (2020). Protecting the vanishing geo-cultural heritage of India: Case study of Majuli Island in Assam. International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 8(1), 18-30.

Sarma, J. N., & Phukan, M. K. (2004). Origin and some geomorphological changes of Majuli Island of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India. Geomorphology, 60(1-2), 1-19.

Sarma, A. (2014). Landscape degradation of river island Majuli, Assam (India) due to flood and erosion by river Brahmaputra and its restoration. J Med Bioeng, 3(4).

On December 6, 1956, India lost a great soul and a legendary figure who passed away at his home in Delhi; he was none other than Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar), popularly known as Babasaheb/Ambedkar-Saheb. Dr. Babasaheb was born on April 14, 1891, at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh. Now, Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a cantonment. I had the opportunity to visit his birthplace for academic purposes.
From time to time, many genius people were born in India and all were not born with a silver spoon as many had to struggle in their lives owing to economic, social, and other issues. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was one such person who had to fight in his life because of social stigma (caste issue), not economic. With his knowledge, wisdom, and humanitarian feelings, he had proved by caste that one cannot be great and one can be great only by deeds.
Anyway, to commemorate Dr Ambedkar’s valuable contribution to society, December 6 is observed as Mahaparinirvan Diwas across the country.
Babasaheb was fond of reading books, so he purchased about 2,000 old books in New York, also, at the time of the Second Round Table Conference, he bought many books in London and sent them to India in 32 boxes. He had his own library in his house, and it is believed that he lived, took his meals, and even slept in the library.
Being an eminent economist and endowed with foresight, Dr. Ambedkar Saheb contributed substantially to the formulation of a postwar economic development plan in general and water resources and electric-power development in particular. Another highlighting point is that because of his initiative, the Constitution of India has directed, “no child below the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory, mine or engaged in any hazardous employment”. His views towards family planning and the development of agriculture have great relevance today.
In school days, I read about him feeling bad as he suffered because of caste issues. I read some books and articles about him, and I respect his many sayings. I am presenting here one – “History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.”.
I would like to mention one historical fact for the readers. Both India and Pakistan were created (because of British politics), in the same month, same time only with a day variation, but there was an interesting phenomenon. Dr. Ambedkar was appointed the first Law Minister in the Cabinet of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. What a coincidence, as Pakistan’s first Law and Labour Minister was also from the Scheduled Caste (Hindu) community, Sri Jogendra Nath Mandal, hailing from undivided Bengal. However, both resigned subsequently – Dr. Ambedkar resigned in September 1951 and Jogendra Nath Mandal in October 1950. Sri Mandal later migrated to India, West Bengal.
In 1990, Dr Ambedkar Saheb was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. Although Babasaheb passed away on December 6, 1956, through his activities and contributions, he will be in the hearts of millions of Indians generation after generation.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

India is a country where so much diversity, whether in language, culture, or others, can be found, which in no other country can be found. I was in China by size. China is bigger than India and has a huge population, but the issue is different. China is composed of 56 ethnic groups. Among them, Han Chinese account for 92 percent of the overall Chinese population, and the other 55 comprise the remaining 8 percent. Further, the rulers of China have been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang. Anyway, many people in China appreciated India when I visited there because of our diversity. Furthermore, in India, all the religions can be found, which is also a feather in the cap. Now, I am presenting some facts about the Indian cricket team. India has already reached the One Day International (ODI) World Cup final by defeating New Zealand. It is heartening to mention that the Surya Kiran aerobatic team of the Indian Air Force will perform an air show before the final match on November 19, 2023. Anyway, I am proud of the Indian team members as it depicts mini-India. Of course, from time to time Indian team means mini-India. About the present team, the facts are Rohit Sharma from Mumbai and Shardul Thakur (born in Maharashtra), KL Rahul (born in Bengaluru), Ishan Kishan (born in Patna), Virat Kohli (born in Delhi/New Delhi), Shreyas Iyer (Shreyas Iyer born in Mumbai father Santosh Iyer is Tamilian and his mother Rohini Iyer is a Tuluva. His ancestors were from Kerala). Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are Gujrati, Ravichandran Ashwin is a Tamilian, Kuldeep Yadav and Surya Kumar are from Uttar Pradesh, Jasprit Bumrah (born in a Sikh Punjabi family in Gujarat), Mohammed Siraj from Hyderabad, Mohammed Shami from Uttar Pradesh but plays for West Bengal.
Cricket is now popular across the world, and that is why in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, it will be included as a sports event. After introducing one-day cricket (50 overs) and T20 (20 overs), cricket is popular worldwide. On November 15, 2023, India played against New Zealand’s first semi-final match of the ODI in Mumbai. Virat Kohli scored a record-breaking 50th one-day international (ODI) hundred. Mohammed Shami took seven wickets as India beat New Zealand by 70 runs to reach the Cricket World Cup final. Shreyas Iyer of the Indian team clubbed a rapid 105, and Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand scored 134 runs in 119 balls. Both teams performed well. But the most highlighting point is Mohammed Shami’s bowling. I feel because of his splendid bowling, New Zealand where all out at 327 (48.5 overs) against the Indian score of 397-4 (50 overs). Shami provided India the breakthrough when he claimed two wickets in three deliveries in the 33rd over (his fifth over of the day), giving away only one run.
In the match, the achievement of Shami was 7/57, i.e., he got seven wickets by giving only 57 runs, which was a great achievement. In this regard, I present a few cases where Indian bowlers performed excellently in earlier international matches. Anil Kumble’s performance was 6/12 against West Indies in 1993; Ashish Nehra, in 2003 against England, took six wickets by giving 23 runs. Stuart Binny also achieved laurels when his performance was 6/4 (four runs, six wickets) against Bangladesh in 2014, a low-scoring match as India scored 105 runs in 25.3 overs of ODI. Against this backdrop, Bangladesh’s score was 58. The performance of other Indian bowlers is Kuldeep Yadav’s achievement was 6/25 against England in 2018, Jasprit Bumrah 6/19 against England in 2022, and Mohammed Siraj 6/21 against Sri Lanka in 2023. I have highlighted a few statistics on Indian bowlers, albeit some names may be omitted. The objective is that readers can get an idea. All Indian players have contributed significantly. The Indian Team should reach the zenith this time. I wish all the best to the Indian players.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

In Hyderabad and Secunderabad, there are lakhs of Bengali population. Exact data is not available, but as per Deccan Chronicle, October 12, 2021, over the decades, the number of Durga Puja mandaps has increased to around 60 in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, with about 6.5 lakh Bengalis in the twin cities celebrating the festival. It is noteworthy to mention that as of October 2021, around 6.5 lakh Bengalis were living in the twin cities, so naturally, the number has gone up.
Generally, Durga Puja is celebrated for four days- Maha Saptami, Maha Astami, Maha Navami, and Vijayadashami (immersion of Devi idols). Sometimes, one day before the celebration started, which is known as Maha Shasthi. In this article, four Durga Puja celebrations that I enjoyed in 2023 are presented. Of these, one was the Golden Jubilee celebration, and the other three were comparatively nascent.
1) Bengalee Cultural Association, Masab Tank, Hyderabad, started its Puja with some residents in 1947. Over the period, the Durga Puja celebration has become popular among the Bengalis and other communities such as Telugu, Hindi-speaking people, and others. In 2023, the Durga Puja committee members celebrated 50 years, i.e. Golden Jubilee. Since I have been in Hyderabad for the last three decades, I have been going with my family members for at least one day and offering Pushpanjali (Prayer with flowers)and sweets from my side. As usual, this year, 2023, I also visited with my family members and learned that members have increased to more than 1000. And over a period of time, its budget has also increased. This year’s budget was hovering around Rs. 35 lakh. The celebration started on October 20, Friday (Maha Sasthi Day), and with the Vijayadashami, i.e., Devi immersion/Visarjan, on October 24, the celebration was completed. Among the Committee Members – President Sri M.K. Mitra, Vice President Smt. Anita Das Gupta, the General Secretary Sri Ranjit Paul, and other members informed that Bhog as Prosadam (different rice items, vegetable curry, sweets, etc.) were served on October 21, 22, 23, and 24.
Every day, thousands of people joined the Bhog Prosadam, i.e., lunch, and each day, different rice-based preparations (such as Kichri, Polao/Fried rice, general rice, etc.) were prepared, in addition to vegetable curry and sweets, etc. Also, on a rent basis, there were some food stalls. In addition, there were cultural programmes from October 20 to October 23, 2023.
2) Uttaran Bangiya Samiti, Narsingi, Hyderabad, is a relatively new celebration of Durga Puja as it was started in the year 2018. By interacting with General Secretary Dr Chiranjit Ghosh on October 22, 2023, a young person of around 37 years old informed that around 600 families were associated with the puja committee. Based on their donation and some sponsors, their budget was around Rs 25 lakh. They also offer Bhog to all visitors from October 21 to 24. On different days, different rice items were served along with vegetable curry, dal sweets, etc. And evening cultural programmes were organised, including singing, dancing, drama, etc. The local people performed all these. He further informed that 16 stalls in the premises on a rent basis were allowed. These stalls were food plus non-food items. All the members, with hope, hype, and hoopla, supported it to make it a grand success. The President, Vice-president, Treasurer, and Joint Secretary of the committee were Sri Santanu Ghosal, Sri Somnath Pal, Smt Kasturi Pal, and Sri Saikat Karmakar, respectively. According to General Secretary Dr Chiranjit Ghosh, all these people and all other members dedicatedly and sincerely worked.
Since there were 16 stalls, to get an idea about the economic importance of earning income, I contacted one business family. Sri Argya Kumar Sanyal, with his wife and one young relative, set up a food stall where tea and different veg and non-veg snacks were available. I interviewed him on October 22, and he informed that for four days, he had to pay a sum of Rs. 14,000 as rent. According to him, he expected a profit of around Rs. 15,000 after incurring all expenditures. In this context, he further informed that he and his relatives managed the business, so there was no cost for incurring wages.
3) Attapur Bengali Association, Attapur, Hyderabad, was a nascent Durga Puja, as 45 families staying near the area started the celebration in 2018. The President of the Puja Committee, Sri Kuntal Purkait, and the General Secretary, Sri Tuhin Basu, informed that the budget was around Rs. 10 lakh because the members only pay the amount; of course, one organisation of the Government of India, viz National Mineral Development Corporation, NMDC, Hyderabad contributed some amount. And 18 food and non-food stalls were set up on the premises, and thus some amount was generated. They further informed that Bhog Prosadam as rice items were offered to all on October 21, 22, 23, and 24. And all three days there were cultural programmes. According to both of them, all the members sincerely and dedicatedly worked to make the celebration a great success.
4) This celebration is from Suncity Durga Puja, Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad; around 100 families of Bandlaguda Jagir (Suncity), Hyderabad, established “Udjapan Sanskritik Samiti” and for the first time organised Durga Puja celebration with lots of enthusiasm vis-à-vis organised cultural events and Bhog Prosadam as mentioned already in other cases at K.K. Garden, Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad. The President of the Samiti, Sri Nilay Kumar Mondal, the General Secretary, Sri Mridul Chakraborty, Treasurer Sri Arnab Saha, and other members were excited as the celebration was completed with full gaiety. On October 23 in the evening, during cultural programmes, Smt. Chandana Khan, I.A.S. (1979 Batch IAS of Andhra Pradesh cadre, retired in the rank of Chef Secretary ) graced the occasion as Chief Guest. She congratulated the organisers for meticulously organising the Durga Puja celebration for the first time. And wished with the pace of time, the same would be a popular celebration in the area and its vicinity. Smt. Chandana Khan also distributed the prizes who participated in different competitions.
Here, out of many stalls, I interacted with Syed Ashraf, who was the owner of a portal great.indian.wedding event management company. He set up a stall, and many non-neg and veg items were available. He informed (23/10/23) that after the completion of the celebration, he expected profit from this place. Although, such a stall was his first experience.
By visiting the four Durga Puja celebrations on different days, I observed that there were a few things in common. These inter alia were offering Bhog Prasadam in the form of different rice items, etc., (as mentioned already), then sharing with all the people within stipulated lunch time were common. Different competitions, such as quizzes, dances, dramas, recitations, blowing of shanks, etc, were also noteworthy. All the children, ladies, gents, and others, irrespective of age, enthusiastically participated. Another important feature was that for beating drums in Bengali, known as Dhak, two persons (in noun known as Dhaki) were brought, and all were from West Bengal. Another splendid performance was Aarati (priest dance with incense, a substance slowly burns for its sweet smell). And almost all places of Durga Puja, stalls were set up for food and non-food items. It is heartening that a few Muslim people also set up their stalls in some puja premises. This is a great phenomenon that I observe every year as I have been in Hyderabad last three decades.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Smt. Chandana Khan, I.A.S. (R) at Suncity Durga Puja, Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad, with the author Shankar Chatterjee and President Sri Nilay Kumar Mondal.

By: Shankar Chatterjee | Publication date: Oct. 30, 2023 | Source: Track2Training

India is a country with a rich cultural heritage. Since Indian civilisation is an ancient one, many old temples of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain, Churches, Mosques, and Dargahs, Gurudwaras can be found here. From UNESCO’s World Heritage List, I am presenting the items for the benefit of readers – 1) Agra Fort 2)Ajanta Caves 3)Ellora Caves 4)Taj Mahale 5)Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram 6)Sun Temple, Konârak 7)Kaziranga National Park 8)Keoladeo National Park 9)Manas Wildlife Sanctuary 10)Churches and Convents of Goa 11)Fatehpur Sikri 12) Group of Monuments at Hampi 13)Khajuraho Group of Monuments 14)Elephanta Caves 15)Great Living Chola Temples 16) 13 Group of Monuments at Pattadakal 17)Sundarbans National Park 18) Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks 19) Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi 20) Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi 21)Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi 22) Mountain Railways of India 23) Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya 24) Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka 25) Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park 26)Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) 27) Red Fort Complex 28) The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur 29) Western Ghats 30)Hill Forts of Rajasthan 31)Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area 32)Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat, 33)Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar 34)Khangchendzonga National Park 35) The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement 36) Historic City of Ahmadabad 37) Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai 38)Jaipur City, Rajasthan 39)Dholavira: a Harappan City 40) Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana 41)Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas 42)Santiniketan.
In addition to the above, many places across the country have historical importance. In this section, I am presenting the case of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple of Nellore. This Temple was built in the 7th century by the Pallava Kings. It is believed that King Raja Mahendra Varma later shaped the Temple in the 12th century. Anyway, the Temple is situated on the bank of the river Penna. A huge tower called Gaaligopuram, which means “wind tower,” is just before the primary door to the temple. I visited in the first week of October 2023 and was mesmerized to watch the Temple, both sanctum sanctorum and outside and its vicinity. Everywhere, I observed neat and clean and disciplined vis-a-vis the meticulous way activities were performed. Since I visited in the late evening delighted to get Pongal as Prosadam. Without hesitation, I wish to mention that Pongal was very tasty and warm. Although I tasted Pongal in many places across India, particularly in South India but taste of Pongal at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple I will remember till my death. Undoubtedly, the Prosadam had the blessings of Bhagawan. For the benefit of readers, I wish to mention that Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is devoted to Bhagawan Ranganatha, which is Bhagawan Vishnu’s sleeping mood. This temple is one of the oldest in Nellore, also called the Talpagiri Ranganathaswamy Temple or the Ranganayakaswamy Temple. It is noteworthy to mention that on the sanctum sanctorum walls are displayed Sri Vishnu Sahasranamavali, that is, 1,000 distinct names of Bhagawan Vishnu. The Ranganayaka Swamy Temple also has a mirror house that is the devotees‘ main attraction.
I suggest my Indian friends, if not visited Nellore, please plan your visit as some temples, one famous Dargah, and a few attractive churches are located in the historical district of Nellore. Also, beaches, particularly Mypadu Beach, mesmerized me because of neat and clean and less crowded. As usual, hot fish fries were also available so fish-eaters could enjoy sumptuous fish fry.
Before conclusion, I wish to mention that the local people are cordial, helpful and amicable towards guests. My only suggestion is that April, May and June months are better to avoid as in these months the temperature is very hot and humid.

(The author expresses his gratitude to Dr. Kalidasu Purushotham Garu, Retired Principal of Sarvodaya College, Nellore, for his excellent cooperation in visiting the places and explaining the background.)
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar is a great name in India and Bangladesh for his immense contribution to the development of Bengali literature and women’s empowerment; the people of this region will remember generation to generation. On September 26, 1820, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay/ at present many persons with the same surname write Banerjee instead of Bandyopadhyay) was born in the Bengal, present West Bengal. Because of his vast knowledge later on in his life, he is known as Vidyasagar means knowledge of the ocean. He was also known as ‘Dayar Sagar’ or ‘Karunar Sagar’ (ocean of kindness) because of his generosity. His enormous contribution to the development of society is gratefully remembered by all, not only in India but also in Bangladesh.
He reconstructed the Bengali alphabet and simplified Bengali typography into alphabets.
He was a social reformer who advocated widow remarriage and worked against polygamy. Because of his initiative, the Widow Remarriage Act was passed in 1856, making widow marriage legal.
Vidyasagar worked endlessly to provide equal education to all men and women irrespective of caste and religion. He was a protagonist of women’s education. According to him, with education, only women can live in society with dignity and respect. He lobbied hard for girls’ schools, and for this, he went door to door requesting heads of families to allow their daughters to be admitted to the schools. It is believed that he could open 35 schools for girls throughout united Bengal, where around 1300 students were enrolled. It is pertinent to mention that because of his arduous labour and support received from John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune, the first girls’ school in India, the Bethune School was established on May 7, 1849, in Calcutta.
He worked as a Sanskrit professor in Sanskrit College, Calcutta. While he was the principal of the college, he undertook some reforms, and one of them was the admission of students belonging to marginalized groups (present SC/ST), as earlier, they were not allowed admission. Further, as a Professor at Sanskrit College, he successfully included English and Bengali as learning mediums in addition to Sanskrit. He introduced courses in European History, Philosophy, and Science along with Vedic scriptures. During his lifetime, Vidyasagar wrote many books and thus enriched the education system.
In present days, he is remembered in many ways, inter alia of which are:
a) Vidyasagar Setu, which connects Howrah and Kolkata, is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal.
b) A fair/mela named Vidyasagar Mela (dedicated to spreading education and increasing social awareness) has been held annually in West Bengal since 1994.
c) Vidyasagar College in Kolkata is named after him, as well as Vidyasagar University in Paschim Midnapore, West Bengal.
d) The West Bengal Government has established a stadium named after him at Barasat, North 24 Parganas district.
f) For his immense and selfless service to the marginalized people of Bihar, a railway station has been named Vidyasagar Station in the Jamtara district of Jharkhand.
g) Indian Post and Telegraph issued a stamp in his commemoration in 1970 on his 150th birth anniversary.
When I visited Bangladesh, I was joyous to observe his popularity among the people of Bangladesh.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

After a 40-day journey starting from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission landed successfully on the Moon at 6.04 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday). Naturally, ISRO scientists and others are joyous, as are all the Indians. I am fascinated to see the line on the ISRO website isro.gov.in/Chandrayaan3
‘I reached my destination, and you too!’: Chandrayaan-3; Chandrayaan-3 has successfully soft-landed on the moon. Congratulations, India! A few points from the website are presented here for the benefit of readers.
a) “The Lander Module is in 25 km x 134 km orbit. Powered descent is expected to commence on August 23, 2023, around 1745 hours of Indian Standard Time (IST).
b) The Lander Module is in 113 km x 157 km orbit around the moon. The second de-boosting is planned for August 20, 2023
c) The Lander Module is successfully separated from the Propulsion Module. Deboosting is planned for August 18, 2023.
d) The spacecraft is in an orbit of 153 km x 163 km after the firing on August 16, 2023
e) The mission is in the orbit circularisation phase. The spacecraft is in 151 km x 179 km orbit (as of August 14, 2023)
f) Chandrayaan-3 is successfully inserted into the lunar orbit. The orbit achieved is 164 km x 18074 km, as intended” (as of August 5, 2023)”
It is pertinent to mention that as per the website, “LVM3 M4 vehicle successfully launched Chandrayaan-3 into orbit. Chandrayaan-3, in its precise orbit, has begun its journey to the Moon. Health of the Spacecraft is normal”.
With the mission, India has joined a small and exclusive club of countries that have managed to soft land on the Moon after the US, Russia, and China. For the successful landing on the Moon, many foreign newspapers /agencies felt happy. According to Reuters (online), “An Indian spacecraft landed on the rugged, unexplored south pole of the moon on Wednesday in a mission seen as crucial to lunar exploration and India’s standing as a space power, just days after a similar Russian lander crashed”. Dawn of Pakistan has written, “India on Wednesday became the first nation to land a craft near the Moon’s south pole, a historic triumph for the world’s most populous nation and its ambitious, cut-price space programme”. Arab News has mentioned, “this was India’s second attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon and comes less than a week after Russia’s Luna-25 mission failed”. Another newspaper Aljazeera has highlighted, “India successfully lands spacecraft near the moon’s south pole, making it the first country to do so”. Also, it observed in the online newspaper that “Indian PM Modi says mission’s success belongs to all of humanity.”
Before conclusion, I wish to mention that ISRO was previously known as the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), set up by the Government of India in 1962, as envisioned by Dr. VikramA Sarabhai. ISRO was formed on August 15, 1969, and superseded INCOSPAR with an expanded role to harness space technology. The Government of India constituted the Space Commission and established the Department of Space (DoS) in 1972 and brought ISRO under DoS management on June 1, 1972.

Prof. Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Jadavpur University is a state University located in Jadavpur, Kolkata. It was established in 1905 as Bengal Technical Institute and was converted into Jadavpur University in 1955. In 2023, it was ranked fourth among universities in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). It also achieved 10th rank in the engineering category and 13th overall in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023 (wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadavpur_University). In 1910, the Society for the Promotion of Technical Education in Bengal, which looked after Bengal Technical Institute (which later became the College of Engineering and Technology, Bengal), was amalgamated with NCE. NCE henceforth looked after the College of Engineering and Technology, Bengal. After Independence, on December 24, 1955, Jadavpur University was officially established by the Government of West Bengal with the concurrence of the Government of India. It is pertinent to mention that as per University Grants Commission (UGC), as on March 31, 2023, there is a total of 1078 universities, including 54 Central Universities, 464 State Public Universities,128 Deemed Universities, and 432 State Private Universities. Also, there are some fake universities, list of fake universities can be seen on the UGC website (sarkarilist.in/ugc-approved-university).

I am shocked to read in print media and watched in electronic media about the death of a bright student Swapnodeep Kundu because of ragging at Jadavpur University. Swapnodeep Kundu, an 18-year-old admitted youth, was admitted to the university to study Honours in Bengali as an undergraduate student. He died after falling from the balcony of Jadavpur University’s main hostel within a few days after admitting. As a senior citizen (nearly 67 years old), I could not control my emotion as Kundu’s death is horrific. I wish to mention that before the partition of India, United Bengal was, in all respects, an iconic State in United India. Unfortunately, after the partition of India, West Bengal was created, where lakhs of refugees migrated mainly for fear of life from then East Pakistan. Anyway, development scaled down in the present days of West Bengal. Under the leadership of Dr. B.C. Roy (Chief Minster of West Bengal), many development works took place in the State, but during Communists’ rule, strikes, lockouts, etc., ruined the work culture. I feel West Bengal has been losing its glory as many residents of West Bengal have been coming to the Southern part of India for treatment, and many children/youths have been joining for higher education. Now both rigging and ragging are the news in the State of so-called ‘Bhadralooks’ (gentlemen). Anyway, the death of Swapnodeep Kundu because of ragging is highly deplorable, horrific news, and a devil’s act as it happened in a so-called rank-holding university. I have come to know some youths/devils were arrested, but my hunch is what the top officials of the Jadavpur University were doing when ragging-type cruelty took place. Moreover, as per the Calcutta News TV channel, dated August 13, 2023, on the campus of Jadavpur University near the hostel, alcohol bottles, condoms, etc, were found. Since on TV, I saw; otherwise, I would not have believed it. This is very shuddering news.

 I appeal to political leaders of West Bengal, bureaucrats, members of civil societies, NGOs, and common people of the State (irrespective of caste, creed, and religion); please raise all of your voices against ragging and also unlawful activities which have been happening in the hostel of the university. No powerful persons escape from the law if anyone directly or indirectly is involved. Also, I suggest CCTV cameras must be installed to expose the unpleasant activities of the students and others. Everybody’s child is favourite and dear to the parent. I wish to mention some of the ruling party leaders of the State always blame the Union Government and thus divert attention, so it should not happen here.

–Shankar Chatterjee

Vidyasagar University, located in the Midnapore district of West Bengal named after the most illustrious son of Bengal as well as one of the doyens of the Indian Renaissance, Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. It was established that is, the classes started in 1986, The University is now in the news because of caste issues. The Deputy Registrar of Vidyasagar University has accused the Registrar of the University of caste discrimination against him. The Deputy Registrar filed a police complaint also, and he even approached the High Court. The Deputy Registrar complained of constant mental torture, starting from caste insults day after day by the Registrar. According to the Deputy Registrar, even he had to take sleeping pills for his sleep which is very unfortunate. This matter is in the court, so the court verdict will reflect the truth. My hunch is that Deputy Registrar (SC), who himself is a highly qualified person why, made the allegation (police complaint and filed a case in the High Court) against the Registrar. Probably, he was insulted by the Registrar. By reading different print media and observing electronic media about the news, I am very shocked and condemn such incidents. I feel a person cannot be abused in the name of caste or religion, or qualification or for any issue. ‘Humanity is the only Caste’. It is pertinent to mention that United Bengal once upon a time was great news as many stalwarts, whether in the field of literature, spirituality, sports, independence movement, etc, were born. Even many social activists and social reformers came from the United Bengal. But after the partition in 1947, West Bengal was created, and the State faced many problems, particularly lakhs of refugees came in the State. Anyway, I feel after the Communist rule, the deterioration of the State started because in the name of the labour movement for their so-called ‘rights’, many factories, business establishments, industries, etc., were closed down or became sick. As a result, at the cost of West Bengal, many other states of India developed, but ‘bhadralooks’ (meaning gentlemen) were silent. For them, as if nothing happened. Anyway, presently, Indians observed in the name of elections in West Bengal (Assembly and Panchayati elections) widespread violence, murder, arson, damage to properties, etc., took place. Even ballot boxes were found in the ponds. Unfortunately, West Bengal rulers ignored all these and diverted attention, blaming the Centre by citing examples from other states. Now the caste-related incident has upset me to a great extent as I never thought that in a culturally developed State like West Bengal, there will be discrimination in the name of caste. According to the Deputy Registrar, his senior, i.e., Registrar, used to give him non-academic activities such as supervising sweepers, etc.  We all know long ago, there were caste issues in United Bengal (domination of Brahminism), and to neutralize the issue, Brahmo Samaj was promoted by leading personalities such as Raja Rammohan Roy, Devendra Nath Tagore father of Rabindranath Tagore, and many others. Now in July 2023, discrimination in the name of caste that too in West Bengal is news.  I feel it should not happen in West Bengal when the people claim ‘they are Bhadralooks’ (Gentlemen). The political leaders of the state should not compare West Bengal with other states, whether ‘BIMARU’ or ‘non-BIMARU’.  

References

Blunt, E. (2010). The caste system of northern India. Gyan Publishing House.

Hoff, K. (2016). Caste system. World Bank policy research working paper, (7929).

Sharma SN, editor. New perspectives in sociology and allied fields. EduPedia Publications (P) Ltd; 2016 Jun 3.

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The recently held Panchayat election in West Bengal has not only pained me but is painful to the rational citizens of the country. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhiji, felt that Panchayat should be a neutral body. In fact, he didn’t desire an election also. But for a simple local-level election, more than 50 people died, many were injured, and many houses and vehicles were damaged. The candidates were assaulted. Indians know the misuse of ballot boxes and ballot papers in the election. After all the awful incidents, a ruling party leader openly criticized the judiciary of the State because he probably felt that the ‘judiciary is not favouring the ruling party’. I request the intellectuals of the State, members of civil societies, NGOs, and other rational people of West Bengal, please look at recent assembly elections held in other States where violence virtually did not take place, no death took place, and, e.g., Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are examples. I had the opportunity to visit across the State and interacted with many irrespective of castes, creeds, religions, educational qualifications, etc., and observed many were scared to talk about the present administration. Anyway, it has to be agreed that once upon a time State produced many stalwarts in different fields, but now the worst type of violence in elections, corruption by some ruling party leaders, loose talk by leaders, etc., have scaled down the image of the State. It is pertinent to mention that “Filmmaker-activist Aparna Sen has written an open letter to Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of the State, holding her and her government responsible for the violence in the panchayat polls that claimed 52 lives. Multiple sources have estimated the rural poll toll to be over 60”. Further, addressing Mamata Banerjee, Aparna Sen read: “You are the chief minister and home minister of West Bengal. Without overseeing the constitutional responsibility of the election commission, one can definitely say that the panchayat poll-cantered killings and anarchy were primarily the responsibility of the West Bengal government and you. You cannot deny this responsibility as the home minister of West Bengal” (The Telegraph online, Aparna Sen points finger at CM Mamata Banerjee over Bengal panchayat poll violence, July 21. 2023). My hunch is that if the madam of WB or anyone from her party gets the PM post, then Indians will awfully suffer as the present ruling party of the State cannot control a local-level election; then how India type of incredible country can be controlled? Because we all in school days read ‘Morning shows the day’.

 Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, popularly known as Dr. B. C. Roy was a renowned physician who later joined politics and became the second Chief Minister of West Bengal in 1948. For his contribution in various fields including the country’s medical development, Bidhan Chandra Roy was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1961 also as a recognition of his enormous medical service rendered to all echelons of the society, National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 (his birthday) across India. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy according to me was not a great physician but the best Chef Minster of West Bengal to date. 

Dr. Roy was born on July 1, 1882, in Patna and died on the same date (July 1) in 1962 in Calcutta/Kolkata after treating some patients in the morning hours without any suffering. This simply indicates he was endowed with a pure soul. It has to be admitted that medical doctors play a significant role in our lives because my father was MBBS and observed his relentless service for others’ suffering periods.
Dr. B.C. Roy led the Civil Disobedience Movement in Bengal. He was elected as Mayor of Calcutta Corporation. Roy did his Intermediate in Arts (I.A.) from Presidency College, Calcutta, and B.A. from Patna College with honours in mathematics. Prior to that, he passed the Matric (now known as High School) examination from Patna Collegiate School in 1897. Bidhan Chandra after completing his college education applied for admission to the Bengal Engineering College and the Calcutta Medical College albeit he was selected for both institutions but preferred to go in the medical line. Anyway, while Dr. B.C. Roy was the Chief Minister of West Bengal lots of industrial development took place in the state. I personally feel he is the best Chief Minster among the CMs of West Bengal as during communist rule strikes, lockouts, etc., were regular features. Also, the former Communist’s Chief Minister’s son is now a great business personality and settled abroad. Further, the massacre in Marichjhanpi, which took place under Communist rule in West Bengal between January 26 and May 16, 1979, was simply inhuman activity. And in the present times, scams, corruption, election violence, etc., in West Bengal reached the zenith.
Anyway, Dr. Roy took the initiative to establish the Indian Medical Association in 1928 and the Medical Council of India. He also played a crucial role in establishing the Indian Institute of Mental Health, the Infectious Disease Hospital, and even Calcutta’s first-ever postgraduate medical college.
Further, because of his initiative, some leading medical institutions in then Calcutta/now Kolkata were set up such as the Jadavpur T.B. Hospital, Chittaranjan Seva Sadan, Kamala Nehru Hospital, Chittaranjan Cancer Hospital etc. As Chief Minister of West Bengal, he laid the foundation of five eminent cities, namely, Durgapur, Kalyani, Bidhannagar, Ashoknagar, and Habra in West Bengal. His broadness of mind may be observed when he gifted his house to the people of West Bengal in 1961. He had also constituted a trust for his properties at Patna to carry out social service, with eminent nationalist Ganga Sharan Singh.
On the occasion of his birthday my respectful salute to this great soul.

Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Located atop the Nilachal hills in Guwahati Maa Kamakhya temple is famous for the Hindus. The pristine beauty of Guwahati city and its vicinity and other places including the mighty Brahmaputra can be seen from the hills. Anyone can visit the Nilachal hills to observe the beauty of Guwahati city. Anyway, the temple is an auspicious place for the Hindus as out of 51 Shakti Peethas this is one. I feel, almost all readers know about the mythological facts of 51 Shakti Peethas. In the Maa Kamakhya temple, Ambubachi mela is held every year in June and devotees not only from India but also from many countries visit during this time. It is the celebration of the yearly menstruation of Maa Kamakhya as it is believed that the private part (yoni/ genital part) of Maa was fallen there. During Ambubachi time, the doors of the temple are closed and no one can visit the inside of the temple. In this year, 2023, as per the tithi i.e. timings, the doors were closed at 2.30 AM on June 22-23 (Thursday midnight and wee hours of Friday) and entries of the temple will reopen on Monday morning (June 26, 2023). The place where the private part was fallen during the menstruation period is covered with a huge red cloth which is known as ‘Rakta Bastra’. And the devotees after completion of Ambubachi, collect a little piece of ‘Rakta Bastra’ which is considered very sacred for the Hindus. Some keep in the puja room in a small container, some keep their body in a small metallic container which is known as ‘Maduli’ etc. Anyway, devotees, irrespective of age, gender, or caste, can attend the mela, for seeking blessings from Maa Kamakhya. It is pertinent to mention that in 2019 around 25 lakh devotees visited the mela the largest in history.
I had the opportunity to visit Ambubachi mela on a few occasions at night time and observed hundreds of saints and sadhus from different parts of India including Nepal and other places attended. All were involved in spiritual activities.

The recent World Bank Group Report (Making Cities Green, Resilient, and Inclusive in a Changing Climate, 2023) reveals that climate change is exposing cities to increasingly frequent extreme weather events. From the 1970s to the period 2010–20, the frequency of extreme heat and dry events increased across cities globally, and the frequency of extreme wet events has increased since the 1990s. Global sea-level rise of about 0.125 millimeters per year is also increasing the risk of flooding for coastal cities. Also, it is evident from the Report that cities in high- and upper-middle-income countries are major contributors to climate change, whereas the contribution of cities in lower-income countries is modest. Globally, about 70 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the bulk of which are fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, emanate from cities. Cities in lower-income countries, however, accounted for only about 14 percent of all global urban CO2 emissions in 2015, and cities in low-income cities contributed less than 0.20 percent. The mitigation challenge for cities in lower-income countries is to develop without following the historic CO2 emissions trajectories of cities in higher-income countries. Anyway, to control CO2 emissions one of the alternatives is the plantation of saplings in the house or its vicinity if vacant land is available. And one innovative idea as observed by the author was the distribution of saplings to the guests as a gift on the occasion of a senior citizen’s Golden Jubilee Wedding anniversary and at the same time his grandson’s birthday who completed 12 years of age. The case is from Libdom Villa (Raj Reddy Valley), Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad, a gated community which is spread over to an area of 17 acres of land having all facilities – indoor and outdoor games, gym, park, swimming pool, function hall, etc. Altogether 190 families ( a few might be unoccupied) live in this gated community consisting of different religions, castes, and languages (people of different States), representing a mini India in the true sense and residents celebrate all festivals amicably.
A resident of the villa (75 Years old), who stays with his wife, son (41 years, software engineer and owner of the villa) daughter-in-law also a software engineer) and grandson (12 years), had initiated a good idea that others can emulate in other gated communities or houses if they have little land.
K. Veerabrahmam (75 years old), a retired administrative officer from Government Arts and PG College, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh is a permanent resident of the villa staying along with other family members, as mentioned already. In the last part of May 2023, he celebrated his 50 years of wedding anniversary, golden jubilee. Also, his grandson who completed 12 years of age almost the same period organized a dinner party in the campus itself on 24 May 2023. Many dishes – both vegetarian and non-vegetarian – were served. As a part of the event, each guest was presented with a sapling. Around 55 saplings were brought from the local nursery and given to all guests in beautiful cotton bags. Such an innovative idea to regenerate nature can be emulated by others who live in gated communities etc. Instead of giving different types of gifts, giving saplings in the present context is the best gift.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Guwahati earlier spelled as Gauhati is one of the popular cities of India located in the beautiful part of North-East India. The mighty perennial river the Brahmaputra has passed from the iconic City. In addition, the Nilachal Hill, the Basishtha Ashram, Umananda, etc. portray the pristine beauty of the place. The famous Maa Kamakhya temple located on the top of Nilachal Hill is not only a spiritual place but a scenic place to visit. Further, in the city and its vicinity many temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras, and Jain temples are located which bear testimony to the historical importance of the city.
The prestigious Cotton College (established in 1901) presently Cotton University is one of the most famous educational institutions in the country. Also, two renowned schools along with some others have brought glory to the city. The two schools are – Bengali Boys’ Higher Secondary School and Bengali Girls’ High School. In the month of May 2022, both have been merged into one and rechristened as Bengali Higher Secondary School (BHSS, Co-education). Also, there were two separate primary schools on the campus Boys’ school and Girls’ school separately established many years ago. Anyway, Bengali Boys’ Higher Secondary School was established on April 28, 1936, and on the other hand, Bengali Girls’ High School was set up on March 2, 1954. Both are located in the prime location of Guwahati viz. Paltan Bazar.
It is pertinent to mention that both schools before the merger produced many great personalities and stalwarts in various fields – education. literacy, games, sports, music, and other curricular activities. Dr. Amalendu Guha, an eminent historian, and literature in India was a student at Bengali Boys’ Higher Secondary School. He was admitted in 1936 (first batch). In those days, many of his classmates, later on, were famous in their own fields. A few names may be mentioned here – Hena Ganguly, Gobinda Lal Roy, Kiranmay Lahiri, Nirmal Mukherjee, Gopal Sen, Dhurba Gupta, Pradeep Chandra Pal, Santi Ganguly, Sachindra Mohan Dey Sarkar, and others. In those, the school was under Calcutta University, and in 1948 when the school came under the umbrella of Gauhati University, the student who stood first in the entire Assam was Indrajeet Chatterjee. After that many brilliant students passed out from the school. Some of the names are – Gurudas Chatterjee, Sridhan Roy, Sujit Basu, Ashish Bose, and many others. Also, it is pertinent to mention that in those days the name of the school was Silver Jubilee. Anglo-Bengali High School, because King George V completed his tenure of 25 years reign in England and coincided with the same Silver Jubilee, was prefixed. And after independence, the name of the school was changed to Bengali Boys High School, and later on to Higher Secondary. Anyway, when the Anglo-Bengali school was established two great educationists namely Nalini Bhusan Das Gupta ( a great writer) and Pulin Bihari Ghosh were selected as headmaster and assistant headmaster respectively. Also, the teachers were highly qualified and erudite scholars. In March 1937, Kabindra Nath Das was selected as a headmaster who brilliantly served the school up to 1948. During his tenure Ashwin Chakraborty, Ramesh Chanda Dutta, Santosh Sen Gupta, and Shiba Prasad Ghosh were recruited as teachers who were brilliant teachers and cordial with the students as I had the opportunity to learn from many of them while I was a student of the school from primary to 1973. Kabindra Nath Das in addition to discharging his duty as the headmaster took the initiative to set up a cooperative society under the banner of “Silver Jubilee Anglo Bengali High School Thrift and Credit Society”. Also, he introduced the “Running Cup” in badminton (doubles), and as a cultural activity, drama, and recitation were introduced by him.
It is heartening to mention that many people contributed to the construction of the school buildings. It was estimated that Rs. 17,000.00 would be collected from different sources (1935) but the amount was much higher than the estimate. In this regard, the names of some people may be mentioned as received from different sources who contributed for the development of the school. They are Rai Bahadur Kalicharan Sen, Rai Bahadur Mahendra Mohan Lahiri, Rai Bahadur P.G. Mukherjee, Jogesh Chandra Sen, Upendra Nath Sen, Khan Sahib Eda Khan, and many others. During that period, some professors of Cotton College donated in 12 installments their one month’s salary, Also Jogesh Chandra Sen nephew of Rai Bahadur Kalicharan Sen till his death associated with the school and physically and monetarily helped the development of the school.
Regarding the construction issue of the school (1935-36), a few lines may be mentioned here. The construction of Silver Jubilee Anglo-Bengali High School was given to the contractor Khan Sahib Eda Khan who completed the school within a stipulated time as a sequel school building that could be inaugurated in 1936. It is pertinent to mention that the foundation stone was laid by then Governor Sir Michel Keen in 1935 and later on Mr. Small, Director of Public Instruction (DPI) inaugurated the school. In the first-year total students were 404 – 363 Bengali speaking, 26 Hindi speaking, seven Manipuri, three Nepali, four Punjabi, and one Tamil. Of the total 404 students, 20 were Muslim students also. Anyway, it is evident that not only Bengali-speaking students were admitted but students of other languages got admission to the school in those days.
Also, various sources reveal the fact that from the start of school, many students got first division and the percentage of passed was hovering around 75, which was a great achievement in those days as some other schools in the area could not excel like Anglo Bengali / Bengali High School. And from time-to-time students of Bengali Higher Secondary School did excellent results in the Board examination in different years. But after establishing English medium schools in Guwahati in recent times many guardians prefer to send their children to English medium for different reasons inter alia of which is job prospects so students’ strength came down. For instance, in the year 2016 in the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC exam), the total number of students who appeared was 18, and of them, the first division got three, six were placed in the second division, and eight secured third division.
About the past history of Boys’ School, it may be mentioned that during the 1960s from class VIII (eighth), students were allotted science and arts streams which continued up to 1973, and a pass certificate was given under the umbrella of Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate and after that High School (10th Standard) and +2 i.e., Higher Secondary, two years started which till date is continuing (10 +2 system). On the other hand, Bengali Girls’ High School from its inception continued as a high school (up to 10th standard).
Results of Girls’ High School and Boys’ Higher Secondary School:
For the benefit of the readers, a few statistics about the Girls’ school are presented here. In 2019, only 10 girls’ students appeared in the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination. No one got the first division but nine passed out in the second division and one was placed in the third division with a 100 percent pass. In 2020, like 2019, 10 students appeared – two first division, four-second division, and two third division with 80 percent pass. In 2021, because of COVID-19 based on the test results of the school, all the students passed as per the direction of the State Government. In 2022, only nine students appeared of which five got first division, three – second division, and one third division indicating 100 percent pass. It is pertinent to mention that some students got letter marks and star marks. But the other side of the coin is that 10 -10 students appeared and then nine students appeared mean low in absolute numbers and a matter of concern.
In the case of Boys’ school results are in two parts- one is High School Leaving Certificate Examination (HSLC) and the other one Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination (HSSLC). The High School results of Boys’ School for three years reveal that in 2020, 2021, and 2022, 100 percent of students passed (around 20 students each year appeared). The results of the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate examinations for the year 2020 reveal the fact 37 percent passed in the arts stream – two in the first division, three in the second division, and 18 in the third division. And in the science stream out of a total of nine students, three got first division, and six secured second division. In the year 2021, in the arts stream, 94 percent of students passed – first division three, second division 13, and third division 26. And in the science stream, only two students were there and both got first division. In the year 2022, in the arts stream percentage of pass was 63, first division one, second division seven, and third division nine. Against this backdrop, no students appeared in the science stream. It is evident from the data that number of students was scaling down year by year in both schools.
Present Situation:
It has already been mentioned that both Boys’ and Girls’ schools have been merged in May 2022 and the alumni of both schools have been trying to develop the infrastructure of the school by renovating dilapidated classrooms and already introduced a school bus to bring more students from far-flung areas by hiring a school bus on rent basis at the cost of Rs 55,000.00 per month. On April 10, 2023, the school bus service has been introduced. And also, 16 computers have been purchased for the students for skill development looking at the job market. And an attractive SMART kitchen has been constructed in the school for Mid-day Meal Scheme. Presently (as of May 12, 2023, around 100 alumni both males and females contributed towards the development of the school mainly for infrastructure, etc. Also, a few well-wishers of the school donated to the development of the school.
As of April 2023, there were 48 teachers in the school (presently one school as mentioned already) for 180 students from class 1 to class 12, which is not a good number because in 1936 when the school was established total number of students were 404 but instead of going up strength has come down in spite of merging two schools. Hope after the merger of both boys’ and girls’ schools in May 2022 the situation will greatly improve.

(During the course of writing this article many helped me by providing the necessary information and data. So, I offer my grateful thanks to all of them. Anyway, two names I wish to mention here – Dr. Saibal Sen Gupta (former Principal of Arya Vidyapeeth College, Guwahati, and an alumnus of the Boys’ School) and Mrs. Nazrana Rahman Hazarika (Principal of the present Bengali Higher Secondary School).

Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar) popularly known as Babasaheb was a great personality, an erudite scholar, and a great asset of undivided India. He through his activities has proved that caste cannot be an indicator of greatness but through deeds, one can be great. Some years ago, when I visited his birthplace in a […]

No one is great by Caste but by Deeds: Activities of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (Babasaheb) — Track2Training

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar) popularly known as Babasaheb was a great personality, an erudite scholar, and a great asset of undivided India. He through his activities has proved that caste cannot be an indicator of greatness but through deeds, one can be great. Some years ago, when I visited his birthplace in a seminar (as a resource person) at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, I was joyous and felt lucky to visit such a holy place. Born on April 14, 1891, Dr. Ambedkar has shown the path of Dalits on how to lead a decent life. Interestingly, his date of birth has coincided (sometimes one-day variation) with the new year celebration in Assam, West Bengal including Bangladesh, Punjab, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and many other places.
Hailing from a socially backward class, he has shown everyone, particularly to the lower echelons of society mainly Dalits how to survive with dignity. It may be mentioned that Dalit communities are found not only in India but also in Bangladesh, even among the Muslims of Bangladesh.
Anyway, in his childhood, he never felt the brunt of caste politics or ‘untouchability syndrome’ as he was born in Mhow, Indore present Madhya Pradesh in an army cantonment. In his words “……my father was employed in the Army. He held the rank of Subedar at that time. Since we lived in the cantonment, we had little to do with the world outside the military area. I had no experience of untouchability”. But after his father’s retirement situation totally changed. His father shifted to Satara and he felt the brunt of untouchability as even no barber was prepared to cut his hair as a sequel Dr. Ambedkar’s elder sister used to cut his hair. He had to face many social issues in those days because of caste as he belonged to the Mahar caste.
Being an eminent economist and endowed with foresight, Dr. Ambedkar contributed substantially to the formulation of the post-war economic development plan in general and water resources and electric-power development in particular. A significant contribution of Babasaheb was the establishment of two technical organizations known as the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). He was instrumental in establishing the Bhakra-Nangal dam.
He was also a visionary and understood the importance of agriculture and farming for the sustainable development of the farmers. He advocated for collective farming as well as an uninterrupted supply of water and electricity to the farmers. Further, Balasaheb is known as the ‘Chief Architect of the Constitution of India’ and called as ‘Father of the Indian Constitution’. Because of his initiative, the Constitution of India has directed, “no child below the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory, mine or engaged in any hazardous employment”.
With the end of December month, a year as per the English calendar is complete and New Year starts but with the death of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on December 6, 1956, a new era of our Constitution started. And we the Indians are lucky to have a sound constitution and that is why Indians did not face the brunt of army rule albeit Pakistanis have many times experienced the same although both got independence almost at the same time.
Dr. Ambedkar was in a favour of birth control and was of the opinion that with a huge population, India would face severe problems on many fronts. By quoting him, it may be mentioned that “the educated class has, by this time, fully realized the necessity of birth control”. I offer my Pronam to this great soul on the occasion of his birthday on April 14, 2023.

Love Animals, Discard Cruelty rather extreme Cruelty: Facts from PETA 

Many animals are friends of human beings. Some animals stay in forests but some stay with human beings known as domestic animals. Domestic animals help us in many ways. Anyway, as for food habits, many human beings eat non-vegetarian foods such as eggs, animals’ meat, birds’ flesh, fish, etc. So, food habit is not the question of discussion but cruelty towards animals in many cases extreme cruelty is highly deplorable. And based on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a few facts are being presented.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), founded in 1863, a not-for-profit association representing more than 99,500 veterinarians in the US, “the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviours essential to the health and wellbeing of both. This includes, among other things, emotional, psychological, and physical interactions with people, animals, and the environment. The veterinarian’s role in the human-animal bond is to maximize the potentials of this relationship between people and animals”.
Anyway, as a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), I became very sad and dejected when I see the most awful and cruel videos (also write-up) because of entertainment or for jackets or for other purposes animals are killed or tortured, etc. A few cases from the PETA are presented and full credit goes to PETA.
A) The dogs are collected from different places and kept in a small room, and then a person sends one by one dog from the room with a big stick, another smashes the head of the dog moment it comes out of the room, another person by hanging the dog from a pole cut its body and de-skinned it and thus many dogs are killed for jackets, simply for jackets dogs are killed. If we discard wearing such jackets then to a great extent this issue can be resolved.
B) Because of PETA‘s initiative, “the U.S. Department of Justice has announced the indictments of eight individuals allegedly involved in a monkey-laundering and -smuggling ring that supplied U.S. experimenters with monkeys captured in their forest homes in Cambodia and falsely identified as captive-born”.
D) PETA shared the cruel video about the killing of ducks. These ducks are kept in a small room with little food and litter in the same place. Many ducks become sick and many also die. Anyway, as per the video ‘ducks are stabbed in the neck and their legs cut off for ‘responsible’ down and left to die, unbelievable cruelty.
E) Every year, up to 16 million UK farm animals suffer in cages. Unbearable pain they suffer till their death for which human beings and their greed are responsible.
F) I salute PETA because of PETA’s initiative many dogs were saved. In one experiment, workers used a drill to bore holes into the skulls of 30 beagles so that the distemper virus could be injected directly into their brains. “Some dogs blinked and even whimpered during the painful procedure, and they woke up moaning. In the days that followed, they banged their heads against the walls of the cages, causing blood to spurt from their wounds”. Following PETA’s exposé of the suffering that dogs and cats endured at Liberty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and State officials cited the company for failing to provide some of the approximately 3,000 animals in its “care” with adequate veterinary care. The laboratory was also suspended from experimenting on animals for three months after its renewal application was denied.
G) For making woollen clothes the way rabbits, sheep, goats, etc., are tortured that is a horrible scene. Extreme cruelty can be observed in the videos.
H) Most shocking and cruel ‘also can be said devils activities by some human beings’ are that babies from the cows are taken away within 24 hours of birth and in many cases, male babies are killed within a few hours (by smashing heads with a hammer) so that all the milk can be consumed by the human beings. We should remember that milk is for her babies and babies are killed for human consumption of cow’s milk.
Many many shocking cruel cases are observed as PETA has been exposing the ‘cruelty of so-called civilized human beings’, and shame to such human beings.
Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Many animals are friends of human beings. Some animals stay in forests but some stay with human beings known as domestic animals. Domestic animals help us in many ways. Anyway, as for food habits, many human beings eat non-vegetarian foods such as eggs, animals’ meat, birds’ flesh, fish, etc. So, food habit is not the question of discussion but cruelty towards animals in many cases extreme cruelty is highly deplorable. And based on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a few facts are being presented. 

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), founded in 1863, a not-for-profit association representing more than 99,500 veterinarians in the US, “the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviours essential to the health and wellbeing of both. This includes, among other things, emotional, psychological, and physical interactions with people, animals, and the environment. The veterinarian’s role in the human-animal bond is to maximize the potentials of this relationship between people and animals”. 

Anyway, as a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), I became very sad and dejected when I see the most awful and cruel videos (also write-up) because of entertainment or for jackets or for other purposes animals are killed or tortured, etc. A few cases from the PETA are presented and full credit goes to PETA. 

A) The dogs are collected from different places and kept in a small room, and then a person sends one by one dog from the room with a big stick, another smashes the head of the dog moment it comes out of the room, another person by hanging the dog from a pole cut its body and de-skinned it and thus many dogs are killed for jackets, simply for jackets dogs are killed.  If we discard wearing such jackets then to a great extent this issue can be resolved.  

B) Because of PETA‘s initiative, “the U.S. Department of Justice has announced the indictments of eight individuals allegedly involved in a monkey-laundering and -smuggling ring that supplied U.S. experimenters with monkeys captured in their forest homes in Cambodia and falsely identified as captive-born”.

D) PETA shared the cruel video about the killing of ducks. These ducks are kept in a small room with little food and litter in the same place. Many ducks become sick and many also die. Anyway, as per the video ‘ducks are stabbed in the neck and their legs cut off for ‘responsible’ down and left to die, unbelievable cruelty.

E) Every year, up to 16 million UK farm animals suffer in cages. Unbearable pain they suffer till their death for which human beings and their greed are responsible.

F) I salute PETA because of PETA’s initiative many dogs were saved.  In one experiment, workers used a drill to bore holes into the skulls of 30 beagles so that the distemper virus could be injected directly into their brains. “Some dogs blinked and even whimpered during the painful procedure, and they woke up moaning. In the days that followed, they banged their heads against the walls of the cages, causing blood to spurt from their wounds”. Following PETA’s exposé of the suffering that dogs and cats endured at Liberty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and State officials cited the company for failing to provide some of the approximately 3,000 animals in its “care” with adequate veterinary care. The laboratory was also suspended from experimenting on animals for three months after its renewal application was denied.

G) For making woollen clothes the way rabbits, sheep, goats, etc., are tortured that is a horrible scene. Extreme cruelty can be observed in the videos.

H) Most shocking and cruel ‘also can be said devils activities by some human beings’ are that babies from the cows are taken away within 24 hours of birth and in many cases, male babies are killed within a few hours (by smashing heads with a hammer) so that all the milk can be consumed by the human beings.  We should remember that milk is for her babies and babies are killed for human consumption of cow’s milk.

Many many shocking cruel cases are observed as PETA has been exposing the ‘cruelty of so-called civilized human beings’, and shame to such human beings.

Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

India is celebrating 75 years of independence under the banner of Azadi ki Mohotsav.  We are enjoying ourselves, we are celebrating in a joyous mood but we did not get this Azadi / Independence easily. Many people sacrificed their lives, many were physically tortured and crippled, and also many women were assaulted. There are numerous cases of heinous crimes inflicted upon to Indians by the British Raj.  Indians salute all of them and will continue generations after generations. It is also sad that in the school textbooks a few names and their family members’ names are highlighted as if for their sacrifice we have got independence. Here, I am presenting a case of a great freedom fighter who later on became a spiritual leader but was not widely known to many Indians (my observations). He is Sri Aurobindo earlier known as Aurobindo Ghosh.

Sri Aurobindo, the original name was Aurobindo Ghose, (Aurobindo also spelled Aravinda) was born on 15 August 1872, in Calcutta /Kolkata. “ Although his family was Bengali, his father believed British culture to be superior. He and his two elder siblings were sent to the English-speaking Loreto House boarding school in Darjeeling, in part to improve their language skills. Darjeeling was a center of Anglo-Indians in India and the school was run by Irish nuns” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Aurobindo). Later on, “he was sent to England for further schooling. He entered the University of Cambridge, where he became proficient in two classical and several modern European languages. After returning to India in 1892, he held various administrative and professorial posts in Baroda (Vadodara) and Calcutta (Kolkata).  Turning to his native culture, he began the serious study of Yoga and Indian languages, including classical Sanskrit” (britannica.com/biography/Sri-Aurobindo). After that slowly he became a revolutionary. The Partition of Bengal in 1905 led to a general outburst which helped the rise of the extremist party and the great nationalist movement. The British Government dealt with severe repressive measures against the ‘Swadeshi Agitation’. “In 1908, Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki attempted to kill Magistrate Kingsford, a judge known for handing down severe sentences against nationalists. However, the bomb thrown at his horse carriage missed its target and instead landed in another carriage and killed two British women, the wife, and daughter of barrister Pringle Kennedy. Aurobindo was also arrested for planning and overseeing the attack and imprisoned in solitary confinement in Alipore Jail. The trial of the Alipore Bomb Case lasted for a year, but eventually, he was acquitted on 6 May 1909. His defense counsel was Chittaranjan Das” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Aurobindo). Anyway, the British administration was after him for silly issues they were after him. In view of this, he finally decided to go to Pondicherry, now Puducherry, a French colony (until 1954). In Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo dedicated himself to his spiritual and philosophical activities. During this period, one French lady  Mirra Alfassa popularly known as The Mother greatly supported him.  “When the Sri Aurobindo Ashram was formed in November 1926, Sri Aurobindo entrusted its full material and spiritual charge to the Mother. Under her guidance, which continued for nearly fifty years, the Ashram grew into a large, many-faceted spiritual community” (sriaurobindoashram.org/mother). Before conclusion, a few paragraphs written by Sri Aurobindo himself, in 1934 are presented here.

“All beings are united in that One Self and Spirit but divided by a certain separability of consciousness, an ignorance of their true Self and Reality in the mind, life, and body. It is possible by a certain psychological discipline to remove this veil of separative consciousness and become aware of the true Self, the Divinity within us and all. Evolution is the method by which it liberates itself; consciousness appears in what seems to be inconscient, and once having appeared is self-impelled to grow higher and higher and at the same time to enlarge and develop towards greater and greater perfection. Life is the first step of this release of consciousness; the mind is the second; but the evolution does not finish with the mind, it awaits a release into something greater, a consciousness that is spiritual and supramental. The next step of the evolution must be towards the development of the Supermind and Spirit as the dominant power in the conscious being. Only then will the involved Divinity in things release itself entirely and it become possible for life to manifest perfection” (auroville.org/page/sri-aurobindos-teaching-and-spiritual-method).

On his (Sri Aurobindo) birthday on 15 August 2022, Pronam to yogi, seer, philosopher, poet, and Indian nationalist who propounded a philosophy of divine life on earth through spiritual evolution.

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Shinzo Abe was Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, held office in 2006 for one year and again from 2012 to 2020 when he was forced to step down due to the debilitating bowel condition ulcerative colitis. And unfortunately, on 8 July 2022, he was killed by one person from Japan Tetsuya Yamagami who was previously in the Japanese navy, known as the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF). As a senior citizen, I am surprised about the security system of Japan and its intelligent department. I personally feel both failed because a former Prime Minister was not protected and publicly he was killed. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzo_Abe).

Shinzo Abe was born on 21 September 1954 in Tokyo to a renowned political family with good economic influence throughout pre-war, wartime, and post-war Japan. His family was originally from Yamaguchi Prefecture.

His paternal grandfather Kan Abe was a Yamaguchi landowner who served in the House of Representatives during World War II, while his father Shintaro Abe served in the House of Representatives from 1958 to 1991, with stints as Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minister for International Trade, and Industry, and Minister for Foreign Affairs During World War II.

Abe completed his  public administration and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Seikei University in 1977, Japan. He, later on, moved to the United States and studied public policy at the University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning, and Development (presently  the USC Price School of Public Policy) for three semesters.  In April 1979, Abe started working for Kobe Steel.  He left the company in 1982 and pursued a number of government positions including executive assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, private secretary to the chairperson of the LDP General Council, and private secretary to the LDP secretary-general (wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzo_Abe). Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the chief guest at this year’s Republic Day in 2014. At an Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) lecture in September 2011, Abe said: “a strong India is in the best interest of Japan, and a strong Japan is in the best interest of India.” 

India’s expression of friendship was its gratitude for the Japanese help to the Indian National Army (INA). Japan had released Indian prisoners of war at the request of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to help build the INA which fought alongside the Japanese in Singapore, Burma, and northeast India. The war cemetery in Imphal where Indian and Japanese soldiers were buried together is a testimony to that (mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?22762). 

 India declares a day of state mourning for Shinzo Abe’s death. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, “As a mark of our deepest respect for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, a one-day national mourning shall be observed on 9 July 2022”. The national flag will be at half-mast on all buildings across India for the day of mourning across India, and there will be no official entertainment.

Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu and Union Minister Hardeep Puri have also expressed anguish at the death of Abe and recalled his role to develop a good relationship with India. Our former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Shinzo Abe. Thus, it is evident that political leaders of India irrespective of political parties have liked Abe. 

Although Shinzo Abe was assassinated, Indians will remember him generation after generation. 

I request our Union Government to place a statue of Shinzo Abe in an important place in New Delhi. 

As a senior citizen in recent years, I am coming across new diseases and one such disease recently I have come to know is monkeypox. Taking an interest to know about the disease I have completed recently a certificate course on monkeypox titled,    “Monkeypox: Introductory course for African outbreak contexts” under World Health Organisation (WHO). Based on my learning and information collected from the website (www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox) I am presenting a few facts about monkeypox so that readers can get an idea in this regard. That is the article is based on secondary sources.

  Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an orthopoxvirus that causes human monkeypox (MPX), a viral disease with symptoms in humans similar to smallpox, including fever and rash. Although in the world smallpox was eradicated in 1980, monkeypox emerged as the most significant orthodox virus disease in humans. It has been observed that cases that occur sporadically are from rural areas of Central and West African countries, close to tropical rainforests, and has been increasingly appearing in urban areas. In regions, there is frequent human contact with infected animals. Humans can also acquire the disease through direct contact with cases of monkeypox but there is no evidence to date that person-to-person transmission alone can sustain a monkeypox outbreak in the human population. It is reported that monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. Severe cases can occur. In recent times, the case fatality ratio is between 3 and 6 percent.   Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. Various animal species have been identified as susceptible to the monkeypox virus. This includes rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, non-human primates, and other species. Uncertainty remains on the natural history of the monkeypox virus and further studies are needed to identify the exact reservoir(s) and how virus circulation is maintained in nature. It is pertinent to mention that human monkeypox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a 9-month-old boy in a region where smallpox had been eliminated in 1968. Since then, most cases have been reported from rural, rainforest regions of the Congo Basin, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and human cases have increasingly been reported from across central and West Africa. Since 1970, human cases of monkeypox have been reported in 11 African countries: Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. In 2003, the first monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa was in the United States of America and was linked to contact with infected pet prairie dogs. These pets had been housed with Gambian pouched rats and dormice that had been imported into the country from Ghana. This outbreak led to over 70 cases of monkeypox in the U.S. Monkeypox has also been reported in travelers from Nigeria to Israel in September 2018, to the United Kingdom in September 2018, December 2019, May 2021, and May 2022, to Singapore in May 2019, and to the United States of America in July and November 2021. In May 2022, multiple cases of monkeypox were identified in several non-endemic countries. Studies are currently underway to further understand the epidemiology, sources of infection, and transmission patterns. 
It is heartening to mention that vaccines used during the smallpox eradication programme also provided protection against monkeypox.  It may be mentioned here that vaccination against smallpox was demonstrated through several observational studies to be about 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox. 

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During school days, we read books are our best friends who will never walk away from us. Undoubtedly books are our friends. It provides knowledge in different fields and enhances our wisdom and intelligence. From class one onwards we all read books and many of us continuously read books until our death.  To popularize reading habits this year 23 April 2022 is observed as World Book Day. This is also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, which is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright

 Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books – a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry – publishers, booksellers, and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a year to maintain, through its own initiatives, the impetus of the Day’s celebrations.  23 April is a symbolic date in world literature as on this date several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all passed away. So this,  the date was a natural choice for UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books (unesco.org/commemorations/worldbookday).

According to World Reading Habits in 2020, (geediting.com/world-reading-habits-2020), by conducting research studies across the world they have found that coronavirus has changed our reading habits. Some of the highlights of World Reading Habits in 2020 research inter alia are:

         India reads more than any other country, followed by Thailand and China

         Printed books continue to drive more revenue than eBooks or audiobooks. However, physical books sales did dip because of coronavirus (not surprisingly).

         35% of the world read more due to coronavirus.

Also, World Reading Habits in 2020 have given ranks which may be seen as below:

1)        India (10.42   hours spent in reading per person per week)

2)       Thailand (9.24 hours spent in reading per person per week)

3)        China  (8.00 hours spent in reading per person per week)

4)       Philippines (7.36 hours spent in reading per person per week)

5)       Egypt (7.30 hours spent in reading per person per week)

19)   Spain (5.48 hours spent in reading per person per week)

20)   Canada (5.48 hours spent in reading per person per week)

21)  Germany (5.42 hours spent in reading per person per week)

22)  USA (5.42 hours spent in reading per person per week)

It is pertinent to mention that ranks have been given by World Reading Habits in 2020. But interesting points are India, Thailand, China, Philippines, and Egypt are in the first five but so-called developed countries such as Spain, Canada, Germany, and the USA are placed at a comparatively low level. 

On this Day of 23 April, as a senior citizen, I suggest that parents should encourage their children to read more and more books including newspapers. Reading habit is the sine qua non for leading a balanced lifestyle.

India is a place where one can visit any area for many purposes such as general tourism, medical tourism, religious tourism, games and sports tourism, educational tourism etc. On 11 January 2022, I had the opportunity to visit a wonderful place located about 80 kilometres away from Hyderabad (from my residence of Suncity, Hyderabad) known as Yadagirigutta in Telangana. I am presenting a few lines about the place based on secondary sources and also later on my observations.
Yadagirigutta is a temple town as the famous Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is situated here. It is situated around 16 kilometres away from the district headquarters Bhuvanagiri and 55 kilometres away from Uppal, a major suburb of Hyderabad and already mentioned around 80 kilometres away from Suncity of Hyderabad. It is pertinent to mention that Hyderabad Regional Ring Road passes through Yadagirigutta (wikipedia.org/wiki/Yadagirigutta). Thousands of people visit the place every day. According to the website, yadadri.telangana.gov.in/tourist-place/yadagirigutta, five thousand to eight thousand people everyday visit for pujas, weddings, other family rituals etc. The number of visitors increases significantly on weekends, holidays and festivals. Further, in the context of its name few points are highlighted from the website, (yadadri.telangana.gov.in), “according to the myths of the Third Age, there was a sage named Yadarshi, who was the son of the great sage Sri Rishyasringa Maharshi and Santa Devi. He meditated inside the cave with the gaze of Sri Anjaneya Swami. Sri Narasimha Swami appeared before him, pleased with his devotion. The Swami himself manifested himself in five different forms as Sri Jwala Narasimha, Sri Gandabherunda, Sri Yogananda, Sri Ugra and Sri Lakshminarasimha after Swami and is therefore worshipped as the Pancharama Narasimha Kshetra. The Sudarshan Chakra is a guide for the devotees towards the temple. In the 15th century, the great king of Vijayanagara, Sri Krishnadevaraya, mentioned in his autobiography about the temple that before going to war he would always visit the temple and pray to the Lord for victory. The town is well connected to the capital and the nearest major towns by the Ghat Road. This temple is very popular in the Telangana region”.

I was highly fascinated to see the beauty of the place as from the top place the view was scenic. I observed with my heart and mind, the beauty of nature as well as its pristine beauty. The Temple Committee meticulously arranged the visit of the people without any chaos, etc. As revealed, every day thousands of people visit the place to have a glimpse of Bhagawan Narshimha.
Here, I wish to suggest a few things to the Government of Telangana. While taking the Prasadam by paying a little amount, many people have to stand under the scorching heat. So, I suggest a spacious area should be selected with fully covered. Also, I observed only one counter was in operation where tokens were issued (payment counter) and another counter where Prasadam was distributed. Here, my suggestion is that there should be two more counters if not more. One (payment counter and Prasadam counter) should be for the senior citizens and another (payment counter and Prasadam counter) should be for ladies. Because when I visited on 11 March 2022 there was no separate counter either for senior citizens or for ladies. Only one as mentioned already was functioning for all.
Anyway, I congratulate the Government of Telangana for developing the area as a sequel many have got the job, both self-employment and wage- employment. Even eight years ago the place was not at all developed from a tourism point of view.
(I, Shankar Chatterjee, offer my gratitude to T. Sanjeeva Reddy, Legal Adviser by profession, Libdom Villa, Bandlaguda Jagir, Hyderabad for inspiring me in carrying out my academic activities)

From time to time, many great saints were born in India. One of them is Sant/Saint Ravidas, also called Raidas, (flourished 15th or 16th Century), a spiritual poet and a great saint and popularly known as Sant Ravidas. Sant Ravidas ji was one of the most renowned saints of the Indian Bhakti movement.
It is believed that Guru Ravidas Ji was born on the Magh Purnima day on Sunday in the year 1433 in Kashi present Varanasi in a so-called ‘untouchable leather-working caste’, but his knowledge, wisdom, spiritual development, and humanitarian activities were at the zenith which cannot be compared with many other-caste persons. Undoubtedly, Sant was endowed with the pure and holy soul as he had proved by caste one cannot be great.
Many researchers believe that Sant met Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, and altogether 41 of Guru Ravidas Ji’s poems were included in the Adi Granth.
Sant Ravidas ji was a prominent figure in the bhakti movement and a renowned poet of the Nirgun Bhakti tradition that valued the worship of a formless God. In this context, two foreign researchers who have carried out an extensive study on Sant Ravidas Ji’s activities may be mentioned. One is Dr. Winand Callewaert and another one is Dr. Peter Friedlander as both have published many books and articles on Sant. They have translated his songs also. One is presenting here. It may be mentioned that Prof Dr. Winand Callewaert was a scholar in Sanskrit (studied in India) and taught this subject in foreign countries. He has published many books and articles in English, Dutch and Hindi. Another scholar Dr. Peter Friedlander lived in India from 1977-1982 and learned Hindi in Varanasi. He then studied at SOAS London University and completed his Ph.D. on the life and works of Saint Ravidas in 1991. The following is a popular verse from Saint Ravidas, translated by Dr. Winand Callewaert and Dr. Peter Friedlander,
“Raidas says, what shall I sing?
Singing, singing I am defeated.
How long shall I consider and proclaim:
absorb the self into the Self?
This experience is such,
that it defies all description.
I have met the Lord,
Who can cause me harm?
Hari in everything, everything in Hari –
For him who knows Hari and the sense of self,
no other testimony is needed:
the knower is absorbed”.
(Hari here refers to God who takes away all the sorrows of his devotees).
Sant Ravidas Ji was against the caste system and in his poetry, questioned caste hegemony, valued labour of all sorts, as well as a life of simplicity and morality. He initiated dialogues with then upper-caste Hindus about caste, social justice, love, and forms of worship. He spread the message that “God created man and not man created God”, which means everyone is created by God and has equal rights on this earth. This theory in the present days no one can deny as all human beings have equal rights. It is believed that because of his wisdom, in-depth spiritual knowledge, and discourse many persons of all castes including the King and Queen of Chittoor presently in Rajasthan were his followers.
In Sant Ravidas Ji’s name, a temple has been constructed in his hometown, where Sant is worshipped every day. His songs are recited every morning and evening in the temple. His birthday is celebrated every year on Magh Purnima day. This year it has fallen on 16 February 2022.
Although Guru Ravidas Ji has passed away long ago he will be in the hearts of millions for his spiritual, devotional, and humanitarian activities generations after generations. I offer my respectful Pronam to the Great Soul, Saint, and Guru on his birth anniversary.

Unemployment in India is always a serious issue particularly in rural India as the scope is limited in rural areas. So launching of Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) of the Government of India is a praiseworthy step. MoRD was impressed by the Rural Development and Self Employment Training Institute (RUDSETI) model which was established in the year 1982 at Dharmasthala, Karnataka by Dr D Veerendra Heggade jointly with Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank. MoRD in 2009 advised all the banks to establish one RUDSETI type institute in all their Lead Districts under the banner of Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) (www.nacer.in/index_more.html).
It is pertinent to mention that RSETIs identify, orient, train and assist rural youth to take up self-employment as a source of livelihood. The youths in the age group of 18-45 years, irrespective of caste, creed or religion are eligible to undergo training at RSETI, which is free of cost. RSETI has been doing a commendable job in training and settlement of rural youths. The total number of training programmes organised from inception to 31 March 2020 was 1,26,556 where the number of youth trained was 35,00,770 during the same period and 24,41,083 (69.73%) youths were settled. Further, the number of functional RSETIs was 585 where altogether 29 banks weresponsored (www.nacer.in/performance_glance.html).
Each RSETI offers skill development programmes in a financial year in various avenues and in each batch 25-30 youths are selected for training. The programmes are of short duration ranging from 1 to 6 weeks. And to get a general idea few trades are mentioned below:
• Agricultural Programmes – agriculture and allied activities like dairy, poultry, apiculture, horticulture, sericulture, mushroom cultivation, floriculture, fisheries, etc
• Product Programme – dress designing for men and women, rexine articles, incense sticks manufacturing, football making, bag, bakery products, leaf cup making, recycled paper manufacturing, etc.
• Process Programmes – two wheeler repairs, radio/TV repairs, motor rewinding, electrical transformer repairs, irrigation pump-set repairs, tractor and power tiller repairs, cell phone repairs, beautician course, photography and videography, screen printing, domestic electrical appliances repair, computer hardware and DTP.
• General Programmes – skill development for women
• Other Programmes – related to other sectors like leather, construction, hospitality and any other sector depending on local requirements.
The author time to time studied many youths who were undergoing training and also collected data after training that were settled and found earning was substantial. Few names as evidence can be mentioned here: a) Adapa Kalpana (female) , Dharanikota village of Amaravathi Mandal, Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh ( year of study in 2016), b) Ashok Kumar ( Male/year of study July 2018), Hajpurwa village of Warisnagar block, Samastipur district of Bihar, c) Arati Mishra (female/ year of study July 2018) Nirpur village, Samastipur block, Samastipur district d) In 2017, the author studied some youths of Amritsar district, Punjab. The youths were Jasbir Kaur (female), Harjit Kaur (female), Mandip Kaur (female), Navneet Kaur e) In 2019 the author studied by visiting RSETI at Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. Names of some of the youths are Chhaya Bhalerao (female), Kalpana Jagannath Surase (female), Umesh Bhanudas Dhepe (male), f) In Darrang district of Assam names of some of the youths who were contacted in 2018 are Mousami Saikia Gogoi (female), Poly Seal (female), Mira Medhi, (female), Sabita Koch (female) and many others.
In addition, the author visited many RSETIs and cases collected about the youths trained and post-training settlement and earning of income. and found training and post-training settlement was praiseworthy.
It is suggested that wherever feasible RSETI may be started at the sub-division level.