Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

By Krishna Pradhan

By G V Joshi

In the famous book ‘‘Discovery of India’’ penned by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, advocated scientific temper. This has been included in the constitution.

He deplored the fact that most of the Indian population literate or illiterate-was deeply steeped in tradition, superstition, witchcraft, astrology, .. ......more

Nuclear tech to boost
agri production

By Ajay Kaul

Talk nuclear and everybody thinks of bombs and mass devastation they cause. But atomic energy is being increasingly applied in various fields including agriculture.

Considering that ensuring food security in a rapidly developing country of over one billion people is one of the primary goal, an ambitious and intense . .....more

EDITORIAL

Debating Ladakh

Of late there have been a number of suggestions for the empowerment of the people of Ladakh. The influential Islamia School of Kargil has sought the status of a separate administrative division for the region on the lines of Kashmir and Jammu divisions. The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has proposed that the two districts namely Leh and Kargil constituting Ladakh should elect one member each for the Lok Sabha instead of one as at present. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has mooted the idea of a special position for Ladakh in view of its unique ethnic and geographical identity. It can be argued that there is nothing new in any of these schemes. One formula or the other has been floated from time to time. In fact, the people of Leh in particular have been agitating for a Union Territory dispensation for more than five decades now. The Ladakh Union Territory Front, (LUTF), spearheading the demand, is in total control of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Leh). Its president Thupstan Chhewang represents the area in the Lok Sabha. The Congress too is not averse to having a UT. It is only recent history that not only the Congress but all political parties having some presence in Leh had dissolved their local units to form the LUTF. The Bharatiya Janata Party was the first to pull out of the umbrella organisation. The Congress had followed suit only to lose heavily to the LUTF in the bitterly contested LAHDC polls in 2005 winter. The National Conference has not revived its Leh unit and retains its identification with the LUTF. A party stalwart Thiksey Rinpoche (a former Rajya Sabha member) has been a patron of the LUTF. He has recently announced his retirement from active politics --- a decision which he has declined to reconsider despite passionate persuasion by leaders and prominent members of the LUTF at virtually a public meeting in Leh. The LUTF has not yet given up its attempts. It wants the highly-regarded Rinpoche to retain his formal association with the organisation even though he has emphatically stated that he is with its cause and will never give it up.

At the government level Ladakh with its two districts is part of the Kashmir division. The Wazir Commission had taken cognizance of this fact while recommending more districts for the Jammu division. It was motivated by the consideration of giving the two divisions an equal share. However, the State Government has while announcing the new districts this year not altered the existing "imbalance". As a result the Kashmir division maintains its edge in numbers. A consequence is that senior officials from Srinagar are required to fly all the way whenever there is crisis in either Leh or Kargil. It takes a heavy toll of administrative speed and efficiency. More often than not the air and road links are snapped because of vagaries of the weather --- more so during winters. In addition the officials called up to tackle an emergency have to overcome the challenge of acclimatisation in the trans-Himalayan territory before they can truly discover their breath. There is logic thus in giving Ladakh the status of a separate division. It ought to have been done several years ago. It is doubtful whether such measure at this stage will conclusively address the issue of meeting aspirations at grassroots level. The stir for UT is popular at least in Leh. A secretarial irritant also may arise over the question of locating divisional headquarters. Should it be in Kargil (the NC had put forward the name not very long ago) or Leh? Should it be rotated like darbar move between the Capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar?

The plea for two Lok Sabha representatives --- one each from Leh and Kargil --- is not without merit. It has its genesis in the unpleasant reality of communal divide that is visible every time Ladakh goes to the polls. Electoral rhetoric is momentary but is bitter enough to shadow the truth of common ethnicity of Buddhists and Shias. There is an allied proposition: if one district has a Lok Sabha MP then the other district should be extended the benefit of having one of its citizens nominated to the Rajya Sabha. However, it is easier said than done on practical plane. It will require abiding consensus not only at the national level but also at the local stage. Unfortunately the current standard of politics precludes such possibility. Political outfits are solely guided by the consideration of grabbing power. They will go back on an agreement once they feel that it is not working to their advantage. The best course, therefore, is for the ordinary people to force their agenda for collective benefit. Will they take the initiative in their hands?

Ghost of bear

Ghost bear is actually an American black bear that is born with white fur. At another level ghost bear is a term used in some science fiction for describing a clan embracing the virtues of family and community strength. The tribe has been inspired by a bear tending to a few of its members in times of need. In these columns, however, we will discuss the ghost of a bear that continues to haunt the south of Valley. One finds it revolting that an animal associated with such fine human qualities as mentioned above should been burnt alive by a mob in Pulwama district in November. The happening was as good as forgotten but for a sudden exposure by a television channel that has shown its footage recently. The bear had a child in its lap but did not hurt him. It had left him when the terrified crowd gave a chase, locked it in a cowshed to finally set it on fire. It has triggered a debate which is not surprising. There is concern for the safety of animals these days. Wildlife authorities are said to have identified the "killers" and set in motion the process for booking them. The law will and should take its course. Nevertheless an important question has to be answered. What should the people do when they find their very lives threatened by wayward animals? There have been numerous incidents in which the people have been killed by leopards especially in different corners of the State. The people can't be expected to act as silent spectators when they are face to face with death.

Therefore, there is urgent need for strengthening the wildlife protection machinery. It should be adequately staffed and equipped with necessary infrastructure to take care of angry animals.

Sikkim as the defence grid

By Krishna Pradhan

The Nathu-La Pass has been opened for trade transaction between India and China. Beijing has also acknowledged that Sikkim is a part of India; a departure from its earlier position, though India has not as yet received a proper communication to this effect. Both the countries are maintaining their strategic army garrisons. India cannot ignore the strategic importance of Sikkim as this mountainous state is linked with the rest of the country by a Chicken's Neck along the 20-km narrow Siliguri corridor formed by Nepal and Bangladesh. Staring ominously at the Chicken's Neck is the Chinese dagger made by the strategic Chumbi valley, two shoulders of which - on Sikkim, the other in Bhutan - are personified in the majesty of the Paunhuri and Chomulhari peaks that merge at the historic Sinchula Pass on the trijunction of China, Bhutan and India. This is also the tip of the dagger just 100 km away from the Siliguri corridor and a rather China-friendly Bangladesh.

From a military and operational context, Sikkim is closest to Lhasa. North Sikkim and the Chumbi salient - the gateway to the erstwhile trade route between Lhasa and Kolkata offer India tactical and strategic military options against China and vice versa. In 1911, Captain Francis Younghusband pioneered the invasion of Lhasa through the Chumbi Valley fighting battles at Yatung and Byantse. Till the late 1950s Indian Army detachments were posted at Lhasa and Yatung, protecting the trade marks.

Sikkim has a strange history that started nearly three centuries ago with the Bhutias coming from across Tibet and subjugating the original Lepcha inhabitants easily. The first Chogyal (ruler) had hoped to consecrate his dynasty at Yuksom in east Sikkim, but destiny had chosen Gangtok. In 1975, there was yet another takeover, this time organised by the itinerant immigrants from Nepal. On April 9, in a swift and sudden military operation that left many mental scars among the Bhutias especially, the Indian Army deployed on Nathu-La and the watershed in Sikkim since 1963 took over the Chogyal's palace by disarming the Royal Sikkim Guards ironically officered by the Indian Army and seizing the Royal armoury.

The officer leading the assault on the Palace and the Major defending the Chogyal were the Jagota brothers, one from the Jat and the other from Gurkha regiments. The two had orders to act in the best tradition of the Indian Army. The second episode is about how the Chogyal, on learning the Sikkimese Guard at the main gate had been killed, wore his Indian Army uniform - he was honorary Colonel of the 8 Gurkhas - walked to the Palace gates and saluted the slain soldier.

Several years later, repudiating the proposed construction of a controversial dam across River Teesta, Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari noted: "Sikkim has peacefully merged with India but we have no desire of being submerged by the Teesta."

The institution of the Chogyal though officially dismantled in 1975 still has several admirers. Like the Shah Kings in Nepal, the Chogual for nearly 300 years, much longer than the monarchy in Nepal, had become the rallying point. His son, the new Chogyal became a monk and spends much of his time in Kathmandu. Most of the Chogyal's land and assets have been taken over by the Government.

Landlocked by North Bengal, Sikkim's strategic assets and vulnerabilities forced it to enter the rough and tumble of the Indian mainstream. Though some of its well-wishers believe it needs to be protected from India itself. Sikkim was admitted in the Northeast Council in 1999 and is savouring its benefits. Today, it is India's most stable and secured frontline State, a model for social cohesion and security. It is the only border State without any palpable threat of insurgency or social disorder. Five lakh Sikkimese blend three cultures: Nepalese, Bhutia and Lepcha. Yet the Nepalis dominates, reviving fears from across the Singa-Lila range which marks the 100-km long eastern border with Nepal. Forty kms of this border is porous, the rest perennially know-bound.

The Royal Nepal Army crackdown against Maoists in the eastern districts of Taplejung and Panchthari bordering Sikkim could force them into the State; especially since barring the Chia-Bhanjyang post the rest of the border is unguarded. The Special Services Bureau (SSB) units have not been deployed as required. Four companies of Sikkim's lone India Reserve battalion are doing duties in Delhi. The other three were recently commissioned and could be deployed along 13 points on the border provided Delhi picked up the bill. Maoists are known to have transited via Sikkim and some even picked up. Spotters and early warning drills at village level have deterred Maoists from coming in. both Sikkim and North Bengal are acutely conscious of the security threat Maoists can pose to tourism and gross national happiness of the predominant Nepalese community.

Sikkim has virtually a non-party system. Whichever the party in power, the Sikkim Democratic Front now or Sikkim Sangram Parishad earlier, the ruling party enjoys brute majority and invariably supports whoever rules in Delhi. This has obvious drawbacks, but Sikkimese prefers political stability for their development. Sikkim is also trying to give development a regional focus, incorporating Nepal, Bhutan and North Bengal fashioned after the growth triangle. The new buzzword is revenue generation. The main assets are its compactness, water resources, ecotourism, Danny Denzongpa and Baichung Bhutia. There are hurdles too, the biggest being accessibility.

NH 31 A, the road from the international airport at Bagdogra to Gangtok, passes through the Siliguri corridor. A single road in questionable state of disrepair passes dangerously across Siliguri's the only land link to Sikkim and the rest of the Northeast via tiger Bridge. A five-hour backbreaking journey is not the best way to reach Gangtok. Bandhs by Ghising's Gurkhas, like the Maoists next door, and avalanches add to the traveller's woes. A super express highway linking Kolkata to Gangtok - and who knows, soon via Nathu-La to Lhasa - and a STOL airport could alter the fortunes of Sikkim and North Bengal.

Sikkim's wish list is not unreasonable. The watershed separating Chinese and Indian soldiers has been a historical barrier, instead of a gateway between two markets and two civilisations. Sikkim could soon flag off a rerun of the Younghusband Expedition from Jelepla Pass to Lhasa. INAV

Scientific temper in India

By G V Joshi

He deplored the fact that most of the Indian population literate or illiterate-was deeply steeped in tradition, superstition, witchcraft, astrology, vastu shashtra and the like. The critical faculties of Indians have almost ceased to function. He hoped that freedom from the English rule would change all that. But today even after sixty years of freedom. Nehru's vision of scientific temper has fallen by the way side or almost in dumps.

Belief in superstition and astrology continues to flourish.

If we apply a definition of science to astrology, scientists have concluded that it is not a science. Scientific knowledge must be exact, measurable and the results the same anywhere under the same conditions. Conclusions are arrived at only after many tests, investigations and experiments. Astrology does not fulfill these conditions.

The origin of astrology goes back as far as written history can record. It even gave birth to the real science of astronomy. Ancient Babylonians, and later the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks and Indians first studied the motions of celestial bodies.

Night-sky watchers had noted that a few celestial bodies had motions that seemed irregular , sometimes going backward, sometimes forward in the background of other bodies-stars- which did not appear to move at all and kept to their stationary places. The Greeks called these wandering bodies ‘planets’.

Why did planets wander ? Aristotle tried to place planetary motion in a geometrically defined framework and tried to reveal the pattern behind the wanderings.

Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler discovered the real pattern behind planetary motions. In the first half of the 17th century, Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitation, mainly based Kepler’s findings about the movement of planets.

Today we know why planets wander. But the common man assumed that planets wandered on account of their will power. As a corollary, people concluded that planets exercised their will power on mortals on earth. This belief blossomed into what we now call astrology.

Today we know that planets do not have any will power. Rather, they are inert bodies that move in mathematically determined orbits round the Sun. Today, space technologists can launch spaceships, that rendezvous with planets, comets, spaceships like ISS, at the precisely calculated times and at precisely calculated spots and even return back to Earth with their cargo as well as astronauts. So, not only has the mystery about the movement of planets been well understood but also we know a lot about them today. Earth’s only one natural satellite, the Moon, planets like Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn- parts of our solar system- are observed and studied as physical objects. The rocks on our Moon have been brought back on Earth and studied in details.

Dr J V Narlikar, Internationally famous astronomer, astrophysicist and a science writer regrets the fact that only in India people from the audience ask him questions about Astrology after his lecture on astronomical subjects. And these people are not illiterate. They came from the educated section of the population, who had computers at home and carried a mobile telephone in their pocket.

A study of thousands of twins, who obviously had an identical horoscope, shows that their careers and destinies were miles, apart. In his Confessions; St. Augustine said that he gave up his belief in astrology when he learned that a wealthy landowner and a slave on the same estate were born exactly at the same time.

One of the largest studies of the possible link between human traits and astrology has found little, if any, connection between the traditional Sun signs of the zodiac and people's characteristics. The scientists could find no relationship between the time and date of a person's birth and their personality traits. Geoffrey Dean, a former astrologist based in Australia who researches the possible scientific validity of astrology, tracked over 2000 people who were born within minutes of each other.

The study, which spanned several decades, covered over 100 different characteristics, like marital status, IQ, anxiety and temperament was published in 2003 in the Journal of Consciousness Studies. Dean came to a similar conclusion as other scientists, that date of birth does not affect an individual's personality.

The probability that all of the planets will be in a straight line out from the Sun is about once in 86 billion-trillion-trillion years! (That's a 86 followed by 45 zeros years !) The odds strongly favor that an exact planetary alignment will never occur throughout the entire history of the solar system. It is easy to calculate that even mighty Jupiter, king of the planets, only pulls about 1 percent as hard as the Moon does, which is known to cause tides due to its gravitational force on Earth.

Such close planetary configurations have happened many times in the past and that the Earth still exists. They would continue to occur in future too.

Why do people believe in astrology ? In these uncertain times, many long for the comfort of having guidance in making decisions. They would like to believe in a destiny predetermined by astal forces beyond their control. However, we must all face the world, and we must realise that our futures lie in ourselves, and not in the planets.

Many private channels on TV contribute to this lack of scientific temper. Paranormal phenomenon like reincarnation, ghosts, sadhus performing so called miracles, are shown again and again. Many radio stations transmit sponsored programs about vastu shashtra, astrology, numerology and the like.

Weekly astrological forecasts are a regular feature. It is easy to understand that it is not possible to predict the future of the world's massive population scattered throughout the globe in a few minutes. Astrologers and psychist it would seem, have a mch stronger influence on our minds than our bodies.

PTI Feature

Nuclear tech to boost agri production

By Ajay Kaul

Talk nuclear and everybody thinks of bombs and mass devastation they cause. But atomic energy is being increasingly applied in various fields including agriculture.

Considering that ensuring food security in a rapidly developing country of over one billion people is one of the primary goal, an ambitious and intense research programme is underway to help the agriculture sector to develop high yielding crops with better characteristics and disease resistance.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Government-run agency for nuclear research, is currently engaged in employing its expertise in farming. It has launched a Nuclear Agriculture Programme for development of high-yielding crop seeds, radiation processing of food items, fertilizer and pesticide related studies and other areas.

The programme is part of the endeavour to ensure food security in the country as these technologies are aimed at benefitting Indian farmers and traders.

The DAE has ventured into the programme in the backdrop of the National Agricultural Policy which lays major thrust on higher productivity based on technically sound, economically viable, environmentally non-degrading and socially acceptable use of natural resources - land, waster and genetic endowment.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has broad-based research programme in nuclear agriculture involving genetic improvement of crops by mutation breeding and biotechnological approaches, isotope-aided studies on soils, fertilizer uptake and pesticide residue analysis, and integrated pest management including the use of sterile insect technique.

The main application of radioisotopes in the agriculture research are focused to induce genetic variability in crop plants.

Central and State Governments and agricultural universities are coordinating research and developing technology for location of specific problems. The validation of technologies is done through frontline demonstrations in the field of farming.

The technology involves use of radiation which induces mutations enhancing the range of variability from which plant breeder can select and combine different desired characteristics to produce better crop plants.

The important desirable characters achieved through mutation include high yield, grain quality, early maturity, disease and pest resistance, improved plant type, quality characters and abiotic stress resistance.

Induced mutants are directly used if they possess the required desirable trait or they will be employed in the cross-breeding programme.

Radiation induced 26 crops varieties have so far been developed and released for commercial cultivation. Among them are 11 groundnut, 10, pulses and two mustard varieties and one variety each of jute, rice and soyabean.

BARC has also successfully developed green manure crop - Sesbania rostrata. Use of this variety is highly cost-effective for small farmers. It has also developed a tissue culture - based protocol for rapid multiplication of some varieties of banana. The technology involves growing of tissues artificially in a special sterile culture medium.

Using micro-propagation technology, the BARC has also standardized large-scale multiplication of pineapple. Micropropagation protocol has also been standardized into three varieties of sugarcane.

Notably, a significant progress has been made in efforts to grow plants in deserts. It involves developing of hardened plants for Acacia Victoriae, a plant suitable for desert area. In BARC, several insect pheromones have been synthesized and techniques for determination of nutrients in soils have been developed.

BARC is also focusing its research for radiation processing for preservation of cereals and pulses, fruits and vegetables, meat and meat products and seafood.

In meat preservation, a process for preparation of shelf-stable intermediate moisture meat products using gamma radiation has been standardized. The effects of the combination of radiation packaging and low temperatures, extension of shelf-life of a number of fruits and vegetables and coffee beans are under intense study.

The Government has approved radiation processing of certain food items both for export and domestic consumption.

To ensure that technologies developed by the DAE are widely deployed, the department has set up an interface with the Agriculture ministry.

It has set up plants for demonstration of high and low dose applications of radiation. These are Radiation Processing Plant set up by BRIT at Navi Mumbai for high dose radiation processing of spices, and Krushak (Krushi Utpadan Sanrakshan Kendra) at Lasalgaon near Nasik for low dose applications of radiation for food preservation. This plant process onion, pulses, rawa and turmeric.

To multiply the benefits of the research, private sector is also being involved. Considerable progress has been achieved in the setting up of radiation processing plants in private sector. The first radiation processing plant in private sector was in Kolkata. After this, three Gamma precessing plants have been completed at Sonepat (Haryana), Ambernath (Maharashtra) and Vadodara (Gujarat).

Besides supplying the sources for new plants, BRIT provides requisite technical guidance and facilitation services, from conception to commissioning stage to enable the entrepreneurs to commission the plants in time-bound manner.

BRIT has also developed an install-and-operate type irradiator for radiation processing of food, which is undergoing evaluation tests.

DAE is also working with the Health Ministry for notifying items for radiation processing for approval of additional items and other related issues.

The tremendous progress in utilizing nuclear technology in the agriculture sector is another feather in the cap of India's scientists who have already acquired immense expertise in using atomic science to generate electricity whose demand is growing rapidly in the country. The Indo-US civil nuclear agreement, which is in its final stage of American Parliamentary clearance, is intended to give a further boost to India's research in the field.

Complementing it will be India's joining of the six-nation multi-core International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) programme for harnessing fusion technology to generate energy in huge amounts. An agreement was recently signed in this regard.

Scientists across the world have been working for last 50 years on development of fusion technologies to generate energy. Fusion has several attractions as a large-scale energy source and its basic fuels are abundant and available everywhere besides the technology being environment friendly.

India has a fusion research programme of its own, going on since early 1940s, and this will be contributed to the ITER.

PTi Feature

(Ajay Kaul is diplomatic correspondent with PTI)