Did you know that mushrooms are fungi, in the same category as the one-celled yeast or the mildew that sprouts on your shoes in the damp? They have an important role to play in our ecosystem. Leaves are the world’s oldest factories. They contain the green pigment called chlorophyll, which, along with sunlight, helps them manufacture their own food. Plants can therefore be called producers. Animals, on the other hand are consumers. And there are other living things, such as fungi, which are neither producers nor consumers. What part then do they play in nature’s purposeful web? Fungi are plants…
Author: oiop
It is a matter of great shame that agencies which are supposed to strictly regulate field trials of GM crops in India, rarely do so. They have approved trials despite evidence of multiple violations, which could have serious repercussions on India’s native gene pool and treasured germplasm. Sreedevi Lakshmi Kutty rings the alarm bells. In 2008, a reputed environmental NGO presented evidence to the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC, then called the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) of the presence of illegal genetically modified (GM) plants (GM plants that grow inadvertently due to seeds left behind without proper post harvest disposal),…
Seed is life, especially in India, where seeds connote food that also become part of the local culture and traditions. Losing this rich food repository could be the worst thing to happen to our food security, says Shalini Bhutani, as she describes the seed diversity of India and what we must do to conserve it. Isprout in India, as my many ancestors did. My place of birth tells the story of the land, air, water and cultures of the area. Several persons have either kept my lineage or even mixed my pedigree. Even though I evolve, I remain rooted to…
The city of Bijapur, set deep in the Deccan, may just be a fleeting throwback to its medieval days of unmitigated glory, yet it still has a sparkle, which holds its visitors enthralled. Bijapur’s monuments don’t tell the entire story, though world renowned they may be. The attraction lies in the telling and retelling of the various battles, poignant legends, tales of clever politiciking, and lavish cultural endeavours which marked the reigns of the succession of Bijapur’s rulers. The role of the queens of Bijapur also fascinate, for their role in its history was noteworthy, with some swashbuckling valour thrown…
The attack on the Pathankot Airbase following PM Modi’s impromptu visit to Lahore has many lessons for us, says P.M. Kamath. More than Modi’s personal diplomacy, the need of the hour is decisions based on focused deliberations, he avers. We must also insist that Pakistan hands over the Pathankot attack mastermind Masood Azhar. HPrime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi by his decision while in Kabul to visit Lahore and join Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif in the wedding celebration of his granddaughter on December 25, 2015, painted a masterstroke in personal diplomacy. If that was a genuinely spontaneous development, unplanned and un-designed,…
The Big Six are companies which control the global seed and agro-chemical market, determining not just the direction of agricultural research, but also which seeds the farmer will sow. Through their ‘seed and pesticide packages’ they are intent on eliminating competition from farmers who have always used seeds from their own harvests, says Dr. D. Narasimha Reddy. How ethical is this practice? Indian agriculture is in crisis. Farmers are committing suicide and becoming poorer by the day. They are losing the battle, not with nature, which they have been in harmony with for centuries. Their battle has been with agricultural…
Most professors take a sabbatical at some point during their tenure, typically to pursue a research interest, work on a book, publish a paper or teach abroad. While I’m no professor and haven’t even managed to teach my dog how to fetch, I felt I was just as entitled to a sabbatical as a Harvard professor or an IIT scientist. I approached my boss in early 2013 with a six month “leave of absence” request and he granted me one without much hesitation; a resounding endorsement of how much they valued my presence in the company. With my leave approved,…
I remember a conversation I had with my father 12 years ago. When my efforts to go abroad to pursue a PhD were repeatedly being thwarted for one reason or the other, I asked my father despondently, ‘ Are those who try and try to go abroad for a PhD and fail, second-grade individuals?’ My father looked at me, gauged the turmoil in my mind and calmly said, “Think of Dr. Abdul Kalam when such depressing thoughts come to mind.” I did not ask him to explain. Perhaps, he meant that Dr. Kalam scaled great heights without having studied abroad…
Food has a way of travelling, with conquering armies, merchants and traders or with just adventurers. However it may travel, it arrives in a new place, mingles with the local flavours and ingredients and gives rise to newer, more innovative cuisines. That has been the way of the world till now, and so will it be in the future. Akul Tripathi takes us on a food trail from the days of the caveman to today, tracing how the potato filling in our samosa is possible today because the Europeans discovered the new world!. Have you ever lived abroad? Or, if…
In light of many Indian intellectuals returning their state awards citing growing intolerance in India, P.M. Kamath writes that such acts have no meaning. In fact, those who are returning the awards are doing so just to show their allegiance to the Congress which gave them those awards in the first place, he alleges. The Government of India and various cultural and educational organisations like the Sahitya Academy since 1950s must have conferred several hundreds of awards from Padmashri to Padma Vibhushan, to various individuals. Men and women in service of the nation, like armed forces, Indian Administrative Service (IAS),…