This was a prison set in the most idyllic of places, an island with swaying palms, surrounded by deep blue waters. But the prison, the Cellular Jail of Andaman islands, set up by the British was a hellhole where the Indian inmates – mostly revolutionaries of the freedom movement, were brutally tortured. Akul Tripathi tells us why the very air we breathe is that much more free and precious, as it was wrought by revolutionaries such as these. I remember growing up with my grandmother and other members of the extended family talking about relatives and family friends who were…
Author: oiop
E-learning is here to stay. While it is still evolving as a tool and platform for learning, equal attention has to be paid to teacher education and the need for values and accountability, avers Dr. Ravindra Kumar. “We become just by the practice of just actions, self-controlled by exercising self-control, and courageous by performing acts of courage” –Aristotle E-learning can precisely be termed as the use of electronic educational technology in learning and teaching, both. Meaning thereby, it is connected to both – a learner (student) and a teacher. Defining e-learning As it is well within our reach, e-learning is…
The story of Lord Ram may be ubiquitous in India, but the theatre based on his life called Ram Leela is an annual event to which people look forward to with equal fervour every year. Mainly staged during the Dussehra festival, this folk theatre is truly by and for the local communities where it is staged, writes Kanak Rele. In autumn, when the monsoon rains have finally ceased and the nights are cool and crisp, North India celebrates Dussehra, the great festival of Ram. In villages, towns, and cities over a period of ten to thirty consecutive nights, episodes from…
Simple and dedicated Gandhian (1924-2015) Narayanbhai Desai as he was fondly known as, died on 15 March 2015 in his village Vedchi in Gujarat, at the age of 90. His father was the legendary Mahadev Desai, permanently associated with Mahatma Gandhi as his faithful personal secretary. When Desai senior died on 15 August 1942, Nayarayan spent his childhood and youth in the Sabarmati and Sevagram ashrams. Gandhi who had famously said that Mahadev Desai became his guru, having first started off as a disciple, treated the young Narayan with a great deal of love. He married Uttara Chaudhury, who was…
In this medical specialist-driven world, many of us miss having a GP or general practitioner to whom we can go for our ailments and even management of our chronic illnesses. What has led to the decline of the GP? Dr. Sujeet Rajan acquaints us with the reasons and tells us why it’s time the GP made a reappearance in our lives. Sankaran Pillai was always confused. Whenever he had a bad cough he visited his local GP (general practitioner), who gave him a cough syrup and tablets for a few days – he felt better, and remained better for the…
Exemplary leadership (1920-1994) Kunwar Zorawar Singh was born in Jaipur on 14 February 1920. His father, Maj. Gen. Bharion Singh of Jaipur State Forces was a keen player of polo. Zorawar studied at the Royal Indian Military School (RIMC) and then joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA). He graduated in 1941 and was awarded the Sword of Honour and commissioned into 16 Cavalry. He was keen to take part in the war and was transferred to Central India Horse (CIH), which was then deployed in Italy. He was posted as secondin- command of B squadron under Major (later Lt. Col.)…
The Planning Commission of India has been replaced with the ‘Neeti Aayog’ and its CEO and members have been announced. But there is not much clarity yet about the role of this new entity, and also how it will manage the altered fiscal dynamics between the Centre and the states. The New Year began with an announcement that the 65 year old practice of planning the economy will be discontinued; the process and even the principle of planning have ostensibly become unnecessary in the project of ‘development’. The first eight Plans allegedly inspired by socialism for nation building were promoting…
Climate change and the disaster it can wreak is no more a distant, amorphous event waiting to happen. The disastrous effects of climate change are upon us today, says Tirtho Banerjee giving examples of recent natural calamities which have taken a huge human and economic toll. The time to act is now. More than 200mm of rainfall within just 24 hours swamped Kashmir on 2 September 2014. It was an extreme weather event that left a trail of destruction. On 4 January 2013, Delhi recorded the coldest day in 44 years. On 13 October 2013, Cyclone Phalin, India’s fiercest storm…
While lauding Modi government’s maiden railway budget, S. Ananthanarayanan points out and questions some of its premises. A critical look at the budget and what it proposes. The budget announced this year for the Indian Railways has been cheered as one that is not obviously populist, and one that promises improvements in capacity, quality and safety. Let’s briefly analyse the budget to appreciate how well the cheers are deserved. Before we look at the numbers, a word about the nature of Indian Railways. The railway budget is a statement of revenue of about two lakh crore, which only just covers…
Most Hindu married women wear symbols of their marriage. Be it the sindoor in the hair parting or the nose ring, there are typical identity marks to being married. Shoma A. Chatterji analyses this cultural ethos with all its suggestions of patriarchy, and the premise on which it’s based. IN India, when Hindu women get married, they must wear an identity ‘mark’ to indicate that they are married, that their husbands are alive and that they are under the safe supervision and control of their husbands and their extended families. Christians across the world also wear the wedding ring, but…