This weekend we had some out of town guests who desired to see the ISKCON. Having seen it a couple of times on similar occasions I thought it would be a boring routine with nothing to look forward to. I couldnâ??t have been more wrong.

Proof of having-relatives-in-the-right-places-has-its-own-advantage was that we never had to wait in any of those long queues. We were quickly taken on tour of the three opulent shrines and then taken to the boardroom. Here we got a quick overview of the wonderful & commendable work that Akshaya Patra accomplishes day on day through its â??Mid Dayâ?? meal program. An underprivileged child can be fed for a whole year with as little as INR 1200 or 28 dollars.

Next, we were taken through a glimpse of what they call the â??India Heritage Theme Parkâ?? presentation and it sure looked impressive. With an investment of over 350 crores at Vasanthapura, Bangalore South Taluk, this unique park could be Indiaâ??s Disneyland. The difference being that instead of Disney characters here children can get to see & experience Krishna through a myriad of ways.

The pet project of the President of ISKCON Bangalore, he feels that Indian children are getting more and more influenced by western characters such as Mickey Mouse & Superman due to their slick presentation. In this age of globalization we would lose out on our culture if it werenâ??t packaged & presented in an attractive manner. So this is going to be a rather huge attempt to re-introduce Indian mythological heroes in the form of Krishna, Hanuman and Narasimha into the entertainment landscape of Indian children.

Among the major attractions would be a walk through the â??thenâ?? Vrindavan village, see animated close to life characters enacting scenes from various mythologies, such as Prahalad being tortured and Krishna in Narasimhaâ??s avtaar rushing to his rescue. Giant Water Screens, Laser shows and 4D Theatres where the special effects integrated seats enhance the experience of viewing with varied features such as vibrations, fog & mist blast, air tickle & leg tickle.

[Image Source: Technifex]

Imagine being in a roller coaster ride, close to a 50 ft drop, when the huge serpent-demon Aghasura looms ferociously in front of you and the thrill of being â??rescuedâ?? by Krishna. Thatâ??s India Heritage Theme Park for you.

Cross Posted Here

8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide might be unfamiliar to you as a chemical compound, but when reincarnated in the form of a chilli, it is guranteed to give you ‘that burning sensation’. The degree of ‘hotness’ of chillis can infact be measured in units, thanks to the Scoville scale developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912.

In1989 ,Frank Garcia, one of the founders of GNS Spices in Walnut, California discovered a plant with a red fruit in a field of Orange Habaneros. Subsequently, in 1994, Garcia’s Red Savina set a world record for heat at 577,000 Scoville units and was enlisted in the Guinness Book of World Records as The Hottest Chilli in the world.

On September 6, 2000, the Defense Research Laboratory in the Assamese town of Tezpur declared that they recorded an astonishing 855,000 Scoville Heat Units for the Naga Jolokia, named after the ferocious Naga warriors. However, soon after the AP report was published experts like Dr. Paul Bosland, Director of the Chile Pepper Institute at the New Mexico State University and Dave DeWitt, author of books like The Davinci Kitchen (and you thought there is an industry which did not capitalise on the Dan Brown fever) disputed this claim and questioned the authenticity of the tests.

Two years later, the Chile Pepper Institute received the seed of a chilli named ‘Bhut Jolokia’ from a member who had collected it while visiting India. Dr. Bosland and his colleagues conducted a comparison experiment in 2005 at a plant science research facility close to Las Cruces, New Mexico. The ‘Bhut Jolokia’ recorded an astonishing heat level of 1,001,304 SHU.

“Such is the hotness of the chilli that it can drive away the ghost, and hence the name ” says Anandita Dutta Tamuly who is getting ready to eat not 1 or 2, but 60 Bhut Jolokias in two minutes to make an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. Since the legendary chilli from Assam made it to the Guinnes Book last year, maybe it is time for Anandita to prove her mettle.

When The Boston Consulting Group published a research report about the Top 100 firms from Emerging markets set to make waves in the global arena, only three pharmaceutical companies figured in the list and all of them were based in India - Cipla, Ranbaxy and Dr.Reddy’s. The report noted that R&D costs in India are much cheaper compared to the West and the quality of researchers is showing vast improvement. Hence, Ranbaxy Labs’ $87 million annual budget for R&D can achieve quite a lot.

But according to a Financial Times Report, the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is facing a peculiar problem - traditional reverence to animals like rats and monkeys in India is apparently hindering progress in the R & D sector. The US Food and Drug Administration and other regulators around the world require new drugs to be tested on animals like rats and dogs whereas toxicology tests(that might kill the animals) on such animals are banned in India. This is apart from the likely opposition from animal rights groups like Peta.

For China, it wouldn’t be much of a problem since most of these animals appear to be delicacies there. (Warning: graphic content)

‘Innovative Asia’ : A Financial Times Report- Download pdf(2.6 MB)
Top 100 Emerging Market Companies - Download BCG Report PDF(500KB)

Its a well-known fact that we are a country full of Gods and Godmen. Their influence over people is legendary and they have them in awe. But here devotion seems to have gone overboard.

In the pic: Spiritual Leader ”Mataji Nirmala Devi” & her husband [supposedly an IAS officer & chief of the SCI]

A national flag is a representative of the hopes and aspirations of a country. The Indian National flag being no different, is symbolic of our national pride. I suppose they did not know that there is a Flag code which needs to be adhered too.

Cross Posted here

It looks like the brouhaha over the pesticide is cola controversy is set to die down, at least for now. The state of Kerala had imposed a ban on colas in the state, but they have lost. First, it was the High court which squashed the ban. And when the state appealed to the Supreme court, the court in a judgement a few days ago refused to stay a Kerala High Court order. Their reasoning is that the state of Kerala did not have the authority to ban these drinks. Only the Central government has such authority. And if the central government thought the colas were good enough to drink, what right had Kerala to question this?

Well, the CSE (Centre for Science and Environment) which had submitted the original report about the level of pesticides in soft drinks has not changed its stand. They believe that letting Pepsi and Coke off is a political issue and that the fact that the drinks contain pesticides has been deliberately overlooked by the Central government. They insist that colas in India contain high levels of pesticides. CSE had submitted their initial report in 2003, and you can read the full story since the first release of the findings to the government till today here.

So, what is the truth? Well, high levels of pesticides have been found in ground water in India. And that is where Pepsi and Coke source their water from. If ground water contains pesticides, then one can assume that Pepsi and Coke contain them too. But guess what the cola companies are saying? Something like: apples and milk and everything else contains pesticidesâ?Šso why target us? They feel it is a witch hunt. A witch hunt against multi-national companies.
Well, apparently it is possible to take the pesticides out of colas. There is a technology available to do that. If the cola companies are not doing it, its because it will add to their costs.
CSE is very clear on the fact that pesticides in fruits and vegetables cannot be compared with those in colas because the former have some sort of nutrition in them, while colas don’t. This is what they say:

International standards for pesticide residue all over the world (including in the US and EU) recognise the trade-off between pesticides and nutrition. They give us something in this poison-nutrition trade-off. We get nothing with colas. Just pesticides.

Well, I hadn’t made up my mind about this controversy until now. Once I went through the CSE findings in detail I found myself believing them. But if I have decided to avoid colas for now, it could be because I don’t like the stuff anyway.

The BBC Documentary has a 5 part series on India Rising. In this program, “George Arney looks at the effects of globalisation and discovers what economic reforms have done to India and the way it sees itself.”

I have lived all my life in India except the last two years where I am in Adelaide, Australia. Every report from friends returning from India to Australia, my discussions with friends and family in India inform me that India is changing faster than before. I am waiting to visit India this year and see this change for myself. My mother tells me I will not be able to recognize Hyderabad; my home town; when I visit this year.

How much of this is beneficial is debatable and its distribution across the country is something to worried about.

This series provides a good look at what has happened in the past few years across India.

The first part is about the new India. It takes you through Gurgaon near New Delhi in Northern India, Bangalore and Mysore in Southern India and looking at the new malls, spending culture and the possible future of India.

Part 1

The second part goes to the biggest dissapointment in India, the state of Bihar. The most moving part is about a women, Sukumari Devi, part of people who are called the “rat eaters”; people who actually eat rats; where she collected grains found in rat holes to feed her kids. And also, the second part on the education in Bihar.

Part 2

The third part is about the effect of Television, Bollywood, and Music on India. The Family Soaps like “Kyu Ki…” are frankly comparable to the worst soap operas you can watch anywhere. In my work at Deeshaa, I learned an important aspect about TV. It is increasing the aspiration of Indians in the smaller cities and the rural parts. This feeling of aspiration is important however, if development does not come soon in these areas these aspirations can move in the wrong direction.

This part tries to understand the culture of India through the ‘idiot box’ and youth culture concentrating on what is called the “pan-India” culture.

Part 3

Part Four is about understanding ‘oppression’ in the lives of everyday Indians. What is the impact of economic expansion of India on its environment, health of people from pollution, effect on jobs and rights of poor people & tribals. For more on this read the blog of my friend Shekar - Fractured Earth especially the India section.

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/8194193/view]

Part Five is a discussion between people who have been guides to George Arney throughout the series.

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/8326933/view]

Qantas stewardess Lisa Robertson has revealed that she had unprotected sexual encounters with Hollywood actor Ralph Fiennes in the Intercontinental Mumbai after their brief fling aboard the Darwin-Mumbai flight. The Mail on Sunday had a field day publishing details about their encounter, how Lisa who was staying at The Grand Hyatt and was called over by Fiennes to his hotel room. Upon reaching the hotel room, Lisa was apparently ‘a bit shocked’ because Fiennes asked for unprotected sex.

Later during his visit, Fiennes spent time visiting villages in India preaching safe sex and talking to HIV patients. There are around 5.1 million HIV patients in India including 202,000 children of which nearly 60,000 are born with the virus every year. UNICEF India is one of the active partners in the governments campaign against AIDS.

But I am quite sure there should be someone better than Mr. Fiennes to fit in the role of a HIV Ambassador.

Asking an Indian whether he believes in God seems to be an unnecessary question considering the deep rooted religious and spiritual outlook that the society here is accustomed to. And you could be pardoned to dismiss Atheism in India as “Im the smartass” conversations among a few disillusioned youth outside the intimidating presence of hundreds of temples, churches and mosques. Though its acceptance is debatable, of the several thousand ideologies that evolved in the Indian society, Atheism should be the most unlikely that you would figure to be 1800 years old

It was in the year 600 BC (or 600 BCE to be politically correct) that the first atheist school of thought, LokyÄ?ta (or Carvaka) came into existence. Brihaspati, an ancient philosopher founded and preached the Lokayata thought and is considered the father of Atheist movement in India. His views were anything but conservative even in the current context.
â??As long as you live, live happily, take a loan and drink ghee. After a body is reduced to ashes where will it come back from?â??
It spoke of a self-centred hedonistic approach to Atheism which never quelled the element of fear, the foundation of religion as per philosopher and mathematician, Bertrand Russell.

Very little is documented about LokyÄ?ta and its demise in 1400 AD though it doesnâ??t come as a surprise considering the fate of several scientists and thinkers in the West who faced torture and persecution from religious bodies like the Catholic Church because of their refusal to acknowledge the existence of God.

Hinduismâ??s tryst with Atheism is rather intriguing when you take into account â??Nastikaâ??, a school of thought that advocated the rejection of belief in the Vedas(Astika) but later came to be associated with atheism itself. Though several schools of thought like the Nyay Sutras, Samkhya and Vaisheshika evolved with varying degrees of dependence on logical, scientific and sometimes spiritual methodologies, almost all of them failed to acknowledge the importance of social contribution and address the real world problems in the Indian society.

Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (aka Gora) vowed to change that when he started the Atheist Centre in 1940 and established a headquarters in Vijayawada on the eve of Indiaâ??s independence in 1947. Combining humanism and his passion for enabling social change, Gora along with his wife worked tirelessly towards uplifting the poor and the lower caste. His atheism was positive, not an instrument of exhibiting intellectual superiority over conservationists in cocktail parties. He did share a good rapport with Mahatma Gandhi though when he was conferred with the G D Birla International Award for Humanism, The Hindu called him ‘a Gandhian and freedom fighter’ while his association with atheism was more or less ignored. Maybe an atheist contributing to the society in India is still unthinkable.

Meanwhile, Gora’s Atheist Centre silently continues to promote of atheism, humanism and social change.

 

The pleasant weather last evening, which Bangalore is famous for, compelled even a slothful person like me to take a stroll. Within few minutes my leisure walk quickened to a brisk pace and soon I had to hasten myself home. Reason? Stray dogs.

A popular forward mail claims that one of the things Bangalore is famous for is “stray dogs” and goes on to spout statistics: On an average 12 people are bitten by stray dogs per MINUTE somewhere in Bangalore. Though not sure about the number quoted, street dog menace is definitely a cause of worry to public safety.

But as is the matter with most issues in this country, when public outcry fades so do the authorities. While CUPA and PETA are doing commendable work they are still a long way from making Bangalore free from street dogs.

Despite such grave issues there are many a dog lover who’s heart would bleed if euthanasia were even suggested. One such person filed a PIL a few years back and the court ordered the killing of street dogs to be stopped. And since then on stray dogs are being ’sterilized’. But is this a viable solution? Is BMP realizing the mammoth task in hand of actually sterilizing the entire doggie population in Bangalore?

Meanwhile angry animal activists raise the shackles asking how arrogant can we humans can ever get, to try & change Natureâ??s balance? They state that the main causes for this is the dumping of meat waste that attracts stray dogs to the area, & secondly BMP is unable to check unauthorized meat shops.

Cross Posted here

Given below are some statistics from the website of The Department of Road Transport and Highway, Government of India:

These are just statistics and may not affect us as much as they should. But if we see a sight like the one below,  

or this,

we do get affected. Well, these scenes are being enacted everyday on Indian roads.

As it says here:

Incidentally, India holds the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of road accidents in the world. According to the experts at the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NTPRC) the number of road accidents in India is three times higher than that prevailing in developed countries. The number of accidents for 1000 vehicles in India is as high as 35 while the figure ranges from 4 to 10 in developed countries.

So, why do accidents happen? 80% of road accidents are caused human error say senior police officials, according to a news report in the TOI today. Although no nationwide study as to the causes of road accidents in India is available on the internet, there are smaller studies which confirm these findings. 

Well, we all know how easy it is to get a driving license in India. Also punishment for errant drivers is light. A bribe is all that needs to be given and the rash drivers are free to go. Indians are known for their high degree of patience, but do we have to be patient where rash driving is concerned? No. Some drastic action needs to be taken.    

The Institute of Health Systems has a few solutions:
1) Be more stringent in issuing licenses.
2) Think of ways to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.
3) Be strict about usage of helmets.
4) Make separate lanes for heavy vehicles.
5) Study how these issues are tackled in advanced countries.

The World Bank has some suggestions as well:
1) Increase awareness about road safety among road users, planners and engineers. In fact, the World Bank sees public awareness campaigns as a vital part of its efforts to improve road safety. They had designed one such project for the National Highway Authority of India.
2) Introduction of Road safety audits.
3) Speed controlling measures such as speed bumps, rumble strips, road markings, traffic signs, and roundabouts.
4) Building of separate non-motorized traffic and motorcycle lanes to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Well, there are always solutions and in some ways we are moving towards that. Better and wider roads for example. States are making wearing of helmets compulsory. But road accidents are not reducing. For example one of our best roads, the Mumbai Pune Expressway, sees a fair amount of accidents. In 2006 more than sixty people died on this road. We’ve seen cars traveling at 140 kms per hour (speed limit is 80) on this road. In fact these speeds are a regular feature. Also, inspite of the right lane meant purely for overtaking, many cars love to hog this lane. I took the picture below just a few days ago:

As a result others overtake from the left at high speeds. If the expressway is crowded, drivers simply weave in and out at dangerous speeds. There are rarely any cops to be seen.
If educated people aware of traffic rules and with proper licenses break traffic rules, what can we expect from those who are unware of traffic rules, and those who have not passed a driving test before getting their licenses? What can we expect from drunk drivers? What can we expect from drivers who suffer from road rage? 
Why, murder ofcourse. And if they have clout, they can get away with it.

(The photographs of the accidents have been sourced from Tribune and the World Bank websites)