UNODC Warns of Growing Abuse of
Synthetic Drugs in the Developing World
A report released on 9 September by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that the use of synthetic drugs, while stabilizing in most developed countries, is worsening in developing countries, for example in East and South-East Asia and the Middle East (especially in the Gulf countries).
UNODC’s 2008 Global Assessment of amphetamine, methamphetamine (meth) and ecstasy reveals that the use of these drugs, on an annual basis, exceeds that of cocaine and heroin combined. The global market for amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) is estimated at US$65 billion, wholesale and retail combined.
After substantial increases in the late 1990s -- when some drugs like meth were considered public enemy number one -- the use of synthetic drugs in North America, Europe and Oceania has stabilized and even declined. But the problem has shifted to new markets over the past few years.
Asia, with its huge population and increasing affluence, is driving demand. In 2006, almost half of Asian countries reported an increase in methamphetamine use. In the same year, Saudi Arabia seized more than 12 tonnes of amphetamine (mostly in the form known as Captagon) accounting for a staggering one quarter of all ATS seized in the world (sky-rocketing from 1% in 2000/1). In 2007 the amount increased again to almost 14 tonnes. In South Africa, the number of seized methamphetamine laboratories has consistently gone up for the past five years while domestic consumption has increased.
The wrong tonic for fast times
Launching the report in Bangkok, the Executive Director of UNODC, Antonio Maria Costa, warned that ATS is being used as “a cheap and available tonic for our fast and competitive times -- for entertainment in discos (mostly in the West), and for greater stamina in assembly lines and behind a steering wheel (in the East)”.
Mr. Costa warned that “synthetic drugs are falsely perceived as being harmless: ‘pills do not kill or spread HIV/AIDS’, it is said. This leads to benign neglect in attitudes, policy and enforcement that only slows down remedial action”.
“This is dangerous”, said the head of UNODC, “because while users experience increased confidence, sociability and energy, they can quickly become dependent and suffer serious mental health problems or even brain damage. Paranoia, kidney failure, violence, internal bleeding are among the side effects of the drug”.
Adaptive and elusive suppliers
ATS production appears to have stabilized worldwide at about 500 metric tons per year, but with significant geographical differences: decreasing lab seizures in, for example, the United States and the European Union, have been offset by a rise in ATS production in neighbouring countries, like Canada and Mexico in North America, and Turkey in South-East Europe. Recently, the single largest seizure of ecstasy ever recorded, 4.4 tonnes, originating in Western Europe, was made in Australia (which is still struggling with a major synthetic drugs problem).
Unlike plant-based drugs like cocaine and heroin, the production of synthetic drugs is hard to trace since the ingredients are readily available for legitimate industrial purposes. Supply chains are often short. Meth can be cooked up in the kitchen, and pills can be pressed in a garage. “Suppliers quickly adapt to the latest trends, and cater to local markets. When one lab is shut, another opens. When one type of precursor chemical is unavailable, producers switch to an alternative”, said Mr. Costa. “This presents a challenge to law enforcement since production is so close to retail outlets”, observed the UN drugs czar. “Therefore, greater emphasis should be put on prevention”.
“A decade ago, synthetic drugs were a cottage industry. Now they are big business controlled by organized crime syndicates involved in all phases of this illicit trade -- from smuggling precursor chemicals, to manufacturing the drugs and trafficking”, warned the Executive Director of UNODC. This is bringing rapid changes in ATS markets, including in the size and sophistication of clandestine laboratories.
“Opium and coca are mostly grown in areas outside government control, for example in unstable regions of Afghanistan and Colombia. The same pattern applies to ATS. The Report shows the displacement of industrial-scale labs, which can produce hundreds of millions of tablets, to parts of the world where law enforcement is weak or corrupt, or local officials are complicit”, said Mr. Costa.
Lack of will, information, and resources
The countries facing the brunt of the ATS onslaught are also the least-prepared to cope. “Some countries are in denial about the problem, and do not even report their situation to the United Nations. Others are ill-equipped to fight the pandemic, in terms of information gathering, regulatory frameworks, law enforcement, forensics, or health care”, said Mr. Costa.
Information gathering presents a challenge. Supply estimates are extrapolated from seizures of precursors and ATS end-products; demand estimates from very rough-and-ready calculations of the number of people taking the drugs. Forensic research is needed to analyse and monitor evolving trends.
A SMART answer
“The world needs to get smart about ATS before the problem is out of control”, said Mr. Costa. In Bangkok, he therefore launched UNODC’s SMART programme (Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends). The Programme, which is starting operations in Asia, is designed to reduce the world’s information deficit about amphetamine-type stimulants. This will be done by working with governments – particularly in vulnerable regions – to improve their capacity to gather, analyse and share information on ATS products, their use, and on trafficking routes.
“This should give us a better sense of how big the problem of synthetic drugs really is, and what more can be done to deal with it in terms of prevention, treatment and law enforcement”, said Mr. Costa.
9.9.08
Tackle discrimination and inequality
Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stresses need
to tackle discrimination and inequality, and to prevent genocide
as 9th Session of the Human Rights Council opens
Geneva, 8 September 2008
The new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, in her maiden speech to States attending the Human Rights Council on 8 September, highlighted the need to tackle discrimination and inequality, and urged greater efforts to prevent genocide, which she described as “the ultimate form of discrimination”.
Ms. Pillay, who spent eight years as a judge on the Rwanda Tribunal and five on the International Criminal Court in The Hague before taking up her post as High Commissioner on 1 September, noted that 2008 contained a number of important human rights milestones -- including the sixtieth anniversaries of the Genocide Convention on 9 December, and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the following day.
She reminded delegates attending the opening of the ninth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that both the Universal Declaration and the Genocide Convention “grew out of the Holocaust, but we have yet to learn the lesson of the Holocaust, as genocide continues”.
Drawing on her extensive experience as a leading member of the emerging international justice system dealing with war crimes and crimes against humanity, Ms. Pillay made a powerful call for a stronger focus on preventing genocide, as well as the “cycles of violence, the mobilization of fear and the political exploitation of difference – ethnic, racial and religious difference” that lead to it.
“Genocide is the ultimate form of discrimination”, she said. “We must all do everything in our power to prevent it. What I learned as a judge on the Rwanda Tribunal about the way in which one human being can abuse another will haunt me forever.”
Ms. Pillay, who was herself the victim of both racial and gender discrimination in Apartheid South Africa, said that development, security, peace and justice are all undermined “when discrimination and inequality -- both in blatant and subtle ways -- are allowed to fester and to poison harmonious coexistence”.
She urged States not to let “diverging points of view” deter them from taking part in a key anti-racism review conference (the Durban Review Conference) scheduled for April 2009. The conference process has been the subject of ferocious, and often distorted, criticism by certain lobby groups focused on single issues. “I do not believe that ‘all or nothing’ is the right approach to affirm one’s principles or to win an argument”, she said. “… The process will certainly benefit from active participation by all States … Should differences be allowed to become pretexts for inaction, the hopes and aspirations of the many victims of intolerance would be dashed perhaps irreparably.”
She said that Nelson Mandela had taught her that “far from being appeasement, coming to terms with other people’s experiences and points of view may serve the interest of justice better than strategies that leave no room for negotiation”.
In her speech, Ms. Pillay also noted that “rights to freedom of ex-pression, association and assembly, which are indispensable to the functioning of civil society, have come under sustained attack in all regions of the world”, and said that the press continued to be muzzled in too many countries.
to tackle discrimination and inequality, and to prevent genocide
as 9th Session of the Human Rights Council opens
Geneva, 8 September 2008
The new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, in her maiden speech to States attending the Human Rights Council on 8 September, highlighted the need to tackle discrimination and inequality, and urged greater efforts to prevent genocide, which she described as “the ultimate form of discrimination”.
Ms. Pillay, who spent eight years as a judge on the Rwanda Tribunal and five on the International Criminal Court in The Hague before taking up her post as High Commissioner on 1 September, noted that 2008 contained a number of important human rights milestones -- including the sixtieth anniversaries of the Genocide Convention on 9 December, and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the following day.
She reminded delegates attending the opening of the ninth session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that both the Universal Declaration and the Genocide Convention “grew out of the Holocaust, but we have yet to learn the lesson of the Holocaust, as genocide continues”.
Drawing on her extensive experience as a leading member of the emerging international justice system dealing with war crimes and crimes against humanity, Ms. Pillay made a powerful call for a stronger focus on preventing genocide, as well as the “cycles of violence, the mobilization of fear and the political exploitation of difference – ethnic, racial and religious difference” that lead to it.
“Genocide is the ultimate form of discrimination”, she said. “We must all do everything in our power to prevent it. What I learned as a judge on the Rwanda Tribunal about the way in which one human being can abuse another will haunt me forever.”
Ms. Pillay, who was herself the victim of both racial and gender discrimination in Apartheid South Africa, said that development, security, peace and justice are all undermined “when discrimination and inequality -- both in blatant and subtle ways -- are allowed to fester and to poison harmonious coexistence”.
She urged States not to let “diverging points of view” deter them from taking part in a key anti-racism review conference (the Durban Review Conference) scheduled for April 2009. The conference process has been the subject of ferocious, and often distorted, criticism by certain lobby groups focused on single issues. “I do not believe that ‘all or nothing’ is the right approach to affirm one’s principles or to win an argument”, she said. “… The process will certainly benefit from active participation by all States … Should differences be allowed to become pretexts for inaction, the hopes and aspirations of the many victims of intolerance would be dashed perhaps irreparably.”
She said that Nelson Mandela had taught her that “far from being appeasement, coming to terms with other people’s experiences and points of view may serve the interest of justice better than strategies that leave no room for negotiation”.
In her speech, Ms. Pillay also noted that “rights to freedom of ex-pression, association and assembly, which are indispensable to the functioning of civil society, have come under sustained attack in all regions of the world”, and said that the press continued to be muzzled in too many countries.
8.9.08
Seventy-five million children are not in school
INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY
8 September 2008
Message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
One in five adults -- some 774 million -- is illiterate, and thus lives with no access to the vast global store of written communication. Seventy-five million children are not in school and millions more young people leave school without a level of literacy adequate for productive and active participation in society. These would be devastating numbers at any time, for individuals and societies alike; that they occur in the context of today’s information society should drive home the urgency of efforts to promote literacy throughout the world.
The theme of this year’s observance of International Literacy Day, “Literacy and Health”, is meant to draw more attention to the links between the two. Illiteracy has a direct impact on human health. It prevents people from being able to read the instructions on a medicine bottle. It means that people are less likely to know facts about AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases. And because two thirds of those who are illiterate are women and girls, who often bear the burden of caring for sick members of their families, it means that they will be less likely to know about prevention and support services, and how to use life-saving medicines and other treatments.
To increase literacy skills, well-defined policies and increased investment will be essential. Literacy is indispensable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals targeting maternal health and combating HIV and malaria, and for addressing some of the world’s most important public health challenges. On this International Literacy Day, let us all -- Governments, the United Nations family, donors and civil society -- translate this commitment into more vigorous action. Literacy for all will benefit us all.
8 September 2008
Message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
One in five adults -- some 774 million -- is illiterate, and thus lives with no access to the vast global store of written communication. Seventy-five million children are not in school and millions more young people leave school without a level of literacy adequate for productive and active participation in society. These would be devastating numbers at any time, for individuals and societies alike; that they occur in the context of today’s information society should drive home the urgency of efforts to promote literacy throughout the world.
The theme of this year’s observance of International Literacy Day, “Literacy and Health”, is meant to draw more attention to the links between the two. Illiteracy has a direct impact on human health. It prevents people from being able to read the instructions on a medicine bottle. It means that people are less likely to know facts about AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases. And because two thirds of those who are illiterate are women and girls, who often bear the burden of caring for sick members of their families, it means that they will be less likely to know about prevention and support services, and how to use life-saving medicines and other treatments.
To increase literacy skills, well-defined policies and increased investment will be essential. Literacy is indispensable for achieving the Millennium Development Goals targeting maternal health and combating HIV and malaria, and for addressing some of the world’s most important public health challenges. On this International Literacy Day, let us all -- Governments, the United Nations family, donors and civil society -- translate this commitment into more vigorous action. Literacy for all will benefit us all.
Health Minister India please help kids
Making teens start school in the morning is 'cruel', brain doctor claims
Last updated at 00:22am on 12.01.07
Add your view
Teenage pupils should start school in the afternoon because making them turn up in the morning is "cruel", a top brain doctor has claimed.
Professor Russell Foster said teens would acheive more if they were allowed to have a lie-in and not start their classes until the afternoon.
The Oxford University neuroscientist said grumpy teenagers like Harry Enfield's comic creation Kevin follow different sleep patterns from adults - making them more alert in the afternoon than in the morning.
And he said German and American schools which switched to later start times had experienced improved success in exams and reduced rates of truancy and depression.
Prof Foster said that forcing teenagers to turn up to school in the morning could result in more errors, poor memory, reduced motivation and depression.
Allowing secondary school pupils a lie-in on the other hand would improve performance in key subjects like English and maths.
"It is cruel to impose a cultural pattern on teenagers that makes them underachieve," he told a conference at the University of Wales in Cardiff.
"Most school regimes force teenagers to function at a time of day that is suboptimal and many university students are exposed to considerable dangers from sleep deprivation."
Prof Foster, Oxford University's head of circadian neuroscience - the study of how the daily routine affects the brain - said the time at which children become fully awake gets progressively later as they get older. The pattern continues until the age of 20, when it begins to reverse, making adults more alert in the mornings.
His comments back up research published last year which recommended that schools and universities should not start until 11am because teenagers were in a "permament state of jet-lag".
The American study found that teenagers' biological clocks run later because a hormone known as melatonin, which promotes sleepiness, starts to be secreted in the brain much later than in adults.
The researchers found that students' performance in exams also went down when they sat them in the morning compared to the afternoon.
Prof Foster said: "Teenagers' body clocks can be delayed between two and four hours and they don't start to function until 10am or as late as noon.
"Studies in Germany and America show that when schools have changes start times to later, exam success has gone up and truancy and depression gone down."
He said the problem was worse in Britain where many students work long hours in part-time jobs to finance their degrees.
But teachers' leaders disagreed with the Prof Foster's views - saying they believed pupils performed better in the mornings.
National Association of Head Teachers director Anna Brychan said: "Our members are interested in anything which throws new light on the best way of helping young people develop their creative faculties.
"But many teachers will say they find their classes infinitely more receptive to new ideas in the mornings than in the afternoons."
NASUWT teacher's union official Geraint Davies said: "Schools have been trying to tackle this issue for years but have found pupils are more attentive in the morning."
Reader views (9)
Add your view
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I personally agree with Professor Russell Foster's statement. I feel more tired and unable to think in the morning time, but the afternoon I start to feel more awake and able to think better.
"But many teachers will say they find their classes infinitely more receptive to new ideas in the mornings than in the afternoons."
Sure in the morning one may be more accepting to ideas, but that's only because they are too sleepy to protest them, or at least I know that's true for me. I'll agree to almost anything to avoid thinking in the morning time, it's also the time my parents can ask me to do something and I won't say "no" right off the bat. Because I just want them to leave me alone so I can close my eyes again.
- Allie, United States
I like prof Foster statement. Me personally at attending a high school find it very hard to function in the morning. Schools will find a dramatic increase in grades if they start school later.
- Zack Rogers, toronto, canada
I think it is a great idea for high school to start later, I wrote a paper on it and it would helps students a lot! It is proven that they get better grades and they need more sleep! Parents also love it because the unsupervised time is in the morning when the teens are sleeping and not after school.
- Dana, United States
Professor Russell Foster's observation about teens is okay but it will be more effective for kids and for their parents as morning hours must be peaceful and without any noise. As morning shows the day PEACE in the morning means a GREAT DAY untouched by depression/fatigue. Hope some good people help the kids of the world by providing them more relax moments in the morning.
- Ganesh Upadhyay, India
It would help with traffic congestion in rush hour and help working parents, if they started later and finished later.
It sounds mad, but if it works. Go with it.
- Paul Jardine, Bromley, Kent
Now what muppet came up with this one? As if kids aren't lazy enough!
- Jay, London
They should be made to have a big sing song before they start their work, that always woke me up in the morning!
- Isabel, Woking, England
Making anyone start work earlier than a couple of hours after sunrise is cruel (to say nothing of unnatural). Nevertheless, we have electric light, and the work needs doing.
Life can be cruel. Get used to it!
- Nigel, London
They'll get up at 10am instead of 7am, and be going to sleep at 1 am instead of 10pm. So what's gained? And with their daily cycle so out-of-whack with their parents' work cycle, the whole idea is nonsensical.
- Phil Jones, London UK
Last updated at 00:22am on 12.01.07
Add your view
Teenage pupils should start school in the afternoon because making them turn up in the morning is "cruel", a top brain doctor has claimed.
Professor Russell Foster said teens would acheive more if they were allowed to have a lie-in and not start their classes until the afternoon.
The Oxford University neuroscientist said grumpy teenagers like Harry Enfield's comic creation Kevin follow different sleep patterns from adults - making them more alert in the afternoon than in the morning.
And he said German and American schools which switched to later start times had experienced improved success in exams and reduced rates of truancy and depression.
Prof Foster said that forcing teenagers to turn up to school in the morning could result in more errors, poor memory, reduced motivation and depression.
Allowing secondary school pupils a lie-in on the other hand would improve performance in key subjects like English and maths.
"It is cruel to impose a cultural pattern on teenagers that makes them underachieve," he told a conference at the University of Wales in Cardiff.
"Most school regimes force teenagers to function at a time of day that is suboptimal and many university students are exposed to considerable dangers from sleep deprivation."
Prof Foster, Oxford University's head of circadian neuroscience - the study of how the daily routine affects the brain - said the time at which children become fully awake gets progressively later as they get older. The pattern continues until the age of 20, when it begins to reverse, making adults more alert in the mornings.
His comments back up research published last year which recommended that schools and universities should not start until 11am because teenagers were in a "permament state of jet-lag".
The American study found that teenagers' biological clocks run later because a hormone known as melatonin, which promotes sleepiness, starts to be secreted in the brain much later than in adults.
The researchers found that students' performance in exams also went down when they sat them in the morning compared to the afternoon.
Prof Foster said: "Teenagers' body clocks can be delayed between two and four hours and they don't start to function until 10am or as late as noon.
"Studies in Germany and America show that when schools have changes start times to later, exam success has gone up and truancy and depression gone down."
He said the problem was worse in Britain where many students work long hours in part-time jobs to finance their degrees.
But teachers' leaders disagreed with the Prof Foster's views - saying they believed pupils performed better in the mornings.
National Association of Head Teachers director Anna Brychan said: "Our members are interested in anything which throws new light on the best way of helping young people develop their creative faculties.
"But many teachers will say they find their classes infinitely more receptive to new ideas in the mornings than in the afternoons."
NASUWT teacher's union official Geraint Davies said: "Schools have been trying to tackle this issue for years but have found pupils are more attentive in the morning."
Reader views (9)
Add your view
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
I personally agree with Professor Russell Foster's statement. I feel more tired and unable to think in the morning time, but the afternoon I start to feel more awake and able to think better.
"But many teachers will say they find their classes infinitely more receptive to new ideas in the mornings than in the afternoons."
Sure in the morning one may be more accepting to ideas, but that's only because they are too sleepy to protest them, or at least I know that's true for me. I'll agree to almost anything to avoid thinking in the morning time, it's also the time my parents can ask me to do something and I won't say "no" right off the bat. Because I just want them to leave me alone so I can close my eyes again.
- Allie, United States
I like prof Foster statement. Me personally at attending a high school find it very hard to function in the morning. Schools will find a dramatic increase in grades if they start school later.
- Zack Rogers, toronto, canada
I think it is a great idea for high school to start later, I wrote a paper on it and it would helps students a lot! It is proven that they get better grades and they need more sleep! Parents also love it because the unsupervised time is in the morning when the teens are sleeping and not after school.
- Dana, United States
Professor Russell Foster's observation about teens is okay but it will be more effective for kids and for their parents as morning hours must be peaceful and without any noise. As morning shows the day PEACE in the morning means a GREAT DAY untouched by depression/fatigue. Hope some good people help the kids of the world by providing them more relax moments in the morning.
- Ganesh Upadhyay, India
It would help with traffic congestion in rush hour and help working parents, if they started later and finished later.
It sounds mad, but if it works. Go with it.
- Paul Jardine, Bromley, Kent
Now what muppet came up with this one? As if kids aren't lazy enough!
- Jay, London
They should be made to have a big sing song before they start their work, that always woke me up in the morning!
- Isabel, Woking, England
Making anyone start work earlier than a couple of hours after sunrise is cruel (to say nothing of unnatural). Nevertheless, we have electric light, and the work needs doing.
Life can be cruel. Get used to it!
- Nigel, London
They'll get up at 10am instead of 7am, and be going to sleep at 1 am instead of 10pm. So what's gained? And with their daily cycle so out-of-whack with their parents' work cycle, the whole idea is nonsensical.
- Phil Jones, London UK
2.6.08
FROM THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
30 May 2008
UNIC/PRESS RELEASE/73-2008
FROM THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
Secretary-General cites causes for hope in effort to overcome daunting security, political, economic challenges
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s address to the Annual Review Conference of the International Compact with Iraq in Stockholm, 29 May:
It is an honour to be here. As Co-Chair of the International Compact with Iraq, I thank all of you for joining us for this important meeting. Your participation is a clear sign of the international community’s determination to stand in solidarity with the people and Government of Iraq as they go through their challenging transition.
Let me thank, in particular, the Government of Sweden for its steadfast support of the Compact process, and for its generosity in hosting this first Annual Review Conference. I am grateful to His Excellency Nouri Al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq, for sharing with us the efforts of his Government to implement its commitments under the Compact.
Just over a year ago, we met in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to launch the International Compact with Iraq. Much has been accomplished since then. Today we have an opportunity to take stock of where we stand. You have before you the first Annual Review report, titled “A New Beginning”. It provides a comprehensive assessment of the progress so far and the challenges ahead.
Indeed, notable progress has been made in all three pillars of the Compact -- in the security, political and economic fields, despite the challenges. For this, Prime Minister Al-Maliki, his Government and the people of Iraq deserve our commendation.
As the report makes clear, the Iraqi people continue to suffer from acts of terrorism, sectarian violence and criminality. Many endure forced displacement and human rights violations. Essential services are still sorely lacking.
Nonetheless, if I were asked to use one word to describe the situation in Iraq today, I would choose the word “hope”. There is new hope that the people and Government of Iraq are overcoming daunting challenges and working together to rebuild their country after years of war, dictatorship and neglect.
In the area of security, there is reason for hope. The incidence of violence has retreated from the alarming levels of 2006 and early 2007. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the Government of Iraq and other stakeholders, we have seen steady progress in strengthening the capacity of Iraqi security forces and curbing the activities of militias and other armed groups. We have also seen renewed determination to strengthen the rule of law.
Through these efforts, Iraq is stepping back from the abyss that we feared most. Nevertheless, the situation remains fragile. Securing the full trust and support of all the Iraqi people is paramount. I urge those in charge of ongoing military operations to keep doing their utmost to prevent civilian casualties and respect international humanitarian law.
By the same token, it is essential to keep building professional security forces that are trusted by all Iraqi communities, capable of taking over security responsibilities in an impartial and non-sectarian manner, while respecting human rights and the laws of the land.
To consolidate these advances in security, it is essential to achieve progress in the political sphere. Here, again, there is cause for hope. The Government of Iraq has committed itself to completing a long legislative agenda. Successes include the passage of the Justice and Reconciliation Law, the Amnesty Law, the Provincial Powers Laws and the 2008 Budget. I encourage Iraqi leaders to maintain this positive momentum and finalize, as soon as possible, other pending laws that are critical to national reconciliation, including the draft Electoral Law and Hydrocarbon Law.
Equally, I urge Iraqi communities to work together in a spirit of national unity to resolve fundamental issues that continue to divide them. These include the federal structure of Iraq and the sharing of the country’s wealth and natural resources. The Constitutional Review Process presents an important opportunity to resolve these difficult and long-standing issues. If Iraqi leaders are able to agree on a package deal of key amendments to the Constitution, it could make for a much-needed grand bargain among the country’s main communities.
Equally essential to lasting peace is creating an inclusive dialogue. This means building further on interaction with groups that are outside the political process, but willing to renounce violence and enter into dialogue. A fine example is the engagement with the Awakening Councils. Integrating them into the security forces, workforce and political mainstream could significantly help pave the way for national reconciliation.
In the economy, too, there is reason for hope. Estimates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) show that the economy has expanded since last year and will continue to do so over the next several years. The Government of Iraq has made great strides in meeting its commitments under IMF Stand-By Arrangements, and has taken steps to reduce inflation.
Iraq has ratified the United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption -- another notable step towards strengthening investor confidence. And most significantly, the volume of oil outputs and exports are at their highest levels since 2004.
I have often been reminded by my Iraqi counterparts that Iraq is not a poor country. And yet, while Iraq has made progress in delivering essential services, there are still too many citizens who lack clean water and sanitation, electricity and fuel, and access to proper health care and education. There are vast numbers of Iraqi refugees -- in the region and beyond, including here in Sweden. And there are hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons who require urgent assistance.
The international community has an obligation to assist them. But I am also hopeful that the Government of Iraq will consider ways of spending more of its own resources to improve the lives of its people. The United Nations is committed to supporting Iraq in this mission.
Given Iraq’s wealth and natural resources, building better lives is not a question of extensive financial aid. Rather, it is a question of unlocking Iraq’s own potential. Iraq looks to the international community for partnerships, technical assistance and economic exchange. A number of countries have already contributed, in the form of investments, debt relief according to Paris Club terms, and assistance for reconstruction and capacity-building. I encourage all Governments to do the same, so as to fulfil the promises made through mutual commitments under the Compact.
Let us be clear about what is at stake. For the first time in its history, Iraq has a chance to integrate fully into the global economy. Iraq’s contribution, particularly in the energy sector, will translate into real dividends for the world as a whole. I would urge Governments to support Iraq’s accession to multilateral institutions, including the World Trade Organization.
Finally, in the area of regional cooperation, there are signs of hope as well. Political and economic integration in the region is essential for building and sustaining peace, and can bring economic rewards to everyone involved. I welcome the efforts of the Expanded Ministerial Conference of Neighbouring States, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Istanbul and Kuwait. I urge participants at future meetings to redouble their efforts to achieve more tangible outcomes. It should be possible for the three regional working groups -- on border security, energy, and refugees as well as internally displaced persons -- to formulate more concrete recommendations. These could eventually be endorsed at the ministerial meetings.
The United Nations is committed to supporting the expanded ministerial process through the Ad-Hoc Support Mechanism endorsed in Kuwait in April 2008. These efforts will help Iraq and its neighbours strengthen relations and establish diplomatic ties.
The International Compact is not only a road map for achieving the national vision of Iraq. It also represents a framework for Iraq’s normalization and transition to a full member of the community of nations. I am sure you all agree that this is in our collective interest.
The United Nations, for its part, remains committed to doing all it can to support the people and Government of Iraq under Security Council resolution 1770. We are working under challenging conditions on a range of outstanding issues -- from the conduct of elections to the resolution of disputed internal administrative boundaries, from constitutional review to the promotion of human rights and the rule of law, and the coordination and delivery of humanitarian, reconstruction and development assistance. In all these endeavours, my colleagues in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq have my full support.
For the Government, Parliament and people of Iraq to move forward on the path towards genuine national reconciliation, they will need to address all these issues through meaningful dialogue and consensus. Only in this way can Iraq build enduring political, social and economic progress, for the benefit of all its citizens.
The partnership and mutual commitments enshrined in the International Compact exist to support Iraq in this work. Together, we can fulfil Iraq’s national vision of becoming a free, secure, stable and prosperous nation.
***
UNIC/PRESS RELEASE/73-2008
FROM THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
Secretary-General cites causes for hope in effort to overcome daunting security, political, economic challenges
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s address to the Annual Review Conference of the International Compact with Iraq in Stockholm, 29 May:
It is an honour to be here. As Co-Chair of the International Compact with Iraq, I thank all of you for joining us for this important meeting. Your participation is a clear sign of the international community’s determination to stand in solidarity with the people and Government of Iraq as they go through their challenging transition.
Let me thank, in particular, the Government of Sweden for its steadfast support of the Compact process, and for its generosity in hosting this first Annual Review Conference. I am grateful to His Excellency Nouri Al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq, for sharing with us the efforts of his Government to implement its commitments under the Compact.
Just over a year ago, we met in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to launch the International Compact with Iraq. Much has been accomplished since then. Today we have an opportunity to take stock of where we stand. You have before you the first Annual Review report, titled “A New Beginning”. It provides a comprehensive assessment of the progress so far and the challenges ahead.
Indeed, notable progress has been made in all three pillars of the Compact -- in the security, political and economic fields, despite the challenges. For this, Prime Minister Al-Maliki, his Government and the people of Iraq deserve our commendation.
As the report makes clear, the Iraqi people continue to suffer from acts of terrorism, sectarian violence and criminality. Many endure forced displacement and human rights violations. Essential services are still sorely lacking.
Nonetheless, if I were asked to use one word to describe the situation in Iraq today, I would choose the word “hope”. There is new hope that the people and Government of Iraq are overcoming daunting challenges and working together to rebuild their country after years of war, dictatorship and neglect.
In the area of security, there is reason for hope. The incidence of violence has retreated from the alarming levels of 2006 and early 2007. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the Government of Iraq and other stakeholders, we have seen steady progress in strengthening the capacity of Iraqi security forces and curbing the activities of militias and other armed groups. We have also seen renewed determination to strengthen the rule of law.
Through these efforts, Iraq is stepping back from the abyss that we feared most. Nevertheless, the situation remains fragile. Securing the full trust and support of all the Iraqi people is paramount. I urge those in charge of ongoing military operations to keep doing their utmost to prevent civilian casualties and respect international humanitarian law.
By the same token, it is essential to keep building professional security forces that are trusted by all Iraqi communities, capable of taking over security responsibilities in an impartial and non-sectarian manner, while respecting human rights and the laws of the land.
To consolidate these advances in security, it is essential to achieve progress in the political sphere. Here, again, there is cause for hope. The Government of Iraq has committed itself to completing a long legislative agenda. Successes include the passage of the Justice and Reconciliation Law, the Amnesty Law, the Provincial Powers Laws and the 2008 Budget. I encourage Iraqi leaders to maintain this positive momentum and finalize, as soon as possible, other pending laws that are critical to national reconciliation, including the draft Electoral Law and Hydrocarbon Law.
Equally, I urge Iraqi communities to work together in a spirit of national unity to resolve fundamental issues that continue to divide them. These include the federal structure of Iraq and the sharing of the country’s wealth and natural resources. The Constitutional Review Process presents an important opportunity to resolve these difficult and long-standing issues. If Iraqi leaders are able to agree on a package deal of key amendments to the Constitution, it could make for a much-needed grand bargain among the country’s main communities.
Equally essential to lasting peace is creating an inclusive dialogue. This means building further on interaction with groups that are outside the political process, but willing to renounce violence and enter into dialogue. A fine example is the engagement with the Awakening Councils. Integrating them into the security forces, workforce and political mainstream could significantly help pave the way for national reconciliation.
In the economy, too, there is reason for hope. Estimates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) show that the economy has expanded since last year and will continue to do so over the next several years. The Government of Iraq has made great strides in meeting its commitments under IMF Stand-By Arrangements, and has taken steps to reduce inflation.
Iraq has ratified the United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption -- another notable step towards strengthening investor confidence. And most significantly, the volume of oil outputs and exports are at their highest levels since 2004.
I have often been reminded by my Iraqi counterparts that Iraq is not a poor country. And yet, while Iraq has made progress in delivering essential services, there are still too many citizens who lack clean water and sanitation, electricity and fuel, and access to proper health care and education. There are vast numbers of Iraqi refugees -- in the region and beyond, including here in Sweden. And there are hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons who require urgent assistance.
The international community has an obligation to assist them. But I am also hopeful that the Government of Iraq will consider ways of spending more of its own resources to improve the lives of its people. The United Nations is committed to supporting Iraq in this mission.
Given Iraq’s wealth and natural resources, building better lives is not a question of extensive financial aid. Rather, it is a question of unlocking Iraq’s own potential. Iraq looks to the international community for partnerships, technical assistance and economic exchange. A number of countries have already contributed, in the form of investments, debt relief according to Paris Club terms, and assistance for reconstruction and capacity-building. I encourage all Governments to do the same, so as to fulfil the promises made through mutual commitments under the Compact.
Let us be clear about what is at stake. For the first time in its history, Iraq has a chance to integrate fully into the global economy. Iraq’s contribution, particularly in the energy sector, will translate into real dividends for the world as a whole. I would urge Governments to support Iraq’s accession to multilateral institutions, including the World Trade Organization.
Finally, in the area of regional cooperation, there are signs of hope as well. Political and economic integration in the region is essential for building and sustaining peace, and can bring economic rewards to everyone involved. I welcome the efforts of the Expanded Ministerial Conference of Neighbouring States, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Istanbul and Kuwait. I urge participants at future meetings to redouble their efforts to achieve more tangible outcomes. It should be possible for the three regional working groups -- on border security, energy, and refugees as well as internally displaced persons -- to formulate more concrete recommendations. These could eventually be endorsed at the ministerial meetings.
The United Nations is committed to supporting the expanded ministerial process through the Ad-Hoc Support Mechanism endorsed in Kuwait in April 2008. These efforts will help Iraq and its neighbours strengthen relations and establish diplomatic ties.
The International Compact is not only a road map for achieving the national vision of Iraq. It also represents a framework for Iraq’s normalization and transition to a full member of the community of nations. I am sure you all agree that this is in our collective interest.
The United Nations, for its part, remains committed to doing all it can to support the people and Government of Iraq under Security Council resolution 1770. We are working under challenging conditions on a range of outstanding issues -- from the conduct of elections to the resolution of disputed internal administrative boundaries, from constitutional review to the promotion of human rights and the rule of law, and the coordination and delivery of humanitarian, reconstruction and development assistance. In all these endeavours, my colleagues in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq have my full support.
For the Government, Parliament and people of Iraq to move forward on the path towards genuine national reconciliation, they will need to address all these issues through meaningful dialogue and consensus. Only in this way can Iraq build enduring political, social and economic progress, for the benefit of all its citizens.
The partnership and mutual commitments enshrined in the International Compact exist to support Iraq in this work. Together, we can fulfil Iraq’s national vision of becoming a free, secure, stable and prosperous nation.
***
UN human rights probe
31 May 2008
UNIC/PRESS RELEASE/75-2008
FROM THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
Police killing of three protesters in Nepal
prompts UN human rights probe
United Nations human rights official in Nepal announced on 30 May that it would open an investigation into the killing of three people and the wounding of seven others by Nepalese police after protesters threw rocks and stones during a demonstration in the far west of the country.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights-Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) said in a press statement that it was very concerned about the shootings, which took place in Kailali on 28 May.
The office has confirmed that one person was fatally shot in the head, another was shot in the neck and chest and the third in the abdomen as the police tried to control a crowd that had been throwing rocks and stones at the district administration office in Kailali.
“According to international standards, law enforcement officials may only use firearms in dispersing a violent assembly to protect themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve this objective,” OHCHR said.
“Intentional lethal use of firearms is permitted only when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life,” the statement added, urging the police to begin their own independent inquiry.
Wednesday’s killings occurred a day after a Nepalese journalist was beaten by a group that included Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) cadres, apparently because he had written an article critical of the party’s activities.
The UN human rights office said it was concerned that although the beating occurred inside the compound at the district administration office and in the presence of both the chief district officer and superintendent of the police, authorities failed to arrest those responsible.
Earlier this week Nepal’s Constituent Assembly, tasked with drafting a new constitution for the country, held its historic first meeting after members were elected last month as part of the peace process following the end of the civil war.
Constituent Assembly members overwhelmingly voted in favour of a motion to amend the interim constitution, proclaiming Nepal a republic and formally ending the country’s 240-year-old monarchy.
***
UNIC/PRESS RELEASE/75-2008
FROM THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
Police killing of three protesters in Nepal
prompts UN human rights probe
United Nations human rights official in Nepal announced on 30 May that it would open an investigation into the killing of three people and the wounding of seven others by Nepalese police after protesters threw rocks and stones during a demonstration in the far west of the country.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights-Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) said in a press statement that it was very concerned about the shootings, which took place in Kailali on 28 May.
The office has confirmed that one person was fatally shot in the head, another was shot in the neck and chest and the third in the abdomen as the police tried to control a crowd that had been throwing rocks and stones at the district administration office in Kailali.
“According to international standards, law enforcement officials may only use firearms in dispersing a violent assembly to protect themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve this objective,” OHCHR said.
“Intentional lethal use of firearms is permitted only when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life,” the statement added, urging the police to begin their own independent inquiry.
Wednesday’s killings occurred a day after a Nepalese journalist was beaten by a group that included Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) cadres, apparently because he had written an article critical of the party’s activities.
The UN human rights office said it was concerned that although the beating occurred inside the compound at the district administration office and in the presence of both the chief district officer and superintendent of the police, authorities failed to arrest those responsible.
Earlier this week Nepal’s Constituent Assembly, tasked with drafting a new constitution for the country, held its historic first meeting after members were elected last month as part of the peace process following the end of the civil war.
Constituent Assembly members overwhelmingly voted in favour of a motion to amend the interim constitution, proclaiming Nepal a republic and formally ending the country’s 240-year-old monarchy.
***
EnvironmentDay 2008--Water also plays a fundamental role
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Water is life ! It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle.
The Pacific Ocean covers half the globe - an area big enough to fit all the continents. In fact, 75% of the world is covered by water, so although we call our planet 'Earth',.....
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Water Conservation Tips for Inside and Outside Your Home..
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Here are recipes for hot summer days, all served cold. Get out of the kitchen faster with these cool and easy recipes. ......
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Sony VAIO LT HD PC/TV
It’s a PC. It’s a wall-mounted HDTV with DVR. Its all-in-one.
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"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in water"
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Water is life ! It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle.
The Pacific Ocean covers half the globe - an area big enough to fit all the continents. In fact, 75% of the world is covered by water, so although we call our planet 'Earth', perhaps we should really have named it 'Water'! Most of the water on Earth is salty. Only about 3% is fresh water and some of this is frozen in glaciers and icebergs. Water is essential for the survival of living creatures, but there is a relatively small amount to be shared around - and that makes it very precious. We need to get better at looking after this valuable resource.
What do you know about water conservation and water pollution? Read about Water and test your knowledge here!
Awareness on water conservation
Water is a precious resource in our environment. Growing populations and ongoing droughts are squeezing our water resources dry, causing natural habitat degradation and impacting our everyday use of water.
Why save water?
Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach.
To put it another way, if 100 litres represents the world's water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use.
The global water situation
remember that our local water supplies are part of a bigger global water cycle
Fresh water is essential to our existence - it allows us to produce food, manufacture goods and sustain our health. It is also an essential part of the natural environment which supports all human, plant and animal life.
Global water consumption has risen almost tenfold since 1900, in many parts of the world, and they are now reaching the limits of their supply. World population is expected to increase by 45% in the next thirty years, whilst freshwater runoff is expected to increase by 10%. UNESCO has predicted that by 2020 water shortage will be a serious worldwide problem.
One third of the world's population is already facing problems due to both water shortage and poor drinking water quality. Effects include massive outbreaks of disease, malnourishment and crop failure. In addition, excessive use of water has seen the degradation of the environment costing the world billions of dollars.
Embodied water
What is embodied water?
When thinking about how much water you use you probably think about how much water you use from the taps or tanks around the house and garden, and perhaps even the amount you use at work. But have you ever thought about the amount of water used to produce some of those items you take for granted in your life - food, clothing, furniture, building materials, etc.?
There is often a high amount of 'embodied water' associated with many items we use or consume on an everyday basis. This is the amount of water used during the growing, processing and transportation of the goods we use or consume, or the services we use.
As an example, here are some statistics showing the amount of water used to produce some everyday items.
It takes...
140L of fresh water to produce 1 cup of coffee
1,000L of fresh water to produce 1L of milk
1,350L of fresh water to produce 1kg of wheat
3,000L of fresh water to produce 1kg of rice, and
16,000L of fresh water to produce 1kg of beef
The impacts of consumption
There are many hidden effects of excessive water consumption, including:
Building more dams. This has severe environmental effects such as destruction of wilderness, creation of greenhouse gases from rotting vegetation, altered stream flows and degraded ecological health. It's also very costly!
Maintaining other infrastructure for water supply and use. This includes costly upgrades and maintenance of pipes, sewers and treatment facilities.
Erosion, salinity and desertification. Water consumption for agriculture alters the natural water cycle in many areas of Australia. This degrades production areas and intensifies other environmental problems such as land clearing and desertification.
Degradation of water bodies. Many of our rivers, wetlands and bays are degraded. This is partly due to the high levels of water extracted, as well as polluted surface runoff and storm water flushed into them.
It's time to take action
let's not play the blame game, each of us needs to take responsibility and take action at home, at work and at play!
As populations increase across the rest of the world, demand for water will also increase. If we don’t reduce each individual’s demand for water (both directly and through embodied water) the water situation will become dire
Concepts and Techniques on water conservation
Rain Water Harvesting
The rainwater that falls on the rooftops can be harvested for groundwater recharge using appropriate techniques. This method may be applied for the roofs of existing houses/buildings as well as those to be constructed in future.
It is estimated that a total of 2 MCM of water can be utilized for groundwater recharge at a cost of Rs.18.92 crores.
Lakes and Depressions
Lakes have often been misused for dumping of solid waste and sewage disposal. Water quality can be improved by replicating the principles of wetlands by the introduction of aquatic plants and fish in a systematic manner. Unique phenomenon of algae, bacteria symbiosis reduces the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand). The fish population acts as an ecological manipulator by grazing on the algal population.
The storage capacity can be increased by desilting and widening. By desilting and deepening the lakes with the assistance of draglines machines, the lakes would need to be linked up with storm water runoff in the vicinity to augment the inflow.
This measure improves the quantity of groundwater recharge as well as the quality of available groundwater.
Floodplain Reservoirs
In this method we creates a recharge basin and reservoirs on the flood plains by scooping out earth from the flood plains at appropriate locations and letting these reservoirs to be filled up by the expanded monsoon season flow of the river.
The Yamuna flood plain comprising of 97 sq.km. of area in Delhi offers a good scope for development of groundwater resources subsequent to the storage of monsoon waters on the flood plain itself. Out of 580 MCM of monsoon season flow allocated to Delhi about 280 MCM goes unutilized due to lack of storages.
Quarry Reservoirs
Abandoned quarries are available in the vicinity of urban areas. With some modification of their catchment area and/or linkage with some nearby channels these can be used to store water, which would otherwise run-off. Depth and width of these quarries can be increased where the volume of runoff waters can be calculated to be in excess of present storage capacity.
Historical Water Bodies
Many ancient reservoirs have been disused due to change of catchment characteristics or due to destruction of feeding channel. These baolis/reservoirs can be reused as small recharge points. Major gains can be made only from the large reservoirs.
Paleo-Channels
These are abandoned course of rivers or streams and can be served as excellent ground water storage and recharge locations. Division of some of the monsoon flows into these channels greatly replenishes the declining water table for subsequent use.
Check Dams
In the regional topography several small or large check dams are possible and may be created not so much for surface withdrawal but for recharging the falling ground water table. There are number of micro watersheds present in Delhi e.g. in the Ridge which provide excellent topographical formation to conserve monsoon runoff through simple recharge structures.
Village Ponds
The original purpose of village ponds was to give sustainability to adjacent wells and for cattle drinking, bathing, etc. As village are absorbed into urban areas with increasing reliance on tube wells, the ponds are becoming cesspools. These ponds can function as storage reservoirs and recharge areas subsequent to desiltation and improvement of their water quality. Following recommendations are given:
No sewage should be diverted to ponds in order to maintain their water quality.
No garbage dumping should be permitted.
Technique of in-situ improvement of water quality using aquatic plants and fishes can be introduced where necessary in order to avoid mosquito breeding.
Grass plantation should be carried out along the perimeter of ponds in the immediate sloping catchment.
Existing ponds are to be widened to the extent possible and deepened by 1.0m and nearby storm water drainage is to be used to fill up the additional capacity thus created.
Pond may be desilt and deepen with the assistance of draglines machines.
Ecoparks
This involves the creation of artificial wetlands using aquatic plant root zone system to treat sewage waters up to tertiary levels for recycling to the irrigation and horticultural sector and possibly some industrial estates.
The system utilizes the roots of certain type of plants to provide sub-striates for the growth of bacteria, which utilizes the nutrients present in the effluents, and for the transfer of oxygen. The plants commonly employed are duckweed, water hyacinth, pennwort, etc. The plants have to be harvested regularly and about 20 to 25% plants should be removed at each harvest. These plants have a root system of rhizomes, containing thick hollow air passages, from which fine hair roots hang down.
This root zone can support a very large population of aerobic microorganisms. Bacteria, dominate the microbial population, which is expected to degrade most of the simpler organic materials i.e. those contributing to BOD. The fungi and actinomycetes, although fewer in number, have a wider range of hydrolytic activities and are expected to degrade many of the large molecules that contribute to the COD.
The waste water encounters alternate aerobic and anaerobic microbial population which convert carbonaceous and to a lesser extent nitrogenous and phosphatic, contaminants in the water to less polluting materials. Further microorganisms can form biofilms around lower stems, which can then trap particles suspended in the wastewater by absorption.
It is expected to achieve an effluent quality of 5-10mg/l of suspended solids. A total of 495 MGD of recycled water can be made available for irrigation, horticulture and industrial needs and for domestic non-drinking supply.
We have no choice but to pay more attention to how we are using water, and how we may be wasting it. We must bridge the gap between our understanding of how important water is to our survival and what we can do to ensure that we have an adequate supply of clean water for years to come.
It's time to be water efficient!
It is obvious that we cannot increase demands for water much more without detrimental effects to the environment, society and the economy.
It’s all too easy to blame someone else for the water situation – “if 70% of water is used for agriculture then that’s what we should target” – but it’s not that easy. We all depend on the food and resources that agriculture provides, and while there are definitely opportunities to increase water efficiency on the farm, the solution will take more than that.
We each share responsibility for the sustainable management of our water resources, which means using less water at home, in the workplace, at school, on holidays, on the farm, … everyone, everywhere, every time.
It's time to become water efficient! This involves reassessing our relationship with water, and learning to use it more sparingly. On the most basic level, it requires a behavioural change, and assigning a value to water that truly reflects its worth.
We can also unlock economic benefits of being water efficient. There are many real world examples given in the case studies on this site.
Everybody has a responsibility to save water, if future generations are to enjoy a similar standard of living to the one we enjoy now. In fact, many of the impacts associated with water use are likely to have an effect on our own lives!
When the weather gets hot and sticky Cool off with a Chocolate Mint Ice Cream, Orange Mint Tea, Peach Shake. Here are recipes for hot summer days, all served cold. Get out of the kitchen faster with these cool and easy recipes.
Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Mint Chocolate Chips
2 Egg Yolks
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
Method:
Combine 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, the milk, sugar and the mint chocolate chips in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring with a wire whisk, until the chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and the salt until thick. Gradually add the chocolate mixture.
Beat until well blended and chill 30 minutes. Pour the chilled chocolate/egg mixture into an electric ice cream freezer; churn until thick.
Cover and store in freeze until ready to serve.
Orange Mint Tea
Recipe taken from : http://southernfood.about.com/od/orangerecipes/r/bl40328l.htm
Ingredients:
2 Cups Water
2 Tea Bags
3 Tablespoons Fresh Mint Leaves
2 Tablespoons Sugar
4 Cups Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
Preparation:
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil; remove from heat.
Add tea bags, mint leaves, and sugar; let stand 10 minutes.
Remove tea bags.
Transfer to a large pitcher; stir in orange juice and lemon juice.
Peach Shake
Serves 2
Recipe taken from : http://southernfood.about.com/od/icecreamdrinkrecipes/r/bl50805f.htm
Ingredients:
1 Cup Sliced Fresh Peaches Or Frozen Thawed Peaches
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Vanilla Ice Cream
3/4 Cup Milk
Preparation:
Blend peaches with pineapple juice and sugar until smooth.
Add ice cream and blend until soft; pour in milk and pulse to mix in.
Pour shake into chilled glasses.
It's that time of year again, and mangoes are the favoured fruit in every home. Presented here are recipes that will leave you smacking your lips.
Mango Lassi
Recipe taken from : http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2005/apr/13sd1.htm
Ingredients:
1 Cup Mango Pulp
1 Cup Yogurt
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Crushed Peppercorn
Method:
Whisk the yogurt to a smooth consistency in a mixing bowl.
Gradually add in the sugar and the mango pulp into the yogurt.
Mix till the sugar dissolves completely in the yogurt.
Chill the lassi in a refrigerator for approximately an hour.
Pour the mango lassi into a tall glass.
Garnish with crushed peppercorn and serve chilled!
Mango Yogurt Ice cream
Recipe taken from : http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2005/apr/13sd4.htm
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Mango Pulp
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup Cream
5 Tbsp Milk Powder
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Yogurt
Method:
Combine milk, cream and mango pulp in a saucepan.
Whisk in the powdered milk and sugar.
Heat this mixture over low flame till the sugar dissolves.
Then pour the mixture into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
When the mixture cools down, whisk in the yogurt.
Blend the mixture with a hand blender until it blends uniformly.
Pour the blended mixture into an ice cream container and refrigerate for an hour.
Serve chilled with fresh mango cubes.
Mango Ice Cream
Recipe taken from : http://recipes.tajonline.com/132/mango-ice-cream.html
This is a great desert which can be made with very little effort. You can replace the Mango pulp with any other pureed fruit.
Ingredients :
1 can Condensed Milk 3" high and about 2.5" in diameter
12 oz. Whipped cream(Cool whip)
1 can Mango pulp (Alphonso) 6" high and 3" in diameter
Method:
Mix all of the pulp, condensed milk and whipped cream in a bowl.
Put in the freezer for about 8 hours.
Sony VAIO LT HD PC/TV
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Design: This HD PC/TV combo will accentuate your interior design with its unique floating display. Sleek lines and brilliant headway engineering.
PC Performance: surf the web, email and watch viral video on a PC backed by a super powerful next-generation Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Premium Model: The VAIO LT29U premium HDTV/PC boasts a DVR with massive 1 terabyte hard drive store up to 100 hours of HDTV to this super-powerful PC backed by an Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 processor and 4GB RAM.
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Maruti DZire
The saga begins with pleasure, tranquillity & gratification and ends in sophistication, safety & style. The protagonist of this story is none other than Maruti DZire. Go desire it thoroughly!!
Auto major Maruti Suzuki Ltd Wednesday announced the launch of a new middle segment car, Dzire, which has luxury features like steering mounted audio controls, automatic climate control and dual airbags for safety.
Maruti said the sedan would be available in both petrol and diesel versions.
The ex-showroom price of the petrol version in Delhi ranges from Rs.449,000 to Rs.590,000, while the diesel version will be priced between Rs.539,000 to Rs.670,000.
Specifications
Transmission Type Manual
Fuel Type Petrol
Seating Capacity
5
Gearbox
5 Speed
Engine Description
1.3L 87bhp AlTec32 engine
Engine Displacement 1,298 cc
Maximum Power
88.2 @ 6,000 (PS@rpm)
Maximum Torque
11.5 @ 4,500 (kgm@rpm)
Features
Anti-Lock Braking System Standard
Air Conditioner Standard
Power Steering Standard
CD Player Not Available
Power Windows - Front Not Available
Central Locking Not Available
Automatic Climate Control Not Available
Driver Airbag Not Available
Leather Seats Not Available
Passenger Airbag Not Available
2008 Maruti DZire Photos
To know more click here
Source :
http://www.bharatheritage.in/articles/article1.htm
Take a driving holiday and you'll realise that it's a fun experience that's different from all your other vacations. Share the driving, stop often, enjoy the beauty around you. Make it a journey of discovery, joy and family bonding, a journey you'll remember for a lifetime.
Handy Tips for Driving Holiday. Twelve handy tips to get your car ready for your driving holiday
Brakes:
Ensure that the wear on the brake pads/liners is within acceptable limits and check that there is no fluid leakage and the brakes are working perfectly.
Suspension: Load the vehicle and take it for a test drive. Look for any rattles or other harsh sounds especially when the vehicle goes over a bump.
Engine:
Get the engine tuned and the timing belt checked for wear. Also get the ignition and fuel supply system checked out. If necessary, replace spark plugs, contact point, condenser, air filter, fuel filter, oil filter and engine oil. Also check the engine foundations, hose pipes and drive belts. And, please get a PUC (Pollution Under Control) certificate from the relevant authorities.
Electrlcals:
Check the battery, terminals and mounting brackets. Check the headlights and all other lights and ensure that all electrical connections are tight and firmly in place. It is advisable to check the windscreen wipers and washer spray systems too.
Transmission:
Check the clutch for wear and slip, and set clutch play. Ensure that the clutch engages and disengages smoothly without any vibration. Shift through all the gears in the box and make sure that changes are smooth.
Tyres / Wheels:
Ensure that the tyres have got enough tread and life left in them and that they have no uneven wear or cuts and cracks. Check the wheels and balance and align them. Do not forget the spare wheel and also give it the same tender loving care.
Oils & Lubricants:
Change engine oil and filter before a long trip. Check levels and condition of oils in gearbox and differential. Check brake fluid for leaks.
Seat Belts:
Make it a point to use them.
Jack & Wheel Spanner:
ln case of a puncture, the jack will become the all important tool. Most people tend to ignore it. Before setting out lubricate the jack and check that it works.
Door, Windows & Locks:
Check if any doors or the bonnet or dicky lid rattle or or pop open if the vehicle hits a bump at speed. Service and align if necessary. All locks need to be checked and the window winders serviced if required.
Service:
Lubricate and grease where necessary and also apply a coat of wax polish to protect the paint.
Tool Kit & Spares:
Despite the best preparations breakdowns can occur. You should carry a reasonably well equipped tool-kit including a hacksaw, hammer, cold chisel, pliers, plug spanner, a set of ring and open-ended spanners, a socket or box spanner set, a set of screwdrivers, some locking wire, electrical tape, electrical wire, sandpaper, files and sealing compounds like M-seal, and of course a can ofWD40 spray.
Spare parts should include spare tyre tube and valve, wheel nuts, fan belt, a/c belt, power steering belt, condenser and contact point (if applicable), radiator hoses, fuses, spark plugs, I litre engine oil, brake fluid, fuel filter, radiator coolant and some fuel additives especially if your vehicle is fuel injected. Poor quality of fuel and the dusty conditions often result in injectors, fuel filters and air filters getting clogged up, so prepare for this situation.
Water Conservation Tips for Inside and Outside Your Home
Source: http://www.redwoodcity.org/publicworks/water/tips%20and%20links.html
General :
Never pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or for cleaning around your home.
Verify that your home is leak free. Many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
Repair dripping faucets. If your faucet is dripping at a rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 10220.61 Litres per year. This adds to the cost of water and sewer utilities and adds to your water bill.
Retrofit all household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors to slow the flow of water.
Insulate your water pipes. Youll get hot water faster and avoid wasting water while it heats up.
If you have a well at home, check your pump periodically. Listen to hear if the pump kicks on and off while water is not being used. If it does, you have a leak.
Bathrooms :
Inside your house, bathroom facilities claim nearly 75% of the water used.
Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes.
Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.)
If the toilet handle frequently sticks in the flush position letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.
Install a toilet dam or displacement device such as a bag or bottle to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush. Be sure installation does not interfere with the operating parts.
When purchasing new or replacement toilets, consider low-volume units which use less than half the water of older models. In many areas, low-volume units are required by local building codes.
Take shorter showers. Replace your showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs.
Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water and use this to water plants. The same technique can be used when washing dishes or vegetables in the sink.
In the shower, turn water on to get wet; turn off to lather up; then turn back on to rinse off. Repeat when washing your hair.
Dont let water run while shaving or washing your face. Brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot, then wash or shave after filling the basin.
Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
Kitchens :
Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded. Set the water level for the size of load you are using.
When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
Store drinking water in the refrigerator. Dont let the tap run while you are waiting for cool water to flow.
Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on your microwave.
Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing of food waste, instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50 percent to the volume of solids in the sewer system or they can lead to problems with a spetic tank.
Consider installing an instant water heater on your kitchen sink so you dont have to let the water run while it heats up. This will reduce water heating costs for your household.
Outdoors :
When washing the car, use soap and water from a bucket. Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle for the final rinse.
Use a broom to clean your driveway.
Adjust sprinklers so only the lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street. Check and maintain your sprinkler system regularly.
Do not water on windy days. A heavy rain means you dont have to water at all. Teach the family how to turn off an automatic sprinkler system in case a storm comes up during the sprinkling cycle.
Always water during the coolest time of the day to minimize evaporation. Early morning is best, and the peak water consumption hours (4 p.m. - 9 p.m.) should be avoided.
Minimize grass areas in your yard because less grass means less water demand. Replace with low-water use landscaping.
Adjust your irrigation schedule to accommodate changes in seasonal water demand. Install an automatic timer.
Buy a rain gauge to determine how much rain or irrigation your yard has received.
When mowing, raise the blade on your lawn mower to at least three inches high, or to its highest level. Closely-cut grass makes the roots work harder, requiring more water.
Drought-tolerant plants are more than just cacti! For landscaping, use native or other low water use plants. Check with your local nursery for the best native or low-water use trees, shrubs and plants.
Using a layer of mulch around plants reduces evaporation and promotes plant growth. Water retaining basins also allow water to be concentrated around the plants.
Use the principles of Xeriscape (pronounced ZERE-AH-SCAPE). This landscaping method uses native and drought-tolerant plants, mulch to hold in moisture, and grouping plants according to your water and light needs.
General Facts :
A human can live more than a month without food but only as much as one week without water.
The average toilet uses 18.93 Litres to 26.5 Litres of water per flush.
A shower can use 94.64 Litres to 189.27 Litres (18.93 Litres per minute).
Just washing your hands can use up to 11.36 Litres of water (with tap running at 11.36 Litres per minute).
Leaving the water running while you brush your teeth can waste 11.36 Litres of water (at 11.36 Litres per minute).
Outdoor spigots can pump out 18.93 Litres to 37.85 Litres per minute.
Automatic dishwashers use about 56.78 Litres per load.
Washing one load of clothes in an automatic washer uses about 170.34 Litres.
The average bath takes about 136.27 Litres of water.
Cutting one minute off your shower time can save about 2649.79 Litres of water per month.
Geography :
The earth's oceans cover about 140,500,000 square miles and contain almost 330,000,000 cubic miles of water.
Scientists estimate that there may be enough ground-water in North America to cover the continent with a sheet of water almost 100 feet (30 meters) thick.
The tallest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls (Venezuela) with a total drop of 3,212 feet (980m).
River that carries most water in the world is the Amazon River (South America) which discharges about 4 million cubic feet every second into Atlantic Ocean.
The longest river in the world is the Nile River (Africa) at 4,145 miles (6,670km).
The world's shortest river is the Roe River in Montana at 201 feet long.
The deepest and oldest lake in the world is Lake Baikal (Siberia) at 6,365 ft. (1,940 m) deep and 25 million years old. Lake Baikal holds one-fifth of the earth's available fresh water.
The largest ocean in the world is the Pacific Ocean at 64 million sq. miles (166 million sq. km).
The worlds largest (surface area) freshwater lake is Lake Superior (North America) with an area of 32,000 sq. miles (82,103 sq. km).
Tutunendo, Columbia is the world's wettest place with an average rainfall of 463.4 inches (annual mean).
The world's driest place is Desierto de Atacama (near Calma, Chile). It remained almost rainless for about 400 years (to 1971).
Where's the Water?
80% of the earth's surface is water.
97% of the earth's water is seawater.
2% of the earth's water supply is locked in icecaps and glaciers.
1% of the earth's water is available for drinking.
About 60% of the weight of the human body is water.
An elephant is 70% water.
A tomato is 95% water.
An egg is about 74% water.
A watermelon is about 92% water.
A piece of lean meat is about 70% water.
Source : http://www.wichita.gov
"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in water"
Loran Eisley.
Water, they say, is life. Almost all life on earth is sustained by it. Water is a strange element of nature. Colourless, odourless, tasteless, yet, full of life. There is no joy like your feet in the moving waves of the sea. There is no refreshment like a glass of water after a hard days work. It's not just a source of energy, but also a source of pure joy.
Yet, there are some who don't get to experience its bounty. There are some, who still walk miles to quench their thirst. Who pay the price of every drop of water with equal drops of their own sweat. For a planet that is 70% covered by water, there are places that suffer from draught. There are farmers who wonder if they 'll receive a harvest this year.
BPCL understands the value of water in the lives of people who strive for it. Whose lives are dependent on its availability alone. These sentiments gave birth to the project "Boond". Because when we say that we are a company about fuel, how can we miss out on the 'fuel of life'.
'Boond' is a Rain Water Harvesting Project undertaken by BPCL with financial support from (Oil Industries Development Board) and executed in collaboration with NGO, Bridge Public Charitable Trust.
5 villages suffering from acute shortages of water were identified for this activity. Women from these villages had to walk long distances in the blazing sun on mountainous paths, at times exceeding four Kms to fetch water. Runoffs triggered by topographical condition, impervious bedrock, poor water holding capacity of the soil, soil erosion and unrestrained grazing had made the situation critical.
The objective was to turn these villages from 'water scarce to water positive'. The work mainly comprised of repairs/deepening of wells, building bunds to capture and store rain water, repairs to leak proofing of existing bunds, building water tanks etc.
Read complete article on the link provided.
http://www.bharatpetroleum.com/environment/SocialObligation_Boond.asp?from=env#
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Subject: PetroZine
Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:50:19 IST
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Water is life ! It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle.
The Pacific Ocean covers half the globe - an area big enough to fit all the continents. In fact, 75% of the world is covered by water, so although we call our planet 'Earth',.....
Read More...
The saga begins with pleasure, tranquillity & gratification and ends in sophistication, safety & style... Read More...
Water Conservation Tips for Inside and Outside Your Home..
Read More...
General Facts
Geography
Where's the Water?
Read More...
Here are recipes for hot summer days, all served cold. Get out of the kitchen faster with these cool and easy recipes. ......
Read More...
Sony VAIO LT HD PC/TV
It’s a PC. It’s a wall-mounted HDTV with DVR. Its all-in-one.
Read More...
Take a driving holiday and you'll realise that it's a fun experience that's different from all your other vacations....
Read More...
"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in water"
Read More...
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Water is life ! It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle.
The Pacific Ocean covers half the globe - an area big enough to fit all the continents. In fact, 75% of the world is covered by water, so although we call our planet 'Earth', perhaps we should really have named it 'Water'! Most of the water on Earth is salty. Only about 3% is fresh water and some of this is frozen in glaciers and icebergs. Water is essential for the survival of living creatures, but there is a relatively small amount to be shared around - and that makes it very precious. We need to get better at looking after this valuable resource.
What do you know about water conservation and water pollution? Read about Water and test your knowledge here!
Awareness on water conservation
Water is a precious resource in our environment. Growing populations and ongoing droughts are squeezing our water resources dry, causing natural habitat degradation and impacting our everyday use of water.
Why save water?
Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach.
To put it another way, if 100 litres represents the world's water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use.
The global water situation
remember that our local water supplies are part of a bigger global water cycle
Fresh water is essential to our existence - it allows us to produce food, manufacture goods and sustain our health. It is also an essential part of the natural environment which supports all human, plant and animal life.
Global water consumption has risen almost tenfold since 1900, in many parts of the world, and they are now reaching the limits of their supply. World population is expected to increase by 45% in the next thirty years, whilst freshwater runoff is expected to increase by 10%. UNESCO has predicted that by 2020 water shortage will be a serious worldwide problem.
One third of the world's population is already facing problems due to both water shortage and poor drinking water quality. Effects include massive outbreaks of disease, malnourishment and crop failure. In addition, excessive use of water has seen the degradation of the environment costing the world billions of dollars.
Embodied water
What is embodied water?
When thinking about how much water you use you probably think about how much water you use from the taps or tanks around the house and garden, and perhaps even the amount you use at work. But have you ever thought about the amount of water used to produce some of those items you take for granted in your life - food, clothing, furniture, building materials, etc.?
There is often a high amount of 'embodied water' associated with many items we use or consume on an everyday basis. This is the amount of water used during the growing, processing and transportation of the goods we use or consume, or the services we use.
As an example, here are some statistics showing the amount of water used to produce some everyday items.
It takes...
140L of fresh water to produce 1 cup of coffee
1,000L of fresh water to produce 1L of milk
1,350L of fresh water to produce 1kg of wheat
3,000L of fresh water to produce 1kg of rice, and
16,000L of fresh water to produce 1kg of beef
The impacts of consumption
There are many hidden effects of excessive water consumption, including:
Building more dams. This has severe environmental effects such as destruction of wilderness, creation of greenhouse gases from rotting vegetation, altered stream flows and degraded ecological health. It's also very costly!
Maintaining other infrastructure for water supply and use. This includes costly upgrades and maintenance of pipes, sewers and treatment facilities.
Erosion, salinity and desertification. Water consumption for agriculture alters the natural water cycle in many areas of Australia. This degrades production areas and intensifies other environmental problems such as land clearing and desertification.
Degradation of water bodies. Many of our rivers, wetlands and bays are degraded. This is partly due to the high levels of water extracted, as well as polluted surface runoff and storm water flushed into them.
It's time to take action
let's not play the blame game, each of us needs to take responsibility and take action at home, at work and at play!
As populations increase across the rest of the world, demand for water will also increase. If we don’t reduce each individual’s demand for water (both directly and through embodied water) the water situation will become dire
Concepts and Techniques on water conservation
Rain Water Harvesting
The rainwater that falls on the rooftops can be harvested for groundwater recharge using appropriate techniques. This method may be applied for the roofs of existing houses/buildings as well as those to be constructed in future.
It is estimated that a total of 2 MCM of water can be utilized for groundwater recharge at a cost of Rs.18.92 crores.
Lakes and Depressions
Lakes have often been misused for dumping of solid waste and sewage disposal. Water quality can be improved by replicating the principles of wetlands by the introduction of aquatic plants and fish in a systematic manner. Unique phenomenon of algae, bacteria symbiosis reduces the BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand). The fish population acts as an ecological manipulator by grazing on the algal population.
The storage capacity can be increased by desilting and widening. By desilting and deepening the lakes with the assistance of draglines machines, the lakes would need to be linked up with storm water runoff in the vicinity to augment the inflow.
This measure improves the quantity of groundwater recharge as well as the quality of available groundwater.
Floodplain Reservoirs
In this method we creates a recharge basin and reservoirs on the flood plains by scooping out earth from the flood plains at appropriate locations and letting these reservoirs to be filled up by the expanded monsoon season flow of the river.
The Yamuna flood plain comprising of 97 sq.km. of area in Delhi offers a good scope for development of groundwater resources subsequent to the storage of monsoon waters on the flood plain itself. Out of 580 MCM of monsoon season flow allocated to Delhi about 280 MCM goes unutilized due to lack of storages.
Quarry Reservoirs
Abandoned quarries are available in the vicinity of urban areas. With some modification of their catchment area and/or linkage with some nearby channels these can be used to store water, which would otherwise run-off. Depth and width of these quarries can be increased where the volume of runoff waters can be calculated to be in excess of present storage capacity.
Historical Water Bodies
Many ancient reservoirs have been disused due to change of catchment characteristics or due to destruction of feeding channel. These baolis/reservoirs can be reused as small recharge points. Major gains can be made only from the large reservoirs.
Paleo-Channels
These are abandoned course of rivers or streams and can be served as excellent ground water storage and recharge locations. Division of some of the monsoon flows into these channels greatly replenishes the declining water table for subsequent use.
Check Dams
In the regional topography several small or large check dams are possible and may be created not so much for surface withdrawal but for recharging the falling ground water table. There are number of micro watersheds present in Delhi e.g. in the Ridge which provide excellent topographical formation to conserve monsoon runoff through simple recharge structures.
Village Ponds
The original purpose of village ponds was to give sustainability to adjacent wells and for cattle drinking, bathing, etc. As village are absorbed into urban areas with increasing reliance on tube wells, the ponds are becoming cesspools. These ponds can function as storage reservoirs and recharge areas subsequent to desiltation and improvement of their water quality. Following recommendations are given:
No sewage should be diverted to ponds in order to maintain their water quality.
No garbage dumping should be permitted.
Technique of in-situ improvement of water quality using aquatic plants and fishes can be introduced where necessary in order to avoid mosquito breeding.
Grass plantation should be carried out along the perimeter of ponds in the immediate sloping catchment.
Existing ponds are to be widened to the extent possible and deepened by 1.0m and nearby storm water drainage is to be used to fill up the additional capacity thus created.
Pond may be desilt and deepen with the assistance of draglines machines.
Ecoparks
This involves the creation of artificial wetlands using aquatic plant root zone system to treat sewage waters up to tertiary levels for recycling to the irrigation and horticultural sector and possibly some industrial estates.
The system utilizes the roots of certain type of plants to provide sub-striates for the growth of bacteria, which utilizes the nutrients present in the effluents, and for the transfer of oxygen. The plants commonly employed are duckweed, water hyacinth, pennwort, etc. The plants have to be harvested regularly and about 20 to 25% plants should be removed at each harvest. These plants have a root system of rhizomes, containing thick hollow air passages, from which fine hair roots hang down.
This root zone can support a very large population of aerobic microorganisms. Bacteria, dominate the microbial population, which is expected to degrade most of the simpler organic materials i.e. those contributing to BOD. The fungi and actinomycetes, although fewer in number, have a wider range of hydrolytic activities and are expected to degrade many of the large molecules that contribute to the COD.
The waste water encounters alternate aerobic and anaerobic microbial population which convert carbonaceous and to a lesser extent nitrogenous and phosphatic, contaminants in the water to less polluting materials. Further microorganisms can form biofilms around lower stems, which can then trap particles suspended in the wastewater by absorption.
It is expected to achieve an effluent quality of 5-10mg/l of suspended solids. A total of 495 MGD of recycled water can be made available for irrigation, horticulture and industrial needs and for domestic non-drinking supply.
We have no choice but to pay more attention to how we are using water, and how we may be wasting it. We must bridge the gap between our understanding of how important water is to our survival and what we can do to ensure that we have an adequate supply of clean water for years to come.
It's time to be water efficient!
It is obvious that we cannot increase demands for water much more without detrimental effects to the environment, society and the economy.
It’s all too easy to blame someone else for the water situation – “if 70% of water is used for agriculture then that’s what we should target” – but it’s not that easy. We all depend on the food and resources that agriculture provides, and while there are definitely opportunities to increase water efficiency on the farm, the solution will take more than that.
We each share responsibility for the sustainable management of our water resources, which means using less water at home, in the workplace, at school, on holidays, on the farm, … everyone, everywhere, every time.
It's time to become water efficient! This involves reassessing our relationship with water, and learning to use it more sparingly. On the most basic level, it requires a behavioural change, and assigning a value to water that truly reflects its worth.
We can also unlock economic benefits of being water efficient. There are many real world examples given in the case studies on this site.
Everybody has a responsibility to save water, if future generations are to enjoy a similar standard of living to the one we enjoy now. In fact, many of the impacts associated with water use are likely to have an effect on our own lives!
When the weather gets hot and sticky Cool off with a Chocolate Mint Ice Cream, Orange Mint Tea, Peach Shake. Here are recipes for hot summer days, all served cold. Get out of the kitchen faster with these cool and easy recipes.
Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Mint Chocolate Chips
2 Egg Yolks
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
Method:
Combine 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, the milk, sugar and the mint chocolate chips in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring with a wire whisk, until the chips are melted and mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and the salt until thick. Gradually add the chocolate mixture.
Beat until well blended and chill 30 minutes. Pour the chilled chocolate/egg mixture into an electric ice cream freezer; churn until thick.
Cover and store in freeze until ready to serve.
Orange Mint Tea
Recipe taken from : http://southernfood.about.com/od/orangerecipes/r/bl40328l.htm
Ingredients:
2 Cups Water
2 Tea Bags
3 Tablespoons Fresh Mint Leaves
2 Tablespoons Sugar
4 Cups Orange Juice
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
Preparation:
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil; remove from heat.
Add tea bags, mint leaves, and sugar; let stand 10 minutes.
Remove tea bags.
Transfer to a large pitcher; stir in orange juice and lemon juice.
Peach Shake
Serves 2
Recipe taken from : http://southernfood.about.com/od/icecreamdrinkrecipes/r/bl50805f.htm
Ingredients:
1 Cup Sliced Fresh Peaches Or Frozen Thawed Peaches
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Vanilla Ice Cream
3/4 Cup Milk
Preparation:
Blend peaches with pineapple juice and sugar until smooth.
Add ice cream and blend until soft; pour in milk and pulse to mix in.
Pour shake into chilled glasses.
It's that time of year again, and mangoes are the favoured fruit in every home. Presented here are recipes that will leave you smacking your lips.
Mango Lassi
Recipe taken from : http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2005/apr/13sd1.htm
Ingredients:
1 Cup Mango Pulp
1 Cup Yogurt
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Crushed Peppercorn
Method:
Whisk the yogurt to a smooth consistency in a mixing bowl.
Gradually add in the sugar and the mango pulp into the yogurt.
Mix till the sugar dissolves completely in the yogurt.
Chill the lassi in a refrigerator for approximately an hour.
Pour the mango lassi into a tall glass.
Garnish with crushed peppercorn and serve chilled!
Mango Yogurt Ice cream
Recipe taken from : http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2005/apr/13sd4.htm
Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Mango Pulp
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup Cream
5 Tbsp Milk Powder
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Yogurt
Method:
Combine milk, cream and mango pulp in a saucepan.
Whisk in the powdered milk and sugar.
Heat this mixture over low flame till the sugar dissolves.
Then pour the mixture into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
When the mixture cools down, whisk in the yogurt.
Blend the mixture with a hand blender until it blends uniformly.
Pour the blended mixture into an ice cream container and refrigerate for an hour.
Serve chilled with fresh mango cubes.
Mango Ice Cream
Recipe taken from : http://recipes.tajonline.com/132/mango-ice-cream.html
This is a great desert which can be made with very little effort. You can replace the Mango pulp with any other pureed fruit.
Ingredients :
1 can Condensed Milk 3" high and about 2.5" in diameter
12 oz. Whipped cream(Cool whip)
1 can Mango pulp (Alphonso) 6" high and 3" in diameter
Method:
Mix all of the pulp, condensed milk and whipped cream in a bowl.
Put in the freezer for about 8 hours.
Sony VAIO LT HD PC/TV
Introduction: It’s a PC. It’s a wall-mounted HDTV with DVR. Its all-in-one.
Design: This HD PC/TV combo will accentuate your interior design with its unique floating display. Sleek lines and brilliant headway engineering.
PC Performance: surf the web, email and watch viral video on a PC backed by a super powerful next-generation Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Premium Model: The VAIO LT29U premium HDTV/PC boasts a DVR with massive 1 terabyte hard drive store up to 100 hours of HDTV to this super-powerful PC backed by an Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 processor and 4GB RAM.
Read more on the available models on the link provided below :
Click here
Maruti DZire
The saga begins with pleasure, tranquillity & gratification and ends in sophistication, safety & style. The protagonist of this story is none other than Maruti DZire. Go desire it thoroughly!!
Auto major Maruti Suzuki Ltd Wednesday announced the launch of a new middle segment car, Dzire, which has luxury features like steering mounted audio controls, automatic climate control and dual airbags for safety.
Maruti said the sedan would be available in both petrol and diesel versions.
The ex-showroom price of the petrol version in Delhi ranges from Rs.449,000 to Rs.590,000, while the diesel version will be priced between Rs.539,000 to Rs.670,000.
Specifications
Transmission Type Manual
Fuel Type Petrol
Seating Capacity
5
Gearbox
5 Speed
Engine Description
1.3L 87bhp AlTec32 engine
Engine Displacement 1,298 cc
Maximum Power
88.2 @ 6,000 (PS@rpm)
Maximum Torque
11.5 @ 4,500 (kgm@rpm)
Features
Anti-Lock Braking System Standard
Air Conditioner Standard
Power Steering Standard
CD Player Not Available
Power Windows - Front Not Available
Central Locking Not Available
Automatic Climate Control Not Available
Driver Airbag Not Available
Leather Seats Not Available
Passenger Airbag Not Available
2008 Maruti DZire Photos
To know more click here
Source :
http://www.bharatheritage.in/articles/article1.htm
Take a driving holiday and you'll realise that it's a fun experience that's different from all your other vacations. Share the driving, stop often, enjoy the beauty around you. Make it a journey of discovery, joy and family bonding, a journey you'll remember for a lifetime.
Handy Tips for Driving Holiday. Twelve handy tips to get your car ready for your driving holiday
Brakes:
Ensure that the wear on the brake pads/liners is within acceptable limits and check that there is no fluid leakage and the brakes are working perfectly.
Suspension: Load the vehicle and take it for a test drive. Look for any rattles or other harsh sounds especially when the vehicle goes over a bump.
Engine:
Get the engine tuned and the timing belt checked for wear. Also get the ignition and fuel supply system checked out. If necessary, replace spark plugs, contact point, condenser, air filter, fuel filter, oil filter and engine oil. Also check the engine foundations, hose pipes and drive belts. And, please get a PUC (Pollution Under Control) certificate from the relevant authorities.
Electrlcals:
Check the battery, terminals and mounting brackets. Check the headlights and all other lights and ensure that all electrical connections are tight and firmly in place. It is advisable to check the windscreen wipers and washer spray systems too.
Transmission:
Check the clutch for wear and slip, and set clutch play. Ensure that the clutch engages and disengages smoothly without any vibration. Shift through all the gears in the box and make sure that changes are smooth.
Tyres / Wheels:
Ensure that the tyres have got enough tread and life left in them and that they have no uneven wear or cuts and cracks. Check the wheels and balance and align them. Do not forget the spare wheel and also give it the same tender loving care.
Oils & Lubricants:
Change engine oil and filter before a long trip. Check levels and condition of oils in gearbox and differential. Check brake fluid for leaks.
Seat Belts:
Make it a point to use them.
Jack & Wheel Spanner:
ln case of a puncture, the jack will become the all important tool. Most people tend to ignore it. Before setting out lubricate the jack and check that it works.
Door, Windows & Locks:
Check if any doors or the bonnet or dicky lid rattle or or pop open if the vehicle hits a bump at speed. Service and align if necessary. All locks need to be checked and the window winders serviced if required.
Service:
Lubricate and grease where necessary and also apply a coat of wax polish to protect the paint.
Tool Kit & Spares:
Despite the best preparations breakdowns can occur. You should carry a reasonably well equipped tool-kit including a hacksaw, hammer, cold chisel, pliers, plug spanner, a set of ring and open-ended spanners, a socket or box spanner set, a set of screwdrivers, some locking wire, electrical tape, electrical wire, sandpaper, files and sealing compounds like M-seal, and of course a can ofWD40 spray.
Spare parts should include spare tyre tube and valve, wheel nuts, fan belt, a/c belt, power steering belt, condenser and contact point (if applicable), radiator hoses, fuses, spark plugs, I litre engine oil, brake fluid, fuel filter, radiator coolant and some fuel additives especially if your vehicle is fuel injected. Poor quality of fuel and the dusty conditions often result in injectors, fuel filters and air filters getting clogged up, so prepare for this situation.
Water Conservation Tips for Inside and Outside Your Home
Source: http://www.redwoodcity.org/publicworks/water/tips%20and%20links.html
General :
Never pour water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or for cleaning around your home.
Verify that your home is leak free. Many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
Repair dripping faucets. If your faucet is dripping at a rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 10220.61 Litres per year. This adds to the cost of water and sewer utilities and adds to your water bill.
Retrofit all household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors to slow the flow of water.
Insulate your water pipes. Youll get hot water faster and avoid wasting water while it heats up.
If you have a well at home, check your pump periodically. Listen to hear if the pump kicks on and off while water is not being used. If it does, you have a leak.
Bathrooms :
Inside your house, bathroom facilities claim nearly 75% of the water used.
Check for toilet tank leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, color will appear in the toilet bowl within 30 minutes.
Check the toilet for worn out, corroded or bent parts. Most replacement parts are inexpensive, readily available and easily installed. (Flush as soon as test is done, since food coloring may stain tank.)
If the toilet handle frequently sticks in the flush position letting water run constantly, replace or adjust it.
Install a toilet dam or displacement device such as a bag or bottle to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush. Be sure installation does not interfere with the operating parts.
When purchasing new or replacement toilets, consider low-volume units which use less than half the water of older models. In many areas, low-volume units are required by local building codes.
Take shorter showers. Replace your showerhead with an ultra-low-flow version. Some units are available that allow you to cut off the flow without adjusting the water temperature knobs.
Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water and use this to water plants. The same technique can be used when washing dishes or vegetables in the sink.
In the shower, turn water on to get wet; turn off to lather up; then turn back on to rinse off. Repeat when washing your hair.
Dont let water run while shaving or washing your face. Brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot, then wash or shave after filling the basin.
Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other similar waste in the trash rather than the toilet.
Kitchens :
Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully loaded. Set the water level for the size of load you are using.
When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
Store drinking water in the refrigerator. Dont let the tap run while you are waiting for cool water to flow.
Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost setting on your microwave.
Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing of food waste, instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50 percent to the volume of solids in the sewer system or they can lead to problems with a spetic tank.
Consider installing an instant water heater on your kitchen sink so you dont have to let the water run while it heats up. This will reduce water heating costs for your household.
Outdoors :
When washing the car, use soap and water from a bucket. Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle for the final rinse.
Use a broom to clean your driveway.
Adjust sprinklers so only the lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street. Check and maintain your sprinkler system regularly.
Do not water on windy days. A heavy rain means you dont have to water at all. Teach the family how to turn off an automatic sprinkler system in case a storm comes up during the sprinkling cycle.
Always water during the coolest time of the day to minimize evaporation. Early morning is best, and the peak water consumption hours (4 p.m. - 9 p.m.) should be avoided.
Minimize grass areas in your yard because less grass means less water demand. Replace with low-water use landscaping.
Adjust your irrigation schedule to accommodate changes in seasonal water demand. Install an automatic timer.
Buy a rain gauge to determine how much rain or irrigation your yard has received.
When mowing, raise the blade on your lawn mower to at least three inches high, or to its highest level. Closely-cut grass makes the roots work harder, requiring more water.
Drought-tolerant plants are more than just cacti! For landscaping, use native or other low water use plants. Check with your local nursery for the best native or low-water use trees, shrubs and plants.
Using a layer of mulch around plants reduces evaporation and promotes plant growth. Water retaining basins also allow water to be concentrated around the plants.
Use the principles of Xeriscape (pronounced ZERE-AH-SCAPE). This landscaping method uses native and drought-tolerant plants, mulch to hold in moisture, and grouping plants according to your water and light needs.
General Facts :
A human can live more than a month without food but only as much as one week without water.
The average toilet uses 18.93 Litres to 26.5 Litres of water per flush.
A shower can use 94.64 Litres to 189.27 Litres (18.93 Litres per minute).
Just washing your hands can use up to 11.36 Litres of water (with tap running at 11.36 Litres per minute).
Leaving the water running while you brush your teeth can waste 11.36 Litres of water (at 11.36 Litres per minute).
Outdoor spigots can pump out 18.93 Litres to 37.85 Litres per minute.
Automatic dishwashers use about 56.78 Litres per load.
Washing one load of clothes in an automatic washer uses about 170.34 Litres.
The average bath takes about 136.27 Litres of water.
Cutting one minute off your shower time can save about 2649.79 Litres of water per month.
Geography :
The earth's oceans cover about 140,500,000 square miles and contain almost 330,000,000 cubic miles of water.
Scientists estimate that there may be enough ground-water in North America to cover the continent with a sheet of water almost 100 feet (30 meters) thick.
The tallest waterfall in the world is Angel Falls (Venezuela) with a total drop of 3,212 feet (980m).
River that carries most water in the world is the Amazon River (South America) which discharges about 4 million cubic feet every second into Atlantic Ocean.
The longest river in the world is the Nile River (Africa) at 4,145 miles (6,670km).
The world's shortest river is the Roe River in Montana at 201 feet long.
The deepest and oldest lake in the world is Lake Baikal (Siberia) at 6,365 ft. (1,940 m) deep and 25 million years old. Lake Baikal holds one-fifth of the earth's available fresh water.
The largest ocean in the world is the Pacific Ocean at 64 million sq. miles (166 million sq. km).
The worlds largest (surface area) freshwater lake is Lake Superior (North America) with an area of 32,000 sq. miles (82,103 sq. km).
Tutunendo, Columbia is the world's wettest place with an average rainfall of 463.4 inches (annual mean).
The world's driest place is Desierto de Atacama (near Calma, Chile). It remained almost rainless for about 400 years (to 1971).
Where's the Water?
80% of the earth's surface is water.
97% of the earth's water is seawater.
2% of the earth's water supply is locked in icecaps and glaciers.
1% of the earth's water is available for drinking.
About 60% of the weight of the human body is water.
An elephant is 70% water.
A tomato is 95% water.
An egg is about 74% water.
A watermelon is about 92% water.
A piece of lean meat is about 70% water.
Source : http://www.wichita.gov
"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in water"
Loran Eisley.
Water, they say, is life. Almost all life on earth is sustained by it. Water is a strange element of nature. Colourless, odourless, tasteless, yet, full of life. There is no joy like your feet in the moving waves of the sea. There is no refreshment like a glass of water after a hard days work. It's not just a source of energy, but also a source of pure joy.
Yet, there are some who don't get to experience its bounty. There are some, who still walk miles to quench their thirst. Who pay the price of every drop of water with equal drops of their own sweat. For a planet that is 70% covered by water, there are places that suffer from draught. There are farmers who wonder if they 'll receive a harvest this year.
BPCL understands the value of water in the lives of people who strive for it. Whose lives are dependent on its availability alone. These sentiments gave birth to the project "Boond". Because when we say that we are a company about fuel, how can we miss out on the 'fuel of life'.
'Boond' is a Rain Water Harvesting Project undertaken by BPCL with financial support from (Oil Industries Development Board) and executed in collaboration with NGO, Bridge Public Charitable Trust.
5 villages suffering from acute shortages of water were identified for this activity. Women from these villages had to walk long distances in the blazing sun on mountainous paths, at times exceeding four Kms to fetch water. Runoffs triggered by topographical condition, impervious bedrock, poor water holding capacity of the soil, soil erosion and unrestrained grazing had made the situation critical.
The objective was to turn these villages from 'water scarce to water positive'. The work mainly comprised of repairs/deepening of wells, building bunds to capture and store rain water, repairs to leak proofing of existing bunds, building water tanks etc.
Read complete article on the link provided.
http://www.bharatpetroleum.com/environment/SocialObligation_Boond.asp?from=env#
********************************Disclaimer*******************************
The information contained in this message is BPCL's Confidential and Proprietary information and is intended only for the use of the recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, he/she is hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication or any of its content is strictly prohibited. In such case, please advise the sender immediately and delete it from your system. Further acknowledge that any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and no binding nature of the message shall be implied or assumed unless the sender does so expressly with due authority of BPCL.
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I am India
'We adjust and the Ganga flows on'
April 28, 2008 13:40 IST
Last Updated: April 30, 2008 12:20 IST
I guess I knew the truth as a child, myself.
I was in my mother's womb when India became free.
I was born exactly one year and nineteen days before we became a republic. I feel very privileged when I think of that -- I was born in Free India.
My parents' fourth and last child. I am as old as my country, give or take a few months. And, on many levels, I feel not only that I have seen a dramatic change taking place in sixty years, but that in some sweet, strange and simple way, I am the change.
I am India.
When I say that to my children, they look at me in a way that suggests they think I'm nuts.
How would they know or understand? They've taken virtually everything I had to earn for granted. Including India's prosperity. They don't connect with poverty... it's an alien concept that has never touched their pampered existence.
While I was never 'poor', I certainly experienced deprivation. I did not starve like so many million people of my generation. But I was acutely aware that I'd have to work hard -- very hard -- for my perks. And when I did get something special from my parents, I valued it, cherished it... as I do everything I have to this date.
Win Rs 50,000 on the Shobhaa De contest
Nothing was taken for granted -- from the occasional pink pastry in my lunch box in school... to the frilly pink frock on my second birthday. I can still taste the buttery icing... and feel the stiffness of the taffeta frills scraping against the tender skin of my knees.
These are memories I hold precious because I know what they signified in our uncomplicated lives. I know they involved a few sacrifices, I know my father thought of both indulgences as being far too extravagant. Perhaps my older siblings felt the same since their birthdays were never celebrated on this scale. Our family of six, living in 'government quarters', could not afford such 'useless luxuries' (my father's words for anything that went beyond 'basics' -- food, education, shelter, clothes). But even in that era change was afoot. My father's move from a district court in Satara to North Block in New Delhi was the single most crucial factor in our family's path to progress. Everything changed, the moment our train pulled into New Delhi station and we made our first home in what was called 'Man Nagar' in those days.
I was an impatient, restless child, always seeking that extra something -- and getting it. Quite like India, negotiating for better terms for all the monumental loans needed to get the country up and running. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was my father's hero (far more than Mahatma Gandhi [Images]), and retained that elevated status, till my father passed away a few months short of his 100th birthday. My father, G.H. Rajadhyaksha, had witnessed more history in the making than most human beings do. He'd monitored each milestone, with a keenness that was characteristic of his razor-sharp mind, till the very end.
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We often spoke about the India he grew up in as a schoolboy, but that India didn't interest him half as much as today's India. He preferred discussing how IT had transformed our lives, and was a great admirer of Dr Abdul Kalam, whom he frequently quoted. Attempts to get him into a nostalgic frame of mind were never successful, for he was so plugged into the present and dreaming of a glorious future -- yes, even in his nineties. Perhaps it is this upbeat attitude towards India that has shaped my own mindset.
I often stand by the railing of the balcony in our apartment in south Mumbai, watching the sun go down into the Arabian Sea. I invariably touch my forehead and say a small prayer when it finally disappears modestly in a pale pink haze. I never think of this magical moment as the end of a day, it's more a promise of another one to dawn a few hours later.
Sometimes, I think of myself as I was during adolescence, living not too far from the area we now call home. I love what I see around me! I love the options and opportunities that beckon and I love the thought that if nothing goes wrong, I'll be around to see our country rising like the sun, in all its majesty... seeing another Golden Era, this one even better and more glorious than the one of Emperor Ashoka's time, when the Gupta dynasty ruled over vast swathes of the country and India resembled a lush garden in full bloom. Such a flowering is not beyond us even today, provided we don't blow it.
***
'It's all happening here,' a dazzlingly beautiful Italian woman said to me, as we sipped tea together.
Her husband, an aggressive investment banker from The City, was in Mumbai on a recce. The lovely lady was doing her own thing -- apartment-hunting, checking out the shopping, looking around to judge that most ephemeral of attributes -- quality of life. 'I love the buzz in your city,' she said, adding, 'Delhi is too box-like and controlled... but I feel free in Mumbai.'
I glowed at the compliment, and took it very personally. In the past, I might've gone a bit overboard praising the metropolis and drawing her attention to its many hidden qualities and virtues. But not anymore. Mumbai, I realized
instinctively, didn't need any hardsell. And neither did India. It was there -- like the sea is there -- take it or leave it. Most people are grabbing it -- with both hands. Why? What has changed? Mumbai still stinks. It is filthy. It is crude and aggressive. It is loud and violent. The roads are awful, the distances daunting. And yet... Mumbai makes your heart race... you find yourself walking just that much faster here... you push yourself that much harder. And then you ask yourself, 'Why?' No logical answer.
I smiled as my newly-acquired Italian friend talked about her passion for exotic destinations... fabulous homes... and that forced me to ask myself -- if not India, then where? I had the answer -- nowhere! Sounds mawkish and cheesy, but I am on that intense level of commitment and I realize how irrational that must appear, even to other Indians.
'What's so great about India?' students often challenge me, and I look at them like they're crazy to ask! Would I ever consider relocating? The answer is obvious. Have I ever considered it? Never. For better or worse, this is where I belong. This is where I want to be.
I told my visitor the same, and she smiled a knowing smile, 'Family is still such a strong force in India... that's what makes your country so attractive.' I reserved my wry response to that observation. As an Italian, she, too, was drawn to family... which is why she'd married and had two kids in quick succession. As she put it, 'I see lonely single women all over Europe and I feel so sorry for them... and then I come to India and see families... children... grandparents... uncles and aunts.' I almost believed her! That's the way it once was, I wanted to interject, but even that is changing -- has changed. India is going global, you see. And in our hurry to win the global badge of recognition, we are throwing a lot of what is our core strength straight out of the window.
After she left, the image of myself clad in my pink frilly frock (pink shoes to match) kept coming back... and I thought, what took me a couple of years to demand, has taken India sixty! India is currently wearing that frilly pink frock and preening, as I'd once done in 1950. The pink frock became a sweet symbol of aspiration and hope, even a certain flirtation with the future.
Unlike a lot of my contemporaries who lost faith in the country and fled to the West seeking a 'superior' education, better career opportunities or a higher quality of life, I chose to stick it out, come hell or high water. Not because I am a super patriot, but I somehow 'knew' I'd get a better deal from my own country down the line. I'm a survivor and like most survivors, I enjoy risks. I had several tempting offers to explore attractive options overseas. My 'inner voice' told me to hang on, stay put. I'm glad I listened to it, more than to the cacophony of departing friends and relatives.
Today, those very people are wondering how to get back... reconnect. For a few, it's already too late. The daunting thought of re-locating at a certain age prevents them from jumping on the first plane East. Senior citizens stuck in distant lands have suddenly woken up to the grim realities of facing old age in either a state-run facility or a hospice, depending on the kindness of strangers. Well, I feel like telling them that if they postpone that decision by even a few years (like, five), they'll probably face the same bitter truth back in India.
They say home is where the heart is (forget hearth). The skeptics who abandoned ship in the '60s no longer know where either home or heart is. 'We are Americans,' they once used to boast, proudly telling us deprived folks about
the glory that is the USA. Armed with work permits and green cards, they'd arrive for their annual 'staying in touch with the motherland' trips, with countless complaints on their lips. The tirade would begin at the airport, starting with inefficient baggage handlers and going on to bumpy rides over pot-holed roads. 'Nothing works in India,' they'd sniff, cribbing about 'basics' that they'd taken so much for granted in their adopted country. During the short duration of their stay here, one would have to put up with glowing accounts of their life 'there', and how impossible, even intolerable, India had become. 'It's getting from bad to worse,' they'd repeat, criticizing everything from corruption, bribery, cleanliness issues, inquisitiveness of neighbours, and the overall 'chalta hai' attitude.
And yet, all those saved up dollars would be invested in Indian banks, since the returns were far higher. And the suitcases would be crammed on departure with essentials that were far cheaper. The rest of us would be made to feel diminished on several counts for lacking the 'guts' to pick up lives anew in the land of milk and honey. On those rare visits to their part of the world, we dehatis would be given a crash course on how to behave in the First World. If we dared to ask a few obvious questions like, 'How come you guys only hang around with other desis... the sort of people you'd shun back home? What do you have in common with so-and-so... ?' our questions would be silenced. But it is true that the actual lack of acceptance by the host country is what is making a lot of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) rethink that original decision. The party's over... but sorry... nobody wants comers to the one happening in India, either.
Do I sound cussed? So be it. I see their kids and wonder what will happen to these twenty- and thirty-somethings who, through decisions taken by their ambitious parents, are a lost lot, desperately in search of an identity to call their own. They speak strong, accented English and eat 'curry' at home as a Sunday treat (that is, if Mom doesn't recommend a barbecue). When they come to India, they feel entirely excluded from their peers, who are busy leading their own, far more colourful lives. Also, earning as much, if not more than their American/British cousins. No wonder, then, I find so many friends of my children, who were once seen as whiz kids and people in the fast track, packing their bags and coming home to start all over again. Their love affair with the West over, a few are married to foreign girls, who loathe the unfamiliar -- particularly the fact that they have to get used to the idea of dealing with assorted 'aunties' and 'uncles', often sharing an apartment with in-laws and switching to 'pure vegetarian' kitchens. They are advised by family elders to 'adjust'. Easier said. 'Adjust' is a favourite word in India, and is used across the board, even by those who barely speak intelligible English.
'It is important for young people to adjust,' my Gujarati vegetable vendor tells me sagely, pointing to his own son, who has bleached his hair, pierced his ear lobes and is wearing extra-tight jeans. 'Adjust' is not such an awful word, come to think of it. It is practical and non-threatening.
Most Indians are like elastic bands, ready to stretch themselves or shrink, depending on circumstances. We've been doing that for centuries.
We've 'adjusted' to so much dramatic change without the rubber band snapping! I consider it a major feat in itself. With a jaunty shake of our heads, and a ready smile (often, for no reason), we 'adjust' and the Ganga flows on... or, at any rate, it used to... before the river got hopelessly clogged and polluted.
Extracted from Superstar India From Incredible To Unstoppable by Shobhaa De, published by Penguin Books India, with the publisher's permission. Rs 350.
April 28, 2008 13:40 IST
Last Updated: April 30, 2008 12:20 IST
I guess I knew the truth as a child, myself.
I was in my mother's womb when India became free.
I was born exactly one year and nineteen days before we became a republic. I feel very privileged when I think of that -- I was born in Free India.
My parents' fourth and last child. I am as old as my country, give or take a few months. And, on many levels, I feel not only that I have seen a dramatic change taking place in sixty years, but that in some sweet, strange and simple way, I am the change.
I am India.
When I say that to my children, they look at me in a way that suggests they think I'm nuts.
How would they know or understand? They've taken virtually everything I had to earn for granted. Including India's prosperity. They don't connect with poverty... it's an alien concept that has never touched their pampered existence.
While I was never 'poor', I certainly experienced deprivation. I did not starve like so many million people of my generation. But I was acutely aware that I'd have to work hard -- very hard -- for my perks. And when I did get something special from my parents, I valued it, cherished it... as I do everything I have to this date.
Win Rs 50,000 on the Shobhaa De contest
Nothing was taken for granted -- from the occasional pink pastry in my lunch box in school... to the frilly pink frock on my second birthday. I can still taste the buttery icing... and feel the stiffness of the taffeta frills scraping against the tender skin of my knees.
These are memories I hold precious because I know what they signified in our uncomplicated lives. I know they involved a few sacrifices, I know my father thought of both indulgences as being far too extravagant. Perhaps my older siblings felt the same since their birthdays were never celebrated on this scale. Our family of six, living in 'government quarters', could not afford such 'useless luxuries' (my father's words for anything that went beyond 'basics' -- food, education, shelter, clothes). But even in that era change was afoot. My father's move from a district court in Satara to North Block in New Delhi was the single most crucial factor in our family's path to progress. Everything changed, the moment our train pulled into New Delhi station and we made our first home in what was called 'Man Nagar' in those days.
I was an impatient, restless child, always seeking that extra something -- and getting it. Quite like India, negotiating for better terms for all the monumental loans needed to get the country up and running. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was my father's hero (far more than Mahatma Gandhi [Images]), and retained that elevated status, till my father passed away a few months short of his 100th birthday. My father, G.H. Rajadhyaksha, had witnessed more history in the making than most human beings do. He'd monitored each milestone, with a keenness that was characteristic of his razor-sharp mind, till the very end.
Click here to order this book now and save 30 per cent
We often spoke about the India he grew up in as a schoolboy, but that India didn't interest him half as much as today's India. He preferred discussing how IT had transformed our lives, and was a great admirer of Dr Abdul Kalam, whom he frequently quoted. Attempts to get him into a nostalgic frame of mind were never successful, for he was so plugged into the present and dreaming of a glorious future -- yes, even in his nineties. Perhaps it is this upbeat attitude towards India that has shaped my own mindset.
I often stand by the railing of the balcony in our apartment in south Mumbai, watching the sun go down into the Arabian Sea. I invariably touch my forehead and say a small prayer when it finally disappears modestly in a pale pink haze. I never think of this magical moment as the end of a day, it's more a promise of another one to dawn a few hours later.
Sometimes, I think of myself as I was during adolescence, living not too far from the area we now call home. I love what I see around me! I love the options and opportunities that beckon and I love the thought that if nothing goes wrong, I'll be around to see our country rising like the sun, in all its majesty... seeing another Golden Era, this one even better and more glorious than the one of Emperor Ashoka's time, when the Gupta dynasty ruled over vast swathes of the country and India resembled a lush garden in full bloom. Such a flowering is not beyond us even today, provided we don't blow it.
***
'It's all happening here,' a dazzlingly beautiful Italian woman said to me, as we sipped tea together.
Her husband, an aggressive investment banker from The City, was in Mumbai on a recce. The lovely lady was doing her own thing -- apartment-hunting, checking out the shopping, looking around to judge that most ephemeral of attributes -- quality of life. 'I love the buzz in your city,' she said, adding, 'Delhi is too box-like and controlled... but I feel free in Mumbai.'
I glowed at the compliment, and took it very personally. In the past, I might've gone a bit overboard praising the metropolis and drawing her attention to its many hidden qualities and virtues. But not anymore. Mumbai, I realized
instinctively, didn't need any hardsell. And neither did India. It was there -- like the sea is there -- take it or leave it. Most people are grabbing it -- with both hands. Why? What has changed? Mumbai still stinks. It is filthy. It is crude and aggressive. It is loud and violent. The roads are awful, the distances daunting. And yet... Mumbai makes your heart race... you find yourself walking just that much faster here... you push yourself that much harder. And then you ask yourself, 'Why?' No logical answer.
I smiled as my newly-acquired Italian friend talked about her passion for exotic destinations... fabulous homes... and that forced me to ask myself -- if not India, then where? I had the answer -- nowhere! Sounds mawkish and cheesy, but I am on that intense level of commitment and I realize how irrational that must appear, even to other Indians.
'What's so great about India?' students often challenge me, and I look at them like they're crazy to ask! Would I ever consider relocating? The answer is obvious. Have I ever considered it? Never. For better or worse, this is where I belong. This is where I want to be.
I told my visitor the same, and she smiled a knowing smile, 'Family is still such a strong force in India... that's what makes your country so attractive.' I reserved my wry response to that observation. As an Italian, she, too, was drawn to family... which is why she'd married and had two kids in quick succession. As she put it, 'I see lonely single women all over Europe and I feel so sorry for them... and then I come to India and see families... children... grandparents... uncles and aunts.' I almost believed her! That's the way it once was, I wanted to interject, but even that is changing -- has changed. India is going global, you see. And in our hurry to win the global badge of recognition, we are throwing a lot of what is our core strength straight out of the window.
After she left, the image of myself clad in my pink frilly frock (pink shoes to match) kept coming back... and I thought, what took me a couple of years to demand, has taken India sixty! India is currently wearing that frilly pink frock and preening, as I'd once done in 1950. The pink frock became a sweet symbol of aspiration and hope, even a certain flirtation with the future.
Unlike a lot of my contemporaries who lost faith in the country and fled to the West seeking a 'superior' education, better career opportunities or a higher quality of life, I chose to stick it out, come hell or high water. Not because I am a super patriot, but I somehow 'knew' I'd get a better deal from my own country down the line. I'm a survivor and like most survivors, I enjoy risks. I had several tempting offers to explore attractive options overseas. My 'inner voice' told me to hang on, stay put. I'm glad I listened to it, more than to the cacophony of departing friends and relatives.
Today, those very people are wondering how to get back... reconnect. For a few, it's already too late. The daunting thought of re-locating at a certain age prevents them from jumping on the first plane East. Senior citizens stuck in distant lands have suddenly woken up to the grim realities of facing old age in either a state-run facility or a hospice, depending on the kindness of strangers. Well, I feel like telling them that if they postpone that decision by even a few years (like, five), they'll probably face the same bitter truth back in India.
They say home is where the heart is (forget hearth). The skeptics who abandoned ship in the '60s no longer know where either home or heart is. 'We are Americans,' they once used to boast, proudly telling us deprived folks about
the glory that is the USA. Armed with work permits and green cards, they'd arrive for their annual 'staying in touch with the motherland' trips, with countless complaints on their lips. The tirade would begin at the airport, starting with inefficient baggage handlers and going on to bumpy rides over pot-holed roads. 'Nothing works in India,' they'd sniff, cribbing about 'basics' that they'd taken so much for granted in their adopted country. During the short duration of their stay here, one would have to put up with glowing accounts of their life 'there', and how impossible, even intolerable, India had become. 'It's getting from bad to worse,' they'd repeat, criticizing everything from corruption, bribery, cleanliness issues, inquisitiveness of neighbours, and the overall 'chalta hai' attitude.
And yet, all those saved up dollars would be invested in Indian banks, since the returns were far higher. And the suitcases would be crammed on departure with essentials that were far cheaper. The rest of us would be made to feel diminished on several counts for lacking the 'guts' to pick up lives anew in the land of milk and honey. On those rare visits to their part of the world, we dehatis would be given a crash course on how to behave in the First World. If we dared to ask a few obvious questions like, 'How come you guys only hang around with other desis... the sort of people you'd shun back home? What do you have in common with so-and-so... ?' our questions would be silenced. But it is true that the actual lack of acceptance by the host country is what is making a lot of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) rethink that original decision. The party's over... but sorry... nobody wants comers to the one happening in India, either.
Do I sound cussed? So be it. I see their kids and wonder what will happen to these twenty- and thirty-somethings who, through decisions taken by their ambitious parents, are a lost lot, desperately in search of an identity to call their own. They speak strong, accented English and eat 'curry' at home as a Sunday treat (that is, if Mom doesn't recommend a barbecue). When they come to India, they feel entirely excluded from their peers, who are busy leading their own, far more colourful lives. Also, earning as much, if not more than their American/British cousins. No wonder, then, I find so many friends of my children, who were once seen as whiz kids and people in the fast track, packing their bags and coming home to start all over again. Their love affair with the West over, a few are married to foreign girls, who loathe the unfamiliar -- particularly the fact that they have to get used to the idea of dealing with assorted 'aunties' and 'uncles', often sharing an apartment with in-laws and switching to 'pure vegetarian' kitchens. They are advised by family elders to 'adjust'. Easier said. 'Adjust' is a favourite word in India, and is used across the board, even by those who barely speak intelligible English.
'It is important for young people to adjust,' my Gujarati vegetable vendor tells me sagely, pointing to his own son, who has bleached his hair, pierced his ear lobes and is wearing extra-tight jeans. 'Adjust' is not such an awful word, come to think of it. It is practical and non-threatening.
Most Indians are like elastic bands, ready to stretch themselves or shrink, depending on circumstances. We've been doing that for centuries.
We've 'adjusted' to so much dramatic change without the rubber band snapping! I consider it a major feat in itself. With a jaunty shake of our heads, and a ready smile (often, for no reason), we 'adjust' and the Ganga flows on... or, at any rate, it used to... before the river got hopelessly clogged and polluted.
Extracted from Superstar India From Incredible To Unstoppable by Shobhaa De, published by Penguin Books India, with the publisher's permission. Rs 350.
World does not understand about the war in Sri Lanka
'I wanted to write how war affects civil life'
Arthur J Pais in New York
June 02, 2008
In V V Ganeshananthan's thought-provoking and moving first novel Love Marriage, Kumaran, a dying former Tamil Tiger, triggers a series of reactions in his last days that provoke some people close to him to examine their political and family heritage.
Yalini, the daughter of Sri Lanka [Images]n immigrants who left their war-torn country and married in America, is caught between the history of her ancestors and her own little world. As she looks after Kumaran in Toronto, she begins to see that the violence that has been consuming Sri Lanka for over two decades is very much a part of her present. Slowly, she traces her family's roots and the conflicts facing them through a series of marriages. Adding tension to her investigation is the impending politically motivated wedding in the family.
As the British newspaper The Independent pointed our recently, Michael Ondaatje visited Sri Lankan brutality in Anil's Ghost, a story about a forensic pathologist returning home to investigate abuses. Romesh Gunesekera dealt with its pain obliquely in Reef and The Sandglass. And Ganeshananthan focuses on the journey of one family, in the process painting a broader truth.
A 2002 graduate of Harvard College, Ganeshananthan, who was born and raised in America, received a Master of Fine Arts in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 2007, she graduated from the new master's programme at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She has written and reported for The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She is the vice president of the South Asian Journalists Association.
She spoke to rediff India Abroad Managing Editor (Features) Arthur J Pais.
What are some of the things that the world does not understand about the war in Sri Lanka?
I don't know if people understand how hard it is to have a conversation about Sri Lanka, which has a complicated population and history. If you don't acknowledge those nuances, the conversation isn't inclusive and can't move forward.
What are some of the most important things you are conveying through this novel?
I intended to write about the love of families, morality, and how war affects civil life. We reduce things: Arranged marriage versus love marriage, good versus evil. Very little actually works that way.
What kind of stories about the Sri Lankan civil war did you grow up listening to?
It's hard to remember. The war technically started after my parents were in the United States, so I suspect that a lot of what I originally heard was from the news. It wasn't something relatives would have offered to me directly -- I was young. Of course, I heard people's various stories of immigration after 1983, and eventually I was able to put those into context.
You wrote the novel over a period of several years. How did it change from the first draft to the last?
The version I turned in as my Harvard thesis was missing a character, Kumaran. He showed up the year after I graduated. The book became more political as the world did.
To what extent did your perspective change following the research?
I became more aware of the complexity of Sri Lanka's population, history and politics. The standard line about Sri Lanka says simply that the Tamil Tigers are fighting the Sinhalese-dominated government. But that leaves out the histories of both groups -- not to mention the other people who are involved, including civilians. In recent years, I have read a lot about Tamil civilians, journalists and aid workers disappearing. Investigations of these disappearances are never concluded. The people who are left live with a high degree of uncertainty. What could happen to them? Who would be responsible? How is this happening in areas under government control? The Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have both been criticised for human rights violations.
I also began to learn how the war had affected other minority populations. For example, in 1990, the Tigers expelled some Muslims in the northern areas from their homes. That displaced group has suffered tremendously. And I started to understand more about upcountry Tamils, whom the British brought from India to work on tea plantations. This population's history is different from that of the Tamils who were there before them. I also learned more about how caste functions in Sri Lanka. It's different than it is in India. I'm still studying all these things now. Not all of them ended up in the book, but it's important for me to know.
How did you research Love Marriage?
I went to and read about Sri Lanka; I interviewed people. I took a Tamil class and a South Asian anthropology class. I asked different people, including academics, to read parts of the book to check its plausibility. I took creative writing classes at every possible opportunity; I worked as a journalist. All these things ended up influencing the book, directly or indirectly.
How often many times have you visited Sri Lanka as an adult and what role did those visits play in the writing of this novel?
I have visited Sri Lanka twice as an adult. In 2003, a year before the tsunami, I went with my cousin and her friends. Some of them were Sinhalese and spoke that language. They were generous travel companions. We went to some of Sri Lanka's most famous sites: Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, the Temple of the Tooth, the Galle Face... It was an extraordinary trip. We went to Kandy and Galle and Bentota, and everything was beautiful. At the time, I was a student at the Iowa Writers Workshop.
My father accompanied me on the second trip, after I graduated from the workshop, and we went to Jaffna. I did research at the Jaffna Public Library and also interviewed people. Everyone was very kind, and my father was the best guide. It was remarkable to see places after reading about them.
When I do research, I rarely have a specific question. I'm trying to absorb everything that interests me. It's hard for me to pin down how these visits helped me to write Love Marriage. Still, they clearly did. They also got me started on the research for book two.
How difficult was it to you emotionally to write this book?
Some of my interviewees talked about times that had been difficult for them. I wanted to honour that, so I tried to listen. A lot of the research I did was unpleasant. But people went through horrible experiences, which clearly is harder than reading or writing about them.
Was Love Marriage the original title? Or did you have to work hard on deciding on this title?
This has always been the title.
What is the significance of the title?
The book is about marriages and families, but it's also a metaphor. Love Marriage implies choice. You are free to choose, and responsible for what you choose. But a love marriage can also take many different forms. And that's laid out on the very first page: You can choose, but there's a lot of gray.
Your characters undergo intense conflicts. Who do you think is the most conflicted character in the book? And why?
Probably Kumaran and Yalini. Yalini has to ask herself what it means for her family to have gone through what it's gone through, and for her uncle to have done what he has done. All this love and all these disagreements and different choices co-exist. She has to determine where she fits.
Kumaran's quandaries are different: Does he regret what he's done? What does his arrival mean for his family? How can he shape his daughter's fate? What kind of person is he going to be publicly? Privately?
One decides how she is going to live, and the other decides how he is going to die.
What reactions have you gotten from Tamil communities?
There's a range of opinions and feelings. In almost any situation, that is the case. That said, of course some people see references to things that have been relevant to them. The 1983 riots, for example, or stories of immigration, or places in Toronto.
And the Sinhalese readers?
Sinhalese readers, like Tamil readers, have a range of responses.
When did you first want to become a writer?
I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember, because I love to read.
Who are some of the people who encouraged you the most, and how?
My parents always told me that I could do whatever I wanted in terms of a career. My mother encouraged me to read and told me I should try journalism. My father traveled to Sri Lanka with me and helped me to do research. Both my parents read the book to check the parts set in Sri Lanka. My brother and sister-in-law are also very supportive. They encourage me in my work and also make sure I take breaks from it!
My friends have cheered me on at every step. Some of them study Sri Lanka and helped me with research; some gave me feedback on the writing. One actually edited the book for Random House. My editor is an old, old friend of mine. We met on our first day of kindergarten. She has always supported my writing, and we have always discussed books. I feel very lucky that she ended up getting the book.
How does your background as a journalist aid your research?
Journalism helped me to find the right reading and to ask -- hopefully -- the right questions. And to be unafraid to ask! In the worst case scenario, someone doesn't want to talk or doesn't know the answer. Then you're no worse off than if you had never asked in the first place.
You studied creative writing at a number of levels. Do you think writing can be taught?
Some things about writing can definitely be taught. I've had some wonderful teachers. But also you can create a supportive environment for writers, and give them room and time to work. In Iowa I joined a community that discussed writing. That was very valuable. In fact, my first class there commented on this book.
Who are some of your favorite writers?
I have always loved Michael Ondaatje and Shyam Selvadurai. I repeatedly read Funny Boy and The English Patient. I also read other Sri Lankans: Romesh Gunasekara, Mary Anne Mohanraj, A Sivanandan. I also especially like (Gabriel) Garcia M�rquez, James McPherson, Marilynne Robinson, Elizabeth McCracken, and (William) Faulkner. Of course, I have been fortunate to have a few of these writers as teachers. I have probably been most influenced by Jamaica Kincaid, who supervised Love Marriage when it was my thesis at Harvard. Her writing and method are very exact, and she's a great teacher.
What advice would you give a young writer?
Part of it is about building good habits. Just as you would practice anything else, you practice writing.
What is your next book and what themes would it cover?
The next book is set in Sri Lanka awhile ago and does not jump around in time as much. I can't say much more. I've learned that if you talk about a novel in its early stages an uncle might show up and throw everything for a loop!
Arthur J Pais in New York
June 02, 2008
In V V Ganeshananthan's thought-provoking and moving first novel Love Marriage, Kumaran, a dying former Tamil Tiger, triggers a series of reactions in his last days that provoke some people close to him to examine their political and family heritage.
Yalini, the daughter of Sri Lanka [Images]n immigrants who left their war-torn country and married in America, is caught between the history of her ancestors and her own little world. As she looks after Kumaran in Toronto, she begins to see that the violence that has been consuming Sri Lanka for over two decades is very much a part of her present. Slowly, she traces her family's roots and the conflicts facing them through a series of marriages. Adding tension to her investigation is the impending politically motivated wedding in the family.
As the British newspaper The Independent pointed our recently, Michael Ondaatje visited Sri Lankan brutality in Anil's Ghost, a story about a forensic pathologist returning home to investigate abuses. Romesh Gunesekera dealt with its pain obliquely in Reef and The Sandglass. And Ganeshananthan focuses on the journey of one family, in the process painting a broader truth.
A 2002 graduate of Harvard College, Ganeshananthan, who was born and raised in America, received a Master of Fine Arts in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. In 2007, she graduated from the new master's programme at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She has written and reported for The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She is the vice president of the South Asian Journalists Association.
She spoke to rediff India Abroad Managing Editor (Features) Arthur J Pais.
What are some of the things that the world does not understand about the war in Sri Lanka?
I don't know if people understand how hard it is to have a conversation about Sri Lanka, which has a complicated population and history. If you don't acknowledge those nuances, the conversation isn't inclusive and can't move forward.
What are some of the most important things you are conveying through this novel?
I intended to write about the love of families, morality, and how war affects civil life. We reduce things: Arranged marriage versus love marriage, good versus evil. Very little actually works that way.
What kind of stories about the Sri Lankan civil war did you grow up listening to?
It's hard to remember. The war technically started after my parents were in the United States, so I suspect that a lot of what I originally heard was from the news. It wasn't something relatives would have offered to me directly -- I was young. Of course, I heard people's various stories of immigration after 1983, and eventually I was able to put those into context.
You wrote the novel over a period of several years. How did it change from the first draft to the last?
The version I turned in as my Harvard thesis was missing a character, Kumaran. He showed up the year after I graduated. The book became more political as the world did.
To what extent did your perspective change following the research?
I became more aware of the complexity of Sri Lanka's population, history and politics. The standard line about Sri Lanka says simply that the Tamil Tigers are fighting the Sinhalese-dominated government. But that leaves out the histories of both groups -- not to mention the other people who are involved, including civilians. In recent years, I have read a lot about Tamil civilians, journalists and aid workers disappearing. Investigations of these disappearances are never concluded. The people who are left live with a high degree of uncertainty. What could happen to them? Who would be responsible? How is this happening in areas under government control? The Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have both been criticised for human rights violations.
I also began to learn how the war had affected other minority populations. For example, in 1990, the Tigers expelled some Muslims in the northern areas from their homes. That displaced group has suffered tremendously. And I started to understand more about upcountry Tamils, whom the British brought from India to work on tea plantations. This population's history is different from that of the Tamils who were there before them. I also learned more about how caste functions in Sri Lanka. It's different than it is in India. I'm still studying all these things now. Not all of them ended up in the book, but it's important for me to know.
How did you research Love Marriage?
I went to and read about Sri Lanka; I interviewed people. I took a Tamil class and a South Asian anthropology class. I asked different people, including academics, to read parts of the book to check its plausibility. I took creative writing classes at every possible opportunity; I worked as a journalist. All these things ended up influencing the book, directly or indirectly.
How often many times have you visited Sri Lanka as an adult and what role did those visits play in the writing of this novel?
I have visited Sri Lanka twice as an adult. In 2003, a year before the tsunami, I went with my cousin and her friends. Some of them were Sinhalese and spoke that language. They were generous travel companions. We went to some of Sri Lanka's most famous sites: Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, the Temple of the Tooth, the Galle Face... It was an extraordinary trip. We went to Kandy and Galle and Bentota, and everything was beautiful. At the time, I was a student at the Iowa Writers Workshop.
My father accompanied me on the second trip, after I graduated from the workshop, and we went to Jaffna. I did research at the Jaffna Public Library and also interviewed people. Everyone was very kind, and my father was the best guide. It was remarkable to see places after reading about them.
When I do research, I rarely have a specific question. I'm trying to absorb everything that interests me. It's hard for me to pin down how these visits helped me to write Love Marriage. Still, they clearly did. They also got me started on the research for book two.
How difficult was it to you emotionally to write this book?
Some of my interviewees talked about times that had been difficult for them. I wanted to honour that, so I tried to listen. A lot of the research I did was unpleasant. But people went through horrible experiences, which clearly is harder than reading or writing about them.
Was Love Marriage the original title? Or did you have to work hard on deciding on this title?
This has always been the title.
What is the significance of the title?
The book is about marriages and families, but it's also a metaphor. Love Marriage implies choice. You are free to choose, and responsible for what you choose. But a love marriage can also take many different forms. And that's laid out on the very first page: You can choose, but there's a lot of gray.
Your characters undergo intense conflicts. Who do you think is the most conflicted character in the book? And why?
Probably Kumaran and Yalini. Yalini has to ask herself what it means for her family to have gone through what it's gone through, and for her uncle to have done what he has done. All this love and all these disagreements and different choices co-exist. She has to determine where she fits.
Kumaran's quandaries are different: Does he regret what he's done? What does his arrival mean for his family? How can he shape his daughter's fate? What kind of person is he going to be publicly? Privately?
One decides how she is going to live, and the other decides how he is going to die.
What reactions have you gotten from Tamil communities?
There's a range of opinions and feelings. In almost any situation, that is the case. That said, of course some people see references to things that have been relevant to them. The 1983 riots, for example, or stories of immigration, or places in Toronto.
And the Sinhalese readers?
Sinhalese readers, like Tamil readers, have a range of responses.
When did you first want to become a writer?
I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember, because I love to read.
Who are some of the people who encouraged you the most, and how?
My parents always told me that I could do whatever I wanted in terms of a career. My mother encouraged me to read and told me I should try journalism. My father traveled to Sri Lanka with me and helped me to do research. Both my parents read the book to check the parts set in Sri Lanka. My brother and sister-in-law are also very supportive. They encourage me in my work and also make sure I take breaks from it!
My friends have cheered me on at every step. Some of them study Sri Lanka and helped me with research; some gave me feedback on the writing. One actually edited the book for Random House. My editor is an old, old friend of mine. We met on our first day of kindergarten. She has always supported my writing, and we have always discussed books. I feel very lucky that she ended up getting the book.
How does your background as a journalist aid your research?
Journalism helped me to find the right reading and to ask -- hopefully -- the right questions. And to be unafraid to ask! In the worst case scenario, someone doesn't want to talk or doesn't know the answer. Then you're no worse off than if you had never asked in the first place.
You studied creative writing at a number of levels. Do you think writing can be taught?
Some things about writing can definitely be taught. I've had some wonderful teachers. But also you can create a supportive environment for writers, and give them room and time to work. In Iowa I joined a community that discussed writing. That was very valuable. In fact, my first class there commented on this book.
Who are some of your favorite writers?
I have always loved Michael Ondaatje and Shyam Selvadurai. I repeatedly read Funny Boy and The English Patient. I also read other Sri Lankans: Romesh Gunasekara, Mary Anne Mohanraj, A Sivanandan. I also especially like (Gabriel) Garcia M�rquez, James McPherson, Marilynne Robinson, Elizabeth McCracken, and (William) Faulkner. Of course, I have been fortunate to have a few of these writers as teachers. I have probably been most influenced by Jamaica Kincaid, who supervised Love Marriage when it was my thesis at Harvard. Her writing and method are very exact, and she's a great teacher.
What advice would you give a young writer?
Part of it is about building good habits. Just as you would practice anything else, you practice writing.
What is your next book and what themes would it cover?
The next book is set in Sri Lanka awhile ago and does not jump around in time as much. I can't say much more. I've learned that if you talk about a novel in its early stages an uncle might show up and throw everything for a loop!
10.1.08
Do duna do barabar panch
Well two plus two are equal to 'FIVE' for the people manning the big things. Those who can learn this table are sure to hit the Jackpot for the time being. We belong to India where in every nook and corner we have pictures of our FAITH. On the road side stalls, on the small thellas on the pavements we can see FAITH. Have FAITH and be positive.
We are on MISSION AANKH KHOLIYE.
Mission Awareness invites all good people to make life easy for all.
We are on MISSION AANKH KHOLIYE.
Mission Awareness invites all good people to make life easy for all.
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About Me
- BIHAR DESK
- I am a journalist and a social activist with a strong rural background. I work with a national level media house that has its publication from New Delhi, Mumbai, and Patna and caters to the news need of the State. I am always willing to work for the economically underprivileged people of the nation. bihardesk@gmail.com