"Hiroshima, if only....thousand sakura"
concurrent with my exhibition "Sakura Spring"
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Marking the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima 6 August 2020
Had carried out campaign in 2016
"Hiroshima, if only....thousand sakura"
concurrent with my exhibition "Sakura Spring"
"Hiroshima, if only....thousand sakura"
concurrent with my exhibition "Sakura Spring"
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Celebrating International Tiger Day 2020
Today is
International Tiger Day. Instituted a decade ago, the purpose is to draw
attention to the need for protection of this stunning species, and towards this
purpose to engage in sustained measures to ensure the conservation of these
endangered animals on planet earth.
Pics taken from Navin Raheja's "Wilderness Days"on Epic Channel
According to
WWF’s data a mere 3900 tigers remain in the wild today. What a horrendous,
magna decline from the turn of the century when there were over 1,00,000 tigers.
Some positivity emerges through the WWF’s news that “after a century of
decline, overall wild tiger numbers are starting to tick upward”. However the
agency adds that Tigers are still under threat from poaching and loss of
habitat.
In India, in just a few years the tiger population has doubled and India is now home to about 70% of the tiger population globally.
In India, in just a few years the tiger population has doubled and India is now home to about 70% of the tiger population globally.
My pal Sharmila has created this radiant
artwork
Sharing to celebrate International Tiger Day 2020
In the 70’s the
Government of India under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had initiated “Project
Tiger”. From under 2000 tigers in India at the start of the project, the
numbers increased to more than 3000. There ended the happy story, as in moved
in the poachers. Apart from apathy on part of government machinery, hostility
by locals around the animal sanctuaries and other factors, the major reason for
the failure of the project were the bounty hunting poachers. In the 80s
Ranthambore and Sariska Sanctuaries boasted having more than 40 tigers in each
park. It dwindled to a mere few to zero, as wildlife parks turned from
sanctuaries into harvesting grounds for ruthless poachers.
Why poaching? Every
part of the tiger’s body has sale value. It is especially sought after in China
where traditional Chinese medicine advocates its usage. Read more on poaching
of big cats on the following sites:
Epic Channel
appropriately telecast today a documentary titled “Wilderness Days” made by
wildlife enthusiast Navin Raheja. Read more about the making of the documentary
on:
Some excerpts and images from this interesting
documentary:
Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh
housed several “celebrity” tigers, primary among them being tigress Sita
Since 1980 Sita has been photographed the maximum. Mahout Kuttapan has photographed her over 1500 times. In her life span of 17 years she had six litters. Other famous tigers were Banka and Charger. Charger had no problems with hoards of tourists viewing and photographing him.
Panna National Park, Madhya Pradesh had no tigers. Tigers were introduced here resulting in the tiger numbers zooming from zero
to fifty in ten years
Tigress P141 was a famous inmate of Panna sanctuary
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan was home to tigress Machchli who became especially famous for fighting a crocodile. The battle lasted several hours, though she emerged victorious, she had to forfeit three of her hunter teeth.
In her 20 year lifespan (1996-2016) Machchli gave birth 4 times with a total of nine cubs
Read more about the International Tiger Day:
Saturday, March 21, 2020
India's Janta ek saath for "Janta Curfew" called for by PM Modi
Covid 19 Virus - the microscopic being let loose on us, creating havoc globally
Is it Mother Nature's way of rapping us humans on the knuckles or rather lungsIs this her way of telling us to stop plundering precious planet earth - the bounty given to us which we are racing to destroy
WHO's website answers all questions related to this pandemic causing virus
Why washing of hands can protect us
very simply the virus has a lipid outer layer i.e. its oily and therefore sticky, so it sticks to surfaces, in particular clean, shiny surfaces like metals and plastics, from where our hands pick it up, and gets stuck in the crevices of our skin. When we touch our face, it enters our system through the mouth, nose or eyes and creates havoc in particular with our pulmonary system hence the breathing problems. Soap is effective in dislodging the oily substance and washing away the virus from our hands.
To understand why washing of hands is so important, the biochemistry of the virus is explained well in the following website:
PM Narendra Modi has called for "Janta Curfew" to stonewall the spread of infection
Whichever country it has hit initially just few cases and then suddenly a huge spikeIndia is at that juncture where just around 250 Covid 10 infected people...can we take preventive steps to retard that spike
Looking forward to the "Janta Curfew"on Sunday 22 March 2020 to stay at home for 14 hours from 7 am to 9 pm
Hope all Indians ensure to join in
Hope all Indians also create a fabulous Naad at 5 pm, as asked for by PM Modi, by coming out on our balconies or rooftops to clap our hands, ring bells, or clang thalis, to pay tribute to the selfless workers who are tirelessly working for us in these trying times
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Coronavirus arrives in India - Baba Ramdev to the rescue
The verdict is out - keep one’s immunity up, but libido down, save hugging and kissing till temperatures rise above 52 degrees celsius!
The chilling, though not necessary deadly, Coronavirus known as Covid 19 has arrived in India with several foreign returned individuals having tested positive, and have already made contact and spread the virus to some.
The chilling, though not necessary deadly, Coronavirus known as Covid 19 has arrived in India with several foreign returned individuals having tested positive, and have already made contact and spread the virus to some.
Other than the precautions which all media is recommending – principal among
them is frequently washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds in each
session, and avoiding touching ones eyes, nose and mouth, there is little else one can do. If one has huge fears, one may
confine oneself to home or banish fears and continue life as usual.
Though the possibility of contagion is high, statistics show that the
death rate is low, with probably only 1-2 % fatalitites. A heartening statistic
is that children are least likely to contract the virus, and for those below
the age of 29 years the fatality rate is as low as 0.3 %.
Dr. Naresh Trehan has given a comprehensive overview
Panic is unnecessary however precaution is important, according to him. His prognosis can be read in link below:
A positive indication given by Dr. Trehan is that the virus does not
survive in temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, and above 52 degrees it
destructs in 15 minutes.
Baba Ramdev has recommended combating the threat through turning to ancient Indian practices of Ayurved and Yog. Prevention by building up one’s immunity.
He advices healthy lifestyle, eating right, practicing yogasaans and in
particular partaking of giloy (tinospora cordifolia) which has powerful immunity building characteristic.
Giloy can be had on its own or combined with 4 more ingredients (turmeric, ginger, holy basil & pepper) to make a brew
below is the recipe:
Giloy can be had on its own or combined with 4 more ingredients (turmeric, ginger, holy basil & pepper) to make a brewbelow is the recipe:
haldi (turmeric) - 1 inch piece or 2 gms powder
adrakh (ginger) - 1 inch piece or 2 gms powder
kali mirch (black pepper) - 2 peppercorns
Boil all ingredients in one glass water till water is reduced to ¼ quantity, will become a thickish brew.
Can have this brew 2-3 times a day
Pranayam
Practice daily the following 5
bhastrikaa pranayam भस्त्रिका प्राणायाम – inhale and exhale deeply and forcefully
kapaal bhaati pranayam कपाल भाति प्राणायाम – inhale deeply, exhale
forcefully
anulom vilom pranayam अनुलोम-विलोम प्राणायाम
– breathing alternatively from each nostril, hold breath in between each
inhalation and exhalation
bhraamari pranayam भ्रामरी प्राणायाम
– inhaling and exhaling accompanied by making humming bee sound at back of
throat
Omkaar pranayam ओंकार प्राणायाम – inhale deeply, exhale making long Om sound. Exhalation
should be double duration of inhalation
Yog
Additionally practice daily Surya Namaskaar + 5-7 yogaasan in standing, sitting and supine positions(caution: people suffering from ailments like hypertension, heart disease etc. must practise pranayam & yog with necessary precautions)
Check out Baba Ramdev’s recommendations in link below – too many ads., but do persist, advice is sound, maybe this scare will encourage veering towards a healthier lifestyle:
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Jairam Ramesh scholar par excellence
The politician as a scholar par excellence
Jairam Ramesh's book on Krishna Menon was subject for a panel discussion at the IIC. The session was overflowing with listeners and replete with interesting insights into the life of Mr. Krishna Menon, slices of India's history post independence and dramatic anecdotes. Lasting over one and a half hour, it held the audience captive, where even those who did not manage to garner a seat, preferred to stand it out till the last minute.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Tulips at IIC Iced up
The gorgeous gardens at India International Centre, New Delhi, are abounding with spring flowers. A particularly endearing sight was of the flower bed leading to the Gandhi King Plaza, embellished with freshly flowering or just about to bloom tulips, kept cool by covering the soil with lots of ice
Sunday, January 26, 2020
“We believe that all lives have equal value” - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in India in its philanthropic initiatives is "working to improve the lives of more than a billion people in India by addressing challenges related to health, sanitation, access to financial services, and agricultural development.”
The aim is to reduce inequality and poverty. Presently the focus is on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
Read more at:
Read more at:
The aim is to reduce inequality and poverty. Presently the focus is on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
Read more at:
In keeping with the Foundation's encouragement of collaborations it has aligned with The
Piramal Foundation in setting up a Tribal Health Collaborative "to tackle health
issues in the tribal region of India. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
will be one of the foundation’s first partners in this collaboration, which
will focus on improving health and nutrition outcomes in high-burden and tribal
districts, including aspirational districts." The "collaborative, which is slated
to be launched in early 2020, will help support the government of India as it
works towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 by 2030. SDG 3 is
focused on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
Read more at:
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