July 2013 issue

July 2013 Issue

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The recent Uttarakhand tragedy, where thousands of people lost their lives after a cloudburst at Kedarnath led to landslides and flash floods in this eco-sensitive region, has sparked off a debate if the disaster was a natural calamity or man-made? While the centre and state administration claim that it was only a natural disaster, environmentalists have blamed the unplanned development of roads, hotels, hydropower projects and mining in the region for this colossal devastation. Even if the cloudburst was a natural calamity, there is no denying that haphazard growth in the region and plundering of hills aggravated the magnitude of the tragedy. The calamity once again brings into focus the scant respect shown to nature by humans. Does development have to be at the cost of nature? How far can humans exploit nature for their own greed? Nature can bear the brunt to only a certain extent and when it cannot endure further, it revolts and that is exactly what happened at Uttarakhand.

It is our primal duty to conserve nature and take care of our mountains, hills, rivers and forests, so that the human race continues to survive. Similarly, we need to preserve our heritage monuments that reflect our culture. The July 2013 issue of One India One People, ‘Conserve…or Perish’ highlights the importance of conserving our natural resources, whether it is water, biodiversity, soil, wildlife or our monuments.

Kanchi Kohli

In the lead article, ‘The greed that is killing biodiversity,’ Kanchi Kohli observes that today, people’s lives are increasingly becoming far removed from biodiversity and with the pressures on biodiversity increasing manifold, the very future of our ecosystems and species is deeply threatened.

The writer works and writes on environment, forest, and biodiversity governance issues. In her writing, she seeks to explore the interface between industrialisation and its impacts on both local communities and ecosystems.

Dr. Arvind Kumar

In ‘Every drop counts!,’ Dr. Arvind Kumar writes that water conservation entails harnessing of the available water resources for the best beneficial use with all the technological and policy measures at command. Reduce, recycle and reuse should be our mantra to conserve water, he says.

The writer is the President of India Water Foundation, a non-profit organisation established to create public awareness at national level in India and sub-regional level in Asia, regarding water and its impact on human health, economic growth and environmental sustainability. He is a renowned water activist, having provided new impetus to the water movement in India by disseminating knowledge on water-related issues with specific emphasis on Right to Water, Water Rights for Socially Excluded, Inter-Sectoral Convergence in Water Sector and Regional Water Diplomacy etc. He has also published over 200 research articles in recent years on national, regional and international issues in reputed journals.

Bittu Sahgal

Extinction of species is the barometer of a crisis that will ultimately impact on the economy and the viability of the Indian nation. In ‘Withering wildlife,’ noted environmentalist Bittu Sahgal rues that we, as a nation, do not have any national preparedness to tackle the imminent ecological crisis that looms large.

The writer is the Editor of Sanctuary magazine. His work today revolves around saving the tigers and the forests of India.

Dr. Anupam Ghosh

In ‘Marine conservation at sea,’ Dr. Anupam Ghosh, Chief Scientist of Asian Marine Conservation Association (AMCA), says that the role of marine conservation in mitigating climate change due to global warming is significant, as the marine environment shelters the largest ecosystem on our planet earth known as the marine ecosystem.

Dr. Ghosh has served as an adviser to late Prime Minister, Chandrasekhar Singh in forming the “Task Force” for combating Oil Spill pollution problem during the Gulf War in 1991.

Dr. A. K. Tiwari

The pace of soil degradation has greatly increased in recent times due to burgeoning population and the enhanced means of exploitation of natural resources. In ‘Saving the soil,’ Dr. A.K. Tiwari and Dr. Sharmistha Pal, note that soil and water conservation measures have become more relevant to combat the challenges of climate change and sustain the agriculture production.

Dr. Tiwari is Principal Scientist & Head at Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training Institute (CSWCRTI) Research Centre, Chandigarh. He has vast and varied experience of research in the field of hydrology, soil and water conservation, water harvesting and watershed management. He has more than 150 publications to his credit including research papers, book chapters, bulletins, reports and excerpts in proceedings of national and international conferences.

Dr. Sharmistha Pal

Dr. Sharmistha Pal is a Scientist (Soil Chemistry and Fertility) at the Centre. She is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including Young Scientist Award from Indian Science Congress Association and Jawaharlal Nehru Award from Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

It is our collective responsibility to conserve and maintain our heritage monuments and sites. India has an adequate pool of expertise, infrastructure and stringent framework of laws to successfully execute heritage conservation projects. In ‘Conserving national heritage is preserving our culture,’ Anil Noronha writes that the problem is in implementation, social awareness, people’s participation and ownership, political will and funding.

The writer is a practicing architect based in Mumbai. He has also been prolific in filing RTI applications as a tool to demand accountability from the administration in his concern for social and civic issues - particularly in the department of cooperation and housing societies.

Leena Mehendale

In ‘Energy auditing India for sustainable development,’ Leena Mehendale says that energy audit is imperative to energy conservation programmes and is a vital link in the entire energy management chain, which in turn can guide and control energy use so as to yield maximum possible output per unit of energy.

The author, presently Member CAT Mumbai in the rank of High Court Judge, is an accomplished administrator, teacher, thinker and writer. She has travelled over 400 out of 650 districts in India and is proficient in many Indian languages. As an administrator she has worked in various departments which include education, women, children, industries, petroleum, agriculture, and health.

Some of her service highlights are economic rehabilitation of Devdasis, making TV and radio serials for energy conservation, designing, training and framing policies for Yashada (Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration) and promoting Indian languages on computers. Presently, she is actively pursuing revival of Sanskrit language. She has given over 1000 lectures, authored 25 books on diverse subjects and over 600 articles, in Marathi, Hindi and English.

Piroj Wadia

In ‘The Celluloid Man,’ Piroj Wadia, veteran film journalist, pays tribute to the legendary film archivist P. K. Nair to whom goes the credit of making us cineastes aware of restoration and preservation of our cinematic heritage.

 Md. Masarrath Ali Khan

ces.In ‘Know India Better,’ we feature the Lake City, Udaipur, whose mystique, magic, aura and ambience have always defied exposition and therein lies its true charm, beauty and enchantment. Md. Masarrath Ali Khan, freelance travel writer, takes us on a journey of the royal city of charming lakes and magnificent pala

Shubha Benurwar

In 'Face to Face', Anuradha Kalhan, Lecturer, Dept of Economics, Jai Hind College, Mumbai, spoke to Shubha Benurwar, one of the CDOs (Community Development Officers), who is closely associated with the implementation of the 1997 scheme called Swaran Jayanthi Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) in Mumbai. Shubha spoke about the various aspects of the scheme and its success stories. 

Shubha Benurwar

There is so much for India to be happy at the recent developments in Pakistan and to look forward for better bilateral relations between the two countries. In ‘A new step for Pakistan, a new hope for India,’ Dr. P. M. Kamath asks if Nawaz Sharif will be able to go ahead with his plans. The writer, formerly Professor of Politics, Mumbai University, is currently Hon. Director, VPM’s Centre for International Studies (Regd.,) and Adjunct Professor, Department of Geopolitics & International Relations, Manipal University, Manipal.

B. Ramesh Babu

Even as we continue with our policy of improving our trade and economic relations at

the bilateral level and also cooperate with China, as far as possible on key global issues dividing the North and the South, we should have no illusions on the border dispute. In ‘Dealing with the Dragon,’ B. Ramesh Babu opines that it should be made clear to China that all bets are off as far as the border issue is concerned.

The writer is a specialist in International Relations. He is currently the Scholar in Residence, Foundation for Democratic Reforms, Hyderabad. He was formerly the Sir Pherozeshah Mehta Professor of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai.

Dr. Devendra Kothari

July 11 is observed as the World Population Day. With 1.27 billion people and still growing, India is getting dangerously overcrowded. In ‘Galloping population, a huge concern,’ Dr. Devendra Kothari highlights the population concerns faced by India. He feels that the population and related issues have not been given due importance in the development debate of India.

The writer, a Population and Development Analyst, is currently associated with the Forum for Population Action - an advocacy group on population and development, as its Hon. Secretary. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), Jaipur. Dr. Kothari was appointed as a Chairperson of the National Committee to review the implementation of the family welfare programme by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (2000). He blogs on Population and Development, to increase awareness about issues that directly impact population growth and sustainable development at Kotharionindia.blogspot.com.

Vandita Morarka

In ‘Youth Voice,’ Vandita Morarka discusses the merits and demerits of reservation.  How long should we continue with reservations, asks Vandita, an aspiring lawyer.

 In ‘Great Indians,’ we feature Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, the Dhrupad maestro (1932-2013); the profile is authored by Amarendra Dhaneshwar, a classical singer, and also a freelance journalist and cultural activist.

Rituparno Ghosh, the legendary film-maker (1963-2013); the profile is authored by Shoma A. Chatterjee, a freelance journalist, film scholar and author.

Captain Radhakrishnan Harshan AC, a source of inspiration

(1980-2007); profiled by Brigadier Suresh Chandra Sharma (retd).

And also read our regular columns and other features. To book a copy, email to oiopfoundation@gmai.com / oiop@vsnl.net or call Nagesh Bangera, OIOP Subscription-in-charge at 022- 2353 44 00.

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