MY Travels

Travelogues

War in the Middle East

 The burning political issue today is the global circles is the war in the Middle East. The very fact that the Americans supply Arms and Ammunitions one of the warring parties, it tells upon the country's foreign policy promulgated by the ruling party.  In the world, some countries support the Muslims and those who live in the Gaza, some countries support the Jews. 

I was reading a lot about the Jews-Muslim conflict in the Middle Est. 

Many students and those who talk to me always ask my opinion in the current escalating Palestinian war in the middle east now. I just tell them to see the world map of every ten years (in the reverse order) starting from 1900 to 2020 and decide for yourself.

what is there to say, the fact is fact... there is no change in the reality. the following map taken from the cjpme website tells a lot about the present war. 

The Palakkad Mountain Pass

 

Recently, I developed a strong interest to know about the Palakkad Mountain Pass or the Palakkad Gap. The National Highway from Thrissur to Coimbatore passes through Kuthiran Mountains in the Western Ghats via Palakkad. Once the road comes to the other side of the Kuthiran Hills, the Palakkad Gap starts. I used to travel in this road since 1992. It was a nightmare for many drivers to cross the Kuthiran Mountains. The mountain is known for regular accidents. The breakdown of heavy vehicles on the ghat roads, and reckless private buses that ply between towns often cause problems on this, less than 3 km, mountain road. A couple of times, I also experienced traffic jams. There is a temple in the mountain that also causes traffic jams at times, since many gullible drivers like to put trust in their gods rather than their skills and traffic rules. Now it is hassle-free, thanks to the tunnels and the new highway.

Fortunately, there is no toll plaza at the entrance of the tunnels, to collect money from every vehicle, as it is the custom today for the NHAI. However, there is Panniyankara toll plaza 9 km away from the tunnel. I am not talking here about highways, tunnels or the daytime robbery at toll plazas; rather, I want to talk something about the Palakkad Mountain Pass. My interest intensified after my desire to spend my retirement in the gap, to enjoy the constant moist air that comes from the Arabian Sea and also to enjoy the beauty of the Western Ghats. 

The Palakkad Mountain Gap is clearly visible in the Google map. I am not a scholar in the field of geography to explain the topography of this mountain gap or the Western Ghats. However, my interest led me to do some readings on this interesting land space. The mountain gap has a width of about 20 to 40 km that divides the Western Ghats into two - Annamalai Hills range in the south, the Nilgiris Hills range in the north.  The gap can be seen from Nelliyampathy hills (which are known for good trekking trails) in the southern Western Ghats and the Malampuzha Dam near Palakkad on the northern side of the Western Ghats. The scholars differentiate the small forests here and there seen in the Palakkad Gap as dry evergreen forests, typically different from the tropical rainforest of the Western Ghats. 

According to some geography researchers, there is a similarity between the Palakkad gap and Madagascar. Due to volcanic activity in the sea, Madagascar drifted away further down south. Some other scholars claim that some ancient river or sea incursion might have caused this gap. They further argue the pieces of evidence of different species that live in the southern and northern parts of the Western Ghats. Some argue that this gap was formed by a hit from an asteroid a few million years ago. Well, all happened million, millions of years ago. So, no arguments. 

At present Bharathapuzha River flows through this gap. The river originates in Thirumoorthy Dam, Tamil Nadu, and from many small rivers that originate in the Annamalai hills. It flows westward into Kerala. Some Kerala fanatics, in order not to accept that Bharathapuzha, a major river in Kerala, originates in Tamil Nadu, claim that it originates in Munnar in Kerala. Well, let us not debate on this issue.

The regular winds from the Arabian Sea (western side of India) pass through this mountain gap in greater velocity that made Coimbatore the Manchester of South India. Many Cotton Mills thrive at Coimbatore, Tirupur etc on the Tamil Nadu side because of the winds coming from the Arabian Sea through the gap. From my visits to many cotton mills, I understand that the cotton dust primarily from fiber fragments is naturally carried away by these winds that funnel through the mountain gaps. Now there are many windmills erected in this locality to generate electricity. 

Another interesting thing I would like to mention here - there is a DNA difference between the elephants that live in the northern part of the Western Ghats in the Nilgiris side (after the Palakkad gap) and those live in the southern part of the Western Ghats. Interesting to know.

Archeological Survey of India has identified a lot of Megalithic findings in this mountain gap. Most of these places are filled with rubber plantations that becomes a hindrance to new excavations. Nemmara, Kundalam, Kairady and, Vellarkulum, Annapara, Thiruvilwamala, Pazhayannur, Machad, Porkkalam, Cheramanangad, Anakkara in the Gayathri River - Bharathapuzha basins are known for these ignored megalithic structures. Though only few of them are excavated, the scientists argue that the megalithic structures exist in these places because of the significance of the mountain gap. The iron objects found in Pazhayannur and Tiruvilwamala in the Gayathri River basin are very ancient materials. The megalithic Cist burials of Palakkad Gap show more similarities with the burial types of Tamil Nadu, especially those from Coimbatore, Palani and Erode regions. 

What Indian People Don't Bother!!!

Skyrocketing Petrol Prices and Unjust Toll Charges!!!

It is interesting to read the blogs that narrates the travels of different kind. In such blogs, people share their experiences about places and the Long Trips they take in vehicles. However, such blogs or travelogues do not mention the skyrocketing Petrol/Diesel prices in India or the unprincipled toll that is collected at highways. Everyone pays the ever-raising Petrol/Diesel prices; Fill the tanks and go. Without any murmur pays the toll prices and drive in the highways, just like Rich Countries.

I wonder how many people know that the petrol/diesel price includes a cess tax for roads, to improve infrastructure? Whenever we buy petrol and diesel, we pay tax not only for gasoline, but also for road tax. Moreover, each pay road tax to the state for 15 years in the beginning of registration of every automobile.

The drivers or the public do not know how long toll will be collected at each toll plaza or what is the expense of the road that is prepared and how much money is collected every day, or so far to cover the cost of the road. The government might collect or already collected many times, more than the cost of building the roads and maintenance costs. Still collecting tolls, is it justified? What a cheating cheating???

The govt is busy building Roads… good roads… give contracts and earn… ultimately, who earns, who loots the people … politicians, and ruling party heads live comfortably.

NHAI recommended a 5% to 10% hike in toll charges this April. This will sure increase the price of essential commodities. Thousands of people use the toll roads every day for personal travel as well as to move goods. Fruits, vegetables, grains, edible oil, milk, building material and other goods are widely transported via road almost all commodities are transported by road. Nobody can object if the Govt or the NHAI collect a reasonable cost, with a time limit, a minimal charge.  Alternatively, reduce all the unwanted taxes from Petro/Diesel. Let people live in India peacefully. People are extremely happy to drive in good roads.

Prime Minister comes, inaugurates the road, is it free? Who pays the cost of Prime Minister's trip and the toll charges?

Is it not the duty of the government to tax less and provide more comfort to people? In India, it happens upside down. The funny thing is: people vote to that government. Can we call People fools or the politician?

Venturing Road Less Travelled

 (Trip to Yangkhullen)

Yangkhullen often referred as ‘Hanging Village of Manipur’ is in Senapati of Manipur state. The place could be reached from Jalukie - Peren, Nagaland or Maram (Kohima - Senapati Road). It is a challenge to visit this village, as the road conditions are not very friendly. There is no paved road available (as of October 2022) and the available path, or can be called road, is closed anytime due to landslides and other natural disasters. Currently massive road construction is going on between Jalukie – Peren, Nagaland State to Maram, Manipur State that makes life harder for travellers. The roads are manageable for four wheelers; it is a challenge for two wheelers. There are no shops, no signboards and practically there are no vehicles or human beings on the road except at few villages here and there. Solo riders, therefore, should be very cautious about these conditions. 

Coming to our trip to Yangkhullen, four people travelled in three motorcycles. One Hero Xpulse 200CC (Mr. Toshi, Computer Department), one Royal Enfield Himalayan 411CC (Mr. Sarbanada, Maths Department & Mr. Omega, Computer Department) and one Benelli Imperiale 374CC (Prof. Janetius, Principal) were the vehicles. It was a planned trip during Deepali holidays, enquiring and checking google map etc. The itinerary was prepared based on the discussion and road condition. The itinerary was prepared in such a way that maximum places are visited with minimum strain.

The initial understanding from the conversation with people was – there is a highway passing from Peren – Maram towns, roadwork is going on. However, no one narrated the road condition for motorcycle rides. When the people say HIGHWAY it does not mean that there is a paved road, it means there is a way… that is all.  

The first day trip was uneventful. We started from Dimapur, visited the newly built Sukhovi Railway station, relaxed a little bit, took few photos and reached Jalukie via the ghat road within 2.30 hours. The original plan was to have lunch at Jalukie and we cancelled it (as it was early) and proceeded to Peren. 

The road condition of Jalukie-Peren was good except that it is under construction partially and slightly dusty here and there. Since there was no rain, the road was good for motorcycles. We enjoyed the trip, having stopover here and there for few photo shootings. The moment reached Peren excitement took us to different levels. Seeing the clouds, mist and chilly weather make us to sing and laugh. The lunch at Peren, in a small eatery was tasty and all of us enjoyed the food and the hospitality. Our stay was in a government Circuit House, thanks to some of our trip members and friends for getting such an accommodation in a small town. 

Peren town is not populated or having many facilities, which we expect in a town or in a district capital. It is in fact a small village of less than 10 thousand people. It has a chill climate all through the year, as it was 1445 m above sea level. Though there is a government college and few schools are there, it needs a lot of developments and improvements.

The unpolluted natural setting of the town was enjoyable as we walked through the main roads and drove through a few streets. In the evening before the sunset, we want to visit a viewpoint shown in the google map, only to find out that it is inside a military camp. Instead of the viewpoint, we relaxed outside the camp and enjoyed the cloud moving, mist falling and fog surrounding us. It was a pleasant, enjoyable day ONE.

On the second day, our intention was to visit Yangkhullen (65KM) nearly 3 hours ride and proceed to Willong Khullen (20 KM from Yangkhullen) 45 minutes ride. We planned our return journey at 1.30pm so that we can reach Peren comfortably before the sunset at 4.45pm. 

We started our travel in a good spirit at 7.15am. With road construction work progressing in the Nagaland side, we reached a beautiful iron bridge over Barak River that is the boundary of Nagaland and Manipur state around 8 am. We clicked as many photos as possible without realizing the hardship and pathetic road conditions ahead of us.

The road after the bridge between Nagaland and Manipur to the place we travelled, until 12pm, was in a deplorable condition for two wheelers. We were blocked at two three places while hard machinery moving earth and rocks. There was no signboard of Yangkhullen and we do not know where to enter the village from the main road, though Google Map shows the village. Instead of reaching around 10 to 1030am, it was around 1130 to 12pm and we were nowhere, simply riding on the Naga Hills, just enjoying the off-road experience, seeing the beauty if Naga Hills and the Manipur Hills. We were helpless to locate Yangkhullen. Nobody to ask, not one person to show directions; we saw only few Hindi speaking construction workers here and there who were not aware of anything beyond their machinery. 

We promptly rearranged our plan to visit the Willong Khullen and return to Peren before sunset. That plan also received a blow when we were blocked by a roadwork. Sensing that it would take more than 30 minutes to clear that road, and the possibility of not able to return to Peren in the day light, we were once again looking for Yangkhullen village. We enquired one supervisor of construction work Mr. Singh and finally found out the village. Meanwhile, we shared some snacks among us as our lunch.

Zeme tribe inhabits Yangkhullen village. The village has some stone structures, fort like constructions and notable carved wooden doorway with long stone steps. The protection of this ancient stone settlement is the attraction. The guarded entrances and the stone forts are meant to protect the village from whom, is not clear. The village also has most of the houses on steep cliffs, which is a common feature in the Naga Hills or Manipur Hills, adds attraction to the settlements. The place has a beautiful view of the forest in the Naga and Manipur hills. Lucky people...

 The village people are very reserved, and no one bothers about the visitors. The village folks are not ready to help anyone (no idea, any village decision is taken by the head of the village). We saw many heads peeping through the windows here and there (both men and women) but no one really cares about the visitors or answers any queries. One man whom we met at the entrance of the village informed us not to take videos and drone photography prohibited. While we were venturing into the village, one authoritarian male shouted at us, no visitors are allowed, go back… go back. He even instructed some peeping heads not to entertain us. It reminded me of the movie, ‘Seven years in Tibet’ in which Brad Pitt was graciously chased out of a Tibetan village saying “No foreigner... No foreigner... go away foreigner”.  People who admire different culture come to visit places and therefore let us be helpful to them - attitude is missing among local villagers. However, we visited the stone structures, took many photos, and returned to Peren before 5pm.

The third day, we expected some rains as per the weather report. However, we were not aware of the cyclone Sitrang’s arrival and the orange alert in Nagaland. Indian Meteorological Department informed that Northeast region encounter heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, with wind speeds up to 60kmph on October 24. The non-stop rains started in the midnight of October 23. We took the return journey in the rain via Sainik School, Punglwa in a beautifully paved road. After that we ventured again some patches of non-paved road to reach the newly build Dimapur - Medziphema highway for lunch. We reached home safely but completely soaked in rain. 

The trip gave us some important experiences. From Dimapur that is around 150meters sea-level we travelled up to 2100meters; Jalukie town is 330 to 350 meters whereas Peren is 1145meters elevated. The Naga-Manipur border bridge is less than 850meters. From there we climbed 1150, 1250, 1400 and went up to 2100meters. Yahngkhullen village is 1650 to 1800 meters elevated from Sealevel. Wandering in the Naga Hills is a new experience to all. It was a pleasure, thrill, pleasure and excitement and achievement satisfaction. It is a memory that can be cherished lifelong 

Shall we call our trip an adventure, excitement or relaxation...? It was total fun, fulfilment and satisfaction. 

As Sarbanada, our team guide often says... We have done it. 

Love Two Tamil Poems

These are the two ancient Tamil poems of Awaiyar (ஔவையார்) that captured my attention

The first one talks about the silence of a person. 

அடக்க முடையா ரறிவிலரென் றெண்ணிக்

கடக்கக் கருதவும் வேண்டா-மடைத்தலையில்

ஓடுமீ னோட உறுமீன் வருமளவும்

வாடி யிருக்குமாங் கொக்கு -  ஔவையார் (மூதுரை, 16)

 A person decides to be silent in adverse situation does not mean the person is stupid; the person is waiting for the right opportunity to strike or waiting for the right moment for action. The correct example given by poet Awai is the crane.  While standing in the waterbody, it let goes the smaller fish in order to strike a bigger one.

கொக்கு மௌனமாக ஒற்றைக்காலிலே நிற்கிறதே என்பதற்காகக் கொக்கை ஏமாளி என்று எண்ணவேண்டாம். நேரகாலம் வரும்போதுதான் கொக்கு யாரென்று தெரியவரும்.

 

The second song is about unlearned person's pretensions.  An unlearned person pretends to be a learned person is like a turkey fowl thinking that it is a peacock and dances with its ugly wings.

கான மயிலாடக் கண்டிருந்த வான்கோழி

தானு மதுவாகப் பாவித்துத் — தானுந்தன்

பொல்லாச் சிறகைவிரித்  தாடினாற் போலுமே

கல்லாதான் கற்ற கவி - ஔவையார் (மூதுரை, 14)

 முறையாக கற்காதவன், கற்றறிந்தோர் சபையில் கவி பாடுவது, கான மயில் தோகையை விரித்தாடியதைக் கண்ட வான் கோழி, தன்னையும்  மயிலாக பாவித்து தன் அழகில்லாத சிறகுகளை விரித்தாடியது போலாகும்.

Beautiful poems and comparisons. 

Riding to Relax

I started riding on a bicycle in 1977 while I was in the 9th standard. In my college days drove a moped Suvega that was sold from the 1960s to the early 1980s. The word Suvega means moving very fast and rapid. I wonder how fast a moped with less than 50 CC engine can move. As I grew up, Yezdi, Lambretta, Hero Honda etc came as companions for my travel. 

While studying in the Philippines, I owned a Japan Honda for 6 years. One of my memorable trips was a solo ride around Lacuna de Bay (250 Kms) on January 2, 1998. I don't know how many Filipinos even thought about it or did that trip. In 1998, when mobile network was not popular, no GPS handsets, relying solely on the paper maps was a venture I took. But I realized the real riding pleasure in 2012 when I bought a Royal Enfield Classic 350.

I was planning to buy a 100-CC bike for my shopping and other errand works. While surfing the net I saw the classic Royal Enfield and was mesmerized. The classic look of the bike enkindled the passion in me to have a motorcycle for pleasure trips. It is a mere passion that took control over me when I booked the bike. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 gives a vintage look. It produces 19.8 bhp of peak power and a mileage of 38-40 km/l of Petrol. The inauguration of the bike was done on International Mountain Day, 11th December by organizing a Motorcycle Expedition to Western Ghats (150 KMs) for a Nature photo shooting. Travelling in a group of 48 motorcycles was a pleasure which I can remember for many more years. 

Life with Classic 350 was boring at times as I had the custom of driving the car at three-digit speeds. I expected the same speed and thrill in the motorcycle too. Instead, what I got from Classic 350 was vibrations above 80 km speed. I was contemplating getting rid of the Classic 350 and buying a 500-CC motorcycle. With this idea, I booked an Enfield Stealth Black, 500-cc in 2017. The waiting period was 6 months and by the time the vehicle arrived at the showroom, I was in Nagaland. The showroom was not ready to transfer my order to Dimapur. Therefore, I aborted the plan completely. After settling in Dimapur, I heard about a new entry of classic motorcycle from Benelli in the Indian market and I booked an Imperiale 400 from Guwahati in November 2019 and received the delivery in 2020 February. Imperiale 400 was a vehicle far better than the Royal Enfield, both in terms of vibrations and speed. However, the Corona pandemic put a block to all my riding intentions. Once the country recovered from the pandemic, my solo rides became group riding as I find out few motor motorcycle enthusiasts among the faculty and enjoyed five trips in the last six months.   

Diphu:  The trip to Diphu was not planned. It was a leisurely ride of 100 KMs on a fine afternoon in the Karbi Anglong area. The weather was very pleasant and the roads were in excellent condition. Diphu is located in an evaluated place. While looking Northern side of the city from the heights of Diphu one gets a feeling that Makir Hills are blocking the view of the Brahmaputra river. The Botanical garden was a welcome place for our leisurely sit and chat, to chill out our spirits from the seclusion of the pandemic. 

On our way back, the Don Bosco College, Diphu was another place we visited and felt at home. The beautiful garden of the college and the massive building in the backdrop was memorable. Visit to Woilawun Buddhist Monastery on the top of a small hillock near Manja, though not an old monastery, was fascinating. 

Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary:

One of our planned rides was to Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary. It was a 140 KMs trip to a sanctuary that contains a hot water pond surrounded by Nambor Sanctuary. Though leeches prevented us from hiking trails of the sanctuary, we enjoyed walking in the park and the ride. It was a relaxing ride through Dhansiri valley, viewing the Balipathar paddy fields, enjoying the Makir Hills on the Western side and the Naga Hills on the Eastern side. The roads were wonderful to drive as some of the starches were straight less crowded with traffic. 

Doyang Hydro Project Dam: Doyong was 140 KMs away from Dimapur. It was two days trip filled with fun. Staying in a rustic resort, sleeping in a small tent near the dam water, boat ride in the dam, campfire, cooking and dancing were added highlights of the trip. We took the Assam Merapani route and enjoyed the pleasant paved roads. Though Pangti village, the breeding place of Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is not far away, we had to cancel venturing into visiting the falcons due to poor road conditions. It was a relaxing and rejuvenating trip for us who are tied up most of the time on the college campus.

Jalukie: On our trip to Jalukie town and a remote historical Kuki villages Athibung was a tiring 150 KMs ride. We visited some churches in Jalukie town, St Xavier College and relaxed few hours in the Forest viewpoint. The highlight of the trip was visiting Athibung village and the Kuki memorial park. Riding a motorcycle in the small Naga mountainous roads and seeing the hills and interacting with innocent brave faces of the village people in the remote places was a unique experience. Such experiences broaden the thinking, and for sure, help people come out of self-centred narrow viewing of reality. 

     

Nuone resort was our next trip. It was more of a relaxation spending a few hours in the resort. The drive in the newly constructed four land bypass road from Assam was memorable as it was not open to traffic. On the contrary, it is regrettable that the condition of Nuiland-Dimapur Road that leads to the resort was pathetic. 

Dzuleke and Khonoma: The recent trip our group had in February was a wonderful journey to Dzuleke and Khonoma. This was a 210 Kms ride. Hearing our constant motorcycle trips, one student from the History department also joined our riding company. It was tricky to travel on the motorcycle to such a far village, as the road conditions of Jatsoma to Khonoma was in very poor shape. Dzuleke is a paradise to the eyes and the valley view was amazing. One needs to spend a few days at Dzuleke to embrace fully the serenity of nature in the self and experience being one with nature. It will give a total transformation to the mind and brain. Such is the calm and quietness of the place. This valley has every potential for a tourist hotspot (provided, good roads are paved). Khonoma, an Angami village has its secluded lifestyle and charm. The rice terraces at Khonoma reminded me of Ifugao rice terraces at Banaue, Philippines. Eat a locally prepared lunch in a hamlet, while enjoying the cool breeze and viewing the rice terraces, is a lifetime experience.

Loktak Lake, Manipur was our latest addition during Holi holidays. The Myanmar border was temporarily closed that halted our Moreh trip. Majuli island, Sivasagar Ahom memorials and the Bogibeel Bridge was an alternative, however, Loktak lake came as a rescuer for few of us to take a long trip. The lake is one of the largest lakes in India, known for its floating island-like swamps known locally as Phumdis. Some of the phumdis are natural and some are man-made for fishing and tourism purposes. The chilly evening with beautiful bloody skyline, the cool night of the moon lit sky in the floating home and the magnificent sunrise sipping a cup of tea was a lifetime experience for us. 

Planned Future Trips: 1. Dimapur – Majuli - Bogibeel Bridge - Rang Ghar (550 Kms)

Riding to relax makes you psychologically healthy, mentally sound and physically fit in routine urbanised life. It enriches the spirits with new vigour and gives new vistas. A new perspective of the place and people emerge as you travel to new places and meet new people. Motorcycling, and thus visiting new places and people makes the younger generation occupied and makes them more mature. Otherwise, people tend to run after thespians, politicians and their corrupt ideology and their malicious way of life. Riding to relax is a dynamic hobby everyone needs to develop.    

Selling Awards to Academicians …. A Bad Start-up idea…

 I receive now and then email intimations saying that I was selected for prestigious awards for my contribution to education.

My first reaction was another scam from an imposter. Don’t have a misconception: these and similar rackets are not run by individuals but by a group of people having a webpage with identity.

Once I received an email saying that one of my researches was ground-breaking research and I would be awarded in a hotel on an evening. The dinner would cost 2500 Rs (roughly 35 $). Since I am the recipient of the award, I am eligible to invite two more guests at the cost of 5000 Rs. 

Yet another time, I received a bundle of papers through a courier requesting me to sign and return the documents to an organisation in Delhi for receiving a prestigious award from their so-called organisation. The processing fee is 6000 rupees. If I am eligible or not, once the processing is over, the advance money paid will be reimbursed. 

One of my administrators received an email saying that the institution should celebrate because one of their employees (me) will be receiving an award. The organisation has to pay 12,000 rupees for the section process. (God save me, good scammers, did not bother me to pay). 

Many academicians fall prey to these scammers in a world of perform or perish policy.

Honestly, some organisations do offer awards such as 'best teacher' 'best researcher' etc… after receiving money, some run away with your money. I have to thank my analytical skills, never yielded to this scam so far.

 How would you react to such messages is solely depending upon many individual factors.

If you are hungry for awards and see these emails as a golden opportunity falling on your lap. Even if the awards are given by some known or unknown organisation, just for making money, they are selling awards to award-hungry academicians who are ready to buy. 

Probably an MBA guy runs it like a successful business model… a good, lucrative start-up… awarding people by receiving money from them and in the end earning the living penny.

I did some research on this issue. A particular website has announced awards in 60 different categories. Three awards from each category.  3  x  60 = 180 awards. There is no processing fee. Awards will be presented to the winning candidates in each category in a webinar. The candidate who applies for an award has to pay 3000 Rs.  That would entitle you to an e-certificate, trophy and medal that will be dispatched through DTDC courier after the event. If you pay 5000 Rs., a Framed Award Certificate, Trophy, and Medal.

A simple Mathematics:

180 x 3000 = 5, 40, 000 Rupees

180 x 5000 = 9, 00, 000 Rupees

Or be realistic. 50%  receive e-certificate and 50% revive Framed Award Certificate 

90 x 3000 = 2, 70, 000 Rupees

90 x 5000 = 4, 50, 000 Rupees  equals to 7, 20, 000 Rupees.

Now you can calculate the cost of courier charges, event management and chief quest etc… and the labour charges for 3 or 4 people who work few hours a day for few days. 

Good business model, for a wrong purpose.  You do not hold an MBA degree for this start-up.

As long as people foolish these things survive 

Keeladi Vaigai Valley Civilisation

 

Keeladi Vaigai Valley Civilization

India had one of the earliest known urban civilizations in the world, near the Indus River. Archaeologists excavated two towns to draw this conclusion: Harappa, in the Punjab province excavated in 1921 and Mohenjo-Daro on the banks of Indus River, in the Sindh province, found in 1922. Both the sites are in the present-day Pakistan. There were also other towns and settlements related to this period of civilization extended to eastern and southern side of India. This civilization has been dated between 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, known as Indus valley civilization.

There are many significant architectural features seen in this urban civilization. A fundamental feature is the organized town planning. The notable other architectural takeaways are massive city walls and gateways, well-planned network of roads and centralized drainage system. Streets were oriented east to west; houses were constructed in view north south to utilize the prevalent wind. Good water supply system, massive granaries (150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 15 feet high), great bathing complex (179 feet long and 107 feet wide with a swimming pool 39 feet long, 23 feet wide and 8 feet deep) with galleries and rooms around for ritualistic purposes, no temple architecture, and no weaponry buildings. The archaeologists found a central depression in Harappa, as a public area where water was available for drinking and washing purposes; there were many private wells too. The houses had doors with provision for hanging curtains. Urban houses made of baked bricks that too of standardized dimensions and, multistoried buildings, whereas rural houses were made of mud bricks. Thus, the remnants of Indus Valley Civilization display remarkable planning skills of the people of the times, especially in sanitation and drainage and essential space utility in their construction. Largely, it can provide inputs to the present-day urbanization planning and construction.

In the early 21st century, Hindutva groups rechristen the Indus Valley Civilization as Sarasvati Culture, or the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization or the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization. These believers propagate and misrepresent, using selected studies to suit their political narrative, the Hindutva concept of imaginary India, although there is no established evidence. The focus of claim is that the Sarasvati mentioned in the Vedas was a river, which dried in time, and that led to the end of the civilization; also, both the Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic culture were the same. Based on these presumed premises, they reject the Indo-Aryan migration theory to claim that the Vedic Hindu population is indigenous to the land. However, the commonly accepted period of early Vedic age is second millennium BCE after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization around 1900 BCE. From the existing evidence, scholars do not see any similarities between these two cultures. The Indus Valley Civilization was urbanite, and the main occupation of the people was trade and commerce whereas Vedic people were rural and purely pastoral nomads who took up agriculture and cattle rearing in the later period. There were also linguistic differences between these two cultures. One of the major differences between the two cultures is that the Indus Valley Civilization is an urban civilization that had well-planned cities with monumental buildings with the use of mud and fire bricks, elaborate drainage systems, good fortifications, unique arts and crafts whereas Vedic culture is rural.

A similar, yet another civilization is found at Keeladi near Madurai, Sivagangai District of Tamil Nadu, South India. The Keeladi (Keezhadi) archaeological excavations in the banks of river Vaigai that started in 2015 (continued) has opened new vistas in understanding ancient South Indian history and lifestyle. The skeletal remains excavated reveal the presence of many animals: cow, ox, buffalo, sheep, goat, nilgai, blackbuck, wild boar, and peacock. There were few ancient Tamil-Brahmi script found. Scholars identify this as an urban society of agrarian nature. Since there were no significant architectural monuments seen in the site so far, it is too early to define the architectural style of this civilization. The current findings establish that there was a good urban planning and drainage system in the houses and scholars connect it with the famous Sangam era of Tamil literature. Based on the carbon dating results goes back to 580 BCE, and therefore, the Keeladi civilization could be of 6^th to 3^rd century BCE. Based on ancient Tamil literature, the age of Sangam era, the glorious period of Tamil Culture is between 300 BCE - 300 AD. The many materials mentioned in the Sangam literature unearthed in Keeladi prompt the scholars to redefine the Sangam age between 600 BCE and 100 AD. As of 2019, the findings at Keeladi are not sufficient to draw major conclusions about the civilization and the language of the people.

There are some controversies regarding the Keeladi excavations too. The archaeological site of Keeladi became the center of political controversy in 2017-2018 when the government of India delayed allocation of funds and the reluctance shown to continue the excavations. When the archaeological excavations were in the beginning stage, the superintending archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan was transferred to Guwahati, Assam, and a good number of his teammates to other places. Added to that, the principal investigator Amarnath Ramakrishnan who submitted the interim report on Keeladi did not get permission to write the final report. The central government did not allow him to visit America to deliver a lecture on the Keeladi finding in The Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America. Political parties in Tamil Nadu openly accused the central BJP government of sabotaging the excavations. A major agenda of the BJP government’s Hindutva ideology is to establish the Vedic culture as the only ancient Indian culture and oppose the accepted Aryan migration theory to state that all the North Indian population are indigenous. The Keeladi archaeological findings that show traces of non-Vedic ancient Tamil civilization would support the non-Vedic Indus Valley urban civilization too. The Keeladi findings further reveal several highly expected proofs to the ancient Tamil culture and further excavations would bring big honor to Tamil society and pride to the Tamil people. Therefore, the BJP government delayed and stalled the archaeological excavations at Keeladi, argues the Tamil political proponents and scholars who take pride in their language, culture, and civilization. Since the Central Government refused funds and denied permission to continue the excavations, the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department continues the project. As per the newspaper reports the sixth phase of Keeladi excavations started in Agaram village (six kilometers south of Keeladi) on February 19, 2020, by TNAD.

Both the ancient Indian urban civilizations do not give any significance to temple architecture or similar monuments. The cultures show some highly developed urban planning and the related architectural design. However, in the latter period, during the time of kings and empires, temples and other similar monuments came into existence.

Janetius, S.T. (2019). Architectural Psychology: Space, Psyche, Enigma & Symbol, Mishil & Js Publishers, Thrissur, ISBN: 9781974307715

 

Indian psychology Vs Scientific Indian Psychology

 Indian psychology does not mean going back to ground zero…

Indian society is in crossroads today. There is a strong move from many quarters to rewrite the history to safeguard the lost pride of India. Though this movement silently started long back, due to political security in recent years, it has taken a gigantic move. The early coloniser's impression of India as a land of savages gave a negative opinion about the country. Therefore, besides looting the wealth of the country, the colonisers took the task of civilising the people directly and indirectly. This led to the intense inferior feeling in the Indian psyche, among intellectuals as well as ordinary citizens. Due to this psychological condition of the people, a nationalistic concept started to spread in every sphere of life, with political backing. The notion of polarisation that a person who is not a Hindu is an anti-national slowly started to spread. National security, territorial integrity, one nation-one culture concepts are originating from this backdrop. The initiatives taken for developing Indian psychology are not free from this nationalistic ideology, and it needs to be understood from this historical background of the Indian psyche.

Indian culture-specific approach to psychology started as early as the first half of the 20^th century. It was initiated as ‘Indian psychology’ by Jadunath Sinha (1892-1978), a philosophy graduate and a lecturer with a blatant philosophical dependence (Sinha, 1956, 1986). This philosophical slanting of Sinha is evident from his plagiarism accusation against Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who allegedly stole the first two parts of his thesis Indian Psychology of Perception and published as Indian philosophy (Aich, 2016; Venkatesh, 2018). From this unfortunate scrambling in the 1920s, Indian psychology never became an independent scientific pursuit; instead, it is begging at the doors of philosophy for all its quest. A good number of prominent psychologists, as well as psychology aspirants in India, honestly believe today that Indian psychology is exploring the past glories of the ancient philosophical and Hindu religious writings (Rao, 1962; Safaya,1975; Sinha, 1986; Kuppuswamy, 1993; Paranjpe, 1998; Rao, Paranjpe & Dalal, 2008; Dalal, 2010; Sinha, Mishra and Dalal, 2015; Rao & Paranjpe, 2016). Thus, the pursuit for culture-specific scientific Indian psychology missed its objectives down through the centuries. Similar attempts for a sectarian Islamic psychology have been made in India and abroad (Vahab, 1996; Haque, 2004; Siddiqui & Malek, 1996). Buddhist psychology is also popular among some circles (De Silva, 1991; Anacker, 1984). Christian psychology or Biblical psychology based on Biblical theology and Christian writings is prevalent in some countries (Dansby, 2019; Roberts & Talbot, 1997; Chambers, 1995).  

In the recent past, an initiative by the delegates of the National Conference on Yoga and Indian Approaches to Psychology came up with a ‘Pondicherry Manifesto of Indian Psychology’ (Cornelissen, 2002). It clarifies Indian psychology as ‘a distinct psychological tradition that is rooted in Indian ethos and thought, including the variety of psychological practices that exist in the country (Cornelissen, 2002). This initiative sounds more like a spiritual, Hindu psychology than scientific Indian psychology per se, old wine in new wineskins.

The problem with many scholars who exert their efforts in defining Indian psychology is that they magnify some ancient mystical, mythological and puranic cosmological thoughts and the related religio-philosophical systems as glorified psychological thinking and evade from providing practical and pragmatic principles guiding to comprehensive theories of human behaviour as per the emerging worldview in the changing society. Therefore, Indian psychology remains today as a primordial, intuitive, and unscientific thought pattern of bundled subjective assumptions and metaphysical assertions of a particular religion, eluding concrete empirical investigation.  

Is their any possibility to have scientific psychology? I purposely write scientific psychology because Indian Psychology is a term misunderstood today as scientific psychology and many groups of scholars will jump into the fray saying we have everything in the Vedas, Upanishads etc... etc… I am fed up with this bhajan...

The various initiatives taken in India has its controversies because the vested agenda to glorify ancient myths and traditional religio-philosophical thinking which are far from being scientific, not relevant today and meaningless in explaining human behaviour. There is also a systematic move to glorify the Indian past by highlighting legends and sacred lore as scientific historiography and many eminent scholars fall prey to that. 

There are lot of unscientific claims by various higher authorities that push the Indian scientific approach in the backseat. As Sharma (2019) reports, the five-day Indian Science Congress in 2019 ended with the questioning of Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton’s theories and the erroneous assertion that ancient Indians were adept at stem cell technology. Sharma further claims that the major promoter of unscientific claims is Indian premier himself who claimed that Lord Ganesha’s head must have been fixed by some plastic surgeon and that Karna was a test tube baby (Thapar, 2014). 

Rajasthan Education Minister repeatedly claimed that cows are the only animals that inhale and exhale oxygen and cold and cough can be cured just by going near it (Vyas, 2017). God ... save me...

In the Indian Science Congress Captain Anand Bodas, a retired principal of a pilot training facility claimed that the world’s first plane was invented by the Hindu sage Maharishi Bharadwaj which had 40 small engines, had a flexible exhaust system that modern aviation can't even approach (Lakshmi, 2015). While addressing the inaugural session of the 105th Indian Science Congress, Science and Technology Minister claimed that cosmologist Stephen Hawking said that the Vedas have a theory that is superior to Albert Einstein's equation e=mc^2 (Ramesh, 2018). 

A Vice-chancellor of a University in the 106th  edition of the Indian Science Congress elaborated that the mythical story in Hindu epic Mahabharata, where 100 Kauravas were born to Gandhari, was due to stem cell and test tube technology; he further claimed that a demon king of Sri Lanka was battered by Ram by weapons which would chase targets, hit them and return just like modern-day guided missiles (Khaira, 2019). This popular toxic mix of mythology and pseudoscience at various science forums, in the name of nationalism and patriotism, tend to think that some pressure groups are pulling the Indian society to the unscientific realm. 

Pressure groups are collections of people with a parallel set of values and beliefs generally based on ethnicity, religion, political philosophy, or some common goal. 

Pressure groups are potentially beneficial to any democratic society, in which they pressurise the government for more action. In India, however, pressure groups with a narrow notion of nationalism and also a clubbing religion with nationalism create communal tensions. Even a committee that was formed by the Ministry of Culture to study the origin and evolution of Indian culture dating back to around 12,000 years has its controversy (Nayar, 2020). In this juncture, a genuine question that needs to be answered is: is it an Indian cultural element to be centred on myths and superstitions or does Indian mind need a paradigm shift towards scientific approach towards life.

I doubt whether Indian psychology ever become scientific.