Folk operas of Bikaner come alive ahead of Holi

     "The media like TV and Cinema are indirect in nature. But our performance reaches the audience directly. We can evoke curiosity among the audience and involve them. That's something the other mass media fails to do," said Kishan Kumar, a folk artist. Professor BD Kalla, the leader of opposition, Rajasthan claimed that the steps taken by the State Government to promote those involved in Ramat are not sufficient. " The Government should find out ways to support the performers of the folk dance. They still have to borrow dresses for their performances. They should be in a position to buy them. We have to maintain these folk dance performances for a long time," said Kalla. Amalgamation of entertainment in an attractive and lively form with folk-dramatic arts is 'Rammat'. It has a history of nearly 150 years in which the art form has been harbouring in best of Bikaner's folk. It's high time that the Government pay attention to the needs and problems of those who are striving to preserve the art form.
-March 22, 2005

Shantiniketan's open-air classrooms taken over by bees (Go to Top)

     Kolkata: Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's dream educational institute, Patha Bhawan, located inside the Biswa Bharati University complex in Shantiniketan has been closed for two weeks as thousands of bees have taken over the classrooms (open space under trees) of the institute. These bees have made their hives on the sal trees in the campus of the institute, Amrakunja Since Tagore established this educational institute in Shantiniketan, a village in Birbhum district of West Bengal, all school level classes have been taking place outside, under the trees. Tagore believed if kids were taught in the lap of the nature they were more attentive than inside a closed room. With the onset of spring, like every year, all the sal trees were taken over by bee hives here. But, what created havoc this time was that a bird broke one of the hives and the students are becoming the victim of bees' anger. "We are not having our classes because of the bees hives on the sal tree. We study outside under the trees and since a bird broke one of the hives the bees have been attacking students," said Partha Dutta, a student.

     Already 15 students have been taken to the local hospital when they were attacked by the bees during classes. The incident forced the authorities to close down the classes considering the danger to the students. Shantiniketan is a famous university town in West Bengal. It has become a tourist spot because of its association with Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), one of Bengal's greatest figures. Of course the natural charm of Shantiniketan is a major draw in itself. Attracted by the beauty of this place, Rabindranath Tagore's father Maharshi Debendranath Tagore established Shantiniketan (abode of peace) in 1863. Almost 40 years later, Rabindranath started an open-air school at Shantiniketan that gradually developed into an international university named Visva Bharati where the cultures of the East and the West may meet in common fellowship and thereby strengthen the fundamental condition of world peace.

     Open air education as opposed to being cloistered in the four walls of a classroom became a reality here. In Tagore's own childhood, he had chafed against the claustrophobic classroom style of education introduced by British rule. In his autobiographical work "My School" Tagore writes of his dream of an academic institution where beauty "can enter into the very heart of the human dwelling." To realize his dream, Tagore recalled ancient Indian methods of learning lessons in open-air ashramas, where students and teachers could harmoniously share a common intellectual and cultural life through cultivation of the arts and direct observations of natural phenomena in a curriculum which finds books in the running brooks and sermons in stones. At the heart of Tagore's vision was an international university that could promote world peace. The university was named Visva- Bharati -- which translates as: a place where the world worships knowledge. It housed a number of centers for the study of different countries, long before multi- culturalism became a catchword, and it was meant to bring the East and the West closer to each other.
March 22, 2005

Chinese products a threat to Rajasthan handicrafts (Go to Top)

     Jaipur: In spite of registering around 30 percent growth per annum, Rajasthan's handicrafts exports is lagging as compared to the Chinese products in the international market, mainly because the Indian players have not been able to change according to the taste of its international clientele. India is a country that produces a wide variety of exquisite handicrafts from wooden to textile. Various states present an excellent variety of handicrafts with distinct style and tradition. Rajasthan, popularly known as the 'treasure-trove of Indian handicrafts' and 'shoppers' paradise', has been able to preserve its craft despite several ups and downs. Its rich heritage has played an important role in the economy of the state. The glittering jewellery and attractive handicrafts of Rajasthan have caught the fantasy of the people abroad and earned rich dividends.

     Dilip Vidya, a handicraft exporter, said: "Rajasthan handicrafts industry is on a growing trend. This year we will see an increase of about of about 15 percent as compared to last year. The trends look positive but there are certain measures to be taken if we have to keep up with this trend. A certain policy decision has to be taken on state and central government level and also by the exporting community and the industry. They should also understand to keep up the trend they should take certain industry measures. They should really concentrate on increasing productivity. This is the factor I see why China is ahead of us." He added: "China is a major factor affecting everybody. When buyers had come to the trade fair, price was one of the factors that somehow we had to come down on our pricing, which in the present scenario is difficult to do so because the cost of raw materials is increasing by the day, service tax is also affecting. Looking at the present scenario it is difficult to come down on prices. There has to be some drastic change in the scenario and we should increase the productivity." Presently, Rajasthan's handicrafts are exported to 30 countries including US, Europe, Middle East and Australia. Handicrafts from Rajasthan account for the 10 percent of the total Indian handicrafts export. Main areas in Rajasthan which are engaged in making handicrafts are Jaipur and Jodhpur.

     According to market players, Indian handicrafts lack in designing as the country does not have skilled labour in the absence of professional training institutions in the state. Udit Sethia, handicrafts designer, said: "Indian designers design product according to the Indian taste. If they design the product according to the global market then exports will increase. Designers keep in mind the market taste, what customers want, designs should not be repeated. So if we follow the market trends exports will definitely get a boost." Most of the people who are employed in the sector are from the rural and semi-urban areas. Around 7-8 lakh people are employed in the handicrafts industry in Rajasthan alone. So the Federation of Rajasthan Handicrafts has decided to establish an institute where the artisans and the exporters can be made aware of the various technicalities involved in the designing and marketing of their products. Suvira, CEO, Rajasthan Export Promotion of Handicrafts, said: "Indian handicrafts industry's strength lies in their design proposition. But that is the waterloo also for us as we have to keep pace with the time and there is a lot of market adaptation which is required to be done in handicrafts production. Design is the main factor that we have to work on tremendously and at a fast pace. At the Federation of Rajasthan Handicrafts, exporters we are now initiating new unit or venture by the name of forex product development and design centre. We propose to create prototypes for the industry there. Also create liaison with design universities, design institutes so that we have a lot of designs to be offered to the industry. So that's the focus area."

     Major handicraft items exported from India include products made from stone, wooden furniture, gems and jewellery, cane\ bamboo handicraft items, clay, ceramic ware. Productivity-wise China is also far ahead the India. In China one worker works more than 12 hours in a day as compared to the Indian workers who work for eight to ten hours a day. Handicrafts exports from Rajasthan this year is expected to go around 2100 crore rupees comparing to 1800 crore rupees last year while in year 2002-03 total export was only 1200 crore rupees. Market players claim if the industry and artisans work together with proper liaison then the handicrafts exports alone from Rajasthan might go up to 10,000 crore rupees.
-March 19, 2005

Maharashtra's Koyna dam survives another tremor (Go to Top)

     Koyna: Maharashtra's Koyna Dam, which has survived several thousand earthquakes or tremors during its 42-year-long existence has survived yet another tremor earlier this week, and engineers have declared it save for operation,. The town of Koyna was the epicentre of another earthquake measuring 5.1 on Richter scale on Monday, which shook the entire western part of the country. Engineers here claim that the dam has endured over 100,000 earthquakes, most of them measuring 2- 2.3 on the Richter scale. In 24 hours, 69 tremors have been felt in which 20 were felt in 2-2.30 intensity on Richter scale and rest were small. These spurt of activities do occur. And Koyna has seen 110,850 tremors till now. These are small tremors and a sometimes spurt of energy is released which do not cause any damage to the dam. The dam is very much safe and we are carrying out more projects to ensure its safety in the near future. If such incidents do occur in the future then also the dam will remain safe," said Sharad Joshi, the maintenance engineer of the Koyna Dam. Joshi says that the state government has already undertaken renovation work since October to strengthen the dam to accommodate the heavy flow of water during monsoons. Koyna is located about 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Mumbai, and has a population of about 2,500. The Koyna region has a population of approximately 20,000.

     Environmentalists have expressed concern over the safety of the Koyna dam in a seismic activity zone. Parts of the structure were damaged when Koyna was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of about 7.0 in December 1967, causing about 200 deaths in the region. About 10,000 people died in the Latur region of Maharashtra when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck in September 1993. Latur is about 300 kilometers east of Koyna. The dam, at Koyna Nagar in the Patan Taluka of Satara district is a highly active seismic zone and its Shivajisagar reservoir has a capacity of 2797 million cubic metres of water. Before the major earthquake that occurred on December 11, 1967, Koyna was considered largely aseismic. Therefore that quake not only caught everyone by surprise, but generated a lot of intellectual grinding among the scientific community. Besides earthquakes, reservoirs, lakes and dams became subjects of debate and controversy. Prior to the Koyna earthquake of 1967, geophysical and geotechnical studies had supported the assumption that peninsular India was seismically stable. The only available record of an earthquake in the peninsula was that of the Coimbatore earthquake on February 8, 1900, which measured 6.0 on the Richter scale. The Koyna earthquake shook the theory about the seismic stability of peninsular India. The earthquake caused some damage to the Koyna dam. In the years that followed the quake, the damaged portions of the dam were repaired. Reservoir capability and power generations were restored to pre-seismic levels. But protests against the construction of new dams and reservoirs such as the Tehri and Narmada projects started with the theory that large dams were the cause of earthquakes. There is no scientific theory, however, which proves that large dams make the area vulnerable to earthquakes.
-March 17, 2005

Manipur's new career option - woodcrafting  (Go to Top)
by LCK Singh

     Imphal: With normalcy fast returning to Manipur, the state government is placing great emphasis on reviving the traditional woodcraft industry. It is encouraging the youth in the state to opt for a career in this traditional industry. Also under the self-employment scheme of the government many young people have set up their own units to manufacture products made up of wood. Engrossed in their own world of drilling and carving, these young men and women are masters of their own destiny. No longer dependent on government jobs for their livelihood, they have come together to revive a traditional industry. These motivated youth have channelized their energy and creativity into productive purposes with natural resources available in the state the only the raw materials required for churning out their masterpieces. They are aware that many gullible youth have been misled into insurgency. They are aware of the pitfalls and are determined not to let it happen to them and the government is providing all possible help.

     "There is an unemployment problem in the state. The handicrafts enable us to make a decent amount, so I think I will do well in the coming years. I will take a loan and expand our business," said Bhogen, an artist. Out of forty varieties of wood in North East fifteen are found in Manipur, with more than one and half lakh people employed in the woodcraft industry. The Total net revenue, which accrues to Manipur through this industry, is around 290 lakh rupees. The State government and several financial and business groups are setting up ten woodcraft industries to promote this traditional industry. Not just this, training is also being imparted to people. Such training schools have two purposes - one to preserve the traditional industry and second, to equip the youth with entrepreneurial skills. And this is yielding results. "We have sold our products in Benaras, in many places in Manipur as well as outside the state. We are also planning to go to Hyderabad to exhibit our handicrafts," said Lairenmayum Bungochouba. Over the last few years the traditional handicraft industry of the North East has found a market outside the region. These hand made products made of cane and bamboo are a regular feature in trade fairs organized in various parts of India, displaying in vivid details the quintessential cultural symbols of North East.

Sikkim's policewomen geared to take on the world  (Go to Top)
by Tashi Pradhan

     Gangtok: Women in Sikkim, it seems, enjoy greater freedom than their counterparts in other parts of India. This is borne out by the fact that nearly 38 percent of Sikkimese women are part of the state's existing workforce. This figure appears astounding when compared to the national average of 20 percent. This remote state is now inducting women into the police force in a big way, getting ready to take on the world. It is not the number of women in the police force, but just their mere presence that is significant. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their male counterparts, these policewomen are more than willing to take and execute command in the best interests of the state. The sense of pride and satisfaction is writ large on their faces, a clear indication of what this means to them. "Policing is different in Sikkim in comparison to the other parts of the country. Sikkim is a low crime state and traditional policing is not so much here. Now, we are trying to develop community policing. Women are being brought in to play roles in areas like traffic policing," Mrinalini Shrivastava , first women IPS officer in Sikkim said. This would have been an unusual sight earlier, but not so today. Sikkimese women no longer only be just taking care of home and hearth. They are now taking care of the city as well. Such sights have become common in Sikkim and people have no gender mindsets that are in conflict to accepting women in positions of power. The administration was aware that inducting women into the police force would not meet any resistance. "There is hardly any instance of bias against women as we have in plains. So women police work in close tandem, shoulder to shoulder with men folk. Recently we have thirty percent provision of reservation of women in police that is in addition to those who will come up in open competition. Besides we have compassionate appointments of wives and children of those who die in harness," says S.D. Negi, the Deputy Inspector General (Crime) This support and the incentives have made a huge difference and is reflected in the large number of women opting to come out of the confines of their homes. And, they are rewriting their own destiny. Sixty five percent of women in Sikkim today are literate. It is not surprising then that the emerging opportunities are being snapped up in a Sikkim, which is so rich in human resources. Many north east specialists believe that Sikkim has the potential to become India's first poverty-free state and empowering women seems to be one step in that direction.