Branches of Geography (Series 4)

Geography is an integrative science and acts as a bridge between all natural and human sciences in providing a platform to understand the dynamics of the spatial patterns of the earth surface.

Since it is the ‘mother of all sciences’, the content of the subject cuts across various disciplines to analyse the emerging patterns and their implications for man while at the other provides information to other disciplines in their studies.

For example,
The GIS - gathers, integrates, analyse and interpret information from the domain of Space and Engineering technologies to disseminate the generated knowledge, principles and theories to various organisations and departments like the ONGC, OIL, Disaster Management Cells, Agriculture, Country and Town Planning, Transport and Communication etc.

Broadly, geography has two branches, viz.:

Systematic Geography which has sub-branches, like:

• Physical Geography, which further has, Geomorphology; Climatology; Oceanography; Hydrology; Soil Geography; Hazards Geography; Mountain Geography; Cryosphere Geography
• Human Geography has, Population Geography; Settlement Geography; Social Geography; Cultural Geography; Geography of Religions; Military Geography; Economic Geography; Agricultural Geography; Industrial Geography; Political Geography; Geography of Trade and Transport; Recreation, Tourism and Sport Geography
• Biogeography, which has, Plant Geography; Zoo Geography; Human Ecology; Environmental Geography
• Methods and Techniques of Geography has, Quantitative Geography; Field survey; Cartography; Geo-Informatics (GIS)

Regional Geography which has sub-branches, like:

• Regional Planning
• Regional Development
• Regional Analysis
• Regional Studies

At higher level of geographic studies, the branches offer tremendous scope for specialisation in the related and applied fields for which a geographer needs to be thorough in inter-disciplinary understanding of atleast the basic principles and content of subjects like: Cosmology; Physics-Chemistry-Biology; Anthropology; Geology; Meteorology; Maritime Studies; Pedology; Mathematics-Statistics; Engineering; IT; Economics; Political Science; History; Sociology etc.

For more, click 1 & 2

The Ever Widening Scope of Geography (Series 3)

Geography as a discipline has covered a long journey and crossed many milestones from:

the period its foundations were laid by the ancient Indians, Greeks, Chinese, Arabs and other scholars of times immemorial, who ventured out beyond their own milieu to write about other domains and people.

to:

the highly sophisticated, analytical and integrative period of quantitative and information revolution.

Geography in the first-half of the 20th century became a discipline to study the earth’s surface from two perspectives, viz.:

Systematic Geography which produced sub-disciplines like- Geomorphology; Climatology; Biogeography; Political Geography; Economic Geography; Medical Geography and so on and so forth.

Regional Geography which gave rise to sub-branches like- Regional Geography; Regional Development; Regional Planning etc.

In the second-half of the 20th century, Walter Isard of University of Pennsylvania (USA), evolved new and hybrid analytical discipline of ‘Regional Science’ which led to the ‘quantitative revolution’ in geography.

The 21st century has put geography on a new trail of development with Spatial Information Technology (SIT), based on Aerial Photographs & Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, LIS, GPS and the wholesome of Geographic Information System (GIS).

Find more by clicking 1 & 2

Nature of ‘Geography’ (Series 2).

The subject by its nature is highly dynamic because it studies the earth’s surface, which is ever changing sometimes gradually and unnoticeably while at others speedily and noticeably, at the backdrop of changing relationship with unresting man. To elaborate:

It is a natural-cum-human science and is engaged in the study of factors and processes (both natural and human) which gives rise to different patterns at spatial as well as temporal scales.

It is interdisciplinary and integrative. On one hand, it uses information across various disciplines to analyse the emerging patterns and their implications for man while at the other provides information to other disciplines in their studies. For example,

The GIS gathers, integrates, analyse and interpret information from the domain of Space and Engineering technologies to disseminate the generated knowledge, principles and theories to various organisations and departments like the ONGC, OIL, Disaster Management Cells, Agriculture, Country and Town Planning, Transport and Communication etc.

The Geographic Information System (GIS), Land Information System (LIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) have started a new era of Spatial Information Technology (SIT) in the realm of the subject.

Geography, though an integrative science has a dichotomous character. Thus, the internal logic of geographical study has tended to split the subject into two major branches, viz.:
(a) Physical geography, and,
(b) Human geography.

Geography looks at earth’s surface from two different but interrelated perspectives, known as systematic and regional. Accordingly the:
(a) Systematic geography, and,
(b) Regional geography, has evolved in the process of its development.

It is a discipline which explains the ‘cause-effect’ relationship of the arrangements of various natural and cultural features of the earth surface that holistically existed before and exists even today.

Geography - meaning and definition (Series 1)

It is always a difficult proposition to define a subject. With the passage of time, as knowledge grows and culture advances, the meaning of the subject also changes.

The term ‘Geography’ was first used by Eratosthenes, a Greek geographer who lived in Alexandria, Egypt during 276-192 BC.

Literally, the term ‘geography’ means ‘description of the earth’ ('geo'--> earth and 'graphos' --> description). Though several definitions of the term have been given, the most important in vogue is that given by Hartshorne in his monumental work – ‘Perspective on Nature of Geography’ in which he stated:

“Geography is concerned to provide accurate, orderly and rational description as well as interpretation of the variable character of the earth’s surface”.

Ellen C. Semple defined the subject as:

“Geography is the study of the changing relationship between the unresting man and the unstable earth.”

Semple’s definition though sounds simple, cut across the disciplines of cosmology; pure sciences; earth sciences; atmospheric sciences; oceanography; mathematics; engineering; biological, environmental and social sciences and the IT ……etc. to understand three key areas of the:

• unstable earth….?
• unresting man….?
• and, the ever changing relationship between the two….?

In simple language,

Geography is a natural-cum-human science which is engaged in the study of factors and processes, both natural and human that shapes the earth’s surface and gives rise to different cultures and civilizations. It is a science that studies the spatial arrangement of things on the surface of the earth resulting from a dynamic interaction between the nature and humans.

Another good lesson to learn….

With the awesome success of pollution control measures, the Chinese officials are re-introducing traffic restrictions in their capital city of Beijing. Under one such new measure, each car would be spending one day off-the road per week, based on their registration numbers.

The new rule will take about 0.8 million cars off the roads of Beijing every day.

In the midst of global financial crisis, stress on worlds’ non-renewable sources of energy and rising per barrel cost of crude oil……………..we are therefore on the threshold to take some stringent measures on the lines of the Chinese to manage our ever rising volumes in traffic.

Measures on emission cuts and the resultant reflections on Beijing’s atmosphere-2008.

To safeguard the health of competing athletes, immediately before and during the Summer Olympics in Beijing, the Chinese officials had carried out pollution control in thirteen stages, with more than 200 concrete steps. This,

• reduced the industrial activity by as much as 30 percent, and,
• mandated cuts in automobile use by half.

From 1998 to 2008, Beijing invested more than 1,600 million yuan in environmental protection measures, a total of 3.42% of GDP. In 2006 alone, this number reached 250 million yuan.

The event had given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to the scientists to observe how the atmosphere responds when a heavily populated region substantially curbs everyday ‘household-vehicular-industrial’ emissions.

What were some of the measures that made it happen?......... the Chinese:

limited the pollution caused by coal burning, by:

• increasing the monitoring of desulphurization processes for large coal-burning equipments including coal-fired power plants and coal-burning boilers in excess of 20 tons.
• constant monitoring by the Law enforcement officials on small businesses to prevent them from using small coal-burning stoves.
• enforcing regulations on the 30,000 single house residents in Dongcheng and Xicheng, to change the way they were using the energy resources.

dramatically reduced the pollution from vehicular traffic. From 2002 and 2003 they made:

• more stringent checks on cars on the road and ensured that a minimum standard was met by vehicles being operated. The idea of ‘vehicle pooling’ and ‘each car to be off the road for one day per week’, were promoted on war footing.
• about 13,000 old buses and 56,000 taxis were eliminated in the process of accelerating the eradication of old vehicles.
• gas stations around the country to experience an environmental overhaul.

made great progress in Industrial pollution control measures through relocation, restructuring and other means during the period. For instance:

• severe dust polluting enterprises located in the outskirts of the city were shut down, especially the cement kilns were completely shut down by the end of 2005.
• 200 and more heavily polluting enterprises either ceased their production or were relocated to newer and far-off sites.
• in July of 2006, Beijing coking plants ceased operations.

brought construction and road dust pollution sites under strict supervision.

• The overall focus stayed on the prevention and control of air pollution, pollution control regarding water, solid waste, and ecological protection.
• Pollution prevention and environmental radiation safety work had been comprehensively strengthened.
• Hazardous waste storage, collection, transportation and disposal achieved whole processing management. Medical waste removal was regulated to ensure proper disposal. Radioactive waste had also been controlled, with the completion of the main Radioactive Waste Project

Stringent measures were also taken to reduce noise pollution. There were increased penalties for noise pollution caused by construction, affecting the social lives.

green belts through afforestation and reforestation in and around the city. The waste lands were converted into flower beds to cater to the need of about 4 million bouquets and flowers during the games.

As a result, by 2006 itself,

Beijing's natural gas usage reached 47 cubic metres, 43 cubic meters greater than 1998.

The increase in the number of gas-based vehicles controlled the pollution from tankers, oil using cars, and diesel vehicles to a great extent.

Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide rates dropped by 36 percent and 10.8 percent respectively.

The closing of operations at Beijing Coking plants reduced the amount of coal, dust and sulfur dioxide emissions by 300 million tons, 7,300 tons and 7,500 tons, respectively.

There was a significant control over haze and smog over the city, during the games.

The residents of Beijing enjoyed clear skies, clean air and quiet streets throughout the games.

For links, click 1 and 2.

Living on the threshold..........! (**an appeal to the younger generation in the light of MNS violence)

“Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man”

- Francis Bacon

…....though I am neither a prolific writer nor a poet, but at the very outset I would like to express my belief that: no generation is better than the younger generation……..............…. because the existing generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it, forgetting the very essence of life that change is the law of nature and refinement of ideas come with every successive generations. It is a well said quote that-
“A stand can be made against invasion by an army; no stand can be made against invasion by an idea”

- Victor Hugo

My dear, in the 21st century which is also the era of science and technology, space explorations, liberalization-globalization and formation of global village in all spheres, it is a high time for you all to – think globally and act locally. While doing so you need to be a gentleman and to be a gentleman you should be a man first, man of your principles. You need not be a mere follower of your ideal rather you should be a trendsetter and try always to catch the limelight. If you believe that you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it, because every arrow that flies feels the attraction of the earth. While aiming for something be clear with the aims and objectives and energize yourself as a multi-targeted missile, which while hitting the subsidiary ones keep, directing towards the main. William Penn has rightly said that-

“No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown” .

So, have faith and confidence on your self and work consistently with planning and effort with optimal use of your potentialities. Remember, a good cricketer may not be a brave soldier; a brave soldier may not be a diplomatic politician; a diplomatic politician may not be a learned academician…so on and so forth, to say that there is always morning somewhere in the world and no job is high or low in profile. Moreover always respect those who gain dirt under their nails from their job.

Keep in mind that in this journey to excellence distance doesn’t matter, it is only the first step that is difficult. In the process if you ever fail, don’t lose your confidence because-

“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything”

- Edward John Phelps

In this era of ‘cut throat competition’ there is always room at the top, but, the hierarchy to success is pyramidal in shape with a wider base and pointed apex, i.e., one or few leaders to manage the entire crowd. So, it’s an eye opener at this tender age that if you don’t manage yourself now, someone else would manage you later. So the key to success is hard work, as-

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration”

- Thomas Edison

So dear, the pace of your development should be in cohesion with the development of the entire society and building up of a national character. Whatever and whenever you do something remember the Gandhiji’s Talisman-

“……….recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him…………”

Feel proud to be an Indian…….!!!! Enjoy the beauty of our mountains and valleys; think as strong and deep as our ocean and seas are; conserve its valuable resources; think of our environmental riches and diversities, and a sustainable development of the economy. Love, respect and follow our enriched culture and tradition……..extend the fellow feelingness and brotherhood across the borders and teach the principles of tolerance and peace to the entire world, and of all understand our ‘unity in diversity’ as- the only face on the globe, with a peculiarity of unity in diversity and rich cultural heritage, which ranks and perhaps much more advanced than any other contemporaries country in the world, is none other than your own – India.

It’s not a matter as how man dies, but, how he lives. Being blessed with a life of human being, lead a fruitful life and excel in your field to become an icon, because-

“If you have to tell others who you are, you aren’t anybody”

- Gregory Peck

Be a successful and broad-minded Indian...........!

The Indian Railways vs. the ‘Sons of the Soil Policy’.

Candidates, appearing for the Railway Recruitment Board examination, beaten and chased out of the centres from Assam…; Maharashtra.......is just not done and should be vehemently and categorically opposed. The hon’ble Supreme Court of India has also, time and again, come heavily on the ‘sons of the soil policy’.

We all should bear in mind that India is one and an integrated nation and every Indian state, today, has a cosmopolitan population composition. In terms of employment opportunities, the organisations like MNS; AASU etc. are not the sentinels of India’s socialist character and need to be reminded that:

- any Indian, irrespective of his / her state can apply and compete, not only for a Central Government job but for any other opportunities in a firm or business organisations, from anywhere in the country.

- the government has left no room for general category candidates to compete ‘at-par’, as a huge proportion of any declared seats remain reserved for one or the other category. Moreover, it is an irony that many seats from these categories remain vacant year after year, incase a competent candidate is not found from the said category.

The advocacy, of these organisations, for freezing atleast the Grade – IV posts for the locals can’t be sorted out by thrashing others, who had, infact, applied for the same against the vacancies published in the various regional and national dailies. The government or her agencies are, therefore, not expected of issuing admit cards to atleast those locals who had never applied for the posts.

To survive in the highly globalised world economy it is the ‘quality’ which matters and, quality comes from competent authorities and individuals. After all, we are not supposed to cut one line short to make the other longer. How long can we live in the illusion of reservations…………reservation in the name of Castes; Tribes; Gender; Religions and now Regions………………?

These organisations seem to have started a dangerous trend of promoting the ideologies of regionalism and national disharmony and should therefore be dealt with very strictly.

For News, click 1 and 2.

US Election Presidential debate, October 15th 2008.

Arizona Senator John McCain and Illinois Senator Barrack Obama, in their final and most arguable debate for US Presidential elections at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, had covered a wide range of issues on domestic policies. Though there were disagreements and verbal attacks on personal characters, it was praiseworthy that both of them:

• stressed on the need to implement new initiatives to handle the present domestic financial crisis, which has now adopted a world wide character.
• agreed to the essence of reducing Americas’ dependence on foreign oil imports.

Whereas, Obama’s strategy is to provide tax incentives for companies to create new American jobs, McCain wants to renegotiate the value of those mortgages for which the Americans are struggling to pay.

On the situation of reducing America’s dependency on foreign oil supply, Obama looked more eco-friendly in his approach in the domestic front. He advocated for the need of developing solar, wind and geothermal energy technologies.

The Case of Ohio Plumber Joe Wurzelbacher was indeed a debate on their preparedness to provide financial relief to common man on being elected to the post.

In the Indian context, can’t our politicians (who represent the worlds’ largest democracy with a glorious past) learn something good from the US Presidential election campaigns and come with serious preparations for our upcoming State and General elections, too? Can’t they inhibit on making the old-age ‘Babari-Masjid demolition case’; ‘communalism’; ‘blame-game’; ‘character assassination’……….etc. to be their as usual election issues?

Inspiration from criticism.

"If stones are thrown at you, you convert them into milestones."

Sachin Tendulkar (India), who is among the team's senior players facing questions about retirement, stated this for his critics, after outshining retired West Indian Brian Lara's world record for most test runs, on Friday.

The surging Nationalism…!

Nationalism is a belief or feeling in the power and importance of one’s own country as a significant political and economic force, and, it’s a celebration time for the Indians in the midst of recent terrorist attacks across the country….. the ever plunging sensex….global recession…. and the festive season of ‘diwali’. Must be thinking that I have really gone mad, aren’t you?

Now, don’t always think like a pessimist as there are few reasons to celebrate and feel like a nationalist…..## $$$ !!!!

Sachin Tendulkar needed 15 runs in the test matches to surpass Lara's record of 11,953 runs. He missed out on the record in the first test in Bangalore (in the on-going test series with Australia in India). He has not only accomplished the target but completed 12,000 runs in tests. He achieved the feat after tea on Friday.
He now holds the records for maximum runs and hundreds in both tests and one- dayers. Playing his 152nd Test, he holds the marks for most Test hundreds (39), one-day runs (16,361) and hundreds (42).

Aravind Adiga has won the prestigious Booker Prize – 2008 for ‘The White Tiger’- his debut novel set against the backdrop of India’s growing wealth gap. He is the fifth Indian-origin author to win this award after V. S. Naipaul; Salman Rushdie; Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai.
Well, we must wait for someone to write on India’s multidimensional feats and win this award in near future, again.

The G-8 (G-7 + Russia) which also represents the EU has invited India, along with China (the booming and growing economies of the world), to come to a consensus and bail out the world from the present financial crisis.
Ultimately, the G-7 which are the world’s major financial nations have accepted India’s economic prowess.

Chandrayaan 1 (India’s lunar mission), if everything goes as per our scientists planning it is all set to go off on 22nd / 23rd of October 2008.
Recall the day when Russia, under international pressure, refused to transfer the ‘cryogenic engine’ to India. Initially it seemed to us that our missile and space programmes have come to a grinding halt…….but nothing came as an impediment on our way. We developed indigenous technology and think of today…..our PSLVs / GSLVs have become a trusted platform for lifting satellites of many world nations……god bless our Manned Mission to the Moon by 2014!

Indo-US civil nuclear deal has been passed in US senate with thumping majority. The deal offers India an access to sophisticated nuclear technology and cheap atomic energy to fuel its rising economy thereby solve the future energy requirements in all spheres.
The lifting of ban on civilian nuclear trade on 6th September 2008 by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), as was imposed on us after the 1974 nuclear test explosion, has now ended the 34 years of nuclear apartheid.

We as a nation have grown big in politonomic power and international understanding.

Must see or visit:

1 (video on India's Lunar Mission), 2 and 3

Vision; brand marketing and the US Presidential candidates.

In the highly globalised economies of 21st century, people in any market single out a product by their brands and advertisements. Advertisements enhance the brand image of a product and people like themselves to be associated with them. There are certain products in a market which aptly explain our personality trait or even elucidate a social change.

In the US Presidential elections, ‘branding’ techniques have helped the US Presidential candidates in marketing their core views…..let’s find out:
Year- 2004
(A)
Candidate: George W. Bush (for re-election)
Identified attribute: modest; trustworthy, solid.
Linked brand to explain his attributes: Ford Motor Company; IBM; Bud Lite Beer.
(B)
Candidate: John Kerry
Identified attribute: trendy and young; high feat; high eminence.
Linked brand to explain his attributes: Heineken Beer; Apple Computers; BMW automobiles.
Year- 2008
(A)
Candidate: Barrack Obama
Identified attribute: “the choice of the next generation”
Linked brand to explain his attributes: Pepsi-Cola.
Core message: ‘trying to change things…..’
(B)
Candidate: John McCain
Identified attribute: “America’s authentic; patriotic; veteran and a war hero”.
Linked brand to explain his attributes: Coca Cola
Core message: ‘…..has been there and done that’.


for election updates, click here.

Locational advantages of the world's cheapest car manufacturing plant.

Ratan Naval Tata is a living legend of ‘businessman par excellence’. In an interview to the NDTV on inflation and his viability of making the common man’s dream car at rupees one lakh, he aptly remarked: “a promise is a promise….” He is a man of corporate ethics and never does business at the cost of welfare of either his employees or others. His ultimate decision to withdraw the Nano plant from Singur (West Bengal) has proved to be ‘West Bengal’s envy, Gujarat’s pride’.

Let’s find out the benefiting factors for his ‘Nano’ project at the new site, Sanand (near Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India). Of the all the factors of industrial location, the Non-geographical factors (viz., capital; labour; transport and infrastructure; government policies and patronage; market etc.) have outwitted the Geographical factors (viz., land; raw material; water resources; power and climate) in this case.

Land: Mr. Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of the state has made the land access processes easy and speedy for allotment to the company. Though a PIL has been submitted in the Gujarat High Court, he seems to be prepared enough to handle the situation.
Raw Material: since the Ahmedabad-Vadodara industrial region has many engineering and motor / tractor manufacturing plants, the automotive flat glass; control meters; electrical wiring; plastic components; rubber and sheet metal parts; bearings, tyres and machined components making companies will prove to be a huge boost as vendors and suppliers for the plant.
Water: the recent trend of industrial location indicates strong influence of the proximity of water resources. Overall, as per an estimate the plant will require only 15 MLD of water with 10 MLD discharge.
Power: this may be a minor problem for the plant as the region is mainly dependent on thermal power. But, the upcoming Kakrapara nuclear power plant will improve the situation in the industrially advanced state of Gujarat. However, the plant’s power requirement is estimated to be 10 MW.
Climate: has no role to play in a non-agro based industry.

Capital: Gujarat is a highly capitalized state of India and it is perhaps one of the reasons for the project to be shifted to this state.
Further, in no time, Gujarat is all set to gain a massive 40 per cent of the $100 million investments flowing through Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) which will be the mother of all investments in the state.
Labour: though the state itself has a huge and qualitative population base, it is backed up by a highly populous hinterland. Besides, the Tatas have already announced their intention to train people locally for their requirement.
Transport and Infrastructure: the state has an efficient network of road-rail-water and airways. The Kandla port in the state is the only port which has ‘free trade zone’ facility in India.
Government patronage and policies: the plant enjoys this very much from the very initial stages in the form of invitation into the state by the CM himself; speedy land access process; tax exemptions etc.

The world’s cheapest car( each car of Rs. 100,000 or USD 2080) manufacturing plant is certainly bringing manifold socio-economic changes not only at the site but in the whole of the state just the way Maruti Udyog Limited has brought it in a sleepy rural town of Gurgaon in Haryana (India) about 25 years ago.

For more, click - 1, 2, 3 and 4

Government Policies, Support and Intervention vs. the Industrial Location.

The free publicity of the world’s cheapest car ‘Nano’, through protracted and intense agitation by the people of Singur-Nandigram and the TMC has infact brought a bad name to the West Bengal’s hope of rapid industrialisation and FDIs in near future. But, who is to blame for this bitter episode, the:
· poor agitating farmers, who have lost their land under compulsion, or,
· people, who had agreed to give up their land for the sake of industrial growth and rapid economic development of the state for which they didn’t get a proper rehabilitation and compensation package, or,
· TMC, who not only egged on the situation but also unsuccessfully attempted to score political gains out of that confrontation, or,
· ruling Left Front government herself…...?

Little out of the track, if, we consider the various geographical and non-geographical factors that affects the location of a firm or an industry in a region, GOVERNMENT POLICIES, SUPPORT AND INTERVENTION is a vital factor from the latter category. Considering rest of the factors to be favourable in the context of 'Nano' plant at Singur (West Bengal, India), On one hand, it was a gross failure on the part of the West Bengal government, which no doubt offered the best deal to attract the ‘Nano’ project into the state amidst tough competition but failed to retain it, as she:
· didn’t feel it necessary to take the local population into confidence. There was a strategic loophole in planning on the ‘trickle down effect’ of the benefits of such developmental work to the grassroots level.
· overlooked the genuine concerns of rehabilitation, compensation and forceful taking of some land.
· failed to address the fear psychosis among the masses on permanently losing their source of livelihood.

Overall, an environment of confrontation was started in the area. The opposition, on the other hand, acted in such an opportunist and immature way, as if, when they come to power they would sit indolently and do nothing towards industrialisation and urbanization of the state and consequently eradicate the problems of unemployment and poverty from among the masses.

Since the shocking but certain exit of ‘Nano’ plant form the state had been closely watched by the whole world, any further investment from the expected MNCs and corporate giants in the state seems bleak for some time in near future.


for more, click here.

The dichotomy in the history of Indian aviation.

Captain Gopinath had a dream – the dream of adding wings to the common man’s life. He had brought a revolution in the Indian aviation sector through his unique service brand of ‘Air Deccan’- an airliner which fulfilled the cherished dreams of many a thousand of common man in the country to touch the skies.
The rising popularity of ‘Air Deccan’ had become an eye sore to many other airliners as they found it tough to stand in competition in terms of Air Deccans’ passenger fleet and its low cost. The group was strategically taken over by the UB chief Mr. Vijay Mallayas’ Kingfisher airlines. The immediate impact of the take over was a change in looks of the newly possessed airbuses and staffs followed by manifold rise in the flight fares and job cuts.
October 15th, 2008 is also a memorable day in the history of Indian aviation but for a wrong reason - it’s the day of largest lay-off in the Indian aviation sector. About 1000 employees have been sacked from their jobs and many more would follow the same fate. The otherwise tough competitors, the Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, have now joined hands to cut their soaring costs. This has definitely given them a duopoly in the aviation segment.
When asked on the issue of employees’ lay-offs by the Jet Airways, the Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Praful Patel expressed his limitations on giving directives to the private airliners and termed their decision as a routine HR work by any private group.
Now the question is, if he can’t do anything for these poor young chaps who have lost their source of livelihood, why is he staunchly supporting for a ‘bail-out’ plan of these private airliners at the cost of tax payers money? Is he not aware of other big issues and crisis which is facing the nation and common man today?
These capitalist giants who pocket maximum benefits out of all situations can very well handle this crisis by:

• engaging their big think-tanks on effective planning,
• optimum utilisation of their men and money,
• introspecting into their offered pay packages rather than job cuts.

More in these links: 1 and 2

Sameer loves Priya……. * $ #! ~ !! ~ !!!

‘Sameer loves Priya’ …...on the walls of an ancient structure (located near a milestone along the highway to Shimla) is a very frequently seen commercial advertisement of Reliance Mobile on the TV channels these days.
The theme of the advertisement is, however, very much against the rules and regulations laid down by the Archaeological Survey of India towards the protection of our monuments and centres of cultural heritage.
Whereas, the awareness on conservation and protection of our natural and cultural heritage amongst the students and common man is being promoted on a war footing, these types of advertisements by the reputed corporate giants is really disheartening.
To recall correctly, a MNC, which is into the making of soft drinks in India even today, was fined heavily by the Uttaranchal government in the past for putting advertisements of the their product on the cliffs and rock-faces on the mountains. The advertisements had tainted the natural beauty of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
The corporate and advertising agencies, therefore, need to be little more sensitive to our physio-cultural heritage, and, should rather, send social message on their protection / conservation.

On the need to think big!!

"We have been. . . thinking small. And if we look around us, countries like China have grown so much by thinking big. I would urge that we all, in the coming years, think big, think of doing things not in small increments, not in small deltas, but seemingly impossible things. But nothing is impossible if you really set out to do so. And we act boldly. Because it is this thinking big and acting boldly that will move India up in a manner different from where it is today".

Ratan Tata's words of inspiration

Measures of deterrence…………! (Series C)

History is evident that the strongest of the nations have fallen due to internal clashes and feeble internal security system. India is facing varied challenges in the management of its internal security. Deterrence is crucial and the following can prevent such happenings:

• India has given to the world the principles of ‘NAM’ and ‘Panchsheel’. The Tashkent and Shimla agreements, international commitment on ‘NO- to the first use of nuclear weapons’, ‘Agra Summit’ in the post Kargil escalations, commitment to solve the border problems by mutual discussions etc. shows maturity in her foreign policies and relations. A farther-deeper understanding and mutual cooperation with the neighboring countries may help curb terrorism. Else, she should take bold steps, diplomatic or otherwise, to uproot terrorist training centres from the soils of the neighboring countries.


• An international platform on the lines of UNO, SAARC and such others should be formulated at her behest to exclusively deal with global terrorism. Such a body should be politically, economically and militarily strong to take preventive or corrective measures on terrorism and also against the countries perpetuating this heinous crime against humanity.


• The ruling and opposition leaders in the country should dissolve their internal differences on the issues related to the prevention of terrorism and issues of national interests.


• India’s anti-terrorism laws, like:
  The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967
  Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA)1987
  Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2001 have all been weedy so far, and, therefore needs to be well thought over and worked upon.


• Separatist leaders (political or religious) should be dealt with strictly and at par with the terrorists.


• The coordination among the defence – paramilitary forces and the forces responsible for internal security should be strengthened. The intelligence agencies should be made efficient and federal.


• Illegal infiltration across the border should be checked by increasing border vigilance and enforcing institutional measures.


• The issues of social inequality and regional disparity in the distribution of national income should be dealt with understanding, planning and sincerity.


• Common man also needs to come out of their inhibitions and bring a comprehensive socio-political change in the nation if the system goes moldy and when the administrators take everything to be granted forever.

To read more, Click here

Also Read articles 1 and 2.

The picture is taken from here.

“…………becoming a soft target on home ground!” (Series B)

Map (In the Indian context): ISI and State sponsored Terrorists - Maoists-Naxalists axis culminating at the Jaffna Peninsula (a strong hold of the LTTE) - Terrorist centres in Bangladesh - Training/hiding grounds for the Insurgents of NE India in Myanmar.

Whereas the causes of Insurgency and Naxalism in India can be chiefly attributed to socio-economic and political neglect of certain communities and tribes from the mainstream of national development, rise of Terrorism has baffling reasons in the Indian context, viz.:
Geopolitically, India is surrounded by some of the hostile countries whose soils serve as the operational grounds for various terrorist groups. After being defeated in 1965 and 1971 wars and also in the border escalations in 1948 and 1999, Pakistan has waged a proxy war against India by perpetuating terrorism, first in J&k…..next in Punjab and now in whole of India.
Further, to guard a vast land boundary of about 15,000 kms from the west to the east is also a Herculean task. This makes our borders porous to the anti-national forces.
Politically, the leaders of today lack courage and vision to deal with this menace. In the fear of throbbing religious sentiments of certain communities and the filthy vote bank politics, they hesitate to take stern steps.
For e.g., the master mind behind the attack on the Indian Parliament on 13th December 2001 is not yet hanged till death (though he is convicted by the Supreme Court of India), why?, ..........................probably everyone knows!
Economically, widespread unemployment, unequal distribution of income and disparity in regional development has been preparing recruitment grounds for the terrorists.
About some youths taking to terrorism to make some easy money can also not be discarded completely.
Demographically, the Indian society is a mosaic of various socio-religious groups which are further divided in the name of caste, sect and dialect. The anti-national elements have been, from time and again, playing their nasty cards on these sensitive issues.
Besides, loopholes in the legal system, or say, anti-terrorism laws, dearth of anti-terrorism squads and weak intelligence inputs compounded by the lack of coordination among the defence, paramilitary forces and the bodies responsible for internal security has made India vulnerable to terrorist attacks often frequently.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/13/newsid_3695000/3695057.stm
http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=134107

source: offstumped.nationalinterest.in/wp-content/upl

Terrorism, Insurgency and Naxalism - a conceptual difference (series A)

Of the three G’s, viz:
· Global population increase
· Global warming
· Global terrorism,
……..the emergence of terrorism is the gravest danger which mankind faces in the 21st century and India is no exception to it.
However, one needs to keep in mind that all types of violence are not the terrorist acts. There lies a very thin line of difference among these heinous forms of crime against humanity, viz. Terrorism, Insurgency and Naxalism.

Terrorism
· It is a well thought-out and premeditated use of violence against civilians, armed personnel and the nation by some persons or groups to promote a political cause.
· It can be across the border and against one’s own or other country.
· It may or may not have the support of the local people.
· Some of these groups are:
Al Qaeda, Harakat ul-Ansar, Harakat ul-Mujahidin, Jaish-e-Mohammed (Army of Mohammed), Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (Army of the Righteous), Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam etc.
http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/terrorist-groups.cfm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/issues/terrordata/
http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/apr/04spec.htm

Insurgency
· It is violent action or intensive agitation by a group in the form of uprising against a constitutionally formed government.
· It is confined within the national boundary and is directed against one’s own elected government.
· It is often operated with the support of a section of the local people.
· In the Indian context they were / are:
National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Kuki National Army (KNA), Kuki National Front (KNF), National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), Bodoland Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) etc.
http://news.oneindia.in/tags/insurgency+naxalism


Naxalism
· It is an ideology based violence which has created a serious law and order problem before the nation through killings, blasts, extortions and kidnappings.
· It is basically confined to the tribal belts. However the network of naxalists has widened to urban India for logistics, finance and manpower through global terrorist links.
· It has voluntary / involuntary rural support.
· In the Indian context they are:
The People’s War Group (PWG), Maoists Communist Centre (MCC) etc.
http://static.ibnlive.com/pix/sitepix/naxalite_map_india.gif
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0428/p99s01-duts.html

Infact, the involvement of foreign agencies and state sponsorship compounded by the misuse of advancement in IT has diluted the very differences among these.
These inhumane acts aim to weaken the nation and its people for its territorial division.