When I think about water, I wonder why this topic does not get more attention. But I guess I should not be surprised.
Water is humdrum; so very unsexy. There is nothing titillating about it. It hardly arouses passion – or gets someone in frenzy. It has zero glamour. Frankly, it is quite boring.
So allow me to try and shock you a little bit.
Did you know that at least a fifth of our population does not have access to clean drinking water? Or that lack of access to clean water & sanitation …

First, some “facts”. “Facts” within quotes because no one quite appears to know the “truth”. I am therefore relying on emails, first-person (albeit unverified) accounts, news-reports and of course, the wonderful world of internet..As you will realise after reading this, the whole thing appears mysterious – and raises more questions than answers. Earlier yesterday morning, I was alerted to this news-report (from the HT) by Sh Krishen Kak (emphasis added, throughout):
Over 2,500 refugees from Myanmar have landed right in front of the 13th century tomb of Sultan Garhi — an …

Thanks to Sh Krishen Kak for sharing this remarkable piece (actually from an anthology) by Air Marshal SG Inamdar, PVSM, VSM on “Kautilya to Chandragupta on the Mauryan Soldier“. As Air Marshal Inamdar notes, “It is truly amazing how those observations continue to be so completely relevant today, even after 2000 years.” I am reproducing it in full below with emphasis added:
The Mauryan soldier does not himself the Royal treasuries enrich nor does he the Royal granaries fill.
He does not himself carry out trade and commerce nor produce scholars, thinkers, …

From Koodankulam stalled again: Sinister geopolitics by Radha Rajan, below are some figures to put the whole debate in perspective*:
*** Excerpts ***
India needs 1, 00,060 MWe of power while we are generating only 1, 00, 034 MWe. Of this –

60% is Thermal power which uses coal, diesel and natural gas as fuel
25% is Hydro
7% is from non-conventional sources like solar, wind and bio-gas; and
2.9% is nuclear

World average for nuclear power is 20%. 75% of all France’s power requirements is met by nuclear energy.

20% US
18% UK
12% Germany; and
5% China

In addition …

Offered without comment (except for the post-script!):
Vatican says Nothing Wrong with Nuclear Power

Nuclear power should be considered a useful energy source, a senior Catholic cardinal has said on Wednesday.
…“With maximum safety requirements in place for people and the environment, and with a ban in place on the hostile use of nuclear technology, why should the peaceful use of nuclear technology be barred?” Martino, the Pope’s justice minister, told Vatican Radio.
“Excluding nuclear energy because of a preconceived principle or for fears of disasters could be a mistake and in come …

Almost 50 years ago, in October 1962, young men of the Ahir Charlie Company from 13 Kumaon faced an extraordinary assault. It came in the early hours of dawn, as snow was falling at Rezang La, 17,000 feet above sea level. The story of their resistance became a legend..Of the 120 defenders, only three survived, seriously wounded. The rest – including their commander – were discovered after the winter, frozen, mostly holding their weapons but with no ammunition. This was a genuine ‘last man-last round’ defense…and it succeeded in stalling the …

How many of you read this “news” on 27th? I am guessing most of you missed it. I did too…until I was alerted to it by a friend on fb.
…The government ban on construction in Demchok, one of the disputed points in eastern Ladakh, is riling residents, who claim that the Chinese side is speedily ramping up its infrastructure and the Centre is just ‘watching’
..Even the Leh administration cannot go ahead with any construction activity here without getting it approved from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs.
“When …

Kapil Komireddi, writing in the Foreign Policy magazine, says:
Moderate Pakistan, if such a thing ever existed, is dead

Below, excerpts from a thought-provoking piece titled, Take Pakistan’s Nukes, Please (emphasis added):
..The attack on Sunday, May 22, by Taliban fighters on the Mehran naval air base in Karachi — its audacity, the foreknowledge it implied, the militaristic precision with which it was executed — carried a message: Pakistan is no longer a contested territory; it is now emphatically their turf. The reins of official power may not be in their hands yet, …

Dear All: It is my pleasure to publish this extract from an article by Anupam Sarwaikar on the Indus Water Treaty (the full article can be downloaded here). In this extract, Anupam specifically talks about the current controversy, Pakistan’s false propoganda on the issue and deliberate distortion of facts. Please read and share widely.
*** “Current Water Crisis in Pakistan and False Propaganda” by Anupam ***
Pakistan blames construction of Hydro electric dams on Indian side for the depletion of water levels in Indus and Chenab.  The actual reasons for the water …

This is what I am reading this weekend.
How Bengal towns are becoming transit points for fake notes
West Bengal’s intelligence agencies have expressed concern that Pakistan-and Bangladesh-based racketeers are using the state’s Murshidabad and Malda districts as transit points to smuggle in fake notes to India.
Statistics reveal fake notes of nearly Rs 2.5 crore was seized from more than 300 people arrested over the past five years…
The arrested people revealed Murshidabad and Malda as transit points for the fake money racket.
…Chapai Nawabgunj is one of many centres in Bangladesh where …