Music or Books?!!

I am an avid reader, a voracious reader, my life WAS and IS books. As a kid, I would dream about studying in schools like Malory Towers or St. Claire’s, belong to super groups like the Famous Five and Secret Seven or just wish against all odds that the tree closest to my house would turn into the “Faraway Tree.”

As the Enid Blyton phase of my life got over, I entered the “Hardy Boys” and the “Nancy Drew” phase. My friends and I actually started believing that we were Nancy, George, and Bess (the three characters in the Drew series). And my friends still pull my leg over my crush on Frank Hardy (the elder of the two Hardy brothers).

As I grew up, the books changed and so did the authors. I ventured into the dark lives of the women protagonists of Sidney Sheldon, loved the way Jeffrey Archer presented the lurid details of the lives of politicians, reveled in the accomplishments of doctors in medical thrillers by Robert Cook, and basically just enjoyed reading the crime investigations and whodunit stories by David Baldacci and James Patterson, legal dramas by John Grisham, horror stories by Stephen King, and became a fan of “The Bourne Series” by Robert Ludlum. In between all this, I did try a few Mills & Boons. This I did only because high school girls have more curiosity than cats!!!

But, something changed in me. Like most people, I became a part of the “iPod generation” as we call it now. Books were replaced by music cassettes, music files, music CDs, MP3 players, and finally the much-desired and much-addictive iPod Nano. Music has always been an important part of my life (after books though), but I found myself losing the satiety I had for books. I have always been a fan of hard rock and metal, and with more and more bands coming up, and numerous concerts happening in Bangalore, books somehow took a backseat. The radio, too, contributed to this change in my attitude.

It was not that I stopped reading completely, I did read, but to a much lesser extent than what I used to. It was so much easier to put the ear phones on and lose myself in the “November Rain” or feel all kicked just listening to Enigma, U2, Led Zeppelin, Rammstein and Bruce Springsteen. I have, in fact given my dad heart attacks just playing “Phantom of the Opera” on the stereo. All he has to say even now is “You call that NOISE music??!!!” I just pretend I don’t hear him amidst all that “MUSIC.”

I used to tell myself that I would get back to reading, make it number one on my priority list of “things to do during leisure,” but let me tell you, iPod IS addictive, and I am slowly realizing that I am becoming a gizmo freak due to this. But, amidst all this chaos and confusion about which is the number one on the billboard list, I started reading “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts. I must admit at this point, that I have never read books by Indian authors, or books which featured characters based in India itself. But, this book was un-put-downable!! I totally identified with the characters, they were so HUMAN!!

Thus, I found my re-entry into the book world. I realized how much I missed books, how much I missed the debates I used to have with myself about certain views expressed by the writer, how much I used to laugh at the characters, how much I used to become a part of the story. I missed not knowing or guessing “what’s going to happen next in the murder investigations,” I missed the satisfied feeling after finishing a book and knowing FINALLY who the killer was!!

I, now, make time for both my passions – Music and Books (not necessarily in that order). I listen to music when I am reading!!! I have just realized that I can’t breathe without BOTH!!

By Hajira Farhin

More Brushwork by A Geeta

Ocean of Memories


Call of the Sea

Baby in the Light

Little Nurse – An Unfinished Portrait

The “Super Cyclone” that Devastated Orissa – October 29, 1999

Nav Ras – The Nine Sentiments of Life

In this painting, I have depicted the nav rasas – the nine sentiments of life. While there are several combinations and contemporary interpretations for these emotions provided in different texts, according to the original Sanskrit interpretation as well as that of the Odissi dance form, these rasas are [a] Shringaar, the romantic sentiment [b] Haasya, the sentiment of mirth [c] Karuna, the sentiment of pathos [d] Raudra, the sentiment of wrath [e] Veera, the sentiment of valour [f] Bhaya, the sentiment of fear [g] Vibhatsa, the sentiment of disgust [h] Adbhut, the sentiment of surprise/marvel and [i] Shaanta, the sentiment of peace. The way I see it – life is like an ocean. The myriad emotions that spring from these basic sentiments are like the constantly rising and falling waves ruled by the winds of change. But there is one sentiment that is different from the rest. That is the Shaanta rasa – the sentiment of peace. That one emotion is the basis for all the others – it is like the unfathomable depth that lies just under the turbulent waves, giving existence and sustenance to all the other emotions – never changing and unaffected by the winds that rule the waves. If this depth were missing or absent, then there would be no waves, and no ocean – just a dried-up and parched piece of land.

1 Hour of My Life!

To avoid the havoc cabs and cab drivers create (read showing up late, screaming obscenities, ripping like they are in a F1 race), I prefer commuting by my own vehicle to work. It starts early in the morning. I come early to office to beat the morning rush. But, I guess most of the working community thought of this brilliant idea of mine much much much before me. So it basically makes no difference if I leave home by 8.15 am or 9.00 am; I get to face the music anyways. The only thing that changes is the kind of people you would come across at different timings of the morning – parents dropping their kids to school, auto rickshaws and buses fighting their way to reach first is a common sight before 8.30 am. And post 8.30 am, you would come across the general office goers on their vehicles as well the very famous (or should I say infamous) cab drivers dropping the call center employees back from their graveyard shift at work (who by the way are oblivious to anything outside the cab as they are sound asleep!!).

All through the way, I am faced with a number of hurdles (death traps!!). It’s like the whole of Bangalore city is out to get me (and I am not exaggerating). Let me explain:

Pot holes – They pose a serious threat to my vehicle’s very existence! And with the Metro project coming up, they are everywhere.

Barricades – These are placed at all the wrong places. I find many placed right in the middle of a one-way street. Do they serve any purpose at all?? And to top it all, they are found fallen on the roads!!

Garbage dumpers – Found anywhere and everywhere, the dumpsters force me to block my nostrils to reduce the stench hitting my system.

Sidewalks or Pavements – “Un-paved” and often offering a trip-and-fall situation rather than a walking situation, these serve as the official “Roads” for cyclists and two wheelers alike.

Road humps – These are never visible, about 3 metres high (threatening to silence my vehicle’s silencer), pop up when I am least expecting them to.

Animals – Dogs, cats, cow, buffaloes. The Bangalore roads are their “home away from home”.

Jaywalkers – As the “Zebra crossing” is practically non-existent these days, I honestly don’t blame them for their crime.

Processions or Demonstrations – Ours is a democratic country. Constitution is not the only thing which is “of the people, by the people and for the people”. Roads are too!! For processions, mind you.

The roads are used as everything – dumping area, footpath, parking zone, hawker’s stop and of course “Road”!! Despite all these death traps (I guess the name-calling is justified now!), I somehow manage to reach office! With no broken bones (OK, I admit, just once!). Quite a HAPPENING 1 hour of my life, I must say!!

By Hajira Farhin

A Eurasian Curlew at Namkhali, the Sunderbans

Plate: 1 A

Plate: 1 B

Plate: 1 C
A Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) taking off and in flight at the Sunderbans (Namkhali). Photograph taken in April 2008.

By Arunava Das

Secrets of Your DNA: Fascinating Genetic Testing

Do you want to know from where your ancestors come? Which part of the world you belong to? What kind of gene you have in you? What are the probabilities of getting hereditary disease? What hereditary factor you have in you? Or do you know that you can compare your genes with your family members, with friends or with a celebrity – what’s common between you and them?

Is it not exciting!! Sounding strange?

Here is the answer…

There are social networking companies which test your gene, analyze and give the results which you are interested in.

Let’s see how this works – there are social networking Internet-based companies like Navigenics, 23andme, deCODE me, DNA Direct, etc…which collect your DNA sample and analyze it. All you need to do is order for the kit and send in a sample of spit. The company screens your DNA for interesting hotspots of genetic variation called SNP (Single Nucleotide Protein), and then gives you a private, web-based readout of what your results mean. They isolate your DNA and wash over a prepared chip that screens about half a million SNPs of note. Then they link the results with a risk assessment and available scientific information and make it available through a website for you to peruse. This is how you can know from which part of the world you come from and your ancestors belong to. Same way you can compare your gene with your family member, friends, sportsman, film stars or with any celebrity and you can know how much percentage of genes you share with them.

Each company has its own charges for genetic testing. 23andme is charging $999, Navigenics is charging from $2000 to $3000, likewise, other companies are charging thousands of dollars. It’s very costly as of now.

When compared, the general population has myriad diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, muscular degeneration, color blindness, etc. These genetic tests give you the probability of getting such genetic diseases. But many scientists say that whether the average person’s health will actually improve after they get the information will depend on whether they truly understand the results.

It is good to know the genetic risk so that people can take some precautions, but some people become scared after knowing that they have the risk of getting the disease. They mentally become weak. It’s up to them how they take it.

Fun part of this genetic testing is here. Suppose a girl or a guy proposes; neither of them accepts proposals so easily these days. People have started selecting their life partner on the basis of genetic testing. Before they get in to a relation they try to know what kind of genes he/she has, try to know the genetic risk which he/she carries and also compare with their favorite film stars. Then they decide whether to accept the proposal. Seems very strange, isn’t it?

Also, if you want to become a good sportsman, a wait lifter, you can test your gene. You can test your gene to know whether the muscle-building gene is there in you or know the gene which can help you in running fast, swimming, etc. You can also compare your genetic mapping with your favorite sports person so that you can know if you share the same gene.

Apart from genetic risks, ancestry you can identify a specific gene trait and make a portrait of that. DNA 11, originators of DNA art and pioneers in the industry have created the GenePak™ that makes the portraits of their customer’s gene. This kind of art is more in demand now. You can see the picture below.

Isn’t it very interesting!

I think reading individual's genome will eventually become very common, an important tool – but that it will take some time, may be a decade or two. As everything is depending on the technology, hope costs will also come down and then everyone can have their genetic test done, and have a DNA portrait in their home.

By Usha Gokak

Climate Change Can Trigger Wars, Warns Expert

An expert from the Washington State Intelligence Department has warned that climate change-induced damage to global ecosystems and resulting competition for natural resources may trigger wars and conflicts among nations in the future.

Jurgen Scheffran, a scientist at the University of Illinois, while reviewing recently published research, concluded that “the impact of climate change on human and global security could extend far beyond the limited scope the world has seen thus far.”

Scheffran is working with the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security and the Center for Advanced BioEnergy Research at the university. “The associated socio-economic and political stress can undermine the functioning of communities, the effectiveness of institutions, and the stability of societal structures. These degraded conditions could contribute to civil strife, and, worse, armed conflict,” he wrote.

Reality Bites

In fact, “large areas of Africa are suffering from scarcity of food and fresh water resources, making them more vulnerable to conflict. An example is Sudan’s Darfur province where an ongoing conflict was aggravated since droughts forced Arab herders to move into areas of African farmers.”

Other regions of the world – including the Middle East, Central Asia and South America – also are being affected, he said.

Scheffran’s review included a critical analysis of four trends identified in a report by the German Advisory Council on Global Change as among those most possibly destabilizing populations and governments.

They include degradation of freshwater resources, food insecurity, natural disasters and environmental migration.

In his analysis, Scheffran noted that the number of world regions vulnerable to drought was expected to rise. Water supplies stored in glaciers and snow cover in major mountain ranges such as the the Andes and the Himalayas also are expected to decrease, he said. “Most critical for human survival are water and food, which are sensitive to changing climatic conditions,” Scheffran said.

“The degradation of these critical resources, combined with threats to populations caused by natural disasters, disease and crumbling economic and ecosystems,” he said, “could ultimately have ‘cascading effects.’”

Response and Possible Steps in Ameliorating the Situation

“Although climate change bears a significant conflict potential, it can also transform the international system toward more cooperation if it is seen as a common threat that requires joint action,” he said.

One of the more hopeful, recent signs on that front was the 2007 Bali Climate Summit that brought together more than 10,000 representatives from around the world to draft a climate plan.

In addition to global cooperation, Scheffran believes that those occupying the earth now can learn a lot about the future by studying the past. The great human civilizations began to flourish after the last ice age, and some disappeared due to droughts and other adverse shifts in the climate.

The so-called Little Ice Age in the Northern Hemisphere a few hundred years ago was caused by an average drop in temperature of less than a degree Celsius.

“The consequences were quite severe in parts of Europe, associated with loss of harvest and population decline,” Scheffran said. “Riots and military conflicts became more likely, as a recent empirical study has suggested.”

These data point to an increasing dilemma that the world is going to face in the wake of fast climate changes that are already affecting the seasonal patterns of the world. It is leading to increased frequencies of flooding and cyclones that are rampaging different parts of the globe.

These staggering findings are a real threat to the very existence of mankind on earth and it’s high time that nations come together and try to solve this issue.

By Arunava Das

Are They Life Savers or Killers?

Yesterday while watching TV I was shocked to hear a piece of news – 49 babies died during clinical trials at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

The drugs used were zinc tablets for treating zinc deficiency, olmesartan and valsartan for treating blood pressure-related problems, rituximab for treating chronic focal encephalitis and gene-activated human glucocerebrosidase for treating Gaucher's disease, which affect the liver. And the most important point is that these drugs were meant only for adults. Why do our doctors do it then? Are they life savers or killers?

India has become the top destination in Asia for clinical trials of foreign drugs. Trials here cost around 20–60% less than that in industrialized countries. Does this mean that our babies don’t have the right to live? Were these children made guinea pigs because they were from poor families?

Why do Indians face these problems in the best medical colleges and public hospitals in the country? Doesn’t our government feel that our babies are the pillars for the developing nation? Would we have accepted this crime if it had happened to our babies? I urge our younger population to stand by the poor parents and shout against this so that even a single baby in India is not lost due to clinical trials. Our babies are precious!!!

By Dhanya