NIMH has three regional centers located at New Delhi, Kolkata, & Mumbai, and the NIMH Model Special Education Center located at New Delhi. The Institute endeavors to excel in building capacities to empower persons with mental retardation. Since the quality of life of every person with mental retardation is equal to other citizens in the country, in that they live independently to the maximum extent possible and through constant professional endeavors, National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped empowers the persons with mental retardation to access the state of the art rehabilitation intervention viz., educational, therapeutic, vocational, employment, leisure and social activities, sports, cultural programmes and full participation. The objectives for which NIMH works are listed as under:-

OBJECTIVES

• Human Resources Development
• Research and Development
• Development of models of care and rehabilitation.
• Documentation and dissemination.
• Consultancy services to voluntary organizations
• Community Based Rehabilitation
• Extension and Outreach programmes

Today (3 December) is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, and to celebrate the awareness of the needs of persons with different abilities, the NIMH released three new books, Manuals on Early Intervention to Infants and Toddlers with Developmental Delay- Series 1, volumes 1-3.

The amazing thing is that these books are freely available to the public at large since this is such an important and poorly researched and understood area. Already having published over 125 such manuals and books, the NIMH is particularly well suited to the detection of learning disabilities, and manuals like these are of immense value to early educationists everywhere. These books- and their companions in the NIMH library- are an invaluable tool for schools everywhere, and they can be had for the asking if you write to the Director, NIMH in Secunderabad.

The newest among these is the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) that started in 1982. As its name would suggest, WII aims to train people in the areas of  wildlife research and management. The Institute is also actively engaged in research  on biodiversity related issues.

The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology is an autonomous research institute of the Department of the Science & Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. Named for D N Wadia, the doyen of Himalayan geology  (FRS and National Professor),  this started life in Delhi University (in the Botany department!) moving to Dehra Dun only in 1973.  During the last quarter century the Institute has grown into a centre of excellence in Himalayan Geology and is recognised as a National Laboratory of international repute with well equipped laboratories and other infrastructural facilities for undertaking advanced level of research in the country.

The granddaddy of them all is the venerable Forest Research Institute (FRI) that was established (as the Imperial Forest Research Institute) in 1906. A premier institution under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), the FRI, set in the sylvan surroundings of Doon Valley, the Forest Research Institute is a proud testimony to the foresight and vision of foresters and administrators of long ago. Located on a lush green estate spread over 450 hectares, with the outer Himalaya forming its back drop, the Institute’s main building is an impressive edifice, marrying Greco-Roman and Colonial styles of architecture.  

The Wadia Institute brings out the journal Himalayan Geology that publishes original contributions on all aspects of geology of the Himalaya. The papers present new findings, related scientific data and good synthesis on geology, geophysics, or climate (including monsoon) with dominant emphasis on the Alpine-Himalayan Mountain Belt and adjoining terrains. 

The WII has a large number of its publications available for download as PDF files, as for instance their report on the Status, distribution and Conservation perspectives of Lesser Florican in the North-Western India, that has the charming and seemingly exuberant cover image of this sadly endangered bustard.

The NCRI was formed, finally, in 1995, and is located in Hyderabad (in about as non-rural a setting as could be imagined!)  with the prime objective to strengthen rural India in a holistic manner, using education as an instrument of social advancement, in the following ways:

• Promote Rural Higher Education on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi’s revolutionary ideas on education so as to take up challenges of micro planning for transformation of rural areas as envisaged in NPE 1986 (as modified in 1992); and as it was suggested by Radhakrishnan Commission (1948);
• Consolidate network and develop Rural Institutes and endow them for recognition;
• To develop Rural Institutes into Regional Development Institutes and Rural Universities which shall function as hubs for knowledge connectivity and emerge into effective agent for rural transformation in backward regions through voluntary initiatives wherever possible;
• To regulate the quality of education of rural institutes and educational programmes in the area of rural higher education of all the Universities in India;
• Design a variety of courses at tertiary level around emerging rural occupations;
• Strengthen teacher training facilities for Gandhian Basic Education;
• Strengthen the content of all these institutions with emphasis on science, technology and management on one hand and traditional wisdom on the other;
• Promote vocational training programmes and initiatives for self-reliance;
• Encourage field-oriented courses of rural institutes;
• Promote action research as a tool for social and rural development;
• Promote extension services to the community through micro level planning; and
• Advise the Government of India on all such matters pertaining to rural institutes as may be referred to it from time to time.

The three Tagores are Rabindranath and his two nephews Gaganendranath and Abanindranath, and  Circle of Art: The Three Tagores explores the milieu, their individual temperaments and their search for a new visual language. The exhibition is very extensive, making it possible to see the three artists  use of fantasy, mystery and romanticism… and  the impact of their art on modern Indian visual culture.

Also available from the NGMA accompanying the exhibition is a superb reproduction of six prints, priced at an unbelievable Rs 200. Some of the images chosen can be seen on the left- these can be ordered through the SwB Maps, Prints and Poster ministore.

While on the NGMA, they have a great website from which we reproduce some of the material below. Their  principal aims and objectives are

• To acquire and preserve works of modern art from 1850s onward
• To organize, maintain and develop galleries for permanent display
• To organize special exhibitions not only in its own premises but in other parts of the country and abroad.
• To develop an education and documentation centre in order to acquire, maintain and preserve documents relating to works of modern art
• To develop a specialized library of books, periodicals, photographs and other audio visual materials
• To organize lectures, seminars and conferences, and to encourage higher studies and research in the field of art history, art criticism, art appreciation, museology and the inter-relations on visual and performing arts.

First mooted in 1949, the idea of the NGMA was nurtured by Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Azad, bureaucrats like Humayun Kabir and an active art community. Vice-president Dr S Radhakrishanan formally inaugurated the NGMA in the presence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and artists and art lovers of the city on March 29, 1954. The choice of Jaipur House, one of the premier edifices of Lutyens’ Delhi, signified the envisaged high profile of the institution. Designed by Sir Arthur Bloomfield, as a residence for the Maharaja of Jaipur, the butterfly-shaped building with a central dome was built in 1936. It was styled after a concept of the Central Hexagon visualised by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It was Lutyens, along with Herbert Baker, who visualised and gave shape to the new capital in Delhi. Along with buildings designed for other princely potentates like Bikaner and Hyderabad, Jaipur House girded the India Gate circle. The famous architect conceptualised a harmony of facades giving the buildings a distinctive character.

NGMA’s inauguration was marked by an exhibition of sculptures. All the prominent sculptors of the time like Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury, Ramkinkar Baij, Sankho Chaudhuri, Dhanraj Bhagat, Sarbari Roy Chowdhury and others had participated. The show spoke of the painstaking preparations made by NGMA’s first curator Herman Goetz. A noted German art historian, Goetz had earlier been responsible for setting up the Baroda Museum.Since Goetz’s tenure, NGMA has had a string of distinguished directors.

The Gallery is the premier institution of its kind in India. It is run and administered as a subordinate office to the Department of Culture, Government of India. The NGMA has two branches one at Mumbai and the other at Bangaluru shortly. The gallery is a repository of the cultural ethos of the country and showcases the changing art forms through the passage of the last hundred and fifty years starting from about 1857 in the field of Visual and Plastic arts. Notwithstanding some gaps and some trivia, the NGMA collection today is undeniably the most significant collection of modern and contemporary art in the country today.

Pyrta is a journal of poetry and other things based in Shillong. Drawing its name from the Khasi (to call out!) the journal calls out across the internet for contributions, and not just poems. As they say,  Pyrta is a little bit local, and mostly universal…. [The magazine]  aims to be a vibrant multicultural space – we’d  like voices from all over to contribute quality work categorised broadly under Poetry, Photo Essays, Prose, Sketches and Local morsels.

They are interested in just about anything, taking their cue from Paul Valery who said once, “ I can’t help it, I’m interested in everything” -

and want to provide authors/ photographers/ artists, whether new or established, a platform to share what they love doing…. [] submissions are welcome from anywhere. about anything.  (An example of a photo-essay, God’s Lonely People…)

The magazine can be read online, and is scheduled to appear five times a year- in keeping with the seasons in Meghalaya:  Pyrem (Spring), Lyiur (Summer),  Por Slap (Monsoon), Synrai (Fall), and Tlang (Winter). Four have appeared so far, with interesting and unusual contributions from a variety of old and new voices. The editor, Janice Pariat, and a small team put together the issues with love, imagination, and not a whole lot of money… They promise to bring out an annual print issue that puts together the best of the magazine- along the lines of Pratilipi, one imagines… From what we have seen on the net in terms of their poetry, prose and art, Pyrta in print is going to be terrific!

A colleague at the University of Wyoming first told us about Jameela Nishat, the Hyderabad-based activist,  feminist, and poet.

What instrument is this
vibrating the strings
of my eyelashes?
what Picture forms and unforms
on the aural screen?
What shadow is this
that overspreads the clouded heart?
You know
I Love shadows,
but whenever this one
unfurls its wings,
a tide of Thoughts swells in the blood,
and the blood begins to drip
from my pen.

(India, 1958)

This is from A Poem Slumbers in My Heart, a slender volume published by SPARROW, the feminist archival group based in Mumbai and which is translated from the Dakhani, the Telugu-Urdu hybrid that is so characteristic of Hyderabad, the city where she lives, and where she is Executive Director of the Shaheen Women Resource & Welfare Association.

Nishat is a significant presence in contemporary Urdu literature and is known outside this circle by translations of her work, mainly by Hoshang Merchant at the Central University, Hyderabad. A recent poem that she shared with us (in translation)

Yogini’s Lament

What is right,
And what is wrong,
I do not know.

I am crushed
into every darkest shadow
Of every crevice.
I live in every call.

This is the world of fights.
Here is the society of violence.
I am the maker of love.

Where do I go?
Where do I dance?

You leveled the gumbad.
You demolished me.

It weighs so heavy on my memory.

In this mire,
my essence,
my life’s breath bleeds.
Into this masjid,
my lovers came,
singing,
prostrating.

My gungra and my payal
cry to remember their devotions.

The whole of the earth is janumbhomi
Why fight over its pieces?

I am jogan

writhing
shimmying
hopping

You leveled the masjid.
You charred my soul.

No one knows
What is right
And what is wrong.

This open earth is my home.
The sky affirms.

My ghugra’s outcries echo
In this great open
For centuries.
The open earth is my heart.

The emphasis is on empower: many Indian artistes have little idea of copyright and the technologies that are available today, and more often than not have little or no financial resources at their command to protect themselves and their art.

It is particularly important that established and mainstream artistes like Mudgal and Pradhan lend support to this cause- for one thing they bring their considerable reputation to bear on the effort, and for another, they speak (or, in this case, sing) for their brethren with a clear and loud voice.

Underscore Records is an exclusive music label and website that specializes in music from India. All copyrights for the music on the site rest in most cases with the musicians who made and recorded it, and hence revenues generated from sales also go almost entirely to the artistes.

Underscore also sponsors an annual  music festival dedicated to the richness and diversity of Indian music, and to the independent music industry that is gradually gaining ground in India: Bajaa Gajaa. This has been curated by Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan three years in a row now, and is held in Pune, usually early in the year. In addition to showcasing Indian talent, there is also an academic component, entrepreneurship, and plain simple fun! Exhibitions, films, performances- its wild, energetic and an absolutely unique forum.

A seminar that was part of BG2011 was on  The Musical Lens: Filmmaking and Music. Music has had a long association with film making. In India, music continues to play an integral part of mainstream cinema not just through background scores but by way of songs. However, outside the world of mainstream cinema, the association between the arts of music and film making does not seem to reach the public eye.

This forms a theme in this year’s  World Development Report 2011.  Recent events in the Middle East and Northern Africa reveal a major issue obstructing development in many parts of the world—conflict and security.

While this regional drama continues to dominate the news cycle, it is part of a larger story that touches the lives of more than 1.5 billion people who live in countries affected by  political or criminal violence—from developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia to some high-income countries.   

The World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development draws on the analysis of researchers and the experience of policy-makers in the development community, the United Nations system and the world’s regional institutions. Together they provide an extraordinary wealth of insight on the political, security, and economic dimensions of conflict reduction.

The 368 page report can be downloaded from the World Bank site, and can also be ordered in print in hard ($50) or soft ($26) cover. ISBN: 9780821384398

Filed under: Reports, Uncategorized ]]> http://scholarswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/conflict-security-and-development/feed/ 0 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 scholarswithoutborders WDR_Softcover.indd http://scholarswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/they-are-just-so-into-us/ http://scholarswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/they-are-just-so-into-us/#comments Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:25:24 +0000 Scholars without Borders http://scholarswithoutborders.wordpress.com/?p=997 ]]> As we are into them… In anticipation of the day when most books will be available in digital form- in addition to cellulose- Scholars is trying a dual format model with the Finnish epublishers, into.

Into which means Zest in Finnish have a zest for converting printed books to the e-Format. The Into-eBooks.com web page offers  a steadily growing range of titles in e-book format. The aim is to offer an extensive collection of English-language fiction and non-fiction titles by writers and independent publishers.

Their mission is to gather together independent publishers, research institutes and organizations around the world, offering an open and interactive platform for eBooks, free eBooks, essays and networking.

The Into-eBooks.com web page is maintained by Into Publishing, a small but active publisher based in Helsinki, Finland. Into Publishing publishes Finnish pocket-book editions of the respected French newspaper Le Monde diplomatique and the independent Russian paper Novaya Gazeta. We also publish various non-fiction titles, mainly in Finnish. Into Publishing is a social enterprise co-owned by Friends of the Earth Finland, the Finnish Peace Committee, the Finnish Nature League, the Finnish bookstore chain Rosebud Books Ltd. and independent author and researcher Heikki Hiilamo.

into‘s mission, to gather together independent publishers, resonates with ours. And as a mark of this resonance, we collaborate on providing two versions of selected titles, the electronic versions on their site, the print version on ours. For now, this is a small number of books from Tulika, but we hope to expand the list slowly, with books from India as well as outside.

The following seven titles are available in digital form

1. DANCE: TRANSCENDING BORDERS
2. FROM CAPITALISM TO CIVILIZATION: RECONSTRUCTING THE SOCIALIST PERSPECTIVE
3. KARL MARX ON INDIA
4. LABOUR MATTERS: TOWARDS GLOBAL HISTORIES
5. ON SOCIALISM
6. THE RETREAT TO UNFREEDOM: ESSAYS ON THE EMERGING WORLD ORDER
7. UNDERSTANDING HARAPPA: CIVILIZATION IN THE GREATER INDUS VALLEY

Wherever you see our banner on the into site, clicking on it brings you to the page on the SwB site where the printed book can be purchased…

Soon to come: titles from Stree, Samya, and Social Sciences Press…

This led to the creation of the National Wastelands Development Board (NWDB) and in order  to evolve an institutional structure to manage common lands so that it meets the basic fuelwood and fodder needs of the rural poor, they set up the National Tree Growers’ Cooperatives Federation (NTGCF). N organizations and committees later, this led to the formation of the Foundation for Ecological Security, FES, in 2001, to address the critical task of ecological restoration in the country.

Their website is, simply put, brilliant. A wealth of information is presented in a most attractive manner, and while it is largely (wholly?) in English, many of the issues they address are of wide interest.  Take, for instance,  the Atlas of Development Trends: Orissa which was released last year. The first of many that are planned, this summarizes the present state of affairs:

Many development programmes are being implemented by various agencies in the State of Orissa. A well-informed and holistic approach with a detailed understanding of various developmental parameters, underlying factors and their inter-linkages is necessary for effective planning. An understanding of the emerging trends and patterns over the decades can help place critical issues in a larger perspective and formulate appropriate intervention strategies.

Usually, data is not available on a single platform or through a single window. It needs to be collected from several sources, duly collated and harmonized, to derive valuable information. What makes the task more challenging is that in several instances the data is not consistent in its maintenance or availability over the years, which makes comparison difficult and time consuming. Further, the lack of access to mapping tools limits interpretation and comparison on a spatial basis.

It is in this context that Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), with financial support from Concern Worldwide and with the active support of various Government and non government agencies, embarked on an exercise of developing an information base on various aspects of the development context of the State of Orissa (and some selected districts). We aimed at creating an information base that would aid in the improved understanding of the development context of the State, which would hopefully lead to the formulation of better developmental policies and programs.

More specifically this Atlas is aimed at building a comprehensive database that would consist of district and State level information of various development indicators which were broadly clubbed under six thematic areas viz agriculture, livestock, natural resources, demography, infrastructure and vulnerability. Secondly, the effort was aimed at depicting the development trends on a spatial platform with a historical perspective (mostly decadal changes from 1950s) which would set the context and trajectories and there by help locate our current and future course of action. The preparation of this Atlas involved intensive engagement with various agencies in the State – both government and non-government. The Atlas is an amalgamation of statistics and Geographical Information System (GIS), capturing both spatial and temporal patterns.

Along with this Atlas is an interactive CD, which would assist the users in analysing the developmental patterns as per their requirements. We would disseminate the findings of the Atlas among various interested parties at the State and district levels. We hope that this document will prove to be a handy tool to policy makers, development planners, academia, researchers, development practitioners, students, in shaping the development agenda of the State of Orissa.

As can be seen, this is invaluable material for anyone seriously involved in environmental and developmental issues. The Atlas is priced at Rs 2000 and can be got by writing in to FES. Or to us, of course. In addition, the FES publishes a large number of reports and working papers, all of which can be downloaded free from their website.

Neva Goodwin, GDAE Co-Director, and Brian Roach, Project Director led an initiative to develop  The Social Science Library (or SSL), a rich bibliography of nearly 10,000 entries that includes 3,200 full-text PDF files in the social science disciplines of

• Anthropology,
• Economics,
• History,
• Philosophy,
• Political Science,
• Social Psychology, and
• Sociology.

The goal of the SSL is to significantly expand access to social science literature in those countries where university libraries have scant materials in these areas.  For some university and college libraries these extraordinary resources will multiply their social science holdings many times over.

Advisors in this enterprise include  Craig Calhoun (President, Social Science Research Council, New York), Kemal Dervis (United Nations Development Programme), Khadija Haq (Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Institute, Pakistan),  Andrzej Kassenberg (Institute for Sustainable Development, Poland), Kumari Jayawardene (Colombo University, Sri Lanka), Wangari Maathai (Nobel Laureate and Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Kenya), Mary Robinson (Former President of Ireland (1990-1997), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002)),  Amartya K. Sen (Professor at Harvard University and  Nobel Laureate in Economics), Ismael Serageldin (Director, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt) and Joseph Stiglitz (Professor at Columbia University and Nobel Laureate in Economics).

These resources are yours for the asking. Seriously, all that you need to do is to request your Librarian to write to  ssl@tufts.edu. If you are in India,  you could also have your Librarian write to us,  Scholars without Borders, at ssl@swb.co.in and we will see that it eventually reaches your institution. Its free, and its that simple!

The SSL is Carefully organized to facilitate scholarly use by students, faculty, and researchers and comes to you on USB drives and/or  CD-ROMs. It does not require Internet access or institutional subscriptions to the relevant journals. The collection can be loaded onto all computers in the institutions that receive them, and can be easily copied by individuals for their own use.

An online version with the extensive bibliography, but without the PDFs, can be seen here.

The SSL are being distributed in different countries by different organizations. In Pakistan, this is the Civil Society Resource Centre, a project of the Aga Khan Foundation.  In Zimbabwe, via Books for Zim and the University of Zimbabwe. In Bangladesh, via BRAC University. In Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam, via Books for Asia, a project of the Asia Foundation.  In Indonesia, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Palestine, the Philippines, and Uganda via Sabre Foundation.

And in India, through us, namely Scholars without Borders.

The goal is reach all university libraries in each country – with possible additional outreach to other appropriate recipients such as teachers’ colleges or research institutes. Full coverage would ensure reaching the most remote or rural institutions, where there is often the greatest need.

The list of countries to which the SSL and related materials can be sent may be found here. In any case, write to us. And please do pass the word along to those you think might find this resource of use, but may not come across this blogpost… We’re here to help!

The Kabir project, an initiative undertaken by filmmaker Shabnam Virmani,  brings together the experiences of a series of ongoing journeys in quest of this 15th century North Indian mystic poet in our contemporary worlds. Started in 2003, these journeys inquire into the spiritual and socio-political resonances of Kabir’s poetry through songs, images and conversations.

The core inspiration of the project is music, and Kabir comes alive in 4 documentary films, 10 audio CDs and poetry books through the power of song. [This is a] journey through a stunning diversity of social, religious and musical traditions which Kabir inhabits, exploring how his poetry intersects with ideas of cultural identity, secularism, nationalism, religion, death, impermanence, folk and oral knowledge systems.

But more than that, the Kabir project is about taking the word, and the song, back to the people. In the various forms that have evolved in the past few centuries, Kabir’s poetry has found resonance with a huge cross-section of the country, and  a remarkable range of cultures. The Malwa Yatra, for instance will see artistes like Prahlad Tipanya, Bhanwari Devi, The Makeshift Band and Latif Bolat travel from Luniyakhedi Village to Ujjain … and eventually to Indore over an eight day period from 17 to 24 April (see the poster above) performing in the most basic and most direct forums…

In addition, the Kabir project also has a tangible output, the four documentaries and the ten CDs and books of poetry. All of which we are very proud to make available via Scholars in our Documentaries and Audio CD ministores.

One of the four documentaries is Chalo Hamara Des (Come to My Country): Journeys with Kabir and Friends (98 min). A journey in search of the des (country) invoked in the poetry of the 15th century mystic poet of north India – Kabir – this film interweaves the stories of two people from two very different countries, Indian folk singer Prahlad Tipanya and North American scholar Linda Hess. Where is Kabir’s country? The answer is elusive, as we journey through song and poem into these two lives, brought together in an unlikely friendship by the cross-cultural resonance of Kabir.

The various CDs come with librettos that are richly annotated and produced imaginatively…

Between  1913 and 1929  Sir George A. Grierson, author of the Linguistic Survey of India, in cooperation with the Gramophone Company, Calcutta  recorded a huge number of  stories, songs and poems in different Indian languages, in an effort to catalogue our linguistic diversity. Long before the digital age, these were, however, preserved on vinyl records, playable on 78 rpm gramaphones.

In all 97 languages and dialects were recorded, ranging from Tulu and Badaga to Shan and Mon. In many of these languages, there is a standard text, the biblical parable of the Prodigal son, and in others, there are stories, songs, and poems.

The voices have, like the son in the parable, come home. In a story that sounds like the best combination of scholarship and serendipity, these records were rediscovered in the British Library. They then informed  Shahid Amin, Professor of History at Delhi University who had long been looking for it (this is told in the OPEN Magazine- see the link below). The rediscovery of these recordings now was fortunate, particularly because of Professor Amin’s subsequent action, to digitize the entire lot and put them on the web through the Digital South Asia Library in Chicago on a site that is a joy to navigate, The Linguistic Survey of India at the DSAL.

The approximately 250 recordings are invaluable, and extensive, coming from Madras (43), Burma (38), Central Provinces and Berar (37). United Provinces (33). Bombay Presidency (25). Bengal (20). Chotā Nāgpur (17), Bihar and Orissa (12), Assam (10), and Delhi (6). Arguably the most eclectic is a piece of Dastangoi, the art of story telling, by Mir Baqar Ali, a legendary Dastango.

An introduction by Amin complements the collection and helps in understanding its organization. “The Survey was primarily to be a collection of specimens, ‘a standard passage was to be selected for purposes of comparison’. Its ‘foundation’ was comprised of three specimens for every language and dialect: the standard translation, the passage collected locally for the full idiomatic range, and a list of words and sentences originally devised by the Bengal Asiatic Society in 1866. The template passage was to be ‘a version of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, with slight verbal alterations to avoid Indian prejudices’. (3) The parable was chosen, Grierson coyly remarked in a footnote, because ‘it contains the three personal pronouns, most of the cases found in the declension of nouns, and the present, past, and future tenses of the verb’. (4) Specimens of this crucial first passage used for comparative analysis, were then not the writing down of how the ‘locals’ spontaneously told this biblical tale in their own tongues. ‘What was … aimed at was the acquisition of specimens in the home language of each translator’. (5) Those literate in English rendered it in their ‘native tongue’ from the English Bible. Others accessed it by locating a version which they could read in another Indian language from a volume containing all the known versions of the parable in Indian languages specially printed for this purpose. In a crucial sense, this monumental, authentic digest of Indian languages was a project of recurring translation by bi-lingual Indians.”

Searching the archive is simple. In minutes I was able to find a story told by a man from “Tinnevely” in  Tamil, and on the screen there was  a map that gave its provenance, and of course, the audio files. Hearing it didn’t exactly give one goosebumps, but still, there is something that speaks across these hundred years, and something that points to how we should, perhaps, preserve some traces of languages that will surely disappear in another hundred.

As Amin says further down in his Introduction, his aim in putting it all on the web was to democratize access to this valuable sound archive of 20th century India. Perhaps this altruistic sharing of our common past will lead to new discoveries and new insights into our common history.

The  Open Magazine has a detailed article on the LSI collection.

Some of the pages on the Nāyakā Painting Archival Project website are bleak… One, termed a Taxonomy of Damage inspired the title of this post (the image on the left gives an idea of what they faced when they started the project) but after seeing what the Prakriti Foundation in Chennai has done with the Mucukunda Murals in Tiruvarur, we prefer to hope…

Speaking of  the need to conserve, they say: What priceless heritage we had! What an artless society we have become. Of all the elements of heritage, murals are the easiest to degrade, and they usually are.

Natural wear and tear strikes eternally. Tourism superimposes mindless graffiti. Religious worship spews holy smoke and smears it with soot. Modernisation, renovation and restoration, unusual suspects, cause maximum damage.

The busier a temple, less likely that the paintings survive. We came across many instances where entire walls and ceilings had been whitewashed, acid-washed! Without exception, electrical lines had been drilled in and nailed across the murals, weakening and permanently damaging the surface plaster. The most incongruous of all, ‘restoration’ had been attempted over large areas in many locations with enamels and emulsions, that had of course peeled – and peeled together with the layers beneath.

The website seems to have been last updated in 2006. A bit of disrepair there too. One wonders what progress there has been since then… Nevertheless, its a great effort on their part, and one which is a true labour of love. And given the large number of sites where our heritage is in danger of being eroded away and lost forever, initiatives like this, though few and far between, should be commended.

The CPPE is a not for profit registered trust, founded by a committed core of experts in fields such as biodiversity, forestry, botany, ecology, conservation, sociology, economics and public policy. They are involved in documenting plant resources and uses of plants by communities in different regions of rich biodiversity, such as the Southern Western Ghats, East Coast, Eastern Ghats and Andamans…

Web is a tool of great empowerment. It has revolutionized the way in which information is collated, communicated and accessed. The challenge of the hour, especially for governments, is to comprehend the power of internet and avail of the unprecedented opportunities it offers, while being alive to its limitations and vulnerabilities.

That is the mandate I gave to XP and PD Divisions and that is what, in a small way, they have gone about doing.

The MEA website needed a complete re-do, both in terms of its look and feel, as well as, content. Even though it is still work in progress, I am pleased that the new website, which was launched recently, has met those criteria to a large extent. It aims to make available comprehensive and speedy information, on India’s foreign relation activities, as well as, Ministry’s views on salient Foreign Policy issues. Besides the media, academia, Indian and international governmental agencies, businesses and travelers, the new website is also meant to be a resource for youth and students.”

That was just the first few paragraphs… There is more, but you can see that here. Or should one say, you can avail the opportunity to read more about it on their website, here.

But this post is more on what they have now made available in spite of themselves- a great set of publications and documentaries. Their quarterly newsletter, India Perspectives, comes (a) free and (b) in 15 languages: English, Hindi, Arabic, Bahasa, Bangla, French, German, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Sinhala, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu. Beautifully produced- and very professional- these are a great read. Do try them out!

Their documentaries are also extremely well produced- and many of them are now available to the public at large- a nice stroke of diplomacy there- through Under Construction Films, and therefore via Scholars without Borders. Our new “Documentaries Ministore” lists a few of the titles and we can always get them for you even if they are not listed with us yet…

Sanchari, on Bharatanatyam, features Leela Samson. Also on offer, is Lokapriya, directed by Arun Khopkar. 30 minutes long, this documentary made in 2000 is about popular Indian music: Music has the capacity to breathe life into a cinematic image. The evolution of Hindi film music has been shaped by technological changes in the recording industry as well as other cultural forces like the local Ramlila tradition, the narrative structures of Hindi films and the rising prominence of women characters within those narratives. But despite these wide range of influences, what remains central to Hindi film music is the way the sounds, lyrics and notes touch a chord with the common man. From the streets of Bombay, to the local barber shops and the booming remixes floating in urban clubs that has generations of youth gyrating to the beats- very few spaces have been left untouched by Hindi music. Arun Khopkar’s musical journey is accompanied by equally joyous camera movements and thus, manages to provide a nuanced understanding of the elements of Hindi film music and how the orchestra, percussion and western influences created a harmonious confluence of unique musical patterns.

A great initiative, and the right way to go. The only thing I am not sure about is whether having the Foreign Secretary on Twitter is such a good thing… Some things need to be kept outside the realm of social networking, maybe.

WHO WANT A CORRUPTION FREE NATION.

And since Corruption with a capital C is so rampant in our country, the note is available in many languages. Here is the back of the Tamil note, for instance:

5th Pillar is an organization that strongly believes that the people that make up a democracy are the strongest members of such a system. Without the people a democracy would not exist. As such, we believe that if each one of us changes our own habits, we will be attacking corruption at its roots, and corruption will cease to exist. That is why we hope that everyone who learns about the organization will take a pledge to not give or receive any bribes. By taking the pledge you are helping us reach our goal of a corruption free nation.

They run a monthly newsletter (linked here on the new SwB site) where they highlight the more spectacular cases of corruption that hit the news. Unfortunately, each issue is packed, and the news stories never seem to run out… The good thing is that so has the patience of the urban Indian. Instead of just wanting to get ahead, we seem now to want to get ahead the right way!

They are also an illustrator’s delight, and Hemlata Pradhan- an artist of rare ability!- is one of the finest botanical illustrators of Himalayan orchids.

Pradhan, a gifted Botanical illustrator, paints orchids and other plants and immortalizes them on paper. Her training, beginning with the B. Fine Arts (Hons) Graphics from Kala Bhavan, Viswa Bharati (Santiniketan)  took her to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where she obtained her Diploma in Botanical Illustration.

She is the winner of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal as well as the 18th world Orchid Conference Gold Medal for her paintings of Indian Jewel Orchids and the Indian Wild Orchids in habitat. Many of her works are housed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England.

But this is not just about paintings and drawings, although those are a delight in of themselves… Hemlata is also the founder and moving spirit behind the Himalayan Institute of Natural History Art that will  also be based in Kalimpong. In its inception, the Institute should provide instruction in Illustration, apart from helping preservation and conservation of our natural heritage.

More about her, her art, and her institute can be found on her website.

Gujarat. Latur. Koyna. Bihar. Quetta…. India has a serious earthquake problem, and The National Information Center of Earthquake Engineering hosted at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur tries to help us all cope by producing, collecting and maintaining information resources on Earthquake Engineering with a view to mitigating earthquake disasters in India.

One never quite knows when one will find this useful- earthquakes being as unpredictable as they come… so its good that someone cares. All their publications can now be purchased via Scholars.

As for example, their recent book: Engineering Response to Hazards of Terrorism edited by S K Jain, C V R Murty and D C Rai. This is the proceedings of a conference that dealt with the problem that “Important and major systems, facilities and structures are currently being subjected to threats of terrorist attacks. Strategies and measures are required to reduce, if not to prevent, possible loss and damage due to the negative fallouts of hazards of terrorism.

Four levels of security strategies are possible namely deception, intelligence, physical and operational protection, and structural hardening. The INAE National Seminar on Engineering Response to Hazards of Terrorism was an attempt to bring particularly the last two strategies in focus. “

The National Information Centre of Earthquake Engineering at IIT Kanpur is intended to collect and maintain information resources on Earthquake Engineering and make these available to the interested professionals, researchers, academicians and others with a view to mitigate earthquake disasters in India.

NICEE has undertaken a range of capacity building activities towards earthquake safety such as organising Literature Review/Curriculum Workshops in Earthquake Engineering for Students and Teachers from Engineering Colleges across India. They also publish and  widely disseminate Earthquake Engineering publications, in addition to a quarterly journal Earthquake Engineering Practice, information on which can be found on the new SwB website in our Magazine ministore.

For a few days our old site will be operational too, and we request your indulgence while we iron out the wrinkles and cope with the glitches. In any case, please do write to us at hello@swb.co.in or scholarswithoutborders@gmail.com.

Our new site reorganizes what we offer into a number of mini-stores, one for Books, one for Journals, one for freEbooks… and to come, for Documentaries, DVDs, Maps, Reports, Posters and Prints, for Audio Books, for ePub… whatever is academic, and what you need.

The new site will also make it easier for you to manage your accounts, it remembers past visits, stores addresses and so on. And we have simplified shipping: FREE within India by Book post, and a flat rate across the world…

Come by, and tell us what more you would like to see on SwB. For starters, here are all the publishers we now carry…

The Book list (and the others)  is a bit limited, but since we curate them entry by entry for the most part, it takes time, but we hope you will find it worth the while…

We’re changing… And we hope you’ll like it!

This is the result of an initiative aimed at improving the interactions between contemporary logic and philosophy at universities and colleges in India. This ambitious task of bringing out an innovative and distinctive volume of the JICPR (Vol. XXVII, No. 1 and No.2), has been made possible by a galaxy of first-rate logicians from all the continents contributing articles generously.

Many of them are going to be at the Delhi Logic Week, the main aim of the meeting being to  to bolster and upgrade knowledge of Logic in relationship to Philosophy. Bringing  together some of the authors of papers in the Special Issue with teachers, research scholars and students from Departments of Philosophy in the country as well as the participants of the Association for Logic in India (ALI) may well do the job. A full program is in the poster above- please download and distribute!

Requests for participation can be made by writing to Prof Amitabha Gupta of Delhi University, agcg503 @ gmail.com.

Among the speakers and contributors to the meeting are G. Priest, W. Thomas, Abdul Sattar, Alena Vencovska, Alexandru Baltag, Amitabha Gupta Andreas Witzel, Andrzej Szalas, Benedikt Löwe, Christian Fermüller, Denis I. Saveliev, Dietmar Berwanger, Edward N. Zalta, Emmanuel Genot, Eric Pacuit, Ernst-Erich Doberkat, Eva Hoogland, Fabian Schang, Fenrong Liu, Fernando Velazquez-Quesada, Floor Sietsma, Gernot Kleiter, Guido Governatori, Hans van Ditmarsch, Igor Stéphan, Isidora Stojanovic, Jacek Sroka, Jacot Justine, Jakub Szymanik, Jan Jaspars, Jeff Paris, Jeremy Seligman, Jesse Alama, Johan van Benthem, Jouko Vaananen, Kaile Su, Katsuhiko Sano, Md. Aquil Khan, Mihir K. Chakraborty, Minghui Ma, Nina Gierasimczuk, Patrick Doherty, Patrick Girard, Peter Gärdenfors, Pietro Galliani, Prabal Sen, Priyedarshi Jetli, Ramaswamy Ramanujam, Rohit Parikh, Rudolf Berghammer, S.D. Agashe, Sara L. Uckelman, Sonja Smets, Sujata Ghosh, Sven Ove Hanson, Tim French, Tomasz Michalak, Ulle Endriss, Vassily Lyubetsky, Vincent Barichard, Vineet Padmanabhan, Vladimir Kanovei, Walter Dean, Yanjing Wang.