That Thing Called Bamboo

-
Indian culture has a wonderful relationship with Bamboo. Most prominent among them must be the fact that the flute is made out of it, and the flute was played by none other than the revered Lord Krishna. However, among other things, it is a material of great commercial importance across the world.

What surprises me is the way in which the media tends to ignore such critical issues of development and internal security, and how these issues are so critically interlinked. So it was great surprise for me to read that the Times of India (more appropriately the Trash of India *nudge nudge wink wink*) came out with this article that discussed in great detail the great fraud we did till recently with the marginalized people in our country over the past fifty years.

What is bamboo? Most people, including scientists, say its grass. But according to the Indian Forest Department, it was a tree! Why? Here's the answer.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/its-a-grass-not-a-tree-bamboo-off/shoots/articleshow/7330876.cms

And to think we wonder why issues like Naxalism take birth in our country.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

मुबारक मंडी की कहानी, जम्मू प्रति सौतेले व्यवहार का प्रतीक

-
Image
2019 का वर्ष भारत किए एकता और अखंडता के इतिहास में एक विशेष महत्त्व रखता है। धरा 370 को संशोधित कर एवं जम्मू - कश्मीर और लद्दाख को दो केंद्र शासित राज्यों का दर्जा देकर केंद्र सरकार ने इतिहास की एक बहुत बड़ी गलती को सुधारने की दिशा में पहला ठोस प्रयास किया। दशकों के अंधकार के पश्चात जब एक आशा की किरण दिखती है, तो संभवतः प्रताड़ित जनमानस के मन में असंख्य भाव जागते हैं, अपेक्षाएं जागती हैं। ऐसा ही कुछ जम्मू के लोगों के साथ भी हुआ, जो अंधकारमय तूफ़ान में आशा की किरण की प्रतीक्षा में खड़े रहे। जम्मू प्रजा परिषद् का आंदोलन हो या अमरनाथ संघर्ष समिति, हर अवसर पर जम्मू के लोगों ने "भारत माता की जय!" का उद्घोष करा और भारत की अखंडता के लिए बलिदान दिए। अलगाववादी सोच वाले चरमपंथी नेताओं के दबदबे के विरूद्ध सदैव खड़े रहे, और विचारधाराओं के टकराव में बराबर की टक्कर देते रहे। कितने कुठाराघात के बावजूद जम्मू के जनमानस ने भारत, उसके संविधान और उसके न्याय तंत्र में अपना अटूट विश्वास नहीं छोड़ा - तब भी जब उन्हें कश्मीर घाटी के अलगाववादी नेताओं के साथ जोड़कर देखा गया। किन्तु ३७० के संशोधन पश्चात् जम्मू...
Read more

The Kidnapping of Nahida Imtiaz - The incident that caused a spike in terrorist kidnappings in Kashmir

-
Image
Nahida Imtiaz After She Returned Home in 1991 (courtesy: India Today) Those following the issue of terrorism in the Kashmir valley may recall the infamous 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiyya Sayeed, the daughter of then Home Minister of India and later Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The harrowing episode had resulted in the release of hardcore militants of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). However, little is discussed about another kidnapping that had happened, just two years later. The target this time was another prominent Kashmiri politician – Saifuddin Soz. THE TURBULENT SCENARIO On 27 February 1991, the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Liberation Front (JKSLF) kidnapped Nahida Imtiaz, the daughter of Saifuddin Soz. The JKSLF demanded the release of five terrorists put in jail by the security forces. At the time, Saifuddin Soz was a prominent leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference led at the time by Farooq Abdullah. The JKNC h...
Read more

Of Free Televisions and Outcomes - How We Miss the Woods for the Trees

-
Image
Erstwhile Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, K. Karunanidhi, launching the free colour TV scheme in 2006 (source: Rediff ) Recently, a storm unleashed itself on Twitter, as a famous YouTuber came on a popular podcast and made a bizarre claim. Free television distribution, it seems, led to improvement in the outcomes of women. And that is good economics. While I don't watch things all the time, what caught my fancy was the defence of the absurdity since. One journal paper was quoted by the YouTuber in question, and was touted as proof of good economics also being associated with freebies. Again, I usually don't comment on freebies, because I think all freebies as a rule are bad. Freebies raise the cost of service across the economy, create greater entry barriers for the poor that they are supposed to serve, and eventually distract from actual welfare spending on such issues as healthcare and education. However, the absurdity on this was so high that I wanted to write for a change. On...
Read more