DARJEELING HILLS: Relay Hunger Strike by students continues

 

Maharani Girls High School students on relay hunger strike at Chowrasta, Darjeeling. Photo by Himalaya Darpan

NEPAL: Indian Army’s Gorkha centre not recruiting Nepalis, says MP

FROM THAINDIAN NEWS

Kathmandu, Nov 16 (IANS) The 120-year-old recruitment centre of the Indian Army in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh has stopped enlisting Nepal’s Gorkhas for over a year, an MP said here. Indian diplomats and officials confirmed this giving reasons for the move. Nepali MP Malawar Singh Thapa, who also heads the Rastriya Janamukti Party, Friday raised the issue in parliament amid fears by the families of Gorkha veterans who have for generations sent their children to the Indian Army.

“The Gorakhpur centre used to recruit 5,000-6,000 Nepali Gorkhas every year,” Thapa told IANS. “However, it has not recruited any Nepali Gorkhas for over a year now.”

Thapa’s comments have raised fears here that India may be trying to scrap a six-decade-old tripartite treaty.

Thapa said he wrote to the Indian ambassador, Rakesh Sood, Oct 19, “asking him if India had decided to terminate the 1947 treaty”. “On Oct 30, the ambassador (said) that the treaty was intact. However, Gorkha recruitment has been halted as there are no openings in the Indian Army currently.”

An Indian Army spokesman in New Delhi told IANS that there indeed had been a halt in recruitment for about a year due to political turbulence in Nepal. But if Nepali Gorkhas were keen to join the Indian Army, they were welcome, he said.

Thapa also drew the parliament’s attention to the complaints by Indian Army’s pensioned Gorkha soldiers that they were no longer receiving free treatment in Indian hospitals for over a year.

After independence from British rule in 1947, India signed a tripartite treaty with Britain and Nepal, following which the Gorkha Brigade of the colonial army, famed for its bravery and loyalty, was split between India and Britain.

The Indian Army has seven Gurkha regiments now with about 60,000 soldiers recruited from Nepal.

Thapa’s father was an honorary captain in the Indian Army and who himself was educated in Gorakhpur.

SIKKIM: Himalchuli Group to Appraise Governer About Improvement of Road Conditions. SE Report

FROM FREE PRESS RELEASES www.freepressreleases.co.uk

Gangtok, october 27: The Hotel Himalchuli Group of Industries has decided to appraise Governer B.P. Singh on the inprovement of road conditions in Sikkim and also to errect life size monumental statue of Dr. Joseph Dalton Hooker, the great British Botanist who visited Sikkim about 150 years ago.

During a meeting held recently the Board discussed that the road in Sikkim should be attended,improved,repaired and diversified under new construction so the proper safety of both the local people and tourists is ensured before March 31st 2009.

In a press release today the Chairman of The Himalchuli Group ,S.K.Bardewa has requested the Governer to use his special constitutional powers “so that constant loss of human lives in Sikkim is saved forever”.

The National Highway route to Melli-Jorethang-Legship road should also be taken for immediate repair and reconstruction with solid widening and fencing displaying proper signals with ample electrical lightning provisions forthwith,Mr.Bardewa has further requested.

The Himalchuli Board Chairman also said that setting up of the statue of Dr.Hooker would not only help educate the students in terms of learning the biodiversity of the Himalyan state but would also bring in more tourist.

Mr.Bardewa further hoped that the Governer would also establish a Botanical Museum to display Hooker’s constribution.

SIKKIM: 48 die while building Sikkim hydel power projects

FROM THE ECONOMIC TIMES

GANGTOK: A forum opposing construction of hydel power projects in Sikkim has claimed that the state Labour Department has said that 48 people died during the construction of 510 MW hydro electricity project at Dikchu in East district in the state.

Quoting state Labour Department’s reply under Right to Information Act, vice-president of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Tseten Lepcha said, “Most of those who lost lives during the construction work by state-owned National Hydro Power Corporation Ltd were labourers.”

ACT, a non-political organisation, has been spearheading a campaign against hydel power projects in the Himalayan state since June 20, 2007.

Lepcha said that the state government is going ahead with the hydel project with full knowledge of the threats to the lives of the workers. “For NHPC, the loss of lives did not matter as the unfortunate labourers hardly had a voice,” he said.

Darjeeling Hills: Protests pours in condemning killing of Gorkha youths in Assam

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE]

BY BARUN ROY WITH INPUTS FROM SILIGURI BY ANIL ROY

A Gorkha youth injured during an attack by suspected Militants at a Cachar Hills Village. Photo by Himalaya Darpan

DARJEELING: Assam Gorkha Sammelan has demanded for the immediate arrest of the suspected militants who shot dead two Gorkhas and seriously injured four others.  The Sammelan has furhter demanded compensation in the tune of 5 lakhs for the dead and 2 lakhs for the injured. The Sammelan has also demanded that one member of each family is given a Government service. The Sammelan has expressed deep concern over the rise of militancy in the Cachar Hills and have requested the Government to provide adequate security to the Gorkha population there. 

Meanwhile, in Darjeeling, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has condemned the killings of two Gorkha youths at Cachar Hills in Assam. Speaking to the media, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha General Secretary, Roshan Giri has offered his sympathies to the families of the dead. Giri said, “Immediately after hearing of the incident, our party President faxed a letters to Union Home Minister and the Chief Minister of Assam asking them to take immediate steps to protect the life and property of Gorkhas in the State.”

All India Gorkha League President, Madan Tamang has also condemned the inhumane killings of Gorkha youths. 

On the 10th of November, a group of suspected militants had entered a Gorkha village in the Cachar Hills and indiscriminately fired upon the villagers. Two youths were instantly killed and four greviously injured. Assam Gorkha Sammelan had submitted a petition to the authorities of Cachar Autonomous Council asking them to take measures to protect the Gorkha villages. The Sammelan Delegation led by Arun Updhayay  further went to the Meghalaya situated hospital to meet the injureds and the homes of the dead to offer their condolences.

DARJEELING HILLS: GJM condemns attempts to link it with the Maoists

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

BY BARUN ROY

Roshan Giri, General Secretary, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Photo by Barun Roy

DARJEELING, 16 November: On the 11th of November, a All India Democratic People’s Revolutionary Party delegation had met up with Bimal Gurung, the President of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and Roshan Giri, the party’s General Secretary. The delegation was led by State Committee Secretary Prasun Chakraborty.

The said meeting has lead to a major controversy. Speaking to the Press, GJM General Secretary said, “The meeting has been completely taken out of context and now the State media is giving controversial shapes to it. A delegation consisting four members of All India Democratic People’s Revolutionary Party had come to meet us. They offered their support to our movement. We do not care whether they are a Maoists Organisation or not. We do not believe in weapons or violence. We beleive in democracy and Gandhism. In fact the All India Democratic People’s Revolutionary Party has asked other parties to support our movement. The West Bengal Government is in fact conspiring to some how link us with the Maoist forces in order to malign our democratic and peaceful movement.” 

NATIONAL: ‘Khukhri’ to help force deal with Naxals

FROM ZEE NEWS

Khukuri

New Delhi, Nov 16: Khukhri, the dagger symbolising the Gorkha valour, will now be an essential weapon in the hands of elite anti-Naxal force COBRA, sources in the Home Ministry said.

The blade, an inseparable weapon of dreaded soldiers of the Indian Army’s Gorkha Regiment, will now be sanctioned to COBRA to it give a lethal edge in hand-to-hand combat situation.

“It is one of the most multi-dimensional knives ever to be created. It would be helpful for COBRA personnel who would have to undertake operations in dense forests for clearing their path and also in close combat situation,” the sources said.

The dagger has a 3-10 cm wide blade which is about a feet or a little more long. According to experts, blades are deflected at an angle of 20 degrees or more with a thick spine and a single sharp cutting edge “making it a deadly weapon” if used by dexterous hands.

Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) is the newly created 10,000-personnel strong force under the command and control of the CRPF to tackle the growing menace of Naxalism.

PHOTO FEATURE: Majestic Kanchenjunga

Majestic Kanchenjunga by MM Rahman

PHOTO FEATURE: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Steam Engine at Kurseong Station.

 

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Steam Engine at Kurseong Station. Photo by Kitaroh

NATIONAL: Tea Board seeks IIT help to find way out of crisis

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

KOLKATA: Desperate to pull the ailing tea industry out of crisis, the Tea Board has approached IIT Kharagpur for help. It has asked the premier

technology institute to develop nextgen machines to replace the 150 years old tea processing machines in use in most tea gardens in Darjeeling, Dooars and Assam.

IIT-Kgp is the only one in the chain that has been researching tea cultivation for the past decade. Their study has led to amazing results as far as organic farming, yield and quality are concerned. It has even developed a tea garden, defying the logic that tea can only be grown in certain geographic conditions.

The order is tall. The board has asked the institute to develop machines that will shorten time to process tea and hence reduce the total energy consumed.

The goal is to reduce the cost of production by half. A report submitted by the board to the institute mentions that many gardens are closing down due to high production costs. On an average, a garden has to spend Rs 50 per kilo of processed tea. This cost must be cut by 50 % if we have to save the industry, the report says.
There are 87 tea gardens in Darjeeling, 275 in Dooars and 400 in Assam. Interestingly, while the problem dogs both Darjeeling and Dooars, it is not so acute in Assam.
The project cost has been estimated to be about Rs 10 crore.

The institute’s agricultural engineering department will lead the project. The mechanical, electrical and aerospace engineering departments have also been involved. The mechanical department will design new machines, the aerospace department will design different kinds of fans, that are integral to the tea processing methods. The electrical department will be in charge of automation and will develop different kinds of sensors to maintain the ideal temperature and humidity to enhance yield quality.

“In addition, we are also developing tea uprooting machines and post hole pit diggers because least 55 % of tea bushes in our gardens that have outlived their utility need to be uprooted and replaced with fresh plants,” explained B C Ghosh of the institute’s agricultural engineering department. Ghosh is leading the project.

DARJEELING HILLS: In search of a roast in Darjeeling

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Glenary's

Satyajit Ray’s Kanchenjungha has been one of my all-time favourite movies, and Chhabi Biswas as Rai Bahadur Indra Nath Chowdhury – “chairman of five companies” – depicted a persona I could readily empathise with. Although Darjeeling must have changed between 1962 (when Kanchenjungha was shot) and 1983, when I last visited the hill station, there was not much of a difference between the celluloid reality and my memories.

Like the Rai Bahadur, my interest in birds has principally been in the roasted form, a roast chicken forming an integral part of my childhood memories of pleasurable outings – from the carriages of the Geetanjali Express to the dining room of the BNR Hotel in Puri to the lawns of the CC&FC.

Darjeeling Town with Kanchanjunga at the background

Ever since my return to Calcutta in 2007, one of my perennial joys has been to savour the khansama cooking of Mocambo, Calcutta Club and their ilk. Imagine, therefore, with what expectation I undertook the journey to Darjeeling.

Of course I knew about the defacement of the town, the political unrest, the downhill march of prominent public schools; but despite all that, the Windermere, Glenary’s, The Planter’s Club, Das Studio and Oxford Bookstore still appeared to be permanent fixtures.

When we arrived in Darjeeling, grey skies and a drizzle greeted us. A friend had booked our rooms in an unknown ‘resort’, and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that behind the new paint and the atrium, lurked the old Central Hotel, situated just below Keventer’s.

The re-christened Fortune Resort Central claimed to be one of the oldest hostelries in the town. A large board at its entrance traced the origins of the hotel to 1905 and the 1910 Bar presumably took its name from the year when the hotel was enlarged.

A place such as this, one would expect, would serve up a good roast. Rubbing our hands in glee, our travails with the Darjeeling Mail forgotten, we went down to luncheon and ordered soup, grilled fish, roast fowl and pudding.

NATIONAL: 3 men killed in accidents

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: Three persons were killed in three separate road accidents in the past 24 hours in the Capital. In the first incident, a 43-year-old

man was crushed to death by an unknown vehicle in Civil Line area on Friday night. The victim, Deepak Rai, was a native of Darjeeling in West Bengal and came to Delhi in search of job on November 9. As he was crossing the road near Majnoo Ka Tila, the vehicle hit him from behind, killing him on the spot, said the police

In the second incident, a 50-year-old man was mowed down by an unknown vehicle in Nangloi area of west Delhi on Friday. The victim, Surender Kumar, was a resident of Ratan Park in Veena Enclave of Nangloi area. “He was taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where he was declared brought dead,” said the police.

In the third accident, a 26-year-old man was killed after he fell down from a moving bus near Natraj Fun Cinema at Moti Nagar of west district at around 10:50 am on Saturday.

“When the victim, Rajiv Kalra, was trying to alight from a moving bus, he lost control and fell down on the road. He received serious head injuries and was rushed to Deen Dyal Upadhayay Hospital where he was declared brought dead,” said the police. Deceased, Rajiv used to work as a shoemaker and is survived by a son and wife, added the police.

SAVE THE HILLS – LANDSLIDE HAZARD WORKSHOP

RELEASED BY BHARAT MANI PRADHAN

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE

 

ARMY: Kargil War hero recounts tales of valour

FROM EXPRESS INDIA

Kolkata, November 15: “If someone says he is not afraid of death, it implies two things – either he is lying or he is a Gorkha” – Sam Maneckshaw.

The story of “Operation Vijay” of the 1999 Kargil war held the audience spellbound at the 25th anniversary of FICCI Ladies Organisation.

Told by the man who knew it best – Vir Chakra recipient Colonel Lalit Rai who commanded the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles – the tale was riveting, especially for the schoolchildren, who were on attendance at the function at Kala Mandir.

Rai, the chief of the Maratha troops of 17 Rashtriya Rifles, engaged in combating insurgency and militancy in Doda,

J&K, was felicitated on the occasion. But for him, the proudest moment was in Kargil, where the Gorkha Rifles fought pitched battles in the perilous terrains of Khalubar -which provided the Indian Army the vital turning point.

Located at 18,000 feet above the sea level, where temperature freezes to minus 32 degree Celsius, Khalubar was one of the toughest for the Army, said Rai.

From medical problems to a rough topography – marked by crevasses, jagged rocks and ice – he and his 600-strong light brigade faced it all. To cap it, the enemy, well-equipped with stinger missiles, had captured a strategic position.

NEPAL: Nepali supreme court orders to amend law on monarchy

FROM INFO TECH TFC

KATHMANDU, Nov 13, 2008 (Xinhua via COMTEX) – The Supreme Court of Nepal on  Thursday ordered the government to amend acts that contradict  provisions of the Interim Constitution, especially the provisions
on defamation of monarchy, local newspaper The Himalayan Times reported Friday.

A three-member full-bench of Justices Anup Raj Sharma, Kalyan Shrestha and Rajendra Prasad Koirala issued the order. It asked the Nepali government to take initiatives to come up with provisions that are compatible with the Interim Constitution, which was promulgated on Jan. 15, 2007. A group of lawyers had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the apex court intervention in the matter, according to the report.

The petitioners maintained that the State Offence Act (SOA) 1989 should prohibit anyone from defaming or criticizing the monarchy. They demanded the related section of the 1989 Act to be scrapped as it is incompatible with the Interim Constitution and provisions of the International Convention on Human Rights.
SOA 1989 states that those, who defame the king and other members of the royal family, can be jailed for three years or to fine 3,000 Nepalese Rupees (some 40 U.S. dollars) or both. The Act is outdated with the abolition of monarchy, according to the petitioners.

NEPAL: Resurgent Nepal

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

End of the decade-long Janayuddha (people’s war) saw a major political transformation in Nepal. The Maoists are now leading the government and are talking of robust plans to bring about overall development in the impoverished country.

Bolstered with the change, most western countries have withdrawn travel warnings.

“If we can continue with the present trend, we can soon hope to handle one million tourists,” Sushil Sharma, a tour operator said, adding that most of the hotels have confirmed bookings till the end of 2010.

Despite the global financial crisis, the tourism industry in Nepal is all set to witness a major growth this year. In 2007, more than 5,50,000 tourists came to Nepal, which was 27 per cent more than the previous year.

The number of visitors to Nepal had reduced to 2,75,468 in 2002, and the industry was on the verge of a collapse. But now, the sector is showing signs of resurgence.

The new government has set a target of welcoming one million visitors by 2011. Tour operators are now optimistic that the target can be achieved much before the deadline.

“If the politicians guarantee peace in Nepal, the tourism industry is sure to boom,” Tsering Sherpa, a tour operator in Kathmandu said, adding that government should also ensure safety of the tourists in the far-flung areas.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is all out to promote the Himalayan nation across the globe. “We are hopeful that tourism sector can soon be one of the largest foreign exchange earner in Nepal,” Sarad Pradhan, a NTB official said.

NEPAL: Nepal Govt, Armed Groups to talk

FROM LATIN AMERICAN NEWS AGENCY

Kathmandu, Nov 15 (Prensa Latina) The Nepalese government is getting ready to hold a series of talks with armed groups in Terai region willing to dialogue, Local Development Minister Ram Chanddra Jha affirmed on Saturday.

In an act in the capital, Jha said the coalition government headed by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) already talked with 14 of those groups, and the official talks are likely to be held within two weeks.

The minister, who recently visited the district of Banke where he contacted some of those groups, affirmed that security for the armed groups’ representatives will be fully guaranteed, but rejected the demand for national or international mediation.

The initiative is part of the governmental policy to achieve total peace and stability in Nepal, to dedicate efforts for social and economic development and against poverty.

 

BHUTAN/NEPAL: Bhutan’s ‘Nelson Mandela’ driven to Nepal refugee camp

FROM IANS

By Sudeshna Sarkar

Kathmandu, Nov 15 : A 45-year-old Bhutanese of Nepali origin, who was released from prison after 17 years by the Bhutan government this month, has been forced to take shelter in refugee camps in Nepal.

The expulsion of Dhan Kumar Rai, dubbed the Nelson Mandela of Bhutan by Nepal’s media for his long imprisonment, comes after the coronation of a new king and Bhutan’s well-publicised plans of reform and modernisation.

Rai, who arrived in Kathmandu for medical treatment Friday, is suffering from heart and mental problems.

One of the founding members of the exiled Bhutan People’s Party, he was earlier forced to leave Bhutan in 1989 when the Druk government began a crackdown on ethnic citizens, especially those of Nepali origin.

He fled to West Bengal in India where two years after his escape he was arrested by police from the Dooars area and handed over to Bhutan. The 28-year-old was accused of sedition, terrorism and attempt to murder and was sent to the central prison.

Rai says there were 74 more Nepali-speaking Bhutanese prisoners in the same prison block.

Rai and three other political prisoners of Nepali origin – Manbahadur Moktan, Ratna Thapa and Indrajit Pulami – were released Nov 1, five days before the coronation of Bhutan’s fifth king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, reportedly due to pressure by the International Red Cross Society and other international human rights organisations.

However, he could not view the three-day lavish coronation ceremony. Rai was given 48 hours to quit Bhutan.

DARJEELING HILLS: GJM condemns Assam killings

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

DARJEELING: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) today strongly condemned the recent killings of two Nepali youths at Assam by extremist groups.

An extremist group had killed Deepak Chettri and Tanka Chettri at Khajar in North Assam on November 10.

Strongly condemning the incident, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told mediapersons that the party has already faxed its protests to the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

The party has urged both the Centre and Assam government to ensure security of the Indian Nepali community in Assam and other parts of Northeast. The party also demanded immediate arrests of people behind the killings.

DARJEELING HILLS: Darjeeling people demands removal of all illegal parking

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

DARJEELING: Ordinary residents here under the banner of ‘Citizens of Darjeeling’ today submitted a memorandum to the administration demanding the immediate removal of the rampant illegal parkings to avoid a repeat of yesterday when an Army vehicle crushed a school student.

Harsh Agarwal, a student of North Point school had been crushed by the Army vehicle when it was reversing. The incident sparked wild protests from the people which led to another provocative lathi charge of police.
All the business establishment in the town remained closed in view of the protest called by the local chamber of commerce.

Presenting a sober picture, ‘Citizens of Darjeeling’ in its memorandum to the Darjeeling Superintendent of Police pointed out illegal parking and dear negligence on the part of the administration and traffic police as the main factors behind yesterday’s incident.

“In the past, several representations were made before the S.P., DSP (traffic) regarding this illegal parking of vehicles in Judge Bazar; N.C. Goenka Road, Gandhi Road, Lal Dhiki, Laden La Road, Hill Cart Road (above Loreto Convent) and several other places. but no action was taken to remove the il1egal parking. There are motor syndicates established in the congested areas of Darjeeling Town which should be shifted with immediate effect”, the body said.

It also informed about the parking place of around 100 vehicles in the ground floor of the Old Super Market at Motor Stand which has been converted into restaurants and shops by the Municipal authorities for their personal interests. “The new construction going on in Motor Stand was also supposed to have a parking place in the ground and the 6th floors of the building but already shops have been allotted to people and it seems again the parking problem of Darjeeling Town remains unattended”, the memorandum states.

SIKKIM: SHRP is as strong as ever: Lachungpa

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP) chief coordinator Thukchuk Lachungpa. Photo by Sikkim Express

GANGTOK, November 14: Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP) chief coordinator Thukchuk Lachungpa today said that the party is as strong as ever despite the flight of several prominent party functionaries during his two month absence from Sikkim.

Biraj Adikhari, Tseten Lepcha and Bharat Basnett had left or been expelled from SHRP party. At this period of internal upheaval with SHRP, Mr. Lachungpa was in New Delhi treating his injuries sustained on the May 29 Chemzey bridge collapse.

The SHRP chief coordinator had arrived here after recovering and a Supreme Court bail order to the case filed against him by State RMD department in the bridge collapse.

“Our party is strong and programmes are going on at villages”, said Mr. Lachungpa today during a press meet here. Only showmanship is not there, he pointed out.

“I am going to Delhi again in the next few days for the final treatment. When I come back then SHRP will launch several programmes”, Mr. Lachungpa said.

The SHRP chief coordinator also extended good wishes to Mr. Adikhari and his friends who have now floated their own party, Sikkim National People’s Party. “Best wishes to him (Mr. Adikhari). Best wishes to all who have floated or about to launch new parties”, he said.

Softening the allegations made by Sikkim Jan Ekta Party (SJEP) president Basant Rai, Mr. Lachungpa suggested that Mr. Rai should concentrate on doing ‘good politics’ and not make such allegations.

The SJEP president had accused Mr. Lachungpa to be in hands in gloves with the ruling SDF party.

It is not good, Mr. Lachungpa said.

SIKKIM: 48 deaths during Teesta Stage V construction: ACT

‘State govt officials don’t care as long as the dead are from outside’

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, November 14: Bringing a subdued issue literally out of the dead, Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) today made a sensational claim that it took the ‘human sacrifices’ of 48 persons to create the money generation machine called NHPC hydro electric Teesta Stage V project.

Shooting from details provided by the State Labour department on RTI application, ACT said that 48 persons have been killed during the construction of the Teesta State V project, the most ambitious project in the entire Northeast region.

“All these loss of lives have been primarily due to the carelessness of the NHPC who don’t bother as long as the dead are poor laborers and they do not have any voice”, said ACT chief coordinator Tseten Lepcha in a press statement. This is the most glaring case of human sacrifice that has been made by NHPC while construction the Teesta Stage V project.

“The Sikkim government officials don’t care as long as the dead are from outside the State”, said Mr. Lepcha.
And these ‘human sacrifices’ do not end after the completion of the Teesta Stage V project.

Five persons have already died in the survey stage of Panam hydro electric power projects in Dzongu while one labourer was killed in Teesta III project in a blasting incident.

What will happen when the actual work on the project start and till the time it gets completed?, questioned ACT.

“It seems that we are waiting for some locals to die then only some action will be taken to stop this human sacrifice”, rued the ACT chief coordinator. Till then, everyone will use the money generated by these ‘merchant of death’ to make their lives more comfortable and other moral world obligations, he said. Whereas, the lives continue to be lost and saga of untold misery continues, he added.

INDIA: Dreamers catch the moon

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Project director Annadurai with the spacecraft before the launch. Pictures courtesy Reuters, Isro.

New Delhi, Nov. 15: Mylswamy Annadurai had a choice – join a booming colour TV industry, or accept lower pay from a space agency still struggling with its earliest launch vehicles and satellites.

For the electronics engineer, who had never stepped out of his home district of Coimbatore till he had obtained an MTech from the PSG College of Engineering, it was an easy choice.

On Saturday, his “baby”, Chandrayaan-1, helped India complete its journey to the moon. “This is another step towards human presence in outer space,” said Annadurai, project director of Chandrayaan-1 at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Satellite Centre, Bangalore.

His colleague, R. Venkata Ramanan, had disappointed his father when he didn’t even fill in application forms for an engineering degree and, instead, chose to do his BSc and MSc in mathematics at Madurai Kamaraj University.

On Saturday, Ramanan, who had helped compute the orbital paths, watched images of mountains on the moon relayed by Chandrayaan-1 to a space centre in Bangalore. “I’ve waited nearly 20 years for this,” said Ramanan, who began pencil-and-paper orbital calculations in 1989, some five years after joining the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.

A picture of the moon’s surface taken by the Moon Impact Probe after separating from Chandrayaan-1. Photo by The Telegraph

Many key people behind the moon mission had defied social pressure, rejected conventional wisdom or pursued childhood dreams to become part of India’s space enterprise. They had joined Isro in the ’70s and early ’80s when its profile was much lower than now.

Yet, experts within and outside Isro say the culture in India’s elite engineering institutes, as well as social pressure and the arrival of competition, is keeping some of the country’s best engineers away from the space agency. Of Isro’s 6,000 scientists and engineers, top Isro officials estimate, less than 100 are from the IITs.

“But we’re not unhappy, we’ve got extremely talented people. We have a rigorous process of selecting candidates,” said Isro chairman G. Madhavan Nair. “Our attrition rate is less than 10 per cent.”

In engineering streams such as electronics or software, attrition rates are almost twice higher. “Isro provides technological challenges and a stimulating environment. We provide a broad canvas. Youngsters are expected to fill in the colours by themselves,” Nair said.

“I thank God I got an opportunity to work on orbit dynamics,” Ramanan said. “With my background, I could have been put in other areas of aerospace, but somehow I was assigned what I wanted to do since my university days.”