Eating Beef in India

.
"You eat beef?!? I thought it was forbidden for Hindus!"

How many times have I heard this and how many time did I have to explain and defend the wide-wide range of eating habits in India?...well, I've stopped counting.

Until sometime back, I would hold forth on the cultural diversity of India; that Hinduism is not a religion of the book and that it does not presume to micro-manage the life and habits of its adherants; and that in many Indian states - especially in the South, North-Eastern and Himalayan region, Hindus have absolutely no qualms about consuming beef. It is possible, I tell them, that the Indians they met earlier were all Hindus from the Gangetic-plains or the Western states where cattle had been traditionally a valuable economic asset, etc,.

If the look of disbelief and that you-are-just-a-subversive look persists, I try to tell them that in my home state, Kerala, no public non-veg eatery (or college canteen) would stay in business if it did not serve "parotta & beef-fry".

I guess the surprise is understandable. So rather than going on the "cultural diversity" pitch, I've been trying to understand when and how the dogma against beef-eating came into practice.

It was not surprising to discover that there is no stricture against beef-eating in any of the ancient texts. According to Prof. Ram Puniyani, in the great epics and classics -

Many gods such as Indra and Agni are described as having special preferences for different types of flesh - Indra had weakness for bull's meat and Agni for bull's and cow's. It is recorded that the Maruts and the Asvins were also offered cows. In the Vedas there is a mention of around 250 animals out of which at least 50 were supposed to be fit for sacrifice and consumption. In the Mahabharata there is a mention of a king named Rantideva who achieved great fame by distributing foodgrains and beef to Brahmins. Taittiriya Brahman categorically tells us: `Verily the cow is food' (atho annam via gauh) and Yajnavalkya's insistence on eating the tender (amsala) flesh of the cow is well known. Even later Brahminical texts provide the evidence for eating beef. Even Manusmriti did not prohibit the consumption of beef.

Also -

In therapeutic section of Charak Samhita (pages 86-87) the flesh of cow is prescribed as a medicine for various diseases. It is also prescribed for making soup. It is emphatically advised as a cure for irregular fever, consumption, and emaciation. The fat of the cow is recommended for debility and rheumatism

And:

The "Ashtanga Hrdaya Sutra Sthana" (the essence of eight limbs), written or compiled by Vagbhata, a Karachi-born buddhist savant, in circa 800AD  includes references to specific foods that are to consumed or avoided as a part of the healing regimen ("pathyam"). It includes specific references to the medicinal properties of beef (cow and buffalo - verse 66 & 67, Chapter - Annaswarupa Vijnaniya).

Apparently, one of the cudgels that Gautama Buddha picked against Hinduism was that the Brahmins were sacrificing cattle needlessly. At the same time, his emphasis on non-violence was not blind or rigid. Buddha did taste beef and the fact that he died due to eating pork is well known.

So when did the Brahmins, who were happily slaughtering cattle do a U-turn and wake up to the virtues of vegetarianism? Prof. Puniyani believes that -

One of the appeals to the spread of Buddhism was the protection of cattle wealth, which was needed for the agricultural economy. In a way while Brahminism `succeeded' in banishing Buddhism from India, it had also to transform itself from the `animal sacrifice' state to the one which could be in tune with the times. It is here that this ideology took up the cow as a symbol of their ideological march. But unlike Buddha whose pronouncements were based on reason, the counteraction of Brahminical ideology took the form of a blind faith based on assertion. So while Buddha's non-violence was for the preservation of animal wealth for the social and compassionate reasons the counter was based purely on symbolism.

So, there you are. The ban on beef-eating did not emerge as an affirmation of the value of life or from a clear conviction about the virtues of vegetarianism. It was just a convenient political ideology to sway the masses against Buddhism.

Today, it continues to be used exactly the same way by the right-wing "Hindutva" fanatics in their efforts to broaden their political support base. Therefore the issue of beef-eating in India has always been just another stepping stone for those who lust for power and influence. It has absolutely nothing to do with the spiritual moorings of Hinduism as a religion.

(If only I could lay my hands now on a plate of hot parotta &beef-fry!!...  :P' ' ' )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

REFERENCES / LINKS

• Jose, Vinod (2015): Beef over Buff - http://www.caravanmagazine.in/perspectives/beef-over-buff 
• Puniyani, Ram (2001), Beef Eating: Strangulating History, The Hindu Newspaper, 14 Aug., 2001; URL - http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/08/14/stories/13140833.htm
• Reddy, Sheila (2001), A Brahmins Cow Tale's, Outlook Magazine, September 17, 2001. URL - http://www.scribd.com/doc/7708836/A-Brahmins-Cow-Tales-History-of-Beef-Eating-in-India-by-Hindus.
• Bhosle, Varsha (1998) -- Good God, Thou Ate Beef? -- http://www.rediff.com/news/column/varsha-bhosle-good-god-thou-ate-beef-/20150305.htm
• Aiyar, Swaminathan S Anklesaria (2003): “Serving beef at Ayodhya,” Times of India, 24 August, accessed on 30 April 2015, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/all-that-matters/Serving-beef-at-Ayodhya/articleshow/144132.cms
• BR Ambedkar - "Did Hindus Never Eat Beef?" - http://www.countercurrents.org/ambedkar050315.htm
• Sukumar, N (2015): WHY BEEF WAS BANISHED FROM MY KITCHEN, EPW (25Apr15) - http://www.epw.in/web-exclusives/why-beef-was-banished-my-kitchen.htm 

Saudahataki: What is the name of the guest who has arrived today with a big train of women?Dandayana: Stop joking. It is no less a person than the revered Vasishta himself.Saudahataki: Is it Vasishta, eh?Dandayana: Who else?Saudahataki: I thought it was a tiger or a wolf. For, as soon as he came, he crunched up our poor tawny heifer.Dandayana: It is written that meat should be given along with curds and honey. So every host offers a heifer, a big bull, or a goat to a learned Brahmin who comes as a guest. This is laid down in sacred law.

This is a dialogue between two hermit boys at Ayodhya in Uttara-Rama-Charitra, one of the most celebrated versions of the Ramayana written by Bhavabhuti in the 8th century AD (Aiyar 2003).

A Show-piece Garbage Incinerator

The visit to Kanazawa Waste Incineration Plant was a real eye-opener.

In a country where just about every consumable is over-packaged and where every garbage-bin is segregated, I have often wondered where all the waste goes. Now I know - it all ends up in massive incineration plants where the waste is converted into energy and a range of bye-products, with hardly any harmful emissions.

The plant building covers an area of ~ 50,000 sq.m. It was designed by NKK & Daiken Design and took about six years to build in March 2001, at a cost of about Yen 62.6 billion. Its three furnaces have a combined processing capacity of 1,200t/day, and if you thought that this was rather lavish for a city of just 3.5 million, just remember that this just one of the four inceineration facilities in Yokohama!

The other four plants are at Hodogaya, Tsuzuki, Tsurumi and Asahi. But the Kanazawa facility is the latest one equipped with a high temperature and pressure boiler (for pollution control and effective use of residual heat) and an ash fusion-furnace which produces a slag used as base material for road construction.

Another amazing thing is that the whole facility has been designed with public-relations in mind. The main entrance leads to an exhibition area where simple models (made from discarded bottles and boxes) are used to explain the plant operations to kids; a visitor's gallery runs around the perimeter of the building providing a bird's eye-view of all but the most hazardous operations.

However, there were many things I just could not understand, and on top of this list was the question of operating costs.

According to the guide, the annual budget for this plant is Yen 43 billion but it receives an income of only Yen 2 billion/year from electricity sales (Another official stated that last year's income from electricity sales was Yen 700 million with units sold at Yen 13/kW). The cost of garbage collection, processing and disposal was given as Yen 50,000/tonne...somehow things just don't seem to add up.

I guess its not easy to get a clear picture from a two-hour conducted tour. However, it does seem to be fairly obvious that this impressive, show-piece facility is viable only because of government subsidies.
 

Main control-room

Dumping area

Geographical Indications & Trade Marks

Prof. Jean-Pierre Boutonnet from INRA-France recently delivered a guest lecture at Tsukuba University, titled - `Value Building from Local resources or market segmentation: the role of geographical indicators for food products in France`.

Having read something about Geographical Indications (GI) in the context of Basmati rice, I had always assumed that the whole concept was based on solid scientific foundations. It now turns out that it is just a ruse; a legal construct to  protect the interests of producers in rich countries.

The WTO defines GI as indications which identify a good (food, handicraft, etc.,) which has a given quality, reputation or other characteristic essentially attributable to its geographical origin (art.22.1 TRIPS). The crux of this definition is "characteristic essentially attributable" which seems more and more dubious as you look closer...Nobody really seems to know how or on what basis the quality of a product can be attributed to its geographical origin. This dilemma can be illustrated nicely with the example of Pelardon Cheese in France.

In order to encourage diverse agricultural production, and to maintain rural income and population, the EC has recently come up with a regulation (no.510/2006, 10 March 2006), which elaborates GI into two categories -

1. PDO - Protected Designation of Origin, which covers agricultural products nd foodstuffs which are produced, processed and packed at a given location using recognised know-how; and
2. PGI - Protected Geographical Indication, which covers the same products where at least one stage of the production, processing or preparation takes places in a given area.

And then you have the notion of a `Terroir` - a defined boundary within which a community generates and accumulated along its history, a collective production know-how based on a system of interaction between bio-physical and human factors.

Pelardon is goat-cheese made in the terroir's of Southern France. In the PDO area, there are 300 goat-keepers who produce about 1100 tonnes of goat-cheese annually. Of the 300 farmers, 260 make their own cheese while the remaining 40 sell the milk to dairy farms. Since PDO certification requires membership fees, as well as compliance to rules and inspections, less than half the farmers (110) are allowed to market their product as Pelardon.

At the local level, there is obviously no difference in taste since nobody is willing to pay extra for goat-cheese marked as Pelardon. But at the regional and national level, the same product commands a premium because only the members can call their goat-cheese Pelardon.

Other interesting examples -

• Bareges-Gavarnie Sheep Meat: From Baregeoise breed of Sheep reared by just 20 producers, at the altitude of 500 to 2800m in France
• Kobe Beef - beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
• Parma Ham - Originally the name of dry-cured ham from Parma region of Italy, it has now become a brand-name for a USA-based company. The Italians fought - and lost - the battle for the trade-mark because the US court ruled that since Palma Ham packets were clearly marked "Made in USA", customers would not be confused about its origins. 

If this is the case, why can't wine-producers in India market 'Champagne', as long as the bottles are clearly marked "Made in India"?  

The simple answer seems to be that all the definitions, rules and regulations are geared to protect the interests of a relatively small number of well organized, influential producers based in developed countries. This explains the dogged tenacity with which “Champagne” has been protected for the past 80 years.

The biggest market in the world, USA, does not recognize GIs. So Champagne is protected as a trademark (“TM”) in USA (+Japan, Australia) and as a PDO/GI product in Europe. Behind all this legal drama, one critical fact is often brushed over – that there is no conclusive scientific proof, either through “blind-tests” or through lab-analysis to prove that sparkling wine from Champagne region of France is any different from similar wines coming from vineyards in USA, Australia or even South India!

Same is the case with Café de Colombia. The company that markets this product has managed to pull the Champagne-trick for this brand of coffee as well. Coffee from Colombia – a modern political entity, not even specific geographical region – has been registered as a TM in USA and as a GI in Europe. The EU did so admittedly for “political reasons” because it did not want to give the impression that GIs are the exclusive preserve of products from developed countries.

Basmati-rice is yet another ‘third-world’ product which “unfortunately” could not “escape” being termed as a generic-name instead of getting a TM or GI, due to the “late action” from India / Pakistan.

As with many other issues, the rules-of-the-game in international trade seem to be tailored for the benefit of a rich few. Also perhaps another instance of snobbishness & hypocrisy being institutionalized to protect the farmers in rich countries.

------------------------------------------------------

LINKS / REFERENCES -

• Official PELARDON site
• Office site for Cafe de Colombia

  

Hike to Takao-san

Some pics from a short hike to Mt. Takao (599m) - a little hill 50km west of Tokyo.The hike was organized by the Tsukuba Walking & Mountaineering Club (TWMC).

`Fire-Walking`

School of Magic

Education versus Indoctrination

When does education turn into indoctrination? Can one be separated from the other?

The dictionary meaning of the two verbs seems clear enough -

ed·u·cate
/ˈɛdʒʊˌkeɪt/ Show Spelled [ej-oo-keyt] verb,-cat·ed, -cat·ing.
–verb (used with object)
1.to develop the faculties and powers of (a person) by teaching, instruction, or schooling.

in·doc·tri·nate
/ɪnˈdɒktrəˌneɪt/ Show Spelled[in-dok-truh-neyt] –verb (used with object),-nat·ed, -nat·ing.
1. to instruct in a doctrine, principle, ideology, etc., esp. to imbue with a specific partisan or biased belief or point of view.


However, one could say that definitions can be molded to fit an argument that supports your own reasoning or rhetoric. In this case too the meaning of the phrases - `to develop faculties` or `biased belief` simply depends on an individual’s point of view.

Was there a difference between the men who led the infamous `Charge of the Light Brigade`; Japanese kamikaze fighters; those who flew airplanes into the World Trade Towers (9/11) and the Jehadi’s who stormed hotels and homes in Mumbai (26/11)?

Japanese history provides a fascinating study of how myths and history can be invented, and how, within a span of a few years, an entire generation can be indoctrinated and driven over the edge like lemmings.

At one point of time during the Tokugawa period, the emperor had become such an insignificant person that he would not be recognized on the streets. Then came the Mito Critique, and thanks to the sweeping educational reforms initiated by the Meiji oligarchs, the mindset of a whole country was transformed.

By early 1900s, Japanese soldiers sincerely believed what they had been taught all through their formative years - that they were a superior race; that the rest of the Asians were sub-human who could be slaughtered and raped without batting an eyelid, and that the entire war-effort was for the glory of their God-Emperor.

Perhaps it was no different from the constructed self-belief that inspired the colonists from western Europeans (18-19 century) or the carefully calibrated rage that drives the Islamic fanatics today.

Three Documentaries

.
Three interesting documentaries.

The first two describe the fatal miscalculations that led to the end of French and British imperial/colonial aspirations in Asia and Africa respectively. The third one is about the realpolitik behind Egypt's recovery of the Sinai peninsula.


Battlefield Vietnam - Dien Bien Phu (Episode 1/6)

The Other Side of Suez, 1956 (BBC Documentary 1/3)

Yom Kippur War, 1973: The Egyptian Revenge (1/4)

Bombers from Guam

Was it really necessary to use the nuclear bombs to end WW2?

Conventional wisdom says that the allies, at one point of time, were convinced that the usual bombing would not work. So they resorted to `shock & awe` of new weaponry, and, as anticipated, the Japanese surrendered within weeks of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unconventional wisdom says that the real point of using N-weapons was to stop USSR (and communism) from steamrolling across East Asia.

The latest New Yorker has some startling numbers. It quotes the former Secretary of State, Rober McNamara as saying that the B29 bomber raids accounted for 900,000 deaths in Japanese cities in just over six months. The two nuclear bombs, on the other hand, killed `just` 140,000 in Hiroshima and 75,000 in Nagasaki (including those who succumbed to radiation poisoing later).

One year before the Japanese surrender (Aug, 1945), in the beginning in June of 1944, the Mariana`s had been invaded, in a bloody Navy, Marine and Army operation, specifically to provide the closest base within reach of Japan for the B-29s. The clearing work and construction of heavy duty airstrips began even before the islands were secure.

800 bombers were then formed into five wings and based on the islands of Saipan, Guam and Tinian. Official figures had put the devastation caused by the B-29s before Hiroshima at 65 burnt out cities, 581 destroyed factories, 158 urban square miles turned to ashes, with accompanying casualties of 310,000 dead, 412,000 wounded and more than 9 million rendered homeless.

Wonder why there is such a huge difference between the previous official US statistic of 310,000 and 900,000 - the figures disclosed by Robert McNamara in 2003.

Whatever the actual story, there seems to be some merit in Hitler`s wry comment - `The victor will never be asked if he told the truth`. 

And maybe we`ll have to wait another fifty years to know what actually happened in Saddam`s Iraq.

---------------------------------------------------
REFERENCE:

• The Guam Capers - A New Yorker stalwart exits the war (Roger Angell); The New Yorker, February 15-22, 2010, pp 78-87

China`s Official Development Assistance

Q - How much is China spending in terms of `development aid` to Asia, Africa and Latin America?

A - Nobody knows – except the Chinese politburo.

If there is one million (or billion) dollar question that worries the Bretton-Woods Institutions (IMF, WB, UN), this must be it. Worrying, because nobody except the Chinese bureaucracy really knows how much money is really going towards propping up unstable regimes in Africa; how much aid is tied to extraction of oil & minerals for the Chinese market, and how much aid is actually going for building institutions and teaching poor countries `how to fish`.

Over the past half-century, development aid had become a cozy little game for politicians in the `developed` world. Set aside a small portion of the national budget for 'helping poor countries', get them to sanction projects in sectors where your own companies are competent; ‘persuade’ them to sanction projects and contracts to these companies, and everybody does home feeling happy – except, of course, the bewildered poor in the recipient countries.

Now, when the so-called ‘developing countries’ try to play the same game, they are called `neo-colonists`.

Last month (22 Feb.), we had a rare opportunity to interact with Prof. Jiang Shixue from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences at a workshop titled, Comparative research of Chinese International Assistance to Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Here are some Q& A’s from the session:

Why is China so secretive about its aid programs?

There are two reasons for this - first of all, China continues to be a recipient of foreign aid so, for the time being, it wants to play down the numbers and keep an low profile. Secondly, it wants to avoid competitive comparison between its aid-recipients, and the diplomatic tussles that might follow.

What are the forms of Chinese Aid?

Grant Aid (free lunch), Zero or low-interest loans, technical assistance, training (over 100,000 trainees at present), disaster relief, debt relief (374 packages for 49 countries in 2007), medical aid (20,000 doctors in 65 countries), language-courses in Confucius Institutes (200 teachers in 10 countries)

According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (2008), over 2000 projects are being implemented in 160 countries worldwide.

What are the principles underlying China’s aid programmes? 

• Since 1964, Eight Principles underlie Chinese assitance to other countries - mutual benefit, no political pre-conditions, equal treatment for loal & Chinese experts, supply of quality equipment, etc.,
• From the 1980 onwards there have been some additions and amendments - there are fewer large-scale projects; Africa focus (Mao - `China was carried to UN on the back of African countries); emphasis on ‘south-south’ cooperation and in `teaching how to fish` (capacity building) rather than ‘gifting fishes’ (grant-aid)
• Countering Taiwan – Opposing Taiwan`s `dollar diplomacy` - especially in Africa and Latin America (12 or 24 countries which recognize Taiwan are in South America). Eg – In an African country China preempted Taiwan by providing ‘aid-money’ for paying salary for army personnel and a raise for its bureaucrats.
• Avoiding `Slapping own face to look fat` - avoid harming oneself by giving aid to other countries
• Not feeding the `white-eyed wolves` (reference to Vietnam which allegedly used Chinese armaments against the Chinese themselves!)

Landmark Projects?

• Public buildings in Barbados (GDP percap $12,000)
• National stadium in Bahamas (GDP pc $24000) with a capacity to seat 30,000 people (1/10 total population)
• Africa – The Tanzania-Zambia railway built using 56,000 Chinese technicians of whom 70 died.

The presentations and discussions that followed were unfortunately clouded by the mix-up between FDI and ODA.

Prof. Seifudein Adem (Binghamton Univ), in his paper, `China`s dual diplomacy in Africa and its consequences: Preliminary Assessment`, alleged that Chinese aid for the ICT sector is used by Zimbabwe to suppress information. He also noted that China is only No.4 in terms of FDI to Africa (After Singapore, India and Malaysia), and that only 3% of Chinese FDI goes to Africa - as opposed to 37% to Latin America. He pointed out that Africa suffers a huge infrastructure deficit (needs $22b) so any Chinese input gets magnified. In 2006, China provided $7b to Africa (France $11b)

Dr. Claude Sumata (University of Sussex), presented a paper titled, ‘The Challenges of Chinese-DRC Economic Cooperation: Is it a win-win partnership?`. He noted that in the Democratic Republic of Congo – one of the biggest recipients of Chinese aid - between 1980-1990 the GDP climbed by an average of 1.2% a year; from 1990-1994, it has been declining at the rate of 9.5% a year. Chinese FDI goes mainly to extractive sectors - oil and mining (Eg. In 2007, a JV Socomin signed a deal for 10mT of copper & cobalt)

At the end of the day it is the numbers that speak for themselves. China has the largest foreign exchange reserves in the world - over $ 2 trillion. A fraction of this - $ 763 billion -  is deposited with the US Treasury, and helps in propping up the budget deficit in the American economy. 

So perhaps it is only logical for the Chinese to spread around the excess cash to butress their own safety and security in a world where the only certainty is that the dominance of WW2 victors' is on the wane.

------------------------------------------------------------------

LINKS & REFERENCES 

• Yao Yang participates in The Economist debate on China´s presence in Africa, Peking University - http://en.ccer.edu.cn/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=6799
• Economist Debates - China & Africa (18 Feb 2010) - http://www.economist.com/debate/days/view/468
• Bloomberg - China's Forex Reserves Exceed $2 Trillion (20 March 2007) - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=alZgI4B1lt3s 

IN THE NEWS

• MPs clash over British aid to China (The Guardian, 12 March 2009) - http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/mar/12/mps-clash-over-uk-aid-to-china

Exploring Western Classical Music - I

The free, online version I liked the best has been hyper-linked (Max rating - *****)


Adam, A. 
Cantique de Noël "O holy night"  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLg6kXeHqQ8

Bach, C.P.E.

Sonata for Flute solo in A minor  
**  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTKtWEAyFd0


Bach, J.S.

Cello Suite No. 1 in G major 
** http://d.hatena.ne.jp/video/youtube/S6yuR8efotI

Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor 
**

Fugue in G minor "Little"  BWV 578  
**** Simone Stella - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b_zVD98_5U

Goldberg Variations
*** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7LWANJFHEs

Italian concerto 
***  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc3KqrKNNck

Mass in B minor 
**** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2uppzm7dPE&feature=related ///
`Agnus Dei`(Lamb of God) Andreas Scholl -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdLCcQixNvg

Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D 
**** Air - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkWjO8ZJcpc

St. Matthew Passion
** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_LLFfFXaUA&feature=PlayList&p=1913951DC4270E64&index=0

Toccata and Fugue in D minor
***** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o

Two-part Inventions 
*** (by a kid) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRS7zK18iws

Violin Partita no. 2 in D Minor 
** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSFNlapROwc  ///
*** Itzak Perlman - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkipsBpOkYI&feature=related

Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor
**Yehudi Menuhin - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdKWZqy1g0E&feature=related ///  ***Henryk Szeryng - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Lq1nHRp24&feature=related

Well-Tempered Clavier I 
** Glen Gould -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RjebdVKIAM

--------------------------------------------------------------

Handel`s Hallelujah Chorus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnHksDFHTQI
 

Music from the movie Requiem for a Dream By Clint Mansell -  

****http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Ma4BvMUwU&feature=related

Music for the movie - Hannibal - (Bach - Aria Goldberg Variations) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5zl9TJLsUw

Detours from Madison County

Detours from a book by Robert James Waller - The Bridges of Madison County:

Poems & Songs

THE SONG OF WANDERING AENGUS

by: W.B. Yeats

WENT out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread; 

And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout. 

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And some one called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air. 

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
...............................................................

  

Bob Dylan's song - "Girl from the North Country"
Song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWnT5-3SrsA
Lyrics - http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bobdylan/girlfromthenorthcountry.html

Hank Snow's Train Songs

Faron Young: The Shrine of St. Cecilia
Song- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1PwqQfJIgo

Lyrics - http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/f/faron_young/the_shrine_of_st_cecelia.html

(Rachel Carson, John Muir, Aldo Leopold)

Places

Bellingham, Washington

Cascades - paper Mills of Kalispell, Montana - Indian Reservations in North Dakota -- Iron Mines of Hibbing (Bob Dylan-Zimmerman's hometown)
Duluth, Minnesota
Isle au Haut and Stonington...across the Bay of Fundy to Nova Scotia
Big Sur, south of San Francisco
Mississippi River towards Iowa
Iowa - Clayton, Des Moines, Madison County, Shenandoah, Roseman Bridge
Naples, River Po, Sicily
The Green Hills of Africa - a 1935 work of nonfiction written by Ernest Hemingway

'Words & Phrases'

• The  constant chirping of those who would save me and those who would sell me.
• Lying naked where the blue whales swim.
• She wished him steaming trains that left from winter stations.
• Before I became a man, I was an arrow - a long time ago
• Somali Current, Big Hatchet Mountains, Malacca Strait
• You are what you produce.
• Thomas Wolfe - "ghost of the old eagerness"
• "In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once, and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live."
• Robert Penn Warren - "a world that seemed to be God-abandoned"

-------------------------------------------------------

LINKS

The movie - Bridges of Madison County (Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep)

Work In Progress

Under the Central Library

A new Bench

Road-repair outside Hanamasa

Lost and found!

Ubiquitous ticket/change machine

Midnight Kiosk

The Transformation of Bihar

It is wonderful to see Bihar in the news for the right reasons!

But I just don`t get it. On one hand you have Lalu Prasad Yadav who left Bihar in shambles to become a celebrated Railway Minister, and on the other, you have a former railway minister, Nitish Kumar, who picks up the pieces in Bihar and then turns it around the same state in just five years!

How did a state with a population of 82 million which was `first devastated by colonial policies that enshrined feudal landlords, then shunned by a succession of Indian governments, and finally riven and destroyed when seeds of caste and conflict matured into a small-scale civil war in the 1970s`, make such a transformation?

How did Nitish Kumar make a difference?

According to Jason Overdorf, the key steps taken by the new Chief Minister -

• focused on competence over patronag;
• broke the trend of over-centralized state powers , and delegated more financial and administrative powers to officials in the field;
• updated archaic rules that made civil engineers seek minister-level approval to spend absurdly low amounts of money;
• re-established cabinet meetings as a weekly event, where in years past the cabinet did not meet for months
• redefined the basic functions of institutions, essentially requiring offices to do the world they`d been assigned;
• ended the widespread `transfer industry`, which sold coveted bureaucratic posts to the highest bidders, and handpicked bureaucrats became known for their competence.
• to fill vacancies in the police force, he tapped trained personnel among the state`s ex-soldiers;
• he publicly supported the police after they made high-profile arrests of criminals. Those jailed included MPs (Md. Sahabuddin, Pappu Yadav, Munna Shukla) but also an MLA from his own party;
• managed to redress the state courts` abysmal conviction rate by instituting fast-track courts and working with the judiciary to focus on career criminals` most easily prosecuted offenses to ensure that they swiftly found themselves behind bars. The moves resulted in 39,000 convictions between 2006 and 2009, compared to less than 10,000 in the previous decades;
• by retooling the bureaucracy in charge of implementing state projects, Kumar has been able to boost spending on government programs. Bihar`s outlays...rose from $320 million in 2001 to $3.5b last year, significantly outpacing the growth in central government funding in for Bihar;
• added more than 100,000 teachers added in primary schools; better oversight of doctors and staff working at rural health centers. Primary-care centers that used to see 30 patients a month now see 3,600 - because people have a reasonable expectation that the doctors have shown up for work.

 So, despite the economic crisis and three years of droughts and floods, Bihar posted 11% average economic growth over Kumar`s five years in office, making it the second fastest growing state in India (after Gujarat), and the second-hottest-growing major economy in the world after China. In what was impassable badlands, the administration laid 6,800km of roads, built 1,600 bridges and culverts and cut journey time in half in many areas. Car sales eclipsed kidnappings, as crimes by roving bandits fell steadily from 1,297 to 640 and kidnappings for ranson fell from 411 to 66 between 2004 and 2008...the number of foreign tourists shot up from 95,000 to 356,000 over the past two years.

This is nothing short of astounding!

I am now curious to know how he `retooled the bureaucracy` and from where he managed not only all the extra funds but also the right kind of people to manage it...

------------------------------------------------------

Reference / Links

Overdorf, Jason (2010), From Worst to the Near First - how India`a most desperate state transformed itself to become a model for the rest of the country, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2010
http://jasonoverdorf.blogspot.com/2010/02/from-worst-to-near-first.html

Goyal, Malini (2010), Bihar Rising From the Shadows, Forbes-India, 20 March 2010 - http://ibnlive.in.com/news/forbes-india-bihar-rising-from-the-shadows/111767-3-single.html

Germans in Mao's Long March

In March 1929, in one of the greatest tactical retreats in human history, about 87,000 Red Army soldiers led by Mao, trekked from southern Chinese province of Jiangxi to Yanan (Hunan), and then again to Shaanxi province located along the Great Wall in north China. They trekked over 9000 km in 368 days, across some of the toughest terrains in Asia!

The purpose of this desperate journey was to escape being slaughtered by Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek`s Goumintang Army.

I was surprised to know today that there were two Germans who played a decisive role in this epic journey - at a time when both the Chiang and Mao had common cause on the expulsion of all the imperial powers who have carved the whole of China into their own "spheres of influence". One was an army General Hans von Seeckt, adviser to Chiang Kai-shek and the other, Otto Braun,  a seasoned communist partner-in-arms to Mao Tse-tung!

General Seeckt advised Chiang Kai-shek not to launch a full frontal attack on Jiangxi, where 500,000 had surrounded the area in an attempt to strangulate the Communists. Seeckt wanted a war of attrition but with minimal contact with the Communists as Seeckt wanted to starve them out rather engage in combat with them.

Otto Braun (aka Le De) at first went against Mao`s advise and launched full frontal attacks against the Goumindang. When this ended in failure Mao then wanted a breakout by the Red Army followed by an attack on the Goumindang rear but Otto again overruled him and ordered a full-scale retreat from Jiangxi to Hunan in October 1934. At one point of time Otto Braun had Mao expelled from the communist party committee!

The Red Army started to Long March carrying whatever it could. 87,000 soldiers started the retreat carrying such items as typewriters, furniture, printing presses etc. They also took with them 33,000 guns and nearly 2 million ammunition cartridges. It took the Red Army 40 days to get through the blockhouses surrounding Jiangxi but no sooner had they done this than they were attacked at Xiang by the Guomindang. In the Battle of Xiang, the Red Army lost 45,000 men - over 50% of their fighting force.

After the Battle of Xiang, Braun was blamed for these failings but the damage had been done. In January 1935, control of the Red Army was handed over to Mao and Braun was suspended. back in control of the Red Army, Mao adopted new tactics. He divided the army into small bands and moved in completely unpredictable patterns that made it very difficult for Chiang`s army to track them...

-----------------------------------------------------------------
REFERENCE -

Walsh, Billie K. (1974), The German Military Mission in China, 1928-38, The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 46, No.3 (Sep. 1974) pp.502-513, The University of Chicago Press

Xiang, Ah (), Battle of Xuzhou & Chiang Kai-shek`s Stepdown - http://www.republicanchina.org/BattleOfXuzhou-v0.pdf


LINKS -

• Long March - Route Map
• Otto Braun / Li De
• General Seeckt

Snowflakes

How does one capture the beauty of falling snowflakes?

If you set the shutter-speed too fast the snowflakes become wierd speks; if you set it too slow they come out as white lines lashing across theframe. During daytime its too bright for a large aperture and at night, just the opposite!

I've been scouring the net for hints...here is a suggestion from photo.net that made some sense -

One way to do it is to use a long lens so there is more falling snow between you and the background (preferably a dark forest, rock face etc). At something like 200 to 400mm and f/5.6, focus slightly in front of the background. A relatively fast shutter speed to freeze the snowflakes. The softly OOF background and snowflakes away from the plane of focus set the mood. Include a deer as a foreground interest and you`re set :D

But what is an OOF background?

----------------------------------------------------------------

LINKS: 

• How to Capture Snow Falling in Picture? (Discussion - Photo.net) - http://photo.net/beginner-photography-questions-forum/00VgHR?unified_p=1
• Snowfall photography - http://snowflakebentley.com/
• Photographing Falling Snowflakes - (Discussion Photo.net) - http://photo.net/nature-photography-forum/00K7az

In A Few Hours

Tsukuba University, one winter morning.

12:30 AM

08:30 AM

10:30 AM

Bowing in Degrees

As the Toyota recalls mount to epidemic proportions, apologies are flying thick and fast. Bowing to say sorry has its own geometry...here is an excerpt from the Times -

The important thing to remember about the Japanese bow is that, when it comes to saying sorry, there are several contortions.

Degree and length of hold are the key measures: the theatre is important here, not the actual regret.

There is the momentarily-held 10-degrees (gosh, was that your toe I trod on?), the briefly-held 25-degrees (sorry, we’ve run out of tuna) the 2-second, 45 degrees (I know you’re the Best Man, but the flight is cancelled) the 5-second 45 degrees (I've just backed over your dog, boss), the 20-second 90 degrees (our widget blinds kids) and the “dogeza” kneel on the floor (evacuate your village, the plant is exploding).


-----------------------------------------------------------

Links / References -

• TimesOnline - Bow to say Sorry? You will be - 4 Feb 2010
• The Economist AudioGuide - Doing Business in Tokyo - 10 Feb 2010

International Population Movements

`Intensive seminar` sessions are seldom appealing -- especially if they are held for six consecutive sessions across two weekends!

This topic seemed interesting though, so I had planned to sit through a couple of sessions and then quit. But one intriguing topic led to another and I ended participating in the whole program. Some new perspectives -


Why do people migrate?

Theories
1. `Push-Pull Theories (aka neoclassical economic equilibrium perspective) - Formulated by Ravenstein (1885), this general theory is about the tendency of people to move from densely to sparsely populated areas; from low- to high-income areas.
However, it is not the poorest who usually decide to migrate, and it ignores the role of th state. So an alternate explanation was the -
2.  Historical-Structural Approach - stresses unequal distribution of economic and political power in the world economy, and says that migration was just a way of mobilizing cheap labor for capital. Here too there is an over-emphasis on the interests of capital, so the third explanation is a combination of the the first two -
3. Migration Systems Theory - this approach examines both sides of the flow and studies all the linkages between the places concerned - international relations, political economy, collective action and institutional factors. It sees migration is interdisciplinary phenomena, involving - sociology, political science, history, economics, geography, demography, psychology & law.

Tatemae and Honne

Inviting Japanese-American Migrants
Tatemae - `we want our people back`
Honne - `we`re facing serious labor shortages in the manufacturing sector`

Technical Trainees
Tatemae - `we want to contribute to international development by training Asians`
Honne - `we need cheap labor, so lets call them trainees and use them as regular factory hands`


Historical Time-line of Migrations in East Asia

• 4c - 3c B.C: Introduction of rice production; use of bronze and iron tools (yayoi culture)
• 1c - 3c A.D: Wa Japan sends missions to Korean peninsula
• 5c: In Korean peninsula, Kogryo`s oppression on Baekje; Large-scale migration of the Baejke to the Japanese archipelago
• 7c: Fall of Baekje and Kogryo; both royal families seek refuge in Japan
• 9c: Japanese missions to China discontinues with the decline of the Tang dynasty
• 10c: Trade with the Sung dynasty, China
• 15c: Trade with the Ming dynasty
• 1543: A Chinese ship with Portuguese on board arrives Tanegashima island (south of Kyushu). Trade with Portuguese begins, and also with Spain (50 years later from Hirado)
• 1600: Trade with Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English at the beginning of the Tokugawa Shogunate
• 1613: Ban on Christianity
• 1635: `Closed Door` policy starts (`Sakoku` - chained country)

Inter WW Period

• 1868: Immigrants to Japan from Europe, USA (introduced new technology, like the Koreans did in 7c) and China (workers)
• 1876 - early 1900s: Emigration from Japan to Asia and the Americas
• 1910: Annexation of Korea; immigration from Korea begins
• 1924: USA bans immigrants from Japan (`foreigners taking US jobs`)
• 1932: Emigration to Manchuria begins - rises to 2m
• 1945: More than 2m Koreans `registered` in Japan
• 1945-1955: Repatriation of Japanese civilians (3.5m); military personnel (3m) -- total population of Japan at the time - 72m; 1.4m Koreans return

Cold-War Years

• 1945: International isolation
• 1950s: Emigration resumes (discontinued in 1960s)
• 1960s-70s: High economic growth in Japan - large scale movement of rural population (8-10m) to urban centers on the East coast; Primary sector workforce - 48% in 1948, down to 10% in 1980.
• Late 1970s: Migrant women from the Philippines
• Late 1980s: Number of male migrant workers increases; With the revision of Immigration Control Act in 1989, Japanese Brazilians begin to arrive
• Late 1990s: Aging population and declining birth-rate starts hitting the economy.

Links / References
----------------------------------------

Castles, Stephen and Miller Mark J (1998), The Age of Migration - International Population Movements in the Modern World (Macmillian Press, London)

Indian Driving License in Japan

Q - Is an International Driving License (IDL) issued in India, valid in Japan?

A - Technically, maybe. Practically, no.

For the past one year, I have been using the IDL issued by RTO Delhi because Japan is clearly listed among the countries where the document is supposed to be valid, as per bilateral agreements. Since the document is valid only for one year, I went last week to the Unten-Menkyo (Driving Licence) office at Mito, to get it `converted`, as per the local requirements.

As per the rules, you are required to submit, along with the application form -

1. Driving License
2. International Driving License
3. Japanese translation of DL (either by Japan Automobile Federation or by the Indian Embassy)
4. Alien Registration Card
5. Photos (2)
6. Processing Stamp-fees (Yen 2400)

My driving license had been issued by RTO (Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi, 1994), and my IDL (Black booklet, RTO Delhi, valid till 22 Feb. 2010) was issued by the same office in March 2009.  When I contacted the Indian Embassy for the translation they said, `You bring a translation and we`ll attest the document`.  Sure enough, when I submitted my documents on 5 Feb. 2010, they examined the originals, found it in order, and attested the translation (Charge - Yen 1400).

The next day, regrettably, my application was rejected. What was surprising, however, by the reasons given by the officer at Mito for doing so -

1. The International Driving License issued in Delhi does not conform to the `Geneva` format. Hence it is not recognized in Japan;
2. The Delhi driving license does not specify the date of issue.
3. The Delhi driving license is not in a format recognized by Japanese authorities.

The IDL issued by Government of India clearly specifies that the document is valid in Japan. If the Japanese authorities do not share this understanding you may have a situation where Indian citizens using Indian IDL`s are being penalized or harassed for using what they think is a valid document.

I had conveyed this concern by email to the Indian Embassy in Tokyo (embassy@indembjp.org, comsec@indembjp.org, fspic@indembjp.org), but there has been no acknowledgment or response from their side. I guess they are all too busy finalizing the FTAs to bother about such mundane issues.

So if you're planning to get an Indian driving license "converted" in Japan, please make sure it is a new one.  And don`t expect any help from the Indian Embassy in Tokyo.

With Rosseau to Tokyo

Last week I suddenly realized that my indispensable travel companion - my Delhi driving license - was expiring on 22  February 2010.

I had got it from the RTO office at Sarai Kale Khan in the winter of 1994, with the help of Negi Driving School in Lodi Colony. Since the time it came out nice and warm from the laminating machine, it had, over the years, survived numerous monsoons, a few traffic-policemen, as well as one metropolitan magistrate at Patiala Courts named Ms. Bhatnagar. She had fined me Rs.200 on the charges of `driving with a helmet-less pillion-rider`...

These days I just ride an old, yellow bicycle at Tsukuba University, and its been over ten months since I stopped commuting on a motorbike or a car, but the thought of NOT having a valid driving license had propelled me into the world of the Unten-Menkyo-Senta (License Bureau). Since its a lot harder to make a fresh license, I`d been collecting the documents required for the formalities here - passport, original driving license (Indian & international), and - the most cumbersome of all - a Japanese translation of the foreign license, duly attested by the national embassy in Tokyo. So this was the purpose of my first ever visit of an Indian embassy, anywhere in the world.

It is difficult to travel without book, and the book I picked this time was "Jean Jacques Rousseau - his education theories selected from Emile, Julie and Other Writings". Quite a mouthful...but I had not intended to pick such a 'heavy' sounding book but it was the only unread, small book available on the shelf. It once belonged to a much-respected former professor of Tsukuba University, whose family gifted away his entire book-collection after he passed away last year from a sudden illness. On the last page a hurried hand had noted more than 30 years ago - "'75 July 6 in New York - Tadashi Yamada".

As the 7:45 AM JR-bus rolled out of the campus, the morning sun was casting its long shadows on patches of dried grass, snow and ice. I started with the biographical note -

...born in Geneva to a French father and a Swiss mother who died when he was a week old. Rosseau was reared by his father, and eccentric and sentimental watchmaker. his father taught his to read but did not train him in the conventional habits and attitudes of normal life. Thus, he stole, lied, played dirty tricks, was indolent, ill bred and unprincipled...several years later... he failed as a clerk, was apprenticed to an engraver but ran away at sixteen and became a vagabond...

Memories of an old NCERT textbook floated up...`Voltaire-Rosseau-Montesquieu` and the French Revolution. Didn`t these guys pour something into that cauldron of ideas ideas on liberty and fraternity that swept away the monarchy in France and led to the rise of a Corsican artillery lieutenant named Napoleon Bonaparte? But how did a vagabond become an ideologue? The book, unfortunately, did not elaborate.

...In 1741 he went to Paris...lived with Therese Lavassuer who bore him five children. His genius awakened in a flash in October 1749. he wrote the prize essay, Discourse on the Arts and Sciences. This was followed by What Is the Cause of Inequality Among Men?...His life was a psychological puzzle - highly emotional, erratic, a creative genius, a man of reprobate and perverted nature, an idealist, passionately devoted to the downtrodden and liberty...

Our bus now turned into the Joban Expressway and sped past empty fields, woodlands and the occasional golf-course. Mt. Fuji appeared like an apparition on the horizon, its crest lit by the morning sun but the view was soon blocked out by tunnels that appeared at Nagareyama, and then by the sound-barriers and trucks speeding towards Tokyo.



Struggling to keep the book away from the bright sunlight, I read about the theory of social development; about the Natural Man, the Savage Man and the Civilized Man -

...the original man just wants to avoid pain & death and wants to satisfy his physical needs for food, a mate and rest. He is motivated by the impulse for self-preservation (amour-de-soi)...with reason he becomes more than an animal and develops speech, family-life and simple arts...later imagination brings more desires and he creates civilization...however, primitive self-love gives way to a calculated and ambitious love of self (amour-propre), which leads to all the evils of society and leads to degradation and inequality...



The bus got stuck and then re-emerged from the traffic-jams around Tokyo. By now it seemed that we are all, in a distant way,  by-products of Rosseau`s imagination. Education reformers were inspired by his `practical` approach. Froebel had taken his principle of following child`s nature (or instincts) and worked it out into the Kindergarten method.



The book was set aside aside as soon as we reached Tokyo station. The embassy was open only from 9:00 to 11:00 and it was already 9:50! Walking quickly out of the JR-Marunouchi gate I rushed towards the Otemachi Tokyo-Metro station. The entrance was only few blocks away, but once underground you had to walk about 350 meters to get to the right platform for the purple-color-coded Hanzomon Line. Luckily the connection came just in time and I was soon hurrying up from Kudanshita (`nine-steps-below`!) to the embassy.



I was there by 10:15 - well in time to get the work done, so I took some time to look around.

It was an unexceptional, glass-fronted building with long, high sliding gates. Near the entrance, a stone plaque said that it had been inaugurated less than a year ago (March 2009) by the current ambassador H.K. Singh; the architect was one Hiroshi Miyazaki; the consultants, Plants Associates and it had been constructed by Shimizu Corp. The first thing you noticed on this plaque was that it had a strange little piece of paper stuck on it - a closer look and it turned out to be a photocopy of the national emblem!!

Satyameva Jayate and Emperor Asoka's lion-crest fluttering in the Tokyo breeze. Welcome back, I said to  myself, to the world of chalta-hai, afterthoughts and ad-hocism.

Inside, at the consular counters, there were screens for the token numbers but the equipment itself had been hastily covered with an A4 sheet. A closer look revealed a note scrawled with a 0.5 ballpoint pen - "Not working, pls take token from tray". I wondered how difficult it might have been to take a simple, bilingual computer print-out, but then nobody was asking for the tokens anyway.

Am I nitpicking? Or perhaps I am looking from the other side of the fence. In any case, these are small acts of sloppiness that give bigger insights on what a visitor to India can expect from the government machinery.

The ladies at the counter were efficient. I handed in my Japanese translation of the Delhi driving license and waited. The hall had a bright, colorful M.F Hussain painting, a large flat-screen showcasing Manipuri classical dance and a nifty water-dispenser.



My papers came back in a few minutes with the seal and signatures of the consular officer-in-charge, and a neatly printed bilingual bill for Yen 1400. I wanted to ask why they were charging such a high fee for just an attestation (grumble, grumble) but I held my horses, collected the docs and walked out.

Across the gnarled old cherry trees of Chidori-Ga-Fuchi ("1000-bird's pool"), Kintanomaru Park was a nice place for a stroll. It would have been a nice place to settle down for the rest of the day with Rosseau. But I had to get back to the university quickly.



A brisk walk down the Yasukuni Road took me past the second-hand book stalls of Kanda (the Daryaganj or Tokyo!), some crumbling old buildings at Jimbocho and many colorful garment shops along Awajicho,  to the JR station at Akihabara.

Here I hopped on to the next available TX to Tsukuba and took out Rosseau once again...and promptly nodded off to sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Links -

• JR Tokyo Subway Map
• Embassy of India in Japan

Dhak-dhak, Doki-doki, Tun-tun

Dhak-dhak, doki-doki, tun-tun...these words may sound strange and funny but they all have one thing in common -- they describe the heartbeat in different languages!

In North India your heart beat is `dhak-dhak` while in Japan it goes `doki-doki` but to a Latino it is `tun-tun`. 

In English there is a world borrowed (or created) from Greek to classify these colorful `words that imitates the sounds they describe' - Onomatopoeia

Here is an attempt to collect such words in as many languages as possible.  :-)

CHINESE (Mandarin)
Pen-ti: Sneeze


CROATIAN
Kinhuti - Sneeze
Stucati - Hiccup


BENGALI
Haai - Yawn
Tapur-tupur - Sound of rainfall

ENGLISH
Bow-wow - Dog bark
Meaow - A cat`s cry
Ululation -  Howl, wail, lament, felicitation (during a marriage in Kerala)
Achoo (sneeze), Bang, Baloon, Beep, Burp, Buzz, Click, Cough, Crash, Cuckoo, Fart, Fizz, Hiccup, Hiss, Rip, Pop, Snore, Tinkle, Wink

HINDI
Dhak-dhak (धक्-धक्)  - heartbeat
Fatfatia (फटफटिया) - a noisy Auto-rickshaw (3-wheeler taxi) - "tuk-tuk" in Thai
Gubbara (गुब्बारा) - Baloon
Hichki (हिचकी) - Hiccup
Jhatpat (झटपट) - Hasty action
Kharratte (खर्राटे) - Snore
Khusur-fusur (खुसुर-फुसुर)- Whisper
Paad (पाद) - Fart
Teetar (तीतर) - Partridge-bird
Thappad (थप्पड़) - Slap

JAPANESE
Bishi-bishi (びしびし) -  stickily; relentlessly
Bisho-bisho (びしょびしょ) - scattering of drops, pieces
Bura-bura (ぶらぶら) - aimlessly; idly; loiter; loaf; stroll idly;
Chaku-chaku (ちゃくちゃく /  着着 )- Steadily
Chika-chika (ちかちか）- Flickering light
Choki-choki (ちょきーちょき）- Snipping, cutting sound
Dan-dan - (段々) gradually; by degrees
Giri-giri (ギリギリ) - Barely, Just-in-time
Goku-goku  (ごくごく) - Gulp-gulp [same reading - 極極 = extremely, highly)
Goro-goro (ごろごろ）- laze about,sound of an upset stomach!
Fura-fura (ふらふら)- unsteady on one's feet; stagger; reel; totter; dizzy
Haki-haki  (はきはき) - briskly; smartly; promptly; clearly; lucidly
Hiso-hiso (ひそひそ) - speak in a whisper
Jiro-jiro (じろじろ) - To stare
Kira-kira (きらきら) - Glitter & sparkle
Kune-kune (くねくね) ー　Circuitous
Kuyo-kuyo - Worry, fret over
Kori-kori (凝り; こり) - lingering discomfort; uneasiness; bad aftertaste; unpleasant feeling
Mago-mago (まごまご) - Confused
Moko-moko (もこもこ) - lumpy; fluffy
Nazo-nazo (なぞなぞ） - Riddle
Nya-nya (にゃにゃ） - Cat`s cry
Pachi-pachi (パチパチ ) - Clap, sputter
Pera-pera （ぺらぺら）- Fluency in a language
Pika-pika (ぴかぴか） - Gleaming (eg. car)
Ponyo-Ponyo (ポニョポニョ）－ Chubby
Potsu-potsu (ぽつぽつ)- Speckle, pimples
Shimi-jimi (しみじみ) -  《 染み染み》 - Earnestly; keenly; fully; heartily; seriously
Shuku-shuku (しゅくしゅく / 粛粛) - Silently, solemnly
Toro-toro (とろとろ)　- Simmer, stew
Uta-kata (うたかた） - Bubble
Wan-wan (わんわん）- Dog`s bark in Japan (!)
Zaa-zaa (ざあざあ）- Sound of rainfall


MALAYALAM
Addi (അട്ടി) - Hit, slap
Kaakaa (കാകാ) - Crow  (Ditto in Tamil)
Korava (കൊറവ ) - Crowing, Ululation
Koorkam ( കൂര്കം) - Snore
Kushu (കുശു) - Fart
Piri-pirippu (പിരിപിരിപ്പ് )- Fidgetty
Thummal (തുമ്മല്‍ ) - Sneeze
Thulli (തുള്ളി ) - Drop (water, dew)
Umma (ഉമ്മ) - Kiss

ROMANIAN (without the right intonation marks :(  )
Bum-Bum - Heartbeat
Casca - Yawn
Ham-Ham - Dogs-bark
Miau - Cat's cry
Part / Basi - Fart
Sforai- Snore
Stranut- Sneeze
Sughit - Hiccup
Tusi - Cough

SPANISH
Beso ("muak")- Kiss
Gota - Drop
Guau-Guau - Dog bark
Hipo ("hip-hip") - Hiccup
Maulido ("mau-mau") - Cat's cry
Pedo - Fart ............... (Indo-European root?)
Tonwar (v) - Snore
Tos (col.) - Cough
Tun-tun - Sound of heartbeat

SWAHILI
Beua - Burp
Busu - Kiss
Bweka - Dog-bark
Chafya - Sneeze
Jamba - Fart
Koroma - Snore.......(similar to the Malayalam word!)
Kohowa - Cough
Kwi-kwi - Hiccup
Miyao - Yawn  :)
Nyau - Cat's cry




--------------------------------------------------------
Reference & Links -

• Onomatopoeia at Reference.com - http://www.search.com/reference/Onomatopoeia
• http://coolslang.com/in/Japan/PeraPera.php
• http://www.lint.co.jp/e+/fun/onomatopoeia/onomatopoeia.htm

Snowfall at Tsukuba University

The morning after the first overnight snowfall at the University of Tsukuba, this winter...

Unravelling of the "World Order"

Interesting observations by Nader Mousavizadeh, a UN official, on the shifting sands of international politics:

Rouge States - the word became popular in the 1980s, mainly in the USA, to describe minor dictatorships, threatening the Cold War order...It assumed the existence of an international community, united behind supposedly universal Western values and interests, that could agree on who the renegades were and how to deal with them.

...By the late 1990s this community was already dissolving, with the rise of China, with the revival of Russia, and the emergence of India, Brazil and Turkey as real powers, all with their own interests and values. Today it`s clear that the `international community` defined by Western values is a fiction, and that for many states the term `rouge` might just as well apply to the United States as to the renegades it seeks to isolate.

...Today countries large and small, well behaved or not, are looking for partners not patrons. Where Washington looks to punish rouges, seeking immediate changes in behavior, rival powers are stepping in with investment and defense contracts, and offering a relationship based on dignity and respect. This is the story of China in Burma, Russia in Iran, Brazil in Cuba, and so on down the line. And given that the core institutions of global governance - the UN Security Council, the World Bank and the IMF - are unwilling to grant the new powers a seat in the decision-making table, it is not surprising that they feel no obligation to back sanctions they`ve had no say in formulating...

How effective have been the so called "core institutions of global governance" in maintaining world order?






----------------------------------------------------------------
LINKS -

Mousavizadeh, Nader (2009), End of the Rouge - The world that created `Rouge States` is gone, and the sooner Washington realizes it, the better (Newsweek, 8 Feb., 2010) http://www.newsweek.com/id/232796