Rice Trade & Japan

Strange are the ways of world trade…Japan buys expensive rice from America and then uses it as animal feed. In today’s BusinessLine, the following caption accompanied the photo of a man examining grain samples::

The Japanese Government is "favorably" considering a request to sell 200,000 tonnes of rice to the Phillippines. The rice will come from stocks that Japan imported reluctantly from other countries under an agreement to provide minimum international access to its rice market every year. This has led to softening of prices a little.

Japan’s economy depends heavily on international trade, which is very often skewed in its favor. So other countries try to balance their trade by 'encouraging' Japan to buy products from them.

A couple of decades ago France was so upset with the huge number of Japanese VCR’s, TVs and electronic equipment being imported that they threatened to raise tariff barriers. Japan conceded that it had to import something in return from France and agreed to import wine. The Japanese were not too fond of wine but, over the years, they have developed a taste for it – much to relief of trade negotiators from both countries.

Similarly, the Americans forced Japan to import Californian rice. Unlike wine, the Japanese have not been able to cultivate a taste for foreign rice. They have a strong preference for locally cultivated “sticky” rice, and they don’t care much for the long-grained, fragrant rice that the rest of the world consumes.

NK tells me that even amongst sticky rice, there is a hierarchy in Japan. Brands like Sasanishiki and Koshihikari command a premium of over Yen 600/kg (~Rs. 200/kg) depending on the prefecture in which it is grown. The same variety from Thailand or Nepal sells at a discount of Yen 300/kg and Yen 200/kg respectively. What about the American rice? “Oh, nobody in Japan wants it. The sembei (rice-cracker) manufacturers buy some of it; some goes as animal feed, but huge quantities just lie unused.”

In 2006, Japan produced about 10mT of rice most of which was consumed domestically. Even though other countries produce much more - China (182mT), India (136mT), Thailand (29mT) and Myanmar (25mT) – but Japan has one of the highest per rice consumption at over 60 kg/year.

According to reports, about 1.5 million tones of American rice are idling in Japanese silos, thanks to a “complex and wasteful lattice of rules, subsidies and pacts that have knocked global agriculture markets so badly out of kilter”. Compared to the total world rice production of 646mT (2007, IRRI) this may look like a small figure but only 6% or about 38mT traded internationally. This year it is a lot lesser – a crisis that has been worsened by the cyclone in Myanmar, which has turned it from a rice exporter to a net importer.

Everybody is looking for ways to increase supplies, and suddenly, everybody wants a slice of the 1.5mT of rice rotting in Japan...

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Interesting Links from International Rice Research Institute:

• Japan Rice Brief
  
• World rice production till 2006

• International market and rice policies of the main exporters and importers
  

Palika Bazar - The Shrinking Grey-Market

Three years after I purchased my first digital camera from Palika Bazaar in Delhi, I returned last week to look for an exchange. The bazaar had changed – the number of shops selling cameras had shrunk – they now preferred selling DVDs or MP3 players instead. Now only a handful of shops sold “grey-market” digicams and that too at a discount to MRP that had shrunk substantially.

When I was working in the Connaught Place area, Palika Bazaar used to be a regular haunt. I liked to walk in the underground maze, past aggressive salesmen peddling leather belts, fake Ray-Ban glasses and pirated videos,. But I never got around to buying anything electronic. I couldn’t bear losing money over equipment that was not covered by any warranty.

Then came DelhiBird and its numerous recommendations for Nikon equipment from Shop no.269 – Alpha Photos. The salesman here had a compelling argument against warranty papers, “You get only limited warranties for electronic goods. If you buy a camera with bill and warrany and if, god forbid, the camera drops from your hand, it is as good as gone – the warranty is useless…the equipment is not worth repairing anyway”. He had a point. I overcame my jitters and picked up a Nikon Coolpix 5600 for Rs.8500. The same model was selling for Rs.15,000+ at the photo studio’s in CP and Khan Market.

It turned out to be a pretty good bargain.I used it quite intensely for three years, shooting over 6000 pics, in all kinds of situations. It survived trekking trips, marriage functions, boat rides and unkind handling in Jakarta, Bangkok and Japan. I loved the way it fit into my pockets; the ease with which you could charge and replace the batteries (normal AA) and the hundreds of memorable prints that came out of it.

All these years I had been using only a SLR (Nikon F-65) and a point & shoot (Kodak Kroma), both used wet films which had become expensive to process. So it was an amazing convenience to have a digicam in which you could check photo immediately after clicking, rather than wait for the studio to give you the thumb prints.

Even though the Coolpix-5600 become obsolete within an year of purchase, I still could not part with it for better models with bigger LCD, higher megapixels and much more sophisticated CCDs. All was well until last month, during a school reunion at Bangalore, I was using the macro function to photograph a praying-mantis when the shutter cover got jammed. I did manage to repair it with a blower but the camera could no longer focus on anything less than 30cm away.

So the search for a new digicam started. An article in NYT (reprinted in IE) had recommended Fuji Finepix 50D or Canon 850-IS. In the last three years, Nikon compact digicams has slipped far behind Canon, Panasonic and Fuji. But in Palika Bazaar, nobody stocked Finepix 50D; only one shop (CamZone, M8), had 850-IS but they were asking for Rs.16500 (with bill & warranty) in Palika Bazar. Most shopkeepers lamented that the grey-market had been steamrolled by the OEMs. Many shops had 860IS, 960IS, etc., but the starting price was still above Rs.15000.

Yesterday, we finally picked up a Canon 860-IS from …Electronic Hut (No.15, central hall) for Rs. 12,000. This was the only shop that was willing to reduce the price to Rs. 14000 and to pay .2000 for the old camera.

We loved the black and silver styling, the large LCD and the super-fast response time, but we'll miss the optical viewfinder and the ubiquitous AA batteries. Hope this one lasts like the 5600.

Deciphering Blood Test Results

For the whole of this week, Diya has been down with a strange fever. Spurts of high temperature touching 103F, stomach aches, intermittent shivering and sleepless nights. The pediatrician first suggested the usual combination of Calpol and Ibugesic, but when the fever carried on beyond a week, he told us to get the blood-tests done. Typhoid is what he suspected.

The results came in yesterday and, thankfully, typhoid has been ruled out. But the fever still lingers. While we keep our fingers crossed, hoping that this is another benign viral fever that dropped out of the crazy summer rains, I was wondering what all those blood-test acronyms actually meant...

Here is the alphabet soup, decoded and simplified:

PCV / HCT / EVF
Packed cell volume (PCV) or hematocrit (Ht or HCT) or erythrocyte volume fraction (EVF) is the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells. It is normally about 46% for men and 38% for women.

TLC
Leukocyte Count. Leukocytes are commonly called white blood cells, which are the workhorses of the immune system. They defend the body from infection and foreign material. Low leukocyte counts indicate that your immune system is not functioning optimally and that you may be more susceptible to infection.

DLCDifferential Leukocyte Count. This test measures the composition of each type of White blood cells (leucocytes) that come in assorted shapes and sizes:

1. Polymorphs ('Poly'=many, 'morphs'=shapes) aka Neutrophils ('neutro' = neutral, 'phil' = loving) because they are neither acidic nor alkaline. Normal range - 40% to 80%.
2. Lymphocytes ('lympho' = lymph, 'cytes' = cells) are the cells that have the ability to recognise foreigners in the blood. A false alarm sent out by lymphocytes is called an allergic reaction. Normal range - 20% to 40%.
3. Eosoinophils ('Eosin' = the name of a red dye, 'phil' = loving) contain poisonous chemicals (toxins) for destroying parasites. Cause a false alarm in Asthma and Eosinophilia. Normal range - 0 to 3% of whitle blood cells.Normal range - 1% to 6%.
4. Monocytes ('mono' = single, 'cytes' = cells) These single-blob cells break up foreign particles and substances for the lymphocytes, which can then handle the recognition of the small fragments. Normal range - 2% to 10%.
5. Basophils ('baso' = alkali, 'phil' = loving) release histamine when such an allergic reaction happens, resulting in the dialation (widening) of cappillaries.

Platelet Count
Blood platelets, ('little plates') are some of the tiniest components of blood, vital for clotting of the blood and protection from bleeding. Normal range - 0.15 tp 0.4 million/Cu.mm

ESR Westergren's
ESR stands for Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate which measures the extent of inflamation in the body. Anaemia, TB and cancer are known to spike ESR readings. Normal range - 3 to 13 mm/hour for children and for adult males below 15mm/hr and women, below 20mm/hr.
Westergren's is method for estimating the sedimentation rate of red blood cells in whole blood by mixing venous blood with an aqueous solution of sodium citrate and allowing the mixture to stand in an upright standard pipet and, after one hour, reading the millimeters the cells have descended.

RBC Count
Number of Red Blood Copuscles (RBC) RBCs contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen. How much oxygen your body tissues get depends on how many RBCs you have and how well they work. Normal count - Male: 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per microliter (cells/mcL); Female: 4.2 to 5.4 million cells/mcL

Haemoglobin Count
Measures the amount of oxygen-carrying protien in blood.
The normal haemoglobin count is 12-16 grams of haemoglobin per deciliter of blood in females and 14-18 grams of haemoglobin per deciliter of blood in males

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
Measures the average size of your RBCs. The MCV is elevated when your RBCs are larger than normal (macrocytic), for example in anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. When the MCV is decreased, your RBCs are smaller than normal (microcytic) as is seen in iron deficiency anemia or thalassemias.

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH)
Measures the average amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin inside a red blood cell.

Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)
A calculation of the average concentration of hemoglobin inside a red cell. Decreased MCHC values (hypochromia) are seen in conditions where the hemoglobin is abnormally diluted inside the red cells, such as in iron deficiency anemia and in thalassemia. Increased MCHC values (hyperchromia) are seen in conditions where the hemoglobin is abnormally concentrated inside the red cells, such as in burn patients and hereditary spherocytosis, a relatively rare congenital disorder.

Red cell distribution width (RDW)
A calculation of the variation in the size of your RBCs. In some anemias, such as pernicious anemia, the amount of variation (anisocytosis) in RBC size (along with variation in shape – poikilocytosis) causes an increase in the RDW.

SGOT and SGPT
Among the most sensitive and widely used liver enzymes are the aminotransferases. If the liver is injured, the enzymes spill out, raising the enzyme levels in the blood and signaling the liver damage. Two key enzyms are AST and ALT. The enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is also known as serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT); and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is also known as serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT). Normal range - SGOT - 8 to 40 units/ litre; SGPT - 5-35 units/litre

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More Information -

• Eosonophils
• ESR on NDTV
• Complete Blood Count

Designing to Succeed - Ideas from Japan's Manufacturing Sector

CSIR has come up with a brave new scheme to encourage entrepreneurship among its scientists and researchers. As one of the largest publicly funded R&D organizations in the world, we can expect, in the years to come a surge in scientific entrepreneurship. If there is one area that desperately needs a strong dose of entrepreneurship, it must be the manufacturing sector, which is essential to absorb a growing workforce and to ensure sustainable growth of our economy.

In India, not many places have the tag ‘low-cost manufacturing hub’ - that prize has already been taken by the coastal provinces of China and South-east Asia. While we dither with our infrastructure and regulations, the Chinese have grabbed a good chunk of our market for manufactured products. While some of our manufacturers struggle to compete with the Chinese, we often forget they are merely running on a path that was originally laid by the Japanese a few decades ago -- copy, counterfeit, innovate, and succeed.

These are points on a learning curve that has many lessons for India – especially if we, like the Chinese, examine and learn from the proactive role of the government in promoting the Japanese manufacturing industry.

In the 1950's the Japanese were ridiculed for their cheap and counterfeit products – brittle toys, shoddy bicycles and electrical appliances that anything but durable. An image we now associate with Chinese products that have flooded the international markets. How did the Japanese manufacturing industry metamorphose and create for itself a diametrically opposite image of high-technology, quality, workmanship and durability?

From the outset, the Japanese Government has been honest in identifying the country’s weaknesses and creating policies, institutions and incentives to overcome them. Keeping the manufacturing sector focused on exports has always been an economic imperative for a country that was short on natural resources – they had to focus their efforts on efficiently managing what was available, while keeping a sharp eye on the international markets. Take, for instance, their approach to an important aspect of manufacturing – product design.

In a white paper on the economy published in 1956, the Japanese government singled out Design as a serious weakness. It was recognized that design awareness was quite low even at the corporate level, among companies that aspired for the ‘exporter’ status. A Good Design Selection System (commonly called the "G-Mark" system) was instituted by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI - the forerunner of today's METI).

Leading designers were called in to the selection committees; young graphic designers like Kamekura Yusaku was invited to design the G-Mark logo that went on to become a widely recognized design classic- just like his posters for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Wide press coverage helped enhance the credibility and transparency of the entire selection process.

In its early years, the G-Mark system encouraged simple and functional modeling - a blend of modernist design principles and postwar populism that came to be recognized later as something uniquely Japanese.

Once the system got a foothold in the collective consciousness of the Japanese manufacturing industry, as well as the general public, MITI threw open the competition to the public. From its seventh year onwards, in 1963, G-Mark started advertising for nominations from anybody who could think differently.

Applications started pouring in from individuals, small companies as well as mega corporations. Newspapers started chasing stories and fuelling an abiding public interest in the nominations – much like the Oscars for the movie world. Today, the G-mark awards are an event eagerly awaited annual event in Japan.

Over the last fifty years, the G-Mark has singled out over 30,000 products for design excellence, in products ranging from the classic Nikon-F camera (1966), Sony TR-610 transistor radio (1968) and Walkman (1979) to the latest, energy efficient N700 Bullet Trains (2007) that travel at over 300kmph, setting new benchmarks in rail transportation. Public recognition and commercial success have turned out to be attractive incentives for individuals and companies to come up with newer, more energy efficient designs.

Having successfully built the credibility of G-mark, METI privatized the system in 1998. It is now operated entirely independent of the government, by an agency called Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO).

The surge in innovation and manufacturing was backed up by a strong patent’s office. By keeping Japan Patent’s Office under MITI - the same ministry that created the G-Mark system – the government not only ensured synergy but also minimized the time required for an innovation to move from the labs to the marketplace.

Given the competitive environment that has been created at home, it is hardly surprising that Japan's manufacturing industry is one of the major driving forces behind its economy. Manufacturing accounts for 22.5% of Japan's real GDP, employs 18% of the country's working population, and more significantly, manufacturing goods account for 93% of all exports from Japan.

India has a long way to go. Manufacturing sector contributes 17% to India's GDP and 12% of employment. Our National Strategy for Manufacturing (NMCC, March 2006) clearly recognizes that a substantial manufacturing base is essential to absorb the workforce and ensure sustainable growth of the economy. It goes on to say that India should aspire to be a global leader in agro-processing, textiles & garments, automobiles and auto components, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and petrochemicals, leather & footwear.

The decade 2006-2015 has been declared the Decade of Manufacturing for India. The Prime Minister has also announced the launch of a ten-year National Manufacturing Initiative with a focus on firm level and macro economic initiatives required to the domestic industry globally competitive.

While aiming our sights at global leadership in, we need go beyond the role of playing second fiddle in the global outsourcing model. We have to create credible institutions that encourage innovation and public participation towards creating a product design paradigm that is uniquely Indian.

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REFERENCES:
1. Economic Survey 2006-2007
2. The G Mark and Good Design, The Japan Journal, April 2008
3. National Strategy for Manufacturing", National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), March 2006
4. Guide to Japan’s Patent System - U.S. Department of Commerce (November 1995)
5. Good Design Award website - http://www.g-mark.org/english/

Orwell's Burma

Random surfing has its perks - I was looking for information on the cyclone in Myanmar and ended up with a hanging.

Latest reports say that over 80,000 people would have died after Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy delta last Saturday. There is still no news from our friend DKK Oo in Yangon. So I was just looking up the net when I stumbled on some accounts of George Orwell, from his days as an officer with the British Burma Police.

His essay, “A Hanging”(1931), was particularly moving. The thoughts that cross a man’s mind when he sees a nameless convict being walked fifty yards from his jail cell to the gallows. Thoughts that momentarily reflect empathy, humanity and guilt; sentiments that are so easily obliterated in another moment by the prison-routine, black humor and a shared bottle of whiskey.

Another good one - Shooting an Elephant.

Reforms and Self-Interest

Janaagraha has an interesting document on its website, titled Administrative Reforms Commission.

It attempts to find common ground, and possible solutions to problems arising from the rapid urbanization taking place in India. More than 30% of India's population now resides in its cities - about 350 million people for whom the "urban political and administrative leadership is unprepared to provide adequate governance even in the current situation, let alone in the chaotic future.".

In December 2005, the Indian government launched JNNURM, a massive Rs. 50,000 crore initiative that focuses on integrated development of infrastructure services in cities and provision of basic services to the urban poor. The mission period is spread over seven years, 2005-2012, with 63 qualifying cities and nine eligible sectors. The thrust of the JNNURM is also to ensure improvement in urban governance and service delivery and therefore envisages a set of mandatory reforms that the State Governments and the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) shall have to enact as a prerequisite for accessing the Central assistance.

How are the state governments and ULBs responding to this huge opportunity? Annex-e (page-243) of this report voices the doubts and dilemmas of each of the stakeholders - the urban poor, middle class, business community, bureaucrat, city politician, state politician, national politician, etc..

It is interesting to see how each group views a civic problem from its own self-interested point of view...

Japanese Words in English

Ever wondered what these Japanese words actually mean?


HAIKU

俳 句 【はいく】 actor + phrase (n) haiku poetry (17-syllable poem, 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables);

俳 【はい】 (n) actor, 句 【く】 (n,n-suf) phrase


MANGA

漫 画 【まんが】 vague+pictures (n) comic; cartoon;

漫 ろに 【そぞろに】 (adv) (uk) in spite of oneself; somehow

散 漫 【さんまん】 (adj-na,n) vague; distracted; half-hearted; diffuse


ORIGAMI

折 り紙 (P); 折紙 (P) 【おりがみ】fold + paper (n) origami (paper folding);


NINJA

忍 者 【にんじゃ】endurance+person (n) Ninja; Japanese secret agent of old (very good at hiding);

忍 【にん】 (n) (arch) endurance; forbearance

忍 術 【にんじゅつ】 (n) {MA} Ninjutsu (fighting art of the ninja);

水 遁 の 術 【すいとんのじゅつ】 (n) ninjutsu art of water-escape


TORA-tora-tora! (movie)

虎 【とら(P); トラ】 (n) tiger (feline, Panthera tigris);

寅 【とら】 (n) third sign of Chinese zodiac (The Tiger, 3a.m.-5a.m., east-northeast, January);


BONSAI

盆 栽 【ぼんさい】tray + planting (n) bonsai;

梵 妻 【ぼんさい】 (n) Buddhist priest's wife

梵 語 【ぼんご】 (n) Sanskrit

凡 才 【ぼんさい】mediocrity + ability (n) mediocrity; ordinary ability


TEMPURA

天 麩 羅 ; 天 婦 woman 羅; 天 ぷ ら 【てんぷら】 heavenly. Imperial + wheatbran/mash+ savior? (pt:) (n) tempura (pt: tempero, temporas); deep-fried fish and vegetables in a light batter


JUDO

柔 道 【じゅうどう】meek + way (n) judo;

柔 らか (P) 【やわらか】 (adj-na,n) soft; tender; limp; subdued; gentle; meek;

柔; 和 【やわ】 (adj-na) poorly-built; weak; insubstantial


KABUKI

歌 舞 伎 【かぶき】song+dance+skill (n) kabuki; Japanese classical drama

舞 【まい】 (n) dancing; dance

伎 【き; ぎ】 (n) deed; skill


KAIZEN

改 善 【かいぜん】Change + Better (n,vs) betterment; improvement; incremental and continuous improvement. Its five steps (5-S):

1. Sei-Ri 整 理 【せいり】preparation + reason (n,vs) keeping things tidy (整 え 【ととのえ】 (n) preparation; arrangement; execution; 理 【り】 (n) reason
2. Sei-Ton 整 頓 things in order, in an efficient layout
3. Sei-So 清 楚 【せいそ】 (adj-na,n) neat and clean; tidy; trim
4. Sei-Ketsu 清 潔 【せいけつ】 (adj-na,n) clean; standardization
5. Shi-Tsu-Ke 躾 【しつけ】 (n) (uk) home discipline; training; upbringing; breeding;

Fauji Namesakes

Today's HT had an interesting bit about the nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh being a Major General in the Indian Army. The interesting thing was not the pedigree but his unusual name - Sheonan Singh.

I had heard of Captain Singh and Jarnail (General) Singh but "Sheonan" was certainly a bold leap of imagination! It turns out that he had been named after a Japanese kamikaze pilot who had crashed into HMS Prince of Wales during WW-II.

"Sheonan" does not quite sound like a Japanese name... is it a corruption of "Shounen", meaning a boy or lad? Perhaps. But according to British naval records this ship was destroyed by torpedo bombers on 10 December 1941 and not by suicide attacks which started only in 1944 after significant military defeats for Japan.

In any case, the last time I heard about such a cross-border 'military inspiration' was during Operation Desert Storm, when there had been some reports that Saddam Hussein's son Uday had been named after a Punjabi soldier who fought in WW-I.

Google reveals that Sheonan Singh (then a Major with 10 para's) won his Vir Chakra during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. He was the only officer who survived IPKF's infamous Jaffna University Raid on the LTTE, on 12 October 1987.

But the question remains - who was the original "Sheonan"?

The Only Profitable Indian Urban PSC

On my way back from the Shastri Park Depot(Delhi Metro) the car radio was on and an interview was in progress. The topic? Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation!

After the initial shock of hearing something unusual on FM, I was drawn to the voice of south Indians describing the success of a public utility in painstakingly precise Hindi. BMTC had the largest fleet of city buses in the country; it serviced the longest ring-roads routes and was the only profit making urban sector public corporation in the country.

I checked the BMTC website, and yes, they did have some amazing numbers. But how did they manage this? Can it be replicated in other Indian cities?

Foreign Contribution to Development of IIT's in India

BACKGROUND
In 1946, a committee was setup to explore setting up technical institutes of higher education for post-war industrial development of India. It was foreseen that the future prosperity of India would depend not so much on capital as on technology. The Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) needed manpower for its numerous laboratories and the IITs were envisaged as institutions for grooming local talent.

Based on recommendations of the Sarkar Committee, the first Indian Institute of Technology was born in May 1950 in Kharagpur, West Bengal. Four other campuses were subsequently founded at IIT Bombay (1958), IIT Madras (1959), IIT Kanpur (1959), and IIT Delhi (1961). Decades later, the sixth IIT was established in Guwahati (1994). India's first technical institute, set up in 1847 and known as the Thomson College of Engineering and subsequently the University of Roorkee, was ordained as the seventh IIT in September 2001.

POLICY & LEGISLATION: IIT Act, passed by the Indian Parliament in 1956. The provisions of this Act, its Statutes and Ordinances defines the role of its administrators (council, senate, board of directors and registrars), a well as guidelines for utilization of funds. This legislation has been largely effective in insulating the IITs from the bureaucratic and political interference so commonly seen in other central and state educational institutions. At first only IIT Kharagpur was covered under the IIT Act-1956. Subsequent amendments to this Act in 1961, 1963, etc., saw the inclusion of the other IITs.

FUNDING: The overall administration of the IITs rests with the Technical Education wing of the Department of Higher Education at the Ministry of Human Resources Development. Budget from the central government goes to the IITs in two forms - "Plan Funds" are towards capital expenditure i.e. for the creation of assets, whereas "Non-Plan Funds" go towards revenue expenditure - meeting the operating expenses of the Institutes, maintaining infrastructure, etc.

In the initial years, government contribution was focused on creation of infrastructure facilities using the Plan Funds. Foreign contributions were mostly in the form of technical assistance – consultation services, equipment, faculty deployment and training.

Here is a summary of the formative years of each of the older IIT’s and the role of foreign governments in the institution-building:

IIT KHARAGPUR (1950) – West Bengal State

Since West Bengal had the highest concentration of engineering industries, the Committee suggested that an IIT may be set up in that state. In May 1950, the first in the series was established in Kharagpur at the site of the Hijli Detention Camp, where the British had incarcerated political prisoners; the institution was named the "Indian Institute of Technology'' before its formal inauguration on August 18, 1951.

IIT-Kgp has the largest campus among IITs, spreading over 2100 acres; it is a self contained township of over 15,000 inhabitants. Currently IIT-Kgp has about 450 faculty, 2200 employees and 2700 students on the campus.

IIT-Kgp did not receive any substantial foreign assistance in its formative years.

Education & Its Management: http://www.education.nic.in/cd50years/f/G/J/0G0J0901.htm

IIT BOMBAY (1958) -- Mumbai, Maharashtra State

After IIT-Kgp was established, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru sought Soviet assistance in order to set up an institute in Bombay (now called Mumbai).

IIT Bombay was established in 1958 with the cooperation and participation of the UNESCO, utilizing the contribution of the Govt. of USSR. The Institute received substantial assistance in the form of equipment and expert services from USSR through the UNESCO from 1956 to 1973. The Institute received several experts (59) and technicians (14) from several reputed institutions in the USSR. The UNESCO also offered a number of fellowships (27) for training of Indian faculty members in the USSR. Under the bilateral agreement of 1965, the USSR Govt. provided additional assistance to supplement the Aid Program already received by the Institute through UNESCO.

http://www.iitb.ac.in/about/how.html

IIT KANPUR (1959) – Uttar Pradesh State

As a fall-out of the prevailing Cold War, the Americans offered to help to set up yet another IIT. As per the suggestions of the Sarkar Committee, it was established in the North as IIT Kanpur (in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh) in 1959.

During the period 1962-72, IIT Kanpur received technical assistance from USA under the Kanpur Indo-American Programme (KIAP), from a consortium of nine leading American Institutions:

1. California Institute of Technology

2. Carnegie Institute of Technology

3. Case Institute of Technology

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

5. Ohio State University

6. Princeton University

7. Purdue University

8. University of California at Berkley

9. University of Michigan

KIAP had three major components: (1) Consortium staff working in Kanpur under the stewardship of a Programme Leader, (2) Some IIT Kanpur faculty members receiving on-the-job experience in the Consortium institutions, and (3) the procurement of equipments, books and journals not available in India.

As a part of the aforesaid components, Americans helped establish the Aeronautical Department and the IITK airfield (the only IIT to have one); landscaping and architectural design of the campus as well as library management. IITK library was run by an American lady for the first 10 years.

As of June 1971, an amount of US$ 7.5 million was spent on procuring equipment for the various departments and central facilities. The US participants served a total of 200 man-years at Kanpur. Under the KIAP agreement 50 faculty members and technicians of IIT Kanpur were provided with special training at various Consortium institutions.

KIAP: http://www.iitk.ac.in/infocell/iitk/history/kiap.html

IIT KANPUR: http://www.iitk.ac.in/infocell/iitk/newhtml/acts.html

IIT Madras (1959) – Chennai, Tamil Nadu State

Germany had run up large trade surpluses, and they were persuaded to support an IIT in the South. The Germans had initially decided on Bangalore as the location but when they visited Madras, C. Subramaniam, the Education Minister, took them round the Governor's estate and offered the space across the table. The visiting German team was considerably impressed by it and Madras got the fourth IIT in 1959 itself, after the signing of the first Indo-German Agreement in Bonn.

The first Indo-German Agreement provided for the services of German professors and 5 foremen, training facilities for 20 Indian faculty members and the supply of scientific and technical equipment for the establishment of the Central Workshop and 20 laboratories at IIT Madras.

The visit of Dr. Heinrich Lubke, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, in 1962 marked the beginning of the Indo-German Technical Assistance Program.

1974 witnessed the commencement of the fourth Indo-German Agreement with the objectives of setting up inter-university partnerships in R&D projects, strengthening of the industrial consultancy service and establishment of a post-graduate programme in Television Engineering.

In 1981, the fifth Indo-German agreement was signed with the principal objectives of continuation of inter-university projects, strengthening of the Micro-Processor Laboratory, Low Temperature Laboratory and High Polymer Laboratory and continuation of exchange visits.

History of IIT Madras: http://www.iitm.ac.in/The%20Institute/History.html

IIT Delhi (1961)

In 1958, Prof MS Thaker negotiated with the UK Government the Federation of British Industries for securing British assistance and collaboration under the Colombo Plan, for establishing IIT Delhi. The institute was formally inaugurated in 1961 and a number of British universities and institution's continue to have a special relationship with IITD.

In the initial years, academic and technical inputs from the UK were coordinated by the Imperial College, London and the British Council.

￡601,705 was provided under UK-ODA to finance a programme of up to 15 collaborative research projects between British Universities and Departments of the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi (IITD).

During the year 1990-91 IIT Delhi has received a new computer system with assistance from Overseas Development Administration, U.K. British contribution in developing the climate research capabilities at the IIT were duly acknowledged in the Silver Jubilee edition of IIT Delhi.

IITD continues to have ties with the universities of Birmingham, Leeds, Longhborough, Manchester and Southampton, Nottingham, to name a few.

Imperial College - IITD Link: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/aboutdfid/performance/files/ev265s.pdf

Education Dept - http://education.nic.in/cd50years/12/8I/71/8I710701.htm

British Council - http://www.britishcouncil.org/india-science-project-environment-technology.htm

GENERAL REFERENCES

In Pursuit of Excellence: Interview of Prof. A. Ghosh, Director, IIT-Kgp

Report of IIT Review Committee, 1986

Current Science Article

MHRD Organisation Structure

India-Seminar: W(h)ither IITs

IITM Financial Resources

The Telegraph - Loo-and-lab facelift fund for IITs

Education Ministry - Finance and Its Management

Pan-IIT History

Planning Commission: First FY Plan

IIT on Wikipedia

Fevers, Delhi Doctors and WWW

Has the internet robbed doctors of their credibility?

A few days ago our daughter started complaining about painful ulcers in her mouth, which soon aggravated into a high fever and a runny nose.

Dr. Y examined her mouth, hands and feet and pronounced that these were the signs of a Cocsackievirus infection, which she probably got from her pre-school - a consequence of putting unclean hands into the mouth. He suggested some medicines -

1. Zorivax - Aciclovir IP 400mg (5ml*four-hourly*5days)
2. Nutrolin-B: (5ml*twice daily)
3. Alerid - Cetirizine Hydrochloride(3ml*twice daily)
4. Ibugesic (3.5ml, in case of high fever)

At a review two days later we informed him that the fever had abated but the ulcers had worsened. She could not open mouth now; the pain prevented her from sleeping and from eating or drinking anything except water.

The doc now said the problem is Aphthous Ulcers. He removed Alerid from the list and added two syrups:

1. Enhancin - BD Amoxillin+Clavulanate Pottasium USP (5ml* twice daily * 5 days)
2. Metrogyl -Metronidazole Benzoate Oral Susp. IP (2.5ml *twice* 5 days)

After spending a few sleepless nights tending to a distraught child, and while spending loads of money on consultation fees and medicines, you just wonder - was the medical consultation really worthwhile?

Skepticism gets compounded by the information available on the internet. Online pages like KidsHealth tell you that this infection is hardly preventable; there is no vaccine; drugs can only give marginal relief and that, in any case, the infection will blow over in a few days.

Why , then, did the doctor prescribe an anti-histamine (Cetirizine hydrochloride) ? Why give two separate moderate-spectrum antibiotics - Amoxicillin and Metronidazole Benzoate on top of an anti-viral (Aciclovir)?

We can only conclude that pediatrician was playing safe with his antibiotic shotgun - the medical equivalent of "spray and pray". It may not help sick children but it certainly helps keeps the pharmaceutical companies in the pink of health...

Excerpts - April 2008

A collection of interesting tidbits from magazine and newspaper articles:

Rather Panchali by Radhika Jha (Tehelka Book Review - The Palace of Illusions - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni)

As a child in Dhrupad's grim palace, Draupadi is haunted by the prophecy that accompanies her into the world - that she will change the course of history.
"Three dangerous moments will come to you. The first will be just before your wedding: at the time, hold your question. The second will be when your husbands will be at the height of their power: at the that time, hold back your laughter. The third will be shamed as you'd never imagined possible: at the time, hold back your curse." But of course, Draupadi forgets, and Mahabharata unfolds...

If Notes Were Goats by Krish Ashok (Tehelka, 5 April 2008 - flaying the 'politically correct insipidity' of Carnatic Concert Reviews in The Hindu, and introducing Subbudu)

Subbudu was a legendary Carnatic music critic whose reviews were droplets of concentrated sulphuric acid masquerading as Tamizh words. His wit wasn't just biting, it was a hungry T-rex... ( A snippet) "If notes were goats, this artist's rendition of Karaharapriya would be the equivalent of a lost herd, roaming aimlessly in unfamiliar pastures, bleating plaintively for help from shepherds in the audience who had already given them up for dead."

Agriculture: Asia's Kitchen - Prof. Shogenji Shinichi in The Japan Journal; March 2008 (On economic growth of China & India and the food shortages ahead)

Japan's culinary habits changed drastically over the last half century..Real per capita GDP in 2005 was 7.7 times that of 1955...A drastic rise in purchasing power brought about a lavish lifestyle in which people consume nine times more wheat, seven times more milk and dairy products, four times more eggs, and five times more fat.

Japanese food exports valued at 330 b yen represent merely one-twentieth of the seven trillion yen worth of imports;
80% of present food exports go to Asia while two-thirds of food imports are from advanced nations, with over 30% produced in USA.

Ultra-fast lasers: Zapping with the light fantastic (Economist - Mar 27th 2008)

A conventional pulsed laser may take a millisecond (a thousandth of a second) to pump up, but if its pulse is squeezed into only a nanosecond (a billionth of a second), its power is increased a million times.

A new record for intensity was recently reported by a team using a titanium-sapphire laser known as HERCULES, which occupies several rooms at the University of Michigan. It produced a beam with 300 terawatts of power (several hundred times the capacity of America's entire electricity grid). But it was concentrated onto a speck a little more than one thousandth of a millimetre across?and it lasted for just 30 femtoseconds (30 million billionths of a second). HERCULES takes about ten seconds to charge up for each pulse, compared with an hour or so for some similar lasers.

Japan's Mittelstand: Under pressure; Mar 6th 2008, Economist

Japan's small and medium enterprises (SME's aka 'Mittelstand' in Germany) in the manufacturing sector are those having capital below \300m ($3m) or fewer than 300 employees. These SMEs represent 99.7% of companies in Japan. Many of them are found in clusters, and specialise in fields such as electronics manufacturing, precision engineering and fine chemicals.
Low productivity (30% less than USA) and pressure from anchor companies is leading to big trouble...

Mr. Kurauchi at Shimo-Kitazawa

Mr. Takashi Kurauchi is an international expert on Hydrology. I had known this quiet, thoughtful gentleman during his tenure in India and was eager to meet him in Japan. Luckily, he had just returned from Cambodia a couple of days earlier.

We met at Shinjiku Myands Tower – he looked much the same. While walking with him in the cold drizzle towards the subway, I never thought it would lead to an evening of wonderful new perspectives.

We took the Chuo line from Shinjiku to Shimokitazawa, a suburb that reminded me of the wada's of Pune: Narrow lanes, tiny shops, small theaters and a wide-wide range or eateries. We walked up and down these lanes, crossed the railway line a couple of times and then settled down in a quaint Okinawan eatery called Panariba.

Okinawan cuisine is quite different from the regular Japanese food. It lays greater emphasis on meat (not fish), spices and an amazing variety of 'sea-vegetables'. We started with Goya-chan-pure, a combination of bitter gourd (not at all bitter), tofu, Yamagurage, Umi-budou (sea grapes), along with the first glass of Awamori on-the-rocks. Awamori is a distilled rice-alcohol from Okinawa. At 60+ proof and a hint of sweetness it certainly one of the finest drinks I had ever tasted!


As the drinks settled in, I was introduced to Tofu-you, a specially fermented cube of tofu with a nice peanut-buttery flavor, and then Goya-totsu and Hirayachi (a pancake).

Along the way I learn't more about Mr. Kurauchi and of the Japan he helped build as a "baby boomer". When he moved to Tokyo 35 years ago to study at the famous ToDai (University of Tokyo), it was in Shimo-Kitazawa that he took up a rented room. It was quite a different place then. Everybody in the neighborhood was middle-class; all worked hard to make ends meet. He had supplemented his income by selling kai (shellfish) on the streets. When student protests led to a closure of the university, Mr. Kurauchi had worked as a laborer at the Osaka Expo (1970), helping build the Soviet pavilion there.

Growing up in an era of turmoil and tough discipline had its uses - it instilled a work ethic that became the hallmark of everything Japanese – respect for monodzukuri (manufacturing) skills, manual work and technical savvy. From the simplest things –drawers, hinges and water-taps to the most complex systems like the bullet trains, everything works perfectly - just the way they ought to.

Manufacturing accounts for 93% of Japan’s exports and 22.5% of Japan’s real GDP. But will this ? Mr. Kurauchi is not so sure… the younger generation has a different approach to life. Monodzukuri is not as valued in today's world of instant gratification and financial jugglery. The link between hard work and success has weakened.

After dinner, we went to an amazing place called Masako Jazz Cafe. It was established in 1953 and according to Mr. Kurauchi, it looked much the same during his college days. Cozy wooden interiors, low chairs and tables bathed in a gentle light; flowers, mementos and paintings of Jazz legends on the walls, and an absolutely perfect hi-fi system playing soul - Nina Simone & Piano. We sat around for a while, sipping coffee, lost in the music.

When the songs paused, I opened my eyes to see a small notice stuck on the wall.
It simply said, "Honored guests staying on for more than two hours are requested to order additionally" - after all, business is business!

Mr. Kurauchi saw me off at Shinjiku station after handing me a packet full of gifts. As I walked towards platform No.7 for the Chuo line, I was convinced that this one evening had taught me more about the spirit & substance of Japan than anything ever before...

Osaka: Cracking the Subway System

It is bewildering at first – the numerous exits, the route maps, ticket vending machines, turnstiles and the platforms. But with some help from maps & strangers it’s great way to see the city.

Japan Railways (JR) operates the core “Osaka Loop”, a bisecting Chuo Line, as well as links to other cities in the Kansai area (Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, etc.). Apart from the JR lines, the city has eight private lines crisscrossing the city, a monorail network and some new tram lines.

The private lines seem swankier, more packed with advts., and more expensive than the JR lines. The elevated Monorail lines are perhaps the most expensive option short of hiring cabs.

At any large junction, there are three hurdles for the uninitiated – (a) locating your destination on the map for the exact fare and the color code, (b) finding the right set of ticket vending machines and (c) the right platform.

Thankfully, there are plenty of signage’s and friendly assistance is just a request away - from either co-passengers or from the ubiquitous, smartly uniformed railway personnel. It is easiest for find the railway guys near the turnstiles.

So, if you were to cut across the city to travel from, say, Ibaraki to the Kaiyukan (aquarium), you would first get to the Loop (Osaka-Umeda), travel the Loop to Bentencho; change here to the green Chuo Line for Osakako. Three different networks - but the whole system is so efficient, it would take you less than 30 mts to cover this distance (assuming, of course, that you don’t waste time gaping at maps and searching for the right platforms like I did!).


Some ticket vending machines accept only IC-chip cards (Pasmo / Suica) and none of them take denominations less than Y10 or more than Y1000. Most have touch screens that come alive after the fist coin is dropped in; a few are button operated. Even after using it hundreds of times, I was still surprised by the alacrity with which they grab your notes and cough out loose change, along with the tickets and pre-recorded messages of sincere gratitude.

If you’re in a big hurry and don’t have the time to buy the correct fare, you could just buy the base-fare (Yen 130-160) and at the destination, go to the “Fare Adjustment Machines” located before the exit turnstiles. These networked machines will take your ticket and tell you how much more you need to pay. If you have a higher value ticket, it will return the extra fare.

Osaka metro system may seem complicated but you realize later that it’s a lot simpler than Tokyo where all the lines deliberately avoid the central Imperial Palace & Gardens, resulting in a much more complex system.

I started out with the monorail (aka Skyrail) line from Handai-Byouin-Mae to Kadoma-shi, under the able guidance of Rina Saito. We traveled this private line, changed to the JR line for going to a Healthcare centre in Miyagawa-shi on the outskirts of Osaka. After one such trip, you can be on your own.

At the end of the day’s exploring, there is nothing more reassuring to lost foreigners than the sight of the Japanese themselves peering at a subway maps to get their bearings right!

...................................................................
End Notes:

Escalator Etiquette – People in a hurry like to run up or down escalators. To facilitate this, people of Osaka stand to the left side of escalators and, in Tokyo, everybody stands on the right side. Wonder why...

Yubi-sashi-kakunin - “finger-pointing-confirmation”: Every subway train has at least three uniformed employees on board – two in the driver’s cabin and one in the tail end guard cabin. At regular intervals you see them raise their gloved hand to point their index fingers upwards. At the stations, the guard steps out and does the same thing - drawing an imaginary line along the length of the train.
I was told later that this ritual was a visual confirmation for the benefit of the observation cameras. It tells the control centre, “I’ve noted the signal at this point”, or “The platform is clear for departure”.

Nara

It was a hurried visit – I had rushed from OSIC to Ibaraki, and Osaka to Tsuruhashi, from where I changed from the Loop-line to Kintetsu Line to Nara. It was a lovely ride. The train at first sped past the suburbs until it reached the surrounding hills. From here, as the gradient increased the train slowed down and paused to reveal a Osaka city lighting up for the evening. Across the hills it was a plateau all the way to Nara.

Nara seemed to be everything that Osaka wasn’t. It was a beautiful little town nestling amidst ancient pine forests and cedar groves. There were fewer people here and nobody seemed to be in a tearing hurry. After all, how fast can you go when you're surrounded by a world heritage site?

It felt good to feel the gravel under your feet, in an area that is often described as the fountainhead of Japanese art & architecture.

I walked into what looked like a forest and found myself standing in a large open space dominated by a 50m high, five-storied pagoda. This was Goju-no-to built in 725AD by the Empress Komyoh, and last restored in 1426. This lovely wooden structure housed four Buddha tirads around the central pillar Yakushi (Healing Buddha) eastwards; Shaka (Historical Buddha) facing south; Amida (Buddha of the Western Paradise and Infinite Life) westwards; and Miroku (Buddha of the Future) to the north. The curving, layered roofs, this pagoda looked like a flock of giant birds poised to fly away beyond the sunset in the surrounding hills.

The important structure in the area was not the towering pagoda but the more modest Kofuku-ji shrine revered by the Hosso (“mind only”) sect of Buddhism. One of the shrines here was dedicated to Binzuru, aka Pindola Bharadwaja, one of the 16 disciples of Buddha who had excelled in occult powers.

A flight of steps from Kofuku-ji takes you to a neat little pond. As you walk along the wooden houses that line the streets, you see get a feeling that you’re being watched. You look carefully into the woods and realize that there are deer everywhere! They roam freely in the forest-town, hanging about ancient shrines, vending machines and food stalls. Notice boards warn visitors and children to be careful.

The Nara museum is located within the forest area. Actually there are two buildings – an old European style one and another larger one of “modern” Japanese design. Both seemed puny – even pathetic – compared to the magnificent Todaiji Temple nearby.

Todaiji Temple is said to be largest wooden building in the world. The 15m high bronze Buddha statue inside is believed to have been consecrated by an Indian priest, Bodhisena, in 752 AD. Over the millennium this place has seen umpteen earthquakes, wars, political upheavals , and yet, after each disruption, the temple has been restored time and again.

Nara with its perfectly preserved temples and long geometric walkways, gates held up by massive wooden pillars and giant statues; herds of deer treading softly on the snow; the large paper lanterns; the silence and the cold pine-scented breeze...it makes you wonder at the effort that has gone into creating all this .

It is also strange feeling for an Indian visiting Nara. To stand on a volcanic island thousands of miles away from home, reading of names of people who came here from India 1246 years ago; people whose thoughts and ideas hold little meaning or inspiration in their own birthplace.

Japan in Winter: Impressions That Linger

It has been a hectic trip to Japan. Nearly two weeks of traveling in Osaka, Nara, Kobe, Kyoto and Tokyo.

Seeing Nihon at the fag end of winter was an interesting experience - clear blue skies interrupted by gloomy days of cold rain, wind and snow; that overwhelming sense of order, neatness and precision; the pleasant surprise at being welcomed with warmth & affection by old friends and colleagues.

Here is a collection of images and impressions that linger -

DAWN OVER MT. FUJI

I woke up at 2:30AM (IST) to see streak of pink in the sky. Flight JL-471 was preparing to land at Narita and the aircraft was gradually moving away from coastline towards the sea, to enter the funnel. Just above the grey clouds scattered below, a little pink, solitary peak came into view - Mt. Fuji. At first it seemed like just another feature against the misty coastline and the dark, endless mass of the Pacific Ocean. But as we got closer and closer, I began to understand why this dormant volcano is so dear to the Japanese.

The difference is clearly in the setting. Mr. Fuji is puny compared to the Himalayan peaks - At 3776m it is less than half the height of K2 or Mt. Everest. But the point is - you may escape notice when you you're a giant among giants but here, when gentle slopes rise from the coastline to form a perfectly conical snow peak dominating an entire island, -you certainly have a sight to behold!

CRACKING THE SUBWAY SYSTEM IN OSAKA

It is bewildering at first – the numerous private lines, confusing exits, the route maps, ticket vending machines, turnstiles and the surge of people on the platforms. But with some help from maps and strangers the subway is a great way to see the city.

More here on the Osaka subway system.

NARA - 1256 YEARS AFTER BODHIDHARMA

This ancient city of Nara was a huge surprise. In a country dominated by mega cities, concrete, asphalt and glass, it was a astounding to find an oasis of wide spaces, forests, free-roaming deer, cool, pine-scented breeze and silence.

I had never seen an old city so well preserved. Nor had I known about an Indian teacher who was invited here 1256 years ago.

More here on the visit to Nara.

KOBE IS SANNOMIYA

In my mind, Kobe was the city of the 1995 earthquake – an image dominated by toppled flyovers and people huddling in shelters. Now I know that Kobe is actually Sannomiya – a small lesson that cost me Yen 160.

I took a ticket from Ibaraki to Kobe to find a station that blending into large malls. The city centre was actually two stops behind at Sannomiya. It was like stepping into an AutoCAD scenario - the streets were picture perfect - all the way from the station to the piers; the sidewalks had been clad in a beautiful combination of tiles interspersed with sculptures and cherry trees. Even the manhole-covers had been designed so lovingly!

KYOTO AND HYPE

During WW-2 two Japanese cities had been spared of Allied bombing – Nara and Kyoto. Having seen Nara, I had expected Kyoto to be a perfect blend of the ancient and the modern. Not quite – the city just looked like a sprawling district of Tokyo with a few old temples and buildings tucked away amidst the urban sprawl.

It was interesting to see the shrines - Kinkakuji, Horyoji and Ginkakuji; to experience the single-compartment Randen trains on the outskirts of Arashiyama, and to contrast it to the latest N-700 Bullet trains later in the evening; to ride the city buses to Nijo palace to see the magnificent (and symbolic) screen paintings in its inner chambers… but what lingers in my mind in the sight of an old, destitute Japanese woman, sleeping on the streets wrapped in a dirty, discarded blanket.


N-700: THE LATEST BULLET TRAIN

At Osaka station, I had booked a window seat on the latest N-700 Shinkansen expecting a superlative ride to Tokyo. I was not all disappointed.


At Kyoto station the regular trains are at one level and the bullet trains are serviced from exclusive platforms at a higher level. You cross the turnstiles to see a platform with none of the rush and bustle down below. My train arrived exactly on schedule at 16:55 took in passengers from its small aircraft-like doors and was streaking off the platform at 16:56, accelerating to 100kmph in 36 seconds flat. Soon after exiting the city limits the train was approaching top-speed of 300kmph, and inside the pressurized cabins, you could literally hear a pin drop – not a shudder or shake, just that feeling of being hurtled at high speeds with the scenery rushing past in a blur. Amazing.

What is interesting is that unlike the French TGV, the Shinkansen’s don’t touch top-speeds to occasionally impress the record keepers. Ever since they were launched last year, the N-700s travel at these speeds on a daily basis, ferrying commuters all across Japan, and covering distances of about 500km (same as Mumbai-Ahmedabad) in just about two hours.

MR. KURAUCHI AT SHIMOKITAZAWA

Mr. Takashi Kurauchi is an international expert on Hydrology. I had known this quiet, gentle person during his tenure in India and was eager to meet him in Japan. Luckily, he had just returned from Cambodia a couple of days earlier.

While walking with him to the subway in the cold drizzle, I never thought it would lead to an evening of wonderful new perspectives.


SET PHRASES & S.O.Ps

Life in Japan seems to revolve around a standard set of phrases for each and every social interaction. Phrases that go beyond the usual polite greetings.

In shops everywhere, there are SoPs for all cash transactions. Whether you are in a tiny shop in Arashiyama (outskirts of Kyoto), a railway kiosk or a swanky departmental store in downtown Shinjiku, Tokyo, the same procedure is followed. The cashier welcomes you with an "Irasshyaimase!" and thanks you for the honor of serving you; you place your coins / notes on a small plastic tray; the cashier picks the notes and announces the denominations and total amount; and while giving you’re the receipt, the cashier again announces the change she is handing back to you. No scope for confusion!

Even machines are 'trained' to thank you for everything - ticket vending machines, PA systems, escalators, doors, zebra-crossings and turnstiles.

Images...

Sikkim Revisited

Gangtok looked different this time.

Its hilly skyline is now dominated by sloping concrete roofs, its main roads are lined with big-brand outlets, and MG road is being refurbished for the annual flower-show. There are more vehicles on the roads but pedestrians now have a special barricaded walkway to themselves. The big news is that Nathu-La Pass is now open for international trade -- there is optimism in the air.

My last visit to Sikkim was in July 2001. I had taken a bus from BBD Baug Kolkata to Jalpaiguri from where I had sqeezed into shared 4WD to Gangtok. It was a bit like stepping into another world - cheerful people, smart policemen in blue uniforms, clean streets lined with tall pines and wild flowers. From Gangtok I had travel led to the misty tea-estates of Temi; stayed at the Youth Hostel in Namchi, marvel led at a football field hacked out of a hill-side where aspiring Baichung Bhutia's practiced hard from dawn to dusk.

From Namchi I had hiked ~25km to Namthang, helped myself to a memorable meal of Thukpa and Dansberg beer and managed to reach Jalpaiguri station just a few minutes before my train departed for Delhi.

This time the gateway was Bagdogra. This must be the only Indian airport where you can view a squadron of MiG-21's from the lounge. From here, it took us about 3 hours to reach Rangpo border check post, where quarantine SOPs were still in place against the bird-flu outbreak in West Bengal. All visitors disembarked at the gate and walked over sacks soaked with disinfectants while masked personnel in blue plastic gowns sprayed the empty vehicles rolling across the border .

Birds may not care about quarantine but it was rather reassuring for the visitors. It was also the first reminder that Sikkim is different. Its is a place where the government machinery is discreet and works efficiently.

If you ever needed proof that building-designs affect human behavior, just visit any government office in Sikkim. Each office is crowned with the state crest and each doorway, roof and window is so lovingly carved and decorated that it clearly shows on the people working inside. In one such office we met Mr. Karma Gyatso, the Principal Secretary of the Health Department.

Mr. Gyatso is not your regular 'floating' IAS officer whose commitment and vision is limited by the next transfer order. He has been with the state for over 17 years and has been instrumental in making Sikkim one of the healthiest states in India. It is one of the few states where the three-tier referral system actually works (PHC-CHC-DH). Since budget is a constraint, he has roped in the Manipal Group to start a medical college near Gangtok, and now he wants to revamp MCH facilities at Sir Thotub Namgyal Memorial (STNM) Hospital with foreign assistance.

Near Rangpo, at a place called Bagey Khola, Sikkim now has the most picturesque engineering college in the country, nestling in a valley next to the Teesta river - the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology. It looks dramatic at night but during daytime the valley is blanketed by emissions from factories close by - especially the Wai-Wai noodle plant and Zydus Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

While new industries sprout in the lower valleys, on the outskirts of Gangtok, the old monastries still stand in grand isolation. At Enchey Monastry the monks were practicing their Dhunchen's and Gyaling's (horns & flutes) while incense smoke danced in the breeze. At the Deorali Chorten new buildings had come up next to the stupa, blocking a lovely view into the forests but the Tibetology museum nearby looked much the same.

At the museum, I learn't something about the links between the ruling families of Sikkim and Bhutan, and downstairs, I was fascinated by an image of Asita. According to the caption, he was a Buddhist scholar from Bengal who revived Tibetan buddhism and died in 1054 AD at Lhasa. This bit about Asita was confusing. If Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) introduced tantric buddhism to Tibet in circa 800 AD why did they need a "revival" within a span of just two centuries?

Official trips always seem short when you travel to interesting places. My return flight from Bagdogra was a 12:50 so I had to start from Gangtok at 7:00AM. Once more we drove through Tadong, Ranipool, Chuba-khola, Martam-khola, Singtam, Bagely-khola, Rangpo, the new Teesta Bridge, Swati-khora (a bridge built by one M.R. Nair, CE!), the old Coronation Bridge, Sevoke station, along 'Uttarayon', a new township near Siliguri, to reach Bagdogra in about four hours.

The incoming Jet flight, 9W-601, had taken us to Guwahati before bringing us back to Bagdogra. On the return flight 9W-602, we went to Guwahati first before flying back to Delhi. A strange detour made worthwhile by some stunning views of the Brahmaputra river, Kanchenjunga massif and of a window frame in which you could see the Ganges at the bottom and the sunlit western Himalayas at the top, both separated by a few hundred kilometers of mist and cloud-carpets!

Wonder if it will be another seven years before I visit Sikkim again...