Happy Easter: My Experience about Easter in a Foreign Country

 

Easter is a great and joyous festival of Christian community as they believe on this day the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place, three days after his burial. Hence this day is also referred to as Resurrection Sunday. In India on 4 April 2021 Easter will be celebrated with full gaiety but there is a country located in the North-east of Africa known as Eritrea (capital Asmara) there this year Easter will be celebrated on 2 May 2021 as most of them belong to Orthodox Christian. So there Easter is known as Orthodox Easter, also called Greek Easter, is the main festival of the Orthodox Church. And around 300 million Orthodox Christians celebrate 7 January as Christmas and based on the Julian calendar Easter date varies so this year it will be 2 May 2021. It is pertinent to mention that the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, as a modification of the Julian calendar. The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar for the calculation of Easter, whereas the Western churches use the Gregorian calendar. It is important to mention that Easter is associated with crucification of Jesus Christ and “the Last Supper was essentially a Passover feast. However, the New Testament describes it as being given new significance by Jesus: He identified the matzah (or bread) He shared with his 12 apostles as his “body” and the cup of wine they drank as his “blood” (history.com/topics/holidays/history-of-easter).

 I had the opportunity to enjoy Easter in Eritrea in addition to my country, India. A few lines about Eritrea I wish to men for the benefit of readers. Eritrea is spread over to an area of approximately 117,600 square kilometres including the Dahlak Archipelago and several of the Hanish Islands. Its total population was around 61 lakh in 2020. Eritrea is a unitary one-party presidential republic elections were never held. Mr.  Isaias Afwerki has been serving as President since its independence in 1993. When I was in teaching in the years 2005 and 2006 a lot Indian persons worked in different teaching faculties. The Indian army was posted as ‘Peace keeping force’ as those days Eritrea and Ethiopia had awful relations.

  Anyway in India my Christian friends have invited me many times for Easter and I have thoroughly enjoyed cakes, biscuits, tea etc. Here, I am sharing my experience in Eritrea. I was in that country for about two years selected by them as Associate Professor to teach Economics. As mentioned already, they are Orthodox Christians so their celebration of Easter date is different from Catholic and other Christians. During 2005 and 2006 two times I was invited by two different families on Easter. They prepared varieties of foods such as cakes, popcorn, barley-grain fry, biscuits etc. But, I was amazed to observe their coffee preparation. They prepared coffee powder in their residences by grinding coffee seeds and the powder is mixed with hot water then boiled the same in a charcoal stove. Every time after serving black coffee in a small cup the pot is put on the charcoal stove. Thus, hot coffee is served 3-4 times to each person. I enjoyed the coffee preparation which I observed for the first time  in my life.

   On this auspicious occasion of Happy Easter I wish all in general and Christian brothers and sisters in particular for a blissful, healthy and prosperous life.

Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

3^rd April 2020

 World Wildlife Day 2021: Few Points from Academic Interests 

  I still remember in my school days read Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which means 'the world is one family', albeit these two words are in Sanskrit. The original verse is found in the Chapter 6 of Maha Upanishad also in the Rig Veda. It is considered as the most important moral value in the Indian society and culture. It is pertinent to mention that this verse of Maha Upanishad is inscribed in the entrance hall of the Parliament of India. Thus, it is evident that in ancient periods our saints, scholars and erudite persons believed that ‘the world is one family'. The stalwarts in the world also might feel the same and that is why on 20 December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 3 March as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. The UNGA resolution also designated the CITES Secretariat as the facilitator for the global observance of this special day for wildlife on the UN calendar. CITES means Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

  World Wildlife Day has now become the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife. As per www.wildlifeday.org, “World Wildlife Day will be celebrated in 2021 under the theme "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet", as a way to highlight the central role of forests, forest species and ecosystems services in sustaining the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people globally, and particularly of Indigenous and local communities with historic ties to forested and forest-adjacent areas”. This aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 12, 13 and 15, and their wide-ranging commitments to alleviating poverty, ensuring sustainable use of resources, and on conserving life land. Also it is evident from the website that “Between 200 and 350 million people live within or adjacent to forested areas around the world, relying on the various ecosystem services provided by forest and forest species for their livelihoods and to cover their most basic needs, including food, shelter, energy and medicines.

Indigenous peoples and local communities are at the forefront of the symbiotic relationship between humans and forest, forest-dwelling wildlife species and the ecosystem services they provide. Roughly 28% of the world’s land surface is currently managed by indigenous peoples, including some of the most ecologically intact forests on the planet. These spaces are not only central to their economic and personal well-being, but also to their cultural identities”.

  “Forests, forests species and the livelihoods that depend on them currently find themselves at the crossroads of the multiple planetary crises we currently face, from climate change, to biodiversity loss and the health, social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic”.   

       To protect wildlife, the Government of India has taken many measures. One of them is declaration of wildlife sanctuary in different regions of the country. India has a network of 903 Protected Areas including 101 National Parks, 553 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 86 Conservation Reserves and 163 Community Reserves covering a total of 1,65,012.59 square kilometres  of geographical area of the country which is approximately 5.02 percent of the area 

  Before conclusion, top 25 Wildlife Sanctuaries in India are presented below (source: www.thrillophilia.com/blog/top-10-wildlife-sanctuaries-in-india)

1. Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand

2. Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan

3. Bandipur National Park, Karnataka

4. Keoladeo Ghana National Park – Bharatpur, Rajasthan

5. Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka

6. Sariska National Park, Rajasthan

7. Kaziranga National Park, Assam

8. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka

9. Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

10. Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal

11. Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh

12. Gir National Park and Sasan Gir Sanctuary, Gujarat

13. Periyar National Park, Kerala

14. Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh

15. Manas National Park, Assam

16. Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh

17. Panna National Park, Madhya Pradesh

18. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra

19. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala

20. The Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh

21. Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka

22. Silent Valley National Park, Kerala

23. Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand

24. Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa

25. Hemis National Park, Jammu and Kashmir

 The following websites have been consulted while writing the article:

1)      https://www.wildlifeday.org

2)      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasudhaiva_Kutumbakam

3)      https://www.thrillophilia.com/blog/top-10-wildlife-sanctuaries-in-india

4)      https://wii.gov.in/nwdc_

        

      Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

        Dt. 03 March 2021

 

 

 

International Mother Language Day, 21 February: Titbits & the theme in 2021

Human beings are endowed with many qualities and one of the qualities is talking /interacting with others. I personally feel if interaction is in mother tongue/mother language both feel happy.  As per an estimate 6500 languages are spoken across the world which is really unique. Some of the languages are spoken by huge numbers of people and are spoken by less number of people. Only eight people speak a language known as Bussu. On the other hand, the top 12 most spoken languages in the world (millions speak) are English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic, Bangla /Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Indonesian, Urdu and German. It is noteworthy to mention that globally around 40 per cent of the total population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.

  The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved in 1999 UNESCO General Conference and from 2000 it is being celebrated in the world. “UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies. It is within its mandate for peace that it works to preserve the differences in cultures and languages that foster tolerance and respect for others”. 

The theme of the 2021 International Mother Language Day is, “Fostering multilingualism for

Inclusion in education and society,” recognizes that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion, and the Sustainable Development Goals’ focus on leaving no one behind.

“UNESCO believes education, based on the first language or mother tongue, must begin from

the early years as early childhood care and education is the foundation of learning.

UNESCO’s celebration of International Mother Language Day calls on policy-makers, educators and teachers, parents and families to scale up their commitment to multilingual education, and inclusion in education to advance education recovery in the context of COVID-19”.

Background of International Mother Language Day: The celebration came up in tribute to the Language Movement sacrificed by the Bangladeshis (then the East Pakistanis). When Pakistan was created in 1947, it had two separate geographical locations: East Pakistan (presently known as Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (known as Pakistan). In 1948, the then Government of undivided Pakistan declared Urdu to be the only national language of Pakistan, albeit Bengali/Bangla was spoken by the majority of people of then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The people of East Pakistan protested. They claimed Bangla/Bengali should be one of the national languages, in addition to Urdu.

Unfortunately to counter the protest, the Government of Pakistan banned public meetings, rallies etc. The students of the University of Dhaka, with the support of the general public, arranged huge rallies and meetings. But unfortunately on 21 February 1952, police opened fire on rallies and killed  Abdus Salam, Abul Barkat, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abdul Jabbar and Shafiur Rahman and also hundreds of others injured. This was a rare incident in history, where people sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue.

Long live International Mother Language Day.

 The following websites have been consulted while writing the article:

1)     https://blog.busuu.com/most-spoken-languages-in-the-world/

2)     https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/motherlanguageday

3)     https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/imld_2021_concept_note_en.pdf

4)     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mother_Language_Day

DDr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad 

 

Global Trade in Plastics: Few Points from UNCTAD Report

Many of us use plastic at least for marketing purposes because it is easy to carry. As a sequel use of plastic has been creating many issues in the present world.   In this article, a few points about the types of plastics and its trade for the leading countries are presented. The points have been collected from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Report published in  December 2020. So, the article is exclusively based on the points collected from the Report.
1) According to the Report plastic has been creating pollution in the  world. And this pollution has fuelled environmental debate since the 1950s.
2) The plastic life cycle starts when oil and gas are extracted then refined  by the petrochemical companies.  Fossil fuel feed stocks for plastic productions are the outputs of the oil and gas refining process and  the key inputs for virgin plastic polymers.
3) There are about 30 different types of primary plastic polymers in the first stage of the plastic life-cycle.
4) The buyers convert the pellets and fibres into value-added plastic products (intermediate or final )that are tradable internationally.
5) Although there are many plastic products traded internationally, some of these are plastic packaging, synthetic textiles and finished clothes, construction materials and industrial machinery, electrical and electronic goods, beauty and household consumer products, paints , coatings and markings, auto mobile parts etc.
6) Total trade in plastic products (excluding feed stocks and additives) was  US$ 1008 Billion in 2018.
7) It may be mentioned that in case of primary forms of plastic, the United States, Germany and the Republic of Korea were the top three exporters in terms of value. On the other hand, China , Germany and the United States were the  top three importers in 2018.
8) In case of manufactured plastic goods in intermediate form , China  is the main exporting country.
9) On the other hand, in  case of synthetic textiles China is the leading exporting country.
10) The Report also reveals that Bangladesh, Brazil, the Philippines, Egypt , Indonesia and Pakistan are the main importers of intermediate forms of synthetic because this in turn they use  to manufacture final products.

 Before conclusion, I wish  to mention from the Report that the main content of  the research paper is that international trade plays an important role across the life cycle of plastics. “Both the volume and value of trade are higher than commonly estimated and efforts to properly capture such trade face a number of methodological challenges”.

Savitribai Phule: Birthday Tribute & Pronam to the Great Lady

   On 3rd  January , 1831, a great lady, endowed with a holy soul was born  at Naigaon of  present Maharashtra who is still in the heart of millions of Indians because of his noble and great deeds albeit her activities irritated those days some  men in that area. She is none other than Savitribai Phule, who is considered as one of the pioneers of the feminist movement in India by spreading women education.  She started the first school for girls in the country in 1848 at Bhide Wada, Pune. During her activities albeit many men in the society could not tolerate in those days but her husband Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, was one of the pillars supporting her journey.  Because of his support, she was moving alone which in Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s poem, we find “Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase Tobe Ekla Cholo Re (If no one responds to your call, then go your own way alone)”.     Savitribai set up India’s first women’s school consisting of different castes at Bhidewada, Pune and became the first woman teacher in the country. Thus the concept ‘inclusive growth’ can be observed from her activities. It is pertinent to mention that in her lifetime she initiated to set up 18 such schools in the region. Because of her activities, many mainly upper caste people who opposed Dalits education were annoyed. To dampen her spirit, they even threw cow dung and mud at her while she was going to the school. Also, her immense contribution was recorded for abolition of slavery and discrimination on the grounds of caste and race. She is regarded as the mother of Indian feminism.    Mahatma Jyotirao Phule presented Savitribai Phule and his own work in an interview given to the Christian missionary periodical, Dnyanodaya, on 15September 1853, saying, “It did occur to me that the improvement that comes about in a child due to the mother is very important and good. So those who are concerned with the happiness and welfare of this country should definitely pay attention to the condition of women and make every effort to impart knowledge to them if they want the country to progress. With this thought, I started the school for girls first. But my caste brethren did not like that I was educating girls and my own father threw us out of the house. Nobody was ready to give space for the school nor did we have money to build it. People were not willing to send their children to school but Lahuji Ragh Raut Mang and Ranba Mahar convinced their caste brethren about the benefits of getting educated”.      

   Savitribai Phule was not scared of her death. She and her adopted son, Yashwant, started a clinic to treat those affected by the worldwide Pandemic of the Bubonic Plague when it occurred around Nalasopara in 1897. She came to know that the son of Pandurang Babaji Gaekwad had contracted the Plague in the Mahar settlement outside of Mundhwa. She immediately rushed there and carried him on her back to the hospital. In the process, Savitribai Phule caught the Plague and died on the night of 10th March 1897.

On the occasion of her birthday, I extend my respectful Pronam to her. 

The following websites were consulted while writing the article:

1)    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savitribai_Phule

2)    https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/who-was-savitribai-phule-remembering-indias-first-woman-teacher

3)    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekla_Chalo_Re

4)    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Pune-university-to-be-renamed-after-Savitribai-Phule

 Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad

Few important findings from FAO’s Report on Fish

 

Nature has created many things in the world of which again many are known to us and many are unknown. Fish is an item which contains omega-3 fatty acids. Incidentally our bodies don't produce omega-3 fatty acids so we should get them through the food. Two omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish - EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).These essential nutrients keep our heart and brain healthy. In addition, fish provides nutrients and micronutrients that are essential to cognitive and physical development, especially for the children. Fish is popular in the world and many varieties are available. In India fish is popular among the Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Malayali, many tribes of north-east and others. It is commonly said that most of the festivals and functions like marriage, house-warming etc., Bengali people irrespective of caste offer fish to the guests. However, fish supplies are failing to meet demand and there are major shortages in some critically poor countries where they are needed most. Worldwide, little more than 250 million people depend directly on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods and millions are employed in fisheries and aquaculture value chains such as processing or marketing. Many poor people often rely on fishing as a primary source of income. These small-scale fishers are particularly vulnerable as fish stocks diminish. Increased productivity from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture can be a driver for rural development by mitigating risks to livelihoods and contributing to income generation and employment. Improving the productivity of fisheries and aquaculture is vital to reduce hunger and poverty for millions in the developing world. Sustainable, productive fisheries and aquaculture improve food and nutrition security, increase income and improve livelihoods, promote economic growth and protect our environment and natural resources. Anyway, Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Report on “Life below water Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources” (www.fao.org/sdg-progress-report/en/#sdg-14) portrays gloomy picture about fishery. Few points are presented from the Report. The first and foremost point is that, “Oceans are the world’s largest ecosystem, home to nearly a million known species, and play a vital role in regulating the global climate system. However, their ability to continue supporting the global population’s economic, social and environmental needs is being compromised. Despite some efforts in conserving oceans, decades of irresponsible exploitation have led to an alarming level of degradation. The sustainability of global fishery resources continues to decline, though at a reduced rate, and while many countries have made progress in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, a more concerted effort is needed. Increased support for small-scale fishers will be critical in light of the coronavirus pandemic to allow them to continue earning a livelihood and nourishing local communities”. Few other important points are:

Ø  Although global marine fish landings is  relatively steady at around 80 million tonnes since 1995, the sustainability of world fishery resources has been declining.

Ø  The proportion of fish stocks sustainably declined from 90 percent in 1974 to 65.8 percent in 2017.

Ø  The good news is that despite the continuous deterioration, the rate of decline has slowed down over the past decade.

Ø  Geographically, there are great variations in the proportion of sustainable fish stocks.

Ø  Some regions are experiencing significant increases in fishing on their stocks. Others have good rates of stock recovery.

Ø  In 2017, the Mediterranean and Black Sea continued to have the highest percentage of stocks fished at unsustainable levels (62.5 percent), followed by the Southeast Pacific (54.5 percent) and Southwest Atlantic (53.3 percent). On the other hand, the Eastern Central Pacific, Southwest Pacific, Northeast Pacific, and Western Central Pacific had the lowest proportion (13–22 percent) of stocks fished at biologically unsustainable levels.

Before winding up, I wish to mention that in 1975, WorldFish was set up as an international, non-profit research organization with headquarters in Penang, Malaysia, and offices in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. WorldFish’s mission is to harness the potential of fisheries and aquaculture to reduce poverty and hunger in developing countries. It is evident that worldwide different organisations have been working to scale up fish production. Also in the context of our country, it may be mentioned that the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) was established in 2006 as an autonomous organization under the administrative control of the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India to enhance fish production and productivity in the country and to coordinate fishery development in an integrated and holistic manner. An extensive range of fishery development activities viz., intensive aquaculture in ponds and tanks, culture based capture fisheries in reservoirs, Coastal Aquaculture, Marine-culture, SeaWeed cultivation, establishment of infrastructure, fishing harbours and fish landing centres, fishing dressing centres and solar drying of fish, domestic marketing, deep sea fishing and tuna processing, ornamental fisheries, trout culture, artificial reefs technology upgradation and capacity building of fishermen and fish farmers are being supported through the State Governments/Implementing agencies.

The following websites have also been consulted while writing the article:

1)      https://www.google.com/search?q=importance+of+fish&rlz

2)      https://www.worldfishcenter.org/why-fish

3)      http://nfdb.gov.in

 Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad Dated 12/11/2020

 

Forests Sine Qua Non for Human Lives: Few Facts from Recent Reports

The forests have great importance for survival of human beings as we depend on forests because forests provide us wood, air, and also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate climate change. It is estimated that the world’s forests house more than 50 percent of the world’s plants and animal species. The highest biodiversity ever recorded on land is in the Amazon rainforest, specifically the area where the Amazon meets the Andes Mountains in Peru and Ecuador. The forests in Borneo, New Guinea, north-western South America and Central America, and the Congo Basin are other hotbeds of species richness. Also the statistics reveal that some of these forests accommodate more than 300 species of trees and plants in each hectare. While the exact number is still being debated, scientists agree that the world’s forests have hundreds of billions of trees. According to an estimate in 2015 in the world there were three trillion trees, including 1.4 trillion in the tropics and subtropics, 700 billion in boreal areas, and 600 billion in temperate regions. It is estimated that 15.3 billion trees are cut down every year and 46 percent of the world’s trees have been cleared over the past 12,000 years. It is pertinent to mention that boreal areas comprise the northern biotic area characterized especially by dominance of coniferous forests. On the other hand, the temperate regions are part of the earth's surface lying between the tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle in the Northern Hemisphere or between the tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle in the Southern Hemisphere, and having a climate that is warm in the summer, cold in the winter, and moderate in the spring and fall. Based on the recent publication few facts are presented here.  According to the latest data based on  the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, the proportion of forest area of the world’s land area has gradually dwindled from 31.9 percent in 2000 (4.2 billion hectares) to 31.5 percent in 2010, further declined to 31.2 percent (4.1 billion hectares) in 2020. Also the data reveal that forest area losses amounted to almost 100 million hectares in the past two decades, however the rate of loss has slightly slowed down within the past ten years. Some of the facts across the world are presented for the benefit of readers and researchers.

·         Most of Asia as well as Europe and Northern America showed an overall increase in forest area from the year 2000 to year 2020, due to afforestation and landscape restoration efforts and natural expansion of forests in those regions.

·         Large forest area losses were reported in the past twenty years in Latin America and the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa and South-Eastern Asia. These losses were mainly due to the conversion of forest land for agricultural use for crops and grazing.

·          Least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) are particularly affected by forest area losses.

·         In Latin America and the Caribbean, the forest losses decreased in 2010-2020 compared to the previous decade, while increases were observed especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-Eastern Asia.

The following websites have been consulted for writing the article:

1)    https://news.mongabay.com/2016/03/10-facts-about-forests-for-international-forest-day

2)    http://www.fao.org/sdg-progress-report/en/#sdg-15

 

 

Dr Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad