রবীন্দ্রনাথ কে আমরা কতটা জানি ? তিনি কি কেবল কবি, লেখক , সঙ্গিতজ্ঞ নাকি আরও কিছু ? শিল্প সাহিত্যের কোথায় নেই তিনি? কিন্তু এর বাইরে তিনি একজন সফল পল্লী সংগঠক ছিলেন না ? শিলাইদহ , পতিসর ও শাজাদপুরের বিপুল জনগোষ্ঠীর জন্য "দাতব্য হাসপাতাল" প্রতিষ্ঠাই তিনি যথেষ্ঠ মনে করেননি , স্বয়ং ডাক্তার হিসেবে চিকিত্সা সেবাও করেছেন যা আমাদের অনেকের কাছেই অজানা
এ নিয়ে আমার লেখা ইত্তেফাক ছেপেছিল ২৮ এপ্রিল ২০০০ তারিখে ।
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Salvation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation). In theology, salvation can mean three related things:
being saved from or liberation from something, such as suffering or the punishment of sin – also called deliverance; being saved for something, such as an afterlife or participating in the Reign of God – also called redemption social liberation and healing, as in liberation theology. The theological study of salvation is called Soteriology and also covers the means by which salvation is effected or achieved, and its results or effects.
Hinduism Salvation is the soul's liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and attainment of the highest spiritual state. It is the ultimate goal of, where even hell and heaven are temporary. This is called Moksha (Sanskrit: ?????, liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: ??????, release). Moksha is a final release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackles of experiential duality and a re-establishment in one's own fundamental nature, though the nature is seen as ineffable and beyond sensation. The actual state of salvation is seen differently depending on one's beliefs.
In Advaita, a monistic philosophy, which comprises most forms of Shaivism and some forms of Vaishnavism, it is oneness with Brahman, without form or being, something that essentially is without manifestation. In dualist Hinduism, as found mostly in different forms of Vaishnavism, it is union or close association with God. In Hinduism, moksha occurs when the individual soul (human mind/spirit) or atman recognizes its identity with the Ground of all being - the Source of all phenomenal existence known as Brahman. The religion recognizes several paths to achieve this state, none of which is exclusive. They are the ways of selfless work (Karma Yoga), of self-dissolving love (Bhakti Yoga), of absolute discernment & knowledge(Jnana Yoga), and of 'royal' meditative immersion (Raja Yoga).
In much the same manner as Christ took the sins upon himself, Shiva swallowed the poison, halahala, so that it would not kill the creation. Shiva's act is celebrated at the Hindu festival Shivratri, also in March at about the same time as Easter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation
A one-year-old girl who survived the worst-ever temple tragedy in the history of Himachal Pradesh keeps repeating the one word she knows - "Mummy" - but her mother isn't there to comfort her.
The child was put in the care of the Naina Devi shrine trust authorities by the district administration since no one came to claim her after Sunday's stampede, which killed 145 people.
"The toddler has been crying for her mother continuously. We hope her family is able to find her and she goes back to them," said a woman attendant at the shrine who has been looking after the girl.
The girl was found unconscious by a resident of Nabha town in Punjab who brought her to the doctors providing medical aid to those injured in Sunday's stampede.
"The girl was brought to us in an unconscious state. We were able to revive her and handed her over to the district administration. She is now with the temple authorities," a doctor who attended on her said.
Over 146 people were killed and 40 injured in a stampede at the Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh when throngs of devotees panicked after someone spread a rumour that boulders were rolling down the popular hill shrine. Most of the dead were women and children. A majority of the victims were from neighbouring Punjab. A state government statement Sunday evening said that 123 people were killed and 40 injured in the accident. Rescue operations at the shrine, located atop a hill, to reach which devotees have to walk the last few hundred metres on a steep gradient, were hit by inclement weather and lack of coordination among various agencies.
I am brousing the Egroups and blogs to study the general reactions.
Some friends have branded this accident as Man Made.
I agree. But the himalayan Reality and the Salvation stampede are not so easy issues to be generalised. We have to understand the Geopolitics, Landscape as well as human scape in context of social realism, religious psyche and ecological point of view.
It is a great relief that until now no body has called it a Terrorist Attack or dared to brand itas the Hindutva crisis!
I was picking up the Tiffin Box and water Bottle to set off for my office as the News broke.
I heard only two words, Naina Debi and stampede. I was shocked as the only Naina Debi temple I knew till the moment was located in Nainital. It is a small place and I never saw it crowdy on any occassion other than the Autumn Fesival.Naina Debi Puja in Nainital has been always a peaceful event with some imputes of a few pure Kumaooni folk like Jaagar.
But I was never relieved to find that the tragedy stroke another Himalayan region called Himachal. It is a shame for a person like me who tries to be in live contact with every part of the Hiamalays all the year round! I did not knew the existence of Naina debi in Himachal!
I met a student of Naini engineering College, Allahabad in Kalka express while I was returning from New delhi only on 28th July. He was an attractive face of the Generation Next.
It was a n AC Three tier compartment. The youngman was very worried as his classmate a Manipuri student in the Engineering college missed the train. i came to know this fact in Delhi RLY station itself when the train left for Howrah. I immediately suggested the boy to contact his friend and suggest him to catch the next train as I believed that the ticket might be valid. He did.
I guessed that he might belong to Manipur. But he turned to be a Hill man belonging to Himachal. It was a rare opportunity to update my knowledge about Himachal Pradesh. On the other hand I never miss to talk any young boy or girl from generation next. My son Excallibur Stevens is only twenty three years old. I have to try very hard to communicate with him. I always try to befriend with his friend circle. I bieleve that no change is possible without an active role of the Generation next. I read regularly every episode of to serialised novels being published in Desh dealing with the Generation Next. It is always very hard to cope with the environment and all Generation Next Literature seems to be either hard or soft porn. But I try my best to get the psyche.
Himachal Pradesh From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search ?Himachal Pradesh India Shimla Coordinates: 31°06'40?N 77°09'14?E? / ?31.111, 77.154 Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Area 55,780 km² (21,537 sq mi) Capital Shimla Largest city Shimla
Himachal Pradesh is a state in the north-west of India. Himachal Pradesh is spread over 55,780 square kilometres (21,537 sq mi)[1] and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on north, Punjab on west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on south, Uttarakhand on south-east and by Tibet on the east. The literal meaning of Himachal Pradesh is Region of snowy mountains.[2]
Himachal Pradesh was also known as Deva Bhoomi (the land of the gods). The Aryan influence in the region dates back to the period before the Rigveda. After the Anglo Gorkha war, the British colonial government came into power. It was initially in Punjab, except Siba State of Punjab Hills, under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh till 1857 [3] In 1950 Himachal was declared as the union territory but after State of Himachal Pradesh Act 1971 Himchal emerged as the 18th state of Indian Union.
Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest per capita incomes of any state in India. Due to the abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab & Rajasthan.[4] The economy of the state is highly dependent upon three sources i.e. hydroelectric power, tourism and agriculture.[5]
95% of the state population constitutes of Hindus. The major communities are of Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. As per the survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International Himachal Pradesh is ranked second least corrupt state in the country after Kerala.[
I did not ask his name. Because it is very hard to digest the fact that we make friends in trains so sponataneously and lose them at the very moment when we detrain! Train Journy has always been a learning and social interaction place for me. When we fly we get so tired within so little time. But we feel never so tired in longest version of Train journy. it is so much so involving. We never hear a concept like jet lag in reference to train. I used to note down all the names and addresses. But I always felt the pain to lose the friends in train! I am getting older and , nowadays, I discusss the issues in tarin with persons whom I never know!
The boy detrained in Allahabad Junction in the evening. Meanwhile, we discussed all the issues relating to Himalayan Zone including North East to Kashmir.
I joked at a point,` Gods and Goddesses decide everything in Himachal. They elect the Government. every village has its own god or goddesses. We plains people treat hiamchal as a heavenly places! I suppose that you might be one among the divine line up!'
He reacted very sharply, ` Heavens have their own Realities!'
We discussed the Agreculture and Horticulture and he informed that the Himachal is enjoying an Apple Boom this season and there was no agrarian crisis in Himachal.
I was surprised to know when he claimed that Himachal goverment is proactive to save the Green Top! He told that constructions have stopped in Himachal.I informed him that Nainital and all the Hill Stations are overconstructed. I spoke on Darjiling and Gangtok with details. He belongs to Shimla. He spoke on every town of Himachal including Bilaspur and Rampur Bushahar!
Himachal Pradesh is divided into 12 districts namely, Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Una, Chamba, Lahul and Spiti, Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Kullu, Solan and Shimla. The state capital is Shimla which was formerly British India's summer capital under the name Simla.
A district of Himachal Pradesh is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Himachal Administrative Service and other Himachal state services. Each district is subdivided into Sub-Divisions, governed by a sub-divisional magistrate, and again into Blocks. Blocks consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities. A Superintendent of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Himachal Police Service and other Himachal Police officials.
The era of planning started in Himachal in 1948 along with the rest of India. The first five year plan allocated Rs.5.27 crore to Himachal. More than 50% of this expenditure was incurred on road construction since it was felt that without proper transport facilities, the process of planning and development could not be carried to the people, who mostly lived an isolated existence in far away areas. Himachal now ranks fourth in respect of per capita income among the states of the Indian Union.[4] Agriculture contributes over 45% to the net state domestic product. It is the main source of income and employment in Himachal. Over 93% of the population in Himachal depend directly upon agriculture which provides direct employment to 71% of its people. The main cereals grown are wheat, maize, rice and barley. Himachal has a rich heritage of handicrafts. These include woolen and pashmina shawls, carpets, silver and metal ware, embroidered chappals, grass shoes, Kangra and Gompa style paintings, wood work, horse-hair bangles, wooden and metal utensils and various other house hold items. These aesthetic and tasteful handicrafts declined under competition from machine made goods and also because of lack of marketing facilities. But now the demand for handicrafts has increased within and outside the country. Himachal is extremely rich in hydel resources. The state has about 25% of the national potential in this respect. It has been estimated that about 20,300MW of hydel power can be generated in the State by constructing various major, medium, small and mini/micro hydel projects on the five river basins. The state is also the first state in India to achieve the goal of having a bank account for every family.[4] As per the current prices, the total GDP was estimated at Rs 25,435 crore (Rs 254,350,000,000), as against Rs 23,024 crore (Rs 230,240,000,000) in the year 2004-05, showing an increase of 10.5%.[20]
Transport Main article: Transport in Himachal Pradesh
Kalka-Shimla RailwayRoads are the major mode of transport in the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh. The state has road network of 28,208 km (17,528 mi),[21] including eight national highways (NH) that constitute 1,234 km (767 mi).[21] Some roads get closed during winter and monsoon seasons due to snowfall and landslides. Regular bus services connect Shimla with Chandigarh, Kullu, Manali, Delhi, Mandi, Pathankot, Ambala, Chail and Dehradun. Local taxis are the major local transport here. District Hamirpur has got the highest road density in the country.[22]
Railway track is accessible only to a few places in Himachal Pradesh. The Pathankot–Jogindernagar line connectsPunjab with Himachal Pradesh. The other railway tracks pass through Shimla, Solan and Una. Shimla is connected with Kalka by a narrow gauge railway line, which in turn is connected with the major cities in India. Himachal has two narrow gauge rail tracks. The Kalka-Shimla Railway track has a length of 96 kilometers. It passes through 102 tunnels and crosses 864 bridges.[23][24]
There are three domestic airports in the state—Shimla Airport, Bhuntar Airport serving Kullu and Manali, and Gaggal Airport serving Kangra and Dharamsala. The air routes connect the state with Delhi and Chandigarh. There are no international airports in Himachal Pradesh. Jagson Airlines has flights from Delhi to Shimla.[25]
[edit] Demographics
Bhima Kali temple in RAMPUR district. Majority of Himachal Pradesh's populace practices Hinduism.The population of Himachal in 2001 stood at 6,077,248 as per the provisional results of the Census of India 2001.[26] The population of Himachal Pradesh includes estimated population of entire Kinnaur district, where the population enumeration of Census of India, 2001 could not be conducted due to natural calamity.[26] In terms of population it holds the same position (twenty first) among States and Union territories as at the previous census.[26] The population of the State rose by 17.53% between 1991-2001.[26] The sex ratio (i.e., the number of females per thousand males) of population was recorded as 970, which has declined from 976 in the previous census.[26] Total literacy of the State rose to 77.13% from 63.94% in 1991.[26]
The tribal population of the state comprise of the Gaddis, Kinnars, Gujjars, Pangawals, Lahaulis and Spitians.[27] The Gaddis are the traditional shepherds who migrate from the alpine pastures to the lower regions during the winters. The Kinnars are the inhabitants of the Kinnaur region and have traditionally practiced polyandry and polygamy. The Gujjars are nomads who rear buffalo herds. Himachal also has a sizeable population of Tibetans[27]
About 95.4% of the population of Himachal Pradesh consists of Hindus, Muslims 2.0%, Sikhs 1.2% and Buddhists 1.2% [28]. There main communities are Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis. Himachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of Hindu population in India. Other religions are Sikhism and Buddhism. The Lahaulis of Lahaul and Spiti region are mainly Buddhists.[26]
The major spoken languages include Hindi, Punjabi, Mahasui, Kulluyi, Lahauli, Kinnauri, Chambyali, Sirmauri, Bilaspuri, Pahari, Dogri, Kangri.[27]
Some of the achievements in human development by the state are listed below[29]-
The life expectancy at birth was 62.8 years (higher than the national average of 57.7 years) for the period 1986–1990.[29] The Infant mortality rate has fallen down from 118 in 1971 to 62 in 1999. The crude birth rate has declined from 37.3 in 1971 to 22.6 in 1998 i.e. below the national average of 26.5 in 1998. The crude death rate has declined from 15.6 in 1971 to 7.7 in 1998. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined from 4.7 to 3.6. Overall literacy grew by 34.65% between the period 1981 and 2001. Kullu district is leading with the value of 0.534 in Human development index (HDI) [29]
Languages of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in Himachal Pradesh are the Sunam language 558 (1998), Gahri language 4,000 (1997), Jangshung language 1,990 (1998),Kanashi language 1,400 (2002 Chauhan), Kinnauri language 48,778, Kinnauri Bhoti language 6,000 (1998), Chitkuli language 1,060 (1998), Pattani language 11,000 (1997), Shumcho language 2,174 (1998) and the Tukpa language 723 (1998)[30]
[edit] Culture Main article: Culture of Himachal Pradesh
Anglo-Indian architecture church in Shimla.Himachal was one of the few states that had remained largely untouched by external customs, largely due to its difficult terrain. With the technological advancements the state has changed very rapidly. It is a multireligional, multicultural as well as multilingual state like other Indian states. Some of the most commonly spoken languages includes Hindi, Punjabi, Pahari, Dogri, Kangri and Kinnauri.[27] The Hindu caste communities residing in Himachal include the Brahmins, Rajputs, Kannets, Rathis and Kolis.[31] There are also tribal population in the state which mainly comprise Gaddis, Kinnars, Gujjars, Pangawals, Sulehri and Lahaulis.[32] The state is well known for its handicrafts. The carpets, leather works, shawls, paintings, metalware, woodwork and paintings are worth appreciating. Pashmina shawl is one of the product which is highly in demand not only in Himachal but all over the country. Himachali caps are also famous art work of the people. Extreme cold winters of Himachal necessitated wool weaving. Nearly every household in Himachal owns a pit-loom. Wool is also considered as pure and is used as a ritual cloth. The well known woven object is the shawl, ranging from fine pashmina to the coarse desar. Kullu is famous for its shawls with striking patterns and vibrant colours.
Local music and dance reflects the cultural identity of the state. Through their dance and music, they entreat their gods during local festivals and other special occasions. Apart from the fairs and festivals that are celebrated all over India, there are number of other fairs and festivals also that are of great significance to Himachal Pradesh.
Shimla, the state capital is home to Asia's only natural Ice skating rink[33].
The day to day food of Himachalis is very similar to the rest of the north India. They too have lentil, broth, rice, vegetables and bread. As compared to other states in north India non vegetarian is more preferred.[32] Some of the specialities of Himachal include Pateer, Chouck, Bhagjery, Patrode, Beduan and chutney of Til.
Famous people associated with Himachal include English author Rudyard Kipling, Indian film personalities Dalip Singh Rana (Khali; WWE wrestler), Anupam Kher, Preity Zinta, Amrish Puri (who studied here), and Prem Chopra (brought up here), economist and former vice-president of World Bank Shahid Javed Burki, Satyananda Stokes who introduced apple in the region, writer Idries Shah, ornithologist Allan Octavian Hume (had his home here), former general of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and current President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai who both studied here
He boasted that Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest literacy rates in India.[34] Hamirpur District is among the top districts in the country for literacy.[34] Education rates among women are quite encouraging in the state.[34] The standard of education in the state has reached to a considerably high level as compared to other states in India.[34] The state has several reputed educational institutes for higher studies.
The Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla and the NIT, Hamirpur are some of the pioneer institutes located in the state. Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry has earned a unique distinction in India for imparting teaching, research and extension education in horticulture, forestry and allied disciplines.[34]
The government is working constantly to prepare various plans and projects in order to strengthen the education system of the state. Recently, the State Government has decided to start three nursing colleges to develop the health system in the state. There are over 10,000 primary schools, 1,000 secondary schools and more than 1,300 high schools in Himachal.[35] The state government has decided to start up with 3 major nursing colleges to develop the health system in the state.[34] In meeting the constitutional obligation to make primary education compulsory, Himachal has now became the first state in India to make elementary education accessible to every child in the state.[36]
The State has got Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital. Besides that there is Himachal Dental College which is the first recognised Dental Institute in the State.[37]
He also discussed tourism and religious tourism. I only knew Baishno Devi, the most famous religious place in Himachal. We have so many in Kumayoon and Garwal. Kedar, Badri, Gangotri, Jamonaotri, Joshimath, Jageshwar to Haridwar and Rishikesh!
Additional director general of police D S Manhas said Shimla that the death toll could well mount further. He said most of the injured had been taken to the district headquarters of Bilaspur, 70 km from here, and Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, 30 km from here.
The temple is located 160 km from state capital Shimla, the popular hill resort in northern India.
The accident took place around 400 metres from the main temple.
The crowd of devotees had gathered at the temple on the occasion of the 10-day Shravan Ashtami fair that began on Saturday.
According to mythology, an eye of Sati, Lord Shiva's consort, fell at the site during his tandav (dance of destruction), earning the place its name 'Naina Devi' - goddess's eye. It is one of the most popular shrines in north India
Tragedy shatters rain-soaked morning at Naina Devi temple
BILASPUR/HP: The serene atmosphere of the rain-soaked morning was shattered by a massive tragedy that struck an estimated 25,000 devotees, mostly from neighbouring Punjab, at the hilltop Naina Devi temple, about 45km from here, to offer prayers to the deity today.
As men, women and children waited in a serpentine queue to have a glimpse of the deity, suddenly all hell broke loose between 0930 hours and 0945 hours as people started running helter skelter for their life following rumour of a landslide and hurtling down of boulders from a nearby hilltop, triggering a huge stampede.
Temple officials said between 20,000 and 25,000 devotees were at the temple, a turnout much higher than the usual 10-15,000 because of local Navaratra festival, when the incident took place.
Batches of devotees returning from the temple ran down the road and crashed into pilgrims trekking up the 4km road to the reach the temple, triggering the stampede.
Children and women clutching the hands of their near and dear ones got separated in the the rush to escape the landslide, realising little that they were hurtling to another form of death.
As devotees tried to outpace each other to find an escape route, they tried to jump over the railings along the road leading to the temple. Coming under massive human pressure, the railings gave way and people fell down along the slope.
Several women and children, who could not jump the railings and stuck to the regular path, were trampled upon, witnesses said. History Main article: History of Himachal Pradesh
The fort of Nahan, the capital of princely state of Sirmur.The history of the area that now constitutes Himachal Pradesh dates back to the time when the Indus valley civilisation flourished between 2250 and 1750 BCE.[7] Tribes such as the Koilis, Halis, Dagis, Dhaugris, Dasa, Khasas, Kinnars and Kirats inhabited the region from pre-histotic era. During the Vedic period, several small republics known as "Janapada" existed which were later conquered by the Gupta Empire.[8] After a brief period of supremacy by king Harshavardhana, the region was once again divided into several local powers headed by chieftains, including some Rajput prinicipalities. These kingdoms that enjoyed a large degree of independence were devastated by Muslim invaders a number of times.[7] Mahmud Ghaznavi conquered Kangra at the beginning of the 10th century. Timur and Sikander Lodi also marched through the lower hills of the state and captured a number of forts and fought many battles.[7] Several hill states acknowledged Mughal suzerainty and paid regular tribute to the Mughals.[9]
The Gorkhas, a martial tribe came to power in Nepal in the year 1768.[7] They consolidated their military power and began to expand their territory.[7] Gradually the Gorkhas annexed Sirmour and Shimla. With the leadership of Amar Singh Thapa, Gorkhas laid siege to Kangra. They managed to defeat Sansar Chand, the ruler of kangra, in 1806 with the help of many provincial chiefs. However Gorkhas could not capture Kangra fort which came under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in 1809. After the defeat the Gorkhas began to expand towards the south of the state.However,Raja Ram Singh,Raja of Siba State re-captured the fort of Siba from the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Samvat 1846.[7]
This led in the Anglo-Sikh war. They came into direct conflict with the British along the tarai belt after which the British expelled them from the provinces of the Satluj.[7] Thus the British gradually emerged as the paramount powers.[7] The revolt of 1857 or first Indian war of independence resulted due to the building up of political, social, economic, religious and military grievances against the British government.[7] People of the hill states were not politically alive as the people in other parts of the country.[7] They remained more or less inactive and so did their rulers with the exception of Bushahr.[7] Some of them even rendered help to the British government during the revolt. Among them were the rulers of Chamba, Bilaspur, Bhagal and Dhami. The rulers of Bushars rather acted in a manner hostile to the interests of British.[7]
The British territories in the hill came under British Crown after Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1858. The states of Chamba, Mandi and Bilaspur made good progress in many fields during the British rule.[7] During the first world war, virtually all rulers of the hill states remained loyal and contributed to the British war effort both in the form of men and materials. Amongst these were the states of Kangra, Jaswan,Datarpur,Guler, Nurpur, Chamba, Suket, Mandi and Bilaspur.[7]
After independence the Chief Commissioner's province of H.P. came into being on 15 April 1948. The province comprised of the hill districts around Shimla and southern hill areas of the former Punjab region. Himachal became a part C state on 26 January 1950 with the implementation of the Constitution of India. Himachal Pradesh became Union Territory on 1 November 1956.[7] On 18 December 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25 January 1971. Thus Himachal emerged as the eighteenth state of Indian Union.[7]
[edit] Geography and climate Main article: Geography of Himachal Pradesh
A summer view of KhajjiarHimachal is situated in the western Himalayas. Covering an area of 55,780 kilometres (34,660 mi),[1] Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous state with elevation ranging from about 350 metres (1,148 ft) to 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) above the sea level.[10]
Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh.The drainage system of Himachal is composed both of rivers and glaciers. Himalayan rivers criss-cross the entire mountain chain. In fact the rivers are older than the mountain system. [11] Himachal Pradesh provides water to both the Indus and Ganges basins.[12] The drainage systems of the region are the Chandra Bhaga or the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, the Sutlej and the Yamuna. These rivers are perennial and are fed by snow and rainfall. They are protected by an extensive cover of natural vegetation. [12]
There is great variation in the climatic conditions of Himachal due to extreme variation in elevation. The climate varies from hot and sub-humid tropical in the southern tracts to cold, alpine and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges with more elevation.[13] The state has areas like Dharamsala that receive very heavy rainfall, as well as those like Lahaul and Spiti that are cold and almost rainless. Broadly Himachal experience three seasons; hot weather season, cold weather season and rainy season. Summer lasts from mid April till the end of June and most parts become very hot (except in alpine zone which experience mild summer) with the average temperature ranging from 28 °C (82 °F) to 32 °C (90 °F).[14] Winter lasts from late November till mid March. Snowfall is common in alpine tracts (generally above 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) i.e. in the Higher and Trans-Himalayan region).[14]
The Ganga is 'dying', and fast. The most revered river of the country can no longer be classified as "threatened". If the WWF report 'World's top 10 rivers at risk' is any indication, continuous water withdrawal, pollution and climate change have together created a situation of very high risk for our most famous river, reports Vibha Sharma
"What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt—it is sure to where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else," Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Hal Boule once said. This statement, however, no longer holds true as some of the world's greatest rivers, including the Ganga, are no longer assured of reaching the sea unhindered, says the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Human greed, expanding population and climate change have together ensured that.
(Above) The Ganga at Prayag; (bottom) the bathing ghats at Banaras. How long will the river remain the lifeline of those who are sustained by it?
In the years to come the northern plains, heavily dependent on the Ganga, are likely to face severe water scarcity. Together with the onslaught of industrial and sewage pollutants, the river's fate stands more or less sealed.
"Among the categories dead, dying and threatened, I would put the Ganga in the dying category," says WWF Programme Director Sejal Worah.
The other heavyweight to join in the list from the Indian subcontinent is the mighty Indus. The Indus, too, has been the victim of climate change, water extraction and infrastructure development. "In all, poor planning and inadequate protection of natural means have ensured that the world population can no longer assume that water is going to flow forever," WWF says, adding that the world's water suppliers—rivers-on-every-continent are dying, threatening severe water shortage in the future.
The other rivers of the world are at the mercy of over-extraction, climate change, pollution, dams and over-fishing are the Yangtze, the Mekong-Lancang, the Salween-Nu, the Danube, the La Plata, the Rio Grande, the Nile and the Murray-Darling. The bottomline, therefore, is that rivers are no longer assured of reaching the sea unhindered.
As per the WWF, water extraction is the only one of the daunting challenges that a river faces as it makes its way to its terminus. "Dams and channelising destroy habitats, cuts rivers off from their floodplains and alter the natural ebb and flow on which a river's plants and animals depend. Invasive species crowd rivers' banks, drive out native fish and choke their courses. Pollution fouls their waters, sometimes turning life-giving rivers into threats to human health. And climate change threatens to alter all the rules that rivers have lived by for thousands of years".
While the imminent fresh water crisis is bigger than the 10 rivers listed, the summary mirrors the extent to which unabated development is jeopardising nature's ability to meet growing demands.
The huge volume of waste generated by millions of people living in the cities on the banks of the Ganga is passed on into the river
What's wrong?
The Ganga is facing a threat due to increased water withdrawal for agriculture, pollution, climate change and the 14 proposed large dams. In India, barrages control all the tributaries to the Ganga and divert about 60 per cent of the river to large-scale irrigation, the WWF report claims.
Over-extraction for agriculture in the river has caused a great reduction in surface water resources, increasing dependence on groundwater, loss of water-based livelihoods and the destruction of habitat for 109 fish species and other aquatic and amphibian fauna.
"Lowering water levels have indirectly led to deficiencies in organic content of the soil and reduced agricultural productivity. Over-extraction of ground water has affected the water quality. Inadequate recharging of groundwater impairs the natural cleansing of arsenic which becomes water soluble when exposed to air threatening the health of the people likely to use it. Climate change will excarberate the problems caused by water extraction. The Himalayan glaciers are estimated to supply 30 to 40 per cent of the water in the Ganga, which is particularly critical in dry seasons prior to monsoon," the WWF cautions.
Another major problem has been pollution caused by polluting industries due to which large amounts of chemicals like chromium find their way into its rapidly decreasing flow. And that's not about all. The sheer volume of waste generated by millions of people living in the cities on its banks is passed on into the river in almost untreated form.
Ganga, the people's river
The Ganga originates from the Gangotri glaciers, a vast expanse of ice, five miles by 15, at the foot of the Himalayas, (14,000 feet above sea level). It is the source of the Bhagirathi, which joins the Alakhnanda to form the Ganga at Devprayag. Incidentally, the sources of the Indus and the Brahmaputra are also close by but while one ultimately flows out into the sea through Pakistan, the other spends a major portion of its life in Tibet/China.
As far as the Ganga is concerned, from Devprayag to the Bay of Bengal and the Sunderbans delta, the river and its tributaries like the Yamuna, the Ghagar, the Gandak, the Son, the Gomti and the Chambal cover a vast expanse. It breathes life into some of the most important cities of the northern plains—Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkota.
With a basin spread over an amazing 1,016, 124 square km, covering parts of India, Nepal, China and Bangladesh, the river supports a population of more than 200 million. The Ganga basin occupies 30 per cent of the land area in India and interestingly one in 12 people in the world live in its catchment area.
The WWF says that the Ganga basin supports a rich biodiversity with 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and five areas supporting birds found nowhere else in the world. It is home to the endangered Ganges river dolphin and the rare freshwater shark—Glyphis ganeticus. The unique Sunderbans delta supports more than 289 terrestrial, 219 aquatic, 315 bird, 1276 fish and 31 crustacean species. There are also 35 reptile and 42 mammals, including the world's last population of tigers living in mangroves. Sunderbans, the delta of Ganga, or rather the Hoogly and the Padma, covers 42,000 square-km and is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Pilgrimage towns like Hardwar, Banaras and Allahabad hold special significance, and not just for devout Hindus. For millions, the Ganga is the centre of social and religious traditions. What makes the Ganga so special for India is that for the people in India it is associated with a way of life and is the symbol of India's age-old civilisation and culture.
Ganga on film
Its close association and significance in the life of the people has made it the focus of many Hindi and Bhojpuri blockbusters. The river automatically brings to the mind names of Bollywood grossers like Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Jis Desh Mein Ganga BehtiHai and Ganga Tera Paani Amrit. Several Hindi film songs have been shot on its waters. The Canadian entry for 2007 Oscars—Mira Nair's Water—focused on the plight of widows in the temple town of Banaras. Initially planned to be picturised in Banaras, the shooting locales were later shifted to Sri Lanka following protests.
Action plan
The Ganga Action Plan, initiated by the government to control pollution in the Ganga and its tributaries in different phases, has been slow.
The Ganga runs its course of over 2,500 km from Gangotri to Ganga Sagar through 29 class I cities, 23 class II cities and about 48 towns.
While GAP-I was still in progress, the Central Ganga Authority decided to take up GAP-II in February 1991, on the tributaries of Ganga like Yamuna, Damodar and Gomti, in 25 class I cities left out of the phase-I and in other polluting cities along the river. GAP-II was to be completed by December 2001.
Despite heavy investments towards cleaning, pollution levels in the river remain as dangerous. While lower water levels can be attributed to over-extraction, climate change and infrastructure development, environmentalists say that close to 90 per cent of the pollution in the river is caused by sewage, which continues to flow unabated into it. Pollution level in the Ganga is the biggest contributor in spreading water-borne diseases among those residing on its banks.
Officials, of course, shift the blame of delays on the lack of experience of state agencies, delay in land acquisition, litigation and court cases, contractual disputes and diversion of funds.
Source trouble
The situation is no less scary at the source of the Ganga—the Gangotri. The glacier receded at an alarming rate of 17.15 metres per year between 1971 and 2004, according to a study conducted by the Department of Science and Technology. One more study estimated that the glacier retreated 12.10 metres during 2004-05, another example of global warming and climate change.
Agencies conducting regular monitoring of several glaciers during the past 100 years in major basins of Himalayas from Shyok in the west to Changme Khangpu (Tista) in the East have revealed that a majority of the glaciers in the Himalayan region are passing through a phase of recession.
Climate change
Environmentalists say that climate change is closer than we think and will hit agrarian developing countries like India the hardest. While the north will face the water crisis with 50 per cent less water in the next 18 years, coastal areas like Mumbai can face the threat of innundation and 20 per cent increased risk of cyclonic storms. "On a scale of one to 10, I would put India's capacity to meet with challenges ahead at 0.5 points. Everyone seems to be talking about climate change, but as an actual measure very little is being done," IPCC Chairman R.K. Pachauri says.
"Adaptation will be necessary to address impacts resulting from the warming which is already unavoidable due to past emissions. We need much more work on the monsoon given its importance to life and agriculture in this country. The country has to devise anticipatory measures, including protective infrastructure and encouraging natural methods," he adds.
Sixty feared dead in landslide in Indian Himalayas
CHANDIGARH, India, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Around 60 people are thought to have died in the Indian Himalayas after a cloudburst caused a landslide that buried an entire village, officials said on Wednesday.
The army has been called in to look for bodies after Tuesday night's cloudburst in Dharla village in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. But heavy rain was hampering rescue work.
"There is so much debris which has fallen on the houses that nothing except few lanterns are visible," local police officer Vidya Chand Negi told Reuters. "Huge boulders 20 to 25-feet high have completely crushed the houses."
Negi said five bodies had been recovered and around 55 people were missing, with 14 houses and a primary health centre buried.
"We don't expect any survivors," he said, adding
Recession may cause an increase in the discharge of Himalayan rivers due to enhanced melting, initially leading to a higher incidence of flooding and landslides. It spells disaster for areas dependent on perennial rivers like the Ganga. As the volume of ice diminishes, there will be no water left to flow in the river.
This ornamental organization has no efficacy for the suffering millions and no power to tame the muscle power. This is another paper bull shit get-together(rather retreat) of the leaders in their best out fit to give eye wash like the great eunuch UN.
There should have been a resolution placed by Bangladesh to condemn the bestial indi for its brutal murders of Bangladeshi citizens( SAARC Citizen). But the eunuch/impotent small SAARC members are afraid to bell the beast.
We do not need SAARC as long it doesn't serve the interest of the teeming millions and there should be scope to censure and even oust any criminal state.
My request to the small and powerless countries to stop being tool of childish play in the hands of the beast and discontinue the SAARC and by thus save some money for the poor of ones country.
Leaders of the eight SAARC nations are expected to take part in the 15th SAARC Summit scheduled in Sri Lanka on August 2 to 3. According to the available information, the host Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Pakistani Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani, Bangladesh Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed, Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Bhutan Prime Minister Jigme Thinley, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the new member Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will participate in the Summit to discuss mainly the economic issues of the region.
Besides, this year¢s Summit will be observed by seven States, namely, China, the European Union (EU), Iran, Mauritius, Japan, Korea and the United States. The representatives of the Observer States who will take part in the main summit are Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Dawei, EU Director-Asia James Moran, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Monoucher Mottachi, Mauritius Minister of Agro Industries and Fisheries Arvin Bolell, Korean Vice foreign Minister Kwon Jong Rak and Assistant Secretary to the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A. Boucher.
Agenda
The theme of Colombo SAARC Summit, the 15th SAARC Summit since its formation in 1985, is "SAARC Partnership for People". The theme of the last year SAARC Summit held in New Delhi was "Connectivity". The Southern leaders would deliberate on the issue of food security and power and energy. This theme has a close correlation and has a sense of continuity to the previous theme of connectivity. The SAARC Summit in Colombo would enhance the profile and the stature of the country not only regionally but internationally as well. Food and energy are most conspicuous issues to this developing region since the scarcity of power/energy and food could have a negative impact not only on the economies but on the populace as well. Key energy issues such as sharing of hydro power and the tri-lateral gas pipeline among Iran-Pakistan-India too would be addressed at the Colombo Summit.
It is envisaged that the Colombo SAARC Summit would map out and deliberate other sources of alternative energy. Further, the Colombo Summit would focus on enhancing air connectivity between and among the member countries. The connectivity could lead to a great degree of economic and commercial activity such as enhancement of tourism, intra-regional investment and trade, international joint ventures and people to people contact among others. Special focus would be on the price rise and oil crisis. India insists on debating upon issues like "terrorism" and keeping in view of the latest "terror attacks" in India (at a time when India was losing cricket in Sri Lanka and the impact of defeat was reduced by them), the SAARC would discuss the issue, including state terrorism.
The Summit will address issues like standardization of goods, cost-effectiveness, transportation costs, the operational aspects and other concomitant dynamics of the SAFTA as well. The SAFTA could be the catalyst to transform and evolve the region of SAARC as a free trade area, thus increasing the bilateral and multilateral trade of goods. It may also be stated that hosting a Summit with such a pantheon of South Asian leaders and other global dignitaries would reflect the stability, capacity and finesse of the country, thus stimulating economic and commercial activity. The Summit would ponder over other methodologies to implement tele-medicine, visa free entry among the member States and facilitation of religious pilgrims among others. These economic initiatives and propositions would have a direct impact on the economic fabric of the country.
Sri Lanka would be assuming the Chairmanship of the most populated and one of the most endowed regional blocs in the world. It estimated that the total cost of the SAARC Summit in Colombo would be in the vicinity of SLR 2.8 billion or US$ 27 million. Compared to the importance of security at the recently held G-8 Summit in Japan, known as Hokkaido Summit, the cost of security alone was an exorbitant figure of USD 280 million. The assumption of the Chairmanship of this regional bloc would reflect the proactive engagement of Sri Lanka in geopolitical and geo-economics issues in the region, which in turn would transcend to Asia in particular and the rest of the world in general.
SAARC
Primarily for economic integration and integrated development in the region, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established on December 8, 1985 by eight countries in Southern Asia, namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives Bhutan, and Afghanistan (2007) and, like ASEAN, D-8, and G8, etc., it is an economic and political organization forging ties with several international and regional forums.
Comprising the Foreign Ministers of Member States, the Council of Ministers is responsible for formulating policies, reviewing progress, deciding on new areas of cooperation, establishing additional mechanisms as deemed necessary, and deciding on other matters of general interest to the Association. The Council meets normally twice a year and may also meet in extraordinary sessions by agreement of Member States. With a Secretariat established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987, SAARC was founded to promote peace, stability, amity and progress in the region through strict adherence to the principles of the UN Charter and Non-Alignment, particularly respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, national independence, non-use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and peaceful settlement of all disputes. The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was mooted in May 1980.
The Foreign Secretaries of the seven countries met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981, identified five broad areas for regional cooperation. New areas of cooperation were added in the following years. SAARC was founded by the regional leaders conscious that in an increasingly interdependent world, the objectives of peace, freedom, social justice and economic prosperity are best achieved in the South Asian region by fostering mutual understanding, good neighborly relations and meaningful cooperation among the Member States which are bound by ties of history and culture. There are aware of the common problems, interests and aspirations of the peoples of South Asia and the need for joint action and enhanced cooperation within their respective political and economic systems and cultural traditions.
The Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation was adopted by the Foreign Ministers in 1983 in New Delhi. During the meeting, the Ministers also launched the Integrated Program of Action (IPA) in nine agreed areas, namely, Agriculture, Rural Development, Telecommunications, Meteorology, Health and Population Activities, Transport, Postal Services, Science and Technology, and Sports, Arts and Culture. On August 2, 2006 the foreign ministers of the SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to the US, South Korea and the European Union. On 4 March 2007, Iran requested observer status.
The Objectives of the Association as defined in the Charter are: to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential; to promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; to contribute to mutual trust, understand and appreciation of one another¢s problem; to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields; to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries; to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interest; and to cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.
Economic Cooperation
Although economic cooperation is chief goal of the organization, over the years, the SAARC members have expressed their unwillingness on signing a free trade agreement. Like the G8 and WTO, the SAARC is supposed to take collective corrective measures for economic development of the region. The key function of the SAARC is economic cooperation and collective decisions. The Agreement on SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) was signed in Dhaka during the 7th SAARC Summit, in 1993. It aims to promote and sustain mutual trade and the economic cooperation among the South Asian States, through exchanging concessions. Later, with the broad objective of moving towards a South Asian Economic Union (SAEU), the SAARC Member States signed the Agreement on SAARC Free Trade Area (SAFTA) on 6 January 2004 at the 12th SAARC Summit held in Islamabad and came into force on 1 January 2006. SAFTA has six core elements covering trade liberalization program, rules of origin, institutional arrangements, safeguard measures, special and differential treatment for least developed countries (LDCs), and dispute settlement mechanisms.
Its sphere of influence is the largest of any regional organization: almost 1..5 billion people, the combined population of its member states, but has one of the highest number of people under the poverty line and the current development of the region is far from satisfactory. The concept of connectivity, as stated earlier, has a number of economic as well as political and social benefits to the member countries. SAARC is one of the weakest regional cooperation forums in the world as the actions for dis-connectivity take an upper-hand over even the normal process of collective organization. As a result, the intra- regional trade of the SAARC is still at a dismal figure of approximately 5.5% of the total trade of the member countries.. Strong and well established degree of connectivity and partnership between and among people and member countries could increase the share of intra-regional trade markedly.
Summit would also focus on economic, trade and investment aspects as well. The newest member of the SAARC, which is Afghanistan, would offer increasing opportunity in the realm of construction and re-development. Seven Observer States too would be engaged in bilateral discussions. Given this context, one could comprehend the fact that these seven Observer States are not only affluent and economically and politically endowed but also belong to many regional and economic groupings..
For any given country, particularly the member countries of SAARC, the human resource base would be of paramount significance and importance for the development and advancement of the respective countries. One could foresee that a Development Fund of this magnitude and scale would benefit most of the countries with regard to, particularly, the construction and advancement of their infrastructure. It is no doubt that the Colombo SAARC Summit would lead to physical economic and commercial benefits to all member countries. The establishment of the SAARC University should benefit all the member countries in enhancing the human resource development and marketable skills and knowledge. The establishment of the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) which consists of US$ 300 million would be used for development purposes in all aspects.
Bilateral Agreements among the member-states also would be clinched in the Summit or on the sidelines of it. For instance, it is slated that India and Sri Lanka would sign key agreements such as Science and Technology, National Thermal Power Corporation of India (NTPC) and CEB of Sri Lanka, and Power Grid Transmission Agreement.
Some Observations
Regional peace is the key to strong economic development of the region. SAAC should consider influencing India to consider surrendering sovereignty back to the struggling and dying Kashmirs. Kashmir should, in due course, join the SAARC as a member to play a constructive role in its activities. UN should be pressured to resolve the freedom issue of Kashmiris from occupying India in their favor.
Shared power, energy, food and other natural and human resources can make wonders for the South Asian region gifted with plenty of them. But mutual suspicion and hatred have harmed the process of any purposeful cooperation among the SAARC members. That is unfortunate. It is equally important for the member States and particularly for the Chair of the SAARC, Sri Lanka to continue to establish and promote greater connectivity in all aspects. The theme of this year¢s Summit, which is SAARC Partnership for People, would make a strong impingement on further development of the region.
SAARC leaders for over two decades keep meeting achieving nothing tangible. At the beginning of the new millennium, hopes were kindled that SAARC countries would follow the lead provided by their neighbors of South East Asia and move fast to fill the void that was created by the colonialists and would help them come together through forging unity in matters related primarily to economic progress. Four years have passed since the signing of South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) at the Islamabad SAARC Summit and various issues are still under discussion. But very slow forward movement was witnessed towards South Asia emerging as an economic union.
As the largest regional bloc in the world, SAARC's inability to play a crucial role in integrating South Asia is often credited to the political and military rivalry between India and Pakistan. It is due to these economic, political, and territorial disputes that South Asian nations have not been able to harness the benefits of a unified economy. SAARC has intentionally laid more stress on "core issues" rather than more decisive political issues like the Kashmir dispute and the Sri Lankan civil war. However, political dialogue is often conducted on the margins of SAARC meetings.
There are several issues that need concrete decisions and immediate follow-up action by the SAARC leaders. Of these, the first priority needed to provide uninterrupted, direct, and cheap communication links between the SAARC nations, either without the requirement of visa or liberal visa regime.. Some SAARC countries already have this facility for their citizens that need to be extended to all others.
India should shelve the age-old practice of fusing terrorism plank to keep itself away from sharing collective responsibility for economic revival of the region. Similarly, the restricted travel and goods transport facilities by cheaper modes like railways and road transport should be open to the citizens of all SAARC countries having their countries¢ travel documents. It is strange that one cannot travel between Peshawar and Dacca while the same was possible about a century ago.
SAARC has so far kept internal and bilateral issues outside its scope while its members and even the Summit leaders do make a mention in their official addresses. Sensitive internal issues with political implementations should continue to be dealt with separately while there are many an issue that were of immediate concern for the economic development of the region and its countries. US-Afghan and Sri Lankan officials also must have talked about the activities of Taliban and Tamil Tigers as they consider them to be "terrorist" bodies.
What makes our governments reluctant about opening up the travel facilities that would generate billions worth tourism between these countries who have so much to see and enjoy in each other¢s country? And why should someone not drive in less than 48 hours from Kathmandu to Lahore and enjoy an overnight stay in some Indian city in the UP. Isn¢t it absurd that such a travel has turned into a dream in the post 1965 decades despite the establishment of SAARC?
Price rise? When some of the SAARC nations face staple grain shortage while some have surplus available. SAARC should save them of the exorbitant rates being charged by multinational corporations (MNCs), who have earned huge profits at the cost of developing countries whose markets they were pressing through the WTO to be opened for the imperial loot. Instead of opening the markets for MNCs, it would be in the interest of regional cooperation to open the same for countries in the region.
Regional cooperation among SAARC nations could do wonders with the development of electric power generation and the provision of alternate energy sources. It was not hydel and coal alone that could generate the required megawatts (MW) of electricity but there could be combined efforts to develop wind and solar energy. SAARC leaders need to demonstrate political will and restrain themselves from subverting mutual cooperation where it was beneficial for all.
Of course, there do exist genuine suspicions and fears on several issues. One would not expect an overnight change in the mindset of the decision-makers and even other sections of public who have lived their lives hating the neighbors more than others. This hate game is not only between adherents of different faiths but also amongst them. The feelings were easily discernable, say between India and Pakistan; India and Bangladesh and India and Nepal and even amongst Pakistan and Afghanistan. There was no denying the fact that. But instead of nursing them while living with the same and looking ahead in future would be more desirable.
Need of the hour is a collective effort by all the countries of the region for relieving millions and millions of their citizens from poverty and deprivation that it accompanied. Among the member-states India seems to the strongest and richest and it has to shoulder prime responsibility in keeping the SAARC well-knit and economically strong and cooperative. Issues like economic integration, combating terrorism and anti-Islamism should find their due place in the Summit. The region¢s development and prosperity of its around one and a half billion people remains hostage to myopic forces of the status quo with the result that almost half of their population lives below the poverty line and points to a colossal waste of human resources.
It is anticipated that the Colombo Summit would focus on increasing connectivity not only air connectivity but by land and by sea as well. The Connectivity and Partnership would lead to closer cooperation among the member States in many spheres such as trade, services, food security, tourism, oil and natural gas, and investments as well as FDI/FII among others. It should be realized that there is no possibility of poverty alleviation or sustainable development or real people's welfare in SAARC community, unless collective efforts are consciously made for mutual trust and constructive cooperation among the SAARC members. India the so-called fastest growing among the developing nations should take the organization a bit more seriously.
------------------------ DR.ABDUL RUFF Colachal Researcher in International Affairs, South Asia E Mail : abdulruff_jnu@yahoo.com
