Felt el nino

In May 1935, The Times of India (ToI) carried a small report from the province known in British India as Berar, now Vidarbha: “Attempts are being made by the Amraoti District Village Uplift Committee to introduce Manchurian soya beans, as an additional commercial crop.” Both the name used for the beans and the timing are significant. Manchuria, now a northeastern region of China, close to Korea and Japan, has been identified as a likely area for early domestication of the beans and creation of the first of the immense range of products made from soy. And as Christine M Du Bois suggests in The Story of Soy, her admirably researched and balanced new book, it was the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, largely fought over possession of Manchuria, that showed the potential of soy to affect global events. The war was won by Japan, the first major victory by an Asian power over a Western one. It weakened the Russian imperial government, paving the way for the Communist takeover, … [Read more...] about How India, overcoming its prejudice for soy, now offers the world a model for sustainable use of the bean

After more than a decade of conducting the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), it is time to embrace a major pattern change. Recently, The Consortium of National Law Universities issued a press release which indicated changes to the pattern and number of questions in the forthcoming CLAT 2020 on May 10.An entrance exam is designed to test the students’ aptitude to pursue a course in a university. When this objective is not fulfilled, it is important to revamp the exam to suit the end. The two most important skills for budding lawyers include comprehension and critical reasoning skills. Law schools also mandate that students possess these two skills to cope with the teaching methodology adopted by most law schools. In the recent years, the professors at National Law University (NLUs) have felt that CLAT has failed to test these skills, and has instead tested the memory quotient of law aspirants. In short, CLAT has not succeeded in testing students’ real aptitude to pursue law, … [Read more...] about Decoding CLAT 2020

Of late, the number of suicides in the (Indian Institute of Technology) IITs and other higher education institutions has been on the rise. This year, three IIT Hyderabad students committed suicide, and it was reported that in their suicide notes they had mentioned ‘academic pressure’ and ‘depression’ as reasons for their decision to end their lives. Four cases of suicides were reported at IIT Kharagpur, and the institute was criticised for its failure to prevent students from taking such extreme steps. Many more cases of suicides in other higher educational institutions have been reported in the recent past.Very recently, a first-year postgraduate student of Humanities and Development Studies at IIT Madras, allegedly committed suicide. She was found hanging in her hostel room. It is said that the girl had mentioned that a professor was the cause of her death, and the case is being investigated by the Central Crime Branch. Hopefully, the public will come to know … [Read more...] about Step out of the spiral

Producer Siddharth Malhotra's recently-launched Star Plus show 'Sanjivani', featuring 'Ishqbaaaz' fame Surbhi Chandna and Namit Khanna in lead roles of 'Ishani' & 'Siddhant' respectively, is fetching positive response from viewers for the story line as well as performances. To make Sanjivani 2' more interesting and entertaining, the makers are now all set to introduce the character of Dr. Sid's (Namit Khanna) mother. Actor Mohnish Bahl's actress-wife Aarti Bahl is set to enter 'Sanjivani 2' as Dr. Sid's mother. Surbhi, Namit with 'Sanjivani' co-stars (Photo: Instagram) 'Sanjivani 2' will mark Aarti Bahl on TV after a long gap of around 12 years and the actress is excited to work with husband Mohnish Bahl too after a long time. Confirming her entry in 'Sanjivani', she told a leading daily that, "Producer Siddharth Malhotra is a good friend and I worked with him earlier too. Both Siddharth and his wife Sapna had been wanting to work with me, but I did not know it would happen … [Read more...] about Sanjivani 2: Mohnish Bahl’s Wife Aarti Bahl To Play Namit Khanna Aka Dr. Sid’s Mother!

HYDERABAD: A fact-finding team of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) arrived in Hyderabad on Saturday to probe into the killing of all the four accused in a woman veterinarian`s gangrape and murder case by the state's police in an alleged `encounter` on Friday morning. According to reports, the two-member team of the NHRC will first visit Chatanpally near Shadnagar town, about 50 km from Hyderabad, where the police gunned down the accused in the alleged exchange of fire. The team will inspect the scene of the 'encounter'` for an on-the-spot investigation. It is likely to gather details of the police officers involved. The team will then visit the government-run hospital in Mahbubnagar where the bodies of the four accused have been kept after autopsy late on Friday. The human rights panel had on Friday taken cognizance of the incident and ordered an inquiry. Live TV The NHRC said that the encounter was a matter of concern and needed to be probed carefully. It asked Director … [Read more...] about NHRC fact-finding team arrives in Hyderabad to probe encounter of veterinarian rape and murder accused