People may avoid migrating if they cannot insure themselves against the risk of a bad outcome. Governments can reduce the consumption risk faced by migrants by allowing them to access social protection programs in the destination. This study randomly informed around 62,000 households across 18 Indian states about a new …
on january 12, 2004, the Supreme Court (sc) termed the construction of the Rs 200 crore Akshardham temple on the banks of river Yamuna in Delhi as "lawful'. In doing so, it dismissed the Public Interest Litigation (pil) filed by the Uttar Pradesh State Employees Confederation (upsec). The sc ruled …
sridevi pillai Kochi as the Sabarimala pilgrim season began recently, reports poured in about the huge pilgrim rush and the improved facilities for them. The environmental implications of these have largely been ignored. The fact is, the entire Pampa river basin is polluted due to lack of sanitation and waste …
It's the second week of March 2002. Morum, the annual Apatani spring festival, is in full swing at Hapoli, district Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh. The feasting includes voluminous amounts of barking deer meat. Flesh of common hill partridges, red jungle fowls, Assamese macaques and great barbets have also found their way …
Worship of fauna and flora is a well-documented practice in India. Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom, is pictured as having an elephant's head. It is not surprising that temples have an inseparable association with elephants and the wealthy ones very often own a few of these animals. With elephant …
bangalore's lakes were spared the annual deluge of toxic Ganesh idols during this year's Ganesh Utsav, the Hindu festival. Instead of immersing the idols in the lakes, people immersed them in mobile tanks, provided by the Karnataka state pollution control board (kspcb), civic agencies and the Lake Development Authority. Some …
an ecological crisis resulting in scarcity of wood has placed the sacred Jagannath rath yatra (chariot journey) of Puri in jeopardy. Wood is an integral component of the rituals associated with the yatra. But lately, the divisional forest officers responsible for making the required quantity of wood available have expressed …
Chinese Ritual Chinese government departments have devised a rather strange solution to the problem of congestion and traffic jams. They have requested mourners to pay homage to dead friends and relatives on the Internet, to lessen crowds at cemeteries. Each April, the Chinese observe the Qingming Festival, a traditional grave-sweeping …
Recently, researcher P P Dhyani carried out a successful revival of part of a religious forest that existed at Badrinath. He undertook to rehabilitate the badrivan (sacred grove) around the holy shrine of Badrinath Dham by planting saplings of tree species that originally grew there. These include Bhojpatra (Betula utilis), …
Legend has it that when Lord Ayyappa set out to seek solitude, he settled upon Sabarimala. Its sylvan surroundings and undulating terrain no doubt made it an ideal retreat. But if mythology and present-day reality were transposed, Sabarimala would no longer be the chosen abode of the hermit. Because now …
"The last time we had any rain was in 1997, not a drop since. God knows what's in store for us.' Ram Karan is the grand old man of Laporiya in the Jaipur district of drought ravaged Rajasthan and, coming from him, a statement like this means the situation is …
Dharamgarh in the Kumaon area of Uttaranchal has a long tradition of people's management of forests. Since 1931, a van panchayat had been doing a remarkable job. The association of these forests with various local deities ensured that local community institutions were helped along on their job. However, with increasing …
How big should the bang be? This is the crux of the decibel debate on firecrackers. Not only have manufacturers propounded their own theory on the subject, they are lobbying hard to get the stipulated 125-decibel (db) limit raised or even scrapped. As the next date of hearing (September 30) …
The God Aihn rules over Amunawdr, the realm of the dead. He is a dairyman and created the Todas and their buffaloes. To qualify for entry into the afterworld, the Todas of the Nilgiris must follow all prescribed ceremonies. This belief is the pivot of Toda culture. An ancient tribal …
Can peace be ensured by sacrificing animals? Nepal's King Gyanendra thought it could and in doing so invited the wrath of animal activists. After he offered animal sacrifices at temples in Guwahati and Kolkata, animal rights groups accused the royalty of violating wildlife laws. They said that the King had …
Cildo Meireles' conceptual art at Documenta 11, the biggest European art festival held in Germany every five years makes a political statement for year 2002. The artist's concept had ice cream vending carts hosted by young volunteers, where a visitor could buy ice popsicles (not ice creams). As the ice …
