Sunday, July 31, 2011

Bihar to Set IIIT at Nalanda


The Government of India has approved the proposal for setting up of 20 new IIITs on a public Private Partnership(PPP) basis across the country. Partners would be the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)’, Govt. of Bihar and the industry.

The capital infusion for each IIIT would be 128.00 crore and to be contributed in the ratio of 50:35:15 by the Central Government, the State Government and the industry respectively. The Bihar Govt. has identified 97.29 acres of land which is located on NH-30A in Nalanda district which would be available for the IIIT Bihar campus.

The Department of Science and Technology, of Bihar has invited  the offers from reputed eligible firms for “Selection of partner under PPP ” to operate and manage the INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY in sealed envelope clearly labeled as “Expression of Interest for “Selection of PARTNERS UNDER PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP-IIIT ” at the above mentioned.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

How to make a Pie Chart



 Steps to make pie chart

 A pie chart is very useful to reflect a set of data in an attractive presentation or other places where the details of the data set are not so important.

The greatest utility of Pie chard comes in the comparison of different data points as a percentage of a whole. Because of its limited dimension, it is used more in business than technical applications.
Most spreadsheet programs like Excel are equipped with the ability to create a pie charts, but it is easy to do by hand for small sets of data. This is especially effective when done on a Smart board in front of the class.

Instructions

Required Tools

Compass
Protractor
Ruler or straight edge
Calculator (optional)
Convert Your Data

Step-1. Convert all of your data into the percentages of the whole data set. For example, four Mango, three apples, two Banana and one Orange.It is equals 40 percent Mango, 30 percent Apples, 20 percent Banana and 10 percent Orange.

Step-2.Convert the percentages into angles. Since a full circle is 360 degrees, multiply this by the percentages to get the angle for each section of the pie. For the Mango, 0.4 X 360 = 144 degrees. For the Apple, 0.3 X 360 = 108 degrees. For the Banana, 0.2 X 360 = 72 degrees. For the Orange, 0.1 X 360 = 36 degrees.

Step-3. Make sure the angle calculations are error free by adding all the angles. The total should be 360. 144 + 108 + 72 + 36 = 360.

Step-4.Drawing method of  the Chart

ONE-Draw a circle on the paper, using the geometric compass. While a compass is not necessary, using one will make the chart much neater and clearer by ensuring the circle is even.

TWO-Draw the radius, from the center to the right edge of the drown circle, using the ruler or straight edge. This will be the first base line.

THREE-Plot the largest angle in the data with the help of protractor, starting at the baseline, and mark it on the edge of the circle.

Utilize the ruler to draw another radius to that point and use this new radius as a base line for your next largest angle and continue this process until you get to the last data point. One will only need to measure the last angle to verify its value since both lines will already be drawn.

FOUR- Label and shade the emerged sections of the pie chart to highlight whatever data are important.

Right to Service will be effective from 15 August


Nitish kumar led Bihar government all set to intact Right to Service act from August 15.The act will  envisages punishment to officials if public utility service is not delivered within a time-frame. 

The Right to Service act is expected to weed out corruption, besides cutting into bureaucratic red tape.
Government had listed the services which will have to be delivered within a stipulated time. There will be no excuses in non-delivery of the service in stipulated time. 

Bihar government's decision to adopt zero tolerance on corruption forced it to mull on several initiatives which it says will help curb corruption at the government level.

Right to service is explained as a key listing in the Directive Principles of State Policy of the constitution. Directive principles provided guidelines for creation of conditions in which citizens could, in the true sense, enjoy their fundamental rights. 

The preamble of the Constitution also promised to secure justice "social, economic and political" for the citizens. 

According to the act Common man works will we disposed in the band of 3 to 60 days depending upon the work.

Some Services that will cover under it are as follows.
Ration Card: 60 days,
Social Security related work: 60 days,
Cast Certificate: 21 days, 
Residential certificate: 21 days,
Driving license: 21days,
International Driving License: 30 days, 
Registration of car and Bikes: 12 days and many more as well.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

There major developments in Bihar during Revolt of1857


There were three major developments in Bihar during July 1857.

At Patna there was an uprising led by Pir Ali and his associates (Pir Ali was a book-seller).
 The mutiny at Danapur (Dinapur); and the assumption of leadership of the revolt in the region by Kunwar Singh.

On July 25 three regiments stationed at the major cantonment of Danapur on the outskirts of Patna rebelled. Most of the troops crossed the Son river into Shahabad, where they joined the rebels under Kunwar Singh who were then besieging a small European community at Arrah.

At the time of the revolt the Bihar province (or, rather, Patna division) of the Bengal presidency consisted of the following six districts: Patna, Bihar, Saran, Shahabad, Tirhut and Champaran.

 It needs to be underlined that these, along with Bengal and Orissa, were the earliest large-scale territorial conquests of the East India Company. Bihar had enjoyed considerable importance in the trading activities of the European companies since the seventeenth century.

Indigo production played a significant role in the colonial exploitation of the region (opium was the other major commodity of the colonial economy of Bihar).

Under the East India Company a system of forced cultivation of indigo, and exploitation of the cultivators by European indigo planters and indigenous zamindars, was imposed in the countryside.

BEGINNING OF A WIDESPREAD REVOLT

 The first major incident in Bihar during the revolt was the Patna uprising of July 3, with Pir Ali at its forefront.
On this date the Deputy Opium Agent of the Patna Opium Agency, Dr Lyell, was killed. This was as an attack on a major source of colonial revenue.

Gangetic Bihar, together with the Banaras-Ghazipur region was the main area of opium production in the East India Company’s territories. It is significant that this entire tract was engulfed by the upheavals of the revolt.
 Pir Ali was charged with Lyell’s murder, convicted and hanged. William Tayler was the Commissioner of Patna division at this time (Tayler carried out the operations against Pir Ali and his associates and was distinguished by his sadistic brutality.

Yet, writing of Pir Ali’s valiant conduct on the eve of his execution he was forced to remark: ‘… he is the type of a class with many of whom we have, in this country to deal, men whose unconquerable fanaticism renders them dangerous enemies and whose stern resolution entitles them in some measure to admiration and respect’! Apart from Ali, sixteen more rebels were hanged for their participation in the Patna uprising another seventeen were imprisoned with hard labour, and two were transported to penal settlements.

After the rebellion in Patna, sipahis of three of the regiments in Danapur mutinied on July 25, 1857. This may be said to mark the beginning of a widespread revolt in Bihar, which lasted for more than a year.
On July 26 the troops reached Shahabad in an effort to organise themselves under the leadership of the octogenarian Kunwar Singh, raja of Jagdishpur, who had already launched a movement against the British.
Kunwar Singh gathered a large number of followers, who included his brothers Amar Singh and Ritnarain Singh; his nephews Nishan Singh and Jai Krishna Singh; Thakur Dayal Singh and Bisheswar Singh.
It may be mentioned here that whereas a section of the landlords of Bihar, including some very prominent zamindars, took part in the revolt, the bulk of the big landlords remained loyal to the colonial government and helped it in crushing the movement. Nevertheless the uprising was fairly widespread in the region, and did have strong popular support in several areas.

In Patna the Wahhabis played a leading role in the revolt. The Danapur mutiny also had an impact on the Muzaffarpur area, where too an uprising took place in the wake of the events at Danapur. The mutiny of the 12th Irregular Cavalry at Sugauli on the Indo-Nepal border eventually led to the outbreak of a revolt in Champaran and Saran. Purnea rose in revolt under the influence of the Jalpaiguri mutineers. The contagion of the Danapur mutiny and the provocation of the detachments of the Ramgarh battalion provoked the Hazaribagh revolt that had its echoes in Ranchi and Sambalpur.

 In Patna and Chhotanagpur divisions the soldiers and civil population fought together against the British government. In Shahabad the rajputs rose in arms under the leadership of Kunwar Singh.
The rebel troops in Gaya were strengthened by a large number of disaffected villagers and Bhojpuri rebels under the leadership of Jeodhar Singh and Haider Ali Khan.

In Hazaribagh the Santhals, and some local leaders, launched a movement against the British. The activities of Nilambar and Pitambar in alliance with the Chero zamindars made Palamau a centre of serious popular agitation during the revolt.

Singhbhum witnessed a struggle of the sipahis in conjunction with the Kols and other tribes of the district under the leadership of Arjun Singh.

In Manbhum the sipahis, the Santhals, and the raja of Panchet estate, Nilmoni Singh, rose in revolt against the government. In Sambalpur the mutinous sipahis in their struggle against the British were led by Surendra Sahi, Udwant Sahi, and other leaders from amongst the civilian population.

KUNWAR SINGH, A ‘NATURAL’ LEADER

While many zamindars and local leaders were with the government, others were sympathisers of the agitated masses and openly participated in the rebellion and became its leaders.

 The most important of them was Kunwar Singh who was generally looked upon as a ‘natural’ leader by most rebels in Bihar. When some Bihar rebels were being tried in September 1857, one of them declared, ‘the supremacy of the English and the Company is at an end, and it is now Koonwar Singh’s reign’.
Thus, the rebels of Danapur, Chhotanagpur, Manbhum, Singhbhum and Palamau wanted to carry on the struggle together under his common leadership. Jadunath Sahi (the son-in-law of Kunwar Singh’s brother Dayal Singh) who had taken a leading part in the rebellion in Ranchi, was located as a follower of Kunwar Singh.

Raja Arjun Singh of Singhbhum as well as Arjun Singh’s brother, along with many local leaders, were keen to fight under Kunwar Singh’s leadership. Many of them sought to help Kunwar Singh by sending their forces to join him.

Kunwar Singh moved from place to place fighting the British with the help of local chiefs and the common people. However, at a critical juncture the British were saved by Major Eyre, who defeated Kunwar Singh’s forces at Bibiganj on August 3. This was a great relief for the British garrison. But this did not mark the end of Kunwar Singh’s struggle. He shifted out of Bihar, moving to Mirzapur, Rewa, Banda, Lucknow and Kanpur.

Kunwar Singh adopted the unique method of attacking the weakest positions of the English, while keeping his men mobilised for any eventuality. This perhaps explains why the rebellion could be sustained for such a long time.

Avoiding fixed positions, Kunwar Singh moved around extensively in areas like Rewa, Banda and Kalpi, along with his comrade-in-arms Nishan Singh. He was joined by the Gwalior troops and then proceeded to take part in the battle of Kanpur.

Next he marched to Lucknow and then to Azamgarh. The governor-general ordered the re-occupation of Azamgarh as Kunwar Singh had seized it, which forced the latter to march towards Ghazipur.

By April 23, 1858 Kunwar Singh was back at Jagdishpur. He had lost an arm, but his determination to fight the English had not weakened. He defeated the English force in an important engagement but died very soon after this. In a rare tribute to Kunwar Singh, George Trevelyan, a prominent British politician who had served in India during the 1860s, wrote:

 "For long past Coer Singh had been watching the course of events with keen interest and a definite purpose. This remarkable man came in for an abundant share of the abuse so indiscriminately dealt out to all those who took part against us at the crisis. Coer Singh was described in the contemporary journals as a devil whose villainy could be accounted for only on the theory that he was not of “human flesh and blood”. The time for shrieking and scolding has gone by and we can afford to own that he was not a devil at all but the high-souled chief of a warlike tribe who had been reduced to a non-entity by the yoke of a foreign invader. … Surely a people whose favourite heroes are Lochiel and Rob Roy Macgregor may spare a little sympathy for the chieftain, who at eighty years old bade fill up his brass lotah, saddle his elephants and call out his men … ; who inflicted on us a disaster complete and tragical; who exacted from the unruly mutineers an obedience which they paid to none other; who led his force in person to Lucknow and took a leading part in the struggle which decided the destinies of India; who after no hope was left for the cause north of the Ganges did not lose heart but kept up his men together during a long and arduous retreat in the face of a victorious enemy; and as the closing act of his life by a masterly manoeuvre, baffled his pursuers and placed his troops in safety on their own side of the great river, when friend and foe alike believed their destruction to be inevitable. On that occasion a round shot from an English gun smashed his arm as he was directing the passage of the last boat full of his followers…. It was uncommonly lucky for us that Coer Singh was not forty years younger" (The Competition Wallah, 1866 edition, p.74).

Kunwar Singh inspired the leaders in Chhotanagpur, the Santhal Pargannas, and other parts of Bihar to carry on the struggle. After his death his brother Amar Singh led his followers, who held out bravely in different parts of Bihar. Their activities continued to be a cause of serious concern for the East India Company’s administration.
 The forest area of Jagdishpur was the base of Amar Singh’s military campaign. The struggle between Amar Singh and the British force under Sir E Lugard in the first half of 1858 assumed epic dimensions.
 Engels took note of Amar Singh’s military acumen in an article in the New York Daily Tribune (October 1, 1858): ‘These impenetrable forests [in Jagdishpur] of bamboo and underwood are held by a party of insurgents under Ummer [Amar] Singh, who shows rather more activity and knowledge of guerrilla warfare; at all events, he attacks the British wherever he can, instead of quietly waiting for them. If, as it is feared, part of the Oude insurgents should join him before he can be expelled from his stronghold, the British may expect rather harder work they have had of late.

These jungles have now for nearly eight months served as a retreat to insurgent parties, who have been able to render very insecure the Grand Trunk Road from Calcutta to Allahabad, the main communication of the British’.

 In other words, Engels saw in Amar Singh the one great hope of the continuation of the revolt. After the retreat of Nana Sahib into Nepal, Amar Singh went over to the terai region to assume the leadership of Nana’s troops, but was captured in December 1859. He was imprisoned by the British at Gorakhpur, but died of illness at Gorakhpur on January 3, 1860 before he could be placed on trial.

The indigo planters got an opportunity to prove their loyalty to the raj in 1857. They fought against the rebels, protected government treasuries and guarded settlements of Europeans from possible attacks. Such help in the severest crisis that the raj had to face in Bihar gave the government full confidence in them. And in return they began to seek all possible support from the government machinery for the cultivation of indigo in the post-1857 period.

Since popular participation of the common people in the revolt threatened the foundations of the empire, the colonial administration was in search of a common ally to buttress British rule. Thus the appeasement of the landed aristocracy became the hallmark of British policy after the revolt. In order to exercise control over the raiyyats it was necessary to form a joint front with the local zamindars. Since the planters had ready cash, they began to pay higher rents to the zamindars. The zamindars therefore preferred to enter into arrangements with the planters rather than the raiyyats when it came to leasing land. Thus, during the latter half of the nineteenth century a ‘triple’ alliance was formed in the Bihar countryside to exercise control over tillers of the soil.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

JPSC to Take 5th Civil Services Examination on CSAT Pattern


Ranchi,July,27:Jharkhand Public service commission (JPSC) has decided to take 5th Civil services examination on CSAT pattern as Followed by the UPSC.

There will be two papers in the PT of 5th Civil services examination, each paper was having 200 marks and the stipulated time duration was 120 minutes for each. 

Paper-I  will hold 100 question from covering General Science, History of India including the Indian national movement, current events of national and international importance, Indian and world geography, and Indian polity and governance.

Paper-II will be the aptitude paper, will hold 80 question from General Mental Ability, Comprehension (General and English), Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Basic Numeracy, Decision-making and Problem-solving, Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability.

This is the first strategic decision taken by the newly appointed chairman of JPSC Mr  Shiv Basant.
The commission is facing wide spread criticism over the previous examination whose result is still pending.
Students are questioning over the capability of JPSC to conduct the examination successfully as they failed to give confidence in the past to the students.

www.goindocal.com

Irrigation in Bihar


Irrigation in Bihar

One of the major input requirement of agriculture is the availability of water resources. The water resources are also needed in a timely manner. Optimum use of water resource, which is indeed abundant, is the key to enhancement of irrigation efficiency in an agrarian economy like Bihar.

Initiatives has been taken to provide assured irrigation facilities to entire cultivation process in the state. To maximize agricultural production and to free agriculture from the vagaries of monsoon, the state government has undertaken several steps in major, medium as well as minor irrigation sectors.

Presently, around 52 percent of the total geographical area enjoys irrigation facilities. The state government is taking major steps to enhance the spread of irrigation.

During the period 2000-01 to 2008-09, the total irrigated area has increased from 44.6 lakh hectares to 49.2 lakh hectares. This implies a growth of 10.4 percent over a period of 8 years. 

One of the major problems being faced in the spread of irrigation is the non completion of major irrigation projects, inhibiting the growth of canal irrigation is the state.

In 2008-09, about 55.3 percent of the total irrigated area in Bihar came from tubewells (both private and state). These tubewells are often run on diesels which is expensive, in the absence of adequate supply of power.

With improvements in the power sector, irrigation coverage through tubewells is likely to improve in future.

There are six major sources of irrigation — surface canals (major), surface canals (minor), tanks (including ahars and pynes), tubewells, other wells and other sources.

Tanks and other sources are becoming less important over time, leaving the other four sources for providing irrigation facilities to agricultural operations. In 2009-10, canals (major and minor) provided 27.47 percent and tubewells provided 61.39 percent of total irrigation.

Sourcewise tubewells are an extremely important source of irrigation, providing more than 50 percent of the total irrigation in 30 districts. However, irrigation from surface canals (both major and minor) plays an important part in no less than 8 districts – Rohtas, Kaimur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Aurangabad, Banka, Munger and Lakhisarai. In each of these districts, surface canals provide more than 50 percent of the irrigation facilities. All these 8 districts are notable rice producing districts of Bihar.

The Department of Water Resource of the state government decides targets for irrigation support in each year, both for kharif and rabi.Though irrigation availability is not so high in Bihar, utlization of whatever irrigation facility is available is very high. As regards kharif irrigation, the targets for 2008 were fully met in most of the districts, the achievement being higher than the targets in some districts.

In 2008, the overall achievement was 84.47 percent,and the short fall was remarkably high in Bhojpur and Vaishali. The achievement for 2009 was also stable at 84.54 percent. No district reported severe shortfall, except Vaishali where the achievement was as low as 31.68 percent.

In case of targets for rabi irrigation, overall achievement was 86.40 percent and 86.36 percent in 2008 and 2009 respectively. In 2008, the districts where achievement was much below the average were Gaya, Bhagalpur, Lakhisarai and Banka.

In 2009, the situation did not change and the districts recording severe shortfall were again those four districts. Nalanda also reported considerable shortfall in terms of achievement in 2009.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

India Loosing Its Growth Momentum


India got freedom to grow in the early 1990s under the down of Rao - Manmohan policy of liberalization and Globalization the journey completes two decades of high growth. However the windfall gain has became sluggish as the growth momentum appears to have lost its steam, ironically under the belt of same man Manmohan Singh who had actually initiated it. 

It is visible on statistics that India’s economic marathon has started losing their strength under the very leader who initiated it in the early 1990s. 

First, the economy has given the indications of slowing down and, then came the report of foreign investors no longer regarding India as their favorable destination, preferring other emerging markets over New Delhi.

The sluggish economic performance of the country is explicable given the fact that India is beleaguered by a series of big scams, poor governance tumbling out of government armory. For understanding the matter, it is must to look into the very process of economic reforms that flagged of in 1991 on the reaction of the economic crisis of the early 1990s that forced the Government of India to introduce a number of economic reforms policy as a precondition for receiving IMF funding. These were aimed at trade, industry, infrastructure, disinvestment, Allowance of Foreign Investments.

The reforms have given completely new dimension to Indian economy. The GDP growth of India rose from an average of 3.1% of Hindu rate of growth in the past to an average of 7 to 8% in the last one decade. 

The high economic growth of country helped the middle class of India to emerge to a size of 350 million, making India one of the biggest consumption markets in the world. The economic liberalization revitalized the dying private sector of the country, which today constitutes almost 20% of the economy. The country’s savings rate also surged up from 22% to 35% in two decades.

Despite the beginning the reform process remained halfhearted as the crisis vanished, country went back to its old traditional way of functioning. No wonder, crony capitalism continues to prevail in many sectors and there are no steps of administrative reforms taken by the government so red tapism is still an important feature of Indian governance.

It is ironical to see that country hasn't been able to take large-scale institutional changes, which was must needed steps to maintain the growth momentum. For each doubling of GDP, the way government functions needs to be reformed, unlike the developed world, whose GDP doubles every 25 years, India has seen its GDP doubling every 10 year. 

The result has been a sharp gap between our existing state structures and the need of the Nation. India ranks 134th among 183 countries in providing conducive environment to business, as per the Doing Business series of the World Bank/International Finance Corporation.

India must require a revamp in labor laws,because the multiplicity of labor legislation is an important roadblock for country sustainable growth. Out of a workforce of more than 400 million, 92 % are in the unorganized sector. 


Telecom sector in India has been a success story due to liberalization policy adopted by government. The telecom story of India was also ushered in after 1991, leading to the phenomenal surge of mobile phones. More Indians have cell phones today about 860 million than they have access to sanitation and toilets. 

But there is a complex twist in the tale. The Indian telecom story wasn’t as successful as that of neighboring Pakistan. Islamabad had witnessed spectacular surge in 2005-08, with respect to India’s slow but steady advance, so slow that it was overtaken by small country like Bangladesh for a brief moment. But, of course, slow is a relative term. To those observing it in isolation, the Indian telecom sector seemed like a rocket. It was indeed a rocket, but so were its peers.

Every religion has their own way of deal with death that is instructive we must grieve, but not forever. According to Buddhism teachings, we have an alms giving after 7 days and then in 90 days. 

The policy makers appear to have lost all sense of their proportion. Only some of us appear to remember this is not the first time a Telecom Minister behaved this way, despite the Sukh Ram scam verdict being given as recently as in 2009 for money illegally amassed in the 1990s from this very industry.

The prime danger is that the media-stoked angst can derail investments and delay decisions in a fast-moving industry as it is reflected after the surfacing of telecom scam in India FII had sold good chunk in Indian market and telecom share has became the under held sector in the market.

 Now India requires another big burst of investment to kick-start the broadband revolution. Despite its difficulties, India is ahead of its large neighbors in broadband, and extremely well placed to surge ahead because of the issuance of 3G frequencies last year. To cash the advantage the investment is needed but investment sentiment is lost somewhere in poor corporate governance.

Reform is definitely difficult thing to do but for the strong government it is just a matter of willingness. Something has definitely gone wrong with the Indian dream of liberalization. Sri Lanka started on the reform path in 1978, well before India. While planning people in India initially rejected mobile telephony in favor of Government-led technology development, however Sri Lanka welcomed 100 per cent foreign-owned mobile operators as early as 1989.

India’s  GDP growth rate is highest in the region but in the case of human development India is not country is still struggling to settle the basic issue of governance.

Pakistani telecom growth in 2005-08 was the product of policy reforms implemented in 2003-04 under the Pervez Musharraf regime policy reforms included taken by him as the Auctions for the 4th and 5th GSM licenses that yielded $291 million apiece

A license- renewal policy significantly reduced the uncertainty for the investors in Pakistan, thereby safeguarding the investment climate, while also ratifying the problems caused by ad hoc licensing in the past.

The proper enforcement of well-crafted policy in Pakistan under the military regime led to good performance in country. Foreign Direct Investment into the sector has seen super surge from negligible $6.04 million in 2002, to $1905.06 million in 2006 and $1824.25 million in 2007.

Increased investment resulted to significant improvement in the performance of the sector in terms of connectivity, low prices and better choice for consumer. The surge of investment proliferated by the reforms allowed Pakistan to move ahead however it was like a wind-up toy. 

Pakistan started to lose its momentum in 2008, and by 2010 India was again ahead. The tortoise overtaken again, not because it has taken a nap, but because it lacked persistence.
 It was a patch full compromise among various interest pillars, primarily those entrenched within state run BSNL/MTNL. One way Pakistan conducted a transparent auction but India has followed faulty process. Pakistan handled the license renewal transparently, eliminating the confusion for the service provider and realized enormous money for the exchequer. 

India is just beginning to address the first license renewals without a clearly stated principle in place. India’s Department of Telecommunications collects too much money in universal service levies, gave most of the money, especially in the early years, to BSNL, and is now unable to get rid of billions. Pakistan’s USF (Universal Service Fund) company has succeeded in disbursing around 90 per cent of the fund without favoring any operator, and supporting green technology as a bonus.

Yet, India is pulling ahead. It is pulling ahead because it is fundamentally a consultative, democratic polity. Democracy cannot produce the clockwork efficiency that a well-functioning dictatorship can; but neither will it produce quasi-democratic dysfunction that follows the rare, brief interludes of efficient authoritarianism.

But is this patched together workaround system optimal? No. The collective self-flagellation that is known as the 2G scam has surely gone on for too long. Bad things were done. Someone falls on the sword or is pushed to the sword, remedial actions are taken and life must resume.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Patna Kalam Art,Mauryan Art and Arcitecture,Pala School of Sculptures


Patna Kalam:An Art on Extinction

Patna Kalam paintings are painted straightway with the brush without marking with pencil to delineate the contours of the picture. This procedure is commonly known as 'Kajli Seahi.The features of the figures of such paintings are depicted by the heavy eyebrows, pointed noses, lean and gaunt faces,big mustaches sunken and deep-set staring eyes.The Patna School of Painting has faced a gradual decline and inching towards the extinction with the lapse of time as new artists are not coming forward to carry on this beautiful tradition and the old ones are passing away one by one.

The subject matter of these paintings had always been the Aam Admi (Common Man) and his domestic routines.It's basically a miniature form of painting which has,because of its unique style and form,occupied separate shelves at art galleries in London and museums in Prague.

This is the most unfortunate things about the Patna Kalam,like the world-famous Mithila paintings,it has not received its due share of acknowledgement despite of that many believes that the eponymous painting was far superior to the more popular Mithila paintings.

The “Patna Kalam” faced competition from the "Mithila paintings which is marketed professionally both at home and abroad. Also, Mithila painting is a folk form which could be easily transferred from one generation to another." On the contrary, Patna Kalam was essentially court painting which had to face inevitable death with time.Today, only few existing miniatures of this rare form lie in unkempt and dusty shelves in the Patna museum where it was fondly created and adopted at one time.

Pala School of sculpture arts, Having , Distinct Dimensions

The distinct dimensions of Pal Art and Sculptures were developed from the art of the later Gupta periods, however at the advance stage their style drifted away from its root and developed its own distinct style, known as the Pala School of sculpture arts, and made their separate identity. 

The artists of the Pala schools have used atone and bronze to craft their master piece in 11th centuries. Most of the sculptures in the Pala Empire were crafted for the religious purposes.

The brightest feature of the Pala Empire was the par excellence of their art and sculptures . Palas created a idiosyncratic form of Buddhist art known as the "Pala School of Sculptural Art."

The colossal structures of Odantapuri Vihara, Vikramshila Vihara, and Jagaddala Vihara were masterpieces of the Palas School of Sculptural Art . These structures were mistaken by the forces of Bakhtiar Khilji as fortified castles so it was demolished by their army.

The Somapura Mahaviharaa, a beautiful creation of Dharmapala, at Paharpur, Bangladesh, is the largest Buddhist Vihara in the Indian subcontinent, and has been described as a "pleasure to the eyes of the world." UNESCO made it World Heritage Site in 1985.

Sompur Bihara, also built by Dharmapala, is a monastery with 21 acre complex has 177 cells, number of stupas, temples and a numerous of other ancillary buildings. In 1985, the UN included the Sompur Bihara site in the world Cultural Heritage list.

The Pala architectural style was followed throughout south-eastern Asia, Tibet, China, and Japan. Bengal rightfully earned the name "Mistress of the East".

The art of Bihar and Bengal exercised a lasting influence on that of Nepal, Burma, Ceylon and Java and other part of Asia.

Subject was primarily the religious dominated by the Buddhist components, single stone, and multiple stone are quite common, fine work is the distinguishing feature of Pala School.

Dhiman and Vittpala were two most celebrated Pala sculptors. About Sompura Mahavihara, Mr. J.C. French says with grief: "For the research of the Pyramids of Egypt we spend millions of dollars every year

Mauryan Period Laid the Foundation of Indian Architecture

The Mauryan period is an important abacus of the Indian history because not only that for great Ashoka but also in this period foundation of Indian art and architecture were laid down, which has further mature and reach  to their zenith during the golden age of Kushana and the Guptas. The mauryan wisdome has grown and flourished during the rule of great Mauryan king Ashoka which is visible in their remains.

Some of the master pieces of Mauryan art are the famous Ashokan pillars that he erected across the India. These pillars were the product of art, architecture and engineering of the Mauryan period. These pillars are generally made out of a single block of sand stone which was cut, shaped and polished by the expert craftsman. Adorning the pillar was a four lion sculpture which rested on a highly polished and chiseled capital depicting animals and flowers in between.

The special sculpture skills were required to make all this possible was indeed substantial, massive blocks of stone had to be hauled in from stone mines that were often hundreds of miles away to the destination.

In many cases they even had to haul the stone to the tops of hills. The fine chiseling works and and the lustrous polish are the marvelous examples of well developed and groomed skills in this department.

The skill of the artists of that period has also reflected in the fine work on the pillar. Fine sculptures which realistically depicted movements were made over there.The Sarnath Pillar is the living example of their skills, which has four lions back to back at the top of the pillar. The remarkable perfection and beauty associated with such sculptures is a finest example of the artist of that period.

Mauryan architecture is also reputed to have been fabulous. The capital of Patlipatura which is known as Patna now a day had been described by many travelers as one of the most amazing cities of the ancient world. Unfortunately since the building material was predominantly made of wood, has not survived but some remains are seen in Kumharar.

Excavations have resurfaced few structures like a hundred pillar hall in Patna. The Mauryans were expert at cutting caves out of hillsides which is visible in Barabas near Gaya, and were able to polish the inside walls so efficiently that they shone as if they were glass. Ashoka also constructed several stupas across the India, with the most famous being the sanchi stupa

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Indian in Oversease (PIO's) a Great Source of Funding


 India has two opposite face, one where we live and the other is the Virtual one, with an estimated  Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) of US $ +320 billion a year, where about 20 to 25 million NRI's and PIO's live. Their soils are still in India and they are sensitively attached to India. If we can draw them and encourage them, they could be a excellent source of funding projects for India's growth plans.

 The Chinese have learnt the knack of wooing and running their NRC's who number about 45 to 50 million. In 2010 the NRC's invested about US$ 70 billion into China + Hong Kong + Macau.

India, in spite of its most excellent efforts, received only US$ 0.2 billion from NRI's last year. India imports nearly US$ 8 to 10 billion worth of Gold every year. This means that we have imported virtually US$ 96 to 120 billion worth of Gold, in the last 12 years, since 1991 post liberalization of the economy. We should try to find ways to 'funnel' this retail investment into more economical areas, to benefit the Nation going forward.



 Sl
 Statistics
The Real India
The Overseas India
1.
Who stays here?
People of India in 35 states
NRI's & PIO's in 5 continents
2.
Gross domestic Product
US$ 460 billion
about US$ 320 billion
3.
Per Capita Earning
US$ 460/year/person
about US$ 16,000/year/person
4.
Savings Per Year
US$ 100 billion**
about US$ 80 - 100 billion**
5.
INDIA's external debt
US$ 100 billion
N.A.
6.
Total FDI last Year (2002)
US$ 4.0 billion
N.A.
7.
FDI investment by NRI's
US$ 0.2 billion(in 2000)
N.A.
8.
Population
1060 million
20 - 25 millions


CSAT -2011 Result to be declared soon


As time is progressing the aspirants who appeared for the CSAT -2011 conducted by the UPSC on brand new pattern across the nation to select the candidate for the Civil services in India are getting impatient about the result.

Each paper conducted under the CSAT 2011 was of 200 marks and the time duration was 120 minutes for each.

Over 4 lakh aspirants applied for the IAS, out of which around 11,000 will be selected for the mains.

The result of the CSAT-2011 is expected to declare soon by UPSC and the mains examination will be conducted in mid October.

Comparison of India and China




Comparison of India and China under Economic and Social Barometer

No.
Economic or Social factor
Unit
China
India
1.
Total Area
millions of sq km
9.60 (2.8%)
3.29 (9.5%)
2.
Arable Land
millions of sq km
1.48
1.79
3.
Irrigated Land
millions of sq km
0.53
0.61
4.
Railways - length
in km '000
71.90
63.23
5.
Roadways - paved - length
in km '000
1,447
2,411
6.
Waterways - length
in km '000
123
14.5
7.
Natural Gas - Proved Reserves
in billion cu m
2,530
854
8.
Oil - Proved Reserves
billion bbl
18.60
5.70
9.
Airports - Total/paved/unpaved
numbers
489/389/89
334/239/995
10.
Coastline
in km
14,500
7,000
11.
Steel Production
million tons/year
280
45
12.
Food grain production
million tons/year
418
210
13.
Cement Production
million tons/year
650
150
14.
Crude Oil production
million tons/year
180
40
15.
Coal Production
million tons/year
1,300
300
16.
Electricity generated
Billions of Kilowatts
2,190
557
17.
Transmission & distribution losses
as % of total power
6.8
23.4
18.
Electricity tariff
US$ / 100 KW
4 to 5
8 to 10
19.
Cost of commercial borrowing
as % interest/ year
6 - 7
8 - 16
20.
Telephone lines connected
millions
311
67
21.
TV sets in households
millions
500
85
22.
Mobile/cellular phones
millions
400
100
23.
Internet users
millions
111
51
24.
Foreign trade (China+HongKong)
US$ billions/year
1038+923=1961
260
25.
External debt (China+Hong Kong)
US$ billions
242+416= 658
120
26.
Exports (China+HongKong)
US$ billions/year
752+286= 1038
120
27.
Imports (China + HongKong)
US$ billions/year
632+291= 923
138
28.
Tourist Arrivals
millions/year
87
4
29.
TV broadcast stations
numbers
3240
562
30.
Radio broadcast stations
AM/FM/short wave
369/259/49
153/91/68
31.
FDI inflow (China + Hong Kong)
US$ billions/year
106
8
32.
Forex Reserves (China+Hong Kong)
US$ billions
1017+122= 1,139
175
33.
GDP (China+Hong Kong)
US$ billions
2102+179= 2,281
750
34.
GDP Growth (2006)
in % rate over last year
9.3
7.9
35.
Labour Composition
Agriculture %/Industry %/ Services %
49/22/29
60/17/23
36.
Population
millions
1,314
1,095
37.
Population increase per year
millions
7.2
15.3
38.
Birth rate
Numbers per 1000
13
22
39.
Per Capita income
US$ per year/person
1,498
658
40.
Life expectancy
Years
74
64
41.
Investment
% of GDP
44
25
42.
Poverty line - numbers
%/Numbers in millions
10/131
25/273
43.
Inflation Rate
%
1.9
4.6
44.
Median age
Numbar of years
33
25
45.
Population Growth Rate
% of population
0.59
1.38
46.
Infant mortality rate
Death Rate per 1,000
23
55
47.
GDP (PPP)
US$ billions
8,182
3,699
48.
GDP (PPP) per person
US$ per person/year
6,300
3,400
49.
Fertility Rate
children born/woman
1.73
2.73
50.
Literacy Rate - Definied as age 15 and over
can read & write - % of Pop
91
60
51.
Death Rate
Rate per 1,000 pop
6.97
8.18
52.
Public Debt
% of GDP
29
82
53.
Unemployment rate
% of workforce
20
30
54.
Labour force
in millions
797
496
55.
People living with HIV/AIDS
'000 (2003)
840
5110
56.
Government budget Revenues/Expenditure
US$ billions
392/424
111/126