Habitat for Humanity
Few know that there’s a daily in Sanskrit language and that too has been coming out over the past 41 years from Mysore in south India. At a time when a language, whose use declined in political and literary circuits since 12th or the 13th century, bringing out an edition in Sanskrit deserves thunderous applause.
My trip to Beijing in April is memorable not only because it was my first encounter with the mighty mainland and the country’s mind-boggling progress, but also because I had the taste of a Chinese scholar’s humanism. During my two week’s stay, I had the opportunity to meet two great scholars: Prof Liu Jian and Prof Dong Youchen.
The US Olympic Committee’s decision to use China-made clothing designed by Ralph Lauren, a sponsor of the US Olympic Committee, for the London Olympics has drawn loud condemnation from Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (both Democrats), House Speaker John Boehner (Republican) and several other Senators and Congressmen. Senator Harry Reid even called on the US Olympic Committee to burn China-made uniforms.
Singapore rail operator SMRT was in the news this week. Reason: The rail operator was fined $2m for two major breakdowns on December 15 and 17 last year. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the company had failed to exercise due diligence and vigilance expected of a public transport operator.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to New Delhi this week is a major step forward to boosting bilateral ties between the two south Asian nations.
India’s much-touted ‘Look East’ policy will get a leg-up following Mr Loong’s two-day trip to India. Under a new deal, the city-state will help Delhi state government set up a training centre modeled after the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). It would be the first project under a new pact signed on July 11 that will pave the way for more cooperation in vocational education.
My trip to Beijing in April would not have been possible without Prof Dong, the Chinese scholar who has translated Tagore’s work in Chinese. His invitation gave me a chance to explore mainland China.
Well, I was in Hong Kong as part of my assignment with China Daily Hong Kong Edition (2006-2009) and visited Shenzen and Guangzhou a number of times, but never did I get a chance to visit Beijing.
Human greed and mindless destruction of woodland are nowhere as stark as in the dirt roads of Amazon, in Brazil. The world’s greatest rainforest and its most endangered tribe, the Awa are teetering on the edge of extinction.
The existing 355 members of the Awa tribe (100 of who have no contact with outside world) are waging a grim battle for survival.
Mercenaries pour into the Awá’s land, building illegal settlements and running cattle ranches. Hired gunmen – known as pistoleros– are reported to be hunting the Awás who stand in the way of land-grabbers.
Awa members are being wiped out.
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