दृष्टिकोण – Indra's Viewpoint

Tajmahal has always allured me. I can’t forget the fullmoon night of 1965, when I got its first glimpse the whole profile emerging from darkness with the moonlight gradually increasing. I have not missed any chance to visit it. Every time it has been fascinating. Here is a story that appeared in ‘Outlook’, but I wish to share it though in brief.

Some newer findings

 Shah Jahan picked the site for Taj for its great view from Raja Jai Singh of Amber, in exchange for four mansions
 Mumtaz Mahal’s body was moved thrice: from Zainabad garden to the Taj complex and finally inside the Taj
 Mumtaz shares the Taj complex with two begums Shah Jahan married after her death
 When finished, Shah Jahan visited Taj only twice. His own burial was not grand-he was taken quietly by two men by boat and laid beside Mumtaz.

The French physician Francois Bernier wrote in his ‘Voyages’ wayback in 1699, “I decidedly think that this monument deserves much more to be numbered among the wonders of the world than the pyramids of Egypt, those unshapen masses which when I had seen them twice yielded me no satisfaction.” And Bernier also mentions that he went to see the Taj with a merchant from France “who, like myself, did not tire of looking at it”.

However, Austrian art historian Ebba Koch has some revealing facts about it in her new book, The Complete Taj Mahal.

According to Koch, the building-obsessed emperor had wanted to create: a monument that would be unrivalled in beauty and grandeur for all generations to come.” It will,” in the words of his court historian Muhammad Amin Qazwini, “be a masterpiece for ages to come, increasing the amazement of all humanity.”

The emperor brought Mumtaz’s body from Berhanpur where she was originally buried to the site of Taj. She was buried for a third time in her final resting place, nearly 12 years later when the Taj was completed. And what was the real passion? It perhaps, was Shah Jahan’s ambition to go down in history as the world’s best builder. His biography, Padshahnama-written by a series of carefully chosen historians-goes into extraordinary detail about the emperor’s broken heart, including how his beard turned white overnight. But that did not stop the emperor from marrying twice after her. Both these later wives-Akbarabadi Mahal and Fatehbadi Begum-ended up sharing not only the emperor’s heart but also Mumtaz Mahal in Taj too.

Shah Jahan set about constructing Taj, Koch says, with utmost deliberation.

Just the selection of the site, for instance, took him nearly six months.

And then the white marble used creates the ultimate impression of its magnificance.. Koch says she stood at the gate of the Taj and took photographs every hour to document the change of light. She understood the feeling that it aroused in Bernier that he could look at it without ever tiring. “It was meant to make a powerful impression at any point of the day,” says Koch.

But, Koch’s vote for Taj as the top wonder of the world is because of its seamless fusion of many different architectural traditions.

1.There is the Hindu concept adapted from the vaastu shastras of using only two colours: brahmanical white and Kshatriya red. “With this Shah Jahan was declaring that the Mughals were the new Brahmins and kshatriyas of India,” Koch says.
2.Then there’s the European pietra dura work that surpasses in its ingenious crafting the original from Italy.
3.And, of course, the Islamic elements are also there.

This incredible fusion of so many styles has given birth to innumerable claims about its origins: the early myths about how the architect was an Italian goldsmith named Geronimo Veroneo and how in the eighteenth century a Brahmin priest in Suraj Mal’s court suggested converting the Taj into a temple, not to speak of P.N. Oak’s more recent claim that the tomb is really Tejo-Mahalaya, a Shiva temple.

But the most startling revelation Koch has unearthed is a caravenserai- four open-air squares, where travellers could pitch their tents and unhitch their animals-edged with shopping arcades. “I don’t think there is a monument anywhere in the world of its age or even later which had these tourist facilities.” The idea was to finance the upkeep of the Taj with the revenue from the shops and provide shelter for travellers who would come to admire his masterpiece. When Shah Jahan decided to build a monument of love, it’s anyone’s guess who he really had in mind: Mumtaz Mahal or the tourists of the 21st century, or ever after.

Taj Mahal is a finalist among 21 other sites in the biggest global poll ever, spanning seven years and 20 million voters to pick the world’s New Seven Wonders. The Swiss non-profit organisation, New7Wonders launched the campaign in 2000. The final result will come only in next July in Lisbon. Will Taj be among New Seven Wonders? Will Indians and Taj lovers allover the world, make it find a place?

As reported byManeesh Pandey & M Saleem Pandit in ‘Times of India’, Indian Railway is in process of connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India. A train will traverse the spectacular Pir Panjals and take tourists into the Chinar-lined getaways. Will that not be a great day for the lucky ones in the first train? The project faced many odds, even attacks of terrorists and also many a civil engineering challenges. Many expressed doubts of its viability in an earthquake prone area. However, as claimed, the design is good enough to withstand any seismological disturbances up to the magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter scale.
The powerful earthquake of October 2005, with epi-centre in PoK, was of the same intensity as the Gujarat quake of 2001, but “the construction sites and various installations completed till that time remained unmoved.” As claimed, with the latest quake-resistant technologies incorporated design and construction, the rail link will be robust to meet the geological demands and contingencies.

About 5,000 personnel are working on the project covering a route length of 292kms, with 1048 bridges (169 major ones), 84 tunnels covering 123 kms. The project cost will be Rs 2,500 crore. The highest altitude in the route will be 1,734 metres, and the highest Chenab bridge will be 383 metres.

5,000 more people will man the running of trains, maintenance of tracks, tunnels, bridges and commercial activities

The Jammu-Baramulla journey that will be entirely of broad gauge will take 8-10 hours to complete

The tracks are designed to take speeds of 110-120 km/hr subject to terrain

First-ever heated coaches will run on Indian tracks as at many places, the temperature is sub-zero

Around 40 trains can run both ways on this section daily

For communication in the hilly terrain, optic fibre network are being installed

Bridge columns are powered by encasing them in steel jackets or fibre mesh. Scientific tests are being conducted on Chenab Bridge to check if it can withstand high-speed winds. Flexible joints will let tunnels bend with quake motion and resist breaking. About 83% of the 148-km Katra-Qazigund section in Pir Panjal Range will be covered through tunnels with adequate ventilation to let in fresh air.
Jammu-Udhampur line has been in operation since April 2005.

Starting February, the train will begin its run through the harsh terrain from Kakapore to Rajwansher, via Srinagar. And within little more than a year, the entire stretch between Jammu to Baramulla will be ready. The first train – from Qazigund in Anantnag to Baramulla is scheduled in February 2007. Katra-Qazigund is expected in December 2008-09.

Kashmiris are upbeat. For many, “it’s a train to economic prosperity.” “We eagerly await the arrival of the first train which will bring employment opportunities.” ”The train link will facilitate easy movement of commercial goods even in harsh cold weather when roads get blocked due to heavy snow.”

However, the terror threats will remain something to be watched. Can the railway link embolden the hearts of Kashmiris to face the threats from those encouraged to create troubles from across the border?

I wish the design of the rail-link would add some uniqueness and grandeur as architectural showpieces and wonders of civil engineering that will further improve the attraction of the heaven on earth.

I fully believe that with good governance, employment creation, careful handling, and mass education, the terrorists can be won over. Will Laluji be able to take credit of the project by completing it within his tenure as Railway Minister?

PS: Latest
Rail rivalry in Kashmir by C Raja Mohan

For last few days, I had not put in any entry, as we were away in hills. I couldn’t have used my cellular way of reaching Internet. Reliance doesn’t cover the western UP and Uttaranchal. We have a reliable friend Shri Sirohi who is as enthusiastic to go for such an outing as Yamuna. We started on last Saturday and drove unto Corbett Park. On Sunday night we were in Nainital. On Monday, we went to Sattal, but didn’t find the place spending the night. We moved to Bhimtal, but didn’t stay there too. Finally, we spent our night at Haldwani. I wanted to see Pantnagar Agriculture University, where my very close friend of IIT days, Dr. Kailash has settled. We spent Tuesday night at Lambart Square guesthouse of the university; and returned back to Noida yesterday night.

Some photographs

A 5-star hotel at Moradabad, just 100 km from Noida that has come up in last one year and symbolizes the way the country is developing.

Nainital, the lake and Himalayan range

When I travel I don’t only enjoy; mainly I learn and experience. I couldn’t have imagined the presence of a world-class hotel- Holiday Regency in Mooradabad, the town famous for its metalwork- brassware and handicrafts. It is the proximity of Mooradabad with New Delhi and NCR that is driving the growth. The new by-pass of the highway makes the connectivity better. Town has a ‘New’ Mooradabad with real estates, professional colleges, and shopping malls. Gajraula is another tidy township with lot of industrial possibility. But as one moves inside UP, it appears as if the development process has slowed, and sometimes even it seems, it has stopped. How can the roads of UP be so bad nearing Lalu’s Bihar standard? Why is the speed of road construction on Delhi- Lucknow highway 4-laning so slow, if the state government would have been taking interest? As one enters Uttaranchal, the difference becomes very obvious. The roads on Uttaranchal side are very well maintained all the way up to Nainital or even further to small places like Sattal, Bhimtal, Hardoi, Pantnagar, and Rudrapur.

At Ramnagar, the town that receives all the tourists for Corbett National Park, I got an experience of affluence that tourism can create even in small places. And the people are making money in quick way. How can 3-hours trip of a portion of the Park on a jeep cost Rs1100? Why should one has to get up at 4.30 Am to register himself for the trip, as it allows only 30 vehicles? Why can’t some senior person of Corbett Foundation look into these inconveniences? I was also amazed to experience the ambience of a camp resort. I don’t know how one can sleep in that sort of tent. Have I grown too old to appreciate the fun of younger life?

And all these days I was thinking that the tele-connectivity of the country has reached a significantly good level. But as a subscriber of Reliance, we found ourselves out of reach from the acquaintances and family during our stay in Uttaranchal. I felt miserable at Pantnagar Lombart Square guesthouse, when I developed some breathlessness and was badly in need of a doctor, the network of my Reliance cell was dead. Why can’t all the players in cellular telecom sector group together to expand and mutually share the infrastructure facilities to provide services to the consumers of different companies in all areas?

Mr. Sirohi was in driver’s seat of his Maruti Wagon R for this trip. I had promised that I would assist him sometimes, but I could not dare to drive in hilly area. I have never been a good driver. I feel bad about it, but perhaps it is too late to be smart driver. Mr. Sirohi has a remote locking for his vehicle. In Ramnagar, he found it inoperative. He thought it was because of the battery in it. But the battery was found right. Finally, he disconnected a wire going to the battery to eliminate the alarm sound. But as we were nearing Nainital, we found a noise coming from the engine side. The coolant was boiling. The fan was not working. Neither Sirohi nor myself knew to fix that up. Fortunately, we could reach up to Garhwal Rest House where finally we stayed for the night. An electrician helped to fix up the fan. And perhaps I thought our auto-manufacturers must train the users a little more in handling their products to face some unique problems that may crop up based on their customer feedback information.

Uttaranchal has setup an industrial park in Rudrapur as a unit of SIDCUL. GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology has parted with some land. All big companies such as Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto, and Ashok Leyland are setting up manufacturing plants on huge plots of very fertile agriculture farmland. I felt sorry to see these plants coming up there. Why can’t these manufacturers locate the plant in other areas? Except for the tax concessions that the state governments are offering, there are no technical reasons and factors that have allured them to misuse this fertile land. And with this sort of approach too, these industrial houses call themselves socially conscious and responsible. I feel some attitudinal changes are required at national level. A policy for industrial land must be in place.

And then be an industrial unit or the expressway, the country need urgently a national construction policy. For the highways and expressways passing through habitations, bypasses have been built to avoid congestion caused by unauthorized constructions. After few years, the bypass again gets congested as the varieties of unauthorized constructions of all shapes and sizes come up. The policy must bar any construction up to 200 metres from the centerline of the road on both sides. The road building must incorporate link roads on both sides to an area where all the parking and various service facilities such as fuel station, food plaza, toilets, and shops must be located. The policy must bar any road-facing construction, as all the space in front becomes private property. And the policy must make standard for housing of all type so that it doesn’t appear to be eye shore.

My interactions with some professors and naturally with friend like Dr. Kailash Narayan and his son Jayant who is associate professor at Pantnagar were lively. I could see some good work being done by the agricultural engineers and researchers. However, GB Pant Agriculture University could easily become one of the world’s best ones. With whatever interactions I had, I found lack of enthusiasm that makes an institute great. Even the maintenance standard of Lombart Square Guest House gave the same impression.

Dr. Kailash Narayan is my IIT day’s friend. He graduated and post graduated from IIT, Kharagpur in agricultural engineering and then got his PhD too, perhaps from US. We both came from from farmer’s families. We spoke the same language. Kailash remained in teaching and reached the highest possible level till he retired from GB Pant Agriculture University, Pantnagar. He acquired some farmland in Kichha near Pantnagar itself. And he has setup a rice mill now. Even at this age, I saw him working so hard all the day that I envy him. Normally, we don’t find a person from teaching profession getting into business. But he has done it and done it successfully. Kailash is an example of entrepreneurship zeal of India. Kailash has many dreams regarding some more enterprises- a warehouse, a hotel, or a good school. I can only wish him to succeed.

As reported, the farmers in Maharashtra have demanded that they be paid Rs 18 per litre against the Rs 12 they get now. Pasteurised and packaged milk is sold at Rs 20 per litre in Kolhapur and other cities and at Rs 24 per litre in Mumbai. While pasteurising, packaging and transporting milk certainly cost, but the cooperatives are having a lot of margin making some few, say directors of the cooperatives running it, get the maximum advantages. However, it is farmers who must be the major beneficiaries. In places where the farmers are delivering milk to private collectors as in Bihar, the price paid to the farmers are further low. It is only Rs 9 a litre.

For all the produce, the farmer get similarly the minimal that the traders can manage with. I don’t know what ITC pays to the farmers for the wheat it procures from the farmers for its branded ‘atta’ that is sold almost at Rs 15-18 per kg. May be it is paying better than the petty rural traders, but ethically ITC must pay what it can retaining sufficient margin and not the maximum that it can manage taking advantages of their vulnerability.

Many a times, the mandi such as Azadpur in New Delhi publishes the bulk prices of vegetables and other grocery items in newspapers. I find for every thing it is one third of what I pay as consumer. Can something be done to cut down the cost in supply chain to the advantages to the producer farmers who are really poor? I wonder what the cotton farmers who resort to suicide mostly, are paid against what the exporters get from the clients.

With big business houses such Reliance and Bharati coming in retail business including groceries, the conditions of farmers can improve if they work on a model where they obtain the supplies directly from the farmers creating an efficient supply chain system and pay a fair price for their produce. The big retail outlets may facilitate farmers with some inputs to put in some value addition at the farmers end to enhance better earnings for the farmers thereby.

It must be a case for study by management institutes and government. The gap of price paid to the farmers and that paid by the consumer for the same for the same amount must reduce. Beside other assistance, this one help will certainly give an improved earning from he farmers.

Well-wishers of farmers! Can you do some effective empowering of the farmers in this regard so that the farmers can get the best price, instead of arranging doles to the farmers?

PS: I quote below from the latest issue of Business World:

Reliance Retail plans to build its own supply chain. “We will always buy from the farmer, almost never from the mandi,” says a group official. For example, the leafy vegetables, brinjals, tomatoes and green chillies in the Banjara Hills outlet were sourced directly from farmers in Vantimamdi, Chevella and nearby mandals in Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh. Already, a few hundred farmers have been hooked on to the Reliance Retail supply chain. In the next five years, that number will grow to millions. Even contract farming — by assisting farmers to procure high-quality seeds, fertilisers and other essential raw materials — is on the cards. By going to the farmer directly, Reliance Retail hopes to dis-intermediate the supply chain and eliminate waste. This means fresher products at lower cost.

Early morning, I could view the e-mail from Alapana, my daughter-in-law in US. She has gone for pre-Chhath fast. I got excited. “Will she carry out all rituals too?” I am sure US law and administration will not allow someone to pollute the water bodies as done in name of religion in India.

My wife informed, “She will be fasting only and someone else will carry out the rituals here in India.” Is it some sort of outsourcing of religious rituals too? Yamuna expressed her wish to go once to US and celebrate this Chhath there with all her daughters-in-law. I wonder if it will be possible. However, years ago I myself used to fast when in Hind Motor for Yamuna. Even today I understand the people of Bihari origin in Mauritius and other places also celebrate Chhath in big way. I will certainly like to go there once.

Fasting is real rigorous for Chhath. While Thursday was a day of ‘barawana’ (meaning limited type of eating), when the fastee can take only plain simple food with no onion or garlick even in curry or lintel even. Real fast starts on Friday that is ‘sanjhawat’ (evening of sweet food), when the fastee can eat only puri or roti with sweet milk pudding (kheer or sewayian) only in evening. The fastee is expected to drink as much water as possible with food only, as the fastee can’t take even water till Sunday morning when he completes the offerings to Sun God after seeing the Sun. It will be tomorrow (Saturday) evening, when the fastee will give his first offering (arghya of fruits, sweet breads, and milk) to the setting Sun in a water body, river, or even in sea. Fast continues till Sunday morning. After bath in water body, the fastee gives the second and last offerings to the setting Sun. The fast ends.

There is short too. For circumstantial reasons, one can certainly go through the rituals on the rooftop or in front of the house with a big bucket full of water. As I came to know, many in India also follow that route. Even in Noida one of Yamuna’s friend will have it on her rooftop. Holy River Yamuna’s water in New Delhi is so polluted that someone like me hardly can dare to get into it for ‘arghya’ to Sun God.

Since yesterday TV channels and newspapers are carrying reports. Chhath as it appears has Vedic origin. It is for Sun God. Bihar and to some extent eastern Uttar Pradesh celebrate it as major festivals. With increasing population from the region shifting to New Delhi and NCR, it has gained importance here too. Politically, these people in Delhi significantly influence the election results. As it appears, all political parties and its leaders are busy in facilitating this festival. Haryana has given water to fill Yamuna. All ghats have been made ready to handle the crowd that will be there on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

I was amazed to read a report in today’s Times of India by one Maneesh Pandey that I didn’t know. It says, “In the badlands of Bihar, it is said that no crime is committed during three days of Chhath.” Last year I wished that the people of Bihar must vow to have Chhath, if Lalu’s misrule of 15 years ends after the assembly election. I wish this time a prosperity and development of Bihar as a whole under the new leadership. I pray for getting back the old glory of the state this time.

As estimated, China’s booming manufacturing sector has been sucking 1 percent of the farming population every year. For India, the figure is about half a percent. And the agriculture sector still bears the burden of about 70% of the population. Agriculture can’t bring prosperity to those below poverty line in rural India. It is only manufacturing that can do it. So, only National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) wishes between 12 and 14 percent growth per annum for manufacturing sector for the next 10 years, so that manufacturing’s share of GDP increases to 30-35% by 2020.

Why is the manufacturing sector in India lagging behind? If one goes by the CII and other spokesmen of the industries, for every thing the blame lies with the government and its policies, its reluctance to bring about the changes asked for by the industries. But is it really true? Have the industry and business houses done what it could have?

According to data in media, half of the world’s cameras, a third of air conditioners and televisions, and a quarter of washing machines are manufactured in China. 92 % of China’s exports comprise manufactured goods. Is it not a fact that India keeps on taking pride in being the topmost exporter of iron ores and cotton? Most of these exports are having China as destination. China becomes top exporter of finished textiles and apparel and produces more than 200 million tones of steel and exports the products made of the steel as major raw material. Why did Tata Steel, the pioneer in steel making in India didn’t go for becoming the largest steel maker in a full century of time period? Even with all liberalization in place for a decade now, Tata Steel didn’t add to its capacity in significant manner to become a world scale steel manufacturer, though it took all advantages given by the government to public sector SAIL. Till late in 90s, India didn’t produce good quality steel sheets for automobile body panels. With a good presence of Tatas in power sector and huge manpower in engineering, Tata could have reduced the cost of its power generation to the minimum and could have manufactured the plant and machinery too for expansion or addition, if it wished so. But it kept on announcing project such as one in Gopalpur of Orissa, but never executed that. The same happened with other industrialists and business houses except Ambani.

India perhaps considered camera as luxury item and thought it will remain perpetually dependent on import. None in industry went for any serious business tie-up as Chinese went. With India’s hot and uncomfortable summer, India could have gone for air conditioners and refrigerators in big way. However, Voltas of Tatas never thought of a world-class scale and quality for its air conditioners, nor did Godrej had that mission for its refrigerator. Both the companies though belonging to two big business houses still don’t have any vision or strategy to become globally competitive and expand accordingly. In television, though many manufacturers sprung up, but except for Videocon none could grow to a global scale and technology. Today, Samsung and LG have taken over the control of the market. And that is the reason that even the component industry for the sector has not grown the way it would have with local manufacturer. Videocon with its acquisitions abroad particularly the latest one of Daewoo Electronics might be considered a serious player in this sector, though it is still not clear how far it will have its manufacturing in India. Indian manufacturers never considered washing machines, dishwashers, and micro ovens for inclusion in its product line, as it thought these appliances as unacceptable on large scale by Indian consumers. There are no reasons why some Indian manufacturer wouldn’t have grown as Haeir.

With all the systemic inefficiencies that mean higher cost of doing business in India, some industries have been gradually growing competitive and stay ahead with multitudes of suppliers from all over the globe. By consensus, these are auto components, electricals and electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and specialty chemicals.

Auto component sector have over 500 big component manufacturers. Interestingly, 472 of these have the ISO certification with some even Deming Prize winners. Auto components may touch $40 billion or more, and the sector can export over $20 billion by 2015. Bharat Forge, Sundram Fasteners, Sona Koyo, Amtek Auto, Visteon India, Delphi India, component divisions of Mahindras and Tata Motors are some of the main players.

Market of electronic products is projected to be over $70 billion. Exports are hardly about $2 billion today. But many companies from developed countries are coming to India as a second location for manufacture because of its skilled manpower.

Textiles are another sector where the sky can be the limit.

Many other sectors can join the list with a little more innovative entrepreneurships and very little government support with certain sector based policy change. Leather, gems and jewellery, engineering services, tractors, machine tools, and heavy engineering and electrical components manufacturing are some among the prospective ones. And the growth in all these sectors will mean a lot of employment too.
The first basic requirement will be at least three to five ambitious entrepreneurs in the sector. Examples are the Excel Propack and Suzlon. Why can’t other entrepreneurs benchmark them?

Many good things are happening making the future of India’s manufacturing sector bright. I shall like to mention based on my personal view. Under an agreement, Ashok Leyland and Bosch will contribute about Rs 4 crore each for the engineering design programme offered by the department of engineering design, formed recently by IIT-M. Alliance of this sort will make Indian manufacturing sustainable under global thrust on innovations.