May 2012

VANA PREMI

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Vol .13

MAY - 2012

No. 5

Photo contributed by Sri Sarvotham Rao.

JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED FOREST OFFICERS 49 ANDHRA PRADESH

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Vol : 13 May 2012 No. 5

Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan

The Association of Retired Forest Officers, Andhra Pradesh(Regd. No. 557/1990) President : Sri. S.D. Mukherji, I.F.S. (Retd.) Tel : 23551065, 9885236493 Vice President : Sri. Krishna Bhoopal Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.) Tel : 23743774, 9866307808 Secretary : Sri K. Santokh Singh, I.F.S. (Retd.) Tel : 27962929, 9848808101 Jt. Secretary : Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Dy. C.F.(Retd.) Cum Treasurer Tel. 23342582, 9848754778

Associate Editor : Sardar Iqbal Singh

Contents
1. Editorial ..................... QMK 2. My days at Ishgaon Rehabilitation Project ....................... S.D. Mukherji 5 3. Forest Conservation- Coal Mining Looking forward -Environmentally. ................Surendra Pande 4. "Sharma's Hell"... A comment ......... Dr. B. Raghotham Rao Desai 5. A Billion Trees for His Efforts 6. Himachal Pradesh - An Abode of Me dicinal Plants .........V.V. Hari Prasad 23 7. Guess Who Calls lodhi Gardens A Forest? ................... 8. Birthday Greetings ... S.S.S 9. Advantages of Blood Donation 10. Invitation ................... Secretary 11. Why Indians are Stressed and Unhealthy ........... 11. Did You Know? ......... 12. News and Notes ....... 13. India's Most Powerful Business Women ...... 14. Legal Notes ............... K.B.R. 15. 63rd General Body Meeting 16. Burns ......................... 45 46 47 48 34 37 38 27 31 32 33 17 20 13 2

Excutive committee members

1. Sri C. Subba Rao, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9848018796 2. Sri Sultan Mohiuddin, I.F.S.(Retd.), 9440057333 3. Sri M. Padmanabha Reddy, I.F.S. (Retd.), 9849269105 4. Sri J.V. Subba Rao, 9848486146 5. Sri A. V. Govinda Rajulu, 9440764611

Editoriral Board
1. President : Ex-Officio President of Assn. 2. Editor : Qamar Mohd. Khan Tel : 40121132, 9849233624
e-mail : qamar_asima@yahoo.com

3. Associate Editor : Sardar Iqbal Singh, Tel : 9989850898 4. Member : A.H. Qureshi, IFS (Retd.) 5. Convenor : Ex-officio Secy.of Assn
TARIFF RATES FOR ADVERTISEMENTS Back side of front and last cover page (Colour) for one year ...................................... Rs. 20,000/Outer Cover half (Colour) for one year ........... Rs. 15,000/Inner Center Spread (Colour) for one year .... Rs. 20,000/Inner full page (B&W) for one year .............. Rs. 15,000/Inner half page (B&W) for one year .............. Rs. 10,000/Inner full page One Time (B&W) ....................... Rs. 2000/Inner half page One Time (B&W) ...................... Rs. 1500/-

Totla pages
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Forests in Private sector:- Subah Hoti Hai Sham Hotihai: Yun Hi Umar Khatam (Tamam) Hoti Hai. Are we conscious of changes happening on our planet? Perhaps no; at least to the level we should. The changes are real and substantial. There appears to be a sort of indifference if not callousness in our reaction/response to these changes of far reaching consequences. If only we care to know, the simplest which cannot miss attention is that the rainfall is erratic and there is perceptible change in rainfall pattern. Temperatures are rising and there are alarming reports of ice melting in eternal snow zone. Glaciers are becoming thinner and avalanches more frequent. There is perceptible decrease in rainfall. Ozone layer, the shield which protects the earth from the hazards of outer space is getting punctured. Sea levels are rising and island nations are in constant threat of being swamped by oceans. Earth quakes are becoming common and tsunamis, not known to people earlier, are feared at the slightest tremors in aquatic regions. Recently there was an earth quake at Delhi twice, and on 14th of March a severe earth quake took place in Japan. There was severe earth quake in Indonesia on 11th of this month and it measured 8.6 on Richter's scale, this continued even to our country and there were tremors on the east coast. Tsunami warning was given in 28 countries, but luckily it was withdrawn after it weakend. Again there was strong earthquake struck off the coast of Mexico on Thursday, (12-4-2012) waking up residents 2

living near the Gulf of California, only hours after a separate temblor swayed tall buildings in Mexico City, causing evacuations. Some time ago, Mohammed Nasheed, former President of Maldives, held his cabinet meeting under sea water to attract world attention to the perils of global warming. There is the famous Sun Temple in Arsavalli village in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and it has been observed for times immemorial that the sun rays touch the feet of the Presiding Deity (the Lord) on 9th, 10th, and 11th of March every year. But surprisingly it did not happen this year on all the three days and everyone was alarmed. It makes us believe that it could be due to change in the position of our planet. Till few decades ago these extreme climatic features and their regular occurrences were unknown to human beings. Human population was low, and forests were found everywhere. Agricultural yield per unit area was fairly good even with primitive farming methods? Forest Department was established in our country about 150 years ago. Earlier to that, as already stated, the population was less and so also the area under agriculture. Rest of the land area was under tree growth. Noble Souls in the middle of nineteenth century foresaw the need to protect and manage these woodlands on scientific basis and thus was the Forest Department brought into existence. Forests being one of the most important components of the environment, they formed environmental asset and had been playing their role to maintain

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good environment in the past. Uncontrolled increase in the population and attendant manifestations had drastically altered the balance resulting in degradation and even decrease in forests. Added to it, we have further polluted our planet by burning fossil fuels. Burning of fossil fuels, like oil, coal, and natural gas is adding CO2 to the atmosphere. The current level is the highest. Unfortunately, India, earned the dubious distinction of being among the first five worst polluters on the globe. As per the national Forest policy,the goal should be to have a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. In the hills and in mountainous regions, the aim should be to maintain two-thirds of the area under such cover in order to prevent erosion and land degradation and to ensure the stability of the fragile eco-system . Total geographical area of India is 32, 80,500 sq. km, out of this we should have minimum of 10, 93,500 Sq. km of land under forest, as per the national forest policy, but we are having only 7, 50,500. Sq. km area, under forests, which works out to only 22.87%. Even this figure does not hold good as lakhs and lakhs of Sq. Kms. of forest areas were given away for various purposes including to the beneficiaries of The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 All the . developed countries have got more than 60% of the total area under forest mostly under private forests. Per capita area of forest in India is only 0.11 Hectare which is perhaps the lowest in the world. 3

We are losing our forests every day and there is no hope of increasing the area under forests of our country under public sector. Awareness deficit among ruling elite is huge that despite their high moral ground in public in favour of environment, they appear to feel; why should we have forests? Why should we not bring this forest area also under Agriculture? Why save or protect Forests? Cant we live without forests? They refuse to believe the importance of forests. They do not appear to have faith in facts like if there are no forests there will be no oxygen, if there are no forests there will be more carbon dioxide, if there are no forest there will be no water, and if there are no forests, there will be more human and animal conflicts. Human beings will not be able to live on this planet if there is no forest. This is the reason why we should have forests. Days have changed, rainfall has reduced, rivers and tanks have dried up, water table has gone down and yield in the agricultural lands has drastically reduced. This has happened exclusively due to our negligence. Agriculturists are committing suicides as they are not able to pay back the loans taken from money lenders and banks due to failure of monsoon and low yields. With changing times we also have to change. Instead of totally depending on agricultural crops which are profitable only with irrigation, it is necessary to go for alternative options of planting forest species like teak, Bamboo, and sandalwood in our dry lands. This does not require irrigation and will give very good returns after few years. This may be taken up in our agricultural lands, either on periphery

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or in the entire land. If it is taken up on the periphery, in addition to the agricultural crop yield, owners of land will also get additional income from teak, bamboo sandal wood and many other forest species. This will not only give additional income to the agriculturists, which will be of great help to him but also improves the environment. This was earlier also brought to notice of readers through these columns in the Editorial of February 2010. India has got 1,9,84,702 Sq. kms. of agricultural land and if only 1% of the area is brought under forest plantations we will have 19,847 Sq. Kms. i.e. 19, 84,700 Hectares which will be a very positive step towards improving our environment. Alphabetically Andhra Pradesh is the first state in the list of states of our country (Andaman is a union territory and not a state) and should take this up ahead of all the other states of our country and should also become number one in the list of areas of private forests in any state. Let the Government and Forest Department of our state take up this task and start bringing awareness among our agriculturists about planting, and maintaining of plantations, felling and marketing of the forest species in agricultural fields of our agriculturists to bring prosperity to them. These Teak stumps, Bamboo rhizomes or other seedlings of other species may be given free of cost to the agriculturists, initially to attract them, and if tissue cultured or clonel seedlings are given, this will improve their profits and greatly help them. The department should not leave it here only but should guide them regarding planting and maintenance, for at least two years. Bamboo will start yielding from the 6th or 7th year, 4

and teak and Sandal will start yielding from 15th or 16 th year. By protecting nature, we can improve peoples lives and provide solutions for a changing planet. Alphabetically Andhra Pradesh is the first state in the list of states of our country (Andaman is a union territory and not a state) and should take up this ahead of all the states of our country and should also become number one in the list of private forests in any state. Let the Government and Forest Department of our state bring awareness to our agriculturists about planting, maintaining of the plantations, felling and marketing of the forest species in agricultural fields to bring prosperity to them. The planting stock, like stumps, rhizomes, or seedlings may be, given free of cost to the agriculturists, initially to attract them and if tissue cultured or colonel seedlings are given this will improve their profits and greatly help them. The department should not leave it here but should guide them regarding planting and maintenance at least for two years. Bamboo will start yielding from 6th or 7th years, and teak and Sandal will start yielding from 15th or 16th year. By protecting nature, we can improve peoples lives and provide solutions for a changing planet. All the retired foresters if they happen to visit villages can popularise the idea among agriculturists and advise them to plant forest species in their fields either on the periphery or in the entire area of their lands to change their living conditions and to alleviate poverty. Jahan Hai Haryali - Wahan Hai Khush hali. QMK.

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MY DAYS AT ISHGAON REHABILITATION PROJECT

By S.D.Mukherji
August 1947 is the year of independence for India and Pakistan. We all rejoiced on achieving independence-liberation from over century old colonial rule- after prolonged struggle. However, there were many who suddenly found their existence threatened rather than liberation. To their surprise they became aliens in places where they were born and brought up. They found themselves in a wrong place, surrounded by old friends who had turned foes because of the partition. There was no place for those who now belonged to other side of the line drawn between India and Pakistan. Communal riots broke out in different parts of India and Pakistan. These riots resulted in brutal killings. To save their lives, a huge number of Muslims migrated from India to Pakistan and Hindus from Pakistan to India. However, even after the migration, almost half of the Muslims living in the Subcontinent were left in India and a sizeable number of Hindus in Pakistan. Those who were left behind were unable to become an integral part of the societies they were destined to live. The people and government looked upon them as suspects. They were unable to assure the government and the countrymen of their loyalty. 2. The Hindus in East Pakistan were in a situation where they were treated aliens in their own birth place. The government of Pakistan, mostly ruled by military Generals from West Pakistan, always suspected the Hindus of East Pakistan. The Hindus in East Pakistan, mostly Bengali speaking, failed to become integral part of Pakistan and were subjected to ill treatment. They tolerated the atrocities as long as their life and honor was not threatened. They migrated to West Bengal for the safety and security of their families. There were waves of migration in 1962 and 1964 and even subsequently. Those who crossed over to West Bengal during the freedom movement of Bangladesh went back but the families that had migrated earlier had no chance to return. The congress government in West Bengal led by Bidhan Chandra Roy had approached the Central government for the rehabilitation of the migrants in other States as West Bengal was unable to look after such a large number of families, estimated about 2.3 lakh, which had migrated. However, the opposition party, CPI (M), had objected to shifting the migrants to other States and demanded their rehabilitation in West Bengal. Government of India had accepted the request of the West Bengal government and 5

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distributed the migrant families in different States of India. Accordingly, 2000 families were sent to Andhra Pradesh (AP) for permanent rehabilitation. 3. Migrants allotted to AP were first kept at Mana camp in Madhya Pradesh. Some other families were brought to Nagarjunsagar Project. In the meantime about 10,000 acres of forestland at Ishgaon forest block was disreserved and allotted for the rehabilitation purpose. Ishgaon Rehabilitation Project Office was established near Sirpur Kaghaznagar. The migrants started arriving at Ishgaon project from 1970. Majority of these families were from district Khulna. The migrants had come from a place with rivers and water bodies all around. They had the freedom to swim and catch fish. In contrast Ishgaon project greeted them with dry sandy lands with not even a perennial stream. Initially they were kept in the transit camp and given dole, subsistence allowance, for survival till the land were reclaimed and measures for permanent rehabilitation commenced. The migrants had to work at Ishgaon project in the scorching sun. The summer temperature would touch 50 degrees Celsius. The whole environment was totally alien for the families coming from distant place. On the top of it there was complete absence of communication between the migrants and the project administrators. The migrants could speak only Bengali and did not understand Telugu, Hindi or English. Hence no 6

communication existed between the migrants and project officers. The migrants suspected leakages in the delivery system and looked every disbursement with suspicion. There was running feud between the migrants and officers and at times it escalated to strikes and dharnas. The project administrators were fed up with the belligerent attitude of the migrants. There were occasions when the trouble shooters were locked in the police station, established in the project. The whole atmosphere was vitiated and working against the process of rehabilitation. It was a worrying matter for the State and Central government. In order to deal with this situation, government started looking for a suitable Project officer, preferably Bengali knowing, who could communicate with the migrants and carry out the rehabilitation programme smoothly. Unfortunately, the government did not find a suitable officer in the revenue department. Finally, the choice fell on me as I was a Bengali and could communicate with the migrants although without any experience in such a programme. 4. It was the year 1975. I was working in the Preinvestment Survey of Forest Resources under the Ministry of Agriculture, government of India since 1969, with head quarter at Shimla. I was sent to Bhutan in the year 1974 to establish the Preinvestment Survey of Forest Resources office by 15th August 1974 as a part of a package agreed between the government of India and Bhutan,

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to survey their forests and make proposals for the establishment of wood based industries. I was enjoying the challenge of the new assignment when suddenly the news of my transfer came in the month of June 1975. I was soon relieved as there was pressure from AP State for early relief. I reported for duty at the Ishgaon Rehabilitation office on 1st August 1975. 5. There was a small but comfortable house for me to live with my family- wife, daughter of 4 years and 1 year old son- close to the project office near Sirpur Kaghznagar town. The project area was about 7 kilometers away from the office. When I joined the project, 10 villages were formed and about 100 families were shifted to each village in temporary accommodation. There were still families in the transit camps and some more were to arrive. My first visit to the village was on a rainy morning. After going around the village and exchanging greetings with the waiting men and women, I entered a house. Water was dripping from the roof of the house. A lady with a baby embraced in her bosom was standing in a corner, trying to save the baby from the falling water drops. There was another elderly widow standing in her soiled white sari. Her eyes were telling the hidden pain accumulated from years of torture and neglect. The elderly lady looked at my face and spoke softly in Bengali: Sir, please listen to me. So far nobody has ever heard us here. We have completely failed to communicate with the 7

project authorities even after attempting several times. Whenever we went near to the officers to convey our grievances we were driven away as if we are untouchables. We do not mind if you cannot do what we want. At least allow me to speak and listen to us. She narrated the difficulties faced to make the both ends meet as the available assistance was grossly inadequate. I assured her for a better tomorrow and requested to give me some time. I told the villagers to feel free to speak to me and convey their problems. This was my first experience in life to witness the human tragedy brought by the independence for which we feel proud. 6. Every day streams of refugees used to walk to the office with all sorts of problems. They had found new hope as they were able to convey their feelings in their own language. I had to spend good deal of time moving from village to village, check the progress of work, give a patient hearing to what they say while assuring for an early solution to their problems. We had to obtain sanction for different works from the collector office at Adilabad, 180 km away. At times the delay in sanction was creating problem to carry out various works of urgency. However, soon government issued order placing me directly under the administrative control of the Commissioner for Rehabilitation and ExOfficio Secretary to government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad. Mr.Qureshi IAS was the Commissioner. When I met him and briefed

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about the project, he assured me all possible help and gave free hand to run the project. This facilitated faster approvals and decision making as routing the file through Collector Adilabad was causing administrative delays. 7. There were multifarious tasks for the rehabilitation of migrant families, who had come with empty hand leaving everything behind in Bangladesh. Government had placed different offices under the project to attend to different works. There was a land reclamation unit with heavy machinery for the clearance of wild growth, uprooting stumps and land leveling. There was an Assistant Director of Agriculture with supporting staff for land improvement, procurement of seed and other inputs to enable the migrants to start cultivation and grow food for them. There was an Assistant Director of Survey and Land Records with half a dozen surveyors for preparation of Land records for grant of pattas to each family. There was a Veterinary Surgeon with staff to procure plough bullocks and look after the health of cattle population. There was a doctor with nursing staff to attend to medical problems but most of time the show was managed by the nursing staff. There was an Assistant Engineer with supervisors for Road and Building works. Rehabilitation package for each family included a house plot of 0.3 acres with a well, a dwelling house, 5 acres of dry land for cultivation, agriculture implements along with necessary 8

inputs for cultivation, a pair of plough bullocks, a school in each village, roads connecting the villages, drinking water by sinking bore wells and all other necessities to provide sustainable livelihood. 8. It took about 6 months for me to get a grip on the project activities. By this time people had also gathered some faith in the project administration. There was urgency to provide regular wage employment to the families as the dole given was insufficient to meet all the requirements of a family. Many of the young men and women were engaged in selling firewood and charcoal in Kaghaznagar market, braving the risk of being caught by the Forest Guard. We succeeded in getting allotment of wheat to start food for work programme. Migrants were engaged to work on the fields for bunding and leveling the reclaimed lands. They were permitted to sell wheat in the market in exchange of rice. Additional land was required as land at Ishgaon was not sufficient for all families. About 2500 acres of forestland was disreserved in Bapur-Gangapur forest block near Koutala, about 50 km away from Ishgaon. This land was to be reclaimed as it had thick vegetation. Along with the earth moving machinery some families were sent to BapurGangapur area to assist in land reclamation work. Nobody was prepared to stay in the forests as they faced poisonous snakes and scorpions while clearing the forestland. Moreover, there

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was no township nearby to sell firewood and earn some extra money. After lot of persuasion some families agreed to go and work by rotation. In the meantime three more villages were formed at Ishgaon and some more families were shifted from the transit camp. Shifting the families to villages was the first step in the process of rehabilitation. Two more villages were formed at Bapur-Gangapur and some more families were shifted against their wishes. By the end of 1976 there was lot of progress in allotment of house plots, land reclamation, survey and preparation of land records, procurement of bullocks and running the schools. Special permission was obtained from the government to appoint Bengali qualified boys among the migrants as teachers so that there is no communication problem. This provided jobs to a good number of educated Bengali boys. 13 villages in Ishgaon and 2 villages in Bapur-Gangapur were established. The villages in Ishgaon were named Nazrul Nagar, after Nazrul Islam, a famous Bengali poet. Bapur-Gangapur villages were named Ravindra Palli, after Ravindra Nath Tagore. By the way my son was also named Ravi and villagers preferred this name although some objected to Nazrul Nagar. 9. Two small dams were constructed at Ishgaon, named Upper and Lower dam. This provided about 1500 acres of low land that could get

water and be used for paddy cultivation. Rain water compounded in the dams was used to grow fish by releasing fingerlings during the rains. To improve water for irrigation about 10 deep bore wells were drilled successfully and fitted with submersible pumps. This development was pleasing surprise to the families who had lost all hopes of successful rehabilitation. As most of the families belonged no namasudra community, equivalent to Scheduled caste, I was authorized to issue the caste certificate. It helped number of educated men and women to get employment in government departments. A large number of men had found employment in Kaghaznagar paper mill and Sirsilk factory at Kaghaznagar.Thus, gradually there was some improvement in employment and consequent financial condition of the migrant families but still lot of work was to be attended. 10. By early 1977 all families were sent to the villages from the transit camps. Land distribution to individuals with patta certificate was completed. One acre of wet land under the dam was taken equivalent to two acres of dry land. There was heavy demand for this land. Entire distribution of land was done by drawing lots in presence of the villagers to avoid any complaint and it was completed peacefully. The digging of open wells in the homestead plots was successfully completed. The wells had sufficient water and he villagers had started growing 9

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vegetables in their homestead plots. They were able to meet their family requirement and find surplus to sell in the market. A market was established at Ishgaon where shops were constructed and allotted to families choosing to take up business as against agriculture land. There was some semblance of progress in the positive direction. Soon the migrants were registered as Indian citizen and voter identity card was provided. The villagers were able to cast their vote in 1977 election in AP. However, State election in West Bengal brought the Left Front government in power and it opened a new problem in the rehabilitation process.] 11. The migrant leaders in all the rehabilitation centers in India were in constant touch with the political development in West Bengal. The establishment of Left Front government in West Bengal had revived the hopes of the migrants to go back to West Bengal as was promised by the left parties of West Bengal (see para 2) when they were in opposition. In early 1978, when I was away from the project, Mr.Ram Chatterjee, a CPM political leader in West Bengal, visited Ishgaon project and held a public meeting at night. He assured the migrants for a sympathetic treatment if they come to West Bengal. There were many families who had not reconciled to the new environment that was thrust on them. This new political development gave renewed hope to return to Bengal. The migrants were in regular touch with their counter parts in the 10

States of Maharashtra (Chandrapur), Orissa (Malkangiri), Madhya Pradesh, Mysore, Uttar Pradesh and other places and planning to go to West Bengal. Soon the news of migrant families departing to West Bengal from other centers started floating. There were regular meetings in the villages to finalize the departure strategy. By mid-March 1978 the situation had gone out of control. The Bengali newspaper was covering the whole movement. An island called Marichjhapi in Sunderban area of West Bengal was identified where the migrants were given indication of finding land for rehabilitation. By this time the migrants had known me well and respected my words. I tried my best to convince them that it would be impossible for any government to rehabilitate so many families. However, the lure of going back to familiar environment, close to the place where from they had come, was much stronger than any advice. They were prepared to take any risk to go back to Sonar Bangla, golden Bengal. They felt 1 acre of land in Bengal was better than 5 acres in AP. In spite of all the efforts made by me fifty percent families left the project. Desertions from other places were much higher. The State and Central Government was kept aware of the developments. They sold all the saleable belongings- including the bullocks, roof tin sheets, agriculture implements, etc. and boarded the trains bound for Howrah in groups. The government of West Bengal stopped the

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trains enroute and all the families were forcibly detained at various stations in West Bengal before reaching Howrah station and advised to return. The migrants were in no mood to return. They waited and took different routes to reach their destination. The migrants were subjected to untold hardship to reach Marichjhapi camp set up by some leaders. The unhygienic condition in the camp and scarcity of sweet water resulted in spread of diarrhea and cholera to which young children and older people succumbed. The State government took a firm decision and evicted all families from Sunderban area and finally they were sent back by August/ September 1978. The return of families was informed by telegram received from Delhi indicating the train and number of families returning on different dates. The families were received and kept in the transit camp as there was no shelter left in the villages from where they had gone. Medical checkup was done for all the returnees and treatment was arranged as most of them had turned into skeletons. Fresh rehabilitation package was announced by the Central government to put the families back in the villages. 12. After about a month the deserted families were sent to their respective villages. The families who had stayed back had surely benefited but they felt cheated when fresh pair of bullock was sanctioned to the deserters but

the same was not extended to those who had lost their bullocks because of natural deaths or other reasons. The desertion had put a reverse gear to the process of rehabilitation. It was resumed with all the energy. It may not be correct to blame the migrants as their aspiration was kindled by the ruling political leaders of West Bengal. However, this experience was a lesson for the migrants to forget the aspiration of their return to West Bengal. They were now reconciled to accept the rehabilitation that was available. The villagers were given sanction for the construction of house. A novel method of brick preparation at the village site was adopted by mixing soil with coal ash freely available from the paper mills. Iron sheets from Chandrapur rehabilitation center was procured at very cheap rate as it was from the dismantled transit camps. Similarly, wooden poles were purchased from the forest department in public auction and it was much cheaper than the market rate. The villagers were permitted to build their houses without confining to any fixed size. Most of the villagers added their own hard earned money and made a much better dwelling house than what government sanctioned amount could provide. Except the supply of bullocks most of the item sanctioned was supplied. The families were preparing their lands for the coming rains. 13. The procurement of bullocks for about 1000 families got into a controversy as the then minister was interested to give to a contractor. 11

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Government had announced a rate of Rs 15,000 for a pair of bullock. A committee of migrants with the veterinary surgeon was formed to select the bullocks in the cattle market before they are transported to villages for distribution and release of payments. It was not agreeable to the contractor. He started transporting the bullocks by trucks before it was approved by the committee. We rejected the supplies and did not make the payments for about 40 pair of bullocks brought by the contractor. In the absence of aftercare the animals started dying. The contractor complained to the minister and wanted to pressurize me to accept the bullocks and release payments. As I did not agree the pressure was building from the Minister side in favor of the contractor. I requested the Commissioner, Sri B.R.K.Sastry IAS, to repatriate me as the CCF (Sri P.S.Rao) was writing to government repeatedly for my repatriation. I left the project in June 1979. On the day of my departure all the families had assembled to bid farewell. They spoke of the change witnessed after my arrival and wanted me not to leave them. Their words saddened me. I could not stop the drops of tears that rolled on my cheeks. I do not know when this deep bondage was developed. I wished them a better tomorrow and took leave from the assembled families. 14. I am happy to report that the Bengali families kept regular contact with me wherever I was posted. I was posted as Conservator of Forests 12

Adilabad Circle in 1985 and visited the villages when a rousing reception had welcomed me. When Joint Forest Management was started in AP I had approached the Ishgaon villages and they had formed VSS and did very well. I am proud to place on record that today Ishgaon project villages are the most progressive villages in the region. They have done very well in improving the land and get good crop yield, highest in the region. Some of the teachers have become headmasters/principals. The children of migrants are well educated and some are working in IT Companies on responsible position. Some have become successful civil contractors. Many have joined the Indian army. There are more than 20 cars in the villages. Almost every house has a motor bike. Some have purchased additional lands. Some have built spacious houses in Kaghaznagar town. There are many who have done very well in the business. Ishgaon market is now a bussing business center. Some have air-conditioned houses. Many are financially better off than me. Some have joined politics and were elected as Sarpanch. They have a strong vote bank of more than 10,000 and hence local politicians try to keep them on their right side. Two months back I had spent three days in project villages. I was overwhelmed by the hospitality shown to me. I am sure the Bengali families will do still better in the future. I have no hesitation to say that days spent in the project were the best days in my working life. I wish a better future to them.

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FOREST CONSERVATION- COAL MINING LOOKING FORWARD -ENVIRONMENTALLY.

By Surendra Pande
Abstract:-Sustained economic development and alleviation of poverty among the masses can go hand to hand when the efforts are based on environmentally sound principles. Mining is no exception, it requires concerted efforts to survey, explore, develop and exploit mineral wealth in a eco-friendly and scientific manner. In India the installed power generation capacity is about 1, 47,000 MW but due to its population increase, the per capita power consumption still remains one of the lowest in the world. The country is making great strides in enhancing the power generation capacity. Nearly 75% of Indias total installed power generation capacity is thermal, of which coal based generation is nearly 90 percent. To meet the target of electricity generation more and more coal is going to be mined. The long term aim of economic sustainability can be achieved only when development is ecologically sustainable. Habitat loss, fragmentation, soil erosion, reduction in eco-system functions, pollution of water and rivers are some of the manifestations of the mining, if not taken required care in improving the environment. The State of Environment Report 2009 also acknowledges that, though power generation increased, over 600 million people have no access to electricity. India contributes only ~5% 13 global CO2 emissions @ 1.2T/capita/annum. It also means that in near future Coal mining is going to continue f or thermal power generation. Introduction:-India is the worlds 6th largest energy consumer and demand for energy, is growing at an average of 3.6% per annum over the past 30 years. The installed power generation capacity is 147000 MW while per capita consumption remains at 612 kWH. The total demand for electricity is expected to cross 950,000MW by 2030. About 75% of the electric consumed is generated by thermal power plants. More than 50% of commercial energy demand is met through Coal. Coal shortage continues to haunt power producers as such new and new coal mining areas are proposed besides import. This will put additional pollution load on the environment if not taken proper care. Coal whether imported or mined in the country on burning will generate emissions which are required to be taken care by Clean Development Mechanism. The long term aim of economic sustain ability can be achieved only when development is ecologically sustainable. Development dependent on uncontrolled consumerism may

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not long indefinitely without creating adverse impacts. During last few years issue of Climate change has been at the top of the environmental agenda. The world is now experiencing effect of Climate Change and efforts are being made at Global level to optimize or minimize emissions activities. There is need to act on things which are in our control and where we can make some change. Our future generations have to also survive preferably in better environment than we are living with and we have to give evidence to this effect. Coal is the only natural resource and fossil fuel available in abundance in India. Consequently, it is used widely as a thermal energy source. Mining as an industry is having positive as well as negative impact. Coal and certain other major minerals being site specific are usually found in forest areas or areas near to forests. Any mining activity, more particularly mining of any major mineral where soil has to be removed, is having its adverse impact on the flora and fauna and watershed of the area as well as adjoining areas. Mining whether carried out inside forest areas or outside, adverse impacts are more or less same except the magnitude of effects on the forest growth, Wild life, and bio-diversity. The fauna is forced to accommodate its movement into reduced extant of area. Soil erosion from the mining activities is directly causing adverse impact on the streams/river support systems and biodiversity. Noise and air 14

pollution are other parameters which have to be remediated. Every user agency while applying for mining permission, submit report on Environmental Impact Assessment. In some of the cases the required quantification of the impacts are lacking. Identifying the range of potential pollution sources and their quantification will go a long way in improving the environment. Mining, involving major minerals create great changes to the landscape. There shall be sound deflecting bunds or sound barrier walls or dense plantations but hardly these are followed. Suggestions for considerations:-No doubt, loss of natural forests eco-system cannot be compensated. However, adapting of different approaches for mitigating impact on the ecosystem arising from mining may help the area during mining as well as post mining lease plan. Both long term and short term strategies may work for reducing the adverse impact of mining on the eco-system. Certain measures if stipulated in the Forestry/ Environmental clearances may help in mitigating and reducing the impact of mining on adjoining forests and wildlife. 1. In the field of survey and exploration faster methods may be found out and opted. The machinery of drilling to be kept in forest area for minimum period to avoid disturbances to wildlife. 2. First attempt is to have, complete

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description as for as possible of the different fauna and flora belonging to given eco-system of the area proposed for diversion for mining, instead of mere replication of some major flora and fauna from the Working Plans. Agencies of repute viz ICFRE & WII may be involved by the user agencies for species inventories and mapping of localization for various species so that future monitoring in post mining scenario will be easy and accordingly mitigation measures to be adopted. In EIA emphasis to be on quantification of impacts and re-mediation measures. 3. At present, as per provisions under Para 4.7 (ii) under FC (Act) Safety zone area calculation in the proposal is taken only up to 7.5. Meters strip all along the outer boundary of the mining lease area. Taking up of plantations in this area is of little precious value compared to large scale landscape changes take place after mining starts in the area. The user agency may be asked to take up afforestation at least in 100 Meter radius (if the adjoining land is forest and density is lesser than 0.4) and maintain it till the life of the Project. It will work as noise breaks, control soil erosion, add to landscape value and provide buffer zone to the fauna and flora. The Singareni Colleries Company, Andhra Pradesh has adopted this measure and it is showing good results. The Compensatory Afforestation taken elsewhere away from the Project site is of little help in minimizing impact of mining in the impact zone of the project. 15

4. User agencies may be advised to take up or promote plantation (Agro/ Farm Forestry) on farmers/private land adjoining to the mining lease at least to the extent of forest area diverted for mining. This will have positive influence on the people in improving their economic status as well as improving landscape. 5. In underground mining, the user agency does not have any right to use the surface area. However, once mining starts in the area, the biotic interference due to increased population in and around the Project site and continuous movement of the vehicles involved in transport of excavated minerals, day and night, is definitely causing biotic disturbances. In underground mining there is involvement of more number of people which changes the scenario of the adjoining areas by adding biotic pressure. This can be reduced if the user agency is asked to take up afforestation on the surface land (of underground lease area), if the density of the growth is less than 0.4 and maintain it till the life of the Project. This will help to reduce the indirect impact of mining on the adjoining eco-system. Similarly user agency may also be asked to raise multilinier plantations along the road through which transport of mined mineral takes place. 6. User agency may be asked to take up de-silting of forests/village tanks if situated within buffer zone from the Project site whenever it is found that there is increased

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siltation in these tanks due to inflow of soil from the project site. 7. NPV being collected to be utilized in order of priority, starting from the areas adjoining to the areas diverted. Once areas in that particular Forest Beat /Range (where forest land is diverted) are saturated then only other areas may be considered for utilization of NPV. 8. A Habitat Improvement Plan as prepared by the forest department for the areas having good number of wildlife will help in protection and conservation of wildlife. The user agency shall extend suitable financial help for the implementation of the Plan and amount to be deposited directly with the concerned Divisional Forest Officer for timely operations. 9. All the above stipulations (if become part of the mining plan ) may not cost more than Rs.30/MT, but will help in protecting invaluable fauna and flora, at the same time helping in development process of the country without affecting adversely on mining needs 10. Concept of Eco-Forestry shall be followed in the areas being reclaimed, instead of economic forestry 11. The over burdens (in open cast mining) being created and simultaneously afforested are going to be there on surface for at least 30 to 40 years. By the time the planted species as well as natural succession will establish suitable stocking in the area. As on now, as per stipulations, practice is there to remove this soil 16

once again for refilling the quarry pit created for mining. If this rehabilitated over burden is allowed to be there permanently instead of backfilling, this will help in controlling soil erosion, burning of diesel, wear and tear of vehicles, plantations raised and over all national wastage. The Pits being created may be allowed to be filled with water (after diverting the streams on case basis) which can be utilized for irrigation. 12. The shale material coming out of underground mining shall be stowed or deposited at suitable place particularly in streams (with the permission of the Forest Department) to work as check dams instead of scattered approach. 13. In some of the cases, huge quantity of water that is pumped out during mining is simply drained out in the natural water courses without utilizing it. This water can be used in improving the habitat of the area by developing suitable plan by the forest department. It will help in wildlife conservation. Conclusion:-Owing to increasing demand of power generation, the volume of coal requirement is foreseen to be increasingly higher in the coming years. There is need to adopt environment friendly technologies so that the impact can be minimized. The suggested measures may help the area at local levels. The measures suggested are economical and practical.

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SHARMAS HELL ... A COMMENT

By Dr. B. Raghotham Rao Desai
Initially, Vana Premi started as an in-house journal of the Association of Retired Forest Officers, AP. Thereafter it has thus far travelled quite a distance during its decade-and-a-quarter period of existence. Copies of the journal reach thousands of its subscribers promptly every month, with unbelievable regularity, having become more and more popular with time, among the forest fraternity, with its everimproving get up and eminently readable material. When people with power and finances find it difficult to run the magazines with success, and are forced to close the publications unceremoniously, Vana Premi stands out as a shining example of dedication and commitment of the persons behind the effort, notably when they are retired and old. Incidentally, I happen to know the three prominent motivators, T Narayan Swamy, K Buchiram Reddy and Jayanthi Venkateshwar Sharma since my student days, all of them also being Osmanians and SFRCians, while retiring contemporarily from Indian Forest Service as well. Sri Qamar Mohammed Khan who had since taken over as Editor has improved the profile of Vana Premi very significantly, making it that much more attractive, catering to the tastes of heterogeneous clientele. As for its 17 contents, it has become by now a habit for me and scores of other discernible readers to eagerly look for Sri J V Sharmas articles the moment copies reach the respective subscribers, and exchange our views over phone or in person. True to my habit, when I opened the July 2011 issue of Vana Premi, I was more than surprised to see the caption Sharma in the Hell and mercifully, it was in the name of Sharma himself! Curiosity compelled me to go through it, and my first impression was that the article is so different from what he normally doles out with his prolific pen. It was indeed so absorbing that I could not put it down even for a while. After an hour or so I read it again and I thought I found something new. Then I read it again after sometime to see more in it. I read it again and again afterwards over a period of time, finding it more and more enjoyable, as I went on getting interesting insights differently. Not satisfied with it, a few of us in Bangalore debated over it in at great extent. I am of the view that the article honestly reflects the mind and personality of the author, despite his assertion that it is Fiction . Sri Sharmas love and commitment to the forests and the cause of forests needs no special mention. His articles on forests and allied

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matters published in Vana Premi and other notable journals should easily make a sizeable volume by itself, if & when compiled and brought in a book form. He writes extensively on his favourite subjects of forests, wildlife, tribal affairs and related problems. His opposition to Forest Rights Act, and his spirited fight and crusade against the legislation legal and otherwise is too well-known in forest circles. He is the first person in the Country to initiate legal battle against the Act and is instrumental in inspiring similar battles in a few more States, making the Government of India that much uncomfortable. He earned a special place among the Forest Fraternity and made the SFRC Alumni so proud of him. JVS hates highlighting the personal exploits. He argues that if anyone has done good deeds in service, he is paid for it and he is expected to do only good and not otherwise. He, therefore, says that none need gloat over instances of good work done while in service. It is for this reason that he writes only on contemporary issues that are relevant to the present day society. A million dollar question is: Should such a man ever go to Hell? If ever it happens, it will be a travesty of justice! This must be the reason why Dr.Maslekar, retired PCCF (Maharashtra) commented by promptly writing a letter to the Journals Editorthat Sharma is not good for Hell. 18

But to go by Sharma himself, he finds Hell better than the Earth, expressing his preference for Purgatory indirectly. This is the central theme of the article in which no word is wasted and no sentence is superfluous. The substantive part of the article starts with his demise (imaginary, of-course). The description is apt as it happens with the death of any person who lived his life and any living being that enters this mortal world. Very much expected with not many tears to spare yet condolences are still held: ritually than emotionally. Once in inferno (of Dantes Divine Comedy), he creates a hell that looks better than the earth. Inmates are not treated shabbily until they are pronounced guilty. The dignity and honour of the individual are adequately taken care of. Undertrials are comfortably accommodated while living conditions are made easy & in a vastly improved state. Having striven all his life to protect the forests and their sanctity, Sharma creates an ironical situation, to live like an undertrial in the august company of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (the then CM of AP who did the maximum damage to forests in the name of Forest Rights Act) lodged in the adjoining cell. Sharma does not conceal his ire against all those bureaucrats and officials who went out of the way to abuse the process of implementation of the Act. He also mentions of their lobbying &

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manipulative skills even in the hell, a legacy they carried from their earthly life. He is very critical of all those forest officers who behaved unprofessionally, and surrendered their individuality, honour and even conscience, just to please the administration, and powers that be. He has been particularly harsh on the legal fraternity. He made them liable not only for all those acts of commissions and omissions but also for their failure to do things which they ought to have. Needless to say that the central issue to the article is the Forest Rights Act and its implementation. This is evidence enough how deeply he is committed to protect the forests. The message conveyed is loud & clear that the earth bereft of trees is worse than Hell. After all those who made and implemented FRA are convicted, the punishment awarded by Lord Yama is so novel: it is not conventional lashing or hauling upon coals (as we read in religious

books) but to lodge the convicts without privacy in a huge hall of a cement-concrete-building without ventilation, constructed in dry & desolate place, without a blade of grass in view! Adding to the discomfiture, the convicts are ordained to use the water for drinking and washing purposes from the Vaitharani River known for its filth. To cap it all, the sentence is to last till the tree growth over the areas alienated under the Act is restored. The authors love for forests is such that he seeks parole from Lord Yama to permit him to visit earth once, not to see his people, but to see the beautiful forest areas he saw while alive. It is a short article (convening, however, a message in entity like Rubaiyat or a quartet in Persian/Urdu) but it has everything in it a story, a fiction, a sentiment, love, hatred, anger, anguish, pun, sarcasm, humour, revenge and above all, a message! Perhaps a litterateur or a literary critic would have done more justice than me.

LAUGHTER THE BEST MEDICINE

A Quality Engineer married an average girl. After 24 months of tough life with her, finally the Engineer got angry and sent a note to his father-in-law Stating that: YOUR PRODUCT IS NOT MEETING MY REQUIREMENTS The smart father-in-law replies WARRANTY EXPIRED. MANUFACTURER NOT RESPONSIBLE
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A BILLION TREES FOR HIS EFFORTS

Setting down his trading tools, Rajkots Premji Bhai picked up a spade and began planting trees, and finding ways to water them even in the driest of places. He is responsible not only for planting millions of trees, but also finding ingenious ways of watering them in dry regions. After long years of leading a traders life in the city, when Premji Bhai decided to return to his village he was shocked to see most of the roadside trees either drying up or dead. That immediately spurred him to action and he ended up developing a device for scattering seeds about 45 billion of them, in fact, till date. From his homeland Saurashtra, his work soon spread to parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Born into a farming community in Upleta Taluka, Rajkot district, Premji became a distributor for Reliance Textiles and moved to Mumbai in 1975Yearning to retire from his trade and the urban life style in Mumbai, he looked for ways to make a difference to the world. His mind kept returning to a character called Gopal Bapa in a Gujarati play, written by the well-known educationist Manubhai Pancholi, who generated employment for young people through horticulture and growing trees. Emulating this, Premji began by supporting tree planting near the temples in his village. He reasoned that religious faith would prevent people from 20 cutting them. He hired a person to organise this work and met all expenses. Soon his work spread to temples in more villages. Finally, in 1984, he entrusted the work to a local voluntary organisation. His son, an industrialist in Ahmedabad, forwarded him an article from a local magazine that described the work of Elzeard Bouffier (which originally appeared in a story titled The Man Who Planted Trees by the French writer Jean Giono). A shepherd, Bouffier devoted his retired life to tree planting and is credited with creating a forest 10 km wide and 50 km long within 35 years. Premji was inspired by this too, and his son supported him wholeheartedly. THE FIRST SEEDS In the beginning, Premji set out every morning with a bagful of seeds and a small spade. He planted seeds on the bunds of fields and along roadsides. People aware of his wealthy background greeted his effort with derision. Next he got himself a motorcycle to move around for his tree-planting work. He also roped in volunteers, and even schoolchildren, to sow the seeds. When I ran out of seeds, I bought more from any dealer I came across and resumed my journey to find collaborators. In this way I travelled over 1.4 lakh km during the first five

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years on my bike, he says. SPREADING THE MOVEMENT He, however, stuck to one rule he never went back to check whether the individuals/ institutions he gave the seeds, had sown them or not, or whether they used them for personal gain. This was a conscious decision, and perhaps the secret of my success in mobilising a large number to join my mission, he says. But he did refuse to give seeds to those who came repeatedly for more, and instead directed them to seed dealers. He is also trying to persuade district education authorities to shift the annual school vacation from April-May to October-November so that students can participate in tree-planting and farming operations. The authorities have not responded, but I am not likely to give up so easily, he asserts. In the meantime, Premji began to look for better ways of broadcasting seeds to ensure the trees were properly spaced. He recalls how he used to set out in a four-wheeler with 10-12 volunteers and a sack of seeds. I gave a bag of seeds to each volunteer and dropped two of them at each milestone. I asked them to broadcast seeds on both sides of the road while walking towards the next milestone. This way we covered a 150-km stretch.

MECHANISING THE GREEN EFFORT However, the trees grew in a haphazard manner as the seeds were broadcast by hand. That led Premji to think of air-blowing seeds through a mechanised device to disperse them evenly. His daughter and son-in-law, who run a steel business in Rajkot, chipped in with suggestions and encouragement. He bought a motor, a fan and pipe from the scrap market and started work on his innovation. Soon he had ready a petrol-driven mechanical blower mounted on the back of a jeep. The blower, fabricated in Rajkot at a cost of around Rs 12,000, could disperse seeds up to 15 metres. Premji soon adapted it for use on railway tracks as well, to broadcast seeds alongside the tracks. He now has two such machines. Within a year, he managed to broadcast 10 tonnes of tamarind seeds in villages around Ahmedabad. He also lends the machines to other tree-planting organisations. A TREE FOR EVERY KIND OF LAND When it comes to planting trees within clusters of thorny bushes, which offer natural protection from grazing animals, he uses a specially-devised hollow crowbar to dig safely amongst the thorny shrubs and drop the seeds in. Besides roadsides, railway lines, bunds and other common land, he also plants in wastelands by first loosening the soil using hired tractors. He has found a way to green even drought-prone places such as Kutch, Bhuj and Saurashtra. 21

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A plastic pipe seven inches in diameter and 11.5 ft long is planted in the soil with the seedling beside it. The pipe is filled with a mixture of sand, soil and gravel. It is then taken out, leaving the column of mixture behind. Now, when water is poured on the sand, it directly reaches the plant roots, thereby eliminating loss of moisture and promoting plant growth in the water-scarce area. COST-SAVING CHECK DAMS Currently, Premji is focusing on watershed development through his organisation Vruksh Prem Seva Sanstha Trust. About 150 nature clubs are active in this work on 1,000 hectares. Although the government offers several subsidised schemes to encourage the development of check dams on farmers fields,

these are mostly seen as government projects and the people rarely take on the responsibility of maintaining them. Premjis scheme offers assistance to people who are willing to join together and bear all the costs of a check dam, except that of the cement. Till date, he has built 1,500 check dams by providing complete financial support and 400 others for which he met the cement cost. He encouraged farmers to improve the design to help save on labour and cost. They were motivated to innovate as they met much of the cost. Thus, while the government schemes had uniform design and, often, uniform costing norms, variability became the hallmark of those promoted by Premji, with an emphasis on costeffectiveness and efficiency.

A WORLD WIDE SURVEY

A World wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was: Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?.The survey was a huge failure, In Africa they didnt know what food meant, In India they didnt know what honest meant, In Europe they didnt know what shortage meant, In China they didnt know what opinion meant, In the Middle East they didnt know what solutionmeant, In South America they didnt know what pleasemeant, And in the USA they didnt know what the rest of the world meant!
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HIMACHAL PRADESH - AN ABODE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS

By V.V.HARI PRASAD
All plants have potential medicinal value .This was recognized more than 1000 years ago. There is nothing in this universe which is nonmedicinal, which cannot be made use of for many purposes, by many modes. It was written in Sanskrit in sutra.ch. 9-verse 10 of ASHTANGA HRIDAYA as quoted above.ASHTANGA HRIDAYA is accepted as the third major treatise on ayurveda. Around 5000 A.D. Vagbhat compiled this samhita. It contained knowledge comprising the two schools of Ayurveda, the school of surgery and the school of physicians.It dealt with number of grey areas of Ayurveda. It was on 18th March 2012 that I along with my colleagues working in A.P.Medicinal and Aromatic Plants board was proceeding from Chandigarh to IHBT (Institute of Himalayan Bio resource technology) Palampur in Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Executive Officer APMAB, a senior officer of additional principal chief conservator of Forests rank took initiative in sending the team of officers to Palampur with an objective of increasing awareness in them on medicinal plants in general and those of subtemperate region in particular. APMAB has been straining its every nerve to promote cultivation 23 of medicinal plants and also to assist the concerned in post-harvest management practices in Andhra Pradesh. It is in this connection that the meaning of a verse written in Sanskrit was quoted above. Incidentally the road travel from Chandigarh to Palampur is worth describing .We were travelling by a car on a serpentine track. The road was hardly about 20 feet in width. In the car I was sitting in the front seat next to the driver .The driver, an experienced and well acquainted with those kind of tracks that he must be, was driving with such a high speed that at every blind turn I was apprehensive that a collision with a vehicle coming in the opposite direction was imminent. The foothills of Sivaliks on one side and the deep valleys on the other side left the vehicles plying there with narrow tracks to be driven on. I began to curse myself for grabbing the opportunity of sitting in the front seat of the car. The tense moments persisted until we reached Palampur. The greenery on both the sides, more in the valley portion was a feast to the eyes of the onlookers. ONE IMPULSE FROM VERNAL WOOD

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MAY TEACH YOU MORE OF MAN OF MORAL, EVIL AND OF GOOD THAN ALL SAGES CAN. said William Words Worth a great poet. The trees of different species such as Meliaazedarach, Syzygiumcuminii, Taxusbaccata, Salix alba, Cedrusdeodara etc. on one side and old plantations of Pinusroxburghii of gigantic heights on the hillocks abutting the road on the other side constituted the scenic beauty to meet the eye of an onlooker. Here and there landslides were noticed leaving scars on the face of the mother earth indicating the unavoidable biotic interference caused most probably by the recalcitrant local inhabitants. On the night of 18th March 2012 we reached IHBT claimed to be an ultimate destination for research on bio resources The mandate of this . institute comprises
!

coordinator and exchanged pleasantries with him. A strict disciplinarian that he was, he prepared the schedule of training in such a way that every day from morning to evening we were kept preoccupied either with lecture classes or field visits. Down the memory lane I could recollect my forest college days of Coimbatore. Institute of Himalayan Bio resource Technology, is located in the picturesque town of Palampur perched in the lap of majestic snow clad Dhaualadhar range of Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh. The training was imparted from 19th to 24th of March 2012. .The group of participants comprised a lady asst. professor from the university in Chandigarh, two scientists from Shimla, two persons with industrial background from New Delhi ,two farmers from Himachal Pradesh and three of us from APMAB. At IHBT we were shown a house fully built with bamboo by incurring an expenditure of about 24.00 lakh rupees which can easily accommodate a family of about 5 members. Under natural bamboo mission this was built under the supervision of Dr Anil Sood with Dendrocalamushamiltonii .Dr Sood who has been espousing the cause of bamboo, with his usual rhetoric insisted, At places like palampur which 24

Bio

diversity

survey

mapping

and

conservation.
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Chemical characterization and value addition. Plant genomics ,proteomics & metabolomics Microbial bio prospection. Plant health management Adaptation biology Regulatory research Bio informatics & Nano Biology.

On that very night itself we met Dr Virendra Singh a senior principal scientist and the training

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is in the seismic zone bamboo houses are safe to live in. The beautiful and eye catching interior decoration of BAMBOO HOUSE is to be seen to be believed.

curiosity asked him as to what was going on, he said that a discussion was going on, on the basic tenets of Buddhism. On that night number of Tibetan men and

On 22 March we proceeded to Dharmasala and from there to Meclode Ganj where number of Tibetans took shelter in India. Buddhist monks were seen everywhere there, in the Melcode Ganj. When we went to visit the temple of Buddha we came across number of interesting events. There we found that the temple of Buddha was in the 2 floor. In the first floor we saw a number of Tibetan Buddhist monks clad in their usual unique attires communicating loudly with typical gestures. It appeared as if it was a small mela. Among number of pairs of monks communicating with each other, in each pair one was sitting whereas the other one, in a standing posture appeared to be preaching the sitting one. While moving towards and away from the one who was sitting, the standing monk was making sounds through clapping by touching the palm of the left hand which was kept at the shoulder level, by bringing down the right palm atleast once every minute. This kind of activity was going on among a huge number of Buddhist monks who were scattered all over the big hall. When we interrupted one of the monks and out of 25
nd

nd

women conducted a big procession with lit candles in their hands reportedly as a mark of protest against the live burning of Tibetans in the hands of Chinese military personnel in Tibet a few days earlier. It is a well-known fact that DALAILAMA the religious head of Tibetans was given political asylum in India. Another interesting issue was with regard to the purchase of a BRONZE BOWL from the Tibetan market which was believed to resemble to that of BUDDHA carrying which he used to seek for alms as a hermit. On rotating a small wooden hammer about 5 to 6 times all around the bowl touching the same, without lifting the hammer, the sound similar to OM is generated. The decibels of sound so generated, for a considerable period of time is only to be heard to be believed. While returning back from Meclodganj we met the conservator of forests Sri Rammohan Reddy IFS who hails from Kadapa and we had the privilege of enjoying his hospitality in his official residence which was said to be built by the British Govt. In the process of training, propagation

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techniques and cultivation packages of species, to name a few Podophyllumhexandrum, Aconitum heterophyllum, Acoruscalamus, Bacopamonnieri, Artemisia annuaetc. were explained in detail. While dealing with the aspect of extraction, isolation and quality control the following topics were dealt with. a) Instrumental methods, for analysis of the products derived from medicinal and aromatic plants. b) Pharmacopoeia standardization of herbal medicine and aromatic plants. c) Production of essential oils. d) Herbal extraction, isolation and estimation of marker compounds for market need. The plantation of which is called Ginkgo bilobaa living fossil in view of its primitive characters was raised in the IHBT campus. A few plants were supplied to APMAB to be planted on trial basis in A.P. Crataegusoxycanthaa rare medicinal plant was also raised as a plantation here.

On the last day our trip when we went to KULUMANALI .At MANALI we visited the temple of HIDIMBI the wife of BHEEMA of MAHA BHARATA fame and also the temple of GHATOTHKACHA the powerful son of the couple BHEEMA and HIDIMBI. Enroute Manali we got disappointed by seeing the apple trees devoid of leaves and just sprouting. Himachal Pradesh a small hilly state which is endowed with huge potential of rare and endangered medicinal plants is worth to be visited by all those who are interested in ethno Botany and relevant issues. A visit to the Himalayan mountains near Manali, abortive attempts of ice skating , a ride on the horse to Siva temple , getting photographed by sitting on the yak there, and visiting the hot springs in the temple of Agastya nearby, were some of the events that we will be keeping in mind down the memory lane. It is definitely not an exaggeration to say that Himachal Pradesh is a haven for Botanists.

Discussion is always better than argument because argument is to find out who is right! Discussion is to find out what is right
"NO and YES are two short words which need a long thought...most of the things we miss in life are due to saying no too soon and yes too late..!!!
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GUESS WHO CALLS LODHI GARDENS A FOREST?

The government does. It says area under forests has been increasing for the last 13 years. M. Rajshekhar finds this is the outcome of statistical jugglery and the use of flawed definitions by Indias forest bureaucracy. The bald truth is Indias forests are in serious decline, both in numbers and in health. In February, the latest instalment of a little environmental kabuki played out when the Forest Survey of India released its biennial report card of forests. It declared Indias forests were in fine fettle, with a net addition of 1,128 sq.km. or 0.16%, in the last two years. At 692,000 sq.km.forests covered 23% of Indias land, and were directionally headed to reach the targeted 33%. What the Dehradun-based FSI did not declare, and tucked it away in definitions and methodologies, is how it computed that number. Take the very definition of forest cover it has used since 2001. The FSI breaks up land into 1-hectare plots (100 meters by 100 meters) and looks at their satellite images. If tree canopy covers more than 10% of a 1-hectare plot, the FSI classifies it as a forest, regardless of who owns it, for what purpose and what kind of trees it has. Its an expansive definition, says Harini Nagendra, a researcher studying how forests in India are changing. Under it, tea and coffee plantations, orchards, parks and timber plantations, among 27 others, qualify as forests. So, Delhis Lodi Gardens, a favoured early-morning haunt of Indias ministers and bureaucrats that is a mix of trees, grassy knolls, toms and dirt tracks becomes a forest. As does a cricket ground lined by trees along its boundary. While the trees and plantations counted in the FSIs definition do perform some ecological functions-like holding soil, retaining moisture, capturing carbon, providing a roost to some birds and wildlife outside protected are as-its no patch on what makes forests critical to the continuity of life as we know it. Native forests - as opposed to urban trees and plantation - are complex, natural eco-systems that evolved over millions of years. They are in tricately woven into our lives. For example, only if they are large can they trap enough rainwater to birth rivers like the Narmada; or support a genetically viable population of tigers; or support Indias 140 million scheduled tribals, whose livelihoods revolve around gathering non-timber forest produce for eight months in a year. A 10% tree cover in a hectare cannot do this. Neither can the largest of timber plantations. The FSI does not break up the 692,000 sq.km by native forests and plantations. Mapping is a biennial exercise, says AK Wahal, director general, FSI. Time doesnt permit a detailed

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analysis of the data generated . But independent studies suggest native forests are in decline and plantations are driving official forest- cover figures. A 2011 paper titled cryptic destruction of Indias native forests, by researcher PriyaDavidar and others, says area under plantations doubled between 1995 and 2005, from 146,200 sq.km. to 300,280 sq.km. During the same period, the FSI says forest cover, as defined by it, rose from 660,337 sq.km. to 690,250 sq.km. The paper extrapolates from the FSII number to say that native forests fell from 514,000 sq.km. to 390,000 Sqkm Both the core and the periphery of our forests are losing trees , says Nagendra, a Ramanujam fellow at Ashoka Trust for Research into Ecology and Environment(A TREE). Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan could not be reached as she was initially unavailable and then travelling abroad. PJ Dilip Kumar, the bureaucrat in charge of Indias forests, declined to participate in the story. All the 10 officials from FSI, ministry and various state departments that ET spoke to agreed that India was losing forests. What we are seeing is not forest cover, but forest cover-up says a senior official in Himachal , Pradeshs forest department, requesting anonymity. AFFORESTATION = ASSET CREATION It gets worse. Compensatory afforestation, meant to revive degraded forests and to replace forests lost to industrial projects, is not working. Last month, Natarajan told the Rajya Sabha that 28

8,640 sq.km of forests were cleared for nonforest use in the last 11 years. Whenever this happens, the project owner has to pay the government for compensatory afforestation on an equivalent amount of land. This money is used to either convert new tracts of land into forests or to regenerate degraded forests. Earlier, project owners paid states, but this money was often used for sundry purposes. So, the government floated a new fund for compensatory afforestation, CAMPA, which would be managed by the central ministry, with states making fund requests for afforestation. CAMPA has been around for two years, but the utilization flaws seem to persist, as documented by A Pocketful of Forests, a 2011 book on compensatory afforestation in India by Kanchi Kohli, an activist with Pune-based NGO Kalpvriksh, and others. The book points out that Goa used 69% of its allocation on buildings, vehicles and computers. Similarly, Andhra Pradesh wanted to spend 43% on construction activities, Sikkim 53%, Himachal Pradesh 53% and Tamil Nadu 67%. This is blood money says Praveen Bhargav, a , former member of the National Board for Wildlife. We got it in lieu of the forests we lost. It has to be used for natural afforestation and consolidation of habitant . Even at the ministry, DG forests Kumar proposed using Rs.1, 000 crore of CAMPA funds to set up

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two research institutes. Natarajan refused, saying the funds can be used only for compensatory afforestation. Further, she asked the government auditor to audit how CAMPA money was being used. Even when the money is going for afforestation, there are issues. Land is not available, especially in the same ecosystem says Kohil. Agrees, one , of the senior most officials in the forest department:States like HP and MP say they have no revenue land to give he says, on the condition , of anonymity, adding that his department does not track how much land came back from the revenue department. INFERIOR REPLACEMENT And even when afforestation happens, the outcomes are below par, If you benchmark it against the type and quality of forest lost, compensatory afforestation is not working says , TR Shankar Raman, a biologist working on forest restoration. Forests in the area we lost used to have at least 30-40 native species (of trees), says a forest officer in Rajasthan, on the condition of anonymity. But we do not plant more than 9-10 species . The forest department is planting fast-growing species to meet demand for fuel-wood and its afforestation targets. We cannot plant trees like Sal. They grow very slowly and are vulnerable to grazing, says the senior ministry official quoted earlier. In contrast, a tree like Acacia grows in two to three years, and fills out the canopy. It can be used for pulpwood and poles. It fixes nitrogen . 29

In the process, a forest changes: the tree species originally found in it move towards extinction, as do birds and animals dependent on them. Raman Kumar, a project co-ordinator studying migratory birds with Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological studies, documented one such example in a paper titled 'how good are managed forests at conserving native woodpecker communities'. Kumar compared woodpecker species and numbers in four landscapes: natural Sal trees, old and managed Sal, young and managed Sal, and Teak plantations. He chose woodpeckers as they are reliable indicators of forest health and avian biodiversity. Natural sal had the highest woodpecker density, teak plantation the lowest. Yet, since 1992, the push is on plantations. This is partly due to programmes like the National Afforestarionprogramme, and partly due to private-sector plantations and funding from international donors like the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In their paper, Davidar and others estimate that India is adding 15,400 sq.km. of plantations every year --about 15 times the overall increase in forest cover in the latest survey. These are fast growing, short-rotation species like Eucalyptus, Acacia and Rubber.If you travel through Punjab, you will see large tree plantations to meet demand for plywood, etc says a former FSI , researcher, not wanting to be named. Most are from the private sector. There are similar plantations around Ooty and Nagpur .

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DATA MINING Indias forest cover is changing. One, forests are becoming utilitarian. Two, the area under plantations is increasing. Three, natural, nonforest ecosystems, like the Banni grasslands of Kutc hand the Shola forests of the Western Ghats, are changing into wooded forests due to the afforestation drive. Four, protected areas are degrading.Dense forests have become moderately dense, which have, in turn, become open forests, says the ex FSI researcher. In another paper, Davidar and others say, Tamil Nadu lost about 500 sq.km. of dense forest between 2001 and 2003, and gained about 1,600 sq .km. of open forest. However, few of these changes show up in FSI reports, which only report aggregates. They dont measure the respective area under plantations and native forests. Nor do they measure how much afforestation comprises native species and how much non-native species. We also dont know if forests are fragmenting, says Bhargav. How many are over, say 5,000 sq.km.3,000-5,000 sq.km.and so on? This is important because a forest of 5,000 sq.km. is not the same as 10 forests of 500 sq.km each. As a forest shrinks, it houses fewer large animals and gives rise to fewer and smaller rivers. Wahal says FSI is acquiring satellitie technology that will lower the mappable threshold to 0.25 hectare, from 1 hectare. This will further accelerate the shift towards counting threes as forests, and help the FSI report better numbers, as happened in 2001, when the minimum 30

mappable unit was reduced from 25 hectares to 1 hectare. Nagendra of ATREE argues that if the FSI can acquire better satellite technology, why cant it put out data that is more granular, reliable and updated. Most forest researchers in India go to great lengths to create their own maps of forest change for specific areas, she says, FSI maps have many in accuracies for specific locations . Also, FSI data is old by the time it comes out. Its 2012 report is based on satellitie images collected between October 2008 and March 2009. Given the lag, it is difficult to go back to locations and check accuracy, and identify why the decline took place, she says, adding that Brazil provides data on forest change at a 25 hectare scale every two weeks. There is no reason why we cant do this given Indias premier position in satellite technology and applications . It is the tiger census all over again. In 2006, under pressure to show a jump in tiger numbers, the forest department inflated numbers till it looked like India had over 3,500 tigers. And then reduced it, to 1,411 tigers. Today, the bald truth about forests is that there is little understanding on how they are doing. THE FOREST COVER-UP Every year, since 1999, the forest enumerator has reported an increase in forest cover. This is partly because the minimum area to qualify as a forest has been reduced-from 25 hectares to 1 hectare-bringing in smaller patches like parks, orchards and plantations into the definition.

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Birthday Greetings
We wish the following born on the dates mentioned

A very Happy Birth Day

S.No. Name of the member Sarva Sri 1. G.Gurunathudu 2. Shaik Noor Ahmed 3. Qamar Mohd Khan 4. S.Rama Rao 5. P.Laxma Reddy 6. T.Samboji Rao 7. M.Purushotham Reddy 8. Y.Ram Mohan Rao S.No. Name of the I.F.S. Oficer Sarva Sri 1. B.Soma Sekara Reddy 2. Faujdar 3. M.A.Waheed 5. B.Murali Krishna 6. S.Ramesh 7. M.Ramprasad 8. Md.Diwan Mydeen 9. C.Sarvanan 10. B.S.Yousuf Sharief 11. S.S.Sreedhar 12. Chinmay K Misra S.No. Name of the S.F.S. Oficer Sarva Sri 1. G. Kista Goud 1. Smt.J.Asha Shaik 2. K.Pradeep 3. M.Babji 4. T.Chakrapani D.O.B. 10-05-1949 22-05-1946 11-05-1947 25-05-1950 13-05-1929 01-06-1948 14-05-1952 02-06-1941 D.O.B. 10-05-1954 25-05-1954 12-05-1953 25-05-1955 19-05-1974 25-05-1955 21-05-1978 01-06-1978 23-05-1953 04-06-1966 25-05-1957 D.O.B. 08-04-1974 07-05-1975 28/5/1954 08-05-1968 01-06-1966 31 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. B.Saidulu Ch.Parthananda Prasad N.Nageshwara Rao Syed Meer S.Kishan Das D.Chandrasekhar Rao K.Satyanarayana Smt.N.Kshitija K.Sekhar Reddy C.Viswanath P.V.Ramana Kumar K.Ramkishan Ch.Ganga Reddy P.Ramakrishna Y.Ramesh D.Ravindranath Reddy G.N.Pavan Kumar Rao G.satyanarayana K.Mahaboob Basha Shaik Salaam P.Balaswamy K.Srinivas V.Krishna A.V.S.R.K.Appanna 09-05-1974 01-06-1954 10-05-1971 01-06-1954 10-05-1955 01-06-1959 15-05-1954 01-06-1976 16-05-1956 01-06-1954 16-05-1956 01-06-1963 19-05-1966 02-06-1972 20-05-1959 02-06-1982 20-05-1967 04-06-1954 21-05-1986 04-06-1963 25-05-1960 04-06-1977 25-05-1966 04-06-1963

S.S.S

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ADVANTAGES OF BLOOD DONATION

As per below article blood donation improves your cholesterol level, blood pressure level, get rid of excess iron, saves someones life, reduce chances of sugar, liver problems etc... so please donate blood every 3 months approximately. Blood donation, the voluntary act of allowing ones blood to be drawn out of body has many advantages besides giving that wonderful feeling of saving someones life. Most of the time, it is an act of charity, though sometimes many people donate blood for money and other incentives. The blood donated is stored in blood banks, to be subsequently used for transfusion. No doubt the first and foremost advantage of donating blood is the exalted feeling of saving someones life. If we donatethe little excess blood in our body, it could save someones life without creating any problem for us. Instead it would help to alleviate some major health problems like heart diseases. Blood donation is an excellent way to get rid of excess iron accumulated in our body due to its overconsumption. Excess iron in the body can stimulate the formation of free radicals, which are responsible for causing damage to body cells and tissues. Free radicals are also associated with many diseases like heart diseases and cancer Iron overloading is also thought to increase the 32 risk of heart diseases. Besides, iron oxidizes cholesterol, which is harmful for the arteries. Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease characterized by excess accumulation of iron in the tissues due to improper metabolism. The disease can cause damage to many organs like pancreas, adrenal glands, etc. It may also cause diabetes, liver diseases and heart diseases. So, donating blood on a regular basis would help you to regulate the level of iron in your body. Studies have shown that donating blood regularly can be beneficial for the heart and circulatory system andcan reduce the risk of heart diseases, especially among young people. Besides, blood donation also burns the extra calories and reduces your cholesterol level. After donating blood, the count of blood cells decreases in our body, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce new red blood cells in order to replenish the loss. So, it stimulates the production of new blood cells and refreshes the system. Before donating blood, your haemoglobin level will be tested. If it is low, then you will not be allowed to donate blood. Besides haemoglobin, your blood pressure level and body weight will also be checked. In addition, your blood will also be examined for detecting the presence of five diseases, namely, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Syphilis,

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HIV/AIDS and malaria. If you are not suffering from these diseases, only then you will be allowed to donate your blood. There are no major disadvantages of donating blood, except that sometimes one may experience a drop in blood pressure due to hypovolemia (a state of reduced blood volume), which may necessitate cancellation of donation. Sometimes, one may also experience mild nausea or dizziness for a short while. But if you compare the health benefits and mental satisfaction that comes from saving a life, you will feel that benefits of this act of charity, is not

only restricted to the recipient, but also helps the donor immensely. How often can one give blood? Regulations in the United States allow people to donate whole blood once every 56 days. The waiting period between donations can be different for other blood components. For example, donating only platelets in a process called apheresis requires only a 3 day wait before a person can give again. Donating two units of red blood cells through a similar process doubles the waiting period to 112 days.

INVITATION
The Association of Retired Forest Officers, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad Congratulates the following Forest Officers, who are retiring from service on attaining the age of superannuation on the dates mentioned against their names and cordially invites them to join the Association of Retired Forest Officers to keep in touch with their old colleagues and to keep themselves occupied. For further details they may contact the following Sri. K. Santokh Singh, Secretary Mobile Number 9848808101 Sri. P. Upender Reddy, Jt.Secretary Mobile Number 9848754778 Name of S.F.S.Officer 1.Sri K.Pradeep 2.Sri Syed Meer 3.Sri K.Satyanarayana 4. Sri C.Vishwanath
th

Date of Retirement 31/5/2012 31/5/2012 31/5/2012 31/5/2012

-SECRETARY

NOTICE

64 General Body Meeting of our Association will be held on Sunday 24th June 2012, 11-30 a m, at KBR National Park. All the members are requested to attend the meeting with their spouses. - Secretary
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WHY INDIANS ARE STRESSED AND UNHEALTHY

Manmohan Singh had his arteries bypassed recently, a procedure that increasing numbers of Indians are having. Last year, medical journal Lancet reported a study of 20,000 Indian patients and found that 60 % of the Worlds Heart Disease Patients are in INDIA, which has 15 % of the Worlds Population. This number is surprising because reports of Obesity and heart disease focus on Fat Americans and their food. What could account for Indians being so susceptible more even than Burgerand-Fries eating Americans. FOUR THINGS: DIET, CULTURE, STRESS and Lack Of FITNESS There is no doctrinal prescription for Vegetarianism in Hindu Diet, and some texts explicitly sanction the eating of meat. But vegetarianism has become Dogma. Indian Food is assumed to be strongly Vegetarian, but it is actually Lacking in VEGETABLES. Our diet is centred on WHEAT, in the North, and RICE, in the South. The second most important Element is DAAL in its various forms. By Weight, Vegetables are NOT Consumed Much. You could have an entire South Indian vegetarian meal without encountering a vegetable. The Most Important Vegetable is the Starchy ALOO/ POTATOES. GREENS are Not Cooked flash-fried in the Healthy Manner of the Chinese, but Boiled 34 or Fried till much of the Nutrient Value is Killed GUJARATIS and PUNJABIS are the Two Indian Communities most susceptible to HEART DISEASE. Their Vulnerability is recent. Both have a Large Peasant Population PATELS and JATS who in the last few decades have moved from an agrarian Life to an urban one. They have retained their diet and if anything made it Richer, but their Bodies do not Work as Much. This Transition from a Physical Life to a Sedentary one has made them vulnerable. GUJARATIS Lead the Toll for DIABETES as well, and the Dietary Aspect of this is really the Fallout of the States ECONOMIC SUCCESS. Unlike most Indian states, Gujarat has a Rich and Developed Urban Culture because of the MERCANTILE Nature of its Society. Gujaratis have been Living in Cities for Centuries. His Prosperity has given the Gujarati Surplus MONEY and, Importantly, Surplus TIME. These in turn have led to SNACKY Foods, Some DEEP FRIED, some Steamed and some, Uniquely in India, Baked with Yeast. Most Indians are familiar with the Gujarati Family on Holiday, pulling out Vast Quantities of Snacks The Moment the Train Pushes Off Gujarati Peasant Food Bajra (millet) Roti, a Lightly Cooked Green, Garlic and Red Chilli Chutney, and Buttermilk is actually supremely healthy. But The Peasant PATEL has Succumbed to the Food of the HIGHER Trader and now

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Prefers the OILY and the SWEET. MARATHI Peasant Food is Similar, But Not as Wholesome with a Thick and Pasty Porridge Called Zunka Replacing the Geen BOMBAYS JUNK FOOD was Invented in the 19th Century to Service Gujarati Traders leaving Forts Business District Late In The Evening after a Long Day. PAO BHAJI, Mashed Leftover Vegetables in a Tomato Gravy Served with Shallow-Fried Buns of Bread, was One Such Invention. The Most Popular Snack in Bombay is VADA PAO, which has a Batter-Fried Potato Ball Stuck In A Bun. The BUN Yeast Bread is Not Native to INDIA and Gets Its Name PAO from the PORTUGUESE who brought it in the 16th Century. Bal Thackeray Encouraged Bombays Unemployed Marathi Boys To Set Up VADA PAO STALLS in the 60s, which they did and still do. The Travelling Chef and TV Star Anthony Bourdain called VADA PAO the Best Indian Thing he had ever Eaten, But It Is Heart Attack Food Though JAINS are a very small part (1% or thereabouts) of the Gujarati population, Such is Their Cultural Dominance Through TRADE that many South Bombay Restaurants have a JAIN Option on the Menu. This is Food Without GARLIC and GINGER. Since they are Both Tubers (as also are Potatoes), Jains Do Not Eat Them, because in Uprooting them from the Soil, Living Organisms may be Killed (No Religious Restriction on Butter and Cheese, however!). Even in Bombay, This Intolerance Prevails. Dominos, the Famous Pizza Chain, has a 35

Vegetarian-Only Pizza Outlet on Malabar Hill (Jinnahs Neighbourhood). Foreigners like Indian Food, and it is very Popular in England, but they Find our Sweets Too Sweet. This Taste For Excess SUGAR Extends also to Beverage: Maulana Azad called Indian Tea Liquid Halwa. Only in the last decade have Cafes Begun Offering Sugar On The Side, as Diabetes has Spread. Indias Culture Encourages Swift Consumption. There is No Conversation at Meal-Time, As there is in Europe. Because there are No Courses, the Eating Is Relentless. You can be Seated, Served and be Finished Eating at a Gujarati or Marathi or South Indian Thali Restaurant in 15 Minutes. It is Eating in the Manner of Animals: for Pure Nourishment. We eat with Fingers, as Opposed to Knives and Forks, or Chopsticks, Resulting In The Scooping Up of Bigger Mouthfuls. Because the Nature of the Food Does NOT Allow for Leisurely Eating, Indians do not have a Drink with their Meals. We Drink Before and Then Stagger to the Table. As is the case In Societies of Scarcity, Rich Food is Considered Good and GHEE is a Sacred Word in all Indian Languages. There is No Escape from FAT. In India, Advertising For Healthy Eating Also Shows Food Deep Fried, but in LowerCholesterol OIL. The Insistence by Family - Thoda Aur Le Lo At the Table is Part of our Culture of Hospitality, as is the Offering of Tea and Perhaps also a Snack To Visiting Guests and Strangers. Middle Class Indians, even Families that earn Rs10, 000 a

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month, will have SERVANTS. Work that the European and American do, The Indian Does NOT Want To Do: Cooking, Cleaning, And Washing Up Painting the House, Changing Tyres, Tinkering in the Garage, Moving Things Around, Getting A Cup of Tea at the Office, these are Things the Indian Gets Someone Else To DO for him. There is No Sense of Private Space and the Constant Presence of the Servant is Accepted. GANDHIS Value to India was Not on his Political Side, but Through His Religious and Cultural Reforms. What Gandhi Attempted to Drill into Indians Through Living a Life of Action was a change in our CULTURE OF LETHARGY and DEPENDENCE. Gandhi Stressed Physical SelfSufficiency and Even Cleaned His Toilet out Himself. But HE Wasnt Successful in making us CHANGE, and most Indians will Not Associate Gandhi with Physical Self-Sufficiency though that was his Principal Message. Indian Men Do NO Work around the House. Middle Class Women do Little, especially after Childbirth. Many Cook, but the Cutting and Cleaning is done by the Servant. Slim in their teens, they Turn ThickWaisted in their 20s, within a few years of Marriage. Since We are Dependent on Other People, we Have Less Control Over Events. The Indian is under STRESS and is ANXIOUS. This is BAD For His HEALTH. He must be On Constant Guard Against the World, which takes advantage of him: the Servants Perfidy, Encroachment by His Neighbours, Cars Cutting In Front of Him in Traffic, the Vendors Rate that must be Haggled 36

Down. ALMOST Nothing is Orderly and Everything Must Be WORRIED about. In the Indian Office, the PAYROLL is a Secret, and Nobody is Told what the Other Makes. KNOWLEDGE causes great Stress, Though the Lack of Information is Also Stressful, Leading to SPY Games and Office GOSSIP. Because there is No INDIVIDUALISM in India, Merit Comes From SENIORITY and the Talented but Young Executive is Stressed by the Knowledge that hes not holding the Position he Deserves. Indians are PEERLESS Detectors of SOCIAL STANDING and the Vertical Hierarchy of the Indian Office is SACROSANCT. Dennis Kux pointed out that Indian Diplomats do not Engage Officially with an American of Lower Rank, even if the American was Authorised to Decide the matter. In the Last Decade, when Indians Began Owning Companies Abroad, the Wall Street Journal Reported on CULTURAL Problems that arose. Their Foreign Employees Learnt Quickly that saying NO would cause their Indian Bosses Great Offence, so They Learnt to Communicate With Them as With Children. Indians Shine in the WEST where their Culture Doesnt Hold Them Back. In India honour is high and the individual is alert to slights from those below him, which discomfort him greatly. There is NO CULTURE OF PHYSICAL FITNESS, and Because of This Indians DONT have An ACTIVE OLD AGE. Past 60, they Crumble. Within Society they must

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Step Back and Play Their Scripted ROLE. WIDOWS at that age, even younger, Have NO HOPE of REMARRIAGE because SACRIFICE is expected of them. WIDOWERS at 60 must also Reconcile to SINGLEHOOD, and the Family would be Aghast if they Showed Interest in the Opposite Sex at that age, even though this would be Normal in Another CULTURE.

Elders are cared for within the family, but are defanged when they pass on their wealth to their son in the joint family. They LOSE their SelfEsteem as they Understand Their Irrelevance, and Wither. The Writer is a Former Newspaper Editor who lives in BOMBAY.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. Everyone knows about Alexander Graham bell who invented phones, but he never made a call to his family. Because his wife and daughter were deaf; thats life - live for others . 2. The worst in life is attachment it hurts when you lose it. The best thing in life is loneliness because it teaches you everything and when you lose it you get everything. 3. Life is not about the people who act true to your face. Its about the people who remain true behind your back. 4. Egg broken from outside force-a life ends. If an egg breaks from within, life begins. Great things always began from within. 5. Its better to lose your ego to the one you love than to lose the one you love ....... because of ego. 6. A relationship doesnt shine by just shaking hands in good times. but it blossoms by holding firmly in critical situations . 7. Heated gold becomes ornaments. Beaten copper becomes wires. Depleted stone becomes statue. So more pain, more gain (valuable). 8. When you trust someone trust him/her completely without any doubt. At the end you would get one of the two : either a lesson for your life or a very good person. 9. Why we have so many churches, if God is everywhere? A wise man said : air is everywhere, but we still need a FAN to feel it.

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NEWS AND NOTES

1. Solar Powered Bus Stops in Russia: MOSCOW: Though the Russian capital is not known for its sunshine, authorities believe the city gets enough sunlight to afford solarpowered bus stops. The stops, which will use solar energy collected during day to provide lightning for passengers at night, are part of the City Halls strategy for tackling Moscows abysmal transportation problems, said Deputy Mayor Nikolai Lyamov. Moscow will invest 192 billion rubles (around $6.5 billion) for updating its mass transit and road network in 2012, Lyamov said. In addition to solar-powered bus stops, money will also be spent on roadside traffic jam warning boards, and new adaptive traffic light systems. The total number of solar-powered bus stops was not specified. Moscow gets about 1,700 hours of sunshine a year more than London but the insolation level, or measure of energy, the Russian capital get from the sun is far below Miami or Paris, said the Moscow-meteo.ru website. 2.Madurai to lay plastic roads:- MADURAI: In an effort to find a solution for the plastic accumulating in the corporation garbage yard, the budget presented on Thursday has proposed to construct a 3 km stretch of plastic roads. The plastic road project has been estimated at Rs 1.55 crore and will be laid in the corporation 38 limits. The objective of the project was to reduce the plastic menace in the city and use it for constructive purposes. However, the estimated period was not mentioned in the budget as the Detailed Project Report has been sent to the state government for approval. Commenting on the proposal, A Madhuram, city engineer (in-charge) said the chief minister had announced that the corporation should lay plastic roads of 3 km while the municipalities should lay 1 km of plastic road in their limits. The plastic roads will be laid with a mixture of bitumen and plastic derived from plastic waste in the city. At present, the total plastic waste from the city garbage is 0.7%. The plastic roads would have a relative advantage from the environmental aspect as well, reducing the plastic waste load in the garbage yard, he said. R Vasudevan, dean, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai who invented and patented it in the year 2002 said that plastic acts as a binder with the bitumen and the roads would last long. The roads which were laid in Thiagarajar College in 2002 are in very good condition till date and many states have adopted the method. The ratio of mixture is one tonne of plastic with 9 tonne of bitumen for laying one kilometre of road. Plastic binds with the bitumen and prevents water seeping in, thus the roads are not damaged for a very

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long period and are free of potholes, he added. Using the idea, more than 3,000 km of road has been laid in the country, with the state of Himachal Pradesh laying more than 200 km of plastic road, he said. The chief minister took up the idea during her last regime and had announced it in her election propaganda, taking up the project after she resumed power, Vasudevan stated. Besides, it is cost-effective as reduces the cost of one tonne bitumen per kilometre while one tonne of plastic waste is used in an efficient manner, he added. 3. Milkfish Died in Lakes: -For unknown reasons, millions of milkfish died in lakes across the country a week after the announced end of the world. While surfaced a small volcanic lake near the capital of the Philippines. Locals told us that milkfish long swim in circles at the water surface and then floated belly up. (Please see the last cover
page for Photograph)

under John Cabot began exploiting lumber and fish in the area, the Beothuk were forced out. The fear of white people, tuberculosis and malnutrition decimated the population by 1700s. By 1829, no Beothuks were found in Newfoundland. 2. Karankawa: They were a group of Native Americans, who played an integral part in Texan history. Disease, conflicts with Europeans and loss of territory led to their extinction. The tribe had a significant role in the Texas War of Independence as they sided with the United States over Mexico. 3. Mandans: Smallpox, war and treaties signed with United States contributed to Mandans extinction. By 1837, their population was decimated to 125 people with the outbreak of smallpox, which they were not immune to. In 1934, the Mandans merged with two other tribes with the Indian Reorganization Act. The last pure Mandan died in 1971. 4. Chisca: The Chisca were a tribe living in eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. When waging wars against Europeans especial Hernando deSoto, the tribe was initially successful. They were, however, defeated by Juan Pardo of Spain. In the late 1700s, the tribe combined with the Shawnee under the name Chaskepe. By 18th century, they Chisca were extinct and their towns were burnt down by colonists. 5. Hachaath:Previously living on Vancouver Island and Barcland Island, they were part of the Nootka group of tribes. Contact with Europeans and 39

4. Ten Native Tribes who have faced extinction:-Diseases such as Tuberculosis and Smallpox, wars with Europeans and interactions with whites led to the decimation and extinction of many native tribes. Various tribes amalgamated with other tribes, while others became extinct with time. Here are the top 10 Native Tribes which faced extinction after the European contact. 1. Beothuk Tribes: The Beothuk people were dark and tall with black hair and dark eyes. They lived for thousands of years prior to the Vikings in present day Newfoundland. When Europeans

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smallpox is blamed for their extinction. 6. Bo: For about 65,000 years Bo culture and language existed in the Great Andaman region of India. The tribe, culture and language associated with Bo became extinct in 2010 when its last surviving member, Boa Senior died. 7. Tasmanian Aborigines: An indigenous people in the state of Tasmania were decimated by diseases. The Black War between 1828 and 1832 between British colonists and Tasmanian Aborigines also contributed to the groups extinction. 8. Ona: Ona were the last group of natives to be reached by explorers. They used to live in what is presently known as Chile and Argentina. Although they had good relations with explorers, their numbers decreased by early 1900s. They were extinct by mid-20th century, despite efforts made by Christian Missionaries. 9. Tainos: They were an indigenous population living in present day Bahamas. With the arrival of Europeans and raids, the Tainos were driven out of their homes. In 18th century, the tribes were decimated by smallpox. The Spanish took many of the Tainos women and began to interbreed. They are now extinct, with the exception of many mestizos. 10. Powhatan: Powhatans were confederation of tribes in Virginia. They spoke Algonquin languages known as Powhatan and Virginia Algonquin. Many tribes of the Powhatan became extinct and now only 8 are left.

5. Indian grandmother is the worlds oldest professional sharpshooter: -At 78, most pensioners are reliant on the glasses to even read a newspaper. But not Indian, Grandmother Chandro Tomar. With a 1,200 pistol in hand, and her sari draped over her long silver hair, its believed shes the worlds oldest female professional sharpshooter.She has entered and won over 25 national championships across India as well as raising six children and 15 grandchildren. Almost ten years ago Chandro took her granddaughter to a local firing range in Johri village, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Her biggest fan is her daughter Seema, who is also an international shooting star becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Rifle and Pistol World Cup.
(Please see the last cover page for Photograph)

6. Cute little Finger Monkeys: - Could you imagine the existence of such tiny monkeys which could crawl on human hands/fingersbeyond fiction like Gulliver Travels!They are native to rain-forests of Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. (Source: Buzzle) Finger monkeys are, as a matter of fact, pygmy marmosets. They are also known by the names pocket monkey and tiny lion This cute little . primate hugs and grips on to your finger so tight that it pulls your heartstrings, and you wish you could take it home with you. The finger monkey is the tiniest living primate in the world. Its so small that it can hold on to your finger. These primates belong to the family Callitrichidae, species Cebuella and genus C. 40

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pygmaea.Enjoy! If it wasnt for the Vana Premi, would you have ever seen or have known about these little creatures?
(Please see the last cover page for Photograph)

7.Red Crabs:-At the beginning of the wet season on Christmas Island more than 150 million red crabs move from inland shelters to the shore for their annual breeding season. During this time, usually from October to November, the entire forest floor, and even the roads that run through it, are swathed in a sea of red in one of the most spectacular animal migrations in the world. 8. Bamboo bicycle:-Dodhi Pathak, a resident of a small village, embarked on a journey of innovation that helped fellow residents and brought him national recognition. It is said that necessity is the mother of all inventions. Nowhere does this adage seem more apt than in a small village in Nalbari district of Assam in India. Driven by poverty and an indomitable spirit to master all odds, DodhiPathak a resident of the district, embarked on a journey of innovation that has made his life easy, helped fellow residents and brought him national recognition. Pathak was born in a poor family and commuting for him was a daily struggle. He wanted to buy a bicycle, but when he went to the market he realized that even a second hand model was beyond his reach. Undeterred, he returned home and started thinking of ways to overcome his 41

problem of commuting. He hit upon a novel idea of making a bicycle with the help of abundantly available raw material bamboo. A trained artisan and a baul singer, Pathak began his heroic effort with the enthusiasm of an entrepreneur. 9. Secret elephant graveyard discovered in the heart of Africa:- Lying in crumpled heaps, severed body parts strewn nearby, this is the terrible toll of the ivory trade on a once-thriving herd of elephants. Thirty-five carcasses of the majestic gentle giants were found mutilated in a single attack by poachers at a popular safari destination in Cameroon. The heart-breaking sight was captured by a photographer last month - 20 years after the global ivory trade was officially banned to protect Africas herds. Cameroon is one of a number of African countries whose elephants are at risk of extinction due to a spike in organised gangs of poachers targeting them for their tusks. Local activists say 400 elephants may have been killed in this park alone since the beginning of the year almost its total population according to the World Wildlife Fund. This region of the country did contain Africas largest population of savannah elephants. There are thought to be less than 5,000 elephants left in the whole country. 10.Strong earthquake strikes off the coast of Mexico :- A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Mexico on Thursday, (12-4-2012) waking

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up residents living near the Gulf of California, only hours after a separate temblor swayed tall buildings in Mexico City, causing evacuations. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 6.9 magnitude quake hit the waters between the Baja peninsula and the northern state of Sonora at 12:15 a.m. local time. The temblor was centered 82 miles northeast of Guerrero Negro, and 133 miles west of Hermosillo, and it hit some 6.4 miles below the surface. It follows a 6.4 magnitude quake which struck a sparsely populated area in the mountains of western Mexico on Wednesday, and caused multi-story buildings to sway more than 200 miles away in Mexico City. 11. Fish building (NFDB head quarter) in Hyderabad: - The fish building is constructed by National Fisheries development Board. This is located on Rajendarnagar, Vadi-e-Mahmood, National highway 7 on the 5.13 acre land of NFDB. To give colour to the Fisheries head quarter complex a fish like shape was given with an expenditure of nearly 20 crore rupees. This fish building is another unique landmark for Hyderabad, which is one of its kinds in India and Asia. (Please see the last cover page for Photograph) 12. Ten Storey, tree house:- The worlds tallest treehouse, located in Crossville, Tennessee, makes the Swiss Family Robinsons look like a bunch of amateurs - but that might be because it was commissioned by God. The 1960 Disney film about a family shipwrecked on an island 42

features an impressive treehouse complete with its own water mill. But the Robinsons home pales in significance next to this structure, which took builder Horace Burgess 11 years to build. The enormous treehouse is a whopping 10,000 square feet but only cost Horace a reasonable $12,000 thanks to his thrifty use of recycled materials. Inside there are spiral staircases, a sanctuary, a choir loft, a basketball court, and countless rooms, walkways and balconies.
(Please see the last cover page for Photograph)

13. Cycling must to stay fit and protect environment:-Health-conscious elites form a cyclist club in Ongole on Sunday to stay fit and protect the environment,.In a good initiative, people from different walks of life on Sunday formed a Shantivanam Cycle Club to promote the use of cycles for good health and also protect the environment from further degradation. District Legal Services Authority secretary G. Ramagopal inaugurated the club, an initiative of like-minded doctors and people from other walks of life. Town Development Committee president A Kondal Rao led an impressive cycle rally on the occasion. Club secretary Machikanti Venkateswara Rao said we will organise events, including expeditions on a regular basis to draw more health-conscious people to the club.Indian Medical Association Ongole chapter treasurer G Panidhar said cycling is the right exercise to keep oneself fit,

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particularly for those having knee pain. Members of the Walkers Club at the Rangarayuduchervu vowed to come by cycle everyday and avoid use of motorcycles, while coming for walking. As more and more people turn diabetic, there is an urgent need to change our lifestyles, Dr K Sudhkar says. Cycling helps those suffering diabetes keep blood sugar level well under control, he adds. Those interested in joining the club could register their names at the Mega ENT Hospital on the Sundaraiah road, Manchikanti added. 14.Desi version of porridge sold like hot cakes: With the sun showing no mercy this summer, tasty and delicious Palmyra fruits (nongu), tender coconuts, watermelon, and fresh fruit juice, are in good demand. Kammankoozh (pearl millet porridge) and kezhvaragukoozh (ragi porridge), both traditional drinks of the villages, have been sought after this summer as they are believed to keep the body cool. Millets, one of the oldest grains to be consumed, are healthy and non-acidic after consumption. In south India it is taken as porridge or as pancakes (adai and dosa). Pearl millet is a highly nutritious and a gluten free grain, that is full of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Mini temporary stalls selling kammankoozh and kezhvaragukoozh, set up by villagers, have come 43

up in the nook and corner of the city. A glass of kammankoozh keeps the body energetic and cool for a couple of hours. Saravanan, a villager from Madurai, who has set up a makeshift stall at the busy Chathiram bus stand, has to work overtime this summer. Customers prefer kammankoozh to kezhvaragu for beating the heat and regaining energy. It takes about an hour for him to prepare the koozh , using about five to six kg of pearl millet and ragi. However, the preparation commences the previous evening itself. The pearl millet and ragi mixed with water should be kept in traditional mud pots overnight, ensuring its delicious flavour gained through the porous effect of the mud pot. Mr.Saravanan says that mouth-watering side dishes like pickles made of beans, fried appalam, chillies, besides mango, never fail to attract more customers. A glass of kammankoozh and kezhvaragukoozh is sold for Rs. 10 and his stall functions from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The business proves to be a good source of revenue to villagers as is the case with Mr.Saravanan whose stall attracts over 100 customers a day. It is a common sight to see scores of villagers transporting the koozh by bicycles to the city much ahead of the break of dawn. A large number of stalls could be spotted at all the busy areas and street corners like Gandhi market, Chathiram bus stand, Palakkarai, Cantonment, central bus stand, Tennur, Subramaniapuram, Woraiyur.

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44

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INDIAS MOST POWERFUL BUSINESSWOMEN

In a male-dominated world of business, these Indian women have broken all barriers to get to the top. 1. Name: Chanda Kochhar Role: Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Company: ICICI Bank Limited Chanda began her career with ICICI as a Management Trainee in 1984 and has thereon successfully risen through the ranks by handling multidimensional assignments and leading all the major functions in the Bank at various points in time. 2. Name: Vinita Bali Role: Managing Director Company: Britannia Industries Vinita has always made unconventional decisions. Rising prices of wheat, sugar and dairy products affect her as much as they do every housewife. 3. Name: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Role: Chairman and Managing Director Company: Biocon India Kiran is Indias bio-tech queen. She says in a an interview to Forbes India that she learnt the importance of self-reliance and personal re-invention at an early age. From starting of with Rs 10,000 in a garage her company Biocon is today worth Rs. 1,511 crore. 4. Name: Mallika Srinivasan Role: Chairman and CEO Company: TAFE Mallika believes in a no-frills working style. She has risen to become Indias tractor woman making an indelible impression in a heavily male-dominated industry. TAFEs turnover, a mere Rs86 crore in 1985 - the year 45 she joined - had risen to Rs5,800 crore by 2010/ 11 5. Name: Ekta Kapoor Role: Joint Managing Director and Creative Director Company: Balaji Telefilms Ekta has created a niche for herself as the queen of the silver screen soaps. She rules almost every television network. 6. Name: Neelam Dhawan Role: Managing Director Company: Hewlett-Packard India Neelam has been an icon for women in the IT industry. There were just a handful women in the industry way back in the early 80s when she began her career accidentally at HCL. 7. Name: Preetha Reddy Role: Managing Director Company: Apollo Hospitals Preetha has been instrumental in the groups quality certification process (ISO 14001 and 9001). As a trailblazer, she ensured the JCI accreditation process in five of the group hospitals in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ludhiana and Dhaka. Apollo Hospitals group is Indias largest healthcare company. 8. Name: Shobhana Bhartia Role: Chairperson and Editorial Director Company: Hindustan Times Media Shobhana, a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, also runs one of Indias largest media houses. HT Media made revenues of Rs 1,815 crore in 2010/11.

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VishnukumarSinghal Vs. State of Rajasthan &Ors.

In this case the Government was trying to protect the area which was in the forest and was of religious significance and the mining which was taking place was detrimental to environment and hazardous to the health of the inhabitants and those taking parikrama. The State Government has notified the intention to declare it as Protected Forest and has appointed officers to make the record of rights envisaged under Sec. 29 (3) of the Forest Act 1953 before issuing notification under Sec. 29 (1) of the said Act. Aggrieved by the action of the Government, a mining owner VishnukumarSinghal filed W.P No. 224 / 2010. The writ petition was heard by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Miss Bala M. Trivedi. The matter was decided by the High Court of Rajasthan on 25.7.2011. The Court held that the proviso to Sec. 29 (3) imposing reasonable restrictions in the interest of general public and reasonable exercise of rights enshrined under Art. 19 (1) ((g) is unassailable in view of Art. 19 (6) of the Constitution of India. It was further held that the provision cannot be said to be illegal or arbitrary or violative of any of the rights of the petitioners. Mining is not the only activity which is required to be protected. It cannot be at the cost ecological imbalance and detrimental to environ. Any development has to be sustainable. On the other hand, 46 environmental damage due to reckless mining has assumed alarming proportion and once the State Government has decided to ultimately declare the area in question to be Protected Forest, no mining operation could have been permitted, same is a precautionary measure. The notifications which have been issued on 13.11.2009 were fully in accordance with Art. 14, 21 and the statutory provisions concerned in Sections 29 and 30 of the Act of 1953. The duty is cast under Art. 48-A that the State shall, endeavor to protect and improve, the environment and safeguard the forests and wildlife. Therefore the state Government has rightly declared the intention to declare the area as a Protected Forest under Sec. 29 (1) and has issued notification invoking proviso to Sec. 29 (1) of the Act of 1953 declaring area to be Protected Forest. Notification under Sec. 30 has also been rightly issued. As such, no mining activity can be permitted to take place as provided under the aforesaid provisions. The action of the State Government restraining mining operations in the area in question as precautionary measure was perfectly within the framework of law and the same was in conformity with the law laid down by the Supreme Court. Consequently, it was held that the proviso to Sec. 29 (3) of the Act of 1953 cannot in any manner be said to be unconstitutional and violative of Articles 14, 19 (1) (g), 21 and 300 A of the Constitution. The writ Petition was dismissed. K.B.R.A.I.R. 2011 (NOC) 439.

LEGAL NOTES

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MINUTES OF 63RD GENERAL BODY MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED FOREST OFFICERS HELD ON 11-03-2012
At the outset Sri K.Santokh Singh, Secretary of the Association, welcomed the Members & Ladies to the 62nd General Body meeting. The Chief Guest Sri Hitesh Malhotra, President, Vice President, Jt. Secretary and Editor, Vana Premi were requested to occupy their seats on Dias and placed the agenda before the President with a request to preside over the function. 1. Shraddanjali- The members stood in silence for two minutes to pay homage to the departed souls of Sri V.S.Sastry , Smt.K.Rameshwar & Sri Narendra Kumar, I.P.S., who passed away recently. 2. Felicitation of Chief Guest- The Association honoured the chief Guest, Sri Hitesh Malhotra IFS, Prl.Chief Conservator of Forests, on his appointment as the head of the Forest Department. 3. Releasing of Telephone Directory, 2012- The Chief Guest released the Telephone Directory of the Retired Forest Officers Association members which is printed in multi colours with addresses, telephone numbers & e-mail IDs and distributed to the members. 4. Address by the Chief Guest-The Chief Guest, Sri Hitesh Malhotra addressed the members and expressed his gratitude for the honour bestowed on him. He elaborately explained the details of forthcoming International Biodiversity Meeting to be held in Hyderabad in the month 47 of October, 2012. He explained in detail on the arrangements made by the Forest Department for this prestigious meeting to be attended by the members of more than 123 Countries and sought the advice of senior members in this regard. 5. ACTION TAKEN REPORT of the SECRETARYThe Secretary in his report explained to the General Body, the action taken on the decisions of 62nd GBM held on 11/12/2011 and 74th E.C.meeting held on 19/11/2011 and there upon the General Body has taken the following decisions on various issues. 6. Sri T.Krishna Murthy IFS, Retd.Prl.CCF informed the members that the Indian International Friendship Society has honoured him with BHARATH JYOTHI AWARD and the BEST CITIZEN AWARD was conferred by the International Publishing House for the exemplary works carried by him in the field of Forestry & Environment. The Association unanimously decided to felicitate Sri T.Krishna Murthy during the next General Body Meeting to be held in June,2012. 7. Sri P.Kanakaratnam once again explained the benefits of having AASRA card of GHMC and requested the members to utilize the enrolement forms available with Sri BSN Prasad to get the AASRA cards.

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8. The President expressed his unhappiness on the dwindling attendance of members and requested the members to attend the meetings in large numbers in future. 9. Vote of Thanks- Sri P.Upender Reddy, Jt.Secretary cum Treasurer proposed vote of thanks to ladies and members who attended the meeting. Thanks were extended to the Chief Guest who accepted our invitation & attended the meeting, inspite of his busy schedule, and

for addressing the members. Thanks were extended to Wild Life Division staff for providing meeting hall and also for making necessary arrangements. On behalf of all the members, special thanks were extended to Sri Qamar Md.Khan , Sri C.Sudhakar Rao & Sri V.V.Rajam, who hosted LUNCH to the members. Sri Iqbal Singh, Sri A.Kishan & Sri Raman Goud volunteered to host lunch during the next G.B.meeting. Secretary

BURNS
A young man sprinkling his lawn and bushes with pesticides wanted to check the contents of the barrel to see how much pesticide remained in it. He raised the cover and lit his lighter; the vapours inflamed and engulfed him. He jumped from his truck, screaming. His neighbour came out of her house with a dozen eggs, yelling: She broke them, separating the whites from the yolks. Another neighbour helped her to apply the whites on the young mans face. When the ambulance arrived and when the EMTs saw the young man, they asked who had done this. Everyone pointed to the lady in charge. They congratulated her and said: You have saved his face. By the end of the summer, the young man brought the lady a bouquet of roses to thank her. His face was like a babys skin. Healing Miracle for burns: Keep in mind this treatment of burns which is included in teaching beginner fireman this method. First aid consists to spraying cold water 48 on the affected area until the heat is reduced and stops burning the layers of skin. Then, spread egg whites on the affected are. One woman burned a large part of her hand with boiling water. In spite of the pain, she ran cold faucet water on her hand, separated 2, egg white, from the yolks, beat them slightly and dipped her hand in the solution. The whites then dried and formed a protective layer. She later learned that the egg white is a natural collagen and continued during at least one hour to apply layer upon layer of beaten egg white. By afternoon she no longer felt any pain and the next day there was hardly a trace of the burn. 10 days later, no trace was left at all and her skin had regained its normal colour. The burned area was totally regenerated thanks to the collagen in the egg whites, a placenta full of vitamins. This information could be helpful to everyone: Please pass it on.

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For details please see page no.39

For details please see page no.40

For details please see page no.40

For details please see page no.42

For details please see page no.42

Registered with RNI R.No. Apeng/2002.2185 Postal Regn. No.LII/RNP/HDC/1154/2012-14

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If Undelivered, Please return to : Editor : VANA PREMI 49 Office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Aranya Bhavan, 5th Floor, Room No. 514, Saifabad, Hyderabad - 500 004, A.P.