The official copy of the Indian Constitution was not written on just any piece of paper

 The Handmade Paper Institute in Pune has the unique distinction of providing the paper on which India’s Constitution was first written.

In the centre of Pune, just next to the Agriculture College on KB Joshi Road, sits a pretty little shop with the choicest handmade papers in varied colours of the rainbow. It’s known to be a favourite among the stationery-savvy. However, unknown to most, the quaint shop owned by the Pune Handmade Paper Institute (HMPI) is part of an organisation that pioneered India’s handmade paper industry; and which has the unique distinction of providing the paper on which India’s Constitution was first written.

Made of treated 100% cotton rags, the paper supplied for the most important official document of Independent India was handmade right here in Pune. The 90- 110 gsm (gram per sq m) bond paper was selected for its “quality and durability – it lasts over 100 years,” says Sanjeev Naik, a retired lecturer from the institute that is still internally referred to as HMPI.

Though the Constitution is known as much for its artwork by the legendary Nandalal Bose and his team of student illustrators from Viswabharati, Santiniketan, the thicker 180-250 gsm drawing paper was not chosen by HMPI because of its limited lifespan.

The choice of paper and its supplier for the Indian Constitution was a well-thought decision as the institute draws from the values of the Swadeshi Movement, with blessings from none other than Mahatma Gandhi. Scientist KB Joshi (on whom the institute’s road has been named) was working in an oil mill in Newasa, Maharashtra, in the 1930s when he met with Gandhi.

According to CV Puntambelkar, who worked with HMPI for 39 years, Joshi was already working on paper produced from cotton linters and rags, which he showed Gandhi as an alternative to the paper being imported at the time. The latter, averse to machines being used for paper production, encouraged Joshi to work on handmade paper instead.

Hence in 1936, the land in Pune was taken on lease from the agricultural department for 25 years, apparently for the princely rent of Re 1 per annum, though no lease document exists from the time certifying the amount. Joshi was later joined by agriculturist GH Gondhalekar, and the Bombay Khadi Samiti was set up.

Kagazi people – as those previously working in paper mills before the British shut them were known – from surrounding areas were rounded up and trained, informs Naik, who retired from HMPI in 2018 as Industry Inspector after 34 long years. Both he and Puntambelkar talk about how the organisation came up as an important feature of Gandhi’s call for Swadeshi goods and industries, providing employment and a much-needed alternative to the imports.

On August 1, 1940, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the institute and commercial production of handmade paper started. Under the All India Khadi and Village Industries Association, the institute started management and technical training courses in 1956 in addition to the research and paper production.

Jawaharlal Nehru signing the Indian Constitution.

Most of the paper produced by the HMPI is supplied to various universities across the country as “degree paper” with their watermark, says HMPI’s former director Upendra Karambelkar, as well as for official letterheads for ministers. The rest is sold in the in-house shop – both as paper and as stationery. Interestingly, the institute also supplied the paper for the wedding/reception cards of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi in 1958. It was a silk mixture paper made in Junnar village, says Puntambelkar.

Over its many decades of research, the division has developed over 4,500 varieties of handmade paper, including those made from materials such as banana fibre, bagasse, cotton stalk and jute. Trials have been made using currency paper waste and acid-free drawing paper. These divisions all share space in this part of Shivajinagar, along with an auditorium that hosts seminars and workshops for alternative means of making paper, other than wood pulp.

There are also several old paper-making machines for those interested. Renovated and revived to coincide with the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi in 2019, the walls are peppered with swanky information slides on recycling and handmade paper processes and benefits. Currently, the institute is a space for both ideation and nostalgia, as most heritage sites should be.

The article is a part of Saha Sutra and the Pune Cultural Mapping Project on www.sahapedia.org, the digital library of Indian culture.

(Source: Scroll)

How a specially-abled bangle seller became an IAS officer

 There is nothing under the sun that one cannot touch the pinnacle of success with individual talent. At any time, life can change and all one can do is to set goals high and to march towards it each day of life. 

Nobody could know it better than Ramesh Gholap. The 2012 batch IAS officer who started in life as a bangle seller and now nine years later, posted in Jharkhand as Joint Secretary in the Energy Department. Ramesh also known as Ramu faced a lot of ups and downs in life. But that’s didn’t stop him from becoming what he is today, as he told The Better India. 

The story of Ramesh Gholap will surely inspire you in many ways and let’s go through his journey. 

His father Gorakh Gholap ran a cycle repair shop, enough to provide an income for his family of four, but the business did not last long as his health suffered from constant drinking. He passed away when Ramu was still in school. 

Began selling bangles with his mother

It was then that Ramesh’s mother Vimal Gholap started selling bangles in nearby villages to support the family. And though Ramesh’s left leg was affected by polio, he and his brother joined their mother in her little venture. Ramesh and his brother would yell out loud, “Bangde ghya bangde (Buy bangles!),” and their mother would help the women try them on. 

Became a teacher after graduating 

Ramesh is from a remote village named Mahagaon in Barshi Taluka, Solapur district of Maharashtra. There was only one primary school and Ramesh went to stay with his uncle in Barshi for education. Despite thriving in academics in school days, Ramesh did a Diploma in Education as it was the only course he could afford. He didn’t stop there and also pursued a graduate degree in arts from an open university and in 2009, he became a teacher. 

Went to prepare for UPSC exams

Seeking inspiration from a tehsildar he had visited during his college times, Ramesh wanted to be one too. After his mother borrowed some money from a self-help group, Ramesh quit his job and went to Pune for six months to prepare for UPSC. 

He told The Better India, “The first teacher who met me was Mr Atul Lande. I requested him to write down the answers to a few of my questions, like what is UPSC, can it be taken in Marathi, am I eligible for it, etc. And he told me there was nothing to stop me from taking the UPSC. It is only because of that one statement that I finally did it.” 

Ramesh tried for UPSC exam in 2010 but he did not qualify then. 

As per a report by The Logical Indian, Ramesh cracked State Institute of Administrative Careers (SIAC) exam, which offered him a hostel and a scholarship. To meet his daily expenses, he painted posters besides focusing on studies. 

Now, he is joint secretary in Jharkhand's energy dept

Finally, he cracked the UPSC examination with an AIR of 287. After a few months, his MPSC results were also out where he topped with the highest-ever marks of 1,244 out of 1,800. At present, Ramesh plies his trade as joint secretary in Jharkhand’s energy department. 

“Whenever I cancel the licence of a PDS shop owner who has been black-marketing kerosene, I remember my days when I had to turn off the lantern for lack of kerosene. Whenever I help a widow, I remember my mother begging for a house or for her pension. Whenever I inspect a government hospital, I remember my father’s words when he had left drinking and just wanted better treatment. He would ask me to become a big man and take him to a private hospital. Whenever I help a poor child, I remember myself, I remember Ramu,” he told in an interview with The Better India.

(Source: India Times)

First Indian to travel inside a hyperloop pod is a Pune-sased engineer

Pune-born Tanmay Manjrekar has become the first Indian to travel inside a hyperloop pod. Hyperloop is a new mode of passenger and goods transport; it involves propelling small pods in sealed, low-pressure tubes to speeds upwards of 1,000 kilometres an hour. 

Manjrekar, a power electronics specialist at Virgin Hyperloop, was part of the team that developed the technology and has now become one of the first people to have tested it, reported Mumbai Mirror.

Deccan Herald

The first successful passenger run on Sunday took place at a test facility near Las Vegas in Nevada. Manjrekar participated in the second run on Monday.

Manjrekar led the technical implementation of hyperloop's power and electronics system used for propulsion, levitation and guidance during the test run. He mentioned that he felt honoured to have gotten this special opportunity to represent India. 

He said, “I am ecstatic and absolutely thrilled to ride in the hyperloop. It is so fulfilling to see the years of hard work, dedication and persistence come to fruition after being part of the team that built it."

He added, “Working on hyperloop – let alone being one of the first to ride it – is truly a dream come true. It is my hope that India sees the tremendous opportunity here and continues to progress on the Mumbai-Pune hyperloop project.”

Manjrekar joined Virgin Hyperloop in 2016 and was instrumental in developing the control system hardware for the world’s first full-system hyperloop. He has been the engineer responsible for medium voltage system operations throughout testing. 

Manjrekar has a Bachelor's degree in electronics and telecommunications from the University of Pune and has completed his Masters in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. 

(Source: India Times)

Meet the Pune duo turning old buses into clean toilets for women

“Each bus has western toilets, Indian toilets, washbasins, a diaper changing place and sanitary napkins for sale. It is powered by solar energy.”

It’s a cold morning in Pune. She quickens her pace looking around for a suitable refuge, knowing all too well that there isn’t any. She regrets not going to the toilet before she left the house and now her only option is to find one at her destination.

Ill-maintained public toilets are a menace, and more so for women. Even in urgent situations, many prefer to refrain from entering the stinking, filthy spaces which promise nothing but overflowing lavatories.

However, Ulka Sadalkar and Rajeev Kher, who are entrepreneurs in the sanitation sector, are changing this one public toilet at a time.

And unlike the usual four-walled public toilets, they are using scrapped public buses as sanitation centres!

Sources: (L) Shasvathi Siva 🌿/ Twitter. (R) Ulka Sadalkar.

“We read about this concept of using old buses as restrooms for homeless people. We wanted to replicate the idea in Pune for women. The city is densely populated. There isn’t space to construct toilets. Buses wouldn’t need much space and could be refurbished. Also, clean public toilets are integral to the Swachh Bharat movement and for Pune’s Smart City initiative,” says Sadalkar to the Civil Society Online.

Speaking to The Better India, Ulka says, “In a brainstorming session with the Pune Municipal Corporation in 2016, we decided to recycle the old, scrapped buses into toilets for women.” She adds that “The lack of public toilets for women is not alien to us. Women, especially, who menstruate once a month may face an emergency any time, and urgently need a toilet.

So we decided to install these sanitation centres in some of the busy areas in Pune where public toilets are scarce.”

Courtesy: Ulka Sadalkar.

Ulka and Rajeev’s company, Saraplast, provides mobile toilets for public events and they believe that “Ti” which translates to “she or her” in Marathi, is just one step ahead in utilising their expertise for the betterment of society. Ti also stands for “Toilet Integration.”

These are not just any toilets. Equipped with all the necessities, these “Toilets for her” are the perfect refuge you would want in case nature calls you when you’re on the road.

“Each bus has western toilets, Indian toilets, washbasins, a diaper changing place and sanitary napkins for sale. It is powered by solar energy. We want to ensure that the women who come here do not have to face any problems and since the launch, in 2016, we haven’t received any complaints or poor feedback. We have installed 11 such health centres—we call them those, so it takes the stigma away from public toilets—in the busy parts of Pune where the footfall is high, but there are no restrooms for the women to use. We are targeting the lower income class because those are the women who need these toilets the most,” Ulka tells TBI.

But that doesn’t mean that the quality is compromised in any way. In fact, as Ulka mentioned, one toilet receives an average of 150 ladies per day!

Courtesy: Ulka Sadalkar.

“On some days, the number rises up to 300. A couple of toilets that are located in quiet areas receive a lesser footfall, but even then, a good number of women use ‘Ti,’” she says.

TV screens with videos about female hygiene are installed in the buses that have been designed in such a way that you are led from the toilets to wash basins (to remind you to wash your hands).

“Women aren’t used to finding such restrooms. There is this wow factor. Their reaction is, ‘well, so the government finally cares for us!'” explains Usha to CSO.

The numbers speak for themselves. Hundreds, if not a thousand women use the washrooms every day, showing how urgently Pune needs hygienic, clean public toilets.

A female attendant, who greets you with a polite smile and a technician to regularly check that the solar panels and toilets are functioning fine are employed with ‘ti.’

Courtesy: Ulka Sadalkar.

Although the buses can be moved, Rajeev and Ulka don’t plan on making them into mobile toilets for the simple reason that women should know where they can find the toilet when they need it. A mobile toilet lacks the dependability that comes with these stationary washrooms.

Well-lit and equipped with all the necessities, users are charged only Rs 5 for the services. “When we started out, we did not charge anything. But gradually, we realised that if this model has to be sustainable, we needed to charge some amount. Even now, we are actually looking for financial alternatives that will make the toilets sustainable without having to charge the users. But that is work in progress,” explains Ulka.

The duo is also planning to expand these health centres and set up juice stalls, and WiFi spots etc., so that these areas become a sort of recreation space for people from the lower income groups.

Ulka and Rajeev’s innovation is undoubtedly the perfect solution for Pune. The well-lit, well-maintained and fully-equipped toilets promise to go beyond your typical idea of public toilets and help you answer the call of nature safely and without compromising on hygiene.

(Source: TBI)

What is the Virginity Test men in Pune are trying to stop, and getting beaten up for?

On January 22, three young men were beaten up by a mob of people for trying to find women a respectable standing in society. These three victims belong to the Kanjarbhat community, and are part of a WhatsApp group, called Stop the V Ritual.

This is NOT the first time someone trying to oppose this ritual has faced backlash. On November 25, 2017, one of the members of this WhatsApp group, 21-year-old Siddhant Indrekar, filed a complaint against the caste panchayat at the Vishrantwadi police station. Siddhant claimed he had recorded members of the caste panchayat accepting Rs 10,000 from a bride and a groom to approve their marriage. No action has been taken since, even though he was told that the police would "look into the matter".

So, what is this V ritual that they're trying to stop? And why are they facing such strong opposition?

What is the virginity test?
The letter V in that WhatsApp group stands for Virginity Test. Priyanka Tamaichekar, a Pune resident who is also a part of the group, told Indian Express, "Even today, a virginity test of the bride is conducted in the Kanjarbhat community. The newly married couple is taken to a hotel room. The groom is given a white bedsheet and is asked to use it while having sex. The caste panchayat members actually sit outside the room. If the groom comes out with a bedsheet with blood stains on it, the bride passes the test. But if the bedsheet has no blood stains, the panchayat members accuse the bride of having a physical relationship with a man in the past."

What happens if a new bride doesn't pass the test?
God forbid, if the groom emerges out of the room with a clean bedsheet, the bride's never-ending ordeals begin--from being harassed and even beaten up by the in-laws and husband, to being abandoned by the family altogether, cases have been reported for the worst possible "punishments" one can imagine.

In June 2017, the case of a 20-year-old woman from Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, came to light. This woman-in-question had been deserted by her husband and was forced to remain confined to her room by her father for failing the virginity test. The in-laws even took away all her jewellery, according to a report by The Hindu.

(Source: India Today)

Youths protesting practice of 'virginity test' for brides beaten up at a Pune wedding

The Kanjarbhat community beat the members of WhatsApp group 'Stop the V-ritual' at the do.

Three men were allegedly thrashed at a wedding in Bhat Nagar in Pimpri, Pune on Sunday night. They were attacked by almost 40 fellow members of their own community! All this, for the most regressive reason in the history of mankind: Those men were against the 'virginity test' ritual imposed by the elderly members of their community on the newlyweds and were a part of a WhatsApp group 'Stop the V-ritual' propagating the same.

The Regressive Lot's Name: The Kanjarbhat Community

Their Even More Regressive Ritual's Name: The 'V-Ritual' (virginity test)

The Terribly Regressive Procedure: Newly-married couples are taken to hotel rooms. The groom is given a white bedsheet to use while having sex with the bride while the caste panchayat members actually sit outside the room. If the groom walks out with a blood stains on the sheet, it means the bride has passed the test with flying 'colours'-and quite literally so. If not, she is accused of having a physical relationship with a man in the past by the panchayat members!

That's not it. The bride is punished as per the rules of the panchayat and sometimes even harassed and beaten up.

No points for guessing, there are no such "tests" for the groom!

The only good that has come out of it all is the fact that few of the younger members had formed a WhatsApp group 'Stop the V-ritual' upon realizing how unfair and well--regressive it was--and worked towards stopping the ritual altogether.

"I belong to the Kanjarbhat community and am getting married in May next year. My fiance and me are against this humiliating practice… we have declared that we would not be participating in it because it is against our right to live life with dignity and right to privacy… but just opposing it was not enough. So, we held a meet of all the members of the WhatsApp group in Akurdi on December 3 to plan an awareness campaign," Vivek Tamaichekar, a Masters student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai had said in an interview to Indian Express in December.

However, when Prashant Ankush Indrekar, 25; Saurabh Jitendra Machale, 25 and Prashant Vijay Tamaichikar, 23 went to attend the above-mentioned wedding on Sunday night, they heard the caste panchayat discussing about carrying out the test as it was their "ritual".

Even though, they didn't oppose it on the spot, they were beaten up brutally by the members, who knew that they were a part of the 'Stop the V-ritual' WhatsApp group.

3 members of 'Stop the V ritual', a WhatsApp group created to raise awareness against practice of determining virginity of a bride on wedding night, allegedly thrashed by members of their community (Kanjarbhat) in Pimpri last night; FIR registered against 40 ppl, 2 arrested #Pune pic.twitter.com/bVlR4hA28g

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2018

"Marriage ceremony was over by 9 pm. Then, the caste panchayat held a meeting from about 10 pm to 11.30 pm. They talked about demanding money from the bride and groom. Also, there was a discussion supporting the virginity test of bride, claiming it was a part of their tradition… We did not oppose anyone at the spot. But, they knew that my friends and I are part of the WhatsApp group 'Stop the V-ritual', which creates awareness in the community against the unjust practice of virginity test of brides. So, they got angry and questioned us and then 30-40 youths, including Sunny Malke, brother of the girl who got married on Sunday, attacked Saurabh Jitendra Machale and Prashant Vijay Tamaichikar. When I intervened, they also started beating me. A person even thrashed us with a leather belt. We condemn this act," said Indrekar, while speaking to The Indian Express.

Based on his complaint, 40 members including Malke, Vinayak Malke, and others have been booked under sections 143, 147, 149, 323, 509, 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"As per our investigation, the quarrel erupted as the accused questioned the complainant regarding virginity tests,"Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Ganesh Shinde told the daily.

Shinde added that the accused were against the frequent campaigning being carried out by the complainant.

(Source: Odd Naari)

Once Bajirao-Kashibai's love nest 'Shaniwar Wada' is now the most haunted place in Pune!

We all have watched the grandeur of Shaniwar Wada in the Bollywood movie Bajirao Mastani. But ever wondered what happened to the palace after the death of Peshwa Bajirao and Mastani? What happened to Nana Saheb? What happened to Kashibai? Here's an interesting article on the Speaking Tree which says it's one of the most haunted places in Pune:

1. Shaniwar Wada haunted by Peshwa Narayanrao's ghost?

This 18th century edifice was put together in the honor of Peshwa Bajirao Ballal Balaji Bhat for his great courage and triumphs towards the Maratha Empire. Build in 1730, on the banks of River Mutha, in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, this was the seat of Peshwas until 1818, when the latter lost its control to East India Company.

2. Peshwa Bajirao Ballal Bhat

Peshwa Bajirao himself laid the foundation of his soon-to-be residence on Saturday, January 10, 1730; hence the name ‘Shaniwar Wada’ which was an amalgamation of Marathi words, Shaniwar (Saturday) and Wada (residence).

3. Construction of Shaniwar Wada

For the complex, Teak was imported from the jungles of Junnar, Stones were brought from Chinchwad, and Limestone from the belts of Jejuri. With a total cost of Rs. 16,110 (an empire’s treasure of those times) and over two years later, it was completed and handover to the Peshwa Bajirao’s family.

4. Most haunted place of Pune

The palace which was build up to nurture and witness memories and heroic tales saw nothing, but treachery, pain and ill-fate of those who resided within these walls. Not just this, it is believed that such is the fate of this fort that at present day it is the most haunted palaces of Pune.

5. Curse on Shaniwar Wada

In its first year, Shaniwar Wada saw an early and unfortunate death of Peshwa Bajirao I, betrayal for his first wife Kashibai, an incomplete love story of Bajirao-Mastani (his second wife) and treachery by the hands of Nanasaheb (Bajirao-Kashibai’s first born).

6. Betrayal by blood relations

The structure which was once renowned for its architectural brilliance, is now dreaded for supernatural activities on the full-moon night. Locals believe that the fort is haunted by the ghost of Bajirao’s grandson Narayanrao, who was brutally killed on orders of his relatives.

7. Peshwa family tree

Even before his father’s (during Peshwa Bajirao I’s serious illness) death, Nanasaheb claimed his power on the Maratha throne and hold on Shaniwar Wada. Three of his five sons who survived infancy death were, Vishwasrao, Madhavrao, and Narayanrao.

8. Battle of throne

After Nanasaheb’s death, Vishwasrao earned the power of throne, which angered former’s younger brother Raghunathrao (fondly called Raghoba) and his wife Anandibai.

9. Death of Vishwasrao and Madhavrao

During the third battle of Panipat, against a triumvirate of King Ahmad Shah Durrani of Afghanistan, the Rohilla Afghans of Doab, and Shuja ud Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, Nanasaheb’s eldest son Vishwasrao led the Maratha Army, while his second son Madhavrao played the chief strategist.

10. Decline of Peshwa household

Some of his strategies backfired, which led to the killing of Vishwasrao. Holding himself responsible for his elder brother and Peshwa’s death, Madhavrao plunged into depression and later died due to deteriorating health.

11. Crowning of new Peshwa: Narayanarao

Following the death of both Vishwasrao and Madhavrao, their younger brother Narayanrao (only 16-year-old at that time) was appointed as the next Peshwa. And, Raghunathrao was assigned as the regent to take responsibilities of the throne till Narayanrao was minor; this angered Anandibai even more, who by now obsessed to take the power into her own hands.

12. Raghunathrao and Anandibai

Narayanrao was aware of the bitterness of his uncle Raghoba and aunt Anandibai and their ugly fallout with his elder brother Vishwasrao. This hatred among them was fueled by their closest advisers; resulting in Narayanrao ordering Raghoba under house arrest.

13. Raghoba's house arrest

Anandibai turned furious after hearing the news of her husband’s house arrest and plotted revenge on Narayanrao. She planned out a vicious plot to break out her husband and kill Narayanrao, simultaneously. She knew that Narayanrao had been having conflicts with the hunting tribe, Gardi, originally the Bheels from Central India.

14. Raghunathrao's help plea

Once she convinced Raghunath to send a signed letter to Sumer Singh Gardi, leader of the tribe asking for help and capturing Narayanrao saying, “Narayanrao la dhara”, which meant ‘Capture Narayanrao’. Seeing this as an opportunity, Anandibai tweaked the letter, which now read, “Narayanrao la Mara” – ‘Kill Narayanrao’.

15. Bloodiest assassination in the history

On the night of the last of Ganesh Chaturthi, the highly trained and fiercest assassins were sent by the Gardi tribe to Shaniwar Wada. In the cover of night, the invaded the inner chambers of the palace and released Raghunath; killing all who intervened.

16. Narayanrao's death

They then headed for Narayanrao, who was sleeping unaware of what was happening. Hearing the commotion inside his room, he stood up and ran straight for his uncle, to seek his help. But, the Gardi assassins got hold of him and began brutal attacks on him, Narayanrao kept shouting, “Kaaka! Maala vaachva (Uncle save me)”, but no one came to his help.

17. Downfall of Shaniwar Wada

He kept wailing while the assassins tore him into pieces; Raghunath kept mute and witnessed the ordeal. Later Narayanrao’s body which was cut into numerable pieces was taken out in vessels and thrown into the river.

18. Prosecution of Raghunathrao, Anandibai and Sumer Gardi

Soon after Narayanrao’s death, Raghoba and Anandibai proclaimed their power on the Peshwa’s throne and Shaniwar Wada. Later Peshwa administration prosecuted Raghoba, Anandibai and and Sumer Singh Gardi.

19. Visit at your risk

Till today, tourists and explorers are allowed to visit the outer chamber of fort during the day and at night, the place is deserted. Some locals and enthusiasts even lay out camps near the river bank to listen to the wailing cry of help of Narayanrao’s spirit shouting ‘Kaaka! Maala vaachva’ that continues to haunt ‘Shaniwar Wada’.

20. Hindu cremation rituals

As per Hindu customs, a dead individual’s cremation must be done with all rituals to release their spirit from the mortal world. And, as Narayanrao’s body was dismembered and thrown away in the river, his remains were never found and his last rites couldn’t be performed.

21. Spirit of Narayanrao haunts Shaniwar Wada

Locals believe that because Narayanrao’s funeral rites never took place, his spirit till date moves in pain in the mortal world and his soul is trapped within the walls of Shaniwar Wada.

22. Shaniwar Wada horror

It is also believed that once Kashibai’s best friend from childhood had cursed the prosperity of Shaniwar Wada, after her husband was killed by Bajirao on suspicion of being a traitor to the Maratha Empire.

23. Shaniwar Wada cursed?

It is said, that Shaniwar Wada never prospered and was always strangled by the webs of betrayal, dishonesty and bloodshed. The power of throne was such that it saw the Peshwa household falling to pieces.

24. Burned to ashes

And as fate would have it, on February 27, 1828, a major fire broke out inside the palace complex which raged for nearly seven days, destroying everything that marked the legends of Peshwa household. Only the heavy teak gates and deep foundation of the fort survived.

Savitribai Phule: The lady who empowered women in a time no one did

The 1800s was a bad time for women to be born in India.

They would be married off even before puberty, education was out of bounds and because of mortality rates, most of them would become widows before they reached adulthood.

If it was a tough time to be a woman, it was almost impossible to be a woman who wanted to reform the society. But Savitribai Phule was the first woman who led the campaign to make women’s lives better.

She knew what it was like to be in a child marriage as she was married off at the tender age of 9 years.

She was married off to Jyotiba Phule, a 13-year-old boy. She experienced child marriage first hand.

But luckily Jyotiba Phule turned out to be a progressive man. He taught Savitribai to read and write, to the point that Savitribai would write poems.

This would make her one of the few women at that time to be properly educated.

She understood what Jyotiba had done, and realized the power of teaching. She knew that if she wanted to change the lives of the other women in India, she would have to educate them.

And thus she became India’s first woman teacher and open the first school for girls in Bhide Wada in Pune.

In her life, she opened 18 schools for women. She also became the first woman in India to become a headmistress

As she fought against child marriage, she also fought against the other social evils of that time like sati and caste discrimination.

Back then, the mortality rates were very high. It was common for people to die at a very young age. Because of this, child brides would often become child widows.

As a result, they were forced to shave their head and remain celibate throughout life. Because of their vulnerable nature, they were often sexually exploited and hence becoming victims of unwanted pregnancies.

Because of the social shame, these child widows would commit suicide. Savitribai went around and protested against the barbers so that the widows would not have their head shaved and hence protect them from being visibly vulnerable.

She opened a widow care center called Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha in her own house to protect pregnant child widows from getting victimized by the society.

She even opened a well inside her house so that “untouchables” could come and draw water.

Because the zamindars who had wells would not let the untouchables from drawing water from their wells. This was a momentous decision since Savitribai was a daughter of a Patil (head of a village).

She faced a lot of hate and abuse from the orthodox society of that time.

And in the end, she died serving the people.

During the third pandemic of the bubonic plague, she opened a shelter for the sick with her son Yashwantrao. She treated the plague affected patients with utmost care.

She contracted the disease herself while serving the sick and died on 10 March 1897 while serving a plague patient.

It took real guts to rally support for women’s rights back when women were not considered equal. They are still not considered now, but at least the law of the land says they are. Back then, Sati and child marriage was considered a part of the tradition.

And in this backwardness, a child bride from Pune had the guts to stand up and fight for not just female rights, but even for the socially maligned and the diseased and the untouchables.

She may have been forgotten as a hero, but it is time we took cognizance of her bravery and courage to swim against the tide of patriarchy at a time when the current was the strongest.

Every girl born in India has Savitribai to thank.

(Source: Storypick)

Drought revisits India

She is 11-year-old, lives in Bonewadi, a small town in Maharashtra, with her mother, two sisters and one brother. She is in Class 6 and walks 3km to reach her school. In the evening, she walks 7km to feed the cattle at a cattle camp. Her day starts at 7am and goes on till 10 pm. Meet Asha, a young girl born in a farmer’s family that owns 11 acres of land, the land which is usually sufficient to earn enough money to make a living under normal conditions.

Then, there’s Digambar Pandurang Atpadkar, a 70-year-old farmer who owns 60 acres of land and four wells in Vartuke Malwade, a small village, also in Maharashtra. He and his wife have walked 10 km to reach the cattle camp to save their eight animals.

Asha and Atpadkar are just two among the many who have been hit by drought in India. And surprisingly, majority of the farmers and cattle taking refuge in the cattle camp are from Mann taluk in Satara district, which is under the parliamentary constituency of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who had recently claimed to have spent millions of rupees supporting irrigation facilities in Maharashtra.

Moreover, it is also adjacent to the sugar belt - not to forget the fact that sugarcane is infamously a water-intensive crop - which politicians consider their stronghold, having poured in a lion’s share of Maharashtra’s development funds here. Yet, the region, popularly known as Manndesh in Marthi folklore, continues to remain at the mercy of whimsical rains.

Triggering concerns of poor farm output and higher inflation, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted less rain in June-to-September, which would be 15 per cent below the seasonal average.  "We expect 15 per cent shortfall in the seasonal rains," LS Rathore, director general, IMD, told reporters.

Agricultural sector output which accounts for 20 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), would be hit considerably due to the deficient rainfall. “The prevailing drought conditions could affect the crop prospects and may have its impact on the prices of essential commodities, such as shortfall in domestic supplies relative to demand,” Food Minister KV Thomas had said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Cattle camp

Four states - Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra - are facing drought-like situation and Between June 1 and August 5, the monsoon rain has been 17 per cent lower, according to the IMD. Satara district in western Maharashtra has 21 cattle camps, including the biggest Mann Deshi Cattle Camp, a makeshift camp set up at Mhaswad, 190km west of Pune, this year; the last such camps were in 2003 and 2009 when drought was severe in this sugar belt.

“We are here because there is no water in our village. Neither for the animals, nor for us. Our cattle get sugarcane, corn, fodder, dry fodder, green fodder. We get rice and pulses,” said Atpadkar who has left behind his house and land to save the lives of his cattle, the invaluable assets he owns.

The Mann Deshi Camp has rescued over 11,000 animals from going to butcher shops. People are migrating to other places in search of not occupation, but in search of water for their animals. In 2003, there was water, but this year, there’s no water. “Farmers here are ready to buy fodder, pledging their gold, but ask us how and where to buy water?” Chetna Gala-Sinha, the founder-president of the Mann Deshi Mahila Bank, the only women’s bank in rural Maharashtra, which has set up the cattle camp, said.  

Women walk 5-10km every day to fetch drinking water. When men migrate in search of better opportunities for their animals, women turn to the cattle camps and now the camp also gives shelter to more than 3,500 families. Looking like a small township in itself, the cattle camp, which is spread across the five acres of land, originally meant for the housing colony for villagers, provides nearly 3.5-4 lakh litres of water and 140 tonnes of fodder to the animals every day.

“Each big animal gets 15kg of dry grass, sugarcane and corn every day and three kg of processed cattle feed every week. People carry water stored in the big tanks, in buckets, around the camp and four water tankers make five trips a day to a pipeline 11km away to fetch the required four lakh litres of water daily,” said Sinha. 

All the wells in the region have dried up due to the “mismanagement of water”. The lake in Dhakani has water, but is not suitable for drinking. When asked Atpadkar why he left behind such a vast land and his house and took shelter in the camp, he says: “Why? What do we eat there? Soil? There’s no food, no water… There’s no option. We take this as our home. Death is inevitable, here or there. No food, no water… If our animals die, what are we left with?”

Crops hit

The drought, India's first since 2009, will not bring a shortage of staples as the nation's grain stores are overflowing with rice and wheat, and sugar output is set to exceed demand for a third straight year. (If the rainfall records below 90 percent of the 50-year average, it is considered deficient or "drought" in layman's parlance.) But it will deal a devastating blow to grain crops used for animal feed. That would badly hit the vast majority of the country's farmers who - with cattle and small landholdings their only assets - struggle to survive at the best of times.

“The cattle population would be adversely affected due to marginal availability of green fodders. Due to the damage of khariff crops, food grain production would be affected. But the food grains will be supplied through the Public distribution systems to the families below poverty lines, which would help the families living in poverty to cope with the situation,” said Amar Nayak, Knowledge Hub Leader, Land and Livelihood, Action Aid.

According to the data placed before Parliament, retail prices of some pulses, sugar, edible oil and tomato have risen in the last three months and prices of rice, wheat and atta have remained stable. In New Delhi, the retail price of gram dal has increased to Rs 67 per kg from Rs 53 per kg, tur dal from Rs 70 to Rs 74 per kg and masoor dal by Rs 8 to Rs 61/kg and sugar to Rs 39 per kg from Rs 35 per kg three months back.       

Drought prone

India is naturally drought prone. “Particularly in the areas removed from the core monsoon - that is in the Northwest of the country, the average recurrence time of droughts is 8 to 10 years. Severe droughts occur about every 30 years. The 2009 drought was not a major event,” Upmanu Lall, the director of Columbia Water Centre at Columbia University's Earth Institute, said.

And women like Sheelabai Digambar  Atpadkar, 60, has no other go but to find some source to save her family assets, who walked 16km with her animals to reach the camp. When asked about the situation in her village, she said: “The water tanker comes to our village once in 15 days. My six cows need more than 200 litres of water every day. Where can we store this? If I sell my cattle, I will lose my lifetime savings.”

Meanwhile, there are also reports putting the blame on IMD for not alerting the public about the failure of monsoon in advance. Even though in recent years, the IMD’s greater computer modelling capacity  has improved its ability to make seasonal forecasts of rainfall and help authorities and people with early drought warnings, “it is very difficult for climatologists to develop an accurate seasonal forecast, the one with a high degree of certainty,” Andrew Robertson, scientist, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, said.

Moreover, predicting the time and intensity of the rainfall accurately is not that easy. It involves significant uncertainties - looking decades into the future or even a few months. “It’s very tricky,” Andrew Robertson, scientist, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, Robertson said. "It’s not an easy task to predict in May whether the monsoon will be weak in a given year."

There is a correlation between monsoon strength and El Nino, generally. If sea surface temperatures rise due to an El Nino in the Pacific, monsoon rains may be weaker in that year and the weak El Nino this year may be playing a role in the current drought, according to Robertson.

Chances of recovery

Not all such episodes of severe drought correlate with El Nino-Southern Oscillation events, although there have been instances of El Nino-related droughts implicated in periodic declines in Indian agricultural output in the past.

Why is there such a scarcity of water in the country then? The general scarcity of water in the country - apart separate from the drought this year - is very closely related to the mismanagement of water in the country, most grievously in the agricultural sector. “The irrigation technologies employed do not promote conservation. Much canal water is wasted or lost to unaccountable use. The situation is quite tragic,” says Lall, adding: “The investments in agricultural improvements for the Green revolution lifted the country out of the problems... However, the cost of the complacency that set in subsequently, and the inability to continue to assess the implications of the trajectories that were put in place has led to the resulting problems today."

Not everything looks so bleak. “Still there are chances of recovery in the worst hit regions, monsoon rains may come, but again it’s another prediction, another probability. Everything is unpredictable when it comes to monsoons, especially in a country like India,” Robertson said.

Moreover, farmers have their own robust adaptation to climate variation. “We came across inspiring examples as how farmers used traditional seeds, how they have preserved seeds, adjusting the sowing periods as per the forecast of rain, managing the water harvesting systems,” said Nayak.

Maybe such adaptations, promoted with adequate resource and policy support by the government, can help the future generations like Asha to fulfill her “dream of becoming a doctor”.