Indira Gandhi Birth Anniversary: Some lesser-known facts about India's first female Prime Minister

New Delhi | science academy Desk: Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, more commonly known as Indira Gandhi was the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of India and was also the only women till date to have held the post. Indira Gandhi is known as the Iron Lady of India and is considered as one of the most powerful Prime Ministers in Indian history.

Indira Gandhi, born on November 19, 1917, to India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, held the position of the Prime Minister for 15 long years and was the supreme and central figure of the Indian National Congress during her tenure. Many people remember her for her step to impose the Emergency in the country in 1975, which changed the dynamics of Indian politics forever.The Iron Lady, ironically, was assassinated by her trustworthy Sikh bodyguard at her residence on October 31 in 1984, marking an end to an era. The assassination came after Gandhi launched 'Operation Bluestar' and ordered the Indian Army to confront Sikh separatists who had taken shelter at the Amritsar’s Golden Temple.

So to mark the 103rd birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi, here are some lesser-known facts about India's own Iron Lady:

Indira Gandhi served as India's PM for two terms. Her first term lasted for 11 years from January 1966 to March 1977, while her second term lasted for four years from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984, making her the second-longest-serving PM of the country.

She was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, and was born on November 19, 1917.

During Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister from 1947 to 1964, Gandhi was considered a key assistant and accompanied him on his numerous foreign trips.

In 1959, Indira Gandhi was elected as the president of the Indian National Congress.

Upon her father’s death in 1964, she was appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and became a member of Lal Bahadur Shastri’s cabinet as Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

Indira Gandhi was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna after leading India to victory against Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971.

In 1975, after she was convicted of an election offence and barred from politics for 6 years, she imposed an Emergency.

She went to war with Pakistan in support of the independence movement and war of independence in East Pakistan, which resulted in an Indian victory and the creation of Bangladesh.

In 1999, Indira Gandhi was named “Woman of the Millennium” in an online poll organised by the BBC.

Recently, she was named by Time magazine among the world’s 100 powerful women who defined the last century.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, popularly known as ‘the Iron Man of India’, was a great freedom activist and leader of the Indian National Congress. Let’s have a look at his childhood, family life & achievements.

(31st अक्तूबर: - जन्म दिवस की विशेष प्रस्तुति)
by साइन्स अकादमी ,न्यू दिल्ली
Leaders : Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Date of Birth: 31 October 1875

Place of Birth: Nadiad, Bombay Presidency (present day Gujarat)

Parents: Zaverbhai Patel (father) and Ladbai (mother)

Spouse: Jhaverba

Children: Maniben Patel, Dahyabhai Patel

Education: N. K. High school, Petlad; Inns of Court, London, England

Association: Indian National Congress

Movement: Indian Independence Struggle

Political Ideology: Moderate, Right-wing

Religious Beliefs: Hinduism

Publications: Ideas of a Nation: Vallabhai Patel, The Collected Works of Vallabhbhai Patel, 15 volumes

Passed Away: 15 December 1950 

Memorial: SardarVallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Vallabhbhai Patel was an Indian barrister, statesman and a prominent leader of the Indian Independence movement. Popularly known as Sardar Patel and The Ironman of India, he was the first Deputy Prime Minister and the first Home Minister of independent India.

After studying law in England, he practiced law in Ahmedabad. Initially not much interested in the independence movement, a meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 changed his views. Leaving his law-practice, Patel committed himself to the Independence struggle. He received the title of Sardar (leader/Chief) after successfully leading the agitation of the farmers of Bardoli (1928). His greatest contribution to the post-independence India was the integration of 565 princely states, and creation of All-India Services. In 1991, India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna was conferred upon him posthumously.

Childhood & Early Life

Sardar Patel was born Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel in 1875, at Nadiad, Gujarat, British India, in a middle-class agricultural family of Lewa Patidar community. There is no official record of his date of birth, but October 31 is mentioned as his date of birth on his matriculation exam papers. He was the fourth of six children of Jhaverbhai Patel and his wife, Laadbai. His father had participated in the 1857 Mutiny, in the army of Rani Laxmi of Jhansi.

Growing up in a traditional Hindu family, his early childhood was spent on family’s agricultural fields at Karamsad. By late teens, he completed his middle school education at Karamsad. In 1891, he was married to Jhaverba when he was 16. At 22, he completed his matriculation from a high school in Nadiad/Petlad in 1897.

Patel aimed to work and collect necessary money to go to England to study law. After schooling, he studied by borrowing law books and passed the District Pleader’s examination. In 1900, he started his law practice at Godhra. He brought his wife, Jhaverba, from her parent’s place, and together, they set up a home. They had two children: a daughter, Maniben (B.1904), and a son, Dahyabhai (b.1906).

With his hard work and dedication, Patel became a capable lawyer. During a plague epidemic, he contracted the disease while nursing a friend. Leaving his family, he went to Nadiad to recuperate.

In 1902, Patel moved to Borsad (Kheda district) to practice law, where he successfully handled challenging court cases. With his law practice, he saved enough money to go to England to study law. The ticket bore the name ‘V.J. Patel,’ which were also the initials of his elder brother, Vithalbhai Patel. After learning about his elder brother’s wish to study in England, Vallabhbhai decided that his elder brother should go first, so as to maintain family’s reputation.

In 1909, Patel’s wife took seriously ill, and was operated upon in a hospital in Bombay/Mumbai. However, she didn’t recover from it. When she died, Patel was cross-examining in a court in Anand. He received a note bearing the news, read it, but continued with his case without giving any indication till the end of the case. He did not marry again.

At 36, Patel went to England (in 1910), to study law at the Middle Temple Inn. With his hard work, he not only completed the course months earlier, but also achieved the top place in Roman law.

Patel returned to India in February 1913, and established a successful practice at Ahmedabad. As an eminent barrister in criminal law, he led a westernized lifestyle. Known for his courteous, well-mannered behavior, western clothes, and expertise in the game of bridge, he wasn’t interested in politics. However, a meeting with Mahatma Gandhi in 1917 changed his views. Inspired by Gandhi’s ideologies, Patel became his follower. In 1917, Patel was elected the sanitation commissioner of Ahmedabad.

Role in the Indian National Movement

Joining India’s independence movement, Patel motivated the people of Borsad in September 1917 to join Gandhi’s demand for independence. Patel joined the Indian National Congress’ Gujarat Sabha as secretary and helped in Gandhi’s campaigns.

Kheda district faced a plague epidemic in 1917, followed by a famine in 1918. Despite crop failures, the British government refused to exempt the land revenue. Patel led the agitation of the farmers and Zamindars to get tax exemption. During the 3-month long campaign, he came very close to Gandhi. Visiting several villages, he motivated farmers to revolt against the government without any violence by not paying taxes. Several farmers and volunteers were arrested, lands were seized and people faced harassment, but the resistance effort paid off and the government was forced to exempt the taxes.

In 1920, Patel was elected President of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (the post he served till 1945). Leaving his successful legal practice, he joined Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. He and his children burned their western clothing in bon-fires organized to burn and boycott British goods. He started wearing Indian attire made of Khadi (Indian handloom cotton). He traveled from place to place and recruited 3,00,000 members and collected a fund of Rs.1.5 million.

In 1923, while Gandhi was in prison, Patel led the Satyagraha Movement in Nagpur, when the British banned hoisting of Indian flag. He succeeded in obtaining the consent to hoist the flag publicly, and also got the prisoners released (arrested for hoisting the flag).

From 1924-1928, Patel was chosen the President of the municipal committee of Ahmedabad. During these years, he implemented several sanitation, water supply, administration and town planning programs. He also worked towards several social reforms, including prohibition of untouchability, casteism, alcoholism, etc.

In 1928, the government raised the land revenue at a time when the farmers in Bardoli taluka of Surat district were already facing famine. Patel toured the villages to gauge the condition. Before launching a Satyagraha, he forewarned the villagers of the difficulties and asked them to maintain non-violence and unity.

As per Patel’s call for a non-cooperation movement on February 12, 1928, the farmers refused to pay the taxes demanded by the government. The government responded by arresting farmers and confiscating their lands, but the farmers didn’t give-in. Many Satyagrahas were undertaken all over Gujarat to express solidarity and sympathy with the Bardoli farmers.  The agitation continued for 6 months, while Patel carried on his negotiations with the government. His efforts bore fruit in August and the administration returned the seized lands and the implementation of increased tax was postponed. The success of the Bardoli Satyagraha earned him the name Sardar or chief.

In 1930, Gandhi gave the call for Dandi March and Salt Satyagraha to protest against the salt tax. As one of the leaders, Patel was arrested before the Dandi March on March 7, 1930. He was tried without any witnesses or lawyers. After Gandhi’s arrest, the agitation intensified demanding release of the two leaders. Patel was released in June and took on the responsibilities as the Congress president in absence of Gandhi. However, he was arrested once again.

Patel was elected the President of the 46th session of the Indian National Congress at Karachi, in March 1931. Congress approved the Gandhi-Irwin Pact, though Nehru and Bose didn’t totally agree with the terms of the pact. The same day, Bhagat Singh and associates were executed in Lahore. The Karachi session of the Congress coped with a lot of turmoil. Thereafter, the Indian National Congress agreed to participate in the Round Table Conference in London. However, the Conference didn’t succeed and subsequently Gandhi, Patel and several other leaders were arrested. Patel was with Gandhi in Yerwada Jail from January 1931 to May 1933. When Gandhi protested against allocation of separate electorates for untouchables by starting fast-unto-death, Patel looked after him. Later, he was shifted to Nasik Jail for one year, and was released in 1934.

As per the Government of India Act 1935, the Congress decided to participate in the elctions to provincial legislatures. Patel played an important role in raising funds and selecting candidates for these elections. The Indian National Congress won in 7 out of 11 provinces. As the chairman of the Congress Parliamentary Sub-committee, he guided the ministries.

At the start of WWII, the Viceroy declared India as an ally of England. The Congress ministries resigned in protest and leaders courted arrests. Gandhi gave call for Individual Civil Disobedience. After being arrested in November 1940, Patel was later released on August 29, 1941, due to ill-health.

On August 8, 1942,  the All India Congress Committee launched the Quit India Movement. Many prominent Congress leaders, including Patel, were arrested on August 9, 1942. Patel was arrested and confined at the Ahmednagar Fort for 3 years. All Congress leaders were released in 1945, after the end of WWII.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel & the Partition of India

The British government called for negotiations with the Indian National Congress for the independence of India. The Muslim League leader Jinah’s separatist movement put a roadblock in front of the Congress leaders. Initially, Patel was against the partition of India. However, he realized that these communal conflicts could lead to a weak government at the center, so he agreed for creating a separate dominion (based on religious preferences). Gandhi and other Congress leaders were totally against partition. He discussed with Gandhi at private meetings, convinced him that the Congress-Muslim League alliance government would not work, and would lead to a civil war in the country.

At the time of independence, the partition of British India into India-Pakistan resulted in large-scale communal riots. Patel worked tirelessly to establish peace, and provide safety and essentials to the refugees. He went to border areas to organize relief and set up refugee camps. He also called in the army (South Indian regiments) to bring the situation under control.

Contribution to Post-Independence India

Patel was the first Deputy Prime Minister and the first Home Minister of Independent India. British had given two choices to the Indian Princely states – they could either join India or Pakistan, or stay independent. This created a lot of uncertainty. As the home minister, Patel had a herculean task to convince the princely states to join India. With his tactful negotiation, he succeeded in integrating over 560 states to the Indian Union. There were a few states like Junagadh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Hyderabad, which did not acquiesce/comply. Without these states joining the Indian Union, the country would’ve been disjointed, so Patel used force to deal with them. Because of his efforts, today India stands as an integrated nation.

In September 1947, when Pakistan tried to invade Kashmir, Patel asked the rulers of Kashmir to accede to India, after which he ordered the army to drive away the invaders and re-claim the invaded territories.  

Patel was the driving force behind creating the All India Services, which he knew would be essential for providing a firm infrastructure to the new nation. He was also an important part of the Constituent Assembly of India. The Somnath Temple in Saurashtra was restored under his supervision.

Influence of Gandhi

Gandhi’s life and his principles had a huge effect on Patel’s life and ideologies. When Gandhi gave a call for the Non-cooperation Movement, Patel left his flourishing practice and dedicated himself to the independence struggle. He also supported and followed Gandhi’s path of non-violence, and stood resolutely alongside Gandhi, even when other leaders did not agree with some of Gandhi’s ideas. Gandhi’s Civil Disobedience movement faced opposition, but Patel supported him. On Gandhi’s suggestion, he took back his candidacy for the election of the president of the Indian National Congress, in 1946.

Death & Legacy

Patel suffered a heart-attack after Gandhi’s assassination in 1948. His health began to deteriorate in the latter half of 1950. In December, he was taken to Bombay. He had a second heart-attack, and died on December 15, 1950.

In 1980, the Sardar Patel National Memorial was opened at Moti Shahi Mahal, Ahmedabad. A major dam on River Narmada (Gujarat) was dedicated to him as Sardar Sarovar Dam. The international airport in Ahmedabad and several academic institutions are named after Patel.

He was posthumously awarded India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in 1991.

In 2014, it was announced that the nation would annually celebrate Patel’s birthday, October 31st, as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day.

Statue of Unity

World’s tallest statue, the 182-meter (597 feet) tall Statue of Unity, was dedicated to him on October 31, 2018. It is approximately 3.2 km away from Sadhu Bet near Vadodara, Gujarat. The Statue of Unity and its related structures are spread over an area of about 20000 square meters. Built at an approximate cost of 29.8 billion rupees ($425m), the entire complex is surrounded by an artificial lake. 

महाकवि निराला से मुखातिब हुआ था मैं..[संस्मरण] - प्राण शर्मा (निराला जी की पुण्यतिथि पर विशेष प्रस्तुति)

पिता जी ने कहा- “देख बेटे, हिन्दी की रत्न परीक्षा तो तूने अच्छे अंकों से पास उत्तीर्ण कर ली अब लगे हाँथों प्रभाकर भी कर ले। यह ले सौ रूपये और नालंदा कोलेज के प्रिंसिपल से पूछ कर सभी पुस्तकें खरीद ले। हिंदी की अच्छी शिक्षा पायेगा तो विद्वान बनेगा, पता है क्या तुझे कि कभी महात्मा गाँधी ने कहा था; भारत के असली शत्रु वे लोग हैं जो भारतीय होते हुए भी व्यवहारिकता में अंग्रेज हैं, उन लोगों की कृपा से आज समूचा भारतीय समाज अंग्रेजी की जंजीरों में जकडा नज़र आ रहा है। नगर-नगर में अब अंग्रेजी के पब्लिक स्कूलों की भरमार हो रही है। उनका जाल फ़ैल रहा है। सरकारी दफ्तरों और संस्थानों में अंग्रेजी का ही बोलबाला हो रहा है। हिन्दी और प्रादेशिक भाषाओं की अस्मिता पर घिर रहे संकट से आक्रान्त अनेक निष्टावान और कर्मठ विद्वान् लोग जूझ रहे हैं। तुझे प्रभाकर और हिन्दी में एम.ए करके ऐसे हिन्दी के प्रतिबद्ध लोगों का अनुसरण करना है। बेटे, माँ के समान होती है अपनी भाषा-बोली, तभी तो वह मातृभाषा कहलाती है। तुझे व्यवहारिकता में भारतीय बनना है, अँगरेज़ नहीं। अँगरेज़ तो चले गए लेकिन अपनी ज़बान यहीं छोड़ गए, अंग्रेज़ी परस्त लोगों के संरक्षण में”।

 पिता जी हिन्दी, संस्कृत और अंग्रेजी के विद्वान् थे। पंजाबी होते हुए भी वह घर घर में बनारस के पंडितों जैसी हिन्दी बोलते थे। उनके उच्चारण में .कुछ लोग उनको बनारसी पंडित समझते थे। उन्होंने कुछ इस अंदाज़ से उपदेश दिया कि उनके मुखारविंद से निकला हुआ एक-एक क्लिष्ट शब्द भी गुलाब की पंखुरी जैसा कोमल लगा। उनकी बातों से मैं इतना जियादा प्रभावित हुआ कि एक सौ रूपये मैंने अपनी जेब में डाले और दूसरे दिन सुबह सबसे पहला पहला काम नालंदा कॉलेज में प्रवेश पाने का किया। प्रिंसिपल श्री रामलाल से पुस्तकों की सूची ली और लाजपत नगर की मार्केट के पुस्तक-विक्रेता के पास पहुँच गया। सभी पुस्तकें खरीदने में देर नहीं लगी।

पिता जी अति प्रसन्न थे, क्योंकि उनकी आज्ञा का पालन मैं बखूबी कर रहा था। घर में उत्सव जैसा वातावरण हो गया था। नयी दिल्ली का एक बहुत ही सुंदर इलाका है--सुंदर नगर .उसकी मार्केट से रसगुल्ले मंगवाए गए। प्रभाकर में प्रवेश पाने से सबसे बड़ा लाभ यह हुआ कि मुझ को छंदशास्त्र पढने को मिला। कविता कहना सीखा। यूँ तो फिल्मी गीत गाते-गाते लय में कुछ न कुछ कहना मैंने पहले ही जान लिया था। जब भी छंद में कोई गीत ,कविता या ग़ज़ल कहता तो उसे गाते-गुनगुनाते हुए मुझे अच्छा लगता। उन्ही दिनों संयोग से नालंदा कोलेज में कविवर उदय भानु हंस के दर्शन हुए। वह अथिति अध्यापक के रूप में कुछ घंटों के लिए वहां आए थे। पता चला कि वे अच्छे कवि भी हैं। उनको सामने पाकर सुखद लगा.एकाध साल के बाद उनकी यह रूबाई पढ़ कर मैं झूम उठा था-

 

मैं साधू से आलाप भी कर लेता हूँ

मन्दिर में में कभी जप भी कर लेता हूँ

मानव से कहीं देव न बन जायुं मैं

यह सोच के कुछ पाप भी कर लेता हूँ

 

प्रभाकर में लगे काव्य -संकलन की कुछ काव्य-पंक्तियों --

बुंदेलों हरबोलों के मुंह हमने सूनी कहानी थी

खूब लदी मर्दानी वह तो झांसी वाली रानी थी

-सुभद्रा कुमारी चौहान

 

वह आता

दो टूक कलेजे के करता

पछताता

पथ पर आता

-सूर्य कान्त त्रिपाठी निराला

 

इस पार प्रिये तुम हो मधु है

उस पार न जाने क्या होगा

-हरिवंश राय बच्चन

 

कवि कुछ ऐसी तान सुनाओ

जिस से उथल-पुथल मच जाए

-बालकृष्ण शर्मा नवीन

 

और नरेन्द्र शर्मा की एक कविता जो याद नहीं आ रही है,में मेरा मन डूबा ही हुआ था कि एक दिन पिता जी बड़े-बड़े विद्वानों की समझ में न आने वाली निराला जी की क्लिष्ट कविता "राम की शक्तिपूजा" कहीं से ले ले आए, मेरा शब्द-सामर्थ्य बढ़ाने के लिए। कविता की प्रारंभिक पंक्तिओं---

 

आज की तीक्ष्ण शर विधृत क्षिप्र कर वेग प्रखर

शत शेल संवरण शील नील नभ गर्जित स्वर

प्रति पल परिवर्तित व्यूह भेद कौशल समूह

राक्षस विरुद्ध प्रत्यूह क्रुद्ध कपि विषम हूह

 

ही पढ़ कर मेरा अपरिपक्व मस्तिष्क चक्कर खाने लगा, पसीने तो छूटने ही थे। मैंने पिता जी से विनम्रता से कहा कि अभी मैं इतना समर्थ नहीं हूँ कि ऐसे क्लिष्ट शब्दों को आत्मसात कर सकूं। वह नहीं माने और जबरन मुझ को अपने पास बिठा लेते और राम की शक्तिपूजा की पंक्तिओं के क्लिष्ट शब्दों के अर्थ समझाने लगते। उनके बार - बार समझाने पर भी मेरी अल्प बुद्धि उन्हें पचा नहीं पाती। मैं दूसरी पंक्ति के शब्दों के अर्थ समझता और उसकी पहली पंक्ति के शब्दों के अर्थ भूल जाता।

चूँकि पिता जी को मेरा शब्द-सामर्थ्य बढाना और मुझको विद्वान् बनाना था इसलिए वह डटे रहे। यह सिलसिला कई दिनों तक चला। एक दिन मैं विद्धांग शब्द का अर्थ भूल गया। नर्म दिल के पिता का धैर्य टूट गया। देखते ही देखते वह लाल-पीले हो गए। सिंहनाद कर उठे-"तेरा ध्यान कहाँ रहता है?" फिर धमाकेदार तमंचे शुरू हो गए उनके। कभी मेरी एक गाल पर और कभी दूसरी गाल पर, मेरी आंखों में आंसुओं की झड़ी लग गयी। अपने सत्रह-अठारह वर्ष के पूत को केवल एक शब्द के लिए बुरी तरह मार खाता देख कर मेरी माँ कराह उठी। छोटा भाई उसकी पीठ के के पीछे लुक गया। पड़ोसी वाली मेरी हम उम्र निशि जो सरसों का साग और मक्की की रोटियां देने आयी थी, उस कारुणिक दृश्य से सुबक उठी और अपनी गीली आंखों को दुपट्टे के कोने से छिपा कर अपने घर में भाग गयी। मैं उस पीड़ा को अपने मन में में लिए कई दिनों तक तड़पता रहा। सपनो में महाकवि निराला जी से मैं घायल मन से कई बार मिला और उनसे मुखातिब हुआ - निराला जी, "राम की शक्तिपूजा लिख आप तो क्लासिकल पोएट बन गए हैं लेकिन आपकी उस क्लिष्ट कविता ने मेरी कितनी दुर्गति करवाई है,आप क्या जाने?

Remembering APJ Abdul Kalam’s ‘Vision 2020’ on his birth anniversary; where does Indian economy stand?

 

Dr. Kalam devoted a decade of his life pursuing the model of PURA or Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas.

The nation remembers its 11th President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in many forms – missile man, space scientist, nuclearization leader and people's President. But one common trait which runs through all his roles was his unflinching optimism and devotion to being productive for the nation. The year 2020 marks a landmark year – it is the milestone of the Vision 2020, which he laid down two decades ago as a pathway to an economically developed India with societal inclusion.

The cornerstone of this vision relied on three principal factors – we need to realize and unleash our potential as a nation, we need to build an economy based on technological leadership and finally, we need a balanced growth model where rural and urban can not only co-exist but thrive together.

While we co-authored Dr. Kalam's final book, Advantage India in 2015, he told me a story that highlights this aspect of identifying our latent national potential. In 1975, ISRO needed beryllium diaphragms for a new device. Today, we can find these diaphragms in high-quality audio speakers. But few nations had the ability to make them 40 years ago. Dr. Kalam and his scientific team approached a US-based firm that agreed to sell them to India. Just when the deal was about to go through, the US government blocked the sale as the material was being used in their strategic missiles.

Denied a critical product, India started learning more about it; and discovered something startling. The US diaphragms were made from beryllium rods produced in Japan - and the Japanese makers had outsourced the beryllium from us! India was among the top four producers of this rare element. The team was dismayed to learn that a product whose raw material we possessed almost exclusively, was denied to us. A committee of top research labs was then constituted to make our own beryllium diaphragm. In four months, we triumphed.

In this real-life run of a story similar to "The Alchemist", the message is clear. There are many "raw berylliums" hidden in our nation. Often they are ignored, sometimes even discredited. Dr. Kalam saw this latent potential foremost in the youth of the nation – whom he believed we need to trust and invest more. He talked about revamping our education system, via rebuilding legacy institutions like Nalanda and creating a World Knowledge Platform in India to transform the nation into a "vishwa guru".

Secondly, we need to build a spirit of technological nationalism. This is a broader and inclusive nationalism we need. Technology provides developing economies the ability to leapfrog certain stages of development. Our mobile phone revolution, for instance, leapfrogged the landline stage, growing from a million mobile connections in 1999 to over 760 million smartphones by 2021. India with its market can also build collaborations across nations based on technological abilities. A shining example is the BrahMos Cruise Missile co-developed by India and Russia. While India brought its knowledge in developing the targeting mechanism, Russia contributed to the propulsion system. It gave both nations the capability to develop and produce perhaps the best cruise missile system in the world with a business volume of over $7 billion.

Today, India has the world-class ability in IT, communication, pharmaceuticals and space - let us find collaborations for them and unleash true entrepreneurial energy into them. What do we need to leapfrog here? The stage of environmental degradation associated with manufacturing. Make in India, Make it Green, and Invent in India.

There is also a need to make our spending on research and development more result-oriented. It concerns me that no Indian citizenship holder has won the Nobel Prize in any of the sciences, despite India's National Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) in science and technology to over Rs 1 lakh crore annually.

The third aspect is about making the rewards of development reach across rural-urban, across genders, and across economic groups. One key opportunity which has arisen out of the current pandemic crisis is our chance to transform our habitation-economy model. The pain of the exodus of migrant workers must compel us to discover a new India where there are opportunities for income in villages and smaller towns – and where the only path to growth is not via the painful process of migration. Dr. Kalam devoted a decade of his life pursuing the model of PURA or Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas – where he promoted a model of connectivities in village clusters to spur economic development and urban class services of healthcare and education in India's 600,000 villages. The post-pandemic India has a chance to not just go back to older times, but also to create novel pathways. What road shall we choose?

India has tremendous potential to innovate and rise to the occasion. In March 2020, at the beginning of COVID-19, India was reeling in its medical system. Hospitals had no PPEs, markets had no sanitizers or masks. India was then importing nearly 100% of its PPEs. It was thought to be the basket case that would collapse under the pandemic. But not only did India endured through one of the longest lockdowns across the world it silently revamped its entire medical supply industry.

 

By June India was making 200,000 kits a day and by the end of July 2020, India opened up to export PPE and other protective supplies to the rest of the world. Pune-based Serum India is planning to produce 100 million doses of COVID vaccine as soon as the clinical trials are positive. But why does it take a crisis and panic to start our genius innovation? Why cannot our inventive brain apply constantly, under the motivation to enable a developed India? How do we create this ecosystem of constant improvement in a time when India is being seen as a global opportunity to cushion against the Chinese dominance in manufacturing in a post-COVID world?

One of the firm thoughts of Dr. Kalam was that forward-looking societies need to be careful about selecting who their adversaries are. Powerful nations like India will eventually win over their select opponents. So it is on us today, whether we choose to contest poverty, illiteracy, or disease – but we designate our own fellow citizens as our adversaries based on their difference of political leaning, faith, or region. A nation is as great as the challenger it chooses to confront.

(Srijan Pal Singh is the CEO of Kalam Centre. He was the Adviser for Policy and Technology to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and co-authored the book Advantage India. Views expressed are the author's personal.)

please see this link (below)......................

http://www.financialexpress.com/

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam birth anniversary special: Discoveries, places, days dedicated to India's 'Missile Man'

 

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam birth anniversary special: Discoveries, places, days dedicated to India's 'Missile Man'

India today remembers its Missile Man, the great educationalist, the person behind the success of the Indian aerospace science programme Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, on his birth anniversary. Dr. Kalam inspired people and young minds across the globe. With his knowledge, initiatives, and achievements, he has left an everlasting impact not only in India but also overseas. The world has acknowledged his contribution as his name continues to receive commemoration in the most respectful forms. Listed below are discoveries, places, holidays, satellite, etc. named after A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

NASA names space bacteria after Dr. Kalam

It was a proud moment for India three years ago when a research group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory discovered a new microorganism in Space and named it after the 11th President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam. The organism was called 'Solibacillus kalamii,' a gram-positive, rod-shaped, and aerobic bacterium.

Kalam SAT - World's lightest satellite

Kalam SAT, a satellite named after India's rocket scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, was built by an Indian High school student team. It was an experimental student payload under the Cubes in the Space program by a STEM-based education program by Idoodle Learning.Inc and NASA in 2017. The satellite is widely claimed to be the world's lightest satellite.

Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of Bengal

This island was earlier known as Wheeler Island. The Abdul Kalam Island is an island off the coast of Odisha. The island is equipped with the Integrated Test Range missile testing facility.

Mount Kalam named after Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

Mount Kalam overlooks Spiti Valley, and the peak is around 6180m above sea level. It is located near the Bara Shigri Glacier in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

World Students' Day

The world also recognises the birth anniversary of Dr Kalam on 15 October as students' day. In 2010, the United Nations had declared 15 October as "World Students' Day.

Other honours

Some many institutes and universities have also been named after Dr Kalam. Similarly, there is also the Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Award, an award instituted by the government of Tamil Nadu. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, a military research institute in Hyderabad, is named after India's rocket scientist.

Rare Photo of a Siberian Tigress Hugging a Tree Wins The Wildlife Photography Award 2020

A rare photo of a Siberian tigress hugging a fir tree has won this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. It took Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov 11 months and a range of hidden cameras to click the picture of a Siberian tigress hugging an ancient Manchurian fir tree in the Russian Far East.

The unique image was selected from over 49,000 entries. Judges believe the photo offers a ''scene like no other'' and is a ''unique glimpse of an intimate moment deep in a magical forest'.'

''Shafts of low winter sun highlight the ancient fir tree and the coat of the huge tigress as she grips the trunk in obvious ecstasy and inhales the scent of the tiger on resin, leaving her own mark as her message. It's also a story told in glorious colour and texture of the comeback of the Amur tiger, a symbol of the Russian wilderness,'' one of the judges said.

 "The lighting, the colours, the texture - it's like an oil painting. It's almost as if the tiger is part of the forest. Her tail blends with the roots of the tree. The two are one," WPY chair of judges Roz Kidman-Cox told BBC News. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

What is Plasma Therapy: A possible treatment for corona virus?

Several countries, including India, are seriously looking at plasma therapy as a potential treatment for Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Plasma therapy uses blood donated by recovered patients to introduce antibodies in those under treatment. We take a look at what convalescent plasma therapy is, the benefits and risks involved in the potential treatment, what past research says about it, and more.
Science academy
New Delhi
UPDATED: Sept 23, 2020

The convalescent plasma therapy uses antibodies developed within an infected person while he/she is infected with the novel corona virus. (Photo)

As Covid -19 continues to wreck havoc across the globe, scientists are racing to develop antidotes for the new corona virus, which began infecting humans late last year. Scientists and researchers are exploring various avenues to come up with medical treatments that can fight the novel corona virus. One such treatment that's in focus right now is Convalescent Plasma Therapy.

After China and the US, India has given a go ahead for framing a protocol to conduct a clinical trial for convalescent plasma therapy. The therapy has been used experimentally in the past and so has become a ray of hope in the fight against the novel corona virus pandemic.

In this report, we explain what the convalescent plasma therapy is, the benefits and risks involved, what past research says and more.

WHAT IS CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY?

The convalescent plasma therapy aims at using antibodies from the blood of a recovered Covid-19 patient to treat those critically affected by the virus. The therapy can also used to immunise those at a high risk of contracting the virus -- such as health workers, families of patients and other high-risk contacts.

This therapy's concept is simple and is based on the premise that the blood of a patient who has recovered from Covid-19 contains antibodies with the specific ability of fighting novel corona virus. The theory is that the recovered patient's antibodies, once ingested into somebody under treatment, will begin targetting and fighting the novel corona virus in the second patient.

The convalescent plasma therapy is akin to passive immunisation as, according to researchers, it is a preventive measure and not a treatment for the Covid-19 disease.

HOW CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY WORKS?

The convalescent plasma therapy uses antibodies developed within an infected person while he/she is infected with the novel corona virus.

These antibodies are developed in a patient as part of the body's natural immune response to a foreign pathogen or in this case, the novel corona virus. These antibodies are highly specific to the invading pathogen and so, work to eliminate the novel corona virus from the patient's body.

Once the patient has recovered, they donate their blood so that their antibodies can be used to treat other patients. The donated blood is then checked for the presence of any other disease-causing agents such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV etc.

If deemed safe, the blood is then taken through a process to extract 'plasma', the liquid part of the blood that contains antibodies. The antibody-rich plasma, once extracted, is then ingested into the body of a patient under treatment.

Speaking about the process the plasma therapy involves, John Hopkins University immunologist Arturo Casadevall, who is spearheading a project to use the therapy, has said, "The concept is simple. Patients who recover from an infectious disease often produce antibodies that can protect against later infections with the same microbe. This immunity can be transferred by giving serum to those at risk of infection."

In a study co-authored by Casadevall and immunologist Liise-anne Pirofski, the authors write that for effective therapy "a sufficient amount of antibody must be administered. When given to a susceptible person, this antibody will circulate in the blood, reach tissues, and provide protection against infection. Depending on the antibody amount and composition, the protection conferred by the transferred immunoglobulin [antibodies] can last from weeks to months."

RISKS INVOLVED

Besides speaking about the success of the convalescent plasma therapy, the study by John Hopkins immunologists stated some of the risks associated with it:

1. Transfer of blood substances: As the blood transfusion takes place, there are risks that an inadvertent infection might get transferred to the patient.

2. Enhancement of infection: The therapy might fail for some patients and can result in an enhanced form of the infection.

3. Effect on immune system: The antibody administration may end up suppressing the body's natural immune response, leaving a Covid-19 patient vulnerable to subsequent re-infection.

NOT THE FIRST TIME

This is not the first time convalescent plasma therapy is being considered as a treatment for viral infections.

1. In 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had recommended the use of convalescent plasma therapy to treat patients with the antibody-rich plasma of those who had recovered from the Ebola virus disease.

2. For the treatment of people infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), which is also caused by a coronavirus, a protocol for use of convalescent plasma was established in 2015.

3. During the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus (Spanish flu) pandemic, the therapy was used experimentally.

4. The plasma therapy was used as a treatment during the H1N1 infection of 2009.

Others serious outbreaks that have seen the use of this therapy are the SARS outbreak, Measles, HIV, polio and mumps.

PAST RESEARCH

>>> During the SARS outbreak in 2002, various studies came to a conclusion that convalescent plasma therapy resulted in earlier recoveries in patients compared to regular drugs. Under one trial conducted by Hong Kong University scientists during the SARS outbreak, 80 people were administered convalescent plasma. It was found that "people treated with it [the therapy] within two weeks of showing symptoms had a higher chance of being discharged from hospital than did those who weren't treated [sic]".

>>> In 2009, during the H1N1 outbreak, a study conducted to analyse the impact of the plasma therapy found that it helped reduce respiratory troubles and lowered the risk of mortality. The study also concluded that patients treated with the therapy were discharged within 22 days of treatment. Ninety-three patients requiring intensive care were part of this study. Out of them 20 patients were administered the plasma therapy. This treatment group of 20 people showed significant lower mortality than in the non-treatment group, the study said.

>>> At the time of the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) had prioritised the evaluation of the convalescent plasma therapy. A study conducted in Guinea with 84 Ebola-infected patients revealed that "the transfusion of up to 500 ml of convalescent plasma with unknown levels of neutralizing antibodies was not associated with a significant improvement in survival". Essentially, that convalescent plasma therapy did not turn out to be of much help in the case of Ebola virus.

Plasma therapy's potential as treatment for Covid-19 has already been explored in limited trial in China, where the outbreak first emerged. In one trial, 10 critically-ill Covid-19 patients were subject to

convalescent plasma therapy. The trial showed some improvement in patients' condition.

"No severe adverse effects were observed. This study showed CP [convalescent plasma] therapy was well tolerated and could potentially improve the clinical outcomes through neutralizing viremia [the presence of viruses in the blood] in severe Covid-19 cases," the researchers who conducted the trial said.

Another trial conducted by researchers in Shenzhen, China treated five critically-ill Covid-19 patients with the plasma therapy and found "improvement in [their] clinical status".

RAY OF HOPE

These studies have sparked a ray of hope. However, researchers caution that it's too early to think of plasma therapy as an effective treatment. For example, the sample sizes in the Covid-19 plasma therapy trials are too small to arrive at definite conclusions.

According to a report published in Mayo Clinic's Research Magazine, the researchers across the world have also raised the point that there are too many unknowns right now. For instance, what is the optimal dose of antibodies? At what point during a patient's illness should treatment be given? Which patients will benefit? These are some that need to be addressed before reaching concrete conclusions.

The researchers also noted that "some participants had also received other experimental drugs, such as antivirals, making it hard to tease out the precise effect of convalescent plasma".

So while plasma therapy remains a ray of hope, we will only know the treatment's efficacy once more studies and trials are conducted.