09.26.09
Posted in Scientific Council at 7:01 am by YUDHISTRA
The much talked discovery of water on the moon, a scientific finding that completely changes the previous scientific theory that the moon is entirely dry, say top scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The Moon Impact Probe, an Indian lunar rover aboard Chandrayaan-1, detected the presence of water on its way down to land on the moon’s surface, ISRO Chairman G. “We truly believe it is a pathbreaking discovery,” Nair said. “The quantity of water was more than we expected.” Madhavan Nair announced on Friday on national television.
The lunar water discovery was confirmed by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper, an instrument created by the US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and carried aboard Chandrayaan-1.
When Chandrayaan-1 was launched on October 22, 2008, it carried a record 11 projects by scientists from seven nations.
Permalink
02.04.09
Posted in Scientific Council at 4:17 pm by admin
The ‘world’s cheapest laptop’, developed in India, was unveiled by Union Minister for Human Resources Development Arjun Singh at the Tirupati temple on Tuesday evening.
The laptop, jointly developed by several organisations, such as the University Grants Commission, the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, will be priced at around $10 to $20 (about Rs 500 to Rs 1,000), officials said.
The project has already created a buzz in the laptop industry across the world.
The laptop has 2 GB onboard memory with wireless Internet connectivity. To make it useful for the students, especially in the rural areas, the scientists have made it low power consuming gadget.
Thus, let us promote philosophy of cheap & best for always and in particular during economic down turn.
Dr. H.Thomas
Permalink
01.02.09
Posted in Cultural Council, NEWS FROM INDIA, Scientific Council, THE SANGAM FOUNDATION at 8:19 am by YUDHISTRA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3898205,prtpage-1.cms
The conch and the Sudarshana Chakra are unmistakable. Although the figures do not match popular images of Kirshna sporting a peacock feather, archaeologists are convinced that the coins are of Krishna, revered as an avatar of Vishnu.
“These square coins, dating back to 180- BC, with Krishna on one side and Balram on the other, were unearthed recently in Al Khanoun in Afghanistan and are the earliest proof that Krishna was venerated as a god, and that the worship had spread beyond the Mathura region,” says T K V Rajan, archaeologist and founder-director, Indian Science Monitor, who is holding a five-day exhibition, In search of Lord Krishna,’ in the city from Saturday.
Having done extensive research in Brindavan, Rajan is convinced that a lot of the spiritual history of ancient India lies buried. “Close to 10,000 Greeks, who came in the wake of Alexander the Great, were Krishna’s devotees. There is an inscription by Heliodorus, the Greek ambassador at Takshila , which reads Deva, deva, Vasudeva. Krishna is my god and I have installed this Garuda Pillar at Bes Nagar (now in Bihar),’” says Rajan.
According to him the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has unearthed many sites that throw fresh light on the era of Krishna. “ASI is expected to release the full findings next year. Many of the unearthed artifact have a close resemblance to materials of what is believed to be the Harappan civilisation. The findings may show that Krishna’s life was the dividing line between India’s spiritual history and the society’s gradual shift towards a materialistic one,” says Rajan.
Interestingly, a lot of what has been uncovered closely resemble the narration in the texts of Mahabharatha and the Bhagavatham,” he adds. Both the spiritual works are revered by the Hindus as their holy books.
It has been over five years since the discoveries were made at Tholavira near Dwaraka, close to Kutch. Much progress has been made due to the application of thermoluminous study (TL) in ascertaining the age of artifact. “It is possible to get the diffusion of atomic particles in the clay pottery unearthed and arrive at an accurate date,” points out Rajan. Tholavira itself is believed to be the capital city as detailed in the opening chapters of Bhagavatham. Rajan points to an image of a plough, made of wood, which is mentioned in the Bhagavatham.
The findings could lay a trail to understanding Krishna’s life (said to be 5,000 years ago) and times, as a historical fact, says Rajan. The exhibition will be open till December 31 at Sri Parvathy Gallery, Eldams Road.
Permalink
11.05.08
Posted in AGRICULTURE COUNCIL, NEWS FROM INDIA, Scientific Council at 11:09 am by YUDHISTRA
http://epaper.asianage.com/Asian/AAge/2008/11/05/index.shtml
OPPOSITION TO THE cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops is growing in Orissa. Social organisations and farmer leaders have stepped up their protest against the state government’s move to encourage large-scale farming of these crops. The protesting organizations and leaders have been visiting premier educational institutes, including leading universities of the state, and sensitising the students about the “dangers” and “risks” involved in Bt Cotton and Bt Brinjaj cultivation. “Despite the state government’s official declaration not to encourage GM crops, Bt Cotton has been extensively cultivated in Orissa. Cotton is not a food crop, yet the toxicity of this genetically modified (GM) crop has been so severe that thousands of domestic animals and cattle have died from grazing in cotton fields in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh. The persons handling the crop have come down with severe allergies,” says Debjeet Sarangi, secretary of Living Farms, a Bhubaneswar based social organisation.
The state government is ready to conduct field trials of Bt brinjal next month, a food crop. Commercial roduction of the crop will be allowed next year. Quoting research works, Mr Sarangi informs that experiments on rats have shown that consumption of GM food can have very serious effects like damage to the immune system, organ defects and interference with digestive enzymes, fertility, stunted growth, stomach lesions and ulcers and damage to the intestinal wall.
“Clearly this is highly unethical large-scale experimentation on human beings. The government must not allow GM seeds in the state,” he observes. During a week-long campaign titled “I Am No Lab Rat” from October 16 to 22, Living Farms, farmers and eminent public figures visited Utkal University in Bhubaneswar and a host of other educational institutes across the city with a well decorated vehicle that carried hoardings and posters depicting ill-effects of the GM seeds. The response to the campaign against genetically modified food and crops was according to the perception of the students on the issue.. For many of them, it was a completely new concept.
Some said they had heard about Bt Cotton and its adverse impact but were unaware that the same technology was being adopted for food crops as well. The students enquired in detail about the process of genetic modification. They were horrified when they were told by the campaigners that genetic alterations were being made in everyday food like brinjal, okra,cabbage, cowpeas, papaya and rice. “Till now we knew about the dangers of junk food, a habit we indulge in occasionally, but now if our daily food is tampered with and made toxic what are we going to eat? Pesticide has shown its dark side. We had hoped the government would think of naturally grown organic food as the alternative. Why are they doing this to us?” questioned the students.
Students of botany and zoology said they were already aware of the dangers of genetic modification and maintained that GM seeds cultivation was highly unethical and had an effect on the overall environment besides the known health hazards. They were surprised to know that such crop also had adverse effects on soil health.
Through the campaign, the organisers collected thousands of signatures on a petition that was sent to the Union health minister seeking a ban on GM foods. “We would request you to kindly gauge the seriousness of the situation and respond as a concerned citizen to make the campaign a success and thwart the devious designs of a few powerful industries,” the petition said. Prior to the recent campaign, the farmer leaders had sent petitions to the Prime Minister, agriculture minister and Union forest and environment minister urging them to protect and conserve biodiversity, environment and health, with due consideration to ethical,
social and cultural issues involved with the application of modern biotechnology.
Permalink
Posted in NEWS FROM INDIA, Scientific Council at 10:44 am by YUDHISTRA
A 3 day conference was recently conducted in Delhi to bring together scholars of different scientific disciplines and of ancient history of the Indian subcontinent, and provide a multi-disciplinary forum for the scholars to present and collectively review the results of their studies relating to the ancient Vedic river Sarasvati. The Conference explored the validation of a consensus that the ancient civilization that emerged and prospered on the banks of the river Sarasvati is the precursor to the civilization that is known and exists today as Hindu civilization, establishing a very long continuum of human society and achievement.
During the Conference, the ongoing work to facilitate the flowing again of the river Sarasvati above the surface was highlighted. This rebirth of River Sarasvati would benefit around 200 million people of India in various States—Uttaranchal, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Presentations on the efforts underway in the State of Haryana to bring the Manasarovar glacier waters through Rajasthan were highlighted in the Conference.
Saraswati, a majestic river, after originating in Himalaya flowed through present day Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat prior to joining the Arabian Sea. Ancient Vedic culture flourished on its banks. Important towns like Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Shatrana, Sirsa, Kalibangan, Pilibangan, Suratgarh, Beriwal etc flourished on its banks. Our former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was very excited on seeing a photograph of the River with water and he endorsed his reaction in our visitors\’ book as – \’Delighted to see the hard work in realizing reality from epic information\’- A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Recently, subsurface water started oozing out within a pond of the famous Kapil Muni Ashram in Kalayat (Haryana). A multi-disciplinary scientific team studied the oozing water and the sand that accompanied it. Dr. A R Chaudhri of Kurukshetra University found a suite of angular heavy minerals having their source in higher Himalayan rocks. Dr. A K Gupta & Dr B K Bhadra of ISRO identified fossil valleys of Vedic Saraswati in the area from the study of space imageries and concluded that this water was of aforesaid river. Sh Rajesh Purohit conducted geomorphologic studies and concluded that this water belonged to Vedic Saraswati that has been described in Rigveda and other scriptures. Later on, he along with his team discovered the actual river bed near Jyotisar (Kurukshetra) .
During the course of scientific studies carried out from space imageries, scientists from ISRO discovered a number of fossil valleys restricted to areas around Kurukshetra, Pehowa etc. in upper central Haryana. They interpreted it as remnants of the meandering Vedic Saraswati. Based on satellite imagery, they have drawn out a map of Saraswati River from Glacier to Rann of Kachch.
Dr M R Rao, GGM, ONGC alongwith his team, undertook drilling near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and got a discharge of 76000 litres/hr of water from one of the wells. Out of 24 wells, drinking water was obtained from 23 wells. Scientific tests on this subterranean water revealed that this water belonged to an old river that once existed here. This old river was none other than Vedic Saraswati. ONGC has now been approached by Haryana Government to undertake drilling at Kalayat and Kapal Mochan in Haryana under their Phase-II programme.
Besides the above scientific evidences, village wise revenue record has been collected and compiled proving the flow of Saraswati Nadi in continuity. Survey of India topo-sheets tally with these revenue records. Based on these revenue records, about 50km of Saraswati channel has already been cleared by digging by Haryana Irrigation Department.Any visitor to the archaeological sites at Kunal (District Fatehabad, Haryana) will find shells in the river bed. A friend of archaeology would show a conch recovered from Rakhigarhi (Distrist Jind, Haryana) excavation.
\”Unfortunately inspite of the overwhelming evidence and public demand, the Govt. took no steps to revive the River. The matter was brought before the Hon\’ble High Court, Haryana-Punjab at Chandigarh through a Civil Writ Petition (CWP 8561 of 1996) by Shri D.P. Dastoor an advocate of Pehowa (Kurukshetra) , Hon\’ble Justice Amarjeet Chaudhary passed the order :-
\”…….. we direct Deputy Commissioner Kurukshetra and the Municipal Committee Pehowa to remove all encroachments from the land entries of which are in favour of Saraswati river……..\”
Unbelievably, all encroachments were removed voluntarily without any use of force. The monumental work of Govt. & Public co-operation at Pehowa has been beautifully documented by the District Administration in a souvenir (samarika). It is gratifying to add that the Haryana Government has now adopted the Saraswati Project and they have recently held a seminar on the revival of Saraswati River at Kurukshetra on October 22, 2008. Thus, all the evidences mentioned above point to only one conclusion that Vedic Saraswati no longer remains a debatable issue.
Permalink
10.13.08
Posted in Academic Council, Cultural Council, Media Council, NEWS FROM INDIA, Scientific Council at 8:10 am by YUDHISTRA
http://timesofindia .indiatimes. com/articleshow/ msid-3589123, prtpage-1. cms
Gujarat State Archaeological Department has discovered a small size Buddhist monastery in Gujarat’s Vadnagar, which dates back to 1,900 years.
According to a report in Desh Gujarat, the walls of the discovered monastery were built using bricks.
The 55 by 55 ft size monastery had a total of 12 cells for residual purpose of monks, with its entrance on the Northern direction.
“This Buddhist monastery probably belongs to 2nd to 4th century era. It was probably in use for 300 years,” said Gujarat State Archaeology Superintendent Dr. Yadubirsingh Rawat.
“After two years of excavation, first we unearthed the monastery structure. For a brief time, it remained a mysterious structure for us as we couldn’t figure out it’s motive. After some research, observations and studies, we have confirmed that this was a Buddhist monastery,” he added.
Decades back in Gujarat, when double size Devni Mori Buddhist monastery was discovered, a similar lay-out plane was found there.
Devni Mori Buddhist monastery also had northern side entrance, South-Western drain, open plot in centre and 29 cells for monks around the central plot.
In the course of two years of excavation, so far more than 2000 pieces of Archaeological importance have been found from Ghaskol Darwaja excavation site in Vadnagar.
The findings include a 2000 year old house, numerous clay utensils, silver coins, beads, ornaments, Roman style head sculpture, turbaned face clay plaque, votive tablet, head sculpture, plaque sculpture depicting Buddha, and parts of vessel on which Buddhism related words are written in Brahmi script.
Chinese traveler Hieun Tsanghad visited Vadnagar between 640 to 644 A.D. and documented presence of 1,000 Buddhist monks and 10 Buddhist monasteries in and around Vadnagar town known as Anandpur in that era.
Permalink
10.11.08
Posted in Academic Council, Scientific Council, THE SANGAM FOUNDATION at 7:34 am by YUDHISTRA
Scientific heritage of India—Mathematics.
The fountain-head of scientific enquiries in India was the Vedic lore—considered to be the repository of all knowledge. The branches of studies like medicine, music, engineering, architecture, rituals, astronomy, mathematics, military science etc originated from Vedas, Upanisads and Vedangas. The rhishis were the real scientists of yore. Dhanur veda relating to archery and gandharva-veda related to the study of music. They were called Upa-Vedas. Music developed from Sama Veda which depended on swaras. The study of engineering, construction of buildings, architecture etc came from sulva sutras which related to the construction of altars for performing vedic rituals.
In the Sanskrit lore all the branches of study were mixed., history with tradition , science with meta-physics, everything with poetry. Medical science was called Ayurveda—the author was Susruta– Surgical operations were performed after administering summohini- which made the patient insensitive to pain. Botany and veterinary science owe their development to Ayurveda. Botany is the study of herbal medicine in Ayurveda. Veterinary science was also in a developed stage because we come across references relating to the injured horses and elephants which were serving in military operations. Chemical science developed from medicine and industry. Nagarjuna of 2nd century A,D devoted a whole book to the study of mercury. King Porus presented to Alexander as a special gift, not gold or silver, but thirty pounds of steel. Kanada, (6th century B.C.) nicknamed atom-eater –had developed an atomic theory wherein he taught that the minute particles of all substances are of the same kind—differences are the results of diverse modes of combination.
Permalink
09.12.08
Posted in AGRICULTURE COUNCIL, NEWS FROM INDIA, Scientific Council, THE SANGAM FOUNDATION at 12:21 pm by YUDHISTRA
In this interview, leading scientist Dr P M Bhargava, who first coined the term ‘genetic engineering’ in a syndicated article in 1973, warns against genetically modified (GM) foods being pushed into the Indian market without appropriate safety assessment to ensure that they do not increase health risks.
Thirty-two genetically engineered crops are presently being researched across 111 government and 50 private institutes, and already 14 have entered the trial stage. Dr Bhargava says we may be flooded with GM foods with unknown health risks unless the government ensures otherwise.
Dr Bhargava is a scientist, writer, thinker and institution- builder. He is the founder-director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and former vice-chairman of the National Knowledge Commission. He is currently a member of the National Security Advisory Board, and has chaired several NGOs, professional organisations and pharmaceutical companies.
Widely regarded as the architect of modern biology and biotechnology in India, he has authored over 125 major scientific publications and over 400 other articles on a variety of subjects in some of the best-known publications around the world. He has written four books, including a 500-page monograph on ‘Proteins of Seminal Plasma’ published by John Wiley, New York, a national integrated science textbook for 11-12-year-olds; and the highly acclaimed ‘The Saga of Indian Science Since Independence: In a Nutshell’ (Universities Press, 2003). He has won several awards including the Padma Bhushan.
You have consistently warned about scientific norms being flouted in order to push GM foods into the market.
A very dangerous precedent has been set in the country whereby GM foods like Doritos corn chips are being sold off the shelf against the law, and Bt cotton is being cultivated without a comprehensive risk assessment having been conducted on its effects — for example on the soil and the surrounding fauna. The most disturbing aspect of this trend is that the tests being done on toxicity are being conducted by the applicant company itself or on samples supplied by it.. Will any applicant for permission to release a genetically modified organism (GMO) say its GMO is not safe? Monsanto is the world’s largest seed supplier, and has a vested interest.
Why is this being done?
For profit and, I dare say, nothing else. Western multinational companies (MNCs) want to make as much money as they can by exploiting people’s ignorance. The fact of the matter is that we do not need Bt cotton or GM food. Globally, no major advantage is being conferred by these foods and the damage and harm they may cause has still to be properly assessed. In the US, GM food does not require to be labelled, so it is being mixed with other foods. One of the reasons for the rising health bill in the US could well be GM foods.
So MNCs are continuing with their monopolistic hegemony by selling GM seeds in third world countries?
Yes.. A good part of the first world, including almost all the European countries, has imposed a ban on them. Switzerland, to cite an example, has put a moratorium on release of GMOs till 2012. Most countries across the world have banned GMOs.
The problem is that no one knows what effect these foods will have on us. In animals, we have a good idea about their possible ill-effects. In science, we collect evidence on the basis of which we make predictions. All our predictions so far are not in favour of GM foods unless they are tested extensively and exhaustively, which they are not today. Experts are crying themselves hoarse; it is for the Indian government to listen.
If all our politicians and scientists were committed to their country, not a single GM product would have been permitted in India as of today.
What harm would occur if Bt crops are grown in India?
The government and scientific bodies have ignored several reports on the failure of Bt cotton in terms of yield, and how it has adversely impacted lakhs of farmers, for example in Vidarbha, who are now shifting from cotton to soyabean.
Bt cotton seeds were supposed to increase yields. This has happened in some cases, but not in many others where yields have decreased and the cost of production gone up. The Bt seeds are also more expensive than normal seeds. The cost of Bt seed started with Rs 1,650 (per standard packet) as opposed to the cost of normal seed which is Rs 450.
The government needs to pay much more attention to the death of over 1,000 cattle that foraged on remnants of Bt cotton plants in some districts of Andhra Pradesh over the last few years.
Monsanto-Mahyco’ s new studies have highlighted a gene flow of up to 15-20 metres (that is, the Bt gene can affect non-Bt plants that are 10-20 metres away) in the case of Bt brinjal, and 10 metres for Bt cotton. For the majority of India’s farmers, with holdings of less than two hectares of land, a 10-metre gene flow would render a third of their holdings unviable. That is a huge loss.
Why are so many institutes being allowed to conduct field trials?
The supervisory agencies have turned a blind eye to what is going on. In West Bengal, trials of Bt okra, which started in mid-August 2007, were done on the basis of approval by the panchayat. My question here is: what knowledge do panchayats have about genetically modified organisms and GM foods, especially since they are susceptible to all kinds of pressures? The State Biotechnology Coordination Committee and the District Level Committee have not approved these trials. West Bengal’s agriculture university monitoring the trials has also given a damning report about the trials.
I have also highlighted before various government agencies the fact that several of the tests that are claimed to have been conducted may never have been done. This is because Monsanto-Mahyco itself is conducting the tests for its own products that it wants approved. The result may have been very different if an independent professional organisation had conducted the tests – for example, the toxicity tests.
Take, for example, the study on the heat stability of the highly toxic protein in Bt brinjal which is genetically engineered to contain this insecticidal protein to help the brinjal plant escape attack by certain pests. The conclusion of this study is supposed to be that while uncooked Bt brinjal scores positive for the Bt protein, cooked Bt brinjal scores negative. This statement has no meaning as no values are given and no indication is given of the sensitivity of the method used. Thus, if the sensitivity was low, then it is possible that, on cooking, as much as say 25% of the active protein may have been left, which could be toxic.
Many tests on GM foods and crops in our country today are taking place in non-accredited laboratories that may not have the proven expertise and facilities in the area to test these food and other GM items.
You have expressed other reservations too about these tests.
Yes, to recap some of the issues, the West has done a lot of studies on gene flow. On May 16, 2008, a 147-nation conference in Bonn concluded that GMOs were responsible for damage to other plants. Understandably, the US was not a party to this conclusion.
The recent IAASD (International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development) report makes the point that GM foods are not the solution to the looming agricultural crisis. A review of this report in the journal Science emphasises that a redirection of science and technology is needed to move away from processes that have profited primarily large-scale enterprises, to processes that address the most basic needs of the world’s 900 million small farmers. This was partly a reference to GM crops.
Reported cases of Bt allergy in north India have not been investigated. We have also not investigated in sufficient detail the impact of GM crops on soil ecology.
There have been recent studies that show that dietary DNA can find its way into blood. This opens up the possibility that GMO DNA could change the characteristics of cells of the body. Such a transformation could have a major deleterious effect on the host. A recent UN study also states, and I am quoting, that “India faces a high safety risk because safety norms on genetically modified crops are not being enforced”.
There seems to be quite a lot of evidence against GM foods.
I would say that as of today we do not have reasonably conclusive evidence that GM foods are safe. We should therefore exercise the precautionary principle and ban their use unless incontrovertible evidence regarding their long-term safety is obtained, which would take 10 to 25 years. It is a pity that alternatives to GM crops such as integrated pest management and the use of bio-pesticides, which are cheaper and better, and organic agriculture, are being ignored by our government in spite of the enormous evidence in their favour.
Two other examples of Bt technology which has proved harmful to insects and animals may be highlighted. Transgenic Research magazine (December 2007, Vol 76, p 795 onwards) reports that Bt Cry 3A protein has a deleterious effect on beneficial, non-target beetles. An example of a dramatic metabolic change following genetic engineering would be the recently reported incidence of extraneous melanoma (a cancer) in genetically modified animals (Pigment Cell Research, December 2007, Vol 20(6), p 485 onwards).
I have suggested that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) should seriously consider calling a meeting to objectively review all our experiences with Bt cotton and information that has been obtained over the years on GM crops, including Bt cotton. This review should involve technical members of the GEAC and RCGM (Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation) , a small number of carefully selected experts whose knowledge and objectivity have never been in doubt and who have no vested interests, a small number of reliable and responsible NGOs, and a few representatives from industry. It is to the credit of GEAC that it has agreed to organise such a meeting.
Why has government not taken note of all that I have said above? The answer probably lies in the fact that (a) our country appears nearly at the bottom in the list of corrupt countries, and (b) Remember that Monsanto produced Agent Orange in the US-Vietnam war (which the US lost) to defoliate thousand of square kilometres of Vietnam which I myself saw in 1982 in Vietnam. The combination of (a) and (b) above could be very profitable for people in the government and Monsanto, but a disaster for the billion people of India, 78% of whom live on less than Rs 20 per day and are virtually voiceless. Who cares about them? I do, but does that matter? So some NGOs and concerned individuals have rightly taken the matter to court. I hope the courts will follow a more balanced approach than our government has. Genetic engineering is a marvellous technology. Let us not use it to make biological time-bombs.
http://infochangein dia.org/20080707 7208/Agriculture /Features/ Genetically- modified- crops-The- risk-factor. html
Permalink
08.25.08
Posted in Scientific Council at 2:05 pm by YUDHISTRA
By: Dr. Alok Shrotriya, Sr. Lecturer, Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar (M.P.) India
India has an unbroken tradition of ceramic manufacture; therefore, ceramic ethnoarchaeological approach has much potential to enhance the various aspects of pre and protohistoric pottery in this region. Still people are engaged in traditional techniques relevant in some way to ancient pottery manufacturing process. Rich cultural diversity and huge demographic and geographic size of India make this region an ideal locus for ceramic ethnoarchaeological research.
In spite of much industrialization and development, pottery is still an essential utensil in Indian houses. Enormous time depth can be found in India that trace back to Harappan time (Krishnan and Rao 1994). In India earthenware are also associated with some religious and ritualistic practices and considered as a pure and sacred ware. Huyler (1994, pp.323-324) pointed out that in eastern India earthenware is essential to contain basil plant, which is regarded by Hindus embodiment of their goddess Tulasi. This type
of practices reveals the importance of earthenware in society rather than metallic ware and could be helpful for archaeologists to understand past religious customs.
Some ethnoarchaeological researches have been undertaken in some parts of India by archaeologists and anthropologists to describe and explain the construction and development of ceramic production (e.g. Behura 1964,1978; Gupta 1969; Saraswati and Behura 1966; Bose 1982;Ghosh and Bhattacharya 1997; Sinopoly 1988,1991a; Kramer 1992,1994,1997; Bala1997). Renu Bala (1997) has done valuable work with ceramic ethnoarchaeological approach in middle Ganga plains. She has illustrated correlation of ethnography and archaeology to explain earthenwares. Ghosh and Bhattacharya (1997) have made an attempt to explain pottery of tribles in their ceramic research. Carol Kramer’s ceramic ethnoarchaeological studies in India are notable here. In 1980s she has conducted her ethnoarchaeological research on Hindu and Muslim traditional earthenware potters of Jodhpur and Udaipur in the state of Rajasthan .She published her work in some research articles (1991,1992,1994) and a book entitled “Pottery in Rajasthan: Ethnoarchaeology in Two Indian Cities”(1997). Her work is significant to understand the ceramic production, distribution, interaction in pottery manufacturing communities and style characteristics of ceramics in Rajasthan. Sinopoly(1991a,b) has done her ceramic ethnoarchaeological research in a traditional rural extended family house hold workshop in Kamampuram, South India and contemporary Malwa in central India. Some remarkable works have been done with ethnoarchaeological approach in the field of bead making (Kenoyer,Vidale and Bhan 1991;Kanungo 2004) and rock art (Nagar 1983) but still less works have been conducted on pottery with explicit ceramic ethnoarchaeological approach.
Pottery recovered in excavations and explorations from Madhya Pradesh( Kayatha; Maheshvar Navadatoli; Nagada; Runija; Dangwada;Eran, Mahidpur, Awara, Manoti, Besnagar, Bhim Betaka, Mandsaur, Azadnagar, Piplya loraka, Chichali Adalpur, Pitanagar etc.in Shrotriya 2001, pp.373-394), Rajasthan(Ahar, Balathal and Gilund), Bihar and West Bengal(Kakoria, Magha, Koldihwa, Banimilia-Bahera, Takiapar, Raja Nal Ka Tila, Kausambi, Sringverapura Chirand, Prahladpur , Rajghat, Mahisdal, Pandu Rajar Dhibi etc, in Mishra2001, p.514), Maharashtra (Jorwe, Daimabad; Inamgaon; Nevasa; Chandoli; Prakash; Kaothe; Bahal; Tekwada; Apegaon ;Savalda etc. in Misra2001, p.516) provide data about chalcolithic settlements and shed light on many aspects of the protohistoric culture of India. Some ceramic ethnoarchaeological research have been undertaken on the Harappan pottery (Kenoyer 1997) but still there is a great need to describe chalcolithic pottery with this approach in above mentioned area.
Visit full article at the following link
http://www.anistor.gr Anistoriton Journal, ArtHistory, Vol. 10, no 3 (2007) 6
Permalink
06.09.08
Posted in Health Service Council, Scientific Council at 6:11 am by YUDHISTRA
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20080615&filename=led&sec_id=3&sid=1
Permalink
