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CHANGING TIMES (/TAGS/29974/CHANGING-TIMES)

Thursday, May 21st 2015

The changing map of India from 1 AD to the 20th century

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Scroll Staff (/authors/8) May 03, 2015 10:30 am

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Photo Credit: Thomas Lessman

Battles were fought, territories were drawn and re-drawn. An amateur historian has caught these
shifts in a series of maps.

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Indias history is speckled with the ruins of empires. Kingdoms have periodically risen here,
expanded and fallen, reshaping with them the regions culture and identity.

Amateur historian Thomas Lessman, who has been researching world history for over 20 years, has
created a series of maps of India showing these shifts from 1 AD till the rule of the Delhi Sultanate.
On his website (http://www.worldhistorymaps.info/) Lessman says he became frustrated while
researching history because it's hard to find great maps. The best maps are in books that cost more
than I make in a week... So I realised if I want free World History Maps, Id have to make them
myself.

The maps provide a vivid history tour. They start from the time the Sakas or Indo-Scythians firmly
established their presence in India.

The Indo-Parthian and Indo-Synthian era: 1 AD

Indo-Greeks ruled India for over two centuries, during which time the fusion of Indian and
Hellenistic influences flourished. This map shows the Indo-Parthian rule and the Indo-Synthian
kingdom. The Indo-Scythians were descendents of the Scythians who had migrated from southern
Siberia and displaced the Indo-Greeks.

The Kushan Empire: 100 AD

The Kushan Empire was founded under Kujula Kadphises but it was under his grandson, the
Buddhist emperor Kanishka, that it reached its peak. Kanishka expanded the kingdom till as far as
Varanasi and captured areas in present-day China.

The Gupta and Huna Empire 400 - 500 AD

This was the period of the domination of the Gupta Empire, referred to by some as the Golden Age
of India. During this time, literature, art, astronomy and math flourished in the region and much of
the subcontinent was unified under one kingdom. The Huna Empire extended from parts of eastern
Iran to northwestern India. This proximity is the reason why, some believe, the Huna tribe finds a
mention in the Mahabharata.

After the collapse of the Gupta Empire, a minor line of the clan ruled in Magadha. Down south, the
Kalabhras kingdom crumbled.

The Chalukyas ruled southern and central India from the 6th century to the 12th century. Kannada
and Telugu literature thrived in this era, as did Chalukyan architecture. In the north, the Chachas
dynasty began ruling over Sindh by 700 AD.

The Gurjar-Pratihara dynasty, in 900 AD, spread its kingdom from Rajasthan to the east in India.
Meanwhile, the Deccan was under the Rashtrakuta dynasty.

The Ghaznavid Empire gradually moved in and conquered India and later the Delhi Sultanate,a
Delhi-based Muslim kingdom that stretched over large parts of India from 12061526, the fall of
which eventually led to the Mughal rule in the country.

By 1500 AD, the Rajput states had established their presence. The Vijayanagar Empire in the south
was still strong.

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WONKY POLICY (/TAGS/32024/WONKY-POLICY)

The man who predicted the financial crisis has some advice
for the worlds central banks
Madhura Karnik, qz.com (/authors/1497) Today 09:30 pm

Photo Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP

In a speech in New York this week, Raghuram Rajan warned major central banks that their aggressive
and competitive monetary policies are a risk.

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Before Raghuram Rajan became the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, he was the former chief
economist of the International Monetary Fund whofamously predicted
(http://time.com/3099587/india-central-bank-raghuram-rajan-global-finance-world-economy/)the
source of the global financial meltdown in 2005. Its another matter that few listened.

Now, Indias central banker has some advice for his counterparts elsewhere in the world:
Aggressive and competitive monetary policies are a risk.

In a speech at the Economic Club of New York on May 19, Rajan arguedthat thespectre of
deflation (http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/05/20/rbi-rajan-emerging-economies-deflationidINKBN0O424O20150520)is spurring major central banks around the world into a dangerous
struggle for stronger domestic growth.This struggle, he added, is risky for financial markets and
also ignores the needs of developing nations.

I fear that in a world with weak aggregate demand, we may be engaged in a risky competition for a
greater share of it,Rajan said (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-19/rbi-s-rajan-saycentral-bank-policies-a-risk-to-global-growth).We are thereby also creating financial sector risks
for when unconventional policies end.

In recent years, central banks in major economies haveheld interest rates

(http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-09/central-banks-at-zero-failing-to-turbocharge-

effect-of-cheap-oil)to near zero and embarked on asset-purchasing programmes in a bid to lower

the cost of borrowing. But now, with the end of the bond-buying programme,and a possibility of an
interest rate hike in the US, equity markets especially in India have been extremely volatile
(http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Chandrasekhar/is-the-bull-runover/article7184041.ece).

Rajan a ...

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT (/TAGS/10895/FOOD-FOR-THOUGHT)

More poor children in school, but 30% suffer malnutrition

Saumya Tewari, IndiaSpend.com (/authors/1233) Today 07:30 pm

Photo Credit: Manjunath Kiran/AFP

A new study shows positive trends in school enrolment. However, nutrition and sanitation, especially
in villages, continues to be poor.

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* 97% of 12-year-olds were enrolled in elementary schools in 2013; up from 89% in 2006.
* Almost a third of children continue to show signs of malnutrition at age 12 with high rates for
economically- and socially-marginalised children and those in rural areas.
* 49% of older children were still in school at the age of 19; 9% had yet to complete secondary
education, 8% had moved on to vocational or post-secondary education and a third had started
university.

These are some of thefindings (http://www.younglives.org.uk/)of a pilot study in the state of

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana byYoung Lives, an international study of childhood poverty
involving 12,000 children in four countries over 15 years.

The report shows positive trends in school enrolment and some indicators like access to clean
drinking water. However, nutrition and sanitation, especially in villages, continues to be poor. Also,
the situation of youth, especially young women, has not improved much.

The study has releasedpreliminary data (http://www.younglives-india.org/findings-and-data/r4preliminary-findings)in three aspects: education, health and development.

Education and Learning

While significant improvement has been found in enrolment in schools for 12-year-olds by
theYoung Livesstudy,IndiaSpendhasreported (http://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/teachersget-80-of-education-expenditure-new-report-31884)a significant drop in enrolment at the highersecondary level in India.

Source: Young Lives study (http://www.younglives.org.uk/)

TheYoung Livesstudy also found that there has been considerable progress in addressing
inequalities in school ...

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ASIAN SKYLINE (/TAGS/31996/ASIAN-SKYLINE)

We need a smart urban revolution, and Asia is just the

place to do it
Peter C. Doherty, The Conversation (/authors/1960) Today 04:30 pm

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Nobel Laureates met recently in Hong Kong to sign a memorandum calling for cities to help guard
against climate change. As the most creative places on the planet, big cities are the perfect place to
meet this challenge.

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Back in the 1950s, the number of people living in cities wasabout 750 million
(http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/world-urbanization-prospects2014.html). That rose to 2.9 billion by 2010 and ispredicted to hit 5 billion by 2030
(http://www.unfpa.org/urbanization). As more of the worlds people call cities home, the challenge
is to transform urban areas so that they offer a safe and sustainable place to live for generations to
come.

Much of this growth will be in Asia, so the way Asian cities are designed, constructed and powered
will clearly have a major influence on global efforts to moderate greenhouse gas emissions and
diminish the impact of global warming.

With 8 million people crammed into what is an increasingly vertical space, Hong Kong is the
evolving model for Asian urbanization. So its fitting that Hong Kong was the place where I and
several fellow Nobel Laureates signed amemorandum (http://www.nobel-cause.de/hong-kong2014/memorandum/hong-kong-memorandum.pdf)endorsing the need for cities to take a central
role in minimizing the harm caused by climate change.

How will cities do this, not just in Asia but right around the globe? Our Hong Kong meeting the
fourthNobel Symposium on Global Sustainability (http://asiasociety.org/hong-kong/4th-nobellaureates-symposium-global-sustainability-4c-changing-climate-changing-cities), attended by Nobel
Laureates, senior government officials, climatologists, behavioural scientists, engineers, architects,
and business leaders from Hong Kong and mainland China both defined the problem and

discussed strategies.

Pollution and power

As climate scientists John Schellnhuber and Johan Rockstrom of thePotsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research (https://www.pik-potsdam.de/)(which co-hosted the meeting) pointed out, the first
rule of capitalism is dont kill your customers. But people in cities arealready dying from
respiratory disease (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-pollution/en/). Anyone
who has visited an Asian city will understand that this is a consequence of massive air pollution.

While the browny-grey clouds of particulate pollution that hang over these cities partially blot out
the Sun and have a cooling effect, the sources that generate it largely coal and automobile
exhausts also release greenhouse gases that raise temperatures in the longer term. Successive
speakers at the symposium made it very obvious that China is determined to cut its coal use, fast.

Hong Kong itself currently generates half of its electricity from coal (see figure 6here
(http://www.enb.gov.hk/sites/default/files/en/node2605/Consultation%20Document.pdf)) and,
according to local executive Christine Loh, willcut that to 20% by 2020
(http://www.enb.gov.hk/en/files/New_Air_Plan_en.pdf). China has famously pledged topeak its total
greenhouse emissions by 2030 (https://theconversation.com/us-china-climate-deal-at-last-a-realgame-changer-on-emissions-34148)and Jiang Kejun of Chinas Energy Research Institute
emphasized that the aim is to source 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2050, if not long
before.

That has to happen. Apart from the human costs, Nobel-winning economist Jim Mirrlees estimates
that Chinas GDP will fall dramatically if CO2emissions continue unchecked. And China, with its
focus on solar and wind technology plus the newChina Development Bank
(http://www.cdb.com.cn/english/), will be doing the right thing (both globally and in its own self
interest) by supporting the dissemination of renewable energy in emerging economies. Apart from
being on the wrong side of history, any argument that selling coal is likely to drive the economies of
the future seems unrealistic.

The rising tide of action

A major concern for big coastal cities is, of course, sea-level rise. With storm surges, an increase of
only 15 cm will evidently inundate much of Bangkok, while Chinas low-lying, heavily industrialised
Pearl River Delta home to several megacities, including Hong Kong is also veryvulnerable to
flooding (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-11-30/climate-change-increasing-flood-riskin-hong-kong-update1-). Then Nobel-winning chemist and director of Japans RIKEN research

institute, Ryoji Nyori, told the symposium that of the 34 million people in the greater Tokyo area, 15
million are at acute risk of ocean and river flooding.

The buildings and even the streets will need to be smart, too. Hong Kong architect Peter CooksonSmith discussed underground water storage for cities and described how skyscraper foundations
can serve as hybrid ventilation and heating/cooling systems. Meanwhile Roger Dennis, who leads
the Sensing City Project in Christchurch, pointed out how building such technology into structures,
pavements and the like can be used to moderate energy usage.

At a more direct level, Dennis described how Los Angeles has achieved a63% cut in its lighting bill
(http://bsl.lacity.org/led.html)simply by switching to LED streetlights. An image of a light pole
topped with a solar collector and a small wind generator illustrated how cities might also use their
streetlights to generate power. All such micro-generation techniques will be made easier with the
advent of affordable storage systems, like thatrecently unveiled by Tesla
(https://theconversation.com/has-tesla-cracked-the-grid-energy-storage-problem-41131), or the
newvanadium redox flow battery (http://www.ceic.unsw.edu.au/centers/vrb/technologyservices/vanadium-redox-flow-batteries.html)developed at the University of New South Wales.

From Canberra, ACT Labor MP Simon Corbell described how, using a high feed-in tariff
(reimbursement of people generating power from solar on their roof) Australias capital is driving
rapidly towards its90% renewable energy target
(http://www.environment.act.gov.au/energy/90_percent_renewable). Meanwhile, Copenhagens
Mayor of Technical and Environmental Affairs, Morten Kabell, told us that his city iswell on its way
to being carbon-neutral by 2025
(http://e360.yale.edu/feature/copenhagens_ambitious_push_to_be_carbon_neutral_by_2025/2638), is
already heating and cooling itself using highly efficient central facilities and has 45% of its
commuting population on bicycles. Top priority for snow clearing goes to the greatly enhanced
system of bike lanes!

Far-sighted vision

Cities are dynamic places, and as such their politicians can afford to be adventurous. Frustrated
with the inaction of national governments in thrall to vested interests, New York-based political
theorist Benjamin Barber is doing his utmost to establish aGlobal Parliament of Mayors
(http://www.globalparliamentofmayors.org/), which will meet for the first time in Britain in
October.

Embracing ambitious ideas will inevitably help innovative cities stay at the forefront of moves to
decrease energy costs and clean up the atmosphere. For instance, Columbia and LSE academic

Saskia Sassen suggested that every surface in the emerging global city should be have an
environmental function. What did she mean? Solar energy generation, living green walls, passive
heating and cooling, or other applications that may as yet be just a flash of barely perceived insight
in some innovators mind?

For all this to happen, the world will need to witness a Third Industrial Revolution, focused on (and
by) intensive, interactive urban environments and driven by a spectrum of innovators working in
industry, government and, as Schellnhuber suggested, in 100,000 laboratories which, in a sense,
include the expanding cities of our planet.

Clearly this massive transition is both an enormous challenge and offers incredible economic
opportunities that, delivered by Asias burgeoning megacities, are right in Australias
neighbourhood. As always, the future belongs to those with the courage to embrace it, while the
fearful who turn resolutely to the past set us all up for disaster. Australias cities can help too we
have both the creativity and the awareness; we just need to point ourselves in the right direction.

This article was originally published on The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/we-need-asmart-urban-revolution-and-asia-is-just-the-place-to-do-it-41772).

We welcome your comments atletters@scroll.in. (mailto:?

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RELIGIOUS APARTHEID (/TAGS/32059/RELIGIOUS-APARTHEID)

What changed from 'We hire only non-Muslim candidates'

to 'We have 71 Muslims in our firm'
Shoaib Daniyal (/authors/362) Today 04:26 pm

Photo Credit: @ANI_news via Twitter

A young MBA was denied a job for being a Muslim. But the company founder blames it on the actions
of a lone employee.

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url=http://scroll.in/article/728985/mbadenieddenied-denied-denied-denied-denied-a-joba-job- a-job- a-job- a-job- a-job- simplysimply-simply-simply-simply-simply- forforforforforfor- being-

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Muslim%20candidates'%20to%20'

A job applicant was denied employment by a Surat and Mumbai-based diamond export house on
the grounds of being a Muslim.

Zeeshan Ali Khan, an applicant with a masters in business administration, wrote to Hari Krishna
Exports on Tuesday for a position in the Internal Business division. In response, a human resources

executive emailed him back, rejecting his candidature. We regret to inform you that we hire only
non-Muslim candidates, the email read, explaining why his application had been turned down.

Screengrab of the email Khan received from Hari Krishna Exports.

Khan then posted his experience on Facebook, where it caused outrage eventually compelling Hari
Krishna Exports emailing Khan on Wednesday, regretting their actions.

Speaking to Scroll.in over the phone, company founder Savji Dholakia denied any institutional
discrimination at play and blamed iton the actions of a lone employee, Dipika Tike, who he claimed
has recently joined the company. On professional networking website, LinkedIn, however, Tikes
profile shows that she has been with Hari Krishna for five months now.

Diverse staff, Haridwar yatras

Dholakia claimed that diversity lies at the heart of Hari Krishna and they already have Muslims

working for it."We have 71 Muslims in our firm along with people from all castes such as Patels and
Marwaris". When asked how he knew the exact number of Muslims working for his
company,Dholakia said they had to count them after this controversy broke, refusing to elaborate
on the matter further. "We have people from26 districts, 86 taluqasand 386 villages who work for
us," said Dholakia.

He claimed that this charge of religious discrimination is absurd since they have great HR policies
in p ...

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HOT JOBS (/TAGS/29805/HOT-JOBS)

In the steel mills of Delhi, as the heat sizzles, workers faint

Anumeha Yadav (/authors/1721) Today 03:00 pm

Photo Credit: Anumeha Yadav

Even in cold rolling mills, the temperature of the metal sheets reaches as high as 250 degrees celsius.

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At noon, the patchy lawns in the centre of north Delhi's Wazirpur Industrial Estate are teeming.
Workers from Wazirpur's steel mills have gathered in their lunch break in Raja Park. Dressed in
grey and brown uniforms, a few in casual shirts, they sit on the lawns together to eat and chat.
Some nap in the shade of trees. In a few minutes, the workers will return inside the steel mills to
slog for hours beside furnaces running at 900 degrees celsius, and acid treatment units where
breathing becomes hard.

Inside Wazirpur's steel mills, in an operation that almost never stops, semi-finished slabs of steel
are re-heated nearly to melting point, rolled into thinner, longer sheets, treated with acid,
transported and introduced between rollers to again be compressed and squeezed. These steel
sheets, once cut and polished, are used to make containers and vessels.

Blazing heat

Over 14,000 workers are employed here in hot rolling mills and cold rolling mills. Hot rolling
process involves rolling the steel at extremely high temperatures, typically above 926 degree celsius,
which is higher than steel's recrystallization temperature. The cold rolling mill's name is a bit of a
misnomer as even in this process the temperature of the metal sheets reaches 50 to 250 degrees.
With the furnaces taking long to fire up, most factory owners prefer running the furnaces 24 hours
requiring workers to be on 12-hour shifts, often without a weekly off.

Last June, as the temperature in Delhi crossed 45 degrees and the heat made 12-hour shifts
unbearable, Wazirpur's workers brought the whizzing machines to a stop. Hundreds of them
walked from plant to plant demanding what many take for granted a minimum wage for skilled
work, a payslip, an identity card. Organising themselves as the Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti, ...

Read more

ANIMAL RIGHTS (/TAGS/27118/ANIMAL-RIGHTS)

Johnny Depp's dogs show evolving ideas of animal

'citizenship'
Simon Coghlan, The Conversation (/authors/1961) Today 02:30 pm

Photo Credit: Leon Neal/AFP

Behind the uproar over Johnny Depp's dogs lies a serious and evolving idea: our animal companions
have an important place in our lives that entitles them to rights akin to a sort of citizenship.

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The media storm created by Johnny Deppsultimately unsuccessful attempt

(http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/17/barnaby-joyce-defends-threat-to-put-down-johnnydepps-dogs)to sneak his dogs into Australia took some air from other political stories, like the
federal budget wash-up. It was, however, a member of Tony Abbotts government who was
responsible for the outcry. Barnaby Joycewarned (http://www.skynews.com.au/news/topstories/2015/05/14/depp-s-dogs-on-puppy-death-row.html):
If we start letting movie stars even though theyve been the sexiest man alive twice to come
into our nation, then why dont we just break the laws for everybody? Its time that Pistol and
Boo buggered off back to the United States.

Rejecting suggestions that the dogs be quarantined, the agriculture minister threatened to have
Depps dogs killed unless they were removed from the country within days.

For many in the media, animal stories like this arerather trivial
(http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/05/16/five-things-more-outrageous-what-might-havehappened-johnny-depps-dogs).

John Oliver was among many in the media who lampooned the story of Johnny Depps dogs.

Of course, the media take seriously the fact that our country has strict quarantine policies
(http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/quarantine-law-more-like-guidelines-for-johnnydepp/story-fn59niix-1227355670180), which protect us from diseases like rabies. No-one doubted
that Depp had acted irresponsibly.

Yet few people seriously believed, especially once the dogs were located and confined, that
Australia was at any real risk from Depps deception, notwithstanding Joyces bluster.

Although many people still regard animal stories as trivial and certainly the media often renders
them trivial - there is an emerging ethic that treats our relations with animals with more
seriousness. Within 24 hours, thousands had signed thechange.org petition
(https://www.change.org/p/save-johnny-depp-s-dogs-agriculture-minister-don-t-seize-and-destroyboo-pistol?just_created=true)to protest Joyces threat.

Animals are important in our lives

Over recent decades there has also been a move, albeit an often resisted move, to treat our relations
with animals as worthy of sustained attention. We can see evidence of this on both the science
side and the humanities side of academia and in certain professions.

For example, the veterinary profession has come to regard as highly important research into what
has been called the human-animal bond.According to the Australian Veterinary Association
(http://www.ava.com.au/policy/61-benefits-pets-and-human%E2%80%93animal-bond), the benefits
of this bond include companionship, health and social improvements and assistance for people
with special needs.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention nameslowered blood pressure and reduction in
loneliness (http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health-benefits/)as just two possible benefits.

It is true, as somehave claimed (http://theconversation.com/why-science-cant-really-tell-uswhether-pets-are-good-for-health-9043), that this research is inconclusive. However, scientists are
now effectively treating our close, emotional relationships with animals not as aberrant or foolishly
sentimental behaviour, but as an important part of our lives.

For example, the media have reported on studies into the way that peoplegrieve for their animal
companions (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-death-of-pet-can-hurt-asmuch-as-the-loss-of-a-relative/2012/02/21/gIQALXTXcS_story.html). Many people regard them as
family members and actually feel closer to them than to some of their human relatives.

Language and law mark shift in relations

Traditionally, we have referred to animal owners. One effect of the way we now take humananimal relations more seriously is that this kind of language isbeing questioned
(https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201105/journal-animal-ethics-banningcommon-words-describe-pets-and-other-animals). Some have argued that we should speak of
animal guardianship rather than ownership.

Even more radically, some lawyers are pushing to re-define animals from property to legal persons.
The most recent caseinvolves two chimpanzees
(https://theconversation.com/(http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-01/lawyer-steve-wise-pushes-forchimps-to-be-granted-personhood/6435984)being used for biomedical experimentation in New
York.

Our relations with animals are being re-imagined in various humanities disciplines. A dramatic
example comes from Canadian political philosopher Will Kymlicka, who has written influentially
on liberalism and multiculturalism. In the bookZoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights
(http://www.amazon.com/Zoopolis-Political-Theory-Animal-Rights/dp/0199599661), Kymlicka (with
writer Sue Donaldson) argues that the time has come for recognising certain animals as genuine

members of society.

He argues that animals with whom we can live in co-operative, sociable, complex relationships
namely, the domesticated animals as opposed, say, to wild animals should be recognised as fellow
citizens.

This does not mean that they should be granted the rights to vote or run for parliament, any more
than young children should have those rights. But it does mean that certain animals should be
granted some of the rights that go with citizenship.

For example, we may have strong obligations to teach our dogs to be sociable and well-adjusted,
and to allow them more access to parks and other life-enriching community amenities. They would
possess these rights insofar as they can respond with appropriate co-operation. Citizenship in the
Zoopolis would certainly mean that politicians do not threaten dogs, even visiting dogs who are
citizens of other countries, with being killed just because it suits their political purposes.

Of course, the Zoopolis is an idea that is presently far ahead of community opinion. Nevertheless,
it is a product and a dimension of our changing ethic towards human-animal relations.

Barnaby Joyce failed spectacularly to understand the modern change in human-animal relations,
which is why he attracted the opprobrium of many people in Australia and around the world.

This article was originally published on The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/johnny-deppsdogs-show-evolving-ideas-of-animal-citizenship-41968).

We welcome your comments atletters@scroll.in. (mailto:?

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