Opinion

Opinion        28/01/2019                 1674. Sub :-Minutes of the fourteenth meeting of Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) held at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, from 16th to 17th August 2011 Ref :-The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel met from 16th to 17th August 2011 at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. The following members of the WGEEP were present:- Prof. Madhav Gadgil Chairman Shri B J Krishnan Member Dr. V.S. Vijayan Member Prof R. Sukumar Member Ms. Vidya S. Nayak Member Dr. Renee Borges Member Dr. G.V. Subrahmanyam Member Secretary Dr. R.V.Varma, Chairman, Kerala State Biodiversity Board; Dr. Ligia Noronha, TERI, Delhi; Dr. K.N. Ganeshaiah, UAS, Bengaluru; Dr. R.R. Navalgund, Director, Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad; Prof. S P Gautam, Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board; Dr. D.K. Subramaniam, IISc, Bengaluru; all Members of the Panel could not attend the me...

Opinion       23/01/2019                 1665. Sub : "GLORY OF SANATANA DHARMAM" ( HINDUISM ) : SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA : CHINMAYA MISSION Ref : My Love for Chinmaya Mission : KUMUDHA VENKATESAN, USA My family’s association with this Hindu organization and its teachers lifted me from tragedy while inspiring religious education and daily devotion I CRIED LIKE A CHILD FOR MONTHS AFTER the passing of my father in 2013. Suddenly everything came to a standstill for me. My whole life, I had loved, respected and revered him. As I grew up, he taught me math and drawing. We would discuss everything from politics to philosophy, religion and astronomy. He was my role model. I vividly remember his fascination with the perfect creation and management of our universe by Lord Krishna. Always brimming with optimism, he was loving, caring, inspiring and compassionate to everyone. He always performed his duties to the best of h...

Opinion       21/01/2019                 1663. Let Us Be Hindus : Followers of Sanatana Dharmam : Swami Chinmayananda A Hindu Swami to talk. A Hindu temple for its background. A crowded hall of a Hindu audience, and the subject for discussion. " Let Us Be Hindus." Strange! It sounds like a ridiculous paradox and a meaningless contradiction. I can very well see that you are surprised at the audacity of this sadhu (swami)! It has become a new fashion with the educated Hindu to turn up his nose and sneer in contempt at the very mention of his religion in any discussion. Personally, I too belong in my sympathies to these critics of our religion. But when this thoughtless team begins to declare that we would benefit ourselves socially and nationally by running away from our sacred religion, I pause to reconsider my own stand. At the present state of moral, ethical and cultural degradation in our country, to totally di...

Opinion       18/01/2019                 1661. Sub : Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part II : Actionable points for the WGEA : Annexure C: Site Visits : B.J. Krishnan proposals: Ref : Annexure C: Site Visits : B.J. Krishnan proposals: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Site Visit Plan and Public Consultation Processes to arrive at the core issues of the conservation process- TASK: - 1. Broad outline of the Public Consultation Process (and), 2. A tentative set of criteria for selecting Sites for Visit : For the sake of convenience and easy identification, I have broadly divided the entire Western Ghats regions into four Zones (1) Southern Western Ghats (2) South-Central inclusive of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (3) Central and (4) Western Zones – See Annexure B. Outline of the Public Consultation / Approach ---------------------------------------------------...

Opinion       13/01/2019                1655. SUB : Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part II : Actionable points for the WGEA : Annexure-II: Western Ghats Expert Group: Organizing a process of comprehensive consultation, Annexure-III: Western Ghats Expert Group: Organizing an Information System : Annexure-IV: Western Ghats Expert Group: Time frame -Minutes of the Second Meeting of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel held on 7th May 2010 at 10.00 am at BSI, Coimbatore - Site visits and public consultations : Ref : Site visits and public consultations :- The panel discussed the site visit plan and public consultation processes to arrive at the core issues of conservation process as proposed by Sh. B. J. Krishnan which is given in the agenda at Annexure C. After detailed deliberations the Panel agreed to employ the framework suggested by Sh. B.J. Krishnan and Prof. Madhav Gadgil’s as given in An...