HOW POOR WE ARE

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.”

“Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked.

“Oh Yeah” said the son.

“So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

With this the boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are.”

Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don’t have. What is one person’s worthless object is another’s prize possession. It is all based on one’s perspective. Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for all the bounty we have, instead of worrying about wanting more. Take joy in all you have, especially your friends. Pass this message on

WILL

Excerpt from Friedrich Nietzsche 's Beyond Good and Evil:

In all willing there is firstly a plurality of sensations,namely,the sensation of condition "away from which we go",the sensation of condition "towards which we go",the sensation of this 'from 'and 'towards' itself,and then besides,an accompanying muscular sensation,which,even without our putting in motion 'arms and legs', commences its action by force of habit,directly we 'WILL' anything.Therefore just as sensations are to be recognized as ingredients of the will,so,in the second place,thinking is also to be recognized;in every act of will there is a ruling thought; - and let us not imagine it possible to sever this thought from the 'willing',as if the will would then remain over! In the third place,the will is not only a complex of sensation and thinking,but,it is above all an 'emotion',and in fact the emotion of command.That which is termed 'freedom of will' is essentially the emotion of supremacy in respect to him who must obey: I am free,he must obey - this consciousness is inherent in every will; and equally so the straining of the attention,the straight look which fixes itself exclusively on one thing, the unconditional judgement that "this and nothing else is necessary now,"the inward certainty that obedience will be rendered - and whatever else pertains to the position of the commander. A man who wills commands something within himself renders obedience,or which he believes renders obedience. But now let us notice what is the strangest thing about will, - this affair so extremely complex,for which the people have only one name. In as much as in the given circumstances we are at the same time the commanding and the obeying parties, and as the obeying party we know the sensations of constraint,impulsion,pressure,resistance and motion which usually commence immediately after the act of will; in as much as, on the other hand, we are accustomed to disregard this duality,and to deceive ourselves about it by means of the synthetic term 'I': a whole series of erroneous conclusions,  and consequently of false judgments about the will itself,has become attached to the act of willing - to such a degree that he who wills believes firmly that willing suffices for action. Since  in the majority of cases there has only been exercise of will when the effect of the command - consequently obedience, and therefore action - was to be expected, the appearance has translated itself into the sentiment, as if there were a necessity of effect ; in a word , he who wills believes with a fair amount of certainty that will and action are somehow one; he ascribes the success, the carrying out of the willing,to the will itself,and thereby enjoys an increase of sensation of power which accompines all success.Freedom of will that is the expression of complex state of delight of the person exercising volition,who commands at the same time identifies himself with the executor of the order - who,as such, enjoys also the triumph over obstacles but thinks within himself that it was really his own will that overcame them. in this way the person exercising volition,adds the feelings of delight of his successful executive instruments,the useful 'underwills'or 'undersouls'- indeed our body is but a social structure composed of many souls- to his feelings of delight as a commander. What happens here is what happens in every well constructed and happy commonwealth,namely, that the governing class identifies itself with the success of commonwealth. In all willing it is absolutely a question of commanding and obeying,on the basis,as already said ,of a social structure composed of many souls,on which account a philosopher should claim the right to include willingness as such within the sphere of morals - regarded as the doctrine of relations of supremacy under which the phenomenon of life manifests itself. 

CHERIYAL PAINTINGS OF TELENGANA

Cheriyal paintings in a way are the pictorial documentations of caste genealogies.

As we travel to the interior villages of Telangana, our gaze is spellbound by the vibrantly coloured paintings on the walls of shrines dedicated to ‘Gramadevatas’ and ‘Dargas’. More than the colour, the thematic flow of these paintings draws the viewer’s attention into the sphere of imaginative narration of that particular deity. This unique style of depicting mythological stories in picture is in fact the artistic representation of a painting tradition prevailing in Telangana from hundreds of years. Nakaashi Painting is well known even today because of the traditional artists, known as Nakaashis (people who make ‘Naksh’).They are experts in making scroll paintings that are as wide as 3 feet in width and 6 feet in length.

Scroll painting is one of the ancient expressions in Telangana and dates back to Kakatiya dynasty. The genre of this painting displays the traces of the Kakatiya style of painting, seen in the 12th century wall paintings of Pillalamarri temple and hill temple of Tripurantakam. Eekamranatha, in his literary text Pratapa charitram indicates that 1500 painters’ families were living in and around Warangal at that point. Today, Nakashi painters are engaged in twomajor styles, Cheriyal painting and Nirmal painting each with a purpose of its own.

How Cheriyal painting has evolved is fascinating indeed. Originally, the painted scrolls of Cheriyal were shown to audience/viewers while reciting or performing about the genealogies of 7 local communities/castes (i.e: The Jaamba puraanam is performed for Maadigas by Dakkali sub caste; the Bhaavanaa Rishi and Markandeeya puraanam is performed for Padmasaalis by Kuunapuli sub caste; the madeel puraanam is shown for chakalivaallu by patamvaaru sub caste; the Gauda puraanam is performed for Gauds by Gaudajetti caste; Paandavula Katha is performed for Mudiraajs by Kaakipadagala sub caste; Addam puranam is for Mangalivaallu by addam varu; Kaatama Raju Katha is performed for Gollavallu by Mandechchuloollu. Instead of scrolls, performers in this Kaatamaraju performance use 53 dolls made by Nakashi artists). Usually performed over three nights in a row, the story telling or performing narration could take 20 days of ‘show and tell’ to narrate a 60-feet scroll. The presence of such story telling performers has been indicated from the 10th century Telugu literature.

The process of painting was initiated by the artists when the story narrators/picture showmen provided them with an orientation of a particular story about their particular caste and the iconic character of their caste legend. As per this narration, the painters depict the characters and narrative sequence on the canvas. Though this was how the Cheriyal scroll painting tradition came about, today, the large scrolls of yore is not much in demand. The artists are now making smaller paintings according to market demand as well as other articles using the painting style.

Cheriyal paintings are completely organic right from the canvas used to the paints and brushes even. For the canvas, a fine hand woven cloth mat is coated with three layers of a paste prepared from boiled rice starch, white clay, gum and boiled tamarind seed paste.

The brushes use squirrel hair and brushes required to make different strokes on canvas are made according to their purpose. Colours used in Cheriyal painting are water based and are primarily earth based which yield vibrant colour textures and picturesque frames.

The powder of a stone called ‘inglikum’ elevates the background in bright red colour, pevudi yellow shades, unique ‘zink white’ is used to depict pearl like ornamentations and the thick Indigo blue colours are used across the paintings making these picturesque frames theatrical representations of life. Each frame in the story sequence is marked by the floral borders which is another unique feature of these paintings.

In retrospect, it is certainly not the big canvases that make these paintings worthy of appreciation but the dynamic thought process Cheryal style induces to the creators of the art. It is that these vibrant colourful works of Cheriyal project the whole social universe in miniature form including Gondwana landscapes, forests, animals, birds, people, rituals, the cultural complexities of each and every service caste and their caste genealogies as an expression of self-respect.

In a nutshell, the vibrant colours, the technical skills on canvas, the artists’ growing confidence in using various mediums reflect the dynamic nature of this painting tradition. Moreover they reflect the greater intensity in organic metaphors, rural wisdom in perceptions and the local visions in thematic frames showing the cultural values and ethos that shape the unique aesthetic ideas of Telangana region. It is this rare imaginative quality in conception and areas of vibrant colour which gave inspiration to Kapu Rajayya, a well known Telangana painter for his lifetime aesthetic explorations. Right now only Vaikuntam Nakash and his family (Rakesh, Vinay Kumar, Vanaja and Sarika) are continuing this hereditary practice of painting Cheriyal Scrolls. Vaikuntam Nakash, with his rare sensibilities and great love for art, is struggling to bring out new genre and expressions to this age old Telangana miniature painting style. His only wish is to see Cheriyal scroll painting style being taught at the university level for future generations.

SOURCE: THE HINDU

ELEPHANT CHASING DRAGON

Can Elephant chase Dragon?
It is the most perplexed question of every economist and every common man in India. expectations running high on the new government,partly because of Modi wave and partly because of India's commending economic fundamentals,the world is closely watching this two great civilizations.
India with 1.28 billion population having 328 million sqkm, is a 1.85 trillion dollar economy.It spends $40 billion as defense spending(2.4% of its GDP)while its counter part, China with 1.35 billion population having 960 million sqkm,is a 8.2 trillion dollar economy. it spends $130 billion as defense spending( 2% of its GDP)

this stats can reveal the picture that while the Elephant is limping the Dragon is flying.
India- china Trade imbalance issue:
How Modi Government can tackle trade imbalance with china?how big is the problem?. India currently runs a$ 35 billion annual trade deficit with china. It is half of the remittances India receive annually,it is 11 billions more than the Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) India receives annually.
1. If Modi government  can negotiate with china, to halve the import duty on cotton fabrics from current 10%  India could raise its exports from $700 million to $ 6 billion in five years.
2. If New Delhi could able to negotiate to relax phytosanitary norms, buffalo meat could fetch India another $1 billion annually.relaxation in similar standards in ares such as marine products could add more value to exports from india.
3. Getting access to Chinese markets for Indian pharmaceuticals and IT related services India could bring down the trade deficit to $17 billion in coming three to four years.
If Modi government has to tackle china effectively it should keep in mind Mahatma Gandhi's words "strength does not come from physical capacity but with indomitable will". The foreign policy should be guided with give and take relationship and engage in dialogue and peace.the conundrum of elephant chasing a dragon, should no more be an impossible task.

New Portifolios

MIDDLECLASS BETTEROFF

The Indian middle class now owns more gadgets and is a little better educated, but is still not as prosperous as has been believed to be, says data from the 2011-12 round of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) conducted by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

The data, collected from 42,000 families, shows that with rising incomes — the real median income grew from Rs. 28,200 per year in 2004-05 to Rs. 37,500 in 2011-12 — asset ownership of the middle class has also increased.

Purchase of air-conditioners, colour TVs, refrigerators, cars, laptops and credit cards has doubled over the last seven years, and cellphone ownership has exploded from 7 per cent of the population in 2004-05 to 82 per cent.

The Hindu is reporting exclusively from the findings of India IHDS 2011-12, the largest independent nationally representative sample survey . The annual income of the middle class remains relatively low. If the Indian population is divided into five classes of equal sizes of 20 per cent each, the poorest quintile (20 per cent) will earn between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 33,000 annually as a household, the next 20 per cent will earn between Rs. 33,001 and Rs. 55,640. Families that earn between Rs. 55,000 and Rs. 88,800 annually would be in the third quintile and fall in the middle of India’s income distribution. The fourth quintile will include families earning between Rs. 88,801 and Rs. 1.5 lakh annually and those with income above Rs. 1.5 lakh per year will comprise the richest 20 per cent population. According to the Planning Commission, a family earning Rs. 55,000 annually would be at or just above the urban poverty line for 2011-12.

Not all of the Indian middle class has access to all amenities yet. According to latest data from National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), only 40 per cent of those in the middle class, comprising households with annual income above Rs. 88,800 annually (an estimate suggested by NCAER researchers), have piped water connections, and only 15 per cent get three hours of water supply every day. Just over half of such families have flush toilets and a similar percentage get 18 hours of electricity in a day.

Non-agricultural labour is still the most common job for men in families earning between Rs. 88,801 to 1.5 lakh per year. For the richest 20 per cent population (above Rs. 1.5 lakh per year), however, salaried work becomes the most common occupation.

By standard international definitions, like a consumption expenditure of more than $10 per day, India would have no middle class because everyone spending that much is in the top 5 per cent population of the country. Economist Nancy Birdsall, founding president of Washington-based Centre for Global Development, proposed a $4-$10 range for a class she described as the “catalysing class,” which in India is made up of 150 million people or 12 per cent of the population.

“I think it’s more useful to go beyond the income data, and look at what we really mean when we talk about a global middle class,” said Dr. Sonalde Desai, senior fellow at the NCAER and professor of sociology at the University of Maryland. “This would means things like a college degree, fluency in English, white-collar jobs among others,” she said.

The NCAER data shows that just 12 per cent of adult men in 2011-12 had a degree or diploma, only 8 per cent could speak fluent English and 14 per cent had some computer skills. Women had fewer skills than men in each of these categories.

 

The impressive gain by rural households in spite of the favouritism towards non-primary activities appears real

The Indian economy has moved on a high growth path since the mid-1980s. After a blip in growth between 1990-92, liberalisation, initiated for aligning the Indian economy with the world in 1991, not only put the economy back on a higher growth path but also sustained this growth till the 2000s. During the last few years, India has been the second fastest growing economy in the world.

Despite the high growth over the past two decades, concerns have been raised over the growth not being equally distributed. Policy makers responded to these concerns arguing for inclusiveness in the 11th Five Year Plan in 2007. How has the rapid growth during the 11th Five Year Plan period helped in improving the income levels of the most vulnerable Indian households?

Sharing of growth

The aggregate estimates routinely brought out by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) show a “feel good factor” — that real per capita income has been growing rapidly. But there is little evidence on (a) how this growth has been shared among households in rural India versus urban India and (b) whether households belonging to different socio-religious groups have grown together. Three rounds of the National Sample Survey Consumer Expenditure (NSS CE) surveys carried out between 2004-05 and 2011-12 suggest an unprecedented rise in household expenditure and a consequent decline in poverty. These estimates imply that some benefits of growth have been shared by vulnerable households. But these data do not clarify whether poverty has declined because of new social safety net programmes or because vulnerable households have participated in the general economic growth.

The recently-concluded India Human Development Survey (IHDS) — a nationally representative survey of about 42,000 households conducted by researchers from the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and the University of Maryland examines changes in the incomes of the households during the period of rapid economic growth, 2004-05 and 2011-12. It is the only nationally representative panel survey covering the same households. During the two rounds of IHDS, besides a range of outcome indicators, data on household income and its sources have also been collected.

Though validation of the data is still underway, we present some pointers based on preliminary analysis. The median real income of the households from all sources had been about Rs. 28,200 in 2004-05; this increased to about Rs. 37,500 in 2011-12, which is an average of 4.7 per cent annually. Unlike aggregate growth figures released by the CSO, IHDS data allows calculation of household income by the place of residence of households. Those IHDS calculations show for the first time that the real average household income in rural India has increased 5.0 per cent annually — almost twice the 2.6 per cent annual growth in urban India. This has resulted in a significant narrowing of the gap in household income — from 2.26 times in 2004-05 to 1.97 in 2011-12. These figures are consistent with the growth of per capita expenditure calculated from the respective NSS CE (61st and 68th rounds) monthly per capita expenditure growth in the rural and urban sectors.

When we normalise the household median income by the number of members in the household, the growth of income in rural India is even more impressive — an average annual median per capita income increase of 7.2 per cent, which is more than twice the rate experienced by urban households (3.2 per cent annually). This story of growth at the aggregate level is fascinating in itself because most of the changes during the liberalisation phase have favoured the growth of non-primary activities. But the impressive gain by rural households in spite of the favouritism towards non-primary activities appears real and requires further investigation.

Further proof of growth

We note similar differences in median income growth across different socio-religious groups that provide further confirmation of the inclusiveness of the recent economic growth. In IHDS surveys, we have defined six social and religious groups — high caste Hindus, Other Backward Classes, Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims and Other Religious Minorities. The highest growth in the median per capita incomes is reported for Dalits (7.8 per cent annually) and OBCs (7.3 per cent), while the real median income of high caste Hindus grew only at 4.6 per cent annually. The average income growth of other vulnerable groups was also higher than that of high caste Hindus. The income of Adivasis grew at 5.7 per cent annually while the income of Muslims grew by 5.4 per cent.

A working plan

Our preliminary results point towards the largest gains for the traditionally vulnerable households — rural areas, Dalits, OBCs, Adivasis and Muslims. This narrowing of group differences is all the more remarkable in the face of a slightly diverging overall income distribution. Our preliminary calculations of per capita income inequality suggest a small increase from a Gini ratio of 53 in 2004-5 to 55 in 2011-12.

The relatively greater progress of vulnerable sectors despite this growing inequality seems to suggest that the inclusive growth policy implemented during the 11th Five Year Plan may have been working. While a much more rigorous analysis is required to delineate the factors that have led to this, our conjecture is that some of the social sector schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Janani Suraksha Yojana, the National Rural Health Mission et al. may have contributed to this inclusive growth.

 

 SOURCE: HINDU

HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Families with an annual income of Rs 1.5 lakh are among the richest 20 per cent in the country, data from the 2011-12 round of India Human Development Survey (IHDS) conducted by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) shows.

While incomes have grown considerably in the last seven years, access to adequate public services is still severely lacking, says the data collected from 42,000 households across the country.

The NCAER, whose survey is being reported exclusively by The Hindu , is the only research organisation with a large sample survey to estimate household income. The government’s National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) collects data on consumption expenditure, which is often used as a proxy for income.

For the 2011-12 IHDS, the NCAER research team returned to over 80 per cent of the households it had interviewed in 2004-05, to make an estimate of the change over the last seven years. In 2004-05, a family earning Rs. 70,000 annually would have been among the richest 20 per cent in the country, while in 2011-12, the same family would find a place in the middle of the distribution. An annual household income of Rs. 25,000 placed a family in the middle of the order in 2004-05. In 2011-12, Rs. 25,000 is the annual income of the poorest 20 per cent of Indians.

The situation on the public services front is still grim. Piped water available indoors has grown by only 2% and is now available to 27% households. In urban areas, piped water is available to between half and two-thirds of families. Of families which get piped water, less than a third get three hours of supply a day.

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Delhi have the highest coverage of families for piped water (60%). Delhi gives its residents water for the most number of hours in a day.

Flush toilets are now accessible to one-third of all households and over two-thirds of urban households. Toilet coverage is the highest in Kerala (92%), Delhi (79%) and Punjab (74%).

Access to electricity is inching towards becoming universal with 83 per cent of all households getting supply. Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi have 100% access to ‘some electricity’. No State had reached this milestone in 2004-05. Just 45% households with access to power get 18 hours or more of electricity in the day. Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi and Gujarat lead the country in terms of supply of 18 hours or more.

SOURCE: HINDU