IN the tsunami of December 2004, people heard a strange, deep rumbling before columns of the sea came in. In 2008, the people of north Bihar had no such warning. The river was silent and swift, rising from a deceptive two feet to nearly eight feet in a matter of hours, trapping lakhs of people in remote villages in the districts of Purnea, Madhepura, Araria, Supaul, Saharsa and Kul.
THE Kosi is often called Bihar's "river of sorrow" as it has a* I propensity to create displacement and despair for millions I regularly. But what if the misery and devastation was more a result of human folly rather than the river's fury?
GOING by the volume and intensity of India Inc's support for Ratan Tata, West Bengal would be in deep trouble if the Nano doesn't drive out of Singur. A leading industry association head went as far to say that the state could "kiss its industrial dreams goodbye".
SHUSHEN Shatra didn't have to die. The belligerent face-off over Tata Motors' Nano plant in Singur was finally moving towards mediation, negotiation and even a faint glimmer of resolution. But the high drama around the Tatas' decision to suspend work at the Singur plant (where two of Shatra's sons were working) got too much for the frail farmer to bear.
On any other day, the swanky Durgapur Express Highway is a picture of calm efficiency, with trucks rumbling down this four-lane expressway which connects West Bengal with India's main arteries. It's rare, say the locals, to see a car on the 4.5-km-long stretch that outlines Tata Motors' Nano facility, nestled amidst lush, green fields at Singur, some 40-45 km off Calcutta.
How would you react if you were told that your child had contracted a lifelong ailment because of the side-effects of a vaccine that is part of the government's immunisation programme? And what if it's discovered that the vaccine didn't even offer protection in the first place against the disease it was meant to provide immunity from?
AUGUST 18,2008. In the wee hours of the day, the river Kosi breaches the embankments in Kusaha, Nepal, leaving in its wake an awesome trail of death and destruction downstream in Bihar's northern plains. Panic-stricken, people run helter skelter ooking for high ground, railway tracks, trees, whatever, to escape the swirling waters. At last count, on August 28, the death toll had touched 55.
Prize Catch
* The Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats are prime hunting grounds for smugglers of rare Indian butterflies and beetles
* They're in demand internationally for private collections, butterfly parks, traditional medicine, and also to be encased into jewellery
Doctors will soon get a template for treatment ...
You may call it a prescription of sorts for doctors. The Union ministry of health and family welfare has begun drafting a set of standard treatment guidelines (STG) at the national level in an attempt to bring uniformity in medical care across the country.
