Who What Why When Where

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NOIDA/DELHI THE HINDU G G G G 12 WHO WHAT WHY WHEN WHERE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

WHO Last week, Jacob Rees-Mogg, a bespec- unexpected turn amid disillusionment were “good enough for India” could be such as Breitbart, which has compared he talked out a bill through a lengthy PQp q tacled grey-haired parliamentarian with with party stalwarts, especially among good enough for Britain, Mr. Rees- him to Churchill and applauded his speech which included discussing P.G. a cut-glass accent, appeared on a popu- young Conservatives. The ultra-proper Mogg, an ardent Brexiteer, said earlier “Christian beliefs, conservative values Woodhouse’s pig the Empress of Bland- lar morning television programme to 48-year-old Mr. Rees-Mogg, rarely seen this year. In a discussion about trade and Euroscepticism.” In June, the Mogg- ings). During a debate in 2012, he set the expound his views, which included op- out of a double breasted suit and tie and deals with other countries following Mentum campaign, touting him as the House of Commons record by using the posing same sex marriage and abortion carefully combed hair, has been a mem- Brexit, he said: “We could, if we answer to the Conservative’s leadership longest word ever used in the House, Jacob under absolutely any circumstances (in- ber of Parliament since 2010, as a vocal wanted, accept emissions from India, crisis, was launched by young Conser- floccinaucinihilipilification, which cluding rape). It was far from the first backbencher, regularly voting against America and Europe. vatives. The name is a nod to Mo- means the act of estimating something time that Catholic Rees-Mogg had ex- his party’s official line when it diverged There would be no con- mentum, the left-wing grassroots as worthless. “I could sit and listen to Rees-Mogg pressed strongly conservative views. from his own conservative politics. tradiction with that.” movement that helped Jeremy him all day, I disagree with him 99.9% of Nevertheless, his comments touched a Even his personal life Corbyn win the Labour leadership the time,” one Scottish National Party nerve nationally, coming as a poll by Has the ‘outsider’ tag helped? seems to fit: he has six election. Over 26,000 people have MP recently told The Guardian. Conservative Conservative Home put him as the Though his origins are hardly unusual children (the most resigned a petition supporting him. party members’ favourite to become for a Conservative politician — he is the cent one, Sixtus, was One particularly enthusiastic young So could he become PM? their next leader. son of a wealthy, former editor of The born earlier this year) supporter even had MoggMentum While centrists and those on the left hopeful With 22% of the vote, it put him com- Times, educated at Eton and Oxford, and has admitted to tattooed on his chest. fear that Mr. Rees-Mogg is symptomatic fortably ahead of David Davis, the Minis- with a career in finance — he has man- never ever having Even critics admit to admiring as- of the rightward shift of the Conservat- ter in charge of Brexit, and Boris John- aged to build a significant following changed a nappy. “I have pects, such as his flair for elocu- ive base, whether his popularity trans- son, the Foreign Secretary, who had till within the party, particularly among made no pretence to be a tion: he is known in the lates into anything in government re- recently been the party’s favoured ec- those on the right who want it to remain modern man at all, ever,” he Commons for be- mains to be seen. He himself has centric. firmly socially and politically conservat- told Nigel Farage on a radio ing a particularly pointed out that no one has ever made ive. To them, Mr. Rees-Mogg has been show recently. good orator, ad- it directly from the backbenches to lead- What is his pull? just the ticket: in addition to opposing ept at filibus- ing the party of government, though After the June election smashed the anything around the smoking ban or Who are his tering legisla- tellingly he has so far refused to rule out Conservative’s comfortable majority, equal gay rights, he has stood against backers? tion he taking the baton should he ever be weakening Prime Minister Theresa May, measures to promote equality and hu- His politics has won disagrees offered it. the unofficial battle to take over as man rights and environmental and him gushing support with (in one leader commenced swiftly, taking an safety protections. Regulations that from alt-right media instance, VIDYA RAM CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC WHAT cash to his devotees to watch those empire of much financial interest. sic videos and five movies. Hakkikat’s many strange, and unexplained, trans- PQp q movies and declared them super-hits. In the 800-acre premises, officials balance sheet shows that the guru’s actions on the books of the companies He bought luxury cars, abandoned came across two tunnels, one of which movies were not in the ₹100 crore club that produced movies, published news- them, built opulent palaces, educa- connected the Dera Awas, Singh’s offi- as was claimed by his PR team, but were papers and ran resorts for the Dera. tional institutions and underground cial residence, to Sadhvi Niwas, a wo- loss-making productions. There are mysterious transactions in caves, distributed largesse and votes to men’s hostel. The other tunnel may ARZ Unique Enterprises owns MSG unexplained goods and other activities. The lowdown politicians. have been a kind of escape route from Resort in Sirsa, while Samag Enterprises Dera Sacha Sauda’s case is not an isol- the premises. brings out Sach Kahoon, a mouthpiece ated instance. In fact, it has come under How did it On August 25, after The combing operations also found for the Dera. scrutiny only because of the criminal on Dera’s come about? the CBI court in an explosives factory, which primarily The sect seems to have also adopted activities of Ram Rahim Singh that were Panchkula convicted made firecrackers, as well as aban- plastic currency in local markets. Dur- bravely reported by a few women and the Dera chief, his followers went on the doned vehicles, including a Lexus lux- ing search operations, officials re- upheld without any fear or favour by a money trail rampage, claiming more than 30 lives ury SUV. At the heart of Dera Sacha covered several plastic coins showing judge. and leaving several hundred injured Sauda is a registered charity, eligible for the existence of an illegal and separate WHAT IS IT? The guru from Sirsa, within a few hours. There was loss of tax exemption. But behind it lurks a monetary system, though limited, in the What Next? Given the firm judi- Baba Gurmeet Ram both lives and property. The Punjab and complex financial web, primarily in- Dera. cial pronouncement Rahim Singh, who is now behind bars, Haryana High Court directed the Punjab volving three companies — Hakkikat En- against Ram Rahim Singh and the public had built an expanding business empire and Haryana governments to identify tertainment, ARZ Unique Enterprises Why Does It What complicates focus on his nefarious activities, it is out of his spiritual command over mil- the properties of the Dera Sacha Sauda and Samag Enterprises. Matter? the picture is the many possible that some action would be lions of people, especially the poor and and submit a list of the same to the These companies are all linked financial dealings taken against the financial misdemean- backward classes. court and said the loss to public prop- through common directors and share- between the Dera Sacha Sauda and the our too. However, it is also possible that Singh pumped in the money that he erty would be compensated by those re- holders, many of whom are devotees, for-profit companies run by Ram Rahim as the public attention wanes away, the allegedly collected from devotees into sponsible for it. and share the same addresses. Singh’s devotees. Any investment by Dera could be back to doing what they companies, washed black money into The Haryana government sanctioned There are reports of a mystery trail of non-profit charities in for-profit activit- have been doing all these years. Some white and vice-versa, bought properties search of the Dera headquarters, and over ₹51 crore through at least 15 other ies is explicitly banned under the In- sequels cannot be ruled out. and built resorts. examination of various documents ghost companies. Hakkikat Entertain- come Tax Act. Then he made B-grade movies, gave showed a widespread and flourishing ment produced Ram Rahim Singh’s mu- What also raises questions are the JOSY JOSEPH

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC WHY What happened? tions on severance pay and the on hiring expensive lawyers and “ob- The management reconstituted the PQp q * Allegations and counter-allegations acquisition and submit a report by tained a clean chit for themselves from board and made U.B. Pravin Rao in- over the $200 million acquisition of an October. these lawyers.” terim chief executive officer and man- Israeli firm, Panaya, and the severance aging director reporting to Mr. Sikka, package to former chief financial officer Why did things come to a head? How did the board respond? who had been CEO since August 2014. Rajiv Bansal culminated in the resigna- * After the letter was leaked, Mr. * The then chairman Mr. Seshasayee tion of Infosys chief executive officer Murthy said in a statement that his and his team laid the blame for Mr. How did it get sorted out? were Infosys * and managing director Vishal Sikka, 50, “problem is with governance at Infosys. Sikkas’ resignation on Mr. Murthy’s The founders of India’s second largest on August 18. A July 8 letter by co- I believe that the fault lies with the cur- table. They said Mr. Murthy’s continu- software exporter had the final say. Mr. founder founder N.R. Narayana Murthy to the rent board,” the one headed by Mr. Se- ous assault was the “primary reason” Nilekani, who spearheaded India’s bio- board, headed by R. Seshasayee, was shasayee. “If the board had not made in- for the CEO’s resignation, “despite metric identity programme Aadhaar, leaked to the media on August 17. Mr. action its strategy since September 2015 strong board support.” In an August 18 and who was the CEO of Infosys from and board at Murthy, following complaints, was and had ensured proper governance, statement from Infosys, the board said 2002 to 2007, returned to the helm. peeved at salary increases given to Mr. then the board could have created it took “great umbrage” at Mr. Murthy’s During his tenure, Infosys’ revenue rose Sikka and Mr. Bansal. He also wanted a checks and balances required in any it is clear that the Chair told a blatant lie letter that had been leaked. from $500 million to $2 billion. Mr. Se- loggerheads? report submitted by an independent well-run company. That, alas, does not to the shareholders.” There was also an The board said it was “profoundly shasayee, Mr. Sikka, who was serving as U.S. agency on allegations of irregularit- exist today,” he said. issue of a $1 million agreement with distressed by the unfounded personal executive vice-chairman after he ies in the Panaya acquisition to be made He raised questions on why the David Kennedy, general counsel and attacks” on the management team that resigned as CEO, and two other direct- public. The board defended the salary board had paid a severance pay of ₹23 chief compliance officer, who left the were made in anonymous letters and ors resigned. Ravi Venkatesan stepped increases and refused to make the re- crore to Mr. Bansal and later refused to company in January. “Why was a special had surfaced in recent months. Infosys, down as co-chairman to continue as an port public. divulge details, citing “confidentiality 12–month severance allowed for Mr. it claimed, had maintained the “highest independent director on the board. Ten days after Mr. Murthy’s letter ap- agreement.” Mr. Murthy said he had re- David Kennedy when the norm was just standards” of corporate governance, Mr. Nilekani said the main task was to peared in the media, the board named ceived more than 1,800 emails from em- three months in the company,” Mr. and “careful investigations found no resolve differences over corporate gov- former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani, ployees and investors highlighting the Murthy asked. merit in the unsubstantiated and an- ernance and “personally ensure Mr. 62, as its new chairman. Soon after tak- severance pay and governance issues. Following a complaint by a whis- onymous allegations.” Any further Murthy gets the respect he deserves.” ing over, Mr. Nilekani asked board mem- “If there is no such special secretive tleblower, he contended that the Infosys probe would be a “distraction” for the bers to look into Mr. Murthy’s allega- competitive data with Mr. Bansal, then board had spent shareholders’ money company, it said. JAY SHANKAR

visitors. * AP, GETTY IMAGES

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC WHERE On September 7, a special Terrorist and smuggled in explosives and arms led to a series of arrests and a long list of in September 2006. The court acquitted PQp q Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act through various landing points on the those wanted. On November 4, 1993, 23 of the accused and convicted 100; 12 (TADA) court sentenced two to death west coast. And on March 10, 1993, 12 the Mumbai police filed a 10,000-plus- were given the death penalty and 20 got and gangster Abu Salem to life impris- bombs ripped through the city. page chargesheet naming 189 persons. life sentences. (After appeals, in 2013, onment for the Bombay blasts of 1993. A supplementary chargesheet was filed the Supreme Court upheld the death Though this may have brought some What did the police do? in the TADA court. sentence to Yakub Memon, Tiger’s closure to the victims’ families after a The breakthrough came just hours after brother, and commuted the death sen- In Mumbai, long wait — 257 people had died — it’s a the blasts. Two junior police officers What did the courts do? tences of 10 others to life terms. Yakub fact that 27 of the key accused, includ- found a van in Worli, filled with ma- In 1995, when Bombay’s name was was hanged in July 2015.) ing the masterminds Dawood Ibrahim chine guns and ammunition. It was changed to Mumbai, the TADA court The trials of Salem and Dossa — and a blasts and Tiger Memon, are still roaming free. traced to Rubina Memon, Tiger’s sister- trial started in April under J.N. Patel, five others accused of being core con- in-law; and the police went to the with charges framed against 123 per- spirators — began in 2007, and took 10 What happened? Memon residence at Mahim in central sons. In March 1996, Justice Patel was el- years to reach a verdict. On May 16, conviction In December 1992 and January 1993, Bombay, and subsequently, after a evated to the Bombay High Court, and 2017, the court ruled that Salem, Dossa, Bombay was riven by riots that followed chase, arrested Imitiaz Ghavate in P.D. Kode took over the trial. The court Firoz Rashid Khan, Taher ‘Taklya’ Mer- the destruction of the Babri Masjid. Bandra East. examined 684 witnesses, a process that chant, Karimullah Shaikh and Riyaz Sid- and after When Ibrahim ‘Tiger’ Memon’s shop Ghavate’s interrogation yielded the lasted till October 2000. The prosecu- diqui had conspired to execute the was torched by hooligans, he decided to names of Tiger and his associates. But tion and defence arguments went on till blasts; it acquitted Abdul Shaikh. In take revenge with the help of his under- by then, he and his family had left India. 2002. In 2003, Mustafa Dossa was pro- June, before sentencing, Mustafa Dossa world connections, including the broth- The special investigation team, under conspiracy. Relatives of some of those duced before the court, but his trial was had a cardiac arrest in jail and died. ers Mohammed and Mustafa Dossa. the then Deputy Commissioner of Po- interrogated accuse the lawmen of us- separated from the others, as was the Still evading justice are 27 of the key They recruited youngsters and, aided lice Rakesh Maria, with help from intel- ing torture to get information. The vital trial of another gangster, Abu Salem, accused suspected to be in Pakistan. In- by Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar — the gang- ligence agencies and the CBI, laboured breakthrough came when one of the ac- who had been extradited from Portugal dia and Pakistan have no extradition ster who had fled India several years to put the pieces together. They fol- cused, Badshah Khan (name changed to in 2006. The trial ended in 2003, with treaty, so it seems unlikely that they will ago, but still controlled a vast empire in lowed leads across the country, inter- protect identity of the witness), had a the court reserving its judgment. be brought to trial. the country — and, allegedly, Pakistan’s rogating men who had played seem- change of heart and surrendered. The In August 2006, Justice Kode began spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, ingly insignificant roles in the information investigators got from him dictating the verdict, which concluded SONAM SAIGAL CM M ND-NDE YK https://telegram.me/TheHindu_Zone https://telegram.me/PDF4EXAMS

THE HINDU NOIDA/DELHI SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 COLUMNWIDTH 13 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Mr. Apologist, excuses are not enough We can dier, but only as long as you do not elaborate into a justication of murder or genocide from your preliminary position

above positions, though I disagree with natural disasters. You dismiss climate bad for you, the latter must be bad for them either entirely or in part. I am change: calm down, you tell me, Earth all of us? calm enough to concede that in holding was even hotter thousands of years ago, As for the prospective expulsion of these positions you are establishing a when there were no polluting indus- the Dreamers — young men and wo- certain political perspective. I differ tries. men, almost entirely educated and em- from you, but as long as you do not ployed today, who grew up in the U.S. elaborate into a justification of murder Dumping our refuse and have often known only that coun- Tabish Khair or genocide from your preliminary posi- But — unlike most people who are fight- try, these are people whose parents is an Indian novelist and academic tions, you have the grounds to think as ing to stop climate change — I am willing entered the U.S. illegally when the who teaches in Denmark you do. to concede that I can never convince Dreamers were two or ten years old and you of climate change. If I point to an ex- in no condition to have a say in the mat- It has been a fortnight of shocking tra- Cracks in society, in humanity treme winter this year, you will point to ter. These are people who pay extra to gedies in India and abroad — and of ex- But are you calm enough to realise that a moderate winter another year. Cli- society for living there and who came cuses by you, Mr. Apologist. my main objections arise from other mate change cannot be proved in a out and disclosed their status in re-

You have told me that I should not (related) aspects of all these cases, as GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK PHOTO laboratory: there is evidence that it is sponse to a promise by a previous gov- overreact: journalists get killed all over elaborated by you? taking place, but all of it exists at a very ernment. Are you calm enough to con- the world, and sometimes on their own Are you calm enough to concede that are seeing in many countries. Are you some form of Islamist insurgency. But high scientific level (for instance, pro- cede that we cannot punish children for doorsteps; the Rohingya are just suffer- a brutal murder shakes the foundations calm enough to concede that the least when such actions lead to the killing of jections of CO2 emissions and their ef- the crimes of their parents, and that ing from an internal law-and-order of society, and its perpetrators can be you can do, out of common decency if children and force more than 300,000 fects) or at a degree of theoretical ab- people who have grown up, contributed problem; the hurricanes ravaging the allowed to go scot-free only if you want not patriotism, is to ‘unfollow’ those of villagers to flee for their lives, then straction. You can always refuse to and committed themselves to a nation Caribbean these days and the floods hairline cracks to develop further in your social media ‘friends’ who justify a surely we are talking of an extreme ab- accept those conclusions. I am calm have earned the right to stay there? Are ravaging India are just natural phenom- your society? When the murder is that murder and vilify its victim? use of authority, surely we are talking of enough to accept that. you calm enough to realise that politi- ena, and not due to climate change; and of a besieged public figure and one with Like you, I know — for I am not what genocide and ethnic cleansing? Are you But are you calm enough to acknow- cians cannot be allowed to arbitrarily as for the Dreamers, poised earlier to be whom you (Mr. Apologist) disagree, the you will call an ‘idealist’ (alas) — that calm enough to concede that we cannot ledge that you do not dump your refuse tinker with established governmental kicked out of U.S., oh well, that’s all cracks run deeper — and you owe it to states need to exercise authority, and justify such horrors without hairline — most of it biodegradable — in your policies affecting ordinary thousands politics, you know, and such things hap- your own society to hold the culprits ac- more so when faced with insurgency cracks developing in our very humanity, own house, but we, as a species, are for unclear, personal, vindictive or ra- pen in politics (you know). Calm down, countable. Cracks in a society and a and extremism. I am calm enough to so that one day, it too, like society or dumping our refuse (much of it not cist reasons? you tell me. state often seem to remain superficial say — though many leftists and Muslims state, crumbles into dust? even biodegradable) in the only house Are you calm enough to face the fact Let me reassure you, I am calm. So until it is too late and the entire edifice will berate me for it — that the Burmese Hurricane Irma or the devastating we know, planet Earth? Are you calm that we owe our children much more calm that I am willing to accept all your starts crumbling — as we have seen and state might have needed to act against floods in Bihar, you tell me, these are enough to concede that if the former is than mere excuses, Mr. Apologist? What were you doing when Buland Darwaza and Rumi AI took over the world? Darwaza: gateways to heaven Our rulers are nothing but human plug-ins reporting to an AI based in the U.S. How rulers left their mark on history through architecture

It is an open secret that IBM was architecture. Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, taken over by AI at least a decade ago. who ruled from 1775 to 1797, shifted Now put yourself in AI’s algorithmic the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow shoes: if you wanted humanity to em- in 1775. Till 1856, when the British East brace AI, what kind of crusader would India Company sent Nawab Wajid Ali you make? You would create a super- Shah to Calcutta in exile, the Nawabs human intelligence that humans created some extraordinary religious would regard not only with awe but Rana Safvi and secular monuments. also with affection. Something cute, as- is a historian, author and blogger G. Sampath pirational and non-threatening, but documenting India’s syncretic culture Architecture at a time of crisis is Social Aairs Editor, The Hindu also effective. You would create Tan- Asaf-ud-Daula’s rule saw a devastating may and make him your advocacy “While the Buland Darwaza gives the famine, which created an economic Do you remember that boy back in lead. IBM has done exactly that by impression of living rock lifted from an crisis. The residents of Awadh were school who you so badly wanted to making Tanmay an IBM Champion. ancient mountainside, the Rumi Dar- self-respecting people, so instead of slap? Not just you but your entire class Not surprisingly, in all his public ap- waza looks like the diadem of a handing out dole, the Nawab started a SYED MOHAMMAD QASIM would have loved to beat him up, if pearances he promotes two things: Queen.” These words by Urdu poet food-for-work programme. The fam- only they were sure there would be no GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK PHOTO IBM and AI. and author Shamsur Rahman Faruqi white marble, etc.” ous Asafi Imambara, or Bara Imam- consequences. Now, I am not saying he is a hu- set off a chain of thought in my mind The construction of the Buland Dar- bara, of Lucknow was built to give em- You hated him not because he was a neural networks, the Internet of manoid child soldier in Silicon Valley’s about how rulers used their resources waza was inspired by Timurid archi- ployment and revenue to the public. bad person but for the opposite Things, AI, and cognitive develop- propaganda war in favour of AI. to leave their mark on history. tecture. Along with Humayun’s Tomb, Resources were strained, a peak reason: he was unbearably good. His ment. He is also an IT humanitarian of Nobody can open up his brain and Akbar-e-Azam ascended the throne its monumentality reflects its Central had been reached in architectural uniform was always neatly pressed. sorts, having vowed to teach 100,000 check whether or not it has Intel in- of India in 1556. In the next decade or Asian origins. style, and a certain decadence had His shoes shone like his teeth did. He kids how to code. To top it all, he is an side. But so far, there is little evidence so, he not only consolidated his em- Catherine Asher writes in The New crept in. To overcome these, the was the first to raise his hand for every avid, self-confident self-promoter who that his intelligence is not AI, or that AI pire but also expanded it. Cambridge History of India: Architec- Nawabs used a more economical style question. All the teachers loved him, can make Chetan Bhagat look like a hasn’t already taken over the world. Akbar had everything a monarch ture of Mughal India, “This monu- in architecture, which also gave a and he loved them all in return. He shy, self-effacing, half-schoolboy. In could ask for except an heir. To pray mental gate, however, was probably touch of lightness to the buildings. never lost his temper and was perman- other words, he needs to be thor- From humans to algorithms for one, he undertook the journey less intended to commemorate a milit- Instead of stones and marble, brick ently, relentlessly, infuriatingly cheer- oughly investigated, preferably by a In fact, recent developments in our from Agra to the village of Sikri where ary victory than to underscore Akbar’s and lime were used. Stucco ornament- ful at all times, under all circum- joint task force of the UNICEF and the own country suggest that our rulers the Sufi saint, Salim Chishti, lived in links with the Chishti order. Its surface ation (gajkari) was used to decorate stances. He was so good, so perfect, Avengers. are nothing but human plug-ins re- his hospice. The saint blessed the em- is covered by marble slabs inscribed the monuments, giving it a deep relief and so mature that it creeped you out When I was 13, my greatest cognit- porting to an AI based in the U.S. Our peror, and a son was born to Akbar on with Quranic verses promising para- effect even on flat walls. Mother of and made you look up waterboarding ive achievement was the unexpected government’s epic obsession with August 30, 1569. The joyful father dise to true believers, appropriate for pearl and shells deposited in lake beds on Google. Except that there was no discovery, in the biology textbook, of a shoving Aadhaar down 125 crore gul- named him Salim after the saint, and the entrance into a khanqah, a com- were used in the stucco ornamenta- Google back then. diagram depicting the female repro- lets, not to mention its hyperevangel- according to Professor Ali Nadeem plex intended for meditation and tion to give a shine finer than marble. ductive system. My only other note- ism about all things digital, make little Rezavi of the Department of History at devotion.” The local masons cleverly used the A child prodigy worthy accomplishment was a triple sense from the point of view of human Aligarh Muslim University, “decided to With 42 steps leading up to it, this brick, with its small size and thickness, But there was, and still is, IBM, and it century against Australia in book intelligence. But Aadhaar, GST, cash- heap on this city the resources of a 53.63-m-high and 35-m-wide gateway to form remarkably fine details on the has found precisely such a boy to be cricket. If by chance my 13-year-old self less, and Digital India make absolute vast empire.” is the highest in the world. Whether it wall and column surfaces. It’s a testi- their brand ambassador. His name is were to meet Tanmay on a deserted al- sense from an AI perspective, for they was built to celebrate victory or reflect mony to their skill that they could ad- Tanmay Bakshi, and according to ley in the middle of the night, it’s likely are all mechanisms to transfer control Architectural accomplishments on the transient nature of the world apt lowly material to such wonderful WhatsApp forwards, he is the world’s that a puppy would come under a from humans to algorithms. And so was built Sikri, which was later can be guessed from a Persian inscrip- effect: balusters were imitated in clay top-ranked 13-year-old. Not only is he wheel somewhere. Of course, I may be wrong and Tan- renamed Fatehpur Sikri, or the city of tion on it, which advises people to turn supported on iron rods. Similarly, pot- perfect, good, and mature beyond his Lest I’m misunderstood, let me may could well be 100% human. But if victory. It is an architectural delight, towards spirituality: “Isa [ Jesus], Son tery was used for roof finials and years, he is also a software developer, state categorically that I condemn all someone is as intelligent as AI, speaks but it is the Buland Darwaza, or ‘gate of Maryam said: ‘the world is a bridge, ornaments. an algorithmist, an IBM Cloud Adviser, forms of violence against children. I like AI, works like AI, constantly cre- of magnificence’, that has held many pass over it, but build no houses upon This skill can be seen in the delic- a best-selling author, a keynote am a champion of child rights, if I may ates new AI, goes around promoting enthralled. The entrance to the com- it. He, who hopes for a day, may hope ately built Rumi Darwaza that was the speaker, a TEDx speaker, and inventor say so myself, and in all weight AI, and wants humanity to surrender plex houses the Sufi saint’s exquisite for eternity; but the world endures but main gateway to the Bara Imambara. It of an artificial intelligence (AI) called categories. itself to AI, then there’s a pretty good marble shrine and the Jami mosque. an hour. Spend it in prayer for the rest was called so because the design of the AskTanmay. And yet, why was I, a rather bright chance that he himself is AI. Professor Rezavi says the Buland is unseen.’” structure bears resemblance to an an- Apart from the fact that his annual student according to my grandmother, Anyway, I only wanted to forewarn Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri is “the most This was prophetic, for the city was cient gateway at Constantinople. It’s earnings at the age of 13 are way more never invited by NASSCOM to deliver a all of you. When your grandchildren iconic architectural accomplishment abandoned in 1585, with Akbar return- also called the “Turkish Gateway”. The than what you’ll get when you take keynote address but Tanmay was? I’ll ask you what you were doing when AI of Akbar’s reign. It incorporates almost ing to the Agra Fort. word Rumi means Roman, and the forced VRS at 43, Tanmay is also a tell you why: it’s because my intelli- was taking over the world, you ought all the essential features of Akbar’s ar- Meanwhile, in Lucknow, the name was probably given due to the drone specialist who flies aircraft using gence is 100% natural, human, and to have a better answer than ‘I was chitectural traditions: red sandstone, Nawabs appointed by the Mughals as gateway’s design having traces of Ro- his cell phone. He is an expert on organic. busy emitting trails of personal data’. stone carvings, relief by inserting governors were leaving their stamp on man architecture. The new face of ideological violence Squads of hatred and violence are strategically activated to disrupt conversation on issues of common concern

not one of them. For more than two mil- to the development of a certain concep- people. It is true, of course, that some lennia, India has had vibrant traditions tion of religion, and therefore can also or the other group of people have al- of atheism and rationalism — the Jains, be called religious violence. But in the ways lived in fear in our society. For in- Buddhists, followers of Mimansa and last two centuries it has permeated a stance, Dalits in villages perpetually on Samkhya. They were vigorously op- cluster of non-religious ideologies such the brink of upper-caste violence, wo- posed by worshippers of gods and god- as Stalinism, Fascism and xenophobic men who can never fearlessly venture desses and ritualists of all hue, but were nationalism. Perhaps that is why it is out at night, journalists in small towns never viewed as an existential threat. best to call it not religious but ideolo- who routinely face the wrath of the Rajeev Bhargava Claims of superiority were frequently gical violence. powerful, minorities during and in the is a political theorist with the Centre for the made in public alongside scathing The horrifying spate of murders – aftermath of riots, and even middle- and Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi satire, and black humour. There was vit- Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, upper-class families who live in gated riol too, but physical violence was rare. M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh – by communities in cities such as Delhi. But In 1598 a group of Vaishnava clergy Ashoka’s inscriptions as early as the 3rd what appears to be the same kind of what is new and shocking about these sought the King’s permission to install century exhort different religio-philo- killers has shown us a new face of this recent murders is the attempt to silence an idol of Vishnu at Chidambaram, the sophical groups to refrain from insulting very ideological violence. To be sure, assertive, public-spirited citizens in met- site probably of the most sacred of Shiva and humiliating hate speech. Ashoka shades of ideological violence are found ropolitan towns — an effect also sought temples in the subcontinent. Horrified does not even consider it worth men- GETTY IMAGES/ ISTOCK PHOTO in inter-sectarian warfare in West to be achieved by the legal intimidation Shaiva priests responded by a threat to tioning that people must abjure injur- Bengal, and Kerala is currently beset of intellectuals and activists. commit mass suicide to protest this. In- ing, leave alone killing each other. He political violence, i.e. violence to con- and practices are so precious, so with ideologically motivated inter-group Are we so uprooted now from our deed, twenty of them jumped to their takes it for granted that this does not quer territory, to acquire and maintain unique, that they alone must be publicly violence, but what is unique about traditions that we can’t bear to see pub- death from the gopuram. This telling happen in his kingdom. This is not to state power. Yet another, third form of visible. Since these are inherently indis- these killings is that violence is directed lic articulations of alternative view detail from a recent book on pluralism say that ancient societies were entirely violence has existed, which might be putable and have a monopoly over by assassination squads run by hate points? Is there is an effort here to have by a young American scholar, Elaine peaceful. They were rocked by political called ritual violence — in archaic societ- truth, any challenge to them is wasteful groups against hapless individuals one monolithic ideology in the public Fischer, vividly illustrates the nature of violence and the everyday violence in- ies, occasionally humans, but far more or pernicious and therefore must be si- merely for holding and expressing their domain? Squads of hatred and violence religious violence in early modern In- tegral to all hierarchical societies. How- frequently animals, were slaughtered lenced or erased. It is accompanied by different views in public. This perni- are strategically located and activated to dia. Worshippers would rather give up ever, what India did not witness until and sacrificed to procure this-worldly the idea that those with identical beliefs cious squad-violence against ordinary disrupt debate and conversation on is- their own life than take the life of others the advent of colonial modernity is goods as well as to maintain cosmic or- share a special bond of brotherhood middle-class professionals is unique in sues of common concern and instead with different beliefs and practices. what may be called ideological violence. der. In India, some of this ritual viol- which must not be severed by the slight- recent Indian history. foster civic alienation and political frag- Killing someone from another sect was ence also ensued from the distinction est deviation from within; therefore, in- mentation. If indeed a nation is a people simply inconceivable! Forms of violence between pure and impure, i.e. caste ternal dissenters must not be tolerated. A new fear in conversation with each other, then In the light of this, what is happening Violence comes in many forms. One violence. On the other hand, those who hold dif- One other feature of these serial assas- cyberbullying and physical aggression today is cataclysmic. India has had kind that springs from greed, anger and Ideological violence is different from ferent beliefs are outsiders to be fought, sinations is deeply troubling: unless against fellow citizens are conversation- many faults but eliminating people for fear has been around forever — call this all these forms of violence — it stems expelled, even exterminated. quickly contained, they generate a new stoppers. An attack on this conversation holding different beliefs was certainly plain violence. Then, of course, there is from the dogma that one’s own beliefs Ideological violence was once linked kind of fear and a new set of fearful is an attack on the nation. CM M ND-NDE YK https://telegram.me/TheHindu_Zone https://telegram.me/PDF4EXAMS

NOIDA/DELHI THE HINDU 14 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

CAPSULE TMC overcomes resistance to Bird malaria in the Himalayan foothills hormonal therapy for breast cancer The fever shows no seasonal pattern Aswathi Pacha Molecular mechanism of hormonal therapy’s protective benets identied derstand the influence of Bird or avian malaria seasons on mosquito spe- Looking at X-rays R. Prasad caused by parasites Plas- cies and their abundance X-rays are known to penetrate modium and Haemopro- with change in things. Now a German- Researchers at the Tata Memorial teus is one of the most temperature. Canadian collaboration has Centre (TMC), Mumbai, have found a common and widespread Among the 413 birds observed how X-rays act and possible reason why certain breast diseases in birds. Mosqui- screened, 153 i.e. 38% which electrons they actually cancer patients become resistant to toes transmit Plasmodium, showed infection with interact with, by using very hormonal treatment. And the good while biting midges blood parasite. They ex- short laser pulses that last less news is that they have designed an (Culicoides sp.) are re- amined the relationship than a quadrillionth of a anti-microRNA (small non-coding sponsible for Haemopro- between monthly temper- second. This is useful in deep RNA) which can be probably help in teus transmission in birds. ature, mosquito abund- study of properties of solids. overcoming the resistance to hor- Previous studies from ance and parasite preval- monal therapy. the temperate regions ence. Though the In another study, the researchers have shown that temperat- mosquito abundance in- have found the molecular mechanism ure plays an important creased with temperature, that is responsible for conferring pro- role in the transmission of the Plasmodium infection tective benefits of progesterone hor- the parasites and also reg- decreased. This could mone in breast cancer patients. Pro- ulates the presence of probably be due to a tem- gesterone hormone treatment prior these blood-feeding insect perature threshold above to breast cancer surgery reduces re- vectors. But a new study which the parasite cannot currences and increases survival in by scientists from Indian develop into an infective node positive cases, a 2011 clinical Complex interplay: A team led by Dr. Amit Dutt (centre) has found that following progesterone treatment, the expression of Institute of Science, (IISc) stage inside the mosquito. Troublesome tattoos trial carried out by Dr. Rajendra progesterone receptor in the breast cancer cells is turned down or reduced. *SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Bengaluru, and Wildlife A recent study by published in Badwe and colleagues at the Tata Me- Institute of India (WII), Bimodal patterns Scientific Reports shows that morial Centre (TMC) found. thor of both the papers. signed it is possible to reduce the The researchers found that irre- Dehradun, showed that “In U.K., we see a bimodal nanoparticles from permanent A team led by Dr. Amit Dutt from Using biochemical approaches, the level of microRNAs. The anti micro spective of the progesterone receptor seasonal variation had no pattern where the infec- skin tattoos can migrate the Integrated Cancer Genomics researchers were able to validate one RNA ensures that the expression of status of breast cancer cells, proges- influence on prevalence of tion peaks during spring passively via blood and lymph Laboratory, ACTREC at TMC has (miR-129-2) of the three microRNAs progesterone receptor remains intact terone hormone treatment inactiv- avian malarial parasites in and autumn, and subsides fluids. Nanoparticles of nickel, found that following progesterone that is over-expressed. The results and patients respond to progesterone ates a set of 12 protein kinases (which India. The results were re- during winter. In spite of chromium etc get deposited in treatment, the expression of proges- were published in the journal Cancer hormone treatment. are required for basic functioning of a cently published in Eco- well-defined summer– regional lymph nodes. Long- terone receptor in the breast cancer Biology & Therapy. “In in vitro studies, the anti-mi- cell). logy and Evolution. winter conditions in term deposition can also lead cells is turned down or reduced. To confirm their results, the re- croRNA was found to be very effect- The inactivation of the 12 kinases Though human malaria Dehradun, the mosquito to cutaneous inflammation Turning down the expression of pro- searchers analysed the expression of ive,” says Dr. Dutt. By using the anti- results in the inhibition of breast can- follows a seasonal pattern abundance did not vary and granuloma. gesterone receptor was through the the particular microRNA (miR-129-2) microRNA, it might be possible to cer cell migration and invasion. As a in the Himalayan foothills much between seasons,” action of small RNA molecules (mi- in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). turn the clock back in the case of pa- result, there is a delay or reduced with peak transmission explains Dr. Farah Ishtiaq croRNA). MicroRNAs are known to They found that patients with high tients who have developed resistance chances of cancer cells spreading from July to October, the from IISc and first author have regulatory functions inside the levels of miR-129-2 microRNA had to hormonal therapy. (metastasis), which is a major cause avian malaria parasites of the paper. But the com- cells. “significantly lower expression” of of recurrence in breast cancer pa- showed no peak and were position of mosquito spe- The researchers took breast cancer progesterone receptor compared Molecular mechanism tients. The results were published in found to stay in blood cies changed with season cells and treated them with progester- with patients with no expression of In another study, the researchers the journal Cellular Oncology. throughout the year leading to infection one and performed deep-sequencing this microRNA. have found the molecular mechanism “This finding is very important as it throughout the year. using next generation sequencers for that is responsible for conferring pro- gives us an in vitro model to under- Temperature effects Dehradun is a wintering small RNA molecules. “We found Overcoming resistance tective benefits of progesterone hor- stand the intricacies of progesterone The team conducted year- ground for many high el- three microRNAs to be consistently It is common to see patients undergo- mone in breast cancer patients. A and the inhibition of invasion,” says round (December 2008 to evation Himalayan birds as Ancient ant over-expressed [produced in abund- ing hormonal treatment becoming clinical trial at TMC found progester- Dr. Dutt. December 2009) sampling well as small European A new genus of ants from the ance] in response to progesterone resistant to the treatment. “Now we one hormone treatment prior to “Besides understanding the mo- inside WII campus using perching birds. Cretaceous period has been treatment. And the over-expressed know a possible reason why patients breast cancer surgery reduces recur- lecular mechanism of progesterone mist-nets. They collected a The team sampled mi- found in Myanmar. The ants, microRNAs turn down the expression become resistant to hormonal ther- rences and increases survival in node hormone treatment, the real implica- small quantity of blood grants to understand para- named Linguamyrmex vladi, of the progesterone receptor. The apy,” Dr. Dutt says. positive cases. tion of the study will be that we may from the resident Him- site prevalence. Molecular are distinguished by unusual over expression of microRNAs was in- And the good news is that in ad- Specifically, they found that both be able to select patients who will be- alayan birds before releas- analysis on the parasites horn-like appendages dependent of the progesterone re- juvant setting after surgery it is pos- breast cells which produce progester- nefit from progesterone treatment,” ing them. A systematic re- revealed that most para- indicating specialised ceptor status of the breast cancer sible to prevent the microRNAs from one receptor and those which do not says Dr. Sudeep Gupta from the De- cord on avian abundance sites found in resident predatory behaviour not found cells,” says Mukul Godbole from the turning down the expression of the produce progesterone receptor re- partment of Medical Oncology at TMC was also maintained. They birds were locally trans- in modern ants. The finding Integrated Cancer Genomics Laborat- progesterone receptor. By using an spond uniformly to external proges- and one of the authors of the two also sampled mosquitoes mitted and not from the was reported in Systematic ory, ACTREC at TMC and the first au- anti-microRNA that the team de- terone treatment. papers. in the same habitat to un- migrant birds. Entomology. Mumbai team discovers how embryos implant in the womb The insight can be used for improving the success rate of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and in developing contraceptives

R. Prasad of embryos as they fail to im- in the endometrium is the uterus. of the paper. plant, leading to unsuccess- present at elevated levels in a “We depleted the HOXA10 It took the team eight Researchers at the National ful pregnancy. That is be- receptive endometrium. The protein in one set of decidual years to complete the study. Robot with skin Institute for Research in Re- cause a delicate and intricate team led by Dr. Deepak Modi cells while we kept it at nor- The biggest challenge was to In a breakthrough, University productive Health (NIRRH) balance exists between the at the Molecular and Cellular mal level in another set of test and prove the sequence of Houston researchers in Mumbai have finally shed embryo which is able to im- Biology Laboratory at NIRRH cells. We found increased in- of events observed in the lab developed artificial skin to light on one of the most implant itself and the endomet- found the level of this pro- vasion of trophoblasts and happen in the womb. “This help a robotic hand sense portant steps in pregnancy — rium that receives it. At tein drops suddenly at the therefore better implanta- was a big technical challenge warmth and cold. This is the the ability of the embryo to present very little of this pro- time of implantation. This tion where cells with re- as getting human tissue of first time a semiconductor is implant itself in the womb. cess is understood. drop is localised to the place duced HOXA10 level were women in early stages of created in a rubber composite Although much is known Using cell lines of tropho- where the embryo is about to used,” says Dr. Modi. “We pregnancy is impossible. So and which remains functional about the early steps of es- blast (the outer layer of the implant itself. could also show that the we took tissues from mon- even after the material is tablishment of pregnancy, dividing bunch of cells of trophoblast cells which have keys which are very close to stretched up to 50% its very little is known about the blastocyst) and endomet- Chain of events more invasion have in- humans to validate the lab original size. communication between the rium (the inner lining of the The sudden drop in the creased activity of the en- findings,” says Dr. Modi. implanting embryo and uterus) samples from women HOXA10 protein causes a zymes that digest the extra- In baboons, lower levels of mother’s womb. The re- Chain of events: The researchers led by Deepak Modi have who have undergone hyster- chain of events starting with cellular matrix proteins of HOXA10 protein were found searchers have found a cross- discovered the chemical chain of events that facilitate the ectomy the researchers re- a spike in certain class of cy- the decidua.” at the site of implantation as

talk between the embryo implantation of the embryo in the womb. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT created the system in a lab tokine leading to a trigger in “Previously it was thought compared with other sites of and the inner lining of the dish. Chemicals were used to the implantation pathway that higher HOXA10 expres- the decidua. “This helped uterus (endometrium) and vitro fertilisation (IVF), ditions such as pre-eclamp- make the endometrium (STAT3) of the embryo. As a sion was better for implanta- confirm that reduced discovered a chain of chem- which hovers around 30% sia (gestational hyperten- thicker (decidua) to mimic result, certain enzymes in tion. But our study, for the HOXA10 protein was associ- ical events that facilitate the and developing contracept- sion). The results of the the lining of the uterus which the embryo digest the extra- first time, showed that at the ated with the enhanced inva- implantation of the embryo ives which work by prevent- study were published in the is ready to allow the embryo cellular matrix of the de- site of implantation the sion and implantation of the in the womb. ing the implantation of the journal Endocrinology. to implant itself. cidua (thickened lining of the HOXA10 expression is embryo in the decidua,” says Toughening spider silk The understanding of this embryo. In all probability, A particular protein uterus) and make it loose lower,” says Dr. Satish Kumar Geeta Godbole from the Mo- By itself, spider silk is a very initial step has several poten- the insight into the implant- In vitro studies (HOXA10) which is respons- enough for the outer layer of Gupta from the National In- lecular and Cellular Biology strong material, tougher than tial implications such as im- ing mechanism might help in Even in normal situations, ible for better invasion and the embryo (trophoblast) to stitute of Immunology, New Laboratory at NIRRH and the steel of similar thickness. Now, proving the success rate of in better understanding of con- there is about 40% wastage implantation of the embryo invade and implant itself in Delhi and one of the authors first author of the paper. researchers have found a way to boost its strength further. They sprayed a solution of graphene and carbon nanotubes in the spider Research papers are getting harder to read, comprehend enclosures. The spiders ingested the solution and Since only peers and specialists read the whole paper, it is vital that the abstract be readable and understandable by all produced silk with enhanced toughness. have been. Thus, an abstract is meant for has also shot up almost twofold and the Another proposal is to make scientific not the specialists in the same field alone, number of difficult words (counted as communication a necessary part of under- but for non-specialists and interested NDC) has gone up from 35% to over 50%, graduate and graduate education.” (This ODD & END readers as well. It, in effect, offers the particularly during the last 60 years, mak- last suggestion is particularly true for In- reader the “take home” message. Only ing readability increasingly difficult. dia, where mastery over English, the lin- Warrior woman specialists and fellow researchers, inter- Why has this difficulty arisen in the gua franca of today’s science, needs to be A study on a warrior grave ested in the area of research of the public- readability? The authors suggest two pos- improved badly.) in Sweden found a ation read the whole paper in all its sec- sibilities. One is that the number of co-au- Finally, the authors did a self-analysis of skeleton belonging to a tions. It is thus vital that the abstract be thors has gone up with time. Indeed, we their own paper and found it has a FRE woman warrior. The study D. Balasubramanian readable and understandable by all. seldom see a single-author paper (only score of 49, and its abstract 40. I hope my carried out by Stockholm perhaps in mathematics?). Many of the own report here fares higher! University and Uppsala One of the all-time most important sci- How to measure this? co-authors want their say in the text — the University is the first entific research publications is Charles How does one measure and quantify classic cooks and broth situation. The Seminar presentations report of a female Viking. The genomic results Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”, pub- “readability”? Way back in 1948, one Dr. R other appears to be a general increase in It is already difficult to read and compre- revealed a lack of Y lished in 1859. It was not a paper but a Flesch published a ‘yardstick’ of readabil- the scientific (and linguistic) jargon, and hend a published paper. One would think chromosome, and the whole book. It was readable and under- ity for the English language texts. It was hence a vocabulary that has become a lan- listening to it in a seminar might make it teeth and bone confirmed standable not only by biologists, but by based on (a) the number of syllables per guage in itself (they call it “science-ese”, I easier. Alas, no. These days the speaker that it was a female of mathematicians, philosophers, historians word and (b) the number of words in each see a similarity here with “legal-ese”). In- uses the modern device called Power- approximately 30 years of and the “lay public” as well. Alas, today’s sentence. The Flesch Readability Ease terestingly, it is not only scientific jargon point, which makes it worse. Each slide is age. The researchers also scientific reports are increasingly becom- (FRE) is between 100-90 for a typical 5th even other words such as “novel”, “ro- filled from top to bottom with words and found a sword, an axe, a ing unreadable and incomprehensible grade schoolchild in the US. (The sen- bust”, “significant”, “district”, “underly- pictures. More often than not, they are spear, armour-piercing even by peer groups. “The readability of tence “A cat sat on a mat” has an FRE of ing”, and “suggestive” are used increas- ‘copy and paste’ jobs from the paper. arrows, a battle knife, two scientific texts is decreasing over time”, 110, easily understood by a primary ingly these days. Given that the lights are dimmed, each shields, and two horses write a group of neuroscientists from the schoolchild). The magazine Readers Di- Same conclusions drawn by the Karol- slide brimful and the speaker drones on along with the skeleton. Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden gest has an FRE of 65, understood by high inska group are worth quoting. They and on, the whole thing is soporific. Just as A full set of gaming pieces (Plaven-Sigray et al. eLife 2017; 6:e27725). school students and beyond. The Harvard write: “Lower readability implies less ac- FRE and NDC, there are factors such as as- showed that the person The group analysed the language of the Business Review, on the other hand, has a Charles Darwin’s book: “On the Origin of cessibility, particularly for non-specialists, pect ratio, font size, number of lines per had knowledge of tactics abstracts of as many as 7,09,577 papers value of 30. The “Harvard Business Re- Species”, was accessible to biologists and such as journalists, policy makers and the slide, and colour contrast which make and strategy, showing * FILE PHOTO that the buried individual published over the last 34 years – between view” (with its complex and specialised even lay people. wider public... scientific credibility can Powerpoint presentations attractive. And was a high-ranking officer. 1880 and 2015. Note that they analysed technical language) has an FRE of 30. sometimes suffer when reported by journ- just as we want courses and workshops in It also provides a unique not only the whole texts of the research Thus, the lower the FRE the harder the to 20% of all journal articles) have FRE of alists... further, amidst concerns that scientific writing, we need to have classes insight into the Viking papers but their abstracts as well. An ab- readability. zero (0). An M.Sc. graduate may not be modern societies are becoming less strin- and workshops on oral presentations, us- society, social stract describes in a nutshell the main Likewise, the FRE of scientific abstracts able to understand them. Leave alone gent with actual truths, replaced with ing audiovisual aids. If this does not hap- constructions and message of the paper — what the question published way back in 1880 was found to specialised journals (with their specialised true-sounding “post-facts”... science pen, do not blame us if we fall asleep dur- exceptions to the norm in is, what methods were used to address be around 30. But, over the years, it has terms and jargon), this appears to be true should be advancing our most accurate ing seminars. the Viking time-period. the question, what the results obtained fallen down to as low as 10 today. Worry- of even “general” journals such as Nature knowledge. One suggestion from the field were, and what the salient conclusions ingly, as many as 1.6 lakh abstracts (close or Science. The mean syllables per word is to create accessible “lay summaries.” [email protected] CM M ND-NDE YK