AUGUST 2021 | Vol 16 | Issue 09 | Trivandrum, India Authenticity, Brevity and Clarity in Knowledge Dissemination Issue 188 Crossing the Rubicon OLYMPICS -T.P.Sreenivasan IFS (Retd.) Geographical Indications Athens to Tokyo -Dr. Raju Narayana Swamy IAS 1 India ` 50 | European Countries 5 | Singapore S$ 10 | UAE Dh 20 | USA $ 6 Dear readers, Editor’s Another edition of Executive Knowledge Lines is now with you. We at EKL always DESK endeavour to make each issue look different in its content diversity. In selection of content, we always earnestly strive to adopt a multi disciplinary approach. How far we succeed in doing that is a matter to be judged by our esteemed readers. Human life still continues to be on a different plane. Though the grip of the pandemic on mankind has been loosening with the passage of time, the threat of a third wave looms large in many parts of the world as cautioned by experts. When certain calamities befall upon the people, the onus of combating them lies as much on the State as on the citizens to the extent both can do so. Government of India has been taking a host of measures to ensure that the citizens are equipped well to face the challenge and threat posed by the growing pandemic. The citizens are being empowered with the right information and precautions as per the Health Ministry’s advisories and best efforts are on to get the entire the population vaccinated. The success of the government’s efforts depends largely on the extent of vigil and compliance on the part of the people. A third wave of the pandemic anticipated to cause an extremely precarious situation, any effort to prevent it would not be too much. This is a responsibility cast on every citizen. It is heartening that this awareness has been gaining grounds. We earnestly hope our readers would find the articles and features in this edition interesting and informative and the issue T.P.Sreenivasan IFS (Retd.) would bring them as much joy as it brings to EKL team. Managing Editor [email protected] Happy reading. www.eklines.com AUGUST 2021 3 Authenticity, Brevity and Clarity in Knowledge Dissemination AUGUST 2021 | Volume 16 | Issue 09 | `50 | Annual Subscription `600 Managing Editor T P Sreenivasan IFS (Retd.) Editor Siji Nair* Executive Editor N Vijayagopalan Executive Director Hari Shanker Advertising & Subscriptions Jayaprakash R P EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose IAS (Retd.) James K. Joseph (IA & AS Retd.) Dr. James George Email: [email protected] Padma Shri Prof. Dr. P. Pushpangadan Web: www.eklines.com e-magazine: https://issuu.com/metromart Padma Shri G. Shankar Air Vice Marshal R. Somnath VSM (Retd.) Editorial & Marketing Office MERA 44, Eanthivila lane, G. Rajamohan Murinjapalam, Medical College P.O Dr. C.G. Sukumaran Nair Trivandrum 695 011, Kerala, India Prof. Harimohan Bhattathiri Contact: Dr. K.C. Chandrasekharan Nair Manager ( Knowledge Operations) Tel: 0471 4015593 Mob: 91 9995139933/ 9947733339 Founder: N T Nair Owned, Edited, Printed and Published by Siji Nair, R M Nivas, TMRA F 6 Pangappara (PO) Thiruvananthapuram Pin 695 581. Printed at Akshara Offset TC 25/3230(1), Vanchiyoor, Thiruvananthapuram 695 035. Editor- Siji Nair RNI No. KERENG/2005/16316 Executive Knowledge Lines is a Monthly Journal Published from Trivandrum. Views and Opinions expressed in the Journal are not necessarily those of the Publishers. Executive Knowledge Lines reserves the right to use the information Published here in any manner whatsoever, while every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information published in this edition, neither the publisher nor any of its employees accept any responsibilities for any errors or omissions. *Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act 4 AUGUST 2021 Executive Knowledge Lines CONTENTS Olympics- Athens to Tokyo 06 AUGUST 2021 | Volume 16 | Issue 09 | `50 | Annual Subscription `600 42 Blood is Meant to Circulate; Pass It Around 45 Laugh It Away India registered its 12 Research and Development best-ever tally of seven 46 efforts in Ethnobotany, medals at the Olympics Ethnomedicine and Ethno- pharmacology Geographical Indications: 16 54 News Reel Test Your GK 27 58 Reflection Crossing the Rubicon 28 Dear Readers COVID-19: An Update On 32 EKL welcomes feedback/opinion/suggestions from Immunity, Vaccine Safety esteemed readers. And Efficacy & As a part of our policy of encouraging promising young writers, EKL solicits contributions from Breakthrough readers. The article can be on science and Infection technology/environment/life style/economy/health/ history/economics or other matters of general interest. The length of the article may be limited to not more than 1500 words. One article selected by Corporate Musings 41 our Editorial Team will be published in each issue. Please mail them to [email protected] www.eklines.com AUGUST 2021 5 Olympics Olympics Athens to Tokyo Abhijit Sankar he Post-Covid world, in something extravagant sitting mostly in quarantine, is in the comfort of their homes. now eagerly watching This Olympics, peculiar for its the Tokyo Olympics. closed nature- devoid of an THumankind has been firefighting audience, devoid of cheers, and its worst crisis by narrowing devoid of protests will forever life to a microscopic world of remain in the history of world isolation. Tokyo Olympics comes sports as the first-ever “Closed with messages of hope, survival, Olympics”. The Olympics in the motivation, and solace to an wake of the pandemic is not a already devastated world. People new experience to the world. around the globe can now indulge This had happened before in 6 AUGUST 2021 Executive Knowledge Lines as superhuman and even questioning science through their performance. We have witnessed people turning their struggles into milestones and gaining fame for their country. We have even seen people becoming synonymous with their lands and vice versa. We have found people performing their best and even perishing in the ground. The Olympics is life and a dream for many. They lead a life of toil to reach their dream, to become a better version of themselves, and to evolve “ faster, stronger and higher. Every Olympics is the story of the athletes who put their lives on hold for four years, and the Olympics will be remembered in the name of those whose story became the history of the 1920 at Antwerp when the moment. It can be a moment Olympics was held following the of victory, a moment of loss, or Spanish Flu. History repeats after even a moment of resistance. a century, and indeed this year, the Olympics might have started History of Olympics with a single common prayer The history of the Olympics from every sports enthusiast that begins from 776 BC, in this shouldn’t repeat in any far or Olympia of Greece. Olympics near future. was fundamentally a religious The beauty of the Olympics lies festival, featuring sporting in its uncertainty. It has often events alongside ritual sacrifices been a mixture of victory and fall, honoring Greek Gods Zeus and pride and shame, survival and Pelops. It also featured theatre hope. The merit of the Olympics performances and music. The is unfathomable as it surpasses celebrations were held every four the podium finishes and medals. years at the sanctuary of Zeus, The history of the Olympics featuring competitions between is indisputably the history of the different city-states of humankind. Over the years, the Greece. The ancient Olympics is world has seen people evolving shrouded in myths and religion, www.eklines.com AUGUST 2021 7 being the Greeks’ way of saluting with disabilities and youth their gods. The four years were Olympics were also started by called Olympiads and were used the IOC. as a measurement by ancient Greeks. But when Romans gained Olympics and Politics power and influence in Greece, Olympics is an arena where Olympics lost its glory. In 393 athletes representing various AD, Roman emperor Theodosius countries compete, and hence banned Olympics. there are no individuals but countries. And thus, Olympics in Modern games different points of history have The revival of the Olympic become a center of dispute Games took place in 1896 and and controversies. This makes it has been staged every fourth Olympics a game of countries year since World War I and and whatever befalls people World War II (1916, 1940, 1944). befalls Olympics, such as power, Pierre de Coubertin (1863–1937), politics, or protest. The Olympics a young French nobleman, is of 1936 in Germany became a known as ‘the father of modern stage for protest against the Nazi Olympics’. His determination regime during the period. The and organizational skills have Munich Olympics,1972 witnessed helped the Olympics achieve its 11 participants from Israel by current stature. He founded the a Palestinian terrorist group at International Olympic Council the Olympic Village. The 1976 (IOC) and organized the Olympic Montreal Olympics is noted for Congress in 1894, which acted as the resistance and messages by a catalyst for the rebirth of the African athletes against apartheid Olympics at the Panathinaikos in South Africa Stadium in Athens in 1896. Two Tokyo Olympics 2020, too, has hundred forty-one athletes not been immune to protests. from 14 different countries People of Japan were skeptical participated in the 1896 games, about the economic crisis that and the USA won 9 events out the Olympics would bring to of 12. their country, whose economy The initial years of the modern is already struggling due to Olympics following the 1896 Covid-19. The presence of the Olympics lacked popular Refugee team right from the Rio support. It remained in a Olympics is another instance that period of stagnation until the makes the Olympics truly a game Paris Olympics, 1924.