Long Live Democracy: Happy Independence Day, India

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Rashid Faridi

Democracy is a system of processing conflicts in which outcomes depend on what participants do, but no single force controls what occurs and its outcomes. The uncertainty of outcomes is inherent in democracy. Democracy makes all forces struggle repeatedly to realize their interests and devolves power from groups of people to sets of rules.

The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratiā, which was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos(“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century BCE to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.

Democracy gives space to nation and citizen-to grow, to evolve, to nurture , to prosper and to care fellow citizens and Nation/s. Long Live Democracy in India as we are fortunate to celebrate it.Let the spirit of Democracy live in our country and in our Hearts.May our Flag held high.

Long Live Democracy.

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Urban expansion ate into 35 million ha forests between 1992 and 2015: Study

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Rashid Faridi

The world may have lost up to 35 million hectares (Mha) forest to urbanisation between 1992 and 2015, claimed a recent study published in the journal Nature. Most of thios loss was due to ‘indirect changes’ — new cropland to make up for existing agriculturral land eaten up by cities.

Up to 22 Mha shrubland could also have been lost, according to the study by Jasper van Vliet of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

“On a global scale, urban land increased from 33.2 to 71.3 Mha between 1992 and 2015, leading to a direct loss of 3.3 Mha of forest and an indirect loss of 17.8-32.4 Mha,” claimed Direct and indirect loss of natural area from urban expansion, published on July 29, 2019.

‘Direct changes’ refer to natural area that was converted into urban land.

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Secret Mehrauli Baoli

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Rashid Faridi

Vikramjit Singh Rooprai's avatarOur Heritage

The Gandhak ki Baoli and Rajo.n ki Baoli (or Rajo.n ki Bae.n) are famous in Mehrauli. However, very few know about the underground Baoli of Dawood and lost Baoli of Aurangzeb, situated on either sides of Zafar Mahal. To the west of Zafar Mahal, there once existed a Baoli, said to have been built by Aurangzeb. It must now be buried somewhere under the houses. However, Dawood’s strucure is in more accessible shape.

Each day, hundreds of devotees flock to the shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (r.a.) in Mehrauli, Delhi. Khwaja Kaki was the spiritual successor of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti (ra) of Ajmer. Numerous stories associated with his life make this area more important for devotees. With so many disciples coming in, basic necessities like Caravan Sarai with adequate supply of food and water was very important. It is said that one of the prime disciples of…

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Evolution of Animals and Plants is Happening in Cities Also

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Rashid Faridi

Most naturalists regard cities anti-nature—sterile wastelands of concrete and steel. But evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen, author of Darwin Comes to Town, takes the opposite view: Urban environments are in fact “powerhouses of evolution,” where animals as diverse as blackbirds and bobcats are adapting to their new surroundings, with startling results.
Speaking from his home in Leiden, Netherlands, Schilthuizen explains why mosquitoes on the Piccadilly Line in London’s Underground are genetically different from those on the Bakerloo Line; why cities accelerate evolution in ways Darwin could not have imagined; and why sex in the city is helping urban blackbirds evolve into a new species.

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