Disappearing water tanks: need to save them

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Nithin Sridhar

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(This is an old article published on 8 August 2009 in vijayvaani.com- http://www.vijayvaani.com/FrmPublicDisplayArticle.aspx?id=733)

Every year, India faces water scarcity due to delayed monsoons and inadequate rainfall in certain places. This has resulted in deaths due to water scarcity and water-borne diseases.

Historically, tanks and lakes were an important source fulfilling water demands of the population. Kautilya’s Arthashastra (1) (4th century BC) gives copious information regarding the construction of dams, canals, management of canal water, including exemption from tax. Rules for the location of tanks were also outlined. According to the Smriti’s (2), persons who breached tanks were given the death penalty by drowning in the tank water.

Earth dams as well as mansonry dams were constructed in very large numbers, in tens of thousands, from the 2nd century to the 17th century. The dams were constructed across the same river, one below the other, as well as across its tributaries. One such series of tanks in Mysore had no fewer than 1,200 inter-dependent tanks. The total numbers of tanks in Mysore was 37,000, the largest of which had a surface of 40 sq.kms.(3)

There were 43,000 tanks in Madras which were functioning in the 19th century; 10,000 tanks were in disrepair.(4) The area irrigated from these tanks exceeded 14,15,000 hectares. In Madhya Pradesh, there were 50,000 small private tanks which irrigated 2,62,600 hectares(5). About 3,25,000 hectares of land were irrigated before the British occupation of India.

After the British came to India, between 1836 to 1866, irrigation works at the deltas of the Godavari, Cauvery, Krishna and Ganges were implemented. Canal systems were built in Bengal and Bombay regions.(6) By 1900 AD, the total area irrigated (from all sources) was 13.4 million hectares, of which 4.5 million hectares was from productive and protective (irrigation) works and 3 million hectares was from minor works like tanks. Canals irrigated about 45% of the area, wells irrigated 35% and tanks irrigated 15% and others 5% of the area.(7)

These figures clearly show tanks, lakes and wells being important source of water supply. But in recent times, they have been dissapearing one by one. According to the Survey and Settlement Records of the Government prepared in the early 1930s, there were 937 lakes, tanks and waterbodies in Bangalore. The area of the tank-bed of these waterbodies was 26,468 acres. But today the area lost in the tank beds is 2,500 acres, according to a preliminary survey by the Survey and Settlement and the Revenue Department.

According to a report in The Times of India (5 July 2009), there were 264 lakes in 1970; now they are 84. In January 2000, the Bangalore Development Authority breached a 32-acre lake, Arakere Tank bund, to make a road.The Chikkamaranahalli tank, Malady tank, Miller tank all dried out. After the tanks dried out, their land was used for different constructions and other purposes.

Mr. Umesh, Assistant Executive Engineer, Lake Development Authority, Bangalore, in a radio programme on “Lake Restoration”(8), said, “There were 182 tanks in Bangalore. Only 81 of them have survived. As the city grows, the tanks disappear. A sports complex has replaced the Koramangala tank. What was once known as Chalaghatta Kere (tank) is now a golf course. The present day Kempegowda Bus Stand in Subhashnagar has replaced a huge tank. Whenever we attempt to build something, our eyes first fall on tank space. People don’t prevent it because it is done for their convenience. Such demands and developments make tanks disappear.”

Udaipur city, Rajasthan, is surrounded by the Aravalli hills and five lakes - Pichola, Fatehsagar, Rangsagar, Swaroopsagar and Dudh Talai. Of these, it has been estimated that the capacity of Pichola is reducing every year by 0.93 percent, and that of Fatehsagar by 1.16 percent. The Dal Lake (Srinagar) has shrunk more than 15 km over the last 60 years.

Drying up of lakes and tanks is a major problem, as it affects the hydrological cycle. Small ponds are formed when rainfall gets collected in small pockets. These not only provide water directly, but seep into the soil and increase the level of the ground water table. Due to this, water can be extracted using wells. But nowadays, as grounds are being levelled due to urbanization, water is flowing as “run-off” instead of seeping into the soil. This reduces the ground water table, inturn resulting in drying up of tanks.

Further, tanks are being polluted by letting sewage and industrial effluents into it. Solid domestic waste amounting to 20-25 tonnes per day is also dumped close to the lakes in Udaipur. According to a report by Pradeep Shrivastav, Reader, Department of Liminology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, the bacterial load in the lakes (of Bhopal) has shot up 20 times between 1985 and 1993, pointing towards the degradation of water quality due to organic waste.

Some of the major causes for disappearing tanks are:

- Unchecked extraction and blocking of inlet ducts
- ‘Eutrophication’ due to industrial effluents and agricultural wastes
- ‘Siltation’ of tank bed
- Drying of tanks for construction purposes
- Encroachment of dried tank lands
- Deforestation resulting in loosening of soil
- Dumping garbage and sewage into the tanks
- Growing of weeds in the tank making it useless.

All this has led to flooding of cities during heavy rains, scarcity for drinking water, water borne diseases, damage to aquatic life.

Saving the tanks and lakes must be utmost priority. Dying and contaminated tanks must be restored. Some restoration methods(9) that could be employed are:

1] Total elimination of external loading: this means that the channel feeding the lake is totally free from any sewage, sullage and dairy waste etc. All unsewered systems should be properly sewered.

2] Aeration of lake water: Pumping of hypolimnic water to the surface, where it is aerated by contact with the atmosphere and transported back to the hypolimnion. This is required for reducing oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion due to decomposition of organic matter.

3] The quality of lake water should be monitored by measuring at fornightly intervals important parameters like DO, BOD, COD, oil and grease, turbidity etc.

4] Entry of materials containing nitrogen and phosphorus should be prevented. Unless eutrophication is arrested immediately the lake may end up as a marsh.

Besides, weeds and silt deposits in tanks should be removed, planned constructions should be implemented, and rain-water harvesting should be practiced. Educating the public on the need to maintain a clean environment is imperative.

Singapore can serve as an example. The Singapore government(10) has invested more than 5.0 billion Singapore dollars (3.45 billion US) to build water-related infrastructure over the past seven years, including four plants that recycle sewage water for homes and industries.A 7,000-kilometre (4,340-mile) drainage network directs rainwater to 15 reservoirs. A 48-kilometre (29.76-mile) underground tunnel system will feed sewage water into the facility, capable of treating 800,000 cubic metres (176 million gallons) daily.

Ravi Narayan, advisor to Argyam, opines: “Singapore once had problems with the Singapore River, which got mixed up with sewage. But they restored it. Much of it through governance, unlike policies here that change from one budget period to another.”(11)

It is high time that people and government realize the gravity of the situation and address the issue of dying tanks. Otherwise, future generations will have to face large scale water scarcity.

References

1] Kautilya Arthashastra, edited by R.P.Kangle, (2.1.20-23)(3.9.33-34)
2] Manusmriti(9.274), Yagnavalkyasmriti(2.20.233), Vishnusmriti(5.15)
3] Sankey, R.(1896), Discussion on paper by Pennycuick, J. "Diversion of Periyar".
4] Smith, R.B.(1856), "Irrigation in Southern India".
5] Buckley, R.B.(1905), "Irrigation works of India".
6] Ibid.
7] Report of Indian Irrigation Commision (1972)
8] Environmental Information System (ENVIS), Government of India
9] Meenambhal.T (2002), "Pollution of Ooty Lake and Restoration", Lake 2002 (Symposium On Conservation, Restoration and Management of Aquatic Ecosystem)
10] "Singapore Becomes a Model for Water Technology and Reuse"(July 8, 2009), Agence France Presse.
11] Times of India (5 July 2009)

Remember Aakriti?

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Nithin Sridhar

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(This is an old article published on 09 June 2009)

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights was set up as a statutory body on 19 November 2007 and is authorised to summon and enforce the attendance of any person from any part of India to examine him/her on oath. Under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, the National Commission has all the powers of a Civil Court while inquiring into matters under the CPC.

Thus the National Commission, while inquiring into a matter, can warrant any document and receive evidence on affidavits from authorities concerned. It has the power to requisition any public record or copy thereof from any court of office. Apart from having the power to forward a case to a Magistrate, the Commission is authorised to issue commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents. What has been the efficacy of this commission?

On 23 April 2009, The Indian Express reported: “A leading private school in New Delhi faced the wrath of angry parents and fellow students of a girl who died due to an asthma attack in school premises forcing the authorities to order an internal inquiry into the alleged death due to ‘negligence.’ Trouble started when the parents along with fellow students of 17-year-old victim Aakriti Bhatia disrupted a press conference organized by authorities of Modern School, Vasant Vihar, to clarify the stand of the institution on the issue.”

It was reported that Aakriti Bhatia (17), a Class XII student, died on the way to hospital. She had complained of breathlessness to her teacher around 10 am, but was not taken to hospital till 10:40 am. Instead of calling for an ambulance or making arrangements to rush her to hospital, the principal of this rich school waited for Aakriti’s family to send their car. This shows the callousness of Goldie Malhotra, principal of the said school.

Aakriti’s friends say when she first complained of discomfort, the principal did not take the matter seriously and later the nurse said she couldn’t come over to take a look at Aakriti. A close friend of the dead girl said the nurse refused to come down and asked her to come up instead, explaining, “Later, when her condition deteriorated, we forced her (the nurse) to come down. No one in the school was concerned.” This is a typical case of death due to sheer negligence.

Yet this is neither the first nor only case of the premature end of a promising life due to negligence of school authorities. On 18 April 2009, CNN-IBN reported the death of 11-year-old Shanno Khan, allegedly due to corporal punishment meted out at school. Shanno was a second grade student at a Municipal Corporation school in Delhi. She was allegedly beaten by her school teacher on Wednesday, 15 April. The teacher reportedly banged the child’s head against a table before making her stand in the sun for over two hours.

In 2005, Pratik Khanolkar, a nine year old student of Ram Ratan Vidya Mandir at Uttan, drowned in the school swimming pool. In a similar case in 2007, Harekrishna, a six-year-old student, drowned in the swimming pool of Janki Devi School in Versova, due to negligence.

It’s a sorry state of affairs that rather than ascertaining how far schools have been successful in playing their ideal role as temples of learning, aided by gurus who remove ignorance with knowledge, we are forced to discuss whether our children are safe at all when in the custody of their teachers. In the name of discipline, the teachers of this era harass students.

Discipline should be a self-imbibed value, and not imposed by others. In my own schooldays, I was at times punished or saw students being punished because we had soiled the floors with muddy shoes or had not clipped our nails or were late to school or had not done the homework or even simply because we did not perform some exercise the way we were supposed to. The punishment varied from heavy beating on hands and legs to making us stand in the sun or on the backbenches, making us clean the whole school, running many rounds in our school ground.

It is not that students were right in not doing things properly, but as children we were too innocent and did not understand why we were being treated harshly. We neither understood discipline nor needed it. All we needed was love and care and someone to explain everything. But all we got was atrocious treatment.

These punishments did not make us disciplined; they created a fear psychosis in us. One of my classmates was constantly treated so badly and taunted repeatedly for years because of a single mistake he once committed. If today he keeps wrong company, the whole blame lies with our teachers.

For teachers and school establishments, education is no longer a service but a business. They have no responsibility nor any care for children. There was a time when teachers used to mould students' character; today they are only concerned about their salaries. This is clear in Aakriti's case, where principal needed her parents to send their car to take her to hospital.

It’s time for strict action against school authorities for negligence and harassment of students on any pretext. It should be pointed out here that often teachers who expect students to follow certain rules and discipline are themselves not practicing them. That is, they fail to lead by example.

The then Union Minister for Child and Women Development Renuka Chaudhary got away with paying a token visit to the house of the dead girl from a better off family, while she blissfully forgot to show equal courtesy to the family of the poorer girl, Shanno. For her, setting up the NCPCR was in itself a great achievement of her government!

One fails to understand that if the Commission in itself is an achievement, why did it take more than a month after young Aakriti’s death for the Delhi Government’s Directorate of Education to direct the Vasant Vihar branch of Modern School to suspend its nurse and discipline in-charge. The school management has also been directed to appoint a full-time medical officer as per the Delhi School Education Act, 1973. For Aakriti’s family that may be too little, too late.

For the rest of us, vigilance must not end. It is true that the DoE had already sent an advisory to all recognised schools to appoint a full-time or part-time medical officer as per their requirements. Moreover, the Delhi Government decided to issue guidelines pertaining to medical facilities to all aided and unaided schools in the city to deal with any emergency. The guidelines are being prepared in consultation with the Health Department and were to be issued “in a couple of days’ time” as per Delhi Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, as on 22 May.

It is not clear if this has been done. But no one has discussed Aakriti since – the newspapers, television channels, and public are seized with the continuing ‘racist’ attacks on Indians in Australia, which a section of our inferiority complex ridden intelligentsia and political class is trying to play down, though even the Supreme Court has demanded that government be more pro-active in the defence of Indians abroad! This notorious attitude - of insincere, publicity-conscious candlelight protest and back-to-normal - will prove to be the bane of society someday.

Inculturation: Fooling the Hindu Masses

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Nithin Sridhar

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(This is an old article published on 15 Jun 2009)

Early in 1982, Father Joseph Parekatil of the Catholic Church of Parasahi, Madhya Pradesh, destroyed the sacred murti of Goddess Visveshwari Siddheswari, enshrined on the nearby Nawain Tekdi hill, and erected a small wooden cross.Later, on 18 February 1983, a 31-foot high concrete cross was illegally erected on the hill. A month later, enraged villagers destroyed the cross.

On 20 February 1985, intent on regaining possession of the hill, Father Parekatil put on the orange robes of a Hindu sannyasin, built a hut on the hill, sat on a tiger skin and began performing worship in the Hindu style. As a result, thousands of simple Hindus came to the hill on Fridays, unaware of the deception going on before their eyes.

On 18 May, a complaint was registered, but to no avail. Again there was agitation in the area, and this time, on 1 October 1985, the villagers tore down the priest’s hut and tossed away the remaining pieces of the concrete cross. Father Parekatil gave up only when he was arrested a week later for breach of peace (1).

Father Parekatil’s tactic of adopting Hindu symbols to further his missionary goals is known as “inculturation” or “indigenization.” Swami Jayendra Saraswati, Sankaracharya of Kanchi Matham, made a valid point at the “Interfaith Dialogue” with Cardinal Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, and others, in Mumbai on 12 July 2009.

The statement released to the media elaborates: “The Church in India must stop forthwith the use of Hindu religious words, phrases and symbols like Veda, Agama, Rishi, Ashram, Om and other such in what is referred to as ‘inculturation’ tactics, but which are only intended to deceive the vulnerable sections of our people who are the intended targets for religious conversion.”

He further challenged the church: “In 1999, Pope Johan Paul II had stated that the mission of the Vatican was to plant the Cross in Asia in the third millennium to facilitate the Christianizing of the world, which alone would cause the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Pope must tell us the rationale for the First Coming of Jesus Christ when there was no Christianity or the Church to undertake the mission to Christianize the world.”

The points raised are timely. Christianity has always followed a policy of ‘inculturation.’ It adopted Pagan elements in christianized form to pave the way for transition from Paganism to Christianity. Pagan gods became Christian saints and Pagan festivals became Christian festivals. In this process of inculturation, the Christian Church suborned old forms to its new message, making sure that the Pagan foundation was submerged under Christian doctrine (2).

“Indigenization is evangelization,” says Kaj Baag. “It is the planting of the gospel inside another culture, another philosophy, another religion” (3). In the case of India, ‘inculturation’ or ‘indigenisation’ means ‘the incorporation of Jesus in Indian spiritual tradition.’ Fr. Bede says, “In India we need a Christian Vedanta and a Christian Yoga that is a system of theology which makes use not only of the terms and concepts, but also of the whole structure of thought of Vedanta” (4).

Shantivanam Ashram on the banks of the sacred Kaveri River near Trichy in South India appears Hindu. It has a Hindu shrine, saffron-robed “swami” seated cross-legged on a straw mat, devotees practicing yogic meditations, even chanting Hindu scriptures. But these impressions gradually prove false. First, the eye detects that the courtyard shrine is for Saint Paul and that “puja” is actually, a daily Mass, complete with incense, lamps, flower offerings and prasadam. Finally, one meets the “swami,” Father Bede “Dayananda” Griffiths, a Christian “sannyasin.”

This is a Christian ashram, one of more than fifty in India, which are described as “experiments in cross-cultural communication,” or as “contemplative hermitages that revolve around both Christian and Hindu ideals.” Fr. J. Monchanin, one of the founding members of the ashram, defines his mission: “I have come to India for no other purpose than to awaken in a few souls the desire (the passion) to raise up a Christian India. It will take centuries, sacrificed lives and we shall perhaps die before seeing any realizations. A Christian India, completely Indian andcompletely Christian will be something so wonderful the sacrifice of our lives is not too much to ask” (5).

Sita Ram Goel, in his book “Catholic Ashrams,” lists 108 such Christian ashrams in India, 4 in Nepal and 8 in Sri Lanka. These ashrams include Asha Niketan, Bangalore, Karnataka; Bethany Ashram (1938), Channapatna, Karnataka; Christa Sevakee Ashram (1950), Karkala, Karnataka; Christian Institute for the study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, Karnataka; Yesu Karuna Prarthanalaya, Kote, Mysore District, Karnataka, and others (7).

Lausanne Movement (for world evangelization) published a paper titled “Christian witness to Hindus” (1980), listing some of the methods to be implemented to convert Hindus:

1] We should enunciate theology in Indian categories so that the Hindu can understand the gospel.

2] We must develop a truly Christian worldview consistent with the Indian context.

3] While presenting the gospel, we must be aware of the fact that the Hindu understands the doctrine of God, man, sin, and salvation in a way entirely different from the biblical doctrine.

4] Communicate the gospel through indigenous methods such as bhajans, drama, dialogue, discourse, Indian music, festival processions, etc. (6)

The present Catholic ashrams have inherited a history of intrigue and subterfuge. The Niyogi Commission report on Madhya Pradesh, 1956, noted: “Robert De Nobili (a Catholic Jesuit priest) appeared in Madura in 1607, clad in the saffron robes of a Sadhu with sandal paste on his forehead and the sacred thread on his body. He gave out that he was a Brahmin from Rome. He showed documentary evidence to prove that he belonged to a clan that had migrated from ancient India. He declared that he was bringing a message which had been taught in India by Indian ascetics of yore and that he was only restoring to Hindus one of their lost sacred books, namely the 5th Veda, called Yeshurveda (Jesus Veda). It passed for a genuine work until the Protestant Missionaries exposed the fraud about the year 1840. This Brahmin Sannyasi of the ‘Roman Gotra,’ Father De Nobili, worked for 40 years and died at the age of 89 in 1656. It is said that he had converted about a lakh of people, but they all melted away after his death” (8).

This is the situation the Hindu finds himself in today. Christian missionaries have adopted Hindu ways of life, Hindu religious symbols, architecture, worship forms, and even declare themselves as Swamis. A Catholic priest who calls himself “swami” instantly attains the status and authority of a holy man in Hindu society, which he can use to convert individuals.

By using Sanskrit terminology in his sermons, he implies a close relationship of Hindu theology to Catholic theology, a relationship which does not really exist. Such missionaries speak authoritatively on Hindu scriptures and argue that their [Christian] teachings are consonant with everything Hindu, but add a finishing touch, a “fullness” to the traditional faith.

Under such situation, no inter-faith interactions will bring any fruits unless the “church” mends its ways. As the Kanchi Perivaar rightly affirms: “After such inter-faith meetings, the points agreed have to be faithfully abided. Otherwise the will be no point in holding such meetings. Unless the Church reassures Hindus that it will not conduct itself in a manner that wounds Hindu sensibilities and follows up on those assurances, such inter-faith meetings, no matter how frequently they are held, will be futile and will not serve any meaningful cause.”

References

1] Hinduism Today, Indian Ocean Edition, December 1988.
2] Salvation: Hindu influence on Christianity by Dr. Koenraad Elst.
3] Kaj Baago, Pioneers of Indigenous Christianity, Madras, 1969, p. 85.
4] Bede Griffiths, op. cit., p. 24.
5] “Liberal” Christianity, Ram Swarup.
6] “Christian Witness to Hindus”, 1980, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.
7] Catholic Ashrams: Sanyassins or Swindlers, By Sita Ram Goel.
8] Niyogi Commission Report on Christian Missionary activities.

Nepal Sees Red

... as Prachanda-led Maoists see the country's president have a truck with India

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Nithin Sridhar
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(This is an old article published on 11 May 2009)

Nepal is again in news. After gaining prominence in 2005 and finally becoming Prime Minister in 2008, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Comrade Prachanda, Chairman, the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M), finally stepped down on 4 April 2009 after a spat with the country's President Ram Baran Yadav over the issue of the sacking of Army Chief Gen Rukmangad Katawal.

The drama started to unfold at 9:30 am on 3 May when a high-level meeting of five coalition partners was held at the prime minister's residence. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), the second largest party in the coalition, and Sadbhavana walked out of the meeting. At 10:15 am, Lt General Kul Bahadur Khadka met with the prime minister. Later at 11 am, Gen Katawal met with the Prime Minister. At 12 pm, the cabinet sacked Katawal. Later at 10:30 PM, President Yadav sent an order by facsimile to Gen Katawal, urging him to continue. Finally on 4 May, Prachanda resigned.

Nepal watchers believe Prachanda’s move is a calculated one, aimed at long-term gains for Maoists. It is to prevent themselves from getting discredited in the eyes of the people if the drama over the sacking were to continue. Prachanda wanted to induct former Maoist rebels into the Nepal Army but was opposed by Gen Katawal. He reinstated 8 generals who were earlier offered superannuation by the Maoist administration. He has been seen as a person who fought with Maoists for years and someone who is close to India. Prachanda was under tremendous pressure from his cadre to remove Gen Katawal so that Moaists could slowly take over the army and establish their declared objective of 'New Democracy’ (leftist hegemony). This would have paved the way for Prachanda to openly join hands with China, the country Prachanda was supposed to visit on 2 May (the trip was called off due to the present crisis).

Nepal's Maoists leaning towards China and distancing the country from India is not a new phenomenon. Maoists have always been close to China due to a shared ideology. On 4 February 1996, just a year after the formation of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M), following a split in the Communist Party of Nepal-Unity Centre, they submitted a memorandum listing 40 demands to then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba under the heading "Concerning nationality". The following demands were made through the memorandum:

1. All discriminatory treaties, including the 1950 Nepal-India Treaty, should be abrogated;
2. The so-called Integrated Mahakali Treaty concluded on 29 January 1996 should be repealed immediately, as it is designed to conceal the disastrous Tanakpur Treaty and allows Indian imperialist monopoly over Nepal's water resources;
3. The open border between Nepal and India should be regulated, controlled and systematised. All vehicles with Indian licence plates should be banned from Nepal;
4. The Gurkha/Gorkha Recruitment Centres should be closed. Nepali citizens should be provided dignified employment in the country;
5. Nepali workers should be given priority in different sectors. A 'work permit' system should be strictly implemented if foreign workers are required in the country;
6. The domination of foreign capital in Nepali industries, business and finance should be stopped;
7. An appropriate customs policy should be devised and implemented so that economic development helps the nation become self-reliant;
8. The invasion of imperialist and colonial culture should be banned. Vulgar Hindi films, videos and magazines should be immediately outlawed;
9. The invasion of colonial and imperial elements in the name of NGOs and INGOs should be stopped.
   

These demands clearly show the anti-Indian policy of Nepal's Maoists. They always wanted to distance Nepal away from what they perceive as 'Indian imperialism', by breaking the country's friendly pacts with India. Their policy has for long been directed at ending monarchy in Nepal, establishing communist rule, distancing from India and joining hands with China. But, the anti-Indian attitude of Nepal-Maoists does not stop at that. They are also involved in sharing of knowledge about guerilla warfare, bomb manufacturing techniques and arms training with their Maoist counterparts in India. They have well-established links with the People’s War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) of India. The first signs of contacts were reportedly registered during 1989-1990, when they started laying a corridor, which is now widely referred to as the Revolutionary Corridor (RC), extending from Nepal to across six Indian states that including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.This entire area has been identified in Maoist literature as the Compact Revolutionary Zone (CRZ). The CRZ was organised by the Nepal and Indian members of the Naxalite movement in a meeting at Siliguri in the West Bengal in August 2001.

Further, the Maoists of Nepal, with the help of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), have been attempting to establish links with Naxalite groups such as the PWG and the MCC by using the Siliguri corridor in West Bengal. Media reports of 29 December 2002 indicated that three members of a Maoist-affiliate, All Nepal National Free Students' Union-Revolutionary, were arrested at a Siliguri bus station while on their way to Bihar to attend a meeting convened by the PWG. These acts show the presence of Maoists at the helm in Nepal. It's now a Red Nepal, fraught with implications for India. It’s time the Government of India took stock of the situation and prepared itself for an unfavourably placed northern neighbour.

References:

1. Deepak Thapa, ed., Understanding the Maoist Movement of Nepal, Kathmandu, Martin Chautari, 2003, pp. 391, First published in Dr Baburam Bhattarai's "Barta Ra Tatkalin Rajnaitik Nikasko Prashna", Kathmandu: Publication Department, Special Central Command, CPN (Maoist), Fagun 2059 BS
2. South Asian Terrorism Portal

Water management in times of scarcity

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Nithin Sridhar

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(This is an old article published on 27 Apr 2009)

As World Water Day passed almost unnoticed last month (22 March), I recalled a seminar I attended in that connection. Programmes like these are regularly held by concerned social activists on and off in major cities across the world. But is anybody listening?

Today, we are in a situation of water scarcity. Deaths due to water scarcity and water-borne diseases are increasing day by day.

Water, water, everywhere,/Nor any drop to drink

These words of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in the poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” resurfaced in a more riveting context in the seminar on “Integrated Water Resource Management for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation,” organised by the Karnataka Environment Research Foundation (KERF), Bangalore, and National Institute of Engineering - Centre For Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies (NIE-CREST), Mysore, last month.

Recently, the Supreme Court took note of the water crisis and issued notice to the Ministry of Science and Technology to furnish details regarding steps taken to solve the problem of water shortage. The Bench comprising Mr. Justices Markandey Katju and B. Sudarshan Reddy passed interim orders on a writ filed by advocate M.K. Balakrishnan, seeking protection of wetlands for preservation of the environment and ecology.

There is an acute water shortage in India and one main reason is that all water resources have been encroached upon in recent times by commercially-driven persons who have filled up the water bodies and raised buildings and shops. Our ancestors were wise people who provided for the possibility of droughts. To harvest water, they constructed ponds and tanks attached to temples so that people did not suffer.

Unfortunately, we have forgotten the wisdom of our ancestors. Hence the severe water shortage in summer months, often leading to roadblocks, chakka jam and traffic blocks by agitated citizens. The Supreme Court has already directed the Centre to constitute a committee of experts to solve the water shortage. The Ministry of Science and Technology is to furnish details of steps taken to solve the water shortage by 28 April 2009.

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) involves making decisions and taking action from multiple viewpoints so that water is managed best. This means integrating social, environmental and technical aspects. Some principal components include:


• Managing water resources at the basin or watershed scale.

• Optimizing supply: conducting assessments of surface and groundwater supplies, analyzing water balances, adopting wastewater reuse, and evaluating the environmental impacts of distribution and use options.

• Managing demand: adopting cost recovery policies, utilizing water-efficient technologies, and establishing decentralized water management authorities.

• Providing equitable access to water resources through participatory and transparent governance and management, including support for effective water users’ associations, involvement of marginalized groups, and consideration of gender issues.

• Establishing improved and integrated policy, regulatory, and institutional frameworks: implementation of the polluter-pays principle, water quality norms and standards, and market-based regulatory mechanisms.

• Utilizing an inter-sectoral approach to decision-making, where authority for managing water resources is employed responsibly and stakeholders have a share in the process.

In the present water crisis, the seminar facilitated interaction between teachers, students and NGOs, notable being Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM) and Chaitanya Rural Education Society.

Dr. Rajashekara Murthy, president KERF, recollected the history of water management from water withdrawal without changing natural sources before 2000 BC, to withdrawal and socio-economic impacts of dams and large-scale water diversion schemes, environmental- ecological impacts and contemporary technologies. Throughout civilisation, human beings have manipulated and exploited water resources. At times, localised water problems (epidemic, sewage) have aggravated as globalised problems like pollution, acidification and global warming. There is need of new ideas and methods to deal with water scarcity, which is increasing daily due to industrialisation and urbanisation. People are concerned about supply, but don’t pay attention to management and effective utilisation.

Over one billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water and 2.4 billion don’t have access to sanitation (mostly in Africa and Asia). Nearly 30%-40% of the world population uses less than 50 litres per head per day to meet fundamental human needs. We need to cover every aspect of the water scenario: human health, ecosystem health, sustainable use and economy, hazards and environmental prediction, global water commitments, following Agenda 21 (1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, where the World Water Day was first formally proposed)
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/english/agenda21chapter18.htm and Dublin principles http://www.gwpforum.org/servlet/PSP?iNodeID=1345

At present, the government’s efforts are not sufficiently integrated and there is lack of accessible, policy-relevant science and information. Dr. Murthy outlined an alternative approach to water management, called the “soft path,” which can reduce water consumption from 72 gallons per head per day to 49 gallons per head per day. Its salient features are:

• Attempt to improve overall productivity of water use rather than seek endless sources of water supply

• While relying on centralized infrastructure, complement it with extensive investment in decentralized facilities: efficient technologies and human resources

• Work with stakeholders at local and community levels

• Demand management: End-use efficiency affects both ends of the pipe: water supply side and wastewater discharge and treatment side

• Utility based measures: Leak detection and repair water mains, promote conservation based price structures, effective watershed management to reduce water losses and water reclamation.

Soft path practices can emerge through:

• Leadership by small communities in blending water and wastewater into a pragmatic, long-term vision of development

• Adoption by urban utilities, motivated by water shortages and high costs of replacing hard path infrastructure, of integrated approaches to restore and preserve a natural water “mass balance”

• Refinement of innovative technologies for rainwater retention/filtration, waste water treatment, and reuse on individual properties or in cluster systems

• Reform of planning and regulations to promote more flexible, integrated water and infrastructure development.

Economists argue that water prices will encourage water conservation if correctly designed and enforced. Water-use charges, pollution charges, tradable permits for water withdrawals or release of specific pollutants and fines are market-based approaches that can contribute to making water more accessible, healthier and more sustainable long term. One particular area of water policy increasingly subject to pricing principles is the public water supply and wastewater services.

Efficient and effective water pricing systems provide incentives for efficient water use and for water quality protection. They also generate funds for infrastructure development and expansion, and provide a good basis for ensuring that water services can be provided to all citizens at an affordable price. The metering of water consumption is a prerequisite for the application of efficient water pricing policies. However, the experts felt water should not be privatized, commoditised, traded or exported in bulk for commercial purposes.

Dr. P.S. Srikantamurthy, Dept of Agricultural Economics, UAS, GKVK, Bangalore, explained how changing dietary patters could help reduce water consumption. For example, ragi consumes less water than rice, and is more nutritious. He spoke about hidden or virtual water, the amount of water utilised in producing a product. Current food production must double in the next 25 years and 60% of it must come from irrigated land. Due to unreliable supply of water, farmers use bore wells. India has 17 million irrigation wells and 70% use groundwater. India withdraws groundwater at twice the recharge rate.

Hence the aim of IWRM is:

• to provide sufficient domestic water round the year, especially in peak summer, for all sections of rural and urban population;

• to provide as much irrigation as possible with the remaining water; and

• to minimize losses, as far as possible, of both water quality and water quantity

Prof. M. Shekar, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, spoke at length about the depletion and contamination of groundwater, which damages the eco-system, as does increased pumping. The total number of mechanised wells has risen from 1 million in 1960 to 21 million in 2005.

Groundwater continues to serve as a reliable source of water for a variety of purposes, including industrial and domestic uses and irrigation. The use of generally high quality groundwater for irrigation dwarfs all other uses (Burke, 2002). In many developing countries, reliance has turned to dependency and the establishment of perceptions of access and use that are intensely ‘private,’ irrespective of the legal status of the groundwater.


The impact of over-abstraction on the water level can lead to a wide array of social, economic and environmental consequences including:

• critical changes in patterns of groundwater flow to and from adjacent aquifer systems;

• decline in stream base flows, wetlands, etc. with consequent damage to ecosystems and downstream users;

• increased pumping costs and energy usage;

• land subsidence and damage to surface infrastructure;

• reduction in access to water for drinking, irrigation and other uses

There is thus a need for micro-scale mapping, collecting data and analyzing them at micro levels. There is also need for collaborative initiatives, basic research and rethinking our approach to groundwater.

Prof. M. Sudhakara Rao, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, explained how water quality deteriorated due to domestic, agricultural and industrial pollution and geological contamination. The presence of excessive fluoride in water led to fluorosis, which can be treated by the Nalgonda Technique, Activated Alumina Technique and IISc technique of treatment of fluoride
http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr-public/cr-se-wes-13120601-public.pdf

There can be little doubt that the Indian public needs a far greater awareness about water related issues and the need for integrated water management.

Ragging: blind rage seeking a target?

______________

Nithin Sridhar

______________

(This is an old article published on 21 Apr 2009)

Ragging or Raging?

The debate about whether, “ragging” is good or bad, is once more in the air. The incident that brought the ugly face of “ragging” to light, occurred on 7 March but was reported in media only on Saturday 11 April, more than a month later: “A 19-year-old management student may have permanently lost his vision after his seniors beat him up in a Coimbatore college last month.

Akhil Dev alleges his senior students at the PSG College of Arts and Science punched him in the eyes and hit him on his head with a steel chair and a frying pan on March 7. Dev, a student of Business Management and Information Systems at the college, was allegedly assaulted after he refused to pay the senior students money for the second time after giving them Rs 3,000” (CNN-IBN).

On 30 March, Indian Express reported -“Nineteen-year-old Kachroo died on March 8 after being allegedly beaten up by four seniors at the Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Kangra.”

“Ragging” is a hot topic amongst youth. Freshers are anxious, and seniors wait to have fun. Most agree ragging could be fun if within limits. Yet we find a rising number of incidents showing a horrible side of ragging. The question arises, “where is the limit? Where do we draw the line?”

The Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (1), an NGO, defines ragging as: “an act of aggression committed by an individual or a group of individuals (say A) over another individual or a group of individuals (say B), where A by virtue of their being senior to B somehow get the authority and audacity to commit the act and B, by virtue of their being new to the institution are automatic victims.”

CURE divides ragging into verbal, physical and sexual. It observed that 62% reported cases were of physical ragging (mostly beating the fresher). Sexual ragging cases were a high 33%, and 13% cases not only comprised sexual abuse, but physical violence. Generally, sexual ragging comprised asking the fresher to strip, dance naked, imitate pornographic postures, and so on. In two cases, one at Santiniketan and another at Kottayam, freshers were actually raped by seniors on the name of ragging. Instances of verbal ragging being reported are low as they are milder.
Hostels – abode of hostility

CURE found that 11 deaths due to ragging were reported between 2005-2007. It observed: “Ragging has caused a total of 10 deaths in the last 2 years, 10 of which were that of young college-going students. Surprisingly, all these deaths are not those of freshers. C. Lalitha, the mother of Mukesh, ended her life due to the controversy surrounding the sexual abuse of her son during ragging (Andhra Pradesh, Sept 2006). Three of the ragging deaths were that of seniors: a first year student killed 2 seniors when he was being ragged (Vidyanagar, MP, Aug 2006); 1 senior ended his life when he was punished for ragging. The other 7 deaths were those of freshman, 6 who committed suicide due to ragging and one due to the result of brutal ragging (equivalent to murder).” A further 23 cases included “physical injury” and 12 included “mental injury”.

The CURE report made the important observation that the places where ‘real-ragging’ occurs are not college campuses, but hostels. A startling 84% cases of ragging happened in hostels (or out-of-campus housing), whereas only 16% happened on campus or other places off-campus. Out of 44 cases where place of ragging could be ascertained, 37 were in hostels and 7 on campus.

Thus we can conclude that on-campus ragging is rather harmless, aimed at developing a friendly atmosphere. But ragging takes the form of absolute violence in hostels, where freshers are subjected to physical, sexual and emotional harassment. Ragging needs to be handled delicately, or many innocents may face trouble – there must be a clear distinction between innocent fun and harassment.

R K Raghavan Committee


The Report of the R.K. Raghavan committee (2) goes further and defines ragging in more clear terms:


• Any act that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of a student should be considered within the academics-related aspect of ragging


• Any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a junior student by senior students should be considered an aspect of ragging for economic dimensions


• Any act of physical abuse including all variants: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person can be put in the category of ragging with criminal dimensions


• Any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, snail-mails, public insults should be considered within the psychological aspects of ragging. This would include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to others.

The Raghavan Committee made 50 recommendations to tackle the menace of ragging. The Supreme Court (3) in its order of May 2007 listed nine of these basic recommendations to be implemented without delay:


• Punishment to be meted out must be exemplary and justifiably harsh to act as a deterrent against recurrence of such incidents.


• In every single incident of ragging where the victim or his parent/guardian or Head of Institution is not satisfied with the institutional arrangement for action, a First Information Report must be filed without exception by the institutional authorities with local police authorities.


• Courts should make an effort to ensure that cases involving ragging are taken up on priority basis.


• The possibility of introducing in the educational curriculum a subject relating to ragging to be explored by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and respective State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).


• In the prospectus to be issued for admission by educational institutions, it shall be clearly stipulated that in case the applicant for admission is found to have indulged in ragging in the past or if it is noticed later that he has indulged in ragging, admission may be refused or he shall be expelled from the educational institution.


• The Central and State Governments shall launch a programme giving wide publicity to the menace of ragging and the consequences which follow in case any student is detected to have been involved in ragging.


• It shall be the collective responsibility of the authorities and functionaries of the concerned institution and their role shall also be open to scrutiny.


• Anti-ragging committees and squads shall be forthwith formed by the institutions.


• The Committee constituted pursuant to the order of the Court shall continue to monitor the functioning of anti-ragging committees and squads formed.

Current status

These recommendations remain virtually unimplemented because the magnitude of the harassment due to ragging is largely unknown to the public. Many people live in denial about such harassment. Though most ragging is mild and harmless, the dark side of ragging as a social problem has been largely neglected.

Ragging is a psychological problem. It denotes the psychological phenomenon of some people deriving pleasure from harassing others for ‘fun’. Ragging has been associated with sadism. Seniors who are able to sexually or physically rag juniors see it as an act of courage. But ragging represents a deeper problem. It points to the degradation in ethics and values in society, especially among the youth. It raises the question, where is the future generation going? Do our youth know where to draw the line? Are we really educating them or simply imparting literacy? These questions must be answered.

Notes

1] Ragging in India, A Summary Report on Incidents, Social Perceptions and Psychological Perspectives, CURE REPORT: CR2007_05-16, May 16, 2007
2] The Menace of Ragging in Education Institutions and Measures to Curd it, Report of the Committee constituted by the Honorable Supreme Court of India In SLP No. 24295 of 2006.
3] Supreme Court of India’s interim order on ragging based on R.K. Raghavan Committee dated 16/05/2007.

Mad Rush Certificates

That is what the Government of India is up to issuing, by proposing to deem certifications by madrassahs and the CBSE equivalent
_____________
Nithin Sridhar
_____________

(This is an old article published on 20 Feb 2009)

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry plans to set up a Central Madrassa Board on the lines of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), HRD Minister Arjun Singh said on Tuesday.

This would help modernise the education imparted by the Islamic seminaries across the country, the minister said.

"There has been a long pending demand to set up Central Madrassa Board on lines of the CBSE. We are considering it. A bill in this regard will be introduced in the next session of Parliament," he said.

Arjun Singh told the annual conference of State Minorities Commissions: "Madrassa education has received special attention in (my) ministry. Recently I approved recommendations regarding equivalence of madrassa qualification to the CBSE certificates. Read more...

— "Arjun Singh for Central Madrassa Board," IBN story

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry is ready to grant مدرسة‎/madrassah certificates, equivalent to those issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). This recommendation was made by the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee, which was appointed by the ministry to review the status of minorities. These suggestions also find mention in the Prime Minister's 15-point programme for minorities. As per the recommendation, students can also approach Madrassah Boards of other states to get their certificates have recognition equivalent to a CBSE certificate, if the states they are domiciled in do not have their own Madrassah Boards.

A committee appointed in 2007 had proposed to recognise عالم/Alim (Muslim theologian) degrees offered by madrassahs for admissions into the BA course. فاضل/fAzil (Honours) degrees were also proposed to be recognised for admissions to postgraduate programmmes. Even though 350,000 madrassah students will be benefited from this decision, this move by the government appears to be political rather than an academic enterprise.

Madrassahs are centres of Islamic learning. Although some madrassahs teach secular subjects like logic, language (Arabic through the medium of Urdu), Islamic history, calligraphy, geography, etc, in general they have a religion-based curriculum, focusing on the Qur’an and other Islamic texts. They do not train students in modern science, technology and value systems. The major difference between madrassahs and regular schools is that the education imparted in madrassahs is not enough to qualify the students for employment in modern-day offices. Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarssah Education (UPBME) banned coeducation in madarssahs across the state, saying it was against the ‘spirit of Islam’. “In Islam, پردہ/pardah (veil) is very important. By allowing coeducation, we promote بے پردگی/'bE-pardagI' (women without veil), which is against '‎شريعة/Shari'at”, UPBME Chairman Haji Rizwan Haq said. Such actions will only hinder the modernisation of madrassahs and preclude the way to bringing them up to the modern educational standards.

The genesis of madrassahs in south Asia is attributable to the Delhi Sultanate. The original purpose of the madrassah was to equip the youth for administrative services of the Sultanate. Since the decline and eventual cessation of Muslim rule in India, the graduates of madrassahs do not have job opportunities at places where the writ of the أمة‎/ummah doesn’t run, apart from a handful of madrassah graduates who continue their studies in departments of Islamics, Arabic or Urdu in some of the modern Indian universities. The more accomplished of these graduates from dual systems of education get absorbed in universities; the rest remain content with either teaching in the fast mushrooming madrassahs (government-aided or independent) or become religious heads (euphemised wrongly as إمام/imAms) of the equally fast growing mosques.

Two of the famous Islamic institutions of India are "Dar-ul-Uloom, Deoband" and "Dar-ul-Uloom Nadwat-ul Ulama, Lucknow". The first has a comprehensive syllabus. It consists of 4 stages — primary, middle, high and specialisation courses. In the primary syllabus, students are taught Urdu/Hindi, geography, Arabic grammar and composition. The Nadwat-ul-Ulama of Lucknow also brought about certain far-reaching changes in the traditional curriculum of the قومی مدرسۃ/Qaumi Madrassahs (lit. “national schools" or "community schools”) of India, in response to the changed circumstances and needs of the time. The primary five years cover complete primary education as prescribed for general schools besides giving a sound religious base to its students.

But there are many madrassahs which are not affiliated to these central boards; they give more importance to Islamic subjects, in some cases completely ignoring secular subjects. There is an absence of a centralised agency to exercise control on all madrassahs. Hence some madrassahs follow their own designated syllabus which is a hindrance for smooth functioning and standardising of quality education. There is a lack of modern teaching methodology in about all big and small madrassahs. In order to provide appropriate leadership and guidance, madrassahs must give particular stress to the learning of the English language, which at present is absent. In short, there is lack of ability in its alumni to cope with the challenges of modern world.

Further, some experts also suggest that a small group of radicalised madrassahs, especially those located in border areas, promote extremist forms of Islam. According to the Task Force on Border Management, there are 905 mosques and 439 madrassahs along the India-Bangladesh border on the Indian side. A detailed Indian intelligence report issued some years ago claimed that some madrassahs were functioning as training grounds for anti-Indian elements. The report went on to suggest that مفتي‎/muftIs, مولوی/maulvIs and imAms in these schools may have been replaced by what it calls "highly fanatic agents of ISI", secretly working to disintegrate India. In May 2001, a ministerial group for the "reform of internal security" headed by the then Indian Home Minister LK Advani, released a 137-page report that recommended, among other measures, a close scrutiny of madrassahs.

Under such circumstances, the decision to grant CBSE equivalence to madrassah graduation certificates is unwise. It appears to be a politically motivated step. Abdullah Khan in countercurrents.org writes: “Before this proposal is introduced, a lot needs to be done at the madrassah level to put it on a par with mainstream schools. An equivalent certificate could make madrassah students 'eligible' to apply for jobs, but will not ensure they get jobs in a competitive environment unless the curriculum is modernised. Because most of the madrassahs in India teach purely theological subjects and not modern subjects."

Few have welcomed the present step, aiming as it does at enriching the Islamic heritage of India by mainstreaming Islamic studies. But why the government has not thought of supporting and encouraging ‘Hindu’ studies is a question that must be asked. Why is there no such step towards mainstreaming वैदिक पाठशाला/Vedic pAThshAlAs and Sanskrit pAThshAlAs? Why the traditional gurukula system has almost vanished?

Instead of vote-bank politics, government should concentrate on improving the education system of India. It should make religion a compulsory subject in primary and high schools. Students may study any religion, if they want to. Hindu students can learn their own religion and culture and Muslim students can learn Islam; and both learn their respective theologies along with mathematics and science. The curricula may be designed in a manner such that at the primary level one can study one's own religion and in high school they can study comparative religions. Besides, religious schools of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and others can be instructed to have such curricula where, along with detailed religious studies, modern subjects are included. In this direction, modernisation of madrassahs is necessary to bring them on par with secular schools. Only after this can the madrassah and CBSE certificates be deemed equivalent. Further, such a provision should be provided for Vedic and Sanskrit pAThshAlAs too.

Sex and Hinduism

____________
Nithin Sridhar
_____________

"Her lap is a sacrificial altar; her hairs, the sacrificial grass; her skin, the soma-press. The two labia*(lips) of the vulva are the fire in the middle." [Brhad-Âranyaka Upanisad, 6.4.3]
"This man (ama) am I; that woman (sâ), thou!
That woman, thou; this man am I!
I am the Sâman; thou, the Rig!
I am the heaven; thou, the earth!
Come, let us two together clasp!
Together let us semen mix,
A male, a son for to procure!" [Brhad-Âranyaka Upanisad, 6.4.20]1

Whenever the issue of Love, Nudity, Sex and Hinduism comes into picture, we usually get any one of the following reactions-

1] The Westerners in general and Western scholars doing South Asian studies [for example RISA2] in particular, and their Indian counterparts who consider Hinduism to be mix of voodoo and pornography.

2] The Hindu orthodox which thinks sex is a taboo.

Now I will examine, how valid is both of these perspective.

Hindu Purusharthas:

Purusharthas means objectives of a human being. They are the canonical four ends or aims of human life. They serve as pointers in the life. The four Purusharthas from lowest to highest-

? Kama - pleasure or desire3
? Artha - wealth
? Dharma - righteousness or morality
? Moksha - liberation from the cycle of reincarnation

According to Kama Sutra, "IN the beginning, the Lord of Beings created men and women, and in the form of commandments in one hundred thousand chapters laid down rules for regulating their existence with regard to Dharma, Artha, and Kama." 4 Further it says- "MAN, the period of whose life is one hundred years, should practise Dharma, Artha and Kama at different times and in such a manner that they may harmonize together and not clash in any way. He should acquire learning in his childhood, in his youth and middle age he should attend to Artha and Kama, and in his old age he should perform Dharma, and thus seek to gain Moksha, i.e. release from further transmigration.."5

So, according to Hindu scheme of thing, even though Enlightment is the ultimate goal of life, it encourages people to enjoy everything and fulfill all material desires. Moksha is a long process. It can be achieved only when all material desires are quenched. And hence, Hindu religion prescribes 2 methods, the path of renounciates, the path of householder. There is one more less popular but more maligned path of within "Tantras" which accept everything material, everything condemned as taboo and hence aims to rise above the animalistic desires.

Sex as Yajna:

Yajna or sacrifice is derived from root word "Yaj". It means Worship or offering an oblation.
Max Muller defines Yajna is an act by which we surrender something for the sake of gods"6.
Sex is worship. It is an act by which the couples surrender their ego, in order to gain pleasure, progeny, eventually even enlightment.

"Her lap is a sacrificial altar; her hairs, the sacrificial grass; her skin, the soma-press. The two labia of the vulva are the fire in the middle. Verily, indeed, as great as is the world of him who sacrifices with the Vâjapeya ("Strength-libation") sacrifice, so great is the world of him who practises sexual intercourse"7 (Brhad-Âranyaka Upanisad)

These verses clearly shows that, sex was treated as a form of worship, an act to not only fulfill one"s desires and gain pleasures, but also as an act of sacredness.

Sex as Meditation:

In Vigyana Bhairava Tantra8, during a conversation between Shiva and Shakti,

Devi Asks:

O Shiva, what is your reality?
What is this wonder-filled universe?
What consttutes seed?
Who centers the universal wheel?
What is this life beyond form pervading forms?
How may we enter it fully,
above space and time,
names and descriptions?
Let my doubts be cleared!

So, Shiva explains her 112 methods of meditation to attain enlightment. He says-

At the start of sexual union
Keep attentive on the fire in the beginning,
And so continuing,
Avoid the embers in the end.
When in such embrace your senses are shaken as leaves,
Enter this shaking.
Even remembering union,
Without the embrace.

These verses clearly indicate how sexual act can be utilized for achieving enlightment. Enlightment is a state, when all egos vanish. As in a sexual act, the couple leaves behind their ego and unites with each other and achieves sexual ecstasy. This very thing can be utilized to achieve spiritual ecstasy.

Kamashastra:

It is the study of "Sixty Four9" arts like- Singing, Playing on musical instruments, Dancing, Union of dancing, singing, and playing instrumental music, Writing and drawing, Tattooing, etc. "Kamasutra" or the "art of lovemaking" only a part of this Shastra.


Is Hinduism pornography and Tantra a sex manual?

The straight answer is a simple No. It is Victorian mentality which condemns any depiction of sex. Hinduism recognizes the role of sexual desires in human lives. The sexual depictions in some of the temples were mean to not only educate the people, but also to help those who were involved in sexual sadhanas for enlightment. There is a difference between Nudity and expression of beauty and pornography. What appears in Hindu puranas and Itihasas are the expressions of genuine beauty and not pornography.

"Tantra" is a much maligned word. "Tantra" actually refers to vast body of literatures called "Agamas" which are practical manuals for meditation. There are many Shaiva, Shaktha, Pancharatra Agamas. Using sex for meditation is prescribed in only few of the so many different paths described in Agamas. So, it is very wrong in equating Tantra with Sex.

Some Social Issues:

Sex Education: Sex education had always been present in Hindu history. Vatsayana says, both men and women should learn Kamashastra10.

Pre-Marital Sex and Love Marriages: In Hindu society sex was always considered to be individual choices. There are many instances in our history and scriptures depicting pre-marital sex and love marriages. So, crying out against them as being anti-Hindu is not quite proper. Manusmrithi recognizes 8 kinds of marriages of which "Gandharva Marriage11" is one of them. It is the voluntary union of a maiden and her lover, which arises from desire and sexual intercourse for its purpose.

The same can be said about extra marital affairs. As they are personal affairs, we should let individuals to decide about it. Hindu society has always given this much freedom to its people.

Conclusion:

In Hindu society sex is neither a taboo nor pornography. Sex is sacred. Sex is recognized as human desire which should be satisfied and which can be used to attain the ultimate goal of enlightment.

References & Notes:

1 Brhad-Âranyaka Upanisad forms part of the Satapatha-brâhmana. The verses are taken from chapter titled "Incantations and ceremonies for procreation"
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe15/sbe15098.htm

2 Religions In South Asia (RISA), a department under the American Academy of Religion (AAR), has been sponsoring studies for years now to deride Hinduism. Our gods and goddesses like Ganesha, Shiva, Parvati, Laxmi and Kali, our rituals like Upanayana our saints like Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and scriptures, Mahabharata, Ramayana and Gita all have come under such distasteful sexual connotation and nauseating voyeurism that one begins to wonder if it can at all be called academics.
http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=195&page=2

3 Kama in general means material desires and pleasures- Physical, Emotional, Sexual, Psychological.
According to Kama Sutra of Vatsayana- "Kama is the enjoyment of appropriate objects by the five senses of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting and smelling, assisted by the mind together with the soul. The ingredient in this is a peculiar contact between the organ of sense and its object, and the consciousness of pleasure which arises from that contact is called Kama."
http://www.sacred-texts.com/sex/kama/kama102.htm


4 Chapter 1, Preface, The Kama Sutra of Vatsayayana, Translated by Sir Richard Burton.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/sex/kama/kama101.htm

5 Chapter 2, Observations on the Three Worldly Attainments of Virtue, Wealth, and Love, The Kama Sutra of Vatsayayana, Translated by Sir Richard Burton.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/sex/kama/kama102.htm

6 Max Muller, Sacred Books of East series.

7 Brhad-Âranyaka Upanisad

8 Vigyana Bhairava Tantra.
http://www.escapefromwatchtower.com/vigyan.html

9,10 Chapter III. On the Study of the Sixty-Four Arts, The Kama Sutra of Vatsayayana, Translated by Sir Richard Burton.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/sex/kama/kama103.htm

11 http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/extra/bl-wed-types.htm