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NIAS-DST Training Programme on 'Advanced Technologies for Urban Development' 17-21 February 2025
No full textSharing the Joy of Observing Nature: A Study of Nature Walks in India
Get PDFNature Walks (NW) - a group of people exploring sites of ecological importance with an experienced guide and involved in informal discussions about various topics is a recognized method to improve environmental awareness and responsible behaviours of the non-experts. In the last decade, themed and non-themed NW got much popularity in India. The present study explored various dimensions of NW conducted in India following newspaper analysis, internet and social media studies, and the examination of academic publications. A participatory study of the 15 NW organised in the city of Bangalore was also conducted. Our results revealed a growing public and media interest in NW in India. However, very few websites and social media handles dedicated to this informal social activity were observed. Furthermore, the majority of academic publications containing the words nature walk used it in the context of tourism, and not even a single study focusing only on these events conducted in India was available in the literature. The organizers aimed to share knowledge about nature, raise conservation awareness, engage in scientific inquiry, and promote citizen science projects by conducting NW. Curiosity, science learning, conservation, enjoyment, opportunity for socialization and network formation, well-being and photography attracted participants to these events. The need for conducting integrated research on NW in India and formulating guidelines and policies to sustain the contributions from such events to the areas of health and wellbeing, environmental awareness and conservation and promotion of tourism without losing its essence - the informality- is discussed under the light of the results obtained
The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
Get PDFAnthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions significantly impact the middle and upper atmosphere. They cause cooling and thermal shrinking and affect the atmospheric structure. Atmospheric contraction results in changes in key atmospheric features, such as the stratopause height or the peak ionospheric electron density, and also results in reduced thermosphere density. These changes can impact, among others, the lifespan of objects in low Earth orbit, refraction of radio communication and GPS signals, and the peak altitudes of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere. Given this, there is a critical need for observational capabilities to monitor the middle and upper atmosphere. Equally important is the commitment to maintaining and improving long-term, homogeneous data collection. However, capabilities to observe the middle and upper atmosphere are decreasing rather than improving
Teacher education and inclusion: Post-pandemic potentials and possibilities
No full textGlobally, policies and national governments’ initiatives are inspired by the goal of quality for all children and a vision of greater social justice. However, the means of achieving this goal, fuelled by new public management discourses, are often simplistic and mechanistic. Literature also points out that inclusive education is a complex, multilayered notion. It has to be perceived from specific socio-cultural contexts and is imbued with meanings construed within those contexts. Hence the intent and purpose of policy directives have to be contextualized and teachers have to be involved in the process of meaning-making in curriculum reform processes. The countries of South Asia are grappling with equitable provisioning of quality education to a large population even while engaging with a largely neo-liberal form of governance and regulations, a comparative perspective offers a broader understanding of the national, regional, and international developments in teacher education. Drawing from empirical and conceptual research on teacher education for inclusion from a social justice perspective, this paper analyzes the status of teacher education in the countries of South Asia. It attempts to synthesize what the comparative perspective offers in terms of the potential and possibilities of teacher education for inclusion within the region, in the post-pandemic context
Are Plants Conscious? Vegetal ‘Being’ in the Caraka Saṁhitā
No full textThis study discusses notions of plant consciousness within the classical Ayurveda text, the Caraka Saṁhitā (CS) and its ideas on vegetal ‘being’. Drawing extensively from Cakrapāṇidatta’s commentarial gloss on the CS, the Āyurvedadīpikā, it begins by pointing to two frequently conflicting conceptualizations and positions ascribed to plants within the text: (a) plants as material agents of therapy and (b) plants as sentient and conscious ‘beings’. Then, drawing upon the CS’s suggestion that the property of consciousness can be inferred from sentience, the paper investigates Cakrapāṇidatta’s position that plants are not only sentient but also capable of some degree of self-awareness. It then proceeds to ask whether plants may be considered as possessing ‘minds’, situating this discussion within the broader epistemic framework of the CS’s theory of sparśa. In conclusion, the study discusses the implications and challenges of such notions of plant being in view of the text’s overwhelming dependence on a herbal pharmacopeia
Exploring urban water-energy nexus: A case study of thermal power plants in Raichur and Ballari districts in Karnataka
No full textThe paper provides a coupled framework of the water-energy nexus for the water-stressed Indian cities, weaving together multiple interlinked facets, such as the demand for drinking water, water withdrawal patterns, water-related challenges in Thermal Power Stations (TPSs), and the benefits of using treated wastewater in TPSs. An integrated approach is suggested for maximizing the benefits of wastewater reclamation, while reducing the environmental impacts of inefficient water usage, specifically in TPSs, the largest water users in the industrial sector. This is particularly important for a developing country like India that faces declining water availability due to a growing population without commensurate increases in water-use efficiency. Currently, India is the third largest electricity generator in the world, with coal-fired TPSs accounting for more than 78% of the total generation (1715 TWh in 2021). This presents a case for an integrated approach to reduce freshwater consumption in TPSs located in the proximity of cities by using treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs). The integrated approach for utilizing wastewater in TPSs is a promising tail-pipe initiative that can address multiple targets under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 in conjunction with other interlinked Goals and their targets. The findings highlight that the suggested sustainable water management practices would lead to enhanced availability of potable water for the city dwellers, thereby addressing multiple targets under SDG 6 along with a few other consequential dimensions including affordable electricity
An Old Monk: Reminiscences of Raja Ramanna in NIAS, 1996–2004
No full textIn this intensely personal chapter of the commemorative volume on the late Raja Ramanna, I reflect on the remarkable individual that Dr Ramanna was and as I saw him during our years together in NIAS, from 1996 till his passing in 2004. I particularly celebrate his multifaceted personality, especially his relationships with the young faculty of the institute, his deep love for all living beings, and his inimitable sense of humour through which he saw the world
