Of h me and food

Subhankar Banerjee uses his artistic and photographic talent to raise awareness of environmental issues

educator, Subbankar Banerjee.

he 18th Bienuale of Sydney takes place between June 27 to September 16 chis year, the length and quality of the exhibition making it Australia's largest and most exciting contemporary arcs event. Artist talks, performances, fol'wns, film screenings, fa rnily events and guided tours make up the prog ramme of this free exhibition. t aruraUy, artists featured in the festi val will have come from a variety of backgrounds and led colomful lives - but few will have come through a journey quite as unique as artist, activ ist and

Subhankar's work focuses on eco- cultural issues such as resource wars, cliniare change and Indigenous rights Re has delivered over I 00 lectures, taken iconic photographs, and a book of his featu.ring Arctic phorograph y, initially part of a display in the Smithsonian Institute, has been the topic of contentious debate in the US Senate. However, Subhankar's philosophy is a simple one.

"Things d1at I do may come across as variety, but for me it is simply talking about two issues home and food mat the land provides to humans, and other species with whom we share mis earth," he says. "Everything before us - look around at the rare and speed of environmental destruction - that is chaUenging to me and everyone else who is working on diese issues".

Ir was a big smvrise then, when Subhankar, already recipient of countless awards and honours including being named an Arctic Hero by Alaska Wilderness League, reveals that he was born in d1e smaU \Xlest Bengal cown of Berharnpore, and studied e lecu·ical engineering in India before receiving two ]\tasters degrees in Physics and Computer Science i.n the United States.

Subhankar grew up revelling in die work of Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, and was introduced to the work of Mahasweta Devi, a renowned activist and writer, by his parents at a yo ung age. He was taught how to paint by his grear uncle Bi.ma! Mookerjee, and ald1ough he had a passion for arts, as a member of a middle-income family, he chose die more practical padi of science.

Subhankar's transition from being offered exciting research positions in advanced mad1ematics to developing a fuU- fledged career in socio-cultural activism was a long one. Indeed, his initial love for phys ics was a result of a passion for chinking, and a sense mat, in mis fie ld, he was closer to poetry and philosophy. Subhankar feU in love widi the wide, open spaces of the descrt dncing trips across the American soudiwesr. Armed widi an SLR Minolta camera, and in die company of fellow members of die environmental organisation Sierra Club, Su bhankar made the decision to leave his posi tion at Boeing to become a fulJ- time artist, educator and activist.

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Hi s journey since 2000 has been inspirational, to say die least. After leaving Boeing, Subhankar spent 14 months in che Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and published hi s first book - Arctic National Wildlife Refi1ge: S easo11s of Life and umd

Wid1 the help of a grant from the Lannan Foundation, Subhankar's b oo k was distributed to indigenous comn1tu:uties, libraries, smdents and policy makers in the US, yet met with controversy when d1e George W Bush administration censored d1e book's accompanying exhibition i.n the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural H istory.

"\Xlhen die Smithsonian political controvers y about m y Arctic photography happened in 2003 in Washington DC, I didn't consider m yself a political activist or m y art as political art, e\7 en though I had given ru y phorographs to conservation groups to raise awareness," he reveals. "Bur that experience, more d1an anyd1ing else, prompted me to become an activist. 1 don't do art for art's s ake; m y work is about engaging with die world we inhabit, and politics is an integral pare of diat process."

Subhankar's photography is globally recognised, and having spent die last two years editing die antho logy Arctic Voices- Resi1ta11ce at the Tipping Point, which was pub li shed earlier this mond1 , Subhankar's writing i s fundamental in his quest for change. ''You

Left: Caribou Migration I (2002) by Subhankar Banerjee, from the Oil and Caribou series, digital chromogenic print face - mounted to plexiglas, 218.44x 172.72 cm can say d1at m y photograp hs are quiet, in d1e sense that they might encourage an emotional response, whereas my writing is rather loud, that might encourage action," he says " The environmental destruction char is raking place is massive, and die inaction on part of d1e US govemment prompted me to found ClimateStoryTellers.org, not o nly co share my own writing, but also b y many o iliers from around the world including, Alaska, Austn1lia and India".

In today's g lobal community where d1e world has become a smaller place, climate change has beco me an issue of increasing importance Hwi1an rights, however, has been a fundamental keysto ne of activism diroughout history Ir is Subhankar's unique willingness to link these two craditio naUy separate issues that makes his work relevan t to everyone, everywhere in die world.

Often, we find ours elves pigeonholed inro a comer of society, and this is nor necessarily a bad ming But we form just a tiny part of die larger machine that is mis p lanet, and we need co lend ourselves to it to ensure diat: the rest of d1e machine i s actually working properl y

Subhankar's journey is a testament to rhe facr that whether you are an engineer, doctor, musician, or builder, the planet belongs to everyone, and there is rea Uy no excuse for not caring.

Bc111c11ce \ 11 or/, at the Bic1111u/c of ~ytfn,,,. tll the 11 I <,a/It ,:1· <1/ \ 'W. 11111i/ I 6 Sl'pl j philosophy, Mukherjee said the same is enshrined in the Indian constitution, which has been described as a 'l\fagna Carta' for the socio - economic transformation of a large majority of the hw11an race.

Describing the Indian constitution as a living document, which is operationalised every day through statecraft, he pointed out how India bas been empowering people through legislations such as the Right to Information, Right to Education and Right to Food, which entrusted a tremendous amount of responsibility on the government.

T he president asked die youd1 attending the 2 1st edition of KIP to "always keep in mind lndia:~ tmiry amidst extraordinary diversity, economic goal of inclusive growth and the fact diat the key to attaining inclusive growth is spread of knowledge".

India's Grisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda takes the silver in the Men's on September 3, 2012.

In dian space agency scores a ton, ready for more

An Indian rocket recently successfull y put into orbit 1,vo foreign satellites, marking Indian space agency ISRO's 100th mission in the presence of Prime :Minister Manmohan Singh.

''As ISRO's 100th space mi ssion, today's launch is a milestone in our nation's space capabilities," d1e prime minister said in Sriharikota i n Andhra Pradesh after d1e launch

Exactly at 9.53 a.m., Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C21 (PSLV-C2 1), 44 merres tall and weighing around 230 conne, wirh a one -way ticket, hurtled itself towards the skies ferrying me rwo sacellires - SPOT 6, a 712- kg Frencl1 ea r d1 observation satellite, and Proiceres, a 15- kgJapanese nlicro satellite.

The PSLV, costing around Rs.90 crore, blasted off from d1e Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Srjharikota, around 80 km from Chennai.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (lSRO) has now completed its I 00th mission since the launch of irs first satellite, Aryabhata, in 1975 by a Russian rocket. With a ricb orange Aarne at its tail and plume of white smoke, PSLV- C21 ascended towards the sky amid cheers of ISRO scientists and media team assembled at the launcl1 centre.

People perched atop nearby bui ldings too clapped as the rocket went up.

Scientists at ISRO's new mission control room were glued to their computer screens watching d1e rocker escape the earcl1's gravitational pull.

At around 18 minutes into the Right, PSLV- C21 delivered SPOT 6 and a few seconds later Proi teres into their intended po.lar orb its.

On the successful ejection of d1e satellites, scientists at miss ion control were visibly relieved and started clapp ing.

Manmohan Singh, w.ho along wim :Minister in Prime Mi.tlister's Office, V Narayanasamy, witnessed rhe launch, congratulated ISRO scientists and engineers and EADS Astriwn of France and Osalrn Institute of Technolog y of Japan for the successful launch of meir satellites.

"Question s are sometimes asked about whemer a poor country like Indi a can afford a space programme and whether the funds spent on space exploration, albeit modest, could be better utilised elsewhere.

"This misses the point that a nation's state of development is finally a product of its technological prowess," the prime mi n ister said.

Tbe remore sen sing satellites se nd back picn1res and ocher data.

SPOT 6 is the heaviest foreign satellite to be carried by a PSLV since 1999 when ISRO scarred law1cbing satellites of foreign agencies

Proiteres will smdy powered Aighr of another satellite and observe Japan's Kansai district "~d1 a high- resolution camera

Speaking to reporters late r, ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnao said di scussions were on with me French space agenc )' to carry SPOT 7, a similar remote sensing satellite slated for launch soon.

He said there were 13 more satellites of similar class and some othe.r satellites could go as co-passen gers to the main cargo drnr ISRO/Antrix Corporation (ISRO's commercial arm) would target.

Declining to reveal d1e carriage fee received from French and Japanese agencies for .launching mei.r satellites, Radbakcislman said me miss ion revenue had recovered the rocket's cost.

Agreeing chat there was a two -minute delay in the rocket's lift off (the scheduled time was 9.51 a.m.), Radhakrishnan said it was to avoid possible space debris impacts

He said lSRO had dec ided to set up a Multi Object Tracking Radar (M.OTR) to crack space debris and time its rocker launches precisely.

ISRO was also pl anning to have a second vehicle (rocket) assembly building to increase launcb frequenc y, he said.

ISRO \Votild also build two more communication satellites - GSAT 15 and GSAT "16 - to augment its transponder (transmitters that receive an d send signals) capacity, he added.

Till dare, ISRO has successfully launc hed 27 foreign satellites and the Sunday mission took d1e tally to 29.

Pakistan visit fruitful : Kr ishna

Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna described as "fruitful " his three-day v isit to Pal,istan that he wrapped - up recently

Talking to the media after arriving at Allama Iqbal International Airport for a day- long visit co Lahore, Krishna said he and his Pakistaili counte r part Hina Rabbani

Khar had signed pacts on visa liberalization and culnu·al promotion, which would help promote b ilateral ties.

He arrived .in th is capital of the Punjab province on the final leg of h is visit that began on September 7 lndian High Commiss ioner Sharar Sabharwal was present.

Krishna said the dialogue between tl1e Indian and Pakistani leadership would be fruitful as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ai,d the people of India wanted peaceful relations with Pakistan.

He said the peacefu l ties between between the neighbouring countries would be he lpful for the prosperity of d1e region.

Krisbna met Punjab province Cllief l\folister Shilibaz Sharif as well as Punjab Governor Mul1ammad Latif Khan Khosa.

Shahbaz Sharif said India and Pakistan should discuss all omsranding issues.

While in La.bore, me lndiai1 external affairs nlinister vis ited Data Durbar shrine of a sufi saint and d1e Minar-e -Pakistan, a call monumental minaret.

The minister arrived in Labore from Islamabad where he mer his Pakistani coumerparc Hina Rabba11.i Khar An agreement on a libe ralised visa regime was signed b y h.im and Interior Mi.tlister Rehman Malik.

M ukherjee asks youth d iaspora to learn about Ind ia

President Pranab Mukherjee recently asked the youth of me Indian diaspora to learn about Lidia, its craditions an d thought process and to use d1e knowledge for ilie betterment of tl1e global community at large.

Speaking to a group of Indian youth diaspora attending the 'Know India Programme' (KIP) of cl1e ministry of overseas Indian affairs (l\1IOIA) in New Dellii, Mukherjee said cl1ey were formnare to .l earn from d1eir Indian ancestors the princip le of 'Vasucll1aiva Kummbakam' (fhe world is a family).

Answering questions from participants at Rastrapati Bhavan, me president empha&ized d1e importance of values for d1e youm and said: "\'(le are fortunate to have learnt from our ancestors the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam."

Naming Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and Maham,a Gandhi as contemporary exponents of the ancient

"The story of India is not a few paragraphs in a te.xt bo ok of history, but the story of a vast multitude of human beings crying ro find their i:ighrful place in the comity of nations," he said and noted that th.is story is enacted everyday in L1dia's villages, agricultural fields, offices, factories, laboratories and classrooms.

Expressing confidence that each of che participants would take home a little part of India in their hearts, he encouraged chem co continue learning about India based on their first hand experiences acquired through the KIP.

Commencing on the influence of the western world on lndia, Mukherjee said India has always been an open society with a continuous Aow of cultural i.nAuences to ai1d from outside.

India, he said, assimilated the foreign inAuences and redesigned d1em to snit its own, unique identiry.

''English education and pat:liamemary system are some of the contributions of the West to India. India added its own traditions of Sabha and Sanliti ~ocal bodies of governance) to the democratic sy stem.

The president said every modern nation is a product of assimilation and India has led in c ivilizational interaction with ocher parts of rhe world

The 21st edition of mree-week KIP has participants of lodian origin from 11 countries such as New Zealand, Surinam, Malaysia, Fij i, Sci Lanka, Mauritius, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Iran, Slovak Republic and Israel. All are in the 18-26 age group.

KIP's objective is to introduce India to d1e youd1 of Indian origin living abroad and co link the youth diaspora w ith their country of origin.

Under the present edition, d1e participants will visit Tamil Nadu to see and experience historical, cultural, industt:ial and administrative instin1tions. They will also interact with the Indian media, visit NGOs ai1d women's movements

The first leg of cllis edition of KIP began on Aug 29 and ended with the participants' interaction wid1 Mukherjee.

The visitors will visit their host state and will also return to the national capital co share d1eir experiences wid1 the r.1JOIA officials

Need jo int efforts to save Himalayas: Eco-activists

Concerned over the threat to natural re.~ources in the Himalayas, environmentalists recently said in New Delhi that there was an urgent need to preserve its ecology a nd the country's states benefi tting by the motmtain 's resources like water should step up effo rt co protect them

Observi ng the 'Himalaya D ay' for the third year consecutively, t he environment activists urged t he central government to urge the s tates which reap benefits from its natural resources like water to join hands to conserve.it.

" Responsibiliry to conserve the richness and resourcefulness of the Himalayas needs to be shouldered by every citizen of the country," said eminent environmental ist Anil J os h i.

" The call by us (ac tivists) is to develop strong co llateral r elatio n s between mountain and non- m oun tain r egions ro negate the threats posed to n at ural resources, water and Oll.')'gen, as Himalayas is not a co ncern for the H imalayan communities alone; it rather is a question of the securi ty of livelihood w hich involves all the parts of the country that reap mul ti ple ben efit.~ from it," h e said.

A group o f environmentalis t gathered in national capital to ce lebrate Sep 9 as Himalaya D ay

The day w as chosen b y activi sts in 2010 co hri ng awareness to save the lofty ranges of Himalayas whic h are under eco logical threat due to increased human interferenc e

"Unfortunately, Himalayas are seen as a commodity. Everybody ju st enj oys the resources but no o n e is ready to address the crisis o f this region," be said, adding tha t 65 percent of the water from the Himalayas is being used b y other states while t hose in t he Himalaya n regio n use only 3 8 percent of it.

H e also said Himalayas are dying as the snowfall pa tterns are drasticall y al tered and glaciers are m elting in the reg ion. Landslides, cloudburst are the results of mistreating the nature.

If we don't get our ac ts toge ther we will have to bear the brunt, w h.id1 would be devastati ng. C hangi ng climate p attern 11-1eans more frequent droughts and Roods nor o nly in the region but also those living in downstream," he added.

Various e nviro nment activists participating in t he Himala yan Day celebration d em a nded a separate board to be formed to tackle envi ronment issues in the H imalayan region

"To safeguard H imalayas a separate board co mprising representatives from va rio us states should be formed so that they could focus on the issues per taining to it," an activist participating in tbe event added.

Faster development when India fully literate: Ansari

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari recently said India's development would be fast- tracked from the day the c ountry attain ed complete literacy.

Devotees attend evening prayers at the Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh shrines, illuminated on the occasion of 408th anniversary of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the holy book of Sikh religion in Amritsar, September 1, 2012.

Speaking at the Sakshar Bhara t prize distrib u tion ceremon y of the National Literacy Missio n Author ity at the Ram Man ohar Lohia atio nal Law University in Lucknow, A n sari said that if tl1e nu mber o f li t erates in creases in the c ountry, India would become a centre of kn owledge

In his a ddress, Chief Minister A khil esh Yadav noted that his Samajwadi Parry (S P) government h ad taken a host of decisions aimed at inc reasing literacy, s pecially amon gst tl1e wom en

Citing so me o f the measures, h e said

Swastik 0

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Professional &Personalised services Integrity, Excellence &Dedication we are multi skilled professionals known fo rour proficient, expertise &result driven outcome services. that th e gove rnment would p rovid e for a free tabl et for s mdents passing class 10 and taking admission in class 11 and a laptop to all smd e n ts who pass class 12 and ta ke admission in degree colleges. By doing so, the state government, o ther than be n efitting the studen ts, was also aiming at getting pare n ts and guardians t0 get connected co internet a nd improve their liv ing standard s by increasing their income, Akhilesh Yad av said He also said ch at his gove rnment had approved tbe centrally-aided n atio nal optical fibre n etwork tl1rough whicl1 all the

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He a lso said that his government was working towards increasi ng the literacy of girls over 15 wi th the Kanya Vidya

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Through chis scheme girls would be encouraged to go in for highe r srndies and be give n Rs. 30,000 as encouragement.

Gi rl s from the minori ry community passing class 10 would also be given Rs 30,000 in fi nan cial aid, he said IANS

'Daaad, you're embarrassing me!' is a familiar refrain now, and isn't just confined to teens. Familiarity with fathers has now reached new heights with kids saying what they feel, and dads taking their comments in their stride - and even going out of their way to further embarrass their children. It's an easy, open, cheerful bonding that is a delight to experience.

Embarrass Me

He shouts, "Run, girls!" at the top of his voice in his Indian accent at my cricket matches.

thatHe tries to sing One Direction songs, but is convinced that the name of the band is'lnside Edition~

He's really quite cool and I love him very much, but not when he's singing I've Got the Moves Like Jagger.

When we're at the shops and if I move out of his line of vision, he always calls my name out loudly, as if I'm 4 instead of 14!

He'll ask what movie is going on, about three times in the same hour.

He says he's going to get an earring on his 50th birthday.

He drives around with loud Bollywood music blaring out of his car - it's so embarrassing!

When a Bollywood love song is on (eg You are my Sonia), he'll start singing along and acting like Hrithik Roshan, and then grab mum and pretend she's Kareena Kapoor.Thankfully she rolls her eyes most times and pushes him off.

He sometimes belches loudly after a big meal and then looks around the table and says, 'Who was that?' It's gross, but you gotta smile!

He wants to adopt my fashion sense, wear skinny jeans and spike up his hair with gel. He tried on a pair of really low cut hipster jeans, and then asked the teenage shop assistant whether they had 'trendy'wide-banded designer underwear to match.

He told off my maths teacher at school once -I was so embarrassed to go back!

He thinks Salman Khan movies are entertaining - 'nuff said!

He organises kids' games at parties and tells them to dance around to warm up before starting the game. But he's the only one dancing

He sings in an opera voice just to make me laugh - it's hilarious and embarrassing!