GoodNewsIndia :: The Sieve
Good news filtered from media streams
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Aug 22, 2006 : Bismilla Khan, an Indian icon
For a man who was all of 90 years when he died yesterday, Bismillah Khan, the shehnai grandmaster, has triggered off a wave of national grief. If Banaras is the soul of India, the Ustad was the soul of Banaras. He was charmingly, defiantly loyal to his values.Winner of the highest national award, the Bharat Ratna, he spurned ostentatious living, but provided for a household of 66. He preferred to travel by cycle rickshaws and trains and chose modest hotels when he travelled. A devout Muslim who prayed five times a day, he was also a devotee of Baba Vishwanath of Kashi and Goddess Saraswati. He refused to air-condition his house since his neghbours could not afford to do likewise.
He spurned a Rockefeller Fellowship that would have required him to live away from his beloved Banaras, asking “where will I find Baba Vishwanath and Ganga?”
Get to know him at this link.
Aug 18, 2006 : Breaking into Muslim ghettos
It is widely agreed the alienation of a majority of India’s Muslims is because of the insignificant part they play in making and sharing the new economic pie. In the notoriously backward Kanpur - Lucknow belt of UP, Muslims toil away at low paying tannery and hand embroidery jobs. Keeping their women at home and off new opportunities through education is common. But here is a tiny new initiative trying to change that.Rasheeda Bhagat reporting for BusinessLine says a series of courses run by Datamation Foundation is coaxing Muslim girls out of their conservative homes, giving them new skills and making them employable in the emerging new economy. Girls who can barely afford the Rs 40 per month fee for the courses are earning, after a year’s training, up to Rs 2,500 per month as office assistants, receptionists, beauticians and data entry operators. Two girls work at call centres earning Rs 8,000. Many of these are children of coolies, rickshaw pullers, hawkers and sweat shop workers. Full story
Aug 15, 2006 : An algae to clean up heavy metals
Scientists at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute [CMFRI] have discovered that the algae Sargassum wightii, can not only remove heavy metals like cadmium and lead but also leads to their recovery. It is more effective than the currently used activated carbon and zeolites.Scientists packed a perforated box with powdered algae and placed it in contaminated effluents. In 30 minutes, 80% of cadmium and 70% of lead were absorbed by mannuronic and guluronic acids produced by the algae. After that, placing the soaked algae in an alkaline solution recovered the metals. CMFRI is calling it a Bio-battery. News report
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