FIRST INDIAN MANGROVE GENETIC RESOURCE RESEARCH CENTER BEGINS IN KOYILANDY
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
Bio diversity year celebration is rich with the establishment of Mangrove Genetic Resource Research Center (MGRRC) in Koyilandy of Kozhikode district in Kerala. Considering the importance of mangrove ecosystem as very rich and diverse terrestrial aquatic faunal communities, the municipal council decided to commence MGRRC.
Over two decades research has generated a large volume of data supporting the view that there is an important linkage between mangrove ecosystem and costal productivity. They provide an extensive habitat to fishes, crabs, prawns and mollusks. The fishery data make clear that mangrove ecosystem assists a high yield of fish and shell fish from the estuarine and costal waters. Mangrove provides a variety of goods and services for the communities that lives in its surroundings.
Besides its fisher9es potential, mangroves ecosystem acts as a biofilter to clean polluted waters, prevent floods and bank erosion, reduce the fury of waves and storms, and recharge ground water. It provides unique habitat for a wide flaura and fauna associated to them. Still for many years mangrove forests have been considered as undervalued resources. Over the last decades vast area of mangrove forests were destroyed. Kerala is having a coastline of about 590 KM and with 41 west flowing rivers create suitable environment to build up rich growth of mangrove vegetation. Once we had 700 Sq KM of mangroves along the coast and have declined it to an area of 17 SqKM today. Under these circumstances, we realized to protect the prevailing vegetation and also support efforts to spread the forest by sapling them. Media Analysis & Research Center submitted a project proposal in 2004 to Koyilandy Municipality to establish MGRRC and the council took right decision to implement it. Though some year’s delay is happened, MGRRC becomes a reality in the biodiversity year. This is the first of this kind in India dealing with the conservation of floral and faunal aspects of mangrove wetland ecosystem with participatory approach. Local community is the champions of conservation.
Anelakkadavu, the site is located about 26 KM north of historic town Kozhikode and 1.5 KM east of Koyilandy municipal bus stand and railway station. It lies 12 KM north from Kappad beach where Vascoda Gamma landed and 10 KM south from Kottakal where Kunjali Marakkar, the variant fighter against the British regime born and brought up.
MGRRC will be the pioneer venture where a local self government took initiative in protection of mangrove ecosystem with the help of an NGO Media Analysis & Research Center and also with the technical support of another NGO Malabar Natural History Society.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
MAFTHA, THE CRIMINAL
MAFTHA, THE CRIMINAL
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
Wearing Maftha (head scarf) by a Muslim girl is a crime! If you put a question mark, nobody says YES. But a CBSE school in Alappuzha district says it is a crime. The school authority issued transfer certificate to Nebula, a female Muslim student, she was about to go to 10th standard in Believers Church English Medium School affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education. An unbelievable action from the part of a school in the ‘secular Kerala’. Are we as secular as the boasts going on?
If you ask the reason for sudden issue of transfer certificate is this student, the answer will be very simple: she wore maftha. It’s the first time she is expelled on the ground that she wears maftha. According to Nebula’s parents, she wears maftha since kindergarten days.
Nazir Musliar, the student’s father and an imam at a madrassa states that the school authority warned her that the she would not be allowed to wear a headscarf to school any more. The parents put an appeal to allow her to complete SSLC since moving this last moment may affect her studies adversely. “But the school management refused and instead issued her transfer certificate to the Govt.High School Mannanchery.” This school follows Kerala syllabus. These two schemes have thorough distinctions; not only in syllabi but also in methodology. Clear cut distinction is available in evaluation strategies also.
The transfer certificate issued on April 26, 2010 mentions the reason for transfer as “Maftha is not allowed in this school”.
Governments have no control over CBSE schools. Still education minister M.A.Baby told that the govt. would take appropriate action. The state govt.is asked the deputy director of education, Alappuzha to conduct an inquiry and submit report. “If such a ban is imposed, it cannot be tolerated in a pluralistic society such as ours” Mr. Baby added.
The basic question here is how the unaided system pave red carpet to religious rigidity does. We don’t believe wearing a head scarf will lead the girl to heaven as her parents and some others believe. But we are not against their personal choice. The concept of hell and heaven itself is an absurd dream. At the same time we live in a pluralistic society where religions and non-believers have a space to interact. The Indian constitution underlines the same. Harmonious get together of these sections is the corner stone of the swecular, democratic India. This new incident threatens it. Threat to nation and constitution by educational practice is in a dangerous state now.
Secular educational activists warned it earlier. Different religious institutions run schools as they like. They impose narrow-minded religious believes and practices as moral studies and so on. The school authorities firmly ascertain to be believers without any rationale. Non-believing, secular minded learners and teachers are insulted and tortured in such institutions. Here a believing student is also insulted on the ground that she is not believed in a system that the school follows.
Can we insist such monotonous believes in space like schools? Remember the words of Mar Powathil, a Christian monk: Christian children should go to Christian schools. These recent words of the monk support the school authority’s action. Can we have Hindu schools, Muslim schools and Christian schools rather than a school where all sections have a secular and secure space? This attitude to compartalise learners and the society is the real threat to the secular mood of our nation. At this juncture the Right to Education bill and its after effects in connection with the freedom allowed to unaided institutions also is critical.
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
Wearing Maftha (head scarf) by a Muslim girl is a crime! If you put a question mark, nobody says YES. But a CBSE school in Alappuzha district says it is a crime. The school authority issued transfer certificate to Nebula, a female Muslim student, she was about to go to 10th standard in Believers Church English Medium School affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education. An unbelievable action from the part of a school in the ‘secular Kerala’. Are we as secular as the boasts going on?
If you ask the reason for sudden issue of transfer certificate is this student, the answer will be very simple: she wore maftha. It’s the first time she is expelled on the ground that she wears maftha. According to Nebula’s parents, she wears maftha since kindergarten days.
Nazir Musliar, the student’s father and an imam at a madrassa states that the school authority warned her that the she would not be allowed to wear a headscarf to school any more. The parents put an appeal to allow her to complete SSLC since moving this last moment may affect her studies adversely. “But the school management refused and instead issued her transfer certificate to the Govt.High School Mannanchery.” This school follows Kerala syllabus. These two schemes have thorough distinctions; not only in syllabi but also in methodology. Clear cut distinction is available in evaluation strategies also.
The transfer certificate issued on April 26, 2010 mentions the reason for transfer as “Maftha is not allowed in this school”.
Governments have no control over CBSE schools. Still education minister M.A.Baby told that the govt. would take appropriate action. The state govt.is asked the deputy director of education, Alappuzha to conduct an inquiry and submit report. “If such a ban is imposed, it cannot be tolerated in a pluralistic society such as ours” Mr. Baby added.
The basic question here is how the unaided system pave red carpet to religious rigidity does. We don’t believe wearing a head scarf will lead the girl to heaven as her parents and some others believe. But we are not against their personal choice. The concept of hell and heaven itself is an absurd dream. At the same time we live in a pluralistic society where religions and non-believers have a space to interact. The Indian constitution underlines the same. Harmonious get together of these sections is the corner stone of the swecular, democratic India. This new incident threatens it. Threat to nation and constitution by educational practice is in a dangerous state now.
Secular educational activists warned it earlier. Different religious institutions run schools as they like. They impose narrow-minded religious believes and practices as moral studies and so on. The school authorities firmly ascertain to be believers without any rationale. Non-believing, secular minded learners and teachers are insulted and tortured in such institutions. Here a believing student is also insulted on the ground that she is not believed in a system that the school follows.
Can we insist such monotonous believes in space like schools? Remember the words of Mar Powathil, a Christian monk: Christian children should go to Christian schools. These recent words of the monk support the school authority’s action. Can we have Hindu schools, Muslim schools and Christian schools rather than a school where all sections have a secular and secure space? This attitude to compartalise learners and the society is the real threat to the secular mood of our nation. At this juncture the Right to Education bill and its after effects in connection with the freedom allowed to unaided institutions also is critical.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
symbol of protest
SYMBOL OF PROTEST
RATHEESH KALIYADAN
A protest movement is slowly but steadily building. If the mood turns violent in response to Coca-Cola’s continuing assaults on their survival, nobody can blame them”. It was on May 24, 2002 I wrote in Green Left Weekly, the very first article about cola exploitation. The slow but steady protest became the embodiment of anti-imperialist struggle.
Plachimada is an Indian tribal village in Palakkad district of Kerala. The water reservoir of the land was the major attraction to the multi national corporate giant coca cola beverages limited to install their bottling unit in Plachimada. The factory’s 16 hectors compound was previously irrigated multicropped paddy land. Everyday about 85 trucks loads of product left the factory. Each lorry was loaded with 550-600 cases. Each case contained 24b bottles.
To make more than 300000 liters of soft drink each day requires hundreds and thousands of liters of water. All the water requirements of the plant are not from more than 60 deep bore wells and from 2 large open wells.
The continuous heavy withdrawal of ground water by the plant has adversely affected the water table. Water availability in the open wells and shallow bore wells over an extensive area has drastically fallen. Salinity and hardness due to calcium salts increased.
Tribal people around the colonies such as Plachimada, Vijayanagaram, Velur and Madhavan Nair colonies in Perumatty gramapanchayath and the Rajeev Nagar and Thodichipathy colonies in Patanchery grama panchayath affected worse. At least 750 families’ drunk contaminated water and lived breathing the foul smell. The suffocated villagers united and thought about their destiny. They shared furies.
They built a small shed called Samara Panthal and started Satrhyagraha on April22, 2002 just opposite to the factory. The village peoples lonely Satyagraha was a negligible element to the almighty multi national money tanks. They started a lot of ‘traditional campaigns and utilization of power monks’ through bribes and other ways. It is clear that at beginning all trade unions and political parties were against the protesters. No political parties come and declared solidarity or sympathy to the protesters except certain small left extremist organizations who have not much popularity in Kerala circle.
After long years Satyagraha, campaigns, legal interventions and continuing struggles at various levels they are on the path of victory.
Every day indigenous sufferers assembled and sat in samarapanthal. It became the life space of majority of volunteers. Most of them slept and woke in the pandal. Women and children came early morning and left the pandal at evenings. Schoolchildren forgot to go to schools in protest busy days.
The major demands of the satyagrahies were:
Coca Cola Company put a full stop to the factory activities and to the exploiting of their water.
Distribute drinking water to the locals.
Distribute compensation.
Not only the villagers, but also whole world now realize Coca Cola Company is liable for their destiny. The almighty coca cola company already closed the shutters of the factory. The big gate before the factory premises and colorful nameplate appears as a ghost like look today.
The latest development after a lot of legal fights and expressions is the constitution of a high power committee to study the facts and faults of the coca cola company’s works. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI (M) leading left government in Kerala expressed its woe to the prays of corporate exploitation. The committee with K.Jayakumar IAS as chair and V.P Ramakrishna Pillai as convener recommends:
The Coca Cola Company at Plachimada has been causing environmental degradation by over extraction of ground water and irresponsible disposal of the sludge.
The Coca Cola Company is culpable under several laws in force.
The water resources of the area have been affected and the water scarcity has been compounded.
By passing off the sludge as manure, the Company has not only misguided the farmers but has become responsible for the soil degradation, water contamination and consequential loss of agriculture.
There has been a steady decline in the agriculture production in the area.
The production of milk, meat and eggs also has suffered.
Metals like cadmium, lead and chromium have been detected in the sludge and this has affected the health of the people.
The general health of the people has been affected with skin ailments, breathing problems and other debilities.
Low birth weight of children has also been noticed.
Environment of the Village has acutely been damaged by polluting water and soil.
Drinking water has become scarce, women have to walk long distances, and this has deprived them of their wages, and this needs to be compensated.
Children have dropped out of the school because of the social, health and economic factors caused by the pollution caused and this opportunity cost has to be compensated.
The Grama Panchayat has been providing drinking water in tanker Lorries ever since the Company has rendered the wells and water bodies useless by its extraction of water and disposal and effluents.
The actual economic loss because of the depletion of water resources has not been quantified but its proxies have been used.
The compensation that could be claimed on various losses has been calculated as below:
Agriculture loss: Rs. 84. 16 crores
Health damages: Rs. 30. 00 crores
Cost of providing water: Rs. 20.00 crores
Wage loss and opportunity cost: Rs. 20.00 crores
Cost of pollution of the water resources: Rs. 62.10 crores
Total: Rs. 216.26 crores
There are sufficient provisions under the existing laws to claim this compensation of these damages from the Company under the 'polluter pays principle'.
However, it is desirable to set up a dedicated institution to adjudicate the individual claims. Such a dedicated mechanism could either be a Tribunal under Art. 323 B of the Constitution of India to be legislated by the state legislature or an Authority under section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to be created by the Central Government.
Once Government decides on a suitable mechanism and it comes into being, individual claims will have to be assessed and actual compensation decreed and the polluter Company made to pay it.
The company located in this drought-prone area, should not resume its operation.
Through these recommendations, not only the village people but the Government of Kerala underline the fact that the liability of coca cola beverages limited. This will be a novel experience to the Swiss multi national corporation. By the steady movement, Plachimada became the symbol of anti-imperialist struggle and it wrote a unique chapter in the world history of green agitations.
(Ratheesh Kaliyadan is available at ratheeshkaliyadan@gmail.com)
RATHEESH KALIYADAN
A protest movement is slowly but steadily building. If the mood turns violent in response to Coca-Cola’s continuing assaults on their survival, nobody can blame them”. It was on May 24, 2002 I wrote in Green Left Weekly, the very first article about cola exploitation. The slow but steady protest became the embodiment of anti-imperialist struggle.
Plachimada is an Indian tribal village in Palakkad district of Kerala. The water reservoir of the land was the major attraction to the multi national corporate giant coca cola beverages limited to install their bottling unit in Plachimada. The factory’s 16 hectors compound was previously irrigated multicropped paddy land. Everyday about 85 trucks loads of product left the factory. Each lorry was loaded with 550-600 cases. Each case contained 24b bottles.
To make more than 300000 liters of soft drink each day requires hundreds and thousands of liters of water. All the water requirements of the plant are not from more than 60 deep bore wells and from 2 large open wells.
The continuous heavy withdrawal of ground water by the plant has adversely affected the water table. Water availability in the open wells and shallow bore wells over an extensive area has drastically fallen. Salinity and hardness due to calcium salts increased.
Tribal people around the colonies such as Plachimada, Vijayanagaram, Velur and Madhavan Nair colonies in Perumatty gramapanchayath and the Rajeev Nagar and Thodichipathy colonies in Patanchery grama panchayath affected worse. At least 750 families’ drunk contaminated water and lived breathing the foul smell. The suffocated villagers united and thought about their destiny. They shared furies.
They built a small shed called Samara Panthal and started Satrhyagraha on April22, 2002 just opposite to the factory. The village peoples lonely Satyagraha was a negligible element to the almighty multi national money tanks. They started a lot of ‘traditional campaigns and utilization of power monks’ through bribes and other ways. It is clear that at beginning all trade unions and political parties were against the protesters. No political parties come and declared solidarity or sympathy to the protesters except certain small left extremist organizations who have not much popularity in Kerala circle.
After long years Satyagraha, campaigns, legal interventions and continuing struggles at various levels they are on the path of victory.
Every day indigenous sufferers assembled and sat in samarapanthal. It became the life space of majority of volunteers. Most of them slept and woke in the pandal. Women and children came early morning and left the pandal at evenings. Schoolchildren forgot to go to schools in protest busy days.
The major demands of the satyagrahies were:
Coca Cola Company put a full stop to the factory activities and to the exploiting of their water.
Distribute drinking water to the locals.
Distribute compensation.
Not only the villagers, but also whole world now realize Coca Cola Company is liable for their destiny. The almighty coca cola company already closed the shutters of the factory. The big gate before the factory premises and colorful nameplate appears as a ghost like look today.
The latest development after a lot of legal fights and expressions is the constitution of a high power committee to study the facts and faults of the coca cola company’s works. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI (M) leading left government in Kerala expressed its woe to the prays of corporate exploitation. The committee with K.Jayakumar IAS as chair and V.P Ramakrishna Pillai as convener recommends:
The Coca Cola Company at Plachimada has been causing environmental degradation by over extraction of ground water and irresponsible disposal of the sludge.
The Coca Cola Company is culpable under several laws in force.
The water resources of the area have been affected and the water scarcity has been compounded.
By passing off the sludge as manure, the Company has not only misguided the farmers but has become responsible for the soil degradation, water contamination and consequential loss of agriculture.
There has been a steady decline in the agriculture production in the area.
The production of milk, meat and eggs also has suffered.
Metals like cadmium, lead and chromium have been detected in the sludge and this has affected the health of the people.
The general health of the people has been affected with skin ailments, breathing problems and other debilities.
Low birth weight of children has also been noticed.
Environment of the Village has acutely been damaged by polluting water and soil.
Drinking water has become scarce, women have to walk long distances, and this has deprived them of their wages, and this needs to be compensated.
Children have dropped out of the school because of the social, health and economic factors caused by the pollution caused and this opportunity cost has to be compensated.
The Grama Panchayat has been providing drinking water in tanker Lorries ever since the Company has rendered the wells and water bodies useless by its extraction of water and disposal and effluents.
The actual economic loss because of the depletion of water resources has not been quantified but its proxies have been used.
The compensation that could be claimed on various losses has been calculated as below:
Agriculture loss: Rs. 84. 16 crores
Health damages: Rs. 30. 00 crores
Cost of providing water: Rs. 20.00 crores
Wage loss and opportunity cost: Rs. 20.00 crores
Cost of pollution of the water resources: Rs. 62.10 crores
Total: Rs. 216.26 crores
There are sufficient provisions under the existing laws to claim this compensation of these damages from the Company under the 'polluter pays principle'.
However, it is desirable to set up a dedicated institution to adjudicate the individual claims. Such a dedicated mechanism could either be a Tribunal under Art. 323 B of the Constitution of India to be legislated by the state legislature or an Authority under section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to be created by the Central Government.
Once Government decides on a suitable mechanism and it comes into being, individual claims will have to be assessed and actual compensation decreed and the polluter Company made to pay it.
The company located in this drought-prone area, should not resume its operation.
Through these recommendations, not only the village people but the Government of Kerala underline the fact that the liability of coca cola beverages limited. This will be a novel experience to the Swiss multi national corporation. By the steady movement, Plachimada became the symbol of anti-imperialist struggle and it wrote a unique chapter in the world history of green agitations.
(Ratheesh Kaliyadan is available at ratheeshkaliyadan@gmail.com)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
cola liabel:Recommendations
Coca cola liabel:Recommendations of High Power Committee
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
The left govt's attitude towards the victims of corporate exploitation is once again expressed through latest intervention.The high power committee constituted by the govt.of Kearala submitted a report on the status of people around Coca cola company in Plachimada,Palakkad.Plachimada is not a mere name of an Indian village. This remote Kerala village is a symbol of resistance against corporate exploitation. Through years long struggle and satyagraha of the tribes and natives this village becomes proud of antiimperialist agitations.Sometimes a unique chapter in world history where a gigantic multinational corporate becomes responsible for their actrivities.A magic challenge to the transnational corporate. They are bowing head before some villager's unchallengable determination and self confidence.
The recommendations and observations of High power committe constituted by Govt. of Kerala Report can be summed up as follows:
Health damages: Rs. 30. 00 crores
Cost of providing water: Rs. 20.00 crores
Wage loss and opportunity cost: Rs. 20.00 crores
Cost of pollution of the water resources: Rs. 62.10 crores
Total: Rs. 216.26 crores
Members of High Power Committee
K. Jayakumar IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala, (Chairman)
Director, Agriculture Department
Dr. K. S. Anilkumar, Addl. Director , Health Department
Dr. Vijayakumar, Director, Animal Husbandry Department
Sri.D.S.C.Thambi, Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board
Sri. Kochappan, Director, Kerala Engineering Research Institute
Dr. E. Nanu, Dean, Veterinary science, Kerala Agriculture University
Dr. A. Augustine, Addl. Director, Kerala Agriculture University
Sri. S. Jeyaprasad, Chairman, Kerala Pollution Control Board
Sri. S. Faizi, Environmental Specialist
Sri. T. K. Raman, Rtd.District & Sessions Judge, Kozhikode
Smt. R. Vasanthakumari,Suptg. Engineer, Kerala Water Authority
Sri. V. P. Radhakrishna Pillai, Director, Ground Water Department (Convener)
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
The left govt's attitude towards the victims of corporate exploitation is once again expressed through latest intervention.The high power committee constituted by the govt.of Kearala submitted a report on the status of people around Coca cola company in Plachimada,Palakkad.Plachimada is not a mere name of an Indian village. This remote Kerala village is a symbol of resistance against corporate exploitation. Through years long struggle and satyagraha of the tribes and natives this village becomes proud of antiimperialist agitations.Sometimes a unique chapter in world history where a gigantic multinational corporate becomes responsible for their actrivities.A magic challenge to the transnational corporate. They are bowing head before some villager's unchallengable determination and self confidence.
The recommendations and observations of High power committe constituted by Govt. of Kerala Report can be summed up as follows:
- The Coca Cola Company at Plachimada has been causing environmental degradation by over extraction of ground water and irresponsible disposal of the sludge.
- The Coca Cola Company is culpable under several laws in force.
- The water resources of the area have been affected and the water scarcity has been compounded.
- By passing off the sludge as manure, the Company has not only misguided the farmers but has become responsible for the soil degradation, water contamination and consequential loss of agriculture.
- There has been a steady decline in the agriculture production in the area.
- The production of milk, meat and eggs also has suffered.
- Metals like cadmium, lead and chromium have been detected in the sludge and this has affected the health of the people.
- The general health of the people has been affected with skin ailments, breathing problems and other debilities.
- Low birth weight of children has also been noticed.
- Environment of the Village has acutely been damaged by polluting water and soil.
- Drinking water has become scarce and women have to walk long distances and this has deprived them of their wages, and this needs to be compensated.
- Children have dropped out of the school on account of the social, health and economic factors caused by the pollution caused and this opportunity cost has to be compensated.
- The Grama Panchayat has been providing drinking water in tanker lorries ever since the wells and water bodies have been rendered useless by the Company by its extraction of water and disposal and effluents.
- The actual economic loss on account of the depletion of water resources has not been quantified but its proxies have been used.
- The compensation that could be claimed on various losses has been calculated as below:
Health damages: Rs. 30. 00 crores
Cost of providing water: Rs. 20.00 crores
Wage loss and opportunity cost: Rs. 20.00 crores
Cost of pollution of the water resources: Rs. 62.10 crores
Total: Rs. 216.26 crores
- There are sufficient provisions under the existing laws to claim this compensation of these damages from the Company under the 'polluter pays principle'.
- However it is desirable to set up a dedicated institution to adjudicate the individual claims. Such a dedicated mechanism could either be a Tribunal under Art. 323 B of the Constitution of India to be legislated by the state legislature or an Authority under section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to be created by the Central Government.
- Once Government decides on a suitable mechanism and it comes into being, individual claims will have to be assessed and actual compensation decreed and the polluter Company made to pay it.
- The company located in this drought-prone area, should not resume its operation.
Members of High Power Committee
K. Jayakumar IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala, (Chairman)
Director, Agriculture Department
Dr. K. S. Anilkumar, Addl. Director , Health Department
Dr. Vijayakumar, Director, Animal Husbandry Department
Sri.D.S.C.Thambi, Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board
Sri. Kochappan, Director, Kerala Engineering Research Institute
Dr. E. Nanu, Dean, Veterinary science, Kerala Agriculture University
Dr. A. Augustine, Addl. Director, Kerala Agriculture University
Sri. S. Jeyaprasad, Chairman, Kerala Pollution Control Board
Sri. S. Faizi, Environmental Specialist
Sri. T. K. Raman, Rtd.District & Sessions Judge, Kozhikode
Smt. R. Vasanthakumari,Suptg. Engineer, Kerala Water Authority
Sri. V. P. Radhakrishna Pillai, Director, Ground Water Department (Convener)
Cola is liable
Coca-Cola Liable for US$ 48 Million for Damages :
Government of Kerala Committee
In a major development, a High Power Committee established by the state government of Kerala in India has recommended today that Coca-Cola be held liable for Indian Rupees 216 crore (US$ 48 million) for damages caused as a result of the company’s bottling operations in Plachimada.
The Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada has remained shut down since March 2004 as a result of the community-led campaign in Plachimada challenging Coca-Cola’s abuse of water resources.
The report and recommendations were welcomed by activists who have challenged Coca-Cola’s operations in Plachimada. Demanding compensation from the Coca-Cola for the damages it has caused has been a central demand of the campaign from its inception.
“We welcome the Committee’s recommendations and now the state government must find the political will to implement the recommendations,” said R. Ajayan of the Plachimada Solidarity Committee, a statewide organization that has been instrumental in moving the compensation process forward.
The Adivasi Samrakshana Sangham and the Plachimada Solidarity Committee had submitted detailed proposals to the high level committee on the issue of compensation and the course forward.
“The Committee thus has compelling evidence to conclude that the HCBPL has caused serious depletion of the water resources of Plachimada, and has severely contaminated the water and soil,” said the report. HCBPL is the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, a subsidiary of Atlanta based Coca-Cola Company.
“The Committee has come to the conclusion that the Company is responsible for these damages and it is obligatory that they pay the compensation to the affected people for the agricultural losses, health problems, loss of wages, loss of educational opportunities, and the pollution caused to the water resources,” added the report.
The report made it clear that the numbers used in arriving at the $48 million compensation were estimates and “indicative in nature”, and “should not be treated as the outer limit of compensation.”
Importantly, the report clarified that the compensation suggested did not include damages as a result of water depletion caused by Coca-Cola, and such damages must be assessed.
The report also agreed that Coca-Cola should be held criminally liable for its reckless actions in Plachimada – a key demand of the campaign to hold Coca-Cola accountable. “The compensation is not to be viewed as a quid pro quo for not initiating criminal charges,” the report stated.
The Committee has also recommended that the government create a “dedicated adjudicating agency”, such as a Claims Tribunal, to move the process of compensation forward. Alternatively, the report suggested approaching the central government to set up an institutional mechanism to process the compensation claims under the Environment Protection Act.
Some activists have questioned the compensatory figure suggested by the Committee as being too low.
“A transparent and institutionalized process can revisit the recommended compensation numbers to make sure that Coca-Cola pays for all the damages it has caused,” said R. Ajayan.
Validating the long term campaign against Coca-Cola, the High Power Committee confirmed that the Coca-Cola company had violated a number of laws in its reckless operations, including: Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; The Environment (Protection) Act ,1986; The Factories Act, 1948; Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989; The SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989; Indian Penal Code; Land Utilization Order, 1967; The Kerala Ground Water (Control & Regulation) Act, 2002; Indian Easement Act, 1882.
Ironically, the report confirming Coca-Cola’s mismanagement of water resources and holding the company liable for $48 million in damages comes on World Water Day.
“We have attended every Coca-Cola shareholders meeting in the US since 2004 to remind Coca-Cola shareholders that the company management was being derelict in its duties by not disclosing the real financial liabilities the company was incurring in India,” said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization.
“Coca-Cola shareholders need to pay attention because the company continues to have an atrocious record in India and communities and even governments are not just going to sit back and take Coca-Cola’s abuses. This should serve as a wake up call,” he continued, referring to other community-led campaigns in India, most notably in Mehdiganj and Kala Dera, where the company has destroyed water resources through over extraction of water and pollution.
Government of Kerala Committee
In a major development, a High Power Committee established by the state government of Kerala in India has recommended today that Coca-Cola be held liable for Indian Rupees 216 crore (US$ 48 million) for damages caused as a result of the company’s bottling operations in Plachimada.
The Coca-Cola bottling plant in Plachimada has remained shut down since March 2004 as a result of the community-led campaign in Plachimada challenging Coca-Cola’s abuse of water resources.
The report and recommendations were welcomed by activists who have challenged Coca-Cola’s operations in Plachimada. Demanding compensation from the Coca-Cola for the damages it has caused has been a central demand of the campaign from its inception.
“We welcome the Committee’s recommendations and now the state government must find the political will to implement the recommendations,” said R. Ajayan of the Plachimada Solidarity Committee, a statewide organization that has been instrumental in moving the compensation process forward.
The Adivasi Samrakshana Sangham and the Plachimada Solidarity Committee had submitted detailed proposals to the high level committee on the issue of compensation and the course forward.
“The Committee thus has compelling evidence to conclude that the HCBPL has caused serious depletion of the water resources of Plachimada, and has severely contaminated the water and soil,” said the report. HCBPL is the Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, a subsidiary of Atlanta based Coca-Cola Company.
“The Committee has come to the conclusion that the Company is responsible for these damages and it is obligatory that they pay the compensation to the affected people for the agricultural losses, health problems, loss of wages, loss of educational opportunities, and the pollution caused to the water resources,” added the report.
The report made it clear that the numbers used in arriving at the $48 million compensation were estimates and “indicative in nature”, and “should not be treated as the outer limit of compensation.”
Importantly, the report clarified that the compensation suggested did not include damages as a result of water depletion caused by Coca-Cola, and such damages must be assessed.
The report also agreed that Coca-Cola should be held criminally liable for its reckless actions in Plachimada – a key demand of the campaign to hold Coca-Cola accountable. “The compensation is not to be viewed as a quid pro quo for not initiating criminal charges,” the report stated.
The Committee has also recommended that the government create a “dedicated adjudicating agency”, such as a Claims Tribunal, to move the process of compensation forward. Alternatively, the report suggested approaching the central government to set up an institutional mechanism to process the compensation claims under the Environment Protection Act.
Some activists have questioned the compensatory figure suggested by the Committee as being too low.
“A transparent and institutionalized process can revisit the recommended compensation numbers to make sure that Coca-Cola pays for all the damages it has caused,” said R. Ajayan.
Validating the long term campaign against Coca-Cola, the High Power Committee confirmed that the Coca-Cola company had violated a number of laws in its reckless operations, including: Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; The Environment (Protection) Act ,1986; The Factories Act, 1948; Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989; The SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989; Indian Penal Code; Land Utilization Order, 1967; The Kerala Ground Water (Control & Regulation) Act, 2002; Indian Easement Act, 1882.
Ironically, the report confirming Coca-Cola’s mismanagement of water resources and holding the company liable for $48 million in damages comes on World Water Day.
“We have attended every Coca-Cola shareholders meeting in the US since 2004 to remind Coca-Cola shareholders that the company management was being derelict in its duties by not disclosing the real financial liabilities the company was incurring in India,” said Amit Srivastava of the India Resource Center, an international campaigning organization.
“Coca-Cola shareholders need to pay attention because the company continues to have an atrocious record in India and communities and even governments are not just going to sit back and take Coca-Cola’s abuses. This should serve as a wake up call,” he continued, referring to other community-led campaigns in India, most notably in Mehdiganj and Kala Dera, where the company has destroyed water resources through over extraction of water and pollution.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
bloody media bafoon
YELLOWISM IN YOUR DRAWING ROOM
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
Bloody media interventions in Kerala challenge the progressive outlook of our society.We have a long years' history in maintaining hard rituals and fanatic values.Higherrachical system of casteism played a crucial role in social set up once. After renaissance leaders became prominent figures, their words and thoughts got acceptance we falled into a new turn. Once again it is thratened by an unwanted media nuissance.
Here is a former leader,K.Muralidharan, of Indian National Congress try to get a boarding to the party.He is not an ordinary personality in congress party.He came with a golden spoon of party polity by birth as the son of K.Karunakaran,veteran congress leader and former Chief minister of Kerala. The son became a prominent figure in Kerala politics within a short period of his entry. Thanks to his family background,party workers gave way for his unnatural growth. He became Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President, Minister, Member of Parliament etc.Unfortunately he was expelled from the party due to fractions of groupism.
After a short period's wild experiences, he is trying to get a space in the party. Meanwhile we hear a news from his house. A wonderful news.He is reconstructing a road to his home.Thanks to the astronomer who suggested such a reconstruction,he believes that the so called Samayadosham will be eradicated by the reconstruction.Oh god give me one more chance in congress.I am ready to reconstruct any road!! This is a television news telecasted by Indiavision, one of the important news channels in Kerala.This is not an ordinary news but a headline.Also it appears like an exclusive story.
The wonder is nothing but how do these media be so rigid to telecaste such an useless news. Who cares whether a celebrity reconstruct a road or not.What is the common men's interest in such a news? Its a big news to the media scribe. The news value behind the story becomes human interest.Celebrity's personal matters are swallowed by the scribemuffs. Its our fate to accept them eventhough they are not digestible.the same moment,we had yet another news in the same media. It is a statement against unavailability of ration to common men by Pinarayi Vijayan,Secratary,Communist Party of India(Marxist) in brief. The statement lasted for seconds without a caption or voice over.This is a best example for turning our media into more and more religious and sensational.Yellowism is creeping into drawing rooms!
Mail me: ratheeshkaliyadan@gmail.com
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
Bloody media interventions in Kerala challenge the progressive outlook of our society.We have a long years' history in maintaining hard rituals and fanatic values.Higherrachical system of casteism played a crucial role in social set up once. After renaissance leaders became prominent figures, their words and thoughts got acceptance we falled into a new turn. Once again it is thratened by an unwanted media nuissance.
Here is a former leader,K.Muralidharan, of Indian National Congress try to get a boarding to the party.He is not an ordinary personality in congress party.He came with a golden spoon of party polity by birth as the son of K.Karunakaran,veteran congress leader and former Chief minister of Kerala. The son became a prominent figure in Kerala politics within a short period of his entry. Thanks to his family background,party workers gave way for his unnatural growth. He became Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President, Minister, Member of Parliament etc.Unfortunately he was expelled from the party due to fractions of groupism.
After a short period's wild experiences, he is trying to get a space in the party. Meanwhile we hear a news from his house. A wonderful news.He is reconstructing a road to his home.Thanks to the astronomer who suggested such a reconstruction,he believes that the so called Samayadosham will be eradicated by the reconstruction.Oh god give me one more chance in congress.I am ready to reconstruct any road!! This is a television news telecasted by Indiavision, one of the important news channels in Kerala.This is not an ordinary news but a headline.Also it appears like an exclusive story.
The wonder is nothing but how do these media be so rigid to telecaste such an useless news. Who cares whether a celebrity reconstruct a road or not.What is the common men's interest in such a news? Its a big news to the media scribe. The news value behind the story becomes human interest.Celebrity's personal matters are swallowed by the scribemuffs. Its our fate to accept them eventhough they are not digestible.the same moment,we had yet another news in the same media. It is a statement against unavailability of ration to common men by Pinarayi Vijayan,Secratary,Communist Party of India(Marxist) in brief. The statement lasted for seconds without a caption or voice over.This is a best example for turning our media into more and more religious and sensational.Yellowism is creeping into drawing rooms!
Mail me: ratheeshkaliyadan@gmail.com
The Battle of the unseen
The Battle of the unseen
P.K.S. Ashraf
Head Master,
Govt.Senior Secondary School,Kiltan,Lakshadweep
A far more formidable war is fought within the human body. This war is as old as the advent of the first human being on the Earth. Bacteria and viruses are the enemies and body cells designed for fighting invaders are the warriors.
A cell is something like a big city. It has dozens of power stations, a transportation system, a sophisticated communication set up. It imports raw materials, manufacture goods and operate a garbage-disposal system. It has an efficient government – a rigid dictatorship, really and polices its precincts to keep out undesirables. It takes a good microscope even to see it, and a super microscope to peep inside its metropolis! There are about 100 trillion cells in a human body. The cell is often called the basic element of life. Actually it is life itself. Cells are so minute that a million of them could sit comfortably on the head of a pin. The cells participate in everything man does. He lifts a suitcase and thinks his arm is doing the job. Actually, it’s the invisible muscle cells, contracting. Let him ponder which shirt to wear: it’s the brain cells that do the pondering.
All of the cells have mitochondria, with one notable exception: red blood cells. Since they do no manufacturing and are swept along by the blood stream, they have no need for power
Perhaps the ultimate wonder among cells is the female egg as in the body of a mother. Once fertilized, this single cell divides over and over, until there are the two trillion cells of a baby. The truly striking thing is the enormous amount of information stored within the fertilized egg. That tiny fragment of life contains the blueprint for building that complex chemical plant, the liver. It stores coded information on hair colour, skin texture and body size. At the outset, it knows exactly how bright a man may be years later. What disease he might be susceptible to, his general appearance. How does one tiny cell know how to make a whale, another a rabbit, another a man?
That gets us to the miracle stuff of creation, DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid. The dictator of all cells, it tells its cellular components how to behave, what to manufacture, what to seek, what to avoid. The DNA can be compared to an architect whose job is to draw up the grand design for living. But it hands the work of building over to contractors – RNA or ribonucleic acid. In the form of molecules all information is “printed” on the interlocking twin spirals of DNA, “messenger” RNA snuggles up to DNA spirals and gets a blue print of what is wanted. It then passes the word along to another form of RNA “transfer” RNA. And the latter starts to work according to instructions most likely building one of the hundreds of proteins in man’s body. It takes the 20 – odd amino acids that proteins are made of and strings them together like beads in a specified pattern. The result may be a pulsating muscle for man’s heart, a contractile leg muscle that permits him to walk or what ever the DNA ordered.
The cells manufacture upward of 600 enzymes – most remarkable substances. On orders from RNA, these master chemists instantly and effortlessly synthesizes protein – taking protein from a piece of fish, breaking it down into its components and rearranging the amino acids to make the human proteins needed for, say, man’s thumb nail. Cellular enzymes also build bafflingly complex hormones and diseases – fighting antibodies, and perform many tasks beyond the capabilities of the world’s most gifted chemists. Just as remarkable as our internal structure is our external wall. The cell’s membrane is a bare .0000001 millimeter thick. Until very recently, scientists thought of this covering as little more than a kind of tight cellophane bag. Thanks to the electron microscope, we now realize that it is one of the cell’s most important components. Acting as gate-keeper, the cellular membrane decides what shall be admitted, what excluded. It controls the cell’s internal environment – keeping in exact balance salts, organic materials, water and other substances. Life is absolutely dependant on this. Which raw materials are wanted for protein manufacture? The membrane admits the right one, excludes others. Obviously it has a sophisticated recognition system. Each of the cells carries an identification tag, recognized by other cell membranes. Any foreign intruder is simply chased away from the cell’s individual colonies.
The membrane also seems to have a communication system to talk to other cells. How it functions man doesn’t know as yet!
Hormones are also part of the communication system acting as chemical messengers. For example: man’s blood sugar starts rising. The pancreas steps up production of insulin, the hormone that says, “Speed up burning of sugar”. The blood stream carries this work order around and the cells respond. You may decide to chop some wood. You will need extra energy. In this case your thyroid sends the hormone work order to cells: “Speed up production of ATP.”
Bone marrow is the factory where these cells are formed. Various types of products are produced in this factory. Some of the cells born here labour in the production of phagocytes or otherwise called eater cells. Some of them work towards the coagulation of blood and yet others in the decomposition of substances.
One of the most efficient contingencies of the defence system is the Thymus. In fact it is a vast training camp. The cells receive training in the thymus. The lymphocytes which are the main warrior cells of the defence system are trained here. Training is an information transfer. And the relevant information is transferred with extreme precision. At the end of this training, lymphocytes will have learnt to identify the special characteristics of the ordinary cells in the body. Like a regiment of soldiers they go in search of any foreign intruder that might have entered the body. One notable amazing factor: they never misfire on the friendly army. At the same time they chase, catch and kill every intruder such as viruses and bacteria.
Another heavily fortified unit of our defence system is the spleen which is located high up the abdomen. It’s the intricate and complicated functions that make it so wonderful and extraordinary. The duties of the spleen include cell production, cell engulfing (phagocytosis), conservation of red blood cells, and immunity build up. Certainly, the spleen is a lump of meat just like any other organ in the body. Yet it displays a performance that might dismay the wisest scientists of our time. It oversees the general functions of the body, not allowing any problems to occur. Indeed, the spleen starts working with meticulous care right from the moment of birth.
Next comes the Thighbone. The femur or the thighbone is the largest, longest and strongest in the body – strong enough, in fact, to bear the weight of a compact car. The thighbone contains virtually all the body’s mineral supply. It has a busy manufacturing division – the marrow. White blood cells are specially designed task forces which protect the body from infection. These white blood cells are produced in the spongy interiors of the marrow chambers. Calcium again. With out a steady supply of calcium blood would refuse to clot. Muscle contraction would cease – and so would man’s heartbeat. If blood levels of calcium drop, the parathyroids start secreting a hormone – a go signal for calcium. Too much calcium and a hormone from his thyroid cause to absorb calcium.
The bone marrow of the baby in the mother's womb is not in a position to produce blood cells until the baby crosses the continent and enter our world. Would the baby be anaemic in the meantime?
No. At this stage, the spleen jumps into action and takes control. Sensing that the baby body needs red blood cells it starts producing thrombocytes and granulocytes. Thus the interim problem is solved.
As soon as the battle subsides the scavenger cells come out to collect dead enemy soldiers. The spleen contains a large number of these scavenger cells which are also called cleaner cells or macrophages. These engulf and digest dead cells as well as old and damaged ones. Thus the damaged blood cells and other unwanted substances are carried back to the spleen through the blood. It is a great spectacle of chemical recycling.
We know that in a war the gun, ammunition and other valuables of the dead soldier are collected before the bodies are burnt or destroyed. Once the damaged red-blood cells are engulfed, the macrophages or the cleaner cells convert the haemoglobin protein to bilirubin, a bile pigment and are discharged out of the body along with the bile. At the same time the iron molecule found in the bilirubin, which is a rare valuable material, is absorbed back in a certain region of the small intestines and from there, it first goes to the liver and then to the bone marrow. Here, the purpose is to discharge the bilirubin, which is a harmful substance, and, at the same time, to regain the iron. Both have been achieved in the most harmonious manner.
The bilirubin balance is crucial for the human body. This is because even the slightest change in its balance would bring in devastating effects. For instance jaundice develops the moment bilirubin goes above a certain level. However, the cells in the body, as if they are aware of this danger, discharge the harmful materials with great precision and select the useful ones and put them back to use.
When a microbial infection or any other malady develops in the body, the body mounts a defensive attack on the enemy. Instructions are passed on to the warrior cells to multiply. At such moments, the spleen enhances lymphocyte and macrophage production. Thus, the spleen also participates in the "emergency operation" that is launched at times when disease could harm the body.
There is a police force and a police intelligence network scattered throughout the body. There are also police stations and policemen on duty. New policemen are recruited and sent on duty whenever the situation demands.
This network is called the lymphatic system and the police stations are the lymph nodes. The policemen of the system are lymphocytes. The lymphatic system as is the case is a miracle performed for the benefit of man. This system comprises of lymphatic vessels that are diffused throughout the body, lymph nodes that are located at certain spots on these vessels, the lymphocytes produced by lymph nodes, which patrol in the lymphatic vessels, and the lymph fluid circulating in the lymphatic vessels in which lymphocytes swim.
The system works as follows: The lymph fluid in the lymphatic vessels spread throughout the body makes contact with the tissues located around the capillary lymphatic vessels. The lymph fluid that returns to the lymphatic vessels right after this contact brings along some information about these tissues. These pieces of information are transmitted to the nearest lymph node located on the lymphatic vessels. If any hostile action has started in the tissues, its knowledge is forwarded to the lymph node through the lymph fluid.
In case any danger is sensed following the examination of the nature of the enemy, an alarm is given. At this point, the rapid production of lymphocytes and some other warrior cells starts in the lymph nodes.
After the production stage, the new soldiers are transported to the action zone where the battle is fought. These new soldiers will travel from the lymph nodes to the lymphatic vessels through the lymph fluid. The soldier cells, which are diffused into the blood stream from the lymphatic vessels, finally reach the battleground. This is why the lymph nodes in the infected region swell first. This shows that the lymphocyte production has increased in that region.
As we already know the antibodies are produced by Lymphocytes. And these antibodies can comfortably defeat almost all the enemies. Then why should the lymphocytes sometimes intervene in the war directly? This takes us to reason that there are some microbes so deadly that ordinary antibodies can not defeat the enemy cells. In such cases very strong chemical toxins are required to eliminate them. At the same time these chemical substances should not be allowed to freely circulate in the blood, as this would mean the death of the body cells as well. It is at this critical juncture that the Lymphocytes intervene directly for a combat. Toxins are therefore placed in sacs located in the cell membrane of the lymphocytes. This helps the chemical weapon to be used easily. The lymphocyte injects this toxin only when it contacts the deadly enemy cell, eventually killing it.
During a cold war cross boarder firing takes place between the conflicting countries. Boarder crossing and retreat by soldiers also happens at random. But if the enemy overcomes all barriers and succeeds in entering the country en masse, a general alarm is raised in the country and the country instantly goes into war. When such a full scale war is on, the real soldiers walk out into the war front and destroy everything that belongs to the enemy. If additional forces are required the call goes out to the army headquarters. In the case of the human body the first soldiers to meet the foe are the eater cells, that is, phagocytes, which continuously travel in our body and keep control of what is going on. These are "special cleaning cells", which ingest the unwanted microbes that have penetrated the inner surfaces of the body, and alert the defence system when necessary. Certain cells in the defence system capture, break down, digest, and eliminate the miniscule particles and liquid foreign matter that have entered the body. This event is called "phagocytosis" or cell engulfing. It provides an immediate and effective protection against infections.
The entire Police force of the human body (Phagocytes) can be considered under two separate headings.
1. Mobile police forces: They keep roaming in the blood and shuttle forward and backward between the tissues. These cell units, which circulate throughout the body, also serve as scavengers.
2. Immobile police forces: These are immobile macrophages, which are situated in the gaps in various tissues. They perform phagocytosis on the micro-organisms from where they are, without moving.
If the invading army (foreign micro-organisms) are few enough for the present eater cells to deal with, they are destroyed with no extra alarm being given. But if the invading microbes are out numbered, the eater cells may not be able to control them. Unable to digest all of them, they expand in size and burst causing a liquid substance (pus) to overflow. The formation of pus activates the lymphocytes, which have been delivered from the bone marrow, the lymph nodes, and above all, the thymus. In a second wave of defence, the newly arriving defence cells attack everything they find around, including cell debris, available antigens, and even old white blood cells. These defence cells are the real eater cells - the macrophages.
When the war becomes intense, the macrophages swing into action. Macrophages operate in a specific manner exclusive to themselves. They do not become involved in a one-to-one combat like the antibodies. Just like a bomb that can be aimed at many targets together, the macrophages can destroy a great number of enemies together, all at one go. It may be compared to the cluster bombs used in the modern time warfare. In short they remove all materials that need to be removed.
When a country is involved in war, a general mobilization is declared. Most of the natural resources and the budget are expended on military requirements. The economy is re-arranged to meet the needs of this extraordinary situation and the country is involved in an all-out war. Similarly, the defence system would also announce mass mobilization, large scale recruiting to fight the enemy.
If the enemy microbes are more than the currently fighting macrophages can handle, a special substance called "pyrogen" is secreted. It is a kind of alarm call. After traveling a long way, "pyrogen" reaches the brain where it stimulates the fever-increasing centre of the brain. Once alerted, the brain sets off alarm in the body and the person develops a high fever. The patient with a high fever naturally feels the need to rest. Thus, the energy needed by the defence army is preserved. The pyrogen produced by the macrophages is perfectly designed to trigger the fever-raising mechanism of the brain.
Modern man with all the technology at his disposal has not yet been able to even understand in its entirety the details of the present order in the defence system - much less imitate it. When the human defence system with all its intricacies and magnificence is considered, the most intelligent scientists of our time simply find themselves just on the tip of the shore of a vast unexplored continent.
As is evident, there is a perfect plan at work. Every requirement is created flawlessly for this plan to succeed; the macrophages, the pyrogen substance and other similar substances, the fever-raising centre of the brain and the fever-raising mechanisms of the body. In the absence of any one of these, the system would simply not work.
This specially designed defence system protects man from the inevitable annihilation, although he is not even aware that such a perfect system is at work in his own body. Who knows that the body's fever must rise, and that only that way the energy needed by the defence army will be preserved? Even if man were ever ordered to develop an army in his own body to fight the enemy and cause his fever to rise, and provide this army to work round the clock in his entire body, he would simply have no idea what to do. Therefore, as else where, here we see a supreme designer at work.
E Mail me: pks_ashraf@yahoo.com
Please lay your comments.
P.K.S. Ashraf
Head Master,
Govt.Senior Secondary School,Kiltan,Lakshadweep
1945. The Second World War ended with the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Millions of people died instantly. Many more died days later due to the terrible radiation. Internal bleeding and infection led to the destruction of cells in the human body. Without the cells responsible for clotting and for fighting invaders, the body dies.
A far more formidable war is fought within the human body. This war is as old as the advent of the first human being on the Earth. Bacteria and viruses are the enemies and body cells designed for fighting invaders are the warriors.
A cell is something like a big city. It has dozens of power stations, a transportation system, a sophisticated communication set up. It imports raw materials, manufacture goods and operate a garbage-disposal system. It has an efficient government – a rigid dictatorship, really and polices its precincts to keep out undesirables. It takes a good microscope even to see it, and a super microscope to peep inside its metropolis! There are about 100 trillion cells in a human body. The cell is often called the basic element of life. Actually it is life itself. Cells are so minute that a million of them could sit comfortably on the head of a pin. The cells participate in everything man does. He lifts a suitcase and thinks his arm is doing the job. Actually, it’s the invisible muscle cells, contracting. Let him ponder which shirt to wear: it’s the brain cells that do the pondering.
All of the cells have mitochondria, with one notable exception: red blood cells. Since they do no manufacturing and are swept along by the blood stream, they have no need for power
Perhaps the ultimate wonder among cells is the female egg as in the body of a mother. Once fertilized, this single cell divides over and over, until there are the two trillion cells of a baby. The truly striking thing is the enormous amount of information stored within the fertilized egg. That tiny fragment of life contains the blueprint for building that complex chemical plant, the liver. It stores coded information on hair colour, skin texture and body size. At the outset, it knows exactly how bright a man may be years later. What disease he might be susceptible to, his general appearance. How does one tiny cell know how to make a whale, another a rabbit, another a man?
That gets us to the miracle stuff of creation, DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid. The dictator of all cells, it tells its cellular components how to behave, what to manufacture, what to seek, what to avoid. The DNA can be compared to an architect whose job is to draw up the grand design for living. But it hands the work of building over to contractors – RNA or ribonucleic acid. In the form of molecules all information is “printed” on the interlocking twin spirals of DNA, “messenger” RNA snuggles up to DNA spirals and gets a blue print of what is wanted. It then passes the word along to another form of RNA “transfer” RNA. And the latter starts to work according to instructions most likely building one of the hundreds of proteins in man’s body. It takes the 20 – odd amino acids that proteins are made of and strings them together like beads in a specified pattern. The result may be a pulsating muscle for man’s heart, a contractile leg muscle that permits him to walk or what ever the DNA ordered.
The cells manufacture upward of 600 enzymes – most remarkable substances. On orders from RNA, these master chemists instantly and effortlessly synthesizes protein – taking protein from a piece of fish, breaking it down into its components and rearranging the amino acids to make the human proteins needed for, say, man’s thumb nail. Cellular enzymes also build bafflingly complex hormones and diseases – fighting antibodies, and perform many tasks beyond the capabilities of the world’s most gifted chemists. Just as remarkable as our internal structure is our external wall. The cell’s membrane is a bare .0000001 millimeter thick. Until very recently, scientists thought of this covering as little more than a kind of tight cellophane bag. Thanks to the electron microscope, we now realize that it is one of the cell’s most important components. Acting as gate-keeper, the cellular membrane decides what shall be admitted, what excluded. It controls the cell’s internal environment – keeping in exact balance salts, organic materials, water and other substances. Life is absolutely dependant on this. Which raw materials are wanted for protein manufacture? The membrane admits the right one, excludes others. Obviously it has a sophisticated recognition system. Each of the cells carries an identification tag, recognized by other cell membranes. Any foreign intruder is simply chased away from the cell’s individual colonies.
The membrane also seems to have a communication system to talk to other cells. How it functions man doesn’t know as yet!
Hormones are also part of the communication system acting as chemical messengers. For example: man’s blood sugar starts rising. The pancreas steps up production of insulin, the hormone that says, “Speed up burning of sugar”. The blood stream carries this work order around and the cells respond. You may decide to chop some wood. You will need extra energy. In this case your thyroid sends the hormone work order to cells: “Speed up production of ATP.”
Bone marrow is the factory where these cells are formed. Various types of products are produced in this factory. Some of the cells born here labour in the production of phagocytes or otherwise called eater cells. Some of them work towards the coagulation of blood and yet others in the decomposition of substances.
One of the most efficient contingencies of the defence system is the Thymus. In fact it is a vast training camp. The cells receive training in the thymus. The lymphocytes which are the main warrior cells of the defence system are trained here. Training is an information transfer. And the relevant information is transferred with extreme precision. At the end of this training, lymphocytes will have learnt to identify the special characteristics of the ordinary cells in the body. Like a regiment of soldiers they go in search of any foreign intruder that might have entered the body. One notable amazing factor: they never misfire on the friendly army. At the same time they chase, catch and kill every intruder such as viruses and bacteria.
Another heavily fortified unit of our defence system is the spleen which is located high up the abdomen. It’s the intricate and complicated functions that make it so wonderful and extraordinary. The duties of the spleen include cell production, cell engulfing (phagocytosis), conservation of red blood cells, and immunity build up. Certainly, the spleen is a lump of meat just like any other organ in the body. Yet it displays a performance that might dismay the wisest scientists of our time. It oversees the general functions of the body, not allowing any problems to occur. Indeed, the spleen starts working with meticulous care right from the moment of birth.
Next comes the Thighbone. The femur or the thighbone is the largest, longest and strongest in the body – strong enough, in fact, to bear the weight of a compact car. The thighbone contains virtually all the body’s mineral supply. It has a busy manufacturing division – the marrow. White blood cells are specially designed task forces which protect the body from infection. These white blood cells are produced in the spongy interiors of the marrow chambers. Calcium again. With out a steady supply of calcium blood would refuse to clot. Muscle contraction would cease – and so would man’s heartbeat. If blood levels of calcium drop, the parathyroids start secreting a hormone – a go signal for calcium. Too much calcium and a hormone from his thyroid cause to absorb calcium.
The bone marrow of the baby in the mother's womb is not in a position to produce blood cells until the baby crosses the continent and enter our world. Would the baby be anaemic in the meantime?
No. At this stage, the spleen jumps into action and takes control. Sensing that the baby body needs red blood cells it starts producing thrombocytes and granulocytes. Thus the interim problem is solved.
As soon as the battle subsides the scavenger cells come out to collect dead enemy soldiers. The spleen contains a large number of these scavenger cells which are also called cleaner cells or macrophages. These engulf and digest dead cells as well as old and damaged ones. Thus the damaged blood cells and other unwanted substances are carried back to the spleen through the blood. It is a great spectacle of chemical recycling.
We know that in a war the gun, ammunition and other valuables of the dead soldier are collected before the bodies are burnt or destroyed. Once the damaged red-blood cells are engulfed, the macrophages or the cleaner cells convert the haemoglobin protein to bilirubin, a bile pigment and are discharged out of the body along with the bile. At the same time the iron molecule found in the bilirubin, which is a rare valuable material, is absorbed back in a certain region of the small intestines and from there, it first goes to the liver and then to the bone marrow. Here, the purpose is to discharge the bilirubin, which is a harmful substance, and, at the same time, to regain the iron. Both have been achieved in the most harmonious manner.
The bilirubin balance is crucial for the human body. This is because even the slightest change in its balance would bring in devastating effects. For instance jaundice develops the moment bilirubin goes above a certain level. However, the cells in the body, as if they are aware of this danger, discharge the harmful materials with great precision and select the useful ones and put them back to use.
When a microbial infection or any other malady develops in the body, the body mounts a defensive attack on the enemy. Instructions are passed on to the warrior cells to multiply. At such moments, the spleen enhances lymphocyte and macrophage production. Thus, the spleen also participates in the "emergency operation" that is launched at times when disease could harm the body.
There is a police force and a police intelligence network scattered throughout the body. There are also police stations and policemen on duty. New policemen are recruited and sent on duty whenever the situation demands.
This network is called the lymphatic system and the police stations are the lymph nodes. The policemen of the system are lymphocytes. The lymphatic system as is the case is a miracle performed for the benefit of man. This system comprises of lymphatic vessels that are diffused throughout the body, lymph nodes that are located at certain spots on these vessels, the lymphocytes produced by lymph nodes, which patrol in the lymphatic vessels, and the lymph fluid circulating in the lymphatic vessels in which lymphocytes swim.
The system works as follows: The lymph fluid in the lymphatic vessels spread throughout the body makes contact with the tissues located around the capillary lymphatic vessels. The lymph fluid that returns to the lymphatic vessels right after this contact brings along some information about these tissues. These pieces of information are transmitted to the nearest lymph node located on the lymphatic vessels. If any hostile action has started in the tissues, its knowledge is forwarded to the lymph node through the lymph fluid.
In case any danger is sensed following the examination of the nature of the enemy, an alarm is given. At this point, the rapid production of lymphocytes and some other warrior cells starts in the lymph nodes.
After the production stage, the new soldiers are transported to the action zone where the battle is fought. These new soldiers will travel from the lymph nodes to the lymphatic vessels through the lymph fluid. The soldier cells, which are diffused into the blood stream from the lymphatic vessels, finally reach the battleground. This is why the lymph nodes in the infected region swell first. This shows that the lymphocyte production has increased in that region.
As we already know the antibodies are produced by Lymphocytes. And these antibodies can comfortably defeat almost all the enemies. Then why should the lymphocytes sometimes intervene in the war directly? This takes us to reason that there are some microbes so deadly that ordinary antibodies can not defeat the enemy cells. In such cases very strong chemical toxins are required to eliminate them. At the same time these chemical substances should not be allowed to freely circulate in the blood, as this would mean the death of the body cells as well. It is at this critical juncture that the Lymphocytes intervene directly for a combat. Toxins are therefore placed in sacs located in the cell membrane of the lymphocytes. This helps the chemical weapon to be used easily. The lymphocyte injects this toxin only when it contacts the deadly enemy cell, eventually killing it.
During a cold war cross boarder firing takes place between the conflicting countries. Boarder crossing and retreat by soldiers also happens at random. But if the enemy overcomes all barriers and succeeds in entering the country en masse, a general alarm is raised in the country and the country instantly goes into war. When such a full scale war is on, the real soldiers walk out into the war front and destroy everything that belongs to the enemy. If additional forces are required the call goes out to the army headquarters. In the case of the human body the first soldiers to meet the foe are the eater cells, that is, phagocytes, which continuously travel in our body and keep control of what is going on. These are "special cleaning cells", which ingest the unwanted microbes that have penetrated the inner surfaces of the body, and alert the defence system when necessary. Certain cells in the defence system capture, break down, digest, and eliminate the miniscule particles and liquid foreign matter that have entered the body. This event is called "phagocytosis" or cell engulfing. It provides an immediate and effective protection against infections.
The entire Police force of the human body (Phagocytes) can be considered under two separate headings.
1. Mobile police forces: They keep roaming in the blood and shuttle forward and backward between the tissues. These cell units, which circulate throughout the body, also serve as scavengers.
2. Immobile police forces: These are immobile macrophages, which are situated in the gaps in various tissues. They perform phagocytosis on the micro-organisms from where they are, without moving.
If the invading army (foreign micro-organisms) are few enough for the present eater cells to deal with, they are destroyed with no extra alarm being given. But if the invading microbes are out numbered, the eater cells may not be able to control them. Unable to digest all of them, they expand in size and burst causing a liquid substance (pus) to overflow. The formation of pus activates the lymphocytes, which have been delivered from the bone marrow, the lymph nodes, and above all, the thymus. In a second wave of defence, the newly arriving defence cells attack everything they find around, including cell debris, available antigens, and even old white blood cells. These defence cells are the real eater cells - the macrophages.
When the war becomes intense, the macrophages swing into action. Macrophages operate in a specific manner exclusive to themselves. They do not become involved in a one-to-one combat like the antibodies. Just like a bomb that can be aimed at many targets together, the macrophages can destroy a great number of enemies together, all at one go. It may be compared to the cluster bombs used in the modern time warfare. In short they remove all materials that need to be removed.
When a country is involved in war, a general mobilization is declared. Most of the natural resources and the budget are expended on military requirements. The economy is re-arranged to meet the needs of this extraordinary situation and the country is involved in an all-out war. Similarly, the defence system would also announce mass mobilization, large scale recruiting to fight the enemy.
If the enemy microbes are more than the currently fighting macrophages can handle, a special substance called "pyrogen" is secreted. It is a kind of alarm call. After traveling a long way, "pyrogen" reaches the brain where it stimulates the fever-increasing centre of the brain. Once alerted, the brain sets off alarm in the body and the person develops a high fever. The patient with a high fever naturally feels the need to rest. Thus, the energy needed by the defence army is preserved. The pyrogen produced by the macrophages is perfectly designed to trigger the fever-raising mechanism of the brain.
Modern man with all the technology at his disposal has not yet been able to even understand in its entirety the details of the present order in the defence system - much less imitate it. When the human defence system with all its intricacies and magnificence is considered, the most intelligent scientists of our time simply find themselves just on the tip of the shore of a vast unexplored continent.
As is evident, there is a perfect plan at work. Every requirement is created flawlessly for this plan to succeed; the macrophages, the pyrogen substance and other similar substances, the fever-raising centre of the brain and the fever-raising mechanisms of the body. In the absence of any one of these, the system would simply not work.
This specially designed defence system protects man from the inevitable annihilation, although he is not even aware that such a perfect system is at work in his own body. Who knows that the body's fever must rise, and that only that way the energy needed by the defence army will be preserved? Even if man were ever ordered to develop an army in his own body to fight the enemy and cause his fever to rise, and provide this army to work round the clock in his entire body, he would simply have no idea what to do. Therefore, as else where, here we see a supreme designer at work.
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