In the league of champions

The math, physics and computing Olympiads throw up challenges but offer training that leads up to long-term rewards.

In India, on the face of it, the mathematics, informatics and science Olympiads do not offer direct rewards in terms of grand prizes or admissions to prestigious universities. Yet, many students participate in these, just to learn better and reap long-term rewards.

Keshav Dhandhaniya, who won the bronze in International Olympiad of Informatics (IOI, 2009) and silver in IOI 2010, joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he did a Bachelor’s in Computer Science followed by a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence. He has launched a startup now, called EagerPanda. He says, “The Olympiad training and algorithms were by far the most important thing I did during school. It has led to my admission at MIT. And that, in turn, has opened many doors.”

This year, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education organised the International Physics Olympiad 2015 (IPhO). While the centre was hosting the physics challenge, students were busy flying across the world to participate in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and train for the International Olympiad of Informatics (IOI), too. The IMO was held recently in Thailand, and the IOI is to be held in Kazakhstan from July 26 – August 2.

This year’s IPhO was one of the largest so far, with 83 countries and 382 students participating. In keeping with the format of the test, there was a theory part — three questions to be answered in five hours — and one experiment to be carried out in five hours. "For this purpose, the centre had to get ready 430 identical copies of the experiment and bring together a 130-member academic team for conducting and evaluating," says Dr. Anwesh Mazumdar who is a faculty member of HBSCE and the national co-ordinator of the science Olympiads.

The centre, in fact, is the nodal centre for five such Olympiads: Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy and Junior Science.

Representing India

Selection, training and preparation for these Olympiads take place over several rounds. Naturally, it is not that one simply applies and is called upon to represent the country in these challenges. Speaking of the selection process for the Indian Mathematical Olympiad, Prof. B Sury, professor at Indian Statistical Institute and co-ordinator for Karnataka for the mathematical Olympiad programme, says, “There are roughly 25 regions in India where the regional mathematical Olympiad, a three-hour test, is conducted. Based on this a certain number of people, usually 30 per region, are selected to participate in the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad, which is a four-hour test. From this, 30 people from all over India are selected, and they undergo a month-long training camp. At the end of this camp, the final team of six is selected based on several selection tests.” This is the kind of whittling down procedure followed by the organisers in general.

The main motivation for participating in these Olympiads is to improve one’s understanding of concepts better. “The Olympiad exam is different from both the Board exams, which are based on textbooks and rote learning, and the IIT-JEE, which is based on MCQs and is a speed test,” says Dr. Mazumdar.

There are further differences between the various Olympiads.

In fact, while the physics Olympiad curriculum has a fairly large overlap with the CBSE class XI and XII curriculum, this is not the case with the mathematics and computing (informatics) ones.

To incentivise or not

“Computing is not really taught in schools; so preparing for the IOI really takes extra effort. There are few incentives now. It is important to incentivise the programmes to encourage students to apply. Of course, in universities abroad, credits are given for participation in IOI,” says Madhavan Mukund who is the dean of studies at Chennai Mathematical Institute and national co-ordinator of the Indian Computing Olympiad. He adds that while Chennai Mathematical Institute offers direct admission for those who have participated in the training camp, International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad treats such candidates as a special category for interviews and International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi gives them a 10 per cent bonus after normalising the score. But for the effort that the students put into training for it, there may only be a few rewards in sight, the best of which would be a subject well learnt.

“It is frustrating, because [learning] coding and debugging takes time and practise,” says Prof. Madhavan, drawing attention to the extra time that students need to put in to learn these topics which are not taught in school.

Speaking about the mathematical Olympiad training, B. Sury says, “The top 30 who are part of the IMO training camp receive several advantages… they are entitled to apply for admission to the undergraduate programmes at the Indian Statistical Institute and the Chennai Mathematical Institute without going through the written test.”

But Dr. Mazumdar of HBCSE is not of the same opinion about incentivising the programme. He feels that the Olympiads are mainly aimed at motivating students to take up research and that incentivising would just lead to competitiveness and establishing of coaching classes.

The experience

Akashnil Dutta, in fact, won three medals in mathematics and computing Olympiads (a silver and gold during successive years at the IMO and silver in IOI in 2011.) He says, “There were many topics that I would not have learnt otherwise because they don’t exist in high school syllabus. These are very much worth learning for an advanced student because they are related to higher education and research frontiers in these fields. Furthermore, preparing [for the IMO and IOI] has developed my critical thinking and reasoning skills as well as developed my capacity to learn quickly.”

Malvika Joshi is an unschooler. Leaving school after her Class VII, she did not appear for the boards. While her former classmates are in Class XII, she is focusing on IOI 2015. She is also the first girl who will be representing India in IOI. Rewards are few and somewhat indirect, yet students continue to pursue their Olympiad dreams, choosing hard discipline over immediate gains.

Keywords: Math Olympiad, physics Olympiad, computing Olympiad, Keshav DhandhaniyaHomi Bhabha Centre for Science Education

the speaking tree - When I Stood Still, Hardly Daring To Breathe

J Krishnamurti





The other day , coming back from a good walk among the fields and trees, we passed through the grove near the big white house.Coming over the stile into the grove one felt immediately a great sense of peace and stillness. Not a thing was moving. It seemed sacrilegious to walk through it, to tread the ground; it was profane to talk, even to breathe.The great redwood trees were absolutely still; the American Indians call them the silent ones and now they were really silent. Even the dog didn't chase the rabbits. You stood still hardly daring to breathe; you felt you were an intruder, for you had been chatting and laughing, and to enter this grove not knowing what lay there was a surprise and a shock, the shock of an unexpected benediction. The heart was beating less fast, speechless with the wonder of it. It was the centre of this whole place. Every time you enter it now, there's that beauty , that stillness, that strange stillness. Come when you will and it will be there, full, rich and unnameable ... It is good to be alone. To be far away from the world and yet walk its streets is to be alone. To be alone walking up the path beside the rushing, noisy mountain stream full of spring water and melting snows is to be aware of that solitary tree, alone in its beauty . The loneliness of a man in the street is the pain of life; he's never alone, far away , untouched and vulnerable. To be full of knowledge, breeds endless misery . The demand for expression, with its frustrations and pains, is that man who walks the streets; he is never alone. Sorrow is the movement of that loneliness.That mountain stream was That mountain stream was full and high with the melting snows and the rains of early spring. You could hear big boulders being pushed around by the force of on-rushing waters. A tall pine of 50 years or more crashed into the water; the road was being washed away . The stream was muddy , slate coloured. The fields above it were full of wild flowers. The air was pure and wers. The air was pure and there was enchantment.
On the high hills there was still snow, and the glaciers and the great peaks still held the recent snows; they will still be white all the summer long.
It was a marvellous morning and you could have walked on endlessly , never feeling the steep hills. There was a perfume in the air, clear and strong.
There was no one on that path, coming down or going up. You were alone with those dark pines and the rushing waters.The sky was that astonishing blue that only the mountains have. You looked at it through leaves and the straight pines. There was no one to talk to and there was no chattering of the mind. A magpie, white and black, flew by , disappearing into the woods.The path led away from the noisy stream and the silence was absolute.It wasn't the silence after the noise; it wasn't the silence that comes with the setting of the sun, nor that silence when the mind dies down. It wasn't the silence of museums and churches but something totally unrelated to time and space. It wasn't the silence that mind makes for itself. The sun was hot and the shadows were pleasant ... (From J K's Journal, Brockwood Park, Hampshire, 1973. Courtesy: KFI.)
Post your comments at speakingtree.in The Speaking Tree is also available as an 8 page newspaper every Sunday for Rs 3. Book your copy of The Speaking Tree with your newspaper vendor or SMS STREE to 58888.

Economic & Political Weekly: Table of Contents

Limits of the SECC Data

Vol - L No. 29, July 18, 2015 

• Editorials

This is not "big data" to be used to cut down welfare expenditure.

• Read more
• 0 Comments

Open Intimidation

Vol - L No. 29, July 18, 2015 

• Editorials

The attack on Teesta Setalvad is part of a larger strategy to suppress dissent.

• Read more
• 0 Comments

Editorials Witch-hunts and Victimisation Simply passing laws is not enough to root out witch-hunts and killings. Read more	Commentary Banks, Not Tanks The Attempted Coup in Greece T Sabri Öncü An explanation of the crisis in Greece, its antecedents and causes and how it is being used to take over Greek sovereignty in a coup by the imperialist powers. What now for the project of a unifi ed Europe? Read more
Commentary International Bankruptcy Courts Why the UN Might Be Wrong Shamba Dey Instead of an international bankruptcy court to reform the wrongs of a debtor, a mere return to the first principles of law can save a nation from the indignity of being carted into court against its will. Read more	Commentary Protecting Employers against Workers and Trade Unions New Bill on Industrial Relations Sharit K Bhowmik As part of its attempt to improve growth, the government has put forth the Labour Code on Industrial Relations Bill, which amalgamates the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act and the Trade Union Act. In spite of some positive features, the... Read more
Commentary Beyond Rhetoric Will AAP Deliver Anything Fundamentally Different? Ravi Kumar In the run-up to the Delhi elections in February 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party turned out to be a haven for all those who were looking for alternative politics even as large sections of the impoverished joined it. In government, the party now faces... Read more	Book Reviews Civil-Military Relations Beyond Elite Concerns Atul Bhardwaj Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy since Independence by Steven I Wilkinson, Permanent Black in association with Ashoka University, 2015; pp 295, Rs 795. Read more
Book Reviews Pamphlets, Revolution and Colonial Bengal Sarmistha Dutta Gupta Revolutionary Pamphlets, Propaganda and Political Culture in Colonial Bengal by Shukla Sanyal, New Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2014; pp 211, Rs 695. Read more	Perspectives Macroeconomic Aspects of Goods and Services Tax Arun Kumar The introduction of the goods and services tax may indeed be the biggest reform of taxation so far, but the proposal, as it stands, has led to confusion. Certainly, the myriad taxes producers face will be simplified. But the benefit will go to... Read more
Special Articles India and the Neglected Development Dimensions of Bretton Woods Eric Helleiner This paper helps correct two common misconceptions about the origins of the Bretton Woods institutions. The first is that the negotiations were primarily an Anglo-American affair in which developing countries had little input. The second is that... Read more	Special Articles Murky Waters of Medical Practice in India Ethics, Economics and Politics of Healthcare Sumit Mazumdar Pervasive greed in contemporary medical practice does not spare even the poorest of the patients. Medical expenses are now considered one of the major triggers of impoverishment in the country. A rapid influx of advanced technologies in areas... Read more
Special Articles Urdu and Urdu Medium Schools in Maharashtra Abdul Shaban The State continues to support Urdu medium schools under the constitutional obligation to provide primary education in the child's mother tongue. However, those educated in Urdu find their employment prospects rather bleak. They are also unable... Read more	Notes Lessons from Ranthambhore's Ustad Priya Singh, Girish Punjabi, Nandini Velho The polarising debate around a nine-year-old tiger who killed a forest guard in Ranthambhore National Park, and was eventually relocated, will serve little to address complex problems of conservation. This article focuses on the scientifi c and... Read more
Economic Notes Private Corporate Sector in New NAS Series Need for a Fresh Look J Dennis Rajakumar Revisiting the MCA-21-based estimates of the size of the private corporate sector in the rebased National Accounts Statistics, it is argued that the use of a single blow-up factor for non-government non-financial public and private limited... Read more	Postscript Oodles of Noodles Shyam G Menon Despite the recent brouhaha over the safety of the popular Maggi brand of noodles, there are many who still swear by the humble cup of stringy comfort food. Read more
Postscript Paradise Lost Chitvan Singh Dhillon The capital of Himachal Pradesh, once the summer retreat of the British Raj, has been transformed from the historical, colonial “Simla” to the contemporary, urbanised “Shimla.... Read more	Postscript The Marathon Spirit Joshua Karunakaran Running a marathon calls for intensity, grace—and also a reminder of what the human spirit is capable of achieving. Read more
Postscript The View from Above Toothcomber The Economics of Incentives

The measure of poverty

Estimates based on SECC and NSS data have different purposes.

y: C. Rangarajan and S. Mahendra Dev Recently, the government released data from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011. There has been comment that hereafter, we need not have consumption-based poverty estimates using NSS (National Sample Surveys) data. It is thought that SECC data will alone be enough to estimate poverty and deprivation. Here, we briefly examine the differences between the two and clarify that NSS consumption-based poverty estimates are still relevant. SECC-based estimates are important, but no substitutes for NSS-based poverty ratios. In India, we have a long history of studies on the measurement of poverty. The methodology for the estimation of poverty used by the erstwhile Planning Commission was based on recommendations made by various expert groups. In June 2012, the government of India appointed an expert group (with C. Rangarajan as chairman) to take a fresh look at the methodology for the measurement of poverty. The Rangarajan expert group has gone back to the idea of separate poverty line baskets for rural and urban areas, unlike the Tendulkar Committee, which took urban poverty as a given and used it as the common basket for rural and urban households. In defining the consumption basket separating the poor from the rest, the new expert group took the view that it should contain a food component that satisfied certain minimum nutrition requirements, as well as some normative level of consumption expenditure for essential non-food item groups (education, clothing, conveyance and house rent) besides a residual set of behaviourally determined non-food expenditure. The introduction of norms for certain kinds of non-food expenditures is an innovation. In the absence of any other normative criteria, the median fractile class expenditures were treated as the norm. Based on the analysis presented in the expert group report, monthly per capita consumption expenditure of Rs 972 in rural areas and Rs 1,407 in urban areas is treated as the poverty line at the all-India level. Assuming five members for a family, this will imply a monthly per household expenditure of Rs 4,860 in rural areas and Rs 7,035 in urban areas. The expert group estimates that 30.9 per cent of the rural population and 26.4 per cent of the urban population were below the poverty line in 2011-12. The all-India ratio was 29.5 per cent. Poverty estimates provide the proportion and size of the poor population and their spread across states and broad regions. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-measure-of-poverty/#sthash.mjur3JFn.dpuf

Turmeric may help treat diabetes’

Curcumin, a substance in turmeric, combined with an omega-3 fat may delay or prevent the onset of type-2 diabetes.

Curcumin, a substance in turmeric, combined with an omega-3 fat may potentially delay or prevent the onset of type-2 diabetes, researchers, led by an Indian-origin scientist, say.

Health scientists from the University of Newcastle’s Nutraceuticals Research Group, led by Professor Manohar Garg, are seeking 80 recruits for a new clinical study to find out whether the Indian spice combined with an omega-3 fat can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes or prevent it altogether.

“The root cause of type 2 diabetes is systemic inflammation, which impacts insulin secretion and function,” said Garg.

“We want to nip the inflammation in the bud,” he said.

“This study will use two bioactive compounds that we find in food — curcumin and omega—3 fat. Both are very important anti-inflammatory agents,” Garg said.

Curcumin, derived from turmeric, is part of the ginger family and commonly used for food colouration. Its healing properties are well known in India.

“Turmeric has been used for centuries to promote healing of bruises, sprains, wounds and inflammation,” he said.

“Nowadays in India the level of curcumin (turmeric) intake has dropped considerably as people switch to Westernised fast foods, and it parallels with a significant rise in type 2 diabetes cases. In fact the disease is now an epidemic in India and may soon be the number one health burden,” said Garg.

The randomised control trial will test both compounds, with the recruitment group being segregated into four.

One will get curcumin only, the second will get omega-3 fat only, the third will receive both, and the fourth will serve as a control group.

The capsules contain 200 mg of curcumin and one gm of omega-3 fat respectively.

People who are prone to develop diabetes because of impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose, and who are aged between 30 and 70, may be eligible.

“The anti-inflammatory mechanisms surrounding curcumin and omega-3 fats are different, so we want to test if they complement each other and have treatment synergies beyond their individual effects,” Garg said.

“Our thinking is that the combination is safe, free of any side-effects and may prove to be as effective as drugs used for management of diabetes,” he added.

Keywords: turmeric, ancient Indian medicine, University of Newcastle research

Jul 20 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

EMPOWERMENT - `Women are efficient & better workers'





The participation of women workers in fac tories and the manufac turing process may not have gone beyond 10% overall, but a nail products factory of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in Haridwar is changing that paradigm. It's run by an allwomen's team and while this s perhaps an industry first, a ot of such big steps are now being taken by women workers in the FMCG industry .At Gits Food Products, 95% of the labour force today is made up of women, while at Procter & Gamble's (P&G) Hyderabad plant, legal approvals have been sought to ensure that women work in all shifts. Two startups are also in the same group: Prothom In dustries, a contract manufacturer and exporter of toys to one of the world's largest toy companies, has an all-women assembly process with 300 workers. And in Mumbaibased Mydentist, a dental care chain, about 90% of its 1,000plus workforce is women.
At HUL's Haridwar manufacturing unit, the final onboarding of the all-female team came about in December 2014. The factory delivers an annual turnover of around Rs 70 crore. The team includes 25 female shop-floor employees, and an executive who runs the operations, including five packing lines.The weekly production capacity is 3.6 lakh units, along with a facility for packing 250 shades of nail products. There is a need to enhance opportunities for wom en, particularly at the shop-floor employee level. Empowering women makes sense for our business because women's inclusion in the economic cycle has a magnifying impact on growth and the health and progress of their families and communities,“ said B P Biddappa, executive director (HR), HUL.
Companies like HUL are taking steps to hard-wire diversity into their organizations and include manufacturing as well in the process. At Gits, an instant foods maker, it was a conscious decision on the part of the organization to hire women workers at its Pune plant. “Most of the women that are employed are the primary bread-winners of their families. Women are also very efficient workers. There is a sense of ownership that women possess towards their work which makes them better workers,“ said Samana Tejani, director (production), Gits. Women workers are not merely working at the lower rungs at Gits, they have worked their way up the hierarchy . Its current factory woman manager, who deals with women workers on the factory floor, was once a factory production floor worker who has moved up the ladder to gain a top position in the organization.
P&G's Hyderabad plant, which employs more than 200 people, was one of the first plants to have 30% women across the workforce. What is unique is that these women employees operate across all shifts and operate manufacturing equipment and are not limited to peripheral tasks.
The Factories Act prohibits women from working in a factory from 7pm to 6am. HUL's Haridwar factory only runs one shift from 7am to 3pm. P&G, howev er, got an approval to allow women to work in all shifts. “In an unprecedented move, we collaborated with the government and got legal approval to allow women to work across shifts. In order for us to do this, we arranged necessary infrastructural support, including special transport for women with a GPS-based tracking mechanism and optimum security ,“ said Sonali Roychowdhury , country head (HR), P&G India.
Vikram Shroff, head (HR law), Nishith Desai Associates, alegal and tax counselling firm, said, “While such a restriction in the Factories Act may appear discriminatory and biased, women working in night shifts has always been a sensitive issue in our country . At the same time, given the unique needs of the Indian IT, outsourcing and allied sectors, some state governments have taken a liberal approach to allow women to work in night shifts in such commercial establishments as long as the employer ensures their safety and security , including while traveling to office and back home.“
For full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

the speaking tree - When The Sky Begins To Speak To You

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev





When the sky begins to speak, it is time for all life to listen.Before human beings constructed buildings that separated them from the elements, they would have experienced the rains on another level of intimacy and intensity altogether.Powerful experience For me, rain has always been a powerful spiritual experience. As a child, the first drops of rain falling upon me after a long summer spelled ecstasy .Later, when the mystical dimension opened up in my life, the rains took on an even deeper significance. Even now, if it rains, I make sure I go out and get soaked.
For those who lived outdoors or had to produce their own food, `Will it rain today?' would have been one of the most important questions of their lives. Even today , despite the brutal force of jet power, no pilot will ignore a storm. So, if you are connected with the outdoors in any way , you are always particularly alert to the possibility and implications of wet weather.Significance of rain What makes the rains so significant?
The contact between earth and boundless space always exists, but during the monsoon this transaction deepens. The earth grows more receptive, more alive, entering into a profound and intimate embrace with the rest of existence. But it is also possible for human beings to use this time of heightened natural receptivity for their own spiritual benefit.
Over 70% of the human body is water. This means you are actually a water body! When you are dry , you seldom realise that. When you are wet, you know that. So, the rains are a wonderful opportunity for you to deepen your connection with the natural world and experience your kinship with the element of water. Deep connection Rain is an opportunity to recognise your integral connection with the universe. You were traditionally encouraged to take a dip in the pond or tank before you entered the Indian temple. Water does not merely cleanse your body; it cleanses you on other levels as well. When you enter a consecrated space with a wet body , your powers of percep tion are hugely enhanced and you are more easily connected to its sacred possibilities.
A large lingam is a subtle energy body with all seven chakras operating at their optimal capacity. This specially consecrated energy form is capable of sowing the seed of liberation in anyone who sits in its precincts. It is a charged space, but it is subtle. So, your ability to experience the lingam is enormously augmented by taking a dip in a water tank, particularly if it is energised by a rasa linga like the one at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore.The five elements The human body and the larger cosmic organism are made up of just five elements ­ earth, water, fire, air and space. So creation is the magical play of five simple ingredients or pancha bhutas. Whether you desire individual wellbeing or the bliss of ultimate union, you need to enter into a certain harmony and alignment with these elements, because these are the building blocks of your physicality .
Rain is seasonal. Cosmic grace is certainly not seasonal. But it is possible for every spiritual aspirant to make use of the tremendous transformative possibility that the monsoon offers. A profound dimensional shift occurs if you are able to perceive that it is actually `you' raining upon `yourself '! After such an experience, you will never be the same again.
Follow Sadhguru JaggiVasudev at speakingtree.in