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international features 26 Archbishop OMANDAILYOBSERVER TUESDAY l DECEMBER 13 l 2016 @heritage Makarios III becomes President On this day in 1959 Archbishop Makarios III becomes the first President of Cyprus. Things not to eat before going to bed PORTUGUESE-ERA BELLS adorn Maharashtra temples QUAID NAJMI Few may be aware that the bells ringing in some of the most important temples in modern-day Maharashtra have Christian antecedents and once adorned imposing churches constructed during the early part of the 450-year-long Portuguese rule — till they were taken away as war trophies by the conquering Maratha armies. This is one resounding piece of Portuguese- Maratha era history that came to light after 25 years of research initiated by Father Francis Correa of Vasai, and guided his team of experts to crystallise it in the past couple of years. “There were 80 churches built during the Portuguese era in the 1730s in (what is now) Maharashtra, with an average of two bells per church, plus other bells in educational institutions and convents, totalling to around 500-600. We have concrete evidence of 38 of those bells now adorning 34 temples in nine districts,” the 77-year-old Correa said. The research team comprised Pascal Lopes (numismatist, archaeologist, historian), Affigin Tuscano (academician), Joseph Pereira (local geography expert), Berina D’Silva (writer) and Augustine Tuscano (photographer).Their efforts have culminated in a book entitled: “Old Ambassadors of the New Era” and its Marathi version named “Navyugachya Preshita”, penned by Correa. Correa said a majority of the bells remain in good condition, though some are over 400 years old, and many have saved thousands of lives when they were sounded as warnings during natural calamities, storms or floods. “The most amazing aspect is that the bells have not been tampered or tinkered with in any manner; they have been accorded the same dignity; and the condition of a majority is excellent. A few developed cracks due to improper use, which can be repaired,” he said. The Portuguese bells are visible in important Hindu temples like Rameshwar Temple, Nashik (the site of Kumbh Mela); Tulja Bhavani Temple, Osmanabad; Bhimashankar Temple and Jejuri Temple, both in Pune district; Mahalaxmi Temple, Kolhapur; and Shri Shetra Mahabaleshwar Temple, Satara; among others. Church bells of different sizes, weight, but all made of ‘Panch Dhatu’ (five metals — gold, silver, copper, iron and lead), are placed in temples in Nashik, Ahmednagar, Jalna, Osmanabad, Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Raigad and Ratnagiri, with the maximum 12 in Pune and eight in Satara, he added. “The bells in these 34 temples came from the centuries-old churches in modern-day Palghar- Thane districts bordering Mumbai. After the Marathas vanquished the Portuguese, these bells were taken as war trophies or victory symbols by the Maratha armies,” Lopes, who specialises in Portuguese-Maratha era history, said. The great Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was devoted to the Tulja Bhavani Temple and regularly prayed there, and had once visited the temple in Satara town, the birthplace of five major rivers — Krishna, Koyna, Venna, Gayatri and Savitri. Correa explained that the Church has two main denominations — Catholics and Protestants — and his team looked for various symbols to identify the origins of the bells. The Catholics have 2,000-year-old traditions and venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, but not so the Protestants, who emerged only in the 16th century. They came across marks/symbols like “Iesus Humilis Societas” or “Iesus Hominum Salvator” (Humble Society of Jesus or Jesus Savior of Men) connected with Lord Jesus, and “Ave Maria” linked to Mary. Correa, who belongs to the Vasai Diocese, and is an expert historian on the Vasai Portuguese fort, stumbled upon a mention of the missing bells from that fort in an 1876 book by 19th century historian, Gerson D’Cunha, which ignited his research on the topic. It mentions how during a 26-month period between March 28, 1737, and May 23, 1739, when the Maratha warrior, Gen Chimaji Appa, the younger brother of the great Bajirao Peshwa, defeated the Portuguese and captured several forts in the Konkan This is one resounding piece of Portuguese-Maratha era history that came to light after 25 years of research initiated by Father Francis Correa of Vasai, and guided his team of experts to crystallise it in the past couple of years. region, including Vasai and Arnala. At that time, there were more than 80 big and small churches and after their success, the victors carried away these bells which were installed in Hindu temples, whose trustees lovingly care for them till today. Lopes said the study involved research from primary sources, extensive footwork, systematic documentation, scanning historical records, meeting trustees, experts, local historians and people from different walks of life for the authentic outcome. After the great explorer, Vasco da Gama, came to India at Calicut now in Kerala, in May 1498, the foundation was laid for the Estado Portugues da India, and they later ruled over large parts of western and eastern coastal India. In 1661, what is now Bombay, a group of seven isles, was handed over to Britain as dowry of the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza during her marriage to King Charles II of England. As the Marathas gained strength in the Konkan, Deccan and other parts, the Portuguese lost most of their Northern Province to the Maratha Empire by 1739, when they were defeated by Gen Chimaji Appa. Portuguese rule continued in pockets of India like Goa, Daman and Diu till December 19, 1961; They were defeated by the army of Independent India, ending nearly 450 years of their influence on the subcontinent. — IANS One should eat carefully to stay fit and fabulous but keeping a check on your diet before going to bed needs extra attention as some food items have the tendency to disturb your sleep if taken regulalry. Sonia Narang, nutrition expert, lists products that shouldn’t be consumed at night * Chocolate: Dark chocolates are considered as a healthy food that contains magnesium and antioxidants, but it also contains caffeine, which could keep you awake. So one should avoid it specially during night-time as it may create hindrance in your sound sleep. * Nut Butter: Nut butter is a healthy source of fat. Also, it may help in losing weight but fats digest slow and may remain present in your stomach all night if consumed in large quantities, hence, may lead to disturbed sleep. So keep high fat foods like (nuts, cheese, cream sauces) relatively low at night. * Chillies and spicy foods: Chillies are healthy if made with the right mix of ingredients, but they are spicy, and may end up causing heartburn, if consumed late in the night and may result in killing your sound sleep. So heavy spiced foods should be avoided during night because if your sleep is disturbed, your health will deteriorate. * Greasy or fat-filled foods like pizza: Greasy, heavy, fatty foods would make your stomach overwork throughout night, resulting in disturbed sleep and making you sluggish next morning. So foods like fast food, nuts, ice cream or super cheesy foods should be avoided before bed. * Chinese Food: This is another food item that is important to avoid during night as the MSG (Monosodium Glutamate, flavour enhancer) found in Chinese food works in a similar manner as the caffeine would do in the body, making it really difficult to fall asleep. * Milk: Though we consider milk to be a rich source of protein and calcium, it may kill your sleep if you drink it before bed because of its lactose content that can create digestive issues in many individuals. Especially if you are lactose intolerant, you should definitely avoid it. * Red meat and other non-veg items: Eating red meats and other non-veg items in large amounts at night will remain in your digestive system for long time and it will make it hard for you to get sound sleep while you’re digesting. Suffering from mental illness? Adopt a pet @ health Running is actually good for knee joints: Study Contrary to popular perception, running actually reduces inflammation in knee joints and slows the process that leads to osteoarthritis, a study said. “This idea that long-distance running is bad for your knees might be a myth,” said study co-author Matt Seeley, Associate Professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University in Utah, US. In the study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, the researchers measured inflammation markers in the knee joint fluid of several healthy men and women aged 18-35, both before and after running. The researchers found that the specific markers they were looking for in the extracted synovial fluid — two cytokines named GM-CSF and IL-15 — decreased in concentration in the participants after 30 minutes of running. When the same fluids were extracted before and after a non-running condition, the inflammation markers stayed at similar levels. “What we now know is that for young, healthy individuals, exercise creates an anti-inflammatory environment that may be beneficial in terms of long-term joint health,” said study lead author Robert Hyldahl from Brigham Young University. Hyldahl added the study results indicate running is chondroprotective, which means exercise may help delay the onset of joint degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis. — IANS For individuals suffering from various mental illness, pets can provide them with unconditional support as well as help manage stigma, a research suggests. The study found that the consistent presence and close physical proximity of their pets can provide an immediate source of calm and therapeutic benefit for people with mental health conditions. “The people we spoke to through the course of this study felt their pet played a range of positive roles such as helping them to manage stigma associated with their mental health by providing acceptance without judgement,” said lead author Helen Brooks from University of Manchester in Britain. For 60 per cent of study participants, pets played a central role in the social networks of people managing a longterm mental health problem. “Pets were also considered particularly useful during times of crisis. Pets provided a unique form of validation through unconditional support, which they were often not receiving from other family or social relationships,” Brooks added. According to the participants, one reason for this was that their pet helped by distracting them from symptoms and upsetting experiences such as hearing voices or suicidal thoughts. Participants from the study were quoted as saying: “I felt in a sense that my cat was familiar, in that he understood or was an extension of my thoughts.” However, despite the identified benefits of pet ownership, pets were neither considered nor incorporated into the individual care plans for people with mental conditions, the researchers said, suggesting that pets should be considered a main source of support in the management of longterm mental health problems. For the research, published in the journal BMC Psychiatry, the team interviewed 54 participants, aged 18 and above, who were under the care of community-based mental health services and had been diagnosed with a severe mental illness. — IANS
@environment Nasa launches Relay 1 On this day in 1962 Nasa launched Relay 1, the first active repeater communications satellite in orbit. international features OMANDAILYOBSERVER 27 TUESDAY l DECEMBER 13 l 2016 Today, some 60 per cent of methane originates from human activity, the rest coming from wetlands and other natural sources. About a third of human-generated methane is a by-product of the fossil fuel industry. Livestock production and agriculture (especially rice paddies), together account for nearly two-thirds of man-made methane emissions. Surging methane emissions imperil climate goals MARLOWE HOOD A decade-long surge of the potent greenhouse gas methane threatens to make the fight against global warming even harder, top researchers warned on Monday. “Additional attention is urgently needed to quantify and reduce methane emissions,” they wrote in the Environmental Research Letters journal, summarising the findings of a consortium of 81 scientists. After rising slowly from 2000 to 2006, the concentration of methane in the air climbed 10 times more quickly the following decade, according to that study, which was published in the peerreviewed Earth System Science Data. The unexpected — and largely unexplained — increase was especially sharp in 2014 and 2015. “Keeping global warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is already a challenging target,” they said, referring to the goal set in the 196-nation Paris climate pact, which entered into force last month. “Such a target will become increasingly difficult if reductions in methane emissions are not also addressed strongly and rapidly.” With only 1 0 C (1.8 0 F) of warming above pre-industrial era levels so far, the world has seen an uptick in extreme weather, including droughts, superstorms, heat waves and coastal flooding boosted by rising seas. On current trends, average global temperatures are on track to jump by more than 3 0 C (5.4 0 F) by 2100, even if national carbon-cutting pledges annexed to the Paris Agreement are honoured. Without those pledges, the increase would be much higher. Trapping the sun’s heat To date, efforts to keep the planet from overheating have focused mostly on the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, a by-product of burning fossil fuels that accounts for at least 70 per cent of warming. But even as CO2 output has started to plateau, methane (CH4) — responsible for about 20 per cent of the increase in global temperatures — is soaring. Indeed, the pace of recent emissions aligns with the most pessimistic scenarios laid out by the UN’s top science authority, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. CH4 is 28 times more efficient at trapping the sun’s heat. As with carbon dioxide, Earth naturally absorbs and releases methane. But industrialisation and a surging human population have upset a longstanding natural balance, leaving an excess of both heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. Even if scientists agree that total emissions of methane are rising sharply, they remain uncertain as to why. Today, some 60 per cent of methane originates from human activity, the rest coming from wetlands and other natural sources. About a third of human-generated methane is a by-product of the fossil fuel industry. Fracking boom, coal power Researchers point to a surge in coalgenerated power in China, along with leakage from the natural gas fracking boom in the United States. “Both these regions are thought to play a role” in the sudden hike, said Marielle Saunois, lead author of the editorial as well as the review, and an assistant professor at the University of Versailles Saint Quentin. But coal-fired plants and leaks from gas production are not sufficient, and do not jibe with the dramatic increase in the last two years, she said. A more likely culprit, the study concluded, is livestock production and agriculture (especially rice paddies), which together account for nearly twothirds of man-made methane emissions. A third possibility is a slow-down in the natural chemical reaction in the atmosphere that breaks down CH4. A more frightening prospect — that climate change has started to unlock massive natural stores of the gas in sub- Arctic permafrost — has been set aside, said Saunois. “Right now, it is a very minor factor,” she said by phone. ‘‘But there’s still a high degree of uncertainty, and not necessarily a consensus among scientists.” When it comes to climate change, methane’s saving grace is that it is much more short-lived in the atmosphere that CO2. That means that actions taken to reduce emissions will show rapid results, the researchers said. “Trends in methane emissions should be taken seriously,” said Stefan Schwietzke, an expert at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration whose own estimates of CH4 output, recently published in Nature, are even higher. “But we should not forget that we also need to reduce CO2 emissions, no matter what.” — AFP @sharedthoughts Three cheers for the underdog DR RAJAN PHILIPS rajanph@yahoo.co.uk An underdog strives against adversity and heavy odds without the many advantages his opponent, the favourite, may possess. When such a person becomes a winner, he deserves our unreserved respect and admiration. In around 1000 BC a young lad, representing his country, took up the challenge of a one-on-one combat with a seasoned Philistine warrior who stood over 9 feet. The lad vanquished and killed the contemptuous giant with a stone hurled from his slingshot. That in a nutshell is the famous story of David and Goliath that has contributed an expression to the English language as an endorsement of an underdog. An underdog is a person or group, which under normal circumstances is expected to lose in life situations or a contest, usually in sports. However, if the underdog wins, beating the heavy odds, the joy experienced is immense. It is but apt that we have a day of the year, 13th December, designated as Underdog Day, to honour the world’s unsung heroes and heroines who emerge unlikely winners in different spheres of life. The day was established by Peter Moeller in 1976. Interestingly, originally, a worker in shipbuilding process, who stood in a dark pit and helped to saw planks of wood from beneath and got covered in dirt and sawdust, was called the underdog. The other one, the ‘overdog’, sawed the planks from above. Soon the underdog became covered in dirt and sawdust, but got very little credit for all his gruelling work. Sadly, even today, a vast majority of us carry out demanding tasks but receive very little recognition. Some celebrate the ‘Underdog Day’ by watching with friends, movies starring famous underdogs. Some hold a costume party where they dress up as famous underdogs like Batman’s Robin, Robinson Crusoe’s Man Friday, Forrest Gumpor Kung Fu Panda. Common folks often admire an underdog who battles bravely in the game of life as he is a more likely role model and source of inspiration than a super-hero. An underdog strives against adversity and heavy odds without the many advantages his opponent, the favourite, may possess. When such a person becomes a winner, he deserves our unreserved respect and admiration. The journalist writer Malcolm Gladwell highlights a few key qualities of an underdog in his book ‘David and Goliath’. An underdog maintains an honourable reputation, plays by the rules, does everything in person, possesses grit, courage and determination. He is passionate and empathetic, a good team leader and takes care to build and nurture sound interpersonal relationships at the workplace. The more common reference to the underdog comes in different forms of sports. It is definitely more thrilling when a less fancied team or athlete wins shattering a predictable pattern. In literature, we have plenty of colourful characters who don the mantle of the underdog, like Robin in Batman, Watson in Sherlock Holmes stories or Cinderella in the fairy tales. In movies, characters like Forest Gump and Karate Kid fascinate us. They complement the super-heroes. In contemporary times, we have the inspiring examples of daring entrepreneurs like Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg, or entertainers like YouTube sensation Justin Bieber. In 2008 US elections, both Barack Obama and John McCain referred to themselves as underdogs! Our identification with a successful underdog is born of an inherent belief that each one of us has unique qualities and talents that must find expression. As a motivational speaker puts it, ‘you should believe that ‘every “no” you hear, every door that gets shut on your goal, you are one step closer to achieving that goal.’ Incredible feats of ‘Davids’ in this world give us, common folks who feel we are underdogs, the hope and determination to overcome all hurdles, and achieve true success. QUOTES : Even when I’m the underdog, I still prepare a victory speech. — H Jackson Brown, Jr We grew up learning to cheer on the underdog because we saw ourselves in them. — Shane Koyczan When you’re an underdog, you’re forced to try things you would never otherwise have attempted. — Malcolm Gladwell
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