The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| India diggers find artefacts after holy man’s treasure tip Posted: 21 Oct 2013 07:12 AM PDT Archaeologists began digging at the fort in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Friday, three months after the seer told a junior government minister about his dream of a 1,000-tonne gold treasure. The dig in the impoverished village of Daudiakala created a media storm and drew large numbers of local residents, prompting barricades to be thrown up around the site. The fort belonged to Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh, a Hindu king who was executed after taking part in a 1857 revolution against British colonial rulers. The Archaeological Survey of India (AIS) has said it began excavating on the basis of findings from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) that suggested gold or silver could be buried there. The junior minister told an Indian newspaper that he had earlier alerted the GSI and fellow ministers about the gold, after swami Shobhan Sarkar said that the dead king had appeared in his dream and asked him to recover the stash. However the AIS insisted today that its excavation was aimed at discovering and recording the fort's "cultural heritage" and was not a gold hunt. "It is a trial excavation and so far we have cleared soil up to a depth of 1.5 metres and yesterday we found a medieval wall, earthen jars and pots, a hearth and a floor," ASI's excavation chief Syed Jamal Hasan said. "Archeologists anywhere in the world do not dig for gold and treasures and here we are interested only in discovering the site's cultural heritage," Hasan said. He said a 12-member team would keep digging as long as there were signs of human habitation. "It might take us a month or so," said Hasan, whose government agency is charged with researching and protecting India's cultural heritage. The guru told India media that he was worried about the "collapsing economy of India" and so also wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Reserve Bank of India about the "hidden treasure". A hoard of golden Hindu idols, precious stones and other treasures, which some estimates value at billions of dollars, was unearthed in 2011 in the vaults of a 16th-century temple in the southern state of Kerala. The temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, was built by a king and donations by devotees had been kept in its vaults ever since. – AFP, October 21, 2013. |
| Serbians buy “solidarity meal” for poor Posted: 20 Oct 2013 09:18 PM PDT In Serbia, a country hard-hit by the economic crisis, three young Internet workers have launched a website to help the poor which calls on citizens to buy an additional "solidarity meal" that will be offered to those in need. "It's great that someone has found such a simple way to help people, without spending a lot of time or energy," said Milanovic, a 37-year-old businesswoman who learned about the initiative on social networks. Jovana Bogavac, a high school student queueing behind Milanovic, was curious about what was going on. After hearing an explanation of the project - called "Solidarity Grub" (Solidarna Klopica) - she decided to join in. "A great idea! In this neighbourhood I often see people digging in garbage cans for food, but I didn't feel comfortable approaching them to offer help. This is the way to do it," she said. Official statistics show that 9.2 percent of Serbia's 7.2 million people live in absolute poverty, on less than one euro ($1.35) a day. Almost one-fifth of the population lives on less than four euros a day. For children, the number living in absolute poverty rises to 12.2 percent, and 6.2 percent suffer from malnutrition. Solidarity Grub was started in April by three 20-something employees at Internet portal Kioskpages.com, an online catalogue of goods, services and special promotions. They say they were inspired by an online video about people in Italy leaving coffees for the homeless. "We liked the idea," coordinator Nina Milos, 24, told AFP, but they wanted to offer more so "we opted for food." The trio first contacted bakeries, since they wanted lots of people to participate and baked goods are relatively affordable. Their website advertises the bakeries and includes an interactive map locating them (kioskpages.com/lp/mapa-solidarne-klopice). So far some 60 bakeries have joined in. Poverty and empathy Surprisingly, in a country where the unemployment rate stands at 24 percent, the action has spread. "This project is successful because it doesn't require much personal engagement, and the costs are minimal," said psychologist Anika Stojanovic. "Also, as previous experience has shown us, people with the lowest or lower income react faster and stronger to projects like this, because they can imagine themselves in such a needy situation." At the bakery where Milanovic buys her morning croissants, saleswoman Silvija said the project has been a success. "At first I didn't believe in it... but there are more and more people who are leaving food for others," she said, putting collected food in a basket in the window so those who are hungry can see it's available. A poster in the window also advertises that the bakery is part of the initiative. At least one meal every day The most difficult part has been getting out the information to potential users, who have little Internet access. To spread the word, the organisers have arranged for large displays publicising the project as well as advertising in free newspapers and networking with homeless shelters and advocacy groups. They have also appealed to local residents to tell the homeless people in their neighbourhood. "When we see someone digging in garbage cans we go out to give him food and tell him that he can find it at our place, for free, every day," said Silvija at the bakery. Mirjana, a jobless mother of three whose family survives on her husband's modest construction worker's wages, saw a television report on Solidarity Grub. Her family had been skipping meals and on some days didn't eat at all. "Now we have at least one meal every day," said Mirjana, who is in her 40s and travels almost an hour to get free food. She said her family still depends on neighbours who give them food, but what the bakery provides is sometimes enough to cover two meals a day. The team behind the idea now want to expand it outside Serbia - they have already started a project in Macedonia - and offer more than food such as clothing and toiletries. To coordinator Milos, the Solidarity Grub project is a source of pride. "Life is not easy in Serbia. When people show such solidarity it really deserves praise. That's the best thing that has happened to me!". – AFP, October 21, 2013. |
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