A brief visit to Vizag........

70^th Independence Day of India is fast approaching..... 

I and my wife planned a brief trip to Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, and Visakhapatnam, the port-city of Andhra Pradesh.

We spent an interesting last two days in Visakhapatnam, also nicknamed as Vizag.... This port city is undoubtedly very lovely.... Historically, part of Kalinga Kingdom and later ruled by the Vijayanagara dynasty, Visakhapatnam was under the British rule until the impendence of India.  Presently, the principal commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh, the city of Visakhapatnam is stunningly beautiful both at day and night. The port of Visakhapatnam handles maximum amount of consignments coming to India by sea-route, I was told.

In Vizag, we primarily visited my nephew who has a leading prawn hatchery and further we spent some time with my mycology friend who is working on marine and mangrove fungi of east coast of India in a CSIR lab. Prawn or shrimps are invertebrate crustaceans and one of the most lovable, non-vegetarian sea-foods, reared all along the east coast of India. I and my wife saw, first-hand, how prawn is reared and cultivated.... Mycology, my pet subject, of course I like to discuss with whomever I meet....

In Vizag, we climbed the Kailasagiri hill, went around the port city and took a long ride on the beautiful and picturesque beach-road. Inhabited by conscious, young and old citizens and bathed by lovely weather, the city of Vizag is well-organized and very clean. During our visit, everything fell on line and we enjoyed the trip. We bought some interesting eatables and rare mementos. It was truly a refreshing trip.

D. Jayarama Bhat 

Prof. (Dr.) Ram Dayal (1930-2016): An Obituary

Dr. Ram Dayal (born in 1930), formerly Professor & Head, Department of Mycology & Plant Pathology, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and a researcher, writer, dedicated mycologist and above all a teacher of high repute, breathed his last on Friday, 29/07/2016, morning at 3:30 am at his residence in Varanasi, after a brief illness.

Graduated from University of Allahabad and worked under the guidance of late Prof. R.K. Saksena, a distinguished mycologist of international repute, University of Allahabad, Dr. Ram Dayal worked primarily on biology and taxonomy of lower fungi with special reference to soil-inhabiting nematophagous fungi. He authored several books, viz. ‘Chytrids of India’, ‘Advances in Zoosporic Fungi’, ‘Zoosporic Fungi of India’ and ‘Introduction to Fungi’. Specialized on soil-inhabiting chitrids and nematode-trapping fungi in agricultural soils, he had published more than 150 research papers in journals of national and international repute. He was the Fellow of National Academy of Sciences (Allahabad) and Life Member of Indian Phytopathological Society and Mycological Society of India.

I have known Prof. Ram Dayal, since 2 decades. We had organized a DST-sponsored 10-day duration hands-on workshop on “Techniques in Aquatic Fungi’ at Department of Botany, Goa University, during 1-10 September 1994 and Prof. Ram Dayal was one of the resource persons. A renowned expert on zoosporic soil fungi, he taught the participants everything that he knew during the workshop. Since then, we continued our academic and research interactions and Prof Ram Dayal became a close friend of mine.

He had invited me and my wife to Varanasi which we could accomplish only last year. His former student and presently Professor at the Department of Mycology & Plant Pathology, BHU, Prof. Asha Sinha, organised my visit to Varanasi. I delivered two guest lectures at their Department, in the first week of Nov 2015 and Prof Ram Dayal attended my lectures. It was a moment of immense joy for me. I and my wife visited his residence in Lanka, Varanasi, in the evening. Then at the age of 85, Prof. Dayal was very alert and well-receiving. He was very happy to see us at his place, one of his dreams that he said.

With passing away of Prof. Ram Dayal, we lost a distinguished Indian mycologist and a wonderful human being. I pray Bhagwaan Kashi Vishwanath and Bhagwaan Shri Ram to bless his soul with peace.

D. Jayarama Bhat

Our Recent Visit to Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand

I (along with my wife) spent a 4-week duration at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand, recently, as Visiting Professor, advising research scholars on and developing researches in taxonomy of fungi. Besides, I gave a couple of seminars and a week-long duration hands-on-training on application and importance of ‘çonidiogenesis’ in fungal taxonomy. It was quite an excitement to me also, being with them and having seen a number of interesting and rare fungi under microscope. I am sure that my visit and our activities therein were useful to those young and enthusiastic students from various Asian countries joined MFLU, aspiring to make big in mycology. Being used as food (mushrooms, Tofu, cheese, etc.), producer of medicines (yeast, antibiotics, immune-suppressants, bio-molecules, etc.) and biofertilizers (mycorrhizae, Trichoderma, etc.), the importance of fungi and their taxonomy in the development of a nation need not be over-emphasized.  

Centre of Excellence in Fungal Research at Mae Fah Luang University, is an active school of mycology where a number of students from various Asian and European countries are researching on fungi, especially in fungal taxonomy and biodiversity studies, ecology, biology and so on, using conventional and advanced techniques, under the leadership of Prof. Kevin D Hyde. I am happy to have been invited to MFLU and shared my thoughts with them, especially on fungal taxonomy. 

The May Fah Luang University campus in Chaing Rai is very beautiful and picturesque. Modern academic and administrative buildings, free and fast Wi-Fi in the entire campus, modern sports complex with well-laid tracks, numerous student dormitories, several food-courts catering students from across Asia, staff quarters, guest-house, excellent landscaping, well-laid roads, well-grown avenue trees and defined woodlots, joggers park, regularly pruned lawns, thoughtful rain-harvesting ponds and absolutely clean surroundings. As I wrote earlier from my previous visits, Chiang Rai, the northern most city of Thailand bordering Myanmar, China and Laos (Golden Triangle) and Mekong River, is a hilly mountainous province with lush green forests and advanced agriculture and horticulture activities. They grow a variety of rice, plenty of vegetables, fruits of all kinds and varied cultivated mushrooms. Everything brought to the market, daily, fresh and clean. They are also very artistic in displaying their produces in the market. The city of Chiang Rai has a recently-opened restaurant named ‘Accha – Indian Fusion’ where we frequented quite often and relished Indian dishes. The city is undoubtedly clean and tidy. Though for a brief period, I and my wife enjoyed our stay at MFLU.

The border town, Mae Sai, to where Gawahati, Assam, will be soon be connected through Asian road-link via Myanmar, is located just 35 km north of city of Chiang Rai.   

The Centre of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, will be organising an International Conference entitled ‘Towards a Natural Classification & Industrial Utilization of the Fungi’ during 10-13 January 2017 in Chiang Rai, and it will be a golden opportunity for all those desirous  to visit north of Thailand and learn more on fungal taxonomy.

D. Jayarama bhat     

Drive carefully on our roads......

I am terribly pained and deeply saddened reading the news of horrendous road accident, head-on collision of a private bus and an omni-car carrying school-children, that took place last week in Trassi near Kundapur, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka State, where eight young and tender school-going kids lost their life. Our deepest condolences and my heart goes to the bereaved family... I pray Almighty to rest the departed souls in peace and give needful strength to the families who lost their dear ones.

  

The news of this ghastly accident sends painful and chilling effect in our spines. How these accidents take place in our roads, almost every day ....? Why such anarchic condition in our roads….?

Our roads, including the state and national highways, are worst nightmares….! There is no law and order followed in our roads these days, except in some cities and townships. Every vehicle zooms through by your side, right and left, with unbelievable speed. The coastal highway from Karwar to Mangaluru passes through several busy towns which include Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar, Murdeshwar, Bhatkal, Kunapur and Udupi. On the way, there are numerous other thickly populated villages and townships. I have been driving in this road more than 20 years, from Goa to Mangaluru. It is not enough only if we take care. Everyone who drives a vehicle should be careful. Twice I met with serious car accidents in this road simply because of the mistake of opposite vehicle. Though several years passed, this highway did not undergo any major overhauling but a phenomenal increase in vehicular traffic took place. Goods carrying trucks, long- and short-route buses, road-widening big, big machines, private cars, mini-buses and 2-wheeler bikes, everyone uses the same narrow road....This has lead to a near impossible and nightmare-like congestive situation. I am singling out one town, Bhatkal, where numerous 2-wheelers ride in the town without any traffic rules. Believe it or not, I get tensed up when I pass through Bhatkal every time. These 2-wheelers zoom in the front and back from left to right and right to left without any traffic sense. Presently, this highway is getting upgraded to 4-lane highway, from Karwar to Kundapur and hopefully road conditions will improve in the time to come.

Whoever drives a vehicle; one should follow the traffic rules systematically and have enormous patience. Urgency has no priority in our roads except for ambulances. I have seen on the roads, everyone honks and tries to overtake the other. It is not a civic sense but a chaotic situation almost every day.... Unless, all of us impose self-discipline and drive carefully we will not contribute to improve the system.

I appeal everyone to follow the traffic rules and drive carefully. Then only we will be safe and live long. After all, life is precious....

D. Jayarama Bhat

BRAHMINS AND BRAHMINISM.....

A week ago, I read a curious news item appeared in a few Kannada dailies and saw news flashes and discussions of the same in a few Kannada TV channels. This was an unique and pious havan, Soma-Yaga, conducted  in Mattur  Village of Karnataka State. 

The ‘Soma-yaga’ conducted in Mattur was one of the most sacred vedic events, in the contemporary times. This yaga or yajna was conducted for the well-being of entire humanity. We all should have been very proud of such a sacred activity carried out by this only Sanskrit-speaking village in the country! Instead, false news of ‘animal sacrifice’ and ‘brahmins consuming meat and alcoholic soma-rasa’, were spread like wild-fire by some Kannada dailies, media channels and several so-called intellectuals. In my opinion, it is an onslaught of worst kind that brahmin community faced and brahminism condemned like hell, in the recent times......

Neither the State nor Central Government uttered a word in this regard.........!

Since childhood days, many of us have seen and experienced deprivation of government support and humiliation of all kinds, simply because we are brahmins. What mistakes the Brahmins have done being borne in that cast? The Brahmins don’t get any government support or subsidies in health, food, education and employment sector that other casts and religions get.  Brahmins are the worst sufferers in our country....

I have traveled world over... It’s only in our country that brahmins are looked down; nowhere else. What a shame..!

D. Jayarama Bhat