India's World War II

INDIA'S WAR
The making of modern south asia 1939-1945
Author: Srinath Raghavan
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 553
Price: Rs 699

"History will be kind to me", famously declared Winston Churchill, Britain's prime minister through much of World War II (hereafter WW II), "for I intend to write it myself."

Churchill, it turns out, meant precisely what he said. An entire post-WW-II generation in the Anglophone world grew up with the wartime narrative of a heroic, embattled Britain thwarting a rapacious Germany, until a reluctant United States entered the conflict and delivered the coup de grace. This entirely fictional account was first revised by the realisation that Russia, not the western allies, suffered the heaviest casualties by far, fought the most horrific battles and won the most crucial victories. Without Stalin, historians realised, Hitler would have handily prevailed in Europe.

A more contemporary wave of revisionism has centred on India's role. Last year Oxford University historian, Yasmin Khan, published her book, The Raj at War: A People's History of India's Second World War, which highlighted how central India was to Britain's war effort. India contributed 2.5 million soldiers, the largest volunteer army in world history. British taxes and levies, such as the eponymous "War Fund", imposed a crushing burden on India's poverty-stricken peasantry, essentially financing Britain's war in Asia. Khan summed up: "Britain did not fight the Second World War, the British Empire did."

Also last year, journalist Raghu Karnad published another people-based account: Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War, which captivatingly recounts the personal dimensions of the war through the documented accounts of three close comrades who served in different theatres.

Now we have Srinath Raghavan's riveting account of India's WW II, in which he juxtaposes a detailed campaign history with the backdrop of India's independence struggle that was running its penultimate lap through the war. Raghavan notes that earlier accounts have not recounted the military saga in sufficient detail. He writes: "Almost all [earlier accounts] treat the Second World War as little more than mood music in the drama of India's advance towards independence and partition."

Setting out to write a "single volume that presents a rounded narrative, bringing in the manifold dimensions of the war", Raghavan has burnished his credentials as an accomplished historiographer. His impeccable research into the events of that period is enhanced by his years of military service, the experience adding texture and feel to his military narrative. He describes campaigns and key battles in enough detail to satisfy a military history enthusiast, but without going into a blow-by-blow account that is already available in "pure" military histories, such as Field Marshal Viscount Slim's classic account of the Burma Campaign - Defeat into Victory. In addition, Raghavan skillfully weaves together the unfolding political, military, economic and social developments during that tumultuous period to tell the holistic story that he set out to.

For example, 1942 was a low point in the war for Britain, with military reverses in North Africa and Burma, the Japanese advancing towards India, the abortive Cripps Mission, the launch of the Quit India movement, and Subhas Chandra Bose's mission to Berlin, during which he proposed that Germany and Japan intercede as benefactors of India. Raghavan deploys figures to describe the disheartened public mood. Of Calcutta's 2.1 million people, 700,000 to 800,000 fled after just five minor air raids on the city, in which Japanese bombers dropped 160 bombs. As foreboding spread across India, workers in Bombay, which "was not so much as grazed by a Japanese bomb", began despatching women and children to their villages. The broadening pessimism between 1939 and 1943 was highlighted by withdrawals from Indian banks, which consistently exceeded deposits. The number of post office savings accounts fell from 4.2 million in 1938-39 to 2.8 million in 1943-44. It was almost inevitable that British resolve to hold onto India would diminish.

Adding pace, style and readability to the book are well-researched little cameos that seldom feature in military histories, like the description of the rigid segregation of white and coloured American soldiers, which was also mirrored in the Indian attitudes towards the "Negros". Another section describes the training in Ramgarh, Bihar, of 10,000 Chinese Kuomintang troops, who had escaped the advancing Japanese by retreating through Burma into India. Overseeing this training was the famously acerbic American commander, General Joseph Stilwell, whose acid tongue earned him the sobriquet of "Vinegar Joe". After the supercilious Kuomintang chief, Chiang Kai-Shek, bestowed his approval on the already on-going training, Stilwell wrote in his diary: "Why shouldn't he be [happy], the little jackass? We are doing our damnedest to help him and he makes his approval look like a tremendous concession."

Also described is the inevitable friction between British troops stationed in India and the lavishly paid Americans. Earlier histories recount British animosity for US soldiers in England during the war, who were disliked because: "they are overpaid, overfed, oversexed and over here." Similar complaints, phrased only slightly less pithily, were prevalent in India.

One of the strongest features of the book is its emphasis on the cost of the war and its effects on India's economy. Who would pay for the war was an important question, given that a colony was going to war on behalf of an imperial power, and the scale of India's manpower mobilisation and diversion of its economy towards the war effort. It was decided in 1940 that India would bear only a fixed amount, representing the military's peacetime cost, as well as a one-off payment of Rs 10 million (a substantial sum in those days) for maintaining troops abroad. Britain was to shoulder the cost of additional forces raised for the war, and of military stores supplied by India. But the collapse of Allied resistance in Europe and Japan's entry into the war saw India taking up the burden. By 1942-43, India was paying more than Britain towards the war, transforming its relationship with Britain from a debtor to a creditor - with Britain owing it a mind-boggling £1.3 billion by the end of the war. As the author notes, "The economic rationale of the Indian empire, if ever there was one, evaporated in the white heat of war."

The author points out in a short, but useful, epilogue to the book that WW II reinforced amongst leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru the realisation that India was a pivot of Asian security. Arguing in 1946 for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, Nehru noted, "It is India that counts in the defence and security of these regions far more than any other country." Yet the experience of WW II was not entirely positive, resulting in the militarisation of millions of men. In the bloody partition of India that unfolded after the war, these military skills were evident in the slaughter of up to a million innocents.

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India's World War II

Flight of fancy

Coventry Airfield in the United Kingdom is several thousand miles away from the Indian Air Force (IAF) base of Mohanbari in Assam. Not for Rajeev Chandrasekhar. For the past few years, this Midlands air base, which was once a storied fighter station during World War II, has been host to a genially eccentric project by the Rajya Sabha MP to revive a vintage Douglas DC3 aircraft, better known as the Dakota, the workhorse that first saw action in the 1930s.

Chandrasekhar bought the aircraft from Ireland in 2010 with the intention of making it airworthy and gifting it to the IAF - "free of cost, no strings attached" - for its fleet of vintage aircraft. For him, the Coventry airfield revives memories of his father, M K Chandrasekhar, who commanded a Dakota squadron. He remembers often standing on the periphery of the Mohanbari runway, watching his father climb into a Dakota in his overalls and take off. Even today, he says, that childhood image makes him nostalgic and brings a sense of pride that he finds lacking in our own culture of preserving military history.

When the aircraft arrived at the Coventry Airfield, Chandrasekhar realised the magnitude of the challenge that lay ahead. "It wasn't something that would make you jump up and down with joy. It was in pretty bad shape," he recalls. Today, however, the same Dakota also stands with a sense of pride, painted in old colours of the IAF. Both its engines, which were beyond salvation, have been refabricated and fired up a few times. Chandrasekhar was present at the Coventry Airfield to witness the feat the first time the engines roared to life.

It might not be long now before the iconic military transport aircraft, one of the hardiest airplanes ever manufactured, flies out of the English village and makes its way to India. The defence ministry has agreed to Chandrasekhar's request to gift the Dakota, with the rider that the aircraft be formally handed over in India. It is for Chandrasekhar to ferry the plane from England to here. Former defence minister, A K Antony, had turned down the proposal saying that there was no precedent of accepting a vintage aircraft for the IAF as a gift.

IAF's vintage squad currently has only one Tiger Moth, a World War I plane, and a Harvard capable of flying. All others are used just for display on the ground.

Rajeev ChandrasekharChandrasekhar's quest for the Dakota started about seven years ago when, he says, a "shocking fact" became obvious to him. "There was not one airworthy aircraft from the 60-65 years of post-Independence history of IAF or indeed the 100 years of the history of the Royal Indian Air Force," he says.

When he started looking around for Dakotas in India that could be restored, he was presented with another horrifying fact: the last of the Dakotas, which was parked at the air force station in Sulur near Coimbatore, had been sold as scrap. "The air force did not have the budget to maintain it and the political leadership did not have the sense of history to salvage it," he says.

So he broadened his search, to Europe and the US. A chance meeting with a British Airways pilot with a fascination for old aircraft and India's military aviation history led him to an aviation hobbyist in Ireland who had a handful of Dakotas for sale. "This one was among the cheapest, but also required most restoration. It was grounded but the people I consulted believed that it could be made airworthy," says Chandrasekhar.

For the engineers of Reflight Airworks, who are restoring the aircraft, this has been a daunting task, but not an impossible one. "This current DC3 has been completely gutted inside giving a blank canvas form with which to start," says Alex Woodeson, engineering head of Reflight Airworks. To restore the interior, engineers will put in place a new seating arrangement in the rear fuselage (the aircraft's main body that holds crew and passengers or cargo). A new paint scheme has also been completed.

The biggest challenge in the restoration of a vintage aircraft, however, is findings its original spare parts. The DC3 had stopped production back in 1942. So going back to the company was not an option.

"But there is a vast network of aviation enthusiasts spread across Europe and the US. And these hobbyists openly exchange information and spare parts, sometimes as barter and at other times for a price," says Chandrasekhar. For example, one guy might have the wheels, another might have the undercarriage and yet another might have some parts needed in the cockpit. This is the ecosystem Chandrasekhar says they plugged into.

One Dakota restorer, for example, has put out his wishlist - co-pilot's junction box, hydraulic fluid reservoir, standby compass bungee set and so on - on his website in the hope that another restorer who has these parts to spare will reach out to him.

In the event that a particular part is not available, the engineers fabricate it from the original drawings. If they don't have the drawing on them, some other hobbyist or the company (Douglas Aircraft is now part of Boeing) might, just like they might have the spare parts. That is how Woodeson and his team rebuilt the engines of this particular Dakota from scratch.

The ground up restoration of the aircraft to its original flying conditions using original engine, power and flying characteristics also requires extensive refurbishment and equalisation checks, explains Woodeson. "This is a very time-consuming job as every system and component must be satisfactory."

Besides, all DC3 aircraft are different in terms of their layouts and upgrades, he adds. You are never exactly sure what you are going to find once you start stripping all the components and airframe apart for inspection, says the engineer. "Some parts will have been on the aircraft since 1940 and not have been overhauled or inspected to this level of detail."

Besides the interior, parts of the aircraft's navigation system are also being upgraded and a parachute door is being introduced for use in India. In its days of glory, the Dakota was routinely used for air-dropping supplies and paratroopers to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Woodeson expects that the Dakota would have taken over two years to restore before it arrives in India. But before it is allowed to truly take to the skies, "every component of it will have to be certified by European authorities for airworthiness," says Sharad Yeshwant Savur, who retired as air marshal and extensively flew the Dakota during his career. "The time it takes for the engine to start, the way it taxis on the runway, the brake functioning, the way the nose of the aircraft goes up - all of it will have to meet the characteristics of the original aircraft for certification," says Savur.

It is a painstaking process that calls for both passion and patience. Chandrasekhar won't reveal the cost of restoring the aircraft though.

And while he has a commercial pilot's licence, he has not flown in the Dakota he is getting restored. "UK is very clear about certification of a hobby aircraft," he says. "Only the captain and co-pilot can use it for hobby flying. They cannot ferry passengers in it," he says.

Fali Homi Major, who retired as chief of the air staff, is delighted that an airworthy Dakota will finally make its way to the IAF vintage fleet. "It was the finest aircraft ever designed and the most rugged. It has operated from every airfield," he says. "You could fly it in the day, at night or in hostile mountainous areas. You could land it on short runways as well as on grass or dirt airstrips."

When he was asked to list the weapons that most helped end World War II, this is what wartime general and later US president Dwight Eisenhower had replied: the bazooka, the Jeep, the atomic bomb and the Dakota.

If the Dakota played a critical role in the victory against Adolf Hitler, it did so again during the Kashmir operations of 1947-48, audaciously flying in troops and flying out the wounded against heavy shelling by the infiltrators who had come prepared to pluck Kashmir away from India. "The Dakota is the reason why Poonch is still with us," says Pushpindar Singh, military historian and author of Aircraft of the Indian Air Force: 1933-73.

Veteran fliers speak of the iconic aircraft with unmistakable wistfulness. "Given a chance, I would fly the Dakota again," says Savur. He calls it "the most forgiving aircraft in the world".

"With its 500,000 rivets, the DC3 might be thought to be over-engineered, but it had the reputation of being virtually indestructible," wrote The Economist in the obituary of aeronautical engineer Arthur Raymond who led the team that designed the Dakota. Pilots would laughingly describe it as "a collection of parts flying in loose formation" but they would also say that "the only replacement for a DC3 is another DC3".

The predecessor of the DC3 was the DC2, not as hardy or as successful. Singh recounts a World War II incident when a Dakota landed in a jungle. "A quarter of one its wings got shorn off. It obviously could not take off," he says. "So the pilot and the crew decided to cut off a quarter of the other wing as well." And, lo and behold, the plane flew home - "they named it DC2-and-a-half," chuckles Singh.

The aircraft was also used extensively for commercial flying. Biju Patnaik's Kalinga Airlines operated a dozen Dakotas. Jamair, a Kolkata-based privately owned non-scheduled charter airline that was financially backed by Nawanagar maharajah, Jam Singh, had a fleet of five Douglas DC3s and three DC4s. In fact, by 1939, the DC3, which is credited with making air travel popular, accounted for 90 per cent of world airline trade.

Once restored, the Dakota at the Coventry Airfield, meanwhile, has another journey ahead of it: from England to India. Chandrasekhar would like the plane to be dismantled, put in a carton, flown to India and reassembled here. "It is an old aircraft and several countries have issues about an old aircraft flying over their airspace," he says. "Besides, flying it all the way from UK, especially over conflict zones in West Asia, would not be safe."

Woodeson, however, says this aircraft will have to be flown all the way due to its vast size.

Clearly, another challenge awaits the Dakota.

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Flight of fancy

How Rama Rau found her calling away from Bollywood

Unable to break into the Mumbai film industry due to her lack of connections, Rama Rau moved to Toronto 15 years ago. Now her latest film, League of Exotique Dancers, has notched up the unique distinction of bagging opening night honours at North America's biggest documentary film festival.

Hot Docs, held in Toronto, is one of the most high profile showcases in the world for film makers in the documentary genre. Its 2016 edition, which runs from April 28 to May 8, opened with the world premiere of Rau's film, a lavishly mounted feature-length documentary on past stars among burlesque dancers, or as one of the women unapologetically proclaims in the film, strippers. The film captures the past and present lives of a group of aging dancers as they prepare to be inducted into the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

Rau says the selection is an honour for her, but also for the festival. "One always dreams of these things happening. At the same time, I think it's a good decision, because the film is very entertaining. It has layers, it's outrageous and I think it will have people talking about it for a long time," she says. "I also think the film deserves it, in the sense that the women in the film, they make the film really. So for us to honour the women in that way, I think it's absolutely deserved."

For the Chennai-born, Toronto-based Rau, it's her second appearance at Hot Docs. Her film, titled No Place to Hide: The Rehtaeh Parsons Story, premiered at the film festival last year. It dealt with the issue of cyber bullying, centred around a case that dominated headlines in Canada in 2013 - that of teenage school student Rehteah Parsons who committed suicide after she was allegedly gang-raped while drunk and her photos circulated on social media.

A self-described news addict and a bit of an activist, Rau says those factors influence her choice of subject for her films. "I generally know what's going on and I just veer towards certain topics like feminism or social issues like poverty. For me, it either has to touch upon race issues or gender issues, otherwise why bother, because every film takes two to three years to make. And if I'm not making a really meaningful film, then what's the point?" asks Rau.

Rau, who went to school and college in Chennai, was a copywriter in the advertising industry when she was bitten by the film bug. She quit what was then a high paying job and moved to Mumbai "to beg directors to take me on set for free". She spent three years in Mumbai as an assistant director with Black Magic Motion Pictures, working on commercials. "That's when I learnt everything about film I could possibly learn," Rau says. But she believed it would be tough to break into the film industry for an outsider, and moved to Canada to pursue her dream.

"There were a lot of things frustrating to me about living in India," Rau says. "My biggest ambition was to start making films and I knew that in India unless I was from a film making family, I wouldn't really have a chance... Bollywood is very closed, especially to women film directors who are not from film making families."

Starting from scratch in Toronto, she worked at a film equipment supplying company, using her spare time and available gear to make short films. She attended film making workshops and volunteered at film festivals, and found the industry more welcoming here. "I think film making is one of the most democratic industries because it's solely by your own determination and talent that you get by. At the same time, of course, there's also a lot of push for diversity," she says of her early days in Canada.

Her background as a copywriter worked to her advantage when it came to writing proposals, pitches and treatments. And while she was still dreaming of making feature films, Rau found herself drawn to documentaries, especially given her interest in news and activism. "When I came here, I did look around and said I need to see where I can get in," Rau recalls. "And documentary was very open, and it's also more accessible because the budgets are a little lower. It's more open to women directors. So I think it's a natural fit that I moved into documentaries."

After the League of Exotique Dancers premiere at Hot Docs, Rau will be busy promoting the film at festivals around the world. "We have a really big festival round coming up. We've been invited to Munich. I'll be going to England next month and then Australia and I think this whole year it will do the festival rounds all over the world. It's a very marketable topic," she says.

But Indian audiences are unlikely to get a glimpse of it, she admits. "I don't see the burlesque film playing at all in India. It's uncensored, too risque. I refuse to have it censored, so I don't think India will touch it."

Her earlier films have played at a couple of Indian festivals in Mumbai and Goa, but Rau says she has not really explored the market despite her previous films' connections to India.

Those include The Market, a film that looked at how the illegal trade in organs exploits slum dwellers in India, and Losing My Religion, which explored faith and religious tensions in the south Asian communities in Canada.

She is currently working on a script for a feature film to be set in India. "It won't be a Bollywood film because I don't belong to Bollywood," she says. "I would love to make a Bollywood film but I don't know when my chance will come."

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How Rama Rau found her calling away from Bollywood

Sasha Chetri: The woman who has struck gold for Airtel

Success means different things to different people. For Sasha Chetri, Airtel's "4G girl", success means "eating well." Ask her how her life has changed after hitting pay dirt with the Airtel campaign, Chetri candidly says: "I think I eat better now and buy more food. I can now buy the fruits that I could not earlier. I can also go to restaurants, which were beyond my reach. Otherwise, I am the Bata kind of girl, you know. I am not that much into fashion."

Her big purchase will be a house in Mumbai, which she hopes to buy soon, "Inshallah".

Born to a Nepali mother and Himachali father in quaint Dehradun, Chetri is a classic millennial. In her 20-something years (yes, she does not want to disclose her age as she fears it will lead to her being typecast), she has gone through a major bout of quarter-life crisis and come out tops.

Born in a century where conformity was handed down like a precious heirloom, Chetri too inherited all the baggage that came with it. All the right boxes were ticked early in life, as far as academics were concerned. Having done her schooling from Brightlands and Welhams in Dehradun, Chetri graduated in literature from Symbiosis, Pune. She even got a diploma in advertising and copy writing from Xavier's Institute of Communications just so that she could get a "decent job" like her two elder sisters. One of her elder siblings is an MBA and the other is a wealth manager, which meant that the pressure to achieve was that much more on young Chetri, who comes from a middle income family.

She explains, "My sisters funded my school and college (education) as my father had taken premature retirement from the army and was pursuing his passion for art."

Incidentally, Chetri is not her real surname but is her mother's family name. Chetri lost her mother at 11 and took it on as she identifies with it. In the early years, when she moved to Mumbai from Dehradun, she tried very hard to "fit in" and do the right things, like taking on a regular job to earn some money. "You know how important it is to fit in and get the right job," she says. "I studied advertising so that I could get a decent job. But I did not last long at the ad agency where I was working. Eventually, I had a breakdown."

Chetri finally ditched her job to work for an NGO. But this shift was not painless. Unhappy with her copywriting job, she found it difficult to cope with her hand-to-mouth existence and went back home. But she did return to Mumbai and decided to work for a not-for-profit organisation, which gave her enough life experience to pursue what really gave her happiness: music and arts. "This was a very fulfilling period in my life as I really enjoyed the work and my music. I realised that it was my calling," she says. "I always knew I was going to be in the spotlight, but I thought it would be my music that would get me there."

Chetri kept auditioning for movie and advertising roles alongside her day job at Muktangan, an NGO that works with children. Like most life-changing events, the audition for the Airtel ad campaign was also an accident. "I had just cut my hair short and I felt I would not fit in at all," she says. "I kept refusing to go, but my friend was very insistent and so I went along."

The rest, as they say, is history. Since the advertisement was launched, Chetri is said to have enjoyed more airspace than even most celebrities. But social media has not been kind to her, with people writing comments like "most irritating person of the year" and "the annoying Airtel 4G girl".

Chetri, however, is not bothered by these. She would rather focus on her work.

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Sasha Chetri: The woman who has struck gold for Airtel

Pocket-friendly designer wear

In 2009, Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss changed the way people perceived luxury by offering labels such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Alexander Wang on rent through their portal, Rent The Runway. "I realised the social media had actually made us all into celebrities with a lot of pressure to have newness in our wardrobes every single day and for every special occasion," said Hyman in a recent interview. "So I had this idea around the question, 'Can we rent dresses for all the occasions in our lives?'". Starting with a mere 28 labels, Rent The Runway today boasts of 375-plus brands, catering to over 5 million users (2015 figures).

Its success story has served as an inspiration to the founders of Blinge and Stage3, which offer luxury designer wear on rent in India. Both the on-rent fashion portals are positioning themselves as the perfect solutions for your festive and occasion-wear needs. While Stage3, co-founded by Delhi-based Sabena Puri, has on board brands like Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Blinge offers both western and ethnic wear by Anita Dongre, Zara and DKNY. "There are numerous occasions and festivals in India when you want to look good and feel confident. But it doesn't make sense to spend thousands and lakhs of rupees on an outfit that you may never repeat again," says Shashwat Gopal, one of the three co-founders of Blinge. One can simply rent an outfit for a fraction of the original price.

While rentals for Western wear start at Rs 350, the ones for ethnic wear begin at Rs 2,000 and can go upto Rs 30,000. "The rent is usually 10 to 15 per cent of the original price. We looked at similar models by companies such as Rent The Runway and this is at par with them," says Gopal. It has only been eight months since Blinge went live and the team has already got 1,400 orders and is growing at 30 per cent. The western wear category is available only within Mumbai while the traditional wear is on offer to customers from the four metros. "We are putting in an insurance policy to take care of major damages to outfits. We also have an in-house tailoring unit to take care of the minor ones," says Gopal, who might be adding brands such as Gucci and Christian Dior in the next phase of expansion.

However, if renting doesn't solve your craving for luxury, then how about buying a pre-owned Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu or Jimmy Choo accessory at a much lower price than the original? Confidential Couture, which in 2014 became the first online space for buying and selling high-end designer accessories, offers 40 labels such as Bvlgari, Emilio Pucci, Givenchy, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Hermes, and is in the process of adding six new labels. "When I started, people either said, 'Wow, this was the need of the hour. India is so ready for something like this', or 'Who will buy second-hand stuff'," says Anvita Mehra, founder and CEO, Confidential Couture. Today, she has two million visitors to the websites, with 10,000 new ones - buyers and sellers - coming in everyday. The payment options are flexible.

"I named the company because the buyers and sellers don't know each other. It's a curated marketplace," says Mehra. She admits that sellers do try to pass on a lot of fakes, and that's why she has two levels of rigorous authentication in place. "First, we do an in-house authentication. We have a checklist to make sure the brands are original. For instance, a Louis Vuitton bag needs to have five stitches in a certain place," says Mehra. The second level involves consulting the authenticating partners in the US. The products are valued according to their year of make and condition. "We have three categories: never been used, gently used and fairly used. The first one is valued at anywhere at 60 to 80 per cent of the original price, the second at 40 to 60 per cent and the fairly used is usually valued at 15 to 30 per cent," she says.

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Pocket-friendly designer wear

A home off the grid

Innovators Sona Pohlova and Tomas Zacek, aged 31 and 36, respectively, started Ecocapsule with just four employees. And what they have achieved is quite startling. The architects and co-founders the startup in Bratislava, Slovakia, have created a portable home that uses wind and solar energy to sustain itself.

Form and function

Made of insulated steel and aluminum with a fiberglass shell, the Ecocapsule is a 1.1-ton, 70-square-foot mobile home powered by wind and solar energy for off-the-grid living.

Origin

In 2009 the co-founders entered a competition to design a small home. They didn't win but drew enough interest from potential buyers that they kept working on it.

Cost

The capsule, available later this year from the company's website, costs about $90,000, plus shipping.

Layout

Enter through a hatch in the 15-by-7-by-8-foot pod to find a small stove, toilet, and shower on one side and a foldout bed and table on the other. The capsule's wooden interior can be customised for various uses.

Power

The capsule can generate as much as 1.35 kilowatts via a wind turbine and solar panels on the roof. It stores up to 10kw in a rechargeable battery with a seven-year life span.

Market

Ecocapsule is processing its first 50 preorder deposits and has received 17,000 e-mails expressing interest, including from US. Army contractors, Zacek says.

Next step

Ecocapsule is seeking $1 million in capital so it can begin larger-scale production. Peter Wheelwright and Alison Mears, architecture professors at New York's New School, say they worry its materials may be environmentally unfriendly and possibly unsafe. Aluminum production is energy-intensive, and some fiberglass products can contain formaldehyde, a toxic chemical. Zacek says the materials are safe. He and Pohlova are researching alternative materials, such as hemp, to make the capsule greener.

© Bloomberg

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A home off the grid

Down in bird land

For the last two days, the state of Uttarakhand, especially the hills of Kumaon, have been under the grips of widespread forest fires. When I read that the blaze has engulfed the beautiful oak and pine forests around Kumaon's 'Lake District', my heart bled for I fondly remember the idyllic summer I spent there, when I was introduced to the pleasures of bird watching. Meandering through the emerald lakes of Sattal and Naukuchiatal, a brand new copy of The Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali in my hands, I found myself totally immersed - and totally at sea in the fragile world of birds.

Initially, as all fledgling birders will attest, my attempts at bird watching were frustrating. Most of them went like this: "Look! A Coppersmith Barbet!" the guide would say. "Where?" I'd cry, desperately scanning the dense foliage in which the tiny bird was camouflaged. "It's flown off now," he'd say. "Didn't you see it?" Out would come my trusty bird book, and I'd see the bird in question in the photographs, wondering how such a vividly-hued creature had escaped my less-than-eagle eyes. Over the next few days, I improved marginally. However, I continued to be amazed by the crazy birders at the camp I was in, arguing themselves hoarse over exactly which type of tit they'd seen - when no one but me found the name unfortunate. Eventually, when I managed to see and identify a couple of mostly common birds, a glimmer of hope was born that all matters ornithological won't always remain an impenetrable mystery to me.

Today, as reports of devastation in Sattal (and whispers of the timber mafia's involvement) trickle in, I remember it as a haven for birds. A cluster of mysteriously interconnected seven freshwater lakes in what I like to refer to as Kumaon's 'Lake District', it is set amid oak and pine forests where all manner of birds, migratory and local, reside. I spent many a happy hour there, hiking from lake to lake, or as they're locally known, tal to tal.

green bee-eaterOne of the first things I learnt was that one sees the best birds not while blundering noisily through the forest, but when one's patiently sitting in one place. This is what I did to study the antics of a pair of Asian paradise flycatchers, small white and black birds with, wait for my first birding word, rufous plumage (deep red feathers for the uninitiated). Their extravagantly long tail feather must have made flight a little difficult, but looked extraordinarily festive. For hours I watched the monogamous pair swoop gracefully across the forest canopy and catch insects mid-air. It was breeding season, and from the way they were guarding their nest, there were clearly some eggs in it. I found it fascinating that they built their nests close to drongos, attractively fork-tailed birds that aggressively guard their territory against predators.

Naukuchiatal, the nine-pointed lake about 20 km from Sattal, has also been badly affected by the fires. In fact, Vishal Vir Singh, a friend who is currently in the Kumaon hills, says, "The entire range from Kaladoongi to Bhowali and beyond is aflame. There is smoke hanging in the air and the visibility is terrible."

I remember walking in those very forests and being mesmerised by the patterns that fallen oak leaves created on the forest floor. I also have a vivid memory of its subtly scented air, which from all accounts is as good as it gets. And so, Singh's account is especially worrisome. This network of lakes isn't just a pretty place to spend the summer watching birds - it maintains groundwater levels, has been a permanent and migratory home to a plethora of birds as well as other fauna, and regulates air quality all the way up to Delhi. So it is of utmost ecological importance to the upper Himalayas as well as the neighbouring plains.

Geological opinion is divided on the subject of these lakes came up in the first place, but the commonly held belief is that they were created by glacier melt settling into deep valleys and hollows in the hills.

They're deep too - Naukuchiatal is about 130 feet deep. I chatted with a fisherman there, who pointed out a snake in the water, holding its neck in the air like a snorkel. It swam to my side of the lake, and disappeared rather disconcertingly under some stones not far from where. The water, he said, teemed with Mahaseer and Carp. "Twenty years ago, these waters were cleaner," said he pointing to the usual tourist detritus of beer cans, chips packets etc that had washed up by the water's edge.

I remember even today, the music of a thousand tiny waves in Naukuchiatal. It will take a while for nature to once again reclaim the magical lakes of Kumaon. Till then, my memories of a halcyon summer there will have to suffice.

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Down in bird land

Mario @90

Goa, the world that Mario de Miranda came from and the world he finally went back to, is all ready to celebrate the 90th birth anniversary of one of India's most remarkable cartoonists and illustrators.

Miranda, born Mario João Carlos do Rosario de Brito Miranda, signed out on December 11, 2011. Had he been around, he would have turned 90 on May 2.

As a tribute to his life and art, Mario Gallery in Panjim is organising a number of events, including an exhibition, "A Pocket of Chuckles", of his original drawings. The exhibition will be hosted by Gallery Gitanjali and will have 74 of his works for sale. "Of these, 60 are pocket cartoons done between 1980 and 1990, and 14 are illustrations of Goa that Miranda made for the book, Inside Goa, by Manohar Malgonkar," says architect Gerard da Cunha who published a volume on Miranda's art and life, Mario de Miranda, in 2008.

The cartoons feature many of his kooky characters: cheeky beggars, whose humour both belies and accentuates their miserable existence; businessmen, for whom money is both a means and an end; his trademark dog, who listlessly takes in the goings on; and, yes, Miss Fonseca, the buxom Anglo-Indian secretary.

Miranda's visual diary will also be released in the form of the book, The Life of Mario 1949. This is the latest in the series, the earlier ones being 1950 and 1951. In this diary, Miranda is 22 and studying at St Xavier's college in Mumbai.

Also planned is a concert, free and open to all, on May 2 at the amphitheatre of the Museum Houses of Goa at Torda Porvorim. It will feature Miranda's favourite bands, The Cotta Family and Sonia Shirsat and her group. Fado singer Shirsat had also sung Ave Maria at his funeral four years ago.

The exhibition, "A Pocket of Chuckles", opens on April 30 at 6 pm and is on till May 21 at Gallery Gitanjali, E212, 31st January Road, Fontainhas, Panaji, Goa; http://ift.tt/1pPt25Z

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Mario @90

Saddled by Choice

On a no-race day at 6 am, a few men sit with their eyes trained on the race course in Bengaluru. They aren't just watching horses. Talking among themselves in murmurs, they closely observe every horse, every rider on the horse, and the trainer who is shooting instructions for both man and animal.

Near the tracks, where the smell of mud, grass and horse has become one and is a heady scent, I ask around for Silva Storai. After a moment of confusion, a guard points out to where Storai is likely to be. "She's looking for 'the lady'," he tells his colleague.

In a race course full of male riders and trainers, it's understandable why the guards refer to Storai as 'the lady'. When she came from Italy as a 17-year-old tourist in 1978, Storai hadn't planned on staying back to take up professional horse racing. What followed was a number of races where she'd be the only woman rider.

Racing is still a very male-dominated sport in India, says Storai's trainer, Irfan Ghatala. He has been training riders and horses for 25-odd years. "Women are still considered to be weaker than men, though that's not true. Equestrian is the only sport where men and women compete on equal terms," Ghatala tells me in snatches. All his attention is trained on the varying equations between his horses and their riders - Storai is one of them.

Before she quit in 2007 after a bad fall, Storai started the Embassy International Riding School in Bengaluru. "It was just very difficult to go back after the fall. If we won, they would say the horse was good, if we lost, they would say I was a bad rider. I believe Rupa is the only professional now."

Kolkata-based trainer Arti DoctorChennai-based Rupa Narpat Singh has just won a race at the ongoing International Star Plate in Ooty. Just two weeks ago, she bagged the Annamalai Plate (also in Ooty). "It takes a lot to break into the circuit. Plus, this is a very high-risk sport. That could be one reason why women stay away," says the rider who got her licence in 2002.

During a race in 2004, Singh and her horse, Tribute to Peace, tripped on the tracks. The horse died on the spot, Singh escaped with a broken collar bone. That was followed by a fractured ankle. Last December, a jockey in Kolkata had a fatal fall, and earlier this year, another one was paralysed when he fell.

During the Hyderabad Derby in 2003, Storai felt a sudden jolt. She realised that her partner for the race, a horse called Brown Sugar, had sprained his right foreleg - Brown Sugar could go down anytime now. But rider and horse trudged on, and Storai became the first lady in India to win a Derby. The following year, Storai won the Mysore Derby 2004.

At the race course, with binoculars glued to his face, Storai's trainer keeps a hawk's eye on his horses and jockeys. "Lean back, lean back," he shouts out to a rider who's hunched over his horse; "Calm her first," Ghatala tells another jockey who's struggling with a restless horse. This sport is about a combination of physical strength, stamina and the right technique, he says.

Silva Storai was the only woman rider in several races since coming to India in 1978Much like her male colleagues, Singh's days begin early. "We work the horses all morning. That workout itself is so intensive that I really don't need to do anything much for stamina and strength - the two things every jockey should have." While her colleagues jog for fitness, walking does the trick for her.

Like others in the profession, 33-year-old Singh comes from a family of horse lovers and riders. In the racing circuit, a lot depends on the horse you ride, she says. Part of proving your mettle as a jockey means to win a trainer's faith in your abilities. "It has taken a lot of hard work for trainers to finally trust my abilities. Initially, people felt I couldn't handle a horse as well as a man, and I'd be stuck with average horses."

In 2014, Singh represented the country at the Shikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Championship Cup in Poland. Pitted against international competition, Singh brought home the winner's trophy. Now she has seven championships to her credit.

Jockeys have to handle horses that weigh over 500 kg. Singh stands at 165 cm and is 47 kg. When Storai was competing, she weighed 51.5 kg. At 162 cm, her frame is much smaller than that of her male colleagues. But they all fall into the lean category, making the diet an important factor, besides strength and technique.

When Storai rides back on a majestic brown stallion, she swings off the horse in one swift motion. "Horse racing is not as popular in India as it is abroad. It is still associated with gambling here and that really affects the image," says Storai. "Look around - there's no other woman here. Abroad, the stables are full of women. Maybe things would have been better if we had a professional centre for jockeys," says Storai, suggesting the need for an eco-system to encourage women.

But Mumbai-based Nina Lalvani, one of the only three women trainers in India, has her doubts. "I'm not sure if that would make a difference. It's a very hard life, you have to make a lot of sacrifices. Those of us working in the field today are here just because of our love for it." Arti Doctor, a trainer based in Kolkata, reaffirms: You need to be extremely fit as a jockey. Strength does matter, but what you need is an understanding of how to handle horses.

None of these jockeys and trainers, who've given a better part of their lives to the sport, knows of any other woman training to be a professional jockey in India. Rupa Singh continues to be the lone Indian horsewoman on the tracks.

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Saddled by Choice

Mitali Saran: I'm with stupid

It became clear, the other day, that age is stupidifying me even more than nature already has. I woke up and realised that the feminine hygiene product introduced into my lady bits the previous evening had now been there for fourteen hours. I tend to be on the psychotic side of careful about removing those things, because of the risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS), so this was an emergency. Bolted to the bathroom. Scrabble for string, no string. Manual probe, can’t reach. Anxiety levels Defcon 1.

I screeched into the emergency room. My panicked gabbling got me waved through reception, billing, and the nurses’ station, to the emergency intern, who made me wait ten life-threatening minutes for the gynaecologist. ‘If I die of TSS it’ll be your fault,’ I snarled.

In the doctor’s office I tore off my clothes and leapt upon the table. ‘Calm down, dear,’ said the doctor. She examined me. She frowned. ‘You put it in at 6 pm, dear?’ she asked. (Gynaecs think that saying ‘dear’ a lot makes the speculum less speculumy.) ‘Yes, yes, it’s been 14.5 hours and I’m going to die of TSS, take it OUT!’ I shouted. ‘Nothing there, dear,’ she said. I made her look again, now worried that maybe my hoohoo had eaten it. She probed with wiggling fingers (though not in a good way). ‘See? There’s nothing, dear.’ Sweet relief,  I was not going to die of TSS. I skipped home and inspected the trash, and there it was, neatly wrapped up. Boy, did I feel stupid.

But I’m not alone — it feels like the whole country is getting stupider every day.

For example, the Gujarat government wants PhD students to reach for the stars by picking their research topics from a list of research topics provided by the government, consisting of state and central government schemes and projects. Students will monitor and evaluate these, and voila, PhD. Cool, huh? The government outsources its work for free, keeps scholarship relevant, and ensures that students develop nationalist chops by getting their data and conclusions right if they want their degrees.

But who needs degrees in the republic of stupid? We have already shown, via a secret dossier at Jawaharlal Nehru University, that scholarship is measured only by moral virtue. Some patriotic teachers backed by the administration spied on empty bottles and used condoms and concluded, among other things, that the place is a huge sex racket, that students drink, and that the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment is in fact promoting sex work.

Even the Prime Minister’s MA degree from Gujarat University has been wiped off his website. Was it retrospectively revoked because he didn’t survey the right project? Has it just been misplaced? Is it being withheld for national security reasons? Nobody’s getting back to the RTI activist who requested to see it.

But honestly, that’s just a storm in a very small teacup, because we’ve decided that education is overrated — except MBAs. The only thing the nation needs is MBAs and a hailstorm of other acronyms, godmen, ancient texts, and flagpoles that can be seen from Beijing and Kabul. Especially ancient texts. HRD minister Smriti Irani wants the Indian Institute of Technology to offer Sanskrit, so that students can research all the rich science available in Sanskrit texts. That seems like a reasonable allocation of resources if you think about it while drinking cow urine.

So really, let’s stop banging on about education, when what we really do well is stupidity — it’s better to set an achievable goal. At least in that world, I know I’ve made it.

Mitali Saran is a Delhi-based writer
mitali.saran@gmail.com

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Mitali Saran: I'm with stupid

Why governments evade the 'rich tax'

TAXING THE RICH
A history of fiscal fairness in the United States and Europe
Kenneth Scheve and David Stasavage
Princeton University Press
266 pages; Rs 1,477.00

At a time when public discourse in the West has largely centred on the issue of rising inequality - the growing concentration of wealth among the top one per cent - and the lack of opportunity, it is surprising that these concerns haven't really translated to more forceful demands for raising taxes on the rich.

Sure, banks are more tightly regulated than before and there has been some movement to tie bonuses to long-term performance, but, by and large, politicians have stayed clear of raising taxes on the rich. Intuitively, taxing the rich would have widespread appeal especially among sections of the electorate who feel they've been left behind. So why haven't politicians of all stripes responded?

In a new book titled Taxing the Rich - A History of Fiscal Fairness in the United States and Europe, Kenneth Scheve and David Stasavage, political scientists from Stanford and New York University, attempt to answer this perplexing question.

Drawing on a unique dataset that spans two centuries of tax data from 20 countries, the authors find before World War I, taxes on the rich were very low. It is only in the first half of the twentieth century that taxes rose, peaking around 1950s. Subsequently, though, they fell sharply.

One would have expected that as political ideology plays a big role in tax policy, the ascendency of left-of-centre political parties to power would coincide with high tax rates on the rich. As would demands to address rising inequality. But the explanation the authors posit for the rise and subsequent fall of taxes on the rich is perplexing, to say the least.

According to the authors, the high tax rates levied on the rich during the middle of the last century were not driven by populist left-of-centre parties coming to power. Nor were high tax rates a policy response to rising inequality or for that matter greater democratisation. Instead, the authors contend that the sharp increase in tax rates levied on the rich during the 1950s was a consequence of the two World Wars.

The political rationale for raising taxes on the rich during this period largely centred on demands for "fairness". Now, fairness is a rather nebulous concept. Standards of fairness, as the authors themselves say, are likely to vary greatly over time and from individual to individual

But the authors contend that, "First, labour was conscripted to fight while capital was not. Second, owners of capital benefited from high wartime demand for their products. Heavy taxation of the rich (owners of capital) became a way to mitigate these effects and to restore at least some degree of equality of treatment by the government."

The subsequent lowering of tax rates, too, had little to do with the prevailing economic ideology at the time but, as the authors point out, more to do with "weakening over time of war-based arguments about equality of sacrifice."

The arguments are puzzling. Politicians, especially those on the left, should ideally respond to rising inequality by taxing the rich heavily. The logic is pretty straightforward. High inequality could impact opportunities available to the not so affluent to progress in life. It could also lead to the political process being captured by the elite. Further, it is also likely to have the backing of a large section of voters.

But Mr Scheve and Mr Stasavage find that there is little evidence to suggest that increasing inequality leads countries to adopt higher taxes on the rich. The authors find that while left-of-centre governments are associated with a higher tax rate on the rich, "this increase takes a couple of years to occur and is small in magnitude." What the authors do find is that high rates on the rich do reduce inequality.

One could argue that this is partly because of the capture hypothesis. The rich under any dispensation are in a better position to lobby. They are more likely to influence politicians than ordinary voters through campaign contributions.

While the authors don't find any conclusive evidence to support this argument, they rather strangely suggest that "Now just because we fail to find a relationship between how campaigns are financed and how heavily the rich are taxed does not mean that there is no truth to the capture hypothesis."

This is an area the authors should have examined in greater detail. Why don't left-leaning governments raise taxes? Is the pressure from donors that much? Or do political parties of all stripes largely conform to the broad political consensus when in power?

The other conundrum this study poses is this: it basically implies that short of another major war, taxes on the rich are unlikely to go up. As the authors themselves say, the forms of compensatory arguments used in the past to justify higher taxes on the rich are likely to be irrelevant now. So how, then, might governments finance greater public spending?

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Why governments evade the 'rich tax'

How to physically inspect a used car before buying

If you are reading this article, chances are, you have already narrowed down your used-car research to the final list of vehicles that you are interested in. If you are still at an early stage of searching for a used car, you might be interested in first checking out how to research for a used car and what the advantages and disadvantages of buying a used vehicle are. Moving forward, it is necessary to go for a personal inspection before coming to a decision. Make sure not to base your verdict only on the looks. At times, you might find a car quite attractive and worth going for, but you might want to rethink your opinion after a careful inspection. Read more from our special coverage on "CAR"Test for bikes motoring checkTest for carTest for bikesThe biggest problem many of us face while inspecting a car at a dealership or at the seller’s place is how to make sure that we are not duped with a faulty car. Below are some easy steps to help you inspect a car thoroughly and more conveniently before you go for professional or outside help.      Even before you start...Go for a sunny day!It’s always better to go for a physical inspection during daytime, especially when there is bright sunshine. You will not be able to carefully check certain aspects such as paint and dents when inspecting a car in low-light conditions.  See it in the openMake sure that you get the car parked at a place where you can get a complete 360-degree view. This will help you look from all possible angles and to inspect the vehicle thoroughly. If it is parked towards a wall or on an uneven surface, you can always ask the seller to drive it to an open area. Go for level ground Make sure that the car is on level ground so that you can check the straight-line areas better. Uneven surfaces make spotting deformities in places such as window panes and roof lines difficult.    Take somebody alongTwo is always better than one. A companion – such as a friend, a relative or a known mechanic or car expert -- can offer extra insight or opinion on the car. Make sure to take someone who is at least concerned or even marginally interested in the task at hand. At times, taking someone totally uninterested along might demotivate you to finish things quickly. Things you should carryBefore arriving at the seller’s site, make sure you have the items listed here with you:Notepad and pen or your smartphone, if you are comfortable storing details in it: For price calculation, noting identification number, mileage, and any other pointers that you might want to write.  A torch or flashlight: Will help inspect hidden spots and the bottom of the car.A CD or USB with high bit rate music: Make sure to carry any of these with audio or video (if required) of high quality. Ideally, the MP3 tracks you store should be of 320 kbps bit rate to test the output of the music system better.      An app for used cars: This can be a real godsend when you are stuck with pricing or any other details. The CarDekho app can help you find options in your vicinity, and to check and compare if you are getting the right deal or not.Let’s start the inspection Once you have gone through the checklist and pointers, start inspecting the car that you have zeroed down on. Each person has a different perspective on where to start, but we would recommend that you start from the exteriors.Check out the exteriors firstTake a walk around Before you arrive at a conclusion about spotting an irregularity or dent on the outside, it’s important to take a slow walk around the car and check the overall details. This should include a glance at particular areas such as the front bumper, headlights, grille, windscreen wipers, side turn indicators, wheel arches, windows and the boot. Look for any irregularity that can be detected at the first glance. If you spot something, feel free to notify the owner or the used car salesman about the part that you feel is not in perfect shape. If it’s a minor defect, such as a bruised edge on the bumper, or rubber cladding missing on the wiper, you can ask for a replacement once the deal is sealed. If you spot some major repairs, such as visible joints on the bumper or a big dent on the boot, it’s better to stop the inspection right there and start your search afresh.  Check for any paint difference and rustThis should ideally be done in broad daylight. Look into each panel of the car closely and try spotting a difference, if any, between the texture and the glare of the paint. For example, a repainted surface will shine more than the rest of the surface if the car is old. Always remember: the original factory paint has multiple levels of coating, which makes it quite smooth and linear. An aftermarket paint will always have a rough surface, which can be noticed easily. Check the paint on the joints and bolts as well. A repaint will somehow make the joint and bolt colour appear different from the rest of the body. A re-painted carA genuine factory paintWhile checking for paint, scan corners, joints and under-body areas for rust as well. One should carefully examine areas such as the front cross-member as well as side sills. Use a flashlight if required. Cars which have withstood heavy rains or floods will show signs of rust and should be avoided. Underbody rustRust on the sideCheck for any aftermarket body part or modificationAt times, sellers sell their heavily modified cars after handling them roughly. Any modification parts such as custom exhausts, air filters, bent pipes or even raised-up suspension and aftermarket alloy wheels should be judged carefully. A heavily modified car clearly means that it has undergone rigorous driving, which could include off-road run, heavy acceleration and engine damage as well. Ideally, stay away from a car which is or was heavily modified. You can always crosscheck with the seller if you have any queries.Inspect the car for major dents and repair workAlmost every car faces some dents and needs the smoothening of rough edges over the years of its running. This is especially true of the side doors and the front and rear bumpers. So, do not get too worried by minor scratches or dents, as they can be taken care of once you check with the seller. The major concern here is to not get conned for a car that has been involved in an accident, and which has been redone entirely. Concern area on the side: Always inspect joints on the doors as well as under-the-side black plastic casing. By removing that, you will come across punching holes which are done from the manufacturer’s end. A car that has undergone major repair will either have a welding joint or it will be completely smooth, without any punching hole. This is how you can identify a car that has been in an accident, from the side.  Non-accidental car (with punching holes)Accidental car with repair work done (without punching holes)Concern area on the rear: To check for any major dents or repair work at the rear, lift the carpet floor on the boot and take out the spare tyre as well. Now, check the metal sheet floor just beneath the spare wheel for pasting areas. Pasting done from the manufacturer’s end will be a little rough and widespread. Whereas, if the car has been repaired majorly from the back, you won’t really find any pasting details, or if the repairer is smart, you may get a completely smooth surface which should again raise some eyebrows on the work done.    Check pasting under the spare wheelConcern area on the top: Always inspect the roof properly by standing at a height from where you can see the roof clearly. In case of minor dents, feel free to check with the seller. But if you come across a major irregularity in the design, get the same thoroughly checked, and also look into the car’s history for any accidental damage. You must avoid a car that has a re-done roof covered in a vinyl or any other kind of casing or covering. Major roof damage is a clear sign that the car either toppled during an accident or something very heavy fell straight on top, damaging the car.  Check the make and year of the tyreIdeally, all 5 tyres (4 + 1 spare) should be of the same brand, so that they are worn out and replaced almost at the same time. If you come across multiple-brand tyres, feel free to crosscheck with the seller for the reason behind it. The average life of a car tyre can be around 30,000 to 40,000 km, depending on the driving conditions as well. Month & Year of manufactureTyres can also tell you a lot about the car and the way it has been maintained. Step closer and carefully inspect the side wall for the year of manufacture printed on the tyre. Almost all manufacturers brand their tyres with the month and year of manufacture. You can compare the year of tyre manufacture to that of the car and get a better insight on the running as well. If you are going for a car which has run more than 30,000 km, you should ideally get a new set of tyres from the seller. If there is a new set of tyres fitted to a car which has not even done 10,000 km, it calls for some suspicion. You need to ask the owner or the dealer for the reason behind the early replacement. This can be a sign of an accident car as well. However, there can be genuine reasons as well, for example a lot of surface punctures, side wall puncture, or even a tyre burst. So it’s always important to compare the age of the tyres with the age of the car. Now go under the hood Always remember that when you are going for a used car, you will encounter minor dents or some features that have been tampered with, and which do not function properly. Don’t worry, because all of that can be fixed or replaced easily, excluding one important part: the engine. If there is a defect or issue with the engine, don’t think twice about refusing the purchase. Open the bonnet of the car and spend some time looking around to inspect the things under the hood. You can focus on these areas:Match metallic colour under the hoodThe first sign of a damaged or accident car will be a repaint job done under the hood. Keeping the parts aside, first take a good look at the body colour under the bonnet. By body colour, we mean the metallic and fabricated parts of the car which will be painted in the same colour as of the car. Note: There will be a marginal difference between under the hood colour and exterior paint; so do fret, since it is something that comes straight from the manufacturer. Concern area: Check for colour mismatch for the metallic parts as well as for the fabricated joints at the corners. Original joints usually have a non-linear, rough surface with joint points clearly visible. If the car has been in an accident, chances are, the fabricator will do a great job in welding the joints back, but in a smooth manner. Check the engine oil level If engine is the heart of your car, then engine oil is the blood that pumps in and keeps it running. So it is very important to make sure that the engine oil level is adequate before you go ahead. How to check engine oil level: Make sure that the car is cold and it’s not running. Take the transmission dipstick -- which is inserted on the side mounting of the engine -- out. You will come across two points marked on the dipstick. Ideal engine oil level should be up to the higher second pointer, which states ‘full’, and the colour of the oil should be as transparent as possible if the seller claims to have filled it recently. To check more efficiently, take the oil onto your fingers and rub it with your thumb. If you see a dirty grey color smudge and can only smell fuel, it means the car needs an oil change.      Ideal oil level should be till the second markerConcern area: If you come across dirty or insufficient engine oil level, feel free to ask the seller to fill it up before you make the purchase. Ideally, go for a car which is newly serviced with all oil levels in place.All fluids should be in placeApart from the essential engine oil, always check for fluids such as brake fluid and coolant fluid levels, along with their colour and formation. How to check brake fluid: Locate the plastic container on the side of the hood, called the brake fluid reservoir. Usually the reservoir is transparent and one can easily check the fluid level without opening it. Make sure that the level of the fluid reaches the max level as indicated on the reservoir or it is as close to it as possible. The colour of the fluid should be light to indicate good health. If you come across dark fluid, make sure to point that out and get it replaced before purchase. Ideal Brake fluid level should be till the MAX indication on the reservoirAlways refill when fluid reaches the minimum levelHow to check coolant: Coolant is important as it keeps the radiator cool even during extreme conditions. Just like brake fluid, coolant is also stored in a transparent plastic reservoir. Always make sure that the car is cold and is not running when opening the coolant cap close. A coolant is generally red, green, yellow or blue in colour. It can also be transparent at times if one is only using water as a coolant. After opening the cap, you can inspect if the coolant is losing colour or not. If it is, it needs to be replaced.  Free play in clutch wire Make sure that the clutch wire attached to the clutch pedal inside the car has sufficient amount of free play, which ensures smooth and soft clutch usage. You can ask someone to sit inside the car and press the clutch pedal repeatedly when the car is stationary and the ignition is not ON. Pressing the clutch pedal will result in the clutch wire to run in a horizontal motion. You can feel the clutch wire assembly for free play. If it is not moving properly in response to the pressure of the clutch pedal when pressed, you can convey the same to the seller and ask for a replacement.  Soft hose pipe The hose pipe connected to the engine should be soft. Check the same by pressing it gently when the car is cold and not running. Make sure that the pipe is not hard and it doesn’t have any cracks on the outside. Extensive running of the engine and rough usage could have led to wear and tear. Stress-free beltsThe use of belts on the engine can speak a lot about the condition of the car. Once the car is cold and not running, you can physically inspect the belts for wear and tear. Make sure that the surface of is smooth and there are no cracks or signs of being worn out. If engine belts are broken, it can prove to be fatal and very expensive to replace as well. Let’s go for the interiors nowFeel the cabin firstBefore you do anything else, step inside the car and just look around the cabin to see if you come across any irregularity in features or any other detail. Spend some time sitting at multiple seating positions, such as driver’s side, co-driver’s side and the back seat.  Check seat condition Before you make yourself comfortable inside the car, it’s important to check the seats. Make a note of any stains, holes or scratch marks on the seats and bring it to the notice of the seller. Make the seats recline and retract them repeatedly to see whether the movement is smooth. Once you sit, check for cushioning and under-thigh support padding, to see whether it’s adequate.     Check every feature one by oneDo not hurry on to things by checking just the AC and the audio unit. Examine the dials and buttons on the central console, steering wheel, and on the instrument cluster as well. Then start using each feature one by one and check if it’s functioning properly.   Inspect all electrical equipmentDo not turn the ignition ON as of now, and operate in battery mode. Inspect all electrical fitments such as horn, headlights, turn indicators, electrical folding or operating seats, side mirrors, etc. Then turn the car ignition ON and check the features again. Make use of every electrical equipment listed on the car, including the power steering, even when stationary, by turning the steering wheel. Check floor for rust or tamperingClosely examine the floor mats and check their condition. Once done, remove all the mats and check the floor of the car for any rust or additional tampering. Feel free to bend down and examine the entire floor for any unusual smell, dent or crack. If you do come across a foul smell, or a noticeable crack, it can be a sign of rust, flooding, or even heavy rains that the car has witnessed. Report it to the seller and ask for an explanation. Meanwhile, consult a mechanic to see if it can be fixed.   Some miscellaneous checks towards the endMake sure it’s the right variant Do not get conned by a false badge at the rear of the car. For example, if you are looking at a Maruti Suzuki Swift Vxi variant at a used-car dealership, make sure to compare the name of the variant with all the official papers of the car. At times, people get conned by a false badge at the rear, which might show a Swift Vxi (higher variant) despite being an Lxi (lower variant). There are brands that do not list the variant badge on the exteriors. For example, in case of a Volkswagen Polo, you will only find a TDI (diesel) or a TSI (petrol) badge on the boot with no mention of the variant. There are many variants within the same, such as Trendline (base model) and Highline (top model), which should be checked thoroughly by going through the official papers and comparing the listed features of the particular variant.Make a note of all the readings during inspectionWhether you buy the car or not, it’s always important to take note of meter readings, such as trip and other details, when you go for an inspection. In case you end up liking that car, you should always know the exact readings of the car when you made the last visit. At times, vehicles on display are made to run a lot of kilometers in the interim period when they are waiting to be sold. How to check odometer tampering This is an important issue that haunts almost all used-car buyers. How do you ensure that the car you are going for has run the exact kilometres as listed on the odometer? As kilometres covered still remains a decisive factor for a purchase, it becomes imperative to cross-check for any fraud. On the technical side, it is almost impossible to check if the odometer, whether digital or a mechanical dial, has been tampered with. Though not fool-proof, here are a few tricks to check for odometer tampering: Check past service records: This is one of the best ways to get an idea about the car’s driving history. Past service records will show the tenure and the kilometres done by the car. Compare the odometer reading with the numbers mentioned on the last service record. Check service and maintenance stickers: You can usually find stickers of inspection or service on the window corners, windshield corners or even under the hood. Look for them and compare the kilometre readings.Tyre running and make: As cited above, tyres can be of great help to compare the reading of the odometer to a roughly estimated usage. Check for tyre manufacturing year on the side wall and compare it with the car’s age. A new set of tyres lasts 30,000 to 40,000 km. Get a trusted mechanic’s help: Ask your mechanic to examine the car thoroughly. With his experience, a mechanic can easily identify whether the car’s condition matches the odometer reading.      Enquire about the last owner: This is where you can roughly estimate how much the car must have been driven. If the last owner was into real estate or politics, you can guess that the running would be on the higher side (ideally 20,000+ km a year). On the other hand, if the last owner was a banker or a corporate employee, chances are, the car would have done average or below-average kilometres overall (between 10,000 and 15,000 km annually). If the used car that you like passes all the above tests, congratulations! You have found a winner. Before you go ahead and seal the deal, or if you are confused between two cars, get behind the wheel and test drive the car before purchase. This is again an important exercise and should be done thoroughly. To help you with the same, do read our article on how to test drive a used car before purchase here and finalize the car that fits your needs. Source : CarDekho

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How to physically inspect a used car before buying

Buying Honda BR-V - Decide before launch

Many of you have seen the Honda BR-V in videos or pictures, and the rest might have spotted it at the 2016 Auto Expo. It is a practical, seven-seater SUV/MPV cross and gets all the good stuff from Honda’s inventory. As a product, the BR-V stands to its ground, but the competition it faces from the Creta is fierce. Here is all that you need to know before you book the BR-V for yourself.Read more from our special coverage on "HONDA CARS"Honda Cars hopes BR-V will help clock double-digit growth in FY171. The Seven-Seater AdvantageBeing the sole seven-seater SUV in its segment, the Honda BR-V will catch the eye of specific buyers. Although, the Creta seats three children at the back with utter ease, the BR-V takes comfort to an all new level. But, accommodating three passengers on the second row will be a squeeze. So, if you are fond of family picnics, the BR-V won't let you leave your grandparents behind.2. The Space GameEven with two additional seats, the legroom on offer is quite decent. The last row passengers have well-sized windows, which adds to the airiness. With the third row in place, the BR-V still has enough room for luggage. Overall, the BR-V is a comfortable wagon.3. The Honda LegacyIt borrows its underpinnings from the likes of the Brio and the Mobilio. That said, the car is longer and does feature a large rear overhang. The insides are reminiscent of the Honda Jazz, while the engines have made their way over from the Honda city. These are 1.5-litre petrol and diesel units which in the City generates 117.3 and 98.6bhp respectively. The petrol variant will also come with an optional CVT automatic gearbox. If you are a Honda owner, the BR-V will be a familiar space to be within. The drive is comfortable and has enough punch, although, you do feel the length of the car while taking turns on above average speeds.4. The SUV-MPV DilemmaIs the BR-V an SUV or an MPV? Well, Honda likes to call the BR-V an SUV, but in all its essence, it is an MPV on steroids. The long side profile and the seven-seater layout takes care of the MPV part, and the squared-off bonnet with large two-part chrome grille gives it an SUV stance. The chunky bumpers with skid plates and plastic cladding all around the car, adds muscle to its appeal. The car does look off-road ready, but you just might want to keep it on tarmac and slight gravel. More details when we get our hands on one.The BR-V is comfortable, spacious, decent to drive and features an automatic option. It looks the part of an SUV and has the practicality of an MPV. All-in-all, it is a good car, but the Hyundai Creta is tough to beat. Moreover, the Renault Duster has just been updated and is one of the best off-roaders in the segment. Honda will really have to work hard on pricing the BR-V correctly to be a worthy competitor of the lot.The car is slated to launch on May 5, 2016. Do read our in-depth coverage of the BR-V to know more about the car. We will also be coming up with a road test so stay tuned.Source : CarDekho

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Buying Honda BR-V - Decide before launch

Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett at a glance

Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc will this weekend welcome tens of thousands of people to Omaha for the company's annual shareholder gathering, which Buffett calls "Woodstock for Capitalists."It almost wasn't to be.Prior to taking over Berkshire on May 10,1965, Buffett had planned to sell back his shares in what was then a struggling textile company. But he got angry when the term sheet showed a price 12-1/2 cents a share less than he agreed to. He responded by buying all the shares he could, until he won control.Fifty-one years later, Berkshire is an energy, insurance, manufacturing, railroad, retailing and investment empire with close to 90 companies, well over $100 billion of common stock investments, and a market value around $364 billion.The following comes from Berkshire and other sources.Berkshire information

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Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett at a glance

Debunking bad science

I THINK YOU'LL FIND IT'S A BIT MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT
Ben Goldacre
Harper Collins India
160 pages; $18

Ben Goldacre is a physician by training and he's in his early 40s. His day job is in epidemiology. This is important because epidemiologists use a lot of statistics and understand how maths works. Since 2003, Mr Goldacre has written the most entertaining science column in mass media, "Bad Science" for The Guardian.

He specifically targets pseudoscience, fallacies and woo and he does so with a trademark blend of logic, wit, snark and sarcasm that mocks bad science. He is breathtakingly blunt in his takedowns but he is often very funny as well.

This is a free-wheeling column, flitting across disciplines and going wherever the fancy takes Mr Goldacre. The sheer breadth requires great gobs of erudition and quantities of research. His ability to turn an elegant phrase makes it look easy. In that sense, his facility with language may be somewhat to blame for science seeming a little less complicated than it actually is.

There is obviously a rich lode to be mined in debunking. There is an enormous amount of pseudoscience in the public domain and more tripe is churned out on a daily basis, quite often by people who should know better.

Two previous compilations, Bad Science and Bad Pharma, drew on the column for material and both books were bestsellers. This third compilation is a potpourri that avoids new pharma-related fallacies (for the most part) while also staying away from material covered in the earlier compilations.

That still leaves 400 pages organised into many sections, with another 70 pages of end-notes and bibliography. Each section consists of several articles with a common theme. The overarching focus is on statistics and epidemiology.

The first section, "How Science Works" covers the art and grammar of peer review, and the back and forth that typically occurs when research is accepted, published and discussed. It also deals with evils such as cherry-picking data.

As he says in one of those pieces, "Science has authority, not because of white coats and titles but because of precision and transparency". One of the most interesting articles in this section dealt with scientific studies conducted by children (the oldest being 15 and the youngest nine) which flatly contradicted received wisdom about the Brain Gym exercise system, about a "miracle drug" that cured Crohn's Disease and about a faddish nursing concept called "Therapeutic Touch". In two cases, the papers were initially suppressed because they were embarrassing to adults.

That relatively staid hors d'oeuvre leads us into "Biologising", Statistics, Big Data, Surveys, Epidemiology, Bad Academia, Government Statistics, Evidence-based Policy, (recreational ) Drugs, Libel (which focuses on lawsuits brought against science writers by purveyors of pseudoscience), Quacks, Magic boxes, Irrationality, bad journalism, Stuff and Early Snarks. Phew! I've probably missed something but that should give the reader a sense of how widely Mr Goldacre trawls (and trolls when it comes to snark). Note that, most of the time, he is dealing with egregious errors, mishaps and fallacies.

Some of this material is truly frightening in its implications. For example, lacunae in compilation, logical errors and deliberate misuse of government statistics, can lead to appalling policy mishaps. So the government statistics and evidence-based policy sections dovetail into each other. For example, he cites instances where he tracked down studies upon which major UK government policy recommendations were based. One six-page study consisted of a four-page advertisement for the research organisation concerned, with two pages of verbiage and three lines of unexplained data. it said 20 per cent cuts in municipal budgets was possible.

The National Health Service suffered from a minister citing fallacious "evidence" for reorganisation. Another error-ridden study with absurd assumptions claimed vast losses (amounting to 10 per cent of GDP!) through music piracy. This was used to push through anti-piracy laws.

Another such study advocated the creation of a massive DNA database maintained by the police, of everyone who had ever been arrested (not necessarily convicted) so as to aid in detection of future crimes. (India's DNA Bill wishes to take this a step further by maintaining a DNA database of anybody, who has ever been involved in a crime, including the victims). The UK government released a consultation paper based on a sample of a few hundred people who had been arrested. Mr Goldacre eviscerates the methodology. Then of course, there are erroneous policies for combating AIDs, which rely on pseudoscience and helped to kill thousands of people.

There are other instances, where the writer is just having fun, dealing with less serious subjects. He asserts for instance, that the female preference for pink as a colour is entirely culturally-driven and of recent origin. Then again, in some cases he may not be entirely tongue-in-cheek: he points out that watching £20 worth of pornography appears to have the same positive effect on sperm donors, as a course of in-vitro fertility treatments costing £3,000.

The articles cited above more or less at random should give the reader a sense of where Mr Goldacre goes. He is always entertaining, often thought-provoking. As he says himself, this is a "toilet book". Keep it next to the loo and dip into it while reigning over china.

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Debunking bad science