Category: Nagpur Local

NAGPUR: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar liked the relationship between individual and social structure, but not the passivity of self-realization through their position in an existing society. Along similar lines, philosopher John Dewey believed that as part of it one should evolve in a community and not independently, said on Tuesday Professor Scott Stroud, Media Ethics Coordinator, Center for Media Engagement, University of Texas.

As part of the international lecture series on’ Pragmatism, personality and Ambedkar’s focus on conversion to Buddhism, Dr. Nitin Raut delivered the second lecture. The lecture was arranged at Convocation Hall by Nagpur University. Vice-Chancellor SP Kane and Pro-VC Vinayak Deshpande were present at the event.

Speaking of Dewey, Stroud said, “He’s known in the American sense as a proponent of democracy and education. Over the course of the short history of America, he may be the best known intellectual. His writings about democracy and his experiences in America make him an important figure for India. “Stroud said Ambedkar was a devoted follower of Dewey while studying at Columbia University from 1913 to 1916. He said, “I think one can not comprehend the pragmatism of Ambedkar without thinking about Dewey. At the same time, one can not grasp the strengths and weaknesses of Dewey’s theories without seeing how, in the Indian sense, Ambedkar developed those ideas differently.” “You can be affected by people in a way that does not include you replicating them. Once Dewey died Ambedkar said he owed Dewey his whole intellectual life, “he said.

“By Dewey’s theory, core principles of Ambedkar in pragmatism like caste as a habit and faith as a means were inculcated,” he said.

Stroud said, “My thesis emphasized that the Buddhism of Ambedkar serves as a holistic means of shaping the personality of each individual. Ambedkar put forth the idea of conversion as a means of freedom for community and person. He spoke about how the conversion would act as an intelligent means of emancipation. “On Monday’s first day of the lecture series, Stroud said,” America is grappling with the same issues about democracy in India, and we need to understand and also let us learn how to get along with each other in society.

He spoke of Ambedkar’s worry that “The moment we stop talking and thinking about things such as democracy and what Buddhism has taught us about equality and pragmatism, we seem to stop caring about them and they really don’t matter to us.”

Stroud said he’s been reading several journals, books, and papers to understand Buddhism and how it’s related to American pragmatism, and how Dewey influenced Ambedkar.

Rushabh Rathod with inputs

Nagpur: A few months ago, a full-fledged winery began its commercial operations in Bhandara in a first of its kind business venture for Vidarbha, with bottles of port wine being marketed in that district.

SP Wineries is now finalizing its plans for next month’s promotion of the company in Nagpur and foraying into the luxury wine segment by next year. Shashichandra Jaiswal, whose family owns retail liquor shops, broke tradition and tried to “follow his passion” in wine production.

It all started almost a decade ago as an idea when Jaiswal took up a’ homemade wines ‘ hobby. Jaiswal, though a teetotaller, has always been intrigued by the wine as a’ classy’ drink.

“Friends have sampled my homemade wines and the feedback I got was that it tastes better than most commercial products. Then, I finally got a winery license in 2015,’ Jaiswal said.

Jaiswal began work on his factory in 2017 with guidance from his Nashik vineyard-owner friend Rajesh Borse, who is also an office-bearer of the All India Wine Producers ‘ Association (AIWPA). Luckily, he too had an in-house specialist. “My nephew Shaurya did his M.Sc. in wine and alcohol technology and that proved to be a big advantage in our small unit where his father Prakashchandra is also a partner,” Jaiswal said.

The next big question was on grape sourcing. “I decided to buy Nashik grapes so that we could immediately start commercial production of port wine. Port wine is made from non-premium grapes, and accounts for 95% of all Indian wine sales, “Jaiswal said.

The first batch went bottled in June 2019. In this new business, Jaiswal prefers to take small steps. “We are only selling in Bhandara right now but our goods will be available in Nagpur by the end of February. It takes time to expand the business, as wine sales volume is very low compared to whiskey and beer, “Jaiswal said.

He has a plan in place to ascend the winemaking value chain. “In the next few years, premium grapes will be grown here in Pauni, after which we will venture into the upper segment,” Jaiswal said.

While a bottle of port wine sells for around Rs200-230, a bottle of premium wine of a similar size will go for at least Rs750. Yet Jaiswal can not rely on the grapes coming from other cities to make it commercially viable.

He is persuaded that grapevines grow at the conditions of Vidarbha. “I saw grapes growing alongside’ paan ‘ leaf plants in Pauni some decades ago. Therefore there is no doubt in my mind that there is a simple ecosystem. Of course, I will take advice from experts in agriculture to further model conditions on vineyards for optimum grape quality, “Jaiswal said.

Nagpur Wine Club director Deepak Khanuja said, “It is a matter of great pride that wines being produced in Vidarbha are available on the market. This will help promote the wine community, and it will also prove economically advantageous for farmers to step up the value chain.

Nagpur: The project called’ Roti Bank’ was launched in Nagpur after Mumbai, aimed at feeding the poor and hungry. The Roti Bank was opened at Rashtrasant Tukdoji Regional Cancer Hospital in the presence of the Director of the Foundation and Maharashtra’s former Director General of Police D Sivanandan, Police Commissioner Dr Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, and IG KM Prasanna on Tuesday 7 January. Feed packets were served to poor patients on the occasion.

Other prominent figures on the occasion include Dr Subrojit Dasgupta, Dr B K Sharma, Chandrakant Deshmukh and other physicians and the Roti Bank team. The Roti Bank collects leftovers from restaurants, clubs and parties, stores them in vans and distributes them to the poor before food stalls.

In a world where millions of people are hungry every day, a former IPS officer has come up with an initiative to feed the poor. Launched in December last year by former top cop D Sivanandan, in collaboration with the famous Mumbai tiffin carrier ‘ Dabbawalas,’ Roti Bank claims to have received a good response. To bring a sense of benevolence to the rich class, Sivanandan encourages children from affluent families to “come and witness the joy of sharing (food),” he said, adding that alleviating the hunger of street children would help them to refrain from committing crimes.

Speaking at the time, Sivanandan said, “I never thought that such a good initiative would have a good start. The Roti Bank was founded in December 2017 from a pandal near the Lower Parel Railway Station in Mumbai. At that time, only 10 people were involved in the initiative. “There wasn’t any money. A friend of mine had provided a vehicle. Roti Bank now has 10 vehicles in Mumbai and the 11th in Nagpur. I was Police Commissioner 4r in Nagpur in 2004. Since Nagpur is the centre of tasty food, the city has been chosen for the initiative. India is a three-trillion dollar economy. The population of the country will surpass the population of China in the next year. Although India is a powerful country, about 20 crore people are hungry. We have enough food, but because of mismanagement, huge food goes to waste. Nearly 1.8 lakh tons of food is wasted every day in India, and around 20 crore people, many of whom are in Mumbai, are going hungry, “he lamented.

Sivanandan also said that the Roti Bank has served 10 Lakh people to date. “We distribute food to schools where poor students study. Over 500 patients at the Tata Cancer Hospital are served with food. The NGO has started cooking since 1 January. Salaries of staff and drivers shall be paid through this NGO. Prasanna Chaudhari will work with a ream of 20 volunteers in Nagpur, “said the former top cop.

As part of the program, two GPRS-equipped vans are making rounds of streets near hospitals and slums to provide food for the poor, he said. The NGO mainly collects leftover food staples such as rotis (chapati or wheat-made flatbread), rice, vegetables and dal to be distributed within 60 to 90 minutes.