TOKYO'S RYOGUKU DISTRICT

Sumo City

It is not uncommon to see large men clothed in cotton kimonos and wooden sandals strolling down the streets of Tokyo’s Ryoguku district on the east bank of the Sumida River. These men are sumo wrestlers, athletes who participate in Japan’s national sport of sumo wrestling. 

Japanese sumo wrestling began about 2,000 years ago when tournaments were held at shrines and temples. Sumo wrestling was both spiritual and sacred, and matches were performed to entertain and please the Gods. It evolved into a spectator sport in the 1600s and was centred in the Ryoguku district, Edo’s bustling entertainment and commerce center. 

The Ryoguku district has remained the sumo wrestling capital of Japan. Many sumo beya (stables), facilities where wrestlers live and train, are located there. Promising wrestlers are sent to live and train at stables when they are just 15 years old. They arrive with dreams of fame and fortune but discover that life at a stable is difficult. In addition to practicing for hours each day, novice wrestlers must cook, clean, and attend to the needs of senior wrestlers. It takes a tremendous amount of patience, strength, and discipline to become an accomplished sumo wrestler.

Only the top wrestlers compete in the country’s six annual sumo tournaments. Three of these 15-day tournaments take place at Kokugikan Sumo Stadium in the Ryoguku district. Opened in 2014, the 10,000-seat stadium also houses a sumo museum. 

Retired wrestlers manage many of the district’s chanko nabe restaurants. Chanko nabe, a hot stew-like dish made with broth, protein (meat or tofu), and vegetables, can be prepared using endless combinations of ingredients. It is the staple food of sumo wrestlers. 

Although sumo wrestling is what Ryoguku is famous for, the district has much more to offer. It is home to the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which highlights Tokyo’s history beginning with the Edo period, which took place from 1603 and 1868. The museum is filled with intricate scale models depicting life in Edo as well as reconstructed historical buildings including a replica of Edo’s most popular kabuki hall. 

Wrestlers wear their hair in topknots, which are similar to buns. Only top-ranked wrestlers can wear topknots styled into the shape of ginko leaves. The topknot was worn by samurai during the Edo period, a time when hairstyles were a symbol of a person’s status in society. According to legend, sumo wrestlers bury their topknots on the grounds of the Eko-in Temple after they retire. 

It was also during the Edo period that samurai served daimyos, Edo’s most powerful lords. In 1701, 47 samurai cut off the head of Kira Yoshinaka, the man responsible for the death of their daimyo. After cleaning Yoshinaka’s head in a well, they delivered it to their master’s grave. The ronins (masterless samurai) were harshly punished for the act. 

Visitors to the Ryoguku district can learn about these events by checking out Honjo Matsuzaka-cho Park, which is located where the killing took place. The well that was used to wash Yoshinaka’s head can be found in the park, and there are stone monuments that lead out of the park and mark the path on which the ronin walked as they traveled to their master’s grave.

“The Legend of the 47 Ronin,” one of the most celebrated stories in Japan, has been retold in books, movies, and kabuki theater plays. 

Visitors can choose to travel the path of the 47 ronin, visit a museum, or get a glimpse into the sacred world of sumo wrestling. The Ryoguky district is filled with reminders of Tokyo’s rich and sometimes tragic history.

FAST FACTS» In an effort to remain on their feet during a match, sumo wrestlers will not eat a stew called chanko nabethat contains meat from any fourlegged animal before competing.» The Ryoguku district is filled with sumo statues, sumo flags, sumo murals, sumo wrestler portraits, and even handprints from famous sumo wrestlers.

THE GOLDEN FIBRE

Jute 

One of the most important natural fibre and cash crops in India, jute is a biodegradable and environment-­friendly alternative to plastic when it comes to packaging needs. 

Jute, known as the golden fibre, is the second most important cash crop in India after cotton in terms of cultivation and usage. India is the largest producer of jute in the world. West Bengal, Assam and Bihar are the major jute­-growing states in the country, and raw jute farming and trade make up the livelihood of about 14 million people. West Bengal is the largest producer of jute in India. Jute is mainly cultivated by marginal and small farmers of Assam. The State is the second largest producer of jute in India. The main jute­ producing districts are Nagaon, Goalpara, Barpeta, and Darrang. Jute is a labour ­intensive crop and provides huge employment opportunities and benefits to local farmers. The agro-­based and export­ oriented industry has played an important role in the economy of Assam. The bast fibre crop can be harvested at any stage after a certain period of vegetative growth, usually between 100 and 150 days. Harvesting of jute crop at pre­bud or bud stage gives the best quality fibre, however, the yields are low. Older crop yields more quantity but the fibre becomes coarse and the stem does not ret properly. Hence, as a compromise between quality and quantity, the early pod formation stage has been found best for harvesting. 

Harvesting is done by cutting the plants at or close to the ground level with sharp sickles. In flooded lands, the plants are uprooted. The harvested plants are left in the field for two or three days for the leaves to shed. Next, the plants are tied into bundles and the branching tops are left to rot in the field. Retting is one of the important operations governing the quality of fibre. The bundles are kept in water, and later placed side by side, usually in layers and tied together. They are covered with water hyacinth or any other weed that does not release tannin and iron. The float is then weighed down with seasoned logs or with concrete blocks or are kept submerged with bamboo ­crating. Retting is best done in slow ­moving cleanwater. The optimum temperature is around 34degrees Celsius. Once the fibre comes out easily from the wood, retting is considered complete.

Many countries are now trying to reduce the use of plastic commodities, especially plastic bags. Jute bags are biodegradable and environment­friendly alternatives to plastic bags. Here lies the economic prospects of jute. Along with the traditional usage, jute can contribute in the production of value­ added products such as paper, pulp, composites, textiles and other materials.

TRIBUTE TO SIR MOKSHAGUNDAM VISVESVARAYA

Engineer's Day

Every year, September 15 is celebrated as Engineer’s Day in India (Sri Lanka and Tanzania too), in honour of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, fondly known as Sir MV, whose contributions to public good have left an indelible mark in the history of India’s development, especially Karnataka. His administrative acumen, attention to detail, vision for all-round development, unwavering dedication and above all transparency in public life, have made his life folklore to not only his engineering profession but also to all sections of society. This proud son of Karnataka refused to be constrained by the shackles of poverty of pre-independence India, and went on to become an icon of public administration, shaping the country’s development. His journey from a civil engineer to recipient of India’s highest honour, Bharat Ratna, has a message for all.

Proving his mettle: After a successful tenure in PWD of Bombay Government, Sir MV was invited to join the Indian Irrigation Commission where he proved his mettle by devising innovative floodgates to raise the level of water storage in reservoirs (first in Pune). The same system was installed later in KRS dam, Mysore. Another feat in his early career was to implement a system to prevent sea erosion of Vishakapatnam port. It was the then King of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, another visionary, who invited Sir MV to lead the development of the then Mysore Kingdom as Diwan. He accepted Sir MV’s philosophy ‘Without Industries India cannot Grow’. Results were spectacular as Sir MV established many institutions for development such as Mysore Soap Factory, Mysore Iron & Steel Works (now named after Visvesvaraya), Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic, State Bank of Mysore, Century Club, Mysore Chamber of Commerce (now FKCCI), University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE, Bangalore) and many other industries. KRS dam in Mysore stands testimony to his engineering skills, vision for development and above all an illustrious example for all professions as to how one can contribute to public good and national development.

True patriot: In this regard, Sir MV stands out as a true patriot and no less a nationalist than those who chose to serve India through the struggle for independence. He chose to serve the country as a professional engineer to free India from poverty and take the initial but firm steps to self-reliance. Addressing the Association of Engineers of Mysore (1910) he said, "In the West, expenditure on education is considered a national investment." And promptly followed it up with the establishment of University of Mysore, University of Agriculture, Bangalore, and a Polytechnic in Bangalore. Sir MV also espoused the cause of charity with the purpose of empowerment towards self-reliance rather than supporting individuals, as both the individual and nation grow together productively. Seeds of charity were sown by him early which modern governments have reinvented in the form of PPP. Apart from these widely known facts, Sir MV was an icon of public values. It is known that before accepting the position of Diwan of Mysore, he first obtained the concurrence of his family members not to seek any official favours from him. Many inspirational values he has left for future generations are eternally relevant: transparency, life-long learning, value of time, payback to society, value of planning before execution to prevent wastage and equality.

Sir MV’s birthday should not be limited to engineering profession alone. His life and values in public life and vision to contribute to national development beyond one’s professional field are eternally relevant to all professions. They are the basic ingredients of growth even in the 21st century and beyond, where challenges of the fourth industrial revolution based on knowledge activities hold the key to individual and national success. Sir MV’s messages inspire the youth and convince them about the huge opportunities to contribute to nation-building in whatever profession they choose.

Sir MV was not only an engineering genius, he was also responsible for shaping the country’s development in a big way.

JULY 21

Junk Food Day 

July 21 is celebrated as Junk Food Day every year. The term 'junk food' is used for food that has very little nutritional value and contains high amount of fat, calories, sugar and salt. This kind of food has little or no proteins, vitamins, minerals or fibres, all of which are essential for the body. 

Junk food and fast food are mainly mid-20th century inventions. Michael F Jacobson, co-founder of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), coined the term 'Junk food' in 1972. However, the term only became popular in 1976 due to a novelty song, 'Junk Food Junkie' by Larry Groce. Food items like candy, chips, French fries, chewing gum, soft drinks, pizza and burgers are labelled as Junk food. 

According to doctors, there is a direct relation between the rise in the popularity of junk food and rise in the cases of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, tooth decay and other health problems. Let’s take a look at some popular junk food items and how they affect our health. 

Pizza: 

Originally from Italy, pizza is a combination of dough, sauce, vegetables, meat and cheese. Pizzas are laden with high amounts of sodium and refined carbohydrates. They have a high calorie count, which is why eating too much pizza can lead to weight gain and weight-related health problems. 

A standard serving of cheese pizza contains 18.5gms of fat and 675mgs of sodium. The fats in pizza lead to weight gain and obesity. The refined carbohydrates in the white flour used to make pizza affect the glucose level in the body and the high salt content can also raise blood pressure. 

French fries: 

French fries originated in Belgium and were eaten as a substitute for fried fish in the 1600s when rivers froze during the winter. US President Thomas Jefferson was credited with introducing French fries in the US in 1801.

Potatoes are a source of fibre and potassium, which help in digestion and give you adequate energy. However, if they are fried, potatoes become an ultimate source of transfat, which elevate cholesterol levels and clog the arteries in the heart. French fries tend to be over-loaded which sodium, which results in greater risk of obesity. Deep-frying also increases the cancer-causing substances in them.

Soft drinks: 

There are hundreds of varieties of soft drinks available in the market. These contain carbonated water, sweeteners and natural or artificial flavours. Soft drinks have zero nutritional value and contain caffeine, artificial colours and preservatives, which are harmful for the body. Sweeteners in soft drinks include sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice and sugar substitutes. It is proven that adults who drink soft drinks or sugar sweetened beverages are 27% more likely to be obese. Consuming a lot of soft drinks also causes kidney damage, weak bones, high blood pressure and dehydration. 

Sweets and candy: 

Egyptians made the earliest candies by combining honey with fruits, nuts, dates and spices. Indians are credited with making the first sugar candy around 250 AD. Modern candies were first made around the 16th century and the sweet manufacturing industry developed in the early 19th century. Manufacturers created chocolate bars in the 1840s by mixing together cacao butter, cocoa powder and sugar. 

Binging on candy can cause dental cavities and other oral issues. Sugar-based sweets are not only filled with high doses of fructose and sucrose, which increase blood sugar levels, but also contain harmful artificial colours and flavours. 

Burgers: 

Do you know why the burgers in commercials look so appealing and near perfect? It is because they are undercooked. A burger or a hamburger is very similar to a sandwich and consists of one or more fried patties placed inside a sliced bun. Burgers first appeared during the 19th or early 20th century. They are sold at fast-food joints and restaurants and are served with cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, tomato sauce, mayonnaise and mustard. 

The typical bun or bread in a fast-food burger contains 20 different ingredients, some of which are also used to make fertilisers, explosives and even yoga mats! Ketchup is made with high-fructose corn syrup and a single slice of cheese can add up to 200 calories and 500mgs of sodium. Most of the bottled sauces used in burger are processed, containing artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. The meat used in fast-food burgers is also processed and mechanically treated with ammonia to kill bacteria. 

Vada Pav: 

The Indian version of the burger, a vada pav is a speciality of Maharashtra and is thought to have been invented in 1971. A vada is made of potato mixed with spices and vegetables. It is coated with gram flour batter and then deep fried. It is served between a bun (pav) along with chutney. A single vada pav can contain as many as 500 calories. One of the major health-related issues associated with eating vada pavs is that of hygiene. They are made under different circumstances, usually alongside roads, which compromises the quality of the food. 

Doughnuts: 

Although the origin of the doughnut or donut is unknown, different nationalities have their own version of the treat. Some historians believe that the first to introduce the modern doughnut were the Dutch, in the form of olykoeks or oily-cakes during the mid-19th century. Doughnuts are served in hundreds of flavours around the world from chocolate and cream to bubble gum and even cheese. 

A doughnut is deep-fried and contains a large amount of saturated fat and transfat. On an average, a glazed doughnut contains 240 calories and a single chocolate glazed doughnut has around five teaspoons of sugar. The sugar in the doughnuts makes them very addictive and hard to resist. Consuming doughnuts excessively will result in weight gain, leading to heart-related issues, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. 

HOW TIME HAS BEEN KEPT THROUGHOUT HISTORY

  From sundials to atomic clocks

The world has come from keeping time with the sun and the moon to atoms and their nuclei. Some physicist have even started work on the next-to-next generation of devices, called nuclear clocks. 

Time is an inalienable part of our reality. Scientists don’t understand it fully at the universe’s largest and smallest scales, but fortunately for humans, a panoply of natural philosophers and inventors have allowed us to keep step with its inexorable march — with clocks.

What is a clock?

Clocks are devices that measure the passage of time and display it. Their modern versions have the following parts— a power source, resonator, and counter. A clock measures the amount of time that has passed by tracking something that happens in repeating fashion, at a fixed frequency. In many modern clocks, for example, this is a quartz crystal. More rudimentary devices often depended on natural events instead. The sundials in use in ancient times allowed people to ‘tell’ time by casting shadows of changing lengths against sunlight. In water clocks, water would slowly fill a vessel, with its levels at different times indicating howmuch time had passed. 

The hourglass served a similar purpose, using sand instead of water.

How did mechanical clocks work?

Until the Middle Ages, engineers around the world improved the water clock with additional water tanks, gear wheels, pulleys, and even attached musical instruments to the point where they were practically developing rudimentary analog computers.

One of the first major revolutions in timekeeping that paved the way for modern clocks was the invention of the verge escapement mechanism in the 13th century, which first opened the door to mechanical clocks. The fundamental element here was a gear that, through a combination of mechanical arrangements, could only move in fixed intervals. The gear was called an escape wheel if it was circular. A second gear, called the balance wheel, was enmeshed with the first such that when the escape wheel moved forward one gear tooth at a time, the balance wheel would oscillate back and forth. This oscillation would drive the ‘hands’ of a clock on a clock face as long as some force was applied on the balance wheel to keep it moving.

Between the 15th and 18th centuries, clockmakers developed and improved on spring­-driven clocks. These devices replaced the suspended weight that applied the force on the balance wheel in the previous designs with a coiled spring. To keep these clocks from becoming inaccurate as the spring unwound, clockmakers also developed mechanisms like the fusee, which ensured the spring always delivered a uniform force. The idea to couple a balance spring with the balance wheel also led to the advent of pocket watches.

After every ‘tick’ motion before the ‘tock’ motion towards the other side, the balance spring would return the balance wheel to its neutral position. As a result, the clocks lost a few minutes a day versus a few hours a day before.

Finally, in the mid­ 17th century, the Dutch inventor Christiaan Huygens invented the pendulum clock. While the clock itself used the by­ then familiar escapement mechanism, Huygens made an important contribution by working outa formula to convert the pendulum’s swings to the amount of time passed.

How did clocks change shipping?

The marine chronometer came the next century. For a ship to accurately know where it was on the face of the earth, it needed to know its latitude, longitude, and altitude. The latitude could be computed based on the Sun’s position in the sky and the altitude could be assumed to be sea level, leaving the longitude — which requires an accurate clock onboard each vessel. Pendulum clocks couldn’t serve this purpose because the ship’s rocking motion rendered them inaccurate.

A carpenter named John Harrison built a working marine chronometer in 1761 and delivered it to the British government for its longitude prize, worth GBP 20,000 at the time. This device featured mechanisms to ensure the clock's operation wasn’t affected by the ship's rocking, the force of gravity and some temperature changes. 

Thus, time flew until modernity dawned. The better clocks of the 19th century were electric clocks, that is, whose energy source was a battery or an electric motor rather than suspended weights or springs, although the former and latter were attached to improve the efficiency of existing designs. And at long last came the 20th century. 

How do quartz clocks work?

Two important types of clocks in operation today are the quartz clock and the atomic clock. The fundamental set up of both these instruments is similar: they have a power source, a resonator and a counter. In quartz clocks, the resonator is a quartz crystal. The power source sends electrical signals to a quartz crystal, whose crystal structure oscillates due to the piezoelectric effect. The signal's energy can be tuned to make the crystal oscillate at its resonant frequency, making it the resonator. The counter counts the number of periodic oscillations and converts them into seconds (depending on the crystal's period). A digital display shows the counter's results. 

Such quartz clocks are inexpensive to make and easy to operate, and their invention led to watches and wall clocks becoming very common from mid-20th century. 

What are atomic clocks?

An atomic clock may seem futuristic in comparison. The power source is a laser and the resonator is a group of atoms of the same isotope. The laser imparts just enough energy for the atom to jump from its low energy state to a specific higher energy state. And when the atom jumps backdown, it releases radiation with a well ­established frequency. For example, the caesium atomic clock uses caesium­133 atoms as the resonator.

When these atoms excite and then de-­excite, they release radiation of frequency 9,192,631,770 Hz. So when the counter detects 9,192,631,770 full waves of the radiation, it will record that one second has passed.

Atomic clocks are distinguished by their resonator; each such clock is called a time standard. For example, India’s time standard is a caesium atomic clock at the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, which maintains the Indian Standard Time. Many countries are currently developing next­generation optical clocks. This is because the higher the frequency of the radiation emitted in the clock, the more stable the clock will be. That emitted in a caesium atomic clock is in the microwave range (gigahertz), and the resulting clock loses or gains a second only once in 20 million years or so. The radiation in the next­ generation clocks is in the optical range (hundreds of terahertz) — thus the clocks’ name. These devices use strontium or ytterbium atoms as resonators and don’t miss a second in more than 10 billion years. 

Some physicists have even started work on the next ­to­ next generation of devices, called nuclear clocks: their resonators are the nuclei of specific atoms rather than the whole atom. Atomic clocks need to make sure the resonator atoms aren’t affected by energy from other sources, like a stray electromagnetic field; an atom’s nucleus, however, is located well within each atom, surrounded by electrons, and thus could be a more stable resonator. 

Since April this year, researchers around the world have reported three major developments in building functional nuclear clocks: a laser to excite thorium­229 nuclei to a specific higher energy state, a way to link a thorium­229 nuclear clock with an optical clock, and a precise estimate of the excitation energy. The nucleus’s de­excitation emission has a frequency of 2,020 terahertz, alluding to an ultra-­high precision.

DO YOU KNOW

How are clothes dry-cleaned?

It is a process used by launderers to remove dirt and stains from clothes using little or no water. The method involves the use of liquid solvents. First the clothes are sorted and put into a large machine which resembles the domestic washing machine. It has a rotating drum that is filled with solvents to which is added a detergent. Once the cleaning is done, the solvents are drained out by the rapid spinning of the drum. Then a machine called a tumbler blows warm air through the clothes to dry them up. Later, the clothes are checked to see if stains have been removed. A device called a steam gun is used to spray water on any stain found. Certain chemicals are applied on the wet spot to remove the stain thoroughly.

THE WORLD'S FIRST BILLIONAIRE

  John D. Rockfeller

John D. Rockfeller (July 8, 1839–May 23, 1937), the founder of Standard Oil, was once the richest man in the world. He was the world’s first billionaire. 

"He amassed a net worth of at least $1 billion in 1916. When Rockefeller died in 1937, his net worth was estimated to be approximately $340 billion in today's dollars."

By the age of 25, he had one of the largest oil refineries in the United States. He was 31 when he became the world's largest oil refiner. At 38, he controlled 90% of the oil refined in the United States. At fifty, John was America's richest man. As a young man, every action, attitude, and connection was crafted to establish his wealth.

But at the age of 53, he fell unwell. His entire body became wracked with pain, and he lost all his hair. In total anguish, the world's lone millionaire could buy anything he wanted but could only eat soup and crackers.

According to an associate, "He couldn't sleep, wouldn't smile, and nothing in life meant anything to him". His personal, highly trained physicians indicated that he would die within the year. That year passed painfully slowly. As he approached death, he awoke one morning with the faint understanding that he would not be able to bring any of his fortune with him to the next world.

The man who could dominate the commercial world suddenly realised he had no control over his personal life. He informed his solicitors, accountants, and management that he intended to devote his assets to hospitals, research, and charity work. John D. Rockefeller started his foundation.

The Rockefeller Foundation financed Howard Florey and his colleague Norman Heatley's penicillin research in 1941. But arguably the most astounding aspect of Rockefeller's narrative is that when he began to give back a fraction of all he had gained, his body's chemistry changed dramatically, and he recovered.

He was expected to die at the age of 53, but he survived to reach 98 years old. Rockefeller learnt gratitude and returned the great bulk of his money. This made him whole. It's one thing to be healed. It is another to become fit. He was a devout Baptist who attended the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Before he died, he wrote in his diary: "God taught me that everything belongs to Him, and I am merely a conduit to carry out His will. My life has been one long, happy holiday since then; full of work and play, I let go of my worries along the road, and God was wonderful to me every day.