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The sharp rise in the global spot price of coal highlights the folly of India planning to use imported coal for part of its future power generation. Spot coal prices have shot up to $140 per-tonne in Australia and $123 per tonne in South Africa. Therefore, long-term contracts between Japanese utilities and Australian producers will probably ·be signed at $110 per tonne next year against just $55.6 last year.   The latest price spikes were caused by a number of supply disruptions happening together, yet it seems certain that the days of cheap coal are over. When the first two ultra-mega thermal stations were put up for auction, .the lowest bid for Mundra, based on imported coal, was Rs 2.26 per unit. However, the lowest bid for Sasan, based on captive domestic coal, was just Rs 1.19. Why continue with import-based projects when the local alternative is half the cost? Subsequently, the lowest bid for Krishnapatnam was Rs 2.336. These are levelised tariffs, which means that the actual rates will be much higher over time.   Besides, the contracts have escalation clauses linked to world prices. So, the sharp rise in world prices means much higher power tariffs. Coal imports may be unavoidable in countries without coal. But India has the third biggest coal deposits in the world. Coal India is not up to the job, so we must open up coal mining to the private sector. The Left has refused to allow the law to be amended to this effect. So the government has given liberal interpretation to a loophole that allows captive mining for private sector projects. This is not enough. All ultra-mega power projects should now be based on cheap domestic coal. Projections suggest that 50 million tonnes will be imported by the terminal year of the 11th Plan, of which one- fifth to one-third will be thermal coal. Such imports were initially justified on the ground that imported coal had low-ash content and was economic for southern coastal locations. That has ceased to be true with the explosion in world prices. We must rethink our entire coal strategy.    

In the world of petty politics that involves seeking out grievances where there are none, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has touched a new low. Members of this agit-prop brigade went about ransacking and damaging Delhi University’s Department of History. All this, in the presence of police personnel and media persons. And what was the cause of their incredible outrage? The inclusion of an essay by the late Padmashri scholar, A.K. Ramanujan, ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation’, in the recommended reading list for second year History BA Honors students. Ramahujan’s essay is part of a unit called ‘The Ramayana and Mahabharata: Stories, Characters, Versions’ – that includes supplementary readings like the detailed and scholarly introduction by Robert P. Goldman to the Valmiki Ramayana. All this still doesn’t explain why the ABVP goons went on a rampage in one of the country’s most prestigious higher education institutions. One would have thought that the dissemination of various interpretations and narratives of the Hindu epic would have pleased the ABVP. After all, Ramanujan’s essay in question illustrates and analyses the great dynamism and variety in what the scholar describes as “tellings” of the story of Rama within India and across the world. But from when did goons sit down and start thinking that they might be barking up the wrong tree? So barking and biting they did. Add to that the fact that Upinder Singh of the History Department, targeted by the protestors for ‘compiling’ a collection of the course readings including the concerned essay; actually did no such thing – an unauthorized spiral-bound photocopied collection has her name typed on it – and one proves how politically motivated this ugly episode really is. So how did the vandals manage to do what they did? The controversy over the inclusion of the Ramanujan essay was known since early last month. It’s bad enough that stupid ways of finding grievances as an excuse to have one’s 15 minutes of fame are allowed to intrude into the world of scholarship. It’s worse that law and order broke down in the presence of those supposed to uphold those very two things. 

In an art scenario where well- known painters have gone well beyond the reach of many art buffs and collectors, small-format paintings, drawings, studies and sculptures are becoming very popular with art buyers. These pieces are sometimes available at competitive prices compared to the larger or major creations by these artists.   “Going for small-format works by reputed artists is an alternative when their large-sized creations have turned too pricey. In fact, art buyers are occasionally looking at this genre of works and picking them up at price tags which are quite a bit lower than prices of large sized works. This is naturally a bargain when prices generally have shot up over the past two to three years. Small paintings also appreciate in value with the general price growth, thus offering growth to the collector, “an art market source told.  Renowned painters known also for their small paintings are S H Raza, F N Souza, M F Husain, Ganesh Pyne and Jogen Chowdhury.   Together with paintings, studies by artists are acquired with good deal of interest especially by seasoned collectors. Sometimes, the new breed of buyers could also go for these works depending on the eye they have developed for art. Frontline artists have often done studies for their major works. These studies stand out as works of art on their own and command a price. The studies could also be encased in an artist’s diary and can be bought as a set. In the West, this brand of works is much sought after and numerous books have been published dwelling on studies by famed artists. Such publications have also added to the price point of the works. “As drawings and studies quite often reflect the inner workings of an artist’s mind and are very personalized in nature, they are intrinsically collectors’ pieces and enjoy value,” the source said. The other kinds of creations which have gained market popularity are ‘studio works’. These are pieces which are churned out by the artists with the aid of their understudy or helpers. And, this practice is perfectly accepted and official in the art world. In the last phase of his life, the renowned painter Jamini Roy was famous for having fallen back on his son who helped him out with a spread of his paintings. Some of the other painters known to have produced ‘studio works’ are Hemen Mazumdar and [...]