In Greek Mythology , the Fates were personified as three women who spin
the threads of human destiny. Their names were Clotho (Spinner),
Lachesis (Allotter), and Atropos (Inflexible). Clotho spun the “thread”
of human fate, Lachesis dispensed it, and Atropos cut the thread (thus
determining the individual’s moment of death). All these three were
collectively known as the Moirai.They have the power to control time
itself and can change the fate of others,
Even the gods feared the Moirai or Fates, which according to Herodotus a god could not escape. The Pythian priestess at Delphi once admitted that Zeus was also subject to their power, though no recorded classical writing clarifies to what exact extent the lives of immortals were affected by the whims of the Fates. In antiquity we can see a feeling towards a notion of an order to which even the gods have to conform. In ancient Roman religion and myth, the Parcae were the female personifications of destiny who directed the lives (and deaths) of humans and gods. The Parcae controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. Even the gods feared them, and by some sources Jupiter was also subject to their power.[1] The names of the three Parcae are: Nona (Greek equivalent Clotho), who spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle; Decima (Greek Lachesis), who measured the thread of life with her rod; Morta (Greek Atropos), who cut the thread of life and chose the manner of a person's death.
In Norse mythology The Norns are female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men. Their names are . .Urðr ,Verðandi and Skuld, the three Norns, They come out from a hall standing at the Well of Fate. They draw water from the well and take sand that lies around it, which they pour over the Yggdrasill tree so that its branches will not rot. They spin threads of life, cut marks in the pole figures and measure people's destinies, which shows the fate of all human beings and gods. Norns are always present when a child is born and decide its fate. These three Norns also represent the past (Urðr), future (Skuld) and present (Verðandi) These three Norns are described as powerful maiden giantesses (Jotuns) whose arrival from Jötunheimr ended the golden age of the gods. Fate or Destiny is a power or agency that predetermines and orders the course of events. Fate defines events as ordered or "inevitable" and unavoidable. This is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe.
Three Fates from Greek Roman and Norse Mythology
by Zaheeruddin Babar
Give your precious feedback in the comment section
Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He came into power with the support of courtiers and nobility that were facing an accountability situation in the hands of the then crown prince Lij Iyasu.
In this way Selassie came up with a formula ,to Rule over a Feudal Empire. Just by keeping the nobility and courtiers happy. Selassie attempted to modernize the country through a series of political reforms, including the introduction of Ethiopia's first written constitution . The constitution kept power in the hands of the nobility. It also limited the succession to the throne to the descendants of Haile Selassie.
Unlike his predecessor Menelik II who had defeated Italians in the famous Battle of Adwa in 1896 Selassie was defeated by Italians in in Second Italo Ethiopian war 1937. and spent the period of Italian occupation in exile in England. He returned to lead Ethiopia in 1941 after the British Empire defeated the Italian occupiers in the East African campaign.
He hardly focused on the development of agriculture which was the backbone of his Empire. He built no water reservoirs to store water for irrigation. He constructed no roads. He couldn’t even provide clean drinking water to the major part of the population.
When Africa faced droughts and famines in 70s Selassie and his government tried to hide the famine crisis. But when situation became out of control then they admitted the empire is facing a worst human catastrophe. Thousands of people were dying because of hunger and drought. International community tried to help Ethiopian people but they surprised to know that they couldn’t reach the people because there were no roads. Helicopters were not sufficient in number to provide food to starving people. People of Ethiopia in those desperate times and mostly because of the threat of being starved to death tried to built roads with their hands. Hundreds and thousands of Ethiopian constructed over 200 miles of roads with their bare hands. But still International aid proved insufficient and Famine engulfed millions of Ethiopian. Nobility tried to hide their failure. But because of the reaction from international community the Government resigned. Oil crisis worsen the situation and Selassie couldn’t control the inflation and couldn’t satisfy the growing demands of its nobility and army. He was overthrown in a 1974 military coup and was murdered by the junta on 27 August 1975. He was the Last King of the Solomonic dynasty one of the oldest known continued dynasties in history .
Haile Selassie I the Last Emperor of Ethiopia
by Zaheeruddin Babar
Give your precious feedback in the comment section
a French illusionist, actor and film director, Georges-Jean Méliès made an adventure short film A Trip to the Moon the story of the film opens . . . At a meeting of the Astronomy Club,its president, Professor Barbenfouillis, proposes an expedition to the Moon. After addressing some dissent, five other brave astronomers—Nostra damus,Alcofrisbas, Omega, Micromegas, and Parafaragaramus—agree to the plan.A space capsule in the shape of a bullet is built, along with a huge cannon to shoot it into space.The astronomers embark and their capsule is fired from the cannon with the help of "marines",The Man in the Moon watches the capsule as it approaches, and it hits him in the eye.Landing safely on the Moon, the astronomers get out of the capsule (without the need of space suits or breathing apparatus) and watch the Earth rise in the distance.Exhausted by their journey, they unroll their blankets and sleep.
As they sleep,a comet passes,the Big Dipper appears with human faces peering out of each star,old Saturn leans out of a window in his ringed planet,and Phoebe, goddess of the Moon, appears seated in a crescent-moon swing.Phoebe causes a snowfall that awakens the astronomers,and they seek shelter in a cavern
where they discover giant mushrooms.One astronomer opens his umbrella; it promptly takes root and turns into a giant mushroom itself.
At this point, a Selenite (an insectoid alien inhabitant of the Moon, named after one of the Greek moon goddesses, Selene) appears,but it is killed easily by an astronomer, as the creatures explode if they are hit with force.More Selenites appear and it becomes increasingly difficult for the astronomers to destroy them as they are surrounded.The Selenites capture the astronomers and take them to the palace of their king. An astronomer lifts the Selenite King off his throne and throws him to the ground, causing him to explode.The astronomers run back to their capsule while continuing to hit the pursuing Selenites, and five get inside. The sixth astronomer, Barbenfouillis himself, uses a rope to tip the capsule over a ledge on the Moon and into space.
A Selenite tries to seize the capsule at the last minute.Astronomer, capsule, and Selenite fall through space and land in an ocean on Earth,
where they are rescued by a ship and towed ashore. The final sequence depicts a celebratory parade in honour of the travellers' return,including a display of the captive Selenite and the unveiling of a commemorative statue bearing the motto "Labor omnia vincit".
Second Story of the Trip to the Moon
by Georges Jean Méliès
compiled by Zaheeruddin Babar
Give your precious feedback in the comment section
First Story of the Trip to the Moon by Jules Verne
Compiled by Zaheer uddin Babar
In 1860s A young French writer Jules Verne wrote a novel with title of “From the Earth to the Moon”. Which was published in 1865.This novel was part of his series of novels called “Extraordinary Voyages “.In his novel, Verne imagines a group of adventurers building a cannon so large that it can shoot a bullet-shaped capsule with three occupants to the moon. the main characters succeed not in landing on the moon, but in orbiting it. Their stories continue in the novel's sequel, Around the Moon which was published in (1870)., that deals with what happens to the three men in their travel from the Earth to the Moon.
The story of Jules Verne opens some time after the end of the American Civil War. The Baltimore Gun Club, a society dedicated to the design of weapons of all kinds (especially cannons), comes together when Impey Barbicane, its president, calls them to support his latest idea. He's done some calculations, and believes that they could construct a cannon capable of shooting a projectile to the Moon. After receiving the support of his companions, another meeting is held to decide the place from which the projectile will be fired, the dimensions and materials of both the cannon and the projectile, and which kind of powder they are to use.
Stone's Hill in "Tampa Town", Florida is chosen as the site for the cannon's construction. The Gun Club travels there and starts the construction of the Columbiad cannon, which requires the excavation of a 900-foot-deep (270 m) and 60-foot-wide (18 m) circular hole, which is made in the nick of time.
Meanwhile, Barbicane finds the solution to the problem of surviving the incredible acceleration that the explosion would cause. Ardan suggests that Barbicane and Nicholl travel with him in the projectile, and the proposition is accepted.
In the end, the projectile is successfully launched.
Having been fired out of the giant Columbiad space gun, the Baltimore Gun Club's bullet-shaped projectile, along with its three passengers, Barbicane, Nicholl and Michael Ardan, begins the five-day trip to the Moon. A few minutes into the journey, a small, bright asteroid passes within a few hundred yards of them, but does not collide with the projectile. The asteroid had been captured by the Earth's gravity and had become a second moon.
The three travelers undergo a series of adventures and misadventures during the rest of the journey, including disposing of the body of a dog out a window, suffering intoxication by gases, and making calculations leading them, briefly, to believe that they are to fall back to Earth. During the latter part of the voyage, it becomes apparent that the gravitational force of their earlier encounter with the asteroid has caused the projectile to deviate from its course.
The projectile enters lunar orbit, rather than landing on the Moon as originally planned. Barbicane, Ardan and Nicholl begin geographical observations with opera glasses. The projectile then dips over the northern hemisphere of the Moon, into the darkness of its shadow. It is plunged into extreme cold, before emerging into the light and heat again. They then begin to approach the Moon's southern hemisphere. From the safety of their projectile, they gain spectacular views of Tycho, one of the greatest of all craters on the Moon. The three men discuss the possibility of life on the Moon, and conclude that it is barren. The projectile begins to move away from the Moon. Ardan hits upon the idea of using the rockets fixed to the bottom of the projectile (which they were originally going to use to deaden the shock of landing) to propel the projectile towards the Moon and hopefully cause it to fall onto it, thereby achieving their mission.
When the projectile reaches the point of neutral attraction, the rockets are fired, but it is too late. The projectile begins a fall onto the Earth with the same speed at which it left the mouth of the Columbiad. All hope seems lost for Barbicane, Nicholl and Ardan. Four days later, the crew of a US Navy vessel, Susquehanna, spots a bright meteor fall from the sky into the sea. This turns out to be the returning projectile. A rescue operation is assembled.After several searches the projectile and three men inside are found to be alive and well. They are treated to lavish homecoming celebrations as the first people to leave Earth.
Give your precious feedback in the comment section
In order to understand what really might have compelled Indira Gandhi to sign, such an imbalanced deal with Pakistan . . . . We have to look closely, the Real Position of India, at the time of agreement . 1st what could have happened with India, if Shimla meetings end in deadlock? . . . . .. . Answer is simple. Both countries were under immense International pressure to end all hostilities and to resolve their disputes peacefully through dialogue. India was trying to avoid mediation. And Shimla meeting was last opportunity for India to discuss its differences with Pakistan without the mediation of 3rd party. If that meeting would have failed then international pressure could have been so immense that it could force India to accept Mediation. In that case the Indian objective of forcing Pakistan to resolve issues through bilateral negotiations could not have been achieved. 2nd. Until the time of Shimla meetings, not even a single Muslim country had recognized Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s fate was still uncertain and was linked with the Recognition and acceptance from Muslim nations. And Muslim countries were waiting for Pakistan’s decision. 3rd.Indian economy in 70s was very weak . . . agriculture sector, which was backbone of India’s economy was trembling and was proving insufficient to feed a huge population. India had spent billions and billions on supporting and training terrorists and separatists to create unrest in East Pakistan, and later on war with Pakistan. Although India was succeeded in his efforts but it got nothing from it. East Pakistan did break away from Pakistan but It became another Muslim country that was going to be dependent on India for its survival for a long time. 4th Pakistan was showing no interest in return of its prisoners. India was bound to treat those POWs according to Geneva’s convention. And they were just causing international pressure and were proving burden on already starving India. 5th After spending a lot of resources on War with Pakistan India’s economy had become so weak that It had to rely on USA and its allies for even the Wheat to feed its people. And in order to achieve this, India first had to end all hostilities with Pakistan that was at that time a major US ally in the region. 6th There was a very strong Public reaction in Pakistan after the fall of Dhaka . . .where people were getting very emotional and were talking about revenge . . . .And at that time only available leader that could have appease the sentiments of Pakistani people was Z.A Bhutto. And sending him empty handed was obviously not a good message for the people of Pakistan. . . . . If we consider all the above points in our mind then we may assume that Bhutto must have convinced Indira with such points and must have persuaded her to end Shimla meeting in a successful way. But Indira Gandhi was not a child. She might have taken all such things into consideration, and probably because of these reasons she might have decided to allow a final attempt to reach at some breakthrough. But still India needed something substantial in return of what Pakistan was demanding. And Bhutto clearly was not in a position to give anything in return . . .as Pakistan had already lost its Eastern wing. So what really had been discussed between Indira Gandhi and Bhutto at the final moments of the Shimla meeting . .. . .. . we don’t know for sure .However ,there are 2 possible sources which can provide us some real hints.. One was the accounts of P.N Dhar Indira Gandhi’s principal secretary . . . . .and according to him …. a ‘tacit understanding’, was reached between the two leaders at Shimla. 2nd source is Benazir Bhutto, the daughter of Z.A Bhutto. , She accompanied her father at Shimla and Bhutto must have discussed something from that final meeting with her. Although Benazir Bhutto never leaked the information but she somehow shared some information with her husband Asif Ali Zardari. Zardari had made a sensational claim in the Pakistani Parliament during a debate on the developments in Kashmir after the abrogation of article 370, and making Laddak a Union territory. The former Pakistani president, alleged that ex-Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi had 'negotiated' a land deal with Islamabad (involving large swathes of Pakistani land that had been lost to India) after the war between India and Pakistan in 1971.
Hidden Clauses of Shimla Agreement
by Zaheeruddin Babar
Give your precious feedback in the comment section
In March 1972, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,
president of West Pakistan,
visited the Soviet Union to
help normalize formal relations
between the two countries. Bhutto engaged in substantive discussions with
Soviet leaders in Moscow.
It helped to increase the
International pressure and brought India on the table of negotiations with
Pakistan in the form of Shimla Agreement.
Negotiating with a country ,
that has dismemberedPakistan, was an
open-challenge to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.Before Shimla meeting, Z.A Bhutto and his colleagues did the
comprehensive homework as Bhutto had realized that Arabs had still not succeeded in regaining territory lost in the 1967 war with Israel. Therefore,
capturing of land does not cry out for international attention the same way as the
prisoners do. In Bhutto's point of view, the POW problem was more of a humanitarian problem
that could be tackled at any time, but the territorial problem was something that could be
integrated in India as time elapses.
India had two primary objectives at Shimla. First, a lasting
solution to the Kashmir issue by forcing Pakistan to accept Ceasefire Line in
Kashmir as an International border or, failing that, an agreement that would
constrain Pakistan from involving third parties in discussions about the future
of Kashmir. Second, it was hoped that the Agreement
would allow for a new beginning in relations with Pakistan based upon
Pakistan’s acceptance of the new balance of power. India had 5000 sq miles of
Pakistani territory and 93000 POWs which India was intending to use for forcing
Pakistan to agree with the Indian demands.
(29 June 1972) West Pakistani
President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto arrives in Simla for the Indo-Pakistan Summit
Conference with Mrs Indira Ghandi, Prime Minister of India.
At Simla Bhutto and Indira were cautious in
handling the situation. Both were aware of the people who would question their
political prudence in dealing with the problems. While Indira feared a vocal
parliament and an unfriendly opposition, Bhutto had to be more careful about
the situation at home. On 30th June, in the first stage of the Agreement,Bhutto demanded the control of the territory which surprised
and shocked the Indian delegation. Indian Premier Gandhi was stunned and
astonished at Bhutto's demand and reacted immediately by refusing Bhutto's
demand.
Official level
talks were held but no side was prepared to budge; various formats were
discussed but without result. In the evening of the first day Mrs Gandhi hosted
a dinner but none spoke on the issues. Everybody at Simla appeared depressed.
On July 1, 1972,the
2nd day, Bhutto and Indira held a meeting with their respective
delegations, presumably to find some mechanism or the basis of further talks in
a bid to break the ice. At the end, it appeared that no result had been
achieved. By now it had become evident that the summit was moving towards a
deadlock. Bhutto sensed it immediately and spelled out his intentions clearly:
“We are not going to shut it.”
July 2, presumably
the last day meant for the summit, was a hectic day as members of both the
teams worked hard to draft a declaration denoting the outcome: whether it was
to be a deadlock or whether there would be some breakthrough. The main point
was preparation of the text of the declaration.
In the evening a
dinner had been hosted; as soon as it finished both the leaders set off for a
stroll on the breezy lawns of Simla Governor House. It was a one-to-one
meeting. After some time, the two leaders returned to the main hall and called
the officials. Here too, no one was allowed to join.
The text of the
agreement had been vaguely drafted earlier and now a final touch was to be
given. India’s P N Dhar and Pakistan’s Aziz Ahmad sat over the draft. A
document was read out to both the leaders and, after making some changes, this
was finally accepted and consequently set for signatures. Finally, the rest of
the participants were called in to witness the ceremony. The accord was signed
at 40 minutes past midnight on the morning of July 3, 1972, (erroneously
mentioned in historical documents as July 2).
How did both the
leaders agree to reach the agreement in the last moments and what brought such
a sudden change in their policy which could not be resolved in three days? This
was an intriguing mystery and political observers and analysts mulled over this
question for quite some time.
Whatever both Leaders
discussed in Private meeting, it was clear that somehow Bhutto had convinced Indira
Gandhi to end all hostilities and return all the territories occupied during
the conflict immediately and un conditionally. Although both leaders were under
pressure to end all hostilities and reach at some kind of settlement but still
India had an upper hand. So what could have force Mrs. Gandhi to fulfill the
Pakistani demand which she had refused at the very beginning of the conference? Continue . . .
Hidden clauses of Simla or Shimla Agreement by Zaheeruddin Babar
Give your precious feedback in the comment section
Pakistan is an agricultural country and 70 percent of its
population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. The main source
of irrigation in Pakistan is the Indus River System.
The Indus System of Rivers comprises three western rivers —
the Indus, the Jhelum and Chenab — and three eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi.
During partition a SERIOUS injustice happened with Pakistan. Madhopur Headworks
which controls the water of Ravi River and Ferozepur Headworks which controls
the water of Sutlej River were allotted to India. And the sources of Jhelum and
Chenab were in Kashmir which was illegally occupied by India. In April 1948, about eight months after the partition. The East Punjab province of India shut off water
running to the West Punjab province of Pakistan from the Ferozepur Headworks. It was resumed after five
weeks when Pakistan was forced to attend an Inter-Dominion conference to
negotiate an agreement. That accord enabled India to release sufficient waters
to the Pakistani regions of the basin in return for “Annual payments” from the
government of Pakistan.
The critical nature of the Indian action caused deep
apprehensions in Pakistan. Pakistan felt acutely threatened by a conflict over
the main source of water for its cultivable land. Pakistan wanted to take the
matter at that time to the International Court of Justice, but India refused, arguing that the
conflict required a bilateral resolution.
In 1954, the World
bank, after nearly two years of negotiation, offered proposals, The proposals offered India the
three eastern tributaries of the basin and Pakistan the three western
tributaries. Canals and storage dams were to be constructed to divert waters
from the western rivers and replace the eastern river supply lost by Pakistan.
This new distribution did not account for the historical usage of the Indus
basin, or the fact that West Punjab's Eastern districts could turn into desert,Pakistan felt that its share of waters should be
based on pre-partition distribution. The World Bank proposals were more in line
with the Indian plan and this angered the Pakistani delegation. One of the last
stumbling blocks to an agreement concerned financing for the construction of
canals and storage facilities This transfer was necessary to make up for the
water Pakistan was giving up by ceding its rights to the eastern rivers. The
World Bank initially planned for India to pay for these works, but India
refused. The Bank responded with a plan for external financing a combination of
funds and loans for Pakistan. In 1960 Pakistan was forced to sign the Indus
Water Treaty, because Pakistan had no other option and was not ready to go to
war with India to settle water dispute. This treaty triggered a series of
Destruction in Pakistan.
1st Pakistan lost its rights
over 3 Eastern rivers. And Pakistan was forced to divert waters from western
rivers into the Eastern rivers. It caused serious reduction of Indus river
water flow in Sindh region andcaused
water shortage for irrigation. Not only this, it disturbed the balance of fresh
and marine water flow in coastal regions of Sindh and intrusion of sea water.According
to a research, 2.4 million acres of the Indus delta has been invaded by the sea
and it is feared that if the present rate of sea erosion continues, the whole
of Shah Bunder tehsil will vanish by 2035 and the sea will reach Thatta city by
2050.
There is a need to
release at least 10 MAF water downstream Kotri to stop increasing sea
intrusion. But Pakistan has no water.
.2ndNew
reservoirs and canals which were constructed to divert water from Western
rivers into the Eastern Rivers caused Water logging and Salinity in related
areas and affected thousands of acres of lands in Pakistan. It took decades to
tackle this problem, by extensive planting of trees that consume large amounts
of water. Such plantations helped to tackle the problem of water logging but in later years, due to
shortage of water in reservoirs ,such trees rapidly reduced the underground
water level.
3rd India who has full control of
all the three eastern riversReleases
unlimited amount of flood water in days of flood. Such release of huge amounts
of flood water, occasionally cause destruction of land crops, and loss of lives
and property.
4th Water reservoirs built
under this treaty, proved temporary arrangement. With passage of time high amount of silt
reduced the storage capacity of these reservoirs and caused serious shortage of
water. Removal of silt or building other reservoirs, require a lot of money.
5th, drawing water from
western rivers into the eastern rivers also caused shortage of water in Kashmir
region because these regions were not allowed to construct large water
storages. It hindered the agricultural development there. And It also brought
Kashmiris in confrontation with Pakistan on water shortage issue.
6th. In order to tackle
water shortage issue, in Indian occupied Kashmir, India has developed and is
still developing extensive system of structures to stop and store the streams
that are source of this western river system.This has further reduced the flow of water in western rivers, and indirectly
drying the Pakistani eastern rivers.
Shortage of water, and due to this
shortage , reduction of cultivatable land, reduction of agricultural produce, droughts,
famines, floods, erosion, water logging, salinity, sea intrusion, destruction
of infrastructure and wastage of resources to deal such issues are SERIOUSLY
AFFECTING the Pakistan’s economic growth and development to such an extent that
it seems more easy to go to war with
India for the control of water resources rather than continuously exhausting
its resources in dealing such unending issues.
Why Indus Water Treaty of 1960 has become a Ticking Bomb for India?
by Zaheeruddin Babar
Give your precious feedback in the comment section
