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<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword> has long captivated the imaginations of Central Asian invaders. But what exactly made the subcontinent so irresistibly alluring? A recent study, unearthing secrets hidden within tiny shells from <keyword id="19906863" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gujarat" source="keywords">Gujarat</keyword>, offers a captivating new perspective: the verdant bounty brought by India's monsoons may have played a pivotal role in drawing these historical conquerors. Imagine the parched plains of <keyword id="19946000" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="central-asia" source="keywords">Central Asia</keyword> locked in the throes of a relentless drought. Now picture India, basking in the vibrant embrace of a bountiful monsoon, its fields overflowing with life-giving crops. This stark contrast, the study suggests, may have been the very impetus behind the seven Central Asian invasions that plagued India over the past two millennia. A team of researchers, hailing from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and the Archaeological Survey of India, meticulously combed through <keyword id="19970813" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="vadnagar" source="keywords">Vadnagar</keyword>, a treasure trove of <keyword id="29052" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="history" source="Orion">history</keyword> nestled in Gujarat. This ancient town, predating even the rise of Jainism and Buddhism, boasts a staggering 2,800 years of human habitation. By meticulously analysing the oxygen isotopes trapped within freshwater molluscs and shells unearthed from the region, the researchers embarked on a captivating journey through time, reconstructing the environmental tapestry of the past. Their findings revealed a remarkable correlation between climate and historical events. Periods of robust monsoons, translating to bountiful harvests, coincided with an upsurge in cultural exchange. Vadnagar, during these verdant chapters, amassed a captivating collection of artefacts, bearing eloquent testimony to Greco-Bactrian, Saka, and Indo-Sassanian influences. Significantly, these prosperous monsoon-blessed eras mirrored the very periods when India faced invasions. Anindya Sarkar, the lead author of the study, further bolstered this connection by highlighting the conspicuous absence of major invasions during times of Indian famine and drought. India, a historical melting pot brimming with the echoes of ancient interactions, continues to unveil its secrets, one fascinating discovery at a time. While unearthing artefacts to piece together the jigsaw puzzle of our past remains crucial, this study serves as a compelling reminder to broaden our perspective and appreciate the rich tapestry of Indian history in all its nuanced complexity. The findings of this groundbreaking research have been published in the Quaternary Science Reviews.

Shells from Gujarat suggest that India’s lush monsoons might've helped attract several invaders in the past!

Friends are for a lifetime. This saying is so true for all of us, even our <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/7-incredible-things-that-we-can-imbibe-from-birthday-boy-Narendra-Modi/articleshow/48987595.cms">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a>. 
 They were born together, they studied together and today, both of them completed 65 years of their life. We are talking about <keyword id="309904" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Niranjan-Naik">Niranjan Naik</keyword>, a resident of Navrangpura and a retired engineer from <keyword id="6408304" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="doordarshan">Doordarshan</keyword>. 
 
Both Naik and Modi were born on 17th September 1950 in Vadnagar and went to the same school later on. Today, Naik took pride to say that the way Modi has built his career is impressive. 
 
"But Narendra still remembers each friend by name. I haven't met him after he became Prime Minister but I used to click his photos when he came to Ahmedabad to address rallies," he says. 
 
 While recollecting the old days, Naik said that both of them joined Navin Sarvavidyalaya – one of the two schools in Vadnagar in those days—in class 6. 
 
After being a part of RSS local shakha, they studied together till class 12th but opted for different ways afterwards. 
 
Naik also shared a couple of incidents which he cherishes even now. He says, Modi was an attentive student, a good leader and a person with determination. 
 <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> had a fascination for the uniform even as a teenager, said Naik. "Being an NCC cadet, Narendra went all the way to Mehsana to see Army troops getting down at the railway station for the 1965 war with Pakistan," he said. 
 
Not just this, but the incident in which Modi is said to have fought a crocodile, was true. "There were a lot of crocodiles in Sharmistha lake where we used to swim. We were not afraid as we believed that if we did not harm the crocodiles, they would not harm us. Narendra, whom we fondly called ND, used to play with the tiny crocodiles on the riverbank." 
 
Recalling some more incidents Naik said, “I had gone to Bhadrakali temple one day when I saw a man sitting in an auto," said Naik. "It took me some time to realize that it was Narendra with a beard and dark sunglasses." 
 Naik, while working with Aakashvani and Doordarshan met Modi after he became the <keyword id="1203295" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="chief-minister-of-Gujarat">Chief Minister of Gujarat</keyword>. And the erstwhile CM never hid the fact that two of them were friends. 
Image: indiatimes

Meet Modi’s childhood friend

In the last one year, more than 20 teams of students from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, have studied <keyword id="49770" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sanitation">sanitation</keyword> and toilet behaviour among people in at least 15 talukas in Gujarat, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hometown Vadnagar, and recently submitted a set of suggestions to the state government to reach its '<keyword id="6361202" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat">Swachh Bharat</keyword>' target and end the practice of open defecation. 
 
The state rural department has accepted most of these recommendations, officials said and thus a large-scale sanitation awareness is in place as of the moment. 
 
ET reviewed a copy of the suggestions made by the students after their three-month field study in 20 villages mostly with a significant proportion of tribal communities. 
 These include reaching out more to the 'worst violators' — mostly men over 50 who oppose <keyword id="68945" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Toilets">toilets</keyword> the most; looking at real life stories from countries like Cambodia and Bangladesh that have run successful campaigns against open defecation by getting community leaders to promote hygiene; and conducting 'shameful walks' in villages to show the villagers how defecating in the open causes diseases. 
 
Numbers released by the Centre recently show that Gujarat is one of the top performing states in building Nearly 4,66,918 household toilets were in the state in 2015-16, up from 3,35,762 in the previous year, 1,55,268 in 2013-14, and 1,71,977 in 2012-13. Yet, it is not easy popularising toilets among tribals. The IIM-A teams, for example, observed that toilets are considered as buildian encroachment to 'home space' in some tribal villages. 
 Students have made some interesting suggestions to overcome such hindrances. Instead of 'name and shame', the expert groups have suggested a 'name and fame' campaign wherein people are incentivised to use toilets and honoured for doing so. The <keyword id="19483" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="IIM-ahmedabad">IIM Ahmedabad</keyword> teams, along with the state government, have already piloted a 'star house' project in 10 villages where houses with toilets are marked with a star and honoured at the panchayat level. 
 
They have also called for a friendlier campaign that won't bombard people with the same information, but increase involvement of panchayat machinery. They have suggested that the government is more flexible in allowing local customisations and beliefs in the construction of toilets, and have given recommendations to push companies to build toilets as part of their corporate social responsibility. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Students of IIM-A are helping this Gujarat village market toilets to tribals, villagers

NEW DELHI: In its first official engagement with India after the change of guard here, <keyword id="1333" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Beijing">Beijing</keyword>’s statecraft again came to the fore as visiting foreign minister Wang Yi used nothing short of a panegyric to PM <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> to reach out to the new government. 
 Wang is in India as a special envoy of President Xi Jinping. In his first meeting with his Indian counterpart <keyword id="6355111" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Sushma-Swaraj">Sushma Swaraj</keyword>, which lasted for three hours, Wang showered encomiums on the NDA government led by Modi, even saying it had injected a “new vitality into an ancient civilization”. Modi, Wang said, was an old friend of China. 
 
Outlining ancient links between the two countries, Modi had earlier regaled Chinese Premier Li Keqiang with a reference to the travels of Hiuen Tsang in their telephonic conversation, saying the Chinese scholar had even visited his village Vadnagar during his stay in India in the 7th century. Li was the first foreign leader to call Modi after he assumed office. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NarendraModi-charms-Chinese-Premier-Li-Keqiang-with-Hiuen-Tsang-story/articleshow/35742979.cms">Narendra Modi charms Chinese Premier Li Keqiang with Hiuen Tsang story</a> 
 Without getting into the specifics, Indian officials said “all perennials'' of China-Indian relations were discussed in a “frank manner” during the meeting. This included the need for resolving the contentious border issue and Beijing’s insistence on giving residents of J&amp;K and <keyword id="46408" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arunachal-Pradesh">Arunachal Pradesh</keyword> stapled Chinese visas, it is learned. 
 Wang, who promised support for India’s <keyword id="352701" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Economic-Development">economic development</keyword>, insisted that the dreams of both China and India have commonalities and that Beijing was ready to engage with the new government. Foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin described the talks as “cordial, useful, substantive and productive”. 
 
“Even while there was a determination to add new content and substance to the relationship, there was an understanding that respect for the sensitivities and aspirations of each other was essential for expansion of bilateral relations,'' said the spokesperson, as he summed up the mood by referring to the Chinese proverb that a 1000-mile journey begins with a single step. “That step has been taken with this engagement,'' he added. 
 
 
(Wang Yi with Sushma Swaraj) 
 
The two sides also discussed economic issues in detail, including specific projects and the rising trade deficit between the two countries. Swaraj spoke about the need for more Chinese investments into India and also the possibility of setting up industrial parks in India. Wang responded by saying that China will support expansion of economic cooperation with India. 
 Wang will call on PM Modi, and also President <keyword id="6359124" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Pranab-Mukherjee">Pranab Mukherjee</keyword>, on Monday. In his interaction with Swaraj, joint secretary (East Asia) Gautam Bambawale said, Wang thanked India for the position it had taken on recent incidents of terrorism in China. Possible counter-terrorism cooperation was also discussed even though there is already a joint working group to address the issue. 
 
The Wang visit will also pave the way for a slew of engagements between the two countries in the next six months. While Xi is expected to visit India after September, there are at least five other meetings likely to take place between the two countries at the levels of President, PM, vice-president and foreign minister. 
 
Sushma greets Wang in Mandarin 
 
Foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who emphasized on the need for more Chinese investment into India before her counterpart Wang Yi, lent her own special touch to the meeting when she started her conversation with him in Mandarin. Sources said the gesture almost took Wang by surprise as he wasn't expecting it. He warmly responded in China's official language and with a smile. Swaraj greeted him by saying “reliye huanying nin” which translated into English means “I welcome you warmly''. She ended with a “xie xie” which means thank you.

You Searched For "vadnagar" and got 4 results

Shells from Gujarat suggest that India’s lush monsoons might've helped attract several invaders in the past!

Ankush Banerjee

Meet Modi’s childhood friend

BI India Bureau

Students of IIM-A are helping this Gujarat village market toilets to tribals, villagers

BI India Bureau

China Heaps Praise On 'Old Friend' Modi

Times Of India

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