Improving performance in sports with Yoga

Yoga is an ancient asset to the entire mankind, which has been practiced for around 5000 years.  Yoga has both preventive and therapeutic benefits and offers both physical and mental benefits to body and mind.  It has been experienced globally that the benefits of Yoga can be enjoyed without any side effects, strain or any other body imbalances.

            In this article, we shall discuss various benefits of Yoga in the field of Sports and how it is beneficial in enhancing the performance levels of the sportspersons.

            All sports require tremendous energy, spirit, focus and commitment to deliver.  Often it is believed that aggression in sports plays a pivotal role in winning. A famous tag line of old commercial goes as “Eat sleep and drink cricket” (means that keep thinking about your mission). But the question that arises is that can such strenuous physical pressure be sustained and can it ensure professional longevity to the winning percentage? And what about body injuries?  Yoga has provided answers to all such queries. 

A fit body and a calm mind is the road to success at any point in life.  That is why many international clubs of different sports like football, rugby, golf and cricket have started taking benefits from the ancient Indian technique of Yoga. Yoga is very distinctive from other techniques as it provides strength without causing stress. Various Asanas (postures) if held for some time, give better flexibility and provide energy to different parts of the body. In fact most poses send oxygen to the cells in the body by way of deep breathing and stretching and contraction of different muscle groups.  When a player of any sport is playing in front of thousands of spectators or playing for the pride of the country and millions of expectations are pinned on him, his mind is completely stressed.  No amount of counselling  can help the player get rid of worry or anxiety.  But with the help of certain Yoga Asanas and Pranayam, we can release chronic stress patterns in the body, relaxation of mind, increase focus and concentration.

            Many sports require huge strength, that is why the players adopt different methods to increase strength and muscle mass, but it decreases flexibility.  If Yoga Asanas and other stretching exercises are performed regularly along with a combination of weight training exercises, injuries can be reduced.  With yoga, the player will not only increase flexibility but also increase balance.  A player can start using his body in many more different ways while remaining injury free.

            There are certain Asanas if performed correctly and consistently, helps in building strength and improve lean muscle mass.  Certain Yoga postures also help in maintaining underutilized muscle groups which are not used for the individual sport.  As a cricketer I can tell from my personal experience that not all body muscles are used in cricket.  Back muscle is very vital and with the help of Yoga, the spine becomes more flexible and also develops resistance against injuries. 

I once came across a problem of a swimmer who had problem in balancing even though his body was flexible.  Regular practice of yoga helped him have better coordination which miraculously helped him in balancing. If you have a better balance and coordination, it helps you have a better control of the body.  Balance is essential in every sport – be it swimming stroke, golf swing, cricket shot or manoeuvring a football.  Then there are sportsmen who are having flexibility problems. Yoga improves joint and muscular flexibility which enhances performance.  Again giving example of the swimmer, with a flexible body,  a swimmer will be able to pull more water and as a result move forward with less exertion. 

For anything in life to be successful, first and  foremost you need to have a calm state of mind.  I started playing serious cricket from the age of 12. Soon, I started playing professional cricket which naturally brought in the pressure to perform as there was lot of competition and there were many in the wings, waiting to be included in your place. Another thing which had started to haunt me was fear of failure.  Moreover, whenever I got injured it became extremely difficult to recover because of stress.  As a result, it started affecting my performance on the field.  Pressure started to build up to such an extent that it started showing on or off the field.  I was not getting sound sleep especially on the eve of big games.  My coach counselled me since he knew me as a player but that did not change much.  By the time I was 18, the coming 5 years were very crucial for me.  Finally my coach decided that it was time to train me in Yoga and he asked a trained Yoga Acharya to start taking Yoga classes at least thrice a week post practice sessions in the evening. 

He used to make us perform certain relaxing Asanas and used to make us meditate also.  Gradually, the Yoga Acharya started introducing few more Asanas.  He also taught us to do Pranayama in the morning.  As I started to get in the groove, I started feeling better. I felt that my nerves were calmer, and I was able to rationalise the things which used to bother me earlier.  I unknowingly got rid of the pre-match pressure which was affecting my sleep. I started getting sound sleep, because of which I woke up well rested and felt prepared to take up any challenge.

I was impatient to ask my Yoga Acharya how the miracle happened.  He explained that meditation and pranayama help us to reduce anxiety and blood pressure on one hand and on the other it increases immunity.

After a month of consistent yoga practice, my body became more flexible, supple and fitter.  I started performing better in the field and subsequently became more confident.  Till date, I practise yoga and strongly recommend it to all sport-persons irrespective of the sports they play.

To sum up, I would say that to perform better in any sport, you need to have a flexible body, concentration and a free mind.  Yoga helps us to achieve these all. Consistent Yoga practise not only enhances performance of any sportsman but also makes a person a better and strong human being – both mentally and physically.

Yoga for Global Well-being. . . .

There is a natural tendency for unification of various entities of our planet. Yoga perceives and attains it in its higher realms of samadhi dwelling on heightened state of mind and elevated knowledge. The unification of mind, body and soul is divinity. This is yoga and is achieved through yogābhyāsa to maintain poise between pravitti and nivritti in the attainment of purusārthas. Yogāsanas is one part of yoga to attain perfection of body. The lore of India’s tryst with yogis needs to retain its sanctity. Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi feels – ‘Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being.’ The state of well-being is pervasive to our existence and pertains to global community.

Why does a prime minister practice yoga on a public podium? A prime minister in any democracy is the vanguard of the citizenry. Shri Narendra Modi and his penchant for yoga has become a cult and his mission to popularize yoga has received worldwide appreciation. Yoga verily leads to better attainment in public life. The Prime Minister himself practicing it has instilled a precedent for others to try out and adjudge its prudence. Yoga also bears a secular mantle and cultural versatility. This has led yoga to get transplanted all across the globe. 

Prime Minister in his address to the 69^th session of the United National General Assembly (UNGA) on September 27^th, 2014 exhorted the world community to adopt an International Day of Yoga to render its profundity – ‘Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with ourselves, the world and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change.’ Within three months, 193 members of UNGA approved this proposal by consensus with a record 177 co-sponsoring countries agreeing to establish 21^st June as the International Day of Yoga.

The Ministry of AYUSH has been striding forth with establishing the curative values of yoga and integrating yoga with various disciplines to reap societal benefits. Be it the high altitude soldiers or mountaineers or expeditions in Antarctica, yoga streamlines body’s functioning to the requisite elimination of body wastes and bolster better assimilation of nutrients for bodily build-up.

Yoga can be of immense benefit to the armed and paramilitary forces. Yoga is highly effective in enduring cold tolerance and proves to be immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory and also in augmenting stress hormones and neurotransmitters. Yoga workout improves the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the alpha index of electroencephalogram sees improvement. Yogic practice on stress hormones and neurotransmitters sees a spurt.

Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences (DIPAS) under Defence Research & Development Organization in collaboration with Morarji Desai Natonal Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) and Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) developed customized yoga packages for army, air force and navy to tackle high altitude, hot desert and cold desert conditions and submarine and ship conditions. According to Dr Shashi Bala Singh, outstanding scientist and Director of DIPAS, ‘scientific investigations on āsanas and prānayāms have enabled its application in combating the stress in soldiers and promoting their psycho-physiological fitness. Yoga can also be a support system to cope up and overcome the disturbed biorhythm and social isolation in adverse climatic conditions.’ Yogic practices on BSF have shown to improve anaerobic power.

Yoga in Antarctica was tried out during 35^th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica in 2015-2016. ‘Effect of Antarctic conditions and mitigation: yoga for Indian Expedition’ was undertaken by DIPAS and S-VYASA to facilitate better thermoregulation and minimize sea sickness. Also, yoga was found to enable better adaptations to the changes in the circadian rhythm or the body clock while staying at Bharati and Maitri stations in Antarctica. Improved sleep architecture and better mood prevailed.

Yogasana is not just for body flexibility but has a profound corrective action on aberrant human physiology. Several incurable ailments for modern medicine such as epilepsy, mental disorders, endocrine imbalance etc find a solution. Prof K.K.Deepak is the Head of Department of Physiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He has carried out measurement of autonomic tone using heart rate variability before and after prānayām and sudarshan kriya which involves regulated and rhythmic breathing.  The effect of controlled breathing exercise on the psychological status is also noted. He has made assessment of sympatho-vagal modulation during pranayam and conscious paced breathing. Heart Rate Dynamics during Shambhavi Mahamudra, a practice of Isha Yoga was worked upon. Voluntary heart rate reduction is proven possible following yoga using different strategies. Cardiac autonomic function even in patients with diabetes improves with practice of comprehensive yogic breathing program.

An extensive study on yogic therapy in epilepsy and prolonged meditation practice as a useful adjunct for management of drug-resistant epileptics has also been carried out in AIIMS. Yogic intervention for mental disorders is also possible. Studies have also been conducted to see the effect of yoga based intervention in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The effect of comprehensive yogic breathing program on type 2 diabetes is also noted.

What is āsana and how should it be done? Sthirasukhamāsanam, says the seer Patañjali. Late Yoga Guru B.K.S.Iyengar transliterates it as, ‘the sense of sanctity brings composure and poise in the body, feeling of firmness in mind and benevolence in the intelligence’. Aṣṭāṇga Yoga of Patañjali holds exemplary toning regimen.

It will meet country’s demand for Clean Energy in the immediate and the long-term future

Government’s announcement for the plan of construction of ten new Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) of 700 MWe capacity vindicates the confidence in the indigenous PHWR technology which has been built over a period of nearly four decades. The performance of the present sixteen indigenously built PHWRs is demonstrated by an average capacity factor of about 80% over last five years, their uninterrupted operation over extended periods, the longest being 765 days for a Rajasthan Reactor, RAPS-5 securing the second world ranking and a very low average electricity tariff which is next to that of the hydroelectric power. More than anything else, is the fact that 100% of all their components are manufactured by the Indian industry. Dr. M.R.Srinivasan in a recent column in The Hindu (appeared on May 19,2017) has succinctly outlined the history of the development of the PHWR technology and the near-term strategy of the growth of nuclear power capacity. The evolution of the PHWR technology and the upgradation of their safety features have been covered in a series of scientific papers published in a special section of the April ‘17 Issue of “Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science’- a journal published by American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

The PHWR technology in India started in the late nineteen sixties with the construction of the first 220 MWe reactor, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station, RAPS-1 with a design similar with that of the Douglas Point reactor in Canada under the joint Indo-Canadian nuclear co-operation. Canada supplied all main equipment for this first unit. India retained responsibility for construction, installation and commissioning activities. For the second unit (RAPS-2), import content was reduced considerably and indigenization was taken up for major pieces of equipment. Following the complete withdrawal of the Canadian support in 1974 after Pokhran-1, Indian nuclear engineers completed the construction and the plant was made operational with majority of the components made in India. From the third PHWR unit (Madras Atomic Power Station, MAPS-1) onwards, the evolution and indigenisation of the design began with the objective of keeping abreast with evolutionary changes taking place worldwide and of meeting new safety criteria. Improvements were also incorporated for reduction of the construction time and cost, and enhancing reliability of operation leading to better capacity factors. The first two units of PHWR using indigenously developed standardized 220 MWe design were set up at the Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS). This standardized and optimised design had several new safety systems which have been incorporated in five more twin-unit atomic power stations with capacity of 2 x 220 MWe located at Kakrapar, Kaiga and Rawatbhata. For realising the economics of scale, the design of 540 MWe PHWR was developed and two such units were constructed at Tarapur. Further optimisations were carried out by utilising the excess thermal margins and improve the economics and NPCIL modified the 540 MWe PHWR design to that of 700 MWe capacity without much design changes. Four units of this design are being constructed at Rawatbhata and Kakrapar at present.

As far as the safety is concerned, the PHWR technology scores well in terms of its several inherent safety features. The biggest advantage of the PHWR design is the use of thin walled pressure tubes instead of large pressure vessels used in pressure vessel type reactors. This results in a distribution of pressure boundaries to large number of small diameter pressure tubes. The consequence of an accidental rupture of the pressure boundary in such a design will have a much less severity than that in a pressure vessel type reactor. The PHWR core is always uniquely surrounded by huge quantity of low temperature and low pressure water in the calandria vessel and in the calandria vault. These coolant inventories significantly delay the progression of the event and, thereby, provide adequate time for interventions and corrective actions by operators to mitigate the consequences. In fact, the large quantity of vault water can serve as a core catcher for in-vessel retention of disintegrated fuel debris in the case of a very low probability core melt accident. These inherent heat sinks are required only when the primary heat sink through steam generators or the shutdown cooling system becomes unavailable in the most severe accident scenario.

In addition, the Indian 700 MWe PHWR design has enhanced safety through dedicated Passive Decay Heat Removal System which has the capability of removing decay heat from core without requiring any operator actions similar with the technology adopted for Generation III+ plants to address the Fukushima type accident. The 700 MWe Indian PHWR has steel-lined containment to reduce the leakages and containment spray system to reduce the containment pressure in case of a loss of coolant accident and for scrubbing radio nuclides in case of their release beyond the design limit.

The main reasons for selecting PHWRs in the 1960s for the First Stage of the Indian nuclear power programme have been the use of natural uranium oxide as the fuel, the best utilisation of mined uranium in energy production and the prospect of establishing a completely self-reliant technology. Over four decades of relentless research, design and development work in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Nuclear Power Corporation and the matching contributions of some of their industry partners who had shown the courage in taking up the challenging manufacturing and construction work have enabled India in establishing the technology in totality. Mastering the entire fuel cycle including prospecting of minerals, mining, processing and manufacturing of fuel and structural materials, reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and immobilization of radioactive waste has given India a unique position of self-reliance in the atomic energy domain. The constraint of a limited reserve of uranium in the country which earlier impeded a rapid growth in nuclear power has now been eased by augmented production of indigenous uranium and import of uranium under the civil nuclear co-operation agreements with several countries. During the last financial-year Nuclear Fuel Complex had a record production of nuclear fuel exceeding 1500 tonne and new uranium deposits discovered by Atomic Mineral Division for Exploration and research have taken the uranium reserve in the country to a level of 200000 tonne.

India is now poised for a rapid growth in the nuclear power capacity which is essential for meeting the demand of clean electricity. The per-capita electricity consumption in India (now close to 1000 KWh) is nearly one-third of the world average and there is an obvious need for a substantial enhancement of non-carbon electricity production to improve the quality of life of our people. The impressive growth in the solar and wind power has made a visible impact in increased availability of electricity in many areas. However, it needs to be emphasized that the distributed and intermittent sources of energy such as solar and wind cannot meet the base load demand very effectively. The nuclear energy source is concentrated, continuous and reliable and, therefore, can be complemented by solar and wind energy in meeting the overall demand of electricity with practically zero carbon foot-print. While the huge electricity demand from large cities and industrial complexes require uninterrupted and concentrated form of energy, there is an equally big demand of distributed energy in our rural areas. Energy planners are, therefore, combining these different patterns of energy requirement to achieve an optimised solution.   

The next issue which needs to be addressed is the speed at which we can grow our nuclear power capacity. In this context one can examine the experience of France and USA in nineteen seventies and of China in the recent years. They all have achieved very impressive rapid growth by adopting a convoy or a serial mode of installation of nuclear power plants of a few standardised designs. In such a strategy, the industry can gear up their dedicated production lines for sophisticated nuclear components and construction companies can deploy their manpower and skill-set most effectively. The decision that 10 PHWRs of 700 MWe will be installed in the immediate future will generate enough enthusiasm in the industry for taking up the challenge of serial production of nuclear components of exacting specifications. The expansion in nuclear power activity will not only broaden the supplier base but also make the participating industry more quality conscious. They can even qualify to be exporters of nuclear grade components. A reduction in the gestation period of construction of nuclear plants will have a strong impact in reducing the cost of electricity.

As has been mentioned by Dr.Srinivasan, India is now in a position to embark upon building 900 MWe Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) of her own design. The capability of making large size pressure vessel is now available within the country and our own isotope enrichment plants will be able to supply a part of the required enriched uranium fuel within a decade. These will be in addition to imported PWRs from Russia, France and USA with the aim of an accelerated growth of nuclear energy in the country. The signing of the recent agreement between India and Russia for the construction of two more 1000 MWe PWRs (Units 5 and 6) in Kudankulam confirms this overall plan. The convenience of operation and a high average capacity factor have made PWRs the most sought after nuclear power reactors in the world, nearly 85% of all power reactors being the PWR type.  There will be a special advantage of operating a mix of PWRs and PHWRs in India as the spent fuel of the former which will contain more than 1% of uranium-235 can be reprocessed and further utilized as the fuel in PHWRs operating in tandem. This evolving fuel cycle will eventually extend the power generation from the First Stage of the well- known three stage programme quite significantly.

The merit of the closed fuel cycle which has been adopted right from the beginning of the Indian programme is not only in multiplying the fuel resource but also in reducing the radio-active burden of the nuclear waste dramatically. In this context, the successful development of separation of minor actinides from the nuclear waste in India, deployed in pilot plant scale, has drawn world-wide attention. Plutonium recovered by reprocessing of spent fuel from operating PHWRs has been used in making the plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel for the full core of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) which has initiated the commissioning activities before commencing operation. With the entry of India in her Second Stage of nuclear power programme in which Fast Breeder Reactors will not only enable the growth of the installed nuclear capacity, but also generate more fissile materials, plutonium-239 and uranium-233 by conversion of fertile isotopes, uranium-238 and thorium-232 respectively. An enhanced scope and an accelerated implementation of the First Stage of the programme will make a far- reaching impact on securing the energy self-reliance of the country. By operating multiple recycles in the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle the supply of fissile material is expected to be enhanced by a factor of 60 and by using the huge reserve of thorium, the current estimate being four times that of uranium, India can sustain the supply of clean nuclear energy for several centuries.

Role of P C Mahalanobis in Nation Building

In the words of Prof. Mahalanobis “Statistics must have a clearly defined purpose, one aspect of which is scientific advancement and the other human welfare and national development.” And in both the aspects his contribution has been immense. He is rightly referred to as the chief architect of Indian statistical system as well as father of statistical science in India. What started as a chance encounter with the journal Biometrica, turned into a passion so strong that it not only helped in building a strong statistical community in India but also lead to advancement of many theoretical works in the field.

Prof. Mahalanobis had to face opposition and challenges in his initial endeavours to establish statistics as a mainstream discipline of study and research. However, he persisted in his efforts and witnessed, contributed in no small measure by himself, change in perception of statistics in academic and public circles. We get a glimpse of this in the introductory part of his oft-quoted speech in the 1950 session of Indian Science Congress “Why Statistics?”:

“I discussed with a friend of mine, …..the possibility of having a separate section for Statistics. …. A little later he informed me that there was no chance of my proposal being accepted, and with a smile told me that some of his colleagues had remarked: “If statistics is to have a section, you may as well have a section for astrology”. Evidently, statistics and astrology were bracketed together in the mind of many of our scientists. The forecasting of future events is, of course, a common feature; and the basis was felt to be equally unscientific.................A great change has taken place in the climate of scientific and public opinion about statistics.”

Mahalanobis set up the Indian Statistical Institute as a learned society on 17 December 1931, which was registered in April 1932 as a non-profit distributing learned society under the Societies Registration Act. All or nearly all the statistical work done in India during the 1920s and until the mid-1930s was done single-handedly by Mahalanobis. The early statistical studies included analyses of data on stature of Anglo-Indians, meteorological data, rainfall data, data on soil conditions, etc. Some of the findings of these early studies were of great impact in the control of floods and development of agriculture. His analysis of anthropometric data led to the famous concept in Statistics known as “Mahalanobis Distance‟. During 1937-45, he introduced several innovative techniques and preferred to call them “experiments in statistical sampling‟. He started his work on sample surveys with estimation of area and yield of jute crop in Bengal in 1937. However, it was not easy for him to get these estimates accepted; controversy between him and the advocates of complete enumeration continued for over a decade. Ultimately he was able to demonstrate that estimates based on sample surveys were often more accurate than those based on complete enumeration, and that sample surveys could yield estimates with small margins of error within a short time and at a smaller cost than complete enumeration.Mahalanobis was always interested in the “promotion of scientific research and fruitful applications of research results to problems of social welfare‟. These applications of Statistics were not only in Agriculture where he pioneered crop cutting experiments, but also in Industry.

Mahalanobis's contributions to large scale sample surveys are among his most significant and lasting gifts to statistics. Given the paucity of administrative data, and the possibility of biases creeping in, the strategy Mahalanobis envisaged in his notes to the Nehru cabinet on creating credible data sets were based on representative sample surveys, economist Ashok Rudra writes in his biography of Mahalanobis. To establish the credibility of surveys, he, who was a big proponent of cross-examination of data, invited some of the pioneers of statistics to review the work done at ISI. The first review committee of NSS included such intellectual giants as R.A. Fischer, M.H. Hansen, T. Kitagawa, A. Linder and F. Yates. Their opinion was not entirely uncritical but it noted in its report that in the matter of sample surveys, “those outside India must expect to have more to learn than to teach”.

The three notable contributions to the theory and practice of sample surveys by Mahalanobis are “pilot surveys, optimum survey design and Inter Penetrating Network of sub-samples technique (IPNS)” (cf. Lahiri, 1973). He always advocated Inter penetrating network of sub-samples (IPNS) theory both in conduct of large scale sample surveys as well as in working of Government administration where he did not approve of the fact that it was regulated by principle of authority. Mahalanobis was very much concerned with errors at various stages of data collection and analysis and insisted on cross examination of data. He applied IPNS for assessment and control of errors, especially non-sampling errors, in surveys. His technique of IPNS was appreciated by both the statisticians as well as politicians.  The concept of pilot surveys was a forerunner of sequential sampling developed by Abraham Wald, as acknowledged by Wald in his book.

In addition to introducing these concepts, Mahalanobis raised important and difficult philosophical questions on randomness and representativeness of a sample, which remain relevant and challenging even today. He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Statistical Sampling in 1947, and held this post until 1951. His tireless advocacy of the usefulness of sample surveys resulted in the final recommendation of this Sub-commission that sampling methods should be extended to all parts of the world. Mahalanobis received the Weldon Medal from Oxford University in 1944 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, London, in 1945, for his fundamental contributions to Statistics, particularly in the area of large-scale sample surveys.

Besides being a reputed academician, Prof. Mahalanobis was a great administrator who stood up for what he believed in. When he was asked by a young colleague as to what was the most important quality for a great administrator he replied, “The capacity to be unpleasant when the occasion called for it.” We get another picture of him in W. Edwards Deming’s remark “He never permitted difference of opinion to impede the advancement of someone with an opposing view.”

One of the first tasks after India gained independence was to reassess the size and nature of the Indian economy and the man chosen to head the mission was statistical genius Prof. Mahalanobis. The committee included eminent scientists like Rao and Gadgil. The result was a voluminous report on National Income. Prof. Mahalanobis’ administrative qualities and the ability to convince people resulted in him playing a leading role in creating a statistical edifice for the country.Although remembered today largely as the architect of India’s five-year plan model, Mahanalobis, as the honorary statistical adviser to the cabinet, had a greater contribution in building a new statistical architecture for the country. He helped establish the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the National Sample Survey (NSS) and the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), all of which were run from ISI in the early years.

Prof. T.J. Rao, recipient of the National Award in Statistics 2016, highlighted the personality and achievements of Prof. Mahalanobis in the following words:

“Such was the man who combined his great intellect and vision with an unlimited capacity for work and brought reputation to the country by his achievements. No one in history could achieve anything great unless he was tough, could act boldly with faith in his convictions, and had the ability to argue....and get things done. Mahalanobis had all these traits in good measure....

......Statistical science was a virgin field and practically unknown in India before the twenties...It needed a pioneer and adventurer like him, with....courage and tenacity to fight all opposition.”

He was a truly visionary leader of his times and the path shown by him has not lost its relevance even today. It has only gained in importance.  With the advancement of study and research on statistics in ISI over the years, Prof. C.R. Rao has very rightly called ISI a mighty monument of Prof. Mahalanobis’ handicraft.

. . . .

Dadabhai Naoroji The man who brought statistics into politics

Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917) – one of the makers of modern India- passed away on June 30, 1917. His death centenary is an apt occasion to revisit his legacy. Two features of his long and distinguished career stand out prominently a) sustained advocacy of Indian cause abroad and b) use of statistics to shape public discourse. He was the first Indian to be elected to the House of Commons (1892). He formulated the famous drain-of-wealth theory, which became India’s cornerstone argument against the British rule. In his late years, he was the first to give expression to the demand for Swaraj from platform of Indian National Congress (1906). He served the cause of India’s political emancipation for six decades.

Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in a poor Parsi family, he began his career as a teacher of mathematics and natural philosophy at Elphinstone Institute (later Elphinstone College). He was the first Indian to become a full professor. As a member of the Students Literary and Scientific Society formed in the Institute, he acted as a pioneer of women’s education. He was an active member of the Bombay Association (1852), the first association in the western India to consider political issues. Its meetings were held in the hall of the Institute. In 1851, he founded Rast Goftar (Truth Teller), a Gujarati fortnightly with a Persian name. It was a progressive journal educating readers on duties of citizenship.

            In 1855, he resigned from his professorial job; and relocated to Britain to set up a mercantile firm. The company he founded in partnership with Muncherji Hormmusji and Kharshedji Rustamji Cama was the first Indian firm to operate in Britain. Through this commercial venture, Dadabhai had hoped to make Britain confident about Indian entrepreneurship. But having a fastidious sense of ethics, he could not long survive in that commercial environment. In 1859, he opened his own mercantile firm in London viz. Dadabhai Naoroji & Co in partnership with Jamshedji Palanji Kapadia and Pestanji Ratanji Colah. He established it beyond doubt that ethical values and business acumen could co-exist. He wanted Indian businessmen to learn from the methods and devices of their British counterparts.

But politics was his true calling. In 1867, he founded the East Indian Association. It was a political advocacy group for India having both British and Indians on its membership roll. It was the first political organization with members from different provinces of India. Two young law students viz. W.C. Bonnerji (1844-1906) and Pherozeshah M. Mehta (1845-1915) became his disciples. In their mature years both served as the President of Indian National Congress (estd.1885).

            Dadabhai read the paper ‘England’s Duties to India’ before a pre-dominantly British audience at East India Association on May 2, 1867. It was in that paper he accused of Britain siphoning off wealth from India. An extract reads-

 “In the shape of “home charges” alone there has been a transfer of about 100 millions of pounds sterling, exclusive of interest on public debt, from the wealth of India to that of England since 1829, during the last thirty-six years only. The total territorial charges in India since 1829 have been about 820 millions. Supposing that out of the latter sum only one-eighth represents the sum remitted to England by Europeans in Government service for maintenance of relatives and families, for education of children, for savings made at the time of retiring, the sums expended by them for purchases of English articles for their own consumption, and also sums paid in India for Government stores of English produce and manufacturers- there is then another 100 millions added to the wealth of England”.

            Where from he got those statistics in the paper? These were based on Parliamentary Returns of Indian Accounts. He also relied upon the Second Customs Report, 1858. His speeches were tinged with such mathematical data. But he knew that audience could lose patience with figures. But a reader can revisit them as often he/she wants. Thus his essays were laced with heavy statistics. His speeches were lucid.

            Dadabhai turned price rise, wages, taxation, tariff, rents, lending rates, agricultural output, industrial production data, import & export figures and currency exchange rates into political talking points. He tried to establish that British rule had led to economic ruination of India. It had steeply increased the poverty. He argued that such a malevolent policy militated against British principles themselves. Therefore, he named his magnum opus ‘Poverty and Un-British Rule in India’ (1901).

            Dadabhai himself was not satisfied with the method of collection of statistics by the provincial governments. In the paper titled ‘Poverty of India’, read before the Bombay Branch of East Indian Association of 1876, he pointed at statistical fallacies and means to improve them. He went into nitty-gritty of acreage, crop production, prices, domestic consumption pattern, imports and exports. It requires a great deal of imagination, thorough collection of figures and meticulous data crunching to establish how British rule was impoverishing India. Dadabahi was actually laying down the path for future leaders. The opinion of a lawmaker with grasp over figures, as much over facts, carries greater credibility.

            The other important legacy of Dadabhai was advocacy of India’s cause abroad. He did it through the East Indian Association. He then espoused the Indian cause in the British Parliament. He was the first Indian to be elected to the House of Commons. He represented the Central Finsbury constituency as a candidate of Liberal party between 1892 and 1895. He twice served as the President of Indian National Congress (1886 and 1893) besides representing India at International Congress of Social Democrats at Amsterdam in 1905. He permanently returned to India from Britain in 1908 at the ripe age of 83. He passed away in Bombay on June 30, 1917 leaving a weighty bequest of experience and achievements behind.

Role of P C Mahalanobis in Nation Building

In the words of Prof. Mahalanobis “Statistics must have a clearly defined purpose, one aspect of which is scientific advancement and the other human welfare and national development.” And in both the aspects his contribution has been immense. He is rightly referred to as the chief architect of Indian statistical system as well as father of statistical science in India. What started as a chance encounter with the journal Biometrica, turned into a passion so strong that it not only helped in building a strong statistical community in India but also lead to advancement of many theoretical works in the field.

Prof. Mahalanobis had to face opposition and challenges in his initial endeavours to establish statistics as a mainstream discipline of study and research. However, he persisted in his efforts and witnessed, contributed in no small measure by himself, change in perception of statistics in academic and public circles. We get a glimpse of this in the introductory part of his oft-quoted speech in the 1950 session of Indian Science Congress “Why Statistics?”:

“I discussed with a friend of mine, …..the possibility of having a separate section for Statistics. …. A little later he informed me that there was no chance of my proposal being accepted, and with a smile told me that some of his colleagues had remarked: “If statistics is to have a section, you may as well have a section for astrology”. Evidently, statistics and astrology were bracketed together in the mind of many of our scientists. The forecasting of future events is, of course, a common feature; and the basis was felt to be equally unscientific.................A great change has taken place in the climate of scientific and public opinion about statistics.”

Mahalanobis set up the Indian Statistical Institute as a learned society on 17 December 1931, which was registered in April 1932 as a non-profit distributing learned society under the Societies Registration Act. All or nearly all the statistical work done in India during the 1920s and until the mid-1930s was done single-handedly by Mahalanobis. The early statistical studies included analyses of data on stature of Anglo-Indians, meteorological data, rainfall data, data on soil conditions, etc. Some of the findings of these early studies were of great impact in the control of floods and development of agriculture. His analysis of anthropometric data led to the famous concept in Statistics known as “Mahalanobis Distance‟. During 1937-45, he introduced several innovative techniques and preferred to call them “experiments in statistical sampling‟. He started his work on sample surveys with estimation of area and yield of jute crop in Bengal in 1937. However, it was not easy for him to get these estimates accepted; controversy between him and the advocates of complete enumeration continued for over a decade. Ultimately he was able to demonstrate that estimates based on sample surveys were often more accurate than those based on complete enumeration, and that sample surveys could yield estimates with small margins of error within a short time and at a smaller cost than complete enumeration.Mahalanobis was always interested in the “promotion of scientific research and fruitful applications of research results to problems of social welfare‟. These applications of Statistics were not only in Agriculture where he pioneered crop cutting experiments, but also in Industry.

Mahalanobis's contributions to large scale sample surveys are among his most significant and lasting gifts to statistics. Given the paucity of administrative data, and the possibility of biases creeping in, the strategy Mahalanobis envisaged in his notes to the Nehru cabinet on creating credible data sets were based on representative sample surveys, economist Ashok Rudra writes in his biography of Mahalanobis. To establish the credibility of surveys, he, who was a big proponent of cross-examination of data, invited some of the pioneers of statistics to review the work done at ISI. The first review committee of NSS included such intellectual giants as R.A. Fischer, M.H. Hansen, T. Kitagawa, A. Linder and F. Yates. Their opinion was not entirely uncritical but it noted in its report that in the matter of sample surveys, “those outside India must expect to have more to learn than to teach”.

The three notable contributions to the theory and practice of sample surveys by Mahalanobis are “pilot surveys, optimum survey design and Inter Penetrating Network of sub-samples technique (IPNS)” (cf. Lahiri, 1973). He always advocated Inter penetrating network of sub-samples (IPNS) theory both in conduct of large scale sample surveys as well as in working of Government administration where he did not approve of the fact that it was regulated by principle of authority. Mahalanobis was very much concerned with errors at various stages of data collection and analysis and insisted on cross examination of data. He applied IPNS for assessment and control of errors, especially non-sampling errors, in surveys. His technique of IPNS was appreciated by both the statisticians as well as politicians.  The concept of pilot surveys was a forerunner of sequential sampling developed by Abraham Wald, as acknowledged by Wald in his book.

In addition to introducing these concepts, Mahalanobis raised important and difficult philosophical questions on randomness and representativeness of a sample, which remain relevant and challenging even today. He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Statistical Sampling in 1947, and held this post until 1951. His tireless advocacy of the usefulness of sample surveys resulted in the final recommendation of this Sub-commission that sampling methods should be extended to all parts of the world. Mahalanobis received the Weldon Medal from Oxford University in 1944 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, London, in 1945, for his fundamental contributions to Statistics, particularly in the area of large-scale sample surveys.

Besides being a reputed academician, Prof. Mahalanobis was a great administrator who stood up for what he believed in. When he was asked by a young colleague as to what was the most important quality for a great administrator he replied, “The capacity to be unpleasant when the occasion called for it.” We get another picture of him in W. Edwards Deming’s remark “He never permitted difference of opinion to impede the advancement of someone with an opposing view.”

One of the first tasks after India gained independence was to reassess the size and nature of the Indian economy and the man chosen to head the mission was statistical genius Prof. Mahalanobis. The committee included eminent scientists like Rao and Gadgil. The result was a voluminous report on National Income. Prof. Mahalanobis’ administrative qualities and the ability to convince people resulted in him playing a leading role in creating a statistical edifice for the country.Although remembered today largely as the architect of India’s five-year plan model, Mahanalobis, as the honorary statistical adviser to the cabinet, had a greater contribution in building a new statistical architecture for the country. He helped establish the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the National Sample Survey (NSS) and the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), all of which were run from ISI in the early years.

Prof. T.J. Rao, recipient of the National Award in Statistics 2016, highlighted the personality and achievements of Prof. Mahalanobis in the following words:

“Such was the man who combined his great intellect and vision with an unlimited capacity for work and brought reputation to the country by his achievements. No one in history could achieve anything great unless he was tough, could act boldly with faith in his convictions, and had the ability to argue....and get things done. Mahalanobis had all these traits in good measure....

......Statistical science was a virgin field and practically unknown in India before the twenties...It needed a pioneer and adventurer like him, with....courage and tenacity to fight all opposition.”

He was a truly visionary leader of his times and the path shown by him has not lost its relevance even today. It has only gained in importance.  With the advancement of study and research on statistics in ISI over the years, Prof. C.R. Rao has very rightly called ISI a mighty monument of Prof. Mahalanobis’ handicraft.

Swachh Bharat Momentum Toilets for Pilgrims in Maharashtra

Like every year, lakhs of people are expected to join the Aashadhi Yatra that begins from the Sant Tukaram Temple at Dehu in Pune District today and culminates on 16^th of next month in the temple town of Pandharpur. This Yatra on foot en route 34 km distance is joined by a large number of devotees from other towns and villages on the way. The 21 day yatra culminates on ‘Ashadi Ekadashi’ in the Pandharpur considered the Centre of Bhakti movement in Maharashtra. Lakhs of pilgrims throng the famous Vithoba Temple located in this pilgrimage town situated on the banks of the river Chanderbhaga.

     While almost 15 lakh people congregate at Pandharpur on ‘Ashadi Ekadasi’, even on other ‘Ekadashis’ two to three lakh people visit this town and 10 to 15 thousand people every weekend. So actually it is almost round the year that the pilgrims throng Pandharapur and that is why the need for permanent toilets structures become a necessity.

     For decades lack of toilets in this small town about 120 kms from Pune led to open defecation by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims creating health hazard.

     “ It was impossible   to walk without soiling one’s feet  because of the open defecation by pilgrims also referred to as ‘wakaris’ who converged on this town says Sachin Kamble a local journalist.

 Many of the devotees who stayed along the river too had no choice but to defecate in the open. The locals were willing to provide accommodation to the pilgrims but would not let them use their toilets.

      Shikhare who belongs to this town says ironically while the yatris visited Pandhrapur during yatra, the locals preferred to move out on trips elsewhere because of the unhygienic situation and fear of spread of diseases that was created because of open defecation.

      That is no longer the case. Over the last few years, the situation has improved considerably.

       Today Pandharpur boasts of the biggest toilet complex in the world. Maharahstra government has sanctioned over100 crore rupees for the project. Permanent structures with 50 toilet seats each are being constructed on the route at several points where pilgrims halt for the night. Till last year the a cluster of eight mega toilet complexes with over 1400 toilet units in the temple's vicinity had been constructed. These toilet complexes also have disabled friendly toilets and washrooms where the pilgrims can change their clothes.

        Toilet project ‘Nirmal Wari’ was initiated some years back by the state government. Last year 20,000 mobile toilets were deployed during the yatra. But that was not enough so Maharashtra government roped in Sulabh International Social Service Organisation to create more toilet facilities. In all, twenty three toilet complexes are to be constructed and the number of toilets would rise to 2900.

 Shikhare who works at one of these toilet complexes located in the vicinity of the Vitthal Temple, said these toilet complexes have completely changed the scenario in the town. He said that Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has had its impact with many of the people living in nearby slum areas, now coming forward to construct toilets. He says that instead of defecating in the open, more and more people are using the community toilets. Amul Patil who lives in JJ colony not far from this complex said he would rather pay fifty rupees a month for his family to use the toilets than defecate in the open creating health hazards for himself and others.  

Today Maharashtra is 80 percent Open Defecation Free (ODF) against the national average of 64 percent.  Speaking  at a function to launch ‘Darwaza Bandh’ to promote toilet use and freedom from open defecation across the country's villages, the state Chief Minister said that Maharashtra is committed to become ODF by March  next year.   

         It is not just about Maharashtra, being a multi religious society, pilgrimages on foot or otherwise are part and parcel of our socio-cultural life. It is therefore important that such places and the routes to these places should have toilet facilities, prefabricated, temporary or permanent structures, so that the pilgrims are not forced to defecate in open and create health hazards. It is hoped that with the Government’s commitment towards sanitation and the resounding success of the Swachh Bharat campaign, pilgrims across the country will not have to defecate in open and create health issues for themselves and others.