UNDER A PALE February sun, the massive reddish-brown sandstone outcrops at Bhimbetka loom like silent sentinels guarding ancient mysteries. Only the mysteries have suddenly deepened. The world heritage site, located 50km from Bhopal, is renowned for its paintings and etchings by successive generations of settlers from over 10,000 years ago. The current excitement is over a chance discovery that hints that the caves here could possibly have fossils from 550 million years ago.
In March 2020, by sheer chance, a group of Indian and international palaeontologists spotted three, white, leaf-like imprints—some of it obscured by soot—about 11.5 feet up on the roof opposite the entrance of the iconic sphinx-shaped shelter No 3 of Bhimbetka, also known as the auditorium cave. The researchers were stunned by the fact that they might have just discovered the first ever Indian fossils of the complex early life form called Dickinsonia that thrived just before the explosion of life on the earth in the Cambrian period, which extended from 541 million to 485 million years ago.
The scientists had come to India to attend the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC). The sessions were, however, cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but some of the participants from the US and South Africa, accompanied by a few officers of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) went ahead with their planned pre-conference tour, and Bhimbetka was one of their last destinations.
Denne historien er fra February 28, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Denne historien er fra February 28, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
