Apples And Climate Change: Dire Threats From Fungi
Introduction Most of Himachal Pradesh had a disastrous 2025 apple season: First, the apple crop was very small, and then, premature leaf fall in…
Vanishing Cultures of Himachal – Part 1 Kotgarhi: The Pahari Language of Ilaqa Kotgarh
1. Introduction The rich, centuries-old cultures of the hills of Himachal Pradesh are vanishing at an alarming rate. While much of this heritage has…
Apples – The Case for Dwarf Rootstocks
Introduction With some apple growers continuing to plant apple trees on seedling stock, this article argues the case for planting all apples on dwarf…
Our Failing School Systems
Introduction This article aims at initiating a debate on the future of K-12 school education, which has undergone slow changes over the past 200…
The Dire State of Our Universities
Introduction Our university and technical-institute systems are in a dire state, continually marching towards lower standards. They mainly are producing ‘worker bees’ to feed…
Evolving Markets for Apples
Introduction Early in the last century, when most transportation was mainly through horse-driven carriages, a saees (ostler) was required to groom the horses. Although…
Apple Orchard Rejuvenation Revisited
Introduction In 2006, Harmony Hall Orchards – founded by Samuel Evans (Satyanand) Stokes in 1916 – initiated a rejuvenation of the old orchard, mainly…
Ilaqa Kotgarh: Continuing Innovation In Apples
Ilaqa Kotgarh, about 80 km from Shimla on the old Hindustan-Tibet Road, where the first Delicious variety of apples was introduced by Samuel Evans…
Curricula for the Twenty-First Century IITs
Pic: Transit campus of IIT Mandi where the inaugural session opens up on 9th August, 2010 Shimla: The number of IITs has doubled in…
150 Years of Bishop Cotton School
An assessment of the past and the future? Students of Bishop Cotton School (BCS) who graduated in 1956 celebrated their Golden Jubilee in 2007….