NEW DELHI (AP) — India is now home to 17 percent of the world’s people as its population climbed to 1.21 billion this year, though growth actually slowed for the first time in 90 years, census officials said Thursday.
The South Asian nation — second only to China in number of people — added 181 million in the past decade, said C. Chandramouli, the census commissioner. That increase alone is nearly the entire population of Brazil
United Nations projections show that India could overtake China and its 1.34 billion people as the world’s most populous nation by 2030, though Chandramouli said a more rigorous analysis of data would be needed before India made its own projections.
India’s population is now nearly equal to the combined populations of the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, he said.
Yet, the 17.6 percent increase was down from 21.5 in the last count a decade ago. The last time India showed slowing in population growth was in the 1921 census.
The numbers released Thursday were preliminary and official figures and analysis weren’t expected to be released until next year.
The census, India’s 15th since 1872, was a mammoth effort spread out over a year. It involved 2.7 million census-takers who surveyed some 300 million households, noting for the first time whether people live in basic huts or concrete structures, have electricity and access to toilets and if they have spent any time in schools.
The questions will help administrators develop policies and set budgets for a nation where 800 million people live in poverty.
Almost all residents, regardless of nationality, are included in the count, even those imprisoned like Pakistani Ajmal Kasab, who is on death row for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Millions of homeless were also counted.
The initial numbers show a decline in the number of children under the age of 6, down 5 million since 2001 to 158.8 million. They also indicate a continuing preference for male children over females in a country where female infanticide is still common and the government has banned doctors from revealing the sex of unborn children.
A gender breakdown among children showed fewer girls than boys are being born or surviving, with 914 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of 6, compared to 927 for every 1,000 in the last census.
“This is a matter of grave concern,” Chandramouli said.
Indians continue to favor sons over daughters mostly because of the enormous expenses involved in marrying off girls. Even the poorest families are often likely to go into debt arranging marriages and paying elaborate dowries to their daughter’s new family. Hindu custom also dictates that only sons can light funeral pyres.
“Whatever measures that have been put in over the last 40 years has not had any impact on child sex ratio and therefore that requires a complete review,” India’s Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said.
The overall sex-ratio showed a marginal improvement, with 940 women counted for every 1,000 men compared to 933 in the last census.
The census also showed that the literacy rate went up to 74 percent nationwide for people aged 7 and older, from about 65 percent in the last count.
Month: April 2011
Cherry Blossom Season in DC Right Now – National Geographic
Last year at this time, we spent a week in Washington, DC and took in the wondrous sights of the cherry blossoms, among other things. Amazing how they know to bloom right on time! Click on the picture to go to the NG website for the complete gallery of cherry blossom pictures.
Yellow Carnations & Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake: Sweet Dessert for a Sweet 2011 ICC World Cup Victory
And what’s all this about, you ask? Well, this is Part Three in a series of three consecutive posts celebrating the sweet victory of the 2011 ICC World Cup victory. And where might the other two be, you say, and what are those about? Not to worry, they’re all right here. The Breakfast of Champions Ode to Sachin & the 2011 ICC World Cup post is right here, and the Hyderabadi Biryani In Honor Of The Boys of Mumbai is also right here.
So, what would you serve for dessert after a breakfast and dinner like that? Well, that’s a tough call, but I’d vote for Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake, of course! This delectable dessert is a variation of the traditional cake by the same name, and was made by my indescribably amazing firstborn. It is a variation because instead of pineapple rings, pineapple chunks have been used, and instead of a regular round cake, she baked it in a bundt pan.
It was served with a scoop of the finest Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and a Drizzle of Pineapple Juice & Marmalade Syrup, a concoction that came right out of our imaginations, by the way.
Oh, and those fresh yellow carnations on the table: we picked those up from a trip to the supermarket. Yellow, the traditional color of homecoming, perfect in a way for the event being celebrated: a homecoming of the World Cup after a very long time!
Hyderabadi Biryani In Honor of the Boys of Mumbai
Well, this is part two in a series of three posts devoted to reiterating the notion that food is love is food. And if you’re lost already, not to worry, I shall explain. The 2011 ICC World Cup win by India yesterday is so sweet a victory that it produces the most intense of such emotions, you see, and so after the Breakfast of Champions post that was offered up yesterday, I must now offer up an account of the food-celebrations of the rest of the day. So, what could possibly be better than Hyderabadi Biryani on an occasion so grand? Nothing, I know. And so Biryani, it was.
The last time I made this meal was last Christmas. Click here for a lovely refresher. And rest assured that the modus operandi for yesterday’s making of this divine dish was no different.
So, here’s to India’s love of cricket, and her mastery of it. And here’s to Hyderabadi Biryani, the way God intended it. If Sachin were to have a bite of it, know what he would say? He’d say: Yeh Hui Na Baat!
Ode To Sachin & the 2011 ICC World Cup
I’ve been watching Sachin Tendulkar since he first came onto the cricket scene as an unknown sixteen-year old. Already in high-school at the time, I, like my friends was quick to notice this youngster not much older than us doing these amazing things on the cricket-field. The boy could bat and bowl and run and do all things well– my goodness, who was this kid anyway?
Well, the kid has come a long way today, and while my memories of the 1983 ICC World Cup are non-existent, the memories of today’s victory of the same event will last a while. Sachin, you’re a sweetie, and we love you to death!
And so– may I tell you what the Breakfast of a Championship World Cup looked like for me? Let the record show that in anticipation of sweet victory today, I made Masala Dosais and served it up with Chutneys and Eggs. Yes, let the record show that a breakfast of champions was made and served by me on this day, Saturday, April 2, 2011 to celebrate the 2011 ICC World Cup.
Rohu: A Fantastic Seven-Ingredient Fish Fry
Well, if you’re a fish-lover (the eating kind, might I add), and if you happen to have origins in the Indian subcontinent, then you most likely will recognize the name of this fish: Rohu. It is not too dissimilar to the trout, and holds well to a variety of ways of cooking it. Very common where I originally come from, it is certainly heartening to find it here in our local supermarket in a small town in the Upper Midwest of the United States. The Bangladeshi butcher in the supermarket cuts it for me any which way I ask him to. And this time around, I asked for steak-style pieces, only, I wanted those halved. Which is what he did.
Well, regardless of the style of the cut, what’s even more important is how you choose to make it. Last evening, I felt like frying, for a change. And so, first things first, viz. marinating the fish steaks. And what might that marinade be, you say? I used the first five fantastic ingredients for the marinade, the next one to dust the pieces in, and the last one to fry them in. So, here goes:
- Haldi (Turmeric)
- Lal Mirch (Red Chilli Powder)
- Namak (Salt)
- Nimbu (Lime/Lemon Juice)
- Lassan (Garlic paste)
- Chawal Aata (Rice Flour)
- Canola Frying Oil
Make a marinade with the first five items, toss your fish into it, and let it rest for atleast a couple of hours. Then, when you’re ready to fry, roll the pieces in a light coating of rice-flour and drop into a deep-fryer and fish them out when they’re golden brown. (yes, I know, I’m good with puns like that!)
One bite, and I’ll bet you’ll say Yeh Hui Na Baat!
Chow Time! 10 Spicy, Cheesy, and Fried Tex-Mex Recipes
Chow Time! 10 Spicy, Cheesy, and Fried Tex-Mex Recipes (I suppose I’m not the only one harping about Tex-Mex cuisine!)
Maybe it’s the reports from Austin’s SXSW conference that are still coming in. Maybe it’s the ridiculously warm and welcome weather we’ve been having on the West Coast. (Sorry, East Coast! Come visit?) Either way, we’re craving Tex-Mex and we’re craving it bad.
Tex-Mex is a curious blend of cuisines. You get some truly authentic Mexican dishes and others with distinctly cowboy origins. Throw in a California avocado or two, and there you have it. If this is fusion, we welcome it.
1. Jalapeno Poppers from Gourmet Magazine – Just one is never enough.
2. Acapulco Enchiladas from Sunset Magazine – Almonds and chopped olives give these enchiladas a southwestern twist!
3. Ranch Chicken from Pioneer Woman – Bacon makes everything better. And bigger.
4. Puffy Tacos from Homesick Texan – A uniquely Texan treat!
5. Baja-Style Tempura Fish Tacos from Leite’s Culinaria – Add a Japanese influence to that blend of Tex-Mex cuisines!
6. Texas Caviar from Martha Stewart – Nothing like this blend of black-eyed peas and roasted red peppers to round out a meal.
7. Beef Chili with Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits from Smitten Kitchen – Here’s one for those of you struggling to make it through the last few days of winter.
8. 7-Layer Bean Dip from Simply Recipes – A required pre- and post-dinner snack.
9. Skirt Steak Fajitas from Saveur Magazine – You know you want one.
10. Grilled Stuffed Peppers from Epicurious – On the grill or under the broiler, these are make excellent party dish.
via thekitchn.com
How Will It End (The Libya Story)? – The Daily Dish
How Will It End?
Juan Cole thinks International Criminal Court charges will hasten Qaddafi’s departure:
NATO’s aerial bombing missions were what stopped the advance into Kosovo of Serbian troops. But it was the world community’s relegation of Milosevic to pariah status that helped the Serbian elite turn against him. The International Criminal Court has been charged by the UN with looking into whether Qaddafi can be charged with crimes against humanity (and if not he, who could?) The ICC seems likely to return an indictment before too long. Such indictments have powerful real-world effects, as seen with Milosevic. Although this development might make it more difficult to find a place of exile for the Qaddafis, it would almost certainly hasten the fracturing of the Tripoli elite and an end to the conflict.
And this, it seems is now the real goal, what David Brooks calls “squeeze and see.” To my mind, this is infinitely preferable to getting bogged down in arming the rebels, or finding ourselves alongside Algeria and Egypt as outside powers trying to turn the events in Libya to our advantage. The latest reports from Tripoli seem to suggest a quickening of the regime’s slide:
One resident of the rebellious neighborhood of Tajoura and another with ties to the nearby area of Suk al-juma said that pro-Qaddafi militia members could no longer safely enter the side streets in small numbers for fear of attack by local residents, although heavy contingents of militia still dominated the main arteries.
Defections, however, somewhat work against Qaddafi’s departure, it seems to me. It isolates him further, which seems to bring out the dead-ender in him. I was struck however by Qaddafi’s spokesman’s statement:
“We will remain here until the end.”
Have the Qaddafiites reconciled themselves to the idea that there will be an end? Here’s hoping.
(Photo: A Libyan rebel rests before leaving Ajdabiya to the front line near the oil town of Brega, as the West backed off from arming the rag-tag fighters and pushed for a political solution instead, on April 1, 2011. By Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images)
Juan Cole is a University of Michigan professor, btw.
