[Assam] MC Mahanta's bamboo-reinforcement
Chan Mahanta
cmahanta at charter.net
Mon Aug 21 06:34:25 PDT 2006
Himendra Thakur charging others of personal
attacks is a classic example of the pot calling
the kettle black.
No one in Assam net ( other than a couple of
'seraa-paagols' who are obviously not quite
together ) has indulged in personal attacks of
the kind that Himendra Thakur has been engaging
in. And that while sermonizing Assam Netters on
vedic virtues and spouting love for all humanity
( except them Muslims of course). Talk about
'bhondo toposyi'! Talk about hypocrisy!!
Engineers are expected to be rational people, not to be taken by 'fake-science'
or old wives' tales. And here we are, HT, from
the cutting-edge of engineering excellence from
Boston, telling us things like:
A: Rasendra Barua's 'mercury' valve holding the water back from
leaking right out of Xiboxagor pukhuri into the artesian wells
that supposedly feeds it!
No doubt it has not been verified yet, not because the 'rox' --mercury
detection is not yet possible --but obviously because it is more
likely the 'rox' that replaces the ability to reason.
High science it surely must be; in the great traditions of the earth
being held aloft in the firmament by 'gojendra', standing on the back
of a 'kaaso'. The fertile minded cartoonist who authors the
BC comic strip in which the apteryx with a lazy tongue rides the turtle
could not use the imagery more effectively.
B: Rainwater stored on roof-tops being infested by algae due to the
heat.
For those who are unfamiliar with algae, it is a plant organism
and needs light to survive and multiply. Water tanks are usually dark
( at least the kind I have seen) and thus would not allow algae growth.
Where is our resident scientist, Tilok
Hatimuria, when we need him most.
C: Engineers are also the kinds of people who, when shown info.
that they may not be familiar with, learn to change their minds.
HT implied ( if not told) us once that bamboo and cement do not
bond. In response I posted the website of US Naval Engineering which
explains and provides extensive examples of how bamboo and cement
do bond and can be used effectively for certain applications.
Obviously this cutting-edge engineer's edge has become dull from
dealing with too much adha-khunda bidya, to have asserted, once
again:"--considering the lack of bond between bamboo & concrete",
unless it was never too sharp to begin with.
D: Engineers could be expected to verify their source of info.,
before charging others with engineering wrong-doing. It could
be expected from anyone playing with a full deck, even barely-together
that is. But HT displays, with nary a concern, how his political
agenda robbed him of this fundamental
'kando-gyan' ( common sense); when
he accuses Mukul Mahanta of using bamboo-reinforcing in his
experimental structures.
For those who are curious about where this old-wives' tale might have
arisen from, I may be able to provide a clue: Mukul Mahanta
uses mats of bamboo 'gaadhoi' ( split bamboo) in a roll, as a slip-form
to cast hollow concrete wall, floor and roof slabs. It as an effective
method -- in a resource poor environment. It provides manual labor for
unskilled workers. Bamboo 'gadhoi' rolls can be used over and over
again --- note SUSTAINABILITY -- after pulling it out of the hardened
slabs.
But 'adha-khunda' ( half-baked), nit-wit wannabe-engineers, like HT
probably assumed that rolls of 'gadhoi' were the re-inforcement for
these hollow concrete slabs.
It could all be hilarious, if not so very sad.
What a sordid spectacle HT makes of himself.
cm
At 11:57 PM -0400 8/20/06, Himendra Thakur wrote:
>Dear friends,
>
>
>
>Every time anything is discussed in the
>assam.net, Mr. Mukul Chandra Mahanta has got to
>come up with his divisive comments. Now he has
>written The Ahom King's Bamun advisers led
>them into a pile of non-Engineering. The process
>continues. Xagors at Rangpur are no good for man
>or beast. Engineering would have led them to use
>slave lbour to dig perennial Irrigation Canals
>to serve Zerenga/Jokaisuk- fed by meandering
>Dikhow's/Namdang's waters. Imagine what they
>could have done to North-bank river valleys.
>
>
>
>When I mentioned about Rasendra Barua in my
>letter, I did not even imagine that someone
>would turn this into The Ahom King's Bamun
>advisers. Rasendra Barua family was involved
>only in installing the nag in a Sagar which
>were called Rahdhala Pukhuri. They were not
>The Ahom King's Bamun advisers who led them
>into a pile of non-Engineering.
>
>
>
>Historically, the Chief Engineer of the Ahom
>Kingdom had a title Changrung Phukan. It was a
>very high post in Ahom hierarchy. Complete
>records of all the works of Changrung Phukan
>were maintained in Changrung Phukanar Buranji.
>
>
>
>Mr. Mukal Chandra Mahanta is apparently unaware
>of the Changrung Phukan and the Changrung
>Phukanar Buranji, otherwise he would have
>mentioned it. In his bliss of ignorance, he
>keeps of jabbering History is Bunk Khasi
>Christian Bamun Adviser and all other ethnic
>slurs and personal attacks, which are very
>harmful for the unity of Asomiya people today.
>
>
>
>Now, Mr. Mukal Chandra Mahanta is advising his
>own engineering with alternatives such as
>Engineering would have led them to use slave
>lbour to dig perennial Irrigation Canals to
>serve Zerenga/Jokaisuk- fed by meandering
>Dikhow's/Namdang's waters. Imagine what they
>could have done to North-bank river valleys.
>Well, it is no use blaming the Changrung Phukan
>for not seeing these alternatives. These
>alternatives were not considered by the British
>& Asomiya Engineers who manned Assam PWD for the
>last 150 years. Maybe the suggestions of Mr.
>Mukal Chandra Mahanta are not good alternatives.
>
>
>
>As for the engineering expertise of Mr. Mukal
>Chandra Mahanta, who is a trained Electrical
>Engineer (and NOT a civil/structural/hydraulic
>engineer), it is reported that Mr. Mukal Chandra
>Mahanta used bamboo reinforcement (without
>considering the lack of bond between bamboo &
>concrete) in the prefabricated reinforced
>buildings that he manufactured and marketed with
>good profit. It is also reported that a
>number of his prefabricated buildings collapsed.
>
>
>
>Before considering some
>Non-Electrical-Engineering advice from Mr. Mukal
>Chandra Mahanta, the assam-net has a right to
>know the whole truth about his
>bamboo-reinforcement. Instead of sprouting
>ethnic slurs and personal attacks, and instead
>of giving engineering advise on a topic he does
>not know, Mr. Mukal Chandra Mahanta should make
>a complete report under oath in the net about
>how many of his prefabricated buildings
>collapsed and how many people died or got
>injured.
>
>
>
>With the best wishes,
>
>Himendra Barthakur
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:mikemahant at hotmail.com>mc mahant
>To: <mailto:dilipdeka at yahoo.com>dilipdeka at yahoo.com
>Cc: <mailto:assam at assamnet.org>assam at assamnet.org
>Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 9:28 PM
>Subject: Re: [Assam] Dry Spells in Assam-- Rain Water Harvesting
>
>Dilip,
>
>I share the agony of missing the substance of
>the 600 year of Ahom(our very own) Buranji.
>
>You raised thi question many a time.
>
>I made enquiries at knowledgeable circles .
>Every time I drew a blank.OXX know nothing of
>Xahitya!
>
>Lately the alibi going the rounds is that the
>Brits had the Tai-Bhaxa Buranjis destroyed
>and got the process of Oxomiya- Bhaxa-
>Xaasipaat- Buranji writing started. Forget about
>dailyweather Data listings therein .
>
>The whole is a mess. Let's hope they wrote in
>Tai-Bhaxa Buranjis --NON-Bunk stuff. Let's hope.
>
>The Ahom King's Bamun advisers led them into a
>pile of non-Engineering. The process
>continues.Xagors at Rangpur are no good for man
>or beast. Engineering would have led them to use
>slave lbour to dig perennial Irrigation Canals
>to serve Zerenga/Jokaisuk- fed by meandering
>Dikhow's/Namdang's waters. Imagine what they
>could have done to North-bank river valleys.
>
>Oxom has all the waters needed for 12 month-a
>-year lush agriculture. It's only Engineering
>which can save us from disaster and take us to a
>position of a hard- working people
>purveying healthy foods to the hungry world.
>
>Think!
>
>mm
>
>
>
>
>From: Dilip/Dil Deka <dilipdeka at yahoo.com>
>To: Rajen & Ajanta Barua
><barua25 at hotmail.com>,Himendra Thakur
><hthakur at comcast.net>
>CC: assam at assamnet.org
>Subject: Re: [Assam] Dry Spells in Assam-- Rain Water Harvesting
>Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 17:49:52 -0700 (PDT)
>
>
>Barua,
>
>How about the famous "Ahom Buranjis"? I heard
>throughout my high school days that writing down
>everything as history was a trait with the Ahom
>rulers that no one else in India could compare
>to. Can someone open the Buranjis stored in
>Xibaxagor, Jorhat and Golaghat and tell us how
>weather treated Assam from the 1200's to 1826,
>before the British took over?
>
>600 years of data would be a lot more
>comprehensive than the 60 years of data that
>government of India metereological department
>(IMD) is keeping. Don't you think so?
>
>
>
>I am being facetious but why do we blame GOI
>always for everything that is missing, including
>things before 1947? If we the Assamese think of
>ourselves as superior to the other Indians, why
>don't we start pioneering in areas that other
>Indians have not thought about? Oh, I get it. We
>will start it once Assam is a sovereign state
>and we will not share our secrets with the
>lousy Indians.
>
>Dilip Deka
>
>
>
>Rajen & Ajanta Barua <barua25 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>Himenda:
>
>I think you are missing the perspective of the issue.
>
>We are talking about what Assamese are doing now.
>
>Is there anybody in Guwahati NOW who keeps
>records of Guwahati weather on a daily basis?
>
>Are we concerned at all about our present condition including the weather?
>
>Simply hoping for things to happen out of the
>blue does not work and will not work even when
>one does not debunk history.
>
>Thanks
>
>Rajen
>
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>
>From: <mailto:hthakur at comcast.net>Himendra Thakur
>
>To: <mailto:barua25 at hotmail.com>Rajen & Ajanta Barua
>
>Cc: <mailto:assam at assamnet.org>assam at assamnet.org
>
>Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 9:14 AM
>
>Subject: Dry Spells in Assam-- Rain Water Harvesting
>
>
>
>Dear Rajen and Ajanta,
>
>
>
>Dry spells in the weather of Assam were not
>uncommon historically. The situation was
>addressed by our Swargadeva Kings by excavating
>large tanks named as "sagar" (meaning a sea),
>like Jaysagar, Shivasagar, etc. These "sagar"s
>were revered, dedicated in the name of gods and
>respected dignitaries. Joysagar was named after
>Queen Mother Jaymati by her son Swargadev
>Rudrasingha. These artificial lakes were
>maintained with utmost care and respect.
>
>
>
>Considering that the water level of the
>artificial lake in Shivasagar is several feet
>above the water level of the surrounding paddy
>fields, it appears the tank is fed by some
>artesian well. In the historical records, there
>is reference to "naga"
>(meaning a serpent) at the centre bottom of the
>tank. The family of Rasendra Barua was expert
>in installing the "naga" --- which could have
>been some kind of an inverted filter that also
>served as a valve to control the upward flow of
>water from the artesian well --- where they
>probably used mercury to hold down the filter
>sand. Mercury was a mysterious liquid in those
>days, called "rasa" --- generating the name
>"Rasendra Barua". The technique was so strictly
>guarded as a "family secret" by the family of
>Rasendra Barua that now nobody knows about it !
>I have several cousins in the dynasty of
>Rasendra Barua and they know nothing about the
>technique !! But, we still have crystal clear
>water in Joysagar, Sivasagar --- thanks to our
>bygone Swargadevs and Rasendra Barua dynasty.
>
>
>
>We must not give up hope. Young engineers of Assam today
>can invent & devise a "Rainwater Harvesting
>System" and save the excess water of the rainy
>days for the dry spells. They must be carefull
>not to store water in overhead tanks exposed to
>sunlight which will cause growth of algaes and
>ruin the system, like what happened in Hawaii
>islands at one time. Overhead storage has the
>great advantage of distribution without pumping.
>However, location of overhead water thanks on
>flat-roof of buildings today will be a terrible
>earthquake hazard because these buildings were
>not designed for that kind of oscillating
>top-load. All these points must be considered
>while designing a "Rainwater Harvesting System".
>
>
>
>Dry spells of Assam were so common that history
>ran into mythology. One instance is the
>symbolical story of Kamala Kunwari where the
>princess (kunwari) sacrificed her life to please
>the Jalkunwari (water goddess) so that the
>"sagar" (tank) would be filled up with water.
>Seven decades ago, my father, the late
>Kumudeswar Barthakur of Shivasagar Vishnu Doul
>(temple), made a Senola Gramphone record to tell
>the story of Kamala Kunwari where my older
>sisters, Saujanyamayi & Hiranyamayi, sang the
>songs. This gramphone record was very popular in
>Assam in the late 30s & early 40s in the last
>century.
>
>
>
>Your querry about the "records of weather in
>Assam for last 200 ywears" may not be available,
>but we do have the records of intelligent
>leadership of Swargadevs, technique of Rashendra
>Barua family --- we must never say "history is
>bunk" --- we must go ahead to the future with
>hope, glory, self-confidence, inventions,
>intelligent planning, self-sacrifice and a
>strong determination.
>
>
>With love to everybody,
>
>Himendra
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Rajen & Ajanta Barua" <<mailto:barua25 at hotmail.com>barua25 at hotmail.com>
>
>To: <<mailto:assamonline at yahoogroups.com>assamonline at yahoogroups.com>
>
>Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2006 12:10 AM
>
>Subject: Re: [asom] Assam witnesses hottest summer in 132 years
>
>
> > I wonder where we can get the records of
>weather in Assam for last 200 ywears?
>>
>> Rajen Barua
>>
>>
>>
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