DishaDishaDishaDishaAiming to inspire individuals to actualize their potential, Ghaziabad Management Association, an au-tonomous management association was set up in 1982 as a Registered Society under the aegis of late Shri Sitaram Jaipuria. GMA has striven for management expertise that can synthesize Indian ethos with international management thought and practices since its inception. During the short span of its existence, GMA has taken deep roots in the industrial city of Ghaziabad and has become an important forum of the business executives and other members to share their experiences and ideas to further the cause of management. It is striving to outline the present and future problems concerning manage-ment, while looking for perfect harmony in human relationships, which can take many forms, such as corporate, employers, employees, customers, and the members of the society we live in and facilitate individuals and organizations to include best management programs. It wouldn't have been possible without the strenuous efforts of late Dr. C.B.Gupta, Ex Director of Institute of Management Technology & Founder President of GMA. The activities of GMA got a further fillip after securing the permanent affili-ation to the Apex national body, All India Management Association, New Delhi, and registered under Societies Act

VISION

MISSION

Monthly Newsletter of Ghaziabad Management Association

Volume 9

To enable Ghaziabad

organizations to de-

velop global competi-

tiveness.

LECTURE CUM INTERACTIVE SESSION ON SEX-UAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACEGhaziabad Management Association organized a lecture cum interactive session on Sexual Harass-ment of Women at Workplace with specific reference to the provisions made under the The Sexual Ha-rassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Pro-hibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

This Act provides protection against sexual harassment of women at work-place and enacted for prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harass-ment and for matters connected with or incidental to it and places certain obli-gations on employers for such protection where women employees are en-gaged.

About GMA 1 - 3

Articles 4 - 11

Entertainment 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

To ___________________________________

___________________________________

Ghaziabad Management Association

To facilitate individu-

als and organizations

realize their potential.

HIGHLIGHTS

From : Ghaziabad Management Association 408, Ansal's Satyam Building, RDC, Raj Nagar, Ghaziabad Ph: 0120-2826867 Website: www.gmaindia.org

August 2015

ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING OF GHAZIABAD MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONThe 32nd Annual General meeting of GMA was held on 24TH July at Hotel Mela Plaza, Ghaziabad. This was attended by a good number of members com-prising leading Industrialists, Academicians, and senior officers of organizations in this area.Mr. Prabir Dash, representative from All India Man-

agement Association, New Delhi was present as part of the parent body to which GMA is affiliated. Representatives of the press were also present in the meeting to cover the event.Shri Amit Agarwal, the Hony. Secretary shared the GMA activities during the year and CA Shri Anil Agarwal, the Joint Secretary (Finance) shared the salient features of the GMA Audited accounts of 2014-15. These were accepted as adopted and appreciated by all present

Highlights Continued on Page 2

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2Disha Newsletter August 2015

Dear Readers,

Greetings of the day.

Hope this Newsletter finds you in best of health and spir-its.

Business sentiment seems to be quite low since the last few months.

From Industrial growth to markets overall there is a sentiment of gloom and despair.

What do we do in such circumstances?

Should the Industries bring a drastic change to their strategy?

Should there be wait and watch?

Most companies and industries are trying to find answers to these questions.

Almost all sectors such as Manufacturing, Education, Informa-tion Technology, Real Estate etc seem to be badly hit.

It is encouraging to see that the current Government of India is trying hard to bring in changes which will fuel industrial growth.

But nevertheless, owing to rampant interference by some po-litical parties the entire political think tank seems to have come to a standstill.

UP still maintains its position as one of the worst places to do business.

The infrastructure has improved in some places but worsened in many others.

When will the Government of UP stop the malpractice of initiat-ing making of roads during rains?

Going through so called posh business hubs such as Rajnagar Development Centre (RDC) has become a nightmare by itself.

Policing has seemingly improved in terms of better visibility but

quite a few members of the force still are rough and harsh as their predecessors.

Authorities are still not able to take a positive step to-wards good governance.

Not much is being done in terms of ease of doing Busi-ness too either.

The Indian citizen and cor-porate manager is con-stantly being harassed ow-ing to bad conditions for do-ing business as well as poor infrastructure.

Nevertheless we have to keep moving on.

Dear readers, we look for-ward to get your views, arti-cles and other contributions such as jokes, pictures, and anecdotes to help us keep the newsletter alive and kicking.

In case your Industry is fac-ing a problem you would like to share with fellow Industri-alists please feel free to do so on this platform.

Disha strives to provide a stronger value proposition to its es-teemed readers and support of each is highly solicited.

Jai Hind

Asish Das

Director

AKD Infotech Pvt Ltd

From the Desk of the Managing Editor

Highlights Continued from Page 1

Ghaziabad Management Association organized a lecture cum interactive s e s s i o n o n S e x u a l Harassment of Women at Workplace with specific reference to the provisions made under the The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention,

Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

This Act provides protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and enacted for prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and for matters connected with or incidental to it and places certain obligations on employers for such protection where women employees are engaged.

This session was conducted at the Seminar Hall of Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, on Friday, 17th July 2015.

The speaker for the session was Mr. K N Agrawal, retired Asstt. Labour Commissioner, Govt. of U.P. At present

Our Team=====================

Editorial Advisory Board Members

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Design & Editing

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Dr. R.K SingalMr. Anil AgrawalMr. Vinay Gupta

Mr. Asish Das

Mr. Abarendra Kumar

Mr. Anand Kumar

LECTURE CUM INTERACTIVE SESSION ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORKPLACE

Mr. Agrawal is working as Coordinator, U.P. Building and Other Construction Welfare Board Lucknow.

It is felt that this is a very important piece of legislation and is applicable to organi-zations employing female employees. It may be pertinent to note that where the employer fails to follow the provisions of the act it shall be punishable and every offence under the act shall be non- cognizable.

The speaker presented various aspects of the Act and explained its provisions that need to be complied with. After the lecture, a lot of questions were raised and it generated interesting interactions. However, some organizations like Shriram Pistons and others wanted to get the subject interactive session for all their employees on their premises.

Disha Newsletter August 2015 3

The 32nd Annual General meeting of GMA was held on 24th July at Hotel Mela Plaza, Ghaziabad. This was attended by a good number of members comprising leading Industrialists, Academicians, and senior officers of organizations in this area.

Mr. Prabir Dash, representative from All India Management Association, New Delhi was present as part of the parent body to which GMA is affiliated. Representatives of the press were also present in the meeting to cover the event.

Shri Amit Agarwal, the Hony. Secretary shared the GMA activities during the year and CA Shri Anil Agarwal, the Joint Secretary (Finance) shared the salient features of the GMA Audited accounts of 2014-15. These were accepted as adopted and appreciated by all present.

Since the tenure of the existing office bearers was over, a new body was elected. The new council comprises of the under mentioned:

Dr. R K Agarwal President

Mr. V K Dubey Sr. Vice President

Mr. Amit Agarwal Hony. Secretary

Mr. Anil Agarwal CA Treasurer

The other members of the council will be nominated by these above mentioned Office bearers.

A special resolution was adopted that “In case of any elected Office Bearer expresses his inability to attend and is absent for more than 3 months continuously from the business of the Association, the Executive Committee can appoint his replacement to be ratified in the next AGM”.

Mr. Arun Aggrawal, the outgoing president expressed his satisfaction over activities of the association but expressed that we could have had more activities. He thanked the members for all the cooperation throughout his tenure.

Dr. R K Agarwal, the incoming President thanked the members for reposing faith in him by handing over the association to be run under his leadership. He briefly outlined the direction in which he would like to steer the association under guidance of the senior members and with the cooperation of the members and his team.

The members were invited to the AGM along with their wives. While the meeting was in progress, the wives were kept engaged in party games and social interactions. After the meeting, the members along with their wives had refreshments and dinner.

ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING OF GHAZIABAD MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

Hony. Secy. reading out the Annual report Members attending the AGM

Disha Newsletter August 2015 4

Photographs of AGM – 2015 & Ladies Function

Disha Newsletter August 2015 5

Disha Newsletter August 2015 6

Activities at Albert David Limited

For the Benefit of employees and to promote the awareness of “YOGA”, a practice session cum awareness programme was organized at Albert David Limited, Ghaziabad on 24/06/2015.

The Programme was inaugurated by the speech of Sri M.K. Rathi - Vice President (Works) cum Factory Manager followed by the speech of Yoga Guru Sri Ramesh Mangal.

Yoga Guru Sri Ramesh Mangal has 25 years experience in Yoga & given a very detailed practical session on what “Yoga actually means and steps to be followed for a healthy life”.

This programme was attended by 150 employees from various departments.

After the Yoga a lot of views were shared by the employees for a healthy life.

“SHRAMDAAN & PLANTATION PROGRAMME” organized by ALBERT DAVID LIMITED, GHAZIABAD on dated 05/07/2015 (Sunday) at 08.30 AM to 10.00 AM at our Factory gate lawn.

The activities were inaugurated by the Sri M. K. Rathi - Vice President (Works) Cum Factory Manager.

Our Mission to Go Green & Cleanliness at the surrounding.

It is our duty to save the trees and planted out more and more who help as

to make clean the air as well as environment. As a responsible citizen it is

our duty that we use environment friendly things, and always keeps in

mind during shopping that which thing is environment friendly and which

one is not. And reduce the use of those things which pollutes our

environment.

Disha Newsletter August 2015 7

PPP: Necessity of Smart India

Introduction

According to Economic Survey 2015, PPP model requires a complete facelift to resuscitate private sector interesting various development ideas of government. Today many infrastructure projects are financially stressed, accounting for almost a third of stressed assets in banks. New projects cannot attract investors and bankers are unwilling to lend for long term infrastructure projects. Restructuring of PPP framework in infrastructure sector would help to revive financially stressed projects and attract private investment.

A public private partnership (PPP) is a legal agreement between government and private organisation for the purpose of development and maintenance of public services or infrastructure. With a mutual vision in place, the public and private sector bring to the table their own experiences and strengths resulting in accomplishment of mutual objectives along with sharing of risks and responsibilities. In short, PPP is a mode of executing government programmes / schemes in partnership with the private sector. These schemes are often referred to as Private Sector Participation (PSP), PPP, and P3. It provides a common platform to bring best capabilities in the sector and lucrative returns on the investments for private players.

PPP can be a Trouble shooter: The Government of India has been concentrating on the development of enabling to olsand activities to encourage private sector investments in the country through the PPP format. To boost the development of country PPP model can be an effective and rewarding instrument and it can attract for domestic as well as overseas investors.

PPPs make this possible because:

vPrivate sector gets an opportunity to invest their financial resources in massive long term projects and insure long term profitability.

vIt is based on the synergy of ideas by sharing of project risk and return between public sector and private sector.

vIt explores technical expertise, experience and efficiency of private sector.

(Ernst & Young report on PPP, 2012)

Current position of PPP in India

The PPP India database (Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance) indicates that 758PPP projects costingINR3,833 billion as on 31st July, 2011isallotted and many of them are at completion stage. The reprojects are mainly in the urban

development and other infrastructure sector. Distribution of PPP project (sector wise) is shown in the chart and it is clear that majority of projects under PPP model are for roads (53.4%) and urban development (20.1%). In India PPP format is not so popular in education, healthcare and rural development.

PPP Projects Distribution Chart

2(Source: PPP India Database, As of July 31, 2011)

Popular forms of PPP models in India

As we know that PPP is based on profit and risk sharing between government and private entity, various format of the association is popular in India. The most preferred format is one in which the ownership of the asset remains with private entity during the contract period and project gets transferred back to public entity on contract termination. The final decision on the form of PPP is decided by both the parties on their mutual agreement. Few popular PPP models are:

1. BOT/Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT)

The private entity meets the up front cost of design, construction and recurring cost of operation and maintenance. The Private entity recovers the entire cost along with the interest from collection of user utilization during the agreed concession period. Successful projects under BOT model are Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal, Terminal, Delhi Gurgaon Expressway, Hyderabad, Salt Lake Water Supply and Sewage Disposal System.

2. BOOT (Build Operate Own Transfer)

In BOOT model the government invites a private organisation to finance, design, build and operate a facility for an agreed period of time before the transfer.

Disha Newsletter August 2015 8

This is a variation of the BOT model, except that the ownership of the newly built asset will rest with the private party during the period of contract and after the agreement period asset will be transferred to public authority. Greenfield minor port concessions in Gujarat are on a BOOT basis.

3. Joint Venture (JV)

Joint venture Company (JVC) is created with sharing of shares by both the parties to execute the common idea.

The private sector body will be responsible for the design; construction and management of the operations targeted for the PPP and will also bring in most of the investment requirements. The public sector partner’s contribution will be by way of fixed assets at a pre-determined value, whether it is land, buildings or facilities. International airports (Hyderabad and Bangalore) are good examples of JV.

4. BOO (Build Own Operate)

In a BOO project, ownership of the project usually remains with the Private entity. The Government grants the rights to design, finance, build, operate and maintain the project to a private entity, which retains ownership of the project.

Path ahead for PPP

Regulatory Environment: At present formal PPP regulator is not available in India but Government of India is working in this direction to create transparent and effective environment for domestic and foreign investors.

Handiness and flow of pertinent Information: Our PPP initiatives lack a comprehensive and updated database on projects and their status. Government website is not updated and relevant information is missing. An online database containing all the details about projects, their feasibility study reports, agreement format and conditions and various clearance procedures will be very helpful to the concerned organizations. Availability of transparent and valuable information will generate trust in Government system, which is a basic requisite for long term association.

Single window clearance: Government is trying to implement single window clearance policy under which investor will get all legal clearances with least procedural delay under one roof. Quick approvals from all related departments for land acquisition, environment/forest clearance will reduce the execution time and inflation effect on the projects.

Conclusion

In the context of new economic reforms and globalization, the scope for PPPs is

emerging and likely to take lead in future. Government of India is planning to have 100 smart cities, with smart ports, smart railways and all other modern amenities, across the 21 states in next five years. Several other initiatives promoting the concept of PPP are on line. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi is strongly advocating flexible PPP Models for Smart India. On launch of Smart Cities Mission, he unveiled three flagship government schemes that aim to spruce up urban India at an expenditure of close to Rs 4 lakh corer. (Economic Times June 26, 2015).These ambitious plans can be timely and successfully executed with the help of PPP models.

References

1. FICCI –E&Y report on “Accelerating public private partnership in India” released at the India PPP Summit 2012.

2. GOI 2011: PPP Projects Status Report

3. PPP: India Data Base, Department of economics Affair, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

Profile

Ms. Neeta Sahu is a chartered accountant by profession. Presently she is working as assistant professor in Ajay Kumar Garg Institute of Management Ghaziabad. She has more than 6 year industry experience and 7 years in academics. She worked at senior administrative positions and also provided consultancy to multiple organizations including Jindal Group, BSES etc. She is a fellow member of ICAI. Her areas of Interest are Taxation, Accounting, Corporate Finance and Strategic Cost Accounting.

Disha Newsletter August 2015 9

The typical history textbook has a lot of ground to cover and only so many pages to devote to anything before Jesus. For most of us, that means ancient history is a three-dog show—Egypt, Rome, and Greece. This is why it’s easy to get the impression that, outside of those three, our map of the ancient world is mostly just blank space. But actually nothing could be further from the truth. Plenty of vibrant and fascinating cultures existed outside that narrow focus. Let’s fill in the blanks.

1-Aksum

The kingdom Aksum (or Axum) has been the subject of countless legends. Whether as the home of the mythical Prester John, the lost kingdom of the Queen of Sheba, or the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, Aksum has long been at the forefront of Western imaginations.

The Ethiopian kingdom of reality, not myth, was an international trading power. Thanks to access to both the Nile and Red Sea trading routes, Aksumite commerce thrived, and by the beginning of the common era, most Ethiopian peoples were under Aksumite rule. Aksum’s power and prosperity allowed it to expand into Arabia. In the third century A.D., a Persian philosopher wrote that Aksum was one of the world’s four greatest kingdoms, alongside Rome, China, and Persia.

Aksum adopted Christianity not long after the Roman Empire did and continued to thrive through the early Middle Ages. If not for the rise and expansion of Islam, Aksum might have continued to dominate East Africa. After the Arab conquest of the Red Sea coastline, Aksum lost its primary trade advantage over its neighbors. Of course, Aksum had only itself to blame. Just a few decades earlier, an Aksumite king had given asylum to early followers of Muhammad, thus ensuring the expansion of the religion which was to unmake the Aksumite empire.

2- Kush

K n o w n i n a n c i e n t Egyptian sources for its abundance of gold and other valuable natural resources, Kush was c o n q u e r e d a n d exploited by its northern neighbor for nearly half a millennium (circa 1500 –1000 B.C.). But Kush’s origins extend far deeper into the past—ceramic artifacts dated to 8000 B.C. have been discovered in the region of its capital city, Kerma, and as

Forgotten Ancient Civilizations

early as 2400 B.C., Kush boasted a highly stratified and complex urban society supported by large-scale agriculture.

In the ninth century B.C., instability in Egypt allowed the Kushites to regain their independence. And, in one of history’s greatest reversals of fortune,Kush conquered Egypt in 750 B.C. For the next century, a series of Kushite pharaohs ruled a territory that far outstripped their Egyptian predecessors. It was the Kushite rulers who revived the building of pyramids and promoted their construction across the Sudan. They were eventually ousted from Egypt by an Assyrian invasion, ending centuries of Egyptian and Kushite cultural exchange.

The Kushites fled south and reestablished themselves at Meroe on the southeast bank of the Nile. At Meroe, the Kushites broke away from Egyptian influence and developed their own form of writing, now called Meroitic. The script remains a mystery and still has not been deciphered, obscuring much of Kush’s history. The last king of Kush died in A.D. 300, though his kingdom’s decline and the exact reasons for its demise remain a mystery.

3-Yam

The Kingdom of Yam certainly existed as a trading partner and possible rival of Old Kingdom Egypt, yet its precise location has proven nearly as elusive as that of the mythical Atlantis. Based on the funerary inscriptions of the Egyptian explorer Harkhuf, it seems Yam was a land of “incense, ebony, leopard skins, elephant tusks, and boomerangs.”

Despite Harkhuf’s claims of journeys overland exceeding seven months, Egyptologists have long placed the land of boomerangs just a few hundred miles from the Nile. The conventional wisdom was that there was no way ancient Egyptians could have crossed the inhospitable expanse of Saharan Desert. There was also some question of just what they would have found on the other side of the Sahara. But it seems we underestimated ancient Egyptian traders, because hieroglyphs recently discovered over 700 kilometers (430 miles) southwest of the Nile confirm the existence of trade between Yam and Egypt and point to Yam’s location in the northern highlands of Chad.

Exactly how the Egyptians crossed hundreds of miles of desert prior to the introduction of the wheel and with only donkeys for pack animals remains perplexing. But, at the very least, their destination is no longer shrouded in doubt.

4-The Xiongnu Empire

The Xiongnu Empire was a confederacy of nomadic peoples which dominated the north of China from the third

Disha Newsletter August 2015 10

century B.C. until the f i r s t cen tu r y B .C . I m a g i n e G e n g h i s Khan’s Mongol army, but a millennium earlier and with chariots. A number of theories exist to explain the Xiongnu’s origins, and at one time some scholars argued that the Xiongnu may have been the ancestors of the Huns. Unfortunately, the Xiongnu left few records of their own behind.

What we do know is that Xiongnu raids on China were so devastating that the Qin emperor ordered the earliest construction work on the Great Wall. Nearly half a century later, the Xiongnu’s persistent raiding and demands for tribute forced the Chinese, this time under the Han dynasty, to refortify and expand the Great Wall even further. In 166 B.C., over 100,000 Xiongnu horsemen made it to within 160 kilometers (100 mi) of the Chinese capital before finally being repulsed. It took a combination of internal discord, succession disputes, and conflict with other nomadic groups to weaken the Xiongnu enough for the Chinese to finally assert some semblance of control over their northern neighbors. Still, the Xiongnu were the first, and thelongest lasting, of the nomadic Asian steppe empires.

5-Greco-Bactria

Too often, in recounting the life and conquests of Alexander the Great, we fail to remember the men who followed him into battle. Alexander’s fate is well documented, but what of the men who bled for the young general’s conquests?

When Alexander died unexpectedly, the Macedonians didn’t just head home. Instead, their generals fought one another for supremacy before carving up the empire among those left standing. Seleucus I Nicator made out pretty well, taking for himself pretty much everything from the Mediterrraean in the west to what is now Pakistan in the east. However even the Seleucid empire is fairly well known compared to the splinter state of Greco-Bactria.

In the third century B.C., the province of Bactria (in what is now Afghanistan and Tajikistan) became so powerful that it declared independence. Sources describe a wealthy land “of a thousand cities,” and the large amount of surviving coinage attests to an unbroken succession of Greek kings spanning centuries. Greco-Bactria’s location made it a center of fusion for a litany of cultures: Persians, Indians, Scythians and a number of nomadic groups all contributed to the development of a wholly unique kingdom. Of course, Greco-Bactria’s location and wealth also attracted unwanted attention and, by the early second century B.C., pressure from nomads to their north had forced the Greeks

south into India.

At Alexandria on the Oxus, or Ai Khanoum as it is known now, fascinating evidence for this radical combination of Greek and Eastern culture was unearthed, before fighting during the Soviet-Afghan War destroyed the site in 1978. During the period of excavation, Indian coins, Iranian altars, andBuddhist statuary were found among the ruins of this decidedly Greek city, which was complete with Corinthian columns, a gymnasium, an amphitheater, and a temple combining Greek and Zoroastrian elements.

6-Yuezhi

The Yuezhi are notable for having seemingly fought everybody. Just imagine the Yuezhi as the Forrest Gump of ancient history, because for several centuries they appeared in the back-ground of an improbable number of significant events across Eurasia.

The Yuezhi originated as a confederation of several nomadic tribes on the steppes north of China. Yuezhi traders ranged over great distances to exchange jade, silk, and horses. Their flourishing trade brought them into direct conflict with the Xiongnu, who eventually forced them out of the Chinese trading game.

The Yuezhi then headed west, where they encountered and defeated the Greco-Bactrians—forcing them to regroup in India. The Yuezhi’s migration to Bactria also displaced a people called the Saka, who responded by overrunning portions of the Parthian Empire. Tribes of Scythians and Saka eventually established themselves all over Afghanistan. By the first and second centuries A.D., the Yuezhi were fighting those same Scythians in addition to the occasional war in Pakistan and Han China. During this period, the Yuezhi tribes consolidated and established a sedentary, agricultural economy. This “Kushan” empire survived for three centuries, until forces from Persia, Pakistan, and India all reconquered their old territories.

7-The Mitanni Kingdom

The M i tann i s ta te existed from about 1500 B.C. until the 1200s B.C. and consisted of what is now Syria and northern I raq. Chances are you’ve heard of at least one Mitannian, as there is evidence to suggest that Egypt’s famous queen Nefertiti was born a princess in the Mesopotamian state. Nefertiti was likely married to the Pharaoh as part of an effort to improve relations between the two kingdoms.

The Mitannians are believed to have been Indo-Aryan in origin and their culture demonstrates the extent to which

Disha Newsletter August 2015 11

ancient Indian influencepenetrated early Middle Eastern civilization. Mitannians espoused Hindu beliefs like karma, reincarnation, and cremation, beliefs that make the link between Mittani and Egypt all the more intriguing. Nefertiti and her husband, Amenhotep IV, were at the center of a short-lived religious revolution in Egypt, although we can only guess how much of that might be related to her foreign background. But Nefertiti is known to have been highly influential and was often depicted in situations, like smiting an enemy, that were typically reserved for the Pharaoh.

While much of the above remains speculative, scholars are hopeful that upcoming excavations will uncover the Mitannian capital of Washukanni and reveal more about the ancient kingdom.

8-Tuwana

Kingdoms don’t come much more lost or forgotten than Tuwana. When the Hittite Empire (the alpha dog of Bronze Age Anatol ia) fe l l , Tuwana was one of a handful of city-states which helped fill the power vacuum in what is now Turkey.

During the ninth and eighth centuries B.C., Tuwana rose to prominence under a series of kings, of which only a few are known from inscriptions. Tuwana leveraged its position between the Phrygian and Assyrian empires to facilitate trade throughout Anatolia. As a result it amassed significant wealth.

In addition to its strong trading economy, Tuwana seems to have possessed great cultural riches. The kingdom used a hieroglyphic language called Luwian, but later adopted the alphabetical Phoenician script. It turns out this could have been pretty important, since Tuwana’s position as a link between east and west put the forgotten kingdom into contact with elements of ancient Greek culture. It’s possible that one result of all the linguistic interaction in Tuwana may been the origin of the Greek alphabet. Not too bad for a kingdom you’ve never heard of.

It seems Tuwana’s central location and the disunity of the Anatolian city-states made the kingdom ripe for the taking in the early 700s B.C. As the Assyrian Empire expanded westward, it rolled up each of the post-Hittite city-states along its way until to controlling most of the Middle East.

If that all sounds rather speculative, it’s because up until 2012, all that was known about Tuwana was based on a handful of inscriptions and a few mentions in some Assyrian documents. The recent discovery of a massive city believed to be the base of Tuwana’s power is changing all that.

With such a large and well-preserved find, archaeologists have begun piecing together the story of a powerful and wealthy kingdom, which controlled trade through the Cilician Gates for several centuries. And considering that the Cilician pass was like a highly compressed Silk Road,

Tuwana’s archaeological potential is tremendous.

9-Mauryan Empire

Chandragupta Maurya was essentially India’s Alexander the Great. So it’s only fitting that the two men supposedly met. Chandragupta sought Macedonian aid in his bid for control of the subcontinent, but Alexander’s troops were too busy with a mutiny.

Undaunted, Chandragupta united the bulk of India under his rule and defeated all comers on the subcontinent. He did all this by age 20. After Alexander’s death, it was the Mauryan Empire which prevented his successors from expanding any farther into India. Chandragupta personallydefeated several Macedonian generals in battle, after which the Macedonians preferred accord rather than risk another open war.

Unlike Alexander, Chandragupta left behind a carefully planned bureaucracy and government to ensure the duration of his legacy. And it might have survived longer if not for a coup in 185 B.C. that left India divided, weak, and open to invasion from the Greeks just to its north.

10- Indo-Greeks

There’s a reason you can’t talk about the ancient world without bringing up the Greeks — those Hellenes were e v e r y w h e r e . A s m e n t i o n e d b e f o r e , e x t e r n a l p r e s s u r e s doomed the Greco-Bactrians, but the Indo-Greek kingdom carried the torch for Hellenistic culture for another two centuries in northwest India.

The most famous of the Indo-Greek kings, Menander, supposedly converted to Buddhism after a lengthy debate with the philosopher Nagasena, who recorded the conversation in “The Questions of King Menander.” Greek influence can be seen clearly in the fusion of artistic styles. While surviving statuary is scarce, some finds show Buddhist monks and devotees sculpted in a definitively Greek style, complete with Greek tunics.

Based on some Indo-Greek coinage made using a metallurgic process unique to China, it is believed there existed extensive trade between the two states. The accounts of the Chinese explorer, Zhang Qian, attest to this trade as early as the end of the second century B.C. The Indo-Greek kingdom’s downfall seems to have been the combination of Yuezhi encroachment from the north and native Indian expansion from the south.

Disha Newsletter August 2015 12

Sudoku

Contribution of articles/ comments/ reac-

tion/ participation are most welcome

along with name. address, phone number,

and photograph preferably by

e-mail to Dishacontribute@gmaindia.org

USE YOUR MIND AND FIND 10 DIFFERENCES

COLOR THE IMAGE

Join the dotsJoke

"Two lions escape from a zoo. One of the lions had been captured from the jungle, so he runs back to the jungle. The other was born in the zoo itself - so is basically a city-slicker. He vanishes into the city.

Three days later the jungle-lion is recaptured - and returned to the zoo. A month passes, then two, three..... but city-lion is not traceable! Finally, after six months the city-lion is also recaptured and brought back to the zoo. Jungle-lion is amazed to see his friend.

Jungle-lion: For God's sake, how were you able to evade these guys for 6 whole months?!

City-lion: Kuchh nahi yaar! I just went to a government department, and hid behind a huge pile of dusty files that they have there.

Jungle-lion: But what did you eat there?

City-lion: Arrey, there was an unlimited supply of government servants. Whenever I ate one, they hired five more. Nobody did any work anyway, so nobody missed the ones I ate.

Jungle-lion: Wow! But, then how did you get caught?

City-lion: Galti kar gaya yaar... On the last day I ate the chai-walla. Now, everyone missed their chai-walla & their chai! They launched a massive hunt. And I got caught!"

6 1

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