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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester,...

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester, has been developed by senior chemist Dr Kalyanrao Garadkar of Shivaji University, along with Dr Sandeep Sable and Dr Rohant Dhabbe of Jaysingpur College, and Dr Chandrala Jatkar of the D K T E Society’s Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji. The device is designed to test the sound absorption capacity of professional acoustic systems used in recording studios, theatres, auditoriums and soundproof chambers. Until now, the effectiveness of such sound-absorbing installations has largely been assessed through experience and trial-and-error after installation. The newly developed portable tester allows for immediate and scientific evaluation of sound absorption performance once the system is installed. Sound-absorbing sheets and panels are widely used in theatres, studios and vocal recording rooms to absorb echo around microphones and create a controlled acoustic environment, enabling cleaner and more professional audio output. The new device can be used to evaluate a wide range of absorbers, including perforated foam, fibre, fabric, membranes, panels and resonant absorbers, helping improve the quality and effectiveness of acoustic materials. Explaining the working of the device, Dr Garadkar said that the human audible frequency range extends from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The device generates sound waves within this spectrum and projects them onto the acoustic material under test. The sound waves that are not absorbed are detected by a microphone and displayed on the screen in the form of current or voltage readings. This enables users to instantly determine whether the sound absorption system is functioning as intended and make corrective interventions if required. The researchers said the device would also be useful for those engaged in acoustic fabrication and sound absorption research. Apart from being portable and easy to transport, the device is also cost-effective, making it suitable for field applications. The team expressed confidence that it would prove highly useful in the sound system testing sector. Shivaji University’s in-charge Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi and in-charge Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Jyoti Jadhav congratulated the research team on securing the patent.

Pending Retribution

The shocking massacre of more than 25 citizens, mostly tourists, in a terror attack in Pahalgam was a grisly reminder that Pakistan’s subterranean war machinery remains alive and well. As the nation seethes for retribution against its hostile neighbour for this wanton and brutal act, the first salvo from the Narendra Modi government has not come across the Line of Control, but through the sluice gates of geopolitics.


India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance with immediate effect marks a historic shift in a bilateral relationship long defined by violent flashpoints but surprisingly resilient agreements. Since its signing in 1960, the IWT has symbolised a threadbare but essential rationality in Indo-Pak relations. Following Pahalgam, that thread has now been deliberately cut.


Though India has not formally abrogated the treaty, it has effectively suspended its spirit and operation. The Modi government has halted data sharing and technical engagements, withdrawn from Indus Commission meetings, and frozen clearances for future hydroelectric projects on the western rivers: the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. India may now also escalate construction of storage infrastructure on these waters - assets it is legally permitted to develop but has historically refrained from maximising. This is a well-calibrated lever of pressure. For Pakistan, where agriculture and drinking water depend heavily on the Indus system, even a partial squeeze can send tremors through its economy. India has cleverly created a situation where Islamabad cannot appeal to international norms without first confronting its continued support for cross-border militancy.


Alongside the treaty’s suspension, India has expelled Pakistan’s military attachés and their support staff from its High Commission in New Delhi. Still, these steps, by the government’s own signalling, are only the prelude.


Economic strangulation has its uses, especially when it plays to India’s hydrological upper hand and growing regional clout. But it cannot be the endgame. The Pahalgam massacre was a calculated provocation designed to test New Delhi’s deterrence. So far, that deterrence looks procedural, not punitive.


A strong military response remains both likely and necessary. The surgical strikes of 2016 and the Balakot air raid in 2019 may have altered the vocabulary of Indian retaliation, but they have not ended Pakistan’s addiction to asymmetric warfare. The message from Pahalgam is that Pakistan’s generals remain confident that India’s threshold for retaliation is high, and that terror can be exported with strategic impunity. That calculus must change. If India seeks to re-establish deterrence and restore the sanctity of its borders and its dead, it must trade maps for munitions. The water wars have begun but they are merely pressure tactics, not punishment.


A calibrated military strike would serve as a kinetic reminder that India’s patience is not infinite. It must hit not just at proxies, but at the infrastructure of terror shielded by Pakistan’s military-intelligence complex. The price of exporting jihad must be made unambiguously steep. While hydrological tools can squeeze, they cannot scare.

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