KIPS PTA-8TH AUGUST 2015
Monday, 10 August 2015
Friday, 7 August 2015
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Hiroshima’s fate, 70 years ago this week, must not be forgotten
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
In August 1945, during the
final stage of the Second World War, the United States dropped atomic bombs
on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima andNagasaki.
The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons
for warfare in history.
As the
war entered its sixth and final year, the Allies had
begun to prepare for what was anticipated to be a very costly invasion of the Japanese mainland. This was
preceded by an immensely destructive firebombing campaign that obliterated many Japanese cities.
The war in Europe had concluded when Nazi Germany signed its instrument of surrender on May 8, 1945, but
with the Japanese refusal to accept the Allies' demands for unconditional
surrender, the Pacific War dragged on. Together with the United
Kingdom and China, the United States called for the unconditional
surrender of the Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945;
this was buttressed with the threat of "prompt and utter
destruction".
By
August 1945, the Allied Manhattan
Project had
successfully detonated an atomic device in the New Mexico desert and subsequently produced
atomic weapons based on two alternate designs. The 509th Composite Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces was equipped with the specialized Silverplate version of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, that could
deliver them fromTinian in the Mariana Islands.
A
uranium gun-type atomic
bomb (Little Boy)
was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945,
followed by a plutonium implosion-type bomb (Fat Man)
on the city of Nagasaki on August 9.Little Boy exploded 2,000 feet above Hiroshima in
a blast equal to 12-15,000 tons of TNT, destroying five square miles of the
city. Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects of
the atomic bombings killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 39,000–80,000
in Nagasaki; roughly half of the deaths in each city occurred on the first day.
During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries,
compounded by illness and malnutrition. In both cities, most of the dead were
civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizable military garrison.
On August 15, just days after the bombing of Nagasaki
and the Soviet Union's declaration of war, Japan announced its surrender to
the Allies. On September 2, it signed
the instrument of surrender, effectively
ending World War II. The bombings' role in Japan's surrender and their ethical
justification are still debated.
The mushroom cloud
formed by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. Photograph:
SuperStock/Corbis
A Prayer for Hiroshima Day
Prayer
Like most traumatic
scars, the ones that are found in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are permanent:
reminders of the terrible damage human beings can inflict.
Similar scars can be
found in the hearts and souls of people around the world who understand this
terror: scars of grief, sadness, fear and even shame.
None of these scars
promise an end to war and devastation. Instead, they serve as a reminder of
healing and renewal - of a return to life.
Gracious God, Spirit
of Life and Love, help us to see our scars: those we have created, those we are
called to witness, and those we can soothe and heal.
We are deeply grateful
for the buds and blossoms that even the most scarred offer as a revelation to
the world.
And, especially on
this 70th* anniversary of Hiroshima Day, we renew our commitment to peace
individually, collectively and globally:
To "peace
within" which calms our anxieties and fears,
To "peace
between" which overcomes differences, animosities and conflict,
And, to "the
great peace", beyond even our understanding, that is Your gift and which
we attempt to be stewards of for the world.
Amen.
(*2015 = 70th
anniversary)
Monday, 3 August 2015
Inauguration of IFSMI-2015
Vettikkavala P. K. Somadas inaugurating the activitities of Interfaith Students' Movement
Debating Teams during English Week
Debate during English Week in progress
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