Budget 2011: Over 35% Hike for Department of Space http://bit.ly/gCnuPR
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Uncle Pai of Amar Chitra Katha is no more!
Rajesh (@RajeshChowdhury) has shared a Tweet with you: "RajeshChowdhury: The grandsire of Amar Chitra Katha #ACK, Uncle Pai is no more! RIP #fb" --http://twitter.com/RajeshChowdhury/status/40767447573200896
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
India's Defence : In Retrospect
CHAPTER 1
HISTORY OF INDIA’S DEFENCE
India’s geographic location has always been a significant contributing factor to her eventful history. Her plains have always provided her visitors a respite from the concatenation of high mountains that encompassed her north. In the ancient times when the sea was not yet conquered by man, the northern boundaries of India were the only gateway to the incredible land.
In the ancient times, India was invaded many a times by the people of the mountains. The driving force behind the invasions can be seen as a result of the limitation of natural resources in the native land of the invaders and also a belief of the mythical Indian riches. In all the ancient invasions in India, her northern boundaries provided the gateway which eventually led the invaders to the vast expanses of the northern Indian plains. The plains provided its natives with a bounty of natural resources, as the mighty rivers frequently flooded the plains rendering it fertile and conducive of cultivation. The natives practised cultivation to harvest enough food resources to nourish the population. Inspite of its relative opulence, the people of the plains could not build up a coherent society that proved to be of great disadvantage time and again during moments of crisis. The lack of proper and effective coordination in matters relating to defence against possible external hostile invasions has written the fate in the pages of history. The society and states remained fragmented and the perpetuating internal conflicts and tensions didn’t either do any good. The discrete natures of existence of states within the boundaries of this great Indian landmass naturally made were weak even as she was vulnerable to hostile invasions. The rulers were more occupied in expanding the boundaries of their native states. Even those who succeeded in doing so did not envision transcending their empires into a common Indian identity. These annexed territories, once occupied, were not considered to be a part of the greater land which needed nourishment and security, being under constant threat of similar invasions from outside. On the other side of the wall, we had these tough, battle hardened, ambitious and avaricious invaders for whom these very invasions were sine qua non for their very existence. For them, the numbers lost in struggles meant too little as compared to the tribes own existence. They had cohesion and were driven by the need to address the shortfall of resources back home.
History has stood in evidence to the fact that such invasions occurred across India’s northern boundaries which can be seen to be sponsored by the people of this land. Invasion although took place quite often within her boundaries with the ruler of one state invader his neighbour with the same purpose with which the foreigners invaded India. The reason why the pages in history doesnot show any record of Invasions out of India is as much complex and needs an understanding in its entirety. Simply the vastness of the Indian landmass coupled with its rather evenly distributed forms of natural resources met most of the needs of its local inhabitants in their respective states and also mitigated the need to explore greener pastures. In contrast, the people who invaded India, came from places which were harsh in sustenance of life and settlements were discrete. A resourceful India, across the mountains beckoned these people with all her life sustaining treasures.
A SAD STORY
Over the ages India has had an abysmal record in defending herself against internal as well as external aggressions. As an extenuation one might argue that India has always been a land which had never shut her doors to the outside world and that we should be proud of the land has been an assimilator of culture over the ages. However this logic, according to the author is nothing but a travesty of what is true. The fact of the matter is that we have failed to defend ourselves against external aggression and influence which later on have proved insidious to the nation’s interest. We have always kept our infatuation of universal brotherhood ahead of our national interest. For a nation to be successful in defending itself, pursuit of national interest is sine qua non. The insidious nature of internal contradictions within the social milieu of a nation state has never left its policy makers to effectively prioritize national interest in international diplomacy. One would need to keep his house in order before he can peep at the outside would. This has infact remained our weakness over the ages in that prior to the British occupation, we could not build up a coherence in a national sense. The political ideologies in practice in the pre-British era were divisive and self-destructive. A short-sighted rular would rather forge an alliance with the opportunistic invader to defeat his immediate neighbour than pose a united front to the invader. History has repeated itself and has stood in evidence of this tragedy. The well known policy of divide and rule was not a monopoly of the British. The Aryans, the arab mercenaries, the huns, the mughals and all others who invaded India managed to obtain rich dividends exercising this policy. What we should appreciate is that the concept of unity in diversity was only realised at the time of the British rule. India has always been a land of great diversity. In ancient India, amidst all these diversities the belting force that helped this land from fragmenting apart politically and socially was a common religion-hinduism.
Belief in the same God brought people together amidst all the forces of division. Though Hindiusm united India, it also led to division in society. A section of the society especially the privileged class used the religion for their own benefits. The interpretation of religion and the ensuing dictats spelled a doom for the underprivileged class. The caste division in society never allowed it congeal into a single mass. Thus it always remained fragmented more so by the inequalities in wealth which resulted out of a caste-ridden society. So the fact that these under privileged, oppressed of the majority in society did not deprecate anyone who challenged the ruling elite whom they believed to be the reason for their miseries. These poor people did not realise that it was not their religion that articulated all these wrong doing it was the perversive way in which it was interpreted by the ruling elite. Thus the idea and feeling of rejection grew insidiously in society and manifested itself at moments of crisis more so during external aggressions. The fact that foreign religions like Islam and Christanity could find a way into this land of caste ridden Hindus is a direct consequence of its inherent divisiveness. Though many of the subsequent religious conversions were not voluntary by any means, a belief of a better life outside Hinduism always helped. Thus through the ages the demography of an erstwhile Hindu India has changed.
The difference in social life style did not end here. The caste ridden Hindu society now had to face the challenge of coexistence with multi-religionism. It is regrettable that inspite of its uniqueness to assimilate different religious thoughts, Indian society has often shuddered due to religious intolerance. For some, narrow religious interests have been so compulsive that they have failed to accommodate tolerance within their strides in social life. Prior to the arrival of the British, many states of India had its rulers who were of the minority community in their respective states. The Nizam of Hyderabad, the Sultan of Mysore, the Nawab of Bengal and the maharaja of Kashmir to name a few.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
As the valley boils…
The recent trouble in Srinagar has in fact had its early days during the tenure of Mehebooba Mufti. She and her party have always been sitting on the fence. During her tenure, the PDP played with the idea of reaching out to the separatists in the valley, not with an intent of finding out a solution to the problem, rather to ensure a certain degree of tolerance among the extremist elements as it officially at least continued with its allegiance to Delhi.
Mehebooba and her party realised that unless and until they adopted a covertly compromising relationship with the extremist organisations in the valley, she won’t be able to ensure a rather even-free tenure. She always intended on securing her rule in the state by pursuing this policy that naturally ensured lesser street protests and casualties. This lenient approach was taken advantage of by the separatists, duly guided and financed by their masters across the border.
The cause of normalcy in the valley was not helped either with the change in government in the valley. The Congress party came to power and installed Gulam Nabi Azad as the J&K chief minister. Azad, though he hails from Kashmir, has never been a Kashmiri politician in that sense. On the contrary, he has always enjoyed his tenures in the central government and in the party in Delhi. Its well known that he had to take up the role rather unwillingly. His appointment was a further disaster. Azad was never able to appreciate the real pulse of the Aam Janata of the state. He took voluntary decisions which didn’t auger well for the state. Among them his decision to hand over land to the Amarnath Yatra Committee is significant. It worsened the already waning trust deficit and also created the cult of the so called ‘Stone Pelters’ in the streets of Srinagar. Azad failed to foresee the future and inadvertently played in the hands of planners across the border. For the first time, the resistance in the valley gained some indigenious momentum. Credit must be given to the majority of the Kashmiris, who, inspite of immense provocation, never lost faith in the democratic process in the state.
This was amply evident in the subsequent assembly election, wherein they came out in large numbers and participated in the electoral process amidst provocation and intimidation. The entire world took notice of the success of the democratic exercise in the valley. The same, expectedly didn’t go well with the ISI. They eventually realised that unless the cause of Kashmir has some degree of indigenous character, it would be difficult to sustain their agenda in Kashmir. The separatists in the valley were accordingly advised to act upon and ensure more civilian casualties in the ongoing daily skirmishes with the Indian security forces. The plan was to foment mass protests in case of any civilian casualties. This is proving to be a very effective strategy. As more and more antagonized locals protest, higher have been the casualties. The protestors resort to stone pelting, burning down government properties and so on. The generation of Stone Pelters were born in the streets of Srinagar!
It is in this back drop that the National Conference came to power after the successful 2009 assembly elections. Omar Abdullah became the chief minister. Now let’s be clear, Omar is not Sheikh Abdullah, his grandfather! The present chief minister has made several political miscalculations since coming to power. He has miserably failed to read the pulse of the common Kashmiri. The stone pelting crowd has had a quantum growth during his tenure and now the situation is such that, things are simply beyond his control. As more and more civilian casualties happen, the antagonisation process, so close to the hearts of those across the borer, seems to lead even greater turmoil.
Mehebooba and her party realised that unless and until they adopted a covertly compromising relationship with the extremist organisations in the valley, she won’t be able to ensure a rather even-free tenure. She always intended on securing her rule in the state by pursuing this policy that naturally ensured lesser street protests and casualties. This lenient approach was taken advantage of by the separatists, duly guided and financed by their masters across the border.
The cause of normalcy in the valley was not helped either with the change in government in the valley. The Congress party came to power and installed Gulam Nabi Azad as the J&K chief minister. Azad, though he hails from Kashmir, has never been a Kashmiri politician in that sense. On the contrary, he has always enjoyed his tenures in the central government and in the party in Delhi. Its well known that he had to take up the role rather unwillingly. His appointment was a further disaster. Azad was never able to appreciate the real pulse of the Aam Janata of the state. He took voluntary decisions which didn’t auger well for the state. Among them his decision to hand over land to the Amarnath Yatra Committee is significant. It worsened the already waning trust deficit and also created the cult of the so called ‘Stone Pelters’ in the streets of Srinagar. Azad failed to foresee the future and inadvertently played in the hands of planners across the border. For the first time, the resistance in the valley gained some indigenious momentum. Credit must be given to the majority of the Kashmiris, who, inspite of immense provocation, never lost faith in the democratic process in the state.
This was amply evident in the subsequent assembly election, wherein they came out in large numbers and participated in the electoral process amidst provocation and intimidation. The entire world took notice of the success of the democratic exercise in the valley. The same, expectedly didn’t go well with the ISI. They eventually realised that unless the cause of Kashmir has some degree of indigenous character, it would be difficult to sustain their agenda in Kashmir. The separatists in the valley were accordingly advised to act upon and ensure more civilian casualties in the ongoing daily skirmishes with the Indian security forces. The plan was to foment mass protests in case of any civilian casualties. This is proving to be a very effective strategy. As more and more antagonized locals protest, higher have been the casualties. The protestors resort to stone pelting, burning down government properties and so on. The generation of Stone Pelters were born in the streets of Srinagar!
It is in this back drop that the National Conference came to power after the successful 2009 assembly elections. Omar Abdullah became the chief minister. Now let’s be clear, Omar is not Sheikh Abdullah, his grandfather! The present chief minister has made several political miscalculations since coming to power. He has miserably failed to read the pulse of the common Kashmiri. The stone pelting crowd has had a quantum growth during his tenure and now the situation is such that, things are simply beyond his control. As more and more civilian casualties happen, the antagonisation process, so close to the hearts of those across the borer, seems to lead even greater turmoil.
The Evolution…
Once upon a time humans would roam around in the forests,
When hungry, they would prey on the creatures of the wild,
They would find solace having retired in the caves, under the trees,
Or even under the vast expanse of the night sky.
Then, one day, an enlightened one amongst them,
Would begin to pile up stones! One above the other!
He would make a home…….HOME!!
When hungry, they would prey on the creatures of the wild,
They would find solace having retired in the caves, under the trees,
Or even under the vast expanse of the night sky.
Then, one day, an enlightened one amongst them,
Would begin to pile up stones! One above the other!
He would make a home…….HOME!!
As he would return Home after the day’s toils,
His arrival would be awaited my his wife, his little children, his loved ones!
His life would blossom in the warmth of care and love!
After all, he would find all the reasons to live!
His arrival would be awaited my his wife, his little children, his loved ones!
His life would blossom in the warmth of care and love!
After all, he would find all the reasons to live!
Amidst the thousands in the crowd,
He is no one!
Among the countless pebbles on the seashore,
He is a pebble too!
However! the moment he would return to his loving Home,
He would be loved as a King! He is the Husband!
He is the Lord! ……The loved one!
He is no one!
Among the countless pebbles on the seashore,
He is a pebble too!
However! the moment he would return to his loving Home,
He would be loved as a King! He is the Husband!
He is the Lord! ……The loved one!
It took thousands of years to build a Home where love dwells!
Not a mere built of brick and mortar……..
HOME!! Where Love dwells!!
One can rebuild, if a house falls apart,
But what if a Home shatters?
Nothing….No one can build it back!
Not a mere built of brick and mortar……..
HOME!! Where Love dwells!!
One can rebuild, if a house falls apart,
But what if a Home shatters?
Nothing….No one can build it back!
The Chinese Juggernaut in retrospect : An Indian Perspective
Retrospectively China has always been a challenge. This oversized neighbour remains to be one of the most daunting assignments for the South Block.
Recently our two nations celebrated the establishment of 60 years of diplomatic ties. History stands in testament to this relationship which has been anything but of trust.
The modern history of the two neighbours dates back to approximately the same time.
The initial chapter of Sino-Indian relations was a goody-goody affair. Thanks to the Nehruvian Foreign Policy. It was naïve and lacked pragmatism. The Mao-led communists in China soon realised this weakness in Indian foreign policy. The benevolence of Nehru’s foreign policy was based on his so-called principles of Panchsheel or the five pillars, lacked in pragmatism. Nehru’s vision was global but he never realised the fact that a nation’s foreign policy should always be guided by its self interest.
On the contrary, the communist regime in the People’s Republic placed its national interest to the fore front while shaping its foreign policies. They appreciated the fact that in order to sustain and grow the roots of communism, it was sine-qua-non to insulate the chinese society from western influences. Mao’s foreign policies were shaped accordingly. The regime had a vision on China’s geo-strategic role in Asia. They believed in China’s emergence as the dominant power in Asia and were aware of Nehru’s own aspirations too. The hallmark of Mao’s foreign policy was that it was successful in keeping India day-dreaming about the now infamous “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai” as China prepared itself to challenge Nehru at a later date.
Recently our two nations celebrated the establishment of 60 years of diplomatic ties. History stands in testament to this relationship which has been anything but of trust.
The modern history of the two neighbours dates back to approximately the same time.
The initial chapter of Sino-Indian relations was a goody-goody affair. Thanks to the Nehruvian Foreign Policy. It was naïve and lacked pragmatism. The Mao-led communists in China soon realised this weakness in Indian foreign policy. The benevolence of Nehru’s foreign policy was based on his so-called principles of Panchsheel or the five pillars, lacked in pragmatism. Nehru’s vision was global but he never realised the fact that a nation’s foreign policy should always be guided by its self interest.
On the contrary, the communist regime in the People’s Republic placed its national interest to the fore front while shaping its foreign policies. They appreciated the fact that in order to sustain and grow the roots of communism, it was sine-qua-non to insulate the chinese society from western influences. Mao’s foreign policies were shaped accordingly. The regime had a vision on China’s geo-strategic role in Asia. They believed in China’s emergence as the dominant power in Asia and were aware of Nehru’s own aspirations too. The hallmark of Mao’s foreign policy was that it was successful in keeping India day-dreaming about the now infamous “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai” as China prepared itself to challenge Nehru at a later date.
The first ‘betrayal’ came at the Bhandung Conference. The Chinese premier Zhou Enlai openly challenged India’s leadership in Asia. China caught Nehru unprepared and as a matter of fact thrashed all the Nehruvian myths on “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai”
One of the priorities of Maoist China was to consolidate its territory. Its invasion and occupancy of Tibet is significant so far as the Sino-Indian history is concerned. India could do nothing but grant some refuge to the fleeing Tibetan buddhists. The so called Tibetan Government in Exile at Dharmasala in Himachal Pradesh came into being. Nehru failed to leverage China’s vulnerability in Tibet as an instrument in India’s foreign policy viz-a-viz his dealings with the communist regime.
The real blow came in 1962 with Nehru failing to take cognizance of China’s expansionist ambitions. Several reports on aggressive posturing and incursions in the Arunachal border were ignored and brushed aside. Nehru was too reluctant to believe the reality at ground. The Indian military presence at the border were far less than what the situation would demand. With no proper infrastructure for a speedy mobilization of troops, the border remained highly vulnerable. India was grossly under preapared! And the inevitable happened! The scanty, ill-equipped Indian presence was overwhelmed and over-run by a pre-planned invasion by the People’s Liberation Army. By the time China halted the hostilities, a significant part of Arunachal have been grabbed by the Chinese. Their objective was met. Nehru was shattered. He couldn’t recover from the shock and passed away two years later.
The present era is altogether a new game so far as Sino-Indian relations are concerned. The entire geo-strategic scenario has evolved since the Nehruvian era. Today’s world in unipolar and asymmetric. Globalization has brought in irreversible changes too. Both China and India have evolved. The former opened its doors to the outside world in the early eighties. Thanks to the pragmatism and contingencies exercised by the communists, China underwent a controlled evolution to a market economy. Over the last two decades, the Chinese economy has burgeoned. With an enviable 10% annual growth in GDP, the Dragon has already announced its eventual arrival in the global geo-political scene. With trade surpluses with most of the other nations, including the US, 1.4 trillion $ in foreign reserves, China has been successfully leveraging its economic might in redefining its foreign policies in the new millennium.
The Nuclear Liability Bill: Pros & Cons
Its brouhaha time again on the nuclear issue. This time on the Nuclear Liability Bill. India has obtained the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG)’s waiver on resuming nuclear commerce in the civilian sector. Bilateral agreements with prospective trading countries are being reached at. The UPA government has already signed deals with the USA, Russia, France, UK, Canada. Negotiations are in progress with other nations as well. Overseas firms dealing in nuclear energy from the nations mentioned above have obvious interests in doing business in India but with limited liability.
They are expected to invest in the nuclear sector, bring in technology and commission power plants. The question that has been the bone of contention is whether these foreign entities should also bear the liabilities in case of nuclear accidents.
Nuclear experts in support of the deal argue that nuclear energy is the most sustainable option in the long-term and has much lower carbon footprint as well. It is perhaps the only effective way to deal with India’s burgeoning demand for power. This has also been the conviction of the present UPA government in Delhi.
Now that several of these power plants will eventually come up across the country, concerns are being raised on the potential risks of nuclear energy. One can possibly argue, given that they are managed well, nuclear power plants are one of the safest ways to produce power for human consumption.
However, even with all the rationales in favour, the question that has caused all the recent brouhaha among the political parties is that of nuclear liability. Now with President Obama’s impending visit, the central government seems to push for the legislation of the liability bill in a hurry, that is what the opposition seem to allege.
In retrospect, India’s report card on management of industrial disasters has not been great. As we still struggle to fix the liabilities for Bhopal even 20 years later, the same has in fact continued to haunt us as we decide on the nuclear issue. The overseas firms, having stakes in the expanding nuclear infrastructure, would obviously wish to see provisions for limited legislated liabilities in the event of a nuclear disaster.
So the pertinent issue here is how do we strike a balance between perceived bottle necks and ensuring accountability.
Friday, February 4, 2011
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