Indian Interests

[RamaY]

I dont have answers. I just have questions. I firmly believe in leaving certain things to individual consciousness and their acceptance to bear the legal+moral consequences.

We should get out of this dhaga before pandurators come for lathicharge.

Consensual sex, maturity to give consent, marriage, morals are the terms suitable for L&M dhaga. By discussing them here, we will missing the wisdom of real L&M gurus.

[vera_k]

I think an opportunity is being missed to reconcile the personal laws. If the age of consent is to be reduced, let it set to when the man or woman achieves puberty. In case there is a dispute, a medical examination would tell whether the woman was capable of giving consent.

[Pranav]

You can't separate sex from pregnancy and childbirth

Yes you can.

In terms of legality, you can't. See http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 6#p1425256

[ShauryaT]

x-post.

The very definition of a dharmic human being means our ability to control our animal like passions and desires, which are within our bodies. The very premise of the vow of Brahmacharya rests on abstinence from sex until a Grihasta. I support extending this vow to females too and an Upanaya for them also, which is done in some parts of the country but not most. Individual rights do not and cannot supersede the rights of society is the dharmic view does not mean individual rights do not exist but they cannot trample society and have to be in sync. Similarly society cannot trample and individual's rights, where society really has no business. The very root of Dharma rests on the concept of social stability for humans.

Sex is a procreative activity that impinges on society and not an issue between individuals alone. Hence, making a baby through this procreative activity has ALWAYS been regulated through marriage (speculations on the very ancient past aside) for good reason. It has a direct impact on family and society and most importantly on the child. The idea that sex can be had with the help of safe preventives is not a good enough escape hatch as teenagers who’s testosterone are at high levels and their frontal lobes not fully developed frequently make decisions based on raw animal passions leading to unwanted pregnancies. Teenagers are also not equipped to shoulder the responsibilities of a family. In practice, many of these become single parent homes or worse, the child is sent in foster or government care. Terminating a pregnancy would be considered by most Hindus as a crime. We celebrate the idea of a child coming to this world with a samskara not kill the so called “unwanted” child. Pre-marital sex is a challenge to the foundations of the institution of marriage.

Furthermore SD is a way of life. This way of life is built upon a series of practices that support SD ideas. The practice of marriage and procreation through the process of marriage supports an entire value system of Ashramas and duties, built over centuries. Who is to do samskaras for this out of wedlock child? A child in the SD tradition is not just an individual. The child becomes part of a family and social unit the moment the child is born. Hence, the mitakshara system recognizes even the property rights of this child the moment the child is born. The dayabaga system goes further and recognizes the rights of even the unborn child in the womb.

Individual rights cannot be a veto over what a society as a collective thinks is good for them, except for some fundamental rights of the individual and pre-marital sex is decidedly not one of them. Age limit for sex and its modalities is one such societal issue, not just an individual issue. After all the society is for all these individuals. Also, please no “modernity” nonsense arguments at least for me, for having lived in the west for 20+ years and traveled all over for long, I know what western systems are like and its effects. There is not much to learn on this score, our civilization knows it better. In this aspect, the Christian church has gotten it right, even if their motivations are not guided by the high ideal of SD, which seeks control of animal passions.

Ashrama Dharma and the value system we live by, our very way of life needs protection from the state. Sexual intercourse before marriage should be banned. The legal age to be called an adult should be raised to 21. This lowering of 18 is neither scientifically justified nor socially acceptable and nor is it in tune with the average life spans and general maturity levels for individuals required to function in a society with no undue pressure. Sexual intercourse before the age of 21 should be a crime, with appropriate punishment and atonements. Sex outside of marriage should be a crime (exceptional situations such as missing spouse, etc aside). Again, the mitakshara system, which is an exposition of Yagnavalkya smriti can be suitably modified for today’s use. Sexual intercourse between adults, not married should be discouraged by society and if this activity results in an offspring, the couple should be forced to marry by law, failing which there can be strict punishment. Voluntary termination of pregnancy, where health of the mother is not a question, should be banned. Termination of pregnancy should be made a crime and if done by below 21 years of age, even the parents should be made culpable of this crime.

This idea of consensual sex at age 16 is not a dharmic idea at all. It is even an illegal idea based on current law. How can a “minor” provide consent for such an important adult decision? This law is a direct challenge to Ashrama dharma and has all the deracinated corruptions of the west, in the name of individual rights and seeks to lower man to the position of an animal that has no control over his passions and lust. It is a society that has no “plan” for the individual a free for all, where anything goes. SD does not work that way.

There is a misconception out there that in SD anything goes and it is all jambalaya. Nothing can be farther from the truth. This is not to say all change is bad. SD’s ideas are definite. SD has definite values. These values are backed by systems. These systems are backed by traditions. These traditions are practiced. It is these practices, traditions and systems that get articulated in law for enforcement. The ideas and values stay at the level of the constitution and even higher is a conceptual idea or a set of overarching ideas, which stays at the level of a preamble and can be without definition. Dharma is such a concept. When one seeks to change a practice, one has to think through all the way back to its chain of traditions, systems, values, ideas and ask the question, is this change in line with the values and concepts one seeks to protect?

I do not know, which dharma some people speak of and what values and way of life one seeks to protect but it is not Sanatan Dharma and its traditions that will tolerate age 16 as being permissive for consensual sex outside marriage. The arguments have to be rooted in the values, traditions, practices or ideas of SD, and if someone has an agenda that is ameliorative, It is best that one declares this openly and stops pretending to write for the SD point of view.

[shiv]

Pranav said:"You can't separate sex from pregnancy and childbirth"

Yes you can.

In terms of legality, you can't. See http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 6#p1425256

Can you say sex is legal but pregnancy is illegal?

No

Can you say pregnancy is legal but childbirth is illegal?

No

Can you say childbirth is legal but marriage is illegal?

Yes

You can use contraception to separate sex from pregnancy and childbirth because it is childbirth that causes legal complications (and medical complications in the very young). Consensual sex should not be made a legal complication.

It is "age of consent" for consensual sex that is being discussed.

[shiv]

The very premise of the vow of Brahmacharya rests on abstinence from sex until a Grihasta. I support extending this vow to females too and an Upanaya for them also, which is done in some parts of the country but not most. Individual rights do not and cannot supersede the rights of society

Shaurya, my grandmother got married at age 7 in 1900. My aunt got married at age 13 in 1939.

Their husbands were both grihastas after that. My grandmother had 6 children. Only 3 survived.

The point I want to make is that Indian society knew that in order to have surviving children in the days before vaccination and plague, cholera and diphtheria control and when life expectancy was 40 or so people had to start having children early and have many children.

What does dharma say about a woman having 8 pregnancies and losing 4 children or mother dying from multiple childbirth related malnutrition. Clearly dharma says it is better not to have that,

If dharma says it is better not to have that we need vaccinations and public health

Vaccinations and public health mean that all 8 children will survive as well as the mother

That leads to too many mouths to feed and poverty related malnutrition. This is clearly adharmic. It is also adharmic to prevent grihasta and wife from conjugal relations. The only way out is birth control and legal guidlenes on how early a girl is allowed to have consensual sex/marriage

[Pranav]

In terms of legality, you can't. See http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 6#p1425256

Can you say sex is legal but pregnancy is illegal?

No

Can you say pregnancy is legal but childbirth is illegal?

No

Can you say childbirth is legal but marriage is illegal?

Yes

You can use contraception to separate sex from pregnancy and childbirth because it is childbirth that causes legal complications (and medical complications in the very young). Consensual sex should not be made a legal complication.

It is "age of consent" for consensual sex that is being discussed.

OK, you are saying that it should be perfectly legal for kids of have sex, become pregnant and have children out of wedlock. The law should crack down on the unwed parents only when they try to get married.

[shiv]

OK, you are saying that it should be perfectly legal for kids of have sex, become pregnant and have children out of wedlock. The law should crack down on the unwed parents only when they try to get married.

No. I have not said that. You just said it though.

[shyamd]

x post

Mission Afghanistan

ANANTH DURAI 15 March 2013 Subjects:Afghanistan India Security in South and Central Asia Peacebuilding Policing Bordering on Peace?
India must take on a global leadership role, providing both economic and military aid together with regional/global partners, in support of the Afghan government.

The recent visit of Afghan president Hamid Karzai to India has highlighted the strong and growing cooperation between the two countries. Since the toppling of the Taliban regime in 2001, India has offered close to $2 billion in mostly economic and humanitarian aid. The signing of a strategic partnership agreement in 2011 paved the way for deepening bilateral relations. The Indian government's Public Sector Units (PSU) consortium won a large mining concession in Hajigak, an investment that will lead to the construction of a steel mill – and that some estimate in the region of $8 billion. India has also paid in blood for the stability and support of Afghanistan, most recently in an attack on Indian Army doctors.

But what exactly is India’s game plan in Afghanistan? To answer this, we need to understand the regional picture.

All quiet on the northern front

India has had tremendous success in eliminating terrorists inside Jammu and Kashmir state (J&K) over the last five years with intelligence reports appearing to indicate frustration among the ranks of the terrorists at the lack of support by the Pakistani authorities for their war in Kashmir. Terror attacks are at an all time low and have been low in the last three years in J&K. Tourism to the state has reached record levels (9 million visitors as of October 2012) and progress is being made economically in the lives of ordinary citizens in the region.

During 2012, Indian police received over 1000 amnesty applications from youths who had crossed over to Pakistan at the height of the insurgency from J&K for arms training, wishing to return to India and rebuild their lives. This has been encouraged by cutbacks in Pakistani funding for Kashmiri organisations, as well as the futility of terrorist activity.

Unfortunately all this success cannot be attributed to Indian diplomacy, so much as to the regional geopolitical situation. Evidence arising from the interrogation of terrorists under arrest supported by intelligence reports suggest that the Pakistani establishment appears to be encouraging Kashmiri groups to turn their gaze towards fighting US/ISAF troops in Afghanistan. This is supported further by numerous arrests and intelligence reports from the ISAF in Afghanistan. It is no secret that Pakistan continues to provide support/sanctuary to the Taliban and its allies such as the Haqqani network.

We can conclude as a result that Pakistani efforts and priorities appear to be lie in securing its ‘backyard’ and ensuring that the ISAF/US forces vacate Afghanistan, paving the way for the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, post 2014.

But why? The main reason appears to be to put a stop to Pashtun nationalism thereby also ensuring that the current Afghan security establishments don’t become a further tool to be used against Pakistan, forcing them to deploy their armies in the defence of two borders.

So what is India doing to prevent a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan?

India is following a three-fold approach:

- Training Afghan National Security Forces to fight the Taliban.
- Encouraging economic investment in the Afghan government to enable them to raise tax revenue to fund the fight against the Taliban.
- Helping support the functioning of the Afghan government in a variety of ways – training officials, building the National Parliament building and many other programmes designed to deliver effective governance to the people of Afghanistan.
India has already trained hundreds of mid-level Afghan military officers according to analysts, and this now appears to be escalating. India has agreed to train 600 officers every year since the visit of President Karzai, and in addition will also help train companies (100 men) of ANA soldiers in order to develop the cohesion of ANA units.

In addition to this, Indian Air Force pilots will help train their counterparts in the ANSF to support operations. Efforts will only increase over the next few years to ensure that a viable and sustainable government stays put in Kabul. But India can and needs to do more in Afghanistan.

Solutions for a global problem

A return of the Taliban after 2014 will mean that jihadis battling US/ISAF troops will now look around for a new focus and this is likely to be regional hotspots – J&K, Chechnya, Iran, Xinjiang amongst others. Of most concern to India is obviously J&K. Thankfully our security establishment is preparing for such a flare up post 2014. However, an escalation in J&K or at the Indian Line of Control will mean all the hard work of improving the economy and weaning away jihadists over the last ten years could go to waste. Perhaps another Kargil could be planned by Pakistan, in which thousands of lives and billions of dollars are spent on fighting each other which could be devoted to improving the lives of citizens.

However, India at the moment has chosen a bilateral approach together with Russia and Iran to discuss Afghanistan at a National Security Council level. But it is important to remind security establishments worldwide that a Taliban return is a problem for everyone. India has an opportunity to lead a regional and even global partnership effort to support the Afghan government. This will have to involve economic and military aid.

Rawalpindi fears

The Pakistani position is that India’s close relations with Afghanistan stems from India’s ambition to encircle Pakistan. But it’s never too late to remind the Pakistani’s that they continue to support terrorist acts in India and have used Afghanistan as a base for attacks against India. Nations have two choices – cooperation or conflict. Despite the continued acts of terrorism supported by the Pakistani military – India has made every attempt to seek cooperation –as is proved by the Sharm El Sheikh agreement delinking terror from bilateral relations (despite lack of support for this from the Indian public). Despite these efforts, we look across the border and we see the terror infrastructure largely intact. To date, the Pakistani Army has not revised its doctrine of ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan – a view we share with the US and its allies.

During the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan years, Pakistan left their northern borders largely undefended while a major proportion of Pakistani military resources were used to support their military on the borders with India.

Eventually, India will be forced to take the view that the continued support of terror by Pakistan will have to be met with a longterm response. That response is likely to involve supporting the Afghan government with military supplies (thus far India has refrained from doing so despite Afghan requests in the hope that Pakistan will maybe opt for cooperation instead of conflict) and even a military presence that ensures that Pakistan will have to guard their northern borders. Guarding their northern borders will mean deploying their meagre resources towards developing new infrastructure, more weapons and leaving the southern borders much less defended. This will make Pakistan vulnerable. This weakness is likely to result in Pakistan having to stop their terror support activities due to lack of resources and also to the absence of resources enabling their defence against any Indian military retaliation.

To conclude, India is likely to revisit their decision not to supply the ANSF with offensive weapons in 2014, if Pakistan continues to support terrorism on Indian soil. In the coming year, the PM of India, Manmohan Singh should also consider having a serious dialogue with the military leaders of Pakistan offering a no-war agreement in exchange for total cessation of support for terror.

This can only be secured with the support of Pakistan’s close allies – the GCC, China and the USA. This is precisely the reason why Indian strategists have done well to open a good line of communication between these three parties. Whether Pakistan will agree to such a proposal remains to be seen. The ball is in Pakistan’s court: will Pakistan decide between cooperation or conflict?

India must also take on a global leadership role, providing both economic and military aid together with regional/global partners in support of the Afghan government. A failure to do this could cost citizens in the region very dearly.

[member_20036]

Shiva worship not a religious act, income tax tribunal says

MUMBAI: Lord Shiva, Hanuman and goddess Durga do not represent any particular religion but are regarded as supernatural powers of the universe, the Nagpur income tax appellate tribunal has said.

The observation came when the tribunal was hearing an appeal by Nagpur-based Shiv Mandir Devstan Panch Committee Sanstan against an income tax commissioner's order denying it tax exemption on grounds that more than 5% of its expenditure was incurred on religious activities.

The I-T act stipulates that for the purpose of tax exemption, an institution or trust must not be for the benefit of any particular religious community or caste.

Differing with the I-T commissioner's order, the tribunal said, "Expenses on worshipping of Lord Shiva, Hanuman, Goddess Durga and on maintenance of the temple cannot be regarded as having been incurred for religious purposes."

The tribunal went on to say that Hinduism was neither a religion nor a community. It consisted of a number of communities having different gods worshipped in different ways. Even the worship of god wasn't not essential for a person who had adopted the Hindu way of life, it said.

"Hinduism holds within its fold men of divergent views and traditions who have very little in common except a vague faith in what may be called as the fundamentals of Hinduism," the tribunal observed.

According to it, the word 'community' meant people living in the same place, under the same laws and regulations and who have common rights and privileges. This may apply to Christianity or Islam but not to Hinduism. "Technically, Hinduism is neither a religion nor a community," the tribunal said.

In 2008, the sanstan had spent Rs 82,977 on maintenance of its building, providing free food, festival prayers, training people in tailoring and yoga, and free distribution of spectacles. The I-T commissioner had said that expenses for building maintenance, providing free food, festival prayers and daily expenses related to 'religious purposes'. This added up to more than 5% of the organization's expenditure. Only Rs 6,700 was spent on non-religious activities, the taxman said.

The sanstan had countered this, saying its temple was open to everybody, irrespective of caste and creed. "The temple does not belong to a particular religion. Installing idols is not a religious activity," the counsel for the sanstan said.

The I-T tribunal's accountant member K Bansal and judicial member D T Garasia agreed. They said the word 'religion' meant belief in, and worship of, a "superhuman controlling power", a particular system of faith and worship.

"It means the trust should not be for the benefit of any particular group of persons having common belief in worshipping of superhuman controlling power or having common system of faith and worship. If the trust is for the benefit of any particular religious community, it would include the advancement, support or propagation of a religion," they said, adding that no evidence or material had been placed on record to prove that the sanstan was promoting a particular religion.

[Yayavar]

It allows some guys to claim consent when there wasnt one from the minor????

[abhishek_sharma]

Coomi Kapoor's Column

Hero's welcome

Events in Italy last month should have alerted the Indian authorities that Rome had no intention of returning the marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone to India to stand trial for killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano had given a public assurance to his countrymen that the two marines would be back home unscathed. When they returned to Italy to vote, they were personally received at the airport by Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi. Then Prime Minister Mario Monti also met them. A courageous Italian journalist pointed out that the marines were not exactly heroes kidnapped by a radical group such as the al-Qaeda, as was being portrayed in the media. She was flooded with hate mail.

Touch me not

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has got into trouble with conservative clerics for hugging a weeping Hugo Chavez's mother at the Venezuelan leader's funeral. Vice-President Hamid Ansari recalls from his years as a diplomat that it is always a problem reconciling different cultural traditions of greeting and mourning. Indira Gandhi had a clear-cut rule: that she would shake hands with all officers of military rank and greet everyone else with folded hands. Many years ago, the Iranian ambassador to India was very keen to meet Ansari, then in the diplomatic service, to sort out what he called a pressing matter. He wanted to ensure that when the then speaker of Iranian Parliament, Hashemi Rafsanjani, visited India and met Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he would be greeted with a namaskar rather than a handshake. Conservative Iranians do not want to be touched by a woman. For that matter, Gandhi herself was a shade embarrassed when she was embraced by Yasser Arafat in an over-enthusiastic greeting.

Dialogue on hold

The Ottawa Dialogue is a back-channel diplomatic exercise for retired Indian and Pakistani military officials and diplomats and is funded by the USA, UK and Canada. Usually, there are some 20 participants from each side and they debate defence issues from conventional CBMs to the Siachen dispute. The Ottawa Dialogue has held conferences in a number of cities. The most recent meeting was scheduled for New Delhi, but there is a hitch. Former air chief S P Tyagi heads the India chapter and is being investigated in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal. As a consequence, the Ottawa Dialogue has been temporarily put on hold.

Men's Day

With all the hype over International Women's Day on March 8, TMC MP Derek O'Brien wondered why no one in India talked about Men's Day. In fact, Men's Day is celebrated on November 19 but it does not attract much attention. The tradition was first started in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago and it soon spread to other countries. Coincidentally, November 19 also happens to be the birthday of Indira Gandhi, who was often described as the only man in her Cabinet.

Strange silence

It has taken two years for the BJP to raise in Parliament the issue of Robert Vadra's land dealings. When the story first broke in the press, the majority view in the party was that one should not drag politicians' families into the debate as this could set a dangerous trend. Arun Jaitley, Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh were among the few to dissent. Later, the RSS ticked off the BJP leadership for adopting a passive approach. When fresh revelations concerning the Rajasthan government's largesse to Vadra surfaced in the media recently, the BJP took up the issue in both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday and demanded a CBI probe, to be monitored by the court. Parliament was adjourned for the day, but hardliners in the party felt it was a case of too little too late.

Slip-up in focus

Following the seizure of 26 kg of heroin from an alleged drug peddler in Punjab, with Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh's name figuring in the case, the prevalence of drug abuse among the youth of Punjab has come under scrutiny. Congresspersons are eager to point out that credit should be given to Rahul Gandhi for being the first to focus on this serious social problem during a speech he made at Panjab University in October last year. To bring home this point, a request was made to TV channels to replay Gandhi's Panjab University speech. Television channels obliged, but the constant replays did not enhance Gandhi's image since they brought out the fact that he had goofed up. He first stated that 10 out of seven youth in Punjab are on drugs and only then corrected himself to say he meant seven out of 10 youth.

[Muppalla]

Manik Sarkar, the 64-year-old chief minister of Tripura, is widely expected to win his fourth consecutive term when the results of the state’s elections are announced on February 28. Sarkar is an oddity in Indian politics when it comes to personal wealth. According to the mandatory disclosure of financial assets before the filing of nomination papers, the chief minister had Rs 1,080 in hand and a bank balance of Rs 9,720. Clad in a white kurta, pyjama and a grey woollen jacket, Sarkar arrives for this interview in a small room at the Tripura CPI(M) headquarters in Agartala. His critics accuse him of being arrogant, but Sarkar is a warm man, brimming with plans to take Tripura on a quick path to development. Prasun Chaudhuri spoke to the man who may become the longest serving chief minister of India after Jyoti Basu.

Q: So in all likelihood you are coming back to power for the fourth consecutive term?

A: What do you mean by power? States have hardly any power in our country. Structurally, India is a federal nation but the power lies with the Centre. Small states like ours are more dependent on the Centre. And they (Centre) love to keep us that way. This is why big states are being broken into pieces. It’s far easier to control a smaller state and deprive it. You can’t neglect an Uttar Pradesh, but you can easily ignore a Tripura.

Q: During the election campaign you said Congress leaders hobnob with militants. They too accuse your party of having links with militants.

A: We have proof of their links with extremists and surrendered ultras. The state leaders speak against extremism when they meet leaders at the Centre, but forge alliances with terrorists to grab votes. This doublespeak is typical of local Congress leaders.

[svinayak]

http://www.fairobserver.com/article/dynasty-must-die

Can somebody review in a objective way

The Dynasty Must Die
18 MARCH 2013
ATUL SINGH

Fair Observer’s Editor-in-Chief, Atul Singh, argues that India can only progress if it buries the ghosts of Nehru and Indira.

Democracy is more than elections. It requires institutions. It requires rule of law. It has been 63 years since India declared itself a republic. Yet the country is in many ways a de facto monarchy. At the national level, one family has largely remained in power since 1947. This has led to tragic consequences for the country.

During the Indian independence struggle, the Indian National Congress (INC) was a movement. Elections were held regularly and even Mahatma Gandhi was outvoted on occasion. Subhas Bose was elected as President of the INC against Gandhi’s wishes. When World War II broke out, Gandhi was outvoted twice in the Working Committee.

[RajeshA]

The Family is the glue that mediates an agreement among all power brokers and brings them together. The more devoted willing to accept the diktat agree. Those who can't build new parties, but at the center by the virtue of being the biggest party of the power-brokers, again the Family acts as the mediator.

That is all there is left to their power. If a corruption scandal sweeps over them, or intense hate towards Italians, then it is over. Then the whole system falls apart, if one takes them out of the equation.

[RamaY]

The Tuglaq UPA govt pulled back it's 16yrs as legal age for consensual sex bill.

Wonder what makes this move, a smart one or stupid one....

[Varoon Shekhar]

"Sorry for the OT but the mention of South Korean evangelicals brings an incident to mind. ...and address all the people in the bus, it went something like this : "Your-a country is-a very clean-a. Your-a country very nice-a... "etc. for 2 mins followed by "Now-a let me tell you-a about Jesas-a Christ-

From the India-Japan section: This type of aggressive, crude behaviour which South Koreans display, should be contrasted to, among others, the example of Julia Roberts. Julia Roberts 'converted' to Hinduism, without any coaxing, cajoling, missionaries, evangelists, canvassers or pamphleteers etc. It was a pure personal decision based on her attraction to the religion. She has not denounced other religions, nor even formally( far as we can see) abandoned her Christian faith. Nor is she advocating that others adopt Hinduism, or is anyway promoting it.

Simply astonishing, and a massive contrast to the way in which Christianity and Islam are adopted and propagated.

[JE Menon]

And some might say, more effective... If the elites set examples.

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Right

INDIA's zardari?

While the BJP made a token protest in Parliament against the alleged irregularities in land allotments to firms linked to Robert Vadra and forgot about it the next day, the Sangh Parivar weeklies seem to have found enough to discredit the Congress leadership.

While Organiser has made the issue its cover story, asserting that "Robert Vadra's sleazy deals expose Sonia family greed", Panchjanya has carried a cover story showing how the "business of the son-in-law" has "disgraced" the Congress. Organiser claims that "after his marriage to Priyanka Gandhi, Robert has emerged as the Asif Ali Zardari of Indian politics", reminding readers of how Zardari leveraged his late wife Benazir Bhutto's position to charge commissions that earned him the nickname "Mr 10 per cent". Organiser's cover story laments that there is "no law in this country to take action against the VVIPs who plunder the country simply on the basis of their marriages". Both weeklies have carried details of land deals of business firms linked to Vadra and sought to allege irregularities in the dealings.

ITALIAN CART

The diplomatic standoff with Italy over its refusal to hand India back the marines, as promised to the Supreme Court, has been used by both weeklies to take potshots at Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Panchjanya has carried an editorial alleging how every bit of the Congress-led government was "weighed down by Rome". The Organiser, however, is more straightforward — its cover story declares that one of the "privileges of being Italian under Sonia Raj" was that one "can get away with murder and loot", with pictures of Ottavio Quattrocchi, the marines and the AgustaWestland chopper. The article stresses that "Italy is a holy cow, and as long as the Congress-led UPA government is in power, Italians can get away with murder". The article suggests that "Italians are smart in assessing from past records that the Congress government in India led by Sonia Gandhi will never do anything that would shake the apple cart", in the form of decisions to "send back the Italian ambassador and sever economic and diplomatic ties".

PAKISTANSPEAK

Panchjanya has flagged its report on RSS's Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (All India Representatives Meet) on the front page, with a full-page report on the first day's highlights of the three-day meet in Jaipur last week.

The article, while providing details on the participation and the activities, inadvertently admits that only 425 "elected representatives" participated among 1,395 delegates expected. This works out to only about 30 per cent of representatives being "elected", a surprising figure given that RSS micro-manages the BJP's affairs.

The report highlights the Parivar's disapproval of the Pakistani parliament's resolution on Afzal Guru. Condemning the move, the Sangh described it as an "interference in the internal affairs" of India. It has described the move as "doublespeak" on Pakistan's part, pointing out that Islamabad refused to accept the body of 26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab while it is now trying to glorify Afzal Guru.

Compiled by Ravish Tiwari

[Prem]

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/reviews/b ... eflynoted1
THE CITY OF DEVIby Manil Suri
( Ik Nya Challaru in the Market?)

In Suri’s third novel, terrorism has plunged the world into chaos and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear war. As Hindus and Muslims clash and Mumbai braces for a strike, Sarita searches—across .

[Aditya_V]

The Mumbai Blasts 1993 terror case, bofors etc brings me to a Huge loophole in CRPC, Sentence in Absentia. Seems to have been kept by our eliotes to keep criminals(and those controlling them) of the hook by being outside the countries borders.

Its time we amend this, so Dawood Ibrahim and the guys who burnt the godhra train can be deported and execute ted.

[chaanakya]

Actually one can not be chargesheeted unless present in the court. No trial can happen under CrPC. That lacunae has been addressed to some extent but still there is no sentence in absentia. Need to remedy this give the current situation.

The problem is , it makes extradition that much more difficult if accused have fled the country. As it goes against the basic tenet of Justice , no one should be sentenced without being heard( no matter the accused might have wilfully fled)

Now , one thing is sure. D Group knows what lies in store for them if they ever negotiate their return. They are condemned to die abroad.

Govt should pass an ordinance to attach all properties which has any link to D company , physical and financial.

[PratikDas]

Now , one thing is sure. D Group knows what lies in store for them if they ever negotiate their return. They are condemned to die abroad.

Govt should pass an ordinance to attach all properties which has any link to D company , physical and financial.

Condemned to die abroad?! That's one way of spinning GoI's ineptitude. The asshole is sitting in the lap of Paki luxury and eating biryani while using the Bollywood movie industry like a fountain of white money, pimping his terrorist network contacts to trigger terrorist attacks and hobnobbing with Indian businessmen, politicians, celebrities, cricketers and the like.

He made himself India's first OCI - Overseas Citizen of India.

And he has more bootlickers in Pakistan. Why on Earth would he be thinking of returning to India?!

[Prem]

India Says: 'There Is No Direct Correlation Between IP And Innovation'
http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation ... tion.shtml

Techdirt has been pointing out for years that more patents is not the same thing as more innovation, even though many around the world would have us believe otherwise. It seems the message is finally getting through: here's a remarkable statement from India on the subject of innovation and small- and medium-sized companies, made at a TRIPS Council meeting:
there is no direct correlation between IP and Innovation even for the Small and Medium Industries. The technological progress even in the developed world had been achieved not through IP protection but through focussed governmental interventions like compulsory licenses, cross licensing, government funding, and competition policy. It is unfortunate that some of the technologically developed countries would like to showcase the positive effect of IP on innovation, when historically these countries including the proponents of this Agenda Item have reached this stage of technological development by focussing solely on the development of their own domestic industry without caring for the intellectuals property rights of the foreigners or the right holders. After achieving a high level of development, they are now attempting to perpetuate their hold on their technologies by making a push towards a TRIPS plus regime.
The last part is a clear dig at the US, which began as a pirate nation, but is now trying to impose the highest level of protection for intellectual monopolies on countries that are still at an early stage of their development, through the many bilateral treaties it has signed with them, as well as things like ACTA and TPP. The statement from India goes on
their agenda is not to create an environment where developing countries progress technologically, but to block their progress through the stringent IP regime. It is therefore essential that the flexibilities provided by the TRIPS Agreement need to be secured at any cost, if the people in the developing countries are to enjoy the benefits of innovations.
That is, far from acting as a spur to innovation in countries like India, intellectual monopolies prevent small- and medium-sized companies there from progressing to the point where they are able to compete in global markets with the Western enterprises that are pushing for stricter enforcement of patents and trademarks. This is why emerging countries would do well to think twice before signing up to restrictive FTAs and wide-ranging agreements like TPP that are specifically designed to keep them at a lower level of technological development.

[member_23629]

Green signal for spiritual university evokes sharp criticis
Tanu Kulkarni
Criteria have not been met and blatant attempt to saffronise higher education, say academics and student bodies

[abhishek_sharma]

Coomi Kapoor's Column

NaMo and NiKu

Just as Narendra Modi has come to be known as NaMo, Nitish Kumar's short form is now NiKu. BJP president Rajnath Singh has entrusted Arun Jaitley with the Herculean task of trying to bring about a rapprochement between NaMo and NiKu. Even the RSS realises the importance of Nitish remaining in the NDA fold and is aware that the Congress is making overtures to the Bihar Chief Minister. Last Sunday, after his rally in Delhi demanding special status for Bihar, Nitish went to Jaitley's house for dinner. The two share a warm relationship going back to the JP movement. On Monday, the two made a joint appearance in Parliament's Central Hall. At the recent executive meeting of the Bihar BJP, Jaitley was sent instead of Ananth Kumar. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, who in the past shied away from talking publicly about the Gujarat Chief Minister, voiced his support for Modi as a potential prime ministerial candidate conveying to Nitish that Modi's projection as PM by the BJP was inevitable. According to BJP sources, Modi cancelled his meeting in Mumbai on Sunday as a courtesy to Nitish as it was scheduled for the same day as Nitish's Delhi rally. Modi has also decided not to hold any meeting in Bihar for now.

Sibal now lyricist

Ever since he lost his HRD portfolio, Minister of Communications Kapil Sibal finds himself at a bit of a loose end. He used to write poetry on his cellphone as a hobby. Now he has started writing lyrics and his words are being put to music. One of Sibal's songs was in the movie Bandook. Sufi singer Zila Khan first suggested to Sibal that he get his poetry translated to Urdu and sent the text to Jamia Millia University for translation. The songs were received enthusiastically and Sibal now writes lyrics for his songs in Hindi on his own and has produced around 100 songs. He is thinking of releasing a CD. Last week Sibal played recordings of his songs for a group of journalists on his iPad. It was a wide range—from an ode to his father to romantic melodies and Sufi music.

Reluctant host

Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf's visit to Ajmer to offer prayers at the shrine proved controversial. The Ajmer Sharif spiritual head boycotted Ashraf's visit in protest over the brutal slaying of two Indian soldiers at the Kashmir border and the Pakistan army's failure to return the head of a killed soldier. There was a black flag demonstration and the top brass of the Rajasthan government kept away as the Pakistan PM's visit was a private one. Only Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid hosted a lunch in his honour. Khurshid was reportedly not in favour of extending hospitality but he was instructed to do so by the Prime Minister. It appears that Manmohan Singh has a soft spot for Ashraf since both are originally from the same region in Pakistan.

Child marriage deters rape

Lalu Prasad Yadav has an unusual explanation for why there are more rapes today than in the past. He feels that in the old days, child marriage was a deterrent to would be rapists. Girls and boys were married off young and the girl remained with her family till she reached puberty. No person dared to try and tease or molest her because the honour of the whole village was involved. A potential molester or rapist would have been beaten to pulp and not allowed to step into the village again. Though he himself was married to Rabri Devi at a very young age, Lalu adds that he is not advocating child marriage. He is only commenting on a sociological fact.

Timely presentation

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy had a problem selecting the timing for presenting the state budget on Monday morning. Astrologers had warned that there was an inauspicious rahu kalam from 7.30 am to 9 am and the period from 10.30 am to noon was also unlucky. The astrologers felt the best timing for presenting the budget was exactly 10.24 am. The assembly Speaker and the Chief Minister met the governor to work out the details. The traffic police were instructed to ensure that the governor's car had a smooth run to the Assembly and there were no traffic jams along the way which could delay the proceedings.

CM out of loop

Last month, Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to Mumbai to get inputs on Maharashtra's Assembly and parliamentary constituencies. The district-level committees were called to discuss the key issues in the state along with elected representatives. However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, party general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Mohan Prakash and the state PCC chief were made to wait outside the meeting room and were not privy to the discussions.

[RoyG]

Green signal for spiritual university evokes sharp criticis
Tanu Kulkarni
Criteria have not been met and blatant attempt to saffronise higher education, say academics and student bodies

“The university will offer degrees and diplomas in courses such as human energy, feng shui , rudraksha , numerology, gems and crystals . Academic courses are likely to start from 2014-15. We want to offer specialised courses to promote Indian traditions.”

If they are going to waste public funds on th*s crap count me in.

[RamaY]

^ no need for special expressions.

Yes! It is as scientific as fake-history social 'science' that millions have been graduating in since 1947. Isn't it an effort worth encouraging, when someone wants to structure such 'science' in a purposeful way, especially when millions of homes are advertised and marketed as Vastu/Fengshui compliant involving $B of economic activity every year.

If people want to study such stuff in a structured manner what is so wrong with it an allowing higher-education institutions formed?

Isn't it a science when people learn, research and organize a given hypothesis in logical manner? How many past scientific discoveries are found to be wrong?

[RoyG]

RamaY,

I agree that the social sciences need a drastic overhaul but gems and crystals, numerology, and all that other hocus pocus bullsh*t isn't going to do anything for anyone. As long as it's a private endeavor then fine.

[RamaY]

RoYG garu,

If someone is so interest to pursue that course, who are we to stop it? If there are people who are interested in this subject then why not have a formal and recognized process?

Who/How any other subject good/worse than any other subject?

Why this self-flaggation? Isn't it our culture to let people pursue knowledge in every form?

How can you say it is not going to do any good? What if tomorrow this university comes up with a research paper that proves that DeBeers diamonds are bad omen to people because that company accumulated enough bad karma from their blood diamond trade?

What if this school of thought generates enough interest in people to be serious about geology and find new uses/characteristics of gems/crystals?

Why should it be a private endeavor but Haj, Bethleham trips, Idiot Katju are govt/public endeavors?

I would invoke the "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" on these items. Let the society get rid of all nonsensical education models, social programs, organizations, religions before asking this university be a private endeavor.

[vishvak]

India can achieve complete energy independence by 2030: Oil Minister Veerappa Moily link

Perhaps a separate thread on this much needed and strategically important issue would be apt?

Full text:

Page 1
NEW DELHI: India must strive for complete energy independence by 2030, which is very much possible, Oil Minister Veerappa Moily said.
""I am already working for preparation of a detailed road map having well defined action plan to achieve the above target in a way that the import dependence is reduced by 50% by 2020, 75% by 2025 and 100% by 2030,"" he said at an industry meeting on Friday.

India cannot afford to fulfill its 80% requirement through import and carry a burden of subsidy to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore per annum, he said. ""This is the tall task that I have set for my self and I am hopeful to achieve with whole hearted support and cooperation from all the stakeholders,"" he said.

He said challenges before the country were to increase domestic production of oil and gas, diversify into unconventional sources such as coal bed methane and shale gas, accelerate acquisition of hydrocarbon assets abroad, rationalize subsidies on petroleum products especially motor fuels, undertake a sustained campaign for conservation of petroleum products.

""Since energy is a critical driver of growth and development, our goal should be to make energy available, in the right mix and at the lowest possible economic and environmental costs,"" he added.

In addition to importing greater quantities of crude oil, the government has increased its focus on enhancing reserves and production through increased domestic exploration activity as well as securing equity oil overseas, he said.

Moily said that natural gas will continue to see the maximum action in the years ahead as we try and increase its current share of around 9% in our primary energy basket towards the current global average of 23%.

""This will require collective action from the government, industry and consumers. With huge finds of natural gas in other parts of the world, including Australia, Qatar, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania, it offers a credible alternative as a less environment friendly and possibly cheaper fossil fuel,"" he said.

In order to achieve the Twelfth Plan target of 19.5% CAGR in the natural gas sector, we will have to increasingly look to imported LNG or import it through pipelines. ""The whole natural gas value chain covering domestic production, import of RLNG, pipeline transportation and pricing of natural gas are being addressed by my ministry,"" he said.

To cater to a rise in the import of LNG, India has initiated investment plans for increasing its current RLNG handling capacity of 12.5 MMTPA to 45 MMTPA by 2017. ""By the year 2016-17, we envisage a national gas grid measuring 31,757 kms of pipelines across the country. We are also working on the 1680 km long TAPI pipeline project through which 38 MMSCMD of natural gas is envisaged to flow from Turkmenistan by 2018. A Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) for 30 year supply has already been signed by GAIL in May, 2012 with Turkmengaz,"" he said.

According to the International Energy Agency, India will need investment worth nearly $600 billion over the next 20 years across various segments of its hydrocarbon value chain to increase its energy supply and augment the enabling infrastructure. This provides ample investment and business opportunities for companies engaged in the oil & gas value chain, he said.

Under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP), the government has provided an investment climate in which all the required ingredients for attracting capital are present, such as level-playing field for all players, stability in legislative and fiscal frameworks, a robust regulatory mechanism, enforceability of contracts and attractive fiscal incentives, he said.

The activities under NELP regime have brought a sea change to the exploration scenario of the country. Around 70% of the sedimentary area has been brought under active exploration which was less than 20% prior to NELP. The number of producing sedimentary basins have increased to seven, he said

There has been a steady increase in the number of companies carrying out E & P activities in the country and as on date 84 companies are working in India (45 Operators and 39 non operators) . Few of the oil majors working in India are BP, BG, BHP Billiton, ENI, SANTOS, he said.

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has been continuously improvising the NELP regime by bringing in more transparency and enabling policies for facilitating E & P operations such as New extension policy, Rig Holiday policy etc. Policies have also been made for exploitation of unconventional resources such as CBM, Shale Gas and Oil and encouraging the studies for Gas Hydrates in the country, he said.

Page 2
"Efforts will be to remove bottlenecks, if any, towards augmenting this investment on ground. Average consumption of petroleum products in developed countries is 14 barrels per person per year. In developing nations, it is 3 barrels per person per year. India's picture is not at all a happy. It is approximately 1.2 barrel per person per year. This is a matter of great concern. Our endeavour would be to bring up consumption to decent level of 6 barrel per person per year,"" he said.

The government had constituted a committee headed by Dr C Rangarajan, Chairman Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, to review the PSCs for next round of NELP. ""The Committee has already submitted its report, which is being examined by the Ministry for expeditious implementation,"" he said.

Shale gas can emerge as an important new source of energy for the future. It has gained predominance particularly in USA and contributes approx 20% of total gas production. The experience accumulated so far in USA with the exploration and exploitation of these areas has encouraged other countries to venture into such segment, he said.

""India has several shale formations which seems to hold shale gas. These formations are spread over several sedimentary basins such as Cambay, Gondwana, Krishna Godawari and Cauvery. The Directorate General of Hydro Carbons (DGH) has initiated steps to identify prospective areas for shale gas exploration through formation of a multi organization team comprising of national oil companies. In this direction Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between State Department, USA and our Ministry for assessment of resources, skill development, investment promotion and assistance in regulatory frameworks,"" he added.

""Resource estimation for Shale Gas/Shale Oil in selected basins of India have been under taken by various agencies such as United States Geological Survey (USGS), ONGC and Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI). Government of India placed a draft Shale Gas/Shale Oil Policy in public domain for inviting comments from E&P companies. Comments have been received from various stakeholders/ agencies, which have been reviewed for and the Shale Gas / Shale Oil Policy shall be finalised soon,"" he said.

He said that four more CBM blocks were expected to start commercial production shortly. ""The prognosticated CBM resources in the country are about 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF), out of which only 9.12 TCF has so far been established,"" he said. Small quantities of incidentally produced CBM are also being sold from Jharia block of ONGC and Raniganj (East) of Essar Oil Limited. Efforts are also being made in Sohagpur blocks in Madhya Pradesh, Raniganj (East) in West Bengal and Jharia and Bokaro blocks in Jharkhand. The CBM production in the country is estimated to reach 4 Million Standard Cubic Meter per Day (MMSCMD) by the year 2016-17, he said.

A thread to discuss this and its effects, technologies would be a great idea perhaps as also be better to throw some light on various facets by bharat-rakshak members?.

interview(Q/Q format) of the minister on the same:
My target is to make India self-reliant in fuel by 2030: Veerappa Moily, petroleum minister
Pasting in full

Q What are you doing to raise oil and gas production to reduce India's import dependence?

We have conventional hydrocarbons, shale gas and coal bed methane (CBM) resources. The need is to expedite exploration and production through right policy decisions that would encourage innovation and investments. We will constitute an expert panel, which will suggest the road map. My target is to reduce oil imports by 50% by 2020, 75% by 2025 and 100% by 2030. If China and Australia can do this in six years, why can't we? We will have aggressive acquisition strategy for oil and gas assets abroad. We will set up more LNG terminals. Gail is setting up pipelines across the country. Pipelines are up to the Pakistan boarder. We are planning to import gas from Turkmenistan.

Q Who will be the new petroleum secretary after GC Chaturvedi retires this month?

It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. I don't have any particular preference. PM will make the right choice. All I need is positive mindset. I believe that you should mine your mind-set first before you mine minefields.

Q The government recently allowed oil companies to fix diesel prices and mandated them to sell the fuel at market rates to bulk consumers such as Railways, defence establishments and state transport corporations. Is diesel dual pricing is feasible?

There is no dual pricing. Bulk users, who consume about 18% of total diesel consumption, will pay full price from now. This will reduce subsidy burden on the fuel, which is 96,000 crore this year. This will also encourage competition in the sector which is good for the oil sector and good for the country as well.

Q Is government firm on its decision on diesel? Private fuel retailers are apprehensive to take bold business decisions to re-open their pumps because they are uncertain about government's fuel retail policy?

I don't think that there will be uncertainty. The government has taken the decision to give pricing freedom to oil companies. It is similar to petrol pricing. Oil companies fix petrol rates as market fluctuates. They recently reduced petrol prices by 25 paise.

Q Currently, petrol and diesel are prices on the basis of trade parity pricing formula. Is government considering changing the formula by shifting to export parity pricing?

This decision has to be taken by the finance ministry. It's their domain.

Q The petroleum ministry has taken decision of future oil and gas contracts and prices of natural gas. But no decision has been taken on coal bed methane (CBM) pricing, why?

The matter is still pending with the Rangarajan Committee. Until it gives its recommendations, we will treat CBM on a par with natural gas, because it is also gas but from a different source. Meanwhile, with the coal ministry, we are finetuning CBM policy so that blocks under CIL can also be used for CBM production. I had a meeting with the coal minister and the coal secretary on this. The coal ministry is to send us its comments in 20 days.

[RoyG]

If someone is so interest to pursue that course, who are we to stop it? If there are people who are interested in this subject then why not have a formal and recognized process?

Right, as long as it's private. Again, crystals, magic potions, vastu, etc aren't going to help us industrialize and compete with the Asian tigers, BRC, the West. We need innovation and technology coupled with strong social sciences.

Who/How any other subject good/worse than any other subject?

True. But the state does need to ensure that we have talent so that we can protect ourselves and project our influence. Astrology and tapping into cosmic energy won't help us in a military or diplomatic crisis.

Why this self-flaggation? Isn't it our culture to let people pursue knowledge in every form?

Yes.

How can you say it is not going to do any good? What if tomorrow this university comes up with a research paper that proves that DeBeers diamonds are bad omen to people because that company accumulated enough bad karma from their blood diamond trade?

Are you being serious?

What if this school of thought generates enough interest in people to be serious about geology and find new uses/characteristics of gems/crystals?

This is why we have geology courses which fall under the natural sciences.

Why should it be a private endeavor but Haj, Bethleham trips, Idiot Katju are govt/public endeavors?

Haj, Bethleham trips, etc should not be subsidized by the state.

I would invoke the "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" on these items. Let the society get rid of all nonsensical education models, social programs, organizations, religions before asking this university be a private endeavor.

Sure. Let's discuss methodologies.

[member_23629]

RamaY,

I agree that the social sciences need a drastic overhaul but gems and crystals, numerology, and all that other hocus pocus bullsh*t isn't going to do anything for anyone. As long as it's a private endeavor then fine.

Homeopathy is similar bull crap but thousands of doctors around the world "treat" customers with it and there are fullf-fledged institutes to learn it.

[Prem]

UPA achievement
India's Second Richest Man Says India Not Top Investment Priority

Lakshmi Mittal, India’s second richest man, said India is not a top priority for his namesake mining behemoth Arcelor Mittal.he Economic Times of India reported on Saturday that Mittal told journalists on the sidelines of an Indian Institute of Management conference that, “India is not in my top priority for investment. It is top priority as a country, but not a top priority for investment.”There might be a reason for that. Mittal might call it “policy paralysis”.ince 2006, the mining magnate has run into problems getting permits to set up a steel plant in the state of Orissa, located on India’s southeast coast. Another project in Jharkhand, close to Bangladesh, is also in limbo.Lakshmi is as much an ex-pat as he is an Indian. He runs ArcelorMittal (MT) — the world’s largest steel maker — from its castle-like headquarters in Luxembourg. His company is currently trying to acquire Thyssen Krupp steel operations in the U.S.

[Prem]

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/03/2 ... -in-india/
Fixing Water Taps to Save Water In India

Author and painter Aabid Surti may have won awards for his writing and art, but he has also made a mark in another field: water conservation. For the last seven years, the 77-year-old has spent his Sundays going to apartments in Mumbai, and volunteering to fix leaking taps.The Alternative, a Bangalore-based website seeking to chronicle and support social development in India, is currently running a campaign on sustainable water conservation called Catch Every Drop (#catcheverydrop). At The Alternative, Kirti introduces us to Aabid Surti's
The 77-year-old celebrates Sunday like none else, picking a building in Mumbai’s far-flung suburb Mira Road and, with his plumber and a volunteer in tow, searching it for leaking taps to plug. Free of charge. His reward? “A lot of water saved. And sometimes, an offer for lunch,” he says simply. Surti’s non-governmental organisation, Drop Dead, has just one employee – him. a creative artist, he had earned more goodwill than money and the first challenge was funding. “But,” he says, “if you have a noble thought, nature takes care of it.” Within a few days, he got a message that he was unexpectedly being awarded Rs.1,00,000 ($2,000) by the Hindi Sahitya Sansthan for his contribution to Hindi literature [an award from the government of Uttar Pradesh]. And one Sunday morning in 2007, the International Year of Water, he set out with a plumber to fix the problem for his neighbors. He began by simply replacing old O-ring rubber gaskets with new ones, buying new fixtures from the wholesale market. He named his one-man NGO ‘Drop Dead’ and created a tagline: save every drop… or drop dead. Every Sunday, the Drop Dead team – which consisted of Aabid himself, Riyaaz the plumber and a female volunteer Tejal – picked the apartment blocks, got permission from the housing societies, and got to work. A day before, Tejal would hand out pamphlets explaining their mission and paste posters in elevators and apartment lobbies spreading awareness on the looming water crisis. And by Sunday afternoon, they would ensure the buildings were drip-dry. By the end of the first year, they had visited 1533 homes and fixed around 400 taps. Slowly, the news

began to spread.

[RamaY]

A TEST OF WILL
India has a lot to show to be a great power.
By N.V. Subramanian (22 March 2013)


New Delhi: Three issues that have engaged and agitated public minds in the past few days underline the importance of India being fair but decisive in its domestic dealings and international politics. The issues are the continued persecution of Tamils in Sri Lanka which makes a separate state of Eelam imperative; the second matter concerns the Supreme Court sentencing in the 1993 Bombay blasts’ tragedy as relating to Sanjay Dutt, the actor; and the last subject is the return of the Italian marines to face trial for the killing of two Indian fishermen. How India disposes these three separate but somewhere connected matters will impact on its self-image and self-determination as a serious state that is ready to play a bigger role in the world.

Tamil Eelam : Of immediate primary importance is the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue, whose main features have been expounded in a previous commentary (“For Eelam”). Commentators have baulked at this writer’s suggestion of a separate Tamil state carved out of Sri Lanka, and their anxieties are understandable, given the record of the late Tamil Tigers’ leader, V.Prabhakaran. But the obduracy and chauvinism of the current president of Sri Lanka, who incarnates the island country’s majority community’s hatred for the Tamil minority makes no other solution possible.

For good or bad, the Tamil Tigers represented an opposition to Sinhala ultra-nationalism. The Sinhala side was swiftly and bloodily awarded a military victory against the Tamils by the overt and covert defence assistance provided by China and India, in which India pursed Chinese interests whilst sacrificing its own. Gaining that victory, the Sinhala have pushed the Tamils to a corner, their condition having become worse than during the years of the civil war. Recoiling from the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, India turned its back on Tamils, but that goes contrary to the instincts of a great power. The nation is bigger than the individual. A just solution has to be obtained for the Tamils who face the rough approximate of ethnic cleansing.

How much ought Indian public opinion to influence Sri Lankan policy? Obviously, this is a sensitive area, but diplomacy does not operate in a vacuum, not certainly in a democracy. The venality of M.Karunanidhi and his clan cannot subtract from the suffering of Tamils, who have huge champions in the youth of Tamil Nadu and significantly Chennai. Necessarily, the first task is that India recognizes and understands that Sri Lanka is its problem, a vengeful teardrop of a nation that has to be brought to its senses. The United States and China do not seek world assistant in their spheres and China obsessively keeps all disputes bilateral. Why must India tie the fate of Sri Lankan Tamils to the blunt instrument called multilateralism?

The Sanjay Dutt affair: Next, the Supreme Court ruling in the 1993 blasts. The saddest but perhaps unexceptionable outcome is the conviction of Dutt, who faces the prospect of another three-and-a-half years in jail. Powerful voices seek that he be pardoned, but this is to be resisted. The law must not only be equal but be seen to be so.

Sanjay Dutt has always been soft in the head and undiscriminating in his friendships. The charge against him for coming into possession of an assault rifle in the surcharged atmosphere that built up to the 1993 serial blasts has nevertheless been taken very seriously by the Supreme Court when it sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment. It specially ignored his subsequent charity works. The judgment must be respected. Reports say hundreds of movie crores staked on him would be washed away in his absence, and so be it. His case bears no outward similarity to that of Afzal Guru, but there cannot be one kind of justice for the less-well-off, and another for the glitterati. Troublesome as it is, Sanjay Dutt must bear the consequences of his action, and his political connections must not be allowed to alter the course of justice.

The Italian marines’ case: Finally, to the return of the two servicemen who killed two Indian fishermen. The government is expectedly taking credit for this but it is an angry opposition, an incensed judiciary and livid public opinion that brought them back. How it worked was this. Left to it, the Manmohan Singh government would have made no serious attempt to corral them for the trial, hoping that other issues would come to occupy common concern. But the fact that the marines were Italian made it embarrassing for Sonia Gandhi who was born one, and the media, including this magazine in the forefront, made a pointed reference to it. With elections nearing, the Manmohan Singh government could not risk aggravated outrage over the marines’ decamp, and so Sonia had to intervene.

So what is the takeaway? India carries considerable heft in the international community, but it must present a united face to reap the fruits of it. Adverse public opinion turned Sonia Gandhi into a champion of Indian interests, and such pressure must be continuously applied. India counts in the world, and the country must accordingly think big and plan and act consonantly. The Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue, for one, is rapidly becoming India’s test case to prove its global worth.

[Sanku]

^^^^

It is a pity that New Insight and N V Subramanium allow themselves to take a emotional position over "Tamil issue". Yes nation is bigger than a person. It is also bigger than misplaced sense of empathy of a section of population.

On the issue of Shri Rajapakshe going out of the Indian orbit, the blame squarely lies with India.

[RamaY]

Sanku maharaj,

While I do hate LTTE and do not condone Tamiz Elam calls, Sri Lanka is part of extended India (along with Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan).

Given the lessons we have learned w.r.t Burma, BD/Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet and Afghanistan the best approach for SL is to support Jafna state (separate from TN) as part of India.

SL can remain separate, if it wants to, or can become part of Union of India as one or two states.

We need to start thinking big and start exploiting the opportunities as they come in any shape or form.

[Prem]

The Loss

The best and the brightest -

As a city Takshashila may date back far earlier than the 6th century BC. It is said to be named after Taksha who ruled a kingdom called Taksha Khanda. The Kuru king Parikshat, grandson of the great hero Arjun, was enthroned here. It is traditionally believed that the epic Mahabharata, consisting of 100,000 couplets as well as long prose passages, was first recited here by the great sage Vaishampayana at the behest of the legendary poet Rishi Vyasa, who may have composed this great work here. Tradition says the poem was recited at a grand snake sacrifice in the presence of King Janemajaya, the great grandson of Arjun, and it began thus.When the Mahabharata was first recited there must have been paatshalas or centres of learning at Takshashila, but from the 6th century BC onwards the university was a fully functioning institution. Consider the ambience of this ancient world's MIT if you will, where upto 10,000 students studied at one time. They came from all parts of India as well as Mesopotamia, the Far East and China. For several hundred years, Greek teachers were part of this distinguished faculty and were treated with great respect by their colleagues.

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Right

1993 BLASTS

The Supreme Court verdict in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case gets coverage in both Sangh Parivar weeklies. The editorial in Panchjanya suggests that Sanjay Dutt has been let off "cheaply" with only five years imprisonment. The editorial wonders whether any "aam aadmi" would have been let off TADA, despite involvement with the perpetrators. It also criticises those sympathising with Dutt and asserts that the "country will not tolerate those who seek to project a bhai (don) as a munna (child)" on the pretext that he was relatively young. Panchjanya, in its cover story, asks the government as to when it will bring Dawood Ibrahim to justice.

A special report in the Organiser describes the verdict as "some justice" after 20 years and adds that "Sanjay Dutt gets his just desserts". The report alleges that the ruling Congress in the past had tried to influence the investigation to shield Dutt, given his family's connections to the party.

DMK DRAMA

DMK's pulling out of the UPA also attracts the attention of both weeklies. The Organiser cover story asserts that the CBI is the Congress's "only steadfast ally" after the "UPA [slipped] into paralysis" with the DMK pull-out. It dismisses the CBI's and government's public posturing to allay apprehensions about a political hand behind the raid on M.K. Stalin. The report claims that the raids were ordered "after getting a green signal from the top". The Panchjanya has carried an editorial highlighting that the "raids followed the pull-out" by the DMK. It also mentions the cases of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati to claim that the government has been using the CBI to muster numerical strength in Parliament.

LEADERSHIP DROUGHT

Highlighting the issue of drought in parts of Maharashtra, the Organiser editorial blames the "callous attitude and bad policies" of Maharashtra's political leadership. The editorial cites what "Modi (has) achieved in Saurashtra" to make its point.

The editorial contends that "mushrooming water fun and theme parks", "golf course", "diversion of water to industries", particularly the sugar industry, and the "lack of irrigation" despite spending "huge sums of money on small and local irrigation projects" — which have gone into "the pockets of various sections of society" — are major reasons for the drought. In contrast, " proper policies, planning, implementation and the involvement of the farmers and workers at the grassroot level" by the Narendra Modi administration in neighbouring Gujarat have ensured that "the perennially dry stretches of Saurashtra and Kutch today are green belts".

RSS MEET

The Organiser carried a report on the recent three-day RSS conclave in Jaipur. While publishing the speech of Bhaiyaji Joshi, the article has published the resolution passed at the meet, demanding that the government "address the concern of persecuted Hindus of Bangladesh and Pakistan". The resolution demands UNHCR and UNHRC to "play a role" in ensuring the safety of Hindus in these countries.

However, Joshi's published statement doesn't refer to the Tamil parties' demand for UNHRC condemnation of Sri Lanka. It only demands the rehabilitation of Tamils and the protection of their "civil and political rights" in Sri Lanka, but it cautions the government against becoming a "pawn in the great geostrategic power game" in the Indian ocean.

Compiled by Ravish Tiwari