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Tuesday,
April 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Export or perish Humiliating Arafat won't do Victims of apathy |
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Move for People’s Front
Basantar day
Murky side of corruption politics
Heart patients can enjoy a tasty treat
No more sleepless nights
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Export or perish THE exim policy, unfolded by the Centre on Sunday, has three notable features: it lays thrust on agricultural exports, allows overseas banking units in special economic zones and provides concessions to exporters without disturbing any of their existing benefits. With exports growing at an erratic rate of 5 to 20 per cent in the last five years, Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran has taken a pragmatic, exporter-friendly approach to push exports. He expects the country’s share of global trade to move up from an abysmally low of .67 per cent ($46 billion) to 1 per cent ($80 billion) by 2007. Turning an inward-looking economy outward requires time, political consensus and, more importantly, support of the states. Farm exports cannot be pushed without states’ cooperation and effort. By removing the quantitative restrictions on the export of wheat, rice, sugar and vegetables, and allowing their retail packaging, the Centre has only cleared some of the hurdles. It does not mean the country will now start exporting its huge stocks of foodgrains. With its high costs and fragmented land holdings, Indian agriculture cannot compete with the highly mechanised, cost-effective farm practices of the developed world. This is the core problem of agriculture in India: farmers and traders cannot sell their surplus produce in the international market. Cooperative and contract farming will have to be encouraged, apart from protecting the farmers from exploitation by middlemen and the vagaries of an uncertain weather. After the 2002-03 Union Budget, the new exim policy too addresses some of the key concerns of agriculture. This is welcome. After closely observing China’s export success story, Mr Maran is promoting special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial clusters with liberal concessions. The latest exim policy has taken a major initiative by allowing exporting units in SEZs to access foreign funds at cheap global interest rates through overseas banking units. This will remove a major grouse of exporters who had often argued that the high cost of their funds made their exports unviable or less competitive. Smaller companies need not go to the USA or Europe for GDR or ADR issues. The bank branches in SEZs will be spared the hassles of making targeted lending and the
statutory requirements of CRR and SLR will not bind them. There are legitimate fears in certain quarters of the misuse of this facility for money laundering. Apart from lowering transaction costs and time, and simplifying procedures, the new exim policy has abolished the duty exemption entitlement certificate (DEEC) book, a source of much corruption. It has reduced harassment to exporters caused by the
requirement of physical verification of export consignments. Now only a small part of the consignment (2 per cent) can be subjected to a physical verification. A helpful exim policy alone is not enough. The economy as a whole must become low-cost, efficient and
competitive. The states must also back up the Centre’s efforts to push agriculture growth and exports. |
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Humiliating Arafat won't do FOR quite some time Israel has been furious in retaliating against the Palestinian Authority after any incident of bomb blast. The recent two suicide bombings have turned Israel uncontrollable, and it has virtually recaptured the areas where, with the inclusion of some more West Bank towns and villages, the Palestinians were hoping to re-establish their independent homeland. It is not even bothered about the UN resolution calling for immediate halt to all military activity there. The Israeli armed forces have destroyed the headquarters of Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, and he is being allowed to somehow survive following international pressure. His security guards have been captured and killed mercilessly. The Israeli idea is to humiliate him so much that he appeals for being evacuated from his headquarters with help either from the UN or some influential world capital---- most probably Washington. This, in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's undeclared opinion, is the best method to immobilise the forces which have robbed Israel of peace, its most pressing requirement. The approach is based on the belief that Mr Arafat can, if he so desires, rein in the organisations involved in suicide bombings. But an honest and realistic study of the situation shows that he cannot. Even his own Fatah group seems to have grown beyond his control. The destructive power of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas, branded by the USA as terrorist formations, is well known. They have been strongly opposing Mr Arafat's policy of negotiating with Israel for re-establishing the State of Palestine. They may continue to resort to terrorist tactics, in accordance with their policy, thus proving it right that violence begets violence. The militant outfits were against the Oslo agreement and all the subsequent accords reached between the two parties before the Israeli unwillingness to part with East Jerusalem and the failure to reach an understanding on the Palestinian refugees' fate led to a massive uprising in the Jewish state. The result was the disruption of the 1993 peace process and the emergence of a phase of suicide attacks at Israeli targets. Israel tried the terrorist bull by the horns but relying only on its military might. It devised a policy of targeted killings and in the process weakened the authority of Mr Arafat. The continuing erosion in the Palestinian leader's position increased the appeal of the militant ideology of the groups opposed to him. The USA, which has always expressed its willingness to play the role of the facilitator of peace, has remained an ineffective player in the West Asian drama after the end of the Clinton era. Now expecting Mr Arafat to help salvage a situation brought to this dangerous pass by short-sighted policy formulations in Tel Aviv amounts to asking for the moon. Only a policy initiative can reverse the current bloody process. And it has to come from Israel. The people of that country are
suffering as much as those they hate most----the Palestinians----because of Mr Sharon's inbuilt weakness to appreciate the land-for-peace formula given by his admired predecessor, the late Yitzhak Rabin. It is precisely the same formula which is the basis for the belated Saudi plan endorsed by the Arab League as also the USA. The saner elements within Israel should come forward to force Mr Sharon to see reason. Israelis are desperate for peace, but it cannot come through the barrel of the gun. |
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Victims of apathy THE two-day siege laid to Bihar’s Chapra Divisional Jail by its inmates that claimed the lives of six prisoners and injured over 25 people, including a Superintendent of Police and 15 other police personnel, is a sad reflection on the Rabri Devi government’s attitude towards prisoners. If the Chapra incident is a grim reminder of the general trend of lawlessness in the state, it also speaks volumes for the authorities’ failure to redress the grievances of the inmates in time and prevent revolt. The standoff between the jail authorities and the prisoners started when some undertrials were protesting against their transfer to Buxor jail. In the normal course, the shifting of prisoners — temporary or permanent — is a usual administrative measure taken by the jail authorities for purposes of either easing congestion in the parent prison or enabling the undertrials to attend interrogation or hearing at another place. But what is particularly shocking is that when there were signs of violence erupting on the Chapra jail premises on March 29, the police did not nip it in the bud and instead sought to buy time, hoping that the situation would return to normal in due course. It was a gross error of judgement on the part of the officials and every effort should be made to fix responsibility for the incident so that action can be taken against them in accordance with the law. The Chapra incident also brings into sharp focus the issue of prison reforms which has not been given the attention it deserves by successive governments despite the various rulings by the Supreme Court. Jail manuals are as old and anachronistic as police manuals. This is as true in the case of Bihar as in other states. But Bihar apparently tops the list because jailbreaks in this state have been too many, with the authorities having turned a deaf ear to the problems of overcrowding and other associated problems, poor amenities and deplorable food served by the staff. According to an estimate, Bihar’s 54 jails can accommodate only 18,000 prisoners, but their number is over 40,000. The Chapra jail alone can house 350, but there are over 1,200 undertrials. The major problem of congestion and overcrowding in the jails can be resolved if the courts rose to the occasion and cleared the heavy backlog of cases within a specific timeframe. Of over 36,000 cases of undertrials in Bihar, only 4,000 have been cleared so far. Surely, the Rabri Devi government will not be able to resolve this gigantic problem if it continues to be sloth and insensitive. |
Move for People’s Front ONE of political India’s compulsive obsessions over the decades has been the hope that a day will come when, with the waving of a magic wand, the Left parties in the garb of the two mainstream Communist Parties and an assortment of regional allies will come to power at the Centre. If the recent conclaves of the Communist Party (Marxist) and the CPI were curtain-raisers for such an event, they provide an answer. The People’s Front seeking a third way is, of course, led by the octogenarian former long-time Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mr Jyoti Basu. Another octogenarian, Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet, is the CP(M) General Secretary and has now been given another term in office. And the CPI General Secretary, Mr A.B. Bardhan, poured cold water over the People’s Front by calling it Uttar Pradesh-centric. To say that Indian communists have not had an original idea for a considerable time would be to utter a truism. Over the decades, the most interesting development has been in West Bengal, symbolised by the long rule of the quintessential embodiment of Bengali gentility, the bhadralok Jyoti Babu, as he is called. His evolution as a communist parliamentarian has been remarkable as has been the persisting forlorn call for “Left unity” since the split in the old Communist Party in the sixties. In a world that has seen the toppling of communist regimes around the world and the demise of the creed in all but a few pockets, communists have dressed themselves in new garments, including variations of capitalism, in Europe to fight electoral battles. Even labour parties, particularly Mr Tony Blair’s, have borrowed Conservatives’ clothes to win power. And countries that still call themselves communist such as China have become striking success stories in the genre of capitalism. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that the revolutionary fervour of the old days has given place to the bourgeois tasks of governance in West Bengal or, periodically, in Kerala. But, unlike the world’s communists who have changed with the times, their Indian cousins remain rooted in the past. And that past decrees that there should be a third way to take India to a communist paradise. Indian communists’ dilemmas are old. Jawaharlal Nehru stole Communists’ clothes to proclaim that he was building “a socialistic pattern of society” and his philosophy of non-alignment, relying on the Soviet Union as a counterweight to the USA and the West, was appealing to the communists. Besides, it is an axiom that in a poor, developing country such as India, every politician is a socialist, whatever his political beliefs might be. There was thus an affinity between the Congress and the communists and that affinity has been translated into understandings between the present-day CPI with the Congress-I from time to time — witness the recent elections in Punjab and Manipur. Although the CPI, unlike its Marxist cousins, has had pockets of influence in several parts of the country, including the Hindi belt, the Marxists emerged as the Big Brother because their regional concentrations in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala won them power, with the first becoming their impregnable fortress. Left fronts and united fronts have had a long history; they have been, for the most part, electoral alliances to achieve specific, often regional, objectives. And it was no coincidence that Mr Bardhan’s attack on the People’s Front has been aimed at its genesis in Uttar Pradesh and the motley company the communists are keeping. Mr Surjeet has now joined issue with Mr Bardhan, suggesting that unlike the electoral fronts, the new front is an exercise in bringing together like-minded parties to claim the political space falling vacant by the decline of the Bharatiya Janata Party, with the objective of denying it to the Congress, now undergoing a revival of sorts. How much affinity there can be between the Samajwadi Party and the communists, except in the field of fighting communalism? The truth is that in the Hindi heartland, the caste issue has acquired a salience no party can ignore and the communists, to acquire a presence, must team up with parties that primarily cater to specific castes and groups. Caste politics and seeking Muslim votes is compatible because their interests do not clash, the Muslims being given the honorary status of a special caste. The Marxists built their strength in West Bengal in the countryside, on rewarding peasants and small peasant proprietors through a system that merges the party apparatus with the state administration. The Marxists have not been equally successful in Kerala because of the fractured nature of the polity and the large dependence sections of the population have on the export of labour, particularly to the Persian Gulf. While the Sino-Indian border war in 1962 led to the split in the Indian communist movement, there have been few changes in the structures of the two mainstream communist parties since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the communist regimes in Europe. They remain Left in opposing economic reforms, are committed to the demands of organised labour without paying much attention to the poorer disorganised sector and are wedded to the virtues of their creed. In foreign policy, they remain partial to the old and present-day formal communist regimes. Indeed, the communists have little to show in terms of changes they have made in their parties following the cataclysmic events that have overtaken the world after Mr Mikhail Gorbachev began his perestroika to bring the Soviet Union to an end. They are reconciled to their lot in Indian politics, ruling one or two states and being something of a ginger group in influencing national politics on the margins. The fire of Cuba’s Fidel Castro defying the world trend to retain his creed is a far cry from the parrot-like repetition of the communist litany one hears from Indian communists. The greatest tragedy for the communists is that they missed their moment of glory. The Marxists collectively denied Mr Jyoti Basu the opportunity to become the country’s Prime Minister when fortuitous circumstances made it possible. The former West Bengal Chief Minister has never forgiven his party for the “blunder” as he soldiers on as the leader of the People’s Front to an uncertain future. |
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Basantar day THE 16th of December is a day of nostalgia, pride and commitment for the armed forces of India. It was on this day that the Indian military won a resounding victory over Pakistan in 1971 and was, at the same time, instrumental in the birth of a new nation, Bangladesh. The day is fittingly celebrated, in recent years, as Vijay Divas. However, this awakening is a phenomenon, which is only a few years old. The euphoria of the victory and the recognition of the prowess of our armed forces were soon forgotten after 1971. It was only revived about five years back, at the behest of the then Chief of Army Staff. Even today, it is the services which celebrate the day with hardly any participation from our civilian friends. A great pity indeed, but that is the lot of soldiers the world over. Like God, they too are remembered only in adversity! Various formations and units celebrate this day by recalling the victories won and the valour displayed by our erstwhile colleagues in different battles. I attended one such celebration, with the strike corps, which was the key formation under which the famous battle of the Basantar River in the Shakargarh Bulge on the western front was decisively won. The corps celebrates this day as Basantar Day. I had the honour to command this elite formation a few years back and I recall celebrating the Basantar Day with great nostalgia even then. This year, the present General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the corps had invited all the erstwhile corps commanders to participate in the celebrations, and as many as six had responded. The participation of Lt Gen K.K. Singh, MVC, needs particular mention, as he had the privilege of commanding the corps during the 1971 war, and the Battle of Basantar was fought under his guidance and leadership. The highlight of the Basantar Day celebrations was the inauguration of the corps war memorial by the present GOC. The war memorial had earlier existed at the erstwhile location of the corps headquarters. This vintage accommodation was old and decrepit and not at all in consonance with the might of this redoubtable corps, which had served the nation with distinction and elan since its raising in 1965. Early this year, the spanking new building of the corps headquarters was ready and it is now in use. It was, therefore, in the fitness of things that the war memorial was also shifted to the new location. There could not have been a more memorable day than Basantar Day, for this inauguration. It was unfortunately a morning when the dense fog permeated everywhere, as is usual in the plains of northern India during winter. The visibility was only a few yards, but the inaugural ceremony was the epitome of military precision. When the buglers played “the last post” and then “the rouse”, everyone present was moved. My only regret was that none of our civilian brothers and sisters participated in this moving ceremony. Do we need to have a war every few years to jolt our slumbering populace to remember those who gave their today for the generations of tomorrow? Our armed forces are once again poised on the borders and other deployment areas, in answer to the call of the nation. No one, least of all soldiers, sailors and airmen, want that a war be foisted on the nation, but if the call comes, have no doubt that the nation’s armed forces will chalk up many glorious victories for future generations to celebrate. |
Murky side of corruption politics WHEN the political elite profusely congratulated Mr Narasimha Rao on his acquittal in the JMM bribery case, most of us took it as a humanitarian gesture to an aging leader. A closer look at the verdict and the sly moves since then should take us deep into the murkier world of the contemporary Indian politics. True, this shrewdest politician has been evasive enough to steer clear of the baits. But then that is a different story. The whole bribery case beginning with the no-confidence motion against Rao in July, 1993, its defeat, the political animosity it had created and the happy end today highlight the utter political opportunism of the entire political class. For them political corruption is a tool to hit at the adversaries of the day. Rao was ‘corrrupt’ when he was a formidable political rival during his regime. Now in the changed equation he has suddenly turned a virtuous person. The reaction to his acquittal might have been different had Rao been still active in politics and commanded the support of a few MPs. All those who have personally met Rao to congratulate him (Chandra Shekhar, I.K. Gujral, Deve Gowda) and those who had sent emissaries to do so (Atal Behari Vajpayee) for having been legally acquitted of the charges, had bitterly assailed the way the former PM had indulged in political manipulations to give a working majority to his minority government. Rao had done it through a series of defections from parties like the Telugu Desam and the Janata parivar. He resorted to every trick of the trade – offering ministerial lures, positions and government largesse. The then Speaker, Shivraj Patil, had invented the theory of ‘continuous defection’ to protect the small groups of defectors from disqualification. Many had then attributed Rao’s survival secret to his unique working style and mystique. But the other side of the story was also widely known. By the time the no-trust motion was voted out on July 28, all doubts about the survival of the minority government had ended. This was an overnight change. While the debate was going on, a smiling K. Karunakaran came to the Central Hall and announced the ‘acquisition’. Half an hour later, Bhajan Lal arrived and discretely claimed credit for the success. Sitting on a free chair below the podium of the Central Hall, one of the allegedly involved JMM MPs was making a self-confession to a small group of those collected before him. Srikant Jena put the question on ‘incentives’ to him – for the reporters’ benefit. Barely able to speak, he went on narrating his sufferings as a politician and the fact that no one had cared to help him. In those days, every one in political circles knew everything about the cross-voting and defection, and the vulnerability of ‘tribal members’. Courts can perhaps dismiss such allegations on the basis of lack of solid evidence. However, it is a highly disturbing trend to give those like Narasimha Rao an innocent martyr’s image. How can those who were then in the opposition now pretend that no such horse-trading had taken place? The
answer is simple. For politicians, allegations of corruption and scandals are only means to settle scores with the adversaries of the day. They shout about a person’s probity in public life so long as it suits them. The moment he or she becomes a political friend, they are turned paragon of virtue. For two weeks, the BJP and those who were then in opposition had paralysed the working of Parliament on the corruption charges against Sukh Ram. But for the past few years, he has been a cosy partner of the BJP coalition. Vajpayee had done everything possible to help Jayalalitha get out of her corruption cases when she was with him. The government allowed the appointment of her men as public
prosecutors. The moment she parted company, she became corrupt again. In Jayalalitha’s case, the Opposition record has not been any better. It is this kind of subjective approach that encourages political corruption. Rao’s political sins are legion. He had engineered the worst kind of political defection and as the trial court had found, political bribery to defeat a no-confidence motion. None of such sins could be washed off just because he is now politically inconsequential. The Rao case has enriched the ‘guidelines’ for the future
perpetrators of political corruption. Do what you want but don’t leave any judicially acceptable evidence. In case one is caught, lay low until things get cleared. Another essential prerequisite is to be on the right side of the establishment until all the cases are closed. This has been Laloo Prasad Yadav’s biggest folly. He could have escaped the rigours had he compromised with the present ruling establishment at the Centre. In the Hawala case, the entire political spectrum except the Left – from L.K. Advani to Shukla – had joined hands to frustrate the judicial indictment. Finally, the court decreed that notings on a dairy did not constitute evidence. The CBI’s monumental laxity has been another reason for dropping cases one after another against the politicians for accepting massive donations from the Hawala dealer-cum-terrorist conduit. Even after this, the CVC had insisted on investigating the income tax aspect of the donation cases. However, instead of helping cleanse the system, the present government tried to muffle the CVC with the threat of cutting him to size. Something similar has been Rao’s case. What the witness had claimed was corroborated by the hard cash deposits of huge amount in the JMM MP’s account in Punjab National Bank three days after the voting. Also the accounts had the alleged bribe-takers’ names. About Rs. 1.40 crore still lay frozen in the bank. The witness himself had surrendered huge money. But the high court relied on the ‘material contradictions’ in statements of the
witness. Some time before this, the crusade to cleanse public life suffered another setback when the Supreme Court held that all those who had cast their vote against the no-confidence motion were entitled protection under Article 105(2) of the Constitution. Thus in such cases, the bribe-givers could be punished, but not the bribe-takers. Another aspect of the Rao case needs elaboration. The court castigates the CBI for its failure to produce two crucial witnesses – Atal Behari Vajpayee and Ram Jethmalani – to corroborate the version of its main witness Shailendra Mahato. This approver had first revealed his version to the then Opposition leader Vajpayee. The latter had directed him to meet Jethmalani. The court laments that “the prosecution, knowing its case fully well, did not deliberately examine Vajpayee or Jethmalani as prosecution
witnesses…” This reluctance has apparently contributed to Rao’s acquittal. The Vajpayee factor of the case apart, political players may have their own calculations. The former Prime Ministers who had rushed to Rao may hope that this ‘free’ man might now join their future campaigns. The BJP can still expect him to emerge as a counterweight to Sonia Gandhi under certain eventualities. Already, there have been vague moves to sound him for certain
innocuous roles. However, not a stranger to the world of realpolitik, Rao keeps his cool. After all, this is not his last legal hurdle. And those who control the CBI can still have the leverage. |
Heart patients can enjoy a tasty treat
Here is some “sweet” news for people at high risk of heart disease. According to a recent research, they need not avoid foods high in sugar content anymore, reports BBC. A sudden rise in the level of fat in the blood is linked to an increase in the risk of heart attack. But having an occasional sugary snack does not necessarily increase the level of blood fat. A team of researchers from London’s Hammersmith Hospital measured the levels of blood fat, called triglyceride, on a group of such patients. Blood was taken just before a specially-designed sugary meal, and then at intervals for a few hours subsequently. The team found no difference between the response of the high-risk group and that of the “control” group of people, who are not at risk of heart disease. “The results of our trial suggest that there is no real reason for patients thought to be at risk of coronary heart disease to avoid foods high in sugar completely,” said Dr Audrey Brynes. “I must stress that this does not mean that sugar has no relevance at all, and other studies do suggest, very persuasively, that continued consumption of food high in sugar may well cause a considerable increase in circulating triglyceride concentrations. However, what this does mean is that patients who struggle to keep away from tempting desserts can now enjoy a tasty treat once in a while with no damage to their health or their conscience,” he added.
ANI
TV viewing can turn kids violent Parents, whose children watch more than an hour of television a day, need something to consider. A recent study has revealed that such kids are more likely to turn aggressive and violent, reports BBC. The research, carried out by Prof Jeffrey Johnson of Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute tracked more than 700 children through adolescence to adulthood. It was found that those who watched one or more hours of television a day appeared much more likely to get involved in fights or behave aggressively. “Our findings suggest that, at least during early adolescence, responsible parents should avoid permitting their children watch more than one hour of television a day,” says Prof Johnson. However, not everyone seems convinced with the findings. One of them is British expert Guy Cumberbatch of the Birmingham-based Communications Research Group who says that the findings are “highly misleading”. According to him, the relatively small number of children who watched less than one hour a day — 88 out of the 700 — represented an extreme which it was unfair to use as a basis of comparison. “How many families do you know where children watch this amount or less? These are highly unusual families — the kind who are more likely to be taking their children to art galleries and museums. And there are so few of them compared to the rest of the children studied. This is a case of torturing the data to make it fit a theory,” says
Cumberbatch. ANI
Yearly treatment for osteoporosis-free life Osteoporosis is said to affect post-menopausal women and they suffer from brittle bones because of this. Now a newly developed once a year treatment can help them to reduce the risk of breaking bones, reported the New England Journal of Medicine. Research suggests that a once-yearly intravenous infusion with a drug called zeledronic acid is effective in increasing spine and hip bone mineral density.
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No more sleepless nights IF your energy is sapped because you can never sleep through the night, take comfort in the fact that you can break your exhausting habit. That is what Duke University researchers have found in a study of longtime insomniacs, reports
HealthScout. Sleep education, combined with behavioral therapy, increased nightly slumber by as much as half-hour for many sleep-deprived sufferers. That was a big step forward for some whose sleep troubles had plagued them for an average of 13 years. Study author Jack D Edinger said, “This was a big improvement. They reduced their wake-up times by more than half, so that their sleep time increased by 20 to 30 minutes a night”. Insomnia, which affects between 28 million and 33 million Americans, is characterised by sleeplessness that hinders daytime activities, causing exhaustion, lack of concentration and increased health risks. “It is often missed and rarely treated. Insomniacs are not spring-loaded to come in for treatment. It is not like an injury; you are not outwardly bleeding, and you feel annoyance at first. People think they should be able to handle it”, Edinger stated. In his study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Edinger looked at 75 people with sleep problems. There were 40 men and 35 women and about 55 had suffered insomnia for an average of 13 years. Of those, 25 received a combination of sleep education and behavioral therapy, 25 were trained in muscle-relaxation techniques and 25 were placed in a placebo group. All had reported problems with staying asleep during the night. This is a type of insomnia associated with older people, Edinger explained, while younger people more often have trouble falling asleep.
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In doing the rice puja May I be successful, O Avtar. I seek this fruit that is in front of you, O Lord; save, save; O save me. In seeking wordly fruits, one wanders much in the world; by warding off the eight kings of karma I seek the saving fruit of moksha — From Sri Sudharad Stavan Sangraha, verses, 1-2 If I should shrink, dear Master, From the making of the mark, If I long for the crown more than the cross, pity me, and out of Thy great heart of tenderness forgive and help. When I falter at the cross give me I beseech Thee, A glimpse of the crown to help me to endure. — Charlotte Skinner, The Marks of the Master, chapter XIX Lamp O lamp, holy lamp long life results from raising up the arati We sing the lamp in this kali era, King Kumarpal offers up the lamp. Our house is holy, your house is holy, May the fourfold congregation be holy. —‘Mangal Divo’, Ajaina Arati May peace and prosperity return among men. May cooperation unite them, love bind them, Brotherhood enfold them, Patience possess them, Self control strengthen them, The past be forgiven them, The future be sanctified for them. May peace and prosperity return to them. — Fellowship of Faith's Prayers for peace |
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