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Saturday,
September 14, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Musharraf’s diatribe Verdict doesn’t educate Improving railway safety |
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Western thinking on Kashmir question
Green parks, blue hills — but...
Law to protect unorganised labour soon
Delhi breathes easy after pollution checks
Amita Malik
Kiran Bedi most admired woman
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Musharraf’s diatribe The more things change in Pakistan, the more they remain the same. Take for instance President Pervez Musharraf's address to the United Nations General Assembly. It was the same old lament couched in the same rhetoric that was used by leaders who had planned the tribal invasion of Kashmir in 1947-48. General Ayub Khan used the same language. So did General Yahya Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Zia-ul-Haq, Ms Benazir Bhutto, Mr Nawaz Sharif and now General Musharraf. So what's new that needs to be explained to the global community? Plenty. A mechanism should be evolved for blacking out unjustified references to issues that are not supposed to be discussed at international forums. The same rules should govern the conduct of business at the General Assembly and other international forums that are applied for removing unparliamentary references from the proceedings of the legislatures by practicing democracies. All hopes of tension easing between India and Pakistan vanished on Thursday the moment President Musharraf addressed the General Assembly. He was at his hostile best. India has seldom stooped to the undiplomatic level where Pakistan is usually found at international forums. The diplomatically correct posture that it follows has helped India earn the unqualified respect of the international community. Pakistani leaders have made it a habit to step out of the well defined limits of diplomatic conduct while presenting their case on Kashmir. The more they scream the more unconvincing their arguments sound. Lawyers are told to hammer the facts if they are strong on facts, hammer the law if they are strong on law and hammer the table if they are strong on none. Pakistan should be provided special corners and special tables for it to indulge in the pastime of table-thumping at international forums. The International community must find effective ways for dealing with leaders who do not represent the will of the people. The Pakistan President's helplessness in drawing the attention of the world community to his point of view was evident from his uncalled for reference to the violence in Gujarat. Pray, where is the link between the unhappy events in Gujarat and Pakistan's claim over Kashmir? If India were to follow the same logic it would point to the plight of minorities in Pakistan and the loss of thousands of innocent lives every year because of inability of the political leadership to find a solution to the Sunni-Shia conflict. Who would listen if India were to plead for throwing out Pakistan's claim over Kashmir because of its poor track record in protecting the lives of members of religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities? |
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Verdict doesn’t educate There is a danger of the “saffron” lobby misreading Thursday’s ruling on the NCERT’s controversial school syllabus and ignoring the note of caution sounded by the Supreme Court. Some have already seen a “victory” for the supporters of the NCERT revised syllabus in the judgement and a defeat for the petitioners, including such eminent personalities as Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy and journalist B.G.Verghese. What the court has said is (a) Article 28 (1) of the Constitution does not prohibit the study of religions in the state-funded educational institutions and (b) non-consultation with the Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE) cannot be held as a ground for setting aside the national curriculum. In their zeal to push through the new syllabus, the “saffron” educationists should remember what Mr Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari has observed. He says educationists should remember that “in teaching religions, there is a possibility for indoctrination or brain-washing of the children and thus curbing their inquisitiveness and free-thinking in the name of religion”. The court has also cautioned against any “personal prejudice, religious dogmas and superstitions creeping into the curriculum. The real danger lies in putting into practice what the court has said in good faith. There is already a discord over whether religion should be taught in schools or not. In our pluralistic and secular society, how will the schools in different states decide what religions to teach and what to leave out? Are there enough mature and sensitive teachers who can handle this delicate subject without hurting any one’s faith? Religion is based on faith. Will the students, awakened by modern education, accept without questioning various superstitions and myths associated with religions? These are some of the questions that need to be pondered. India is a poor country where priority must be given to the use of the limited resources for addressing the basic issues of providing quality healthcare, universal education, housing, a clean environment and employment to all.This is the age of science and information technology. A student has to compete globally for the best available jobs. The school student in India is already over-burdened. The new curriculum makes the study of Sanskrit compulsory. How many languages will a student be forced to learn? The NCERT that has prepared the syllabus is a government body. Tomorrow a new government may come to power at the Centre and introduce a new syllabus with a new approach to writing history. Imagine the colossal waste of resources and confusion that would follow. Education is a state subject and the states are free to frame their own syllabi. Imagine the chaos if non-BJP parties start doing at the state level what the BJP has done at the national level! Education fulfils a significant human need. Is it proper to treat it like this? Is it proper to include in a syllabus books with changes and deletions that their authors do not approve of? If history has to be rewritten, it has to be left to non-political, honest and competent professionals. The new syllabus not only downplays the achievements of Mughal rulers, but also ignores certain negative but significant aspects of ancient India like the caste system. The role of women is totally missing in the new history syllabus. Academic institutions and matters cannot be left to individuals whose credentials are suspect and whose personal biases and political loyalties are obvious. There is need to save education from the vested interests. |
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Improving railway safety Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani has done well in directing Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and Railway Board Chairman I.I.M.S. Rana not to harp on the sabotage theory as the reason for the derailment of the Kolkata-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in the Eastern Railway’s Mughalsarai division on Monday night. Clearly, those trotting out this theory (Mr Rana went a step further by hinting at the involvement of the ISI) were only making their case look weak and ludicrous before the people. Reports keep pouring in on the various possible reasons for the derailment. These range from the condition of the Dhavi bridge, poor track maintenance to the engine driver’s wrong application of the brake while crossing the bridge after he felt a jerk. Some reports, quoting the railway log book, also suggest that there was no problem with the track as a train had passed 20 minutes before the ill-fated Rajdhani Express. There are also conflicting reports about “hit marks” on the engine’s wheels and the first few subsequent coaches. It is said that when a 120-weight engine, running at a speed of 130 km per hour, moves over a joint whose fishplate gets loosened (mainly because of poor maintenance), the joint will get misaligned horizontally or vertically. This leaves a “hit mark” on at least one of the six pairs of wheels when they run over the disjointed portion of the rail. It is only fair that Mr Advani has told the railway top brass to stop parroting sabotage and instead await the report of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). But the problem is that these reports gather dust in the cupboards of New Delhi’s Rail Bhavan and are never made public. Moreover, only selected excerpts from the reports which do not cause embarrassment to the authorities are disclosed to the media. The suggestion for putting them on the website of the Indian Railways for the knowledge of the general public has not been accepted. If the authorities followed up successive CRS reports in letter and spirit, the safety environment would not have been so dismal today. There is need to replace ageing engines, dilapidated coaches and the rolling stock that have outlived their utility. As in the West, we need compartments with emergency exit points, and more important, having ends specially designed to absorb the impact of an accident or derailment. Weak bridges need to be replaced and lack funds should not come in the way. Obviously, the authorities cannot play with the lives of the passengers in the name of resource crunch. Considering the fact that many accidents in the past were attributed to human error, there is need to improve the training methods and techniques of the railway staff so as to make them safety conscious. Training should form an essential input in the human resource development of the railway staff. The signalling equipment also should be modernised. The railways boasts of an elaborate information management system. But consider how the authorities reacted to the Rajdhani Express derailment. It looked as if there was no effective crisis management team to handle a tragedy of this magnitude. It goes to the credit of the villagers of Dehri-on-Sone and other surrounding areas that they were the first to reach the accident spot and launch rescue operations. The authorities’ priorities were also flawed and lopsided. Apparently, they were concerned more about the expeditious clearance of the track rather than rescuing the passengers from the coaches. There was utter confusion among the kith and kin of the passengers as the information flow regarding the fate of the passengers at Kolkata and New Delhi stations was scrappy and vague. Some relatives had no information about their near and dear ones after reaching the derailment site. They had to run from one hospital to another in search of their people. What a pity! |
Western thinking on Kashmir question On the morning of September 11, 2001, the world changed for the people of the USA. Something which they never dreamt, an attack on the very heart of America, took place so brazenly. It was nothing short of a war unleashed by terrorists, as described by President Bush later in the day. A nation which felt so secure from enemies’ attack for centuries was shaken out of its complacency so unexpectedly that the Americans could not believe that this could happen to them. President Bush declared war on international terrorism in whatever form and wherever it existed. The Talibans and Osama bin Laden were targeted and Operation Enduring Freedom was set in motion. In less than a month American planes were bombing the Taliban and Al-Qaeda locations in Afghanistan. While the Taliban regime was effectively wiped out, a large number of Al-Qaeda operatives escaped. More importantly, Osama and his top deputies still remain untraced. The fear is that Al-Qaeda operatives have dispersed and are bound to mount attacks at a time of their choosing on America and American allies. The Americans have systematically pursued the Al-Qaeda elements in several regions — countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia in the East, Germany, Italy and France in Europe and Algeria and certain Sub-Saharan nations in Africa. American forces have been stationed in several Central Asian countries and the Philippines, apart from their earlier bases in Japan, South Korea, etc. For those of us in India who have suffered the consequences of terrorism since 1989, at the instance of Pakistan, in Kashmir, Punjab, North-Eastern India and elsewhere, the predicament of the American people is understandable. The American establishment, particularly the State Department, had always harangued to India that India’s grievances should be discussed across the table with Pakistan. The American Administration and the people did not realise the serious and prolonged travails which large sections of Indian people had undergone for so many years. Even when substantive details were given to prove the complicity of Pakistan, its army and the ISI in promoting terrorism in Kashmir, the USA maintained studied indifference. Pakistan President General Musharraf was given no choice when he was called upon by the USA to join the war against terrorism, which meant jettisoning the Pakistan- sponsored Taliban regime in Afghanistan and Al-Qaeda, many of whose members were trained by the Pakistan army and the ISI. General Musharraf saw the writing on the wall and promptly allied himself with the USA, providing all facilities such as exclusive airports to it for pursuing the war in Afghanistan. India, on its part, was prompt in supporting the American war against terrorism and India hoped that with the realisation which had dawned on the USA after September 11 on international terrorism, it would effectively restrain the Pakistani terrorism in Kashmir. While the USA was veering towards appreciating India’s grievances, events took a sudden turn on December 13, 2001, when India’s Parliament was attacked by Pakistani terrorists. India decided to take strong measures to deal with the situation. The movement of massive columns of the Army towards the LoC to face a war with Pakistan, if necessary, alarmed the USA. President Musharraf was compelled to declare that Pakistan was putting an end to cross-border terrorism as well as take steps to curb the activities of Islamic fundamentalists. In Kashmir, elections will be over within a few weeks. There is universal emphasis, particularly from Western countries, that the electoral process should be free and fair and observers from outside might be permitted to monitor it. Sadly, there will be no participation of the Hurriyat conference. Abdul Ghani Lone, the leading Hurriyat leader who was in the forefront during the negotiation process and was expected to participate in the elections, was assassinated, apparently at the instance of Pakistan. This has scared the remaining members of the Hurriyat. President Musharraf himself, who should be the last person to talk about the fairness of elections in Kashmir after what he did with his own referendum, had characterised the Kashmir poll as a farce. Notwithstanding American pressure and exhortations, Pakistan continues to pose a threat to the poll process and several candidates and innocent people have been shot dead. The elections will go through all the same and usher in a popular government. It is likely that the National Conference will retain power. Soon after the elections are over and a new popular government, probably headed by young Omar Abdullah, is in position, negotiations on autonomy, which Mr Arun Jaitley has been entrusted with, are expected to proceed in full steam. While the BJP would like to describe the negotiations as pertaining to the devolution of power, Kashmir calls them as discussions on autonomy. This hair-splitting is quite unnecessary, as the discussions have to be necessarily on the quantum of autonomy. This is a crucial subject and has to be handled with care. While the negotiations cannot go as far back as 1953, much less the accession year of 1947, they have to really take off from the 1975 Accord between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah after his restoration to power. The 1975 Accord was not complete in some respects but that does not take away its validity. Prime Minister Narasimha Rao had declared from the ramparts of the Red Fort that in the matter of autonomy for Kashmir the sky was the limit. In practical terms, Kashmir has to accept, apart from the vital subjects of defence, foreign relations and communications with the Centre, the jurisdiction of the President of India for appointing the Governor, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India, the Election Commission and the Comptroller and
Auditor General of India, besides the All-India Services. These are the real fundamental elements of an agreement which hopefully will emerge sooner or later. India had striven over the years for a final settlement of the Kashmir problem with Pakistan. The 1972 Simla Agreement remains the bedrock of these negotiations. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Z.A. Bhutto had agreed to work for preparing his people to accept the Line of Control as international border and thereby settle the Kashmir issue permanently. But Bhutto backtracked and even denied of such an understanding with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Much has changed since then. The most encouraging factor in the recent developments is the growing conviction on the part of Western democracies, particularly the USA and the UK, that the Kashmir problem should be sorted out expeditiously since both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers and the unsettled conditions on the LoC should not be allowed to continue indefinitely. The leaders at the top level, both in India and Pakistan, have been reportedly sounded by emissaries of the USA such as Mr Colin Powell and Mr Donald Rumsfeld, and also possibly by President Bush himself, about the inevitability of the LoC emerging as the permanent international border. The thinking on the part of the Americans and Western democracies is that with the strong entrenchment of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan and the continuing threat of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, an independent Kashmir, or even with a special constitutional status, as suggested by the think-tank busy bodies, would be dangerous as it would emerge as a stronghold of fundamentalism and terrorism. President Musharraf’s position in Pakistan is extremely tenuous and the Western democracies are genuinely worried about his future. The threat is not so much from a possible coup from within the Army as it is from fundamentalist elements who have already tried to assassinate General Musharraf at least once. With this realisation, it would not be surprising if the General also veered towards accepting the proposal of the Western democracies of converting the LoC as international border and thereby putting an end to the half-a-century-old hostility between India and Pakistan. The aspirations of the people of Kashmir would be taken care of by India after successful negotiations on autonomy for Kashmir. The writer is a former Governor of West Bengal and Sikkim. |
Green parks, blue hills — but... Whenever I read about parks, gardens and pastoral grandeur I used to wonder if, after retirement, we would really find an idyllic place to spend our sunset years. The Heavenly Father must have noted our wish and waited for the birth of one such place where we could reminiscence, dream and meditate. And this spot turned out to be not far off from our place of work where my wife and I had slogged for four decades explicating “poetics” of Aristotle and “conceits” of Donne. Bit by bit — with loans and subsidies — we fashioned our little nest to cool off at the foothills and have an unhindered view of the Alpine foliage. Every day we bless the town planners and horticulturists of Panchkula which every politician in Haryana swears to turn into the Paris of India. I hope that doesn’t happen, since Opera Square and Eiffel Tower did look majestic but failed to win our hearts when we gawked at them on our way to Geneva. We would prefer that this town retains its desi identity manifest in its numerous parks and water bodies. It is there that most of the Panchkulites congregate in the morning to do yoga and chant the name of Shri Rama rather raucously. Some move a step further and take to clapping and laughing with rare gusto to fine-tune their respiratory system. In the evening quite a few huddle near the luminous globes and try their luck through card games. Fortunate to live in a sector right opposite the Tower Park and the National Cactus Garden every evening we walk to the park and listen to uplifting devotional songs. From there we meander to another meadowland called HUDA Park where on both sides of the walkway you notice clumps of flowering trees and a sporadic placement of benches. Right in front you see the blue Shivalik range of the Himalayas and, a little later in the dark, the shimmering lights of Kasauli. Next to this park, almost within a whispering distance, stands the City Fountain which comes to life in the evening and enchants you with its chromatic variation, mostly between green and blue with a fleeting flash of yellow. A moment later you enter Vatika, another lush green park with two little lakes and a gaggle of ducks. And if you require some refreshments after that long walk from Town Park to Vatika, there is Hot Millions with a wide range of shakes and burghers to re-energize you. Despite this visual feast, what makes me wince is the sight of upcoming structures around the sprawling green land. They don’t seem to blend with the grassy stretch. A few buildings that are complete have bloated bellies and narrow necks, and if more Laughing Buddhas of this type come up, then the landscape would lose much of its uniqueness. What I find odious in particular is the architecture of the City Centre which encircles all these parks. All those blocks housing the civic offices look dull and drab with a monotony of arches. After enjoying the soft music in Town Park and marvelling at the kaleidoscopic charm of the City Fountain, the view of the upcoming concrete world dampens our spirits. That is when we pray that buildings don’t grow too tall or too fat, since even small and slim can be beautiful. |
Law to protect unorganised labour soon Former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, who was in political oblivion for almost four years, is back in business. Mr Vajpayee had promised a cabinet berth to this Jat leader of Delhi when he was being replaced as Delhi Chief Minister by Sushma Swaraj. Dr Verma was sulking as he was finding it difficult to face his electorate who were eagerly waiting for his elevation as Union Cabinet Minister. The promise was fulfilled at last but after a lot of pulls and pressures from different political quarters in the national Capital. Now ensconced in the Labour Ministry, Dr Verma is his usual bubbling self. Q: You were recently given charge of the Labour Ministry What is the brief given to you? When I was told that I will be inducted into the Union Cabinet, I posed the same question to Vajpayeeji. He said that I did not need any brief because I had already served as Delhi Chief Minister. Then he paused for a moment, thought for a little while and said that I should do something about improving the lot of the vast workforce in the unorganised sector. Q: This is exactly what the Second Labour Commission has said in its 175 page report. Isn’t it so? That is right. As much as 97 per cent of the work force is in the unorganised sector. They are without any protection or cover. We will make sure that in the winter session of Parliament, a comprehensive legislation is introduced and ensure its passage. I have already started writing to MPs, labour unions and various political parties in this regard. I want this legislation should be passed by Parliament without any hurdles and all MPs should lend their support, rising above the party lines because this is such an important matter. Q: What will be the highlights of the proposed legislation? It is too early to go into the specifics. One thing I can say at this juncture is that it would be our effort to ensure that the work force in the unorganised sector is given some protection not only in the statute books but in such a way that these laws have teeth. Q: What are the major challenges? Broadly speaking, there are two major challenges. One of streamlining the work force. Second, to create such a climate in the country that more and more foreign investors come here to invest. This will give jobs to crores of unemployed in the country. Q: In the area of economic reforms and globalisation, the country’s labour laws are not able to cope with the rising demands of the economic and industrial sector. How do you propose to address the issue? It is difficult to even sustain the present work force in today’s environment of globalisation and privatisation. What we are striving for is to provide employment to millions more. For this we require some urgent labour reforms. Wait for this till the winter session of Parliament. Q: How do you react to the Vajpayee government clipping the wings of the Congress government headed by Shiela Dikshit in Delhi? No wings have been clipped. The Centre has done nothing. It is a minor administrative measure that had been introduced. Q: What would happen if the BJP were to come to power in Delhi and the Congress at the Centre? Actually, Shielaji does not want any power. She has gone on record saying that she does not want Delhi Police to come under the Delhi government. She also does not want the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to come under the Delhi Government’s jurisdiction. She is making a big noise about clipping her wings to divert attention from scandals like the Atma Ram murder case in which one Congress corporator has killed another colleague. It is only a salacious campaign by her when she says that the Vajpayee government has curtailed her powers. The fact of the matter is that she cannot handle any power. Q: What do you say about the latest outburst of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa about Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin issue. Will the BJP make this an election issue in the coming Assembly elections and the next Lok Sabha elections in 2004? It is a very important issue and the BJP will definitely take it up in a big way. Q: Congress leader Salman Khursheed has gone on record saying that the most sacred and respected lady - Sita was also a foreigner. Your comments? Sita never sat on the throne. She was always at the feet of Lord Rama. If Sonia Gandhi does like this we have no problems. The problem has arisen because she wants to grab the throne. |
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Delhi breathes easy after pollution checks Five years ago, Delhi was rated as one of the most polluted cities in the world, continually shrouded in an eye-stinging smog of foul gas and noxious fumes. No longer. Pollution levels in the wheezing metropolis of about 13 million people have come down significantly since the government cracked down on exhaust-belching vehicles and closed down smoke-spewing factories in the late 1990s. "There has been a 25 per cent reduction in the pollution levels since 1995. Sulphur dioxide in the air is within prescribed limits and suspended particulate matter has also come down," said Dilip Biswas, Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board. "Now you can see the stars at night," he told Reuters. The average suspended particulate matter, which is the main cause of the thick haze that once hung over the city, dropped to 347 micrograms per cubic metre in 2001 from 405 micrograms the previous year, says the Central Pollution Control Board. Sulphur dioxide levels also fell to 14 micrograms from 18 micrograms while nitrogen dioxide dipped to 34 micrograms from 36 during this period. Delhi's air still may not be as clean as some Western capitals or Asian cities such as Singapore, but it is among the most successful in Asia at fighting pollution. The cleanup, prodded by orders from the country's highest court, kicked off in 1996 when the government ordered thousands of chemicals and textile factories to close. But the campaign gained pace when the government phased out commercial vehicles older than 15 years in 1998 and then ordered all public transport -- including taxis, buses and three-wheelers -- to switch to compressed natural gas (CNG). Delhi, which lacks a local rail network, relies on a fleet of about 12,000 buses, 65,000 taxis and three-wheelers for transport. Today, about 6,000 buses have changed from diesel to CNG and thousands of three-wheelers have also adopted the cleaner fuel. "Today, if you are at a red light, your eyes don't water and you don't just see a haze around you," said CSE's Roychowdhury. Environmentalists say they're hoping to return the city, dotted with about 20,000 ancient monuments, to the days when you could still breathe easily. Delhi -- said to be built on the remains of seven old cities, the first of which dates back to around 900 BC -- had just a few thousand cars and buses about 30 years ago and the word "pollution" was not in the local vocabulary. But as the number of vehicles rose to 3.3 million at the end of 1999 from 1.8 million in 1981, New Delhi was smothered in black clouds of smoke spewing from old cars and lumbering trucks hauling huge loads which choked up main roads during rush hour. Government statistics show there are currently 3.6 million vehicles in the Indian Capital. The majestic city of sprawling gardens and grand bungalows built as the capital of British India by the country's then colonial rulers turned into an urban nightmare. Almost every other person suffered one respiratory disease or another and in winter both air and rail traffic were disrupted by thick smog hanging over the capital. While the growing number of vehicles pumped smoke and fumes into the air, factories spread across the city, adding to the filth in the air. "Vehicles, especially those with diesel, account for 70 per cent of the city's pollution while power plants are responsible for 15 per cent and industry about 10 per cent," Anumita Roychowdhury, coordinator of air pollution control at the Centre for Science and Environment, told Reuters. |
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Amita Malik For Indians, even the universal signficance of September 11 was over-shadowed by the national tragedy of the Rajdhani train crash which took over 100 precious Indian lives. Both the media coverage of the New York Twin Towers tragedy and the train crash put the media to test for keeping a balance between such subtleties as invading the privacy of the victims and their relatives, keeping to the facts without unnecessary comment and speculation and, above all, putting a true perspective on the events concerned. Talking September 11 first, it received world-wide coverage, beginning perhaps alphabetically on CNN with an interview with the Australian Prime Minister who refused to rise to the bait about invading Iraq and said he preferred to leave the decision to the United Nations. Of course there was music from most world centres, beginning from New York itself where bagpipes ushered in the solemn ceremonies. The Pentagon in Washington and in the open field where the third plane, meant to demolish the White House, crashed in Pennsylvania. All very moving, with the right mixture of mercifully brief speeches and eloquent visuals. There was a handsome tribute to the 2801 victims at the exact spot in New York, where each and every one of the names of the victims were read out. In the very first reading, by the Mayor of New York, I spotted two Indian names, Agarwala and Shabir Ahmad. What interested me more professionally were the commentators, and in a plethora of good interviews by foreign channels I liked best the usual professionalism of David Dimble of the BBC in New York, including a splendid interview with a young girl who had lost a relative but chose to be forward-looking. I also loved the episode from my old friend and colleague Charles Wheeler, who was a BBC correspondent in India some years ago, now silver-haired and, next to Alistair Cook, I think the best BBC specialist on America. Wheeler interviewed in far-off Oregon four young baseball players whom he pulled away from their game. They were amazingly thoughtful and critical of US foreign policy, including their President’s threats on Iraq. As also a professor from the university who felt equally strongly. It reminded me of the dissidents on Vietnam and was also a reminder that the American media do not air these dissident views with equal balance in their world services. Indian-based channels duly sent two correspondents each, Vishnu Som and Swathi Thyagarajan from Star News, Anurag Tomar and Ashok Singhal from Zee, Deepak Chaurasia and Manisha Bhatia from Aaj Tak. They followed predictable lines, including interviews with Indian victims. Many victims and their families described the poignancy of their situations, including widows finding difficulty in staying on and racial prejudice after the disaster. Those picked up “from the street” tended to be chancy. This time Swathi began with a real boo-boo, but picked up later. Poor Barkha Dutt last time landed up with three cooks from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, of whom only the Pakistani could put a sentence together. I think such interviews should be scrapped or their elquence checked before recording. The main programme on NDTV, which used mostly footage from its correspondents last year, suffered from languid, slow-paced narration. Maya Mirchandani is not exactly the most exciting voice for these occasions. It needed a Barkha or an Amitabh to give it some life. The coverage of the train accident had its moments of professionalism and initiative as well as savage intrusion into privacy and good taste. Aaj Tak in its hunger for being first and exclusive, was the worst offend or to thrust a mike in the face of an injured woman with her eyes shut and gasping for breath was a gross breach of professional ethics and decorum. Also close-ups of a young dead woman in a smashed compartment, with her hair streaming over her face contorted in her death agony. Reporters and cameramen should pause to think what effect this has on relatives and how they would feel if the dead woman was their sister. I have with me the code following accidents observed by the Western media. It was all too evident after the Twin Towers fell in New York last year, an event tragic enough without such horrific shots and not a shot of the dead or dying victims. I preferred the splendid aerial shots from a helicopter of the wrecked train which Aaj Tak claimed as an exclusive but which I certainly saw also on Star News and the BBC. Also legitimate were the interviews conducted with victims and relatives in a position to talk which gave the lie to many irresponsible official statements about sabotage and obvious delay in relief measures. That is what good reporting of a disaster is about and not boasting about exclusives and firsts in hurtful and unnecessary invasion of grief, privacy and decency.
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Kiran Bedi most admired woman What do a top cop, a movie heartthrob, a politician and an athlete have in common? Well, they are among the 10 most-loved women in India, admired for different reasons but all sharing the common qualities of grit and excellence. Kiran Bedi heads the list of the top 10 among 100 outstanding Indian women compiled after a nationwide poll by TN Sofres Mode. Lata Mangeshkar is the second most admired woman. Two politicians — Sonia Gandhi and Sushma Swaraj — occupy the third and fourth spots. At place five is athlete P.T. Usha. Two singers — Asha Bhosle and M.S. Subbulakshmi — occupy the sixth and seventh positions. Film actress Aishwarya Rai, Maneka Gandhi and Sister Nirmala are the others on the list.
IANS Vitamins C, E lower breathing problems A new study has revealed that a cocktail of vitamins C and E reduces breathing problem in patients who have recently undergone an operation. Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center, Holland, following experiments on patients and healthy volunteers, said that during the first two to three days after a major abdominal operation, most patients have frequent episodes of airway obstruction and hypoxaemia. This can lead to an increase in the heart rate and blood pressure, which can eventually result in heart muscle damage. An apparently restful patient where nothing seems to be wrong can then suddenly experience an unexpected heart attack. The breathing problem is a side-effect of the necessary sedatives and painkillers which recovering patients receive. The researchers discovered that the medicines enhance each other’s undesirable side-effects. In searching for the mechanism behind the breathing problems, it transpired that the administration of vitamins C and E prevents many of the problems.
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A yogi asks Nanak Why hast thou left thy home, Why wanderest thou like an hermit? In what is thy trade? How settest thou free thy disciples? Nanak replies I left my home to look for a saint; The desire to see the Lord Hath made me a hermit My trade is in truth, Through the grace of God I shall set free my companions. Yogi asks further What is the source of thy knowledge? To what period belongeth thy system? Who is thy Guru, and who are thy disciples? What teaching keepeth thee in detachment? Tell us all this, my child? Nanak answers With the beginning of the breath of life, My system began also; Its source is the wisdom of the true guru, The true guru is the Word, And the human mind is the disciple. What keepeth me in my detachment. Is meditating on the Ungraspable One. Through the One Divine Word God is made real to us, And the saints destroy the flames, of attachment to the little self. — From Sidh-Gosht.
*** Give me your whole heart, Love and adore me, Worship me always, Bow to me only, And you shall find me; This is my promise... Lay down all duties In me your refuge. Fear no longer, For I will save you From sin and from bondage. —The Bhagavad Gita |
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