E D I T O R I A L   P A G E

EDITORIALS

Back from the brink
NOW that the heaviest and the longest deployment of troops on the border in battle-ready mode since Independence is coming to an end, a long and fractious discussion on the “cost-benefit” ratio is inevitable. While some soldiers will welcome the end of their ordeal, others are bound to be bitter that the action that they were prepared for never took place. For a high-strung soldier, it is easier to kill and die than twiddle his thumbs and battle the nature for 10 long months.

Paying for power
THE Punjabis in general and the advocates of free power and water to the farm sector in particular must consider a few economic and political factors rationally before reacting to the issue. This is a critical time for the farmers, no doubt. Disappointment over the paddy MSP is widespread. Being asked to pay for power and water at this juncture is an additional blow. But what are the options? The plight of the farmers in the neighbouring Haryana and elsewhere is similar.

Hari Jaisingh
Old issues and new challenges
An agenda for the Centre and rulers in Srinagar
IT is not often in human history that people have braved the bullets and gone out to battle on the streets against their foes—this time to vote in the face of threats from militants. The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve full-throated praise for their courage and spirit of defiance. By this simple show of defiance of the militants, they have provided answers to some sensitive questions which might be at the back of the minds of a section of the Kashmiris.

MIDDLE

Medical examination
S. Raghunath
A reader, writing to the “letters” column of a national newspaper, has suggested that the People’s Representation Act be suitably amended so that a person seeking an elective office is required to compulsorily produce a certificate of physical fitness from a Registered Medical Practitioner. This, he says, will prevent politicians from going abroad for expensive medical treatment at the tax-payers’ expense even for minor ailments like ingrowing toenails once they have been elected.

COMMENTARY

Can Pakistan ever be a democracy?
M. S. N. Menon
NO, not in a thousand years! India took a thousand years to get into the spirit of democracy. That spirit has stayed with us. Today, it is part of our reflex, part of our character, part of our civilisation. We are told that the recent election in Pakistan was “free and fair.” But what triumphed was not democracy, but fundamentalism — to be precise, Talibanism. This was, of course, feared when the Al-Qaida and Taliban forces took shelter in Pakistan.

Good lovers make good writers
GOOD lovers make the best writers about sex, says Israeli novelist Amos Oz, whose books include ample doses of passion. “There is no difference in writing about sex and having sex,” Oz told Reuters at the Frankfurt Book Fair. “If you are vulgar in both, or clumsy or totally predictable, it’s bad. If you manage to be original, sensitive and inventive, then you are probably likely to be a good lover and also write well about making love.”

TRENDS & POINTERS

All about PM’s VVIP flight
‘YOUR palace in the sky’ is emblazoned on the 22-year-old Boeing 747 Krisnadevaraya that became the Prime Minister’s “palace on wings” during his five-day visit to Cyprus, Denmark and the UK. This aircraft was remodelled to accommodate the Prime Minister and his entourage which consisted of his immediate family of daughter, son-in-law and grand- daughter. Also aboard were the official delegation, security including SPG, separate baggage security, doctors, including two physicians and one physiotherapist, an army of assistants and 34 mediapersons.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

EDITORIALS

Back from the brink

NOW that the heaviest and the longest deployment of troops on the border in battle-ready mode since Independence is coming to an end, a long and fractious discussion on the “cost-benefit” ratio is inevitable. While some soldiers will welcome the end of their ordeal, others are bound to be bitter that the action that they were prepared for never took place. For a high-strung soldier, it is easier to kill and die than twiddle his thumbs and battle the nature for 10 long months. All gains and losses of prolonged deployment of troops without action will have to be weighed dispassionately. Whatever the man on the street and even an army man may think, there is a little more on the credit side than on the debit. It was “coercive diplomacy” all the way which paid substantial dividends. Gen Pervez Musharraf may not have said so in public, but he has had to mend his ways considerably. India fully and firmly made him realise that it means business this time. That reality is not reflected in the volume of infiltration, but that was not the only reason for which 700,000-odd men were amassed on the border. Delhi cornered Pakistan forcefully, that too without going to war. Eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation is any day better than an actual outbreak of hostility. India not only conducted elections in Jammu and Kashmir successfully but also secured the borders which were being threatened.

One also has to remember the circumstances that prevailed immediately after the attack on Parliament in December. The Prime Minister himself has said that his one regret is that an attack was not launched at that very time. He has also hinted at international pressure. World leaders advised him to exercise restraint and offered to rein in the adventurous General. The promise was hardly fulfilled. Chances of that happening after the withdrawal of troops are even slimmer. That is why there has been strong opposition to withdrawal from powerful sections in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs. At the same time, a critical eye has to be focused on the issue whether it was prudent to keep the army in such a state for so long. Harsh weather, endless wait and boredom all play on the morale and readiness of the soldiers. There is near-unanimity that the law of diminishing returns was very much in operation for many months. The merciless Rajasthan summer had already taken its toll. Approaching winter would have been worse on the nerves. There was also the question of operational preparedness and logistics. And the invisible imprimatur of international opinion always hung overhead. The withdrawal now needs to be well-calibrated and gradual. What needs to be noted is that Pakistan has made no offer to reciprocate the gesture. The “de-escalatory measure” should not be allowed to become a liability under any circumstances. It is good that the recall of troops from the international border does not apply to the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Any thinning there could have combined with the euphoria among terrorist ranks over the victory of hardliners in the elections to yield a combustible mixture.

Paying for power

THE Punjabis in general and the advocates of free power and water to the farm sector in particular must consider a few economic and political factors rationally before reacting to the issue. This is a critical time for the farmers, no doubt. Disappointment over the paddy MSP is widespread. Being asked to pay for power and water at this juncture is an additional blow. But what are the options? The plight of the farmers in the neighbouring Haryana and elsewhere is similar. Do they get free power or water? There is near unanimity among pro-reform economists that user-charges must be levied on every public utility to ensure its regular supply and maintenance. Free water for irrigation has left the department concerned with no funds to even repair the canals. Consequently farmers at the tail-end do not get any supply. Free electricity has rendered the PSEB almost bankrupt. It has no money to buy coal to run its thermal plants. The Badal government, which had promised to compensate the PSEB for the loss it suffered on account of free power supply, did not keep its word and rather extended the benefit to more sections of society. There is nothing wrong with subsidising farm inputs, but these must be targeted at the disadvantaged sections. Moreover, there must be a financially strong government to pay for the subsidies. Widespread corruption and misrule during the Badal regime had emptied the treasury. The farmers must ask themselves: will they like to have regular supply and pay for it, or free electricity but no or little supply as at present? The Badal camp, which now plans to exploit the unrest among farmers to prevent the likely arrest of members of the Badal family for corruption, had not pleaded the farmers’ case before the BJP-SAD government-appointed electricity regulatory commission, which has recommended the withdrawal of the free electricity facility. The Badal government had also signed an MoU with the Centre promising to reimpose tariff on power. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also directed the state government to ensure at least 3 per cent return on the capital invested in the power sector. These are the grim realities.

To cope with the situation, there is a clear need to roll back the fertiliser and pesticide price hikes. Frauds in the paddy procurement need to be checked and timely payments ensured. Diversification and agri-industry linkages need to be strengthened. There is widespread feeling that the PSEB is mismanaged, that corruption in the board is rampant, power theft goes on with official connivance, power dues remain to be recovered. The supply of power to all sectors must be ensured now by tapping all possible avenues. The Ranjit Sagar Dam cannot generate the targeted power until the Shahpur Kandi project is completed. Experts say more hydel power can be generated by building small dams on the Ravi. If all these don’t make the state power surplus and the government fails to supply electricity at a reasonable tariff, there is no alternative to privatising power distribution and even generation. The Haryana power board is on the recovery path following reforms. The Delhi government has handed over the power supply to two private firms. On the political front, the situation is volatile. Even the BJP, whose government at the Centre advocates user-charges for public utilities, is now championing free power for the farm sector in Punjab. The Akalis are in an aggressive mood following the exposure of corruption cases. Countering their campaign is virtually the one-man army of the Captain. The passivity of other Congress leaders speaks loudly about their real motives. All well-wishers of Punjab must work for maintaining peace. The already slowed down growth cannot pick up without a peaceful situation.

FRANKLY SPEAKING

Old issues and new challenges
An agenda for the Centre and rulers in Srinagar
Hari Jaisingh

IT is not often in human history that people have braved the bullets and gone out to battle on the streets against their foes—this time to vote in the face of threats from militants. The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve full-throated praise for their courage and spirit of defiance. By this simple show of defiance of the militants, they have provided answers to some sensitive questions which might be at the back of the minds of a section of the Kashmiris.

Going by the poll verdict, the people have clearly told the militants and Pakistan: we defy you; we don't approve of militancy; we have no love for Pakistan, nor for its dictatorial regime; and we prefer to stay with India.

It may be pointed out that 44 per cent of the average voting for the state should not be taken as decisive. What then, pray, is decisive? Even in the most advanced democratic countries, the average voter turnout is not more than 50 per cent, at best. In Jammu and Kashmir, we have to add a sizeable percentage of those who stayed back for fear of the gun. If we take this factor into account, the voting figure will be quite impressive.

The people have expressed their will decisively. It is now for the state's political parties and the Central authority to make sure that the people's aspirations are honoured. I am saying this because some leaders and the rank and file might see a bleak future for them in the changed situation and choose to strike in their own way to disturb the new equations.

This is, however, no time for recrimination. The end of the Abdullah dynasty’s rule certainly holds out a new hope. It unleashes new forces of democracy in the state which might look at the problems afresh with an open mind.

It must be said that the Abdullah family had outlived its utility. All the same, it will be wrong to write off the National Conference, especially its President, Mr Omar Abdullah, who can come up in popular esteem on his own merit. He has the potential of mobilising young Kashmiris in favour of his party provided he maintains cool and follows the right course of strengthening the bonds of the state with the rest of the country.

As for the Congress, which has bagged the second largest number of seats in the state assembly, its performance is undoubtedly impressive as against the drubbing received by the BJP.

Equally impressive has been the emergence of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, whose youthful firebrand daughter, Mahbooba Mufti, represents a new wave of women power. She must be given due credit for defying the militants' bullets.

Another noteworthy point is the marginalisation of the All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders as the people have expressed themselves against Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism. All the same, it will be improper to pooh-pooh the nuisance value of the Hurriyat leaders since their patrons will continue to be active in Islamabad as well as Washington.

What is the way out of this complex and messy setting? Here I shall take the liberty of using Mr L.K. Advani's favourite phrase: "pro-active approach". Well, the Centre will have to think of a pro-active dialogue not only among the various sections of Jammu and Kashmir but also separately with Pakistan without diluting the country's basic position.

What can be the nature of such a dialogue is a matter of detail. However, a comprehensive dialogue has to include a thorough discussion on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Northern Territories apart from the possibility of turning the Line of Control (LoC) into an international border with provisions for soft movement of people and goods (minus militancy) on both sides.

As it is, things have got further complicated in Islamabad with the electoral victory of Islamic fundamentalists (Taliban ideologues) in the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan. They are in close league with the Pakhtoons in Afghanistan. How they will behave in the days to come is not clear. But the new development will be a major headache to General Pervez Musharraf. He may create fresh problems for India by his postures and further complicate the old issues by misleading the American policy-makers.

South Block has to treat cautiously. It ought to seriously examine the fallout of new developments and face fresh challenges from across the border boldly and intelligently and in a coordinated manner.

The Americans, meanwhile, have a job to do: they must take their war on terrorism far more seriously and objectively than has been the case so far. In their battle against terrorism, they have been indifferent to Indian sensitivities. I expect them to correct their course so that the desired goals in the fight against global terrorism are achieved. Any failure on this front can spell grave danger to the world.

It is for the Government of India to closely monitor the American gameplan in Kashmir. The international community has praised New Delhi for fulfilling its commitment of holding a free and fair poll, but this very community is unlikely to mount pressure on Islamabad to stop aiding and abetting terrorism in Kashmir.

In the prevailing circumstances, what is important is housekeeping. Housekeeping apart, some problems require special attention.

One, it needs to be appreciated that mis-governance and non-performance have aggravated the problems of unemployment and alienation in the state. This calls for fresh efforts to handle socio-economic problems.

Two, the Kashmiris often blame the Centre for foisting Chief Ministers and Governors on the state. Such practices are counterproductive and hence should be discarded.

It is a pity that even after the latest free, fair and transparent assembly polls, the principal political characters in the state have to bank on the Central Congress leadership for deciding the Chief Ministerial issue. The matter could have been left to the people's representatives.

It has to be kept in mind that the National Conference, which remained invincible since 1951 when the first assembly elections were held, cannot escape the anger of the voters who want good governance. It was the NC which could prevent the Janata Party wave that swept the country in 1979 from crossing the Banihal tunnel. In 1977, the NC under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah won 40 out of the 42 seats in the valley.

The moral of the story is clear: if the scion of the Sheikh family can be defeated for misrule and arrogance, would-be rulers may not have much strength and stamina to brave the wrath of the people.

Indeed, the new government has to provide a clean and credible government which alone can improve the domestic atmosphere and reduce the level of alienation and turn the people against militancy.

Amidst the new equations in the state, the question of security will also continue to be critical and complex, and neither the state government nor the Centre may be in a position to instantly restore normalcy and peace in the state.

For that matter, even the people of Kashmir may find themselves helpless in restoring peace. Of course, they can keep up the pressure by taking to the streets in large numbers and displaying their anger against Pakistan-sponsored militancy. They have done this in small measures. They did this on a large scale in the last elections which made a difference.

It may be pointed out that had the people raised alarm bells against the militants on a regular basis during the past 13 years, the Islamabad-supported terrorists and mercenaries would have had no alternative but to surrender or run away to Pakistan.

It is also true that over the years certain vested interests have nurtured a feeling that the unresolved Kashmir problem is to their advantage. This is certainly not a happy setting. However, the problem can be tackled if the new government goes about the job of governance in a determined manner with the support of the Central authorities.

I expect the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to remain focused and not allow themselves to go astray on petty considerations of the party or factional groups.

Of course, time is a great healer and I hope the verdict of October 10 will find expression in a positive plan of action for the good of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as well as for the rest of the country.

The people want an end to regional discrimination as well as to the power and drinking water crises. They want fresh job avenues, better roads and medical facilities. Any government which can ensure these facilities will earn the people's support. It is time the Centre deviated from the old policy of giving substantial financial assistance to the J&K government on the basis of its being pro-Centre. Our objective should be that in the cross-current of politics the socio-economic interests of the people should not suffer. Can we tread a new path, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee?

Amidst the allegations of misappropriation of funds, the Centre should evolve proper mechanism for this purpose. Had it been done so two decades back, the economic situation in Jammu and Kashmir would have been better than in Punjab.

Be that as it may. The new rulers must provide the people a clean administration bereft of corruption and nepotism. The Centre, meanwhile, should experiment with the establishment of regional councils for the valley, Jammu and Ladakh with a fair degree of political and financial powers.

Indeed, the real test in Jammu and Kashmir begins now. And Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani in close concert with the new establishment in Srinagar must not fail the state and the nation as a whole.

MIDDLE

Medical examination
S. Raghunath

A reader, writing to the “letters” column of a national newspaper, has suggested that the People’s Representation Act be suitably amended so that a person seeking an elective office is required to compulsorily produce a certificate of physical fitness from a Registered Medical Practitioner.

This, he says, will prevent politicians from going abroad for expensive medical treatment at the tax-payers’ expense even for minor ailments like ingrowing toenails once they have been elected.

“The doctor will see you now.”

“Come in Mr Aya Ram. Your colleague Mr Gaya Ram has just been in to see me. I understand that you’re going to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections and you want a certificate of medical fitness.

“Let me first check your weight. Kindly step on those scales over there. Oh, you weigh just 25 kg — a light weight. How can anyone suspect your suitability for high political office?”

“Now put out your tongue, farther, farther. What do you mean you can’t because it’s tied at the back? Oh, you’ve got a forked tongue and the art of doublespeak should come naturally to you and I’ve seen better tongues hanging in the butcher shop window.”

“Show me your palms. No. I’m not going to read the lines and predict if you’ll be inducted into the Cabinet during the next round of expansion and made the excise and commercial taxes minister. Once you’ve been elected you can expect your palms to be constantly greased by contractors and other favour-seekers and I want to study their sub-cutaneous texture. My word, quite a pair of palms you’ve got out there. They must be able to take a tremendous amount of greasing without attracting the unpleasant attention of the CBI, the vigilance commission and the anti-corruption bureau.”

“Let me now examine your lungs which must be in fine fettle if you’re to conduct yourself effectively as a people’s representative. Take a deep breath and shout at the top of your choice. Ah, that’s good. You’ve caused the plaster to peel off the ceiling and I think you’ll make a good impression in the Lok Sabha.”

“Let me check the joints of your arms. Gesticulate wildly at an imaginary opponent who has accused you of massive corruption and misuse of office to amass wealth disproportionate to your known sources of income. That’s good. Your joints are supple and there’s no sign of any morbid fibroid deposit or arthritis or rheumatism.

“Now for the eye test. Can you read the letters on that chart over there? You can’t because you’re illiterate? Boy, you’re cut out for high elective office.”

“Do you suffer from sea sickness or air sickness? Once you’ve been elected, you’ll be expected to take off on round-the-world jaunts at the tax-payer’s expense once every fortnight. You don’t? That’s good.”

“Now for the most important part of this examination the skull check. Shake your head vigorously up and down and sideways. Mmm... I don’t hear anything and that means your head’s empty.”

“Thank you, Mr Aya Ram. You’ve been most cooperative and let me say that in my 25 years of practice, I’ve never seen a finer physical specimen seeking elective office. Please call again tomorrow and I’ll have your certificate of physical fitness all ready and signed. “Nurse, kindly show Mr Aya Ram out.”

COMMENTARY

Can Pakistan ever be a democracy?
M. S. N. Menon

NO, not in a thousand years!

India took a thousand years to get into the spirit of democracy. That spirit has stayed with us. Today, it is part of our reflex, part of our character, part of our civilisation.

We are told that the recent election in Pakistan was “free and fair.” But what triumphed was not democracy, but fundamentalism — to be precise, Talibanism. This was, of course, feared when the Al-Qaida and Taliban forces took shelter in Pakistan.

Washington is, perhaps, alarmed. But it could have anticipated. It failed to heed the warning. For the first time, religious parties have made an impressive showing in Pakistan. Thanks to Uncle Sam’s ineptitude.

But we will be making a serious mistake if we surmise that the infection is confined to NWFP and Baluchistan. It has infected half the armed forces, the intelligence services and a good part of the bureaucracy.

And yet we were told that, under American pressure, Musharraf was engaged in combatting fundamentalism. That was, of course, a lie. How can it be true when he is the patron of the jehadis in Afghanistan and Pakistan? Only the US State Department can fool itself to believe that he is engaged in promoting democracy. But, then, the USA has always been partial to dictators.

Much has been made of the war against terrorism. What are the facts? Operation Enduring Freedom has not gone beyond Kabul. The rest of Afghanistan is still Taliban and Al-Qaida territory. Will NWFP, Baluchistan and the Pashtoon territories of Afghanistan strike for independence? If they do, Punjab will be isolated. And Sindh may like to break loose from Pakistan.

Today the Taliban (mostly Pashtoons) and Al-Qaida forces are re-grouping in Afghanistan and Pakistan to take over the region. And Bin Laden and Mullah Omar are still there to guide these forces. The future of Pakistan is indeed bleak. Hence the continuing danger to India.

How is it that democracy failed to take root in Pakistan? For good many reasons: because, for one, for more than half its life, it has been under military rule. And the military rulers not only suppressed democracy, but also encouraged the anti-democratic forces.

But there are more profound reasons for the failure of democracy. And it has to do with Pakistan’s genesis. The region of Pakistan was notorious for its feudal and tribal background. More so the Punjab. It provided soldiers to the British empire. Naturally, the British extended special patronage to these feudal elements. The region was rich and fertile, had the best irrigation system and was dominated by Muslims. They did not support the demand for Pakistan. Why should they, when they were already masters of the region?

The demand for Pakistan came from areas where the Muslims were in a minority. That is from the Gangetic plain and peninsular India. If they had migrated to the Pak region, they would have perhaps changed the dynamics of Pakistan. But they did not. When partition did take place, only a few million left. But even they were not welcome in Pakistan. They had to live in ghettoes and were called mohajirs. Thus, they had no impact on the character of Pakistan. Jinnah’s dream turned into a nightmare.

So, the areas which fell to Pakistan remained feudal and anti-democratic. It has remained so even to this day.

Parties and politicians were equally responsible for the failure of democracy. Even after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed by the military regime, his daughter, Benazir, did nothing to curb the power of the army and the intelligence services.

As for Nawaz Sharif, he encouraged the growth of the very forces — the fundamentalists — who were anti-democratic. For their want of gumption, they are cooling their heels in foreign lands today.

True, twice there were “fair” elections in Pakistan: once in 1953 when the Bengalis threw out the Muslim League from East Pakistan. Naturally, the Punjabi establishment was so enraged that it dismissed the East Pakistan government. The second time was in 1970, when Mujibur Rahman won the national election. Again, the western wing of Pakistan could not permit the ascendence of the East.

The military rulers have made a mockery of democracy. Thus both Zia-ul-Haq and Musharraf held fraudulent “referendums” to establish their legitimacy. But only 5 per cent of the electorate voted for Zia and 10 per cent voted for Musharraf!

But in the final analysis, the failure of democracy in Pakistan has to do with the nature of Islam and the role played by religion ins society.

Musharraf told mediamen on May 4, 2002, “Allah has placed me in this position.” Naturally, what God had proposed, no man could set aside. It is as simple as that in Pakistan. And he claimed, he was carrying out the “vision” of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan!

One would think that the Pakistanis are deeply religious. This is by no means the case. Justice Munir of Pakistan posed the question: “What is Islam and who is a Muslim?” during an enquiry. This is what he writes after his extensive talks with the Ulemas and Maulanas: “No two learned divines agreed on this fundamental.” No wonder, Pakistan is a highly arbitrary society. There can never be any consensus (Ijma) although Muslim societies are based on Ijma. Ijma is thus a fraud in these circumstances.

By insisting on the finality of the Prophet’s revelation and the immutability of both the Koran and the Sunnah, Islam has denied itself self-renewal. Early Islam, however, did produce an intellectual class — the Mutazilites. There was growth of philosophy and science. But all these were suppressed when free enquiry led to loss of faith. By emphasising the primacy of the Umma, the individual was devalued, and Ijma was misused to suppress dissent.

Indeed, the concept of democracy can threaten both Umma and Ijma, for it encourages individualism. But individualism is taboo in Islam. But where there is no individualism, there can be no democracy.

Good lovers make good writers

GOOD lovers make the best writers about sex, says Israeli novelist Amos Oz, whose books include ample doses of passion.

“There is no difference in writing about sex and having sex,” Oz told Reuters at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

“If you are vulgar in both, or clumsy or totally predictable, it’s bad. If you manage to be original, sensitive and inventive, then you are probably likely to be a good lover and also write well about making love.”

“There is no difference between writing about sex and writing about the sunset. If it is a cliche, it is bad,” he continued. “If it is fresh and inventive and playful, it is good.”

Oz was in Frankfurt to promote his most recent novel “The Same Sea”, about a widower whose son’s girlfriend moves in with him and the seduction that follows.

He calls the book an orgy, but asked if that is not a misleading synopsis or sales hype, he quickly justified his description.

“It is true because all the characters in this novel are all the time craving to penetrate one another in every possible way. Emotionally and sexually.

“I am not saying they are actually doing it all the time, but they are craving to do it, which is what I meant when I said I have written an orgy,” Oz said.

The novel, written in alternating verse and prose, is a collection of vignettes of life, not just sex.

“I don’t think I could write an entire book about sex just as I could not write an entire book about digestion,” said Oz, a political liberal whose work often focus on Israeli culture and anti-Semitism.

“It is not possible because there is no such thing as a detached sex out of context, except in very miserable pornography,” he said. “A good sexual experience, as well as a good piece of writing about sexual experience, always has a context.”

Born in Israel in 1939 to eastern European immigrant parents, Oz’s best known work, “My Michael”, is a psychological portrait of an Israeli woman during the 1967 Middle East war.

In the novel, a Jerusalem wife caught in a deteriorating marriage fantasises about being raped by Arab twins who plan a grenade attack in Israel.

In forging fiction about sex or anything else, a writer must have real-life experience, said Oz, who won the Frankfurt Book Fair peace prize a decade ago.

“Nothing ever comes purely from the imagination, because if we were only born with imagination and no eyes and no ears and no fingers, our imagination would have remained empty,” he said. Reuters

TRENDS & POINTERS

All about PM’s VVIP flight

‘YOUR palace in the sky’ is emblazoned on the 22-year-old Boeing 747 Krisnadevaraya that became the Prime Minister’s “palace on wings” during his five-day visit to Cyprus, Denmark and the UK. This aircraft was remodelled to accommodate the Prime Minister and his entourage which consisted of his immediate family of daughter, son-in-law and grand- daughter. Also aboard were the official delegation, security including SPG, separate baggage security, doctors, including two physicians and one physiotherapist, an army of assistants and 34 mediapersons.

Twenty-seven Air India personnel fly at all times in this huge aircraft and do not have a moment to rest during the flight unlike in commercial flights. The drill for the remodelling of the plane begins 10 days prior to the VVIP visit. A bedroom is made for the PM in the centre of the aircraft. The front is occupied by the delegation and the back by the media and the SPG.

Dining aboard the Prime Minister’s flight is an epicurean’s dream come true. The representative of the nation has a team from Taj which cooks whatever he wishes to eat. Bur rarely does Mr Vajpayee have a special request. He enjoys whatever is served to him. Solomon and Sadiq, his chefs, know what he likes best.

The rest of the team has Air India chefs pampering them silly. From caviar to the choicest wine, it’s the finest. Lalit Joshi, who is in charge of catering, hunts for ingredients at every stop. And so the meal offers a choice of local and Indian specialities. Danish pastries, Malabar mutton, smoked salmon, toor dal, Danish rolls, figs, Ben and Jerry ice cream, Belgian chocolates, champagne..... the list is endless. It makes one wonder why none of this is available on commercial flights.

The inflight attendants are at their charming best. At a moment’s notice they can whip up a microphone and organise an on-board press conference. They organised a “top of the world” birthday party for the Prime Minister’s grand-daughter Niharika, which was perfect in all ways but one — everyone at her party was at least three times her age! ANI

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

Reading volume after volume

Men tire themselves to exhaustion,

But not one becomes

a real scholar;

Who learns the one word ‘Love’

is the truly learned one.

***

— A Portuguese proverb