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Linking of rivers:
challenges and opportunities On
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In
defence of marriage
The
future world order: a vision Profile Diversities
— Delhi Letter
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On Record
In the murky world that lies
hidden beneath a telescope and antiseptic laboratories, Dr Rajesh Gokhale, a
young scientist and winner of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute
award for path-breaking research in biotechnology, is succeeding in opening new
frontiers in the battle against disease and discovery of new life-saving
antibiotics. Gokhale’s battle to date has been against tuberculosis, where he
has produced significant research. His discovery is on the eve of getting
patented. The scientist hints at beginning research on other diseases too. In a
quiet corner of the National Institute of Immunology (NII), Gokhale and his
team of researchers are at work. Gokhale discusses his ongoing battle against
TB and plans for the future. Excerpts: Q: Did you always plan
working on antibiotics or was this something that developed on its own? A: I
really got my first exposure to antibiotics during my Masters at IIT, Mumbai.
It was at that time that I worked for a brief period at Hoechest in Mumbai and
got my first exposure to drug discovery and on identification of new
antibiotics from soil samples. At that time there were not too many people
working on this subject in India so I applied abroad and joined Stanford
University. Q: What happened at Stanford? A: At Stanford I started
working on how molecules can be bio-synthesised, the basic idea being that you
can use genetic engineering as a tool to manipulate antibiotic producing genes
to produce new molecules. The goal was to decipher mechanisms with which
bio-synthetic pathways or hybrid antibiotics can be generated. One example
being whether you can mix erythromycin and Rififamycin or combine their
potencies to make a new drug. I wanted to, especially, use this theory for
producing a better antibiotic for TB. Currently, most antibiotics for TB take a
long time to show result and also in most cases they work well on first time
users. However, there is a problem in cases of relapse or the disease coming up
a second time. It was around this time that I returned to India and began my
work here at NII. Q: Then began your battle with TB? A: (Laughs).
Yes, if you put it that way. What we discovered at my laboratory (gestures at
the lab and his team of researchers) was specifically that natural producing
enzymes (Polyketidesynthase) are also identified in Mycrobacterium TB, the
organism responsible for causing TB in humans. It was at this juncture that we
asked ourselves the question most crucial to my work, whether Mycrobacterium TB
can produce antibiotics to control TB? For me and my team, this question posed
a formidable challenge and one we resolved to solve. Q: And what did you
discover or should I say uncover? A: What we found out was that these
enzymes from Mycrobacterium TB do not make an antibiotic but they have another
function which is very vital. Q: Ah! You must have felt like Columbus who
discovered America after setting out for India? A: (Laughs). Not
quite, not quite, once you hear the rest. Now, what we discovered was that
these enzymes form the outermost lipid coat of Mycrobacterium TB, which gives
them the benefit of long term survival and this is what makes the disease very
tough to treat. After this discovery, we began working towards identifying
bio-chemical pathways that produce these unusual lipids and then identify
inhibitors which would eventually treat TB. Q: How did you manage this
formidable work? A: Well, we have managed to identify a class of lead
inhibitors or lead compounds that do inhibit Mycrobacterium TB and further
studies including toxicity on this compound are going to be carried out soon.
These lead compounds are currently in the process of being patented. We have
also dissected out the bio-chemical functions of a number of other enzymes that
form Mycrobacterium TB. Q: Did you get the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
grant for this work? A: Yes, I have got this research grant for the year
2005-06 for my work vis-a-vis discovering new antibiotics. This is a
premiere award for scientific research and this is the first time that anyone
in India has got it. Q: Do you come from a medical or scientific
background? How did you get interested in biotechnology? A: (Laughs).
No, on the contrary, I come from a non-science background and was a sports
enthusiast and always wanted to get away from studies. In fact, I had left
biology after my tenth boards and only got interested in it when I was at IIT,
Mumbai. It was back then that I got hooked onto bio-technology and research
became a career for me. It was while working at Hoechest that I got exposed to
identifying new antibiotics through a process of discovering new molecules. The
next step came with my joining Bangalore’s Indian Institute of Science in
1996 for a doctorate in bio-physics. After that, I have never looked back. |
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In defence of marriage Is
it not strange that the long lasting, till ‘the-end’, live-in relationship of Amrita Pritam rarely surfaced in literary discussions during her life time? This relationship, though not accepted in our society, is now being portrayed as something “spiritual” and also symbolic of “feminine freedom” (as if the role of the male person is absolutely non-existent!). Still strange is the fact that while Amrita’s memorable and explicitly emancipated literary writings influenced the whole of Punjabi literature of her times to such an extent that it took a new and enviable turn, her now exalted, “emancipated” physical relationship did not find many takers. And one should thank God for such small mercies. A recent
Bollywood film, Salaam Namaste touched on this theme of live-in-relationship, perhaps for the first time in Hindi cinema. It might surprise many to know that even the heroin of the film, Preity Zinta, refuses to agree with her reel-life-character. She reportedly has remarked that “she would never do it in real life because she believes in the institution of marriage”. “It is believed that in India this is a less-traversed lane for girls. Reason being, females out here are expected to be ‘virgins’ till they marry, so a live-in experience reduces her chances of marrying a ‘respectable man’. Social criticism and rejection from parents also add to the dilemma. Moreover, after a break-up, while the males walk out easily it is usually difficult for the females, emotionally and socially, to cope with the distress”. Live-in relationship, a social scourge that allegedly owes its origin in the West where it is still popular, is lately losing its charm even there. However, it is not only Indians or the Asians, settled in the West, who are turning against this social torment. The western world too has become alive to the disadvantages of this apparently bondless relationship. The idea of celebrating ‘World Marriage Day’ that began in Baton Rouge, La., in 1981, when couples encouraged the Mayor, the Governor and the Bishop to proclaim St. Valentine’s Day as “We Believe in Marriage Day” perhaps owes its birth to the decline of the institution of marriage. In 1983, the name was changed to ‘World Marriage Day’, designated to be celebrated each year on the second Sunday in February. It is time every social aspect that degrades the sacred institution of marriage is strongly checked. For, considering the union of male and female couples only through the jaundiced “sexual independence” angle would lead our society to simple animalism where there never existed any such system called
marriage.
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The future world order: a vision The
year is 2018. The European countries comprising the EU are looking up to the power trio of China, India and Russia for economic succour as their dwindling economies and an aging population are adding to their woes. Germany requires 1.2 million migrants annually to offset labour shortages. President George W. Bush’s flawed handling of Afghanistan and Iraq had resulted in the US economy taking a beating with a third of its children living in poverty and more people losing jobs every year. To add to this Hurricane Katrina struck. Even a tsunami would have paled at the intense fury of Katrina While the rich fled in their cars, the poor, the blacks, the old and the sick were left to fend for themselves. Finally it was Iran which proved to be Bush’s Waterloo. On 26th September, 2005, India voted for the EU-3 resolution calling on the International Atomic agency governing board to report Iran’s secretive nuclear programme to the Security Council. Russia, China and Pakistan, all of whom contributed to Tehran’s nuclear activities, abstained. India mollified Iran on the ground that this was a one-time exception to leave more time for negotiations and also to negate any one-sided precipitous action. In 2006 the IAEA referred the matter to the UN Security Council. However, Russia vetoed the resolution. And that is when ‘Big Brother’ stepped in. Israeli fighter-bombers launched a strike on Iran’s power reactor site at Bushehr. The facilities being underground and well protected by anti-aircraft guns and missiles underwent superficial damage. Russia and China immediately issued a stern warning to the USA and Israel to stop any further air strikes at the cost of devastating reprisals. This had the desired result. For the next few years the Middle East was the scene of Sunni-Shia conflicts. After the withdrawal of US and allied troops from Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, internal strife and conflicts between these two sects became the order of the day. The Shia and Kurdish combine battled the Sunni insurgents in Iraq, whereas the Taliban fundamentalists tried their best to destabilize the government in Afghanistan. In this the Taliban, funded and supported by Pakistan’s ISI, created chronic instability. Finally the Shias of Iran combined with their majority partners in Iraq and managed to bring about a semblance of order in Iraq. Afghanistan luckily had well trained security personnel and with the untainted administrative support extended by India managed to bring about a semblance of stable governance. 2012 witnessed the emergence of a combined Iraqi-Iranian Shia oil conglomerate. The proximity of the Iranian oilfields in Azadegan and Yadavran to the Iraqi oilfields around Basra, in an area dominated by Shias on both sides was major contributory factor. They now applied he squeeze on the EU-3 and America’s partner in trade – Japan. This hurt the American and EU economics adversely. China had by now emerged as a major player in the power game, with India not figuring too far behind. While the Chinese economy grew at an average rate of 9 per cent from 2005 onwards, India was at 7 per cent with USA at 3.5 per cent. The latter got a further jolt after the Iraqi/Iranian squeeze. Militarily, China was an even match for the USA, not in terms of the quantity of nuclear warheads, but in its capacity to withstand nuclear strikes. In its fighting abilities, it had a definite edge in the Asian sub-continent.. For India it has been a roller coaster ride. Riding with the tide and dictated by pragmatic self-interests it was on the path to be a super power by 2030. It emerged amongst the top three most attractive global business locations along with China and USA Pakistan too improved economically, but internal strife and military dictatorship took its toll to an extent that it was no longer an enigma for India, despite Kashmir’s status remaining status quo ante. In private China viewed India as a major rival in its quest for super power status and its growing economy and FDI were seen as being at China’s expense. This was not acceptable, especially to China, a militarily more powerful nation. 2015 was the year of trial for India. China, having resolved its border problems with Russia and Pakistan decades ago, now turned to India. With a quarter of its nuclear missile force in Tibet, its intentions were more than clear. Early that year China egged Pakistan to activate its Eastern borders with India. Then, along with the Maoists, who now occupied the hot seat in Kathmandu with a figurative monarchy in place, it upped the ante along the Maoist Ingress Lane. This Lane extended from Kathmandu in Nepal to Bihar, the Bastar region in Madhya Pradesh, and finally onto Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, encompassing well over 50 districts. In June that year China further fortified its naval presence off the coasts of Southern Mynamar and in the Coco Islands. India’s stranglehold was complete and now China had only to go for the jugular. This was the when Japanese intelligence passed on the Chinese plan to India via USA. This plan called for a major offensive from Lhasa through the Chumbi Valley on to the Siliguri Corridor and a Chinese link up with the Jamat-i-Islami headed party in power in Bangladesh. This party had the support of the fundamentalist HUJI (Harkat-ul-Jehad–ul Islami), the Al-Qaida subsidiary in Bangladesh. This offensive could cut off the whole of Eastern India. Coupled with this offensive was a major thrust by ten Regiments (equivalent to our divisions) into Arunachal Pradesh along its earlier ingress i.e. Tawang to Bomdila and thereon to the foothills. The Indian government and the army were dazed at the audacity of the Chinese plans and thereafter went into overdrive, but the task before them was well beyond their capabilities. A wizened, octogenarian Brigadier from the hills got a whiff of it and in private told the Prime Minister. He said, “I have a Golden Retriever at home and it commands my quintet of Dashunds, but when my son comes home with his Great Dane, it hides under our bed and is not to be seen”. The Prime Minister took the hint and agreed to more adjustments in Arunachal Pradesh. This was in addition to the 31,355 sq kms already in Chinese possession. This set the rivalries to rest and by 2018, Indian & China were partners with Russia by their
side. |
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Profile There was a time when Lalu and Nitish were close friends. Three years junior to him in Patna University, Nitish was an ardent supporter of Lalu when he was later elected President of the students’ union. Both began their political career in the dust and din of Jayaprakash Narayan’s “Sampurna Kranti” movement of the early seventies. The post emergency election in 1977 saw emergence of the Janata party as the ruling party and the election of Lalu to the Lok Sabha, but Nitish lost. Both, however, remained close allies and friends and shared a commitment for the empowerment of the backward classes. When Lalu became Bihar’s Chief Minister in 1990, Nitish was his confidant and advisor. According to reports, Lalu was hesitant about arresting L K Advani and stopping his “Rath Yatra” in December 1992, but Nitish advised him to go ahead. As Lalu consolidated his grip over Bihar, he began distancing himself from Nitish. Friendship turned into suspicion and relations between the two strained. Nitish felt humiliated when on a routine visit to Lalu, he was asked to wait outside the Chief Minister’s chamber. Subsequently, Nitish’s photographs were withdrawn from Janata Dal posters. Relations between the two reached a breaking point as suspicion turned into hostility. Nitish walked out of the Janata Dal and formed the Samata Party in 1994. In the year 2000, he became Chief Minister of Bihar but his rule lasted just seven days. In February 2005 as he was preparing to stake his claim to form the government, the assembly was dissolved. Now he has got what he pined for and also settled scores with his friend turned “arch enemy”, Lalu Prasad. The road ahead for Nitish is bumpy, challenges are enormous and peoples’ expectation high. Lalu may be down but he is not out and looking for an opportunity to strike. In his two-decade long political career, Nitish received a set back only once when he lost the election to the Lok Sabha in 1977 but was elected to the Bihar assembly in 1985. He entered the Lok Sabha in 1989 and since then he never lost an election. The present one is his sixth consecutive term in the lower house. Though only 54, he has acquired vast administrative experience as union minister. During the NDA rule he held the portfolios of Railways, Agriculture and Surface Transport but made a mark in the Rail Bhavan. His visit to Delhi’s Press Club for a question-answer session was followed by opening of a rail-reservation counter in the club premises. Doubtless, the counter has been a great help for scribes traveling by train and others associated with the profession. More than administrative experience, Nitish’s grooming in politics began at a very young age and by the time he entered his thirties he had known all the ropes of the weird world of politics . When the Samata Party was plagued by power struggle in 2003, Nitish resigned as Railway Minister. He was, apparently, hurt by a campaign unleashed by some of his party MPs leveling allegations of corruption against him, and the party chief George Fernandes was doing nothing to stop it. Nitish may be anything but he is not corrupt and a clean image in public life has been his biggest asset. So deeply was he hurt that he wrote to the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that he was putting up his papers and that the allegations against him should be probed. Nitish comes from a humble background and his ancestral house in Bakhtiarpur town, near Patna, looks like a common man’s abode. Living there is his mother, Parmeshwari Devi and elder brother Satish. After casting his vote in the last phase , Nitish went straight to his mother to seek her blessings and it worked; he is now Chief Minister of Bihar. Nitish is the son of a village vaid, Kaviraj Ram Lakhan Singh, who wanted his son to become an engineer. It was with this objective that Kaviraj sent his son to Patna University’s Engineering College and Nitish obtained a bachelor’s degree. But destiny had a much bigger role cut out for him. A landmark in Nitish’s life was his meeting with a school teacher, Manju Kumari, when he was struggling during the JP movement. Both were married in 1973 and have only one son, who is, incidentally, an engineering student. Contrary to the present political culture, mother and son are hardly seen in
public. |
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Diversities — Delhi Letter I have just about managed to return home
after being caught in a two hour long nasty traffic snarl — marriage knots
are being tied here in bulk, never mind that they are getting untied in their
hundreds, going by recent statistics of couples applying for divorce here in
the national capital. But it was worth the trouble of being caught in the
serpentine queue of cars; for it was an evening complete with the poetic verse
of Pakistan’s leading poet, Zahra Nigaah. Low profile and intense looking,
she rendered her ghazals and nazms for over an hour. Here goes Zahra’s much
in demand sher: Shikwa-e-daaro rasan / baais-e- ruswaaie hai / hamne har
haal mein jeene ki kasam khai hai (If you are complaining about hurdles
this will get you nothing except infamy; be determined to live on, come what
may). I think this little verse holds true for most of us who survive the
daily survival grind. And are determined to go on in spite of everything.
Forget that trite term India-China bhai bhai. There’s
a new one in circulation and this one is — Chindia. No, it is not my
invention. In fact, ambassador A.N. Ram said at a meet on ‘China and South
Asia’ that this particular term is currently in vogue as there are growing
similarities between the two countries in terms of GDP, economic power, and
energy. He added that the hostility between the two countries was not destined
to be permanent, and today China stands as India’s second trading partner
(the first being the US). There has to be therefore a ‘live and let live’
policy vis-à-vis China for economic and strategic stability. Professor Shri
Prakash of the Academy of Third World Studies went on to elaborate that in
2005 alone, "half a million visas were issued by the Chinese embassy
situated here for those travelling to China and out of these 70 % were for
Indians travelling to China. In fact, it was a two day national seminar –
jointly organized by the Centre for Social and Political Studies and the
Academy of Third World Studies (Jamia Millia Islamia) — in which several
speakers held out the growing importance of China, not just in this continent
but in the changing world order. Of course, not to be overlooked is China’s
foreign policy with the other neighbouring countries of Nepal, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, and Afghanistan. There is also the fact that in 2004, China became
the third largest exporter in the world. And its crucial strategic positioning
in the subcontinent points to several political dimensions. But the very term
Chindia seems rather positive!
Raj pe dil lag gaya Last
fortnight saw the release of AP Bhatnagar’s book, The Oudh Nights –Nawabs,
Wazirs, Kings and Begums of Lucknow (Shubhi Publications). And the very
title relays what lies in the book so I’m not going into details but what I
found absolutely interesting was the fact that this book was released by a
great grandson of Wajid Ali Shah, Prince Nayyer Quder. And the Prince blasted
the British for maligning Wajid Ali Shah and for the political games that they
played. But, then, ironically, this Prince opted to settle down in the UK and
today commutes between London and Calcutta — his base in India. And after
he had spoken about the systematic way in which Wajid Ali Shah’s reputation
stood ruined by the British together with the very collapse of the Awadhi
rule, I had to ask him why he opted to settle down in the UK. He mumbled words
to the effect that he "went there for studies, and bas, dil lag gaya!"
Still
missing Every month for the last few years the APDP (Association of
Parents of Disappeared Persons) holds a meet in Srinagar on the 25th of
November to remind the people and the government that till date there are over
8000 missing young men in the Kashmir Valley. If I am not mistaken the numbers
of the disappeared hasn’t ebbed. They were picked up by the various agencies
and security forces for interrogation and never really returned back. This
year the supporters of APDP in New Delhi are planning to hold a dharna here
this week-end, so that awareness is created. As the activists put it:
"Getting nowhere, the family members of these victims of involuntary or
enforced violence formed APDP in 1998". Hope was re-kindled when the
Mufti Mohammed led PDP pledged in its election manifesto in 2002 to institute
a judicial inquiry. After coming to power this was forgotten. On September
16th, 2005, a support group in Delhi was formed and similar groups will be
formed in other states, for those who disappeared in different regions and
states of the country. |
Running away for fear for death, leaving one’s dear ones, temples or music to take care of themselves, is irreligion; it is cowardice. — Mahatma Gandhi They who have meditated on the Name, have earned merit through hard endeavour. Their faces radiate glory, and many shall find liberation through them. — Guru Nanak “It is God, Unique, God the Ultimate. God does not reproduce and is not reproduced. And there is nothing at all equivalent to God.” — Islam You may pluck out my eyes, but that cannot kill me. You may chop off my nose, but that will not kill me. But blast my belief in God, and I am dead. —
Mahatma Gandhi |
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