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Tackling Musharraf Toppling games |
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Jet flies away with Sahara
Gambols and gambits in Kashmir
Last remains to last less
Elections in West Bengal A laugh a day may keep heart attack away Delhi Durbar
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Tackling Musharraf
The India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi ended with the composite dialogue process showing some forward movement despite terrorism continuing to pose a serious threat to it. There was convergence of opinion on a few fresh confidence-building measures (CBMs) and security-related proposals. If everything goes well, soon a truck service will be allowed on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route for trade in permitted items and there will be bus services on the Jammu-Sialkot and Kargil-Skardu routes for promoting people-to-people interaction. It appears that India’s proposal for minimising the risk of nuclear accidents or unauthorised use of weapons of mass destruction may lead to an agreement between the two sides soon. It will be a development of far-reaching consequence, earning appreciation from the world community. The exchange of views on certain military-related issues is bound to prevent an escalation of tension in the border areas. General Pervez Musharraf’s “out of box” ideas on Kashmir like the demilitarisation of Srinagar, Kupwara and Baramula districts and self-governance were rightly rejected. Such trial balloons are meaningless when there can be no comparison between the track records of India in its border state of Jammu and Kashmir and of Pakistan in the occupied part of Kashmir and the Northern Areas (Baltistan, Gilgit and the Frontier Ilaqas). J and K is a democratically governed state, enjoying greater autonomy than any other part of India. As against this, the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are living in a pitiable condition and the whole world knows about it. It is surprising why Pakistan is unable to understand India’s categorically stated position that New Delhi cannot entertain ideas aimed at redrawing of boundaries. No government in India can afford to think on such lines, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told General Musharraf in New York last year. Instead of wasting its energy on such matters, Pakistan should concentrate on honouring its commitment on eliminating terrorism, which continues to give jolts, at times too serious, to the peace process. The very existence of the terrorist networks on the other side of the divide constitutes a serious impediment on the road to peace. Of course, we have to keep the dialogue process alive till it reaches its logical conclusion, but with a renewed focus on uprooting terrorism. |
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Toppling games
WEDNESDAY’S developments in Bangalore have cast a shadow on the stability of the 18-month-old Congress-led Dharam Singh government in Karnataka. These will have an adverse effect on the country’s most progressive and forward looking state. With a major chunk of the Janata Dal (Secular) members, led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s son, Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy, having withdrawn support to the ministry and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the government seems to be sitting on the brink. In the 224-member Assembly, the Congress has 64 members. If 46 of the 59 JD (S) members have walked over to the BJP, which has a huge strength of 79, it would be easy for the JD (S)-BJP combine to form the government. It plans to run the government rotationally, similar to the one in Jammu and Kashmir. Governor T.N. Chaturvedi has asked Chief Minister Dharam Singh to prove his majority in the State Assembly by January 27. This is right because the Assembly is the only proper forum to test the majority of the government. Nobody will believe that Mr Deve Gowda is not a party to the current toppling game from behind the scene. He reportedly said that if Mr Kumaraswamy is made the Chief Minister, he could convince his son not to withdraw support from the Congress. If it is true, apparently, Mr Deve Gowda wants to capture power in Karnataka through his son. Unfortunately, Karnataka is in for a fresh bout of political instability. This is sad because the state is always regarded as a model for the significant strides it has made in information technology, e-governance, science and technology. One cannot approve of toppling games of any kind as these will affect the investment climate and overall pace of development in the country. Continued bickering between the coalition partners has affected the functioning of the state government. It is a moot point whether the present ministry survives or not. But it is doubtful whether an alternative arrangement can guarantee political stability. If the state has to show results and march forward, its government needs to be given an opportunity to work for some time instead of being toppled by opportunistic alliances. |
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Jet flies away with Sahara
By acquiring Air Sahara for Rs 2,200 crore in the biggest-ever deal in India’s civil aviation history, Jet Airways will not only get additional aircraft, pilots, technical staff, cabin crew and parking slots, but also, more significantly, emerge as the dominant private airline with a 53 per cent market share and only a government-owned Indian to compete with. That is a worrying development. Signed after days of media speculation and hard bargaining, the Jet-Sahara deal has raised fears about the emergence of a cartel or a monopoly situation where air fares and routes can be manipulated and barriers raised against the entry of new players to shut off competition. Controlling one-third of the air traffic, Indian Airlines, lately renamed as Indian, has considerably improved its performance over the years, but it still carries the government baggage and is not aggressive enough to meet the emerging situation. Although there are eight domestic airlines and six more are waiting to take off, Jet Airways has landed itself in a position of advantage. Lack of competition is bound to hurt the travelling public. It is because of competition that air travel has come within the reach of the middle class and sparked a boom in the aviation sector. Telecommunication is another area where mobile telephony has spread far and wide due to competition and falling rates. In the given scenario, it becomes a duty of the government to prevent the formation of any cartels. Unlike the US and Europe where the anti-trust laws are strict, India is still trying to put in place a legal framework to prevent monopolies from dictating the market. A competition commission has been set up, but doubts are already being raised about its role and effectiveness. There are too many limiting clauses and the coming Budget session may witness amendments to the recently enacted competition law. If civil aviation has not grown yet the way the telecom sector has, it is partly because of the absence of a TRAI-like regulator for the sector. The government will have to move fast to calm the fears arising from the Jet-Sahara merger. |
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Nothing is so impenetrable as laughter in a language you don’t understand.
— William Golding |
Gambols and gambits in Kashmir
The India-Pakistan peace process has slowed down since the earthquake that devastated parts of J&K last year. Pakistan was traumatised by the scale of the disaster that numbed both the government and Army’s response but saw jihadi elements resurface to lead the rescue and relief effort along the LoC. This suggests that despite Pakistani protestations that various terrorist groups had been banned and their camps removed, these elements continue to exist under new names and in different locations. Some of the cross-border strikes into J&K after October 8 would also suggest that some of these elements saw in the earthquake an opportunity to infiltrate across the LoC where militancy has been active through the winter. This explains India’s cool reception to President Musharraf’s recent call for a further round of cricket diplomacy, with Dr Manmohan Singh visiting Pakistan to witness one of the on-going cricket Test matches on the sidelines of another tête-à-tête on Kashmir. Pakistan has coupled this overture with suggestions that India should order military withdrawals from Kupwara, Baramula and Srinagar districts, with Pakistan simultaneously persuading insurgent groups to cease fire. Further, both sides should announce self-governance in the five regions of J&K on either side of the LoC and move to establish some kind of condominium over the state as a whole. These could be far-reaching proposals in themselves but for the fact that cross-border activity continues to thrive notwithstanding professions and promises to the contrary. To make a precondition of Indian military withdrawals before cross-border terror is called off (and in J&K alone) presupposes that the jihadis are directly controlled by Pakistan — which has all along been India’s contention, and not without solid proof — and is reminiscent of Jinnah’s offer to call off the tribal invasion of J&K in 1947 should India agree to withdraw its forces and seek a negotiated settlement. In both cases the victim is being asked to lay down his guard to create a “level playing field” for the aggressor ! Pakistan’s justification for making these demands on India is that President Musharraf has made a U-turn on J&K and is under heavy pressure from the religious right, the jihadis and the opposition. However, notwithstanding his own contribution to exacerbating the situation since Kargil, it would be in India’s interest to provide General Musharraf an exit. But there are limits to what the Indian Government can do. Despite a measure of bipartisanship in carrying forward the peace process, Dr Manmohan Singh cannot altogether ignore the ground realities — in terms of terror attacks and grievous casualties. He too has to contend with an Opposition and public opinion. The other factor is that the Indian part of J&K has a democratic government elected through what has been internationally certified as free and fair elections. It also enjoys a very large measure of self-government that vests it with greater autonomy than virtually any other state in the country. The Government of India has also announced its readiness to negotiate further autonomy. Contrast this with the situation on the Pakistan side where the so-called Azad J&K Government functions on the basis of a constitution given to it and controlled by Pakistan and in which the determining factor is obedience to “the ideology of accession to Pakistan”. The AJK Council controls the budget and is presided over by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The trappings are in Muzaffarabad; the substance remains in Islamabad. The position of the Northern Areas (Baltistan, Gilgit and the other Frontier Illaqas) is even more pathetic. The region has no constitution of its own or any constitutional rights under the Pakistan constitution. It is a pure colony and has suffered demographic change in a bid to neutralise its Shia-Aga Khani-Nurbakshi (Sufi) preponderance. The Northern Areas give Pakistan strategic depth and contiguity with China. Further, in any condominium, one of the partners, Pakistan, has so amended its constitution as to vest ultimate power in its military through a national security council. Taken together, all these factors seriously undermine Pakistan’s latest opening bid. Yet, this is far in advance of anything Pakistan has put forward earlier. So, rather than close the door, India should be willing to listen to more nuanced propositions that might offer a more realistic basis for talks. Three further things remain to be done. The first is to help Pakistan de-mythify its position on J&K. For 58 years, Pakistanis have fed themselves a rich diet of make-believe with regard to the underlying facts pertaining to J&K. Over the years myth has become reality for newer generations. The Kashmir story therefore needs to be retold and India could not do better than reprint and make widely available some earlier texts like Sisir Gupta’s and B.L. Sharma’s books on J&K. Even Indians need to be re-educated, as all that the past two generations have heard is Pakistan’s outpourings while the Government of India has maintained a lofty and increasingly uninformed silence. Indian public opinion too must be educated on the facts so that whatever concessions the country makes on J&K — and it should do so in its own larger and longer-term interests — are made from a position of moral strength and not be seen as shabby compromises that gloss over past guilt. Finally, India must move briskly to start talking on further internal autonomy for and within J&K with all sections of opinion in the state. The Prime Minister met the Hurriyat earlier and has now met Sajjad Lone. The time has come to consider a round-table conference to clinch the issues of autonomy, alienation and return of the Pandits. There are wounds to heal and need for a new compact that truly ushers Naya Kashmir. This can be a unilateral initiative as part of an overdue internal settlement in parallel with a settlement with Pakistan. The first will catalyse the second. But none need wait for the
other. The writer is a veteran journalist.
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Last remains to last less
THE problem of appropriate disposal of the human remains is, naturally enough, as old as man himself and the solutions worked out show very considerable variety. And occasionally some difficulty: one instance is when the Muslims would not allow the Parsees to be buried in the ground as they considered only Muslims good enough for such burials and the Parsees regarded fire to be too sacred to be used for any cremation. Hence possibly the device of disposal through a Tower of Silence. In modern times, however, the difficulties have increase manifold. For one thing, the cost of funerals has skyrocketed to make it beyond the reach of most the people. In fact, a wag remarked they have become so expensive that one has to hesitate a great deal before deciding to die. For another, land for burial is now so scarce, especially in the western countries, that enough is just not available for all the graves. That is the reason the expedient is being considered seriously of burying bodies standing up vertically instead of laying them down horizontally. That saves space and the casket being made of biodegradable material the land can be re-used for cultivation after a few years. Actually a project on those lines has already been started in Australia and might soon be copied elsewhere. The scientific mind has taken this idea many steps further: the body will be frozen, dipped in liquid nitrogen and pulverized before burial. This method, it is said, could prove more environmentally friendly than cremation and there is no argument against it on ethical grounds either: cold and heat are in essence two sides of the same coin. The inventor, a Swedish biologist, has patented the process in 35 countries and the interest shown in it has been colossal. In her words, “it is almost easier to say that it is only Antarctica that has not called”. After the cold bath the now brittle body is shattered to a powder which is dried and stripped of any metal parts such as dental fillings. It is then put in a coffin made of corn starch and buried in a shallow grave and gets converted into soil within a matter of months. A bush or tree can be planted above the coffin and stands as a symbol of the dead person. Tailpiece: An elderly gentleman feeling rather flirtatious says to the pretty young waitress, “Darling, where have you been all my life”? She replied, “Well, sir, I think I was not born for some 40 years of
it”. |
Elections in West Bengal Close on the heels of its spectacular success in Bihar, the Election Commission has geared up to hold free and fair elections in five states — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Pondicherry. Of these, the commission will perhaps face the toughest challenge in West Bengal. The detection of large-scale irregularities in the distribution of photo identity cards to the voters in West Bengal raises disturbing questions on the efficiency and integrity of the state government staff on election duty. How could they rush through the distribution of 92 per cent of the identity cards when elections are due in May? Why were these cards distributed in bulk and not to the individual voters after due verification in conformity with the commission’s guidelines? Questions arise on the officials’ audacity to issue a large number of bogus ration cards on which voting rights have been secured. Unfortunately, the CPM is not given to acknowledging mistakes but the contradictions on this and other questions have become all too glaring. Accurate and foolproof photo identity cards are a must for holding free and fair elections. As the photo identity card is the voter’s passport to enter the polling booth and exercise his/her franchise, the very foundation of democracy rests on this valuable document. The commission’s decision to send 19 observers to the state, including Mr K.J. Rao, Adviser, to cross-check the electoral rolls assumes significance in this context. After receiving the feedback from the observers on January 18, the commission found that a large number of officials had failed to do their duties. It warned of strict action if they flouted the guidelines. Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon has reiterated time and again that the commission will be happy to replicate the Bihar model in West Bengal. Though this underlines his commitment to hold orderly elections in this state, buoyed by the commission’s success in Bihar, the commission may find it difficult to replicate the model. In Bihar, the commission got a free hand to hold elections as the state was under President’s rule. More important, as law and order was the main problem in Bihar, the commission deployed adequate paramilitary forces in the state and kept a tight rein on criminals and the bahubali gang. The state police was virtually marginalised in the entire exercise because of the preponderant role played by the paramilitary personnel. West Bengal, however, is a complex state. See the furore raised by the Left Front and the state government on this issue when the commission sent a directive to the Writers’ Building in Kolkata, the seat of power of the state government. Encouragingly, the commission refused to be cowed by the criticism of its actions by the ruling Left Front. It has taken several measures to ensure orderly elections. First, it has fixed February 15 as the deadline for the distribution of photo identity cards for all eligible voters. Its mantra will be “No photo card, no vote”. Secondly, dead voters will be weeded out in consultation with the death records. Thirdly, all state government employees working at a place for three consecutive years will be transferred. The list of employees will include those from the Kolkata Police as well. And finally, there will be no polling booth within 200 metres of any political party office. While these steps are laudable, the commission should be extra vigilant to prevent rigging of any kind. It has to deal with a cadre-based coalition that has been in power for the past 29 years. The CPM, especially, has various outfits like government employees’ associations, CITU, the All Bengal Primary Teachers’ Association, the All Bengal Teachers’ Association, clubs and coordination committees. If reports were to bear scrutiny, these outfits prevent the deletion of names of dead or those who have moved to another constituency. Subsequently, the cadres enlist underage adolescents as also the unborn and exclude the names of those that are unlikely to vote for the CPM, even if they have duly applied with all the necessary documents. No wonder, these fake votes are eventually cast by the apparatchiks. The commission would do well to implement the report of Mr Afzal Amanullah (a Bihar cadre IAS officer) for preventing rigging. As the commission’s Special Observer in West Bengal during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he recommended, among others things, a prominent display of the electoral rolls to enable voters to object to “deletion” and “revision”; easy access of commission officials by the public to file complaints; secrecy of the polling booth by putting the polling compartments away from windows; and no election duty for primary and secondary school teachers and Home Guards. Significantly, Mr Amanullah suggested that polling should not take place unless the Central paramilitary forces are posted in each and every polling booth. Polling agents of all major political parties should be present inside the booth so that agents are not intimidated. He suggested a physical check of every booth and dry ration for the patrolling parties and polling officials to avoid “lunch-time rigging”. Meanwhile, the commission has tightened the rules on campaigning to keep track of expenditure of the political parties and the candidates. First, all parties should provide prior information regarding the use of aircraft for campaigning. Secondly, two-wheelers used for campaigning will be included in the candidates’ election expenditure. And finally, political parties should provide the list of leaders campaigning for their candidates within seven days from the date of election notification to the commission. The commission is bracing itself to face the challenge in West Bengal. Just as it had come out with flying colours in Bihar, it has the capacity to do a Bihar in Bengal. The Election Commission will have to succeed for the sake of democracy.  |
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A laugh a day may keep heart attack away
Watching a good comedy could be as effective as going for a run in boosting health, according to groundbreaking research that links laughter to the healthy function of the blood vessels. Scientists found that a spell of hearty laughter causes the tissue that forms the inner lining of the blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate, increasing the blood flow in the same way as a bout of aerobic exercise. The finding adds to evidence that a laugh a day may help keep a heart attack away. Michael Miller, the director of the Centre for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland, who has studied the healing power of laughter for a decade, said: “The old saying that laughter is the best medicine definitely appears to be true when it comes to protecting your heart.” For his study, 20 young healthy volunteers were assigned to watch 15-minute segments of distressing films, such as Stephen Spielberg’s film about the Normandy landings, Saving Private Ryan, and funny ones such as the comedy There’s Something About Mary. Researchers monitored blood flow in the brachial artery in the arm of each volunteer before and after each film segment. They found blood flow was reduced in 14 of the 20 participants after watching distressing clips and increased in 19 out of the 20 after funny clips. The difference in flow between happy and sad responses exceeded 50 per cent. The findings are published in the journal Heart. Dr Miller said: “The magnitude of change we saw in the endothelium is similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic activity, but without the aches, pains and muscle tension associated with exercise. “We don’t recommend that you laugh and don’t exercise but we do recommend that you try to laugh on a regular basis. Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week and 15 minutes of laughter daily is probably good for the cardiovascular system.” Previous research has shown that laughter lowers blood pressure, boosts immune function and triggers the release of endorphins in the brain, the body’s natural opiates, which produce a sense of wellbeing. Judy Goldblum-Carlton, a humour therapist at Maryland University, said: “When you laugh heartily, every organ is being massaged including your heart, lungs and digestive system. Headaches can just go away” Mirth and its medical benefits *Lowers blood pressure *Reduces stress hormones *Provides a work-out for the diaphragm *Reduces pain *Increases immune function and aids healing *Promotes muscle relaxation *Exercises the heart *Boosts the circulation *Improves breathing *Has no known negative side-effects
— The Independent |
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Delhi
Durbar The 10 Lok Sabha MPs expelled for their involvement in the cash-for-query scam are worried about the announcement of byelections from the constituencies they represented and many of them are now seeking legal opinion how the Election Commission can be restrained from announcing the poll date. At least five to six MPs, belonging to different parties, are frequenting lawyers in the Supreme Court complex these days and some of them even were found inquiring from media persons if the EC had made any announcement recently about holding the byelections for the seats falling vacant due to their expulsion in the wake of the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court notices on their writ petitions. Their worries are compounded with both courts rejecting their plea for the grant of a stay on elections from their constituencies while admitting their writ petitions.
Cabinet meetings The Congress led UPA government has been taking pride in saying that the Manmohan Singh government has held the maximum number of Cabinet meetings in a calendar year and cleared a record number of proposals. The Cabinet was told that it had held 136 meetings since the Congress-led UPA government came to power.
Lobbying for NCM post National Committee for Minorities Chairman Tarlochan Singh completes his three-year term next month. Appointed by the BJP-led NDA government, Tarlochan Singh managed to retain his job though there were quite a few in the UPA baying for his head. Meanwhile, lobbying has begun for the NCM Chairperson’s job.
Joshi’s travails continue A bird tells us that former BJP General Secretary Sanjay Joshi is having a hard time convincing the RSS bosses that he is not the one caught on the sleaze CD, which led to his downfall in the midst of the saffron brigade’s national executive meeting in Mumbai last month. Even though he has tried his best to convince the RSS brass of his innocence, the celibate leaders are unwilling to take anything hook, line and sinker.
Metro to ease parking woes By March-end when the Delhi Metro gets rolling till Indraprastha, visiting fairs and exhibitions like the Auto Expo and the India International Trade Fair at the Pragati Maidan will become a lot easier. For one, it will take care of the perpetual parking blues in the area, which become worse when such exhibitions and fairs get going in full swing in the afternoon. But what remains beyond comprehension is why the people have to face the heartburn of having to go around in circles, disdainfully shooed away by irate traffic policemen, to find a parking spot for their cars despite such occasions being a regular feature of Delhi’s lifestyle for ages now. The pain becomes worse when one is going to see latest cars India has to offer in an exhibition like Auto Expo-2006.
———— Contributed by S.S. Negi, R Suryamurthy, S Satyanarayanan and Vibha Sharma. |
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October 17, 1923
Madame Pavlova, the greatest Russian dancer, has paid tribute to the East. Of the new ballets she produced during her London season at Convent Garden Opera House, which closed last night, two were Indian and one Japanese. The music for the Indian items was composed by an Indian lady: Miss Comalata Banerji, daughter of the Dewan of Mysore; and the dancers were trained by Mr Uday Shankar. The result was something typically Indian and has been greatly appreciated by discerning critics. “A Hindu Wedding” was sparkling and splendid and gave an opportunity for nautch dancing, but “Krishna and Radha” was a thing of beauty. In stage-setting, colour, movement and music it would be difficult to surpass it. Miss Banerji was handicapped by having to provide for a heavy orchestra of 60, but when on occasion pure melody took the lead the effect was enchanting. |
A devotee who possess satvic bhakti, meditates on God in absolute secret, perhaps inside his mosquito net while others think he is asleep.
— Ramakrishna Swadeshism is a doctrine of selfless service that has its roots in the purest ashima, i.e. love.
— Mahatma Gandhi Thieves, adulterers, prostitutes and pimps keep company together; As do the irreligious who eat and drink out of the same bowl.
— Guru Nanak The knowledge of Truth brings with it power. But if the power be mixed with arrogance, it slides back into ignorance.
— Sanatana Dharma |
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