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Build economic muscle Woes of migrants |
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Over and out
Mumbai-Malegaon blasts
Putting news first
South Korean leads race for
UN Secretary General’s post Flashpoint over Belgaum Is science afraid
of ghosts?
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Build economic muscle AT a time when the whole of Europe is integrating its economy, it is an anachronism that the various states of India should be acting as adversaries. Let alone the whole of the country, there is no synergy between the neighbouring states of North India itself. The piecemeal approach is harming all of them. The special economic zones and other such promotional activities that they are patronising can be meaningful only if they focus on the larger picture and go in for infrastructure sharing. The recipe suggested by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this context during the Northern Chief Ministers’ Conclave on Thursday was in line with the stand taken by this newspaper all along: that Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir should form a single economic zone. Only then can the fruits of industrial development be had in abundance. Right now, there is an unhealthy competition among them, which is self-defeating. They provide unsustainable tax breaks and fiscal incentives to industrial projects, which do little more than generating headlines. Once these four states pool their resources, they can generate enough momentum to draw in other North Indian states. And why stop even at that? There is need to think of a pan-India economy and single market. That can be possible only if the Chief Ministers reorient themselves to the theme of the conference, “removal of barriers to the inter-state trade”. There is slight movement in that direction but much more needs to be done. Unfortunately, there are political as well as financial barriers on the way. If some states are at daggers drawn over river waters, others are fighting over power. If nothing else, there is friction over special packages given to one state or the other. The Chief Ministers will be helping their own cause if they shun the parochial approach. As the Prime Minister pointed out, the free flow of trade can add up to 2 per cent to state growth rates across the region. What a pity that soon after this sensible talk, the traditional differences among the various states came to the fore.
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Woes of migrants AT one level a migrant is a person who moves from place to place to get work. At another level, he is a globetrotter who is in search of the best market for his talent. Punjab is one state in which both kinds of migrants are in large numbers. What are called migrants may also be called emigrants, immigrants or settlers. The perspective of where they are placed in a particular historical setting or their circumstance decides their case but there is no doubt that the major motivation of migration is the search for a better life. For the poor, that remains elusive, as the recent series of reports slugged “Life on the edges” in this paper has revealed. Migrant labourers are exploited by those for whom they work and even by their own kind who act as middlemen or agents. It is obvious that different sets of laws and norms are at play and the migrants get the raw end of the deal. The argument that what they get is better than what they would have got if they had remained in their native places is specious, particularly when their fundamental rights are violated. Historically, migrants have always had a raw deal, especially those of the first generation. It is also universally acknowledged that migrants contribute positively to the economy of the region they migrate to. Their skills and industry make them indispensable, while their progress, especially the improvement of their financial status, gives rise to jealousy among the residents who see their prosperity. The administration and the people at large would do well to acknowledge the contribution of the migrant labour to the state of their adoption. Bonded labour, denial of education to children, lack of basic health amenities, cultural alienation and exploitation — these poor labourers have a lot to deal with. They need to be integrated and given their due status so that they, too, can claim credit for their role as they walk past the edifices built with the bricks they make.
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Over and out THE International Cricket Council’s decision to absolve Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq of ball tampering charges and keep controversial umpire Darrel Hair out, should clear the air ahead of the upcoming Champions trophy. Whatever one may make of the “security reasons” cited for Hair not officiating during the tournament, given the sequence of events he was involved in, it is obvious that his presence would have been an avoidable distraction. Hair’s every decision and every act on the field would have come under intense scrutiny and speculation, which would not have been healthy for anyone involved – the umpire, the players, the ICC, or ultimately, the game itself. Inzamam, of course, has been given a four-match ban for “bringing the game into disrepute.” Pakistan had refused to take the field after tea on the fourth day of the fourth Test match at the Oval against England recently. Before tea, with England batting, Darrel Hair inspected the ball and imposed a five-run penalty on Pakistan for ball-tampering. When Pakistan did not turn up on the field, England was awarded the match on forfeit, a first in Test history. Inzamam is rightly not appealing, as he and his team would be relieved that they have been absolved of the more serious and questionable charge of ball-tampering. But this is not an issue that will altogether go away. After all, the ICC has not taken any action against Hair either, raising the question of whether there was tampering at all. If there was no evidence to punish Inzamam, was Hair then out of line? Clearly, the ICC has decided to steer a middle course here, rather than confront the twin issue of ball-tampering on the one hand, and possibly biased umpiring on the other. If such incidents are not to be repeated, the ICC will have to evolve a system where umpires chosen for its elite panel have unquestionable integrity and competence. And another system to hunt out that villain of the piece — the tampered ball.
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Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change. — Wayne Dyer
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Mumbai-Malegaon blasts
ON July 11, seven blasts in seven suburban trains of Western Railway, Mumbai, killed over 229 persons and wounded over 700. Then came Malegaon blasts in a mosque, killing 37 Muslims and injuring many more, who were in the congregation of the devouts and had come to pray during Shab-e-Barat. Also remember the terrorist attack on the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, on Dec 28, 2005, killing an internationally renowned mathematician and seriously injuring a few other scientists. One may also refer to the statement of our National Security Advisor, made during an interview to CNN-IBN, saying that our nuclear installations are under a “very serious threat” from Lashkar-e-Toiba, which may be planning a major assault and that “it has entered a fairly dangerous phase. LeT was a greater threat than even Al-Qaeda” He further said that the Kaiga nuclear power station in Karnataka was on the hit list of LeT and so were Mazagon Docks, Sebi, Infosys, Wipro etc. It is a three-pronged attack on the integrity of our nation. First, attack on our industrial and technological infrastructure so that foreign investors shy away from investing in India. Second, attack on our nuclear installations and research centres to blunt the respect and command of our scientific community in the international arena. Third, attack Hindu religious places and the professional assets of Hindu community. Simultaneously, also attack Muslim community in the mosques to trigger a communal conflagration, which may ultimately lead to fragmentation of Indian polity. The investigations into the mosque blasts at Malegaon are suggesting that the samples contained a mixture of RDX, ammonium nitrate, petroleum and hydrocarbon oil similar to the ones used in the Mumbai train blasts as also blasts in Delhi and Varanasi. Without ruling out the involvement of non-Muslims, indications are also towards Lashkar-e-Toiba and SIMI. I may refer to the views of Stephen Cohen, a renowned and respected expert on south Asia who has said in his book “The Idea of Pakistan”. “A minority of Pakistani officers went further, arguing that since India, was unviable, Pakistan only needed to give a push and this artificial Hindu state would implode” and that “The dominant view in Pakistan army is that Pakistan can continue to harass soft India. With nuclear weapons, missiles and tough army, Islamabad can withstand considerable Indian pressure as was proved in the last deployment of the Indian army in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Parliament and will usually find international supporters to back it up”. He further says “As for the Islamists, the scenario also assumes that the Establishment will continue to use Islamist forces and outright terrorists as instruments of diplomacy in dealing with its neighbours”. Hussain Haqqani has said in his book “Pakistan Between Mosque and Military” that “Islamist groups have been sponsored and supported by the state machinery at different times….. In the South Asia region, the Islamists have been allies in the Pakistans’ military’s efforts to seek strategic depth in Afghanistan and to put pressure on India for negotiations over the future of Kashmir”. Al-Qaeda has evolved from Headquarters-planned conspiracies towards diffused ideological groups under its overall inspiration. Yosri Fouda, senior investigative reporter in London from Al Jazera satellite television network has said: “I do not really believe there is such a thing as Al-Qaeda, the organisation, there is Al-Qaeda, the mind set”. It is being analysed that the current threat in Europe was from a new generation of recruits who might be much less connected to the core of Al-Qaeda. “The cells that are forming are getting younger and they are forming over the internet”. Islamic extremist movement appears able to “self generate” new terrorists. It appears that India is also getting into this phase as Muslim youth in India seems to be alienated from the mainstream India. Autonomous network of terrorism outside J&K has emerged in India. Outside hand is not ruled out. But this time there is worrisome involvement of local cells made up of “men with normal lives and clean crime slate” which masterminded the attack, chose the target and then executed it with precision. There are reliable reports that Ahle Hadis, a fundamentalist Wahabi sect having Saudi links, has gained ground in Aurangabad in Maharashtra. About 200 young men have joined this sect and their number is increasing. They are setting up small study circles where members are being indoctrinated against India. More and more people are seeking residential accommodation in the same religion-mohalla. Ghettos are being formed. It is a serious matter. If we do not interact enough with different people, we only rely on “homogenised stereotypes instead of individual identities”. According to one psycho-analyst “in a period of rising social tension, social identity dominates, replacing personal identity” and if you are living in the area of the same religious affinities, there is a every possibility of a mob forming and then only with just a short fuse, it may turn violent. Fortunately Malegaon has shown the sprit of brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims. It appears that both the communities have understood and recognised the forces behind these blasts and their nefarious designs. After 9/11 terrorist attacks, psychiatrist Marc Sageman studied 400 terrorists of all origins targeting the US. He found that “three quarters were middle class, educated professionals, 90 per cent came from caring, intact families, 73 per cent were married. 80 per cent felt excluded from society they lived in. Most became religious after joining Jihad. They drifted towards mosques looking for belonging and the identity, not religion”. There is no such culture in India to systematically study the various sensitive social issues. We are a society in a drift. There is no long term strategy of the nation on national security. Our reaction to any terrorist crime is typical of a somnolescent society. After any such crime, we issue statements, send paramilitary forces and assure people about the immediate arrest of the terrorists. Peoples’ memory is very short. They resume their normal avocations till a new strike and then repetition of old shibboleths. We are a strong, multi-religious, multiethnic, multilingual nation but with common thread of the pride of our rich heritage. We must take everybody along in this great march of building a great India. Everyone is a proud citizen of this great nation. Let us be sure about ourselves and not depend upon the US to prevail upon Pakistan to desist from sponsoring terrorists from across the border as it will be obvious from the statement of Dick Cheney, Vice-President of USA, who said on NBC television’s Meet the Press: “The fact is that we have captured and killed more Al-Qaeda in Pakistan than any other place in the world in the last five years” and praised Pakistani President as “a man who has demonstrated great courage under very difficult political circumstances and has been a great ally for the
US”. The writer is former Director General of Police, Punjab
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Putting news first TILL very recently, the BBC used to briefly flash a visual to acquaint TV viewers with the worldwide presence of its reporters for “putting news first”. And at a more modest level, there is the broadcast on the FM Radio proclaiming that, “no one covers North India better than The Tribune. Always first with the news!” That brought to my mind a real-life experience narrated by Rudyard Kipling, how as a cub-reporter way back in 1884 he out-witted several others on the spot, to get the news-scoop first to his newspaper, the Civil and Military Gazette (CMG), Lahore. Now the-CMG was a prestigious daily especially as it was believed to be the ears, eyes and the mouthpiece of the Raj establishment. So when in March 1884, Lord Ripon the Viceroy was to visit the native State of Patiala, the CMG assigned Rudyard to cover that event. After two years of punishing and dreary apprenticeship with the CMG, the Patiala assignment became a memorable break of Rudyard’s life as “Now he found placed at his disposal an elephant, a four-in-hand, and as many horses as he could use daily, and lived like a prince, with sentries, guards of honour, and every consideration...” wrote his biographer. Even though the Maharaja was a minor and the State was under a council of Regeancy but the daily pageantry and display of wealth was overwhelming. “The fantastic jewels, the champagne, the treachery and intrigue” so inspired Rudyard that his copy won him special commendation from the proprietors of the CMG. Rudyard was one among several other correspondents who had descended at Patiala. Now Rudyard wanted to ensure that the CMG was always “Putting News First” about the Viceregal visit. And this is how he did it, in his own words: “I managed to cut down these gentry and get my letters into the papers before any other journal could get ahead of us, by a starlight ride of 16 miles to the nearest railway station and 16 miles back. I left Patiala at 9.20 one night (on a borrowed horse belonging to a native lancer), caught the half past ten train to Lahore and got my letter in. Then my horse shut up and I had to hunt about the platform of the station till I found a trooper of the irregular horse asleep with his beast picketed in the sand. I did’t wake the man but took his horse and tied my tired one to the lance and fled back to Patiala, covering the 32 miles in a trifle less than two and a half hours, getting my letter into the paper next day — to the disgust of the other men.” Going by the distance mentioned, I guess the railway station where he posted his copy to Lahore through the RMS would be Rajpura? With due deference to Kipling, this bit about exchange of horses at the railway platform is rather
fancifull!
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South Korean leads race for
UNITED NATIONS – The leading candidate to succeed Kofi Annan as secretary general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, South Korea’s minister of foreign affairs and trade, has at least one potential advantage over his rivals in the election race for the world’s top diplomat: Ban is the architect of South Korea’s trade and aid policies, so he is responsible for signing trade deals and doling out foreign assistance that sometimes benefits countries with a hand in deciding his fate. Rivals have privately grumbled that South Korea, which has the world’s 11th-largest economy, has wielded its economic might to generate support for his candidacy. They cited South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun’s trade mission earlier this month to Greece, which holds the Security Council’s presidency. The visit, the first by a South Korean leader to Greece since 1961, concluded with the signing of trade and tourism agreements. Ban also was the first senior South Korean minister to visit Congo, another Security Council member, since that country’s independence in 1960. Ban said the insinuations are ``groundless” and that he had arranged the trade mission to Greece long ago to balance a similar mission last year to Turkey, Greece’s regional rival. He said the Congo trip was part of a process of reaching out to countries that Korea has neglected over the years. Like most of the candidates, he has tried to visit all the Security Council nations. “As front-runner, I know that I can become a target of this very scrutinizing process,” he said in an interview Wednesday night. “I am a man of integrity.” The political sniping that has accompanied Ban’s success in the race marks a departure from previous contests for the top U.N. job, which were traditionally conducted behind closed doors. With Annan’s term expiring at year’s end, a field of seven candidates has mounted a global political campaign featuring televised debates, newspaper op-ed pieces and appearances at world and regional summits. To win, a candidate requires the support of at least nine of the 15 members of the Security Council, including its five permanent members. Ban maintained his lead in the race Thursday when the council took its third straw poll, with 13 council members encouraging his candidacy, one discouraging it and one expressing no opinion. He was followed by Shashi Tharoor, an Indian novelist and U.N. civil servant (8-3-4), and Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the only female candidate (7-6-2). The council is scheduled Monday to hold a potentially decisive vote, which for the first time will reveal whether any of the five permanent members have chosen to veto any of the candidates. Tharoor, who was urged by Annan’s office to take a leave of absence from his U.N. job during the election campaign to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest, said it was still possible the council will want ``a two-horse or a three-horse race.” But he conceded in an interview before Thursday’s vote that if Ban strengthens his lead, ``I guess we’ll have to admit that it’s pretty much over.” U.N. officials and other diplomats say that while Ban lacks charisma, he is an experienced and skillful diplomat who knows the United Nations from a stint as Korea’s ambassador there. He also speaks English and French, a prerequisite for the job. Ban has cultivated good relations with China, Russia and the United States as South Korea’s chief negotiator in talks over the fate of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.” We’ve always had the highest professional regard for him,” said John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the world body. Staff researcher Rena Kirsch in Washington contributed to this report. By arrangement with
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Flashpoint over Belgaum Belgaum
has always been an emotive issue for Maharashtra since it went to Karnataka after the reorganization of the States in 1956. In 1966, Senapathy Bapat, a freedom fighter, and three other Maharashtrian leaders went on a fast unto death demanding a resolution of the border dispute with Karnataka. Though the centre formed the Mehr Chand Mahajan Commission to look into the issue, the report did not favour the transfer of Belgaum to Maharashtra. Marathas living in Belgaum did not despair. A political party – the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) – was formed. It has been successfully contesting elections every five years on a single agenda – the transfer of Maratha speaking areas in Karnataka to Maharashtra. The Belgaum City Council, which has also always been dominated by the MES, has been flying the saffron flag atop official vehicles and a saffron flag has fluttered along with the national flag on the Council building since 1956. It has regularly passed resolutions demanding the city be transferred to Maharashtra in 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2001.Other municipalities like Khanpur and 250 MES- dominated ‘gram’ and ‘taluk’ pachayats have also passed similar resolutions, many in recent times. Successive Karnataka governments have tried not to antagonize the Maratha-speaking population which lives on its border areas by ignoring such acts. Last year, then Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, under pressure from Kannada organisations, dissolved both the Belgaum City Council and the Khanpur municipality. Both the bodies had passed resolutions demanding the transfer of the areas to Maharashtra. This action was taken after activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Videke blackened the face of Belgaum Mayor Vijay More when he visited Bangalore. The MES, which had been riddled by factionalism and group fighting and had for the first time bagged two assembly seats in 2001 in the Belgaum area, instead of the usual five, got a lease of life through these acts. The issue catapulted the six – decade old issue back to the front pages of newspapers and set the Karnataka government on a possible collision course with the Maharashtra government. Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has, through his recent actions, ensured that the issue turns into a flash point between the two States. Facing corruption charges and leading a government in which the coalition partners are pulling in different directions, the Chief Minister hit upon a brain wave to deflect attention from himself and create a “pro – Kannada” identity for himself. So was born the decision to hold a special session of the State assembly in Belgaum. A State government which has claimed that it does not have funds for flood relief has chosen to spend Rs 10 crore on holding a special session in Belgaum. It organised a five day session but passed a resolution reiterating that Belgaum was part of Maharashtra and that the Mahajan report on the issue in 1966 was final on the first day itself. This was done to give a befitting reply to the MES which had held a rally in Belgaum to demand the transfer of the city to Maharashtra on the same day. Ironically, by the third day, the State assembly was back to what it has been discussing during the last few sessions – corruption charges against Mr Kumaraswamy. The special session is set to create a flashpoint as it has only helped set up the battle lines. The Maharashtra government, which has taken severe objection to the move, deputed its Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil to the MES rally in Belgaum. He warned Karnataka of a “backlash”if injustice was meted out to Maharashtrians. Kumaraswamy may be appealing to the populist lobby but he may unleash forces he may not be able to control in future. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedeke, an organisation which has regularly used violence to make its point, has announced a State wide bandh on October 4 on the issue. Though the State government has decided to give its support to the bandh, it has no control over the mode the agitation may take. This is because the case is now in the Supreme Court following a petition by Maharashtra, and the court may review the entire case as the Mahajan report is still to be implemented even though it was tabled in parliament in 1970. Maharashtra had then made a representation to include 865 villages and towns (comprising 3,000 square miles or 7,770 sq km) that were in Karnataka but had a relative majority of Marathi-speaking population. The Commission recommended that 264 villages (covering an area of 656.3 sq km) be transferred. Of the 516 villages claimed by Karnataka, the Commission recommended the transfer of 247 from Maharashtra. The Mahajan Commission did not recommend the transfer of Belgaum to Maharashtra, on “administrative grounds” as it rejected the principle of relative majority propounded by Maharashtra and held that the principle of linguistic percentage of ordinarily 60 had not been found fulfilled.
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Is science afraid
of ghosts?
A hundred years ago, one of the most ambitious of research projects was launched, a study that linked scholars and mediums on three continents. Its purpose was to discover whether living humans could talk to dead ones. Newspapers described the work as “remarkable experiments testing the reality of life after death.” The scholars involved included William James, the famed American psychologist and philosopher, and Oliver Lodge, the British physicist and radio pioneer. They saw evidence for the supernatural – in this world and perhaps the next. In one instance they made a request to an American medium while she was in a trance. The request was in Latin, a language the medium did not speak. The instructions included a proposal that she “send” a symbol to a British medium. During her next trance session, the American began asking about whether an “arrow” had been received. Later, comparing notes, the researchers discovered that during the American’s first trance, the English psychic had suddenly begun scribbling arrows. It was only after a series of similar, equally unexpected results that the researchers published their findings. Could any study produce results more provocative, more worth pursuing – more forgotten – a century later? For many, the dismissal of such Victorian research represents a triumph of modern science over superstition. But – and I admit that this is an unusual position for a mainstream science writer – I believe that it may instead represent a missed opportunity, a lost chance to better understand ourselves and our world. Curiosity about the supernatural has not diminished over the last century. What has diminished is the interest of academic researchers on a par with James and his colleagues – and, correspondingly, the quality of the science. Yes, there are paranormal investigators using modern technology to hunt for the heat signature (in the infrared) of ghosts or the energy of a spectral communication (electronic voice phenomena). There are even a few accomplished university scientists exploring the supernatural, although often on the side and covertly. But there’s nothing as sophisticated, at least in design, as the Victorians’ work. In addition to the ambitious “cross-correspondence” study cited earlier, the Victorian scholars ran an international survey of reported ghost sightings, particularly those tied to the death of a relative or friend. Tens of thousands of people in multiple countries were interviewed; hundreds of volunteers sifted through the reports, rejecting those that lacked independent witnesses or documentation. They concluded that “death visitants” occurred more than 400 times above chance. By comparison, a telepathy study, presented this month at an annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, involved 63 people asked to say in advance which of four friends or relatives was calling on the telephone. The answers were 45 percent correct, which, the researchers pointed out, was considerably above the 25 percent expected through chance. I confess that this a rather silly and unconvincing experiment – too small and too poorly controlled to prove anything. But I’ve seen plenty of orthodox research studies that made claims based on even sketchier experiments. So it doesn’t convince me, as it did a host of angry British scientists, that telepathy is merely “a charlatan’s fancy.” It convinces me that we need smarter science on all levels. Why do so many people report visions, voices or sensations of friends or relatives at the moment of the other’s death? Is it wishful thinking, hallucination, undiagnosed mental illness, a human tendency to stamp meaning onto events, a remarkable pattern of liars, genuine telepathy, a visiting ghost? All those possibilities have been raised, and none have been adequately researched. “Either I or the scientist is a fool with our opposing views of probability,” James wrote. The risk of appearing foolish, he believed, was the least of the dangers. There also was the risk of failing to investigate the world in all its dimensions, or making it appear smaller and less interesting than it really is. He worried about a time when people would become “indifferent to science because science is so callously indifferent to their experiences.” He worried that a close-minded community of science could become a kind of cult itself, devoted to its own beliefs and no more. As should be obvious here, I have come to agree with him. Blum is a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and the author of “Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof Search for Life After Death.” By arrangement with
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What matters is whether he has the grace of the Lord. Without it all his accomplishments will be of no account. He will be considered the lowest among all and will meet the fate of criminals and sinners. — Guru Nanak There will be many obstacles in the path of teachers. There will be ridicule, saracasm, physical obstructions. One who will remain unswerving in face of these will be the teacher. — The Buddha Evil deeds should be thought of as poison. A man who loves life would go out of his way to avoid poison. A man who loves his life should go out of his way to avoid evil deeds. — The Buddha
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