The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Adding insult to injury

ADHOCISM rules the Centre’s agriculture policy. There is no well-thought out or integrated long-term approach with the result that each issue is seen in isolation, and the solution to one area triggering a problem elsewhere. Take the minimum support price (MSP) for kharif crops announced on Tuesday. Even if the delay is ignored, the 3.85 per cent increase in the price of better quality paddy is both ridiculously low and utterly unremunerative. Also, it underlines the government assumption that the kisan in this part of the country is helpless and will continue to produce a bigger volume whatever the price and the attitude. One economic newspaper found that there is no direct linkage between the MSP and cropping pattern and output, thereby rubbishing a basic economic theory but reflecting the Ministry’s views. True, Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar defended the small increase by referring to the recommendations of the CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices) and said the government went strictly by the advice. This at a time when inflation is running at between 5 per cent and 6 per cent and the Centre is armtwisting the state governments to increase the irrigation water and electricity tariff. This is no way to psychologically prepare the farmers to pay a higher user charge and also to prepare them for the coming competition. Normally the Agriculture Ministry finalises the MSP and the Cabinet formally endorses it. But not this year. The Ministries of Civil Supply and Public Distribution and also that of Finance took a hand in deciding the floor price. The former wanted a freeze at last year’s level of Rs 520 a quintal, specifically saying that it was the only way to keep procurement low. And it is more interested in thinning out the huge stocks it has than in adding to it. The Finance Ministry cribs about the additional Rs 500 crore it has to find to buy and maintain the stocks. It quoted the Expenditure Review Commission to buttress its demand, even while it has decided to ignore its proposals which call for hard decisions.

Other than for paddy, announcing the MSP for crops is a meaningless rite. Arhar price is fixed at less than one-third of the open market rate. For wheat and paddy it is real and effective since the government is committed to lifting the entire stock of grains at that price. So the farmer is guaranteed both a decent return and assured market. This year this cosy cycle has been broken and there is distress sale of the early IR-80 variety. This has angered both Punjab and Haryana authorities. Apart from writing a stiff letter to the Centre, Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala has demanded an additional RBI loan of nearly Rs 375 crore to procure kharif paddy while Punjab wants the FCI to advance the date of entering the market from October 1 to September 15. Delaying procurement and offering a token rise in prices may be a petty trader’s way of earning an extra rupee. It cannot be the policy of a mature government, not just before Indian agriculture is forced to face competition. There are three problem areas in the farm sector. High prices keep the poor from the grains the country produces, resulting in mounting stocks with the FCI. The high prices also make exports impossible. Two, there is stagnation both in terms of cropping pattern and output. The country should break out of this cycle. Three, rural poverty is increasing and unchecked migration brings a bit of this poverty to the urban areas. Agricultural prosperity alone can stem this exodus. All this calls for a comprehensive plan, of which sadly there is no talk.

Violence in Cyberabad

HYDERABAD is not just the capital of Andhra Pradesh but a neatly wired capital — Cyberabad — administered by Mr Chandrababu Naidu, leading India's battle to emerge as a software super power. Thus it is shameful that the seat of power of the most computer-savvy state in India is in the news for allowing its police force to open fire on political demonstrators, killing at least three persons and injuring many on Monday. The attention of the whole world is focused on Hyderabad, besides Bangalore. The world must be surprised that a Chief Minister who has come up as the role model for other Indian politicians has given proof that he is very poor at crowd management despite being a democrat. If he has no hand in what his police has done with bullets, discarding the use of rubber bullets and water cannon, he should not hesitate to accept the Opposition demand for a judicial enquiry into the gory happenings, which have dimmed his image on the computer screen. The "cyber state" must acquire a human face to send right signals to the world.

Of course, the demonstrators, associated with the Congress and nine Left parties which had given a call for "Assembly chalo", were highly provocative in their conduct. But their provocation cannot be accepted as enough justification for what the police did with those demanding the withdrawal of a power tariff hike announced over three months ago. It is not fair on the part of Mr Naidu to defend the most condemnable police action. His threat to use video cassettes to prove that the workers of the opposition parties came prepared to indulge in "violence and destruction" will not do. The Opposition, which organised a state-wide bandh on Tuesday in protest against the police firing, too should not stretch the matter too much as populist politics does not bring dividends, at least in Andhra Pradesh. The Congress promise that if it comes to power it will provide free electricity to kisans has already been rejected as unacceptable by the people of the state. This was the clear message in the people's verdict during the recent assembly elections, which brought Mr Naidu to power again. According to one study, the power hike will not affect those who consume very limited units of electricity. It is designed to tax substantially the consumers who are rich or belong to the middle class. Moreover, no one should expect free power supply in this era of privatisation and liberalisation. But anyone who feels concerned about it has every right to express his disapproval of the state government's decision. And he deserves to be dealt with not in a brazen manner as witnessed in Hyderabad.

Exporting AIDS

US President Bill Clinton during his recent visit to Nigeria asked the African people to "break the silence on AIDS" or risk losing the hard-fought democratic and economic gains. However, there are primarily two reasons why developing societies in Africa and Asia are diffident to discuss the subject and share their experience with others. One reason was explained by Mr Clinton when he said that "in every country, in any culture, it is difficult, painful, at the very least embarrassing to talk about issues involved with AIDS". The other reason why African countries are reluctant to come clean on the subject has something to do with their own indirect role in spreading the disease, for which no known cure is still available, across the globe. The African continent cannot escape the blame for having inadvertently been responsible for the export of AIDS which results in 2.8 million deaths worldwide every year. However, once the source of and the reasons for the spread of the disease had been identified Africa should have exercised more vigilance in at least plugging the sources through which the deadly HIV virus could travel to other countries and communities. The primary source is, of course, human blood. And the recent scam which has come to light shows that the authorities in South Africa, relatively more developed than other countries in Africa, did not even bother to test the quality of blood being exported to India and China. A random test revealed that the blood was contaminated with the HIV virus. It now transpires that several private firms were involved in the dubious business of exporting highly contaminated blood for therapeutic use to destinations in India and China by having them certified as "fit for human consumption".

The "export of AIDS" by South Africa through blood certified as safe may have been going on for the past 20 years. The racket may have continued unchecked had Dr Wilbert Bannenberg of the World Health Organisation not got wise to the machination of the merchants of death. He followed the "trail of contaminated blood" all the way to outlets in Europe and North America. The cargo of blood was processed and repackaged for final shipment to markets in India and China. The only persons who could not be accused of showing scant respect for human life were the donors who gave blood free of cost as what they believed was a "gift of life". The racketeers evidently played on their ignorance by not informing them that their blood was not fit for saving other lives. The authorities in South Africa and India have a lot of explaining to do. But for Dr Alan Smith, a British AIDS expert who alerted the police about the diabolical trade, which put WHO on the scent of the racketeers, the scam may never have seen the light. It is clear that Indian doctors took the label of the packet as proof of the "imported" blood being safe for transfusion purposes. They never felt the need to conduct even random tests. Had they done so countless non-AIDS patients may have been spared the agony of slow and painful death. The South African authorities too must be asked to explain why they did not exercise sufficient vigilance at their end knowing full well the high-risk AIDS-related profile of the entire continent. Official heads must roll in both countries for their role in the commission of what can be called crimes against humanity.

Proxy war in Kashmir
Time for proper unified command
by Harwant Singh

WE are now in the eleventh year of insurgency in J and K. A coordinated, cohesive and coherent action plan to fight insurgency is still lacking. A multitude of security agencies and intelligence organisations are at work in a disjointed and uncoordinated manner, often operating at cross purposes and in petty rivalries. At the other end there is confusion and uncertainty both in Delhi and Srinagar. While Delhi may be wanting in the formulation of a comprehensive and long-term Kashmir policy and merely catching straw, at the Srinagar end not only has the basic administration fallen by the wayside, the compelling need for a unified command has also found a compromise in the form of two working groups or committees (one for 15 corps and the other for 16 corps areas) under the chairmanship of the state’s Chief Minister. When the Chief Minister is not available, the problem of chairing the meetings becomes a source of major friction between various security and civil agencies. You could lay the blame at many doors for this sordid state of affairs, but the mischief of periodic lowering of the position of senior military commanders is a more relevant cause. Where seniority is claimed over those with twice the length of service and with much greater experience and in responsible positions, even compromise does not seem to come about. What we are witnessing in J and K is not simply terrorism or insurgency, but a war and you can call it a proxy war. If that is so, then in such a situation who should be in command of all those fighting that war at the ground level ? The very act of calling out the military is synonymous with and an acknowledgement of the state of affairs where other government agencies are simply unable to measure up to the situation.

Anyone even remotely familiar with the nature of insurgencies, even when foreign inspired, would know that these require centralised control of all elements involved in the fight against them. The accountability must be to the one central authority controlling the operations. In Punjab, the decade-long terrorism was finally brought under control once the Army came to the assistance of the administration. In the larger national interest, the Army high command decided (in the face of protests from the lower echelons) to play second fiddle allowing the police to remain up-front. The rationale behind this arrangement was the need to restore the confidence and morale of the state police, which lay in tatters and it was grovelling for cover in abject fright of the terrorist and night-patrolling had simply ceased to be there. The size of security escorts with police officers and the large-scale bullet proofing of vehicles was an indication of the level to which they had scared themselves. Even when the situation had been brought well under control and the GOC, II Corps, expressed his desire to get the troops back into the barracks, Chief Minister Beant Singh, perhaps at police chief K.P.S. Gill’s prodding, begged the Defence Minister not to withdraw the Army. That is when Mr Sharad Pawar’s crudity came through the thin ministerial veneer at Jalandhar as he scoffed, “fauji is not to decide on these issues.”

What we are faced with in J and K is not a mere mix of terrorism and insurgency but a proxy war. Unless all state agencies shed their individual egos, false notions of self-importance and artificially created perceptions of status, act in unison and under centralised control in the best national interest, the proxy war now in full swing in J and K is difficult to win. The security forces can bring the situation under control for a period of time only and cannot provide a permanent solution, because basically there is no military solution to such problems. Their resolution lies in political domain, and in the case of J and K in the diplomatic field because of the Pakistan factor. Be that as it may, here we are more concerned with the issue of containing insurgency and of centralised command and control of all intelligence agencies and security forces. In an enlightened democracy placing all state organs under the Army (other than security forces and intelligence agencies) in situations besides martial law, for which incidentally there is no provision in the Indian Constitution is not desirable, but cooperation and coordination between all state agencies is mandatory. If this has not happened so far it is the weakness of the political executive both at the state and the Central level to make the police and intelligence agencies accept the compulsions of a unified central command under the Army. Increasingly impression is gaining ground that there are many vested interests and powerful groups who do not wish to see the end of trouble in J and K.

In the period 1989-1991, when insurgency had taken a virulent form in the valley, areas of Poonch-Rajouri-Naushera were also getting activated. There were unending reports of a few thousand Pakistan-trained insurgents waiting to be inducted across the LoC and some pockets of influence of Pakistan in the area were already noticeable. With the willing help and cooperation of all security, civil and intelligence agencies, we were able to create a unified command under the General-Officer-Commanding (GOC) of the division. The Commissioner, the police, the BSF and the officials of various intelligence agencies worked in a spirit of complete understanding and cooperation under the command of the GOC. This spirit of camaraderie percolated all the way down and there was free flow of information, and a spirit of willing cooperation and coordination universally prevailed among various agencies.

The GOC called the meetings once a week or more often as required, and orders emanating from the group were implemented without any reservations. Army patrol, called “Mail Jhol” criss-crossed the interior of the two districts, interacted with the locals and the panchayats of outlying villages, picked up information, their problems and grievances. These were taken up in the unified command and action initiated within a week. Composite teams of doctors, revenue officials and the police, depending on the nature of complaint, visited the village concerned and, where possible, attended to the problem on the spot. Schools which were without teachers and dispensaries without any medical staff for years saw a positive response from the administration. The villages which had not been visited by any civil official for decades saw droves of them descending on these areas. The effect of this ordinary action was indeed amazing, and brings out the simple fact that our people ask for very little and how even simple and almost inconsequential steps satisfy them. The end effect was that the conditions for the germination of Pakistan sponsored discontent were arrested. Willing cooperation was forth-coming from the locals, and our intelligence gathering saw a sea change. We were able to intercept most of the infiltrating groups due to the help of the locals and coordinated actions of security forces, and the area remained peaceful.

This experiment of the unified command, though on a limited scale, was successful and contained the problem almost completely in the districts of Poonch and Rajouri during the years 1989-1991. The purpose of this long narrative is merely to bring home the simple fact that we cannot fight a proxy war of the type now prevalent in J and K in the manner presently being attempted, with the sham of a unified command cobbled together. Not only is the unified command anything but unified, but the areas of responsibility between various security and intelligence agencies are also not well delineated. In fact, these overlap, with the result that the responsibility gets diffused and with it accountability disappears. That is how no one can be hauled up for the laxity in the protection of pilgrims at Pahalgam. There is a lack of cooperation. Rivalries also exist between various intelligence agencies and the security forces.

The resolution of the Kashmir problem has to be looked at both in the security and political perspective. Since there is no synergy within these two, the problem has become endemic. There have been periods when insurgency was brought well under manageable proportions, but the necessary political initiative was missing. Here the political initiative within J and K on one side and on the other diplomatic steps involving Pakistan, within the ambit of the Simla Agreement, have to be taken up almost sequentially. But there is some serious disconnect within the functioning of the Government of India. Just to give an example, the release of Kashmiri terrorists in exchange for the hijacked passengers at Kandahar was, on all counts, done without consultations with the military, which is directly involved in a fierce struggle with the insurgents in J and K. It is the military which is now facing the after-effects of that folly. Azhar Masood, one of the terrorists released in exchange for the Kandahar hostages, is a fundamentalist jehadi leader of the first degree and now a key player in organising the more virulent terrorist group called Jaish-e-Mohammed. The fallout of Rubia Sayeed’s exchange for a number of terrorists is too well known. At that time, too, the military was not consulted.

The recent developments in J and K have made matters more complicated. We can get lyrical and recall Sahir Ludhianvi’s optimism and turning of a new leaf after the partition of the country: “Voh vaqt gaaya, voh daur gaya/veh log gaye is dharti se ....” But the fact is that those blood-thirsty people of the Partition days are very much there, shooting down our folks in J and K and we cannot wish them away. Their ilk is available on this side of the divide too. They will have to be neutralised. The approach to the political and diplomatic issues need greater resolve, an open mind and a spirit of understanding and cooperation, in the larger interest of the people of the two countries.

We will have to fight the proxy war firmly with all state organs acting in unison and the security forces in a coordinated and purposeful manner, and extricate the blighted state from this nightmare. Ignoring the pressing need for a proper unified command will be at our peril. It has to come about sooner than later. The intelligence agencies and all security forces operating in J and K will have to be brought under the full and complete control of the unified command. A proper interface between the unified command and the civilian administration will need to be created. No half-hearted measures will meet the requirement. Only the corps headquarters (luckily whose boundaries conform to the geographical compulsions of J and K) have the command and control structure, staff support, the expertise, the communication set-up and the motivation to fight the proxy war. The over-all control of the unified command (s) would rest with Headquarters, Northern Command. Increasingly, the demand to hand over J and K to the military is gaining ground in the nation. A unified command meets that demand within the democratic framework of the country.

The writer, a retired Lieut-General, is a frequent commentator on strategic issues.

How to meet the IED threat
by P. K. Vasudeva

THE killing of Brigadier Shergill and Col Rajender Chauhan in a recent landmine blast activated through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) by Kashmir militants is not only shocking but also demoralising for the security forces fighting in the valley. The reason is that the clearance for the equipment required for the detection and neutralising of IEDs is still pending with the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The IED is one of the deadliest weapons with militants because it was very difficult to detect unless we have sophisticated equipment. Earlier also a number of Army and paramilitary personnel have been killed with IEDs. However, a senior officer of the rank of a Brigadier has been killed for the first time.

The militants detonated a landmine through the remote-controlled IED planted on the road at Warpora village,12 km from Handwara town, in Kupwara district when the Brigadier, having taken over just three days ago, was being driven around by the Colonel on an “area familiarisation tour”, which is normal when a new commander takes over. The Brigadier was going for a briefing by the CO on counter-insurgency operations. When they reached near Jachal Dor, near the RR battalion, the IED was activated by the militants through a remote control and the landmine blasted, over-turning the vehicle killing the two officers and the radio operator on the spot.

The continuous attacks on Army pickets and paramilitary forces and the massacre of innocent civilians in J&K show that the so-called unified command has failed to be effective because there are coordination problems. It is also a failure of the intelligence set-up.

Standing operating procedures are clearly laid out in counter-insurgency operations for a road opening party. At present in the absence of sophisticated equipment, a road opening party marches out at dawn and checks for grenades, explosives and mines all along and 50 metres either side of the road through manual prodding and mine detectors. Armed soldiers are then stationed along the path until dusk. This happens all along the Jammu-Srinagar-Leh highway.

There is an armed soldier every 100 metres on either side of the road. Every few kilometres there is a mounted machine gun, which is ready to move at short notice. The biggest problem in the operation is that the hand-held mine detectors are outdated and obsolete and do not detect modern landmines and explosives because these are plastic types and have no metal part. The second problem is that this routine is being carried out for the last 10 years and the militants are well versed with this tactics. They plant IEDs only when the Army road opening party has completed its job. Thus, they are able to avoid the security net with the help of ethnic civilians.

The IEDs can be neutralised only by the use of the devices that jam the radio signal which activates them. Terrorists hide in the forests and villages and stealthily detonate the IEDs through a remote control. The Army has only a few jammers that are being used for VVIPs. However, jammers cannot provide complete protection since they are powerless against weight-activated mines which explode under the pressure of wheels.

“Of the total IEDs laid, approximately 35-40 per cent are remotely controlled and used very effectively to inflict heavy casualties with a devastating effect. Although all efforts are made to procure counter-IED equipment, it is never enough to ensure that the area is covered by jammers at all times,” says Col Shruti Kant, an Army spokesman. Electronic-counter measure jammers and pre-detonators, which can jam remote-controlled frequencies and also detonate IEDs, are required immediately. The DRDO has undertaken to produce such equipment indigenously.

The Army is trying to acquire more sophisticated landmine sweepers since even the mine-protected vehicles acquired from South Africa are too cumbersome for routine use and are used by road opening parties. These are vehicles with specially fitted armour, which absorbs the shock of the landmine. But India does not have these in sufficient quantity even after more than 10 years of counter-insurgency operations in J&K and 30 years in the North-East.

The file in the MoD is gathering dust for the procurement of such equipment. Let us hope and pray that the equipment will be purchased soon either from Britain or from Israel. Accountability for such delays should be fixed and severe action taken accordingly.

The writer is a retired Colonel.

Of Life Sublime

Power of prayer
by J. L. Gupta

GOD is everywhere—in the stars, in the blades of grass, over our heads, under our feet. He is with all of us, in all of us, in our hearts, in every part of the body. He is the source of all strength and unending joy—only if we look for Him, yearn for Him, beseech Him, pray to Him, He will answer. The prayer shall pave the way to make life sublime.

And we have examples. Prahlada suffered no burns when burning oil was poured on his head. Mira’s bed of nails was changed into a “cushion of flowers.” The snake around her neck turned into a garland of flowers. Valmiki, it is said, was a robber. He prayed for years and saw the light, realised what was God, and became the author of the famous Indian epic Ramayana. Such is the unfailing power of prayer.

Today, we care for what we eat, but not for what is eating us. We worry about what we wear, not what is wearing us out. We build houses and furnish them at considerable cost to make them comfortable. Then we look for the fastest cars to get away from our homes. We get every place air-conditioned so that we do not sweat—at work or on the road of life. Then we spend more—we buy a treadmill or join a gym, even go to a health club—all to be able to sweat out.

Such indeed is the dichotomy in our lifestyle. In the new millennium we are moving fast, at a rather rapid pace, but we are not aware of the direction. We are rudderless. No wonder, we have problems—of body and mind. All tension. Lot of stress. There is not a moment of peace and rest. No time to stand and stare. Resultantly, the medicos claim a substantial share in our earnings, regularly.

Any way out? Yes, pray to Him on your knees every day with a pure heart, a clean mind. Seek His blessings. And then do not spend the rest of the day looking for a prey. He shall drive the problems away. Go to Him with a prayer on your lips and with faith and devotion in the heart. He will guide you to the right path. Be your master. Protect you from all evil. Give you success, peace and prosperity. A good name and fame.

It is true that in today’s world all of us have problems. All of us have a lot on our plates. May be some of us have more than a fair share. A majority of us have too much to do, too many jobs to attend to and too little time. But let us remember that time is like rubber. It can always be stretched. A few moments can, and must, always be found to remember Him, the Creator of us all, to thank Him for all that we have. We must bow to Him in utter humility. Surrender before Him completely, in our own interest, for the good of man and his kind.

Undeniably, we find time when we want to for everything—for the family, for work, for meeting our social obligations, even for what gives us only temporary pleasure. Then why not for Him who makes the impossible possible? We must work out our priorities properly. Find a few moments at His feet to sing His praise, His song. And not in whispers or in low and inaudible tones, but loud and clear. A fellow who falls in a well needs help to come out. He has to ask for it. Nobody shall reach out till he is heard. His voice must reach others. So it is with Him. We must make ourselves heard to get His attention. True, He knows everyone’s needs, ours too, but prayer is only a necessary reminder. It must be said as often as possible.

But He needs no installation, no picture, no idol, no image. Call Him by any name, imagine Him in any form, or at any place. He is in all living beings. He manifests Himself to shower His blessings and grace on all those who approach Him sincerely, whether from a poor man’s cottage or a prince’s palace, but not those who reach for him superficially. He cares for quality, not quantity. He never deserts His devotee. And if you are repentant, the evil effects of bad deeds “melt like mist” before Him. The sunlight of His grace shall reach you through the thickest cloud of misfortune.

Good deeds are the seeds of real wealth. Good qualities are the best treasure. Contentment provides the best source of happiness. Greed can bring only grief.

All the happiness, peace and prosperity can be achieved through prayer. So, pray to Him.

In support of the world’s poor
From Suman Guha Mozumder in United Nations

A GRANDDAUGHTER of Mahatma Gandhi has urged the United Nations to take up the issue of debt burden of poor countries next week, when the heads of state and government from all over the world assemble at the United Nations for the Millennium Summit.

Addressing the Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual leaders, Ela Gandhi from South Africa said that something should be done in the next few weeks when political leaders meet here.

“We have spoken about rich and poor, poverty and wealth of the minorities at this session. Many of these people and countries are weighed down by debt burden, which is an issue we should talk about,” Ela Gandhi said. “We need to take up this issue and bring it to the United Nations,” she said, amid thunderous applause by religious and spiritual leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.

A number of speakers throughout the day also touched upon the issue of poverty and its relation to the increasing level of crime and violence all over the world.

When Ela Gandhi’s name was announced by Indu Jain, chairperson of the afternoon session dedicated to the “World Movement for Nonviolence”, a small group of South Africans began to dance and sing songs in their native language encircling Ela Gandhi, who stepped onto the podium much to the bewilderment of the audience. Ela Gandhi then explained that the people were invoking the spirit of ancestors, which are supposed to give strength and encouragement to her.

“It is a privilege for me to address this august summit, more so as an African woman,” Ela Gandhi said. She said South Africa had shown that conflicts can be resolved through non-violence and without bloodshed and it is an example many countries of the world have taken. “There will be conflicts on earth but this can be resolved in a non-violent way,” she said.

Ela Gandhi also gave several examples from the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi and the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, describing them as brave and courageous people, who had taught humanity that love can do a lot of things. “Gandhi conquered the British empire through love. People called him “half naked, half civilised” and yet the mighty British empire was scared of him,” she said.

Referring to the Dalai Lama, she said, he had dedicated his life to non-violence. “Today had he been here, he would have been one of us, but the fact that he is not here shows he is relevant and he is feared,” Ela Gandhi said. Many among the delegates stood up and clapped in appreciation.

Ela Gandhi said that there was no need for a new religion, as the Dalai Lama said once, the need of the hour was for better human beings. She said that the past century had been characterised by war, untold violence against women, against children who have been criminalised, militarised and have been made to act against nature. “Today we need to wonder what we are leaving for the next generation,” she said, adding that if one is concerned then one has to get down to the problem.

“The presence of so many religious people here today is an indication that we are concerned today and we need to change,” she said.

She made three suggestions for the religious leaders to consider, including poverty eradication and equitable distribution of land. “Our indigenous religion believes that land cannot be owned by anybody and it is for everybody to enjoy. We know we cannot go back to that stage, but let us see why poor people have so little access to the land, which can at least make them survive,” she said.

“This is what the U.N. needs to ponder and I want to leave these issues for the U.N. and religious leaders to address and think aloud,” she said. “If we need a non-violent world, we need to think about them,” she added.

— India Abroad News Service

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

You are in chains for you are a prisoner of desires. Break them and you are free as the singing bird.

— T.L. Vaswani, Gita: Meditations

*****

Inhale the air deeply through your nostrils and throw it out through the mouth. Practice it steadfastly and you will see what exhilaration it gives you.

— Impossibilities Challenged, 704

*****

Worship of the Supreme in any name and in any form is an aid for the vision of It.

True vision, however, is merging and abiding in the Reality.

— Sri Ramana Maharishi, Sat — Darshanam, 8

*****

Respect life, revere life. There is nothing more diving than life.

Remember it: only what you experience is yours.

What you know — only that you know.

— Shree Rajneesh, Words From a Man of No Words

*****

Gather your strength, O human soul.

A stream of eternal life flows on a stony bed;

Leave behind the traits of malignant forces

And move forward with firm steps,

And cross over to the realm of eternal glory.

— Atharva Veda, 12. 2. 26, 27

*****

O man thou hast

Wings of virtue and vitality;

Establish thyself

on the surface of the earth;

Fill the firmament with thy radiance,

Cover the sphere with thy lustre,

Spread thy effulgence in all directions.

— Yajur Veda, 17.72

*****

One incurs demerit by honouring unequals equally, or by honouring equals unequally.

—Gautama Smriti, 17.20