E D I T O R I A L   P A G E

EDITORIALS

Maruti in third gear
IT was not a famous strike but it involved a famous company — Maruti Udyog. Its agitating employees have returned to help the car maker to shift to third gear from the second in which it was running for over three months. Suzuki, the partner, wanted iron discipline and unflinching loyalty which Japanese employees show, but the Indian side of the joint venture opted for a bit of feudalism to precipitate matters.

Ties with Vietnam
A commonality of goals brought India and Vietnam very close during their anti-colonial struggles. As Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said during his visit to Hanoi, his generation was consumed by the cause of Vietnam. The relationship between Ho Chi Minh and Jawaharlal Nehru went way beyond protocol. However, this mutual goodwill was not adequately reflected in the economic relationship between the two countries.

OPINION

VARSITIES IN PUNJAB, HARYANA
A cry of distress, but what next?
by Amrik Singh
THE article on Lala Lajpat Rai by Prof V.N. Datta, published in The Tribune on 17-11-2000, raised two sets of questions. The first one was about Lala Lajpat Rai’s career and standing, and the second one related to issues like the quality of research work being done in the universities, especially in the area of social sciences. May I expand upon the second theme further.

IN THE NEWS

Man to deal with media on J & K
MR I. RAMAMOHAN RAO belongs to an entirely different breed of civil servants who revels in interacting with the media undeterred whether the job on hand has its inherent pitfalls or otherwise. He has always liked a challenge and has taken it up headlong without batting an eyelid. It is, therefore, no surprise that his services have been eagerly sought by state governments and the Centre because of his no-nonsense approach and capability to put things in “proper perspective” without trying to brush matters under the carpet.

Trends and pointers

Sanitation park to educate children
SHEKHAR More, 13, lives in a semi-urban village with his sister, brother and parents. His father is a house-painter. He confidently explains on a life-size-model of a room that should be used for washing clothes. “It is important to build a sloping floor where clothes are washed with a hole in the wall for the water to drain out. It should flow into a covered drain outside the house that should be de-silted at intervals. Isse keechar nahi hota hai aur beemari nahi phehalti hai (this checks sludge accumulation as also spread of sickness in the house.) I brought my parents to see it and got it done in my home,” he said.

ANALYSES

The Miracle of spirituality
By R.C. Sharma
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." This statement by the Prince in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' refers to the condition of that time in the state of Denmark. Today, something is rotten all over the world.

Deng’s Tiananmen paranoia revealed
From John Gittings in Hong Kong
China’s ageing rulers sent in the troops to suppress the 1989 democracy movement after their leader had expressed fears of being placed under house arrest. They were also told `CIA agents’ were active in Tiananmen Square, according to secret Chinese documents to be published in the USA.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

Maruti in third gear

IT was not a famous strike but it involved a famous company — Maruti Udyog. Its agitating employees have returned to help the car maker to shift to third gear from the second in which it was running for over three months. Suzuki, the partner, wanted iron discipline and unflinching loyalty which Japanese employees show, but the Indian side of the joint venture opted for a bit of feudalism to precipitate matters. But as it often happens, it is the unbending militancy of the union leadership that prolonged the strike, during which two workers died in somewhat strange circumstances. There are several lessons to be learnt from the wholly avoidable work stoppage. In these days of privatisation and globalisation greater amity between the management and workers has become imperative. During the time when production fell sharply, there was a genuine fear among automobile sellers that Maruti, already under pressure from competitors like Hyundai and Daewoo, would further lose its pre-eminent position in the market. The company claims it is still the leader with a 65 per cent share in the market. And with the workers eager to return and as it happen after a long strike, productivity will shoot up and Maruti will gain. What all this means is for the government to be alert to growing unrest in any important production unit and intervene to avert a strike and not wait for weeks to try and end it, as it did in this case. Wildcat strikes or those that go on interminably are a bad advertisement for attracting foreign investment. Also, the powerful chambers of commerce and industry should study the situation and lay down a rigid code for managements to head off a confrontation with workers. Maruti is special and a confrontation there is shocking.

Now for the management. It did not cover itself with glory. It fell between the two stools of the famed Japanese work ethics and the infamous Indian I-know-better arrogance. It abruptly scratched a scheme under which workers received monthly payments linked to productivity. This was working well and the manhours needed to make a car dropped from 38.6 to 24 over 12 years upto last year. The extra wages to workers shot up from Rs 607 a month to Rs 6540 a month on an average. The management did not renege on this scheme but wanted to split the money into two segments: 70 per cent for productivity and 30 per cent for such factors as sales and quality. It was the management’s ideas and it wanted to impose them on the workers. High-paid workers have an extra spring in their gait and take umbrage at the slightest sign of coersion. This is elementary but the Maruti management responded like ancient zamindars. When workers went on a hunger strike and then on a short tool-down strike, it introduced a new element, asking every one to pass a loyalty test. The strike came on the radar screen.

Where does the trade union movement stand? At the crossroads, and nostalgically tilting to ultra militancy. The new breed of union leaders are clones of Dutta Samant of Mumbai who led textile workers, like the pied piper, to their doom, or Chintan of Chennai who asked his supporters to carry a cycle chain always and found himself cast out unceremoniously. The trade union movement is no more the guild of the 19th century when workers fought for better living conditions in the face of stiff opposition from exploiting capitalists. India has entered the modern age but it seems the collective mind is not all that modern. Maruti is an excellent example. The lowest paid worker who is also the least skilled takes home Rs 15,000 a month, which includes an incentive bonus. In India’s context of poverty and widespread unemployment, it is immoral to expose him to the vagaries of unemployment. That is precisely what the trade union did. The Maruti strike has ended but the root causes are very active and may strike at any other point or plant.

Ties with Vietnam

A commonality of goals brought India and Vietnam very close during their anti-colonial struggles. As Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said during his visit to Hanoi, his generation was consumed by the cause of Vietnam. The relationship between Ho Chi Minh and Jawaharlal Nehru went way beyond protocol. However, this mutual goodwill was not adequately reflected in the economic relationship between the two countries. Despite recent increases, the two-way trade is rather negligible at $170 million a year. This has happened mainly because of the similarity in their exports and the lack of understanding about each other’s market and business environment. Vietnam’s trade with India is in deficit. The Prime Minister’s visit sought to address various shortcomings and helped in promoting economics, trade, finance, credit, education-training, science-technology, agriculture, forestry and fishery. Several agreements were signed in this direction. The priority areas were oil exploration and information technology. ONGC Videsh signed an agreement to undertake a joint venture with Petro Vietnam to explore and exploit natural gas and oil, in which it would invest as much as $238 million, making it the largest Indian investment anywhere in the world. And as far as IT is concerned, India will be helping Vietnam in a big way in modernising its information technology sector. There are many challenges in the security, political, economic and cultural arenas which the two countries have pledged to address expeditiously. The visit can indeed lay the foundation of a modern relationship based on the traditional political understanding that already exists.

But bilateral ties were not at the centrestage of the visit. As Mr Vajpayee candidly declared, Vietnam is a “critical element” in India’s plans to forge stronger ties with ASEAN. New Delhi’s “Look East” policy is now in operation and the two countries fixed their priorities in that backdrop. The tone of the discussions was in keeping with the spirit of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Initiative launched in November last year. Quite expectedly, Vietnam supported the idea of an ASEAN-India summit. If all goes well, it might take place in a year or so, on the lines of an Indo-EU summit, which took place in Portugal last year. This will have commercial, economic as well as cultural content. Also at stake is the security of sea lanes through which India can expand its trade with countries like Japan. New Delhi, on its part, has fully supported Hanoi’s entry into the World Trade Organisation. Going beyond the traditional avenues of collaboration, it was revealed that Indians are being trained in jungle warfare in Vietnam. It has been clarified that the training is not being imparted to combat troops in general but only a few select officers. It is not clear why such training is necessary when the Army has adequate facilities here, but this development has to be seen in the light of the fact that Vietnamese officers have been receiving training at the National Defence College and the Indian Army’s Panchmarhi language training facility. India is ready to supply the Petia class boats to Vietnam. The two countries can expect to reap rich dividends from such cooperation.

The killing in Ludhiana

The killing of Avtar Singh, a 21-year-old youth of Ludhiana, on Sunday by Gurmeet Singh, a policeman feared for his unlawful activities instead of being respected for protecting the law, exposed the indifference of the local administration in dealing with the incident. Instead of registering a case of murder against Gurmeet Singh and his accomplices the initial response of the police was to cover up the case. Tuesday's protest by the residents of Ludhiana against police inaction in arresting the suspects has important lessons to offer. The local administration tested the patience of the people, who waited for two days for the necessary follow-up in the case. The cold-blooded murder of Avtar Singh for daring to tell Gurmeet Singh and his hoodlums not to drink on the road and create public nuisance was reportedly sought to be played down as a case of accidental death. The people cannot be held responsible for coming out in large numbers on the third day after the incident and indulging in regrettable acts of violence and arson. Had the police shown the necessary sense of urgency in booking the culprits there would have been no street protests and no mob to demand a fresh post- mortem because the initial examination of the body of Avtar Singh evidently did not mention that the youth had died of a bullet injury. The Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police would not have had to plead with the mob to not disturb the peace and indulge in violence had they visited the scene of the ghastly incident on Sunday itself and ordered the registration of case against Gurmeet and his accomplices.

The killing of Avtar Singh has also put a question on the policy of rehabilitating reformed terrorists by appointing them as "police cats". The policy was introduced by former Director-General of Punjab Police K. P. S. Gill during the phase of terrorism in the state. As a terrorist Gurmeet was allegedly responsible for the killing of several innocent youths for refusing to toe the line. On the surface the policy of rehabilitating criminals involved in heinous crimes appears to be fair. However, experience has shown that in the long run it proves counter-productive, besides sending the unintended message that it pays to be a criminal. Gurmeet Singh may have in the normal case been found unfit for employment in the police force. However, his criminal past helped him find gainful employment and promotions in double quick time for providing information about the terrorist groups in Punjab. Much the same policy, with identical results, was followed for dealing with the dreaded dacoits of Chambal. The only policy which has withstood the test of time was the one followed by Freddie Young, the legendary police commissioner during the Raj era, who was respected for his deft handling of anti-dacoity operations. In one instance he offered no immunity from prosecution to a gang leader for surrendering. What made the brigand give up the life of crime was the promise that his children would be provided the best possible education and upkeep. The brigand was hanged, but Freddie Young took a personal interest in settling his two sons in Kenya. Avtar Singh's death at the hands of a former terrorist in Ludhiana should make the state government review the policy which merely helped Gurmeet Singh become a killer in uniform.

VARSITIES IN PUNJAB, HARYANA
A cry of distress, but what next?
by Amrik Singh

THE article on Lala Lajpat Rai by Prof V.N. Datta, published in The Tribune on 17-11-2000, raised two sets of questions. The first one was about Lala Lajpat Rai’s career and standing, and the second one related to issues like the quality of research work being done in the universities, especially in the area of social sciences. May I expand upon the second theme further.

Like the universities in several other states, those in Punjab have also been in a state of decline. A few decades ago, things were distinctly better. Perhaps the same can be said even about the universities in Haryana. Indeed, they have been going through a worse phase of decline (or neglect if that description is preferred) than in the case of Punjab. The basic explanation in both cases is, however, the same. Excessive politicisation is one explanation and apathy towards the quality of performance is another.

If politicisation is at work in other areas, universities cannot but be infected by the same virus to some extent. But the irony of the situation is that, not so long ago, the universities were treated as belonging to a special category, and a reasonably honest attempt was made to insulate them against excessive politicisation. With the passage of time, that attempt has got enfeebled and the universities are now as much a part of what is happening in other sectors and suffer from the same ills.

What is forgotten is that unlike the other areas of human activity like the transport sector, while politicisation has definitely played havoc with them, basically the loss has been financial in nature. To some extent, the service rendered by the transport system is also thrown out of gear and this causes public inconvenience too. What needs to be clearly understood, however, is that no long-term damage is done. One good Minister or one good Secretary of the department and everything comes back to normal within no time. In the case of education, the damage done is both insidious and long lasting. Some evidence of it can be seen already.

Students of the universities from these two states are hardly among the first few in the country in any walk of life. In the case of scientific activity, the general perception is that what happens to the north of the Vindhyas is not worth talking about. When I surveyed the universities in Andhra Pradesh for that state government half a decade ago, three of the nine universities there were found performing reasonably well. In the current phase of IT professionals going across to the USA and vice versa, those who belong to Andhra Pradesh perhaps form the largest segment. Most of them had their training in these three universities. Can we say the same or something similar about the universities either in Punjab or Haryana? I am not referring here to the universities in Himachal for the reason that they are not too many. In any case, in a related area, that state has performed outstandingly well: the spread of literacy.

It needs to be understood that universities are fragile plants and they cannot be treated like most other activities of the state where even if the situation is mishandled for some time, one can live with it. The fact of the matter is that the universities cannot be mishandled except to jeopardise, even hurt, the future of the state; the extent of the damage, however, manifests itself only in the long run. In saying this, one is referring to everything connected with the governance of the universities, their process of decision making, their funding, the quality of their staff and students and several other related things. Each one of them is important and inter-related.

When this issue is probed further, two particular gaps come to notice. One is the lack of concern with high academic standards and the second is the lack of vigilance in regard to what is happening. If there is a vacuum or a near vacuum at the political level in certain situations, it can be saved to some extent by the quality of the civil service. Over the years things have been coming down rather than going up. In any case, most civil servants suffer from what is called the hangover of the past. Their one attempt is to keep things going. There may be some virtue in that, but after half a century of non-performance this virtue has turned into a vice; or almost so.

Without recasting the educational policies of the states and without changing the direction and the mechanics, further progress in the field of higher education cannot be ensured. It is years since any new initiative was taken. In one case or two where certain initiatives were proposed, those have not been allowed to get off the ground and that is largely because of the status-quoist outlook of the civil servants. If civil servants have to be overruled, and sometimes that is necessary, this can be done only by a political leadership which is both far-seeing and decisive. One does not see any significant evidence of these two important inputs.

While some fruitful initiatives have been taken in certain other states, those have been ignored, almost determinedly, in the case of those under discussion. For instance, there is not a single autonomous college in any one of them. Only organised teachers are opposed to this innovation. In the new system, they will have to work harder and be accountable for what happens and, therefore, they invent all kinds of objections to this system. But if it is working well in several other states, notably Tamil Nadu, why can it not work in Punjab and Haryana? Whatever may be said against autonomous colleges, they are by no stretch of the imagination performing less satisfactorily than those that are functioning in the traditional, affiliating mould.

Vocationalisation at the college level has been a marked success in some places. This experiment too could have been tried here, but no one thought of doing so. Take another initiative like the State Councils of Higher Education. Several states have set them up but nobody seems to have heard of this innovation here. It would be difficult to say that these new councils have yet been able to work out a progressive plan of action in every case. All that they need, however, is some political patronage and an imaginative political leader who puts the existing mechanism to creative use.

In any case, one question needs to be answered. According to the Constitution, education, including university education, is within the purview of the state government. That being so, is it not the responsibility of the different states to evolve a mechanism of teacher accountability? Every single committee which has recommended higher scales of pay during the last quarter of a century has stressed the importance of such a mechanism. However, hardly has any state yet been able to evolve one. This issue, which requires some intensive attention, need not be discussed in detail here. In a sense, this is precisely the issue raised by Prof V.N. Dutta in his article though I must hasten to add that his focus is mainly on the obvious neglect of the study of certain aspects of the freedom movement in Punjab and several of its taller political leaders.

That Lala Lajpat Rai’s work and career have not been properly assessed is not disputed by anyone. According to most reactions that I have encountered, this gap is well recognised. Hopefully, within the next few years something positive will be done in this direction. But I would like to go a step beyond this. Do any of these universities that one is talking about have even a couple of outstanding historians? Professor Dutta belongs to that vanishing generation which had built up enviable standards of performance. What is the state of competence and commitment to scholarship in the present generation of scholars? The question has only to be asked and one knows the answer. What is true of the discipline of history is equally true of the various other disciplines.

One can go on and on and say much more on this subject, but what needs to be underlined is that, without a positive political input and more flexible and enlightened bureaucratic support, universities will never be able to flourish. Till a few years ago the buzz word in education was that knowledge and power are interdependent. Today that kind of thinking has been re-expressed in a more positive way. Now it is said: knowledge is power.

Each one of the states to the north of Delhi is suffering actually from the malaise of academic apathy and excessive political interference. Unless a determined and systematic effort is made to reverse the trend, things will never change. Professor Dutta’s cry is a cry of distress. The point, however, is that somebody has to remove that distress. Who will take the lead?

The writer is a well-known educationist.

Man to deal with media on J & K 

MR I. RAMAMOHAN RAO belongs to an entirely different breed of civil servants who revels in interacting with the media undeterred whether the job on hand has its inherent pitfalls or otherwise. He has always liked a challenge and has taken it up headlong without batting an eyelid. It is, therefore, no surprise that his services have been eagerly sought by state governments and the Centre because of his no-nonsense approach and capability to put things in “proper perspective” without trying to brush matters under the carpet. His amiable disposition and eager beaver approach even as the Principal Information Officer (PIO) to the Union Government coupled with the fact that a hard core newsman lurks deep down in him has won him a legion of friends among the members of the Fourth Estate. He was readily available at an unearthly hour to any scribe with the response “I’ll get back to you...” And sure enough, within 10 minutes he would always return the call without putting the telephone off the hook as evidenced after his tenure. In the corridors of the Press Information Bureau, Mr Rao has left an indelible impression and his successors have found it extremely difficult to carry the legacy forward.

After retiring as PIO, Mr Rao’s latest assignment was an Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Prior to that he had done a similar stint with the Jammu and Kashmir government. Based in the national Capital, he worked with Mr Badal for nearly three years before being drafted by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry to serve in the Prasar Bharati Corporation from the beginning of this month. Mr Rao has always had a special interest in J and K and with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s peace initiative receiving a positive response in the troubled border state, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government zeroed in on this unassuming, hands on, never say die official.

Acutely aware of the ways of the government, Mr Rao is reluctant to talk about his new job. After intense prodding he observes “it is a highly sensitive issue and it is imperative to project the peace process and the prevailing situation in J and K in a coherent manner and in the right perspective. Let me also humbly state that I am not one to tread on anyone’s toes.” It is only natural that Mr Rao will be liaising closely with the Union Home and Defence Ministries in the discharge of his new duties and responsibilities. After a long hiatus, there will be a welcome pointsperson fielding unending queries from mediapersons.

Paroda back in the saddle

IT was indeed a proud moment for India’s respected farm scientist Rajender Singh Paroda to share the dais with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, at the inauguration of the 88th session of the Indian Science Congress. The highly decorated Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education was back on the centrestage after suffering avoidable embarrassment at the hands of the government. It was a couple of months back that Dr Paroda was removed from the top posts he held and put on compulsory wait. The reason: the government said it was probing the charges of irregularities in the purchase of computers during the regime of Dr Paroda and a fair enquiry would not be possible with the top scientist at the helm of affairs.

Dr Paroda’s removal sent jitters in the scientist community and leading experts like Dr M. S. Swaminathan rallied around him in support. Top scientists said even a peon in the government was not sacked in such an inglorious manner. Dr Paroda’s glorious achievements were also listed in his support. A Padma Bhushan awardee, Dr Paroda is also a recipient of a number of awards, including the ICAR’s prestigious Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial prize. He has edited 11 books and is an author or co-author of more than 200 research papers, articles and bulletins. A large number of Indian scientific societies have had him as their President.

As Director-General, ICAR, and Secretary DARE, Dr Paroda is responsible for the renewal of one of the largest National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) in the world. Under his leadership, a visionary National Agricultural Technology Project (NATP) has been negotiated with the World Bank for $ 240 million, which is the largest such project for research ever funded by the bank for a developing country. It was no surprise then that when Dr Paroda was sacked, organisations of scientists sent memoranda to the President and the Prime Minister requesting them to intervene and restore the morale of scientists and the image of the agricultural research system. The government had to bow under such intense pressure. Dr Paroda was exonerated and reinstalled in the top research posts. For the farm scientist, it was only a sad incident. It has not diminished his enthusiasm to make India a global agriculture power in the coming years.

Writers with a difference

A Delhi-based couple (Pallava Bagla and Subhadra Menon) has earned the distinction of writing a book — a collaborative venture — considered the first of its kind in the country. The book, “Trees of India”, is aimed at familiarising people with trees around them. India correspondent of Science magazine and a photo journalist, Pallava has contributed 280 coloured pictures of both native and foreign varieties of trees. Subhadra, a correspondent with a newsmagazine, has penned the text running into 144 pages. The book priced at Rs 2000, has been published by a Hong-Kong-based firm.

The breathtaking pictures portray trees found in places from Ladakh to Nicobar Islands. Pictures of some rare trees in the book include those of the branched coconut tree in Car Nicobar, two Dukhbhanjni beri trees around the sarovar in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, Adamsonia at the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun and the giant banyan tree in Kolkata’s botanical garden. Apart from this, the book also features 60 most common trees.

Subhadra has taken care to highlight the medicinal properties of trees and the place they occupy in Indian mythology and culture. She believes that trees become landmarks, and it is important to acquaint people with them. She is confident that the book will help tree-lovers identify trees with ease. Most books on trees, she says, are either botanicaly heavy or too elementary. There is no book that actually focuses on the common trees of India.

Sanitation park to educate children

SHEKHAR More, 13, lives in a semi-urban village with his sister, brother and parents. His father is a house-painter. He confidently explains on a life-size-model of a room that should be used for washing clothes. “It is important to build a sloping floor where clothes are washed with a hole in the wall for the water to drain out. It should flow into a covered drain outside the house that should be de-silted at intervals. Isse keechar nahi hota hai aur beemari nahi phehalti hai (this checks sludge accumulation as also spread of sickness in the house.) I brought my parents to see it and got it done in my home,” he said.

Namrata Shike of class 8 demonstrates how coconut husk spread over stones in front of a water outlet stops kitchen waste from flowing into the drain. It works as a sieve. The kachhara of vegetable peels and left-over food that collects on the husk may be put to good use in the organic farm.

Shekhar and Namrata are two of the many children who are involved in a unique scheme that motivates and advocates clean and healthy living to the rural and urban poor alike. In a semi-urban pocket, Wagholi, near Pune at a Primary Health Centre (PHC) which is next to a municipal school a “health and sanitation park” has been set up with active participation from the nearby “basti” children who attend the school. The park, the first of its kind pilot project in the country advocating sanitation is a joint effort of the local teachers, the medical officer’s team and the Zila Parishad (ZP) staff. It is funded by the Maharashtra branch of the UNICEF.

Around 75 per cent of water in Pune district is polluting. Following open sewage drains and dirty household water seeps into cracked municipality pipes that supply drinking water. Such pockets are marked out as “red card” district by the ZP.

Among the sanitation schemes being encouraged is the practice of making and using toilets. But experience of the ZP staff so far shows that this is a hopeless situation. Here, most poor people prefer the open space and feel hemmed-in, in a toilet.

However, now a difference is being made within the families — by their own children.

Situated about 15 km to the east of Pune city, the sanitation park with life-size models depicts the importance of directing effluent water into proper sewers; how to build covered drains outside the houses, sloping floors of bathing areas to prevent water from stagnating, different types of soak-pits and toilets, rooftop rainwater harvesting, nurturing kitchen gardens and growing Indian medicinal herbs.

“The effort is to involve the community in appreciating clean environment which in turn contributes to a healthy and disease free life,” says Mr K.N. Chaudhari, deputy education officer of the ZP. Children between the ages of 11 and 13 years and coming from families whose monthly income is around Rs 2,000 to 3,000 a month have been instrumental in setting it up and spreading the message. (Grassroots)

Palm Pilots becoming robots

Palm Pilot application No. 413: sending it for coffee.

Ambitious owners of the personal organiser can now move beyond such passe uses such as making phone calls, ordering movie tickets, or snapping photos. Their Palm can now be turned into a robot.

With a $ 300 kit available over the Web, everyday people can turn their Palm Pilots into the brains of a small, six-sided robot with three red wheels, equipped with infrared sensors and rechargeable batteries.

The device, developed at Carnegie Mellon University and licensed to a Boulder, Colo-based robotics company called Acroname, has few, if any, practical uses today. But it could help inspire a new passion for robotics among the general public, its seller said.

“I think this is primarily a teaching and instructional tool,” said Steve Richards, the founder of Acroname. “It’s a way to get involved in robotics with a very accessible tool.”

He has already sold a few hundred of the robots, and expects to sell more than 1,000 this year.

Research universities and government laboratories have long been experimenting with robots for defense applications, such as disarming mines, attacking enemies on the battlefield, and taking pictures of enemy terrain.

But by allowing millions of individuals with personal organisers to experiment with a robot in their own homes, robots could find more uses in people’s daily lives. Putting together the $ 299 robot, officially named the Palm Pilot Robot Kit, requires only a screwdriver. Once it’s built, the Palm is slipped in and the robots is ready to go.

A “barebones” kit is available for $ 40 less, but requires such actions as gluing connectors and wiring a cable. (Reuters)

Flanked by his two newly wedded wives, 41-year-old Malaysian driver Abdul Muin Hamid poses after marrying each woman in a single ceremony in Kuala Nerang, in the northern state of Kedah, on Tuesday. Abdul Muin turned a potentially hazardous love triangle into a double trip to the altar when he wed Suhaida Saad (left) and Rohaya Romli, who are good friends. — Reuters

The Miracle of spirituality
By R.C. Sharma

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." This statement by the Prince in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' refers to the condition of that time in the state of Denmark. Today, something is rotten all over the world.

Today, the world situation is alarming. Dark clouds of gloom and doom are closing in on mankind rapidly. Mistrust and erosion of human values are the hallmarks of the present-day world. Death, destruction, racial discrimination, loot, rape, murder, violation of human rights, misuse of authority, insecurity of life and dignity are ruling the roost.

The human mind has become wicked. Men have thrown all ethics to the winds. First of all, therefore, their minds have to be set right. This can be done with the help of spirituality and morality.

It is time to unite against the evil and corrupt forces in the spheres you work, live and move. A new healthy world order needs to be evolved to save civilisation from further degeneration. It is essential for the moralists of the world to unite.

It is the belief of the established religions and the saints, sages, seers and thinkers that spirituality and morality alone can save the world from annihilation.

In schools, colleges and universities, the students have to be given moral and spiritual education so that they learn discipline, obedience, regularity, compassion, sympathy, respect for the elders and love for the youngsters. Swami Vivekananda has said: "Character-building is the prime aim of education." This can be done by teaching spirituality as a subject in educational institutions. Education in the good old days expected right conduct and truthfulness from the pupils. "How does one become a real Brahmin?", asks Yaksha to Yudhishthira. "Not by birth, nor by learning the Vedas by heart, one becomes a real Brahmin. It is by right conduct alone."

It is, therefore, incumbent upon the educational institutions to impart spiritual and moral education to the students so as to develop among them the habits of obedience, punctuality, regularity, cleanliness, truthfulness, nationalism and the will to work for the downtrodden.

Dr S. Radhakrishnan recommended silent meditation and reading of classics every morning as part of the courses of studies. He argued that it would enable the pupils to listen to the voice of their conscience, peep into their souls and shed the baser elements so as to maintain their dignity.

A strife-free world is possible by individuals free from stress and strain, and a spiritual approach to education can produce individuals who can meditate properly. If one person attains spirituality, the whole world gains.

Indian philosophy lays stress on the values of 'satya' and 'dharma'. Mahatma Gandhi believed that India would not count for anything if her sons and daughters did not practise these values, as well as the creed of 'ahimsa' (non-violence).

People are becoming self-centred and selfish. Sometimes, one doubts if they are really educated. Education without spirituality is no education. The present system, therefore, has to be modified.

Today, the threat of a nuclear holocaust is taking a clear and concrete shape. In building up their super arsenals, these nations are depriving the world of resources necessary to fight the poverty and hunger of the Third World. Each country is spending billions of dollars on military preparations. The governments of the world are not following the path of peace. Wars and conflicts can be avoided if the governments are sincere.

Swami Vivekananda was inspired by a supreme vision to go to the western world to help the western brothers and sisters who had lost the fragrance of their lives at the altar of materialistic riches, and show them the right path of spiritual inspiration which shapes life.

Despite many hurdles, Swamiji reached America to represent Indian culture and civilisation at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. By dint of hard labour, Swamiji got a chance to represent Indian religion. When he was given a chance to speak, he was perplexed to see the elite of the world, but at last he stood, remembered Goddess Saraswati and when he addressed, "My brothers and sisters of America", an audience of 5,000 in the packed Columbus Hall jumped in their chairs to cheer the Swami and the front row was about to take the dust of the feet of the Indian monk. The next day, the leading newspapers of America flashed the news in big bold letters that a young Indian monk had dominated the World Parliament of Religions. Thus the worshipper of wealth surrendered to the worshipper of God. This is the miracle of spirituality.

It is true that people now are sick of materialism. They want to appease their spiritual hunger. Western people run towards India because India is the home of spirituality, but we are drifting away from it. We have to revive the old spiritual and moral values.

Keeping in view the dismal world scenario, let us take a solemn pledge to spread the sublime message of love, sympathy, brotherhood and non-violence of the Buddha, Mahavira, Vivekananda and Gandhiji to every nook and corner of the world. This can show the right path to the afflicted and misguided world. The people can thus mitigate their sufferings and sorrows and save the world from annihilation.

Deng’s Tiananmen paranoia revealed
From John Gittings in Hong Kong

China’s ageing rulers sent in the troops to suppress the 1989 democracy movement after their leader had expressed fears of being placed under house arrest. They were also told `CIA agents’ were active in Tiananmen Square, according to secret Chinese documents to be published in the USA.

The documents, said to have been smuggled out by a disaffected civil servant, show how the leadership’s paranoia prevailed over more moderate voices.

The revolutionary veterans were convinced by hardliners that the students were being incited by “reactionary elements and CIA agents” to seize power. The post-Mao supreme leader Deng Xiaoping said: “Anarchy gets worse every day. If this continues, we could even end up under house arrest.” The documents show how Jiang Zemin - now China’s President - was chosen to lead the Communist Party days before the massacre, after a fierce power struggle.

On the eve of the massacre, Premier Li Peng accused US diplomats, including CIA agents, of “collecting intelligence aggressively”.

“Almost every day, and especially at night,” he told the elders, “they would go and loiter at Tiananmen or at schools such as Beijing University and Beijing Normal.” Li, who still ranks number two in the Chinese leadership, called overseas Chinese dissidents “the scum of the nation” who were financed by the CIA.

“A major scheme of the organisers and plotters of turmoil,” he warned, “has been to occupy Tiananmen Square to serve as a command centre for a showdown with the party and government.”

“Those goddamn bastards,” elderly General Wang Zhen then exploded, referring to the students. “Who do they think they are, trampling on sacred ground like Tiananmen so long? They’re really asking for it. We should send the troops right now to grab those counter-revolutionaries. Anyone who tries to overthrow the Communist Party deserves death and no burial,” he concluded.

The hardliners played on the fears of the leaders by saying the aim of the alleged plotters was to “overthrow the Communist Party and subvert the socialist system”.

Deng summed up by saying “the martial law troops [should] begin tonight to carry out the clearing plan [of Tiananmen Square] and finish it within two days.” The army finally reached the square after shooting indiscriminately in the streets of Beijing on the night intervening June 3 and 4.

Extracts from the documents are published in the latest issue of the US journal Foreign Affairs, which says they have been smuggled out of China by “a representative of reform elements within the Communist hierarchy”.

The documents have been vetted by three US specialists who are convinced of their authenticity. They include two writers on China, Orville Schell and Perry Link, and political scientist Andrew Nathan.

The material greatly amplifies what was already known about the internal high-level struggle in which Deng and other retired party and army veterans overruled more moderate leaders.

The reformists today are said to hope that airing the internal arguments of 1989 will “jump-start consideration of political reform” in the lead-up to important congresses in 2002 and 2003 when Li and Jiang are due to step down.

Several hundred people died on the night intervening June 3 and 4 and on subsequent days as trigger-happy soldiers took control of Beijing.

Deng justified “coming down hard” on the students by saying that the alternative would have been much worse. “If the plots of the counter-revolutionaries who were pushing the riots had got anywhere,” he argued, “we would have had civil war... Of course our side would have won, but just think of all the deaths!”

The decision to send in the troops followed weeks of disagreement over how to deal with students, with the hardline Li opposed by Zhao Zuyang, who was replaced by Jiang as party secretary-general on May 27. A party resolution gave Deng and his colleagues, officially retired, the right to intervene in a stalemate.

Li accused Zhao of encouraging the students. Zhao had gone to the square to apologise to the students and he opposed the decision to declare martial law.

Li was a prime target of the students and became known as the “butcher of Beijing”. He is now in charge of China’s Parliament, the National People’s Congress.

The documents are said to have been brought out by a disaffected civil servant who uses the pseudonym Zhang Liang. In an interview broadcast by CBS, he said he was a loyal party member and hoped to return to China.

“I saw corpses [in 1989],” he tells 60 Minutes interviewer Mike Wallace, “I saw a depressed mood, I saw a split in the top leadership. I want, through this publication, to try to open up this question in China.” — By arrangement with The Guardian

Spiritual Nuggets

Man! Thou art thy own friend.

Why wish for a friend beyond.

*****

A man may conquer thousands of invincible warriors on the battlefield, but if he conquers his own self, he is the greatest conqueror.

*****

The greatest saint is not the man who does extraordinary things but he who does ordinary things extraordinarily.

*****

Non-violence is the supreme law of life.

*****

Ahimsa (non-violence) transforms the Cross of suffering into a Crown of joy.

*****

Always realise that non-injury is religion.

*****

The path of salvation lies in Right faith, Right knowledge, and Right Action.

— Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainas

*****

Futility of Money-Power

Money can buy....

— Swami Ramatirtha, In woods of God Realisations, Vol. IV, Lecture I