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| Wednesday,
April 18, 2001, Chandigarh, India    |
A hollow threat Will CNG work? State-sponsored killings |
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Government faces crisis of credibility
Budget and
beauty
Art and culture under
globalisation
Enhancing choices for young people Adolescents in India, accounting for one-fifth of the total population and numbering an astounding 200 million, represent a major human resource meriting separate attention. Despite a legal ban, many girls continue to be married before the age of 18 years.
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A hollow threat IT is a family fight, one branch of the Sangh Parivar taking on the more powerful one in a public show of pique. On Monday the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, the trade union wing, one of the several RSS-spawned organisations, spat venom on the BJP-led alliance government, threatening to topple it for its several economic sins. It dubbed the regime of being anti-labour, anti-kisan and even anti-national (ouch!). The BMS opposes the WTO, the proposal to radically rewrite the labour laws to facilitate unhindered hiring and firing of workers, the Enron project which threatens to wreck the financial viability of Maharashtra and the selling of profit-making public sector units at a fraction of the real cost. It calls these policies a surrender to powerful countries or vested interests inside India and charges senior bureaucrats with playing this fraud in connivance with big business. All these are serious accusations and, coming from the trade union wing of the Sangh Parivar, one of the biggest mass organisations, very worrisome. It does not stop at this. The BMS has called for broad trade union unity, including the left organisations. It is a different matter that AITUC and CITU may not respond to the unity call but the message is clear: the BMS is prepared to go to any extent to harass and oppose the alliance government. And the statements of its leaders are loud. The anger is pointed at the Finance Minister, and he is an easy target since he does not belong to the RSS heirarchy but occupies a top slot in the BJP echelon. He invited the BMS anger for two reasons. The labour law reforms can hurt the working class and, two, Mr Sinha has not only made the policy public but at a time when the issue is before the National Labour Commission. The disinvestment policies have been criticised as a huge fraud on the nation in the sense both Modern Food and Balco have been sold for a fraction of their worth. There is no proof but only an unsubstantiated allegation, indicating that the BMS is genuinely worried at the loss of labour support this policy may entail and wants to retain its hold even if it means attacking another wing of the Sangh Parivar. The sharpest attack is on the makers of the Enron deal. It minces no word to point an accusing finger at the Shiv Sena-BJP government of Maharashtra and the BJP-led government at the Centre for walking into an uneconomic trap and insists that there should be a detailed investigation to fix responsibility. At a time when the main opposition party in Parliament is angrily raising the issues of Balco and Enron, the BMS criticism is bound to hurt. But the other side is that the rank and file of the saffron brigade will stay together and not walk over to other parties. It is an old Parivar game to play from both sides of the court. The latest is the continuation of the same. |
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Will CNG work? THE bursting of certain CNG vehicles into flames while refuelling has put a fresh question mark on the safety of this little-tested fuel. Experts predict that buses retrofitted with CNG kits will give a lot of trouble as the summer comes up. It is also suspected that in the case of an accident, a CNG vehicle is likely to suffer extensive damage. After all, the fuel is stored under pressure. That possibility calls for a fresh look at the advisability of the entire exercise. Given our less than perfect testing and inspection methods, there is need for extreme caution. As it is, it has been proved that the administration just does not have the infrastructure to switch over to CNG for all vehicles. What has to be kept in mind is that CNG is at best a holding operation. Most studies have indicated that while buses and trucks do add to pollution, the real culprits are the large number of cars and scooters choking our roads. The smoke from diesel vehicles may be thicker, but that from petrol vehicles contains equally, if not more, dangerous chemical particles. So, even if the entire fleet of buses is somehow converted to CNG in cities like Delhi, there may still be only marginal improvement in the situation. And then, the problem is not localised. Even small towns and villages are affected by pollution. There is no hope of establishing a nationwide CNG distribution network in the near future. The real crisis is that we have just too many vehicles on the roads. That problem of plenty arises because we have no mass rapid transport system worth the name. Nobody wastes money on maintaining and running a private vehicle willingly. Everybody uses his car and scooter only because he cannot depend on the rickety and crowded buses to reach anywhere in time. As long as so many vehicles remain on the roads, the problem of pollution will be there. India is one of the very few countries of the world that do not have an efficient subway system even in the largest metropolises. Schemes to put in place such a system have been proceeding at the bureaucratic pace, which means that what can be done in a year is not completed even in a decade. Where there is a will to go ahead with the projects, inane objections are raised to stall them. Efficient subway systems have been functioning all over the world for decades. Thus expertise is available off the shelf. Shortcomings, if any, have been duly removed. All that we have to do is to stop seeing ghosts where there are none. Initial investment is high, of course, but it is nothing if weighed against the threat to public health that the present chaos on roads poses.
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State-sponsored killings THE second leg of the Budget session of Parliament is not likely to discuss the State-sponsored killing of four tribals early this month in the forests of Madhya Pradesh. The Congress will not raise the issue because Mr Digvijay Singh heads the party’s government in the state. Other Opposition leaders too will not take an interest because raising the issue of the cold-blooded killings will not embarrass the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance. But what about the MPs belonging to the ruling alliance at the Centre? One reason for their lack of interest in the incident could be their absent political base among the tribals of Madhya Pradesh. For much the same reason neither Ms Medha Patkar nor Ms Arundhati Roy has so far raised her voice against the abuse of State power for silencing the already voiceless people of the forests. The land where the killings took place is the same Dewas which inspired E. M. Foster and where Kumar Gandharva found the perfect setting for his musical creations. Dewas is also the land of the peace-loving Kabir panthis. Yet the State machinery found in the course of forcibly clearing the forest a trumped up excuse for opening fire at a group of peaceful demonstrators. Since when has the right to peaceful demonstration become an offence in free India? And for which the penalty is instant death? Members of the Bhil, Bhilal and Korku communities had gathered on April 2 to merely register their protest against the illegal demolition of their dwellings in the name of development. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the State the tribals, who more than anyone else know the value of protecting forests because they provide them food and shelter, are primarily responsible for the plundering of the jungles. Of course, it is not the concern of a repressive State to explain of what use is a piece of land which is procured after killing or displacing the people who are its legal owners since the beginning of time. The explanation that those killed in police firing were armed Naxalites will not do. The target of the administration’s ire were the people who revere Baba Amte for his commitment to non-violence. It is not that all the organs of the State are insensitive. The Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in his report found no justification for the firing. Why is the Madhya Pradesh government dragging its feet in ordering the arrest of the District Collector, the Superintendent of Police and the District Forest Officer, as recommended in the report, for their role in the unjustified killing of four unarmed and peace-loving tribals?
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Government faces crisis of credibility WE
live in difficult times. When hope springs, something happens and the country is cast down. Hardly had the optimistic budget brought smiles to our faces, when ugly pictures of the President of the country’s ruling party receiving dirty money brought on a mood of gloomy skepticism. The government’s credibility was dented, and all that has happened since has only added to the despondency. It seems well nigh impossible for most opinion makers — the so-called intellectuals — in New Delhi to talk about the country optimistically. A political system surviving on black criminal money, a bureaucracy neck-deep in robbing the country Verma-style — not to mention “tehelka” — have created a mood of resignation. The philosophy of karma haunts us. The outlook is messy — there is no other word for the state of the nation today. Lack of direction afflicts almost every policy initiative. The death toll in Jammu and Kashmir continues to mount. The NorthEast threatens to be as bad. Law and order in the cities is a thing of the past. Feudalism, dressed up as politics, is imposing itself with a vengeance. The political weakness of the government at the Centre and its failure to come to grips with the central issue of funding India’s politics are leading it from one folly to another. While the country is set on an irreversible route to globalisation, the government cannot cope with its incumbent problems. Yet India needs a corruption-free environment to succeed in a world economy. With indecent haste the opposition leaders have joined forces to use the “tehelka” crisis to make a bid for power. They do not hold out any hope, promise or assurance of dealing with the curse of black money. They seem to be oblivious to the menace of political criminals - some of them belong to the tribe. In the USA, the world’s most powerful democracy, there is a healthy convention (or is it a law?) that once dirty money is found to have been contributed to a party or received by a leader, it is returned forthwith. How come both the BJP and the Samata Party have kept the money given to them by the alleged defence deal middlemen of tehelka? It seems they are quite comfortable with it despite its origins. Dirty seems fine in the world’s largest democracy! The political commentators have not done much to confront the nation with the problems arising from a political system run on black money. They wrote their articles, made their remarks, however, dissipated a golden opportunity to encourage new thinking on political funding. The political establishment, intent on “damage limitation” in the wake of “tehelka”, was relieved. But no amount of damage control can hide the embarrassment of the government. In a globalised world there is no place for the kind of politics that our present-day leaders practise. With the announcement of the lifting of all import curbs, the country will need a very strong government to deal with the fallout from the new Exim policy. This government seems to be drifting on the issue, and it has only itself to blame for the crisis. The country cannot afford political instability at the present juncture. The success being achieved in the international arena of foreign policy needs to be consolidated. India has yet to take full advantage of its leadership in the computer software industry. There is a danger that in the face of current political crisis the country might squander its lead in knowledge-based industries. It is not easy to educate the public to understand and support prudent economic policies, especially in a country like ours, where the economy was for a long time protected and shielded from competition. Now, when the country is set to make the next crucial move towards a market economy, the government in New Delhi has been all but paralysed. It bodes ill for the future. Whatever the trouble-shooters or “damage control” brigade may say, Prime Minister Vajpayee’s government does not have much time to convince ordinary Indians that it is not a victim of its own inaction. Agreed, it is suffering from a Parliament that has run amok, but that should not paralyse the executive authority. The government’s response to the “tehelka” crisis has been superficial - nominate an inquiry commission, get some resignations, suspend a few others, and then carry on as usual. The only appropriate action seems to be the one initiated by the army; the results of that inquiry will be eagerly awaited. Vajpayee and the BJP, as long as they have existed, have held out promises of clean government, cleansing the system, electoral reforms and so on. Yet, these are the very issues that have not been dealt with ever since they assumed power. At every stage the compulsions of the politics of coalition have been presented as an excuse. That will not do. It was not the disillusionment of Muslim voters that brought down the behemoth known as the Congress Party, it was the middle class who refused its support in the face of the vicious campaign that followed the Bofors scandal. Let the BJP understand that “tehelka” has neutralised Bofors. The damning video of Bangaru Lakshman receiving dirty money will haunt the party for a long time. Winning back the middle class and the intellectuals is going to be important for the BJP if it wishes to survive the current crisis. The opposing politicians, busy forging opportunistic alliances in New Delhi, will also face failure without this crucial support. The silent majority has been known to assert itself in India’s politics time and again. The Vajpayee government still holds the initiative, if it can crack down on, and be seen to be dealing with, political and other kinds of corruption. People wonder why Sukh Ram in whose house the CBI found Rs. 3.51 crore in cash, remains out of jail, free to support the BJP. They question why those involved in the urea scam, cheating this poor country of 133 crores of rupees, have still not been indicted, nor the money recovered. Surely, the very able and young Law Minister, Mr Jaitley, can show some dynamism in bringing these cases forward. Failing that, a feeling must persist that this government, too, condones corruption. Why has the government failed to take any action on the matter of funding political parties? Has the Prime Minister resigned himself to the inevitability that such funding must come from dirty money? The totality of corruption in India begins at that point. While such a regime goes unchallenged, there cannot be an end to crimes of corruption. How can you deal with corruption in Income Tax, Customs and Excise, municipal taxes, power thefts and so on, if you are prepared to accept ill-gotten money for the coffers of political parties? Black money is generated by theft of excise, customs, income tax and other government levies. The esteem that the people of India hold for Mr Vajpayee should not be tested to its limits. The TINA (“there is no alternative”) factor too has its limitations. People will not wait indefinitely for action to improve their quality of life, and that improvement cannot come about while corruption prevails. The two are intertwined. This brings us to the crucial question of whether India’s economy and affairs can enjoy a visible rebound over the next few months. It does not seem likely, judging by the government’s hackneyed efforts at tackling current issues. To bring about clear-cut reforms in the stock markets to make their dealings transparent and secure for the small investors, the government should not feel shy of seeking advice and help from well-established stock markets abroad. It is not right to deprive small investors of a fair rate of interest on their bank deposits. The crisis of credibility that has now engulfed the government in New Delhi could well hurt the economy. The failure of the Narasimha Rao government to deal with the Harshad Mehta damage to the stock markets is echoed by the current crisis involving Ketan Parekh. Will we ever get to know the truth if any, behind the rumours that the current stock market scam involves several thousand crores of dirty money invested by politicians of all the parties, including the BJP? Millions of investors in UTI seem to have been saved by the providential intervention of the stock market collapse, which exposed the manner in which UTI could well have become a handmaiden of Parekh. What does the government propose to do with UTI and similar organisations, where small investors have put their lifetime’s savings? UTI would have vanished in thin air following the crisis it faced a couple of years ago, but for the support that the government gave it. Either there are not enough checks on this monster, or it needs to be cut down in size. Parliament may continue to be paralysed. That need not stop the government from initiating reforms and taking positive steps to force the Opposition parties back to the negotiating table. BJP’s attempts to counter the opposition politics of taking to the streets are not likely to succeed. They need to come up with measures to implement all they have promised in the years gone by. They face the day of reckoning. Promises to build a Ram temple is not going to bail them out of a crisis in which the good name of the country and its people is besmirched by the scandals of sleaze in high places. China hangs those convicted of corruption. India fails even to bring charges against those who are accused. It is a challenge that the Vajpayee government has to face. Atal Behari Vajpayee was voted to power as being the able leader who could lead the country towards a goal of corruption free “Mahaan Bharat”. Will the Prime Minister and his party rise to the moment and meet the challenge? It is the credibility of the government that is at stake. The honeymoon is over. |
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Budget and
beauty COME Budget time and so many self-appointed advisers go into high drive to proclaim a host of dos and don’ts for the government of the day. I do not claim to be one of them. But I am among the many who are hit hard by the raise in taxes likely in the name of this calamity or that banality. “Tighten your belt lest you lose your pants,” someone pontificated. Never mind that many in this country never had any. so what ritual rhapsodies reverberated, through the media with gay abandon. It is time our Finance Minister and the Information and Broadcasting Minister came to each other’s rescue and lent indulgence to Dean Swift who proposed to tax beauty and leave every lady to rate her own charms, and hoped that the tax would not only be cheerfully paid but would persuade many more to outdo one another at this game of one up-woman-ship. The very thought of the state coffers brimming over could not but warm the cockles of the Finance Minister. Venture capitalists, I vouchsafe, would jump at the idea. I remember someone solemnly suggesting that India should cash in on her “silicon victories”, pun intended, be it the Silicon Valley or some such silicon stuff. Let software and beauty become our USPs. If beauty is potent, money is omnipotent. Shouldn’t we the inheritors of a resilient Indian culture which assimilated the diehard invaders through the aeons, distinguish between fashion and fanaticism? And take in our stride the law of the market? Depending on the spectacles one wears, one could discern in the situation as much the birth of a great new industry as the commodification of women, or the standardisation of beauty et al. Extreme positions ought to be shunned in favour of the golden mean. Democracy is more about enabling choices than slapping bans. Bathos and pathos apart, such self-righteous indignation is, like beauty, only skin deep. Both are worse than wine, intoxicate as they do, the holder and the beholder alike! Media hype notwithstanding. Manners are especially the need of the plain but the pretty can get away with anything, opined Evelyn Waugh. Who stands vindicated by the results revealed by the researchers at London’s Guildhall University recently. They found that unattractive men earned 15 per cent less than their better looking colleagues while Janes made 11 per cent less than their pretty female workmates. And much more. Looks do matter, is the (a) moral of the story! This must give a shot in the arm to Jean Kerr who once blurted out, “I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin deep. That’s deep enough. What do you want an adorable pancreas?” There was probably no time when beauty was not celebrated. Aren’t all our gods and goddess portrayed as good looking and beautiful? A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. With beauty no longer a female preserve and males making inroads into this female bastion, who can stop a bachelor believing that he too is a thing of beauty and a boy for ever? Let’s all grow out of the banalities of beauty bashing and aim at achieving truth, goodness and beauty in all our endeavours, a la the confluence of Satyam, Shivam Sundram. Good luck to both Mr Sinha and Mrs Swaraj. |
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Art and culture under
globalisation DEVOID of any kind of controls, the massive corporate structures of the USA continue to overawe trade and commerce in countries rich in natural resources through the mechanism of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The fact that the USA has so far refused to join the rest of the cultural world in UNESCO holds serious threats to countries like India that are culturally much more developed than the USA. While the USA dominates almost all other world organisations and international bodies, it has disdainfully refused to join UNESCO till now. This leaves it free to “globalise” the art and cultural heritage of countries like India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and a host of other culturally rich countries. The first threat will be the rich lore of music, both vocal and instrumental, in this country. Music has been a great cementing force in Indian society and the Hindi cinema has been an equally strong force in popularising Hindi all over the country and making it acceptable in areas which had resisted the “imposition” of that language as politically motivated. Lata Mangeshkar has today emerged as a symbol of national integration, not only for some of her highly patriotic songs, but for the very fact that her voice and songs are easily recognised and identified throughout the country, and wherever Indians are settled in countries abroad. The recent removal of quantitative restrictions on the import of 715 items is a precursor of what could come about in respect of Indian music lore, dance forms, folk art and other artistic expositions. They will all soon be “globalised”. Globalisation offers Indian entrepreneurs an effective means for combating monopolistic interests, but no Indian promoter of recorded music in any form as of today, would be able to withstand the commercial tentacles of American monopoly houses or transnational corporations. They will also have to yield to the rich and powerful American MNCs as was done by Parle Products and a number of other Indian companies that could not withstand the incursion. The MNCs have the advantage that they are better organised globally and in a much better position than others to quell dissenting voices and provide alternative distribution networks or take over existing ones in the poorer countries. Music has always been an important factor in social cohesion. It helps build national identities, cements fraternal feelings and fosters a sense of brotherhood, cutting across regional and parochial differences. In the hands of American MNCs, with their eyes and ears turned to marketing strategies, it will not remain the same. The incursion has already commenced. Sops will be offered to leading Indian musicians with an established market outside their countries. Britain has already taken the first step by conferring an “honorary” knighthood on Ravi Shankar, almost out of the blue. It could be a safe bet that other leading Indian musicians will also be “honoured” in similar fashion. This would be the first step towards creating goodwill among them, for eventual absorption into the global environment. The incursion is also evident in the programme “Kaun Banega Crorepathi” by Star TV. The original American programme, “Who wants to be a millionaire” has by now been franchised to about 50 countries. Each one is free to frame its own questions for contestants and have its own host. For the rest the Hollywoodian spectacular background setting, the selection process for the contestant, the music and other stage settings will be common. The print media in India had been taken for a ride by clever publicity, which credited a number of individuals for their “ingenious” display of talent for formulating the programme for the Indian market. The programme, no doubt, has captured the imagination of a wide cross-section of the people. It has come at a time when political and social structures, as we have known them, are coming under great strain if they have not already collapsed in the Third World. The political, ideological, cultural assumptions of the 20th century, no longer holds good. Values have changed and the people who are able to take advantage of this change are the rich, the educated, socially well-connected elite. The social patterns that are likely to emerge from this process of globalisation could lead to profound changes in human behaviour, purchasing habits and loss of control over several aspects of social and political life. It must be remembered that globalisation is a political and economic tool made possible by modern technology. The advent of the industrial revolution brought in its wake imperialism, which sought to colonise vast countries with rich natural resources. Modern technology, the computer and the internet, now seek to control the minds of the rich and the powerful. The ethnic conflicts and violent clashes in several countries, the exposure of corruption in high places and the use of modern technology to subvert the existing order and question every aspect of established systems, can all be traced to the efforts of proponents of globalisation to reach out and wear down opposition. Till now all the advantages of globalisation have been cornered by a few developed countries of the world. All the others seek to catch up with the process and share the perceived benefits of globalisation. Deviations according to local conditions and requirements mark the process of globalisation. Music is the most vulnerable as of today, for one reason that its appeal and reach is unfathomable. Popular Indian music has an international appeal that can outrival Indian cuisine, particularly “Indian curry”. Indian classical music with its hoary traditions and its scientific structure can be easily marketed. So too, Indian folk art, dances and traditional music. They can be drawn into the web of globalisation easily since the industry is fragmented. Globalisation will then make a tremendous impact on the performers, the composers, the lyricists, performing organisations, agents and managers, recording companies, instrument manufacturers, journals and periodicals exclusively devoted to art and culture, and teaching institutions. Underlying all this will be the issue of rights, the proper reward for sales and use of musician’s work and their cultural rights. Ultimately it will all boil down to the right to freedom of expression, the right to seek an audience and the right of the people to have access to the fruits of culture and to their cultural traditions. When globalised (on American terms), their availability can be limited or exploitation of music or other forms of art, without paying the due fees to the copyright holder. This could happen in areas where the copyright holder is unable to keep track of his fees or collect them. New methods of charging and collecting would emerge along with the development of markets under the globalised system. These are threats that organisations promoting the arts or music, institutions imparting attention in them and associations of lovers of arts and music will be called upon to fight with great vigour and passion in the new era of globalisation. |
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Enhancing choices for young people Adolescents in India, accounting for one-fifth of the total population and numbering an astounding 200 million, represent a major human resource meriting separate attention. Despite a legal ban, many girls continue to be married before the age of 18 years. In the states of Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh more than 50 per cent of the girls are married before they are 16 years old. Adolescent women have little choice about who and when to marry, and are usually not in a position to negotiate contraceptive use. In fact, in some studies, 50 per cent of female adolescents did not even know about menstruation, and their limited knowledge was based on social factors — such as not being permitted to cook during menstruation — rather than the actual physiological changes. Adolescent fertility rates are high in India. As per the findings of the National Family Health Survey-II, the fertility rate in the 15 to 19 years age group is as high as 107 births per 1,000 women. In comparison, the corresponding rates in Japan and the United States are only two and 19, respectively. Incidence of obstetric complications is high among adolescent mothers, as are infants with low birth weight, pre-maturity and stillbirths. With nearly 20 per cent of all births in India occurring to adolescent mothers, there is need for urgent attention. In addition, the reproductive health needs of unmarried adolescents must also be taken into account.
WFS
This is “reality” TV The latest “reality” TV show to hit the air in the Netherlands is “Big Diet”. Six overweight men and a half-dozen overweight women will be locked away in a castle in Houtem for 13 weeks surrounded by 37 cameras. Each week, the person who lost the least weight will be thrown off the show, and the winner will get the amount of weight lost in gold. Meanwhile, their days will be filled with low-cal diet food, workouts and temptation — a fridge packed with their favorite snack foods.
Reuters
Flat earth Charles K. Johnson, the California-based president of the Flat Earth Society, died the other day at 76, convinced he would ascend to heaven, a feat only possible if the earth is flat. Before he died, he’d said if the earth were a ball, there would be no up nor down. His late Australian-born wife Marjory was a believer too. In his Flat Earth News he declared: ‘Australians do not hang by their fee underneath the world!’ The irony was Mr Johnson was a retired aircraft mechanic who lived next door to Edwards Air Force base. That’s where the space shuttle occasionally lands after travelling in orbit around a presumably round globe. Not so, said Johnson back in 1981. “It’s just a stupid old airplane. It was carried piggyback and dropped over (nearby) Lancaster. It hasn’t orbited the earth.”
Guardian |
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Only those beneath me can envy or hate me. I have never been envied nor hated; I am above no one. Only those above me can praise or belittle me. I have never been praised nor belittled; I am below no one. **** Strange that you should pity the slow-footed and not the slow-minded, And the blind-minded rather than the blind-hearted. **** Hate is a dead thing. Who of you would be a tomb? **** It is the honour of the murdered that he is not the murderer — Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam **** Hate the sin and not the sinner is a precept which though easy enough to understand, is rarely practised, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world. **** A truly wedded couple is like one soul in two bodies. *** Cursed be the life devoted to gobbling food and adding bulk. *** Nothing worthwhile is achieved by hypocrisy. *** Lost respect is regained through good deeds and by leading a virtuous life. *** A person is not worthy of respect if his thoughts are impure even though his body is washed clean. —
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, M. 3, pages 788, 790, 910, 955, 1151 |
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