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Tsunami: US can
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Unkempt Diversities
— Delhi Letter
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Tsunami: US can do more There is a story about a British diplomat being asked what he would like for the New Year. Being a modest man, he declined a gift but on being pressed, reluctantly agreed to a small box of preserved fruit. Imagine his chagrin on reading in the papers next day that his Soviet and American colleagues (this was at the height of the Cold War) had asked respectively for peace throughout the world and dissolution of the Iron Curtain that divided Europe. That flippant anecdote comes to mind at the end of a year of Islamist violence culminating in nature's fury across the Bay of Bengal. Both point to the crucial role that the USA can, and must, play in global affairs in this coming year. It alone can bring justice to Palestinians and allow Iraqis the freedom to choose their own future. Only the US has the resources to spare Asia a repetition of its recent ordeal. The slogan of last year's 14th World Conference on Disaster Management "When the unthinkable happens, they turn to you!" might have been addressed to George W. Bush. Traditionally, Indian women blow on conches to warn of earthquakes and other natural disasters for people to rush out into the open, as they used to toll church bells in medieval Europe. Bangladeshi cyclists tinkle bells for people to flee to high ground when cyclones approach. We need to replace these customs with an Indian Ocean equivalent of the Pacific warning system that the US administers under United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation supervision. The network's beginnings go back to 1946 when storms washed over Hawaii. A similar catastrophe ravaged Alaska in 1964. Six sensors along America's Pacific coast, one near Chile and 14 in Japanese waters collect and feed data into the powerful computers of the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centres in Hawaii and Alaska. Japan's network of fibre-optic sensors records seismic activity while strategically positioned buoys measure the speed of tidal waves. Warnings can go out in two minutes flat. California's electronic system sends them by e-mail and via pagers. Jan Egeland, the UN's under-secretary for humanitarian affairs who so coordinates its emergency relief, sounds sceptical about replicating this in Asia. "I think it would be a massive undertaking to actually have a full-fledged tsunami warning system that would really be effective in many of these places," he was quoted as saying. But it must be done. The UN and the Commonwealth have stressed the need for a similar early warning network for the Indian Ocean. Australia's John Howard has promised to take a lead in settling it up. Japan has spoken of expertise. More ambitiously, India has announced a Rs 125-crore deep ocean reporting system. But only the US, which has already pioneered a US-India-Australia-Japan core group for international relief, has the capability to cover the entire affected area. Even that will not suffice without Asia's own matching rehabilitation infrastructure. The $250,000 cost of each Pacific sensor is a small part of the overall expense of a sophisticated warning, rescue and rehabilitation system covering more than two dozen Pacific rim and island states. This is our fatal weakness. Money and technology are not the only impediments. Political and cultural divisions, bureaucratic sloth and corruption are equally serious obstacles. American scientists who tracked recent seismic disturbances off Sumatra apparently just could not communicate their findings to the affected governments. Theoretically, these countries would have had nearly three hours to evacuate coastal villages before the wall of water hit them. In practice, evacuation would have been impossible without organised communication, transport, rehabilitation centres, potable water, sanitation, food, clothing and medicines. Chandrika Kumaratunga candidly admitted that Sri Lanka had no contingency plans for such a heroic operation. Costly instrumentation is ineffective without such support. If the new year calls for a frank acknowledgement of America's global role, it also demands an admission of Asian disunity coupled with an affirmation to work in unison. Asia is still only a geographical expression, to adapt Metternich's comment on Italy. The scourge of death and devastation, with disease grimly predicted to follow, should inspire a resolve to transform geographical accident into strategic partnership. Geological maps explaining how disaster struck are a reminder of Sukarno's claim that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an extension of the Indonesian chain, borne out when one finds that the Nicobarese Holchu have a language in common with Sumatrans and Javanese but not with Indians from the mainland. In today's context, the link gives India a Southeast Asian identity. Regionalism is next to globalisation. The Western world is rediscovering the Mahabakya Upanishad's clarion call of nearly 3,000 years ago, Vasudaiva kutumbakam. "No man is an island, entire of itself," sang the metaphysical poet, John Donne. "Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." The bell that tolls for Saddam Hussein in Baghdad tolls also for George Bush in Washington. This is not a question of crude vengeance but interdependence. It is not that murder in Jenin or Gaza had to be avenged in Bali, but as the tsunami's havoc also took its toll of Western resources and lifestyles, it became clear again that there are no tidy compartments of suffering. Pain is indivisible and the response must be universal. No lashing storms, rearing tidal waves or upheavals under water can wipe out two of the most shaming images of 2004, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, that darken the coming election in Iraq and cast their shadow on the prospect of world peace. Only the US can decide whether the challenge of Muslim discontent should be defused or provoked into escalating into as massive a destructive force as the tsunami. Bush's response might reveal whether in his second coming the US has absorbed something of the lessons of history, learnt to take the temper of Asian nationalism and come to realise that the greatness of the world's only superpower lies in its capacity for healing. Its unquestioned military might and technological skills do not have to be flaunted in the posturing and aggressiveness of the bully on the block. An exultant Richard Nixon crowed when the Soviet Union collapsed that the time had come "for America to reset its geopolitical compass" and grasp "a historic opportunity to change the world." His concern was realpolitik but Michael Mandelbaum, director of the American Foreign Policy Programme and author of The Ideas that Conquered the World: Peace, Democracy and Free Markets, had more humane expectations from US supremacy. Aware that altruism also drives the American Dream, as evident in Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms and Harry S. Truman's New Deal, he compared American policy after the Cold War to a doughnut with "lots of peripheral interests, but nothing at the centre." The return to military orthodoxy by Bush's neo-conservative advisers continued and aggravated that imbalance. They have a chance now to redefine power, as a former defence secretary, James R. Schlesinger, advised, to include economic competitiveness, productivity and industrial investment. The message is that great responsibilities go hand in hand with great power. Earlier plans for two sensors in the Indian Ocean, one near Indonesia, were dropped because funds ran out. That must not happen again. But to ensure that it doesn't, Asian nations must cooperate to set up the appropriate infrastructure. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations can take this up. It will no doubt figure at this month's World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe. It ought to be on the agenda of the 15th World Conference on Disaster Management, scheduled for Toronto in
July. The writer is former Editor of The Statesman |
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On Record
Soft-spoken and friendly,
Harikesh Bahadur is among the most accessible Congress leaders in the AICC
office. A member of the Congress Working Committee (Permanent Invitee), he is
in charge of the two crucial states of Bihar and Jharkhand where the grand
old party has lots at stake in the ensuing Assembly elections. Mr Harikesh
Bahadur, 56, has been trying to strengthen the Congress in the two states
without offending its demanding allies. Hailing from Gorakhpur, he is a
post-graduate in chemical engineering. Beginning his political career in
1972, when he was elected president of the Benaras Hindu University Students’
Union, Mr Harikesh Bahadur has held several organisational responsibilities
in the Congress in the past three decades. A former MP, he has not contested
an election since 1998 due to the "predominance of caste politics"
in his native state. In an interview to The Sunday Tribune, he is confident
of his party coming to power in Bihar and Jharkhand along with its allies. Excerpts: Q.
How is the Congress preparing for the coming Assembly elections in Bihar and
Jharkhand? A. The party workers are working hard in both states. We are
in a strong position and the public response for the party is getting better
by the day. Q. Why was the RJD not consulted when the Congress and JMM
finalised their seat-sharing agreement for Jharkhand? A. In accordance
with the agreement, the Congress will contest 33 seats and the JMM 35 out of
the total 81 Assembly seats in the state. Nine seats have been left for the
RJD as the party has as many sitting MLAs. Two seats have been left for the
CPI and the remaining two may also be given to the Left parties. The RJD has
limited support base in the state, but it has been given its due. Q.
With RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and the Left parties miffed at their not being
consulted over the seat allocation in Jharkhand, will you rework the
arrangement? A. Seat allocation has been done after due consideration.
We have recognised the claims of Mr Lalu Prasad’s party. The seats were
distributed on the basis of the winnability factor. Politics is a game of
tolerance and everyone should be tolerant. Our collective aim is to defeat
the BJP and its allies. Q. Will your chances in Jharkhand be affected if
the RJD and the Left contest separately and do not join your alliance? A. Some
division of votes will take place in such a scenario. Secular forces should
take every step after serious consideration. Q. With Mr Shibu Soren’s
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) contesting more seats than the Congress in
Jhrakhand, does it mean that the next Chief Minister will belong to the JMM
in case the alliance is voted to power? A. This is not necessary. These
issues will be decided after elections. Two seats make no difference. Q.
What are your promises to the people of Jharkhand? A. Growing
unemployment in the state has forced people to migrate. The BJP-led
government in the state has been inept and corrupt. Development work has
stopped. The Congress will judiciously exploit the state’s rich mineral
resources. While industralisation will be a priority, due attention will be
given to rural and urban infrastructure. A chargesheet is being prepared
against the misdeeds of the BJP-led government. Q. How many seats will
the Congress contest in Bihar? A. We have demanded over 100 seats from
the RJD. Q. Will the Congress agree to nearly 30 seats reportedly being
offered to it by the RJD in Bihar? A. It is difficult to say. The RJD is
in the habit of giving less seats to its alliance partners. It is not good to
snatch rights of others. Q. Why have you not preferred the Lok Janshakti
Party over the RJD in Bihar when LJP president Ramvilas Paswan has offered
the Chief Minister’s post to the Congress in an alliance? A. We are
allies of the RJD-led government in Bihar. The party felt it should first try
an alliance with RJD. Q. Will the Congress have common manifestos with
the allies? A. No, we will have separate manifestoes which will be
released shortly. Q. Being a part of the RJD-led government in Bihar, how
much does the Congress share blame for the state’s relative
backwardness? A. Bihar progressed a lot under successive Congress
governments in the state. We always want that the state should have a
responsive administration and the situation in the state should improve. Q.
What are reasons for the Congress’ decline in Bihar? A. Polarisation
along caste lines has affected the fortunes of the Congress. We tell people
about our policies and programmes but the voters sometimes do not vote on
such factors. We are trying to educate people and there is an increasing
realisation about the correctness of our approach.n |
Profile It is a language full of beauty and grace, as
if, tailormade for literature. For generations, Urdu has been closely
associated with the man on the street and his emotions. That was,
perhaps, the reason why in course of time Urdu emerged as a popular
lingo. Urdu produced many scholars and literary figures. Many
excelled, acquired name and fame while some remained little noticed.
There were a few who just withered away because they did not get the
type of patronage they should have. Recipient of Urdu Academy's
prestigious Bahadur Shah Zafar Award for 2004, announced last week, Dr
Tanveer Ahmed Alvi is one less noticed litterateur and scholar. In
his late seventies, Dr Alvi lives in a rented house in "Chuddiwalan"
in the Walled city of Delhi, not very far from the "haveli"
of the Mirza Ghalib. He has done extensive research on every aspect of
the celebrated poet's work and translated Ghalib's Persian letters
into Urdu. His critical analysis has thrown new light on Ghalib's
poetry, say critics. Ailing currently, Dr Alvi spoke to this
columnist, talking about his work and life . "I am happy to have
received the Bahadur Shah Jafar Award for which I express my gratitude
to my friends and well wishers". Though indisposed, he has been
able to complete six or seven books and currently revising them before
they are sent to the press. The new books include - "Traditions
of Urdu Poetry", "Ghalib's Persian poems" and "Our
Cultural heritage in South West Asia". His yet to be published
work relates to culture, history, Sufism, literature and religious
studies. Dr Alvi never tried to project himself, never hankered
after money or talked about his voluminous work but dedicatedly and
silently pursued his literary work. He simultaneously taught Urdu at
Delhi University for about four decades with a brief stint at Jammia
Millia, says Meem Afzal, Vice-Chairman of Urdu Academy, and a student
of Dr Alvi. He never canvassed for himself and, possibly, that was the
reason that he could not become Professor in the Urdu Department and
retired as Reader. Afzal says that Dr Alvi has been "a living
encyclopaedia of Urdu literature" and his students virtually
adored him. "The urge to learn is never ending in him and he is
inquisitive like a child". A former Member of Parliament of
leftist leaning, Meem Afzal recalls: "Years back, Dr Alvi asked
me to define the concept of communism for him and what this ideology
stands for. It took a long time for me to explain to him what
socialism and communism stood for, its evolution and objective. It is
for the amelioration of the living standards of the toiling masses. Dr
Alvi was finally impressed and said any young man will be impressed by
these high sounding concepts". Those were the days when socialism
had become a craze with young men in India. Initially, Dr Alvi began
writing in contemporary Urdu newspapers and periodicals and became a
versatile writer, critic and poet. He is not only a scholar in Urdu
but well versed in Persian and Hindi too. An area where he has
excelled concerns work of Sufi poets, historical and cultural
background of Sufism. So much so that he has come to be known as an
authority on Sufi literature. Among his notable work is translation
of a Perisan book into Urdu, acquired from Shah Alam Sani, great
grandson of Bahadur Shah Jafar. The book is about Mughal history and
last emperor of the Mughal dynasty. Another book is about Jehanarrah,
daughter of emperor Shahjahan. Dr Alvi's translation of Khusrau's work
in Hindi — "Mahakavya" — is a valuable document and
widely appreciated. "My Hindi is quite update", he
says. Rare are persons like Dr Alvi. The Urdu Academy has done a
commendable work by honouring him. |
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Comments Unkempt
The
swish of the diesel engine was feather-soft. From my chair high on the river bank I watched the two ‘ships’ pass. One had two cars on it. People were out on deck in their best clothes. Quite obviously, it was holiday outing on the Ganga from Kolkata on a river much slimmed down since I saw it last in Bhagalpur four months ago. The waters have receded and big stretches of farmable land had surfaced, golden land which people had immediately come to claim and where I could see them at work all day long in the fields. The work is not always peaceful, there are scraps. The light of the silvery river with its green border was beautiful but it couldn’t hold back pictures of the tsunami which were in our consciousness and which we saw distressfully again on television till there was a revulsion in the pit of the stomach. Bhagalpur, a small town once part of undivided Bengal and now in Bihar, seemed little changed in time. On the way from the station I saw a group of people, holding the end of bedsheets collecting clothes and money for tsunami. There didn’t seem to be much of a response though private donations had been unprecedented in a self-centred world. Once again we were shown, with a finger jabbed into our eye; the vast difference between not just the First World but even between us Thirds. We in India, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have enough to wipe away the loss of thousands of frail fishing boats and slapped-together homes without any change to our way of life. We poor will give, but not enough. We have not adjusted our personal finances, limited though they may be, to a system that slips into position in an amount to help those much less in favour than us. Here are unpretty and poverty-punished towns like Gaya and Bhagalpur, in districts like Banka, Begusarai and Motihari where one comes across private institutions and clinics long after Swami Vivekananda who triggered off the notion that service to the poor is also religion. More than a hundred years have passed since Swamiji’s death at (39!) but his concept of religion is still green and young men and women are still drawn to the mission named after his Master, many from the south, not to practice Gnyanyoga and Rajyoga but to wipe the tears from the eyes of the deprived. The tsunami is only the most recent of the serial disasters which seem to have grown recurrent and more destructive. People are unprepared, governments are, of course. These are all small towns with proud memories. Raja Ram Mohan Roy has come to work here in the District Court of Bhagalpur. When the Bengali Literary Parishat opened its first branch in Bhagalpur after Kolkata in 1912 Rabindranath Tagore came. Vivekananda stayed here for a week during his epic walk from the North of India to the South. Bibhuti Mukherjee, well known Bengali writer, penned many of his works here. Saratchandra Chatterjee, even now the most popular novelist of Bengal, spent some 13 years of his youth and student days here and some of his novels and his stories were begun and afterwords finished in Bhagalpur. Saratbabu, before going way to join the Accountant General’s offices in Rangoon worked for a year in the famous Zamindar’s estate of Banaili. Vishnu Prabhakar wrote in “Awara Masiha” on Saratbabu but that was an outline and there remains much more to be dug up and mined. But the pity is that Bhagalpur, particularly Bengali Bhagalpur, seems to have forgotten its heritage. For a statue to be erected or a road or chowk named the organizing committee have to beseech and cringe before collectors and magistrates who often have no notion of Bengali or any other Indian writers. The small literary building of the Sahitya Parishat is in tumbledown condition and the patch of ground in front of it, donated by a Bhagalpurian decades ago, is overgrown with weeds and layered with garbage. What a job the British had to do to crisscrossing so large a country with railways. Tiny stations are yet at the British built them. Larger ones have been embellished by the Indian successors but mainly it is the façade which has changed. Municipal Corporations which pay little attention to sanitation, where the electricity goes off numberless times a day, scores and scores of private schools and almost an equal number of car-repair workshops are to be found in the crammed market, lots and lots of clothing stores and the branches of companies that have overlain India like Tata with care, Birlas with cement. The Railways bring us here after a 15 hour journey from Delhi (Of course it could be even slower, some days) in a train that provides no food of any kind. The only memorable eatable we got were samosas in Mokamah, head-carried and smoking. Maybe they were still under arrangements made by “Carpet Saheb”, Jim Corbett who never reaching the top rung of the Railways because he was an Anglo-Indian (“Domiciled European”, rather) and worked for many years at Mokama Ghat supervising transport and easing the knots. How different is Bhagalpur from the countries in Europe which were demolished in World War-II: Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Japan in the East which have rebuilt everything of what was destroyed almost exactly in the style as they were before the
bombing. |
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Diversities — Delhi
Letter
The
trend seems to be catching up. In last week's column, I had mentioned about Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit taking out time for book releases. And now comes in news that Amardeep Dahiya's maiden collection of 17 short stories, "Four fingers and seventeen nails" (UBSPD), will be released here on January 16 by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. Well written, words flow rather effortlessly. When I commented on the rather offbeat title, Dahiya quipped: "Traditionally, coffins are made that way, with four fingers and only 17 nails are used."
Shobhaa De at it again She is at it again. Shobhaa De seems up and about to comment on her all time favourite topic — marriage. And with that, the essential commodity called husband cannot be lagging far behind. The latest from her is, "Spouse: The truth about marriage" (Penguin). No, I am not inclined to read this formula book, but those of you who are interested in taming spouses for the façade called marriage to go on, here goes the catch line from her end: "Marriage is an adventure. It is also about learning to cope with your partner's moods, his eccentricities, his addictions and his past…" I repeat there is no set formula for any relationship to take off or die. It's between two individuals how they go about doing or undoing the job.
Khushwant’s
book of obits Death is anyway such a hitting reality. Yet, we Indians try not to talk about it, as though its something inauspicious or some strange happening, which could hit just about anyone. Call it a completely naïve attitude or even something beyond. Only few not just talk rather write about it in that matter of fact manner. This brings me to write that Khushwant Singh's book of obituaries, in which he has penned his own obit and titled it "Death at my doorstep" (Roli) is all set to be released later this month. Will update you on the date and venue. I should, however, mention that Khushwant Singh's own views on death are as straight and forthcoming as his views on everyday life. In an earlier interview, when I had asked him whether he was fearful about death, he said, "No, I believe in the Jain philosophy that death ought to be celebrated and not to be scared of."
Combating communalism Recently, bureaucrat-turned activist Harsh Mander and human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves held a press conference to present the draft of the "Communal Crimes Act, 2004". Needless for me to go into the details. Its importance lies in the fact that in the past few years, the country has been ruthlessly surcharged with communal tension. There is a need to curb the communal madness.
Bond’s book
of nature Winter is the time that Ruskin Bond, also called our very own "Wordsworth", travels down from Mussoorie to be here. Ruskin Bond's "Book of nature" (Penguin) will get launched here next week at a popular book store in the heart of Connaught Place (so much in its midst that there's little place to park). This weekend, Ganesh Saili's book "Ruskin, our enduring bond" (Roli) will be released at New Delhi's much happening bar — The Olive — situated close to the Qutb Minar where there is enough ground to park. To be honest these days I make my decisions to go or not in accordance with the parking slot (vehicular) availability.
A thoughtful
gesture Several hotels and clubs in the Capital cancelled new year eve parties. A really thoughtful gesture in keeping with the havoc on our coasts. Off hand, I can rattle off the names of some such eating joints — all the three branches of Chor Bazaar, restaurants attached to the Ashok, The Habitat Centre, clubs for the Defence Services personnel…There could be some more but of these I know of and they have definitely gone up in my esteem. In fact, here the latest is to raise donations for those affected by the Tsunami disaster. Collections are on amidst a big frenzy, in that mood to retrospect and think of the uncertainty of
life. |
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