O P I N I O N S

PERSPECTIVE

Relief for tsunami victims and human rights
by Suhas Chakma
The emergency phase of providing relief to the tsunami survivors is over. The difficult task of rebuilding the lives of the communities and individual survivors has begun. The respect for human rights including the principle of non-discrimination in the delivery of aid, implementation of the Guiding Principle on Internal Displacement and the right to protection from physical or mental abuse is of paramount importance.

On Record
Punjab economy will be put on fast track, says Singla
by Manoj Kumar
After facing a decade-long slowdown in economic growth, Punjab is once again gearing up to become a destination for investment. It has claimed to attract investment for projects worth over Rs 16,000 crore."

OPED

Profile
His works portray the harsh realities of life
by Harihar Swarup
When noted Hindi literatteur Vishnu Prabhakar landed at Rashtrapati Bhavan to attend the customary At home on the Republic Day, he was not aware of the multi-tier security ring around the imposing building and strict protocol. Nobody without a valid invitation was allowed to step on the narrow winding staircase that led to Mughal Garden — the venue of the tea party.

Comments Unkempt
Where will Bhola go?
by Chanchal Sarkar
It was a great day when Lakshmi the milch cow gave birth. The calf was a beautiful brown with a diamond patch at the centre of his forehead. When I first saw him, he could hardly stand on his four legs and was quivering. The mother stood guard nearby and watched if any of us approached. He then swung her head as a warning.

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Khushwant’s book on death hits stand
by Humra Quraishi
One man can change an entire concept. No imagination this, but it is factual that at the   release of Khushwant Singh’s latest book, “Death at my doorstep”, the audience actually  laughed  whilst death was being discussed. And heartily dwelt upon.

• Elaborate farewell

• Report on Godhra

PERSPECTIVE

Relief for tsunami victims and human rights
by Suhas Chakma

The emergency phase of providing relief to the tsunami survivors is over. The difficult task of rebuilding the lives of the communities and individual survivors has begun. The respect for human rights including the principle of non-discrimination in the delivery of aid, implementation of the Guiding Principle on Internal Displacement and the right to protection from physical or mental abuse is of paramount importance. While the separation of the Dalits and upper castes was considered as a necessary evil during the emergency phase of providing relief, the Government of India should not promote such blatant violations of constitutional provisions.

The initial acrimony between the warring parties – the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the governments of Sri Lanka and Indonesia, the Free Aceh Movement and the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), has mellowed down. However, potential conflicts because of the mistrusts entrenched by decades old bitter conflicts cannot be ruled out.

Indonesia has already rejected an offer by Aceh’s rebels in their direct talks on Jan 29, 2005 to put the demands for independence on hold in exchange for a referendum to be held 5-10 years later to decide Aceh’s future. Given the experience in East Timor, Indonesia is unlikely to agree on any referendum.

However, the restrictions imposed on Jan 11, 2005 on the movement of aid workers in Aceh for allegedly protecting them from GAM still continue. Foreign aid workers are required to register to travel outside the towns of Banda Aceh and Meulaboh and they have to provide details of their current and planned activities, as well as any travel plans outside Banda Aceh and Meulaboh.

The restrictions have increased bureaucracy on the ground by enhancing the power of the local army commanders who have militaristic approach towards dealing with Acehnese. The government’s refusal to formally sign a cease-fire agreement with GAM has slowed down relief efforts in the areas where it is needed most. The UN General Assembly Resolution 45/100 has declared that the abandonment of victims of natural disasters without humanitarian assistance constitutes “a threat to human life and an offence to human dignity”. While reaffirming the sovereignty of affected states, the UN General Assembly Resolution invited all states whose populations are in need of humanitarian assistance to “facilitate the work of…organisations in implementing humanitarian assistance”.

The bitter recrimination over how much aid the Sri Lankan government has allowed into the areas controlled by the LTTE is also slowly settling down. The LTTE has stressed on the need to “structuring a common strategy to ensure equitable distribution of the international aid” and dropped the demand that aid be given to the Tigers in the areas they control. President Chandrika Kumara-tunga government must not deepen the existing grievances.

Ordinary people from all over the world have donated hundreds of millions of dollars as raw display of generosity to assist the tsunami survivors and not to support the political agenda of the governments or the armed opposition groups. The last thing expected at the moment is the outburst of clashes between the security forces and the armed opposition groups which will only increase the despair of the victims of one of the greatest tragedies ordained by nature. While the outpouring of aid is welcome, the United Nations and the donors should realise that effective delivery of aid for the survivors would hinge on peace on the ground in Aceh and Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka. Ignoring the survivors from these regions will further deepen the resentment against Jakarta and Colombo.

The ceasefire between the LTTE and Sri Lankan government has been extremely helpful for aid delivery despite differences. It is essential that informal ceasefire agreements between the GAM and the Indonesian government is formalised soon so that restrictions imposed on the aid workers could be lifted expeditiously. It could speed up reconstruction efforts without any intimidation or interference. Otherwise, vested interests may jeapardise prevailing peace initiatives. The statements of Admiral Daya Sandagiri of Sri Lanka that LTTE Supremo Prabhakaran had become a victim of tsunami and of Indonesian army chief Endriartono Sutarto that majority members of the GAM had became victims of tsunami reflect military’s attempt to gain advantage.

According to Jan Egeland, United Nations Under Secretary General on Humanitarian Affairs, more than half of the $775 million pledged to the UN appeal, had either been received, or was on its way. Unless the United Nations can rectify the mistakes committed while dealing with its natural disasters whether in Honduras or Haiti, its reputation might be at stake.

Among others, the UN and the donors should establish a system of accountability for the use of aid to ensure that governments do not use the aid money for military purposes or other events and programmes; set conditions that project activities are supervised by independent agencies or own consultants or companies of the donors and the activities are implemented within a set time; undertake emergency measures to establish the local communities so that they could leave the relief camps as soon as possible to start their normal life in community with others; develop mechanisms for co-ordination and information sharing amongst the donors to avoid duplication as well as to increase efficiency. The involvement of the local communities, community organisations and NGOs in the implementation of all the programmes and projects remain fundamental.

Rebuilding the lives of orphaned children across the tsunami affected areas is not equivalent to rebuilding the houses and creating job opportunities for the adults. It is investment in human being and requires a generation. With international spotlight gradually shifting their focus, rebuilding the lives of the orphaned may never be done completely. Yet, the government can take measures to ensure that these traumatised children do not become victims of trafficking and other gross human rights violations. Peace is essential for rebuilding their lives. n

The writer is Director, Asian Centre for Human Rights, New Delhi

On Record
Punjab economy will be put on fast track, says Singla
by Manoj Kumar

After facing a decade-long slowdown in economic growth, Punjab is once again gearing up to become a destination for investment. It has claimed to attract investment for projects worth over Rs 16,000 crore."With the clearance of the Bhatinda refinery project, the largest public sector investment in the state after the Bhakra dam since Independence, the state hopes to rejuvenate the economy through public-private partnership", claims Finance Minister Surinder Singla. In an interview to The Sunday Tribune, he talks about the issues confronting the state today and the roadmap to give a big push to the state economy in the next 2-3 years.

A: With the implementation of VAT from April 1, the revenue collections would go up by Rs 400 crore to Rs 1000 crore annually as it would help plug leakages in the tax system. 

OPED

Profile
His works portray the harsh realities of life
by Harihar Swarup

When noted Hindi literatteur Vishnu Prabhakar landed at Rashtrapati Bhavan to attend the customary At home on the Republic Day, he was not aware of the multi-tier security ring around the imposing building and strict protocol. Nobody without a valid invitation was allowed to step on the narrow winding staircase that led to Mughal Garden — the venue of the tea party. The security personnel were polite but, understandably, right from the entrance gate, the invitation card was checked at every point till an invitee passed through the metal detector.

Obviously, in a hurry to clear the rush of invitees, security men would not have known Prabhakar. There was no question of allowing the son of 93-year-old literary prodigy, who accompanied his father, to give him support. A clearance was needed. Senior officers on the spot should have shown common sense and ensured that the person, who was honoured by the President, was shown more consideration than blindly adhering to strict security instructions. It was not difficult for them to have obtained clearance for Prabhakar’s son. It was indeed very thoughtful of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to have specially invited Prabhakar and assuaged his hurt feelings.

Prabhakar’s stature has grown much higher than the Padma Bhushan award. The honour itself has come to him a bit too late in life. He is a Gandhian and a prolific writer. Belonging to the Gandhi era, he has seen various phases of history, passed through the rough and tumble of life and the period is truly reflected in his works. His perceptive eyes have seen almost the entire turbulent 20th century, marked by two world wars, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the rise and fall of Communism.

Behind his rather stern face is a tender heart, full of “milk of human kindness” and the genius who created literature. Characters of his short stories, novels and plays are so real, so moving, portraying the harsh realities of life, as if, the reader is himself passing through them. So engrossing are his novels that once a reader picks any one, he would read till the last page.

There are very few Hindi writers whose works are translated in English. Prabhakar is one of them. The biography of the celebrated Bengali novelist, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, who strode the literary world as a colossus, has been his most outstanding work and translated in English. Entitled “Awara Messiah” (vagabond prophet or the great vagabond), the biography is based on Prabhakar’s extensive research in Sarat Chandra’s works and times. He painstakingly visited all the places associated with the name of Bengal’s literary prodigy. He visited the land of his birth, the village where he spent his childhood, and the places where he roamed as a crusader for social justice and calling for an end to discrimination. He also met almost all who knew Sarat Chandra. He studied the documents and references relating to the Bangla novelist and reformer.

 The life-story of Sarat Chandra, penned by Sarat Chandra turned out to be one of the best biographies. It was reviewed widely and critics almost unanimously reached the conclusion that it was an excellent book. It reads like a novel. “The author has succeeded in generating the interest in the mind of readers. He has gone into minutest details of not only the work of Sarat Chandra but also his life and time. He has not compromised on anything. It is a wonderful book”, say critics. Prabhakar’s yet another outstanding novel is “Ardhanarishwara” (a name of lord Shiva) for which the Sahitya Akademi gave him its prestigious award. Prabhakar has also written his autobiography “Vishnu Prabhakar: Antam Kath” running into three volumes.

Prabhakar was born on June 21, 1921 at Meerapur village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, an hour’s drive from Delhi. He spent most part of his childhood in Haryana’s Hissar and got education there. He took a government job but creativity was inbuilt in him. In his spare time, he would write stories. He left jobs after jobs, one of which was with All India Radio. As director and producer, he directed plays on AIR.

However, he could not hold his government job for long and finally settled down as a full-time writer. His literary genius blossomed as he began reeling out plays, short stories and novels. He edited as many as 60 books and helped in the publication of several literary journals. Prabhakar is now in the evening of his life. Yet, he is fit and mentally alert. His pen continues to be his permanent companion.

Comments Unkempt
Where will Bhola go?
by Chanchal Sarkar

It was a great day when Lakshmi the milch cow gave birth. The calf was a beautiful brown with a diamond patch at the centre of his forehead. When I first saw him, he could hardly stand on his four legs and was quivering. The mother stood guard nearby and watched if any of us approached. He then swung her head as a warning.

The cow-hand, Chhotah, was happy, of course. He had looked after the pregnancy. Also happy were the drivers, Manik, Chetri and Umesh as were all the other people on the staff to see a new life in the yard, which brought a smile to every face.

Two days later, the calf was confidently striding up and down and going for milk to his mother in a small jute shed in the large garden. He had acquired the name Bhola.

Meanwhile, the cycle of life went on which I never got near to in Delhi. As a city person born, I have been amazed by the birds I see and hear in Bhagalpur. I am no bird-watcher. So I can’t identify them.

I didn’t know there were so many varieties of crows with so many different voices ranging from bass to soprano.

Sometime, a crow’s voice is like that of a small baby. An owl came at night to sit outside the window. And there were many whirrs, whistles, swishes of wings and dives which I could not identify. One of the earlier British High Commissioners had produced an interesting book, "Birds in my Delhi garden". I have no qualities of an ornithologist.

At other times there were lots in squirrels running up the Ashok’s, guava, mangoes and gulmohar trees. This time I didn’t see any. My hostess said that the two beautiful home pet Dalmatians had frightened them away. I wondered if it was not hibernation.

Even though late, there was a spill over of flowers left. Sunflowers and marigold, both yellow, some poppies, chrysanthemums and dahlias and there were large beds of vegetables reared without any chemical manure, pride of my hosts: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, carrot and pumpkins were all there.

It was wonderful to be so near trees, plants, flowers and birds.

Not only did life go on land. The Ganges, too, kept flowing, though thinned. The fishermen must have heard of the devastation brought by the tsunami but they fished everyday; they couldn’t afford not to. The nets were cast wide. When they were drawn in, scores of impeccably white birds came and sat hoping to pick up a fish between their becks.

Other birds tried swooping down to the net. Beyond them is the receded Ganges with the rich agricultural land which has surfaced. Men and women worked all day, raising mustard, maize and vegetables.

Whether for official or personal use, the British chose good work spots. Set in attractive locations, away from the crowd and noise of the regular town, the large houses were for comfort and also to impress. Grant Sahib’s kothi, where I lived, was one of them. It is now occupied by the Inspector-General of Police.

The District Magistrate’s realm is also magisterial. I haven’t been inside but the white walls are like wide arms cradling a large house that can be only partly glimpsed from the outside. The Superintendent of Police’s house has yellow walls.

No one is curious enough to examine when they were built or who lived in these big homes. The Indian top brass spend their time in preserving what the British built; their own buildings are not so majestic and as in the case of Lutyens’ Delhi, they are pecked and interfered with till their beauty and symmetry are damaged. So it is with many of the small town houses.

Soon I will have to go back to the drabness of Delhi and leave behind the ever-changing, ever-active movement of nature. Bhola’s future is, I gather unsure. Lakshmi will soon be providing milk, dahi, paneer and deep yellow ghee.

As a male, Bhola is not valued as a provider of milk and so he will have to be trained as a puller of ploughs. Or, horror of horrors, he will be sold to a butcher!

While there are so many who complain I am quite content to see the retired bullocks set free on Delhi roads. Of course, there may be accidents more liable but drivers will have to be more careful. The thought of slaughter repulses me.

I shall miss the temporary link with nature, the mooing of Lakshmi, the flurry of bird wings, the water round the vegetable patch and the silence in the starry’s ghats.

Unfortunately, in most houses, official and unofficial, trees and plants are allowed to grow by malis by customary order without love. Years ago in Delhi’s Hauz Khas, there lived an officer, not a very high one, of DLF who was a passionate grower of roses.

Standing in his garden one day, I pointed to a rose tree, full of blooms, with my foot. Mr Mukherjee, such was his name, was both pained and angry. "Don’t point to rose trees with your foot," he said. I understood and humbly apologised.

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Khushwant’s book on death hits stand
by Humra Quraishi

One man can change an entire concept. No imagination this, but it is factual that at the   release of Khushwant Singh’s latest book, “Death at my doorstep”, the audience actually  laughed  whilst death was being discussed. And heartily dwelt upon.

Seth’s untamed enthusiasm made him suggest that there ought to be a full-fledged  ministry to deal with deaths. It can be called the Death Ministry! And to that, let me add   that hypocrisy ridden that we are there would be few takers to man it. Inauspicious and   all that farce so terribly embedded in our psyche.

Elaborate farewell

UN  Information Centre’s former Director Bhaichand Patel loves to party — attend and   host and, to top it, enjoys doing both. Though he is still settling down in his new  apartment, he decided to hold an elaborate send off for our new envoy to the Fiji Islands, Ajay Singh. Ajay and his wife Shiromani have not just spent their childhood on those  Islands; the latter was even born there.

Getting back to the party, as usual Bhaichand invited a select group. But then, guests   spread out from the drawing room to the study, even to the adjoining room and further into the interiors. In his typical style, Bhaichand spoke, followed by one from Ajay  Singh. And then followed by a great spread and continuity with cocktails. Generous helpings. I  seemed to be in severe competition with the gentleman on my right — New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India Graeme Waters. I  had to give up for he is really lean and  I am not really so.

The other guests that evening included Prem Shankar Jha, Saeed Naqvi, Rahul Singh, Uma Gajapati Raju with spouse Ramesh Sharma, Dumpy Ahmad and brother Zafar    Ahmad  (sans their spouses), Yashodhra Dalmia, Iloosh Ahluwalia, Rekha Surya, Kaamna Prasad…the list is endless.

Report on Godhra

Last week New Delhi-based NGO, Anhad, has sent a letter to Prime Minister   Manmohan Singh with a copy to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. It focuses on the  findings of Justice U.C. Bannerjee’s interim report on the Godhra train burning and with those findings it questions the imprisonment of those 200 implicated.

It states that over 200 innocent Muslims who have been rotting for “burning the train” need our attention immediately. We demand that all those who have been put behind bars on the charge of burning the train be immediately released and suitably compensated for the torture and humiliation, which they have suffered during this long period.

In fact, it is a detailed letter stating how the communal twist was built up, resulting in the mayhem. The report blames former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for shedding crocodile tears over the riots.

The Citizens Tribunal with eminent judges and social workers after painstaking investigation concluded that it might have been an accident and that there was no evidence of the conspiracy by Muslim groups. Also despite the lapse of over two and a half years, no evidence has been produced and no definitive accused located who was part of this massive conspiracy, since it was not one.

Surprisingly, despite the provisions of the Railway Act, the train accident was never investigated by the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar in an effort to appease his BJP allies.

Mr Kumar has thus failed in his duties and obligations by not investigating the horrific train accident, the report observed.

REFLECTIONS

— The Bhagvad Gita