O P I N I O N S

Perspective

Security and foreign policy imperatives
by Maj-Gen Rajendra Nath (retd)
The lack of effective coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Defence Ministry has led to the neglect of the security aspect. In the initial years, India’s foreign policy was shaped by morality, idealism, fairplay, peace and justice for all nations etc. But powerful and strong countries are ruthless in the pursuit of their national interest.

Blessed are the corrupt?
by Prakash Singh
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam recently said that we should strive for a corruption-free India by 2010. But what is the ground reality? India is among one of the most corrupt countries of the world. According to the Transparency International, the common citizen pays bribes totalling Rs 21,068 crore every year for availing himself of one or more of the public services.

OPED

Facing terrorism, British style
by Col P.K. Vasudeva (retd)
The efficiency with which the police and other emergency services swung into action soon after the London attacks of July 7 is indeed commendable. The ‘recovery’ the city displayed as seen in the stoicism and calmness of most citizens, was perhaps an unstated acknowledgment of the ‘inevitability’ of the attack itself.

Profile
Apostle of peace and non-violence
by Harihar Swarup
It is difficult to believe but it is true. Another Gandhi-like colossus has appeared on the scene. He speaks the language of the Mahatma. Gandhi could inspire a whole generation by his mantra of Ahimsa. Jain seer Acharya Sri Mahapragya’s unstinted efforts for peace, respect for all religions and promotion of non-violence through Ahmisa has inspired the present generation.

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Exhibition on Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombings
by Humra Quraishi
There’s to be much emphasis on the tragic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, exactly 60 years ago. An exhibition, ‘Hiroshima — Never Again’ gets inaugurated here by Japan Foundation Director Yoo Fukazawa. This exhibition has some of the leading Indian artists participating. Former Prime Minister V.P. Singh, Arpana Caur, Shamshad Husain, Jai Zhirotia.

• Discussion on Indo-US ties

• The importance of Premchand

REFLECTIONS

Perspective

Security and foreign policy imperatives
by Maj-Gen Rajendra Nath (retd)

The lack of effective coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Defence Ministry has led to the neglect of the security aspect. In the initial years, India’s foreign policy was shaped by morality, idealism, fairplay, peace and justice for all nations etc. But powerful and strong countries are ruthless in the pursuit of their national interest. As a result, less powerful or weak countries had to suffer.

We had to pay a heavy price due to the neglect of our armed forces. Pakistan is creating trouble in Jammu and Kashmir while the Chinese have occupied a large portion of Aksai Chin in the north-eastern part of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

When India became Independent, Nehru was both Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister for 17 years. Defence Minister V.K. Krishna Menon helped Nehru in dealing with foreign affairs. He was, in fact, more interested in international affairs than in the problems of the Defence Ministry. If India was militarily weak in 1962, Krishna Menon is mainly responsible. There was no excuse for this military weakness, for the war with Pakistan in 1947-48 cost India one-third of Jammu and Kashmir. But Indian foreign policy did not attach much importance to the security aspect even though the Chinese had occupied Tibet in 1950.

General Thorat, who was commanding Eastern Command in the late fifties, briefed Nehru during a visit, on the possible Chinese threat. He suggested that India should prepare a defence line somewhere half way from the Indian plains to the high mountainous terrain along the India-China border. He recommended proper roads from the plains to these mountain positions so that we could defend North-Eastern India in case China created border problems for India.

Nehru said that he was engaged in bringing about rapprochement between the US and USSR and it would not be proper to move our forces towards the Tibetan border. General Thorat thought that Nehru was taking himself a bit too seriously. He wrote about this in his book Reville to Retreat. Krishna Menon too thought that he could handle China diplomatically. The Chinese Defence Minister in 1961 had told Menon that China would not attack India and he, as Defence Minister, trusted this statement so much that he did not prepare the Indian Army for a possible threat from China or move forces swiftly when the occasion so warranted, to take on the Chinese attack. The result was disastrous for India. Its non-aligned policy was found wanting in saving our country’s honour, prestige and frontiers.

However, India was better prepared for the 1965 Indo-Pak war, started by General Ayub Khan to capture the remainder of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan felt that India’s borders were not sacred and that aggression pays. But its invasion was repulsed. India had paid due attention to its defence requirements and our forces were ready to counter the Pakistani threat.

Indira Gandhi followed a foreign policy which was holistic and looked after India’s defence and economic aspects properly besides day-to-day foreign relations. The US and many other countries did not like her foreign policy. She continued the non-aligned policy but signed a defence pact with the USSR. This kept China worried about possible Russian actions, in case it interfered in the Indo-Pak war of 1971, even though the US under Nixon coaxed China to do sabre-rattling on the India-China border to distract India’s action in Bangladesh. Indira Gandhi remained firm even when the US moved part of its Seventh Fleet to the Indian Ocean to frighten India. Regrettably, Indian military experts were not present when the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak accords were signed after the wars. India actually lost on the negotiating table what its brave jawans and officers had gained on the battlefield after much sacrifice.

Then came the Pokhran nuclear explosion in 1974. India had developed this capacity may years ago but did not test the bomb, as it had been holding forth against nuclear weapons since 1948 on moral and ethical grounds. In 1965, Dr Bhabha came to the Defence Services Staff College to deliver a lecture on nuclear energy when I was an instructor there. He stated that India could produce a bomb in a year’s time whenever the government gave the sanction. It was left to the last government to test the nuclear weapons in 1998. India had after all become a nuclear power. Pakistan followed suit immediately and it too became another nuclear power in South Asia.

The Vajpayee government’s wrong policy on Myanmar enabled China to get naval bases on the Myanmar coast. Myanmar wanted to purchase weapon systems from India. It was an ideal opportunity for India to bring Myanmar closer to India. But the Vajpayee government insisted that Myanmar must have a democratic government before India could sell weapons to it. It was a serious mistake. When Myanmar turned to China, it readily agreed. In return, China has obtained access to naval bases in Myanmar which help it to have a presence in the Bay of Bengal. India’s security was harmed due to a wrong policy decision. Thankfully, the present government is following a wise policy to improve relations with Myanmar.

The Centre should handle the crisis in Nepal with tact because the Maoist-Naxalite insurgents could pose a threat to India. If Nepal comes under the influence of a foreign power, it will affect India’s defence. India should be vigilant.

Pakistan has been using terrorism as a war of attrition in Jammu and Kashmir against India. Bangladesh is equally hostile to India and ISI is training anti-Indian elements in Bangladesh, who infiltrate into the North-Eastern states to create serious security problems. China is giving extensive military aid to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Indian security is thus palpably threatened.

We need the United States’ help today so that it will stand by us in our hour of need. Herein lies the significance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington. The visit has improved the Indo-US strategic equation and will help improve national security. But there is no free lunch in bilateral relations. One has to give and take in a foreign policy. As India has strong friends, it can take proper measures against those countries which think that Indian borders can be violated.

Blessed are the corrupt?
by Prakash Singh

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam recently said that we should strive for a corruption-free India by 2010. But what is the ground reality? India is among one of the most corrupt countries of the world. According to the Transparency International, the common citizen pays bribes totalling Rs 21,068 crore every year for availing himself of one or more of the public services. This is a matter of great shame.

Is there any seriousness about curbing corruption? Very little. Corruption levels are sky-rocketing. There have been shocking disclosures in the recent past. The Chautalas were found to possess not only several acres of land but also hotels, holiday resorts, flats and educational institutions in several towns worth hundreds of crores. A former Chief secretary had movable and immovable property in several towns of Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Delhi. The Jharkhand government, in a statement filed before the High Court, conceded that 37 per cent of the bureaucracy was corrupt. The ‘steel frame’ has become a ‘steal frame’.

So, where do we go from here? The steep downward slide has to be arrested and, to the extent possible, reversed. I would limit myself to three basic recommendations which, if implemented, will go a long way in curbing corruption in the services.

One, the All-India Services officers should be brought within the ambit of the CBI irrespective of where they are serving. At present, many corrupt IAS and IPS officers serving in states are protected by their political masters. Permission to conduct inquiries against them was never accorded by the state government.

Two, at the state level, the Lok Ayukta should be given more powers, administrative and jurisdictional. Besides, the state CID, Vigilance, Anti-Corruption units should be energised and insulated against outside pressures. These state agencies have, over the years been, been rendered ineffective. To institute an inquiry, file an FIR, issue a charge-sheet and then prosecute an All-India Service officer, one needs government’s permission. The result: the big fish are always able to get away at some stage.

Three, the Supreme Court had laid down in the Skipper Case that Parliament should enact a law providing for forfeiture of property illegally acquired by the holders of public office, including property held in the name of the offender’s spouse, children, relatives and associates. Parliament should legislate on the subject soon.

Do our leaders have the determination to transform the President’s dream into reality? Or shall we have to say: Blessed are the corrupt for they shall inherit the earth.

The writer is a former Director-General, Border Security Force

On Record
Safety net must for workers: Memani
by Manoj Kumar

K.N. Memani

The police assault on the workers of Honda Motor and Scooter India (HMSI) in Gurgaon raised serious doubts over the efficacy of the western "hire and fire" policy in India and the government’s single-track policy of attracting foreign investment at any cost. In an interview to The Tribune, Mr K.N. Memani, President, PHDCCI, the most active industrial chamber in the region, said that the Indian economy is still not mature for the hire and fire policy without an adequate social security system.

Excerpts:

Q: How does the industry view the recent clash in Gurgaon?

A: The episode is unfortunate, though isolated. Violence by either party cannot be justified on any grounds. It is the duty of all sections to maintain harmony and sort out issues amicably without resorting to use of force. While the workers have the right to express their demand through demonstration, this should be done in a peaceful manner so that the need for such police intervention does not arise at all. The Government too is duty-bound to protect the interest of general public at all times.

Q: Who is responsible for aggravating the situation? Couldn’t it have been handled in a better manner?

A: The problem aggravated mainly because of the laxity of the administration. Police failed to anticipate that workers’ agitation could turn violent. This is first of its kind. Highly outnumbered by agitating workers, the police was intimidated by some mischief mongers which, in turn, led to an overreaction on their part. We support the judicial inquiry ordered by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and urge him to table it in the specified time period. The dispute between the management and the employees, which culminated into violence, also calls for the immediate attention of the industry to prevent such incidents. Better-equipped and well-trained police force to handle workers’ unrest could have prevented the incident.

Q: Does it call for expeditious labour reforms in the country?

A: Labour reforms are urgently called for. Harmonious industrial relations will pave the way for economic growth and development. The top priority should be to scrap our archaic labour laws and make them more meaningful. The current over-regulatory environment does not give management the right to manage its affairs as per the needs created by market forces. This should be addressed on an urgent basis.

Granted that an exit policy without a safety net would not be desirable. We need to work out new models, which can address the legitimate needs of labour and yet achieve higher levels of productivity and value generation.

Q: Gurgaon is a major industrial hub. Will the latest incident affect new investment in the region?

A: It may put a caution on fresh investments. However, it would soon taper off. Incidents like large-scale police brutality on retrenched labourers, though reprehensible, would not seriously undermine the business environment and confidence of potential investors. These incidents do have a shock value to temporarily dissuade new and potential investors to come and set their shop in the region, but the industry-friendly policies of Haryana and state-of-art infrastructure facilities plus Gurgaon’s proximity to Delhi would not keep the investors away from the region.

Q: How do you view the Hooda government’s policy towards industry compared with the previous Chautala government?

A: The Haryana Government’s policies towards industry are highly progressive. The policy initiative intends to capture the buoyant mood of potential investors and aims to reposition the state as the most preferred destination for economic activity. It re-establishes itself as a key driver of economic growth and facilitates spatial dispersal of economic activities across the entire state. It is also promoting mega projects that have the potential for economic spin off and would encourage public-private partnership.

Q: In the present context, do you think that Indian labour market has reached the maturity of the Western nations for adopting such a policy?

A: To take full advantage of the opportunities arising out of post MFA and WTO regime, harmonious industrial relations can pave the way for economic growth and development. Government participation in such efforts is imperative to improve competitiveness through manpower excellence.

Q: In the zeal of attracting investment, can we compromise on job security, especially in the context of the rising unemployment problem?

A: Employment generation is the nation’s top priority. Therefore, there should be flexibility in labour laws enabling the employer to adjust the labour force as per the requirement of the unit. In the emerging globalised economic scenario, what we must aim at is ‘security of employment’ and not ‘security of job’. This calls for further liberalisation, extensive training and easy entry-exit options for employees. Social security system needs to be strengthened with contribution for providing all possible social securities to workers to compensate them in such case.

Q: What reform measures would you suggest for promoters and management to evolve a better working environment?

A: Promoters and management need to understand the psyche of employees which is the key to removing any notion of fear from their minds. Building relationship is a two-way affair. Both the partners in production must impose trust in each other to build a climate of harmonious relations.

OPED

Facing terrorism, British style
by Col P.K. Vasudeva (retd)

The efficiency with which the police and other emergency services swung into action soon after the London attacks of July 7 is indeed commendable. The ‘recovery’ the city displayed as seen in the stoicism and calmness of most citizens, was perhaps an unstated acknowledgment of the ‘inevitability’ of the attack itself.

Within 24 hours of the bomb blasts, the London administration and the security agencies restored normalcy in the city. The brave Britishers accepted the inevitable and moved ahead to catch the perpetrators. The crime branch has been able to identify the terrorists and its links in Pakistan within a week. Even after the subsequent botched attacks on London’s transit system, the police has been able to arrest nine men and three women suspected to be behind the attacks.

Surprisingly, the bewilderment exists as to why the terrorists struck with such awe and what motivated them to carry out such a dastardly act on the innocent civilians. The fear of repetition of such blast will remain in the minds of the British people till the main reasons of such acts do not come to the surface. The British Government has discounted any links with the Iraq occupation or even the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

However, the revelations that have come to light show that the terrorists are ‘homegrown’ have proved disturbing to a nation that prided itself in the recent elections that it believed in multiculturalism and diversity.

Britain is no stranger to terrorist acts. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was feared through 1970s and 1980s. But the recent suicide bombings indicate that the nature of terrorism and its underpinnings have changed considerably. While the war goes on in Afghanistan and Iraq, terrorist acts following September 11, 2001, as seen by Istanbul, Casablanca, Bali, Madrid, Ayodhya and now London, have continued unabated. Compared to organisations like the radical Palestinian groups or even IRA of two decades ago, terrorism today has mutated into acts perpetrated with devastating consequences by smaller and isolated groups. Its reasons too have become difficult to pinpoint.

Earlier attacks that had the Al-Qaeda stamp could be related to radical Islamic anger at American and western interference in conservative west Asia, but the London terror attacks were perpetrated by the British nationals on fellow citizens (which is the most disturbing factor), who as shown by opinion polls have largely been against Iraq war. In a perversely ironical way, the attacks were made possible precisely because its enactors operated within the precincts of a liberal, democratic society and had at their disposal the technology so easily accessible to western societies.

Apart from the loss of innocent lives, the attacks have reinforced the counterproductive nature of terrorism. Terrorism has rarely driven governments to leniency. Rather it has prompted more stringent laws, heightened security operations and a clamp down on the civil liberties.

The aims of the ‘war against terror’ that began with much worldwide support in late 2001 now appear narrower than originally envisaged making victims of the very citizens the western world promised to protect. The US-led coalition is partly to be blamed for the increase in terrorist incidents all over the world especially when not a single weapon has been discovered by them. Anger has been fuelled not merely by the heavy bombing Fallujah sustained over many months but by the reports detailing abuses at Guantanamo and Abu Gharib. The West has to rethink on their strategy of removing terrorism by force or through talks or through assuring a peaceful existence to the West Asian countries.

Democracy cannot be instilled in the West Asian countries that are deeply entrenched in the authoritarian rule since long. Terrorism has at times ebbed only after its adherents have benefited by the extension and spread of democracy and not other way round. It has now been adequately proved to the western countries that a nation cannot be attacked because it does not toe the dictates of other powerful nation. It has also been proved that no nation can be usurped by offensive alone.

A debate has raged in Britain over stricter laws relating to terror and immigration; moves to ensure right thinking persons to visit and stay in UK. While groups like the Muslim Council of Britain have called for introspection into the ‘radicalisation’ that seems to affect large sections of the disaffected Muslim youth, an old dilemma has also surfaced — multiculturalism vis-à-vis integration.

Some alleged perpetrators behind the London attacks were reportedly from Leeds. This region in Yorkshire till recently bore witness to industrial decline and unemployment, even when the first-generation immigrants from the West and South Asia prospered in their small business and their children, including the very many disgruntled Muslim youth of today grappled with unspecified ‘identity crisis’.

Towns in Yorkshire and elsewhere, like Oldham and Bradford witnessed ethnic riots all through the summer of 2001. Elsewhere in Europe too, a similar predicament has emerged — as a declining population draws in cheap, immigrant labour, chiefly from Turkey, North Africa and West Asia.

While the European Union is expected to legislate on stricter security and justice measures, methods to control terrorism have to range from transnational to local. Terrorism’s surprise and unpredictability call for multi-pronged approach will be the answer.

In a historic statement, IRA has ordered its ‘soldiers’ to stand down, dump arms, cease all terrorist activities and end a campaign thought to have been Western Europe’s bloodiest, longest running conflict. This farewell to arms by IRA has been widely welcomed. It is now for the PLO and Al-Qaeda and other terrorist jehadi organisations to follow the suit.

The leading US Council of Muslim Scholars issued a fatwa against terrorism, in the latest bid to distance the American Islamic community from extremism following the London attacks. This act on the part of Muslim scholars is again for bringing peace in the disturbed world of terrorism.

“All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam,” said the fatwa edict made by the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), a group of scholars which interprets Islamic law. The order has been endorsed by the major US Muslim groups. This order has been given in view of the feelings of some Americans that the London attackers have been brought and bred in London. As a result, it has led to increased scrutiny from the US Muslim community. There have also been fears that home grown American Muslims could resort to terrorism on the US soil in the same way that born and bred British Muslims carried off the London attacks.

India is already grappling with terrorism since 1989 in Jammu and Kashmir. It may have to live with it for many more years till wiser counsel prevails on our neighbours. More humane politics and an end to iniquitous development and poverty may end terrorism all over.

The writer is a defence analyst and commentator

Profile
Apostle of peace and non-violence
by Harihar Swarup

It is difficult to believe but it is true. Another Gandhi-like colossus has appeared on the scene. He speaks the language of the Mahatma. Gandhi could inspire a whole generation by his mantra of Ahimsa. Jain seer Acharya Sri Mahapragya’s unstinted efforts for peace, respect for all religions and promotion of non-violence through Ahmisa has inspired the present generation. His message is loud and clear: “The religion which does not bring about a change in man’s life, which does not impart peace to him, deserves to be thrown into the river Ganges rather than carried on as a burden on one’s shoulders. Rituals or idol worship alone are not enough unless one’s conduct also gets transformed. Unless one is righteous and honest, both to himself and others, and leads a value oriented life, he is not religious despite his proclamation”.

Honouring Acharya Sri with National Communal Harmony Award by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was indeed a tribute to his contribution to the promotion of communal harmony and national integration.

Acharya Mahapragya’s 4000-km-long ‘Ahimsa Yatra’ undertaken to douse the flames of Gujarat riots and spread the message communal harmony drew global attention and widely acclaimed. It passed through Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Starting the peace march from Rajasthan on a freezing morning of December, when the 82-year-old Acharya reached Gujarat, afflicted by a wave of communal violence, the temperature had soared to over 40 degrees. The Akashardham temple was attacked in the aftermath of the Godhra incident. Gujarat was undergoing the most traumatic experience at that time. Then, almost a miracle happened. Acharya’s message of communal amity had gone home and things started improving.

Then came the real test. The Jagannath Rath Yatra was to be taken out and the question on everybody’s lips was whether there would be recrudescence of violence. Should the Rath Yatra be aborted? Acharya Mahapragya came out with a clear answer: “This is a procession that has taken place every year for the past 112 years. To stop it this year would leave a negative impact on the minds of the people”.

He was so simple and clear that the procession was whole-heartedly welcomed by the Muslim community. After this success, the people of Gujarat began calling him a messenger of peace; the second Gandhi. Touched by the Acharya’s efforts, President Abdul Kalam met him. The then Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and RSS Chief K.S. Sudarshan travelled to Gujarat and met the seer. For him, Ahimsa is not a mere slogan but a great mission. So impressed was the President with the Acharya that when the Ahimsa Yatra reached Mumbai, he met him twice.

Acharya Mahapragya’s message of non-violence even reached Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. He addressed a high-power delegation of Foundation for Unity of Religion and Enlightened Citizenship during a visit to Delhi. In a message to Pakistan President, the Acharya said, “Pakistan and India have similar problems and worries. We can only fight poverty, illiteracy and diseases rampant in our region, if our region is peaceful”. While praising the ‘Ahimsa Yatra’, President Musharraf hoped that it would come to Pakistan also to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony in his country.

Poet laureate Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’ would call Acharya Mahapragya “second Vivekananda of India”. Described by his followers as “a living legend” and “mobile encyclopaedia”, the Acharya was born in 1921 at Tamkor, a small village in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. He became a monk at the tender age of 10. Under the guidance of Acharya Shree Tulsi, he got his education and proved to be a prodigy. Study of history, philosophy, logic and grammar made the foundation of his knowledge quite formidable. He also made an in-depth study of modern physics and Bio-sciences, Ayurveda, politics, economics and sociology along with the concepts of communism, socialism and capitalism. At the age of 59, he was appointed the successor-designate of Acharya Tulsi.

According to Acharya Mahapragya, the concept of war is first initiated in the minds of the people and it finds conclusion in the battlefield. Traits of violence too can be found in the mind. He believes that the right type of meditation can bring about a change in this trait. What is needed is a change in the mental attitude. He successfully applied this precept in Gujarat. An oft-repeated quote of the Acharya is: “When anger is conquered, the spirit of forgiveness springs in the soul”.

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Exhibition on Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombings
by Humra Quraishi

There’s to be much emphasis on the tragic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, exactly 60 years ago. An exhibition, ‘Hiroshima — Never Again’ gets inaugurated here by Japan Foundation Director Yoo Fukazawa. This exhibition has some of the leading Indian artists participating. Former Prime Minister V.P. Singh, Arpana Caur, Shamshad Husain, Jai Zhirotia.

The list is long and the exhibition moves from one venue to another, within the City — Academy of Fine Arts and Literature to Gallerie Artfelt — so that large numbers see the disasters that get going once you go bombing.

The same evening, the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) is organising another major event at the Pragati Maidan to focus on the Hiroshima disaster as also on the Nagasaki bombing which had followed the Hiroshima bombing.

In fact, peace groups and CNDP activists have been going to over 40 schools of the city to screen films and talk to school children along the strain of peace. They have appealed to all the citizens to observe a minute’s silence on August 9 in memory of those perished in the two bombings.

In fact, verse carrying reminders of those disasters would be read by Zohra Segal, Nandita Das, Gauhar Raza and Sharmila Tagore. I have heard them recite before and each one of them holds out. The 92-year-old Zohra Segal has such force and grit in her voice that each line from her sounds like “marching orders…”

Nandita and Sharmila are, of course, trained actors. And so their voice carries much weight with much play of emotions in their eyes and facial movements. I must also mention here that Gauhar Raza, though a well known scientist, has made documentaries on the Nazi and fascist forces in that bygone era and the disasters he had witnessed and filmed during the Gujarat rioting of 2002 and he also writes intense verse.

Discussion on Indo-US ties

There was a well conducted panel discussion on the theme, ‘Indo-US engagement; Prospects, perils and pitfalls’. It was one of the best discussions I had attended, not just in terms of the panelists and their viewpoints but also by the fact that it was well focussed and in-depth, not really missing out on any vital aspects on the Indo-US relations.

Held at the Jamia Millia Islamia, it was chaired by former Indian Ambassador to US, Lalit Mansingh. The speakers were Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Pramit Pal Chaudhuri.

Two others who spoke briefly were Abid Hussain and Lt-Gen B.S. Malik, former Chief of Staff, Western Command and president of the Centre for Studies in International Relations and Development.

The organisers stressed that the outcome of the recent visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the US has the potential to herald significant changes in the fundamental principles of Indian foreign policy.

They stressed that our relationship with the US needs to be seen in the backdrop of the changing patterns the world over and that we should be clear of what we want.

Whether we want to be its friend or an ally, we must tread with caution, keeping in the view various aspects.

Besides Iraq, the Indo-Iran gas pipeline and the tsunami disaster cropped up. Varadarajan said that our naval operations saved the situation though the US tried to take the credit. Of particular interest was Malik’s point of view. For, with his Defence background, he was apprehensive of any tie-up with the super power and argued well on the points he had put forth.

The importance of Premchand

Two big meets focusing on writer Premchand and the importance of his writings in these times we are living in. Speakers and writers stressed that Premchand wrote for the masses.

In all these decades, the condition of our masses remains unchanged. In fact, it has worsened.

REFLECTIONS

The measures of our future success and happiness will not be the quality of the cards we are handed by unseen hands, but the poise and wisdom with which we play them.

— Book of quotations on Happiness

And give the women their dowries as gifts; but if they favour you with anything from it or their own accord, then enjoy it as wholesome and salutary.

— Book of quotations on Islam

Those who believe that there is only one god and that he is the True One, who know him to be eternal, glorify him, mediate on him, worship him and work according to his supreme will, are honoured by God and become spiritual.

— Guru Nanak

People are running, their desires are in constant motion. So are their hate, anger and frustration. To find God, you must learn to be still. Be still and reflect. The truth will appear before you.

— Book of quotations on Hinduism