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Pyrrhic victory
Right to education |
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The legend lives on
Extension for Kayani
A patch of paradise
You need two to make
Love Aaj Kal
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Pyrrhic victory
FRIDAY’S spectacular victory of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) candidates in the by-elections to 12 seats in the Andhra Pradesh State Assembly was not entirely unexpected. The by-elections were necessitated by the resignation of all 10 legislators of the TRS and one each of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on the issue of a separate Telangana state early this year. Undoubtedly, the results are a big blow for the ruling Congress and the TDP. The defeat of Andhra Pradesh Congress President D. Srinivas from Nizamabad Urban at the hands of BJP candidate Lakshminarayana is all the more humiliating. For Mr Srinivas, who has lost the elections for the second time in a row, it was a do-or-die battle. He not only fancied himself as a future Chief Minister but also counted on a win here as a step towards fulfilling that ambition. For the Congress, the results are a major setback because it has failed to make inroads into TRS strongholds and reduce its political base to lead the pro-Telangana movement. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, who was optimistic of winning at least half a dozen seats, also received a drubbing. He had virtually no poll plank till the second week of July. The Babhli dam construction project did come to his party’s rescue. However, his campaign against Maharashtra over the issue did not cut ice with the electorate even though the dam is perceived to affect the flow of water to the Sriram Sagar project — the lifeline of six Telangana districts. The TRS camp is entitled to celebrate its victory. However, it would be erroneous for one to dub the election results as a referendum in favour of a separate Telangana state. It can at best be described as a pyrrhic victory. Its leader, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, and others would do well to tread with caution and act responsibly over Telangana. While the Justice Srikrishna Commission is seized of the matter, any decision on Telangana should be taken only after a calm and cool examination of the problem. Clearly, the Centre cannot be forced to take any decision through violence, intimidation and pressure tactics. Andhra Pradesh had to pay a very high price during the prolonged agitation in the state over Telangana. Wise counsel should prevail over all political parties in dealing with the issue.
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Right to education
The
Centre has taken a positive step to break the logjam that bedevilled the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. At the root of it all are the funds needed to implement the Act. The RTE followed the pattern of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, in which the ratio between the Centre and states is 55-45. Some states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, among others, had called upon the Centre to take on a greater share of the cost of the RTE implementation. The Centre has agreed and the expenditure finance committee approved an additional Rs 60,000 crore. The total expenditure slated for ensuring compulsory education to all children up to class VIII is expected to be Rs 2,31,000 crore over five years. It might sound like a lot, but clearly, India, which boasts of vast human resources, needs to educate its population and it is a shame that more than six decades after Independence, a vast number of Indians do not even have the ability to read and write. Social uplift can only be meaningful in an environment where each child is educated, and is helped to achieve his or her potential. Education plays a major part in the development of a child. While it is widely acknowledged that primary education lays the foundation of a child’s future, it is this very sector that is the weakest and most ignored. There is a major shortage of infrastructure, including qualified and dedicated teachers, which needs to be addressed forthwith. Also, schoolteachers deserve far better salaries, but along with that should come accountability and a mechanism for regular monitoring. At the same time, poverty-stricken parents should be encouraged to send their children to schools rather than to work and supplement the family income. The government, society and indeed, every citizen must do his or her bit to ensure a bright future for India’s children. Only then will the Act, which was passed by Parliament in August 2009 and came into force on April 1, 2010, achieve its laudable objective.
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The legend lives on
Politicians
may have their own reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Shiv Batalvi, but Punjab’s most loved poet had died without the then government offering him proper treatment in his last days. His wife and well-wishers did their bit, but Shiv left hospital to die in his in-laws’ house at Kiri Mangial in Gurdaspur district in neglect. Shiv Batalvi (1937-73) lived and flourished in an era dominated by progressive writers, who wrote about rural poverty, discrimination, inequality and exploitation. In fact, Shiv was criticised for his “excessive romanticism” and “lack of social consciousness”. His critics included Punjabi poets Paash, Dr Jagtar and Amarjit Chandan. Part of the criticism stemmed from envy. Shiv Batalvi was a rage among the young and the young at heart. When this melancholic handsome poet sang his own poems on stage, he got wild applause. None in Punjabi literature has received such mass adulation. The craze for his songs has only increased with time and with the easy availability of cassettes of his songs sung, among others, by Mahendra Kapoor (Ek kudi jida naa muhabbat), Jagjit Singh (Eh mera geet kise na gana) and Asa Singh Mastana (Mainu tera shabab lai baitha). If generations of Punjabis have adored Shiv Batalvi, it is because his poetic creations have touched universal human emotions — longing for love, separation from the beloved, pain of living and a romantic obsession with death. He died when he was just 36. His major work, an epic-like play in verse, Loonan, for which he got the Sahitya Academy Award in 1967, gives a new identity to Loonan’s character. In the mythical folklore of Pooran Bhagat, Loonan is condemned as lustful and wicked. But Shiv has portrayed her as a victim of patriarchal society. He has rewritten the folk tale from a woman’s point of view. These days when khaps are hounding young lovers for having partners of their choice, Shiv Batalvi has a special appeal and relevance.
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Your right is to work only, do not hanker for fruit thereof. Be not impatient in judging the proportion of your achievements for fruit is automatic and cannot be prevented. — The Bhagavad Gita
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Extension for Kayani In its 63 years of independent existence, Pakistan has had 14 Army chiefs. The first two were Britishers. Of the other 12, five had either two tenures or were Army chiefs for longer durations. Generals Ayub Khan, Mohammed Musa and now Kayani have had two tenures sanctioned by superior authority, democratic or otherwise. Three Generals had one tenure. They were Generals Tikka Khan, Aslam Beg and Abdul Waheed Kakkar. Two dictator Army chiefs, Generals Zia-ul-Haq and Musharraf remained as army chiefs for 11 and nine years respectively. In four cases, the incumbents could not complete the tenure. General Yahya Khan resigned after losing the Bangladesh war. General Gul Hasan was forced to resign after being accused of Bonapatism by Z.A. Bhutto, the President. General Asif Nawaz died in office under mysterious circumstances. Jahangir Karamat voluntarily tendered his resignation when accused of impropriety by Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff. The Pakistan Army prides itself on its discipline. The story of betrayals, however, begins with Ayub Khan overthrowing his long-term patron Iskander Mirza. Yahya Khan toppled his benefactor, Ayub Khan. The charge against Gul Hasan was Bonapartism. Zia-ul-Haq turned on his patron Z.A.Bhutto. The widely believed version of Zia’s death is that he was assassinated by disaffected army personnel. General Musharaff deposed the Prime Minister who selected him superseding his senior. Kayani had no compunction in joining with the civilian politicians and packing home the man who made him the Army chief. This tendency to turn against one’s benefactor is not confined to the Pakistani military only. Z.A.Bhutto owed his meteoric rise to Ayub Khan. He helped to bring him down. Benazir Bhutto made Farooq Leghari the President. He sacked her in 1996. Once General Zia explained to an Indian Editor that in Islam, according to his interpretation, it did not matter how a ruler came to power, but he must implement the Shariah. The Pakistani politico-strategic culture displays a distinct loyalty-deficit among majority of politicians and generals. In Pakistan, though there is an Election Commission, the ultimate control over the elections vests in the Army which conducts it. One General explained that the voting in Pakistan has always been free. It is at the counting stage that angels intervened. The counting was usually rigged. And this came out clearly at the time Musharaff stood for elections for the first time. One of Kayani’s qualifications for extension was he held the second free and fair elections in the entire history of Pakistan. The first was held under General Yahya Khan in 1970 when the Inter-Services Intelligence predicted a hung National Assembly. Contrary to the prediction the election returned Mujibur Rahman as a clear majority leader. The Army would not accept that verdict, leading to the civil war which resulted in the emergence of Bangladesh. This time, since Kayani was one of the architects of the Musharaff-Benazir reconciliation deal, presumably, the ISI assessment was a victory in the polls for Benazir’s Pakistan People’s Party, especially after her assassination. Therefore, there was perhaps no problem in the Army in conducting a free and fair election. Kayani earned his popularity by enabling the return of the sacked Chief Justice and other judges and quietly showing the door to Musharaff to vacate the presidency and exit. In Pakistan, there is a very apt description of the state of their politics. Either the General is standing behind the chair or actually sitting on the chair. General Kayani has been a far more sophisticated person than the brash commando, Musharaff, he succeeded. He has left the day-to-day governance to the politicians and got them to face all the unpopularity and disaffection arising out of misgovernance. He has kept in his hands the reins of real power by keeping the veto on defence, foreign affairs and intelligence fields. He has clearly demonstrated that he is in change in several ways. Prior to the strategic dialogue with the US, he summoned all concerned civilian Secretaries to the General Headquarters and finalised the agenda for the dialogue. On her two visits to Islamabad, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent more time talking to the Army Chief than to any other minister including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. In the Washington strategic dialogue, Foreign Minister Quereshi was only the nominal head and the Pakistani delegation was, in fact, headed by the Army Chief. The US Administration accepted that reality. Though the Pakistan civilian government moved the UN Security Council to appoint a panel to investigate the circumstances of Benazir murder, it was compelled to protest against the criticism of the panel against the establishment (Army) and the Intelligence Services (ISI) in particular. The Army Chief and the corps commanders were critical of the provisions of Kerry-Lugar legislation on aid to Pakistan and US rushed Senator John Kerry, the author of the legislation and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to mollify the Army leadership. The Wikileaks covering 90,000 documents over a period of five years have clearly exposed the double game played by Pakistan Army during the period 2004-09 when pretending to cooperate with US, the Pakistan Army had been financing, equipping, sharing intelligence with and providing logistic support for the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Haqqani Faction and other Jehadi groups. From 2005 to 2008, General Kayani was the Director-General of ISI and then Army Chief. In fact, he was the person who executed the policy of double dealing with the US for the last five years. The Prime Minister of Pakistan has extended his tenure to ensure continuity of policy and direction for the counter-terrorism operation launched by the Army after 2009 when the Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) turned rogue and launched terrorist attacks on Army and intelligence installations. Though the US has been urging the Pakistani Army to launch attacks on all terrorist groups, the Pakistan Army has not complied with the US request. US officials have told their Legislatures Intelligence Committees that the Pakistan Army considered some of the terrorist groups as their strategic assets against India and to hedge their bets in the post-US withdrawal phase in Afghanistan. In those circumstances, extension of tenure for Kayani is a direct rebuff of President Obama strategy to disrupt, dismantle and defeat the five terrorist groups having safe havens in Pakistan and hitherto shielded and nurtured by the Pakistani Army and ISI. After the leaks, US Vice-President Biden said that the problems Wikileaks described within Pakistan’s Intelligence Services were being dealt with and things were changing. The next few weeks will reveal to the world whether General Kayani will fall in line with Obama strategy or continue to pursue his double-dealing game with the
US.
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A patch of paradise During
my military career one of the most memorable postings that I had was in the enchanting Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan at Thimphu. It came as a windfall. After a dozen-odd years of service in the army a certain restlessness had taken hold of me and I felt a sense of drift and stagnation. Thus it was that I decided to put in my papers and seek voluntary pre-mature retirement. It was the beginning of the seventies decade. The legendary General Sam Manekshaw, later to be elevated as independent India’s first Field Marshal, was the Army Chief. Most likely it had been mentioned to him about my putting in my papers. One fine day out of the blue came orders of my assignment with the Royal Bhutan Army headquarters at Thimphu, along with that of two others. It appeared that some sensitive issues had cropped up and Sam had flown to Thimphu for a one-to-one discussion with His Majesty the King. Not much later this posting followed. Just before leaving for Bhutan I was lucky to meet the Chief at an informal function. ‘This assignment may help change your mind about quitting the Army,’ he said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Even though Bhutan is next door nevertheless it’s a foreign country. Acquit yourself with dignity and don’t be naughty. Bhutan is out of this world, believe you me”. Verily it was. Bhutan’s beauty and splendour defied imagination. A patch of paradise if ever there was. We spent perhaps a little over four years, my wife and our two little children, adapting with ease to the extremely friendly people and the overwhelmingly hospitable environment. The Chief of the Royal Bhutan Army was a person of outstanding merit, imbibing great human values and we were privileged to be accepted in the highest circles of Bhutan’s hierarchy and nobility with His Majesty the King himself extending his generosity and graciousness, much cherished by us to this way. We were witness to history as His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck was crowned King of Bhutan on his coming of age in 1974. His father had been a great visionary, a steadfast and a trusted friend of India who ushered in far-reaching social and economic reforms, a legacy followed to this day even by the new King, maintaining their commitment to providing to the people of Bhutan an enlightened and pro-democracy monarchy. My tenure, already overstretched with extensions, was coming to an end. The snow-covered mountains, the lush green forests, the crystal clear waters of the lakes and the rivers running through the fertile valley’s of Paro, Ha, Punakha, Tashiganw and Thimphu itself would be difficult to part from. So content were the peace loving inhabitants and so rich their heritage, their tradition, custom, culture, religious belief and faith. In the corridors of power in Thimphu there was a hint of a suggestion that if I so chose I would be welcome to stay on in any capacity suitable to my status. “Is it true what I hear?” very discreetly inquired the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, a highly distinguished and a seasoned diplomat. “If it were Sir, and you were in my place, what would your decision be?” I queried wanting to seek sage advise. He pondered for a while and then articulated succinctly: “You are the best judge,” he said. “These people here in Thimphu, particularly those who matter, have for all intents and purposes taken to you in a big way and what is more they trust you implicitly. But the decision to my mind must hinge delicately on just one factor. Would you rather enjoy the right of unfettered freedom that democracy bestows on you in your country or accept the laws, the customs and the way of life in a monarchy, wise and benign even as it may be”. Many are the years that have rolled by. The SAARC summit at Thimphu recreated images and memories came rushing back. Saying farewell to Thimphu was not easy. But then the very essence of Buddhism is the acceptance of the philosophy of impermanence. I still hear the mountain breeze murmur songs of divine invocation and picture the countless prayer flags flutter against the backdrop of exquisitely structured monasteries and clear blue skies. Thank you Field Marshal, for affording me an opportunity that enrichened our lives. Thank you Bhutan, for the patch of paradise and the immensurable moments of happiness and bliss that shall last forever. And last but not the least, thank you Mr Ambassador Sir, for your words of infinite wisdom that brought to me the realisation of the
gift of freedom.
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You need two to make When
a woman goes out to work, it can throw many an organised households in turmoil. The most frequent trouble occurring in the family of a working couple stems from the man allowing his job to come first over everything else. His wife, who has to cope with the pressures of her own job, is then expected to take the sole responsibility of the family. She begins to feel resentful and he thinks that she wants too much, which unfortunately he has not been trained to either expect or give. Husbands of working women should be mindful of the fact that all this is new to us. We do not have the models handed down over centuries of cultural process. It is only in the relatively recent past that women have taken to jobs in a big way. Most of us would not allow a job to wreck the family and the men need to understand that a job bolsters a woman’s self esteem, which in turn would make her more adept at handling situations at home and challenges outside. When I started working once my children were a little older, I did it because my inner happiness depended on it. I knew the time had come to take myself seriously, to treat myself as a person of worth and that meant being financially independent. Working women are more likely to have had mothers who were employed when they were children than women in traditional marriages. Years ago, if someone’s mother was working, her daughter wanted to be a housewife because she felt she missed her mother’s all-too-essential presence at home. Now women’s roles are emerging differently with new commitments and interest in career. Women are not content to play the second fiddle and are seeking a better deal for themselves at home and outside. I meet a lot of people who are struggling to maintain this delicate balance. In my capacity as a counsellor, I outlined solutions for two couples who were facing a crisis that threatened to rip apart their family life. With time and a sustained conscious effort, these couples were able to overcome their differences with a little bit of understanding and mutual respect for each other’s feelings. They made a deliberate attempt to put the other before oneself on some occasions and this yielded positive results, stimulating a sense of harmony. CASE STUDY-I Arvind (name changed) says: “I encouraged her to work, and suddenly she is an expert on everything. I did not marry a libber nine years ago and if she wants to wear the pants, I am certainly not going to take that.” Neha (name changed) agrees she has changed. “I just want to have some say. My opinion is respected at work and it is hard to play the little girl at home. Any time I offer an opinion, he gets upset. I love him, but I am a responsible adult and he must understand that. The least he can do is hear me out,” she says. Arvind is threatened since his judgment and authority are being questioned. He wonders if his function has thus far been to take decisions, what will his role be now? Is he still a man by his own definition? Arvind was made to get in touch with his fear of becoming redundant and the anger and insecurity it produced. Neha was also asked to get in touch with her feelings. They had to have a frank discussion and were told not to use words like “you act” or “you do” for it would lead to a breakdown of communication. Instead of saying “you treat me like a little girl”, she could say, “there are times when I feel I am being treated like a little girl”. The same message, but less inflammatory. It does not matter who is right. The attitude has to be: this is the problem at hand and we have to deal with it together. It is not always a woman’s job that upsets a family’s routine. What happens when the husband’s job suddenly places new demands on this routine? CASE STUDY-II A couple preached sharing of income and parenting responsibilities, but when it came to a crunch situation, there was furore in the house. Amrita (name changed) says they had the system worked down pat. “He would run the children to school on some days and we would take turns with parent-teacher meetings, doctor’s appointments, etc. It was working well until Manoj’s (name changed) boss decided that he needed to travel. He must do that if he has to head his zone, but my life is hell when he is away. Work piles up and I get frantic. My social life is zero and I resent being stuck with all of it alone,” she complains. I helped them discover insights to alleviate guilt and blame. They sought outside help to make adjustments with childcare, alternative work schedule or relocation assistance. Amrita had to reassess her priorities. Too often we have arrangements that fit our current situation and we forget to change them when the situation alters. I suggested that they make alterations in their life and when her husband travels, she must set up a reward system for herself. Do something that made her look forward to days when he was away. She started playing bridge, which she had given up after the arrival of her children. She started pampering herself and kept a full-time maid. She invited friends to play at home so that she didn’t need extra help with children. Manoj requested his boss for an assistant. He still works hard, but the guilt and exhaustion are gone and the children look forward to seeing him before they go to bed. All relationship problems can be worked out, but both partners have to be committed to rearranging their priorities. The writer is a psychologist
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Love Aaj Kal The
striking thing about the movie Love Aaj Kal was the idea of a break-up party and the woman’s eyes lighting up at the novelty of it. Cinema mirrors society. It would be difficult for Generation Y to understand the dark depression of Devdas or Romeo-Juliet and Heer-Ranjha, for whom love was an eternal pact never to be forsaken. Today, a heartache wouldn’t translate into copious tears and bouts of drunkenness. Are we heading toward a numb society where individuals so objectify
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Manoj Godara, married a year ago
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Manju Sharma, married for two decades, coordinator Hansraj Public School, Panchkula —
Prof Rajesh Gill, dept of sociology, Panjab University As told to Smriti Sharma Vasudeva |
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If he cannot dominate, he withdraws. Love for men means handing over the pay packets and having the final word in a relationship. Instead of sharing responsibility equally, they start grieving about lost authority, all the while feeling inadequate and vulnerable to an adolescent notion of love that cripples the emotional equilibrium that a woman is dreaming about. 
themselves and love is dispensable? Perhaps, the logic is what could be more liberating than to celebrate one’s lack of ability to make a relationship work and proudly accept it. The youth sees relationships as just another success or failure story — like a career, an exam or a hobby class. There is always another opportunity. There is ample choice. A relationship is of consequence only if it satisfies well-defined needs. The idea of suffering for the sake of love is dwindling. Where is the passion gone? To put the heart and soul into a relationship is surely more gratifying than to love in pieces. It is like playing a piano at a comfortable middle key and never knowing the crescendo and the ecstasy of it all.Materialism has so crept into our lives that we often do not draw a line between things and people. Things are disposable and on easy offer at malls. The youth conveniently gives up on past connections and moves on to the new, more useful ones. This utilitarian culture sometimes unconsciously extends to relationships too. We are now less tolerant of our parents, spouses and partners.In the end it is our choice whether we are content to love in a manner that is tepid and sustains only due to social pressure or children; or walk away when the going gets tough; or give it all and accept a person with all the constraints. The former is at best a compromise. The latter is like the blood that flows in one’s veins; strong, passionate and zestful – the elixir of life itself.
In the West, people love and marry, here we marry and love. Despite the claims that India is going the western way, the young brigade still believes in this sacred union even though it is true that it has become easier to walk out of a relationship and even a marriage. But the percentage is miniscule and insignificant going by the diversity that we have in our country. 
The meaning of relationships has changed. Trust that formed the basis of a relationship is now diminishing. This holds true of all relationships be it husband and wife or father and daughter. Everyday we hear shocking reports of a man raping his niece, husband killing his wife, wife hiring professional killers to eliminate her husband for property, etc. It is time we take steps to reclaim faith in relations.
Earlier, a man and a woman would try to adapt themselves to the needs of each other. But now the definition of marriage or even a steady relationship has completely changed. Being a single parent, single or a divorcee is not a stigma any more. People do not want to adjust in any relationship beyond a certain level. The altered equations have adversely affected the family. It has become easier to walk out of a marriage.