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Growth or
inflation? Fissures
in Karnataka BJP |
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Antiquated
MiGs
Threat
to energy security
My tryst
with the PM
His life
a hymn A
jeweller and the jewel
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Fissures in Karnataka BJP
There
is no mistaking the fact that the BJP in Karnataka is a house divided. Though it has managed to ward off an immediate crisis after the party high command successfully persuaded B.S. Yeddyurappa to step down as chief minister in the wake of his indictment by the State’s Lokayukta, the new incumbent, Sadananda Gowda, is on slippery ground. That Gowda, who was Yeddurappa’s nominee, won by a narrow margin of eight votes in a total BJP vote of 118 legislators is an index of the opposition that Gowda faces within the party. Sadananda Gowda’s rival, Jagadish Shettar, had the backing of BJP heavyweight Ananth Kumar. Clearly, Shettar’s men are unreconciled to the defeat and would be looking for an opportunity to strike at the new chief minister. Already, by staying away from Gowda’s swearing-in ceremony and spurning overtures to become deputy chief minister, Shettar has made his intentions clear. The biggest challenge for Sadananda Gowda, therefore, is to retain the chief ministerial ‘gaddi’ in the face of open hostility from a strong section within the party. The silver lining for him is that legislators in general are wary of a snap election and the Congress party is as hopelessly divided as the BJP. The new chief minister would, however, have to contend with the fact that not only would Yeddyurappa and the Reddy brothers, who are the kingpins of the mining lobby, seek to influence him to soft-pedal on any action against them on the basis of the Lokayukta report, the people at large would like him to demonstrate independence from them so that corruption is not seen to have been perpetuated. With the Governor having given the go-ahead to the Lokayukta to prosecute Yeddyurappa, Gowda would be watched closely on how he deals with that issue. All in all, there is a tough task ahead for Sadananda Gowda. The ministerial team he cobbles together will give some indications of how he plans to tackle his challenges. Would be bring the dissidents around or would he succeed in marginalising the like of Jagadish Shettar? Would he manage to remove the impression in public mind that the BJP regime is ridden with corruption? There is indeed no dearth of challenges for Karnataka’s
BJP.
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Antiquated MiGs
The
Indian Air Force (IAF) is a curious cocktail of the antiquated and the modern. It has either already inducted or is in the process of adding to its inventory among the most modern weapon systems and platforms ranging from airborne warning and control systems (AWACS), air-to-air refueling capability, aerostats, long-range Sukhoi-30 multi-role aircraft and medium-range combat aircraft (MRCA) among other equipment with plans to co-develop fifth generation aircraft. Yet, at the same time, the IAF also flies among the oldest generation aircraft, the Soviet-origin MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27, which combine to form the bulk of the force. A recent report prepared by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence tabled in Parliament on Wednesday has advised the government to phase out the ageing MiG fleet at the earliest keeping in view its high accident rate. Most of the early variants and series of the MiG fighters, designed and developed by the erstwhile Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau, are no longer being flown by the Russian Air Force. The countries which continue to fly MiGs largely belong to the developing world and, unlike the IAF, are not air forces of reckoning and high ambition. A primary reason why the government and the IAF have persisted with the MiG-21 is because of the country’s failure to indigenously manufacture the light combat aircraft (LCA) as its replacement even 28 years after the project was conceived. It will still be sometime before the IAF is able to replace its ageing fleet of MiGs. Much of the reason lies in the ‘lost decade’ of the 1990s caused by a resource crunch and the disintegration of the Soviet Union which prevented upgrading, modernisation of and acquisitions for the IAF. What the government ought to do is to speed up the selection and purchase of the MRCA which is intended to replace the MiG-23 and MiG-27 and ensure that the LCA fructifies at the earliest. But considering the procedures and technicalities involved, it will still be some time before the IAF completely becomes a twenty- first century force.
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In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on. — Robert Frost
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Threat to energy security India’s media exposed its hollowness by its preference for trivia over substance during the visit of Pakistan’s young Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Television channels and the print media vied with each other in breathlessly reporting the visit of the Foreign Minister as if it was a visit by a fashion model embellished with Birkin Handbags, Roberto Cavalli sunglasses, Jimmy Choo shoes, South Sea Pearls and Princess Diana look-alike headgear. The visiting Pakistan leader, on the other hand, got everything that her country’s real rulers, its military establishment, wanted. Kashmiri separatists, who had been marginalised further internationally after the arrest of Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai in Washington and domestically by Kashmiris, feeling tired of militancy, were rejuvenated by the publicity they got. Her hosts in South Block vied with one another to tell people that their policy of stealthily returning to the composite dialogue process had led to Pakistan moving away from its role as a state-sponsor of terrorism. That the Government of India remained a house divided was evident from the comments of the Home Secretary and the Home Minister, declaring that nothing had really changed in relations with Pakistan. The Pakistan government had done precious little to bring the perpetrators of 26/11 to justice and Pakistan’s ruling military establishment remains a sponsor of terrorism. Not surprisingly, nothing of substance emerged from Khar’s deliberations in New Delhi. Having entered politics in 2002 as a candidate of the military-backed PML (Q), she admirably fulfilled the wishes of her real mentors, Pakistan’s internationally reviled and besieged military establishment. She conceded nothing, but bought time for active sponsorship of anti-Indian terror after Pakistan is able to get some relief from the pressures it now faces across the Durand Line. Preceding the fashionable Pakistan Foreign Minister to Delhi was Ms Hillary Rodham Clinton, unquestionably the most savvy, hardnosed and powerful woman on the world stage today. Ms Clinton’s visit came a time when America’s relations with an “assertive” China and a terrorist-infested Pakistan were under strain. This was especially after Osama bin Laden was found hiding in the cantonment town of Abbottabad and the Pakistan military became more recalcitrant than ever in backing extremist Islamic groups killing Americans in Afghanistan. Washington had, meanwhile, noted that one significant success story in India’s foreign policy, in the post- economic liberalisation era, has been its “Look East” policy. There is recognition in the US that while both countries need to engage a resurgent China, they share a common interest in building an inclusive architecture for cooperation across Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Ms Hillary Clinton’s address in Chennai, just before she headed for a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, primarily focused attention on the importance of India’s “Look East” policy, to American interests in the Asia-Pacific. Sadly, with New Delhi-based elite obsessed with Pakistan, we have tended to ignore our growing and beneficial engagement with our eastern neighbours ranging from Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, to the members of ASEAN like Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar, and SAARC partners like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. We cannot ignore the fact that in diplomatic terms, the US has complemented what we have done in changing the profile of our relationships in our neighbourhood, though American wishful thinking has clouded its perceptions of relations with Pakistan. There are, however, now increasing signs that Pakistan will no longer get a free lunch from the Americans. Moreover, if Islamic extremism is not eliminated in the Af-Pak theatre, an American role, primarily fixated on counter-terrorism, against terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan and Pakistan will continue beyond 2014. Despite these developments, differences between India and the US on key issues remain, including on what constitutes “full nuclear cooperation”. Ever since 2008, New Delhi has chosen to ignore the reality that the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technologies to India would not be favoured by the Americans, even though Ms Hillary Clinton now proclaims that “nothing in the new (NSG) restrictions should be construed as detracting from the unique impact of the US-India civil nuclear agreement”. India got a “clean” NSG waiver with no ifs and buts in 2008. Our commitment to buy nuclear reactors from partners was given on the clear understanding that full nuclear cooperation included the transfer of ENR technologies. We should make it known that India would not purchase reactors from those who violate this understanding. Moreover, as the Nuclear Suppliers Group’s or the NSG’s restrictions deny us the standing of a sovereign equal in cartels like the NSG, the 1997 Wassenaar Arrangement or the Australia Group on Export Controls, we should not participate in such groupings, when we are singled out for discrimination. But, having assured the US that India would accede to the 1997 Vienna Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage by the end of this year, it is not clear how New Delhi is going to credibly reconcile the differences between its own Nuclear Liability Act and the Vienna Convention. India is now confronted by a serious challenge to its energy security, by unilateral American moves to undermine and disrupt arrangements in place for making payments for its oil imports from Iran. The US has acted to disrupt payments arrangements under the Asian Clearing Union. It has pressurised European banks, which processed payments in Euros for Indian oil imports from Iran, directly and through European Leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to terminate arrangements with India for oil payments to Iran “through these banks, including the “Europaisch-Iranische Handelsbank A.G.”. India has a huge trade deficit of over $10 billion with Iran, making bilateral/barter arrangements for settlement unworkable. China, on the other hand, has a large-scale project involvement in Iran and can better limit its deficits. Despite this, even China is reportedly facing problems on payments for Iranian oil imports. While Saudi Arabia has agreed to meet India’s needs following the impasse over payments for Iranian oil imports, it would be dangerous for India not to have a wide range of options for oil imports. We would, in effect, be making our energy security entirely dependent on Saudi-American mercies --- a prospect no right-thinking Indian can relish, despite the current bonhomie in our relations. India and Iran should show the sagacity necessary to overcome the present hurdles. The US, in turn, should be left in no doubt that professions of building a “strategic partnership” cannot go hand in hand with moves which undermine India’s energy security. With the order for 126 fighters now set to go to a European partner, India has to ensure that its strategic autonomy is not compromised by excessive dependence on any single
country.
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My tryst with the PM I
HAVE always cherished and taken pride in my rural moorings, in spite of the spate of challenges it often throws into the face. Inspired by Thomas Hardy’s thematic recipe in “The Return of the Native”, I faced all odds as they bounced, managed to re-sprout and kept growing like a pest-free seedling, even though agro-climatic conditions were not very conducive for sustenance. Sturdy as I was, no infestation or invasion of pests could dwarf my growth, or incapacitate me to realize, what I wished to. As a small child, I saw two dreams, albeit with open eyes. One, I wanted to join the elite civil services and be the Deputy Commissioner; second, I wanted to share dais with India’s Prime Minister and shake hands with him in full public glare. But, I knew, patchy turf of Bawal’s run-way could not propel me into an orbit, from where I could decode my dreams into reality. I, therefore, kept up-scaling my inputs to travel extra miles, before I slept, to harvest my dreams. The first dream fructified when I was planted as the Deputy Commissioner of Rohtak, soon after I was inducted into the premier service. But the second dream kept eluding me like a mirage, while I meandered from one department to another. About two years ago, when the Chief Minister called me to enquire if I was interested to skipper the state agriculture department, little did I know that the path leading to the dream-dais was being ploughed. Would this assignment catapult me within the eye-ball distance of the Prime Minister, I wondered. I decided to subscribe, knowing it full well that about a dozen Directors had, before me, opted out in less than three years. Unfazed, however, I adapted myself into the new avatar. Presumably, the cast for the ensuing honours had been finalized; though its script was yet to be written. As it unfolded the following year, lo and behold, Haryana was adjudged the best performing state in wheat production in the country. An official communiqué mandated me, among others, to receive the Krishi Karman Award at the hands of the Prime Minister on July 16. I and my boss, Roshan Lal, attired in new white shirts and black trousers reached the auditorium for tryst with destiny. But the SPG, acting as villains, ruled that only the Chief Minister would receive the award. It crushed my dream. On our request, however, Union Agriculture Secretary PK Basu intervened, and got the ruling overruled. The stage was now set for the grand finale. I was there; Prime Minister was there; podium was there; and TV channels beaming live were also there. I looked into Manmohan Singh; he smiled as if he knew that he was going to reside in my memory forever. He extended his hand; I took no time to reciprocate! At the height of ecstasy, I reflected, this handshake freezes and moment turns momentous. Echoing with Thomas Hardy, I felt, it was ultimately my return to agricultural bosom and humble nativity, which alone enabled me to capture my
dream.
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His life a hymn
Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Dagar
represented the 19th uninterrupted generation of dhrupad singers from the time of Swami Haridasji. Honoured with Padmabhushan in 2008, he was the senior-most exponent of the Dagar bani dhrupad. In other words, I would say he was a treasure of Indian art, a contemporary musician who brought to our generation the sound and the values of another era. He was born in the court of Alwar in 1927, and since his birth he was destined to hold the tradition of his gharana. The only son of Padmabhushan Allabande Rahimuddin Khan Dagar. In his perspective, music was not only for worldly entertainment, but rather a form of sadhana and aradhana. The training in nada yoga that R. Fahimuddin Dagar received from his father, was the basis of a spiritual practice that he continued through his music. During our classes R. F. Dagar used to recall three fundamental aspects of dhrupad as taught by his father: kalatmak (the artistic part), vidhyatmak (the academic knowledge), and the adhyatmak (the spiritual attitude). Regarding this latter aspect, listeners were always surprised by witnessing the devout flair of a Muslim performer like R. Fahimuddin Dagar singing dhrupad bandhishes and mantras in honour of Hindu divinities. When I questioned Guruji about it, he replied that “The Divine Source is One only, it doesn’t matter the name we use. It’s rather important the intention of the singer and the purity of his/her heart”. With this open attitude R. Fahimuddin Dagar accepted students coming from different cultures: Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Muslims. It was his love and exacting teaching that formed one family of different people from different faiths, without any distinctions. And though the Dagar bani was mainly transmitted within the male lineage of the family, R. Fahimuddin Dagar trained to a professional level both Indian and Western women. For 14 years he was a lecturer of music at the Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, and then extensively travelled all over the country for concerts, lectures and workshops. His collaboration with SPICMACAY brought R. F. Dagar to encounter young generations of students—always leaving a deep impact on their minds. I had the privilege to be accepted as disciple, being educated in dhrupad according to the system of Guru- Shishya parampara. Somehow it was not easy for a westerner to change the way of learning, but in the time, I appreciated the values carried by the traditional pedagogy of dhrupad. As Guruji used to say: “Rag is not a combination of notes. Dhrupad is not the name of a musical genre but the name of Knowledge”. In 2003 I accompanied R F Dagar in Europe for an ICCR tour of concerts and workshops. It was surprising to see how people who never came across dhrupad, were enchanted and deeply moved by his singing. In his vibrant alap he expressed his prayer to the God, without any word and without showing off technicalities. It was a sublime experience. I often played tanpura for him, and from the stage I could see audiences, of different kinds and ages— entranced. As a western observer, I’m positively impressed by the support that the Indian Government has given to the great master till his last moments. Apart from the several prestigious awards, I would remember the Sangeet Natak Akaademi Fellowship that he received only few days before his demise. The death of a great master always carries the question about the future of his tradition. I believe that his music is seeded in the heart of all those human beings who heard his voice, and his legacy lives in all his shagirds. Dagarsaheb’s students are scholars, teachers, musicians- devoted to the preservation of the Dhrupad gayaki and its traditional values. Some of them hold important positions in India and abroad. Like Smt Kaveri Kar (lecturer of music at Viswa Bharati University, Shantiniketan), Bhai Baldeep Singh (Executive Board Member of Sangeet Natak Akademi and Founder of the Anad Conservatory at Sultanpur Lodhi), Amelia Cuni (Western dhrupad singer and Lecturer at Vicenza Conservatory, Italy), Irfan Zuberi (Scholar, and Consultant for the Aga Khan Trust), just to name a few. Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar witnessed the dramatic passage in the history of Indian music, from the time of the court tradition to the internet-global era. His spiritual attitude allowed him to accept the social changes, leaving uncompromised his musical and spiritual values, the ‘dhruva-pada’ of his life. Francesca Cassio is Associate Professor in Music Dept. and heads the Chair in Sikh Musicology at Hofstra University, New York
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A jeweller and the jewel
It
was in 1991, during one of my visits to Dr. Sumati Mutatkar in Delhi, when she heard me sing some vintage shabad rits (Gurubani compositions) that she insisted I practice under Dhrupad exponent Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, noting the similarities of the two traditions. Soon after I had the opportunity to hear him at a concert in New Delhi, and the rare honour of being introduced to him by Dr. Mutatkar. It was love at first sight – his first note, then my teardrop at his rendition of rikhab (the second note), of raga miyan-ki-todi. It was in 1992 that he tied the thread on my wrist (ganda-bandi). He had asked me to sit across a tuned tambura and repeat a mantra recitation after him. It was after only a few sessions of interaction that he asked me to address him as ‘Papa’ and ever since, he became ‘Papa Saheb’ to me. In 1993, I shifted to Delhi as my learning of the vintage repertoire from my grand uncles, Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharan Singh, as well as rendering of the Dhrupad compositions from Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar got in full swing. An avid gardener, or rather an obsessed one, he loved roses and I - hailing from Chandigarh - abode of the famous Rose Garden, became a porter of rose plant saplings for him. He would tune the tambura and give me a mile-long sequence to leave me alone for hours. He would be outside in his little terrace garden - gardening and only occasionally offering, addressing my musical notes or rhythm, a note of caution or correction. Sometimes, I would think he had forgotten all about me!
The culture of music Papa Saheb was extremely fond of non-vegetarian cuisines. In the 90’s I would scoot to Bhogal market to fetch chicken or lamb for him. And of course, he loved to invite people to eat. It would be the classic setting - he would artistically lay out an old-news-journal on the floor and excitedly sport his best smiles while serving and eating, interspersed with occasional calls of ‘Begum!’ He doted upon his devoted wife, Nahib Dagar, whom I addressed as Ammi-jaan. Papa Saheb was without doubt one of the most respected maestros of his generation. Over the years I saw him meeting and debating with some of the finest names and he commanded their respect with dignity. Privately, many musicians were a bit wary of him for his outspokenness. Patiala gharana doyen Ustad Munnavar Ali Khan and veena maestro Ustad Asad Ali Khan, who passed away in June this year, were his closest buddies. As a musician he was like a jeweller and a jewel combined. Therefore he was difficult to please. On rare occasions he would appreciate music, like the alapa rendition by Maharaj Thakur Singh in Raga Miyan-Malhar. When I played it for him, he surprised me by saying, “ Son, this is how the great elders used to sing!” I must confess, his reputation as a teacher was never very good so much so that a couple of his cousins tried to lure me away from him. As Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, Vilayat Khan Dhadhi would say, “ An Ustad is like a beehive–to get honey you will have to squeeze and naturally get stung!” He was one of the last musicians grounded in the vyakaran, the grammar of nada, steadfast in maintaining the purity of the traditions. He never used harmonium as accompaniment to his performances.
Initiation into a philosophy Though he studied music under the tutelage of his father, in accordance with the family tradition, his eldest uncle (Ustad Nasiruddin Khan) tied the ganda, the sacred thread of discipleship. He was the only male progeny of his father, and was lucky to have received guidance from him for 35 years. He also got the opportunity to take taleem from the other elders of the family like his father’s fascinating cousin Ustad Ziauddin Khan Dagar, from whom he studied rudra veena. He also cherished his long association with his younger uncles, Ustad Imamuddin Khan Dagar and especially Ustad Hussainuddin Dagar who taught him expanse of the lower mandala - the mandra saptak. Dagurs are not the proponents but adherents of Dagurvani - one of the four key styles of dhrupad singing – the others being Gauharvani, Nauharivani and the oldest from North-Western South-Asiatic region, Khandarvani. The followers of Dagurvani were not the finest rhythmic improvisers (laya-tala baant) but were always famous as Alapiyas. According to Papa Saheb, alapa is considered a separate subject altogether and is taught separately in the Dagar bani tradition. But this is also true in other major musical lineages such as the Khandarvani tradition of Punjab, the Darbhanga, Gurbani Kirtan tradition, Vishnupur and Betia traditions. Papa Saheb used to emphasize that the process of cultivating a singing voice is an arduous one. Apart from the 12 main alankars, he was trained by his father, his guru, in 40 other principles. It is these basic principles that bespeak the greatness of Indian music system as carried by him all through his life. He was not just a musician but also an academic. He loved talking about music and would fondly remember his teachers and recount tales of other maestros. He was a very fine storyteller. I will miss debating with him on several stimulating issues. Bhai Baldeep Singh is founder of Anad foundation and executive member of Sangeet Natak Academy. He is an exponent of Gurbani
Keertan.
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Corrections and clarifications n The headline “AI seen posting Rs 7,000 crore loss” (Page 15, August 4) is odd. It should have been “AI posts Rs 7,000 crore annual loss”. Despite our earnest endeavour to keep The Tribune error-free, some errors do creep in at times. We are always eager to correct them. This column appears twice a week — every Tuesday and Friday. We request our readers to write or e-mail to us whenever they find any error. Readers in such cases can write to Mr Kamlendra Kanwar, Senior Associate Editor, The Tribune, Chandigarh, with the word “Corrections” on the envelope. His e-mail ID is kanwar@tribunemail.com. Raj Chengappa
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