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Threatened Bilawal
Top of the notch |
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Indian handloom
India-China stand-off in Ladakh
The picnic at broken bridge
london latitude/ Shyam Bhatia
Rare sculptures by NRI artists on sale
How A.Q. Khan stole uranium secrets
Available: Sikh paintings
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Threatened Bilawal
Increasing
incidents of violence in the run-up to the May 11 elections in Pakistan have resulted in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) losing one of its key campaigners, Bilawal Zardari-Bhutto. Where exactly he is hiding is not known, but there is speculation that he has shifted to Dubai and will come back to Pakistan after the elections. He had been frequently receiving threats to his life from extremists, including the Taliban. PPP leaders have admitted that the party cannot afford to risk Bilawal’s life. Now the PPP has no one from the Bhutto family to campaign for its candidates as President Asif Zardari has been restrained through a court order from taking part in the campaigning activity because of the constitutional position he holds. Poll-related violence has claimed at least 70 lives in the past one month in Pakistan. Among the worst-hit areas are the whole of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), entire Balochistan province and Karachi. Most polling stations in these areas have been declared “sensitive”. Attempts on the life of those involved in campaigning are rising with every day passing. How alarming is the situation can be understood from the fact that the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim, has declared that he may not be able to conduct free and fair elections if foolproof security arrangements are not made in all the violence-prone areas. At least 70,000 soldiers are likely to be deployed on election duty. Yet people are not sure of their safety on the polling day because the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and many other extremist organisations have warned voters of dire consequences if they tried to exercise their right of franchise. Extremists have issued pamphlets in the villages near Peshawar asking people to boycott polling. Their argument, of course based on ignorance, is that democracy is “not an Islamic system”. The most threatened person in these circumstances is one who has come to be known as “secular”. Perhaps this is one reason why the extremists are baying for Bilawal’s blood.
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Top of the notch
It’s
not about breaking the glass ceiling anymore. It’s about topping the notch. In the third consecutive year, women have done excellently well in the civil services exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission — of the top 25 positions in the 2012 IAS results, 12 have been claimed by women, thereby levelling the field for them at the top. Another positive factor that came about this year is, the categories for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes too were topped by women. At a time when crimes against women and atrocities on their gender, rooted in caste-based and gender-based notions of superiority are on the rise, this assertion of their competitive spirit and their claim to top administrative positions instil hope for a future that will be fair to the female gender. Another positive trend indicates that top positions are not hogged by particular regions, as used to be the trend. At one time Allahabad University produced the maximum number of IAS officers, then JNU earned that distinction. This year, for the 25 top positions, about 12 different states and union territories have claimed their domicile. It is indicative of higher levels of aspiration among women across geographical and class divisions. These women come from as diverse backgrounds as the families of farmers, teachers, businesspersons, doctors, advocates and professors. The 2012 examination was the last to be held under the pattern where optional subjects commanded more weight, which gave an advantage to candidates who opted for science subjects. This year onwards, the exam will be held under a new pattern that gives more weight to 'general studies' papers and more number of regional languages will be allowed for writing the exam in. It is believed this will test aspirants more for their aptitude and general awareness rather than subject-specific knowledge, as has been the case thus far. Women, hopefully, will master the new pattern and will continue to hold top administrative positions to bring about gender equality in a world tilted in favour of the male gender.
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Indian handloom
Khadi,
or Indian handloom for that matter, had all the ingredients to become the denim of the fashion world. But it did not happen, thanks to our disinterested policy-makers, who had no understanding of the market appeal of these vibrant handmade fabrics. The immense range and variety of Indian handloom, suited for all weather conditions, apart from their rich aesthetic appeal, escaped our usual sarkari approach to the textile policy. Dependent and controlled by the government, the handloom sector was gasping for oxygen under the threat of machine-made, mass-produced fabrics when a few foreigners re-introduced the relevance of these textiles and turned handlooms products into a fashion statement through their store-chains. The highly skilled handloom weaver, bereft of resources to buy thread and material under the hegemony of powerloom owners, migrated to cities as cheap labour. Those who stuck to their craft didn’t have the wherewithal to upgrade skills. The unattractive, disinterested government-run handloom showrooms sold fabrics that lacked quality and sheen to compete with the machine-made fabrics. It was then that a few NGOs and fashion-designers revisited the glory of the handloom products by fusing new patterns and designs in the traditional weave to lend it a contemporary appeal. Handlooms can be revived and sustained by the government by creating special markets for their products within the country and by providing design inputs for weavers through cooperatives. Though the Bunkar Seva Kendra, an initiative launched by the Textile Ministry's Development Commissioner for Handlooms, that lends support to local artisans and weavers through different policies around the country, has taken steps from time to time to help the handloom weavers, they need to be aggressively supported to meet the demands of the highly competitive textile segment. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, has about 10,000-odd pieces of Indian textiles, among the best in weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery, designs and texture in the world. At home, we do not know their worth. It is time we revived the lost glory of our rich traditions in textiles.
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Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. —Confucius
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India-China stand-off in Ladakh
The
Chinese patrol that crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Daulat Beg Oldi sector of Ladakh in mid-April and pitched tents 19 km inside Indian territory is still there. It is most likely a tactical-level incursion in response to a proactive Indian stance along the LoC. Eventually, the unprecedented stand-off will be resolved through diplomacy as neither country stands to gain from a border skirmish. However, given the nuances of the known rift between the PLA and China’s Foreign Ministry in the execution of border management policies, it is possible that the stand-off may have to be resolved at the political level. While the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (agreed during the 15th round of border talks held in New Delhi in January 2012 between the two counties’ Special Representatives) is at work, it is time to reflect upon the lessons that are beginning to emerge from this avoidable episode. It is not so well known that the LAC between India and Tibet, implying de facto control since the 1962 war, is yet to be physically demarcated on the ground and delineated on military maps. The un-delineated LAC is a major destabilising factor. Incidents such as the Nathu La clash of 1967 and the Wang Dung stand-off of 1986 have occurred in the past and the present impasse was waiting to happen. In fact, the two sides have failed to even exchange maps showing each other’s “perception” of where the LAC runs. According to the grapevine, at one of the meetings of the Joint Working Group the two sides “showed” their respective maps of the LAC in the western sector to each other. The Chinese took one look at the Indian map and said please take it back. Both sides habitually send patrols up to the point at which, in their perception, the LAC runs. Patrol face-offs in the so-called “no man’s land”, which lies between the two LACs as perceived by both sides, are commonplace. A drill has been evolved to tell the other patrol to withdraw peacefully. Both sides carry large banners in each other’s language and English. These are unfurled to tell the other patrol that it has transgressed the LAC and must go back. So far both sides have been going back peacefully after leaving some tell-tale signs like biscuit and cigarette wrappers and creating a “burji” or a pile of stones to mark their presence. However, such meetings have an element of tension built into them and despite the best of military training, the possibility of an armed clash can never be ruled out. Such a clash with heavy casualties can lead to a larger border incident that may not remain localised. While the government invariably advises caution, it is extremely difficult for commanders of troops to advocate a soft line to their subordinates. There is an inherent contradiction in sending soldiers to patrol what they believe are Indian areas and simultaneously telling them that they must not under any circumstances fire on the intruding Chinese soldiers. This is the reason why it is important to immediately demarcate the LAC without prejudice to each other’s territorial claims. Once that is done, GPS technology can be exploited to accurately navigate up to the agreed and well-defined LAC on the ground and even unintentional transgressions can be avoided. The present stand-off clearly shows how intractable the challenge is and how loaded the situation can become. Hence, the topmost priority of Indian diplomatic engagement with the Chinese should be to clearly demarcate the LAC. The LAC in Ladakh is manned during peace time by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police that is a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) police force. The Army often sends troops to maintain its forward defences and conducts periodic “operational alerts” to practice fighting a defensive battle should the need arise. The Army has little knowledge of the ITBP’s patrolling plans and other movements as this border management force reports directly to the MHA through its own channels. This arrangement is not conducive to fostering a professional relationship between the two forces and for reacting quickly and cohesively to border violations of the kind that has occurred in the DBO sector. The responsibility for the management of disputed borders that are active (like the LoC with Pakistan) and semi-active (like the LAC with China) should be solely that of the Army even during peace time so that the duality of command is avoided. The principle of “single point control” must be followed if the borders are to be effectively managed. Divided responsibilities invariably lead to ineffective control. Maintaining the unity of command is a fundamental principle of war. Hence, it is imperative that the ITBP battalions deployed on the Ladakh border be placed under the Army’s operational control for greater synergy in border management. A key prerequisite for effective border management is the employment of available national technical means for continuous all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance. These include satellite, aerial and electronic surveillance to detect and warn about suspicious movements and construction activities through photographic reconnaissance by day and night, the employment of UAVs for real-time intelligence and the use of electronic eavesdropping. India has not invested adequately in these modern methods and continues to rely primarily on human “eyes and ears”. This manpower-intensive approach must change immediately. Also, networks need to be developed to constantly share available information with all those who need to act on it. Finally, as long as the territorial dispute is not resolved, China remains India’s foremost military threat. The Ministry of External Affairs must make all-out efforts to seek an early resolution of the dispute and not be lulled by Deng Xiao Ping’s gratuitous advice to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi that it is a dispute left over from history and should be left to future generations to resolve. This strategy of postponing dispute resolution may suit China, but it certainly does not suit India.n The writer is a Delhi-based strategic analyst.
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The picnic at broken bridge Broken
Bridge”, the name spells sheer magic for a certain vintage of Sanawarians. It does for me .So when my daughter suggested that we take the children there for a picnic, there was excitement in my agreement. The place was a bit of a disappointment – childhood places revisited in old age always are. For one, the broken bridge was gone, replaced by a new concrete bridge. For the other the stream seemed narrower and shallower than I remembered it to be. My grandchildren, wading in the stream, called out to me to join them in tones that would brook no denial. So I took off my shoes, rolled up my trouser bottoms, put a polythene bag around my artificial foot and got into the water. The childrens’ infectious screams of delight and peals of joyous laughter washed away the initial disappointment. We reached under the water and picked up the most beautiful stones — of many different colours, some speckled and streaked, and tried to catch some of the butterflies fluttering by. It was again like the first time I had come here when I was in Lower III (Class V). We had got permission from our Housemaster to be out till five and were given the packed lunch which was provided for all such outings: ‘parathas’, ‘aaloo subzi’ and a banana. It was a magical day, a lovely walk down to the bridge and a joyous splash in the river. We collected stones of the most beautiful colours only to find that they had turned to nondescript browns and greys when they were dry and we had tried to catch some of the many butterflies that flew around us. John, the head cook, had added a special treat to our packets: thick slices of cake. Now 61 years later I frolicked once again in the water, collected stones and lunched off ‘parathas’ and ‘aaloo’ – I did miss the cake! It was again magical. What was so special about that outing and about all the other outings to the Gorkha Fort, the Sunshine Valley, Dagroo, Monkey’s Point and the forest Rest House near Sabathu? They were an escape from the regimentation of school life, and Sanawar was still very much a military school, they brought us the oneness with nature that all spiritual quests seek and they got us away from the tyranny of the seniors, even if for so short a time. Coming back that day, I said a silent prayer of gratitude – I was truly blessed to be so placed that I could visit once again all the places of my childhood – and I have visited them all, sometimes again and again, and each visit has brought back the magic of my childhood visits. Now when the evening shadows lengthen and darkness gathers, each visit brings back the childhood vision of the young, bright, radiant and unflawed world, that once was, and my days are brightened by the memory of a life that was simple and unclouded by experiences of loss, defeat, failure, rejection and
betrayal.
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london latitude/ Shyam Bhatia
New
evidence has emerged of how an ancestor of the Maharaja of Patiala was hanged by the British colonial authorities for secretly colluding with Sikh forces during the first Anglo-Sikh war in December 1845. At the start of the Anglo-Sikh war Maharaja Karam Singh was thought to have helped his ostensible British allies by securing vital supplies and safeguarding Ludhiana, but he was subsequently accused of treachery after he was found to be corresponding with the so-called 'enemy', represented by the generals of the independent Sikh state founded by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Karam Singh was succeeded by Narendra Singh, Mahendra Singh, Rajinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Yadavindra Singh and Captain Amarinder Singh. The significance of Karam Singh's execution - he was hanged from a tree - is that until then Patiala, along with Nabha and Jind, was considered a pro-British ally that required protection from Ranjit Singh's territorial ambitions south of the Sutlej river. It now turns out that Karam Singh was a nationalist hero and not - as previously thought -- just a British quisling. Discovering Karam Singh's attempt to forge links and make common cause with his fellow Sikhs across the Sutlej is a major feat of scholarship by authors Amandeep Singh Madra and Parmjit Singh, who have just brought out a new edition of the much loved classic, Warrior Saints (Volume 1), which was first published in 1999 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa and also chronicle the founding and development of the Sikh 'warrior saint' ethos. The new edition of the book was launched at a glittering function and in front of a packed audience consisting of NRIs, local British scholars and others interested in Punjabi history at Britain's National Army Museum in London. "People think of the Sikh warrior tradition as coming into being with the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 by the tenth Guru, Gobind Singh", says author Amandeep. "In fact its roots lie in the teachings of Guru Nanak in the 1500s and in the struggles of the Sikhs for survival from the early 1600s. "Our revised edition of Warrior Saints aims to bring to light this more nuanced narrative in which the Sikh martial tradition and its philosophical underpinnings are more tightly bound. We also race the phenomenal rise of a new force in the subcontinent that took on persecutors and foreign rule. It was truly an army of the people, for the people." Adds co-author Parmjit, "the reputation of the Sikhs as a warrior people is well known throughout the world. However, how they gained that reputation has never been fully told or appreciated. Indeed the details have always been sketchy, even to the Sikhs themselves. "For the past two decades we have been on a journey of discovery to reveal this hidden history with a view to sharing it in a comprehensible but easily digestible way. It is a tale of enormous fortitude and resolve that rivals any military history through the ages.
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Rare sculptures by NRI artists on sale For
those interested in more contemporary art, the event to follow is the forthcoming sale of sculptures by NRI artists, London-born Bharti Kher and Mumbai-born Anish Kapoor at a charity auction in New York on May 13. The auction is being organised by Christie's in collaboration with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and Kher and Kapoor are among the 30 of today's most important living artists who have donated masterpieces especially for the auction. Funds raised through the sale will support innovative conservation projects that protect some of the last wild places on earth, the endangered species that inhabit them, and the people whose welfare depends on them. Kapoor's donated sculpture, entitled 'Untitled', has an estimated value of US$ 450,000-550,000, while Kher's sculpture, entitled 'The Skin Speaks a Language Not Its Own, 2006', has a higher estimated value of US$ 1.8-2.5 million. Kher's work is said to be the ultimate icon of Indian contemporary art and the sculpture itself, the lifesize model of an elephant covered in bindis, is described as a monumental tribute to India and 'a metaphor for the tensions and energies of that rapidly changing yet fundamentally ancient area.' A spokesperson for Christie's commented on how the tender intimacy of this female elephant " is a timeless symbol of the changes in mankind's relationship with nature during the age of modernisation. This endangered creature is shown weighed down by swirling masses of bindis, a glistening yet sightless eye acting as a focus for the viewer's empathy as life ebbs away from the kindly giant." Brett Gorvy, Chairman and International Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, added, "Christie's is honored to host the most important environmental charity ever staged. The roster of donations reads like a who's who of the most important contemporary artists of our time. This has been a project of passion and commitment led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Christie's Loic Gouzer."
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How A.Q. Khan stole uranium secrets Memories
will be revived of how Pakistan's notorious Dr A.Q. Khan stole the secrets of uranium enrichment in Europe when the British government sells its one third stake in Urenco, one of the world's biggest uranium enrichment companies. The German and Dutch governments are the other co-partners of the company which makes gas centrifugal technology sufficient to fuel 430 nuclear power plants, as well as for nuclear bombs. The company's total value at the forthcoming auction has been estimated at £9 billion. A British government spokesman stressed that the sale would only go ahead if it was satisfied that the UK's security and non proliferation interests can be protected and value for money is achieved for taxpayers. Currently Urenco enriches uranium for some 50 customers in 18 countries generating an annual income of some £343 million. It has an order book of some £18 billion extending to beyond 2025. Britain's Business and Energy Minister added that the sale "made good commercial sense..and is consistent with our position that assets should be sold where ownership itself does not deliver any policy objective." Bhopal-born Dr Khan, who migrated to Pakistan after Independence, was employed by a sub-contractor of Urenco in Almelo, Holland, when he gained access to highly sensitive and classified data about gas centrifuge technology. It was the application of this stolen technology that helped Pakistan carry out its first nuclear test in May 1988. The rest is history. Khan became a national hero overnight in Pakistan until he was dismissed under US pressure from his government job in 2004. Before he was dismissed, however, he had become a multi-millionaire, thanks to his clandestine sales of the stolen technology to countries such as Libya and North Korea. Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto was personally involved in carrying uranium technology secrets to North Korea in exchange for the medium range Nodong missile developed by Pyongyang.
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Amandeep
and Parmjit are not the only Punjab experts offering an insight this summer into the heritage of the Sikhs. Their efforts are being supplemented in a forthcoming sale by the famous British auction house, Mullocks, which is selling historic paintings of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Duleep Singh, as well as historical documents and books about Punjab.
The highlight of their sale is expected to be an early water colour of revered Baba Deep Singh, a contemporary devotee of Guru Gobind Singh and the first Jathedar of the Damdami Taksal. When Ahmed Shah Durrani raided northern India for the fourth time in 1757, demolishing the Harmandar Sahib, it was 75-year-old Baba Deep Singh who forged the resistance to avenge the desecration of the Golden Temple. The painting being offered for sale shows his decapitated body still marching onwards against the Afghan forces who were ultimately defeated. This particular painting comes from the family collection of Kanpur-born Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, revered in the UK as one of Britain's most successful military commanders of the 19th century, who participated in the siege and capture of Delhi in 1857. Also included in this collection is the sale of a hand-written letter by one J.A. Lindsay, a member of the 19th century Tirah Field Force who witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Saragarhi in the North West Frontier where 21 Sikhs from the 36th Sikh Regiment in October 1897 defended an army post against 10,000 Afghan tribesmen. In his letter Lindsay writes, "Saragarhi is an awful sight which 21 Sikhs behaved so admirably…and the place is anything but sanitary, as of course not much burying could be done." Lindsay adds, "The 36th Sikhs marched over Gulistan (4 miles) this morning carrying the standard they had captured from the enemy -- they are a splendid corps and have made a great name for themselves."
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