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Friday,
November 2, 2001,
Chandigarh, India  
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B. K.
Nehru Terror in
Maharashtra |
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Hari Jaisingh
Double A
therapy
Think up security
anew
The war
and UN ‘fact’ list
She,
coffee and miscarriage
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B. K. Nehru THE death of
B. K. Nehru has snapped a live link of the India of yesterday with the India of tomorrow. Only a visionary could hold the silken threads of the past through the present towards the future. And this doyen of the extended Nehru family had all the elements that made him stand out not only among his contemporaries but also the present generation. That was his strength — a rare characteristic that made Nehru draw from his rich experience as a civil servant, diplomat and Governor and see the present-day problems with a forward-looking thrust and dynamism. That is how his thinking had depth, richness as well as freshness in approach. A person who cherished values, he had his moments of disgust and frustration. But he kept his optimism alive and tried to see a silver lining in gathering clouds. He kept his interests going in the problems facing the nation and tried to analyse them with an insight that was typically Nehruvian in character. Ever hungry for new ideas and concepts, his intellect was sharp and searching. There was nothing dogmatic about it. He tested everything on the touchstone of reason, logic and values — whether it was the deteriorating quality of civil servants or the poor character of those at the helm of affairs in different segments of life. A live-wire multi-faceted personality, Nehru was both a crusader and a campaigner. He was concerned not only about the drift in public life but also about the environment that has become a victim of human greed and a corrupt system—from the Himalayas to nature's beauty spot Kasauli where he lived for years. Even in his ripe age, there was a fighter in him who would never let him sit back and resign himself to fate. He believed in honest thinking and determined action. That way he was a karmayogi who lived life full in all its richness. With his agile and caring life partner Shoba, there was never a dull moment. In fact, his was a classic example of living life purposefully with high thinking and yet rooted to the soil. Secular to the core, Nehru never allowed himself to be influenced by petty minds and narrow and sectarian considerations. He kept himself afloat while interacting with the best of minds on different subjects. At The Tribune as a Trustee and President of the Trust, he was a constant source of inspiration. He acted as a watchdog of the rich tradition in liberal thinking and secularism The Tribune stands for. More than anything, it is the quality of the Trustees that has made all the difference to the dynamic growth of The Tribune publications. The title of B.K. Nehru's best seller "Nice Guys Finish Second" may be apt if one looks at his qualities of heart and mind. He had all the ingredients and strength to make to still dizzier heights nationally and internationally. But then he was not cut out to be a political person. And in today's culture nice guys with high character and calibre are often edged out of the rat race. But there should be no regrets. Coming first or second is a matter of chance or luck, but what should matter is the presence of nice guys around. And B.K. Nehru was more than a nice guy. He was a fine human being with a first rate mind and integrity. He is no longer around but like Tennyson's brook his ideals and ideas will go on forever and will probably help throw up more and more nice guys around who will make a difference to the sort of 21st century India we wish to build. Indeed, this could be a lasting tribute to
B. K. Nehru's memory. |
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Terror in Maharashtra THERE are permanent trouble spots in Maharashtra like Mumbai, Malegaon and Nanded district in Marathwada. The causes are different but the result is the same as in Malegaon during the past few days. People are killed, mostly in police firing, and shops and vehicles are burnt by rival communal activists. Malegaon town has two distinctions. One, it is the only Muslim majority municipal council in the state. And, two, the Muslims are divided between Marathi-speaking local converts and migrants from UP and Bihar. Thus the perceptions of the majority community in the town is sharply divided between integrating with the locals in terms of dress and language or keeping aloof to be exploited as a communal vote-bank. The influx of UP and Bihar Muslims started after powerlooms shifted from Bhiwandi in the mid-eigthies of last century and the migrants still nurse the trauma of the bloody days. They are easy fodder for communal passion mongers. What started the latest round of communal blood-letting is a police foul-up. An unthinking constable snatched a sheaf of handbills, one page and one side appeals, and tore them up. He was acting on the instructions to keep an eye on Islamic hotheads. He did not know Urdu and hence sadly surmised that the appeal was in favour of the Taliban and Osama bin Laden and hence against the central government. It was actually an appeal to Muslim restaurants to boycott US soft drinks and breakfast cereals as a protest against the US bombing of a Muslim country. The real culprits are the state government and the police and not the usual suspects, the Bajrang Dal and the VHP, though the latter’s general secretary Parvin Tagodia was prevented from entering the town. The state has failed to alert the districts of the likely fallout of the US bombing of Afghanistan and be alert to any adverse reaction. The police totally ignored the possible implications, particularly in view of the recent communalisation of the voters on the eve of the municipal elections. In Mumbai police commissioner R.N.Singh talked to the imams and other leaders and persuaded them to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and succeeded. Incidentally, the boycott appeal came from a Mumbai organisation and is followed by slightly less than 200 restaurants. The moral of the story is this. A communal riot can be ignited by an ignorant and insensitive police rather than by a fundamentalist outfit. |
A terrorism-infested paradise THE Afghan trauma continues to intensify. So does the agony in Jammu and Kashmir. There are no signs yet of Pakistan correcting its course on cross-border terrorism. It may have shifted some terrorist training camps from old sites to new ones, but it is business as usual on the whole. A comparative study of the pre-US strike situation in Afghanistan and after the September 11 terrorist attacks shows an increase in similar violence in Jammu and Kashmir. As many as 125 civilians and 110 security personnel have been killed. Thus, a sense of scare continues with "fidayeen" striking at will. However, the number of militants eliminated during September-October has been higher than the previous months. The overall setting is grim as the country continues to suffer at the hands of trigger-happy fundamentalists for over 12 years. Any number of instances can be cited to show how the terrorist outfits under the joint patronage of Islamabad and Osama bin Laden have played havoc with the lives of innocent citizens in the Kashmir valley and beyond. They have even resorted to massacre of Sikhs and Kashmiri Pandits with a view to hurting the state's liberal and secular tradition. Their idea is to cleanse Kashmir of non-Muslims and liberal and secular Kashmiri Muslims. The "paradise" today is virtually in ruins. A fear psychosis has gripped the people. The gun has silenced saner elements. How do we respond in such a complex situation? Do we have any answer to this terrorist power? This poses the biggest challenge to the Indian polity which is delicately woven in the silken threads of liberalism and secularism. In any case, terrorism is the antithesis of all that Kashmir and Kashmiriyat have symbolised for centuries. The West has either been indifferent or guarded. Had it grasped the gravity of the problem posed by the so-called jehadis, the world would have probably been spared of the agony of September 11 and the subsequent tragic events as are being witnessed in Afghanistan. It will be worthwhile to recall a few harsh facts. The entire terrorist operations in Kashmir and US cities have been planned and executed by Osama bin Laden, his Al Qaeda and other terrorist outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Harkatul Ansar, etc, under the patronage of Pakistan's military establishment and the ISI. Apart from their global war against western democratic countries, particularly the USA, their objective in India has been to create communal tension in Jammu and Kashmir and destabilise this country. What has followed is fresh in the mind of every Indian. It is only after September 11 that the western leaders realised the gravity of the situation. It is paradoxical that Washington today is actively collaborating with the General who has been very much part of Pakistan's terrorism game in this region and elsewhere. Perhaps, the USA is being pragmatic and hence helpless which is understandable. Indeed, geopolitical interests are compelling. Still, America may like to reassess its earlier strategic doctrines to meet new challenges arising out of the complexities in Afghanistan. One, the USA must review its Cold War strategies and policies. Much of the thinking in the State Department and the Pentagon continues to be influenced by the Cold War mindset which has become irrelevant and outdated. Two, America will do well to draw up afresh its list of friends and foes. New calculations and interests call for a thorough overhaul of policy options. As it is, there is a vacuum in President Bush's foreign policy. Its attitude towards India too should change keeping in view the geopolitical interests of major players in the region. Indeed, Afghanistan should no longer be seen as a fiefdom of Pakistan. Three, it will be in the interest of Washington to make a fresh assessment of the reliability of Pakistan as a collaborator in Afghanistan and beyond. The USA needs to understand the genesis of Pakistan's creation and have a critical look at the dangers posed by the perverted military establishment to the democratic regimes and liberal ideas in the name of Islam. Islamabad is apparently not interested in organising its polity on liberal and democratic lines. It has opted for Islamisation and Talibanisation as an instrument of governance and establishing its separate identity which is a major destabilising factor for peace, stability and economic development in South Asia. India has had the first bitter experience of sufferings at the hands of Pakistan's perverted policies in Kashmir. The ISI has set up hundreds of madarsas in border areas. This does not augur well for building a better tomorrow. If innocent children are indoctrinated with narrow religious ideas, they are bound to be intolerant of other people's faiths and develop closed minds. Nothing can be more dangerous to the cause of peace and sanity in the world. Four, Washington needs to appreciate the importance of democratic regimes and open societies. It needs to give up its old policy of parity between India and Pakistan which is neither in the interest of Americans nor of peace and prosperity of the region. The time has come for the USA to see India in a larger perspective of democracy and as a responsible and reliable value-based power. It is sheer folly to club New Delhi with Islamabad. In fact, Washington's misplaced patronage has given Islamabad the importance it does not deserve. Perverted policies and negativism generate terrorism and not sanity and logical thinking. In fact, most of the problems in the subcontinent are the offshoot of wrong policies pursued by the USA to the disadvantage of this country. Five, America ought to allow natural growth of regional forces with due stress on economic development and not on military muscle. Six, the USA should examine the possibility of evolving a new forward-looking Asia policy. Of course, it will be very difficult for it to live down its Afghan image that seems to be getting associated with the killings of innocent civilians, especially children and women. In the months to come Washington will find itself in a far messier situation than it has visualised. The USA has got caught in a trap of its own making. It must realise that General Musharraf has been playing a double game of leading and misleading the Americans on the bloody path of enduring freedom in Afghanistan. President George W. Bush has only to read some earlier reports of the CIA to acquire the right perspective on the turbulent region. The CIA has sufficient proof to show how deeply the top brass of Pakistan's armed forces and its top bureaucracy and political leadership are involved in narcotics trade. Pakistan's military intelligence agency has used profits from such trade to fund separatist movements in India and promote Talibanisation of Afghanistan and India's Kashmir. It is a fact that the Taliban warlords of Afghanistan and their Pakistan friends have enjoyed the benefits of billions of dollars of drug money for over a decade. They apparently do not wish to give up these benefits and allow Kabul to settle down in peace. Regrettably, they disguise their nefarious activities with calls for jehad! They are flush with money. That is how the Afghans have made inroads into the Kashmir valley under the cover of "mujahideen". All these factors have made the task of India in combating terrorism in Kashmir, once known as "the cockpit of the world", awfully difficult. It is true that the USA's interest in the region is not "marginal". American think-tanks hold that the USA had got entangled in the region during the long years of the Afghan war. In fact, India's former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral once observed: "Our policy makers would be well advised not to believe that the 1953 strategic doctrines of the USA have died with the end of the Cold War. If anything, the US stakes in the region will increase manifold." How friendly will be America's responses will be known after some time. True, American foreign policy does not always look rational or even intelligent. All the same, there is a certain direction and consistency in US policy that can be missed only by the most ill-informed. What is of interest to India's policy-makers is whether America's policy in the region will undergo a change or not after its bitter experience in Pakistan and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. A lot will depend on how Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee plays his cards and pushes India's viewpoints during his meetings with President Putin, President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair next week. |
Double A therapy JAYALALITHA with one “a” was a disaster. She lost her chair, charm and charisma. Court case upon court case was piled on her. Then she thought to adding another “a” to her name. And as Jayalalithaa, she got the coveted Chief Ministership of Tamil Nadu without contesting the election. The Election Commission with no “a” in it remained a mute spectator. She has set an example for the whole country to emulate. Shobhaa De has also dropped the old Shobha. And here in Shimla, Raja Bhasin of “Simla” fame is Rajaa Bhasin and his penpusher wife is Indiraa Bhasin in their new avatars. There are many but those in immediate need of double A therapy are Mamta(a) Didi, Saurav Ga(a)nguly, and Ka(a)jol to check the sag in their bingo style of doing things. I am one of the unfortunate two billions who had invested in the UTI and got dirt out of saving and pensionary benefits. UTI, meanwhile, has rightly earned the moniker United Thieves of India as those who had silver lining withdrew the money before dark clouds covered we, the small-savers. The latest, on the finance side, is that 27 public sector banks have been directed or are forced to write off corporate loans worth more than Rs 8000 crore. I, now, apprehend the safe-bet banks too for my deposits. The GDP had touched the lowest in the past few months despite “eight or nine out of ten” that Yashwantji was getting at the time of presentation of budget. Opposition is giving him resignation jolts but he, like any other minister, has good shock absorbers. I am small fry to ask for his resignation but, I believe, that he is fit case for double A. Let him be Yashwant Sinhaa. Who knows? The downsliding Bollywood market, after all, got a bounce with double A’d “LagAAn”. Today, I live in a country where when a politician says that he is open-minded means that he has holes in his head; where bureaucrat decides, sometimes he decides right, but always he decides; where the police shakes your hand first and confidence afterward; where womb is tomb for a female child; where money makes the Mayor go and what not. We are one of the lowest in human development index but are swank toppers in corruption. I strongly feel that to make my country “saare jahaan se achaa” its name has to be changed to “Indiaa, that is, Bhaarat”. By doing so we will also play catty on mighty George W. Bush who has a cat named India. Thank you therapeutist
JayalalithAA.
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Think up security anew INDIA is unfortunate in its neighbours. More because of encouragement from two sources: America and China. America propped up Pakistan to checkmate India, and China tried to encircle India with hostile forces. And Pakistan’s single aim has been to balkanise India. As for others, they just want to be cussed with India. Is there a cause for this animus? None that is rational. On the contrary, India is the largest market for its neighbours. And millions of them make a living in India. South Asia has become a hub of terrorism and narcotics trade in the world. That speaks of its insanity. Its epicentre is Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are also the centres of Islamic radicalism. There are other centres: Sri Lanka, Nepal and India. India is the main victim of these insanities. Perhaps America will reduce Afghanistan to a rubble. It may even kill many of the Taliban. But what about Pakistan? And terrorists in other countries? The LTTE of Sri Lanka, the Maoists of Nepal, and the Indian outfits — the Kashmiri terrorists, the War Groups, ULFA, NSCN and others — are not ready to wind up. That the world has gone against terrorism has not made much difference to them. But violence begets violence. In the end, no society can endure it. We have not been able to find a proper response to this growing menace. Not in these over 50 years! Much of our resources and energy have been spent (or wasted) in countering these hostile forces. With little success. Our security, based on traditional forces, has been found inept. If more proof is needed, look at the discomfiture of the American forces in Afghanistan. We have fought three wars with Pakistan and a proxy war for over a decade. Today, we are again on the brink of a precipice. This time we are face to face with international terrorism. India has put up with these terrors. No country came to our help or support. There was not even a word of sympathy. And yet terrorism is international. It affects the world community. The UN is not geared to cope with terrorism. In fact, the UN has just failed to pass India’s resolution on an “International Convention on Terrorism”. It was said, mostly by Muslim countries, that terrorism in the pursuit of independence is permissible. They were obviously thinking of Palestine and Kashmir, not Indonesia. But the world is against violent ways. That was the case against the communists, although their goals were noble. In these circumstances, could India have resorted to its own devices to combat the terrorist onslaught? No, says the international community. India and Pakistan are nuclear armed, they say. They must rely on “dialogue”, says America. But why didn’t America resort to dialogue with the Taliban? America acts the cop whenever its own interests are threatened. There is thus a double standard in the world. India cannot accept it. The UN Security Council is now seized with the problem of international terror. It has unanimously passed a resolution to root out terror. It obliges member states to deny safe havens to the terrorists and their supporters. It also calls upon members to prevent recruitment of terrorists, to eliminate weapon supplies, to prevent raising of funds, to mention a few of the measures. The provisions of this resolution are mandatory under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Those who fail to observe the rules are liable to international sanctions. But can the world rely on this? Can the UN work effectively? India and Sri Lanka must put it to test. That too without delay. But to come back to terrorism and India’s security. I am not a military expert. But I feel that our huge military outfit is unfit to meet the depredations of terrorists. Even Israel has failed to evolve a new method. We must, therefore, work in close cooperation with the world to evolve an effective method of combating terrorism. The recent election victory of Khaleda Zia is a victory of the communal forces. It poses new problems and dangers to India. Already, Hindu families are leaving that country. Our reaction has been to plead with Khaleda Zia to be mindful of their security. Mr Vajpayee says that we have reached “zero tolerance”, that “our patience is at an end” and so on. These have become a matter of joke among our people. Is there no way to stop such developments? Should we not say: thus far and no farther, that we will retaliate every affront and make it costly to our neighbours? The time for further appeasement is over. |
The war and UN ‘fact’ list IN the Gulf crisis, the Security Council was the primary forum for setting out the objectives to be achieved, even though it limited itself to asking member states to cooperate with Kuwait to reverse its occupation by Iraq. This time too the Security Council unanimously resolved that all states should cooperate in apprehending the perpetrators of the attacks on New York and Washington, but the Council has been sidelined by the USA. That does not detract from the fact that the Security Council resolution was unprecedented in that it applied not to a state but to a group of unnamed individuals. In demonising the enemy, inconvenient facts are often distorted or thrown to the winds. Consider the following: Under the heading “The Facts”, listed in a 21-page dossier on Osama bin Laden and the Taliban released to British Members of Parliament on October 4, it is said that:
Fact: In 1989 Bin Laden and others founded a charity for the welfare of the families of the Arabs who had died in the 1980s anti-Soviet jihad (holy war) in Afghanistan, since Islam enjoins that the Muslim community should look after the widows and children of those who have died for the faith;
Fact: Bin Laden has not used a telephone for some years now. Circumstances that lead to an armed conflict can differ, but the process that builds up to it hardly ever changes. Gemini News |
She, coffee and miscarriage BLAME is the last thing that any health professional would wish to apportion when a woman has a miscarriage - it simply isn’t constructive. Nor are screaming headlines proclaiming that mothers-to-be who drink coffee risk having a miscarriage helpful, which is precisely what recently happened when the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment published findings linking caffeine intake with an increased risk of miscarriage. Caffeine is, of course, most commonly found in tea and coffee, as well as in chocolate, colas, high-energy commercial drinks and a number of over-the-counter treatments for colds, flu and headaches. But the point behind the headlines is not that expectant mothers should avoid it altogether, just that they should be aware that there is a link between excessive caffeine intake and miscarriage. This isn’t actually news for many of us, what is, though, is that we now have some idea of the quantity of caffeine that pregnant women can safely consume: 300mg per day. This is the equivalent of four small cups of instant coffee, three mugs of brewed coffee and six cups of tea. A regular cola drink meanwhile, can contain up to 40mg (and unless they are labelled free of it, even diet colas contain caffeine), and an energy drink 80mg, which makes the caffeine in a chocolate bar, at 50mg per 50g bar, seem relatively low.
Taking care of stomachache Cramping stomach pain is a sign that the stomach and intestines are sore and irritated, which is normally due to poor digestion, excessive nervous tension, food poisoning or infection. If it leads to vomiting or diarrhoea, don’t eat anything until the pain has disappeared (food will make it worse), but keep your body hydrated by sipping tepid water. Resting and banishing feelings of stress are important, too, so in order to help your stomach to relax, sip a soothing infusion made with four teaspoons of dried German camomile to 500ml water. Placing a warm hot-water bottle on your stomach will also quell muscular spasms. Once your stomach ache has subsided, opt for a meal that is easy to digest, such as rice, white fish, chicken or pasta, but give salads, fruits (other than bananas), fatty and spicy foods a wide berth for the time being.
The Observer |
Imam Bux Vs Goonga THE evening's wrestling matches were unusually interesting, specially the match between Goonga and Imam Bux of Patiala, two very famous wrestles. The stadium, constructed to seat thirty thousands, was over-crowded. His Highness the Maharaja Dhiraj drove in State to the Race Course where the wrestling matches were held. The procession attracted several thousands, a sign of His Highness popularity. As soon as he entered the enclosure he was profusely cheered by the crowd. Goonga and Imam Bux entered the arena amid public
acclamation. |
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While I enjoy the friendship of the seasons... nothing can make life a burden to me. *** We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. *** Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself? *** The sun looks on our cultivated fields and on the prairies and forests without distinction. — Henry David Thoreau, Walden *** The life of a person who eats well but does evil is like a field of poison. — Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Majh M5, page 105 *** The creative energy of Ultimate ego in whom deed and thought are identical, function as ego-unities.... Every atom of Divine Energy, however low in the scale of existence is an ego. But there are degrees in the expression of egohood. Throughout the entire gamut of being runs the gradually rising note of egohood until it reaches its perfection in man. .... Like pearls do we live and move and have our being in the perpetual flow of divine life. — Dr Mohammad Iqbal,
Six Lectures on the Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam *** Egotism is like a cloud which keeps God hidden from our sight. Verily with the death of "I" all troubles cease. Freedom will come when your 'I-hood' vanishes and you yourself are merged in the Divinity. — Sayings of Sri Ramakrisna, 100, 101, 107, 114. *** Ceremonial is the invention of man. Our original purity is given to us from God. — Kwang Tze, 31 |
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