16 THE TIMES OF IDEAS THE TIMES OF INDIA, AHMEDABAD

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2010

A T H O U G H T F O R TO DAY

Race For The Crown

■ ■

Remember, upon the conduct of each

depends the fate of all.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT, king of Macedonia
In revival mode, can the BJP successfully challenge the Congress on the national stage?
End The Deadlock Tuhin A Sinha gressive image. In Gadkari, you
have an unconventional leader
general elections with good
ground support.

I
n December 2009 when Nitin
The economic costs of political Gadkari became president
of the BJP, the party was in
brinkmanship disarray. After its defeat in the
Lok Sabha elections, a fierce
whose speeches dwell on irri- In Andhra Pradesh, the fate
gation needs, biofuel, reuse
of water et al. Gadkari, thanks
of the Congress is uncertain.
Also, the emergence of multiple
to his experience of having strong players will mean that at
executed the Mumbai-Pune least one of them will follow the

V
ery recently, our parliamentarians rewarded themselves with a three- blame game was on, dissidence Expressway project, is among dictum, “An enemy’s enemy is a
fold pay raise. Parliament’s just-concluded winter session makes the had touched an all-time high the strongest proponents of friend,” and would want to tie up
nation wonder just what their pay is for. Legislative business collapsed and a clear roadmap for the public-private partnerships for with the BJP to get even with the
over 23 straight days. Lok Sabha, it’s estimated, functioned for just 5.5 per future seemed like a distant meeting the country’s infras- Congress. This again puts the
cent of the time available in the session’s duration; Rajya Sabha fared worse. dream. At that stage, a state tructure needs and can talk for BJP at an advantage.
Demanding a JPC probe into the 2G scam, the opposition now warns that the unit president with no experi- hours about how its variants In Tamil Nadu, the Con-
impasse could hit February’s all-important Budget session. Is protracted ence at the national level can be employed in the social gress’s decision to stick it out
non-cooperation between the treasury benches and opposition any way to taking over the leadership of sector. The party has started its with the DMK despite overt
combat corruption? Scams have dented India’s image. The political class’s India’s second largest political own biotechnology, economic feelers from Jayalalithaa means
opportunism and bellicosity make for an even bigger public relations disaster. party was bound to be greeted and good governance cells to that she will have to scout for
When it came to power, it was felt that UPA-II, with a reforms-friendly prime with cynicism. come up with suggestions other alliance partners at the
minister and rid of the Left’s shackles, was stable enough to focus on boosting the Gadkari’s success in the last which are at times instantly national level. Given her past
economy. Today, there’s loose talk of mid-term polls, with elements within the one year lies in transforming utilised by its state govern- dalliances with the BJP, she’s
ruling coalition itself fanning uncertainty. HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh that cynicism into plausible Making the Grand Old Party look over its shoulder more likely to revive the alli-
recently said the prevailing “environment of optimism. From being thrashed ance than to pursue an illusory
negativity” risks undermining our growth in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Now when one national leaders who were arrest corruption in Karnataka. Third Front.
story. He’s right. India’s growth data may be the BJP today is in revival mode assigned different campaign Every week, a new scandal Of course, these dynamics
enviable and its economic fundamentals
mentions BJP to a
and is raring to have a go at the zones and an in-house psepholo- emerges and the party’s inability will only work in a situation
strong enough to lure investments. But beyond 2014 elections. Of course, one layman, there is a gist who kept updating the to fix the problem makes its where the BJP holds on to most
a point, global investors watch out for more needs to be fair and give due greater likelihood that party’s prospects in every credibility suffer. of the Lok Sabha seats it has
than just pretty statistics and hoped-for gains. credit for this to the indifferent constituency, the party was able The big question today is: under its belt now and its per-
It’s an open question if recent capital outflows Congress-led government at the the first reaction will to field the largest number of Can the changed BJP unseat the formance in Maharashtra, which
suggest disenchantment kicking in. In global Centre as well. have to do with good winnable candidates. The party’s Congress and form the govern- was abysmal in the last elections,
risk perceptions about India, graft and red tape There are three conspicuous success in the Seemanchal belt ment in 2014? Three states – shows an improvement.
already figure. Add paralysed governance to governance in
changes that make the BJP a which has a decisive Muslim UP, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Just one-and-a-half years
the list, and investors could stay away. different party today than what BJP-ruled states population was particularly Nadu, which together have 161 after the last Lok Sabha elec-
Prevented all too often from expanding it was a year ago. rather than Hindutva crucial. It shows the BJP was Lok Sabha constituencies – hold tions, from seeming virtually
locally, India Inc too is increasingly going overseas, One, the party has finally successful in selling “good gov- the answer. invincible, the Congress today
as Parekh points out. Significantly, key Bills remain stymied whose passing succeeded in changing people’s ernance” even to those sections In UP, both the Samajwadi is a party in disarray. And from
would spur industrialisation, infrastructure-building and job creation. Land perceptions about its core brand ments. All these mark a con- that had so far kept away from it. Party and Bahujan Samaj Party being in dire straits just a
acquisition and mining sector reform languishes even as land-related agitations positioning. So now when one structive, qualitative change Three, Gadkari has managed are on the downslide. The year back, the BJP now is
rage and delays in mining’s revamp deepen the sector’s opacity, giving a further mentions BJP to a layman, there in the running of an Indian to quell dissidence. So while one Congress and the BJP thus have gearing up to give the Congress
fillip to corruption despite netas engaging in political theatre around it. Also is a greater likelihood that the political party. does hear an occasional out- a huge opportunity. Knowing a run for its money in the 2014
blocked is tax reform and, with it, the creation of a much-needed common first reaction will have to do with Two, Gadkari is a better burst from Ram Jethmalani or the importance of UP in decid- elections. To make that a
market. The BJP’s recent boycott of negotiations on GST is yet another case of good governance in BJP-ruled strategist and organiser than Arun Shourie, these are isolated ing the fate of Lok Sabha elec- reality though, the party can
economic good falling prey to political brinkmanship. states rather than Hindutva. at least two of his immediate cases. If one compares it with tions, the BJP will be putting ill-afford to ignore its unending
Yet India has a chance to resolutely push systemic changes promoting greater There are several factors that predecessors. The best evidence the Congress’s position vis-a-vis its ‘Bihar model’ to the test in problems in Karnataka and
transparency and accountability. Political institutions, corporate governance have made this change possible, of this comes in the deft micro- Jagan Reddy, the party doesn’t the assembly elections due in their repercussions on the
and watchdog entities have all come under a cloud. We don’t need witch-hunts the most notable being the management that went into the have much to worry about as 2012. The key will be to secure party’s credibility.
but collective action to aid investigations and punish power’s abuse. The prime generational shift in leadership party’s campaign in the Bihar of now. The flip side, of course, as many seats as possible so The writer is an author, script-
minister has promised to probe government’s use or misuse of phone-tapping. and the party president’s pro- elections. Aided by a string of is the party’s inability to that the party approaches the writer and columnist.
Legalising lobbying is another area for debate. Above all, government and opposi-
tion must seek compromise, ending the parliamentary gridlock that has huge socio-
economic costs. If what’s broken is to be mended, we’ll need all hands on deck.
‘There’s a market for children’s cinema, we need to tap it’
Shifting Consensus Nila Madhab Panda has di-
rected and produced over 60
documentaries, shorts, television
plight of children. Secondly,
India has the largest population
of children and youth in the
than), the central character or
the story. Also you need an
inspiring character and in to-
in India?
Here is a country with over
one billion population whose
Straight talk on terror drama and films for national
broadcasters across the globe.
world. But we don’t have cinema
for children. Thirdly, we have
day’s age if anyone’s inspiring
as a great human being or a role
only source of entertainment
is cinema and television. And

F
irst, it was UK Prime Minister David Cameron, then US President Barack His directorial debut, I am the independent cinema. But de- model, it’s definitely Dr Kalam. if one knows the simple tricks of
Obama with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Kalam, is a journey of the trials spite being the largest cinema- ■ So is he central to the telling a good story, especially
Angela Merkel following suit. The clarity and forcefulness with which high- and tribulations of a small boy producing country in the world, film’s plot? children’s stories, then there’s
profile world leaders have denounced terrorism as a tool of state policy to be used yearning for education. The film we don’t have a presence in The film is based on Dr Ka- nothing stopping its success.
against India or any other nation – and explicitly in the context of Pakistan being had its international premiere the international market. Look lam’s philosophy – set a goal, be But no producer comes forward
the originator – is heartening. It is a consensus that has taken a decade to evolve at Cannes recently. Panda spoke at Iranian cinema. A small patient and have perseverance. to fund a purely children’s
as the attacks after 9/11 – from Theo Van Gogh to the London blasts, the attempted to Meenakshi Sinha: Rs 20-lakh film goes out all over These have inspired not only cinema. They are comfortable
Times Square bombing and any number of such incidents – have brought home the world. I grew up watching children but the general public in their star-struck formula
the immediacy of the extremist threat in the West. And the common language ■ What made you make I am Satyajit Ray films, as well. One day my character cinema. They’re unwilling to
these world leaders are speaking now is essential in tackling that threat.
Islamabad, however, is responding in the old language of victimhood and
Kalam?
I’ve done a lot of documen- Q&A which reached out
to countries like
Chotu sees Dr Kalam on TV talk
about his struggles to attain an
experiment.
We are largely a family-
denial. In the wake of Sarkozy and Merkel’s comments, the foreign affairs taries, the first being ‘stolen Poland, Germany, Salaam Bombay or Slumdog education – how he sold newspa- oriented country. If you focus
ministry in Islamabad summoned the French and German envoys to express childhood’ as cinematographer France etc at a time when tech- Millionaire – are dark. We pers to fund his needs. That on children then you automati-
its displeasure. The argument that Pakistan has lost numerous civilians and with Barbara Broccoli (the nology and scale was limited. wanted to make a film with a makes Chotu realise that when cally attract four to five mem-
military personnel to terrorist attacks itself, and therefore cannot be held to James Bond producer) and ex- We need to come back to that child’s approach – what they Kalam can study and become the bers of a family to your cinema.
blame, is neither here nor there. Pakistan has indeed suffered greatly and perienced 30-32 countries where kind of cinema. like, what they think and per- President of India, then he too This does not mean that i’m
continues to do so. But what it shows is that the extremist elements cultivated stories and issues have centred ■ But what’s the link to ceive their world to be. I didn’t can find the means to at least edu- against love stories, thrillers,
by the military and intelligence leadership have slipped their leash. All the on child labour and women’s President Kalam? want a fairy tale cinema. I was cate himself. That’s the central action or drama. Look at the
more reason to stop backing any and all such elements – even those currently empowerment. That’s when i When we got to conceptua- looking at realistic children’s thought of my film: anyone can success of Hanuman and Ga-
perceived as assets for the Pakistani state – instead of adopting the kind of decided to tell my own story lising the film with writer cinema, which needs a lot of achieve whatever they aim at, if nesha. They prove that there’s
selective approach that WikiLeaks has exposed. It is not simply a matter of through entertainment rather Sanjay Chauhan we realised elements – be it the backdrop they put their heart and soul to it. a market for children’s cinema.
other nations taking a stand against such double standards. It is about than continue to showcase the most children’s cinema – be it (in this case vibrant Rajas- ■ What ails children’s cinema We just need to tap it.
Islamabad’s will to protect its own people, let alone others.

Sometimes, business The two neighbouring The days of jagirdari in music

Total brake down ■ THEY ■ not proceeding also
yields results
countries should
work together as a
industry are over. Authors/
composers will no longer have
Changing the stalled car of Parliament won’t SAID IT
help; we have to change the driver world factory and to sign away all their rights
Jug Suraiya world office and royalties
C
an a parliamentary democracy work without a functioning Parlia-
ment? Obviously not. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said as
much when he remarked that the parliamentary deadlock over the 2G
spectrum scam could well raise a question mark on the continuing viability of – L K ADVANI, – ZHANG YAN, – JAVED AKHTAR,
the system of governance followed by India since Independence. BJP leader, China’s envoy to India, lyricist,
The productivity of the current session of the Lok Sabha has reportedly on the opposition stalling on India-China relations on the move to recognise
dropped to just 6 per cent, the lowest since 1985. The cost of both Houses of Par- Parliament over the winter session composers’ and lyricists’ rights
liament works out to over Rs 530 crore a year. Between 2005 and 2009 there have over their work in films
been on an average 68 parliamentary sittings, which means that the cost per sit-
ting works out to approximately 7.8 crore. But that’s just the tip of iceberg. When
Parliament meets without conducting any business – as has happened over the
2G tug-of-war – the loss to the country is much greater, perhaps inestimably so,
as legislation comes to a grinding halt and nothing moves in public life. It’s as ■ SACRED ■ Self Is Pure Consciousness ■ E D I T PAG E ■

though the brakes were slammed on a car bringing it to a sudden standstill. MAILBOX
What would you do with a car which had perpetually locked brakes and S PAC E Talk: Anandmurti Gurumaa Self die with the body? No. Even the Self of
ignorant people is immortal but they fear
wouldn’t move? Obviously you’d have to junk it and find a substitute. This is
One With Infinity MY TIMES MY VOICE
T
what Manmohan Singh meant when he said that he was “worried about the he Self is pure consciousness. Your death due to their ignorance. However, the
Just as rivers flow from true self is the purest of pure. It is the one who has realised purity of Self simply
future of the parliamentary system” in India. He is not the only one to be
east and west to merge witness. Even if you are not aware of laughs when he encounters death.
Make India-China ties work
so concerned. The so-called common citizen – the voter and the taxpayer to
with the one sea, forget- the Self, it will not lose its identity. But when You are consciousness, pure existence With reference to the editorial ‘Trade And
whom the elected members of Parliament are supposedly accountable – is if
ting that they were ever identification of the Self happens with the and this body is mortal. The Self is pure Beyond’ (Dec 14), while looking at the power
anything even more exercised by this deplorable state of affairs.
separate rivers, so all body and mind then the self is in a state of existence and a witness. In Self-awareness equations in Southeast and East Asia, there is
The PM’s remark, and growing public disgust with repeated and prolonged
beings lose their separate- delusion, and this false identification and there is immense joy and in not knowing the an absolute need for India to develop closer
parliamentary breakdowns, could well revive the debate about India switch-
ness when they eventually delusion makes you suffer. Self there is a lot of pain and suffering. ties with China. However, the million-dollar
ing to a presidential form of government, such as the US has. A presidential
merge into pure Being. Self is Sakshi, Pure Witness. However, you The self is chetna, superconsciousness, question is how to make this possible, espe-
form of government for the country has often
Chandogya Upanishad need to be aware of this. To be truly happy, you the one who knows, pure existence, truth, cially when China has adopted an uncompro-
SECOND been mooted in the past. Its chief attraction
lies in the supposed stability and freedom of ✥ need to experience the Self. Then you come to ever-conscious – satchitanand. That bliss mising stand on most issues. It has not shown
As rivers flow into understand that you are pure consciousness, will come to you only with experience. When any sensitivity towards India’s security
OPINION action that it would give to the executive
arm of government. However, in order to the sea, losing their the witness. It is only through Brahmngyan, would pain, suffering, jealousy and hatred concerns. Besides, Chinese policy makers
individuality, so the pure knowledge, that you come to know about take leave of your mind? This will happen are not known to be squeamish about
maintain the checks and balances necessary in a democracy, even in a presi-
enlightened, no longer your own true Self. only when you understand and real- antagonising India by joining hands with
dential form of government the executive powers are limited, most notably
bound by name and Your body is constantly chang- ise that the mind also is different Pakistan. Clearly, India’s diplomatic
by legislative bodies, such as the US Congress and the Senate. The occupant of
form, merges with ing; through pure knowledge you from you. No doubt it is close to you adroitness will be put to test in trying to
the White House – including the present incumbent – has often been stymied
the infinite, the could understand how many differ- but still it is not you. secure a win-win outcome for both countries
by opposition from one or both of the two.
radiant Cosmic Being. ent bodies you have had and yet you Be a witness. Remain detached. from the Chinese premier’s visit .
By all means let’s discuss the presidential – or any other – alternative for a P P Sethumadhavan, VIA E-MAIL
non-working Parliament. But to use the automobile analogy, a system – any Brihadaranyaka are the very same existence; how You just be a watcher, a seer; be
system – is like a car which is only as good or as bad as the person operating it. Upanishad many births you took and all those aloof from all this paraphernalia Attack on liberty
You might have the best engineered, safest car in the world. But if you put a ✥ bodies died but you always re- THE of the world and the body. Then With reference to the editorial ‘Springing
criminally negligent or reckless driver behind the wheel your car will sooner The river that flows in mained untouched by death. You only can you really enjoy other- Leaks’ (Dec 1), the manner in which the US
■ SPEAKING ■
or later end up as a wreck to be written off. you also flows in me. may not be able to recall one single wise you will suffer as no scenario administration and other governments have
In India’s case, the driver of the car of democracy is the politician. While Kabir body out of those thousands of TREE is ever going to remain un- covertly and overtly tried to muzzle Wiki-
among our elected representatives at the central and state levels there are – or least ✥ bodies that you took, but yet you changed. Change is bound to hap- Leaks and its founder Julian Assange should
we hope there are – sincere, well-intentioned and honest individuals, the near total The individual must are the same unchangeable purity. Similarly, pen as it is the very nature of the mind and this disturb all those who stand for liberty and
collapse of governance in almost all spheres and the proliferation of scams and become fit to realise the the mind too is in flux; it is always changing whole world. An enlightened being would say: freedom of information. US secretary of
corruption show only too clearly that such people are in a pitiful minority. Cosmic One, to know that with plenty of good and bad thoughts lurking if it is birth that is fine even if it is death that is state Hillary Clinton’s accusations are un-
Unless we can improve the calibre of those who operate the system, merely he is not different from the in the mind, all the time. Who knows all this? also fine – as nothing can happen to the Self. warranted as the website has done nothing
changing the system itself will not work. The new system will soon become as Cosmic One. Let us accept It is you and you alone who are witnessing The realised ones would say: “What can illegal. The whistleblower website has just
much of a liability as the present one. For instance, it has been suggested that all the different paths as these changes happening in body and mind death take away from me –nothing!/ What put up documents for public viewing so
it be made mandatory for Parliament to sit at least 100 times a year. But that different rivers running continuously. The intellect too behaves differ- can life give to me – nothing!/ All the dramas that people can judge the conduct of their
won’t prevent each sitting from being disrupted. toward the same ocean. ently: sometimes buddhi or intellect goes of this world are happening in front of me./ governments. The Assange affair indeed has
The problem is not with the car; it’s with those driving it. How do we get Swami Satchidananda crazy and at other times it acts intelligently. Let it happen whatever has to happen, There- “the contours of a witch-hunt”.
better drivers? By enforcing stricter norms for getting a driving licence, ✥ When i say that Self is Sakshi Swaroop or fore why worry.” Motupalli S Prasad, VIA E-MAIL
which in this case means being eligible to stand for election. To begin with, no Eventually, all things Witness Incarnate, do you comprehend what To subscribe to THE SPEAKING TREE We want your views and comments. Please SMS MYVOICE
more criminals and ‘history-sheeters’. Let’s improve our driving skills before merge into one, and a i am saying? Knowing it with your mind is not Sunday weekly paper priced at Rs 2, SMS <space> your comments and name to 58888. Or email myti-
talking about investing in a new car. river runs through it. enough, the experience has to be there; is that STREE to 58888 or e-mail to crm.delhi@ mesmyvoice@timesgroup.com withTimes City, Ahmeda-
secondopinion@timesgroup.com Norman Maclean not strange: knowing and yet not knowing? timesgroup.com or call 011-39898090 or contact bad in the subject line. Or write to us at My Times, My Voice
c/o Editor, Times City - Ahmedabad, The Times of India, Fadia
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