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Vol. xII, No. 27-28, Delhi, september 05-11, 2021 empowering the nation
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Published on 28th August 2021, Released on 30th August 2021 www.udayindia.in, editor@udayindia.in,
COVER
STORY
inside
The Taliban Tragedy : An Elegy to
SEPTEMBER 11, 2021

Democracy and Humanism

The million-dollar question is: Was the outcome prearranged or was it completely unexpected?
Going by the might of American surveillance system and military power it appears quite naïve to
think that USA was unaware of the outcome and was blind to the gathering momentum. The next
point is that it was known to USA that the Ghani government had lost both its moral and military
authority then was it prudent on its part to pull out from Afghanistan plunging it to the depth of
chaos, anarchy and destruction? Was the CIA and security establishment at Pentagon was hell
bent on leaving Afghanistan irrespective of the political situation and abandoning its policy of
democratic intervention?
PAGE-10
Unruly and ugly scenes in Parliament and state assemblies have become an order of the
P-20 day. It is wisely said that when a person goes bankrupt of arguments and logic, he comes
to yelling, abusing and, finally to blows. This may or may not be true of the frequent hap-
penings in the temple of democracy, Parliament. Yet the sanctity of this temple needs to
be maintained. Ours is a ‘secular’ country. That is why, it looks, ‘secular’ people do not
find any obnoxious in playing politics in the precincts of this temple at the cost of the
common man Why should the rebellious individual not be held responsible for the loss
and made to compensate the state exchequer. The Chief Justice of India has also
expressed his dismay at the goings-on in Parliament.

TRIBUTE P-22 P-42

KALYAN SINGH
END OF AN ERA 22
SPECIAL REPORT
RISING
TEMPLE THEFTS
IN ODISHA 24
P-24
SPECIAL FEATURE P-42
Plassey:
Beginning of
an Empire? 31

regular Feature
06 rIGHT ANGLE P-44

UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

P-31 48 rEvIEw
50 EdITor’s NoTE
Cover Page Photo Courtesy:
https://mobile.twitter.com/ms_shani5

Published on 28th August 2021

Released on 30th August 2021
Total No. of Pages+Cover=52

3
 Shri Hanumate Namah
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UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
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The contents of this publication reflect the views of writers and
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courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only
MAILBOX National Gau Sewa Samridhi Parivar
To galvanize these glaring problems, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has
been proactive in recent years, creating a myriad of initiatives for the gen-
eral upliftment of India's sporting situation. The Khelo India Program intro-
ª´¤ Ÿæè âéÚUØñ Ù×Ñ
#
duced in 2018 has been one of the most comprehensive policies, the country
has seen for Sports. Designed with the aim to revive the Sports culture in
India at the grassroot level by building strange framework for all Sports
played in our country and establish India as a great Sporting nation, Khelo # !
India was divided into 12 Verticals focusingon increased participation and
competitions, increase in rural sport awareness while honing talent, and
strengthening of infrastructure at national level. The Central government
has been trying to enlarge the talent pool through its project Khelo India
Games, meant for Competitors upto age 21. For the next two Olympics
Cycles, over 250 athletes have already been identified through the Khelo
India platform.
AUGUST 28, 2021
e-mail: editor@udayindia.in
ng
rati
leb
Ce
12
The current Government at the Centre has ini-
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tiated a slew of policy modifications and addi-
tions including Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (an
editor@udayindia.in,
integrated scheme for school education)
16th August 2021 www.udayindia.in,
Khelo India Program is certainly the other
Released on
one, Fit India Movement and the National
Published on 14 August 2021,
th
Talent Search Scheme, the Eklavya Model
Residential School, Centre of Excellence for
Sports, Specialized State-of-the-art facili-
ties for one identified- individual- sport and
one- group- sport in each State. Now the
need is to industrialize Sports; it would prove to be a fitting complementary
boost to the eco-system. All these will make India attain a place in the top-
10 by 2028 Olympics.
Navneet Parihar by email
Dear friends
It is our age-old culture to promote and develop Indian breed cows. We worship Mother
Rising stars Cow and offer the first roti from our kitchen to her. Now, our Indian breed cows are
India’s performance at Tokyo Olympics was nice. Sports experts felt that the
facing the real threat of their survival. So, we have decided to promote the Mother Cow
as a noble mission. We request you to kindly donate only One Rupee per day on part
current batch of Indian hockey players was mentally very strong. This was
quite visible in the bronze medal match as the Indian players were never sub-
dued throughout the entire duration. Although there were lots of ups and of each of your family member. We have dedicated teams of volunteers and professionals
downs, the players rose to the occasion and demonstrated the will to get the
for carrying out research & development, for supervising health and hygiene of Mother
Cow. Let’s build a Rashtriya Gau Sewa Samridhi Parivar and be a proud Bharatiya.
medal.
Mohan Malviya, Bengaluru
Taming the Dragon " !
"
The current central government is in no mood to bow down to the pressure
tactics frolicked by China. Many initiatives have already been taken to counter
China and strong mechanisms being developed in defense forces, trade, inter-
national diplomacy, technological advancements are on the cards. The biggest ) ! !"' #
international diplomacy is “QUAD” (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue). India, !
USA, Japan and Australia stalwartly joined hands together and this new way of
(% !$ "!
diplomacy has taken china on a backseat. China will think 100 times before any
misadventure; will lead to more damage to China economically and militarily.
Ankit Bhargav, Lucknow $% ''' & )! !"' %# !
4
 RIGHT ANGLE
Why Biden’s Afghanistan
when the Americans leave
is different from Bush’s
BY PRAKASH NANDA
O
ne of the important poll-cam-
paign planks of US President
Afghanistan when they came Joe Biden was that President
Donald Trump did incalculable dam-
age to the United States' global stand-
ing by abdicating the leadership of the
Free World in general and Western
allies in particular. As a Presidential
candidate he promised to restore the
ledership role by restoring the confi-
dence among the allies of the US capa-
bility and intentions. He promised to
the allies that Unlike President
Trump, he would consult more and
more with the allies and take a coolec-
tive or joint decision on important
global issues.
But the speed at which
Afghanistan has come under the
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
6 7
Taliban-control following his deadline
of the withdrawal of the US troops has
raised questions, rightly though, over
his ability to lead the free world. His
decision has confounded the allies and
tarnished the faith that the US has
military and economic might to defend
the democratic values of the world
and that the US is a reliable ally.
Biden's America is not the same as the
America under President George
Bush when the US trroops had
entered Afghanistan.
In fact, a careful reading of the
reasoning that were cited by the then
President George Bush when the US
attacked the then Taliban-led
Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, thus
officially launching what was said
“Operation Enduring Freedom”, sug-
gests that the incumbent President
Joe Biden was being economical with
the truth in his first public comments
on August 16 since the Taliban
regained full control in Kabul.
Biden said , among others, the fol-
lowing:
“We went to Afghanistan almost 20
years ago with clear goals: get those
who attacked us on September 11th,
2001, and make sure al Qaeda could
not use Afghanistan as a base from
which to attack us again.
“We did that. We severely degrad-
ed al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We never
gave up the hunt for Osama bin
Laden, and we got him. That was a
decade ago.
“Our mission in Afghanistan was
never supposed to have been nation
building. It was never supposed to be
creating a unified, centralized democ-
racy.
“Our only vital national interest
in Afghanistan remains today what it
has always been: preventing a terror-
ist attack on American homeland.”
However, a little research reveals
that US military intervention in 2001
was not for counter terrorism alone in
a superficial way. Nor was it a war for
America alone. It was a global war on
terror, involving as it, other countries
as well.
In fact, the U.S. bombing cam-
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
 RIGHT ANGLE
paign against the Taliban forces
began with the British support. And
the same day (October 7), Canada,
Australia, Germany, and France
pledged future support to the
American forces. Subsequently, it
grew to become international security
forces (ISAF) that fought in
Afghanistan, of course under the
American leadership and mostly with
NATO forces (Japan also contributed).
The NATO assumed full control of
the expanding NATO/ISAF’s role
across the country on August 8, 2003.
In fact, it was NATO’s first opera-
tional commitment outside of Europe.
For these military operations in
the first 100 days, the then US
President George Bush had met at
least 51 different countries to help
build support. As many as 136 coun-
tries offered a range of military assis-
tance. The U.S. received 46 multilat-
eral declarations of support from dif-
ferent organizations.
As many as 89 countries have
granted over-flight authority for U.S.
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
military aircraft. As many as 76 coun-
tries granted landing rights for U.S.
military aircraft. And as many as 23
countries agreed to host U.S. forces
involved in offensive operations.
Secondly, the war was fought not
only militarily but also financially. In
fact, President Bush fired the first
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CREATED
THREE NEW ORGANISATIONS -- THE
FOREIGN TERRORIST ASSET
TRACKING CENTER (FTAT), OPERATION
GREEN QUEST AND THE TERRORIST
FINANCING TASK FORCE. THESE NEW
ORGANISATIONS WERE MEANT TO
HELP FACILITATE INFORMATION
SHARING BETWEEN INTELLIGENCE
AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
AND ENCOURAGE OTHER COUNTRIES
TO IDENTIFY, DISRUPT, AND DEFEAT
TERRORIST FINANCING NETWORKS.
shot in the war on terrorism with the
stroke of his pen to seize terrorist
financial assets and disrupt their
fundraising pipelines. The world
financial community moved swiftly to
starve the terrorists (be it the Taliban
or Al Qaeda founder Osama bin
Laden) of their financial support.
As many as 196 countries support-
ed the financial war on terror; 142
countries acted to freeze terrorist
assets; and in the U.S. alone, the
assets of 153 known terrorists, terror-
ist organizations, and terrorist finan-
cial centers got frozen. All this result-
ed in the major terrorist financial net-
8 9
works getting closed down. The U.S.
blocked more than $33 million in
assets of terrorist organizations.
Other nations also blocked another
$33 million.
On November 7, 2001, the U.S. and
its allies closed down operations of two
major financial networks – al-Barakaat
and al-Taqwa – both of which were
used by al-Qaeda and Osama Bin
Laden as sources of income and mecha-
nisms to transfer funds. On December
4, President Bush froze the assets of a
U.S.-based foundation – The Holy Land
Foundation for Relief and Development
-- that was funneling money to the ter-
rorist organization Hamas.
Similarly, the U.S. government
created three new organisations -- the
Foreign Terrorist Asset Tracking
Center (FTAT), Operation Green
Quest and the Terrorist Financing
Task Force. These new organisations
were meant to help facilitate informa-
tion sharing between intelligence and
law enforcement agencies and encour-
age other countries to identify, dis-
rupt, and defeat terrorist financing
networks.
Accordingly, the Financial Action
Task Force -- a 29-nation group pro-
moting policies to combat money laun-
dering -- adopted strict new standards
to deny terrorist access to the world
financial system.
Thus, it was not American inter-
vention alone but a global endeavour,
with both military and financial com-
ponents, that saw in the first 100 days
the collapse of the Taliban and the
escape of Osama bin Laden to
Pakistan. And what was more impor-
tant, after the fall of Kabul in
November 2001, the United Nations
invited major Afghan factions, most
prominently the Northern Alliance
and a group led by the former king
(but not the Taliban), to a conference
in Bonn, Germany.
On December 5, 2001, the factions
signed the Bonn Agreement, endorsed
by UN Security Council Resolution
1383. The agreement, reportedly
reached with substantial Iranian
diplomatic help because of Iran’s sup-
port for the Northern Alliance faction,
installed Hamid Karzai as interim
administration head.
It may be noted that in this war
against terror, the Bush
Administration was equally emphatic
that defeating the terrorists and their
leaders was only the easier part of the
task. The real challenge was the
“nation-building”, particularly in
“failed states” like Afghanistan that
were more vulnerable to terrorism.
President Bush believed that “state-
weakness” in Afghanistan should be
isolated and kept distant so as to
ensure peace and security and keep ter-
rorism away. For him, preventing
states from failing, and resuscitating
those that do fail, were America’s
equally vital strategic and moral
imperatives.
Bush, therefore, invoked the
Marshall Plan (American help in
reconstructing Europe after the World
War II) in declaring that America will
help Afghanistan to develop “a stable,
free government, an educational sys-
tem, and a viable economy.”
Promotion of human rights, freedom
of speech and expression, including
emancipation of the women were to be
firmly incorporated in an inclusive
constitution of Afghanistan which
would guide the future Afghan gov-
ernments.
That is how massive international
assistance, including financial aid,
was poured in Afghanistan towards
its reconstruction and development.
All this, it was recognised, was highly
imperative to isolate the terrorists.
“Reconstructing Afghanistan” and
“a Constitution for Afghanistan” were
in the priority of President Bush’s
scheme of things.
The aforesaid features of the
American intervention in Afghanistan
figured prominently in National
Security Strategy of the United
States, released in September 2002.
It said clearly that “We will dis-
rupt and destroy terrorist organi-
zations by:
8 direct and continuous action using
all the elements of national and inter-
national power. Our immediate focus
ON DECEMBER 5, 2001,
THE FACTIONS SIGNED
THE BONN AGREEMENT,
ENDORSED BY UN
SECURITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION 1383. THE
AGREEMENT, REPORTEDLY REACHED
WITH SUBSTANTIAL IRANIAN DIPLO-
MATIC HELP BECAUSE OF IRAN’S
SUPPORT FOR THE NORTHERN
ALLIANCE FACTION, INSTALLED
HAMID KARZAI AS INTERIM ADMINIS-
TRATION HEAD.
will be those terrorist organizations of
global reach and any terrorist or state
sponsor of terrorism which attempts to
gain or use weapons of mass destruc-
tion (WMD) or their precursors;
8 defending the United States, the
American people, and our interests at
home and abroad by identifying and
destroying the threat before it reaches
our borders. While the United States
will constantly strive to enlist the sup-
port of the international community,
we will not hesitate to act alone, if
necessary, to exercise our right of self-
defence by acting pre-emptively
against such terrorists, to prevent
them from doing harm against our
people and our country; and
8 denying further sponsorship, sup-
port, and sanctuary to terrorists by con-
vincing or compelling states to accept
their sovereign responsibilities. We will
also wage a war of ideas to win the bat-
tle against international terrorism.
This includes:
8 using the full influence of the
United States, and working closely
with allies and friends, to make clear
that all acts of terrorism are illegiti-
mate so that terrorism will be viewed
in the same light as slavery, piracy, or
genocide: behavior that no respectable
government can condone or support
and all must oppose;
8 supporting moderate and modern
government, especially in the Muslim
world, to ensure that the conditions
and ideologies that promote terrorism
do not find fertile ground in any
nation;
8 diminishing the underlying condi-
tions that spawn terrorism by enlist-
ing the international community to
focus its efforts and resources on
areas most at risk; and
8 using effective public diplomacy to
promote the free flow of information
and ideas to kindle the hopes and
aspirations of freedom of those in soci-
eties ruled by the sponsors of global
terrorism.”
Viewed thus, if we go by President
Bush, who intervened in Afghanistan,
fight against the terror in Afghanistan
was “global” needing global coopera-
tion and that preventing the terrorists
from returning by nation-building was
as important was defeating them.
President Biden, who is withdraw-
ing from Afghanistan, does not think
so, it seems. He believes that the fight
in Afghanistan was America’s fight,
that it was an isolated fight without
any linkages elsewhere, that for leav-
ing Afghanistan he does not need to
seek the approval of the countries or
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
those who had fought along with the
US, and that reconstructing
Afghanistan is not America’s business.
Clearly, President Biden has dis-
appointed many of his friends and
supporters.
(prakash.nanda@hotmail.com)
 COVER STORY
The Taliban Tragedy
An Elegy to Democracy and Humanism
BY PROF. TAPAN R. MOHANTY
“Twenty years is a long time
but not long enough to turn a
Roman nose to a pug one”.
(O’Henry, After Twenty Years)
The capture of Afghanistan sans
Panjshir by Taliban in mid -August
has caused a global uproar and has
largely undermined the ability and
influence of USA in a largely unipolar
world. However, the imminent dan-
ger is not about the failure of USA but
the plunging of the world in general
and South Asia in particular to the
abyss of death, despair and devasta-
tion. The naked dance of death in the
streets of Kabul and Kandahar bears
both testimony to the terror of Taliban
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
and an indicator of times to come. The
event has received varied responses
from different quarters resulting in a
sharply divided opinion and assess-
ment of recent events. The naysayers
often take refuge by completely ignor-
eing the event thinking albeit falsely
that it is not going to change much of
current geo-political alignment and
would least affect the neighborhood in
general and India in particular. The
difference emanating from various
political and ideological standpoints
further limits the possibility of mak-
ing a fair assessment of the situation
for a common man. It is in this con-
text; the present piece intends to pro-
vide a perspective and outlook to the
sordid event unfolding in our neigh-
borhood. There are geo-political, secu-
rity, military and economic angles but
I will try to focus only on socio-eco-
nomic dimensions while briefly touch-
ing legal and political sub points.
The million-dollar question is
whether the outcome was pre-
arranged or it was completely unex-
10
pected? Going by the might of
American surveillance system and
military power it appears quite naïve
to think that USA was unaware of the
outcome and was blind to the gather-
ing momentum. The next point is that
it was known to USA that Ghazi gov-
ernment has lost both its moral and
military authority then was it pru-
dent on its part to pull out from
Afghanistan plunging it to the depth
of chaos, anarchy and destruction?
Was the CIA and security establish-
ment at Pentagon was hell bent on
leaving Afghanistan irrespective of
the political situation and abandoning
its policy of democratic intervention.
What surprised me was that if demo-
cratic intervention was the ethos of
international law for a superpower
which led its to fight the gulf war then
why the same principle was thrown
out of window in case of Afghanistan?
If oil was the secret determining fac-
tor in Iraq war then narcotics should
be the lucre of American interest.
Further, the movement from oil and
petroleum-based vehicles to electric
vehicles would mean use of lithium
batteries and that depends on ade-
quate use of thorium which is avail-
able abundantly in Afghanistan.
Needless to add, most of these batter-
ies are made in China. The Taliban
controlled Afghanistan will suit China
and would ensure free supply of lithi-
um. Is it a loss to Tesla or will benefit
it as cost of production will increase
and so will the selling price? There are
lot of unanswered questions on this
count. Has Biden lost the dice and
sold Afghanistan to China via
Taliban? If there was a link between
Putin and Trump election and there is
a better nexus between Biden and
China. We have to wait for another
wiki leak or a more academic explana-
tion from venerable Prof. Noam
Chomsky.
Call it a conspiracy theory, but
how come a trained army of 3 lakh
with sophisticated weapon and armed
vehicles surrendered to a rag tag band
of 80,000 militants? It’s a bloodless
coup, if I can use the epithet. It only
happens when the political system is
in doldrums, absolute lack of rule of
law and a simmering discontent
among the rank and file coupled with
soft radicalization. I would not blame
Biden alone for the fiasco though it is
fair to blame him in particular as the
buck stops with him. But it’s a monu-
mental failure of American foreign
policy and a victory for the axis of
China-Pakistan and Iran. It is golden
crescent of poppy trade that will bol-
ster the revenue of Taliban, Iran and
Pakistan while destroying the life of
millions of youths in Latin America,
Europe and India, the twin scourges
of mankind terrorism and drugs will
reappear with vengeance and bleed
nation-states across the world inter-
nally, slowly and surely.
The liberals often tend to believe
that the current Taliban is not the
same, and time has changed it moder-
ating it internally and sobering its
praxis. Alas! They fail to understand
tigers never change their stripes. As
the good cop-bad cop spy story orches-
trates the objective of extracting infor-
mation form a spy, same is the story
with the good and bad Taliban. The
CALL IT A CONSPIRACY THEORY,
BUT HOW COME A TRAINED ARMY
OF. 3 LAKH WITH SOPHISTICATED WEAPON
AND ARMED VEHICLES
SURRENDERED TO A RAG-TAG
BAND OF 80, 000 MILITANTS?
IT’S A BLOODLESS COUP IF I CAN
USE THE EPITHET. IT ONLY HAPPENS
WHEN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IS IN DOL-
DRUMS, ABSOLUTE LACK OF RULE OF
LAW AND A SIMMERING DISCONTENT
AMONG THE RANK AND FILE COUPLED
WITH SOFT RADICALIZATION.
issue that there is nothing good or bad
in Taliban, its pure evil. Period.
It is needed to be understood that
how did Taliban sustained itself for
twenty year without arms, ammuni-
tion and shelter when American
administration wanted them to turn
into cinders. This could not have been
possible without internal and external
help. Certainly, USA was not sleeping
when both China and Pakistan were
giving lifelines and support both open-
ly and secretly. It means that irre-
spective of change of executive in USA
there were no apparent policy shift in
US foreign policy. It was expected that
there will be a tectonic policy shift in
USA during Trump administration
but nothing of that happened nor
Pakistan was taken to task despite
the existence of mountain of evidence.
If Pakistan was expected to provide a
leverage to USA against China, then
it is an error of monumental propor-
tions. But this plain truth is difficult
to percolate through the thick blinds
of security administration. This also
shows power of bureaucracy against
the soundness of reality. The iron of
bureaucracy and its steel frame has
ensured that the rigidity and foreign
policy fixity remains steady even 30
years after the end of cold war.
However, the victims of this
tragedy will be the silent majority of
peace-loving people across the world in
general and people of Afghanistan. The
radical Islam prophesied and practiced
by Taliban may suit Wahabi and fanat-
11
ic Muslimsacross the globe including
political establishment at Turkey,
Daesh, Islamic brotherhood but weak-
en and destroy moderate practitioners
of Islam thus creating binary opposi-
tion between Muslim and Non-
Muslims. The concept of Ummah and
the distinction between Dar-Ul- Herb
and Dar- Ul- Islam become sharper
exhorting the radicals to suppress,
covert and eliminate the non-believers.
This will indeed give a fillip to
Huntington’s theory of ‘’Clash of
Civilization”, and probably will make it
a reality to the horrors of the world.
But in the chess bord of religion,
politics and culture, the hapless vic-
tims will be the women in general and
minorities in particular. Women, in
traditional and patriarchal religious
societies suffer from doble disadvan-
tage of poverty and marginalization.
The only way they could express
themselves and realize their potential
is through access to education, labour
market and other cultures but
Taliban is complete negation of this.
Yet, our liberals and leftists in India
like American bureaucracy fail to see
the reality. Women will be pushed to
the wall and wail under the debris of
medieval mentality, and the macabre
machoism exhibited by Taliban will
monstrously murder liberalism, free-
dom and autonomy of women. This
has happened not to Biden who inci-
dentally only a part but as Hamza
Alavi said in a different context, that
there has been an attempt to democ-
ratize the state but no attempt was
made to democratize the society which
resulted in the resurgence of Taliban
and to me it’s the biggest failure of
global community, USA, Europe and
India included, I do not put China and
Pakistan because one is a failed socie-
ty and another is a failed state. Being,
a permanent optimist however, I
believe the sight of the light at the end
of the tunnel and I have tremendous
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
faith in the antidote i.e. India and its
dynamic political leadership.
(The writer is Dean,
Department of Distance
Education, and Professor of
Sociology of law at National law
Institute University, Bhopal. The
views are personal.)
 COVER STORY

ing role vis-à-vis interference of
Pakistan and China which have indicat-
ed that they might recognize the Islamic
Emirate, adds to India’s concerns.
In the last two decades, trade
between India and Afghanistan has reg-
istered an unprecedented growth; this
has prompted a reimagination of land
routes in the two countries. Afghanistan
is situated at the cross-roads of the
North-South and the East-West connec-
tivity networks in the Asian Heartland.
Instability in Afghanistan threatens
plies, including ammunition and air
power, possibly via the Iranian route.
Third, India can decide to accelerate
contacts with the Taliban. However, this
is unlikely to give India much leverage,
given the Pakistan factor, as well as the
fact that all regional and donor coun-
tries have already done so. Fourth, India
could simply wait and watch, until the
chaos of conflict reveals a winning side,
and weigh its options accordingly. This
option seems expedient, but it also
denies India’s relevance at the “high
Taliban and India, for example the
Taliban’s role in giving safe passage to
hijackers of an Indian Airlines Plane in
1999. India can also think of extending
support to Panjshir Valley Resistance
which stands strong against the
Taliban.
The change is not all good for China
and Pakistan too. China has economic
interests in Afghanistan, which can ful-
fil its ever-growing need for minerals,
but more importantly it can pressure
the Taliban to ban the East Turkestan

Return of Taliban
regional connectivity projects.
Therefore, the change in guard in Kabul
may affect India’s trade with the region,
at least in the short term. Besides, there
is the threat of growing radicalization
for pan-Islamic terror groups in India’s
neighborhood. This happened in South
National Security Concern for India Asia in the aftermath of the last pullout
by foreign troops in Afghanistan, when
the US backed Mujahideen defeated the
Soviet army in the 1980s. It also gave
India must maintain a vigil against a resurgence of cross-border terrorism, particularly the rise to Al-Qaeda and IS after the US
Wars in Iraq, and then subsequent pull-
return of Taliban in Afghanistan, that could quickly destabilize Kashmir as is evident from the out from West Asia, especially after
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s “politics of hatred” whose leader Mehbooba Mufti went on 2011. India’s worry is also the Taliban
asking the Centre to take a lesson out of Afghanistan, and escalate conflict in South Asian governed Afghanistan itself. Taliban’s
past record in power has been the histo-
region. New Delhi must deal with the internal separatist and communal forces with a stern ry of erosion in women’s and minority
hand sending them a message that India is a powerful country and capable of destroying terror rights, the overturning of a democratic
groups like Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) and Hizbul system and the imposition of the
Taliban’s brutal form of justice.
Mujahideen to maintain the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. The lesson of the Delhi had also perhaps overestimat-
Reemergence of Taliban for the citizens of a Country, vis-à-vis India is that Nation is primary; if ed the domestic political support in
Washington for a strong posture against
the Nation exists, its people exist, and therefore the National Unity be guarded at every cost.
the Taliban and the Biden
Administration’s ability to manage the
end-game of its plan to withdraw all
to establish the Islamic Emirate of noted here that India has provided troops from Afghanistan. While a post-
Afghanistan. Currently, India and humanitarian and development assis- mortem of the developments in
Tajikistan are the only two regional tance of over $3 billion to Afghanistan in Afghanistan must take place at an
countries that are not formally engaged the last two decades. appropriate time, India’s current focus
with the Taliban in talks.The recent Undoubtedly, the region has arisen must be on addressing the immediate
chaotic developments including the national security concerns for India. In challenges confronting it in
recent attack on Salma Dam, the fall of the past, anti-India elements have often Afghanistan. India has four options,
By Dr SureSh Kumar agrawal
Zaranj which connects Chabahar Port in used the ungoverned border areas near none of which are easy, nor without
Iran, Taliban sizing MI-24 attack heli- Durand Line to run terrorist training repercussions. First, India continues to
table” where Afghanistan’s future is
being discussed. This was evident when
the Modi government accepted the
Qatari invitation to join “regional talks”
with the Talibanin Doha, but the
Ministry of External Affairs delegation
found itself cut out of the opening ses-
sion that included the US, China,
Pakistan, Uzbekistan and the UK, as
well as the Troika-plus talks of Russia-
US-China-Pakistan, and was instead
included in the session with Germany,
Norway, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and
Turkey.
The fact of the matter is that for the
first time in decades, India will no
longer have a friendly government in
Afghanistan. But India has significantly
bolstered its borders in the past half-
decade, and therefore, there is no fear of
the repeat of the 1990s when the foreign
fighters flowed into Kashmir from
Afghanistan to fuel an insurgency.
However, Taliban’s return will be a
morale booster for Pakistan based
groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-
e-Muhammad and Tehrik-i-Taliban
Pakistan. It may be projected as psycho-
logical victory by the terrorist groups
and they will use the situation to beguile
more youth in places like Kashmir.
It is true that India will have to walk
a diplomatic tightrope in dealing with
Afghanistan. The biggest challenge
India will face is whether to recognize
Taliban Government or not. It shall get
Islamic Movement, which it blames for
unrest in its Muslim-dominated Xinjian
province, to operate on Afghan soil. On
the other hand, Taliban’s victory is a
strategic win for Pakistan is a simplistic
view, for the Pashtun-led Taliban has
never recognized the border between
Afghanistan and Pakistan, creating dis-
comfort for Islamabad. In such a sce-
nario, China and Pakistan “would pig-
gyback on each other” in Afghanistan.
Taliban’s victory portends geopoliti-
cal realignment which could change
things upside down; this has necessitat-
ed India’s close vigil on the growing ties
between China and Pakistan. India’s
concerns for cross-border terrorism have
mounted with the return ofTaliban rule
in Afghanistan. But India is better pre-
pared than before in dealing with the
Pakistan challenge, including the
instrumentalization of Islamist move-
ments to foreign-policy ends. The eco-
nomic balance has overwhelmingly
titled in India’s favor-at nearly $3 tril-
lion, India’s GDP is now about 10 times
larger than Pakistan’s. Further, as a
non-permanent member of United
Nations’ Security Council (UNSC),
India will have a voice in shaping the
international debate on the situation in
Afghanistan. India also chairs the
Taliban Sanction Committee of the
UNSC and will have an important role
in framing the international response to
the Taliban’s demands for the lifting of

T
he recent dramatic events in copter, and the absence of invitation for camps. Considering the history of stick to its principle of backing only a more tough if Moscow and Beijing all sanctions against its leaders. For
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

Afghanistan have shocked India,
which seemed quite unprepared
like much of the world for a precipitous
collapse of the Government headed by
Ashraf Ghani.
The fall of Kabul as a result of the
Taliban’s swift military operations has
cleared the path for the insurgent group
some multilateral meetings on
Afghanistan have been seen as a failure
of India’s Afghan strategy.Likewise, the
genuine warmth for the Afghan people
and a deep commitment for their wel-
fare might have prevented India from
recognizing the weaknesses of the
Government in Kabul. It should be
Afghanistan and the character of
Taliban as an Organization, India’s
legitimate security concerns will persist.
Further, the withdrawal of American
troops and the closing of Consulates will
deprive India of vital Intelligence,
Surveillance and Reconnaissance capa-
bilities. On the other hand, the increas-
democratically-elected government in
Kabul, and provide political and human-
itarian support to it till that lasts.
Second, despite Taliban spokesperson
Suhail Saheen’s threatening of facing
consequences, India must go ahead and
supply the Afghan National Defense
and Security Forces with military sup-
decide to acknowledge the Taliban
Government; Islamabad is likely to offi-
cially accept the Taliban Government as
it did in 1999. The best option at the
moment seems to keep a channel of com-
munication open with Taliban. But it
shall certainly be an uneasy relation-
ship considering the history between
this, India must also step up its diplo-
matic outreach to ensure policy coordi-
nation in responding to the “dynamic”
situation in Afghanistan.
(The writer is Professor & Head,
Department of English, Maharaja
Ganga Singh University, Bikaner.)

12 13
 COVER STORY
US leaves
Afghanistan in chaos
BIMAL PRASAD MOHAPATRA
D
ifficult to digest that within a
week of Biden
Administration’s open admis-
sion that ‘Taliban might capture
Kabul within three months’; the ter-
ror outfit could reach the Afghanistan
capital that houses country’s 12 per-
centage population and took over the
control of the same in four to five
days. Taliban strength is 60 to 70
thousands fighters spread over the
entire country of 38 million popula-
tion in over massive 0.65 million Sq
KM. By the time Kabul takeover was
complete, Taliban fighters have
almost captured the landlocked
nation’s other major cities and rural
geography but Panjshir Valley.
Panjshir Valley is a small piece of
land near Hindu Kush, strategically
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
located 150 KM north of capital, that
dares to defy Islamist Taliban rule
now a la the same did under leg-
endary war-lord and guerrilla fighter
Ahmed Shah Massoud under banner
of Northern Alliance during earlier
phase of Taliban rule from 1996 to
2001.
In the meanwhile, First Vice
President in deposeed Ashraf Ghani
government, Amrullah Saleh, an eth-
nic minority Tajik, former spy and
native of the valley, has reached the
valley and has announced that as per
Afghanistan Constitution, he is right-
fully ruler of the country post-flee of
President though no ally of Ghani
regime give due importance to his
statement. But, he is a force to reckon
with along with his ally Panjshir
Valley’s present de-facto ruler Ahmad
Massoud, the son of Ahmed Shah
Massoud.
Going further, it is also difficult to
believe that three lakhs strong US
and its allies trained and built Afghan
National Army with modern war
gears could surrender to 60-70 thou-
sand Taliban within a month. And the
14
US and NATO armies present in
Afghanistan soil backed by USS
Ronald Reagan in north Arabia Sea -
sailed to the region from her base in
Japan to support Afghanistan evacua-
tion- remain silent spectators.
There is no doubt that either there
was a complete intelligence failure on
the part of the US or Biden
Administration knowingly allowed
Taliban conquest or both. But this
author assumes that it is a complete
intelligence failure on the part of US
which was present in Afghanistan for
two decades and had forecasted
Taliban win in three months while the
same happened in a week time. Three
months time and one weak time are
two big different numbers in war
strategy formulation. And, at the
same time, this author assumes that
the US allowed Taliban to capture the
hapless country despite pronounce-
ment of its administration that the
same will happen in three months.
Of course, with the passing of
time, the truth will come out. But, in
between, due to above development,
the lives lost, misery done to the
humanity and loss of image of Super
Power, which leads democratic move-
ment in the world, remain unrecov-
ered forever.
Here, the world Super Power,
which gives lecture on liberal demo-
cratic value and human right, should
not forget that a country’s entire pop-
ulation for more than four decades
suffers or paying price for none of
their fault. The US cannot simple say
‘we cannot fight and die in a war that
Afghan forces are not willing to fight
for themselves’ and leave in mid-night
when there is allegations, and in some
case, there are proofs of Pakistan -a
former US ally in her so-called war
against terrorism- provides moral and
materials support to Taliban taking
advantage of porous border.
Where there is no internal strife?
But, it is Afghanis who suffer for gen-
eration. In fact, Afghanis are victims
of external interferences. First, it was
due to the USSR. After the collapse of
USSR, things would have been differ-
ent were the US not trained and
equipped Pakistan ISI backed
Mujahidin (now called Taliban) to
fight Red Army, part of Cold War
between two Super Powers, and after
the collapse of the USSR, were the US
not left poisonous snake to rove free
till 2001.
Now, President Biden says that
‘we did not go into Afghanistan to
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT
EITHER THERE WAS A COMPLETE
INTELLIGENCE FAILURE ON THE PART OF
THE US OR BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
KNOWINGLY ALLOWED TALIBAN CON-
QUEST OR BOTH. BUT THIS AUTHOR
ASSUMES THAT IT IS A COMPLETE
INTELLIGENCE FAILURE ON THE PART OF
US WHICH WAS PRESENT IN
AFGHANISTAN FOR TWO DECADES AND
HAD FORECASTED TALIBAN WIN IN
THREE MONTHS WHILE THE SAME HAP-
PENED IN A WEEK TIME.
nation building or establishing democ-
racy’. "It has always been our decision
to get those who had attacked us and
we did it. We got Osama," said the US
President. Here, he is reminded that
you were there to defeat Red Army.
After Red Army retreat, you left
unconcern of poisonous snakes you
built till the latter bite you in style
and manner Americans never forget.
Now, you are leaving the snakes much
sophisticated but without loss of 1996-
2001 instinct and with latest arms
and ammunitions, and above all, two
formidable allies such as Russia and
China, who are now at severe logger-
head with West, apart from
15
their(Taliban) born dreaded ally
Pakistan -having dubious vested
interest in the region- which waited
for two decades for today’s moment.
Now, the entire Afghanistan and
world are aghast of Taliban take over.
While within Afghanistan there are
pockets of resistance including in
Panjshir Valley, there are huge cry on
the part of Afghanis to get out of their
motherland which means Taliban and
its sponsor are not so popular in the
country. Clearly, they have taken over
the country at gun point. The resist-
ance could have been well exploited
for building an orderly Afghanistan
without safe haven for terror. But,
this was not done for reasons best
known to Super Power. India shows
the way though with a small invest-
ment compare to West’s trillion dol-
lars but mocked. The goodwill India
won has been reaped during evacua-
tion of its diplomats, security forces
and citizens’ post-Taliban take over.
So question arises: Is there a vested
interest on the part of West like
Britain, a constituency of Western
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
forces in Afghanistan, had when they
left India pushing the region into
chaos and bloodshed which haven’t
yet subsided even after seven and half
decades of self-rule?
(The writer is Research Fellow
at DRaS and Asst. Professor at
TGI-Bhubaneswar.)
 COVER STORY
Reengaging The Enemy
By NilaBh krishNa
A
few weeks back a process of
taking over of Afghanistan by
the Taliban began is now
almost complete with only the excep-
tion of Panjsheer area remaining
free. All those who worked for a dem-
ocratic Afghanistan for the last 20
years under the tutelage of the
United States are going to face a
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
major setback. This includes not just
NATO allies of the US, but also
India. It doesn’t take a rocket science
to see that today’s strategic environ-
ment surrounding Afghanistan is
very different from the 1990s and
2001. In all probability, the Taliban
are ready to rein in Afghanistan with
full recognition from major powers,
including the US, China, Russia and
the European Union.
The way they have swept
Afghanistan in a matter of days, one
cannot fathom that there will be any
chance of an imminent civil war. On
August 15th, Afghanistan President
Ashraf Ghani and his top official fled
the country and the last fort of Kabul
also went into the hands of the
Taliban. With this the Taliban has
control of virtually the whole of
Afghanistan, and all the border cross-
ings. The way the Afghan National
Forces have crumbled along with
negotiated deals with local leadership,
16
the country has avoided major
destruction so far.
What was the rush US?
In a dramatic reversal of fortunes, the
mighty United States of America was
reduced to seeking the Taliban’s sup-
port in evacuating its nationals and
the vulnerable Afghans who had sup-
ported the American mission, out of
the country. As of now, an estimated
10,000 Americans and 60,000 Afghans
are yet to be flown out to safety. Here
many alarming question arises. After
being invested in Afghanistan for 20
years, why was the US in such a hurry
to cut and run? While Pakistan’s agen-
da in Afghanistan is well known, why
has China too thrown its hat in the
ring? Are the Talibs, seen sweating out
in the presidential Palace gym in
Kabul, a moderate and mellower ver-
sion of their earlier 1995-2001 avatar,
as claimed by some of their leaders and
supporters? Former Ambassador
Vishnu Prakash correctly describes the
situation, while writing for News 18.
He says “The completely avoidable
Afghanistan tragedy had been scripted
by an indifferent United States, jihadi
Pakistan, opportunistic China and a
corrupt Afghan leadership.
Expediency, side deals, coercion, disin-
formation, deceit, tribal royalties,
inducements and much more have
gone into installing Taliban in Kabul
IN A DRAMATIC REVERSAL
OF FORTUNES, THE MIGHTY
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
WAS REDUCED TO SEEKING
THE TALIBAN’S SUPPORT IN
EVACUATING ITS NATIONALS
AND THE VULNERABLE AFGHANS
WHO HAD SUPPORTED THE AMERICAN
MISSION, OUT OF THE COUNTRY. AS OF
NOW, AN ESTIMATED 10,000 AMERICANS
AND 60,000 AFGHANS ARE YET TO BE
FLOWN OUT TO SAFETY. HERE MANY
ALARMING QUESTIONS ARISE.
once again. They were virtually hand-
ed over the keys of Kabul when the US
announced its decision on February 29,
2020, to quit Afghanistan by May 30,
2021, provided the Taliban did not
attack the US forces in the interim.
The elected Afghan government was
kept out of the negotiations and com-
pletely undermined in the process. The
countdown thus began for the Taliban
and their minders in Rawalpindi.” He
further berates US and says “ after a
two-decade-long engagement in
Afghanistan, which cost the US dearly
in human lives and treasure, it was
ready to declare “mission accom-
plished" and pull out of the highly
unpopular “forever war". Washington
kept shifting the goalposts but eventu-
ally settled for elimination of the ter-
rorist threat to their country from
17
Afghan soil as their principal objective.
Nobody is to ask why they did not quit
in 2003 when the Taliban were on the
run. Realising that the Taliban were
steadily gaining ground, at the expense
of the Afghan National Army,
President Joe Biden decided on an
abrupt pull-out, believing that there
would be a respectable gap before
Kabul fell to the Islamic zealots. That
barely had the US forces quit, when on
August 15 President Ashraf Ghani was
seen welcoming and embracing
Taliban fighters in the Presidential
Palace, stunned the world. It also
meant that the American intelligence
had failed miserably. As the allies bit
their tongue and the widespread
refrain of ‘told you so’ gained currency,
the American credibility as a reliable
partner is once again being called into
question.”
Afghans have broken the “shackles
of slavery”, pronounced Imran Khan,
the ‘noble’ Prime Minister of Pakistan,
shamelessly while women and children
along with elderly were being tortured
by the Talibs. It was no surprise that
Rawalpindi and Beijing are seen cele-
brating the swift capture of power by
the Taliban after twenty years in the
wilderness. But the pertinent question
which arises here is thst would the
Taliban actually abide by the norms of
the world? What is the real agenda of
the Taliban 2.0?
Experts are not even clear on one
thing that who actually calls the shots
and whether Mullah Haibatullah
Akhundzada, said to be the Taliban’s
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
 COVER STORY
third supreme commander, has the de
facto authority? Through the press
conference done by the Taliban after
the capture of Kabul, the Taliban lead-
ers were seen telling the world that
they are different; that excesses will
not be committed; that women will be
allowed to work and study; that they
will not be revengeful and that while
Afghanistan will not be a democracy,
the application of Sharia laws will be
humane. Is it possible to trust them?
Can they rein in their cadres who have
gone on a rampage in some areas
under their occupation? Can a leopard
change its spots? The honest answer is
that nothing can be ruled in or ruled
out at this point of time. This leads to a
crucial questions that where does
India, the most popular country in
Afghanistan, figure in the new scheme
of things? New Delhi had kept the
Taliban at an arm’s length but for
back-channel contacts in recent
months. Reportedly, they had request-
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
ed the Indian mission to continue in
Kabul and had assured its safety.
Given their track record, and that two
of India’s shuttered consulates were
reportedly overrun by them recently, it
was not possible for India to take any-
INDIA HAS ALWAYS LOOKED AT
THE TALIBAN AS A GROUP THAT
WAS BROUGHT TO POWER WITH THE
ACTIVE SUPPORT OF ITS ARCHRIVAL
PAKISTAN IN 1996. INDIA'S NO-ENGAGE-
MENT POLICY WITH THE TALIBAN WAS
FIRST TESTED DURING THE HIJACKING OF
AN INDIAN AIRCRAFT IN 1999. NEW DELHI
ACCUSED A PAKISTAN-BASED JIHADI
GROUP OF ORCHESTRATING IT. THE PLANE
WAS TAKEN TO KANDAHAR,
AFGHANISTAN, AND WAS QUICKLY SUR-
ROUNDED BY TALIBAN FIGHTERS.
thing at face value. Indian personnel in
Kabul, in the prevailing circum-
stances, would have been hostage to
the Taliban’s whims and fancies.
History of Mistrust
India has always looked at the
Taliban as a group that was brought
to power with the active support of its
archrival Pakistan in 1996. India's no-
engagement policy with the Taliban
was first tested during the hijacking
of an Indian aircraft in 1999. New
Delhi accused a Pakistan-based jihadi
group of orchestrating it. The plane
was taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan,
and was quickly surrounded by
Taliban fighters.
"The aircraft thereupon came with-
in the control of the Taliban authori-
ties, whom we do not recognize and
with whom we have no official contact.
This, however, was not permitted to
stand in the way of our dealing with
them," Jaswant Singh, India's external
affairs minister at the time, said in a
statement.
According to reports, the Taliban
became mediators between the hijack-
ers and India in a bid to draw media
attention. The negotiations ended with
India exchanging three militants in its
custody for the plane passengers.
18
India, which remained close to the
Soviet Union while the former super-
power had a military presence in
Afghanistan in the 1980s, saw its influ-
ence dwindle in the country during the
Afghan civil war in the early 1990s. It
had almost no influence in
Afghanistan when the Taliban ruled
the country from 1996 to 2001.
The Road Ahead
Now as per the experts, the situation in
Afghanistan could potentially set off a
domino effect in the Indian subconti-
nent. As Kabul falls down to Taliban,
India needs to be closely looking at how
Afghanistan’s relationship evolves with
Pakistan. For one, history suggests
that a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan
has contributed to militancy and con-
flict in Kashmir. As per a report in
Quartz India, the nexus between the
Taliban and Pakistan’s “anti-India mil-
itant” training camps has been chroni-
cled in a series of declassified US gov-
ernment documents. “With China
being a close ally of Pakistan; it could
soon get “ugly” for India, according to
Michael Kugelman, deputy director
and senior associate for South Asia at
the US-based Wilson Center. “This
means that India faces the reality of
not only a Taliban government in
NOW AS PER THE EXPERTS,
THE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN
COULD POTENTIALLY SET OFF
A DOMINO EFFECT IN THE
INDIAN SUBCONTINENT. AS
KABUL FALLS DOWN TO TALIBAN,
INDIA NEEDS TO BE CLOSELY
LOOKING AT HOW AFGHANISTAN’S
RELATIONSHIP EVOLVES WITH
PAKISTAN. FOR ONE, HISTORY SUGGESTS
THAT A TALIBAN-CONTROLLED
AFGHANISTAN HAS CONTRIBUTED TO MIL-
ITANCY AND CONFLICT IN KASHMIR.
Afghanistan, but also its two biggest
rivals deepening their footprints in a
country where India has many equities,
investments, and close ties with non-
Taliban political leaders,” he says.”
But it is also likely that India fore-
saw the Taliban taking on a key role in
Afghanistan once US troops exited.
According to a report in <The Hindu>,
Qatari envoy Mutlaq bin Majed Al
Qahtani claimed that in June Taliban
representatives were hosted by India
in Doha. India neither confirmed nor
denied this meeting. As India threw its
19
weight behind a democratic order in
Afghanistan, it fell behind on engaging
with the Taliban. It would have taken
its cue in the matter from the US itself,
which refused to directly talk with the
militants for most of its time in the
country, changing its approach only in
2018. Thereafter, the speed with which
US first signed the peace accord with
the Taliban, in 2020, and then went
ahead with pulling back its troops from
the country meant India had little time
to make a policy pivot to face the new
ground realities. “This is why the
Narendra Modi government’s decision
to formally reach out to the Taliban
was such a game-changer,” Kugelman
says. “And it ended up becoming more
important than India could have imag-
ined, given the Taliban’s rapid rise to
power.”
India’s best bet is to allow the dust
to settle down, and then make an
informed decision. This may take
weeks or even months. We have little
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
or no leverage with the Taliban.
However, if they walk the talk, there
is no reason for India to shun them.
Engaging with the Taliban does not
necessarily mean an endorsement of
their philosophy or behaviour; it is
just a recognition that they are in
effective control.
 PERSPECTIVE

The erstwhile princely states sur- Before the session commenced a at public cost.

Are Ugly Scenes in Parliament rendered their properties and lands

running into tens of crores of rupees to
integrate with the Union of India. In
section of members had left no one in
doubt that they were determined not
to let both the houses of parliament to
What was the signal the parlia-
mentarians sent out to children,
young, adults and the elders of the

Mandated by Electorate and return, the then government at the

Centre promised to pay them privy
purses in token of nation’s gratitude
function. The meetings the Prime
Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker and the
Rajya Sabha Chairman held with the
country and other democracies of the
world? It seems, they think that it is
their divine political right to create

Sanctioned by Constitution? to them. The amount of privy purses

to them ranged from `5000 to `one
and two lakhs annually. Only five-six
Unruly and ugly scenes in parliament and state assemblies have become an order of the day. erstwhile rulers, like Hyderabad and
Patiala, were given a privy purse of
It is wisely said that when a person goes bankrupt of arguments and logic, he comes to about `42 lakh, later reduced to ` 20
yelling, abusing and, finally to blows. This may or may not be true of the frequent happenings lakh. The late PM Indira Gandhi abol-
in the temple of democracy, the Parliament. Yet the sanctity of this temple needs to be main- ished this constitutional obligation
altogether.
tained. Ours is a ‘secular’ country. That is why, it looks, ‘secular’ people do not find any According to reports, the
obnoxious in playing politics in the precincts of this temple at the cost of the common man Parliamentarians are given `50,000
Why should the rebellious individual not be held responsible for the loss and made to com- (increased to one lakh, but reduced by
30% for a year because of Covid-19
pensate the state exchequer. The Chief Justice of India has also expressed his dismay at the pandemic) as monthly salary, elec-
goings-on in Parliament. The Supreme Court should ipso facto take cognizance of the hap- torate allowance of `40,000, `15,000
as office expenses and `30,000 as
penings and consider whether the MPs have the mandate of the people for such acts in the
Secretarial assistance expenses,
Parliament and whether such acts violate or not the letter and spirit of the Constitution. which works out to a total of `1,40,000
per month to each person. In addition,
they are also provided with 34 free
journeys by air and unlimited rail and
road journeys across a year. Above all
this is `5 crore placed at their disposal
every year as Local Area Development
Fund.
India adopted the UK’s
BY AMBA CHARAN VASHISHTH Westminster style of parliamentary
democracy. The main functions of the
UK — and Indian — Parliament are
opposition leaders on the eve of the
session for a peaceful going proved of
no consequence. The Prime Minister
and other ministers in the house and
outside declared that they were ready
to discuss and debate any issue in the
house. As the session commenced the
opposition looked united not to let the
parliament function and discharge its
obligation towards the people. The
question arises: Did the people give
their mandate to their representatives
THIS SITUATION
RAISES THE QUESTION
WHETHER WHAT THEY DO
IN THE HOUSE HAS THE
MANDATE OF THE PEOPLE
WHO ELECTED THEM. DOES IT
ALSO HAVE THE SANCTION OF THE
CONSTITUTION? OR DOES THIS UNRULY
CONDUCT IN THE HOUSE FORM A PART
OF THEIR PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGES?
for the conduct they exhibited in the
house?
ugly and rowdy scenes not to let par-
liament function.
The disruptions in parliament
have left the public exchequer to bleed
from two sides. One, the public repre-
sentatives hold a tamasha at the cost
of the people as they continue to draw
full pay, allowances and perks. Two,
by not allowing the house to conduct
its legislative business the state
exchequer, this time, was put to a fur-
ther loss of `144 crore, i.e. `2.5 lakh
per minute.
This situation also raises the ques-
tion whether what they do in the
house has the mandate of the people
who elected them. Does it also have
the sanction of the Constitution? Or
does this unruly conduct in the house
form a part of their parliamentary
privileges?
However, there has been an
exception too. A public representa-
tive from Biju Janta Dal, Shri Jai
Panda, did declare that he will not
accept the salary for two months
since parliament has not been able to
work for the welfare of the people
during this period.

I
n ancient times in India, there
was hardly an instance of raja-
maharajas having been an auto-
crat and cruel to his subjects. If there
was any, he was dethroned sooner
than later. The parliamentary institu-
tions and elections, like the ones in
the present times, were something
unknown, unheard of then.
The institution of village panchay-
ats did exist much earlier. People had
great faith and respect for this institu-
tion and its members who were hailed
as panch parmeshwar.
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
morality and ethics. The rulers too
held them in high esteem. At times,
they even overruled the king who
accepted their opinion without
protest. They were there not just as
courtiers shaking their heads always
in agreement with whatever the king
thought and wanted. Though not
much as did their subjects.
That is why the erstwhile rulers
and their dynasties, though not in
power now for the last over 75 years,
still continue to be held in high
esteem by their people. In elections
to state assemblies and parliament
they, in a majority of cases proved
(1) to check and challenge the work of
the Government (scrutiny); (2) to
make and change laws (legislation);
(3) to debate the important issues of
the day (debating); and to check and
approve Government spending (bud-
get/taxes).
The way the two houses of
Parliament — the Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha — functioned during the
just concluded Monsoon session —
and earlier sessions too — leaves no
one in doubt that parliamentarians in
India have just the rights to pay,
Outside the house, the leaders
alleged that the ruling party was
denying them their right to speak but
in the house it was just uproar and
nothing else.
A section of the parliamentarians
demanded repeal of the CAA,
National Register of Citizens (NRC)
and the three agricultural laws. A
minority of parliamentarians seems to
be trying to impose their will on the
majority, a negation of the spirit of
democracy. They accuse the ruling
party of being fascist. But the boot
Amidst the ugly scenes and sloga-
neering some bills were passed by the
parliament. This has attracted the
ire of the Chief Justice of India
Justice NV Ramana over bills hur-
riedly passed without debate and dis-
cussion. This raises another ques-
tion: Can a minority in a house hold
the majority to ransom preventing
the parliament from performing its
constitutional functions? If it can,
then it will mean minority sitting
lord over the majority, a negation of
the spirit of democracy.

UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

The raja-maharajas discussed
every matter concerning their state in
an open court where the wazirs (min-
isters), the saintly aacharyas, heads of
the army and elders were always
there for advice. The holy gurus com-
manded great respect as their advice
was in accordance with the tenets of
elected by the people, yet they always
had their fingers at the pulse of the
people. They enjoyed people’s faith
and respect.
The rulers were always one with
the joys and sorrows of the people. In
times of natural calamities, like
drought, famine etc., they suffered as
their sway among the people.
On the other hand, those who
begged for peoples’ votes with folded
hands during election campaigns
become masters (with very few excep-
tions) of the people once they get elect-
ed. They luxuriate at the cost of the
people.
perks, privileges and other facilities
but no duties at all either towards the
country and the people who voted for
them. The conduct of a section of par-
liamentarians in the temple of democ-
racy, the parliament, has not made
the people of the country to raise their
heads with pride.
seems to be in the other leg.
They don’t have with them the
strength of majority or logic but only
the road-roller weight of shouting,
unruly and rowdy behavior on their
side. Further, the house of parliament
is not the place where political parties
should promote their political agenda
It is time to remedy the situation
lest we are rendered a laughing stock
of all. The honour and prestige of the
country and the future of democracy is
at stake.
(The writer is a
Delhi-based political
analyst and commentator)

20 21
 TRIBUTE
KALYAN SINGH
End of an Era
By dr krishna chandra sahu
K
alyan Singh is no more now.
Breathed his last on 21st Aug
2021 in Lucknow.But his
work and ideas will never die. A tiger
himself, had the courage of taking role
and responsibilities on his own shoul-
der for all the misadventures resorted
by Karsevaks on 6th December 1992.
Entire country was agitated with both
exultation in one world and anguish
on the other side. He stood tall and
declared in front of a hostile media
that, he himself was solely responsible
for what ever had happened on that
fateful day in Ayodhya, neither the
Karsevaks, nor the officials like police
or beaurocrats. An act, admission and
acceptance, which is rare in the mud-
slinging present day politics.
"I will not shoot bullets” he
chanted thrice in front of the nation-
al and international media and
informed the same to the then Union
Home minister candidly. Took full
responsibilities. What a brave state-
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
22
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh paying tribute to the departed soul
ment! He was dismissed unconstitu-
tionally by the then union
Government. But he was not regret-
ful then nor afterwards. Rarely peo-
ple can kick their chair for a national
cause. He was the king of people’s
heart, a lion of the masses with steely
nerve.
I am lucky enough to be associated
with the Ram Janma Bhoomi move-
ments since Unlocking the doors and
through Shilapujan, Ramjyoti,
Demolition of the disputed structure,
dismissal of four state Govornments,
Arrest of BJP President and other RSS
Sar Sangha Chalak, Verdict of
Allahabad High court, Supreme Court
decision and of late Shilanyas by
hounrable PM Narendra Modi. I have
not seen such a straight, simple, truth-
ful, and mass leader like Kalyan
Singh, who never hesitate to call a
spade a spade.
He left BJP and came back too.
His emotional statement that, I will
like to die with BJP flag wrapped on
my body, a bold statement whose
love for his party, public and poor
was well displayed.
His statements and speeches were
keenly awaited and watched by the
press nationally and globally. His voice
was so encouraging to crores of
Rambhaktas throughout the world
that he was in the heart of the youth of
the nation. He suggested the Muslim
community to forget Janmasthan and
in turn he would build a gigantic
mosque on the other side of Sarayu
river. Though he meant it for a peace-
ful and amicable solution of the issue
but people from other side rejected his
pleas. Later on Honourable Supreme
court on its verdict directed the same
formula in a unanimous voice. The
nerve of the total movement was on his
fingertips and he had well measured
the pulse of the communities then. A
quarter century later, the same formu-
la was the key to settle the centuries
old issue forever.
A son of a common man, Kalyan
Singh was a teacher before he jumped
into an ocean called RSS and got
groomed in its ideology and activities
and dedicated himself to the cause of
the Rashtra and Rastriyata (Nation
and Nationalism). In RSS he gradually
rose step by step in the hierarchy
before joining Politics. In politics too he
came up gradually till the chief minis-
ter’s chair, which is rare in dynasty
based political parties unlike a cadre
based party like BJP.
He spent around 2 years in Jail
during the Emergency imposed by
Indira Gandhi in 1975. After returning
from Jail he worked more vigorously
for the party and the nation. The mas-
sacre of Karsevaks in Ayodhya by
Mulayam Singh, diverted people’s
attention towards Kalyan Singh to
lead the caste, criminal and religion
affected Uttar Pradesh. A year later
BJP won Uttar Pradesh with Kalyan
Singh as the chief minister. He admin-
23
istered well in UP on various parame-
ters like good education, able and effec-
tive administration, peace, harmony
and social justice. He was also archi-
tect of BSP and BJP coalition before
Mayavati ditched BJP and caused her
own downfall. Though for two years he
was out of BJP, but later returned to
its fold like a child coming back to
mother’s lap and mother lovingly
embracing the child. Till his last
breath, he was in BJP like a soldier
and statesman.
Ram-janma Bhoomi movement
owes a lot to him including Lal
Krishna Advani, Late Ashok Singhal,
Late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindhia,
Uma Bharati, Shadwi Ritumbara,
Binay Katiyaar and off course Sri P V
Narasimha Rao, who have overtly or
covertly helped in this national
yagna. Today if Hindutva ideology is
vibrant and visible, the credit goes to
Kalyan Singh and Lal Krishna
Advani equally.
He will continue to be in the heart
and soul of a billion Hindus worldwide
as “Hindu Hridaya Samrat”. His death
has caused an irreparable loss to
Hinduism and selfless politics in the
country. A desh bhakta (patriot), lok
kalyan kari neta ( benovelent leader),
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
Daksha prasashak (an able adminis-
trators), a rashtra nitigna (a states-
man) – All in one was Kalyan Singh.
Lord Ram bless the departed soul.
This is the prayer of billion Hindus of
the world.
 SPECIAL REPORT
RISING TEMPLE
THEFTS IN ODISHA
By Anil Dhir
O
ver the past few decades
Odisha has endured several
temple thefts in each of the dis-
tricts. In total, the number of idols lost
is estimated to be close to a staggering
10,000. Antique dealers have for
decades targeted Odishan temples and
smuggled such items out of the country
to rake in big bucks by selling them to
museums or auctioning them at inter-
national auction houses. There is hard-
ly a day when idol thefts are not report-
ed in the media. Odisha has become a
major hub for stolen idol export. The
thriving industry of stone sculptures in
the state gives easy access to export
stolen idols along with the newly
carved ones.
In January this year, five old metal-
lic idols from the Sri Gopinathdev
Temple at Kakudia near Pipili were
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
stolen. In April, thieves broke into the
Mausi Maa temple, just 500 metres
away from the Jagannath temple at
Puri. Last year, miscreants barged into
the sanctum sanctorum of the 800-
year-old Daksha Prajapati temple in
Banpur town of Khurda and took away
22 Ashtadhatu idols. They melted six
of them, only ingots were recovered
along with five other idols. Last year,
the STF recovered two brass idols from
the Jadupur on the outskirts of
Bhubaneswar. I had gone to see the
idols at the STF office, the Sp told me
that they had deployed a decoy, who
was asked to pay a crore for them. Last
year, Burglars broke into a Shiva tem-
ple in Malikeswarpur village in
Kendrapada and decamped with an
idol of Goddess Laxmi from the outer
wall of the shrine. The idol, made from
black chlorite was three feet high and
weighed around one quintal. The theft
of an 11-century-old idol from the
Marichi temple at Ayodhya in Nilgiri
December 26 2019 was solved with the
arrest of Suresh Yadav from of Etah
district in Uttar Pradesh.
In March 2017, an Ashtadhatu idol
of Lord Krishna valued at around a
crore was stolen from the 300-year-old
Dadhibabanjew temple in Choudkulat
village. The miscreants also stole brass
idols of Lord Hanuman and Goddess
Durga. In 2015, six rare antique idols
were stolen from the Varahanath tem-
ple in Jajpur. Three 13th century
24
antique stone idols were stolen from
the famous Chandrasekhar Jew temple
at Kapilash in the same year. In 2014,
the chlorite Jain idol of Adinatha Deb
was stolen from the Grameswar temple
at Nivarana village under Niali Police
Station. It was regarded as one of the
rarest Jain statues of Odisha. The 2.5
feet height black-stone statue was later
recovered, but the thieves had pruned
it considerably and it was half its size
when recovered.
While working on the Prachi Valley
project, in the course of two years, I
came to know of nearly 50 temple thefts
in the jurisdiction of four police sta-
tions. Idols which were photographed
and documented by scholars in the last
three decades have vanished. Both the
locals and the police themselves admit-
ted that many more thefts have been
unreported. Surprisingly, only one sin-
gle recovery has been made, the rest of
the precious idols have been lost forev-
er. There were 20 cases of idol theft in
the last decade in Bhadrak, but not a
single recovery has been made.
Intach had repeatedly expressed its
concern over rising cases of temple
thefts in Odisha and illegal exports of
idols. It has urged the government for
framing a holistic policy and taking
legal measures to deal with the men-
ace. The prevailing laws intended to
prevent idol thefts and burglary are
inherently ineffective and a holistic
national heritage protection policy and
system should be put in place. There is
no objective database of antiques – both
stone and metallic idols -- in the
approximately 22,000 ancient places of
worship in Odisha. Inconsequential
and weak legislations like the
Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, The
Ancient Monuments and
Archaeological Sites and Remains Act
and the Ancient Monuments
Preservation Act, 1904 are ineffective
to curb these crimes. There is an
absolute lack of awareness and gross
apathy regarding the intrinsic value of
antique idols that represent the rich
cultural heritage of the state.
More than 95 per cent of the
antique idols in the State remain legal-
ly unregistered as the National Mission
on Monuments and Antiquities
remains incomplete. New legislation
and amendments are a need of the hour
and the police should have a separate
wing to deal with such crimes. The
state Archeology and the ASI should
adopt methods as per international
norms. Metal idols should have laser
markings and the stone ones should
have metallic engravings as evidence of
ownership. There have been many
instances where recovered stolen idols
could not be traced back to their origi-
nal places, and are lying in different
MORE THAN 95 PER CENT
OF THE ANTIQUE IDOLS IN
THE STATE REMAIN LEGALLY
UNREGISTERED AS THE NATIONAL
MISSION ON MONUMENTS
AND ANTIQUITIES REMAINS
INCOMPLETE. NEW LEGISLATION
AND AMENDMENTS ARE A NEED OF THE
HOUR AND THE POLICE SHOULD HAVE A
SEPARATE WING TO DEAL WITH SUCH
CRIMES. THE STATE ARCHEOLOGY AND
THE ASI SHOULD ADOPT METHODS AS
PER INTERNATIONAL NORMS.
police stations malkhanas and the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
godowns. These idols should be
returned back to the temples from
where they were stolen. They are not
objects of art, they are deities which
were worshipped.
The practice of collecting Indian
ancient statues can be dated back to
the British Raj, when our colonizers
took back with them several artifacts of
historical importance. China too has
been a notable victim of this, particu-
larly when the Europeans stole from its
famed Summer Palace during the siege
of Peking in 1860. However, in its typ-
ical fashion, China resorted to a quick
solution to bring back its lost heritage,
they reportedly hired professional
agents and thieves to bring back many
of their stolen antiques from museums
across Europe. The KODE Museum in
25
Norway, The Swedish Royal Palace,
museums in Durham and Cambridge
and the Chateau de Fontainebleau
have all been burgled in recent years,
allegedly by Chinese operatives who
have broken in and taken only items of
Chinese heritage. Such has been the
brashness of the Chinese in these mat-
ters that the government has even pub-
licly displayed some of the relics that
were stolen from the European muse-
ums.
India on the other hand, has taken
a far softer route of using diplomacy to
request for the return of our stolen
ancient wonders. During Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s initial
tenure, the nation saw several such
diplomatic repatriations, with the US
vowing to return 200 statues, Tony
Abbott’s return of the Nataraj, the
Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau’s gift of several smaller figures
and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s return of a stone carving of
Goddess Durga. The Durga carving,
which Merkel returned to India, was
traced back to a small temple in
Pulwama, Kashmir, giving rise to the
question as to how did it get smuggled
out the country and land up in
Germany.
The British museums are nothing
more than chor bazaars. The only offi-
cial body responsible for bringing back
all our ancient idols is the ASI, but they
have not been able to accomplish much
of what is expected of them. We need to
first come up with a central database.
We do not even have photos or dimen-
sions of the statues because they’re con-
sidered sacred, and measuring them
was seen as unholy. There should be a
state-wise anti-smuggling wing that
specialises in ancient heritage.
Countries like the US and China
have enacted heritage protection laws
so have not-so-prosperous countries
like Jordan and Mexico. Its saddening
when a culture rich country like India,
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
chooses not to. Ironically, there are
some lobbyists within our country, who
have invested heavily in our national
treasure and want to amend the
Antiquities Laws. It leaves one wonder-
ing if we as people truly want to sup-
port the cause of protecting our millen-
niums-old ancient heritage.
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021 IMPACT FEATURE

26
IMPACT FEATURE

27

UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021 IMPACT FEATURE

28
IMPACT FEATURE

29

UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

 IMPACT FEATURE SPECIAL FEATURE
Plassey: Beginning
of an Empire?
by Dr UDDipan MUkherjee
I
t’s true that Amartya Sen
requires no introduction.
However, all that he writes, may
not always be true. In a deftly articu-
lated piece (for the Guardian) entitled
‘Illusions of Empire’, on 29 June 2021
Sen states:
The British empire in India was in
effect established at the Battle of
Plassey on 23 June 1757. The battle
was swift, beginning at dawn and end-
ing close to sunset. It was a normal
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
monsoon day, with occasional rain in
the mango groves at the town of
Plassey…... It was in those mango
groves that the British forces faced
the Nawab Siraj-ud-Doula’s army and
convincingly defeated it.
Without confronting what the
Nobel Laureate wrote at the begin-
30
ning of the paragraph, it is so ger-
mane to cross swords with him as he
nears the end of his statement:
“British forces……convincingly
defeated it.”
Dr Sen, it’s indeed a loose state-
ment, abruptly coming out of the scab-
bard, and incidentally painting a
wrong history of the sub-continent.
The word ‘convincingly’ hides innu-
merable realities pertaining to the
battle.
Yes, the battle began early on the
23rd of June 1757, no doubt; not quite
at dawn per se, but to be particular at
around 8 AM. And the battle just
didn’t end at sunset; though the writ-
ing was on the wall much before the
battle was actually fought. The battle
finally ended at around 8 PM on the
31
same day, much after sunset.
As India celebrates 75 glorious
years of independence from British
imperialism, it is not impertinent at
all to probe into the details of perhaps
the most significant battle that
opened the floodgates of British impe-
rialistic venturesin the sub-continent,
and more so when of late a person of
Dr Sen’s stature mentions it and that
too in a 200 year old British media
website.
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
A long time before Plassey
One of the more compelling reasons
which led to the accretion of European
explorers in the sub-continent was
that in Europe in the 15th and 16th
centuries, there was a great demand
for spices, which were used to mask
 SPECIAL FEATURE
the taste of vast amounts of salt used
for preserving the food through long
winters. Furthermore, writes Roy
Moxham in his lucid composition ‘The
Theft of India’, pepper was used by
the rich in Europe as an item of fash-
ion!
Merchants of Italy controlled the
trade with the sub-continent from
Alexandria, Cairo, Beirut, and
Constantinople. Constantinople was
captured by the Ottoman Islamic
Turks as they defeated the Byzantine
Christian Empire in 1453. Naturally,
markets of Alexandria and Cairo
became more important for the
Europeans. Since Arabs were in con-
trol of the sea trade to India’s Malabar
region, they siphoned off the profits
and price of spices inflated as they
finally reached Europe.
Moxham tells us that Italian trav-
eller Nicolo Conti travelled to India in
the middle of the 15th century and his
travelogue was published in 1492. The
publication encouraged the
Portuguese explorers, which led to the
voyage by Vasco da Gama in 1498.
In 1553, exactly hundred years
after the conquest of the apparently
impregnable Constantinople, some
English merchants planned a voyage
to reach ‘Indies’ through the north of
Russia. They however reached
Moscow – met the Tsar – and got trad-
ing rights in Russia. They couldn’t
make it to India.
One Thomas Stephens, son of a
wealthy London merchant, turned
priest and reached Goa in 1579. He
wrote to his father about the life and
riches of Goa. These stories, writes
Moxham, induced excitement and
curiosity among London merchants
about India. Finally, on 24 September
1599, as William Dalrymple dramati-
cally tells us in his Anarchy, that a
motley group of London merchants
along with the Mayor of the city sub-
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
scribed anything between 100 to 3,000
pounds each and collected 30,000
pounds to plan an expedition to the
East Indies. In the process was
formed the English East India
Company (EIC).
The Charter was signed on 31
December 1600 whereupon it was
emphasised that the Company was to
restrict itself to trade and not to
attempt colonisation or conquest.
EICwas to be managed by a governor
and 24 directors. William Hawkins
captained the ship HECTOR and
reached India at the largest of the
Mughal ports – Surat. As Hawkins
anchored offshore on 24 August 1608,
began an era of British mercantilism
in India which later transformed into
capitalistic imperialism.
Close to 150 years flew past.
Shortly before Plassey
With the contemplation of war in
America and Europe between the arch
rivals England and France, Robert
Clive and his three regiments of Royal
IT TOOK ALMOST TWO MONTHS FOR THE
EIC TO GET READY FOR THE INVASION OF
BENGAL. FINALLY, AS DALRYMPLE
WRITES, ON 13 OCTOBER 1756, AN EXPE-
DITIONARY FORCE OF ‘785 EUROPEAN
TROOPS, 300 MARINES AND 940 INDIAN
SEPOYS’ SET SAIL TOWARDS BENGAL. BY
THE MIDDLE OF DECEMBER 1756, ONE OF
THE SHIPS KENT ANCHORED AT FULTA IN
BENGAL, WHERE THE ENGLISH SUR-
VIVORS OF SIRAJUDDAULA’S ATTACK ON
FORT WILLIAM IN CALCUTTA IN JUNE
1756 HAD TAKEN SHELTER.
artillery were sent from London as a
pre-emptive measure in securing the
business interests in the sub-conti-
nent. Clive’s entourage arrived at Fort
St David (near Tamil Nadu’s
Cuddalore of today), along with the
warships led by Rear Admiral
Watson. The force however, was sup-
posed to take on the French.
Providence nonetheless had different
plans for them.
In June 1756, Bengal’s new
Mughal governor, SirajudDaula
attacked EIC settlements in Calcutta
since the latter did not stop their for-
tifications even after repeated
requests by the former Mughal gover-
nor Alivardi Khan (Siraj’s grandfa-
32
ther). Siraj captured Fort William in
Calcutta and was also wrongly alleged
to have been responsible for the death
due to suffocation of a large number of
Europeans in the so-called ‘Black Hole
Tragedy’.
Watson was least interested in
moving towards Bengal and defend
the interests of the EIC because he
was representing the Crown directly
and wished to remain in Madras since
he was sent for that purpose.
However, Clive prevailed upon the
Council members of the English East
India Company (EIC) at Madras and
finally succeeded in persuading
Watson to accompany him to Bengal.
Clive was a far sighted individual and
knew that Bengal was a repository of
wealth and could bail him out of his
financial difficulties he was facing at
that juncture due to his investments
in EIC stocks.
It took almost two months for the
EIC to get ready for the invasion of
Bengal. Finally, as Dalrymple writes,
on 13 October 1756, an expeditionary
force of ‘785 European troops, 300
marines and 940 Indian sepoys’ set
sail towards Bengal. By the middle of
December 1756, one of the ships
Kent, anchored at Fulta in Bengal –
where the English survivors of
SirajudDaula’s attack on Fort
William in Calcutta in June 1756 –
had taken shelter. In fact, by then,
almost 50 per cent of the original sur-
vivorshad died of fever.
Clive sent an ultimatum to
Manikchand, who had been entrusted
Fort William and Alinagar (as
Calcutta was renamed by Siraj).
However, the latter did not pay any
heed to Clive’s warning. On 27
December 1756, Clive decided to
moved upriver. Near the Fort of
Budge Budge, Manikchand in a sur-
prise move attacked Clive’s retinue.
Clive was about to order a retreat as
he was taken aback by this sudden
attack. However, field artillery and
rapid firing of the Brown Bess mus-
kets saved the day for Clive.
Manikchand was shot through the
turban.
On 02 January 1757, Clive and
Watson’s forces reached Fort William.
 SPECIAL FEATURE
Manikchand relinquished his position
after a brief skirmish. The very next
day, Clive declared war on Siraj in the
name of the EIC.Watson too did the
same in the name of the Crown. This
was indeed a historic event. A mer-
cantile company declared war against
a sovereign authority.
However, Siraj appeared stern
and not to give up so easily. As he was
basking in the glory of defeating the
EIC last year, he gathered an army of
60,000 soldiers and attacked Calcutta
once more.Though Clive initially
wanted to settle the issue with Siraj
through discussions, the latter treated
Clive’s negotiators with utter disre-
gard.
As a reaction and true to his char-
acter, Clive decided to retaliate in a
night attack against Siraj. Clive took
about 500 sailors from Watson in
order to carry the ammunition and
draw the artillery guns. About 4 am
on the 5th of February 1757, Clive and
his troops were marching towards
Siraj’s camp at the outskirts of north
Calcutta.Clive’s men reached the cen-
tre of Siraj’s camp after a brief resist-
ance by the latter’s forces. By 11 am
on that day, Clive after having lost
about 150 soldiers returned to Fort
William a despondent man.Since
there was thick fog on that day Clive’s
forces were unsure of hitting their tar-
get.
Siraj on the other hand, lost about
2,000 men. Siraj’s closest aide and
commander Dost Mohammad Khan
was disabled in the battle. In fact,
Clive too lost his secretary in the
fight. Siraj nonetheless was petrified
and retreated 10 miles away.
Just the next day, Siraj sent an
ambassador to Clive for inking a
peace deal. This too was true to the
character of Siraj – a man of extremes.
He showed strength and cruelty to the
weak whereas the moment his oppo-
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
nent would counter him the hard way,
he would turn meek. Three days later,
the Treaty of Alinagar was signed.
According to it:
All trade privileges of EIC were
restored All EIC goods were exempted
of taxes EIC was allowed to establish
a mint EIC was allowed to fortify their
settlements in Calcutta Roger Drake
was to be removed as the Governor of
Calcutta
The last point was a personal
demand of Siraj, which was duly com-
plied with by the EIC since Drake was
already unpopular and was utterly
inefficient in defending the EIC settle-
ments in 1756 against Siraj’s attack.
Drake’s removal was a face saving
measure for Siraj which he demanded
in order to satisfy his ego since in
1756 Drake had fled and Siraj could
not get him by the scruff of his neck.
On 23 February 1757, Clive wrote
to his father:
AS A REACTION AND TRUE TO HIS CHAR-
ACTER, CLIVE DECIDED TO RETALIATE IN A
NIGHT ATTACK AGAINST SIRAJ. CLIVE
TOOK ABOUT 500 SAILORS FROM WATSON
IN ORDER TO CARRY THE AMMUNITION
AND DRAW THE ARTILLERY GUNS. ABOUT
4 AM ON THE 5TH OF FEBRUARY 1757,
CLIVE AND HIS TROOPS WERE MARCHING
TOWARDS SIRAJ’S CAMP AT THE OUT-
SKIRTS OF NORTH CALCUTTA.CLIVE’S MEN
REACHED THE CENTRE OF SIRAJ’S CAMP
AFTER A BRIEF RESISTANCE BY THE LAT-
TER’S FORCES.
“I expect to return very shortly to
the coast [Madras], as all is over
here.”
However, as the 7 years’ war
erupted in full blaze and under the
command of EIC directors from
London, Watson declared war against
the French in Bengal. As fallout,
Watson planned to attack the French
settlement atChandernagore (today’s
Chandannagar, about 50 km from
Kolkata).
On 8 March 1757, with an army of
2,700Clive and Watson began their
march towards Chandernagore.
Interestingly, Siraj did not intervene,
with the tacit assurance of the EIC
that they will help him if the Afghan
marauder Ahmad Shah Abdali
attacks Bengal. The French at the
other end had 700 soldiers to defend
34
their Fort d’Orleans. Nonetheless, in a
single day’s fighting, the French lost
about 200 men killed or wounded.
The Director of the French factory
at Kasimbazar (near Plassey), Jean
Law wrote:
“…with the fall of Chandernagore,
the gate to the entire country was
thrown open to the English.”
Law hit the bull’s eye. It was only
another European contingent which
could have taken on the EIC.
Especially the French, since they had
shown their military muscle in 1746
in the battle of Adyar (near Madras)
by defeating the Mughal governor’s
son Mahfuz Khan and the latter’s
10,000 strong force.
Meanwhile, Siraj remained indeci-
sive. He sent a relief force towards
Chandernagore, but later withdrew it.
On 24 March, Sirajgifted two leopards
to Clive and congratulated him on his
victory.Siraj in fact had alienated
many military commanders of
Alivardi’s regime.Most disgruntled
was Mir Jafar Ali Khan, who was
sidelined by Siraj even after being
instrumental in the victory over the
EIC in Calcutta in 1756.
Mir Jafar was a shiamuslim from
Najaf in Iraq. He was unhappy
because the governorship of Calcutta
was granted to Manikchand though it
was Jafar who led the avantegarde of
Siraj’s forces against the Company in
capturing Calcutta. Out of frustration
as well as greed, Mir Jafar planned to
offer the EIC a sum of Rs 2.5 crores if
the EIC in turn helped him to remove
Siraj.
The interesting aspect here is not
why Mir Jafar and others conspired
against Siraj, who was by no means
a worthy candidate for being the
Subahdar (governor) of Mughal
Bengal, but why they sought the
help of Clive to dislodge Siraj– an
act which they could have done
themselves. Probably, they were
quite awestruck at the military
prowess of the EIC and the leader-
ship ability of Clive that they were
unsure if they attacked Siraj, then
EIC might come to his rescue invok-
ing the Treaty of Alinagar. They
were perhaps circumspect of the
reaction of the Bengal nobility close
to Alivardi if Siraj was displaced in a
coup led by them. The plot was sim-
ple. Let Clive and EIC be the con-
tract killers and let Jafar and his
sidekicks Yar Latif Khan, Raja Rai
Durlabh Ram enjoy the booty.
In this enterprise, Jafar was not
the sole mastermind. The Oswal mer-
chants from Rajasthan, the so-called
JagatSeths or the ‘Bankers of
Bengal’Mahtab Rai and Swaroop
Chand spearheaded the ‘revolution’
insofar as idea, planning and finances
were concerned. A diplomatic blunder
of slapping Mahtab Rai and threaten-
ing him of circumcision in open court
by SirajudDaula sparked the outrage.
Nearing Plassey
On 01 May 1757, a Secret Committee
made up of senior EIC officials in
Bengal formally resolved to join the
plot of dethroning Siraj. However, the
sum assured was raised to 3 million
pound sterling – the entire annual
revenue of Bengal. In addition,
Rs 1,10,000 a month were to be
given for the payment of troops of
EIC. Furthermore, the EIC was to get
the zamindari rights near Calcutta.
Moreover, by 19 May 1757, Mir
Jafar agreed to pay the EIC a sum of
1 million pound sterling as compensa-
tion for the loss of Calcutta and anoth-
er 0.5 million pound sterling as com-
pensation to the European inhabi-
tants who suffered due to the attack
on Fort William last year. Finally, on
13 June, Clive sent an ultimatum to
Siraj-ud-Daula accusing him of dis-
honoring the Treaty of Alinagar.On
the same day, Clive along with an
army of 2,200 Telingasepoys, 800
Europeans and 8 cannons, marched
towards Murshidabad, a town about
200 km up north from present day
Kolkata.
Nevertheless, Clive did not receive
any clear signals nor information of
intent from Mir Jafar. Clive kept on
sending missives to Jafar elaborating
his intent and expectations. But the
latter remained unusually silent. In
one of the letters, Clive wrote:
“Come over to me at Plassey or
any other place you judge proper with
what force you have – even a thou-
sand horse will be sufficient, and I’ll
engage to march immediately with
you to Murshidabad. I prefer conquer-
ing by open force.”
This definitely showed the charac-
ter of Clive vis-à-vis the treacherous
Jafar Ali Khan and his cohorts. At
least Clive true to his spirit and char-
acter, wished to fight Siraj. On the
contrary, Mir Jafar and his co-conspir-
ators were mere opportunists.
Perhaps, they were outrageously
rational beings, trying to exact maxi-
mum benefit out of the money offered
to the EIC. They possibly had in their
BY 19 MAY 1757, MIR JAFAR
AGREED TO PAY THE EIC A
SUM OF 1 MILLION POUND
STERLING AS COMPENSATION
FOR THE LOSS OF CALCUTTA
AND ANOTHER 0.5 MILLION POUND STER-
LING AS COMPENSATION TO THE
EUROPEAN INHABITANTS WHO SUFFERED
DUE TO THE ATTACK ON FORT WILLIAM
LAST YEAR. FINALLY, ON 13 JUNE, CLIVE
SENT AN ULTIMATUM TO SIRAJ-UD-
DAULA ACCUSING HIM OF DISHONORING
THE TREATY OF ALINAGAR.
mind the simple arithmetic that in
return to the hefty sum dished out to
Clive and his men, they expected the
entire fighting to be done by the EIC
and minimum harm was to be inflict-
ed on the native troops of Jafar and
Co.
Clive however was not satisfied
with Jafar’s commitment, which
appeared to him to be equivocal.
Hence, he wrote a letter requesting
support from Raja of Bardhaman –
Tilak Chand. Clive actually needed
cavalry. Clive also wrote on 20 June to
the nawab Assad-uz-Zaman of
Birbhum requesting for cavalry,
informs journalist Sudeep
Chakravarti in his book Plassey.
On 21 June 1757, Clive called a
Council of War to decide whether to
continue with the campaign as he was
35
unsure of the intent of Mir Jafar and
his lackeys. By then, Siraj’s army of
50,000 had reached the mango planta-
tions of Plassey (or Palashi, about 150
km north from Kolkata). And without
Mir Jafar’s express commitment, this
decision was very crucial for Clive.
Nine of Clive’s senior officers
voted. Seven of them were against
immediate military action and only
two were in favour. Out of eight junior
officers, five were in favour. So, total
seven officers were in favour of taking
on Siraj at Plassey, whereas the
majority wanted to back out. Amongst
the junior ranks, Eyre Coote was most
vocal as he reasoned that any delay
might dampen the spirits of the sol-
diers since they had already captured
the Fort of Katwa, and consequently
should move on. Coote was of the opin-
ion that they were on a victorious
spree from the Battle of Budge Budge
onwards and hence ought to continue
their journey.
At the same time, Clive received a
letter from Jafar [Moxham, p 222]
which read thus:
“When you come near, I shall be
able to join you…..When I am arrived
near the army, I will send you private-
ly all the intelligence….”
Clive’s confidence was relatively
bolstered and he immediately pro-
ceeded towards Palashi and reached
the place at 1 AM on 23 June 1757.
When Clive and his troops arrived at
Plassey, writes Chakravarti [p 262],
‘they were stunned to discover that
Siraj’ army had got there well before
them….”
Nonetheless, Clive’s forces posi-
tioned themselves in a large mango
orchard, surrounded by a ditch and a
high bank. Clive occupied a hunting
lodge [used earlier by Siraj] between
the orchard and the Bhagirathi river.
It was tactically advantageous
because he could have kept a watch on
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
the proceedings of the battle from the
rooftop of the lodge.
EIC’s official historian of the peri-
od, Robert Orme has estimated that
Siraj’s army numbered about 35,000
to 40,000 infantry, armed mainly with
matchlock guns, swords, pikes, rock-
ets. There were about 18,000 Pathan
 SPECIAL FEATURE
cavalry too. Also, artillery consisted of
50 cannons, mostly 24 and 32 pounder
field guns. These guns, along with
their gunners were carried on six feet
high platforms being driven by a
group of 40-50 oxen and at times
pushed by elephants from behind
when they were stuck.
A small artillery detachment
under the command of St Frais
(Sinfray) and 50 French soldiers took
position beside the water tank nearest
to the mango grove. Siraj, interesting-
ly ‘waited inside his tent at the back of
his formation….shielded by the bulk
of troops loyal to him’, writes
Chakravarti [p 272]
Mir Madan, the Superintendent of
Artillery of Siraj’s forces, told him
that ‘the English were coming at the
instigation of Mir Muhammad Jafar,
and ….therefore it is expedient to fin-
ish Mir Muhammad Jafar, and if he is
killed, the English would not have the
daring to approach this side.”
However, Siraj did not pay any
heed to this counsel of Mir
Madan.Why? Was Siraj that big a
fool? One reason could be that Mir
Jafarhad already taken an oath of the
Quran and pledged loyalty to Siraj. In
that sense, Siraj was a bit relieved too.
Historian Sushil Chowdhury attempts
to provide an answer [p. 153,
PalashirOjanaKahini]. Chowdhury
quotes Jean Law:
“Perhaps, since Mohanlal(Siraj’s
confidante) was indisposed, Siraj was
unable to trust anyone. That’s why he
tried to show his enemies that he was
believing them. So that his enemies be
beside him for the time being as he
deals with the EIC. Thereafter he will
pounce upon the conspirators at an
opportune moment.”
At 8 am on the 23rd of June 1757,
Siraj’s artillery started firing at the
EIC. In fact, it was St Frais who
opened up the fire. In 30 minutes or
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
so, Clive lost 10 Europeans and 20
sepoys. Immediately, Clive ordered
his troops to take defensive positions.
Siraj’s soldiers thought the EIC men
were retreating and hence kept on fir-
ing at them by moving up their heavy
guns. But the shots missed the EIC,
rather they hit the trees.
Interestingly, occasional explo-
sions of ammunition amongst Siraj’s
artillery wing were heard. Lack of effi-
ciency of Siraj’s artillery was palpable.
Moreover, casualties went down con-
siderably for EIC since they took posi-
tions behind the embankments.
The battle reached some sort of a
stalemate. Clive called a meeting of
his staff at around 11 AM. It was
decided to continue with the artillery
firing till the evening and attempt to
attack Siraj’s camp at midnight, uti-
lizing the element of surprise and
speed at which Clive was such an
expert.
However, the crucial turn around
for Clive took place at 12 pm with the
onset of the monsoon rains. Siraj’s
artillery wing was so careless that
they did not bother to bring adequate
covers for the ammunition. At the
other end, Clive’s forces were disci-
plined enough to cover their guns and
ammunition with tarpaulin.
Without much critical thought
that Clive’s troops might have had
their ammunition intact,
Siraj’sotherwise brave cavalry com-
mander Mir Madan advanced towards
the Company forces, assuming that
AT 8 AM ON THE 23RD OF JUNE
1757, SIRAJ’S ARTILLERY STARTED
FIRING AT THE EIC. IN FACT, IT WAS ST
FRAIS WHO OPENED UP THE FIRE. IN 30
MINUTES OR SO, CLIVE LOST 10
EUROPEANS AND 20 SEPOYS.
IMMEDIATELY, CLIVE ORDERED HIS
TROOPS TO TAKE DEFENSIVE POSITIONS.
SIRAJ’S SOLDIERS THOUGHT THE EIC MEN
WERE RETREATING AND HENCE KEPT ON
FIRING AT THEM BY MOVING UP THEIR
HEAVY GUNS. BUT THE SHOTS MISSED
THE EIC, RATHER THEY HIT THE TREES.
his enemy’s guns were also disabled
like his, due to the downpour. Soon he
was surprised to find a cannon ball hit
his stomach and his elite 5,000
Afghan cavalry face a barrage of can-
non balls and array of bullets from the
musket wielding infantry of the
36
Company.
Chief of Artillery Mir Madan was
killed. Nauwe Singh Hazari- captain
of artillery – also lost his life. Bahadur
Ali Khan, commander of musketeers,
died. Siraj was unnerved, for the sec-
ond time in his brief period of show-
down with the EIC.
Siraj in a very humble tone, bowed
down in front of Mir Jafar, even
placed his turban in front of him
attempting to invoke his emotions so
that Jafar helps him save his honour.
However, nothing happened to that
effect. Jafar answered in a cold tone
that since the day was about to end,
there was no time for an attack. So, it
was prudent to order a retreat, in
order to fight the next day.
Conspirators Mir Jafar, Raja Rai
Durlabh and Yar Latif Khan, who
among themselves were marshalling
troops to the tune of 35,000 and could
have decided the fate of the war, coun-
selled Siraj to withdraw from the battle-
field by playing on his fears of the
English. They goaded Siraj to quit and
the latter escaped on camel back to
reach Murshidabad early next morning.
The three traitorous generals then
started retreating from the battle-
field. Such a sight created confusion
amongst the remaining rank and file
of Siraj’s forces. Mohan Lal and St
Fraishowever continued the fight, but
it was already a lost battle.
IAS officer and author
NitishSengupta in his book ‘Land of
Two Rivers’ writes that Mohan Lal
and St Frais fought valiantly till 5 pm
and thereafter left Palashi [p 171,
Sengupta]. By that time, the EIC were
in possession of the whole entrench-
ment of the Nawab’s forces as well as
his camp.By 8 pm, the battle of
Palashi was over, with Clive’s forward
forces chasing the left over
Siraj’smatchlock men and paltry
French forces into historical obscurity.
The victory made the EIC virtual
masters of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha,
opines Colonel Malleson in his The
Decisive Battles of India.
Conclusion
Now the questions that crop up are:
Would Siraj have won the day at
 SPECIAL FEATURE

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Each option has its own proba- HIGHER THAN THAT OF TRADITIONAL Lack of development of artillery
bilistic outcome. Indeed, with his corps in mid-18th century India
artillery intact, Siraj’s army would
INDIAN CANNONS’ ONCE IN 15 MINUTES Lack of generalship by Sirajud
have fought on till the evening, with EFFICIENCY. THEREAFTER, CLIVE’S NIGHT Daula
the EIC field guns’ rate of fire of 5 to 6 RAID COULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING TO Conspiracy by three commanders
times per minute being much higher WATCH OUT. SIRAJ’S DEFEAT WAS DEFI- of Siraj
than that of traditional Indian can- At a fundamental level, it is clear
nons’ once in 15 minutes efficiency.
NITELY ONE OPTION IN THAT RAID. that defeat at Plassey was by no
Thereafter, Clive’s night raid could means a ‘convincing victory’ (as Dr
have been interesting to watch out. of the EIC, yet overall the march of Sen would persuade us to believe) by
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

Siraj’s defeat was definitely one
option in that raid.
If Jafar and his men would have
fought, there was a high chance that
they could have outnumbered Clive’s
forces, howsoever efficient and trained
they were. Large casualties could have
been expected from the field gun firing
infantry of around 35,000 appears to
be a ‘mowing down’ of around 3000 sol-
diers with only 2 field guns.
With Siraj leading his forces by
example would have surely embold-
ened the spirits of his soldiers. And
with St Frais and Mohanlal still fight-
ing, though of low probability, yet
38
Clive and the EIC, which however
came much later in a series of battles
from 1759 to 1857.
(The writer writes on history,
insurgency, counterinsurgency,
physics and foreign policy.
Any opinion expressed in this
Branches: PUNJAB | HARYANA
ANA | CHANDIGARH
ARH | RAJASTHAN
piece is author’s own.) UTTAR PRADESH | MADHYA A PRADESH | BIHAR
R | KARNATAKA
ORIS
SSA | HIMACHAL PRADESH
ORISSA ESH | UTTRAKHAND | JHARKHAND
HARKHAND
 OPINION

Tokyo Olympics
Lessons to Indian Youth
By Dr. Brajesh Kumar Tiwari
means to keep the body healthy.
Scientists also believe that playing in
open fields like parks increases the
body's immunity. This develops
human values as well as develops col-
lective consciousness through sports
because the basic spirit of the game is
not to play alone but in a group.
One of the main problems in our
society is the age-old notion of show-
ing sport as inferior to education.
Most parents believe that sports are
just a means to pass the time. The
result of this mindset is quite evident
in our generation, especially at a time nor doctors nor engineers and scien- is definitely some talent in everyone
when virtual and mobile gaming tists; They are players. Everyone whether it is in studies or sports. The

A
healthy mind resides in a
healthy body. Sports are an
important part of our life. In
the playground itself, we can develop
a healthy mindset by taking lessons
from defeat and victory. In the Indian
way of life, thousands of years ago,
sages understood the importance of
Yogasanas. It is also written in the
Upanishad Sharimadyam Khalu
Dharmasadhanam, which means that
sports and exercise are the main
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
Sports teach us a lot in the process
of playing, which also serves as an
essential factor in our physical, men-
tal and personal development. It
teaches us valuable qualities like time
management, leadership, confidence
building, learning from mistakes, tak-
ing responsibility, teamworkand
enthusiasm.These are some intangi-
ble benefits of games that cannot be
explored in books or virtual gaming
devices.
devices have occupied a large part of
one's life. Be it children or youth, con-
stantly playing games or video games
on mobile is becoming a habit of peo-
ple today.
Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar,
Neeraj Chopra, PT Usha, Mary Kom,
Hima Das, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal,
Mirabai Chanu and the list goes on.
These are some of the names that we
often mention in our daily life. Who
are they? They are neither IAS-PCS
appreciates and loves them too, but
how many of us can muster up the
courage to be like them? In the con-
text of India, the game is usually asso-
ciated with cricket, where most par-
ents areengaged in making children
Sachin. They do not think that even
the spear of Maharana Pratap can
become a Neeraj Chopra and domi-
nate the world.
Most of the students think that
getting the highest marks in the
examination will lead to further suc-
cess in life, whereas the truth is not
like this. Today, when big companies
come to the campus placements to
select the youth for their company, the
topper of the college is also not select-
ed, the biggest reason is the lack of
overall development of personality,
which can be complete only with the
help of sports.
Thenature of sports is to be unit-
ed. Sport is equal for all, it does not
discriminate between daughter and
son, every gender should get equal
recognition, but this is not happening
in the society. Indira Gandhi became
the first woman Prime Minister of
India in the 1960s. Then in 2007, in
our country, Pratibha Patil became
sports market is vast, and the oppor-
tunities are limitless. There is also a
bright future in sports and a lot of
career options too, youth can make a
career on-field by becoming a profes-
sional player or coach and off-field in
sports management fieldSuch as
sports teacher, sports coach, sports
journalism, sports management,
sports engineering, sports science,
sports marketing, sports sponsorship,
sports tourism, sports broadcasting,
fan development, event and venue
management, sports psychology,
sports PR and fitness experts, etc. If a Chanu, it can be said: "There is victo-
person has an analytical mindset, ry in front of excuses."
then he can also indulge in sports ana- The need of the hour is to create a
lytics. Youth can contribute to sports sports culture, Youth use these turbu-
in a number of factors. Sports lent times of covid as a learning
Authority of India is also doing all moment, India's youth is the future of
possible help for the players, today Indian sports. Our country is project-
there are many opportunities for the ed to become the youngest country in
players to get jobs in both government the world by 2025, with 62% of the
and private sectors.Government insti- population being youth.The youth
tutions like Railways, Air India, have to think about how they can con-
Bharat Petroleum, ONGC, IOC- as tribute to positive change. In fact,
well as private groups like Tata sports are as important as education
Academy, Jindal Group are also for success in life.Sports, as a sector,
involved in the development of sports can contribute to a country's Gross
and sportspersons. Domestic Product (GDP). The key is to
Talent can emerge from any- change the mindset towards sports. It

UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

the first woman President of the coun-
try. But can we claim a safe, equal
and empowered society for women
today? The mood of the same society
becomes primitive as soon as the girl
is known in the womb. It is a sin to
deprive someone of the right to life.
We should understand that there
where Our country has many hidden
talents especially in rural areas,
which if provided a platform and
training, they can make India proud
in various national and international
level events like Olympics,
Commonwealth etc.Looking at the
struggle of Hima Das and Mirabai
starts with the society and goes to the
government.
(The writer is Associate
Professor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee
School of Management &
Entrepreneurship, JNU. Views
expressed are personal)

40 41
 LEGAL WATCH
Case Of
Honey Trap
Delhi HC Denies Anticipatory
Bail To Woman Who Allegedly
Threatened Man Of Filing False
Rape Case
By Sanjeev Sirohi
W
e see day in and day out
endless debates, discus-
sions and deliberations in
various news channels, news portals
and so also in other sources of media
on how women suffers immeasurably
at the hands of men and strident cho-
rus of voices demanding the most
strictest punishment for such men
who dare to indulge in crimes of any
kind against women. But what when
women makes a hell of men’s life and
coerces him to meet all her utopian
demands? Mostly she escapes very
easily and we rarely ever get to see
any protest!
Simply put, we don’t see the same
happening here when men is pun-
ished most wrongly. But his leading
case is an exception! We must note
here how in this learned, latest, laud-
able and landmark judgment titled
Ishu vs The State in Bail Appln.
2837/2021 delivered just recently on
August 16, 2021, the Delhi High
Court has denied anticipatory bail to a
woman who allegedly threatened a
man of filing rape case against him if
he failed to meet her demand of Rs 2
lakhs. It also commendably observed
that, “This is a case of honey trap.” It
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
must be also apprised here that the
Single Judge Bench of Justice
Subramonium Prasad of Delhi High
Court was dealing with the anticipa-
tory bail filed by a woman accused for
offences punishable under Section 328
(Causing hurt by means of poison etc
with intent to commit an offence), 389
(Putting person in fear of accusation
of offence, in order to commit extor-
tion) and 34 (common intention) IPC.
To start with, the Single Judge
Bench of Justice Subramonium
Prasad of Delhi High Court who
authored this brief, brilliant, bal-
anced and bold judgment sets the
ball rolling by first and foremost put-
ting forth in para 1 that, “The peti-
tioner has filed the instant petition
under Section 438 Cr.P.C. for grant
of bail in the event of arrest in FIR
No.118/2021 dated 10.04.2021 regis-
tered at Police Station South Rohini
for offences punishable under
Sections 328, 389 and 34 IPC.”
To put things in perspective, the
Bench then enunciates in para 2
that, “The brief facts leading to this
bail application are as under:
a) A complaint was filed by one
Rishab Jain (Complainant) stating
that he has a business of marble and
tiles and he runs a Shop at B-81,
Marble market, Mangolpur Kalan,
opposite Indian Bank, New Delhi. He
stated that on 01.04.2021, one Nikhil
Bhattal, whom the complainant
knew, came to his shop and asked for
some good quality marble stones/tiles
for renovation of his residence and he
insisted that the complainant must
visit his house. It is stated that when
the complainant visited the house of
the said Nikhil Bhattal, he intro-
duced the complainant to his girl-
friend, lshu @ Bobby (the petitioner
herein). It is stated that the petition-
42
plainant and threatening him that if
photo courtesy: deccanherald.com
their demands are not met a case of
rape would be filed against the com-
plainant. FIR No.118/2021 dated
10.04.2021 was registered at Police
Station South Rohini for offences
punishable under Sections 328, 389
and 34 IPC.
On the one hand, the Bench dis-
closes in para 5 that, “Mr. Viraj Datar,
learned Senior Counsel appearing for
the petitioner states that the fact that
the petitioner was trying to prepare
her defence and therefore the fact that
she did not join the investigation does
not mean that the petitioner was
absconding. He states that the peti-
tioner had gone to the Police Station
and her statement under Section 164
er lives with Nikhil Bhattal. It is Cr.P.C was recorded in the complaint
stated that the petitioner offered a filed by her against the complainant
soft drink to the complainant. It is on allegations of rape. He states that
stated that after consuming the drink the mere ipse dixit in the Status
the complainant started feeling Report that the petitioner is abscond-
dizzy. It is stated that the said Nikhil ing does not hold water. He states
Bhattal asked the complainant to that the Police have not taken any
take rest and he left the room. It is steps/action against the petitioner by
stated that after Nikhil Bhattal left filing applications before the con-
the room the petitioner herein came cerned Court to declare the petitioner
close to the complainant and started a proclaimed offender. He further
rubbing his head and thereafter the states that other than taking voice
complainant became unconscious. It samples there is no necessity for
is stated that when the complainant arresting the petitioner and therefore
regained consciousness he was the petitioner should be granted antic-
shocked to see that the petitioner was ipatory bail.”
rubbing his private part. It is stated On the other hand, the Bench
that the complainant went outside then reveals in para 6 that, “Per con-
the room. It is stated that when tra, Ms. Kusum Dhalla, learned APP
Nikhil Bhattal came back, the com- contends that the petitioner was not
plainant narrated the incident to available at her residence when the
him. It is stated that on hearing Police went there and the petitioner
about the incident Nikhil Bhattal got had not joined the investigation. She
furious and broke the phone of his also states that the FIR was lodged
girlfriend. It is stated in the com- on 10.04.2021 and the Police did not
plaint that thereafter demands for a rush to the court by moving an appli-
mobile phone, a TV and Rs.2,00,000/- cation without taking all efforts to
in cash were made and the com- ensure that the accused against
plainant was threatened that if whom allegations are made joins the
demands are not met the petitioner investigation. She states that the
herein would file a case of rape present case is one of honey trap and
against the complainant. It is stated the fact that the petitioner gave her
that after the incident the com- statement under Section 164 Cr.P.C.
plainant was called more than 25 would have no relevance because the
times for payment of money. The first step in a case of rape is to record
complainant also produced various the statement of the prosecutrix
voice recordings to substantiate that under Section 164 Cr.P.C. She fur-
the petitioner and Nikhil Bhattal are ther states that the moment the com-
demanding money from the com- plainant filed the instant FIR the
petitioner has gone into hiding and
she has surfaced only when the co-
accused, Nikhil Bhattal, was granted
bail by this Court. She further states
that the investigation is at a very
nascent stage, qua the petitioner, the
petitioner is alleged of an offence
under Section 328 IPC for which the
petitioner can be punished with up to
ten years of imprisonment. She
states that the conduct of the peti-
tioner shows that she can abscond
and therefore the petitioner ought
not be granted anticipatory bail.”
Adding more to it, the Bench then
states in para 7 that, “Mr. Rahul
Chandlok, the learned counsel for the
complainant supports the case of the
prosecution and states that the peti-
tioner and the co-accused have con-
stantly threatened the complainant
and have demanded money. He
states that it is a case of honey trap
and anticipatory bail ought not to be
given to the petitioner.”
Most significantly and also most
remarkably, what forms the corner-
stone of this notable judgment is that
the Bench then envisages eloquently in
para 8 that, “A reading of the FIR
shows that this is a case of honey trap.
The allegation against the petitioner is
that she has threatened the com-
plainant and has demanded money.
Material on record shows that only
when the complainant filed the instant
FIR, the petitioner filed her complaint
under Section 376 IPC against the
complainant herein. Investigation is at
a very nascent stage. The petitioner is
accused of an offence under Section
328 IPC which permits for imprison-
ment up to four years.”
No less significant is what is then
pointed out in para 11 that, “Charge-
sheet qua the petitioner is yet to be
filed. The petitioner’s voice sample
has to be taken and the investigation
has also to be conducted as to
whether there are any other cases in
which the petitioner is involved and
as stated earlier the investigation is
at a nascent stage. The petitioner is
accused of an offence under Section
328 IPC, which is a serious offence.
There is some justification in the con-
tention of the learned APP that the
conduct of the petitioner does show
43
that there is a likelihood of her flee-
ing from justice and that she would
not cooperate with the investigation.
The probability of the petitioner and
the co-accused, Nikhil Bhattal,
extending threats to the complainant
cannot be ruled out at this stage.”
As a corollary, the Bench then
holds in para 12 that, “In view of the
above, this Court feels that this is not
a fit case where the petitioner should
be granted bail in the event of
arrest.”
Finally, it is then held in para 13
that, “Accordingly, the petition is dis-
missed along with the pending appli-
cations, if any.”
No doubt, whenever a woman is
found to be brazenly indulging in any
such act whereby she deliberately and
maliciously tries to falsely implicate
the men in a fake case, she must be
denied anticipatory bail and dealt with
most strictly. It is the bounden duty of
our law makers to deliberate most seri-
ously on this increasing misuse of penal
laws against men and act promptly in
this direction by inserting strictest
punishment in all such cases when she
is found to be falsely indulging in the
same for greed of money or some other
vested interest! Women is now match-
ing shoulder to shoulder with men in
all fields then why should she be given
a blank cheque even now also to harass,
humiliate and harangue men to the hilt
whenever she wants, wherever she
wants and whatever manner she
wants?
It goes without saying that
women also must be made to face
the music and suffer jail term as
also made to pay a heavy penalty for
defaming men and implicating him
without any sufficient cause! This is
the crying need of the hour also! The
earlier this is done, the better it
shall be in the larger interests of our
country as no women would be able
to make a hell of the life of an inno-
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
cent men as per her own whims and
fancies! We all know too very well
that how many women blatantly
misuse anti-dowry laws against men
and so also misuse domestic vio-
lence laws apart from other laws
enacted for their benefit against
men. This must end!
 SPECIAL FEATURE
National Pride
Consumer Protection in Ancient India
BY DR PRATIBHA GOYAL
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
C
onsumer satisfaction holds a
great significance in the area
of commerce and business
management. Supply of quality goods
and services at the right place, right
time, in right quantity can make
industry grow and flourish.
Realization of this fact is not some-
thing new in India because the need
for consumer protection was recog-
nized by our law makers even in
ancient times. The ancient Indian law
codes regulated not only social condi-
tions but also the economic life of peo-
ple by establishing human values and
code of trade practices to protect the
interests of buyers. The evidences
regarding this are clearly available in
many shastras such as Manu Smriti,
Narada Smriti, Brihaspati Smriti and
Arthshastra.
In the post-Vedic India (1000-600
BC) trade and commerce was quite
developed. Introduction of money and
markets intensified commercial
44
trade. Production and exchange were
facilitated through the institution of
guild (sreni) or the ancient Indian
corporations. With the increase of
economic activity, the need to make
rules and regulations for the protec-
tion of consumers was felt. In
Mahabharata, Maharsihi Ved Vyas
clearly highlights the importance of
protecting consumers against the
unethical practices of business.
Indian Dharamashastras or smri-
tis formed the basis of the Hindu law
which was adopted by the
Englishmen in India. The Smriti lit-
erature and kautilya’s Arthsastra
give detailed provisions regarding
recovery of debts, deposits, sale and
purchase, partnership, resumption of
gifts, non-payment of wages and non
performance of agreements. Manu
Smriti (between 8th and 6th century
B.C.), Narada Smriti (between 1st
and 2nd century AD) and Brihaspati
Smriti (from 200 AD to 400 AD) lay
down various codes to guide rulers,
officers, businessmen and consumers
regarding the conduct of economic
activity. The total number of Smritis
is quite large and the commentaries
on them larger still. The commen-
taries not only explain the Smritis
but also considerably modify their
doctrines in order to bring them in
line with the changed conditions of
society. Arthshastra written by
Vishnugupta or Kautilya was the
work of Maurya period during fourth
century BC. The ancient Indian
jurists regarded law as a branch of
Dharma whereby law and Dharma
were not differentiated. Dharma
meant the aggregate duties and obli-
gations- religious, moral, social and
legal and based all dealings on mutu-
al good and right of one party was the
responsibility of the other. Deviation
from the rules of fair conduct meant
going away from the path of Dharma.
The rules governing these were for-
mulated by Dharmashastras or
Smritis which lay down a comprehen-
sive code to regulate human conduct.
Many of the provisions of
Arthshastra are similar to those of
the Smritis. The striking correspon-
dence between Arthshastra and the
Smritis may as well be taken to lead
to the inference that Kautilya turned
the metrical rules of Dharmashastras
into prose and more over the rules
that were earlier treated as the tenets
of Dharma became administrative
law through Arthshastra. Our
Dharmashastras teach dharma, and
regard deviation from it as sin. The
Arthshastra lays down rules and
regards transgression of law as crime
to be punished by government.
Control over Services
Protection of interests of consumers
was an essential part of welfare of
people. In case of goldsmiths, details
are given about possible frauds in
MANY OF THE PROVISIONS
OF ARTHSHASTRA ARE SIMILAR
TO THOSE OF THE SMRITIS.
THE STRIKING CORRESPONDENCE
BETWEEN ARTHSHASTRA AND THE
SMRITIS MAY AS WELL BE TAKEN TO
LEAD TO THE INFERENCE THAT KAUTILYA
TURNED THE METRICAL RULES OF
DHARMASHASTRAS INTO PROSE AND
MOREOVER THE RULES THAT WERE EAR-
LIER TREATED AS THE TENETS OF
DHARMA BECAME ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
THROUGH ARTHSHASTRA.
weighing, substitution, interchange,
knocking off or cutting out, scratching
out and rubbing out of precious met-
als and the punishments and fines in
such cases are prescribed. Goods
entrusted to artisans for repair or
making were covered by a guarantee
from appropriate guild. The work was
to be completed within stipulated
period. Every artisan or craftsman
was responsible for compensating the
owner if the entrusted article was lost
or destroyed, unless that was due to
sudden calamity.
Consumers were protected from
the malpractices of service providers.
Manu Smriti provides that a washer-
man shall wash gently on a smooth
board of Salmaliwood, he shall not
return the clothes of one person as
those of the other, nor allow any body
but the owner) to wear them.
Similarly, Kautilya provides that if a
washerman does not wash clothes on
wooden planks or smooth stone he
shall be fined six panas (silver coin)
and shall pay compensation equal to
the damage. Disputes about dyeing
were adjudicated by experts.
Arthshastra gives minute details of
time limit and quality of services.
Failure to render a promised serv-
ice was termed as breach of contract.
According to Manu, in case a service
provider failed to deliver goods at a
given place and time as promised, no
money was to be paid by the cus-
tomer. According to Narada Smriti
one who abandoned merchandise
45
which he had agreed to convey to its
destination, was to give away sixth
part of the wage. When the merchan-
dise was damaged by the carriers’
fault, he was to make good every loss.
Sale and Purchase of Goods
According to Manu Smriti, adulter-
ation of commodities was severely
punishable Dishonesty with customer
was heavily fined. Ancient Indian
society highly effective in n regulat-
ing the many wrongs of the market
place. When a seller showed one thing
but delivered other with blemishes,
he was to pay twice the value to the
purchaser and an equal amount as
fine. A person misrepresenting the
quality or quantity of commodity was
fined eight times the value of product.
According to Narada and Brihaspati,
a man who knowingly sold a blem-
ished product, was to pay twice its
value to the purchaser and a fine of
the same amount to the king.
Sale of articles such as timber,
iron, brilliant stones, ropes, skins,
earthenware, threads, fibrous gar-
ments and woolen clothes as superior
though they were really inferior was
punished with a fine of eight times
the value of the articles sold.
Rescission of Purchase
If the purchaser was not satisfied
with the quality of the commodity it
could be returned to seller within 10
days, according to Manu Smriti, but
Narada Smriti provides that when a
purchaser, after having purchased an
article for a certain price thinks he
has made a foolish bargain, he may
return it to the vendor on the same
day, in an undamaged condition.
When the purchaser returns it on the
second day, he shall lose a thirtieth
part of price. He shall lose twice as
much on the third day. After that
time, the purchaser was to keep it.
Arthshastra provides that goods with
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
inherent defects or those devoid of
quality could be returned by purchas-
er. If the article was without any flaw
and still the customer tried to return
it, he was liable to pay a fine of 12
panas.
Non-Delivery of Goods
 SPECIAL FEATURE
Narada Smriti provides that if a man
sells property for a certain price, and
does not hand it over to the purchas-
er, he shall have to pay its produce, if
it is immovable, and the profits aris-
ing on it, if it is movable property. If
there has been a fall in the market
value of the article in question (in the
interval, the purchaser) shall receive
both the article itself, and together
with it the difference (in point of
value). This law applied to those who
were inhabitants of the same place;
but in case of those who traveled
abroad, the profit arising from (deal-
ing in) foreign countries was made
over (as well). If the article (sold)
should have been injured, or
destroyed by fire, or carried off, the
loss shall be charged to the seller,
because he did not deliver it after it
had been sold by him. Similarly if a
man sold something to one person
and then delivered it to another per-
son he gave as compensation twice its
value and the same amount as a fine
to the king.
Regulation of Price
Price of all marketable goods were
based on origin, destination, time
taken to produce, time spent in stor-
age and the probable profit and the
probable outlay. Narada states that it
is for the sake of gain that merchants
are in the habit of buying and selling
merchandise of every sort for profit.
The question of fair price was consid-
ered important so that it might not
harm the consumers. Exploitation of
consumer was considered adharma or
immoral practice. Kautilya enjoined
upon the state to have a special
department for supervising market
and ensuring that artisans did not
cheat citizens. The superintendent of
markets (samsthadhyaksha) was
appointed to safeguard against fraud-
ulent trade practices.
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021
Trade combinations aiming at
bringing about artificial rise or fall in
prices were severely punished. The
trade practices which destroy compe-
tition were highly condemned.
Predatory practices such as sales
below cost were prohibited. Code of
Vishnu provided that illegal combina-
PRICE OF ALL MARKETABLE
GOODS WERE BASED ON ORIGIN,
DESTINATION, TIME TAKEN TO
PRODUCE, TIME SPENT IN
STORAGE AND THE PROBABLE
PROFIT AND THE PROBABLE OUTLAY.
NARADA STATES THAT IT IS FOR THE SAKE
OF GAIN THAT MERCHANTS ARE IN THE
HABIT OF BUYING AND SELLING MER-
CHANDISE OF EVERY SORT FOR PROFIT.
THE QUESTION OF FAIR PRICE WAS CON-
SIDERED IMPORTANT SO THAT IT MIGHT
NOT HARM THE CONSUMERS.
tion of traders to cut prices to the
detriment of competitor was an
offence, which was punishable by the
highest amercement. Hoarding was
prohibited. Only authorized persons
could collect and store merchandise.
Collection of commodities without
permission was confiscated by super-
intendent of commerce.
Weights and Measures
In ancient Indian period, in order to
protect consumers from wrong prac-
tices of merchants, all weights and
measures were duly marked. Manu’s
law provided that weights and meas-
ures be examined by the officers of
king once in six months. Arthshashra
provides for appointment of superin-
tendent of weights and measures
(pautavadhyaksha) by the king. It
was the duty of superintendent to get
weights, measures and balances as
per the prescribed standards. A trad-
er using the weights and measures
was to get them stamped by the
superintendent who used to charge
four mashas for stamping. Any kind
of cheating in weights and measures
was punished.
Consumer responsibilities
Ancient Indian law expected the con-
sumer to act in a responsible manner.
It was wrong on the part of consumer
to purchase at unreasonably low price
or in a secret manner or outside the
village or from a dishonest person.
46
When the consumer purchased at a
fair price announced by the kind there
was nothing wrong about it but he
who made a fraudulent purchase was
considered a thief. According to
Narada Smriti in such a case, the pur-
chaser was as guilty as the seller. A
purchase from unknown or suspicious
seller was one fault of the consumer,
want of care in keeping the article was
another and these two faults were
viewed as legitimate grounds of loss to
each party. As per Brihaspati, the
purchaser was supposed to examine
product carefully and show it to others
and when after examining and
approving it he accepted it, he was not
at liberty to return it again. If a blem-
ish in cloth was discovered after wear-
ing and washing it once, the eighth
part of the price was lost by consumer;
in case of washing it second time one
fourth price was lost, the third part or
the third time washing and half was
lost at the time of its being washed
four times. Manu writes that a sensi-
ble man should make a deposit (only)
with a person of good family, of good
conduct, well acquainted with the law,
veracious, having many relatives,
wealthy and honourable.
Conclusion
India has ancient history of consumer
protection. It was an integral part of
the culture and formed the core of
administration during those times
when such rules and regulations were
missing in the other parts of the
world. Sale of commodities was
organized in such a manner that a
timely quality service was provided.
Minute details in possible deficiencies
of services and defects in goods and
punishments thereof were given. In
ancient Indian society business was
based on Dharma or moral values. In
present times when erosion of human
values has taken place, we need to
keep in mind the national glory and
ZZZKDOLQGLDFRLQ
refrain from unfair materialistic prac-
tices. Our conduct should be fair, hon-
est and in the mutual interest of the
business and consumer.
(The writer is Professor,
Punjab Agricultural University,
Ludhiana, Punjab.)
 REVIEW
It never rains! It pours
BY SANJEEV CHOPRA
D
uring my visit to Hyderabad last week in connec-
tion with organizing the vertical on Translations
from Bhashas to English and writings for Young
Adults, I had an opportunity to meet and interact with
Jatish Chandra Mohanty whose book Breaking Through
New Earth is, in the words of D Subba Rao, the ex-
Governor of RBI ‘refreshingly unorthodox and touchingly
honest’. I was delighted to have a copy of his book, which
we will launch at the Hyderabad edition of VoW. I had
lunch with the Telangana ideologue and academic Gautam
Pingle, who also presented me two books: The fall and the
Rise of Telangana, and The Formation and History of
Telangana: A collection of nine critical essays. Both have
been published by Orient Black Swan, and give a histori-
cal, sociological, economic and political insight into the for-
mation of the 29 th state of India in 2014. In the evening I
met Rahul Luther, who presented me a copy of A Bonsai
Tree: An Autobiography of his legendary father narendra
Luther, who made his mark both as an administrator as
well as a scholar and columnist.
In taking all these books together, there are many con-
nections other than the very obvious one of
Hyderabad being at the pivot. We will take
up Luther’s book first – he is the most senior
of the three authors – and traversed the
journey from Budh Goraya in Sialkot district
(now in Pakistan) to Hyderabad via
Hoshiarpur, Simla, Dharam Pura (a suburb
of Lahore), Lahore and Delhi. This book is
different from most other autobiographies
UDAY INDIA september 11, 2021
because it weaves the personal and the pro-
fessional – and Luther does not hesitate in
sharing the tough times he and his soul and
life mate Bindi has had with their son
Rahul, and his daughter Sandhya. his pater-
nal and maternal grandfathers' name were
named Kripa Ram and Kripa Sagar (respec-
tively) – and both had made their mark in
48
the ne professional opportunities that opened up to the
educated Punjabis. Lahore was not just the Paris of Punjab
– but also like Jerusalem -a city as hotly contested between
Muslims on one side and Hindus and Sikhs on the other.
Even in schools, the contest between the competing ideolo-
gies of Congress and the ML came into the daily discourse
of friends and teachers. Luther sums up the dilemma of
Punjab when he says ‘Starting with the epic war of
Mahabharata, the Punjab seems to have been the divinely
designated battleground of India for ages. The land of five
rivers has seldom seen two generations without witnessing
any conflict. It was about to create a record of sorts of a
century of comparative peace since its annexation by the
British in 1849, when the unprecedented bloodbath of the
partition of the province ensued in 1947. After taking
refuge in the Chakla cantonment from August to October
m the family undertook a train journey from 18 th to 21 st
October - four days to cover a distance of less than seventy
miles. The description so reminds one of Khushwant
Singh’s Train to Pakistan -to whose extended family Bindi
belonged. Both ended up in the same college in
Hoshiarpur, and fell into love, But of the times, and the
way they met, Luther writes ; ‘take our two separate sto-
ries, and sprinkle them liberally with abductions, rapes
and murders. Multiply them a million times and you get a
glimpse of partition of the Punjab and of the horrible facet
of India’s independence…Partition was Punjab’s holocaust
..our communal cleansing was carried out with a degree of
brutality matching Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali
we read about in history..’
Joining the IAS in 1955 – with
fifty others, including ten from the
Indian Foreign service, we get a
glimpse of what life was in the
Metcalfe House Delhi before the IAS
training school was shifted to
Charleville at Mussoorie – and later
named the LBS National Academy of
Administration . Many of us have
been trying to trace when the service
got Yoga Karmasu Kaushalam as our
motto. Now one knows that it was cer-
tainly there in 1955- the search is
therefore narrowed down to the seven
years from 1948 to 1955! The theme
was expounded by R B Vaghaiwala
from the last batch of the ICS who
happened to be the Vice Principal!
As with most IAS officers, life offers
such a wonderful kaleidoscope of
postings,assignments, travel destina-
tions,mid-career training opportunities ,
and most if all a ring side view of the devel-
opments in the political and administrative
space. All this is covered, but more than
that, Bonsai is also a tale of the family man
Luther – as he records the birth of his chil-
dren, as well as their disappointments with
the parents for not ‘parenting them’ when it
was most needed: thereby leading to
wounds which were most difficult to heal.
But finally, they did, especially in the case
of Rahul, who was in and out of the Rehab
for substance abuse. This is also a remark-
able tale of their daughter -in -law
Rajeshwari whom they loved more than Rahul, and in one of
the unique, perhaps unparalleled stories, Rahul remarried
her after a divorce! Together they set up an upmarket rehab
centre Hope Trust – which is now a value proposition by
itself!
Luther’s tryst with writing and books began when he
got ‘dumped’ into the Department of Rehabilitation with
two and a half files. This gave him the chance to give vent
to his creative muse. He wrote his travelogue to America in
Urdu – Hawai Columbus, and then a full-length book on
Mohammad Quli:prince, Poet, Lover, Builder – which set
in motion his love affair with the city of Hyderabad. After
hanging his boots as the Chief Secretary of the state, he
decided to devote his time to full time writing – an
absolutely rewarding experience! This reviewer holds the
same view that post superannuation , it is best to work on
that which gives one pleasure and joy , rather than run
after money and power which create ‘greater dependency ‘
and lesser freedom !
We now come to Breaking through new Earth by Jatish
C Mohanty, an officer of the 1979 batch. Jatish wanted to
be a geologist , but a chance encounter with a professor at
Andhra University made him sit for the IAS exam, which
he cleared after a brief stint in the IPS. While police train-
ing taught hm the value of discipline, the scientific temper
had already been honed into him, and though he missed
the Humphrey Fellowship, he applied for and received the
World Bank Fellowship to pursue his doctoral studies on
environmental health and risk analysis, Written with
Mona Ramavat, a Hyderabad based film maker and jour-
nalist, this is a story of Jatish Mohanty’s life in the IAS and
beyond. ‘Like a bunch of eclectic pebbles off the beach,
there are several small and big, insightful, sometimes
amusing moments that I have collected over my three
decades of service and thereafter.’ That the book starts
with a Foreword from Anna Hazare gives us an idea of the
themes that are likely to be covered.
Writes Hazare ‘As a crusader against corruption, I also
deeply resonate with corruption being the root cause of all
49
the issues. Any steps taken by the gov-
ernment to for alleviating poverty
without tackling corruption will only be
cosmetic .I endorse Jatish’s view that
political corruption needs to be dealt
with first before we can hope to achieve
any real progress .
Thus fight against corruption ,
integrity in public life, humane
approach to administration, innovation
in governance through technology inter-
ventions and public service for public
good have been covered in simple , easy
to read anecdotal forays which keep the
reader immersed in the book. It is the
personal stye of narration which makes
the reader feel like an engaged partici-
pant in the conversation.
It’s a valuable addition to the now distinct and distin-
guished genre of memoirs by civil servants . By their very
nature they offer a ringside view of governance , especially
in the context of the state in which the officer has served .
In a way, it also marks the difference in the training meth-
ods and pedagogy between the Metcalfe House and the
LBS National Academy of Administration. Be that as it
may, the experiences of an officer in the first few years –
especially district training leave an imprint on the way an
officer's professional growth trajectory takes off. Right
from his days as an Assistant Collector in Anantapur,
when he was under the tutelage of the Collector TK
Dewan, he learnt to put people first. Unlike in the days of
the Raj, when governance was an end in and for itself –
post 1947, and especially in the eighties when ‘welfare and
development interventions’ became the top priority for the
political executive. The chapter on elections and electoral
policy also shows how the electoral system in India is often
‘gamed’ by the political leaders. The introduction of EVMs
has to be read with the caveat that ‘technology does not
translate into efficiency, unless people are equipped to use
the technology effectively’. Mohanty argues that the entire
focus of political economy reform should be on the electoral
process, rather than on the Lok Pal – for while Lok pal can
act only as a deterrent post fact, a clean and transparent
electoral system will give us better people to begin with.
Many IAS officers join academia or the corporate world
or hold post retirement sinecures. Other join political par-
ties – and become MPS and Governors. The instance of an
IAS officer leaving the Service to establish a political party
with the specific purpose of abolition of poverty and setting
UDAY INDIA september 11, 2021
up candidates for Parliamentary and Assembly elections
for two terms is a unique feat. That Samrudha Orissa the
party founded by Mohanty on the birthday of Utkal Mani
Gopa Bandhu Das could not continue its journey is not as
important as the effort itself. But the author also pints out
how difficult it is to make an entry into the world of politics
without the backing of powerful caste organizations and/or
corporate houses.
 EDITOR’S NOTE

Barbaric
DEEPAK KUMAR RATH

Taliban
P
resident Joe Biden's decision to withdraw all its have to think systematically about what to do against the
troops from Afghanistan, after two decades of mili- Taliban who are hungry for power and money.
tary presence in the region, has been met with Against this backdrop, it is apt to mention that it is a
uncertainty over the fate of Afghanistan. In fact, the inva- matter of happiness that there is a safe return of Indian
sion of the Taliban in Afghanistan raises many questions nationals from Afghanistan. The Government of India
related to incidents of inhumanity, brutality and bar- woke up late but now it is showing a lot of promptness.
barism. After struggling under the shadow of American Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that Hindus and
and Allied forces for almost Sikhs of Afghanistan and
twenty years, Afghanistan's Afghan brothers and sisters
passing into the clutches of are welcome in India. By say-
dark shadows of inhuman ing this, he has given new
Taliban is not only worrying heights to the CAA law. What
for the whole world, but it is is more, Prime Minister
also a harsh attack on human- Narendra Modi spoke to
ity. What the Taliban is doing German Chancellor Angela
to establish a so-called Islamic Merkel and Russian President
power will hardly be admired Vladimir Putin over the issue
in any corner of the world. of the unfolding situation in
The world is shocked and Afghanistan. Our representa-
countries like India are hurt tives at the United Nations
even more. The big question and the International Human
is, why did American forces Commission also clarified
leave Afghanistan after fight- India's point of view. Our
ing the Taliban in this coun- Prime Minister and represen-
try for twenty years? The tatives did not mention the
question is also that why are Taliban in their talks and
the superpowers, advocating speeches. Our PM said some-
for the protection of humanity thing very important. He said
in the world, maintaining a that we expect the government
studied silence on this occa- of Kabul would not give shel-
sion? India has always been ter to terrorism at all; it would
an advocate and protector of not allow the land of
human values. Afghanistan Afghanistan to be used
was once a part of India, not against any country. All these
UDAY INDIA September 11, 2021

on the basis of it, but on the
basis of humanity, it has
invested heavily there in the last twenty years. What will
happen to India's investments made in humanitarian aid,
education, development, construction and energy sectors?
No one has faith in the Taliban and right now everyone's
focus is on saving their citizens, and in the coming days, we
things that have been said
from our side are absolutely
correct. India, unlike China, has not blamed the US for its
haphazard withdrawal and anarchy, nor has it launched
any attack on Pakistan, although Pakistan has been using
the Taliban against India in the past. The right policy for
India at this time is to be constructive and cautious.

50
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