THE HINDU

Sunday, October 2, 2022 13

SCIENCE
Delhi

Medicinal fungi may be suitable for identifying novel drugs SNAPSHOTS

D

Shubashree Desikan
An analytical study of med­
icinal fungi carried out by
researchers from the Insti­
tute of Mathematical
Sciences, Chennai (IMSc),
shows that some chemicals
they secrete may find use
as novel drugs. They used a
database, MeFSAT (Medici­
nal Fungi Secondary Meta­
bolites And Therapeutics),
which compiles informa­
tion on 184 medicinal fun­
gi, including mushrooms.
The researchers ana­
lysed the structure of 1,830
secondary metabolites of
medicinal fungi.
Fitness booster
Secondary metabolites are
chemical compounds that
fungi produce when they
are stressed. They enhance
the fungus’ ability to sur­
vive. The work has been
published in the preprint
server BioRXiv.
Cordycepin, a secon­
dary metabolite produced
by Cordyceps species of
fungus, is known to have
anti­tumour properties.
“Not only cordycepin, in
general, several secondary
metabolites are known to
be beneficial for humans in
terms of both therapy and
health,” says R.P. Vivek
Ananth, a PhD student
from IMSc, who has contri­
buted to this research.
Diverse structures
In their analysis, the re­
searchers, guided by Aree­
jit Samal from IMSc, found
that the secondary meta­
bolites were structurally
distant from existing
drugs. Also, their ‘scaffold­
ing’ was different from
known drugs. About 94%
of the chemical scaffolds
identified in secondary
metabolites of medicinal
fungi were not present in
approved drugs. As for the
complete chemical struc­
ture, the secondary meta­
bolites were quite dissimi­
lar to the approved drugs.
This alone cannot tell
that there are metabolites
in fungi that can be used as
drugs. However, the secon­
dary metabolites of medi­
cinal fungi have molecular
properties, which are im­
portant for drug likeness,
similar to approved drugs.
“This makes the secondary
metabolites of the medici­
nal fungi suitable for iden­
tifying novel drugs with
hitherto unknown chemi­
cal scaffolds,” explains Dr.
Samal.
Used in medicine
Medicinal fungi belongs to
two taxonomic divisions
namely, basidiomycota and
ascomycota. Mushrooms
belong to the basidiomyco-
ta division. An example is
Agaricus bisporus, the but­
ton mushroom, which can
be consumed. Fungi be­
longing to the ascomycota
division are generally not
mushrooms.
“In future, we plan to
map the scaffolds to their
biological targets, which
will further pave the way
for identifying potential
lead molecules for drug
Japan set to invest $2 billion
discovery,” says Mr. for future pandemics
Ananth.
After recognising that Japan was slow to develop
vaccines for COVID­19, its government has
pledged to invest $2 billion in a vaccine­research

Does scrapping of awards

initiative to ensure that the country can respond
promptly to future epidemics. The Strategic
Centre of Biomedical Advanced Vaccine Research
and Development for Preparedness and
Response (SCARDA) will invest in vaccine

signal misplaced priorities? research for eight pathogens, including Zika virus
coronavirus, and monkeypox using a range of
vaccine­delivery options such as mRNA
technology and recombinant proteins.
The government order shuts down all awards instituted through private endowments for which the
government was not spending anything

Aniket Sule same lab, because it must

be billed to multiple pro­
ach year, Sep­ jects. Thankfully, after

E tember 26 is cele­
brated by the In­
dian Scientific
Community as the birth­
day of Prof. Shanti Swa­
roop Bhatnagar, a stalwart
of Indian science in the
1940s and 1950s and the
founding head of CSIR.
This is also a day when the
government announces
the yearly Bhatnagar
Awards aimed at honour­
ing the most outstanding
researchers (under the age
of 45) working in India. But
this year was an exception.
There was no announce­
ment of award winners.
Instead, the govern­
ment released a copy of
minutes of a high­level
meeting held the previous
week. The minutes reveal
that the government has
resolved to scrap most of
the existing awards, in­
cluding those instituted
through private endow­
ment, and introduce a ‘se­
lect few high­stature’
awards instead.
Unfair means
The decision raises more
questions than it answers.
It remains unclear what
the rationale was for the
sudden scrapping of most
awards. One reason could
be that the government is
of the impression that the
current awards are handed
out in an unfair manner.
While bias and prejudice
cannot be ruled out, there
is a strong notion that win­
ning an award becomes ea­
sier when the potential
awardee is a favourite of
one or more members of
the selection committee.
But these supposedly bad
choices have been only a
few and most of the time,
the current system of se­
lection has undoubtedly
rewarded excellence.
Since the minutes have
not listed out the reasons,
speculations about the go­
vernment’s motive are rife.
It was thought that this cull
is part of the overall auster­
ity measure, in light of the
economic downturn. But
that seems unlikely as the
total annual budget of all
these cancelled awards is
so small that it is less than
rounding error in the Un­
ion Budget. Secondly, this
order also shuts down all
awards instituted through
private endowments, for
which the government was
not spending anything.
Strangely, the order
does not clarify what
would happen to the said
endowment if it is not used
for giving those respective
awards. Another oddity
about this order is that all
the ministries have been
told to stop all ‘non­core­
domain’ awards.
It is no secret that only a
small fraction of the Indian
scientific community align
themselves with the ques­
tionable scientific agenda
of the current government.
Centralising all the awards
is seen as one way of giving
the government a greater
control over the selection
committees and reward
scientists who are seen fa­
vourably by the govern­
ment. This will help in rais­
ing the profile of such
scientists, paving the way
for their eventual elevation
to the leadership positions
in different research insti­
tutes and universities.
Delayed fellowship
There is apprehension that
social media activity of
prominent scientists is be­
ing monitored and that the
government has not taken
kindly to the critical com­
ments made about its
scientific policies. Even be­
fore the pandemic, there
were occasional instances
of fellowships of young re­
searchers getting delayed
by 2­3 months. But since
the last three years, an as­
tonishingly large fraction
of researchers have been
experiencing delays. These
delayed fellowships and
grants not only means that
skilled researchers are just
sitting in their labs without
being able to procure ne­
cessary samples, chemi­
cals or equipment but it al­
so leads to a large number
of PhD students quitting
mid­way as they are unable
to support their families.
Recently, the govern­
ment issued another order
asking researchers to open
a new bank account for
each new project and
meeting all expenses of
that project only through
that specific account. This
would not just lead to more
unnecessary paperwork
but would create comical
situations such as placing
multiple orders of the
same chemical for the
backlash, the government
promised reconsideration.
Few months back, the go­
vernment raised the GST
on purchase of scientific
equipment from 5% to 18%,
which has been playing ha­
voc on the research budget
of many institutions. Heatwave in China highlights
Mandating permissions climate change impact
International collabora­
tions have been made al­ Many parts of China are just emerging from an
most impossible by man­ extreme heatwave that was followed by a severe
dating multiple drought and out­of­season wildfires. Some 360
permissions just to invite a million people experienced temperatures above
foreign researcher to an in­ 40°C at some point during the two­month­long
stitute or to sign an MoU heatwave. The Yangtze River basin, which is
with a foreign university. home to nearly one­third of China’s population,
Anything which involves received up to 80% less rain than the 30­year
foreigners or foreign cur­ average for that period. The severity of these
rency is viewed dimly and events shows how important it is becoming to
has to clear multiple hur­ study several extreme weather events together.
dles, which hampers re­
search. The whole proce­
dure has become
needlessly cumbersome.
It has been said that the
government plans to re­
place all these awards with
a ‘few high­stature’
awards, tentatively called
Vigyan Ratna. Only time
will tell if these new awards
adequately cover the diver­
sity in not just research dis­
ciplines but also in re­
searchers themselves.
More importantly, the
scientific community Mars rover finds sedimentary
would be keenly watching
if the new awards are de­ rocks under planet’s surface
cided on quality of re­
search or they become a China’s Zhurong rover has peered under the
vehicle to promote scien­ surface of Mars and has found evidence of two
tists who are favoured by huge floods that shaped the landscape. Since May
the government. last year, Zhurong has been exploring Utopia
(Aniket Sule is Associate Planitia, in Mars’s northern hemisphere. Images
Professor at Homi Bhabha from the rover’s ground­penetrating radar found
Centre for Science Educa- layered patterns under the surface, which are
tion (HBCSE), TIFR, Mum- made of sedimentary rocks carried in by two
bai.) major floods around 1.6 billion years ago.

How can India reduce its impact on global warming

SPEAKING OF
SCIENCE
D. Balasubramanian
The U.S. Environmental Pro­
tection Agency (EPA) has
pointed out that since the in­
dustrial revolution, which
started around 1800, human
activities have released large
amounts of carbon dioxide
(CO2) due to fuel burning and
other ‘greenhouse gases’ such
as methane, nitrous oxide,
and compounds of sulphur,
phosphorous, ozone into the
atmosphere, changing the
earth’s climate.
Alarming increase
Atmospheric carbon dioxide
levels have increased by over
40%, from 280 ppm in the
18th century to 414 ppm in
2020, and greenhouse gases
level by over these 200 years.
India had 170 million peo­
CM
YK
ple in 1800, which has risen to
1.4 billion people today. And
industrial revolution started
only after India’s Indepen­
dence 75 years ago. While it
has helped in reduction of po­
verty, it has also led to rise in
atmospheric carbon dioxide
and greenhouse gases.
The Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) site points
out that we have a rural popu­
lation that constitutes 70% of
the country, and their main
occupation is agriculture. This
gives us a total foodgrain pro­
duction of 275 million tonne.
India is the second largest
producer of rice, wheat, su­
garcane, cotton and ground­
nuts. It, thus, becomes impor­
tant that India reduce its
carbon footprint, more in its
farming sector.
Farmers have come up
with some admirable meth­
ods, with the help of agricul­
tural professionals, by using
solar panels in their fields, so
that they can avoid diesel for
groundwater pumps.
Sibi Arasu, an independent
journalist from Bengaluru,
Carbon footprint: India is the second largest producer of rice, wheat,
sugarcane, cotton and groundnuts. GETTY IMAGES
writes, “Climate­friendly agri­
culture offers new income
sources and is more sustaina­
ble” in the journal Carbon
Management that India’s car­
bon emissions could drop by
45­62 million tonnes annually.
The government and profes­
sional groups have helped ru­
ral farmers put in solar panels
to save money and gain grea­
ter income.
Indian farmers not only
grow rice and wheat but pro­
duce other foodgrains as well.
They grew about 121.5 million
tonnes of rice and 109 million
tonnes of wheat during the
year 2020­2021. They also
produce other foodgrains
such as millets (bajra), cassava
and more. They grow about 12
million tonnes of millets an­
nually. Likewise, the amount
of maize produced per year is
about 28.6 million tonnes. It
may also be added that millets
have more proteins (7.3 m per
100 g), fat (1.7 g per 100 g) and
fibre content (4.22g per 100g)
than rice (protein content 2.7
g per 100 g; fat content 0.3 g Question Corner
per 100 g; and fibre content
0.4 g per 100 g).
It is, thus, healthier for us
Reaction to smell
to add more millets in our
diet, besides rice and wheat. Do foetuses react to after the flavours had been
And wheat is superior to rice smell and taste while still ingested by the mothers.
as it has more proteins (13.2 g in the womb? Foetuses exposed to carrot
per 100 g), fat (2.5 g per 100 showed more
g), and fibre (10.7 g per 100 g). Scientists have recorded “laughter­face” responses
the first direct evidence while those exposed to
A common goal that babies react kale showed more
India has about 20­39% vege­ differently to various “cry­face” responses, says
tarians and 70% of the popula­ smells and tastes while in a release.
tion eat meat — mainly chick­ the womb by looking at Their findings could
en, mutton and fish (Devi et their facial expressions. A further our understanding
al). India, with its many rivers, study led by Durham of the development of
has a vast coastline which is University’s Fetal and human taste and smell
rich in fishes. And fshes have Neonatal Research Lab, receptors. The researchers
high nutritional value and U.K., took 4D ultrasound also believe that what
help in reducing carbon foot­ scans of 100 pregnant pregnant women eat might
print (Nature, Jude Colman, women to see how their influence babies’ taste
September 13, 2022 issue). unborn babies responded preferences after birth and
Thus, with farmers, meat after being exposed to have implications for
sellers and fishermen, each flavours from foods eaten establishing healthy eating
contributing to India in reduc­ by their mothers. habits.
ing our carbon footprint, we Researchers looked at how
can hope to be an exemplary the fetuses reacted to
Readers may send their questions /
nation for the EPA. either carrot or kale answers to
dbala@lvpei.org flavours just a short time questioncorner@thehindu.co.in
M ND-NDE

14
How has the SC
expanded
abortion rights?
What has the judiciary said about
reproductive autonomy? What has it
remarked on marital rape?
Sudipta Datta
The story so far:
n September 29, the Supreme Court
O ruled that single and unmarried women
with pregnancies between 20 and 24
weeks are entitled to access the same safe and
legal abortion care as married women.
Interpreting the Rules framed under the Medical
Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, a
Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said “the
rights of reproductive autonomy, dignity and
privacy give an unmarried woman the right of
choice as to whether or not to bear a child on a
similar footing as that of a married woman.” In
another judicial recognition of marital rape,
which is not recognised as an offence under the
Indian Penal Code, the Court also said sexual
assault by a man on his wife can take the form of
rape.
Do women in India now have equal abortion
rights?
Under the current legal framework, and as the
Court too noted, the MTP Act lays out
exceptions to the provisions criminalising
abortion in Sections 312­318 of the Indian Penal
Code. The Court was hearing a case of a
25­year­old unmarried woman, whose plea to
terminate a pregnancy before the completion of
24 weeks was rejected by the Delhi High Court
pointing out that the Medical Termination of
Pregnancy Rules,
‘Constitutional values, 2003, did not
such as the right to extend to
reproductive unmarried women
autonomy, the right to in a relationship.
live a dignified life, the Taking a
“purposive” view
right to equality, and of a “beneficial
the right to privacy’ led legislation” like the
the Supreme Court to MTP Act, the Court
reinterpret the MTP declared that
unmarried women
Act and Rules
be included within
the ambit of Rule
3B of the MTP Rules. The MTP (Amendment)
Act, 2021, had introduced a key change in
Section 3 by extending the upper limit for
termination of pregnancy from 20 to 24 weeks.
Specifically, Explanation II replaced this point —
anguish caused by a pregnancy resulting from a
failure of any device or method used by any
“married woman or her husband” in the
unamended Act — to “any woman or her
partner”, thus bringing pregnancies which
happen outside the institution of marriage
within the “protective umbrella of the law”.
What did the Supreme Court lean on to make
its decision?
The Bench said “constitutional values, such as
the right to reproductive autonomy, the right to
live a dignified life, the right to equality, and the
right to privacy” led it to reinterpret the
contours of the MTP Act and the MTP Rules. “In
the context of abortion, the right to dignity
entails recognising the competence and
authority of every woman to take reproductive
decisions, including the decision to terminate
the pregnancy,” it said.
What is the situation on the ground?
Women’s rights activists say a lot more needs to
be done so that all women feel safe to take a
decision on their bodies. India’s abortion laws
are moving in a progressive manner, they say,
especially in the light of what has happened in
countries like the U.S. where the constitutional
right to abortion was overturned by the
Supreme Court in June. In India, besides
patriarchal mindsets and social stigma,
unmarried and single women face greater
hurdles in exercising a right over their bodies,
thus leading to higher risks and complications.
Many women are forced to go to quacks when
there are unwanted pregnancies, an activist
said. As the Court noted, unsafe abortions are a
leading cause of maternal mortality. The
National Family Health Survey 5 (2019) pegs
spousal violence (physical and sexual) faced by
women in the age group 18­49 years at 29.3%.
What has the court remarked on marital
rape?
The Court said that the meaning of the words
“sexual assault” or “rape” in Rule 3B(a) includes
a husband’s act of sexual assault or rape
committed on his wife. “The meaning of rape
must therefore be understood as including
marital rape, solely for the purposes of the MTP
Act and any rules and regulations framed
thereunder. Any other interpretation would
have the effect of compelling a woman to give
birth to and raise a child with a partner who
inflicts mental and physical harm upon her.”
Human rights experts point out that if a person
is guaranteed equality, autonomy and dignity
under Articles 14 and 21, then marital rape must
be termed a criminal offence. Though left out of
the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013, the
Justice Verma Committee had recommended
that the law should specify that a marital
relationship cannot be a defence against sexual
violation. “A rapist remains a rapist regardless of
his relationship with the victim,” Justice Verma
had concluded.
CM
YK
THE HINDU
FAQ
Did the ban spare PFI’s political wing?
Could the Election Commission of India have had a role in the Social Democratic Party of India
escaping a crackdown? What is the mandate of this party often associated with the Popular Front
of India? Does the ECI have the power to de­register a political party?
S. Anandan
The story so far:
definitive crackdown on the Popular
A Front of India (PFI) and eight of its
affiliates by the National Investigation
Agency (NIA) along with the police
last week was capped by the Union Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) declaring them as ‘unlawful
associations’ under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act (UAPA) and outlawing them for
five years. The Social Democratic Party of India
(SDPI), widely thought to be the political wing of
the PFI, escaped the ban, with its national
president M.K. Faizy ascribing the action against
the PFI to ‘an undeclared Emergency’ prevailing
in the country.
What would have saved the SDPI for now?
There’s no official word on what worked in
favour of the SDPI, a political party that was
formed in June, 2009, “for the advancement and
uniform development of all citizenry including
Muslims, Dalits, Backward Classes and Adivasis”
and registered with the Election Commission of
India (ECI) a year later. However, it is being
surmised that the fact of it being a political
dispensation with people’s representatives in
close to a dozen States and the lack of any
tangible evidence of its involvement in ‘planned
unlawful’ activities saved it.
While some top leaders of the SDPI also
figured in the senior leadership of the banned
PFI, the party was quick to distance itself from
the latter, claiming to be an ‘independent’ entity
featuring cadres, members and leaders from all
communities and faiths.
“The MHA, if it so willed, could’ve acted
against the SDPI as well, as the UAPA provides
for overriding powers to act against any entity
found to be involved in acts prejudicial to India’s
interests. But that wasn’t done probably because
there would not have been anything suggesting
planned illegal activities on the part of the
political party,” was how Gopal Krishna Pillai,
former Union Home Secretary, explained the
The SDPI
MHA’s action.
distanced
Could the ECI have acted against it?
itself from
The ECI is largely powerless to deregister active the PFI,
political parties, leave alone recommending a claiming to
ban on them. “Over the last two decades, the be an
ECI has gone to the Government of India several ‘independent’
times over with a bouquet of proposals which entity with
include amendments to Section 29A of the members
Representation of the People Act of 1951, but
there has been no progress in this regard,” said
from all
N. Gopalaswami, former Chief Election communities
Commissioner of India. and faiths
What the Party Congress means for China
What are the three broad objectives on the agenda? Will there be any changes in policy and
leadership? Will Xi Jinping further consolidate power? Will the Congress lead to a lift of the
stringent ‘zero­COVID’ policy and begin to finally consider an exit strategy?
Ananth Krishnan
The story so far:
n October 16, the leadership of the
O Communist Party of China (CPC) will
convene in Beijing for a week­long
gathering. The 20th National
Congress of the CPC, a once­in­five­year event,
will mark sweeping changes in the leadership of
China’s ruling party, amend the party’s
constitution, and set the policy direction for the
next five years, which will impact both China’s
domestic and international policies.
What happens at a Party Congress?
The CPC convenes a national congress every five
years. On September 25, the party announced it
had chosen 2,296 delegates to attend this year’s
event, representing various provinces, the Recent
military, different ministries, branches of dictums
government, and society. Choosing new have called
leadership, amending the party constitution, on the party
and setting the main policy direction are the to enshrine
three broad objectives of a congress. The Xi Jinping’s
delegates “vote” on various resolutions,
including amendments to the CPC’s
‘core status’
constitution, and in theory, choose a new and his
Central Committee, which in turn is supposed to ideology as
“elect” a new Politburo and Politburo Standing priorities
Red flags galore: A woman takes a photo of a baby in front of an installation
celebrating the 20th Party Congress in Beijing on September 29. AFP
Shut down: A sealed lock on the door of the Popular
Front of India’s office in New Delhi. REUTERS
According to Supreme Court lawyer
Kaleeswaram Raj, even the limited power of the
ECI to deregister a party is not provided by
statute, as the Representation of the People Act
only empowers the ECI to register a party.
“However, in a case between the Indian National
Congress and the Institute of Social Welfare in
2002, the Supreme Court held that the ECI can
deregister a party (i) if the registration is
obtained fraudulently (ii) if there is alteration in
the original name or other material particulars
of the party or (iii) where a de­registration
without even an enquiry is an imperative. For
example, if the registration of the political party
cannot be continued for the very party
becoming unlawful by a declaration by the
competent authority to that effect,” he
explained.
But the SC itself, in the context of hate speech,
gave indulgence to the Law Commission to
examine whether the ECI should be given the
powers to deregister a political party and the
grounds for deciding so. Mr. Raj added that the
Committee (PBSC). In practice, however, the
amendments and personnel appointments are
decided in advance by the party leadership, and
not by the delegates who merely rubber stamp
the decisions. The party briefly considered the
idea of “straw polls” to elect the Politburo and
PBSC, which was introduced in 2012. It was,
however, discarded by current General
Secretary Xi Jinping at the 19th Congress in 2017,
with the party later saying the process had been
“corrupted”. Former security czar Zhou
Yongkang and former Chongqing party chief
Sun Zhengcai, who was once seen as a likely
successor to Mr. Xi, were both purged and jailed
for corruption by Mr. Xi. They were accused of
“taking advantage of” the straw­poll system with
“votes­soliciting corruption” activities. At the
last congress in 2017, Mr. Xi abandoned the
voting system and, according to the party, held
“direct consultations” with 57 serving and
retired party leaders to decide on personnel
appointments. Mr. Xi is thought to have similarly
done so ahead of this year’s congress.
What are the likely changes in leadership in
the offing?
Perhaps the most significant outcome of any
congress is the selection of the next PBSC, the
party’s highest ruling body. Since 1992,
congresses, every 10 years, have also selected a
new party General Secretary, with Jiang Zemin
taking the reins in 1992, Hu Jintao in 2002, and
Xi Jinping in 2012. The 20th congress this year
will mark a break in the 30­year precedent, with
Mr. Xi, in 2018, ending term limits and the
10­year norm that had enabled smooth
transitions of power, throwing into uncertainty
how future successions in leadership will take
place. There will, however, still be sweeping
changes in the rest of the top leadership,
including the 25­member Politburo and the
7­member PBSC, with leaders aged 68 and
higher set to retire. Mr. Xi (69) is the lone
exception to the “seven up, eight down” age
rule. While at least two of the current PBSC will
retire, four others, including second­ranked
leader and Premier Li Keqiang, are under 68, so
could continue. Mr. Li will, however, step down
as Premier having served two terms. The
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Delhi
ECI, at the moment, has almost insignificant
powers to deregister a party for non­furnishing
of details of accounts or donations.
“If the system of electoral bond continues,
even the Representation of the People Act or the
provisions in the Model Code of Conduct will
remain inconsequential to a considerable extent
on the issue of fiscal transparency in the
dealings of a political party. The Supreme Court
has decided to hear the electoral bond issue
soon. Unless the malpractice of electoral bond
in the present form is totally abolished, our
democracy cannot be rescued. Any change in
law relating to political parties should begin with
abolition of the electoral bond system in India,”
he said.
How does the SDPI view the development?
Much as it has been ruffled by the ban on the
PFI, the SDPI harps on its independence and
insists that it’s steadfastly focused on social
democracy and equal representation for all
backward sections at all levels of government.
“We have close to 800 seats in local bodies
across States such as Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.
An internal survey is being conducted right now
to identify at least 60 constituencies — where a
Muslim­Dalit alignment could work — from
where to contest the Lok Sabha elections of
2024,” says Elyas Mohammed Thumbe, SDPI
national general secretary.
Ashraf Moulavi, the party’s Kerala president,
vouches for its financial, ideological and
functional transparency and accountability,
stressing that the party worked for “India’s
pluralism, Constitutional guarantees and
cultural ethos”.
Any Indian citizen regardless of caste or faith
who abides by these besides meeting the criteria
such as being averse to corruption, social evils
like alcoholism or substance abuse and not
being a member of any other political
formulation, could become a member of the
party by paying a fee of ₹5, Mr. Thumbe
maintains. Cadres are selected based on their
commitment to the party ideology and activism
and given two sessions — on social democracy
and on the tenets of a cadre. “Even rationalists
are party members. Only, the believers and the
atheists should respect each other’s belief
systems,” says Mr. Moulavi, adding that the party
doesn’t condone violence on the part of its
members.
What is in the works now?
Two weeks ago, the Kerala State committee of
the party decided to carry out an extensive
campaign on October 2 against drug abuse and
addiction. “A three­month national campaign,
‘Ghulami Na­Manzoor’ (Slavery isn’t acceptable)
had been planned from September, but that has
been put off to a later date in view of the uneasy
political developments,” says Mr. Thumbe.
composition of the next PBSC and the selection
of the next Premier will serve as key indicators
of the extent of Mr. Xi’s influence, reflected in
how many of his appointees will assume top
positions in the next leadership, or whether Mr.
Xi will have to compromise with other
power­centres in the party and accommodate
their preferred appointees instead, such as
officials close to the former leaders, Mr. Jiang
and Mr. Hu. The Chinese military will also see a
sweeping change in its top leadership, with the
Central Military Commission, which Mr. Xi will
continue to lead for another five years, set to
choose new members.
What are the implications?
Besides the changes in personnel, the congress
will pass amendments to the party constitution,
and indicate the broad directions in policy for
the next five years, which will be outlined by Mr.
Xi in a speech to the congress. At the previous
19th Congress, Xi Jinping’s ideology, officially
called “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with
Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, was
written to the constitution, elevating him on a
par with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping as the
only leaders with eponymous ideologies in the
constitution. New amendments may formalise
Mr. Xi’s status as a “core” of the party
leadership. Recent pronouncements have called
on the party to uphold what it calls “two
establishes” — enshrining Mr. Xi’s “core status”
and his ideology as a leading priority for the
party. This will likely indicate even more
centralisation of power in the coming term.
On the policy front, continuity, rather than
change, is expected. The current Central
Committee’s annual plenum in 2020 approved
the 14th Five­Year Plan (2021­2025) and
Long­Range Objectives Through the Year 2035,
which emphasised some of Mr. Xi’s campaigns,
including “common prosperity” to reduce
inequality as well as address monopolies,
particularly with regard to private firms in the
tech sector, which has seen a crackdown; “dual
circulation” to give more primacy to the
domestic market as a driver of growth to
complement external trade; and self­reliance in
key strategic sectors. The immediate concern for
many in China, however, is whether Mr. Xi will
decide to continue with his “zero­COVID” policy
or begin to finally consider an exit strategy, after
the conclusion of the congress which is expected
to hail the success of China’s pandemic response
as one of Mr. Xi’s biggest legacies.
M ND-NDE
 THE HINDU
Sunday, October 2, 2022 15
PROFILES
Delhi

The democratic leftist

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
The former two­time President, who has promised a new form of welfarism with ecological and infrastructure spending, is taking on the
Latin American country’s far­right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in today’s elections
Srinivasan Ramani — the rise of left­wing regimes in Latin unique “vernacular discourse” was THE GIST
America — and he served as one of the intact both as a trade unionist and a D

O
n Sunday, Brazil will vote in
the first round of
presidential elections to
determine the fate of
incumbent Jair Bolsonaro who is
expected to face a massive challenge
from former President Luiz Inácio Lula
da Silva, mononymously called Lula.
Polling has shown that the former
President is ahead of Mr. Bolsonaro
with some polls suggesting that the gap
is more than 14% points, enough for
Lula to win in the first round itself.
On first glance, this should not be a
surprise — Mr. Bolsonaro, a far­right
politician, presided over a disastrous
COVID­19 pandemic response in the
country with nearly 700,000
registered deaths and an economy that
is slowly bouncing back but is still
ravaged by high inflation (as high as
11% recently). The Bolsonaro regime
consistently downplayed the threat of
the virus and was lax in implementing
vaccination and lockdown strategies to
combat the pandemic. To shore up his
sagging popularity, the regime
resuscitated a cash transfer scheme to
the poor to tamp down the effects of
high inflation, but has also increased
the government’s gross debt to GDP
ratio to a high 90%. Mr. Bolsonaro
clearly does not enjoy the benefits of
being an outsider to the establishment
as he did in the 2018 elections. He has
key leaders of initiatives for popular politician and the leader of
intra­continental cooperation besides the PT.
a promoter of multilateral Once in power, he continued to use
international organisations such as the strategy of dialogue but moderated
BRICS. By the time he demitted power, the ideological impulses of the PT even
Lula’s personal popularity and that of as he embarked upon welfare
his regime’s philosophy, Lulismo, programmes that benefited the party’s
remained high in Brazil. core base. Yet, the PT and Lula’s critics
Lula’s rule, however, was in the left spectrum in Brazil argue that
qualitatively different from the more the party’s strategy to utilise a policy
radical socialist­oriented regimes in of conciliation and negotiation with
Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. While the traditional elite allowed it to
his working class origins and pursue reforms without blowback but
leadership of a strong trade union in it also helped the fortunes of the richer
the late 1970s during the military sections in Brazil — particularly those
dictatorship in Brazil firmly put him in in the agro­economy sector. They
the Left, his government utilised argue that this also paved the way for
policies of conciliation and negotiation the parliamentary “coup” from the
to advance welfare, and did not quite Right that led to the impeachment of
disturb the hold of the traditional Ms. Rousseff besides the corruption
Brazilian elite over institutions of cases giving a fillip to the rise of the
power. far­right led by Mr. Bolsonaro.
Mr. Bolsonaro has never hidden his
Talk with the elite support for the erstwhile military
The 2000s saw the participation of dictatorship and has also suggested, in
more Brazilians in the polity and a Donald Trump­like fashion — to whom
greater democratisation but the PT’s his personality and politics are likened
strategy of negotiating with the elite in to —, that a loss in the elections would
Brazil’s Congress and other institutions only mean electoral fraud, suggesting
ensured that the corruption in the to his supporters that he will not
highest circles in the country remained accept defeat. There is now fear
intact, affecting even Lula’s party. among some Brazilians that Mr.
The controversial Car Wash scandal, Bolsonaro and his supporters might
which revealed systematic corruption stage an insurrection in the likelihood
in the way contracts were awarded by of an electoral defeat.
A former union leader who has
come from humble origins,
Lula served two terms as the
head of State between 2003
and 2010, before demitting
office to his successor Dilma
Rousseff
D
As President, Lula's welfare
programmes such as Bolsa
Familia, coupled with high
economic growth, lifted an
estimated 20 million people
out of extreme poverty
D
But the Workers’ Party’s
strategy of negotiating with
Brazil’s elite ensured that the
corruption in the highest circles
in the country remained intact,
affecting even Lula’s party

also got to reckon with the candidacy
of Brazil’s most well known politician,
Lula.
A former union leader who has
come from humble origins, Lula
served two terms as the head of State
between 2003 and 2010, before
demitting office to his successor Dilma
Rousseff of the Workers’ Party (PT)
that he helped found in 1980. As
President, Lula led his country
through a period of economic growth
and utilised a period of high
commodity prices in the international
market to subsidise programmes such
as Bolsa Familia that instituted
conditional cash transfers for the poor
and lifted an estimated 20 million
people out of extreme poverty. Lula’s
two­terms coincided with the pink tide
executives of the state­owned
petroleum company Petrobras and
implicated several politicians,
administrators and businessmen, led
to the fall of the Dilma Rousseff
presidency by impeachment in 2014.
Even if Ms. Rousseff was not directly
implicated in the scandal, it resulted in
the decline in popularity for the PT.
Lula himself was arrested, convicted
and was barred from participating in
the 2018 presidential elections, but
was released in 2019 after documents
leaked by journalist Glenn Greenwald
pointed to collusion by Judge Sergio
Moro with the prosecution. Brazil’s
Supreme Court ruled in March 2021
that justice was biased against him,
resulting in the cases against him being
annulled and allowing him to run for
President again.
Tackling authoritarianism is not
new to Lula, though. In a book that
came out in 2020, author John D.
French writes about how Lula rose
from humble origins to become a
machinist in the fast industrialising Sao
Paulo region and later, a popular
working class leader by mobilising
industrial workers in massive strikes
during the dictatorship in the late
1970s. Lula’s style has always been to
utilise dialogue with political
ILLUSTRATION: R.RAJESH
opponents without giving up on an
ability to “stand up and fight, when
needed .. [through] an additive and
transformative politics of cunning
executed by creating spaces of
convergence through difference”. Lula
emerged as one of the key politicians
in the newly democratic Brazil of the
late 1980s after having cut his teeth as
a working class leader and a leader of a
national trade union confederation.
His style of leadership and an ability to
speak to Brazil’s poor through a
Social liberalism
If Lula triumphs against Mr. Bolsonaro
as polls seem to suggest (they could go
wrong, in 2018, Mr. Bolsonaro won
46% of the vote in the first round while
polls indicated that he may win 40%),
it would be a victory for political
decency and social liberalism over
far­right populism and crass political
discourse in Latin America’s largest
country. Lula has promised that if he
comes to power, he would implement
new welfare, ecological and
infrastructure spending schemes
based on Keynesianism. But it would
be a struggle for him to negotiate with
a truculent and more powerful
Brazilian Congress than during the
2000s.

God, family and homeland First among equals

Giorgia Meloni Gen. Anil Chauhan
The Brothers of Italy, which campaigned on an anti­immigrant and pro­Christian values Among the tasks awaiting the new Chief of Defence Staff is the roll­out of theatrisation, the
platform, is set to form the first far­right government in the country since Mussolini reorganisation of the armed forces into theatre commands
ILLUSTRATION: SREEJITH R. KUMAR ILLUSTRATION: SREEJITH R. KUMAR
G. Sampath it won’t be easy for Ms. Me­ Dinakar Peri ficer, Gen. Chauhan has
loni to translate her far­ authored two books — Af-

L B
ess than a month af­
ter Sweden elected
to power a right­
wing coalition that includ­
ed a party with a neo­Nazi
past, Italy has followed
suit. In the general elec­
tions held on September
25, the Brothers of Italy, a
party with neo­fascist
roots headed by Giorgia
Meloni, 45, emerged the
largest with 26% of the
vote. Ms. Meloni’s coali­
tion, which also comprises
the right­wing populist Le­
ga Party headed by Matteo
Salvini, and Silvio Berlus­
coni’s centre­right Forza
Italia, garnered 44% of the
vote to secure a clear ma­
jority. Their main oppo­
nent, the centre­left Demo­
cratic Party, could muster
only 19%.
The electoral outcome
is a historic one. For one,
Italy will get its first ever
woman Prime Minister in
Ms. Meloni. And it is the
first time since the Second
World War that the Italians
have handed the reins of
power to a party whose li­
neage goes back directly to
Benito Mussolini. Ms. Me­
loni, on her part, has
worked hard to shed the
fascist baggage and recast
her party in the conserva­
tive mould. She has insist­
ed that her party has
“handed fascism over to
history” and “unambigu­
ously condemns the sup­
pression of democracy and
the ignominious anti­Jew­
CM
YK
ish laws”. Yet she is not
averse to extracting politi­
cal mileage from fascist
symbolism, and has laid
bare the nature of her pol­
itical inspiration in her me­
moir, I am Giorgia, My
Roots, My Ideas (2021)
As she details in her me­
moir, Ms. Meloni grew up
in a working class neigh­
bourhood of Rome and her
political awakening oc­
curred at the age of 15
when she joined the youth
wing of the Movimento So­
ciale Italiano (MSI), a party
founded by former mem­
bers of Mussolini’s fascist
dictatorship. In the 1990s,
when the MSI rebranded it­
self as the National Alliance
(AN), Ms. Meloni became
the president of its youth
wing, and by the age of 29,
she was a member of Par­
liament. In 2008, when the
AN was in an alliance with
Forza Italia, Mr. Berlusconi
appointed her the Minister
of Youth, making her Ita­
ly’s youngest ever Minister.
Her boldest political
move came in 2012, when
Italy was grappling with a
severe recession in the af­
termath of the global finan­
cial crisis. Ms. Meloni
chose this moment to
strike out on her own by
co­founding the Brothers
of Italy. Although she in­
sists it is a conservative
party and has no truck
with fascism, she chose to
retain the tri­colour burn­
ing flame of the MSI in her
party flag.
Political slogan
She campaigned in this
general election on a plat­
form that was openly anti­
immigrant and anti­
LGBTQI. Her political slo­
gan of “God, family and
homeland” was predicated
on an aggressive valorisa­
tion of Christian identity,
‘family values”, and Italian
ultra­nationalism that was
hostile to Muslim/Arab/
African cultures and iden­
tities. Despite her aggres­
sive anti­liberal political
posturing, Italy’s famously
Byzantine system of checks
and balances suggests that
right agenda into law or
policy. For instance, her
proposal to amend the
Constitution to introduce a
directly elected President
in place of the current Par­
liamentary system will like­
ly remain a non­starter.
Moreover, Italy has been
allocated the largest chunk
of the EU recovery fund,
worth €200 billion, and
any move that falls afoul of
the EU’s human rights
norms may jeopardise it.
Ms. Meloni knows that
too. Although the Brothers
of Italy was launched as a
vehicle opposed to EU inte­
gration and bats for nation­
al sovereignty over kow­
towing to the EU
bureaucracy, she has
toned down the anti­EU
rhetoric. Also, notwith­
standing the fact that both
her coalition partners, Mr.
Salvini and Mr. Berlusconi,
are known to be close to
Russia’s Vladimir Putin,
she has been steadfast in
condemning Russia over
the Ukraine attack, sup­
ports NATO and endorses
sending military aid to Uk­
raine. Not surprisingly,
some liberal observers
consider her a ‘disciplined’
or ‘smarter’ version of Do­
nald Trump — and there­
fore dangerous — for she is
an example far­right politi­
cians in other countries
might want to emulate to
broaden their appeal and
quicken their ascent to
power.
oth hail from Pauri
Garhwal district of
Uttarakhand and
were commissioned into 11
Gorkha Rifles of the Indian
Army three years apart —
1978 and 1981. They are In­
dia’s first Chief of Defence
Staff (CDS) late Gen. Bipin
Rawat and the second CDS
Gen. Anil Chauhan, who
took over the top military
post on September 30.
However, they are con­
trasting in their demea­
nour. Gen. Rawat was out­
spoken, including while
speaking at public forums
or interactions with the
media. Gen. Chauhan is
calm and measured, but
firm in putting across his
views, said a serving officer
who had worked with him
closely on several occa­
sions. “He likes to keep a
low­profile,” the officer
said, requesting
anonymity.
It is unprecedented in
India’s military history that
a retired three­star officer
is brought back to Service,
16 months after he ‘hung
up the uniform’, elevated
as a full General and ap­
pointed first among
equals, before the three
Service Chiefs. As CDS,
Gen. Chauhan will also
function as the Principal
Military Adviser to the De­
fence Minister on all tri­
service matters as well as
head the Department of
Military Affairs as Secre­
tary. He will also be the
Permanent Chairman of northeast insurgencies,
the Chiefs of Staff Commit­ said the officer cited above.
tee. Post­retirement, Gen. Gen. Chauhan com­
Chauhan took charge as manded an Infantry Divi­
the Military Adviser in the sion in Baramulla sector in
National Security Council Jammu and Kashmir as a
Secretariat, where he was Major General and the Di­
working closely with Na­ mapur­based 3 Corps as
tional Security Adviser Ajit the Corps Commander. He
Doval, till the appoint­ has a very good under­
ment. Gen. Chauhan was standing of counter­insur­
the Director­General of gency and counter­terro­
Military Operations rism (CI/CT) situation on
(DGMO) at the Army Head­ both sides, the officer stat­
quarters from January 30, ed. As Eastern Army Com­
2018 till August 31, 2019 mander, he ensured that
when Gen. Rawat was the the Army’s focus was shift­
Army Chief. During this ed from CI to the conven­
time, he was closely in­ tional task along the Line
volved in India’s response of Actual Control (LAC) as
to the Pulwama terror at­ Op Snow Leopard was un­
tack, which resulted in the derway in Eastern Ladakh,
death of 40 personnel. he said, referring to the
May 2020 stand­off. He
‘Operation Sunrise’ took over as the Eastern
As the DGMO, Gen. Chau­ Army Commander in Sep­
han oversaw ‘Operation tember 2019.
Sunrise’, the coordinated This period also saw sig­
operations undertaken by nificant scaling up of in­
Indian and Myanmar ar­ frastructure development
mies on insurgent groups along the LAC and as the
taking shelter across the Army Commander, he
border, which in a way pushed it, the officer ad­
broke the backbone of ded. A highly decorated of­
termath of a Nuclear Attack
and Military Geography of
India's Northern Borders.
While the institution of
the CDS is still evolving,
the groundwork for it and
the tasks ahead had been
laid down by Gen. Rawat,
before his untimely death
in a chopper crash last De­
cember. With that, Gen.
Chauhan has his tasks cut
out and has to pick up the
threads from where they
were left. Among the sever­
al tasks lined up, the top
priority would be the roll­
out of the process of thea­
trisation, the reorganisa­
tion of the armed forces in­
to theatre commands
meant to bring in synergy
and optimise resources.
Gen. Chauhan has a
good understanding of
theatrisation and made
positive contributions dur­
ing the earlier delibera­
tions, said another officer.
With the maximum age
limit for the CDS set at 65,
Gen. Chauhan, 61, has a te­
nure of nearly four years
and will likely outlast the
next batch of Service
Chiefs. The Defence Minis­
try statement on his ap­
pointment had only said
“with effect from the date
of his assumption of
charge and until further or­
ders.” This gives him
enough time to build con­
sensus, ensure a smooth
roll­out of theatrisation
and see their stabilisation
as well.
M ND-NDE
 �� �� ������

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DELHI SUNDAY 2 OCTOBER 2022 MIRROR 7

It’s time for resurgence of secular, democratic forces

VANAM JWALA NARASIMHA RAO
ACCordING to media reports, Telan-
gana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar
rao is busy drawing his strategy of
launching a national party shortly. Some
papers have also indicated date and time.
Whether the announcement comes now
or little later, KCr has, time and again,
been very critical of divisive politics and
politics of concentration of power in the
Center as pursued by the BJP government.
Underscoring that secular and democratic
thinking intellectuals are feeling very bad
for this, KCr makes it clear that only peo-
ple are supreme in a democracy like India.
KCr reminds how various democratic
and Le forces came together under the
leadership of Lok Nayak Jayaprakash
Narayan (JP) to trounce the dictator ruler
of the day and came to power in just 40-
50 days, stressing the need for a similar
movement. Arrogance on the part of BJP
will no more be tolerated, he warns, citing
the downfalls of dictators such as Hitler,
Mussolini and Napoleon. He also predicts
that BJP will be ousted from power within
next 18 months. e inference is another
JP in the form of KCr is in the offing with
his alternative agenda.
When the very existence of democracy,
secularism, pluralistic society, socialist
pattern, peace and harmony of this great
country are at stake, people oen ask what
would happen next. For all those prophets
of doom and pessimists, there is nothing
to get worried or agitated about. e
beauty of Indian democracy, the largest
in the world and perhaps one and only
country that won freedom from colonial
rule and sustained democracy, lies in its
course correction. Like the proverbial
Phoenix, India as a democratic entity has
the ability with right leadership to correct
itself and move forward with no regrets.
is is exactly where people are looking
to KCr and for the right time for launch-
ing his national party.
the dictatorial arrogance of Indira Vajpayee was the first Indian Prime Min-
Gandhi, people rose to the occasion and ister not of the Indian National Congress
leadership came in the form of to serve a full term in office.
Jayaprakash Narayan (JP). Indira lost In 2004 elections Congress led by Sonia
power in the elections held two years aer Gandhi emerged as the single largest party
imposition of emergency. extreme and formed the United Progressive Al-
rightwing Jana Sangh to the extreme le liance. e UPA, with the outside support
parties came under one umbrella. Morarji of Communist Parties, formed the next
desai became the Prime Minister. government headed by Manmohan Singh.
Janata coalition headed by Morarji de- e 2009 general election saw the UPA
sai, which included right wing Hindu Na- return with an increased mandate, with
tionalists with loyalties to rSS, was united Singh continuing as the Prime Minister.
mainly by its hatred of Indira Gandhi In the 2014 elections, Narendra Modi
rather than fighting dictatorial tendencies. led the BJP to victory and won a majority
M odi has become a figure of controversy for his
Hindu nationalist beliefs, democratic
relapsing, bulldozing every institution, undermining
K CR’s proposed national party seems
to be fully gearing up to shoulder the
responsibility and take lead to enlist the support of
e government lost majority due to in-
fighting and Charan Singh replaced him.
In the subsequent elections, Indira
of seats on its own and became Prime
Minister. Second time he became the
Prime Minister following his party's and
basic rights of democracy and weakening secular non-Congress, non-BJP parties for 'BJP-Mukt Gandhi swept back into power with the NdA’s grand victory in 2019 elections.
slogan of ‘vote for stability.’ People pre- However, as the years passed, Modi is be-
fabric of the nation, besides ruthlessly, arrogantly Bharat' to protect the country from the harmful ferred Indira to right-wing Hindu nation- ing criticised for centralising power and
and unethically trying to silence the opposition, divisive forces and to restore the country back to alists and unstable governments. belittling cooperative federalism and
immorally and illegally toppling the democratically its glorious past of secularist traditions and rajiv Gandhi succeeded Indira and in thereby systematically eroding federal
the elections that followed he won the structure. He controversially initiated de-
elected state governments commitment to diversity largest majority in history. Aer five years, monetisation of high-denomination ban-
he was defeated by National Front, an op- knotes and farm laws. Modi remains a
In Post-Independence Indian politics ternately at the Center needs to be done lowers of right-wing ideology, that they position coalition headed by NT rama figure of controversy for his Hindu na-
and governance, people by and large got away with. can control her remotely. Initially, she too rao. VP Singh who uncovered political tionalist beliefs, democratic relapsing,
accustomed to a level of tolerance. When Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime played their game. Her support to VV Giri, corruption of rajiv became the Prime bulldozing every institution, undermining
the limits are exceeded by the party or Minister who commanded the respect of against the official Congress party candi- Minister. BJP and le parties extended basic rights of democracy and weakening
leader at the helm of affairs, be it in the persons of diverse ideologies – le, right date Neelam Sanjiva reddy, in the Presi- outside support but BJP withdrew aer a secular fabric of the nation, besides ruth-
form of exhibiting dictatorial tendencies and moderate – was undeniably an ardent dential election in 1969, was the major few months over the ram temple issue lessly, arrogantly and unethically trying
or moving towards extreme le or right, secular in appeal but conscientiously fol- turning point in Indian politics. e divi- causing its collapse. Chandrashekhar suc- to silence the opposition, immorally and
or signs of instability, alternative leader- lowed his religious beliefs. He never ex- sive forces were fought successfully for the ceeded VP Singh. illegally toppling the democratically
ship automatically emerged. When Indira hibited fanatism. Nehru believed in so- first time by Indira Gandhi. Her progres- Aer rajiv Gandhi’s assassination elected state governments.
Gandhi got rid of syndicate, the earliest cialistic pattern of society and thus was at sive decisions such as bank nationalization amidst election campaign, in May 1991, KCr’s proposed national party seems
seeds of right-wing domination in her equi-distance from the capitalist and the led to her expulsion and split in the party. PV Narasimha rao succeeded Chan- to be fully gearing up to shoulder the re-
own party; when she herself turned dic- communist ideologies and followed the President Giri dissolved Lok Sabha and drashekhar as the Prime Minister aer sponsibility and take lead to enlist the
tatorial, and was trounced by a combina- tolerant midway ideologue. at was how elections were held in March 1971 and the general elections in June. rao began support of non-Congress, non-BJP parties
tion of le-right combination led by the journey of parliamentary democracy Indira Gandhi won against the Grand Al- efforts to restructure India’s economy for 'BJP-Mukt Bharat' to protect the coun-
Jayaprakash Narayan; when unstable with secular and socialistic spirit com- liance represented by anti-progressive, from day one. His years as Prime Minister try from the harmful divisive forces and
Janata government was defeated by In- menced in India 75 years ago. Lal bahadur anti-democratic and divisive forces, a pre- saw the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata to restore the country back to its glorious
dira; when NT rama rao-powered Na- Shastri succeeded Nehru and was in office poll alliance with SSP, PSP, the Swatantra Party (BJP) as an alternative to Congress. past of secularist traditions and commit-
tional Front defeated rajiv Gandhi who for just 19 months. With the slogan of ‘Jai Party and Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Follow- Atal Bihari Vajpayee of BJP became the ment to diversity. It also will be the be-
got involved in corruption charges like Jawan-Jai Kisan’, he broke Pakistan's ar- ing Allahabad High Court historical judg- Prime Minister of India thrice. Between ginning to lay a strong foundation for the
Bofors and VP Singh becoming Prime rogance forever in the 1965 war. ment and Supreme Court’s partial stay, Vajpayee’s first and second terms, there country to once again stand tall with true
Minister; this was proved beyond doubt. Indira Gandhi succeeded Shastri amidst Indira Gandhi riding high over her pop- were two unstable United Front govern- democratic and secular values and be-
e repetition of either Congress-led UPA expectations of Syndicate wing of Con- ularity imposed emergency and got ar- ments headed by Hd devegowda and IK come an economic power in Asia as well
or BJP-led NdA forming governments al- gress party, who were bye and large fol- rested many opposition leaders. To fight Gujral for less than two years put together. as in the world.

Silence! Don’t talk about ‘Dark data' is killing the planet

Civil War in Sri Lanka
Surprisingly, not only the Sri Lankan government, but even filmmakers
and artists have maintained a deathly silence over the three-decades-
long civil war and human rights abuses in the island nation that claimed,
according to the UN around 1,00,000 lives
SUKANT DEEPAK
CHANdIGArH (IANS): A pecu-
liar silence has always enveloped it.
e image of Prabhakaran splashed
across newspapers has continued
to haunt not just Tamils across the
world, but all those who followed
the organisation and their cause
closely. Surprisingly, not only the
Sri Lankan government, but even
filmmakers and artists have main-
tained a deathly silence over the
three-decades-long civil war and
human rights abuses in the island
nation that claimed, according to
the UN around 1,00,000 lives.
Sri Lankan filmmaker Visakesa
Chandrasekaram feels that "silence
is to do with the fact that it is much
uncomfortable for people to talk
about it. Adding that there was an
involvement of many, including
people like him who did not do
anything about it, he asserts that
there is an underlying feeling of
guilt that seldom leaves people of
his generation."
"us, denial comes to the fore-
front, that these atrocities didn't
happen...In fact, my third film is
about that silence. And it is about
ex-militants and how they were
taken into custody. Some were not
even extremists, they were just peo-
ple at the wrong place at the wrong
time. A lot of things happened to
them in detention, but we do not
talk about it. only those who es-
caped to other countries talk about
it because they are survivors in that
country and the success of their po-
litical asylum application will be
based on breaking the silence,"
Chandrasekaram, who has made
films like 'earth', 'Frangipani' and
'Finding Kamal' told IANS.
'Frangipani' is a queer love story,
set in a Sri Lankan village while
'earth' is about a mother looking
for her son who disappeared during
the civil war. "e third film re-
volves around an ex-militant who
is returning home from the war. It
will take time." In Chandigarh for
the ongoing 'Indus Valley Interna-
tional Film Festival', this lawyer
from Colombo may not have gone
to film school, but has been learn-
ing on the job even before he fin-
ished high school. "I started off as
an assistant director when I was 17
years old, much before film schools
opened in my country. However, I
soon realised there was not much
money in this profession and went
back to school to study law. Aer
several years, with the money I had
saved, I started off with 'Frangipani'
as no one had done justice to the
theme of gay love in films in my
country."
As his country goes through an
economic meltdown, its already
shaky film industry is not spared
from its impact. Screens are down
to 30 in the entire country and
piracy continues as a major prob-
lem. "e day a movie is released,
people share it on the Telegram
app. e saddest part is that most
do not even realise that it is illegal."
Stressing that inaccessibility to
oTT platforms is not doing any
good to their cinema, the director
feels that considering most films
made in Sri Lanka are in Sinhalese
language, their numbers are not
high enough to warrant a new lan-
guage option in oTT's language
drop down menu.
While several independent In-
dian filmmakers go in for interna-
tional collaborations to tap into the
european funding pool, Chan-
drasekaram feels that is not an op-
tion for Sinhalese films. "India has
a big market overseas. But our mar-
ket is small and frankly, we are not
really known for making good
films, so nobody is really investing
in our films," he concluded.
There is a greater need for digital decarbonisation than ever before
TOM JACKSON &
IAN R HODGKINSON
More than half of the digital data
firms generate is collected, processed
and stored for single-use purposes.
oen, it is never re-used. is could
be your multiple near-identical im-
ages held on Google Photos or
iCloud, a business's outdated spread-
sheets that will never be used again,
or data from internet of things sen-
sors that have no purpose.
is “dark data” is anchored to
the real world by the energy it re-
quires. even data that is stored and
never used again takes up space on
servers – typically huge banks of
computers in warehouses. ose
computers and those warehouses all
use lots of electricity. is is a sig-
nificant energy cost that is hidden in
most organisations. Maintaining an
effective organisational memory is a
challenge, but at what cost to the en-
vironment?
In the drive towards net zero,
many organisations are trying to re-
duce their carbon footprints. Guid-
ance has generally centred on reduc-
ing traditional sources of carbon
production, through mechanisms
such as carbon offsetting via third
parties (planting trees to make up
for emissions from using petrol, for
instance).
A digital carbon footprint
While most climate change ac-
tivists are focused on limiting emis-
sions from the automotive, aviation
and energy industries, the process-
ing of digital data is already compa-
into context, we have created a tool
To illustrate the
that can help calculate the carbon
magnitude of the dark cost of data for an organisation. Us-
data situation, data ing our calculations, a typical data-
centres (responsible driven business such as insurance,
retail or banking, with 100 employ-
for 2.5% of all human- ees, might generate 2,983 gigabytes
induced carbon of dark data a day. If they were to
keep that data for a year, that data
dioxide) have a
would have a similar carbon foot-
greater carbon print to flying six times from Lon-
footprint than the aviation industry (2.1%). To put this into don to New York. Currently, com-
context, we have created a tool that can help calculate the panies produce 1,300,000,000
gigabytes of dark data a day – that's
carbon cost of data for an organisation. Using our 3,023,255 flights from London to
calculations, a typical data-driven business such as insurance, New York.
retail or banking, with 100 employees, might generate 2,983 e rapid growth of dark data
raises significant questions about the
gigabytes of dark data a day. If they were to keep that data efficiency of current digital practices.
for a year, that data would have a similar carbon footprint to In a study recently published in the
flying six times from London to New York Journal of Business Strategy, we
identified ways to help organisations
reuse digital data, and highlight
rable to these sectors and is still this footprint, we have introduced pathways for organisations to follow
growing. In 2020, digitisation was the idea of “digital decarbonisation.” when collecting, processing and
purported to generate 4% of global By this, we don't mean using storing new digital data. We hope
greenhouse gas emissions. Produc- phones, computers, sensors and this can reduce dark data production
tion of digital data is increasing fast other digital technologies to reduce and contribute to the digital decar-
– this year the world is expected to an organisation's carbon footprint. bonisation movement, which we
generate 97 zettabytes (that is: 97 rather, we are referring to reducing will all need to engage with if net
trillion gigabytes) of data. By 2025, the carbon footprint of digital data zero is to be realised.
it could almost double to 181 itself. It is key to recognising that You can even make a start your-
zettabytes. It is, therefore, surprising digitisation is not itself an environ- self by deciding which photos and
that little policy attention has been mental issue, but there are huge en- videos you no longer need. every
placed on reducing the digital car- vironmental impacts that depend on file stored on the Apple iCloud or
bon footprint of organisations. how we use digital processes in daily Google Photos adds to your digital
When we talk to people about our workplace activities. carbon footprint.
work, we find they oen assume that To illustrate the magnitude of the (Jackson is Professor of
digital data, and indeed the process dark data situation, data centres (re- Information and Knowledge
of digitisation, is carbon-neutral. But sponsible for 2.5% of all human-in- Management, Loughborough
that is not necessarily the case – we duced carbon dioxide) have a University; and Hodgkinson is
are in control of its carbon footprint greater carbon footprint than the Professor of Strategy, Loughborough
for better or worse. To help reduce aviation industry (2.1%). To put this University, UK; e Conversation)

Putin’s hold on annexed regions likely to turn flimsy

CHATTERJE-DOODY
VLAdIMIr Putin has formally
signed a treaty annexing four
Ukrainian regions into the russian
Federation. e russian president
announced, at a ceremony in
Moscow's red Square, that the in-
corporation of Luhansk, donetsk,
Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in the
south and east of Ukraine, into rus-
sia is the “choice of millions of peo-
ple” who share a “common history”
with the russian Federation.
“We call on the Kyiv regime to
immediately end hostilities, end the
war that they unleashed back in
2014 and return to the negotiating
table. We are ready for this,” Putin
said. “But we will not discuss the
choice of the people in donetsk,
Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kher-
son. at has been made. russia will
not betray them.”
What the russian president did-
n't make clear was exactly what
these newly minted so-called russ-
ian regions actually represent. He
recognised breakaway republics in
Luhansk and donetsk in the don-
bas region in February, the day be-
fore he launched the all-out invasion
of Ukraine. But the “republics” cov-
ered only part of the oblasts – or re-
gions – these names refer to. Cur-
rently, fierce fighting continues
across all four annexed regions, in-
cluding around Zaporizhzhia, the
location of europe's largest nuclear
power plant. It is thought that the
land grab represents about 40,000
square miles, or about 15% of
Ukraine's territory. It has been re-
Catherine the Great's lover, Grigory
Potemkin, is said to have impressed her with
the beauty of Russia's villages by
constructing 2D painted facades. Perhaps,
Russia's confidence when beginning its
invasion was because of such an illusory
Potemkin military, overhyped by officials
unwilling to admit its corruption and decline.
But resistance to Russia's occupation
remains, and its Potemkin referendums are
unlikely to help it turn the tide
ported that russian forces had dum.” Given the circumstances,
shelled a civilian convoy in Zapor- such an event can't be considered
izhzhia, killing 25 people. ere is free or fair. Second, have unqualified
also heavy fighting around the key and partisan regime allies from
town of Lyman in the donetsk re- abroad sign it off as free and fair.
gion, where Ukrainian forces are re- ird, publicise your suspiciously
ported to be close to encircling a large democratic mandate for incor-
large number of russian troops. porating the territories, dismiss in-
ternational objections of illegality,
Tried & tested charade and proceed with annexation.
e latest annexations follow the e Putin regime has a long his-
model that russia debuted in tory of cynically using “the law” to
Crimea in 2014. First, let your justify its actions. As Mark Galeotti,
armed backers oversee a “referen- who has written 24 books about
russia and its politics wrote in the
Spectator recently, Putin “is a man
who would burn down your house,
but would issue himself a permit to
do so first.”
ere is some evidence that rus-
sia is tailoring its international mes-
saging for the global south (devel-
oping countries in Asia, Africa and
Latin America). Since russia's inter-
national broadcaster, rT, was
banned or blocked across europe
and North America, it has reoriented
its Twitter feed towards India. is
reflects russian politicians' rhetoric
in recent years which has painted
the country as part of a “rising
power” collective that opposes west-
ern hegemony. recent diplomatic
efforts aimed at Iran and Putin's ap-
pearance at the Shanghai Coopera-
tion organisation have reinforced
this impression. But the idea that
russia is fighting a “colonial” west
doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
russia's messaging about coun-
tering hegemony just doesn't ring
true. domestic consumption on
the other hand, the annexations
might be intended to revitalise a
lukewarm domestic population.
russia's state media has faithfully
parroted the Kremlin's line
throughout the conflict, and dis-
senting points of view have been
ruthlessly crushed. Nonetheless,
russia's biggest shows of support
for the war have appeared manu-
factured, and Putin's mobilisation
decree last week has been met with
widespread public protests. Again,
these public reactions have under-
lined russia's colonial mindset.
Many metropolitan, well-to-do
ethnic russians have fled overseas.
It appears that ethnic minorities have
been disproportionately affected by
the mobilisation. It is no accident
that heated confrontations between
protesters and police have occurred
in russia's north Caucasus region.
ethnic groups that experience
poverty and systemic discrimination
in the russian Federation are being
sent, untrained and ill-equipped, as
cannon fodder to the front.
As my previous research has
shown, russia's national identity –
and that of the Soviet Union before
it – has traditionally been linked to
its claim to military might and
heroism. Yet, Putin's war on
Ukraine has made clear the inade-
quacies of russia's military. ere's
nothing heroic about sending un-
willing and unprepared young men
to die in a war of choice. russia's
political elite has believed its own
stories for so long that it struggles
to believe that the audiences for its
claims are rapidly decreasing.
Catherine the Great's lover, Grig-
ory Potemkin, is said to have im-
pressed her with the beauty of rus-
sia's villages by constructing 2d
painted facades. Perhaps, russia's
confidence when beginning its in-
vasion was because of such an illu-
sory Potemkin military, overhyped
by officials unwilling to admit its
corruption and decline. But resist-
ance to russia's occupation re-
mains, and its Potemkin referen-
dums are unlikely to help it turn
the tide. Behind the facade, russia's
hold on these illegally annexed ter-
ritories is likely to be flimsy.
123
JALANDHAR | SUNDAY | 2 OCTOBER 2022
Lessonsalong Ganga
T
RAVEL, I think, is a way to escape
whenever one is feeling trapped. I
can’t say whether I am a traveller
first or a musician. But yes, both
complement each other and are a
part of my Bengali DNA. While I don’t
need to name legendary Bengali music
SHANTANU MOITRA composers, let me remind you that Ben-
galis are avid travellers. Swami
Vivekananda, too, enjoyed a close relation-
My documentary, ship with the Himalayas.
I can’t recall when the travel bug bit me
Songs of the River, first. I always wanted to travel, only I didn’t
follows my non-stop realise it costs money to do so. Thus, I joined
an advertising company where I was creating
cycling expedition jingles and ended up creating the famous
one; “Bole mere lips. I love Uncle Chipps”.
from Gomukh in
Later, I collaborated with Shubha Mudgal for
Uttarakhand to “Ab ke Saawan” and “Mann ke Manjeeré”
and gravitated towards Bollywood. In 2005,
Gangasagar in three films — Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi,
Parineeta and Yahaan — for which I had
West Bengal, covering composed music were released.
3,000 km along the Work flowed easily, and somewhere the
traveller in me took a backseat. But after
Ganga. The revelations PK, instead of basking in the success of the
film, I decided to take a 100-day break and
have been manifold. I moved on an expedition towards the
encountered an India Himalayas, along with my friend Dhriti-
man Mukherjee. Despite having one of the
that you don’t see on world’s best wildlife photographers as a
companion, we didn’t take any pictures,
Instagram. It’s an didn’t record anything. But on my return,
India that thrives on I had a twinge of regret. There was a world
out there which we had experienced, and
community feeling there are so many people who don’t have
the luxury to travel. I could have provided
and sharing them an armchair travel experience.
Perhaps, this is where lay the seed for my
six-part documentary, Songs of the River,
which follows my non-stop cycling expedi-
tion from Gomukh in Uttarakhand to Gan-
gasagar in West Bengal, covering nearly
3,000 km. But imagine trying to sell the
idea of adventure sports to corporates. It
was a herculean task, till I met Sangeeta
Jindal of JSW group. She gave me carte
blanche, and we were ready to roll.
Somewhere deep within this project was
also embedded a personal loss. I had lost
my father during Covid-19, and at some lev-
el, the making of the documentary was a
coping mechanism and a way to handle my
grief. But as my journey began from
Gomukh and I reached Varanasi after my
father’s last rites, I realised that I have
been fortunate to journey along the Ganga
4 days to cross Jammu border
M
Y father, Dr Man Singh, had set
up a rural eye centre in a remote
village of Shakargarh tehsil in
Gurdaspur district to provide
medical cover to the poor, sacri-
ficing a promising career after graduating
from King Edward Medical College, Lahore.
The hospital was north of the Ravi river; the
BRIG SS VIRDI (RETD) rest of the district was south of the river. It had
The flight to safety
no road or communication link, and no elec-
tricity. Even telegrams and newspapers
from a remote village reached us after three days. In the days leading
to Partition, communal riots had erupted in
of Shakargarh in several cities and we thought these were
Gurdaspur, where
for the delineation of the border.
I was studying in a rural high
my father provided school and had no trouble
medical cover to the
appearing for my Matric exam-
inations, which commenced
poor, was a harrowing
on March 7, 1947. I was
preparing to join Khalsa Col-
lege in Amritsar, where my
experience. From father had studied and had
there, reaching home built a house opposite the col-
lege. Everyone thought that
to Amritsar took PA
once the British were out, the
boundary was marked and a demo- RTITIO
another 16 days. cratic setup started functioning, the riots
The horror story would stop. We were living in a fool’s paradise.
The boundary with Pakistan was not defined
only grew worse as till a few days after Independence was
we witnessed the declared, and no one could tell us whether
Shakargarh was in India or Pakistan. Those
savagery on GT who lived away from the projected border
knew for months that they would come under
Road. Amid it all, Pakistan, and might have to shift. They had
my uncle provided made suitable plans, but we never thought we
would be called upon to move.
the silver lining Thus, on the fateful day of August 23, we saw
the villages between the hospital and the Ravi
being set afire. Rifle shots could be heard and
we were completely taken off guard when the
wounded started arriving in the hospital. My
father started attending to them but when the
influx became heavy, he realised that he too
was a Sikh and his family could be the next tar-
get. He collected all his eight children, the eld-
est being my sister who was 17 and the
youngest just three, and asked us to hide in the
corn fields. He took his double-barrel gun.
His staff members were all Sikh, so everyone
panicked since the nearest route to safety was
across the Ravi, but every village between our
location and the river had been set on fire and
residents were being shot at indiscriminately. It
was a precarious situation since all the villages
in the area were Sikh-dominated.
My father thought it would be safe to go to
Kanjrur, the Hindu-dominated town 4 miles
away, so he gathered a few precious items,
locked the house, and we set out on foot in the
evening, thinking of returning when things
REFLECTIONS
The writer with singer Mohit Chauhan (R)
during the making of the documentary.
and find my catharsis. But there are so
many out there caught in a similar predica-
ment who have not found closure. This was
the birth of the idea Ananth Yatra. So I
asked people to give me photographs of the
loved ones they had lost. These later found
a final resting place in Kolkata. Thus, what
began as personal soon became universal.
If you ask me what is it that I discovered
during my heavenly sojourn, the revelations
have been manifold. For one, I encountered
an India that you don’t see on Instagram.
It’s an India that thrives on community feel-
ing and sharing. Even in places like Bihar
whose image is so distorted as an epicentre
of violence, I saw sterling examples of com-
munity activities. As for the Ganga, which I
discovered is the spine of our socio-cultural
fabric, it revealed its many moods to me. I
saw it as a therapist, a friend, companion,
healer and the lines ‘when in doubt, go to a
river’ seemed so true.
How has this 3,000-km journey along the
Ganga changed me? While change is a
gradual process, I think, it has changed me
in countless ways. Why it made not just me
to stop, pause and ponder but all the great
singers and musicians who are an integral
part of my documentary. I did not choose
these singers only for their huge talent but
also for what they are doing beyond music,
which is so exceptional. Throughout the
pandemic, Mohit Chauhan looked after
hundreds of stray dogs. ‘Bombay’ Jayashri
teaches autistic children. Not surprising,
collaborating with them as I recorded —
Mohit in an orchard, ‘Bombay’ Jayashri on
a boat, and Kaushiki Chakraborty in a
haveli in Murshidabad — my sound
stabilised. There, we found that everyone had
already fled. We had to change course and fol-
low the Basantar river, a tributary of the Ravi,
and by the morning, after walking for about 10
miles, we reached a high rail embankment
leading to the Dera Baba Nanak bridge. It was
at this time that my father spotted a group of
men on horses coming full gallop, brandishing
weapons. The villagers who had accompanied
us ran behind the embankment and only the
two of us were left to face the attackers. My
father loaded both barrels and fired two shots
in quick succession, downing the leading
horseman. The rest veered
around and galloped away.
We were expecting
another attack so we hid
in the fields. By
evening, my father
decided to move
towards the west i.e.
deeper into Pakistan
where he expected
some setup for help. At
an abandoned village,
N
we were halted by a posse
of policemen. They lined up
everyone and the SI ordered his
sepoys to shoot at random. My father
reacted strongly: “What kind of a Muslim are
you, attacking unarmed and beleaguered men,
women and children?” He responded, “What
your ASI Brindavan is doing to Muslims in
Dera Baba Nanak, I am doing here. In any
case, who are you?” When my father spoke his
name, the SI asked his men to move away and
sought forgiveness. Both his parents had been
operated upon for cataract by my father.
He then told us that going westward meant
sure death and we should instead move north
to Jammu where we had a better chance of sur-
vival if luck favoured us. We changed direction
and started moving north towards Dhamthal,
but since it was dark and everyone was tired
and hungry, we slept in an abandoned village.
On the third day, we resumed our march and
reached Dhamthal, but here too everyone was
leaving for Jammu. Some had horses and
weapons like spears, etc. A group of young ex-
Army Sikh jawans came to my father and told
him that the next village was Muslim-dominat-
ed and everyone was being attacked. They, how-
ever, said that they would lead the group the
next day and hence my father should give them
his double-barrel gun and take their .16 bore sin-
gle-barrel gun. Since we were a large family, we
were told to come in the rear of the column.
Everyone was dead tired and the children
could hardly move. My mother was exhausted
and was pleading that she should be left to die,
but we coaxed her to somehow carry on. My
scalp had become so sore from carrying an
changed completely. As RD Burman felt,
motion is music and would often compose
in a car, I also realised the same and was
composing in my head while cycling.
Music has a higher purpose. But that
can’t be achieved through Bollywood
music. Only the diverse range of inde-
pendent music which India possesses in
abundance can do so. For, film music is
meant to take the character’s arc and the
director’s vision forward.
Creating background score is more chal-
lenging than songs. While everyone has an
opinion on a song, background score is
only noticed by the director. In a way, less
attention is paid to musical scores in India,
which is rather unfortunate. But times are
changing. For instance, many years ago
when I composed for Madras Café, I insist-
ed upon promoting just the score. Similar-
ly, for October, we went to Russia just to
record an instrumental piece, something
hitherto unheard of.
I can’t pinpoint what is my process of
creating music, except that it is a lonely
world, primarily God’s gift, and you can’t
learn beyond a point. Of course, unlike
singers, composers are not fully under-
stood or written about. My friends, like
lyricist Swanand Kirkire, often ask me
what gives me the courage to suddenly
pack my bags and leave for an expedition,
which too for me is a quest for music.
Luckily, I have always had my hands full.
Right now, there is Lost directed by Anirud-
dha Roy Chowdhury, Mujib: The Making of
a Nation, a Shyam Benegal film, and an
untitled one by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Besides, from river Ganga, I have learnt
another important lesson that it is the jour-
ney, and not the destination that matters. So
there is no ultimate goal for me... my music
is like a river, and I hope wherever there are
listeners with an ear for music, they will res-
onate to my tunes. From Bollywood to
which I belong, I have learnt the signifi-
cance, and hopefully the art, of storytelling
as I hope to tell stories through my songs.
Just as I have told the story of India as the
story of India through Songs of the River.
When would I set off to tell another story of
a mountain or a river...who knows. Maybe
tomorrow. However, both my music and
travel have taught me how to live in today.
— The writer is a national
award-winning music composer
(As told to Nonika Singh)
attaché that even to touch it was painful, but
the instinct to survive egged us on.
As we neared Zafarwal village, a Dogra sol-
dier in civvies met my father and told us that
we should follow him as that very morning a
group had been attacked. We saw a huge pile of
small weapons like spears and axes with which
the earlier group had defended themselves,
and my father’s double-barrel gun in that
heap. A policeman in uniform was guarding it.
We turned east as per the directions of the
Dogra soldier and when we emerged on the
other side, we saw a huge Muslim crowd with
swords, spears and other weapons in the west.
We were lucky that we had turned east. They
started moving menacingly towards us.
My mother had fainted by now, so we
requested a man with a buffalo to allow us to
load her on its back. I was carrying the attaché
case on my head and my three-year-old sister
on my shoulder. My elder sister was handling
smaller children and my father with other men
faced the menacing Muslim crowd, now shout-
ing at the top of their voice and brandishing
their swords and other weapons. My father had
also raised his arm to show that he had a gun.
We quickened our steps on the direction of
the Dogra soldier. After about an hour of the
traumatic chase, we had left them far behind.
By late afternoon, on the fourth day, we
crossed the Jammu border to safety. There was
a small tail-end distributary of Ranbir Canal
with flowing water so we had our fill and were
very grateful for having survived.
The threat was over but the issue of moving
via Madhopur to our house in Amritsar, 300 km
away, in an extremely disturbed environment
took 16 more days. In Amritsar, our house was
located on GT Road to Lahore. On the other
side was the rail track just 100 yards away.
Thousands of Muslim refugees from India
were moving in convoys on foot, with Pakistan
army protection and trainloads on the other
side. Curfew and rifle shots were a daily rou-
tine. Many trains were derailed and looted.
As the convoys moved, there were piles of
bodies left behind. It was a gross display of sav-
agery by those who had been living together
for millennia. The British had successfully
planted such hatred in the name of religion.
The only silver lining was the conduct of my
father’s eldest brother, who had a flour mill
and would get tubs of water filled and placed
on GT Road and as many chapattis as possible
cooked daily for the Muslims moving on foot
before the curfew siren was sounded. He used
to say it was thanksgiving for sparing the lives
of his younger brother’s family.
It took over three years before our family
attained some kind of normalcy. We lost our
elder sister and my father was jobless till he got
posted as a Medical Officer at Qadian in 1950.
21
FILE PHOTO: THE TRIBUNE
Woman power,
During Durga
Puja, every
locality has
powerlessness
a huge
image of
the goddess
riding a tiger,
her feet
I
AM certain that even diehard cricket fans have given crushing
up watching the T-20 series nowadays. The reason for the monster
this is what is happening on our news channels, with a
ball-by-ball commentary of the match going on in the
Mahishasura,
a weapon
Congress headquarters. Watching the heated debates, lis- held in
tening to the hysterical reporters chasing MLAs, buses each of
and the Three Wise Men sent from Delhi, leaves no mind- her hands.
space for anything else. Compared to the stately departure
of the late Queen of England, the messy handover of pow-
er in the Grand Old Party appears like a tawdry tinpot
country’s Me-Too moment.
So, I will not go down there: in any case, I know even less
about the internal wiring of our political parties than the
local paanwala, so why even try? Instead, I am trying to fig-
ure out how parties that are led by women are different from
those led by men. On second thoughts, women often morph
into stern control freaks, setting aside their traditional role
as the ones who knit families together by using persuasion,
guile and emotional blackmail. There was a time when it
was believed that women are more honest and fairer than
men in financial matters. That, too, is a busted myth. Just
look at the stashed wealth and jewels tumbling out of their
homes, the benami properties they hold and the henchmen
they have protected and one realises
that power corrupts men and
women alike. There is one party,
however, that has resolutely kept
women out of its inner circle. And
this, perhaps, is also the reason why
it goes so wrong in responding to
crimes against women. The daily
roster of crimes and the bias against
women in general will one day cost
TOUCHSTONES
this party its vote bank.
IRA PANDE
I grew up in a world where women
were rarely given their due. It is a
cliche now to say that women have to
run twice as fast to keep pace with
We are currently
celebrating Dasehra, a
festival dedicated to the
their male counterparts, but remem-
ber that all cliches are ultimately
true. Even in a liberal, educated fam-worship of the Devi who is
ily such as ours, there were separate
rules for girls and boys. No matter
the embodiment of female
how well we girls did in our studies,
the freedom to choose a career
power, Shakti. On the
before being married off just did not eighth day of this 10-day
exist. My father did not allow me to
join a medical college, as I ardently
festival, we worship little
wished to do, saying that women girls and wash their feet
doctors neglect their families. Like
so many patriarchs of his generation, to honour this powerful
he firmly believed that women were
meant to tend and nurture their fam-
protector of the world.
ilies. Today, I am amazed that I took Why can’t we treat the
it lying down but such were the
times we grew up in that we never girls and women in our
questioned our fathers.
To that extent, I am happy that
world similarly for the
girls and boys are now treated in rest of the year?
educated middle-class families as
equals. Here, I am not including the
many girls who still suffer at the hands of abusive husbands
and those who are tortured for dowries, for there is so much
still that needs to be done to empower women. A local
woman who irons our clothes recently told me how her
daughter, who had suffered for years at the hands of an abu-
sive alcoholic husband, begged her parents to let her leave
him, but each time she was sent back to the same hell she
wanted so desperately to escape. And why? Because her
parents feared what their community would say. Then, a
few weeks ago, she came to them with bloody marks on her
neck where her husband had attacked her with a knife in a
drunken fit, smashing her mobile phone so that she could
not call for help and slunk out. God knows how she tottered
back and this time even her parents refused to send her
back. A kindly neighbour offered her a job and she is hap-
pily working and safe from a life of fear and indignity.
Yet, for every happy ending is the story of a girl who has
hanged herself, or been tossed into the bushes or a canal
after being kidnapped and raped. When such crimes are
reported, the police try and persuade the victim to withdraw
the case or refuse to register an FIR. The media is more con-
cerned with whether the perpetrator of this crime belongs
to this party or that community. It is enough to turn one’s
stomach so I hope that the news we are offered in print and
on TV goes back to highlighting the really vital issues that
we need to address: environmental degradation, social
injustice, the sorry condition of our towns and cities and the
pathetic state of primary education and health. There was a
time when this is what reporters were trained to spot and
pursue. Today, all they seem to do is promote the interests
of one political party or the other.
We are currently celebrating Dasehra, a festival dedicated
to the worship of the Devi who is the embodiment of female
power, Shakti. Every locality has a huge image of Durga rid-
ing a tiger, her feet crushing the monster Mahishasura, a
weapon held in each of her hands. On the eighth day of this
10-day festival, we worship little girls and wash their feet to
honour this powerful protector of the world.
Will someone tell me why we cannot treat the girls and
women in our world similarly for the rest of the year?
06 NEW DELHI, 02 OCTOBER 2022
With which is incorporated
The Englishman ~ Founded 1821
Relentless Repression
A court in Myanmar has tightened the screws
on Aung San Suu Kyi yet again; this time her
conviction is in league with that of the Aus-
tralian economist, Sean Turnell. While there is
another criminal case against the widely regarded
icon of democracy, the economist has been sen-
tenced to three years in jail for violating Myanmar’s
Official Secrets Act.
Three members of her Cabinet were also found
guilty, each receiving sentences of three years. Tur-
nell was also convicted of violating the immigration
law, for which he was given a three-year sentence.
An associate professor in economics at Sydney’s
Macquarie University, he had served as an adviser to
Suu Kyi, and was detained in the capital, Naypidaw,
when her elected government was ousted by the
army on 1 February 2021.
The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong’s
office rejected the court’s ruling and called for Tur-
nell’s immediate release. Stating that he had been
“unjustly detained”, her office said that Australian
diplomats were denied access to the court hearing
for the verdict.
The five co-defendants were charged on the
basis of documents seized from Turnell. The details
of their offence have not been made public, though
state television had reported last year that the econ-
omist had access to what they call “secret state
financial information” and had tried to flee the
country. Suu Kyi and Turnell had denied the allega-
tions when they testified in their defence at the trial
in August.
Days after the military takeover, Turnell had
posted a message on Twitter, saying that he was
“safe for now but heartbroken for what all this
means for the people of Myanmar, indeed the
bravest, kindest people I know. They do deserve so
much better”. That decidedly anti-establishment
message must arguably have done him in. Turnell
was also charged with violating the immigration law
but it was not immediately clear as to what sentence
he had received on that count.
Myanmar’s colonial era Official Secrets Act
criminalizes the possession, collection, recording,
publishing or sharing of state information that is
“directly or indirectly useful to an enemy”. The
charge carries a maximum of 14 years in prison. The
trial like the others involving Suu Kyi was held in a
“purpose-built” prison courtroom and was closed
to the media and the public.
Even defence lawyers were barred by a gag order
from revealing details of the proceedings. The
multiple criminal cases brought against Suu Kyi (77)
are widely seen as an effort to discredit her and
block her return to politics. She has already been
sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for illegally
importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating
coronavirus restrictions, sedition, election fraud
and on five corruption charges. The junta’s latest
bout of repression has thickened the plot since
Thursday.
Brit whingers
T he Deepti Sharma vs Charlie Dean case in the
court of cricket's world opinion might by now
have been history if England were not a party
to it, making an unseemly fuss over a simple run-out
after India's comprehensive series victory. Days after
it had been iterated officially that running out a non-
striker backing too far up was quite all right ~ and
George Hutton’s The Dictionary of Cricket says that
the law never stated anything otherwise ~ and fair
and square, London's Press found in Dean's tearful
exit a cause celebre it just could not resist the temp-
tation of making such a thrilling drama of When
Vinoo Mankad got rid of Bill Brown all those years
ago, Don Bradman acknowledged the Australian
batsman’s failure to obey a simple, fundamental rule
which a Test cricketer should have been familiar
with. England cannot help being England, just as
boys will be boys, though.
Hell’s foundations start quivering when they slip
up and are obliged under self-inflicted review pres-
sure to dive into their storehouse of excuses. They
then find something that is a salve for them, and a
dart aimed at the winners. An old game of theirs the
world is sick and tired of, this. Winners against Eng-
land are routinely deemed morally blind, as if Body-
line never happened.
When they have fast bowlers who can strike ter-
ror, they gloat, and when they are at the receiving
end of comparable, or more dangerous stuff, Eng-
land, as now, try to get up on a kind of high moral
ground by invoking a golden past when everything
was putatively for the best in the best of all possible
worlds. Old wives' tales or not, they pull in few lis-
teners today, justly because England has done its
pioneering bit in setting up today's commercialised
cricket where the stakes scrape the sky.
There are fissures in the fabric even of Anglo-
Australian exchanges, with at least significant seg-
ments of the cricket Press Down Under siding with
India after reviewing the Sharma-Dean kerfuffle,
into which you can read also their own problems
with their mother country. When badly losing an
Ashes series in the new millennium with their front-
rank batsmen grovelling before Australian pace
bowlers, England, with Mike Atherton, now in the
Press box, in the leading role, inveighed against tail
enders being bounced.
Insularity probably keeps them innocent of its
having become commonplace, express bowlers
going round the wicket to a field inclusive of a leg
gully and a short leg. James Anderson, put to the
test, asked umpires in Australia how they felt about
convention being ignored, only to be told that inter-
national cricketers were expected to cope with rising
deliveries, whereupon he told himself to take it in his
stride. And Dean will henceforth have less to do as a
non-striker: let her stay within the crease, part of
the bat grounded, and Bob's your uncle.
Out of Russian Orbit?
India may have enough reasons to disentangle itself from Russia‘s orbit, even while not
embracing the West with undue warmth at this stage, but the truth is that the West is
misinterpreting India‘s position. Ever since the Ukraine war began, it has been India‘s consistent
position in all fora that war and violence must give way to negotiation and peace
“T
his is not the era of
war” is what Prime
Minister Modi had
told Russian Presi-
dent Vladimir Putin on 16 Septem-
ber at the summit of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO)
at Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The
statement made western countries
like America and France erupt in
rapture. Further, reversing its ear-
lier position of abstaining from
voting at the UN on resolutions
against Russia, India has voted
twice ~ in August and September ~
for allowing Ukrainian President
Zelensky to address the UN Gener-
al Assembly (UNGA) virtually.
On 23 September, while
addressing the UNGA, India’s
External Affairs Minister Mr S Jais-
hankar articulated India’s position
before world leaders in the most
unambiguous terms. With the
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov looking on, he said, “As the
Ukraine conflict continues to rage,
we are often asked whose side we
are on. And our answer, each time,
is straight and honest. India is on
the side of peace and will remain
firmly there. We are on the side
that respects the UN Charter and
its founding principles. We are on
the side that calls for dialogue and
diplomacy as the only way out.”
Before ending his address, he reit-
erated: “We believe and advocate
that this is not an era of war or of
conflict. On the contrary, it is a
time for development and for
cooperation…let us strive to return
to the course of seeking peace,
progress and prosperity.” All these
elated the Western countries,
which have not concealed their
disappointment at India’s contin-
ued purchase of Russian oil at a
discounted price even though they
themselves have been buying
Russian energy while continuing
to arm Ukraine. They took these
statements as indicative of a final
shift of India’s position vis-à-vis
Russia, reckoning this as India’s
gradual coming out of the Russian
orbit to begin its Western slide.
India may have enough rea-
sons to disentangle itself from
Russia’s orbit, even while not em-
bracing the West with undue
warmth at this stage, but the truth
is that the West is misinterpreting
India’s position. Ever since the
Ukraine war began, it has been
India’s consistent position in all
fora that war and violence must
give way to negotiation and
peace. Further, India has always
pursued an independent foreign
policy and hence stayed away
from the economic sanctions im-
posed by Western countries, these
not being in our national interest.
India asserted that actions such
as buying Russian oil at a dis-
counted price was in its own
national interest, which is sup-
reme, and reminded the West that
they did not stop buying oil and
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Turning right
SIR, With reference to “What Mel-
oni’s triumph could mean for Eu-
rope” (The Statesman, September
28), the swing to the political Right
across Europe was on for a while.
Italy is the latest region to feel the
gust. Here the far right Ms Meloni,
a political successor to the fascist
Mussolini, has won. Old style feu-
dalism and authoritarianism are
perhaps invading democracy when
seen in the context of vast econom-
ic progress made by nations
putting behind them two centuries
of conflicts between the haves and
the have-nots. Britain voted for
Brexit signalling isolation overnight
and the restless French may yet
embrace the trend.
Germany predicated on man-
Vol. CXXXXXVI 40 (S)
A MEMBER
OF THE
ASIAN VOICES
Is the Data
Protection
Act an
extension
of DSA?
O
ver the past several months,
efforts have been afoot to
frame a data protection law in
Bangladesh. Senior func-
tionaries of the state justify that the pro-
posed law has become a necessity in a
country that has more than 130 million
internet users and at least 2,000 inter-
net-based services. The law will protect
the interests of these people, they posit.
The ostensible purposes for fram-
ing the law are to: (a) meet the bur-
geoning need for data protection; (b)
create an effective regulatory institu-
tion in this regard; (c) ensure overall
development of the information and
gas from Russia despite imposing nesses of the Russian arsenal Central Asia. communication technology (ICT) sec-
economic sanctions on it. which the war in Ukraine has Even Russia’s support in the tor; and (d) ensure protection of the
Indeed, from a negligible 0.02 exposed, where Russian arms and Security Council cannot be taken personal data of individuals. While
per cent, India’s purchase of Russ- missiles have often malfunction- for granted: China is likely to in- there is a general agreement about the
ian oil increased to 10 per cent of ed. These concerns will only con- fluence how a weakened Russia need for such legislation, concerns
total oil imports ~ nearly 4 lakh bar- tinue to heighten, given the crip- will vote ~ after all, their unlimit- have been expressed, nationally and
rels a day ~ in April 2022, and fur- pling sanctions imposed by the ed friendship is one not of equals. internationally, about the adverse
ther to more than a million barrels technologically advanced West It is time India starts slowly dec- impacts of the law on citizens' funda-
in June-July. The deep discounts upon which Russia depends for oupling from Russia. Such a shift mental freedoms. Despite the con-
offered by Russia helped India to much of its inputs for defence is probably already under way, cerned agency’s initiatives to make the
save Rs 35,000 crore to alleviate the manufacturing. Sanctions have even though the India-Russia rel- draft law available on its website and
economic distress caused by Rus- severely restricted the sources of ationship is likely to remain stro- organise stakeholder discussions, there
sia’s war. The PM and the EAM are semiconductor chips and sophis- ng for some more years, especial- is widespread scepticism about what
only articulating India’s age-old ticated electronic components ly when our diplomacy seems to
position that there is no substitute critical for the manufacture of be failing in the neighbourhood.
to peace, and it is in keeping with cutting-edge arms and equip- Sri Lanka, despite receiving
this stance that India had earlier ment systems for which Russia US$3.8 billion in assistance from the final text would contain. Commen-
called for an international investi- has no indigenous fabrication India ~ compared to a pittance of tators, rights activists, citizen and neti-
gation into the killing of civilians at capability. US$74 million from China, its zen groups, associations of editors and
Bucha allegedly by the retreating Even if it manages to source biggest debtor, allowed the bal- journalists across the ideological divide,
Russians. these components from third listic missile and satellite-track- and e-commerce and business leaders
But India’s recent overtures parties, this will eventually be ing ship Yuan Wang-5 to dock at have all voiced their opposition to the
at Samarkand and the UN cer- tracked by Western surveillance Hambantota port overruling In- proposed law, pointing out the author-
tainly do not imply that India is intelligence and be stopped, leav- dia’s concerns, that too only a ities' reluctance to accommodate the
just about ready to ing Russia with no day after India had gifted the views of stakeholders, vagueness of the
dump Russia. Despite option but to pro- Lankan Air Force a Dornier air- provisions, unbridled authority and
Indian nervousness cure them from craft for maritime surveillance. It concomitant immunity accorded to the
about the bloody China which had demonstrated the increasing regulators, lack of judicial oversight,
Russian invasion, declared Russia as assertiveness of a belligerent and the draconian penalties that the
India has many rea- a friend without China in the Indian Ocean law imposes on potential “violators,”
sons for keep the rela- limits, in which region. The recent US approval among other issues.
tionship alive and case India will for $450 million assistance to Frustration was palpable as the
strong ~ oil is only have reasons to be Pakistan to maintain its ageing two revised drafts largely ignored the
one of these. We still wary of such F16 fleet is another case of stark stakeholders' input and recommenda-
depend heavily on equipment that failure of Indian diplomacy that tions. Assurances from senior ministers
Russian weaponry. will allow Chinese highlights the danger of putting that their genuine concerns would be
But even though Rus- chips to enter all security eggs in the unreliable addressed in the final bill appear to
sia was our largest GOVIND India’s fighting US basket. There have been other have failed to assuage their anxiety.
BHATTACHARJEE
supplier of arms till machinery. This upsets in Nepal and Myanmar as Some candidly noted the hollowness of
2011, since then the The writer is a commentator, makes it impera- well, not to speak of Afghanistan, similar assurances in case of the Digital
author and academic.
share of Russian Opinions expressed tive for India to and it would be in the interest of Security Act, 2018 (DSA). One can sur-
weapons in India’s are personal reduce its depen- both Russia and India to keep the mise that the DSA’s debilitating impact
arsenal has shrunk by dence on Russian relationship going even with on freedoms of expression and the
almost 50 per cent as India start- arms.
ed diversifying its defence pro- Once India and Russia were
diminishing returns.
The geopolitical situation has
press and the state’s failure to rescind
or even amend the most contentious
curements. Today India buys its considered natural partners. It become even more compelling provisions of the law (despite over-
arms heavily from France, USA, was Russia which always sup- with the decaying of the venerable whelming evidence of its abuse) have
UK and Israel and is tying up with ported India’s cause in the Secu- United Nations which has proved triggered this apprehension of misap-
other countries to make them in rity Council when the USA and as ineffective as its predecessor, plication of the Data Protection Act
India. In the wake of the war, the West were not exactly our the League of Nations, to prevent (DPA). They point out that the gaps that
India has stalled further military friends. But that natural partner- war involving the P-5. It would exist in the DSA are also present in the
procurements from Russia, ship has long since ceased to likely die a natural death if a des- draft DPA, further arguing the point
including 21 new MiG-29 fighters exist. In 2021, India’s trade with perate Russia is forced to escalate that Bangladesh’s standing in the Press
for which India is encouraging Russia was worth $13 billion, the war and drag Nato into it. Freedom Index has continued to drop
domestic production. The pro- compared to $157 billion with the Despite all the talk of multi- after the framing of the DSA.
tracted war is raising genuine USA. Hardly 30,000 Indians live polarity, globalisation and In trying to unravel the reason
concerns about Russia’s produc- in Russia, compared to more reformed multilateralism that behind framing the DPA, some analysts
tion capabilities too after meeting than 4 million in the USA. Russia reverberate in its countless and argue that growing national and inter-
its own demands, not to speak of was India’s most important infructuous debates, all full of so- national criticisms of DSA’s misappli-
the chronic delays that have alw- strategic ally in the past, now it is und and fury and signifying noth- cation has prompted the authorities to
ays plagued the supply of military the USA, Australia, Japan and ing, the UN has proved remark- craft new tools. It is for this reason that
hardware and spares by Russia. Western Europe. ably incapable of reforming itself the DPA bears some of the hallmarks
Delivery of two Talwar-class Further Russia’s closeness to to represent the reality of the pre- of the DSA.
stealth frigates has already been China is threatening India’s eco- sent world order. Foremost among those are the
delayed by over six months. nomic and security interests in Indian diplomacy will come reiteration of “sensitive” terms such as
There have also been delays for Central Asia, which was once fos- of age only when India takes the “public order,” “Bangladesh’s sover-
the S-400 Triumf missile systems tered by India’s friendship with lead in partnering with countries eignty and integrity,” “state security”
as well as spares for Kilo-class the Soviet Union and gave India a that today lack their voices in the “friendly relations with foreign states,”
submarines, MiG-29 fighters and privileged access to the energy international fora and create and and the like. Quite like the DSA, the
Kamov Mi-17 military transport rich “stans” ~ Uzbekistan, Kaza- promote institutions that recog- DPA refrains from providing any expla-
helicopters. The recent mobilisa- khstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan nise their voices and concerns. It nations of those terms, creating enor-
tion of 3 lakh conscripts ordered and Kyrgyzstan. It was also Russia will have a limited opportunity to mous scope for subjective interpreta-
by Mr Putin, a much-diminished that had lobbied for India’s inclu- do so as President of the G-20 tion by the authorities.
leader after the reverses suffered sion in the SCO that is dominated which it will assume this Decem-
at the hands of a progressively by China. China wields wide in- ber. As the current President of
well-armed Ukraine, will mean fluence over Central Asia and be- SCO ~ an otherwise benign IN MEMORIAM
further constraints upon Russian ing its largest economic partner, organisation with limited man-
supplies, making it an unreliable benefits hugely from its energy date ~ till next September, it can SENGUPTA DEBJANI (Sona) — In lov-
arms supplier. resources. Given the increasing do precious little to promote ing birthday remembrance. Grieved
But there are more worrying Chinese influence over Russian regional connectivity, with Pak- and deeply missed. — Avik, Tuli, Toma,
concerns now, given the weak- policy, India will lose its heft in istan being around. Raja, relatives and friends.
editor@thestatesman.com
ufacturing might, can be expected
to think more practically in order DURGA
to retain the core strength of
industrial predominance. The US SIR, O gorgeous grand Goddess
is at the cross roads, having swung Durga~ evil annihilator
hard Right. But its powerful former Mother of the meek and weak
president had to contend with the Challenger of deceitful demons
checks and balances activated by A warrior Goddess
powerful institutions deeply rooted Disarming the doubters
in the political ethos of an enduring Arms and the woman
democracy. This alone might help Taking up arms against
the US ride out the Trump era More than a sea of troubles
storm. A mother too
India too has moved to the A strange homecoming Stirring the sleeping seeds
Right, in more ways than one. Our Flanked by adult children Within the bosom of the earth
institutions too will come under Durga resplendent in arms Urging them to sprout
test. As long as these are nurtured Shining scimitar, fearful trident Fearlessly in the pristine earth
well newer political paths can Astride on the back of the king of As the Mother Goddess
enrich our democratic credentials. beasts Cradles and rocks in her arms
Perhaps affluence, falsely claimed Unerringly driving the spearhead The young and helpless earth
as an outcome of majoritarianism, Into the heart of evil
is steering the course to the Right. Durga blows the conch shell Yours, etc., Sanjukta Dasgupta,
Yours, etc., R Narayanan, That resonates through centuries 27 September, Kolkata.
Navi Mumbai, 28 September.
 NEW DELHI, 02 OCTOBER 2022 07
Live streamed proceedings
NOW AND AGAIN

Now and again

saturday night Of

make justice transparent

days gone by
SHOVANLAL CHAKRABORTY

The recent heatwave brought back memo-

ries of my childhood. Of times when the heat
PRAGYAN PRADIP SHARMA used to drive very many of us to sleep in the
open, on the terrace. There were some ceiling

T
ransparency and access to jus-
tice have always been the hall-
marks of an independent and
impartial justice delivery sys-
tem. The decision of the full court of
the Supreme Court on 20 September
to live-stream Constitution Bench hear-
ings from 27 September is a refreshing
step - a move that literally allows access
to justice from a litigant’s armchair.
By permitting live-streaming, the
Supreme Court has clearly welcomed
and opened itself to wider public
scrutiny and gaze - thereby inspiring
public confidence of its fairness,
objectivity and impartiality. Constitu-
tion Benches of the Supreme Court
deal with cases involving important
questions of far-reaching public inter-
est or issues pertaining to substantial
questions of law. Three such issues –
EWS Case (challenging the 103rd con-
stitutional amendment which provid-
ed reservation for the economically
weaker section), Shiv Sena issue
(Maharashtra political crisis) and the
validity of AIBE (All India Bar Exami-
nation), heard by three different 5-
judge benches of the Supreme Court
headed by Chief Justice U.U. Lalit,
Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice
Sanjay Kishan Kaul respectively were
beamed live through YouTube, gen-
erating over 7 lakh views.
Open trials and courts are long-
established principles of common
law jurisdictions and hence it is not
alien to the Indian legal system. The
Constitution of India adopts the con-
cept in Article 145(4), which states
that the Supreme Court shall be an
‘open court’. The Code of Civil Pro-
cedure, 1908 in Section 153-B and
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
in Section 327 extend the principle
of open courts to all civil and crimi-
nal courts in India. A nine-Judge
Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court
in Naresh Shridhar Mirajkar v. The
State of Maharashtra (1966) held that
all cases must be heard in open
Court and the right of access to jus-
tice flows from Article 21 of the Con-
stitution.
In 2018, the question of access
to justice through live streaming of
court proceedings, came to be deter-
mined in Swapnil Tripathi vs.
POLITICAL DIARY | KALYANI SHANKAR
Supreme Court of India. The
Supreme Court while permitting live
dissemination of proceedings, laid
down comprehensive guidelines for
live streaming. The Court held that
the right to know and receive infor-
mation is a facet of Article 19(1)(a) of
the Constitution which entitles the
public to witness Court proceedings
involving issues having an impact on
the public at large. The Full Court’s
decision was thus an implementa-
tion on the administrative side of a
decision on the judicial side taken
almost four years ago.
Implementation of live stream-
ing was not an easy choice as it was
fraught with technical, privacy and
security issues, amongst others. The
sudden advent of Covid-19 and the
ensuing lockdown accelerated the
technological revolution in the jus-
tice delivery system. The Court which
until then had been following the tra-
ditional mode of hearing where the
parties and lawyers physically
appear, suddenly had to shift to
video conferencing mode to contin-
ue dispensing and delivering justice.
The success of the video conferenc-
ing mode to impart and conduct
court proceedings gave confidence
and conviction that live-streaming
was indeed a possibility. Technologi-
cal advancement also ensured the
courts in India were equipped with
the necessary infrastructure to live
stream the court proceedings.
The Gujarat High Court was the
first to start live streaming of court
proceedings on YouTube; Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa,
and Patna High Courts followed. Lit-
igants involved in a large number of
cases pending before the Courts
throughout the country were bene-
fitted and this stimulated other High
Courts to follow suit. Recently, even
in the Supreme Court, the proceed-
ings before the ceremonial bench on
the last working day of Chief Justice
of India N V Ramana were live
streamed for the public.
Live streaming brings with it
immense potential to deliver access
to justice to every nook and corner
of the country. The technology of live
streaming injects radical immediacy
into courtroom proceedings. Each
hearing is made public within sec-
onds of its occurrence. It enables
viewers to have virtual access to
courtroom proceedings as they
unfold – thereby upholding the pub-
lic’s right to know about court pro-
ceedings. It minimises and obliter-
ates the public’s reliance on second-
hand narratives to obtain informa-
tion about important judgments of
the Court thereby allowing not only
litigants but also the public at large to
form reasoned and educated opin-
ions about the functioning of courts
and its orders - thus reducing misin-
formation and misunderstanding
about the judicial process.
Live streaming also serves an
educational purpose whereby law
students and young and upcoming
lawyers will be able to observe and
learn from the arguments and inter-
actions in the court. Further, since
the proceedings will be recorded and
archived, it will be a source to study
legal advocacy procedures, interpre-
tation of the law, oratory skills, etc.
Live streaming and broadcasting will
also increase the reach of the courts
as they can penetrate every part of
the country and will remove physi-
cal barriers to viewing court pro-
ceedings. This will also reduce the
congestion which is currently plagu-
ing courtrooms. It will reduce the
need for litigants to travel to the
courts to observe the proceedings of
their cases.
Access to justice can never be
complete without the litigants being
able to see, hear and understand the
court proceedings and this was the
reason for open access to court – or
‘open courts’. Courts have been
especially slow to adapt to the com-
plexities and changes as a result of
advancement of technology. But live
streaming of court proceedings is a
welcome step to promote greater
confidence in the judicial process.
More courts in India needs to adapt
to the changes of our times, especial-
ly live streaming of court proceed-
ings, subject to concerns of privacy
and sensitivity of cases.
The writer is an advocate.
The views expressed are personal.
fans in the house, no doubt; under its
whirring slow blades slept the elders. The
younger lot on the terrace. Sleeping on the
terrace involved some preparatory work. You
first swept it clean just before dusk. Then you
sprinkled water. The water sizzled on the hot
surface. After an hour or so you sprinkled
water once again. This cooled the surface. For
good measure you also wet the straw mat that
was used as a mattress; let it dry for some time
and then stretched yourself on it.
As one drifted into sleep, wafting through
the dull breeze, as if like a lullaby, were the
sounds of songs from a neighbourhood the-
atre. Since movies, typically, especially if it
was of the venerable Uttam Kumar, used to
run for 100+ days, you could hear these songs
for at least 100 days. And I always wondered if
the theatre yanked up the volume when the
songs played - because much as we strained
our ears, we could not discern the dialogues.
But the songs and tunes are imprinted in
memory to this day.
And when I hear these songs now, they
trigger memories throwing me back to my
terrace - pure unadulterated nostalgia: When
nothing mattered, and life was simple; when
the hyperbole of the cheesy lyrics from films
like "Saptapadi" or "Harano sur" sounded
like pure poetry. The hard surface we slept
on mattered little – we purred in sheer satis-
faction. We watched the clear sky and cov-
ered ourselves in a blanket of shining stars.
And woke up invigorated.
I long now to sleep on the terrace. For
the sheer nostalgia . But God bless the mos-
quitoes of Kolkata. It is as if they wait for us as
the sun sets and greet us with a ferocious pas-
sion. They feast on you. I do not dare venture
to sleep on the terrace anymore, however
fierce the summer heat is. I sleep now on
ortho mattresses in a room cooled by an air
conditioner. I invariably have to switch it off
mid-way through the night. I get up feeling
stiff. I rack my brain...did we have mosquitoes
back then? They must have been alive then
too, I am sure. But I have no memories of
them -- they must have been gentler or the
lilting music from the theatre made us oblivi-
ous of their buzz and sting. Like all other
things, mosquitoes too seem to have changed
with the times. I lie down now and stare at
the ceiling. And think of the stars beyond. And
the days gone by.
100 YEARS AGO
OCCASIONAL NOTES
A writer in a well-known Australian journal
has discovered in the adventure of Captains
Malins and Macmillan a "good story with a

Congress’ struggles to find a chief good ending." The point of the story is that,
after "a native brig had run away from the
castaways in sheer superstitious fright," at
chief minister announced that he ed, he will be both leader and Presi- the vital moment in the extremity of their

A
s the 137-year-old Congress
party is gearing up to elect its
non-Gandhi chief, the pre-
ceding political drama shows
how much the party has weakened in
the last two decades.
While Congress has opened its
doors for elections after 22 years, the
contest is now between the 80-year-
old Gandhi loyalist Mallikarjun
Kharge and 66-year-old Shashi Tha-
roor. Kharge, who had once aspired
to become the chief minister of Kar-
nataka, has, at last, a chance to head
the party. With the backing of the
Gandhis, he should win easily.
The political leadership has
always been with the family, and
even non-Gandhi presidents have
owed allegiance to them. Jawaharlal
Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi,
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi
have headed the party for the last 75
years.
The party has had at least 13
presidents outside the Nehru-Gandhi
clan. They include J B Kripalani, B.
Pattabhi Sitaramayya, Purushottam
Das Tandon, U N Dhebar, N Sanjiva
Reddy, K Kamaraj, S. Nijalingappa,
Jagjivan Ram, Shankar Dayal Shar-
ma, D.K. Barooah, K B Reddy, P V
Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri. It
was D. K. Barooah who famously
said, 'Indira is India and India is Indi-
ra."
Contests in the Congress party
are not new. It was way back in 1950
when Tandon and Kripalani contest-
ed, and surprisingly, the former, a
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel loyalist, had
won the contest trumping Prime
Minister Nehru's choice.
The last time Congress held an
election was in 2000, when the late
Jitendra Prasada challenged Sonia
Gandhi. As expected, she easily
trounced Jitendra Prasada by bag-
ging 7,448 votes against his paltry 94.
The Rahul phenomenon has
become an apparent failure, espe-
cially when he is not a vote catcher.
The Gandhis, therefore, want to rule
Congress by remote control. But
trouble came from unexpected quar-
ters. It was from the man Sonia
Gandhi propped up to take over her
position - Rajasthan chief minister
Ashok Gehlot. Who would have
expected Gehlot, a total loyalist for
decades, to lead the rebellion in his
party?
Dramatically, about 90 legisla-
tors in Rajasthan gave their resigna-
tion letters to the Speaker, stunning
the party's high command. Sonia
summoned Gehlot, after which the
was not a candidate for the party
chief. Gehlot wanted to be the chief
minister and party chief, while the
Gandhis insisted on a 'one man-one
post'' concept. Then began the
search for a dummy president, and
Kharge, the party's leader in Rajya
Sabha, fitted the role.
What would be the role of the
Gandhis, particularly that of Rahul
Gandhi, in the new dispensation?
When a reporter asked Sonia Gandhi
about this, she said, "Of course, you
have to ask the party, I suppose."
But one can see a clear game
plan. Sonia Gandhi would become a
Rajmata, and Priyanka would be
another power centre. But Rahul will
hold the remote and will continue to
take all decisions. All these are with-
out any accountability. As senior
Congress leader P. Chidambaram has
said in an interview, "Congress pres-
ident or not, Rahul will always have a
pre-eminent place in the party."
He nuanced the statement by
explaining that between 1921 and
1948, Mahatma Gandhi was the
acknowledged leader of the Con-
gress, and afterwards, Jawaharlal
Nehru and Indira Gandhi. "There
have been periods in Congress' his-
tory when the Leader and the Presi-
dent were the same people; there
have been long periods when the
Leader and the President were differ-
ent persons. If Rahul Gandhi is elect-
dent, but if not, he will remain the
acknowledged leader of the party."
Whoever becomes the party
president would have an unenviable
task – pleasing the high command on
the one hand and rejuvenating the
dying party on the other. The new
President will remain under the fam-
ily's radar and cannot move an inch
without their okay. Rahul has already
said whoever becomes the next party
chief should remember, "you repre-
sent a set of ideas, a belief system
and a vision of India". He should also
be guided by "what we decided at
Udaipur, we expect that commit-
ment to be maintained," meaning
the 'one man, one post ' concept.
A non-Gandhi party chief could
both be an asset and a liability
depending on his functioning. He
will come with no baggage. He could
become an asset if he remains the
glue between the party and the
Gandhis, not just a rubber stamp.
The new Congress chief should also
be a team leader, a vote catcher and
one who can unite the party. More-
over, containing internal factional-
ism and revolts and taking everybody
along will not be easy.
The demand that a non-Gandhi
should lead the party has been ful-
filled but what is clear is that Rahul
will continue to have the same pow-
ers whether he is elected party chief
or not.
peril "along came the British in the shape of
a trifling river launch, with a lieutenant-
commander who was not in the habit of
running away from trouble of any sort." "It
is on these outer waterways" proudly
moralises the writer, "that you find the chief
reasons why a British navy should still
exist," and he concludes with an outburst
of patriotic song. Though weak in his facts,
the Australian writer is strong in sentiment.
He has created a legend which no doubt will
become current in Australia, whether accu-
rate or otherwise. It is to be hoped that Lieu-
tenant-Commander Cumming will not
mind. He may console himself with the
reflection that some men have, greatness
thrust upon them.
***
jlkbv�j^ohbq�
The demand for money continues on a fair
scale, and some banks are willing to pay six
per cent for six to nine months' deposits, and
the discount rate is seven per cent. The effect
of raising sterling Exchange to a high level by
administrative action has been that vast
quantities of Indian produce have not been
exported, and imports have been temporarily
stimulated. The sudden slump in sterling
Exchange does not bring up the price of
imported goods to the parity of the ruling
rates of sterling. The exporters and the
importers both, therefore, require funds for
the financing of Indian produce, and for the
holding of foreign manufactures. The general
feeling is to conserve finance, and to seek
credit for an extended period at the present
favourable rates.

CROSSWORD qeb�fkaf^k�k^qflk^i�pb^jbkDp�rkflk
NO 292209 To The Editor Of The Statesman
SIR, - I am surprised to read in The
Statesman of today's report of a meeting of
the executive council of the Indian Seamen's
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION ACROSS (6)
DOWN
7 The big problem with comes in with new Benevolent Union at Ekbalpore Road. The
20 Books provided in everything – you issue (8) public are already aware that the Indian Sea-
1 Try way to bypass
city alert (6) 1 Plant starts to show don’t want to be 21 Red-faced Ameri-
house ... (4)
22 Painter with seconds improved safety behind it (5,4) can’s home? (7) men's Benevolent Union and the Indian Sea-
3 ... Elmer’s in trouble, men's Union were amalgamated into one
to stop after lecture (5) 8 Film some of mine (5) 23 Bad dates the end of
being orphaned (10)
10 Improvise with novel
megalomaniac (8) 2 Mountain-dweller’s 9 Can trade mostly Joy as girlfriend (6) union in a legal, constitutional, and regular
26 Film distant game (5) mineral promotion worthless gaudiness 24 Port gets rid of large meeting presided over by the president him-
law officer (7)
27 Real upset organised (5) (6) amphibian (3)
11 Island against dung?
in a heartbeat (5,4) 4 Having stopped using 13 Period Queen Anne 25 Plug ends up saving self, of the now defunct Indian Seamen's
No, no! (7) Benevolent Union held in the Hall of the Indi-
30 On the beat, Pat ecstasy, call for initiated (3) energy (6)
12 Zeus-lover’s drinks
carrier seduced (3,6)
misses being rich (7) sacrifice (8) 15 Piece of blancmange 26 Old curse about right an Association on the 11th inst. This meeting
31 Theologian angry 5 Town crier’s (3) director being sacked was called by the then secretary, who was
14 I don’t care if a title
about being announcement: “Man 16 Among others in a (5)
does revolve! (3,2)
punctured a lot (7) needs a whiskey” retail supply (5,4) 28 Bill will hope Ryanair duly elected as such at a meeting held on the
15 Mother queuing to 20th ultimo, presided over by the president ,
32 Like precious stones (4,2) 18 Woman’s nearly finally shrink (5)
shoot up (8)
17 Anger about
maintained badly (10) 6 Snake right under arrived (3) 29 Present object that who ratified and endorsed the unanimous
33 Expand German fight (4) child’s toy (7) 19 Country doctor hurts (5) election of the said secretary. The Indian
European flower ring
National Seamen's Union is now the only
existing union which champions the cause
and looks after the interests of the Indian sea-
NOTE: Figures in parentheses denote the number of letters in the words required. (By arrangement with The Independent, London)
men and its office-bearers were duly elected.
SAMUD KHAN.
millenniumpost
NEW DELHI | SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER, 2022
AUTHOR
DIPANKAR DEY
T
he Union govern-
ment on July 11,
2022 admitted in the
Parliament that the
value of the Indian rupee (INR)
against the dollar had fallen by
Rs 16.08 (25.39 per cent) in the
last eight years. The finance
ministry informed that in
2014, as per the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI), the exchange
rate was Rs 63.33 to a dollar. By
July 11, 2022, it had fallen to Rs
79.41. This Thursday (Septem-
ber 28) INR almost touched
Rs 82 (Rs 81.95) to a US dollar.
Deccan Herald reported that
the Indian central bank sold
dollars via state-run banks on
Thursday as the rupee gave up
most of its intraday gains and
threatened to fall to new record
lows.
Quoting Reuters, Mint
informed that the RBI has
drawn down its foreign
exchange reserves by nearly
USD 100 billion to USD 545
billion from a peak of USD 642
billion a year ago, and more is
coming. Economists have fore-
casted that
those reserves are to fall to
USD 523 billion by the end of
this year. That suggests the RBI
will run down forex reserves
at a rate last seen during the
global financial crisis of 2008
when they fell by over 20 per
cent. It may be recalled that RBI
has already burnt reserves at a
much quicker pace than during
the crisis period in 2013 when
the US Federal Reserve had
suddenly cut government bond
purchases, reported LiveMint.
Bloodbath in the
currency market
The strong dollar — pushed
up by the US Federal Reserve’s
tightening policy to rein in
inflation — is decimating world
currencies. Though the Indian
rupee has depreciated signifi-
cantly against the US dollar,
other currencies are also fac-
ing the heat of a stronger dollar.
Relative to the dollar, the yuan
has fallen about 9.5 per cent so
far this year. But even the 9.5
per cent tumble is a momen-
tous fall in the yuan’s history
— and worse may be in store,
as the Fed prepares for another
75-point rate hike to control US
inflation.
Forbes has reported that the
US dollar continues to surge
against other currencies, glob-
In a recession-hit economy with the highest rate of unemployment, cost-push inflation may lead to stagflation
Time for an overhaul
As the dominance of dollar in the currency market pushes countries on the verge of stagflation, there is a need
to restructure the functioning of global economy by undoing the damages inflicted by neoliberal capitalism
ally, as investors pack into the
safe asset and concerns of a
global recession intensify. The
Dollar Index — a weighted
geometric mean of the dollar’s
value relative to the following
currencies: Euro (EUR), 57.6
per cent weight; Japanese yen
(JPY), 13.6 per cent weight;
Pound sterling (GBP), 11.9 per
cent weight; Canadian (CAD),
9.1 per cent weight; Swed-
ish krona (SEK), 4.2 per cent
weight; and Swiss franc (CHF),
3.6 per cent weight — was up
12 per cent to more than 114
points on Wednesday, by far
its highest level since 2002. The
index has surged nearly 20 per
cent this year, and Morgan
Stanley analysts on Monday
predicted it will climb another
4 per cent to 118 by the end
of 2022 — almost matching a
36-year high of nearly 119 in
2002.
The Euro, dollar index’s big-
gest component, has tumbled
18 per cent against the dol-
lar over the past year and was
worth USD .96 on Wednes-
day, its lowest level since 2002,
just two months after reach-
ing parity with the dollar for
the first time in two decades.
The British pound has also
started tanking amid concerns
of increased government bor-
rowing to help pay for tax cuts
in the United Kingdom — only
worsening already rampant
inflation, falling to an all-time
low of USD 1.035 against the
dollar on early Monday, a more
than 20 per cent loss in value
year-to-date. The yen has sim-
ilarly slumped against the dol-
lar this year, shedding about 25
per cent in value to a 24-year
low, prompted by the Japanese
central bank’s steadfast com-
mitment to low-interest rates
as other countries pursue more
aggressive monetary policy.
And the Chinese Yuan fell
about 5 per cent against the dol-
lar on Wednesday to its weak-
est level since 2008; it’s down
about 20 per cent this year. The
offshore Yuan, which is traded
outside mainland China, fell
to 7.2386 against the dollar
on Wednesday, the Bloom-
berg news agency reported.
The onshore Yuan, which is
circulated in mainland China
and more tightly controlled
than its offshore counterpart,
fell to a low of 7.2302 per dol-
lar in early trade, the weakest
since the global financial cri-
sis in 2008. The declines come
despite China’s central bank
Monday announcing moves to
stem the Yuan’s decline by mak-
ing it more expensive to bet
against the currency, reported
Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Chinese offi-
cials claim that while the yuan
is on track for a record fall
against the dollar, it has actually
held up relatively well against a
trade-weighted basket of cur-
rencies. The yuan exchange-
rate index calculated by China’s
foreign exchange trading plat-
form shows the Yuan sitting
roughly at where it was at the
start of the year. But the Vice
Commerce Minister Wang
Shouwen said, “Our companies
are reporting falling orders, as
the demand from major mar-
kets is declining. The slowdown
in external demand is the big-
gest uncertainty faced by Chi-
na’s trade.
Nevertheless, contrary to
these depreciating currencies,
the Russian Ruble has steadily
appreciated against the US
dollar in recent months. The
US dollar and Russian Ruble
are the actual winners of the
Ukraine crisis. In the third
week of September, the Ruble
gained 4.5 per cent against the
dollar, hitting 56.7 and climb-
ing to a high not seen since
August 25. The rally came
while other global currencies
weakened against the dollar,
which hit a fresh 20-year high.
It appears that the much-hyped
western sanctions have made
the Ruble much stronger than
before.
Consequences of a
strong dollar
Exchange rate movements
have complex drivers, com-
mented the noted economist
Kaushik Basu who has rightly
detected the worrying fact that
over the last five years the rupee
has fallen not just against the
US dollar but also against the
Chinese Yuan (from Rs 9.8 to
Rs 11.4 for 1 Yuan).
Incidentally, both the USA
and China are India’s two larg-
est trading partners. At the
9
end of fiscal year 2021-22, The option of invoicing trade David Malpass on Wednesday piling pressure on their public In a recent column in Forbes
the United States surpassed between the BRICS nations in (September 28) warned that finances. The UN’s economic (August 1, 2022), Agustino
China to emerge as India’s BRICS currency had already it could take years for global arm said there were growing Fontevecchia apprehended that
top trade partner, with total been discussed by the group. energy production to diversify risks that low-income develop- for the first time the rest of the
trade between the two coun- This revelation was made away from Russia after its inva- ing countries would fall further world seemed headed down a
tries valued at USD 119.42 bil- on September 28 by Pavel sion of Ukraine, prolonging the behind. Global growth is fore- similar path as Argentina, with
lion. The US is the only trade Knyazev, the Ambassador-at- risk of stagflation, or a period cast to fall back to 3.6 per cent inflation looking increasingly
partner in the top 10 club with Large of the Russian Foreign of low growth and high infla- in 2022, while an annual aver- uncontrollable and a looming
which India enjoys a trade sur- Ministry, Sous-Sherpa of Rus- tion. In a speech at Stanford age growth rate of 3.5 per cent recession that would hit both
plus of USD 32.7 billion. India’s sia in BRICS. “The possibility University, Malpass said there from 2023 onwards means the rich and poor nations alike.
exports to the world’s largest and prospects of a common was an increased likelihood of a global output will only revert Global poverty has been on the
economy stood at USD 76.1 single currency, the BRICS- recession in Europe, while Chi- to its 2016-19 trends by 2030. rise, just like in Argentina, and
billion and imports at USD 43.3 based accounting currency, na’s growth was slowing sharply Warning that policymakers in there’s a very real risk of a cas-
billion. A weaker Indian rupee is being discussed,” Knyazev and US economic output had advanced economies had not cading global debt crisis, given
is likely to benefit exporters stated during an expert discus- contracted in the first half of yet woken up to the size of the rising interest rates and slowing
though import costs sion on the prospects the year. Malpass informed shock to developing nations, or even negative growth. Social
would also increase. for the expansion that the bank’s upcoming or its persistence, the Geneva- unrest has been on the rise, as
The sectors which of the BRICS and ‘Poverty and Shared Prosper- based agency said concerted seen in Sri Lanka due to energy
are likely to gain The US the Shanghai ity’ report (due out next week) action among rich countries and food shortages, a sit-
are Informa- dollar and Cooperation showed that decades of prog- was required to provide debt uation that could quickly
tion tech- Organisa- ress in reducing poverty had relief to poorer countries. In spread to other countries on
nology, Russian Ruble are tion(SCO). slowed by 2015, even before the some cases, debt cancellation the brink. Argentina’s deep
pharma, the actual winners The dis- COVID-19 pandemic which was necessary to “avoid another economic slump drew thou-
garments, cussion was has sent an additional 70 mil- lost decade for development”, sands to the streets on Sep-
tea, and steel. of the Ukraine hosted by the lion people into extreme pov- it said. tember 28, Wednesday, as
India-China crisis Valdai Club, a erty. The report also predicted According to figures cited protesters demanded action
trade touched Moscow-based a four per cent decline in the by the Financial Times’s Gil- to counter sky-high infla-
USD 115.42 billion think tank and global median income, the first lian Tett, total global debt has tion and help the country’s
in 2021-22. India’s discussion forum decline since the bank began tripled since 2000 and dou- poor, reported Reuters. Argen-
exports to China were USD that is closely associated with measuring that indicator in bled since 2006 because inter- tina’s poverty rate was around
21.2 billion while imports President Vladimir Putin. Pre- 1990. est rates were ultra-low. But 36.5 per cent in the first half
stood at a massive USD 94.1 viously, Tehran had proposed Euromonitor Internation- rates are rising now and the fis- of this year and Latin Amer-
billion, resulting in a huge creating a new single currency al’s new Global Stagflation cal burden in many countries ica’s third-biggest economy
trade deficit of USD 72.9 bil- to facilitate trade between Macroeconomic Scenario also is soaring amid energy subsi- has been battered by inflation
lion. It will be beneficial to members of the Shanghai documented the possible out- dies and pandemic spending that is now approaching 100
India if the two countries Cooperation Organization. If come of global stagflation on (and, in the UK, unexpected per cent.
agree to settle their transac- this materialises, which is very major economies. The report tax cuts). Tett suggests plenty
tions in their own currencies. likely, the near-total hegemony apprehends to see a sharp of mini-debt shocks are likely
A small but viable basket of of the US dollar on the global slowdown of the global econ- over the coming years, from
Conclusion
commodities may be consid- economy will face a serious omy in 2022, while the risk of sovereigns to corporate, both in Many analysts believe that
ered for rupee-yuan trade. challenge in the Eurasian and stagflation looms larger amid advanced and emerging econo- today’s global economy is
Allowing direct convertibil- African regions. high and volatile commodity mies. An over-leveraged econ- strangely similar to the 1970s
ity can help cut currency risks The major adverse conse- prices, significant geopolitical omy facing a marked increase stagflation episode. The genesis
for Indian traders who import quence of the falling rupee will tensions, and slower growth in in inflation will have to deal of the present problem is just an
huge quantities of goods from be cost-push inflation. India China. According to the study, with large rate hikes by the extension of the Sub-Prime cri-
China. Limiting the basket to a imports over 80 per cent of its while the US and the Eurozone Fed and other major central sis (2008) in the USA. The roots
few items will help the Indian crude oil, and the global crude economies are facing high stag- banks, which will raise borrow- of the problem could be traced
government keep the enor- prices have sustained at over flation risks, developing and ing costs across the globe and to 1981 when the newly elected
mous trade deficit with China USD 100 a barrel since Russia’s emerging markets could be put pressure on emerging mar- US president Ronald Reagan
in check. For China, the move invasion of Ukraine in Febru- hit hard if the global economy kets’ financial stability, with 60 had introduced the supply side
would help broaden the Yuan’s ary this year. The cost of renew- enters a stagflation era. per cent of low-income coun- economics (the Reaganomics).
influence and improve liquid- able energy will also increase as According to another tries in high-risk of debt dis- Reaganomics has dominated
ity overseas. Bank of China Ltd. most of the critical components report, cited by The Guard- tress or directly in it before the the mainstream economic dis-
started a Yuan clearing and set- are imported. High energy ian, authored by the United war in Ukraine, World Bank course for nearly four decades.
tlement service in Pakistan in prices and a weaker rupee will Nations Conference on Trade data indicated. The salient features of that
May 2018, and similar Yuan only add to inflationary pres- and Development (UNCTAD), “The indicators are not economic doctrine, which
hubs have been set up in Rus- sures in the economy. And in most nations were facing at looking good”, World Trade was later followed by Margaret
sia and Canada to allow traders a recession-hit economy with least one of the three shocks Organization chief is the latest Thatcher of the UK, were: (i)
to settle transactions, reported the highest rate of unemploy- threatening the world today — to warn a global recession is on regressive tax policy; (ii) ris-
The Print. Russia has also ini- ment, cost-push inflation leads rising food prices, rising energy the way. A number of coincid- ing real wage-productivity gap
tiated a similar move with its to stagflation. prices, and tighter finan- ing crises are slowing global (iii) consolidation of monopoly
partner countries like India. cial conditions. In its annual economic growth and threat- power through mergers and
The amalgam of five major Looming stagflation: trade and development report ening to tip the world into a acquisitions; and (iv) widening
emerging economies — Bra- (2021), UNCTD said low- recession, the WTO chief of economic inequality among
zil, Russia, India, China, and the “Argentinization” income countries had been hit warned on Tuesday, making the citizens.
South Africa (BRICS) — is of the world economy much harder by the pandemic it the latest global institution None of the current global
conferring upon the prospect than during the 2008 financial to issue a dark forecast for the economic problems can be
of creating a single currency. World Bank President crisis, adding to their debts and world economy. solved without massive changes
to the working of the world
economy to counter the harms
caused by neoliberal capitalism
over the last 40 years.
For decades, defying pre-
dictions of its demise, the US
dollar has been the world’s
dominant currency. Nearly
60 per cent of the world’s for-
eign exchange reserves are
in dollars, but that share has
been falling gradually, and the
evolution of markets and
technology have weakened
the dollar’s market share in
global payments. Currently,
the US dollar is gaining
strength, primarily due to the
conversion of weaker curren-
cies, during this crisis, to a tra-
ditionally stable currency. But
the question is increasingly
being raised about the US dol-
lar’s future as the world’s dom-
inant currency. Are its days
numbered?
Views expressed are personal
10 mp millenniumpost
SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER, 2022 | NEW DELHI

India today needs re-interpretation of Gandhian

economics which, quite ahead of its time,
incorporated the ideas of environmental sustainability
and distributive justice

An all-round visionary
SANDIP BANERJEE form of human development, ment of self-sufficiency level

T
o the majority of us,
Mohandas Karam-
chand Gandhi was
a politician, mass
leader and, above all, a free-
dom fighter who surprisingly
and in an exemplary manner
chose non-violence as a means
of struggle. But Gandhi’s views
pronounce his multi-dimen-
sional nature as a social philos-
opher. He expressed his ideas
on education, on village devel-
opment, on social injustices
and economic disparity. He, in
the capacity of an editor of as
many as six newspapers in var-
ious languages, demonstrated
his understanding of pub-
lic communication. However,
few would actually know about
Gandhi’s approach to develop-
ment in the light of environ-
ment awareness and sustainable
development. In his socio-eco-
nomic conception, Gandhiji,
throughout his life, relied on
the principle of growth with
distributive justice. During his
lifetime, the terms ecology and
sustainable development were
not so much a part of vocabu-
lary. When we read Gandhiji’s
writings, quite expectedly, we
do not come across such terms.
Only a careful reading, perhaps
between the lines, makes it evi-
dent that while dealing with
many socio-economic issues,
Gandhiji did focus his thoughts
on the subject of the environ-
ment, trying to reach out to the
solutions of related problems.
Gandhji’s interest in the envi-
ronment can be noticed in his
writings on subjects like indus-
trialisation, urbanisation, vil-
lage life and so many others.
These points are mentioned
in his ‘Hind Swaraj’. Gandhi
was not an arm-chair intellect;
rather he was practical enough
to realise that development
must suit local needs and follow
the idiom of changing circum-
stances. As a thinker, Gandhi
was ahead of his generation. He
could readily foresee the dan-
gers inherent in the model of
Gandhian model of village development still holds pertinence
development based on rapid
industrialisation. Today we are
talking about the Kyoto Pro-
tocol or about Earth Summit;
Gandhiji alerted us way back
in 1927 when he stated that
contemporary Western civili-
sation was dehumanising the
individual by putting premium
on hedonism of the body, only
emphasising on material luxu-
ries. With such observations,
Gandhiji was actually warning
everyone about consumerism,
the rapid spread of which and
related consequences we are
facing today. His indictment of
the modern civilisation in ‘Hind
Swaraj’ was intended to caution
mankind against this calamity.
In modern times, particularly
in an era of cultural impact of
globalisation of economy, when
materialism is no more an eco-
nomic content but a psycholog-
ical determinant, we are bound
to taste the bitterness of dispar-
ity and economic discrimina-
tion. Gandhiji anticipated this
long back and hence made a
historic comment that seems
to grow in relevance every day
— “The world has enough for
everyone’s need but not every-
one’s greed’’.
Gandhiji advocated the con-
cept of simple living and high
thinking. He could distinguish
between happiness and material
comfort. He firmly believed that
consumerism is not the only
essential key to development.
The Gandhian model of vil-
lage development, which met
criticism even from thinkers
like Ambedkar, still holds per-
tinence. The present economic
crisis in Sri Lanka is another
eye-opener of how a country’s
economy can have a downturn
because of mismanagement and
corruption. Gandhiji’s ideas
about economic sustenance
rested on planning, where the
governance can unite itself
with the masses and create a
transparent model of economic
development.
Scientific progress direct-
ing the path of rapid industri-
alisation and urbanisation has
certainly deteriorated the envi-
ronment in which we live. While
exploiting the natural resources
for our comforts, we have actu-
ally eroded the fabric of nature.
The result is bound to be det-
rimental. We are all shouting
participatory in nature. It relates
to reconciliation with nature
where equity and justice are
the major premises. Gandhi-
ji’s views on development and
environment embrace all the
major value premises and com-
ponents of sustainable develop-
ment. The Gandhian model of
social development highlights
the importance of value-system
in our lives where the key words
are ‘truth’, ‘non-violence’ and
‘sarvodaya’. Gandhiji coined the
term ‘sarvodaya’ with the mis-
sion of well-being to all, which
represents an ideal social order.
Gandhiji believed in emanci-
pation of the mind; to him
decentralisation of eco-
nomics and politics
Gandhi was of paramount
importance to
was practical ensure all-
round devel-
enough to realise opment of
over ter- that development must the society
minolo-
gies like
suit local needs and ‘Last where the
Man’
global follow the idiom would also
warming. of changing enjoy the fruits
Gandhiji of development.
was apprehen- circumstances In recent times we
sive about such an have toiled hard to
outcome. He, thus, had faith find a parity between growth
on revival of our traditional and distributive justice. It is
cottage industries, for to him clear that without permeating
unchecked exploitation of the effects of development to
natural resources would lead all sections of the community,
to environmental problems. no nation can thrive. There is
Gandhiji’s analysis of the psyche no scope for continuing eco-
of modern man convinced him nomic sustainability by creating
that modern civilisation would islands of excellence. According
grow at the cost of ecological to Gandhi, for attaining smooth
imbalance where nature would development of the economy, it
be put to stake. Time has proved is imperative to develop all the
him proverbially correct. regions of the country, simul-
Amartya Sen in his eco- taneously. The overall progress
nomic vision has stated the link of the entire economy depends
between environment and sus- on the balanced development
tainable development. He pro- of all the regions. In India, even
vided examples like Kalahandi today, there exists regional dis-
in Orissa where rapid and arbi- parity. In relative terms, some
trary industrialisation endan- states are advanced econom-
gered the livelihood of the ically and others are not so.
native tribals. Modern econom- Within a state, some districts
ics explains how sustainable need greater development
development speaks of human than the rest. In this context,
attitude to nature. Sustainable Gandhian economics is rele-
development is an integrated vant, for it supports the attain-
in industrialisation and uni-
form economic pattern for each
region. Gandhian economics
justifies that every man should
increase his personal income
and standard of living by
exploiting the existing natural
and human resources fully in
an eco-friendly manner.
One point of criticism
that is often resounded on
Gandhi is that he opposed
scientific and technological
progress. Some critics even
extend themselves to sug-
gest that he glorified pov-
erty. He was also criticised
for redirecting the outlook
of the people towards the
past. However, a finer look
into Gandhiji’s econom-
ics reveals that he was not
opposed to industrialisa-
tion or to science and tech-
nology. In ‘Harijan’, he clearly
wrote, “There would be no
objection to villagers using even
the modern machines and tools
that they can make and afford
to use.’’ Nowadays, environ-
mentalists vindicate that the
future of humanity rests on
factors like man’s behaviour
with himself, his behaviour
with fellow beings and his
relationship with nature. These
are also taken to be vital param-
eters for sustainable develop-
ment and economic growth in
holistic terms. Gandhian phi-
losophy dealt with all these,
and that too almost a century
back. It is time to interpret and
reappraise the ideas of Gandhiji
in the context of modern time
and space. The emphasis on
encompassing every available
resource without denting their
basic texture is what Gandhi
spoke about. This is exactly
what modern economists opine
about sustainable development.
Re-interpreting Gandhi in the
light of modern thought can
be a yardstick in measuring the
effects of development with eco-
logical balance.
The writer is an educator
from Kolkata.
Views expressed are personal

Silver lining amid commotion

In a world deeply divided in any other theatrical perfor-
mance, comes for the final bow
Ravana sena to catch him and
then runs from one corner to

on sectarian lines, open-air

and mingles with the audience. another.
Most sought-after character for Although none from the
selfies is Lord Hanuman. cast could speak English,
performance of Ramayana in A little hefty and tall man,
who essays the role of Lord
through a local interpreter, one
came to know that almost the
the form of Kecak dance in Hanuman, draws the loudest
applause from the audience
entire cast of the dance drama
is composed of amateurs. Most
Indonesia’s Bali stands out as a because of his antics that pro-
vide a comic relief of sorts to
of them are government ser-
vants and half of the proceeds
symbol of communal harmony the drama.
The audience bursts into
of the show go to the artists,
and the remaining to the tem-

and undivided spirituality

laughter the way he fights ple for its upkeep.
To a tourist, Kecak dance
may look like any ballet perfor-
mance with a difference, where
ASIF ULLAH KHAN which was about 30-minutes’ rhythmic vocal chants not only

A
tweet by BJP’s Nupur
Sharma, asking Mus-
lims to keep away
from garba, is doing
rounds on social media. Some
time ago, Bollywood actor
Nawazuddin Siddiqui pulled
out of a Ramleela programme
after Shiv Sena objected to his
presence on the stage.
These hatemongers may not
know that the Muslim-majority
Indonesia, despite the rise of
Islamic fundamentalism, has
not allowed fanatics to pollute
the cultural aspects of Hindu-
ism, which they are proud of.
Unlike India, in Bali, Rama-
yana is performed daily and
what makes it unique is that the
entire story is narrated through
sounds!
So, when I landed in Bali,
the first thing I asked my local
guide Komang — a Balinese
Hindu — was where the Rama-
yana is performed through
sounds? Komang informed me
that it was performed at Ulu-
watu temple in Jimbaran area
drive from my hotel in Kuta.
However, he warned me,
“make sure you reach there
early to get a good seat which
can give a better view of the
event.”
Uluwatu temple has a spec-
tacular setting. Perched on a
steep cliff with the Java Strait
forming its backdrop, Uluwatu
temple is a huge complex. As
one entered the temple, the
monkeys prancing around
reminded me of Jaipur’s Galta.
After buying the ticket for the
show, as I entered the circular
open-air stage (arena style the-
atre), the sun was on the last
leg of its journey. In the centre,
wood logs were being stacked
up by bare-chested men wear-
ing checked cloth around their
waists, who were murmuring
something. The fire was lit and
as the sun dipped into the Java
Strait, the flame increased and
the entire area was lit up and
the sound “cak, cak, cak” grew
louder. The performance began
with a puja carried out by a
priest dressed in white clothes.
And then, slowly, the charac-
ters from Ramayana started
appearing. Tourists are pro-
vided with a pamphlet about
the story but, being an Indian,
I could easily recognise who’s
who of the Ramayana.
The moot question is,
where did the onomatopoeic
chant of “cak, cak, cak” come
from? It is believed that it’s
derived from “Kecak” — a
Balinese trance ritual or dance
— which is accompanied by
male chorus. It’s also called the
Monkey Dance. However, its
present form is attributed to
Walter Spies, a German painter
and musician. Walter, who has
been credited with popularis-
ing the Balinese art and cul-
ture in the West, adapted it as a
drama, based on the Ramayana
to attract Western tourists.
The best part of the Kecak
Dance is that it’s performed in
a natural environment or sur-
roundings with no props or
any artificial backdrop. Unlike
the conventional dance drama,
there is no orchestra or band
of musicians. It’s just “cak,
cak, cak” chanted by 100 to
150 bare-chested men in cho-
rus, which narrates the story
through the movement of their
arms and hands. However, the
“cak, cak, cak” sound can vary
depending on the scene or
the situation. Like when Lord
Rama and Devi Sita are seen in
a garden, the sound becomes a
little soft. But when the wicked
and scheming Ravana is eyeing
Devi Sita in a lonely place, the
sound of “cak, cak, cak” tells
you what is going to happen.
All hell breaks loose when Lord
Hanuman’s vanara sena attacks
Ravana’s Lanka. The entire area
reverberates with “cak, cak,
cak” as Lord Hanuman goes
on destroying Ravana and his
Lanka. The fire which was lit up
Unlike the
conventional
dance drama,
there is no
orchestra or band of
musicians in Kecak
performances
in the centre in the beginning
comes in handy for showing
the symbolic burning of Lanka.
Lord Hanuman kicks the burn-
ing logs, and the flames engulf
the entire area. Sometimes, the
embers even land on the audi-
ence, creating commotion in
the stands amid loud screams.
The drama comes to an end
when Ravana is killed by Lord
Rama, and the entire cast, like
with Ravana sena. While try-
ing to dodge or deceive Ravana
sena, he sometimes runs into
the audience’s stand to hide
himself. Sometimes, he teases
narrate the tale but also serve
as an accompanying orches-
tra. But there is more to
Kecak dance than just a
performance. It depicts
Bali’s pristine spiritual
culture, which is still intact
despite the influx of tourists.
It’s an act of worship and an
expression of cultural values,
reflecting the essential Balinese
philosophy.
One thought that Bali,
being one of the most sought-
after tourist destinations, will
be full of those “clichéd and
tacky touristy” fake heri-
tage sites but what one
discovered was refreshing
old Hindu culture which
all of us have read about in
our textbooks. And it exists
in complete harmony with the
spiritual and social life of the
only Hindu majority province
of world’s largest Muslim coun-
try Indonesia.
The writer has worked on senior
editorial positions for many
renowned international publica-
tions. Views expressed are personal
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AFTER A LONG ROPE, PFI FINALLY NAILED
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he ban on the radical outfit
T Popular Front of India (PFI)
and its affiliates by the Centre
earlier this week under the
stringent Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act has come in the wake
of intelligence reports that the Islamist
organization’s scale of radicalization has
reached monumental proportions and its
linkages with several global terror groups
was threatening national security.
The banned outfit’s deep-seated
strategic ambit is clear as it has begun
regrouping within a week of the ban
under the banner of Tipu Sultan
Volunteer Force.
The most alarming element in the
PFI’s tactics was the recruitment of a
large number of mentally challenged
children by its affiliate Rehab India
Foundation, also banned along with the
parent organization. The clandestine
nature of such recruitment left the
children open to abuse into drug
trafficking, organ harvesting,
gunrunning, and suicide bombing
without them being aware of their role in
such affairs.
While the government has banned
the Rehab India Foundation, measures
are yet to be taken to rescue these
children. Their legal verification and
tracing of their families are the need of
the hour to stem any possible threat
posed by their misuse in the future.
The PFI was working in a modular
fashion with each of its affiliate
organizations working on specific
agendas.
The PFI affiliate National
Confederation of Human Rights
Organisation was working in the guise
of raising human rights issues of the
Rohingyas and also organized protests
in favour of the displaced Myanmar
nationals illegally residing in India and
also organized anti-state protests in the
name of human rights violations of the
Muslims to further its anti-government
propaganda by projecting that the
Muslims were being crushed in the
country at the hands of the state. It was
also working to create a pro-Rohingya
and anti-UAPA narrative. It was being
mentored by an American Human
Rights group and also had a working
relationship with urban Naxals and
ultra-Left human rights groups.
The Empower India Foundation
that brought the Vision 2047 document
for Islamisation of India was engaged in
intellectual narrative building and
pushing Muslims at different levels of
the government administrative
machinery.
Likewise, the All India Imams
Council, also a PFI affiliate, also banned,
was allegedly working to convert the
youths of Islamic factions like Sufism
and Shia denominations into radical
Salafism. It also engaged in conversion
for which it issued a detailed set of
guidelines.
PFI’s National Women’s Front was
reportedly tasked to spearhead the hijab
movement. The outfit was not only
radicalizing gullible Indian youths but
also Islamic cohorts from a number of
countries like Maldives and Seychelles
among others.
The PFI had also reportedly ran a
“Boycott India” campaign in the MENA
(Middle East North Africa) region when
India was coping with the Covid
pandemic and cryogenic oxygen was
being imported from the Gulf countries.
Through the Boycott India campaign,
the outfit intended to disrupt the supply
of oxygen so that more and more Indians
could die due to the pandemic.
The outfit had grown so bold that it
issued threats to a few serving and
former Intelligence officers including
Interlocutor for the Northeast RN Ravi
last year.
The organization, with a
membership base of over 15 lakh, was
growing organically. The Tamil Nadu
Tauheed Jamat merged with it in 2021.
Tauheed Jamat’s Sri Lankan faction was
involved in the 2019 serial bombings in
Colombo in the high security diplomatic
zone killing over 200 people.
The PFI had developed significant
connections with the Rohingyas. On the
Uyghurs, the PFI facilitated the
movement of leaders to Hyderabad but
in a display of a double game, it did not
endorse Uyghur demands in line with
the Pakistani government line on the
issue.
The PFI was also in the advanced
state of setting up training camps abroad
in conjunction with the Taliban and ISIS.
The PFI hierarchy is divided into
two factions-the one owing allegiance to
ISIS and the other to Al Qaeda. The
current action against the PFI by the law
enforcement agencies entails measures
against the ISIS faction within the outfit.
The PFI leadership, tilted toward the
Al Qaeda global terror group, was in
contact with the Tahreek-e-Taliban. The
group had also prepared a hit list of top
political leaders.
The PFI was indulging in
“disturbing” the country’s communal and
secular fabric and “posing a grave threat”
to national security by advancing its
radical ideology and seeking to establish
“political Islam” in India besides
targeting Hindu activists.
According to agencies monitoring
the activities of the PFI and its members,
a secret ‘service team’ was formed,
similar to the ‘hit squads’, whose main
task was to provide security to senior PFI
leaders and also keep track of Hindu
leaders in their areas and plan action
against them.
The PFI also covertly organised
training exercises, and military-like
drills, where participants are trained to
use force and violence against certain
religious groups, which are perceived as
enemies of Islam.
Since its inception, the PFI has been
against Hindu organisations and their
leaders. The e group has a secret hit
squad that engages in targeted killings of
Hindu activists and those allegedly
indulging in blasphemy.
The PFI is alleged to have been
continuously involved in anti-
government propaganda and spreading
the narrative that Muslims were being
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persecuted in India.
The outfit was at the forefront in
organising anti-CAA protests during
December 2019-March 2020 and many
cases were registered against them which
included 51 in Uttar Pradesh alone
where the PFI-led platform, Samvidhan
Suraksha Andolan, was among those
which coordinated the anti-CAA
agitations.
Through active involvement in the
protests, the PFI was able to project itself
as a prominent Muslim organisation
capable of safeguarding the interests of
the community.
By projecting itself as the champion
of Muslim causes, the PFI had been
successful in attracting new members
over the years. Its role in the Delhi riots
was also investigated by the ED.
In recent years, the peaceful
atmosphere of the country was
threatened by PFI, which has a presence
in 17 States.
The murder of Praveen Nettaru in
Bellare town on July 26 was one of the
cases that exposed the violent character
of PFI. Nettaru, a member of Bhartiya
Janata Yuva Morcha and a local
businessman, was hacked to death in
typical ISIS style by bike-borne assailants
and most of the accused in the case had
an affiliation with the PFI.
An investigation by local police
claimed a chilling tale of cold-blooded
murder by PFI cadres and SDPI
members in retaliation to the killing of
19-year-old Masood, a Muslim migrant
labourer.
A list of RSS and Bajrang Dal
members of the town was prepared and
the PFI leaders handpicked some
members to avenge Masood’s death.
Nettaru was targeted as he had
commented on the halal issue, officials
said.
Contrary to PFI’s claim of being a
social organisation working for the uplift
of Muslims, the ground actions of the
outfit tell a totally different story with
several of its cadres having a violent
history.
registered against PFI cadres and its
affiliates across the country including
under the UAPA, the Explosive
Substances Act, Arms Act and other
sections of the IPC.
The interrogation of the accused in
various cases showed that the PFI would
identify Muslim youths, from poor or
middle-class backgrounds, for physical
training during which they were also
inculcated with anti-Hindutva ideology.
These cadres were trained in
handling knives, swords, and rods and
how to attack specific body parts to
inflict maximum damage.
On July 4, Telangana Police
registered a case against 27 people after a
training camp for 200 PFI cadres was
found in Nizamabad. The PFI had been
trying hard to make inroads into
Telangana to increase its cadre base and
was undertaking social programmes like
distributing school books and food to
the poor to gain traction among them
There have been a number of
instances of international linkages of PFI
with global terrorist groups where some
PFI activists, particularly from Kerala,
had joined ISIS and had participated in
terror activities in Syria, Iraq, and
Afghanistan, which was an outcome of
the continuous radicalisation of its
cadres.
While investigating the foreign
funding trail of PFI, the ED found that
PFI had formed district executive
committees in various gulf countries
including the UAE, Oman, Qatar,
Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
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The India Fraternity Forum (IFF)
and Indian Social Forum (ISF) were PFI’s
overseas fronts and were to politically
engage the expatriate Muslims to
conform to their ideology and organise
funds for activities of PFI in India.
Their executive committees were
responsible for sending money to PFI in
India without leaving any trail. Funds
were generally collected in cash and
remitted to India either through hawala
channels or camouflaged as remittances
made to relatives and friends of PFI’s
members and sympathisers working
abroad.
Further, PFI had linkages with the
dreaded Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
Bangladesh, which was involved in
several terror incidents in that country.
Also, 21 people having linkages with
the PFI had joined the internationally
banned ISIS terror group.
Some Al-Qaeda in the Indian
Subcontinent (AQIS) training videos,
depicting gruesome murders, were
recovered from the PFI cadres accused in
the professor TJ Joseph hand-chopping
case in 2010.
PFI’s top leaders visited Turkey in
2018 and 2019 to attend programmes
related to Palestine.
Its radical activities had attracted the
attention of an international radical
outfit namely, the Party of Islamic
Renewal, which had in April sent an
online letter to PFI on Twitter, praising
its activities and urging it to organize a
‘Revolutionary Army’ for Jihad against
the Indian government.
The PFI has also been targeting
leaders of the Sufi Islamic Board, who
were campaigning constantly for a ban
on the PFI.
Since its inception in 2006, the PFI
encouraged its cadres to undertake
actions that mar peace and harmony
among religious groups and disrupt the
secular fabric of the country.
On December 9, 2006, three south
Indian Muslim fundamentalist groups --
National Development Front/NDF,
Kerala; Karnataka Forum for
Dignity/KFD, Karnataka; and Manitha
Neethi Pasarai/MNP, Tamil Nadu,
rechristened ‘South India Council’ (a
Bengaluru-based organisation floated by
NDF in 2004) as ‘Popular Front of India’.
Several members of PFI, including
its top leadership, had been active
members of banned SIMI. They
included EM Abdul Rahiman (former
Chairman), E Abubacker (Member,
National Executive Council/NEC) and P
Koya (Member, NEC).
SIMI was banned in 2001 under the
UAPA for anti-national activities.
In their oath of allegiance, the PFI
cadres swear to sacrifice their lives for
the creation of Allah’s rule (Shariah).
This oath was administered to the cadre
only when he was judged to have been
suitably radicalised for the group.
PFI recruits were radicalised by the
display of selective video clippings on
emotive issues like the Babri Masjid
demolition, and communal riots in
Gujarat and other parts of the country,
aimed at instilling a sense of Muslim
persecution and distrust against the state
as well as other communities.
During interrogation by the ED
(December 2020), Rauf Sharief (former
general secretary, CFI), had said that PFI
runs a secret relief wing, which actually
plans and executes revenge attacks on
selected RSS leaders.
On the funding part, the officials
said that PFI receives dubious funding
from within the country as well as from
abroad.
PFI and its affiliates maintain a large
number of bank accounts and receive
money through its well-
wishers/financers based in India and
abroad. It also collects Zakat (donations)
from its wealthy supporters.
The ED searched several office
premises and residences of PFI leaders in
2020 and 2021 for suspected money
laundering and arrested PFI leaders. The
ED probe revealed that the PFI had
created a very well-organized structure
in Gulf countries for raising funds and
the collected fund was sent to India
through Hawala.
PFI was operating money laundering
fronts overseas, which included the
Munnar Villa vista project in Kerala and
Darbar restaurant in Abu Dhabi.
In the Munnar Villa vista project,
lakhs of unaccounted cash were infused
and some benami shareholders were
located in UAE, who later transferred the
shares to PFI leaders.
The PFI was parking its illegally
raised funds in this project so as to use
them as and when required.
ED probe also revealed that Anshad
Badruddin (PFI, arrested by UP ATS in
Lucknow in February 2021 with arms
and explosives) had received more than
Rs 3 lakh from PFI (from 2018 to 2021)
for criminal activities.
The PFI’s accountant during the
investigation, in the aftermath of the
Delhi riots, told his interrogators that
PFI’s headquarters at Shaheen Bagh,
Delhi kept crores of unaccounted money,
which they use without any
accountability.
Many cases of Hawala money
transactions were being investigated by
various law enforcement agencies
against PFI.
A large jewellery company from
Kerala is also suspected to be funding
PFI.
(The writer is Special Correspondent,
The Pioneer)
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nation infatuated with IITs
A and AIIMSs makes it dif-
ficult for the vast majority of
students to seek a degree in a
field other than engineering or
medicine. Yet, students who are
unable to acquire admission to
either tier II or tier III institutes
often end up enrolling in a
non-technical degree course.
So, what we are seeing in the
form of the Common
University Entrance Test
(CUET) — a homogenised
objective test — is nothing
more than the fallout of that
fixation where the students
could be evaluated on a simi-
lar standardised test.
In an academic environ-
ment where near-perfect scores
are the norm rather than the
exception, the introduction of
CUET to decide students’ eli-
gibility for university admission
is a much-needed initiative.
However, if the proposed
entrance exam is going to be
based on Multiple Choice
Questions (MCQ) test, I am
afraid it would only result in
mushrooming of more coach-
ing centres to prepare students
for university entrance test.
Testing a student’s suit-
ability, particularly for liberal
subjects, necessitates a com-
prehensive evaluation.
Therefore, this test cannot be
solely dependent on multiple-
choice questions. When a can-
didate is expected to employ
her critical and argumentative
acumen during the course,
testing her ability to memorise
facts and information is never
a good idea. Hence, the assess-
ment should ideally be a blend
of both objective and subjective
questions, done in stages (pre-
liminary and advanced). The
intention behind having an
advanced stage consisting of
subjective paper is to assess the
applicants’ linguistic, critical,
and analytical skills.
This is important because
the purpose of higher educa-
tion is much more than just
creating high paying job oppor-
tunities for students. Quality
education has an inherent
responsibility to play an
enabling role in personal
accomplishment, constructive
public engagement, and pro-
ductive contribution to society.
The broader objective is to
engage faculty and students
?4AB?42C8E4
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estern countries are lead-
W ing a rare two-pronged
push at the UN’s main human
rights body to better scrutinise
the human rights records of
two big world powers: China,
over allegations of abuses dur-
ing an anti-extremism cam-
paign in western Xinjiang, and
Russia, over its government’s
crackdown on dissent and
protest against the war in
Ukraine.
Going after two such influ-
ential UN members — two of
the five permanent members of
the Security Council no less —
at the same time will be no
small political task, diplomats
and rights advocates say. It tes-
tifies to a growing rift between
democracies and more auto-
cratic countries, and is shaping
up as a gamble of geopolitical
clout, the outcome of which
will resonate beyond the
Geneva conference room
where the Human Rights
Council meets.
Some Western diplomats
insist it’s now or never, and say
it just so happens the two
issues need separate attention.
Britain, Canada, the US and the
five Nordic countries are lead-
ing a call for council members
to agree a debate at its next ses-
sion in March on alleged abus-
es against Uyghurs and other
mostly Muslim ethnic groups
in Xinjiang. They aim to build
momentum on an August 31
report by the UN human rights
chief that raised concerns about
possible crimes against human-
ity during Beijing’s anti-
extremism drive in the region.
On Tuesday, 26 European
Union countries — all of them
except Hungary — floated a
with local communities to
learn a thing or two about real-
world problems while func-
tioning in collaborative, inclu-
sive, and cross-disciplinary
ways.
In liberal education, explo-
ration is not just a whimsical
luxury; it is a central benefit.
Learning stuff is of secondary
importance than learning
about oneself, the emphasis is
on developing all capacities of
a human being — intellectual,
physical, emotional, aesthetic,
and moral — in an integrated
manner.
There are no entry barriers
to pursuing a graduation
proposal for the council to
appoint a “special rapporteur”
on Russia, citing a string of
concerns about mass arrests
and detentions; harassment of
journalists, opposition politi-
cians, activists and rights
defenders; and crackdowns —
at times violent — on protest-
ers against President Vladimir
Putin’s war in Ukraine. Both
issues will come up for a vote
near the end of the council’s
current session on October 7.
Intense backroom diplo-
macy is already underway.
Developing countries in Asia,
Latin America, Africa and
West Asia make up the major-
ity of the 47 current members
of the council. Stalwart allies of
China and Russia, including
Cuba, Eritrea and Venezuela,
are members, as is China itself.
Western and European coun-
tries have 13 seats. Some
European diplomats have
expressed concern that the
cultural, political and eco-
nomic ties — even depen-
dence — that many developing
countries have with both Russia
and China could torpedo the
Western initiatives.
Alexander Pchelyakov,
press secretary of the Russian
diplomatic mission in Geneva,
rejected the “politicised”
Western proposal on Russia,
insisting its “main goals are to
punish Russia for pursuing an
independent foreign policy
course” and to divert attention
away from the West’s own
problems when it comes to
human rights, economics and
energy.
The proposal on China is
for a simple debate, with no
consistent monitoring of the
degree in India. Anyone who
can afford the fees can obtain
the degree with minimal effort.
As a result, we keep producing
graduates who lack any
employable skills. According to
the most recent data from the
periodic Labour Force Survey
(20-21), only 13.8 per cent of
Indian youth are vocationally
trained. In comparison to
Germany’s 75 per cent and the
United States’ 50 per cent, this
is woefully inadequate to reap
the benefits of demographic
dividend.
And we can’t blame anyone
but ourselves for this complete
mess. We live in a country
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rights situation, and is just
about the least intrusive form
of scrutiny that the council
could seek. The call stops short
of creating a team of investi-
gators to look into possible
crimes in Xinjiang, or appoint
a special rapporteur — a pro-
posal that is on the table with
Russia.
John Fisher, global advo-
where everyone wants to secure
a limited number of white-col-
lar jobs by acquiring a college
degree. The vast majority of
them are academically chal-
lenged, but they don’t mind
crowding colleges and univer-
sities.
Against this backdrop, it
makes more sense for us to
borrow a leaf or two from the
US education system, where
cost and academic talent are
major barriers to acquire a
graduate degree. The obvious
advantage of this type of
ecosystem is that a large num-
ber of students do not qualify
for a degree course. And these
cacy deputy director at Human
Rights Watch, said recently
that action on China and
Russia are its top two priorities,
and they amount to “no small
challenge.”
“There was a time when
states like China and Russia felt
to be almost untouchable,” he
said. “But it now feels that states
of principle are finally saying
students eventually go on to
pursue industry-related specific
skill upgradation via diploma
or certification — making
them qualified for blue collar
jobs.
However, there is a wide-
spread aversion to blue collar
jobs in India. Despite the gov-
ernment’s numerous policy
initiatives to connect schools to
ITIs and polytechnics, the
number of trained people being
absorbed in industries is not
encouraging.
Unless we can prepare aca-
demically average students for
decent industrial opportunities,
this lot of students will con-
‘enough’ and standing up to
those who would seek to dis-
rupt the international rules-
based order.”
“Even the fact that these
initiatives are under active
consideration — and quite
likely both to move forward —
is itself a signal of the relevance
and engagement of the Human
Rights Council,” Fisher added.
tinue to graduate with no skill
set.
Therefore, the need of the
hour is to create a better entry
barrier to degree colleges while
also imparting industry rele-
vant courses at ITIs and
Polytechnics.
Furthermore, there is an
urgent need to distinguish the
concept of wellbeing from
wealth. In the absence of this
fundamental distinction, peo-
ple invariably choose wealth
over wellbeing.
A generation raised on the
yardstick of Instagram filter has
its own challenge of accepting
their inherent flaws.
Western diplomats appear
to feel more confident about
success with the Russia mea-
sure. The council has little
power to force countries to act,
and there’s little certainty that
Moscow would even allow an
outside UN-backed monitor
into Russia as part of the post
if the council seeks to create it.
The Xinjiang debate proposal
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Making peace with the fact
that someone might not be
intellectually gifted to make a
dent in the academic or busi-
ness world is a first step
towards exploring possibilities
in life.
And you never know how
this exploration could prove to
be a gateway to a life worth liv-
ing, where you can strive to be
someone who offers meaning ?8HDB7:
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to things rather than someone
who seeks meaning in things.
(The writer is a former IRS
officer & author of the book
‘Current Perspectives on the
Indian Economy’)
derided as detention centres.
One Western diplomat
whose country backs the
debate on Xinjiang, speaking
on condition of anonymity
because of the sensitivity of the
matter, insisted the proposal
was a “measured” response.
Some supporters of China fret
that the plan for a springtime
debate is secretly just a foot in
the door — a quiet effort that
will aim to ramp up pressure
on Beijing later on.
A key test will be with
Africa, whose countries hold 13
council seats. Some have pop-
ulations that are predominantly
Muslim. Nicolas Agostini of
DefendDefenders, an NGO
that promotes human rights in
East Africa, told reporters
recently that it estimates most
African countries will abstain
in the Russia vote, but maybe
one or two — “we identified
Malawi and the Gambia as the
two most progressive African
states that are members of the
council right now” — will
vote yes.
“Regarding China, it’s
much more complex,” he said,
alluding to “extreme Chinese
pressure on African states,
including members of the OIC
that are African states.” One
0? African diplomat, also speak-
ing on condition of anonymi-
is shaping up as the bigger ask, ty because his country is still
diplomats say. The situation is calibrating its response, said it
perceived, rightly or wrongly, as has a “principled and objective
a less pressing one than in approach” on the China reso-
Russia, where a crackdown is lution. “We will have to con-
continuing. China, ever-pro- sider our bilateral relations
tective of its reputation as its with the Chinese,” the diplo-
global profile and power rise, macy said coyly. “We’re not just
has said it has largely shuttered going to jump in there (in sup-
what it called training centers port of the draft decision).
in Xinjiang — and what critics (Courtesy: AP)
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 2 OCTOBER 2022 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

2 OCTOBER 2022

Shreya Sen-Handley
Off the beaten track

What ‘Chucky’ did next,

and other regal musings
T
he only questions asked of the British last month, whether royalist or not
(I’m definitely NOT), are about the over-the-top royal funeral and its improb-
able aftermath.
Charles, Chucky to wicked folk, is finally King at 73 — whoddathunk?
Having been asked my opinion of Charles more times in the last weeks than I’ve
given him, or any of his family, any thought in my 22 years in Britain, I conclud-
ed that I would have to furnish authoritative answers for the many grilling me.
Gah.
Pointing inquisitors to this newspaper column every time a royal question is

In war on hate speech, LETTERS

popped, I’d be at liberty to return to my pleasantly royalty-free (in more senses
than one) life.

OLDSTER AT HELM
FAQs:
1. What do you think of the monarchy?
I don’t, but if you must ask, I agree with Napoleon’s espousal of a meritocracy.
Of course we know he didn’t institute one, becoming a monarch of sorts himself.
The 80-year-old

err on side of freedom

But isn’t that ever the problem? You remove one entitled freeloader, only to find
another sneaking into his p(a)lace. Mallikarjun Kharge is
After the beheading of the first King Charles in England, with much excitement set to become the next
about a republic being founded, Oliver Cromwell, the civilian rebel leader, only
went and became a king himself.
Congress president as
This obviously springs from a flaw in human nature, which impels us to either solitary challenger
become false gods, or worship them. If we must have them, I’d rather they weren’t The worst of all expression could be Shashi Tharoor has
taxpayer-funded. stifled.
options would be to There are other proce-
been abandoned even
Pavan K. Varma
But I hear King Charles III has promised a “slimmed-down monarchy”. Well,
huzzah, but I won’t hold my breath. have new laws that dural problems. How will by the group of
2. Was Queen Elizabeth II your “favourite grandmother”, like she’s everyone don’t prove effective such a law be implement- discontented reformists
else’s apparently? in preventing hate ed with regard to called G23 that he was
speech, yet can be
Chanakya’s View
Erm, no. My favourite grandmother was my own. A strong-willed, little Bengali YouTube and social
media? How will it differ- part of. Although the
woman who trekked across foreign weaponised by the Congress had claimed
lands in her sari, wrote family plan- entiate between mere
State to curb the criticism and hate
ning manuals for village women, and
sacrosanct freedom there was no “official”
was imprisoned by the British in speech? But ultimately,
candidate, the kind of

O
India for marching against them. n Mahatma
The late Queen’s Dad would have Gandhi’s birth
(indirectly) done the jailing. anniversary, it
So, not even when I’m deep in my is customary
Jane Austens, delighting in my clot- to pay tribute
ted cream and scones, do I think of to him at especially
the Queen as Granny-Adorable! organised ‘official’ func-
That said, I don’t dislike ERII. The Who wore the nattier mourning tions. Yet, how much of
British system being what it is, with hat — Kate or Meghan? his legacy do we actually
little pressure to change, or make internalise? The bhajans
society equitable, she carried out her bequeathed role, with, by all accounts, con- he loved are a fixed fea-
siderable dedication. ture of these annual ritu-
And there’s always some slight pleasure in having a female leader (though I als. Do we remember
draw the line at finding Liz Truss’ premiership joyful). what their essential mes-
3. Can King Charles III be a force for good? sage is? For a man, who
Ask instead why he didn’t call himself King Arthur — “Once and Future King”? could sing, Ishwar Allah
With Arthur as one of his middle names, adopting it as his kingly appellation tero naam, do we stop to
would have been fitting, if grandiose; but what about royalty isn’t the latter? think how dramatically
Association with the legendary Arthur would have been a quick win. On the other
hand, the two King Charles’ that preceded ours, in losing their heads in more
this clarion call is being
vitiated today?
ways than one, hadn’t exactly covered themselves with glory. Narratives are not writ-
Can we hope that Charles’ reasons for persisting with his benighted name aren’t ten in stone. Some modifi-
practical alone, and he’s starting as he means to proceed – by not allowing the cations, even correctives,
institution to obscure the individual he is? are necessary to allow
And who be that, pray? new narratives to emerge.
Not the best husband definitely! But when have we ever held that against male What we need to analyze
celebrities? Perhaps not even adoting father, if his ups and downs with Harry are is how much of the old
indicative. But the royal household and British rags played their part in both needs to be jettisoned, and
debacles. what of the new is really
Bullied as a boy in school, and even in adulthood by his family (if the Netflix hit desirable. Gandhiji’s mes-
The Crown is to be believed), and by the British media even recently, if Charles sage of tolerance, inclu-
could draw on his own experiences of harassment to understand his multicultur- sion, respect for all reli-
al country, he could be that rare British monarch with empathy. gions, is a narrative that
He might already have the makings… we can only reject or
An ecological champion long before it was fashionable, he’s also a major patron dilute at great peril to the
of the arts in Britain; batting for organisations with the gumption to employ verifiably plural, muti-
gobby brown folk like me. religious, multi-cultural
A progressive sovereign capable of representing a plurality?
Gorblimey!
vibrancy of our nation.
India’s civilisational
4. Who wore the nattier mourning hat — Kate or Meghan? unity has myriads of
Blech. If for nothing else but her mistreatment by the press, and sometimes the ways of expression, a vast
public, the best hat prize should be Meghan’s unquestionably. diversity, humbling and
But the burning question remains… enrichening. The
5. How many marmalade sandwiches were ingested in the world’s most unctu- resilience of India’s
ous queue to see their dear departed Queen? nationhood is conditional
No expert on marmalade sandwiches (though the occasional jam tart is on preserving that diver-
scrumpy, thank ye), I reckon even the Queen’s best bud Paddington can’t count sity in unity.
the millions consumed! Snaking from Buckingham Palace to well, hell, nearly Hate speech, based on
Germany, from whence the Windsors took wing, this British queue to beat all suspicion, violence and
British queues (and that’s saying sumfink, trust me), lasted 336 hours, embraced hostility between reli-
a gazillion gammons, and broke a Guinness World Record or ten easily. gious communities, is
The British love for toeing the line in their own country but flouting every rule directly antithetical to
of civilised society around the world is legendary. Almost as well-known as their Gandhiji’s core beliefs. If
history of being jammy. we genuinely believe in
The pluck and luck are ebbing, but the herd instinct abides. what the Father of Our
Yet, isn’t this embarrassingly long and servile queue further evidence of a Nation stood for, we need
worldwide disease? Aren’t we all guilty of capitulating to the cult of celebrity? to resolutely fight it. But
Whether Hollywood/Bollywood stars, rapacious oligarchs, or political strong- the way to do it requires
men, we glory in falling at their (usually mediocre) feet. It isn’t even new, because careful thought. That
humanity’s always kowtowed to Trumped-up potentates, and worshipped false requires perennial demo-
divinities. cratic vigilance, some-
From the dawn of time, you see, we’ve all been royally FAQ-ed. thing that the Mahatma
always believed in.
Shreya Sen-Handley is the author of the award-winning Memoirs of My Body, Few can question that
short story collection Strange, and new travelogue Handle With Care, and a the amount of hatred that
columnist and playwright. Her Twitter and Insta handle is @shreyasenhan. is spewed on prime-time
TV under the garb of
“debate”, is uncivilised,
undemocratic and an
incitement to violence.
Recently, Justices K.M.
Joseph and Hrishikesh
Roy of the Supreme Court
tried valiantly to deal
with this issue. The
learned bench asked an
anguished question:
“Why is the government
standing as a mute wit-
ness to hate speech, treat-
ing it as a trivial matter?”
The Court gave a partial
diagnosis for this trend
by saying: “Hate drives
TRPs, drives profit.” It
questioned the role of
anchors who encouraged
such vitriolic face-offs.
“Political parties will
come and go,” the
Justices observed, “but
the nation must endure.”
Among the possible solu-
tions they considered
were guidelines like those
laid down in the
Vishakha case to prevent
sexual harassment in the
workplace. “The most
important point is where
is our nation headed?”
the Bench asked. “If it is
hate-speech that we are
feeding on, where is our
nation headed?”
The Supreme Court’s
genuine concern on this
issue was evident. But an
enduring and effective
solution cannot be
ensured by guidelines,
strengthening existing
laws, or creating new
ones. On the contrary this
may only end up in
strengthening the State’s
predatory powers against
those who oppose it, and
become a further barrier
against the constitution-
ally guaranteed funda-
mental right of free
speech.
The problem is that hate
speech is nowhere pre-
cisely defined. Article
153A of the Indian Penal
Code (IPC) says that “pro-
motion of enmity between
different groups on
grounds of religion, race,
place of birth, residence,
of speech and
expression
language, etc., and doing
acts prejudicial to mainte-
nance of harmony” is
punishable by three years
imprisonment. Section
505 of the IPC makes it an
offence to make state-
ments of “communal mis-
chief”. There are similar
provisions in the
Representation of
People’s Act.
But who is to interpret
what hate speech is? If
this initial power is with
the government and its
law enforcing agencies, it
greatly widens their
scope of arbitrary puni-
tive action. We have seen
this happen in other laws
like the draconian sedi-
tion law, and the
Unlawful Activities
Prevention Act (UAPA).
Since 2014, sedition cases
have been filed against
405 people, a 28 per cent
increase compared to
UPA rule. Of these, 149
cases have been slapped
on those who have made
“critical” or “derogatory”
comments against Prime
Minister Modi, and 144
against those who have
made such comments
against UP chief minister
Yogi Adityanath.
If this is the distorted
manner in which the
State has interpreted the
sedition law, what pre-
vents it from doing the
same with regard to
“guidelines”, or new legal
provisions against hate
speech? Such malafide
partisanship in interpre-
tation could militate
against the fundamental
right of free speech man-
dated by Article 19(1a) of
the Constitution, which
categorically states: “All
citizens shall have the
right to freedom of speech
and expression.” The seri-
ous worry is that under
the garb of preventing
hate speech, the right to
freedom of speech and
the reality is that TV is a
reflection of the dominant
socio-political debate in
the nation. This debate is
inextricably linked to pol-
itics, and the policies of
the government. If the
government is itself com-
plicit in engendering sus-
picion and hostility
between religious com-
munities for short term
political dividends, how
long can TV channels,
anchors and, even more
importantly, corporate
media owners oppose this
trend? If the political will
exists, existing laws on
hate speech will suffice. If
it does not, new guide-
lines mandated by the
Supreme Court, or new
provisions in law, will not
work.
The worst of all options
would be to have new
laws that don’t prove
effective in preventing
hate speech, yet can be
weaponised by the State
to curb the sacrosanct
freedom of speech and
expression.
Ultimately, therefore,
we have to go back to the
original vision of
Mahatma Gandhi, which
is to conquer hate.
Narratives will clash as
nations evolve, but hate
should not and must not
dictate change. Equally,
genuine democracy and
freedom of speech, were
the bedrock of Gandhiji’s
ideology. Our govern-
ment needs to ponder
over this. If an enabling
milieu is created for the
proliferation of hate, and
laws to curb it are used to
stifle freedom of speech,
Gandhiji’s unshakeable
belief in freedom, love
and mutual respect, will
fail. Posterity will judge
if we betrayed the
Mahatma even as we paid
tribute to him every year
on his birth
anniversary.
The writer is an author,
retired diplomat and
former Rajya Sabha MP
support Kharge
received while filing his
nomination on Friday
leaves no doubt about
the party’s collective
will. Great expectations
notwithstanding, the
result of the Congress
presidential polls is now
a foregone conclusion.
Sankar Paul
Chakdaha, West Bengal
PUPPET ON A CHAIN
EVEN IF EITHER Mr Kharge or Mr
Shashi Tharoor emerges victori-
ous, his position will be an exact
replica of that in which Dr
Manmohan Singh found himself
when he was PM for a full decade
from 2004 to 2014. Just like Dr Singh
was reduced to the level of a puppet
of the then extra-constitutional
authority called NAC (National
Advisory Council), the next
Congress chief will be a mere
spokesperson of 24 Akbar Road,
New Delhi.
Arun Malankar
Mumbai
BRAZEN AS PUTIN
FAR FROM BEING afraid of inter-
national sanctions, Vlad Putin has
gone ahead and annexed parts of
Ukraine. Sanctions which were
supposed to hurt Russia seem to be
hurting the rest of the world more.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy can call
Russia all the names he wants to,
but it is doubtful whether it would
make any difference to the
Russians. The helplessness of all
international bodies when dealing
with people like Mr Putin has been
exposed in the Ukraine conflict. It
is over seven months since the con-
flict began and there is still no sign
of hostilities ceasing. Unless the
international community does
something extraordinary, it seems
like the world is destined for some
more pain ahead.
Anthony Henriques
Mumbai
Every Monday the best letter of
the week wins `500. Email:
asianage.letters@gmail.com.

I
n their own ways, both former ers, including Anand Sharma and must have heaved a sigh of relief now Fadnavis is not complaining as he gets to towards the BJP despite the fact that it
Madhya Pradesh chief Manish Tewari, after he spoke to them that Ms Selja is not in the race. call the shots. engineered a split in the LJP. What does
Anita Katyal minister Digvijaya Singh and Lok about his decision to contest. None of the young Paswan have to say about

A T
Sabha member Shashi Tharoor got them opposed his decision but on the s in the case of the yet-to-be elected he recent meeting between RSS Khalique’s outburst, is the question
played in the ongoing election of the next critical day of filing nominations, they Congress president, Maharashtra chief Mohan Bhagwat and repre- doing the rounds.
Political Congress president. Clearly nudged by all feigned surprise and instead support- chief minister Eknath Shinde’s sentatives of the Muslim communi-

N
party president Sonia Gandhi, Mr Singh ed Mr Kharge’s candidature. stint in power is also believed to be a ty has created quite a few ripples. Shahid etas and abhinetas in Kolkata are
Gup-Shup suddenly jumped into the fray and was stop-gap arrangement. According to the Siddiqui, vice-president of the Rashtriya in for a tough time this Puja. For

all set to file his nomination papers. But
the proverbial rug was pulled from
under his feet when overnight, the
Gandhis decided that veteran leader
O
nce it became clear that Rajasthan
chief minister Ashok Gehlot was
not in the fray for the election of
the next Congress president, a host of
political grapevine in Mumbai, the BJP Lok Dal, who was among the five who no one is a VIP now. West Bengal
is essentially awaiting the election of the interacted with Mr Bhagwat, was all chief minister Mamata Banerjee has
cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal praise for the RSS chief, described the decreed that VIPs will be designated as
Corporation. The BJP is depending on meeting as pleasant and said it was invitees and that puja committees will

Cong prez polls: Mallikarjun Kharge was a more suitable

candidate. According to Congress insid-
ers, this last-minute change took place
after several party members called up
Diggy & Shashi Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi to express
their unhappiness over Mr Singh’s can-
didature and warned that he would
names started doing the rounds. Former
Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja
was among those who figured in the list
of possible contenders. While this was all
in the realm of speculation, former
Haryana chief minister Bhupinder
Singh Hooda apparently got extremely
Mr Shinde to wrest control of the corpo-
ration from the Uddhav Thackeray fac-
tion of the Shiv Sena. If the BJP succeeds
in its endeavour, it is entirely possible
that it will then ask Mr Shinde to relin-
quish the chief minister’s post, leaving
him no choice but to accept a role as a
important to keep the dialogue alive. It
would be interesting to know if RLD
chief Jayant Chaudhary is in agreement
not make special arrangements for
them. Being designated a VIP was criti-
cal for hopping from pandal to pandal
with Mr Siddiqui and whether he was and avoiding long queues to see the
aware of this meeting. The RLD is cur-
rently in the Opposition camp but Mr
Siddiqui’s positive remarks about Mr
newest version of the goddess. The
biggest and most novel “theme” pujas
are mostly Trinamul Congress pujas, as

got played, Selja prove to be a liability to the party. Mr

Singh was left red-faced as he had asked
several delegates from Madhya Pradesh
to be present in Delhi when he filed his
agitated about the possibility of Ms Selja
being favoured by the Gandhis for the
party presidency given his longstanding
rivalry with her. It is learnt that Mr
junior partner. On his part, Mr Shinde is
working assiduously to take full control
of the Shiv Sena so that he can legiti-
mately claim to be the real Sena. To this
Bhagwat has led to murmurs that this
could signal the start of new political
equations in Uttar Pradesh. On the other
hand, Abdul Khalique, secretary general
these committees are headed by big time
netas. But many organisers are strug-
gling to keep the celebrations going this
year as netas are not spending as gener-

scare for Hooda nomination papers. All those who ar-

rived in Delhi for this occasion eventual-
ly ended up standing in Mr Kharge’s sup-
Hooda was so incensed that he even
planned to contest the polls himself. He
was encouraged by his camp followers
end, he spends his time travelling and
meeting workers across the state while
governance has been outsourced to a
in Chirag Paswan’s faction of the Lok
Janshakti Party, has blasted the five
Muslim representatives who
ously as they did in the past for fear of a
crackdown.

port. On his part, Mr Tharoor was ex- who said they would personally fetch the retired bureaucrat and a favoured civil- met Mr Bhagwat. Unlike Mr Chaudhary, Anita Katyal is a Delhi-based
pecting the support of several G-23 lead- nomination papers for him. Mr Hooda ian. But deputy chief minister Devendra Chirag Paswan is positively inclined journalist

EDITOR: KAUSHIK MITTER, PRINTER & PUBLISHER: K. SUDHAKAR; THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: (011) 23211124;
Published and Printed on behalf of and for; Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301;
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 The world of tomorrow will be, must be, a
society based on non-violence. That is the Mahatma
first law; out of it all other blessings will flow Gandhi

06 HYDERABAD SUNDAY 02 10 2022

� � THE NEW SUNDAY EXPRESS

INFLATION, HIS PM MODI MUST PROTECT PROTOCOL WHILE

MAJESTY’S POUND PROMOTING HERITAGE
AND KING DOLLAR When Modi handpicked Jaishankar as defend our global stakes is enhancing
his Foreign Minister, a change for the Modi’s Vishwaguru status.
acquired four stars much before him
and are technically senior to him even

T
better was expected. JS is a unique dip- after Chauhan’s inexplicable elevation.
HEY say a week is a long time in politics. It is true for the lomat who has been the Indian ambas-
IT’S ALL IN THE STARS IN Internal dissent and General Rawat’s
SERVICE MATTERS
global economy too. Harold Wilson’s quip during the Ster- sador to both China and America. He is excessive interference in politically
ling crisis of 1964 resonated across UK and global financial also the only ex-babu to be catapulted Act first and think later appears to be sensitive issues had forced the govern-
markets this week. The sterling (pound/cable) cost two from a post retirement corporate job the mantra of the top Central bureauc- ment to downgrade the post. Since
dollars and 80 cents in 1964. This week His Majesty’s pound into the foreign minister’s chair with racy which second guesses the political Chouhan was military advisor to the
was, well, pounded down to a dollar and three cents by King POWER & POLITICS Cabinet rank. He has visited 75 coun- leadership by first identifying a candi- National Security Council Secretariat
Dollar. PRABHU CHAWLA tries, some more than once, spending date and then framing the rules. After (NSCN) headed by the omnipotent
Context matters for policy – particularly when regimes lean prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com almost every fifth day delaying the appointment of Doval, walking their tightrope won’t be
on history to reincarnate economic growth. In 1942 John May- Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla abroad. He is the only the new Chief of Defence a problem.
nard Keynes observed, “Anything we can actually do, we can minister to spend two Staff (CDS) after General
afford….” We are immeasurably richer than our predecessors.” continuous weeks in the Bipin Rawat died, the De-
PM CLEANSING INDIAN LEGAL
HERITAGE OF COLONIAL BAGGAGE
Britain was ruch. In 2022 its GDP ranks below India and its TIME TO RETHINK US to meet his counter- fence Ministry’s decision to
economy depends on what Mark Carney described as ‘the kind- JAISHANKAR FACTOR part, address the UNGA, appoint Lt General Anil All important public appointments
ness of strangers’. Keynes was advocating the engineering of and meet Think Tanks, Chauhan (retired) has led have unmistakable Modi hues. When
policy to create public goods, not private enrichment. The poli- A prized quality in a top politically sav- corporate leaders and the defence establishment Senior Advocate R Venkataramani was
cies unveiled by the Liz Truss government validated what Rishi vy diplomat is the ability to nuance the other VIPs on his bucket down the protocol rabbit announced as the 16th Attorney Gen-
Sunak dubbed fairy tale economics and triggered a rebuke from most binary postures. And diplomacy is list. However, India hole. General Rawat, also eral of India to replace 91 year old K K
the IMF , a ratings review by S&P the art of using nuances to make power- doesn’t have Most Fa- from Uttarakhand, was Venugopal, even the most informed and
and panic in the markets. ful points. One of the most nuanced of voured Nation status in S Jaishankar Army chief who was made well connected legal eagles and political
The turmoil saw liquidity evapo- India’s prime ministers, Atal Behari any important country. CDS just a day after he was pundits were taken aback. Cerebral
rate, forcing three large economies Vajpayee, had quipped: “Quiet diploma- Jaishankar said in New to retire. But Chauhan had counsel and former AGI Mukul Rohatgi
to intervene. In the UK a meltdown cy is far more effective than public pos- York last week: “On mo- retired almost a year ago had declined the job for personal rea-
in the pension funds following a turing”. Two decades later, the foreign bility, specifically visas, and was part of the National sons. The low profile, well spoken Venk-
crash in the value of bonds forced office team chosen by his saffron suc- this is particularly cru- Security Council led by NSA ataramani isn’t a habitué of corridors
the Bank of England to fork out 65 cessor Narendra Modi practices the Di- cial given its centrality to Ajit Doval, another famous of powers. His mentor is the revered ex-
billion pounds. Earlier, the Bank of plomacy of Confrontation where na- education, business, son of Uttarakhand. The se- AGI K Parasaran, who was perhaps con-
THE THIRD EYE Japan intervened to halt the precipi- tional interests are concerned. But of technology, and family lection of the new CDS was sulted by the Prime Minister.
SHANKKAR AIYAR tous slide of the Japanese Yen past late, they don’t seem to be the ones who reunions.” His US coun- made without properly con- Venkataramani had argued in favour
Author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar: 145 per dollar. In China, the People’s set the tone. Ex-envoy turned freelance terpart Antony Blinken’s sidering the implications of of the Hijab ban in the Supreme Court,
A Biometric History of India’s 12 Digit Bank of China stepped in and politician, External Affairs Minister S response on visas and appointing a superannuated and Modi was looking for an ideologi-
Revolution, and Accidental India warned markets’ not to gamble on Jaishankar believes that aggression is America’s $450 million Gen Anil Chauhan three star general over four cally compatible law officer with many
shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com one-way depreciation’ as the Yuan the best posture to demolish contrari- service package for F16s star chiefs of all the forces. crucial judgments coming up. Venkata-
plunged to 7.24 per dollar. ans. A trained diplomat with experi- to Pakistan was vague. As Military Secretary, Chau- ramani, representing a teacher who
In the United States, yields on the ence and linkage, he has faithfully and The State Department han reports to the Defence supported the ban, had argued, “The
benchmark 10 year paper nudged past 4 per cent triggering fears blindly adopted BJP’s aggressive do- claimed it was helping Is- Secretary. As CDS, he is mil- absence of assertion of the identities is
in emerging markets. A stronger dollar has impacted earnings mestic copybook, which he seems to be lamabad “fight terror”, a itary advisor to the Nuclear a conducive environment to inculcate
of listed multinations. Equity indices in the US recorded the blotting alarmingly. India’s relations ridiculous claim consid- C o m m a n d Au t h o r i t y values about the diversity…” and root-
third successive quarter of declines – the benchmark S&P, Nas- with the superpowers and some neigh- ering Pakistan’s odious chaired by the Prime Minis- ed for “a free and unhindered atmos-
daq 100 and Dow Jones are down 21 per cent this calendar bouring nations are worse than before. bedfellows are Tehrik-i- ter. The CDS is the perma- phere where teachers can communicate
year. Forget about strategic setbacks on a Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba nent Chairman of the Chiefs with the students without a wall of sep-
The crux of the carnage is the persistence of inflation. The geopolitical scale, even a mundane mat- and Jaish-e-Mohammed. of Staff Committee com- aration”. It was music to Modi’s ears.
burden of easy money printed in developed economies during ter like visas for Indians is a torment Jaishankar’s lame re- R Venkataramani prising all three service Moreover, many important cases, like
the pandemic is roasting economies across the globe. Even as for Indian embassy staff. For the first sponse was, “I flagged it chiefs. South Block manda- Abrogation of Article 370, etc., are go-
central banks struggled to contain inflation, aggravation arrived time since Independence, Indians must to Secretary Blinken and rins and Defence experts ing to come up for a final hearing, and
in the form of over $ 500 billion in ‘consumer protection’ in- reportedly have to wait more than two … For someone to say I am doing this were baffled how an officer, junior in the government needs a law officer for
ducted by governments in Europe and the UK – this week, Ger- years to get a US visa, even to meet their because it is all counter-terrorism con- rank to the Army, Air Force and Navy whom conviction isn’t a matter of con-
many cleared a 200 billion Euro package. In August 1975, Milton families or attend marriages. Students tent and so when you are talking of an chiefs, could preside over a meeting. venience. Moreover, PM has been cham-
Friedman published the seminal tome ‘There’s No Such Thing were put in even greater difficulty. Can- aircraft like a capability of an F-16 To solve the unprecedented dilemma, pioning the values of the ancient Indian
as a Free Lunch. A year later, in 1976, Margaret Thatcher fa- ada refused a visa to internationally ac- where everybody knows, you know Chauhan was simply given an extra legal system without colonial baggage.
mously said socialist governments always run out of other peo- claimed sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik where they are deployed and their use. star before taking over; it’s the first Also, Venkataramani’s choice as AGI
ple’s money. The lessons have come home to haunt - ironically, in time to speak and travel to receive an You are not fooling anybody by saying time a retired army officer had been and Kiren Rijiju’s selection as Law Min-
in 2022, Britain is running out of money under a Tory regime. award. Most European countries, too, these things,” The time has come for promoted to a higher rank. Yet it would ister are seen as part of Modi’s cam-
By definition, inflation is too much money chasing too few aren’t accepting Visa applications from Modi to ponder if allowing a babu lack- resolve the sensitivity of connected paign to purge the Lutyen’s mafia from
goods. It is true that earlier supply chain disruptions, higher Indians — the Chinese get preference. ing political legitimacy and statecraft to with seniority. All the existing Chiefs all centres of power.
energy prices and food scarcity impacted inflation. That,
though, is no longer the case. Supply shortages have eased –
companies like Nike are wrestling with higher inventories. En-
ergy prices are down with crude oil in the mid-eighties. Energy
prices are down with crude oil in the mid-eighties. The villain
now in the popular commentary is the tight labour market. The
US Federal Reserve is trying to lower inflation by pushing un-
employment higher.
CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD
What is not being debated is the workforce gap and demo- ity on the local authorities to imple- ing modern technologies for cleaning one. For instance, the Swachh Bharat
graphic challenge faced by the US, Europe and post-Brexit Brit- ment the Act. The larger goal of the Act sewers on local authorities and agen- Abhiyan, which aims to make India
ain. Wage costs also depend on demand and supply. A study by was to correct the historical wrongs cies. However, municipal corruption open defecation free and is an effort to
Giovanni Peri and Reem Zaiour at the University of California, and injustice meted out to the SC & ST and lack of awareness in Panchayats achieve universal sanitation coverage,
Davis shows that “by the end of 2021, there were about 2 million community members who had been en- plus deeply entrenched social prejudice does not focus on the faulty designs of
fewer working age immigrants in the US than there would have gaged in such a dehumanising practice favouring discriminatory behaviours septic tanks across India that are not
been if the immigration trend had continued unchanged”. for decades because of the highly iniq- and attitudes against a particular com- machine friendly. The campaign in-
The front loading of steep interest rate hikes to curb demand uitous caste system. This social menace munity. That led to the failure of the stead goes on to aggressively build toi-
and engineer unemployment to tamp down inflation comes with OPINION has existed for thousands of years now mechanisation dream. Manual scaven- lets across the country based on the
risks. Since March, the US Federal Reserve has hiked interest ANURAG TIWARY and has been promoted by a Brahmani- gers continue to work under life-threat- same old design that will eventually
rates from 0.25 to 3.25 per cent and aims to touch 4.5 per cent. To Delhi-based Lawyer cal social order. ening conditions without safety gear need manual scavengers to clean them.
appreciate the pace of hikes, one must consult history. The last However, not even a single conviction and proper equipment. They risk suf- This further perpetuates social evil and
rate hike cycle stretched from 0.25 per cent in December 2015 to BHAVYA SINGH has occurred in the last nine years. Last fering severe health hazards such as institutionalises indifference as a meth-
2.5 per cent in December 2018. In effect, the US Fed has hiked UN Millenium Fellow ‘22 year, the government told the Rajya asphyxiation due to inhaling poisonous od of governance.
rates higher in six months of 2022 than it did in three years! Yet Sabha that 66,692 manual scavengers gases or contracting severe diseases. Another big failure of the state has
inflation continues to rage. It is now feared that the systemic had been identified so far. On the one They are also met with social ostra- been its complete ignorance of the in-

D
shock to financial stability witnessed in Britain could knock on hand, the government claimed that no cism, suffer untouchability and are tersectional issues of discrimination
the doors of developed and vulnerable markets. EATHS due to manual scaveng- deaths had occurred due to manual abysmally low-wage workers. and the plight of women manual scav-
Beyond the systemic risk, the approach has implications for ing are a recurring phenome- scavenging, but on the other admitted The Supreme Court took note of their engers in the country. While the men
global trade and growth and, therefore, the Indian economy. The non in India today. So much so that more than 900 people had died plight in two important and landmark are tasked with getting into the sewers,
RBI has expended over $45 billion, its reserves are down to $ 537 that even the Supreme Court in while cleaning sewers and septic judgments - Safai Karamchari Andolan women are made to clean dry toilets
billion and the rupee has slid from 79.94 and is hovering around 2019 noted that “In no country, tanks. & ors. Vs. Union of India (2013) & Delhi and ferry excreta. It is even harder for
82 per dollar. This week the Reserve Bank of India hiked repo people are sent to gas cham- The above distinction between ‘man- Jal Board vs. National Campaign & Ors. them to escape this cycle, and they face
rates by 50 basis points to take it to 5.9 per cent and trimmed its bers to die. Every month 4-5 ual scavenging’ and ‘cleaning sewers (2011). In the 2011 judgment, the Apex far more brutality than men if they
growth projection to 7 per cent. In an exhibition of verbal cal- people lose their lives due to manual and septic tanks’ is flawed and distorted Court in the words of Justice G.S. Sing- refuse to work. Policy initiatives, there-
listhenics, the RBI has stated that the repo rate is lower than scavenging”. It is appalling to note that because those who die while cleaning hvi, observed that “The human beings fore, cannot anymore continue to look
pre-pandemic levels and has hinted that it may have to raise the practice had taken hundreds of sewers and septic tanks are none other who are employed for doing the work in at the community of manual scaven-
rates further. lives even after being criminalised way than manual scavengers themselves. the sewers cannot be treated as me- gers from a single lens.
India is better placed, but it cannot afford to be sanguine. Yes, back in 2013 when Parliament enacted This is also true because all claims to chanical robots, who may not be affect- Seventy-five years post Independ-
it needs to recast its macro fundamentals to guardrail the econ- the ‘Prevention of Employment as Man- mechanise sewer cleaning have failed e d by p o i s o n o u s g a s e s i n t h e ence, we haven’t quite fulfilled his goal
omy and illuminate its relative merit. The larger question is can ual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation and have not been implemented on the manholes.” of a ‘social democracy’. India continues
the circumstance of competitive rate hikes persist? The world Act, 2013’. ground. And yet, the ‘Kaka Kalelkar Unfortunately, the state’s only re- to treat a certain section of its popula-
cannot lurch from the brink of one crisis to another. This De- The 2013 Act did three broad things. Commission’ had called for the mecha- sponse to the above concern has been to tion as if they are children of a lesser
cember India assumes the presidency of G20. The risk of sys- It criminalised manual scavenging, nisation of sewer cleaning in 1956. roll out policy initiatives that aim to god. We need to change that, and we
temic shocks and export of rate hike recession must find place sought to provide for their alternative The 2013 Act did not do anything dif- solve the problem only through a top- need to change that soon.
on the agenda. employment and fixed the responsibil- ferent. It laid the responsibility for us- down approach instead of a bottom-up (anuragtiwary66@gmail.com)

I want the Kyiv authorities and their real masters in
Stop beating students
the West to hear me, so that they remember this.
This has reference to the news “Jharkhand teacher
People living in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and thrashes class VI students for not dancing properly,
Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens. Forever. arrested”. Recently we have read news that two
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia students died in two incidents in Madhya Pradesh
and Uttar Pradesh because of savage beating by
their teachers which showed their intolerance and
…persistence of high inflation necessitates further withdrawal of monetary
impatience with their students. The fault of stu-
accommodation to restrain broadening of price pressures, anchor inflation dents is they were unable to dance properly and
expectations and contain the second-round effects. the dance performance was to be cancelled which
infuriated the teacher who could not digest the
Shaktikanta Das, Governor of RBI
cancellation of program. Teachers need orientation
programmes to avoid corporal punishments.
It’s really hard to get them (running shoes) in India. And they are expensive. It K Jayanthi, Chennai
costs H12,000 to H14,000 to get a pair and one pair only lasts about two or
three competitions because the heel gets worn out very quickly. And I don’t have Caution to BBMP
a job. I still have to manage with only the H10,000 I’m getting as a scholarship. I As a citizen of Bengaluru, I welcome the high
court’s warning to BBMP engineers that their sal-
can’t ask my family for funds any more
ary will be put on hold if they fail to remove the
Munita Prajapati, Gold medal winner in walking at National Games encroachments on Rajakaluves under their jurisdic-
tion. As only 10 encroachments have been cleared
in ten days’ time, I wonder how much time they
need to clear 592 more encroachments. And in the
meantime, the city may yet again face flooding.
Asha Chandrashekar. Bengaluru
Compensation from PFI
The Kerala High Court directed PFI and its state
General Secretary to deposit money for damage
caused to the government and KSRTC, Kerala’s pub-
lic carrier during the outfit’s September 23 hartal
(NIE September 30 2022). This is exactly what con-
demnable incidents of widespread anarchy and
damage to public property witnessed during the
hartal demand. Hope this serves as deterrence to
those who declare hartals at the drop of the hat
and to perpetrators of violence during such hartals
in future.
Dr. George Jacob, Kochi
Drug-free day
Apropos of ‘Sundays meant for faithful, not
schools, bishops’ council tell govt’ (Oct 1). Gandhi
Jayanti Day is of great national importance and
Kerala Government’s circular asking all schools to
function on that day to observe as Drug-free day is
legitimate and to be obeyed by all. The decision of
the Catholic church to ignore the call citing church
activities on Sundays cannot be justified and
should be dealt with severely.
N A Joseph, Ettumanoor
Abortion rights
According to Supreme Court’s current landmark rul-
ing, women are fully entitled to decide on abortion
without external interference or influence. The
benefits in law extend to unmarried women also
who have intrinsic rights to abort within 24 weeks
of pregnancy. A survey highlights that one in four
adults in India do not like to get married but many
of them develop intimacy with their girl friends by
promising to get married and then ditch them after
the girls become preganent. To wipe out their
shame, the hapless girls run from pillar to post to
abort. Sometimes such pregnant women are ostra-
cised by their families and villages too. The court
ruling comes as a blessing.
Rajamani Chelladurai, Tirunelveli
Women’s rights
Referring your editorial ‘Women’s final frontier’
(Oct 1), the onus of a stricter implementation of
the Supreme Courts pronouncement lies with the
government and the society. The verdict is is a mes-
sage to our society, the male-dominated one,
against centuries of patriarchy. The mindset must
change to help emancipation of women
A. M. Chakravarty, Hyderabad
National award
Kerala’s tribal folk singer Nanchamma made the
state proud by receiving the Best Female Playback
Singer Award from President Droupadi Murmu at
the 68 National Film Award presentation ceremony
in New Delhi on Friday. By carrying the photograph
of the beaming old lady receiving the award on the
front page, TNIE has made her more prominent
among the readers.
P Shylaja, Nileshwar

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JAMMU
SUNDAY
OCTOBER 2, 2022
KHADI: ANEMPYREAN FABRIC!
DR. PRAGYA KHANNA
T
ime seems to have stood still in the
Khadi and Village Industries Empo-
riums/khadibhandars at most of
the places in Jammu. The whole scenario-
gives a look as it was decades ago;the wide
store has more staff than clients.
The staffers still have an unconcerned
look, sending slight and faintindication of
orientation to rare shoppers of not making
them work too hard. They are on the alert
only when one of the senior heads of the
emporium walks in, only to settle back
into torpor the moment he exits.
Has this organic, eco-friendly, indige-
nous produce become an alien in its own
land? And are there no takers for what
was once considered the poor man's fab-
ric? The reasons are many and equally di-
verse.
An Environment and eco-friendly gar-
ment, khadi is recognized as one of the
coolest and most comfortable fabric ever
known. It is cool in summer and warm in
winter.
While all over the world efforts are on to
produce 100% eco-friendly textiles in an
aspect of degenerating environment,
where even the cotton will be grown with-
out chemical fertilizers. However, amaz-
ingly, this is already being done in Indi-
ain the form of PonduruKhadi which is
produced from wild varieties of cotton
found in Ponduru, Srikakulamdistrict in
Andhra Pradesh which is in the South of
India, only a few know.
The products of khadi industry are
matchless in the sense that they are one
of a kind besides being truly "cottage" or
Mental health of Children
VIJAY GARG
C
hildren’s emotional wellbeing is
just as important as their physical
health. Good mental health helps
A CALL FOR CONSERVATIVE APPROACH IN ECONOMIC POLICIES
ASHOK THAKUR
S
ure, among major economies, we are
the only game in town. Our inflation
levels are still below that of the devel-
oped western world, and interest rates are
still moderate despite precautionary action by
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In Friday's
policy review, the Monetary Policy Commit-
tee has raised repo rates by 50 basis points
to 5.9 per cent, in keeping with the need to
tame retail inflation, and also in anticipation
of more aggressive moves by the US Federal
Reserve, the European Central Bank and the
Bank of Japan in the coming months.
Clearly, warning signals for India are flashing
amber. The first quarter current account
deficit (CAD) for fiscal 2022-23, at 2.8 per
cent, is close to the psychologically impor-
tant 3 per cent limit that is considered sus-
tainable. Our currency is depreciating,

 1187 Sultan Saladin captures Jerusalem from Crusaders
 1492 King Henry VII of England invades France
 1928 "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", known as Opus Dei, founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá
 1944 Polish resistance fighters capitulate in the Warsaw Uprising, with some 250,000 people killed
Critique
noun kruh-TEEK
What It Means
A critique is a careful judgment in which you give
your opinion about the good and bad parts of some-
thing, such as a piece of writing or a work of art.
// Although I disagreed with them, the reviewer
A tribute to Bapu Gandhi on his Birthday!!!
"hand-spun" and "hand woven". How-
ever, they are "flawed" as they are not
mindless creation of machines.That is
why each piece of khadiis different and as
such many won't mind paying for its ex-
clusivity. It gets softer with each wash
which makes it ideal tropical fabric. The
existing brands of khadi are khadi India
or Khadi Bharat, Sarvodhya, DesiAhar,
Kutir and others.
We all know Khadi was a part of Inde-
pendence struggle in India. Mahatma
Gandhi began endorsingkhadi in order to
boycott the foreign clothes, Gandhiji
called upon the people to make their
clothes themselves. Khadi symbolized the
freedom movement. On the one hand
were fabrics and styles with a classy and
refined sheen, glamorous with satin fin-
ishes and heavy embellishments, show-
ing signs of a strong foreign presence. On
the other was the raw cotton hand-spun
on a charkha, and hand-woven to give a
look which was crushed, where no two
lengths looked alike. The miracle of khadi
is that it has survived the capricious cy-
cles of fashion.
Let's look at today's scenario: don't let
khadi clothing of people in power or fash-
ionistasfool you. Because it generally
costs around Rs 1,500-3,000 per metre,
an amount that can easily fetch a month's
ration for a middle-class family.
"Silk khadi is hot favourite. Available in
various types like munga, tussar, matka
and katia, generally used to make kurtas
that are paired with cotton churidars, to
give the perfect Indian look. This classy
khadi is transported especially from West
Bengal and Nagaland where it is hand-
woven by locals.
Today when the word eco-friendly has
become the dominant word in the world
and we have the most eco-friendly product
in our country, it is a disgracethat we are
doing nothing to promote it on individual
level.
In today's context, khadi can never be
the poor man's fabric. Handmade fabrics
are becoming more and more expensive
because their production capability is low.
them develop the resilience to cope with
whatever life throws at them and grow
into well-rounded, healthy adults. Most
children grow up mentally healthy, but
surveys suggest that more children and
young people have problems with their
mental health today than 30 years ago.
Mental health problems affect around
one in six children. They include depres-
sion, anxiety and conduct disorder (a
type of behavioural problem), and are of-
ten a direct response to what is happen-
ing in their lives. Alarmingly, however,
75% of children and young people who
experience a mental health problem
aren’t getting the help they need.
thanks not to our own follies, but Western
ones and the market's infinite ability to over-
price the dollar. Despite reasonably high for-
eign exchange reserves, the Reserve Bank
cannot endlessly sell dollars to reduce
volatility. It will have to let the market deter-
mine rupee rates, and this means imported
inflation will be higher, impacting growth.
Worse, we should worry about election sea-
son too. With the BJP government focused
on the Gujarat elections in the next quarter, it
has continued the free grain scheme under
the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana till
December. But more elections are due next
year, especially the all-important Karnataka
one around May. And if the free grain
scheme is again extended, it will damage the
fisc further at a time when the agricultural
season just ended will see food production
deficits in some regions. Fiscally, the free
food scheme, which will cost over Rs 44,000
WORLD HISTORY ON OCTOBER 2
gave a fair and honest critique of the film.
CRITIQUE in Context
"Georgia, Gabriella, and Yannik still hadn't gotten
a critique from the judges at this point, and while no
news can be considered good news (they'd advanced
safely through so far), it also meant they'd gotten no
feedback that could guide them in the right direc-
tions. What do the judges like about their work? What
"Maakhadikichadar de de main Gandhi ban jayunga,
Sab mitronke beech baithkarraghupatiraghavgayunga".
I think at one point of time, when the
whole world was slow, khadi was reason-
ably cheap. But now, since fabric is being
produced at the drop of a hat through
technology, a fabric that takes so much
manmade labour is noticeably going to be
expensive.
When the weavers find that not much
income is generated from the hours of
spinning and weaving, they move onto
other occupations. If there is no demand,
manufacturingreduces and prices auto-
matically shoot up. More significant was
the support that its massive production
provided to the lives of nearly a million
poor artisans, an estimated 80 per cent of
whom are women.
The charkha was a motif of India's
struggle for freedom and khadi the fabric
of national pride. It symbolised patriot-
ism, Indianhoodand insurgence. But
decades after freedom, this wonderful
and revered fabric is now insignificant,
abhorred and is struggling to survive.
Coming at a time when organic, indige-
nous and hand-crafted are buzzwords for
most companies and retailers, it is shock-
ing that India's own offering finds few tak-
ers.In fact, it can no longer be labelled
only as a fabric of the masses. Indian fash-
ion designers of internationaleminence
have begun to use it extensively in their
collections. If you are a fan of khadi, you
would know that it is now an expensive
buy. But if khadi is gaining popularity
shouldn't it be mass-produced and con-
sequently be cheaper to buy?
Khadicalls to mind for most Indians,
the image of a robust, homespun cotton
fabric that is porous, cool and absorbent. It
could easily be the fabric of choice for our
scorching summers or humid monsoons,
and it is also amazingly insulating in the
winter chill. Less obvious to most Indians
today is that khadi is the last trace of what
Now, a new UCLA study has found
that young adults who have experienced
discrimination have a higher risk for
both short and long-term behavioural
and mental health problems. The find-
ings of the study were published in the
journal 'Pediatrics'. Researchers exam-
ined a decade's worth of health data on
1,834 Americans who were between 18
and 28 years old when the study began.
They found that the effects of discrimi-
nation may be cumulative - that the
greater number of incidents of discrimi-
nation someone experiences, the more
their risk for mental and behavioural
problems increases.
crore in the October-December quarter, is
no longer sustainable. Nor is the pricing of
the existing subsidised grain scheme under
the Food Security Act (Rs 3, Rs 2 and Re 1
per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains re-
spectively) any more sustainable, given the
rapid depletion of rice and wheat stocks with
the Food Corporation of India. Rice and
wheat stocks as on 1 October are estimated
in the range of 20-22 million tonnes each,
and will fall further till we know what has
happened to rice production during kharif.
Wheat, which is more a rabi crop, will not be
replenished till after the next season in April-
May 2023. Wheat stocks are at a 14-year low.
Not scary, but reason to be cautious on how
fast stocks are depleted going
forward.Though there are no plans to import
wheat right now, if stocks fall too fast, that
option cannot be ruled out. But imports at
high prices just to feed the free food scheme
WORD OF THE DAY
should they lean into? More importantly, what should
they lean away from?" - Daniel Montgomery, Gold
Derby, 26 Aug. 2022.
Did You Know?
What's the difference between criticism and cri-
tique? There's some overlap in meaning, but they're
not the same in every situation. Criticism is most often
used broadly to refer to the act of negatively criticizing
was once the world's finest cotton spin-
ning and weaving tradition.
Whether recognized as a cloth product,
a cultural icon or an economic support,
khadi derives its distinctiveness from a
single textile process, hand-spinning. It
is the processing of cotton fibre into yarn
by human hands that bestows the fabric
with its defining material character, its ex-
ceptional tactile quality and unparalleled
comfort level. Repeated washing serves
only to enhance these, so that the fabric
assumes, over time, a texture as natural
and soothing as skin. It was not without
reason that India clothed the world in cot-
ton for 2,000 years.
And most important are the colours on
khadi. The cotton dyes brilliantly and
even bright acid colours take on a lan-
guage of their own as the fibres tend to
diffuse the colour to look rich and earthy.
The fact is that this fabric can be produced
in bulk, given the right institutional and
design inputs.
Why is khadi more expensive than a
mill-made fabric and then why is there
this impression of it being a 'poor' fabric?
By default we all participate in the respon-
sibility whenever we allow a skill to be lost
without contributing to replace it.
So where does this leave the common
man, the ordinary villager or a small town
man who took to khadi because he took
pride in wearing it? Can he afford the
privilege anymore? The answer is No. For
khadi which began its journey as the
weave of the Indian people is now ironi-
cally out of their reach!
Mahatma Gandhi propagated it as not
just a fabric, but a way of life. One that is
centred around the village, where the
practice of khadi would be able to generate
employment, income and, hence, self-re-
liance. Khadi was meant to become anad-
ditional industry to agriculture, a crucial
The study also suggested that the ef-
fects of discrimination in young adults
are connected with disparities in care for
mental health concerns and institutional
discrimination in health care overall, in-
cluding inequities in diagnoses, treat-
ment and health outcomes.
Previous studies have linked discrimi-
nation - whether due to racism, sexism,
ageism, physical appearance or other bi-
ases - to a higher risk for mental illness,
psychological distress and drug use.
While previous research has examined
the correlation in childhood or later
adulthood, this new study is the first to
focus on the transition to adulthood and
spells another fiscal disaster. Clearly, the
Centre has only two options: one is to in-
crease the prices of grain under the Food Se-
curity Act, and the other is to reduce or elim-
inate the free food scheme started during the
pandemic to help the poor. Maybe both need
to be done, but at least some moves are vital.
It is worth noting that CAD is directly a re-
sult of the fiscal deficit, as higher fiscal
spends tend to get reflected in higher CAD.
The fiscal spend on subsidies should be the
obvious target for reduction. Two bright
spots are buoyant tax revenues, both direct
taxes and the goods and services tax (GST),
which is expected to report another record
collection upwards of Rs 1.5 lakh crore in
September (which refers to payments for
July sales). Since October will probably do
as well, thanks to festive season demand and
production and economic activity ramp-up,
revenues should hold up at least for one or
someone or something ("I'm more interested in en-
couragement right now than criticism") or a remark or
comment that expresses disapproval ("She shared a
minor criticism about the design"), while critique is a
more formal word for a carefully expressed judgment,
opinion, or evaluation of both the good and bad qual-
ities of something-for example, books or movies.
Thus, a critic can write a critique that may be full of
criticism.
– LEO BUSCAGLIA
Change is the end result of
all true learning.
element in a self-sustaining economy.But
it was not simply about the making of
yarn at home, it was the spirit behind it.
Gandhiji's vision was clear: "If we have
the khadi spirit in us, we should surround
ourselves with simplicity in every walk of
life… The khadi spirit means illimitable
patience… The khadi spirit means also an
equally illimitable faith… The khadi spirit
means fellow-feeling with every human
being on earth".
"Mahatma Gandhi used khadi as a tool
to bind India together. But today, that
philosophy has become antiquated.
If the textile industries, fashion design-
ers and engineers in the field try to marry
the elements of khadi with, say, some
other material that is more uniform, has
more pliability and more adaptabilityit
would by far outshine any other fabric in
our country. There have been alternatives
like the amber charkha that only requires
one to turn a lever by hand and not draw
the yarn from the cotton sliver. This in
essence takes away some of khadi's charm
but is not a bad alternative to mill-made
fabrics. Other edition of khadiis poly
khadi, where polyester is used with spun
yarn to produce a far more 'engineered'
fabric, must make an emergence in the lo-
cal market. Though Government in the
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium En-
terprises, through Khadi and Village In-
dustries Commission (KVIC), has taken
various initiatives in recent years to make
Khadi an international brand, however,
lowering the cost to an average Indian's
pocket would certainly make it more pop-
ular given all its unique features.
Let's try to keep our legacy alive! Jai Hind!
_Principal,
Girdhari Lal Dogra
Memorial Degree College,
Hiranagar
to follow the same group of individuals
over time.
The findings are particularly relevant
in light of the stresses young adults are
facing nationwide today. The last two
years of COVID-19 pandemic has
brought to the forefront new mental
health challenges - particularly for vul-
nerable populations. We have the oppor-
tunity to rethink and improve mental
health services to acknowledge the im-
pact of discrimination, so we can better
address it to provide more equitable care
deliveries.
_ Retired Principal Educational
Columnist Malout Punjab
two more months. The second bright spot is
the likely recession or slowdown in the ad-
vanced economies, which will impact oil
prices. The fall in Brent crude price to below
$90 a barrel is good for India, though weaker
global growth means a higher trade deficit
for us as exports sag. Lower oil prices will
help the oil marketing companies (OMCs)
reduce their under-recoveries in the coming
months. This will help the fisc by lowering
the subsidies payable to the OMCs. The stock
markets will correct, as they are already do-
ing, and this is a good thing.The Modi gov-
ernment should not forget why India is the
only fast-growing economy right now. It was
because it was fiscally cautious during Covid
when the rest of the world was being fiscally
irresponsible. It has to rediscover its fiscal
conservatism again to ensure that once the
world economy recovers later next year, we
are still the best economy around.INAV

ADVENTURES IN ARCHIVES
Available
Options
W
ith both the Congress and
the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) stuck on the
issue of the chief minister-
ship, it seems that the state is heading
for another spell of the Central rule. The
Congress Party that has returned to the
center stage of the state politics after a
gap of nearly thirty years without osten-
sible props from New Delhi is looking
forward for consolidating otherwise its
fragile base in the state. It believes that
it can convert the proxy support, which
it got during the elections, into real
support if it has its own Chief Minister.
Mufti Muhammad Sayed being an inside
man, the Congress is equally apprehen-
sive of him for being capable of weaning
away rank and file from it. The former
home minister who has a deeper knowl-
edge of the Kashmir politics and better
understanding of intricacies believes
that both the National Conference and
the All Parties Hurriyat Conference
can be fought back by playing on the
regional sentiments. Addressing a press
conference in Srinagar on Tuesday he
said that the people of Kashmir have
given a verdict in favour of his party,
the PDP. He also said that a regional
party would be able to deliver more than
the Congress because a national party
has its own limitations and constraints.
There can be no denying that the rise
of the PDP against the ruling National
Conference has been phenomenal. Hav-
ing suffered the atrocious rule of the
National Conference during past six
years the people particularly in the
rural areas looked at the PDP as a better
choice for local governance. But it is
naïve of the party leadership to think
that it cannot contribute much towards
its agenda with out having a Chief
Minister from the party. It is question
of understanding one's role. It is God
send opportunity to the party to create a
place in the minds and hearts of people
of Kashmir. It will wield more power
by supporting the Congress party from
outside and play a key role in improving
ground situation in the state. Instead of
asking for a greater slice of power it can
even extend a conditional support to the
Congress. There are many important
issues on which the party needs to enter
into an agreement with the national
party before extending support to it.
Many a draconian laws were introduced
during the Central rule in the state
and Farooq Abdullah government only
provided sharper teeth to these laws.
“ Many an extra-constitutional authori-
ties have come up in the state during
past few years. Barrages of miseries
.
have descended on people during past
six years. These extra-constitutional
authorities who are outside the purview
of any law have immensely contributed
to the miseries of the people. If PDP
succeeds in winding up these authori-
ties it would be far more important
contribution than building a bridge or
a culvert. The people of the state at this
juncture need a healing touching. If PDP
is in a position to make the Congress
Party to agree to institution of a com-
mission against the misrule of National
Conference and if it succeeds in getting
delinquent super bureaucrats who had
taken the state as their fiefdom it would
be greatest achievement of the Party.
"Kaun Baneygha Chief Minister" should
not come in the way of formation of the
government. The issue can be resolved
amicably. There are many an options
for coming out of the stalemate. The
coalition partners can have a Chief
Minister on term basis or there can
be Chief Minister from one party and
Deputy Chief Minister from the other.
Both the PDP and Congress need to play
a constructive role. Another spell of the
Central rule would be disastrous.
The article is an editorial from KO’s archives and
was originally published on 15th October, 2002
Printed & Published by Sajjad Haider on behalf of Kashmir Observer LLP | Printed at: K.T Press Pvt. Ltd 120-Electronic Complex, Industrial Estate, Rangreth-Budgam
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Preaching Meliorism
Gandhianism and Its Universal Relevance
Salika Rashid
N
on-violence is the greatest force at the dis-
posal of mankind. It is mightier than the
mightiest weapon of destruction devised by
the ingenuity of man.”
THE above lines were articulated by one of the
towering figures of the world whose instrument of
transforming the society was based on the notion of
love, courage, self-analysis, patience, tolerance, hu-
mility, ahimsā and Satyagraha.
This eminent figure practised the already pres-
ent principles and philosophies of non-violence and
truth by experimenting with them in every facet of
life. The man whose moral dictums became the sym-
bol of “resolute will and determination” and the cour-
age of conquering “evil with good” against apartheid
in South Africa made people to confer upon him the
cognomen, Mahatma. American historian, Will Du-
rant, best known for writing The Story of Civiliza-
tion, rightly remarked that “Not since Buddha has
India so revered any man. Not since St. Francis of
Assissi has any life known to history been so marked
by gentleness, disinterestedness, simplicity of soul
and forgiveness of enemies. We have the astonishing
phenomenon of a revolution led by a Saint”.
Mohan das Karamchand Gandhi, a lawyer by
profession, eliminated the darkness of colonialism
by becoming the torchbearer of the freedom move-
ment and ultimately making people drink the pearl
of liberation. Although he was influenced by Russian
author Leo Tolstoy, English art critic John Ruskin
and American writer Henry David Thoreau, his phi-
losophy had the “freshness and originality”. He was
deeply inspired by the sacred religious texts which
include the Quran, the Bible, Gita and Upanishads.
Buddhism and Jainism also left profound impres-
sions on his mind. Tolstoy enunciating on social ser-
vice, power and Thoreau’s self experiments and civil
disobedience gave Gandhi the technique of utilising
non-violence for solving major and minor social and
political issues. Thus these influencers implanted
in him the seed of “simple and service-oriented
personality” and he polished them in a remarkable
way. Gandhi not only propounded or emphasised
the notion of Non- violence and Truth but he walked
through these principles; he ingrained and absorbed
these tenets to the depth of its core.
Non- violence and Truth: The kernel of Gandhi’s philosophy
According to Gandhi, Non- violence and Truth
are inextricably bound together and it’s hard to un-
tangle them; he allots a superior position to the lat-
ter one because he contends, it is the end which can
be achieved by the means of ahimsā. He highlighted
‘means’ and ‘end’ in order to assert the significance
of journey and destiny; both are unalienable to each
other. Furthermore, underlining the notion of ahimsā,
Gandhi defined negative and positive element of it
where the latter aids in discerning the essence of the
former. The word ahimsa is inferred as a non- injury
to any living being but Gandhi goes beyond this by
defining ahimsā, a method of avoiding violence in
any form whether thought, action or deeds. Gandhi
took the notion of non-violence from Jainism but he
didn’t heed to its rigid perspective rather he opined
non-violence in certain circumstances is inevitable.
He states “injury to any life can be an act of violence
under certain conditions which include anger, pride,
hatred and bad intention”. Thus, the negative conno-
tation of ahimsā is non-injury. Gandhi posits,
“In non-violence, one restrains all impulses.
There is non-violence in violence as in the case of
using violent methods to restrict the activities of a
drunkard. As long as we live a mundane life, we can-
not escape violence, but it is possible for us to restrict
ourselves. Ahimsa is thus the highest type of renun-
ciation”.
Gandhi explained non-violence as the soul-force,
a weapon of the strong while violence as the sign of
weakness. He elucidates that the one who is violent
conceals his/her anger under the cloak of violence
accordingly exhibiting his inward fear through out-
ward anger/violence. One can contend that Gandhi
finds non-violence like a “radium, which works si-
lently and ceaselessly, and transforms the whole
mass of the diseased tissue into a healthy one”;
similarly an infinitesimal quantity of true ahimsā
can bring out an egalitarian society. Drawing inspi-
ration from the Gandhi film director and producer
Lord Richard Attenborough said, “When asked
what attribute he most admired in human nature,
Mahatma Gandhi replied, simply and immediately,
‘Courage’. ‘Nonviolence’, he said, ‘is not to be used
ever as the shield of the coward. It is the weapon of
the brave.” Thus, one can speculate that Gandhian
Ahimsā is based on the foundation of courage, love,
self-restraint, and faith in God.
Love which is the strongest force in the world
becomes the substratum for Gandhian philosophy of
Ahimsā. Gandhi believes it is the love which cleans
the inner self and elicits the feelings like “compas-
sion, tolerance, generosity and sympathy for others”.
The absence of ill – will that Gandhi defends is not
only confined for near ones/relatives but also for the
opponents; according to Gandhi “Ahimsā is the larg-
est love and the greatest charity”.
Gandhi associates the concept of God with
Ahimsā. He contends that true faith in God will assist
an individual in achieving the tenet of ahimsā. It is
prerequisite to generate the inner strength for attain-
ing the faith, which eventually will act as a catalyst
for developing the love for humanity. Gandhi says,
“Non-violence succeeds only when we have a
living faith in God. Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed,
they were all warriors of peace in their own style.
We have to enrich the heritage left by these world
teachers. God has His own wonderful way of execut-
ing His plans and choosing His instruments. The
prophet and Abu Bakr trapped in a cave were saved
6
TM
Srinagar | Sunday| 02-10-2022
from their persecutors by a spider which had woven In a nutshell, it postulates the annihilation of the
its web across the mouth of that cave. All the world disease, not the one who is affected by it. The base
teachers, you should know, began with a zero”. of Satyagraha is love, suffering, divine love – God.
It is essential to comprehend the paradigm of And the Satyagrahi has to be disciplined, honest,
ahimsā that Gandhi has put forth. The ending of de- open-minded, determined and fearless. It is worth
sires and the elimination of evil from the hearts, ac- mentioning that Former US Vice-President and en-
quired the highest seat in the Gandhian philosophy vironmentalist Al Gore stated, “Mahatma Gandhi’s
of non-violence. The simplicity and profundity of philosophy of satyagraha can be translated to mean
his message of love pellucidly make one realize that truth force. It is this truth-force which can help us to
being selfless in love without any motive of gaining fight this battle honestly and with people’s participa-
in return, elevates an individual to the highest state tion.”
of ahimsā. As Gandhi rightly asserted, “Love never
claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents
Is Gandhian philosophy Utopian?
never revenges itself.”
It is important to question the pertinence of Gan-
Gandhi was a strong votary of truth, he placed
dhi in the contemporary time period. Many claim
truth before non-violence. He claimed, “As a Jain
that Gandhian philosophy at present is limited to the
muni once rightly said, I was not so much a votary
classroom and books; they are sceptical if at all it can
of ahimsa as I was of truth, and I put the latter in the
ameliorate the social, economic and political havoc
first place and the former in the second. For, as he
generated not only in the Indian subcontinent but
put it, I was capable of sacrificing non-violence for
also in the world. What is palpable is the chasm that
the sake of Truth. In fact, it was in the course of my
the world is encountering with the rise in national-
pursuit of Truth that I discovered non-violence”.
istic fervour, intolerance, moral hypocrisy, violence
He calls truth as the “moral virtue” which can be
and political populism across the globe. If this is the
acquired through “fearlessness and nonpossession”
current status quo then it is important to not only
because of these two one can stand against the injus-
give prominence to Gandhi’s theories and philoso-
tice. And this will aid in realizing the truth in “meta-
phies but to utilize them in order to dust off the men-
physical sense in which it is identical with God”. He
aces prevailing all across the globe.
states the truth is “a cornerstone of the edifice” that
Gandhi came as a herald to bring political trans-
leads to the path of God. He asserted “Ahimsa is my
God, and Truth is my God. When I look for Ahimsa,
formation in a country which was scuffling with so
many challenges. He believed that attainment of po-
Truth says ‘Find it through me’. When I look for
litical emancipation from the colonists won’t suffice
Truth, Ahimsa says, ‘Find it out through me’. But he
Gandhi came as a herald to bring political
transformation in a country which was scuffling with so many
challenges. He believed that attainment of political emancipation
from the colonists won’t suffice until social disparity and
antagonism are not eradicated from its core. It is the essence of
diverse India one finds mélange of culture, religion and ethnicity in
camaraderie with each other. But when it is under threat, then it is
indispensable for us to assimilate Gandhian teaching into practice
made a distinction between the relative and absolute
truth; according to him the glimpses of the former
until social disparity and antagonism are not eradi-
cated from its core. It is the essence of diverse India
one can be achieved but the absolute truth is hard to
one finds mélange of culture, religion and ethnicity
achieve.
in camaraderie with each other. But when it is in
On this Gandhi opines, “The relative truth must,
threat then it is indispensable for us to assimilate
meanwhile, be my beacon, my shield and buckler.
Gandhian teaching into practice.
Even the Himalayan blunders have seemed trifling
to me because I have kept strictly to this path. I have
The social disparities in the form of atrocities
against the women, minorities- Dalits and Muslims
gone forward according to my light. Often in my
are proliferating day by day. The mushrooming of
progress, I have had my faint glimpse of the Absolute
lynching cases has become the new normal for India.
Truth, God and daily the conviction is growing on me
Hyderabad gang rape, Asifa or the recent Hathras
that he alone is real and all else is unreal…he who
gang rape – all such horrendous atrocities – call for
would go in for novel experiments must begin with
Gandhian doctrines. Gandhi rightly said, “The day a
himself. That leads to a quicker discovery of Truth,
woman can walk freely on the roads at night, that day
and God always protects the honest experimenter”.
we can say that India has achieved independence.”
What is theoretical can be brought to practice
Gandhi emphasised on education – the only way of
when the true emphasis is laid upon values that
eradicating perils from society.
Gandhi put forth. Therefore, it is imperative to un-
Furthermore, one concedes that resentment
derstand the technique of ahimsa in order to achieve
breeds vengeance and when this takes the shape of
the moral virtue of life. He expressed that the truth
political colour then tolerance, sympathy and love
should be of the speech, action, thought and it could
which is the sine qua non for unity becomes elusive.
be achieved through constant effort and discipline.
In one of the articles of Moulana Wahiduddin Khan,
It is in the truth, all knowledge is encapsulated and
“Fulfilling Gandhiji’s Unfulfilled Mission” states,
what is outside it is not the truth and hence is not
knowledge. He calls Satyagraha as the truth- force
“In this world, unity is achievable only by learning to
unite in spite of differences, rather than insisting on
against “violence, evil and injustice”. It is this force
unity without differences. For their total eradication
which can create an equilibrium, that is, evil can’t be
is an impossibility. The secret of attaining peace in
demolished with evil rather what Gandhi propound-
life is the tolerance of the disturbance of the peace”.
ed, eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind stands
Therefore, Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence
true in this context.
In Satyagraha, the method of “conversion” is
is the elixir which can stabilize the society plunged
into a disastrous dungeon. Gandhi the progenitor of
used instead of “coercion”. Gandhi believed that
non-violence enunciated on every issue that threat-
there is no enemy or opponent but just wrongdoers
ened India’s stability. From being secular to the
who would come to the right path only by the force
promotion of peace or importance of ethics Gandhi
of love and “change of the heart” should be the ob-
voiced on every subject. His idealism or utopianism
jective for achieving an end. Gandhi while differing
was “completed by realism”.
to relate passive resistance with Satyagraha, pro-
Views expressed in the article are the author’s
pounded Satyagraha does not involve any element of
own and do not necessarily represent the editorial
force not is there any element of injury. Moreover,
stance of Kashmir Observer. The article was
it has the highest respect for the law- Law of Truth
originally published in KO on October 13,2020 and is
and God. It is based on the notion of appeal rather
being reproduced here with minor edits
than force.
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epapers/delhi I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Ashok Gehlot has been an
active, reliable, astute leader
K NATWAR SINGH
The author is Former Minister
of External Affairs of India
W
hat a week the Congress par-
ty has all but made a laugh-
ing stoke of itself. Ashok Ge-
hlot has landed himself in
serious trouble. He is 71. A
come back is unlikely.
He has been an active, reli-
able, astute leader, with a
mass following. I have known
him for over forty years and
have great affection and re-
gard for him. I these four dec-
ades he did not put a foot
wrong. The ‘neutral’ Sonia
Gandhi obviously knows
Dante Well, who wrote, nine
hundred years ago, “The hot-
test places in Hell are reserved
for those who in time of great
moral crisis maintain their
neutrality.” She shed her neu-
trality in no time. So long as
India, in a few years will
become the most populous she lives, she will have deity
country in the World. Yet, no status. She is an expert at back
one is seriously talking about seat driving. Can she revive
it. No talks of birth control, the Congress? No.
none of population control.
Yes, poverty has been vastly PRESIDENTSHIP OF
eradicated but the quality of THE CONGRESS PARTY
life has not improved. Of the 2 contenders for Presi-
Educational standards are dentship of the Congress par-
low. The legal system needs ty, Mallikarjun Kharge and
to be made more efficient. Shri Shashi Tharoor, I have
Civil case go on for decades. never met the former. He is 80
We have some of the best years of age. The younger vot-
doctors in the world but the ers will certainly not opt for
hospitals are in need of him. Shashi Tharoor , I have
drastic up gradation known him for several years.
INDIA TAKES A BIG I
STEP FORWARD
He is fine orator and an out-
standing author. He deserves
to win. But he will not. He
does not have the blessings of
Mother Superior. Besides, un-
like Kharge he is not rooted in
the Congress. Oddly none of
the G-23 are supporting him.
Digvijaya Singh has been
deprived of the President-
ship by Shri Kharge, who did
not play fair with the former
CM of Madhya Pradesh. He
would have, as President put
some life in Congress. Sur-
prisingly, he made one seri-
ous mistake. As far as I know,
he did not meet Shrimati So-
nia Gandhi. He paid the price.
The Lok Sabha elections are
to be held in 2024. At present
the Congress paty had fifty
two members in the Lok Sab-
ha. That number is not likely
to go up as of now. Not with
Kharge at the helm. PM Nar-
endra Modi will remain Prime
Minister till 2029. His interna-
tional standing is high. Within
India he faces no challenge.
BHAGWAT MEETS
UMER AHMED
Shri Mohan Bhagwat, the
head of RSS, made headlines
when he met Imam Umer
Ahmed Illyas a few days back.
It was a courageous and wise
move. It would have given mil-
lions of Muslims, much com-
fort. How many non-RSS non
BJP Indians recall the fact
that during the rule of the
Bhartiya Janata Party, since
2014, not a single communal
riot has occurred. This is an
amazing achievement.
ndia moved to a
higher trajectory
in mobile connec-
tivity with the
launch of 5G tech-
nology on Sunday. India may
not be the first country to have
the advanced technology, but
one can take pride in the fact
that we are not watching the
technological advancements
from the sidelines and cele-
brating the ultra high-speed
internet which will unlock the
potential future technologies.
It will also “unleash new eco-
nomic opportunities and soci-
etal benefits giving it the po-
tential for being a transforma-
tional force for Indian socie-
ty.” Its economic impact also
cannot be underestimated.
The rapidity with which
India has reached this mile-
stone speaks volumes about
Prime Minister Narendra
PERSPECTIVE
The ‘neutral’ Sonia Gandhi
obviously knows Dante Well,
who wrote, nine hundred
years ago, “The hottest
places in Hell are
reserved for those who
in time of great moral
crisis maintain their
neutrality.” She shed her
neutrality in no time. So
long as she lives, she will
have deity status. She is an
expert at back seat driving.
Can she revive the
Congress? No
JAISHANKAR MADE
INDIA PROUD AT UN
The External Affairs Minis-
ter, Jaishankar has done India
proud at the United Nations
and during his visit to Wash-
ington. He did not mince
words, without flouting diplo-
macy. I would give him high
marks for his stellar perfor-
mance. One caveat. He is over
optimistic about the United
States genuinely asserting it-
The Prime Minister’s pitch
for Aatmnirbhar Bharat
ensured that the
experience of 2G, 3G and
4G technologies was not
repeated. While for
technologies India was
dependent on foreign support,
5G is home grown. An elated
Prime Minister hailed the event
as “historic” as “India is
setting global standards
for the first time”
Modi’s Digital India cam-
paign which focused on digi-
tal connectivity, affordability
of devices and data and his
focus on internet for all. Af-
fordability will help mobile
penetrate the rural market.
The Prime Minister’s pitch
for Aatmnirbhar Bharat en-
NEW DELHI | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2022
self to make India a Perma-
nent, veto wielding member
of the United Nations Securi-
ty Council. The brutal reality
is that the Peoples Republic of
China will always exercise its
Veto to keep India out. If I am
not mistaken, President Biden
in one of his speeches said
that India and Brazil should
be Permanent members of the
Security Council .
The reality is somewhat
what more complicated. Any
expansion of the Council
must include a country from
Sub-Saharan Africa and the
Muslim world. Who from Af-
rica- Nigeria, Ethiopia or
South Africa. From the Mus-
lim World the contenders will
be Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt.
WORLD FACING
CLIMATE CHANGE
The most alarming problem
the World is facing, is climate
change. One has only to look
at the havoc rain and hurri-
canes are playing in Florida,
Georgia and South Caroline.
In Switzerland, glaciers are
melting, in Italy rivers are
drying up. For nature’s fury
no easy answers are in sight.
RECENT FLOODS
IN PAKISTAN
The recent floods in Pakistan
have been calamity. As often
happens the poor have been
worst hit. Pakistan is a near
bankrupt country. Only the
rich Islamic countries can
provide funds to rebuild the
infrastructure, colleges,
schools, hospitals, indus-
tries. It’s a long haul.
POPULATION, A
CONCERN IN INDIA
India, in a few years will be-
come the most populous coun-
try in the World. Yet, no one is
seriously talking about it. No
talks of birth control, none of
population control. Yes, pov-
erty has been vastly eradicat-
ed but the quality of life has
not improved. Educational
standards are low. The legal
system needs to be made more
efficient. Civil case go on for
decades. We have some of the
best doctors in the world but
the hospitals are in need of
drastic up gradation.
The great Jawaharlal
Nehru is to some extent re-
sponsible for India becoming
an over populated country.
Soon after taking over, he
made the astounding pro-
nouncement that India was
an under populated country.
By the time of his death it
was on the road leading to
over population.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
sured that the experience of
2G, 3G and 4G technologies
was not repeated. While for
technologies India was de-
pendent on foreign support,
5G is home grown. An elated
Prime Minister hailed the
event as “historic” as “India
is setting global standards
for the first time”.
The push given to the tel-
ecom sector under the Aat-
manirbhar Bharat saw mo-
bile manufacturing units
grow from two in 2014 to
around 200 now. Indian hand-
sets are now competing with
the best. In the process India
has also become a major ex-
porter of mobile phones. The
5G launch is especially nota-
ble as it was not dogged by
any controversy as had hap-
pened with 4G when the spec-
trum auction was mired in
allegations of corruption.
04
IN-DEPTH
ANNEXATION OF
UKRAINE’S AREAS
GIVE CONFLICT
A SERIOUS TURN
E
ven as countries are
reeling under eco-
nomic crisis, Russia-
Ukraine conflict ap-
pears to be expand-
ing. Cocking a snook at the US,
Russian President Vladimir
Putin annexed four regions of
Ukraine and attracted more
sanctions after referendums
which were strongly contested
by Kyiv. The retaliatory US sanc-
tions will be on 278 members of
Russian parliament and 14 peo-
ple linked to its defence indus-
try. Simultaneously, the Euro-
pean Commission proposes to
impose a ban on export of hi-
tech goods and a ban on imports
from Russia. Sanctions imposed
so far have not deterred Russia
from enlarging the conflict.
The annexations have led
Ukraine to push its efforts for an
early membership of NATO
which, for some reason, has got
delayed. Membership of NATO
would mean that the western al-
liance will get automatically
sucked into the conflict to defend
a member. With Putin saying that
his threat to use nuclear weapons
should not be treated as a bluff, it
must now be taken seriously in
view of these developments.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
A man is not called wise
because he talks and talks
again; but if he is peaceful,
loving and fearless then he is
in truth called wise.
—Buddha
TOP TWEETS
Amit Shah
@AmitShah
A giant leap towards Digital India.
The launch of 5G services by PM @
narendramodi Ji will take connectivity
in India to the next level. With
limitless possibilities & myriad
benefits, 5G will serve as a major
transformative force and form the
bedrock for economic opportunities.
Anurag Thakur
@ianuragthakur
In this nationwide campaign till
October 31, more than 100 lakh kg
of plastic and other waste items will
be collected and disposed of with
public participation.
l Vol 2 l Issue No.34
lRNI TITLE NO. DELENG/2021/19840
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed at
Impressions Printing and Packaging
Limited, C-21, 22 Sector-59,
Noida-201301. Published at G-20,
3rd Floor, 309, Preet Vihar, New
Delhi-110092. Phone 011-49846474.
Editor-In-Chief: Dr Jagdeesh Chandra
Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
 CMYK

2
From
AHMEDABAD SUNDAY 2/10/2022
Editorial
Editor’s
Desk

What the new

Monetary Policy
Committee rate
hike indicates
There are expectations that the
MPC will raise rates in its next
meeting as well, though the PM inaugurates 6th edition of India Mobile Congress and launches 5G Services, in New Delhi on October 01, 2022.
quantum of the hike may be of a
lower magnitudeThere are
expectations that the MPC will
raise rates in its next meeting as
well, though the quantum of the
hike may be of a lower
magnitude
How Priyanka has gone wrong in UP
Lucknow, Oct 1 (IANS) For almost a decade be-
fore 2019, the refrain in the Uttar Pradesh Congress
ership simply looked away.
A clear divide had developed by
cal activity is restricted to Twitter and
her 'team' is having a free run in a year and a half away from
In line with expectations, the Monetary Policy Com- was 'Priyanka lao, desh bachao' and 'Desh ki aandhi now between what is called the Lucknow.It is almost six months since the Lok Sabha elections and if
mittee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) voted hai, aaj ki Indira Gandhi hai'. 'Priyanka Congress' and the 'Rahul the Congress faced its worst-ever this head-in-the-sand attitude
to raise the benchmark policy repo rate by 50 basis As the party graph gradually slipped down in Congress'. drubbing in the assembly elections continues, the Congress will
points in its September policy meeting. The repo rate UP, party workers sincerely believed that it was the Senior Congress leaders like Annu and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has simply be relegated to the dustbin of
now stands at 5.9 per cent. Taking this decision into charisma of Priyanka Gandhi that alone could sal- Tandon, Jitin Prasada, R P N Singh, stayed away from Lucknow.Her politi- history."
consideration, the cumulative interest rate hikes by the vage the situation for the party. Laliteshpati Tripathi walked out of the cal activity is restricted to Twitter and Another veteran leader
MPC, since it pivoted to tightening policy rates, now Priyanka's arrival in Uttar Pradesh in 2019, Congress and blamed Priyanka's style her 'team' is having a free run in said, "Just like a child gets tired
stand at 190 basis points. While the decision was not expectedly, unleashed euphoria as she held meet- of functioning for their decision.Senior Lucknow. of an old toy, Priyanka Gandhi
unanimous — MPC member Ashima Goyal voted in ings that continued till the wee hours, met party Congress leaders like Annu Tandon, "Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is not even seems to have lost interest in
favour of increasing the repo rate by 35 basis points — workers who arrived in droves and promised to Jitin Prasada, R P N Singh, Laliteshpati willing to listen to what party workers UP politics. She is directly re-
the resolution noted that “further calibrated monetary bring back the glory days of the party. have to say. She sponsible for the demolition
policy action is warranted to keep inflation expecta- As the weeks rolled by and the Con- has not come to of Congress in UP, taking the
tions anchored, restrain the broadening of price pres- gress suffered a humiliating defeat in Lucknow after party away from power in
sures and pre-empt second round effects.”The latest Amethi in the Lok Sabha elections, things the election re- Punjab and it was her insis-
policy signaled that the RBI’s outlook on inflation and began changing. sults were an- tence on Imran Pratapgarhi's
growth has not changed significantly since its last The then UP Congress president Raj nounced and candidature for Rajya Sabha in
meeting — the central bank has retained its forecast Babbar put in his papers, Priyanka shut her her coterie is Maharashtra that dismantled
for inflation this year, and has only marginally lowered doors to veterans, Ajay Kumar Lallu be- happily taking the Thackeray government
its estimate of growth. On inflation, the RBI continues came the new UPCC president and finally action against there. We are now watching
to expect the consumer price index at 6.7 per cent for Priyanka Gandhi's coterie led by her per- anyone who what happens in Himachal
2022-23 (6.5 per cent in the third quarter and 5.8 per sonal secretary Sandeep Singh took over speaks up. I was Pradesh where Priyanka has
cent in the fourth quarter), trending down further to 5 the UP Congress completely. an AICC member considerable interests."
per cent in the first quarter of the next financial year. The arrogance and dominance of but was expelled According to senior party
While there continues to be uncertainty over the tra- Sandeep Singh and his men created a tur- by her team leaders, the problem with
jectory of inflation — there are considerable upside and moil within the party. even though it is Priyanka is that she refuses to
downside risks largely from food and commodity prices Ten senior Congress leaders were ex- against the rules. interact with party workers
— the latest forecast only reinforces the view that the pelled merely because they held a meet- If they feel that and depends solely on what-
central bank does not expect inflation to fall in line with ing to celebrate Nehru Jayanti on Novem- by expelling dis- ever feedback she receives
its target over the medium term. On the economic front, ber 14, 2019. senters, they will from her coterie.
with the GDP growing at a slower pace than expected Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Tripathi walked out of the Congress save the Congress, they are mistaken," "She is not a people's
in the first quarter, the RBI has lowered its estimate for Gandhi refused to meet the veterans which further and blamed Priyanka's style of func- says Zeeshan Haider, a senior party leader but a leader of only her
growth for the full year to 7 per cent now, down 20 basis emboldened the 'emerging coterie' within the tioning for their decision. leader who recently resigned. team. The magic has waned
points from its earlier estimate of 7.2 per cent.In the party. In the 2022 assembly polls, the He said that ever since Priyanka and the Congress will have to
run-up to this MPC meeting, there was considerable Being brusque, abusive and arrogant was the Congress hit rock bottom by winning Gandhi was appointed general secre- rebuild itself from scratch
discussion, especially after the US Federal Reserve sig- new behaviour code. just two of the 403 seats and merely tary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, around now," said a party leader.
naled a more hawkish stance, on the extent to which Expulsions became the order of the day and the 2.3 per cent votes. 9,000 party leaders and workers have The state unit is also in a
the MPC would tighten policy further and whether the young and the old were told to keep away. Nearly 387 party candidates for- either left or have been pushed out. state of limbo after Uttar
quantum of rate hikes would ease in subsequent meet- Priyanka's visits to UP were closely guarded by feited their deposits. "The Gandhis, it seems, are not will- Pradesh Congress Committee
ings. In his comments, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das loyalists and no one had any access to the leader. In ten seats, the party candidates ing to address the issues and prob- president Ajay Kumar Lallu
noted that even as the policy rate has been raised by As the 2022 assembly elections approached, got less votes than NOTA. lems. For them it does not matter that was asked to resign in March.
190 basis points, when inflation is taken into consider- Priyanka launched the ambitious campaign of Displeasure against the team that the party is almost over. The Congress The party remains completely
ation, it trails the 2019 levels. “Monetary and liquidity 'Ladki hoon lad sakti hoon' that went completely handled the elections is growing by president neither replies to our letters headless and directionless.
conditions, therefore, remain accommodative”, he awry with the party giving tickets to women who the day and there are almost no lead- and nor does she agree to meet us," "It is a free-for-all situation
noted. Considering that the MPC has also “decided to were totally undeserving. ers even left to be expelled. he added. here. None of the party lead-
remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation to They got tickets only because they were It is almost six months since the Another former Congress MP, who ers visit the party office and
ensure that inflation remains within the target,” this women. Congress faced its worst-ever drub- spoke to IANS on condition of ano- there is no political activity
indicates more policy tightening in the pipeline. Thus, Allegations of tickets being sold for a price were bing in the assembly elections and nymity, said, "Priyanka Gandhi Vadra happening after the polls,"
there are expectations that the MPC will raise rates in also levelled on the social media but the party lead- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has simply should have called meetings of candi- said an employee at the UPCC
its next meeting as well, though the quantum of the stayed away from Lucknow.Her politi- dates and senior leaders to discuss the office.
hike may be of a lower magnitude. reasons for the debacle. We are about

Bouncing back from 2020 crisis, Kamal
Nath re-energising party cadre for 2023
By Praveen Dwivedi
Bhopal, Oct 1 (IANS) At a crucial
juncture when the Congress leader-
ship is making all out efforts to revive
the grand old party with the 'Bharat
Jodo Yatra' led by Rahul Gandhi, crisis
broke out in Rajasthan, which led to
twists and turns in the filing of nomi-
nation for the Congress presidential
poll scheduled on October 17.
Factionalism that came to the fore
in Rajasthan over the conflict between
two camps led by Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin
Pilot brings back the memory of what
had happened in Madhya Pradesh in
2020, when Jyotiraditya Scindia
jumped ship to the BJP, resulting in the
fall of the Kamal Nath-led Congress
government within 15 months of as-
suming power.
However, senior Congress leaders,
including Kamal Nath, said the situa-
tion in Rajasthan is not what it was in
Madhya Pradesh. Commenting on the
comparison between the current cri-
sis in Rajasthan and what happened
in Madhya Pradesh in 2020, Kamal
Nath recently said, "Sachin Pilot didn't
do anything wrong. He was asked to
be at the party headquarters and he
followed the instructions of the party
chief. There is no basis of comparing
Rajasthan's situation with happened
in Madhya Pradesh."
With Assembly elections sched-
uled in Madhya Pradesh next year, the
Congress led by Kamal Nath seems to
be leaving no stone unturned to re-
turn to power, and more importantly,
reviving the grand old party.
Hopes are pinned on the Congress
leadership in Madhya Pradesh as a vic-
tory in the Assembly polls will
energise the entire party cadre ahead
of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Perhaps this was the reason why
Kamal Nath distanced himself from
the race to be the next Congress Presi-
dent, despite his name doing the
rounds, from Bhopal to Delhi.
Kamal Nath kept saying that he
would focus on Madhya Pradesh As-
sembly elections, making it clear that
he is not interested to become the
next Congress chief.
"I have repeatedly said that I am
not interested in contesting the AICC
presidential poll. Instead, I want to fo-
cus on Madhya Pradesh only. Assem-
bly elections are just one year away
and a lot of work needs to be done to
bring the party back in power," Kamal
Nath had said after meeting Sonia
Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday.
The senior Congress leader has
been reiterating that the party will
form the government in Madhya
Pradesh after the 2023 elections, even
making promises like reintroducing
the 'old pension' system for the state
government employees.
Although the veteran Congress
leader has been a nine-time MP from
his hometown Chhindwara, Kamal
Nath became active in Madhya
Pradesh politics in 2018 after he be-
came the state head of the party in the
run-up to the 2018 Assembly
elections.In 2018, Kamal Nath was
With polls not far away, HP Congress minus Virbhadra on a slippery slope
By Vishal Gulati
Shimla, Oct 1 (IANS) With the pass-
ing away of six-time Chief Minister
Virbhadra Singh, who literally 'ruled'
the political landscape single-
handedly for almost six decades, the
somnolent Congress in Himachal
Pradesh seems fractured and divided
in his absence. No other leader enjoys
the mass appeal and popularity that
he had.
Political observers believe the rul-
ing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which
is facing anti-incumbency, has some-
how managed an edge over its rival
Congress by making it clear that the
party will go to the upcoming polls,
just weeks away, under the leadership
of first-time Chief Minister Jai Ram
Thakur. Most probably, the party is
likely to retain him for the post, if the
BJP comes back to power.
In contrast, the main Opposition
Congress, which is confident of claw-
ing back to power and banks largely
sworn-in as the 18th Chief Minister of
Madhya Pradesh, bringing to an end
15 years of BJP rule in the state which
had become the saffron party's
stronghold.However, in 2020, 22 Con-
gress MLAs resigned along with
Jyotiraditya Scindia, resulting in the
collapse of the Kamal Nath-led gov-
ernment and bringing back BJP's
Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the Chief
Minister for a fourth term.
Political observers believe that af-
ter the collapse of the 15-month-old
government, the biggest challenge
before Kamal Nath was to keep the
leaders of different factions united and
to ensure that no factionalism
emerges within the party.
Kamal Nath remained the MPCC
President even after his government
collapsed, and thereafter he also led
the party in the Assembly as the leader
of opposition before stepping down
in April 2022, when voices were raised
for 'one man one post' in the party.
on a trend to sweep the polls alterna-
tively as both arch rivals ruled the state
from 1985, is facing a leadership crisis,
resulting in veterans jumping ship to
the BJP.
The latest high-profile exit from
the Congress party was loyalist and
three-time legislator Harsh Mahajan,
who for over a decade played a cru-
cial role in strengthening the party's
organisation at the grassroots under
Virbhadra Singh.
Mahajan, 66, also close to Congress
loyalist-turned-rebel Ghulam Nabi
Azad, was president of the state Youth
Congress for nine years, the longest
serving president so far, and served as
a cabinet minister and a parliamentary
secretary for 10 years.
Before Mahajan, the other promi-
nent leaders who defected were five-
time legislator Ram Lal Thakur, who re-
signed as vice-president of the party
committee citing "displeasure" over its
working, and two sitting legislators --
And his efforts bore fruits after vet-
eran party leader Digvijaya Singh re-
peatedly said that Congress will con-
test the 2023 Assembly elections un-
der Kamal Nath's leadership.
After being nominated unani-
mously to lead the party in the run-
up to the 2023 Assembly elections,
Kamal Nath's first step was to form a
committee to oversee the political de-
velopments in Madhya Pradesh. The
committee includes all senior party
leaders in the state who have been as-
signed different tasks.
Stepping up to strengthen the
party ahead of the Assembly elec-
tions, Kamal Nath has made several
structural changes, especially in the
lower-level party cadre. District and
block heads have been appointed on
the basis of their performance reports.
Bouncing back from the 2020 cri-
sis, Kamal Nath seems to be re-
energising the party cadre ahead of
the 2023 Assembly elections.
Lakhwinder Rana and Pawan Kajal.
Interestingly both Mahajan and
Kajal were appointed the state work-
ing presidents, along with two others,
Rajinder Rana and Vinay Kumar, when
the three-term MP Pratibha Singh, the
widow of Virbhadra Singh, was ap-
pointed the Himachal Pradesh Con-
gress Committee (HPCC) president in
April.
"The Congress at the national level
stands directionless and lacking in vi-
sion, faced with a cris
is of leadership, tainted by syco-
phancy and corruption.
This has translated into a diminish-
ing of its numbers, with some of the
tallest leaders and stalwarts of the
grand old party being compelled to
leave its ranks despite years of dedi-
cated service to the organisation,"
Mahajan, who played a crucial role
in the grooming of Virbhadra Singh's
first-time legislator son Vikramaditya,
told IANS.
Gehlot's desert storm may just sweep
away Cong gains in Rajasthan
By Archana Sharma
Jaipur, Oct 1 (IANS) Will the desert
storm wipe out the Congress in
Rajasthan? Can the divided Congress
infuse fresh energy in its demotivated
workers? Will the party be able to beat
the opposition which is already frag-
mented? Can it cash in on the divided
opposition to change the trend per-
sisting in the state since four decades
where power gets shifted to alternate
hands every five years?
These are the questions being dis-
cussed by the Congress as well as the
opposition parties.
The Congress workers are already
fed up with discussing rebels, politi-
cal camps, infighting and finally the
party's future after the last four years
since the Congress has been in power
in Rajasthan.
They agree that the party has
failed to strengthen its presence at the
booth level in these four years and the
voters' trust in the Congress remains
shaken, said a senior leader.
The ongoing political crisis has hit
the workers hard and they have lost
Interestingly, two working presi-
dents of the HPCC have defected.
The question is: Will a season of
shifting loyalties swing elections in
the BJP's favour?
Corruption, unemployment and
poor performance of the government
will be among the major issues in the
forthcoming Assembly elections, said
AICC spokesperson Alka Lamba.
She said the BJP government, both
at the Centre and the state, has been
making false claims.
A confidant Leader of the Opposi-
tion, Mukesh Agnihotri, told the Con-
gress workers to forget those who had
left the party and move ahead. "The
Congress is going to form the next
government in the state."
But senior BJP cabinet minister
Suresh Bhardwaj believes the Con-
gress leadership is a divided house, be
it at the national level or in the states.
"Rajasthan is the latest example.
The Congress is not able to decide a
trust in their leaders.
However, a ray of hope emerged
after former deputy CM Sachin Pilot
spoke of returning the party to power
in the 2023 polls after meeting Con-
gress interim president Sonia Gandhi
on Thursday.
"We need to discuss strategies to
bring back our government, however
no one is interested in thinking about
it, but all seem interested in saving
their chairs," said a senior leader.
It is because of these senior and
selfish leaders that chief minister
Ashok Gehlot had to say sorry in front
of everyone in Delhi, said another
le"We are glad that amid the ongoing
crisis, someone used the word 'to-
gether' in these testing times. This
word is sacrosanct today as the party
stands divided in three factions: there
is one group loyal to the high com-
mand, another to CM Ashok Gehlot
and the third to Sachin Pilot," he
added.The WhatsApp calls of all senior
leaders are busy?discussing if a new
CM will come or if Gehlot will manage
to hold on to his chair.
name for the post of national presi-
dent outside a particular family. G23
leaders are revolting, some of them
have quit the party."
"As far as Himachal is concerned,
the Congress state president in an in-
terview has questioned the high com-
mand. It's like every leader is oppos-
ing others.
People in the state have decided
to retain the BJP government and the
Congress knows it very well,"
Bhardwaj, a legislator from Shimla, told
IANS.
"To overcome the anti-incum-
bency, the BJP central leadership is
focusing to induct seasoned politi-
cians with organisational and ministe-
rial experience from the Congress to
give the state leadership a new look
to win a consecutive term. For the Con-
gress, the exodus of leaders means
dampening the morale to grassroots
in the run-up to the polls," a political
observer told IANS.

CMYK
 II October 2, 2022, Sunday, The Hawk, Saharanpur
The Hawk Mahatma Gandhi—The Father Of Our Nation
The Chief Advocate Of Ahimsa And Satyagraha
Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
Lifespring India moves to celebrate the
153rd birth anniversary of
"There's no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let
people get inspired by how you deal with your im- Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi, father of the na-
perfections." —Unknown
tion, on October 2, 2019.
Modi has rightly said that
Invigilation By Inter- Mahatma Gandhi’s mes-
sage of truth and non-vio-
cepting-I lence is “very relevant for
us even today, for Peace,
During our school days, handwritten notes were a popu- development and progress
in the world.”
lar means of communication between students during
monitored study periods which required a strict silence All over India in or-
der to mark the birth an-
and a full focus on the homework for the next day. Our
teachers, who invigilated these periods, seemed to have niversary of Mahatma
Gandhi, Gandhi Jayanti is
eyes in the back of their heads, for many such notes
being passed around were deftly intercepted by them. celebrated with great en-
thusiasm to pay honor to
The writer of the note was admonished and often given
a mild punishment too. Over time, note senders adapted Mahatma Gandhi who
struggled a lot for the In-
to the risky terrain by omitting to sign their names.
They reasoned that anonymity conferred safety. dian independence from
Contrary to their calculations, the situation worsened. the British rule. We all
The teachers punished the entire class. They seemed know that the name of
angrier in general, especially about the fact that the Mahatma Gandhi now
notes were unsigned. The values the teachers held transcends the bounds of
dear made them deeply uncomfortable about any per- race, religion and nation-
son not taking responsibility for something they ex- states, and has appeared as
pressed. They reckoned that a person should be able the visionary voice of the
to stand by what they stated. Owning your words 21st century.
forced you to consider carefully what you wanted to Gandhiji has become
say and also how you wanted to say it. a role model and an in-
Indore Declared Cleanest....
Haridwar was adjudged the cleanest Ganga town in the category of more than 1
lakh population, followed by Varanasi and Rishikesh. PTI BUN
Bijnor was ranked the first among Ganga towns with fewer than one lakh
population. followed by Kannauj and Garhmukhteshwar respectively.
In to the survey, Maharashtra's Deolali was adjudged the country's cleanest
Cantonment Board.
The 7th edition of Swachh Survekshan was conducted to study the progress
of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and rank the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
based on various cleanliness and sanitation parameters.
The Survekshan has evolved from being an assessment of 73 cities in 2016 to
covering 4,354 cities this year.—PTI
Launch Of 5G Is....
these reforms today the telecom sector is coming up as a sunrise industry, he
added.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw said that with the launch of 5G today, there will be a
great development in the sectors of education, health, agriculture, logistics, digital
economy and the face of communications will change. Efforts are on to reach last
mile connectivity in the optical fiber network with an innovative model, he added.
The Minister thanked the Prime Minister for giving BSNL a market stabiliz-
ing force status, and sectioning Rs. 1,64,000 crore package which is a historic
event to the Indian telecom service provider. There is a big fundamental change in
the telecom manufacturing in the country, he added. Shri Modi ji gave a challenge
of developing indigenous technology for 4G and 5G and India is marching ahead
in the technology development and now the world is looking at Indian telecom
technology, he added.
The Minister of state for Communications, Shri Devusinh Chauhan while
delivering his welcome address said that under the clarion call of the Prime Min-
ister, Shri Narendra Modi, India is marching towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. Under
this India has developed 4G and 5G now and will develop 6G in future. In the
direction of the Prime Minister, a remarkable reforms have been made in the
Telecom Sector. As a result this the Spectrum is allotted to the telecom operator
almost the same day. At the juncture of getting self-reliance in the modern telecom
sector we have great faith in it that it will give new energy, new hope and new life,
he added.
The Chairman of Reliance Industries, Shri Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of
Bharti Enterprises, Shri Sunil Mittal, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Shri Kumar
Mangalam Birla, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Shri K Rajaraman
and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Cong Prez Poll....
and Tharoor -- are in a direct contest now. One form of another candidate from
Jharkhand has been rejected," Mistry said.
There is a seven-day window for withdrawal of forms till October 8 when the
picture will be clearer, he said.
If no one withdraws, the polling will be held, he added.
Mistry said Tripathi's form was rejected as the signature of one of his proposers
did not match and another proposer's signature was repeated.
While one rejected form was of Tripathi, Mistry refused to divulge who had
filed the other three forms that were rejected
Reacting to the development and sharing the list of valid nominations issued
by the chief election authority, Tharoor tweeted, "Delighted to learn that, follow-
ing scrutiny, Shri Kharge and I will be squaring off in the friendly contest for
President of Congress. May the Party and all our colleagues benefit from this
democratic process!"
According to a notification issued by the party on Thursday, the process for
filing nominations for the election was from September 24 to 30.
The polling, if needed, will be held on October 17.
The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be
declared the same day. More than 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates
will vote in the poll.—PTI
Delhi HC Judge....
inquiry and decide the matter within six months. "As in the case of Zakir Naik's
banned Islamic Research Foundation, in which then Delhi High Court Chief Jus-
tice D.N. Patel headed the UAPA tribunal, a sitting Delhi High Court judge would
adjudicate the matter," said Supreme Court lawyer Vineet Jindal.
The notification of MHA stated: "In exercise of the powers conferred by
sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967
(37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby declares the Popular Front of
India (PFI) and its associates or affiliates or fronts including Rehab India Foun-
dation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC),
National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National
Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Founda-
tion, Kerala, as 'unlawful association'."
"Whereas, the Central Government, having regard to the above circumstances,
is of firm opinion that it is necessary to declare the PFI and its associates or
affiliates or fronts as an unlawful association with immediate effect, and accord-
ingly, in exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to sub-section (3) of
section 3 of the said Act, the Central government hereby directs that this notifica-
tion shall, subject to any order that may be made under section 4 of the said Act,
have effect for a period of five years from the date of its publication in the Official
Gazette," it added.
As per the notification, the PFI is was involved in several criminal and terror
cases and showed sheer disrespect towards the constitutional authority of the coun-
try, and with funds and ideological support from outside, it became a major threat
to internal security of the country.
"Investigations in various cases have revealed that the PFI and its cadres have
been repeatedly engaging in violent and subversive acts. Criminal violent acts
carried out by PFI include chopping off limb of a college professor, cold blooded
killings of persons associated with organisations espousing other faiths, obtaining
explosives to target prominent people and places and destruction of public prop-
erty," the notification read.
The ban came after the recent nationwide raids at the premises of PFI mem-
bers by the National Investigation Agency and Enforcement Directorate.—IANS
Analysis www.thehawk.in
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world would not have the right means, desired
Continued From Page 1
PM Modi Launches.....
accorded him the title of ends will follow. He also
spirational leader for the Mahatma. emphasized on the life fortunate to have a leader in the Prime Minister who
youth now. Other great Though Mahatma and teachings of Lord understands technology very minutely and deployed
that to the development of the country in an unmatched
leaders like Nelson Gandhi’s ideas and prin- Krishna saying that ev-
Mandela, James Lawson ciples are appraised and eryone can find solutions manner”, he added. Shri Mittal further said that it will
open up a sea of opportunities for people, especially in
also admired Gandhi’s accepted by many, they to present-day problems
theory of non-violence are not free from criti- from his life. our rural areas. He recalled the Prime Minister's initia-
for the freedom and lib-
erty. Gandhi did a great
cisms. The teachings of
Gandhiji are true to the
The unorthodox
methods he advocated to
tives in the field of infrastructure and technology from
his Gujarat CM days. He said that during the pandemic,
traffic shifted to villages and homes and the country's
work to achieve
Swaraj. More than ever
soul and the morality of
honesty is to be preached
tackle the immensely
complex problems facing
heartbeat did not stop even for a second. Credit for that
goes to the digital vision. He also praised the audacity
before, Gandhiji&#39;s throughout. Whether the the country and his trans-
teachings are valid today, and achievement of the vision of Make in India.“Along
teachings are used in parent sincerity struck a with Digital India, the Prime Minister also took forward
when people are trying to present day or not, does responsive chord in the
find solutions to the ram- the Start-up India campaign and soon enough, India
not imply that his teach- hearts of the common started producing unicorns”, Shri Mittal added, “With
pant greed, widespread ings are irrelevant. The people. The immortal
violence, and runaway the advent of 5G, I’m sure that the country will add
Indian education gives tribute of India&#39;s many more unicorns in the world.”
consumptive style of liv- importance to theoretical first Prime Minister,
ing. . His ideology is ad- Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla
knowledge and practical Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Group called the advent of 5G a transformational event
mired throughout the knowledge takes a back at the time of
world for its universal and that proves India’s prowess on the global stage and reit-
seat. Gandhi ji stressed Gandhi&#39;s passing erates the role of telecom technology as the bedrock of
spiritual appeal. upon giving practical les- said, &quot;The light has India's growth. He thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister
The Gandhian tech- sons to the students as he gone out of our Shri Narendra Modi for his vision and leadership for a
nique of mobilising people believed that this helps in lives&quot;. He inspired generational leap in technology that has resulted in In-
has been successfully em- active participation of the millions of people through dia making a mark on the global stage. He also thanked
ployed by many oppressed students in the class. We his work and became a the Prime Minister for his inspirational role in support-
societies around the world need to make our prior- legacy of greatness, ing the telecom industry during the ongoing pandemic
under the leadership of ity and path clear to idealness, and noble life. and for the path-breaking telecom reforms in the indus-
people like Martin Luther march forward. Gandhi was a social re- try. Shri Birla said that the launch of 5G marks the begin-
King Nelson Mandela and Gandhism is a way of liv- former who died after ning of an exciting journey for India. “We will see limit-
many others. Barack ing with simplicity and completing the aim of his less potential for 5G development and use cases in the
Obama sees Mahatma non-violence. The new life. One should remem- years to come”, he added.
Gandhi as an inspiration generation is waiting for ber that he not only gave The three major telecom operators of the coun-
and has a portrait of the a leader who will make freedom to his country, try demonstrated one use case each in front of the
apostle of peace in his it relearn the moral val- but also brought about a Prime Minister to show the potential of 5G technol-
office. Gandhi had ideas
ues, and who will incul- great moral regeneration ogy in India.
on every subject, from cate in the people, as over his countrymen. Men Reliance Jio connected a teacher from a school in
hygiene and nutrition to Mumbai, with students in three different locations in
Gandhi did, a sense of the like Gandhi are born once
education and labor, and responsibilities which in an age. Mahatma Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha. This demonstrated how
he relentlessly pursued 5G will facilitate education by bringing teachers closer
fall on every citizen of a Gandhi while leading the
his ideas in newspaper. free society. The aim of struggle of the Indian to students, obliviating the physical distance between
He would still be remem- them. It also demonstrated the power of Augmented Re-
celebrating Gandhi people for independence
bered as one of the prin- Jayanti is to distribute from the British rule re- ality (AR) on screen and how that is being used to teach
cipal figures in the his- children across the country, remotely, without the need
Gandhi’s philosophy, peatedly emphasized that
tory of Indian journal- p r i n c i p l e s his ultimate aim was not for an AR device. The Prime Minister interacted with
ism. Mahatma students from Dnyanjyoti Savitribai Phule School,
&amp; thoughts of Ma- merely the overthrow of
Gandhi&#39;s ideology hatma Gandhi and be- alien rule, but the estab- Raigad, Maharashtra in presence of Maharashtra Chief
is universal which is rel- lieve in non-violence lishment of swaraj in In- Minister, Shri Eknath Shinde. Students from Ropda Pri-
evant for all times. around the World. dia. The world community mary School, Gandhinagar, Gujarat connected in pres-
People know very Gandhi&#39;s ultimate endorses the idea of peace- ence of Gujarat Chief Minister, Shri Bhupendra Patel.
little about his subtly search was for righteous ful resolution of conflict in The Prime Minister also interacted with students from
powerful and pragmatic conduct. The means are regional, national and in- SLS Memorial School, Myurbhanj, Odisha in presence
ideology. If his ideology more important than the ternational disputes. of Odisha Chief Minister, Shri Navin Patnaik. Shri
were not effective, the end, he maintained; with —The Hawk Features Abhimanyu Basu, Dhirubhai Ambani Int. School, BKC,
Mumbai also demonstrated the use of 5G technology.
PFI Ban Brings.... The Prime Minister noted the enthusiasm of the stu-
dents for technology in education. Author Amish
-- peering out of the outer two tombs. The caption called for revenge for the demolition Tripathi introduced the segment.
of the mosque. The poster, published in a national daily, put the government machin- The Vodafone Idea test case demonstrated the safety
ery on its toes. The Special Task Force officials began investigating and the story that of workers in an under-construction tunnel of Delhi Metro
tumbled out got increasingly frightening. SIMI activists were making inroads into through the creation of a Digital Twin of the tunnel on
Muslim youth groups and they were not necessarily students. Some were zardozi work- the dias. Digital Twin will help give safety alerts to work-
ers, some were motor mechanics and even fruit sellers -- all semi-educated and fully ers in real time from a remote location. PM took a live
radicalized. Their offices - if they may be called that - were housed in the bylanes of demo from the dias to monitor the work in real-time
various cities with no signage to identify them. SIMI offices dotted the UP-Nepal through utilising VR and Artificial Intelligence. The Prime
border in Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich that provided an easy escape to the Hima- Minister interacted with Shri Rinku Kumar, a worker in
layan kingdom during police crackdowns. As facts emerged and a blueprint of an Delhi Metro Tunnel Dwarka, New Delhi in presence of
organization that had spread beyond imagination was seen, communication between
Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Shri Vinai Saxena. The Prime
the then Rajnath Singh government in Lucknow and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee govern- Minister inquired about the user experience and learn-
ment in Delhi became fast and furious. Law enforcing agencies closed in on SIMI
ing curve needed to adopt the technology. He said that
hideouts, raids were conducted and activists arrested. On September 27, 2001, the workers' confidence in safety is the biggest contribution
National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre announced a ban on the Stu-
of new tech. He complimented the workers of India for
dents Islamic Movement of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, their contribution to the nation’s growth.
for its 'anti-national and destabilising activities', for 'making controversial remarks
In the Airtel demo, students from Dankaur, Uttar
questioning the country's sovereignty and integrity' and for its 'links with militant Pradesh witnessed a lively and immersive education ex-
outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen'. A retired police official
who was a part of the crackdown on SIMI, recalled, "The action was taken in utter haste
perience to learn about the solar system with the help of
Virtual reality and Augmented reality. A student Khushi,
and based on posters and pamphlets found. We did not get time to prove SIMI's links shared her experience of learning with the PM by ap-
with international terror outfits and there was little credible evidence against the pearing on the dias through a hologram. Uttar Pradesh
organisation." Most of the SIMI activists who evaded arrest, immediately went under- Chief Minister, Shri Yogi Adiyanath connected from
ground and continued with their daily chores that included small odd jobs. A few Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi. The Prime Min-
months later, in February 2022 the Godhra incident took place and SIMI regrouped ister inquired if the VR education experience helped
into units without a name. Their activities continued but the 'crusade' remained largely them understand the concepts in a comprehensive way.
headless since all identified leaders were already in jail. In 2006, the Mulayam Singh The student said that after this experience she is much
government attempted to withdraw cases against 16 SIMI activists, including more inclined toward learning new things.
Mohammed Amir. The move was aimed at minority appeasement and also the fact that Addressing the gathering the Prime Minister said
'credible evidence' was lacking. Cases registered 12 years ago - before SIMI was banned that the Summit today might be global but its repercus-
- were based on flimsy charges and an investigation that has been rapped for loopholes. sions and directions are local. He said today is a special
However, the courts did not allow withdrawal of cases. day for the fast-developing India of the 21st century.
The pamphlets and posters produced by the government to establish the anti- “Today, 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift
national credentials of the organisation were nothing more than a collection of poetic in the form of 5G from the country and from the telecom
verses from the Quran, and elsewhere, depicting the ultimate victory of those who industry of the country. 5G is a knock on the doors of a
believe in Allah after overcoming all obstacles, including bloody ones, coupled with a new era in the country. “5G is the beginning of an infi-
few pictures. The notification banning SIMI described its activities on the following nite sky of opportunities. I congratulate every Indian
points: Firstly, it claimed that SIMI was in close touch with militant outfits and is for this.”, he added. He noted with satisfaction that in
supporting extremism/militancy in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere. SIMI this launch of 5G and the march of technology, rural
supported claims for the secession of a part of the Indian territory from the Union, areas and workers are equal partners.
supports groups fighting for this purpose, and is thus questioning the territorial integ- Stressing one more message of the 5G launch, the
rity of India. SIMI was working for an international Islamic order. During Ikhwan Prime Minister said” New India will not remain a mere
conferences, the anti-national and militant postures of SIMI clearly manifested in the consumer of technology, but India will play an active
speeches of the leaders who glorified pan Islamic fundamentalism, used derogatory
role in the development and implementation of that tech-
language for deities of other religions and exhorted Muslims to jihad. nology. India will play a big role in designing the fu-
SIMI had published objectionable posters and literature, which were calculated
ture wireless technology, and manufacturing related to
to incite communal feelings and which questioned the territorial integrity of India. It it.”The Prime Minister pointed out that India was de-
was involved in engineering communal riots and disruptive activities in various parts
pendent on other countries for 2G, 3G and 4G technolo-
of the country. The notification further said that the activities of SIMI were 'detrimental gies. But with 5G, India has created a new history. “With
to the peace, integrity and maintenance of the secular fabric of Indian society and that 5G, India is setting a global standard in telecom tech-
it is an unlawful association.' The ban sparked a political controversy, exposing the nology for the first time”, he remarked.
government to charges of selective persecution with an eye on the Uttar Pradesh assem- Talking about Digital India, the Prime Minister
bly elections. The ham-handed way in which the UP government handled the violence said that some people think that this is just a govern-
that broke out in Lucknow following the ban, only served to strengthen this impres- ment scheme. “But Digital India is not just a name, it is
sion. Though the crackdown was peaceful, it left Lucknow on the boil. a big vision for the development of the country. The
Prime Minister Vajpayee's parliamentary constituency and the capital of Uttar goal of this vision is to bring that technology to the
Pradesh witnessed widespread riots. The police opened fire on protesting Muslims, common people, which works for the people, works by
killing four and injuring many. Curfew was clamped in several areas. Although the connecting with the people.”
situation was brought under control without further loss of life, the episode took an Focussing on the need for a holistic approach to
ugly political turn, with the ruling BJP and the Opposition parties accusing each other Digital India, the Prime Minister elaborated that “we
of trying to gain political mileage. Following the ban, there was a nationwide swoop focused on 4 Pillars, in four directions at once. First,
on SIMI activists, and hundreds of them, including its president Shahid Badr Falahi, the price of the device, Second, digital connectivity,
were arrested from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Third, the cost of data, Fourth, and most importantly,
Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. the idea of 'digital first'.
SIMI offices across the country were sealed and 'incriminating' documents Regarding the first pillar, the Prime Minister said
seized. At that time, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party claimed that that the low cost of devices can only be achieved through
the ban was meant to divide the people along communal lines so that the BJP could Aatmnirbharta. The Prime Minister recalled that there
consolidate its Hindu vote bank. "It is a move to divert people's attention from the were only two mobile manufacturing units in India till
government's failures," SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav had stated. The BSP had eight years ago. “These numbers have now gone up to
said that the fact that other political parties were not taken into confidence before the 200”, Shri Modi said. The Prime Minister underlined that
ban was slapped, smacked of a conspiracy. The Communist Party of India (CPI) and from exporting zero mobile phones in 2014, today we
the Communist Party of India (Marxist) echoed the same opinion. The Congress, have become a mobile phone exporting country worth
meanwhile, had described the ban as 'ill-timed in view of the vitiating international thousands of crores. “Naturally, all these efforts have had
situation' and demanded a similar ban on the Sangh Parivar affiliates. The ban was an impact on the cost of the device. Now we have started
lifted in August 2008 by a special tribunal, but was reinstated by K.G.—IANS getting more features at a lower cost”, he added.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2022 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU

Modi Government turning dreams of Gandhi into reality

daily
Excelsior Established 1965
Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Tarun Chugh Narendra Modi's endeavour to fight against ter- street of the village to the metropolitan cities, from pendence was based on Gandhi's philosophy.
rorism, extremism, and hatred has even sent shock old to the young, every citizen joined this cam- Though, the country became politically independ-

T
he holy land of India has been incarnating

Accident victims, Trauma

great human beings from time to time. In
the 20th century, one such great human
being was Mohan Dass Karam Chand Gandhi who
Centres and required facilities was born on October 2nd, 1869 at Porbandar
(Gujarat). Mahatma Gandhi not only fought for
the freedom of the country, but even after inde-
waves for the anti-India isolated groups which are
always endearing to project India as violent and
aggressive. These groups keep re-organizing and
mobilizing such elements against India as they
never want to see a strong India.
Mahatma Gandhi considered cleanliness as
very important and was of the view that cleanli-
paign. In furtherance of this campaign, the Modi
government constructed &dedicated 11 crore toi-
lets for the people. This campaign was started on
October 2, 2014 on the birthday of Mahatma Gand-
hi.
The Father of the Nation freed the country from
the clutches of slavery, but his dream of 'Clean
ent in 1947, but economic independence remaine-
da dream for the poor. Economic freedom and self-
reliance are the pillars on which the upliftment of
the poor can be done. In the 1970s, slogans of
"GAREEBI HATAAO" (Remove Poverty) were
raised in the country, but no effective scheme or
program was initiated by the then Governments to

R
ecurring road accidents, usually on hilly roads
in Jammu Province, are taking a heavy toll of
precious lives besides causing injuries to many
others travelling in the concerned vehicles or being
pedestrians and hit on the roads itself. Why such acci-
dents take place, what are the common causes of
these heart rending accidents and who could be possi-
bly directly held responsible for not putting in place the
required mechanism, who were indulging in dereliction
in not enforcing proper traffic discipline and rules on
such roads and thus not following the set procedures,
why road worthiness and fitness of vehicles like issues
were taken so casually are all connected issues very
critical to these accidents. Not impossible to have such
frequent accidents minimised if not prevented in
absolute terms and all the above related matters are
being dealt with and mentioned each time through
these columns when any such accident unfortunately
takes place.
We also have been voicing concern about not
keeping the public abreast of what Action Taken Report
was there in response to enquiries instituted in respect
of such tragic accidents. That apart, the fact of the mat-
ter is that in such road accidents, many lives could be
saved in respect of those passengers/occupants of the
ill fated vehicles which receive grievous injuries and
are vulnerable to succumb to injuries and blood loss
due to the time factor involved in carrying them to the
nearest hospital. Not only that, even if such victims
were taken to nearest hospital quite swiftly, still in the
absence of the requisite medical facilities available at
such hospitals or Trauma Centres, the injured run the
risk of losing their lives. Such a scenario, therefore,
warrants to have such a system in respect of medical
help and "dedicated facilities" and ''dedicated Intensive
pendence, he had dreamt of a strong India. Unfor-
tunately, the Congress party which had been doing
politics riding on his pious in his name, vehement-
ly have ignored his policies and dreams.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the pledge
to make Bapu Gandhi's dreams come true and also
acted to make his dreams a reality. While fighting
for the freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi con-
verted the freedom struggle into a mass movement
for the first time in the history of the country. By
doing the same, he made the whole world realize
the power of the people of India. Similarly, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi also directly linked and
dedicated the important decisions of his govern-
ment to the benefit of the large number of people.
He also aimed to make ever every Indian's dream
a reality too.
The most favourite line of the Father of the
Nation Mahatma Gandhi was "VAISHNAV JAN
TO TENE KAHIYE, PEER PARAI JAANE RE".
By following the same path, Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi understood the plight of the poor after
six decades of independence and opened all the
ways and resources of the country to remove their
suffering. In every decision, programs and
schemes of the Modi government, each and every
person of the country has been taken into account
and further their welfare remained the priority of
the present Modi Government.
Mahatma Gandhi was a custodian of peace and
non-violence. To keep these two intact, Prime
Minister Modi is leaving no stone unturned to take
India on the path of "VISHWAGURU" (World
Leader) with his efficiency and contemplation by
attacking and eliminating the elements causing any
hindrance in the progress of the Country. He gave
the message to the whole world that India is the
land of Buddha and not of War. And the era in which
we are living is not an era of war. The message has
been conveyed and sent across the world.
ness could lead to freedom from poverty and dis-
ease in the country. When Narendra Modi became
the Prime Minister of the country, he started the
"SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAN". He made this
campaign a national mass movement. From the
India' was not fulfilled.
Mahatma Gandhi gave a
top-notch message to the
nation by inspiring people
around him to maintain
cleanliness. When the
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi took the initiative to
fulfil this dream of Bapu,
it was for the first time that
such a large movement
involving so many people
was witnessed in India.
The philosophy of
"SWACHH BHARAT
ABHIYAN", started dur-
ing the first term of Prime
Minister Modi, was based
on the life principles of
Mahatma Gandhi. Prime
Minister's appeal to all the
citizens of India to join it
for the successful imple-
mentation of "Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan" turned it
into a mass movement.
Under this campaign, the
Prime Minister was able to
interlink the inspirational
ideas of cleanliness with
self-respect and dignity
and as a result, the dream
of an open defecation
freecountry was possible,
which is no less than a revolu-
tion in itself.
Gandhiji laid emphasis on economic independ-
ence and self-reliance. The plan for the use of Kha-
di for the fulfilment of "GRAM SWARAJ", self-
government, self-reliance and economic inde-
remove it. The policies of the government were
confined just to slogans and not the work on
ground.
"AATAM NIRBHAR BHARAT" (Self-reliant
India) campaign started by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is committed to free the poor from
the clutches of poverty and slavery to make them
the masters of their own destiny. The policies relat-
ed to the farmers welfare and essential commodi-
ties initiated by the Modi government has taken a
concrete step towards providing economic free-
dom and better economical options to the farmers.
The Prime Minister is trying in a systematic
way to turn his dream of a self-reliant India
(AATAM NIRBHAR BHARAT) into a reality. He
first projected the principles of self-reliance and
then gave it a huge financial package to implement
the same. Even before the Modi government, many
governments have taken inspiration from the prin-
ciples of Gandhi's life and thoughts, but no Prime
Minister has made any effort to turn the dream of
the Gandhi into reality.
Gandhi's Khadi also remained neglected. The
Khadiwas promoted at large scale during the Modi
government. Today Khadi has become popular not
only in India but also abroad. The business of Kha-
di has increased under "Local for Vocal" cam-
paign,started by Modi Government. On October
2, the country celebrates the birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi as well as of the former Prime
Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. Earlier, Atalji added
"JAI VIGYAN" to Shastri ji's "JAI JAWAN JAI
KISAN" slogan and now, in view of the the poli-
cies of the last eight years of the Modi government
and the recent laws made, Modiji added "JAI ANU-
SANDHAN"(Research) this year.
Hope every citizen of the country will try to
imbibe in them the great thoughts and principles
of father of the nation.
(The author is General Secretary BJP)

Tribute to Lal Bahadur Shastri

Care Units at these treatment centres which can save Sahildeep Singh Raina the security front, Pakistan was
the lives of the accident victims. creating problems. In 1965,

A
In other words, whether even the existing hospitals simple man with exem-
plary lifestyle, Lal
in districts under the jurisdiction of which an accident Bahadur Shastri proved
can take place have the facilities and the expert to be one of the heroes of histo-
(Specialist) medical personnel easily available to treat ry of India. A great general in
and save the injured victims - if analysed- would proj- Mahatma Gandhi's army of
ect a position which is far from satisfactory. Less said- peaceful soldiers of freedom, he
became the symbol of India's
about the Trauma Centres which were set up with valour and self-respect.
much hype and hope of saving the grievously injured Though diminutive in
accident victims without affording running the risk of stature, he was a man of great
otherwise carrying them to District Hospitals. However, courage and will. He successful-
it is a matter to be noted that at least, the UT ly led India during 1965 war with
Pakistan. To mobilize the sup-
Government appears now to be seized of the matter
port of country during the war he
of not only the frequently occurring road accidents but coined the slogan of "Jai Jawan
is mulling about creation of "dedicated facilities'' at the Jai Kisan. Lal Bahadur Shastri
district level hospitals also so that timely help could be also played a key role in India's
made available to the victims during the critical freedom struggle. He led his life
moments post mishaps.Accordingly, a full assessment with great simplicity and honesty
and was a source of inspiration
of the functioning of and facilities available at existing for all the countrymen.
8 Trauma Centres needs to be made so as to initiate Lal Bahadur Shastri was born
remedial measures for their proper functioning . What on October 2 in the year 1904 at
is required more importantly is the access of the vic- Mughalsarai, Uttar Pradesh.
tims of accidents to such Trauma Centre which means Though his family was poor, they
lived the life of honesty and
that they should remain open throughout since no one integrity. He lost his father at the
knows when, where and of which intensity, an accident age of one. His mother Ramdu-
can occur. lari Devi raised him and his two
The decision of the UT Government in arranging
setting up of more Trauma Centres than the existing Ravi Rohmetra
sisters at his maternal grandfa-
ther's house.
There is a very famous inci-
dent regarding Lal Bahadur
Shastri's childhood which took
place when he was six years old.
One day, while returning from
school, Lal Bahadur Shastri and
his friends went to an orchard
that was on the way to home. Lal
Bahadur Shastri was standing
below while his friends climbed
the tree to pluck mangoes. When
gardener came he caught hold of
Lal Bahadur Shastri and after
scolding he started beating him.
Lal Bahadur Shastri pleaded to
gardener to leave him since he
was an orphan. Taking pity on
him, the gardener said,
"Because you are an orphan, it
is all more important that you
must learn better behavior".
These words left a deep imprint
on Lal Bahadur Shastri and he
swore to behave better in future.
In 1930, Gandhiji gave call
for Civil Disobedience Move-
Tribute to leader of masses
ment; Lal Bahadur Shastri also
joined the movement and
encouraged people not to pay
land revenue and taxes to the
Government. He was arrested
and put in jail for two and half
years. In jail, Shastriji became
familiar with the works of west-
ern philosophers, revolutionar-
ies and social reformers.
Lal Bahadur Shastri
was the General Secre-
tary of the Congress
Party when the first
general elections were
held after India became
Republic. Congress
Party returned to power
with huge margin. In
1952, Jawahar Lal
Nehru appointed Lal
Bahadur Shastri as the
Railways and Transport
Minister in the central
Cabinet. Lal Bahadur
Shastri's contribution in
providing facilities to
travellers in third class
compartments cannot
be forgotten. He
reduced the vast dispar-
ity between the first class and
third-class in the Railways. Lal
Bahadur Shastri resigned from
Railways in 1956, owning
moral responsibility for a Rail-
way Accident. Jawahar Lal
Nehru tried to persuade Shastr-
ji but LalBahadur Shastri
refused to budge from his stand.
By his action Lal Bahadur Shas-
tri set new standards of morali-
ty in public life.
In the next general elections,
when Congress returned to pow-
er, Lal Bahadur Shastri became
the Minister for Transport and
Communications and later the
Minister for Commerce and
Industry. He became the Home
Minister in 1961, after the death
of Govind Vallabh Pant. In the
1962 Indo-China war Shastriji
played a key role in maintaining
internal security of the country.
After the death of Jawahar
Lal Nehru in 1964, Lal Bahadur
Shastri was unanimously elect-
ed as the Prime Minister of
India. It was a difficult time and
the country was facing huge
challenges. There was food
shortage in the country and on
state and different biradris for a
long time in various capacities and
Pakistan tried to take advantage
of India's vulnerability and
attack India. Mild-mannered
Lal Bahadur Shastri rose to the
occasion and led the country
ably. To enthuse soldiers and
farmers he coined the slogan of
"Jai Jawan Jai Kisan". Pakistan
lost the war and Shastriji's lead-
ership was praised all over the
world.
In January 1966, to broker
peace between India and Pak-
istan, Russia mediated a meet-
ing between Lal Bahadur Shas-
tri and Ayub Khan in Tashkent
Russia. India and Pakistan
signed a joint declaration under
Russian mediation. Under the
treaty India agreed to return to
Pakistan all the territories occu-
pied by it during the war. The
Joint declaration was signed on
Jan 10 1966 and Lal Bahadur
Shastri died of heart attack on the
same night.
Few are those people who
live for their country and die fir
their country and for them coun-
try is the first priority.

number at those areas which are accident ''prone'' or
with added vulnerability in Jammu and Kashmir, is a
welcome decision. However, a word of suggestion
would be that not only are such Centres needed to be
opened strictly as per the set guidelines but must be
provided with the requisite infrastructure especially the
qualified medical personnel so that in case of emer-
gency regarding an occurred accident, the injured vic-
tims get the needed treatment quickly. In a situation
when the Health and Medical Education Department is
not in a position to post the required number of special-
ist Doctors especially in Neurology , Radiology and
Orthopaedics Departments in Jammu province
Hospitals, how can Trauma Centres be ''equipped''
with these specialists which these centres very much
need, must however be looked into and resolved.
We, however, are conscious about the limitations
of all such measures in place and going to be added
and improved upon, especially keeping in view the
uncertainties about the accidents but within those lim-
itations too, lot of ''dedicated facilities'' can be arranged
D
uggar land has its own bril-
liant and unique history. It
has given birth to verteran
political, academicians, social workers,
journalists, singers, actors, doctors gen-
erals and leaders of caliber. One
amongst them has been Hans Raj Maha-
jan. This is the tale of this towering per-
sonality who worked selflessly for the
cause of the people. He was a friend, a
guide and a social worker. During his
life time he was counted amongst the
great personalities of Jammu. The main
aim and objective of Hans Raj Mahajan
remained to help the families below
poverty line. He always believed that
service to humanity is the service to
God. This is the basic reason that the
poor masses remember him as their
Godfather and his name is being taken
with great love, respect and honour.
By the turn of the nineteenth centu-
ry, Jammu started experiencing rever-
berations of the political and social
always worked for poor and down
trodden section of society. Maha-
awakening like in the rest of 1892, when he entered public life, jan was a real friend of people and man
the country. Lala Hans Raj to 1944 when he died. His field of of high stature.
Mahajan was the most out- work included campaign for The contribution of Sher-e-Duggar
standing leader of that phase Swadeshi, rights of women, in providing water to people of Kandi
of Jammu's history. He pio- spread of education, economic belt through tube wells was path break-
neered formation of associa- betterment of backward areas, ing initiative and this system still holds
tions of various communities reform in ceremonies observed at key in meeting drinking water demands
like the MahajanSabha and marriage, death and other social to these and other area in Jammu. The
the Rajput Sabha as also of the occasions, help to widows and
best way of paying tribute to the late
Anjuman-i-Islamia and acted orphans, cow protection, cleanli- Sher-e Duggar is to follow his style of
as their honorary secretary ness and redressal of grievances
providing service without self to peo-
which ensured their mutual against omissions and commis- ple. Hans Raj Mahajan was one of the
cooperation in the common sions of administration. Needless tallest leaders of his time and was
task of social reform. to remind that these activities famous for his qualities of leadership
The first secular organiza- were vital adjuncts of the nation- and was dear to all classes of people.
tion of the state, also non- al freedom movement.Lala Hans His contribution to society would
political to start with, was Raj started first two monthly
always be remembered by generations
DograSadarSabha in 1904. newspapers in the state named the to come. No doubt Mahajan ji is not
He dominated the entire social Dogra Gazette and The mahajan- with us but due to his selfless service
reform movement in Jammu NitiPatar in 1907. for mankind his name will always live
region for half a century from He served the people of the in our hearts.

Mechanical Mouse
so that as far as possible, more and more road acci- Rachna Vinod attaining wisdom and prosperity’.
dent injured victims could be saved. Beni was amused to find portrayal of mouse

G
yan vividly remembered the day when
Live “streaming” of while learning the use of desktop comput-
er, he was introduced to a device called
so powerful that it made a complete turn around
in the lives of persons whose life stories later
became inspiration to many. Her mind started
Apex Court hearings mouse. He had studied when b for bat, c for cat and
r for rat was the only way the English alphabets
answers for belief in mythological stories contin-
ued since thousands of years. Without responding
ing it as a blessing from God, he evoked Lord Shi-
va’s Blessing to turn that mouse into a girl so that
seeking some relevance, some link to the modern
mouse on a computer. The scientists were well

I
n a major development which could be termed as
innovative and loaded with transparency in the
highest traditions of the country's judicial system,
the live streaming of the hearings in the Supreme
Court by the Constitution Bench have started for the
first time in the country. This development regarding
exercising by the citizens the part of the right to justice
under Article 21 of the Constitution, is really a land-
mark one available through the TV Channels and the
You Tube. From now onwards, millions of people can
view such proceedings (all constitutional Bench hear-
ings) in the Supreme Court.
In a first, the three constitution Benches hearing
different cases/ issues were, as per reports, viewed
by nearly a million viewers across the country even
though awareness about it was not thoroughly made. It
may be recalled that in September 2018, the apex
court had declared live telecast of court proceedings
as part of the right to access justice under Article 21.
Why not to have, therefore, a separate TV Channel
exclusively for the Supreme Court just like in the case
of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, is both a
curiosity as well as the requirement looking to the
extreme levels of importance accorded to the Supreme
Court in our judicial system? However, it is also a fact
that what the litigants want earnestly is disposal of
long pending court cases in the country.
were taught. He couldn’t help laughing when Beni,
his daughter, had taken upon herself to teach him
handling of computer and in the process she taught
about the use of mouse and very casually referred
that mouse was another name for rat. Beni was irri-
tated at his laughter and told him that In modern
world, the mouse was a very important device of
the computer which had become integral part of
everyone’s life. But eager to learn more about com-
puters, he controlled his laughter. Beni told him
that the computer mouse was shaped exactly like
physical mouse taking into consideration the
advantages of small size and ease of maintenance.
Beni had made it a habit to question logics for
following traditional way of life. Since her child-
hood she was fascinated by hymns, religious ser-
mons and singing prayers in the temples which
were frequented daily by her mother and grand-
mother. She often accompanied them and took part
in singing prayers. So impressed by the effect col-
lective or solo singing prayers had on the devotees
that when time to choose the subject for her stud-
ies came, she chose Theology. Her mind had been
fed on adhering to traditions unquestionably. But
now it was not acceptable to her to follow tradi-
tions blindly.She had developed interest in know-
ing more about relevance of religion in science and
relevance of science in religion. Beni was seeking
to her daughter, Bidya quietly kept watering and
worshipping Tulsi (Basil) planted in the centre of
the house courtyard. This was her daily routine. It
might seem paradoxical that in arguing with her
mother Bidya, many a time, Beni often found
answers to many of her queries.
Bidya wasn’t academically much educated but
like many of her, she was very well aware of reli-
gious rituals and traditional way of life. Somehow
she knew the story of Swami Dayanand Saraswati
who was an Indian philosopher, social leader and
founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of
the Vedic dharma. He advocated the equal rights
and respects to women and education of all chil-
dren, regardless of gender. His father a devotee of
Shiva and had taught him the ways to worship Shi-
va. Once on the occasion of Shivratri, Dayananda
sat awake the whole night in obiesance to Shiva.
During one of these fasts, he saw a mouse eating
the offerings and running over the idol’s body.
After seeing this, he questioned that if Shiva could
not defend himself against a mouse, then how
could he be the saviour of the world. So he left wor-
shipping idols. This was one of the stories often
heard from Bidya to inspire Beni to question the
logics of blind faith.
There was another popular story linked with
Lord Shiva. Once a sage in meditation for centuries
, was disrupted when a mouse fell in his lap. Tak-
(The views expressed by the authors are their personal)
he could bringup her as his own daughter. Shiva
aware of the capability of living mouse to deliver
blessed him accordingly. The sage was very hap-
py and brought up her as the most beautiful with
them what they wanted when it was used as an
object of numerous experiments for scientific
charming manners. When she attained the age of
advancement. Did the inventors of this device
marriage, It was left to her to marry a person of
already knew the capacity of a little mouse to live
her choice. She wanted to marry the most power-
for the welfare of other living beings that this small
ful person but she couldn’t find anyone suitable.
device was designed like a mouse? This mechan-
Once lost in such thoughts of finding suitable
ical mouse has the power to control the movement
match, she was disturbed by some noise as if
of cursor on the computer screen storing files,
somebody was making a dig. She looked around
folders etc. and bringing the global information
and found a mouse digging a hole in the moun-
access with the help of internet by just keeping
tain. A sudden thought flashed her mind that the
hand on it and clicking. This mechanical mouse
mighty mountain was unable to push away or pre-
keeps digging into mountain of ideas in human
vent the mouse from making any hole on his body.
mind to know more about the universe around.
She found that mouse the most powerful and made
her choice accordingly. She asked the mouse to
Aren’t the scientists the saints of modern world
focussing single-minded in newer and newer
marry her. The mouse was helpless as he couldn’t
inventions and discoveries as if they are lost in
marry a human being. She sought permission from
meditation of giving new meaning to life in this
her sage father to let her marry the mouse by con-
mysterious universe?
verting her back in a mouse, her original self. This
Constant comparison between traditions and
transformation was possible only with Shiva’s
logics and questioning was inevitable in Beni’s
blessings. Sage therefore, again evoked His bless-
ings and the girl was again turned back into a
field of work. That didn’t stop her from acknowl-
edging not highly educated parents among the
mouse who could then marry other mouse. Beni
best source persons with their traditional and
pondered whenever she looked at the image of
emancipated outlook enlightened her on many
Lord Ganesh, God of Wisdom, Wealth and For-
topics untangling tangles of mind which assisted
tune sitting on the mouse, ‘No wonder modern
in completion of her research work in theology suc-
computer device has been designed, developed
cessfully.
and designated as mouse, a mechanical ride for
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
 44 OPED
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Psychological
Growth Truth
To live inis
anthe
empty Impact
and
only and
Non-Violence:
nestevidence Role
of life
End of dynasty of
politics
Jammu & Kashmir
in

04Mental Health
Essence duringphilosophy
OPED of Gandhian Epidemics
I used tochildren
When run after good
weregrades butwe
home, slowly
had I commenced chasing
many things to knowledge. I used
www.kashmirreader.com to memorise @Kashmir_Reader
facebook.com/KashmirReader questions+Kashmirreader
TASADUQ YASEEN ure as CM, he did all the ground work for
without truly understanding what they implied, but gradually I began findingSUNDAY meaning in everything. 22 MARCH 2020

CMYK
the abrogation of the last vestige of Arti-

do. It now seems there’s nothing to do cle 370. Now beating the chest won't work
anymore. People are the best judges. This

WPsychological Impact and Role of

SHAFIYA SHOWK AT
REHANA IMTIYAZ WANI

T
place once used to be the hub of tourism
DR AJAZ
DR AJAZ AHMAD AHMAD SUHAFF SUHAFF here is a political buzz going and secular brotherhood, but now eve-
e often wonder when did we grow up. Here’s People often
People often do
do not
not understand
understand or
or do
do not
not agree
agree with
with the
the

W
miss your children badly when you fail to op- around the Union Territory of rything has been gobbled up by dynasty

W
my story. It was a fine pleasant dawn. I woke
up and as usual went to the washroom. hen we think of Mahatma
ee are
are continuously
continuously being
Gan-
being tested tested by by
erate your mobile, laptop, or some other elec- information provided by authorities
Jammu and Kashmir regarding and experts.
information provided by authorities and experts. As the As the politics. These families of Muftis and Ab-
the unpredictable
the unpredictable powers powers of of na- tronic gizmo. Reality sets in. One of the most
na- the announcement of elections to dullahs became “conflict entrepreneurs”,
With my hefty sleepy eyes I took dhi, two words
a glance at cometure.
ture.
to New our threats to human health
New threats to human health wonderful and fulfilling stages of your life has community centres,
community centres, schools,
schools, workplaces
workplaces are
form a stable democratic govern- are shut
shut in
in the
the devouring many a great lives.

Mental Health during Epidemics

myself in the mirror and abruptly saw the mind: discrepancySatya (Truth) and Ahim-often without warning in
emerge come to end. The proud builder that once-upon- ment. After the fall of the unholy PDP-BJP People's Alliance for Gupkar Declara-
in my figure. Something was transformed; sa my (Non-Violence).
body our environment.
environment.
emerge often without warning in
According Infectious diseasesdiseases have have in- a-time swaggered around the hustle and bustle
in-
attempt to stop the transmission
alliance, the erstwhile state remained un- of the infection and
attempt to stop the transmission of the infection and even even tion was formed for a unified goal. But
wasn’t like mine. It was, somehow, unusual. I rubbed my to Gandhi, our
non-violence comes Infectious
creased over
creased over the the past
past century due to increased
wants century due to increased
of the nest, is now left spent, shocked, and shat- smaller social
social interactions,
interactions, such
der Governor’s rule, then President’s rule,
smaller such as
as visiting
visiting the
the home
home of
of
questions were raised over the seat distri-
The patients
The patients confirmed
eyes and scrutinised myselffrom confirmed uttermost
carefully, selflessness.
all fractions of
global
(or global
If anyone
wantstravel,
travel, urbanisation,
urbanisation, and exploitation tered.
of
and exploitation of In the life of a bird, the ‘fleeing-from-the-
and finally, Lieutenant Governor’s rule. bution in the recent DDC elections. The
my body. My hair was slightly to realise
lengthier, themselves
my eyes were the natural
to search
environment.
for
Initially there is un- a friend, cease for fear of transmitting the disease, this
a friend, cease for fear of transmitting the disease, this
The untimely demise of the then Chief PAGD president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, dis-
or suspected
or suspected become
brighter, my skin healthier. Ithe become
hadtruth),
noddedthey off ashave the natural
to behave
a juvenile in such environment.
a way Initially there is un- nest’ comes sooner than the mother would prob- Minister, Mufti Sayeed, led to rise in spec- tributed the seats at his own will. On what
and woken up as an adult. that others will think certainty
certainty
of them about
about
as the nature,
the
entirely nature, spread,
spread, and and impact
impact
ably care for, but it does happen. The mother snapping of
snapping of social
social support
support and
ulations that the PDP may form govern- and communication
communication may may lead
lead to
to merits was the maximum number of seats
fearful when
fearful when they
No, this is not true, I am harmless. they
just writing Tofiction.
Gandhi, of an
non-violence
That’s
infectious
of an infectious was not outbreak
outbreaka that may lead
that may lead to epi- to epi-
either nudges its younglings or they get curi- ment with the Congress, or opt for a grand given to the NC? One wonders if the PAGD
not how I suddenly grew up.negative concept but alla grow demics
positive
demics one and
and usedpandemics.
DRin AJAZ
pandemics. the AHMAD SUHAFF People oftengoing do not outrages
outrages and
and fear.
fear.
understand was notor do to not agree with the
see medical
see medical staff
staff in
in
I grew up like we
An epidemic
epidemic is is defined
defined as as aa widespread
widespread
ous and go it alone on their first flight. Soon, alliance to avoid through the elec- able even do equal distribution

W
up; I didn’t change overnight. sense
It’s aoflong
love.process; it took An the nest is empty and it’s now her lonely home. toral process again. Those speculations of seats, what can one expect on bigger is-
spacesuits whosewhose faces
faces
During
me years to reach here at this juncture of life where I am the freedom occurrence
struggle againstof an e the
are continuously
infectious or being tested by
non-infectious information provided by authorities and experts. As the
spacesuits
capable of thinking like an adult ‘British Raj’, Gandhi
and acting like an introduced
adult
occurrence of an infectious or non-infectious
disease in in
theaa community theofunpredictable
community
spirit at aa particular
particular powers time.
Baby birds spend such little time in their nests
of na-
were proved wrong. To remain in power, sues in the future.

they cannot
cannot see.
see. The
The
disease ture. at
New threats to human time. being
health
nurtured compared to human babies. We the community
PDP formed an centres,
alliance with the schools,
BJP workplaces
The main motive are shut in
behind the local the
body
they
or at least looking like one. satyagrahaI now feel I to
devotion to
amthe
truth, remaining
Pandemics
world.Pandemics
prospering Satyagraha
fectious
firm
are
are
disease
on the
large-scale
means
large-scale
emerge oftenoutbreaks
that
truth, spread
outbreaks
without warning
over a wide
of in-
of in-
geo-
humans in that watch children spreading wings centres,
centres,
tempt
schools,
– which
schools,
attempt
to stop
paved
the
workplaces
the wayare
workplaces
to
transmissionstop
are
for shut
BJP in
shut
the
of the
in the
the at-
to enter
transmission
infection
at-andbut
but they
of specialised
must
must encompass
elections
they
of
was the a
encompass
the
services infection
including
much
much broader
arestructuring broader area
and
humanitarian
of the
area
even
every day, improving every day, my mind thinking more andin- flying away someday--likening it to birds-- temptfurther its agenda in the of valley. political services structure in Kashmir. But the
wait for
wait for test
test results
and more wisely. Entities thatand results is
used is
resisting
to amuse inme theoncename
fectious
graphic
feel
our disease
of trutharea
environment.
actively
area
that spread
andthe but
greatly
Infectious overdiseases
increasedue
a wide geo-
morbidity
have
perceive it as a sort of cutting the ‘umbilical and even
to stop the
evenDespite
smallerthe
transmission
socialvisit interactions,
of Congress
the infection of specialised
such
presidentas aid,
as aid, counselling
dynasts were for the
given
including
population
a freethe
humanitarian
affected
run withand these
graphic creased over and greatly increase
past century morbidity
to increased and smaller
smaller social social
interactions, interactions,
such such
counselling as forvisiting
the population home
affected and of
accompanied by
dreary today. PeopleThe patients
accompanied by severe
severe
I usedconfirmed
whom non-violently. to idolise in adoles- and mortality.
and mortality.
global travel, Pandemics
Pandemics
urbanisation, can create
can create fear and
fear
and exploitation and cord’ofa second time, only instead of coming into visiting
visiting Soniathe home
the home
Gandhi of a
of aand
friend,
other
friend, cease
senior
cease for fear
fear of
for leaders of toat-risk
at-risk groups.
groups. Even
elections, and so
Even survivors
the whole
survivors will
will needpurpose
need pro-
pro- of
cence now only arouse in me the According
emotion of to contempt.
Gandhi, aerratic satyagrahi
I
erratic behaviour
thebehaviour must
natural environment.be-
among
among people people Initiallyand
and this this
thereof- of-
our
is un- world, they’re leaving it, and taking a sub- transmitting
Ms a
Mufti’s friend,
the disease,
residence cease
this at snapping
that for time, fear
of so-
which of
longed
transmitting the disease, this snapping of so- longed mental health care when facing the tasktransmitting
mental
these health
elections care
still thewhen
remainsdisease,
facing the
unfulfilled. this
task
anxiety
used to look at my mother or suspected
anxiety andand ifif the
the disease
withdisease
lieve in truth
affection become andbut
only, non-violence
nowten I leads
ten leadsandto therefore,
emotional distress, even among among stantialin place
place
pieceand and
of our coordinated
hearts with atthem.
local,Unborn national cial cial support
support
fuelled and and
hope communication
that these moves may lead
might to
to be of
of rebuilding
People need their
theirto lives.
think out of the box. If any-
should have faith in the inherent
certainty about the nature,
to emotional
goodness of distress, spread,
even and impact in coordinated at local, national snapping of psychological
social
communication support
may lead and communication
rebuilding lives. may lead to
glare at her with love and fearful
compassion
is confirmed,
confirmed, then then when at thethey same time. those
those who
of who have not
an infectious
have notoutbreak
been directly
been directly
that may lead and
exposed
exposed to epi- in the
and
and womb, an levels.
international
international ‘umbilical
levels. The most
The cord’important
most is what
important outrages
outrages afoot and
and forfear.weaning
fear. The the PDP away
The psychological from the It
injuries
injuries It one
is
is the
thehere is a politician,
responsibility
responsibility of
of mentalhe ensures
mental healththat
health pro-his
pro-
is
I used to ask for money fromhuman my father nature.for all Besides,
my crav- atosatyagrahi
thedemicsdisease. must
and bepandemics of infectious
pandemics.
All sustainsstrategiesour children----gives
to reduce the themofnourish-
spread infection sustainedBJP by to people
form an alternative
during epidemics government,
include son carries
fessionals along on the
with outrages
other'legacy'.
medical The andAbdullahs
profession- fear.
waiting
ings; now I flinch from see
for the
askingmedical
readyfor itand
recovery even staff
willing
for myto in giveto
crucial upthe disease. All
possessions
An epidemic andpandemics
is defined
of infectious strategies to reduce the spread of infection sustained by people during epidemics include fessionals along with other medical profession-
as of a widespread ment. It'sreduce
what keeps them alive. The first by cut- theofPDP still loneliness,
remained alienation,
adamant on form-als toare undoubtedly the first political dynasty
waiting for the recovery
even life for the sake of
disease
disease
truth.
potentially
potentially affect
affect people
people of all age
all age are:
are: transmission
reduce transmission of infection
of infection by regu- feelings
regu- feelings rejection,
of rejection, loneliness, alienation, etc.
etc. als to communicate
communicate awareness awareness about about the the risk
risk
requirements. spacesuits whose faces groups. occurrence
Infectious of outbreaks
an infectious have orshaped
non-infectioustheting lar brings overwhelming
handwashing, cough joy,
and and
sneeze the etiquette,
second, ing government
Quarantine of with theor
confirmed BJP. Politically,factors
suspected of toJammu
the and Kashmir,
population. More having remained
emphasis should
groups. Infectious outbreaks have shaped the lar handwashing, cough and sneeze etiquette, Quarantine of confirmed or suspected factors to the population. More emphasis should
aggravates this
aggravates this anxiety.
I don’t recall a particular day anxiety.
The where
philosophy of non-violence
all these up- disease
psyche of
is the in
of humanity
onea
humanity since
we
community
since ages at
ages and a particular
and affect
affect hu- time.
heart-wrenching
hu- and and social sorrow.
social distancing.
distancing. patients the PDP-BJP
leads to their alliance
isolation hadmemorise
been
from an
socie- questions
un-be but
central
given onnow tothat
vulnerablethe I look
state's
groups back I
politics
and discover
for
finding over
peo- 80
heavals occurred. When they cannot
need did
actually allsee.
to follow, that The
because
take place, psyche
it was
man
through
Pandemics
beings
non-vio-
in
are large-scale
different This
ways never
and
outbreaks
cause halts, sig-
of growth
in- constancy
The Infectiousjust never
of socialstops.
pandemics ties also From
in old age the
affect has beginning
de-
mental
patients
ty.
centres,
This I’ve
easy leads
been
one,
significantly
to
schools, their
simply
with the isolation
workplaces
two parties’
affects the
arefrom
that shut socie-
actuallyin theIat-
traditional
self-esteem
be
ple
given
haven’tbut
long
with
on
they
wastedvulnerable
years,
serious
must but
distress
groups
encompass
even there areaand
a reactions
second much
now finding
because
new
and
broader peo-area
political
attend-
Individuals who
Individuals
without me having a sniff about
wait for who are
testare
lent activities
it? How and did Istrategies
learn to manthat beings
the freedom
fectious in different
disease of thatways spread and overcause a wide sig- geo- or
clined Infectious
disappeared. pandemics
Under alsoown
our affect
custom mental ty. This
exceed of
tempt
standssignificantly
to onstop affects the
the transmission
many contentious self-esteem
otherof the
issues than infection
at ple
theing
odds. with
of
limitedparties serious
specialised withdistress
questions, services
young reactions
I’vefaces including
learned who and
every-
are attend-
humanitarian
challeng-
wasresults is nificant health, economic, social, and politi- health. Psychosocial impact can the of the people. A person starts believing that to them first. Mental health professionals
TAJAMUL
differentiate between HUSSAIN
right and
quarantined, even
India
even if wrong?
if they
they
won.How Many
do worldnificant
I antici-
heading leaders,
into the health,
graphic likearea
unknown... economic,
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greatly social,
I prepare I and
increase thought
himpoliti-
morbidity it’shealth.
neo-local precisely
residence, mybride
Psychosocial body and that’s
impact can
groom changing
exceed
don’t livethebut of it’s
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and justdissidents
people.
even
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A
smaller body,
person starts
social
in PDP believing
interactions,
thing
constantly else. that
such
There’s
ques- ing another
as
should
to
aid,
ing them
alsothe first.
counselling
important
dynasties
look
Mental
after
for the
thing
of
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health
population
both
ownthat professionals
I’ve
Abdullahsaffected
re- andand
quarantined,
accompanied
pate where to converse what,Mandela,
and even by if Isevere
Martin am not Luther cal disruption.
the King
for part cal
of
world?
disruption.
and
Jr,Will mortality.
etc, have
he beap- Pandemicsin
successful can create fear and management capacity
management capacity of of thethe affected
affected popula- popula- his his thoughts,
thoughts,
visiting the desires,
home
desires, wishes
ofwishes
a friend, and
and
alised
most
cease
most
thein for im-
im-fear years:
these of
should at-risk
also
that groups.
iflook
I run afterEven
after their own physical
survivors
something will
and need
physical and
I and pro-
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society that every
experiences aspect life? Aof my character
near either the is
tion. Increase changing.
groom’s
Increase in the
parentsThe
the incidence
incidence of
or the only bride‘s
of mental thing
mental disor-
par-that I love
portantly
disor- portantly about
tioned the
his life growing
rationale
lifethedoes
does not
behind
not matter
matter to
alliance
any- mental
the Muftis.
well-being during disease outbreak.
never become
become infected,
any conversation, how do I understand infected,
preciated this what philosophy
people
terrible are of AGandhi
feeling society behaviour
and
of impending have
that among
experiences
doom lingers aa pandemic
people pandemic
and and this ents,of-tion.
but instead goin off to establish a new separate transmitting
that theirhis partydisease,
had with this snapping
achieve
the to it,
BJP. any- of lose
I’ll
Earlier, so-
mental longed
interestThe mental
well-being
inlateit, or health
during
I won’t
Mufti care bewhen
Muhammadable facing
disease outbreak.
to the task
getSayeed

W
discussing about? never
anxiety When and did triedif to
I learn the adopt
to disease
talk the sameatmethods
to numerous
tugs show
show
the tenmany
manyofleads
heartstrings signs
action
signs toof of up
emotional
that
of
the is that
individual
individual
‘Empty I see
and
distress,
and
Nester’. things
collective
even
collective among inders
residence a whole
ders andplace
in
and new
emotional
and
emotional
of their own. light every
manifestations
coordinated
manifestations
With increased day. I am
depends
at life
local,
depends
expec- able
on to
national
on one,
one,understand
evensupport
cial
even if it
theseifvoices
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not the
and
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the case in
communication
case
muted,
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reality.
reality.
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then Like The
Thelead
when
follow-
Even
to
Even ofif
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they
ifrebuilding
they
created in high
communicate
their lives.
communicate
an school,
alternative
from
fromtoaa distance
I always distance
the NC.be-
wanted
be-
The
kinds of people in can suffer
can
hen suffer profound
children profound
is confirmed,
several contributed
manners?
are born, we then
greatly
It wasn’t to the
a specific panic.
success
The house those
panic.isThere
ing to the
why
There
of who
the is
a storyisofchaos
thedisease.
disease
chaos
have
Indian
one’sby and
not
life.
and confusion
been
The
their
All occurred,
has pandemics
directly
pictures
confusionmannersims,
itsof
regard-
regard- exposed
tancy
infectious
contain-
the
theand
their
ability
magnitude
and international
magnitude
having
tone
strategies
of the
of
only
and
the
of the epidemic
a child
their
to reduce the
the population.
population.
levels. The
epidemic or two,
behaviour.
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and
and
spread
thethe
most
the vulner-
important
vulner-aremost
parents
personsThere
of infection
and in
most
so
frequent
outrages
frequent
ing
many the
sustained by
in survivors
survivors
and immediate
fear. The mental
immediate
communal
things
arepeople that
psychological
mental
polarisation
during episodes
depressive
disorders
to hold
disorders
epidemicsand
the injuries
between
include
cause
firstcause
position
that
ofItsafety
patriarch
fessionals
they
is theprecautions,
of safety
in class,
are
responsibility
precautions,
of but
alongheard
being
NC,I never
with other
patients
late
with
of mental
patients
Sheikh
medical
full
should
did;should
I was
attention
feel
health
feel pro-
Muham-
profession-
to
day or a specificimagine month or freedom
event.
what they’ll struggle.
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hanginging on whythe walls
the tell you
disease hasof occurred,
the years its spentcontain- survive abilityto experience
of an emptyOlder nest for years to-
persons and Jammu and are Kashmir
depressive always
on episodes
the issue second
of beef
and or
that third.
madIt
they are was
Abdullah,
beingnotheard just the
buoyedwith caseby in
full hishigh
attentionconsecu-to
mental health
happened thatwaiting
mental health issues
like whenfor
eventually issues that
theyIn
made that
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me my
grow recovery
more modest
up.me, under ing
Iunderstanding,
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ing
disease
strategies, the potentially
together.
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groups.
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and
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teachers
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fear
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well
bring
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asme:
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of
social
social
shaped
they
all age
gether, taught
children
often
children
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for me
are: reduce
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be
be
handwashing,
recognise
more
decades.
more vulnerable
Old
vulnerable
cough
alphabets,
of infection
parents
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than
sneeze
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young
to
young
regu-
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sentences.
feelings
transient
transient acute
consumption,
acute
Quarantine
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stress
these
stress of
loneliness,
reactions
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reactions
confirmed
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school; voiced
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or
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occa-
suspected
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their provide
als to
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tive
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in Patients
third
elections,
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More
about
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emphasis
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giveby with it. AsAs the the threat
threat people. in The patients confirmed or suspected
suspected sionally, an increase
increase in violent
violent behaviour. wasbe iteducated to cope with problems. Respect pri-
don’t remember
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sionally,reservations
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have of been
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inknow
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vacy
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person’s
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man beings outbreak
in different grows, ways peopleand cause start become
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pandemics see also staff
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expressions;
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Farooq
stress and
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should also
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country
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In such a situation
situation
a pandemic anxiety
anxiety and
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bial ‘having-been-thrown-away’.
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the incidence
disease is confirmed,
confirmed, mental then
then generalised
disor- lah. Karra’s
portantly
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fear, and
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about till
to now.
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al-
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One well-being
good
and example
other medical
during
medical of a staff
revived
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staff are
are likely
party
outbreak.
likely is
beginning
the stark I’ve never
realisation been simply
of being become
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liance
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if former
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during fell
of body,
show
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normal functioning individual of and
theof com- waiting and
for the emotional
recovery aggravates this depends
anxi- on one, even
Psychosocial if it is not
intervention the case
istion in
need reality.
of The
the oftoreligion,
experience mental distress during be-
severelanguages, from a distance
cisely my body
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equipping not just
chil- and my
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childbirth, the path goingahimsa,
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ety.with the samecommunal group in ahimsa
the same as thehis
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hemently
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the alliance
the outbreak
outbreak but instunned
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and see out how
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theculture,
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tasks I’ve made
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sounds only
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munity
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ing did
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forthe
pitter-patter
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avoid
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occurred,
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run-
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tlement
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the magnitude
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full
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attention
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public places like schools, colleges, markets, if they
if they never
never become
become infected,
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can suffer
suffer pro-
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the epidemic.
epidemic. Integrating
Integrating mental
mental health
health inter-
inter- Mental health care should be provided with
I mental healthneering upissues that Ithat
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hi will
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cial
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py with
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re- gen-
and
fly away?’ Whenme
they taught children
to recognise ciples and
irrevocably
alphabets, move ideas
to and
words, success
couch
sentences. came
potatoes guesshis
tiseptics
and way.
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gluing
learned to cell
on ing
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phones
my God.and
own. Theso-
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ing truth lies
lifelongwaitthrough
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results
and I with
remain atthat
accompanied
inleast time
hunt some and
of byofcontinues
severe
people to The
whodisorders,
can be relevant
role
instruct ofme today.
post-traumatic
theand National most
stress
reason all religions.
disorder,
Conference
to fight and youngsters.
that simple Though
reason is beset
learn, byto many
grow
Recent outbreak of novel coronavirus ed the most, leaving individuals feeling isolated give better results in controlling an epidemic build their
der. life.
Doctors and other
a place
Some like the USA,
things that the
my pain
family Gandhi’s
of taught
separation me, like isphilosophy
cialto
how networks
eat, offlash
Recent
of ahimsa/ the
I usedfear
outbreak
through of
to contagion.
non-vio- the
run ofmind.novelgood
after In coronavirus
(non-violence)”. such gradesa situationbut ed
their theanxiety
most,
children.
slowly I com- and ifgenerally
leaving
They the disease
individuals
correct my had is their
confirmed,
feeling
Violence
faults. only then
isolated
is
I sons
guess give generalised
destructive
that’s better
cannot
what and
weresults
be
call fear,
dangerous. and anxiety.
in controlling
overlooked
growth. I either. anbecause
up, epidemic
NC's growth rantbuildis their
the the life. evidence
People's
only Conference of medical staff are
still shares
life. likely
a bond
worldwide is creating
creating and vulnerable. People often do do not understand asofwell
well as as ensuring effective changes is in behav-
simplyhow overpowering.
to talk, how to walk, and lence
mostand satya/
of all, theytruthmade Allandme love the
worldwide
you can safety
are
see
menced the
is and
three
in chasing
your normal
mind aa are
similar
functioning
The
similar
knowledge. most
haunting
worry.
worry.
I usedof the Tocom-
important
Toand
to and
memorise waiting
principle
vulnerable.
daughters for
or
ques- the
forbothGandhi
People recovery
used often
livingto think aggravates
The
not
nearby. understand
I’ve As this
the anxi-
philosophy
squandered as myGandhi Psychosocial
about
life ensuringwas Iinspired
restoration
because intervention
effective changes
of statehood
couldn’t need
—The
in
and behav- of theis ato
writer
Article BA
with experience
student atsevere
Govt
andDegree
the—shafiyawani33@gmail.com
people mental distress
unarguably representsduring
control its infectious
infectious spread istoaafollow
very complex or dodoandnotifIndividuals
ety. agree with this the
who information
are provided
quarantined, ioural hour patterns.
of not only Mental
during health services
the outbreak butshould
also after —Dr
and Suhaff
after the is
is Senior
emergency Resident, tasksDepartment
are completed.
‘Empty-Nesters’ are growing in values
number thatatwill a help images us live amunity
control
of your childisatand
peaceful
its threatened.
aspread
various was People
is
stages in avoid
very complex
his/ going
non-violence,
upwardlyto
or not we follow
agree
mobile with
youth the
began from
information
moving theprovided
out in even
ancient ideals
ioural 370 &non-violence
patterns.35A Mental
are and
health
sly attempts services
to project should them- College
—Drthe Sogam
Suhaff
aspirations (Lolab)Senior Kupwara
and Resident,
sentiments Department
of majority
geometric progression. You may find them eve- task,public
her life…precious
task, where
where sets of
places
memories
sets oflike
measures
schools,
that
measures onlyneed need
colleges,
you to be
and
to bemarkets,
put
putdroves by authorities
by authorities
if the
to theygreenneverandpastures,
and experts.infected,
become
experts. As
Asthe the
the community
can suffer pro-
traditional
community
not be
not be
the limited
epidemic.
selves
limited as to 'saviours'
to those
those who are
Integrating
who are directly
mental health
of Kashmiris,
directly affected
who
affected noof
inter- of Psychiatry,
Mental health
of the valleyites...
Psychiatry, SKIMS
SKIMS care Medical
Itshould
Medical believesCollege
College in Bemina
be provided
empower-
Bemina with
and to public gatherings. Societies are caught found mental health issues that last long past ventions within the framework of public health care and a sense of responsibility. Professionals
rywhere. For this wretched lot, the feelings of you alone possess. Unless you’re a social iso- simplicities buckled under the swagger of longer take them seriously, for they have ment and not impoverishment!
up in an extraordinary emotional confusion the end of their quarantine. Anger outburst is epidemic preparedness measures, the training should not make any false promises or give false
being able to be with children on a regular basis late or an Alexithymiac, tears well up and you Yuburbia. In its wake were born the ‘Latch- been changing colours like chameleons.
which seems at least for a time to be beyond another issue among due to abrupt breakdown and the supervision of workers to provide psy- information but make people aware of what has

Peace:
nowThe The
for sea fundamental
of knowledge tenet of Islam
are suddenly things of the past....irretrievable, feel like sobbing. You walk into the room and Key-Kids’ and the ‘Empty-Nesters’. The 'SHOW BOY' of mainstream politics

What Farooq?
anyone's control. of social support structures when they are need- chosocial support and mental health care may happened, understand it, overcome it and re-
to boot. The goodbye of the children is as if your pick up that oldRecent raggedyoutbreak teddy bear of and novel holdcoronavirus
it ed the most, leaving individuals feeling isolated give hasbetter
never results
let down inhis masters and
controlling always
an epidemic build their life.
“new life” felt much like when you were new- so close to your heart that
worldwide it’s as though
is creating a similar you’reworry. To and vulnerable. People often do not understand asdanced well as to their tunes.
ensuring effective After
changes paving in behav-way The writer is a Kashmir-based socio-

The Invisible
lyweds without children. Leaving home and holding thatcontrol beautiful baby once
its infectious spreadagain. is aYou very complex or do not agree with hoosyn50@gmail.com
the information provided ioural for dilution
patterns. ofMental
Articlehealth 370 during
services hisshould
ten- —Dr political
Suhaff activist.
is Senior tasaduqy@gmail.com
Resident, Department
task, where sets of measures need to be put by authorities and experts. As the community not be limited to those who are directly affected of Psychiatry, SKIMS Medical College Bemina

contains
Let us strive to buildmuch
What now for Farooq? beside
peace, a desire education
for peace, a willingness to work for peace
Influence On Us
Farooq has
Farooq
more than
more
has been
been deceived
than once;
once; last
deceived
last on
on the
the

The Invisible eve of

of Aug
Aug 55 when
when ModiModi

The changing political dynamics inInfluence

AfghanistanOn Us
eve
There are many sources and many means of gaining knowledge apart from books and personally assured
personally
that noFarooq
no such
assured them
has
such plan been
plan was
them
deceived
was afoot.
afoot.
MOHAMMAD IMRAN
MOHAMMAD IMRAN
and actions are commands, but most of
and actions are commands, but most of
them are habits of obedience.

W
them are habits of obedience.
that hat a life we would have If we obey our parents or teachers,
textbooks; some knowledge is learnt from experience, some comes from the divine itself more than once; last on the hat a life we would have If we obey our parents or teachers,
One cannot
One cannot help
help suspecting if only we were left to do show respect for elders, refrain from
eve of Augsuspecting
if only we were left to do show respect for elders, refrain from
5 when Modi as we pleased! But as we smoking, follow customs, etc, it is be-
DR MUZAFFAR SHAHEEN that Dulat’s
that Dulat’s aim
aim was
was to
to as we pleased! But as we smoking, follow customs, etc, it is be-
grow up, all of a sudden,
government in Kabul a cause is formed of the soon internalisation
after of these
personally assured them grow up,
neither visible MOHAMMAD
all ofIMRAN a sudden, a cause and ofactions
the internalisation
are commands, ofbut these
most of
PEERZADA ABDUL R ASHID persuade
persuade Farooq
Farooq
that no such plan
Abdullah
Abdullah
was afoot.
northe tangible
neither visible nor tangible unknown habits, Taliban unknown
enter
across the
the habits,
capital.
river values
and
them
The
valuessave and
policy actions.
of
themselves
and actions.
are habits of obedience.
This
from
This does
does not
drowning.
not

W
entity arises and begins vengeance to exert its
against mean that
in-supporters of they
the are innate
Ghani and develop The

P
entity arises and begins to weexertBut they
its in-have declined
mean that as they
they didn’t
areour know
innate swimming.
and or develop
to accept
accept the new status

A
hat a life would If we obey parents teachers,
visible influence on us. autonomously; they may todepend onfrom
etition writers are license holders who are
qualified to write petitionstediously for litigants protracted
for fil- period
to
One cannotthe new
help status
suspecting visible influenceifon
It shapes ourasopinions
regime,
only
awe
us. we were
political
if boatman
and
adopted,
suicide
our
bookish
left tothen
be-
would
bywe
do
our
Taliban
knowledge
be no
brought
autonomously;
show
interactions
the
andof
was
less
respect
she no
than
point
theyforhome
with
may
use
may
elders,
family
here
them
depend
refrain
members,
and only
thatontheir
practi-
ing in courts. They are anof twenty class
important longish in years of quo. But
quo. Butthat
what
what leverage
Dulat’s
leverage does
aimdoes
was to haviour. It discourages grow up,
pleased!
usallempathy
from
cal
of
But
It shapes our opinions and our be- our interactions with family members,
lose the ques-
a knowledge
sudden,
as
of nations,
peers,
smoking,
a ofcause if any.
authority
swimming
follow
of thefigures,
could
customs,
savecultural
internalisation
etc,
them.idols,
it
There
is be-
of these are
haviour. It discourages us from ques- peers, authority figures, cultural idols,
the court hierarchy and are
ryone. However, they are not ABthe HAMID only
fighting
respected
sponsored
ones who
andby
NATO
combat
eve- with US-
knowwar on ter-
he have
persuadenow? The
Farooq
he have now? The answer answer
Abdullah tioning
tioningneither or debating
or visible nor
debating
Most
the
thetangible
geo-politics
ofmany
beliefs
beliefs
the observers
other
and
unknown
are ofto
ticality
and
isthe
and
and
more belief
of Afghanistan
suchhabits,
examples
primarily
primarily
that
important
values
the
to
than
bring
though home
and actions.
though
Tali-
theory.
observing
observing
to us that
This doesprac-
how
how not
practices
entityof the majority.
arises and begins Weto begin
exert its others
in- meanrespondthat to
theythem. are innate and develop
ror is also seemingly coming to a is — the
the people
to people of Kashmir.
accept the Kashmir.
new status practices of the majority. ban onappear
We begin to
Allhave others
to uslearned respond
lessons to from
them.

P
writing petitions. There are many others who can of know about the Wardha Scheme of educa-
write better than they eacedo.is Butbuilttheon the foundations
grinding
petitioners arehalt with US troops
author- is — of meetvisible
meet
the demands
the
societyItinshapes
influence
demands
which we our
of
of
past
the
the
us.
collective,
collective,
folliestion
opinions
live.
the
the
andpropounded
are
our today
be- our
autonomously;
more pragmatic,
by interactions
Mahatma
they may
Gandhi
with family
depend
wheremembers, education
on
quo.
They are But what
are waiting leverage
waiting for does
for aa lead
lead society in whichdiscourages werefined
live. and
ised to write the petitions ofwithdrawing
spiritual
in court practices:
hurriedly,
premises, connec- leaving
unlike oth- behind arms They We
We
haviour.
can sayItthat
can say orthat
society has
society has
was
us apractical.
from
will
abeliefs
linked
will of and
ques-
of It is
and widely
centered
peers, believed
on some
authority form cultural
figures, of manual and
idols,
ers, as they know thetions, and compassion,
ammunition justice,
andthe unity. dollar invest-
a trillion he have now?
and The answer that a thetraditional act in grand workand Jirga might
primarily be
though observing how
aa leadership.
leadership.
court rules and frame petitions tioning
its own, an ability debating
to think productive
and and related to handicraft as per the en-
as per law. It ment
is a goal in of all spiritual
jeopardy. Even people.
though American and
is — the people of Kashmir.
its own,
practicesan ability of the
its own right. But what makesvironment
tomajority.
think and
summoned toact
We form in the
begin to government
others respond repre-
it able to and facilities available. This is what we call
to them.
its own right. But what makes itethnicities
able to the of the land, an Af-
AGPeace is an inner state of ofwell-being and to be looking
It is a stark reality leaders
that outwardly
majority our don’t
adult appear
popula- meet the demands senting of theall collective,
NOORANI tions, bribing politicians across the board, exert such influence on us isvocationalperhaps education and is based on the motto of “earn
tion, both AG incalm.NOORANI
cities The spiritual
villages, path
andcomfortable with is focused
is illiterate the
tions,
and on
present the
bribing
one circumstances
haspoliticians across the board, They are waiting for a lead exertsociety in which
such influence ghaniweonlive.
us traditional
iswhile
perhaps yousubstitute
learn and learn to electoral
while you earn”. Such kind of
and manipulating them as well. But he knows because it is endowed with a higher

O
to search formind any with literate practices
that have forced
person aimed
just toto them clearing
and
write toa exit
manipulating
simple from Bagramthem as well. But he knows becauseWe it can say that
is endowed democracy,society ahas
with education or
higher a willcan
some of be very useful
understanding might
for adults also these days
n March 13,
letter, fill any
n March 13,
Dr
theform
Dr
Farooq
mental
Farooq any
Abdullah
state,
orairbase taming
nearwas
application,
Abdullah
was
Kabul, that
thoughts,
even which
that
the
in
theand status
hadage
this
status beenquo is fragile,
quothe cen- which
is fragile,
which is why he
is why he and a leadership. consciousness,
its own, an because
consciousness,
because
ability
prevail toit istocomposed
it think and act in Ghani and some
ifaccommodate
is composed imparted.
released from
attaining detention.
adespite
calm Earlier
equilibrium. on publicly stated that he would ask the govern- Bukhari & Co, “Article 370 is gone; that’s now of several
its own of us.
right. But what makes it able to
of enlightenment
released from and tral
detention. seat of their
the
Earlier onair-borne
efforts ofThese
government
publicly cool-
might
statedinthat thehe entire
would ask the govern- Bukhari & Co, “Article 370 is gone; that’s now of several of us. of his associates It has in thebeengovernment,
seen that illiterate failing adults have also tre-
Feb 12, A.S.
ing,AGDulatNOORANI
meditative met Farooq.
region, practices
they His
are bring
yetment to start
tions,
equanim-
busy talking
bribing
searching to air
Pakistan.
politicians across the board, an old story … let’s move ahead of it”. And Our
exert collective
such influence consciousness onwhichus is pro- perhaps
agencies
Feb 12, toA.S.
impart Dulat education
met Farooq. to all.His This is
mentalso toone
and start talkingfor
rea-
manipulating tothem
Pakistan.as well. But he knows an old story … let’s move ahead of it”. And Our
because collective it is
either
consciousness
endowed
of mendous
with a
the country
pro-
higher
experience mightof life slip andinto are men of wisdom and
visit was cleared bybases
therushIndian gov- ofatmind. AAfghanistan
new politicalfor outfit, the Apni Party, was this plan is what Farooq Abdullah, his son tects our collectiveyet interests by way of sense. war

O
sonvisit
whywas there ity,istranquility
cleared so muchby the and
in the
Indian ofclarity
vicinity
people
gov- of
the
A new Is- political
counters a pos-
outfit, the Apni Party, was this plan is what Farooq Abdullah, his son tects our collective another
interests common
by internecine
way of Theythat havethe key
a remarkable memory pow-
ernment
ernment
and was
of petition
and was
n March
writers
facilitated
13, Drby
facilitated
lamic even by
Farooq
thesurvival
spiritualism,
sible
for
thesmall
Abdullah was
Intelligence
i.e.,
Intelligence Sufism,
purposes. isthat
launched
in thelaunchedregion.a path the
in status
Srinagar
in Srinagar
quoon is fragile,
March which
onheMarch
8, less is
8,askless
than
than
why he Omar and all the detained leaders of Kash-
Omar and all&the detained leaders of that’s
Kash- now
consciousness,
devising
devising
obligations,
obligations,
because
players morals,
morals,
it isvalues,
Islamabad, composed
ervalues,
and can Beijing
remember and Moscow things are orally. I still remember
released from detention. Earlier on publicly stated that would the govern- mir Bukhari
are up against.Co, “Article
Farooq 370
has is
been gone;deceived of several of us.
Bureau. Dulat
If someoneandof Farooq
spiritual
asks go
you a long
Thewrite
to way
a advancement,US has back. anaaexpansion
for decided
him week
as to before
hewithdraw
ortoshe Farooq’s
from Af- release. It comprises
It comprises mir are up against.
and customs. These mayaware
fully force us
forcemy
to do
of.childhood
to dopro- days when middle-aged people or even
Bureau. Dulat and 12,
Feb FarooqA.S. go Dulat longmet way back.
Farooq. Hisweek ment before Farooq’s
start talkingrelease. to Pakistan. an old story …Farooq let’s move has been ahead deceived
of it”. And and customs. Our collective These may consciousness us
Dulat joined the Indian
of Police
itconsciousness, Service
not ghanistan in
leading
with1965to known
awareness
a strategy pro-Delhi
to of against
win politicians,
the headed by one more than once; last on the eve of Aug 5 when jobs that we may not Today’s like, inof order
Afghanistan toages is Ifentirely
you do not
a different internalise
late father these
Dulat cannot
joined the write,
visit Indian
was iscleared
Police surprising.
Service
by the in IndianEarlier,
1965 gov- peopleA
known would
pro-Delhi
new political politicians,
outfit, the headed Apniby Party,one was morethis than once;
plan is last
what onFarooq
the eve Abdullah,
of Aug 5 when his son jobs tects
that our we may collectivenot like, in order
interests older
by way to of would If youcome do not to my internalise with volu-
these
and ernment
was deputed
search for
andawas the
to theself
household IB.and Heinthe
Talibanwas
a universe.
village indirectly:
posted that to Altaf Bukhari
sponsoring andformerly
fanning of Mehbooba’s PDP. ModiOmar personally assured them that no such meet expectations onesuch andas has become
financial thevalues
centre andstage habits, mythe
involv- social struc-
and was deputed to thefacilitated
IB. He by
was the to would
Intelligence
posted Altafhave
launched
Bukhari a pen in Srinagar
formerly of on March 8, less
Mehbooba’s PDP.than Modi personally and allassured the detained them that leaders no suchof Kash- meetdevising
expectations obligations, such as minous
morals,
financial books
values, values of Persian
and habits, and thefathersocial would struc-explain
Kashmir andin
Bureau. 1988
inkpot,
Dulat and and The
headed
since these
Farooq tribal
substance
the go aand
IB’s
were ethnic
of Sufism
Kashmiri
not
long available
way war
isThey
back. inaAfghanistan.
selfless
easilymet
week ex-
asModi.
before But till release.
lit- A statement
Farooq’s China
from the and
It prime also to
comprises some
plan wasextent
mir are up from
afoot. against. Russia.Farooq has through Afghanistan. Taliban
been deceived doesn’t
success,
and customs.seem status,
social ing stakes
These gender
may of the
them
force roles, regional
the
us ture powers
to meaning
do willof push that
verses you Tali-
out.
in We have language.
Kashmiri been
Kashmir in 1988 and headed the
now IB’s
this Kashmiri
nefarious They
scheme met hasModi. A
met (SAW) statement
with fail- from the prime plan was afoot. success, social status, gender roles, ture will push you out. We have been
erategroup
operation people perience
duringwere thefew andandthe
insurgency. far actualisation
between.
He rose ofcan
truth.
minister’s
We known by office
this
pro-Delhirevealed statedthe Islamabad
politicians, that “Actions
Modi-Bukhari
headed has
byare emerged
one butOnemore asthan
by cannot the be most
help
once;as if power-
heon
suspecting
last had the to
savedthat
eve be averse
oflives
Dulat’s
Aug of to investment
all
5 when human- and
ducerestructuring
etc. aDue
culture to the of fear banofnot
weforgiveness must be
and
ostracism, My well
repen-
late aware
wefather of.ing
taught With
would the
opinions,
that
If say
you change
we slowly
that
do itof
arenot by eroding
nature
little mattered
internalise old
greedybarriers,
if they
these
Dulat
operation joined
group the
during Indian
the Police
insurgency.
ure in
Service
the He rose in 1965 minister’s office revealed theThe Modi-Bukhari One of cannot helpso suspecting that Dulat’s etc. jobs
Due that
to To the may
fear like,
of ostracism, in order
we to
taught that we are bynew nature greedy
to head
andknowwasthe
RAW low
from
deputed Thelevel practice
1992-2000
to of literacy
the and
IB. of
He laterinface
Sufism
was those
joined
posted of days.
leads the to USthe not
consensus.
to devel-
Paper
Altaf getting
used
Bukhari
Bukhari any space
Intentions.”
“hailed”of
formerly ful
the player
essential
abrogation
Mehbooba’s in themessage
PDP. Afghanistan
aim Modiwas game,
topersonallykind.”
persuade muchAlmighty
Allah
Farooq
assured of
Abdullah
them their
thatintocountry
Quran
noac-suchhas by China, which tance
refrain its
for spokes-
meet all.
from love
committing
expectations government
Almighty such acts as in
Allah,
couldthat Islamic
the
not
go read
financial Republic
and and
the
values of and
quietly
books
sensual, Iran, Teh-
building
buthabits,
thus the
we pearls thestructures.’
require of wisdom
this
social so- and
struc-
to head RAW from 1992-2000 inand thelater joinedwith
surrounding consensus.
countries Bukhari
of “hailed”
Afghani- the
sohim abrogation
that Premier aim
Imran was to persuade
Khan’s blatant Farooq
denial Abdullah
person to ac- ofShaheen
Suhail refrain
hashuman
hinted frommust
at. committing acts tothat andgo and sensual, thus we require this so-
prime for writing
minister
Kashmir opment
was
Vajpayee’s
in 1988 generally
and ofoffice
headed innatebirch
the spiritual
inIB’s paper
2000. In and
Kashmiri intuitive
oflocally
370Theyandmade 35A.
met Sufism
Modi
Modi. is to remember
Apromised
statement from to God
apply
the and
prime serve
cept the
plan new encouraged
status
was afoot. quo. Butthe establishment
what leverage peace againstsuccess,theThe
being collective
social ran
love seems
humanity
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CMYK
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CMYK
For TV, e-paper & news visit: www.live7tv.com
06 October 2, 2022
Patna, Sunday
I PERSONALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO
MEET YOU (ROGER FEDERER) IN THE
AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN 2018. ONE THING
THAT STOOD OUT FOR ME EVEN WATCH-
ING YOU PLAY, WAS THE FACT THAT SO
MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD,
NOT JUST IN THE WORLD OF TENNIS
GOT BEHIND YOU, SUPPORTING YOU.
SURVEY RESULTS
CHALLENGE IMAGE
THAT GULF RULERS
LIKE FOR THEMSELVES
YOUNG ARABS CONSIDER RELIGION MOST
IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF IDENTITY
JAMES M DORSEY
S
everal recent public
opinion surveys
send a mixed mes-
sage to autocratic
reformers in Saudi
Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates, and Qatar,
which hosts this year's World
Cup in less than two months.
These reveal contradictory
attitudes among Arab youth
towards religion as well as
widespread rejection of
notions of a moderate Islam
and formal diplomatic ties
with Israel.
One survey, published this
week by Dubai-based public
relations agency ASDA'A
BCW, revealed that 41 per
cent of 3,400 young Arabs in
17 Arab countries aged 18 to
24 said religion was the most
important element of their
identity, with nationality,
family and/or tribe, Arab her-
itage, and gender lagging far
behind. That is 7 per cent
more than those surveyed in
the agency's 2021 poll.
More than half of those
surveyed, 56 per cent, said
their country's legal system
should be based on the
Shariah or Islamic law.
Seventy per cent expressed
concern about the loss of tra-
ditional values and culture.
Sixty-five per cent argued
that preserving their reli-
gious and cultural identity
was more important than
creating a globalized society.
Yet, paradoxically, 73 per
cent felt that religion plays
too big a role in the Middle
East, while 77 per cent
believed that Arab religious
institutions should be
reformed.
Autocratic Arab reform-
ers will take heart from the
discomfort with the role of
religion and skepticism
towards religious authority
that stroked with earlier sur-
veys by ASDA'A BCW, which
has conducted the poll annu-
ally for the past 14 years.
Even so, the greater empha-
sis on religion as the core pil-
lar of identity, concern about
traditional values and cul-
ture, and the call for Islamic
law cast a shadow over social
reforms introduced by Crown
Prince Mohammed bin
Salman in Saudi Arabia and
President Mohammed bin
Zayed in the UAE.
Moreover, the poll results
were published as Qatar
debates how to deal with
potential conduct by World
Cup fans that violates Qatari
law and mores, such as pub-
lic intoxication and expres-
sions of affection, pre-marital
sex, and sexual diversity.
Qatar has suggested that
World Cup fans caught com-
mitting minor offences such
as public drunkenness would
escape prosecution under
plans under development by
authorities.
While Saudi Arabia's rup-
ture with religious ultra-con-
servatism that long was the
kingdom's hallmark was
stunning, reforms in the UAE
were the most radical in their
break with Islamic law that
constitutionally constitutes
the principal source of the
country's legislation.
Bin Salman's reforms
severely restricted the
authority of the religious
police, lifted the kingdom's
ban on women's driving,
enhanced women's rights
and opportunities, loosened
gender segregation, and
introduced western-style
entertainment - all measures
that are essentially not con-
troversial in much of the
Muslim world but went
CMYK
against the grain of the king-
dom's ultra-conservative seg-
ment of the population and
clergy.
That could not be said for
Bin Zayed's equally far-
reaching changes that
decriminalized sexual rela-
tions out of marriage and
alcohol consumption for UAE
nationals and foreigners and
lifted the prohibition on living
together for unmarried cou-
ples.
Bin Zayed's reforms are
expected to persuade some
fans to base themselves in
the UAE during the World
Cup and travel for matches to
Qatar, which is socially more
restrictive.
Even so, the ASDA'A BCW
survey suggests that the
reforms in the kingdom and
the Emirates may not have
been embraced as enthusias-
tically by a significant seg-
ment of the youth as the two
countries would like public
opinion to believe.
Separate surveys by the
Washington Institute for
Near East Policy showed that
59 per cent of those polled in
the UAE, 58 percent in Saudi
Arabia, and 74 per cent in
Egypt, disagreed with the
notion that "we should listen
to those among us who are
trying to interpret Islam in a
more moderate, tolerant, and
modern way."
The youth's quest for reli-
gion and traditionalism
strokes with youth attitudes
toward democracy and diplo-
matic relations with Israel.
Autocratic leaders will likely
be encouraged by the fact
that a whopping 82 per cent
of those surveyed by ASDA's
BCW said stability was more
important than democracy.
At the same time, two-thirds
believed democracy would
never work in the Middle
East.
Three quarters saw
China, followed by Turkey
and Russia as their allies, as
opposed to only 63 per cent
pointing to the United States
and 12 per cent to Israel.
Even so, they viewed the US
as having the most influence
in the Middle East, but a
majority favoured US disen-
gagement.
Yet, the United States and
Europe continued to consti-
tute preferred destinations
among 45 per cent of those
polled seeking to emigrate.
However, despite widespread
skepticism towards democra-
cy, leaders will also have
noted that 60 per cent
expressed concern about the
increased role of government
in their lives.
The establishment two
years ago of diplomatic rela-
tions with Israel by four coun-
tries included in the ASDA'A
BCW survey -- the UAE,
Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan,
-- and the fact that Saudi
Arabia has become more pub-
lic about its relations with the
Jewish state and its desire to
establish diplomatic ties once
a resolution of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict is found is
likely to have shaped respons-
es in the surveys.
Aware of public hesitancy,
Saudi Arabia, together with
the Arab League and the
European Union, this week
convened a meeting in New
York on the sidelines of the
United Nations General
Assembly to explore ways of
dusting off the 1982 Saudi-
inspired Arab peace plan. The
plan offered Israel recognition
and diplomatic relations in
exchange for creating a
Palestinian state in territories
occupied by Israel during the
1967 Middle East war.
VIRAT KOHLI
CRICKETER
REMEMBERING BAPU
HE FOUGHT FOR A SECULAR AND INCLUSIVE INDIA ALL ALONG
KRISHNA JHA
O
ctober 2 is here
again. The day
Bapu was born.
The unforgettable
message Bapu con-
veyed to us was
about change, its being eternal.
He told us it is the way life is.
Even the truth for which he
laid his life. His last words,
when the bullet pierced him,
were "Hey Ram"! He was not
unprepared. Not surprised. He
knew his people only too well
and the 'other' too. They had
no roots among us. Us includes
not only India, but beyond too.
Bapu took us all in his thin
bony arms. As he slowly crum-
bled, he knew it was not defeat.
Only Godse and his mentors
started shrinking. For them,
Hindu Rashtra, the aim itself,
got demolished after Bapu was
killed.
In the aftermath, RSS was
banned. Its leaders were all
incarcerated. Even after the
ban was lifted one and a half
year later, RSS was not accept-
ed by people; they remained
sceptical.
Worldwide, October 2 is cel-
ebrated as International Day of
Non-Violence, the day when we
all redeem our pledge to resist
peacefully any attack on civil
liberties.
Non-Violence, for Bapu, was
not within the limits of nega-
tion or assertion of it, it was
absence of even the awareness
of violence. He wanted us to
understand it, which was not
only fearlessness. Hence when
the gunman was facing him
with pistol to shoot for the
third time, because first two
shots were totally unexpected,
JHULAN GOSWAMI HAS RETIRED BUT SHE IS LEAVING BEHIND A GREAT LEGACY
YOUNGER WOMEN CRICKETERS HAVE MUCH TO LEARN FROM THIS LEGEND
HARIHAR SWARUP
J
hulan Goswami is retiring.
With that ends a spectacular
career and a story worth
countess retells. The mind-
boggling numbers-more than
twenty years as top-flight fast
bowler, over 350 wickets across for-
mats, most balls bowled (9945 till
Friday) in ODIs and also the
youngest (23 years, 277 days) to
take 100 wicket Test haul-alone led
a sense of completeness to a career
that has seen everything barring a
World cup win. Pronged by a prob-
ing in swinger and stifling Yorker.
Goswami was the reason India were
not pigeonholed as a team of letters
and all-rounder.
Still, that's barely half the reason
why Goswami is a legend. It was her
story that helped sow many dreams.
"Girls from villages are playing
cricket, dreaming of representing,
all because of Jhulan. "Rumeli Dhar,
former India all rounder said from
OPINION
QUOTE-UNQUOTE
TODAY, I WANT TO REITERATE JIO'S
COMMITMENT TO DELIVER 5G TO EVERY
TOWN, EVERY TALUKA, AND EVERY
TEHSIL OF OUR COUNTRY BY DECEMBER
2023. BY BRINGING AI INTO EVERY
DOMAIN, 5G CAN POWER INDIA'S EMER-
GENCE AS THE WORLD'S INTELLIGENCE
CAPITAL.
MUKESH AMBANI
CHAIRMAN, RELIANCE JIO
POLITICAL
DELICACIES
RAHIL NORA CHOPRA
SAMAJWADI PARTY
FOCUSING ON KURMIS
AND OBC'S AHEAD OF
2024 POLLS
Ahead of general elections in 2024, the
Samajwadi party has given main focus
on kurmi and other OBC votes. At the
recent Uttar Pradesh state convention,
Naresh Uttam Patel was elected as the
state president of the SP for the second
time in a row. The SP's move is being
seen as an attempt to consolidate the
numerically-significant backward class
voters to rally behind the party. Patel
hails from the OBC Kurmi caste, which
has a sizable presence In the state's cen-
tral and eastern belt, they can play a key
role in elections in the Pratapgarh,
Prayagraj, Sonbhadra and Mirzapur
regions. Kurmis constitute about 7-8 per
cent of Uttar Pradesh population. On the
other hand the way Swami Prasad
Maurya has given importance to the con-
vention, it seems that Akhilesh Yadav
wants to give a message to other OBC
community to garner support for his
party.
NITISH KUMAR'S ADDRESSING
TEJASHWI YADAV AS MUKHYA
Bapu simply glanced at him for was not so much going by the but the colonial government MANTRI TRIGGERS FURORE
a moment, and collapsed. events but was constantly try- did not pin any charges against
It was intimately within our ing to probe the reasons behind these. Gandhiji was charged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar by mis-
cultural ethos. There was no these. He said the government with sedition for writing arti- take addressed to his deputy Tejashwi
complain in his last glance at was not allowing dissent, not cles in his paper 'Young India.' Prasad Yadav as mukhya mantri at an
Godse. And thus he took his giving freedom to think and Gandhiji had said one should event which has triggered a series of
own murderer within, making act, youth are groping to find defend the civil liberties even barbs from the saffron party. BJP stated
him as his own. The cultural answers in these acts of vio- with life. He said it was the that he needs to go to an ashram. While
multiplicity arrived at new lev- lence. Tilak condemned vio- breath of social and political ruling ally RJD said this only shows the
els, levels of humanity, lence, and yet he was charged life. For him it was the founda- growing bond among the two parties.
humaneness. And here we can with sedition. When someone tion of freedom. Freedom was This happened while Nitish was announc-
experience that Hindu nation- tried to warn him of possible imperative, and civil liberties ing the names of those appointed as vet-
alism, a communal identity of incarceration, his reply was the had no limits. It was the water erinary and district fisheries officers at
our people, is left far behind, colonial government had for life, he said. To keep the an event of the Animal Husbandry and
shrinking and cruel. That was turned the entire country into a water pure, he could even go Fisheries Department. He called his
a great victory against Hindu big jail, and going to prison up to accommodating differ- deputy mananiya mukhya mantri (hon-
nationalism. was like moving into a smaller ences, since water is the life ourable chief minister) Tejashwi Prasad
Nationalism as such, that cell from a bigger one. The line for human kind, and so are Yadav, and moreover did not correct his
was fighting against colonial reaction to his prosecution was civil liberties. error throughout his speech.
It was not only the question
NON-VIOLENCE, FOR BAPU, WAS NOT WITHIN THE LIM- of civil liberties, but also the
ITS OF NEGATION OR ASSERTION OF IT, IT WAS struggle for it. And in this
GUJARAT STATE CONGRESS
ABSENCE OF EVEN THE AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE. HE struggle, to strengthen it fur- WANTS PRIYANKA TO LEAD
WANTED US TO UNDERSTAND IT, WHICH WAS NOT ther, there was acute need to ELECTION CAMPAIGN
ONLY FEARLESSNESS. HENCE WHEN THE GUNMAN WAS unite. The Meerut conspiracy
FACING HIM WITH PISTOL TO SHOOT FOR THE THIRD case against the communists The Gujarat Congress leadership recently
was one example when all the n took out a rath yatra in Saurashtra to
TIME, BECAUSE FIRST TWO SHOTS WERE TOTALLY
anti British forces got united influence the Patel community. Chanting
UNEXPECTED, BAPU SIMPLY GLANCED AT HIM FOR A the slogan "Chalo Congress ke saath,
and became formidable. Our
MOMENT, AND COLLAPSED. thirty two leaders were arrest- Maa ke dwar", thousands of party work-
ed whom the government ers under the leadership of state unit
forces, for freedom, democracy unprecedented. Textile work- thought extremists. The effort chief Jagdish Thakor and Shaktisinh Gohil
and secularism had a much ers of Bombay came out on was made to create a rift, but offered prayers at the temples of Maa
wider canvas, covering all the streets, and continued to be they failed. It was because Umiya and Maa Khodiyar, the reigning
communities, tribes, the entire there six days -- exactly for as steps were taken to keep oppo- deities of the Leuva and Kadva Patels.
people. The source of its inner many days as the number of sition alive. It is the heritage of The rath yatra carried out and visited
strength was maintenance of years Tilak was to spend in jail, our national movement, where Khodaldham, the religious seat of power
civil liberties and their exten- 1908 to 1914. Years later, Com nationalism was blossoming. of the Patidar community where Naresh
sion. In fact the press was the Lenin, after coming to know The British had been keen to Patel the most influential leader wel-
only organ to play the role of about the workers' strike, suppress the communists, but comed the participants. However Gujarat
opposition. There was no hailed them at 'their entry in contrary to that, even the com- leadership is now attempting to get
democracy. But there was the political stage of India'. He mon masses became acquaint- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to lead extensive-
press. When the first political also called Tilak 'a revolution- ed with the communist ideolo- ly the campaign for the next two months
strike of workers erupted, in ary'. gy. Meerut was a small town in as the Assembly elections are expected
1908, spontaneously, almost Years later, in 1922, United Provinces, where the to be held in December. Rahul Gandhi,
unorganised, was against sen- Gandhiji was also charged with prisoners were kept, and yet who led the Gujarat campaign in 2017
tencing Tilak for six years as he the same sedition. It was sur- every bit of news was reaching and made a huge impact, is likely to be
was writing profusely against prising that there were millions public domain in no time. seen this time in a guest appearance
the colonial government. The who were on streets following Credit goes to our nationalist only.
series was called Bapu, lacs in jail, in course of press that was splashing them
The Arrival of Bomb and he Non -Cooperation movement, every day.
Baroda. "She has inspired not just at Delhi's sonnet club. Sinha made
bowler or batters, but the crick- her bowl along with Ishant Sharma
eters, only because of that work to some of the best India and Ranji
ethic." Cricketers at the time. Like then,
Chakdada, a 90-minute train she still makes male batters hop.
ride from Kolkata, is where this Rohit Sharma knows the feeling,
journey started in the early 1990s having faced Goswami recently at
when Goswami casually bowled her the NCA nets during his rehab. "I
male friends at school or after was challenged by her in-swinger",
tuition. But Eden garden inevitable he said before Australia series.
became pivot of this story when, in What Goswami means to Indian
1997, Goswami--- then a ball girl- women's cricket has little to do with
watched Australia captain Belinda how many wickets she has or the
clerk lift the world cup trophy. That years she played. Of much greater
kicked in the impulse to take up the value is the example she has set
game seriously but it was not about being a thorough profession-
before Swapan Sadhu-a popular al. Like in 2011 when Cricket
force at grass route cricket-per- Association of Bengal forgot to men-
'What stood out was her courage open with the new ball, bowl the
suaded her parents to allow tion her on a special plaque listing
and conviction", said former India middle overs with the old ball, basi-
Goswami board a train to Kolkata India captains from Bengal: Pankaj
coach and all rounder Purnima Rau cally prepare her for all situations'',
park for regular training. "We never Roy and Sourav Ganguly being the
who first saw Goswami as a said Rau. " The idea was she should
skipped training", said Dhar. And " other two. Goswami didn't care or
teenaged gangly fast bowler who be ready for any situation when she
she never backed out of anything, react. The generation to come after
had joined Air India as a profession- plays for India.
be it dancing or trying to speak them will be more dashing and bet-
al. At 19 came her India debut but So unrelenting was Goswami in
English .She was always a cut ter bred, said Rau. But they must
by no means was Goswami unpre- her quest to be the best that she
always when comes to persevering.. not forget the qualities that made
pared for it. "I used to make her even sought help from Tarak Sinha
That's was she is Jhulan Goswami". Julian what she is now.
 08 BENGALURU
SUNDAY
OCTOBER 02, 2022

Reflections
MK Stalin

A road map for states to be

beacons of inclusive growth
India turned 75 on August 15. It is a moment of celebration but by raising the capacity of health professionals
in geriatric care, developing socio-economic
also of quiet reflection and planning — to ensure a strong and support mechanisms and appropriate
prosperous India in 2047, the centenary of our Independence. approaches to care for the elderly. Similar
approaches will be needed for persons with
As the country stands on the cusp of history, Hindustan Times disabilities. In addition, governments will need
brings together India’s top minds in every field with one to develop a pragmatic approach to strength-
ening biosecurity by identifying and prioritis-
question — what is your vision for India@100? Their responses ing threats, setting up early-warning systems,
will be carried in these pages over the next few months. Today, robust surveillance mechanisms, targeted
monitoring, and adequate infrastructure to
MK Stalin highlights how states can boost the economy, help manage any outbreak of infectious diseases.
Education will continue to be a key area for
the marginalised, and mitigate the effects of the climate crisis attention. I envision that new initiatives will
create a public education system that is

A
s India embarks on its 25-year
journey towards 100 years of
Independence, its states will have
to emerge as beacons of a model
progressive, secular, and inclu-
sive society. For the country to
progress, its states will have to focus on a mul-
titude of sectors, and balance their priorities
and action plans. One prong of this plan will
be the economy. Governments will have to pay
attention to drafting robust industrial policies,
develop urban infrastructure, find reliable
energy sources, and invest in information
technology services.
The second prong of this policy will revolve
around the countryside. Administrations will
need to look at better rural governance and
help agriculture become more productive and
sustainable. The third area of focus will be
human development — boosting access to
health care, ensuring more children come to
schools and get into high-quality institutes of
higher education and have a roof over their
heads.
Of course, all of this will need a careful cali-
bration of climate factors and a commitment
to renew the environment, while working to
expand social welfare nets, especially for mar-
ginalised sections. In this regard, Tamil Nadu
has already introduced landmark schemes
such as breakfast in schools, free travel for
women in town buses and ₹1,000 for girl stu-
dents for higher education.
First, let’s look at social and human devel-
opment. States will have to develop an
advanced, effective, and integrated health sys-
tem inclusive of the best of allopathy, siddha
and other Indian systems of medicine, with a
focus on preventive care, to ensure the highest
standards of health. Emphasis
will have to be placed on the
poor and vulnerable. Compari-
sons should be drawn with Orga-
nisation for Economic Coopera-
tion and Development (OECD)
countries when it comes to
Human Development Index India@100
parameters. In an increasingly
interconnected world, the gov-
ernment will have to make use of technology
innovations such as mobile health devices,
technology integration with health care data
and telemedicine strategies efficiently. Some
states such as ours will aim to become digital
health hubs and pioneers in establishing Arti-
ficial Intelligence and machine learning,
paired with robotics for various health care
interventions and evidence-based policy deci-
sions.
The State will focus on ageing populations
responsive to the aspirations of the larger
community, progressive in terms of the dis-
course on learning, upholding the values of
stakeholder ownership, inclusion, gender
equality and diversity. This will set the founda-
tion for a system from whose portals will
emerge strong, self-confident citizens ready to
take their place in the global arena, while
being rooted in their cultural moorings. This
will have to be adequately sup-
plemented by strides in higher
education. In Tamil Nadu, for
example, we have one of the
highest Gross Enrolment Ratios
(GER) of 51.4% in the country
today, and we hope to achieve a
GER of 90% by 2047. Disparities
in enrollment across socio-eco-
nomic groups will also have to be
addressed. Similarly, states will have to make
efforts to improve the rankings of universities
in the global framework through quality
enhancement and incubating innovation.
Second, governments will have to push
their respective regions to become industrial
powerhouses and compete with each other for
investments. In Tamil Nadu, we aspire to
become a $5 trillion economy by 2047 and
emerge as among the most attractive invest-
ment destinations in Asia. The State will sup-
New initiatives need to create a public education system that is responsive to the aspirations of the larger community and progressive in
terms of the discourse on learning, upholding the values of stakeholder ownership, inclusion, gender-equality and diversity
port both traditional and emerging sectors
while striving to become a manufacturing
hub with motivated and skilled manpower
and world-class infrastructure. The economy
will be export-oriented, focusing especially on
value-added products. The focus of industrial
development will be to ensure jobs for all sec-
tions of society. The industrial profile will
encompass units that provide a large number
of low- and medium-skill jobs as well as tech-
nologically sophisticated industries offering
high-end jobs.
A word here about the micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSMEs). They will have
to be integrated into global supply chains and
move from labour arbitrage to technology
enabled productivity. Technology has the
potential to eliminate information asymme-
tries that currently hamper the smooth availa-
bility of credit to MSMEs. The fast-growing
service sector will share a symbiotic relation-
ship with the manufacturing sector. But a key
challenge will be the declining working-age
population in states such as Tamil Nadu and
this will need to be addressed by encouraging
greater participation of sections of society that
currently are not part of the workforce. This
will not be possible without spatially equita-
ble urban development which provides access
to integrated mobility, affordable housing,
quality urban amenities, and adequate job
opportunities for all while balancing a vibrant
economy with a sustainable environment.
Third, the countryside will need dedicated
attention. Panchayats will be at the forefront
leading democratic, decentralised, citizen-
driven governance; this will ensure the
achievement of United Nations (UN) Sustaina-
ble Development Goals through empowered
community-based institutions and the adop-
tion of advanced technology to enhance the
quality of life of the people. Better infrastruc-
ture and amenities will be needed to trans-
form our villages into engines of economic
growth and providers of sustainable liveli-
hoods. Clean and green villages adopting eco-
friendly, climate-resilient agriculture and sus-
tainable economic activities is a vision for the
future. In the agriculture sector, we have to
effect a diversification in cropping patterns,
while deploying new-age technology and
machinery to enable large-scale cultivation.
HT
A key variable here will be the climate crisis
and how governments can mitigate the effects
of the vagaries in weather patterns. The gov-
ernment will have to build a sustainable and
climate-resilient future for its people. With the
use of efficient public transport systems, use of
clean and green energy, alternative fuel
resources and nature-based solutions, a net-
zero carbon future can be achieved. In Tamil
Nadu, we aim to increase forest and tree cover
to 40% of the total geographical area and cre-
ate an additional carbon sink of about 200 MT
through forest and tree cover by 2047.
The growth story of Tamil Nadu in the
next 25 years will be guided by the funda-
mental tenets of Dravidian ideology of self-
respect, social justice, communal harmony,
and inclusive growth. By 2047, Tamil Nadu
will have realised the dreams and aspirations
of the people, making it the best adminis-
tered state and a role model not only to other
states in the country, but also to the entire
Asian continent.
MK Stalin is chief minister of Tamil Nadu
The views expressed are personal

{ SUNDAY SENTIMENTS } well as “public order”. That permits the
State to ban specific books. An early
Karan Thapar example is Stanley Wolpert’s Nine Hours
to Rama, a fictional account of Mahatma
Gandhi’s assassination. But does this
permit the government to require every
preparing for legal action. To be honest, { ENGENDER }
a few in Manipur are considering this,
but, as far as I know, none of the big ones Lalita Panicker
in the rest of the country are contemplat-
ing a challenge.
Perhaps for small publishers, this

How a Manipur order single book on four broad subjects to be

threatens our freedoms
know there’s an awful lot happening
and geography of the state contain mate-
vetted by a government committee
before publication?
The answer has to be an unequivocal
no. India would cease to be a meaningful
democracy if the answer was yes. This is
why the Manipur government’s order is
preposterous and unacceptable. This is
would be too expensive. Their books
don’t earn enough to cover the costs. But
surely it makes sense for publishers to
Why a gendered response
collectively pick up the gauntlet. After
all, it’s their rights and interests that are
at stake. If they accept and acquiesce,
which they seem to be doing, they and
to fighting TB is essential
their authors will be the losers. ovid-19 will be with us for a while to not cured in a few months, but people stop

I in the world and you can’t pay atten-

tion to everything, but sometimes,
the things we fail to pick up, or even
ignore, are both astonishing and self-de-
feating. Today, I want to focus on one
such instance. It’s an order notified by
the Manipur government on September
15 requiring all books on the history, cul-
ture, tradition, and geography of the
state to be submitted to a state-appointed
committee, headed by the education
minister, for approval before they are
published. Quite frankly, this is not just
an attempt at censorship, but it’s also a
deeply worrying violation of our consti-
tutional right to free speech and expres-
sion.
The order says: “Some books pub-
lished on the history, culture, tradition
rial which may either distort facts or dis-
turb the peaceful coexistence amongst
various communities.” Hereafter, books
on these subjects have to be submitted to
a 15-member committee comprising vice-
chancellors, college and university teach-
ers, and officers from the higher educa-
tion department of the Manipur govern-
ment. The order says any book published
without prior clearance is “liable to be
punished under the relevant law”. How-
ever, it doesn’t specify what the law is or
what the punishment would be. Nor does
it say whether the affected entity will be
the author, the publisher, or both.
Now Article 19(2) of our Constitution
permits “reasonable restrictions” on the
exercise of free speech “in the interests of
the sovereignty and integrity of India” as
also why our failure to pick this up and
protest is bewildering and dismaying.
None of this means action cannot be
taken against books that are factually
incorrect and could lead to trouble and
disruption. The government can demand
corrections. Though it should not, it can
even ban the book. But all of that is to do
with individual books and it only applies
after they’re found to be at fault. What
the government does not have is the
power to vet books before publication
and then decide which can be published
and which must be denied that right. Yet,
this is precisely what the Manipur order
proposes.
Why then are our publishers, with one
solitary exception, silent? I would have
thought they would be infuriated and
So too, you and me. As readers, we
would be denied books we want to read
and could learn from. The Manipur
order affects us as much as anyone else.
So why is our media silent? Why are
there no angry debates on television?
Why are our newspaper op-eds not ful-
minating with outrage? Have they not
understood? Or are they unaware of
what’s happened? I don’t know the
answer but those questions are relevant.
That’s why the situation is so depressing.
It leaves me with a question raised by
a friend: Is this what we’ve come to? I’m
afraid the answer is yes.
Karan Thapar is the author of
Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story
The views expressed are personal
C come as different variants of the
virus emerge. But given our record
of fairly good management of the
pandemic, experts feel that we should refo-
cus on old killers, such as tuberculosis (TB),
which seriously affects women.
More than one million women and girls
get TB every year in India, and it is responsi-
ble for several deaths among women.
Among women from developing countries,
most are affected by pulmonary and genital
TB. However, the prevalence of the latter is
often overlooked because of its asympto-
matic nature of infection. This, therefore,
requires screening to be made part of the
health management programme.
Another challenge is the treatment of
pregnant women with TB, as it can affect
the unborn child. On this front, while test-
ing for TB is free under the national tuber-
culosis elimination programme, the gov-
ernment of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has gone a
taking drugs once they feel better. Our TB
champions are committed, accountable,
and natural communicators. Once trained,
they seem to be in great demand by govern-
ment organisations,” says Sharma.
Sushila from Daliganj in Lucknow is a TB
champion. After fighting TB, she now helps
other women who are vulnerable to infec-
tion or have been infected. Afflicted with a
painful intestinal TB in 2020, she stayed
away from her husband and children until
she was cured. Today, she provides support
to 110 TB patients. One of the things she
stresses is the need not to discriminate
against women with infections. Another TB
champion Sunita Tiwari from Lucknow
believes that family support is vital. When
she had TB, she was shunned by everyone
in her family, except her husband. “This
made me determined to help other women,
since stigma led to many hiding symptoms.
My life story and my advocacy have led

Pave the path to safe and step ahead to make testing mandatory for
all symptomatic pregnant women.
Much like the pandemic, for TB, women
many of them to seek treatment”, she says.
Women face much more than the clinical
metrics of the disease, with no recourse to

accessible abortions for all must come to the fore to create awareness
and tackle misconceptions about the dis-
ease. And they have. Mukta Sharma, a pub-
lic health expert who was the project lead in
n a historic verdict, the Supreme Court access safe and legal abortions, and the the Global Fund — a financing and partner-
medical care in time. Though India’s TB
programmes have grown, we need to have
a more multi-pronged approach to ensure
that women get equitable access to TB care,
of which counselling is paramount.

I (SC) on September 29 said all women right to reproductive healthcare.” The

had the right to abort a pregnancy and bench was careful in stressing that the
held that an artificial distinction judgment also applied to those who may
between married and unmarried
women could not hinder them
not identify as women but may
need access to abortion services.
ship organisation — in UP, Punjab, West
Bengal, and Haryana until June this year,
says that in the 33 aspirational districts that
she worked in, community effort and
mobilisation, led mostly by women, have
Women community leaders, including
the indomitable TB champions, are show-
ing the way today. The government has set
up schemes to help TB patients, but not
enough states focus on women’s vulnerabil-
from exercising complete repro- The judges stressed that access been nothing short of extraordinary. ities. Only gender-responsive solutions can
ductive autonomy. In India, abor- to sex education is not only In these districts, “TB champions” take the TB elimination drive forward.
tion is governed under the Medi- needed but also must be consid- (mostly TB survivors) are mentored for six
cal Termination of Pregnancy ered an important right. In the months after which they start working to lalita.panicker@hindustantimes.com
(MTP) Act, 1971, which was Poonam eyes of the court, the government spread awareness about the disease. “TB is The views expressed are personal
amended last year. The changes “must see to it that all segments of Legal changes are necessary, but they are not entirely sufficient. We simultaneously
Muttreja
made it relatively progressive but
it still imposed many conditions
on abortion (the 20-24 week win-
society are able to access contra-
ceptives” and that “treatment
must not be denied on the basis of
need to improve the capacity of service providers and ensure better quality of care
so that abortion services are accessible to the most disadvantaged SHUTTERSTOCK
A
l
dow was only available in cir- one’s caste or due to other social This makes the service inaccessible for didn’t give India-specific numbers, it added { SUNDAY LETTERS }
cumstances such as sexual or economic factors.” This will, marginalised communities. that “almost all unsafe abortions currently
assault and health complications, hopefully, reverse problems of The court noted how access to abortion occur in developing countries”.
and so on). The SC’s expansive accessing abortion services faced is impeded by several other hurdles. Legal changes are necessary, but they Cong: Who will win? Will times change with the Queen’s death?
interpretation of the Act could lay by marginalised women. “Despite the enactment of the MTP Act, a are not entirely sufficient. We simultane- This refers to Karan This refers to Mark Tully’s Queen Elizabeth was a symbol
the foundation for a more pro- Martand The judgment strikes the right number of hurdles continue to prevent full ously need to improve the capacity of ser- Thapar’s Can Congress of stability (September 25). As a nod to the changing
gressive abortion regime, reduc- notes, but we must acknowledge access to safe and legal abortions, pushing vice providers and ensure better quality of ensure free and fair polls? times, the successor to Queen Elizabeth as the head of
ing the number of people opting
Kaushik that to make abortion accessible, women to avail of clandestine, unsafe care so that abortion services are accessi- (September 25). The the Commonwealth should have been elected, not just
for unsafe procedures. we need to do much more. abortions,” the court found. As per a 2015 ble to the most disadvantaged. Ashok Gehlot episode passed down to the next monarch. One hopes the next
A striking aspect of the judg- Regardless of its legal status, Lancet report, 15.6 million abortions take Capacity-building and sensitisation of seems to suggest that the ruler will do this.
ment is its placement of reproductive abortion remains inaccessible to a large place in India annually. The barriers to health providers will not only help address outcome of the Congress Parwesh Hari, via email
rights at the core of the debate on abortion. chunk of our population. As mandated by accessing abortion services include an prevailing stigmas pertaining to abortion presidential election is
“The ambit of reproductive rights is not the MTP Act, termination of pregnancy insufficient number of facilities offering but also enable them to be scientific, objec- predetermined. Because a
restricted to the right of women to have or can be performed only by doctors with a safe and comprehensive abortion care as tive and compassionate in their approach majority of party workers
Abe held a special place in Indian hearts
not have children,” the judgment said. gynaecology or obstetrics specialisation. per World Health Organization (WHO) to abortions – notwithstanding a person’s still want Rahul Gandhi as This refers to Dhruva Jaishankar’s Post Abe, the
“Reproductive rights include the right to Statistics released by the ministry of health standards, lack of certified staff, shortages marital status, caste, class or gender iden- their party chief, the contours of India-Japan relations (September 25). The
access education and information about and family welfare in May 2021 state that of equipment and supplies, and failures to tity. candidate who is backed late Japanese prime minister has a special place in
contraception and sexual health, the right almost 70% of posts for obstetricians and ensure privacy and confidential care. by “Delhi” is going to be Indian hearts. He promoted relations between Tokyo
to decide whether and what type of contra- gynaecologists are vacant in India. This According to the United Nations Popu- Poonam Muttreja is executive director and the victor. and New Delhi, two democratic Asian powers.
ceptives to use, the right to choose whether limits women’s access to safe abortion ser- lation Fund, 45% of all abortions around Martand Kaushik is a media and communica- Saloni T, via email Sanjay Jyotsna, via email
and when to have children, the right to vices. A majority of the abortions (about the world are unsafe, making them a lead- tions specialist, Population Foundation of India
choose the number of children, the right to 53%) are performed in the private sector. ing cause of maternal death. Though it The views expressed are personal Write to us at: letters@hindustantimes.com

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EDITOR: KUNAL PRADHAN

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