Friday, July 30, 2010

A signature campaign by Green Peace to stop a port to be built by Tatas in Dhamru,Orissa.

Thank you for your mail on the Tata port in Dhamra and two reports in the newspapers. I am unable to sign the petition as I am not sure about the facts of the case.

India has the unenviable task of combing economic progress for its teeming millions along with the proper care of ecology and environment. I believe environmentalists have to help industry and the government to strike a balance between the two. You have to suggest a coastal area in Orissa where Tatas can build a port, not just say not here or there.You have to be more constructive.

I am with you in principle but you have to give an alternative. No one has complained about profiteering by Tatas.The House of Tatas have a reputation for integrity.

( A response to Green Peace on their campaign against a port in Dhamru.)

July 29,2010.

On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 2:53 AM, Ashish Fernandes, Greenpeace India <Greenpeace.india@mailing.greenpeace.org> wrote:

Ask Jairam Ramesh to save our coasts. Click here to write to him.
Dear Mattar Devadas,

The Tatas have filed a law suit against Greenpeace for Rs 10 crore because of our TATA v/s Turtles game, highlighting the threat the Dhamra port poses to the turtles and other wildlife [1]. Greenpeace stands by its actions and will present its case in court on August 12.

The Tatas are trying to divert attention from their port's impacts, ignoring the concerns of 150,000 people, scientists, politicians and NGOs. The port has bent every law in the book, threatening turtles, mangroves, crocodiles and other species [2].

Over 300 more ports are being planned across mainland India. Many will be in and near eco-sensitive areas. We cannot let more Dhamras happen and the Minister of Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh needs to act.

Can you write to Jairam Ramesh asking him to protect our coasts?

http://greenpeace.in/turtle/no-more-dhamras

21,262 people have already written to him. More letters will help make him realise that he cannot take the issue lightly.

A lot of these new ports are planned in or near mangroves, fish breeding grounds and the habitats of marine turtles and other vulnerable species.

In 1991 the Government had come up with a Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification meant to protect our coasts. But over the years this notification has been weakened to suit vested interests.

To prevent future Dhamras this notification needs to be strengthened. Minister Jairam Ramesh can do this by inserting a clause which prohibits construction of new ports and expansion of old ones within 25km radius of eco-sensitive, CRZ I areas.

Ask Minister Jairam Ramesh to save India's coastal spaces before it's too late:

http://greenpeace.in/turtle/no-more-dhamras

Thanks a billion!

Photo of Ashish Fernandes
Ashish Fernandes
Oceans Campaigner
Greenpeace India

Sources:
1. Tata sue NGO over turtle game, DNA, 18th July, 2010
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_tatas-sue-ngo-over-turtle-game_1411245

2. Wildlife activists move Supreme Court, The Times of India, 10th Oct, 2010
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Bhubaneswar/Wildlife-Activists-Move-Supreme-Court-/articleshow/5110555.cms

Monday, July 26, 2010

Hindu View of life and Indian Renaissance.

Hindu View of Life and Indian Renaissance.

" We are all Hindus now", was the headline of a column by Lisa Miller in Newsweek (Aug 31,2009) wherein she wrote, " we are slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each other, and eternity." She mentions " Truth is One, but the sages speak of it by many names" from Rig Veda and adds " According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65 percent of us believe that 'many religions can lead to eternal life' including 37 percent of evangelicals, the group most likely to believe that salvation is theirs alone."

"In reincarnation, central to Hinduism, selves come back to earth again and again in different bodies. So there is another way in which Americans are becoming more Hindu : 24 percent of Americans say they believe in reincarnation, according to a 208 Harris poll…More than a third of Americans now choose cremation, according to the Cremation Association of North America, up from 6 percent in 1975."

It is a case of Hindu view of life spreading without any missionaries. It is the power of ideas.

"It is already becoming clearer," wrote Arnold Toynbee, the great British philosopher of history, a few decades ago, "that a chapter which has a western beginning will have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self destruction of the human race. At this supremely dangerous moment in the history the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian way." He, of course, is referring to Hindu acceptance, not just tolerance, of different ways worship. If the world accepts it, there will be no religious wars, nor any ideological wars, and peace would reign in the world.

Hindu view of life.

Hindu view of life – ideas, ideals, concepts – have fascinated and influenced some of most creative minds in the West. These thoughts are in the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharat and many other scriptures and sacred books. Some of them are :

'Lead us from darkness to Light' ( tamaso ma jyotirgamaya ) is a well-known invocation from the Upanishad. Hindus are always in search of Truth. As Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, former Indian President and a great interpreter of Hinduism, says in his book, Hindu View of Life, "Hinduism is a movement, not a position; a process, not a result; a growing tradition, not a fixed revelation."

Swami Vivekananda always reminded us that we (human beings) are amritatsya putraha (children of immortality) which means man is a spark of the Divine flame. Man has the Divine touch and has infinite potential. Nothing is impossible for him.

Our sages proclaimed long ago vasudaiva kutumbakam ( world is a family) which means brotherhood of mankind. This is the basis of a humanistic society. Hindus envisaged an inclusive world and this is why Hindus pray, " sarve jana sukhino bhavanto" ( pray for the welfare of all).

Then there is the concept of ahimsa paramo dharma ( non-violence) which is a part of reverence for life, not merely to human beings but to all animate and inanimate beings as well. The modern ecology has its beginning in this concept.

Bhagwad Gita is a guide to live a life of fulfillment. It exhorts human beings to do their duty ( karma). It also asks them to do duty without expecting reward ( nishkama karma). Doing the right thing (duty) is a reward by itself. Man's destiny is his own hands ( udda ret atmanatam ). It is a compendium of wisdom for a life of achievement and contentment.

The Hindu sages formulated a scheme for a full life for man in the form of four purushatras ( aims of life) - Dharma (to do what is right), artha ( material life), kama ( desire), moksha ( liberation from the cycle of birth and death). One has to achieve success in material life and fulfill his desires based on Dharma without forgetting the ultimate aim of moksha.

These and other thoughts were the basis of the Hindu civilization which have been reflected and expressed in art and architecture (which we can see even today in the magnificent temples, palaces and forts), in poetry and literature ( in Sanskrit and other Indian languages), Ayurveda ( a holistic view of health, not merely dealing with ill-health), science ( concept of zero and numbers, geometry, algebra, astronomy). A.L.Basham's Wonder That Was India gives a detailed account of these accomplishments. Many thinkers and writers of the Western world have paid high tribute to Hindu way of life and Hindu civilization.

" If I were asked," Max Muller, the famous Indologist, wrote, " under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of the choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I would point to India."

"India was the motherland," American Historian Will Durant, said, "of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europe's languages. India was the mother of our philosophy, of much of our mathematics, of the ideals embodied in Christianity... of self-government and democracy. Mother India is the mother of us all."

Hindu thoughts during the freedom struggle.

Indian Renaissance started in the 19th century when Christian missionaries questioned basis of Hindu culture and civilization. They questioned idol worship. Hindus said that God has aakar ( God with form) and nirakar ( God without form) just like water in a glass and in an ocean. Brahmo Samaj of Raja Rammoan Roy and Arya Samaj of Swami Dayanand Saraswati were in the forefront of this response. Then we had Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa who could realize God of every faith and Swami Vivekananda who proclaimed that the service to the poor is the service to God (draridra narayan). They were followed by Sri Aurobindo and Gurudev Ravindranath Tagore with their universal religion and universal brotherhood.

Later, Bakimchandra Chnadra Chatterjee gave an inspiring song for the freedom struggle, Vande Mataram ( Salute to Motherland) which became a rallying cry for agitation, even armed agitation, against the British rule. Bal Gangadhar Tilak ( 'Swaraj is my birthright') along with Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai (Lal,Bal,Pal) became the torch-bearers of this movement.

Mahatma Gandhi, awakened people to struggle peacefully for swaraj with his 'Ram-dhun', invoking Ram-rajjya, selfless service ( nishkama karma) inspired by Bhagawad Gita. He was supported by a galaxy of leaders from all over India such as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabha Bhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, C.Rajagopalachari, Subrahmanya Bharati and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. However, Swatantraya Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Shahid Bhgat Singh and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose advocated armed struggle for freedom. Maulana Azad emphasized the fact that Hindus are not kafirs (non-believers) but of 'the book.' Veer Savarkar propounded an inclusive Hindutva.

Hindu thoughts after independence.

Indian constitution is a blend of ancient wisdom of the Hindus ('man is a flame of the Divine') and modern ethos of equality and the rights of man (liberty, equality and fraternity) made famous by the French Revolution, and is the result of European Enlightenment. Freedom of thought (Vedas said ' Let noble thoughts come from everywhere'),diversity and pluralism are part of Hindu ethos. Reforms of society and renewal of faith are integral part of Hindu view of life. This is evident from the flowering of faiths like Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and many others in India.

The founding fathers of the Constitution had a vision of India which can be emulated by the world – casteless and creedless society of equals in freedom. They provided constitutional guarantees for the religious minorities in the Constitution to re-assure about their future in an independent India. Reservations were constitutionally guaranteed to the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for the atrocities and neglect of these sections of our people for centuries. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel re-constructed Somnath Temple to re-assure Hindus that swaraj means liberation from earlier atrocities heaped upon them in spite of some reservations expressed by Jawaharlal Nehru. Similar effort in Ayodhya is bogged down in party and communal politics.

Liberty, equality and fraternity are the key-notes of the Indian Constitution. However, the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru himself faltered when he said that majority communalism is worse than the minority communalism and thereby stocking minority communalism. He proposed Hindu civil code rather than a uniform civil code. He also gave a special dispensation for the state of Jammu & Kashmir just because it had a Muslim majority. These policies widened the gap between the communities instead of bringing them together.

Nehru did not believe in religious rituals though he did appreciate the human values which religions preached. He talked about 'scientific temper' but he failed to appreciate the scientific basis of Hindu faith – dharma ( righteousness) and karma ( cause and effect). He failed to highlight why India took to democratic system in spite of a huge illiterate population while all our surrounding counties became autocratic. He did not change the educational system and syllabus introduced during the British rule which did not provide Indian children with a glimpse of Indian heritage in art, architecture, literature, Indian religion & philosophy and science.

Today Indian children do not know anything about India and most of them believe all knowledge came from the West. This distorted the vision of Indians after Independence and they continue to suffer from an inferiority complex. People with this complex cannot achieve great things. Indians continue to copy every thing from the West. One cannot think of anything that India has contributed to the world after Independence.

Indians would appreciate things Indian only after its approval by the West. Indian music, especially Sitar and the Indian dress, and yoga (transcendental meditation) became "in" things after Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) learnt them from the Indian masters – Pandit Ravi Shnakar and Maharshi Mahesh Yogi.

Gurcharan Das, a corporate leader and a well-known author, recently said that he had to go to the University of Chicago to refer to the Mahabharaata in the original Sanscrit edition and its English translations to write his book, The Difficulty of Being Good, On the Subtle Art of Dharma, ( as revealed in the Mahabharaata) as these are not available in India. He also mentions that he had read Greek classics during his student days but not Indian classics. He then asks if Italian children can read Dante's Divine Comedy in school, English children can read Milton and Greek children can read the Iliad, why should "secularist" Indians be ambivalent about the Mahabharata ? He quotes V.S.Sukhthankar who said that "The Mahabharata is the content of our collective unconscious…it is our past which has prolonged into the present. We are It." And he adds, the Indian children know their heritage through the comic books, Amar Chitra Katha, conceived and edited by Ananth Pai and published by India Book House. Before that Late K.M..Munshi, a foremost freedom fighter, writer and one of the architects of our Constitution, had started his famous institution, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan which has published a number of books on Indian heritage.

Another news item which appeared in India Abroad (New York, April 30,2010) is also revealing. Rohan Murthy, son of Narayan Murthy, one of the founders of Infosys, donated $5.2 million (about Rs.20 crore) to Harvard University Press to make Indian classical heritage accessible to the world. Rohan was inspired to do this after reading the book, Closing of the Western Mind : The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason, by Charles Freeman. He says, " In India we thought the Western mind was always open," He later enrolled in philosophy classes under Harvard philosophy Professor Parimal Patil, who gave up medical studies half-way to learn philosophy. "I was fascinated in particular by the debate by Hindu and Buddhist philosophers", says Rohan. He discovered Indian heritage in USA.

If Indians today are not aware of Indian epics and Indian heritage, one has to point to the distorted secularism we have been practicing since Independence. When Indians discover their heritage of knowledge, it could trigger a knowledge revolution and renew the creativity of our people.

Our politicians, without vision and attuned only to winning elections, not likely to bring about changes in our educational system and we have to use our own resources bring about a Renaissance in our country. One our big source strength is in our temples which our ancestors have left us as their legacy. Temples which are centres of worship could be transformed into centres of culture and knowledge.

Temples as centres of culture & knowledge.

Temples have been the centres of culture for centuries and they have withstood the ravages of time and invasions. Over a period of time they have become just the centres of devotion. They should be the centres of Hindu Thoughts and Indian Renaissance.

The people who worship should know the thoughts and ideas behind the worship.Temples should be the repositories of our culture – classical music, classical dance, Vedas and Upanishads, our epics and puranas, and the ideals which animate them. Temples should be centres of debate and discussions on Hindu ideals and Hindu beliefs.

Every believing Hindu including the so-called untouchables should be allowed to pray to God. The untouchability is an aberration and is opposed to the ideas and ideals of Hinduism. "Some of the great rsis worshipped by the Brahmins are half-caste and hybrids. Vasistha was born of a prostitute, Vyasa of a fisher-woman, Parasara of a Candala girl.Conduct counts and not birth", writes Dr.S.Radhakrishnan

Temple administration has now passed on to the politicians. It all started with the British when they took over the properties of Puri Jagnnatha temple in 1878. After Independence, through Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act of 1951, many temples all over India are being managed by the state governments. It is truly the most 'unsecular' act of the secular government. It is an infringement of the Articles 25, 26 and 27 of our Constitution which guarantee freedom of religion. When the government takes over the administration of the temple trust it is against the Article 26 which proclaims' Freedom to manage religious affairs".

It is a sad that Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, Sri Aurobindo Society amd Sri Ramansharm had to escape the above act by declaring that they are not Hindu. One wishes they had challenged the act itself as an encroachment on the religious freedom.

Some years ago the administration of the famous Sri Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai was taken over by the Maharashtra government. The politicians of the state used the donations made to the deity for their own institutions and the High Court had to intervene and formulate guidelines for the utilization of the temple funds. In Kerala, temples are being managed, rather mis-managed, by the Marxists who believe religion is the opium of the people and in Tamil Nadu, it is the DMK, which claims to be atheist. And in Karnataka, temple funds are used to repair churches and mosques. Thousands of acre land belonging to temples have been encroached upon in Andhra Pradesh. It is alleged that the Venkateshwara University funded by Sri Tirumala Tirupati Temple Trust is dominated by Christians.

Temples of India should be liberated from the clutches of politicians and the 'secular' government. The temples belong to the devotees of the deity. The temples should be administered by a committee elected by devotees registered in the temple on the lines of Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhaka Committee (SGPC).

The time has come for Hindus to challenge various acts which allow the state governments to take over the administration of the temples in the Supreme Court. A signature campaign should be initiated if the acts were upheld by the Supreme Court. It should be made an election issue. The issue is clear: state has no right to abridge religious freedom of Hindus. The funds of temples should be used for the maintenance of temples, welfare of the devotees, dissemination of Hindu faith among he believers and those who want to understand Hindu faith. The rich temples should be encouraged to help in the maintenance of temples in dis-repair, and to educate less fortunate brethren of the country.

Enlightenment of Western civilization started with renaissance and reformation which became possible after Europe discovered their ancient Greek heritage after a dark age. India too should re-discover its heritage and continue our renaissance and reformation halted after Independence due to political myopia. It is a challenge and an opportunity to our youth and intellectuals.

July 26,2010.

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Micro-finance - Is it another name of village money-lenders.



If the NPA is less than 1 percent, why Micro-finance company should charge 26- 31 percent interest on loan for Rs.2000 to Rs.30,000 ? It looks like another avatar of the village money lender. If in spite of such high rate of interest, poor people still take loan from these institutions, it is a total failure of our banking system to reach the poor. Most of the people are trust-worthy and credit-worthy but they are charged highest possible rate of interest. Indian Express had a series of articles how the big companies, who pay lowest possible rate of interest, loot the banks some years ago.

Banks were nationalized to serve the poor.It is reported that nearly 40 percent of our people do not have bank account even after 50 years of nationalization.

Credit is the most important tool to empower people who are self-employed. It encourages entrepreneurship and employment creation.In an interview, Prof.Anil K.Gupta, founder of National Innovation Foundation (NIF), says that NIF has a data base of 140,000 innovations, most of them school drop-outs and even illiterate. He says only 250 patent applications have been filed. Why these innovators do not get credit to make their innovations commercially successful ?

Credit should be the birth-right of every individual to improve tools of his trade either inherited or acquired later in an institute. A carpenter should be able to get the latest tools.A tailor should be able to get  the latest sewing machine. Even a humble tea-shop owner on the road-side should be entitled to it as it not merely improves his trade but also people who drink his tea. With a little credit he can have stainless steel utensils and he can serve in a better cup. He can be persuaded to provide for cleanliness.All this would not merely improve the person concerned, but the society itself.

Credit should be available to the poor at the lowest rate of interest possible.It is not a subsidy but it is the foundation of prosperity of our people and the country.

( A response to a news item regarding micro-finance companies charging 26 to 31 percent interest on loan to the poor published by Karmayog.)

July 21, 2010.

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Friday, July 16, 2010

India needs constructive politics.



India needs constructive politics.

The petroleum products prices increase by the UPA government and the Bharat Bandh called by all the opposition parties have exposed our partisan politics once again.

The administrated price mechanism (APM) was introduced during the heydays of planning in India and its main objective was to moderate price swings in the crude oil and the petroleum products on the people of the country. It assured oil refineries and oil marketing companies a return of 12 percent post tax on net-worth. However, there was no incentive for these companies, the critics had pointed out, to be efficient in their operations as APM operated on the cost-plus basis.   

The globalization of the Indian economy and the violent swings in the prices of crude oil in the recent years have made APM unsustainable. Only a couple of years ago the price of crude oil had reached $150 and was expected to go up to $200. However, the collapse of the financial sector in the western world, and the consequent recession brought down the price of crude to oil to $60/$70 range now. When the economies of US and EU recover from the recession in the next few years, the crude oil price would most likely go up again.    

The Indian economy is also growing and it requires more oil to power the growth and provide a better life to its citizens. For this purpose, the Indian oil companies, both in the public sector and the private sector, have to invest millions of dollars/rupees to explore crude oil in India and abroad, and then invest millions more in refineries.   

Power politics prevents sensible policy.

Dismantling of the administrated price mechanism (APM) was initiated during NDA regime in 2002 to be implemented over a six-year period. Since India imports almost 70 percent of its crude oil requirements from the Gulf countries and the price of crude oil has always shown an upward trend in the last few decades, dismantling APM is necessary to reduce energy-intensity of the economy, encourage energy conservation and reduce oil consumption in the economy.  Now there is another compelling reason to implement this policy and that is to reduce the depletion of o-zone layer and  the carbon foot-print and thereby slow-down the warming of the earth.

However, NDA did not come back to power to implement it. UPA which assumed power in 2004 and again in 2009 did not pursue this policy till 2010 as it was dependent on the Leftist support in the first term in 2004. Now that UPA does not need Leftist support, it sought to follow the NDA policy of dismantling APM to prevent oil companies from becoming bankrupt. Since the next general election would be held after four years, UPA believed this is the right time to follow the policy of dismantling APM and increase the prices of petroleum products.  

UPA did not take into account the inflation that has inflicted undue burden on the amm admi. Increasing the price of petroleum products when the food inflation reached almost 20 percent which is now hovering above 10 percent is not a wise step at this juncture. This is why all the political parties came together to declare a bandh on July 5.

Bandh is no solution.

Bandhs and strikes have lost their utility long ago as people have seen that they do not solve the problem they seek to highlight. They are, however, legitimate forms of protest in a democracy. The courts have declared bandhs as illegal as the over-enthusiastic party members force people who do not want to join the protest.

Moreover, now that India's economy has been globalized after the deregulation of industry and the liberalization of the Indian economy by the Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao in 1991, effects of bandhs and strikes are felt not merely in India but also in other countries. This would make India an unreliable supplier of goods and services.

Mahatma Gandhi who awakened Indian people to freedom used non-co-operation and civil dis-obedience to protest against the British successfully. However, he was aware of its pitfall. He withdrew his agitation in 1922 when agitators burnt down a police station in Chowri-Chowra. There was some violence again during the 1942 'Quit India' movement as well. Ever since the freedom struggle a 'hartal' or a bandh has been a weapon of protest. However, a weapon used for freedom from foreign bondage cannot be used against our own government – a government elected by the people. We have to evolve a new method of protest to suit the needs of a democratic system. 

Need for constructive politics.

Many commentators have disapproved the bandh as it added to the woes of the general public. However, nobody has suggested an alternative way of registering protest. It is challenge for all people who believe in democracy and the rule of law to come up with a new mode of protest. It used to be said when there is a general election there is no need for a general strike. Since the general election is four years away, how do people or political parties register their protest without inconveniencing people? Then there is another problem. If the protest is not violent and does not disrupt normal life, it is not reported extensively in the media and it does not make any impact on the government.  .    

The time has come for the Indian political parties to evolve a consensus on constructive politics. A good policy or a good programme should not be given up just because it was initiated by the previous government, and in this case, by NDA. This is exactly what UPA did with the policy of dismantling APM. There has to be a consensus on promoting national interest both while leading the nation and also while heading the opposition. Both have to be done in morally legitimate ways.

It was wrong on the part of UPA not to dismantle APM in its first term as it was in the national interest. It could have brought out a White Paper on the issue to take public and the political parties into confidence and started the process of making prices of petroleum products to reflect their international prices in a gradual way.

We have to bring reason back into politics. Remaining in power should not be the be-all and end-all of politics. National interest should not be subordinated to power politics. When it started implementing the policy now, it could have consulted all the political parties and postponed it for a year or so considering the food inflation in the country.

Similarly, the opposition parties should have thought of highlighting the plight of the poor with the increase in the petroleum products with new methods of protest. They could have distributed black-bands to all to wear it on their hands to indicate their displeasure and protest. They could have collected signature of the people on a memorandum explaining why they oppose the price hike and also how to meet the challenge of increasing the price of crude oil and India's increasing dependence on imported crude oil. They could have suggested a long-term policy of promoting non-conventional energy sources such as solar power and wind power. They could have indicated why and how the country has to search for long-term solution to the need for increased energy for our growing economy. With 300-days of sun-shine in the country and many areas with strong wind, India should be the leader in solar and wind energy. The opposition should have proposed increased allocation for research and development of these energy sources.

Media, both print and visual, have lost their way as both have become sensational rather than rational and moderate. They have not added to the growth of rational argument which a nascent democracy requires. They do not take up any issue unless it disrupts life and they have no time for sober analysis. They do not give a proper picture of a problem in all its dimentions and have become too partisan. They mix up facts and comments confusing the reader and the viewer. The fourth estate has gone the same way as all the other estates – dysfunctional.

A call to all concerned citizens.      

All concerned citizens and NGOs have to ponder over the issue - how to convert power politics into constructive politics. We require think-tanks who bring out papers on all national issues and mobilize public opinion so that all political parties can adopt them. Whichever party comes to power, it should be able to implement it. Energy policy, Naxal problem, empowering the poor, providing medical and educational facilities to the villages are some of the important issues which call for national policies and national consensus. This can be done by people who are above politics.

There is a need for a federation of NGOs in all major cities to come together, or the formation of a new national NGO which could bring clarity on issues and seek to evolve a consensus on the major issues. This is a challenge and an opportunity for our professionals in industry and in the academic field. Our national interest is too precious to be left to the tender mercies of politicians and their power politics. These issues affect all of us and we have to educate our masters, the politicians, and bring the national interest to the fore by involving the common citizens. Policies evolved by experts and supported by the voters cannot be overlooked by the politicians and their parties.

July 15,2010.

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Thursday, July 08, 2010

The world & USA are not ready for 'one-world' idea.



The world & USA are not ready for 'one-world' idea.

Sandip Roy ( India Abroad, July 9) has rightly pointed out the inevitability of the browning of America as the world now is being increasingly globalized. The world is a village now, thanks to more trade in goods, services and exchange of ideas through books, TV and films, faster transport and telecommunications. Ancient Indians envisaged world as a family- vasudaiva kutumbakam. They were far ahead of their time. The 'one-world' is a dream of humanists as well. This, of course, requires a change of attitude or a change in the mind-set. The world, including USA, is still not ready for it as Joel Stein's piece makes it abundantly clear.    

Joel Stein's nostalgia for the old Edison where he enjoyed the innocent pleasures of his youth -  stealing pies, shop-lifting and R-rated films- is understandable. However, his not so innocent comments on the Indian inhabitants' way of life makes one to wonder how deep-rooted US liberalism is when a top journalist writes a derogatory piece on Indians in a top magazine.

As the writer himself has noted Indian engineers, doctors and scientists came to USA after the 1965 immigration law opened the doors for people from non-European countries. The small Indian community of about two million plus has contributed in many ways in various spheres of life in USA including in the areas of innovation and enterprise apart from medical and academic fields. Indian immigrants have spiced up the American salad bowl. It has been an ideal minority by and large. To ridicule its way of life is to reject diversity and variety. Acceptance of diversity is the way forward for a globalized world and it is not a one-way street. And intellectuals have a greater responsibility to foster this value of diversity as their words can hurt as much as swords.     

Acceptance, not just tolerance, of diversity and differences are the essentials of a democratic and liberal society, nay a civilized society. This is the basis of Indian culture and civilization. As President Bush observed sometime ago only in India you could find a Muslim President, a Sikh Prime Minister and a Christian leader of the ruling party in a Hindu majority state. This is the result of a long tradition of acceptance of diversity

( A response to the article, " We hear you, Joel Stein, American anxiety about browning will not change" by Sandip Roy in India Abroad, July 9,2010.)

July 9,2010

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Tuesday, July 06, 2010

How deep-rooted is US liberalism.



How deep-rooted is US liberalism ?

Joel Stein's nostalgia for innocent pleasures of his youth of stealing pies, shop-lifting and R-rated films in Edison one can understand but his not so innocent comments on the Indian inhabitants' way of life makes one wonder how deep-rooted is US liberalism. Acceptance, not just tolerance, of diversity and differences are the essentials of a democratic and liberal society, nay a civilized society. This is the basis of Indian culture and civilization. As President Bush pointed out sometime ago only in India you could find a Muslim President, a Sikh Prime Minister and a Christian leader of the ruling party in a Hindu majority state.

As the writer himself has pointed out Indian engineers and doctors came to USA after the 1965 immigration law which opened the doors for people from non-European countries. This small community of about two million has contributed to this country in various spheres including in the areas of innovation and enterprise. Indian immigrants have spiced up the American salad bowl. They have been an ideal minority by and large. To ridicule their way of life is to reject variety and diversity. Acceptance of diversity is the way forward for a globalized world and the globalized world is not a one-way street. The intellectuals have a greater responsibility to foster this value of diversity as their words can hurt more than the swords.

( A response sent to the Time magazine dt.July 5,2010 on the column, The Awesome Column by Joel Stein on My Own Private India.)

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1999416,00.html