Onions without tears.

Onions without tears.

As you have mentioned in your edit, Layers of crises (Indian Express, 2/12/10), the real crisis in agriculture is not merely a low yield of most of the agricultural produce but also the mismanagement of agricultural produce in India. Thousands of tons of rice and wheat are spoiled due to faulty storage. Onions and other vegetables are wasted due to lack of cold storage facilities The only way this can be tackled is through an extensive storage facilities in all talukas of the country. Is estimated that some 25 percent is lost due lack of storage.

As far as the present problem of onion is concerned, it is entirely due to weather but untimely rains started almost a month ago and the government had sufficient time to stop the export and stop the spiraling prices. Onion has a history of glut and scarcity of production ever few years in India. It is relevant to mention here that The Netherlands is the biggest exporter of onions growing only two percent of the world's production and has an export market of 23 percent. "The major reasons for this success are an excellent product, superior storage facilities; and finely-tuned transport and support infrastructure," states an article with the title, Onions without tears, in the magazine, Euro-Agri Holland. It is time we follow the Dutch example. Where there is a will, there is a way.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/layers-of-crises/728352/

December 24,2010.

*****

India's growth & black money

India's growth & black money.

R.Vaidyanathan is one of the few keen observers of the political and economic scene in India as is evident from his analysis of India's growth and the black money (DNA,21/12). He has unveiled some important facts which are not clear amidst the euphoria of 8/9 percent growth of the economy. The corporate sector which contributes only about 15 percent to the GDP gets nearly 40 percent of credit ( at the lowest rate of interest) from the banking sector The services sector which constitutes 60 percent of the GDP is driven by the private sector ( trade, construction, hotels etc) gets only about 30 percent institutional credit. He says that 43 percent of rural household and 25 percent of urban household depend on money lenders. The agricultural sector also depends mostly on money lenders ( 50% or more interest rate) and now, on micro-finance companies ( at 24/28 % interest). Is there something wrong with the credit deployment and the rate of interest to various sectors ? One wonders what happened to the promise of helping the small man through nationalization banks 50 years ago?

http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/column_the-india-growth-story-is-propelled-by-black-money_1483957

December 22,2010.

*******

Voluntary organizations - Planning Commission Report.

In our Political  Science class we were taught that Society is bigger and vaster than the State. If the State controls all the activities of the individual in a society than that society becomes a totalitarian society. That is exactly what happened in the old Soviet Union and that is what is happening  in the Communist China.

Now coming to the efforts of the Planning Commission to evolve an independent, national level self-regulatory agency for the voluntary sector, both the civil society and the government have to be careful. While there is a need to regulate the these agencies it should not stifle the voluntary sector. The need for regulating voluntary sector is clear from various news reports about the misuse of funds, especially when it comes from abroad. There are cases of one-man agencies and people who are connected with the government officials/politicians  forming such agencies. Some of the foreign funded agencies have indulged in activities which do not further Indian interests. Some have used the funds for conversion and other activities even to oppose government policies.

Every agency has to register and have audited accounts to be submitted to the government as well as to the public including their members and supporters. There has to be some structure and periodical election. There are cases where the same man/woman have been at the top for years together.

It is said that there are about three million NGOs in India ! This an astounding figure.Some proper regulation of so many NGOs is a must. There are also reports that some of them who receive foreign money have not submitted their annual report to the government.

Voluntary association is a much valued institution in any country. Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French writer and thinker, mentions it as a most the important institution for a society in his book, Democracy in America( 1830) and he calls it " social capital".He said that Americans were ' joiners'. They joined all manners of local organizations, unlike Europeans.This was the strength of American democracy.We have to strengthen these efforts. Voluntary efforts should remain voluntary with of course some minimum control of the state.

I find it strange that not many NGOs are there to see and moniter the government welfare activities and expenditure which runs into thousands of crore rupees which are misappropriated by officials and politicians. Today's papers report that the Supreme Court has asked the CBI to look into the " serious irregularities" of some Rs.40,000 crore of rupees in NREGA ( National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) in Orissa.   

December 17,2010.

(The above comments in response to the query by Karmayog as follows:  

How to strengthen civil society - suggestions needed

Posted by: "karmayog.org" info@karmayog.org

Wed Dec 8, 2010 3:09 am (PST)

In May 2009, the Planning Commission, Govt. of India, set up "a Task Force
to examine the issues related to the evolution of an independent, national
level, self-regulatory agency for the voluntary sector and to develop
accreditation methodologies for voluntary organisations".

The 132 page Report of the Task Force is available at
http://www.karmayog.org/redirect/strred.asp?docId=31670

Pushpendra Kumar from the National Institute of Rural Development
(NIRD), who has also contributed suggestions to the Task Force says about
the Task Force and this report that:

"I find the entire exercise directed to corporatising the voluntary sector.
This is against the spirit of the National Policy for the Voluntray Sector
and will have disastrous impact on the sector.

The composition of the participants of the Task Force also bears the
testimony to my point. The voluntary sector needs a different kind of
professionalism, one that is largely different from the professionalism
required in the corporate sector (or corporate NGOs).

The significance of the voluntary sector lies in its creativity, diversity,
strong links with the community, its localised nature, voluntary spirit, its
capacity and courage to question, to challenge the dominant paradigms of
development.

I also find this an effort to further encroach upon the autonomy of the
voluntary sector. The proposed composition of the National Accreditation
Council includes representatives of government bodies, corporate bodies
(CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, ICAI, other chambers of commerce and industry) and
grant making government and international organisations.One would expect
that this would be a body comprising either exclusively or predominantly
representatives from the voluntary sector.

There is a need to recognise the diversity and wisdom of the voluntary
sector. The sector itself can find ways of enhancing accountability and
transparency in its practices. No one size can fit all and no
superimposition of norms (read corporate norms) is going to help. Let the
debate on such important issues as accountability and transparency be taken
to the vast expanse of the civil society."

The Planning Commission and CAPART invites comments and suggestions from
voluntary organisations, social activists, donor agencies and citizens.

Send your responses to: Mrs. Rupa Dutta, Director, Voluntary Action Cell,
Planning Commission, Yojana Bhawan, New Delhi 110003
Tel: 23353437, Fax No. 23096764 and Email: rupa-pc@nic.in

You may also send your responses to CAPART at dg@caparthq.delhi.nic.in and
helpdesk@caparthq.delhi.nic.in and a cc to info@karmayog.org for follow-up.

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8.

The bottle-neck is at the top of the bottle.

The bottle-neck is at the top of the bottle.

What Pratap Bhanu Mehta has said in is excellent analysis, "He said, she said" (Indian Express,15/12) can be summed up in a few words, " the bottle-neck is at the top of the bottle". As he has pointed out 'the shrinking moral universe is not a fact of nature; it is a consequence of decisions taken by leaders". P.M. has to answer whether he approved what Raja was doing and if not, what did he do stop him? He has rightly said this does not require an inquiry. Silence is not golden but indicates complicity.

Simlarly, if National Advisory Council does not undermine the government, how can JPC undermine existing institutions ? Nobody can dispute his observation that 'every single institution in government now carries an odour of consipiracy'. A few schemes for poor with astronomical amount of money would not solve the problems of the 300 million poor of the country. They don't empower the poor but make them depend on periodical doles ( 100 days of work).The worst failing of our PM is not coming clean and thereby 'he has undermined any reason to trust so-called good men'. This is the result of pursuit of power at any cost by all parties, especially now by UPA in this case. This is one of the seven social sins mentioned by Gandhiji, " politics without principles". This is not the India of our dreams.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/he-said-she-said/724893

December 15,2010.

*****

Cologne is green, why not Mumbai ?

Cologne is green, why not Mumbai.

Lhendup G Bhutia's article, This Cologne is green, (DNA,Nov.28) is informative and an eye-opener. The Cologne city has taken three initiatives to reduce the city's pollution – cleaning the water of Emscher river, recycling and disposal of products and solar panel for buses. BMC has been talking of widening and cleaning the water of Mithi river since the great deluge of 2005. BMC can form a partnership with companies in Mmbai who have the expertise to purify the water of Mithi as a non-profit company for that purpose as was done in Cologne. Similarly, producers should be entrusted with task of recycling and disposal whatever they produce as in Cologne. Now it is being done by the informal sector of street boys/women. They could be trained by the association of producers to collect and dispose these materials, and make them proper employees of the association.

The third initiative of Cologne city should be the easiest for the city to adopt, and that is green buses. All city buses could be provided with solar panels to power the buses. The concerned citizens and, NGOs should these issues with the corporators and the Municipal administration. The citizens of the city should be made aware of these initiatives of Cologne city and it should find a place in the manifesto of parties in the forthcoming municipal election.

http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx

November 28,2010.

*****

Good News.

Good News.

The reports on Bihar Election and the Manipur militants (Indian Express,22/10) are welcome change from the murky politics of scams and mis-governance. The people of Bihar have to be congratulated for almost peaceful election and for electing ( as per exit poll) the NDA government headed by Nitish Hopeful Kumar who has persuaded people 'to fill your pen with ink' instead of seasoning ' lathi with oil'. It is heart-warming to know that his government has provided new roads and bicycles for children to go to school and that more people are shod and are looking for branded underwear. It is the beginning of a new era in Bihar. .

The Union Home Ministry has persuaded a group of 128 youths of Kangeleipsk Communist Party of Manipur to give up arms in favour education and welfare of their community is another piece of good news. Let this be extended to other militants ( Naxlites and Jehadi) as well. There is a strong case for changing the name of our prisons to reformatories, and make the inmates useful citizens by giving them opportunities to learn a profession. People whose crime does not entail more than six months or a year of imprisonment should be asked to do community work with a recognized non-government organization. The Home Ministry has made a good beginning for a long journey.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-mandate-for-nitish-hope-kumar/714282/ and

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/from-hit-jobs-to-it-posts-former-manipur-militants-come-a-long-way/714311/0

November 23,2010.

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NCC should inculcate social service.

NCC should inculcate social service

Aims of NCC – to develop character, camaraderie, discipline, leadership, secular outlook, spirit of adventure, selfless service – are laudable and most needed in the country today (DNA,22/11). The numbers are great : 13 lakh cadets all over the country in 606 districts in 8,454 schools and 5,337 colleges. Such a huge force of young people can bring about a change in our society. The government has many schemes like old age pension and health insurance to help the poor and the poor are not aware of them. NCC cadets in Mumbai, for example, could help the government to prepare a list of such people in all the wards of the city and help these poor people in getting the benefits intended to them. This could be extended to villages in the vicinity of Mumbai as well.

According Brig. P.C.Roy, Deputy DG, NCC, Maharashtra that the number of cadets in the country are going up from 13 to 15 lakhs. Since our country will have the largest number of young people for the next two to three decades, the country has to equip our people with education including vocational education and the values that NCC inculcates among its cadets. The government should increase the number of cadets. The amount of money invested on education and NCC would give manifold returns to the country.

http://www.dnaindia.com/speakup/report_pride-or-marks-what-brings-you-to-ncc_1470095

November 23,2010.

*****

Why this inferiority complex ?

Why this Inferiority Complex ?.

It is a sad commentary on the State of Maharashtra that its government has denied permission to 4000 Marathi-medium schools (DNA,16/11). During the British Raj the language of administration was English and this had created a barrier between the people and the state. After Independence, the linguistic states were formed to bring the state close to the people and to promote various languages of the country. The craze for English in country today has divided it into two nations, India and Bharat, which do not understand each other. The superiority complex exhibited by the English speaking people in the country has created an inferiority complex among the people who speak the local language including the politicians who want people to forget their language, its great literature and culture. Mahatma Gandhi and the freedom fighters would have been appalled by this complex.

The state seem to forget that health,literacy and creativity are the keys to progress, not any particular language. The progress made by countries such as Germany, Japan, France and other European countries illustrate this point.Even the tiny Israel is proud of its language, Hewbrew, and it is being promoted.

How can we have swaraj (freedom) and suraj ( good governance) without our own language for communication? Kaviraj Rabindranath Tagore wrote his Geetanjali in Bengali and he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. One can express his innate thoughts and feelings only in his mother tongue. Those who write in English mostly think in English and their knowledge of their own language is poor.They become strangers in their own country.

It is relevant to mention here that the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) has awarded the second prize to an illiterate dalit farmer Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade of the Nanded village in Chadrapur for his innovation of nine rice varieties. Forbes magazine of USA has named him as one of the seven rural entrepreneurs who " are changing the lives of people across country." His HMT variety of rice is grown on one lakh hectares in five states. This is the potential of our country. This potential could be harnessed if the government provides health, education and credit at low rate of interest to all our villages. NIF has a long list of over a lakh of innovators in its data base who are mostly uneducated.

President Obama recognized he inventive genius of India when he told the parliamentarians that : " Indians unlocked the intricacies of the human body and the vastness of the universe. And it is no exaggeration to say that our information age is rooted in Indian innovation including the number zero." Of course he was referring to Aurveda and our heritage in mathematics and science. All this was done in our own languages - Sanskrit and regional languages.

Then why do we suffer from an inferiority complex ? Is it our faulty education ? I leave it to our readers.

http://www.dnaindia.com/academy/report_4000-marathi-schools-denied-permission-in-maharashtra_1432822

Nov.19,2010.

*****

Doles will not remove poverty, empowerment will.

DOLES WILL NOT REMOVE POVERTY, EMPOWERMENT WILL.

THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT MINISTER C.P.JOSHI IN THE FORUM, IDEA EXCHANGE, (INDIAN EXPRESS, OCTOBER 31) STATES THAT " WE ARE ENHANCING LIVELIHOOD…NREGS IS BASICALLY NOT MEANT FOR ASSET CREATION". THAT MEANS THE SCHEME DOES NOT EVEN CREATE ANY ASSET FOR THE PEOPLE, LEAVE ALONE ANY EMPOWERMENT OF THE POOR. IT IS JUST A DOLE.

OBVIOUSLY, HE OR HIS MINISTRY HAS NOT HEARD THE FAMOUS SAYING THAT 'IT IS BETTER TO TEACH FISHING RATHER THAN GIVE FISH TO THE POOR'. IF THE GOVERNMENT REALLY WANTS TO REMOVE POVERTY FROM THE COUNTRY, IT HAS TO EMPOWER THE POOR WITH SKILLS WHICH CAN GIVE THEM JOB AND THEREBY BREAD, BUTTER AND JAM.

THERE IS A WOEFUL LACK OF SKILLS LIKE THAT OF A PLUMBER OR A MASON WHICH A GROWING ECONOMY NEEDS. INSTEAD OF 100 DAYS OF WORK, THE POOR SHOULD BE GIVEN TRAINING IN SOME SKILL WHICH CAN GIVE THEM JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN THEIR VICINITY. OR, THEY CAN BUILD HOUSES FOR THE WORKERS AND CHECK DAMS FOR THE VILLAGE. DOLES MAY BRING IN VOTES, IT WILL NOT REMOVE POVERTY.

http://www.indianexpress.com/fullcoverage/the-idea-exchange/39/

November 3, 2010.

****

Irrelevance of Indian Communists.

Irrelevance of Indian Communists.

CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat has acknowledged at long last how
irrelevant leftists have become in India in his talk at the conference
on the "Lessons of Empire" at the Cambridge University ( Study Group,
IE,26/10). Their blinkered view of India started at the inception
itself : they opposed the freedom struggle and supported the British
during the 1942 'Quit India' movement ; they started the violent
struggle in Telangana ; they believed that they could ride the
Congress elephant after India's non-alignment tilted towards the
Soviet Union; they refused to condemn China for its invasion in 1962;
they supported emergency imposed by Mrs.Indira Gandhi. They were never
in tune with the nation.

It is not just lack "in theory" about the caste and bourgeoisie but a
total lack of understanding India, its history and its ethos. They
started 'bandh' and 'gherao'. They killed industry in West Bengal and
Kerala. They encouraged infiltration by Bangadeshis. They gave rise to
Naxalites and Maoists with their theory of class struggle. They fought
for 8 percent organized workers and not for 92 percent unorganized
labour. Their irrelevance is their 'karma' – you reap what you sow.
Your remark, ' Indian politics needs the Left parties to re-acquire
their feistiness' looks like the Stockholm Syndrome.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/study-groups/702418/0

October 29,2010.

******

What's your message for President Obama on his India visit?

India and the USA share common democratic values and have no conflict of interest. This was noted by Dr.Henry Kissinger immediately after the end of the cold war. However, both the countries have the legacies of the past to contend with - uninterrupted economic and military support to Pakistan which has only one aim - to confront India.The other is, the US investment in China for the last few decades which has made China the second largest economy in the world, which again has one point programme of dominating Asia, if not the world. USA befriended Pakistan and Pakistan to encircle Soviet Union.USA always followed its national interest, not any great ideals. Now that its interest coincides with that of India, it wants to change its policies towards India. US policies towards both these countries affect India in a profound way. The changes, if agreed to by India and the USA, will take a long time to fructify.We should not expect anything spectacular.

The President of the USA comes to India not to solve India's problems but to solve his countries problem. His country wants more employment and export.He seeks to sell military equipment, military planes, passenger planes and to expand role for MNCs in India - in retail business, agriculture ( GM seeds) etc. While Walmart can provide goods at a cheap rate, what happens to the millions of retail small traders ? GM seeds may give more yield, the small farmer has to purchase seeds every time from these seed companies who increase their prices every year.We have to be careful with these issues. The watch word should be : 'hasten slowly'.

The US President has made a big issue out of out-sourcing to our software companies.He forgets India purchases considerable hardware from USA and other countries. Free trade is a two-way street. 

Many, including some think-tanks in USA, have asked him to support India's case for a permanent seat in Security Council. Indian government has asked him to remove restrictions on dual-use technologies.USA is still hesitant.

India should not expect other countries to solve our problems. We have to solve them ourselves. We have the capacity - technical man-power and financial resources.We do not have the will. When the Indian economy grows every country would court India.

October 29,2010.
 
On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 6:16 PM, <info@karmayog.org> wrote:

President Obama of USA is visiting India between 6th - 9th November 2010.

During his visit, many issues will be concluded that will impact the ordinary
citizen of India e.g. policies connected with agriculture, outsourcing,
defence, 100% FDI in retail, etc.

 

Governments across the world are getting more responsive to public opinion and perceptions.

There will be extensive media coverage across the world of US actions and statements emanating from the visit. Moreover, Indian ground realities and the repercussions of policies will also be highlighted by the international media. So it would be worthwhile and timely to voice your suggestions in any specific area along with the reasons for those.

 

You may do so by sending an email to the following:
 - The White House - President Obama at www.whitehouse.gov/contact
 - The American Centre at mumbaipublicaffairs@state.gov

 - Time Magazine at letters@time.com
 - The Economist at letters@economist.com
 - The Wall Street Journal at wsj.ltrs@wsj.com
 - CNN at http://edition.cnn.com/feedback/dotcom

Do also post your suggestion on Karmayog via
http://www.karmayog.org/messages/message.aspx?id=3499

 

Regards,

Vinay
www.karmayog.org 

.

"Why is Tata funding a Harvard ?"

"Why is Tata funding a Harvard ?".

Your edit (DNA,Mumbai,18/10/10) "Why is Tata funding a Harvard?" should provoke some thought among the industry, academic, political and bureaucratic circles. Why indeed three top industrialists are funding US educational institutions rather than Indian institutions? Of course, one reason, as you have pointed out, is their association with these institutions. The other reason is, again as mentioned by you, the promotion of excellence by the US academic institutions besides the autonomy that they enjoy.

Your suggestion that government needs to move away from running academic institutions will not find favour with the political and bureaucratic circles that enjoy dispensing patronage to their favourites among the teachers and students. Perhaps, these industrialists could have set up new educational institutions on the lines of Harvard with these funds. They could have become new Nalandas and Taxilas of the modern India.

Thousands of Indian students go to USA, UK, Canada and even to Australia for higher studies spending millions of dollars. Indian educational institutions with the same standards of excellence and autonomy could prevent this outflow and give our students insight into our problems and how to solve them. This is something for our businessmen and politicians think it over.

http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/editorial_why-is-tata-funding-a-harvard_1454109

( A response on the editorial in DNA,Mumbai dt.October 18,2010.

*****

Plolice & the Stone throwers.

Police are the front-line of defense of the state but they are also front-line of inter-face with the people, especially in a democratic state. They have to be friendly with people and help people.It is not an easy task as criminals and their supporters have a lot of influence on them either because of money power or because of political pressure.

The police force has to have proper training, sufficient mobility, adequate remuneration, skilled legal support and functional autonomy as well as accountability to be effective.

As far as the situation in Kashmir is concerned, the police there have to have mohalla committees in every area as was constituted in Mumbai to prevent riots. The police have to have their ears to the ground.

Secondly, they have to use tear gas and rubber bullets, and firing should be the last resort. They have to meet the parents to prevent their children from not only from throwing stones but also to impress upon them the need prevent the children from jeopardizing their future - without attending schools.

Thirdly, there has to be a massive educational effort through the radio, TV and print media about the situations in Jammu & Kashmir state of India and Pak-occupied Kashmir as also economic and political situations in India & Pakistan.

Jammu & Kashmir joined India legally and constitutionally, and it is ruled through an elected legislature. All these facts have to be brought to the notice of the people of Jammu & Kashmir as well as the people of India, Pakistan and the world.

The Soviet Union collapsed not merely through its inner contradictions but also through the media directed towards the Soviet people by the West highlighting the promises of Communism and the reality - no democracy, no consumer goods, bread-lines in contrast to the West.

The Indian state and even the media have not done their duty by the nation.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100724/jsp/nation/story_12720934.jsp

( A response on the issue of 'police inability to control stone throwing in Kashmir' posed by Karmayog. The story in Telegraph, Calcutta, explains the situation.)

October 7,2010.

******

Aodhya - A New Dawn ?

Ayodhya – A New Dawn?

It is highly commendable that the India Abroad (Oct.8) has provided the gist of the verdict on Ayodhya and the various shades of opinion on it.

The judicial verdict of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court which divided the Ram Janma Bhoomi- Babri Masjid land into three parts can prove to be the new dawn of amity for India if all the people accept it as a starting point for the reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims of India. If the Muslim community hands over their portion to Hindus as a goodwill gesture and Hindus build a masjid at a mutually agreed site, it would be a fitting tribute the fraternity envisaged by the Constitution of India. It will have the same effect on the country as that of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission constituted in South Africa by the great visionary Nelson Mandela. The Commission provided the catharsis and laid the foundation for the social, economic and political renewal of South Africa.

The three-judge bench of the Court has to be applauded for the justice and the fair-play displayed like the great King Solomon of Isreal or the legendary Chakravarti Vikramaditya of Ujjain, who started a new era in India.

Of course, the judges have not given the verdict on just the possession of land by the Sunny Central Board of Waqfs.That is an easy option as we all know that possession is nine points in law. That is why the secular establishment and the Muslim clergy maintained that they would abide by the decision of the court and all others too should do the same. However, the court took into account the archaeological and historic evidence as well. One judge said that the masjid was constructed on the ruins of a temple and the other two maintained that it was built after demolishing a temple. One of judges said masjid was not constructed according to the tenets of Islam.

Some historians with leftist and Islamic orientation still do not accept the fact that Muslim kings have converted temples into mosques. History records many such events. Nothing else explains the lack of magnificent temples in North India while South India boasts a number of such temples. Somanath Temple in Gujarat was one of them and it was reconstructed at the initiative of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister of India.

Many churches in Europe too have been turned into masjids by Muslim rulers and the most important among them are in Istanbul ( formerly Constantinople) in Turkey and in Cordoba, Spain. Hagia Sophia, a basilica of the Orthodox Chruch was constructed by the Emperor Constantine in 360 AD in Constantinople, and when in 1453 Sultan Mehmed II conquered the city, he converted it into a mosque. Later, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkey, turned it into a museum in 1934. Similarly, the Cathedral of Cordoba built in 600 AD became a mosque in 784 when the Moors occupied Spain and later in 1236 it was turned into a church by King Ferdinand III.

The judgment of the high court should put an end to the grievance of the Hindus while it gives an opportunity to the Indian Muslims to disassociate themselves from the wrong-doings of the kings who happened to be Muslims. Jihad is not the essence of Islam but brotherhood is. Holy Koran mentions many prophets sent to the world by God and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, an Islamic scholar and the first Education Minister of India explained that Hindus too are 'of the Book', not kafirs ( unbelievers). 21st century should be a century of tolerance and acceptance of diversity as the world is a village now, if not a family.

Indian Muslims who are born and brought up in the ethos of liberty, equality and fraternity proclaimed by the Constitution of India have a challenge and an opportunity to be the flag bearers of change and reformation of Islam in the world highlighting the liberal and democratic side of Islam.

http://www.indiaabroad-digital.com/indiaabroad/20101008/?pg=13&pm=1&u1=friend

October 6,2010.

******

Pluralism Vs. Fundamentalism ; A Challenge to liberal Muslims.

Pluralism Vs Fundamentalism: A Challenge to Liberal Muslims.

The latest issue of India Abroad (Sept.24) seems to have a theme running in its many reports, and that is pluralism Vs fundamentalism, all pertain to the Muslim attitude to the believers of other religions, and mainly the Hindus.

As has been rightly pointed out by Ed Royce, United States Representative from California, Hindus suffer "more discrimination than just about any other ethnic group" in South Asia and ethnic cleansing that had taken place in Pakistan where "the fact that Pakistan was once 25 percent Hindu" indicates the theocratic nature of the state of Pakistan, where even Shias and Ahmedias are treated as non-believers.

Ethnic cleansing has happened a few years ago even in Jammu & Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state of the Indian Union, when about 400,000 Kashmiri Hindu Pandits were forced by the Jihadists to leave their home and hearth and stay in tents in Jammu and New Delhi, thanks to the inaction of the Government of India. The same Jehadists have brain-washed or forced/ bribed urchins to throw stones on Indian security forces to get martyrs for their cause – to merge with Pakistan.

Pakistan was created as a homeland for Muslims of the British India, and all the kings were given the right to accede to one or the other state, India and Pakistan. Jammu & Kashmir ruler decided to join India which has adopted a republican constitution assuring equality, liberty and fraternity to all its citizens irrespective of their caste and creed. While India has been one of the most successful democratic experiments in the world, Pakistan has mired itself in theocracy, now fundamentalism and terrorism.

Can there be a civilized modern state and society based only on fundamentalism? Expansionism finished fascism. Totalitarianism killed communism in spite of is humanistic ideals. It is renaissance and reformation that saved Europe and Christianity from fundamentalism. A similar process can revive the glory of Islam. Hindus are blessed with a pluralistic philosophy since the Vedic times, and there have been many reformers throughout the ages beginning with Buddhism and Jainism.

Those liberal Muslims who feel that their religion has been mis-represented in the world should highlight the pluralistic and liberal values in their religion. Holy Koran says, for example: There is no compulsion in religion and the ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyrs.

The liberal Islam of the Middle Ages ( mid-8^th century to mid-13^th century) created the Islamic Golden Age which promoted art, architecture, mathematics, science, philosophy, poetry and many other human endeavors in the far flung regions of Asia and Europe in centers such as Cairo, Damascus and Cordoba. These centers preserved and translated the Greek, Roman, Indian and Chinese books and became the repositories of knowledge of the world.

Liberalism and fundamentalism are the two choices before the Muslim. First choice would lead to glory, and the second would most likely to lead to wars and destruction. The time has come for the liberal Muslims to make the right choice and lead their community.

http://www.indiaabroad-digital.com/indiaabroad/20100924/?pg=7&pm=1&u1=friend

Sept.22,2010.

****

.

Arming without aiming ?

Arming without aiming?

Aziz Hanifa's report on the book, Arming Without Aimimg: India's Military Modernization by Stephen B.Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta, ( India Abroad, Sept.17) does not summarize the arguments of the authors to support title of the book. The aim of India's of arming is just to keep the intruders away from its borders and to safeguard its legitimate interests around its borders.

India is modernizing its armed forces mainly because of the belligerence of its two neighbors who want to prevent the rise of India as an important power shaping the 21^st century. It is true as pointed out by the authors of the book that India's "preferred stance has been military restraint" due to the fact that non-violence and non-aggression have been part of its ethos of the people of India for the last five thousand years.

Though China attacked India in 1962 and exploded an atomic device in 1964, India did just a technology demonstration in 1974. This immediately invited sanctions from the Western powers. It exploded a nuclear device only in 1998 after it was known all over the world that China was assisting Pakistan to become a nuclear power.

However the authors of the book have to be commended for highlighting " the defense acquisition process, which is amazingly convoluted" or as Ashley Tellis puts it, " internal sclerosis in India's internal defense thinking". One of the reasons for this is the commission or corruption involved in military procurement which runs into thousands of crore of rupees ( Swedish gun (bofors), French & German sub-marines, Isreali missiles (Barack). Besides, in defense purchases, consumer is not the king : restrictive clauses on the purchase of war ship (USA) and escalation in the price of air-craft carrier (Russia).

Unlike China which produces most of its defense requirements, India still depends on imported armaments as defense R&D is still inadequate. Indian private sector is still taboo in military equipment industry as the state is afraid of the emergence of military-industrial complex in the country. Then there is the fear of strong military in view of the Pakistani experience.

Indian politicians have let down India and the Indian Army in many ways. Kashmir is the problem created by the politicians and the army was not given a free hand. The Chinese invasion was due to the romantic view of the Chinese Communists by the politicians. The report of Lt.Gen.Henderson Brooks and Brig.P.S.Bhagat 1962 war is still a state secret, 48 years after, as it is supposed to be an indictment of politicians.

India has to overcome these issues with a clear vision of its future. India cannot continue to be a reluctant power. A continental country, an emerging economy, a democratic polity and an ancient civilization should not allow itself to be bullied by others. Only power, economic and military, can ensure its legitimate place in the world. India started getting grudging respect only after Indian became a stronger economy (after 1991) and stronger military power ( after 1998).

India has to formulate a vision of its future among the comity of nations – strong but peaceful nation which uses its power not just to secure its borders but helps others, especially in Asia, to defend themselves. Its sphere of influence should not merely extend from Singapore to Aden but also include the Middle East, South East Asia and other parts of Asia. India should have a strong defense industry. Once the vision is clear, strategy will evolve to suit the vision.

( A letter sent to India Abroad,New York, commenting on a report on the book,Arming without aiming, in is issue dt.Sept.17,2010)

http://www.indiaabroad-digital.com/indiaabroad/20100917/?pg=7&pm=1&u1=friend

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A House for the Religion of Man.

A House for the Religion of Man.

The controversy about the Islamic Community Center two blocks away from the World Trade Center (India Abroad, Aug 20) reminds one the famous comment made by the English author, Jonathan Swift, "We have enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another" and Mahatma Gandhi's observation, "An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind." W.B.Yeats also wrote in a similar vein when he said: "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity."

The Ground Zero is a sacred place where thousands were killed for no fault of theirs and by people blinded by their mistaken view of religions .It would be appropriate if people of all religions come together and build a House for the Religion of Man. This could be the meeting ground for all faiths of the world – Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jain, Shinto, Tao and many other faiths. There is more common among us as human beings than the differences. The Religion of Man should explore the commonalities if the human race has to be saved from total annihilation.

The concept of the Religion of Man was first mooted by the Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in his Hibbert Lectures in Oxford in 1930. His prayer in Gitanjali highlights the need for freedom of thought, knowledge and truth :

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where the words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action;

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

The only change one cane make is to add, "let our world awake" in place of "let my country awake."

A monument which brings together people of all countries, religions and faiths would be a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives.

( A letter to India Abroad on the controversy about a Muslim community center near the World Trade Center in New York which was destroyed on 9/11.)

http://www.indiaabroad-digital.com/indiaabroad/20100820?sub_id=z1RM6Qp6YN3y#pg10

Aug.17,2010.

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Needed : Volunteers for Karmayog magazine.

Press in India today has become completely commercial, and recently we have heard about the 'paid-news' as well. Most of our press is full of entertainment rather than information. Views are mixed with news forgetting that news is sacred but views are free. Newspapers are full of sensational news and television is full of what is called ' breaking news'. Hard news and analysis are few and far between. In this situation, a newspaper highlighting India's problems - there are so many of them - and suggesting possible solutions is most welcome.

Swaraj ( Independence) should have been followed by Suraj (Good Governance).This has not happened because we do not have a proper laws for the accountability of our rulers and the bureaucracy. The Commonwealth Games is the latest example.

I recently came across a newsletter of a member of the US House of Representatives wherein he writes, " Dear Friends, From listening to people on the street, at town meetings, places of business and elsewhere, constituents are very concerned about our nation's public debt, continued government borrowing against their children's future and the growing intrusion of the federal government into every aspect of their lives.." The newsletter gives a brief account of the problems of the country and  his views on them. He invites people to be in touch with him, and he adds, " Let me hear from you.Please consider my website... your tool to help me better serve you."

I am wondering whether Karmayog can request our elected representatives to have constant contact and interaction with their voters through their website and e-mail.

I will be happy to contribute my mite to your endeavour to promote good governance.

   ( The above response was for the following invitation by Karmayog for its new magazine.)

     Needed: Volunteers for Karmayog Magazine

Posted by: "info@karmayog.org" info@karmayog.org

Fri Aug 13, 2010 3:03 am (PDT)

Karmayog is thinking of publishing a monthly magazine, that will be available in print as well as online.

The objective of such a magazine is to empower individual citizens to take action and make a difference. Articles and themes covered in the magazine will enable engagement and suggest steps forward.

We would like to invite persons who can volunteer the following:

- writers who will write regular columns for the magazine (either on issues of your choice or on topics that we suggest)
- designers who can help us with layout and design of the magazine

If you would like to be part of the Karmayog magazine (in the above ways, or in any other way that you like), please send us an email at info@karmayog.org

Aug 16,2010.

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More democracy is the solution to Kashmir.

More democracy is the solution to Kashmir.

 

One has to appreciate the clarity of thought and expression of Dr.Anil Athale in his piece on Kashmir ( India Abroad, Aug.13). Kashmir is an artificial entity brought together by the Maharaja. There is very little common between the Muslims of the Valley and the Hindus of Jammu as well as the Buddhists of Ladakh. Even among the Muslims in the Valley there are 20 percent Shias and then there are supporters of the Congress and the National Conference who are not in agreement with the fundamentalists. It was reported some time ago that only 2 percent preferred to be with Pakistan. Can the will of the majority be denied by the stone-pelting urchins, the separatists and the terrorists armed, financed and supported by Pakistan? India has to act decisively without causing collateral damage. All democratic states who believe in the rule of law must support India in this effort including USA.

 

Jammu and Kashmir joined Indian Union legally as provided for by the Indian Independence Act, and morally, as the merger was supported by all the political parties at the time of the merger – National Conference of Kashmir, Praja Parishad of Jammu and the Ladakh Buddhists Party..  

 

Dr.Athale's idea to engage non-politicized religious leaders and bring to the attention of the people the political and economic situation in Pakistan and the so-called Azad Kashmir is a good one. Pakistan is no friend of Kashmir at all. It has given a part of Azad Kashmir to China and another part has been merged with itself.     

 

Dr.Athale has rightly pointed out the need for decentralization of power to the local level.  Jammu and Ladakh divisions should be given autonomy to invite investments from other parts of India which can create jobs and wealth. It is logical to divide the state of Jammu and Kashmir into three parts – Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh, and make them Union Territories for economic and political progress.           

 

( The above letter was sent to India Abroad in response to the article in http://www.indiaabroad-digital.com/indiaabroad/20100813/?pg=22&pm=1&u1=friend#pg22)

August 15,2010.

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Who is responsible for Muslim backwardness in India ?

Who is responsible for Muslim backwardness in India?

 

When I read the interview of Syed Shahabuddin (Indian Abroad, Aug.6), I got the impression that the central and state governments are solely responsible for the backwardness of Muslims in India. However, the fact is, almost 300 million people, including Hindus and Muslims, are poor or below the poverty line (earn about a $ or 1.25$ a day) and illiteracy is also widespread. This is due to the wrong policies of these governments in the last 63 years since Independence in India – not spending enough money on primary, secondary and vocational education. It is nothing to do with Muslims as such but much to do with poor governance.  It was the Congress which was in power during most of these years.

 

He himself says that in the West Bengal, where Communists are in power, the representation of Muslims is less than 2 percent with a Muslim population of 27 percent. The Sachar Committee Report has mentioned that the Muslims are better off, both educationally and in income, in Gujarat, where the BJP is in power for the 10/15 years.

 

In a paper written on the subject, Muslim Deprivation: Some thoughts in the context of the Sachar Committee Report, Yoginder Sikand, ( a sympathetic commentator on the Muslim issues ) of the Centre for Jawaharlal Nehru Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, mentions that most of the Muslim NGOs are engaged in religious education and 80 percent of zakat goes to madrasas quoting the eminent social scientist Imtiaz Ahmad. More Masjids are built than the number of schools by Indian Muslims. The other minorities such as Christians, Parsee, Sikhs or Jains build schools and colleges to empower their brethren. Self-help has a major role to play in empowering people to get jobs in the government service and in the private sector. Muslims too have the power to empower their community.

 

Muslims, like all Indians, should ask for good governance and the right policies, and with that progress would be automatic to all – all boats can rise. There is mis-governance everywhere in India. Just now there is a scam in Commonwealth Games. Corruption is rampant. Good governance (without corruption) and the rule of law would be good for all Indians, including Muslims. Injustice could be easily eliminated in recruitment or in case of riots.

 

He talks of 'share' and 'give us our due'. He also talks about 'the middle class is basically communal' and ' our real fear is the Bharatiya Janata Party'. He does not talk about how he is going to empower Muslims and India. There is no indication of change in the perception in Syed Shahabuddin's interview. This is sad.

( A letter sent to India Abroad on the interview with Syed Shahbuddin in India Abroad,dt.Aug.6,2010.)

August 8,2010.

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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! 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

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 19^th 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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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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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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