Dr. Binayak Sen's Trial - Some Thoughts

The Hon’ble Raipur Sessions Court has held Dr. Binayak Sen guilty under Section 39 of the Unlawful Activities Act of 1967, for support to Maoist or any other banned organization. Though the conviction under this section carries a maximum sentence for ten years, Dr. Sen has been awarded only five years under this section.

On the other hand, the Hon’ble Sessions Court has maximised the sentence for sedition, under Section 124 A.

As per a report appearing in ‘The Times of India’ dated 28th December 2010, the Hon’ble Sessions Court has held him guilty of passing on seditious letters written by the jailed Maoist Narayan Sanyal to Piyush Guha,. This was based on a testimony of a cloth vendor Anil Kumar Singh, apart from two policemen.

Other incriminating evidence against Dr. Sen included:

a) Seizure of post cards written by Narayan Sanyal and another Maoist Madanlal Barkhade from Dr. Sen’s house,

b) Testimony of Deepak Choubey, a resident of Raipur, who has deposed that he rented his father in law’s house to Sanyal, since the latter came with a recommendation from an ‘eminent citizen’ Dr. Sen. According to Chaubey, Sen had introduced Sanyal as a relative,

c) Another witness, Arun Dubey a Bank Manager, testified that he gave his house on rent to Shankar Singh ( held by the Hon’b;e Sessions Court as a hardcore Naxal), who worked for ‘Rupantar’ an NGO headed by Ilina Sen, Dr. Sen’s wife. Dubey further deposed that Sen and Sanyal would often visit his tenant Shankar Singh and Amrita Srivastava (also held as a hardcore Naxal by the Hon’ble Sessions Court). Amita was reportedly introduced by Singh as his sister in law,

d) Two school Principals testified that they hired Amita on Ilina Sen’s recommendation. One of them Meeta Puri, said that Amita left the job abruptly, without even tendering her resignation,

e) The Hon’ble Judge quotes the testimony of B.S. Jagrit , a Police Inspector, who has claimed that Amita and Shankar absconded soon after Sanyal was arrested. He also quotes Sher Singh Bande of the Churia Police Station, who said that Amita and Shankar were among the Naxals active along Chattisgarh-Maharashtra border, where high level meetings would take place, attended among others by Sen and Ilina. On cross questions by the defence, Bande admitted that he had not personally witnessed this but heard it from the villagers, and hence could be a hearsay. But the Hon’bl;e Judge does not mention the same in his final order. Interestingly, of the fifty odd witnesses cited in the judgement ,nearly half are policemen, and on their testimonies the Hon’ble Judge concludes that Amita and Shankar are absconding hardcore Naxals, and by association, held Dr. Sen guilty of providing support to the CPI Maoist network.

“ Based on the above testimonies, it is clear that hardcore Naxals Shankar Singh and Amita Srivastava are acquaintances of Binayak and Ilina Sen, who helped them open bank accounts, get jobs and even houses on rent”, The Hon’ble Judge observed.

Certain questions which merit attention:

1. Assuming that Dr. Sen is indeed guilty of passing seditious letters written by jailed Maoist Narayan Sanyal to Piyush Guha, one wonders what was Dr. Sen’s motive behind the same? Did Dr. Sen not make any statement in the Hon’ble Court written or oral, to justify the same, if indeed he believed that he did not do anything wrong ? Certainly, a person of his stature would have known better that by acting as a “courier” for a jailed Maoist, would certainly land him in trouble.

On the other hand, if Dr. Sen has denied the same, then did the final order take a note of it?

2. The verdict dwells on the seizure of postcards written Narayan Sanyal and other Maoist Madanlal Barkhade from Sen’s house. What were the contents in these postcards? Did they convey that Dr. Sen was a willing accomplice in the nefarious designs of the jailed Maoists, or was he a potential threat to the State?

3. Shankar Singh and Amita Srivastava have been held as “hardcore Naxals” by the Hon’ble Sessions Court. Was there any lookout notice by the State on these two, prior to this trial, ands were any FIRs filed against them? Did the State Police have any incriminating evidence against these two individuals?

Sadly enough, it is entirely on the basis of the testimonies of the policemen, that the Hon’ble Judge has concluded that they are absconding hardcore Naxals.

4. Shankar Sigh reportedly worked for ‘Rupantar’ , the NGO headed by Ilina Sen. Was Ilina Sen ever called upon to depose in the Hon’ble Court regarding the various background checks done on Shankar Singh, before accepting his services? And further more, what were the responsibilities shouldered by Singh, while he was with ‘Rupantar’? Most importantly, is Shankar still associated with it, or has he vanished all of a sudden? If Ilina has indeed deposed before the Hon’ble Court, then what was her version?

5. Deepak Choubey has claimed that he rented out his father in law’s house to Narayan Sanyal, since he came with a recommendation from Dr. Sen. Did Choubey not conduct any background verification on Sanyal on his own? How did Dr. Sen recommend Sanyal to Choubey, via a letter, or a phone call, or in person in the presence of any witness? Can this claim be substantiated? And above all, was there any lease agreement signed between Sanyal and Choubey’s father in law, and if ‘Yes’, then did Dr.Sen sign it as a witness?

6. Two School Principals have testified that they hired Amita on Ilina’s recommendation. Again, besides the recommendation, what were other background checks done by those two Principals on Amita, and secondly, during her tenure in their respective schools, what was her performance?

7. According to the testimony of Police Inspector B.S. Jagrit, who claimed that Amita and Shankar absconded soon after Sanyal was arrested, the questions to be asked are,

“Was the Police already on the lookout for both of them prior to Sanyal’s arrest, and if ‘Yes’ then on what specific charges?” and

“After they had reportedly absconded, did the State Police issue a lookout notice for both, and besides what all other measures they took to nab the two?”

And above all, even if one were to agree with the judgement that “Hardcore Naxals” like Shankar Singh and Amita Srivastava, were acquaintances of Dr. Sen and his wife, who helped them open bank accounts, get jobs and even houses on rent”, one wonders if Dr. Sen could be held guilty under section 124 A, the application of which is limited to acts of involving intention or tendency to create disorder, or disturbance of law and order, or incitement to violence?

Let the higher judiciary adjudicate on this question as and when the time comes.

But then, one wonders how come an eminent personality like Dr.Sen , manage to get himself involved with Maoists like Sanyal to such an extent, that his very credibility is at stake?

Certainly, now it is hard to believe, that Dr. Sen is really what his ardent supporters would love all of us to believe about him.

Visit of the Chinese Premier - A Realistic Assessment

If there is one parameter by which we need to evaluate the visit of the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, then that should be - how comfortable are we with our largest neighbour, where our territorial integrity and overall security is concerned?

Sadly enough, the current visit does not lend much comfort to us on the same. We can't lose the sight of the fact that, China's relationship with Pakistan is qualitatively better than its relationship with us, notwithstanding the 400 member contingent consisting of business delegation which accompanied the Chinese Premier.

What has really raised eyebrows is China's refusal to mention 26/11 and the well established Pak involvement in the same, in the joint statement, as well as its refusal to acknowledge Kashmir as an integral part of India.

How could we miss the irony that the day the Chinese Premier landed in Delhi, the Chinese engineers blasted through the last part of a tunnel that will connect Metok in Tibet Autonomous Region, bordering Arunachal Pradesh, to the rest of China.

Yes, against such a backdrop rhetorics like " India and China are friends and not rivals" sound hollow, and especially so when we recall the slogan of "Hindi Chi Bhai Bhai" before the fiasco of 1962.

By not agreeing to include the usual mention of the "One China principle" and "Tibet Autonomous Region as part of China" in the joint statement, we might have scored some brownie points on paper at least, but then we need to be realistic about the fact that our refusal to include the same, would not matter at all where the ground realities are concerned, given the fact that the Chinese are way ahead of us, both economically and militarily.

We might rejoice over the fact that the India China trade target for the year 2015 is set at $100 bn, but what we need to dissect here is that - to what extend our trade with China help generate employment, enable industrial growth, and above all protect the interests of the millions of our small artisans, who have been unable to match the growing might of cheap Chinese products flooding our country.

And finally, there is some hope that the issue regarding stapled visas is going to be resolved, but then why could it not preceed the visit of the Chinese Premier, at the Foreign Minister level, so that the credibility of this visit in terms of a genuine improvement of the overall relationship with our largest neighbour, been well beyond doubt?

Yes, we have not choice but to engage with our neighbours, but the least we can do is to ensure that our engagements are conducted to secure our core concerns first and foremost. Under the current circumstances, if we consider our security, territorial integrity, and unnecessary needlings like the unprovoked Chinese intrusions in Arunachal Pradesh, denial of visa to a serving commander of the Indian Army posted in J&K, stapled visas to Indian citizens from Kashmir, support on 26/11, and terror emanating from Pakistan etc as our core concerns, then there is certainly a lot of groundwork to be done where our engagements with the Chinese are concerned, before we indulge in other niceties.

I am a talent.......

I am a talent waiting to be discovered,
In this wilderness of ambition, hope, and desire,
Waiting to be uncovered.

“Efforts do not go waste,
Persist, and do not expect anything in haste”
Is what I had heard all along.

I made up my mind that I will persist,
And from expecting anything so quick I shall desist,
Even if all that name, fame, and money take long,

But my efforts, toil, and sweat seem to be going in vain,
I could be doomed to be another failure,
Or another set of aspirations unmet,
Is what is giving me all that anguish and pain.

How easy it is for anyone to inspire,
Merely through encouraging words,
And how amazing it is for others to muster courage,
Merely through encouraging words.

But alas, how difficult it is for those like me,
To hope against hope,
And wish every passing moment,
A step towards that elusive hope.

The road to that name, fame, and money,
Seems further away,
And I have no choice but to keep moving,
This way or that way.

Yes, I am a talent waiting to be discovered,
In this wilderness of ambition, hope, and desire,
Waiting to be uncovered.

An Open Letter to President Obama

Your Excellency,

I am pleased to introduce myself as an ardent admirer of your goodself, and am based out of New Delhi. This letter of mine has been prompted by the results of the just concluded US midterm elections.

Your message to us on our sixtieth Republic Day that “India has no better friend and partner than the people of the US” won you millions of hearts in our country. This was also been reported on the front page of The Times of India.

Your election as the forty fourth President of the US, was indeed a landmark in the history of not only the US, but in the history of the world as a whole.

Far from being yet another electoral victory in the various democracies around the world, your electoral success was yet another epitome of hope, meritocracy, and above all a changed mindset of my brothers and sisters of America, which overlooks the origins of a candidate, and instead lays prime emphasis on their core competencies, to deliver the nation from the various challenges confronting it.

This changed mindset which has originated in the US, shall ultimately find its echo and effect in other parts of the world as well, especially where the traditional mindsets dominated by caste, creed, religion, and color of skin, are still deeply ingrained into the body politic as well as every sphere of life. Needless to add, meritocracy is the obvious casualty in such parts of the world.

Your Excellency, perhaps the biggest challenge confronting the US and the world since the past two years, has been the economic crisis and its after effects, the roots of which lies in excessive and unchecked consumerism, propelled by equally reckless financial institutions, which in the zeal of attaining spectacular growth, market dominance, and reporting ambitious sales numbers, prompted some overzealous individuals and decision makers, to throw all caution to the winds. Of course, the innovative and creative advances in loan securitization and derivatives, had only added that proverbial fuel to the fire.

Since the past two years, a concerted and coordinated effort by major economies of the world led by the US, have managed to arrest the unprecedented liquidity crisis to a great extent. And certainly, more such efforts are expected in the short and medium term.

Despite the flood of money inundating various economies around the world, thanks to the benevolence of various governments to arrest the economic slowdown, and loss of jobs, which could be a political disaster for any politician or political party at the helm of affairs, what is being missed out is that, are we now laying the foundations for yet another catastrophe which could hit us hard, a few years down the line, when some of the leading economies of the world, would be grappling with spiraling inflationary pressures, jobless growth, and a steady erosion of the values of their respective currencies?

While there could be no two ways about the need to inject massive liquidity into the beleaguered financial systems today, to effectively meet the challenge on hand on a timely basis, yet it would be dangerous to lose the sight of prudence which ensures that for one, we are not repeating the past mistakes of unbridled consumption fuelled by easy money, and secondly for every dollar that is being released into the system today , at least half of it is being spent to improve the productive capacity of the economy with sufficient linkages to create sufficient jobs, and arrest the ever bloating fiscal deficits.

Unfortunately, I am constrained by my limited knowledge to give a detailed account on the specifics of such linkages. However, at a very elementary level, may I suggest that such linkages could be:

* reducing oil consumption by encouraging Research and Development of alternate fuels, which are both renewable and environment friendly,
* focussing on creating better infrastructure to facilitate the private sector to expand output and employment in the most cost effective manner, and
*most importantly, sponsoring the development of various environment friendly technologies which could have their own spinoff effects in the future.

In this context your $150 billion new energy agenda which aims to reduce the greenhouse gases by 80% by the year 2050, besides of course creating five million new jobs, is certainly in the right direction which would give the US a leadership position on facilitating the desired climate change in the world.

Apart from the technologies which could help tackling the challenge of global warming and reducing oil consumption etc, technologies to efficiently and effectively harness the rainwater could be an excellent investment for the future.

Today it is oil, and tomorrow it could be potable water, which could become a major source of foreign exchange earning for any country.

The second manifestation of the challenge before us, is to revisit the old school of thought, which necessitated sufficient checks and balances in any economy, with stringent punishments to deter any financial institution daring to throw all caution to the winds, and then causing unmitigated disaster, as was witnessed two years ago. A highly regulated capitalist society need not be an oxymoron, and today few would have the wisdom to contest this fact.

Your Excellency, to be honest , you are both unfortunate as well as fortunate to be elected to this most coveted office in the whole world, at this particular juncture. Unfortunate because of the immense challenges confronting you as the forty fourth President of the United States, and fortunate because hopefully, under your able guidance and with the coordinated and untiring efforts of your highly distinguished and able team members, things should only get better from now onwards.

However, given the roots behind the problems today, which is chiefly the fact that living beyond one’s means and lending beyond one’s means, had become a way of life encompassing not only an average US citizen, but also those iconic corporations which were once a cherished destination of many bright students of some of the leading business schools of the world.

This has to change, not only in the US , but perhaps across the economies in the world which are today engaged in a similar fire fighting exercise.

To all those who have reposed their hope, trust, and aspirations on you two years ago, perhaps you may consider the following message in strong and unequivocal terms:

“ We owe it not only to ourselves, owe to our future generations as well, not to repeat the mistakes which brought us to this stage in the history of our nation. We will change our mindsets, we will be an epitome of a nation worthy of being emulated across the globe. Not simply because of the fact that we are the most powerful, not simply because of our influence across the globe and beyond the globe in the universe, but simply because of the fact that we the people of the United States of America, know how to manage our lives and our economy better. The path is likely to be difficult, testing, and full of frustrations. But we will endure the same, for we know that a dream destination awaits all of us, at the end of this path. We will reach there.”

Your Excellency, while your forthcoming visit to India is being eagerly looked forward to by millions of my fellow countrymen including myself, I would also pray for all the success which you have hoped for, and would be really delighted at witnessing your re-election two years down the line.

Most Respectfully,

Navneet Dhawan

New Delhi

Investor Psychology - A New Perspective

Two headlines in a recent issue of a leading newspaper grabbed my attention:

a) Sensex up 485 points, at 32 month high at 20,688,

and right below it,

b) Investors pull out Rs. 12.8 K crores from equity mutual funds.

While the phenomenal upsurge in the Sensex under the first headline was attributed to foreign fund buying, backed by India’s strong global cues, the latter was attributed to retail investors.

A spokesperson of a mutual fund was quoted “ Most investors who wanted to redeem, have done it now since investments were made when Sensex was trading between 15000-21000 levels. So , investors are pulling out money from equities and allocating to monthly income plans, liquid funds, and bank deposits.”

While this decision by some of the retail investors, could be deemed prudent, given the fact that the brutal scars of the stockmarket meltdown just two years ago, is still fresh in the minds of many, yet this very action by some retail investors reveals a typical psychological aspect which governs such behaviours, and I would call it The Past Expectations Syndrome

The Past Expectations Syndrome essentially means that for some investors, the dramatic events in the recent past or those which are still fresh in one’s memory, have a significant influence over one’s actions. This is simply because one is so overwhelmed by some past occurance, due to its positive or negative fallouts of a significant nature especially over that individual, that he is compelled to believe in a possible repetition of the same, even though the circumstances which led to the earlier occurance have changed significantly ever since.

Thus, when the Sensex first reached an all time high of 20,000 plus in Jan 2008, the downward slide began steadily, only to touch the sub 8000 levels in October that year post the collapse of Lehman Brothers. At that time, some of the business journals were full of speculations regarding the lowermost levels at which Sensex could bottom out in the next few months, and the speculated levels ranged anything between 5000-6000.

What a contrast that was to the grand predictions of an all time high of 30,000 plus levels for Sensex in October 2008, which were going rounds in Jan that year !

While the past experiences have a very strong influence over one’s actions, especially where the experience in question is really unpleasant akin to the sharp meltdown of the stock markets in 2008, yet to extrapolate the same in the future can be highly erroneous, as the circumstances could have changed dramatically ever since.

Now coming to the actions by some retail investors to pull out of the equity markets at this juncture, it can be presumed that they are reasonably confident that the stock markets in India have peaked out at this juncture, and now the only direction going forward is southwards, akin to what happened two years ago.

It is assumed that most of such retail investors are rational, and intend to maximise their gains from the stockmarkets.

While the possible performance of the stockmarkets in India in the near to medium term can at best be a matter of an enlightened debate, with the votaries from both the schools of thought giving equally convincing arguments to support their claims, yet the actual outcome could amaze even the most die hard optimists or shock even the most diehard pessimists.

This is because of the various imperfections in the world community as a whole, some of which could have a deep impact on our stock markets positively or negatively, and which may not mirror the true fundamentals of our economy.

But yes, having said that, what some investors tend to forget is that our stockmarkets, have an uncanny knack of beating the previous highs by a significant margin every now and then. Thus, ceteris paribus, there is every reason to to believe that for a rational investor with a reasonable level risk appetite, it would pay to stay invested. And the greet the new heights scaled by our stockmarkets, as one of the lucky beneficiaries , rather than watch from the sidelines, and say “ How I wish I had stayed invested !”

To support my hypothesis, let me recall that in April 2006, the Sensex reached a level of 12000 plus, an all time high then, only to tumble down to 8000 plus levels just two months later. From then onwards it began consolidating and an upward journey, which peaked at 20,000 plus levels in Jan 2008.

Thus, some of those investors who had entered the markets in April 2006 , might have exited at the same levels subsequently, due to the impact of The Past Expectations Syndrome. Surely, they would have missed out benefitting from the new peak by a significant margin of 8000 points.

Now, going forward from here, will the Sensex do an encore, and peak out at significantly higher levels than 20,000 plus in the medium term?

I would not be surprised at all.

Ayodhya - Beyond the Verdict

The remarkable calm with which the Indian public at large, reacted to the much awaited verdict of the Allahabad High Court on the Barbri dispute, stands out as an unparalleled symbol of maturity, responsibility, and reason with which we the people of India have moved on since 1992.

The most dastardly act on Dec 6, 1992 perpetuated by some so called Ram bhakts and their patrons from some promiment political parties, shamed every right thinking Indian who had held his/her head high in the world community, while cherishing the foundations of secularism and religious tolerance on which our nation state is based.

The Nation awaited with bated breath as the verdict was about to be delivered, and this time the government took no chances where law and order was concerned. Needless to add, not only the government but the Nation as a whole heaved a sigh of relief when no untoward incident was reported from any part of the country.

The debates and opinions expressed by some of our fellow citizens on Televison , the stand taken by some political parties and religious groups, as well as the editorials of various leading dailies on the said verdict, proved it beyond doubt that the notwithstanding the beliefs and sentiments of millions of Hindus and Muslims over the 2.77 acres of disputed land at Ayodhya , the overall interests of our Nation were paramount and non negotiable.

Yes, the said verdict is subject to appeal in the Apex court, and let the constitutional process take its own course.

Over the years, so much of hatred has been generated over this complex issue, so many innocent lives lost in the mindless violence connected with it, and not to forget the political fortunes made by some through shrewd exploitation of the sentiments of Hindus over this dispute.

But then, considering the historical perspectives, facts on record, and beliefs connected with the same, how come no right thinking Hindu aggressively championed a possible amicable solution overall these years on the following lines ?

“ Ayodhya is one of the most sacred cities for Hindus. There is no doubt that the disputed site is revered by millions of Hindus as the birthplace of Lord Ram. We respect such belief. There has to be a Ram tmple at the disputed site. Nothing wrong in it.

But, if we indeed consider ourselves to be true devotees of Lord Ram, then isn’t it our duty to live upto His ideals as well ? Lest those who choose to forget, the welfare of His subjects was one such ideals for which Lord Ram is revered by millions of Hindus since times immemorial.

The demolition of the Babri mosque, which led to so many innocent deaths subsequently, was an act of grave sin against His ideals, and Lord Ram will never forgive those who committed this sin and that too on His birthplace.

We will build a temple dedicated to Lord Ram on the disputed site, but as His true devotees, side by side we will also ensure the construction of a mosque, and as a major step to ensure he welfare of the residents of Ayodya and adjoing places, we will also ensure the contruction of a medical instttute or a hospital in the adjoining area, which would offer free treatment to the poor and needy cutting across religious and caste lines.

In these efforts of ours, we would seek the cooperation and assistance of our Muslim bretheren.

Certainly, this would be a unique offering by we Hindus to Lord Ram and His ideals”

Remarkably enough today, post the verdict, there is still a debate raging on regarding the necessity of a negotiated settlement on this dispute.

Let Hindus come forward on a proactive basis, mould the opiniion of millions of devotees of Lord Ram on the above lines, and maganimously agree to share half of the disputed 2.77 acres of land with our Muslim bretheren, on which a mosque could be built.

Yes, the government on its part could release a part of the 70 acres of acquired land adjoining the disputed site under its posssesion , to be used only for a hospital or a premier medical institute.

All the three structures – viz the Ram temple, the mosque, and the hospital or the medical institute be constructed jointly by both Hindus and Muslims. Funds would be the last thing to worry about for this unique symbol exemplifying one of the main ideals for which Lord Ram is revered by millions around the world.

But the million dollar question is – which true devotee of Lord Ram would be willing to champion this idea, and make the birthplace of Lord Ram a unique symbol of His ideals, and not merely another place of worship among countless of others around the world ?

The Nation awaits such a true devotee of Lord Ram.

Best and Worst of Times

It has been the best of times, and it has been the worst of times as well.

The rain gods have been overgenerous for most parts of North India, with Delhi recording the highest rainfall in the past 32 years, and hopes are high for a bountiful Kharif crop this season and the forthcoming as well. Hopefully, this should provide us with the much needed relief from the soaring food inflation which has risen to almost 15%.

Sensex crossed the 20,000 mark much ahead of the predictions by the anlysts and veterans of the Dalal Street, driven chiefly by the superb confidence exhibited by the FIIs who have literally flooded our bourses with funds. GDP growth for the current financial year is expectef to touch 8.5 %, and no one really seems to challenge the belief that the Indian econmy is among the best performing in the emerging markets.

The much delayed but welcome visit of the All Party Delegation to Kashmir, toengaage with a wide section of opinion, and subsequent intitiaves like the eight point plan, in order to enable the return to normalcy has rekindled some hopes in the country, notwithstanding the serious reservations against the competence of the Omar Abdullah government to deliver the right governance in the state.

On the flip side, the disastrous state of affairs in the run up to CWG, alongwith the allegations of corruption of unimaginable magnitude, have left most of the self respecting Indians redfaced. The concerns and apprehensions expressed by the envoys of some commonwealth countries, and some high profile sports persons pulling out of the games only further dented our image in the eyes of the world community.

That the Prime Minister himself had to finally intervene, to salvage the situation speaks volumes of the overall competence and capabilities of the key members of the organizing committee, the bosses at the Sports Ministry, and the various agencies involved.

The extent of cynicism and disgust over such sate of affairs can be gauged by the media coverages, cartoons in leading dailies, and the scorn with which some citizens are discussing the games.

What contrast to the general excitement and enthusiasm which prevailled during the run up to the Asiad 82! Sigh, that today we are deprived of a leader like Mrs. Indira Gandhi who took personal interest in the preparations of Asiad 82 since day one, and as some newspaper reports suggest, she was ably assisted by Rajiv Gandhi.

While cynicism has overpowered reason, and pessimism has overpowered optimism among most opf us today, where our character, credibility, accountability, and commitment are concerned, yet I for one would dare to kindle a ray of hope in the midst of this fierce darkness which has engulfed all of us today.

Notwithstanding this fiasco, there is every reason to be confident that ultimately we would pull it off, and all the naysayers like Moody’s who have opined that “Concerns regarding safety, security, and site preparedness ate tarnishing the country’s global image. India’s reputation as a tourist and investment destination could be damaged” would be compelled to reverse their perceptions very soon.

Yet, let this be a wake up call for each one of us, and most importantly for those at the helm of our affairs including our political leadership at the Centre and the States.
All of us love our democratic rights and individual freedoms. But then how many of us are willing to fulfill our duties diligently and devotedly, and are ready to be held accountable for our acts of omission and commission ?

Perhaps, no one else than Ms. Indira Gandhi realized this bitter truth.

A Salute to Our Security Forces

Our security forces engaged in antinaxal operations deserve a salute from each one of us. Having caught in a hopeless situation, from opportunistic political leadership, which for their electoral gains would go soft on naxals at one point of time, and then plead helplessness in public when some of our security personnel are held as hostages by these ruthless and barbaric elements, to their incompetent bosses on the other, who refuse to learn from past blunders while planning out the anti naxal operations. And above all, an indecisive central leadership which takes refuge on 'limited mandate', while spelling out the strategy to deal with such ruthless and barbaric elements.

This poem has been dedicated to all such security personnel, who despite all odds sacrifice their lives during the course of their duties, leaving their loved ones in grief forever.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha hoi kaam mahaan.

Desh bhakti ki bhawna mujhmein bachpan mein hi jaagi thi,
Aur iss pak vardi ko pahnne ki mujhmein woh junoon jaagi thi.

Apne maa baap ka iklauta laadla tha,
Jise unhone bade laad pyaar se paala tha.

Aur main surakha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala ha hoi kaam mahaan.

Watan ke inn tamaam dushmanon se mujhe sakht nafrat thi,
Inn sab ka safaaya karke hi rahoonga,
Iss irade' ki maine zurrat ki.

Jawaan hokar maine yeh pak vaardi pehni,
Aur bandook utha kar apni farz pehchani.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

Bhej daala mere afsaron ne mujhe,
Maovaadiyon ke kisi ilaake mein,

Woh ghane' jungle, saanp, bichu, aur kai jungli jaanwaron ke ilaake mein.
Par maine apne uss iraade ko phir buland kiya,
Yeh maovaadi ab bach nahi sakenge'
Yeh maine ab maan hi liya.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chal tha koi kaam mahaan.

Hukm milne par chal pada kisi mission par,
Kaha gaya tha sab theek hai iss rah par.

Magar kuch pal baad,
Ek a ek, naa jaane kitni dhamaake huye,
Aur goliyon ki naa jaane kitni baucharein huyi.

Dekhte hi dekhte mere kai saathi shaheed ho gaye,
Kaiyon ki kitni bereham maut huyi.

Main tha buri tarah zakhmee lahu luhaan,
Suraksha bal ka ek jawaan.

Naseeb huyi shaheedi mujhe bhi magar kuch pal baad,
Woh khaufnaak dard,
Aur maut ko bhi sharminda kar dene waali cheekhon baad.

Main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

Aakhir shaamil ho hi gaya main un anginat shaheedon mein,
Kitni aasani se bhula diya mujhe, mere iss watan ne.

Chorh diya kitni berehmi se,
Maine apne maa baap ko besahara,
Iss dard bhari zindagi mein.

Mujhe apni iss kurbaani ka koi gam nahi,
Kyonki suraksha bal ka mein ek jawaan,
Karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

Magar kaash! Apni iss kurbaani ki huch toh keemat hoti,
Heere moti naa sahi,
Mere inn besahara maa baap ki auron mein kuch toh chaahat hoti.

Aur kyon nahi,
Aakhir tha main suraksha bal ka ek jawaan,
Jo karne chala tha koi kaam mahaan.

A Poem For My Daughter

On 29th August, my daughter Sumira turned fourteen. I gifted her this poem. Thought of sharing it with all or you as well. Best Wishes

Hey, Its your BIRTHDAY,
And you have turned FOURTEEN today!

Wow! Looks like yesterday when you were born,
As if it were just like a few moments,
All these years which have just gone !

You were named SUMIRA by all of us,
But we called you GULLO, BEBOO, and PUTTS without any fuss.

I still remember you in the cradle and pram,
Your smiles, movements, and your antics,
Which made all of us go cheese and ham.

We just couldn't realize how fast you grew up,
When suddenly today while we woke up,
To find you turn FOURTEEN!!

Oh! What a ferari this time has been,
You turned from a BABY to a TEENAGER,
As we have seen.

Tomorrow would be another day,
Perhaps which may come soon,
And without much delay.

When you would turn into a DYNAMIC and a RESPONSIBLE young lady,
And tell me on my face:
" You need to be more responsible Daddy".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

From - Dad

Jammu and Kashmir - Immediate Steps Required

The happenings in the Kashmir valley since the past two months have shocked the entire nation, besides having taken even die hard separatists in the valley by surprize. The ‘stone’ has become a visible symbol of the deep hatred of the ordinary Kashmiri against the Indian state, besides symbolizing the extent of their alienation from the Indian state.

The situation is indeed alarming and we do not have any more time to lose. The Centre should immediately :

• Sack the Omar Abdullah government right away and dissolve the assembly thereby paving way for Governor’s rule,

• Appoint someone with impeccable credentials as the new Governor of the state. Someone who can command respect and trust among common citizens, someone who is an able administrator and can easily reach out to the people. A personality like Mrs. Kiran Bedi can easily fit the bill,

• Appoint someone like Mr. K.P.S. Gill as an advisor to the Governor, to keep a strict vigil on the trouble creators and agents from across the LoC who are out to create mayhem in the state,

• Take bold steps to address the genuine grievances of the citizens, especially where their security and livelihood related opportunities are concerned,

• Overhaul the entire bureaucracy and administration to become responsive to the needs of the common citizens, and

• Gradually and steadily, let the Army and the CRPF be relegated to the background, and instead let J&K Police handle the law and order situation.

All this could be a Herculean task, but then so is the nature of the challenge.

As democratically elected governments of the state, voted in power in the past few years, through free and fair elections have failed to live upto the expectations of the citizens, let us not be in a hurry to conduct another elections for the state assembly. It would be much better if the new Governor is allowed to deliver right governance to the state, besides restoring the much needed respect and confidence in the minds of Kashmiri citizens towards the nation.

The process of getting elected representatives to power should ideally begin with the local bodies which need to be strengthened, before the elections to the state assembly are held.

Yes, the Centre can be open to resume dialogue with all shades of opinion in the valley, but unless and until the overall administration in the state is not overhauled to become responsive to the needs of common citizens of the state thereby gaining their trust and confidence, such dialogues would serve little purpose.

Indo Pak Engagements – Time to Look Within

Now that much of the dust has settled down in both India and Pakistan, after the joint press conference in Islamabad on July 15th, it is now time to introspect on two key responses of Foreign Minister Qureshi, which has caused much discomfort to us.

These were :

a) Attack on our Home Secretary

While countering the reservations expressed by our Foreign Minister Mr. S.M. Krishna regarding the objectionable utterances made by Hafiz Sayeed against India, Foreign Minister Qureshi said “ When you point out to Sayeed’s speech or speeches , let me draw your attention to the Indian Home Secretary’s statement which has been widely reported in the newspapers today. Tell me, to what extent did it help? We were of the opinion that it was uncalled for.”

The words “tell me to what extent did it help?” in this retaliation by Mr. Qureshi, clearly highlights the fact that Mr. Pillai’s statement, on the eve of these talks, highlighting the role of ISI in the Mumbai attacks as revealed by David Headley, did not help in creating a conducive climate for such talks.

We seem to have gone overboard in jumping to the conclusion that Mr. Qureshi had “dared” to equate someone like Hafiz Sayeed who holds no official position in the Pakistani Government with someone of the status of our Home Secretary.

Now, where was the need for Mr. Pillai to make such comments in the first place ? How could he overlook the fact that David Headley’s confessions were already part of the dossier shared by Mr. Chidambaram with his counterpart Mr. Rehman Malik just a few weeks ago? Secondly, how could he not realize that by making such ill timed comments, even if these were factually correct, he would only be unnecessarily giving an additional ammunition to our hosts to launch a counter attack on us, which Mr. Qureshi did capitalize on quite well ?

While his counterpart was launching this counter attack on reference to Hafiz Sayeed, Mr. Krishna’s smile and his silence did not go unnoticed. Perhaps, he too could not disagree with his counterpart’s contention “Tell me, to what extent did it help?”. That he stood by Mr. Pillai subsequently post this press conference, was perhaps an after thought, and

b) On Infiltration

Responding to a question on infiltration, Mr. Qureshi responded by saying that it is not the stated policy of his government or any of its intelligence agencies to facilitate infiltration of terrorists across the LoC to India. Yet if at all any such kind of infiltration does take place, the Indian government should deal with it firmly.

Way back in the year 2001, an anchor of a leading television channel had posed a similar question to another Qureshi in Pakistan. This was Maj Gen Qureshi, who at that time was the Chief Spokesperson for President Musharraf. Gen Qureshi’s response was:

“Across the LoC (referring to our side) , there are three layers of security consisting of formations from the Army and paramiltary forces. Are you trying to say that these infiltrators are able to penetrate these three layers of security ?”

Certainly, our anchor had no response to it.

Now almost a decade later:

• Have things improved significantly where the menance of infiltration from Pakistan is concerned ?

• Have we been able to create a fool proof system across the LoC so as to eliminate any infiltrators without suffering casualties ?

• Have we been able to equip our security forces with the state of art equipments and weaponry to effectively foil such infiltration attempts ?

Surely enough, the response by our Defence Ministry and Home Ministry to the above are likely to disappoint us, despite the fact that it is now over two decades since this cross LoC/border infiltration began from Pakistan.

When we ourselves have been so frustratingly casual about tackling such menance, why do we expect any meaningful action from Pakistan, whenever we raise the issue of cross LoC infiltration with them ?

It is now high time to reflect upon our shortcomings as well, where our decision on engaging Pakistan is concerned. Post 26/11, when there was a real threat of a military action by us against the terror camps Pakistan, we raised our ante against them, but the tone was remarkably gentle as compared to our reaction post the attack on our Parliament. The world opinion was with us for obvious reasons.

Eight months down the line in July 2009, the joint statement at Sharm El Sheikh hit us beyond our imagination. That Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to retract from this joint declaration after facing considerable flak at home is another matter.

Now, our stated position regarding the terms of engagement with Pakistan is that action on the perpetrators of 26/11, and the credible action on terrorism would precede other discussions. If that be so, then why not confine our engagement right now to the level of our Home Minister and his counterpart at the most ?

Let us wait till the Pakistanis show their sincerity in addressing an issue which apart from healing the wounds of 26/11, and also ensure no such acts are repeated ever again.

The problem perhaps lies with our mindset ever since 1947, that when it comes to Pakistan, we need to play the role of that proverbial “big brother” who has to be over generous to his younger sibling, never mind if he is being let down time and again. The history of Indo Pak engagements since 1947 till date, bear an eloquent testimony to the same.

That till now, this mindset has perhaps prevented us from stating our position in clear and unambiguous terms to Pakistan, has been brought out very clearly in 'The Times of India' dated 18th July, which said:

“ What Pakistan understood from resumption of dialogue and what India understood were very different, what Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao called a difference in perception.

Bhopal – Lest We Forget

Nearly twenty six years after the World’s worst industrial disaster, the media, civil society, and the political establishment, appear to have to have been simply possessed with the ‘witch hunt’ syndrome, to identify the real villains in this entire episode.

Quite understandably, this frenzy has been prompted by the judgement of the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal, sentencing the seven accused to two years of imprisonment under section 304A ( death due to negligence), which being a bailable offense, meant that they could be out on bail within no time. Hence, for all practical purposes, this sentence as of now exists only on paper.

Terming the verdict as disappointing, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has decided to move the Hon’ble High Court to seek enhancement of the sentence. The Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan has been quoted, “ A separate case for each death can be filed u/s 304A of the IPC and 71 of CrPC. At that rate, with two years of imprisonment for every death, sentence spanning 50 – 100 years can be pronounced for each accused. “

While the end result of this intention of the Government of Madhya Pradesh, would only be known in the years ahead, yet some key issues which seem to have received nil or relatively scant attention in the ongoing debate in the media are as follows:

1. The startling revelation of the then Police Chief of Bhopal Mr. Swaraj Puri, that Ashraf, an employee of UCIL, died a year before the disaster because of small leak of MIC gas from the plant.

If this is true, then it automatically follows that any death due to accident or due to any unnatural cause, necessitates an inquiry by the Police, registration of an FIR, followed by a post mortem on the deceased to identify the cause behind the death. Now,

• Was an FIR registered against the management of UCIL, and was a post mortem conducted on Ashraf’s corpse ? and

• If yes, then what was the eventual outcome?

Perhaps, no other individual other than the former Police Chief himself would be able shed light on the same.

Without intending to jump the gun at this stage itself, the circumstantial evidence as clearly brought out by the devastating tragedy and its aftermath, speaks volumes of the kind of disappointment which one is likely to face, while seeking answers to these two questions.

If that be so, then isn’t the then brass of Bhopal Police, also to be held equally guilty for such a disaster ?

2. The release of Mr. Warren Anderson has dominated much of the prime time in the leading news channels, besides featuring in the headlines of almost all the leading dailies in the past few days. There is an equal measure of action in the political circles as well, with the opposition parties cashing in on the opportunity to take on the ruling party for letting Anderson ‘off the hook’, and enabling his safe passage back home. Within the ruling party itself there appears to be a diverse opinion regarding the exit of Mr. Anderson, with one opinion pointing towards a possible pressure from the US, and another pointing towards the possible law and order problem due to the prevailing mood in Bhopal at that time.

While the former Chief Minister Arjun Singh is having to face the flak for ordering Mr. Anderson’s exit from Bhopal, which eventually led to his exit from the country, it is highly unlikely that he could have taken a unilateral decision in this regard.

In all likelihood, Mr. Anderson’s release could have been the outcome of a complex set of circumstances, including the sentiment prevailing in Bhopal in the aftermath of the disaster, to the overall dynamcs of the Indo US relations prevailing at that time, notwithstanding the fact that the cold war was still at its peak, and the erstwhile USSR was one of the two superpowers.

Now, even if the then political leadership at the Centre and State, had taken on a firm stand to hold Mr. Anderson hostage to the overall settlement of the Bhopal tragedy, then was it difficult for a person like him , to get his exit from the country endorsed by our judiciary, by engaging some of best legal talents in the country to bail him out ?

Why do we overlook the fact that the then Bhopal Police Chief, Mr. Swaraj Puri had arrested Mr. Anderson on 7th December, 1984, and produced him before a magistrate, who let him off on bail for a paltry sum of Rs. 25000, and a promise that he would appear before the Court on being summoned ?

It is another matter that he never kept his promise made to the Court, and none of the Governments of the day ever since decided to pursue his extradition with the successive US Administrations aggressively.

3. Taking the Bhopal gas tragedy verdict and the paltry compensation for the victims as a huge lesson, the Hon’ble Law Minister Mr. Veerappa Moily has proposed a radical law that would bind the corporate bodies with vicarious liability , both under criminal and civil laws, and allow class action suit to be brought against them. “Our courts are very conservative in awarding damages to victims in situations like Bhopal gas disaster. How can one apply accident claim criteria in such situations ? We do not want charity from the courts and so want to empower the victims to bring in class action suits to claim adequate damages against corporate bodies held responsible for such catastrophes.”

This is certainly welcome.

But after the Hon’ble Supreme Court had watered down the charges against the seven accused in 1996, from Section 304 – Part 2( culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC, to Section 304A ( death due to negligence) of the IPC, this judgement by the Hon’ble CJM of Bhopal was a forgone conclusion. How come none in the judicial fraternity, or political establishment, or the media, or in the civil rights group etc, saw it coming sooner or later ?

All the Union Law Ministers since 1996 onwards did not have to wait so long to realize the same.

4. Coming to the controversial judgement delivered in 1996 by the then Chief Justice of India, Justice Ahmadi, it is worth noting that the ambit of Sec 304 Part 2 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) was settled beyond doubt at that time.
According to an article which appeared recently in a leading daily, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgements on two cases – Dalip Singh Vs State of Haryana (AIR 1993-SC 2302) and in S. Mohanachandran Vs. State of Kerala ( AIR 1994 – SC- 565), while upholding the conviction u/s 304 Part 2, applied the principle as enunciated in this section:

“That mere knowledge that the act will lead to the death of the victim was enough and it is not necessary to establish the intention to kill. And once, it is clear that the accused was aware that an act would cause the death of the victim and irrespective of whether he intended to kill, the accused was liable to be convicted for imprisonment upto a period of ten years and a fine.”

If for some reason, Justice Ahmadi had indeed erred in overlooking this fact, then how come none in the political establishment either in the Centre or the State of Madhya Pradesh, cared to realize this vital flaw and file a revision petition in the apex court ? Certainly, the various Union Law Ministers, Solicitor and Attorney Generals since 1996 owe us an explanation.

Furthermore, since quite some time now, there has been a crying need to amend the provisions u/s 304A ( death due to negligence) by making them more stringent and punitive, as so many innocent lives have been lost and are being lost on our roads, due to drunk and reckless drivers, who have then merrily walked away from the courts after securing bail. So far, no serious attempt has been made in the corridors of power to address the same.

5. And finally, the compensation. This tragedy caused 3800 deaths in a single night, and the rest over the years to about 20,000, with many more have been condemned to live lives full of suffering and untold misery.

The tragedy occurred in Dec 1984, and in 1985 the Government of India filed a claim for $ 3.3 billion from Union Carbide in an American Court. Then, in 1989 the Government of India and the Union Carbide strike an out of Court settlement for a measly $ 470 million. Writ petitions were filed in the Hon’ble Supreme Court against this settlement but apparently nothing came out of it.

In 1992, part of the $ 470 million was disbursed among the victims, and in the year 2004 the Hon’ble Supreme Court ordered the Government of India to payout the rest of the $470 million compensation to the victims.

One wonders:

a) What were the compelling circumstances for the Government of India to agree to this yawning gap between 3.3 billion and $ 470 million, and

b) Was the compensation amount of $470 million even worth it, when it translated into a measly sum of $500 per victim, and worse still, it took eight years for our authorities to disburse part of it among the victims and above all, had to be directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in 2004 , that is, twenty years after the disaster to pay out the rest of the $470 million ?

Where were all the wise men and women from our civil society, political establishment , media, human rights groups, socially conscious corporates, and above all the ever opportunistic opposition leaders then ?

Now, to blame the US for practicing double standards by comparing the stand taken by the US Administration on the oil leak caused by British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico, to the overall settlement in the Bhopal disaster, would be nothing short of fooling ourselves and indulging in an ostrich like behaviour.

Thus, the real tragedy of Bhopal , is not simply the leak of the deadly MIC gas, but of the collective and avoidable failure of the Indian state as a whole, encompassing all its key constituents to prevent, and then to minimize the sufferings of the victims, besides ensuring a speedy closure to the litigation and bringing the culprits to justice.

Going ahead, the key earnings from this horrific incident and its aftermaths, should not be confined merely to making the appropriate changes to the pending Nuclear Liability Bill, but to apply the learnings to effect the necessary reforms in our legal provisions and processes, besides providing the much needed orientation to the political-bureaucratic apparatus on the ‘Art of Proactive Management.’

The media, honorable parliamentarians, and the civil society at large would certainly be doing the nation a great service by keeping a watch on any such symptoms which could possibly wreck havoc of unimaginable magnitude later on, and highlight it through various channels through a sustained campaign till appropriate action is taken, and those guilty of negligence are severely dealt with.

Certainly, the soul of Ashraf would have possibly found that eternal peace, had his tragic death been able to avert the worst industrial disaster in Bhopal.

A Poem Dedicated to the Memory of Victims of Air India Crash at Mangalore

Zindagi ki ek khaufnaak sach ( A horrific truth about life)

Ek haadse mein anek be reham maut ne,
hamein zindagi ki ek khaufnaak sach se mila diya.

Sirf do hi pal pehle,
Hum zindagi ki ek khubsoorat ujale ki taraf dekh rahe the’
Magar un do palon mein ,
Sab kuch badal gaya.

Uss din ke ujaale mein woh tamam log,
Shaayad anginat sapne dekh rahe the’
Aur apni apni manzilon ki soch mein shaayad doobe huye the’.

Magar un sab ko kya pata tha,
Ki kuch palon mein hi,
Unka yeh safar un sab ko,
Kisi aur jahaan ki taraf hamesha ke liye le jayega.

Woh tamaam log mere kuch nahi the’ ,
Magar phir bhi naa jaane kyon,
Is ek haadse ne,
Mujhe maayusi ki kisi gehri jheel mein dubo diya,
Aur zindagi ki un tamaam khubsoorat ujalon ki kaamna karte hue bhi,
Aise kaufnaak sach ka saamna karne par bhi,
Hamein majboor kar diya.

Sach, iss zindagi ke ujaale khubsoorat zaroor hain
Magar saath saath kuch aise khaufnaak sach,
Dubo dete hain ham sab ko,
Mayusi ki kisi gehri jheel mein.


Translated

Tragic loss of lives in an incident,
Revealed a horrific truth about life to me.

Just two moments ago,
I was looking towards a beautiful dawn of life,
But in those two moments itself,
Everything changed.

During the dawn of that day, all those people,
Were perhaps involved with countless of dreams,
And perhaps were thinking about their respective destinations.

But what did they know,
That a few moments later,
This journey of theirs,
Would take them forever, towards another world.

All those people were no one of mine,
But still, for reasons unknown
This one incident
Drowned me into a deep lake of sorrow,
And despite aspiring for those beautiful dawns of life,
Compelled me to face such horrific truths as well.

Really, life’s dawns are beautiful,
But at the same time such horrific truths,
Drown all of us,
Into the lake of sorrrow.

An Open Letter to Our Respected Home Minister

The following letter was authored by me as an expression of growing concern to the mindless loss of lives of our jawans, who too had loved ones back home, and the growing vulnerability of the Indian state to such security threats both internally and externally.

If you share these sentiments, and agree with what I have to suggest, then kindly share it with your friends etc. to build up a strong public opinion on the same.

Best Wishes

Navneet


Respected Chidambaram ji,

You have earned the respect and admiration of millions of we citizens, by owning up the responsibility behind the Dantewada massacre, and even offering to step down from the post of Union Home Minister.

You were certainly not off the mark in Lalgarh, where you stated that the "buck stops at the Chief Minister's desk" where tackling the Naxal menance was concerned. It is a common knowledge that the law and order is state subject, and hence it is the Chief Minister of the affected state/s, who has to shoulder the prime responsibility behind the same. Centre’s role in such matters should ideally be supplementary in nature.

Having said that, it is now high time for us to take stock of the situation, and face the reality which is confronting our nation today, despite the fact that the same may not be palatable to some of us.

A disclaimer - even though you have held to the high moral ground that the buck behind the Dantewada massacre stops at your desk, yet it would not be fair to hold only you personally accountable for the state of affairs as highlighted below. But yes, fortunately or unfortunately, since you have been occupying the "hot seat" which was literally thrust upon you in the aftermath of 26/11, you cannot escape such bitter truths which exist as on date. Furthermore, we citizens expect you to be on the forefront and muster all courage, skills, energy, while effectively discharging your responsibilities as the Union Home Minister.

The Times of India dated 7th April, serves a chilling reminder to the overall vulnerability of the Indian state, to both internal and external security threats, notwithstanding the fact that for nearly three decades now, we have been grappling with jehadi terrorism , and above all, over the past four decades or so our struggle with the naxal menance which by now has managed to evolve itself as the single biggest internal threat to our Nation, with the Dantewada massacre leaving no doubt whatsoever in anyone's mind about the same.

The front page of this issue of The Times of India highlights five incidents of Naxal violence on our men in uniform since 15th March ,2007 till 15th Feb 2010, in which more than 150 security personnel lost their lives. Alongside this newsitem is a statistic which suggests that while 133 people were killed by militants in J&K in 2009, 1134 died in Naxal violence.

On the bottom of this page a newsitem, " 26/11 killers quietly buried in January", though unrelated , yet served us a grim reminder of the fact that despite a tragedy like 26/11, our establishment is yet to learn every alphabet of the word "security", and imbibe the same in the overall psyche of our body politic.

Then the other headline on the frontpage itself, " Chinese hackers steal secret defence files" added that proverbial salt to our wounds, which are yet to be healed even decades after battling such internal and external threats.

The reasons are not hard to find. The passing of the buck between at the high echelons of our political leadership, which preceded before the Dantewada massacre, made a complete mockery of the seriousness among the distinguished parliamentarians of our country, where our fight against the Naxal violence is concerned.

This coupled with a report in this very edition of The Times of India, :

" With polls due later this year , Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is reluctant to engage in any major offensive , Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren has always been slippery on Maosists, and West Bengal CM Buddadeb Bhattacharjee is squabbling with the Centre. It is only off late that Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik has joined the anti Naxal operations and began to get after the ultras in his state..." leaves no room for any doubt whatsover that vested political interests are the biggest threat, not for our politicians and powers that be who are in any way well protected with A-Z class security cover at we taxpayer's expense, but rather the threat is for we the common citizens, and those of our loved ones who have had the courage to join the various security forces, with the noble objective of securing our motherland and we citizens, from such threats.

While reams and reams of paper and tonnes of ink could be wasted in analyzing the genesis and root cause behind such threats alongwith the suggested options, which could also include the opinions of some sympathizers of the Naxals, two questions which should now be on the uppermost in our minds are:

"How many more lives have to be sacrificed just for the sake of some vested political interests and an indifferent bureaucratic set up which seems to be immune to such sacrifices of our valiant loved ones?" and

" Is it worthwhile for our loved ones to opt for a career in the security forces,being fully aware of the fact that while they may be able to vanquish their adversary, but not even God would be able to save them from the vested political interests and the relative indifference of the powers that be?"


The revelation by the media of the sub human and dangerous conditions of the camps where our jawans are put up, and are expected to put their lives at risk at the drop of a hat during anti Naxal operations , were truly appalling to say the least, and should make our heads hang in shame. Apart from Naxals , they have to face the omnipresent threats from malaria and poisonous reptiles, besides craving for adequate food and drinking water. What a tragic tale of government apathy towards all those who chose a profession which called for supreme sacrifice!

As on date our political leadership is yet to decide on using the airpower in anti Naxal operations. The reasons advanced sound noble theoretically, as offensive airpower is ideally meant for enemy across the border.

But one question which begs an answer till date is:

" How many more jawans with loved ones back home have to be sacrificed at the altar of an indecisive, soft, and indifferent leadership and bureaucratic apparatus which seems to be woefully divorced from the ground realities, and seem to be confined to their secure air conditioned environments to take bold, practical, and timely decisions?"

Yes, the use of airpower need not necessarily imply carpet bombing of the Naxal affected areas, rather it could be used to effectively track down the Naxals in those difficult terrains, and help in mounting the right offensive at the earliest.

Respected Chidambaram ji, mercifully enough, the opposition has been very responsible in its reaction post the massacre, and have pledged their support to you. Capitalizing on this opportunity to forge a political consensus, cutting across party lines and political ideologies, to use the right strategy, right technology, and right weapon systems, against the single biggest threat facing our nation, is something which is now only too obvious to merit any mention.

And finally, given our poltico bureaucratic culture, those in the lowermost ranks of our security apparatus are often ignored while taking crucial decisions on such operations. Yet tragically enough, it is these very personnel from the lowermost ranks who lead in making the supreme sacrifices during such operations.

If we are really serious about tackling the various internal and external threats confronting our nation today, and do believe that a highly motivated security apparatus is the need of the hour where each jawan is convinced that he has the complete backing of the state, then we would have to imbibe a new work culture in this entire politico bureaucratic set up, where all crucial decisions are primarily centered around if not dictated, by the various professional and logistics related needs of those, who are expected to be the first to put their lives at stake for our security.

To be specific, their security and professional efficiency should be the twin objectives, central to any crucial decisions relating to such operations.

Yes, this would call for out of box thinking, greater coordination and cooperation between various agencies directly or indirectly involved in our security, but then there is no other alternative.

As a footnote, let us not forget that the day a realization dawns among our jawans that:

“Is it worthwhile for us to risk our lives when our powers that be are ignoring us, and is it worthwhile to leave our loved ones to grieve our loss all their lives?" that day we would face an insurmountable challenge which can take the winds off our sails.

We are confident the despite such challenges confronting our Nation today, you would not disappoint we the people of India, and leave an indelible mark later on , by virtue of your extraordinary accomplishments as our Union Home Minister.

Most Respectfully,

Navneet Dhawan

New Delhi.

A faux pax at the World Bank ?

According to a newspaper report, our Executive Director to the World Bank Mr. Pulok Chatterjee, at an internal meeting of the World Bank in Washington DC on the 12th February, which was attended by Executive Director China - Mr. Shaolin Yang, World Bank General Counsel (legal) and Vice President South Asia Division, had verbally conveyed to the Bank, that no Arunachal Pradesh specific projects would be posed to it for financing.

“I also took the liberty to say that the names of the individual states would not be mentioned anywhere in the project document, and that the Government of India would not be posing any Arunachal Pradesh specific project to World Bank.” Mr. Chatterjee informed the Finance Secretary Mr. Ashok Chawla, in a letter written soon after the World Bank meeting. This letter is reportedly in the possession of that newspaper.

Quite expectedly, Mr. Shaolin Yang wanted operationalisation of this statement.

According to our Minister for External Affairs - Mr. S.M. Krishna, while defending the decision not to seek World Bank assistance for projects in Arunachal Pradesh, stated that “necessity arises when we are starved of funds for technical projects in our Country, which is inclusive of Arunachal Pradesh. As of now, for every project in Arunachal Pradesh, we have been able to tie up internal resources.”

But on its part, the Finance Ministry said that India had not made any commitment to the World Bank that it would not pose any Arunachal Pradesh specific projects. “ No such discussion or dialogue can be termed as a conclusive official stand or commitment till it has been formally approved by the government,” a statement from the Finance Ministry said.

Assuming the authenticity of these facts as reported in the newspaper, one wonders:

1. Who gave Mr. Chatterjee the authority or directive to give such kind of a verbal commitment to the World Bank officials, by specifically mentioning Arunachal Pradesh, and that too in the presence of Executive Director China - Mr. Shaolin Yang who later pressed for the operationalisation of this verbal statement ?

2. If Mr. Krishna’s defense of this decision by Mr. Chatterjee is to be accepted, then one wonders if stating such obvious facts was really called for ? Have other countries made similar kind of statements verbally or otherwise in such forums of the World Bank?

3. Would Mr. Krishna be kind enough to clarify if, as of now, are we funding all the technical projects in our country, from our own internal resources, or it is just confined to Arunachal Pradesh?

4. If we are indeed funding all the technical projects in our country as of now from our own internal resources (which would be truly amazing), then do we not reserve the right to approach the World Bank any time in the future, for funding requirements of any technical projects in any integral part of our country, including Arunachal Pradesh as well?

5. If we do reserve the right to approach the World Bank in the future, for funding requirements of technical projects in Arunachal Pradesh as well, besides others, then the verbal commitment given by Mr. Chatterjee, as accepted by him in his letter to the Finance Secretary Mr. Chawla, falls flat on his face, and should he be allowed to continue being our representative in the World Bank? and

6. If only the technical projects in Arunachal Pradesh are being and would be funded through our internal resources, then what reservations do we have in operationalising this statement of Mr. Chatterjee, as demanded by Mr.Yang?

The assertion of the Finance Ministry, that no such discussion or dialogue can be termed conclusive official stand or commitment, till it has been formally approved by the government, contradicts the stand taken by Mr. S.M. Krishna, and also puts a question mark on the credibility of Mr,. Pulok Chatterjee, who is after all a representative of the Indian Government at the World Bank.

The Ministry of External Affairs and the Finance Ministry seem to be contradicting each other in such a serious matter, which concerns the very integrity of our country. Assuming the authenticity of the above statement of the Finance Ministry, what if the Government of India overrules the verbal statement of Mr. Chatterjee, then would it not imply losing confidence in him besides contradicting our Minister of External Affairs Mr. Krishna as well?

With the Sharm El Shaikh disaster still fresh in our minds, this yet another possible faux pax concerning a troubled spot in our bilateral relationship with China, would be too much for us to bear.

While verbal denials , twisting of the words, playing upon the various possible interpretations, as is done usually by the spokespersons, might come in plenty, yet nothing short of rolling at least one head, should be the right action to send across a message, that when it comes to our territorial integrity, there can be and will be no compromise.

No prizes for guessing, whose head that should be.

Getting Our Priorities Right

The sustained campaign by the entire media including the digital, print, and online, for Shahrukh Khan and his film ‘My Name is Khan’ till just a few days ago, kind courtesy the questionable tactics employed by messers Shiv Sena, has been totally unprecedented.

While there was certainly some merit in opposing the public stand and tactics employed by messers Shiv Sena to oppose Shahrukh Khan and his film, yet the virtual monopolization of the entire media made one wonder, “ Was it akin to a national catastrophe or a question of our very survival, that the entire media literally went head over heels in such a sustained campaign, while relatively disregarding other events, which could have grave implications for our national integrity and security?”

The tragic killing of a Kashmiri teenager Zahid Farooq Sheikh by a BSF constable , near the Dal Lake on the 5th of February this year , is one such incident, which was a casuality in the media caught in the frenzy of SRK and MNIK. No doubt there was a mention of the same, but the news was soon overshadowed by the SRK and MNIK wave.

This tragic killing triggered off a wave of protest throughout the valley, so much so that the picture of a Kashmiri teenager aiming a stone at the security forces which was flashed in a leading newspaper, spoke volumes of the kind of deep embedded hatred in the psyche of an average Kashmiri against a very important symbol of the Indian state. Surprizingly and amazingly indeed, that photograph failed to capture the imagination of the media for obvious reasons as mentioned above.

The accused BSF constable has been arrested, and the law would take its own course, but then one question which should haunt our consciousness is, “ Are we really serious about retaining our side of Kashmir, not a yet another piece of land, but as a well integrated part of the Indian Republic?”

Twenty years have passed since the uprising in Kashmir began, thanks to the rigged elections of 1987, which gave Pakistan an opportunity to forment trouble and put the ‘K’ word on the center stage vis a vis India. Even though much water has flown since then, and countless lives have been lost unnecessarily, notwithstanding the psychological damage suffered by the Kashmiris who have had to pay a heavy price both in terms of bereavement, and having to live each day in fear and threat, we seem to be caught in an endless challenge, where Kashmir is concerned.

We seem to be nowhere to a permanent solution to this menance which reared its ugly head twenty years ago. To be fair to the security forces too, it must be admitted that due to the intense pressures on duty including the omnipresent threat of being shot by a terrorist’s bullet, some of them are indeed prone to taking leave of their senses and committing such disastrous acts like the tragic killing of Zahid Farooq Sheikh.

Such acts only serve to further alienate the Kashmiri population from the Indian state, which in turn would provide an excellent fodder to Pakistan to up their ante against India.

If we are indeed serious about retaining Kashmir as a well integrated part of the Indian Republic, then its high time that we the people of India , ably assisted by our media and online communities, moved heaven and earth to sensitize our political leadership and opinion makers of the need for drastic measures required to address this issue once in for all before it is too late. Specifically, apart from the appropriate confidence building measures in the valley, we need to equip our intelligence and security forces with state of art equipment to enable them foil all attempts to create mayhem both from across the LoC and within the valley.

It is here that the media can unleash a sustained campaign to ensure that it is done.

And finally, it would not be out of place to mention here that the blast at German Bakery in Pune, is yet another reminder of the fact that we still need to get our act together. This was one of the spots recced by David Headley, a fact known to all since quite some time.

The statement by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra , Shri Ashok Chavan, “ I will find out why no adequate steps and security was taken, “ when asked why the state had failed to react in advance to the security warnings issued by the Union Home Ministry says it all.

Initiatives like 'Aman Ki Asha' and a sustained campaign for issues like MNIK may have their own merits and are welcome. But however, they look out of place when our very existence and integrity is under threat, chiefly because of the sustained initiatives from across the border.

Saath Saal Ab Hua Hai Saara...

A poem dedicated to our Republic on completing Sixty Years!!!!

"Saath saal ab hua hai saara,
Yeh pyaara gantantra Hindustan hamaara.

Hamein garv hai apni iis kamayabi par,
Jiski khabar hai ab duniya ke har kone kone par.

Rajpath par sajavat hai aaj kai jhalkiyon ki,
Hamare vibhinn pranton (various regions) ki,
Hamare kamayabi ki, khubsoorti ki,
Aur hamare taakat ke kai pehluon ki.

Jise' dekh rahe' hein aaj anginat log,
Yahaan bhi, aur duniya ke har kone par bhi."

Yeh Hindustan hai hamaara,
Dekhkar phir samajh rahe hein aaj hum bhi,
Aur duniya ke yeh anginat log sabhi."

Jai Ho !!!!

Are We So Insensitive and Selfish?

The TV visuals of a decorated cop R. Vetrivel - a member of the team that gunned down Verrappan in 2004, bleeding profusely and crying for help, before succumbing to his injuries, should stir the conscious of every individual of this country.

What is really disgusting is the fact that two ministers and their covoy who were a witness to this tragedy, did not have that much of sense to rush him immediately to a nearby hospital, where he might have been saved.

To have expected such a maganimity from our political class is like expecting the moon, but then what holds us back from such moral obligations of ours ?? The convoy had some other individuals as well, who could have acted in time and made that critical effort, which might have made all the difference.

We are the ones to expect the world out of our valiant fellow citizens, who have joined the security forces, as and when our lives and property are threatened, but then how many amongst us even have that much of virtue in us to reciprocate our moral obligations to these very fellow citizens of ours, when they need our help???

The late R. Vetrivel was no one of ours, so let him fade into oblivion while we get going with our respective lives, and keeping our hopes and expectations high as ever from these very fellow citizens of ours.

But then dear friends, just pause to reflect, what would be our feelings if one of our own loved one, faces the same tragic end as Vetrivel, all due to the fact that no one even bothered to have made that critical effort to save him ???

I shudder to even think about it.